The Healer | Part 3: The Survivors

Another Wedding

George

I was feeling quite overwhelmed again by the time supper was over. There were so many people at the reception, I was dreading the actual wedding the following day. Surely there couldn't be more left to arrive. I didn't know our family knew so many people. Most of them must have been people Audrey's family had invited.

As predicted, relatives had been hugging and greeting me all afternoon, it was exhausting. I had to keep reminding myself that it was better to get it all over with at once instead of staggering it over the next several months.

I'd managed to escape to a small table near the edge of the forest in front of the house to get a break from it all. However, Ginny spotted me and made her way over.

I didn't mind Ginny. In fact, I had a few questions that I knew she would be best to answer. I wondered if she would lie to spare my feelings, like how I felt many people were doing, or if would get brutal honesty from her.

'Alright?' She asked, taking a seat.

'Just a bit overwhelmed,' I told her.

'I don't blame you,' she replied. 'I'm overwhelmed and I see these people all the time.'

She leaned back in her chair and I decided it would be best to get my questions out quickly before some other relative came over to say hello.

'Have you been speaking with Edith recently?'

'More so than you have,' she scoffed.

I winced. Brutal honesty it was.

'How is she?' I asked, almost dreading the answer. I had been gone so long, I couldn't blame her if she had moved on without me. But I had to know.

'Why don't you ask her yourself?' Ginny raised an eyebrow.

'Why?' I straightened up, my heart pounding and looked around at the sea of red hair and brightly-coloured robes. 'Is she here?'

Had someone told her I was back? I suppose it wasn't exactly a secret anymore. I hadn't specifically told anyone not to tell her.

'No,' Ginny scoffed again. 'Her sister's getting married tomorrow, she's the chief bridesmaid. They're probably doing the same thing we are right now, only the Scottish version.'

'Oh,' I slumped back down. Mum had mentioned in her letters that was happening, I hadn't known it was going to be the same day as Percy's wedding though.

A good boyfriend would have known that. A good boyfriend would be there with her. I suppose there probably wasn't much that could be done anyway. As much as I wanted to go directly up to Scotland to see her, I knew I had to be here for my own brother's wedding. That, and I needed to find my notebook to see if she had written while I was away and get my bearings before I saw her again.

'I suppose she's doing alright,' Ginny sighed. 'She's in school at St Mungo's.'

'That's good,' I let out a breath and slumped in my seat. Again, I knew that from Mum's letters. 'That's what she wanted.'

Ginny didn't say anything to that, but eyed me warily instead.

'What?' I asked her.

'Nothing,' she waved a hand and turned to look towards the orchard where Bill and Charlie were hanging glowing, golden apples.

She was hiding something. Something had happened. Maybe she really had moved on. Maybe she actually wasn't living in Britain anymore, maybe she was just back for her sister's wedding. Maybe she had a new boyfriend, someone she could actually depend on, who would be there for her when she was hurting.