What Happened to George Weasley After Fred’s death? - Harry Potter Explained
Hey guys, Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter
Theory. In this video, we’re going to be discussing the Deathly Hallows, the death
of a Weasley, and the twin brother that lived on.
We all remember the tragic scene, it was the year 1998 and the battle of hogwarts raged
on. Aurors, students and members of the order of the phoenix alike battled against lord
voldemort and the death eaters- and there were casualties, SERIOUS casualties.
And like with most epic battles in works of fiction, a character that we know and love
happened to be one of those casualties- in this case it was Fred Weasley. It’s arguably
one of the most tragic scenes from the entire series:
"The air exploded. They had been grouped together, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and Percy, the
two Death Eaters at their feet, one Stunned, the other Transfigured; and in that fragment
of a moment, when danger seemed temporarily at bay, the world was rent apart, Harry felt
himself flying through the air, and all he could do was hold as tightly as possible to
that thin stick of wood that was his one and only weapon, and shield his head in his arms:
He heard the screams and yells of his companions without a hope of knowing what had happened
to them – And then the world resolved itself into pain
and semidarkness: He was half buried in the wreckage of a corridor that had been subjected
to a terrible attack. Cold air told him that the side of the castle had been blown away,
and hot stickiness on his cheek told him that he was bleeding copiously. Then he heard a
terrible cry that pulled at his insides, that expressed agony of a kind neither flame nor
curse could cause, and he stood up, swaying, more frightened than he had been that day,
more frightened, perhaps, than he had been in his life… .
And Hermione was struggling to her feet in the wreckage, and three redheaded men were
grouped on the ground where the wall had blasted apart. Harry grabbed Hermione’s hand as
they staggered and stumbled over stone and wood.
“No – no – no!” someone was shouting. “No! Fred! No!”
And Percy was shaking his brother, and Ron was kneeling beside them, and Fred’s eyes
stared without seeing, the ghost of his last laugh still etched upon his face.
George and Fred were the closest of brothers- identical in every way, and the kind of twins
that would spend every waking moment with one another. Their friendship was beautiful,
and that is why I found it unusual that we were never provided with much info about what
happened to George after the death of his twin, and brother. Losing a friend is terrible,
and losing a family member is terrible, so I can’t imagine losing a twin - someone
that is identical to you in every way- someone that you spend most waking moments with. The
two were put through the ringer, they went through thick and thin together - so, where
does that leave George? In a 2007 interview with Bloomsbury, JK Rowling
was asked this very question. "How is George getting along without his twin?"
"Well, I don’t think that George would ever get over losing Fred, which makes me feel
so sad. However, he names his first child and son Fred, and he goes on to have a very
successful career, helped by good old Ron." The interview also confirms that George continued
working at the business which he and his brother had created:
JKR: Ron joined George at Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes, which became an enormous money-spinner.-
It comes as no surprise to me that George would continue the family business- a business
in the spirit of fun and having a laugh. It’s what Fred would have wanted, and continuing
to work there would be the best way to ensure that his spirit lived on.
Furthermore, in the documentary JK Rowling: A Year in the Life. Rowling dives in to the
Weasley family tree, and mentions the following with regards to George:
"A lot of readers ask me: was George all right? And of course he wouldn't be all right, would
he? That's the reality. But I think that he married Angelina, who was actually Fred’s
ex. Maybe it’s a bit unhealthy, but I think that they would have been happy; as happy
as he could be without Fred. I think he really would have felt like part of himself died."
This is quite a sad and tragic answer from Rowling, but I feel as though it’s also
an accurate portrayal of the truth. Yes, life would go on for George, but it would never
be the same. His companion-the person that he had shared every moment with since childhood,
was gone. Would he be happy again? Would he experience joy again? Yes, of course- but
would George Weasley be changed forever? Absolutely. And that’s it for this video! If you enjoy
the content please like the video and subscribe to the channel. Unti next time,
YER A WIZARD ARRY