A/n: I'm so sorry I haven't given you any smut for the past ten chapters. I know this was supposed to be a smut book but the rewrite changed things up for me and smut doesn't fit in the plot at the moment. I really hope you don't mind :((
--
'Each time you have a dream, you never know what it means'
Adrienne huffed as she sat down at one of the tables in The Leaky Cauldron. Today had been another long day at work and she was just looking forward to unwinding with her dog and perhaps a book. She slung her bag on the back of her chair and looked around for a waitress, only to see Maggie walking towards her with a smile on her face.
"Hey Addie, I've got your mail for you" she greeted, handing her a few envelopes. Adrienne flicked through them as Maggie sat opposite her, magicking a plate of sandwiches from the kitchens. Most of the mail was just bills and advertisements but she came across a particular one that she hadn't expected to see.
"Well that's odd, I didn't think anyone would book the cabin after they heard about my divorce" Adrienne said, opening the letter to read the details about the guests. The cabin was booked by someone of the name 'Isabella Rue', Adrienne had never heard of her before.
"Someone booked your cabin?" Maggie asked, eyebrows raised, "That's nice, when's it for?"
"15th of April, crap, that's on the same day as the party at the Malfoys" Adrienne sighed. "Don't skip the party! Draco would be pretty upset!" Maggie said, resting her cup of tea down on the table, looking slightly alarmed.
Adrienne narrowed her eyes at her "Since when do you care about me being at the party so much?" But then her lips turned up in a smirk and she rested her chin on her palm and her elbow on the table, "So...is Draco good in bed like they all say he is?" she waggled her eyebrows at Maggie.
"Shut up Addie" Maggie rolled her eyes, a blush creeping up her neck, "Focus on the other matters at hand, how are you going to do both at the same time?" she asked, changing the topic completely.
"Maybe I'll just get the cabin ready beforehand, attend the party and then go back to the cabin the same afternoon" Adrienne suggested and Maggie nodded in agreement.
But Adrienne failed to notice a hint of a smile on Maggie's lips. A smile that knew much more than she did.
-
The Summer Ball in Malfoy Manor, or rather the Summer Garden party, was a splendid yet semi-formal affair, cold flutes of champagne, light, fluttering dresses and the shine of the sun on Narcissa Malfoy's well kept garden was a sight to behold, putting even the most grumpiest in the best of moods. Everyone received an invite, and everyone attended, simply because it was one of the biggest summer events of the year.
Adrienne Ellis donned her simple, baby yellow dress with a pattern of tiny pink petals covering it, which looked absolutely stunning. Her hair was curled to perfection, a light smattering of highlighter and glitter dancing on her cheekbones. She tucked a pink, translucent bougainvillea behind her ear, the scent of it lingering on her skin as she stepped on to the gardens crowded with people of all magical descent, chattering and laughing loudly amongst each other.
Adrienne felt out of place, she couldn't find Draco or Maggie anywhere and there was no one else here who she was very familiar with. Just an hour ago, she had summoned her cabin from the lake and gotten it ready for the guest who was going to arrive later this afternoon.
She recognised Neville Longbottom standing a few yards away from her with his girlfriend and decided to join them. "You're looking lovely Adrienne" Neville and Hannah greeted her, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you" she smiled, complimenting them on their clothes too. "I hope Noah isn't around anywhere" she mumbled quietly to Neville.
He frowned, "I did actually see him on the other end of the garden, may want to keep away from there" he muttered back. Neville was familiar with her divorce from Noah and had been very kind and helpful to her all along.
The last thing Adrienne wanted was to bump into Noah. The only reason she was at the party was because she was doing Draco a favour, he wanted her there. Her gaze nervously flitted amongst people, her fingers wrapped tightly around a flute of champagne. Suddenly, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder,
"I love your dress, it reminds me of the flowers in my backyard!" a soft, dreamy voice filled Adrienne's ears. She turned around to be met with a young woman, slightly shorter than her, platinum blonde locks flowing down to her waist. Her eyes had a dazed off look and she wore a flower crown on her head. Actually, it looked more like a crown made of dead leaves and seeds.
"Luna Lovegood, I saw you from across the garden and I knew I had to tell you about how lovely I think your dress is" she smiled. Adrienne gazed at her, she seemed quite nice "Hello Luna, I'm Adrienne Ellis" she extended her hand in a handshake but Luna gave her a hug instead, taking Adrienne by surprise.
"I know, we went to Hogwarts together. You were two years above me"
"I'm sorry I can't seem to place you, are you here with anyone else?" Adrienne asked.
"I'm with my friends, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. Do you know them?" Luna questioned and Adrienne nodded excitedly. Seamus and Dean were a couple of Gryffindors who she had helped a long time ago when they were both failing Care of Magical Creatures.
While Luna continued to talk to Adrienne, she noticed a familiar man with blonde hair, holding a glass of wine in his hand as he chatted with a few other men. "Crap" Adrienne muttered to herself. "Anything the matter?" Luna asked, confused.
"That man there is my ex-husband, I really don't want him to see me" Adrienne mumbled, but unfortunately, it was too late. Noah had already spotted her and his lips had turned down in a frown. He whispered something to the man he was talking to before making his way over to Adrienne.
"Adrienne" he smiled stiffly, "Haven't seen you in a while" he spoke as if they hadn't just ended on very bad terms. "That's because we don't live together anymore, Noah" Adrienne replied.
"I'm Luna, you must be Adrienne's ex-husband" Luna gave him a hug too. Noah stood their awkwardly, wine of glass still in his hand "Okay...um, can you excuse us Luna? I would like to speak to Adrienne"
Luna nodded, bidding goodbye to the both of them before heading away and disappearing into the crowds. "What do you want Noah?" Adrienne asked, crossing her arms.
"Just wondering how you had the nerve to turn up at a party where everyone hates you" he said, sipping from his glass of wine. "What do you mean?" Adrienne asked.
"Look around you, have any of them except that...strange girl...made the effort to come up and talk to you? They haven't have they? It's because the gossip about you has been wild Adrienne"
For a moment, she felt a pang in her chest. But then she realised who she was talking to and she looked up at him with a bold expression on her face,
"Indulging in gossip, Noah? I knew you were boring in bed but I would've expected something more from you otherwise" she shot back. She didn't know where she found the courage to say those words but Noah's surprised reaction satisfied her.
"Fuck you Adrienne" he muttered under his breath.
"No need for that, I'm doing just fine on my own" she spat before turning around on her heel and leaving him standing baffled in the middle of the garden. Internally, she facepalmed at her immature reply but she knew it made Noah mad so she let it slide.
She looked around for Neville and Hannah but they were nowhere to be seen so she awkwardly stood near the bar, soaking in the afternoon sun. Her gaze travelled over more of the guests but none of them looked towards her. Soon, the quartet began to play music and people found partners to dance. Even though it was a semi-formal party in the middle of the day, everyone still enjoyed the ballroom dance.
Adrienne rested her empty champagne flute on the bar and was about to make her way to the restrooms to freshen up when she suddenly felt a soft hand slide into hers and pull her away from the bar. Adrienne gasped as she was spun around and was now face to face with none other than Hermione Granger.
"Would you like to dance with me, Adrienne?" Hermione asked, a kind smile on her face. She looked phenomenal in her baby blue dress that hugged her in all the right places and flowed down from her waist. Adrienne was shocked at her sudden experience and her mouth open and closed like a fish out of water. But there was no way she could run away now.
"O-of course Hermione, it's so nice to see you here" Adrienne chuckled nervously as Hermione rested one hand on her waist and used the other hand to interlace her fingers with Adrienne's. "Nice to see you too, I've been waiting for someone to dance with. I would've asked Ron but he's got two left feet, you do know Ron don't you?" she asked, eyebrows slightly raised.
The two women danced to the music from the quartet, their dresses fluttering around them as they twisted and turned. Hermione's eyes stared straight into Adrienne's as she awaited her response.
"Ron...I-I've never heard of him" Adrienne lied.
Hermione pursed her lips together, "That's odd, I thought you'd have some memory of him" she emphasised on the word 'memory' and Adrienne gulped, hoping Hermione didn't notice how anxious she was.
"No, I don't know who you're talking about" Adrienne said more firmly.
"What about Harry, you do know him don't you? We swung by together at the nursery" Hermione raised her eyebrows once again.
That's when Adrienne realised that Hermione was on to something, and she wouldn't stop questioning her until she got all her answers. "Yes I know Harry, who doesn't? You, him and Ron defeated Voldemort for Merlin's sake" Adrienne laughed in a fit of nervousness.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at her "Funny, just seconds ago you mentioned you didn't know who Ron was"
Adrienne's breath hitched in her throat and she met Hermione's eyes once more "What do you want Hermione? Why are you asking me all these questions?" she asked.
"Because Adrienne" Hermione said, dipping her before pulling her back up, "There's something you're not telling me, you're hiding a secret and you know it" Hermione finally confronted her.
Adrienne's heart beat wildly in her chest, her palms becoming sweaty "Who told you I'm hiding anything? Was it Fred? I bet it was him after he interrogated me at dinner some time ago" Adrienne spoke, trying to control the shakiness in her voice. "As a matter of fact, it was Fred" Hermione looked slightly angry "And everything he said makes sense"
Adrienne pulled away from Hermione, her breath becoming heavier by the second "I have nothing to tell you, you and Fred are terribly mistaken" she said, her tone dropping low.
"Actually, we're not mistaken" a deeper voice sounded from behind her. Adrienne turned around to see George and Harry standing there, arms crossed over their chests, they too looked visibly upset though not as angry as Hermione. Adrienne did a sharp intake of breath when she realised that this wasn't going to turn out very well.
"Who are you, Adrienne?" Harry asked.
George, Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny were still not sure of Adrienne's identity. They were still confused as to how Adrienne could be connected to them, but they knew the main part of it: she had obliviated them.
"Like I've said a million times before, I am no one but a gardener at Longbottom's nursery. I live at the Leaky Cauldron-" suddenly, Adrienne spotted Maggie walking towards them, "There's Maggie! She'll tell you I live at the Leaky Cauldron"
Maggie's eyes widened and she bit her lip, "I-uh...yes. She lives in the Leaky Cauldron" she confirmed.
"Tell us Maggie, when did she move there?" George asked. Maggie looked between George and Adrienne, the latter of who widened her eyes at Maggie as if telling her not to answer. "I can't be too sure" Maggie muttered finally.
"What's this group we've got going on here? Having a party in a party without me?" Draco chuckled brightly as he made his way to them. But then he realised who everyone was and he even noticed Adrienne looking incredibly nervous as she was surrounded by Hermione, Ron, George and Harry.
"Ah! So I see you've met Adrienne!" Draco said casually, slinging his arm around her shoulders, hoping they weren't suspecting anything.
"Shut it Malfoy, you're in this too aren't you? No wonder you were at the Burrow on Christmas night" Harry said as he took a step forward, his jaw clenched, hands fisting by his sides.
"Oooh, getting a bit feisty are we Potter?" Draco laughed, "Like I told you earlier, I was only at the Burrow to wish you lot a Merry Christmas, what's so wrong about that?"
Before anyone could answer him, Ron hurried over to the group, his breathing heavy "Where's Fred? He was supposed to be here too. I can't find him anywhere" he heaved.
From the corner of her eye, Adrienne noticed a small smile on Maggie's face at Ron's words, a knowing smile. And what Adrienne saw next shocked her even more.
From Maggie's purse peeked out a torn bit of parchment, a very familiar looking parchment. The same parchment on which the flyer of 'Arcanus Lodge' had been printed.
It all started to make sense to Adrienne now. She remembered the knowing smiles Maggie kept giving her whenever she mentioned the cabin, she definitely knew something. "I can't believe you'd do this Maggie" Adrienne whispered.
Maggie frowned, "I dunno what you're talking about Addie" she said, lying through gritted teeth. Adrienne shook her head, but something suddenly caught her sight once more.
Far away from all of them, amongst the massive crowd, a tall redheaded man stood, his brows furrowed as he leaned over to a woman who was whispering in his ear. She handed him a piece of parchment before disapparating from the spot.
Adrienne watched as Fred gazed at the parchment for a few moments before his eyes widened, and within seconds, he too disapparated.
"Olivia" Adrienne muttered to herself at the realisation.
--
The Ministry never gave anyone any unauthorised portkeys, which is why Fred was lucky that he knew people who could pull some strings for him. In a matter of minutes, an old boot was presented to him, a portkey that would take him to where he needed to go.
He took in a deep breath and held on to the boot, beginning to feel the familiar whirling motion as he was transported across the country and into the woods of Oxwell he had known so well. The moment his feet landed on solid ground, he was stunned into silence at his surroundings.
Everything was the same. The whispering leaves, the swaying trees, the shimmering lake and most important of all, the wooden cabin. The same cabin where everything had begun. It was as if the grass beneath his feet glued him to the ground. It was as if the leaves of the trees spoke of everything he had once known that had been stolen away from him.
Fred took one step forward, voices immediately planting themselves in his mind, voices which he recognised as his own. To anyone else, the words would sound senseless. But to him, they sounded like all the things he had forgotten,
"Where the fuck are the glasses around here?" Fred heard his own voice in his head. "You're still a bitch you know that?" said the same voice.
Fred took another step, and with it, came more, "You might want to think twice before drawing on my face next time" he heard his own whisper.
The next step came with another noise, but this time it was the sound of a woman. A woman he knew much too well, "Have you ever been in love?" her sweet voice meandered through down his mind before being replaced with his own, "Once, a while ago"
"Couldn't stop thinking about you Ellis", "I can't stop thinking about you either"
"Fred I want you" "I've been waiting for you to say that for so long"
"Sleep tight my angel"
"I'm going to name you Frederina"
"I think about how you moan my name when I make love to you, or how you whisper it when I'm about to fall asleep"
"Let me take you down cause I'm going to, strawberry fields"
"I don't want to leave either, my love, but living is easy with eyes closed, try to pretend it was all a dream"
"Just a dream?"
"Just a dream"
He was now at the door of the lodge, voices speaking in his head on their own accord, the ground spinning under his feet and the leaves singing their forgotten story. The story of Fred and Adrienne. When he stepped into the lodge, everything came back to him in full force, his eyes squeezing shut, his hands fisting, the voices becoming louder.
Adrienne roamed his mind as if it was her backyard, spoke her words as if he was her mike, kissed his lips as if they were the mould to her own.
"I don't want you to leave because I love you", "This isn't fair Fred!"
He loves her. Of course he loves her. And she loved him too didn't she? Then why was it that Fred was all alone in the cabin, reliving the memories like a movie that had become hazy in his mind? Each word, each whisper, each laughter and action ran in his head, encompassing him in a train of memories.
Fred walked down the empty hallway, voices being replaced by images. Her hair splayed across pillows, her body tangled with his as if they were made to be one, her hands slipping in his own, her arms stretching over her head when she woke up in the morning, her brows furrowing when she concentrated on her books, the corner of her lips turning upwards when she smiled that beautiful smile of hers.
His gaze travelled on the familiar doors, windows and furniture of the lodge, head hurting from the overwhelming thoughts and hallucinations. He had now reached the end of the hall, he had used up all his steps, heard all the voices and seen all he had needed to see. His back pressed against the wall and the tears ran down his cheeks, his fingernails pressing harshly into his palm.
As he slumped down on to the floor, one last image flashed in front of his eyes:
I watched as she held her wand tightly in her hand, her face determined. She always looks beautiful when she's determined, but then again, she looks beautiful when she does anything.
I could feel the bruise on my cheek and I could taste the blood on my lips. Her husband looked mad, very mad. But my gaze travelled back to the woman who I was so desperately in love with. She was all I could see. But now, she was pointing her wand at me. What was she doing that for? Probably trying to fix the blood on my face.
Her eyes met mine and her lips moved as if she was wording something, only for me to hear. She said 'sorry'. What was she saying sorry for?
I heard Hermione's voice from beside me "Adrienne, don't!"
And then, Adrienne cast the charm that I had least expected her to cast: "Obliviate"
With one last flash, everything was black.
When Adrienne stepped into the cabin, she wasn't sure what to expect. But as she walked further in, she could hear the heavy breathing and the sobs of Fred as he lay against the wall. She rushed over to him without a second thought.
Fred could see her in his blurry vision, he could see her crouch next to him. Her hand rested on his shoulder and he squeezed his eyes shut.
"Why did you do it?" he spoke, his voice coming out raspy, "How could you do it?"
"I was scared Fred, you had no idea how scared I was. I really thought things would end badly for the both of us if w-we got together" she said, trying to control her own sobs. He had finally remembered, and she knew that he would never forgive her.
"I regretted it every single day after that, not a second went by when I didn't beat myself up about it. But I kept telling myself it was for your own good, I'm no good for you Fred. I break everything I touch" she whispered, sitting next to him, her own back against the wall too. The both of them stared ahead, eyes not meeting.
After a few moments, Fred tilted his head to the side to look at her, his eyes red, his cheeks strewn with his tears "That wasn't for you to decide. I was in love with you, so fucking deep in love with you it was crazy" he whispered the last word, shaking his head slightly. "But maybe you didn't love me enough" he added.
"No! That's not true. God Fred I love you so much, and every single day I spent with you made me realise how much deeper I fell" Adrienne sobbed, she wanted to hold him but she knew not to overstep the boundaries.
Fred watched her tears trickle, a pang in his chest at the misery of the sight.
"The rest of them, they're never going to forgive you" he said after a few minutes of silence.
"I know. And I deserve it" she said quietly. But one question continually irked her mind.
"Do you forgive me?" she asked finally, her voice a hoarse whisper. She didn't expect him to say yes. She expected him to yell at her and then leave her. It was what she deserved.
But what she didn't expect was for him to rest his face in his palms "I-I'm so mad at you. I'm so unbelievably mad at you" he mumbled into his hands "So fucking mad at you for leaving me like that"
"It was hard for me too, Fred" Adrienne said.
"You know that's not what I mean. I spent months trying to figure out what all those dreams and mysterious letters meant. I'm so mad that you don't understand how much I love you, and how much I've loved you even when I couldn't remember you" he rambled, trying his hardest to rub the tears away from his eyes but more took their place.
He had finally told her. He had finally told her that when she wasn't around in his memory, he had fallen in love with a dream.
"What?" Adrienne's eyes widened at his words.
Fred looked at her "You expect me to just leave after all we've been through? I-I can't, I don't ever want to leave you" he said and before she could say anything else, Fred wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck, he could bear the distance no longer.
Adrienne reciprocated almost immediately, tightening her own arms around him, one of her hands finding their place in his hair. She breathed in a deep breath, melting into his embrace. The scent of gunpowder and cinnamon still remained on his clothes, his grip still felt the same. And even though he was crying, she still felt protected.
"I'm still in love with you, I still love you Freddie" she finally cried, letting the lump in her throat loose.
They sat there for ages and ages, the place where it had all begun. From the inside, they were both broken from all they had gone through, and fixing the pieces would take some time. But the sun still shone in through the clear windows of Arcanus Lodge and the rays still glowed against the wooden floorboards. The smell of rain still lingered in the air, wrapping Fred and Adrienne in their own little bubble as they hugged their arms tighter around each other, as they let their tears fall on each other's skin, let their fingers run through each other's hair, let the rattles of their sobs vibrate between each other's body. Because no love is simple, no love comes without it's own messy story.
And so the door was shut behind them, leaving them in their beloved lodge, taking them back to a year ago when they discovered each other as lovers. Only this time, there was nothing holding them back. The Arcanus Lodge was their first beginning, and it very well also became their second. Because with some loves, one beginning isn't enough.
The sun that shone down in the lodge also dappled the forest, reflecting on the clear, blue pond. The wind rustled the leaves as they whispered a new tale, this time, the words joyous rather than melancholic, words of two people who found their way back to each other. Of two people who had an affair, an affair to remember.
...To be continued