Beneath the surface
This is my entry for PrimoseAmelia's Challenge 'Those Voices, The Mirror of Erised'. My character was Charlie Weasley.
Thank you to EveryShiningStar for beta reading this :)
He hasn't seen her in years. But there she is on the other side of the glass, hands entwined with his reflection, looking like no time has passed at all. He sees her in a way he had never seen anyone before, his eyes drinking in every feature – her long brown hair falling in perfect waves, her ocean deep eyes so full of emotion, her lips curved in a playful smile. She's beautiful.
He looks closer, desperate to see every little detail of the couple shown in the mirror. She bends down with the breathtaking grace she had, picking up something he hadn't noticed before, straightening with something cradled in her arms. He almost gasps when he realises what it is – a baby, the most beautiful child he's ever laid eyes on. A few tufts of light brown hair rests on his head, the same shade as its mothers, but those eyes – they're unmistakably his.
The woman turns to the Charlie in the mirror and places the little bundle delicately in his arms. He can almost feel the warmth radiating from the tiny body, and its strong heartbeat. It lifts its small head and locks eyes with him, giving a perfect, innocent smile – and he knows then, this is what he wants.
He thinks back to the time he had spent with her. It was a chilly October morning, when he first met her; she was the newest addition to the researching team. They spent a lot of time together, but he never really looked at her, never before appreciated her beauty. He couldn't, he was already in love – with his job, with the dragons, with the adventure of his life – he didn't think he had room in his heart for another. So when she asked him, he rejected her, but she didn't give up. Over and over again he turned her down, every time explaining to her he was already married – to his job. She never took it badly, and they remained friends for almost two years, until she suddenly left to study at another dragon reserve.
He never saw her again after that. At first he missed her, and grieved for his loss of a friend. But inevitably, eventually he forgot about her, the excitement and demands of his job forced her out of his mind. She was gone, too far away.
Even through the weddings of his various family members, the idea that one day it could be him waiting by the altar for his bride never entered his mind. Even after all his younger siblings were happily married, he never thought about it for himself. If he was ever asked why, he gave them the same answer as he had given her so many times all those years before – he was already married, to his job.
Only a few minutes ago, before he stumbled across the mirror, he still believed what he had told everyone before. But now, everything is different, everything changed in such a small moment of time. He can't take his eyes away from the Charlie reflected in the mirror, with her by his side, baby in his arms, and he knows in his heart that it's all he ever really wanted.
I hope you like my entry, and please Review! :)