A hundred pieces of Charlie Weasley

One to Ten

Written in response to Sick-atxxheart's 100 times challenge. I like challenges, they are like the caffeine of the fan fic world! They are based on Charlie Weasley, I created an O/C for another challenge so I've written her into this one too so I can expand her a bit. Hope you like. Ten drabbles to a chapter, I'm leaning towards drabbles at the moment, they are coming easier than a full story and I need the inspiration!

1. Laughed

Charlie laughed a lot, he laughed at anything and everything. He even laughed at his own jokes, which were actually quite funny. Now he was laughing at Bill, his older brother who was face down in the mud after Charlie had put a simple – yet effective spell on his broom. The spell had caused Bill's broom to resemble a wild west bucking bronco, and Bill hadn't lasted very long in the saddle. Charlie laughed harder as Bill roared his temper at Charlie and set off to chase him, Bill was fast, Charlie was faster. Darting into the kitchen and hiding behind his mum Charlie laughed harder at Bill's expression.

"Really!" Molly admonished her sons "At thirty and thirty two years of age, I would have expected this behaviour to stop!" but she laughed as she said it.

2. Cried

Charlie couldn't remember the last time he cried, probably the last time he was drunk, he mused. He sat under the stars outside his childhood home, smoking a cigarette, he knew his mother would probably make him cry tears of pain if she caught him smoking. He shrugged and took another mouthful from the bottle by his side, wiping the tears away with the back of his hand as he did so. He couldn't believe that Bill was alive, he'd been savaged, savaged by a werewolf. His brain bounced the words around and Charlie just didn't know how to feel anymore. Guilt that he had been able to do nothing, relief that Bill was alive and apprehension at what the future held for his brother and hero all fought within Charlie. He took another swig at the bottle and a few more tears fell. Another emotion surfaced in his addled mind, regret that he only seemed able to cry when he was at the bottom of a bottle.

3. Dreamed

Charlie wasn't a dreamer. At least now he had everything he wanted he didn't consider himself a dreamer any more. He had his freedom, he had his dragons, women loved him – at least for one night, and a lot of men respected him. Yes, Charlie had all that he'd ever dreamed of, almost. Except he'd started to dream again, not the nocturnal dreams that he accepted as part of the human condition, he had started to day dream. The woman. He dreamed of what it'd be like to make her fall at his feet like a lot of women did. She liked him, he was sure of that but she wasn't giving in to his charms. Charlie was frustrated by her, that she held him at arms reach when he wanted to be oh so much closer than that. She flirted back and it drove him mad when he did manage to get her alone and she gave him a cheeky smile and walked off. Oh yes, Charlie dreamed about her alright, but whether it was lust or a need for power that fuelled his dreams he didn't stop to discover.

4. Kissed

Charlie tried hard to remember the last time he had kissed one of brothers and drew a blank. He was sure he had, more recently than when they were children, probably a drunk kiss for a dare or bet, which probably meant it was Bill. Or possibly Ron, he'd been an affectionate child, always kissing everyone. Of course at that age Charlie would never have admitted that he'd kissed his baby brother, but he knew he had, because Ron was so easy to love at that age. Charlie was sure that if he tried to kiss him now one of them would end up with a fat lip. He sighed and dug his hands deeper in his pockets, he didn't want to, but he knew he would regret it if he didn't.

Charlie leaned over and kissed Fred's forehead with a gentleness that seemed at odds with his expression of anger and clenched fists. He stood back with his family as they closed the coffin lid, touching his lips unconsciously. He now wished he hadn't touched his brother's body, he knew that the feel of the cold and lifeless skin would haunt him forever.

5. Hugged

Charlie wormed away from his mother's death hug. He was a man of eighteen and lived alone, worked with dragons, looked after and supported himself, and here was his soppy mother trying to hug him and smooth his hair down and talk at a hundred miles an hour! Charlie didn't do hugging any more, well except maybe with his friends after a night out on the tiles. Or with a woman the morning after, but certainly not with his mother, no matter how much he secretly wanted too. He had a reputation to uphold. Charlie looked around the kitchen of the Burrow, seeing that the others had melted away, he leant his head down onto his mum's shoulder, breathing in the scent of her perfume, cooking and something that was just his mum. He put an arm around her shoulders and held her tight for a few minutes. His eyes remained on the door as he did so. No, big man Charlie Weasley didn't hug his mum any more, not in public anyway.

6. Killed

Charlie didn't kill, it wasn't in his nature. He certainly didn't kill those he loved, and dragons were very close to his heart. Charlie felt the heavy weight of responsibility as he drew his wand, the suffering before him was almost too much for him to bare witness to. The dragon groaned and puffed, trying with one last ditch attempt to breathe fire at him, unnerved by his proximity. A small belch of blackened smoke issued form the dragon's mouth, the smell was that of burned flesh. In a fight for supremacy with a larger dragon, this one had lost, and was mortally wounded. Charlie knew if he left it the other dragon would be back, and finish him off. Maybe that would be better, maybe it would be worse. Charlie closed his eyes and pointed his wand at the dragon.

"Avada Kedavra!" he said with enough force to mean it. The dragon's huge body lifted and landed back in the same spot, the eyes unseeing now. Charlie still felt uncomfortable using the unforgivable curse, even on a dragon, even though it was part of his job. He knew that this was better, at least the dragon was no longer in pain, it was just Charlie now who had to deal with the idea that he had killed.

7. Screamed

"Uh, Bill!" Charlie shouted over the increasing noise. He held Victoire at arms length in front of him, his face a mixture of concern and fear "Bill!" his voice more insistent now.

"I'm coming!" Bill shouted back from the kitchen, appearing with a tea towel over one shoulder and a baby's bottle in the other, trying to screw the lid on. He shook the bottle and the lid flew off, showering Victoire and Charlie with milk. The baby screamed louder and Charlie's face was as red as hers.

"I tell you man, that had better not be Fleur's breast milk" Charlie warned, still holding the screaming baby at arms length.

"Er, sorry" said Bill, finally screwing the bottle lid on and taking the baby from Charlie, sitting on the sofa he fed the upset baby, cooing to her every time she tore her mouth away to scream some more. Charlie took the tea towel and dried himself off. He loved his niece, of course he did, he just knew he'd love her more when she no longer screamed quite so much.

8. Bled

"Charlie what's happened? What did he do?" Rosie's face was full of concern and fear, the healer cut in, smiling an indulgent smile that Rosie was used to other women giving Charlie.

"The child fell over" the healer told her "Scraped his knee, he's fine, a plaster and a cuddle was all he needed"

Charlie looked rather sheepishly at Rosie "Sorry" he said "But he was bleeding, I panicked"

Rosie laughed as she scooped their son up from the bed in the hospital ward and cuddled him "You silly sod" she said to Charlie "I thought something terrible had happened!"

"It did!" Charlie defended, sulking for all he was worth "He bled everywhere!"

Rosie laughed again "Come on" she rolled her eyes at him "Let's go and get some ice cream seeing as I'm now off work!"

9. Giggled

Giggling was the last thing you expected a burly dragon handler to do, especially one with scars and tattoo's all over his body. But he did right then, he giggled like a kid while Rosie turned the hosepipe on him. They were supposed to be cleaning out a dragon enclosure ready for its new occupant, but Charlie had flicked the wet rag he held at her, and Rosie had retaliated with the hosepipe at full force.

Charlie dived for her, wrestling the hose from her and holding her hands easily between his, he threatened her with the water that cascaded from the end of the hose and giggled again as she twisted this way and that, trying to free herself. No, thought Rosie, she didn't expect him to giggle, but it was a nice sight when he did.

10. Slapped

Tonks had slapped him before of course, many a time, but this time he knew she meant it. They had always had an 'understanding' as he thought of it. Obviously not anymore he mused, cradling his stinging cheek.

"I'm sorry Charlie" Tonks said, but her face told him she was anything but.

"I really don't understand, we always… you know, when I'm home" Charlie said, bemused by her change in attitude.

"Not any more" she said, her tone sure and even "I have someone now"

"Oh" Charlie said, trying to stop looking shocked.

"What?" Tonks demanded angrily "You thought I was going to sit here in England and shag you every time you show up?"

"No, I…" Charlie was lost for words as he realised that was exactly what he expected.

"I love Remus" she said simply "And I'm pretty sure he loves me, I just have to convince him that we can make it"

Charlie let out a long breath and smiled "Good for you" he said, genuinely.

"And so you know Weasley, the next time you grab my backside, I'll hex you into next week, wait, and then slap you back again. You got that?" A smile played on her lips as she spoke.

"Totally" he replied, still rubbing his cheek.

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