Summary:

When rumours of Fred and George being together spread around Hogwarts, George is targeted for a horrific attack. Fred, who eventually finds his brother's assaulter, knows he would have killed the student had McGonagall not found them and separated them. Both twins have been tainted with dark magic, one for casting it and the other for having it cast on HIM, but it all leads to a series of incidents which finds Fred mentally incapacitated, and George blackmailed and threatened into becoming a Death Eater, lest he refuse and have his family wiped out instead.

With George juggling between caring for his brother suffering a terrible head injury and trying to resist everything the Death Eaters throw at him, he knows it won't be long before they eventually break him down - and when they do, it's up to Fred to try and help his brother cling to what's left of his humanity and undo the years of psychological torment they had put him through.

Notes:

As this is a very dark fiction, I find it appropriate to warn people who may be sensitive to heavy topics before they begin. Heavy abuse, psychological suffering and torment, and of course, twincest. If any of this may offend you, please turn away now.

In the Weasley twins' eyes, there was nothing wrong with the things they did together. They weren't together, exactly; instead, they shared a closeness that just happened to extend to sharing intimate situations with each other. They had heard once or twice their parents mutter to each other behind their closed bedroom door that still wasn't enough to stop the twins from eavesdropping about how Molly found it rather disturbing they were still sleeping in the same bed together at the age of fourteen. Though that had been a year ago and they were already in their fifth year at Hogwarts, their sleeping arrangements hadn't changed; they still kissed and caressed and touched at night in the bed they would share that was quite simply too big for only one of them to sleep in.

It wasn't that they weren't careful to not be caught – quite the opposite; though it was normal for them, they understood others wouldn't see it the same way – but it was on a cold, snowy morning where George had forgotten to crawl back into his own bed before the rest of the dorm awoke, and they had been seen. It must have been the warmth his brother's comforting body was providing for him in such dismal weather, but he hadn't woken at the crack of dawn like he had every morning for three years straight to change beds, and their carefully-guarded secret was out.

"Don't worry about it, mate," Fred had told him at the look of anxiety that didn't fit his brother's features at all. "They'll probably forget all about it before breakfast."

George wasn't fooled by the act his twin had presented him; Fred was bothered, too.

The student hadn't forgotten. And from the looks they received as they walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, word had gotten around. Fred steeled his gaze to stare straight ahead as he grabbed at his shying brother's wrist and pulled George further into the fray; if they were to leave now, it would only confirm peoples' suspicions about them.

"They're whispering, Fred."

Fred wasn't deaf; he was hearing it all for himself, too. Murmurs about them being gay. Being disgusting. But worst of all… Incestuous.

It was a word he had hated for years now after overhearing someone commenting on his closeness with George, as if it wasn't normal for them to want to be together every second of the day and do everything together.

He knew George would be bothered. George had always been like that; he was too gentle-hearted for his own good and felt things far too strongly. Sometimes Fred wished the younger was more like him where he could be ruthless and just didn't feel, but it was one of the few differences between them that no one outside of their family ever seemed to notice.

"Ignore them, Georgie." With that said, Fred stuck his spoon into his porridge and dug in.

The whispers never stopped.

"That's so disgusting… They're so disgusting."

"Being in love with your own brother… Eww…"

"Wonder how many times they've fucked together while the rest of their dorm was sleeping so close…"

The accusations bounced off Fred easily. Sure, maybe what they shared together wasn't normal, but it wasn't as deep as the other students were digging. They had never been in love with each other, nor had they done anything more than some minor touching. To be honest, neither of them had ever really been attracted to anyone; it was more that they just were.

It was seeing George's untouched breakfast that upset Fred; how dare someone upset his brother enough to make him lose his appetite? He wanted to stand up and curse whoever was making George feel so uncomfortable in his own skin, but how could he do that when there were hundreds of students responsible? It just wasn't feasible.

"Let's skip first class, Georgie."

It was an idea that was only too welcome to the younger twin. They abandoned their meals in favour of leaving the hall and going back to their dormitory; it was too cold to go outside, so they may as well soak in the warmth of the fireplace while they could.

"You shouldn't listen to them."

For the first time in perhaps their entire existence, they walked with distance between them. Their shoulders no longer brushed together with each stride; instead, there was a gap big enough for someone to walk easily between them.

"Easier said than done, Fred…"

The Gryffindor Common Room was deserted. Fred sat down on the couch and nestled in against the armrest as he patted the empty space beside him. It made him frown to see his brother hesitate to sit beside him, but he was thankful when at last, the younger did so. His arm wrapped around George's shoulders and pulled him tight against his chest.

"They don't know what they're talking about, Georgie. They think we're in love."

George knew Fred had only good intentions with his words, but instead, they only made him feel sicker inside than he already did; if people thought that about them, then… He could only imagine how they were going to be treated from now on.

"Freddie…" George couldn't help but tug at his twin's sleeve a week later as they sat through breakfast together. He waited until his brother was looking at him before he cocked his head towards the staff table with wide, anxious eyes. "Teachers are staring at us… Do you see them?"

Though Fred had looked to see who the teachers in question were, he didn't get a chance to reply as the younger whispered again.

"Do you think they heard…?"

Fred shook his head, and with a gentle smile, he ruffled soft, ginger hair. "Don't think too much on it, George; they always look at us to make sure we aren't going to pull exploding firecrackers out of our pockets and throw them at other students."

George offered his own tiny smile as the weight on his shoulders lessened; Fred was right; teachers always had their eyes on them anyway. "Yeah… Thanks, Fred."

The stronger male gave a warm smile in return. He turned his attention back to his friends he had been chatting with, leaving George to his own devices, but it was something Angelina Johnson had said that had him turning back to his brother in concern; George hasn't eaten anything in three days now; has he been eating anything at all in between meals?

Now that Fred was thinking about it… George hadn't been eating, save for some chocolate frogs here and there so they could keep the cards for their little shop. He lowered his gaze to the plate in front of the other, and his eyes danced disapprovingly at the untouched toast still on his twin's plate that had been there for the half-an-hour they had been sitting here. "You need to eat something. You didn't even eat dinner."

From whatever faraway world George had slipped into within the two minutes since he had been talking to his twin, he snapped back to reality with a start. "Huh? Oh… I'm not hungry."

"I'll write to mum and tell her–"

"-That I'm not eating–"

"-And she'll send you–"

"-A Howler-"

"-And make you eat." It made Fred feel slightly lighter to know they were still finishing each other's sentences; he didn't know what he'd do if his brother couldn't even do that anymore.

A slight smile crossed George's face, and for the first time since word had gotten around the school, he looked up to meet the older male's gaze. "Mum would march in here and force feed me if she knew."

Indeed she would, Fred agreed. And finally, to break the uncomfortable tension that had followed them everywhere recently, they both laughed.

It didn't bother Fred in the least to know that Percy couldn't even stand looking at them anymore, but he knew it was hurting George; they were so very in-tune with each other, he could sense what's on George's mind. It made him angry to know his twin was taking it so personally; George was just too sweet for his own good…

"Oi, don't worry about Prefect Percy, Georgie," Fred tried to comfort one night after another unsuccessful attempt at trying to get their older brother's attention. "At least dear little Ronniekins is still talking to us."

"He doesn't want to, Fred." George looked over into the corner of the Common Room where Ron was playing Wizard's Chess with Harry and Hermione. "Don't you see the look of disgust in his eyes whenever he's near us?"

"I'm seeing it everywhere we go, George; I guess I stopped caring to see who else gives us the same look." Fred didn't care there were still so many other Gryffindors around to see them; he reached his arm out and wrapped it around his twin's shoulders. "Let's go to bed. I'm tired."

George wasn't tired, but he nodded anyway; it was better to lay curled up in his twin's arms wide awake than to remain out here being silently judged.

It was on their way up the spiralling staircase they came across the only person who wasn't treating them any differently; Neville Longbottom. The younger held an empathetic look on his face as he regarded the twins, and his lips moved wordlessly as he pondered on what to say.

"I understand what it's like…" He finally settled on saying. He shrugged before he gestured to himself. "People talk about me all the time, too. For what it's worth… I don't believe in the rumours."

The three nodded at each other in mutual respect, but nothing further was said between them.

Their dorm was empty, though it was probably to be expected since it wasn't even seven o'clock yet. They undressed together in silence before they donned their pyjamas. Since they'd already been found out, George didn't bother waiting until the rest of Gryffindor was asleep before he crawled into Fred's bed; he got straight in beneath the blankets and curled into the other's warm chest. He almost purred in contentment when arms wrapped around him and held him close.

As usual, their lips joined and tongues danced together, but there were no touches tonight. When they broke apart, Fred's hand reached out and smoothed back George's growing bangs so they could stare into each other's eyes. In synchronization, they yawned together, but only Fred's eyes eventually slipped closed. There were no conversations tonight as they tried to drift off into sleep, but George didn't mind; he could lay curled up in those arms he knew so well and pretend he wasn't feeling so uncomfortable.

He didn't know how long he had laid awake for, but eventually, the entire castle fell silent and only the rays of the moon shone through the windows, illuminating the room slightly. He listened to Fred's soft breathing as he held his ear against his brother's chest to allow the gentle beating to try and soothe him into sleep he knew wasn't coming any time soon.

But finally, after what must have been an eternity, George's eyes closed and he fell into a world that was as chaotic as his conscious thoughts. He would never know the hand that had wiped away his tears throughout the night or the voice that whispered to him to help him stop thrashing about in his nightmares; Fred would never have the heart to tell him he had seen his brother so vulnerable.

"He wants to date me."

It was in their own little corner of the library that Fred cocked his head to the side and tried to process what he had just been told. In a gentle tone that still conveyed his confusion, he asked, "Are you gay, Georgie?"

George shrugged. He avoided eye contact and said, "I never thought about it. I just thought… that maybe I could try it, and then people will stop talking about us…"

Fred knew what George was really trying to say; I'd rather them talk about me than about you, Fred. I want to do this for you. He shook his head. "Just leave it, George; you know I don't care what people think of me. You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

But as usual, George was pigheaded and said, "I want to, Fred. Let me do this."

The older twin opened his mouth to respond, but before he could do so, his twin resurfaced with the piece of paper a student they had never seen before had passed to George that morning on their way to classes. They hadn't even been able to catch what House he was in as he'd been out of uniform so they couldn't even make a haphazard guess at who it could possibly be.

Fred didn't like this at all; he'd seen that letter for himself, and there was just something about it that rubbed him the wrong way. The letter spoke about how it was difficult to be a gay student amongst so many straight, and how it was so incredibly rare to find another student with the same interests and perhaps it might be a nice opportunity to make a new friend, if not something more.

Fred didn't trust that letter at all, because it could have just as easily been given to him as they were identical, but instead it had been clear to him it was Georgie or nothing the way that student had spoken to him earlier.

"He wants to meet me now. Down in the unused classroom on Second Floor so we can talk freely." Though George tried to hide it, Fred still caught the anxiety on his face; it wasn't easy for George to leave his brother's side, either… "I want to do this. I hate what people are saying about us."

Fred shook his head. He stood up and closed his textbooks. "Then let me walk you down there –"

"-No!" George spoke with much more force than he had intended. He took a deep breath. "…No. It's okay. I can do this."

Fred felt sick as he watched his twin hurry away; they had never separated like this before… He growled to himself as he snatched up his books and stomped out of the library; there was no point in trying to study anymore because he felt as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest and he was never going to be able to concentrate until the younger returned.

The common room was way too crowded for his comfort. He wanted to go straight to his room and brood on his own, but before he could do so, there was a tug on his sleeve and he was spinning around to glare at his youngest brother.

"Where's George?"

At least Ron could tell them apart where their own mother couldn't… Fred couldn't keep the bitter tone from his voice. "None of your business, Ronniekins."

Ron frowned. Was he taken aback by his brother's attitude, or George's absence? Fred wasn't sure he wanted to know. "Mum will worry if she knew George was –"

Fred's laugh was as bitter as his voice. "Mum will worry? Ronald, how have you never noticed her trying to separate us? It was five years ago she tried sending George to our aunt's to get him away from me. Mum would be overjoyed."

Ron didn't get a chance to say anything back; Fred was already gone.

Fred couldn't work out why, despite it being so late in the night, everyone else was snoring while he was still wide awake. He figured it was because his brother remained absent and with each minute that passed, his stomach churned more and more with the dread that wouldn't leave him alone. George would be fine, he tried to reassure himself. George was a big boy and could look after himself; it was just them being separated that was making him feel so sick.

…Right?

Maybe if he tried hard enough, he could have eventually fallen asleep despite the ill feelings that were plaguing him, but before he could even try, he heard the door to their dorm room open and a soft sniffle caught his ears. He tensed, and for the first time in so many years, his world froze; why was his brother crying?

"Fred…"

Fred was out of bed and dragging the younger downstairs in seconds. He said nothing until they were standing before the raging fire that did nothing to quell either of their feelings, and if he had lesser control of his emotions he may have had tears of his own sliding down his cheeks as he took in the bloodied, battered appearance of his twin.

His voice wasn't gentle or soothing by any means. He was rough and angry and demanding as he said, "Who did this."

George shook his head. He avoided all eye contact and instead stared at his feet. "Doesn't matter, Fred… I want to go to bed…"

"I'm going to kill them when I found out who –"

"-I want to go to bed, Fred!" George's shout surely awoke several Gryffindors.

It was then Fred realized just how bad the other was emotionally, and all anger drained from his being. His shoulders slumped in defeat. "…Fine. Have a bath first, Georgie."

A fresh wave of tears came as George was reminded what had happened earlier. He shuddered, but before he could protest, he jumped backwards with a yelp as his brother reached towards him. "D-don't touch me!"

Fred was stunned; never had George been like this before – but then again, never had George been in this state before because Fred had always been there to protect his gentle twin. He silently resolved himself to never allow the other to venture off alone again before he gave a stiff nod. "Let's get to the bathroom, Georgie. You can't go to bed like this."

It was as they stood outside the door to the Gryffindor bathroom did George's voice fail him completely. He wanted to beg and scream and plead for Fred to let him bathe alone, but all he could manage was to open and shut his mouth wordlessly as he was lead inside.

The silence was deafening as George stripped himself of his clothing so painfully slowly, they were sure to have grown a few grey hairs when the shirt was finally the first article of clothing to be removed. Fred felt his body tense and his breath catch in his throat as his eyes scoured a body so familiar to him, yet so… broken in this moment. He couldn't see where exactly the blood on his brother's neck was flowing from, but as he caught sight of the bite marks all over the other's pale chest, he felt sick. There was bruising and welts that looked to have been caused by something hitting him – a belt, perhaps? Gashes that still bled steadily down his body and forming large wet patches all over his pants that could only be seen in the black material under Fred's scrutinizing gaze as he knew to look for it.

"D-don't look…"

It was the tiny voice that broke Fred's gaze away from the wounds; George sounded so incredibly ashamed. But why would he be ashamed? This wasn't his fault – O-oh…

George's cries finally reflected the inner turmoil he was in as the bathroom reverberated his agonized sounds. The stronger male could barely move his eyes from the blood that was dying George's thighs red, and when he caught sight of more bodily fluids mixed in with it, he threw up.

There were no doubts other students would be waking up now if they hadn't already from the younger twin's shout earlier down in the common room. George didn't care; why would he when he was so sure Fred would no longer be able to stomach being around someone as disgusting and as filthy as him…?

"I told him I didn't want to…" George could barely speak higher than a whisper, but Fred still heard every word. "…He… We were… doing other stuff… I was too uncomfortable… I wanted to be back with you… He wouldn't let me go…"

Fred gave his own whisper. "How did you get away, Georgie…?"

The younger shrugged. "Couldn't… Had to… to wait… It was easier… just letting him do what he wanted… He had to get bored eventually…"

The older male locked his gaze on lips swollen and bloodied and bruised from what he could only imagine was forceful kissing – or at least, he wanted to imagine; it made him feel sick to his stomach to imagine anything else being shoved past those soft lips... He reached out to wipe blood smears from his brother's cheek, but he stopped when eyes blackened from disturbed blood vessels squeezed shut and George gave a frightened whimper.

Fred moved in silence past George and instead to the bath. The sound of running water was all that filled the room for several minutes until Fred's voice, thick with loathing, growled, "Let's get you into the water, Georgie. I'll take you to the hospital wing first thing in the morning."

A hiccup escaped George's lips. He shook his head. "N-no… I don't… want to go…"

Fred understood the unspoken words; George didn't want anyone seeing him so vulnerable and so… so weak.

The whispers and mutters had never ceased, not even a month later. All that had changed about them was the subject of the whispers. Word had gotten out once again, and looks that had once been filled with hatred were now nothing more than pity and disgust as George would look anywhere but at them while he fidgeted beneath their gazes in uneasiness.

Fred never had found out who had attacked George, but he was never going to rest until he had them in his hands and he had done far worse to them than they could have ever hoped to have achieved that night; they had broken his brother, and that was unforgiveable.

"What class have we got?"

Fred turned to his side to look at Lee Jordan and mutter lazily, "Defense Against the Dark Arts, Lee."

Excitement crossed Lee's face as he said, "I heard they're bringing in a Boggart today! Jeez, that's gonna be pretty exciting! Don't you think, Fred?"

"No." Fred knew his tone was steely, but he didn't care as he took a bite of his toast; how could he be excited when he already knew exactly what he was going to see? Him being too weak to protect to protect his brother and letting him get hurt all over again… "I think we're going to skip today. Georgie, want to skip class again?"

From where George had been speaking to Harry on his other side, the younger twin jumped slightly at his name before relaxing and turning to look at his brother. He shook his head and tried to smile, but all that came out was a lopsided frown as anxiety played across his face. "What was that, Fred?"

Fred reached out to grab his spoon and squeeze it with much more force than was necessary; George was such a nervous wreck these days… He forced himself to stay calm as he repeated himself in a tone as gentle as he could muster. "I think we should skip first class today. Let's go sit out by the lake."

George's breath caught in his throat as his eyes widened. He was on the verge of hyperventilating from panic that was only growing stronger as his brother tried to pull him against his chest and hold him, but thankfully Fred got the hint he didn't want to be touched as the older male's hands fell back to his side and he could only stare on helplessly, lost for words on what to say to his damaged twin.

Hermione leant across the table and whispered, "George, are you okay?"

"He'll be okay, Hermione; let Fred handle it." Harry was looking pointedly away from the twins, but the sympathy was still there on his face; Fred was the best person for this and anyone else would probably only make matters worse.

Ron leant across the table. His eyes shone with sadness as he asked, "Do you want to play Wizard Chess with me before classes start, George?"

It was Fred who responded. "Don't worry, Ron; we're going to go get our stuff ready for class. We'll talk to you soon."

It hadn't been easy getting words out of George ever since the attack. Fred should have expected that, no matter how hard he had tried, the younger was only going to follow him around in silence, even with tears that had long dried up before they were standing around with their classmates outside the classroom as they waited for their teacher to arrive. Class was even worse; there had once been a time people had expected the twins to be the life of the lesson, but not any longer; George hadn't spoken in class once since the assault.

Fred's agitation only increased, and by the time their teacher finally unleashed the Boggart, his own tidal waves of emotion came crashing to the surface while he watched his baby brother cower on the floor as he was once again confronted with the things that had happened that night. He was barely aware of the tears on his own face as he stepped in front of George and watched the Boggart transform into him leaning over his brother's cold, lifeless body that signified their separation, but he couldn't care about that; all that mattered was getting George back to their bed so they could rest.

"It wasn't your fault what happened. Okay?" As they lay beneath the blankets together, Fred sure hoped he sounded convincing because with the emotional waver in his voice, he probably sounded as hopeless as George felt. "You didn't do anything wrong."

George shook his head. He snuggled in closer to his brother's warmth. Their lips brushed together briefly, but he couldn't let it go any further; he remembered all too clearly how painful it was to have someone crushing their mouth against his… "…"

Fred's hand stroked along the small of his twin's back as they laid in silence. He thought about sending an owl to his mum and asking for her advice, but he remembered the way she and their father had been so distraught after being summoned to Hogwarts for George's sake, and it made him rethink that option; how could he only hurt their parents further?

"Georgie?" Fred swallowed thickly; was he about to tread on forbidden territory? "Was it… your first time?"

Duh. Of course it was; neither of them ever spent any time away from the other, so if Fred was still a virgin, Georgie definitely was. …Or, had been…

George nodded. He closed his eyes. He hadn't told Fred any more than what he had whispered in the bathroom that night. With his head resting firmly on the older male's chest and their hands holding fast to each other's, he whispered, "He was going so quick for me… He must have thought… with what everyone was saying about us… that I'd be easy… I was scared, Fred… I wanted to tell him to stop…"

Fred remained silent as he stroked his free hand through George's long hair; just how much was his brother suffering?

"Then he… He told me to come to the lake so we could watch the night sky together… I tried to tell him I had to get back and see you… But he wouldn't let me… I started begging him to let me go, and… in that classroom, he… He…"

"You don't have to say anymore; you're safe now," Fred promised.

Silence fell amongst them once again as they lay on their sides, staring into each other's eyes. Fred's hands never stopped caressing George; not until the younger moved closer and timidly pressed their lips together.

It was completely normal for Fred to hold his brother's hips in such an intimate manner, but when he heard the nervous whimper the other made at the touch, he drew his hands away. His eyes softened. "Did he touch your hips, Georgie…?"

George nodded. His eyes closed as he felt fingertips ghosting down his side once again, and when the firm pressure rested atop his hip once again, he choked on his tears. "…"

Fred's tone was barely above a whisper now. "Did he put his hands in your pants…?"

Again, George nodded. His breath stuck in his throat when a hand that could very well have been his own slipped past the hem of his pants, but he didn't pull away; though it had been very rare for either twin to feel these kinds of urges, this wasn't the first time their hands had touched the other so intimately.

And now, the older male's tone was laced with fury as he hissed, "Did he make you come, Georgie…?"

"…" Tears slipped down George's cheeks now. "…Y-yes…"

Fred's fingers tightened around his brother's flaccid shaft, firm but never hard enough to cause any sort of discomfort to his gorgeous little Georgie. His tone softened once again as he reined in his hatred to whoever had done this to the younger, and he whispered, "Let me take away what he did to you. I don't want you thinking about him anymore. Think about me instead, Georgie."

Georgie made no sound as he felt a hand so very like his own try to bring him to hardness. He wanted to give Fred what he wanted, to be able to enjoy the touches and allow himself to be brought to climax like they had done to each other several times before, but how could he do that when allowing his brother to touch him like this was only making him more and more afraid of Fred? He shook his head, and with a scared whimper, he pushed the other away. He rolled over so his back was to his brother, and with his arms hugging himself tight, his body trembled worse than it had all week.

Fred didn't even try to fight back his own tears at this. He ignored the semi-hardness that had grown only minutes beforehand and instead worked on pulling the covers over them both. He didn't make any attempt to get closer to the younger; he knew not to. George was broken, and it was starting to look like even Fred wasn't going to be able to piece him back together again so soon.