Just Like Magic (George Weasley)

Twenty-Nine.

I love George, don't get me wrong. But why one Earth would I want to get married right now? For starters, I'm only 18. I just finished school a few months ago. I don't have a stable job right now, since Tonks couldn't keep training me. Voldemort is getting more powerful every day, gaining followers by the hundreds every month. It's too dangerous. Especially after what happened the last time a Weasley got married. I couldn't risk that happening to us. The daughter of Sirius Black and a Weasley getting married, oh yeah, the Death Eaters would for sure love that.
   
What I really didn't understand is why he didn't talk to me about this first. Why wouldn't he try to find out if this was what I actually wanted to do. I would have told him I didn't want to right now. And if I would have known that he was thinking about it I would have shut the idea down. This was just a lack of communication between both of us honestly.
   
I didn't want to have this tough conversation with him, but I had to. We were getting ready for bed when I brought it up. I didn't feel like waiting. The sooner we had this conversation the better. I didn't want to wait any longer.
   
"George there's something that we need to talk about. Something about this engagement."
   
"I'm so happy that you said yes, darling," he admits with a big, adorable smile on his face.
   
"Right," I say, nodding, "um, I don't think that right now is a good time for us to get married though. With the threat of You-Know-Who and all and him getting stronger every day."
   
"I know it's not ideal, darling, but I don't think we should wait too long. Like you said he's getting stronger every day. I know a wedding takes a while to plan. There's the guest list, and the dresses for you and your bridesmaids, and the flowers, the venue-"
   
"I don't want to get married, " I blurt out, cutting him off, unable to control myself. The more he was naming odd things for our wedding the more anxious I got. He stares at me with a confused expression on his face.
   
"I don't want to get married," I admit, my tone softer again. "if you would have talked to me about this first, I would have told you that I really don't want to marry you right now. We've moved so fast in our relationship since we first got together. Can't we just take our time with this one thing? We just took a huge step in our relationship a few months ago when I moved in and I'm just starting to feel comfortable with that. Can't we just enjoy that step a little bit longer before we take the next one? Why do we always have to move so fast?"
   
"I don't think that you understand, darling, he's out there getting stronger every day. We have to act quickly while we still can. I want you, and only you, for the rest of my life. If you don't feel that way just tell me you don't want me anymore."
   
"I do still want you, George, you're the only one I've ever wanted."
   
"Then why does it feel like the opposite? And why did you say yes if you didn't want to get married?" 
   
"I said yes because you asked me in front of your family," I hiss, "I felt kind of ambushed. Like if I didn't say yes, I was just the bitch who said no. You put me under a lot of pressure asking me in front of your family like that."
   
"Pressure?" he repeats the word like I just said the worst thing he's ever heard. "I'm sorry that I put so much pressure on you to love me, Penelope. I didn't realize it was such a hard job for you."
   
"That's not what I meant, George, you are taking this way wrong right now. I love you, and I do want to be with you forever, but I just don't want to get married right now."
   
"I don't understand, you want to be with me forever but you don't want to get married? That doesn't make any sense. If you want to be with me forever then why don't you want to get married? I understand You-Know-Who is out there, and I understand how terrifying that is, but why else would you not want to marry me?"
   
"Because we're teenagers," I remind him, "I'm still only 18, and you're 19. I don't want to grow up so fast. My mum was about my age when she had me, and even though she wouldn't admit it, I ruined her life. She was forced to become a true adult much before she was ready and she resented me for it. Of course she loved me, but I could tell that there was always something else there. I don't want to feel that way, either."
   
I step closer to him, keeping my voice as calm as I can make it, "If you would have just bought up marriage in casual conversation, just to find out if this was truly what I wanted, I would have told you that I didn't want to get married right now. We don't have to get married in order to be together forever. It's not going to make me love you anymore than I already do. I don't want to rush into something that I'm not ready for just because you are scared of what the world is going to look like in a few years."
   
"I'm sorry I just don't feel that way, I want you forever as my wife. And if we're not on the same page, then maybe I should do some thinking."
   
"Thinking about what?" 
   
"About us," he says, his tone hard.
   
"George," I sigh. 
   
"Maybe this isn't what I thought it was anymore," he says, not looking at me, but off into the distance past me. He didn't even want to look at me.
   
"George, I'm not saying that I don't love you. I love you more than anything."
   
"If that were true, Penelope, then you'd feel the same way I do. You'd want to get married. But you don't. So how can that be true?"
   
I take a step back from him, totally just shocked by his words. He was taking everything that I was saying so wrong. We've never been in such disagreement before. I was now angry. I could feel the anger bubbling up inside of me about to erupt.
   
"If you want time to think about this then take all the time you want," I slide the ring on my finger off and hand it to him, placing it into his palm. Then I leave him. I apparate back to the flat above the shop into mine and George's room. I instantly started crying. He took everything that I said so wrong. But I stood my ground. I would not let him push me into a marriage that I wasn't ready for.
   
But what if he was right? What if me not wanting to get married was just because I didn't love him anymore? 
   
No. That's crazy. I love him. I loved him like crazy. He was the most important thing in my life. 
   
Then why didn't I want to marry him? 
   
Because of You-Know-Who's Death Eaters finding out and ruining our wedding? There were ways around that. We'd just have to keep the wedding super small, unlike Bill and Fleur. Remus and Tonks got married and they kept it small and their wedding went great.
   
No. Penelope, don't let him do this to you. You're not ready to get married, and if he loves you like he says he does, then he will accept it. He will wait for you. He will. I mean he will, right?
   
Of course he will. He loves you, you idiot. He'll come around. Don't let him make you do anything that you're not ready for. You wouldn't push him into marriage if it were the other way around. So you're not going to let him do this to you, either.
   
I laid in my back in our bed then, looking up at the ceiling for a good moment until I finally fell asleep. I didn't wake up again until I heard some voices. I knew it was Fred and George. I didn't know what time it was but I knew it had to be around midday, because I knew they were planning on having breakfast with their family.
   
I was still in bed when George came into our room. He stood there for a moment, looking at me, and then he trotted over to the bed and began to unpack his overnight bag. I watched him as he pulled out the box that the ring was in. He looked at it, back up to me, and said, "You're sure that you don't want it?"
   
I nod my head yes to him, "I'm sure."
   
"Okay then," he says and he walks over to the dresser drawers and places the box in there. "Mum missed you at breakfast. Well, everyone did, actually." 
   
"I'm sure they didn't miss me too much," I say, shrugging. 
   
"Of course they did, they love you. Mum thinks of you like her daughter. She was so upset when I told her what you said last night."
   
"I didn't mean to upset anyone," I say, feeling kind of sheepish now, "I just wanted you to know the truth."
   
"I still don't understand," he admits. "You say you love me, and you want to be with me forever but none of your arguments against not getting married make any sense to me. We don't know how much more time we have left before You-Know-Who takes over completely, and you don't want to spend those days with me as my wife."
   
"I don't need to be your wife to spend those days with you, George. Why can't you just be happy with what we have? I don't understand why you're trying to make me do something that I'm not ready for just because you are."
   
"Nobody is forcing you to do anything. I just don't understand it."
   
"My parents were never married and they were so happy together. They didn't need to be husband and wife to be happy. Why can't we stay like that until we're both ready?"
   
"Well I'm not your dad, Penelope, and you're not your mum."
   
"You're right, you're nothing like my father. He didn't try to push my mum into getting married just because there was a war going on."
   
"If you don't want to be with me anymore, Penelope, please just fucking say it. I'm sorry but I'm standing by what I said last night. This just isn't making any sense to me. If you loved me like you say you do then you'd want to marry me."
   
I was angry now. I didn't like being angry. I stood up out of the bed, and with my voice on the edge of tears, I said, "And if you loved me the way you say you do then you wouldn't be trying to make me do something I'm not ready for just because you are. You'd wait for me to be ready too. Maybe this isn't what we thought we had."
   
"What are you saying?" 
   
"I'm saying I don't want to be with someone who tries to force me into marriages that I'm not ready for. No matter how much I love you, George, I won't let you make me feel like I am the one who is wrong here."
   
"Well then fine, if that's how you feel then why don't you just pack your things and move back in with your grandparents. Since me wanting to marry you is such a horrible thing!"
   
He leaves the room then, striking off in anger. I had to catch my breath for a moment before I could move. I couldn't believe he was acting like this. I truly couldn't believe it. Maybe George wasn't who I should be with after all. Maybe it is time to move on.

______________________
Here's part 29!

I told you there was going to be some drama!!

And like I can't tell who I agree with more. Like I understand both sides here.

But also at the same time George was kind of a dick there at the end.

So I'm kind of more on her side than his.

-Emily Winchester.