A/N: Sorry this took so long. I got sick and had zero energy. But here you go! Nice and long and some George/Alicia cuteness to make up for the wait.

Alicia clutched her goblet of punch protectively to her chest as she wended her way through the crowd in the Hall. It felt good to be surrounded by this many people again. The noise and the energy went a long way to soothing her jangled nerves. What the hell did Narcissa Malfoy want with Chris all of a sudden? Alicia hadn't wanted to leave them dancing together, but it wasn't really her place to get involved. Chris had seemed perfectly happy to dance with the conniving old witch, so Alicia had reluctantly left them to it.

But she still couldn't shake the feeling that she'd just thrown him to the wolves somehow.

Alicia spotted George sitting at a table with Ron and Hermione so she made her way over.

"There you are," George said as she approached. "I was about to send out a search party for you. Where've you been?"

"I just danced with Chris for a bit. He was looking miserable over at one of the Slytherin tables so I dragged him away."

If George was bothered by this he didn't show it. He took Alicia's hand and pulled her over to sit on his lap. "That was nice of you. I'd be miserable too if I had to sit with those wankers."

"He doesn't have to sit with them though, that's the thing."

"Where's he supposed to sit then? Over here with us?"

"What's wrong with that, George?" Hermione asked. "Haven't you noticed that everyone's mingling except the Slytherins? The house tables aren't even in here right now but the Slytherins are over on the far side where their table normally is. We ought to be encouraging them to leave their side of the Hall and forget about how things used to be."

"Not all that rubbish about magical harmony again. It sounds like you're making a campaign speech to become Minister for Magic," Ron said.

"I'd vote for you, Hermione," Alicia said, raising her goblet towards the younger woman. She took a sip of her drink. She smacked her lips together then took another sip just to be sure. "Yep. So the punch has definitely been spiked."

"That didn't take very long."

Alicia held the goblet out to George and he took a sip. "You're right. That's pretty strong, too."

"I suppose this is your handiwork?" Hermione said, fixing George with what Alicia recognised as her Prefect stare.

"Of course not. I'm a grown man, for Merlin's sake," George said, his mock indignation making Alicia smile inwardly. "I'm afraid I can't vouch for Fred and Lee though. They aren't nearly as mature as me."

"Regardless of who did it let's just make sure Jake doesn't drink any of it," Alicia said firmly.

"I'll watch him like a hawk," George vowed.

Alicia sighed contently and settled back against George as she kept her eyes on the crowd. Everyone was having fun so far; there hadn't been even a hint of trouble. It seemed to be exactly what everyone needed. A lot of ex-students were in the same position as Alicia and they were also glad to have a positive final memory of Hogwarts.

"I'm really happy," George said quietly.

Alicia turned to where he was resting his chin on her shoulder and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm really happy too."

"How is your wrist feeling now?"

Lifting her right arm, Alicia pulled back the sleeves of her robes and examined her now-healed forearm. "It's a little sore, but that's normal apparently. It's nothing I can't handle."

"Good." George dropped a light kiss on the inside of her wrist. "It kills me that I couldn't protect you out there."

"What do you mean? You did it over and over again. Besides, your job is to keep every other player safe as well, not just me. You couldn't be by my side for the entire match."

"I know. It's just that…I had a feeling they were going to try something and I let it happen anyway."

"Stop being ridiculous. You're focussing on the wrong bit. We got to play Quidditch together again. Isn't that the main thing?"

"Yeah, you're right. It means a lot that I got to play one last game with you. After we got banned by Umbridge I was way more devastated than Fred and Harry and it took me ages to work out why. Deep down I thought Quidditch was going to be the thing that brought us back together after the Yule Ball debacle. You avoided me most of the time, but you couldn't escape me during training and matches. If only I'd kept my cool and not punched Malfoy in the first place. "

Alicia looped her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead to his. "We're here together now so don't worry about it. There's so many 'if only' moments in our past that it's pointless to even consider what could have been. Anyway, if there's one thing I'm certain about, it's that Malfoy deserved to be punched that day."

"Why the hell is your Slytherin dancing with Malfoy's mother?"

Alicia peered around George's head to find Angelina storming over, a morose looking Lee in her wake. "I don't know, Lina, she just cut in on me without explanation. And he's not my Slytherin."

"Why would Narcissa Malfoy want to dance with Warrington all of a sudden?" Ron asked, turning towards the dancefloor and craning his neck.

"I'm sure it's nothing nefarious," Hermione answered.

George nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she probably just fancies him. I'm sure old Lucius is leaving a lot to be desired in the bedroom these days."

Ron's expression soured considerably and he shook his head violently. "That's a disgusting thought, George. Why'd you have to put those images in my mind?" He stood up and took Hermione by the hand. "Come on, Mione, I need to dance with you to cleanse my brain ASAP."

Hermione rolled her eyes but still smiled as she allowed herself to be dragged away from the table. Angelina took her vacated chair and Lee flopped down into the one beside her. He slumped forward over the table and pillowed his head on his forearms.

"It'll be all right, love," Angelina said, patting his shoulder comfortingly. "Katie's not even that great anyway. You'll find a much better fuck-buddy in no time."

"She's probably off shagging Oliver right now," Lee said, his voice so muffled that Alicia barely managed to hear him over the music.

Angelina gave Alicia an 'I told you this was going to happen' look and rubbed Lee's back.

"Nah, Leanne came over and Katie went off with her," George said. "Don't know where Oliver got to."

"I saw him talking to Roger Davies when I was dancing with Chris before. They're probably still going at it – you know what Oliver's like when he gets a captive audience."

Lee lifted his head slowly and turned to Angelina. "Should I go talk to Katie while Oliver's occupied?"

"Not a good idea," Angelina replied at the same time as Alicia said, "It couldn't hurt."

Lee looked at over at Alicia, hope shining in his eyes. "You really think it's a good idea?"

"It's a daft idea," Angelina interjected before Alicia could even open her mouth. "Tonight's not a good time."

Lee stood up from the table abruptly. "You know what, I'm taking Alicia's advice this time. You lot couldn't even be arsed to tell me what was going on in the first place."

"But she wasn't even here," Angelina protested.

"Well she's the only one I trust now." Lee ruffled Alicia's hair as he walked past her, headed for the door.

"Great job, Leesh. This will make everything a million times worse."

George sighed wearily. "Just leave it, Ange, all right."

Angelina held up her hands in submission. "Fine. Whatever. You two can deal with the mess though when it all goes tits up."

Alicia didn't even know what to say anymore. She had hoped that the game would have finally made Angelina drop the last dregs of animosity she was clinging to. But apparently she had only grown more stubborn with age. Alicia was now officially at a loss; she had no idea what to do to get things back to the way they once were.

"Jake's here," George said in her ear.

Alicia shrugged off her melancholy and stood up. She spotted a dark-haired blur streaking across the Hall, dodging and weaving around people's legs. Jake ran straight into her arms and she lifted him up, clinging tightly to him.

"Mummy, your arm!" he said urgently.

"It's all mended, babe. Good as new."

"You scored eight goals!"

Alicia smiled and set him back on his feet. "I know."

"You're the best at penalties," Jake informed her. "It was so cool! Will you teach me how to score penalties one day?"

Alicia nodded and blinked back tears. Jake finally saw her as a proper Quidditch player. All the training and sore muscles and exhaustion had been worth it. Before Jake could spot her watery eyes, she left him with George and Angelina and went to say goodbye to her mum quickly.

On her way back over to the group, Oliver sidled up to her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"There's my wee Chaser," he said, squeezing her tightly. "I told you all those years ago that you should have gone pro."

"And I told you that I'm a rubbish player without the other girls beside me. It wouldn't have worked out for me in the big leagues."

"Bollocks. You mightn't be a natural but your determination would have got you a reserve spot at least."

Alicia nudged him in the ribs. "Shut up already, would you. I have someone at my table who wants to meet you."

"Your wee lad is here?" Oliver laughed to himself. "My wee Chaser's wee lad."

"Been drinking punch tonight?" Alicia guessed.

"Had a few goblets. Why?"

"Doesn't matter. Just don't Apparate anywhere tonight, okay."

As they approached the group, Jake was talking animatedly to Fred and George. Alicia dragged Oliver over and tapped her son on the shoulder. He whipped around and his mouth immediately fell open.

Oliver held out his hand in greeting. "Hello there, Jake. Your ma here tells me you're a fan of Quidditch."

Jake nodded and shook the offered hand eagerly. "You're Oliver Wood – the best Keeper in the whole League! I want to be a Keeper like you one day."

"Wait, you told me only yesterday that you wanted to be a Beater!"

Jake gave George an exasperated look over his shoulder. "That was yesterday."

"You little traitor."

Alicia grinned as Jake began firing questions at Oliver. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Christopher approaching with a Quaffle tucked under his arm. He tossed it to her lightly. "I brought this along with me today. Figured Jake would want to get it signed."

"He'd love that. Thanks for thinking of it."

"No problem."

Upon hearing his father's voice, Jake turned around and ran over to hug him. "Papa, look! It's Oliver Wood. He's right here!"

"I can see that. I hope you're not being a nuisance."

"He's fine. Brilliant actually," Oliver said, coming over. He extended his hand towards Christopher. "Good to see you again, Warrington."

"You too, Wood." Chris shook his hand briskly and without hesitation. "The final score didn't go our way, but it was a great game to watch."

"Thanks. It was ridiculous of Flint to pick Pucey over you."

Alicia looked on with a weird queasiness in her stomach. She'd always wondered what it would be like if her two worlds collided. Now Chris was standing mere feet away from her best friends and all she felt was trepidation. She looked away to try and calm herself down only to find several pairs of eyes were again looking on in apparent fascination.

She saw a flash of blonde hair through the crowd and noticed two particular sets of eyes were fixated on the group. The Malfoys. A shiver ran down Alicia's spine as Lucius gave her a wan smile. She didn't buy their sudden turn to the good side; she'd heard too many stories from Chris to believe they were capable of being decent people.

At first Alicia had abhorred Christopher's insistence on never taking sides, but she knew there was a worse option. The Malfoys had switched sides to save their own skins once it became clear Voldemort was done for. The fact that Christopher would even deign to be in the company of such an evil family made her blood boil. For God's sake, Draco had almost gotten Katie killed with that stupid necklace years ago.

Alicia became aware of her shallow breathing and decided she needed some fresh air. Jake announced he was going to throw the Quaffle around with Oliver so the three of them headed out to the front steps of the castle.

"Can you show me how to catch with one hand?" Jake begged Oliver once they were out on the grass.

"I think your hands might still be too wee for that, my lad. But I can teach you a few tricks I know."

"Yes please!"

Alicia sat down on a step and looked on fondly as Oliver began to show her son a few moves. It reminded her of the hours she spent with Oliver back when she was a second year and only a reserve. She had confided in him about wanting desperately to make the team and he had offered to help her get up to scratch. She knew without his one-on-one tutelage she would never have made it onto the team.

But that was Oliver. Quidditch obsessed, sure, but selfless to a fault. Every game was a team effort and he ultimately looked out for his players, even if he lost clarity in the heat of the moment occasionally. His decision to accompany the three Chasers to the Battle had surprised many people, but not his teammates.

Alicia heard footsteps coming down the stairs behind her and she smelled the familiar cologne before he reached her.

"I don't think I've ever seen our boy so happy," Christopher said as he sat down beside her on the step.

"Me either. You know, he says he wants to be a Keeper now."

"Over my dead body."

Alicia winced as Oliver made an elaborate diving save and landed heavily on the grass. "I wouldn't worry, you know how fickle Jake is."

"I just don't get why he has to hero-worship that bloke in particular," Chris said, shaking his head as Oliver bounced to his feet jovially and swept grass off his robes.

"Hey, that's my captain you're talking about," Alicia said crisply, her heart still full of fond memories. "And Jake could do a lot worse than Oliver."

"He could also do a lot better."

"And who would be better, hmm? Someone like Draco Malfoy maybe?"

Christopher didn't say anything. He just leaned back on his hands and stared up at the dark, cloud-less sky. Alicia tried to keep quiet; she almost bit her tongue clean in half. But the words still spilled out of her mouth, unbidden and unchecked.

"What did Narcissa Malfoy want with you?"

She got no immediate reply and was on the verge of throttling Christopher when he finally said, "She didn't want anything."

"I refuse to believe that."

"Believe what you want. She was nothing but pleasant though. All she said was that she greatly admired me for the sacrifices I'd made to support my family."

Alicia gave an unladylike snort. "Right. Because being forced to associate with Muggles is a huge sacrifice. Pfft. Blood purity at its finest. I hope you told her where she could stick her admiration."

"I told her nothing of the sort."

"Chris, I know it's-"

"Let's not have this conversation right now," he snapped, cutting her off. "Actually, let's never have this conversation. Any interactions I might have with the Malfoys won't be any of your concern."

"So you are planning on interacting with them!"

"The only thing I'm planning on doing is making you an offer," Christopher said. "Although now I'm thinking you don't deserve it."

Alicia eyed him furtively, reluctantly leaving her interrogation in favour of satisfying her curiosity. "What could you possibly have to offer me?"

"I can take Jake home with me tonight and you can stay at the party with your friends."

"You'd really do that? Even though it's not your weekend with him?"

Chris nodded. "It's not like it's a chore to spend time with my son. He's looking tired and I'm more than ready to get out of here anyway. No sense in you leaving early as well."

"I'd really love to stay for a while longer," Alicia admitted.

"I thought so. I remember how much you like big parties. I know you missed out on a lot of stuff like this when it was just you and Jake, so this is the least I can do."

"Thank you."

"Besides, I figure you and Weasley will be able to celebrate your win a lot more if Jake isn't in the house tonight."

Alicia's eyebrows shot up. "You're doing this so George and I can shag?"

"Honestly though, don't tell Weasley I offered to take Jake home. Pretend you had to beg and cajole me. I don't want him knowing I helped him get a leg over."

Alicia almost kissed Chris on the cheek impulsively, then thought better of it. She nudged his shoulder with her own instead. "I'm gonna have to owe you one now though."

"Not necessary. Just promise me one thing." Christopher turned to look her in the eye. "Stay away from my housemates after I leave. Don't go near a single one of them, okay."

"I'm not scared of any of those idiots."

"I know. You've made that abundantly clear already." He gave her a stern, appraising look which made her squirm a little. She knew a lecture was coming. "You need to remember there's a difference between defending yourself and seeking out trouble in the first place."

"Excuse me? I don't seek out trouble!"

Christopher blatantly ignored her outburst. "You also need to remember that there's a fine line between bravery and recklessness. I know you're a Gryffindor, so that's your bread and butter, but I get the feeling sometimes that you deliberately choose the recklessness. I don't like it."

Alicia stared at her feet uncomfortably. "I promise I'll stay away from all Slytherins for the rest of the night."

"Good. It's time you realise you don't have anything to prove to the people back in there."

Alicia swallowed thickly and kept her gaze averted. He'd hit the nail on the head. Of course he had. She was back at the place where she'd suffered the worst humiliation of her life. The urge for redemption was pulsing insistently at the back of her mind even now. The Quidditch victory hadn't been enough. Ultimately, being good at Quidditch didn't make her any braver or any more worthy. She was still the girl who had tripped over during the Battle and consequently been about as helpful to her friends as a sack of potatoes.

Not that anyone other than Chris and George knew about that. Still, her failure sat heavily on her shoulders.

"Don't get lost in the past now. Go and enjoy yourself tonight," Chris ordered.

Alicia looked up just in time to see Jake mimicking Oliver's elaborate dive from earlier. She shook her head affectionately. "You better get Jake out of here before he ends up with a broken arm as well."

"Right." Christopher stood up and brushed non-existent dirt from his immaculate black dress robes. "Enjoy your night. Stay out of trouble," he added, pointing a stern finger at her.

She just nodded and gave him her most angelic smile. Once he had left she let out a deep sigh. She hadn't told him about the letters. Narcissa Malfoy had shown up at the worst possible moment, but deep down Alicia knew she'd just had another opportunity to bring it up and she hadn't. Chris hadn't brought it up either so he'd likely forgotten her strange request for a private chat. Once again she'd tried and failed to unburden herself of the whole mess.

Perhaps it was time to tell George.

Alicia's hand snapped up to her face as her reflexes kicked in suddenly. She caught the Quaffle just before it collided with her nose.

"Sorry, Mum!" Jake shouted, looking horrified. He ran over and patted her on the head comfortingly. "I thought you were looking at me."

"It's all right. I was looking at you, but I was daydreaming as well."

"I'm going home with dad now. Will you get my Quaffle signed for me please?"

"By Oliver and Angelina?"

"By everyone. I want the whole team to sign it, even you." Jake dropped a quick kiss on her cheek. "Goodnight, Maman. Don't stay awake too late."

"Goodnight, sweetheart. Je t'aime." Alicia clutched the Quaffle to her chest as Jake re-joined Oliver and Chris, who seemed to have been chatting amicably this whole time. Chris gave her a small wave then took Jake by the hand and led him off into the still, silent darkness of the school grounds.

Oliver held up a hand and she tossed the Quaffle over to him. "Up you get," he called over. "Let's have a throw for old time's sake."

"Old's the right word," she grumbled as she got to her feet slowly. "Every inch of me is aching now. I don't think I can manage another throw."

"I'm sure you could talk George into giving you a massage if you asked nicely." Oliver threw the ball back and she caught it gingerly. "I still can't believe you fancied him for years and I didn't notice."

"You didn't notice much of anything besides Quidditch," Alicia pointed out. She walked closer to narrow the distance between them but her shoulder still throbbed after her throw. "Besides, it was only a meaningless little crush."

Oliver caught the Quaffle deftly on his fingertips and grinned, his teeth flashing white in the semidarkness. "Well it meant enough for you to decide to lose your virginity to him."

"Bloody hell," she cursed and stomped her foot. "Is nothing sacred with you people? Couldn't George and I have one private moment that stayed just between the two of us?"

"Take that one up with Katie, not me. I was personally a lot happier not knowing a thing about your sex life."

Alicia wondered if this was Oliver's way of letting her know she could ask about him and Katie. But she didn't want to bring it up, not when he was still in the dark about Lee. She didn't want to be the one who accidentally opened that can of worms.

Oliver changed the subject anyway, to one that wasn't all that comfortable for her either. "Warrington seems like a decent bloke," he said lightly.

"He's all right most of the time," Alicia answered noncommittally.

"He congratulated me on making the Scottish team and wished me luck for the match against Japan."

Alicia doubted the sincerity of that interaction but she kept her mouth shut. She hadn't doubted Chris's decency lately, at least not till he'd mentioned the Malfoys a few minutes ago – now she was more than a little conflicted. She'd have to sift through her oscillating feelings once she had a moment of peace.

For now, she gave Oliver a wide throw that made him stretch to his right. "You're in top form," she said, impressed by his reflexes. "I'm putting twenty Galleons on you keeping a clean sheet against Japan."

"Maybe keep your money till after I've got a few international matches under my belt. On your toes, Spinnet," he warned as he lobbed the Quaffle high up in the air.

"You twat! I hate when you do that!" Alicia backpedalled, struggling to keep her eye on the ball against the dark backdrop of the night sky.

"Watch out," Oliver warned, but it was too late.

Alicia jogged backwards, right into a brick wall. Except the brick wall grunted in annoyance. She gasped and spun around and came eye-to-sternum with Marcus Flint.

"God," she gasped, clutching at her chest as her heartrate spiked. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Watch where you're going next time," he said, the Quaffle held aloft in his huge, meaty hand.

"I don't have eyes in the back of my head. That ball belongs to my son. Hand it over."

"Where is the little fellow?"

"Gone home with Christopher. Seriously, hand it over, Flint."

Flint smiled. Or maybe he sneered, it was honestly hard to differentiate. "That's a shame. I was looking forward to meeting him. Maybe next time."

"Never," Alicia spat.

"Accio Quaffle," Oliver said from behind her.

The ball sailed out of Flint's hand and over her head. Alicia crossed her arms triumphantly as Oliver stepped up beside her. He had the Quaffle tucked under one arm and his wand clutched tightly in his hand.

"Do we have a problem here?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, you need to bugger off so I can talk to Spinnet in private," Flint replied, his voice a low rumble.

"Not a chance in hell."

The sound of rushing blood thrumming in Alicia's ears was becoming more than a little distracting. Chris was going to kill her. She hadn't even made it ten minutes before breaking her promise to stay away from Slytherins. But what was she supposed to do in this case? Flint had sought her out.

"That wasn't a request, Wood. Fuck off," Flint said firmly, nodding back towards the castle.

Alicia knew Oliver wouldn't back down and apparently nor would Flint. Oliver would undoubtedly lose a fist fight, but Alicia thought he'd probably win if they duelled. Except she wasn't exactly sure how much he'd had to drink. She was having trouble distinguishing Quidditch-drunk Oliver from regular-drunk Oliver.

No matter the outcome, the last thing she wanted was to have the night ruined by the two former captains getting into a duel. Especially since it would be all because of her.

"It's okay, Oliver," she said, reaching out and putting a restraining hand on his arm. "I can handle a private talk. We're all adults here."

"No. George'll kill me," Oliver hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

"Honestly, it's fine."

"You heard the lady."

"No," Oliver repeated defiantly. "I'm not going to leave you alone with him."

Alicia pulled her wand from the pocket of her victory robes. "Look, I've got my wand with me and I'm definitely not afraid to use it if he tries something."

"I'll stay over on the stairs," Oliver decided, after staring at Alicia sceptically for a moment. "That's the best you're going to get, Flint."

Once Oliver was out of earshot and standing watch on the front steps of the castle, Alicia glared up at the behemoth of a man in front of her. "I'll give you two minutes of my time and not a second more."

Flint's beady eyes fixed on her but he didn't speak. Alicia was busy trying to work out what the hell was wrong with her. Why did she feel the need to face off with him rather than take the high-road and go back inside? Partly she knew it was her reluctance to let Flint think she was scared of him. That would hand him too much power.

Mostly she supposed it went back to what Chris had called her out on earlier. She had this grim need to prove over and over again that she truly was a brave Gryffindor even though no one had any reason to doubt her in the first place. But really, standing up to Flint now wasn't going to make up for her hopelessness all those years ago.

Still, there was something else that kept her rooted to the spot. She just couldn't put her finger on it.

"You need to leave Warrington alone," Flint said suddenly.

"So this is about Christopher?" Alicia asked politely, even though she had known that from the get-go.

"You've ruined his life enough already."

"What has it got to do with you?" Alicia demanded. "Why do you suddenly care now? Five years ago all of you abandoned him in a heartbeat."

"That was done to make him see sense but he's so fucking self-righteous and stubborn that it had the opposite effect. I'm here telling you to back off because he's one of us still," Flint all but growled.

Alicia cocked her head in mock contemplation. "So it's not because Christopher's rich and successful in his own right now? You absolutely sure you and the other families don't just want access to his money and resources?"

Flint bared his teeth and took a step towards her. Alicia immediately turned her head towards the castle, only to find Oliver no longer standing on the steps. Flint followed her gaze and chuckled darkly. "Now look who's been abandoned. You've been thrown to the snakes, little Chaser. How does that make you feel?"

Fucking terrified, Alicia thought. But she couldn't let him win, so she stood her ground. The adrenaline was truly flowing now anyway, reaching her extremities and making her hand reflexively open and close around her wand. "All right," she said slowly, "I'll play dumb for a moment and pretend that you truly have Chris's best interests at heart. What have I even done to deserve to be cut out of his life?"

"He's practically a Muggle now thanks to you!" Flint snapped.

"Everything he has now is thanks to me and the Muggle world I introduced him to!"

"Well, it's time for him to come back into the Slytherin fold. You need to leave him the fuck alone. No more stunts like the one you just pulled back there with the dancing. Stay away from him," Flint ordered.

"What if I don't?" Alicia asked boldly. "What if I choose to be friends with him and make myself a part of his life?"

"Then I'll ruin your life," Flint snarled, dipping his head towards her.

"Alicia!"

Both she and Flint turned towards the castle to find Oliver had returned with Fred and George in tow. George was jogging down the stairs already, looking furious.

"Wait!" Alicia called over and held up her hand. As relieved as she was to see him, she knew his short temper would make everything worse. "I'm fine, George. Stay up there."

George dutifully paused on the step. "What's going on exactly?" he asked, looking confused now as well as angry.

"We're just having a friendly catch up," Flint replied over his shoulder. "Nothing for you to get shirty about, Weasley."

Alicia gave George a placating smile and said, "It's all okay. I promise."

She didn't know whether it was the smile, the promise or her tone of voice that did it, but George relented and re-joined his brother and Oliver at the top of the steps. The three of them stood there perfectly still, all with their arms crossed, and all of their eyes trained on Flint.

"Am I supposed to be scared of them?" Flint asked, scoffing derisively.

Alicia shrugged. "I would be if I were you. They were all here duelling Death Eaters during the Battle while you were holed up back at your manor safe and sound."

"Is that right? How do you know I wasn't here myself that night?" Flint lowered his voice and leaned towards her. "Maybe I was the one who almost killed your boyfriend over there."

Alicia laughed, which was obviously an unexpected response because Flint recoiled in confusion. "Because I know. I wasn't just speculating, you idiot. I know for a fact that you were back at your house destroying dozens of illegal dark artefacts that night."

"How could you possibly…" Flint trailed off as recognition dawned. "Warrington."

Alicia nodded smugly, confident and secure now that she had back up a few feet away and that she also had the upper hand with Flint finally. "Chris likes to come off all high and mighty, like he's above gossip, but in reality he's worse than a drunk aunt at Christmas dinner. I know aaaalll about you, Marcus Flint."

"That fucking idiot!" Flint bellowed.

Alicia saw movement out of the corner of her eye and she held out her hand to reassure the boys that she was fine. "I know enough about you to ruin your life so don't ever threaten me again. Or I'll tell the world that you're shooting blanks."

Flint stared at her. "What?"

"Oh. I don't really know what the magical equivalent would be. No core in your wand perhaps?"

"What?" Flint repeated dumbly.

"Dud sperm, arsehole! Maybe it's all the steroids. Possibly generations of rampant inbreeding. I don't know. But the end result is you can't get anyone pregnant, Flint, which is curious considering your poor little Russian wife is back at home in her third trimester."

Alicia didn't need to explain any further. If the kid wasn't really his then the inheritance of the Flint family fortune would fall to his sister and her son, a legitimate heir. She could still remember the jubilant look on Christopher's face as he told her about Flint's little problem.

"Ultimately, I don't give a shit about your family dysfunction, or your sexual dysfunction for that matter, but I won't hesitate to tell the world if you try to make trouble for me."

"You wouldn't dare."

"You don't know me so don't presume to know what I will and will not do. I'm not a malicious person when it comes down to it though. If I'm left alone I'll keep my mouth shut."

"You better fucking keep your mouth shut."

"Then stay away from me. That goes for all of you! I've got dirt on each and every one of you Slytherins." Alicia smiled and began to tick them off on her fingers. "I know about Draco and the Muggle sex club, I know about Montague and his secret affair with Bletchly's mum, I know about Higgs and his fondness for spankings, I know-"

"Enough!" Flint shouted and made a grab for the front of her robes.

Alicia stepped back quickly and George leapt down the stairs in a few bounds, his wand already drawn. He didn't immediately hex Flint, which Alicia knew showed great restraint on his part. He simply stepped in front of her and pointed his wand in Flint's face. "Don't even think about touching her," George warned, his voice lower and rougher than Alicia had ever heard it. "I just learnt a new hex that'll make a person bleed from every orifice and I'm itching to try it out."

Alicia put her hand on George's shoulder. "It's all right. He didn't hurt me. He can't hurt me." Alicia peered around George and gave Flint a pointed look. "Isn't that right, Marcus?"

"You haven't heard the end of this," Flint said, pointing a menacing finger at Alicia. "Wait till I get hold of Warrington."

Alicia shrugged an indolent shoulder. "Go ahead and tell him you just threatened me. See how well that works out for you."

Flint was looking murderous now. He looked from Alicia to George then over to where Fred and Oliver were standing, both with their wands drawn as well. He at least knew enough basic maths to know he was outnumbered.

"Your girl's got a mouth on her that's going to get her into trouble one day," Flint said, addressing George as if Alicia wasn't standing right there.

"You've got ten seconds to be somewhere else before I start throwing hexes," was George's only reply.

Without another word, Flint turned and walked off, heading in the opposite direction to the castle. George didn't move aside till he was out of sight, swallowed up into the darkness.

Fred came bounding straight over. "Blimey. That was tense. Everyone all right?"

"Never better," Alicia assured him.

Oliver's shook his head incredulously as he pocketed his wand. "Have you got a death wish, lass? What were you thinking?"

"I had it under control."

George didn't say anything, but she could tell he wasn't happy with her. Not that she could really blame him – she wasn't feeling great about herself either. One wrong move then and Flint could have actually hurt her. Worse, he could have hurt George or Fred or Oliver.

"Thanks for keeping an eye on me though," Alicia said, her voice a little shaky. She threw an arm each around Fred and Oliver and hugged them as tightly as she could. "Give George and me a minute out here, yeah? We'll meet you back inside soon," she said as she released them.

Alicia turned to George once they were alone and bit her lip, uncertain of what to even say. A lame apology didn't seem like enough.

"That was really stupid," George said. He grabbed the front of her robes and pulled her towards him. "Really, really, unbelievably stupid."

"I know," she said softly.

George pulled her right into his arms and she clung on to him for dear life. "I'd tell you not to do it ever again, but I honestly don't think you'd listen to me."

"I will, George. This time I'll listen."

"It's one thing to get back in the game after a bad injury – that's the sort of bravery I admire. Facing off alone with someone like Flint is just insane. He already showed today what he's capable of. You gave him another open shot at you. Why?"

"I wanted him to know he didn't frighten me anymore. I had to put an end to the whole thing once and for all," Alicia answered meekly, already knowing that wasn't going to satisfy George.

"But why not come and get me first? I could have at least been there beside you."

"I suppose I didn't want to drag you into my mess. I thought I could handle it myself."

George squeezed her tightly and sighed. "That's stupid. Your messes are my messes from now on. And I don't doubt you could have handled Flint on your own. I know you don't always need a knight in shining armour, but you also don't need to face everything on your own. It's not just you and Jake against the world anymore. Let me help you sometimes - that's what I'm here for."

Alicia buried her face in his chest and struggled to keep her tears at bay. George had found the last piece of the puzzle. He'd realised what even Christopher hadn't realised. She wanted to take care of everything on her own because, simply, that was what she had done for years.

Her time alone in France had taught her how to take care of herself. Her Hogwarts back-up was long gone and it eventually became second nature for her to go it alone. She'd handled plenty of bullying politicians and gossipy, vicious co-workers in her life. Flint was just another arsehole to add to the list.

Ultimately, she still wasn't used to the idea that she had someone to turn to for help.

But now she had George. And he knew her. Just as well, if not better, than Christopher knew her. Alicia's heart was so full. She knew at that moment that she loved George. Not like she had convinced herself she'd loved him back at school. This was the real deal this time.

"You okay?" he asked, dragging his hands slowly up and down her back.

Alicia composed herself and pulled back to peer up into George's concerned, chestnut coloured eyes. "I'm going to do better from now on. I promise you. Just…just don't give up on me."

"Never," George said firmly, fiercely.

"I appreciate everything you do for me so much. I need you in my life. George, I…"

The next word caught in her throat. It was too much, too soon. He might think she was a lunatic if she said it this early in their relationship. For the moment it was enough for her to just know with certainty that she loved him.

Maybe George knew what she was trying to say, maybe he didn't. He kissed her, clutching her face in his large, rough hands. Alicia melted against him straight away. By God, the man could kiss.

He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. "Should we go back inside?"

"Chris took Jake home with him so we could just go back to your place already if you want," she suggested.

"But I didn't even get a chance to dance with you yet."

"Wait, we haven't actually danced together since the Yule Ball then," Alicia realised, her eyes widening at the revelation.

"That settles it." George took her by the hand and they started back towards the castle. "We can even re-create our first kiss."

"Oh my God. Do you remember it? The fumbling and the awkwardness?"

George chuckled and slung his arm around her shoulders. "Everyone's gotta start somewhere I suppose."

Alicia slipped her arm around his waist and snuggled into his side as they re-entered Hogwarts. "Georgie?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you really know a hex that'll make a person bleed from every orifice?"

"No. But I could probably invent one if I put my mind to it."

Alicia sighed adoringly and pecked him on the cheek. "You're so brilliant."

A/N: There you have it. That chapter brings us to the end of part two, informally titled 'Let's Play Some Quidditch'. Our third and final act begins with the next instalment. I think I'll just call this next part...'Oh Shit'.

And here's the bit where I warn you that there's a lot more Chris coming up in the rest of the story. Not as a romantic rival, I can promise you that much. But he does have a larger part to play in what's about to go down. I know not everyone likes him. I don't expect that. I'm a sucker for a redemption arc though and Chris is smack bang in the middle of his and I intend to see him through to the other side.