stardust ⋮ george weasley

seventy-eight :

S E V E N T Y - E I G H T

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In the following weeks after the disbandment of Dumbledore's Army, life at Hogwarts somehow became even worse for anyone who didn't follow Umbridge's rules. After hours and hours of detentions, Adeline's hands ached to the point where she could barely pick up a quill without feeling a twinge of pain. Despite all attempts to make the best out of the situation and escape with her friends as much as possible, Adeline dreaded waking up in the morning and going to class because she was almost sure to have an encounter with her.

All of this, meanwhile, spurred Fred and George to make an important decision. While they both were sure this was the best thing to do, it still broke George that he would have to break the news to a certain someone.

He knew he had to do it sooner rather than later. George found Adeline where she seemed to have made a permanent home nowadays whenever she wasn't in class, choir, or on patrol – in a small back corner of the Hogwarts library surrounded by textbooks and pieces of parchment paper. With N.E.W.T.s just around the corner, he had barely been able to get her to leave, even for meals. Him, Estelle, Ophelia, and Melanie had been switching off on duties to sneak food into the library for her just so they could make sure she ate.

George rested a hand on her shoulder and kissed the top of her head as a greeting as he sat down next to her. Adeline managed to look up from her Potions work, giving George a tired grin as she rested her knee against his. "Fancy seeing you here," She said. "What time is it? Did I miss dinner again?"

"Not yet, love, but you're getting close. I was just wondering if I could maybe five minutes with you?"

When she looked up at him again, Adeline finally noticed how anxious he seemed. She had never seen George look so nervous, except for the night of the Yule Ball where he had first told her that he fancied her. "You can have more than five minutes. What's going on?"

"I just have something I need to tell you," He began, absolutely terrified. "I've never really cared about school. You've always known this. But, with everything going on right now, it's just made me and Fred realize that our talents lie beyond the world of academic achievement and–"

"You're trying to tell me you're leaving Hogwarts, aren't you?"

George's eyes widened, but then he nodded. He should've known that Adeline would've managed to figure out what he was trying to ask. "Do you have an idea of when you want to leave?" She asked.

"After Easter holidays, just before the start of N.E.W.T.s."

"Just like you to leave before exams," Adeline joked, earning a laugh of relief from George. If she was joking, then maybe she wasn't too upset over him dropping out. "But why now, exactly? What prompted you suddenly leaving Hogwarts just before the end of your 7th year? You've only got a few months left."

"In a way, we have you to thank. The property you showed me on Christmas ended up being perfect, and we used the money Harry gave us plus all the profits from the products for the payments. The man who owns it says we can move in right away," He explained. "And with leaving Hogwarts...Umbridge has made this place hell. I think there's more to my life to trying to pass these bloody exams and going to detention after detention – and not just the normal detentions I got before Umbridge got here!"

"Hogwarts made you restless at the best of times," Adeline agreed. "And now...between Umbridge and the Quidditch ban and the joke shop taking off...I understand why."

"I just want you to know this isn't me asking you to leave with me, especially if you don't want to," George reassured. "I know Hogwarts is important to being a Charms professor in the future and you, for some strange reason, seem to love school, so I didn't want to force you to come with me."