Belle took as much time as she could in Diagon Alley. She bought presents for each of her friends, hoping that they'd enjoy them as much as she think they would.
For Hermione, Belle bought a plethora of both muggle and wizarding books that all focused on the same subject - fantasy. Belle knew Hermione was more of a practical person and could only hope that with the recent discovery of Clairvoyancy being a very real thing, the books about creatures that existed only in fairy tales would interest her for they too were no longer just fables.
For her Mum, Belle bought a series of new records and an entirely new record player, as her Mum was the whole reason Belle's love of music was so strong. Each record was a different muggle band that she had hoped her Mum had not yet listened to, such as The Rolling Stones, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Beatles, Guns 'N Roses and Rage Against the Machine. Belle was terribly glad that she'd thought of using an undetectable extension charm on her bag before leaving her house as there was no way she'd have been able to carry around a whole record player without attracting some kind of attention or tripping over at least once.
For Clarice, Belle had decided to buy a few magical plants, to spruce up her office. It was quite often she heard her complaining about how boring it was, but didn't want to go overboard with the decorating just in case she was going to end up leaving at the end of the year - something she desperately hoped she wouldn't be doing. It seemed as though everyone was enjoying having Clarice as a teacher as she was still young and was, as some of the students called her, very relatable. She knew just how to keep them all entranced in her lessons and there hadn't once been a boring one that they had had. Belle was incredibly proud to hear that she had been labelled the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher they'd ever had, right up next to Remus.
For Luna, Belle had invested in buying a series of books on magical creatures and how to take care of them - even managing to find an original manuscript of one of Newt Scamander's books. The Magical Menagerie had even been so kind as to allow Belle to take a replica of the suitcase that Newt himself had once had, filled with creatures that were not real, but incredibly life-like. She supposed she could have always gone and visited Newt himself as he knew Belle well and was also one of the reasons why she had become so entranced by magical creatures, but she didn't want to impose on him and his family at this time of night. Belle knew how much Luna loved getting lost in her own world and could only hope that she'd enjoy getting lost in a whole new one, filled with creatures that would absolutely adore her.
Ron was indefinitely easier to buy for, as Hermione had mentioned just how much the boy enjoyed chocolate frogs. Harry, however, was much more difficult. She left many stores empty-handed, finding nothing that she believed would interest the raven-haired boy.
With no one left to buy for as she figured she would return the next day to find something for Harry, she set off down the street towards Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest and she felt sick with nerves as she entered the surprisingly quiet store, though it could have been due to the fact that it was almost eight at night and most families were back in their homes.
Going straight up to the main counter, Belle came face-to-face with a blonde witch. She was surprisingly young, looking as though she were only a few years out of Hogwarts and had short hair that curled just around her ears. She was surprisingly pretty and gave Belle a small smile as she made herself present.
"How can I help you?" The girl, who's name was Verity, as told on her name tag, asked Belle.
"Er, is George Weasley here?" Verity excused herself for a moment and moved a pair of wine-colour, velvet curtains out of the way, her head disappearing behind them. The sounds of low chatter filled her ears before Verity pulled her head out and motioned for Belle to come around the till.
"He's just through there," Verity said, holding back the curtain for her.
"Thank you," Belle said kindly before pushing through the curtain. She ended up in a darker room, filled with boxes of unpacked products and a table in the middle of it with papers stacked dangerously high on top. The faint scent of gunpowder lingered in the air and Belle swallowed thickly as her eyes landed on the carbon copy of Fred Weasley.
Fred himself stood directly next to Belle, considerably paler than usual. He too was incredibly nervous, knowing that Belle was about to do something that was going to put her way out of her comfort zone.
"Hi," Belle greeted lamely, clearing her throat before she resumed talking.
"Er, you don't know me, but my name's Belle. I'm friends with your brother, Ron."
"How can I help you, Belle?" George asked. Belle winced, something that went unnoticed by the redhead boy. His voice was dull and empty, a total opposite to Fred's. He looked as though he hadn't slept in a year, though Belle couldn't blame him. He probably hadn't.
"I... I need to tell you something. It's about your twin, Fred." George stared at the girl, visibly gulping at the name. He conjured up a chair and waved his wand, causing the papers and the scrap parts that littered the table to disappear.
"What about him?" George asked, his eyes not leaving Belle's as she sat down in front of him. He could see how nervous she was, the way her face had paled slightly as she took the seat.
"Before I speak, I need to ask you something." George nodded, waiting for her to continue.
"With what I'm about to say, you need to keep an open mind. I know this is a lot, coming from someone you've never met but I need you to know that I'd never lie - especially not about something like this." George looked anxious now, his hands clasped over his wand that sat in his lap.
"I'll do my best," George whispered and Belle sucked in a shaky breath. Her eyes flickered over to Fred, who was standing next to George and he gave her an encouraging nod, giving her the strength she needed to go on.
"When people die, they either become stuck in what humans call 'Limbo' or cross over to the Underworld. There are people who can see the spirits in the Underworld, called Clairvoyants. I come from a long bloodline of Clairvoyants called Praevideats." George inhaled sharply, clearly understanding what she was getting at.
"When Fred died, he never crossed over into the Underworld. He remained in Limbo to look over you and the rest of your family. I'm the only living Praevideat with the ability to see spirits and... well, I've been speaking to Fred since last May. He wants to say hi."
The expression on George's face was unreadable and Belle clasped her wand, which was tucked neatly into the sleeve of her sweater. Pulling it out gently, she placed a silencing spell on the room, so no one outside would be able to listen in.
"Get out," George said quietly. Belle held her breath, waiting for him to continue.
"How - How dare you. After a year and seven months without him, you come in here telling me you can see my dead brother? Clairvoyants don't exist, they're a myth, a bedtime story. Fred is dead! I don't know who you are, but you don't have the right to march in here and pull a joke like this on me."
"George, I-"
"I wake up every morning in the flat upstairs, thinking that he'll be there in his bed, asleep. For a few seconds when I wake, I think it was all just a bad dream and that Fred isn't dead. But then, then I open his door and his room is empty, just the way it was before we left. I can't visit my family anymore, because every time I see them, I just remind them of the brother that they lost, the twin I lost! Merlin, I can't even look into the mirror anymore because I see him staring straight back at me and it just reminds me of how much I miss him! I'm trying, I'm trying so hard to get better and I truly believed I was, until you marched in here, thinking that it would be funny to tell me that you can talk to my dead twin!" George's voice was rising and Belle was glad she had used the silencing spell on the room. Her eyes had filled with tears at his words and pearly, translucent ones flowed freely down Fred's cheeks.
"When you were five," Belle started, her eyes focused on George as Fred begun to speak into her ear.
"You played a prank on your older brother Percy. You turned his hair green and gave his books to the gnomes in your garden. Your Mum was so angry that she separated the two of you for a whole day. Both of you managed to leave your rooms and met out in the garden because even the thought of being away from each other for more than twenty-four hours was something that neither of you could bare." George had frozen in his rant and was staring at Belle, his expression unreadable once more. Belle was crying freely now and, though she didn't realise it, Belle's hand was squeezing Fred's own, as though he was really there. Fred started talking again and Belle echoed his words, repeating them back to George.
"When you were seven, Charlie found a fake dragon egg in one of the crackers at Christmas. He carried it everywhere with him and when he was out with Bill one day, you found it in his room. You duplicated it so his room was filled with dragon eggs and he was unable to tell which one was the real one. You hid out in the large tree in the garden for two whole days as he went through each of them, trying to find the real one. Bill snuck you food and water and you almost asked your Dad to try and build you a tree-house, so you could plan your pranks up there without anyone listening. When you finally came down, Charlie offered to do it for you, because he was impressed at how much thought had gone into the prank."
George had sunk back down into his chair and was sobbing heavily at the memories of him and his brother.
"When Fred died, he wasn't upset because he was gone. He was upset because he'd no longer be able to talk to you. He's not going to be there to watch your store grow, to tease you when you fell in love and to be your best man at your wedding. He was upset because he'd left you behind and being away from you is his biggest fear. Every day, for at least an hour, he comes to see you, to make sure you're doing okay. And every day when he sees you crying, it just breaks his heart that little bit more because he can't be there to comfort you and tell you it's okay. He says it, he says you're going to get through this, but you can't hear it. He wants you to know that he's there for you and he hasn't left. He's not going to leave until it's your time to go, years into the future from now."
Fred smiled sadly at Belle and nodded his head, telling her that she'd done perfectly. George had his head in his hands and didn't bother trying to conceal the fact that he'd become a wreck at the words of one girl.
"If you wish to take some time to process this, I can leave you my address. I'm sorry, George," Belle whispered, wiping away the tears that stained her face.
"No," George croaked through his cries.
"Don't go."
Belle waited patiently as George gathered himself, eventually slowing his crying. Once he could hold a proper conversation without bursting into tears, he sucked in a breath and looked up at Belle.
"I'm sorry, for what I said," he apologised quietly and Belle shook her head.
"Don't be. I know how it must have sounded."
"How is he?" George asked, his cheeks shining beneath the artificial light.
"He's... well, he's as happy as he can be." George noticed the way her eyes would flicker to a spot just beside her, the corners of her lips turning up in a gentle smile.
"He misses you, but he's glad to see that you're doing so well with the store."
"Is he here?" George asked once more and Belle nodded.
"Hi, Georgie," Fred said quietly. Belle repeated the words to George, who's eyes filled with tears once more.
"Hi, Freddie."