S I X T Y - F O U R

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On the morning of the first Quidditch Game, Adeline couldn't help but notice that the mood in the Great Hall wasn't bright and joyful as it had been in the past. Normally, both houses would be excited and even if they were nervous, they wouldnt care too much. Gryffindor especially would be so focused on beating Slytherin that theyd spend more of their energy trading insults with their rival house and getting hyped up for the game.

But even Adeline couldnt help but notice the tension in the air the moment she stepped into the Great Hall. She tried to keep a smile on her face as she walked in with her best friends, but the uncomfortable feeling just couldn't escape her no matter how hard she tried.

The sound of Ophelia commenting about Adeline's choice of sweater pulled her out of her own thoughts. "Interesting new sweater you've got on there," She commented with a laugh. "I think this the first time one of you aren't wearing my sweaters."

"It's a Gryffindor sweater! It's not like I'm still supporting you guys!"

"You've betrayed me. I'm never getting over this loss."

"These sweaters look the exact same," Adeline pointed out with a laugh.

"They are pretty similar," Melanie admitted. "But Adeline's just has 'Weasley' across the back."

With a grin, Estelle added, "Well, since it probably is her future last name, it seems only right that she starts wearing it now."

Adeline shoved Estelle lightly with her shoulder, but she had to bite her bottom lip to keep herself from grinning at the thought of being married to George one day.

Meanwhile, George was beaming at the sight of Adeline approaching in one of his Gryffindor Quidditch sweaters tucked into a black pleated skirt and red and gold ribbons tied into her hair, and he immediately got out of his seat to jog towards her. Feeling a little more bold than usual that morning, George spun her around and then stopped her mid-twirl by wrapping his arms around her waist. "You look good today, Addie," He said before leaning his face towards hers.

The kiss got cut off before their lips even touched when George felt himself get shoved in the shoulder, breaking the kiss and knocking him out of his lovestruck daze. "Can you two calm down over here?" Fred questioned loudly. "I think you made Ophelia vomit into her pumpkin juice."

"It's no longer drinkable!" Ophelia yelled, raising her goblet in the air in an effort to emphasize her point.

"We didn't even kiss," George complained.

"And thank goodness for that," Estelle muttered, earning an eyeroll from Adeline.

"Let's just sit down and try to get through breakfast without you scarring all the first years," Fred said as he gestured towards the Gryffindor table. "You two can snog all you want after we win the game."

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The Gryffindor match, unfortunately, wasn't going as well as their games had been in the past. Ophelia, Angelina, and Katie had all been trying their best to keep the Quaffle out of Slytherin's hands, but it did little to stop the Slytherin's team from scoring on Ron. Ron had already been incredibly nervous going into the game, but the more the Slytherin's scored, the worse he got and the more he fumbled and let the Slytherin's points go up.

Of course, it didn't help that the stands of Slytherin's fans were now singing a song written by none other than Malfoy himself entitled 'Weasley is Our King', all being conducted by a fifth-year girl with short black hair and a sneer on her face.

"I could kill all of them for the bloody awful chant," Adeline said furiously, glaring at the singing crowd of green and silver. "Is that sort of thing allowed?"

Melanie begrudgingly nodded. "Spectators are allowed to jeer each other all they want, as long as it doesn't involve curse words or they don't get physically violent."

Fortunately for the Gryffindors, Harry managed to catch the Snitch, just barely making up for the difference in points and getting the team their first win for the season. Just as he was flying down, however, a large Slytherin boy – who Adeline recognized from hanging around Malfoy – decided that it was a good idea to whack a Bludger straight into Harry's back, who was attempting to fly back down to the pitch.

"That's an illegal move!" Cedric yelled in a loud voice that managed to carry over the screams and jeers of the students sitting around them, many of them infuriated that Harry had been hit with the Bludger like that. "He can't do that when the game is finished!"

"It definitely is, especially since Lee looks like he's cursing up a storm and Professor McGonagall has confiscated the microphone away from him," Estelle pointed out, gesturing across the Quidditch pitch to where the fight was going down. "We should probably get back down to the pitch soon to congratulate Ophelia, who hopefully shouldn't be too upset over what just went down out their."

When Adeline got down the stairs and stepped onto the Quidditch pitch, she could tell that something was wrong. Instead of everyone cheering for the winning team, it seemed as if everyone was gathering into a small huddle. As she took a few steps closer, she saw a familiar-looking girl with dark curly hair that was barely contained by a Gryffindor hat break apart from the group and look in Adeline's direction.

"Adeline! It's George and Harry!" Hermione yelled desperately across the pitch, which was enough to cause her to start running.

Adeline had pushed her way through the crowd to find chaotic scene awaiting her. Angelina, Ophelia, and Alicia were all just barely holding back Fred, who was bellowing curses at the top of his lungs. What Adeline was more focused on, however, was the sight of George and Harry yelling and furiously punching a pinned down Draco Malfoy. She had never seen George so angry in all the time she had known him. She had seen him mad before, yes, but she had never seen so furious in all the time that she's known him.

But, even though, Adeline knew that she probably should have tried to step in at that point, a strange part of her didn't even want to do that just yet. Although, she wasn't entirely sure why she felt that way.

It took Cedric, Estelle, and Melanie running up beside Adeline to snap her back into attention. Cedric and Adeline jumped into action, casting a shield spell to break the fighting boys apart. As Cedric ran to get Madam Hooch, Adeline ran forward and grabbed George's arm with one hand and kept the shield spell going with the other.

"Merlin, George, what happened out there?" She yelled, keeping a tight grip on his arm in an attempt to keep him from lunging towards Malfoy again.

He didn't answer her and was instead trying to release himself from Adeline's grip and go after Malfoy again. George's lip was bleeding profusely, and there were several other small cuts and bruises littered across his face. As much as Adeline kept trying to hold of him, she probably would've ended up loosing her grip if it weren't for the fact that Madam Hooch stepped into the middle of the group to yell at the two Gryffindor boys.

"I have never seen behavior like this!" She screamed as she rushed to Malfoy's side, who was still lying on the ground covered in cuts and bruises from the two boys beating him up. "Back up to the castle, the both of you, and straight your Head of House's office! Go! Now!"

Adeline tried to look George in the eye to at least get an idea of what was going through his mind, but him and Harry turned away to storm off in the other direction, off the Quidditch pitch and out of Adeline's sight.

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Adeline's leg bounced up and down as she waited in the Gryffindor common room for George and Harry to come back from there meeting with Professor McGonagall. Ophelia gone up to her dorm the moment she had gotten back to Gryffindor tower, not wanting to talk to anyone and just deal with her annoyance about how the game had ended alone. Angelina and Katie sat close together on the couch, quietly whispering to each other and occasionally glancing towards the door. Fred, on the other hand, was unusually silent, refusing to look at anyone and instead fiddling with a loose thread at the end of his Quidditch sweater.

The moment the door opened, all four seventh years – including many other Gryffindors who happened to be sitting in the common room – turned to look at George and Harry. Adeline jumped off the couch and ran over to George's side, immediately becoming worried when he saw the angry look in his eyes. "What happened? What did Professor McGonagall say? Was it alright?"

Glaring stonily at the floor, Harry said through gritted teeth, "Well, considering we got given a lifelong ban from Hogwarts Quidditch, I'd say it didn't go that well."

With a practically identical look on his face, George glanced at his twin brother and added, "Not just me and Harry either. Professor Umbridge insisted that Fred better be booted off the team as well."

Fred looked like he was about to punch a wall as he spun around on his heel and stomped up to his dorm, letting the form slam loudly behind him. "Banned?" Angelina questioned in disbelief, just barely over her shock. "Banned...no Seeker...no Beaters...Gryffindor is finished!"

As most of the Gryffindor common room practically began to explode with rage, George leaned towards a still-shocked Adeline and whispered, "I just dont think I can be here right now."

Adeline, fortunately, had already been planning for this. "C'mon," She whispered, tugging on his hand and glancing at the common room door. "I have somewhere we can go."

He sent her a grateful look as the two snuck out the Gryffindor common room. George was scared about facing all his friends after getting himself kicked off the Quidditch team to the point where he didn't even want to face his twin brother, who was likely fuming up in their bedroom. Although he was still fuming after what both Professor Umbridge and Malfoy, George was more nervous thinking about his friends reactions.

But with Adeline's small, warm hand wrapped around his larger, calloused one as they walked down the corridor, George felt a little more at ease that everything might turn out alright.

The two reached a large wooden door behind a statue, and George blinked in surprise when he recognized the location. "Why'd you take me to the Prefect's bathroom?"

Adeline turned to George, confused. "Wait, how did you know about this place? You're not even supposed to have access."

"Me and Freddie may have figured out the password and sneak in here whenever we can."

"Of course you did," Adeline muttered, shaking her head as George let out a chuckle. She then uttered the password and the door cracked open, revealing the ornately-decorated bathroom. The moonlight shone through the large windows lining the walls, acting as one of the few sources of light in the dimly-lit bathroom.

George glanced warily at the line of toilet stalls lining the wall. "Last time I was in here, Moaning Myrtle kept trying to stare at me as I was trying to take a shower. I really hope she isn't going to show up here this time around."

"She better not. Even though I feel bad about how she died, Myrtle needs to learn how to leave people alone," Adeline said with a small laugh, tugging on his hand and trying to pull him towards the bathroom sinks. "But right now, I'd rather not think about Moaning Myrtle. I'd rather focus on you if that's alright."

George's confusion about what Adeline had brought him here for only grew as she sat up on the edge of the sink, letting her legs dangle over the front. "What on Earth are you doing, Addie?"

"Fixing you up," She stated as if the answer was obvious. "I'm not going to let you run around with untreated wounds, for Merlin's sake. I brought my first aid supplies"

George raised an eyebrow, eyeing Adeline's messenger bag that was half-sitting in the sink. "I could've sworn you mastered that spell to heal cuts. It's not like I have any major injuries."

"I could use that spell if I wanted," Adeline admitted. "But I'm helping you out the Muggle way this time around. It takes a little longer, but it gives me more of a reason to sit here and talk to you," she mused as she pulled the bandages and cloth out of her messenger bag.

"Not that I don't mind spending time with you...but you know I could just go to Madame Pomfrey if I felt like I was badly hurt, right?"

"Would you like to deal with me or Madam Pomfrey right now?"

"I don't know...Madam Pomfrey is pretty cute and–" George faltered when he felt Adeline's gentle touch graze his cheekbone. "Actually, I don't mind this at all," He eventually decided with a small smile.

"I thought as much," Adeline teased as she began to carefully disinfect the cuts on his face. "Now, do you want to tell me what went down out on the Quidditch pitch?"

His eyes darkened as he thought about the Slytherin boy. "Malfoy's an arse. I wish I got to beat him up more."

"Well, we all know that. But what did he say to you that set you off so much?"

There was a sharp intake of breath before George admitted, "He insulted my family."

It was such a small sentence, but George said it with such anger that it almost made Adeline flinch. This – and the reason behind the fight – didn't surprise Adeline, however. Something everyone knew about the Weasley family is that they were fiercely protective of each other, so to learn that George had attacked Draco for that reason made the fight make complete sense to Adeline.

"He kept saying all these terrible things about my mum and dad and our home. He called Mum fat and ugly and my dad a useless loser, and he said the Burrow was a terrible hovel," George continued, keeping his furious stare focused on the mirror behind Adeline. "Harry might've actually been able to hold me back if Malfoy hadn't decided it was a good idea to start insulting Harry's mum too. That's when everything kind of became a blur. I didn't even fully realize that I was punching Malfoy until you and Cedric cast that spell that blast us apart."

"And what happened after you left? When you had to go meet with Professor McGonagall?"

That's when George's face fell again. "Professor McGonagall was originally just going to take away a bunch of points and give us detention, but then that toad showed up to ban not only me and Harry from playing Quidditch, but Fred too. Now our brooms are chained up in her office, and the Gryffindor team is down three players."

"Three of their best players," Adeline emphasized, trying to lighten the mood at least a little bit. But George's frown and sad brown eyes remained, so as she bandaged the cut on his cheek, Adeline quietly said, "I'm sorry that Umbridge ruined Quidditch for you. You deserve better."

"The thing is, I know me and Freddie arent good enough to do Quidditch for a career. It isn't our dream – not the way that the joke shop is. But I loved being a beater. It was one of the first things I ever thought I was good at, and Umbridge took that away from me," George confessed. "And now I feel like I've let the whole team, especially Angelina, down, and I just feel awful."

"You didn't let them down. Professor Umbridge was the one with the unreasonable punishment. If it had been a normal year without that toad, you would still be flying at that next Gryffindor Quidditch game. They're mad at her. Sure, maybe you probably shouldn't have beat up Malfoy out in the open in front of everyone. But it's not like people haven't gotten into fights before."

When George still didn't seem as convinced by her words, Adeline leaned in a little closer and whispered, "Can I tell you a secret? I might not have cast that spell if you weren't fighting him out in the middle of a Quidditch pitch and Cedric wasn't there."

George blinked in surprise. "What? You would've done that?"

"It's like you said. It's Malfoy. I was more scared of you getting into trouble, if I'm being honest."

When she said that so seriously, he couldn't help let out a small laugh because the answer just seemed so Adeline. "Of course, you're worried about me getting in trouble. You know I don't usually care about that sort of thing, right?"

"I know, but I care about it! You get in trouble enough as it is! I don't want you to get in even more trouble!"

Rolling his eyes, George let out a small laugh and leaned over to kiss the top of Adeline's head. "I feel like I've said this a million times, but you're too much of a worrier, Addie."

"That's what I do. I worry about everyone, but especially you. It doesn't help that every time I turn around, you're trying out a new candy for the Skiving Snackboxes or setting off an array of fireworks that is surely going to get you in trouble with Professor Umbridge."

This caused the both of them to start laughing at this point, but George's smile couldn't help but fall after only just a few seconds. Adeline immediately noticed this and asked, "Are you alright? What's going through your mind right now?"

"I'm sorry I could barely even look at you right after the fight," George mumbled, the porcelain sink seemingly becoming a lot more interesting to him as his guilty feelings overtook him. "I was just so angry in that moment that I...I thought you'd be scared of me."

"You were a little terrifying out there..." Adeline admitted quietly as she reached over to cup George's cheek. "But I know you were incredibly angry, especially knowing what you just told me about Malfoy just said. Even though I don't think getting into fights is the best response, I know you were probably just so overwhelmed in the moment. I'm just grateful it was for a mostly good reason, and you didn't take it out on me or anyone else. Well, anyone who wasn't Malfoy."

"I'd never want to take it out you or anyone else that matters to me," George replied a soft voice, placing his hand on top of Adeline's as he began to smile once more. "Although, if this is how you treat me when I get into fights, then I might get into more of them in the future."

Adeline shook her head but she couldn't help but let out a small chuckle before going back to treating his cuts once again. As she quietly worked, George couldn't help but be grateful that he had someone as incredible as Adeline who would call him out on what he did wrong, but still be there to support him through moments like this.

Once she was sure that she had gotten every single wound, Adeline smiled softly at him and gently rubbed her thumb against his cheek. "There," She said happily. "Handsome as ever."

George returned her smile, which only grew as Adeline leaned over to kiss him. When they broke apart from the kiss, George leaned his forehead against hers and mumbled, "You know, I think you missed a few cuts."

Adeline moved her head back so she could quickly scan George's face. "Really? I thought I got them all?"

"Yeah, well, they're hiding under my sweater so...you figure it out, Addie. You're the supposed to be the smart one in this relationship."

"Did you actually get hurt there, or are you just trying to take your shirt off in front of me?"

A cheeky smile appeared on George's face. "What if it's both?" When Adeline gave him skeptical look, he added, "When I was little, Mum always kissed my wounds to make me feel better, which surprisingly worked."

"Oh really now?"

"Well, whenever you kiss me, it always feels like magic so...I think this method is pretty effective."

"I'm not kissing any of your wounds, I don't care how hot you looked up there fighting Draco–"

"Woah, woah, woah," George interrupted with a raised brow and a smirk on his face, taking a step closer to her as Adeline's cheeks begin to burn. "I didn't bring up the fight at all...but would you care to tell me what you thought about it? And don't be afraid of sharing every thought that went through your mind."

"You're a pervert. I'm not answering that question."

"Says the girl who thinks I'm hot when I'm getting into fights–"

Adeline cut off his teasing by cupping his cheek and pulled him in for a kiss. Happily obliging, George placed his hands low on her hips as Adeline wrapped her legs around his waist. He managed to break away from the kiss for a few brief moments to comment, "Yeah, I'm definitely feeling better now," before pressing his lips on hers once more.

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a/n:

hi guys!!

i already had the feeling this chapter was going to be long, but it still ended up taking me much longer than i expected AHAHAHA rn i'm just hoping that finals don't get crazy over-whelming bc those are coming up in a month and i am Terrified

i hope you all have a lovely day, and i hope you guys enjoyed the chapter !! i'll see you guys at the next update !!

- g ♡