Chapter 7 – Four months later
It was the end of a busy Friday as George hurriedly finished closing his shop. Verity was helping and laughed at her boss as he impatiently finished the last duties of the day. She knew his mind was elsewhere and shook her head quietly to herself. She had been working at Wheezes since before the war and had seen George in every kind of mood and mental state, but the change in her boss in recent months made her smile. He had kept his relationship with Luna a secret for a month before she had cornered him one day to ask who 'she' was. George spent a whole two minutes trying to downplay her assumption before admitting that he was seeing someone. She didn't know what his issue was, certainly if anyone deserved to be happy it was George Weasley. They had grown to be good friends and more than just colleagues. Angie had even been jealous of her at one point, but then Verity and married Jay and showed that her attentions lay elsewhere. She was happy now that her friend and boss was finally finding some happiness of his own and his agitation on this Friday was simply because he didn't want to be late for his date with Luna.
Once the shop was closed down, George apparated back to his flat and changed from store robes into grey trousers with an electric blue silk shirt and grey blazer. The clothes were custom tailored to his frame and the look was understated but refined. The blue shirt popped and showed his eyes. Luna loved him in bright colors and her influence was gradually pulling him away from the monochromatic tones he had favored in his personal life. Fred had always been the colorful one, and George had agreed on it for the shop colors, but personally he found it easier to dress neutral. In the months he had been dating Luna she had gradually been swaying his viewpoint. It was just one of several areas in his life where she was making an impact. Most of all, she was making him happier than he had been in years. They had been dating for four months now and initially saw each other once or twice a week. In the past couple of months they had hardly spent a day apart and most nights they met at his or Luna's flat for a joint family meal together. It just seemed to be easier that if one of them was cooking to just cook more and eat together. The arrangement had worked well and now the kids questioned the rare occasion when the families decided to not eat together. This night though was just one for the adults. Ginny was watching all the kids again and had agreed to pick up Fred and Roxy from the Burrow, where they spent the day as usual. The entire Weasley clan embraced his and Luna's relationship and his mum had been seeming especially hopeful as of late. Not that George minded. Luna made him happier than he had been since before the war and he now realized just how warped his relationship with Angie had been.
With a final pass of his comb, George surveyed himself in the mirror and decided that he looked suitable enough to accompany the beautiful Luna as he apparated from his flat to hers. Several months ago they had opened the wards on their flats to each other and it had made it easier to just be able to apparate between them. He arrived in the entry hall near the living room.
"Luna! I'm here."
As he was speaking, Luna appeared in the hall. She was looking strangely stunning as usual in a spangly bright purple dress that just barely caressed her thighs and showed her legs off nicely. She walked over to George and gave him a deep kiss.
"Mmhmm, hello George. Good day?"
"Not bad, better now."
Luna turned to collect her bag and then offered George her arm. He had secured tickets to the Faerie Dance, a magical dance show that was playing in a shielded building in North London. An apparition point had been set up for VIPs and George took them via side along, as instructed on their tickets. When they arrived, they were immediately presented with champagne and taken to the box seats that George had bought. They settled into their seats and cuddled while sipping champagne and talking about the news of the day. Luna felt herself relax against George's firm body. She couldn't believe that just fifteen months earlier she had been going through the worst despair of her life. George had completely turned her world around. Before they had met, she had been coping well enough, but in the past couple of months she felt like she was truly welcoming each new day. Soon the music started, indicating the show was about to begin and their conversation died down. The show was truly spectacular, using magic effects to enhance the dance and spells that allowed movements that normally wouldn't have been possible. All of it blended seamlessly to tell the story and Luna absolutely loved it. George knew it was something she had been wanting to see and had picked it for Luna's enjoyment, but surprisingly found that he was also enjoying himself. When the show was over, George turned to Luna to discuss where they wanted to eat.
"How about Chinese George? There's that place near my flat that we both like."
"Sounds good, except that place is take-away. I was thinking about taking you some place nice."
"We had box seats to the dance. That's more than enough. I'd like Chinese."
"Alright my lady, whatever you want. So, I guess we apparate back to your place and then walk down the block."
With the plans decided, they made their way back to Luna's flat and George went to pick up dinner. While he was gone, Luna cleared the table of sippy cups and crayons and replaced them with a tablecloth and candles. George was back shortly and they sat down to enjoy a simple meal together.
"You know, I think I almost like this better than going out. It's so quiet and peaceful."
George chuckled. "I agree. I adore the kids, but it's nice not to have someone whining or something spilling."
After they ate, George flicked his wand and did the cleanup while Luna turned on the wireless. Pushing the table aside, George took her in his arms as they proceeded to dance around the small flat. This was something they had done before with the kids, but they had never managed to dance with just themselves. As they swayed to the music, George leaned down and kissed Luna deeply. A flutter started low in her belly that became an ache she hadn't felt in a long while. She pressed herself closer to George and clutched at his chest as he pulled back briefly and looked at her. Smiling at him, Luna answered his unspoken question.
"Take me to bed George."
He smiled down and picked her up, carrying her to the bedroom where he set her down and began to slowly unbutton her blouse as he trailed kisses along her jaw. She began to quickly undo his shirt as the fire burned and their desire flared. Before she knew it, George's deft fingers were unhooking her bra as his mouth descended to her breasts, causing her to gasp. As she ran her fingers across his broad chest, they were both consumed with need and hurriedly finished undressing each other. George took a step back and stared in awe before Luna began peppering his chest with small kisses. George pushed her back onto the bed gently and began to explore her body with his hands and mouth. He hadn't been with a woman in a long time, but forced himself to go slow. As he pushed her legs apart and dipped his head lower, Luna began to moan. He worked her slowly and gently, building her up to the edge before sliding a single finger into her, causing her to writhe and moan louder. When he went down and sucked her clit while inserting a second finger, she came undone. He continued to taste her while waiting for her climax and thighs to release the grip on his head. When she let him go, he crawled back up and smiled at her as she panted and caught her breath.
They began to kiss again and she reached for him as she guided his rock hard erection to her core. As he slipped into her wonderful heat, each moaned into the other's mouth and took a minute to remain still and joined. After savoring the moment, he looked down at her and began to build a steady rhythm, watching for her pleasure. As the minutes went by and their mutual rhythm joined, Luna threw her head back and came, screaming his name. A minute later, George joined her as he climaxed for what seemed like forever. As he continued to stroke her, she came again, clutching at his shoulders and declaring her love. When they each passed their peak, he rolled off and lay next to her, hand on her stomach and smiling. When a few tears leaked from her eyes, he pulled her close with concern.
"Luna love, what? Did I do something wrong?"
"No George. You were wonderful. I just never thought I'd have this again. It's been so hard."
George blinked back a few tears and hugged her tighter as he whispered his love in her ear. They stayed wrapped in the embrace for a long while. Eventually George brought them back to the present when he checked his watch and found that the time was quite late.
"Luna, I hate to say this, but we need to get dressed. Our babysitter is probably wondering where we are."
"I suppose. Although I'm sure Ginny will have figured us out."
They traded a couple more kisses before slowly disentangling themselves, casting cleaning charms and dressing. With one final kiss, they apparated to the Potters'. Ginny and Harry were curled up on the couch when they arrived. Ginny yawned and slowly got up.
"There you are. We were starting to wonder. Kids are all asleep. I put Roxy in our room because she was taking a while to settle and keeping the boys awake. Why don't you go get her George, and Luna and I will get the boys."
George nodded and turned to the master bedroom to collect his daughter while Luna followed Ginny down the hall. Before they reached the nursery, Ginny turned to her friend.
"So Luna, do I want to know why you're almost two hours later than planned?"
"I think you can guess Ginny."
Ginny chuckled. "Well good. About time for both of you. You know you could have just left them here tonight."
"Thanks Ginny, but you and Harry have done enough."
"We don't mind. Harry definitely doesn't. He loves the kids. I've told him he's getting two, maybe three, but if he had his way I'd give him a full Quidditch team."
Luna laughed and hugged her friend as they reached the nursery. Luna picked up her twins, just barely managing one on each side, while Ginny picked up Fred. Tiptoeing out of the room, they made their way back to the living room where George was waiting. He took Fred from Ginny and leaned in to give Luna a final kiss good night before apparating to his flat. Luna turned and said goodbye to her friends before also apparating herself home for the night.
Over the next month George and Luna kept up with their family dinners most days of the week, as well as dinner with the Weasleys at the Burrow or someone's house. Despite all the time they spent together, they didn't tire of each other. While they had each reawakened long dormant passions, they found it difficult to get time alone for more than a good snog. The one exception was an impromptu liaison in George's office during one lunch break, but that had been dangerous and they were almost caught. As it was, George was fairly certain that Verity had an idea of what had ended just before she knocked on her boss' door.
A large bonus in the relationship was the fact that the kids all got along well. Fred was three and a half, while the twins were just past two and Roxy was fourteen months. While the boys always enjoyed playing together, now that Roxy was more mobile she was inserting herself into their games more each day. As the weeks passed, both small families found themselves becoming more bonded while George and Luna learned that love came in different forms. Both had known the heedless passion of young love, but now they found themselves cherishing a love built at a slower, quieter pace. Both had been broken by different trials, but their new love was healing them.
Five and a half months into their relationship, a near catastrophe would throw them together even more. Luna woke one night to a caterwauling alarm in her building and was terrified when she smelled smoke. The noise had also awakened the boys and she went running to their room. Grabbing them both, she looked out the window and saw smoke billowing up from one of the lower floors. She hastily grabbed her purse and held the boys as she apparated out of her flat to the street below. Normally she wouldn't have risked it, since her building was on a muggle street. She was actually quite shocked since the building was supposed to have magical charms in place for fire suppression. She and the boys huddled outside for a half hour while the flames were extinguished, but she was informed that the building wasn't clear yet and it may take several hours before she could return. The boys were both fussy and tired as she turned down an alley to apparate to George's flat. It was shortly before one in the morning and the sound of her apparition pop woke him as he stumbled out of his bedroom with his wand in hand.
"Who's there?"
"George, it's Luna. I'm sorry, I didn't know where else to go. There's been a fire in my building."
"Fire? Gods Luna, are you alright? Here, hand me Lorry."
"We're alright, but I don't know what kind of damage there is. There was a lot of smoke. I won't be able to go back in for a couple of hours. I'm sorry to wake you."
"Hush. I'm glad you came. Here, let's set up some cots for the boys in Fred's room."
Luna helped George get the boys settled on temporary cots. They were so tired that they were asleep almost immediately. As they left the room, the adrenaline rush finally wore off and Luna sunk to her knees with a small sob. George gathered her in his arms and carefully carried her to bed. Tucking her in, he wrapped himself around her until she finally fell asleep.
A few hours later, George and Luna were awakened by a knock on the bedroom door. Groaning, George slipped out of bed and went to open the door. Seeing it was Fred, he turned Luna.
"It's Fred. Should I let him in?"
"I suppose we shouldn't hide us. Not that he'd care."
George nodded and picked his son up to bring him into the room. As soon as he saw Luna, his face lit up and he began to squirm. Chuckling, George deposited him on the bed and Fred made his way over to cuddle up to Luna. She pulled the small boy close and kissed the top of his head. A minute later, she looked up to see George staring at them.
"Something wrong George?"
"Hmm? No, nothing wrong. It's just a beautiful sight with the two of you."
At that moment, more little feet could be heard running down the hall as Lorry and Sander barged into the open door. Laughing, George transferred them to the bed and then left to go retrieve the one missing little person. He returned a few seconds later with a sleepy Roxy and crawled into the bed with her while scooting the boys aside. The boys squirmed for a couple of minutes, then relaxed as they cuddled in between Luna and George. Luna was lying on her side and smiled at George as a single tear rolled down her cheek. George reached out and took her hand.
"Knut for your thoughts Luna love."
"I was just thinking. Fifteen months ago I felt like my world was ending. I never would have imagined this picture here. The both of us and four kids cuddled in bed together."
George just smiled and leaned over to give Luna a deep kiss. Roxy started clapping for them, causing both adults to start laughing. They stayed in bed for a while longer when Luna finally declared that she needed to go check on the flat. George sent a patronus to Verity at the shop to tell her he would be late while he stayed and watched the boys for Luna. Still dressed in her robe from the night before, Luna found her shoes and apparated back to the alley near her flat. The building was still surrounded by caution tape as she looked around for her landlord. Finally she found him across the street, talking to an official from the Ministry who had come in to help interface with the muggles. He saw Luna approaching and waved.
"Mrs. Scamander! There you are. Are you and the boys alright?"
"Yes Mr. Singh. We went to a friend's house for the night. Will I be able to get back in the flat today? The damage doesn't look too bad. What happened to the charms?"
"You may be able to get into the flat later today, but only temporary and with an escort. The fire took out several support posts in the basement. It will take a couple of weeks to make the building structurally sound again. The damage shouldn't be bad on your level, but we have to be cautious on how many people are allowed in at a time. I thought I had sufficient charms in place, but it seems that the northwest corner of the building wasn't covered sufficiently. I am sorry."
"Hmm, alright. So I need to find someplace else to stay for a couple of weeks? When can I get in to retrieve clothes and such?"
"Probably later this morning. The inspections are still underway. And we're having a hard time keeping the muggle officials away. The Ministry is here helping, but it's complicated right now."
Luna nodded and decided to leave the flustered man alone and return later. Making her way back to the alley, she apparated back to George's. When she arrived, he had the kids all sat at the table with cups of milk while he cooked porridge.
"So Luna, how is the building?"
"Not too bad. My flat should be fine. The main problem is structural support issues in the basement. I won't be able to move back in for a couple of weeks, although I can go in this afternoon and get clothes and supplies out for us. I think I'll floo call Ginny and ask if I can stay with them."
George seemed to think for a minute and then crossed the room and pulled Luna into the hall so that they could talk quietly.
"Actually Luna, I've been thinking about something for a while. After this morning I thought about it even more. Would you like to move in with me? This flat is large enough for all of us. I know it's a big step, but waking up with you this morning felt so right."
"Wow George, really? I think I'd like that. Of course, your parents may not agree."
"Well, they can bugger off. I love you Luna. I feel alive again. After the divorce, even with Roxy's arrival, I felt like I was just going through the motions most days. You've made me want to wake up each day."
George would have continued, but Luna started kissing him and he had his answer. They were standing in the door to the hall, visible from the kitchen where the kids were. Roxy saw them kissing and started clapping as she usually did. Then Fred joined her, followed by the twins. With all four kids clapping, George broke off the kiss and laughed.
"Looks like they're good with the decision as well."
With the decision made, they went to finish preparing breakfast. Since it was Wednesday, Luna had the day off. Once the kids were fed, Luna floo called Ginny to ask for her help. Ginny seemed surprised at the early call and Luna figured it would be easier to give the news in person. Ginny yawned and told her to come on through. With a last squeeze from George, Luna stepped through to the Potters.
"Morning Luna. What has you up this early?"
"Well, there was a fire in my building last night. Everything's fine, but I won't be able to move back in for a couple of weeks. After we evacuated, I went to George's. He and I talked and he decided he wants me to move in. I agreed and I was wondering if you could leave James with George and help me pack up this morning?"
"Whoa! Back that up three steps. Fire? Moving in? Really? Like permanent?"
"Yes Ginny. I know it seems quick but when I woke up this morning and then all the kids joined us in bed in just seemed so right. George agreed."
Harry entered the kitchen at that point and his eyes got huge as Ginny turned to her husband.
"Morning dear. So the top news of the morning is that Luna and the kids are moving in with George since her building caught on fire last night."
"I think I need more coffee." Harry gasped.
Both the women laughed.
"So, you'll help me Ginny?"
"Of course. Let me get James sorted and we'll come on through to George's and then go to your place. I can't wait until lunch on Sunday at mum's. She is going to pitch it."
Luna nodded and hugged her friend before heading back to George's flat. Ginny followed shortly after and left James with the other kids. Then the two witches apparated to Luna's flat and were some of the first allowed back in. It took most of the morning, but they packed up everything. All the furniture was shrunk and squeezed into one chest. Then they pushed everything through the floo to George's flat before Luna made her way back downstairs to talk to her landlord. Mr. Singh wasn't happy that he was losing a tenant, but given the circumstances, he cancelled Luna's lease. Shortly before lunch, she and Ginny were back at George's flat. Everyone ate lunch together before George had to leave for the shop and Ginny headed home with James. Luna was just settling in for the afternoon when the floo alarm rang. She went to check it and found Molly waiting in the fire.
"Luna? I was calling to check on George. He said he was taking the morning off and wouldn't be bringing the kids over. What's going on?"
"Um, there was a small emergency last night Molly. Everybody's fine and I'm watching the kids today. George and I will probably be over later."
Molly paused and seemed about to say something else, but then stopped and nodded. Luna wished her a good afternoon and quickly signed off the floo. She and George would need to talk later, but for now she would start settling in.
