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content warning:
alcohol consumption and mild sexual content
| as always, nothing graphic |
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August 1999

George had no reason to object to Charlie hosting Verity's birthday party at the flat, he had been living at the Burrow for more than two months now after all. But he couldn't deny that the idea of being around alcohol stressed him out a bit.

He knew his friends would never directly pressure him to get drunk. Regardless, the temptation would be there just by watching them all have fun drinking with one another. The conscious decision to stay sober was something he took very seriously for several reasons, but they all boiled down to the simple fact that he just didn't like himself or the decisions he made while he was drunk.

Verity's birthday fell on a Thursday this year, but they decided to have the party the following Saturday night. Thanks to the shop now closing around 4:30, there was plenty of time to finish closing up as well as set up the flat for the party before any guests would arrive.

But instead of helping set up, George decided to drop by the Burrow before going to the party. Verity had told him earlier in the week that there would only be a handful of people there, so he wasn't too concerned about leaving her and Charlie to set up on their own so he could go home and freshen up. But that didn't stop Verity from calling him lazy as he disapparated.

The summer heat as well as the crowded store was not a good mix and he always felt gross by the end of the day. So after apparating to the Burrow, he quickly showered and changed into a red and black flannel shirt and an old pair of jeans before making his way back to the flat.

When he entered the party, it almost felt like he had gone back in time. Angelina, Verity, and Lee were sitting on the couch as Katie sat in a nearby armchair. The four of them were chatting away and laughing with one another just like the old days. But Eloise and Charlie's presence in the room was the only thing that brought him to the present, making him feel as though he wasn't truly back in the Gryffindor common room.

The sight of Eloise getting along with all of his oldest friends made his heart swell. Of course he never had a doubt that she'd make a perfect first impression. While she could be quite shy, she was also very kind to everyone right off the bat. He knew they'd all love her.

Since it was his home, George didn't feel it was necessary to announce his arrival as he made his way to the kitchen. But as soon as Verity noticed him walking across the room, she jumped up from the couch and practically skipped over to him.

"Yes, Ver?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I hope you don't mind, but I invited a few more people over than I mentioned before."

"How many is a few?"

"Just a few." she smiled innocently before skipping back over to the group.

He furrowed his brows at the girl, she hadn't answered his question at all. Before George had even gotten his shoes off, Ron and Hermione as well as Ginny and Harry had entered the flat.

Alright, they're family, no big deal, he thought to himself as he greeted them all with a polite head nod.

When it became clear that George wasn't in the mood to mingle, Angelina pulled herself away from the group in the living room to join him in the kitchen. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Lee fiddling with the radio to turn on some music but all of his attention was on Angelina.

"I like her." she declared suddenly.

"Who?"

"Eloise, you idiot. I like her." Angelina clarified with a smirk.

"Yeah? Me too." he chuckled.

"Are you two, you know?"

"Are we what?"

"Are you dating, in love, fuck buddies, anything?" she chuckled with a devilish grin.

He rolled his eyes at the girl, "We're friends. I would have told you before now if we were anything different."

Before Angelina had a chance to keep asking him about Eloise, the door to the flat opened once more as two girls George only somewhat recognized entered the flat. He couldn't recall their names, but he knew they were both Hufflepuffs in his year during school. It seemed that Verity was the only friend they knew at the party as they both made their way straight to her.

The flat felt more and more cramped as the size of the party grew and he hoped that the 'few' extra guests Verity invited were now all accounted for.

"You better get a move on with Eloise before Lee swoops in." Angelina teased suddenly.

As George looked away from where Verity was chatting with her old friends, he saw that most of the guests had started dancing to whatever music Lee had turned on. While it all seemed innocent enough, he noticed that Lee was giving Eloise an awful lot of attention as they danced together. But that wasn't out of character for him, he was always a notorious flirt.

Instinctively George's jaw clenched slightly as he felt a sudden wave of jealousy course through him. Deep down he knew Lee wouldn't try to do anything with Eloise once he knew George had feelings for her, but that didn't prevent his current reaction from taking over.

"Why don't you have a drink? Katie mixed her famous punch." Angelina suggested after a moment, clearly noticing the change in George's demeanor.

"Nah, I'm not drinking tonight." he replied as he eyed the red liquid.

He'd experienced more than enough parties with Katie over the years to know just how strong her punch was, though to this day no one knew exactly what she put into it. One drink would have you talking without thinking, two would have you dancing on tables, and three would have you forgetting your own name.

Angelina didn't object though, she knew bits and pieces of what he had gone through over the last few months. Although George hadn't gone into great detail about anything in his letters to her, he did tell her he had moved back to the Burrow to take better care of himself.

"Are you planning to be a wallflower all night?" Angelina interrupted his thoughts after filling up two cups with the bright red cocktail.

"Probably." he admitted with a shrug.

Angelina rolled her eyes and backed away from him slowly, "Well, don't let me keep you."

George watched as Angelina turned over her shoulder and walked straight to Eloise, handing her one of the cups as she started chatting away with her.

Part of him almost wanted to intervene, he knew there was a chance she was telling her embarrassing stories about him. God forbid she decided to tell Eloise that he was attracted to her.

While George trusted Angelina, he also knew she'd never hesitate to try and meddle in order to play matchmaker. She had done it once before with him and Alicia, and that didn't end well.

The dangerous bowl of punch next to him was looking more and more tempting by the minute.

When he brought his attention back to where Eloise was, he noticed Ginny had now joined the conversation with her and Angelina and he knew he needed to step in before either of them told her anything that could humiliate him.

George weaved through the small crowd of slightly drunk party guests and made his way over to the girls who were giggling as if they were sharing secrets at a slumber party.

"George!" Eloise shouted excitedly as soon as she saw him, causing him to raise his eyebrows at the clearly intoxicated girl.

"How much have you had?" he asked right away.

"Two I think?" she giggled.

"Three." Angelina corrected with a smirk.

"Dance with me!" Eloise demanded with a bright smile as she shoved her cup towards Angelina, who took it from her with a laugh.

Without giving him a chance to say no, Eloise suddenly grabbed George's hand and pulled him to the center of the room. He let out a groan, but didn't resist. The pop song that was playing over the radio was upbeat, but definitely not George's taste.

Eloise didn't seem to care though, she spun around wildly and pulled George's arms out of synch with the beat as if they were the only two in the room. The fabric of her dark blue dress twirled around elegantly even though she was swaying to the music quite clumsily.

As much as he hated dancing, he found her wild moves quite amusing. As she threw her arms over his shoulders, he naturally rested his hands on her waist and took the lead as he moved their hips to the actual beat of the song rather than whatever rhythm Eloise had playing in her head.

As the song faded out, he swore he saw a sense of longing behind her bright blue eyes as they met each other's gaze. But the moment was broken the second the song ended. Eloise didn't even pause to catch her breath or say a word to George before making a beeline straight to the kitchen.

Assuming right away that she was going for another drink, he followed closely behind her.

"I think I'm going to have to cut you off, love." he said as he put his hand over the stack of cups on the counter, preventing her from drinking any more of Katie's punch.

As she pursed her lips at him and crossed her arms, it confirmed to him that another drink was in fact what she had been after and she clearly was not pleased with George ruining her fun.

"Have I told you how cute you are when you pout?" he teased.

"Once." she smirked as she took a step closer to him, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him towards her slightly.

Eloise was never this forward and he immediately knew it was a result of the alcohol flowing through her veins. As much as he desperately wanted to close the gap between them, he didn't think kissing her while she was drunk was a smart choice and certainly not in front of all of his friends and family.

He gently pulled her hands away from his shirt and placed them at her side with a smile, while she went right back to pouting.

"You're most definitely cut off now." he declared with a laugh.

"Oi, you two! Quit making googly-eyes at each other and come play this game!" Lee called from the living room, bringing nearly everyone's attention to the two of them standing in the kitchen.

George automatically took a step back from Eloise to prevent anyone from thinking anything was going on between them.

Unfortunately, he knew they wouldn't be able to remain the in kitchen though. He knew Lee too well. That boy wasn't going to give up until they joined the game, so George laid his hand on the small of Eloise's back and led her back to the living room where all the guests were sitting in a circle. Eloise sat by Verity before George made his way across the circle where he had a seat beside Lee.

Once everyone was situated, Lee took charge of the group, "Okay, so this American muggle I dated a few months back taught me this game. It's called 'Never Have I Ever'. Basically you hold up ten fingers and if you've done whatever it is, you put a finger down. When you reach zero, you lose. Got it?"

Everyone around the circle nodded and a few let out a chuckle or two, but George was definitely not in the mood for a silly teenage game like this.

Initially it started out rather tame with prompts like "Never have I ever eaten a carton of ice cream all by myself" and "Never have I ever failed a class" both of which caused George to have to lower a finger.

But of course, as the game progressed the questions got more and more bold.

"Never have I ever dated someone just to make someone else jealous." Hermione asked.

While the prompt it seemed somewhat pointed towards Ron, he as well as a few others put their fingers down, including Eloise.

George raised an eyebrow at her, but she just shrugged at him in response as she tried her best to hide the smirk desperately trying to form on her lips. It seemed as if she wasn't intending on ever telling him any details of that situation, but he couldn't help but wonder if this was in her Beauxbatons days, or if it could have been as recent as her relationship with Dhani.

Eventually it got to Eloise's turn to come up with her own scenario. She seemed to mull over her question for a moment, before prompting the group, "Never have I ever not moved on from my first love."

Her eyes were trained on George, as if the rest of the circle wasn't there and she only cared about how he responded. The look in her eyes was rather intense which made him feel thoroughly confused.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Verity seemed a bit worried sitting next to Eloise as she shifted slightly and did everything in her power to avoid George's gaze. Despite how odd Verity was acting, he didn't think too much about it at he maintained his eye contact with Eloise.

The only person to lower a finger that round was Angelina. No one seemed to notice though, or if they did, they certainly didn't bring up Fred.

George however confidently kept his finger up.

For the first time in months, Alicia was now at the forefront of his mind thanks to a silly little muggle game. He'd be lying if he didn't think the way things ended with Alicia contributed to his reluctance when it came to being in a relationship with Eloise, though.

But he had never told her about Alicia, so surely he had no reason to overthink her prompt. Maybe she just assumed he'd been in love before and was just curious. That's what George told himself at least, he definitely wasn't ready to open that can of worms with Eloise.

Of course there were moments, especially in the beginning, where he missed Alicia so much it hurt. But as time went on, the less and less he thought about her. As painful as her practically disappearing was, it made moving on a lot easier for him than if she had lingered.

The one thing he craved the most was closure, but he couldn't deny that he was almost afraid of what would happen if he ever laid eyes on her again. The fear of falling for her all over again was a huge factor in him never seeking out any answers from her.

But overall, he felt quite confident that he'd moved on enough to not love her anymore, even if the pain and longing hadn't fully dissipated.

After a few more rounds, a couple of the guests grew bored of the game and left the circle to continue their own separate discussions. Lee had tried to propose a few other games, but was shot down by Angelina who told him not so kindly that his muggle games were childish.

Maybe she just didn't want there to be any more chances of Fred inadvertently being brought up during one of them.

As midnight passed, several guests finally began trickling out. The only remaining people in the flat were the usual four, as well as Lee and Angelina. The six of them chatted for another hour or so in the living room, although once the topic of Quidditch came up, Eloise had begun to doze off as she leaned against George's shoulder.

Once a natural lull occurred in their conversation Angelina, Verity, and Charlie decided to head the kitchen to start cleaning up, leaving Lee, George, and a now sound asleep Eloise sitting in the living room.

"So, how long has this been going on?" Lee asked as he wiggled his eyebrows and gestured between the two of them with his finger.

"It hasn't been."

"Why not?!" Lee practically shouted, causing George to shush him immediately.

"It's complicated, Lee." George replied in a near whisper.

"Maybe I can help un-complicate it for you." he smirked.

George let out a groan and glanced down at the sleeping blonde beside him. There was no denying George's feelings. He desperately wanted to be with her. But he'd remained firm in his belief that he'd never be good enough for her.

The closer he got to Eloise, the more scared he was of her breaking his heart, he felt like it was inevitable. Of course he knew Eloise would never intentionally hurt him. It would be all his doing. He'd never be enough and she'd become unhappy and leave him. That's the way it always played out in his mind and if it turned out that way in real life, it would destroy him.

"She's just too good for me."

"Well that's obvious." Lee chuckled, "But if she's into you, who are you to stop her?"

George's brows furrowed slightly. Although Lee wasn't the most eloquent when it came to giving advice, he had a point. But George reminded himself that their situation was a bit more complicated than just wanting each other. It was about making each other happy in the long run, and he didn't think that was possible.

"Ready to go, Lee?" Angelina called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, sure." he replied as he stood up from the armchair before turning back to George, "Let me know when your wedding is."

George rolled his eyes at his friend, not finding any humor in his comment.

Shortly after Lee and Angelina decided to head out, Charlie announced that he and Verity were going to bed, leaving Eloise and George alone on the couch. He glanced at the nearby clock to see that it was already after two in the morning. Knowing he couldn't just leave her on the couch, he gently nudged her awake.

As her eyes fluttered open, a soft smile formed on her lips when she looked at George.

"Hi." she smiled.

"Hey, love. Let's get you to bed, okay? You can stay in my room and I'll sleep out here, alright?"

She nodded a bit and stumbled as she tried to stand up from the couch. George quickly stood up and wrapped his arm around her waist to brace her as he helped her walk down the hallway.

After entering his dark bedroom, he released her waist as she sat down, or rather stumbled down, onto the foot of his bed. He quickly turned to flip the switch on his lamp to fill the room with a dim orange light before rummaging through his dresser, looking for something for her to sleep in.

Suddenly George felt Eloise behind him, which was quite a surprise as he hadn't heard her stand up. Before he could say a word to her, he felt her cold fingertips snake their way under his shirt and up his back, causing him to shiver slightly under her touch.

"Come to bed with me." she whispered as she lightly ran her fingers over his warm skin.

Her touch cause his heart to skip a beat. George closed his eyes tightly and let out a sigh. As much as he really did want her, he knew he couldn't have her while she was drunk. That on top of how complicated their relationship already was would have been a massive mistake.

He spun around and took a small step away from her as he held out one of his old t-shirts and a pair of shorts to her.

"Maybe another time." he stated, hoping she would give up.

She looked down at the clothes with a frown before looking back up at him, "You don't want me?"

"Not when you're drunk." he explained, but she took the clothes from his hands and tossed them aside before taking a step closer to him.

The look of pure lust in her eyes was uncharted territory for George, and he was almost afraid he'd lose sight of himself if he didn't put an end to things quickly. Before he could say anything, she had him backed up against the dresser as she reached for the top button of his flannel shirt, slowly undoing it as she pressed a gentle kiss on his neck.

"But I want you." she whispered against his skin as her fingers moved down to the next button.

A quiet groan escaped his throat. All he'd ever wanted to hear her say was that she wanted him. But those words meant nothing as the alcohol coursing through her body was what was making her say it. He wanted her to truly want him, he didn't want this to be a drunken mistake that drove them apart.

He grabbed her wrists firmly and pulled them away from him, breathless as he looked down at her, "Elle, you don't know how bad I want you. But we can't."

"Sure we can." she smirked as she took a step back and slowly pushed one of the straps of her dress off her shoulder as she challenged George to maintain eye contact with her.

With that one little move he'd become completely speechless as he ran a hand over his mouth, his eyes hungrily looking up and down her body. Her bottom lip tucked between her teeth as she reached for the other strap before George broke his eyes off her, desperately looking for the sleep clothes she had discarded. He found them lying on the floor near his nightstand and rushed over to pick them up.

"No, Elle. Just go to bed, okay?" he commanded as he shoved the clothes back into her hands.

Eloise faltered slightly, as if she wasn't expecting George's rejection. Even though she was completely inebriated, she looked almost heartbroken by his reaction to her advances. George felt a confusing wave of guilt wash over him. He knew he was doing the right thing by stopping her, but he hated the sadness he could see in her eyes.

All he could hope for was that she wouldn't remember any of this in the morning.

-

A/N: Hey everyone, I just wanted to make a quick announcement...

SURPRISE! I am publishing a Sirius Black fic this weekend!

My goal is to post one chapter of that fic every weekend while I prioritize Learn to Love Again (we're only about halfway done with George and Elle's story!)

Feel free to follow me if you aren't already, so you don't miss out on when I publish my new fic as well as any other updates I post 😇

Love you all 🧡