Chapter 15

Another chapter at last! And with it, another sappy ending. My goal was for this chapter to not have a sappy ending, but that's just how it came out. I guess I just like writing them...Next one won't!

Thanks everyone, as always, for reviews etc. Please keep it up :)

Just out of curiosity...I'm going to start another story in the Harry Potter universe soon. I was planning on either writing about Teddy/Victoire or Luna/Rolf. I'll probably write both at one time or another, but which would you be more excited to read? Preferences much appreciated!

It was an overcast Thursday afternoon, and Angelina was curled up under a blanket on the couch reading Magic and Parenting: What to do and what not to do, one of a large stack of parenting books she and George had recently picked up and Florish and Blotts. George was working in the shop below, busily training Ron, who had decided to work as a junior partner with George, at least for the time being. George wanted to take some time off after the baby was born, and Ron jumped at the chance to work at the highly profitable Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. "Whatever I can do to help, mate," he had so kindly offered.

A few weeks had passed since Paris, and Angelina felt that whatever pain she had gone through in the past had well been repaid by the bliss she was going through now. George was remarkably thoughtful, and relations with her mother had never been better. The one cloud in her blue sky was that she still hadn't spoken with her father, but she tried not to let that bother her. She sure wasn't going to apologize first.

The front door swung open, and George burst in with an endearing smile on his face, though he looked exhausted. Angelina scooted over to make room for him on the couch, and he collapsed beside her. "Phew!" he said. "Well, I guess we know that Ron didn't get the brains of the family."

"Neither did you, but you still manage," Angelina replied, managing to keep a straight face for a split second before she laughed. George pretended to be offended until Angelina apologized with a kiss, to which he responded enthusiastically until she pushed him off, laughing. "So Ron's not getting the hang of the shop as quickly as you'd hoped?"

"I'm seriously considering replacing him with one of the garden gnomes from the Burrow."

"Surely not that bad!"

George sighed. "Fine. Maybe that was a little mean. If I explain something to him he gets it. But you'd think after all the things he went through with Harry he'd have developed some problem solving skills!"

"You forget Hermione was with them," Angelina replied sagely.

"Too true. Maybe I should get her to work with me. She's practically a Weasley anyway." Then he laughed at the absurdity of Hermione working in the jokeshop. Besides, she was busy interning in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

"Ron still has seven months or so to learn. Besides, it's not like your leaving for good. You're just taking some time off. For which I'm very grateful, by the way."

"I suppose you're right. He'll shape up."

Just then, George and Angelina heard a popping noise coming from below them. They just had time to look at each other in confusion before there was a rumbling and an object shot through the floor, breaking several boards, and promptly burst into flames.

George shouted "Protego!" at the same time as Angelina shouted "Augementi!" resulting in the fountain of water to reflect off George's shield and drench both of them, the couch, and Angelina's books. Luckily, the flames extinguished themselves and the objected sputtered and then came to a complete stop a few feet from the couch. George got up and gingerly picked it up, recognizing its shape despite its charred exterior. One of his and Fred's patented fireworks lay at his feet.

There was a heavy banging in the stairwell, and seconds later Ron burst in the door, looking harried. "George! Angelina! Are you all right? I mean, er, that must've been a defect. I just saw it explode and came up here to make sure no one was hurt…" He trailed off at George's menacing look. Angelina began to shakily repair the boards and dry off all their objects as George took a few slow steps toward Ron.

"A defect, you say?"

Ron stumbled back a bit. "Er, yeah. I mean, I dunno… Fine! It wasn't a defect. Some kid didn't believe they worked 'cause I wouldn't set one off. So I thought I'd just set off one of those sparklers just to show him. Trouble is I grabbed the wrong one, and…it went through the roof. I was just trying to sell it!"

"We don't need sales that badly, idiot. Honestly, that's possibly the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Didn't I specifically tell you not to ever set off a firework in the store?"

Ron nodded sheepishly. "Are you going to fire me?"

George sighed reluctantly. "No. Mostly because I don't want to go through all the basic training again with someone else. But you are family, you know, and I think if you actually manage to engage some part of your brain, you won't be a total failure."

"Wow, thanks for the glowing compliment."

"Just telling it like it is."

"Alright. George, I really am sorry. I won't do it again. Promise." George punched him on the shoulder affectionately and led him to the door, before turning around to see the damage still left to them. Angelina had managed to dry up most of the water, so George turned to repairing the floorboards with a deft flick of his wand.

"Well, that was a disaster for the most part averted," he said when the room was back to normal.

"What if it hadn't been, though?" Angelina asked softly, her hands on her barely defined baby bump. "What if this had happened in seven months, and I had been in the other room while our baby was in here?"

"It won't happen again, Ange."

She shook her head. "You don't know that."

George came and wrapped his arms around her. "You're right." He sighed, knowing what was coming next. "Angelina, do you want to move?"

Angelina pulled back to look George in the face. "This apartment isn't very kid friendly," she replied honestly.

"I know. It's pretty small, isn't it? And I suppose today pretty much gave us no other choice. It's just that…there's so many memories here."

"You and I will make new memories somewhere else. But it's memories with Fred you're worried about, right?" George nodded. Angelina brushed the hair from his eyes gently, letting her fingers trace his face. "You know your memories of Fred aren't in the apartment? If we move it doesn't mean you are going to forget him."

"I know, it's just…This was where we started everything. If I left it, it would really feel like I was moving on. I'm not consumed by my grief anymore, thanks to you Ange. But I'm not ready to move on. I still miss him."

"Oh, George," Angelina said, voice choked by tears. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and buried her face in his neck. He laid his head on top of hers, and Angelina could feel the breath leaving his lips as he spoke.

"We can go looking for houses tomorrow."

Angelina pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I want a house with you, Ange. Where we can build a life together. Besides, if there's one thing you've taught me it's that moving forward doesn't mean I'm moving on."

Angelina gave a watery smile. "I'm glad I've helped you somehow, at least."

"You've made all the difference." George took in a shaky breath before asking, once again, the question he most wanted to know the answer to.

"Angelina, will you marry me?"