• Harry Potter One Shots• (request open)

Blame • George Weasley • Part One

"GEORGE?"

The words echoed. The voice didn't even sound familiar. George's ear rang with the buzz of activity around him, he couldn't make out whether it was sobs or laughter. It all sounded like buzzing.

"George." The voice repeated, more clear this time.

"What?" He snapped, angrily. He wasn't really sure why; his whole life he had been cheerful, always finding the fun in any situation. He and Fred never was hatef-

Fred. He was gone. He'd been gone. Two weeks. It didn't seem real, it still didn't seem real. George felt as if he had been ripped in half, right down the middle - he felt exposed and cold, lonely.

But, George wasn't alone - he had the person who was saying his name so softly and gently that it definitely didn't warrant that type of response. Charlotte, or Charlie for short. Charlie had been his girlfriend since 4th year as well as Fred's closest friend, besides George. Her nickname has always cause great confusion at the Burrow, sharing the moniker with the twins' older brother, Charlie. Most of the Weasleys - Fred, Charlie, Percy and Bill - had adapted to calling her her last name, Peterson. While Ginny, the trio, Molly and Arthur opted for just Charlotte. George always called her Charlie. "What, Charlie?" He repeated, a growling tone again. Charlie jumped at the sound of the voice - it wasn't his. In fact, the man that stood before her was not the man she fell in love with before the war.

"I was just going to ask if you were hungry." Charlie almost whispered, holding her wallet in her left hand and the door handle to the shop with her right. Tears threatened to spill out of her brown eyes and her hand shook.

"No." A simple, stern answer. Charlie shook her head and walked out of the door, without another word. He had been like this since Fred died, at first she understood - she was hurting immensely too, but surely not as much as George. Fred had taken her under his wing, before she'd ever even met George. Fred had spotted her on a staircase one evening, her hand shaking, fighting the same tears she was now. Charlie had lost her family, or most of it, her first year. She was muggleborn and a carbon monoxide leak had killed her mum, dad and baby sister Elisabeth. She still had her gran, but nothing eased the burden. Fred had tried to crack a joke, offer some candy (which Charlie knew better to take) and then finally sat with her in silence. He didn't pry, he didn't ask, not until Charlie was ready - they had been friends since.

It wasn't until 4th year she and George admitted their feelings for each other, while she was always with the twins, Fred knew she felt differently about George than him and he done everything (literally everything) to orchestrate the relationship. Charlie was so in love with George, and he with her - or so she thought.

Charlie had her suspicions as to why George was so cross with her; she hadn't dare bring it up, but as tempers flared and the issue came to a head she realized she was going to have to talk to him about it. They couldn't live like this.

Charlie was the reason Fred was dead.