Desperate to kill time, George found himself at an array of friends and family's homes over the next two weeks. It was the first time in months that he had gone out like this. He hadn't isolated himself after Fred's death, but his former, center-of-attention demeanor had seemed to die with his brother. Partly to keep himself occupied (and his mind of a certain dark-skinned witch) and partly because he knew Fred would punch him if he knew he hadn't gone out in a while, George wandered outside three days into Angelina's two-week vacation and apparated to Ron's place with his little brother.

It turned out Hermione was trying a new recipe for dinner. Ron had pleaded with him all day to come, for "moral support." George had laughed and agreed, but he knew that it had been Hermione, possibly his mother and maybe even Ron's way of coaxing him out of his flat. George thought it was about time he let them.

It was a chilly night, so the two of them apparated straight into the drawing room of Hermione and Ron's place, ears and noses pink from the cold. Hermione blustered out to meet them, an apron around her, her hair pulled back in a tight bun. She looked slightly stressed; a few strands of hair had escaped her coif and were swaying around her head, giving off the appearance of a fuzzy sort of halo. She greeted them.

"Thank goodness! I was starting to worry!" Ron opened his mouth to explain that they had to stop by Gringotts on the way here, but Hermione cut him off. "Harry and Ginny are here as well. They've been waiting for you in the dining room. And I didn't know they were coming, but of course I asked them 'round for dinner, but there might not be enough…" she continued on, ringing her hands. George looked at her amusedly, but Ron, who experienced this sort of thing at least weekly, leaned forward and kissed her on the lips, ending her tirade.

"Don't worry. I'm sure it'll all turn out great." he assured her. Hermione looked comforted.

"Hello, George. It's great to see you," she greeted him from behind Ron, who had pulled her into an one-armed hug.

"Good to see you too," he handed a gift, a wrapped box filled with sweets, to her. She thanked him, then excused herself to finish up dinner. George looked at his little brother.

"So you figured out how to calm her down then?" he asked.

Ron shrugged. "Turns out my lips do the trick. I would have done it ages ago if I had known it was that easy…" George laughed and followed him into a small, but well-decorated dining room. Harry and Ginny were sitting at the table, hands linked, apparently trying to hide their amusement at something.

"Hermione still in a state?" Ginny asked conversationally as she got up to hug her brothers.

"I've got her sorted," Ron said while shaking Harry's hand and pulling up a chair to sit in. George sat down across from his sister and gave Harry a pat on the back.

"It's been a while, George," Harry greeted.

"I know. Sorry mate." he offered no explanation for his isolation.

"No problem," Ginny said understandingly. "we all figured you'd turn up sooner rather than later." George felt a stab of guilt and resolved to visit the Burrow tomorrow to see his parents. "And it's not as though you've been completely alone. Ron has seen you, and Hermione and Lee." Ginny's tone was deceptively innocent, and she, Harry and Ron exchanged knowing looks. George guessed what was coming next and decided to beat them to the punch.

"Angelina as well." he supplied nonchalantly, though interested to see what they thought.

"Yes, she says you've been seeing a lot of each other." This comment came from Hermione. She had entered the dining room, hair back in place and bearing some sort of large tray of meat. She set it down on the table and the warm smell it let off distracted them all for a moment.

"Smells good, babe." Ron complimented. The rest nodded and voiced their agreement. It didn't take long, however, for the subject to turn back to Angelina.

"So how long have you been dating then?" Harry asked between mouthfuls, after Hermione took her place next to Ron and served them.

"Angelina and I aren't dating," George answered easily. Ron snorted in his potatoes. He gave him a warning look. Ron just shrugged.

"Please," he laughed, "She's always around-"

"She works there," George supplied.

"Even after hours." Ron shot back, "and you two are always huddled up about something…"

"We're inventing," George explained.

Ron smirked. "Un-huh."

Hermione intervened. "She does talk about you a lot." She said innocently.

"And," Ginny added, "She's fancied you since your 7th year." Harry continued eating, but nodded as if this all was common knowledge.

"What?" George nearly inhaled asparagus.

"It's true." Hermione said. Ron looked at her.

"I didn't know that," he said, and George felt thankful he had not been the only one.

"Sorry mate, but you're not the best at that sort of thing," Harry teased, speaking for the first time.

"Which is why," Ginny added, "if Ron has noticed, there has bound to be something going on."

"How do you know she's fancied me since Hogwarts?" George asked, still curious.

Ginny looked at Hermione who smiled. "Well," Ginny began in a tone that kindergarten teachers often adopt, "I was on the team, and girls do tend to talk."

"So she just told you?" George asked incredulously.

"Don't be thick," Ginny said pleasantly, "but she, Alicia and Katie always talked, and when you got kicked off the team Angelina was nearly in tears."

"Probably because Harry and Fred got cut too." George said. Ron nodded.

Ginny rolled her eyes and helped herself to a roll. "Yes, I thought so too. Then Alicia said something that made it clear it wasn't because of them." she paused to butter her bread and Ron, Harry and George watched her expectantly.

"Well?" Ron burst a moment later. Ginny gave him an admonishing look.

"She said 'You mean you're sad you don't have an excuse to see a lot more of George?' But then they noticed I could hear them and Angelina just punched her in the arm and denied it."

"So," George began, "that doesn't-"

"Oh come off it." Hermione interrupted. "When you and Fred dropped out she was torn up for weeks. And then I finally went to ask her what was wrong, you know, thinking it was Fred," Hermione's tone had suddenly become much less forceful and she began to inspect her meat, "And she let it slip that she was sick of everyone assuming it was Fred when it hadn't been Fred in a long time and how she wished people would just mind their own business and not judge."

"So what does that mean?" George was thankful Harry asked so he didn't have to.

"Ugh, men are thick." Ginny rolled her eyes again.

"It means," Hermione (who was used to these questions with two boys for best mates) answered patiently, "that she has fancied you for a long time George, but never did anything about it because she was so afraid of what people might think since she went with Fred to the Yule Ball."

"And," Ginny added, "she still fancies you, but is worried more now since the war." George absorbed this information silently, trying to fight down the burning sensation in his stomach.

"Sounds like she has got the hots for you, big bro'" Ron received a slap in the arm from his fiancée for this. "What?" he pouted.

"Leave it to you to simplify it like that. It's all very complicated!" Hermione burst out.

"No it's not!" Ron argued. "Sounds to me like George had just got to ask her out and it will all be perfect!"

"Assuming that George likes her too, of course," Harry added. The four turned to him expectantly.

"Er…" George drummed on the table. "I might. I just didn't know what the rest of you would think."

"Well Mum's wanted you two together for ages, especially since New Year's-" George cut her off by choking on his wine.

"Oh, relax, we all saw you two disappear," Harry patted him on the back and handed him a paper napkin. "It's no big deal. In fact, everyone thought it was about time."

"Everyone?" George wheezed the question out.

"Yeah mate. Lee, and Katie and Alicia and Mum and…" Ginny cut him off.

"It was about time you kissed." George remained silent.

"You did more than kiss?!" Ron yelled across the table. Hermione shushed him. George nodded. Harry laughed.

"Well done! That was more than we expected," Ginny nodded, Ron looked flabbergasted, but Hermione's face was calm. Ginny looked at her questioningly.

"Well I knew," she admitted, "And don't look at me like that." Ginny had made a rather hurt facial expression. "Angelina told me and made me promise not to tell. And anyway, I thought it was pretty obvious."

"You shagged Angelina?" Ron babbled.

"Of for heaven's sake Ronald. You act as though you're a virgin." at this comment, Harry began to choke and George and Ginny laughed.

Ron's ears turned red. "Yeah, but still. Not at my mum's house!" George admitted he had a point.

"It's not like we planned it mate. It just sort of happened."

"How does that 'just sort of happen?" Harry asked.

George shrugged but Ginny cut him off. "Oh mind your business you two. They slept together, get over it." her casual tone alarmed George and Ron as well and Harry suddenly became very interested in what type of wine they were drinking. Deciding now was not the time to berate Ginny on her, hopefully nonexistent, sex life, George changed the subject.

"How come you never told me she told you?" he asked Hermione.

"Well, she thought you wanted to keep it a secret. She thought you regretted it since you rushed out of the room and all-"

"You rushed out of the room without saying anything?!" Ginny slammed her fork down, aghast.

"What happened to minding your own business?" George shot back coolly. The rest of the table however, seemed to share Ginny's outrage.

"Blimey, even I know you can't do that!" Ron agreed.

"Do you care about her?" Harry asked, trying to keep judgment out of his tone. George nodded.

"Then you've got to make it right when she gets back. You should do it as soon as possible, after she gives you your birthday gift." Hermione instructed.

"You know what's she's getting me?" George asked interestedly.

"I do. And I'm not telling. And don't ask Ron either," she snapped when George turned to his brother, "She had the good sense not to tell him." Ron looked offended.

"And besides," Ginny's tone was still terse, "You'd better ask her out before I kill you for what you did to her. Honestly…" she began to mutter under her breath. Harry shot him a look that clearly did not thank him for altering his girlfriend's mood for the worse.

"Breath, Gin. I will. I planned on it anyway." this was not entirely true. George had been running through various scenarios for weeks now, but always ultimately scrapped his plan. He felt he could no longer deny the evidence anymore though. He and Angelina owed it to one another to give it a shot. "She's coming to the Burrow with me on my birthday. So tell Mom." he added after glimpsing Ginny's murderous face.

"Good," she said briskly. Harry quickly steered the conversation to Quidditch, a far more neutral subject. The rest, even Hermione, engaged in arguing about team standings, making for a rather pleasant evening. But when George got home that night his mind filled up with more scenarios, each one involving asking Angelina out. He fell asleep with them buzzing in his head, nothing concrete yet. But he now knew what he had to do. And, he realized with a start, what he had wanted to do for quite a long time.


A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Please drop one if you haven't!