October 2003

The ocean waves crashed along the shore on that brisk autumn afternoon. Shell Cottage had been bustling all morning, but there was something calm in watching how the waves would come and go in a rhythm that only Mother Earth had any say in.

"Mrs. Weasley?" a knock on the door tore her eyes away from the window as she turned over her shoulder at the familiar voice.

A smile adorned her lips as she laughed lightly at the way she had been addressed, "Come in."

The door cracked slightly as a head of white-blonde hair peaked in before entering. Verity was dressed in a burgundy chiffon gown with her hair pulled back into a loose braid that draped over her shoulder. The second they laid eyes on one another, she slipped into the room with a wide smile, making sure to close the door behind her.

"You really are the most beautiful bride I've ever seen, Eloise." she said in earnest, but the beauty of the woman before her wasn't enough to distract her from the way the bride was nervously picking at her nails, "How are you feeling?"

"Nervous," Eloise breathed with a laugh, "I think my heart is about to leap out of my chest at any moment."

"Well, it's good that you made Dhani your bridesman... man of honor... whatever," Verity shook her head with a laugh, "Anyway, it's lucky his fiancée is a Mediwitch. I reckon she'll revive you if you keel over."

A shaky breath fell through Eloise's rosy lips as she tried to allow her friend's humor to calm her nerves, but it wasn't working very well. Up until that point, all that had calmed her was the ocean. So, Eloise tore her eyes away from Verity and glanced out the window once more.

"Did you need anything?" Eloise asked with her back still turned.

"Yes, actually. I was sent to come get you."

Her brows furrowed as she turned back towards Verity. Suddenly thoughts of something with the ceremony going horribly wrong flooded her mind. While she should have been reminding herself that it was the fact that she was marrying George that was most important, she didn't think her heart could handle any bad news or she really would keel over.

What if the Floo from France was closed for maintenance and her family couldn't get there in time? What if there was a sudden thunderstorm on the horizon that would ruin the entire outdoor ceremony?

"Earth to Eloise!" Verity laughed as she waved her hand in front of her friend's face.

Eloise blinked her bright blue eyes and focused on her bridesmaid once more, "Sorry." she muttered quietly, "What's wrong? I'm sure Fleur can handle whatever it is."

"There's nothing wrong, well there was a slight issue with Arthur's tie going missing, but I think Molly got it sorted." she laughed as she held out a folded piece of parchment to her, "Besides, I don't think you want to send Fleur for this."

Confusion painted Eloise's face as she reached out for the note. But she recognized the handwriting immediately as she unfolded it.

'My Darling Bride,

Meet me in the clearing by the Burrow.

All my love forever,
Your Handsome, Hilarious, Perfect,
Wonderful, Amazing Groom'

The smile that grew on Eloise's face was followed by a shake of her head as she looked back up at Verity, "He wants me to meet him. He knows it's bad luck to see me before the wedding, doesn't he?"

The normal jovial tone in Verity's voice subsided, although her smile remained, "I think you and George are well past any bad luck tearing you apart."

"Is he there now?" Eloise asked as she folded the parchment up and set it on the desk that she had once spent countless evenings writing longing journal entries about her now fiancé.

Verity shrugged, "I assume so, Ron brought it just a bit ago – came and went by Floo. All he told me was that George said to give it to you."

"Ron came by Floo? He wasn't already in his dress robes, was he? It'll be covered in soot, someone will have to–"

"Eloise!" Verity interrupted with a laugh, "Everything will be fine, I promise. Just go see George and let Fleur and Hermione worry about Ron's dress robes when the boys arrive."

"Well, what if they all take the Floo? They can't–"

"Eloise," Verity said more seriously, "Trust me, everything will be perfect."

A shaky sigh fell through Eloise's lips as she gave her bridesmaid a reluctant nod. With one last smile, Verity slipped out of the room, leaving the bride alone with her nerves once more.

Despite all of Verity's reassurances, Eloise wasn't able to shake all of the wild scenarios she was creating in her mind. Then she glanced down at the folded piece of parchment on her old desk. A slight smile crept its way to her lips and she quickly realized there was only one person who could calm every worry in her mind.

Looking at the clock on the wall, she realized there was only a little over half an hour left before the ceremony was meant to begin. She quickly gathered the bottom of her gown and crossed the room to grab her wand from the nightstand. With one last glance out at the ocean, she closed her eyes and pictured the beautiful clearing where George had told her he loved her for the very first time nearly three years ago.

Apparition was Eloise's least favorite modes of transport, just behind flying. But after worrying about Ron's dress robes, there was no way she was going to risk anything happening to her pristine white gown by taking the Floo Network.

The nauseous feeling lingered for a moment when she landed in the tall grass where George had told her to meet him. As she gathered her bearings and flattened out her dress, the sound of her favorite voice entered her ears.

"My darling, you are breathtaking."

George was only a little ways off, the warm light of the October sunset was igniting his fiery hair, making it resemble that of the autumn leaves surrounding them. A smile grew on her face when their eyes met and every worry in her mind melted away for just a moment.

The way he looked at her made her heart skip a beat. His eyes roamed her in her simple white gown as if she were a work of art, a statue carved out of marble based on the most beautiful goddess. To George, that's exactly what she was – perfect.

She picked up the bottom of the dress and made her way to him as he met her halfway. The sight of him in his own dress robes quickly reminded her of the thought of Ron being covered in soot from the fireplace, though, and she frowned slightly. That is, until she felt the gentle touch of George's hand caress the side of her face.

"Alright, darling?"

She looked into his eyes and gave him a weary smile as she nodded, "Of course."

"Nervous?" he asked with a raised brow, as if reading her mind.

As George awaited her response, he pulled his hand away from her cheek and placed them both into the pockets of his slacks. With the absence of his touch, nothing was there to prevent Eloise's worries about the ceremony from growing once more.

"A bit," she admitted with a sigh, "Aren't you?"

But he shook his head with a smile, "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

She knew it wasn't his intention to make her feel guilty, but the fact that he seemed so calm did make her feel a bit bad. George was always much better at taking things as they came. A speed bump here or there wasn't the end of the world for him.

But with Eloise, if things didn't go right, it would be a disaster. It was simply because this day was the most important day of their lives. After everything they had gone through, it felt like it was all leading up to this exact moment. She just wanted their wedding to be perfect.

Eloise chewed on her bottom lip as she worried about Arthur's missing tie, and Ron's soot stained robes, and Fleur remembering to light the lanterns, and–

"Tell me what you're nervous about, Ellie. Not getting cold feet, are you?" he asked with a chuckle, interrupting her thoughts.

"No," she said sternly before letting out a sigh, "I'm just worried something's going to go wrong."

"What could possibly go wrong?"

She shrugged and looked down at her feet, "I don't know. Your brother came to Shell Cottage through the Floo and I'm imagining his dress robes are all stained now."

"You think Fleur or Hermione would allow him to look like a mess?" George asked, clearly amused by her trivial concern

"I suppose not."

"What else are you worried about?"

Eloise looked up at George and pursed her lips, "Well this morning I heard that your father's tie had mysteriously gone missing."

A wide grin grew on George's lips, "Yes, well, I'm missing an ear, so I reckon a tie isn't the end of the world."

Finally, a laugh fell through Eloise's lips. George looked quite pleased that with every giggle, she seemed to relax more and more. But his tone quickly became more serious.

"Look at me Ellie," as she did, he gave her a reassuring smile, "Today is about us. Not dress robes, or bow ties, or anything else. Just me and you."

Eloise knew he was right. Their wedding wasn't about all the trivial things she had been worried about all day. It was about them promising to take care of each other forever, whether or not every moment of the ceremony went according to plan.

So, she nodded, "I know. You're right."

"Of course I am." he smirked.

As Eloise rolled her eyes, biting back the smile that desperately wanted to form on her lips, George glanced down at his watch. If they weren't careful, they'd be late to their own wedding. But, in classic George Weasley fashion, a sudden plan popped into his mind that he was convinced was the right thing to do at that exact moment.

"I have an idea." he said suddenly.

Her brows furrowed slightly, clearly confused and a bit worried by what he could possibly be suggesting, "What is it?"

"Let's exchange our vows right now."

"Here?" Eloise asked, doing quite a poor job of hiding the shock in her voice.

George nodded with a laugh, "Yes, here."

"But why? We spent months planning everything and everyone is waiting for us, if we don't go–"

"Ellie," he smiled as he cut her off, "We'll still go and have our ceremony, but this will be for us. Just like it's meant to be."

"But my vows are still on my desk at Shell Cottage." she objected with a frown.

"That's alright, we'll just speak from the heart."

Eloise realized George was really being serious about this and the more she thought about it, it didn't seem so crazy. They'd have this moment in the clearing all to themselves to reminisce on when they were old and gray, then they'd have the memories of their ceremony on the beach to share with all of their friends and family.

"I feel like you've had this all planned out for months." Eloise suggested.

George flashed that crooked grin that she adored, "Surprisingly no, actually. But I have to admit this is one of my more brilliant plans. And since it was my idea after all, I reckon I get to go first."

She let out a laugh and nodded, "I can't argue with that. Go on then."

George pulled his hands from his pockets and grabbed both of hers, running his thumbs over the back of them as he smiled down at her. The tone had shifted suddenly as he gazed deep into her eyes. She squeezed his hands reassuringly as she waited patiently for him to recite his impromptu vows. A sigh fell through his lips and his eyes fell to the sapphire engagement ring on her left hand before bringing his gaze back up to her eyes that matched the stone he'd picked out for that exact reason.

"Eloise Laurent, when you came into my life, I was at an all time low. At the time, I was convinced that I'd never be able to love anyone and that I didn't deserve anyone's love. I was fully prepared to go on alone, that was my plan. But you, my love, were a plot twist. I didn't see you coming but I'm so glad you showed up in my shop all those years ago. You met me when I needed you most and despite all of the ups and downs we've gone through, I know that you are the only person I could ever picture spending my life with. You changed my life, Eloise. I'll never be able to thank you enough for everything you've done for me, but I promise you that I'm going to give you the best life I possibly can. Forever."

Tears were falling from Eloise's eyes and she knew that the second she returned to Shell Cottage, Fleur would scold her – not only for being late to her own ceremony, but for ruining her makeup as well.

"I love you." was all Eloise said.

"Is that all you've got?" he asked with a smirk as he let go of one of her hands to wipe away her tears.

Despite her tears, a giggle still escaped from Eloise. One of her favorite things about George was his ability to hold onto his sense of humor, even in serious moments. It was a habit that had been growing over the years, one that Eloise was certain he had before losing Fred.

With a smile, as George held onto her hand once more, she spoke, "I have so much to say to you. I don't even think there are enough words in the English language." she started, "Je t'aime beaucoup, mon chéri. Pour toujours et à jamais."

George had learned a bit of French since the beginning of their relationship, enough to understand roughly what she had said but Eloise would never tire of saying the words in any language. So, she started her vows in the exact same way, only this time in English.

"I love you so much, my darling. Forever and ever." she smiled as another tear trickled down her cheek, "I have never felt so strongly for anyone, George. From the very moment we met, you captivated me. If I never knew anything of magic before meeting you, I would have sworn that your love was the cause of everything enchanting in this world. Our story is my favorite fairytale and you, mon chéri, you are a brilliant wizard, but you are an even more brilliant man. You are the love of my life, the most important person to me. There is no one on this Earth that deserves more happiness than you and I promise you I am going to spend the rest of my days doing my best to make you as happy as you make me. You are my sun, my moon, and my stars. My everything. Always."

The love that George once thought he was incapable of feeling was overflowing in his heart. Overflowing for Eloise, just like the tears that were threatening to overflow from his own eyes. His hands released their hold on her and instead found their way to either side of her face as he tilted her head up to kiss her.

When their lips met, it was fireworks, just like the very first time. Passion and longing between them that would never fizzle out, no matter how many years they spent together. When they kissed, it was like time stood still. As if their friends and family weren't waiting for them on the beach. As if they were the only two people in the entire world.

Even though he would happily spend the rest of his life kissing his soon-to-be wife, George pulled away from her slightly only so he could look into her eyes when he said, "I love you, Eloise Weasley."

"And I love you, George Weasley." she returned with a bright grin.

Exchanging their vows alone in the clearing where George first confessed his love to her was indeed one of his more brilliant plans, and Eloise would happily admit it. For the rest of their lives, when they thought back on their wedding day, she knew that this was the exact moment they would think about.

"Ready to do it all over again?" he asked as he took a step away from her and pulled his wand from his robe before holding out his hand, "I reckon we're only a little bit late."

Eloise nodded as she laid her hand in his, letting his firm grip on her hand fill her heart with a sense of safety and security that only he could provide, "I would happily marry you a million times, mon chéri."

With a smile, George squeezed her hand and they were gone. Soon arriving on the beach at Shell Cottage, having to answer the upset inquiries of Molly and Fleur demanding to know why they were so late for their own wedding.

All that remained in the clearing was the rustling of the leaves in the October sunset and the memories of their souls becoming one as they bared their hearts to one another. The memories that the two of them would cherish for the rest of their lives.