There's Always Room for One More

There's Always Room For One More

"So, you're definitely going to ask her tonight?" asked Lee.

Fred took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Yep. Definitely tonight. No more waiting around."

George looked out from behind his newspaper. "You sure about that, Fred? I mean, that's what you said last year, but you backed out at the last minute."

The twenty-six-year-old gave his twin an angry look. "I wanted to be sure I wasn't making a mistake!" He sighed; he knew he was fighting a losing battle. "Fine, I lost my nerve. I mean, we were in a restaurant, and I didn't want to embarrass her or anything..."

"And you were afraid she'd reject you," George finished for him.

"Fred, she's stuck with you ever since you two started going out in the seventh year. She must love you, or she would have dumped you ages ago," said Lee matter-of-factly.

"Was that meant to be encouraging?" Fred said flatly.

George rolled his eyes, groaning. "Fred, of course she'll say yes. She's probably been waiting for this for years. I mean, you guys have done 'it' several times, so..."

He was cut off as Fred hexed a toothbrush covered in toothpaste to fly at him. George ducked it quite skilfully, and the missile hit the wall above the couch, leaving a greenish stain.

Fred nodded briskly. "Well, I'd better be going, then." Taking a swig from a nearby bottle of Firewhiskey to give him some courage, he headed out the door in the direction of the ground-floor apartment occupied by a certain three female Chasers.

******

The door was opened by Katie, who, like all the girls did whenever one of their friend's boyfriends came to call, giggled like mad.

"C'mon, Katie, let me in, it's bloody freezing out here," Fred blew on his hands to emphasise this point. On the short walk down the street from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes to the girl's back door, it had started to snow, and it really was freezing.

"Katie, let the poor man in," called a frustrated Alicia from inside the apartment. "The longer you hold the door open, the more cold air comes through. My coffee's freezing over."

"Fine," giggled Katie, stepping back from the doorframe. Fred entered, nodding in acknowledgement to Alicia, who gave him a small wave back.

"Where's Angelina?" he asked, his teeth still chattering from cold even though it was warm in the kitchen.

Katie, the giggliest of all the girls, let out a high chortle, and even Alicia sniggered behind her coffee cup. "In her room," Katie managed to say in between giggles.

Luckily, Fred was spared from talking to the two of them any longer, as at that moment Angelina came in to kitchen.

"Fred!" she said joyfully, running over and giving him a light kiss on the cheek. She then turned to her two best friends. "It's time for you to disappear now," she said pointedly.

"Right," said Alicia, a little too staged for Fred's liking. "Katie and I will go... out for lunch," she finished lamely.

She and Katie grabbed their winter coats from the peg next to the door, and, to Fred's relief, left the building.

Angelina put her arms around Fred's neck. "So, what brings you here today? Any special occasion?" she purred.

"No- well, yeah," stuttered a very nervous Fred.

"Oh? What occasion is that, may I ask?" asked Angelina, surprised.

Fred took another deep breath. "Angie..." he asked tentatively. "Do you love me?"

Angelina gave him an incredulous sort of look. "Duh, Fred. Is that some sort of trick question? Of course I love you!"

"How much?" said Fred. After all, he wanted to be completely sure.

Angelina kissed him gently before replying. "This much." And she kissed him again, much more passionately this time. "And that was only a tiny, insignificant fraction of the enormous total amount," she murmured as they drew apart.

"Right," nodded Fred. "I'm convinced." And he got down on his knee, gently taking Angelina's hand in his.

"Angelina, words can't begin to describe how much I love you. I love you so much, I'd rather die than be without you. I came here today to..." he sighed. This was harder than he thought... "To ask you if you would... like to... you know..." he wanted to kick himself, he was so bad at this... "Oh, bloody hell... will you marry me?"

He winced, prepared for the rejection. It never came. Angelina slowing pulled him to his feet. "Oh Fred, you're such an idiot. Of course I'll marry you!"

Fred blinked with surprise. "Really?!?"

Angelina rolled her eyes. "Did you honestly think I'd say no? I love you, Fred, and I will be deeply honoured to be your wife. So... yes! I will marry you!"

They were about to kiss, when the door burst open to reveal George, Lee, Alicia and Katie peering around the doorframe, noses red from cold and with snowflakes sticking to their hair. "Well, it's about time!" yelled George. "Do you have any idea how cold it is out here?" And with no further ado, they rushed as one into the warmth of the kitchen.

"You guys listened?!?" Fred hissed to his twin as Katie and Alicia gave Angelina a congratulatory bear hug.

George held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Not my idea, I assure you. Well, actually, it was, but only partly, mind you. We all knew this day would come, so we all hid outside under the window to hear what would happen."

"So, you mean, you and Lee came to the flat after I'd left, and hid with Alicia and Katie in the yard, under the window..."

George nodded. "Yep, that's right."

By now the girls had broken up their hug, and were chattering happily about what appeared to be the current style of wedding dress. "I just can't believe you're marrying into such a big family," Katie said suddenly.

Fred went over to them. "Don't worry," he said, throwing his arm around Angelina's shoulder. "There's always room for one more."

Fin.