I'm Gonna Love You Through It
Chapter One: A Place to Stay

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or the world in which the story unfolds. I only own any and all original characters. No monetary gain was obtained by myself or any other person or entity for the publication / posting of this story. All rights belong to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury (UK publisher of HP related books) and Scholastic (US publisher of HP related books).
Summary: George Weasley lost it all - his brother during the war, his wife and kids, his beloved joke shop. The only light in the darkness that was his world was a woman with previously bushy hair, and a soon to be ex husband who just so happened to be his brother. When she reaches out to George for help, she unknowingly pulls him out of his downward spiral of drinking himself to sleep every night and shows him that love does give second chances.
Warnings: Language / sexual content / drama / addiction (alcohol). **M**

He was a mess. Still brokenhearted over his brother's death almost four years later, and now sitting by the fire drinking firewhiskey straight from the bottle, he contemplated the events of the last few years; losing his brother, getting married, having two amazing kids, expanding the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes empire, his slow downspiral from grace, the stupid bet he made two years ago while drinking and playing a card game, which ended in him having to turn the deed to the store over or risk being hexed or cursed, his dependency in firewhiskey to get him through the pain, his wife leaving him and taking the kids; the only light he could find in his dreary life at this moment was the letter he had recieved moments ago.

George,

Please forgive me for not writing you sooner. Ronald has been quite the handful since the war. I've heard about Angelina - quite frankly, she doesn't deserve someone like you. As for Fred II and Roxanne, they will always know their father loves them dearly.

I didn't write to you to get sappy, though. I wrote you for advise of some kind. Ron and I have decided, amicably, to end our marriage. We're just acting like we did at Hogwarts; constant bickering, him wanting to snog day in and day out, going on and on about the Chudley Cannons...Merlin, if I hear one more word about their Chaser, I'll go mad.

Georgie, I'm asking you, although in a roundabout way, if I could stay with you for a while. I know you and Angelina just separated, but I need to be near someone who knows me, and who I can trust. Before you ask, Harry and Ginny are enjoying the newlywed life, trying to have a baby, and snogging every five seconds, Katie's off with another Puddlemere player (Honestly, you'd think she'd have dated the whole team and the reserves by now. Poor Oliver, he really was in love her.), and Luna...well, I really don't want to be told I have Wrackspurts or Nargles around me all day. The only other person I would consider asking is Oliver, whom I will be asking if you aren't able to allow me your couch, but he's still a bit shaken up from Katie's departure.

Please send your reply back with this owl.

Love, from,

Mione

Bugger, that last part got him. She'd known he'd say yes when she said "Love, from, Mione". He was the one who had christened her 'Mione' when they were in the D.A. together. It was much easier to shout a quick warning or taunt her with 'Watch out, Mione!' or 'Mione dear, a little more to the left, ickle Ronnikins still has a bit of torso left that's unbruised.'. And she'd called him 'Georgie'. No one, except Fred before he'd passed had ever called him that. In fact, she first used the nickname at Fred's funeral...

Flashback

"I can't believe he's gone," Ron said, tears pouring down his face. Ginny placed a comforting hand on her brother's back, the other hand was tightly grasped in Harry's.

Hermione couldn't bear to see George crying. She approached him carefully, guaging his response to her sidling up beside him. The moment she placed a hand on his arm, he turned to her and buried his face in her neck.

"Mione, he's really gone. My brother, my twin, my other half, gone forever," he wailed. "I can't take it!"

"Shhh...George, I know it hurts. I only knew Fred for seven years, but I feel like I've lost a brother as well," she said, moving the hand on his arm to the center of his back, and placing the other arm on the back of his head, stroking his hair. "Georgie..."

At the childhood nickname Fred had bestowed on him, George smiled. "He was the only one that could call me that, but from you, it's comforting."

Hermione let a small smile grace her lips. "You're the only one who's gotten away with calling me Mione without ending up with a Jelly Legs Jinx."

George then did something that was probably the beginning of the end, for his relationship with Angelina, and Hermione's relationship with Ron - he kissed her. Not a friendly, brotherly peck on the cheek or forehead, but a full-on kiss on the lips. No one, except Angelina and Ron, that is, saw the exchange, or the blush that crept up onto both of their faces when they pulled apart. No one mentioned the kiss.

George leaned down again, to an outsider, it simply looked as if they were comforting each other, but in reality, they were having a conversation for their ears only.

"Mione, Fred begged me for four years to do that," George said.

"What do you mean?"

"I've fancied you for four years, love. Now, with Angelina and Ron in the picture now, it would get a little hairy," he replied. "And I shouldn't have kissed you, not here, anyway. It just...happened."

"I know, George," she said, smiling against his neck. "We'll get our chance one day."

End flashback

He smiled at the thought of Hermione staying with him, seeing her everyday, joking with her. Still smiling, he stood and walked to the small study and wrote a reply to Hermione.

Mione,

To start, Angelina made her decision. However, I will see my children often, even if I have to invoke the Pureblood law - that a father of Pureblood can have custody of any children of a dissolved marriage if the mother is of less than Pureblood. Angelina's mum was a Muggle.

To reply to the rest of your letter, yes, you may come to live here, for as long as you like. I'd love the company, and honestly, my library has gone quite untouched as of late.

Katie's with another bloke from Puddlemere, you say? Blimey, Oliver got the shit end of that one, aye? She was nothing like this in school, she just fancied Oli. I wonder what's changed her. The fame, you think?

No need to reply, love. Just Floo-call me when you've finished packing and I'll come through and apparate us and your belongings to my place.

With love,

Georgie

He put the quill down, happy with his reply, and, with a bounce in his step, he headed to the attic where he knew his owl was patiently waiting for a letter to send.

"This is for Mione," he told the owl. "No need to wait for a reply, just come home after she takes the letter."

The owl hooted once and nipped his finger affectionately and swooped out of the window headed to a recently-built little cottage between The Burrow and the Lovegood's home.

He walked back into the living room, and stared at the fire place, waiting for the green flames to cast an eerie glow, signaling a Floo-call.

A/N: Let me begin by saying I'm NOT abandoning Rebuilding a Life. I've just gotten over writer's block, so I'm putting all of my ideas onto paper...errr...computer screen. I do not have an outline for this story, nor do I even know at this moment what's going to happen. Once I get the first few chapters done and I know what I want to do with this story, I will start an outline and plotline. Please bear with me! xoxo DrarryDramioneGirl