stardust ⋮ george weasley

twenty-five :

T W E N T Y - F I V E

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Adeline didn't know exactly what she expected when she woke up the morning of her seventeenth birthday. Maybe there would be this strange magical surge through her, as if her body was sensing that she could now use magic outside of Hogwarts. Sure, it probably would've been much cooler to turn 17 outside of Hogwarts, where Adeline could've used magic freely the moment she woke up. But Adeline didn't that. She just thought there would be something more interesting when she turned of age.

What she wasn't expecting, however, was three faces squished together and looking down on a still groggy Adeline. When Adeline rubbed her eyes, the faces came into focus, and she realized it was Estelle, Melanie, and Ophelia giggling down at her.

"She's awake!" Ophelia cheered, pouncing down on Adeline who was still in the process of trying to wake up. "The old lady's awake!"

"I'm not an old lady yet," Adeline mumbled, smoothing down her curly hair that was sticking out in every different direction. "That honor is reserved for Estelle, who has the creaky, brittle bones of an eighty-year-old woman."

With a teasing eye roll, Estelle joked, "I'd yell at you for that, but since you're the birthday girl, I'll let it slide."

"It's not just any birthday," Melanie added. "It's the birthday."

"It's not that big of a deal," Adeline responded with a shrug of her shoulders. "It's just me turning 17."

"Not a big deal?" Estelle questioned in an outraged tone of voice. She picked up one of the pillows on Adeline's bed and emphasized each word with, "Not?" Smack. "A?" Smack. "Big?" Smack. "Deal?" Smack.

Adeline, who was still groggy and now annoyed, let out a wild string of curses as she hit Estelle back just as hard with the pillow. "Are you kidding me? Why are you attacking me? Aren't I the birthday girl?"

"Exactly!" Ophelia exclaimed, grabbing the pillow and tossing it a distance away so neither of the two could reach it.

"Oi!" Delilah yelled, her voice muffled from her face being stuffed in the pillow. "Can you guys keep it down over there? Some of us are trying to sleep in here."

All four girls quickly apologized to Delilah, who mumbled a "Happy Birthday" as she tossed around and fell back asleep again.

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The rest of Adeline's birthday was surprisingly uneventful, even after being woken up so suddenly yet wonderfully. Adeline didn't entirely know how to celebrate, especially when she was thrown into her N.E.W.T.s classes. Adeline's schedule ended up being packed, as she found it difficult to drop any of her classes. The only ones she ended up leaving were History of Magic, Astronomy, and Ancient Runes, and that was largely because Professor Flitwick practically forced her to.

Then again, Adeline probably would have dropped History of Magic either way. She'd be shocked if any of the students in her year continued with the class, considering how even the most studious of people managed to fall asleep in it.

Adeline hadn't really expected much for the rest of her birthday. She'd have another one of the amazing dinners at Hogwarts, hang out a little while longer with her friends, and then head back up to her dorm and fall asleep with the knowledge that once she stepped out of Hogwarts, she's be able to perform magic whenever she wanted.

That was until George Weasley found her just as she was walking to dinner.

"Addie! Hey, Addie!" George called out over the crowd of students.

Adeline turned to face him and beamed as she moved off to the side of the hallway to not block the other students. "Hey! How were your classes today?"

"Don't really care about that," George shrugged. "What I do care about is the fact it's a certain someone's seventeenth birthday."

"It's really not that big of a deal."

"Are you kidding me? You're seventeen! That's the biggest birthday of them all!" George grabbed her hand and led her to a small stone bench outside under one of the large trees before pulling a small red parcel out of his messenger bag. "I–uh...have something for you."

"You didn't have–"

"I know what you're going to say and don't. Just open up the present already."

With an excited smile, Adeline slowly teared off the red wrapping paper, almost wanting to savor the moment as she opened up the present. George leaned into her side, eager to see Adeline's reaction. She finally got the package open, revealing a blue and white knit hat sitting in the paper.

"It's...it's a hat," George explained nervously, gesturing to the hat as Adeline held it tightly in her hands. "My mum taught me this summer, so I knitted one for you for your birthday."

Adeline was quiet for so long that George wondered if he had done something wrong. That maybe the gift was too small or she didn't want something homemade. That maybe Adeline didn't need or even want a hat.  

But when he snuck a quick glance at her, she was still staring silently down at the hat with wide eyes and a smile that wouldn't leave George's mind for days.

Seeing Adeline's reaction, however, didn't stop him from being shocked when Adeline leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you," Adeline said softly to a red-faced George, who still felt like he was in a little bit of a daze. "It's beautiful. I don't think I'm ever going to take it off in winter."

"Not even to wear your little hair ribbons you always have on?" George teased, flicking one of the blue and gold ribbons in question.

Adeline felt herself begin to laugh. "Hair ribbons can't protect me from the harsh Scotland winter. But this wonderful hat can."

To prove a point, Adeline stuffed the hat over her curly hair despite the boiling summer weather, earning a loud laugh out of George. There were a few lumps in it from the small ponytails tied up with ribbons, and the hat sat a little lopsided on her head because of George's amateur knitting skills. But, to Adeline, it was absolutely perfect.

While she was only 17, Adeline was sure none of her birthdays in the future would be as wonderful as this.

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