May 2, 2000

Victoire's first birthday fell on a beautiful, warm day in early May. The first hint of the summer sunrise glared through the blinds of George's bedroom like a harsh spotlight on their pillows and just like every other morning, Eloise and George awoke along with the daybreak.

George had pretended for nearly two years now to be a morning person, but in reality he simply didn't have the energy to battle his body and mind in order to get that extra hour or so of sleep he desperately wanted. Besides, today - no matter how bright, blue, and hopeful the Taurus sky was - to George, it felt like the sun never truly came up at all.

Eloise could tell that he was feeling the weight of the day from the very moment they awoke. No matter how joyful his niece's birthday was meant to be, it would always be marred by the constant reminders of the battle - of the worst night of his life.

The air around the flat felt thick with tension as the two of them got ready to head to Shell Cottage to celebrate. With worried fingers, the blonde plaited her hair beside him as she watched him shave his face only to become frustrated with his own reflection halfway through.

She frowned, trying to see what he saw when he gazed at himself. The man she adored scowled at his own face as if it were his enemy, eyes glaring at the lost half of himself that haunted him from the glass.

All she saw was a beautiful man with a broken heart, a man who somehow had a gentle hold on her soul when he couldn't even love himself. But instead of focusing on that, she merely took the razor from his grasp and softly beckoned him to turn and face her instead of the reflection that was causing him so much distress.

In silence, Eloise finished the task for him as he continued to do everything in his power to avoid her eyes. Running the razor delicately over his sullen features, his gaze remained firmly planted on the wall behind her, hazel eyes running over the tiles of the shower like droplets of water. No matter how much she wanted him to just look her, he refused. All she wanted was to tell him within the silence of their gaze that he would be okay, she would make sure he would be okay.

When she finally wiped away the last remnants of shaving cream from his beautifully forlorn face, she laid a hand on his shoulder to ask if she could do anything to help make his day better. For the first time that morning, he finally looked into her eyes for a fleeting moment. But rather than opening up to her as she desired, he merely shrugged her hand away and left the bathroom without a word.

It ached in her very soul to feel so helpless as she observed him become completely consumed by his grief. As difficult as it was, she didn't want to let his demeanor crush her spirits. Deep down she knew he wasn't upset with her, even though enduring the relentless frost of his cold shoulder certainly made it feel that way.

If anything, she simply wanted to stay strong for him just so he could hopefully see the hazy light that had been eclipsed by his immense sorrow. Behind the dark cloud that hovered over the entire Weasley family that day, there was the bright sun that was little Victoire whose birth had been a saving grace for all of them.

In hopes of making his day a bit easier, she went out of her way to make them some tea rather than expecting George to do it as usual. It was the most minuscule of gestures, but Eloise was grasping at straws at that point. Any attempt at all to bring back the crooked smile she longed for, she would try without question.

But when he entered the kitchen after getting dressed, he didn't even utter so much as a thank you as he passed her by as if she wasn't even there. Still remaining completely silent, George grabbed one of the mugs from the counter beside her before taking a seat at the table to read the paper.

Eloise watched him as she drank her tea from the opposite end of the room, leaning against the counter. George had a white knuckled grip on his mug as he skimmed through that morning's edition of The Daily Prophet. Each page brought a different expression to his face as Eloise kept her eyes glued to him, trying to read his mind. It was almost as if he wanted to hurt himself as his eyes lingered on every word.

When he turned the page to see portraits of all of the known victims of the battle taking up an entire section of the paper, Eloise finally decided to step in. As she snatched the paper from his grasp and folded it up, George uttered his first words to her all morning.

"Ellie, what the hell?"

"You don't need to be reading this." she replied curtly.

George grumbled under his breath as he tore his eyes away from her once more and took a sip of his lukewarm tea. Even though he didn't argue with her, she could already tell it would be a long day just by his behavior all morning. From the moment they woke up, George had been on edge with no signs of letting up.

Part of her felt bad for being so short with him, but she couldn't stomach watching him deliberately upset himself even more than he already was. It felt like she was hurting him by standing there doing nothing.

"Mon chéri, you know it's not good for you to focus on that night." the blonde said softly as she laid her hand on his shoulder.

George let out a sigh of defeat, "I know."

When he looked up at her, she could see it in his eyes that he regretted the way he had been treating her all morning and as he parted his lips to apologize, she shook her head to stop him.

"It's okay." was all she said.

George scooted out from the table slightly as he laid a hand on her waist to pull her towards him slightly. Eloise knowingly obliged and sat on his lap as she set her tea down on the table beside them.

George nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck as if hiding there would create a safe haven for himself away from the real world, "Do we have to go? Can't we just stay home today?"

"You know we have to," she said as she laid her hand on the side of his freshly shaven face, beckoning him to look at her, "Fleur will be livid if Victoire's godparents aren't there for her first birthday. Our titles might even be taken away if we're not careful."

Victoire's birthday falling on a Tuesday would have usually caused difficulties with coordinating around everyone's busy schedules, and if she had been born any other day, maybe George would have had more of an excuse to skip out on the festivities. But with it falling on the same day as the battle, there was no excuse.

The entirety of the Wizarding community treated it as a day of remembrance and closed for business out of respect - including the Ministry and Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. There was no way of getting out of it, other than being honest and saying he simply didn't want to leave his flat. Knowing Fleur though, that wouldn't go over well at all.

The day was hitting him hard, harder than he thought it would. Without Eloise being there, he likely would have still been in bed. At worst, he would have tried his best to forget the date and maybe his own name at the bottom of a bottle of firewhisky.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, George leaned into her touch as he gave her a silent nod, letting her know he was willing to go - even though, if he had it his way, they would most definitely not be gathering for cake and presents on that particular afternoon. Eloise tilted his head up and pressed a soft kiss against his lips as she felt him wrap his arms around her waist.

"What time do we have to be there?" he asked quietly against her lips.

The hoarseness of his voice did very little to hide the intentions behind his question as Eloise pulled away to check the clock on the wall behind him, "Probably about fifteen minutes or so."

He hummed as he leaned forward to press a feather light kiss to her neck, followed by another, "I could make that work."

George's lips lit a trail of fire on her skin and for a split second, she considered his proposition - especially when as his lips finally found their way to that sweet spot right on her pulse point that always made her gasp. George chuckled against her neck at the sound and Eloise's eyes remained glued to the clock over his shoulder, attempting in vain to distract herself from her growing desire by watching the second hand tick by methodically.

"As lovely as that sounds, we really don't have enough time." Eloise objected before sucking in a sharp breath when George bit down lightly on her delicate skin.

One of her hands instinctively braced itself on his shoulder while the other tangled into his fiery hair, although she couldn't tell if her own touch was meant to stop him or spur him on.

"Are you sure, darling? I'm always up for a challenge." he murmured against her skin.

To Eloise's dismay, time continued to pass by. No matter how much she wanted to remain in that moment forever with his lips on her skin and her hands in his hair.

Now their fifteen minutes had become twelve and she knew if she didn't stop George now, they would definitely be late. As much as she wanted to give in to the slow flame he was igniting inside of her, she couldn't. In her heart, she knew George just wanted a distraction. He'd do anything to get his mind off of reality - even if it was just for fifteen minutes. It was a distraction Eloise was more than willing to give him, if only they had more time.

"I'm sure." she said reluctantly as she finally stood up from his lap.

George gave her a frown that was inching dangerously close to pouting territory as he watched her walk into the living room to grab Victoire's gift before going to stand by the fireplace, waiting for him to join her.

Realizing his silent pleading was getting him nowhere, George finally stood from the table. With a sour expression, he grabbed his wand and flicked it towards their half drank mugs of tea causing them to float towards the sink before walking towards the fireplace. Once he'd come to stand beside her, George was just about to reach for a handful of Floo Powder when he felt Eloise's fingers sneak underneath the hem of his shirt, grazing delicately over his abdomen.

With his brows raised expectantly, he looked down to see her smiling up at him with those big blue eyes that looked so innocent on the surface, but George knew her better than that. That woman - so pure and sweet - could be trouble when she wanted to be, and every time she touched his skin with her hands that were always so cold, it felt like a shock that lit up every nerve in his body.

And she knew it.

"Maybe when we get home tonight, we can pick up where we left off?" she asked sweetly.

A smirk immediately grew on his lips, "If you're good."

-

When they emerged in the living room of Shell Cottage, a wave of nostalgia hit Eloise immediately - if someone could have nostalgia for a place they had moved away from at the beginning of the year.

It had only been three months since she moved out, and yet it felt like a lifetime had occurred since she left. When she was still living in their spare bedroom, she and Maxwell were still seeing each other, Alicia was still a constant burden in the back of her mind, and she was still fighting to get over her feelings for George. Although now, she was quite glad that she had failed rather miserably at that last task.

The very moment they stepped out of the fireplace, George had vanished from her side and instead clung to Charlie like a lifeline, but it didn't bother Eloise. Over the last several days, the two of them had been discussing the idea of making their relationship known to his family. Of course Verity, Charlie, Bill, and Fleur had known for weeks - that was a given. But everyone else was still in the dark.

They hadn't yet come up with a good plan on how to tell everyone, and announcing it on Victoire's birthday didn't feel appropriate. They didn't want to make a spectacle of it, especially George who probably would have much rather sent a single line letter to his family saying something along the lines of 'Surprise! Elle and I are together and no, we will not be taking any questions at this time.'

Honestly, they probably wouldn't have even had to worry so much if not for Molly. The woman would probably fly into hysterics the very second she found out that the two were together. It would have been like a miracle come true to see that her sweet son, who had lost so much, finally found someone to care for him and cherish him like he deserved.

It was a scene both agreed would be best avoided on that day in particular as his mother's emotions would no doubt be running even higher than usual as she harbored memories of the son she'd lost two years before - cradling the pain in her arms like a baby she dare not part with.

So instead, they came up with ways to keep their relationship private for just a little bit longer.

They had originally considered arriving at different times, keeping their discussions short and casual, and not letting their eyes linger on the other for too long. But all of that felt somewhat like overkill. What they did agree upon was to keep their affection to a minimum, albeit reluctantly. Anything that prevented any suspicion, they would do.

But at the same time, it was a day that George needed Eloise by his side. The thought of suddenly being riddled with anxious thoughts when she was no where near him sat at the back of his mind the entire week, eating away at his contentment until it consumed him with worry. Eventually they agreed upon having a silent signal. If it got to be too much for him, all George needed to do was get her attention and discreetly tug on his earlobe if he needed an escape.

It all sounded so silly but if it worked, he didn't care.

Besides, as much as she wished George could have his arm casually draped over her shoulder as he chatted with his siblings, part of Eloise loved being able to observe him from afar as she mindlessly nodded along to whatever Fleur and Verity were discussing beside her.

She watched as Harry, who had arrived a short while after them, held a little boy with peculiarly bright blue hair in his arms. As soon as Harry set down the boy after greeting Bill, the toddler rushed straight towards George with a familiar twinkle of joy in his eyes.

With a laugh, George scooped up the boy who he greeted as 'Little Tedster' and Eloise couldn't help but smile as George dug through his pocket and handed the little boy some sort of toy, almost as if he were expecting to see him today and wanted to come prepared.

After a few gleeful giggles left the boy's lips, the toddler's hair changed from it's vibrant shade of aqua to ginger - matching George's exactly.

"Twin, George! Twin!" the little boy, who couldn't have been much older than two, smiled as he ruffled up his own hair.

Harry had noticeably tensed up at this as his head quickly flicked from Bill to George and the toddler. The bespectacled man, who was clearly quite flustered now, rushed over to take the boy away from George as apologies spilled from his lips like a waterfall. Eloise couldn't hear every word of their conversation but George smiled half-heartedly and shook his head at Harry before glancing across the room at Eloise.

When they locked eyes, she half expected to see their signal but instead he gave her a small reassuring smile, finally allowing Eloise to let go of the breath she didn't realize she had been holding as she watched the scene unfold. The room seemed calm, despite the worry swimming around Eloise's chest that kept her on alert - ready to take care of George at any moment.

"I'm glad Andromeda let Harry bring Teddy today." Fleur said from beside her.

"It looks like he and Ginny have finally made up as well." Verity observed as the two school sweethearts were in the lounge chatting happily as Harry held the boy, whose hair had since returned to its usual vibrant shade of turquoise.

Eloise barely listened to their gossip as she kept her eyes bouncing between different people in the room. Bill had Victoire in his arms as he chatted with Ron. George was still at Charlie's side, just as he had been when they first walked in. Hermione and Percy looked to be deep in a serious discussion, likely about Ministry business if Eloise had to make a guess. But she noticed that, within the sea of ginger hair, George's parents were nowhere to be seen.

"Where are Molly and Arthur?" Eloise asked when a lull fell in Verity and Fleur's conversation.

"Molly was adamant about preparing all the food but she says she hates the way I have my kitchen organized. I'm sure they'll be here soon." Fleur said casually, having been far too used to Molly's judgment by this point.

A thought flashed into Eloise's mind as she looked across the room at George. As if he could feel her gaze, he tore his eyes away from Charlie and gave her an inquisitive look. The blonde subtly gestured her head towards the kitchen and George nodded before returning his attention to his older brother.

Eloise was first to excuse herself from her conversation before George followed suit a little while later. When he entered the kitchen, he found her leaning her hands against the counter by the window, looking out longingly at the waves crashing along the shore. As quiet as a mouse, he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, causing her to jump slightly at his sudden touch. A slight chuckle left his lips before pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Are you doing okay?" she asked as she leaned her head back against his shoulder.

He hummed for a moment, as if contemplating his response before laying his chin on her head, "Yeah, 'm alright I think."

The two of them stood in that embrace for a while, savoring each other's touch before they would inevitably have to go their separate ways once more. For a fleeting moment, Eloise considered rushing into the other room to announce her adoration for George loudly and excitedly among the crowd of his family, just so he could hold her in his arms for the remainder of the day without worry. But she ultimately decided against it.

"So, who exactly is Little Tedster?" Eloise asked after a moment as she stepped away from his embrace to turn around and face him.

George couldn't help but chuckle at the way the toddler's nickname sounded in her accent, "Teddy's Harry's godson, his parents passed the same night that Freddie did."

Eloise's expression fell slightly, "Oh, I didn't mean to bring that up, I'm sorry I-"

George quickly shook his head, "It's alright, you didn't know."

"He's got interesting hair." Eloise said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

George's lips quirked up slightly as he nodded, "Inherited that trait from his mum, she was a metamorphmagus. You would've absolutely loved Tonks."

She smiled weakly as she looked down and nervously played with a loose thread on the hem of George's shirt, "He seems sweet."

"He really is, Harry brings him around the shop now and then. I don't think his nan really cares for the knick-knacks I send him home with, but that's not my problem is it?"

Eloise furrowed her brows as she looked up at him, "You're not giving him anything dangerous are you?"

George brushed a stray curl behind her ear as a smirk grew on his lips, "That depends on what you consider dangerous, love."

At his flirty tone, Eloise wrapped her arms around his waist and parted her lips to quip back when someone stepped into the room. They had been so focused on relishing in what would potentially be the only moment of intimacy they could sneak away that day, that they hadn't heard anyone greeting the newest arrivals in the other room.

Before they could even hope to pull away from each other's arms and act as though nothing was going on between them, a sudden crash was heard as Molly had dropped the tray of cookies she was holding in her arms as she stood in the doorway with widened eyes.

Both of them turned their heads towards the sudden commotion and stumbled away from each other as they locked eyes with his parents. But it was too late, by the tears already welling in Molly's eyes, it was obvious that she'd seen enough to put the pieces together.

"Oh, Georgie!" she exclaimed as she hurried across the room with her arms already extended.

With a groan, he was pulled into a suffocating hug just as he had predicted. Eloise had no idea what to do, in a vain attempt to escape from the situation, she made her first move to step away and help Arthur clean up the mess on the floor across the kitchen when she suddenly felt a tight grip take hold of her arm followed by a jerking sensation as Molly reeled her into the embrace as well.

The poor woman was a mess as her tears soaked into George's shirt. It was only when Arthur had cleared up the discarded cookies that he had finally come to the rescue.

"Alright dear, let's let them breathe." his kind voice urged his wife as he rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Reluctantly, Molly finally released them both from her grasp as she looked between them with a wide smile and tears of joy still flowing from her eyes like a river.

"When did this happen?" she questioned, but before either of them could even respond, she instead kept gushing over their new relationship, "Oh, I had been hoping for so long that you would choose Eloise." she smiled to her son before turning to the blonde, "Darling, you truly are a lovely girl, perfect for my Georgie."

Instinctively, Eloise turned to George who saw her glance at him in the corner of his eye. This was exactly the situation he was hoping to avoid, and she knew that. After a moment longer of Molly's pure excitement weighing down on him, he casually reached up to tug on his earlobe before playing it off by brushing his hair away from his face.

Eloise immediately brought her eyes back to Molly and offered her a kind smile, "I promise I'll tell you everything after lunch, but I think George and I are going to step out to get some air, if that's alright."

Before Molly could object, Arthur laid his arm over her shoulder. Not only so he could physically hold her back from catching them in another bone-crushing hug but to also silently assure her that patience would be key, especially when it came to George opening up to her. All Arthur offered his son was a simple smile and a nod of the head - a reaction that weighed much less on George's shoulders.

After interlacing her fingers with his and leading him out the back door, Eloise felt George physically relax as if he'd finally shed away all of his stress as the ocean breeze hit his skin.

"I suppose that's out of the way now." Eloise played off with a chuckle as they walked across the sand to the shore.

Although George didn't laugh at that statement, he also didn't grumble or complain either, instead he walked beside her in silence. Still, this silence didn't feel like that morning's. It felt more natural, more comfortable, as if he didn't even need to respond in order for Eloise to understand how he was feeling.

All that occupied their senses was the smell of salt water and the sound of waves crashing along the shore. Being there caused a pang of longing to grow inside of Eloise's chest and as they walked through the gate separating the cottage from the beach, she let out a sigh.

The sound of it caused George to tighten his grip on her hand as he looked down at her, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about how much I miss it here."

The two of them found a spot not too far from the water to sit for a moment. Once comfortable, Eloise let go of her grasp on George's hand and sunk her fingers into the cool sand, watching as the grains slowly slipped through her fingers before gazing out towards the horizon.

George observed Eloise, sensing a sadness within her eyes, "Do you regret moving to London?"

Without breaking her gaze away from the water, she shook her head, "No, as long as I can live by the ocean again someday."

"I'm sure you will." was all George said.

Eloise finally broke her eyes away from one of her loves to look at the other, "With you?"

Part of her expected George to be taken aback by the hypothetical, but instead he smiled slightly as he replied, "If you want me there."

With a wide grin, Eloise stood up and kicked off her sandals to wade into the water without a second thought. It was much colder than she was expecting as she walked a bit deeper until the waves crashed against her shins and the sea foam contoured around her ankles.

When she turned around, she saw George still sitting a little ways up the beach with his hands hugged around his knees as he watched her with the faintest of smiles playing at the corner of his lips.

"Come here." she called out to him.

The tall redhead merely shook his head as he called back, "If I come in I can't admire you from afar, can I?"

At this, Eloise skipped through the water, laughing as she nearly fell on her way back to the sand. All the while, the smile on George's face widened as Eloise's contagious joy spread to him.

"You can admire me any old time. Come in the water with me, it's fun." she pleaded with her doe eyes that she knew were impossible for him to resist.

"And get my trousers soaked?" he asked with a faux frown as she came back to where he was sitting quite comfortably on dry land.

Eloise knealt down and unlaced his boots as she rolled up the ends of his jeans so they came up to just below his knees. The man didn't object once as she pulled his shoes and socks off of him before standing and grasping both of his hands to pull him up with her.

With a bright smile, Eloise slowly walked backwards with her eyes locked on his until they were ankle deep in the water. A particularly strong wave hit the back of her calves, sending her stumbling straight into George's chest who caught her with a laugh.

"See? This is why I needed you to come in with me."

"But now I've missed opportunity of seeing you all wet and cross. That's a sight I would have loved to see, you're adorable when you're angry." he smiled innocently.

Eloise frowned as she reached down to splash some water at him.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Laurent." he warned as he dodged the water.

"Yeah?" she laughed as she splashed him again, "You better come stop me then."

Before Eloise could even hope to escape, George quickly placed one hand behind her back as the other swiftly scooped her up behind her knees. The girl let out a shriek of laughter as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders for support.

"Put me down!"

"What was that? Drop you in the water?"

"Don't you dare!" she said seriously with widened eyes.

Eloise could tell George was walking deeper into the water as she saw Shell Cottage grow ever so smaller in the distance over his shoulder and she instinctively tightened her grip on the fabric of his shirt. If she was going down, he was coming with her.

"Ready, darling?" George asked, and she could practically hear the devilish smirk on his lips.

"No!"

"1...2..."

Without even saying three, George loosened his grip on her ever so slightly as the feeling of gravity took over for a split second. She yelped and shut her eyes tightly as she anticipated the cold water to consume her. But it never came. When she looked up at him, she saw the most mischievous grin she thought she'd ever seen in her life adorning his lips.

"You didn't think I'd actually drop you, did you? Don't you trust me?" he asked innocently.

Eloise let out a sigh of relief as George set her down gingerly, her toes and ankles being submerged in the cool water and nothing more. His hands remained on her waist as she held onto his shoulders like a life raft, almost as if still didn't fully trust him to not find a way to toss her into the water against her will just for a laugh. George could see she was still feeling nervous as he tightened his grip on her waist slightly, if only to let her know she truly was safe in his hands.

It washed over her suddenly, like a wave crashing right into her heart - the desire to tell George that she was in love with him.

It was a fact she'd known for months but had been much too afraid to say. Even after their growing feelings for each other over the last few years, she feared that the word might be enough to scare him away. She had resolved to let him be the first to say it, but in this moment - as they stood together in the water, in Eloise's favorite place in the world, she found the temptation hard to fight.

"Thank you, Ellie."

Her hands dropped from his shoulders to come to rest on his chest as she looked up at him. Confusion took over and her heart skipped a beat at the thought that she might have accidentally let that three word phrase slip from her lips while lost in thought.

"For what?"

"For making today a good day. I didn't think that was possible."

The girl smiled up at him and giggled slightly as relief washed over her. There'd be another day where she would say that four letter word, a day where she was much more prepared and hopefully saying it in response to his own confession.

"It's not even noon yet." she replied.

"Are you saying you're going to try and make my day horrible now?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, no! I'm just saying it's only just begun."

"Yeah well, since you're here with me it can't possibly be bad."

Eloise reached up on her tip-toes that sunk into the the wet sand beneath her feet to press a quick kiss to his lips.

He smiled slightly before pulling away, "Ready to go back inside? I want to see Fleur's face when she realizes we got Victoire a toy broomstick."

It was a gift that Eloise had initially objected to, knowing exactly how her best friend would react to the idea of her infant child being put on a broom by her uncle who had a gift for causing trouble. The sight of her daughter zooming around the living room with reckless abandon would likely send the woman into cardiac arrest. But somehow, George had talked Eloise into it. That man had a curious way of persuading her that even his most devilish of schemes were good ideas.

As she gazed into his honey colored eyes that twinkled brightly with that mischievous glint she had come to adore, Eloise realized that George was right. It was a good day.

The dark cloud above them didn't feel nearly as oppressive as it had earlier that morning and despite knowing that Fleur was about to absolutely flip her lid at the two of them when it came time to open presents, the joy in Eloise's heart didn't waver.

Against all odds, every day spent together would be a good day.