Hello, my wonderful readers and fellow Potterheads,

As those who have been playing Hogwarts Mystery up to the most recent two chapters, you, like myself might still be mourning the unexpected and tragic loss of dear friend Rowan Khanna. If you didn't know about this then oops, my bad, (but, in my defence, I did add a spoiler warning in my summary so it's not really my fault ...)

Anyway, this is set post-Rowan's death (I still can't believe that's a term now) with all the grief and trauma of loss included. It was difficult for me to write this as I am still contemplating her death, but I hope that this helps you while memorialising the significance of a life brutally cut short by the cruel forces of evil ...

Yours truly,

Sword Gold.

In memory of Rowan Khanna:

'A bright light that will forever shine through the darkness till the very end.'

Week One: Stay with Me

"Finally, Ben. I was really starting to get worried … Bethany?" Charlie blinked, rubbing his still slightly bloodshot eyes as if to make sure that he wasn't imagining things. "Is that you? What … what are you doing here?"

"I can't do it," I stammered softly. "I can't go up there …" I bit down on my lower lip to stop myself from crying. Charlie frowned, swinging out of bed before reality seemed to dawn upon him and he rushed to my side.

"Hey, hey, it's okay …"
"It's not though," I sobbed, tears pricking my eyes as I buried my face into his bare chest. "Her things are still there, Charlie … Like they're waiting for her to come back and she's ... Oh, Merlin …" I trailed off, unable to continue as he took me in his arms.

"Shh … I know," I could tell by the slight quiver in his voice that he too was fighting back tears. "I know …"

We stayed like that for what seemed to last for an eternity, the only sounds being my muffled crying and Jae's snoring.

"It doesn't seem right," I whimpered, "Every time I open that door I keep expecting to see her even though …"
She's dead, went the unsaid.

"Stay here then."

Charlie's chin lightly rubbed the top of my head with such affection that it made me tingle all over.

He had said it so gently that I wasn't sure if I had heard him correctly. Charlie squeezed my shoulder, letting go of me briefly to rummage through his trunk before he took out one of his old sweaters.

"Here," he said, watching me hesitate with a weak smile as he handed it to me.

"Don't worry, I won't look. My mum raised me to be a gentleman after all."

I felt the slightest shadow of what could have been a smile tug at the corner of my lips as he turned the other way and I wordlessly complied by removing my crumpled uniform and replacing it with his sweater that was several sizes too big for me, so big in fact, it looked more like a one-piece than a jumper. As I looked at myself flapping those long sleeves in the nearby mirror I couldn't help but inhale his scent that seemed to wrap around me, feeling much more at ease.

Charlie waited patiently with his back turned and eyes shut until I gave him the all-clear. When he did finally turn to see me, his eyes kept drifting back and forth between his trunk, and me, as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to say what was on his mind. I wiped back a few of my tears before I managed a smile.

"What? Do I look weird in this?"

Charlie coughed into his fist.

"No, you look great," he murmured softly before abruptly changing the subject, "Which side do you want?"

I could still see the tips of his ears turning red in the dim candlelight but I decided not to comment.

"I don't mind," I said, trying to roll up my sleeves but they kept falling down.

"Allow me."

He took me by the wrist and carefully rolled up the sleeves. His droopy eyelashes tempered his steely looks, adding to his characteristically boyish charm.

"And … done," he smiled, his hand still holding my wrist before he guided me towards the bed. He pulled back the duvet, tucking me in like a small child before he soon followed suit. It was a tight fit. The single poster-bed made it impossible to lie down without brushing against some part of one another. From his chest brushing my breast to my hip rubbing against his abdomen … all I knew was that I needed him to be close and he complied, wrapping me in his embrace as he ran his fingers soothingly through my hair as if he were trying to reassure a restless Niffler. I took a deep breath, leaning into the arms that encircled around my waist as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Charlie?" I said after a while, my voice still hoarse from crying.

"Hmm?"

"Don't leave me."
Charlie flashed me one of his heart-melting smiles before he pressed his lips to my forehead. "Not in a million years."

Everybody deals with grief in their own ways so I thought that I'd add some of what I think Charlie and Jacob's sibling's friendship during Hogwarts would have been like.

I hope you enjoyed it!

xoxo - S.G.