Learn to Love Again | George Weasley

═════ AUTHOR'S NOTE

First and foremost, THANK YOU!

The journey I've taken over the last year with George and Eloise has been deeply personal and the fact that you have all been by my side supporting me throughout it has not gone unnoticed!

When I started this story, I truly wasn't expecting anyone to read it except for myself and now here we are; sixty-eight chapters, one epilogue, and over 175,000 reads later. And it's all thanks to you!

I honestly can't believe it's really over.

But let's rewind a bit...

It all started on a whim – on a random Tuesday evening right after Valentine's Day. It was during a time when my own stress and anxiety were consuming me. I needed a creative outlet that quite frankly took a lot of my time and attention away from the real world.

So, I decided to start writing my first fanfic ever, a story about George Weasley after the war. It's actually quite funny because, at the time, I was totally convinced I was more of a Fred girl (we all know that's a lie now!)

In that time, nearly a full year later, the characters in this story really feel like a part of me now – especially George, Eloise, and Verity.

'Learn to Love Again' taught me a lot about myself in the process of writing it. Not only that I am capable of writing something that others enjoy reading and that I can carry out a project until the very end. It also helped me reflect a lot on how I see myself and those I am close to, especially when it comes to my own experience with depression and anxiety.

Which leads me to a note I have wanted to share with you all for a while...

Something really important to me when writing this fic was the idea that Eloise can't and doesn't save George.

From the very start, I wanted to make it clear that Eloise doesn't love George because she has some sort of savior complex.

She is someone who loves him in spite of his issues. But she doesn't ignore his struggles. She is a support system for him, especially when he feels he isn't worthy or deserving of her affection. Eloise loves him exactly for who he is. Being in a relationship with him means that she can help lighten his load, but that isn't why she is with him.

While love can do a lot of things, falling in love doesn't erase the grief we feel when we lose someone close to us. Love on its own doesn't cure depression and it can't fix all of our problems. But having these problems doesn't mean we aren't deserving of being loved, everyone deserves to feel loved.

Another thing that was important to me was the fact that George's struggle doesn't excuse his behavior towards others.

Going through hard times can certainly take a toll on relationships – romantic or otherwise. I've certainly been guilty of unfairly taking my struggles out on those I care about. I'm human, and even though George is fictional, he is too. It happens, but it's important to reflect on those behaviors, learn from them, apologize, and grow.

There are several moments of tension between George and those he loves most. While his friends and family always forgave him and loved him unconditionally, he was appropriately called out when he treated them unfairly. Think back to Percy confronting George for his sour reaction to Ron sharing that he intended to propose to Hermione or his argument with Verity at work near Christmas of 1998.

George was not a perfect man in this story and he was certainly hard to love at times. He was going through a lot and sometimes unfairly took those feelings out on those he cared most about. He was rightly called out during most of these situations while also being offered support. None of his loved ones ever abandoned him, even when they were upset at him for lashing out.

Throughout the story, I wanted it to show his growth as he slowly healed from the loss of Fred. In the beginning he was dismissive, argumentative, and aloof. By the end he was more open, honest, and receptive to the love and care of those around him.

Was this a perfect story that told the exact way every single person would heal from a traumatic loss? No, of course not. Grief is experienced differently by everyone that goes through it. But those are the main themes that I wanted this story to be about.

I didn't want Eloise to be a hero.

I didn't want George to forget all about Fred and be perfectly happy just because he fell in love with a girl.

The reality of it is that relationships aren't always beautiful and they certainly aren't always a fairytale. Sometimes they are messy and complicated, but when we find someone who accepts us for who we are, love truly is the most wonderful and beautiful thing in the world.

That's what 'Learn to Love Again' is for me.

So again, thank you so much for going on this journey with me. If you enjoyed the story just because you love George Weasley and were in the mood to read an angsty slowburn fic, thank you.

If you enjoyed it because you saw yourself in any of the characters and that's what kept you coming back for more, thank you.

If you enjoyed the story for any reason at all, it really means so much to me that you came on this wild ride with me from beginning to end.

So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Love you endlessly. Forever.

- Andi