5 YEARS LATER

It might have taken a very long time – years – but I was finally able to visit the joke shop to see just what it was that the George had pumped his every waking moment into achieving. And it was the ring on my finger that meant that I was actually able to see the shop that managed to exceed my every expectation. Well, that and my signature on a piece of binding paper.

Although, now that I thought back to it, wasn't George technically cheating every time he stopped by the shop I used to work at? The tricks he used to pull off were on another level and how was I supposed to know that he was using actual magic? I mean, after all, I was a muggle – was that the right word? That was beside the point; I'd spend days wracking my mind in an attempt to understand the tricks he pulled off but all this time there was no way that I'd have known the answer anyway. Because legally I wasn't allowed to know.

"You know," I said over my shoulder to the man who was steering me by the shoulders around the shop, insistent on showing me every part of it, "last night I wouldn't have believed in magic. If that damned piece of paper hadn't told me all about it. I'm still trying to get my head around it, truthfully."

George chuckled, the sound buried into my hair as he clearly recalled the almighty shriek I'd let out when ink had suddenly appeared on the paper I'd signed only seconds before. The prick had teased me relentlessly for my reaction and only when I went to storm out of his house, did he actually settle me down and explain to me the truth that he'd been forced to hide from me for years. The betrayal I'd felt at him hiding such a big secret from me had been brief and it was easily overshadowed by the awe I felt.

His hold on my shoulders tightened, bringing me to a stop and turning me to face him. "Signing that paper means you can't leave me," he said gleefully and I rolled my eyes, making sure he saw the motion.

"As if you'd ever let me," I muttered under my breath as I picked up one of the products from the shelf and raised it to eye view.

The product, wrapped in a rather inconspicuous box, was rather light to hold. According to the description written in the back, the box contained a small dropper full of liquid and just a single drop of the solution would give the consumer an uncontrollable fit of giggles. And depending on the amount of the solution consumed, the duration of the giggling fit would vary. I smiled slightly; just imagining my grumpy next-door neighbour happening to drink something with some of this mixture into it was hysterical. Maybe I'd have to buy some of this to test it.

"This was one of Fred's," George said from behind me as he snagged the box from my hand to replace it on the shelf. Coming up behind me, his arms came around me to fix the display on the shelf. "He came up with the idea halfway through the war; claiming that people needed a right laugh during the darkest times."

"It's ingenious," I agreed, turning towards George who was staring at the boxes with that faraway look he always got when he spoke about Fred. It was definitely better than the haunted glaze that used to take over his eyes until just a short while ago. Maybe in another few months, he would be able to talk about Fred without needing to spend some time soothing his emotions.

"Fred was always the idea man," he explained quietly, blinking away his thoughts and smiling at me as if to reassure me that he was ok. "He always came up with ideas that I would never be able to think of. Normally we'd work together on making a product work but he tried to work on this one alone except he couldn't quite make it work. After the battle, I decided that I needed to make this one work because it was the last idea he'd come up with. That's what I spent all those weeks locked up in my room doing, working on this thing here. I've got so much that I owe to him and it was the least I could do for him."

Realising that he had something more that he needed to say, I turned into George when he wrapped an arm around my waist to pull me into him. He pressed his forehead to mine, eyes closed as he took a moment to calm himself again.

"We wouldn't even be together without him," George murmured quietly as if worried about how I would react to the revelation.

"What do you mean?" My whispered question had him opening his eyes and drawing away from me but only far enough for him to brush a hand over my hair in a gesture meant to soothe.

"The night before the battle we both knew that there was a chance we wouldn't make it out," he admitted gravely, fighting the urge to frown. "Or even worse, that only one of us would make it and we made a promise to each other in case that happened. Fred made me promise that I'd work things out with you, that I wouldn't stay alone. I'm not very good at that you see – being alone. I've always had someone by my side, first it was Fred and now it's you."

My throat tightened at his words as I forced myself to keep the tears at bay. Smiling up at him, I tilted my head towards his and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"I'll help you fulfil your promise with Fred," I reassured him, watching as my words brought a smile to his lips.

And that was my promise to Fred; that I would never let George become alone again.