oo1.

[feorging]

[ video || open action ]

[The faces of the passerby's to the device's lens seem to be reflecting a range from distinct lack of interest to mild amusement to extreme confusion. They also appear to be shielding their heads from something, but from the device's position, it isn't quite clear whatThat is, until the throng clears enough for the device

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voice; 1/idk

[7thborn]

What the bloody hell is the fountain-is that a person?

[... wait. Oh, Merlin, wait a sodding minute. That hair, that voice... It can't be. The City's playing tricks again, it's a visitor's day, it's got to be, because this can't be a Weasley.]

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[feorging]

Oi!

[Is all he gets off before into the fountain they go! In all honesty, he isn't like to complain, not considering the day's events, and part of him is brought back to simpler times when their biggest worries were getting Ginny through a nightmare at two in the morning. Strange, to be brought back to their childhood when she has so very clearly left it behind, but then age has never really had much to do with the Weasley mentality, now, has it?

At least, it didn't up until the war began. Fred had watched his sister mature rather too soon, having faced You-Know-Who herself early on and becoming one of the star pupils to emerge from Dumbledore's Army. If he's ever felt Ginny's sudden adulthood to be a failure of their own, he hasn't voiced it to anyone. But this, this...bloody impossible reunion seems to wipe that thought clear from his mind, as this little ball of energy and affection is so very clearly his baby sister. Forget the war, forget his death. This is so much more meaningful and significant and the embodiment everything

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[7thborn]

[Ginny finds herself being immensely grateful for the fountain water and how she's absolutely drenched in it from head to toe; if she starts crying, it'll be virtually invisible (unless she starts turning blotchy and she'd never let herself get that far gone when her brother can see it). There's a tightness in her chest and throat, the way her heart is beating too fast as if to make up for the fact that she can't feel his at all. She can't feel his heartbeat at all. Kneeling in the water and clinging tight to Fred like the City will pull him away from her too soon, just like the war did, Ginny is utterly at a loss for words. How can she begin to explain any of this when all she wants to do is sit here and make sure she's got her brother back? Her hands are curled into the back of his clothes, her face is buried in his shoulder, and she is trying so hard to hold herself together but she can feel herself trembling too.

She is doing such a shite job of pretending everything is okay.]

Shut up. [The words are choked out in a whisper and

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[feorging]

[Fred's overly aware of the thrumming of her heart and the slight shakling of her frame, as though someone's holding an enormous sign flashing 'something is wrong' in vibrant lettering despite the fervent denial of such. But doesn't that just go without saying? Plenty of things are wrong, with the world as a whole and this sticky situation they've got themselves neck deep in. But at least now he's one hundred percent certain Ginny's alive and...well, not well, as far as he can see - but alive and in one piece, more or less. He can be grateful at that, in the very least, else there would've been less grinning in spite of her bleary state and more gunning for answers.

But there's no time for words, apparently, only clinging bordering on the desperate. He doesn't know how long it's been, and he can't begin to guess how this is even possible, let alone what she's had to endure in the time he's missed. Though if the tight hugs are anything to go by, he has a very vague idea, and that comes as no reassurance whatsoever

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[7thborn]

[Pull yourself together, Ginny. Pull yourself together now. She never hugs anyone like this, not this tightly for so long, not unless there's an underlying fear and desperation born out of less-than-wonderful reasons, not unless you think this isn't real or that something will end it before you're ready to let go again. Her brothers know her better than anyone in the world, and she has always been close to the twins - she knows Fred has rarely seen her in this state. Truth be told, no one really has. So Ginny sucks in another breath, squeezes her eyes shut, and tries to gather herself before the cracks show any more than they already are

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[feorging]

['Perfectly fine' is believable for now, in lieu of her much needed laughter. Fred does not like seeing his siblings upset, but he can't quite go about making a mockery of whatever's doing the upsetting if he doesn't know what it is. He wants to know, might even need to because nothing should ever have her in such rare form, but that isn't the first step to recovery. If she's got it in her to laugh at a silly prank, then it can't be too terrible, right? Right?

No matter. Fred's all grins and laughter anyway, letting his newfound friend sway precariously to the side as he props himself up on his elbows. Even if the water monster hadn't been in the fountain with them, he'd've assumed she meant him, if only because everything is about him, naturally.]

'course it is! D'you have any idea how much trouble I went through to be here for this? Trans-dimensional time travel's no easy feat, I'll have you know.

[Because clearly he came here just for her. Even though he didn't actually come here. There can just be no other reasoning. Family

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[7thborn]

This is you we're talking about. I'd say it was a fair amount of trouble and well worth it, too.

[Ginny is shaking her head, a fond grin tugging at her lips, and she finally hauls herself up to her feet, dripping fountain water everywhere. She pushes her sopping wet hair out of her eyes and extends a hand to her brother, jerking her head back to the pavement, suddenly all business. After all, if she focuses on the simple and important tasks like settling him in, informing him of the City, explaining her situation (and hopefully being composed enough to explain his), she'll manage to be alright. No tears, no desperation, no panic. Just alright.]

Come on, then. Wizard or not, you can't wear those clothes and I know a place that has just your size. [The old cabin in the forest has a closet full of the twins' clothes. Merlin, that's weird.] And I promise I'll answer any questions you've got, too.

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[feorging]

[That's a bit more like Ginny, taking care of business but not without sparing a moment to make a jab at him, and it's a damn welcome sight. He takes hold of her hand and pulls himself to his feet as the monster crashes back to the bottom of the fountain. Making a mental note to finish work on a treat to dry soaked clothes without threatening to melt the lining of your stomach, Fred shakes as much of water out of his hair as he can, not entirely unlike a dog. Grins abound, little sister, and he tucks his wand back in his pocket.]

Excellent. First things first, then. When the bloody Hell did you become so damned gorgeous? I'm not going to have to interrogate any extraterrestrial boy-toys, am I?

[Arms crossed and eyebrows wagging up and down teasingly, it's rather difficult to know if he's serious or not. Or rather, it would be if Ginny wasn't a Weasley and close enough to him to know better. Obviously this is the most pressing matter after being teleported to a strange new realm and being nearly hugged to death.]

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[7thborn]

Oh, for Merlin's sake.

[She snorts, wading through the water and clambering over the lip of the fountain before wringing out her vivid mane of hair. She's forming a decent puddle on the street but funnily enough, people aren't really giving them a second glance - mostly because people landing in the fountain seem to be a common occurrence in the City.]

I'm not dating anyone, if that's what you're so afraid of. [And Ginny arches an eyebrow at him, drawing her wand - to dry herself, naturally, but it might look like she's considering hexing her brother for his comment, too.] And I thought I've always been gorgeous, thank you very much. What a thing to say to your favourite sister.

[Fact is, she doesn't know how he's going to react when she tells him she's three years older than he remembers. To be honest, she's a little worried about it. She knows she was fairly distressed by arriving here a couple years back and finding Ron older than he was meant to be. He'd only been here two years... and, Merlin, it looked like she was going

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[feorging]

[Fred doesn't even bother with drying his battle-torn clothes, merely slips his hands casually into his jacket. It's not as though having wet clothes is going to make him any colder, right? So he watches her instead, that ever constant state of aloofness about him, though he is watching that wand out of the corner of his eye. Merlin knows he'd rather stay in the fountain for the rest of eternity than face one of her hexes.]

Well, that goes without saying. Look who you're sharing genes with; I'm gorgeous as they come. But you were always the innocent, adorable sort of gorgeous. Now you've gone and made yourself all grown up and fancy.

[The words, they aren't making too much sense at the moment. Mostly because he's not even sure what he's trying to say - how d'you put your little sister's unexpected maturity into words without sounding mad? - but also because he's not sure there's any sort of explanation that won't be just as crazy. He's not even sure he really wants one. Following her out of the water, Fred kicks the water from his

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[7thborn]

I can beat them off myself, you know. I'm not entirely helpless.

[Ginny ducks her head to busy herself with drying off her clothes, wand sweeping with a casual sort of elegance from head to toe, and she doesn't even give it a moment's thought when she points it at her brother and dries his off too. Lazy arse. But beneath this façade of witty, smiling sister is a grimacing, flinching one - especially when he asks so pointedly about her age. Perhaps not in so many words, but she can hear the subtext in her brother's tone and she's usually quite good at reading between the lines when it comes to family.

Damn it. She had hoped she didn't look too different, but three years is a long enough time, and when she looks up at him, she actually looks apologetic without meaning to. She didn't expect to feel guilty. Anxious, yes, but not guilty. Sorry I grew up without you, Fred. Sorry I moved on. Sorry I'm not your baby sister anymore. No, she can't say that. She rolls her eyes, grinning still, even as all this debate is going on behind her

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[feorging]

[Subtle though it may have been, she does answer his question and affirm that odd fretting in the back of his mind. None of it's outward, naturally; in fact, he makes a proper show of Ginny's drying him, as though he's bathing in the sunlight and enjoying a good breeze. Top marks in the deflection course, Gin, but Fred's busting himself with some comical 'ooh's and 'ahh's as he listens to her speak and contemplates how to respond

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[7thborn]

Sneak me a Canary Cream and I'll give your bogies bat wings, Freddie. And I mean that in the most loving way possible.

[This she calls over her shoulder with a laugh framing the words, mask firmly back in place until she can organise her thoughts. Thank Merlin her brother has enough tact to not go chasing after her bizarre behaviour; she knows Hermione wouldn't let it alone if she saw her like this (God, Hermione, she doesn't even know where the other witch has disappeared to and it's worrying her sick), and it would be out of concern, but Ginny can't deal with that so immediately. She needs time. She's getting it.

Ginny heaves a theatrical, long-suffering sigh and winds an arm around her brother in a sort of sideways hug, and acts like it pains her to do so.]

We're going to Apparate, now. [Never mind that she had no idea how when she was sixteen.] Don't get offended by being Side-Alonged by your sister, alright? I don't want you getting Splinched trying to get to someplace Unplottable when you just got here.

[On the count of

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[feorging]

[Time's all Fred's got now, and he's in no real hurry to spend it all. Hell, he was in no hurry even in his living hours. There's no prying to be had, no pressing the point of something that could very well end up breaking the both of them. All good things come with time. And they will be good.

Eying her side ways as she hugs him, he rolls them back away and noticeably deflates a little, groaning as he speaks.]

Oh, bullocks. George'll never let me hear the end of this.

[Not that he's here to take advantage of the moment anyway, a thought that hits him rather hard yet again before he reluctantly wraps an arm about her in return. No sense in fighting it; this is her turf. He'll follow her lead as long as he has to.]

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[7thborn]

[George.

In the few seconds until Disapparating, Ginny slants her gaze to her brother and a sharp pang lances through her heart. She'd noticed almost immediately that Fred was without his twin, and she didn't want to bring it up. Obviously it wasn't something to be talked about right away - if ever - because the bond between the twins is something Ginny can never truly understand. She can't replace George, and she'd never try to, but she'll be there for Fred as best she can, as long as she can. That's what siblings are for.

Ginny doesn't reply. Instead, she taps a silent count with her fingers on Fred's arm, twists them around, and after a distinctly uncomfortable few seconds being twisted through space, the Weasley siblings are standing on a gravel path in front of a modest cabin in the forest. A small greenhouse is barely visible around the building, and there's a small clearing off into the trees with a practice dummy for spells. When Ginny reaches out to the door of the cabin and pushes it open, it's clear the place hasn't

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[feorging]

[Fred hadn't meant to say it. As much as everything else about the two, it's just second nature to speak of George as though he's right there with them. He's meant to be, should be, and his absence is more symbolic and meaningful than Fred is at all comfortable with. But he can't let that show, won't, and his grip around her only minorly tightens as they begin to Disapparate. Whether George is here or not, he's got family. He's got Ginny, and that's loads more than he's realistically supposed to have. He can pine over his missing half until this world's Sun explodes - he'll be clinging to his sister and the time they have together all the while. Because that's what family does. It doesn't make sense how or why, may never make sense, but Fred'll stick to it without question