It wasn't until I was making my way home from Ron's stag party weeks later that I saw Alicia again. I hadn't been purposefully avoiding her, but after the night I took her home even Fred stopped trying to make me socialize, so there hadn't been much opportunity. She passed me almost right at the door of the joke shop, huddled in on herself, and I don't think she even noticed me until I called out, "Alicia, hey!"

She spun around, wand at the ready. "George, what are you doing here?" The startled look dropped from her face when she saw it was me, but she didn't lower her wand.

I pointed to the shop. "I live here. What's your excuse?"

She did lower her wand then. "I'm going to Floo home from the Leaky. I don't trust myself not to splinch right now."

I looked back the way I had come, at the dark, empty street, then back at Alicia, who was obviously unsettled. "You can use our Floo, come on up."

I moved towards the door, but she hesitated. "Are you trying to take advantage of me again?"

"Advantage? The way I remember it, you offered," I said as I opened the door for her. "But no, I'm not. I'm trying to be . . . what's the word? Nees? Naughts? Nice? That's it, I'm trying to be nice."

She narrowed her eyes and glared. "Why?"

I shrugged. "I've been at the Leaky Cauldron for the past four hours. I'm pissed." She huffed and opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. "Look, if you want to walk all that way," I gestured vaguely in the direction of the Leaky, "in the dark and the cold and the damp, go right ahead, but you're welcome to use our Floo. That's my final offer, take it or leave it."

She sighed and tucked her wand back into her cloak. "All right," she muttered, and headed up the stairs in front of me.

I showed her into the living room and pointed, saying, "Powder's on the mantle there," then went into the kitchen for a glass of water.

When I came back I expected her to be gone, but she was still standing there, wringing her hands. "Thank you, George. It is nice of you."

"Yeah, well, I'd rather not have word of that getting out, if it's all the same to you."

"No worries on my part." She gave me a half-smile, and I nodded. "Well, I should go."

"Night, Alicia."

"Good night, George."