Disclaimer: all the ideas and inspiration for this story belong to J.K. Rowling. I apologise in advance for the abrupt tense changes, this was just a really quickly written piece.
Returning from Romania had been his Mum's idea. As she said, in these trying times you wanted your family close. He hadn't been sure about it, mainly seeing her after all this time, revisiting the past wasn't something he was particularly keen on to be honest.
He couldn't believe it when he saw her, sitting holding hands with Remus Lupin in the kitchen of Grimauld Place. He felt even worse when he realised his Mum had been the one trying hardest to get the two of them together. He hated himself for feeling this way when he knew he had been the one to destroy their relationship. Dragons! It all came back to dragons and a sense of adventure that stretched beyond the windswept shores of Britain.
Bill constantly reminded him that Tonks had every right to move on, after all Charlie has euphemistically used his desire for pastures new to escape commitment. Romania had seemed a Merlin blessed opportunity at that distant point in time, he'd been so terrified that he'd betray Tonks again that he split them up before it could happen. One kiss from Hestia Jones at the Christmas ball whilst under the influence of some rather intoxicating and almost certainly illegal punch had almost ended them. One swallow may not make a season but in Charlie's mind that one kiss had branded him – unfaithful, a cad, and a bounder. He clearly needed to avoid his Mother's trashy muggle novels otherwise he might end up growing a moustache long enough to twirl whilst simultaneously leering at females. Taking Alec D'Urberville for a role model was not a good idea.
Breaking up with Tonks had been intended to save him from the pain of her dumping him because he was a cheating, lying idiot and it had worked – up till now. Tonks didn't seem to have read the rules. Just because he broke up with her didn't mean that she could just turn around and start dating again. Remus must just be the rebound guy; it had barely been six years since they'd split. But how are you supposed to stop your girl from dating an aging werewolf from that distance?
He'd thought Bill had been teasing him in those occasional owls to the dragon reserve. Ginny he considered too young to even be thinking about dating, let alone be counselling others. The only explanation for her rather over the top exuberances about how cute Tonks and Remus were was that she'd confused friendship with something more. As for Fred and George, well everyone knew not to trust a word they said when they were after something, namely monetary aid towards Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Ron wasn't much of a letter writer, on the rare occasion he managed to pick up a quill; he tended to focus on his ongoing and probably perpetual quest to find a girl willing to tolerate both him and quidditch. Strangely he still seemed to feel Hermione might fill that role. Charlie wasn't looking forward to the day he found out Fred and Hermione has been dating since before Fred left Hogwarts.
But seeing them in the flesh, he began to realise what he might have lost. Tonks seemed to have changed beyond recognition and seemed truer in his memories than in the here and now. She seemed content to follow Remus's lead rather than leaping blindly and dragging you willing or not into the future. At Hogwarts, she and he together held the record for detentions, broken only by the infamous Marauders. As Tonks said there were far more of them and only two of us, so you have to halve their score to get a comparable figure. At the time her logic had confused him and it still did. Except 'us' no longer existed, save in his memories.
Perhaps what hurt most was the fact that she didn't seem at all bothered by him, a simple 'Wotcha Charlie' and she turned back to her conversation with Remus. They didn't try to hide their togetherness, amongst the many other couples within the order. Indeed Charlie had felt compelled to have a serious talk with Harry about treating Ginny right, loudly and whilst in the same room as Remus in the hope that the message would reach its intended target.
Ginny had promised to hex him with a well placed bat boggy curse if he so much ever as raised his voice within ten yards of Harry. The poor boy couldn't stop shaking for days and still flinched whenever he saw a Weasley male. It was only his deep seated fear of Ginny which prevented him from breaking up with her as a result of Charlie's little talk. Unfortunately Remus had failed to break up with Tonks as a result of the thinly veiled threats. Charlie had had it all planned out. Step one – Remus breaks up with Tonks. Step two – he Charlie, could swoop in and comfort Tonks, keeping her well away from Remus in case he changed his mind. Step three – Tonks would then realise what and idiot she was being, declare her love for Charlie and they would live happily ever after. There was only one flaw to his plan, step one never happened.
Charlie wasn't sure when he knew his dream was over. Perhaps when he saw his Mum knitting baby jumpers by the dozen or when Tonks started taking regular naps. He thought he knew when Remus refused to let Tonks out of his sight for more than a minute at a time. He hated the pitying looks he received from his family; his mum was the worst, somehow forgetting she had been instrumental in getting the Lupin's together, instead choosing to comment 'She could have been pregnant with your baby, you know'. He hated Tonks because she hadn't come to her senses, because she hadn't fought for him, because she hadn't made him value her above and beyond his beloved dragons.
He hated her most though for leaving him, for kissing her daughter and her husband and for saying nothing beyond 'Wotcha Charlie' as she tumbled past the hat stand and tripped out the front door. No one could have known, Remus was reassured, that there would be a death eater attack on the Ministry that night. It was no one's fault. He was told Tonks had saved the lives of several people that night, that she loved him, that she loved their daughter. Charlie was told nothing, his grief wasn't permitted. He wasn't her father, brother, husband, or lover. He had no role in her life and no rights.