stardust ⋮ george weasley

seventy-two :

S E V E N T Y - T W O

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Things had quietened down at 12 Grimmauld Place once Christmas was over and Mr. Weasley was back with his family an beginning to recover again. Adeline had happened to be walking from the restroom back to her room where Hermione and Ginny were waiting when she happened to see Sirius and Mrs. Weasley in one of the offices. Inside, she could hear some thumping, and when she looked closer, she saw the dresser moving around the room and their wands pointed at it. "What's going on?" She asked, peaking her head around the door frame.

"I've been trying to get rid of this boggart for months, but it's like an annoying pest that just can't seem to go away," Sirius answered, eyeing the shaking desking drawer. "At least once a week, I have to deal with the stupid thing."

Normally, Mrs. Weasley would have offered to take care of it herself. But last time she had tried to confront a boggart, she broke down at the sight of her worst fear – all her children and her husband lying dead in front of her – no one wanted her to experience that again, especially with Mr. Weasley just out of the hospital.

"I can try," Adeline offered. "I've fought a boggart before back in Professor Lupin's. I know what to expect. Plus, it would be nice to get some more experience fighting dark creatures."

Even though Mrs. Weasley looked unsure, Sirius shrugged, but then stepped to the side and muttered a spell that unlocked the desk drawer.

At first, everything was completely normal. Her father appeared in the center of the room, holding her Hogwarts letter in her hands, completely silent but with the same furious expression he had on his face on her eleventh birthday.

Then, a moment later, her father morphed into Peter Pettigrew.

That's when everything became a blur of emotions to the point where she could barely process her surroundings. Adeline didn't even realize that she was screaming because it seemed as if her head had suddenly been shoved underwater – her ears were ringing, her vision had become blurred, and it felt like she couldn't even breath. She likely would've collapsed on the ground if it weren't for Mrs. Weasley taking her in her arms.

At the same time, Mrs. Weasley was yelling for George, and Sirius had stepped in front of the pair and was taking care of the boggart. Adeline's vision had become so blurred from her tears to the point where she could no longer make out anyone's faces. Instead, she felt Mrs. Weasley let go of her and another different – but familiar – pair of arms wrap around her. George enveloped a sobbing Adeline in his arms and led her to his and Fred's room, desperate to get her away from the office.

Adeline didn't even think that her worst fear was Peter Pettigrew. It was as if the boggart instinctively knew that deep down, Adeline was still terrified of the man who had tortured her in the graveyard. She wasn't prepared to see him, even if he wasn't there.

Leaving the door just a crack open but pulling it mostly shut, George led Adeline over to his bed, keeping his arms wrapped around her. Adeline rested her head on his chest, continuing to sob as George rubbed his hand down her back in an attempt to comfort her and calm her down.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that," She eventually muttered, trying to get her shaking hands under control. George gently grabbed her hands in an attempt to help her stop shaking, but that only seemed to worsen Adeline's shaking. "I just...I didn't think he'd be there."

"You don't need to apologize," George reassured, brushing his thumb over her knuckles. "You didn't realize, and he put you through something awful. I'm sure everyone understands why you reacted that way."

"I thought I could handle it..." Adeline whispered. "I didn't...I didn't realize. I feel awful that you and your mum and Sirius all had to deal with me in that moment."

"It wasn't 'dealing with you', it was taking care of you. He put you through something traumatizing. It makes sense that you reacted in that sort of way, especially since you didn't expect the boggart into him."

"But what if I encounter him again? I can't suddenly break down into screams in the middle of the battlefield. I need to be prepared."

"Addie, I don't want to keep seeing you put yourself into situations like this that cause you to react like this. It isn't healthy. There has to be another way for you to help deal with this issue that doesn't involve something like this."

A part of Adeline knew that George was right. Even catching a glimpse of the man caused Adeline to crumble. Constantly forcing herself to face Peter Pettigrew like the encounter with the boggart would damage her even more than it already had.

As he sat there holding her, George couldn't help but wish he knew more. George obviously knew the end result of what happened in the graveyard. However, he knew little about what exactly Peter Pettigrew had done to her, besides the obvious physical injuries. Neither Adeline or Harry gave them many details about what they experienced in the graveyard, and George did not want to ask. While a part of him wanted to know what happened, George was scared of knowing. He was scared of knowing what happened to Adeline to make her so scared of falling asleep and even catching a glimpse of Peter Pettigrew.

"I need to figure it out, though," Adeline eventually said in a small, but determined, voice. "I need to be able to heal and face him."

George couldn't help but wince. The though of Adeline facing him again made him sick to his stomach, and it was the last thing he wanted to see. But he knew he couldn't stop her or force her to not do something, no matter how much he wanted to. "You know I'm always going to be here for you, on the good days and the bad, right? Whether you want to talk about it or just someone to hold. And Estelle, Ophelia, and Melanie are all here for you too."

"I feel bad...sometimes I feel like I'm too much a burden on you guys with all this stuff I'm going through. I don't want to constantly use you – or anyone else – as someone I dump all of this onto."

"Well, I use you for Potions answers, so I'd say it is a pretty fair trade," George attempted to joke. Fortunately, Adeline let out a small laugh, and he took the opportunity to gently cup her cheek. "I'm serious, Addie. I'd tell you if I was horrid enough to make you suffer in silence. I'd do anything in the world if it meant it would help you."

Adeline nodded and tilted her chin up to press a chaste kiss to George's cheek. Again, she found herself unable to find the words to express how grateful she was for him and how he had been such a consistent support in the past year for her. "I don't want to head out there for a little while longer."

"And we don't have to."

"Can you just hold me for a little while longer?" Adeline whispered, wrapping her arms around him and holding him even closer against her. "Your hugs are really comforting."

"Well your hugs are really comforting too," George said with a chuckle before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Of course I can hold you for a little while longer. You can have all the hugs in the world that you want."

"I love you," she mumbled against his chest, trying her best not to cry again. "I love you so, so much, George."

"And I love you too, Addie" He told her, resting his cheek against the top of her head and just wishing her could somehow take all this pain out of her life.

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a/n:

hi guys !!

finals are finally done with and i'm officially on summer vacation (despite the fact that it is MAY and still chilly where i live), so now i have a lot more time to write !! i want to update on a much more frequent basis than i have been these past few months.

i hoped you all enjoyed the chapter and that you have a lovely day !! i'll see you at the next update !!

- g ♡