1 Dreams and Dinner.

When Neville woke up the next morning, he turned and looked at George, who was already awake and staring wide-eyed at Neville.

"Morning," George smiled. "You slept a long time."

Neville nodded. "I needed it. I haven't slept well in...," he thought back. "Over a year now."

"I had a dream last night," George said.

"A good one?"

George shrugged. "It's a recurring dream. Almost every night since Fred died, I have this dream. Fred is in it, and he has my ear," George pointed to the hole on his head where his ear had been cursed off. "And he's talking in to it. He's talking in to my ear. He can never see me there, but he's holding my ear and talking in to it, like he's talking to me and like I can hear him, right?"

"Yeah," Neville said.

"Anyway. I love to sleep. Because I keep having these dreams with Fred and it's the only time I get to see him anymore. I get to hear his voice and hear his jokes. You, Neville, have had trouble sleeping, but I have been trying to sleep as much as possible these last few months, hoping I'll get a chance to see Fred."

"What types of things does Fred say to you?"

George shrugged, "In the beginning, like right after he died, he say things like, 'I'm really happy here. You'd love it to. There's lots of pretty girls and handsome blokes. But don't hurry up to get here, I can wait.' Because I was thinking of killing myself, which I never told anyone, but which Fred would have known I was thinking."

Neville grabbed on to George's hand. George continued. "So I started feeling a bit better, because dream Fred assured me that there was a place for me wherever he is, but I'm not supposed to be there yet. So once I started feeling better about that, he told my ear that I should contact Angelina. Because she was sad and hadn't found a job. So I did that and she started working at the shop for me." George smiled. "Then he told me that I needed to make sure Ginny knows a birth control spell. Which I never did ask her, but I did threaten Harry a little bit. So hopefully that worked." Neville laughed, delighted. Only George Weasley could get away with threatening Harry Potter. "A few weeks ago, Fred started telling me about you."

"Me?" Neville asked incredulously.

"Yeah, you." George answered. "The night before you came in to the shop that first time, he said that I had to stick with you. Not to let you go in to hiding again. And so I did. I didn't know why I was doing it at first. I thought it was just to get the canary creams back on the shelves. But that seemed too small. And then I realized. Halfway through eating that first canary cream, I knew, I don't know how, I just knew why Fred was telling me to stick with you. And I kissed you, and sure enough, that was right."

Neville rolled over and propped himself up on his elbow. "You kissed me because of a message you got from your dead brother in a dream?" This was too much. This was surreal. This had to be a classic Weasley prank.

George nodded, his eyes glowing. "But last night he told me that he didn't need to keep coming to me in my dreams. That I'd done right by finding you and bringing you here. That we were going to make each other happy and that his work was done."

"Is this a joke?" Neville asked.

"No. I'm deadly serious." Neville looked at George's face and saw that he was right. He was deadly serious.

"How do you feel about him not coming back to your dreams?"

George shrugged. "A little untethered. But honestly not as bad as I thought I would have. The thing is; Fred has been dead for seven months now. I feel like I got an extra seven months with him. Those dreams gave me that. Fred is confident that I'm going to be happy. So I'm confident that I'm going to be happy."

"I'm happy." Neville said suddenly.

"Yeah?"

Neville nodded emphatically. "I just realized it. I've spent months feeling sad and lonely and depressed. So I just kind of assumed I'd be that way forever. But now, laying here with you and thinking about it - I'm not depressed. I feel happy. Honest to God happy." Neville knew he was happy. But he also knew part of the reason Fred wanted George to come to him was for George's happiness. And Neville wondered if there was some work that needed to be done in that area.

George laughed and leaned down to kiss Neville lightly on the lips. "I'm glad you stayed here last night."

Neville nodded, "Me too."

Scratch, scratch. Neville and George looked up. There was an owl at the window. George got up and opened the window, completely unconcerned that his window faced Diagon Alley and that he was stark naked. The owl hopped onto the window ledge and held out its leg. George took the note off and unfolded it.

"It's from Ron. He and Hermione and Harry and Ginny are coming over for dinner tonight. Hermione's cooking." George sighed and looked up at Neville. "Want to come?"

"Sure. But I have to go. I'm heading out to Wales to see about that job you mentioned to me." Neville stood up and pulled on his pants. He leaned over and kissed George. "I'll be back before dinner."

Dinner that night was a strange affair. Neville told George that he happened to see Professor Sprout at the greenhouses that afternoon. Rather than encourage him to get a position at the nursery, she told him she'd gotten permission to expand Hogwarts' greenhouses and their collection of magical plants. So she asked him if he'd like to manage the plants and greenhouses. So that was settled, though his new position wouldn't begin until after the current students left for the summer. Which was fine with Neville, he hadn't touched any of his magical plant books since halfway through his seventh year at Hogwarts and definitely needed to brush up.

George was happy for Neville. Glad that things were looking up for him. George left Angelina in charge of the store for the remainder of the evening, while he and Neville retired to the flat and spent the hour before the arrival of the others wanking each other off in the bedroom.

Hermione, who was surprised to see Neville there, had just spent a couple of weeks in China, visiting ancient Chinese wizarding locales. She came back armed with some recipes she was sure were delicious and wanted to try her hand at making. She was instructing all of them with the correct use of chopsticks and how to use them to shovel the rice in their mouths. Ginny charmed hers to work automatically, and Ron had transfigured his chopsticks in to forks.

The six of them settled around the kitchen table. But before they could start eating, Ron tapped his fork on the side of his bowl of rice. "I have an announcement to make," he said happily. Everyone looked up expectantly and saw him grinning and Hermione blushing furiously. Ron grabbed Hermione's hand. "I've asked Hermione to marry me. And she said yes."

"Oh!" Ginny gasped and got up from her seat to give Hermione a big hug. Harry patted Ron on the shoulder, "Good one, man!" Neville leaned over the table to shake Ron's hand. "Congratulations."

George was silent as he shook Ron's hand, though he was smiling widely. When the cheering and congratulations settled down, George turned to Hermione, "Have you got a bun in the oven?" He asked it lightly, in a conversational tone and with a smile on his face.

"George," Neville admonished him. But, wait. Was he right?

"No," Hermione said haughtily.

"George, what the hell?" Ron asked. "Can't you just be happy for us?"

George shrugged. "I am happy for you. It's just that you're only nineteen, I thought I'd ask what we're all probably thinking. Just to get it out of the way."

"Mum and Dad got married at nineteen," Ron pointed out.

"And Mum was knocked up with Bill." George answered.

"No she wasn't."

George rolled his eyes. "Of course she was. Haven't you ever done the math? Mum and Dad got married at the end of April. Bill was born in November. I'm telling you, Mum and Dad had to get married."

"Ron," Ginny said laughing. "Even I figured that one out years ago!"

"OK, so fine," though Ron did look a little taken aback by this news. "But that doesn't have anything to do with me and Hermione, all right?"

George nodded. "I'm sorry. This is a celebration, right? I shouldn't have asked it." George got up from the table and grabbed a bottle of firewhiskey. He poured six glasses and passed them around. He stood at the table and held up his glass, "To Ron and Hermione and everlasting love."

The others raised their glasses, "To everlasting love!" they repeated.

The truth is that dinner was delicious. And that once the firewhiskey took hold, all six of the friends were feeling woozy and deliriously happy. Hermione couldn't stop looking down and staring at the ring on her finger. Twice, George saw her tap it with her wand, trying to clean off non-existent smudges.

Ron grabbed George by the shoulder, "I'm so happy, brother. Really. I want you to find someone too," Ron slurred.

George laughed. "I've kind of been seeing someone the last few weeks."

Neville looked towards George. He knew George was drunk and maybe would regret this. But Neville, having had quite a bit of firewhiskey himself, was in no mood to stop George from saying something he'd regret.

Either way, George's comment certainly got the attention of the rest of the table.

"Who've you been seeing?" Ron asked. "I haven't noticed anyone but Neville hanging around here lately."

"Exactly," George said pointing at Ron.

"Huh?" Ron asked.

It was Hermione who got it first, after a small pause. She gasped. "George! Neville! Really?"

George nodded.

Ron, Harry and Ginny still looked mystified.

"I think that's lovely," Hermione said. She tottered unevenly over to Neville and hugged him. "Are you happy with him?" she whispered into his ear, her hot firewhiskey breath warming his ear slightly.

Neville nodded. Hermione gave Neville a hug, then turned and gave George a hug.

"Ohhhhh...." Ginny said trailing off, the metaphorical lightbulb clicking on over her head. "George, why did you never tell anyone?"

"Tell anyone what?" Ron asked. He and Harry still looked utterly confused.

Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes. "It's Neville," Hermione said with mock patience. "George is seeing someone. It's Neville."

Ron looked at George and broke out laughing. "No you're not."

George nodded, "I am."

"Wait." Harry said. "You're gay?" he asked George.

George nodded again. "I am."

"And you are too, Nev?"

Neville nodded. "Yeah."

Ron, who had been leaning back on the back two legs of his chair, let his chair come down with a thud. "Blimey. Is this a joke?"

George smirked. "No way little brother. I am gay. Always have been, always will be."

Ginny interrupted, "Honestly, George. Why didn't you tell any of us?"

George sighed. "I did. I told Fred."

"Why'd you keep it a secret?" Ginny asked. Her face was concerned.

"Because." George looked wide-eyed, obviously unsure what to say. "I don't really know why I did. Sometimes there are things we just decide not to tell anyone for no good reason, you know? Like we're afraid to be judged about something that's not our fault, like being gay. Or maybe like being tortured and beaten by dark wizards." George gave Ginny a pointed look to let her know that he knew about being whipped.

Ginny blushed, but persisted. "But it's not like you to care about something like that. To worry about being judged."

"No. It wasn't like Fred to care about something like that. Things like that always bothered me more than they did him." George's point was that even in his family, he and Fred were lumped together. Ginny got it, George could tell by the way she blushed even deeper.

"Wait," Ron interrupted. "I just can't get over this. You're gay. You never told any of us. And now I find out Neville's gay. And I find out you two are snogging." Ron looked around, bewildered. "This is just a lot of new information in one night."

George goaded Ron, "I also shagged Oliver Wood."

Ron looked vaguely horrified, but Harry let out a loud, "Ha!"

"Oh, Ron," Hermione said exasperatedly. "It doesn't matter, does it? George is still George, right?"

Ron shrugged, "Yeah he's still George. But now he's shagging Neville."

"Ron," Ginny spat at him. "It doesn't change anything."

Ron looked for a minute like he was going to argue, but hesitated, "Yeah. You're right. Doesn't matter, doesn't change anything." But his face was bright red.

"Ronald!" Hermione began.

"What?" He got defensive. "I said it was fine. And it is!"

"Anyway," George said loudly. "Isn't this supposed to be a celebration for you two?"

The party continued, for several more hours. More firewhiskey was consumed as the six friends celebrated the impending nuptials of Ron and Hermione.

At one point, when Ron went to the bathroom, Harry pulled George and Neville aside, "Listen. I'm really happy for you guys. Just give Ron some time. You know he doesn't do well with change." Harry hesitated, "I think he thinks your news overshadowed his."

George nodded. That had always been Ron's problem. As the sixth boy, he was constantly overshadowed. "You know me, Harry. I've never gone easy on Ron before and I don't expect to start now." But he said it with a laugh.

Sure enough, right as Ron walked back in to the bathroom, George leaned in to Neville and planted a big kiss right on his mouth. Ron flinched, but didn't say anything.

Neville whispered into George's ear, "He's your brother. He'll be fine."

George leaned his forehead to Neville's, "I know. I just...wanted everyone to take it like Fred did. Which was to not change anything about how he reacted to me, except to point out blokes he thought I'd find handsome."

"Ron isn't Fred," Neville pointed out. "You aren't Fred, and you like people to know it. So you can't expect others to be like Fred."

George backed up. "That is a surprisingly good point, Neville. On that point, let's go to bed." George grabbed Neville's hand, "We're going to bed," he called to the rest of the group. "Conjure yourself some place to sleep, because no one here is in any condition to apparate."