𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 | f. w

li. lover, leaver

chapter fifty-one
LOVER, LEAVER

🥀

Fred

» » I WAS NEVER ONE TO even consider committing myself to a serious relationship. I rarely took girls on actual dates and I would more often than not have them come around to mine to spend the night; but that was it. It was always easy—never a serious matter—and I didn't have to settle for anything. There were no visible strings attached and I would rarely see any of the girls I took home the following morning. I didn't have to commit to anything, and it meant I didn't have to worry about getting my heart broken or risking the girl getting too attached either.

But that all changed when Edith walked back into my life. It felt like my entire world turned around, and I started to question everything I ever knew to be real. Though I never actually pursued any kind of romantic relationship with her until well into our last years at Hogwarts, I'd always harboured strong feelings for her. In the end, I never acted on them, and it wasn't until she came back into my life after the War that I realised just how important she really was to me.

Edith Gannon was my entire world.

But she wasn't mine.

Not anymore.

It didn't mean that I loved her any less, or that I stopped caring for her. It did, however, mean that the distance between us grew, and six months later, I still hadn't seen or heard from her.

Until that day.

I was returning to Hogwarts to advertise some of our new products. Headmaster McGonagall had asked me to come and hold a small lecture in some of the classes, in order to keep the students from using our products wrongly, and I happily obliged. It was yet another opportunity to hopefully attract some new costumers and I wasn't about to say no to that. I didn't want to pass up an opportunity to meet with some of my old teachers either. It had been awhile since I last visited Hogwarts, after all.

"It's so nice to see you again, Mr Weasley. We are all extremely thankful to have you back here, if only for a short while." McGonagall expressed her gratitude towards me while we found ourselves walking down one of the long winding corridors after my last visit of the day. I couldn't help but beam proudly, extremely glad to be able to bring so much joy to so many people. It was the sole reason why I did all of this after all, and in the end, the thing that had kept me going after the War. After losing George.

"Thank you, professor. It is good to be back. It feels kind of like coming home, in a way." I grinned, when suddenly, McGonagall stopped short outside the office were Edith usually spent her time grading papers; at least when she wasn't on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, teaching curious third years and above. Of course, I didn't know about any of that, or the fact that she was currently pressed against the door, trying to listen in.

"Mister Weasley, I believe you know Edith Gannon? If I'm not entirely mistaken, you two used to be quite close?" McGonagall asked, opening the door to reveal a red faced Edith standing in the doorway. She had just been about to open it herself, it appeared.

I found myself freezing in my spot. It felt like the entirely world stopped spinning, as if time itself came to a halt, and I wasn't quite ready for how nervous I would actually be seeing her for the first time in such a long while.