Love Gone Mad

Dear Adara,

It's been six months since I saw you last, every day gets a little easier, but you still cross my mind more than often. If you haven't heard already, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes is going marvelous. It's quite a wonderful feeling to see the shop cram-packed with customers daily. I am afraid yet secretly delighted to admit that Fred and I have given Zonko's a run for their money.

I wish you were here to share this experience with me, I never realized just how much I needed you until you left. I'm sorry that I was unable to tell you this in person, but Adara Rose, I love you. Maybe if I would have told you that a million times you would have stayed with me. The words you spoke the last time I saw you keep running through my mind and they cause me to wish that I would have tried harder to keep you.



George Weasley sat on the far corner of his bed, staring down at the parchment that rested in his hands. He swallowed hard, let out a low sigh, and folded the note to a close, then reaching over and picking the small brown shoebox that sat beside him. George gently placed the letter inside to join the other notes he'd written to Adara over the past six months. Within each letter, George engraved every thought, feeling, and story he wished he could share with Adara. Writing seemed to make coping with life without her a little easier and it reminded him of how they met.

With a letter.

Leaning down, George pushed the letter box underneath his bed and sat back up; resting his head in his hands. A muffled knock came from the outside of George's door and he eased himself off his bed and clenched the bronzed door handle. Fred and Rachelle stood in the door frame, hand in hand. Rachelle had made the habit of helping out in the shop with George and Fred on the weekends while she was still attending Hogwarts. She and Fred had been dating for a month now and George couldn't have been happier for the two of them. However, every time George was around Rachelle, she'd unintentionally bring back visions of those piercing sapphire eyes, belonging to Adara, staring back at him.

"It's time to open up shop, George," Fred announced analyzing the forced smile that appeared on his twin's face.

Fred and George had moved into the loft above their joke shop two months after the grand opening of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. The twin's life of creating joke products was made easier by the removal of their mother, Molly Weasley's, watchful eye. Although they did miss their families' company time after time.

"I'll be down in a minute," George replied, taking a step back; going deeper into his cluttered bed room.

"Rachelle, go ahead down stairs. I need to talk to George," Fred whispered to the blonde standing next to him. With a single nod, Rachelle turned on her heels and glided down the staircase that led to the store room.

"You wrote to her again, didn't you?" Fred spoke while leaning against the door frame of his twin's bed room. George pulled off his wrinkled shirt and replaced it with his work attire.

"Yes," George replied; turning to face Fred, who was watching him carefully.

"George, you're just making this harder on yourself," Fred expressed while taking a few steps into the room, "It's been six months, you need to let her go."

"I can't let Adara go, Fred," George snapped and immediately apologized for his angry tone. "It's not that simple."

Fred exhaled and placed his hands into the pockets on the front of his black pants. "What if she never comes back?"

George's face softened, his expression was as if he knew; as if he held an unspoken secret. "She will and until then I will wait for her because right now that's all I can do. Our separation is just another part of our story that's being written."

"That girl turned my brother into a bloody romantic," Fred responded with a chuckle; a faint grin tugged at the left corner of his mouth.

"That girl," George sighed, watching the image of Adara smiling back at him reel in front of his eyes, "Is the girl I want to marry."



The scene of teary-eyed parents and eager young witches and wizards readying themselves to board the Hogwarts Express played around Adara as she stood on Platform 9 ¾ beside her cousin, Draco. It had been almost a year since her date with George Weasley at Hogsmeade during the start of her sixth year at Hogwarts. Adara thought about George often, she was never able to fully erase the images of him that were stored in her mind. Although she had brought herself to the conclusion, after many nights of battling with herself and long discussions with Draco, that leaving George saved both of them a lot of heartache and trouble in the long run. Their relationship wasn't cohesive; they were just both too blinded and naive to see it. George couldn't belong in her world and she didn't belong in his.

Adara pushed through the first few months of school at Hogwarts, eager to finish and start her career, eager to leave the place that taunted her with so many thoughts of George Weasley. She didn't talk to many students at Hogwarts, just those in her Slytherin house, who'd come back around after catching wind of Adara's break up.

“How are things going with you and Fred?” Adara regrettably asked Rachelle during their study time in the Slytherin common room.

"Beyond wonderful," Rachelle expressed with a whimsical smile on her face.

Adara had taught herself to be happy for Rachelle, so she forced a smile and continued on with her homework.

"You should come by and see their store. It is quite an eye catcher," Rachelle continued.

She'd been trying to get Adara to visit George ever since they'd broken up. She didn't understand Adara's reasoning for leaving him and was fed up with her repetitive excuses.

Adara politely shook her head, "no," and spoke of another excuse on how she didn't have time.

"Adara, when are you going to give this act up? It's been a year and I can see that you're still in love with him."

Adara's eyes shot up at Rachelle and locked on; she clenched her jaw tight and spoke, "You know why I did it."

"You left him over events that hadn't even taken place yet!" Rachelle hissed, slamming her textbook closed. "You were too busy being driven by emotion to see that and realize that George loves you."

"And George and I were too distracted with one another to realize that we were a joke," Adara uttered back, her eyes darkened underneath a shadow cast by the flickering flames inside the fireplace. "And it wouldn't have lasted, so I just brought us to that point before I could hurt him anymore."

"You gave up," Rachelle whispered harshly, "that's unlike you."

"I'm done talking about this," Adara spat; grabbing her textbooks together and heading up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

She slammed the door behind her and dropped her school books on the floor. Sitting on the edge of her bed, Adara began to cry tears of bitterness, regret, and sadness. She let herself cry until she had nothing left within her. Adara’s heart had hardened over the past year without George; numbing her heart ache. But after hearing Rachelle’s words; hearing the word’s her best friend had spoken to her time and time again, only this time they soaked in; Adara wondered if she’d made a mistake. She’d felt so certain that she’d done the right thing by leaving George, she forced herself to believe that they’d both get on better without one another.

Wiping the mascara stained tears from her cheeks; Adara knelt on the ground and pulled out a small trunk from beneath her four poster bed. She flipped the latches on the side of the case up and pushed its unlocked lid open. Pushing back the numerous bundles of letters inside; each envelope containing every letter George had written to her, Adara’s eyes caught sight of a small black frame. She picked up the picture and turned it over in her hands. Adara couldn’t suppress the smile the tugged on her cheeks as her eyes met the moving image of her and George. It was the picture George had given to her as a gift on their “almost two week anniversary.” Both were covered in ice cream; laughing like mad.

While taking in how happy they both looked together, Adara suddenly realized what she had really been doing all along; it was as if her suborned vision had been unclouded and truth was shining through. It was only herself she'd wanted to protect. Adara weaved a web of selfish ambition within her mind and was only concerned about the outlook her peers had on her life. She removed the need to make herself truly happy and chase after the man she loved.

Thinking back, Adara couldn't remember the basics of why she'd changed; it seemed to be an impulse; as if, something snapped and she was uncontrollable. However, she now knew three facts. One being that George was more than ready to leave everything behind just to be with her. Second, Adara had forced herself to believe that she couldn't do the same for him. And finally the third fact; her motives were nonsensical. She'd been wrong.

"What have I done?" Adara whispered to herself, a wave of regret pounded against her chest so hard that she couldn't breathe.



George lie awake in his bed, staring up at the ceiling; sleep wasn't going to greet him tonight. He wanted nothing more than to dream; to dream of Adara, in hope of hearing her sweet voice once again. He rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed, giving his tired arms a stretch before reaching over and pulling the chain on his bedside lamp. The room immediately filled with light and George paused, letting his eyes adjust, and then grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill from the bedside table drawer.
　
Dear Adara,

A year ago; tomorrow, was the day of our first "date" in Hogsmeade. I remember coming up behind you and watching your hair dance in the wind. I can almost smell your perfume now. You were afraid to look at me so you shut your eyes. Thinking back on the look of your face still causes me to smile. You looked so innocent; so beautiful. The second your eyes looked up at me I knew; I knew that I needed you. I remember the way you walk; I love to watch you walk. It was always as if you were gliding. You're every move always seemed to steal the breath from my lungs. Every day I hope. I hope the next moment will bring you home to me. I can't sleep tonight, but I wish I could. I wish I knew where you were and if you are dreaming as I write this letter to you. I wish I could close my eyes and meet with you in your dreams, we could stay there together and never wake up.

I love you, Adara.

Once more, George added his note to the box underneath his bed. Sighing to himself, George pulled the cord on the lamp beside him, leaving the room in darkness once more, and forced himself to sleep.