Author's Notes: Hi everyone! SO SORRY it took me so long to update this story. I just got way too distracted by something else I was writing, which in the end kind of won out. I hadn't intended to post much of what I had of this story until I was near finished with it, but as usual, I don't follow my own rules...

This chapter is a bit short due to the fact that I felt it would be the best place to end it. Nothing but a bunch of warm, friendly-type things happening in this chapter, but that's what everybody loves at a time like this, right? Oliver needs his friends!

Please enjoy! Lemme know what you think :)


"All right, Wood, just keep your eyes closed. I'm watching you! No peeking…"

"Ow! Damn it, George, that was my foot, you bloody oaf."

"Oh, it's not my fault you've got two left feet. Come on."

George guided Oliver by his forearm up to the front door of his home. The Keeper had his hands firmly over his eyes as per his friend's orders.

He wasn't stupid—he knew that George was leading him straight into a surprise birthday party. Was it really a surprise, though, seeing as he knew? He always knew. This happened every year, and yet they all seemed to think he would never catch on.

It was nice to know his friends cared this much.

"All right, in you go, mate…"

Oliver felt a gentle nudge to the small of his back that guided him through the entrance and into George's flat. Through the spaces between his fingers he could see slivers of light, but no shadows. Everyone was probably hiding from him.

"Can I open my eyes now, George? Is everyone here yet?"

"Oliver, I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about. I just wanted to surprise you with my new couch. Can't a bloke build up some suspense? Merlin." George sighed dramatically, closing the door behind him. "I suppose, though, if you must, you can open your eyes."

Oliver's hands were halfway down his face by the time George sighed. When he took them off completely he glanced around him, waiting for that magic moment.

"Surprise!" he said, hoping it would draw some people out.

But nothing happened.

He looked back at George, confused.

"What, mate? I told you, no surprise party. You never seemed much surprised by them in the past, so why waste the time? I know it's your birthday and all but that's what dinner was for. Which you enjoyed, by the way."

George moved past Oliver and headed toward the kitchen. Oliver's eyes followed him expectantly, waiting for something to happen. He stayed silent, however, waiting for George to flip on a dime and burst out with, "Happy birthday!"

But again, nothing happened. George went about getting himself a glass of water. It was so painfully normal that something inside Oliver snapped. He stalked over to the counter, somewhat desperately clutching it as he asked, "Really? Nothing at all? Nothing's going to happen?"

George didn't even glance up while he dug around in his cabinet. "Nope. Sorry to burst your bubble."

Something about that answer rubbed Oliver completely the wrong way. What was this nonsense? He always had a birthday party thrown by his friends. A long-lasting tradition was to just suddenly be thrown away? No, that wasn't right. It wasn't right at all.

Just as he was about to raise hell about it Oliver heard the sound of multiple forms apparating behind him. He whirled around and caught sight of several of his closest friends appearing from thin air. Alicia, Katie, Angelina, Harry and Ron all stood there with large, infectious grins on their faces.

Oliver threw his arms up in the air. "You lot are fucking incor…in…damn it, what's the word?"

"Incorrigible?" Katie asked.

"Yes, that!"

Wood shot a look back at George, mischief lighting up his face.

"You little—"

"Now, now, Oliver! I had to surprise you somehow, right?"

"You know George," Ron said. "He said to wait until you lost it. This year he really wanted it to be a surprise."

Alicia said, "Well, looks like he succeeded, eh?"

Oliver couldn't help but smile. The sight of all of his closest friends in one place quickly overrode his irritation from George's prank. At least he knew now that in the end what he truly wanted was a birthday party, despite his every attempt at being nonplussed about it.

. . . . .

"Remember, Wood, I got that for you so you could keep track of your things, since you're always losing them. Worked for Neville."

"Funny, Potter. Let's hope I don't lose it, yeah?"

Oliver pocketed the Remembrall and gave the dark haired boy a friendly hug.

"Stay in touch, Oliver. You've been too quiet lately."

Oliver nodded, seeing Harry off with a wave.

The party had been a roaring success—the exact distraction Oliver needed to remove himself temporarily from the obnoxious day to day that was his life. The only people who remained at the party now were him, George and Alicia, who was putting on her jacket and preparing to take her leave.

"Busy day tomorrow, huh?" George asked her as she wrapped her scarf around her neck.

"Don't remind me," Alicia muttered. "I don't want to have to pack. I know I can do it magically, but still, I don't want to leave my house."

"Wait, what?"

That was news to Oliver. He looked at Alicia curiously. "What happened? Why do you have to leave?"

"That independent travel business Katie was working for tits over arse," she explained, sighing. "She can't afford to pay her part of our rent anymore, so we have to be out in a week. She's moving back home."

"Are you?" Oliver asked.

"Merlin, I hope not. George offered to let me stay here until I find a place, but I don't want to impose too much on him."

George snorted. "Nonsense, you know you're always welcome here."

"Alicia…" Oliver scratched the back of his head. This was strangely odd timing. Lucky, if anything. He couldn't help but wonder if it had happened for a reason. "The same thing is happening to me, actually. I…can't afford to stay where I'm at. How about you and I try and find a place together?"

Alicia looked taken aback, although her initial shock wore off when she caught Oliver's concern. "Oh, Oliver, don't get me wrong, I'm not against it. I'm just surprised someone as well off as you is in the same position as me."

"Well off," Oliver said with a snort. "If only."

Alicia looked at George but the expression he wore rang clear of Don't ask.

"Do you really think it'd be a good idea?" she asked curiously. "You've always lived on your own, right?"

"Well, after moving out of my house, but I do have an older sister, you know. M'not some barbarian; I can live with a woman just fine."

Alicia laughed. "I didn't mean it like that, Oliver. I just wondered if you'd mind living with someone else after being alone for so many years. Then again, you seem to prefer your time to yourself, right?" She smiled, even though those words hit Oliver harder than he believed she'd intended. "Sounds like a wonderful plan. Can we meet up tomorrow night to discuss it further?"

"Great," Oliver said. "You can stop by my flat, we'll talk about it then. Stay warm out there tonight."

Alicia suddenly moved close and wrapped her arms tightly around Oliver's neck. He was surprised by the gesture but hugged her back. Sometimes he forgot she had such a strong grip—and then he always remembered that was precisely why he'd picked her for their team in the first place.

He smiled as she pulled back and retrieved her wand. She was gone in an instant, with no more than a "Bye!" which left him and George alone in the redhead's apartment.

"That was an awfully nice gesture of you," Oliver said after a moment's silence. "Offering her a place to stay. You got the space?"

"'Course I do," George said. "I mean, Fred's…" He paused. "Fred's room, and all. His study, that is. I told her she could have it if she'd help me clean it out, and she offered."

"How long have you known about this?"

"Just a couple days. Katie told me first. She feels right awful about it. Not her fault, though. S'nobody's fault but this piss poor economy, thanks to the war."

Oliver folded his arms over his chest. Part of him wanted to feel petulant and cross that George hadn't offered him the room just the same, but Alicia's position was far more pressing than his own. He could find a new place if he'd just start looking. She, however, lived day to day on the money she earned. Given her subpar relationship with her parents, returning home wasn't a viable option. For Oliver it was.

"Listen, I know you're probably upset I didn't offer you the same—"

"I'm not, don't worry. I understand where you're coming from. But hopefully she and I can figure it out and work on something together. Our combined wages should be able to get us something decent with the way the housing market is right now, right?"

"I'll keep positive for you," George said, smiling.

Oliver smiled as well. "Thanks. I'll need it. And listen." He brought George into a one-armed hug, squeezing him tight for a moment. "Thank you, again. This was brilliant. Excellent planning."

"What're best friends for, mate? Happy birthday. Keep me up to date, yeah? I'll let you know if I have any other jobs lying around. You're good for November, right? With what I got for you?"

"Yeah, I paid my rent just a couple days ago. Your odd jobs saved my arse."

And they really did. Oliver needed to talk to Alicia, and fast. He had until the end of November to get out of his flat and find a new one. That was less than three weeks away.

He sighed. "I'm gonna head back home. We'll talk soon. Night, George."

"Good night, mate."

. . . . .

"So you're sure this is the place, right?"

Alicia nodded. "Yes. It's the bottom level of this two-story, here. We're only a few minutes early so I can't imagine they'll keep us—"

Out of the blue a witch in electric blue robes Apparated into the air beside Oliver and Alicia. She had her mousy brown hair done up in a bun; her horn-rimmed glasses framed her oddly shaped face and her pale skin almost seemed to glow thanks to the grey sky above.

She extended her hand to both in greeting. "Good afternoon! My name is Imelda Johnson and I'm the agent for this small living community. We're so excited to have you here—and perhaps to call you neighbors soon!"

Her positivity and assurance rubbed Oliver the wrong way but he kept his opinion to himself.

He half-listened as Imelda explained the benefits of the community (Only several other families living in the neighborhood, perfect for starting couples such as yourselves! Seasonal parties and activities abound!) and why the flat was such a steal on rent (The previous couple couldn't afford it). In all honesty, he just wanted to see the inside and make sure it was worth more than what they would potentially be paying for it. He and Alicia had been searching for two weeks now in every free moment they had, and he was ready to call it quits.

Wasn't it supposed to be the third time that was the charm? What did that make this tenth flat? The charm three times over and then some? While it wasn't like him to give up, he was beginning to feel like time was working against them.

Once they were inside, his sense of anxiety slowly began to fade. While it was by no means the perfect flat, it had no outstanding repair issues, was of decent size and maintained a good amount of space that was perfect for the two of them. Most importantly, it was the only two-bedroom that was in their budget. He wondered how it was such a steal, but at a time like this, they couldn't afford to be picky.

Alicia seemed highly interested. At the end of the tour she brushed some of her hair behind her ear, turning to Oliver. "Well, what do you think?"

"As long as I have space to put a bed and a kitchen to eat in, I'm happy," he replied. "What do you think?"

"I have to say, it's a surprisingly good find." She turned to Imelda. "What's the catch? Seriously, no place this good could ever be as cheap as you've got it listed."

Imelda shifted on her feet. She cleared her throat. "Nothing, really, I assure you. I would definitely recommend you take advantage of the deal while we've got it!"

Alicia and Oliver shared a look. They would be bound to the flat for at least a year, so hasty decisions weren't ideal. However, even a minute left to chance could result in them not getting a home. They couldn't risk it.

Oliver nodded his head. "All right, we'll take it. What do we need to do?"

Imelda beamed. "Oh, let me take care of all of it for you! How exciting! You'll never be happier, promise! If you'll just follow me, I would love to show you the rest of your lovely new neighborhood! Congratulations on your new flat!"