A/N: I have been trying to keep this story as cannon as possible, but due to recent revelations regarding Angelina & George ending up together, my plans have been (once again) FOILED. Thanks, J.K. Anyway, I want to know what you guys think…I can write it so Angelina and George end up together, or I can go my original route & stray from cannon. So please review & in your review leave your vote: Angelina/George, or…other…thanks, loves! Cheers.
Katie was completely unprepared for what lay behind the door Wood held open for her. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was almost blinding: the various shades of loud bright colors hung from the rafters in banners, streamers, balloons and fairy lights. There were clusters of candy trees donated by Honeydukes, and what looked like a bar behind a partition of lime green. Round tables populated the store floor, each with a centerpiece of a trapped firework in a jar, and accompanied by loud tablecloths and a bowl of candy which was labeled "Go Ahead—Try me." George, Lee, and Ron had certainly outdone themselves. But the décor was nothing compared with the number of people sitting, standing, and milling about the fountain of butterbeer (one wizard yelped as his mug suddenly grew teeth and clamped down tightly on his nose), and other various corners of the store. Most of Hogwarts' staff was there, including McGonagall, Hagrid, Flitwick, Sprout, and Sinistra. Several ministry figures roamed the store, along with dozens upon dozens of Weasley friends and relatives. Grandpa Artemis was there in a wheelchair, being pushed around by a beaming Elizabeth and looking very hard like he was trying to be surly. Andromeda sat by her sister in a new black dress, dirty blonde hair combed to perfection, lines on her face visibly disintegrated. The Weasleys were sitting at a table at the very front, surrounded by people. Katie squinted her eyes, scanning the room for George, but her view was suddenly overcome by a very close, very blonde obstruction.
"Alicia!" Katie yelled. "What the hell was that for?"
"Hi, Spinnet," Wood smirked, moving Katie aside. "Sorry, Kates has been a little…on-edge…this evening."
"I'll bet," Alicia laughed, embracing Oliver. She was wearing a periwinkle blue, tight fitting sleeveless dress, and her bright blonde hair was especially straight and shiny. "Sorry to ambush you, Katie, but could you, erm…maybe help me get your brother to come out of the toilet? He's been in there for at least twenty minutes."
"Michael?" Katie said blankly. "What's he doing in there?"
Alicia shrugged. "I'm not sure. We were over at the bar getting drinks and all of a sudden, he just yelled and ran into the loo. I think he's barricaded himself in."
Katie quirked an eyebrow. "Are you sure he was mentally stable enough to come to this, Al?"
"Yes!" the blonde girl said defensively. "At least, I think so…"
She sighed. "Well let's go see, shall we? I'll be right back, Ol, must go knock some sense into my brother."
"Er, okay, Katie…" Wood trailed off, eyeing a crowd of school-age girls who were unabashedly staring at him, grins plastered onto their faces. "Sure you don't want me to come along?"
"Go sign some autographs," she returned. "It won't kill you."
Katie began to cross the floor, wrapping her arm inside the crook of Alicia's as she did so.
"Have you seen George?" she asked, eyes flitting through the masses of people.
"Uh-uh," Alicia replied. "I don't even think Ange has seen him, and she's his date. She's off spying on Lee. I think she's jealous he's brought another girl."
The girls laughed as they approached the toilets.
"MICHAEL!" Katie yelled sharply, banging on the bathroom door. "Get out here! I won't let you ask my friend out and leave her by herself! What the hell are you doing in there??"
"Hiding!" her brother's voice yelled back.
"Wha--? From who?" She looked strangely at Alicia. The blonde girl shrugged and shook her head in equal confusion.
"From...people!" Michael replied, sounding distressed but in a comical way. "Have you seen who's out there, Kates??"
"I've seen Alicia…your date," Katie said impatiently. "Who is far too good looking for you, let alone to wait around for you while you're being a prat!"
"She does look good, doesn't she?" Michael mused from behind the door. "That little blue dress, the gorgeous blonde hair…if I didn't respect her, I swear tonight I'd…she's out there isn't she?"
"Hi Michael," Alicia said, smirking.
Katie rolled her eyes.
"What is your problem?" she yelled. "You have never been one to hide from attention…you're a ruddy quidditch player for Godric's sake!"
"But those people!" Michael again stated. "Grandpa Artemis…he's going to rip me from limb to limb for missing the end of the war—"
"He's in a wheel chair, Michael."
"That won't stop him!"
"You are such a pansy."
"And mum! Now that I'm healing, she'll just be nagging me for not being married yet like she always does!"
"So sit with Charlie! He's here!"
"And then there's Charlie! How can I face him after collapsing like a prat?"
"You were in a coma," his sister reminded him. "And your date is a certified medi-witch. She'll back you up."
"I'm pretty sure there's no way you could have hexed off any death eaters while you were out cold," Alicia supplied.
"And McGonagall! And all the other teachers from Hogwarts whose homework I never turned in!"
"Godric, Michael, are you an idiot? They are not thinking about homework right now!"
"But still!"
"They probably won't even recognize you! You're a bloody mess! You don't even have your left eyebrow fully back yet!"
"Hey--!"
"I think you look dashing," Alicia said, trying to be helpful.
"Really?"
"Really really."
"Well, in that case…and I guess you're right, Kates. I'll be inconspicuous. I'll hide behind Alicia."
"I'm five foot one."
"Never mind."
"Just give me five minutes. I have to take a leak."
Katie rolled her eyes and was about to comment on her brother's total lack of dating skill when a voice behind her said, "Sure thing, Bell, just don't use the second toilet in. It pees on you."
Katie turned around to see George Weasley, a slightly satisfied smirk on his freckled face. George looked taller than usual that night, flaming red hair neat but still classically shaggy. He was sporting a loud magenta tuxedo and a lime green flower on his breast-pocket.
"Hi, Kay," he said smiling.
"George!" She hugged him tightly. "George, this is so…so amazing, seriously, I had no clue you guys were up to all this in here!"
"Congratulations, George," Alicia smiled as he enveloped her in a hug.
There was a flush and Michael came out, looking slightly bewildered. He had attempted to tame his messy brown hair, and was wearing a tuxedo, which looked slightly out of place as his left eyebrow was indeed still missing and a long scar on his right cheek stood out prominently.
"I thought you told me it was the second toilet," he said stupidly. "Because I used the third and…"
"Simple prank mate," George returned. "That's the order of the evening."
He offered his hand which Michael shook, face splitting into a grin.
"So does that mean you're covered in…" Alicia began.
"Miss Spinnet, my darling, would you care to accompany me to the other end of the store?" Michael interrupted, taking her arm and guiding her away. "That butterbeer fountain looks quite tempting…"
Katie smiled up at George and gave him another hug.
"You did a bang up job, mate," she said.
He just grinned and shrugged.
"How are you?" she asked, peering into his face. "Nervous at all?"
George looked around and then nodded. "Yes, a little."
"You'll be fantastic," she said, standing on her tip toes and giving him a small kiss on the cheek. "I just know it. Where's Angelina?"
He laughed harshly. "Floating around Lee somewhere, I imagine. But it's no problem. I'll wrangle that girl in and make her dance with me at least once before the night's through."
"Is there going to be dancing?" she asked, confused.
"Hypothetically."
"Ah."
"Listen, Kay…thanks for coming. Seriously, I mean it. Without you, I dunno what—"
"No problem," she said dismissively, cutting him off short. She would have enough emotion to deal with throughout the evening, there was no reason to start now.
"Well then at least let me say that you look…wow," George stalled, smiling and looking lost. Katie laughed, and waved a hand dismissively.
"George, it's me."
"Oh, right. Ew."
"You don't look too bad yourself, mate."
"Where's Wood?" he said suddenly, looking around over the tops of heads.
"Oh Godric, Oliver!" Katie exclaimed. "I've forgotten all about him! I left him to a bunch of ravenous teenage girls…poor bloke…"
"Katie…"
"Yeah?" She turned around to look at him.
"Nothing. Enjoy yourself."
She grinned. "Good luck, George. See you after the show."
And she dashed off to find Oliver.
Katie scoured the patches of teenage girls, but found no trace of Wood. Instead, she spotted him talking to a tall witch in a silver dress with light brown hair that was done up in curls.
"Oliver?" she asked, touching his arm.
He turned around to grin at her. "There you are," he said. "Jacquelyn from your work was looking for you, so we were chatting."
"Jaq!" Katie exclaimed, suddenly looking at the witch and recognizing her. "You made it!"
"Well I had to, didn't I? All you talk about is your friend George…"
"Nothing about me?" Wood said, pretending to be put out. She elbowed him, and Jacquelyn stared unabashedly.
"D'you know any blokes you could put me with?" she asked suddenly. "I came by myself, I didn't know anyone that was going beside you two…"
"Um…" Katie glanced around.
"KATIE!" A voice interrupted her.
"LeAnn??"
Katie's friend from Hogwarts stood before her. LeAnn Roberts wore a strappy red dress and a grin, her blonde hair in ringlets. Jacquelyn and Oliver looked slightly lost. Katie introduced everyone and then backed against the wall, feeling slightly winded. Wood chatted with LeAnn for a couple of minutes before turning back to his date.
"You alright?" he asked good naturedly.
"I'm a little overwhelmed," she admitted, ducking behind him to avoid being seen by Kingsley Shacklebolt; she was suddenly embarrassed of the editorials she had been publishing in the Prophet.
"Well come on, then. Let's get you a drink."
She sighed. "I can't. I have to find some bloke for Jaq…"
He glanced back at her friend. "She's talking to LeAnn now…maybe they can scour the room themselves."
He smiled. "Come on, Katie. Please relax."
She smiled slightly and took his arm. "Thanks, Ol," she said.
Wood walked her over to a table near the front that held a placard that read "Reserved."
"I bumped into Ange," he explained. "George saved this table for us."
"Oh good," she said slightly breathlessly as he pulled out her chair.
"Just sit down, I'll go get us some drinks. Want anything in particular?"
"Just something with alcohol."
She rubbed her temples as Wood disappeared into the crowd.
A couple of minutes later, Alicia and Michael joined her, along with Charlie Weasley.
"Hi, Katie," Charlie smiled.
Out of nowhere, Angelina plopped down.
"Have you seen who Lee's with?" she asked abruptly. She was in a silky olive green halter-top dress and her hair which was normally in braids, was loose and straightened, loose ringlets at the bottom.
"No, I haven't seen him…"
"He's with some blonde girl. Blonde, Katie!"
"Hey," Alicia said, offended.
"Bugger off, Alicia," Ange snapped. "What does he mean by it, seriously??"
"I don't know, Johnson, maybe that he's dating?" Oliver had returned. He sat down next to Katie and pushed a martini over toward her. She had never been so happy to see him in her life. He put his arm around her shoulder and began talking quidditch to Charlie and Michael. Soon, Ange joined in, Lee forgotten.
Katie sat quietly, sipping her drink, trying to ignore that through the din of the crowds, silence prevailed; a silence which came in place of him. In place of Fred Weasley, who should have been there that night. Whose name was on the tip of everyone's tongue, but which remained behind teeth due to painful propriety. She knew, now, what George meant about expecting him to be there. About seeing him in the corner of her eye, about hearing his laugher, or catching his scent. The lights dimmed, and everyone fell silent in expectation; she looked up, expecting him, and seeing nothing.
XxX
So kind of a filler chapter…I meant to go through the whole opening ceremony, but it got to be so long that I just ended it. Next chapter, I PROMISE, will finally be what you've been waiting (so long) for. I apologize. I've had severe writers' block, as evidenced by these last two lackluster chapters. But I have a feeling the next one will be good. We'll see.