At the Moment

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: J.K. Rowling's characters are in another companion story to my fics To the Future, From the Past, and In the Present. As usual, there are O.C.s, but duh, because Charlie's with an O.C. Anywho, please enjoy the story and let me know what you think of it in a review. BTW: I don't know how many chapters this'll last, but it will be shorter than the companion stories.

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The Third Insinuation (& the Twelfth Hint)

"Why are you still here?"

"Trust me, I'm not staying for long. I'm grabbing some things for a…retreat."

Charlie stood silently at the doorway to the hut while Laurel grabbed some items and clothes and stuffed them in a small satchel. He knew she'd be back at some point, but he didn't want to see her right now. It ruined his mood from last night when he had finally made up with Mira.

"By the way," Laurel said in a snarky tone, "have you noticed that you smell of candy and ink lately?" She touched a finger to her chin and looked up in a thoughtful posture. "Funny. I am beginning to think I was right about you and that child."

"She's not a child!!" Charlie yelled, slamming his fist against the wall beside him. He didn't even care about denying Mira's involvement in his life now. "The only child I've seen outside the classroom is you!"

Laurel glared daggers at him. "Don't you even start, Mr. Afraid-of-Commitment," she said venomously, using a contraction in a sentence for once.

He shook his head. "I'm not afraid of commitment, Laurel. I just don't want a family right now. Least of all with someone who'd pass on a temper."

"My temper?! You are talking of my temper?!! You throw things when you are infuriated, and I am the bad seed! Get to the point, Charles! You are scared of me passing on the were-dragon to your child."

"No, I'm not!" he stated, and he meant it. "I'm not scared of that at all, because-" Charlie stopped; he knew he was in too deep to dig himself out of this grave.

"Because what, Charles?"

He exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. "Because I don't want to have children with you."

Laurel closed her eyes. After a second, she tied the satchel close and stuffed her wand into her belt. "You'll see me again, just not soon," she stated in a clipped tone as she passed him to leave.

Charlie listened to her footsteps fade. When he could no longer hear them, he closed the door and sat on the edge of his bed. A vein pulsed strongly in his neck, and he wondered what his blood pressure looked like right then.

The school year was almost over. He didn't know if he was going to stay on as a teacher, but he also didn't know if he wanted to if offered the job for another go-around. Charlie's emotions did nothing but rage these past two months, and he wondered if he was really fit to remain on at Hogwarts.

He stood and kicked some stray shoes with the toe of his boot. No, I should stay on. I'm good with the kids and I'm good at what I do. What I do…

Charlie's thoughts drifted to the Dragon Plains. He missed the open space and the ruggedness. He missed the calm from working with the dragons, and he missed communicating with the sires telepathically. There was a different kind of magic in Romania, one that didn't require wands and spell books. It was the presence of the ancient beings who sometimes imparted their centuries-old wisdom. It was the need of hands-on work, not the necessity of a wand, that made it special to Charlie.

The redhead ran a hand through his long hair after untying the ribbon. This hair was the hair he had grown to look like Bill's; this was the hair Laurel loved to run her fingers through so much. But as the Dragon Plains made Charlie homesick, he found himself wishing he was that man from those weathered days, the man without the long hair, the man without the baggage that tied him down here. He lifted his robe and sniffed it. Laurel was right; he did smell faintly of candy and chocolate and ink. He smiled at the thought of Mira.

She was not baggage.

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Mira turned and rolled over. Her sheets were cooling in this summer weather. However, as she clunked her head on the floor, she knew she needed to work on sleeping in on the summer weekends.

The curvy brunette sat up and fixed her nightshirt and blankets. A yawn forced its way out of her. Mira covered her mouth and looked at her alarm clock. It was already ten o'clock.

Aw, hell, she grumbled as she made her bed. I meant to get up earlier and spend the whole day organizing my review sheets and notes and- She stopped.

She had also meant to break away and spirit herself to Charlie's for a bit.

Mira frowned and changed into jeans and a short-sleeved, lightweight blouse. I was hoping to drop by, but with exams a little over two weeks away, I don't know if I dare risk it.

"So you're finally up!" she heard Dana exclaim behind her.

Mira turned around and saw Dana and Drina near the door. They were dressed in weekend clothes, too. "You two were actually awake before me?" the brunette asked incredulously.

"It has to happen some time," Dana said dryly. She smiled as she held up a bag. "But that's not the point."

"Um, what is?" Miraphina cautiously inquired.

"Oh, just everything we need for a girls' day out –or in," Drina answered, her bob clipped up by a few barrettes.

The curvy Hufflepuff groaned. "'Girls' day out'? Come on, guys. Exams are almost here. Shouldn't we be studying instead?"

"No!" Dana shot back. "All you do is study! You've disappeared too easily the past few weeks."

"We're not letting you get away again," Cirdrine remarked.

"So that means a DVD extravaganza?" Mira said.

"Not just DVDs," Dana replied. "We've got DVDs, magazines, CDs, accessories, and make-up."

Mira cringed at the last one. "Make-up? You know I hardly ever wear any."

"Exactly," the other two said in unison.

The Atherton girl sighed. "Okay, okay. If I give you today, will you guys stop bugging me about girl time?"

Cirdrine pouted and Dana put a finger to her lips, but Dana acquiesced in the end. "After all," she added, "the year's almost over. This might as well be our big bang. Hard to believe our last year's come and gone so quickly."

That kept Mira's mouth shut. That's right. This isn't just another school year. It's my last year at Hogwarts. Blindsided by the sudden revival of that fact, Mira let Dana and Drina drag her to a chair and play with her hair and use make-up on her. Miraphina only came back to the present when her friends were done.

"Nice," Dana complimented to Drina, the main make-up artist.

"Would you like to see yourself, Miss Atherton?" Cirdrine joked, passing the victim a mirror.

Mira gazed at her reflection, though, awed by the magic Drina had worked without a wand. Her eyes popped with the dusty lavender eye-shadow. She looked a little older with her cheekbones defined by a pearly pink blush that deepened naturally when her cheeks grew rosy. And her lips looked kiss-worthy in the mauve lippy Drina had applied.

"Well done," Cirdrine told Dana when Mira gawked further at the smooth pigtails the skinny Hufflepuff had coifed. Two scrunchies held Miraphina's hair back, which cascaded behind her with a beautiful sheen.

Mira was speechless. "You made me gorgeous," she rasped to her friends.

"We didn't make you gorgeous, Mira," Dana stated with a laugh. "You were just the right canvas for us."

"Perfect from the start," Drina tacked on.

That statement intrigued Mira. Of course it didn't describe her and Grant, but it felt right for her and Charlie. Charlie…, her mind wandered, but she scolded herself. She had promised today to Dana and Cirdrine.

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She had promised today to Dana and Cirdrine. Now, she was kicking herself for doing so.

She got mock-revenge on them when the time came to do their hair and make-up. Dana looked ridiculous with gold make-up, since her eyes were a dark violet blue. Cirdrine looked more hilarious with her hair gelled into spikes; she looked like a mace!

The three of them watched two movies and listened to a couple of CDs, but Mira couldn't focus when the other two pried open the magazines and started gabbing about the latest what's-what in the celebrity world. Mira's mind wasn't in the dormitory or the Hufflepuff space or even in Hogwarts castle. It was outside.

Outside of Charlie's hut.

She gnawed on her bottom lip. Mira was itching to be with Charlie, but she also didn't want to ditch her friends yet again. That's what she had been doing the whole time. But she couldn't just leave Charlie thinking they were as delicate as the flowers he had given her.

The witch glanced at the sweet peas on her nightstand. The flowers were still beautiful, if not for the few that were shriveling some despite Miraphina's having put them in water. Mira dragged her eyes from the flowers and walked over to her window. She leaned on the sill and looked down. She couldn't get a good view of Charlie's hut from this angle.

Biting back another sigh, Mira sat down on her bed. "Guys, it's lunchtime. I'm going to grab something to eat."

"We've got all the protein you need right here," Cirdrine whined, pointing to the mound of Chocolate Frogs, Howler's Hard Candies, Bertie Bott's Every-Flavor Beans, and more.

"I meant something real to eat," Mira elaborated, but she picked up a Hard Candy anyway.

"Fine, we'll let you escape for lunch," Dana said, rolling her eyes in a very Ginny-like fashion. "You get twenty minutes to yourself, but then we own you again."

"Yes, Master," Mira teased as she hopped up. She poked Dana and playfully shoved Drina on her way out. Once the door closed behind her, she ran like hell out of the Hufflepuff Common Room.

She slowed once she made it to the outdoor corridors because she didn't want to draw attention to her. Mira clenched her jaw in irritation when she saw how many students were about; she wished it had been a Hogsmeade trip day so there would be fewer of her schoolmates around to accidentally catch her and Charlie. On the bright side, if she got caught just being with him, they could always lie and say she wanted to ask him about something from class.

It was hard to not break into another run when she went down the hill. Luck was with her this time, though, in that few students were straying too far from the castle. Most of the area around Charlie's was clear.

Mira relaxed into a medium-paced walk as she got closer to the hut. It was only another minute before she was at his door. And then something occurred to her: She could knock, but what would she say when he answered?

What if he didn't answer?

What if Laurel answered?

Here goes, she told herself. Mira raised her hand to knock on the door-

THWACK!

"Ah!! Bloody 'ell!!" Mira rubbed her nose and forehead where the door had made solid contact. "That smarts…"

"Mira! Oh my-!! I'm so sorry!!" Charlie yelped almost all at once.

The Hufflepuff blinked back tears, not wanting her make-up to run. "It's okay, Charlie. I'll be fine."

He looked doubtful, though. "Come in. I'll get some ice for you."

Mira stepped inside and he closed the door behind her. She turned her head, taking everything in. It was pretty clean, not only for a man, but Mira also took into consideration who had lived here before Charlie. And Charlie didn't smell in the least bit like a gamekeeper.

Charlie sat her down at the table and knelt in front of her. He moved her hand away from her face and brushed her bangs up. He winced. "It's fairly red. I'm so sorry, Mir. I didn't see you. I just threw the door open without a second thought." He held the ice wrapped in a cloth against her forehead. "I'm really, really sorry."

"I told you, it's okay, Charlie," Mira repeated. "I'll be fine. I've suffered worse."

"I can't believe I did that," he breathed, the worry not disappearing from his eyes.

Mira held up a finger. "Apologize one more time and you'll truly have something to apologize about."

Charlie slightly smiled then. "We've really got bad timing."

"Both figuratively and literally," Mira said, closing her eyes. But she grinned, too. Maybe telling him will happen another time…

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Charlie had been embarrassed before. He'd also done stupid things.

Opening his front door into the face of the girl he loved was the most embarrassing, stupidest thing he had ever done.

Right when he had been about to leave for lunch, he let his mind wander to his wary future. That only poured some anger into him, and he had thrown open his door with a little more force than was necessary. That turned out to be a mistake since Mira had been on the other side. The door smacked her nose and head, and Charlie felt extraordinarily lucky that she had not yelled at or smacked him.

"The swelling's gone down quite a bit," he commented once a few minutes had flown by. "Will you really kill me if I say sorry one more time?"

Mira glared at him, but winced when she did so. "Yes," she answered.

Charlie tossed her a flirty smile. "Will you kill me if I suggest a kiss might make the boo-boo go away?"

Her blush was the best response, and he chuckled. "Just shut it, you git," she muttered while averting her eyes.

His chuckle trailed off and he stood, looking for something to eat. He rummaged through the cabinets, unfortunately finding Laurel's old wand sheath, the one he had replaced on Valentine's Day. He grimaced.

"What's wrong?" Mira asked.

Charlie glanced over his shoulder and saw the brunette had her eyes closed. "What makes you ask that?"

"I felt you tense," she replied.

He pursed his lips. "Just…stuff," he answered.

"By 'stuff' you mean 'Laurel'."

Charlie exhaled heavily. "Yes, I meant Laurel." He shut the cabinets and opened the drawers, pulling out a knife.

"Charlie, what are you thinking?" Mira asked worriedly.

He turned and found that her eyes were now wide open. "I'm not going to do anything bad, Mir."

But she furrowed her brow, still a little scared.

Charlie grabbed his ponytail and sliced it off with the blade. The blue ribbon fell on the floor, along with a few pieces of red hair. The wizard put the knife back and put the freshly cut hair on the counter.

"Why did you do that?"

He sat down at the table. "I'm getting rid of an old life." He met her eyes. "'Stuff' meant 'Laurel'."

Mira frowned. "Vent."

"I vented when I opened the door. Look where that got me."

She raised her eyebrows. "Don't make me beat your feelings out of you."

He smiled at that. "No, I wouldn't want that. Ah…" He kept his eyes locked on hers for another moment, and then he dropped his gaze to the floor. "I finally told her that I don't want to have a family with her."

"Ouch," Mira mumbled. She held the ice against her nose now.

"It doesn't get much better. I admitted that after she accused me of smelling like candy and ink," he continued, lifting his eyes back to her face.

"Oh. …Like me." Her voice was quiet, her eyes wide.

"Exactly like you," he stated with a smile. It quickly faded. "Then I was thinking…"

"Haven't you learned how dangerous that can be?"

"My thoughts placed me back in Romania," he went on, dismissing her interruption. "I'm feeling homesick."

Mira 'aah-ed!' like a little puppy. "You're home's here, though. Not in Romania!"

"I've worked on the Dragon Plains for so long that Romania did become my home, Mir," Charlie said gently.

She dropped her eyes this time. "B-But… What does this have to do with, um, you cutting your hair?"

"This hair is an old part of me. A part the new me doesn't need anymore." The wizard picked the blue ribbon off the floor. He flicked his gaze back to her. "It signifies a new life."

Mira stared at the ribbon as he placed it in her hand. "You've always had this," she said in undertones.

Charlie nodded. "It was Bill's."

She snapped her head up then, knowing how much it meant to him. "Why this sudden change?"

"Life changes constantly. It's delicate, just like every moment that passes by."

"Like the sweet peas."

He blinked, surprised she had brought the flower up. "Yes, actually," Charlie answered, though he pondered if she knew what he meant when he gave her the purple flowers. Life, moments, and sweet peas are delicate, he thought, like her. Like what's between us.

"Charlie," she said, and she blinked rapidly, her eyes growing glassy. Her breaths were short and her eyes were so big…

The wizard abruptly stood before he kissed her again. He didn't want to break whatever delicate red string of fate bound them with one stupid kiss. Charlie gathered the cut hair and waved his wand over it. The strands braided together and solidified, appearing like a reddish bronze bracelet. He passed that to Miraphina, too. "Take it. I want you to have a part of me."

She did take it out of his hand, but she put the bracelet, ribbon, and ice all on the table as she stood. Mira moved his chair out of the way and stood in front of him, determination enhancing her facial features. He found it hard to look away as she placed a hand on either side of his face and drew his head down. Her lips tasted waxy and sweet, and her mouth was a candy of its own kind. When she pulled her head back, she rested her forehead against his. "Charlie, I don't want a part of you," Mira breathed. "I want all of you. We're not delicate little things," she added.

So she had known. He opened his eyes. "I love you, Miraphina Atherton."

Mira chuckled. "That's why I was at your door at the most inopportune time." She kissed his lips lightly. "I love you, Charlie Weasley."

He couldn't help it: "Then why did you slap me that time? I kissed you then thinking that you felt the same way, but you kissed me, slapped me, and ran."

She forced a smile. "That one I don't even really understand. All I know is that you really confused me. I hadn't expected it to happen so quickly."

"I'm sorry if I pushed you," Charlie said. "I acted on what I was feeling and what I thought I was feeling from you."

"You thought right, Charlie," Mira confirmed, "but that's not what I meant. I knew something was going to happen."

"You knew I was going to kiss you?" he asked. He was befuddled; even he hadn't really been sure he was going to kiss her that night.

She shook her head, her second bangs teasingly caressing his cheeks. "I knew something was going to happen between us."

"What?"

She sighed and sat down, leading him by the hand to join her at the table. She held onto that hand as she explained. "Back in February, I went to Professor Trelawney for a love reading."

Charlie squinted at her. "But…you were still with Selwyn then. Weren't you?"

"I thought so," Mira said. "I've told you before: He had been kind of disinterested for a while before he left. So I went to Trelawney, looking to the stars for answers about Grant. What she told me was something else entirely.

She dragged out the rune-stones, saying they're better for that sort of thing. That they're more certain. She cast the stones, telling me that the relationship I was in was a childish idea of romance. She proceeded to tell me that my true love, the permanent love of my life, would come into my life soon." Mira told him about Trelawney's rather dead-on description of him, down to their difference in height.

"That's something else," he remarked shakily.

Mira nodded, a pleasant pink settling in her cheeks. "She also told me that when I recognize this man as the one, that I would love him as much as he would love me. It scared me at the time, because I felt like I had no say in my life. But…"

Charlie tugged on her hand, causing one of her pretty pigtails to fall over her shoulder as she leaned forward. He kissed her again, a bit more passionately this time. "She got one part right," the Weasley brother said with a sweet smirk. "I do love you, Mir." And so he let the new life begin.

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Despite the plot of this chapter, my mind's stuck on one thing… THWACK! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!! For some reason, I still can't stop laughing about that. What it the timing or am I just crazy?

Vote now in a review! (no, really, wasn't it hilarious?)

-mew-tsubaki