this is like a half muggle au? cursed things and dragons exist but wands dont and cellphones do
geek pride - legend of zelda - someone affected by a cursed object
love & weasley war - charlie plus "i'm innocent i swear"
705 words by gdocs
"I'm innocent, I swear," Charlie says, before considering that it's the wrong thing to say. All that it gets him is a weird look, and he's pretty sure he's more of a suspect now.
He's not lying, though. Someone at the dragon reserve got cursed by a necklace, and Charlie didn't do it. He doesn't know who did, but he knows it wasn't him.
Somehow, though, he's the one pulled in for questioning.
"Where were you for the past 24 hours?" he's asked, and that's an interesting story.
He's not sure he wants to share it, but it could mean the difference between him getting put in jail or him getting to go free.
Charlie takes a deep breath.
…
Charlie's head was pounding. He knew that he shouldn't have gone out with his friends the night before he had work, but they had tempted him with free alcohol and they promised to have fun. He was sure that if he could remember any of the previous night, it would've been fun.
With a groan, Charlie looked over to the other side of his bed. Judging by the guy sleeping there, he was pretty sure that he had had a good time. He felt awful, though so he decided to get up and take a quick shower before the guy woke up.
When he got up, though, his foot cracked on something. Looking down, Charlie saw a broken necklace, one that he's pretty sure doesn't belong to him, so it must belong to —
…
"I did buy that necklace," Charlie says, looking down at the receipt that's slid in front of him, "but I didn't curse it."
"Of course you didn't," the detective tells him. Something about her tone makes Charlie believe that she's not being sarcastic with him — she really believes that Charlie didn't curse it. That's a relief. "You bought it already cursed."
"I think I would know if I bought a cursed necklace," Charlie says, trying to sound nonchalant.
He's not sure that he would.
…
Charlie spent an hour picking out the perfect necklace. He didn't want his guest to leave unhappy, and once Charlie told his guest — Draco — what had happened, he immediately offered to buy the same necklace, or something similar at least. Draco had said it was fine, but Charlie insisted.
Eventually, Draco relented, and even gave Charlie the name of the store he got the original necklace from — Borgin and Burkes. Charlie went to search for one.
He thought that he found one that was the same — it had the same green opals, at least, and it hurt Charlie's bank account to buy, but he felt really bad for breaking the necklace.
He got the package from the shopkeeper, and was about to go home to deliver the package when his phone buzzed. He needed to go into work for a meeting. It was annoying, but it probably wouldn't last very long.
…
"Are you blaming this Draco, then?" the detective asks him. Charlie mentally curses himself for giving away Draco's name.
"No," he says quickly. He doesn't know Draco very well, in all honesty, but he doesn't think it's Draco's fault that this necklace was cursed. He doesn't think it's Draco's fault his friend is in the hospital, either.
…
By the time Charlie came back into the breakroom to collect his stuff, thirty minutes had passed. The meeting was rushed, an emergency about one of the nesting dragons, so Charlie had just left his stuff — including the necklace — on the table.
When he came back into the room to get his stuff and head home, his friend was there, floating, suspended in the air. The necklace packaging was ripped open.
Charlie screamed for help.
…
The detective doesn't look like she believes him. Charlie asks if he can be excused anyway. Begrudgingly, the detective lets him go.
Charlie leaves, quiet, and he thinks about everything. He should visit his friend, but he's not even sure if his friend is conscious yet.
He wonders who would sell him a cursed necklace. He wonders if Draco would know. Draco had the same necklace…
Maybe…
Charlie decides to call Draco.