One last installment to this particular story. I'm sure you're all wondering, "What happened to George!" But you have to read to find out.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or its characters.

Warnings: Implied sexual abuse and mild swearing.

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Doppelganger

Part the Fourth

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When they did let go of each other, Fred and George looked at each other for a long time before either one of them spoke.

"How did you get away?" Fred asked, his voice heavy with guilty. He should have gone back; he would have too, if it hadn't been for her. The whole plan involved getting her out of there. He had no ill will towards her, but he just wished there was a way he could have done both.

George didn't answer him right away; he just looked at Fred with this vague, somewhat scared look, like Fred would just melt away as soon as he spoke. But inside, George was reliving what happened.

The guard had taken him inside the house, had him tied up to a chair. George kept trying to think of an escape plan. Maybe he could slip out of his ropes and get away. The guard was in the room the whole time, playing a card game with himself.

"You'll be leaving tomorrow." The guard told him as he flicked a card out onto the table. "Shipment of criminals goes out to the prisons tomorrow. I had a guard relieve me so I can sit here and watch you. You're a wily one; I'm not leaving you alone."

George couldn't think of anything as he sat there. There was no way to get away when the guard was in the room the whole time. He could wait until the guard fell asleep or something but how did he know he himself wouldn't fall asleep before then? It started to get late in the day, the shadows in the windows changed. It was getting dark.

"Please…" George wished he had his hat and his scarf but both had come off in the fistfight. "Don't send me off to prison. I've seen the errors of my ways, honest. Let me go."

"Nothing doing." The guard kept right at his card game.

"Let me go." George said more desperately. "Come on, I'll do anything. Just let me go." The guard stopped flipping cards over and looked over at the red-haired teenage boy. He got up and took hold of George's face, looking at him.

"Did you just say anything?" The guard asked and George felt a terrible sense of foreboding.

"Anything." George repeated, but feeling like it was a bad idea to repeat it. The guard definitely had something in mind, but he didn't know what. The guard took a step back and his hands went to his belt where he took out his knife. George held his breath as the guard walked around the chair and untied his ropes.

"On your knees boy." The guard ordered and George went down on his knees. The guard went around so that he was right in front of George, who looked away. There was a little metal sound as the guard undid his belt and George glanced back to see the guard's pants drop. "Now, you'll do exactly what I say and if you do, you can leave."

"Open your mouth."

"How are you?" George walked around Fred who stared at him, clearly not understanding why George hadn't answered his question. She looked up at George and gave him a smile.

"I'm fine." She told him. "I feel much better. I'm sorry about what happened—"

"It's not your fault." George dropped down to a half crouching position next to her. "No harm done, right?"

"Open your mouth."

His stomach roiled and he felt sure he was going to throw up. He grimaced and tried to make the feeling go away. But there he was, in the room with the two people he loved most. Two people who never…wouldn't have ever…tears sprang to his eyes again.

"What's wrong George?" She asked, her voice full of concern. She reached out a hand to touch his arm but as soon as it made contact, he jerked away. She looked surprised and then quickly looked away.

Of course, he blames me for this. That he and Fred were separated. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…

"Please remember…it's important for you to know that it isn't safe to wander away from here like that."

"Nothing, you touched one of my bruises." George lied quickly. He swallowed hard, trying to force his voice into a normal tone. "I'm fine. No big deal, just a fistfight, right?"

"How did you get away?" Fred asked again, George looked away from him. Fred tried to pretend that it didn't hurt. George was keeping something from him. Why? George had never kept something from him before. Never. They knew everything about each other…why would he have a secret?

It's because I left you? Don't you trust me? Please say something…let me know…

Or do you not want her to know?

"I'm really tired." George declared. "I'm going to go to bed."

"Don't you want something to eat first?" Fred questioned.

"No, I'm not hungry." George turned his back on them and started to get under the blanket that he and Fred shared. Fred and she looked at each other for a moment but she didn't seem to have anymore answers than him.

They called it a night for now and Fred got under the blanket next to George but George made no move to curl up with him and Fred, feeling confused, and for the first time in his entire life, lonely, had to fall asleep next to him. George was turned away from Fred and was silently crying himself to sleep.

I want to put my arms around you again…but you're just so beautiful Fred…and now we aren't alike…because I'm not beautiful like you.

-

Later that night, Fred found himself waking up. At first, he wasn't quite sure what had woken him up but then he realized what it was. Someone was crying. Was it her? Why was she crying? A nightmare?

But he looked over to where she was sleeping and saw that she was sound asleep. With a start, it dawned on him that it was George who was crying. George wouldn't be crying…

Fred sat up and looked over George's shoulder and saw that he was indeed crying, little gasping cries that were very quiet but not silent like they had been earlier. Fred had never seen George cry, not once. He had seen tears well up in George's eyes when George had hurt himself when they were younger, but other than that, he had never seen George really and truly cry.

"George…" Fred murmured and his hand touched George's arm. He felt his brother tense up immediately.

"Don't." George said, squeezing his eyes shut. "Don't." Fred felt a wave of pain go through him. George didn't want him to touch him. George didn't want him near him.

"I love you more than I'll ever love anybody."

"I'm...I'm sorry." Fred felt something pricking at his eyelids. "I'm sorry George. I know you hate me now…I shouldn't have left, I should have come back. We could have thought of something. You would never leave me and I left you all by yourself…" And something rolled down his cheek and trickled to his lips. It was a tear, salty and strange.

George turned and sat up, throwing himself on Fred. Fred fell over, nearly hitting his head on the floor. George was holding so tightly onto his twin brother that Fred could do nothing but try to hold onto him, just as desperately.

"I don't hate you; I'll never hate you…" George sobbed into Fred's chest. "Never." He lifted his head to look into Fred's eyes and Fred saw the tears in his eyes and once again wanted nothing more than for George to tell him why, to let Fred share his burden. "I wanted you to leave…there's nothing you could have done…don't stop loving me…"

"What?" Fred blinked at that last comment. "George, why would you say that?" His hands went and moved George's head up that their faces were inches apart. "Why would I stop loving you? I'm the one who left."

"I can't…" George tried to look away but Fred's hands kept him facing towards his brother.

"George, what happened to you?" Fred asked sharply, knowing that somehow, something so awful had happened to his brother that it was causing him to cry like this. "Just tell me."

"I can't." Fred finally let him move his face away. George buried it into Fred's shoulder. Fred wrapped him up in an embrace. George couldn't tell him. He didn't want Fred to share his pain. Whatever it was. It hurt him but he knew that his pain wasn't important now. George's was. George needed comfort.

So Fred stroked George's hair and began to hum the song to George, the song their mother used to sing to them. The crying quieted down and soon, George was asleep, and Fred dropped off to, even under the unbearable weight that something happened to George that wouldn't have happened if he hadn't left him by himself.

-

Over the next few days, she got better and better. She cleaned the attic up and was usually seen with her hair tied up, cleaning something with whatever rags she could find around the house. She did it because she felt she owed them but she told them she did it because she liked to. Part of her did enjoy the task of cleaning the grime off things, but not so much that she worked as hard as she did.

George, though acting cheerfully and ready to jump up and start reciting some story with his brother, seemed a half-step behind everything. There was something wrong with him, anyone could see that. Fred didn't seem as cheerful either, but that was because he wanted to know what George wasn't telling him.

They went through the days in motions but every night, after she fell asleep, Fred was usually woken by George crying, though a few times, he would wake up and be sick over the stairs outside. Fred would be there to rock him back to sleep and hum the song to him but Fred felt a horrible sadness when he thought that George didn't trust him. His voice had been so pleading when he had cried that first night.

"Don't stop loving me…"

But a week later, when Fred woke up, George was onto him so tightly; he could barely breath and crying heavily. Fred couldn't even move his arms to hug his twin brother back.

"George please…please tell me what happened." Fred pleaded with his brother and George let go of him and sat up, looking away from him. "I trust you. Completely. And I'll always love you. Please tell me."

There was silence for a few moments but then George asked for Fred to hold his hand and Fred did. George began his story, holding Fred's hand as though it was holding him back from a ledge that he would fall from if Fred ever let him go. As the story progressed, Fred began gripping back in the same manner.

"Then he said…'Open your mouth.'" George's voice was thick with shame. "He…he put his…" George found it hard to go on. Fred knew what happened and had closed his eyes so that George wouldn't see that he was starting to cry.

"I know." Fred finally spoke after a long moment of trying to make it sound like he wasn't crying. "I know." He found himself wrapping his arms around his brother, without even thinking, and his brother sinking into his embrace. "But that doesn't change anything. You're still my twin. You're still my brother. Do you know what she said when we were waiting for you? She said we're two halves that make up a whole. Without you I'm incomplete…that's true. If you're not here, I don't know what to do…I still love you."

"How can you still love me?" George asked hoarsely. "How can you love me as much?"

Fred tipped his brother's chin up towards his own face. Looking into those eyes, the same eyes he saw in the mirror or caught sight of in puddles of water. The same nose. The same freckles. The same mouth. And though he couldn't explain why, other than because the overwhelming urge overcame him, he pushed his lips against his brother's.

His brother put a hand on the back of his brother's head and pushed his weight against Fred so that they fell over together. When George broke the kiss, they were both looking into each other's eyes.

"I really love you." Fred told him and George lay down so that his brother could hold onto him. "Because you're my other half." George trembled a little but Fred began to hum the song that they had always heard their mother singing again.

But this time, as he hummed, someone stepped in with the words.

"Here you are, my loved one,

Sleep now for the day is done,

The darkness is coming now,

The sun is taking its final bow,

While you dream, I'll be there,

While you dream, I'll be there

While you dream, I'll be there,

I'll be there for you."

The two boys rolled over and looked up to see her sitting up, looking away from them, the last note dying on her lips. She turned towards them.

"I know that song." She had that wistful look on her face, as though remembering something so long ago and yet so happy that it hurt, but it was a good kind of hurt. "My mother used to sing that song to us when we were little."

"She did?" Fred and George both sat up. "That's the song we can remember our mother singing to us…"

"Maybe we are brothers and sister." She looked at them for a moment. "My name is Ginny Weasley."

"We don't know our last name." George shook his head apologetically. "We had brothers though…"

"I have brothers too." Ginny leaned in eagerly. "Bill's the oldest, Charlie's next oldest and then Percy. And Ron, he's a year older than me."

"Bill." Fred repeated the name, a mental image of an older boy with red-hair coming to mind, telling them gently that times were hard, that they shouldn't be worried and that mom and dad didn't hate each other. "Charlie." A red-haired boy comically filling his cheeks with air and dipping his head under water.

"Percy." George repeated that name and thought of a red-haired boy who looked self-important and separated the twins as a punishment even though he wasn't that much older himself.

"I don't remember a Ron though, do you?" Fred turned towards his twin.

"No…" George shook his head. Then he thought of something making a squalling noise and his mother carrying around a bundle of blankets. "Wait…he would have been a baby…"

"That means…you really are my brothers." Ginny looked amazed and the happiest they had ever seen her. "You're Weasleys. But…there's one thing strange. What happened to you two? Why are you here?"

The twins related their stories to her, telling her about how the boys' mother, their mother, had sent them off and how they never arrived to where they were supposed to go.

"But she gave us these." Fred did something he had never done before, other then when only George was around, and pulled out the thin piece of wood. Ginny's eyes went to the size of saucers as George did the same. Then she had a moment of struggle before pulling out her own.

"It all makes sense now!" Ginny looked excited. "All these years…sometimes, mum would look sad and I'd ask her why but she always said that I shouldn't worry. But one time…once she said it was because she had made a horrible mistake and that she would regret it as long as she lived…" Ginny bit her lip. "But she was talking about you two! 'Cause after that, Percy told me to stop asking her questions all the time and that something bad happened that I wouldn't understand. It was because she gave you two up! She probably sent you to live with someone but you didn't get there because of the slave trader…"

"She really does regret it?" George felt something he couldn't describe right then. It was a bit of joy, that their mother had never forgotten them, that she was sad.

But I'll make her laugh…

I'll make her laugh and make her happy, Fred and I will, and Ginny too…

"We could go home." Fred smiled to himself. "We'll get some food together and pack up and go home…"

"I don't know the way." Ginny shook her head. "But the village's name…I know that. We could ask! Or find a map, or something!" She stood up excitedly.

"Our mum and our brothers…" George looked at Fred. "Our other brothers."

"Don't forget dad." Ginny beamed. "He's wonderful too."

"We're going home!" Fred grabbed Ginny's hands and whirled her around in a circle. "A real home!"

"Our family!" George was let into the dancing little circle they started. "We finally found them…we'll be together…again." The shadows that had been lurking behind George's eyes seemed to be gone for the moment; they were all caught up in the happiness of that moment.

They danced in a circle until they all fell over laughing, dizzy and excited. Because laughter and love were the best things in the world and they had both.

-

The Guard came down very hard on any criminals they caught. Petty theft was no big deal to them. Street urchins were bound to rear their ugly heads in large cities like Fal, but the Guard for the most part, ignored them.

However, the shop keepers complained of two frequent trouble makers who were running amok. The Guard felt a need to catch them after so many complaints but wasting man power on two dine-and-dashers was a very low priority. That was until one of the Guard happened to see the two in action. He followed them very discretely to an abandoned house. That was their hideout.

"Trespassing." He told his captain. "We can get them." His captain only shrugged and waved him on with it. A team of the Guard was sent out to this abandoned house to catch the two perpetrators who were never seen without hats and scarves. The Guard quietly went in the front, ground floor door.

On the fourth floor, Fred and George were taking off their hats and scarves.

"We'll leave tomorrow." Fred decided. "We've got all the stuff we can carry."

"Tomorrow, at daybreak." Ginny agreed. "When they open the gates. They never question anybody who's leaving."

That was when the fourth floor door burst open and in spilled eight members of the Guard. Fred, George, and Ginny backed up towards the window. The leader of the team reeled back in surprise when he focused on the two boys.

"Twins!" He hesitated and so did the rest of the members of the Guard. His eyes went Ginny. "And you. Red hair…you're probably that runaway slave we've been looking for."

"Sir, I don't know about attacking…you know…twins." One of the men said in a low tone. "I heard that they've got all sorts of unnatural powers…"

"Stand your ground." The leader said to him, turning to look at the trembling member of the Guard. "They're only—"

A bucket was flung at the Guard, the water bucket that Fred and George got filled up every day at one of the public water pumps. Ginny had thrown it so that George could throw the window open and scramble out of it, Fred right behind him. When the captain saw what they were doing, all the men darted forward but Ginny was just going through and by the time they got to the window, she pulled her foot through, barely missing the leader's grab for it. They were going down the stairs and the leader was determined to catch them so he led his men back down through the house and out the front door, going around.

Fred had grabbed George's hand and George had grabbed Ginny's and they were running through the backstreets of Fal, hoping they could lose the Guard. There was a yell and someone yelled back, and they knew it was the Guard getting the reinforcements they needed.

They weren't far behind them and when they were about to turn onto a side street, they saw that the Guard was already coming up that side street and so they had to go on, but they were cut off from yet another direction. Soon, they were running straight towards the wall.

"It's going to be a dead end!" George yelled.

"Just keep going!" Fred yelled back over his shoulder. Ginny was far too breathless to attempt to say anything. They were running towards the wall, the Guard not far behind them and they wondered if they were really going to make it.

We have to…we have a family waiting for us…a home…

They can't…they can't take that away now…

Fred saw that the wall had steps leading up it and he turned his course so that the two people running behind him turned to and then they were running up the steps. Up the wall. Maybe they could find someway out if they did. The Guard was coming up behind them and then when he looked back to see where he was running, Fred saw that another section of the Guard was running towards them from the other direction. They were trapped.

He stopped and George and Ginny stopped too, knocking into him, but not knocking him over.

The three looked all around to see that they were trapped. In front of them, were green fields, endless until you saw those distant mountains to the north. Freedom. That was what it looked like, untamed blue sky and green fields.

If only they could have made it. They were all grasping hands still and Ginny was holding the thin piece of wood in her hand. They took a step up onto the ledge, the Guard on either sides stopped, wondering what they were going to do.

The three looked at each other. The walls were too high, far too high to jump from.

"Let's do it." Ginny had a determined look to her. Because freedom and family were better than capture, even if the price seemed too high. "We can make it."

"Cheers." George said weakly and Fred closed his eyes.

If only someone could help us. We need help. We need help.

We need to get away from the Guards. But there's only one way out…and isn't it just better this way? Who says we won't make it? We need to make it. We need to.

They all looked at each other one last time, Ginny gripping the only thing left she had that her mother had given her, Fred and George both thinking of all the good things they could possibly remember.

Need.

They jumped, closing their eyes, and Fred heard what was an unmistakably cracking noise. He was sure they landed but before he could open eyes to make sure, he blacked out.

It's funny; I thought the landing would hurt more…

-

The two boys opened their eyes. The ceiling was far above their head. Maybe they were in jail. But the bed they were lying on was so unbelievably soft that it didn't seem possible for a jail. The blanket on top of them was thick and warm. They looked at each other.

The turned their heads to see an old man sitting there. He had long white hair under a pointed purple hat and a white beard that trailed down to his waist. There was something about his twinkling light blue eyes that were behind a pair of half-moon glasses, that made them know he was somebody important.

"So, you're awake?" Fred and George sat up together and knew this wasn't a jail house. It was a huge bedroom full of paintings and portraits and sculptures and all sorts of things. The bed was huge and had a canopy. Best of all, they saw that Ginny was sleeping next to them. George nudged her and she opened her eyes, looking around in amazement. How did they get here? "Not many at your age can work such a powerful spell without training. It's no wonder that you've been asleep for two days."

"What?" George ventured the question. "Who are you?"

"Forgive me, I'm Albus Dumbledore." The old man bowed his head with a small delighted smile. The name struck the twin boys as terribly familiar.

"Remember, find Albus Dumbledore."

"You're!" George and Fred both chorused as they finally remembered.

"What?" Ginny looked from the twins to the old man. "Who are you?"

"Albus Dumbledore." Dumbledore repeated his name. "I'm delighted to meet you three. I'm not really sure of the specifics but you three worked a spell together, a spell that I'm still amazed at, and have ended up here, in my home."

"We were being chased by the Guard!" Fred put in immediately. "We had to jump, we were in the city of Fal…"

"You're not going to turn us in, are you?" George looked at Dumbledore warily.

"I think the Guard would want to arrest me far more than you." Dumbledore smiled to himself. "No, I'm not going to turn you in. I don't think you realize quite where you are. My home is located in the mountains."

"The Northern Mountains?" Ginny looked puzzled. "But how…how did we get here?"

"The term is 'Apparated'." Dumbledore explained patiently. "It's a spell that allows the traveler to get instantly from one place to another."

"A spell? Like…like magic?" Fred blurted out.

"Yes, magic Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore told him. "You three are all magic users. These wands were found on you when you suddenly appeared in my front hallway."

"Wait, how do you know our names?" George went for the easier concept to tackle. The idea that they could all use magic was still looming over him. He knew it was illegal for anyone to be able to use magic, the old hermit had told him so.

"Because there's someone here who is far more delighted to see you three than I am." Dumbledore's eyes lit up as he turned towards the large doors. "Molly, they're awake." He said loudly.

A woman burst through the doors and as she did, Fred and George knew immediately who she was, even though they had not seen her for so long. That face, that round, kind, gentle face. It was as though not a single day had past.

"Mum!" Ginny cried out happily and all three scrambled off the bed and Ginny was hugging her mom but Fred and George hung back for a second. The woman, their mother, had tears in her eyes as she buried her face in Ginny's hair.

"Oh Ginny, you don't know…I thought I'd never see you again…" Their mother was holding her tightly before releasing her. Then she looked up and saw Fred and George. She held out her arms towards them too and the two boys fell into their mother's embrace. "It's you, it's really you." They all had tears in their eyes and they were rocking a bit as their mother somehow managed to get all three of them in a hug. "My boys, my beautiful twin boys…"

"Mum…" Fred knew it was her; every part of her was the same. The voice, the smell, everything. "Mum…"

"It's alright now." George said, but really for himself more than anyone. "It's going to be alright now."

"I thought you were both dead." She shook her head. "I never forgave myself for what happened. But then Dumbledore said one of his men had seen you. And I kept hoping…that you would somehow find your way back…and now we're all together again. Your father will be so happy."

"Don't forget about us." Said a voice whose tone suggested a smile tugging at one's lips. The twins and Ginny looked up to see a young man, with bright red hair. "I hope you remember your brother Bill."

"Bill!" Fred and George said happily. Then two more boys came in as well. "And Charlie and Percy!"

Fred and George glanced at each other, with those identical smiles, and knew that this moment was too much for words. That even through all the bad, something good, something absolutely wonderful had come out of it. And as they held onto each other's hands, they knew, that through all the years the most important thing had been that they had never let go.

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The End

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Omigod, I totally started crying at the end. I mean, it was a good sort of crying though. Happy crying. Sappy? I don't know. Maybe. But I still liked it. Anyways, this was only the first story and the next story will be called Heretic but I won't tell you whose story that will be. Also, you might have gone, "Hey! What about Ron!" You'll have to wait to find out about that one. And once again, happy birthday onee-chan! I hope you liked it!