One and Only 2 ; George Weasley

107

Warning: mention of sexual assault

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I woke up shaking again in the middle of the night. It wasn't the regular sweating, it was cold sweat but it still made my hair stick to my forehead. This night was different. I hadn't woken up screaming. George was still asleep, lying on his back with his head facing me and his chest rising and falling slowly.

I sat up in the dark room, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. My feet came in contact with the cold wooden floor and I flinched. The only sound filling the room was my heavy breathing.

I had had another nightmare about the night my brother and I got kidnapped. It was always a different dream but it was always about that week and one of the things that happened to us. This night it was about the second time Amycus tried to rape me. He fingered me for a few seconds while I cried and screamed. He had taken me into another room so he wouldn't get "distracted" by Sebastian's yelling. That's what happened in my dream. It was the memory of that night.

It felt horrible. This feeling after waking up. It made me realise I never told anyone that he groped me. I never told anyone that I was sexually assaulted, that I was almost raped by Amycus Carrow while being held hostage by my own father.

I stood up and made my way out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. I found the bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky that we kept in one of the cabinets and after pouring myself a glass, I drank it in the split of a second.

"What are you doing up?"

I jumped at the sound of Fred, not expecting him to be up as well. With a hand on my heart, I glanced at him and then poured myself another glass of Firewhisky.

"And why are you drinking at three in the morning?"

I ignored him as I quickly drank the glass of whisky. Gosh it was strong but I didn't care. I needed something to numb the pain I currently felt.

"Fuck it." I muttered under my breath and placed the bottle to my mouth, drinking directly from it. When I put it down, Fred grabbed it out of my hand, making me turn towards him. "Hand it back."

"What? You're the only one who's allowed to drink?" he questioned before placing the bottle by his lips himself. I snickered, shaking my head as I looked towards the window. "Care to tell me what you dreamt about this night?"

I ran my thumb along my bottom lip, thinking about the opportunities I had. I could tell him and risk him telling George. They'd both look at me differently and start acting like I'm fragile. Another option was to go to bed and ignore Fred's question but he'd just keep asking me in the morning and George would know I was hiding it as well.

"Elizabeth."

"What, Frederick?!"

His name wasn't really Frederick but it was something I always called him when we were arguing or when he simply pissed me off. I looked at him, raising my eyebrows while waiting for him to speak again.

"Do you need me to go wake up George?" he asked and this time I snorted, glaring at him while I walked to the window which I opened so I could get some fresh air. "Then talk to me. Tell me about your dream and then I might be able to help."

"And what if it isn't because of a dream?"

"It obviously is. You get them most nights and you always go out here but you don't always act this bitter."

"I'm not... bitter."

"Then what? I am only trying to help you." he said and approached me by the window while I sat down on the window sill. He leaned against the wall, looking at me as the moonlight hit my face. My eyebrows came together in a frown and I pressed my lips together in a flat line while I tried my best not to cry. "You're doing it again, Liz."

"Doing what?"

"Pushing people away when they're trying to be there for you. It is just like all the years you grieved in December."

"You won't see me grieving in December much more." I scoffed. "My father wasn't a hero. I always thought he died in honour. He was supposed to have died while fighting for muggles and muggle-borns. He wasn't... he's not..."

My bottom lip started to tremble and I looked down at my hands, running them up and down my thighs. I took a deep breath before I raised my voice a little. "My father was the complete opposite of a hero. He killed a muggle and used his body to fake his own death. I... how am I supposed to get through knowing that? How am I supposed to get through knowing that the man that's half the reason I was born, did that? I don't... how am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know." Fred sighed. "But you will get through it. The nightmares will stop. Maybe not now, maybe not for a while but eventually, they will stop and you'll begin to feel better about the whole thing."

"I don't believe that." I said with tears coming down my cheeks. "He touched me, Freddie."

Fred pushed himself up straight, watching me with furrowed eyebrows. He blinked a few times, looked out the window before looking at me again.

"Not my father." I sighed. "But Carrow. Amycus Carrow."

"He touched you? How?"

"How do you think?!" I snapped, throwing my head back against the wall. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... I don't want to... fuck."

"Hey." Fred said, his voice soft as he stepped closer to me and wrapped his arm around me to comfort me. "I'm so sorry. You don't have to..."

"I remember when he came to get me." I said. "I thought he was going to take me to see my father again. I was so scared but I never imagined he'd lead me into that room and fin... penetrate me with his..."

I completely broke down and Fred now had both his arms wrapped around me, letting me cry. I couldn't explain how big of a relief it was to finally tell someone... to tell my best friend.

"I'm sorry that happened to you." he said. "You should've told us. I know it's hard but it's even harder to walk around with it by yourself."

I moved my arms up around his neck, hugging him tighter. "Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me. You know I'm always here for you."

"I know." I whispered. "Don't ever leave me, alright?"

"What?" he chuckled softly. "You're stuck with me. You're my sister-in-law, remember?"

I pulled my head back to look at him, offering a soft smile. Fred cupped my face gently and wiped my cheeks before helping me off the window sill.

"You'll never get rid of me." he said. "Now, go to bed. Cuddle with George so you sleep better, yeah?"

"Yeah." I breathed. "Thanks for always being so pushy."

He laughed and I gave him a last hug before I walked back into George's and I's room. He had changed position. He was still on his back but his head was tilted the other way and the hand that had laid on his chest was now lying above his head. After I closed the door to the bedroom, I made my way over and crawled onto the bed. I laid down close to him, running my hand up his chest before I rested it on the side of his neck, feeling the warmth from his skin.

"Why'd you go?" he murmured, tilting his head back towards me but his eyes stayed close. I pressed a soft kiss to his lips and when I pulled back, he opened his eyes to look at me. "Did you drink?"

"Only a little." I whispered, running my hand into his hair. "Or... two glasses and a little more."

"Firewhisky?"

"Yes."

"Another nightmare?"

"Yep."

George hummed and pulled the covers over me, wrapping an arm around me at the same time while pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Sleep. We'll talk about it in the morning."