One and only ; George Weasley

18

I sat in the owlery, having some time for myself in my free lesson between Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration. The owls kept me company so I wasn't exactly bored and I had just received a package from mum back home.

It seemed like a dress box and it had a letter with it.

Dear Elizabeth,

I found this in my stuff in the basement. It hasn't been used since I was around your age and I hope you can use it for the ball. I've made some readjustments so it's now your exact size and should fit you perfectly. It also matches your eyes and I'm sure George would love you in it. It's yours now and hopefully one day if you have a daughter, you can pass it on.

I hope you're well. I know today's tough. Both for you but also for me. Remember to let people in. You have a habit of shutting the people you love out and you push them away when they want to help. Accept a helping hand where it's offered, even if it's hard because I know it is but I also know it's important to face your feelings and not ignore them.

Your dad would be so proud of you and she would love the choice you've made with your boyfriend.

I love you sweetheart and I can't wait to see you for either the Easter holidays or next summer.

Have a nice ball and enjoy it.

Love,
Mum

I folded the letter before putting it next to me along with the envelope and opened the package. It definitely was a dress and it was red. I got to my feet, holding up the dress to look at it.

It was a long dress with layers of lace, making it a little fluffy. The top was a sweetheart neckline with spaghetti straps and it had pearls all over. Overall, the dress was very beautiful and for a moment I kinda forgot about what today is.

For the first time today, I had a genuine smile on my face. I was so grateful that my mum gave me a dress like that and the part about passing it on to my own daughter one day, made me quite emotional. I took a deep breath, trying not to cry. I was happy but if I started crying of happiness, I knew it would turn into tears of sadness and I really didn't want to cry today.

When I heard steps, I nearly jumped as I quickly turned around to see my boyfriend's little sister.

"Oh, hi Ginny." I said, smiling sweetly at her.

"Hi. I'm just here to send a letter to mum and dad." She said, walking over to one of the owls. I sat down on the floor again, pulling the box over to me while starting to fold the dress so it could fit in it again.

"Is that your dress for the Yule ball?" Ginny asked me after sending the owl with her letter. I looked up as she approached me. "It's very pretty."

"It is." I told her. "My mum send it. She's giving it to me."

"That's nice." She said. "I have a little money to buy a dress for the ball. It's not going to be the most expensive one but as long as it's pretty."

"Yeah?" I smiled. "Is there a special someone you want to impress?"

"I don't know." She giggled, blushing as she looked away.

I chuckled at her reaction, closing the box. I grabbed the letter, putting it into the envelope before slipping it into the box.

"Fred told me you and George had a fight." Ginny said. "Are you gonna break up."

"Break up?" I questioned as she sat down next to me. "No. It wasn't really much of a fight. He was trying to help me and be there for me but I was being a stubborn pig and I got kinda rude about it."

"Are you okay?"

"Of course." I smiled, gently nudging her with my shoulder. "I have a great boyfriend, some amazing friends and a very sweet sister-in-law."

Ginny smiled before she wrapped her arms around me to hug me. "I hope you marry George."

With those words she got up and ran out of the owlery but my smile faded when I saw Fred enter at the same time.

"Having a nice chat with Ginny?" He asked with a small smile.

"Yeah." I nodded, looking away. "Says she hopes I marry George."

"That would be great." Fred said as he sat down next to me. "Would be great to have you officially be a part of the family."

"We're sixteen." I stated. "We shouldn't be thinking about that."

"It's not a bad thing to have dreams." He told me.

I sighed, looking at him. "What're you doing up here? You have class."

"I snuck out." He told me. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine."

"You usually don't tell George to leave you alone unless something's bothering you." He said. "And I know what today is."

"Today is a completely normal day like all others." I said. "It's not special because my dad died. It's a mess but it happens every day. People die every day."

"But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be allowed to talk about it with someone. You lost a very important person in your life so why are you trying to hide your emotions?"

"I don't want people to think I'm weak." I said, my voice breaking. I placed a hand over my mouth, closing my eyes as I tried to keep the tears from running.

"No one thinks you're weak, Liz." He said, placing an arm around my shoulders. I let him hug me as the tears took control.

"He was amazing, you know." I whispered against Fred's chest. "Mum told me so many stories about him."