Lasting Love (a Fred Weasley Fan Fiction)

Holding it Together

You're getting an early upload because this coming week is going to probably be too painful for me to deal with and I just wont have the will to write. Please bare with me though. thank you so much for reading :)

*George's POV*

            "How're you feeling today?" I asked one rainy day.

            "Sick," Riley shrugged as she sat on the small couch in the room. We were sitting in the far back room of the small apartment which Fred and I used as a mini workshop when we wanted to work on something for the shop but didn't want to walk downstairs.

            "So you've been pregnant for a month?" I glanced at her as I wiped my hands on a cloth.

            "A month and three weeks according to the healer," Riley muttered as she bit her fingernails.

            "You barely look like it," I smiled as I turned back to the new skiving snackbox I was working on.         

            "Apparently I'm only going to get bigger," Riley laughed slightly, "how're you holding up with everything?"

            I fell silent for a moment and almost forgot what I was doing, I leaned back in my chair and took a deep breath. I didn't want to admit that I was extremely distraught and felt completely alone, not to Riley—the one person who absolutely needed me right now—no, I was definitely not going to let Riley know how I was holding up.

            "I'm holding up alright," I lied.

            Riley fell silent as I tried to brew some ingredients together, " god, that smells awful!"

            I shrugged and continued working, "your nose is just super sensitive now."

            "Remember when we'd sit around the common room and think of all different things to sell for our shop?" Riley laughed.

            I snorted, "to be honest, all I really remembered was a brunet constantly sitting with her head on my lap. If I remember right she had a really nice laugh and loved foot rubs."

            "I always knew you fancied me a little."

            I shrugged, "you were always Fred's girl from the moment he saw you. I never stood a chance against him, and I'm not one to fight over a girl with my own brother," I glanced at her and noticed she was flipping through her book. Her hair was now a dull brown that fell past her shoulders, not the bright light brown that was always at shoulder length I'd known for the past few years. There were dark circles under her eyes and I noticed the wrinkles at the corner of her eyes.

            "Seriously, I will happily get you and Ginny pictures so you can stare at them constantly!" Riley laughed as she shut her book and looked at me, "what is with you?"

            I opened my mouth to retort when an owl flew through the open window, it landed on the back of my chair and I took the note before the owl flew off.

            "What is it?"

            "A letter from Ron, he wanted to see if I'd go to lunch with him. He'll be here shortly."

            "That's great, you need to get out of this little apartment," Riley stood up and stretched as I set the cauldron to simmer for the time being.

            "I've been getting out of the apartment!" I retorted. Riley looked at me with a 'you're joking' face.

            "George, you've been in this apartment for weeks! You need to get out and into the world—"