A/N I decided on this POV at the last minute, I hadn't originally intended to have George POV, but it felt right...so I went with it.

It was cold.

That was the only thought in George's otherwise empty and quiet mind. It was confusing and disorienting. All his life his mind had run at a hundred miles an hour with the constant awareness of what was going on with Fred and hundreds of ideas bouncing around his thoughts. Not now.

Someone had offered George shelter under the huddles of umbrellas but he'd neither responded or even acknowledged that he'd even heard them. Water dripped off the tip of his nose and slicked down his hair as the rain poured down as some wizard gave a speech about the great life Fred had.

George didn't listen, couldn't really. He'd never realized just how much he and his twin had been in sync. Without Fred around it was like he didn't even know how to go about his day. He didn't know how to communicate with people, he couldn't even voice his own thoughts as he had none. His mind was numbingly blank.

He stared at the casket in front of him, wondering how he was expected to continue to go about his life. He'd heard the whispers, that eventually he'd be okay and be back to normal. But those people didn't understand, his normal was having Fred there every day. Those people didn't understand, he hadn't just lost a brother, perhaps if he had he would eventually move on a be okay. But Fred wasn't just a brother, Fred was...his twin. He couldn't even explain it, he just knew it wasn't the same.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spied Hermione standing at the back of the crowd, rain dripping down over her as she stared blankly at the pine box. She might possibly be the only other one here who understood exactly how George felt. It was never his place to tell anyone about Fred and Hermione but he'd known. When things were going great, Hermione would tell George all about it and so would Fred. When they were furious at each other he'd hear from both of them too. Now, he realized, he'd not only lost his brother but without Fred there, would Hermione even want to speak to him anymore? He doubted it, he couldn't even bear to look in a mirror anymore.

Hermione blinked and looked up at George and where he'd expected to see an emptiness to rival his own, he saw barely contained rage brewing in her eyes. He vaguely wondered if she had heard a word the wizard speaking had said and if that was the reason behind her anger but for the life of him he couldn't try and make himself listen.

He also couldn't tell if the water running down her face was from the rain or tears but before he had a chance to contemplate it further, she glared back at the casket and marched forward, pushing through people til she reached the casket and in a move that shocked even the speaking wizard into silence, she kicked the box and fell beside it in the mud, slamming her fist on the lid.

"How could you!" she screamed like the pine was going to answer her. "You promised me!" Her forehead fell on her arms that were crossed over the top of the lid and her whole body started shaking.

People started muttering around him and George saw his mother start to move forward but he grabbed her arm and held her back before stepping forward himself. He kneeled down beside Hermione, avoiding touching the casket with difficulty before he noticed she was muttering under her breath.

"You promised...you promised you wouldn't leave me alone... I kept my end of the deal...you're not being fair..."

George reached a hand forward like he was going to pat her on the back but the gesture felt awkward so he let his hand fall to his side. "Hermione," he said, like he had something more to say but he didn't, really.

"Don't even try to defend him, George, he lied to you too," Hermione said harshly, pounding her fist on the top of the wood again.

George was at a loss and without realizing it, the rest of the crowd had creeped up on them, Molly trying to figure out what was going on, why Hermione was taking this so hard. "Four years you promised me everything and now you've left me here with nothing, Fred," Hermione further accused a box that couldn't answer her back.

"Four years... Fred..." Molly sputtered, her red eyes looking confused.

"Apparently they were together for four years," Ron said, his voice cold and his expression slightly angry as he looked over his mother's shoulder. "Engaged too, by the looks of it."

George caught Hermione's fist tighten where he saw the ring Fred had picked out for her glittering dully in the dull light of the overcast day. Renewed whispers spread through the crowd as George's mum and dad's mouths moved up and down but no words came out. George stared at the ring for a few moments, his annoyance with Fred trying to pick it out making the corners of his mouth twitch up at the memory. George had suggested after a month of listening to Fred's jabbering about the whole thing that he just get her one out of the coin machine because it wouldn't matter to her, if it was from Fred she'd love it even if it was made of cardboard.

"Well, not anymore," Hermione said, sitting up suddenly and pulling the ring off her finger and throwing it in the mud. Molly tried to stop her but Hermione pulled out her wand, glaring at the crowd behind her before she apparated away.

George could hear the people talking around him and was vaguely aware that his mum was demanding to know what was going on but he didn't care. He reached down in the mud and pulled out the ring that Hermione had thrown down.

Almost like a nagging voice in the back of his head that had been absent for days, George knew he couldn't leave Hermione like this. He had to make it right. He owed Fred that, at least. Ignoring the hundreds of questioning voices around him, George stood slowly, mud dripping off of him as he thought over where Hermione might have gone. It might be a long search, but he'd find her.

The last words in Fred's letter to George had assured that.

Lastly, I'm asking as my brother and my best friend, if Hermione makes it (and I'm accepting nothing other than the fact that she will), please watch out for her. Don't let her give up. Don't let her stop smiling...

A/N - *sigh* It makes me sad to write Fred's letters. *sniffs*