Written for HO's daily prompt Anniversary and for the Charlie Challenge with the prompt St. Mungo's.
Thank you Persephone for being such a wonderful help and betareader!
It's the eighth anniversary of the opening of the WWW shop. And even if Fred isn't here any more, the Weasley family pesters George to hold a party and to organize a creative contest.
George accepts, but if he has to do it, he'll do things at a large scale. It's the Weasley way, after all, and he intends to blow people's minds away. The shop will be enlarged for the occasion, a muggle magical spectacle will be performed during the daytime, and a big surprise will take place in the evening.
Verity wants to help George, and Ron offers a hand, but he doesn't let people go anywhere near him during the preparation of his special project. Even his girlfriend Angelina can't do a thing about it. No one has witnessed George so enthusiastic about something for years since Fred's death, so they let him.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.
Charlie comes back from Romania, but not for the anniversary. He doesn't even know about it. It was just an unexpected opportunity to come home for a few days, and he had grabbed it whole-heartedly. No one is expecting him, and certainly not George. He decides to go and check on his brother at the shop - deciding he might need some extra help - and he flooes into the Leaky Cauldron. WWW is busy with people, so Charlie goes unnoticed to the workshop in the back.
Everyone has been warned not to go near George's workshop, so when Verity sees George's older brother, hand on the knob of the door, she runs as fast as her legs can carry her and cries for Charlie to stop. Except that he doesn't hear her. He opens the door and a explosion bangs. Smoke invades the shop, but fortunately Ron dispels it with a flick of his wand and panic is avoided.
George is unhurt, but Charlie is laying on the floor. He tells Verity to take care of the shop as he flooes Charlie to St. Mungo's, but Verity follows soon after because in her urge to stop Charlie, she broke her ankle.
The two of them are in the same room. George really can't leave the shop under the supervision of one person; his younger brother Ron – disaster has been known to happen with his youngest brother – so as soon as he sees that Charlie is okay and apologizes to both of them, he goes back to check on his shop.
"Does it hurt?" Charlie asks the blond girl next to him.
She pouts and refuses to talk to him. After all, it's his fault she's here with a drink of skeleton grow potion, everyone knows that that potions hurts like hell.
"Sorry, wrong question. So how's the shop going...er...Firety, it's Firety, right?" Charlie inquires.
"It's .ty," she answers shortly with a sharp tone that she hopes will cut off all possible discussion.
Except Charlie likes to talk and it's not because she doesn't want to listen to him that he'll stop. He starts ranting about his job and wants to know how business is doing at WWW. But he doesn't have any answers from Verity's part since she's keeping her lips sealed in a tight, thin line the whole time. He goes on, talking how the injuries due to the explosion are nothing compared to what he gets during Dragon taming in Romania. He doesn't understand why he is still in bed and he can't stay still.
"Then what keeps you from leaving St. Mungo's and letting me be in peace?" she snaps.
"Nothing except the fact that I like your company." He winks at the blond girl who rolls her eyes and turns her back to him.
By the end of the hour, Molly Weasley visits, as well as all his other relatives: Bill with Fleur, Ginny and Harry, and even Ron drops by with Hermione. And as Verity watches them interact she admits she's a little jealous. She's never witnessed the Weasley family all together like this despite working at the shop for several years now and Verity's always wanted to have a close family like this even though her parents are divorced and her relatives are scattered all around the globe, making it difficult to have a gathering. When they leave, she can't help but blurt it out to Charlie.
"You're lucky to have a family like this." Her tone is sincere and low, different from the abrupt, cold voice she used earlier.
"I wish my family was like that," she confesses.
"I am lucky," he agrees, "But I don't appreciate them enough," Charlie sighs sadly.
Night has finally fallen and it's something similar to confession time because Charlie speaks to her about how much he misses his family when he's away in Romania. She speaks of her own family, her parents who live just a floo away from her place each in separate homes but never bother to visit. She doesn't visit either, so she guesses it's just the way the world goes.
They are strangers despite the fact she has regularly met him in past years. But in the hospital room, they act like they know each other, as close-knitted as childhood friends. The confessions and talks distract Verity from the pain in her ankle and makes Charlie forget he hates staying still.
When they leave the hospital, it's like a tearing for them. They aren't friends, but they are definitively not strangers any more. They bid their good-byes and Charlie promises he'll see her at the anniversary party.
Except that duty calls him, telling him to go back to Romania.
When he passes by and sees her outside, sitting on the steps, wearing a fancy dress and undoubtedly waiting for him, something guiltily tugs at his heartstrings.
But he leaves anyway without bothering to drop by.
And it's a such a shame because Verity looked particularly good that night.