"Potterwatch" Chapter 1:

Fidelity

I never loved nobody fully
Always one foot on the ground
And by protecting my heart truly
I got lost in the sounds

Angelina decided she wanted to stick around Diagon Alley and help fight because the only thing worse to her than feeling scared and alone was feeling useless. So here she was, doing the heartbreaking work of gathering up information from and for Muggle families in regard to their Muggleborn children. She felt it eased the tension in the back of so many minds, including her own, to at least give some word about how loved ones were doing. After gathering her information, she would hand it over to George. Angelina was offered a spot on the show, but she felt George's voice was more suited for delicate words.

She clutched the secret missive delivered by Justin Finch-Fletchly asking them to tell his mother he was well and to get some word about her and their family for the broadcast. It was getting dark as she knocked on the door of the Finch-Fletchly home.

A very small, thin woman with pale skin and round eyes answered the door.

"I'm Raven, I have word from your finch," She whispered. The woman let her inside immediately. There was a tense silence in the grand, stainless steel kitchen as Mrs. Finch-Fletchly fixed tea for both of them. Angelina decided to start talking.

"He sends word that he is well," Angelina started, consulting her notebook. Her heart went out to the mother as she met Angelina's eyes, her shaking hands spilling the tea slightly as she set a cup in front of her guest.

"He says he is warm, dry, well fed…and he says to tell you he's keeping Barney close too, even if it's lame," Angelina continued, not quite sure what message she was relaying.

The woman laughed, even as tears fell down her cheeks.

"Barney is his stuffed animal, a small dog I bought for him when he was young and on his way to Hogwarts," she paused to delicately wipe her eyes on a white handkerchief. "I shoved it into his arms as he left a few weeks ago. I guess I just didn't want him to feel alone."

Angelina patted her hand gently, unsure of what to do with all of the tenderness. It was far safer to contact Muggle families in person, but the downfall was a sharp look inside of herself for the former Quidditch star.

For years now, she'd focused on her career, never allowing her head to get lost somewhere in her heart. She lived her life with an emphasis on strength. Now, in the midst of fear and doubt, Angelina was finding it harder to remain strong, and to stay alone. Seeing mothers and lovers weep for their own made her involuntarily think about who she would weep for, and vice versa. There was her mother and father…but who else? The answer shook her to the core.

She had no one. There was no one to cling to when she feared the worst. There was no one to kiss her. There was no one to fill the emptiness that invaded her as she hid from the world.

I hear in my mind
All these voices
I hear in my mind all these words
I hear in my mind all this music
And it breaks my heart

Angelina took Mrs. Finch-Fletchly's message, holding back bitter tears, and Apparated for the cave in Afton where the radio program was currently being broadcast, somewhere near Kingsley Shackelbolt's summer home.

Her heart began to race as she saw the production equipment destroyed, papers and curse burns scattered everywhere, and to her horror, blood on the walls. Thinking quickly, she lit her notebook on fire with her wand.

As she turned to Disapparate, pain seared through her body, and she hit her head against the pavement with a dizzying crack.

"Where are they? Who are these subversive cowards?" Shouted the masked man before casting the Cruciatus Curse on her again for what seemed like an eternity.

As the pain subsided, and she caught her breath, a gloved hand circled around her wrists. Through the bloodstained tears of pain in her eyes, she saw a man dressed completely in black and wearing a Muggle ski cap. She knew those blue-green eyes and that kind gaze anywhere.

George used Side-Along Apparation to whisk her away from the terror.

And suppose I never met you
Suppose we never fell in love
Suppose I never ever let you kiss me so sweet and so soft
Suppose I never ever saw you

Angelina clutched desperately to George's arms, torso, and shoulders, anything she could find when they landed safely on the living room floor. She couldn't focus. She couldn't think. She only wanted the pain to stop. She felt like screaming, and for all she knew, she did.

"Shhhh Angie. Angie! You're okay. I've got you. You're safe…" George's voice echoed in her head. She could feel his warm breath on her neck, his arms wrapping tightly around her. She could only answer in whimpers and tears, her voice failing her.

"You need to lie down. We have Remus take a look at you. Can we levitate you to your bed?" he whispered, taking her hand. She gave what she hoped was an affirmative squeeze, and soon she was weightless, floating down the hall.

She was laid gently on her bed in the Weasley twins' guest room, where she saw Fred placing pillows behind her head, his arm heavily bandaged. Remus and Lee Jordan were working to remove her cloak, so she moved as much as she could to help through the pain of what felt like dying muscles.

"I burned the notebook. They didn't see it," she croaked, desperate to ease their minds.

"That's no bother right now, Gi Gi," Fred whispered, holding a glass of water to her lips. Though her throat ached from screaming, she swallowed a few cool drops.

"How did they find you guys out? I thought it was safe!" Angelina exclaimed, trying her best to take stock of the situation. Remus shook his head.

"Apparently someone found a way to track our magical signal. We were unwise in not anticipating that. Luckily Lee here knows his equipment and next time we set up shop, he'll have us untraceable."

As Remus began to gently lift her limbs and run his wand over her, George leaned in to wipe the mess of blood and tears from her face.

"I don't believe they did it so hard your eyes bled, Johnson!" Lee exclaimed, and Angelina felt panic flood into her, and her breathing quickened. She felt long fingers take the sides of her face as Fred threatened to shove Lee's wand up his arse for being so insensitive. She looked up to find George holding her face gently like she had done the night she came to their flat.

"You'll be okay, love. You're safe here, and we'll have you fixed up in no time…and we'll let you kick Lee anywhere you want when we've finished!"

"Well I could do that anyway," she whispered, smiling.

"Ms. Johnson, can you think of any other injuries that are cause for concern?" Remus asked her, leaning over.

"My head," she indicated, attempting to roll over. Sets of hands carefully rolled her on her side. She felt a stinging sensation on the back of her head from the spell, and she reached out for Fred who was standing in front of her. He gripped her hand tightly.

"Okay," Remus sighed. "I'm going to give you a pain potion, and then I'm going to give you a sleeping draught. You had a concussion and I need to do some complicated healing spells."

Angelina nodded and soon, surrounded by the concerned eyes of her best friends, she drifted off.

She opened her eyes to complete darkness, save for the faint glow of the moon and lights of London filtering through the window. She attempted to lift her head slowly off her pillow, finding she could do it in spite of the pain. A very loud, choking sort of snort drew her attention to the foot of her bed.

George was lying shirtless, sprawled across her feet. She could tell it was George, because Fred had a collection of freckles on his shoulder shaped like Ursa Major. She had to chuckle as George's strangled snores reverberated off the walls. She wiggled her toes to get his attention.

George leapt up, tripping over a chair near the bed and cursed loudly. He turned to face her with his long hair tied back, and the creases of a slept-on blanket corrupting his face.

"Remus said to take this, it'll take the pain out of your head," George said, handing her some amber liquid. She drank it greedily, and felt instantly better. She wanted nothing more than to get up and move around. She stood up and stretched, clad only in jeans and a camisole, and examined the bruises on her body.

"I'm sorry for getting you into this, Angie," George said, standing closer to her. Angelina felt anger surge through her.

"You have nothing to be sorry for! You didn't torture me and I chose to be here," she said, grabbing the sides of his face. He lowered his eyes in uncharacteristic acquiescence. "How did you know to come back for me?"

"I remembered you were on your way with the muggle contacts. I couldn't let you come across that alone."

Angelina felt as though she would explode. Flashes of her torture, her career, her romance with Fred, and the tears of Mrs. Finch-Fletchly danced inside of her mind. Then, all she saw were George's eyes, comforting her that rainy night, rescuing her from the hands of death, and staring back at her now with the same amount of intensity she felt.

She couldn't take it any longer. She couldn't take any of it: Being lonely and scared, feeling helpless and undeniably young…it was all weighing heavily on her. She broke as she held his face in her hands, as she watched his bare chest rise and fall. She kissed him. She had no choice.

After a sharp intake of breath and a tensing in his muscles, George responded fervently to her haphazard kiss. She felt her braids lift off of her back as George's hands threaded in her hair. She couldn't help but moan when his smooth lips brushed down her neck. She ran her hands up the warm, smooth skin on his back, eliciting a light groan from him and causing him to grip her arse firmly. As Angelina felt the heat pool in her center, she also became more aware of her actions.

"George. George…what are we doing?" She whimpered as his hand moved across her bare shoulders and lowered the straps of her top.

"Well, I believe we were snogging," he smirked, running a single long finger across her cheek. She had to fight to not grab his hand and kiss his palm.

"You guys are my best friends," she said, a little more firmly. George leaned in to her and pressed his lips to her ear.

"Oh Angie, just let go, love. Let go." he whispered, and suddenly she couldn't hold on any longer. She pressed her lips against his, holding tightly to every part of him and keeping him as close as she could. He lifted her thin camisole over her heard only allowing his lips to leave her when the shirt passed between their faces. His mouth traced a path, kissing the still fresh bruises from her ordeal.

She grew desperate for more contact, and deftly undid the buttons of his sleek black trousers. He lowered them and his boxers quickly to the floor.

His pale pink cock was hard with desire, and she wasn't surprised to see he was just as well endowed as Fred. She let her hand close over his heat, and was still amazed at how dark and smooth her skin appeared on such a light canvas. George's breathing had quickened dramatically. At last she met his eyes and found them darker and more serious than she had ever seen them before. He crashed into her, attacking her lips with a feral growl before quickly removing her bra.

When her bare breasts pressed up against his warm skin, she shuddered noticeably, encouraging him to move his kisses there. He took her dark nipple into his mouth and began pulling gently. When she moaned, so did he, and they soon fell back against the bed.

George leaned over her, supported by his long arms, with a warm and excited smile on his face. Angelina felt such a force in her chest that it took her breath away.

No one had ever looked at her that way.

He made quick work of removing her jeans and knickers, letting his erection rub lightly against her center as he came back up to kiss her. She bucked her hips only to be met with his hand. Soon his fingers were upon of her, running quickly over her lips before pressing deeply into her. He didn't need to spend long there for her to feel ready to explode, as she already wanted him so intensely. He pulled out his fingers just as she could feel the tension building and pressed his nose into her neck.

"I almost lost you, Angie. I can't live without you," he whispered as he pushed his cock slowly into her.

Angelina let out a yell, the feeling of being stopped only moments before orgasm quickly replaced by the more intense feeling of being filled caused stars to flash in her eyes.

She rocked her hips up to meet his, her clit pressing firmly against his body. He moaned again, thrusting back with equal force. Soon they began rocking in perfect rhythm, her dark skin sliding against his lily white. Without trying they moved together in the fashion of practiced lovers.

When Angelina came, George followed her over the edge, letting out a moan and whispering her name. He hooked his arms under her shoulders, and with the force of someone much larger, he pulled her up to meet his lips.

Soon, he pulled away, breathing heavily, and sleeping almost instantly.

Angelina lay in the darkness, torn between her need to feel strong and her need to feel loved. She didn't think she could have it both ways. She remembered back to their last year at Hogwarts, after she and Fred had ended their relationship for the final time, when Lee had desperately wanted to date her. It had almost torn their little group apart. She couldn't lose her lifeline. She took one last longing look at George and wrote a letter.

She needed to leave this behind before she lost sight of herself, and lost her friends in the process.

Then, she Apparated to her aunt's bungalow in Hertfordshire, where her parents were in hiding. She tried not to look back.

Suppose we never ever called
Suppose I kept on singing love songs just to break my own fall
Just to break my fall
Just to break my fall

-From "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor

AN: Okay folks! There's the first official chapter. There was a lot of speculation about George and Angelina running into problems pre Fred's death in the worries that Fred still loved Angelina. I decided to take a slightly different look at their relationship. After all, Fred and George know everything about each other.