LOVE ISN'T EASY (but it sure is hard enough)

AUGUST 6TH, 1995

George Weasley thought that the summer of 1995 had been his best one yet. And he had no shame in admitting that it was because he was spending it with Olivia Danes and her brilliant mates. Looking back on the past week as he lay awake in his bed, he smiled.

Hermione had arrived for dinner the night Olivia and Juno had arrived, smiling brightly at the group and taking her seat beside Ron. She had instantly taken a shine to Mabel, the two of them chatting away across the long table that was set up underneath the sun.

He had laughed watching the group try his Mum's food for the first time, all of them falling silent as they took their first bite.

"Liv, your parents are rubbish in the kitchen." Dom spoke, mouth full of potatoes as the others enthusiastically agreed.

"I haven't eaten food that wasn't burnt in months."

That same night, they sat around the outdoor table and sang Harry his birthday song. He looked awkward, which was normal considering he always did, but as everyone sang to him it seemed like he wanted the ground to swallow him up.

"We have two spare rooms we can split you between." Mrs Weasley explained, smiling at the group who helped her carry the dishes back into the house.

"Oh, it's okay! The five of us can stay in the same one." Liv smiled at her, placing the plates in the sink.

"Are you sure?" Molly asked, looking between the group.

"Yeah! We bunked together most of Christmas." Juno explained, watching the awestruck expressions of the three muggles as the dishes started washing themselves at the flick of a wand.

"When we visited my cousin in Belgium last summer the four of us shared the same double bed." Mabel said. Rory nodded, not taking her eyes off of the sink.

"But what about..."

"You don't have to worry about me Mrs Weasley, I'm gay."

"Oh, okay then! Bill's is the biggest so we'll put the five of you in there."

Late that night, the teenagers sat together on the floor of the living room. They were trying their best to be quiet, whispering to one another in a circle. Liv and George were side by side, legs covered with the same patchwork blanket. She tilted the book she was reading towards him so he could follow along. Mabel, Rory, Dom and Lee were on the couch, Juno and Fred facing them from besides the fireplace. Ginny sat with Hermione on the armchair, with Ron and Harry on the other couch.

"How did you manage to convince Mum to let you sleep in the same room?" Ron asked. "She would never let Hermione stay with us."

"Just told her I was gay."

Ron and Hermione glanced at one another, before looking back at Dom who casually sipped from a bottle of pumpkin juice.

"I mean, I didn't lie!" He exclaimed, the group cackling at his outburst.

"Funny that Fred and his Mum both assumed that you were straight." Lee said, the three muggles looking between Fred and Lee in shock.

"Are you being serious?" Mabel asked, shoving Rory who was biting her lip to try and not burst out laughing.

"I forgot about that! You got so jealous seeing the New Year's tapes!" Liv snorted. Dom looked shell-shocked as the room erupted into laughter, Fred's cheeks going bright red as everyone laughed at his expense.

"In my defence, I didn't know. AND you told her you should snog at midnight."

"It was a JOKE. I'm just a very affectionate drunk!"