Fred stared back at him, giving him an amused smile, all the while continuing to poke at the flames. George simply stared back, unable to move or speak. For a moment, even his mind was frozen, but then he managed to think one word to himself: Impossible.
The firelight lit Fred’s face as if he were solid, but there was a cloudy quality about him. He wasn’t transparent, but he wasn’t fully there either; almost in between. But it was definitely Fred, George noted for one inappropriately comical second, for he had both his ears.
Several moments passed, neither of them moving. Finally, Fred said, “Surprised to see me?”
George blinked at the sound of Fred’s voice. Fred’s smile grew wider. Then, nodding at George’s wand, he said, “Are you going to curse me or are you just going to stand there with your mouth hanging open? Come on, sit down.” He patted the ground next to him.
George regained control of his muscles and finally lowered his wand and sat down again in a mechanical manner, his eyes never leaving his brother’s face. He opened his mouth again to say something, but no words would come. Fred saw his struggle for speech, the edges of his smile twitching. He seemed unable to contain himself as he threw his head back and laughed.
The sound was glorious, echoing throughout the clearing and, although it may have been a coincidence, a wind high above them struck up and rustled the leaves on the trees, sending a mystical atmosphere down over them.
George finally pried his eyes away from
Fred, staring around him at the trees, at the stars twinkling down at him. He looked back down and, finally finding his voice, said, “What are you doing here, Fred?”
“You called me,” Fred replied simply.
“What?”
“That stone,” Fred said, nodding toward the rock in George’s hand. “You know what that is, don’t you?”
George continued to stare, and then said, “It’s a rock.”
“That’s not just any old rock. It’s”“
Realization dawning on George, he said the name along with Fred: “The Resurrection Stone.”
But then George looked down at it. “Wait…No way. You can’t be serious”“
“How else would I be here?”
“You’re not here,” George argued, but secretly and desperately hoping he was wrong. “I’ve gone completely mad, and so has the guy who told me to come here in the first place.” He shut his eyes tight childishly. “You’re not really here, I don’t see you and what I hear as your voice is really me talking to myself because, as I said before, I am now insane and I’m heading back to the school now so Mum and Dad can check me into St. Mungo’s.” He made to stand up, but Fred reached out and grabbed his forearm.
“George, it’s okay. You’re not mad, I promise.” He spoke gently, and George could hear a pleading note in his voice. “Trust me.”
“The last time someone told me to trust him, I ended up in this place, talking to my dead brother.”
“And that hasn’t given you enough reason to trust people?”
George didn’t answer. He just gave Fred a quizzical look.
Fred cocked his head and asked, “You okay?”
“I dunno…I mean, you’re here, but your body is…” George gestured over his shoulder in the direction of the school.
Fred nodded. “I can understand your confusion.”
George didn’t laugh. He continued to
scrutinize his brother until Fred said, “Well, say something!”
“What do you want me to say?”
“Oh, come on! When have you ever had nothing to say?”
Still George said nothing. This time Fred did not laugh. On the contrary, for the first time the smile left his face.
George looked seriously at his brother and then sighed. “Alright then, I’ll play along.” He paused for a moment. “It didn’t hurt, did it? I mean, when you…”
He did not think this was exactly what Fred had been looking for, but nonetheless he seemed happy with it. “Didn’t feel a thing. Not that it matters much, seeing as when you’re about to die, you don’t really have time to worry about whether it hurts or not. Seconds later, you’re dead anyway.” He paused, and George recognized the scheming look that came over his face. Then he said, “Do you think I’d feel anything if I stuck my hand in the fire?” He reached out to touch the flames.
“No!” George grabbed Fred’s arm and tugged it away.
Fred’s smile returned.
“I’m not really here, huh?”
Now it was outrage that held George’s tongue. Fred gently pulled his arm out of his brother’s grasp and reached out once again, running his fingers through the flames as if it were water. This time George did not stop him. He simply watched, transfixed. When Fred pulled his hand back, it was whole and untouched.
“That wasn’t fair.”
“But it worked. Ready to admit you’re wrong?”
This time George smiled. “Alright, you got me.”
“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
George scoffed. “I suppose I should’ve known better.”
They sat in silence for a while. Fred had resumed prodding the flames with the stick, every once in a while letting the flames lick his fingertips. Finally he said, “How’s Mum?”
“You saw that, huh?” He knew Fred was referring to the confrontation between his mother and Bellatrix Lestrange. “Yeah, I think she’ll be okay. To be honest, I think having someone to at least take her anger out on helped a lot. Maybe she’ll be easier to live with after that.” He paused, and then said “I suppose she’ll just have to be, because I don’t think I can go back there, Fred.” He looked away into the fire.
“Back where?”
“To the joke shop. I don’t think I can do it. Not by myself.”
Fred reached out and put a hand on George’s shoulder. “Come on, George, it’s easy. You just walk right through the doors and keep on going with it. That is, if the Death Eaters haven’t blown it to pieces. As for the inventing, don’t worry. The ideas will come to you.” He paused. George looked up from the fire to see his brother’s gaze rested on him, unwavering. “As long as you still want to do it,” Fred finished.
George opened his mouth to speak but Fred cut him off. “Don’t think you’ll let me down if you decide to quit. I’ll understand.”
“Really?” George found himself thinking that Fred never would have been so sensitive and understanding if he were still alive. It was as if in his first hours being dead he had gained a hundred years of experience and wisdom.
“Of course. But just remember that you’re not alone. You’ve still got friends, you know. They’re not going to abandon you if you quit the shop, lose a brother, or even lose an ear.”
George laughed then. “What if I lose the other one?”
“Then, O Holey One, I’m afraid you’ll be out of luck,” and they both laughed. An enormous weight lifted off George’s shoulders at the sound and the feeling of it.
They sat in silence for a moment. Then Fred sighed. “I don’t suppose Hogwarts will ever be the same again.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” George scoffed.
“Honestly, I’m amazed it’s still standing. And we thought it was in trouble when Umbridge was running the place.”
George looked over at Fred when he didn’t continue. There was a wide grin spreading across his face and he snickered to himself. “What?” George asked.
“Can you still remember the look on her face when we broke out? God, I could never forget it. Had to have been one of the greatest days of my life, after of course opening up the shop. Think there was ever anything else like it at Hogwarts?”
“Not a chance. Think anyone could top it?”
“No way! That was epic, one for the history books! I doubt anyone would ever make the mistake of hiring anyone like Umbridge again. Not another one like her, Umbridge.”
“Not another one like you either. Nobody will need the history books to remember you by.”
“Hey, don’t give me all the credit! What was I supposed to do without you?”
“Crash and burn! Everyone knows I’m the smart one.”
“Fine, but I’m still better looking,” Fred said, punching George in the shoulder.
George glanced at Fred and they both burst into laughter. They laughed and laughed until they had stitches in their sides and still they could not stop. They laughed, George thought, not at the joke but just at being in each other’s company once again, a chance neither of them had imagined they would ever get. For the first time during that day that had lasted a lifetime, he felt truly happy.
When their laughter subsided, they both sat still, their hands resting on top of their knees, gazing into the flames.
It was a few moments before George realized he still held the stone in his hand. He held it up to the light, examining it. Fred sat quietly and watched him. Then George said, “Should I bring this back to everyone? Turn it in or something?"
“I think it’s yours now and you can do with it what you want,” Fred replied. “But if it helps your decision any, Harry is the one who dropped it there, and he chose to leave it. And if you remember anything from that old story, I’m sure you’ll understand why. It won’t do you much good in the end.”
George had resumed turning it in his hand. He nodded. “I know. I shouldn’t tell anyone about any of this, should I?”
Fred shrugged. “At least be sure to thank Harry for me.”
George looked up at him. It sounded as if they were about to part ways. He wasn’t ready.
Fred seemed to be reading his mind. “They’ll be worried about you, George.”
A lump was growing in George’s throat. He did not know if he could reply.
“All you have to do is let go of the stone.” Fred’s eyes had grown somber, but they were dry. George did not know if he could say the same. Suddenly, he realized that he hadn’t cried over Fred’s body.
“Hey, George,” Fred said. “Talk to Percy. I know you weren’t there when it happened, but I think you’re the only one who can convince him it wasn’t his fault.”
George nodded. “Right.” He still gripped the stone, his fingers aching with their own will to hold on and never let it go. He was still for a few moments, and then gave a hoarse chuckle, feeling stupid. He had to do it. He had to let go.
He sighed and reached out his hand and put it on Fred’s shoulder. Fred did likewise.
“See you later,” said Fred with a smile.
“Yeah,” said George, giving Fred an identical grin. “See you later.”
And, with his attention focused on his brother’s face, his fingers gently released their grip on the Resurrection Stone.
Sometime later, George emerged from the trees. The light from the castle windows shone down to illuminate the grounds around it, which were now empty of all people.
George continued to walk up to the steps outside the entrance hall. Inside, he knew his family anxiously awaited his return. What a surprise they would get, he thought, when they saw he was smiling.