Disclaimer - I don't own Happy Potter.

Chapter 14

Angelina walked into George's office where he was deep in thought thumbing through two huge mossy green colored books which appeared to possibly be for accounting of some sort. She turned to leave when he called out to her "Hey Ange you won't believe this, come look we've almost tripled our sales since before the war…tripled. The Wanton Witch line is now making up almost 1/3 of total sales, that's remarkable considering we just expanded that line since we re-opened the shop."

"That's … nice."

"Nice…that's spectacular, no wonder we've had such a time keeping the shelves stocked. I've shown Ron how to make some of the simpler items but with numbers like this I'm going to have to train him on the harder stuff sooner rather than later" he said never once looking up.

"Ron's up to it, he did help defeat Voldemort so I'm sure he's talented enough."

"You know I showed him several spells when he started here he mastered them all in a day. He's actually quite skillful but I'll never tell him that, his head's already big enough as it is, not that he's finally gotten Hermione."

"You'll think of something" she said rather curtly as she stood some distance from his desk with her arms folded, this was so not the conversation she wanted to have with him.

"Now I do know someone who was rather good at charm and spell work… so good they received exceptional marks on both their owls and newts" he said finally looking up at her with that famous Weasley grin "Maybe I can persuade to lend me a hand sometimes…once you make the Wasps regular team that is."

"I don't know…maybe" she said off-handedly as her patience with George was running thin.

"Ah come on, I know you can do it, you know you can do it. Compared to Quidditch this is a piece of cake…besides I'm your best friend, I'll be more fun teaching you all this."

"Yeah some friend" she thought to herself "you can't even be honest with me."

"Look, I'm outta here, I'm going" said Angelina changing the subject. She was long past annoyed with him right now and she just wanted to leave before her temper got the better of her.

"Okay…I'll be up in a bit" he said briefly glancing down at a stack of papers on the corner of his desk.

"No, I'm going to my flat."

"Oh alright… I'll be over in a few minutes."

"No, I don't think that you will, you're no longer welcome" she said sharply as she turned to leave George leapt from his chair and closed the door with his wand keeping her inside.

"What's wrong?!"

"Nothing…I'm just…I'm going" she reached for the door handle but he closed it again.

"Like hell you are, there's something wrong, what is it Ange?" he placed his hands on both her shoulders forcing her to look him in the eye "Did something happen? Did … I do something?" he said hesitantly.

"I don't know George Weasley why don't you tell me" she said trying desperately to contain her growing anger.

"What are you talking about? Did you get hit in the head at camp with a bludger and forget to tell anyone?" he asked clearly confused by her change in demeanor since lunch.

"No… but I can think of someone I'd like to hit with a damn bludger right about now" she said bitterly no longer caring what she sounded like.

"Who …me? What did I do?" George said truly bewildered "Everything was fine up until lunch…as for as the shipment delay that was kind of my fault but its all worked out now so no worries"

"I don't care about that shipping order" Angelina felt flush with angry the more he pretended to not know the angrier she became "Just let me get the hell out of here!"

"Hey at least tell me what I did… so I can fix it okay"

"You can't fix this George; you can't say one thing then do another. We see each other every day; we hang out, and make plans when truthfully you wish you were with someone else!"

"What! Who? I'm with you because I want to be …what are you talk-…who are you" he said stammering to find the words.

"Getting on with my family, like you care when you don't give a damn about me or them!"

"I do care! About you and them…I like your family they're bloody brilliant"

"Why aren't you meeting her parents, spending Christmas with them? When are you going to take her to meet your folks…your mum huh? Are is this just a thing so you two can get off!"

"What! Get off with who...that Parkinson wench you're nutters! I despise that troll, she's completely and utterly revolting!"

"Not her, I know not her…never her" as tears spilled from Angelina eyes.

"Well what in the hell are you on about!"

"I know okay so stop pretending! I know there's someone... someone else you want to be with this Christmas."

George's face changed, some of the color drained from his already pale skin and his eyes seemed to dim before he spoke "Well...ah… well… yeah I… I do, there is" he said softly.

There it was, he had said it, Angelina no longer felt angry just shocked and hurt. How could she have allowed herself to get this close to him? She should've known it would turn out badly.

"But he can't be here…"

"He…"she thought "he's…he's talking about Fred."

George lowered his head and crept slowly from where he was standing and collapsed on his chair as he rubbed his face in his hand.

"I miss him…everyday but this time of year…Christmas its…been the worst. Maybe since it's the first time …he-we've always been together at Christmas…always. You know he loved this time of year it was his favorite. I don't know…. most days now I just want to stay in bed" he said solemnly "but I know you'll have none of that so I make the best of it. I get up and go on."

She could see him holding back, he was so full of emotions and she felt horrid. He had managed to convince her that he was better about Fred and she naïvely believed him but he was still struggling, hurting. He still had rough patches and this time of year should have been obvious to her. How could she have been so callous, so selfish?

"George I'm so sorry" as she approached him kneeling next to him in the chair slowly taking his hand in hers.

"No, it's nobodies fault, it's just like this sometimes… you know. I have good days then... not so good ones."

The two sat in silence for a few moments quietly searching their own feelings.

"Was it Fred?" he asked humbly "the reason you were so upset" he was met with silence. "It's okay if it was … I mean I understand. You hurt too. You cared about him as well" still silence. "Are we okay then…you and me? If not … just tell what I can do to make it okay…alright" said George desperately searching her face for an answer.

Angelina felt ashamed, here she was behaving dreadfully and he wanted nothing more than to make it better, make them okay again. Since she was probably losing him anyway at this point it was time for her to be honest, time to be brave.

"George we're best mates right?" she asked unsteadily.

"Yeah, I think we are."

"Can you be totally honest with me about something?"

"I can…I mean I am. I wouldn't lie to you I thought you knew that by now" he said with true sincerity.

She knew his words were true. Yes, the twins were accomplished liars during their years at Hogwarts. They lied to professors, perfects and any other authority figure but that was mostly to keep them from getting detention or worse for whatever shenanigans' they had been into. They never ever lied to their friends, there were days in her youth she wished they would've but they didn't even if it meant hurting a few feelings along the way. Today she would test just how honest George really could be.

"Do you think she's pretty?"

"Who?"

"Kellie…Kellie Kegan"

"Why are you asking me this Ange?"

"I thought we were being honest here."

"Okay…she's alright. I mean if you like that type?"

"What type is that exactly?"

"I don't know the athletic type I guess?"

"I'm athletic."

"Yeah… you're fit but she doesn't have your figure."

She shot George a look.

"Hey you asked and that's my answer. Where is this going?"

"She came by the shop what a week or so ago right?"

"Yes, she did."

"You two talked?"

"Yeah, we did and..."

"Did you leave with her?"

"We went to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. Well, I had lunch; she had a cup of tea then a butterbeer."

"You know she invited me out today for drinks when she came by…did you know that?"

"No…I didn't. Are you going?"

"I don't know. What do you think? Do you want me to go?"

"I don't think it's really up to me now is it."

"I wasn't sure if you wanted us to… you know… hang out together. I'd hope you'd want us to become friends... you know considering."

"Truthfully?"

"Yes truthfully."

"I don't care if you hang out with her and as far as you two becoming friends that's your choice. I didn't think you'd want to go out for a drink and that's what I told her but I guess I was wrong about that."

"You two discussed it."

"Well not really. More like she asked and I answered no real discussion."

"You're a cruel foul git George Weasley!"

"What's that?"

"What kind of man discusses whether his new sweetheart and his best mate should hang out and have drinks together beforehand especially when he hasn't told this mate about his newfound love?"

"Who's done that? Me?" asked George in total disbelief.

"Yes you!" she said in a mixture of disgust tinged with anger.

"Me and who? Kellie?" he asked.

"Yes who else?"

George's laughter began as a slow low throaty rumble which quickly boiled over into a loud uncontrollable howl of laughter.

"How dare you! Don't laugh at me you prat, it's not funny!"

"No…you're right it's not funny, it's bloody hilarious" he said as tried in vain to suppress his laughter but to no avail.

"George I can't believe you. This is serious…I can't believe you find this humorous. I thought we were friends, in fact best friends, you could have told me how you felt about her I would have understood" said Angelina with tears softly streaming down her face.

"No I doubt it… I'm sure you wouldn't understand this. In fact you don't understand a damn thing!" said George finally regaining his composure.

"What!"

"I did talk to Kellie a week ago; actually she came in three different times while you were at camp. The last time we did go to the Leaky Cauldron. Would you like to know what we talked about that day while we had lunch?"

"No I don't think I'd be interest in hearing the details of that conversation."

"Well too damn bad because you're going to hear it. We talked about you, the whole forty-two minutes we were there, the subject of conversation was Angelina Johnson."

"That's crazy…that doesn't make sense."

"No it doesn't but that's the truth. Damn you're beautiful! Have I ever told you that? I'm sure I must have at some point."

"Flattery won't get you out of this Weasley!"

"Oh I know but that's my point. You are an extremely attractive woman Ange. You're smart, funny, fantastic smile and well… a great body" she shot George a raised eyebrow and another look "Hey… I'm missing an ear, my vision is just fine. My point is this, don't you think other people see that too, you have a lot to offer."

"What does this have to do with anything, especially Kellie?"

"Everything, Ange everything. We talked about you because well…Kellie is interested in you."

"I'm already reserve for the Wasps; she'll have to wait until after spring tryout before I'd even be eligible for a possible transfer to the Wings. Besides why is she talking to you about this? Does she think talking to you will help change my mind...and join the Wings?"

"Ange…the interested is NOT sports related if you know what I mean."

"Not sports…OH!" as her eyes widen in disbelief "Oh no you don't mean like that!"

"Yes I do."

"Good lord George! What on earth did she say to make you think that?"

"In a nut shell, basically that she thinks you're hot, she's interested in getting to know you better but she wanted to make sure you weren't in a relationship already."

"Sweet Merlin George! She did not!"

"She did indeed."

"What did you say? What did you tell her?"

"I told her the truth that we are great friends, you and I but I didn't think you'd be interested."

"What did she say then?"

"She said she appreciated my honesty but she'd like a chance to find out for herself. Hence the invitation for drinks, she asked if you would maybe go out with her for a drink or something. I told her I didn't know but she could ask."

"Blimey George are you serious?"

"I am serious … I wouldn't joke about something like this."

"I can't believe it…."

"It was a shock to me too, a girl liking another girl I can handle, no problem but to find out the girl is you, my Ange well I was speechless; she caught me off guard. Blokes...I'm used to them that's nothing new but another girl not so much."

Did she just hear him right, he called her his Ange? Surely he didn't mean it that way. The two continued to talk and as they did all the tension, stress and bad feelings of the day melted away. They didn't really say anything more about Kellie, every time she mentioned it George would change the subject. They discussed instead the upcoming holidays and all those plans George tried making with her earlier at lunch but this time she actually wanted to make an effort to work things out. But mostly they talked about Fred, they shared memories and stories; some were funny, others heroic and yes even a few that were sad. Angelina was thankful they were back the way they were before. She had George all to herself and she was determined to enjoy every minute of it even if it didn't last because right now in this moment, just the two of them being together, she wouldn't change that for anything in the world.

A/N: This chapter was a tough one so I hope you like it! Thanks for reading and reviews are always appreciated!