Begin Again (George Weasley/Draco Malfoy)

Twenty-Six.

I don't know how he did it, he's a miracle worker, but George was able to get my mother to agree to let me stay the night with him and Fred at their flat above their shop the night before I went back to school. It was absolutely amazing to spend my last night with George. I woke up and I didn’t want to leave. I really didn’t want to leave. This has been one of the best Summer of my life.
   
George took the morning off to see me off to school, well, mainly to take me to King’s Cross Station. We met both of my parents at the shop and we headed there making it just in time. I saw Harry talking to Mr. Weasley alone, and they looked deep in conversation.
   
“Oh Adelaide, Dear, you made it just in time. Good, good. You have everything you need?” Asked Mrs. Weasley, taking her usual duty of mothering all of the children around her even if they’re not her own.
   
“Yes, I got everything,” I assure her, giving her a smile and a nod.
   
“Good, good,” she repeats, “Fantastic, you’re welcome, dear,” she beams, “Now, your parents have arranged to have Christmas with us again, so we will be seeing you soon, alright love?”
   
“I can’t wait,” I say, still smiling.
   
I say goodbye to everyone then, and George walks me to the train and gives me a goodbye kiss before I enter the train. We had to make our way to the Prefects carriage for the first hour of the train ride again, I wasn’t excited to have to sit through this lecture again, but Ron and Hermione kept the walk there interesting.
   
“So, Adelaide, did you have a good night with Fred and George?” Asked Hermione as we were on our way there.
   
“Oh course she did, Hermione,” scoffs Ron, “Look at her, she’s glowing for crying out loud, and you know she didn’t sleep on their couch.”
   
“Ron, honestly,” scoffs Hermione back.
   
“What? Come on, Hermione, don’t be prude,” Says Ron with a chuckle in his voice. “You know what they did, it’s not a big deal. Everyone knew they would as soon as we found out she was staying there. It’s fine, it’s what couples do.”           
   
“Either way, that wasn’t what I was asking her about when I asked her if she had a good night," Hermione replies. Her voice was rather acidic at that.
   
“Well, I had a great night,” I say, smiling, I haven’t really stopped smiling all week. “For reasons that I will share and reasons that I won’t share with you guys.”
   
“They totally did it,” says Ron, leaning over so he was in Hermione’s ear.
   
“Ronald!” She hisses through her teeth.
   
After that we were in the carriage, I sat next to my fellow Hufflepuff Prefect, Ernie McMillian, and I saw the two new chosen Prefects for this year. We sat through the hour-long talk that we got last year, and then we had to patrol the corridors for a little bit and then we could go to our carriages with our friends. I couldn’t help but notice that Draco wasn’t in the carriage. He loved abusing his power as a Prefect, and I can’t see his mum letting him just quit. Unless she doesn’t know that he did.
   
Either way, it didn’t concern me so I just let it go.
   
When I reached my Hufflepuff friends, they were so excited to see me.. Now that Jude’s little brother Rain is a second year and he’s made this trip before, he has taken his choice to sit with his friends in Hufflepuff in his year, and Lollie has chosen to sit with her Ravenclaw fourth year friends, so there was a lot more room now than there was last year when we made this trip.
   
“Adelaide, your necklace is beautiful,” says Hannah from her seat.
   
“Oh, thanks,” I say looking down at it and holding the pendant in my hand, “It was a gift from George.”
   
All four of them coo in a chorus of, “Awe,” at the same time.
   
“You are so lucky,” says Sadie, beaming with happiness for me.
   
“See, aren’t you glad that you gave George a chance?” Says Jude in her I-Told-You-So voice.
   
“I am,” I say nodding, “I really am. I should have listened to you sooner.”
   
Then a third year girl opens the compartment door, seeming breathless.
   
“I’m supposed to deliver this to Adelaide Fawley,” she says, sounding breathless as well as looking it.
   
“That’s me,” I say as I stand up and take the tiny scroll from her and say thank you and she leaves us as I sit back down and open the scroll.