Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Author's Note: I hope that you enjoy this second upload today, it's a gift in celebration of Harry's birthday. :)
Charlie's POV.
If anyone were to ask Charlie Weasley what his life was like, he'd probably say that it was predictably unpredictable (or did he mean unpredictably predictable?). Whichever way, Charlie was used to unpredictable things happening. He wasn't a stranger to a dragon suddenly deciding that it wanted to live in his small house on the preserve in comparison to its enclosure (it's happened a few times, what can he say), or to a fellow dragon tamer asking him out, or even to the odd bit of mail for him from a family member. That didn't mean, though, that he couldn't be surprised by something.
His twin brothers sending him a letter (using one of the most beautiful owls he's ever seen, too) was definitely not something that Charlie could have guessed would ever happen. He'd like to think that he was close with each of his siblings, more so with some than others, but he'd probably be lying with himself if he did. Don't get him wrong, he loves most of his siblings (3 out of six can be considered most, right?), but he's not very close with them.
Being the second oldest son, it was expected that he'd act as the proper and perfect heir to the heir. Every choice that he'd ever made went against that. Choosing a dangerous profession, as his mother liked to call it, was only going to get him killed early - something that couldn't happen to the heir to the heir. Not wanting to marry or date was going to make it so the family name couldn't be passed on - sorry, mom, that he's aroace, it's not like he can control his sexuality. He'd heard countless arguments from his mother in the past, none of them leaving a good impression on him. His father would just sit back and listen to his mother as she ranted the entire time that he was at home. It was easy for him to decide not to come back once he realised the toxic nature of the environment.
Speaking with Bill had helped. The oldest Weasley child had received very similar, likely identical treatment from their mother. Charlie could probably argue that Bill had it worse, but he knew better than to belittle his own trauma (or, that's what his therapist would tell him any time he tried). So, if Charlie ever expected to receive mail from a family member, it would be Bill (the only member of the family that he could honestly say he had a close relationship with) or his mother.
The twins sending him a letter, well, that was unheard of for the dragon tamer. And, looking closer at the letter, it seemed that it wasn't just the twins, but Percy as well! Charlie stared down at the envelope in complete shock. He likely would have continued to do so for an unknown amount of time if he wasn't interrupted by a call of his name. Looking up, the redhead whipped his head back and forth, looking around the small room for the source of the noise.
"Over here, you big lug!" The voice shouted, finally allowing Charlie to locate the source - his fireplace.
Bill stared at him from the fireplace expectantly. It would seem that simply thinking about his family could bring them to his small home. He'd need to never think of his mother again if he wanted to be left in relative peace.
"Did you get a letter from the twins and Percy?" Bill asked as soon as Charlie came over to the fireplace.
"Yeah, what do you think it is? I haven't gotten to open it just yet."
Bill shrugged, or as much as he could in a fireplace, "I'm not sure, I was going to open it with you, if you'd gotten one as well."
Charlie nodded, understanding what his brother had been thinking. "How about you come on through and we can open them together?"
Bill did just that, disappearing from the fireplace briefly and then coming back fully through to the other side. He had a letter clutched in his hand, one that looked almost identical to Charlie's own. The dragon tamer gestured to a seat next to the fireplace for his brother to sit down in while he moved to sit in a chair of his own.
Once the two were sitting, they stared at the letters sitting on Charlie's small coffee table. "What do you think it is?" Charlie asked again, still confused by the fact that his brothers had even thought to send him a letter.
"I'm not sure, but I imagine it's important if they're reaching out to us at all." Bill said, pulling lightly on the earring that he'd gotten as part of his rebellion from their mother. The fang was the perfect thing that both fit into Bill's aesthetic and also bothered their mother to no end. It was similar to the tattoos that covered Charlie's arms (though, Charlie personally preferred his dragons that moved across his arms magically in comparison to the earring).
Charlie nodded. "We open them on three?" He asked, looking up at his brother. With Bill's agreement, Charlie began to count. "One." He grabbed the envelope addressed to him as Bill grabbed the other. "Two." He put his finger under the seal. "Three." He opened the letter.
He smiled at the way that the twins had addressed him, of course they'd write in their twin speak. Shaking his head fondly, he quickly continued through the surprisingly long letter. By the end of it, he felt somewhat near tears, but he fought them down. He wouldn't cry in front of his older brother, even if the twins and Percy were reaching out to him in such a painstakingly earnest and emotional way. Charlie looked up to see whether or not Bill was finished with his own letter. The answer was no, so Charlie quietly got up and grabbed some parchment and quills.
He started to write a reply, hoping desperately to get across what he needed to:
Dear Little Brothers,
I want you all to know that I would love to have a stronger relationship with you. I can't speak for Bill, but I'm sure that he'll agree with me.
I think that we should try to meet up in person sometime soon, that way we can all talk together without the delay that letters have. When's your next Hogsmeade weekend? Maybe we can get time off of work, or at least I can get time off, to come and see you three.
As Charlie was writing, Bill had finally finished reading his own letter.
"We should go and see them." The Weasley heir said, emotion heavy in his voice.
Charlie looked up at him, noticing the effect that the letter had had on him was so similar to his own. "I agree, I think that our little brothers need us."
Bill pointed at the letter that Charlie had begun writing, and the dragon tamer handed it over. The other red-head read through what Charlie had written quickly, grabbing a quill and adding some things, himself. Charlie moved his chair to be next to Bill's and the two worked on the letter together, making sure that they expressed how much they did, in fact, want to know their younger brothers.
Charlie also made sure to answer every single question that the twins had asked him, noticing that Bill did the same thing. They spent a good part of the afternoon together, but they finally finished and sent the letter off with one of the owls Charlie had access to on the reserve.
Watching the bird fly off, the two brothers were anxiously excited to hear back from their younger siblings.
Twins POV.
A few days after they had sent off their letters to their older brothers, they had received a reply. The single reply had initially made them and Percy think that one of their brothers hadn't even cared to reply to them. But, upon opening it, they determined that the two older brothers had simply been together when reading the letters that the twins and Percy had sent.
The relief that they felt when learning that their brothers also wanted a relationship with them was palpable. The following exchange of letters helped cement a when and where for their in-person discussion. The very next Hogsmeade weekend would be the best time for all of them, so it was a unanimous decision. The brothers agreed to meet in the Hogshead around lunch time, 12:30pm being the actual agreed upon time, so that they could talk in a relaxed environment. The unspoken agreement between all of them was that they wouldn't tell Ron or their parents that they were meeting up. No one needed any of them butting in on their sibling time.
The next Hogsmeade weekend was finally here, though, and the twins felt incredibly nervous. They had tried to bring Maera with them, but she had insisted that they needed to be with their brothers without her. A laughable thought, in their opinion.
But, here they were, no Maera in sight and only an extremely nervous and fidgety Percy with them. They were sitting in the Hogshead, waiting for the older Weasleys.
Just as they had thought of them, the two red-heads were walking into the deserted pub. They spotted their younger brothers quickly enough and made their way over.
"How's it going?" Charlie asked, a large smile on his face with hidden tension in his eyes.
"It's going well." Percy said tensely.
Overall, it was an awkward and uncomfortable reaction all together.
Fred coughed into his fist while George cleared his throat. Bill was messing with his earring.
"So," Fred started, looking away from everyone. "How're the dragons?"
Charlie beamed widely. "The dragons are doing just fine. We'll be getting some new hatchlings soon, so that's exciting."
The second eldest Weasley boy could go on and on about dragons, so it was the perfect icebreaker. The siblings soon found themselves talking about many different things including, but not limited to, their interests and their desires.
"So you two want to open your own prank shop?" Bill asked, and excited gleam in his eyes.
"Yeah," Fred started.
"We love pranking people," George continued.
"And we love introducing people to new jokes and pranks,"
"And we have a ton of ideas that Zonko's doesn't have,"
"And we think we can do it." Fred finished, a wide smile on his and his twin's face.
"Well, I'm happy for you two. I'm sure that your store will be far more successful than any other of the sort." Charlie said, Bill and Percy readily agreeing.
"What about you, Percy? What do you want to do after Hogwarts?" Charlie asked, leaning back into his seat, relaxed.
Percy smiled a small smile. "I want to be the next magizoologist. I want to follow in Newt Scamander's footsteps."
"That sounds perfect for you, Perce." Bill encouraged.
The four brothers continued to talk well into the early evening. It was a good start to fixing what their mother had done to them with her unrealistic expectations.
Maera's POV.
Maera found herself wandering around the castle the Saturday of the next Hogsmeade visit, alone. Draco, Blaise, and Neville were all busy once again and couldn't hang out with her and the twins and Percy were away this second Hogsmeade weekend meeting up with their older brothers for the first time in what was probably years (they'd all invited her to join, Percy begrudgingly so given his ingrained desire to not break the rules, but she didn't feel like she could intrude on such a personal and important moment). So, here she was. Wandering the castle with only herself as company. She would have brought Loki, but the little fox had been stubborn in his desire to sleep-in today (she'd make sure to play with him later though).
Avoiding the forbidden corridor on the third floor, Maera was slowly mapping out the castle. She couldn't always rely on the twins and their magical map to direct her when she was in her later years at Hogwarts, so she figured she could explore the castle enough to know it just as well now. Currently, she was walking through the dungeons. She'd decided to start there after leaving Gryffindor tower because, even though two of her best friends were Slytherins, she often spent the least amount of time down there.
Walking past a painting with a large bowl of fruit in it, she found herself walking directly into a wall. Or, she thought it was a wall. That was until she heard a groan come from the direction of the wall. Looking up, she found herself staring into startling gray eyes.
"I'm so sorry!" She rushed, backing up from him.
A smooth chuckle met her ears as the boy rubbed his chest where she had run into him. "It's alright. I've probably had worse in quidditch."
"You're on the quidditch team? For what house?" The boy wasn't wearing any house colors currently so she couldn't rule out any house, not even her own.
"Hufflepuff." The boy said, holding his hand out to her. "The name's Cedric Diggory. Feel free to call me Cedric, no need to stick with last names."
There was something about Cedric that Maera couldn't put her finger on, but it reminded her of meeting the others. So, with this in mind, she carefully took his hand, shaking it while saying, "Maera, Maera Potter-Black. And you can call me Maera."
"So, what's a little Gryffindor like yourself doing down here?" Cedric asked, leaning onto the wall.
"I'm just getting to know the castle better." Maera said, smiling at the older boy (she had to guess that he was about the same age as the twins from appearance alone).
"Hm, well, what do you say to a tour guide? I've been going here for two years, I've got some special secrets I could show you."
Maera weighed her options and nodded, agreeing to let the boy show her around, there probably wasn't anything to lose. Cedric smiled charmingly at her and put his arm out, pointing at the portrait behind her.
"Here's the first secret, go ahead and tickle the pair on that painting." She looked at him in confusion. He was smiling very openly, though, so she didn't think that he was playing a prank on her. She moved forward, toward the painting, and reached out, brushing her hand over the surface. She was pleasantly surprised when the pear began to giggle before the painting moved forward. Maera looked back at Cedric, but he was just ushering her in.
As she walked in, Maera found herself surrounded by small bodies (though she was only slightly taller, truthfully) all asking her many different questions. It was overwhelming.
"Easy there." Cedric sounded out from behind her. He put his hands up and, laughing, said, "We've come to visit you all, but feel free to bring us any extras you have."
The voices all sounded out joyously at his words before the little creatures moved away, some sticking close to bring them to what looked like a small table. With them no longer crowding so closely around her, she was finally able to see that they were house elves.
"Where are we?" The question, thankfully, didn't come out overly demanding like she feared it might. She had learned that, when she was overwhelmed or very stressed, she was less likely to be polite with her questions.
"The kitchens. They're near the Hufflepuff dorms, so each 'Puff is introduced to them when they are brought to the dorms. It's a Hufflepuff secret, though, so don't go around sharing it with anyone else." The last part of this was said in a teasing manner, so she didn't think the boy would hold it over her if she brought Neville, Draco, and Blaise with her for her next trip (the twins had likely already discovered it given who they were).
The little house elves came over with a tray of different foods. Some sandwiches and cakes were placed in front of Maera while a tray of various puddings and scones were put before Cedric. Another elf came with two tea cups for them as well as a kettle. To her surprise, though, the kettle was filled with hot chocolate instead of the bitter earl gray that she had expected. Pouring some for the both of them, Maera tucked into the little snack and thanked the elves for what they had brought them.
Over their small tea, Maera had slowly learned more about Cedric. He was a third year, just as she had suspected, though he was already fourteen, having been born in late September. She wished him a happy belated birthday.
Cedric was the Hufflepuff quidditch team's seeker the year before and would be continuing in that position this year. He gladly told her about different maneuvers that he was hoping to work on during practices so that he could be the best seeker out there this year. She didn't have it in her to tell him about her new position for the Gryffindor team, it'd be better to know him longer before letting that slip to him. She did promise herself, though, to tell him before the first match that she'd be introduced at - it would only be cruel of her to not say anything and surprise him in such a manner.
They talked about their families, though both were rather hesitant to do so. Maera due to her messy family situation, specifically the Dursleys, and Cedric for some reason that she hadn't quite ascertained. The Hufflepuff seemed to deeply love his mother and would speak of her in only the nicest and best of ways. His father, on the other hand, wasn't a subject that the boy seemed interested in discussing.
She didn't press him. She could only understand all too well how it felt to be forced to do something that you didn't want to do. Instead, she switched the conversation and steered it towards more meaningless small talk.
Cedric's favorite color was a honey gold color. He didn't have any reason to like it beyond the fact that it made him happy, but Maera felt that that was a wonderful reason for it to be his favorite color. He enjoyed spending his time at Hogwarts with his friends, but they were all acting weirder this year (he suspected it was due to puberty, something that Maera was most definitely dreading). So, he'd found himself more alone than he had been any year prior. She invited him to hang out with her anytime that he wanted to, just as long as he was willing to get along with her friends. Cedric readily agreed, assuring her that he wouldn't pick fights or anything of the sort - though she hadn't really thought he would anyway.
They slowly finished their food and cocoa, thanking the elves once again as they got up to leave.
"So," Maera said, smiling up at the copper-blonde. "Where to now?"
Cedric smiled back at her as they went out through the portrait, "Now, we'll just explore random areas together. Better to save the other secrets for our next wander through the castle, eh? We'll find our own for now."
The two went back the way that Maera had originally come down and into the dungeons from. Following the main stairway back up, they easily climbed higher and higher through the castle. They found many abandoned classrooms that were covered in, likely, years of dust. Some were definitely abandoned for far longer than others and it was surprising to notice. They found a few books that Maera found interesting enough to bring with her, Cedric's curious eyes watching her every move. Eventually, though, it felt like they had been through the whole castle.
"Guess our adventure's done for the day?" Maera asked, slightly disappointed. She turned to look out a window and down at the grounds. The sun was beginning to descend in the sky, but it was definitely still far from sundown.
Cedric was backlit by the sun as he moved in front of the window, blocking her view of outside. "Or," He said, putting his hands in his pockets, "We could do something else?"
She realised that the older boy was probably as unhappy about being alone as she was, so she readily agreed. It was definitely worth it when the boy smiled widely at her in return.
"How about we go outside?" He asked, already leading the way back down and to the front doors of the castle.
"Alright, but what're we going to do outside?"
He seemed to think about it for a second before shrugging. "We'll just do whatever we want to at the time. Right now, I feel like the best course of action is sitting in the shade under a tree by the lake, what about you?"
She thought about it as they walked further. "That sounds perfect for right now." And she wasn't even lying about that (though she probably wouldn't have lied even if she hadn't wanted to do it). Her feet were tired from their exploration through the castle. Going outside and walking more didn't sound very appealing, but there wasn't much else that she could think of doing given that there were only two of them. Not many games could be played between two people and she didn't want to try and drag him flying or something along those lines. Sitting with Cedric by the lake was perfect and she was surprised she hadn't thought of it.
The two new friends continued towards the main doors of the castle in a companionable silence. It didn't take long for them to arrive and go through the doors and out to the grounds. There weren't too many people outside, so they were able to find a comfortably shaded area to relax in on the side of the lake. They stayed there simply existing in the other's presence until it was time for dinner where Maera followed the Hufflepuff inside and to the Hufflepuff table. It was the first time that she'd sat there and not at the Gryffindor or Slytherin tables, but it was a happy change.
Cedric introduced her to his other friends, though she made sure that they addressed her as Potter-Black or Black. She found that she got along with the many Hufflepuffs that she'd met while eating with them, but she did find that dinner felt different. She couldn't exactly understand what was off about everything, but, if she had to guess, it was because the twins and her other friends weren't with her. Shrugging it off, though, Maera simply resolved to drag them with her the next time that she ate with Cedric.
After their dinner together, the two wished each other a good night and promised to hangout more often. Maera then waved as she walked up the main stairs and towards Gryffindor tower. The twins weren't in the common room when she got there, so she figured that they were still busy and simply went into her room. She showered and got ready for bed as quickly as she could - she didn't want to run into Granger or one of the other girls right now. Climbing into her bed, she closed the curtains around her and snuggled under the soft comforter and around Loki.
The little, lazy fox yawned at her, slowly blinking his eyes open. He leaned forward and licked her nose with his little tongue, laying down in her arms right after. A smile graced her lips as she fell right into a deep sleep.