A/N- One week of chapters down! I really like the character of Molly Weasley now. :D And, after writing this chapter, Bill and Charlie, too. There is LOTS of brotherly love in this chapter. Fluffy brotherly love. :D Thanks to everyone! Also Harry Potter does not belong to me, sadly. That honor belongs to the wonderful, amazing, talented J.K. Rowling! I am only borrowing her characters. :D On with the show! I now present to you…Chapter Seven!
Chapter Seven
January 6, 1980
Even though they didn't have to, as the Burrow was large and had enough rooms for each of the boys to have their own, only Percy had his own room. Bill and Charlie shared, and so did Fred and George. Bill and Charlie were the first two children born into the Weasley family, and had a bond that none of their other brothers shared, even Fred and George. Fred and George might have had a similar bond, but it was different.
Bill had wanted a little brother so much, and was elated when Charlie came along. He played patiently with Charlie when Charlie was little. Bill helped him stack blocks, turn the crank on the Jack-in-the-Box and play with his other toys, too. He never once got tired of playing with Charlie, even if the games were for babies. Bill spent hours playing with Charlie, reading the picture books that Charlie loved so much to him (well, as best he could. Bill couldn't read yet, but he could look at the pictures and tell baby Charlie what they were), playing Peek-A-Boo and Pattycake and teaching Charlie everything he knew. When Charlie got older, he and Bill would race around on toy broomsticks, laughing and having a great time. Charlie was the first person Bill had to play with. Charlie was the first person Bill got in trouble with. Charlie was the first brother that Bill ever had.
So, they shared a room. Whenever Charlie got scared at night, or wanted to talk about something that was bothering him, or just needed someone to laugh with, Bill was there. And Charlie was there in a similar way for Bill, always. Charlie didn't judge Bill, and Bill didn't judge Charlie. Bill didn't make fun of Charlie being scared of the dark, or sleeping with a teddy bear, as we would have if it were any of his other brothers. Bill and Charlie had something special, and they both knew it. From the time they were babies, they were always happier when they were together. Bill could always tell Charlie when something was bothering him, and Charlie could always tell Bill.
Like tonight. Charlie was sure Bill was asleep, but something was really bothering him. He couldn't get to sleep, because whenever he tried, his thoughts kept drifting back to what was bothering him. And what was bothering him was also scaring him. He knew he could always tell Bill when something was scaring him, and he knew that he would never get to sleep if he didn't talk to Bill. Charlie hoped he was awake.
"Bill?" Charlie asked softly.
"Somethin' botherin' you, Charlie?" Bill asked, sincerely. He could tell just by the tone of Charlie's voice.
"Yeah," Charlie admitted.
'What is it, Charlie?" Bill asked, comfortingly.
"Well, we haven't see Uncle Gideon or Uncle Fabian in a while, and mom keeps talking about how she knows she they think they're doing the right thing, fighting You-Know-Who, but she's worried they're gonna get hurt somehow. I am, too. What if they got hurt, Bill? What if they got killed?" Charlie said, crying by the time he was done telling Bill. Bill climbed down the ladder of their bunk bed and sat on the lower bunk with Charlie.
"I'm sure there's nothing wrong with them, Charlie. They've just been busy with work, you know. They'll stop by soon, I'm sure of it," Bill said, rubbing Charlie's back and trying to comfort him. But Charlie didn't look convinced.
"But what if there is something wrong with them? Are you sure that they're okay, Bill?" Charlie asked, tearfully. Bill knew what he should tell Charlie, but he also knew that Charlie would want to hear the truth.
"No, I'm not. But even if they did die, it's okay. Death is but the next great adventure, you know," Bill said. Charlie looked up at his older brother.
"Where'd you hear that?" Charlie asked.
"Mom said it to me once, but she didn't come up with it. She heard it from Albus Dumbledore, the only man that You-Know-Who is afraid of," Bill said, hoping that Charlie would feel better.
He did.
When Molly woke up in the morning, she peeked in Bill and Charlie's room on her way down to the kitchen on impulse. She found Bill and Charlie on Charlie's bed, sleeping peacefully and happily. The sight made her smile. It was times like this when she loved being a mother.
It was times like this that Bill loved being a brother.
A/N- Wow. I think this is one of the best chapters so far. Also, THERE IS NO SLASH. Not even implied slash. I can't stomach reading slash (especially incest slash) so I don't know how I could write it. This is just brotherly love and nothing more. So… What did you think?
