Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter world or the characters within it.
Voldemort tipped backwards as the Elder Wand flew through the air. Dahlia caught the wand in her outstretched hand, right as Voldemort hit the floor with a dull thunk.
There was a moment of silence, utter stillness, before the room practically exploded. People were running at her, grabbing her up in hugs, tangling their hands in her hair. Someone stepped on her foot and a sharp fingernail almost poked her eye out.
Dahlia just laughed, laughed as she cried.
Everyone wanted to speak to her, shake her hand, cry on her shoulder. Dahlia was pushed and pulled through the crowd, spending just a few minutes with one person before another claimed her attention.
It seemed as though she had spoken to every single person in the entire Wizarding World by the time Ron and Hermione abducted her and half-carried her to a seat. The Weasleys closed ranks, surrounding her in a cloud of red hair and freckles.
Dahlia closed her eyes and rested her head on the nearest shoulder. Whoever it was, they wrapped their arm around her frame, bringing her in closer.
Smoke and the open air, dew in the mornings. Dahlia smiled, snuggling into Charlie's side, and pulled her jumper sleeves over her hands. She let herself drift, vaguely listening to the rhythm of voices and feeling Charlie shift with his breathing.
Dahlia must have really fallen asleep, for the next thing she knew, she was being carried. She fingered a hole in Charlie's shirt and rubbed her nose against his chest. The arm wrapped under her back tightened.
"We're almost to the gates. Just a moment, and we'll be at the Burrow. Sleep, honey."
She did, but only after the twisting squeezing breathless apparation.
Dahlia woke again when Charlie set her down. He tried to extricate her hand from his shirt, but she refused to let go. Instead, she pulled.
"Stay."
He heaved a great big sigh, but slid her over so he could fit on the bed too. Dahlia clung to his warmth and hauled herself over so she was splayed half on top of him, their legs tangled. She buried her nose in the crook of his neck and traced along his arm so she could grab his hand and pull it up around her.
Dahlia finally woke refreshed, hungry, and alone. Light shone through the fluttering curtains, illuminating the room. She sat up, rubbing at her eyes.
There was another unused bed on the opposite wall, but that side of the room was mostly empty. A trunk sat at the foot of the bed Dahlia occupied, top thrown open and clothes haphazardly thrown about. There was a stack of books by the bed, serving as a table for the lone lamp. They were all about dragons and creatures and duelling spells.
Dahlia swung her feet over the side of the bed and nearly stepped right on top of Charlie's boots, his dirty clothes in a pile over them, covered in dirt and blood. There was another haphazard pile right by the door, Dahlia's moleskine pouch and the Elder Wand lying on top.
Underneath them was one of Charlie's Gryffindor Quidditch jerseys, soft and faded, and another Weasley jumper. It hung off her, but Dahlia rolled up the sleeves and tucked the jersey into her dusty denims. She slipped on her shoes before sitting cross-legged on the floor.
She dug around in her moleskine pouch for the pieces of her wand. She laid them out gently on the floorboards, fingering the exposed phoenix feather. She held up the Elder Wand and took a deep breath, closing her eyes.
"Reparo."
Dahlia waited a moment before opening her eyes and gasping. Her wand sat on the floor, looking exactly the way it had when she purchased it from Ollivander's. She reached out with a single shaking finger and slouched in relief when she was met with a rush of warmth, a feeling of grand homecoming.
A smile spread over her face. She took her wand in hand and waved at her shoes.
"Evanesco."
The dirt and debris and dust disappeared without a trace. Dahlia gave a delighted giggle.
She eyed the Elder Wand, then snapped it over her knee without another thought. The pieces went into her pouch, which then went around her neck. Dahlia shrugged on the jumper, heaved herself up off the floor, and started down the stairs.
Halfway down, she could smell the bacon.
Mrs. Weasley wouldn't let her make her own plate, and instead shooed her into a seat at the table, across from Charlie. Ron and Hermione and Ginny immediately drew her into conversation, asking about Hogwarts and what happened in the forest and what she planned on doing now.
She had a mouth full of eggs when bare toes brushed over her shoe and rubbed at the skin of her ankle. Dahlia shot her eyes to Charlie, who was looking at her over his cup. He raised a single eyebrow.
Dahlia swallowed noisily, taking a drink of juice, before answering Ginny's question.
Though certainly not what she said, Dahlia thought maybe she'd like to be mum, raising a gaggle of freckled, red-haired children obsessed with magical creatures.