She stood quite still in the middle of her bedroom, staring at her reflection in a big mirror. She was holding this gorgeous dress in front of her, examining every detail of it. One glance at it in the Muggle shop the other day, and she had fallen in love. She normally preferred to look for dress robes in Diagon Alley, but these were desperate times, and so required desperate measures. It was a strap-less dress of an amazing dark turquoise. A navy blue belt emphasised her waist and gave her the perfect hour-glass shape. The big flower of the same colour embroidered on it added a special touch to the outfit. And what could she say about the lace strip, still in navy tones, trimming the bottom of the long gown? It completed it nicely. But nicely was too boring a word. This was, by far, the most perfect piece of clothing she had ever purchased.

Then, why was she so nervous to wear it? Because tomorrow could be the most important evening of my life, she thought, feeling her heart start to beat faster. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, and shook her head, a bit exasperated by her grotesque attitude. She was acting like a girly teenager discovering that boys weren’t a species created only to torment girls. She was a woman now... but couldn’t help feeling anxious and excited at the same time.

Angelina Johnson was going to the event of the year, a winter ball held at the Potters’ house. The last one she had gone to was the Yule Ball at Hogwarts during the Triwizard Tournament in her sixth year. She’d had a marvellous time, even though her partner wasn’t the one she had wanted to go with at first. She had accompanied Fred Weasley, because he had asked her to, and like pretty much every girl in the school, she didn’t want to go alone. But it was truly the twin brother of her date she had fancied back then. She had waited for him to ask her out, but Fred had been quicker. George had gone with a blonde Hufflepuff girl in their year who was wearing this awful fuchsia dress.

She grimaced at the thought. Fuchsia really was an ugly colour.

Anyway, there was no point to dwell on the past, because this time, several years later, her luck had finally turned; tomorrow night, she would be George Weasley’s date.


***


It was a week before Christmas, and she was, as always, a bit behind on her shopping. She had been strolling about through Diagon Alley since the beginning of the afternoon, searching for the perfect gifts for her mother and her sister. After a stop at the Magical Menagerie to buy owl treats, she decided to give her brain a break and let her feet lead her wherever they would. She found herself in front of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. Honestly, it wasn’t a shock. Every time she came to London, that was where she ended up, staring at the shop and wondering if she should enter or not to say hello to George Weasley.

Most of the time, she couldn’t do it. She wasn’t sure if she really wanted to see him and experience the rush of memories that was sure to follow. Memories of a time where they were friends and he used to tease her all the time. A time where she was secretly in love with the most impossible and immature boy walking on this Earth. So, she would just turn around and leave, trying to convince herself that it was for her own good.

The thing was, she wanted to believe this school crush was behind her now, but deep down, she knew it would all come back to the surface upon seeing him after all those years. She knew her behaviour was stupid and not like her at all (the most annoying part), but love never was a logical thing, was it not?

That day, there seemed to be a lot of activity going on inside the shop, so maybe she could just sneak in and get away without having to actually talk to him. Or maybe you could really start a conversation this time, silly girl, she said to herself, resting both hands on her hips. You won’t die.

She contemplated the idea for a minute, her eyes fixed on the door, and then walked towards it, half determined, half insecure. Once inside, she wandered through the numerous tables and shelves packed with tons of items more cranky than the others. She noticed a dozen pairs of the famous Extendable Ears on a rack and remembered her cousin had bought her some a few years ago for her birthday. Angelina thought she was too old to own such an item and had argued with her about its utility. “It’ll come in handy one day, you’ll see!� the latter had insisted; but funnily, she was still waiting for that day.

She had to admit though the twins’ ingenuity had always fascinated her. Not only were they incredible pranksters but they were also quite creative and hard-working wizards. And they had found the perfect recipe to become wealthy entrepreneurs.

She stopped in front of a huge metallic cage containing the cute and colourful little fluffy Pygmy Puffs. Maybe her sister would like to get one for Christmas? Unsure, she watched a purple one chasing a pink one around the cage for a while, their little laughs making her smile. Suddenly, a familiar voice made her turn her head to the right; before actually acknowledging his presence, she automatically knew it was George. After all, how could have she forgotten his voice?

The red head man was standing behind the cash register, speaking animatedly with two boys who seemed to be in their teenage years. They listened to him for about ten seconds before bursting out in laughter. George laughed with them, looking pretty proud of his little joke. Angelina smiled unconsciously at the sight, unable to stare away from him.

He then looked in her direction and his eyes widened as he seemed to recognise her. A big smile appeared on his lips and, ignoring the boys who were still talking to him, he gestured to wait for him.

Angelina weakly smiled back and turned to the cage once more, fidgeting. This was it; she could not hide from him anymore. In any minute he would be standing in front of her. The idea of running towards the exit travelled through her mind for a split second, but she chased it away with a slight shake of the head. She was not weak. She was not a coward. It would be, after all, a simple conversation with an old friend. Nothing scary about that.

She breathed in deeply, willing herself to be calm, and glanced at the counter to see if George had finished with his customers. He handed a huge cloth bag to one of the boys. The other saluted George before both departed in a hurry. He watched them go with a smile, and then crossed the room to where she was waiting.

“Well, well! It isn’t everyday that I have the honour to welcome such a lovely customer in my noble shop. How’ve you been, Miss Johnson?� He smiled broadly at her.

“Hi George,� she replied, hiding her hands behind her back so he could not see them trembling. “I’ve been good! Shall we say, long time no see?�

“We shall! When was it last time?� He paused for a second and looked to the ceiling, thinking. “Wasn’t it during an epic battle against evil?�

Angelina nodded. “Pretty much.�

“It’s a shame.�

“What?�

“That we haven’t seen each other since.�

“Yes... I guess we’ve been all too busy enjoying the victory and giving a new meaning to our lives... Business is looking good, by the way,� she said, gesturing the room.

“Thanks! I have to admit that Lee and I haven’t had the time to rest on our laurels too much...�

Angelina did not really hear the rest of his answer, as she could not help but thinking that his shop was not the only thing looking good around here. He hadn’t changed much. He looked like a real man now, a little more built than before, although, the hundreds of freckles sprinkling his face somehow softened him. His blue eyes, her favourite feature, still sparkled with life and eternal mischief. He had found time to laugh since they had last seen each other. Something about that made him even more attractive.

“Angelina!� She snapped back to reality, embarrassed he’d caught her.

“What?� she asked, unable to look him in the eye.

“Were you listening to me at all for the last two minutes?� An amused smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth.

She opened her mouth to deny, but couldn’t think of a single intelligent response. She needed a change of subject and fast!

“So?� she prompted, looking away from him. “Doing anything special for the Holidays?�

“Yeah, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Harry is hosting a ball on New Year’s Eve.�

“A ball? Wow. I didn’t know you were still in touch with Harry.�

“Don’t really have a choice; he’s married to my sister.�

“Oh! Oh, right...� Angelina blushed, amazed at her own stupidity. She knew that! Everyone knew who the famous Harry Potter was married to!

George must have been in an especially charitable mood, because he simply winked at her. She laughed a little, knowing he was doing it just to tease her, as he used to do back in school. She studied him for a moment, her mind racing through the implications of what he’d just told her. George was going to a ball. It looked to her like history was repeating itself. Did he have a date already? If not, could she be his special someone for the night? She knew that, if she did not want to let this slip through her hands like last time, she had to act fast, but how could she do that without sounding like she was desperate to go with him? Was she desperate?

“I’m guessing you already found someone to go with?� she enquired, faking her detachment.

“No, actually. But you just provided me the perfect opportunity to ask you if you’d like to accompany me to the evening.� His eyes were sparkling again.

This time, her surprise was not false at all. “Have I?�

He nodded energetically. Before she could refrain herself, a big grin appeared on her face. Was this even real or just an illusion created by her foul mind?

“So, does that mean you’re accepting my request?�

“Of course!� she let out, before correcting her range. “I mean, yes, I’d like to go with you.�

George was now the one smiling. “I’m already sensing we’re going to have a blast!�

“I’m sure we will,� she agreed, a huge smile spreading across her features. She had no doubt about it.

A tinkling laugh gave her an excuse to look away, to compose herself. She glanced into the cage on her left to see the same fluff ball she had watched earlier jumping up and down excitedly. Suddenly inspired, Angelina made another decision.

“You know what? I think I’ll take the purple Pygmy Puff over there for my sister.�

“Ah! An excellent choice!� George exclaimed before reaching for the cage door.

Apparently it was her second good choice of the day.


***


She sighed in pleasure at the thought of the scene, and turned from the mirror. She laid the dress across the duvet, absently smoothing a spot on the hem and then sat down on her bed. Things had turned out much better than she had expected when entering the shop that day. George had always been an unpredictable guy, which made it hard to interpret his real intentions. This little problem was doing nothing to help her already fragile nerves. He would not have invited her without having a purpose, right? There was no way of knowing. All she could do now was hope he would not disappoint her a second time.

When Angelina emerged from the emerald green flames in the fireplace at Harry and Ginny Potter’s residence, her heart was pumping like mad. She was more than ready to have a good evening, being all dressed up, but she had yet to convince herself that she would be able to behave decently in front of George Weasley.

They had planned to meet at the ball. George sent her a letter a few days before explaining that he was preparing a little surprise for the guests and needed the extra time to make sure everything worked properly prior to the guests’ arrival. Because she had no idea what the house looked like, Angelina had resolved to travel by the Floo to get there.

She stepped out carefully, a little rattled from the unfamiliar method of travel —she traveled by Apparition as often as possible. A quick survey of her surroundings revealed that she was standing in a small sitting room. Two plush armchairs were located on one side of the fireplace, while a striped couch and a small coffee table were on the other side. She took timid steps forward, uncertain of what to do next. Was she supposed to wait for someone to come in and fetch her or could she go look around for people? The very moment she’d decided to go on her own, a red head appeared in the doorway.

“Oh! You’re here!� Ginny exclaimed. “Have you been waiting long?�

She didn’t wait for a reply, crossing the room at a barely-dignified half-run. She took Angelina’s hands and squeezed them excitedly. “I was so happy when my brother told me he had invited you!�

Angelina smiled. You have no idea...

“It feels so strange to be here, after all this time! Thank you for having me, by the way. I was afraid you might think I was crashing your party.�

“It’s a pleasure. You’re always welcome in my house!� She turned, leading her guest out of the room, looking back over one shoulder. “Besides, it’s about time George got involved with someone.�

Angelina suddenly felt her cheeks becoming hot and ducked her head as she hurried after her host. How did she always end up in these situations?

“Where is he, anyway?� she questioned Ginny, trying to change the subject.

“Last time I checked, he was in our other living room chatting with some friends.� She smirked slightly, but continued, “Come on, I’ll show you the way.�

They left the place and went down a corridor until they reached another room. Ginny stopped by and poked her head inside. “Hermione?� she shouted. “Could you take my place in the living room for a moment?�

“Sure!� Hermione’s voice floated through the open doorway.

She turned back to Angelina, who was struggling to keep her mouth from dropping open, “It’s starting to feel like a Hogwarts reunion.�

Ginny laughed and showed her the way to the reception.

As soon as she stepped into the room, Angelina forgot her nerves, too overwhelmed by the scene taking place in front of her eyes. Translucent candles were floating above her head, forming huge chandeliers so that it seemed that the ceiling was shining with stars. The illusion of being outside, with only a dark and awesome night sky as their witness, was perfect. For a moment, she felt like she was back at Hogwarts, admiring the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall. Round tables had been set at one extremity of the area, near an impressive buffet, while the space left was reserved for the dance floor and random chairs so people could sit down to relax. Everything, from the table cloths to the garlands was in the tones of white and silver.

“Ginny, this is incredible! How did you manage to get so much space out of this room?�

“Enlargement charm,� she replied, grinning proudly.

“Impressive!�

“Yeah, I know! George gave us a hand.� She glanced at Angelina side-ways.

“Is it the surprise he talked to me about?� Angelina went on, ignoring her. Ginny shook her head slightly.

“Ah, come on! Tell me!� It was Angelina’s turn to look at Ginny expectantly. Her curiosity was really pricked now.

“And spoil all of his efforts? Certainly not! Just ask him. He’ll tell you if he wants to.�

Ginny tipped her head to the front to show her something. Angelina turned her head and saw George coming towards them. He was wearing dress robes of a dark red that suited him incredibly well. She could not take his eyes away from him until he reached them. She almost didn’t notice when Ginny winked at her and left quietly.

She swallowed nervously and managed to smile at him. “Hi.�

He took her hand and gave it a soft kiss. “You look stunning,� he said to her.

She blushed. “Thanks. So do you.�

“A little elegance never hurt anyone!� he said pompously, striking a pose like if he was on the cover of a magazine. She laughed heartily.

She was about to ask him about his surprise when she saw his expression change, as he stared at something over her right shoulder.

“What’s going on?� she asked, frowning.

“I’m sorry, Angelina, but there’s something I have to go check with Lee Jordan. It won’t take long.�

And he disappeared in the crowd, leaving her there with a stunned look on her face. What had just happened? Clearly, he had something urgent to do, but to leave her like that right after making such an impression on her was a bit cavalier. Could he be avoiding her? Was it time to panic?

She shook her head in disbelief and chased that thought away from her mind. She was acting crazy. He seemed pretty happy to see her a few minutes before, so everything was under control. She just had to find something to do while he was doing whatever he needed to do.

She strolled about the room, looking for a familiar face. Hermione and Ron were sitting at a table and speaking with Mr and Mrs Weasley and she decided to go have a word with them. Their conversation went on for a while until Angelina realised George had not come back yet. She excused herself to her interlocutors and went to look for him.

Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found. She walked pass the buffet and grabbed a glass of champagne on a tray floating in front of her. She took a sip and savoured the bittersweet taste of the drink. She then walked to one side of the room to have a good view of the guests. She scanned them one after the other until she saw him, standing near the entrance and speaking energetically with Lee Jordan. Just by the look on George’s face, she deduced they were arguing about something. He looked more annoyed than mad at him, but still, Lee did not seem very happy himself, his arms crossed on his chest. Maybe it was not the best time to barge in the conversation after all.

She stood there, watching them (him mostly), and sipping her drink. She was waiting for the opportune moment to seize her prey...

“Enjoying the evening?�

She jumped at the sound of a voice behind her, her glass almost slipping from her hand. She turned around to recognise the familiar face of her old Quidditch teammate, his round glasses still perched on his nose.

“Harry!� she exclaimed, gripping her glass more firmly.

“Sorry,� he apologized. “Didn’t mean to scare you.�

“No harm done.� She gave him a warm smile. “May I say that this ball was a great idea!�

He leaned in and kissed her on both cheeks. “Well, you probably guessed it was more Ginny’s brilliant idea than mine. I’m not so much into glamorous parties... but, hey, anything to please my wife.�

“Who would’ve thought you’d become the perfect husband!�

Harry laughed at the comment. “Certainly not me! But I think we can agree that things often turn differently than what we thought.�

“Tell me about it. I can’t even believe that I’m standing in the middle of this lovely room dressed to the nines.�

“Come on. You look good.�

“Oh, thanks...� She looked down at her dress. “Kinda different from the Quidditch uniform, isn’t it?�

Harry smiled and nodded. “It is, but I don’t see many people complaining about that. Especially not a certain Weasley...�

Angelina stared at him blankly for a few seconds before her brain could process what he had just said. What did Harry notice exactly?

Looking away from him, she took a sip from her glass and asked what she wanted to sound like a trivial question, “A Weasley?�

“The one you were looking at right before I came talking to you,� Harry answered, smirking.

Angelina knew she would not be able to fake her detachment for long, but talking about her love life with Harry Potter was not exactly what she had planned to do during the evening.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,� she simply said, though she shot him a look, hoping he would take the hint and not push the matter further. Fortunately, he didn’t.

“Before I forget, Ginny wanted me to tell you that you’re invited for dinner next weekend,� he said quickly.

“That’s really nice of y –“

“Oh, speaking of my wife,� Harry interrupted her, “I see her waving at me. If you’ll excuse me.�

Angelina just nodded and watched him leave with a stern look. It seemed like everybody was abandoning her tonight. First her partner and now the host of the ball. She sighed heavily and refocused her interest to where George was standing a few moments before, but to her not so surprise, he had disappeared again. She pouted, a bit discouraged, and then decided she needed another drink.

She slowly made her way to the buffet, stopping here and there to chat with people she knew. When she finally reached her goal, she put her empty glass on the table in front of her and extended her arm to reach a full one to her right. At the exact moment she touched the glass, a hand came into contact with her bare skin.

She quickly looked up, curious to see who thought having the right to take possession of her next drink, only to meet intense blue eyes. Here was George, staring at her with his usual mischievous grin. The effect of that smile on her was instantaneous, crashing over her like an ocean wave. She felt her hand get hot and sweaty under his, which strangely contrasted with the freshness of the glass of sparkling wine.

“I’ve been looking for you, Johnson,� he simply said, keeping his hand on top of hers.

She swallowed hard. “You were?�

“Yeah. I felt a little guilty for leaving you like that earlier.�

“Oh, don’t worry; I know how to take care of myself.�

“I know.� Still smiling, he took her hand and indicated the dance floor with a sign of the head. “How about a little dance?�

She returned his smile. “Why not.�

He leaded her to the middle of the dance space and they started to move to the beat of the music. He swayed her around for a while, and she savoured the moment, enjoying his presence by her side.

Then, the music slowed down and the lights were dimmed, implicitly inviting the dancers to get closer. Angelina stopped dancing, thinking George might preferred to take a break, but he gave her a enquiring look instead. She did not move, a bit hesitant, so George held out his hand to her. She accepted it, her own hand shaking slightly and he pulled her closer enough so she could feel his breath on her face. He seized the lowest part of her back with his free hand and then looked at her, smiling warmly. She smiled back and they started to dance again.

They danced in silence for a moment and Angelina concentrated on the nice increasing warmth created by the proximity of their bodies. George was acting like a real gentleman and it pleasantly surprised her. She was afraid speaking would ruin the moment, so she stayed quiet, but George eventually broke the silence.

“I made a mistake at the shop the other day,� he told her quietly.

“You did?�

“Yeah... About the last time we had come across each other. It wasn’t at the Battle of Hogwarts.�

He looked away from her, searching for his words. When he looked at her again, she gave him an encouraging smile, as he seemed to be hesitant to continue.

“It was at my brother’s funeral.�

Angelina frowned, taken aback by this statement. He suddenly looked so serious, all signs of his usual grin gone. But he was right. She was indeed present on the day of Fred’s funeral. To learn about his death had caused her a great shock. She’d needed to go, to pay her last respects to him, but also to show her support to George and his family. She was not even sure at the time if he had known she was there... She nodded slowly to show she was still following him.

“I don’t think I ever thanked you for coming to see him one last time,� he carried on, his eyes fixed on an invisible spot over her left shoulder.

“Ah, come on, you know you didn’t have to. Fred was my friend. I needed to say goodbye...�

It was his turn to nod. “He really liked you, you know. When I saw you standing there the other day in front of the cash register, looking at me, it made me think about him.�

He locked his blue eyes onto hers. Angelina felt, for the first time, that he really was opening himself to her, like she was the privileged witness to his real emotions. She could see so much intensity in his gaze, so much affection for his lost brother. She felt touched at that precise moment, so happy he was letting her see through his joker’s armour. It didn’t last for long though, a few seconds maybe. With the flash of a smile, he regained his laid-back attitude.

He went on, “I also immediately knew I had to ask you to come to this ball with me. I didn’t want to lose my chance for the second time. To be beaten up once by Fred at the Yule Ball was enough.�

A bit shaken, she stared at him. “Are you serious?�

“Yep.�

“But I always thought... I was convinced that...� Angelina could not believe it. All throughout school, she’d been convinced he just considered her as a friend, or worse, as a classmate, but he’d liked her! A cynical little voice cut through her thoughts abruptly. What if he was lying?

“I seem to recall you being pretty happy to accompany the girl with the ridiculous dress.�

George laughed at her sudden frankness. “What was wrong with Allison’s dress?�

“For Merlin’s sake, don’t tell me you liked it! You could’ve spotted that flashy colour from the moon!�

“I thought it was a bit... shocking. But to be honest with you, I wasn’t really looking at the dress... The bottom she had in it, it was insane!�

Angelina gaped. “George Weasley! Please tell me you didn’t just say that… I’ll never be able to think of you the same way again.� Her tone was sarcastic, but she wasn’t.

He only laughed. “There’s that little outraged look I loved back in school! I just wanted to continue teasing you forever.�

She sighed loudly in response. He had done it again. It was true that he seemed to know exactly what to say to make her furious, but she’d often exaggerated her reactions to keep his attention.

“I didn’t hate it so much when you were teasing me...�

“Really?� He arched an eyebrow in suspicion.

“Well...� Angelina rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Maybe not all the time, but I was under the impression that you liked me a little.�

“You’re kidding me? I did more than liking you, Angelina.�

“Then, why didn’t you let me know?�

He simply shook his head. “Because of Fred. I told you; he really liked you. And anyway, I thought it was him you fancied, not me. So, I just let him the free field.�

“Oh.� It was the only thing she could think of saying after hearing his confession. And she did not have the opportunity to say more, because people around them started to do the countdown for the New Year to come. George followed their lead, stepping away from her a little, but he did not let go of her hand.

When they reached the last second, “Happy New Year!� resounded from everywhere across the room. But suddenly, a huge BANG! interrupted the guests. Confetti started to fall out of nowhere and an immense animation showing several wizards and witches celebrating materialised above their heads. Exclamations fused from the crowd, some people pointing to the ceiling with their eyes wide open. Angelina herself was pretty astonished. That surely was the big surprise George had been planning with Lee. It was incredible to watch the little details they had thought of! She glanced at George who was examining the scene with concentration. His eyes flickered to her and she gave him two thumbs up, which made him smile broadly.

When the animation ended, he turned back to her and pulled her towards him once more. Their faces were just inches away now.

“Happy New Year, Angelina,� he said, his voice deeper than normal. His breath was hot on her cheek.

Before she could wish him the same, he kissed her. It took her a few seconds to realise what was happening, her mind completely numb with shock. Then, all at once, a wave of emotions rose in her chest as he pressed his body onto hers, and she let herself feel everything she’d bottled up inside for so many years. The hand that was resting gently on his shoulder trailed its way up to his neck and she entangled her fingers in his red hair. She heard him sigh with contentment and he increased the intensity of his kisses. He broke away a few moments later, leaving her totally breathless.

They stood there in silence for a minute, staring at each other and trying to catch their breath. Angelina closed her eyes briefly to appreciate the moment. No words could describe how she was feeling at this instant. How many nights had she dreamed about that first kiss and now it was a reality. The sensation was too good to be true.

When she opened her eyes, George had tilted his head to the side and was observing her, as if he was trying to follow the path of her thoughts.

“I won’t ask you the classic ‘What are you thinking?’ question, but it’s tempting,� he said jokingly.

“I was thinking that...� she began timidly. She took the time to gather her thoughts a little more before continuing, “This is definitely not your average evening.�

“Why’s that?�

Although she tried her hardest to temper her emotions, the words came out in a rush. “Me dancing with you at a ball, and you revealing your feelings for me after all this time, it doesn’t happen every day!�

George chuckled. “You’d better be warned, Miss Johnson; life with me is never typical!�

“That’s something I think I can live with, Mister Weasley.�

Oh, yes. After waiting for so long, she sure was ready for an unusual every-day life. He just had no idea how!