Disclaimer: It's a tragedy that I do not own Harry Potter.
Charlie stared at the Minister and tried to breathe. It felt like the whole world had been ripped out from under his feet. There was no way that she could be alive. But who could ever be so cruel as to make this up? "No." "No?" Kingsley raised an eyebrow. "You're turning down a request from the minister of magic?" "That's right. If it's not her it'll kill me."
"But what if it is." Kingsley stated. "I can't think that way. Nymphadora is dead. We buried her, I saw the body." "I understand this is difficult…" "Difficult?! You have no idea what this is like. I love her so much I can hardly stand it on a good day but to see her face again, hear her voice, and then have it taken away from me a third time. I wouldn't be able to handle it. I would move back to Romania, away from all reminders of her, including my son."
"Please Charlie." He turned away from Kingsley. "Give me some time to think about it at least." "Of course. I am sorry Charlie." And he finally left in a swirl of purple robes. Without even really thinking about what he was doing he stepped into the fireplace and flooed away. He appeared in his sister's kitchen a second later. She was sitting alone at the table with two cups of tea. "Hi Charlie." Of course she knew. Her husband being who he was.
He flung himself into her chair, taking the proffered cup of tea and holding onto it like a lifeline. "I want to see, so badly. But I don't know if I can handle it." She said nothing as she stared at him, just listening. "I have to go though. If it is her and I didn't try to find out I would hate myself. I don't want to lose her again Gin." "Whatever you choose, you know we'll all be behind you either way." "I know." He whispered. He blew out a shaky breath. "I have to do this for Teddy don't I." Ginny smiled at me. "Probably." "Thanks Gin." "Why are you thanking me, I didn't do anything. You had made up your mind long before you came here."
"How'd you get so smart?" She grinned. "Clearly not from genetics." He rolled his eyes. "Ha ha." "And to prove that point, did you leave Teddy home alone?" "No!" He replied indignantly. "Andromeda's there. I should probably be getting back though. Teddy meets his great aunt Narcissa tomorrow." She grimaced. "Good luck with that." She watched her older brother disappear through her fireplace and ran a hand over her face as her husband appeared in the doorway. "Hey love." He whispered.
She gave him a smile. "Hey." "How was he?" "A mess. I feel so bad for him, going through all of this. When I thought you were dead, and then the second where you disappeared and I had hope that you were alive, it was torture." He didn't respond, instead pulled her into his arms and held her there. "I saw her Gin." He mumbled into her hair. "I think she might be alive." "I hope so." She responded.
The next town over Charlie laid in bed awake, staring at her side of the room and praying that this wasn't a joke and that she was alive. The next morning, he told Andromeda everything. She swayed on the spot and he conjured a chair, afraid she might fall over. But she stood her ground. "Go to her right now. I'll take Teddy to Narcissa and give your excuses." "But," "No buts." She interrupted sternly. "Go."
He apparated directly into the minister's office. "I'm in." Kingsley nodded somberly. "Let's go." The ministry provided car ride there was the longest of his life. Kingsley had given him instructions and Charlie had nodded, not trusting himself enough to reply. After what felt like days but was only hours, they arrived in Hogsmeade. "Where is she?" "The room of requirement. We needed somewhere secure and away from prying eyes." Charlie nodded.
Together they walked up the majestic stairs to the familiar front doors. Normally this evoked a calm over Charlie, walking into Hogwarts felt like going home. But this time all he felt was nervousness anticipation and grief. It was a very long walk up the staircases to the seventh floor corridor. Sir Cadogan posed heroically in his portrait but for once Charlie didn't stop to say hello. Kingsley stopped outside the door. "I'll let you go in alone."
He passed in front of the room he knew was there. I need to see if the person in this room is really Nymphadora. I need to see if the person in this room is really Nymphadora. I need to see if the person in this room is really Nymphadora. The door appeared and he wrenched it open. He barely paused to register the look of the room, too focused on his goal. There was a woman standing at a window on the far side of the room staring out at the grounds.
She turned as he approached and he lost his breath at the sight of her. "Nymph?" He whispered hoarsely. "Hey Charlie." "It can't be you." She smiled at him. "But it is." She shifted her features into the face that had been etched into his brain since the day they met. She had morphed into her actual features. No one besides him and their families knew she looked like that. But someone could have let it slip somehow, he told himself, unable to believe she was alive.
"That doesn't prove it's you. Tell me something only you and I know." "You're afraid of water." "A bunch of people know that, I'm gonna need something better." "Alright." She whispered. When I saw you for the first time in years, the night we conceived Teddy. You told me that every year on my birthday you wrote me a letter apologizing and asking for my love again. You showed me them and you always signed them love always, your Charlie. You talk in your sleep, sometimes full conversations. You drink your tea with honey. You brush your teeth before you eat breakfast which I think is the weirdest thing ever. You're the only one who can call me Nymphadora. You're the only man I have ever loved. Charlie, it's really me."
He was crying, but he didn't care. "Nymphadora." He whispered. He stared at her with such an intense array of emotions she almost had to look away. Then he ran to her and kissed her hard on the mouth. This was the last way he would be able to know if it was her. He cried even harder at the familiar taste of her, the fireworks exploding like every time he had ever kissed her. He hugged her to him, hard.
"I love you. And I'm never letting you go again." He pulled away from her and knelt on one knee. "Will you marry me?"