Chapter 33

Cures and Right Hooks

For a moment that felt like an eternity, Charlie, Nigel, Percy, Fred, and George stared at the wakened beast, and it stared right back. Suddenly, and before the men had regrouped, the Hungarian Horntail spread its wings and took into the air. The strong gusts of wind created by the creature's hovering flight knocked all of them, with the exception of Charlie, right onto their rumps. Charlie knew how to stay on his feet when a dragon took flight, and he also knew that they needed to ground this dragon sooner rather than later.

"Now, mates!" He called out, but half of them were still discombobulated and didn't get the stunning spell off in unison. The bursts of magic simply bounced off the dragon's black scales and it gave a terrible, shrieking roar. Fire spewed from its mouth, aimed straight at Charlie, who conjured a protection spell just in time to avoid injury, though not in time to avoid getting a stripe singed right down the center of his head. The new hairstyle would have been humorous if not for being trapped in a volcano with a dragon. The beast lifted its great head once again, mouth opened wide as fire burned in its throat, about to release a gust of flame on the intruders.

"Bombarda!" Nigel yelled, wand pointed up at the beast. At first Charlie thought Nigel had missed his target, as the spell sailed right past the dragon's head, going up and up until it hit the mountain's ceiling high above. A small explosion echoed against the stone walls, which had been just enough to momentarily distract the dragon from its attack as a good-sized boulder fell from above and struck it right on the crown of its head with a sickening thud. The Hungarian Horntail gave a cry as its wings faltered and it landed unsteadily on its haunches once again, causing the stone floor to tremble.

"Now!" Charlie cried out again, and this time the boys were more prepared, each sending off a stunning spell right for the dragon within moments of the other. The great beast froze just like that, still on its haunches looking rather dazed.

"We got him!" Fred and George both exclaimed before high-fiving each other.

"You mean we got her." Charlie corrected as he cautiously approached the stunned dragon, using his wand to remove several of its large, glimmering scales.

"How can you tell?" Fred asked.

"The males are a more golden-brown color, like the one Harry fought. The females are black." Charlie answered as he stuffed the scales into a small drawstring pouch.

"Is that all she needs?" George questioned, approaching Charlie with an expectant, outstretched hand.

"And then some, George." Charlie reassured him, but then hesitated, giving him a knowing look. "But you can't be the one who apparates these to her, not in your condition." George scoffed loudly.

"You'd have to knock me out and tie me up to stop me."

"That can be arranged." Charlie answered and George pulled his wand, eyes narrowed. "Whoa! Was just... seriously, mate, you can't apparate. You could cause serious damage to yourself apparating in your condition." George wasn't done arguing the point, that much was clear, but Nigel placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Look George, we can stand here and squabble till the dragon wakes back up and burns us to a crisp, or you can let me take the cure to Isabel while you find another way to get to her." George wanted to argue, but looking at Nigel all he could do was give a conceding nod. The bloke was Isabel's brother after all, and if there was another man alive who wanted her healed more than he did, it would be Nigel. Nigel wasn't asking for his permission, he would be taking his sister the cure, but he did want to give George a chance to accept the way things were.

"Yeah, just... tell her I'll be there. Soon."

"I will." Nigel reassured him, then took the pouch from Charlie. "G'luck mates. Stay outta trouble."

"Here, you'll want this too." Charlie told him, digging the book out of his back and handing that to him as well.

"Take it to Leopold, he'll know what to do." George added, to which Nigel wholly agreed and then disapparated without a moment to lose.

The others stared a moment at the place where Nigel once stood, hoping he would get to Isabel on time, and now suddenly feeling all the weariness from their adventure beginning to weigh on their minds and bodies. But the stirring of the dragon snapped all their minds back into action and they fled the cave.

They ran, almost full speed until they were sure they were finally out of range. Either the dragon was still immobilized, or it didn't think they were worth it any longer, but they saw no sign of being followed. At Charlie's guidance, they found a route down the mountainside bypassing the gorge with the now broken bridge. It was a thin, treacherous trail that wound jaggedly all the way down the mountain, back into the pine-covered foothills. From there they managed to roughly navigate in the direction of where they left the jeep. Several miles of hoofing it tiredly through the woods later, they found Bessy, right where they had left her, and piled in. Charlie turned it around and they headed back the way they'd come.

Night had fallen and it was hours past dinner by the time they crossed the border back into Romania. The dragon sanctuary where Charlie worked was very close to the border, so that is where they went first. Charlie took George right to the tent where the healers worked and with some disgruntled impatience, he allowed the healers there to work on his shoulder and ribs. There the four of them had dinner and rested for over an hour as the healers mended George's bones. The process wasn't fun, but it was nowhere near as bad as the Skele-gro, George remembered well. This thought made him reminisce about how he and Isabel had met for the first time, and all of the memories they had made since then. From their first kiss to their first 'i love you', the good and the bad flitted through his mind as he waited impatiently to be released from their care.

"Can I go yet?" George questioned for the umpteenth time. Violeta, the woman who had been healing him, gave him an unkind look.

"If you ask that one more time, I will keep you overnight." The Romanian woman told him threateningly. Her accent was strong, but her English was very clear. George grumbled to himself, muttering something along the lines of 'I'd like to see you try' before attempting to relax. Of course it was then that worries began to root their way into his mind. What if the cure didn't work? What if Isabel was still sick? Or worse? What if the scales had actually killed her? He tried to push those thoughts away, telling himself he needed to stay hopeful. He would find out for himself soon enough anyway. The exhaustion from the eventful day began to weigh on his mind and eyelids, and soon he found himself dozing off.

George walked through white hall after white hall, the sound of distant crying met his ears and caused panic to rise in his chest. He hurried faster, closer and closer to the sound, and finally pushed through a door which seemed to be his destination. Isabel laid on the hospital bed in the center of the white room, cold and still: dead. Her loved ones were gathered all around her bed and dressed in black. Upon his entrance though, every one of their faces turned to him, wearing accusatory expressions as angry echoes filled the room. All his fault. They said. Then Isabel sat up stiffly with cold eyes and death still clinging to her skin.

"Why didn't you save me, George?" Her words echoed and repeated themselves. The others in the room began to say them as well until they were all just chanting his name accusingly.

"George!" George woke with a start to the sound of Fred's voice calling him. He sat up quickly, glancing around. "All right, mate?"

"I'm fine. Can I go?" He questioned, pushing himself to his feet before Fred could even answer.

"Yes, you can." Violeta answered as she approached him. "But that shoulder is going to be sore for several days. I do not know what you did to it, but I healed it the best that I could. You are clear to apparate."

"About ruddy time. I'm going now." George told Fred, who only had the chance to nod before George was gone into thin air.

"He means thank you, very much." Fred told Violeta sincerely, but she just rolled her eyes.

"Men."

George went straight to his flat. He needed a shower something awful, and a shave he realized as he rubbed his jaw absentmindedly, the latter though would have to wait. He took his well needed shower, it seemed to even soothe his sore shoulder, then hopped out and got dressed in some fresh clothes. Not wasting any time, he apparated again, this time to the closest he could possibly get to Mungo's, unseen, before walking briskly the remainder of the way. He didn't bother stopping at the information desk this time, but the receptionist didn't stop him either, and he took that as a good sign. George had been there enough in the last several weeks that all the clerks knew who he was and what his business was there.

"George!" Leopold exclaimed, catching his attention before he walked back towards Isabel's room. "She's not there." George felt his heart sink. She couldn't have been discharged already, could she have? Had the cure not worked?

"Where is she?" He asked with a certain amount of hesitance.

"Follow me." Leopold smiled reassuringly at him and motioned for George to follow after him. "She couldn't wait to get out of that room." George paused slightly and then hurried after the healer, a huge grin spreading across his face. She was okay. She was okay and out of isolation. He could hardly contain the immense joy those two things brought him. Leopold led him clear across to the other end of the department, to where one of the beds on the end had the curtains drawn all around it. Leopold simply gestured to where George could enter, figuring any words would be moot compared to seeing for himself. George took a deep breath and ran a hand through his still damp hair, before pulling the curtain aside and walking in. Nigel was sitting in a chair beside the bed where Isabel was lounging in her own clothes and already looking far less sickly, and they were chattering back and forth. Their conversation stopped the moment he entered though, and for a moment Isabel and George simply looked at each other.

"Nigel... could you give us a minute?" Isabel finally managed to utter, eyes never leaving George's face. Nigel nodded, noting the way they were looking at each other. Whatever was about to happen, he didn't want to be there for it. Once Nigel had excused himself through the curtain, Isabel shifted and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She wanted to greet him, hug him, hold him, but she was still very weak and her movements were slow. George, however, was standing in front of her in two strides, lifting her gently into his arms and then hugging her tightly.

"You're better..." He murmured softly as his arms flexed around her middle and brought her closer.

"Cured actually." Isabel said as her arms wrapped around his neck, hugging him back. After a long, wordless embrace, she pulled back just slightly and brought her hands to either side of his face. "Are you alright? Nigel told me everything that happened." Her one hand slipped down from his cheek, over the light stubble of his jaw and neck to his shoulder, caressing it tenderly as concern lined her thin face. While she looked better in many ways, Isabel was still much thinner than what George thought to be healthy. It seemed almost silly to him, that with everything she had just gone through that she would be concerned over his sore shoulder.

"I'm fine, Bell. Great actually." He smiled down at her.

"Great..." She repeated his use of the word, though her voice was unconvinced as she traced his shoulder lightly with her fingertips. George placed one of his hands on top of hers there on his shoulder and gently moved it back to his cheek as his eyes catch hers again.

"I am great." He insisted. This time when their eyes met, being at such a proximity to one another, there was a spark and an unspoken desire drawing them closer. George was suddenly acutely aware that it had been over a month since his lips touched hers. Isabel's mind was seemingly on the same wavelength as her cheeks went a bit pink and she grazed her bottom lip with her teeth.

"George?" She murmured softly, eyes flickering from his deep, brown eyes, to his lips, and then back again.

"Yes, Bell?" A smile graced his lips, eyes peering into hers.

"Kiss me." Isabel requested in a gentle voice, looking sheepishly up at him.

"With pleasure." George dipped his head down and captured her lips with his. It started out slow and a bit hesitant, like learning how to ride a bike again. But it didn't take long for them both to remember this familiar dance as he kissed her again, and then again. She had missed him so much, and all those emotions of longing and loneliness were coming out in that one, passionate kiss. He was turning into putty at the feel of her hands, knowing nothing but her touch and kisses as a low hum escaped his throat. They kissed in that manner until they both had run out of breath, clinging to each other with a slight desperation that only came from nearly losing one another. George began to trail heated, open-mouthed kisses down her jaw as his hands started a little dance on the lovely skin of her sides.

Isabel's face went red as her sluggish brain finally realized that only a thin curtain separated them from the rest of the world. George, decidedly, couldn't care less where they were, sucking down along her neck in all of those places he knew to be the most sensitive. Completely overwhelmed, she tugged his head back up to hers and crashed her lips into his, kissing him soundly and thoroughly and effectively cutting off her noises. His touch and intimately close body were tantalizing and causing all sorts of sensations up and down her body. She didn't want him to stop, and that cemented the fact in her mind that she needed him to stop. George was getting to the same point, leaning his forehead against hers as his breaths came out in hot puffs near the corner of her slightly swollen lips.

"Merlin... I love you, Bell." George murmured sincerely.

"I love you too, George." Isabel said back, her fingers entangled in his hair, stroking lazily through it as she slowly calmed down. "You... you're so... mm..." Unable to get out a full sentence, she just made a breathy sound.

"Think I like that description." George chuckled softly and nuzzled the crook of her nose and cheek. He slowly lowered her onto her feet and pressed a few kisses to her lips. At some point his hands must have slid up her shirt, as they were gripping gently at the skin of her sides. He was certain a line had been crossed there, but for the moment at least it was all he could do to allow them both time and space to calm down, still basking in their reunion as his hands slid slowly, and a bit teasingly, out of her shirt.

"Ruddy tease..." Isabel hummed softly and pulled away from him before she couldn't stop herself from kissing him again. She walked over to the curtain and George, not wanting to be far from her, grabbed her hand and stood with her. Charlie, Fred, and Percy had gotten back and were there waiting outside the curtain.

"Oh, you two finally finished?" Charlie questioned with a knowing grin. Isabel tried not to let her embarrassment show, glancing over the small group.

"W- where's Nigel?"

"He left somewhere around 'oh, darling'-" Fred mimicked a breathy, girlish voice that Isabel assumed was supposed to be her. "Looked rather green he did." Isabel's face flared red and she disappeared back behind the curtain. Fred laughed. "Good to see she hasn't changed a bit."

"Yeah, and that the scales worked." Percy added, not pitching in about the obvious snogging.

"Alright, bugger off the lot of you." George grumbled and glanced back at Isabel. He wouldn't let go of her hand, so she was hiding behind him.

"Oi, you're not the only one who wants to see her. You two can snog some other time." Fred told him.

"Shouldn't you go tell your girlfriend the good news?" George asked him, narrowing his eyes.

"I plan to... just wanted to see how Iz was doing first." Fred answered.

"I'm doing good, now go get Sarah. I wanna see her." Isabel called from her hiding spot. She really did want to see Sarah, and get rid of Fred, this just happened to achieve both. Fred was anxious to get Sarah up anyway, knowing how angry she was going to be, and that the longer he waited, the worse it would be. After he left, Isabel braved Percy and Charlie again, stepping out beside George. She felt like she owed them all something that she could never repay. Fred too, of course, but she had a hard time being grateful while he was teasing her. Isabel shifted a bit nervously on her feet. She had met all of George's family on several occasions, but she still didn't know Charlie or Percy that well.

"Something you wanna say, lovely?" George asked, seeing her uncertainty and giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Just..." Building up the amount of courage it took for her to get past her shyness, Isabel hugged Percy and then Charlie as well. "Just, thank you. So much."

"Oh-" Percy made a surprised sound when she hugged him, but then laughed softly. "You're welcome." Charlie just chuckled and hugged her back.

"Don't mention it. I haven't had that much fun in ages." He winked at her when she pulled out of the hug. Isabel felt that familiar blush rise on her cheeks. George grabbed her hand and tugged her into his side a bit possessively. He knew that Isabel loved him, and that Charlie was mostly just a harmless flirt, but he didn't like how easily his brother made his girl blush like that. "Oh, don't get your knickers in a twist, mate." Charlie grinned. Isabel covered a soft giggle and George's arm flexed a bit more tightly around her waist.

"Don't you have a dragon to go snog, or something?" George grumbled crossly.

"George, be nice." Isabel poked his side, part of her enjoying this jealous side of George, the other finding Charlie rather amusing.

"Yeah, George, be nice." Charlie repeated smugly.

By the time Nigel had returned from his short walk in the brisk winter air, Charlie and Percy had gone their separate ways, in need of a good night's rest after such a day. The curtain was open to Isabel's little hospital room, and she was curled up in George's lap. At first Nigel thought that she was asleep, but then he noticed her hands were gliding through George's hair and he heard the soft tones of their conversation. He took a deep breath and uttered 'knock knock' before he went in. Seeing his little sister like this with a man was going to take some getting used to, but at least he had already discovered for himself the kind of bloke George was.

Nigel had already taken the opportunity to pull George aside on several occasions and spoke to him, man to man about George's relationship with Isabel. George was always upfront and honest with Nigel and was always willing to answer his questions, something that he appreciated quite a bit. Nigel had also made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that if he broke Isabel's heart, he would beat him until he didn't know his own name. Overbearing? Maybe he was. But Isabel was his little sister, his only family in all the world, and he was fiercely protective of her. George responded though, in no uncertain terms, that he had absolutely no intention of breaking Isabel's heart. The two men had developed equal respect for each other as two important figures in Isabel's life, and over the course of the last month, had developed a friendship. Said friendship did not mean Nigel was okay with all the public displays of affection from George and Isabel, in fact he probably never completely would be, but eventually he would get to the point he could simply ignore it. Right now though, as long as they didn't start kissing, he was okay with George snuggling with her. Isabel had just made a miraculous recovery after all.

oOoOoOoOo

It was late when Fred arrived at the Burrow, late enough that Arthur answered the door in his pajamas and robe. Molly was already in bed, his dad told him, and Fred explained that they had found the cure, and that Isabel was healed. Arthur was genuinely happy to hear this news, as he knew his wife would be. He could see how George cared for this girl, and one day, probably in the not too distant future, he expected Isabel would be added to the Weasley family tree. Arthur wasn't sure if Molly could see it yet. For a long time she had been unsure if the girl was right for their son, especially being so distant in age, but slowly as Molly got to know Isabel, she began to like her more and more. However, it was clear that the reason Fred was there had little to do with any of that.

"Sarah's still where you left her, Son. Your mum's been checking on her quite often."

"Thanks Dad." Fred said with sincerity before slipping past Arthur and heading up the stairs to his old room. Sarah was still laying on the twin bed, covered with an old quilt, and sleeping peacefully exactly the way she had been the moment he left her. He walked over to her side and gingerly ran his fingers through her hair before trailing them down to caress her cheek. With only a slight hesitation, fully expecting her wrath, Fred leaned down and pressed his lips to her sleeping ones in a soft, tender kiss. He might have been expecting her wrath, but somehow he had not expected the sudden slap that stung his cheek and caused him to jerk up away from her. Sarah's eyes were opened and narrowed with fury, the peaceful look of sleep gone.

"Sarah, I know-" Fred began, only to be cut off as she sat up and threw the blanket off.

"How dare you." Sarah growled and he took a small step back.

"Sarah, please, just hear me out. I know what I did was wrong-" He began speaking swiftly, trying to explain as quickly as he could, only to again be cut off.

"Wrong?! You betrayed me, Fred Weasley." Hurt and anger shown clearly in her eyes as she stood to her feet.

"No- love, please, let me explain. I was only-" Fred was beyond apologetic, he had known it was wrong, but he had never intended to betray her as she was saying. He took a slight step towards her and took her hand, urging her to listen to him, but she didn't want to hear it and yanked her hand away.

"Don't call me that." She ground her teeth together, but then her eyes softened a notch as she looked at him once more. "I thought you were different, I thought you loved me." Fred opened his mouth to respond, but she continued before he could, eyes hardened once again. "But you're just like Ben. You don't love me, you just want me to do what you want. You just want to control me." These words broke Fred more than anything else. What had he done?

"No, Sarah, that isn't true." Fred told her, taking both of her hands in his own and this time not allowing her to pull them away. At first it just made her more agitated, but finally she looked up at him once again and stopped fighting his hold. "I do love you. I did this because I love you. I'm so sorry. I know it was wrong, I know I hurt you, but... but I couldn't stand the thought of you dying."

"And what if you had died? You can't just knock someone out when you don't want them to do something!" Sarah bit back, still angry.

"I know! I know..." Fred softened his voice and ran a hand through his hair. "I've never been so sorry for anything in my life. You have to believe me when I say I never wanted to hurt you. I just... didn't see another way."

"How about talking to me like a grown man instead of deceiving me into drinking a potion?!" She yanked her hands out of his, still more than a little upset. After a short, angry silence, Fred added softly.

"The cure worked... Isabel isn't sick anymore."

"W- what?" Sarah's eyes widened, at first sure that she had heard only what she had wanted to hear for weeks. Isabel was better. Fred repeated himself and Sarah couldn't help but smile. Seeing her smile made Fred smile as well, but only briefly because as soon as she noticed his smile she was back to glaring at him. "Take me to her."

"Sarah, please, we need to talk about this first..." Fred pleaded with her, knowing he deserved her anger, but he was also a fixer. And as a fixer, he wasn't sure how he could go on to other things without resolving this with her.

"I'm done talking, Fred. I want to see Isabel. Now take me to her." Her voice held a tone of finality, and Fred couldn't bring himself to argue anymore. Without another word, he took her hands and apparated her to her friend.

oOoOoOoOo

Isabel, Nigel, and George were still talking amongst each other, catching up with each other over the happenings of the last month and enjoying each other's company. She was still snuggled in George's embrace as they talked and explained in detail how they figured out the cure, because naturally, as a healer, Isabel wanted to know every little thing. Nigel and George were in the middle of spinning an epic tale and gallant battle against a fearsome giant, when they were interrupted.

"Isabel?" Isabel looked up at the sound of her name. Sarah stood just inside the curtains, wearing a wide smile.

"Sarah!" Isabel scrambled out of George's arms and hugged Sarah tightly. "Oh, I missed you."

"I missed you too, Iz." Sarah answered, hugging her back just as firmly. "It's so good to see you well."

"It's so good to be well." Isabel laughed softly as they pulled apart. "What have you been up to these last few days while the boys were off being all heroic? Busy at Hogwarts I assume?" Isabel was just teasing lightly, but Sarah's expression darkened.

"No, I was supposed to go with them. Fred said he was gonna help me pack, but then tricked me into taking a sleeping draught, knocked me out, and left me behind. Just woke up a few minutes ago." Nigel was just as surprised to hear this as Isabel was, and glanced at George for confirmation. George knew this of course, and was about to provide some clarification in Fred's defense, when Isabel responded first.

"He did what?! He didn't mention that earlier." Isabel felt a surge of protective anger, just as she noticed another presence enter the room. Fred had impeccable timing. Isabel advanced towards him. "Just who do you think you are?" She asked angrily. Fred glanced at Isabel, and then at Sarah and back again, quickly surmising what had happened in his absence.

"Wait, Iz, lemme explain-" He had his hands held up in front of himself defensively, taking a step back as she stepped towards him.

"Bell!"

"Iz!" Both George and Nigel exclaimed, and stood in attempt to stop her, but they were both far too late as Isabel's fist made contact with Fred's face. She might have been weakened by the sickness, but she still had a nasty right hook. Fred grunted in pain, but took it like a man, only reaching out to stop her from striking him again. George grabbed her swiftly from behind and backed up, restraining her.

"Merlin woman." He sat down in his chair, holding her forcibly in his lap.

"Lemme go." She muttered and wiggled, but George of course didn't. Two of the knuckles on her right hand were split and bleeding.

"Bloody hell..." Fred uttered, flexing his jaw. He tasted blood and knew that was going to make for one nasty shiner. He dropped his hand to reveal a swollen cheekbone, and a bruise already beginning to form under his eye.

"That's my sister." Nigel chuckled a bit. George and Fred both glared at him. "What?"

"Oh, Fred..." Sarah was just standing there, watching everything happen in slight disbelief. Despite her anger and everything else, part of her ached and felt deeply sorry at seeing him injured. Seeing an opening there, Fred took it, not caring who was around to witness it. In one long stride he was standing right in front of Sarah, taking her hands in his again.

"If that's what it takes for you to forgive me, I'll gladly take a punch in the other eye. I know I was stupid, but I was just trying to keep you from getting hurt. I love you, Sarah." Sarah sorta just gaped open at him, then realized her mouth was hanging open and closed it, lifting a hand and just barely, gingerly, touching his cheek.

"We- we should get you patched up." Sarah answered softly, part of her was still angry, but the rest of her was having a hard time staying that way. Fred nodded and allowed Sarah to lead him out to one of the healers on duty.

"Women..." George uttered, a bit confused about what just happened between Fred and Sarah. Isabel finally managed to escape his hold and sat on her bed, facing away from him with her arms crossed and a hmph. "Oi, Bell, what's wrong?" She wouldn't admit that her hand was throbbing, or that she felt rather bad now for hauling off and decking Fred.

"You knew what Fred did to Sarah, and you didn't tell me." Isabel said. She didn't actually know that, though she had her suspicions, but it was mostly an excuse so she could hide what was really wrong anyway.

"No, I didn't. It wasn't my place to tell you, and you didn't ask." He replied factually, which displeased Isabel even more. "Come on now, I don't wanna argue." George then added softly, taking her hand to tug her back into his lap, but she flinched away from him. That's when he noticed her knuckles, though she hid them from him immediately. It was silent for a moment as Isabel pretended not to notice George watching her. "Isabel... come here." She looked at him and sighed softly, giving in because they both knew she wanted to be back in his arms. She walked over to him and climbed into his lap, curling up against his chest as he wrapped his arm around her. With his other hand he gently took her hand that was injured and lifted it up so he could look it over, then George pressed a tender kiss to her fingers far above the cuts.

Nigel was watching their interactions from his place at the other side of Isabel's bed. He was beginning to realize George was good for his sister in ways he hadn't thought about before. Feeling the exhaustion of the day starting to weigh, as well as beginning to think he was turning into a third wheel, Nigel stood and tugged his sister up from George's arms into a gentle hug.

"I'm gonna get some sleep, sis. You should do the same, you get to go home in the morning."

"Night Nigel, I'll see you tomorrow." She said with a soft yawn. He ruffled her hair with a gentle smile and then bid George a goodnight as well, before walking out of the room.

"George?" Isabel murmured softly as she slipped back into his waiting arms.

"Yes, beautiful?" He kissed her forehead and overlapped his arms around her middle.

"You should go home too, get some proper rest. You had a very long day and I probably won't be awake much longer anyway." Again Isabel yawned, her eyes falling shut as her head came to rest on his shoulder.

"Soon as you're asleep." George murmured and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Isabel Flynn."

"I love you too, George Weasley..." She said softly and sleepily in return. It wasn't but two minutes later that she was sound asleep in his arms. George gently moved her to the bed, tucking her in and then pressing a lingering kiss to her forehead. He left her a bit regretfully, but with the knowledge that she was well and he would see her in the morning.