August 1998

The evening of Bill and Fleur's anniversary party had finally arrived and Eloise was ecstatic, though she was doing her absolute best to hide her excitement from the couple so as to not raise any suspicion. For all Bill and Fleur knew, they were just having a nice quiet dinner with Bill's family. But Eloise and Molly had been working hard for the last week to plan a lovely event for the couple, Molly especially wanted to make it special for them since their wedding reception had been tragically cut short by a Death Eater attack.

What Eloise was most excited about though was that she was able to invite Fleur's family. They hadn't been able to make the time to visit Fleur since the end of the war, so Eloise felt like the anniversary party was the perfect excuse. She knew Fleur would be absolutely thrilled to see them, especially her little sister Gabrielle. While Fleur can have a bit of a blunt and abrasive personality to some people, she is incredibly gentle, loving, and sweet with her younger sister.

It was about time to leave Shell Cottage for the Burrow and Eloise was pacing around the kitchen waiting anxiously for the couple to finish getting ready. Eloise had told them to dress "nice, but comfortable." Initially Bill wasn't a bit annoyed with idea, he told Eloise that he has never had to have a dress code to eat dinner with his family, but Fleur would seize any opportunity for the couple to dress up a little nicer these days so she was able to convince him to go along with it.

Fleur emerged from the stairs looking effortlessly beautiful, as always. She was wearing a lovely light blue dress that ended right at her knees. It had a pattern of small white flowers all over the fabric and fit loosely on her body but was tied around her waist with a ribbon to still show her figure. To fight the summer heat, hair was pulled back into a long braid and she had slipped on a white pair of strappy sandals.

Bill followed shortly after looking as handsome as ever, though not particularly thrilled. Eloise had assumed that Fleur was in charge of choosing his outfit just by reading his face. He wore a pair of light grey slacks with nice black shoes and a light blue button down shirt matching the color of Fleur's dress perfectly. His sleeves were rolled up just above his elbows and his long red hair was pinned half up, Eloise knew these modifications to the ensemble were Bill's doing. A compromise between the couple, of course.

As for Eloise, she kept her outfit simple to make sure Fleur was the center of attention as she should be. She wore a simple white lace off the shoulder blouse that would feel comfortable in the muggy August air and a nice pair of black jeans. She pinned her unruly blonde curls away from her face with no real rhyme or reason, she just hated the feeling of her hair touching her face in the summertime.

"You look stunning as always Fleur and you look lovely as well Bill." Eloise smiled at the couple as they entered the kitchen.

"Merci, mon amie. Bill would look much more handsome if he wore the vest I set out for him though, I think." Fleur said, leaning into her husband and resting a hand on his chest as she looked up at him with a smirk.

"It's August, Fleur. Do you want me to have a heat stroke? It'll be bad enough in what I'm already wearing." he replied sarcastically, but ran his hand over Fleur's hair with affection in his eyes before placing a kiss on her forehead.

Though they may disagree with each other, the couple always made sure to show each other affection. That's the kind of love Eloise was desperate to find one day. Usually people would strive for a romance like one in a storybook, one that is filled with grand gestures and falling in love at first sight. But Eloise wanted what her friends had, a real unconditional love with understanding and undeniable compatibility. She wanted a soulmate.

"Well, are we ready to go?" Eloise asked excitedly.

Fleur raised her eyebrow at her friend, "What's got you excited? Is it George?" she asked with a tone of mischief in her voice.

After all these years Eloise was nearly immune to Fleur's out of the blue comments that she just rolled her eyes at her friend in response, "No, I'm not excited to see George."

But that was a lie, Eloise was excited to see George. She had trouble getting him out of her mind, but she didn't understand why. The two of them barely knew each other, they'd only had one real conversation and that was when she had helped him carry chairs back to the shed on her first night meeting the Weasleys;

"Thanks for the help." George said as he set down the chairs and turned to Eloise to reach for the one she was holding.

"Oh, it was no problem. I hate watching others work while I stand around and do nothing, so it's the least I can do." She replied as she handed him the chair in her hand.

The two stood quietly in the shed for a moment before George broke the silence, "I'm George, by the way."

Eloise was confused, of course she knew who he was, so why would he reintroduce himself now?

George sensed her confusion so he continued, "I never really got a chance to introduce myself. Fleur introduced me to you, and you only knew who I was because I guess Bill and Fleur had talked about me before. Well, I'm George."

Eloise looked up at him with a small smile, "I guess I never realized that, but you're right. Well, it's nice to meet you George."

He held his hand out to her for a handshake which caused her to chuckle to herself for a moment before taking it and shaking his hand with a smile.

"What's funny?" George asked in confusion.

"Well, I was just thinking that typically back home in France when a friend introduces me to another friend I would do 'la bise' rather than shaking their hand."

"La bise?"

"You know, when you greet someone by kissing their cheeks." she responded by pulling her hand away from George's and pointing at her right cheek then the left.

A warm blush rushed over George's face, "Oh, right."

The lighting in the shed was just dim enough so that Eloise hadn't noticed the sudden change in color on George's face. To Eloise, la bise was just another greeting, something she did with coworkers, family, and friends. But to George it was something he had only experienced a few times, mostly notably with Fleur's family at the wedding when George went to the wrong side first and nearly kissed Fleur's mother right on the lips. Fred loved to bring that up to him on occasion for a good laugh.

"It's not like a real kiss though, it's just a nice way to say hello to friends." Eloise said, interrupting George's thoughts, "I can show you?"

As he nodded he felt himself holding his breath as she took a step forward and rested her right hand on his shoulder, "First, you make eye contact and rest your right hand on their shoulder."

George followed her directions silently and looked into her eyes, they were kind and patient and he could feel himself loosening up the longer he looked at her. Until she spoke again which prevented him from drowning in the blue depths of her beautiful eyes.

"Then you lean in, first to the left and you touch your cheek to mine, don't forget to make the kiss sound but don't actually kiss me." she said with a laugh as the two of them leaned in together before pulling away slightly, maintaining eye contact.

Their faces were inches apart as she spoke the next instructions softly to George, "Then the right."

The two leaned in briefly to finish the greeting and then Eloise pulled away from George as she took a step back, "See, it's easy."

George cleared his throat, "Yeah...right. Well, best get back to the house right?"

He had no idea why he felt so flustered, maybe it was the memory of the embarrassing moment he had with Fleur's mother or maybe it was something about being so close to Eloise that had his head and his heart doing somersaults.

Eloise was taken aback by the sudden change in George's demeanor, she was worried maybe she had offended him or made him uncomfortable. Sometimes differing cultures could cause awkward moments, she tried to brush those feelings away but his behavior was causing her to feel slightly guilty.

The two walked back to the Burrow silently while avoiding each other's eyes. She wanted to say something to him, she thought maybe she should apologize but she didn't know what to say to break the tension between them so she just stayed quiet.

Eloise broke herself away from the memory of George and back to reality, "Let's just go, shall we?"

-

When the three of them arrived at the Burrow, they were greeted with a large white tent out in the garden that was only slightly smaller than the one they had for their wedding reception. Eloise could feel a wide grin forming on her face as Fleur turned to look at her.

"What is this?" Fleur asked Eloise.

"Happy Anniversary!" she replied, quickly grasping Fleur's hand and pulling her towards the tent while Bill followed behind with a smirk on his face.

Eloise pulled back the door of the tent to reveal all of Bill and Fleur's friends and family on the inside who all yelled "Happy Anniversary!" in a chorus together as the couple entered. Fleur had a hand over her mouth in shock as she took in the sight of all of their loved ones in one place. All of them haven't been able to get together like this since the wedding a year prior. Bill had an arm around his wife's shoulders as a smile formed on his lips.

When Fleur's parents and sister emerged from the crowd a shriek of joy left her lips and it looked as though her knees might give out just at the sight of them. She rushed forward and fell into their arms and Eloise felt a feeling of pride form in her chest as she watched the family reunion that she had helped pull together. The family exchanged hugs, kisses, and tears of joy and the sight filled the entire tent with a warm feeling. Eloise's attention broke away from Fleur as she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

"Would you help me in the kitchen, dear?" Molly asked.

Eloise nodded and followed Molly all the way inside the Burrow. As they entered the kitchen a sweet smell of chocolate filled the air and she could tell that Molly had been working tirelessly all day to prepare all of the food for the event. As if by magic, Molly had timed everything out perfectly just in time to finish icing a large chocolate cake right as the festivities began.

"This all looks amazing, Mrs. Weasley!"

Molly smiled appreciatively at Eloise's compliment and watched happily as the blonde girl looked around the kitchen in admiration. There were trays of stuffed mushrooms, bacon wrapped dates, and various cheeses and cured meats for appetizers. She had prepared roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and a fresh green salad for the entree, and of course the beautiful chocolate cake for dessert.

"Did you do this all yourself?" Eloise asked, as she took in all the work that had been done.

"Oh, heavens no, dear. Ginny and Hermione helped, and even Ron helped with the cake. Though I suspect he was just trying to sneak away pieces of chocolate." Molly laughed, "I was hoping you'd help me bring everything out to the tent. I believe George is still up in his room if you don't mind getting him, he could help too. Plus, if no one gets him I'm sure he will spend the entire night in there."

Eloise felt a little uncomfortable being the one tasked with retrieving George, the two somehow always found themselves feeling quite awkward around each other but Eloise felt it would be rude to object.

"Oh, yes of course."

"Perfect, his room is the first door on the right on the second floor. You'll know it when you see it, you can't miss the scorch marks on the floor right outside the room." Molly said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Eloise climbed the stairs and sure enough found the door with dozens of scorch marks scarring the wood floor just in front of it. She rapped her knuckles gently against the door to no response. Standing there a moment longer she decided to knock again, a little louder this time. Again, to no response. Eloise was tensing up, she really did not want to be the one to have to retrieve George and here she was, standing outside his room being ignored.

"George? Your mother wants you to come out." Eloise spoke against the wood barrier between them.

At the sound of her voice he cracked the door open slightly, silently granting her entry, before he retreated back to his bed. Eloise wasn't entirely sure if she should enter but didn't want to return to the kitchen without him, so she slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside. George was laying on the bed with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. Another bed lay empty on the other side of the room, which she had guessed to be Fred's old bed when they were children.

The room smelled like gunpowder and sweets, an odd combination but it somehow felt very fitting for George. She took a few steps further into the room but George paid her no mind. She could see that the window in his room pointed perfectly at the tent below where his family was no doubt enjoying themselves while he lay silently up here. The thought of George hiding away from everyone entered Eloise's mind, she wanted to be sympathetic but they barely knew each other so she felt like she shouldn't be the one to pry.

"I'm surprised she sent you to get me." George said, not breaking his eyes away from the ceiling.

"Oh, me too. I have no idea why she thought I'd be a good choice for the job." she replied as her eyes turned away from the window and down to George.

She saw the corner of his lips turn up slightly in response to her comment. He let out a sigh before sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Clearly not wanting to go, he ran both hands over his face and through his hair before standing up.

"Well, I know she'll send everyone at the party up to get me if that's what it takes, so let's just go." George said with a slight tone of annoyance, he walked across his room and held the door open for her before following her down the stairs to the kitchen.

-

The party was a roaring success, having everyone together for a happy occasion was clearly what all the Weasleys needed. Well, almost all of them. Eloise had been chatting happily with Fleur's mother for a while when over Mrs. Delacour's shoulder she spotted George sitting alone at a table in the corner of the tent, nursing a drink.

Eloise politely pulled herself away from the conversation with Mrs. Delacour to go over to him, she couldn't describe the magnetic feeling she had towards him, but she hated the sight of him sitting alone.

"Can I sit here?" she asked kindly.

"No one else is." he shrugged, keeping his eye on his drink.

Eloise sat herself down in the chair right next to him, she leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched the room. People were happily chatting and dancing together while the two of them sat in silence. George periodically took a sip from his drink which Eloise recognized as fire whiskey just from the smell of it. Eloise tapped her feet along with the song that was playing which caught George's attention.

"You don't have to sit with me, you can go dance." he said.

"I don't like to dance in front of people very much, I'm too shy for that. I'm okay just watching."

"Suit yourself." he said before taking another sip from his drink.

The two sat in silence for a while longer, the song had switched from upbeat to slow and she watched as all the couples in the tent swayed to the music together looking longingly into each other's eyes. Eloise was a romantic at heart, so even though she didn't have a date herself, it didn't bother her to see others be affectionate. If anything it just warmed her heart more, Eloise was one of those people who just loved love.

"Do you want to get out of here?" she asked, suddenly breaking the silence between the two.

George almost choked on his drink at the suggestion and looked over at her with wide eyes, "I'm sorry?"

"I mean we could get out of here and go on a walk if you don't want to sit here anymore, are you okay?" she asked with concern in her voice.

George started laughing, "I'm sorry, we got lost in translation for a moment there."

"We did?"

"Yes well, 'let's get out of here' is usually said when you want to go back to someone's place and well...you know."

Eloise clasped her hands over her mouth and her face turned an embarrassing shade of red at the realization of what she had apparently suggested, "Oh Merlin, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I'm not-"

George laughed even more at her reaction which cut off her rambling, he stood up and downed the rest of his drink quickly before holding out a hand to her, "Let's go on that walk."

The embarrassment was still clear on her face as she laid her hand in his and stood from the table. The two of them walked out of the tent hand in hand, catching the attention of a few of the Weasleys and of Fleur who looked to be mentally making a note to herself to ask Eloise all about it later.

When they reached the outside of the tent George let go of her and put both of his hands in his pockets. The summer sun had almost completely set, only a few rays of golden light remained.

"Follow me." George said, gesturing his head to his right.

He led them down a grassy path that circled around the Weasley's property. The two walked side by side, enjoying each other's quiet company and the warm breeze of the August night air. Eloise was looking all around the land the Weasleys owned, they had various sheds filled with knick-knacks Arthur had collected over the years, multiple gardens growing lots of fruit and vegetables for the family, a few chicken coops, and even a large pond on the south side of their land.

"Has your family always lived here?" Eloise asked.

George nodded and glanced up at the Burrow, "Mum and dad kept adding more and more rooms as each of us were born, it's all held together by magic. It's not much though, but it's home."

"It's absolutely amazing." Eloise said with a wide smile, earning a shy smile from George in return.

She felt like George was being modest, there was no home like it she had ever seen before. Her own childhood home in France was painfully ordinary in comparison to where George had grown up. As they came upon the homemade Quidditch pitch Arthur had built for the kids years ago George stopped and turned to Eloise.

"Do you play?"

She shook her head quickly, "Oh no, I'm rubbish on a broom. I fell off one when I was twelve and broke my wrist, I haven't tried flying since then."

"I could teach you some time if you like, no pressure of course."

"Oh, I don't know." she shrugged, idly kicking the dirt below her feet. Flying was a real fear of hers, even though she knew it was silly.

"Or I could take you for a ride sometime, I'm great on a broom if I do say so myself." he spoke proudly, gently nudging her in the shoulder.

"Maybe someday." She replied with a cautious smile, "Did you play Quidditch in school?"

He nodded, "All my siblings besides Bill and Perce did. I was a beater with Fred."

This was the first time George had openly mentioned Fred to her, and she knew that wasn't to be taken lightly. She could tell that he was feeling much more at ease around her than he had been in their first few meetings. George smiled down at her noting the moonlight reflecting in her eyes, he then looked up to see the sky had gotten much darker since they began their walk.

"Best get back to the tent then, shall we?" George suggested.

"Probably for the best, I already know Fleur will be making up crazy stories in her head about where we went off to."

George chuckled, "I can only imagine."