One Shot \\ Hope \\ WICELA
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series nor everything that comes with it. The rights go to J. K. Rowling. The only things I own are the holes in her stories that I filled with my fantasies.
Date: May 12 (2016)

Losing Fred had hurt. It had hurt so much that George hadn't known what to do for a long time now. He had brought himself and his brothers in difficult positions; he was keeping himself alive in the flat above Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, while Percy and Ron did everything they could to help him with the shop - while both persuading another career for their own. Percy hadn't left his spot next to the Minister of Magic after the war, but did finally used all his holiday hours. Ron, however, was still becoming an Auror, together with Harry, but even George could see the only reason he was really doing that was because of Hermione. Every single morning, Percy or Ron would come upstairs to the flat, ask him if he had any new ideas for the shop, but George wouldn't even move from the same bed he was lying in for months now. How strange it was, Fred's bed suddenly didn't smell like Fred anymore. All his stuff, just became stuff when it wasn't Fred's anymore. How could everyone live their life so beautifully while Fred was gone?

:: :: ::

A month later

"Seriously? You're lying in his bed? How charming." George looked up to see which words had woken him up. It was Angelina, standing there like he was nothing. Like he was incapable of anything.

"I had some catching up to do with sleeping and fell in the wrong bed," George mumbled back, not even trying to make some joke about the whole situation.

"Yeah…you mean you just woken up from your four months during beauty nap?" Angelina asked with her eyebrow raised. Deciding not to spoil him any further - although she knew why everyone had spoiled him - she took his blanked, opened a window and threw it out.

"Hey! That's my blanked!" George yelled half sleepy half angrily.

"Yeah, well it smelled like someone died in here," Angelina said. George winced and looked down.

"You George, it smells like you died in here," she explained with a sight. George stepped out of his bed and then realized he everything had to be smelly in here.

"Yeah, well, part of me died anyway, so I don't care," he mumbled, without even completely meaning it.

"Shut up and shower already, George!" Angelina commanded and she quickly walked away before George had found the courage to undress himself in front of her. She knew he wouldn't even be joking about it; he just wouldn't care.

"Thank you," someone said to her. She turned around to see Ron standing there.

"He clearly needed the push," Angelina smiled.

:: :: ::

Three months later

Things were going better. At least, better than before. He still wasn't there yet, but everyone knew that George would never become really…himself again. There were little baby steps; first time he actually lived like a human being, the first time he cooked his own dinner, the first time he was alone in his flat again without collapsing again, the first time he set a foot outside of his flat. Angelina had been there for every little step. It had actually been Ginny who contacted her to ask for this enormous task. Angelina had put herself into her work as Chaser of Pride of Portree. Even though the team had won two League Cups, it wasn't doing that well and that way Angelina had slowly worked herself from stand-by to Chaser. People said she was flying day and night to conquer the League Cup yet again, but Ginny knew different. Even though she was still at Hogwarts - determined to finish school - she already had some acquaintances on the Quidditch Pitch and that was how she landed at Angelina. Her unhealthy habit of flying so often didn't go unnoticed by the hardcore fan, as she wrote in her letter, but when the two met, Ginny told the true reason she wanted to see Angelina. Everybody knew Angelina and Fred were dating and even though the war had been making a lot of things vague, it was obvious they still cared for each other very deeply, and Angelina had been suffering after the war. Of course there were loads of reasons she was suffering, but she couldn't deny Fred was one of them. Her talk with Ginny somehow had made her more active than her parents, Alicia and Katie ever could. George had become her personal…project if she could call it that. It was a way for her to live a bit more spontaneously and for George to grow, bit by bit.

:: :: ::

Half a year later

"So I'm thinking of starting a new line of products," George said suddenly during the surprise supper he'd made for him and Angelina.

"A new line? What's it called?" Angelina asked. George had been back in the shop for three months now, but this was the first time since ever that he mentioned new products.

"Well, I'm not sure yet, but I want it to be something…positive, you know? That was all Fred and I ever wanted to do; to create a light where it was dark. I still think a lot of people are recovering from the war and they can use some laughter. So I was in the spirit of living life the fullest, because we're alive, and there are actually some products Fred and I were working but were never able to…to test," George said. He'd mentioned Fred's name more often than he had ever before and it felt good. It felt good to not forget his name and to talk about him and what he would want - he would know, for sure.

"That's great George!" Angelina laughed, "This is really good, by the way, the cooking. You've improved a lot!" They both laughed and talked about the products.

"I hope we can launch the new line before Hogwarts will start in September, so we can have some new surprises for all those people who are out there wishing to skip classes," George said and Angelina laughed, but wrote it down on the timetable they'd made for the project.

"Stop working, Ang, I never really hired you anyways and this dinner was meant as payment, but now you make it look like I actually need to pay you money!" he joked and she slapped him.

"I'm stopping already, thanks," she laughed and stopped writing.

"See, no money needed!" he said and she slapped him again, but missed. The rest of the evening they washed and talked and like always, Angelina left his flat really late. She couldn't help but feel a bit bummed that her George-time of the day was already over, even though she would see him tomorrow again. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes felt somehow like a home for her, much like Hogwarts had; Lee asking her out, every day she came in, Lee and George joking together and Varity being polite as always, which Angelina never really understood. Sometimes she looked at George when Lee asked her out again. She rejected him every time, but the man had an enormous ego and just laughed it off with the biggest smile. Would George care if she would go out with Lee? Why did she care if George cared? Was she really…? Was she really falling in love with him?

:: :: ::

A month later

"You're saying you are in love with George Weasley and you see him the whole day for five days in a row and you still haven't asked him out? Where are your lady-powers, girl?" Katie asked Angelina. The three of them had met in Tom's pub and talked about the simplest yet most complicated thing of their life: guys.

"How do I know for sure that he feels the same? I need him too much to just…jump into something he really doesn't want to be involved in!" Angelina answered logically.

"It is kinda weird though, you dating Fred first and now George? Are you sure it's not because they look so damn alike?" Alicia asked, but Angelina shook her head.

"With Fred, everything was different. We were both a bit immature and after Hogwarts we barely met up. Of course he was still a dear friend of mine, but we never really got together after that and then…he died of course. You'd think I'd confuse George for Fred, but I never really have - even before. He's so different now, a lot more mature too, even though it will always be jokes are really back for good and I'm glad, because really, George without a joke is like…George without…"

"…Fred," Alicia finished for her, "I understand, actually, where you're coming from, but I really think it's time to step up and say something to him. You need him, but you know he needs you too!"

"Yes, but every time Lee asks me out again - it's really annoying - I look at him and he at me and it is like we share this big secret and I hope it means that…he feels the same or something, but then we start working again and it's just…friendship. Aarrghhh!" Angelina yelled softly. It was frustrating to love him, because she knew he was a easy person to love, but difficult to be handling it.

"Just talk to him, I'm sure you'll be fine. If you say he's becoming partly George again, he'll sure make something good of it," Katie encouraged her. Angelina smiled, took a sip of her butter beer and sighted.

"I'm still not sure I'm going to tell him though…."

"AARRGH!"

:: :: ::

A week later

After working up the courage to talk to George, she'd never felt so nervous in her life. Every evening she left way earlier than she was used to, because she didn't know how to tell him and now, Friday evening, dining together, it was even more difficult. On one hand if she would tell him now, they could think about it in the weekend and Monday everything could be normal again, on the other, she still couldn't eat her dinner properly of the nerves and she just wanted to go actually.

"Are you okay, Ang?" George asked and when she looked up, she saw he actually looked scared for her. Just having my period, was the first white lie popping up in her head, but it didn't feel right. Why, o, why wasn't George just equally in love with her and made the damn first move already?

"I'm thinking of saying 'yes' to Lee, because he's bothering me since first grade to go out with him and it's getting kind of annoying," Angelina said. Wrong! Wrong! Why did you do that?! George gave her a strange look and bursted out of laughter.

"You think going out with Lee will make him want you less? He'll think he's right then that his theory is right," he laughed.

"Which theory?" she asked.

"The theory where you eventually will say yes, because you can't resist him," he laughed, but the laughter slowly stopped when she didn't look amused.

"That is, if you don't want to go out with him. If you want to, then by all means: go, before he changes his mind," he slowly said. His face wasn't that amused either and just ate the rest of his diner.

"Really, Ang, my cooking can't be that bad for the whole week and you even disliked your own cooking this week. What's up with you, really? If it's Lee, I'm sorry I made fun of him. It's just: you're friend zoning him so much that I didn't expect you to fell in love with him," George said, while putting their stuff away in the kitchen.

"It's not Lee that I'm in love with," Angelina whispered.

"Sorry, what was that?" George walked towards Angelina to ask her again. He'd heard her perfectly, but didn't understand.

"I'm not in love with Lee," Angelina said this time.

"It sounds like you're in love with someone, Ang. Come on, spill the beans!" he said. He tried to be up beat about this, but he really wasn't. What if she was in love with some weird dude she'd met through he-didn't-know-what.

"I'm…" she started, but then walked away.

"Wait!" George shouted, but Angelina didn't wait. Not knowing what to do, he ran after her. He'd longer legs then Angelina and was there before she knew it.

"George, please," Angelina said, trembling, still as sweaty and nervous as before.

"I don't want to ruin our friendship, Ang, but somehow you're not sharing with me anymore and I don't think I like this way to end our friendship, so if our friendship would die somehow, I would rather let it die of some stupid confession," George said in one breath.

"And what would that be?" Angelina said, still trembling.

"That I'm hopelessly, but seriously in love with you."

:: :: ::

Five years later

And the steps went on and on. First kiss, first introduction to the parents, first time going to a wedding together…but it was easier then before. Everything went easier and it felt like they could do everything, as long as they were together. This hadn't stopped Angelina from feeling scared when this time she really had to confess something which George couldn't know. It hadn't been intentional and she knew he wouldn't really mind the result, but they both had imagined theirselves doing this kind of thing later in life. When they would be married for example, but marriage was…perhaps still a step too far. Even though marriage wouldn't be so bad with this kind of situation.

"Ang, what's wrong?" George asked, when they were eating diner and Angelina wasn't really eating again.

"I know this kind of behavior and know that you have something to say that you don't dare to say, but let it not stop you, please. Last time the outcome was really convenient, wasn't it?" he said.

"Yeah, but this isn't that convenient, George," she admitted. It was a step further than she'd followed last time.

"So, what is it? Do you really think we can't handle everything in life?" he laughed, but only a forced smile was for her manageable.

"Merlin, it must be bad then, was it the gnomes? Was the prank too horrible?" he joked again.

"George, I'm pregnant," Angelina blurted out. George face went from shock to confused and then a soft smile.

"Pregnant, huh?" he said and he chuckled a bit, "Does that mean I have to propose and everything?" Angelina laughed.

"I think your mother would be very happy with that," she said.

"And you? What would you think?" George said, standing up now and mumbling some spell. Suddenly he sat down on one knee and smiled at her with his biggest smile.

"Angelina Johnson, would you do me the honor of making me the even nicer man than I'm already am, thereby even funnier and happier, by becoming my wife?" he said, while theatrically opening the box, which hold the most beautiful ring Angelina had ever seen.

"Yes," she said and she cried a little.

"Damn hormones," she sniffled, but George didn't matter, as he kissed her and put the ring on her finger. During some kisses he remembered how happy he was and he decided it to share it with her.

"I get the right to name the kid!"

A/N: I just wanted to say that I love George and Angelina together, even though Angelina dated Fred first. Thereby I always imagine their marriage to "just happen." Not because they aren't in love or something, but I think it's just something they weren't planning to do. I imagine that Angelina gets pregnant when they're actually not really ready for it - perhaps not even talking about it yet - and then life suddenly hits them, like, life goes on and even though Fred doesn't live anymore, they are able to tell their kids great stories about him. George was never too serious and even though part of him will never become that full of jokes and irresponsible as he was with Fred, I don't think - even when he's in a relationship - he's planning on anything. Just…living from day to day actually. Loving Angelina so much that when he sees a ring he buys it for her, but not really knowing when to ask her, those kinds of things. I really hoped you like the story as much I liked writing it.

xo - WICELA