Leaving

Disclaimer: After seven stories, you still don't know? I don't own anything in the Harry Potter Omniverse and Going Away to College belongs to Blink-182 (I think it specifically belongs to Mark, but I'm not sure).

A/N: I was working on chapter 8 of WtWS and listening to Enema of the State when this plot bunny attacked me and wouldn't leave me alone. (Nasty little buggers, aren't they?) I know there aren't any universities in the magical world, but doesn't this song just seem to fit?

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~Please take me by the hand
It's so cold out tonight
I'll put blankets on the bed
I won't turn out the light~

In a small flat above a shop in Diagon Alley, Fred Weasley lay awake in his bed. Over in the next room, he could hear George snoring loudly. "Oh sure, he can sleep," he muttered. "He and Alicia broke up before we left."

He shivered underneath the blankets, though he wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from the nightmare that had woken him up in the first place. He used his wand to brighten his room; the dark just made being alone with his thoughts unbearable. And all his thoughts turned to one person.

~Just don't forget to
Think about me
And I won't forget you
"I'll write you once a week," she said~

Angelina Johnson. His girlfriend, the woman he loved more than anything in the world. She wanted to leave with him, but he wouldn't let her. And as Head Girl and Quidditch Captain, she reluctantly agreed. A frown marred Fred's normally handsome features as he thought about his nightmare. In it, Angelina told him she didn't want him. "After all, I have a bright future ahead of me; being with a dropout will ruin my chances for a good job," nightmare Angelina had said before running into the arms of a waiting Roger Davies.

Fred shook his head to rid it of those thoughts. After all, Angelina loved him as much as he loved her. He thought back to his last night at Hogwarts; they had spent it together in the Astronomy Tower. They shared a lot of memories there, including their first kiss. It was only fitting that it would be the place where they first made love.

And she promised him that she would write to him. He had been gone three weeks now and he had yet to receive an owl from her. Not that it was her fault or anything; Umbridge's group of Slytherin sycophants was screening every piece of parchment that went through the school. That Umbitch toad would have disbanded the Gryffindor team permanently if she even suspected that Angelina knew of Fred and George's whereabouts. It was the only way she'd be able to break her; Angie'd be too tough to crack under a Torture Quill. With him gone, Quidditch would be the only thing she'd have left and Umbridge would take great pleasure in taking that away from her.

~Why does it feel the same
To fall in love or break it off
And if young love is just a game
Then I must have missed the kick off~

Fred sighed and stared at the ceiling. Not being with Angelina was killing him. It hurt so badly that on nights like this one, his overactive imagination took over. Which would fine if it didn't force him to keep thinking about things that scared the hell out of him. "Bloody hell," he muttered underneath his breath. "If this is what being in love is like, then I never want to experience a bad breakup." He continued to muse aloud. "But then is a breakup ever 'good?'"

~Don't depend on me
To ever follow through on
Anything, but
I'd go through Hell for you and~

He remembered the first time he brought up the idea of leaving to her. She just laughed.

~Flashback~

"Angie, what's so funny?"

"You know you're not going to leave. Oh sure, you'll mean to, but you'll keep putting it off. And by the time you do get around to it, it'll be time for graduation."

"Are you calling me a procrastinator?"

"Of course, I am. It took you five years to ask me out. The joke shop is the only thing you ever take any initiative for."

~End Flashback~

He lay awake that night, too, thinking about their conversation. She was right; he was a procrastinator and more than a little forgetful. The shop often took precedence over everything, her included. But he knew he'd do anything for her and it bothered him that she didn't realise that.

~I haven't been this scared in a long time
And I'm so unprepared, so here's your valentine
Bouquet of clumsy words, a simple melody
This world's an ugly place, but you're so beautiful to me~

The idea of leaving scared him more than anything, no matter how excited he was about the real world. After all, he'd never been on his own. He'd gone from the Burrow to Hogwarts. And he'd never really been without Angelina, not since before he started Hogwarts. And that's what really scared him: being without Angelina.

So that night (the night before he left) in the Astronomy Tower, he tried to show her just how much he loved her. By proposing. It didn't go the way he wanted it to. In fact, he was so lucky that she said yes; if he had been her, he would have said "Hell no!" and demanded a better proposal.

~Flashback~

"So you're actually going through with it tomorrow," Angelina stated with a sigh. Fred could hear the sadness in her voice even though she tried to hide it.

"Yeah," Fred answered. "Um, Angie…" * Way to go, Fred. That'll really make her say yes. * "We need to talk."

A look of horror flashed in Angelina's chocolatey eyes. "Don't bother saying it; I already know. You don't want the distraction of a relationship while you're out of school. I understand com…"

Fred cut her off. "Angelina, what the hell are you saying? I don' t want to break up. What in the bloody hell made you think that?"

"Well, you said 'We need to talk.' The ultimate breakup sentence. Usually followed by 'It's not you; it's me' or some other equally stupid phrase." A bewildered look crossed her face. "But if you aren't dumping me, then why do we need to talk?"

"Angie, I love you."

"Well, I love you too, but that still doesn't answer my question."

"No, I mean I love you and Iwanttospendtherestofmylifewithyou," he said in one horribly convoluted breath.

"Huh?"

"I'm asking you to marry me. I mean, not right now, but after you graduate. Well, not the next day, but…"

Angelina was frustrated with his rambling and kissed him in an effort to make him shut up. "So where's my ring?" she asked playfully after succeeding in making Fred turn redder than she had ever seen him.

"Oh, yeah, the ring. It's in my robe pocket." He fumbled through all four, but to no avail. "Or maybe not. Shit." He whipped out his wand. "Accio ring." A velvet box came flying towards them. Fred caught it and dropped to one knee. "Now, will you marry me?" he asked, sliding the simple silver and diamond ring onto her hand.

Angelina, who was struck dumb by his seriousness, merely nodded. When she finally got over her shock, she kissed him senseless. The last coherent thought he remembered having that night was how lucky he was.

~End Flashback~

~I'll think about the times
She kissed me after class and
She put up with my friends
I acted like an ass~

Fred sighed again. He was going out of his mind thinking about Angelina. He hadn't gotten any sleep at all in the last three weeks. During the day, he could take his mind off of her since he was helping George set up the shop. But nearly every night ended up like this one.

Now his thoughts turned toward the little things. Pranks that he, George and Lee played on her, Alicia and Katie. Or the quick pecks between classes, the few that they had together anyway. Due to Angelina taking so many advanced classes, he barely saw her throughout the day.

~I'd ditch my lecture
To watch the girls play soccer
Is my picture
Still hanging in her locker?~

He never missed a Quidditch practise, even after he was banned. Since he didn't really care about the class (or school at all, for that matter), he'd skip Divination to watch her train Ron. (And Merlin did Ron need it. Saying he was no Oliver Wood was the understatement of the year.) And afterwards, he'd walk her back to Gryffindor Tower and comfort her while she shared all her fears with him. Fears like whether they could even win another game without him, George and Harry. Especially with Ron as Keeper. Or the impending war. They both knew it was coming now that You-Know-Who was back; the only question was when. And Angie was worried for Harry and for both of their families since both Arthur Weasley and Christopher Johnson both worked in the Ministry and were staunch anti-Voldemort supporters.

Fred laughed at himself. He doubted Angelina was awake at two in the morning thinking about these types of things. But then again, she might be. Angelina reminded him a lot of George: a damn good prankster with a good sense of humour, but a major worrier. Listening to George's deafening snoring again, he changed his mind. Yeah, she was asleep right now. Though he wondered… Did she think about him as much as he thought about her? Was the picture Lee took of them still hanging her locker in the locker room? She had once told him that she kissed it for good luck before every match. Did she still do that?

~I haven't been this scared in a long time
And I'm so unprepared, so here's your valentine
Bouquet of clumsy words, a simple melody
This world's an ugly place, but you're so beautiful~

He pulled out his wand to turn out the light in his room. He was being silly; Angelina loved him. She always had; it was a fact of life. He'd see her in a couple months and he'd repropose (after all, she deserved a lot better than the stammering she got the first time). Then they'd get married and have a kid or two and life would be perfect. He yawned. Funny, he hadn't noticed how tired he actually was. He rolled over and fell asleep, dreaming of his future life with Angelina.

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A/N 2: This didn't come out the exact way I envisioned it, but I still think it's all right. I hope you enjoyed the proposal scene as much as I liked writing it. Lots of songs on that album remind me of Fred and Angie, but don't ask me why 'cause I really couldn't tell you. And you know Dee loves reviews, so make sure you leave one; they make the world go 'round.