12 steps.

George eagerly placed his foot on the third step, ready to be reunited with his brother once again.

The act of apparating again in such a short amount of time disoriented him, and for a moment he was confused. But then he recognized the inside of the Leaky Cauldron. In the last three years, he and Fred had spent loads of time huddled in a corner table, spilling butterbeer all over their designs as they discussed new inventions for the pranking world.

At the current moment, however, George was not holding a mug of butterbeer but rather a bundle of shopping bags. A moment of panic seized him; what in Merlin's beard was going on? And then he felt Fred nudge him in the side with his elbow. Fred was next to him, as always, and George immediately felt at peace. Everything was right with the world again. Fred nudged him again, harder this time, and gave George a look that meant, pay attention to me. In the last seven days, George had forgotten how needy Fred had been when it came to attention. George raised his eyebrows, silently asking Fred, what? Fred jerked his head to the right, and George's gaze landed upon Harry Potter.

Ginny muttered "hello" without looking at Harry, and George recalled how embarrassed she used to get whenever Harry was around. His mind reeled back to several months ago, when he had caught Harry and Ginny kissing in the kitchen. He was tempted to tell Ginny that it would all work out in the end, but decided against it when he remembered how much fun he and Fred had had teasing her about her crush.

"Harry," Percy said, stiffly offering his hand. "How nice to see you. I hope you're well?"

"Look at that," Fred whispered to George. "He's acting like a bloody mayor."

"Very well, thanks – " Harry began to respond before he was interrupted by Fred, who elbowed Percy out of the way and bowed deeply.

"Harry!" Fred exclaimed. "Simply splendid to see you, old boy!"

George recognized his cue, and joyfully pushed Fred aside to seize Harry's hand. "Marvelous! Absolutely spiffing."

"That's enough, now," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Mum!" Fred said, as though he'd only just spotted her, and seized her hand. "How really corking to see you – "

"I said, that's enough. Harry, dear, I suppose you've heard our exciting news?" She pointed to Percy's silver badge. "Second Head Boy in the family!"

"And last," Fred muttered under his breath, causing George to laugh.

"I don't doubt that. I notice they haven't made you two prefects."

"What do we want to be prefects for?" George asked, doing his best to make a revolted face. "It'd take all the fun out of life." He got a giggle out of Ginny, and then watched as Percy climbed the stairs loftily to change for dinner. George turned to Harry. "We tried to shut him in a pyramid, but Mum spotted us."

That got a laugh out of everyone but Mrs. Weasley, and for a moment George smiled with them, but before he could crack another joke, he felt all of the breath leave his body. It was as if he had been sucker-punched. We tried to shut him in a pyramid. We tried to shut him in a pyramid. Fred and I. We.

Would he ever get to use that word again?

The world began spinning again, and within moments George found himself seated at a table, Fred sitting next to him.

"How're we getting to King's Cross tomorrow, Dad?" Fred asked.

"The Ministry's providing a couple of cars," Mr. Weasley answered. Everyone looked up at him.

"Why?" Percy asked curiously.

The words came easily to George, as they always had.

"It's because of you, Perce," he said seriously. "And there'll be little flags on the hoods, with HB on them – "

" – for Humongous Bighead," Fred finished.

Everyone but Percy and Mrs. Weasley snorted into their pudding, and George felt a rush at hearing someone finishing his sentences for him again. For the last seven days, he'd been stopping himself from finishing a sentence out of habit, waiting for Fred to jump in.

After dinner, Fred had the marvelous idea of stealing Percy's Head Boy badge.

"I think we can improve upon this. What do you say, George?"

"I say it needs a bit of touching up," George said excitedly, waiting to see what Fred would do next.

"But what spell can we use?"

They debated this for several minutes before deciding on a spell, and then George watched as Fred changed the writing from Head Boy to Bighead Boy. Fred held up his hand for a high-five, and George hesitated, wary of breaking this magical spell that was somehow allowing him to relive his life with his brother. Deciding to risk it, as he and Fred always had, George slapped Fred's hand. As soon as their hands made contact, Fred disappeared and George felt himself apparating again.

He found himself on the third-floor corridor of Gryffindor Tower, snow falling gently outside the windows. He spun around furiously until he found Fred standing next to him. No matter what happened, Fred's mere presence had always grounded George.

"There he is!" Fred said, pointing out Harry as he walked towards them. George realized that he and Fred were hiding behind a statue of a humpbacked, one-eyed witch. "Psst – Harry!"

Harry turned in surprise.

"What are you doing? How come you're not going to Hogsmeade?" Harry asked curiously.

"We've come to give you a bit of festive cheer before we go," Fred said with a mysterious wink. "Come in here…" He nodded toward an empty classroom, and George felt encompassed by warmth as he remembered this moment with perfect clarity. They ushered Harry inside the classroom, and George shut the door quietly behind them.

"Early Christmas present for you, Harry," George said with a beaming smile. And that's when Fred pulled the parchment out of his cloak and, with a flourish, laid it on an empty desk.

"What's that supposed to be?" Harry asked.

"This, Harry, is the secret to our success." George patted the parchment fondly, giddy at getting to touch it again after all these years.

"It's a wrench, giving it to you," Fred continued. "But we decided last night, your need's greater than ours."

"Anyway, we know it by heart. We bequeath it to you. We don't really need it anymore."

"And what do I need with a bit of old parchment?" Harry asked.

"A bit of old parchment!" Fred exclaimed, closing his eyes with a grimace as though Harry had mortally offended him. "Explain, George."

Once again, George felt a thrill to be one of two; to be synchronized with Fred in every little way.

"Well… when we were in our first year, Harry – young, carefree, and innocent – "

Harry snorted.

" – Well, more innocent than we are now – we got into a spot of bother with Filch."

"We let off a Dungbomb in the corridor and it upset him for some reason – "

"So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual – "

" – detention – "

" – disembowelment – "

" - and we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked Confiscated and High Dangerous."

"Don't tell me – " Harry said, starting to grin.

"Well, what would you've done?" Fred asked. "George caused a diversion by dropping another Dungbomb, I whipped the drawer open, and grabbed – this."

"It's not as bad as it sounds, you know," George continued. "We don't reckon Filch ever found out how to work it. He probably suspected what it was, though, or he wouldn't have confiscated it."

"And you know how to work it?" Harry asked.

"Oh, yes," Fred said with a smirk. "This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in this school."

At this point, George took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The Marauder's Map came to life. As George listened to Fred explain the various pathways, he recalled the countless adventures that had taken place in each one.

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," George sighed. "We owe them so much."

"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of law-breakers," Fred said solemnly.

"Right," said George briskly. "Don't forget to wipe it after you've used it – "

" – or anyone can read it," Fred said warningly.

"Just tap it again and say, 'Mischief managed!' And it'll go blank."

"So, young Harry," said Fred, in an uncanny impersonation of Percy, "mind you behave yourself."

"See you in Honeydukes," said George, winking.

And they both left the room together, smirking in a satisfied sort of way.

That was when George felt it again – the loneliness, the feeling of disappearing. His world turned into a blur, and suddenly he was back at the Burrow, still on the third step.

He leaned heavily on the railing, recalling Fred's impression of Percy. It was a grave reminder to George that Percy had been the one Fred had spent his final moments with. It shouldn't have been Percy. It should have been George.

But George didn't even know where he'd been at the moment Fred was killed. He didn't feel Fred leave. He didn't feel anything. How could that be? It wasn't until he stumbled into the Great Hall and discovered Fred's body that he realized he was gone. What was wrong with him? He slammed his head against the wall. He should have felt something. Fred was a part of him. He should have known. He should have been there.

George looked back down the stairs. It had taken him so long to get here, and yet he was only three steps up. How would he ever make it to the top? If Fred were here, they'd be able to do it together. They'd get through it.

But he was there, George realized. The steps brought Fred back to him. He would spend the rest of his life on this staircase if he had to.

He wasn't getting off of it without Fred.