August 2000

It wasn't Eloise's fault that things got a little out of hand. Honestly, it wasn't. Okay, maybe it was - but just a bit!

What was entirely her fault was the fact that she hadn't considered stopping by the apothecary down the road earlier in the week to get another vial of the clear potion that tasted like pure acid but cured hangovers in a single sip. Matters were only made worse when she awoke the following morning and remembered that they just so happened to be closed on Sundays, leaving her to suffer with no solutions.

Now, she was facing the direct result of her actions and she was miserable. It certainly didn't help that George was sitting on the edge of her bed, seeming to be highly amused by the grumpy state of his girlfriend.

"I think I'm dying." she mumbled into her pillow at half ten that bright and otherwise beautiful Sunday morning.

George laughed, and while the sound of it usually made her heart flutter with pure joy, this morning it only made her mind-splitting headache even worse. The sound of her groaning in pain served as a hint for him to quiet down, yet the smirk on his lips never faded.

"How much did you even drink?" he asked softly as he scooted closer to rub her back.

"Too much." was all she said, as if that wasn't already obvious.

The night before, Eloise was roped into going out to a muggle nightclub for Verity's twenty-second birthday. There was no way she'd tell the birthday girl no, but if she was being honest, a wild night out on the town with the girls wasn't at the top of her list of things she wanted to do that night. A nice dinner or a casual night in together would have been more up her alley. But Verity wanted to have fun, and have fun they did.

The evening started out tame enough, they all met at Eloise and Verity's flat to get ready before heading out into London.

Katie Bell had been the one to suggest the night club in the first place. Apparently she had frequented it when the war had reached its peak and all but left Diagon Alley in ruins. Although she wasn't too directly involved in the war, outside of being a member of Dumbledore's Army, Katie still needed a way to unwind - everyone did. Between the morbid headlines in The Daily Prophet and the knowledge that things were going from bad to worse, a little night out every now and then to have fun and forget worked wonders.

So, to the club they went. Between Verity, Angelina, and Katie, there wasn't a single good influence to be found and before long, the girls were acting as though it was their eighteenth birthday and they hadn't learned over the years that drinking in excess would only lead to feeling like rubbish the following morning. But it was fun and the consequences of their actions would be their future selves' problem.

George had arrived at Eloise's shortly after they returned home from their night of reckless indulgence. It wasn't originally part of his plan that evening. He only showed up because when Verity arrived at his, she ended up puking on Charlie's slippers the moment she stepped through the Floo. As his brother promptly took care of Verity and got her to bed, George thought it best to go and check on Eloise.

When he emerged from the fireplace in the girls' flat, he found her asleep on the couch still in her cocktail dress. After coaxing her awake, he helped her get ready for bed and stayed the night with her to make sure she was alright. It was the least he could do, after all. She'd taken care of him numerous times. Not even just after a heavy night of drinking, but through his anxiety attacks and vivid nightmares as well. He owed her, although he would have taken care of her regardless of those feelings because he simply cared about her too much to let her suffer on her own.

George continued rubbing her back as she thought back with regret on how much she had drunk the night before. Not once did he scold her or lecture her on being more responsible. Any judgement he did have on her state remained perfectly hidden in the back of his mind.

While she appreciated it, she would have been even more grateful if he had come to the rescue with a vial of the potion she craved so desperately. Since being sober, he had no need to keep a hangover cure at the ready in his own flat. Still, the soothing circles he rubbed along her spine were helping a bit, even if it wasn't the cure-all she desired.

Simon jumped onto Eloise's side table and sniffed at the toast George had made for her when she awoke. It remained untouched as the girl simply didn't have an appetite for anything despite how much he told her she needed to eat something to feel better. When George shooed the cat away and received a grumpy meow in response, Eloise let out a whimper as her head throbbed in pain. It seemed that even the smallest of disturbances felt like taking a hammer straight to her skull.

George glanced her way once more at the pained sound leaving her throat, "Is now a bad time to tell you there was a letter for you from my mum on the window sill when I went out to make you toast?"

Eloise sat bolt upright without thinking and immediately covered her eyes with a groan as the room started spinning around her.

"Easy," George chuckled as he helped her lay back down on the pillows, "I can read it to you, if you like."

"Alright." she agreed with her eyes still shut tightly - although, despite her best efforts, it wasn't helping with her migraine at all.

Silence fell for a moment as George unwrapped the letter and skimmed over his mother's handwriting. Eloise was trying to be patient but, to be fair, her current state didn't have her in the best mood. She nudged her foot against George's hip as she told him to hurry up. The gesture threw him slightly off balance on the edge of her bed and it quickly earned her a pillow straight to the torso as a result.

"Be nice to me!" she whined as she finally uncovered her eyes to pout at George, as if she hadn't started it.

He simply smiled and rolled his eyes, "Do you want the good news or the bad news?"

Her brows furrowed, "There's bad news?"

"Depends on how you look at it."

"Just spit it out, I'm not in the mood for your silly games today." she huffed as she rolled over.

"Feisty this morning." he grinned as she turned her head to shoot him a glare, "Alright, alright. She wants you to come around for lunch."

That wasn't so bad, she thought. She and Molly always got along quite well, after all. Lunch later in the week wasn't that big of a deal.

"When?"

"Today."

A dramatic groan escaped from the girl, there was absolutely no way she was leaving her bed in her current state. It would take the entirety of the Weasley family to pull her kicking and screaming from the warm duvet that cocooned her.

"Think I could reschedule?"

A small chuckle fell from his lips, that somehow almost felt apologetic, "Afraid not, love. Knowing mum, she's already decided exactly what she's making for lunch and is halfway through preparing it. You wouldn't want to be the cause of her plans being ruined."

For a moment Eloise considered the fact that maybe cancelling on Mrs. Weasley was worth the risk of whatever her wrath entailed. Surely there was an excuse she could come up with, other than outright saying no.

"What time is it now?" she asked.

"Almost eleven." George replied with that same apologetic tone in his voice.

Eloise took the pillow he'd tossed at her and threw it over her face. Without that silly little hangover cure, there was no way she could see Molly, even if she wanted to. She mumbled something into the pillow, but it was all unintelligible.

"Can't hear you, love." she heard George reply.

When she pulled the pillow away from her face, she looked at a loss. Even George's smile did nothing to reassure her.

"I said, what do I do?"

He paused and thought. It was clear that, to him, cancelling or rescheduling wasn't an option. But the mere idea of facing her boyfriend's mother with quite the obvious hangover felt like the worst possible scenario to put herself in.

"I suppose you could write back and tell her that you're sick but then she'd probably rush over here with a pot of soup big enough to feed all of Diagon Alley and fuss over you all day."

George didn't even need to hear Eloise's objections for him to know that that option wasn't ideal. But he also knew that the only alternative wouldn't be much better.

"I think you've got to go see her. Just for an hour or so, then you can come home and sleep for the rest of the evening."

Eloise pushed herself up slowly to avoid the vertigo her migraine would inevitably give her. There was no use putting up a fight, so she merely nodded and glanced at the clock on her side table.

"Will you be here when I get back?"

"I'm not sure, I need to go check on the shop. We were meant to be closed today so we could work on restocking a few things but I'm willing to bet Verity is in just as rough shape as you are and I can't expect Charlie to take care of it all on his own. I'll probably be done around four, so you can Floo to the flat once you leave the Burrow if you like and stay the night. You've already got some clothes at my place, after all."

That response seemed to be good enough for Eloise as she threw the quilt away from her body and planted her feet on the rug below, "Alright, I'll go."

George smiled, "You'll tell me how it goes, yeah?"

Although she didn't expect lunch with his mother to go very well by any means, given her state, she still nodded anyway.

"I'm sure it will go horribly, you'll be lucky to have a girlfriend by the end of it."

"Ah, c'mon. It won't be that bad, she adores you."

As Eloise padded across her room towards her dresser, she let out a scoff, "Your mother has never seen me like this. I am a mess and-"

She cut her sentence short as a sudden thought entered her mind. The worries swirling through her head only served to intensify her migraine as she ran her fingers through her tangled hair. With her bottom lip tucked between her teeth, she tried to dismiss the idea as she rummaged through the drawers for something to wear.

"And what?" George inquired.

"It's nothing."

She dismissed his curiosity as she feared the words being spoken aloud would manifest the scenario she was trying to avoid. But, knowing George, she should have known better than to think he'd simply drop the topic.

"Doesn't seem like it." he said as he rose from the bed and walked up behind her. As his arms snaked around her waist, he pressed a gentle kiss to her temple and lowered his voice to prevent her headache from worsening, "Tell me what's wrong, darling."

At first she shook her head but George placed his hands on her waist and beckoned her to turn around and face him. When their eyes met, it was as if his gaze was begging her to speak her mind and she found it hard to fight him.

"What if she thinks I'm a bad influence? What if she changes her mind about me and thinks that because I drink, I'm not good for you? What if-"

"That won't happen." he interrupted before her thoughts could spiral any further.

She frowned, "How do you know?"

"Because I know everything." he grinned.

"George..."

"It'll be alright, I promise."

-

Eloise hastily got ready to meet Molly. All the while, she couldn't stop herself from feeling worried that this was all a grave mistake. Especially when George left for the shop and she could no longer rely on his words of reassurance.

The makeup she wore under her eyes to hide the dark circles didn't do much, but she decided it was better than nothing. If anything, maybe she could tell a little fib about her being up late to finish writing a report for work. Although, she had a feeling that lying to Molly wasn't wise. Perhaps she would be lucky enough to avoid any questions about her appearance at all. If only Molly could turn a blind-eye to the obvious state Eloise found herself in.

Deciding it was nearly guaranteed that apparating would cause her to throw up immediately upon landing, Eloise decided to take the Floo Network instead. George had gotten the girls' fireplaces connected to the Burrow a few months ago once it was clear that he and Charlie were spending about half of their weeks sleeping over with their girlfriends. Not having to Floo from their flat, back to the shop, then to the Burrow if they needed to was worth the hassle of filling out the paperwork.

When she appeared in the hearth, a brief wave of nausea washed over her that she tried to tamp down as quickly as the green flames around her dissipated. Upon stepping out of the fireplace, she found Molly waving her wand to set the table for two.

"Just in time dear, sit, sit." she said as she turned back around to the stove once the plates landed.

Without objection, Eloise took her seat at the table - only pausing to glance at her reflection in a kettle on the counter. Regardless of the distorted shape of her face in the curved metal, she still could tell that her exhaustion was obvious and let out a sigh in preparation for Molly to say something about it.

"I made sandwiches and soup, I hope that's alright. If not, I also have leftover roast from last night that I could heat up in a flash."

Molly was much too busy putting the finishing touches on lunch to glance Eloise's way and the blonde relished in her fleeting moments of peace before her inevitable interrogation began.

"Sandwiches are perfect." she replied, hoping that her state wasn't as obvious in her voice as it was on her face.

As Molly waved her wand to ladle the soup into two large bowls, she set a generous serving of sandwiches in the middle of the table. Once the soup was served, the bowls floated their way to the table as Molly took her seat across from Eloise. When their eyes met, the warm smile on Mrs. Weasley's face faded as it transformed into a concerned frown.

"You look tired, dear. Are you feeling alright?"

"Oh, just a long night." Eloise tried to dismiss as she broke eye-contact and reached for a sandwich.

The redhead narrowed her eyes for a moment as Eloise took a small bite of the sandwich, which she tried to get mostly crust to avoid the feeling of nausea returning. The last thing she needed Molly to think was that her cooking repulsed her.

After a moment, Mrs. Weasley excused herself from the table and left Eloise alone in the kitchen. The blonde worried briefly that she'd done something wrong or made it completely obvious that she felt like an actual zombie despite her best efforts to hide it.

Molly came back a moment later with her hands buried in the pocket of her patchwork apron. Once she sat down across from Eloise, she pulled out a very familiar looking vial and set it right in front of her. Embarrassment rushed through her body, heating her up with shame from head to toe but Molly merely offered her a sympathetic smile.

Of course there were many potions that could be used to cure most things; from a horrible headache, to the most unbearable bout of nausea, to unquenchable dehydration, to a debilitating state of vertigo. The potion that sat before Eloise, however, was the only one able to cure all of those symptoms and more.

Molly knew and Eloise felt mortified.

At first she wanted to deny the gesture, to assure Molly that she had the wrong idea but it seemed as though the woman across from her had been reading her mind.

"You don't have to explain anything to me dear, you're an adult."

Despite Molly's words, Eloise still felt the motherly disappointment in her tone. As a means to hopefully move past it and pretend it never happened, Eloise quickly pulled the cork away from the vial and took a swig of the potion. The pain melted away from her head as the bitter liquid flowed down her throat. While she was endlessly grateful for the relief, the awkward silence that loomed between herself and Molly was almost as unbearable as the hangover had been.

"Feel better?"

"Yes, thank you." Eloise said quietly as she avoided Molly's gaze.

"Good." she said simply, "Now eat."

It was less of a request and more of a demand and there was no way that Eloise was going to say no. If eating kept Mrs. Weasley from asking her any questions about the night before, Eloise would eat until she popped. So, she tucked into the sandwich on the plate before her that she was much more grateful for now that her stomach didn't feel like it was constantly doing somersaults.

At first, the two women ate silently until the quiet rhythm of the clock ticking in the hallway and the chickens clucking outside were seconds away from driving Eloise batty. There must have been anything she could talk about to break the silence; the weather, the food, why Molly invited her over in the first place. But instead of all of that, Eloise landed on a different topic entirely.

"Where is Arthur today?"

She knew Mr. Weasley had the day off, all Ministry employees had Sundays off.

"Ron and Hermione got a television in their flat and he's over there having Hermione teach him how to work the remote control. He's got about a dozen of the things in the shed but no telly to use them on. I expect he'll be there for a while."

Eloise nodded as she placed a spoonful of vegetable soup in her mouth. The topic of discussion had quickly come and gone and Eloise was left with nothing but small talk to rely on. Anything else was out of the question and Eloise decided that either asking Molly why she'd invited her over at all or attempting to explain her state when she arrived felt a bit too daunting.

Besides, if there was something pressing Molly wanted to discuss or if she really wanted to know what Eloise had gotten up to, she was certain Mrs. Weasley would bring it up eventually. So, for now she merely ate the delicious lunch that had been prepared for her and waited.

Molly rose from the table to gather their plates once they had both finished eating. After Eloise uttered her thanks, the topic of the hour had finally arrived.

"How has Georgie been doing lately?" Molly asked as she waved her wand towards the sink, causing the dishes to clean themselves without her assistance.

"Good." was all Eloise could think to respond with.

How George was doing was a complex question. It was a fluid situation that could change with the flip of a switch, but 'good' was an accurate response for the time being.

"It's hard to know when he doesn't visit as often as he should." she said in a pointed tone before turning back towards Eloise with a smile, "Tea, dear?"

Taken aback by her sudden shift in tone, Eloise hesitated, "Oh, sure, yes. Thank you."

Another wave of her wand and Molly promptly had her kettle heating on the stove as she returned to her seat across from Eloise.

"I'm sure he wants to visit more, he's just been busy with the shop." Eloise offered as an excuse, although even she doubted that that was the real reason.

"Yes, I'm sure." Molly said, even though Eloise could hear the doubt in her voice, "He's been so busy, he had Charlie drop off the things he cleared out of Fred's room."

Going through Fred's belongings was a cathartic moment for both George and Angelina. If Eloise had to guess, he sent Charlie for the sole fact that he didn't want to face whatever emotions his mother would unleash upon seeing the items. It had nothing to do with his busy schedule. Even if it was a bit heartless, Eloise could somewhat understand. Coming to terms with his own grief was a constant uphill battle, seeing his mother of all people openly mourn would only serve to set him back on his journey.

The kettle on the stove let out a loud whistle and it seemed their uncomfortable conversation was coming to a close for the time being.

"Sugar, dear?" Molly asked as she excused herself from the table to prepare the tea.

"Three, please."

Molly soon returned with two mugs of tea and didn't hesitate in continuing their conversation as she sat down once more, "I've been wondering why you two left the reception so early."

Eloise's brows furrowed as she took the tea cup from Molly's hands. It had already been a month and a half since Ron and Hermione's wedding. She couldn't think of any reason why Molly would bring that up now.

The memory of the tense conversation that had caused the two of them to leave the festivities so suddenly had long since been pushed to the back of her mind. They had talked it out, George was working on it. There was no reason to dwell on it or rehash it. Although, she'd be lying if she wasn't still slightly worried that they'd never truly land on the same page.

"Oh, the whole day was hard on George so we just decided to go home." she shrugged casually before taking a sip of her tea.

What else transpired that night between herself and George in their flurry of passion and emotions didn't need to be made known to his mother of all people. So, she thought it best to keep her answer short and sweet.

"Yes, well, I'm glad he has you." Molly said with a smile as she cradled the warm mug in her hands, almost protectively.

Without being able to stop herself, Eloise's brows shot up in surprise. All of her worries about Molly deeming her an unfit match for her son melted away in that moment but her initial reaction earned a chuckle from Molly, who continued on.

"When Fleur first brought you over, I was a bit wary. As you likely know, she and I didn't always see eye-to-eye on things in the beginning and the last thing I wanted was for one of my sons to fall for another French woman." she explained and Eloise tried her best not to feel slightly offended, "But after getting to know you and seeing you with my Georgie, I was hoping you two would become something eventually."

At first, she didn't know how to respond. Of course it was nice to know that Molly approved of her, especially after what she'd heard from Fleur in the past and seen with Verity first hand. It felt like a blessing to not have to fight for Molly's acceptance. But at the same time, she felt somewhat undeserving of her praise. She was just Eloise - an ordinary girl who fell for an extraordinary man.

After a moment, Eloise simply replied, "I'm glad I have him."

"If my son has any sense, he'll make an honest woman of you."

The sentiment was sweet, yet Eloise's stomach still sank to her feet. After all of their ups and downs, she wanted nothing more than to know that her future with George was more than a murky fog of unknowns.

"I adore your son." Eloise smiled as genuinely as the worries swimming around the back of her mind would allow, "I'm in no rush though, I'm happy exactly the way things are."

Eloise wasn't in a rush. It was just that she didn't even know if there was even an option to rush anything at all or if George would eventually decide, no matter how much therapy he had or time had passed, marriage just wasn't in the cards for him.

But she had no choice but to take things day by day. There was no sense putting pressure on a fragile relationship that was still relatively new.

"Of course, dear. Of course." Molly nodded, "I just wanted to invite you over to check in, and to thank you. I didn't know if George would ever find love after everything happened."

"Oh, I-" Eloise stammered briefly before stopping herself.

The commitment issues George was still facing to this day didn't need to be made known to Molly. It would just add to the list of worries she already had about her son. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if it would come as a shock to Molly to learn that neither of them had professed their love to one another, despite how confident Eloise was with her feelings on the matter. Saying it was much harder than feeling it, especially given their circumstances.

"I'm the one who should thank you. You raised a good man." Eloise quickly diverted her initial response but instantly regretted it as soon as she saw tears welling in Molly's eyes.

Eloise parted her lips to apologize or rephrase her response or do anything to prevent Mrs. Weasley from succumbing to her emotions. But before a word could even leave her lips, Molly was up from her seat and rushing around the table to pull Eloise into a tight embrace.

As soon as Eloise was finally released from Molly's hold and able to breathe freely, she found the woman now sitting in the chair right beside her. The look in Molly's eyes was grateful, yet forlorn. She rested her hand on top of Eloise's. Her skin was roughened by years of gardening and dutiful housework but still had the kindness only a mother's touch had.

"When we lost Freddie, I was certain we lost Georgie too. You coming into all of our lives really has changed everything for the better, Eloise."

The blonde parted her lips to object. To tell Mrs. Weasley that she hadn't done anything spectacular. All she did was fall in love with a man who had yet to learn how to love again. A beautiful work in progress. The one person who understood her completely while he was still rediscovering himself.

"You're family, dear." Molly insisted before Eloise had the chance to dismiss the thought.

The smile on Mrs. Weasley's face was contagious and Eloise decided not to argue as she matched her grin. She thought of the Weasleys as her own family long before she and George had finally decided to give their relationship a chance. Hearing it from the matriarch was the confirmation Eloise didn't realize she craved - the knowledge that she meant just as much to the family as she cared for all of them.

"Thank you." was all Eloise said.

Molly nodded and gently cupped the side of Eloise's face for a moment that reminded her of the way her own mother embraced her when she was just a little girl. Mrs. Weasley truly was like a second mother to her, someone who made her feel a little less homesick.

Once their heartfelt conversation transitioned into a much more casual discussion, they found themselves chatting for much longer than either had anticipated. So long that Arthur had arrived back from the newlyweds' home in the midst of it. He and Eloise exchanged pleasantries as he enthused about how lovely it was to see her outside of the Ministry. Soon, all three were discussing the incredible television that Ron and Hermione had and Eloise found his excitement quite endearing.

After Molly had successfully shut down any discussion of Arthur getting his hands on a TV of his own, Eloise decided she should probably head back to George's flat, seeing as it was already nearing four. She rose from the table to bid her farewell to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, each with a brief hug - and a much tighter embrace from Molly, as always.

As Mrs. Weasley released Eloise from her hold, she placed a firm grip on each hand, "It was lovely to see you, Eloise. Do convince George to come with you next time you visit."

"I will." she assured the worried mother.

As the promise of bringing her son around seemed to relax Molly, she felt her let go of her hands. The woman, whose mournful eyes seemed to match George's in ways that went beyond genetics, soon rushed Eloise into the hearth - brushing off any residual emotions that may have been perceived as she replaced it with the mask of a fussy mother once more.

In a flash, Eloise was gone from the Burrow and making her way to the flat above the joke shop where she'd give George a full report on everything she discussed with his mother.

Everything, expect for the fact that she seemed keen on seeing the two of them get married one day.

A/N: I may write the girls night out and George taking care of Eloise afterwards as a one-shot in my accompanying book 'Along The Way' if you all are interested in that. I just figured I've already written plenty of party chapters in this book, I didn't need another as filler.

Let me know if that's something you'd like to see though!