Chapter 7- Last words
The three weeks following their trip to Diagon Alley, Charlie ignored Tonks. When he talked to Ginny, he made a point to not even look towards her, and when she'd try to talk to him, he'd shrug her off, and pretend to be busy.
"It's worse than when he used to insult me," Tonks confided in Hermione. Not wanting to involve Ginny too much in this situation, Tonks hadn't had anyone to talk to about it in quite some time, not due to lack of trying on Ginny's part. "I keep trying to explain myself but he refuses to hear me out."
"I must admit, the evidence isn't really in your favor," Hermione said with sympathy.
"We're leaving for Italy, and…" Tonks didn't finish, but gave a deep sigh. "I don't think I'll be able to get over this one," she said.
"I'm sure he'll give in soon," Hermione said. "I decided long ago that it must have been a defect in Weasley boys to have a certain flare for ruining relationships before they work out," she added.
Tonks gave a half-heartened grin and looked at Hermione. "I better get back downstairs," she said. She took a glance in the mirror, and fixed her appearance, as her eyes had been red and puffy from crying.
"When do you two leave?" Hermione asked.
"Next week sometime," Tonks said.
"You don't know exactly when?"
"No," Tonks said. "Dumbledore will be arranging it, but doesn't want anyone to know how or when we're traveling."
"That makes sense," Hermione said in a business-like manner.
Ginny's welfare was anything but business-like to anyone who knew of what was happening. Ginny had informed Molly that they would be going Tuesday. That part was true. They would be staying at Grimmauld Place—though neither Ginny nor Tonks wanted to be in that house—until their true departure.
The day before, Molly had planned a small dinner party for the family and a few outside friends. "Hi Remus," Tonks said, approaching her friend and giving him a slight hug.
"So you're leaving us then?" Remus asked in a whisper.
"Until you lot sort things here," she said, pulling away.
"I thought you had your own sorting to do," Lupin retorted with a glint in his eye as he looked over Tonks's shoulder.
Tonks turned to see Charlie, chatting with Bill and Kingsley. It seemed like an Order reunion. "I've done what I can with that," Tonks informed Remus, who still looked a bit smug. "I don't see how it's your place to pay much mind to it, anyway."
"Arthur was telling me the other day," Remus said. "I could just picture it, really."
Tonks turned back to looking at Charlie. "I thought so too, for a second," she said, then turned back in hopes of less upsetting subjects.
The party wasn't long, and Charlie found himself volunteering to clean up in the kitchen to avoid what he had been avoiding for a while now. When he had first been informed about the situation in the colony, he had found this to be an opportunity to get to see Tonks, and to know her better. Now he was anxious to get back. He was glad she would be leaving, although his feelings about his sister being with Tonks concerned him more than it had before. It wasn't a matter of him feeling Tonks was insufficient anymore, but more that he didn't want to know he'd have to see her again after Tuesday.
Lost in these thoughts, it surprised Charlie when someone said his name behind him, soft and timid. He turned around, seeing that the face didn't match the voice. "I wanted to talk," Tonks said in the same soft tone.
"Then talk," Charlie said. "But not to me," he added, putting down a dishtowel he had been using to dry plates, and started walking towards the nearest exit.
"Stop being such a git," Tonks said, catching Charlie by the arm.
"Me?" Charlie said. "I wasn't the one who pretended to be someone else."
"It isn't like that," Tonks said. "You have to hear me out."
"No, I don't," Charlie said, jerking away, leaving Tonks in the kitchen by herself.
Charlie looked around at his family cleaning up outside, watching Ginny help Fred and George move some tables. He walked over, deciding he needed to be rid of anywhere Tonks might come. "Ginny," he said, walking up to her. "I'm not feeling well, so I thought I'd go have a lie down," he said.
"Oh," Ginny said, a concerned expression dawning. "Did you need anything?"
"No," Charlie said. "I'll be okay. I just wanted to say goodbye," he said, leaning down and hugging Ginny. "Stay safe," he whispered in her ear.
"I will," Ginny said. "Go talk to Tonks," she added.
"Nice try," Charlie said, giving Ginny a playful nudge on the jaw with his right hand as he held one of his forced grins before turning to return inside; taking the long way around to avoid the kitchen.
Charlie did as he said he was going to. That was after charming his door locked. Sure, Tonks could just charm it open, but he figured it at least sent the clear message that she wasn't welcome. Charlie wondered if part of him wanted her to disregard this, but he argued with himself that he could do without ever seeing her again.
The next morning he awoke to silence. He looked at the clock on the dresser and saw that it was past noon. Charlie didn't remember the last time he had slept for more than twelve hours in one block, but tried to remember as he drug himself out of the bed. Placing his feet down he looked towards the door for any signs of entry. Tonks hadn't tried, but there was a white envelope right next to the door.
Charlie approached it and turned it over. The handwriting looks just like Nora's, he thought bitterly as he examined it. Part of him wanted to just tear it up and ignore Tonks's pleas, which were bound to be lame and redundant, but curiosity ebbed at another part—the part that won.
He opened the letter and took a deep breath before reading.
Dear Charlie,
Charlie thought he'd rather she start calling him Charred again. In his mind, Nora was still different from Tonks, and he felt guilty feeling ill towards the first, even though they were one in the same.
I've tried for three weeks now to talk about what happened before.
I want to start by saying I never meant to hurt you. Not even when I was still called 'Nora'. I can't help but think that if you understand everything, that you might be able to forgive me… even want to date me. Somewhere inside, my mind screams for reformation between you and I, while another—more logical, I'm afraid—tells me that I'm going to have to forget about us.
All I ask if for you to read and try to understand.
Charlie knew this was a bad idea, but read on anyway. He decided that he couldn't help what he was about to do, and let his eyes get ahead of his brain.
On my first day of school, my name was made fun of, as I've told you. I overheard the mocking and was upset by this. When I ended up in my dorm, the three girls I roomed with tried to tell me it was a nice name, but I was so worried about what others would think, they couldn't convince me it wasn't a horrible name.
They gave up the next day and decided to give me a nickname. They called me Nora, taking the first letter and the last sound in my name, obviously. I felt much better about this, and just took care to correct the teachers before they said my real name, so I wouldn't be made fun of anymore.
Charlie didn't let himself feel guilty at this. He had been a kid, and as such, knew he didn't have the best manners, so he continued to read faster, wishing to skip the hum-drum of the letter.
Chris and the others helped me think up small pranks to get you back. You know about all this, of course. You played some back and this continued.
In my third year, and your fourth, Dumbledore announced a winter dance.
Charlie remembered this as well. That was where he had met Nora for the first time… or so he had thought.
I had been hoping for a date, as all my friends continued to be asked, but no one came. For a long while I was disappointed, thinking that certain people I had affection towards didn't feel the same. It wasn't until a few days before the event that one of the girls I spent time with overheard Reggie saying something about talking some people out of asking me, and worse, paying one off that you couldn't get to give up on inviting me.
A blush came to Charlie's cheeks, outraged that she knew about this. Besides the anger at Reggie, Charlie was trying as hard as he could to keep the focus of his mind on what Tonks had done to him.
Chris and the others all talked me into going by myself. So I got a dress, wore my hair up after lengthening it. When they were all dancing at one point, I was left alone at the table, and that's when you came over.
The memory came back to Charlie in a picturesque fashion. It hadn't been much more than another friend of his pointing out a girl at the other end of the room, but in his mind's eye, Charlie saw the crowd part as the curls laying across Nora's shoulders turned with her head, as if looking back at him.
You started talking to me.
He sat down next to her and stuttered out an introduction. "Hi," he had finally said after taking a deep calming breath. "Charlie Weasley."
You didn't seem to know who I was.
Charlie furrowed his brows when she said she knew who he was. "I don't think I've seen you before. What house are you in?"
I wouldn't tell you my house, or my name. I was alone at the table. I didn't want to be.
"Where's your date?" Charlie asked.
"I don't have one," responded Nora with a casual shrug.
Charlie looked around. He was suddenly glad that his friends talked him into coming in a group instead of pairing off. Julie seemed to be having a good enough time with Steven Frother anyway.
You asked me to dance.
"Will you… I mean… would you… dance with me?"
I thought of telling you to go stuff yourself, but I did want to dance. So I agreed. When the dance ended, you asked for my name again. I thought you would be angry…
"My name is Nora," she said.
…but you weren't. You lifted my hand to your lips and were a gentleman towards me, for once. I went back and told my friends about it. You didn't seem to notice this any more than you had me, or what my name was. We laughed over it for a bit, and they convinced me to keep talking to you, keep dancing. We danced three times that night.
"So are you going to tell me what house you're in?" Charlie asked after the final dance of the evening.
I told you Ravenclaw. I was pretty sure you didn't know where their common room was. I didn't think I'd have to pretend again.
The next day an owl came into my dorm with a rose. My dorm mates and I couldn't believe it. We decided it would be a good joke to keep it going.
I saw you every so often on the pretense of being Nora. I almost quit after the first time you kissed me.
Charlie had been meeting Nora to study every Thursday. The school year was coming to an end and his friends had been giving him a hard time about not having kissed her yet. He had just been waiting for the right time, but still, he had his reputation. Without a word, he leaned over the books on the table in the library and kissed Nora. She was silent for a bit. They went back to studying, and she left a few minutes later without mentioning the kiss.
The summer came and you wrote to me quite a bit. I wrote back, trying to sound interested. It seemed to have worked as you asked to date me. My friends, once again, talked me into saying yes and keep pretending.
Christmas was coming up and I knew I heard something about a necklace. I drew the line. Chris helped me come up with a rumor. She started it around, and all of us helped spread it. We let you believe what you would from there. I was careful not to look like Nora again, and my friends started calling me by my last name, though you still called me Nymphadora, even though you knew I didn't like it.
I think I lied to you one other time. I told you a few weeks ago that it wasn't my fault. Since Hogwarts I've always placed the blame on my friends for pushing me into it, and you for not paying attention. Writing it out now, I see that I shouldn't have passed my own faults on to either of you.
For the record, you changed me this summer. I didn't think I'd ever have real interest in anyone, and I was surprised to find that the only person who could change that was you, but I suppose any relationship we might have had, was doomed at first dance.
Yours truly,
Tonks
Charlie looked at the letter and gulped. He put the parchment down and laid onto his bed. From downstairs, he could hear his mother yelling for him to come down, but instead he sat down on the edge of the bed. He felt an odd emptiness inside, similar to that of when Nora was pulled from Hogwarts.
A/N: Does that help everyone? Sorry I didn't fully explain things last chapter, but as you can see… a full explanation takes a whole chapter of its own, and I didn't want to push you into a chapter THAT long. Thanks for you patience, and I hope it's worth it!
Oh yeah… Review… please :D
Thanks:
Sclub: Here it is. Sorry that I left you hanging there…
Ella Palladino: Oh did you? Hehehe Kudos to you! You're one of the few who figured it out before (either that or people aren't making the guess… I don't know)
So Obviously Desperate: Sorry that this took a while. I'll probably be trying to finish off stuff before I go far far away… anyway. Hope you enjoyed this chappie!
Seed-of-flame: Updating… Glad you could tell Charlie was mad… initial reaction, of course… he just knows how to hold a grudge :D
Spacemonkeylover: They might… wiggles eyebrows Hope you likes :D
Unlucky-duck: lol I'm trying! Now I'm going to be bored until I get a third job… lots and lots of time to finish stories ;)
Pedagogie: Here's your explanation. I figured some people would feel confused (like Ron) since I didn't spell it out, and it's a bit complicated to fill in the blanks. Hope I've explained it properly.
Shading in Grey: Well, really… if Ginny's going, she has to go to Diagon Alley, but I'm sure she's not disappointed in Charlie being there. Very cute, though… until he found out about her little secret.
Alice L Longbottom: Explained just for you :D Just kidding… I needed to wait (as I said above) but you got the gist of it in the last chapter. I hope I haven't left anything unexplained.
So Desperately Obvious: Any relations to "So Obviously Desperate"? lol Thanks for the review! Yes… Tonks is Nora… Nora is Tonks… all explained above. Sorry for making you wait, by the way. I might try and write the next chapter faster this time.
Countess Mel: You don't like the style? Ahhh… just in this one? Or all of them? Hmmmm… something to ponder on. I'm glad you like my story at any rate :D Thanks for the review.
