Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
On New Year's Eve, 1998 George Weasley had closed up Weasley's WizardingWheezes up early in honor of the holiday. He planned on working on the shop's books and retire to bed early since he didn't feel like celebrating the start of a new year without his twin brother and co founder Fred who was killed in the Battle of Hogwarts back in May. Later that summer he felt like he failed his brother when his attempt to join him was caught by his little sister and her boyfriend since he had broken his promise that they would die together like their Uncles Fabian and Gideon did. He was starting to put his life back together though he wore black all of the time now which was ironic to have the owner of a joke shop wearing all black. Though anyone who knew him, knew that he wore black as a way to mourn. He was learning to live life on his own terms and even his younger brother Ron helped out in the store and even lived with him above the shop. The shop had been turning a profit since the shop had reopened at the end of the war with his family's help while he was abroad. This was when Ron had taken over the shop from him while he was recovering from a failed suicide attempt. He had to reassure Ron that he wouldn't try to kill himself again while he went to a New Year's Eve celebration at Harry's. He was surprised though when he heard someone knocking at the front door, assuming that it was a customer who didn't realize that the shop had closed up early. He went downstairs to open up the door to let them in to do some last minute shopping since he didn't have anywhere special to be this year. He didn't expect to see Anglina Johnson at the door who had spent Christmas with her family last week, though she had a photo album and a bottle of firewhiskey with her. He let her inside since she probably wanted to show him pictures of Fred since they were engaged before his death, he was engaged to Katie Bell but he had broken it off when he realized that he had only gotten engaged because Fred did and Katie was seeing most of the girls who was in their year at Hogwarts getting married and starting their families. He realized that Anglina was probably missing Fred as well, especially during the holiday season when you see all of the bloody couples looking all smug and buying presents for each other. He was hurt when Charlie didn't even come home from Romania to spend their first Christmas without Fred with the family though when Harry showed up with Andromedea and Teddy that his mother had a look of understanding why Charlie chose to stay in Romania. Missing Christmas at his parents house wasn't an option for him since his mother would bring out a search party to look for him if he even tried to miss in order to make sure that he wasn't going to harm himself again. He guessed that Angelina was probably as lonely as he was and wanted to talk about Fred with him since he was lonely as well. The last thing that he had heard was that she was burying herself in her work at the Department of Magical Games and Sports in putting together an adult Quidditch recreational league not dating anyone at the moment. George guessed that she didn't want to be around all of the couples for New Years Eve as well since her fiancée had died but with the photo album she probably wanted to go over her memories of Fred with him, which he had thought that he would politely listen to them for about an hour hoping that the firewhiskey was a gift for later not for drinking now. When the two of them had entered the flat above the store Angelina immediately put her photo album on the couch and went into the kitchen to grab two glasses for the firewhiskey which surprised George since he thought that she knew that he had to open the store in the morning since Ron was planning on staying up late to celebrate the New Year over at Harry's where he would hopefully keep an eye on their baby sister though he knew Ron was as protective of Ginny as he was. As soon as Angelina had opened up the photo album he knew that she was showing him pictures of her and Fred together in happier times even last New Year's Eve when the four of them since he was still engaged to Katie at that time and they were looking forward to the end of the war when the four of them would be together. Now he and Katie and broken their engagement and Fred had died while both George and Angelina were both still single which it seemed that she hadn't gotten over Fred's death yet. George looked at the pictures as Angelina had recounted the memories behind each one, he didn't know how much longer he would be able to listen to it though with each memory she had taken a gulp of the firewhiskey so she would probably start getting more sentimental and weepy. Looking at the glass of firewhiskey on the table he took a big gulp of it in order to help him get through this ordeal of reliving happier times since he was trying to live in the present and not in the past. As the firewhiskey took effect George didn't have to remember that this would be the first New Year's Eve that he had felt truly alone without his other half. He had forgotten these past few months how much firewhiskey can cause you to forget your troubles for a little while as he had emptied his glass and refilled it. He barely noticed that Angelina had refilled her glass as well and she was talking about her plans for her wedding that was to have taken place in December which was canceled by Fred's death. George was supposed to marry Katie at the same time as well since the two of them had planned joint weddings ever since they were little.
Angelina noticed how much George still looked like Fred as she drank more of the firewhiskey. She wondered what it would be like to kiss him while she was babbling on about her wedding plans. She was supposed to be married by now and it wasn't fair that Fred was gone and she was left behind. Though over time as she drank more firewhiskey she thought that Fred was in the room with her and next to her. By the time that the firewhiskey bottle had been drunk the two of them were kissing noticing how attractive each other was. For once the two of them can forget that Fred had ever died and that their plans would be going forth as usual. Angelina thought that George was Fred not remembering that Fred was dead. The two of them somehow made it to Ron's bedroom where they fumbled with each other's clothes. The two of them couldn't seem to get enough of each other as George forgot about doing the books for the store and that he had to open up the store in the morning. Angelina for once forgot about Fred's death as she had opened herself up to George thinking that he was Fred. George on the other hand was glad for the distraction since Angelina and the firewhiskey had made him forget about his plans to spend New Year's Eve alone he didn't even want to try to balance the books since he was enjoying himself. He instead wanted to enjoy this moment with Angelina forgetting that he even had a twin brother.
The next morning George got up feeling sick with a horrible headache and queasiness, he didn't know what had happened last night until he discovered that he was next to Angelina with no clothes on. He felt sick to his stomach with a huge headache the way that he felt like when he had drank too much the night before. The last thing that he remembered was going over memories with Angelina and drinking the firewhiskey that she had brought over. He immediately got Angelina up who looked horrible and had her leave so that he could get ready for the day even though he didn't feel like opening up the shop this morning though Angelina might have a hangover remedy with her. When he looked around he realized that he was in Ron's room, he wondered if Ron had spent the night in his room or over at Harry's. He immediately got Angelina up since he didn't want anyone to know that she had spent the night with him since the wrong impression could be made about them. He wasn't ready to enter into a serious relationship right now, so soon after Fred's death and his breakup with Katie. Besides he suspected that Angelina had thought that she had spent the night with Fred since the two of them had wound up in Ron's room which used to be Fred's. He found a bottle of hangover remedy potion on the dresser which he had assumed that Angelina had left for him which he was grateful for since he didn't think that he had any left in the flat and he didn't have time to run out and purchase any. He had to hurry up and get dressed in order to open up the shop downstairs. He didn't think that they would be very busy today since most people did their shopping on New Year's Eve for joke products, especially the fireworks. Besides there were probably others this morning who was nursing a hangover after a long night of celebrating the New Year. He wasn't too surprised when his mother came in while he was assisting customers. He waited until he was finished with the customers and ringing up their sale before going over to visit with his mum since she could see that he was fine and the store had opened up as scheduled. He was starting to get annoyed at how his mother had hovered around him over the holidays even though it was a sad Christmas for all of them having to get used to holidays without Fred.
"I see that you opened up the store, I assume that you are doing fine at least," his mother commented. George didn't know how to answer her not wanting her to know about his drunken night with Angelina when he saw the bag in his mum's hand from the new baby shop that had just opened up.
"Have you been shopping today?"
"Yes, I got some things for Bill and Fleur's new baby that they're expecting since they are having a sale today and it gave me a chance to see the clothes and toys that they had in there," his mum answered him sounding excited at the prospect of becoming a grandmother for the first time while George looked like he was going to be sick since he didn't know if he and Angelina had used any contraception the previous night.
