stardust ⋮ george weasley

one :

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The third Saturday of August had become a scared day for four best friends.

During the summer, the four would be separated and even with the owls they'd send each other, it couldn't replace the time they spent together in school. The girls practically spent every minute possible together when at Hogwarts, so to be separating during the summer was the worst feeling in the world.

So when the family driver dropped Adeline off in front of the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron that strangely warm Saturday morning, she was practically bouncing with excitement as she made her way into the dusty pub.

She spotted Estelle first, who was looking tanner than ever after spending her summer in the French countryside with her extended family. Estelle squealed with excitement, running across the pub and practically jumping on the girl. "I missed you so much this summer!" She exclaimed. "I need to ask this now though...are you the Ravenclaw prefect for our year?"

Adeline thought back to the prefect badge she had received a few days ago with her Hogwarts letter, her heart swelling with pride. "How'd you even know?"

"As if Professor Flitwick would chose anyone else," Estelle laughed, pulling her towards the back brick entrance to Diagon Alley. "Melanie and Ophelia said they'd meet us at Gringotts, and Ophelia mentioned that if we don't get Florian's at some point today, she'll throw a Quaffle at us at the first Gryffindor game."

As Adeline tapped her wand against the bricks, revealing a world that she had been itching to get back to ever since she had gone back to her home back in June. "Florian's sounds absolutely lovely today," She noted with a sigh. "I've been craving their lemon ice cream all summer."

The two chatted excitedly about their summers and the upcoming school year as they walked through the bustling crowds of Diagon Alley. While the pair, along with their two other best friends, had exchanged letters almost the entire summer, there was still so much that couldn't be said. Estelle dominated most of the conversation, simply because she had a lot more to talk about between stories of her overdramatic aunts and crazy food dishes she had tried.

Adeline didn't tell her anything about her parents, instead choosing to tell her about the summer job she had spent working at a local bookstore. Because she was one of the few employees, she ended up spending almost all of her summer working. The combination of the book discounts for some of her favorite novels and being able to spend so much time outside of her home – and to get paid a considerable amount of money for it – was an absolute dream for Adeline.

In the distance, Adeline saw two girls standing in front of Gringotts, bickering over what was likely something to do with Quidditch. Estelle and Adeline shared a knowing look before bounding towards the pair. "Miss us?" Adeline said with a wide smile, stopping the two girls' argument in its track.

"Merlin, I missed you guys!" Melanie exclaimed, pulling Estelle and Adeline into a tight embrace.

Ophelia joined in, making the group hug more like a big tangle of limbs. "When we see each other every day, it's so weird to have to send letters to you guys."

"I hate having to communicate with you guys by owl," Adeline added as the four eventually separated, realizing that they were creating a blockade in front of the Gringotts entrance. "I need to exchange my muggle money out for wizarding money, and then do you guys want to start the school supply shopping?"

Ophelia sighed, hitching her bag over her shoulder. "Despite the fact that this means that we're one step closer to going back to school, yes we should."