A/N: To those of you who I promised that this chapter would finally be their little get together, I'm sorry. Also, I apologize for the ridiculously long dream sequence and chapter. There was a lot to get through. I did extend it just long enough so that everyone made an appearance, however. Thanks a TON for your reviews & as always, keep them coming! I love to know what you think & where you want the story to go.

Kathryn O'Shay Bell ran through the overgrown meadow at top-speed, laughing merrily as her yellow sun dress billowed behind her. She was twelve years old and there were ribbons in her hair, the careful ringlets that had been curled by her mother earlier that evening threatening to fall out with each leap. Following close behind her was Fred Weasley, laughing equally as loud, a grin spread across his freckled face.

"Did you see their faces?" Katie laughed, slowing down once they were out of sight.

"Are you kidding?!" crowed Fred, catching up to her. "This is definitely one Sunday they won't forget."

"So you admit that I had a brilliant idea?"

"Yes, but I executed it."

"With my help!"

"You helped a little."

"You great prat!!"

She laughed and tackled Fred, dark ringlets bouncing as they fell over and rolled down a small knoll.

"Worms in Percy's spaghetti," she reminisced, stretching out on the grassy patch once they were still. "I am brilliant."

"It was pretty funny," Fred conceded. "What was it that McGonagall wrote home about you? Brilliant promise, but devastating lack of maturity?"

"Her inseparable friendship with the Weasley brothers perhaps ought to be rethought—That was it!" Katie laughed, reaching over and grabbing a dandelion. She blew the fluff away lightly, sending its seeds out into the dusk of the summer evening.

"And when do you plan on acting your age, Miss Bell?" Fred asked, mockingly stern.

"I shall never grow up!" she declared, grinning over at her friend.

"It's a good thing, too, because I don't think I'd like you if you did," Fred said, winking at her. Katie responded by sticking out her tongue.

"Yeah, you are very mature," the red-head laughed, rolling his eyes. Katie giggled and threw her left shoe at him which caught him on the side of his nose.

She leapt up giggling, breaking up a patch of fireflies as she and Fred raced through the lazy evening. He caught up to her easily with his long legs and grabbed her around the waist. She half laughed, half shrieked in protest until Fred caught a hold of her hands, grabbing both of them and starting to spin. She screamed with laughter as the pair of them spun each other around and around.

"You know why we're friends, Kates?" Fred asked, releasing her and watching her tumble to the ground.

"Because I'm the only one who puts up with your stupidity and utter lack of gentleman like manners?" she asked, still grinning as she brushed the floppy ringlets out of her face and stood up, brushing off her dress.

"Nope," Fred said, not bothering to help her. "It's because you laugh. Most girls go through these ridiculous mood swings and you just laugh. It's like you're just another Weasley brother."

"I resent that, Fred!" she laughed, shoving him playfully.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm sure once I start going through the phase where I actually like girls, you'll be my first crush."

Katie rolled her eyes. "I'll bet against it."

"You would."

They were laughing when the rain started. The clouds gathered thick and fast out of nowhere, darkening the sky. The rain pelted the young friends as they yelled and ran back toward the Burrow, which was a good mile off. Katie ran behind Fred, struggling to keep up with his fast pace. Attempting to put on an extra burst of speed, she slipped on a particularly muddy patch of grass and landed on her tail-end, sliding and tumbling down a small hill. Fred heard her fall and turned around anxiously, but his friend was simply sitting on the wet and muddy ground laughing hysterically, rain drops falling off of her long lashes, her hair now wet and stringy. The sight of this made him grin and he walked over to her, offering her his hand.

Katie accepted it, still giggling as he pulled a bright yellow umbrella out of nowhere and handed it to her with a wink.

"But Fred, we can't do magic outside of school!" she said, shocked.

"Who's going to know?" he said laughing. She shook her head and accepted it, though not quite able to stifle a smile. Katie looked up at him while blinking rain water away from her face, green eyes blazing. Fred's demeanor changed as he looked back at her. Smiles disappeared from both faces as Katie stood on her tip-toes, leaning in.

And then she was falling, spiraling. She called out to him but Fred grew smaller and smaller as she lost herself in the rainy, wet air, still madly clutching the yellow umbrella. When she was standing right side up again, she was seven years older. She was dry, her hair now combed and she could feel sadness around her though she still held onto the yellow umbrella. She looked down at herself. She recognized this black dress…it was the one Fred had helped her pick out for Dumbledore's funeral. She hadn't owned anything black before then. Now, she seemed to realize, it was a good addition to her wardrobe. She had used it several times since. Fate and irony were cruel; that dress was now being worn at his funeral.

The nineteen-year-old looked around her from underneath the brim of the umbrella. She hoped that its color wouldn't offend anyone here. She rather thought Fred might have enjoyed it. Katie was conscious of several things all at once. First, that it was raining in June. Second, that she had not changed location at all. This was the very same meadow she had been in just a moment ago. The only thing that had changed was the red-head by whom she was now standing.

George Weasley looked over at her. She could feel a single tear make its way down her cheek and the roughness of his quidditch-calloused hand as it pressed into her palm. She turned over to stare at the simple blank tombstone that stood at the top of the hill. Several people were crying, Mrs. Weasley probably the loudest. A pair of people from her office were scurrying over the hill. She was conscious that George had just punched one of them. Katie blinked several times, trying to clear her head. Fred has died. She had to remind herself of that over and over again. Her head snapped up at the sound of an older man's voice.

"Now if only the family would remain, please," he was saying. Several people, including her own family, walked down the hill and away from the grave site. They were heading back toward the house. Katie's head registered that she, too, ought to be leaving but she could not make her feet move. She knew she was terribly out of place, but none of the Weasleys seemed to be trying to force her removal. One by one they filed up toward the tombstone. Arthur. Molly. Bill. Charlie. Percy. Ron. Ginny. George released her hand and followed behind his sister. Numbly, Katie fell behind him and followed suit. The old man stopped her, putting out his hand.

"Family only, Miss," He said. His voice seemed to be a thousand miles away. Katie could only stare at him. Suddenly she felt someone take her arm.

"She is family," Molly Weasley said gruffly, pulling her past the wizard. Katie moved like a thing possessed back behind George as Mrs. Weasley patted her on the back and took her place beside her husband. They seemed to be waiting for something to happen.

Mr. Weasley moved first. He took out his wand, directing it slowly toward the blank tombstone. The words "FRED WEASLEY" appeared. He moved along. Mrs. Weasley went next. Through her sobbing she managed to form the words "Beloved son". The boys next. They chose "brother". Ginny wrote "friend". George took the longest time. He stared at his brother's final resting place, as though searching for a word that would best describe the man he had shared all of his life with. After several minutes, he chose simply, "twin". He walked over the join the rest of his family who were nodding their approval. Charlie set his hand firmly on George's shoulder without a word. Katie looked at them and they simply looked back, waiting to see how she would honor their lost loved one.

Katie stared down at Fred's grave. She searched her mind, but nothing would come. What one word could possibly encapsulate the years of friendship, laughs, love, and tears that had come into her life because of him? What simple formation of a few letters could hope to show all those who stopped here that Fred Weasley was the reason for her existence? The man who had helped to shape her into the woman she had become? The man who she had been hoping to share her life with? To grow old with? To die with? The utter impossibility of the problem consumed her. At last, she raised her wand and wrote simply what was in her heart:

If I had never known him, I would have never really lived.

She looked over at Fred's family, but she already felt their approval. They didn't have to nod.

"Katie? Katie, wake up!"

George's long nose was inches from her face. She stared at him wide-eyed and scrambled backward, bashing her head against her bed post.

"Owww," she moaned, rubbing the point of contact.

"Are you alright?" George asked, looking at her curiously. "You were shaking."

"S'alright," she said thickly, trying to gain control of herself. "I just forgot my potion, that's all."

"That stuff you've been giving me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Katie said, picking at her left thumb nail and fooling no one.

"Har har, Katie. Like I don't know it was you. Thanks, by the way. Really helped loads, that potion did."

"Well thanks for waking me up at any rate. What's the time anyway? And how did you get in here?" The oddity of George's appearance in her bedroom was beginning to dawn on Katie. George grinned.

"It's 8:15 in the morning," he explained patiently, though with a hint of playfulness in his voice. "It's Saturday, which means we meet our friends in around four hours, and I'm sorry to invade your privacy, but I temporarily suspended the anti-apparition charm on your apartment complex when you wouldn't respond to my repeated banging on your door."

"Oh, that's right. I told you to come over. I'm sorry, George," Katie moaned, getting out of her bed. "Listen, I'll just be five minutes, okay? Let me brush my teeth."

Katie and George had decided sometime over the past couple of days that they ought to visit Fred's gravesite before meeting up with their school friends. Neither of them had been back since the funeral and they thought that it might help shed the last small part of the denial step of the grief process to go back. Secretly, Katie felt less guilty about spending a day with friends if she could somehow clear it with Fred first. She didn't want him left out. This, she knew, was utterly ridiculous and it felt somewhat vile but she couldn't shake the feeling of guilt every time she felt remotely free of grief—not that that was very often, but it was becoming somewhat of a more common occurrence.

Katie pulled on a pair of plastic rain boots and a jacket over her pajamas. It was neither practical nor fashionable, but she found that she cared less about that now than she ever had. George gave her a look as they headed out onto the street.

"Rain boots, Kates?" he asked.

"Shut up, George. They were the first pair I could find."

"It's summer."

"I thought I told you to shut up."

As they walked past the communal garden, Katie stopped and scooped up several brightly colored flowers, tying them together with a piece of string she conjured up quickly with her wand. She hastily attached a small roll of parchment which she had prepared in the bathroom after brushing her teeth. Several blocks down, George finally spoke.

"Those weren't your flowers to take, were they?"

"No, they weren't. But they were the best looking ones I saw."

George smiled and nodded appreciatively. "Stolen flowers," he mused. "Ol' Fred will like that, he will."

When they arrived at a deserted alleyway, they disapparated. Katie felt a tremor of trepidation as she looked once more onto the meadow that had held so many memories. George, now solemn, put his hand on her shoulder and looked at her, concerned. She couldn't bring herself to speak so she just nodded. They began the walk.

It didn't take long to find the hill where Fred's simple tombstone lay. It was covered in every manner of wildflower conceivable, placed there daily by Ginny. Katie felt a twinge of guilt and regret that she did not have the courage or fortitude to be like the younger girl. The two friends approached the site quietly, each lost in their own thoughts. Now able to cry, Katie did so freely but silently. She stole a glance at George, whose eyes were shiny but not full.

Fred, she said in her mind. Fred, I've not forgotten about you. George and I are just going to meet up with Alicia and Ange in a bit. Lee and even Oliver will be there, too. But we've not forgotten about you. We wish you could come with us, you always—

Katie shook her head, trying to snap herself out of these guilty thoughts. Fred would have wanted them to have fun, wouldn't he have?

"He would have," George confirmed. Katie stared up at him.

"What?"

"He would have wanted us to go. That's what you're thinking, isn't it?" He was smiling through his misty eyes.

"It's bloody scary hanging around you so much. It's a good thing we're getting out today or else you'd be able to tell what I'm thinking all of time." Katie laughed lightly, brushing away her tears.

"That would be a dangerous place to be, wouldn't it? Inside your head?" George was actually joking. He had chosen this place and this time to start joking again. Katie could not comprehend this.

"How are you making jokes at your brother's grave?" she asked, half-mortified and half-relieved.

"Don't you remember what you wrote, Kates?" he asked, peering over at her. Katie's eyes drifted to the contribution she had made to the headstone.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "Yeah, you're right. Fred would've wanted us to feel alive, wouldn't he have? Not…not like this."

She firmed herself up and walked closer, kneeling down and gently setting the small bouquet of stolen flowers nearest to the words she had etched herself. She rolled up the small bit of parchment on which she had written the words Remember our first? That bit of her dream hadn't been so bad. She could almost fancy herself still feeling the strange tingle of his lips on hers.

Katie straightened up and retraced her step backward. She was about to whisper to George that they ought to go when she tripped over something hard and sprawled onto the ground. She looked up at him incredulously, hardly daring to believe that he had actually done what he had done.

"You didn't seriously just trip me, did you?"

"I haven't the foggiest what you're talking about, Katie," said George. He was twiddling his thumbs and attempting to appear innocent, but he had lost any sort of degree of innocence years ago and Katie's face was distorted in horror.

"You're awful!" she shouted, clamoring to her feet. "I can't believe you could seriously just do that. Right here!"

The words indicted him and as Katie chased George across the meadow their actions indicted them both, but a warm breeze rustled through the trees and the grass and the meadow hummed as though someone was giving their approval.

Xxx

The first Saturday in August had dawned clear and sunny. There were no clouds to be seen for miles in the clear blue sky. It was a perfect day to meet up with your friends and Katie Bell had already vomited twice out of nervousness. She felt similar to her twelve-year-old self on the first day of try-outs for the Gryffindor quidditch team. She was so anxious that she had actually apparated over to her family's house to have her mother and aunt give her a pep-talk.

"They're your friends, love," Mrs. Bell said as she poured orange juice from her wand into a glass and handed it to her trembling daughter. "They'll understand you better than you think."

The slender woman with short sandy blonde hair smiled and winked. "And you look incredible."

"Thanks to me!" called out her young aunt from the couch in the living room as Katie sniffed.

Elizabeth Garibaldi had insisted that her niece have a new outfit for this day after finding out that Katie had simply planned on donning her usual weekend attire of an old quidditch tee and faded jeans. Consequently, Katie was now dressed in an actual outfit for the first time in quite a long while. Instead of jeans, she wore brown cords and instead of a t-shirt she sported a slightly low cut tank covered in small beige polka dots. She had a cropped light jean jacket over her shoulders.

Her hair she had done herself. Inspired by her dream from the previous night, her short hair now hung in fat sprigs of dark ringlets which bounced when she walked and shone with the smallest hint of sun made auburn. And she felt ridiculous.

"You really do look lovely," her mum repeated as she looked over at her daughter who was staring very fixedly on the glass of orange juice. "But…are you going to…you know?"

Katie looked up as her mother gestured to the silver band on her finger. Katie clutched at it defensively.

"No!" she said firmly, making sure she could still feel its firmness between her fingers. She could not possibly take off the last thing Fred had ever given her, token of one of their last conversations while he was alive. It was the only tangible symbol that she had left of his love. She was healing, but she wasn't to that point quite yet.

"Okay," Mrs. Bell said, retracing her steps quickly and neatly. "But do drink that juice. It will help to settle your stomach."

Mechanically, Katie obeyed. The citrus drink slid down her dry and sticky throat without protest. She set the cup down without once shifting her gaze. The large clock on the wall chimed the hour.

"That'll be time to get George, won't it, love?" her mother prodded.

"Yeah," Katie responded listlessly.

Mrs. Bell observed her unmoving daughter for a while before forcibly standing her up from her breakfast chair. She took Katie by the shoulders and looked directly into her eyes.

"Hey," she said. "You have fun today. You'll have nothing to worry about, just be yourself."

"But you always said that's hell for you."

"What's hell for me is another person's idea of heaven," she replied with a wink. "Now go get 'em. You weren't a second year Chaser for nothing, right?"

"And snag Oliver Wood!" shouted Elizabeth from her spot in the corner. Katie rolled her eyes as she disapparated, heading for the Weasley kitchen. She had made the mistake of telling her aunt that she was friends with a rising quidditch star and that she had been spending small amounts of time with him here and there. Elizabeth was convinced that today was a date and nothing that Katie or anyone else could say would persuade her otherwise.

Katie apparated with a pop into the kitchen of the Burrow where Mrs. Weasley was fussing over George, straightening his clothes and tugging at bits of the red mop that was his hair, attempting to smooth its unruliness.

"George, you really must get a haircut, you know," she said exasperated. "You look a fright."

"How short shall I cut it, mother?" George asked with a grin. "So it's easier for you to see this?" He pulled a bit of his hair back, exposing the dark hole where his ear had been severed off. Mrs. Weasley winced and then let out a noise of frustration.

"Oh, keep it that way then and have everyone mistake you for being homeless!" she said, huffing. "I think I liked you better when you were hiding up in your room." But her eyes and slight smile spoke worlds of difference.

Katie laughed, causing the mother and son to notice her for the first time.

"Oh hello, dear," she said happily. "You look very lovely this morning."

"Spiffing," added George with a grin.

Ignoring her son, Mrs. Weasley now began to fuss over Katie, inquiring that she was alright to drive and that she had the complete set of directions to Alicia's home and the theater at which they were to meet. Katie had to smile at Molly's preoccupation as she assured her that, as always, everything was fine.

"Oh, alright then," she said at last. "Off with you two. Have fun, George! Don't forget your father wants every detail on how those thee-ay-turs work—"

"Bye, Mum!" George shouted, closing the door on the still chattering Mrs. Weasley.

As soon as he was out of his mother's sight, George made several changes to his appearance. He unbuttoned the button up tee, letting it hang open, untucked the old quidditch tee shirt he had underneath and put his hands through his hair, scruffing it up once more. Katie couldn't help but laugh. There was the old George, the one she had run round mad with at Hogwarts. She felt immediately better about her own polished up appearance. After all, this was the sort of way she would have looked on a Hogsmeade weekend. A comforting sense of normalcy filled her as she walked over to the Ministry car Mr. Weasley had borrowed for them that day.

"Remind me why we're driving again?" George said in a slightly whining voice once they were out on the freeway.

"Because, George," Katie sighed for the millionth time. "I had to get a muggle license for my job and neither of us has been to Alicia's in ages and we can't remember exactly where it is. And unless I know exactly where it is that I'm apparating to, I'm not apparating."

"Well why can't we floo, then?"

"Her parents are muggles. They don't hook up their fireplaces to the network!"

"I still say we should've tried to apparate. I can sort of remember a white couch…Come on, Katie, let's try it."

"No, George. It's not safe."

"That's what would've made it fun for you before. You would've tried last year. You haven't gone soft, have you, Be—"

George was cut off as Katie suddenly swerved the car off the side of the road. Several people honked their horns as Katie turned to George, green eyes flashing.

"Do you want to get splinched?!" she yelled, seething at the redhead in the passenger's seat. George immediately sank into his seat.

"No," he said quietly.

"Then shut up and hang on!"

And Katie maneuvered her way back onto the freeway, much to the chagrin of the other drivers around her. Several minutes later, George tentatively spoke up.

"You seem a little—erm—tightly wound today, Kates. Anything wrong?"

"I'm sorry, George," Katie sighed, rubbing her head with one hand on the steering wheel. "I'm just really stressed right now. I'm scared of driving and I'm a little nervous to see everyone again."

"So you decided to bite my head off?"

"It's the only thing that will shut you up sometimes. And it's not my fault you're still afraid of me."

"Yeah, well…you're bloody scary sometimes. You know that."

She groaned. "I know, I know. I'm sorry."

"S'alright. So why are you so nervous to see everyone?"

"I don't know," Katie mused, staring at the road. "I guess I'm afraid of the way everything's going to be. How everyone is going to be."

"Now that Fred's gone, you mean?"

"Yeah…" It was barely a whisper. In her peripheral vision, she could see George nod.

"I know," he muttered.

"Come on," Katie said suddenly. "Let's get some air." She played around with the various buttons the dashboard until she found the one that took the top down. She grinned over at George, who was staring up at it in amazement. She laughed.

"Feel the wind!" she shouted. "Doesn't it feel great on your face?!"

His solemn face suddenly split into a grin. "This is great!" he shouted, laughing.

"Some days need air," she agreed, stealing a glance at his happy freckled face. She smiled to herself, the way she always did when she thought she had helped to lighten his mood a little.

"Is it going to be awkward for you to see Alicia at all?" Katie asked after a while.

George just shrugged. "Nah, I don't think so…"

"You sure?"

"Yeah. We're still good friends."

Katie nodded, not quite sure if she believed him. Neither of the Weasley twins had had a high propensity for monogamy during their Hogwarts years—even Fred had broken up, made up, and fought with Katie constantly. They had had their share of drama and other romantic interests. George's dating career, however, was riddled with countless girls that no one could actually remember the name of, who came and went almost weekly. Then, to everyone's surprise, he and Alicia announced their couplehood toward the end of their fifth year. They dated for about a year and a half after that until Fred and George had performed their infamous flight from the castle; apparently Alicia had been completely enraged at George, calling the whole thing a desperate plea for attention. Katie suspected that she'd just been upset that he hadn't told her what they'd been planning. Either way, it ended the relationship. They still seemed to be friendly toward one another and she hadn't heard either voice any regret, but then there had been the war and it wasn't exactly like they had time for such petty concerns.

"Is it going to be awkward for you to see Wood?" George shot back at her with a devilish grin on his face.

"What?" Katie asked, staring.

"You know, now that you're spending all this time with him. He's going to be expecting you to put out, ol' Wood will. And why shouldn't he, he's gorgeous, eligible, and talented. Right, Kates?"

"Oh George, sod off," she snapped, but she could feel color rising into her cheeks for some reason she could not explain.

Then, out of nowhere, a large grey owl suddenly hit the windshield. Katie spun out, pulling the car over into a tiny grocery store parking lot.

"Damn!" she shouted, slamming on the brakes. George got out of the car and hurried over the animal which was alive, but obviously shaken.

"It's Alicia's," he announced. "It's always been a little near-sighted."

"Well what's it doing here?" Katie asked, craning her neck over the steering wheel to see.

George pulled a small roll of parchment off of its leg and got back inside, Alicia's owl under his arm.

"She wants us to meet everyone at the theater now," he said, showing her the note.

Katie groaned. "Great, Alicia," she muttered. "Just great. Like I didn't know where I was going before."

"I think it should just be around this corner," George said, pointing. "At least, that's the way she's describing it here…"

He was right. Katie pulled into the parking lot of the large and strange looking building and parked the car. She and George exited and with a deep breath, she looked around for their friends.

It didn't take long to find them; Alicia's blonde hair was glowing like a beacon and Lee's full head of dreadlocks stood out amongst the groups of people outside the theater. Beside them, Angelina stood discussing something eagerly with Wood who was listening intently. Probably quidditch.

She looked around at George who was suddenly frozen solid. She understood how he felt. They both wanted to get back into the car and keep their problems to themselves without having to share it with people who couldn't understand, no matter how much they cared. She knew that they were devastated by the loss of their friend, but it was just different. Still, she couldn't turn back now. This had been planned for too long. So, with a deep breath, Katie took hold of George's hand, gave him an encouraging smile, and walked over to the circle of friends.

She and George were so uncharacteristically quiet that no one noticed they were approaching until they stood right in front of them. Angelina, Alicia, Lee, and Oliver stopped talking and turned to look at the pair of them. No one seemed to know what to do. Finally, Alicia stepped out. With a warm smile, she took Katie's hand and pressed it.

"How are you?" she asked. The tone in her voice was sincere, yet so unassuming that it flooded Katie with an outburst of affection for her friend that she practically attacked Alicia with a giant bear hug, burying her face in Alicia's thick yellow blonde hair. Her hair still smelled the same; Katie recognized the shampoo Alicia used in the locker room and in the bathroom and it flooded her with happy memories of school and quidditch. It was a familiar smell. It was Alicia. Her best friend.

She turned to Angelina. The mocha colored girl grinned with her pearly white smile and squeezed Katie tight, her braided hair swinging wildly. "You look great, Katie," she said. "And it's so good to see you!"

"It's so good to see you!" Katie said, laughing now out of relief. She couldn't understand why she had kept away for so long. This was like an oasis to someone who had lived in the desert for twenty years.

"Glad to see you made it, Bell," Oliver said now, grinning. He enveloped her in a tight hug, lifting her up off her feet. "I told you that you wanted to open that letter."

"You were right," Katie laughed. She turned to look at George. He was still standing awkwardly at the outside of the group, tugging on the sleeve of his button-up. Following Katie's gaze, Oliver immediately walked over to George and offered him his hand. Surprised, George accepted. Oliver pumped his hand enthusiastically and clapped him on the back. George grinned now and Katie felt a rush of appreciation for Oliver for the thousandth time.

"How's it going, Wood? Life in the professionals treating you alright?"

"What's all this?" Lee Jordan said, making his way through the girls. "You'll say hi to the quidditch nazi, but you keep your distance from your best friend?"

He barked it out accusatorily but his face was split into a wide grin. George just shrugged.

"Sorry, mate, but who's to say you're my best friend?" The two young men laughed as they hugged, pummeling each other on the back. When they parted, every one of Lee's dreadlocks was a different color of the rainbow. Oliver stared in shock and Lee in confusion as the girls busted up in laughter.

"What?" Lee asked, looking around. George had a smirk on his face and was looking upward, still failing miserably at the innocent look.

"What'd you do to me, George?" Lee demanded, grabbing a hold of his collar. "Is this your way of generating excitement for the joke shop? Because if it is, I swear to you I will never come in—"

George continued to try and look confused. "What? Lee, I haven't the foggiest what you're talking about…"

"Oh lighten up, Jordan, you look great," Ange laughed. "Almost handsome even."

"Really?" Lee perked up. He sidled over next to Angelina and coyly placed his arm around her. "So then, Johnson…"

"Oh, sod off, Lee."

Katie laughed until she had tears in her eyes. Everything was so…normal. Looking around her, she saw Lee still pursuing a reluctant Ange, George back to pranking on his friends, Alicia smiling, and Oliver wishing he had spent more down time with his old quidditch team. The only thing that was missing was Fred, but Katie could swear that she felt him somewhere, if only in the spirit of all that was happening. Grinning broadly, she linked arms with Alicia and the six friends entered the muggle movie theater.