Author: Junius
Summary: Charlie leaves Romania to spend the holidays with his family and is reunited with his high school crush… eventual CW/NT.
Notes: Again, if anyone would care to make suggestions or give me some ideas I'd be GREATLY appreciative. Usually I write stories in their entirety before posting them, but this one I'm writing as I go. I don't want to turn it into a 1500 word fluff ball, nice as they are sometimes. Any input people would be so kind as to offer would be wonderful!
More Notes: And I know I always say it, but reviews are most welcome.
Disclaimer: Though I'm trying, they still don't belong to me.
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Charlie sat on his bed and stared at the wall opposite, mentally kicking himself over and over again. He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there since Sirius had left him to tend to Buckbeak, but he was sure it had been a while.
I always thought you were pretty amazing… Charlie cringed at the memory. Why on earth had he come out with that?
There were several things about it made him uncomfortable, the first being that it might be a sign he had never actually gotten over his thing for Tonks. Though they had been in different houses at Hogwarts, he in Gryffindor and she in Ravenclaw, they had been in the same group of friends. He could remember, clear as day, looking forward to the classes he shared with her, trips to Hogsmeade with her and the rest of their group and hanging out on the Quidditch pitch or down by the lake.
Secondly, now was hardly the time to start acting flustered around her. The Order had serious duties to perform to reach their various goals, goals he wanted to help achieve. It would do no good to be distracted by thoughts of Nymphadora Tonks, no matter how tempting.
And lastly, if indeed his feelings for her had never faded, Charlie thought uncomfortably, this was possibly the most inappropriate of times and places to try and start a relationship. In the short time he would be staying at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, he would be working for the Order. After that, he would be going back to Romania to continue his work with dragons and his foreign work for the Order. And he knew it would be difficult trying to maintain a relationship over that distance.
Sighing deeply, Charlie rolled over onto his side. There was only one option, so far as he could see. He must try and ignore the way he felt around Tonks, get over this silly crush and get used to the idea that nothing would ever come of it. For that's all it was, he thought decisively, a silly crush. Nothing more. Certainly not–
A loud crash outside his room made him start and sit up. Making sure he had his wand in his pocket, Charlie ran out into the hall and looked around for the source of the noise.
To his surprise, Tonks lay sprawled on the floor near the top of the stairs. "Are you all right?" he asked her, crossing the landing to help her up. Tonks nodded as she got to her feet.
"Still as clumsy as ever," she said with a wry smile. "That's got to be the millionth time I've tripped over that stair." Charlie suppressed a grin as she gave the stair in question a dirty look.
"Anyway," she continued brightly. "I've finished with Kingsley at the Ministry and thought you might like the Grand Tour."
"The Grand Tour?" Charlie queried, his tone amused. Tonks nodded emphatically.
"This is, after all, the noble and most ancient House of Black," she said theatrically. "And I, as an averse member of this insane family, am the second most qualified to show you exactly how mad they all were and what to look out for."
Charlie couldn't help but laugh. "Lead on."
"Well, we'll start here," Tonks replied, looking around. "This floor and the third floor have all the bedrooms."
She walked to the end of the landing and then began walking back up towards Charlie, reciting names as she passed the doors. "Ginny and Hermione are on the end here, Fred and George next… I think Bill is in this room, then it's me, then you then Harry and Ron on the end."
Charlie tried to ignore the little flutter his stomach gave when he realised he and Tonks were next to each other. "What about the others?" he asked, hoping his voice sounded normal.
"Third floor is exactly the same," Tonks replied, pointing to the doors again. "Your parents are on the end above Ginny and Hermione, then Lupin, when he stays here, then Sirius, then Buckbeak in Sirius's mum's bedroom–"
Charlie let out a snort of laughter. Tonks grinned. "Yeah, he doesn't have to much affection for her," she said dryly. "Not that I blame him, she was absolutely loony, everything was pureblood this and Mudblood that… anyway, after Buckbeak there's an empty bedroom, we can't seem to get rid of the Doxys so we just chuck everything that's cursed in there, and the last bedroom is a spare one for whichever member of the Order needs it. It's usually Dung," she said distastefully. "Which doesn't please your mum too much, but he is good for a laugh sometimes."
Charlie nodded. "So what's next?"
"Well, I'll warn you now, don't go up to the attic without your wand," Tonks said, her tone cautioning. "There's an old ghoul up there we haven't managed to get rid of yet who can get quite narky. He's almost as barmy as Kreacher," she added with a shudder. Charlie looked at her curiously.
"Kreacher?" he repeated. Tonks nodded with a frown.
"You wouldn't have met him yet, I suppose," she said. "You're lucky, he's a repulsive little thing. He was Mrs. Black's house elf, but he's been on his own for years and he's flipped. Lurks around muttering stuff under his breath and stealing whatever he can."
"Sounds charming," Charlie commented. Tonks grinned at him.
"Let's head back downstairs, then," she said. Charlie followed her back down to the first floor, Tonks turning to face him once they had reached the bottom.
"You've already seen the dungeon-like kitchen," she said, looking around. "But you haven't seen the jungle-like drawing room."
Charlie smiled again as he followed Tonks into the drawing room just off the front hall. Wrinkling his nose, he looked around the room. Tonks was right; it was jungle-like. The green carpet was thick in some places, threadbare in others and felt almost alive underfoot. The moss green velvet curtains hung like sheets of jungle creeper and the few items of dirty furniture looked like ominously like animals lurking in the shadows.
"It has a certain… charisma," Charlie said slowly. Tonks burst into laughter at his less-than-impressed expression.
"That's one way of putting it," she smiled.
Charlie returned her smile, looking away self-consciously. "That's pretty much it, then?" he asked. Tonks nodded.
"You are now privy to all the dirty little secrets our noble house hides," she grinned, walking back out to the front hall.
Charlie was about to reply when Tonks tripped on a patch of worn carpet. Letting out a yell of surprise, she pitched face forward, arms akimbo. Without stopping to think, Charlie leapt forward and grabbed her arm, yanking her back to her feet. He held her steadily, her hands gripping his forearms tightly.
"You OK?" he asked. Tonks nodded, steadying herself.
"Like I said," she grinned wryly. "Clumsy as ever."
Charlie knew he should say something in return, but he found himself unable to look away. That smile, he groaned inwardly, that smile always managed to get to him. He tried to remember of all the reasons he had come up with as to why he shouldn't still be thinking of Tonks in this way, but they eluded him. Tonks's smile slowly faded, a faint blush tinging her cheeks.
"Charlie," she said softly. "I think–"
The sound of the door opening interrupted her. The two sprung apart as Mrs Weasley, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny and the twins spilled into the front hall, chattering in whispers so as not to wake Mrs Black.
"Charlie!" Ginny squealed suddenly, catching sight of him in the drawing room. He smiled and held out his arms as she ran over to hug him.
"Hey Gin!" he said warmly, glad to see his little sister. The other looked up excitedly, coming over to welcome him.
"Hey Charlie!"
"Charlie's back!"
"Charles, old boy!"
Charlie grinned at Fred and George's formal tones. "Hey guys," he grinned as Tonks stepped back to let the others greet their brother. "What's been happening?"
"Heaps," Ginny beamed. "Come on, I'm starving."
Tonks watched with a smile as she dragged him out of the drawing room and towards the kitchen, chattering all the while. The others followed, Harry and Hermione trailing a little behind. Charlie glanced back over his shoulder at her and shrugged apologetically, but she just grinned and indicated for him to go.
Soon they had disappeared in the kitchen and Tonks was alone in the drawing room. She wandered out to the front hall and up the stairs, opting to sit down near the top rather than risk tripping again.
She could faintly hear the Weasleys talking in the kitchen and she smiled. Her thoughts soon turned to the second oldest Weasley, though. Honestly, she chastised herself; you're as bad as you were at Hogwarts. She had always had a soft spot for Charlie, though she had never given it as much thought as she was now. He'd been back less than 24 hours and she was already starting to question the way she felt about him.
Sighing, she stood and made her way to her bedroom, managing not to trip. The meeting wasn't due to start for another couple of hours. She'd best spend that time in her room, finishing her reports for Dumbledore and trying to get the memory of Charlie holding her out of her mind.
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Yet another guess, I'm afraid. I think I remember it being mentioned somewhere in OotP that Tonks was in Ravenclaw, but I couldn't find the passage (if it exists!) to be certain. So, in this reality at least, she's a Ravenclaw.
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