Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter yet. J.K and I are currently in negotiations though.
A/N: Sorry, everyone. I momentarily lost my mojo. Never fear, it's back again and I'm excited about the upcoming surprises I'm planning. At least I hope they'll surprise you. This chapter isn't terribly exciting, but it's necessary. This is the bridging chapter between GoF and OotP. It jumps around quite a bit, but if I were to fix it you'd have to wait another week and I think you've waited long enough. Dedicated to romanticgothchick, my 800th reviewer! I read the note on your profile. ;)
One last important note: You might be wondering what will happen to the story if events in HBP contradict what I have planned. Go to my profile if you want to know what I'm going to do in the event of a catastrophe (i.e. character death).
Chapter 45
Angelina hated dresses. She detested high heels and she couldn't stand makeup. She wasn't very fond of weddings either. Weddings that involved her mother and ridiculous old men were particularly awful. To make matters worse, Angelina was forced to be a bridesmaid at this awful wedding. The only saving grace was that her mother had allowed her to pick out her own dress.
As she looked at herself in her full-length mirror, Angelina had to reluctantly admit that the dress was beautiful. Also, the shoes weren't too bad and her makeup had turned out pretty nice. The whole outfit made her look years older than she really was. It was a pity that Fred would never see her dressed up like that.
Angelina had figured Fred would have insisted on coming to the wedding, but she hadn't heard from him since school finished two weeks ago. At first she'd been a little worried, but at Katie's birthday party she had discovered that no one else had heard from Fred and George either. The only correspondence anyone had received was a scribbled note to Katie to apologise about missing her birthday.
Alicia was freaking out over the communications blackout and she had tried to go to the Burrow several times only to find that the fireplace had been disconnected from the Network. She had planned to catch a bus to the Burrow, but her parents were refusing to let her leave the house by herself. The poor girl was now furiously studying to get her Apparating licence.
Angelina was handling it much better. She had sent Fred twenty letters and was now only thinking about him every five minutes. It was definite progress.
"Beautiful!"
Angelina turned around to see her mother standing in the doorway with her soon-to-be husband. They were both dressed for the ceremony.
"You two aren't supposed to see each other before the wedding," Angelina said, feeling a little embarrassed about being caught admiring herself in the mirror.
"That's just silly superstition," her mother said, adjusting her long, flowing dress.
"I've been married three times before and I've never bothered with superstition," Richard said cheerfully.
"Perhaps what's why you've been married three times."
"Angelina, I've warned you about your manners," her mother scolded as she stepped into the room and began to examine her own reflection in the mirror.
"I was merely making an observation, mother."
"Keep it to yourself next time. Richard is here to give you a present so be nice to him."
Angelina's future stepfather held out a small silver box. "I just got you a little something to celebrate the occasion, angel."
Angelina pursed her lips and folded her arms, her body radiating hostility. "The two people in the world I allow to call me angel are my real father and Fred Weasley. Since you are neither, I suggest you stick to Angelina."
"Hold your tongue," her mother snapped. "Richard has gone out of his way to buy you something and all you're doing is being difficult. Show some gratitude."
Angelina knew exactly why Richard had bought her something. He'd been lavishing praise on her for days in the hopes that she would start to call him dad. Of course, there was no chance of that ever happening. He doted on Angelina, already referring to her as his daughter and going out of his way to remind her that she and her mother would soon be living with him.
Richard shrugged cheerfully. "Don't worry about it, my love. I have raised two teenage sons and know how difficult they can be. I was hoping girls were easier."
"I had no trouble with Kiana. Angelina just insists on being combative all the time."
"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll grow out of it. She's a good girl."
"Stop talking about me as if I'm not here," Angelina said, snatching the box from Richard's hand.
Her mother and Richard looked on excitedly as she untied the ribbon and took the lid off the box. Angelina frowned and slowly pulled out a set of keys. "What are these for?"
"Look out the window," Richard said, his face turning pink with the effort of restraining his perpetual cheerfulness.
Angelina crossed to her bedroom window and looked out onto her front garden. A shiny, dark blue car was sitting in the driveway. An ostentatious red bow sat precariously on the roof.
"That's for me?" she asked, gaping openly out the window.
"It's all yours," her mother squealed. "Isn't it fantastic, honey?"
"It's a Muggle car," Angelina said slowly, still processing it in her mind.
Richard straightened his back and cleared his throat. "That's not just any car, my dear. That is the latest model BMW."
Angelina blinked. That meant absolutely nothing to her. "I don't…it's-"
"It's like that broom you're always asking for. It's like the Firebolt of cars," her mother said helpfully.
"That's all well and good, but I can't drive," Angelina pointed out.
"I'm going to teach you!" Richard announced. "You'll have your license in no time. I'll wager it's much more comfortable than a silly broom."
"Right." Angelina nodded and dropped the keys back into the box. Finally she understood. Richard was hoping to weasel his way into her affections by teaching her to drive and at the same time he'd be gently steering her away from her magical heritage. Two birds with one stone.
"I don't want it."
"Angelina!"
She shoved the box back into Richard's hand. "I don't want the stupid car. Take it back to the shop, burn it, give it to charity for all I care. I'd rather fly, which, for your information, is perfectly comfortable."
"Don't be ridiculous," her mother hissed, seizing her arm roughly. "You're going to gracefully accept the car and start taking lessons with Richard as soon as he wants you to."
Angelina shrugged away from her. "Not a chance in hell."
"Don't you dare walk away from us!"
Angelina lifted the hem of her dress and stomped out of her room loudly. Her mother called after her, but she tossed her head and continued on her way. She almost ran into her sister coming up the stairs.
"Where's the fire?" Kiana asked, grabbing onto the banister as Angelina whirled past her.
"I'm getting out of this place. If I were you I'd get out as well. Mum has lost her mind."
"This has to do with the car?"
"How did you know about that?"
"He got me one as well. They gave it to me last week."
"I hope you told him where he could stick it."
"Why? It might come in handy one day. Michael says it's really expensive, so at the very least I can sell it," Kiana said.
"Can't you see that Richard is trying to take us away from the wizarding world? He thinks magic is pulling rabbits out of hats and he's certain that we'll be better off without it. You don't agree with him, do you?"
"Of course I don't. At the same time I don't see much point in fighting it if I can get something out of it. If he wants to buy me things in exchange for my attention I don't mind." Kiana put a hand on her little sister's shoulder. "Unfortunately we don't all have your high moral standing."
"High morals, my arse," Angelina muttered darkly. "I'm going for a little walk. Tell mum not to panic. I'll be back before her precious wedding begins."
"All right, but you might want to go to the living room before you leave. There's another present in there for you."
Angelina groaned loudly. "What now? A pony? A personal chef?"
"Actually, it's from me. I knew this wedding was going to stress you out so I arranged for a present to be sent here for you."
"What is it?"
"You'll have to go and see for yourself," Kiana said slyly.
Angelina rolled her eyes and continued down the stairs. At the moment she could do with a punching bag. That would definitely help her stress levels. A giant chocolate cake would also go a long way to improving her mood. Knowing her sister, however, it was probably something ridiculously girly like frilly underwear.
The door to the living room was closed when Angelina reached it so she opened it slowly. The first thing she saw was red hair. He was standing at the mantelpiece, looking at the family pictures. He turned around when he heard the door creak open.
Fred stood there with his hands nonchalantly tucked into his pockets. He was wearing a suit, but was conspicuously without a tie. He grinned at her stunned expression. "Hi," he said softly.
Angelina slapped her hand over her mouth as tears bubbled in her throat. She hadn't cried since she left school, but now she could feel it coming back. The only difference was that they were tears of happiness. She hadn't felt so utterly happy since before Cedric's death.
Cedric.
She hadn't thought about him all day. A tear rolled down her cheek and she brushed it away quickly. She wasn't going to let it overtake her again. Not in front of Fred at least. He'd already seen her at her worst more than he needed to.
"Don't I get a hug?" Fred asked.
"I'm not really sure if you deserve one," Angelina replied, her voice shaking in an uncharacteristic way.
"You look beautiful."
"So do you." Fred smiled and Angelina shook her head. "I mean…well, you know what I mean."
"I know," he said gently. "Do I get that hug now?"
Angelina wanted to do a whole lot more than hug him, but it would be a good start. She started to walk towards him and he took his hands out of his pockets. She stopped about three feet from him and just stared for moment. He was really standing in front of her. Sure, it had only been two weeks since they parted, but it had been the longest two weeks of Angelina's life. At school she had taken the fact that she saw him everyday for granted.
"It's all right, angel," he said encouragingly.
The nickname did it. Angelina threw herself into his arms. Fred had to grab hold of the mantelpiece to stop them falling back into the empty fireplace. They both let out an audible sigh at the contact. Angelina almost sobbed in sheer happiness. It was so nice to touch him again. He still smelt the same and he still held her the same way he always had.
The best present ever.
"So much better then frilly knickers," she said as she clung to him.
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
"Have you been all right?"
Angelina suddenly drew away from him and punched him in the arm. "I haven't been all right! Why the hell didn't you answer any of my letters? I was worried about you, particularly after what Dumbledore told us."
Fred winced and grabbed his arm. "Firstly…ow. Don't do that ever again. Secondly, I'm really sorry about not writing back. I was worried about you as well."
"You could have come to see me at any time!"
"Actually, I couldn't come to see you."
Angelina put her hands on her hips. "Let me guess. Your other girlfriend was keeping you occupied?"
"No," Fred answered, a slow smile creeping across his face. "My other girlfriend is holidaying in France. She sends her regards."
"Stupid arse," Angelina retorted, her body tingling as they slipped into their normal routine of give and take.
"I missed your insults, angel."
"Anything else you missed?"
"Nope. That's about it really."
"Fine. Have it your way then."
Angelina took one step to the left and Fred grabbed her. "All right, game over now."
"Game?" she asked innocently as she was pulled against him. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"The one where you pretend you didn't miss me. Let's just skip to the snogging part."
Angelina licked her lips and nodded slightly. "Works for me."
Fred cupped her face in both of his hands and kissed her thoroughly. Her hand slid up around his neck and she pulled him deeper into the kiss. His reaction was to press his body against her and push her back towards the sofa. Fred gave her one last gentle push and she fell back on the sofa with a dull squeak.
Angelina stared up at him from beneath her eyelashes. "You are way too good at that."
Fred smiled and helped her back to her feet. "Just for the record, I only missed you a little bit."
"Well," Angelina whispered in his ear, "why don't you show me how much you didn't miss me again."
"I'd love to, but we're not exactly alone."
She stepped away from him quickly and looked around her living room. "But there's no one in here."
"A bunch of losers followed me here. I'm really sorry, but I couldn't dissuade them."
Angelina's face lit up. "Where are they, Fred?"
"Kitchen," he answered, nodding towards the other living room door.
She hurried to the door as quickly as she could in her heels. She threw the door open and beamed at her friends. George and Lee were sitting at either end of the kitchen table. Lee was trying to throw popcorn into George's mouth. Katie sat between them filing her fingernails. She looked up when she heard the door open.
"Angelina!"
George turned his head and a piece of popcorn hit him on the ear. "Hi, Angelina. We thought you wouldn't mind if we ate something whilst we waited for you two to finish snogging."
"Of course I don't mind!" she exclaimed. She went over to the table and hugged George tightly, pressing his head against her chest.
"You're in a good mood," he said, his ears turning red.
Angelina smiled and moved around the table to hug Katie. "This day has suddenly become a lot better. Hey, where's Alicia?"
"She'll be here any minute now," Katie answered. "She got her Apparition licence yesterday so she's going to Apparate into your bedroom. I suspect it's taking her a little work to get away from her parents."
"Why? What's wrong with her parents?" George asked, turning to Katie and getting hit in the face with popcorn as a consequence.
"Obviously they're freaked out about what happened," Lee said as Angelina hugged him around the neck. "Alicia's dad is being especially overprotective. He won't let her leave the house."
"Is she all right? Are you sure she's coming?"
Angelina gave George a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I'm sure Alicia's fine. She's probably rather pissed off at you for ignoring her, but I'm sure she'll get over it eventually."
"Eventually…" George repeated quietly.
xxxxx
"You're to be back in exactly three hours."
Alicia turned away from her father and rolled her eyes. He might as well chain her to her bed. "I'll come straight home as soon as the wedding reception is over."
"You're to be back in exactly three hours," her father repeated obstinately, striding out of the kitchen.
Alicia snatched her purse off the table and rounded on her mother. "Can't you talk to him? You know what's going on better than he does."
As her mother turned away from the window, Alicia was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "I know more about what's going than you think."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Alicia asked, curious and confused.
"It means that I agree with what your father says. Be back in three hours."
Alicia couldn't believe that her mother wasn't on her side. With both of them against her she didn't stand much of a chance. "He also wants to pull me out of Hogwarts. Do you agree with that?"
"No," she replied firmly. Her conviction startled Alicia slightly and she opened her mouth. Her mother gestured for her to be quiet. "Don't bother asking questions, love. All you need to know is that you're safest at Hogwarts with Dumbledore. I won't let your father take you out of school. I know that what happened with…that boy was an unfortunate accident. Dumbledore will not let anything happen to his students."
"What about Jasmine? She told me she heard you mention enrolling her at Hogwarts."
"That was just a passing thought, Alicia. I can't take Jasmine out of Beauxbatons after we went through so much trouble to get her to go there in the first place."
Alicia nodded in satisfaction. She knew there would have been huge fights if her parents tried to take Jasmine away from her friends. "I better get to Angelina's house."
"All right, have fun and give Angelina's mother my congratulations. Don't eat too much because we're going to Erica's flat for dinner. Be back in exactly three hours!"
"Yes, mum."
Alicia clutched her purse and her wand in her hand and closed her eyes. She pictured Angelina's bedroom in her mind. She could clearly see the Quidditch posters and the red and gold bedspread. She cracked one eye open and breathed a sigh of relief when she found herself in one piece in Angelina's empty room. Despite passing the test easily, Apparating made her nervous.
Alicia minimised her wand and put it into her purse to keep it away from Muggle eyes. The invitation from Kiana said that the wedding would be attended by Muggles so all witches and wizards were to be on their best behaviour. Hence the fact that Alicia was wearing a floral skirt and blouse, not formal robes.
After listening at the door for a second, Alicia decided it was safe for her to leave Angelina's room. She crept into the deserted hallway and tiptoed down the stairs. Somewhere along the line, her heart had started beating erratically. It wasn't very difficult for her to pinpoint the source of the anxiety.
George Weasley.
When Alicia saw him she was going to wring his stupid neck. So much for him being her loving boyfriend. He hadn't even bothered to contact her for two whole weeks!
At first she just thought it was his strange way of punishing her for not returning the loving sentiments. When she found out that nobody had heard from the twins she really began to panic. Given recent events, she concluded that something had happened to George and/or his family. Discovering that the Burrow had been disconnected from the Floo Network only seemed to confirm it in her mind.
"I just hope he's here," Alicia whispered to herself as she peered into the living room. It was empty but she could hear familiar voices coming from the kitchen.
"Trust me, you don't want to meet Richard at all. He thinks magic is one big joke," Angelina was saying.
Alicia stood in the doorway and stared at her best friend. She was looking beautiful in a long, pale yellow strapless dress. Her hair was done up in an intricately messy bun and she was actually wearing makeup. Granted, it wasn't a lot of makeup, but it was more than she usually wore.
"You look gorgeous, Angelina!"
Angelina heard her name and spun around. She gave an excited squeal and launched herself at Alicia. "I'm so glad you made it! We were worried your parents had put you under house arrest!"
Alicia giggled and hugged her conspicuously cheerful friend. Over Angelina's shoulder she saw George sitting at the kitchen table. She almost stopped breathing. He was wearing a suit with a navy blue tie. He looked up at her eagerly, waiting for some sort of acknowledgment. It was not forthcoming.
Alicia drew back and addressed everyone but George. "Well, I was pretty lucky to get here actually. Mum has now become almost as crazy as dad. I'm worried they're going to lock me in a Rapunzel style tower."
"I like your skirt," Katie said.
"Thanks. I haven't been to a wedding in ages so I had to go shopping yesterday."
"You look really pretty," George ventured hopefully.
Alicia ignored him. "Angelina, why didn't you tell us about the wedding before? If it weren't for your sister none of us would have known at all."
Angelina began to look uncomfortable. "It's weird. My mum's marrying an idiot. She knows he's an idiot and even he knows he isn't the quickest broom in the shed. My mum is just marrying him for the money and he only wants her because she's pretty and has maintained her figure."
"I'm sure there's more to it," Katie said optimistically.
"You're a romantic, Katie. Everyone involved in this marriage knows what's going on. Richard's sons wanted mum to sign a pre-nuptial agreement but she refused to go ahead with the wedding if she had to sign anything like that. Richard had no choice but to let her have her way."
"Does it matter?" Fred commented, putting his arm around Angelina's waist. "You get money out of it so who cares if the marriage is a front?"
"I don't want his money because it comes at too much of a cost, Fred. He wants me to treat him as if he's my biological father and I refuse to do that."
"But doesn't he live in some mansion? Calling him dad every once in a while seems a small price to pay."
"What makes you think I care about money?" Angelina snapped, her cheerful mood quickly dissipating. "I don't care that you don't live in a mansion, just as I don't care that Richard does live in a mansion. I'm not like my mother."
"I didn't say you were. I just think you're overreacting about this whole thing. Go with the flow, angel."
Alicia winced as she watched Angelina narrow her eyes and prepare her comeback. She was so intent on watching the pair that she didn't notice George leave the table and walk up behind her.
"Can we go somewhere to talk?"
Alicia stiffened up and turned away from him quickly. If she looked him in the eye she'd lose it. "So now you want to talk to me? What if I don't feel like talking to you anymore?"
George put his hand gently on her tense shoulder. "Don't be like that. I want to explain things to you."
Alicia shrugged him away angrily. "I think I get the point already. You only bother speaking to me when I'm around to snog. When we aren't together there's no need to be nice to me. I understand perfectly."
"That's not how it is and you know it! Stop being stupid and come outside with me."
"Ooh, he shouldn't have called her stupid," Katie whispered from the table. She and Lee were eating popcorn and watching the two couples argue.
"It's never a good idea to call your girlfriend stupid," Lee agreed heartily.
Alicia glared at them briefly then turned to finally look George in the eye. "Stupid am I? Perhaps you're right. It was rather stupid of me to worry about you so much. It was certainly stupid of me to cry for an hour because I thought you were dead. Yes, I guess I was pretty stupid all around. You can be sure that I'll never make the mistake of caring about you again. I'll never pictured you dead or injured ever again."
Ringing silence followed Alicia's speech. Fred had stopped mid-sentence and Angelina bit her lip, looking guilty about fighting over petty things.
"Let me show you guys the back garden," Angelina said quickly.
"I've already seen it through the window. It's full of weeds," Lee said. Katie grabbed his ear and twisted. "Ow! Ah, on the other hand, weeds can be very lovely. Let's go see the weeds!"
Katie smiled and kissed his ear better. They left the kitchen and Angelina grabbed Fred's hand. "Let's go join them."
"I think I'd rather stick around for this," he said, giving Alicia a sharp look.
"Fred…"
"All bloody right."
Angelina gave Alicia an encouraging smile as she dragged Fred from the room and closed the door behind herself.
"You really thought I was dead?" George asked quietly.
"I didn't know what to think! Dumbledore tells us that You-Know-Who is back and then the Daily Prophet starts denying it. I don't hear from you for two weeks and the Burrow has been disconnected from the Floo Network. It might have been stupid of me, but I put two and two together."
George, looking slightly pale, took a seat at the table. "You just didn't mention that in the letters you sent me. You were only annoyed at my lack of response."
"What the hell was I supposed to write? 'Hello, George. Isn't the weather hot? Hope you aren't dead. Cheerio!'" Alicia ignored her stinging eyes and paced around the table. "Did you expect me to write everything that went through my mind? That would have made me look like a nutter if you were just on holiday with your family. I imagined you in all sorts of trouble."
"I'm really sorry. If I had known it was so bad I would have found a way to contact you."
"Found a way? Were you holidaying on Mars or something? All you had to do was write a letter and give it to Ron's owl!"
George sighed and loosened his tie. "It's not that simple, Alicia. I'm going to explain it to you now, but I think you should probably sit down."
Alicia stopped on the other side of the table and folded her arms resolutely. "I'd rather stand. If you start talking bollocks I'll be able to make a quicker escape."
"Everything I'm going to tell you is absolutely serious. It must be kept only between us. You can't repeat a word of it to anyone. Also, I can't tell you everything for reasons that will become apparent. Technically, I'm not supposed to tell you anything at all."
"Why? What's going on?"
"He's really back, Alicia. Harry and Dumbledore were telling the truth. Despite what the Prophet says, You-Know-Who is back." George looked up at her, a hint of desperation in his eyes. "You believe me, don't you?"
Alicia took a step towards him to reassure him, but stopped abruptly. She was determined to keep her distance until she'd heard the entire story. "Of course I believe you. What does it have to do with you though?"
"When my mum and dad picked us up from platform nine and three quarters they took us back to the Burrow and told us to start packing our stuff. Five days later we moved to a safe house."
"A safe house? Why? You aren't in danger, are you?" Alicia asked, feeling her heart rate spike.
"We're followers of Dumbledore so we're automatically enemies of You-Know-Who. It also doesn't help that Ron is best friends with Harry. We probably weren't in any immediate danger. Mum and dad just didn't want to take any chances."
"They did the right thing," Alicia agreed fervently. "Where's the safe house?"
George shook his head regretfully. "That's one of the things I can't tell you. It has to remain a secret."
Alicia sighed and sat down across from him. "It feels like everyone is keeping secrets from me. My mum is acting strange and now you can't even tell me where you're living."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. I want you to be safe as well."
"Mum and dad won't let us leave the house or send any letters out for a month or two. Things are too hectic at the moment and it's better if we just disappear for a while."
Alicia nodded and gave him a small smile. "I understand. You didn't sneak out today, did you?"
"No way. We had to make mum all sorts of promises to get here. There's no way we'd sneak out after what happened with…" he trailed off
"Something else you can't tell me?" she guessed.
"No. It just isn't very important."
Alicia noticed the small changes in George's face. His jaw tightened, a sure sign he was angry. He dropped his gaze to the tabletop, indicating either sadness or embarrassment. Despite that, he didn't look well at all. He was pale and his eyes looked tired and bloodshot. Alicia immediately regretted yelling at him.
"You can tell me anything, George."
"Did you hear about Percy's promotion?"
"It was in the paper. Tell him I said congratulations." A muscle twitched in George's jaw and he kept his eyes lowered. Alicia half jumped out of her chair. "What's wrong? Has something happened to Percy?"
"He didn't come to the safe house with us. He's disowned the family in favour of the Ministry. Now that he's working for Fudge he says he can't associate with us. He blamed dad for us being poor and-and he…"
"Oh, that's awful." Alicia got up and went around to his side of the table. She stood beside him silently.
"I don't care about Percy. Really I don't. He's no loss as far as I'm concerned. I'm just worried about what it's doing to my parents."
Alicia could tell he was lying about not caring about Percy, but she let it go. "He'll come to his senses and be back in no time."
"I don't want him to come back!" George yelled suddenly, causing Alicia to jump. "He can't insult our family then expect to be welcomed back with open arms!"
"Ok," Alicia said quickly. "Everything will be all right. I'm really sorry I got angry. I didn't realise what you had been through."
"Doesn't matter," he mumbled, putting his hands over his face.
Alicia stroked his hair and said, "Are you sure you're all right? You look a little ill."
"I feel a little ill. I've been having trouble sleeping. So has Fred but I guess he hides it better than I do. It wouldn't have been so bad if I could have seen you. I realised I need you. I mean, really need you. It's not like anything I've ever felt before."
Alicia didn't know what to say. She didn't even know what she felt anymore. The separation had been torturous on her as well. She just had no idea what that was supposed to mean. Did she love him? What about being in love with him? Whatever the answer, the fact that George needed her had an immense effect on Alicia. She liked being important.
"Let me sit down so I can hug you probably," she said.
George pushed his chair back from the table and Alicia sat on his lap, something she had never deigned to do before. They put their arms around each other and Alicia smiled at the safe familiarity of it. She couldn't deny that she loved him; it just wasn't the sort of love he was hoping for.
They sat in content silence for two minutes. George's breathing was very slow and his head was on Alicia's shoulder, his face hidden in her neck. She was worried that he had fallen asleep. "George? Are you all right?"
Without lifting his head, he sighed and said, "I haven't been this relaxed and comfortable for weeks. Can we stay like this for a while?"
Alicia kissed his hair a few times and tightened her arms around him. "For as long as you want, Georgie."
"Forever," George said quietly.
Alicia did not say anything. There wasn't really anything she could say to that without upsetting him. Now was not the right time to talk about the prospect of their future together.
Neither knowing what else to say, they sat in amiable silence for almost five minutes. As she was staring off into space, Alicia spotted Angelina peeking in through the kitchen window. Behind George's back she gave her friend a thumbs up. Angelina returned the gesture then disappeared from view.
"They're coming back inside. Are you sure you're all right? Do you need some more time?"
"Now that you mention it, there is something that I need."
Alicia closed her eyes obligingly and George kissed her. It was tentative and hesitant; almost as if they were worried they'd forgotten how to do it. They quickly got the hang of it and became so lost in the kiss that they didn't hear their friends return.
"Leave 'em alone for ten minutes and they're at it like rabbits," Lee said, causing the couple to reluctantly break apart.
"Rabbits? Since when do rabbits kiss?" Angelina asked.
"It is merely a figure of speech."
"No it's not. Rabbits don't kiss each other. They do other things but they don't kiss."
"And how do you know for sure? They might do it when humans aren't looking," Lee said.
Angelina shook her head smugly. "It isn't even anatomically possible. Rabbits don't have lips and their teeth stick out. If they tried to kiss they'd bite each other or chip their teeth."
"Kissing rabbits," George said quietly, shaking his head in astonishment.
"Nice to see everything's back to normal," Alicia commented, smiling and fixing George's tie.
xxxxx
The wedding ceremony was uneventful by most standards. No accidental magic was done and nobody made an objection. Angelina did, however, snort loudly when her mother promised to 'love, honour and obey' her new husband. Those in the front rows would have heard the bride's maid muttering about a sexist old man who wanted a slave rather than a wife.
Alicia and Katie cried during the ceremony and Fred and George teased them relentlessly about it. Lee was oddly quiet. He spent the entire time staring at the stained glass windows of the church. He obviously had a lot on his mind, but he would not elaborate to his friends or girlfriend.
The wedding reception was being held at Richard's estate. Unfortunately, Alicia only got to spend an hour there before she had to leave. George was not too happy about it.
"Just five more minutes," he pleaded.
They were sitting outside on the edge of a bubbling fountain in Richard's perfectly manicured garden. Alicia squeezed his hand. "I'm already ten minutes late. I have to go before my dad sends out a search party."
"This is completely unfair."
"I know it's difficult, but you need to do what your parents say. Keep out of trouble."
"I'll do my best, baby, but sometimes trouble simply finds me and I can't help it."
Alicia stood up in front of George, holding his face in her hands. "Do me a favour and be a good boy till school goes back?"
"So as soon as the Hogwarts Express leaves Kings Cross I can go back to normal?" George asked, reaching out to grasp her hips.
"Yes, but then I'll be around to keep you in line. Your days of mischief-making are over, Weasley."
"I guess I'll have a new responsibility as the boyfriend of the Head Girl."
Alicia flinched slightly. "Who says I'm going to be Head Girl?"
"I say! There's no way they can overlook you."
"We'll see. Let go of me so I can Disapparate."
"I love you," George said, not relinquishing his grip on her waist.
"I know you do," she said gently, pulling his hands away.
After one last kiss Alicia Disapparated back to her bedroom. She was expecting to find her father waiting for her, instead Jasmine was lying on her bed reading a magazine.
"Jas? Did dad send you in here to wait for me?"
Jasmine glanced away from her magazine for a second. "You're almost fifteen minutes late."
"I know that. Where's dad?"
"Downstairs fighting with mum. Don't worry, for all he knows you got back in time."
"Are they fighting about me?" Alicia asked worriedly. "Is it because I went to the wedding or because I'm dating George?"
"The fight has nothing to do with you. The world does not revolve around you, princess," Jasmine said.
"I'm the princess? Every time you come back from that school you're more petulant and conceited. Your looks will only get you so far."
Jasmine grinned at her older sister. "Only ugly people say things like that."
Alicia threw her a glare. "Get off my bed, you silly little girl."
"Relax. I was only kidding."
"I know that, but it doesn't make you any less annoying." Alicia sat down at her desk and pulled off her shoes. "What are they fighting about then?"
"Me. I told them I was going to Marseilles next week to stay with Jean-Pierre. Dad had a fit of course."
"Who the hell is Jean-Pierre?"
"My sexy French boyfriend," Jasmine answered casually.
Alicia just laughed. "You don't have a 'sexy French boyfriend'."
"I do as of three months ago. He's eighteen and everything!"
Alicia almost fell off her chair. "Eighteen? That's older than me! My God, Jasmine. He's old enough to be your…your older brother!"
"So? He says I'm very mature for my age."
"No you're not! Up until last year you thought the Prime Minister was the Queen's husband!"
"Trust you to think that knowledge of politics is a sign of maturity. Jean-Pierre appreciates me for who I am."
"Oh I bet he does," Alicia snarled. She had a sudden horrible thought. "He hasn't pressured you into anything, has he?"
Jasmine closed her magazine and sat up. "Despite what you think, I'm not stupid Alicia. I know what I'm doing. He knows his boundaries."
"Just make sure he sticks to them."
Jasmine went to the door and paused. "If you're done with the lecture, you had better get ready to go to Erica's place. We leave in an hour."
"I thought we were going for dinner. Why are we leaving so early?"
"Erica insisted on it. Dad reckons she got a promotion."
Jasmine left and Alicia stared out her window. At the mention of a promotion she couldn't help but think about Percy. Would Erica ever do the same thing? If she got high enough in the Ministry would it become necessary to disown her Muggle father?
The very thought made Alicia's skin crawl. It didn't seem likely…but Erica was very ambitious.
xxxxx
The ride over to Erica's flat was understandably quiet. Alicia was hoping that Erica's promotion would make everyone happy again. Unfortunately things were about to get much worse. Her announcement had nothing to do with getting a promotion. In fact, it was the exact opposite.
Alicia knew something was fishy when Erica first answered the door. Alicia found herself wrapped in her sister's arms having the breath squeezed out of her lungs.
"I need to breathe," she wheezed, pushing Erica away.
Erica gave her one last squeeze then let her go. "It's so good to see you, Alicia! How's school? That's good. Oh, Jasmine! You look even prettier than the last time I saw you!"
"Thanks for telling me I'm pretty," Alicia said, rubbing her ribs and scowling.
"Mum, dad!"
Alicia slipped into the flat and stopped dead in her tracks. All the furniture was gone and moving boxes were stacked in neat rows against the far wall.
"You're moving?" Alicia demanded. "You're moving and you didn't tell us?"
"Yes," Erica answered, losing her enthusiasm and avoiding eye contact with everyone.
Alicia saw her father's eyes light up. "You're moving to London to be closer to work."
Ignoring him, Erica rubbed her hands together. "Everything's packed so I thought we'd have pizza for dinner. Doesn't that sound nice?"
"Where are you moving to?" Jasmine asked.
"Perhaps we should all sit down for a moment." Erica waved her wand and summoned some chairs.
"You aren't moving to London, are you?" Alicia said.
Erica waited till everyone was seated then she took a deep breath. "No. I'm moving to Covasna."
This announcement was met with silence.
"Where the hell's that?" Jasmine finally asked. Her mother shushed her.
Alicia heart began to pound. Something was stirring in the back of her mind.
"It's a street in London, isn't it? Near Charing Cross Road?" her father said, more hopeful than certain.
"No."
"Ah, of course. It's near Piccadilly. Or – or Oxford street?"
"It isn't a street in London."
Alicia's memory clicked and she jumped to her feet. "Covasna is nowhere near London. It's in Romania!"
"Romania?"
"It's not just anywhere in Romania either." Alicia smiled at her sister, barely containing her joy. "Covasna is where Charlie Weasley has his dragon sanctuary."
"Charlie Weasley?"
Erica nodded coolly. "I'm moving to Romania to be with Charlie. We're in love."
"Another Weasley?" Alicia's father exclaimed. "First I find out that Alicia is dating the twins, now you're running off with the dragon boy."
Alicia rolled her eyes. "Dad, I'm dating a twin, not both of them. Angelina is going out with Fred. I've got the sane one."
"You and George!" Erica said excitedly. "That's wonderful. I was wondering when you would get your act together."
"Took almost as long as you and Charlie," Alicia remarked.
Natalie Spinnet, ever astute, was getting an odd vibe from her daughter. "Where is Charlie?"
Erica's smile faltered and she avoided her mother's gaze. "Oh, he's back in Romania. He was supposed to be here, but something came up."
"Are you sure the French fellow you're seeing isn't a Weasley as well?" Alicia's father asked Jasmine.
"Yes, but I could chuck him and get myself a Weasley boy if that would make you happy. Bill's pretty hot."
"Don't start trouble, Jasmine."
Alicia pulled Erica away from the rest of the family to have a private talk. She had a sneaking suspicion that Charlie wasn't really in Romania. He was probably hiding out with the rest of the family.
"How long have you officially been with Charlie?"
Erica smiled a little shyly. "Almost a year now. What about you?"
"Six months. I saw George earlier today for the first time since school finished," Alicia said, lowering her voice.
Getting the hint, Erica glanced back at their parents then pushed Alicia into the kitchen. "How is George?"
"I think he's all right. It was a little hard to tell. Uh…is Charlie really at the safe house?"
Erica suddenly grabbed Alicia's arm excitedly. "You know about the Order?"
"What's the Order?" Alicia asked.
"Oh. Never mind." Erica rubbed her eyes and sniffled. "Forget I said anything."
"Are you crying?" Alicia hissed. Something was definitely going on. Once again she was being kept out of it. "What's wrong, Erica?"
"I've been dying to talk to someone about it and I thought you would know. But…oh God, I'm so terrified something will happen to him."
"Who?" Alicia demanded loudly. "Are you talking about George?"
"No! It's Charlie!" Erica began to cry in earnest and clutched Alicia's arm tighter. "He's a part of it and he asked me to join, but I said no. I don't know if I did the right thing."
Alicia, seeing her chance to finally get some answers, took her distraught sister's hand. "I really want to help you, but you'll have to tell me more. You know you can trust me."
Erica considered this for a second then nodded. Just as she opened her mouth, Natalie Spinnet walked into the kitchen and Erica threw herself at her confused mother.
"Oh dear, what happened?"
Erica could only sob incoherently so Alicia answered for her as best she could. "We were talking about George and Charlie when she started to cry. She mentioned something about an Order. Also, Charlie's a part of something that she isn't and she's worried."
Alicia watched in utter bemusement as her mother took Erica's face in her hands and looked her in the eye. "They asked you and Charlie to join?"
"Join what?" Alicia asked, trying to get her mother's attention. "What's the Order? What does George have to do with any of this?"
Erica appeared not to have heard any of the questions in her current frazzled state. "Charlie and I were meant to start our life together. What will I do if something happens to him? I think I should be there right beside him through this. I feel like I have a duty to follow him now. I just wish I knew what to do!"
"Everything will be fine," her mother said soothingly. "Let's go to your room to talk privately. Alicia, you can order the pizza and make sure dad and Jasmine don't disturb us."
"But Erica was about to tell me what was going on," Alicia protested.
"She can't tell you anything and you mustn't push her about it. Trust me, it is better that you remain ignorant."
"If it has something to do with George then I have a right to know!"
"Unfortunately this is bigger than you and George. It's bigger than any of us. I want you to leave it well alone."
Alicia nodded complacently. She wasn't going to get anything further out of her mother or sister, but she wasn't going to give up either. At that moment, Alicia made a vow to get to the bottom of whatever was going on.
xxxxx
As Alicia snooped around, George and Fred were being introduced to a whole new world. The war against You-Know-Who had been brought to their doorstep and all of a sudden the world was a threatening place. To make matters worse, people they cared about were in danger and they couldn't warn them about it.
"I'm going to tell Angelina about all of it," Fred proclaimed.
It was the day before they were due to go back to Hogwarts and the twins were in their room. George was reading through some of the letters Alicia had sent him. Fred was supposed to be working out a price list for their products, but obviously his mind wasn't on the job.
George sighed, carefully folding up Alicia's latest letter. "We've been through this, Fred. You can't mention anything to anybody. We promised mum we'd keep quiet."
"We also promised we'd quit making joke items," Fred pointed out. "Besides, you can't seriously tell me that you aren't going to tell Spinnet everything. I was surprised you didn't already tell her at the wedding."
"I plan on keeping my promise, thank you very much. I suggest you do the same."
"You think you're going to be able to keep something from Spinnet? When it comes to secrets she's like a shark sensing blood. She'll immediately know that you're keeping something important from her."
"I've told you to stop calling her Spinnet. Don't compare her to animals either," George said tersely. "Look, I wish I could tell her, but I know she'll be safer if I keep her out of it. Angelina will also be a lot better off if she doesn't know what's actually going on."
"You're probably right," Fred conceded. "I just know that she's going to find out about the Order eventually. When she realises I lied to her she'll have my balls in a vice. Literally. She found a hex, you know."
George winced. "As unpleasant as that sounds, we can't tell anyone. Not even Lee this time. They'll be a lot happier not knowing that we're about to wage war against one of the darkest wizards of all time."
Fred slipped the Wheezes product list beneath his mattress and stood up. "Well, I give it a week before Spinnet has ripped the truth from you like a ravenous she-wolf."
"I told you not to do that!" George grabbed the nearest object he could and hurled it in his brother's direction. Fred dodged the flying book with a laugh and Apparated.
For the rest of the day, George couldn't get the conversation out of his head. Even at the celebratory dinner for Hermione and Ron, he was running through what Fred had predicted. Would Alicia be able to tell that he was keeping something major from her? How angry would she be about it?
George was to get his answer the very next day. After arriving at platform nine and three-quarters with Lupin and Ginny, Fred and George spotted Lee going into the fourth carriage of the Hogwarts Express. They said their goodbyes to everyone and hopped on the train.
"I bet Angelina's ten times hotter than she was when we saw her at the wedding," Fred commented as they headed for the fourth carriage.
"Hopefully she's happier as well."
"Well, she stayed with Katie and Alicia so she wouldn't have to go and live with her stepfather. That should have improved her mood."
"What's she going to do when school is over?" George asked as they began looking into the compartments.
"Play professional Quidditch. She says she isn't going to spend so much as one night at Richard's house. I don't know how she thinks she's going to manage that."
"Have you told her that we're looking for a premises in Diagon Alley?"
"No. Have you told Spinnet?"
"Not yet," George admitted reluctantly. Poking his head into another compartment, he found a group of giggling Hufflepuff girls. "That's the whole carriage done. They must be in the last compartment."
Just as they got to the last compartment, the door slid open and Alicia came bustling out. She slid to an abrupt halt in front of Fred, who was in the lead.
"Running out before greeting your boyfriend? I thought you'd have a lot of catching up to do since you haven't seen him in over a month," Fred said icily. "Tsk, tsk, Alicia. Keep that up and George'll find someone else."
"Do us all a favour and shut up," George snapped, pushing his brother aside.
"I was going to wait for you," Alicia said hurriedly. "I swear, George. I just really need to go to the prefect carriage."
George smiled easily. "Don't worry about it. I understand that the Head Girl can't be late for meetings."
Fred made a gagging noise. "Oh no. Please tell me they didn't. More power will just corrupt you."
Alicia opened her jacket to flash her regular old prefect badge. "Well, you'll be pleased to know that I am not Head Girl. I got a letter saying that they gave the position to Meenal Romano."
"That's just – it's even – but you're…" George stammered indignantly.
"Man, even I thought you were a shoe-in to get the job. Tough luck, Spinnet." Fred clapped her on the shoulder then slipped past her into the compartment where he was greeted with a squeal from Angelina.
"I have to get to the front of the train," Alicia said, awkwardly sidling away.
"Wait, I'll walk you there." George dragged his trunk into the compartment and said a quick hello to everyone before re-joining Alicia in the corridor.
As the Hogwarts Express chugged along, the couple stared at each other for a moment. People pushed past them in search of an empty compartment, but neither made a move. A month and a half wasn't technically a long time, but it was long enough for two people to change. George noticed a change straight away.
"You've been out in the sun," he observed.
Alicia blushed slightly and tucked a curl behind her ear. "How can you tell?"
He tapped her on the nose. "New freckles."
"Yeah, I spent a lot of time outside in the last three weeks. Angelina insisted we do some Quidditch practice to get back in the swing." Alicia carefully looked him up and down. "You don't look like you've seen much sun at all."
"I've been indoors a lot," George said. "Apart from that I still look the same?"
"No. Your hair is longer and darker." Alicia tilted her head and lowered her eyes. "And you've filled out quite a bit."
"I'm fat, you mean?"
"No. You're just…different."
"Different good or different bad?"
"Good," Alicia said immediately. "Definitely good."
"Ha. My girlfriend fancies me," George teased.
"No I don't. You may fancy yourself, but no one else around here does."
"You're blushing."
"That's sunburn," Alicia dismissed.
"Alicia Spinnet wants me," George said loudly.
Alicia rolled her eyes. "Keep your voice down."
She walked away and George allowed himself a smile. It seemed she was finally beginning to notice him as more than a childhood friend. She actually appeared to be attracted to him. Wonders would never cease.
"Slow down, Leesh," George said, hurrying after her. "Did they say why you weren't made Head Girl?"
"No. I guess Meenal was just a better candidate."
"Impossible. We both know you were perfect for the job. You've got the grades, the respect, the flawless behaviour…you were totally robbed."
Alicia obviously didn't want to talk about it any further because she changed the subject without warning. "Did Ron hear from Hermione and Harry? Were they pleased when they got their prefect badges?"
George snorted. "Hermione was naturally ecstatic and Harry isn't a prefect. Someone else got it."
Alicia gasped. "But he's Harry Potter! Do you know which boy they gave it to? It better not be Neville Longbottom. He'll constantly lose his badge and forget to come to meetings. Is it Neville?"
George grinned as he imagined the look on her face when she found out it was Ron. "I'm not going to tell you. It'll be much better if it's a surprise."
"Georgie…"
"I'm sure you can wait a minute to find out for yourself."
"Fine, be horrible. Lucky for you, we're almost at the prefect carriage anyway. The meeting will take a while so you'd be better off going back to our compartment."
"And be forced to watch the others snog? No thanks. I'll wait around for you. I can introduce myself to first years and talk to old friends."
Alicia paused at the door to the first carriage and turned back to him. "No making trouble. Seriously, there's a carriage full of over-zealous new prefects in here. No pranks on the train," she said sternly.
"What are you going to do if I break your little rule, miss prefect?" George asked, stepping closer to her and grabbing her waist.
"Have you expelled of course. That's the only way to deal with unruly students."
"I see. And what are you going to do if I obey your rule?"
Alicia brushed her lips lightly against his then pulled back. "If you do as I say I may just reward you later."
"That sounds excellent, but what if I can't wait any longer."
"I suppose I could give you half now and half later."
They shared a small kiss in the corridor. The small kiss turned into a big kiss and neither heard anyone approach.
"Excuse me?"
George pulled away slowly, prepared to yell at whoever had interrupted their happy reunion. When he saw it was Hermione and Ron, he plastered a huge smile on his face. "Oh, I'm sorry. Were we breaking some rules, Hermione?"
"Er, I don't know," she said, obviously running through all the rules she could remember. "I know that students can't kiss in corridors at school. I'm not sure about-"
"There's no rule against kissing on the Hogwarts Express," Alicia interrupted crisply. "I was just saying goodbye to George. Go on through to the meeting."
Alicia stepped back and both Hermione and Ron walked past her. George stifled a laugh as Alicia grabbed Ron's arm and said, "Only prefects are allowed in that carriage."
"I know that," Ron said, throwing a glare at George as if it was his fault.
"You're going to have to wait out here for Hermione. Don't worry, she won't be long."
Ron twisted away indignantly. "You don't understand-"
"Come on, Ron, if George can stand to be away from me for a while, you can tear yourself away from Hermione's side."
Alicia smiled kindly as Ron's ears turned pink and Hermione blushed. George was barely able to contain himself at this point. "You heard her, Ronniekins. This carriage is only for prefects. Give Hermione a kiss then go away."
"Shut up."
"Didn't anyone tell you who the other Gryffindor fifth year prefect was?" Hermione asked Alicia.
"No. Why are you making that ridiculous face, George?"
"Because I'm the other prefect and he thinks it's hilarious!" Ron said, pulling his badge out of his pocket.
George finally burst out laughing as Alicia snatched the badge from Ron's hand and examined its authenticity. It passed the test. "Oh congratulations, Ron!"
"If you say so," he muttered, taking his badge back.
George slapped his brother on the back. "You better pin that to your shirt or no one in there will believe you."
Alicia gave George a reproaching look before turning back to Ron. "Your mum must be so proud. If Ginny gets a badge next year it will be a family tradition."
"Hey, what about Fred and me? Has everyone forgotten that we're part of the family?"
"You're very forgettable, George. You know, there will be so many more opportunities open to you when you leave school, Ron. You won't believe how influential that little badge can be." Alicia took Ron's badge back. "I'll pin your badge on for you. Would you me to pin it on? I think I'll pin it on for you. Hold still."
"I think she fancies you, Ronnie," George said in a stage whisper.
"Ignore him," Alicia advised. "You know, a Hogwarts prefect badge will all but guarantee you a job at the Ministry."
Ron, looking unimpressed, embarrassed and annoyed, pushed his way through to the prefect carriage. Hermione, however, looked intrigued. "Do you mean any department of the Ministry?"
"Most of them. I heard all sorts of stories form my older sister. There's even a rumour that sometimes a Hogwarts prefect won't even need to attend an interview."
"Wow. What about Head Girls?" Hermione asked.
"Bye, Alicia," George said cheerfully.
"What? Oh. Bye, George," she said distractedly. "Well, I know that last year's Head Girl actually had people sending her job offers!"
George shook his head fondly as Alicia and Hermione disappeared. Alicia definitely deserved to be Head Girl. He couldn't understand why she didn't get the position.
xxxxx
One of the longest running jokes at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was that the Defence Against the Dark Arts teaching position was cursed. Knowing what had happened to the last four professors, George could not fathom why anyone would take the job. The only explanation was that this new Umbridge woman was insane. Later, in the common room George mentioned his theory to his friends.
"Yeah, just think about it. She's walked right into a curse!" Fred insisted, backing his twin up.
"Curses don't exist," Katie said.
"Yeah? Go and tell that to Bill. He breaks curses all the time in Egypt," George replied smugly.
"Well, I don't know about the woman's sanity, but she definitely isn't normal. I didn't think it was possible to find a teacher who looked freakier than Moody, but Dumbledore managed to do it." Angelina yawned and stretched her arms above her head. "I'm going to bed. Gotta get up early to find out who the new Quidditch captain will be."
"As if it will be anyone but you," Fred said, speaking everyone's minds.
"Be quiet or you'll jinx it."
"Wait, Ang, I'll come up with you," Katie said, kissing Lee quickly on the cheek then jumping to her feet. "Are you coming, Leesh?"
"Can't. I have to do midnight patrols now that I'm a senior prefect. I'm going to wait down here for half an hour."
Angelina and Katie left and Fred smiled simperingly at Alicia. "Midnight patrols? Excellent. Let me know when your next patrol is so I can take a little late-night trip to the kitchens."
Alicia smiled back just as sweetly. "Don't even think about it, Frederick. If you take so much as one step outside this Tower after curfew I'll send you to McGonagall so fast that your head will spin."
"I'm very disappointed in you, Spinnet. I thought threats were below you. Wouldn't want to stoop to my level, would you? Tell me, how do things look from up there on that pedestal?"
Alicia narrowed her eyes and flared her nostrils. Her mouth opened just as George slammed his hand over it. "Leave it alone. I wish you two would quit going at each other. It isn't very pleasant when the two people I care most about in the world can't stop bickering."
"He cares more about me because I'm his twin," Fred sneered.
Alicia made indignant noises from behind George's hand, but he managed to restrain her. "Look, just go up to our room, Fred."
"Fine. Lee, let's go."
Lee jumped slightly at the sound of his name. "Huh? What did you say?"
Fred grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up. "What the hell's wrong with you? You've been staring at a blank space on the wall for the past hour."
"I've just been thinking. Hey, where'd Katie go?"
Fred sighed and gave the pensive announcer an exasperated look. "She's already gone to bed. Jeez, you're acting like a nutter. You better stop thinking so much or you'll do some permanent damage."
After throwing Alicia one last nasty look, Fred pushed Lee towards the boys' staircase. George removed his hand from Alicia's mouth. "Sorry about that. You know what he's like when he gets started."
"I just wish I knew what his bloody problem is!"
"Can't you tell? You're normally so perceptive. The problem is that Fred knows that we're growing apart and he's trying to stop it."
"You and Fred aren't growing apart," Alicia said, sliding closer to him now that they were alone.
George put his arm around her and pulled her even closer. "Yes we are. It's been happening since we started at Hogwarts. It used to be the two of us before Lee came along. We could cope with that, but then Fred fell for Angelina and I became best friends with you. Suddenly we were spending time apart and developing separate interests. It was bound to happen sometime. Unfortunately Fred has opted to blame you for it."
"I didn't mean to take you away from him," she said quietly.
"You didn't lead me away like a puppy dog. I'm capable of making my own decisions."
Alicia turned her head and pressed her lips to his jaw. "I know and I didn't mean it like that. I just don't want to be responsible for creating tension between you and Fred. The two of you need each other too much."
"Yeah, but I happen to need you as well. Don't worry about any of it. I can handle Fred and all you have to do is try not to provoke him."
"I think I provoke him simply when I breathe."
"Well, you are a irritatingly loud breather."
"I thought you'd appreciate a little heavy breathing," Alicia whispered.
George gasped in mock outrage. "That's a thoroughly improper thing for a senior prefect to say. You ought to be ashamed of yourself."
"Strangely I'm not ashamed. It must be your bad influence finally taking hold."
"Let's see just how corrupted you've become."
Alicia grinned and turned her head to kiss him. She was normally content to sit back and let him kiss her, but this time around she took control. George allowed himself to be pushed back till he was lying on the sofa and she was stretched out on top of him. Much to his surprise she even let his hands wander further than they ever had before.
Alicia stopped kissing him and placed a hand on either side of his head to prop herself up. She smiled down at him proudly. "Feeling all right?"
"You're cheating on me, aren't you?"
"No! Where would you get a ridiculous idea like that?"
"You're just being very…friendly all of a sudden. You've either done something wrong or you want me to do you a favour."
Alicia pouted. "Aren't I allowed to want to kiss my gorgeous boyfriend?"
"Yes, but you've never jumped me in the common room before. No offence, but you're a bit of a prude."
"No I'm not! I can have very loose morals when I feel like it," she said fiercely. "Would a prude do this?"
Alicia sat back so that she was straddling his hips. She shrugged off her school robes then pulled off her tie. George watched as she very slowly undid the top two buttons of her blouse. Looking very satisfied, she winked at him.
George raised his eyebrows. "Two buttons? That's it? That's all you got?"
"Hey, this is plenty!"
"Sorry, love, but you make McGonagall look like a scarlet woman."
"Take that back," Alicia demanded.
George skimmed his hands up her sides and tickled her. She immediately began to giggle and beg him to stop. "I'll only stop if you admit that you're a prude."
"Ok, I'm a prude! Stop it!"
George stopped and rested his hands on her thighs. "There, doesn't it feel better to be yourself?"
"Oh, just you wait, George Weasley. One day I'm going to unprudify myself then you're going to be in for it."
George reached up to pinch her on the cheek. "I sincerely look forward to the day you 'unprudify' yourself. It probably won't take very long. I managed to see up your skirt when you were wriggling about."
"No you didn't."
"Pink cotton knickers."
Alicia pursed her lips momentarily. "Lucky guess."
"If you say so. Are you going to get off me or are you going to tell me what you want?"
A stealthy smile meandered across Alicia's lips. "Ah, now that you mention it…"
"What can I do for you?"
"You can talk to me about the Order."
George's eyes widened slightly, but he made no other indication that he knew what she was talking about. He was proud that he managed to keep his facial expression neutral. "I don't know what you're talking about, Alicia."
"Yes you do. When I mentioned the Order every muscle in your body tensed. Don't try to deny it because I'm sitting on you and I felt you seize up. I got you this time."
Considering what was at stake, George understandably began to panic. "Alicia, please don't-"
"Relax. You won't get in any trouble. Erica has already told me all about the Order."
George tried to sit up quickly. That was news to him. "What? How does she know anything about it?"
Alicia climbed off him and sat on the sofa. She folded her hands in her lap and tilted her head as if they were just having an innocent conversation about the weather. "Charlie told her. Didn't you hear that she's going to live with him?"
"Yes, but she…ok. This is crazy." George rubbed his hands over his face and tried to think clearly. He might end up regretting it later, but there was really only one thing he could do. "If you want to talk about the Order then let's talk about it."
Alicia's eyes lit up. "Good, let's have a grown up conversation about it." She leant towards George and watched him closely as she said, "So, it was pretty clever of Dumbledore to organise the whole thing."
"Yep," was the only reply he offered.
Undeterred, she continued along the same lines. "Now everything's finally in place for the attack."
"Hopefully."
"I guess he gave the Order at just the right time."
George just managed to resist a smile. Alicia obviously had no idea about the Order of the Phoenix. He was safe. "Yeah," he replied, going along with her.
"I bet dozens of people have been waiting for him to give the Order against You-Know-Who."
"Probably."
Alicia clenched her teeth and made an irritated noise in the back of her throat. "This is not a conversation! You have to say more than one word at a time for this to be a conversation."
"I agree that this isn't a conversation. It's a fishing expedition. You're fishing for information."
"So the Order isn't a command or a call to arms?" Alicia asked.
"No comment." George shook his head gently. "You might be twice as smart as me, but I'm not dumb. Did you really think you could trick me into telling you?"
"That was Plan A. Plan B was to seduce you into telling me."
George reached across and did up the buttons on her blouse. "We both know that wouldn't work, Prudence Prudestein."
"Don't call me that. I could seduce you if wanted to – I just don't feel like it at the moment."
"Sure, Virgin Mary." He grabbed her tie off the floor and slipped it over her head.
Alicia slapped his hands away and tightened her own tie. "That's it, I'm going to find a boyfriend who doesn't call me names."
"Good luck with that, Prude McPrudester."
She narrowed her eyes in annoyance and pulled on her robes. "You're so immature. You're not the only person here who knows about the Order. I'll trick Ron into telling me."
"I think Plan B would be much more effective with Ron. Undo one button and he'll sing like a canary."
"Gross, George."
"You could always go straight to the source. Dumbledore might appreciate Plan B."
"Are you trying to make me sick?" Alicia hissed.
George grinned and kissed her quickly on the lips. "Are you terribly angry with me?"
Alicia scrunched up her face, trying to muster some anger. She sighed when she got nothing. "You're just lucky you're so very good-looking."
"Thanks, mayor of Prudetown." Alicia punched him on the arm and he laughed. "Ok. I promise that was the absolute last one."
Alicia stood up and ran her hands down her robes to smooth out the wrinkles. "Well, I may be a prude, but I managed to get a reaction from you. I know you were hoping I wouldn't notice, but I did. It was a little hard not to. Go and take a cold shower and be thankful that I've decided to leave the Order business alone. Hope you sleep well."
"You know that I'm not going to sleep well at all."
She ruffled his hair apologetically. "And I'd love to stay and help you out but the Prudetown elections are coming up. I won't be re-elected as mayor if I get caught in a sex scandal."
George jumped up. "I was only joking about the whole prude thing. You have no morals or self-respect at all."
"Goodnight." Alicia kissed him on the forehead then left to do her patrol.
"I'll never know how she manages to do that to me. Having a smart girlfriend sucks," George muttered to the empty common room.
A/N: Ah. They're so darn cute together. Ok, I'm going to make you a genuine Jagged Epiphany Promise (worthless, but much sought after) that the next chapter will be out before HBP is. The next one will be a lot more exciting. Expect more weirdness from Lee, Quidditch madness, Wheezes, blood, pissed off Angelina…and a major confrontation between Fred and Alicia. Relations between them are already stretched, but this time around it explodes. You're going to have to brace yourselves for this one. Meanwhile
…The Countdown Rolls On…
…Four Chapters To Go…
No refund available for unfulfilled Promises.