If You'll Have Me | George Weasley

Chapter 1

IT SAT IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIELD, in its lonesome far away from the village. Beyond the rows of overgrown grass and past the creek to the east, where it looked like people were swimming.

They fly overhead in their Cadillac Allante, far above the field of green that was split in two by a dirt trail which lead up to her home for the summer, which looked to be quaint. Quiet. Stacked with numerous floors as if it had been built up overtime, surely being held up by magic, from the looks of it.

To her, it was lovely, despite her mothers very obvious look of disapproval as she turns over her shoulder, eyebrows raised. "You're positive about not wanting to come to Rome?" She asks, but Eleanor only nods, keeping her gaze fixated on the view beneath her. The creek that glimmered in the distance.

She hadn't been nervous the days leading up to her arrival. Hadn't thought twice about whether or not the Weasley's would like her, or if she'd even like them... But now, she could not shake the sudden uneasiness that flooded her, and couldn't tell if it was from her fathers horrific driving, or the anticipation of meeting the Weasley's. Perhaps it was both.

But still, she cannot help but wonder if she would be better off in Rome.

No—She knew that wouldn't have been the case. Knew that she'd be happier spending her last summer with strangers as opposed to being dragged to vineyards with her parents, celebrating another year of a marriage that had been faltering for a long while. One that no amount of extravagant trips could render.

The Weasley's, however, sounded kind enough based upon her fathers description. A large, humble family with one too many kids and not enough space... But they were content, as her father put it, and she could hardly understand how he had managed to make friends with people who seemed to differ so drastically from him and his wife.

As they drive up the dirt road, a short woman comes into view with a taller man beside her, both waving happily to the approaching family whilst standing in the front doorway, keeping one arm wrapped around the other. It was their welcoming expressions that suddenly made the anxiousness in her stomach stall. Made her feel more comfortable than she had been moments before.

The moment that the engine turns off, her father is the first to climb out of the car, quickly gathering Eleanor's belongings before greeting the older man with a handshake and a hug. Arthur. He had been smiling widely as they exchanged greetings, and his wife beside him takes it upon herself to approach Eleanor, arms extended.

"We've heard so much about you, dear." Mrs. Weasley says as she pulls her in for a brief hug, and Eleanor only smiles once she leans back, taking note of her kind eyes and warm smile. "The kids are so excited to meet you." She adds on, and the words sound genuine. Honest.

There were seven of them, from what she remembered her father telling her, three of which had already moved out. But the others... She knew that two were older than her. One the same age. Another a year younger... And she couldn't help but wonder if that was who she had seen swimming in the creek. The house was far too quiet for her to even consider the alternative.

"Very happy to have you with us." Arthur gestures to Eleanor with a nod, and she politely smiles at him, eagerly looking past his shoulder and into the living room where numerous fans had been turned on. Windows open. "Right, let's head inside then. No need to be out here longer than we have to."

As they happily agree to escape the blistering heat of the sun, her mother finally decides to leave the Cadillac, staring up at the house with a slight disapproval in her eyes before reluctantly following after her daughter and into the house. Only then did Elle see that familiar look on her face. She was not impressed.