Secrets Only Trouble Knows - George Weasley

19 - Just a Dream

The first month of the summer holidays were in every way possible the perfect break. Coming out of the past term, it was obvious to both everyone around me and myself that I needed to simply relax. I'd been on a "go-go-go" mindset for way too long and it was clearly doing some serious damage to both my physical and mental health. But living at home in Castle Combe again wound up being exactly what I needed to get better.

I was certain this could largely be contributed to being around my mother again. I knew I'd missed her terribly, but I didn't realize just how much until I was swallowed in her arms on the train platform the day Hogwarts was let out. Given she and Jasper were the only true constants in my life, not being with her for Christmas had been extremely difficult for me. When it had always just been the three of us for as long as I could remember, we were naturally thick as thieves, so finally being able to simply lay eyes on my mum again, let alone be hugged by her, instantly lit up my mood.

And as the days passed by and we took day trips to the coastline together, held picnics in the neighborhood field, and had dance parties and sunbathed in the backyard on the days England happened to be sunny, I started feeling more like myself than I had in a long time. Now, well into the summer, I was sleeping more, having less nightmares, putting back on the weight I'd lost, and was able to manage a real smile again, numerous times a day.

Mum just had that kind of effect about her. She was a natural healer in every kind of way, both physically and spiritually. Even when she wasn't trying, she always knew exactly what to say or do to make me happy.

Sometimes, she really just felt like an older best friend to me, not my mother. Of course, she knew when my brother and I needed to be put in our places and would always protect us until our dying breath like any mother would. But, at the same time, she was still so youthful and joyous in nature. She was the perfect mixture of responsibility and fun, and because of that there'd never been a time she'd failed to make me feel better when I was down.

I was also certain I'd never met someone more trusting and understanding than her. I could tell her anything that was troubling me without fear of judgement. For that reason, once I'd been home for a week or two and was starting to feel normal enough again that I thought I'd be able to proactively talk about what had been going on with me at the end of the term, I had an honest conversation with her about part of the reason I'd been struggling so much recently— namely Adrian and George.

However, while usually she always had an answer to all of my problems, she strangely wasn't much help when it came to these two boys. I'd spilled to her the change I was detecting in my relationships with the two of them and about all the unusual and confusing things they'd said and done around me throughout the last couple months of school. And while she listened intently to me, she merely sat there on the edge of my bed with a weird twinkle in her eye and her lips curled in amusement.

I'd wanted her to tell me what it all meant, make sense of everything and give me a solution like she always did, but instead she'd only said to me, "I think you'll find out for yourself in due time what's going on here, Nova. Why should I spoil all the fun of life's surprises?" before giving my knee a pat, flashing me a wink, and leaving me alone in my room, unsatisfied.

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Eventually most of the summer had passed and the beginning of my fourth year at Hogwarts was now just a few weeks away. Despite still feeling unsure as to what, if anything, was changing between myself and Adrian, today I was to be heading to the Pucey Manor anyway to spend a week with my best friend and his family.

It was not the first time I'd visited with the Puceys for an extended period of time such as this given our families were so close, but now more than ever I felt a sense of nervousness as I prepared to depart. With the possibility of feelings on Adrian's behalf in the way, I had no idea what this stay would be like. Nevertheless, I was determined to act like it was no different than any other. After all, I hoped there was nothing going on anyway. And, besides, me stressing unnecessarily was only inevitably going to make it an unhappy visit for all.