If You'll Have Me | George Weasley

Chapter 34

ELEANOR WISHED she could freeze that moment in a snapshot. She wanted to remember Ginny's laugh as she jumped headfirst off the dock, the way that Harry floated on his back, the way that Fred pestered the girls by splashing them with water.

They stayed like that for a good while, savoring every last moment together underneath the moon, which was full and beaming high above them. They swam until their limbs ached, but even still, it took a great amount of convincing for them to leave the water. Eleanor only allowed George to usher them inside because she was freezing at that point, and the wet hair clinging to her shoulders only made it worse.

"I feel like you forget you're a witch sometimes." George says as he pulls his wand from his pocket, just before he waves it in her direction to almost instantly dry her off.

Elle presses her lips into a thin line as she clumsily kicks off her sandals by the front door. "I'm just giving you the pleasure of doing these things for me." She teases. "I know you like when I order you around."

"Is that so?" He grins, and as the rest of their friends pour slowly into the house, his voice gets quieter. "Well in that case, don't let me stop you."

Eleanor playfully swats his arm as she brushes past him to walk into the living room. It was pitch black outside now, and she reluctantly looks to the clock that hung high above the fireplace. 12:33. Her stomach drops slightly, and she wonders that if she stayed awake through the whole night, if it would make time move slower.

"So? What did you think, Elle?" Fred calls to her from across the room. He was now sitting on the couch with his arm wrapped around Angelina.

The fireworks. They'd nearly slipped her mind due to everything else that was occupying it.

"I see the look on your face," She says. He was clearly trying to bite back a smile. "You know they were great. I don't think anything could've topped that."

"If only you could've seen the ones we did during our fifth year." Fred smiles proudly at the memory. "That was our big sendoff."

That's what this was, too. This whole night, this whole trip, it merely served as a reminder that things would not always stay this way. That things would not always be this easy. She almost would have preferred to pretend like nothing would be happening in the morning, and instead, if they spent their last night at the Burrow, living in ignorance as they lit fireworks that held no significance.

"That was insane." Marianne chimes in. Her voice was slightly strained. "You two would've been expelled if you didn't leave on your own account."

"It got all of you out of taking your O.W.L.S. I would've gladly been expelled for that." George grins, and Eleanor notices a small smile spread across Marianne's lips. She then looks down, as if she was reminiscing.

"Well, I'm beat." Marianne says just before she stands from the couch. "I think I'm gonna head off to bed. Will I be seeing you all tomorrow? Or were you planning on leaving tonight?"

"We'll be here tomorrow." Ginny leans into Harry's side. "We'll just have to leave early. Elle still has to pack for home."

Marianne lifts her gaze to Elle's direction, but she could not tell if Marianne was looking at her or George. There is another moment of silence, a moment of them seemingly trying to read one another, and then Marianne nods.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow, then." She says, but again, Eleanor sees through the half-forced smile she sends in her direction.

Their friends murmur their goodnights to her, but part of Elle wants to say something more. She wants to thank her for letting them stay here, tell her that it was nice to meet her, but she merely watches as Marianne disappears down the dark hallway. The other part of her is thankful, that despite their pleasant conversation today, that she would likely never have to see her again.