First fic I've written in quite some time, so I'm probably a little rusty. Had fun returning to this pairing!

Based on a prompt from the WWW Facebook group: "Don't go on that date."/"Why?"/"Because it will kill me if you do."

Word count: 940


Something More

The sight of Katie Bell wearing a dress stopped George right in his tracks. Aside from the Yule Ball, he couldn't recall a single time that he had seen her in a dress. She was much more comfortable in tracksuits and oversized Quidditch apparel, as far as he knew.

She hadn't noticed him yet, so he stood in the little hallway leading to the flat's living room and watched as she smoothed out nonexistent wrinkles with her hands. She was nervous about something, he realized. He would just have to find out what.

"Is the world ending?" he teased, striding into the room. He tried not to notice how the shiny black garment hugged her in all the right places. This was his best friend, for Merlin's sake.

"George!" she exclaimed, rushing over to hug him. "I am so glad you're home. Fred said you'd be here soon but I just got so nervous I couldn't wait to change—"

"Slow down, Katie," he said, laughing. "Change for what?"

"My date tonight," Katie said breathlessly.

George felt an odd sensation then. It was almost as if his heart had dropped into his stomach. "You have a date?"

Katie rolled her eyes. "Don't sound so surprised, George. I may spend a lot of time with you and Fred but I do alright in the dating department."

"Yeah?" George hoped that he didn't sound too interested. "You haven't mentioned any other dates recently."

"Well, this is my first in a while," his friend admitted. She cleared her throat. "Do I, erm, look alright?"

George thought for a moment. If he was being fully honest, she looked absolutely stunning, but that didn't seem like the right thing to say in this situation. "You look...very nice," he managed.

He watched as Katie's cheeks turned slightly pink. "Thanks. The dress was Angie's idea. You don't think it's too much?"

"If you give the poor bloke a heart attack, I guess you'll know, eh?" George joked.

Katie smacked his arm lightly. "Shut up."

"Who is this guy, anyway, Katie?" he asked. He waggled his eyebrows at her. "Anyone I know?"

"No," Katie replied, and George felt inexplicable relief wash over him. "He's just a bloke I met at the Leaky Cauldron."

"I see." George kept his tone light, but inwardly, he was experiencing a whirlwind of emotions spurred by the realization that he fancied his best friend. Just his luck, really.

Katie pulled a pair of heels out of her purse and eyed them dubiously. "Think I'll be able to manage in heels?"

"Dunno," George muttered. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers and tried to quell the turmoil in his mind. Katie didn't seem to notice as she pulled on the shoes and got shakily to her feet.

"There!" she announced, sounding unabashedly triumphant.

George glanced at her and offered a quick smile. "Great."

Now Katie held her wand and a small compact in her hands. "Angie thought maybe a bit of makeup would do me some good, but I was never good at those sorts of spells..."

George knew very little about makeup, aside from the joke types he and Fred stocked at the shop, so he merely shrugged. "Couldn't you ask Angie for help?"

Katie shook her head. "She's got Quidditch practice. And Alicia's off somewhere with the latest bloke she's been shagging. You're all I've got."

"Well, I'm not sure I'll be much help in the makeup department," George said.

Katie let out a giggle. "No, I know. I just...I just really appreciate you letting me get ready here."

"Right." George looked on as she tapped her wand to her face and added some color to her lips and eyelids.

"I guess that will do," she said, tucking her wand and compact back into her purse before glancing at the clock on the wall. "Oh, would you look at the time—"

"Katie, wait," George said suddenly. He rocked back on his heels and took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Don't go on that date."

Katie frowned. "Why not?"

"I don't think you know enough about him," was George's evasive reply. Seeing that she didn't look convinced, he reluctantly added, "And because...because it will kill me if you do."

His best friend stared at him. "Why would it—"

"Because you're my best friend, Katie," he said, his tone earnest. "You're my best friend, and you're also more than that. You're the only person outside of my family that knows me beyond 'the funny bloke.' You get me, and I enjoy spending time with you. All this time we've been friends, but we could have been so much more."

To his surprise, Katie burst out laughing. "Oh, well done, George. You almost had me!"

"No, I'm not joking—"

"Always the prankster—"

"Katie, listen to me," George pleaded. "I'm not having you on, I'm serious!"

Katie's smile faltered. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, I do." George stepped closer and took her hands in his. His eyes scanned hers, willing her to believe him. "I should've—I know my timing's lousy—"

"Yeah, it is," Katie huffed. "I wish you had said something sooner!"

George cocked his head at her. "Why?"

"Because you're more than a best friend to me too," Katie said softly.

George grinned at her. He felt like a loon, but he didn't care. Several moments passed as the two of them looked into each other's eyes.

"Uh, George?" Katie said at last.

"Yeah?"

"Don't you think you should kiss me or something?"

"Oh, right." George leaned forward, cupped her face in his hands, and did just that.