Sequel: Anchor
Status: Complete! Check out, Anchor. It's the sequel to this story.

Love Gone Mad

TWENTY-SIX

"Adara, I'm fine," Draco insisted as his cousin made an attempt to help him walk into the Slytherin dungeon.

"Do you always have to be so arrogant?" Adara teased receiving a satisfied smirk from Draco.

Adara nervously watched Draco sit upon a black leather sofa in the common room, she was afraid that at any moment he'd collapse. Severus Snape, with the help Madame Pomfrey, had cured Draco's health back to perfection, but Adara couldn't prevent the plague of concern that entered her mind. During Draco's stay in the hospital wing, it was a rarity to see Adara not by her cousin's side; partly because she incapable of leaving Draco alone in his current state and partly because she needed to think. She needed to think about what she'd said to George. The look on his face before she left the boys' lavatory haunted her mind.

"He's not a child, Adara," Lucius Malfoy hissed from behind while gliding past the dim candlelight that filled portions of the room; pulling Adara from her thoughts.

She was not sure when her uncle had arrived to Hogwarts, Adara assumed it as before dawn. His matters of visiting were due to receiving the news of Draco's attack and needing to speak to Severus Snape. Adara didn't have the need to ask her uncle for his reasoning on the subject. She knew. She knew about the Vanishing Cabinet. She knew about the coming assassination.

Lucius and Draco sat beside one another on a sofa in front of the stone carved fireplace, both whispering to one another of secret matters. Adara was sitting across from the two and she could barely make out their words.

“It must be finished soon, Draco,” Adara heard her uncle mutter in a harsh tone.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her left ear, crossed her arms across her chest, and gazed into the fireplace in front of her; shaking away the memories of George that were invading her mind. Not being able to withstand it any longer, Adara spoke up. "Uncle Lucius, there is something I need to tell you."

Lucius fixed his questioning stare upon his niece. Adara's stomach churned as she looked into the piercing eyes of her uncle, the same eyes that Draco had inherited, but Lucius' were deeper; like there were vaulted secrets engraved behind those two blue orbs.

"What is it?" Lucius whispered; his voice laced with concern. He'd always held had a special place in his heart for Adara mainly because she was all he had of his beloved brother, Nathaniel.

"I can't keep this from you any longer," Adara expressed, shifting in her seat. Briefly glancing over at her cousin, who watched her carefully, Adara exhaled.

"I've spent most of this year with Arthur Weasley's son, George."

Lucius face tightened as he let Adara's statement seep into his mind.

"What do you mean?" Lucius dumbly asked. Adara knew her uncle was no fool, he knew what she meant, but he was only refusing to believe the truth Adara had confessed.

"No, uncle, George and I have been dating," Adara responded, she peered down at her trembling hands; not being able to withstand the fiery glare her uncle, her only father-like figure in her life, was sending her. She'd betrayed him.

Lucius sharply inhaled and slammed his fist upon the table beside him, “You've been going behind my back and willingly disgracing our family name?”

Adara sat in her seat, completely mortified, her arms began to shake.

Lucius stood from his seat and began to pace the room. His face of red with fury.

“Let me remind you of something, Adara,” Lucius spat, “because it seems you've forgotten. You are of the purest blood who faithfully serve the Dark Lord, who will one day, forever reign.”

Adara began to weep, realizing the humiliation she'd brought to her uncle.

“There are those who are less fortunate then we and are not chosen to be graced with His presence,” Lucius balled his fist, “and there are those like the Weasleys who chose to associate themselves with muggles and care nothing about their pure-blood status. It's vial.”

“Uncle,” Adara croaked.

“Let me finish,” Lucius growled, “You are to end this. They tried to murder, Draco. They are no friends of ours.”

For the first time, Adara understood. This is the way things were and always would be. She was a Malfoy, a pure-blood. Her actions had been tainting that and it was impossible for her world to mesh with someone who didn't match her's.

"I've been foolish and I am going to fix the mistake I've made,” Adara spoke confidently through her tears.

Draco stared at Adara with wide eyes. He'd witnessed the romance that had flourished between Adara and George Weasley over the past few months and he couldn't believe that Adara had given up on it so easily.

"Good," was all Lucius spoke as he sad back down beside his son; still staring at Adara, who looked awkwardly off into the distance.

"Forgive me, I let my selfish emotions get the best of me and it's only now that I've realized the impact of what I've been doing," Adara continued, silencing George Weasley's voice that waltzed throughout her mind.

"You are young and prone to make mistakes," Lucius replied; his voice swept over her like the wind. "With that, you will have to pay for the consequences that will follow."

Adara sat; dumbfounded by the words her uncle had spoken. She had been so sure that he would have disowned her for her actions; he would have done so to his only son.

"Don't ever do this again, Adara," Lucius growled. "Fix this problem...immediately," he continued before taking his leave from the Slytherin common room. Draco and Adara sat alone in silence; Draco continued to stare at Adara, trying to piece together her reasoning for leaving George.

"Why?" was all Draco muttered as the silence between them just began to thicken.

"I realized," Adara muttered, scooting to the edge of her seat, "George and I are from two different worlds. Two worlds that cannot mix. He's the water and I'm the oil."

Draco ran his hand through his, already ruffled, blond hair, "I didn't think you'd give up so easily."

Adara narrowed her eyes at Draco, mentally slamming away Draco's statement before it persuaded her otherwise. She had to break up with George. She had to right now.

With that fact blaring through her thoughts, Adara rose to her feet and exited the common room. She stormed through the Hogwarts castle; its hallways were barren due to classes being in session
She waited outside the entrance of the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom; knowing George was inside because this to was the class she was supposed to be attending. Moments passed and the classroom doors opened, Adara was leaning against the wall next to the entry way that was now pouring out Hogwarts students, her sapphire eyes landed upon a mop of red hair and she slithered her way through the crowd. Once she drew closer to the figure, Adara realized it was Fred Weasley. She could tell the two twins apart from behind because George walked with his back held a little straighter than Fred's.

"Fred," Adara called out, watching Fred stop in his tracks, obviously recognizing her voice, and turn toward her. Adara's gaze met Fred's hazel eyes, which narrowed at the sight of her. Fred knew; George must have told him about their argument the night before. Swallowing any thought of regret, Adara stepped closer to Fred.

"Where is George?"

"In the common room," Fred responded, a little too quickly for Adara's liking.

Adara wanted to ask if he was okay. She wanted to apologize to Fred, although, he wasn't entirely involved in this current predicament. He'd become a brother to Adara over the time her and George had been together. Staying around Fred any longer would only infect her reasoning for ending her relationship with his twin.

"Okay," was all Adara muttered to Fred before striding off to the Gryffindor tower.

Adara walked through the Gryffindor common room, a place that had grown too familiar to her. George was seated in the corner of the room accompanied by his brother Ron. From the distance, Adara noticed how tired and drained George looked, as if, he'd stayed up all night just like Adara had.

"You shouldn't be here," Ron hissed, looking up at Adara, who stood in front of the two brothers. A shadow hid Adara's trembling frame which continued to fight against her inward orders to stay calm.

"No, she can stay," George responded, his voice sounded strong yet lulling. Adara had missed the sound of his voice and pushed back the tears the rimmed her eyes.

"George," was all Adara could muster up to say. She watched the brothers exchange silent glances and Ron got up to leave, he brushed past Adara; bumped into her shoulder while doing so, and disappearing into the shadows.

"Please, sit down" George ordered in a tone that Adara couldn't help but give in to. She inwardly cursed his always chivalrous nature.

"You're leaving today," Adara spoke, regretting her choice of words.

George nodded once and drilled Adara with a stare, a stare that she had to look away from. "If I remember correctly, you already said goodbye."

Adara inhaled and slowly exhaled, as if to heal the verbal cut George had just sliced through her.

She had to do it. It was now or never.

"I'm sure you've known that it would come to this," Adara indicated, crossing her right leg over her left and slowly leaning forward. A wave of determination washed over her and she returned George's hard gaze.

"Actually, I am not sure what we've come to," George uttered, looking away from Adara. "You were a different person a last night."

"I have been that person all along," Adara sneered, "It was me you saw yesterday and this is me right now."

George shook his head in disbelief, "No, it wasn't."

Adara fixed the hem of her skirt across her knees before responding, the tension in the room was growing at a rapid rate and Adara knew this would all be over soon.

“Yes, it was. You just haven’t seen it because I’ve been too caught up and distracted in your world for you to see the real me.” Adara spat, her body filling with anger. “So, George, who you saw last night was me. Bitter and angry.”

Adara let a victorious smirk sweep its way across her face as she watched the wide-eyed man in front of her refrain from movement. He’d found the truth in her statement.

“Adara, I don’t want to lose you,” George croaked, Adara watched his body shake, holding back the sorrowful sob that was rising in his throat.

“And I don’t want to hurt you anymore,” Adara hissed as she stood to her feet. “I’ve taken you for granted.”

“Is Lucius making you do this?” George growled; standing to his feet like Adara had done. He towered over her small frame, his golden brown eyes scanning hers in search of the answer.

“I told him,” Adara replied, looking up at George.

“So this is all fake? Just an act to make your uncle happy?” George gasped, a playful grin spreading across his lips which soon vanished at the sight of the stern expression on Adara’s face.

“I can’t love you anymore,” Adara whispered, sitting back down in her seat out of fear of sinking to the floor as she spoke.

George stood with his feet frozen to the ground; “You love me?” was all he whispered. His face flushed and tears filled his eyes. “And you choose to tell me now!?”

“Loving you has been my worst fear,” Adara expressed, now answering George‘s question; her voice softened as she watched George kneel down on the ground in front of her.

"Don't do this, Adara," George begged, laying his head on her hands that were folded across her knees; he gently kissed the tips of her fingers.

"George, stop," Adara ordered, her voice was only in a whisper; a whisper that only herself and George could hear.

She watched the teary-eyed man, who was kneeling in front of her; begging her to reconsider, look up into her eyes. "This isn't easy for me."

"Then don't do it," George yelled while jumping to his feet; his sudden outburst startled Adara.

"I can't change," Adara confessed, each word she spoke was uttered slowly. Slow enough to expect the next coming word. George wouldn't buy it; his promise of fighting for Adara was coming into play.

"If a break is what you need, then I am willing to wait for you to be ready," George expressed, staring down at Adara; not wanting to never see her beautiful face staring back at him again.

"I am not asking you for a break," Adara spat, anger rising within her once more due to George's continuing battle. "I don't want to be with you anymore."

The air within Adara's lungs seemed to have been stolen from her; the reality of what she'd just done came crashing around her. Never again would she taste his sweet kiss, smell the scent of his warm skin, or be entranced by that smile. Oh, how she loved his smile.

"I don't want you to blame yourself for this, George," Adara continued, rising from her seat and taking a step toward George, who looked as if he'd just lost everything; his entire world. "I'm the one to blame."

George reached out and stroked the side of Adara’s face, she could feel his peppermint breath tingling against her skin and she closed her eyes. “No,” Adara whispered, feeling the warmth of George’s hand leave her face.

“We can’t be together,” Adara uttered; her eyes fluttering back open, “Our worlds do not blend.”

George fell back into his seat; his expression lifeless. He’d lost.

Adara pulled a small box out of her jacket’s pocket and set it down upon the table next to George then she left George where he sat; she turned her back from the man she’d spent six years falling in love with.

And now that fairy tale was over. Or was it?
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