Chapter three

During the night when the Burrow was quiet, Charlie woke up and hadn't been able to get back to sleep so he hoped a couple of glasses of Firewhiskey might help. He walked quietly down the stairs and stepped into the living room where he saw Harry standing near one of the windows just staring out, but he also noticed a glass in his hand.

'Couldn't sleep,' Charlie said and Harry jumped, spun around and had his wand in his hand, 'Sorry, didn't mean to startle you mate.'

'Blimey Charlie,' Harry took a couple of deep breaths, then put his wand back in the band of his pyjama pants, 'I could have cursed you.'

'Yeah, I wasn't thinking, so take it easy. I have enough injures right now and by the look of you, a lot more than I do,' Charlie went to his father's cupboard and found a bottle of Firewhiskey.

'Forget your dad's, here,' Harry stepped over to Charlie and handed him a bottle that was half full, 'I had Aberforth get me some before we left.'

'Thanks, but I never knew you drank.'

'I didn't, things change,' Harry took another drink before he turned back to the window.

'Those cuts and bruises all over you, did he do that?'

'Yeah,' Harry sighed, 'Decided to have some fun with me, I expected it though. So why can't you sleep?'

'Things going through my head, made it hard to fall back to sleep. Percy said he was with Fred and George when it happened.'

'Yeah, we came upon them just before it happened. Either a spell or one of the giants blasted the wall in, Fred just happened to be standing right near it.'

'Is that why you're not sleeping?'

'Pretty much, that and I keep seeing other things, stuff I'd seen through him, felt through him, makes it hard to sleep. I was hoping the alcohol would numb me for a while, hasn't worked so far even though I've had half a bottle.'

'You sound like you've had half a bottle and you are swaying a little, so if you keep going, you'll be more than numb, you'll be passed out pissed.'

Harry chuckled, 'Passed out pissed, if you added Potter to that might have made it hard to say, passed out pissed Potter, blimey,' Harry chuckled again, 'What's fucking wrong with me?'

'You're drunk Harry, just like I want to feel. How much of this stuff have you got?'

'Four bottles, three now,' Harry turned around to stare at Charlie, 'Tell me, your dad, he hasn't worked in a while, neither has Bill or you, how's the family for money?'

'Tight, I gave dad everything I had, Bill and Fleur don't have a lot left of their savings, Percy also chipped in with some, why?'

'It just came to me while I was standing here. I can help, but I'm not sure how your parents will feel if I offer them some money.'

'Dad might not like it, but he does need it. I noticed how worried he looked when we went to get that food yesterday. But one thing I know Harry, dad won't take the last of yours no matter what.'

'It wouldn't be my last,' Harry sighed, 'My parents left me pretty well off and I have no idea what Sirius left. Dumbledore and Remus did tell me the Blacks were rich, so I know it must have a lot. So you see why I want to offer them some?'

'Yep, and if you tell dad that, might make him feel a little better, he'll still pay you back though.'

'Just like Ron,' Harry drank the last of the amber liquid in his glass then took the bottle from Charlie, filled his glass then went back to the window.

'You're definitely going to be passes out pissed Potter. Blimey, even sober that's hard to say.'

Harry chuckled again, 'You've been here since just before Bill's wedding, do you still have a job over there, or even one of your girlfriends?'

'Job, no idea, but I'm not that worried about that right now, as for girlfriends, I never had any, I just told my mother that.'

Harry turned back to face the long haired dragon handler, 'Why would you lie to your mother?'

'I figured it wasn't anyone's business, but since I've been here and since I'll probably be here for a while, I might have to tell them I'm gay.'

'So blokes and not girls, like Dumbledore and Sirius,' Harry turned back around, 'You know Charlie, I think that's been half my trouble. I dated Cho, disastrous, I dated your sister, we had fun, but I couldn't really get into that. I figured it was just Voldemort always being in my head that stopped me enjoying that time. But I remembered that I did used to stare at some of the blokes at Hogwarts, so maybe I'm gay. Maybe I'm just too fucked up to work anything out.'

'You're not fucked up Harry, you've just had a fucked up life and it's lucky mum is not hearing us right now or we'd both have headaches from her hitting out heads and her yelling.'

Harry chuckled again, 'Yep, sometimes you have to learn what to say in front of your mum, merlin she can do some damage with just her voice. I don't want her angry enough to use her wand, she blasted Bellatrix to hell, where she belonged.'

'I still find that hard to believe, my mother took that bitch out. She was almost as crazy as him.'

'She was crazier than he was, he was just plain evil. But let's put him and all of them out of our minds and get drunk.'

'I'm with you there chosen one,' Charlie chuckled, then poured another drink.

'Bloody red heads,' Harry snapped before he sat down next to Charlie taking the bottle off him, 'Your hair is finally growing back.'

'Yeah, now I just have to keep mum away from it,' Charlie ruffled Harry's messy hair, 'Doesn't yours ever lie flat?'

'Nope, it has a mind of its own,' Harry took another drink then looked sideways at Charlie.

'What are you staring at hero?'

Harry punched Charlie in the arm, 'Blimey, that felt like I hit a brick wall,' Harry squeezed Charlie's arms, 'Damn, you've got some muscles there Charlie boy.'

'All the better to bruise my blokes when we have our fun, now stop feeling me up Potter.'

Harry raised his eyebrow, then put his hand down on Charlie's groin, 'That's feeling you up Weasley and I have to say this, feeling up another bloke is exactly what I want to do right now,' Harry gently squeezed then rubbed and could feel the tightening of Charlie's jeans and the bulge getting bigger with every passing second. Then before either of them knew how it happened they were upstairs and in the bed Charlie was using. Their naked bodies were grinding against each other, their hands were everywhere, their kisses were hard and wet and their groans of pleasure were getting louder. But with just enough sense in both of them, Charlie flicked his wand at the door, silencing the room but also locking the door for some much needed privacy and for some much wanted fucking.