Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it. It is the masterpiece of J.K. Rowling. Everything belongs to her. I do not receive financial gains for my writing, or recognition in anyway.

Older Brother Syndrome

The Tale of Bill and Charlie Weasley in Three Parts

Part 1

Chapter 1 Coming Home

Human beings are the only creatures that allow their children to come back home.

Bill Cosby

Dear Charlie,

I am sure you have already heard of the horrible events that have unfolded at Hogwarts yesterday evening, the worst part is I can't tell you that they are silly rumours and hold no truth. They are true, Dumbledore was murdered, by Snape, I don't know why he ever trusted that vile, awful man, however; I am getting side tracked that is not the reason I am writing this letter to you.

Last night your siblings were in the heat of the battle to defend Hogwarts and Bill was seriously injured. He was attacked by Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf. Luckily it wasn't a full moon; however he has mauled your brother's face. I fear he shall be scarred for life. Although your brother will never be a full werewolf, Remus Lupin, you remember Remus don't you, he fears that Bill will suffer from some contamination, but we won't know more until the full moon. Remus says it may even take several full moons to discover the true extent of the effects of Fenrir's attack on Bill.

Oh Charlie, it is so terrible. I know you won't be able to come back in time for Dumbledore's funeral, but I was hoping that you would come home earlier than you had planned for the wedding, I'd just feel better if you were here. The worst part is, even after the attack Percy still won't come home, it's breaking my heart, and I don't know how much longer I can take it.

Please be careful and come home soon.

Love,

Mum

P.S. I hope you enjoyed the cookies I sent last week.

A young man of twenty-four years old looked up after reading the letter for what may have been the hundredth time that week. He wasn't very tall, standing at perhaps five foot ten, which while some may consider that tall, he was in fact the shortest man in his family. The only people in his family he was taller than was his mother and his sister. He had short ginger hair, and brilliant blue eyes. He was very freckled in complexion, yet the freckles were so close together they made it appear as though he were tanned. He was stocky in build, muscular, and his arms were covered in burns that looked as though they must have been quite painful at one point. He was dressed as an outdoors man, a tight black t-shirt that didn't restrict movement, a pair of heavy-duty denim jeans, held up by a brown leather belt. Dragon-hide boots, and a dragon-hide wand holster completed the appearance. Although robes were the traditional apparel for full grown wizards, Charlie worked with dragons, and robes were not the safest or smartest things to wear around the fire-breathing creatures. Clothing that was fitted to the body was much safer.

Refolding his letter and stuffing it into a suitcase, Charlie looked around his small room located in the Living Quarters on the Dragon Reserve. This is where he had lived for the past six years, though the room was small, and did not have the cozy feeling that his childhood home the Burrow had, it was home nonetheless. The white tile walls were covered in posters of famous Quidditch teams and dragons, as well as pictures of family and friends. The tile floor had several throw rugs thrown down on it, and the tiny window had a wind charm hanging from it that Ginny had sent him his first year living there, she had been ten at the time. She would be sixteen now, or almost anyway, Charlie thought. He hadn't seen his baby sister since she was thirteen, not even a picture of her, he was interested to see how his youngest siblings, mainly Ron and Ginny, had grown up. All in all, Charlie had done a fairly good job of making the sterile room feel more like home.

Picking up his suitcase, Charlie turned and walked out the door and headed off in the direction of the Apparation Point located at the West end of the Reservation. From there he would apparate to the Romanian Ministry, locate the British contingent inside, arrange a portkey, and from there it was back to England and then the Burrow, his childhood home.

After a long and grueling day of travel, spending hours in line, filling out paperwork, dealing with pompous authorities and being searched several times Charlie was finally standing in front of his favourite place in the entire world, save Hogwarts, the Burrow.

The old house where he had spent his childhood growing up still looked the same. Teetering and leaning off to the side and definitely held together by magic, it just screamed home to him. The hens were clucking around the front yard, and Charlie could see a light flickering in his father's shed, alerting him to the fact that his father was out there tinkering with his Muggle collection. Charlie thought for a moment about going to greet his father first but decided against it. Partly because he knew that his father was probably trying to deal with everything that was going on, from Bill's attack, and Dumbledore's death, to Percy's refusal to come home, and probably need the time alone. But mainly because his mother would tie him up by his shoelaces if he didn't come into the house first thing and receive a proper meal.

Kicking his boots on the door step to make sure he didn't track any dirt into the house, Charlie reached out for the door handle, even though he hadn't seen his mother in ages, he still didn't want to incur her wrath for tracking dirt inside. When he opened the door, his senses were accosted with the sight, smell and sound of home. His mother's knitting needles were fast at work, he could smell his mother's delicious cooking, and the sounds of at least five people co-existing in the house all at once. Charlie smiled, how he had missed this. As Charlie was lost in his thoughts he didn't notice a short, plump, middle-aged woman with greying red hair enter the room with a laundry basket who stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him, dropping her laundry basket.

"Charlie!" The woman screeched and threw herself upon her second-born son, and pulled him into one of her famous bone-crushing hugs, squeezing the air right out of him, which was not a small feat either considering the size of him, especially in comparison to her.

"Mum!" Charlie exclaimed, wrapping his arms around his mother and hugging her back just as tight. Looking down at her face he saw that she looked much older than when he had last seen her. More lines had crept onto her face, and more white had found its way into her hair, but it was still Molly Weasley, his Mum.

"I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow?" His mother had finally detached herself from him and moved over to the stove to prepare Charlie a cup of tea, and a plate of food.

"I was," Charlie said, sitting down at the old, beaten kitchen table, setting his forgotten suitcase at his feet, "but I just wanted to get home so badly that I ended up spending the day filling out paperwork and emptying my pockets but it paid off." Charlie finished off with a shrug, grinning when his mother set down a piping hot plate of food in front of him.

"Well I'm glad, I've missed you so." Molly was standing behind her son, giving him a hug from behind as well as examining any physical changes that had taken place. Running her hands through his hair and raising her eyes at his many burns. "I'd give you more to eat but dinner is in an hour and I don't want you to spoil your appetite."

Charlie raised his eyebrows at that comment as if to say "like that could ever happen" but said nothing. As Bill and Charlie had grown older, they had developed a greater sense of respect for their parents which had really only emerged when they had moved out of the house and had to care for themselves. It made them appreciate everything their parents did for them, and out of that a greater respect had been born.

"So who all is home at the moment?" Charlie asked in between bites.

"Well, your father is out in the shed, tinkering of course, and Bill and Fleur are up in their room, and Ginny is around somewhere. Ron and Hermione are upstairs reading, all they seem to do is research these days, and Percy well…" At this point his mother stopped talking and moved back to the stove, sniffling. Charlie didn't know quite what to say so he just stood up from the table and walked over to his mother wrapping her in a big hug from behind, resting his chin on her head before planting a big kiss there. He was really going to have to have a long talk with Percy.

"Mum, are you okay, I thought I heard you talking to – CHARLIE!" Ginny cried out, having just entered the kitchen, talking a mile a minute, as per usual. Without further ado, Ginny launched herself at her older brother and enveloped him in a great big bear hug that could rival their mother's. When Ginny finally let go, Charlie got his first good look at his sister in just under three years.

She was around the same height as she was at thirteen; about five foot four, taller than their mother but still fairly short. Her long hair was pulled back from her face, in a messy bun. Her warm brown eyes sparkled with laughter. Charlie had always loved Ginny's eyes; it was another thing about her that was unique. Besides being the only girl born in generations, she was the only family member to have inherited their mother's brown eyes. Beyond her height and eyes however stood a completely different girl than the last time Charlie had seen her. She had definitely developed, for lack of a better word, while Charlie had been away, a fact which made the older brother in him uneasy. He'd known she'd had some boyfriends while he'd been away, but now he was concerned that they had only wanted to go out with her to have access to certain assets she seemed to have acquired.

"Well, are you just gonna stand there and stare at me all day or are you gonna tell me all the gory and intimate details of your personal life. I am your younger sister, it's my right to know." Charlie just chuckled, how he had missed his little Gin-bug.

"Well, I'll fill you all in tomorrow, I promise, but right now I'm exhausted I think I'm just gonna go to bed. Mum, where do you want me to sleep?"

"Well, you can stay with Bill, in your old room, won't that be nice, just like old times." His mum replied, putting the finishing touches on dinner.

"I thought Fleur was staying with Bill?"

"She was. She's going to stay with Ginny now, bad luck to see the bride before the wedding you know."

"A month before the wedding?"

"Well, never can be too careful can you."

"Wow Mum, I knew you were old fashioned but…" Charlie teased playfully, knowing that Bill must have pulled a lot of strings with Dad to him to convince Molly to let them share a room before marriage.

"The truth of the matter is Fleur wanted you to see if you could, you know, cheer Bill up a bit. He is doing much better since the attack, but Fleur was hoping that with the two of you, staying in your old room again, it might…I don't know…help." Charlie just smiled at his mother reassuringly.

"I'll do my best, I promise."

Charlie stood outside his old bedroom door on the 4th floor, hesitating. Six years ago, after he had moved out, their mother had turned it into her long-awaited sewing room. Now he was back, and the memories started to hit him like a brick wall. Him and Bill, staying up late, talking about Quidditch, girls, school, and well girls. Talking about their first kisses, first girlfriends and well first many other things. Charlie chuckled softly at the memories, plucking up his courage and was just about to reach for the door knob when he heard Bill's voice from the other side of the door.

"Just open the bloody door, for Merlin's sake will ya. I know you've been standing out there for at least five minutes, I could hear you, either come in or go bug someone else."

Okay, Charlie thought, not his best day but I've dealt with him on worse. Opening the door, nothing could have prepared him for the sight that met him. Bill was lying on his old bed, hands behind his head, dressed in his usual black shirt and trousers, dragon boots lying on the floor. This was all normal, what Charlie was not prepared for was the state of Bill's face. Bill had always been the handsome one in the family. Girls swooned for him, guys wanted to be him, some swore that he had a touch of Veela blood in him, a fact that Charlie now found ironic, considering Bill was marrying a quarter Veela. But now, now Bill's face was covered in fresh scar tissue. Pink and white scars littered his face, varying in thickness and length. Charlie had been told it was bad, but for some reason he had just never believed it could be this bad. Nobody had prepared him for this, he knew that because they were werewolf bites, they would be harder to heal, but he should have prepared more, what was he going to say, for the first time in Charlie's life, he felt like appearances mattered.

"Are you gonna stand in the doorway all day, or are you gonna come in?" Bill asked in an irritated tone.

Charlie stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "Where's Fleur?" he finally managed to ask when he found his voice.

"Taking a shower, she finished moving her stuff into Ginny's room earlier today."

"Oh, okay." Uncomfortable silence filled the air between the two of them, something that never happened to them. Charlie just still couldn't get over it; he was the one who got the scars in the family being a natural-born adventurer and of course Fred and George with all their crazy experiments. But then a year ago Ron had been attacked by the brain in the Department of Mysteries which apparently had left horrible scars all over his arms. Something Charlie had yet to see but now seeing what had happened to Bill, he hoped that when he saw Ron, he was wearing a long sleeve shirt. Finally plucking up all of his Gryffindor courage, Charlie finally breeched the silence,

"So what are the side-effects of uhh…"

"The bites?"

"Yeah, them."

"Well, I hear better, smell better and I crave raw meat. What about you, what do your burns do for you, hmmm?"

"Alright, I get it that was insensitive. It's just, I dunno what to say Bill."

"I don't think there is anything to say." Charlie just nodded. "You know, I figured out of everybody Charlie, you would be the easiest one to talk too. You always have been, but you just as bad as everyone else."

"I know, I'm so sorry, it's just, you're my big brother, and you're supposed to be invincible and all of a sudden you're not. It's just a shock is all."

"Yeah, for you and me both." Charlie laughed at Bill's comment, coming from anyone else it would have just been an off the cuff remark, but from Bill, it was meant to make Charlie smile, and perhaps laugh, which is exactly what it did.

"How is it that I came up here with every intention of making you feel better, and instead you end up making me feel better, after I made you feel like crap no less."

"I'm your big brother, it's my job."

"Care to take a vacation?"

"I would, but I don't think you can handle being the eldest brother." The two brothers just laughed at one another's antics and spent the rest of the evening joking and catching up. They didn't skip dinner, but rather had plates sent up to their room, something Molly was normally reluctant to do but when she saw the smiles on her boys faces, she gave in and sent Fleur up with two plates, one with slightly less well done meat then the other. It was about one in the morning before both brothers drifted off to sleep, both with smiles on their faces, not unlike how they used to fall asleep as children and teenagers.

The early morning sunshine filtered through the window on the 4th floor bedroom of the Burrow. Hitting the light green walls, the rays of light found themselves dancing upon posters of dragons and Quidditch teams as well as the odd picture of the Weasley family. Clothes and books were scattered haphazardly on the floor, as well as the odd quill and length of parchment. Bill pushed his face, sleepily into his pillow, trying to block out the sunshine for as long as possible. Seeing as he was not a morning person he really resented the fact that the bedroom had an eastern facing window.

"Bill! Charlie! Breakfast!" Molly Weasley's cry carried up the stairs from the kitchen. Charlie, the only early riser in the Weasley family besides their mother, shot up like a spring, whether because it was morning or because the promise of food awaited him downstairs, Charlie was out the door like a flash, leaving Bill alone in the room. Bill groaned into his pillow, always reluctant to get out of bed until a certain thought floated through his head, it might come today. With that thought Bill scurried out of bed and scrambled down the stairs to seat himself down at the kitchen table. Their father, Arthur Weasley, wasn't there, Bill figured he either had already had breakfast or hadn't come home from last night's raids yet. With the war going on his father worked such long hours, it was rare to see him.

It was while Bill was buttering his toast that Percy walked into the room, rubbing tiredly at his eyes behind his newly acquired glasses. Four-year old Percy whose fifth birthday was only three weeks away, surveyed the table quietly before sitting down as far away from the three year-old twins, Fred and George as he could get. The twins were only three, and they were already rambunctious trouble makers and gave their parents and siblings more grief than one could imagine from. Unfortunately they seemed to have taken a particular like to bugging Percy, which irritated Percy to no end. Fred and George upon seeing Percy enter the room, broke out into the most angelic smiles Bill had ever seen them wear. Bill silently pondered how smiles so innocent could be so frightening, probably because there was nothing innocent at all about Fred and George.

While Percy, Fred and George were all exchanging silent looks, nine year-old Charlie, who had already finished breakfast was helping to feed seventeen month old Ron, while their mother puttered around the kitchen, her belly swollen from the pregnancy of a seventh child. Bill personally hoped that it was the last child, since he really had his hands full helping his Mum looking after his younger siblings during the day. Always having to set an example, he was the oldest after all. As Bill was finishing his toast, absorbed in his thoughts about his siblings, an owl flew in the open kitchen window and dropped a letter in front of Bill.

Bill jumped up as though his seat was on fire, grabbing the letter and quickly reading the address to make sure it wasn't a mistake, it wasn't.

"Mum! Mum! It's here! It's here!" Bill pranced around the kitchen, the letter clutched tightly in his hand above his head. His mother had a smile on her face and his siblings, well Charlie and Percy anyway since they were old enough to understand had looks of envy and excitement on theirs.

"Well, what are you waiting for Bill, open it." His mother urged, stopping her puttering in the kitchen to watch her oldest son eagerly tear open the letter and read the contents within.

Dear Mr. Weasley,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…

AN: Please Review! No flames, but constructive criticism is welcome. Please suggest anything you would like to see, since this is a story about Bill and Charlie growing up, if you would like to suggest incidents that will happen to them etc. Ideas anything is appreciated and will be considered. Also anything plotwise in general, i'm open to suggestions. I'll update again in about a week maybe sooner, if i'm any longer i'll post something on my bio page stating when i'll update again. Check my bio page anyway though to learn more.

Another note is that this will more than likely be a trilogy. This one will be rated T but the next two will most likely be rated M as Bill and Charlie become teenagers and eventually adults.

I am so sorry about the two year gap, I've edited and reposted this chapter and the next chapter should be up within the next week, I still go to Uni, so I do get busy but I will try to get postings up weekly. I make no promises that it will be every week but I will try my hardest.