Ron Weasley sat slumped at the kitchen table watching the Christmas Eve snowflakes falling softly outside the Burrow and idly twirling his wand between his fingers. He was bored. Bored with sitting here all day while Harry and Hermione went off to their important jobs at the Ministry: Harry as an Auror and Hermione in Magical Law Enforcement. And him? He couldn’t find a job to save his life, at least not one that he would actually enjoy doing. Practically the first thing Kingsley Shacklebolt had done as Minister of Magic was award Harry, Hermione and him Orders of Merlin First Class and then ask Harry to be an Auror in the new team he was bringing in. Hermione had struck up a conversation with the head of the Magical Law Enforcement Department at the awards ceremony. By the time they finished that conversation, Hermione was hired.

As for Ron, well, Harry had asked him to be an Auror too, but his dream to be an Auror had faded after the Final Battle. He had seen too many people killed by Voldemort: Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Mum’s brothers, Dumbledore, Mad-eye, and Fred. That’s why he didn’t want a job that was dedicated solely to hunting down Death Eaters that had killed his family and friends What if something was to happen to him on the job? . His mother’s heart was broken enough as it was. No, an Auror was not the job for Ron Weasley. Now he just had to find a job that was.

George Weasley walked into the kitchen, then stopped and sighed as he saw Ron slouched at the table. His brother did not turn around. George ran his hand through his hair and glanced around the kitchen. There was no one else in the house. Harry, Hermione, his father, and the rest of his brothers were at work, and Mum was out in Diagon Alley with Ginny, home for Christmas break, to do some last-minute Christmas shopping. It was just him and Ron, the only family members without jobs.

Well, technically George had a job. He just couldn't do it right now. Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes stood deserted, one redheaded twin gone forever, and the other one in mourning. George didn’t think he’d be able to stand going into the shop every morning alone, setting up alone, and working all day-alone. He didn’t have the courage to move on without his twin, his other half. He had gotten countless letters from children and even some from adults, begging him to reopen. Some letters expressed sympathy for the loss of Fred. Some were addressed to Fred and George Weasley from people who obviously didn’t know. Those he tossed into the fire, not having the heart to read them.

No, George was obviously not ready to move on. And yet, as he looked at his brother sitting alone at the table, he felt a surge of pity and an idea that had been lurking unpleasantly in the back of his mind repeated itself over and over, clamoring to be heard. He took a deep breath and thought it over. Yes, he did miss the shop and working there amidst the bustle of Diagon Alley. But the idea of replacing Fred was unthinkable… Finally he sighed. He knew what he was going to do. George walked over to the table, pulling up a chair next to Ron. “Hi Ron.”

Ron looked up, shaken out of his stupor. “Huh? Oh, hi George. What’s going on?"


“Well….” George took a deep breath. “Well…. I was wondering… well, I kind of miss working at the shop, you know?

Ron looked uncomfortable and squirmed in his chair as the awkward subject of Fred hovered invisibly between them. “Yeah, I guess.”

“So I was thinking… “ He decided just to get it over with as a voice that sounded like Fred’s echoed in his head: “You asked Ron to replace me?”

“I was thinking since you don’t have a job you could- you could work in the shop with me.”

He said it in a rush and sat back in his chair nervously awaiting Ron’s response. He could only imagine what Fred would say if he knew that George was nervous about something Ron was saying. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind and focused on Ron, who was staring at him, his face pale.

“You- you want me to replace….? The word Fred echoed between them.

“Well… not replace, nothing could replace…”

George bit his lip. “But yeah, I want you to help me in the shop,” he finished.

Ron looked stunned. “Wow. I don’t know what to say-“

He looked up at George and smiled shakily. “But yeah, I would be honored to work at the shop with you.”

George swallowed the lump in his throat. “Thanks mate.”

After staring awkwardly at each other for a minute, they reached forward and hugged. “Thank you,” murmured Ron as he straightened up. They both had tears in their eyes as they smiled at each other. Suddenly an idea seemed to occur to Ron. “Blimey, what’re we-what’re we going to tell everyone?”

George thought for a minute. “Er… tomorrow I guess. At dinner. Everyone will be there anyway, since it’s Christmas.

Ron looked slightly green at the thought. “I dunno how they’ll react though. Maybe they’ll be mad at me because they think I’ll be replacing…you know.”

“No, they won’t,” George assured him. “It’ll be fine. Mum will probably cry a bit though. She hasn’t been the same since…”

They were silent as they both remembered that awful night. “So, yeah, we’ll tell them tomorrow night.”

He rubbed his eyes. Ron opened his mouth to say something but at that very moment the fire in the kitchen hearth glowed green and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny stepped out, Ginny brushing soot from her fiery hair as she did so. “Hello, boys,” Mrs. Weasley greeted Ron and George, as she and Ginny dumped their heavy shopping bags on the table. “What have you been up to?

Ron and George looked at each other. “Nothing,” they said at the same time.
George grinned at Ron as he took one of the shopping bags from his mother, though he got a knot in his stomach thinking about the other redhead who used to talk in unison with him.



George picked at his food as he sat eating his Christmas dinner with his family. He glanced around the table. Ron was staring down at his turkey while Hermione looked at him with an concerned look on her face; apparently she had never seen him looking, but not eating his food before. Harry and Ginny held hands underneath the table as they ate, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley served second helpings to everyone. Bill was talking quietly to a pregnant Fleur while next to her Charlie was working on his third helping of mashed potatoes. Percy sat stiffly as though unsure of what he was supposed to do. Andromeda Tonks, invited by Mrs. Weasley, sat quietly next to him, holding a squirming Teddy, his hair a festive shade of bright green for the occasion.

The table was unusually quiet this year, each of them painfully aware of the absences of Remus, Tonks, and Fred. George looked around and decided that this would be a good time to make his announcement, since no one was really eating, except for Charlie whose motto was “Any kind of food, anytime, anywhere.”

He cleared his throat and everyone looked up. “Er….” Mumbled George. “Well, yesterday Ron and I were talking and well, I…” Blimey, this was harder than he thought it would be.

“Well, I-“

“You what, dear?” Mrs. Weasley asked kindly.

“Well, I asked Ron to work in the shop with me,” George finished in a rush.
There. He looked around at the shocked faces that surrounded him. Mrs. Weasley, as predicted, promptly burst into tears. Mr. Weasley put his arm around her, his face pale, as she sobbed. Charlie spewed half-eaten mashed potatoes all over and Bill dropped his fork, while Fleur started talking rapidly in French. Harry and Hermione, bless them, immediately turned to Ron,who looked rather taken aback and even affronted by his family’s reaction, clapping him on the back, and in Hermione’s case, kissing him, while offering congratulations. Ginny, whose face was very pale, excused herself in a choked voice and ran upstairs to her room, her flaming hair flying behind her. Harry got to his feet and made to run after her, but George said in a low voice, “Leave her alone for a bit.”


Harry sat back down, his emerald eyes downcast, and Andromeda wordlessly handed him Teddy. The rest of George’s family, having composed themselves, looked sympathetically at George and muttered congratulations to Ron. George excused himself and quickly left the room.

He didn’t know how long he sat outside on the front steps, staring up at the stars as though hoping to catch a glimpse of Fred’s face waving merrily to him from the heavens. He had expected this reaction from his family, but he wondered what Fred’s reaction would be if he knew that he had been replaced. He felt guilty at the thought.
George jumped as the front door quietly opened behind him, spilling light onto the porch, and a shadowy figure slipped out and sat next to him. It was Hermione. She looked at him sadly. “Thanks for offering Ron the job,” she said softly. “I know it meant a lot to him-and to you, too.”

George smiled weakly. “Thanks, Hermione.”

“You’re welcome.”

She stood up. “Are you coming inside?”

“In a bit. Oh-and Hermione?”

She paused, her hand on the doorknob. “Yes?”

“I’m glad you and Harry will be my sister and brother-in-law someday.”

He grinned as he watched Hermione splutter, her red face visible even in the darkness.

“So am I,” she finally said, shaking her head. “-I think.”

She opened the front door and went inside. George glanced through the living room window next to the door. Mr. Weasley had dozed off in a chair. Mrs. Weasley and Andromeda were cleaning up in the kitchen, talking quietly. Hermione and Ron sat snuggled together on one of the couches; while Harry and Ginny sat on the other, Harry holding a sleeping Teddy, as Ginny leaned over him, cooing as she stroked his purple hair. They looked just like first-time parents, which, George reflected, they might soon be, if Hermione and Ron didn’t beat them to it. He wondered idly who would get married first. Yawning, he stood up and stretched. He’d better go inside before Mum found him out here and had a heart attack. He turned towards the house, one hand on the doorknob.


Just before George went inside, he looked up at the stars one last time. At that very moment, a shooting star flew across the sky, lighting up the night. It looked just like one of the legendary Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes fireworks.

George smiled. “Thanks, Fred,” he whispered, feeling a tear slide down his cheek as he slowly stepped into the Burrow and closed the door.




AUTHOR'S NOTE!
So yeah, there's my attempt at a oneshot!!! yay!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for reading!!!