Wedding fluff this chapter! I don't have much else to say except thank you for your kind reviews! Enjoy!
Chapter Twelve
The summer passed much too quickly for Ella and George's liking. They spent the hot months falling into their old routine. George seemed to be always in a good mood, perhaps finally realizing that he didn't want to lose another important person in his life.
Late one night, Ella was sitting in bed, propped up with a book. George came into the bedroom looking exhausted.
"Inventory took a long time," Ella observed.
"Oh it wasn't just inventory," George mumbled. The book on Ella's lap closed and she gave him a questioning look. "My mum came in," he continued.
"Well why didn't you invite her up?" Ella questioned.
George sank onto the edge of the bed, his elbows going to his knees, and his face went into his hands. "Because I'm bone tired and she was bothering me," he mumbled.
Ella crawled to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "What was she bothering you about?" She asked.
"The wedding," George groaned. "When it's going to be, where it's going to be, who's going to be there."
She fell back on the bed with a sigh. If her mother or future mother-in-law asked one more question about their bloody wedding Ella would surely go insane.
"So when do you want to get married?" George asked, putting his hands on either side of her shoulders and peering down at her.
Ella thought for a moment before answering. "The after tomorrow."
"The day after tomorrow?" George looked at her incredulously. "We don't have anything ready."
"Do you have a black shirt?"
George nodded.
"Well I have a white dress." Ella smiled.
"But we haven't invited anyone." George looked at her puzzled.
"To elope you only need a couple of witnesses." Ella shrugged.
He fell onto his side next to her. "You want to elope?"
"More than anything," Ella sighed.
"What am I supposed to tell Mum?" George asked.
Ella just shrugged and yawned, snuggling into his side and intertwining her legs with his.
"Well what are you going to tell your parents?" He put one of his hands in her dark hair.
"Not a damn thing. Not until we get back anyway." Ella grinned.
"Back? Back from where?" George looked so confused.
"Oh. I was thinking Paris maybe."
"You've been plotting, haven't you?" He tugged on her hair playfully.
"Just a little bit."
"You've gotten it all arranged, haven't you?" George cocked an eyebrow.
Ella nodded sheepishly.
"Are you sure this is what you want? You're positive you don't want a wedding?" He asked in all seriousness.
"It's like you don't know me at all," she muttered. "Of course I'm sure. I don't want a wedding. I don't need all of those pointless things. I just want to be married to you." She looked at him with her green eyes. "Unless of course you want a wedding. I would understand since you have your family and everything."
"We've celebrated plenty of weddings together. It won't be the end of the world. Charlie could get married yet. And I don't really need all of that fuss either." He kissed her forehead. "So what's the plan?"
"You get everything settled at the shop tomorrow, I'll take care of the paperwork for the marriage, we go to Paris the next day and get hitched, and then spend the week enjoying France." She was grinning like a fool. "You can invite someone to be a witness. I have two girlfriends who will be there."
"And where are we staying?" George asked. "Not with your friends?"
"No. My parents never sold my old apartment," Ella said.
"In hopes that you would go back." George stated, not quite a question.
She nodded. "But it's convenient for us now."
George stood up and got out of his clothes before getting back into bed.
"You have to be able to keep a secret if you want to do this," Ella told him.
"I can keep a secret," he retorted defensively.
Two days later they were back in the bedroom preparing to depart for Paris. Ella came out of the bathroom in a white, cotton sundress putting earrings in her ears while George was buttoning up his black shirt. She sat on the edge of the bed and slipped her sandals on.
"I sent Lee to your apartment with the bags so we won't have to worry about them," George said.
He had chosen Lee to be his witness because he didn't trust his brothers to keep secrets from their wives and if the wives knew Mrs. Weasley would know shortly thereafter. Lee would only be going to witness the ceremony as he had to be back to run the joke shop while George was honeymooning.
George was standing in front of the mirror trying to figure out why his shirt was hanging funny from his shoulders. Ella got up and went to him, undoing the buttons and doing them up again the right way.
When her fingers were at his neck he took her hand and kissed her fingertips using his other hand to pull her into him. George kissed her forehead and then the tip of her nose. He pressed his lips to hers and Ella leaned back onto the dresser.
Finally, George separated himself from her and when he looked down into her eyes he realized that he never wanted to see them without that beautiful green glimmer that told him exactly how much she loved him. He realized that he had to be there for her everyday because he knew that a day wouldn't go by that he wouldn't want to see those adoring eyes looking back at him.
George turned her around and they surveyed themselves in the mirror. He rested his chin on her shoulder and gave it a soft kiss. "Well are you ready to become Mrs. Weasley?"
Ella nodded. She gathered the papers and marriage license she had gotten from the English ministry they had gotten day before. They clasped hands and in less than a second were gone.
They apparated to just outside the French ministry and George followed Ella into the incredible building. She took care of everything speaking rapid French and George just stood in awe. The inside of the building was beautiful and delicate and nothing like anything England had to offer. As he surveyed the building and then looked at Ella he realized that, what he had seen of, France was similar to his soon-to-be wife. She was gorgeous, fragile, and like nothing he had ever beheld.
Ella turned and beckoned for him to follow her and his heart swelled with such emotion that he almost couldn't move. They followed an older woman through a buttery, wooden door and then down a hallway. George laced his fingers through Ella's and passed by beautiful moving paintings that smiled at him and congratulated him. Clearly they had seen many engaged couples pass before them.
"Your party is right in here," the older woman held another door open for them.
"Merci," Ella responded gratefully.
"Ella!" Both Giselle and Marie cried, flinging themselves onto her as soon as they saw their long lost best friend.
She hugged them back tightly. The older man in the room cleared his throat. Cleary he thought he had better things to do than marry two crazy kids.
Ella laughed and pulled George into their places. Their friends took their places as well and the ceremony began.
It was brief and to the point as Ella had wanted it to be. There was so much love between her and George that they didn't need an excess of words to express it. It was quite obvious.
The old man told them to exchange rings and Ella slipped the dark, understated onto George's finger. In return, he slipped a band of diamonds onto her finger and with a wave of his wand fused it to her engagement ring. He then wrapped his arms around her and dipped her low, placing a sound kiss on her mouth.
Their friends clapped and cheered and the old man left. "I am pleased to present to you, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. George Weasley!" Lee exclaimed.
The young group left shortly after the old man and went to the girls' favorite restaurant. They all sat down and celebrated the grinning couple's nuptials with good food and fine French wine.
I hope you enjoyed that! From here on out I am mostly envisioning fluff. That could change though, because I've stated before angst is so easy with George. Anyways, I love to get reviews! They make my day!
Happy reading,
Avomora