Round 1 - Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition

Team: Wimbourne Wasps

Positions: Beater 2

Genre: Romance

Prompts: Purple, Leaving

Pairing: Charlie Weasley/Nymphadora Tonks

A Last Goodbye

The day when Nymphadora Tonks was rendered speechless was thought to be an impossibility. And yet, on that final train ride home from Hogwarts, she uttered not a word. Charlie regarded her with concern as they traveled together in silence, for what would be the last time. Her pale, heart-shaped face was impassive, yet the startling, green eyes that normally held such light were dim as they stared vacantly out at the passing Scottish landscape. She huffed, blowing short strands of bright purple hair out of her eyes and rested her chin on her hands.

Charlie tapped his fingers on the windowpane, clicking his tongue nervously as he struggled to find some way to break this uncomfortable silence. A niggling voice in the back of his mind told him he should have seen this coming. That he should feel flattered she was taking the news hard. It showed how much she truly cared about him. But he couldn't help but feel guilty. After seven years of mucking about and wrecking havoc together, it was coming to an abrupt end. Perhaps he should have told her sooner, given her time to let it sink in? But the thought of her saddened face; the expression she was currently sporting, had been too much for him.

Guilt ate away at him. It was his fault, really. There had been offers closer to home; but home included her – in all her pale, green-eyed, purple-haired clumsiness that had made him fall in love with her in the first place. As much as he hated to admit it, he was afraid. Fear; it wasn't something often used in a Gryffindor's vocabulary and yet there was no other word for it. Charlie Weasley was in love with Nymphadora Tonks and he was terrified.

The realisation made him ashamed. Afraid of love? It sounded ridiculous. Bill would double over in laughter if he ever knew. His older brother had never had any trouble when it came to girls. They fawned over him, which resulted in a new girl almost every week. Charlie wasn't so fortunate. He wasn't nearly has handsome or as charming as his brother. He was awkward, he stuttered when he was nervous and he was completely obsessed with dragons (Tonks often teased him about it, saying that he would never settle down unless cross-breed marriages became legal). In fact, his only glorifying quality was the fact that he had captained the Gryffindor Quidditch Team for several years. It was hardly an achievement to win the affections of his best friend – a girl who had never shown the slightest inclination in dating over the seven years he had known her.

The train eventually pulled into the station and the two of them departed without acknowledging each other. Charlie cast his eyes over at her. She remained still, refusing to look at him.

"Please, Tonks. Say something," he begged of her after almost an hour of icy silence.

"Why should I say anything to you?" she snapped harshly, refusing to meet his gaze as she collected her trunk.

Charlie frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Because I can't stand the silence anymore."

This time, she looked at him, flashing him a stony glare, her eyes cold. Hurt and betrayal was written all over her face. "You're supposed to be my best friend!" she accused. "Best friends don't just abandon each other!"

He could feel her temper rising, the way her fists clenched and the way she spat her hair out of her mouth. Charlie couldn't help but admire how beautiful she was; like an enraged goddess. Her hair was now a bright, dangerous red, emphasising her anger. Charlie stumbled over words; he had never been good with speaking under pressure.

"I don't have a choice, Tonks!" he roared back, his defensive side taking over. "I've got to take this job – it's my dream!"

Tonks crossed her arms and glowered. "What about your mother? What about your father, and brothers and sister? Are you just going to abandon them like they don't matter anymore? What about me?"

It was then that Charlie noticed the tears swimming in her green eyes. He had never seen her cry before; Tonks had always prided herself on her strong, carefree attitude and had never shed a tear for anyone. In a cruel way, Charlie was almost glad to see her cry. She must really care about him. She looked so beautiful at that moment as she let her emotions get the better of her. Charlie's heart swelled with affection and he knew that he could never feel as much love for anybody else but the girl in front of him. Without thinking about the consequences, he lurched forward and kissed her soundly on the mouth. She was so soft and tasted of peppermint. He was sure his heart would burst out of his ribcage. For years, he had dreamed of this moment but this was far better than anything he had ever imagined.

As he got lost in the feel of her lips against his, it was then he realised that she was frozen against him. Horrified, he pulled back to see her gazing at him with wide, startled eyes. Blood rushed to his cheeks and he ran a hand through his short, red hair, trying desperately to look anywhere but at her. Tonks touched her lips with her finger, slightly bemused, before gripping either side of his face and pulling him down to kiss him hard. Charlie might as well have died and gone to heaven. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and pulled back to rest his forehead against hers. They stared into each other's eyes, both out of breath.

"So, this is goodbye," Tonks stated sadly, playing with collar of his sweater. A single tear slid down her cheek and Charlie brushed it away with his finger.

"Yes."

"Promise you won't forget me, even when you're off chasing those pretty, Romanian girls."

Charlie smirked and winked at her. "How could I forget you, Tonks."

She beamed and stretched up on her toes to brush her lips softly against his. Charlie twirled a lock of hair around his finger fondly, savouring the texture of its silkiness beneath his calloused fingertips. He would miss her; her humour, her laughter, her ability to trip over flat surfaces. But most of all, he would miss her ever-changing hair; always so bright and bubbly just like her.

"I like it when it's purple," he mused. "It suits you."

Instantly, Tonk's hair returned to the bright, vibrant purple it had been on the train and Charlie smiled.

"I'm gonna miss you, Tonks," he said.

"You too, Weasley."

Disentangling himself from her embrace, he picked up his trunk and disappeared off the platform, ready to tackle Romania head on and maybe... just maybe, return home one day to the girl he loved.

Something from my head cannon that I thought could be applicable to this round. Even though I ship Remus and Tonks, I've grown to like this pairing whilst they were at Hogwarts :) xx