Just as he planned, George got Aurora home safely before traveling back to the Leaky Cauldron. He had spent a total of, maybe, an hour there before going home with a tall, blonde witch. She didn't look familiar to him, and he wasn't sure if she had known him during their time at Hogwarts or not, but at this point he came to the bar looking for one thing, and one thing only. No pleasantries mattered at this point. He obviously was not going to stay the night at her place, making sure to quickly pull his clothes back on after they finished having sex, and apparating home. The hole in his chest was still there. No matter how many times he tried to patch it back together with drunken nights full of lust, it would always be right there. It would constantly remind him that his better half, his best friend, Fred, was gone. He was never coming back, and he would always feel guilty about laughing with anyone else.

The days and night to follow passed painfully slow. George found himself at the bar each night. A different woman each night. His beard was starting to grow back in, but this time around he tried his best to do what he could to maintain it. As crazy as it was, having the beard helped him be able to look in the mirror and not see his brother. At least that's what he told himself. He was getting better at spending time in the shop with Verity, keeping his cool composure and working successful along side her. He had even spent one night at dinner with Lee.

The night before his birthday was the worst. He hadn't left the flat and was already down half a bottle of fire whiskey. Currently, he was sprawled out on the couch, his long legs taking up most of the cushion space. His hand grasped tightly to the bottle, letting it sit on the floor when he wasn't taking swigs of the amber liquid. His eyes fluttered shut, a certain brunette gliding her way into his mind. He could have sworn he could even hear her voice. After taking another sip, he sat up and rubbed his face with his hands. He had never had this problem before. Becoming so seriously infatuated with someone who didn't reciprocate the feelings. Bloody hell, she probably looks at me like a brother.

"George!"

Perking up at the sound of his name, George shook his head and rubbed his eyes. Wait, that was not in his mind. He wasn't imagining that... "Rory?" He called, pushing himself up and moving to the door of his flat that opened to the hallway and staircase which ultimately led to the back of his joke shop. Upon opening his door, he was blindsided by the small blue-eyed woman who pushed her way into the doorway. "Bloody hell, I've been calling your name for like five minutes!" She groaned, sounding completely knackered as she juggled a few things in her hands.

"Why didn't you knock?" George asked, scratching the back of his head as he closed the door.

"Boy genius...my hands are full." She told him, rolling her eyes as she set a few things down on the kitchen table. "But anyway... I was just at dinner with Ginny and Fleur. And it was boring because all they talked about was marriage, babies, and love." She faked a gag, sticking her tongue out as she moved to pull open the bags, taking out some dessert, fire whiskey, and wine. "So, I thought, what better way to detox my system of all that shit is to spend the night stuffing my face with dessert and alcohol with my cool new friend, Georgie Weasley!" She giggled, glancing up at him as he walked into the kitchen, taking a sip of the fire whiskey again.

"Also, tomorrow is your birthday. And I know you don't want to celebrate it... but let me at least provide you with some entertain for the night, yeah?" She paused for a moment, walking over to him, and grabbing his chin. She turned his head from side to side, leaning closer as if inspecting his face – which is exactly what she was doing. "Why are you growing out the beard again?" She questioned, letting go of his chin as she took a step back, eyeing him up and down.

"What? What's wrong? Don't you like it?" He asked, grinning from ear to ear as he took another sip of the fire whiskey.

"Eh... Well, ok, I'm not going to lie. You look devilishly handsome with the beard." Aurora admitted, shrugging her shoulders before turning back to the table to pick up a brownie and already start stuffing her face with it. She went to the cabinet over the sink, picking up a wine glass so she could use it for the rest of the night. "Well what do you want to do birthday boy?" She asked, pouring wine into the glass until it was almost overflowing.

George sighed as he watched her move about his kitchen. She looked so comfortable...at home, even. As he picked up the plate of brownies and moved them to the coffee table in his living room, George plopped down onto his couch, calling out to Aurora without glancing back at her. "I don't want to celebrate my birthday. And first of all, we've still got two hours until it's officially April 1st."

"We can just drink, eat dessert, and talk about how everyone in our lives is happy and how much it makes us sick." She joked, bringing the bottle in with her so she wouldn't have to keep walking out to the kitchen to get a refill. After a few minutes of arguing back and forth about what they should do to pass the time – other than stuff their faces – George and Aurora found themselves laying by the fireplace on the floor. It had been quite chilly at night, but Aurora was glad the warmer weather was starting to break through.

With her head on his chest, Aurora absentmindedly played with a piece of fuzz from his shirt as they talked about what they think the gender of Bill and Fleur's baby was going to be. "Of course, you think it's going to be a boy. The poor Weasley family is overrun by testosterone. It's just simply not fair." Aurora giggled, pinching George's side before tilting her head back and looking up at him. "I think it's a girl. And Merlin, with Fleur's genetics she is going to be a beautiful creature." Aurora let out a sigh, moving her hand to now rest on his chest.

George wasn't even sure when they had migrated from sitting beside each other on the couch to laying on the floor. He wasn't going to complain, of course. Though a piece of him did feel guilty. Whenever they got close – physically – he always felt guilty. He used so many women, one for each night of the week and he never wanted Aurora to feel like she was just another body to him. Because she wasn't. She was truly a breath of fresh air. The clouds were still hovering over his mind and heart, but he found the darkness to be bearable whenever she was near. His arm slowly slid around her shoulders, tugging her a bit closer to his side. They had both gone through an entire bottle of fire whiskey and wine, combined. George usually didn't feel the common effects of alcohol but right now the room felt like it was spinning. He squeezed his eyes shut and held her even closer.

Aurora didn't say anything at George pulling her close to him. She enjoyed the feeling of his body so close to hers. It brought a sense of comfort to her, not only physically but emotionally.

"You still didn't tell me what you wanted for your birthday, Georgie." She whispered, moving to lean up on her elbow now. She looked down at him and then quickly glanced at the clock. A wide grin appeared on her lips now, "It's officially the first of April. You are now twenty-four years old." She told him, reaching down to tap his nose gently. "Happy Birthday!" She exclaimed, moving to sit up and pick up a brownie. She tore it in two and held one piece out on the palm of her hand. "Pretend like there is a candle there." She told him, gesturing to the brownie in her hand. "And I want you to make a wish and blow out the candle!"

George watched her with wide, curious eyes. A small smile was forming on his lips as he followed her every movement. "You are bonkers, Aurora. You know that, right?" He laughed, pushing himself up into a sitting position with his legs crossed beneath one another. He looked down at her small hand holding the brownie. "Why did you tear it apart? It's my birthday, don't I get a whole brownie?!" He exclaimed between the laughs that escaped from his lips.

"Hush. Do what I say or else you won't get any of the brownie!"

George shook his head and took a moment to look like he was pondering what he wanted to wish for. He took in a deep breath, leaned forward, and gently blew on the brownie in her hand – as if there really was a candle lit on top. He grinned at Aurora, moving to quickly pick up the brownie and shoveled it in his mouth.

"Pig!" She groaned, flicking his nose with her fingertip before eating the other half.

"Aren't you going to ask what my wish was?" George questioned, leaning back on his elbows before stretching out his legs in front of the rest of his body. "I'm sure you're curious."

Aurora shrugged her shoulders. Of course, she was curious. But she was also superstitious. All thanks to her Mum. She grew up believing that if you ever discussed your dreams, or wishes, with anyone that they would never come true. It was a hard belief to forget about when you grew up a dreamer. "Of course, I'm curious, George. But I don't want your wish to not come true. That's why you can't tell me!" She told him, moving to lay back down again. This time, she laid on her side and kept her back facing the fireplace and the front of her body curled towards him.

George stayed silent as he glanced down at Aurora. If you asked him to pinpoint the exact moment, he knew he wanted to be more than friends, he wouldn't be able to tell you. George wasn't sure if her dark clouds mirrored his own and that was why he felt connected to her. The way she smiled and laughed, even though her heart was hurting. George was almost jealous. She didn't look broken from the outside. On the other hand, George knew he portrayed the image of a broken man. He was getting better, yes – and with Aurora's help no doubt – but he was still struggling.

His eyes roamed over her face again, watching as her eyes fluttered shut – her body inviting the heat from his fireplace in. "Are you tired?" He questioned, moving now to lay beside her and mimic the position of her body with his own.

"A little. But it's most likely from the wine." She let out a small yawn, quickly covering her mouth almost out of embarrassment. She was almost certain she looked atrocious when she was yawning. "It usually makes me sleepy." She told him. She let her eyes fall shut for a moment before opening again and meeting his gaze. It was intense, but still gentle at the same time. His eyes searched hers as his hand moved to gently cup the side of her face. Aurora could feel her heart speed up at the contact of his rough hand against her soft skin. The butterflies were awake in her stomach now, causing her to suck in a deep breath and hold it in for a moment or two before exhaling. "Before I forget," She whispered, moving a bit closer to him, her hand moving to rest on top of his. "Let me give you your birthday present."

Before George blink, Aurora leaned forward and gently pressed her lips against his. He watched her eyes flutter shut and as creepy as it was, he kept his eyes open for a moment only to double check that this was in fact happening. He kissed her back, letting his eyes fall shut as he moved as close to her as possible. His hand that was once on the side of her head was now behind her, holding her tightly to his chest, fingers gripping in her hair. He would, without a doubt, admit that this was the best birthday present he had ever received.

Their lips stayed still for a moment. George was the first to pull away. He looked down at her as their eyes met. He didn't want to say something for fear of ruining the moment between them. His hand stayed wound up in her dark locks before his forehead leaned against hers. Taking a leap of faith, George let his lips press against hers again. This time, it was not so gentle as it was passionate. He brought her lower lip in between his teeth, before giving it a soft little suckle – his tongue running out to meet hers in an explosion of passion. Her hands moved to his chest, gripping onto the collar of his shirt as he soon felt her leg hook around his waist.

For the next few minutes, it had been a constant battle of teeth, tongue, saliva, and lips. George was beginning to forget where his tongue ended and hers began. Was he still breathing? More important, was Aurora still breathing? Neither of them had parted for air.

Letting his hand move to her hip, George pulled his lips from hers and let out a shaky breath.

"Wow."

Aurora's cheeks were bright red, her fingers gripping onto his shoulder keeping her chest pressed to his. Her leg was still locked over his hip, keeping her hips pressed to his. She knew going any further would be a mistake. She wasn't ready for this. She didn't want to ruin what they had. But she knew she had wanted to kiss him for his birthday.

Aurora moved to now lay her head into the crook of his neck. Her leg unhooked itself from up around his waist before moving in between his so she could cuddle even closer to him – their legs now tangled with one another.

"Happy Birthday, Georgie."