On a cold and drizzly November morning Eloise and Fleur were both up early, taking turns making sure Bill's birthday breakfast wasn't going to burn all while keeping Victoire entertained at the same time.

Bill was still fast asleep upstairs, none the wiser to the scene playing out just one floor below. Fleur was at the stove cooking bacon while Eloise sat at the kitchen table slicing fresh fruit, pausing every now and then to entertain Victoire in her high chair if she got fussy. But her husband enjoying a lazy morning didn't stop Fleur from turning on a record for the girls to listen to as they prepared everything for him.

"So, tell me more about this gentleman from the book store." Fleur inquired as she flipped the bacon cooking in the pan, bopping her head side to side to the tune playing throughout the kitchen.

Eloise pressed her tongue to her cheek, biting back a smile, "I told you his name is Maxwell. Besides, I don't know what more there is to say. I've only dropped by the shop a few times to see him, but that's it."

"Are you sure that's all?"

"Well, he did ask me to go for coffee next Thursday."

Fleur nearly dropped the spatula she was holding, quickly flicking her head towards her friend, "And what did you say?"

"I told him I would. Getting coffee really isn't that big of a deal." Eloise brushed off with a shrug, and she was being honest.

No matter how attractive she found Max, she really wasn't looking for anything serious with him. The company of someone who wanted to be around her and get to know her was enough to make her happy. It's not as if she was hoping to fall in love with him or anything.

Her hesitance to want to form anything serious had nothing to do with Maxwell himself. It was honestly because she was too afraid of jumping into something quickly and having her feelings hurt again. Or maybe, it was also because all the shattered pieces of her heart still belonged to George.

Either way, Eloise was more than happy to take things very slow with Max.

"Well, I can't wait to meet him." Fleur mused, bringing her attention back to the stove.

Eloise rolled her eyes, "That probably won't be for a very long time, if ever."

"Don't be so optimistic, Elle." she replied sarcastically with a laugh.

"I'm just trying to not make it into a big thing. We're just getting to know each other. There doesn't need to be any meeting of friends, or family, or anything like that."

Deciding that the bacon was cooked to her husband's liking, Fleur pulled the pan away from the stove and transferred the strips onto to a serving platter. When she brought the dish over to the kitchen table where Eloise had been sitting, she paused for a moment and studied her friend's face, causing the blonde to furrow her brows slightly.

"What is it?"

"Are you happy?" Fleur asked bluntly.

"What?" she asked with a laugh, "Of course I'm happy."

Fleur raised a skeptical eyebrow, "I'm just making sure. I don't want this to be a situation where you're trying to distract yourself from something."

"What are you implying?"

"I'm not implying anything, I'm merely observing." Fleur shrugged.

Eloise clenched her jaw slightly, knowing exactly what Fleur was truly hinting at. Of course the possibility of a budding relationship with Max was a welcomed distraction from George.

Those feelings for the tall redhead never left her. But she wasn't trying to use Max. If anything, she was just getting to know a new friend. If something more ever came from that, then she wasn't going to go out of her way to stop it. Maybe if feelings blossomed between her and Maxwell, Eloise would finally be able to move on.

Despite her friend's hesitation, Fleur continued, "I just don't want you to do something you'll regret, that's all."

"I think it's a bit late for that, don't you?" Eloise muttered, referring to having fallen for George in the first place.

Fleur, knowing her friend like the back of her hand, caught onto this immediately, "It's all a part of your story, I'm sure everything will fall into place eventually. Anyway, would you go see if Bill is awake for me?"

Eloise nodded, setting the knife aside and dropping that last few pieces of cantaloupe into the large bowl before standing from the table. She wasn't going to object to being Bill's wake up call, she was mostly just grateful that Fleur had decided to leave the discussion on that note.

When she climbed the stairs, she saw Bill already making his way into the hallway. Having just stepped out of his bedroom still looking quite tired, the eldest Weasley child had his long hair pulled back into a loose bun at the nape of his neck as he rubbed the sleep away from his eyes.

"Happy birthday!" she said probably much too enthusiastically for the man who was still half-asleep.

"Thanks, Eloise." he replied before letting out a long yawn.

Bill's yawn caused Eloise to let out a chuckle, "Your breakfast is ready downstairs."

"Perfect. Though don't tell Fleur, all I'm really after at the moment is a huge mug of coffee."

"Your secret is safe with me."

While standing in the hallway with Bill, the thought of George's letters suddenly came back into her mind. As the two of them turned to walk down the hallway together, her eyes fell upon the door to Bill's office. Eloise hesitated for a moment as her eyes lingered on the handle. Realizing she had fallen behind, Bill paused and glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Are you coming?"

"I'll be down in a moment, you go ahead."

He gave her a sleepy nod and turned his back on her, not questioning for a moment what she was up to. After watching Bill walk down the steps, making sure he was completely out of sight, she quickly and quietly snuck into his office. Like a woman on a mission, she went straight to the drawer she knew Fleur had been hiding the letters.

She would never admit it, but she was glad that Fleur had been so adamant about keeping them. Despite how much she still wanted to continue ignoring George, she knew it would be impossible. They were going to be reunited at Bill's birthday dinner in less than twelve hours, whether she liked it or not.

The main reason she really wanted to open these letters now was because she somehow felt like she'd be missing out on crucial context of their relationship if she saw him and had no idea what he'd had to say to her over the last month.

What if he acted angry and bitter towards her and she had no idea why, or what if he just continued to apologize like he had done in the one letter she'd decided to reply to? Or perhaps worst of all, what if he pretended like she wasn't even in the room when he saw her?

Eloise quickly closed the drawer on Bill's desk and hurried across the hall to her own bedroom. Making sure to close the door behind her, she sat cross-legged over the quilt on her bed, tucking her still unbrushed curls behind her ears before tearing open the first letter.

'Elle,

I'm so sorry about what happened at the shop, you shouldn't have had to meet Alicia that way. I swear to you nothing happened between us, she and I talked everything out and I finally got some closure that I needed. That's all it was.

What I mean to say is, I don't have feelings for her. I honestly don't even know if you care or not anymore, I just need to you know that. I hope we can get together to talk this through because it feels wrong to try and explain myself in a letter. Anyway, write me back or visit the shop whenever you're ready.

- George'

This letter had come only days after Eloise dropped off Molly's gift with Charlie. The shock of seeing Alicia turned her whole world upside down. Foolishly, she believed if she gave George enough time he'd eventually come around and realize he did want to be with her. But seeing the brunette with him only a few short weeks after their argument didn't just break her heart, it tore it straight from her chest and stomped it into the dirt.

The truth was always the hardest pill for Eloise to swallow, and the truth in that moment was George had invited his drunk ex-girlfriend to stay the night at his flat only two weeks after Eloise confessed her feelings to him. It felt like betrayal.

Even with what seemed to be a genuine apology from him written on the page, Eloise refused to get her hopes up again. She still had two more letters to read and yet she was already completely overwhelmed. There was no telling what sort of bombshells he could have potentially dropped on her that had gone completely ignored until now.

'Elle,

I know you probably don't want to hear from me again, but I hate not talking to you. Having you around really is the only thing that got me through the last year, and every day without you is worse than the last. I just hope you can forgive me and give me a chance to explain everything to you.

Miss you,
George'

George's second letter being more straight forward than the last made it somewhat easier for her to digest. Yet his words still managed to twist her heart and pull feelings of guilt from her chest that she wasn't prepared for.

The space she asked for from George was definitely needed, the stress of their relationship was taking a toll on her mental health and seeing him with Alicia was the final straw. But knowing that he had spent the last month trying to explain himself made her feel slightly bad about shutting him out.

All she had done since meeting George was give him chance after chance, many of which he ruined in one way or another. But even now, she still felt as though she should have extended the simple kindness of giving him one more opportunity to plead his case. The sympathy she felt for him made her feel bitter and resentful inside, as if he had somehow manipulated her heart to constantly betray her mind.

Finally, she reached for the last envelope. Wanting to get it over with quickly, Eloise ripped it open as if she were tearing away a bandage.

'Elle,

I heard from mum that you're still planning on going to Bill's birthday dinner. I'm so excited to see you. Verity says I'm going to cause a scene when I see you (I don't know why, all I said was I had been thinking about bringing an extra box or two of fireworks, she's being dramatic)

I still hope we can get together to talk before then so we can enjoy our time together that night without any sort of tension. Feel free to send me an owl or come on by, I'll drop whatever I'm doing and make us some tea.

Three sugars and a splash of milk, right?

- George'

A hint of a smirk formed on her lips. Somehow that man still knew exactly how to make her smile, even after tearing her apart. As frustrated as she still was with him, part of her was excited about the prospect of seeing him that evening.

"Eloise! Breakfast is getting cold!" Bill's muffled voice called from the floor below.

"Coming!" Eloise shouted back, hastily shoving the letters into her sidetable drawer before making her way out of the room.

-

Eloise, Fleur, Bill, and little Victoire arrived at the Burrow early that evening, mostly so the women could help Molly prepare his birthday cake. A yellow sponge cake with white buttercream and fresh strawberries. It was a simple request, but one Bill made every year nonetheless.

As soon as they stepped through the fireplace Arthur stepped up to take over the role of a doting grandfather right away, whisking Victoire out of Fleur's arms and off into the lounge along with Bill while the women stayed behind in the kitchen.

It had felt like an eternity since Eloise had stepped foot inside the cozy home and to say she missed it was an understatement. The Weasleys were the closest thing Eloise had to family in England. Even though the whole situation felt messy and tense, Molly was none the wiser to the falling out between Eloise and George.

But being around her reminded Eloise of cooking with her own mother and nan growing up. It felt so nice to feel as if she were surrounded by family that she was almost able to forget about all the drama.

Molly wasted no time asking Eloise all about her life since the last time she saw her and she gladly filled her in on nearly every detail (careful to omit any details of her relationship with George or meeting Maxwell) Thankfully Fleur had decided to keep any of her blunt comments about the situation to herself, knowing Eloise would have been quite upset with her had she not.

As Eloise was patting the strawberries dry after washing them in the sink, finishing up a story about work at the Ministry, the door of the kitchen flew open letting in a freezing cold draft. Charlie, Verity, and George entered the room and nervous butterflies immediately filled Eloise's stomach. She quickly turned her back on the door, deciding to work at the table rather than the counter to avoid George's eyes.

"You three are early." Molly greeted happily, though her gaze mostly focused on her sons rather than Verity.

"George was the one who wanted to show up early this time." Charlie replied, the teasing tone in his voice wasn't subtle at all.

While Eloise tried to fight back a smile, doing her best to convince herself that George's desire to arrive early probably had nothing to do with her, the three of them pulled off their coats to hang on the nearby coat rack. But once their bulky coats were shed, Fleur let out a loud laugh that echoed throughout the kitchen. Still having her back turned on the newest arrivals, a look of confusion painted Eloise's face as she looked at her friend, wondering what could have possibly been that funny.

"I think I've found your cardigan, Elle." Fleur pointed across the room.

Eloise turned around to see George sporting the blue cardigan she had mysteriously lost over a month ago. A proud grin spread over George's face as he stood there with his hands on his hips, looking right at Eloise. She dropped the strawberries into a nearby bowl and marched over to him immediately, fighting back a smile.

"Oh Merlin. George, take it off, you're going to stretch it out!" she exclaimed, still trying her best to hide her amusement.

"Are you calling me fat? That's a bit rude, don't you think?" he replied, mocking a tone of shock.

"No, I'm just saying you're twice the size of me."

"So you are calling me fat!" he laughed as Eloise tugged on the sleeves trying to get it off of him, "Oi! If you're going to undress me, at least don't do it in front of my mother!"

"George!" Molly and Eloise said in unison, causing him to laugh.

"I really did try to tell him not to wear it here, the git never listens to me." Verity nudged Eloise as George peeled off the light blue cardigan and handed it back to her.

"But look at well it worked, nothing breaks the ice better than showing up in a ravishing ensemble." George smirked.

"I'm not sure I'd call it ravishing." Verity replied, rolling her eyes.

Though most everyone seemed to be focused on George, Charlie wrapped his arm around Verity's shoulder and whispered something into her ear. While Eloise couldn't tell what he was saying, she noticed her face fell slightly as she stole a glance in Molly's direction. Without any further hints, Eloise could make an educated guess about the situation.

"Well, we'll let you ladies get back to work, come on George." Charlie muttered, leading Verity into the hall and away from his mother's judgmental gaze.

George seemed slightly confused, but didn't object to Charlie's suggestion as he followed the couple across the hall and into the lounge. The kitchen fell silent again and the three women continued their work on Bill's cake. Eloise laid her cardigan over the back of a chair before she began slicing the strawberries. Across the kitchen Fleur was beating together a vanilla buttercream frosting while Molly was carefully leveling the perfectly cooked spongecakes.

Everything was going very smoothly. But after a moment, Molly finally decided she had something say.

"I'm not sure that I like Verity much."

Eloise felt slightly offended, but not at all surprised. She knew based on what she had been told by several people that Molly was quite particular about her sons' choice in partners. Fleur, however, seemed quite unaffected, having gone through all of this herself.

"What about her do you not like?" Eloise asked hoping she could convince her that Verity truly was a perfect match for Charlie. But the look Fleur shot at her let Eloise know asking that question was a big mistake.

Asking Molly her opinions was like opening Pandora's Box. Once her thoughts were unleashed, there was no putting them back. Immediately regretting her decision, Eloise silently prepared for the imminent outpouring of unwarranted criticism against her friend.

"Well, she's far too young for a start."

"She is closer in age to Charlie than I am to Bill." Fleur defended immediately.

Given the girls' history, it was quite out of character for Fleur to feel even the tiniest bit of protective over Verity. But perhaps they now had common ground as victims of Molly's harsh judgements.

"Yes, well that's different dear."

Neither Fleur, nor Eloise made a single remark about Molly's obvious hypocritical comment. They both continued working on Bill's cake in silence, hoping that the lack of feedback would end Molly's rant. But of course, they wouldn't be so lucky.

"She's also quite the trouble maker," Molly continued after a moment, "The last thing I need is her causing Charlie any sort of harm."

"They work at the joke shop together, I think there's an equal amount of mischief going on." Fleur muttered, spreading white icing over the spongecake in front of her.

"I just wish Charlie had picked a nicer girl, someone who didn't make such rude remarks."

"That's just her relationship with George, they always tease each other like that." Eloise assured the woman.

"Well, it would be nicer if she were more like you, Eloise. All my boys should try to find someone like you." Molly said with a smile directed straight at her.

Despite what was intended to be a compliment, Eloise immediately felt quite uncomfortable. But she did her best to brush off the situation by giving Molly a half-hearted smile in response.

Before allowing the situation to become any more uncomfortable, Eloise decided she'd sliced more than enough strawberries to allow her to take a break. Anything that could get her out of that kitchen.

Without even looking at Fleur, Eloise set the bowl of strawberries on the counter next to her. However, what Eloise didn't realize was that Molly's comment had struck a nerve with her friend.

Whether her mother-in-law's unjustified remarks about Verity hit too close to home for her, or Fleur simply didn't appreciate how uncomfortable the situation had made Eloise was anyone's guess.

"Well, it's just too bad Eloise has already found someone then."

"Fleur!"

"She has?"

Both women spoke in unison, the shock in their voices equally as strong as the other. But before Fleur could delve into further details about Eloise's love life, someone else had entered the kitchen causing the mood to shift dramatically.

George looked over the women, each of which had continued silently busying themselves with the tasks in front of them. But as Eloise snuck a glance at him, it was obvious that he had heard Fleur's off-handed comment.

Either forgetting why he entered the kitchen in the first place, or maybe deciding that it didn't matter anymore, George instead retreated back into the hallway. Eloise didn't hesitate in following after him, finding him pacing back and forth near the clock.

"George-" she started.

"You've found someone?"

She immediately frowned, "Why would it even matter to you if I did?"

"Because I've spent a month trying to make this situation between us better and you've spent it ignoring me and going out with some other bloke." he ranted in a hushed tone.

"Can we please have this discussion somewhere else?" she pleaded, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening in.

Without a word George brushed past her and made his was up the staircase. Even without being invited, Eloise knew to follow him up to his childhood bedroom.

When she walked in, she found him pacing yet again. His feet wearing a rut into the floor boards below him, he didn't break his eyes away from his path until he heard the sound of Eloise closing the door gently. George instantly came to a stop. When his eyes fell on her, she parted her lips to say something but was stopped when he pulled his wand out of his back pocket, pointing it in her general direction.

The sudden gesture caused Eloise to flinch, not because she thought George would ever do anything to her, it was purely out of instinct. When the word 'Muffliato' left his lips she turned over her shoulder to look at the door, realizing he simply didn't want anyone to overhear their conversation. Clearly he thought their discussion had the potential of turning into yet another heated argument. To be fair, it had become a habit for the two.

He tossed his wand onto his bed and took a step towards her, meeting her in the middle of the room.

"Who is he?" he asked in a low tone, towering over her.

The warmth in his brown eyes had faded, it was like looking into a dark, cold, empty room.

"Fleur was just trying to get your mother to stop berating Verity." she explained, but that answer didn't seem to satisfy George.

"You're avoiding the question, Eloise."

"I'm not, he's no one. We're not anything serious, or anything at all for that matter."

"Who is he?" he asked again impatiently.

Eloise let out a sigh, realizing George wasn't going to give up until he knew exactly who this mystery man was, "His name is Maxwell, he works at Flourish & Blotts."

"Tell me about him." George demanded, though his voice wasn't forceful. Rather, it was somewhat timid, as if he didn't truly want to hear anything about this man at all.

"I don't see why it's important." Eloise dismissed.

"Well, clearly he's special if he made you forget about me."

Eloise rolled her eyes, "You think I forgot about you?"

"You've been ignoring me, haven't you?"

"Why are you always twisting things back on me? You're the one who pushed me away. You're the one who went back to Alicia!"

"I didn't go back to her!" he shouted before taking a breath to calm himself down, "If you hadn't been ignoring me for a month you'd know why I pushed you away and why Alicia was at my flat."

"You have five minutes, then I'm leaving." Eloise challenged, crossing her arms over her chest.

George raised an eyebrow at her, but she maintained her stance. When he realized she was being serious about his time limit he let out a sigh, "I said a lot of things to you that night that I shouldn't have, and lot of things that I didn't mean."

Eloise scoffed, "Yeah? So what, are you going to tell me you're suddenly ready to be with me now?"

"No, I'm not." he replied honestly.

Feeling as if she had already heard enough, Eloise rolled her eyes and began turning over her shoulder, but George reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Elle, wait. I'm not finished, I still have four minutes."

Begrudgingly, she turned back to face him, pulling away with a frown on her face, "Hurry up, then."

"I know you don't really think of me as a project. I was projecting all the anger I had for myself onto you, I know it wasn't fair but it was just how I was coping with the situation. You never did anything wrong, it was all me. The one thing I truly meant was when I said I wouldn't be able to make you happy, I'm the one to blame for all of this."

"So then explain it to me. Tell me why you're angry. Tell me why you think you can't make me happy, why all you've done since I've known you is push me away and pull me back in."

Finally, everything George had been internalizing since Fred's death was about to be laid out on the table. George always knew he'd have to explain himself eventually, especially if he wanted to keep Eloise in his life. But all of his fears were something he'd kept safe inside his mind, locked away behind several barriers no one except the blonde woman before him could ever hope to break down.

George turned his back on her and made his way over to his bed. The thoughts in his mind were racing as he placed his elbows on his knees and dropped his head, finding it easier to stare at the floorboards than look into Eloise's bright blue eyes for a single second.

There would always be a soft spot for George inside Eloise's heart, and that's what was pulling her towards him in this moment. A shift on the mattress as she took a seat beside him caused him to finally glance up at her, but he broke his eyes away quickly, still refusing to speak.

"You can tell me anything, you know that right?" Eloise said softly.

George let out a sigh and rubbed his hands over his face before turning to Eloise, "I'm so afraid to lose you, Elle. It's scary how hard I fell for you. Everything would have been so much easier if I didn't have feelings for you. I never wanted any of this to happen."

Eloise let out a sad sort of laugh, "This isn't a great start."

"I know, just listen. I thought if I could just keep you at arm's length I'd be fine. But you found your way into my heart anyway and no matter how hard I try, I can't let you go. But I'm afraid that if I ever call you 'mine'-" he trailed off as he broke his eyes away from her once more

Another lengthy pause fell between the two as George struggled to articulate his feelings. Admitting what he feared most outloud almost felt like he was about to manifest something horrible to happen, he simply couldn't form the words.

"George, what are you afraid of?"

"I can't." he shook his head with his eyes glued to the floor.

He suddenly felt her soft touch on his back, rubbing up and down his spine in an attempt to comfort him. Even after all he had done to hurt her, Eloise was still the one person who was always ready and willing to pick up his pieces. The only one who could pick up every shattered fragment of the shell of a person he had become over the last year.

When he glanced over at her, the look of concern in her eyes wasn't doing much to help him feel better about the situation. But she refused to pull her hand away from where it rested on his lower back. It was as if she somehow knew that letting go would cause him to crumble.

"I've lost everyone I care about most, Eloise. I can't do it again." he admitted.

"How is pushing me away any different than losing me?" the tone in her voice was soft, but it was still clear that Eloise harbored some frustration over the situation. She just wanted to understand.

"Because I thought if it was my choice it wouldn't hurt as badly, but I was wrong. Not talking to you feels like hell."

Eloise finally pulled her hand away from him and rested it in her lap as she nervously attempted to pick at the no-chip nail polish on her fingers.

It was all a lot to process. Everything was too confusing. It was clear that George obviously had feelings for her, that much hadn't changed. But he still had his own set of issues to work through that would always keep them apart.

Was she supposed to wait for him? Is that what he wanted? For her to keep fighting for a relationship that wasn't even guaranteed?

The idea of moving on felt impossible, she'd tried it before with very little success. There was something about George that would always keep pulling her back in. But the idea of staying felt like it would be never ending cycle of heartbreak. It almost seemed inevitable that she would have to move on, or at the very least try.

"Where does this leave us?" she finally asked after a moment as she glanced over at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, meeting her gaze.

"I mean-" she paused to get her racing thoughts in order, "What am I supposed to do?"

"I'm not following, Elle."

"Are you wanting me to wait for you?"

He paused for a moment, seeming to be weighing her question seriously before letting out a chuckle, "Part of me wants to say yes, but I know it would be crazy and selfish of me to ask you to do that."

It wasn't only the loss of Fred that had damaged George's heart and destroyed his ability to love. Eloise knew that. The ending of his relationship with Alicia had also done irreversible damage. She knew how much Alicia had hurt him, but she also knew he loved her at one point.

That's more than she could say for herself. Maybe his feelings for her were strong, but as far as Eloise knew, he didn't love her.

"What if when you decide you're ready to be with someone, you realize you want Alicia and not me?"

"That's not possible." he replied without hesitation.

"I don't know if I believe that. You have so much history with her and we barely know each other, how can you be sure?"

"Because Alicia isn't the one for me anymore, everything changed between her and I."

"But you'd still be with her if the war hadn't happened, right? I'd probably still be in France, and maybe one day we would have met. But if we did, you wouldn't have given me a second thought because of her. So why should I believe now is any different?"

"Elle, you can't focus on what if's. Everything that happened during the war all but destroyed me, but it also lead me to you."

His words felt so genuine, but they did little to calm Eloise's doubts. Nothing scared her more than the unknown, and her future with George continued to feel like one big question mark.

"What if I move on and miss my chance? What if I find someone else who I'm happy with by the time you're ready?"

"Then I want you to stay happy. If that's with someone who isn't me, that's okay. All I care about is your happiness." George replied sincerely, reaching forward to brush her hair away from her face before grabbing her hand, stopping the nervous habit he'd come to recognize.

"If you told me right now that you wanted to be with me, I'd never speak to Max again. You know that right? That's how hard I've fallen for you."

Rubbing gentle circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, George replied, "I want more than anything to tell you that, but you know I can't."

"I feel like I'm trapped in this awful grey area where we'll never be together but we'll never be just friends. This is exactly why I needed to get away from you. That's why I told you to stop writing to me."

"That's why you stopped wearing your bracelet."

All Eloise did was nod in response. It was silly, but she felt guilty that he had noticed. Of course he would, though. Her wrist looked oddly bare without the silver charm that had adorned it over the last five months. Maybe deep down she wanted him to notice though, so that he could finally realize how difficult this had all been for her to deal with.

"If going back to the way we were before is what you want then I'll do it. I'll do anything, I just need you back in my life. This whole not talking to each other thing is killing me." he said when he realized Eloise wasn't going to say anything else.

"I don't even know what before is, George. I think I was in too deep from the moment I met you."

"Oh, really? I think that time in the shed sealed the deal for me. You knew what you were doing with that 'la bise' business." he smirked.

Eloise let out a laugh and nudged her shoulder against his. It felt nice to laugh around George again. Everything had felt so heavy lately.

Seeing the smile form on his face as she laughed made her realize this was what she needed. As much as she wanted his affection she didn't need it. She just needed him. His friendship, his laughter, his smile.

All the little things that she loved about him so dearly had disappeared once their relationship became more complicated, like the way his lips curled up naturally into a smirk and how his nose crinkled when he laughed. That's what Eloise needed more than anything else.

"If we try to go back, you have to let me try to move on. No more games." Eloise said.

George's face fell as he parted his lips, ready to object to her suggestion that he was doing anything to deliberately hurt her, but she stopped him before he could get a word out.

"I know you're going to say you're not doing it on purpose, but I'm telling you how I feel. If we can't be together, you have to let me go."

George pressed his lips together, biting his tongue. He knew his behavior wasn't really fair. He wanted a lover he didn't have to love, but Eloise would always want more than that. She wanted him, all of him. That much she had made perfectly clear.

If they were ever going to be together he needed to give her his heart, his soul, his unconditional love. But he wasn't ready for that, and he had no idea if or when he would be. It was obvious that the two would never fully be on the same page, at least not any time soon.

His hesitation didn't come as a shock to her, but she needed him to agree or she couldn't see any way they could continue being in each other's lives. Their relationship as it stood now was far unhealthy for both of them.

"I feel like we keep holding each other back. I don't think you'll be able to fully heal from everything that happened last year while I'm in the picture like this. I think for both of our sakes we have to try and move on." Eloise explained, hoping he'd agree.

"You're right." he nodded after a moment, admitting defeat.

Eloise should have felt happy that they had agreed to a fresh start, but something was still bothering her.

As she began chewing nervously on her bottom lip she felt George tighten his grip on her hand, clearly noticing her expression. What he didn't know though, was what Eloise was thinking. The thoughts in her mind were truly coming from a good place, but she didn't want to offend him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Don't get upset, but I think talking to someone would help you work through everything. Someone professional."

"I'm not going to a muggle therapist." he replied matter-of-factly, "Hermione tried that and said it was a waste of time because she couldn't go into any detail about what happened."

"No, I know. There are healers in the United States that have been experimenting with cognitive magic for the last few years. It's been a big deal at work."

"That sounds a little suspicious." he replied with a raised eyebrow.

"I promise it's not. My department has been trying to get them set up with St. Mungo's for a while. It's been a long process to get it approved, and I think by next month the first few healers should start coming over. Since there's no set regulations on using magic to heal the mind it's somewhat limited on what the Ministry will allow them to do, but I think even just talking to someone for now will help you."

George tore his eyes away from her. Deep down he knew she was right. It had been a year and a half, and while he seemed to be coping better outwardly, the nightmares hadn't stopped, nor had the panic attacks. The man still did everything in his power to not look at his own reflection. He needed help, and he knew it. It was just hard to admit.

"Okay." he finally muttered with a nod.

It was a big step, but George would honestly agree to anything Eloise asked him to do at this point. As long as it kept her in his life. Even if it meant having to face his demons in a stuffy old office once a week with an American mind healer he didn't really believe in or trust.

"I'll send you an owl the minute I find out when the mind healers are starting." she said with a soft smile.

"Thanks, Elle."

Relief washed over her, thankful that George was willing to take that step. All she wanted was for him to be able to heal from all the trauma he had been dealt. Whether he ended up with her or not, the important thing to her was George being able to find joy in his life again.

With that, Eloise rested her head on his shoulder. Still holding onto her hand tightly, he rested his cheek over her blonde curls and closed his eyes. Taking in the scent of her lavender shampoo that mixed with the sea salt of the ocean. It was a combination that was so uniquely Eloise, one he could never forget.

The two of them sat like that in comfortable silence, embracing in a way that felt like an ending, but also a new beginning.

"I missed you." George mumbled after a moment, just barely loud enough for her to hear.

"I missed you, too."

Fleur was right when she said their story with each other wasn't over yet, all the pieces would fall together eventually. They just didn't yet know how many chapters they had left. But as long as they still had each other, that's all that really mattered to either of them right now.