Disclaimer - Come on now, be serious.
A/N -- Thank yous are at the bottom! Enjoy!!
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Charlie's first instinct was to shake her awake and make her tell him why this wound was still festering as though nothing had been done to clean away the dragon poison. He nearly did, his hands moving away from her discolored and swollen leg and up to her arms, but his training kicked in just in time.
'Hang on there, Charlie. What do you know about untreated dragon injuries?' he thought frantically. He began running through side effects and symptoms - dehydration, general weakness, inability to sleep, inability to keep food down for long... He shouldn't wake her. This was probably the first time she'd slept for days.
Charlie leaned back against the headboard of the bed, staring at the sleeping girl in his arms. He knew that she was smart, some would go so far as to label her a type of brilliant. How had she not figured it out... and why hadn't she gotten help regardless?
"Damn, damn, damn..."
There was a soft knock on the door. It opened a crack, and he could make out Percy's serious face on the other side.
"It's ok, come in... just be quiet."
"It was the ward by the quidditch field..." Percy looked nervous and uncertain, something that Charlie hadn't seen on his younger brother's face for a long time.
"Did you tell Dad? Or were you able to fix it?" Charlie's voice lowered to a whisper as Nancy stirred again, curling against him even more securely.
"Fixed it. But I may have Bill look at it, just to make sure."
"Good idea," Charlie sighed. "I'm going to stay up here for a while. She's not feeling well, and... I need to talk to her once she wakes up."
"Charlie?" Percy's voice was so worried that it startled his brother. He was so used to the Head Boy, know-it-all that they'd learned to deal with over the last few years.
"What is it, Perce?"
"She really looks bad. What happened?"
"I'm not sure. But she's been sick for a while anyway. Keep an eye on things down there, Perce. Just call if you need me."
"Ok. I'll probably be shadowing Noëlle Fracindy around, she's bound and determined to blow something up tonight." Charlie allowed himself a small smile as his brother left. The way he was fixated on his father's new assistant would have been unhealthy, if she hadn't been such a sweet girl with a tendency to disrupt Percy's overly calm and ordered existence.
He glanced down and saw that her brown eyes were open.
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Bill had felt her shudder and wrapped his arms protectively around her. "Don't worry. They're perfectly harmless, unless you're Fred and George and decide to feed them canary creams. Gnomes do not like to sprout feathers all unexpectedly."
Jenni giggled, picturing gnomes with bright yellow feathers covering their bodies. She stopped suddenly as she felt Bill's eyes on her. She looked up to meet his gaze and although it was rather warm outside, Jenni shivered as she realized that Bill's arms were around her. She thanked the cover of darkness as she lowered her face, feeling it heat up with a blush.
Bill placed a hand under her chin and lifted her face, unable to stop himself. He leaned forward and felt her sharp intake of breath as his lips met hers briefly. They lingered for a moment before he pulled back, studying her reaction and watching as she slowly opened her eyes.
Jenni's heart was pounding. She was sure it was beating loud enough for Bill to hear. Her hands tightened on Bill's arms as she felt her knees shake slightly. She opened her eyes slowly, avoiding his gaze, unsure of what to do or say. Their eyes finally met and Jenni felt herself melt. There was a warmth in his gaze that took her breath away. She watched as the corners of his mouth turned upward, and he smiled as he ran his thumb across her cheek.
Bill noticed Jenni had become extremely quiet. "Is something wrong?" Dammit, he thought. I shouldn't have kissed her. He searched her face for any hint of emotion. All he saw was confusion. He hoped he hadn't just scared her away. Especially since he had finally had a conversation without her yelling at him.
Jenni turned away from him, not trusting herself to look into his eyes again. "No. Nothing's wrong." She paused, not sure how to continue. "It's just."
"I'm sorry," Bill started. "I wasn't thinking."
Jenni grinned. A guy apologizing for kissing her? That was a first. "Please, don't be sorry. I should have stopped you but... I didn't. It's not entirely your fault."
Bill breathed a small sigh of relief. At least she wasn't angry with him. He had to get a grip on his emotions. He didn't know what it was about Jenni, but whatever it was, he was anything but his usual calm and in- control self. He looked back down at her face. She was hiding something. "What is it? Do you have a boyfriend and just didn't know how to tell me?" Smooth Weasley! Bill thought irritably. Now what are you going to do if she says yes?
Jenni rolled her eyes, oblivious to the anxious look on Bill's face. "Please. The last boyfriend I had decided to leave me because he said he needed more space. I reluctantly agree and he goes off and marries a woman with two kids."
Bill gave a sigh of relief and laughed. At least she wasn't seeing anyone. That was one huge advantage. His laughter was cut short however as he caught a flash of anger from Jenni's direction. Perhaps laughing wasn't the right thing to do right now, he thought.
"You think that's funny? Great. Go ahead and have a good laugh at my expense. I'll just sit back and supply you more of my heartbreaking experiences so you can enjoy them." Jenni's voice had an icy edge to it.
"Jenni, please. I'm sorry." Bill pleaded as Jenni glared at him, trying to restrain his smile. "I know I shouldn't have laughed. But really, it's his loss if he can't see what a great person you are." He grinned a little as Jenni's glare softened. "Come on, you're not really mad at me. Are you?" The last part spoken with a little hesitancy.
Jenni gave in. "No, I'm not mad at you. I just didn't expect you to laugh at me."
"Ok, first of all, I wasn't laughing at you. I would never laugh about something that caused you pain. I was merely laughing at the way you said it."
"The way I said it?" Jenni eyed him suspiciously.
"Well, yes. I mean there you are, '.and he goes off and marries a woman with two kids.'" Bill was waving his hands imitating Jenni's earlier performance as she burst into a fit of laughter. "There! You see?" Bill pointed at Jenni who was doubled over in laughter.
"Well," Jenni spoke through giggles. "Seeing it put that way. Yes, it was funny." Jenni managed to look up to see two boys headed their way. "Hey isn't that one of your brothers?"
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"I'm sorry... try to go back to sleep." Nancy looked so confused, so vulnerable. Charlie found himself wishing he knew her better, so he could demand to know what was going on, instead of hoping that she would confide in him.
"Sleep? No... wha..." Her voice was scratchy and odd sounding, a result of the silencing charm that was slowly wearing off. Nancy struggled to sit up, almost succeeding when another wave of nausea sent her scurrying back into the warmth of Charlie. She blinked a few times, and felt him reach down and remove her glasses so she could rub her eyes. "What happened?"
"You're exhausted." She looked up at him as he talked, trying to read his dark eyes. He seemed... worried, and almost upset. "Any dragon injury left untended for more than a day or so will do that to you - not let you sleep."
Nancy flinched. He had it all worked out, then. That had been fast. Unless she'd been sleeping for a while, but it didn't feel like it had been more than a few minutes. Wilting a bit from the relief of not having to play games with him anymore, she said, "It didn't go untended. Not entirely."
She watched his gaze darken perceptibly. "You call THIS tended?" He made an angry gesture towards her swollen, painful leg, and Nancy noticed that her robes were pulled up and he had the bandages off.
"I was doing my best!" She was starting to get defensive now. "I'm almost done with... something that should help." She stopped herself before naming the potion; as he was sure to know that it was arcane and the ingredients controlled. "What's it to you, anyway?"
"What's it to me?" Charlie repeated, incredulous. What was it to him? What was SHE to him? Why was he so worried about whether or not she was treating a wound or being abducted by strange men? And it wasn't just the protective Weasley in him that reacted when anyone was in danger... this was different. She was... oh bloody hell, she was staring at him. He blushed slightly in true Weasley tradition and tried to cover the silence.
"It's... well for starters, it's my bloody JOB. I'm supposed to have a handle on these dragons, and when there's a problem like you witnessed, we're responsible for treating any wounded." He glared down at her, still indignant that she would value her own health so far below where she should. "And what was that you were working on?" A sudden though occurred to him, and he pulled out the card from his pocket. "It's one of the Obsoletes, isn't it? What else would you need Dodo claws for?" He smiled grimly as she paled.
"That's none of your business."
Charlie couldn't deal with the closed, cold face she was showing him. He simply knew that this wasn't the way she usually spoke or acted. Something had to be really wrong, and in his worry he heard his voice rising. "Why in the hell would you waste your time and very precious energy on one of those? I know for a fact that St. Mungo's has Horntail antidotes. It would take them all of forty minutes!"
"And twice that many Galleons..." Her voice was so soft Charlie had to lean down to hear it, but hear it he did. He stared at her. Money? Money was the reason that she'd...
"No, wait... why should it matter how much the hospital charges? You were hurt on the job... they have to pay for it." Charlie put on his best 'big brother logic' voice, hoping that she had somehow overlooked this detail.
Nancy gave a sad little laugh. "Well, that's usually true. What, did you think I didn't do my homework?" Her voice sounded tired and frustrated. "I could quote you the policy. It's as bad as the ministry. 'Said employee will be covered, etc, except in case of dragon injuries. Any work involving dragons must be fully approved and cleared with the proper channels before departure for any coverage to be granted...'"
The room fell silent as her words faded away. Charlie was still staring down at her, although she'd hidden her face in his shirt. He could feel her breath as she lay there. It would cost 80 galleons at least at St. Mungo's for the potion she'd need, and if she hadn't expected to see dragons on her trip and so didn't get covered... Suddenly a breeze blew in the laughter of the party outside his window. Nancy shivered, and Charlie's attention was drawn back to the very ill woman lying in his arms. He knew what he needed to do.
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Bill glanced up. "Yeah, that's Ron. Oh, and Harry's finally shown up. Excellent!" Bill was about to introduce Jenni to Harry Potter when Ron started talking.
"Bill, what's going on?"
"What do you mean, Ron? I'm having a conversation with Jenni." Bill's voice sounded slightly frustrated. Jenni and Harry exchanged smiles trying to conceal their laughter.
"I'm talking about Charlie running into the house with some girl. She looked hurt. And then Fred, George and Percy were mumbling something about checking the wards." Ron's face was mixed with concern and worry.
Bill glanced nervously at Jenni before answering Ron, "Keep your voice down Ron. We don't need."
Before he could finish, Jenni interrupted. "There was a girl with Charlie?"
Ron looked at her questioningly. "Yeah, she had brown hair, glasses, and he was carrying her like something was wrong."
Jenni was just about to ask Ron where Charlie had taken Nancy when a girl with rather bushy brown hair walked up and jumped into the conversation. "There you two are. I've been looking everywhere for you."
Thinking that the girl was rather bossy, and rude, interrupting a conversation like that, Jenni was just about to comment but Ron spoke first. "HerMIone. We were about to find out... something. Couldn't you wait just two more minutes?"
"No, I couldn't. Besides, you two obviously interrupted their conversation." Jenni noticed the girl nod her head in her and Bill's direction.
"Yeah, just like you interrupted this conversation," Ron retorted, obviously annoyed.
Harry rolled his eyes at his bickering friends, "Why don't we just go find Fred and George. They'll tell us what's going on." Harry turned towards Jenni and Bill, "Sorry about those two."
As the three walked off, Ron and Hermione still sniping at one another, Jenni turned towards the house. "Jenni, wait." Bill grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Bill, I have to make sure Nancy is okay. What if she's really hurt?" The tears had started to form and Jenni wasn't trying to hide them.
"Jenni listen to me. She's okay. She's with Charlie." Bill held Jenni by the shoulders trying to make her listen to him.
"You knew?" Jenni's voice was full of disbelief. "You knew and you didn't tell me? How COULD you?"
"I wanted to tell you. But there's more to it then what you've just heard. Just calm down and let me explain..."
Jenni pulled away. "You had plenty of time to explain. What makes you think that I'm going to sit here now and listen to your explanations?"
She stormed away leaving Bill standing alone. Not knowing where she was going, she headed into the lopsided house that she and Nancy had entered when they first arrived and looked around for some sign of where Charlie may have taken Nancy. She was just about to head up the stairs when Bill ran in behind her, grabbing her arm again. "Jenni, would you at least give me one minute?"
Standing several steps up, Jenni was now eye level with Bill and for the first time he saw all of her anger as she lashed out. "No, I will not give you a minute. You knew something had happened to Nancy and you KEPT it from me. Then you expect me to listen to your explanations? Just because you asked politely you think I'll agree? It doesn't work that way. I mean just because I ask you to jump in front of the Whomping Willow does that mean you would do it!"
Bill had become equally angry. "Oh, for Merlin's sake. Could you stop being so stubborn and LISTEN to me?" His voice has risen in volume to match hers. "And yes, if it makes you feel any better, I WOULD jump in front of the." Bill never finished his sentence as Mrs. Weasley chose that time to see what all the yelling was about in her house.
"I thought I told you boys that the party was to stay OUTSIDE!" Jenni stepped back, falling on the steps behind her as a short, plump woman with red hair came from around the corner and rounded on Bill. "I knew that when I agreed to let the lot of you have this party that no good would come of it. People in and out constantly, Charlie, Percy and the twins constantly up and down the stairs. And now you two. I won't hear of it. Out of my house now!"
Bill was obviously trying to explain something to the woman when realization hit Jenni. "You're his mother?" Jenni asked pointing towards Bill in a disgusted manner.
The woman looked at Jenni with a mixture of outrage that this girl could possibly insult her son and amusement. "Why yes, I am his mother. Along with six other unruly children running around somewhere." She gestured towards the party and multitude of people outdoors.
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"Nancy?" Charlie's voice was soft again, and he felt some of the tension drain out of her. "I have an antidote."
She pulled back sharply, her brown eyes flying up to meet his blue ones. "You... you do? But... wha... how?" Her thoughts were racing as fast as her sluggish brain would let them. He had one of the Obsoletes? But those were illegal! She suddenly realized that he was talking and tried to pay attention.
"... and they issue special emergency amounts to all of the leaders, and so... I'm supposed to carry it with me at all times, so that if one of my team members is injured... just a quick injection, very muggle of them..." An injection? But... the Obsoletes were very thick potions that you had to drink. That must mean that he had the modern antidote. Not illegal after all. Unlike herself.
Charlie stopped talking when he realized that she was shaking her head as though to refuse him. "What? What's wrong?"
"It's what they use at the hospital, right?"
"Well, actually, no... it's a bit stronger, works more quickly. Which is good, since it's been so long since you were hurt, but... it does mean you'll feel really wretched for about a day." He looked a bit worried as he explained this, but Nancy wasn't worried about side effects. Pulling away from him a bit more, she stared down at her hands fixedly.
"Then it will cost the same. I can't afford..."
Charlie cut her off as soon as he figured out what she was getting at. "Don't be an idiot. It won't cost you anything."
"Don't patronize me." He flinched inwardly as her face paled and her eyes flashed, realizing that he was seeing her anger for the first time. He kept his face calm, however, and shot a reply right back at her.
"I'm not. If you don't take this now, we're going to have to take you in to the emergency ward within the next day or so. You're pushing your luck and you know it. Taking it now would just save me the trouble of finding you collapsed in the street somewhere."
Nancy only spared a moment to wonder why he was so certain that he would the one finding her before gritting her teeth and reiterating, "I don't want your charity."
Charlie gaped at her. "Did you not just hear me?" When she kept that closed, defensive look on her face, he rolled his eyes. "You want to pay for it? That's fine. But I set the price."
"No charity," she repeated doggedly. "I'm paying you what it's worth."
Biting his lip to keep from grinning as he wondered how on earth she still had the energy to do anything, never mind be incredibly stubborn and argumentative, Charlie nodded slowly. If she wanted to pay, he'd make her pay... but not in money. "Fine." He'd explain the worth of the potion to her tomorrow, when she was feeling better, he thought a bit wickedly.
Nancy looked at him dubiously. It was too easy. There had to be a catch.
"I really don't think..." Before she could finish, Charlie had leaned forward and placed a finger on her lips to keep her from speaking. His eyes were boring into hers, and she started to feel flushed. She noticed that the devilish grin she remembered so well from Romania had slipped onto his face, and was hardly breathing when he whispered, "Oh you'll pay." The heat from his gaze was almost overwhelming, and Nancy was the first to look away.
"Please, don't play with me right now... I don't think I can handle it." The quiet helplessness in her voice wiped the smirk off of Charlie's face, and his eyes darkened with concern. She was sitting across the bed from him, and in one swift motion, he stood up, eased her back onto the pillows, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Trust me. I'll see you through this."
Biting her lip nervously, Nancy nodded and gave in, feeling a huge weight lift off of her shoulders. Charlie started discussing Quidditch strategies with her as he prepared the needle, trying to distract the uncomfortable young woman from her pain and worries. He realized about three minutes into the conversation that her initial remarks on the abilities of Charlie Weasley while on his broom in Romania had been more than name-dropping. This girl knew her Quidditch! He was grinning as she argued with him about Puddlemere United's strategy of a chaser-oriented team, noticing how her color had improved since she'd relaxed. Unable to stop himself, he reached out and gently brushed some hair out of her face.
"...and to think that their match against the Ravens could have been completely different if they'd... just... er..." Nancy's voice trailed off as his hand lingered by her face. There was that overly warm, flushed feeling again, she thought irritably. At least when she was feeling better that would go away. Suddenly, her eyes locked with his, and she noticed that they no longer seemed blue, but were nearly black pools of unreadable and undiscovered depths.
She felt him lean closer, and gasped when his thumb ran down the side of her face; she had forgotten that his hand was still there. Letting her eyes flutter closed, she barely heard him whisper roughly, "That sound should be illegal," before his lips were on hers for a soft, sweet moment. All of her thoughts slipped out of her mind as she focused on the gentle pressure of his warm lips on hers.
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"I'm sorry." Jenni began. "I didn't realize, I mean it's just Ron said something about Charlie brought someone in here that was hurt and I think it might be my friend. I only wanted to see if she was ok. And then I find out that Bill already knew all of this and didn't tell me that Nancy was hurt. I got mad and came here to look for her. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."
Mrs. Weasley's expression softened as she watched Jenni's concerned face become streaked with tears. Taking Jenni by the arm she led her to a couple of chairs in front of the fireplace. Mrs. Weasley looked over to Bill, "Why don't you go make some tea?"
Jenni noticed he was about to argue but only replied "Yes mum."
"Now then," Mrs. Weasley began. "If I know Charlie, I'm sure your friend is just fine. If she was seriously hurt, he wouldn't try to take things into his own hands. He's very responsible."
Jenni looked up with a watery smile, "You really think so?"
"I'm positive." Mrs. Weasley replied. "And as soon as I find out what's going on, I'm sure it won't be a problem for you to see your friend."
Jenni nodded weakly and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have caused such a scene yelling like I did."
Mrs. Weasley smiled, "That's ok, you're just concerned about your friend. Nancy, I believe you said her name was?"
"Yes ma'am. We've been best friends since my fifth year at Hogwarts." Jenni was able to talk comfortably with Mrs. Weasley and soon found herself recounting Nancy's strange behavior over the past two weeks, and about how worried she had been since their return trip from Romania. For the most part, Mrs. Weasley sat listening, only nodding here and there or offering a comforting word or two, but it wasn't long after the conversation changed that Jenni found herself smiling again when Bill emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with a pot of tea and several cups.
Jenni reached for the cup of tea that Bill held out to her as he sat down next to her. She sighed heavily as her eyes wandered toward the stairs wondering how Nancy was. Leaning back, Jenni rested her head against Bill's shoulder. She listened quietly as Bill told Mrs. Weasley what he knew of the situation. Jenni was still angry with him for not telling her about Nancy. She moved to sit forward, realizing what this must look like to Mrs. Weasley - she hardly even knew her. However, instead of being able to sit up, she felt Bill's arm pull her back against him. Jenni found herself relaxing against him, her head on his chest, as she listened to him talk and felt the warmth and comfort of his arm tightening around her small frame.
She looked up as Mrs. Weasley stood up and headed for the stairs. She whispered to Bill, "Where's your mum going?"
"To check on Charlie and see what he's up to." Bill watched Jenni's face as she watched his mum disappear up the stairs. Her eyes were constantly worried and no longer held the spark he had become accustomed to seeing.
Jenni sighed, wishing she knew what was going on and what exactly was wrong with Nancy. Bill's voice brought her out of her thoughts.
"Jenni?"
"Yes?" Jenni answered. She was so exhausted from worry she didn't even lift her head off Bill's shoulder.
"You know mum's right."
"About what?"
"About Nancy. If something were seriously wrong, Charlie would have gotten help."
Jenni didn't respond. She let Bill's words sink in, hoping that he was right. She found herself once again on the verge of tears and fighting hard to keep them from spilling out. She sank further against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.
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After what seemed like only a heartbeat, he pulled away just a bit. She could feel his breath on her face, and his thumb was rubbing mesmerizing circles on her cheek. Nancy was working up the courage to reach for him when she felt an immensely painful burning sensation spreading out from her injured leg. Crying out softly from the pain, she opened her eyes and saw him wearing an expression of guilt and worry.
"Wha... what's wrong with me?" Nancy stammered out, and Charlie cursed the fear he saw in her eyes. "It hurts... burns... everywhere."
"Shhhh, I'm here. I'm so sorry, Nancy. The only thing I didn't tell you was... it's going to hurt like that. For a few minutes. If there was any other way, I'd do it, but... I'm so sorry."
Her eyes widened as tears stung the back of them. "You... you injected me? After... but we... but... why?" He watched, hating to put her through the intense pain she was experiencing right now, as she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
"Here, let me try and help." He slid back onto the bed, pulling her rigid body up next to his, and slowly massaging her arms and back.
"Why?" she whispered again, even as he gently coaxed her panicked body back into a fairly relaxed position. "Why didn't you tell me first?"
"Because..." Charlie wiped a few tears off of her face as he hesitated over the answer. When it came it was a whisper. "Because, I couldn't bear to scare you AND hurt you."
As the Horntail poison and the antidote he'd just given her fought it out in every corner of her trembling body, she replied groggily, "You'd'nt ever do that... not you." Then she promptly curled up around him and fell into a troubled sleep.
Charlie was still staring at her, running her words through his mind, when his mother opened the door a few minutes later.
"Charlie! What on earth?" Her eyes went very round as she tried to take in the shock of seeing him sitting on his bed, holding a sleeping young witch in his arms and looking rather humbled.
"Mum! Shh, please." Charlie glanced up at his mother, hoping she didn't assume the wrong thing about this situation. He really wanted her to like Nancy, for a reason that he really didn't feel like analyzing with his mum's piercing eyes on him. He watched as she got over her surprise and collected herself, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
"You'd better have one heck of an explanation, young man."
He looked into his mother's compassionate face and smiled, knowing that her tone of voice was merely covering up her worry.
"She's very sick, mum. That's the only reason she's so close right now. She needs rest and warmth... and I seem to have the ability to give her those, at least."
This deflected his mother's attention for a moment, and she looked down at Nancy. "Poor thing, look how pale she is. And thin! The poor dear resembles Harry after a full summer of his relatives not feeding him." She fixed him with a glare. "And WHY is the little dear in such bad shape? And does she need a hospital?"
Charlie took a few minutes and quietly explained what had happened, his arms tightening unthinkingly as he told his soft-hearted mum why Nancy wouldn't get help. He carefully skimmed over the incident tonight, saying that it had just been Nancy collapsing from the strain. He and his brothers would talk to their father before making a big deal of the intruder.
"But she's got the medicine in her now? My word, two weeks fighting a dragon injury! How on earth..." Charlie shrugged helplessly.
"I can't figure that out either. She was able to contain the poison somehow, it seems," he smiled down at the sleeping girl, amazed at her resourcefulness.
"Well, Charlie, dear," said Mrs. Weasley with a pleased little smile on her face that Charlie didn't quite understand, "I'm very proud of you. Now, you should probably stay there so that she can sleep through the night, right?"
He gaped at his mother. "You... you want me to... in the same... are you sure?" he finished weakly. His mother had always had very strict rules about girls, boys and the proper distance between them when in her house.
"Can't wake her up, now can we? The poor thing might never get back to sleep." There was a twinkle in his mother's eye that made Charlie narrow his eyes suspiciously, but before he could ask she had thrust a pillow at him "for your back, dear" and left to tell Jenni and Bill what was going on. He situated the pillow carefully, making sure not to jostle Nancy's head, and then ran his fingers through her hair, muttering softly, "Well, I think she likes you."
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Jenni didn't respond. She let Bill's words sink in, hoping that he was right. She found herself once again on the verge of tears and fighting hard to keep them from spilling out. She sank further against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.
The two sat quietly waiting for Mrs. Weasley to return. Bill's mind raced with a thousand things he wanted to tell Jenni but nothing seemed appropriate. He knew she was worried but for once he couldn't think of a damn thing to say. Jenni was glad for the silence. Glad that for once she didn't have to think of anything to say. She felt her eyelids growing heavy and stifled a yawn. The constant worrying about Nancy, and the emotional roller coaster of the past two weeks were finally catching up with her. She closed her eyes briefly hoping for a moment's rest when she felt Bill sit up. Mrs. Weasley was heading back down the stairs.
Jenni's impatience had taken over. She stood up and met Mrs. Weasley at the foot of the stairs. "How is Nancy? Is she ok?"
Mrs. Weasley smiled, "She's fine. In fact she's sleeping right now. I think the two of you should stay the night. Your friend doesn't seem to be in any shape to travel."
With a huge sigh of relief Jenni leaned forward and hugged the woman without thinking. "Thank goodness she's ok. Can I go see her?" Jenni broke away with an anxious glance towards the stairs.
Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Bill will show you where she is. Charlie has her resting in the boys' room." There was an odd twinkle in her eyes that made Bill a tiny bit uneasy, but he dismissed it as nerves.
Jenni leaned forward again to hug Mrs. Weasley, "Thank you so much." As she stepped back, Bill grabbed her hand to lead her up the stairs to see Nancy.
Feeling herself become nervous, she gripped Bill's hand. She didn't know what to expect when she saw Nancy. Bill sensed her nervousness and gave her a reassuring smile as he opened the door slowly.
She peered inside. She stepped forward slowly and gave a small gasp. Nancy's face was extremely pale. And for the first time, Jenni realized just how thin she had gotten. Guilt welled up inside Jenni as she cursed herself for not being more observant to her friend's state of health. She looked on as she noticed that Nancy did indeed seem to be resting peacefully with her head in Charlie's lap. Jenni's eyes narrowed and her protective nature took over.
"WHAT do you think you are DOING, Charlie Weasley?"
"Why, Jenni Ferguson, with that tone of voice I almost mistook you for my mother." Charlie's impish grin did nothing to soften her glare and Bill shot him a warning look, knowing that she was not in the mood to joke around. Charlie just winked at him, and Bill groaned.
"You better watch it, or I'll get your mother. I'm sure she would have issues with her son taking advantage of a sick, helpless girl..."
Charlie's grin faded. His eyes went serious and he explained softly, "The only ulterior motive that I have for sharing a bed with Nancy tonight is her health and safety."
Bill held his breath, surprised at his brother's vehemence. Jenni blinked, caught off guard as well, and all three of them looked at the small woman hidden under a mound of covers, her wavy brown hair spilling onto Charlie's lap.
Jenni broke the silence by taking a long, shaky breath. "She told YOU what was wrong?"
Both men flinched, recognizing the pain in her voice. Charlie looked her straight in the eye, noticing that Bill had put a hand on her shoulder. "Not by choice, Jenni. If she could have, she would have kept it from me too."
Jenni sighed, sinking down onto the other bed in the room. It smelled rather like Bill she noticed absently, putting her head in her hands.
The two brothers looked at each other, and Charlie motioned for Bill to go to her.
"Jenni..." he began.
She sat up at her name, suddenly composed. "She can't stay here. Not with both of you... it's just, it's just not right." She glared at Charlie and then turned a decided gaze on Bill. "I'll stay. Sleep here." She patted the bed she was sitting on. "That way... if she needs me..."
Charlie's jaw dropped. The girl had just kicked his brother out of his own bed. Bill looked like he was about to argue, but one glance at her face changed his mind. She needed to do this, to be here. He sighed. To the couch with him. He turned around to face Jenni before heading downstairs. "You know, I never imagined this."
Jenni looked up curiously, "Imagined what?"
Bill grinned, "Imagined that it would be this easy to get you in my bed."
Jenni stared in shock at Bill's retreating back. She turned towards Charlie who was turning red in the face at containing his laughter. Jenni had daggers for eyes as she glared at Charlie. "Put a sock in it Weasley. It wasn't funny."
Charlie couldn't help it. "You're right. That wasn't funny. That was priceless!"
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A/N - THANK YOUS to the reviewers! It's so much more fun to write when you know someone's reading and enjoying it!
DeadSexy - thanks for your enthusiasm!! We're writing as fast as we can!!
Kame the Turtle - We're hoping to give the rest of the weasleys plenty of spotlight. All sorts of periphery plots and such. They're all just too much fun.
Blue Eyes - to answer your first question, and this is from life experience, Nancy is severely near-sighted, not blind. Things which are about three feet or closer are fairly clear... anything past that is blurry blurry blurry. Second, thanks for the tip on that phrase, although I actually meant it the other way around. Sorry that was confusing! I'm glad you're enjoying this!
Ronsspawn - thanks! The pins were rather inspired...
Joyce and Psiana - thank you so much for the encouragement! Hope you liked this one!
Louisa - thanks for reading! You know it always ends in a cliffhanger! Although, this chapter isn't too bad.
Lily - grinning like a fool is a requirement. That, and of course making you swoon!
Carrie - do be careful! All that swooning can be dangerous. Especially if you THUD instead of swoon!
Karen - you want Percy? Hee hee. Well, he is a Weasley. And there's just something about those red heads!
Zoe - nothing to fear. No one is going to take Snape away from you! He's all yours!
A/N -- Thank yous are at the bottom! Enjoy!!
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Charlie's first instinct was to shake her awake and make her tell him why this wound was still festering as though nothing had been done to clean away the dragon poison. He nearly did, his hands moving away from her discolored and swollen leg and up to her arms, but his training kicked in just in time.
'Hang on there, Charlie. What do you know about untreated dragon injuries?' he thought frantically. He began running through side effects and symptoms - dehydration, general weakness, inability to sleep, inability to keep food down for long... He shouldn't wake her. This was probably the first time she'd slept for days.
Charlie leaned back against the headboard of the bed, staring at the sleeping girl in his arms. He knew that she was smart, some would go so far as to label her a type of brilliant. How had she not figured it out... and why hadn't she gotten help regardless?
"Damn, damn, damn..."
There was a soft knock on the door. It opened a crack, and he could make out Percy's serious face on the other side.
"It's ok, come in... just be quiet."
"It was the ward by the quidditch field..." Percy looked nervous and uncertain, something that Charlie hadn't seen on his younger brother's face for a long time.
"Did you tell Dad? Or were you able to fix it?" Charlie's voice lowered to a whisper as Nancy stirred again, curling against him even more securely.
"Fixed it. But I may have Bill look at it, just to make sure."
"Good idea," Charlie sighed. "I'm going to stay up here for a while. She's not feeling well, and... I need to talk to her once she wakes up."
"Charlie?" Percy's voice was so worried that it startled his brother. He was so used to the Head Boy, know-it-all that they'd learned to deal with over the last few years.
"What is it, Perce?"
"She really looks bad. What happened?"
"I'm not sure. But she's been sick for a while anyway. Keep an eye on things down there, Perce. Just call if you need me."
"Ok. I'll probably be shadowing Noëlle Fracindy around, she's bound and determined to blow something up tonight." Charlie allowed himself a small smile as his brother left. The way he was fixated on his father's new assistant would have been unhealthy, if she hadn't been such a sweet girl with a tendency to disrupt Percy's overly calm and ordered existence.
He glanced down and saw that her brown eyes were open.
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Bill had felt her shudder and wrapped his arms protectively around her. "Don't worry. They're perfectly harmless, unless you're Fred and George and decide to feed them canary creams. Gnomes do not like to sprout feathers all unexpectedly."
Jenni giggled, picturing gnomes with bright yellow feathers covering their bodies. She stopped suddenly as she felt Bill's eyes on her. She looked up to meet his gaze and although it was rather warm outside, Jenni shivered as she realized that Bill's arms were around her. She thanked the cover of darkness as she lowered her face, feeling it heat up with a blush.
Bill placed a hand under her chin and lifted her face, unable to stop himself. He leaned forward and felt her sharp intake of breath as his lips met hers briefly. They lingered for a moment before he pulled back, studying her reaction and watching as she slowly opened her eyes.
Jenni's heart was pounding. She was sure it was beating loud enough for Bill to hear. Her hands tightened on Bill's arms as she felt her knees shake slightly. She opened her eyes slowly, avoiding his gaze, unsure of what to do or say. Their eyes finally met and Jenni felt herself melt. There was a warmth in his gaze that took her breath away. She watched as the corners of his mouth turned upward, and he smiled as he ran his thumb across her cheek.
Bill noticed Jenni had become extremely quiet. "Is something wrong?" Dammit, he thought. I shouldn't have kissed her. He searched her face for any hint of emotion. All he saw was confusion. He hoped he hadn't just scared her away. Especially since he had finally had a conversation without her yelling at him.
Jenni turned away from him, not trusting herself to look into his eyes again. "No. Nothing's wrong." She paused, not sure how to continue. "It's just."
"I'm sorry," Bill started. "I wasn't thinking."
Jenni grinned. A guy apologizing for kissing her? That was a first. "Please, don't be sorry. I should have stopped you but... I didn't. It's not entirely your fault."
Bill breathed a small sigh of relief. At least she wasn't angry with him. He had to get a grip on his emotions. He didn't know what it was about Jenni, but whatever it was, he was anything but his usual calm and in- control self. He looked back down at her face. She was hiding something. "What is it? Do you have a boyfriend and just didn't know how to tell me?" Smooth Weasley! Bill thought irritably. Now what are you going to do if she says yes?
Jenni rolled her eyes, oblivious to the anxious look on Bill's face. "Please. The last boyfriend I had decided to leave me because he said he needed more space. I reluctantly agree and he goes off and marries a woman with two kids."
Bill gave a sigh of relief and laughed. At least she wasn't seeing anyone. That was one huge advantage. His laughter was cut short however as he caught a flash of anger from Jenni's direction. Perhaps laughing wasn't the right thing to do right now, he thought.
"You think that's funny? Great. Go ahead and have a good laugh at my expense. I'll just sit back and supply you more of my heartbreaking experiences so you can enjoy them." Jenni's voice had an icy edge to it.
"Jenni, please. I'm sorry." Bill pleaded as Jenni glared at him, trying to restrain his smile. "I know I shouldn't have laughed. But really, it's his loss if he can't see what a great person you are." He grinned a little as Jenni's glare softened. "Come on, you're not really mad at me. Are you?" The last part spoken with a little hesitancy.
Jenni gave in. "No, I'm not mad at you. I just didn't expect you to laugh at me."
"Ok, first of all, I wasn't laughing at you. I would never laugh about something that caused you pain. I was merely laughing at the way you said it."
"The way I said it?" Jenni eyed him suspiciously.
"Well, yes. I mean there you are, '.and he goes off and marries a woman with two kids.'" Bill was waving his hands imitating Jenni's earlier performance as she burst into a fit of laughter. "There! You see?" Bill pointed at Jenni who was doubled over in laughter.
"Well," Jenni spoke through giggles. "Seeing it put that way. Yes, it was funny." Jenni managed to look up to see two boys headed their way. "Hey isn't that one of your brothers?"
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"I'm sorry... try to go back to sleep." Nancy looked so confused, so vulnerable. Charlie found himself wishing he knew her better, so he could demand to know what was going on, instead of hoping that she would confide in him.
"Sleep? No... wha..." Her voice was scratchy and odd sounding, a result of the silencing charm that was slowly wearing off. Nancy struggled to sit up, almost succeeding when another wave of nausea sent her scurrying back into the warmth of Charlie. She blinked a few times, and felt him reach down and remove her glasses so she could rub her eyes. "What happened?"
"You're exhausted." She looked up at him as he talked, trying to read his dark eyes. He seemed... worried, and almost upset. "Any dragon injury left untended for more than a day or so will do that to you - not let you sleep."
Nancy flinched. He had it all worked out, then. That had been fast. Unless she'd been sleeping for a while, but it didn't feel like it had been more than a few minutes. Wilting a bit from the relief of not having to play games with him anymore, she said, "It didn't go untended. Not entirely."
She watched his gaze darken perceptibly. "You call THIS tended?" He made an angry gesture towards her swollen, painful leg, and Nancy noticed that her robes were pulled up and he had the bandages off.
"I was doing my best!" She was starting to get defensive now. "I'm almost done with... something that should help." She stopped herself before naming the potion; as he was sure to know that it was arcane and the ingredients controlled. "What's it to you, anyway?"
"What's it to me?" Charlie repeated, incredulous. What was it to him? What was SHE to him? Why was he so worried about whether or not she was treating a wound or being abducted by strange men? And it wasn't just the protective Weasley in him that reacted when anyone was in danger... this was different. She was... oh bloody hell, she was staring at him. He blushed slightly in true Weasley tradition and tried to cover the silence.
"It's... well for starters, it's my bloody JOB. I'm supposed to have a handle on these dragons, and when there's a problem like you witnessed, we're responsible for treating any wounded." He glared down at her, still indignant that she would value her own health so far below where she should. "And what was that you were working on?" A sudden though occurred to him, and he pulled out the card from his pocket. "It's one of the Obsoletes, isn't it? What else would you need Dodo claws for?" He smiled grimly as she paled.
"That's none of your business."
Charlie couldn't deal with the closed, cold face she was showing him. He simply knew that this wasn't the way she usually spoke or acted. Something had to be really wrong, and in his worry he heard his voice rising. "Why in the hell would you waste your time and very precious energy on one of those? I know for a fact that St. Mungo's has Horntail antidotes. It would take them all of forty minutes!"
"And twice that many Galleons..." Her voice was so soft Charlie had to lean down to hear it, but hear it he did. He stared at her. Money? Money was the reason that she'd...
"No, wait... why should it matter how much the hospital charges? You were hurt on the job... they have to pay for it." Charlie put on his best 'big brother logic' voice, hoping that she had somehow overlooked this detail.
Nancy gave a sad little laugh. "Well, that's usually true. What, did you think I didn't do my homework?" Her voice sounded tired and frustrated. "I could quote you the policy. It's as bad as the ministry. 'Said employee will be covered, etc, except in case of dragon injuries. Any work involving dragons must be fully approved and cleared with the proper channels before departure for any coverage to be granted...'"
The room fell silent as her words faded away. Charlie was still staring down at her, although she'd hidden her face in his shirt. He could feel her breath as she lay there. It would cost 80 galleons at least at St. Mungo's for the potion she'd need, and if she hadn't expected to see dragons on her trip and so didn't get covered... Suddenly a breeze blew in the laughter of the party outside his window. Nancy shivered, and Charlie's attention was drawn back to the very ill woman lying in his arms. He knew what he needed to do.
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Bill glanced up. "Yeah, that's Ron. Oh, and Harry's finally shown up. Excellent!" Bill was about to introduce Jenni to Harry Potter when Ron started talking.
"Bill, what's going on?"
"What do you mean, Ron? I'm having a conversation with Jenni." Bill's voice sounded slightly frustrated. Jenni and Harry exchanged smiles trying to conceal their laughter.
"I'm talking about Charlie running into the house with some girl. She looked hurt. And then Fred, George and Percy were mumbling something about checking the wards." Ron's face was mixed with concern and worry.
Bill glanced nervously at Jenni before answering Ron, "Keep your voice down Ron. We don't need."
Before he could finish, Jenni interrupted. "There was a girl with Charlie?"
Ron looked at her questioningly. "Yeah, she had brown hair, glasses, and he was carrying her like something was wrong."
Jenni was just about to ask Ron where Charlie had taken Nancy when a girl with rather bushy brown hair walked up and jumped into the conversation. "There you two are. I've been looking everywhere for you."
Thinking that the girl was rather bossy, and rude, interrupting a conversation like that, Jenni was just about to comment but Ron spoke first. "HerMIone. We were about to find out... something. Couldn't you wait just two more minutes?"
"No, I couldn't. Besides, you two obviously interrupted their conversation." Jenni noticed the girl nod her head in her and Bill's direction.
"Yeah, just like you interrupted this conversation," Ron retorted, obviously annoyed.
Harry rolled his eyes at his bickering friends, "Why don't we just go find Fred and George. They'll tell us what's going on." Harry turned towards Jenni and Bill, "Sorry about those two."
As the three walked off, Ron and Hermione still sniping at one another, Jenni turned towards the house. "Jenni, wait." Bill grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Bill, I have to make sure Nancy is okay. What if she's really hurt?" The tears had started to form and Jenni wasn't trying to hide them.
"Jenni listen to me. She's okay. She's with Charlie." Bill held Jenni by the shoulders trying to make her listen to him.
"You knew?" Jenni's voice was full of disbelief. "You knew and you didn't tell me? How COULD you?"
"I wanted to tell you. But there's more to it then what you've just heard. Just calm down and let me explain..."
Jenni pulled away. "You had plenty of time to explain. What makes you think that I'm going to sit here now and listen to your explanations?"
She stormed away leaving Bill standing alone. Not knowing where she was going, she headed into the lopsided house that she and Nancy had entered when they first arrived and looked around for some sign of where Charlie may have taken Nancy. She was just about to head up the stairs when Bill ran in behind her, grabbing her arm again. "Jenni, would you at least give me one minute?"
Standing several steps up, Jenni was now eye level with Bill and for the first time he saw all of her anger as she lashed out. "No, I will not give you a minute. You knew something had happened to Nancy and you KEPT it from me. Then you expect me to listen to your explanations? Just because you asked politely you think I'll agree? It doesn't work that way. I mean just because I ask you to jump in front of the Whomping Willow does that mean you would do it!"
Bill had become equally angry. "Oh, for Merlin's sake. Could you stop being so stubborn and LISTEN to me?" His voice has risen in volume to match hers. "And yes, if it makes you feel any better, I WOULD jump in front of the." Bill never finished his sentence as Mrs. Weasley chose that time to see what all the yelling was about in her house.
"I thought I told you boys that the party was to stay OUTSIDE!" Jenni stepped back, falling on the steps behind her as a short, plump woman with red hair came from around the corner and rounded on Bill. "I knew that when I agreed to let the lot of you have this party that no good would come of it. People in and out constantly, Charlie, Percy and the twins constantly up and down the stairs. And now you two. I won't hear of it. Out of my house now!"
Bill was obviously trying to explain something to the woman when realization hit Jenni. "You're his mother?" Jenni asked pointing towards Bill in a disgusted manner.
The woman looked at Jenni with a mixture of outrage that this girl could possibly insult her son and amusement. "Why yes, I am his mother. Along with six other unruly children running around somewhere." She gestured towards the party and multitude of people outdoors.
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"Nancy?" Charlie's voice was soft again, and he felt some of the tension drain out of her. "I have an antidote."
She pulled back sharply, her brown eyes flying up to meet his blue ones. "You... you do? But... wha... how?" Her thoughts were racing as fast as her sluggish brain would let them. He had one of the Obsoletes? But those were illegal! She suddenly realized that he was talking and tried to pay attention.
"... and they issue special emergency amounts to all of the leaders, and so... I'm supposed to carry it with me at all times, so that if one of my team members is injured... just a quick injection, very muggle of them..." An injection? But... the Obsoletes were very thick potions that you had to drink. That must mean that he had the modern antidote. Not illegal after all. Unlike herself.
Charlie stopped talking when he realized that she was shaking her head as though to refuse him. "What? What's wrong?"
"It's what they use at the hospital, right?"
"Well, actually, no... it's a bit stronger, works more quickly. Which is good, since it's been so long since you were hurt, but... it does mean you'll feel really wretched for about a day." He looked a bit worried as he explained this, but Nancy wasn't worried about side effects. Pulling away from him a bit more, she stared down at her hands fixedly.
"Then it will cost the same. I can't afford..."
Charlie cut her off as soon as he figured out what she was getting at. "Don't be an idiot. It won't cost you anything."
"Don't patronize me." He flinched inwardly as her face paled and her eyes flashed, realizing that he was seeing her anger for the first time. He kept his face calm, however, and shot a reply right back at her.
"I'm not. If you don't take this now, we're going to have to take you in to the emergency ward within the next day or so. You're pushing your luck and you know it. Taking it now would just save me the trouble of finding you collapsed in the street somewhere."
Nancy only spared a moment to wonder why he was so certain that he would the one finding her before gritting her teeth and reiterating, "I don't want your charity."
Charlie gaped at her. "Did you not just hear me?" When she kept that closed, defensive look on her face, he rolled his eyes. "You want to pay for it? That's fine. But I set the price."
"No charity," she repeated doggedly. "I'm paying you what it's worth."
Biting his lip to keep from grinning as he wondered how on earth she still had the energy to do anything, never mind be incredibly stubborn and argumentative, Charlie nodded slowly. If she wanted to pay, he'd make her pay... but not in money. "Fine." He'd explain the worth of the potion to her tomorrow, when she was feeling better, he thought a bit wickedly.
Nancy looked at him dubiously. It was too easy. There had to be a catch.
"I really don't think..." Before she could finish, Charlie had leaned forward and placed a finger on her lips to keep her from speaking. His eyes were boring into hers, and she started to feel flushed. She noticed that the devilish grin she remembered so well from Romania had slipped onto his face, and was hardly breathing when he whispered, "Oh you'll pay." The heat from his gaze was almost overwhelming, and Nancy was the first to look away.
"Please, don't play with me right now... I don't think I can handle it." The quiet helplessness in her voice wiped the smirk off of Charlie's face, and his eyes darkened with concern. She was sitting across the bed from him, and in one swift motion, he stood up, eased her back onto the pillows, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Trust me. I'll see you through this."
Biting her lip nervously, Nancy nodded and gave in, feeling a huge weight lift off of her shoulders. Charlie started discussing Quidditch strategies with her as he prepared the needle, trying to distract the uncomfortable young woman from her pain and worries. He realized about three minutes into the conversation that her initial remarks on the abilities of Charlie Weasley while on his broom in Romania had been more than name-dropping. This girl knew her Quidditch! He was grinning as she argued with him about Puddlemere United's strategy of a chaser-oriented team, noticing how her color had improved since she'd relaxed. Unable to stop himself, he reached out and gently brushed some hair out of her face.
"...and to think that their match against the Ravens could have been completely different if they'd... just... er..." Nancy's voice trailed off as his hand lingered by her face. There was that overly warm, flushed feeling again, she thought irritably. At least when she was feeling better that would go away. Suddenly, her eyes locked with his, and she noticed that they no longer seemed blue, but were nearly black pools of unreadable and undiscovered depths.
She felt him lean closer, and gasped when his thumb ran down the side of her face; she had forgotten that his hand was still there. Letting her eyes flutter closed, she barely heard him whisper roughly, "That sound should be illegal," before his lips were on hers for a soft, sweet moment. All of her thoughts slipped out of her mind as she focused on the gentle pressure of his warm lips on hers.
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"I'm sorry." Jenni began. "I didn't realize, I mean it's just Ron said something about Charlie brought someone in here that was hurt and I think it might be my friend. I only wanted to see if she was ok. And then I find out that Bill already knew all of this and didn't tell me that Nancy was hurt. I got mad and came here to look for her. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."
Mrs. Weasley's expression softened as she watched Jenni's concerned face become streaked with tears. Taking Jenni by the arm she led her to a couple of chairs in front of the fireplace. Mrs. Weasley looked over to Bill, "Why don't you go make some tea?"
Jenni noticed he was about to argue but only replied "Yes mum."
"Now then," Mrs. Weasley began. "If I know Charlie, I'm sure your friend is just fine. If she was seriously hurt, he wouldn't try to take things into his own hands. He's very responsible."
Jenni looked up with a watery smile, "You really think so?"
"I'm positive." Mrs. Weasley replied. "And as soon as I find out what's going on, I'm sure it won't be a problem for you to see your friend."
Jenni nodded weakly and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have caused such a scene yelling like I did."
Mrs. Weasley smiled, "That's ok, you're just concerned about your friend. Nancy, I believe you said her name was?"
"Yes ma'am. We've been best friends since my fifth year at Hogwarts." Jenni was able to talk comfortably with Mrs. Weasley and soon found herself recounting Nancy's strange behavior over the past two weeks, and about how worried she had been since their return trip from Romania. For the most part, Mrs. Weasley sat listening, only nodding here and there or offering a comforting word or two, but it wasn't long after the conversation changed that Jenni found herself smiling again when Bill emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with a pot of tea and several cups.
Jenni reached for the cup of tea that Bill held out to her as he sat down next to her. She sighed heavily as her eyes wandered toward the stairs wondering how Nancy was. Leaning back, Jenni rested her head against Bill's shoulder. She listened quietly as Bill told Mrs. Weasley what he knew of the situation. Jenni was still angry with him for not telling her about Nancy. She moved to sit forward, realizing what this must look like to Mrs. Weasley - she hardly even knew her. However, instead of being able to sit up, she felt Bill's arm pull her back against him. Jenni found herself relaxing against him, her head on his chest, as she listened to him talk and felt the warmth and comfort of his arm tightening around her small frame.
She looked up as Mrs. Weasley stood up and headed for the stairs. She whispered to Bill, "Where's your mum going?"
"To check on Charlie and see what he's up to." Bill watched Jenni's face as she watched his mum disappear up the stairs. Her eyes were constantly worried and no longer held the spark he had become accustomed to seeing.
Jenni sighed, wishing she knew what was going on and what exactly was wrong with Nancy. Bill's voice brought her out of her thoughts.
"Jenni?"
"Yes?" Jenni answered. She was so exhausted from worry she didn't even lift her head off Bill's shoulder.
"You know mum's right."
"About what?"
"About Nancy. If something were seriously wrong, Charlie would have gotten help."
Jenni didn't respond. She let Bill's words sink in, hoping that he was right. She found herself once again on the verge of tears and fighting hard to keep them from spilling out. She sank further against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.
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After what seemed like only a heartbeat, he pulled away just a bit. She could feel his breath on her face, and his thumb was rubbing mesmerizing circles on her cheek. Nancy was working up the courage to reach for him when she felt an immensely painful burning sensation spreading out from her injured leg. Crying out softly from the pain, she opened her eyes and saw him wearing an expression of guilt and worry.
"Wha... what's wrong with me?" Nancy stammered out, and Charlie cursed the fear he saw in her eyes. "It hurts... burns... everywhere."
"Shhhh, I'm here. I'm so sorry, Nancy. The only thing I didn't tell you was... it's going to hurt like that. For a few minutes. If there was any other way, I'd do it, but... I'm so sorry."
Her eyes widened as tears stung the back of them. "You... you injected me? After... but we... but... why?" He watched, hating to put her through the intense pain she was experiencing right now, as she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
"Here, let me try and help." He slid back onto the bed, pulling her rigid body up next to his, and slowly massaging her arms and back.
"Why?" she whispered again, even as he gently coaxed her panicked body back into a fairly relaxed position. "Why didn't you tell me first?"
"Because..." Charlie wiped a few tears off of her face as he hesitated over the answer. When it came it was a whisper. "Because, I couldn't bear to scare you AND hurt you."
As the Horntail poison and the antidote he'd just given her fought it out in every corner of her trembling body, she replied groggily, "You'd'nt ever do that... not you." Then she promptly curled up around him and fell into a troubled sleep.
Charlie was still staring at her, running her words through his mind, when his mother opened the door a few minutes later.
"Charlie! What on earth?" Her eyes went very round as she tried to take in the shock of seeing him sitting on his bed, holding a sleeping young witch in his arms and looking rather humbled.
"Mum! Shh, please." Charlie glanced up at his mother, hoping she didn't assume the wrong thing about this situation. He really wanted her to like Nancy, for a reason that he really didn't feel like analyzing with his mum's piercing eyes on him. He watched as she got over her surprise and collected herself, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
"You'd better have one heck of an explanation, young man."
He looked into his mother's compassionate face and smiled, knowing that her tone of voice was merely covering up her worry.
"She's very sick, mum. That's the only reason she's so close right now. She needs rest and warmth... and I seem to have the ability to give her those, at least."
This deflected his mother's attention for a moment, and she looked down at Nancy. "Poor thing, look how pale she is. And thin! The poor dear resembles Harry after a full summer of his relatives not feeding him." She fixed him with a glare. "And WHY is the little dear in such bad shape? And does she need a hospital?"
Charlie took a few minutes and quietly explained what had happened, his arms tightening unthinkingly as he told his soft-hearted mum why Nancy wouldn't get help. He carefully skimmed over the incident tonight, saying that it had just been Nancy collapsing from the strain. He and his brothers would talk to their father before making a big deal of the intruder.
"But she's got the medicine in her now? My word, two weeks fighting a dragon injury! How on earth..." Charlie shrugged helplessly.
"I can't figure that out either. She was able to contain the poison somehow, it seems," he smiled down at the sleeping girl, amazed at her resourcefulness.
"Well, Charlie, dear," said Mrs. Weasley with a pleased little smile on her face that Charlie didn't quite understand, "I'm very proud of you. Now, you should probably stay there so that she can sleep through the night, right?"
He gaped at his mother. "You... you want me to... in the same... are you sure?" he finished weakly. His mother had always had very strict rules about girls, boys and the proper distance between them when in her house.
"Can't wake her up, now can we? The poor thing might never get back to sleep." There was a twinkle in his mother's eye that made Charlie narrow his eyes suspiciously, but before he could ask she had thrust a pillow at him "for your back, dear" and left to tell Jenni and Bill what was going on. He situated the pillow carefully, making sure not to jostle Nancy's head, and then ran his fingers through her hair, muttering softly, "Well, I think she likes you."
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Jenni didn't respond. She let Bill's words sink in, hoping that he was right. She found herself once again on the verge of tears and fighting hard to keep them from spilling out. She sank further against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.
The two sat quietly waiting for Mrs. Weasley to return. Bill's mind raced with a thousand things he wanted to tell Jenni but nothing seemed appropriate. He knew she was worried but for once he couldn't think of a damn thing to say. Jenni was glad for the silence. Glad that for once she didn't have to think of anything to say. She felt her eyelids growing heavy and stifled a yawn. The constant worrying about Nancy, and the emotional roller coaster of the past two weeks were finally catching up with her. She closed her eyes briefly hoping for a moment's rest when she felt Bill sit up. Mrs. Weasley was heading back down the stairs.
Jenni's impatience had taken over. She stood up and met Mrs. Weasley at the foot of the stairs. "How is Nancy? Is she ok?"
Mrs. Weasley smiled, "She's fine. In fact she's sleeping right now. I think the two of you should stay the night. Your friend doesn't seem to be in any shape to travel."
With a huge sigh of relief Jenni leaned forward and hugged the woman without thinking. "Thank goodness she's ok. Can I go see her?" Jenni broke away with an anxious glance towards the stairs.
Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Bill will show you where she is. Charlie has her resting in the boys' room." There was an odd twinkle in her eyes that made Bill a tiny bit uneasy, but he dismissed it as nerves.
Jenni leaned forward again to hug Mrs. Weasley, "Thank you so much." As she stepped back, Bill grabbed her hand to lead her up the stairs to see Nancy.
Feeling herself become nervous, she gripped Bill's hand. She didn't know what to expect when she saw Nancy. Bill sensed her nervousness and gave her a reassuring smile as he opened the door slowly.
She peered inside. She stepped forward slowly and gave a small gasp. Nancy's face was extremely pale. And for the first time, Jenni realized just how thin she had gotten. Guilt welled up inside Jenni as she cursed herself for not being more observant to her friend's state of health. She looked on as she noticed that Nancy did indeed seem to be resting peacefully with her head in Charlie's lap. Jenni's eyes narrowed and her protective nature took over.
"WHAT do you think you are DOING, Charlie Weasley?"
"Why, Jenni Ferguson, with that tone of voice I almost mistook you for my mother." Charlie's impish grin did nothing to soften her glare and Bill shot him a warning look, knowing that she was not in the mood to joke around. Charlie just winked at him, and Bill groaned.
"You better watch it, or I'll get your mother. I'm sure she would have issues with her son taking advantage of a sick, helpless girl..."
Charlie's grin faded. His eyes went serious and he explained softly, "The only ulterior motive that I have for sharing a bed with Nancy tonight is her health and safety."
Bill held his breath, surprised at his brother's vehemence. Jenni blinked, caught off guard as well, and all three of them looked at the small woman hidden under a mound of covers, her wavy brown hair spilling onto Charlie's lap.
Jenni broke the silence by taking a long, shaky breath. "She told YOU what was wrong?"
Both men flinched, recognizing the pain in her voice. Charlie looked her straight in the eye, noticing that Bill had put a hand on her shoulder. "Not by choice, Jenni. If she could have, she would have kept it from me too."
Jenni sighed, sinking down onto the other bed in the room. It smelled rather like Bill she noticed absently, putting her head in her hands.
The two brothers looked at each other, and Charlie motioned for Bill to go to her.
"Jenni..." he began.
She sat up at her name, suddenly composed. "She can't stay here. Not with both of you... it's just, it's just not right." She glared at Charlie and then turned a decided gaze on Bill. "I'll stay. Sleep here." She patted the bed she was sitting on. "That way... if she needs me..."
Charlie's jaw dropped. The girl had just kicked his brother out of his own bed. Bill looked like he was about to argue, but one glance at her face changed his mind. She needed to do this, to be here. He sighed. To the couch with him. He turned around to face Jenni before heading downstairs. "You know, I never imagined this."
Jenni looked up curiously, "Imagined what?"
Bill grinned, "Imagined that it would be this easy to get you in my bed."
Jenni stared in shock at Bill's retreating back. She turned towards Charlie who was turning red in the face at containing his laughter. Jenni had daggers for eyes as she glared at Charlie. "Put a sock in it Weasley. It wasn't funny."
Charlie couldn't help it. "You're right. That wasn't funny. That was priceless!"
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A/N - THANK YOUS to the reviewers! It's so much more fun to write when you know someone's reading and enjoying it!
DeadSexy - thanks for your enthusiasm!! We're writing as fast as we can!!
Kame the Turtle - We're hoping to give the rest of the weasleys plenty of spotlight. All sorts of periphery plots and such. They're all just too much fun.
Blue Eyes - to answer your first question, and this is from life experience, Nancy is severely near-sighted, not blind. Things which are about three feet or closer are fairly clear... anything past that is blurry blurry blurry. Second, thanks for the tip on that phrase, although I actually meant it the other way around. Sorry that was confusing! I'm glad you're enjoying this!
Ronsspawn - thanks! The pins were rather inspired...
Joyce and Psiana - thank you so much for the encouragement! Hope you liked this one!
Louisa - thanks for reading! You know it always ends in a cliffhanger! Although, this chapter isn't too bad.
Lily - grinning like a fool is a requirement. That, and of course making you swoon!
Carrie - do be careful! All that swooning can be dangerous. Especially if you THUD instead of swoon!
Karen - you want Percy? Hee hee. Well, he is a Weasley. And there's just something about those red heads!
Zoe - nothing to fear. No one is going to take Snape away from you! He's all yours!