The Only Difference

Summary – No one can see the difference Fred and George. George is the only one who sees it and he's the only one who can do something about it.

Prologue

"Hey George," Fred called through the third-floor bathroom door as he knocked. "Breakfast is ready. You better hurry before Ron eats all of the good stuff."

"I'll be down there in a second," George called back as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. "Just save me something."

"All right."

George continued to look at his reflection in the mirror as he heard his footsteps fade away. He could hear Ron rushing down the stairs from his room and then he knew that he was alone upstairs. He sighed and splashed water on his face before looking at his reflection once more.

A slightly different version of Fred stared back at him. His hair used to fall into his eyes but he had recently cut it short because of his Mum's wishes, but it was more like nagging to him. Unlike Fred, George had a mole on the right side of his neck and by his nose. That was the only way Fred and George were different.

But George could see something else.

He pulled his t-shirt off over his head and looked at his stomach. Someone else would have seen a flat, hard stomach. But what he saw was flab. He pinched his stomach skin as his breath came out shaky.

'That's the only difference between Fred and I' George though as he let go of his skin and looked up at his pale face. 'I'm uglier than him. I'm bigger than him. If I can see it the others can too. How come I've never noticed it before?' He rested his hands on the sink as he lowered his head and tried not to cry. 'Why can't I be as skinny as Fred? He's slim and muscular and I'm just a blob.'

George could hear the scraping of silverware over plates down in the kitchen as he grabbed his t-shirt and pulled it down over his head. 'Fred and I are supposed to be alike, otherwise we wouldn't get away with our tricks.' George spun that theory around in his head. 'I have to get thinner.'