A Soulmate's Love

Chapter 68 - Meeting the Family

George's Perspective

Althea had been so incredibly stressed for our exams, and although I knew why, it never ceased to stupefy me. How could parents ever impose such anxiety and suffering on their already perfect child? It broke my heart to see her strive for their approval by going to such lengths, but no matter how much I could reassure her, we both knew that she had to keep her grades pristine.

However, the last exam had been completed, and Althea was in the Gryffindor common room with Fred, Angelina, and me as we spoke about her first meeting with my mum and family. She and Percy were closer than Fred and I probably was with him, which was a feat. Percy was such an obnoxious intellect that it killed us, but she didn't mind the academic competition with my critical brother. Together, they would engage in intellectual discussions that could occupy them forever, and although I did not appreciate Percy all that much, it made me splendidly happy that Althea got along with the most boring sibling. What she hadn't understood just yet was that if she could manage Percy, Ginny, Ron, and Fred, Charlie and Bill would be an absolute breeze.

"I'm not as sweet and likeable as you are though, Angie. I'm going to get fucking demolished." Althea groaned as Angelina braided her hair in front of the fire. Althea was absolutely ethereal in the firelight.

"Thea, you are probably Percy's best friend, and he is positively unbearable! You'll be fine." Fred argued as he stared at his soulmate. Fred was whipped for Angelina - always had been - and he managed to be a complete ass to Althea while lovingly watching Angie. He was really good at multitasking.

"Our mum basically knows you already, our father is probably going to worry more about getting your approval for his muggle studies, and Bill and Charlie are nothing to worry about," I assured, not being able to stop myself from smiling at her obscene worrying. "If anything, I should be worried about meeting YOUR family." She turned her head to me and gave me a look, the type of look that says, 'what are you talking about?'. "Remind me, darling, how many members of your family are millionaires?" She rolled her eyes with a smile and turned back to the fire.

She coughed an answer in a very muffled manner, obviously not wanting to prove my point. "Excuse me, Thea, I didn't get that." Fred coyed, playing along with the game.

She whispered so lowly it was barely audible, and after further encouragement that resulted in another rolling of eyes, she stated, "All of us."

"How many billionaires?" Fred asked, pushing her further. He was a little ass when he wanted to be, but so could she with him - their interactions were quite amusing.

She lifted her arm up and gave him a middle finger with the back of her hand, before saying "4."

"And you are worried about meeting Mr. and Mrs. Weasley? They really are the sweetest, Althea." Angelina assured, biting her lip to hide her smile.

"Tell me about Bill and Charlie." Althea began, needing to know a detailed background on everyone before meeting them to feel better upon meeting them in person. I think she does this because back home, she received fucking lessons on people she would be meeting at events, which to me sounded absolutely absurd.

Anyways, this statement opened the night for discussion, and soon enough, we were all talking about my family in detail.

~

Time Jump: The day Althea meets the Weasleys.

The morning before boarding the train, ALthea and I were in her dorm, where she was sleepily preparing herself to meet my family. She would rub her eyes and then spread them open, splash cold water on her face, and hit herself across the face - only to be immediately stopped by me. "Don't ever do that again love," I told her sternly, seeing a red handprint on her cheek. I wasn't the type to tell her what to do; Althea was the freest woman on the planet. I do not think, regardless of the person, that Althea would ever stand being ordered into doing something she did not want or feel obligated to do, but I would not have her lay a hand on herself.