George gently gestured at the grave. He felt lost, numb, broken in half. His emotions abandoned him. His family and friends suffered through their own mourning of his brother, Fred. Fred, his fierce, fiery, friendly, fun-loving twin brother, lay now under the cold ground. So many deaths had occurred at the Battle of Hogwarts, but none were felt so deeply as this blow, this cold separation of brothers.

George had known the very moment his brother had died. His connection with his brother was suddenly gone, but he had finished the final battle, fiercely fighting all the Death Eaters who came against him. He had tried to deny Fred’s death, deny that loss that left a hole no one else could fill, deny that he had to live the rest of his life alone.

Alone… he had never really been alone before. He was a solitary being now. No longer part of a pair. Now he was… just George. His entire life he had been half of “George and Fred,� always synonymous with his brother. From the moment of their birth, through their childhood years, through their years at Hogwarts, through the years in which they built their joke shop, the two had been together. Fred and George had used their wit to play tricks and get into mischief, to confuse and confound their professors and parents, and to survive through the dark and dangerous years of war with Voldemort.

Now George stood there, surrounded by many friends and family, but he felt totally alone. None here could understand. Understand the tear that rendered his soul apart, forever.

A small, gentle hand wrapped around his as he stood silent and solitary. When he did not respond she moved in front of him, forcing him to look at her. He remembered this blonde-haired girl from somewhere, he remembered those piercing blue eyes from somewhere, he remembered seeing loss similar to his own on that beautiful face from somewhere.

“The pain is deep but fades with each second and minute and hour and day and year. It will never leave your heart. He will always be there, just out of reach. Life continues though. If you let me, I will help you through the first few steps. The first thing you have to do is let yourself feel. Feel the loss, the hole in your heart and soul, the pain that separation brings. Only by allowing yourself to mourn will you ever be able to move forward without him.� She gently wrapped her arms around his neck.

Understanding was in her eyes. Her eyes were the key that turned the lock of his emotions and finally the tears tore from his tortured, tired body, freely flowing down his face and bringing him to his knees.

Finally he could feel for the first time since Fred’s death. Finally he could look his friends and family in the eye for the first time since Fred’s death. Finally he felt the pieces of his soul move and rearrange themselves to heal from Fred’s death. Finally, he could move on from Fred’s death.

George would forever mourn the loss of his other half, the laughter in his brother’s eyes, the mischief his brother instigated, the ideas they could have shared. He knew his pain was not over, but this girl standing in front of him understood. He remembered her now. She was two years younger than him. She was in Ravenclaw and had lost her father and twin sister the previous year, when they were murdered by Death Eaters. For a short while her sister had been lead down the wrong path and had joined the evil cult, she was killed for leaving them, but not before she had a chance to ask her family for forgiveness.

“My name is Aria,� she whispered to him.

“I’m George. Just George,� he whispered back.

“You are not just George. You are George Weasley, owner of Weasley Wizard Wheezes, brother, son, and friend. It will take you some time to fully become yourself, but you have started,� Aria said as she gently guided him from the grave to the arms of his mother.

From his mother he moved to his father, to Bill, to Fleur, to Charlie, to Percy, to Ron, to Hermione, to Ginny, to Harry, to Angelina. They all saw his pain, felt it with him. He knew that together they would all move forward from this day. The hugs they shared, the tears they cried, the laughter they allowed back into their hearts–this was what Fred would have wanted.

Aria stood back and watched a few minutes and started to walk away. George quickly caught up to her.

“Where are you going?� he asked.

“I didn’t want to intrude. I did what I came to do, to help you start moving on. I remember how hard it was for me; only I had no family to stand beside me. They were all gone. I saw you standing there, and thought about how long I stood at my sister’s grave, unable to feel, unable to move on until Luna Lovegood came and stood beside me and pointed out that they were gone, but still with me. They were in my heart, forever to remain there. I wish you well, George. I’m glad that you are able to feel again. I’m also very sorry for your loss,� Aria explained.

“Don’t leave, please stay. I feel like you understand me better than all these other people. Just please stay. I feel like I need you here a little longer,� George beseeched the younger girl.

“Ok, I’ll be here if you need someone to talk to. I’ll be here if you need a shoulder to cry on. I’ll be here if you just need someone to understand,� Aria said as she went to sit under a shaded tree.

George walked around, talked to a few of his friends and family. All eyes were watching him…like they had been watching him since Fred’s death. He soon tired of all the eyes, watching, inquiring, judging. His eyes kept moving towards the blonde-haired girl sitting under a tree. She was joined for a while by Luna Lovegood.

When Luna left, he went and sat next to her. People moved about them, but they sat in silence, watching, feeling, mourning their individual losses.