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Written for Auction Prompt - D5/2. Charlie Weasley
Word Count - 400
Cold Snap
He knew she was disappointed in him, and he couldn't deny that it hurt. Charlie had never wanted to disappoint his mum like this but… it was right.
He knew it was, had known it since the offer was first given.
It was everything he'd wanted since he'd first gotten his hands on a book about dragons when he was five years old. To go to Romania, to work with them, it was everything.
The bang of pans in the kitchen below made Charlie wince. His father had told him to make himself scarce for a little while so he could try and calm Molly down, but Charlie wasn't sure if it would do any good.
His mother was as fiery as the dragons he was leaving to work with when she was annoyed after all.
…
He'd been wrong. His mother hadn't been fiery; she'd been colder than a harsh winter in Antarctica.
She'd frozen him out to the point where she even ignored his presence at the dinner table when they all sat down to discuss their days.
Bill tried to comfort him, and his father said to just 'give her time' but how much time was he supposed to give her? He was leaving in a week.
When he settled into bed that night, he sighed quietly. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he didn't want to leave feeling like his mum hated him.
…
His bags were packed and he was about to leave. His father hugged him and gave firm instructions for him to fire-call home at least once a week.
Bill slapped him on the back and told him to have fun, but be careful. His mum stood to the side, stony faced and refusing to look at him.
"Mum?" Charlie said, stepping forwards. "Mum, please."
She met his eyes and he wasn't surprised to see them shining with tears.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, his shirt quickly dampening with her tears.
"I love you, Mum," he murmured. "I'll stay safe and call home often, I promise."
She nodded. "I love you, Charlie. Please, please be careful. And I expect you home for Christmas, okay?"
"I can do that."
When they separated, Charlie felt the weight lifting from his shoulders, even as he hefted his bag up.
He was so ready.