Freddie

George

~At the same time as the previous chapter~

George sat alone in his flat, drinking firewhisky and wallowing in self-pity. He had told himself not to get his hopes up with Angelina but had done so all the same. Her abrupt leave from the park proved that she truly would never forgive him. At least he could keep her in his life now that they were working together.

"Never thought you would be a drinker, Georgie," Fred said from the other side of the flat. George fell backward off of the couch, earning a series of snorts and giggles from his brother. George stood up and looked at his brother. He didn't look faded or ghost-like anymore. He looked... real. Like, actually real! "Before you can ask," said Fred, "Yes, I passed through The Veil. I think that since I'm here now, I won't be sent back when you close the hole, I'll just remain here like I never left." George collapsed into a heap of sobs and hugged his brother, vowing to never let go of him again. Fred hugged him back.

"I can't believe you're actually here," George whimpered. He vaguely wondered if this was all a dream, but if it was, he wasn't going to try to wake himself up.

"I can't believe it either," Fred laughed. "I suppose you'll want to tell Harry, Ron and Hermione." Just as George was about to agree, his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket to check who was calling. He was surprised to see that it was Hermione calling him.

"Hermione!" he cried as he answered. "I need to tell you something! Or perhaps we should just meet up somewhere so that I can show you in person."

"That's a good idea," she said grimly, "We have something to tell you too." In George's excitement, he didn't notice the obvious worry in Hermione's voice.

"Okay," he said, "Let's meet at Cafe Oz in an hour. That work with you?"

"Yeah, sure," said Hermione nervously.

"Oh, and bring Ron with you. He'll want to be there."

"Right," said Hermione, "See you soon."

"Goodbye," said George, hanging up the phone.

"What was that about?" asked Fred, addressing his brother.

"We're going to meet Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Angelina and show them that you've come back. Hermione said that they have something to tell us too," said George, childlike excitement alive in his face.

Fred raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Angelina too, eh? So you called her?" he asked coyly.

"Yeah, but it's not what you think. She just wants to help with everything that's going on. She explicitly told me in no uncertain terms that her and I are over," George said sadly. Fred put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry mate," said Fred, "but know that it won't last for long. She'll forgive you in no time. She just needs a while."

George didn't believe his brother, but forced a smile anyway for his benefit. "We should get going," he said, "Cafe Oz is pretty far away."

"Why don't we just apparate?" asked Fred, confused.

"My magic hasn't been the same since, well, since you died. I've been using Muggle transportation."

"Well, I'm back now, aren't I?" asked Fred, pointing out the obvious. "Why don't we try it and see what happens."

"Alright," said George. The brother clasped hands and apparated. George closed his eyes, bracing for the twisting feeling. When he had tried to use any form of magic without Fred, he had been ravaged with a blinding pain. This time, the sensation never came. He opened his eyes and they were in front of Cafe Oz.