AN: Sorry for such a long long long delay in updating! Life has been crazy but I have my own working laptop again and can hopefully update a little more often! I hope you like the chapter and leave some reviews :)

Chapter 18

"At this point, I don't know if I should tell you you're right or curse you for planting the damn notion in my head in the first place," Angelina said to Alicia as they stood at the bar getting drinks for the group. Alicia chuckled as she paid the bartender. They had been there for a couple hours and it had finally come around to being her round.

"You should thank me! So I planted a little idea in your head, and now you can't get it out. It's in your best interests, I promise!" She flinched a little as Angelina swatted her arm. They walked back to the table with drinks in hand laughing.

"What's the joke?" Oliver asked as the girls sat back down with their boyfriends. They both quickly denied there was any joke, which was good enough for him. He continued his story of his team's latest practice, where someone had broken the record for most Bludger hits in a minute. "I tell you that Wimbly is the greatest Beater in the league!"

The boys were rapt, loving every minute of Oliver's Quidditch stories. Lee had gone into professional Quidditch announcing after the war, and so he loved to hear about the players he commented on. And Oliver had been commenting on them for a while now. Angelina blushed as Alicia and Katie gave her not-so-sly smiles when they caught her staring at George, watching his brown eyes as they paid such focused attention to the story.

"Who fancies a dance?" Katie finally asked, breaking in before Oliver could start another story. She loved the man but knew that if she let him keep going, he'd talk all night about the glories of professional Quidditch. Oliver was put off by the interruption, but he quickly loosened up as she pulled him behind her to the dance floor. Alicia pulled Lee with her, glad to have a moment just between the two of them. Angelina turned to George and raised her eyebrows in proposal. George gave her a little nudge to get her to stand up out of their seat.

"As if I'd pass up a dance with you," he said, leaning close to her ear. She let him lead her to the dance floor, his hand around hers. They bounced around to a poppy beat for a minute or two before the upbeat gave way to the slowdown. As the music slowed and frantic pop instruments gave way to their calmer bluesy cousins, George wrapped his arms around Angelina's waist and pulled her into him. She matched him with her arms on his shoulders, idyllic hands draping against his neck. Their hips swayed to the tempo of the music. Angelina contentedly rested her head on his chest as he held her. She smiled with the realization that she might be able to prove Alicia wrong. It wasn't the separation she felt from George tonight that was making her want to get him home sooner. It was that no matter when they were talking to other people, she'd always felt this close to him. The way he moved in tune with her, the way his hands rested on her back like he would never let go…it was more than enough to make her want to go home with him right then.

They danced like that for two songs. Together they were in another world, not paying attention to the music or the other pub patrons around them. Angelina cursed under breath when she realized that if she slept with George when they got home, there'd be no way to prove to Alicia that she was wrong. On the other hand, if she didn't sleep with him, she was proving herself wrong. To hell with it, she thought. If she proving someone wrong tonight, she was at least going to get a good shag out of it too.

Having made up her mind, Angelina waited for an opportunity to leave. They'd all chipped in at least one round of drinks, danced several times and heard several of the same stories from Oliver a couple times. She finally found her chance when she noticed that the other girls were casually leaning their heads closer to the boys' shoulders, clearly making the move to appear tired and ready to go home. Angelina let out an exaggerated yawn and stood up in the middle of Oliver's rant about how he'd run a team if he had one again.

"Sorry, Wood, but I'm absolutely shattered. I'm afraid George has got to get me home before I fall asleep in this pub," she said. She tried not to grin when Alicia smirked at her clearly feigned exhaustion. George was oblivious but stood up regardless and handed Angelina her coat. The other couples agreed that it was getting quite late and it was time they all headed home. They all bid farewell with hugs and handshakes before making their way into the back alley to Apparate to their separate homes. Angelina giggled as she saw Katie and Alicia both wink at her just before disappearing.