"Christ, I'm glad that's over."
"The ceremony or Hogwarts in general?"
"Hogwarts…just wasn't the same without Fred…" the wistfulness in Angelina's voice was apparent and she knew that of all people Alicia would understand. She had been the one who stayed up nights with Angelina, held her when missing Fred became too overwhelming. They were on their last train ride back to Platform 9 ¾ and Angelina was almost spare with anticipation. It had been months since she had seen that hair or counted the freckles on his nose…
"Oi! Ange I asked you if you were ready to start up at the ministry?" Alicia said snapping her fingers.
"Enh, I don't think so. I'm kinda hoping that I'll get picked up by a quidditch team or travel or something. I mean the way the ministry's been acting I won't have anything to do with them."
"Amen to that." Lee Jordan, who was dozing behind his curtain of dreadlocks next to Alicia, took this as an opportunity to chime in.
"Yeah Lee, like your one to talk with your cushy job at daddy's office, I mean the WWN has been very friendly to Fudge and his stories." Lee's dad controlled a majority of the shares at the WWN, a sore spot with Angelina considering the negative spin the network was putting out these days. "Besides, I thought you were gonna move in with the twins and help out with the Shop."
"Nah, Dad really doesn't really want me to as he says 'waste anymore time,' I'm sure the guys will be able to manage without me."
"Oh Angelina you should have them hire you!"
"Smashing idea Leesh! Who else, I mean besides me of course, could keep up with those two." Lee offered.
"Besides it could be a lot of fun and at least keep you occupied until you figure out what you really want to do."
Looking back and forth between Alicia and Lee eagerly planning out the rest of her life made Angelina take in the lingering essence that was her childhood. Voldemort was back, of this they were all certain, but they were determined to continue their lives as best they could.
Her own reverie had sent Lee back to his nap and Alicia to her issue of the Quibbler. Angelina could do nothing but snuggle on her bench and watch the scenery change. All the while knowing that every meter that passed brought her one meter closer to the real world, the world that Fred was now a part of.
The noise of homesick first years clamoring to exit the train made Angelina jump up. Catching her reflection in the window, the 'I just spent the past hour against the windowpane drooling with my mouth open look' just wasn't acceptable. In a flurry she began to pinch her cheeks and comb fingers through her hair.
"He's not going to care you know." The voice was Lee's. "I actually heard him say once that you were hottest to him right after Quidditch practice…even with the sweat."
At this Angelina had to smile. While George's taste has always run toward delicate, fey creatures, Fred actually found her, in all her tomboyish glory, attractive, which was a fact she never really understood.
"Thanks Lee, you better make sure to visit us on Diagon Alley."
"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss the twins begging me for air time for anything."
"I guess this means you'll be at the joke shop then?" Alicia asked while she made for her purse.
"If they'll have me." Angelina shrugged her shoulders and made for the platform, but had she lingered longer she would have seen the conspiratorial look that passed between Lee and Alicia.
The first people she saw when she stepped off the train were her parents. Her parents, of course, were not easily missed: her father, a well-built 6'2 coach for the Hollyhead Harpies easing graciously into middle-age and her gorgeous muggle mother, whose looks still had the ability to make men drool. Colin and Tessa Johnson were a striking couple and damn fine parents if Angelina had anything to say about it. Just as she was about to shout a quick hello, she noticed a flash of red standing next to her father and for a brief second the world paused.
There he was all 6'0 of him, all 32 nose freckles, the muscular arms that had saved her from a bludger beating more times than she could count. His clothing was simple: jeans, a muggle T-shirt but they were definitely new. His hair, that hair she could spend hours playing in, was everywhere just as she liked it. His face was caught up in a great laugh and for all she cared laughing and Frederick Brighton Weasley might as well have been synonymous.
As she approached, yet unnoticed by the trio that consisted of the three most important people in her life, she caught snippets of Fred telling the story of his and George's early departure from Hogwarts. Her father was heartily enjoying it and just as Fred said 'Give him hell for us Peeves," Angelina's mother finally caught sight of her.
"Oh look Colin there she is! Our Hogwarts graduate!"
"I don't think so, that beautiful woman walking towards us couldn't possibly be my little Angelina." Colin's voice boomed as he was the first to reach her, enveloping her in the bear hug that was like coming home.
"Hey dad!" and after he released her she moved into the embrace of her mother "Mmmm…mum, I've really missed you guys."
"My girl, best damn captain Gryffindor ever had!"
"I don't know about all that Dad."
"Are you kidding, honey, I mean I may have no head for quidditch as your father likes to remind me almost everyday…but with the teams you had….the losses….and still pulling out the Quidditch Cup! Even I know that's something."
"Couldn't have said it better myself Tessa."
"Me neither." It was the first time he had spoken; she had almost forgotten he was there…well almost. Since her father had hugged her, she had felt his eyes on her. He was being polite and waiting his turn, very un-Fred like.
"Zounds, here we've been chattering on and on about how much we've missed you and your friend, who has come all the way from Diagon Alley just to welcome you back…"
"Diagon Alley is but a few blocks from here Tessa." Colin interjected.
"…You're father and I will collect your things and see you back at home."
"She's not coming with us?"
"Oh don't be such a mollycoddler Colin! Angie can take of herself."
"I'll be on my best behavior sir."
"You'd better be Mr. Weasley, see you back at home darling." Colin shot a wary look at Fred, kissed his daughter on the forehead and went on in search of her trunks.
"Well…Fred lovely to have seen you again and make sure your mother sends me that recipe for Baked Alaska."
"Will do Mrs. Johnson."
"Please Fred its Tessa and Angelina make sure to thank this young man properly." With a coquettish wink she was gone, disappearing into the crowd.
"I forgot how hot your mom is! If that's how good you're going to look in 25 years it's a good thing I snapped you up now."
"Nice to see you again too, Fred."
"Looking good Angel."
"Not too bad yourself…I can't believe it has been months since I last saw you: flying away from me into the sunset, a legendary moment in Hogwarts History that I actually got to witness."
"So it is going to make it into the next edition, George and I were wondering." His smirk, so self-assured made her remember just how much she had missed him. "Do you think your parents are gone yet?"
"Pretty sure."
"Good…I've been waiting weeks to do this." With that his hands were in her hair, his lips had fused with her own, each of them savoring the taste of reunion, living the real version of the fantasy that had kept them sane through their weeks apart.
"Oi…the whole bloody platform doesn't want to watch you swallow your bird's face."
"Stuff it Ron, if you finally did the same thing to Hermione all of Hogwarts would thank you!" Satisfactorily putting his errant brother back into his place, Fred turned his attention back to Angelina.
"Now where were we exactly?" As he bent to kiss her again, she deftly evaded him spinning around so that her back was to him. He responded by putting his arms around her waist. "What's all this about?"
"I don't know Fred... I don't think I'll ever quite forgive you for leaving me the way you did." He knew she was playing with him; he had been prepared for this.
"Come with me." He led her to a less populous area of the terminal. "Angel I never left you, not for a second. How could I when you were haunting my every waking moment even my dreams?"
Her facial expression belied her surprise. She watched as Fred went into his pocket and pulled out two photos.
"I always kept you guys close to my heart, just because I left early doesn't mean that I didn't miss the place." He had the Gryffindor Quidditch Team photo in his hand, taken before everything had gone so downhill so quickly. Katie and Alicia were down front, cross-legged holding the quaffle between them. Harry and Ron were down on knee on either side of them, behind them standing Angelina and the twins. George was making to thwack someone with his bat. Angelina was beaming, proudly sporting her captain's badge, while her photo-self we ever mindful of her errant boyfriend sneaking his arm about her waist, his eyes winking at the camera.
"And if I ever got tired of looking at that one, I always had my back-up." The second photo was just Fred and Angie at the Yule Ball from sixth year. It was an action shot of the two of them wildly dancing to the Weird Sisters. It had always been Angie's favorite picture of them as memories of that night still brought a smile to her face.
"Well I never would have expected this from you Fred, but you're pulling this whole romantic thing off rather well."
"I wouldn't get used to it, but when a bloke can't see his girl for weeks, he has to be prepared."
"Yeah well, hopefully you'll be seeing a bit more of me in the coming months."
"Oh really?"
"Well I was kind of hoping you'd hire me down at the shop."
"Why Miss Johnson, I never figured you for the jokes business."
"It'd just be for awhile, you know until I figure out what I want to do."
"Sure we'd love to have you, we've even got an extra bedroom in the flat upstairs. When do you want to start?"
She smiled. "Yesterday."