House: Hufflepuff
Position: Muggle Studies
Standard
Prompt: [Quote] Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. - Steve Job
[Dialogue] "Well, well, what do we have here?"
Word Count: 1470 [Google Docs]

George clutched the small piece of cardboard tightly in his hands, his knuckles turning white with effort. He'd never been to a Muggle airport before, but he had promised her he would be waiting and he was never one to go back on a promise, even if it meant waking up at six to get there on time.

Last night, in a fit of inspiration, he'd dug out a box from the bin outside the shop and scrawled the word "Johnson" on it after seeing it in a movie he'd watched with Ginny many moons ago. It felt a little futile given the argument Angelina and George had had before she left the country, but he was desperate to try anything, even though she'd probably shout at him and tell him he was making too much of a fuss.

Before he had a chance to locate somewhere to abandon it, the automatic doors in front of him opened, as if by magic, and a crowd of weary travellers started to pour through them. George bounced on the balls of his feet, eager to find her face amongst the sea of tourists.

But Angelina spotted him first. She waved enthusiastically and had a massive smile on her face, a look that made his body relax almost immediately. He grinned back and watched as she picked her way through the crowds to get to him. Each step seemed painfully slow, yet at the same time, she was getting closer to him far too quickly.

Her appearance took his breath away. Her long dark braids were piled high on the top of her head, and she was wearing a tight tank top which highlighted her muscular frame. He let out a shaky breath as she got nearer.

Over the last week or so, since he'd received her owl telling him she was coming home, George had used up all of his spare time rehearsing what he would say to Angelina when he finally saw her again. He needed to look smooth, cool but yet appealing and like he hadn't spent the whole year pining over her, but now that she was finally standing in front of him, he felt like a blibbering humdinger.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

"Hi George, you came!" She dumped her multitude of bags at his feet, looking relieved.

"Of course I came. I promised you I would. You know I keep my word." His reply was probably more barbed than he'd hoped it would be, but he couldn't stop the hurt from rising as the sound of her voice caused the memories of their final argument to flood through his brain.

Angelina's jaw dropped, and colour started to darken her cheeks. Rage clouded her eyes, and George could see she was doing all she could to not start an argument straight away.

"We haven't seen each other for over a year, and the first thing you do is make a dig at me?" she finally asked through gritted teeth.

"Then tell me why you left."

The request took her by surprise as much as it did him. He didn't expect the words to fall out of his mouth, yet there they were, laid out like a stark fact. Angelina's eyes left his and fell to the floor as she gained a sudden interest in the colour of her sneakers. A tremendous wave of awkwardness crashed between them, ruining the happy reunion George had been hoping for.

Eventually, Angelina lifted her head. Her eyes shifted left and then right, surveying the busy Arrivals lounge. "Can we not do this right here? I'm tired—New York to Heathrow is a long flight, and you know I don't sleep on Muggle transport. It's too uncomfortable, and I hate sleeping in front of all those strangers. It's weird."

"You could have taken a potion. I'm sure you could have picked up something from MACUSA?"

"But I was travelling alone!"

George sighed and looked around the concourse hopelessly. "Where shall we go then? I'm not leaving here until we talk."

"Don't you have to get back to the shop?" Angelina shrugged.

"No. Ron is opening up today. Do you want to get some breakfast?"

"Okay, I guess."

George scooped up her bag and broom case before Angelina could get to them and led her to the coffee shop near the entrance to the airport. They each ordered something small—a coffee and a pastry—and made their way to a quiet table.

He watched Angelina expectantly as she sipped at her drink. "So?"

She sighed and set her disposable cup down, considering her following words carefully. "It took me by surprise—"

"The proposal?" He rolled his eyes. "Of course it did. That's the bloody point of them!"

"It's not just that. We never discussed marriage. We were just having fun."

"Oh, come on, Ange," George scoffed. "You knew I liked you more than that—"

"And you knew that playing for the All-Stars was a chance of a lifetime for me. But you didn't want me to go, did you?"

George knew the look well. The muscles around her jaw twitched, and her brown eyes were aflame with passion. She knew that she was right, and there would be no way he could persuade her to step down from her stance. He could argue it until the cows came home, but there would be no hope in changing her mind.

So instead, he sighed and shrugged his shoulders, admitting defeat a lot faster than he usually did.

"You're right. I didn't. And there was no way I could travel to New York with you. Not that you invited me."

"I didn't want you to come. I was honest with you about it, George. I know it sounded horrible, and I upset you, but it was the truth. I needed some space. Things were going too fast."

George let out a growl of frustration. "We'd been seeing each other for three years!"

"And at least half of that was about us helping each other to get over Fred!"

The ghost of George's twin still hung between them—he always did. Angelina had been with Fred first, although that had been years ago. Just a short fling during the Yule Ball. But it had taken her and George at least the year after the Battle of Hogwarts to define what being in a relationship meant for the two of them. Plus, in the early days especially, it had been weird for them. George and Fred had been identical in every way, apart from the missing ear.

"Fred's been gone for a while now. He'd want us to be happy," George finally spoke up, his words soft and quiet.

Angelina nodded and reached across the table to squeeze George's arm. "I know. And I do like you, George. We just need to sit down and talk about stuff properly. I missed you while I was away."

"I missed you too." He let out a heavy sigh. "Not even making up new jokes has distracted me. I listened to every game of yours. You were amazing."

Her cheeks coloured again, but she puffed out her chest with pride.

"It was one of the best experiences of my life. But I'm ready to be home now. Puddlemere have offered me a two-year contract, and it's time I started to think about the future. But I need you to promise me something."

"What's that?"

"I'd like for us to make a proper go of things, George. And I've taken the time to think, and I know how important it is for us to move on. We can't carry on with Fred hanging over us."

George nodded. He'd let his twin brother cloud every part of his life for too long. It was time to start living in the future, not hang on to the past. "I can do that. If he comes back to haunt me, though, I'm putting all the blame on you."

Angelina laughed, and suddenly the frostiness that hung in between them melted. "I can handle him. I want a proper grown-up relationship with just you. And I don't mean sleeping with each other when we both feel lonely. I want it all with you."

"Even Sunday lunches with Mum and Dad?" He raised his eyebrows, trying to ignore the fast beat of his heart pounding against his ribcage.

"Even Sunday lunches with your whole absolutely bonkers family."

George let out a sigh of relief, the last of the tension finally falling from his shoulders. Not caring who was around them or who might see, he leaned across the table to capture her lips with his. Angelina was terrific, and this time, he was not letting her out of his grasp.