Fifteen Years

Part Twenty-One

“Oh,” Charlie put the bag down on the bed. “Anytime,” he smiled. They finished packing his bag in silence, and then stepped outside the room.

The halls of St Mungo’s were relatively empty. Compared to the days when Voldemort had been in power, there wasn’t really a lot going on. George watched as a wizard staggered in with a strange-looking injury on the left side of his face,  and overheard a conversation between two Healers about an incident with a malfunctioning teapot. Chuckling to himself, George waved goodbye to the green-clad Healers and the serious-looking Welcome Witch at the front counter. As he stepped out onto the busy street, with Charlie at his side, he breathed in deeply. The stench of sickness, anti-bacterial potions and lemons all wafted out of his nose and were replaced with the smells of London city. He glanced over his shoulder at the red-brick building, glad as he stepped further and further away from it.

He followed Charlie behind another tall building, away from the crowded street. “Ready?” Charlie asked.

“Ready.”

“See you at your house then.”

All the breath was sucked out of George’s lungs as he apparated. He felt like the whole world had been turned upside down, and that some oppressive force was trying to squeeze the life out of him. As his feet hit the ground, he lurched forwards and landed on his knees, panting. Charlie slapped him lightly on the back and helped him to his feet. Breathing in deeply, George leaned on his brother for support.

“Daddy!” a sudden cry burst through the silence. George looked up and saw a mass of flaming hair come bouncing towards him.

“Roxanne,” he said, hugging her back as she squeezed him tightly. Kissing her on the head, he was filled with delight at seeing her.

“George,”

He looked up from Roxanne and saw Angelina standing in the doorway. Her dark hair framed her sharp face, and her eyes were lit with happiness. Quickly, he moved forwards and they embraced. Their lips met, and they kissed. It was a wonderful moment, so much more than the passionless kiss they had shared before he had left. His heart pounded as they stared into each other’s eyes.

Charlie coughed, and they broke apart.

“Thank you for bringing him home safely,” Angelina said to Charlie.

“Not a problem,” he said, “I better be off -I’ve missed a lot of work, and my dragons will be waiting for me,” he grinned and saluted them.

As he disapparated, George turned back to Angelina. “It worked,” he said.

“I can tell,” she whispered.  

They sat down in the living-room, on the very couch he had slept on by himself the last time he had been here. Roxanne trotted off to her bedroom to play with her dolls.

“How was it?” Angelina asked, leaning sideways and snuggling into his chest.

“Indescribable, really,” he replied. “At first, it was unbelievable, and then a little scary. But we got talking, and it was just -well, brilliant.”

“I’m so glad,” she said as he wrapped an arm around her. “Do you feel like you have closure now?”

He paused, and looked down at her. “Almost,” he said finally, “there’s just one last thing I need to do.”