Prologue: The Lost
So many good people are dead, thought George Weasley as he lay on his bed.
Colin Creevey. He was so young. George smiled as he remembered when the boy was in his first year, taking all of those pictures of Harry. It was his camera that had saved him that year when the Basilisk had attacked him. His thoughts turned to Colin's younger brother, Dennis, and how he must feel now. He knew what it was like to lose a brother.
Remus Lupin. The former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was not exactly young, but had been through so much. The werewolf bite, the monthly transformations, the horrible prejudice. He had pushed Tonks away for so long, but in the end, he had embraced her and let their love flourish. Remus had been good; very good, but Voldemort had been better.
Nymphadora Tonks. She was so brave, so talented. Only the bravest and the best spies could stay at the Ministry during the Second War without being discovered. She may have been clumsy, but that didn't make her any worse of an Auror. However, Voldemort and his forces had gotten her as well. Tonks had been trying for two years to convince Remus that he was not too old for her. She had said to him, “You keep saying that I deserve better than you, but how can I find someone better than you? I love you, Remus. I know you love me, so please admit it.” After that, he had finally accepted it. Their poor son; orphaned before he could even walk. He would be well cared for, George was sure of it.
Mad-eye Moody. He was the best of the best, the strongest Auror you could ever hope for. He was so cautious; some might say paranoid. It was a simple Stunning spell that had finally killed him, knocking him off his broom onto the ground far, far below. They hadn't even found his body. They weren't exactly close, but he had taught them to resist the Imperius Curse; although it was really the impostor, George guessed the real Mad-eye might have taught them some extreme defense methods too. Almost none of them had been able to do them, but Ron had said Harry was the best at it. Harry...
Hedwig. She wasn't exactly the most regretted death, but she certainly was mourned. She was all Harry had had during the summers with the Dursleys. George happily remembered when he, Ron, and Fred had come to rescue him in the flying Ford Anglia five years ago. They were about to go, but Harry had remembered they had forgotten Hedwig. She had looked so beautiful flying around the car. He remembered how fast it had been to pick the locks with Fred. Fred…
Fred Weasley. This was the death that destroyed him. His twin, his business partner, his best friend, his other half. When George had seen his broken body, something in him had broken as well. This may have killed George's soul. One thing that was for sure was that he would not joke for weeks, months, maybe even years. So many questions ran through the broken joker's head. What will happen to the shop? What will I do now? Angelina was his girlfriend, she must be devastated too.
Wait, he was turning into Harry, and he could understand why. They had both lost so much - family, friends, and some parts of their souls. No, wallowing in sadness was not the way to feel better. He should think of happier times, like in their first year, when he and Fred had discovered the Marauder's Map. It had been a frosty winter's day...
George by Lunalovespudding
Story Notes:
This is my first fic, a HUGE thank you to my amazing beta, Jordana (u-no-poo). Hope you like it!
Chapter Notes: Thanks to my beta Jordana (u-no-poo) for beta'ing this lightning-fast! This has been rejected a lot, so if you're reading this, the fifth time's the charm!
Chapter Endnotes: The next chapter should be up really fast (unless the mods reject it). Please review, all feedback (even mean feedback) is gratefully accepted! You can read some of my other writing on the forums (TTB) on the May monthly challenge and the weekly challenge for 5/24. Thanks for reading!