Waldosia/// George Weasley

Chapter 27

"She also slept in your bed for a while," Harry shrugged towards Bill, breaking through the silence with a smirk on his face, "Might as well put that out there since we're talking about all the ways Clover knows the Weasley boys."

Ginny rolled her eyes and swatted playfully at Harry as Molly came bustling into the middle of the group and brought Charlie in for a welcoming hug, "I'm sure we can discuss more about how we all know Clover after we've had a warm meal. Let's go eat."

Clover grumbled under her breath, hating the unwanted attention, but followed everyone to the table anyways. Everyone began piling food onto their plates and made their way to find a place to sit down at. The blonde girl looked for Babs, but found the two spots next to him full with a starry-eyed Lee and a hungry Harry. So instead, she turned towards the empty seat next to Charlie and went to head towards him, who waved her over with a smile.

But she found the entire room falling into silence when George stood up from his usual seat with a huff and placed a gentle hand on her elbow. She turned around and saw him standing there, his fingers dancing on her skin, his eyes hazy and smoke-filled, waiting. Clover wanted to ignore him, stay mad and walk away. But all in one moment he looked so young, so needy, so much like the George Weasley she used to see running around Hogwarts that she couldn't find herself doing that. So she compromised with herself. Clover stayed quiet just like everyone else. Because no matter how badly she wanted to take him in her arms and ask him to tell her his secrets, she couldn't. Because, she was just like everyone else to him, no one special.

He moved his hand off of her and turned his body back towards the table, not before shooting her a pleading look. She knew what it meant, and he knew she knew what it meant. It was a cry for help, a plead not to leave him so exposed, so vulnerable, so helpless. And just as Clover began to figure out exactly what the cry for help was for, George picked up his plate and placed it down in front of the empty chair next to his. A sharp intake of breath was heard from somewhere in the room as George sat down in Fred's seat without hesitation.

With nothing but need threaded in his voice, he tucked into the table and spoke aloud, "It's about time this chair gets used. Freddie never liked being left out."

He looked back at Clover, before flickering his eyes to his now empty chair, and then back to the table in front of him, "Don't you think?"

Clover nodded, despite everything, and walked over to George's empty seat, sitting down in it silently. There were no words to be said, and it seemed everyone in the room had picked up on that.

But Bill, noticing the silence stretching on for too long, raised his cup and genuinely spoke out, "To family?"

Percy, who was now staring at Clover more sure than he ever had before, was the first to raise his glass and respond, "To family."

The room echoed out with cheers and everyone began digging into their food, except for Molly. Instead, she was squeezing Arthur's hand under the table and smiling at George, feeling content for the first time since the war had ended.

"So Charlie," Arthur moved the conversation along, "How did you and Clover meet?"

"Just in a pub," Charlie shrugged and continued eating.

Ron looked up in confusion and pointed his fork at Clover, "What's in with you and meeting all of my brothers in a pub?"

"Jealous?" Ginny snorted.

"Of course he's jealous, ickle Ronniekins can't hold down his alcohol enough to last at a pub," George laughed under his breath, conversation coming easier to him now that Clover was seated far away from Charlie.