A/N: Wow, what a week! Sorry it's taken so long again. Well, here's the
final chapter (unless I decide to do sequels - I'll let the reviews
determine that!) So, here you are, faithful readers/reviewers: the final
installment of "To Love a Muggle." Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I never have nor will I ever own these characters. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Over the course of two months, Charlie and Ariane fell even more deeply in love. Their first and only fight to date had lasted barely a week, but almost broke them apart. The weekend in Paris had been a great healing tool, a bridge from puppy love to true love.
Ariane went to visit the Burrow many more times, and was even able to accompany Charlie to Hogwarts once, to see the last Quidditch game of the year. She watched from the ground level, unwilling to go up to the stands. Charlie grudgingly decided to stay on the ground as well, preferring (to the shock of his family) to stay with Ariane. To everyone's delight (except the Slytherins), Gryffindor won both the Quidditch and House Cups. Ariane got the fright of her life when Nearly Headless Nick came through the Gryffindor table at supper.
To Charlie's surprise and amazement, Professor McGonagall approached him after dessert, informing him that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore wanted to see Charlie and Ariane in his office within the hour.
"Who is Albus Dumbledore?" asked Ariane. The half of the Gryffindor table that heard her stopped eating and stared at her, baffled; some straining to get a look at the person who didn't know who Albus Dumbledore was. Charlie ignored their looks as best he could.
"He's generally considered to be the greatest wizard of the century," answered Charlie, pointing out the man in the center of the head table with long white hair and a long white beard. "He's the headmaster here."
"Why does he want to see us?" she wondered out loud.
"I've no idea."
* * *
Charlie and Ariane headed to the headmaster's office after dinner, Charlie leading the way. It had been years since he had been a student here, but his feet seemed to still have the hallways memorized. It was only as an adult that he actually saw the inside of the headmaster's office, though. This would only be the third time in the large circular room. They headed up the stairs after Charlie said the password ("Id Est") and entered the large room. Ariane looked around, amazed, at the pictures of past headmasters on the wall. She noticed Fawkes the Phoenix right away, and the two immediately formed a friendship of sorts. Professor Dumbledore entered silently only moments later.
"Ah, the last Seeker since our current one to give Gryffindor a Quidditch championship," the ancient wizard said by way of greeting. Both Ariane and Charlie started slightly, not having heard him come into the room. Unexpectedly, Professor Dumbledore took Charlie into a hug, which he returned after his moment of shock. Charlie felt him drop something into his pocket, but decided against investigating until out of the office. "Now, if I understand correctly, you two have been courting for four months, now, am I correct?" asked the professor, a twinkle in his blue eyes.
Ariane blushed and averted her eyes. Charlie simply nodded, unaware even that the professor knew about their relationship.
"I am going to ask you two to join me in an experience, if you will. As you both have discovered, your past is tied rather unusually. I realize that discovery was hard on the both of you, and strained your relationship, and you haven't really broached the subject since, but I must ask you to once again. With the recent fall of the Dark Lord, there are many questions that have come up. You," Dumbledore looked at Charlie, "have already read the first book published on the subject, which I'm afraid is highly inaccurate, as we do not have all of the information to Voldemort's attacks."
"But, sir, I'm not sure I understand," said Charlie, furrowing his brow. "How do you know all of this? I mean -"
"You'll find, Mr. Weasley, that there is not much that can be hidden from me. I do keep my distance from certain, er, subjects, as sometimes it is none of my business. But I fear that your relationship with this lovely young woman has piqued my interest due to her involvement in Voldemort's rise to power."
"So you want her to what?" asked Charlie.
"Simply to remember. Although that's not always simple - or easy, I should say."
"For what purpose?" inquired Ariane quietly, speaking for the first time.
"To get the real story, my dear. It is imperative to get a full story from any who are able to remember, so as to truly punish those involved. Memories are the definitive witness."
"But I don't remember my father's death," she whispered. Professor Dumbledore looked at her kindly.
"And for good reason," he told her. "It is a memory rightly repressed. But I must drag it up again, with your permission, of course. It is a difficult charm, but one that I can perform without too much trouble. There are many Death Eaters still out there, and any memories that we can acquire will be of help. But I will not perform this charm without your permission."
"Ariane, you don't have to do this," Charlie told her. Ariane bit her lip. Dumbledore looked at her over his half-moon spectacles.
"He's right, Ms. Hara. You do not have to do this." A tear fell down her cheek as debating thoughts flew through her head. She finally looked up and took a deep breath.
"I want to see those responsible put in their place. I'll do whatever I can to help," she said finally. Dumbledore smiled.
"Thank you." He looked at Charlie. "She has the heart of a Gryffindor," Dumbledore told him. Charlie nodded proudly, smiling sadly at Ariane. Dumbledore stood, and gestured to Ariane to stand as well. He walked her to the center of the room and put his wand to her forehead. He mumbled something that Charlie couldn't make out, when suddenly the room whirled into a living room.
Charlie walked over to Dumbledore and Ariane. Ariane was standing still, her arms at her sides, and her eyes closed with a serene and peaceful look on her face. Dumbledore still had his wand to her temple, and the two wizards watched the scene unfold around them.
Ariane's mother was playing with a three-year-old Ariane on the floor, and her father was watching, laughing as Ariane struggled to get to her feet. It was the quintessential happy family, a portrait of familial perfection. There was a knock at the door, and Charlie watched as Ariane's father went to the door. Instead of Voldemort, as Charlie had expected, Lucius Malfoy walked in. Dumbledore's reaction was unreadable.
"Filthy Muggle residence," Malfoy sniffed.
"What do you want?" demanded Mr. Hara, a thick accent clouding his speech. "I must ask you to leave."
"Unfortunately I can't do that," Malfoy sighed. "I'm not much happier to be here, either." He casually pulled out his wand and said, "Imperio!" Ariane and her mother looked strangely at the blond man as he somehow controlled Mr. Hara, making him walk to the center of the room and calmly sit himself down on a chair. "Now you will remain as such until you hear another knock. You will get up and open the door, sit yourself back down, and wait for what comes next." Malfoy grinned evilly, turned on his heel and strode out the door. Not having to wait for long, there was another knock at the door only a couple of minutes later. There was a pit growing in Charlie's stomach, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to see what was coming next. He stole a glance at Professor Dumbledore, but he seemed passive to the surrounding events. If he was affected at all, he didn't show it outwardly.
Ariane's father got out of his chair, and opened the door. It was a truly hideous man that walked into the room. His hair seemed greasy, slimy almost, and his face resembled more of a reptile than a man. Charlie knew that Voldemort had appeared snakelike in his return, but he hadn't realized that these features were apparent even before his first downfall. Voldemort looked around the room, smiling cruelly at Ariane and her mother. Ariane's father was back in his chair now, unaware of the danger. Ariane and her mother cowered in the corner of the room, afraid to run, and even more afraid to talk back to this man who seemed to radiate electric power. Ariane's mother covered Ariane with her arms, trying to shield her from anything that might happen.
Voldemort looked back to the submissive man in the chair. He pulled out his wand and held it lightly in his pale, sickly greenish hand. He pointed it at Mr. Hara, and shouted with sudden ferocity, "Crucio!" Mr. Hara screamed out in pain, his body twitching and bending with pain. Mrs. Hara cried out for her husband, until Voldemort sent her a stare that quieted her, and she watched her husband spasm with pain. She frantically tried to quiet Ariane, who was crying, tears flowing freely from her young eyes. After an undeterminable amount of time, Voldemort let go of the Cruciatus Curse. He paced slowly around the room as Mr. Hara was hunched on all fours, trying to catch his breath. He grasped at his heart, his breathing ragged.
Voldemort looked at him as if he were a bug that needed to be squashed. Ariane's father was gasping for air now, despite no longer being under the influence of a spell.
"You're going to make this too easy for me," muttered Voldemort, as he pointed his wand at the other man once again. "Avada Kedavra!" There was a bright flash of green, and Charlie had to turn his face away, the light was so overwhelming. When he looked again, Mr. Hara's body was still, lifeless. Voldemort had his face inches from Mrs. Hara's. "I am not going to kill you today, although you deserve to die," he whispered to her silkily. "Your crime is being a Muggle, but I am going to let you suffer with the knowledge of your husband's death until your daughter comes of age. Then I will return and let you watch her death when I can truly enjoy her screams. And then it will be your turn." With that, Voldemort gave one last glance to the body of Ariane's father and apparated out of the house.
Numb, Charlie watched as other wizards came pouring into the 'crime scene' and his father posed as a doctor. He watched as lies were fed to Mrs. Hara and Ariane after a memory modification charm was performed. Then he saw the photos sent back to Mrs. Hara with a complex hex built into them, eating away at the memory charms over the years. Suddenly, Dumbledore muttered something, and took his wand from Ariane's temple. Charlie hadn't noticed any movement from her during the entire process, but now noticed that she had gone from the peaceful look to despairing and hopeless sobs wracking her body. He went to her and held her, unsure of what to say to calm her.
Dumbledore moved back to his desk, and Charlie guided Ariane to the chair she had been sitting in previously. Her sobs had died down, but there were still tears falling down her face. Charlie's heart went out to her, but he needed some questions answered as well.
"Sir?" he asked carefully. Dumbledore regarded him quizzically. "Sir, I'm afraid I don't understand entirely. Why would they knock? And I thought Lucius Malfoy was cleared, and those hexes in the photos -"
"I am sure that you have heard of the brilliance of Tom Marvolo Riddle?" the wizened sorcerer asked quietly. Charlie nodded. "He undoubtedly was able to figure out something as complicated as that, something that everyday wizards would not even think of trying to accomplish. As you probably have noticed, the memory modifications that the hex did drive away were picky - it didn't rid all of the memory changes." Charlie nodded slightly. "As far as Lucius Malfoy goes, we will have to see what the future holds for him with this new evidence. I am unsure as to why they knocked. I suppose it could be anyone's guess." Dumbledore turned to Ariane. "My dear, I want to thank you again for your bravery. I am sure that much rest is needed now for both you and Mr. Weasley here. I give you both my blessings in your future together." The old wizard gave them a smile that shone forth with gratitude, respect, and love. Charlie put his arm around Ariane's shoulders and led her out the door. They walked silently to the carriages to Hogsmeade and apparated to the Burrow, where they settled down for a long, peaceful, and (thankfully) dreamless sleep.
* * *
Almost two months later, all of the Weasleys, plus Harry, Hermione, Fleur and Ariane were gathered around a large picnic table outside of the Burrow.
"Happy birthday to you!" twelve of them finished as Harry blew out sixteen candles on a five layer cake that was no doubt put together by the always- clever wand of Mrs. Weasley. Harry fought with four of the candles that didn't seem to want to blow out. They would go out and then relight themselves. He sent a murderous glance to the twins, who for once, feigned innocence.
"Honest, Mum, it wasn't us!" protested Fred as Mrs. Weasley looked about ready to give them another (and probably well deserved) talking-to.
"Swear, cross our hearts, Mum!" cried George. None of the Weasleys believed him until Ariane started to giggle while watching Harry still battle with the candles. He was starting to turn blue from his efforts.
"Darling, did you have anything to do with this?" asked Charlie.
"Of course not!" she said, until she couldn't hold it in anymore. Harry gave her a withering glance, finally cottoning on.
"These aren't those relighting candles, are they?" he asked wearily. She nodded sheepishly, as Hermione laughed.
"My parents used to give me those when I was younger," chuckled Hermione. Mr. Weasley pushed his way to the front.
"These are Muggle candles?" he asked, impressed. "How utterly amazing." He bent down to examine them when Ron cried out.
"Whoa! Harry, the cake's on fire!" Indeed, Harry had been working at the candles so long that they had burnt down to the bottom and the icing that Mrs. Weasley had used was apparently flammable. The whole of the Weasley clan jumped back as the first tier of the cake burst into flames. They watched as the entire cake went up into smoke until Hermione pulled out her wand and put the flames out. The remaining cinders fell into a pile of ashes on the picnic table. Harry stared at it for a while, blinking. None of the Weasleys knew what to say.
"Erm, happy birthday, Harry," said Ron finally, shoving a gift in his best friend's hands. Harry's face broke into a grin. As if on cue, all of the redheads began laughing and smiling again, knowing that the "cake incident" would be a permanent part of Weasley family history; Ariane was glad to know that, as the initiator, she was (by default at least) also a permanent part of their history. Harry happily opened all of his presents, receiving a Chudley Cannons poster from Ron (who was hell bent on turning Harry into a fellow die-hard Cannons fan) and a book on advanced Seeker maneuvers from Hermione. From Ginny, he received a stationary set, to which both he and the younger girl turned bright red. Although they tried to hide it, it was pretty apparent to everyone else that what was going on between the two probably went beyond simple correspondence. Among other gifts he collected were broom servicing kits (similar to that given to him by Hermione a few years back), an assortment of candy from Honeyduke's, and other tidbits, most having to do with Quidditch in some form or another.
The twins had been working on their joke shop for the past few weeks since their graduation, using the money that Harry had won in the Triwizard Tournament. Mrs. Weasley was none too happy when she found out about the money, but Harry eventually reassured her that it was what he wanted and it was okay. Unfortunately, the twins had developed even more common day items that could be possible hazardous, wrecking much more havoc than usual.
They went to sleep after a quick Quidditch game, Fleur stepping in for the Keeper, as Mr. Weasley flat out refused to play this time around. Charlie was slightly disappointed that they didn't have their fireplace reunion, as he still needed to repay Bill for his stories at Easter. Charlie still hadn't lived some of those down from Ariane. Now that Fleur was here, it was a perfect chance. Perhaps tomorrow night, though.
* * *
Charlie tiptoed quietly into the girl's room early the next morning. Mrs. Weasley was still strict about girls and boys in their own certain rooms, preferably on separate levels of the house, despite the fact that over half of her children were grown adults (by legal age, at any rate). Hermione and Ginny were on slim mattresses on the floor, in sleeping bags, and Ariane and Fleur each had their own single beds. Charlie carefully stepped over his sister, and watched Ariane sleep for a few seconds.
"Shhh," he whispered in her ear as he reached to pick her up in a fireman's carry. He didn't want her to wake anyone else up if she woke abruptly.
"What?" she asked groggily, her head falling to rest on his shoulder. He carried her outside, careful not to wake the house. He set her down on the grass, where she stood sleepily rubbing her eyes until he returned from wherever he went. He came back with a broomstick, Harry's Firebolt, to be exact. Charlie had gotten permission to use it the night before; Harry hadn't understood why, but he figured that Charlie was a good enough Seeker and Quidditch player that he wouldn't ruin the expensive broom.
Charlie mounted the broom and told Ariane to hang on. She was still bleary eyed, and unaware of what he was about to do, so she lightly put her arms around his waist. Charlie kicked off, waking Ariane up completely. She immediately tightened her grip on Charlie's waist, almost cutting off his air supply. They zoomed up one hundred feet.
"Charles Weasley, YOU PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!" she screamed.
"Shh! You're going to wake every up!"
"I DON'T CARE!"
"Look, Ariane, this is the only place where we can be alone in this place."
"Charlie, I don't know what you're insinuating, but -" she said in a dangerously low voice.
"Ariane, do you trust me?"
"What? Charlie, please, just put me down. Please," she begged.
"Do you trust me?"
"I never beg, Charlie, but please, PLEASE put me down," she pleaded.
"Just answer the question! Do you trust me?"
"Yes, damn it, I trust you! Now put me down!"
"One more question."
"NO!"
"Trust me," he reassured.
"Stop saying that!" Charlie lightly touched the broom, and they went up even farther, putting about another fifty feet between the two and the ground. He steadied it and, in one swift maneuver, flipped around to face Ariane. "What are you doing?" she demanded, the wind whipping through her hair.
"Ariane, I love you."
"Charlie, this really isn't the time or the place. Put me down. NOW."
"Not yet." Ariane's gray eyes bored into his.
"Please, Charlie."
"In a second. I need to ask you something first."
"Then do it already!" Ariane's face was a strange mixture of ferocity, curiosity, and fear. Charlie reached out and ran his fingers through her hair. "You keep both hands on that broom!" she ordered. Charlie laughed, putting his hand back on the broom.
"Yes, your highness," he said.
"I'm glad you find this so amusing," she grumbled, focusing on not looking down. Charlie looked into her eyes.
"Ariane, will you marry me?"
"What?"
"Will you marry me?" he repeated.
"I'm not answering until you put me down," she replied.
"I'm not going to put you down until you answer me." Ariane jutted her jaw out determinedly. "Darling, if you want to be put down, you're going to answer," Charlie told her. He made the broom move a little, and she cried out, startled, but still refused to answer. "Okay, you asked for it," he said, and he took hold of her waist, and steering the broom backwards, he took it into a loop-the-loop, a move that he had mastered his first year as Seeker while he was still at Hogwarts. Ariane screamed at the top of her lungs.
"OKAY, OKAY, YES, DAMMIT, YES, I'LL MARRY YOU!! NOW PUT ME DOWN, YOU BLEEDIN' MANIAC!" she screeched.
"That's what I thought," he said, and he took the broom down to the ground lightly. Ariane scrambled off the broom as quickly as possible.
"What in bleeding hell was the point of that?" she demanded.
"I'm sorry, but honestly, it was the only place where we could be alone. Not only that, but I wanted it to be memorable. Besides, you know what they say: All's fair in love and war." Ariane regarded the redheaded man in front of her doubtfully. Charlie smiled at her and got down on one knee, pulling something out of his pocket. "Let me do this properly now. Ariane Kimi Hara, I love you. You led me out of my labyrinth, as your namesake Ariadne did for Theseus. You are the only woman in my life; you are without equal, as your middle name suggests. I give you my heart, my life, my love. Will you marry me?"
Ariane smiled, happy tears streaming down her face, both from the proposal as well as finally being back on the ground. "Yes," she told him. "I will marry you, Charlie Weasley." Charlie stood up, grinning. He pulled the ring out of its case, and put it on her left ring finger. She looked at it, and realized that this was no ordinary ring. The farther she looked into it, the more she saw. There were stars, galaxies floating around inside of it.
"I wanted to give you the universe," whispered Charlie. "Professor Dumbledore gave this to me that day in his office. I think he somehow knew that it was made for you."
"It's beautiful," she told him. "Thank you." Charlie folded her into his arms and kissed her until the whole of his family came pouring out of the house, whooping and catcalling coming from his brothers. Charlie took Ariane's hand in his, and bent down to grab Harry's broom. He handed it back to the younger wizard.
"Thanks," he said.
"Welcome," replied Harry.
"So how'd it go?" inquired Bill.
"How'd what go?" asked Charlie innocently.
"Oh come on, we all heard Ariane screaming; we figured you had to be proposing."
"What are you implying?"
"Well, if I was a woman and you asked me to marry you, I'd scream too," said Bill, laughing. Charlie punched his older brother in the arm while Ariane laughed at the two. Mrs. Weasley came out to congratulate the young couple, and soon the yard was buzzing with normal Weasley clan activity. After breakfast, Ariane and Charlie slipped into the house quietly, hoping to have a few free minutes to 'talk' as Ariane put it. Charlie grabbed a couple of glasses of pumpkin juice while passing through the kitchen.
They sat in the living room, on one of the well-worn couches near the fireplace.
"Is something wrong?" asked Charlie.
"Not wrong, exactly. I'm just worried about my mother," started Ariane.
"Don't worry about it," said Charlie.
"What do you mean?"
"Professor Dumbledore and I spoke to your mother," he began, as Ariane's face twisted into one of confusion. "It was the professor's idea; I hadn't even thought about it. But, um, basically, he told her about what really happened, and he was somehow able to convince her. I still don't completely understand how, though," he said, looking slightly confused himself.
"So she's okay with - well, with people like you?" asked Ariane.
"Well, I think she's more accepting at any rate. Then I asked her if she would be okay if I asked you to marry me."
"And she said yes?" Charlie nodded; Ariane was baffled. "HOW? The woman hates any guy I go with, even if he's not a wizard!" Charlie shrugged.
"I can be very persuasive," he said.
"You didn't take her up on a broom, did you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
He laughed and shook his head. "Nope."
Ariane looked at him, an eye brow raised. "That 'Weasley charm' thing again?"
"Something like that."
"Wow." Ariane shook her head. "I just can't believe this." Not knowing what to say, the two sat in silence for several moments until the twins came bursting into the room.
"Charlie, you gotta see this!" yelped Fred.
"What?"
"It actually worked," said George excitedly.
"What worked?" asked Charlie, confused.
"You just gotta go see it," Fred told him. Charlie sent a look to Ariane.
"I think I'm worried," he confessed. They got up, and followed the twins out to the front yard again. "Where is everyone?" Fred and George pointed simultaneously to the right. Ariane and Charlie's eyes followed, and they saw nine peacocks running around, squawking angrily. "What did you DO?" Charlie demanded his younger brothers.
"Peacock potion," answered George.
"We put it in the pumpkin juice," quipped Fred.
"Took us all summer to develop it."
"It doesn't wear off for a whole hour!"
"Thank God we didn't drink any pumpkin juice," said Charlie. Ariane's eyes were wide.
"Yes, we did, Charlie," she reminded him. "Remember -"
"But we're not peacocks," he said, confused.
"Actually, it takes about fifteen minutes for it to register," interjected George. Charlie narrowed his eyes at his younger brothers.
"You two better run," he said dangerously. He tore off after his twin brothers when, with a loud POP, he turned full-grown peacock. He squawked angrily, ruffling his feathers with a huff. Ariane laughed until the same happened to her only seconds later. After an hour, there were ten very angry wizards and witches, and one slightly-less-than-humored Muggle. The twins were nowhere to be found, which was probably safest for their physical health.
"Are you sure you want to get into this?" asked Charlie.
"Positive," Ariane told him, slipping her arm around his waist. They walked to join Charlie's family in lunch. No, OUR family, Ariane reminded herself with a smile. She had always wanted a large family; it was one of the first things she ever told Charlie. Now she had it, and nothing could take that away. Nothing could ruin this day.
* * *
**Well, that's it for this story. If I get reviews asking for sequels (the wedding, children, etc; trust me, I've got ideas for them!) or whatever, I'll write them; if not, that's that. Thank you so so so much for reading and reviewing. Please know that your comments helped this story develop and kept the chapters coming. Also, I'm working on fixing any inaccuracies that were in previous chapters, so if anyone notices some (other than the obvious), please PLEASE let me know! Does anyone know if a broom can actually hold two people??? Anyways, that's enough from me. Thanks again!
Disclaimer: I never have nor will I ever own these characters. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Over the course of two months, Charlie and Ariane fell even more deeply in love. Their first and only fight to date had lasted barely a week, but almost broke them apart. The weekend in Paris had been a great healing tool, a bridge from puppy love to true love.
Ariane went to visit the Burrow many more times, and was even able to accompany Charlie to Hogwarts once, to see the last Quidditch game of the year. She watched from the ground level, unwilling to go up to the stands. Charlie grudgingly decided to stay on the ground as well, preferring (to the shock of his family) to stay with Ariane. To everyone's delight (except the Slytherins), Gryffindor won both the Quidditch and House Cups. Ariane got the fright of her life when Nearly Headless Nick came through the Gryffindor table at supper.
To Charlie's surprise and amazement, Professor McGonagall approached him after dessert, informing him that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore wanted to see Charlie and Ariane in his office within the hour.
"Who is Albus Dumbledore?" asked Ariane. The half of the Gryffindor table that heard her stopped eating and stared at her, baffled; some straining to get a look at the person who didn't know who Albus Dumbledore was. Charlie ignored their looks as best he could.
"He's generally considered to be the greatest wizard of the century," answered Charlie, pointing out the man in the center of the head table with long white hair and a long white beard. "He's the headmaster here."
"Why does he want to see us?" she wondered out loud.
"I've no idea."
* * *
Charlie and Ariane headed to the headmaster's office after dinner, Charlie leading the way. It had been years since he had been a student here, but his feet seemed to still have the hallways memorized. It was only as an adult that he actually saw the inside of the headmaster's office, though. This would only be the third time in the large circular room. They headed up the stairs after Charlie said the password ("Id Est") and entered the large room. Ariane looked around, amazed, at the pictures of past headmasters on the wall. She noticed Fawkes the Phoenix right away, and the two immediately formed a friendship of sorts. Professor Dumbledore entered silently only moments later.
"Ah, the last Seeker since our current one to give Gryffindor a Quidditch championship," the ancient wizard said by way of greeting. Both Ariane and Charlie started slightly, not having heard him come into the room. Unexpectedly, Professor Dumbledore took Charlie into a hug, which he returned after his moment of shock. Charlie felt him drop something into his pocket, but decided against investigating until out of the office. "Now, if I understand correctly, you two have been courting for four months, now, am I correct?" asked the professor, a twinkle in his blue eyes.
Ariane blushed and averted her eyes. Charlie simply nodded, unaware even that the professor knew about their relationship.
"I am going to ask you two to join me in an experience, if you will. As you both have discovered, your past is tied rather unusually. I realize that discovery was hard on the both of you, and strained your relationship, and you haven't really broached the subject since, but I must ask you to once again. With the recent fall of the Dark Lord, there are many questions that have come up. You," Dumbledore looked at Charlie, "have already read the first book published on the subject, which I'm afraid is highly inaccurate, as we do not have all of the information to Voldemort's attacks."
"But, sir, I'm not sure I understand," said Charlie, furrowing his brow. "How do you know all of this? I mean -"
"You'll find, Mr. Weasley, that there is not much that can be hidden from me. I do keep my distance from certain, er, subjects, as sometimes it is none of my business. But I fear that your relationship with this lovely young woman has piqued my interest due to her involvement in Voldemort's rise to power."
"So you want her to what?" asked Charlie.
"Simply to remember. Although that's not always simple - or easy, I should say."
"For what purpose?" inquired Ariane quietly, speaking for the first time.
"To get the real story, my dear. It is imperative to get a full story from any who are able to remember, so as to truly punish those involved. Memories are the definitive witness."
"But I don't remember my father's death," she whispered. Professor Dumbledore looked at her kindly.
"And for good reason," he told her. "It is a memory rightly repressed. But I must drag it up again, with your permission, of course. It is a difficult charm, but one that I can perform without too much trouble. There are many Death Eaters still out there, and any memories that we can acquire will be of help. But I will not perform this charm without your permission."
"Ariane, you don't have to do this," Charlie told her. Ariane bit her lip. Dumbledore looked at her over his half-moon spectacles.
"He's right, Ms. Hara. You do not have to do this." A tear fell down her cheek as debating thoughts flew through her head. She finally looked up and took a deep breath.
"I want to see those responsible put in their place. I'll do whatever I can to help," she said finally. Dumbledore smiled.
"Thank you." He looked at Charlie. "She has the heart of a Gryffindor," Dumbledore told him. Charlie nodded proudly, smiling sadly at Ariane. Dumbledore stood, and gestured to Ariane to stand as well. He walked her to the center of the room and put his wand to her forehead. He mumbled something that Charlie couldn't make out, when suddenly the room whirled into a living room.
Charlie walked over to Dumbledore and Ariane. Ariane was standing still, her arms at her sides, and her eyes closed with a serene and peaceful look on her face. Dumbledore still had his wand to her temple, and the two wizards watched the scene unfold around them.
Ariane's mother was playing with a three-year-old Ariane on the floor, and her father was watching, laughing as Ariane struggled to get to her feet. It was the quintessential happy family, a portrait of familial perfection. There was a knock at the door, and Charlie watched as Ariane's father went to the door. Instead of Voldemort, as Charlie had expected, Lucius Malfoy walked in. Dumbledore's reaction was unreadable.
"Filthy Muggle residence," Malfoy sniffed.
"What do you want?" demanded Mr. Hara, a thick accent clouding his speech. "I must ask you to leave."
"Unfortunately I can't do that," Malfoy sighed. "I'm not much happier to be here, either." He casually pulled out his wand and said, "Imperio!" Ariane and her mother looked strangely at the blond man as he somehow controlled Mr. Hara, making him walk to the center of the room and calmly sit himself down on a chair. "Now you will remain as such until you hear another knock. You will get up and open the door, sit yourself back down, and wait for what comes next." Malfoy grinned evilly, turned on his heel and strode out the door. Not having to wait for long, there was another knock at the door only a couple of minutes later. There was a pit growing in Charlie's stomach, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to see what was coming next. He stole a glance at Professor Dumbledore, but he seemed passive to the surrounding events. If he was affected at all, he didn't show it outwardly.
Ariane's father got out of his chair, and opened the door. It was a truly hideous man that walked into the room. His hair seemed greasy, slimy almost, and his face resembled more of a reptile than a man. Charlie knew that Voldemort had appeared snakelike in his return, but he hadn't realized that these features were apparent even before his first downfall. Voldemort looked around the room, smiling cruelly at Ariane and her mother. Ariane's father was back in his chair now, unaware of the danger. Ariane and her mother cowered in the corner of the room, afraid to run, and even more afraid to talk back to this man who seemed to radiate electric power. Ariane's mother covered Ariane with her arms, trying to shield her from anything that might happen.
Voldemort looked back to the submissive man in the chair. He pulled out his wand and held it lightly in his pale, sickly greenish hand. He pointed it at Mr. Hara, and shouted with sudden ferocity, "Crucio!" Mr. Hara screamed out in pain, his body twitching and bending with pain. Mrs. Hara cried out for her husband, until Voldemort sent her a stare that quieted her, and she watched her husband spasm with pain. She frantically tried to quiet Ariane, who was crying, tears flowing freely from her young eyes. After an undeterminable amount of time, Voldemort let go of the Cruciatus Curse. He paced slowly around the room as Mr. Hara was hunched on all fours, trying to catch his breath. He grasped at his heart, his breathing ragged.
Voldemort looked at him as if he were a bug that needed to be squashed. Ariane's father was gasping for air now, despite no longer being under the influence of a spell.
"You're going to make this too easy for me," muttered Voldemort, as he pointed his wand at the other man once again. "Avada Kedavra!" There was a bright flash of green, and Charlie had to turn his face away, the light was so overwhelming. When he looked again, Mr. Hara's body was still, lifeless. Voldemort had his face inches from Mrs. Hara's. "I am not going to kill you today, although you deserve to die," he whispered to her silkily. "Your crime is being a Muggle, but I am going to let you suffer with the knowledge of your husband's death until your daughter comes of age. Then I will return and let you watch her death when I can truly enjoy her screams. And then it will be your turn." With that, Voldemort gave one last glance to the body of Ariane's father and apparated out of the house.
Numb, Charlie watched as other wizards came pouring into the 'crime scene' and his father posed as a doctor. He watched as lies were fed to Mrs. Hara and Ariane after a memory modification charm was performed. Then he saw the photos sent back to Mrs. Hara with a complex hex built into them, eating away at the memory charms over the years. Suddenly, Dumbledore muttered something, and took his wand from Ariane's temple. Charlie hadn't noticed any movement from her during the entire process, but now noticed that she had gone from the peaceful look to despairing and hopeless sobs wracking her body. He went to her and held her, unsure of what to say to calm her.
Dumbledore moved back to his desk, and Charlie guided Ariane to the chair she had been sitting in previously. Her sobs had died down, but there were still tears falling down her face. Charlie's heart went out to her, but he needed some questions answered as well.
"Sir?" he asked carefully. Dumbledore regarded him quizzically. "Sir, I'm afraid I don't understand entirely. Why would they knock? And I thought Lucius Malfoy was cleared, and those hexes in the photos -"
"I am sure that you have heard of the brilliance of Tom Marvolo Riddle?" the wizened sorcerer asked quietly. Charlie nodded. "He undoubtedly was able to figure out something as complicated as that, something that everyday wizards would not even think of trying to accomplish. As you probably have noticed, the memory modifications that the hex did drive away were picky - it didn't rid all of the memory changes." Charlie nodded slightly. "As far as Lucius Malfoy goes, we will have to see what the future holds for him with this new evidence. I am unsure as to why they knocked. I suppose it could be anyone's guess." Dumbledore turned to Ariane. "My dear, I want to thank you again for your bravery. I am sure that much rest is needed now for both you and Mr. Weasley here. I give you both my blessings in your future together." The old wizard gave them a smile that shone forth with gratitude, respect, and love. Charlie put his arm around Ariane's shoulders and led her out the door. They walked silently to the carriages to Hogsmeade and apparated to the Burrow, where they settled down for a long, peaceful, and (thankfully) dreamless sleep.
* * *
Almost two months later, all of the Weasleys, plus Harry, Hermione, Fleur and Ariane were gathered around a large picnic table outside of the Burrow.
"Happy birthday to you!" twelve of them finished as Harry blew out sixteen candles on a five layer cake that was no doubt put together by the always- clever wand of Mrs. Weasley. Harry fought with four of the candles that didn't seem to want to blow out. They would go out and then relight themselves. He sent a murderous glance to the twins, who for once, feigned innocence.
"Honest, Mum, it wasn't us!" protested Fred as Mrs. Weasley looked about ready to give them another (and probably well deserved) talking-to.
"Swear, cross our hearts, Mum!" cried George. None of the Weasleys believed him until Ariane started to giggle while watching Harry still battle with the candles. He was starting to turn blue from his efforts.
"Darling, did you have anything to do with this?" asked Charlie.
"Of course not!" she said, until she couldn't hold it in anymore. Harry gave her a withering glance, finally cottoning on.
"These aren't those relighting candles, are they?" he asked wearily. She nodded sheepishly, as Hermione laughed.
"My parents used to give me those when I was younger," chuckled Hermione. Mr. Weasley pushed his way to the front.
"These are Muggle candles?" he asked, impressed. "How utterly amazing." He bent down to examine them when Ron cried out.
"Whoa! Harry, the cake's on fire!" Indeed, Harry had been working at the candles so long that they had burnt down to the bottom and the icing that Mrs. Weasley had used was apparently flammable. The whole of the Weasley clan jumped back as the first tier of the cake burst into flames. They watched as the entire cake went up into smoke until Hermione pulled out her wand and put the flames out. The remaining cinders fell into a pile of ashes on the picnic table. Harry stared at it for a while, blinking. None of the Weasleys knew what to say.
"Erm, happy birthday, Harry," said Ron finally, shoving a gift in his best friend's hands. Harry's face broke into a grin. As if on cue, all of the redheads began laughing and smiling again, knowing that the "cake incident" would be a permanent part of Weasley family history; Ariane was glad to know that, as the initiator, she was (by default at least) also a permanent part of their history. Harry happily opened all of his presents, receiving a Chudley Cannons poster from Ron (who was hell bent on turning Harry into a fellow die-hard Cannons fan) and a book on advanced Seeker maneuvers from Hermione. From Ginny, he received a stationary set, to which both he and the younger girl turned bright red. Although they tried to hide it, it was pretty apparent to everyone else that what was going on between the two probably went beyond simple correspondence. Among other gifts he collected were broom servicing kits (similar to that given to him by Hermione a few years back), an assortment of candy from Honeyduke's, and other tidbits, most having to do with Quidditch in some form or another.
The twins had been working on their joke shop for the past few weeks since their graduation, using the money that Harry had won in the Triwizard Tournament. Mrs. Weasley was none too happy when she found out about the money, but Harry eventually reassured her that it was what he wanted and it was okay. Unfortunately, the twins had developed even more common day items that could be possible hazardous, wrecking much more havoc than usual.
They went to sleep after a quick Quidditch game, Fleur stepping in for the Keeper, as Mr. Weasley flat out refused to play this time around. Charlie was slightly disappointed that they didn't have their fireplace reunion, as he still needed to repay Bill for his stories at Easter. Charlie still hadn't lived some of those down from Ariane. Now that Fleur was here, it was a perfect chance. Perhaps tomorrow night, though.
* * *
Charlie tiptoed quietly into the girl's room early the next morning. Mrs. Weasley was still strict about girls and boys in their own certain rooms, preferably on separate levels of the house, despite the fact that over half of her children were grown adults (by legal age, at any rate). Hermione and Ginny were on slim mattresses on the floor, in sleeping bags, and Ariane and Fleur each had their own single beds. Charlie carefully stepped over his sister, and watched Ariane sleep for a few seconds.
"Shhh," he whispered in her ear as he reached to pick her up in a fireman's carry. He didn't want her to wake anyone else up if she woke abruptly.
"What?" she asked groggily, her head falling to rest on his shoulder. He carried her outside, careful not to wake the house. He set her down on the grass, where she stood sleepily rubbing her eyes until he returned from wherever he went. He came back with a broomstick, Harry's Firebolt, to be exact. Charlie had gotten permission to use it the night before; Harry hadn't understood why, but he figured that Charlie was a good enough Seeker and Quidditch player that he wouldn't ruin the expensive broom.
Charlie mounted the broom and told Ariane to hang on. She was still bleary eyed, and unaware of what he was about to do, so she lightly put her arms around his waist. Charlie kicked off, waking Ariane up completely. She immediately tightened her grip on Charlie's waist, almost cutting off his air supply. They zoomed up one hundred feet.
"Charles Weasley, YOU PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!" she screamed.
"Shh! You're going to wake every up!"
"I DON'T CARE!"
"Look, Ariane, this is the only place where we can be alone in this place."
"Charlie, I don't know what you're insinuating, but -" she said in a dangerously low voice.
"Ariane, do you trust me?"
"What? Charlie, please, just put me down. Please," she begged.
"Do you trust me?"
"I never beg, Charlie, but please, PLEASE put me down," she pleaded.
"Just answer the question! Do you trust me?"
"Yes, damn it, I trust you! Now put me down!"
"One more question."
"NO!"
"Trust me," he reassured.
"Stop saying that!" Charlie lightly touched the broom, and they went up even farther, putting about another fifty feet between the two and the ground. He steadied it and, in one swift maneuver, flipped around to face Ariane. "What are you doing?" she demanded, the wind whipping through her hair.
"Ariane, I love you."
"Charlie, this really isn't the time or the place. Put me down. NOW."
"Not yet." Ariane's gray eyes bored into his.
"Please, Charlie."
"In a second. I need to ask you something first."
"Then do it already!" Ariane's face was a strange mixture of ferocity, curiosity, and fear. Charlie reached out and ran his fingers through her hair. "You keep both hands on that broom!" she ordered. Charlie laughed, putting his hand back on the broom.
"Yes, your highness," he said.
"I'm glad you find this so amusing," she grumbled, focusing on not looking down. Charlie looked into her eyes.
"Ariane, will you marry me?"
"What?"
"Will you marry me?" he repeated.
"I'm not answering until you put me down," she replied.
"I'm not going to put you down until you answer me." Ariane jutted her jaw out determinedly. "Darling, if you want to be put down, you're going to answer," Charlie told her. He made the broom move a little, and she cried out, startled, but still refused to answer. "Okay, you asked for it," he said, and he took hold of her waist, and steering the broom backwards, he took it into a loop-the-loop, a move that he had mastered his first year as Seeker while he was still at Hogwarts. Ariane screamed at the top of her lungs.
"OKAY, OKAY, YES, DAMMIT, YES, I'LL MARRY YOU!! NOW PUT ME DOWN, YOU BLEEDIN' MANIAC!" she screeched.
"That's what I thought," he said, and he took the broom down to the ground lightly. Ariane scrambled off the broom as quickly as possible.
"What in bleeding hell was the point of that?" she demanded.
"I'm sorry, but honestly, it was the only place where we could be alone. Not only that, but I wanted it to be memorable. Besides, you know what they say: All's fair in love and war." Ariane regarded the redheaded man in front of her doubtfully. Charlie smiled at her and got down on one knee, pulling something out of his pocket. "Let me do this properly now. Ariane Kimi Hara, I love you. You led me out of my labyrinth, as your namesake Ariadne did for Theseus. You are the only woman in my life; you are without equal, as your middle name suggests. I give you my heart, my life, my love. Will you marry me?"
Ariane smiled, happy tears streaming down her face, both from the proposal as well as finally being back on the ground. "Yes," she told him. "I will marry you, Charlie Weasley." Charlie stood up, grinning. He pulled the ring out of its case, and put it on her left ring finger. She looked at it, and realized that this was no ordinary ring. The farther she looked into it, the more she saw. There were stars, galaxies floating around inside of it.
"I wanted to give you the universe," whispered Charlie. "Professor Dumbledore gave this to me that day in his office. I think he somehow knew that it was made for you."
"It's beautiful," she told him. "Thank you." Charlie folded her into his arms and kissed her until the whole of his family came pouring out of the house, whooping and catcalling coming from his brothers. Charlie took Ariane's hand in his, and bent down to grab Harry's broom. He handed it back to the younger wizard.
"Thanks," he said.
"Welcome," replied Harry.
"So how'd it go?" inquired Bill.
"How'd what go?" asked Charlie innocently.
"Oh come on, we all heard Ariane screaming; we figured you had to be proposing."
"What are you implying?"
"Well, if I was a woman and you asked me to marry you, I'd scream too," said Bill, laughing. Charlie punched his older brother in the arm while Ariane laughed at the two. Mrs. Weasley came out to congratulate the young couple, and soon the yard was buzzing with normal Weasley clan activity. After breakfast, Ariane and Charlie slipped into the house quietly, hoping to have a few free minutes to 'talk' as Ariane put it. Charlie grabbed a couple of glasses of pumpkin juice while passing through the kitchen.
They sat in the living room, on one of the well-worn couches near the fireplace.
"Is something wrong?" asked Charlie.
"Not wrong, exactly. I'm just worried about my mother," started Ariane.
"Don't worry about it," said Charlie.
"What do you mean?"
"Professor Dumbledore and I spoke to your mother," he began, as Ariane's face twisted into one of confusion. "It was the professor's idea; I hadn't even thought about it. But, um, basically, he told her about what really happened, and he was somehow able to convince her. I still don't completely understand how, though," he said, looking slightly confused himself.
"So she's okay with - well, with people like you?" asked Ariane.
"Well, I think she's more accepting at any rate. Then I asked her if she would be okay if I asked you to marry me."
"And she said yes?" Charlie nodded; Ariane was baffled. "HOW? The woman hates any guy I go with, even if he's not a wizard!" Charlie shrugged.
"I can be very persuasive," he said.
"You didn't take her up on a broom, did you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
He laughed and shook his head. "Nope."
Ariane looked at him, an eye brow raised. "That 'Weasley charm' thing again?"
"Something like that."
"Wow." Ariane shook her head. "I just can't believe this." Not knowing what to say, the two sat in silence for several moments until the twins came bursting into the room.
"Charlie, you gotta see this!" yelped Fred.
"What?"
"It actually worked," said George excitedly.
"What worked?" asked Charlie, confused.
"You just gotta go see it," Fred told him. Charlie sent a look to Ariane.
"I think I'm worried," he confessed. They got up, and followed the twins out to the front yard again. "Where is everyone?" Fred and George pointed simultaneously to the right. Ariane and Charlie's eyes followed, and they saw nine peacocks running around, squawking angrily. "What did you DO?" Charlie demanded his younger brothers.
"Peacock potion," answered George.
"We put it in the pumpkin juice," quipped Fred.
"Took us all summer to develop it."
"It doesn't wear off for a whole hour!"
"Thank God we didn't drink any pumpkin juice," said Charlie. Ariane's eyes were wide.
"Yes, we did, Charlie," she reminded him. "Remember -"
"But we're not peacocks," he said, confused.
"Actually, it takes about fifteen minutes for it to register," interjected George. Charlie narrowed his eyes at his younger brothers.
"You two better run," he said dangerously. He tore off after his twin brothers when, with a loud POP, he turned full-grown peacock. He squawked angrily, ruffling his feathers with a huff. Ariane laughed until the same happened to her only seconds later. After an hour, there were ten very angry wizards and witches, and one slightly-less-than-humored Muggle. The twins were nowhere to be found, which was probably safest for their physical health.
"Are you sure you want to get into this?" asked Charlie.
"Positive," Ariane told him, slipping her arm around his waist. They walked to join Charlie's family in lunch. No, OUR family, Ariane reminded herself with a smile. She had always wanted a large family; it was one of the first things she ever told Charlie. Now she had it, and nothing could take that away. Nothing could ruin this day.
* * *
**Well, that's it for this story. If I get reviews asking for sequels (the wedding, children, etc; trust me, I've got ideas for them!) or whatever, I'll write them; if not, that's that. Thank you so so so much for reading and reviewing. Please know that your comments helped this story develop and kept the chapters coming. Also, I'm working on fixing any inaccuracies that were in previous chapters, so if anyone notices some (other than the obvious), please PLEASE let me know! Does anyone know if a broom can actually hold two people??? Anyways, that's enough from me. Thanks again!