Accio ~ Fred & George Weasley

Chapter 13

Sophie was stunned. She felt so numb that the whole world around her has shrunk to an air bubble. Mouth half opened, she looked at the man in front of her. The man came close to her. He was very tall, wearing surprised look on his face and bright red short hair flashing. 'Fred!' She thought.

"Fi?" He said.

She gasped. Without knowing, her hand reached to touch his face. She caressed his cheek until she touches his ear. Sophie suddenly dropped her hand.

"George!" She said looking down.

"It is really you, Dixon" George Weasley said softly and smiled at the black haired woman yet surprised by her unexpected act. Eyes behind those glasses have lost its shine, he noted. 'Yet, she's still the same, same old Dixon' he thought.

He lifted her face by her chin to face him, "you wished I was Fred, didn't you?"

"I am sorry George!"  Her voice broke.

George pulled Sophie to a tight embrace. He didn't know if he was happy or sad to see her.
'It feels same here. Very same, yet so different ' she sighed as her tears rolled down against his chest.

The two thirty year olds were sitting across eachother in Threebroomsticks. Sophie didn't say no to her second Butterbeer for the day. She needed strength, she thought.

"Never expected to see you here" George looked over his Butterbeer at her.

"I am back in Hogwarts, George. Teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts" Sophie replied.
"Cool stuff" George nodded.

"I didn't want to. But McGonagall insisted" she said.

"And nobody says no to McGonagall!" They both said and smiled.

"It is good you are back, Fi"

"What are you doing in Hogsmead, Weasley ?"

"We have a shop here, it is where old Zonko's was"

Sophie looked at George. 'He still says we. More than anyone in the world, George misses Fred. Of all these years, he still looks sad, though he pretends not to'

"What about the one in Diagon Alley?" She asked.

"It is still running. But Fred always wanted to buy Zonko's when we learnt they were going to shut it down. But those days we had no money. I was able to buy it very recently" George said. Sophie sighed.

"You are not married, Dixon?" George pointed to Sophie's hand on the table. She covered her hand and stood silent.

"It is more than 10years, Fi. More than 10 years. You should let him go now." George said.

"Could you, George? " she asked to which he looked away.
"Why aren't you married, Weasley?"

George sighed. Without answering her, he said, "you didn't come to Funeral"

"Didn't want to see him... like that" she choked.

"Let's go" George stood up from his seat and put on his coat.

"Where? I have to go back to Hogwarts, George" She gulped.

"It won't take much time" George said as he seized Sophie's hand and jacket.

"I don't want to. Let me go, Weasley!" Sophie pleaded. Her hand started to hurt from the grip that George did not loosen since Threebroomsticks.

"You have to, Sophie. You are coming with me"

"You don't understand. I can't!"

"I do understand you, Sophie. That's why you should do this" His grip tighten around her wrist as he almost dragged her through graveyard and stopped in front of one tombstone . He let go of her hand.

It was simple tombstone, named
Fred Weasley
1st April 1978- 2nd May 1998

There was a picture on the stone, Fred Weasley's handsome young face smilling at them. There were dried flowers and different types of sweets on his tombstone.

Sophie thought her heart would explode. She sat on the dirt slowly. There were no tears in her eyes as she touched the cold stone. Then without warning, tears started to stream down her face.

"F-Fred, I am sorry! Forgive me Fred!" She cried, clinging to the stone as if she was expecting it to come alive and hug her back. Sophie Dixon cried till her eyes ranout of tears and become bloodshot red.

When it was getting dark, George Weasley who sat beside her, touched her head, "Sophie!"

"He shouldn't have left. It wasn't his fault, George. He shouldn't have left" Sophie's voice was hoarse from crying.

George lifted her head to his side, and looked into girl's swollen eyes, "I know, Sophie. But there's nothing we can do now. Being like this, for his sake, only make him sad. My brother never wanted to be sad. He always wanted everyone to smile. More than anyone, he wanted you to smile. No one could made him happier than you, Sophie. Not even me" He said. Sophie knew, George's hiding pain is much worse than what she felt.

Ginny entered the Burrow that evening, "George, are you home?" She called.

"Ginny?" George looked puzzled, "Mom and Dad are not home. They went to Bill's"

"I know. That's why I am here. Oh my! George Weasley, are you drinking alone?" Ginny clapped her mouth eyeing two bottles of Firewhiskey and a glass in George's hand. She could sound exactly like Molly Weasley Sometimes.

"Don't be a drama queen, Ginny. Just mind your business" George said annoyed.

"Actually, I can't. Mom will kill me, if I don't make food for you today"

"That's stupid. I can make food myself, thank you very much! And it is not good for you to go around at night with all that" George eyed Ginny's swelled belly. She was few months pregnant for her and Harry's first child.

"No, that's alright. Mom doesn't trust you. She wants someone else's presence to make sure her baby George eat well" Ginny laughed.

"Ha ha funny"

"Ron said you went to Hogsmead today, but did not return to shop. He was angry you left him when he wanted to leave for home early today. Some interview at ministry tomorrow he said" Ginny said from the kitchen.

"Mmm.. I forgot" George mumbled and gulped the rest of the Firewhiskey in the glass.

"You are drinking lot today, George . What's the matter? Ginny asked as she waved her wand to a chopping board now cutting onions.

"Nothing"

"How is Hogsmead's shop?"

"I met Sophie today" George blurted.

"Sophie? Sophie who?" Ginny asked then stopped suddenly. "What the.. Sophie Dixon?" She asked as she poked her head to look at George.
George nodded.

"Why?..  How is she?" Ginny came and sat next to George. Ginny remembered her brother, Fred and Slytherin girl, Sophie Dixon during her school days. She didn't like the idea of getting involved with a Slytherin, but her twin brothers seemed not to worry about it at all. She remembered how Fred's girlfriend did not turned up for his funeral, and when she brought that up later, George got angry and told it was not her place to judge Sophie. Ginny was sure meeting Sophie Dixon would have stirred George's pain as that girl would remind Fred.

"Good.. Beautiful as always" George looked at the empty glass in his hand and sighed.

Ginny did not like the feeling she just got as she looked at her brother. She couldn't bear the sadness in his eyes.

"George, d-do you love her?" She asked slowly.

George Weasley looked at his sister. He could no longer looking at her penetrating eyes. He looked away.

"For Dumbledore's sake, she was Fred's girlfriend, Ginny! She still loves him. After all these years!"

"I didn't ask about her, George. I asked if you love her?"

George kept silent.

"Oh George!! " Ginny rested her head on her brother's shoulder as she clung onto his arm and patted slowly.