When He Was Six [Fred and George]

I don't own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form. All that and the stuff that goes with it belongs to JK Rowling and her tweets.

When he was six, George nearly drowned. He and Fred were very young, but he remembers nearly everything about that day. He remembers the helpless feeling that soaked him and pulled him down just as quick as the water itself. He remembers the dead weight of his clothing making his limbs heavy, too heavy to keep his head above the surface, and the feeling as though there were invisible hands pulling him down. He remembers the burning in his small chest as his lungs screamed for air, his head pounding from lack of oxygen, the edges of his vision already starting to turn black as he began to lose consciousness.

Fortunately for him, Fred was quick, and he was very loud. As soon as his twin had slipped on the wet dock and plunged, down beyond his reach, Fred had opened his mouth and let out a scream that penetrated through George's panic. Fred took off running towards The Burrow, calling for help with each step. It had felt like an eternity for the both of them, even though it was less than a minute before their brother Bill met Fred up the path. Bill was only about twelve but somehow managed to decipher Fred's tearful cries of "George" and frantic pointing towards the small lake behind him. "Go get Dad!" the eldest brother had called over his shoulder even though he told the twins when they were older that he knew then that there was no way Fred would stray any further from George than he absolutely had to.

George remembers the feeling of Bill's strong arms around his waist and the sudden jolt upwards towards the sunlight. He remembers his head breaking the surface of the water in a jarring manner and heaving in a wet, choked gasp, desperately trying to fill his lungs with air as if he had been starving for it. Because he had been starving for it. He remembers feeling like Bill was holding him too tightly for him to breathe, but also not wanting his big brother to loosen his grip for a second. He remembers coughing until he was afraid he would cough his lungs out. He remembers Fred sitting on the dock, arms outstretched toward his brothers and Bill yelling at him in a shaky voice to get back before he fell in too. He remembers their mother hearing the commotion and running out with the rest of the family before adding to the commotion herself.

"I told you not to come out here by yourselves!" she had shrieked, gathering both Fred and George, who were both crying by then, into her arms. At some point, she managed to pull Bill in there too and she alternated between admonition and comforting the distraught twins while also praising her eldest for his quick thinking.

He remembers when she finally let go of him, and after his father had tightly hugged him, and after Charlie and Percy hugged him, and after his mother hugged him again, and after Bill gave him a gentle squeeze as if he were afraid he'd break, sitting on the grass and trying to quiet his sobs. He remembers the family backing away just enough to give him room to really catch his breath, except for Fred who wormed his way up close against his side and grabbed his hand. "Alright, Georgie." He had whispered comfortingly, even though he was just as out of breath as George was. "Alright Freddie." George had whispered back, equally breathless.

He remembers the taste of fresh air on his lips and in his lungs. It tasted of honeysuckle and buttercups, clean laundry, and apple pie. He closed his eyes and listened to the birds singing, his father's gentle voice calming everyone, and the breeze rustling the trees over his head. It tickled his face and made him sneeze. A second later, Fred sneezed too.

He remembers, once the frightened tears ceased their flow, how he just breathed and breathed. He remembers feeling the rise and fall of Fred's chest as he too breathed and breathed. Even so young, the impression was firmly imprinted on his mind how he had taken breathing for granted. How beautiful and freeing it was to be able to inhale and exhale at will. With each breath, the panic died and was replaced by calm. He remembers Charlie saying something about Ron and Ginny before being the first to leave, Percy following him just a moment later. He remembers his mother gathering him up into her arms and his father taking Fred, who was still just as shaken by the incident. He remembers the grayish colour of his father's face, always so strong and stoic as he bent his head down and whispered something in Bill's ear that made him blush.