Chapter Five
Old Adventures
At nine in the evening Alice emerged from the Weasley's fireplace, replaying her "strategy" in her mind.
Okay, Alice. You came. Now you'll make small talk. You'll ask about the house, and if you can, Sirius. Easy.
She straightened her posture to hide her nervousness and tightened the grip around the bottle of one of her father's finest firewhiskeys that she had brought for the occasion. He would definitely miss it, but it served her parents right for not showing up for Christmas of all days.
Part of her felt a little bit jealous, but she was happy they were enjoying themselves, and acting more laid back than they had ever been. The war transformed families in different ways. Growing up, her parents had been strict and very protective of Alice and Jamie. They were two people who had lost too much too soon and wouldn't take any risks with their kid's safety.
As soon as she arrived, she noticed that the house was strangely empty and quiet, and she had to look around for a moment, wondering if she was at the correct place when Ginny walked up from the kitchen, wand in hand.
"Old habits," Ginny grinned as she put her wand away, smiling warmly, "I'm glad you came!"
"I wouldn't miss it!" She smiled sheepishly, "How's that shoulder?"
Ginny waved a hand dismissively, "I've had worse, but the team takes injuries very seriously."
"Must be hard to find replacements mid-season," Alice conceded as Ginny led her out the kitchen door, into the backyard.
As an afterthought she added, "Sorry for not replying to your letter. Jamie's owl is away, so I figured I'd just show up. I hope that 's okay."
"It's fine. I sort of feared you'd find the invitation inappropriate…" Ginny confessed, "But you're always busy with work, and I would hate it if you spent Christmas Eve alone."
Alice felt her face warming up as she smiled sheepishly, "I have been a bit of a recluse lately, I'm afraid. I really appreciate the invitation! That is very kind of you!"
Outside there was a large tent set up, and the two women could hear loud chatter. Despite the cold weather, Alice immediately felt warm when they entered. There were magical lights flowing everywhere, and the walls of the tent were charmed to show off the beautiful snowy yard outside.
The Weasleys and a few people Alice did not recognize were all sitting by a very large wooden table. The magical lights floated all around them, looking a lot like oversized stars, and all awkwardness she previously felt half faded away at the homey atmosphere.
Molly greeted her with a tight motherly hug, and told her how glad she was that she came. Along with the Weasley matriarch and Ginny, she said hello to the people she had already met before, and was introduced to the various faces she did not know yet around the table: Hestia Jones, a pretty, dark haired witch in her thirties, who smiled kindly at her; Percy Weasley's girlfriend Audrey; Hermione Granger's parents, who Alice noticed were dressed in muggle clothing; and when they reached the far end of the table, to Ginny's utter embarrassment, Molly eagerly suggested Alice sat next to her single son…
"Charlie?" Alice cried, staring at the ginger man in shock. He stood up, also looking very much surprised to see her.
"Alice?"
Without ceremony, Alice threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug and the two laughed in a mixture of emotions, as he twirled her around.
Of all the places in the world, she did not expect to find him at a random Christmas Eve dinner. But realization soon dawned on her, and she let him go, looking at the man in front of her in amazement, "Charlie Weasley, of course!"
Then, she did something that probably confused everyone around them, and punched the tall man hard on his shoulder.
"You idiot!"
Charlie laughed and rubbed the spot where she punched him.
"When you leave Romania to go to a bloody battle you write the fuck back!" Alice berated, her heart racing, "I thought you were dead!"
"We had some issues with mail at the reserve after the war. I'm sorry," He looked genuinely bad about it, but she wasn't done.
"Merlin, I half want to kill you myself! Two years, Charlie!" She admonished with some mirth, before hugging him again.
This time, he held her close, closing his eyes in happiness.
"I've been in touch with Alec these past few months. Didn't he mention me?" He asked exasperatedly into her hair.
"We split," she said flatly, pulling away from him.
Molly and Ginny looked very confused, but had smiles on their faces. Half the table had grown quiet, watching their unexpected exchange with different levels of amusement and curiosity.
"So, you've met my brother Charlie..." Ginny said flatly, clearly amused.
"I got stranded in Romania in 98', and Charlie here helped me out," Alice explained.
Molly was all too pleased that the two knew each other, and they spent most of the dinner reminiscing and telling stories about Alice's three months at the dragon reserve, laughing about an unfortunate run-in with a wild dragon, and catching up on their whereabouts for the past couple of years.
After dinner, Bill, Ron, George, Harry, Hermione and Ginny were sitting close by, listening to their stories, asking questions and retelling some of their own experiences through the war and their school years.
As the night progressed, Bill and Alice exchanged curse breaking stories; Charlie sitting beside his old friend. All three of them had had quite a bit to drink and Bill seemed especially interested in how she had managed to get so many contracts without working for a formal company, like he did for Gringot's. Charlie visibly tensed.
"I was a... freelance worker," She said in a tone too full of confidence, with an evasive smile.
"Mercenary, you mean?" Bill had a raised eyebrow, but his tone was far from judgemental, and Charlie seemed to relax slightly. His brother seemed more intrigued than distrustful.
"Not at first," Alice told them with a dark undertone, staring thoughtfully at the glass of firewhisky she held, "and not knowingly either..."
"I've had a few run-ins with mercenaries in Egypt," Bill said, "Most are clueless about the value of the pieces they steal, or even how to properly break curses. They're just interested in the money, but you don't strike me as a ruthless treasure hunter… For one, you still have all your limbs."
Alice smiled humorlessly, and nodded, acquiescing his point.
"Well, I wasn't part of the group myself, and I didn't partake in any illegal activities" She explained, "These people needed a curse breaker, and I desperately needed the money. I was in Russia, you see, and the offer to travel with them was a lot more promising than what I was doing there."
She finished off her drink, as both men listened intently.
"For a while it was great. I was traveling with a master curse breaker, practicing and getting better myself. I was so excited about the travels, and too focused on learning to realize what other people's motivations were around me."
"I think the man I studied under knew better, but it was during the war and the contracts were scarce. It took him a while to track me down, and then these people left me to die when a job went sideways in Romania. It's how I left, and how I got to know Charlie here."
Bill seemed to be curious about the details of the work she did in Russia, but Alice guessed the thoughtful look on her face was enough for him to leave it at that.
"When you have this thirst for the road, this... This longing for adventure, traveling and for experience, you cannot stay put for very long," Alice explained, "I aided in a secret effort for retrieving an artifact from Russia, and was left stranded - no information, no new orders, in a country I knew no one and spoke very little of the language... They told me to stay put and it felt like they had forgotten me there. But in reality, communications were cut off, and the safest thing was for me to leave."
"So you fell in with Garret and his little group," Charlie nodded and took a sip from his cup, "He was briefly arrested last year, you know?"
Alice nodded, not surprised. Ron, Bill and Ginny seemed to have more questions, but Fleur called them inside.
Since few guests were still there, everyone retired to the living room, inside the house, except for Charlie and Alice, who remained outside. Their breaths were foggy in the cold December night.
He pulled out a pack of muggle cigarettes from his pocket and offered her one, which she denied with a grimace.
"I can't believe you still smoke these," Charlie raised an eyebrow and lit one cigarette.
"I'm sorry I didn't write," he said after a few seconds of comfortable silence.
"I should have written as well," She shrugged.
"What I don't understand is... How come you and Alec are not together anymore?" Charlie asked, frowning.
"We wanted different things, I suppose," Alice shrugged, crossing her arms in front of her body, "he was done with living on the run. Wanted to settle down. Wife, kids, run his family estate, sleep with my best friend…"
Charlie blew smoke and looked sideways at her, with a puzzled look on his eyes.
"And you were not done."
"I am not done," Alice said, seriously.
Charlie frowned, and looked thoughtful.
"And yet you're redoing houses," he stated flatly.
"I guess I didn't quite plan that far ahead," she smiled, and he smiled back.
There was silent between them for a few minutes until finished his cigarette and vanished the but.
"It's a lonely path, out in the danger…" he noted, "having a significant other complicates things."
Alice agreed.
"I understand him, even," Her eyes were far off, looking inside the house through the window, "Maybe deep down he knew I can't be a wife, a mother and a homeowner right now… So he chose someone who could."
"That was his excuse, then..." Charlie stated flatly, claiming her eyes with his intense gaze.
From this close proximity, he sort of towered over her. She had forgotten how tall the man was.
"He said he couldn't watch me kill myself out there anymore," she sighed.
"Bloody hypocrite if you ask me," He piped in.
Unconsciously they had moved in closer to each other due to the cold. Alice spelled their clothes for more warmth, but they did not move apart.
"He did his fair share of crazy in his time," Charlie noted. "He's mentioned in Gilderoy Lockhart's books, for crying out loud. And for Lockhart to admire someone other than himself, is a big deal."
"That's the weight of two decades age difference between a couple in a relationship," Alice smiled dryly at her friend, "When we grow older, our excuses become weaker, I think."
Charlie hummed quietly, still wearing a thoughtful look. They settled again in a comfortable silence and he moved closer, holding her around the waist. Alice smiled, but didn't say anything.
"It's his loss, my dear," He smiled, diving his head towards hers for a kiss.
Despite his confident posture, he was very gentle and tentative. One of his hands stayed on the small of her back, while the other one moved to tangle on her hair. They had their eyes closed, savoring this moment with mutual curiosity. Then it was over, but Charlie still held her close - his chin resting on the top of her head.
"I've always wondered what this would feel like," She confessed, with a tiny smile.
"Not so bad, is it?" He asked, running his hand on the tiny scar she had, that ran from her left cheek, over her ear, into her scalp.
"One less mystery to be solved," She joked.
"That dragon made quite the number on you, didn't it?" He caressed the path from her ear, back down her cheek and held her chin up before kissing her once more.
They both seemed to enjoy that moment for a while longer. Two people worn off from their adventures, finding solace in each other. for a few minutes. No expectations, or emotional debts.
Once the moment was over Alice's mind went back to her original agenda for being there, and a small part of her felt guilty for getting lost in the moment and forgetting about her unusual aquantaince.
"Grimmauld Place," She spoke casually, and Charlie looked down at her, "ever been there?"
"Yeah, I have. Long ago…" he smiled, holding her closer, "I guess none of us has been back there since the war. It is a bit weird to think of it as Harry's house, though."
"How come?" She asked, trying to play down her eagerness.
"It's dark, and it used to belong to his godfather, Sirius Black," he smirked, "I told him once it's the perfect house for a mass murderer, which is why it did not suit him at all. He was pleased to hear that."
Alice felt herself shiver, and the cold winter air had little to do with that.
"What do you mean by mass murderer?"
Charlie laughed, "You don't know anything about the infamous Sirius Black?"
Alice said nothing. I guess I know very little.
"He was falsely convicted," Charlie explained. He was about to elaborate when Angelina interrupted them, calling out from the kitchen door. The duo quickly jumped apart and had the decency to look sheepish as she approached them.
"Come inside, you two! It's freezing out here!" She threw them a knowing look, and Alice felt her cheeks warming up.
They stepped inside, and she realized that it was probably her cue to leave, since everyone else seemed to be doing the same.
She was dying to know more about Sirius, but she decided not to pry any longer, and said her goodbyes.
Sirius was happier than he had been in months.
For the first time since he was a Hogwarts student it felt like a regular Christmas, despite all of the security measures that were put in place for it to happen. Naturally he had lied to Alice: this party was classified, so it was easier to say he would be with the Potters. While the whole journal and time travel thing seemed exciting, he couldn't take any chances with his best friend's safety.
Even though they were in hiding, the Potters showed up at the Order's Christmas gathering on Dumbledore's home. They were the same as always: James was playful and Lily was her usual graceful and sweet self. His godson was at that fun age where he started to interact with the people around him, so he could enjoy making him laugh. Peter was again absent, and Remus was off with the werewolf pack where Dumbledore had sent him to go. Their absence stuck out and was noted by everyone - a reminder of the hard times they had to live through.
Diner was lively. There was music and most of all, drinks. The whole night members would go in and then out to say hi and just enjoy being alive and well with each other, before popping out to join different family members and their own personal holiday events.
Some time before midnight, Sirius found himself caught with Lily and James in a small group along with the Prewett brothers, who were taking turns telling jokes and replaying their greatest battles from the year, when a new group approached them, fresh out of the fireplace.
Benjy Fenwick greeted everyone as he arrived, ans Sirius busied himself with his glass of firewhiskey as the older man introduced his brother and wife, Brandon and Mary Fenwick, along with their five year old daughter, who was looking around very awkwardly. She had blond hair that was cut in a very elegant Chanel style, and her eyes were an interesting yellowish colour - green and brown.
"And this little lady is Alice Fenwick!" Benjy said in a proud voice.
As the girl blushed and smiled politely at the group, Sirius dropped his cup, that shattered in a million pieces on the floor.
A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I figured this was the best part to cut it before all the excitement begins.
In the long months I have been neglecting to update, I managed to write a Prequel for Alice, with her adventures as a curse breaker. Which is why I decided to alter some of her backstory here. It will be posted when I get a few more chapters of this story up and running.
Thank you for your kind messages and comments!
