“Whatcha thinkin’ about, Fred?” George asked, making an effort at least to fill the silence that seemed to take up so much space around his twin lately.
It was 11pm, and the pair was sitting on the roof of the burrow, staring up at the full moon that was shining brightly down on the land. The breeze made the summer air comfortable for once.
Fred half smiled in a somber sort of grin. “I’m thinking about how the moon doesn’t actually shine,” he said, “not really, anyways- it reflects sunlight. So, in a way, I guess I’m technically sunbathing.”
George raised an eyebrow and grinned at that, clapping a hand on his brothers shoulder. “That you are, dear Gred, pretty soon you’ll be getting a tan!”
Fred snorted at that, but it was more of a laugh than anything he’d done in ages, so George took it. Fred didn’t smile or laugh nearly as much anymore. Everyone could tell how sad he was being isolated away from the mainstream of life, only able to come out at night, being forced away from the sun and the hustle and bustle of daytime. Amongst all the things he would miss out on, Fred was surprised that simply basking in the sunlight was one of them. He knew now that if he ever touched it again he would burn so badly he could die, his skin blistering an angry red, horrifically painful. It would be the end of him if more than just a small portion of exposed skin got caught in the sun.
He missed seeing all the animals that only ever ran about during the day, missed the busy streets of diagon alley and the clear weather of quidditch games.
He knew he should be grateful, lucky to be alive. He was technically dead, afterall, killed under the falling debris in the battle of Hogwarts. It wasn’t until minutes later when the vampire Armenius Tift jumped in to save him in the only way anyone could; biting him.
According to George it only took 2 minutes after being bitten for him to open his eyes, start coughing violently after beginning to breathe. His family had practically clung to him for a week after that, all so shaken by fully believing he was lost forever.
“I’m sorry,” Armenius apologized to him two days later while he was recovering at the house, “it was all I could think to do.”
Fred was silent for a long moment, not knowing what to say. Part of him hated the man for ruining his life, and the other was grateful to him for saving it. He knew nothing would be the same now. He would outlive all of his family members by at least 80 years, supposedly. No one knew how long vampires could really live. He would never be able to go into the sun again without a highly coveted spell. And he could only survive taking said spell after at least 50 years had passed since the day he was bitten. Thank god and every deity above, he didn’t have to drink human blood. Fred didn’t know if he could go on if he did. He still needed blood, though, and that very notion disgusted him, filled him with shame. Armenius had taken pity on him and simply handed him a vial of deer’s blood, one that he could duplicate with a spell. It was a small, unassuming bottle, and he only needed one a day. But still- it was a glaring reminder that he wasn’t normal. He was a monster. And he felt even worse knowing that he didn’t even have to add anything to it because it tasted amazing on its own. God.
He would only ever drink it when he was alone… at least, he tried. On a few occasions he’d gotten horribly dizzy and faint, and George and sat him down and immediately given him the vial while his family fluttered over him with concern.
He felt like a pariah.
George had taken over the joke shop during the day, but he was in charge as soon as the sun went down. He tried to make the best of it, tried to put on a smile even though he felt a war of conflict inside. Word had spread to the public quickly that one of the weasley children had been turned, and the customers who entered their store would be all laughs and smiles until they saw the twins. Then their smiles would fade, as they tried to figure out which one was the one. The one they should be wary of, should never fully trust… the one who wasn’t like them anymore.
“I’m not sorry you’re alive,” George blurted out the words before he could stop himself, “I don’t know what I would do without you, Freddie.”
Fred stared at his brother with shiny eyes, glistening with tears of adoration or rage, but George continued on, “But I am so sorry for what you have to go through. I know I’ll never know how you feel… I just wish I could help.”
At those words, Fred felt all traces of anger leave him and he heaved a sigh. He didn’t know if he could look at his twin without breaking down, so he instead stared at his own hands folded in his lap. “I know.” He finally murmured, gathering all the strength he had before finally meeting his eyes. He gave a weak smile, shrugging. “I suppose the only way I’ll ever be able to go into town with you is if I’m dressed as a mummy, huh?” He joked.
George snorted at that, glad at least that the tension between them could still be broken. That’s when an impossibly, insanely wonderful idea popped into his head. He smiled slyly at his twin.
“I suppose so.”
The costume party was a huge success all the way around- business was booming, and the shop was more crowded than it had been in all its time open! People were even flooded outside onto the streets of diagon alley, chatting over drinks and comparing costumes. Many of their own products were in use as well, such as the screaming Ronalds, which happened to be a bigger hit than either of them thought they would.
And best of all, it was only an hour after noon. The sun shone brightly outside, not a cloud in the sky, and the weather was breezy if not a little on the warm side.
“Great costume, George, where’d you get it?” Angelina asked, impressed at the multiple layered bandages covering the weasley twin from head to toe, save for his usual outfit of a maroon blazer, button up and trousers.
“It’s Fred, actually,” he smirked through his sunglasses, even though no one could see it. “George is the pirate.”
“Ahh, I see,” Angelina noted, “well, you sure know how to throw a party! Half the school is here and it’s summer!”
Fred let himself bask in a little bit of the praise, feeling good knowing that for once his condition was contributing to his family instead of taking away from them. “Well, I couldn’t have done it alone- George does deserve a lot of the credit.”
Angelina smiled. “Always the two of you, huh? You’re lucky you have a brother you can rely on, especially when it comes to putting all this together!”
Fred paused for a moment, feeling warmer and more alive than he had in weeks. “Yeah,” he murmured gently, watching George laughing with lee and a few of their other friends, “I really am lucky.”