Learn to Love Again | George Weasley

Epilogue II

"Fredrick Gideon Weasley!"

The boy with an unruly mop of curly blonde hair froze in his tracks. The family had just made their way between platforms 9 and 10. A sea of students and their families roamed the train station and Eloise had no interest in losing sight of her son among them.

As the boy turned to face his mother, the smattering of freckles sprinkled across his face contorted around his cheeks as a devilish grin grew on his lips. The honey colored eyes he had inherited from his father had an uncanny glint of mischief – it was almost as if the young eleven year old had inherited every ounce of his father's knack for trouble.

"You know better than to run off." his mother warned.

But who could blame little Freddie? It was his first trip to Hogwarts! He had to watch all of his cousins go off to school before him and quite frankly, he had been growing impatient waiting for his turn to attend.

Just how his twin sister didn't seem nearly as excited to go to Hogwarts was absurd to him.
Roxanne, who was identical to Freddie in nearly every other way, had inherited her mother's careful nature as opposed to her father's chaotic personality. The girl still had a firm grip on her mother's hand as the family walked through King's Cross Station.

"Why don't you and mum ever yell at her?" Freddie huffed indignantly as he gazed up at his father.

"You're right," George smirked before turning to his daughter, "Roxanne Colette, keep doing exactly what you're doing!"

"Darling, you're causing a scene." Eloise muttered to her husband through their children's laughter.

"Fancy seeing you four here!" a familiar warm voice came from just ahead.

Bill Weasley, had his arm around his wife's shoulder as always. The two had navigated through the crowd to see off their niece and nephew. Having sent their own children to Hogwarts numerous times before, both Bill and Fleur knew that the first time was always the most exciting and nerve racking, for both the children and the parents.

Before the adults could exchange their pleasantries, the children spotted their older cousins Victoire, Dominique, and Louis. Scampering off, the twins left their parents and their trunks behind to catch up with their favourite family members.

"A wild bunch, aren't they?" George laughed before turning to his wife whose brows were knit together.

It seemed not only had George noticed that something seemed off with Eloise this morning. Fleur could tell as well.

"What is it, mon amie?"

A small shrug and an unconvincing smile from Eloise did nothing to assure those around her.
"They'll be alright." George said, seeming to read his wife's thoughts with ease.

"I know they will," Eloise nodded, "It's just hard saying goodbye until Christmas."

"You'll be thankful for the freetime," Bill assured her with a grin, "and for the peace and quiet."

Once she received her first owl from the twins, letting her know that they'd made it safely to Hogwarts, maybe Eloise would begin to relax. But for now, all she could think about was her babies leaving home for the first time.

From the time they were born, it was like the missing puzzle pieces in her life had finally been found. The twins completed her in ways she didn't comprehend until they were born. A mother's love for her child had once been an abstract thought to Eloise. When she was pregnant, Fleur and Molly had tried to describe it to her, and she thought she understood. But it wasn't until she held those brown eyed babies in her arms for the first time that she finally understood.

Eleven years later, her adoration for her children had only grown. And now they were about to leave for months. An empty longing grew in her chest before the twins even had a chance to board the train.

All the while, George took in his wife's expression. The sadness and anxiety in his her blue eyes. Without her noticing, George had asked Bill and Fleur to give them a brief moment of privacy.

"Darling," he started, stepping in front of her to block her view of their children, nieces, and nephew.

Eloise gazed up at George, realizing for the first time that she'd been drowning in her thoughts. Like a buoy that had been thrown out to sea to save her from sinking further, George's smile brought her back to the surface. She smiled, but the sadness still lingered. George could see that clearly.

George grabbed his wife's hand, running a thumb over the gold band on her finger, "Tell me what's on your mind."

Emotion threatened to bubble over as she took a shaky breath. Tears welled in her eyes and she laughed in an effort to fight them off, "I'm just going to miss them."

She felt silly, getting so worked up when she'd see the twins again in a few months for the holidays. But George didn't judge. Anything Eloise felt had always been valid to George. He'd never tell her she was overreacting. It was a lesson he learned many years ago. Strong emotion was an indication of powerful love.

"Me too, Ellie." he said as he pulled her into a hug, "Me too."

As they embraced, the world continued moving around them. It wasn't until the train whistled that Eloise pulled away from her husband and hurriedly scanned the crowd for the twins. She found them, thanks to Bill's towering frame who had been helping them load their trunks onto the train.

George didn't even try to stop her as Eloise rushed through the crowd, pardoning herself and muttering apologies as she passed countless students. As soon as she was close enough, the twins raced to her.

It took everything in Eloise to not burst into tears as Freddie and Roxanne embraced her. Kneeling down, Eloise kissed their heads, burying her face in their curls to hide her emotion.

"Please be good." she whispered to them.

"I will." Roxanne replied quickly, but Freddie remained silent.

Eloise pulled away, raising a brow at her son who already had a wicked grin on his face. Before Eloise could repeat her request to remain on his best behavior, they heard someone nearby yelp.

Dominique squealed as a series of miniature fireworks chased her across the platform. Students and parents alike jumped out of her way as Roxanne and Eloise watched in horror. But Freddie couldn't hold back his laughter, howling as his older cousin fled for her life.

"This isn't my fault." George said adamantly before anyone could place blame on him, "I told him not to use prototypes on family."

Eloise stood, scowling as her eyes shifted between the boys, "He shouldn't use them on anyone."

"Oh yeah, fair point." George conceded with a grin that matched his son's.

Another whistle from the train interrupted what no doubt would have become another lecture from Eloise on safety and responsibility. Their goodbyes felt rushed as the twins hurried after their cousins onto the train, waving to their parents as they ran.

Eloise leaned into George who put his arm around her and held her tight. They stood on the platform until the train was far out of sight. They stood until Eloise was finally ready to leave. And George was happy to wait.

Finally, Eloise gazed up at him, "George?"

"Yes?"

"We're going to get a lot of letters home from Freddie's professors, aren't we?"

George laughed, "If he's anything like me, yes."

Eloise nodded with a sigh, as if her mind was already playing through the scenario of Freddie getting expelled.

"It's a good thing Roxanne takes after you," George added before placing a kiss on Eloise's head, "Let's go home."

A/N: It's been 2 years since I finished this story and I still think about George and Eloise constantly!! They're my babies. 🧡

Thank you all for the continued support on this fic, I hope you all enjoyed this short little look into their future. 🥹