[ENG] My Dear Fred

My Dear Fred

A wise old man once said a simple but at the same time striking phrase: "Mysterious thing, Time. Powerful, and when meddled with, dangerous". Too bad that George Weasley did not hear that sentence and could never learn from it.

The twin, after his grave loss, was no longer the same. All traces of the cheerfulness and carefree youth that represented him in the past had abandoned him. The loss of his brother caused him the higher pain he had ever felt before. He often thought about what he was willing to do to get his other half back. 

One day, a great opportunity appeared before him: a time turner. For a long time, he hadn't seen one, given the prohibition of use that was in force on those objects, yet he found one among the lost items at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. After his brother's death, he had studied everything about these magical objects. He knew that different types of time-turners allowed various sorts of travels into the past. Luck wanted that he found the specimen most useful to him, which allowed him to go back months but only for a few minutes.

He did several laps until he found himself at Hogwarts that fateful day. He ran through the corridors familiar to him in hopes of finding himself and his brother. As soon as he reached that specific aisle, he saw Rookwood about to bring down the wall and without thinking twice killed him. He returned to the present and immediately noticed the differences. His brother was at his side again, but a brother who was no longer what he remembered. He was sad and hollow-faced. He tried to ask what he had, but he immediately realized his surroundings. Rookwood played a crucial role in Voldemort's failure. Due to his death, the Dark Lord won the battle and killed the entire Weasley family, except for the twins.

George, embittered, picked up the time turner and went back to that day again. He devised a plan to try to save Fred without killing Rookwood, so he just avoided that the two-headed down that corridor hoping that this time everything would be for the best.

He came back again and found himself at the lair, with his family by his side, or so he thought. Everyone was there except Ron, no one knows for what senseless reason in that corridor, at that exact moment, instead of Fred, there was Ron. George, feeling guilty, began to think about what to do. Who was he to decide that Fred deserved to live longer than Ron? However, there remains the loss of a brother, twin or not.

He continued this game for hours, insisted on going back in time and trying a new tactic each time. Each attempt presented terrifying scenarios: Voldemort in power, Lucius Malfoy as the Minister of Magic, his whole family killed, Harry kissed by a dementor, his sister Ginny a Death Eater's servant.

Each turn corresponded to new torture, a new future even more fearful than the present. Could George really allow the wizarding world to be destroyed just to get his brother back? Obviously not and fortunately he realized it too. It was certainly not an easy choice. George had to choose perhaps the most painful thing for him. 

He went back in time for one last time, he also thought of making a simple exchange between him and his brother in such a way as to die and not suffer anymore. However, he understood that if something went wrong, he wouldn't be able to go back one last time and fix everything.

Armed with patience and Gryffindor bravery, he headed back into that corridor knowing that, this time, he would not do anything.

He stood, there to observe that scene that he still bore the scars that already destroyed him in the past. He felt useless and unable to save his twin's life, his heart broke again into a thousand more pieces that he would have to reunite with time and patience.

He watched the scene until the last second, and when the time came, he returned one last time to the present. After making sure he was back, he collapsed to the ground and shed all the tears he had been holding back for too long. 

George Weasley learned a great lesson that day. If only he had been able to hear that sentence spoken by Albus Dumbledore, he would not have relived the most tragic moment of his life.