I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.

Extended Family

Chapter 16 – AU: Hard Work, Tenacity, Awesome. Part 1

This starts before the Yule Ball Fourth Year with a few different changes in the prior years

"Hey George, can I talk to you for a bit?"

George gave Harry a look. For some reason, the younger boy was looking quite nervous. Being approached nervously was nothing new for George. Very few approached him without some form of trepidation. The Chasers did not of course, Percy was usually exasperated, Ginny fearless, his mother was one of the few people George approached with nervousness. Harry usually never looked like that when it came to him or Fred.

"Yeah of course Harry. Should Fred be there?"

Harry shook his head. "No, just you if that's okay."

George smiled inwardly. Now he had an idea of what was going on and it delighted him. However, he kept his face placid, solemn even. He nodded seriously. "Right on. Let's find somewhere to chat then." They walked around until they found an empty classroom and George threw up a privacy charm after locking the door. "What's on your mind Harry?"

Harry rubbed his neck. "Uh, well, I wanted to ask you something and I hope you won't be mad."

George sighed. "I knew this was coming."

Harry froze. "You did?" he squeaked.

George nodded sadly. "I did. I always expected it really."

"You did?!"

"It was inevitable." He put his hands on Harry's shoulders. "Harry, I'm really flattered, but I'm not interested in blokes. Not that there's anything wrong with it, far from it. I'm just glad you came to me, the handsomest Weasley."

Fear became annoyance and Harry gave George a flat look that sent the older boy into hysterics. "You're funny," Harry said flatly. "A real riot. You suck."

"I couldn't resist," George laughed, wiping tears of merriment away. "You should have seen your face!"

Harry could not help but join in with the laughter. "You're really funny." His smile turned sharp. "Fred's funnier though."

"You take that back!"

"No really, it's close. He's just a tiny bit funnier than you, just barely noticeable. His joke about the leprechaun and the thestral is really funny."

"That's my joke!" George pushed Harry into a desk, grinning wryly. "Alright, guess I deserved that."

"Yeah you did," Harry laughed. "Here I am, coming to talk to you all serious like you and had to mess with me."

"What can I say? It's my second nature to mess with serious people." George flopped onto a chair and kicked his legs up onto a desk, leaning back. "What's up Harry?"

Harry sighed. He became nervous again but the joke from before had relaxed him a little. "Feel free to tell me to stop talking if you want and seriously no hard feelings. I really wanted to talk to you and know what's going on but I feel like I'm stepping beyond my bounds and I asked Sirius what to do and his advice was honestly horrific and-"

"Harry, breathe," George laughed. "It's me, George. I trust you ickle brudder. Come on, out with it."

Harry took a deep breath. "Are you planning on asking Angelina to the Ball?"

George crowed loudly internally. "Well, I wasn't planning on it. Why?"

Harry blushed deeply. "I, uh, was hoping that, if you weren't, I was…going to."

"Hoping to ask her or going to ask her?"

"Uh…yes."

George laughed. "You better get that sorted out soon if you want to do something about it." His eyes twinkled. "Why'd you ask me first?"

"Well if you and her were going to the Ball together, or you were going to ask her, or if you like her…I didn't want to interfere."

George's grin was warm. "That's real good of you to check Harry. Really."

"Well, you both are my friends and I'd hate to cause any trouble."

George clapped him on the shoulder. "You're a good man, Harry. Really. But don't worry. Angelina and I are good friends and that's it. I know she likes me but in the same way she likes Fred. We both annoy her too much to be anything other than good friends. She also says we remind her too much of her brothers so there's that too."

"Oh, sorry to hear that, sort of," Harry said weakly.

"Nah don't be. Angelina's really cool and fit but we don't mesh like that. Between thee and me and the wall, she's a bit scary." He winked at Harry, "But if she doesn't scare you, go for it."

"I don't think she's scary," Harry laughed. "I mean, she can be, but not to me."

"Nope, she adores you. Treats you special."

Harry smile was bright. "Do…does she really? Do you think she might say yes?"

George liked how happy Harry looked. "Oh yeah, and I think so! You won't know 'till you ask but I say go for it." His smile turned sly. "Besides, you've liked her for a while now, haven't you?"

Harry flushed and looked away. "Don't what you mean," he muttered unconvincingly.

"Mmmm," George hummed. "So when you gave her the championship Snitch last year after our game?"

"That's a thing?!"

"Oh yeah, big Quidditch gesture and she knew it too. She knew you didn't know exactly so never held it against you." He snickered at his groan. "And that kiss you gave her after kissing Katie after drinking from the Cup?"

"Is it that obvious?" Harry asked weakly.

"Only to those that know you," George soothed. He gave him a conspiratorial look. "I think she likes you a bit too. She's always affectionate with you. It's different with you than others."

"Really?" Harry asked, hopeful.

"I think you got a good chance," George said sincerely.

"Thanks, I appreciate you being cool about it," Harry said.

"Of course," George said happily. "You better ask her soon though."

"I will."

They sat in companionable silence. "So what was Sirius' advice?" George asked.

Harry groaned. "He said I should challenge you to a duel and win dramatically and then ask Angelina."

"Oh hey, that's a good idea."

"No. No, it isn't."

"No, it is. We can make it grand! I'll get Fred in on it. We'll duel in the great hall, you beat us both, and Angelina will be so overcome by your manliness she won't dream of saying no!"

"Or she kicks all our arses for being prats," Harry said.

"That's definitely a possibility but let's focus on the cooler possibility."

"The cooler possibility is even less likely to happen than what I said would happen."

"Odds are for boring people that worry too much."

"Have you met me?"

"Yeah, but you're not boring."

-0-

"Oh no," Katie said.

"What?" Alicia looked around.

Katie pointed. "I think there's trouble."

Harry sat between George and Fred at the table in the common room. He was looking distinctly nervous and annoyed, which to be fair, he was sitting between the twins so that was a normal facial expression to have. Fred and George looked entirely too pleased with themselves, which again, was normal for them.

"I wonder what," Alicia mused. "Normally the twins don't tease him overmuch."

"Let's go help him out." Katie and Alicia walked over, sitting down at the table. "What are you two doing to Harry?" Katie asked.

"Us?" They wore identical hurt expressions and held a hand to their chest. "What makes you think we are doing something to Harry?" they asked in unison.

"Because you are you and Harry is Harry." Alicia glared at them. "Out with it."

"We're just trying to be supportive of our little brudder," George said insincerely.

"You are not and I can't believe you told Fred," Harry said with a red face. "Well, actually, I can believe that you did but I hoped you wouldn't have so soon."

"Well then you really should've done what you said you'd do," George grinned.

"We literally just stopped talking when you told Fred! You gave me no time!"

"The early Seeker snatches the Snitch," Fred said airily.

Katie and Alicia shared a look.

"It'll only get worse," George warned. "The longer you wait, the worse it'll get."

"What will?" Katie asked.

"We can't control it," Fred warned.

"Control what?" Alicia asked.

"Yes you can, you both can," Harry said heatedly. "You absolutely can control it. You choose not to."

"What is going on?" Katie asked, glaring at the boys.

Fred and George looked at each other, then looked at Harry before looking at the girls.

"You wouldn't," Harry hissed.

"We might," the twins said together.

"Someone explain something right now or you're getting a sore backside," Alicia said, aiming her wand.

"Well we were just having some manly talk about manly things and of course that means the Ball," George began.

"And we wanted to share some manly experiences with some manly advice about the Ball," Fred continued.

"Absolutely not, I will not have you poisoning Harry with your terrible exploits," Alicia growled.

"Wait." Katie looked at Harry with growing delight. "You need some help with the Ball? Do you have someone you want to ask?"

"Harry! We can help you more than these pair of tits!" Alicia said enthusiastically.

Harry stood up abruptly and glared at the grinning twins. "You two suck so much. Just the worst!" He ran from the room.

Alicia shot stinger spells at the laughing twins. "You two need to be more delicate!" she said severely. "You know Harry's self-conscious about most things and of course he'd be like that for this!"

"We are really helping!" George said, rubbing his rear.

"You're annoying him into action!" Katie said.

"Right! Helping!" Fred said, rubbing his rear.

"Oi!" Angelina came stomping into the common room and made a beeline for the twins. "What did you two tits do to Rabbit?! I just saw him running away and I come in and see you two laughing your heads off!"

George shot the other two girls a look before trying to look innocent. "What? Us? We didn't do anything."

"Nope, not a thing," Fred said with a matching expression. "He just had to run out for a last-minute thing. Nothing to do with us at all or the fact that he might need some help with something."

Angelina growled at them. "He needs help and you two bother him enough to flee without helping? I'm going to go see what's wrong and when we get back you both will be in for it." She shook her head and left the common room grumbling under her breath.

Alicia narrowed her eyes when the twins high-fived each other. "What is going on?"

Katie gasped. "No!"

George grinned. "Yes!"

"Oh my goodness," Katie said, making happy noises. "They would be so cute together!"

Alicia's draw dropped. "Wait, really?!"

Fred smiled. "I was surprised too but they would be pretty darn adorable right?"

"Harry came and essentially asked me for permission," George laughed. "Well not permission really but he was doing the gentlemanly thing in asking if I was asking her to the ball. I said no, which is true, and gave him some encouragement and support."

"I still say we should've done what Sirius suggested," Fred said.

"Which was?" Katie asked.

"He told Harry to challenge George to a duel and then ask Angelina when he won."

"Besides the fact that Harry would beat the pants off George in a duel," Alicia said, savoring the look of indignation on George's face, "Angelina would have gotten really annoyed with the both of you."

"We could have made it into a real spectacle though," Fred said mournfully. "Fireworks, lights, sounds, dramatic lines. Everything. Make it really romantic. Girls like that sort of thing, right?"

"I weep for your future spouse," Alicia sighed.

Katie clapped her hands. "I can't wait to see what happens!"

-0-

Angelina climbed the steps to the owlery, her grumbling increasing in volume and potential payback to the twins. She had gone all over looking for Harry. She checked the usual places, the alcove, and he was nowhere to be found. She decided she would try the owlery before heading back to the common room to wait for him to come back.

She shivered slightly, stepping into the wintery air. Despite the intense cold, she did like it up here. The fresh air, away from the owls roosting anyways, reminded her of flying. The soft sounds the owls made was soothing as well. People rarely came here in big groups so it was usually quiet as well.

She looked about and saw a familiar white owl roosting on a shoulder. As if sensing her presence, Hedwig turned her head to glare at Angelina. Angelina scowled back.

"What's wrong Hedwig?" Harry turned and saw Angelina there. "Oh! Hi Angelina!"

Angelina walked over and smiled at Harry. "Hey Rabbit!" She sighed and stuck a hand out to Hedwig. "Hedwig," she said blandly.

Hedwig snapped at her finger, barking snidely.

"Hey be nice," Harry chided his owl.

Hedwig hooted insincerely.

Angelina sighed again and pulled out a piece of jerky from a pouch in her pocket. "Peace offering?" she asked, holding it out.

Hedwig sniffed at her but took the jerky, turning her head to chew on it.

"You look cold," Harry said and scooted over on the bench. Angelina sat down gratefully and welcomed the cloak he threw over both their laps.

"Thanks," she said, shivering and pulling him to her for warmth. "Didn't expect to come up here hence why I don't have a jacket or cloak. I saw you run off earlier though and the tits said you needed help with something."

Harry flushed. "Oh, well, uh…"

"Did they do something to you?" Angelina asked, concerned. "I'll help you with whatever and then I'll go smack them for being prats."

"No," Harry said weakly, "they're kinda helping. Sort of."

"Oh. Then what's wrong Rabbit?"

Harry took a deep breath. Then another one. He finally turned to her and looked just over her ear. "AngelinawillyougototheBallwithme?"

She blinked at him. "Uh, say that again but slower?"

Harry cursed himself and gulped. "I uh," he coughed," sorry. Will you go to the Ball with me?"

"That's…what I thought you said," she said in a quiet voice. "You want me to go to the Ball with you?"

He nodded.

"The Yule Ball."

He nodded again, more jerkily.

"Together. Like as a date?"

He nodded a third time, this time with mounting panic.

Angelina blushed. "Really?"

He nodded again, his head bobbing up and down.

"Why would you want to go with me?" she asked, feeling incredibly shy.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I? You're awesome. I like you and think it would be a lot of fun to go with you." He looked away from her. "Only if you want to, of course. I know I'm not like most guys."

"You're not but that's a good thing," she said hurriedly. "You're really sweet and kind and considerate. I really like that about you."

"Oh. Thanks," he said, shy as well. "I'm pretty short though and scrawny compared to others."

"You're more lean and wiry than scrawny," she said soothingly. "I'm a lot taller than most girls and have too much muscle."

"That's what makes you awesome though," he protested. "That and you're really kind too. You always watch out for me and it makes me feel…warm. Safe." He looked down at the stone floor. "I really like that about you."

Angelina felt it was too warm now despite the freezing cold air. "You feel safe with me?"

"Yeah, always have." He flushed. "After our first meeting you know, but I knew you really meant well. I was just…you know. Shocked."

She stifled a groan. "Yeah, don't blame you at all."

"I always know that you want the best for me," he continued softly. "You care a lot and it makes me feel good. And, I care about you too. I want you to be happy and appreciated, just like you want me to be happy and safe."

After a brief moment she smiled. "I'd love to go to the Ball with you."

He looked up and his eyes were wide. "Really?"

"Really!" The smile that blossomed on his face melted her heart. "I think it'll be a lot of fun to go with you too."

"Brilliant! I mean, yeah! Thank you so much!" He looked a little awkward all of a sudden.

She laughed and hugged him to her. "Just because we're going to the Ball together doesn't mean things have to be awkward between us."

He sighed and snuggled close to her. "That's good," he said with relief. "I'd hate it if things did. This feels really nice."

"It does," she agreed softly. Her arms wrapped around him just a little bit tighter.

-0-

"Where have you two been?" George and Fred asked together, insincerely innocent.

Angelina and Harry returned to the common room, their faces rosy from the cold and something else. Katie and Alicia inspected them closely with poorly concealed looks of glee on their faces.

Angelina scowled at the twins, making them flinch a little. "I can't believe you two would duel Harry like that. Two against one? That's low, even for you two."

"Wait, what?" they said, looking shocked.

"I mean, I knew Harry would beat the snot out of both of you, but to even try? You two are terrible older brothers," she said, waving a fist at them.

"I, wait, no! We didn't duel!" George sputtered.

"It was George's idea!" Fred stammered.

"What?! We didn't duel!"

"I don't know that!"

"You were there the whole time! What are you doing?!"

"I don't know!"

Their heads turned when Harry started snickering. "You told her didn't you," George said flatly.

"I didn't have a choice," Harry retorted. "I had no control."

"Yes you did! You just chose not to!" Fred said loudly. He glared at a laughing Alicia and Katie. "This isn't funny!"

"It is from where we are," Katie laughed.

"I don't get it," Angelina said, frowning.

"Fred, I do believe a bit of payback is in order," George said, glaring at Harry.

"Alright then," Harry said, squaring his shoulders. "You think I can't handle you-oh my goodness what is that?!" He pointed behind them.

Fred and George turned and saw nothing. When they looked back Harry was running out the portrait door.

"Hey! Get back here!" George and Fred went running after him.

"Oi! You two better watch yourselves!" Angelina yelled after them. She made to follow but Alicia and Katie grabbed her arms, keeping her in place.

"Nuh uh, you don't get to run away," Alicia said, tugging her back.

"Come on then, spill!" Katie demanded.

Angelina flushed and she looked away. "Uhm, I have a date to the Ball."

The girls squealed with delight. "With baby bird no less!" Alicia said happily.

Angelina's smile was especially soft. "Yeah. Who would've guessed that would happen?"

"Not that much of a surprise," Katie smiled. "You've always been super affectionate with him."

"Yeah but he needed it. He was starved of it, among other things." For a moment she scowled before she forced the expression away. "I…really like seeing him happy, you know? He really deserves it."

"Yes, but so do you," Alicia said. "Don't think we haven't noticed how you are around him. You act like yourself without reservation. Not even the tough persona you put on with others most of the time."

"Yeah, you weren't even like that with Oaken a few years ago," Katie said.

"Ugh don't remind me about him," Angelina groaned. "You're not wrong though. I like how I don't have to pretend to be anything around Harry. I can just be me."

"Just like how he can just be Harry around you," Katie said.

Angelina smiled and Katie and Alicia sighed at the sight.

-0-

"Maybe heels weren't a great choice," Angelina fretted, looking at herself in the mirror.

"I think they look great," Alicia frowned.

"I'm already taller than him," Angelina said. "I don't need to loom over him."

Alicia snorted. "Too late you Amazonian brute. You tower over most people anyways, just accept it. I guarantee you that he won't care at all. Besides, it's a low heel. Stop psyching yourself out."

Angelina inspected herself critically in the mirror. Her dress robes were deep navy blue, almost black depending on the light. They were form fitting with a long slit cut up the side for freedom of movement. Her hair remained loose and shoulder-length with a hint of a curl at the end.

"You look ravishing," Alicia said, cutting into her thoughts.

"Thanks." Angelina sighed. "Why am I so nervous? I can go out in front of a full pitch and barely blink but this makes me incredibly nervous."

"Because you care a lot about baby bird and are having difficulty figuring out your emotions right now," Alicia said kindly. "And that's okay. Just do what you do when you're with him."

"Scold the twins? Play Quidditch?"

Alicia giggled. "Yes. And be yourself."

Angelina hugged her best friend. "Thanks. You're the best."

"Don't you forget it. Let's go!"

They walked down together to the common room. Despite less people within, the difference in clothing and the excited atmosphere made it feel smaller than usual. Angelina opted to stay in the common room while Alicia walked up the staircase to the boys' dorms. Katie and Hermione joined Angelina and she chatted with them, admiring their dresses.

They chuckled when they saw the twins leading Ron out of the common room. "That's going to end well," Katie giggled.

"Well at least they are good at getting out of trouble," Angelina laughed. "Hopefully Ron will be a calming influence."

"At least they won't be bothering Ginny and Neville," Hermione smiled as she saw the pair walk past. Her eyes went to the stairs and her smile grew. "Oh wow," she said softly.

Alicia appeared with Harry on her arm. Angelina sighed softly as she saw Harry in his dress robes. They were well made and fitted to him, nothing like the cast-offs he used to wear. They were black overall and his shirt was a deep grey and his tie matched her dress in hue.

When they approached Harry's eyes popped. "You look amazing," he said to Angelina. "I feel underdressed."

She blushed and laughed, resisting the urge to ruffle his hair. "You're quite handsome yourself," she replied with a smile. She saw the boxes in his hands. "What are these?"

Alicia showed off the flowers on her wrist. "He made corsages for us! It's a Muggle tradition. He picked flowers and their meanings for us."

Harry looked at Angelina. "I hope that's okay," he said with pink cheeks. "It was Hermione's idea and I thought it would be a lot of fun and pretty. Since they didn't have dates, I went ahead and made some for them too."

Angelina's smile was soft. "Of course. You're such a considerate person. I'll wait for last, go on!" She watched fondly as the others accepted their flowers, agreeing with the choices. When it was her turn, she looked at the small sunflower resting beside a gladiolus tied with a blue ribbon. "Oh that's darling," she said.

"Sunflower for happiness and admiration, gladiolus for strength," he said.

"I love it," she whispered. She happily took his arm and they left the common room together. It was not the first them they walked like that. There were plenty of times where they walked arm in arm. In fact, she had occasionally, early on anyways, had walked around with him hoisted over her shoulder.

This felt different but not in a bad way. She was more aware of him and it felt nice. She liked how his arm fit in hers and how warm he felt beside her. She took slightly shorter steps due to her shoes and he had adapted his gait to match hers without a single word. She did feel a little taller due to the heel but it still felt right.

Dinner passed in a flash. They chatted and laughed together, happy to see who came with who and shake their heads at the twins and Lee and Ron chatting up girls from other schools. They clapped and cheered for Fleur and Colette who came together, joined by Aimee at their table.

She thought she would feel horrifically awkward when they started dancing. Here, she really felt the differences in their stature, feeling put on display. After some intense awkwardness, he stumbled and she caught him easily. One look at each other, they started laughing. Awkwardness became hysteria, hysteria became comfort, and they instantly felt more at ease.

When the formal music gave way to the Weird Sisters, Angelina felt much better. Dancing was less ordered, less measured. She could do what she liked and it was clear that Harry joined in with little provocation. Just like most things, he followed her lead, assured in her confidence and his smile matched hers in merriment.

When the night began to end, when music slowed and became soft and intimate, the pair swayed together on the dance floor. They spoke softly as they danced, their conversation flowing from one thing to the next without direction or need, a continuous stream of thought.

She held him close, her arms around his shoulders. "This is really nice," she said eventually.

His arms tightened slightly around her waist. "Yeah," he agreed softly. "Thank you for coming with me. I'm having a lot of fun."

She rested her cheek on his head. "Me too."

They were one of the last to leave the Ball, their friends having left before them. They walked slowly together, to prolong the moment. They held hands as they walked, their fingers entwined. They found themselves in the common room, unwilling to part to not dispel the magic they felt.

"Thanks, Rabbit," Angelina whispered. "I…I didn't know what to expect when the Ball was announced but I can say I never imagined I'd have this much fun. I'm really glad you asked me."

"I'm really glad you said yes," he replied. He looked up. "Oh. Mistletoe."

"Huh, wonder how that got there," she said as she looked up and saw it. She looked down and saw him gathering his courage. She dipped her head down.

He kissed her cheek, daringly close to her lips. If her smile was any wider, their lips would have touched.

She kissed him back, on the corner of his mouth.

Later, when she finally fell asleep, she held her stuffed rabbit in her arms and her smile never faded until she woke up.

-0-

Months later, a lifetime later, she gently brushed the hair from his face. They were together on the grass outdoors, well away from the greenhouses. He lay in the sun, trying to soak up heat and warmth into his pale pain-laced skin. His head rested in her lap and she sighed heavily. "I wish I was there with you," she said.

"No offense, but I'm glad you weren't," he said softly. "I feel bad enough Katie was there. He was deranged. If it was just me-"

"You could have died," Angelina said angrily, angry at Crouch, angry at herself. She wanted to do more, more than just watch Harry be in pain. She knew if she had been there, the circumstances might not have changed. Things could have been worse. She was privately grateful that she was not in such a dire situation. A part of her was deeply ashamed for thinking that. She only had to look at Harry and Katie and be filled with conflicting emotions.

"Maybe," he admitted. "But I hate seeing Katie so hurt by it. I'd hate seeing you hurt too."

"I just feel useless," she said finally.

"You're not," he assured her.

She smiled sadly. "Okay, if you say so." She looked at him carefully. "Is everything okay? You've been quiet since you had that meeting with Dumbledore and Sirius."

"It's…not okay technically, but it is at the same time? It's hard to describe and I really shouldn't say anything," he said evasively. "Not yet."

"Well, at least you're not alone in it." She frowned. "Not that I trust the headmaster all that much when it comes to you. At least Sirius is there." She waited for a response and when she looked down, he had fallen asleep.

He did that a lot lately, during his recovery. The fatigue from recovery and his potions made him drift off rather easily. She would not begrudge him the rest. She wanted to talk to him, to do what she could for him. However, she would not push. She could wait. They had time.

She sat there with his head on her lap and soaked in the sunshine.

-0-0-0-

Imaginer.012 - Ugh, honestly, those people are sad and pathetic. Thank you for the kindness and you are appreciated and loved as well. I liked that line too. It's rather fitting and like you said, rather unfortunately true.

DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - I didn't even think of Vernon honestly and don't know if I'll ever revisit the Dursleys again but we will see. I appreciate the offer. Ir ather not turn things that negative, I sort of regret making a big deal out of it during the naming chapter. I appreciate all the support and kindness. Thank you.

alix33 - Dahlia is such a sweetie.

FanfictionFanGirl59 - I'm glad you did. I really wanted to do the song some justice.