In his rush to escape from Verity, George quickly realized he actually had no idea if Alicia still lived in her flat on the northwest side of London.

So much had changed in just a year and half, from her appearance, to the end of their relationship, to Fred's death, and even Eloise coming into his life. They were both completely different people now and it only made sense for her to decide to start fresh somewhere else.

"Uh Alicia, do you still live in your flat on Nottingham Place?"

"No, I moved back to Surrey near my parents when we broke up." she replied.

George nodded with a sigh realizing he had no idea where she lived anymore so he couldn't safely apparate them there, "Right."

Even in her inebriated state, she seemed to notice him weighing his options, "I don't mind going to your flat, if that's what you were thinking."

The thought had crossed his mind, but he didn't want to seem forward or presumptuous when offering to take her home with him. The last thing he wanted to do was give her the wrong idea about his intentions. He had no desire to do anything with her other than give her a safe place to sleep.

But he knew he was overthinking. There was no harm in taking her back to the flat, especially since she said it was alright with her. It's not like she hadn't been there countless times before anyway.

George grabbed his wand from his back pocket and tightened his grip on Alicia's waist.

"Ready?" he asked her.

Alicia responded by wrapping her arm around him and gripping the back of his flannel shirt tightly. She glanced up at him and gave him a nod before George raised his wand slightly, apparating them straight into his living room.

If it wasn't for his grip on her waist, Alicia surely would have fallen over upon landing. The color drained from her face and he felt her sway a bit. He quickly helped her over to the armchair closest to them as she plopped down on it and dropped her head into her hands, letting out a groan as a wave of nausea consumed her. Apparition wasn't easy sober, but drunk it felt like your whole body was being turned inside out.

"I'll get you some water, okay?"

George quickly made his way to the kitchen, turning on a lamp on his way by. He kept a careful watch on the girl as he reached for a glass from the cabinet and filled it up with cold water.

When he made his way back he kneeled down by the armchair and ran a hand over her hair soothingly, "Drink it, okay? You'll feel like rubbish tomorrow if you don't."

Alicia responded with a groan, but she knew he was right. She brought her head away from her hands and sat up straight before grabbing the water from him with a mumbled "Thank you."

As she took grateful sips, George stood up and left the room, but Alicia remembered the layout of the flat well enough to know that he'd gone down the hallway and into his own bedroom.

After a brief moment he returned with a large pillow and a blanket that had been knit by Molly as well as an old t-shirt and sweatpants.

George was working like a machine, getting another glass of water for her, pulling extra cushions away from the couch to set up a bed for her and handing her the sleep clothes he'd gotten all while she merely sat back and observed.

Maybe it was because it felt natural for him to take care of Alicia, or maybe he just liked being the one to take care of someone for a change. But it oddly felt refreshing to be the worried one for once.

"No need to rush out of here in the morning." George suggested in passing as he spread the blanket over the couch.

When their eyes met her brows furrowed slightly, seeming to be confused by his comment.

"I just think it's important for us to talk, maybe catch up." he clarified.

"Okay." she nodded as she stood up from the armchair with George's old clothes in hand.

He reach out his arm to her as she stumbled past him to the bathroom to get changed, but she waved him off as she caught herself on the wall instead. With a sigh George decided he'd done as good of a job taking care of her as he could, given the circumstances.

He made his way to his own room before Alicia could come back, there was nothing more either of them could say to each other until she sobered up and wishing her a good night felt oddly intimate. With Alicia a 'good night' or a 'good bye' always included some sort of embrace and he knew it would feel too awkward to even utter the words.

As he dug through his dresser to find clean set of pajamas to change into, his fingers brushed past a piece of clothing he didn't recognize as his own. He pulled the blue knit cardigan out of the drawer and his heart sank immediately. He must have mindlessly folded it away the last time he'd done laundry, not thinking that its owner would never return for it.

His fingers grazed over the buttons as his mind started to race. As silly as it sounded, at this point he had become convinced that he couldn't even look at the color blue without immediately thinking about Eloise. The guilt he felt about the way their relationship ended only grew more when he remembered the brunette that would be sleeping just on the other side of the wall.

What would she say if she knew he had brought Alicia home? Would he have even done it had they not fought? Why did he still feel so protective over the woman who broke him while longing for another?

Too many emotions were being brought out by the fabric in his hands. He quickly picked up a t-shirt from the top of the drawer and shoved her cardigan back inside, shutting it away just like he was trying to do with the rest of his problems. Out of sight, out of mind.

But despite his best efforts, he had the most restless night of sleep he'd had in months thanks to all of his racing thoughts.

While he thought he missed Alicia, it was Eloise he truly wanted. He knew that closure was the only way he could finally be able to move on. When they woke up the next morning he had to put everything on the table, no matter how difficult it would be.

Maybe then he could finally let Alicia go.

-

In the morning George opened his closet in search of something he hadn't touched in over a year. A constant reminder of what could have been, buried behind old sweaters and failed product prototypes. A small purple box containing everything George wanted to forget.

It seemed unsuspecting to the unknowing eye, but George always knew it was there, holding a vice grip on his heart. He'd hid it away shortly after moving back into the flat. It was hard enough coming back to the constant reminders of Fred, he didn't need to be reminded of Alicia as well.

A thin layer of dust had accumulated over top of the small purple box and George wiped it away to reveal 'memories' written in Alicia's handwriting on the lid. With the box cradled under his arm, he quietly made his way out of the room to see Alicia already sitting at the kitchen table, having helped herself to some tea.

While her feeling comfortable enough in his home to make tea didn't necessarily bother him, the mug she had chosen felt like a blow to the gut.

It was a silly thing to feel upset about, but something about Alicia's lips touching the same mug he'd always given to Eloise felt wrong. But he bit his tongue, he didn't want to cause an argument. He knew he'd never get the closure he needed from her if he got upset over something as minuscule as a tea cup, especially when she didn't even know it's significance to him.

"Morning." George greeted as he approached the table, setting the box between them as he took a seat across from her.

When her eyes fell on the box she raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at him expectantly. Clearly she recognized it, and she almost seemed surprised George had held onto it.

"I figured you could have this." he said, pushing it towards her.

Alicia pushed the mug she'd been drink from off to the side and pulled the box closer to her.

"Can we go through it?" she asked, waiting for his reaction before pulling the lid away.

George hadn't anticipated actually going through all the things the two had collected together over the years, but he supposed they'd be talking about their relationship anyway, so what could it hurt?

"Oh, yeah sure." he said tentatively.

Alicia pulled away the lid and immediately a smile formed on her face as she rummaged through its contents.

George sat back and watched her until she grasped a polaroid in her fingers. Whatever the picture was made her laugh before she set it on the table and slid it across the wood for him to see.

In the photo Alicia was excitedly showing off George's perfectly scored essay as he sat next to her laughing.

Part of the reason George never opened the box was because the moving photos felt like a window straight into the past. They were hard to look at, and when he gazed at himself it almost felt like he was staring at a stranger. That happy young man was someone he didn't recognize anymore.

"Flitwick should've sent me a gift basket for helping you write that essay." she teased after a moment.

"Excuse me? If I remember correctly I did most of the work, you just stayed awake with me in the common room as I wrote it." he chuckled as he slid the photo back over to her.

Alicia rolled her eyes with a smile before continuing to dig through the box.

"Oh Merlin, look at this one! We're just babies here." she said as she showed another photo to George.

Ginny had wanted to send a photo back home to their mum on her first day. Initially it was only meant to be of her with her brothers, but Seamus joined in when Percy declined to be in the photo. If George remembered correctly, it was Fred who pulled the Finnigan boy into the shot, saying he was an 'Honorary Weasley' that day.

As for Alicia, she and the twins were on their way to practice when Ginny asked her brothers to be in the photo. Initially Alicia had offered to take it, but George seized the opportunity of Seamus invading their family photo to have Alicia join in as well. In reality he'd become so smitten by her that he really just wanted an excuse to take a picture with her.

"I don't even feel like we're the same people anymore." George muttered as he looked at all of their youthful and optimistic faces.

Alicia reached over and grabbed to photo from him again, focusing on a new face each time the photo moved.

They all were laughing as Fred pulled Seamus into the frame and Alicia leaned in closer to George. It did feel like another lifetime even though it had only been seven years.

Finally she picked up one last polaroid, but this one she looked at longer before showing it to George. While a slight smile was on her lips, a faint hint of pain was evident in her eyes.

It was towards the end of their fifth year, Fred knew all about George's crush at this point and had orchestrated the photo for his sake.

Alicia was stressed about their upcoming O.W.L. exams and George was almost always 'studying' with her. Though he wasn't putting forth much effort himself, he spent several late nights awake with her in the common room surrounded by piles of textbooks and even skipped a few Hogsmeade trips just to spend the whole day with her in the library.

One of their typical late night study sessions was exactly when this photo took place.

Fred more or less shoved the camera into Ginny's hands, ordering her to snap the photo of the three. Initially Alicia wasn't in the mood to have her photo taken, having been neck deep in Arithmancy notes. But Fred told her she'd like to have the memory of her misery one day and ordered her to smile.

Right at the last moment both boys planted a bold kiss on her cheeks causing her to let out a loud laugh, which had been perfectly captured in the photo. It was by far one of her favorite memories of them, one that she had nearly forgotten about.

Alicia slid the polaroid across the table to George who took one glance at it before letting out a sad sort of chuckle.

This is what he missed. When life was simple and his biggest worry was making a good impression on the girl he had a crush on.

"I had it bad for you back then." he smiled as he slid the photo back across the table to her.

"Yeah?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yeah." he nodded, "All the way back in second year to be honest."

"And yet it took you until the end of sixth year to do anything about it?" she smirked.

George shrugged, "I've never been the best at making the first move."

Alicia pressed her tongue to her cheek and bit back a smile, "I'm not sure I agree with that."

"No?"

She shook her head, "I think you spent four years making moves but were too scared to actually ask me to be your girlfriend."

"That sounds about right." he conceded with a nod.

George seemed to have changed much less than he thought he had. Things with Eloise seemed almost exactly the same as had they had been when he fell for Alicia.

He was certain of his feelings, but when it came to committing the idea seemed so frightening. With Alicia his fear came from being rejected, but with Eloise his fear came from not being enough.

Alicia placed the lid carefully back on the box, locking away their happy memories within the confines of its violet walls. When she brought her eyes back up to him the mood in the room seemed to shift slightly.

While it was nice to reminisce, the second the box was closed they were brought back to the present. Back to the disastrous aftermath of their relationship.

Both of them seemed to want to say something, each having their own questions and complaints about the other. But neither wanted to be the first to broach the subject.

Alicia traced her index finger over the rim of Eloise's mug, gazing at George and trying to read his expression. But he remained stoic, resolving to not allow himself to appear as broken as he felt.

"I'm sorry." she finally said.

But George merely let out a chuckle.

"What is it?" she asked with furrowed brows.

"You make it seem like our situation can be resolved with a simple apology."

"Well, what do you want me to say?"

Though she probably didn't mean it as a challenge, George was ready to unleash everything he'd been bottling up since last May.

"Oh, I don't know Alicia. Maybe an explanation about where you went, why you weren't at the battle, why you didn't write, why you weren't at Fred's funeral." he complained with a tone of disdain.

Alicia let out a long sigh, "I was at the battle, George."

His jaw clenched as his eyes widened suddenly, he simply didn't believe her. If she was at the battle there was no way he would have forgotten. His family went into hiding at the beginning of April, they had only been broken up for a month at the time. If he had seen Alicia even once on that horrible night, he would have never let her leave his sight again.

She could sense his confusion as she leaned forward, looking into his eyes, "I showed up with Angelina and Oliver, I spent half my time looking for you and the other half trying to stay alive. When I passed Lee in the corridor and he told me you were in the Great Hall I practically ran there. But when I saw all of you and then Fred I-" she trailed off as tears threatened to fall from her eyes, "It was too much."

"Too much." he repeated with a scoff.

"I shut down, George. I'm sorry." she muttered.

"Is that your excuse for missing the funeral?" he asked curtly.

All she did was nod as she broke her eyes away from him and looked down at her hands.

"I needed you, Allie."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing." he said impatiently, raising his voice slightly.

Every time she apologized it almost made him feel worse, because he wasn't sure whether she even meant it or if she just wanted him to end his interrogation.

Alicia sunk down in her seat, clearly unaccustomed to George's anger. When they were together the most frustrated George ever got was after losing a game of Quidditch, and he'd never directed any of that anger towards her.

"You didn't even write." he muttered after a moment.

"Neither did you."

George was taken aback, clenching his jaw in frustration, "Forgive me for thinking after you skipped Fred's funeral that you were completely done with me."

"I know I'm the bad guy, but it's a two way street." she muttered.

"You know where I work, you know where my family lives, and you didn't even stop by. You moved away, you didn't reach out, you completely cut all of us off. Don't twist this on me."

"I thought maybe if you still wanted me after everything you would've tried to reach out somehow. You're the one who broke up with me, remember?"

He shook his head, "I did that to protect you."

"I wanted to go with you, George. I was ready to drop everything to be with you."

"We had a target on our backs, what if they found us? If they hurt you I wouldn't be able to live with myself, I thought I was doing the right thing."

"Those four weeks were agony, George! I couldn't write to you, I had no idea where any of you had gone, and all with no more than a day's notice."

"I thought I was doing the best thing for you. It wasn't like I left because I stopped loving you. I was counting the minutes until I could get back to you."

"I just wish things had gone differently." she mumbled, keeping her eyes on her hands.

George let out a groan of frustration and ran a hand through his hair, "What do you want me to do, Alicia? Do you want me to say I still love you or something?"

"Do you?" she asked, bringing her dark eyes back up to him.

This was something George hadn't yet had to face. His love for Alicia was something he locked away in a box and shoved away for a year, never having to reevaluate. Much like their box of memories.

But now, as he gazed at his first love - the girl who he was certain at one point he was going to marry and grow old with - he had to figure out when exactly he'd moved on or if part of him still truly loved her.

The hesitation in his response didn't come as a shock to Alicia, but she couldn't help but tap her foot nervously under the table.

George thought back to everything he'd gone through over the last year and a half. For most of it he felt incredibly isolated, as if he was the only person in the world. As if he had died along with Fred.

There were so many painful things he was grasping onto, wanting nothing more than to go back in time. If he could have somehow paused his life before everything fell apart, he would. But as great as that would have been, his life kept moving past him regardless.

"I don't think so, no." he finally answered.

The answer seemed to come as somewhat of a relief to the girl across from him as some of her guilt seemed to physically melt away, "When did you move on?"

One moment stuck out in his mind.

It was the first moment he'd truly felt seen and understood since losing Fred. A plot twist of a moment spurred on by unusual happenstance. His heart filled with bitter rage only to be calmed by an unexpected source of empathy. The only ray of sunshine in his darkest moments.

"Probably at the end of last summer."

A weight felt like it had been lifted off of his shoulders. While part of him still pined for the past, he realized the future he'd pictured with Alicia was now a blocked off path, an alternative timeline he'd never experience.

Alicia simply wasn't his person, not anymore. If the battle never happened and Fred never died, he could picture himself engaged to Alicia by now, planning a wedding and talking about having children.

But all the girl across from him now was a fond memory to him.

She was a reminder that George did know how to love someone, once upon a time. She was a relationship he missed desperately, one that was always so easy. They rarely fought, they seemed to know each other inside and out, and he never second guessed himself with her. That was what he missed, that's what he longed for.

But he didn't love her anymore. He didn't want that life with her anymore.

"Have you moved on?" he asked, hoping that the feeling was mutual.

Alicia paused for a moment before nodding, "I think so. I still miss you sometimes, but I think I miss the idea of us more."

"I agree."

Another moment of silence fell between them as Alicia seemed to be thinking deeply about something. As good as George used to be at reading her emotions, this was one moment that proved he didn't know her as well as he once had.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked.

"Sure."

"Who was Verity talking about last night? Eloise?"

George let out a sigh, he knew there was a high likelihood that she'd be brought up, but he wasn't looking forward to discussing her with Alicia.

"She's Fleur's friend from school."

"Oh, did we meet her during the Tournament?"

He shook his head, "No, she was a year below Fleur in school."

"Are you two something?" she asked without hesitation.

"It's complicated." he muttered.

"I have time." she offered.

"No offense, but I don't feel like talking about her with you."

"Well, I'd like for us to try and be friends again. Hopefully I can earn back your trust one day. But I don't want to overstep any boundaries." she explained.

Letting Alicia back into his life was a risk.

While he was confident he'd moved on and his heart belonged to someone else, that didn't erase their history. Nor did it make her potential friendship any easier to explain to Eloise.

Before George even had a chance to respond to her proposition, they heard the bell above the door in the shop ring through the floor below them.

He quickly flicked his head to the clock above the stove, which read half past eight. Without even checking he knew it would be Charlie or Verity coming in to open the store, hoping it was the former. After what had happened last night, he really didn't want Verity to be the one to walk through the door and start berating either of them.

Luckily Charlie was the one who entered the flat with widened eyes as he saw the former couple sitting at the kitchen table together.

"Blimey," he muttered immediately, "Ver told me what happened but it's still... blimey."

"Hi, Charlie." Alicia greeted awkwardly with a small wave.

"Hey," he responded before turning his head to George, "I'm just grabbing my jacket and then I'll open up the shop."

George nodded at his brother, "I'll be down shortly."

Charlie rushed passed them into his room and quickly came back out, pulling his arms through the sleeves of his blazer as he escaped from the awkward tension that filled their apartment.

When Charlie reached the bottom of the spiral stairs his girlfriend seemed to read his expression right away.

"She's up there isn't she?"

"Yes, but don't go up there." he warned.

Verity crossed her arms over her chest, "What do you take me for?"

"Someone who meddles." he smirked as he bent over to plant a quick peck on her lips before she had the chance to give him a snarky comeback.

A short knock on the front door of the shop broke the couple's eyes away from each other.

For it being so early on a Monday morning they didn't expect any eager customers trying to shop before they opened. Charlie figured he'd be better at turning an excited child away than Verity would with her blunt attitude, so he pulled himself away from his girlfriend and made his way to the door.

But when he caught a glimpse of a familiar mane of wild blonde curls his stomach dropped.

Eloise was standing on the other side of the door with a sweet smile and a beautifully wrapped gift under her arm. When she saw him approaching through the window she have him a quick wave to which Charlie gave as genuine smile as he could muster through his anxiety as he unlocked the door.

Charlie pulled the door open just a crack, hoping his body was covering enough of her view of the store in case George or Alicia decided to come down from the flat while she was there.

"Hey, Eloise." he greeted loudly, hoping to warn Verity who was out of sight of the door, "What brings you in?"

"I have a gift for your mum's birthday. I know I won't be at her dinner on Saturday, but I still wanted to get her something regardless." she explained, holding out the gift to Charlie.

Confusion painted his face as he took the gift from her hands, and she somewhat expected that sort of reaction. The honest truth was Eloise had several simpler ways to get that gift to Molly. She could have sent it in an owl, she could have given it to Percy at work, she could have easily sent it with Bill and Fleur.

But she showed up at the shop on her way to the Ministry, hoping she'd run into Verity or Charlie but also secretly wishing she could catch a glimpse of George.

Part of her hated herself for it, but she still longed for his affection. She knew she shouldn't miss him, especially after he had completely shattered her heart. It wasn't healthy, and Fleur made sure to let her know that several times. But Eloise ignored every logic thought she had as she walked down the cobblestone path towards the iconic purple building that morning.

Eloise attempted to glance around Charlie's shoulder and he subtly moved to block her view. But that didn't stop her from seeing a flash of platinum blonde hair.

"Verity!" Eloise called, causing Charlie to turn over his shoulder to see his girlfriend standing near the display of Extendable Ears.

Eloise seized the opportunity of Charlie's distraction to slip past him and enter the shop, walking right up to her friend who she hadn't seen in two weeks.

Verity did her best to keep up appearances as the French girl pulled her into a warm hug, but all the same fears going through Charlie's mind was rushing through hers as well.

"Eloise! It's been a while." she said casually.

"Too long, how has everything been?" Eloise asked as she pulled away from the girl.

"Oh, you know. Nothing has really changed around here. Same old, same old." she chuckled nervously.

Charlie quickly approached them, and the couple made eye contact with each other as if they were trying to telepathically come up with some sort of plan to get rid of Eloise. The girl across from them seemed to notice something was amiss, but before she could ask them if everything was alright, all three of them heard the door to the flat open.

Eloise had her eyes trained on the spiral staircase, both nervous and hopeful to see George. But Charlie and Verity stood by anxiously realizing they were suddenly out of time and their mission to protect both Eloise and George from an imminent disaster had been an utter failure.

First George's maroon slacks came into Eloise's view and she felt her heart skip a beat, but a pair of tanned legs and a dark purple dress followed closely behind him.

Nearing the bottom of the stairs George stopped in his tracks when his eyes fell on Eloise. The beautiful bright smile of a girl who put everyone's happiness before her own faded as she noticed a woman standing behind him. No one needed to tell Eloise who she was, the tall woman with curly brown hair matched Verity's description perfectly.

But before anyone could say anything, Eloise was quick to mask her pain with a facade of polite indifference.

"Hi, I'm Eloise." she greeted the woman behind George.

Alicia subtly glanced at the others in the room before bringing her eyes back to the blonde.

"Erm, Alicia." she responded awkwardly.

"I've heard a lot about you," she smiled before turning to Charlie and Verity, "I need to get to work, but it was lovely to see you two. Tell Molly happy birthday for me."

Eloise turned on her heel, quickly escaping from the shop before her facade broke and revealed how hurt she truly was to everyone in the room.

Going there was a mistake, she should have known better. She should have listened to Fleur.

A shaky breath escaped her lungs as she stepped foot back onto the cobblestone path and made her way back toward the Leaky Caldron. She was so focused on her getaway that she hadn't heard the sound of a door opening and footsteps following closely behind her.

"Elle." George called after her.

She stopped in her tracks and turned around quickly, "Two weeks, George."

"What?" he asked, stopping a few steps away from her as busy wizards and witches weaved around them.

"It's only been two weeks. You told me you hadn't seen her in over a year and she came back two weeks after you rejected me? Seems like a bit of a coincidence."

"She was at Angelina's birthday, I didn't know she was going to be there."

"So you invited her over the first time you see her? Either you're lying to me now, or you were lying to me then."

"I haven't lied to you at all, Elle. I only brought her home because she was drunk and-"

"Oh, this is too good," she scoffed, "You just love to take care of the drunk girls, don't you?"

"Will you please just listen to me?" he sighed.

"I came here hoping to see you. I miss you. My heart aches for you, and yet you continue to make me look like an idiot. So I'm sorry, but I'd rather not stand here and listen to any more of your excuses."

"Elle, please just listen to me," he pleaded again, the desperation in his voice was loud and clear, "I miss you too, I miss you so much it hurts. I regret pushing you away, I wish I could take that night back. I said so many things I didn't mean, I'm so sorry."

Tears threatened to form in the corners of her eyes, but Eloise refused to shed any more tears for the man who had a habit of getting her hopes up just to break her heart again and again.

"Maybe you should have considered all of that before going back to your ex." she replied coldly.

George let out a frustrated groan, "I didn't go back to her! Just let me explain."

"I'm running late, George." she said dismissively.

"Then come back after work so we can talk about this." he pleaded.

"I think I've heard enough."

With that Eloise turned her back on him and disappeared into the crowd of witches and wizards making their morning commute through Diagon Alley. George however, remained frozen in the middle of the road, angry with himself and broken hearted all over again.

-

A/N: I hope you all liked the polaroids of Alicia and George I created for this chapter!

I've been working on other graphics for this story over on my Instagram as well, so feel free to give me a follow if you're interested in that kind of content! My username over there is @lionwitch22.wp ☺️