Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

Written for QL Reserve League, S1, R5, Chaser 2 - Write about George Weasley.

Written for Hogwarts, Assignment 7 - Ghost Hunting; Task #4 - Write about a birth or a death (or the immediate time before/after one of these events)

Word Count - 1178

Wise Words

George wandered the corridors of the old castle, his mind focused on memories years past, happier times he supposed, when life wasn't quite so hard.

Not that his life was bad; it wasn't.

He had a successful business, a healthy family, a loving husband. Everything he should want, and yet, there was still a small part of him that ached for something else.

Something he could never have.

"George?"

He'd expected Harry to find him. He knew that Harry used the Marauders Map at night to check the students were in bed—George supposed he wanted to be found.

There was something about Harry that made him easy to talk to. Perhaps it was the way he was almost family, but not quite. It was like having a brother, without the pressure of disappointing family.

It was the best of both worlds, really.

Whatever Harry saw on his face, it made his eyes soften. "Come on, I've got a bottle of butterbeer with your name on it in my pantry."

George followed Harry silently towards the teachers quarters, and slipped through the portrait when Harry held it open for him. The rooms were familiar, unchanged since George had last been in them; only a few short weeks ago.

"How's Seamus?" Harry asked, as he rustled around in his kitchen.

George shrugged his shoulders. "Fine. I think. I haven't really seen him the last few days."

As he'd known it would, that made Harry frown at him.

"Why haven't—George, you live in the same house. How have you not seen him?"

Slumping down on the comfortable sofa, George closed his eyes. "Been sleeping in the back room of the shop. I just… I just needed a minute, okay?"

"Uh huh. Did you tell Seamus that you just needed a minute?"

Sheepishly, George shook his head. "Ah. No. I—"

He was interrupted when Harry pulled his wand out of his pocket and conjured up the familiar stag patronus he was famed for. "He's with me, I'll send him home tomorrow."

The patronus stood for a moment before it bounded away. George watched it go before he turned back to Harry. "Seamus asked you to…"

"He did. He was worried about you, but he didn't want to hound you."

A wave of shame fell over George and he buried his head in a pillow. "I'm the worst husband."

He heard Harry chuckle, and then felt damp glass bumping gently against his head. He raised his hand to accept the floating butterbeer.

"You're not the worst husband," Harry said, as he sat down in the armchair across from the sofa.

George sat up slightly and looked at him, the bottle cradled in his hands.

"You're just… having a moment. Seamus gets it, George, you know he does. He just wishes that you'd let him know, is all. He'll still worry because he loves you, but it would be comforting for him to know he hasn't done anything wrong."

"I'm the worst husband," George reiterated. "It's not even… I don't think I'm having a moment? At least, not like the other times. I just… something doesn't feel right. I don't know what it is but… something."

"Is it Seamus?" Harry asked, head tilting slightly, as though he was trying to work out a particularly difficult puzzle.

George shook his head. "No, of course not. I love him more than life itself, Harry!"

"Okay," Harry said. "The shop?"

George shook his head again. "Nope, shop's doing well, and I still love what I do."

"Okay," Harry repeated, brow furrowing slightly. "Family?"

"Still driving me to distraction, but I love them, and nothing has happened lately to annoy me more than usual," George replied, a slight smile upturning his lips. "Did you hear that Audrey is pregnant again? Apart from Charlie and I, everyone has two kids now."

Harry's eyes widened slightly. "George… I know this might sound a bit… weird, but are you broody?"

George choked on the liquid he'd just swallowed, making Harry laugh. When he'd finished coughing his guts up, he glared at his friend. "Broody?"

"Well I mean… do you want children?"

George blinked. It was something he'd thought about briefly when he was younger, a 'one day' kind of fleeting thought that left a warmth behind and little else. Children.

Was he even fit to be a father?

But then, he and Seamus hadn't even discussed kids. What if Seamus didn't want children? A bolt of horror struck him at the thought, and he looked back at Harry with wide eyes.

"I think I need to talk to Seamus, don't I?"

Harry nodded. "I think you might. And… just give him chance to catch up, okay? If he's surprised or shocked, don't think that's him shooting you down, alright?"

George gave him a rueful smile because Harry knew him entirely too well at this point.

"I should start paying you to be my therapist," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

Harry laughed, bright and cheerful. "I'm just trying to get everyone to have babies so I have more munchkins to spoil."

George snorted. "Uh huh." He put his bottle down on the table and rubbed his hands nervously on his trousers. "Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

…

George buried his face against Seamus' neck, inhaling the comforting scent there as he tried to calm his rampant nerves.

"I wish it was you in there," he murmured, holding on tighter when Seamus ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm too close to it, George, but I trust Terry to do a brilliant job. He's one of the best maternity—"

The door to the room in front of them opened, and Terry Boot grinned widely at them. "You can come inside now."

Their surrogate lay in the bed, smiling tiredly at them when they stepped inside. Beside the bed, a little cot cradling a bundle of blankets. George hesitantly stepped closer and peered over to look at the baby.

They knew it was a little boy, but George still wasn't prepared for the shock of red hair atop his head, or the scrunched up expression on his face.

He was the most beautiful sight George had ever seen.

"He's perfect."

…

Harry cradled the newborn in his arms, grinning widely at George and Seamus. "He's going to be a little terror when he comes to Hogwarts, I can already see it. With you teaching him to prank," he said, nodding at George, "and your propensity for exploding things," he added, nodding at Seamus, "I think I might have to go into early retirement."

George and Seamus both laughed, taking care to be quiet so as not to disturb the sleeping baby in Harry's arms.

"We want you to be his godfather," George said, eyes shining brightly. "We can't think of anyone better."

Harry blinked, clearly surprised, and after a moment, he cleared his throat. "I'd be honoured, of course."

George nodded and watched on as Harry rocked his arms gently.

Seamus squeezed his hand, and George squeezed back, utterly content.

Now his life was perfect.