Characters: George, Fred
Summary: There's no Forge without Gred.
Pairings: None
Author's Note: You see, I picture the twins as winding each other up, revving them up before pulling jokes or playing pranks. Afterwards, they'd also be the ones to tell each other "Job well done" or "No harm done, mate". Without Fred, who was the dominant personality, what will happen to George's love of pranks, now that there's no one there to wind him up?
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

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George doesn't play as many jokes after Fred's gone. The core is gone, and the shell can not act without it.

His family, of course, notice changes, even if he doesn't admit to them. They see the new dullness, and despair, but can't begin to fathom how to fix it. George lies awake at night and dreams, eyes open, of how to fix it. Those dreams all end the same way—his blood on the floor and Fred's voice again in his ears, telling him it's alright like it used to be when they were kids and he had nightmares.

He has ideas for pranks, of course. He has ideas on joke he thinks might be funny, and he can still play them out in his mind and see how they might go. George dreams of that in-between blood and Fred's voice.

But then, there's the ultimate joke.

The one his brother played on him.

The one that's left George like a little tin soldier, a wind-up toy winding down. It only hurts when I'm breathing.

There's no one to wind George up again, to paint that sparkle on his eyes.

And why bother with playing jokes?

There's no joke that'll outdo Fred's last one.

Well, little brother, you have to admit. You can't top this.

There's no Forge without Gred.