AN: Hello Readers! I hope you like the story. If you do, PLEASE leave me a review telling what you like about it! That way I can know what I'm doing right (or what I'm doing wrong). I would love to know what you think about it!

Chapter 3

As Angelina had expected, she got an owl from Katie the morning after her dinner with George. Katie's post offered detailed plans for her birthday: she would be picked up by Alicia and Lee the upcoming Thursday evening and taken to her party at an undisclosed location. Angelina grimaced as she set the note down on her kitchen table. She had two days to put on her happy face—the one she put on around her friends when they needed her to be better, to be healed like them. She sat at her table and held the cup of tea she'd made herself when she woke up. She supposed it wouldn't hurt to have one evening of fun with her friends.

Two nights later, she wasn't so sure. Lee and Alicia had picked her up as promised and taken her to a nice pub in London that wizards and witches frequented. From the outside it was a pet shop in a strip shopping center that had been closed down years ago. Inside, it was a large pub with plenty of seating and room for the occasional live music. Katie, George, and Oliver waited for her in the back corner of the pub underneath a banner that read "Happy Birthday, Angelina!" that was charmed to set off little fireworks around it. When she arrived and saw how hard her friends had tried for her, Angelina couldn't help but smile. She caught George's eye for a split second and saw that he was smiling too.

She went through the motions of celebration and obliged her friends with laughter and smiles when called upon for photos or stories. A cake was brought out and she blew out the candle. As she made her wish, she closed her eyes and tuned out her surroundings. It wasn't a wish that would ever come true, but it would always be the first that came to mind.

After a few hours and many rounds she was left to herself as Lee and Oliver dragged their girls toward the dance floor. She was grateful for a respite from all the excitement. As the night progressed her enjoyment became more of a façade that took more and more effort to keep up. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the booth she was sitting in. After a few moments she heard someone clearing their throat. She opened her eyes to see that George, having just returned from the bar, was holding two pints in his hands. He set one in front of her as he slid into the booth. She thanked him and smiled after she had a sip. He had remembered that she enjoyed a good cider more than beer.

They sat together without speaking for a short while; each stared, engrossed with consuming the beverage before them. Angelina's mind was racing. Thoughts that she always kept to herself were clawing at her tongue, begging her to escape. Suddenly she wanted so much to say things to George that she thought she would never be able to admit, even to herself. She knew that he would understand what she going through, but she didn't know if would want to hear it.

"I felt guilty," he said, interrupting her internal struggle. She was a bit taken aback. Had he been dealing with the same difficulty as she had? "On our birthday, I mean." Angelina nodded. She felt a morbid comfort in the knowledge that George felt the same way she was feeling tonight.

"It's not really fair is, it?" she asked. He'd opened the door, and the combination of alcohol and sadness meant she wouldn't close it. "I mean, here we are getting older every year and Fred only made it to twenty. I feel awful celebrating it."

George nodded grimly and took a large sip that finished off his pint. He glanced at Angelina's glass, which was nearly empty, and went back to the bar for two more pints. She watched the way he stood nervously at the bar, leaning against it for support. She could see that he was just as anxious as her, just as terrified to talk about his brother, but she wasn't going to fight it. These feelings were clawing their way out of the both of them whether they were ready or not.

"You were there for my birthday party, right?" he said as he set another pint in front of her, having regained enough of his composure to return. "It was bloody awful. My mum kept going on about how proud Fred would be of me keeping the shop going and how much he would have enjoyed the party. It was downright cruel to have to suffer through that. I love my mum, but the woman wouldn't give it up."

Angelina's lips twitched. She wanted to smile at this. The amount of love that Molly Weasley showed her children was enough to make anyone smile.

"Your mum means well," she said. "It can't be easy on her."

George nodded. They sat in silence again, not sure where to go from there. Angelina looked over to the dance floor. The music had slowed; both Katie and Alicia had their arms wrapped around their boys' shoulders, heads leaning on their chests as they swayed. She caught a glimpse of Katie's face. Her eyes were closed and her lips formed the most contented smile she'd ever seen. It was no wonder that her friends had been able to heal so quickly. Neither of them had lost the one person in the world that made them smile that stupid, silly smile.

Angelina slumped slightly in her seat and polished off the rest of her pint. She stared at the wall, suddenly miserable and uncomfortable in this bar. George tossed back the last of his drink and set his glass down loudly on the table, drawing her out of her reverie.

"Let's get out of here, Ange. I'd say this isn't quite our scene like it used to be." He stood up and grabbed her coat, not giving her much of a choice. Not that it was necessary—she was more than ready to leave.