I don't own anything besides my original characters and ideas. All of the other credit goes to J.K. Rowling for her fantastic ideas and amazing stories.
A Chance Encounter-1
The hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley seemed much more boisterous than the normal traffic that took place there. It was to be expected due to the holidays coming up, most of the people were finishing some last minute shopping or trying to send things out through the post. The Equinox Café was no exception, families and small groups were crowded in the small area and the two waitresses working seemed unfrazzled by the commotion of the restaurant. Charlie Weasley was home from work and had a few things he needed to pick up, and he decided a quick bite to eat was in order to help him get the strength he needed to complete his much-despised shopping list. As he headed into the café he looked for an open seat in the crowed bar, he found the last open seat situated next to the wall. As he went to sit down he managed to bump into a small woman sitting in the set next to his nearly knocking her off her own seat.
"Ouch, will you watch where you're going you overgrown oaf!" shouted the petite woman now sprawling on the floor. "If you really needed a seat I would have scooted over, I don't bite."
Charlie hurried to help the woman up, blushing scarlet from the neck up. He thought for a second that she looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he might have met her. She was a good foot shorter than he was, strait short onyx colored hair, almond shaped violet eyes, and a quirky smile. He thought he might have known here from Hogwarts but he knew that he would have remembered her eyes at the very least, her accent told him a different story; she was an American for sure.
"I'm so sorry, I must have been closer to your seat than I thought I was. Are you okay? Do you need me to get some help? Is anything broken?" he asked gently.
"It's okay, I probably shouldn't have shouted so loudly, it was more startling than anything. It's not everyday I fall off my seat by someone else's hands; I'm incredibly clumsy. My name is Viviana Valentine, I just moved here and I needed something to eat besides an MRE." She said with a quick smile.
"An MRE? Oh I'm Charlie Weasley by the way, it's a pleasure to meet you." He was a little taken aback by how friendly she was being, considering how rude she must have thought he was.
She smiled at him and grabbed something out of a large leather satchel. It looked like an oddly shaped tan plastic bag.
"MRE is military slang for, 'meals ready to eat', the only thing it should stand for is, 'meals rejected by Ethiopians', unless you manage to get your hand on the spaghetti, that's the best one out of the entire selection. I've been eating them because I didn't have a place to live when I traveled from America and they don't require a whole lot to make them warm and semi-edible. Two weeks of eating them and I decided I could splurge and actually eat something that resembles real food." She said smiling.
She looked back up at him, and paused. She seemed to be thinking very hard about something and once again dove into her bag for a piece of parchment. When she took it out it had something with the official Gringotts seal on it, along with a ton of writing and a picture of his brother Bill.
"You wouldn't be related to a William Weasley would you? He's going to be showing me around at my new job here in London. I must admit I am nervous working over here, everything's already so different and it's quite a challenge even finding anything or understanding anything most of the people are trying to say to me."
She spoke in a very clipped, fast mannerism while gesturing with her hands as she spoke. Charlie could only smile at her, wondering why she would be working with her brother and the odds that he would run into her in the first place.
"Yes, he is my older brother, it's a little strange that we met here, before you met him. I'm actually going over to Gringotts after I have lunch if you'd like me to walk you over there, as consolation for me knocking you from your seat." He replied, hoping that she would take him up on his offer.
"Would you really? I'd appreciate that very much, I am sorry that I called you an oaf. That wasn't very polite of me, and I hope I didn't offend you," she quickly added, thinking to herself this was an odd occurrence running into the brother of the man that she'd be closely working with.
He laughed heartily and he cheekily replied, "I'd be my pleasure to escort a lovely young woman to her next destination. What will you be doing at Gringotts? Are you going to be a curse breaker as well?"
"That's what I'm hoping to do, before I moved here I traveled around the world and worked as a master code breaker, and eventually it lead me to spell development and curse breaking. Gringotts offered me something I can't refuse so here I am, in the good country of England. What exactly do you do?" She had noticed a few of his burn scars primarily on his hands and a few scattered on his wrist, and it had piqued her curiosity as to how he got them. He didn't seem like a man that would jump into a bar fight, or cause a ruckus, she didn't feel anything negative coming off of him either.
It bothered him a little that she ignored his not so subtle flirting, but not enough to deter him from being interested in what she was going to be doing in London. "Well before I moved back to Britain, I was working in Romania on a Reserve as a dragon keeper. I received a better offer at a new Reserve that opened up in the countryside, and it's also an offer I can't refuse."
"Well I suppose this means that we'll be seeing each other more often, I assume that working with your brother so closely our paths will keep crossing. Lord and lady is it really a quarter until three? I'm sorry to rush you Charlie but I'm supposed to meet William at three! Can we hurry there now?" She was throwing everything into her satchel, bits of parchment, a few quills and two small books flew into her bag. She stood quickly and threw on her cloak and smiled at Charlie.
"Well are you ready or not?" she asked as she stood up.
"Sure, you have nothing to worry about, I'm sure Bill will go easy on you, it being your first day and all. I, uh, I hope you're ready, goblins are no breed to dilly dally with." He smiled gently and ushered her out into the busy street and lead her up to steps of Gringotts where the eternal words were inscribed:
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
"Well if that doesn't give you the chills, nothing will. Thank you for all of your help, I really appreciate it." She said as she followed Charlie into Gringotts, and took in the awe that represented the historic bank. She saw huge scales that had diamonds piled up, they looked as large as chicken eggs, mounds of gold and platinum. If she hadn't worked for the largest wizarding bank in Italy she would have been completely gob struck. As she walked past each desk holding treasures more beautiful than the one before she came to an office, a plaque labeled "William Weasley- Curse Breaker"
"Oi, Bill you in there? I have something for you!" Charlie said as he opened the door to his brothers' office. He saw Bill transfixed with a muggle puzzle, a rubix cube, he turned its sides over and over.
"Oh and what kindly gift does my little brother bring me?" Bill said grinning. "I'm trying to solve this damned puzzle. I picked it up when I was in Egypt from a colleague of mine; I think she gave it to me knowing that I wouldn't be able to solve it without magic. Damning little thing. Sorry brother, what did you have for me?"
"It's fine Bill, I think you will eventually figure it out, I met a woman today in the Equinox Café and she seemed to know you." Charlie smiled at the smirk that graced his brothers' face.
"A woman? Really, that's unfortunate you know I'm already taken, so unless you plan on dating her yourself I doubt Fleur would find it terribly amusing." Bill looked a bit unhappy hearing the news.
"Honestly Bill, how many women have you met across your travels? I meant the young woman that's going to be working with you, not some daft bird you picked up in a bar." He smiled at his older brother who flushed pink and grinned crookedly.
"Clearly enough that I thought that's who you meant. An intern? Hmmm you must mean the one from America. Valentine right? Well where is she I wouldn't want her to think I was a right bastard speaking the way I was about women."
"No, you just don't want Fleur to hear about your worldly exploits. She'd have you begging for forgiveness and you'd be sleeping on the couch for the next few weeks." Charlie said while smiling at his older brother. He knew Fleur was a nice enough girl, but he also knew her temper was just below the surface of her smiling face.
"Right you are Charlie, right you are. Okay so where is this bird, I'm excited to exploit, I mean explore the ample opportunities that she's supposed to bring to us." Bill yawned and grabbed a bit of parchment that described Viviana's qualifications. He was reading them as Charlie ushered her into the room. "So, you've studied near and far across the globe. You worked equally in Rome, and Chicago a city in America. Top marks in your O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s. Prestige from your trainers in Chicago, my main question though is why did you decide to come here? You had other offers that offered more both in pay and prestige."
Viviana stepped into the room taking in the sight of Bill's slightly eclectic office. She looked at the rubix cube that he had been previously working on with a slight smile on her face. "I remember solving those, there's a very simple equation to solve a cube regardless of how jumbled up it may be. I'd be happy to show it to you, unless you would rather solve it first and I divulge it later. I decided to take this job because I had heard that there were ample things for me to learn here. Different mannerisms that will hopefully teach me things that I have yet to learn anywhere else."
"Alright, well it's Friday and we don't do much over the weekend, but my family is having a large dinner tonight and I thought perhaps you'd want to join us, it's a way to welcome you to England, unless of course you're engaged otherwise." Bill said looking pointedly between Charlie and Viviana. "Oh and you're welcome to call me Bill, no one besides my mum calls me William."
"Okay Bill, I can't say I have any plans, looking for a small flat but otherwise I'm completely free all weekend. I was hoping to dive into work right away, just to pick up on the cadence of how everything's done, but if there isn't any work, I suppose this would be a nice way to meet a few people other than the few I've already met." She said, she noticed that Bill was still slightly staring at her, and glancing at Charlie. "Is there something I missed, you're staring quite hard at Charlie and I."
"No, I'm sure it will be a interesting story of how you two met, a fair warning, my Mum will probably grill the two of you as to how you've both met," Bill quickly added.
"Great, I'm really looking forward to hearing, 'Charlie, Mrs. So-and-so has a daughter about your age and I'm sure you'd get along quite well, are you free later this week', seriously Bill I love her and all but I am sick of her bothering me about some stupid date she wants to set me up on," Charlie scowled lightly, and looked over at Viviana, "Bill is right you know, she'll probably grill us both, I'm apologizing ahead of time for the comments she'll probably make towards you involving me."
"It's quite alright, it can't be worse than my parents who think I'm rebelling by actually working, and not being the proper trophy wife organizing some ridiculous dinner party with my inept husband." Viviana laughed and then looked over at Bill, "well what time should I be ready by? I'd like to toss my stuff at the hotel I'm staying at and get a quick shower in. Oh and what should I wear? Should I bring anything with me? Are you sure that your parents won't mind me tagging along?"
"Merlin's beard woman, breathe! Honestly, the family will be happy to meet you, dress casually, if you want to bring something you're more than welcome to, and where are you staying?" Bill responded with a chuckle, he was more amused that she was so worked up over meeting his family.
"Oh sorry, I tend to talk a mile a minute. I'm a total chatterbox when I'm nervous. I'm actually staying in muggle London at the Luxom hotel. My previous boss set me up there before I arrived," she said.
"Bill don't you have to pick up Fleur tonight? I don't mind picking up Viviana then heading to the Burrow," Charlie added, "and it would help me get out of the house before Mum can really grill me about what I've been doing at the Reserve."
"Perfect, that works out well, Fleur is staying a few nights with us anyways, she wants to get to know the family. I'm assuming she probably packed a ton of stuff she really doesn't need, and I'll be forced to carry most of it. Ah the things we do for love." Bill said.
"You must really be crazy about this one, if you're willing to cart around all of her belongings. So Viviana, how about I meet you at 7 o'clock, and we'll apparate to the Burrow together," Charlie said.
"Okay I'm staying in room 1248, just knock and I'll see you then. I have a few things I have to do before I head back to the hotel. I'll see you all later okay? Thanks again for helping me find this place Charlie, and Bill I'll see you tonight." Viviana grabbed her backpack and walked out of the room.
"So, what do you think of her?" Bill asked Charlie.
"She seems pretty intelligent, really excited about the job. I dunno, why do you ask?" said Charlie.
"Well for one, she seemed nervous around you! Plus she's rather dishy wouldn't you agree? I almost feel a bit put off, being taken and all, but all points aside you're the one that offered to pick her up. Are you hoping to show up with her just so Mum doesn't pester you into finding a nice woman to settle down with?" Bill teased his brother.
"She wasn't nervous around me, I'm sure she hasn't gotten her bearings yet. And you better hope your girl doesn't hear you talk about another woman like that, I swear Bill can't you keep it in your pants?" Charlie said laughing at the idea of Fleur swearing at his brother in French while running around smacking him upside the head with a book.
"All I'm saying is that she's intelligent, great looking, minus being rather tiny, and well you're avoiding the issue that Mum will hound you less if it appears that you are interested in Viviana." Bill said adding, "Honestly Charlie, do you find her attractive?"
Charlie stood in the doorway looking out the window trying to think of something to push his brother ridiculous thoughts away. He had just met her, how was he supposed to know if he fancied her or not. He finally said to Bill, "Alright yes, she's good looking, but I think if I hugged her she'd break into pieces. And yes it would be nice if Mum just had the idea that I was interested in her just so she got off my case about being single. You think she would back off especially because she knew what Kate did to me not six months ago. No matter what I tell her, she keeps pestering me."
Bill sighed and thought about his brothers' ex-girlfriend Kate Warrington. She worked on the Reserve with Charlie and they had dated off and on for a couple years. She was smart, pretty and a conceited bitch. She came from a lot of money, and only worked as a healer because it pissed her parents off. She had cheated on Charlie with one of their co-workers and Charlie broke off their engagement around Christmas time last year. "Charlie, I know that Kate was a self-righteous bitch, but maybe if you played the field a little bit you might have a spot of fun. I'm not saying that you have to find your soul mate, but honestly just because you found one girl that broke your heart doesn't mean that every girl you meet is going to do the same. And for the record I never liked Kate anyways. I also think that you and Viviana would get along, I'll have you know she's a lot stronger than she looks, I heard from a friend of mine in America that she used to be a beater on her schools quidditch team."
"That's besides the point Bill, if something happens then it'll happen. Until then I'll just keep being friendly but I don't want to just into anything yet," Charlie's ears were tinged red as he thought of his ex, he wasn't hurt over her actions any longer, but it was still a sore topic to bring up, "well I still have to get ready, and pick up Viviana. I'll see you and Fleur later okay?"
"Alright, I didn't mean to upset you, just looking out for you," Bill stood and placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder, "I can always send a curse to Kate, it'd be fun."
Charlie laughed and said, "No that's quite alright. Last I heard she was booted from the Reserve anyways, seems like she cheated her way onto the staff."
With that Charlie left Gringott's and apparated to the Burrow knowing that his mother would probably be waiting for him with a long speech about how he should get out more, especially because he was home on break from work. He shrugged and walked up to the house, smiling as he thought, 'It feels good to be home.'