stardust ⋮ george weasley

eighty-eight :

E I G H T Y - E I G H T

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Adeline hadn't known what to expect when Tom had asked her to come see someone on the Muggle side for her. She quickly made her way through the empty Leaky Cauldron and opened up the door. Adeline had to stop her jaw from dropping when she saw who was standing outside of the Muggle-world entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Emily?"

Adeline hadn't had contact with her family since before the start of her 7th year when George and Mrs. Weasley had come to pick her up for the summer. The sight of her older sister standing in front of her was so shocking that Adeline blurted out, "Why are you here? How did you find me?"

"I remember you getting dropped off here, and this being some sort of entrance. It was the only place I knew."

"Okay, but why are you here? Why are you so desperate to find me?"

"There's something going on your world, isn't there? And it's infecting into ours."

Adeline pursed her lips together. "What makes you think that?"

"There's been so many strange deaths and events the news have been trying to explain away. Things that just don't make sense. And your world is...strange. Plus, you were attacked so badly a year ago, you lost your eye. It's the only explanation I can even think for all of this."

"Strange, lovely," Adeline scoffed, trying her best to avoid the topic. "That's so kind of you."

Emily looked as if she wanted to throw her bag to the ground out of frustration. "Adeline, I'm trying! Could you give me a little grace?"

"Merlin, why do I always have to be the nice one when it comes to you all?" Adeline complained aloud. Her anger was beginning to bubble to the surface, and she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to hold it all in. "You all were the one who treated me as an outcast for years until I moved out! And I still haven't heard an apology."

"Adeline, I know we haven't been like this in years, we were friends when we were little–"

"And that's what makes it even worse!" Adeline practically hissed in anger. "It's like you said. We were best friends when we were little, Emily. But then I turned out to be a witch, you suddenly turned into a younger version of our parents. Sure, you had your moments. But you almost always ignored me. I expected our parents to treat me the way they did, but I never expected you to do the same."

"Do you know how badly I've felt about that?" Emily exclaimed. Adeline could see a hint of genuine guilt in her eyes, making her hard shell melt slightly. "And now I don't even know what you're doing with your life now! You didn't need to run away from all of us."

Adeline twisted her silver bracelet around her wrist as she shook her head. "You don't know anything about my life. Getting away from allowing of you was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I can't go back to a home that hates my very existence."

"Didn't you finish school last year? Do you even have anywhere to live now?"

Adeline could feel her frustration beginning to grow once again, and she tried to squash it back down. "I'm living with my boyfriend and his twin brother, and I'm working. I'm doing perfectly fine for myself."

Emily's eyes grew wide. "Boyfriend?"

"Why is the fact that I have a boyfriend so shocking to you?" Adeline shot back, crossing her arms over her chest.