Learn to Love Again | George Weasley

59. Wedding Bells - PART II

"Here." Katie said after Eloise must have been staring at the cottage for a prolonged amount of time.

She blinked and glanced at the brunette's hand that had been holding out a glass of wine to her, "Oh, thank you."

"I think George did pretty well, all things considered." Katie said with a snort, which caused Angelina to frown.

Eloise gave her a half-hearted chuckle and took a long sip of her wine, quickly deciding she likely needed another drink or two to get through the night.

"It probably didn't help that their vows were so bloody somber." Verity muttered.

Angelina, who was usually one of George's most outspoken friends, remained silent. She was clearly dealing with her own internal set backs at being at the romantic ceremony without Fred.

Not knowing what to add to the conversation, Eloise instead returned her gaze to Shell Cottage. The first to emerge from the house was Fleur closely followed behind by Bill and then Harry. As each new redhead appeared, Eloise felt herself grow more and more worried.

"Let's get a table." Angelina finally suggested, speaking her first words to the group since they had initially greeted each other before the ceremony.

Reluctantly tearing her eyes away from her search for George, Eloise followed the girls to a nearby table. The four of them chatted for a while, catching up on everything that had been going on in their lives since they had last seen one another.

When Ron and Hermione arrived at the reception to the loud applause from their guests, Eloise joined in as well, although her joy was marred by worry that George was still nowhere to be seen. For a moment, she thought he may have taken the Floo Network home as soon as possible after the couple had said 'I do.'

Surely if that were the case, Fleur or Charlie would have let her know.

In the midst of Eloise's racing thoughts, the newlyweds shared their first dance. The crowd looked on, smiling along with the couple's contagious joy. When Ron dipped Hermione unexpectedly, the bride let out a yelp that caused their guests to laugh along with the groom. Hermione's expression fell into a stern scowl before Ron's beaming face softened her demeanor and she laughed along with him and leaned her head on his chest as they continued their dance.

It was a beautiful sight, so unabashedly Ron and Hermione and, for that brief moment, even Eloise was able to forget about her worries.

A nudge against her arm brought Eloise's attention to Angelina who gestured her head towards the bar. Understanding immediately, she gave her a nod and the two excused themselves from the table. Once they arrived, Angelina ordered two glasses of wine and handed one to Eloise.

"Are you doing okay?" she asked before taking a sip of her drink.

Eloise chuckled as she glanced down at her glass, swirling the burgundy liquid inside, "I feel like I should be asking you that."

When Eloise brought her gaze up to Angelina, she found the girl thoughtfully fiddling with a ring on her middle finger. At the implication, Eloise assumed it had perhaps been a gift that Fred had given her many years ago, but she didn't ask.

"I'm doing better than I thought I would be, honestly."

Eloise didn't say anything, she honestly didn't know how to respond. It felt selfish, wishing that she had known Fred before he died only so she knew how best to comfort those who loved him most. The look on her face seemed to urge Angelina to continue and in all honesty, Eloise preferred hearing her vent over standing together in an awkward silence.