Chapter Twenty Three: Sweat
They practice for hours, well past lunch time. In her head, Regan compared him to some evil drill sergeant that had a large stick lodged up his ass. He was firm in his process and wouldn't let up until he was sure that she had been properly trained. She was close to becoming convinced that he was being so tough because he simply didn't like her, and Regan didn't completely blame him. Sure, she had come on some goodwill trip sent by Draco and Astoria, but there was bad bloody between the Weasleys and Malfoys; how could they ever completely trust her?
When they went back inside, her temples were damp and her cheeks were flushed. Her body ached and she grabbed onto his arm when her sluggish foot tripped over a bump in the patted dirt ground. A few of Charlie's friends smirked, sexual jokes dancing around in their eyes, but they never verbalized them as Charlie and Regan passed them by silently. Surprisingly, he didn't pull his hand away until Regan regained her balance and pulled away on her own. The thought occurred to her that despite their excursions outside, his hand was warm...rough, but so very warm.
Molly, Charlie's extremely kind mother who had taken an instant liking to Regan despite her initial silence, had set a place for both of them off to the side with a warm lunch waiting for each. It was just soup, some indescribable broth mixed with whatever ingredients were available, but to Regan it smelled like heaven in a bowl.
"You kept her out there too long." Molly scolded her son as they sat down to eat, offering a small smile to Regan. "I apologize for my son; living out in the middle of the woods has changed him far too much."
"It needed to be done." Regan said quietly. "I'm just glad that he wasn't too busy to help me." Charlie quietly smirked to himself, their fight from earlier that morning replaying in his head. Regan also smiled as she slowly ate, causing Molly to glance between them curiously.
"Did I miss something?" She asked, but neither of them had a good answer, glancing across at each other before looking up at her hopelessly. Molly strode away, mumbling something about young people and their strange ways.
Out of the corner of her eye, Regan spotted what appeared to be a very skinny Ginny. Her face instantly softened. The girl was only a ghost of her former self that appeared dull and lifeless. Charlie also saw his sister and he instantly grimaced. He saw Regan staring, but she quickly looked away when Charlie became tense.
"Ginny didn't do so well after Harry…you know. She can't even bring herself to talk about him."
Regan remembered Ginny; she had been the first one to sink down next to Harry's lifeless body. Her weeping had been so violent and she had to have two of her brothers pry her away from the body.
It was quite possibly the most tragic thing that Regan had ever witnessed.
Charlie suddenly called out for her, motioning for her to come and sit. She did, even smiling a little when she sat beside him and his large arm wrapped around her for a gentle squeeze. They had bonded over the years, both siblings finding comfort with one another when everybody else seemed to be too busy for them.
"I'm Ginny," she said quietly. Regan nodded, briefly smiling.
"Regan."
"Oh I remember you; you're Lucius Malfoy's fiancée." There was a strange edge in her voice that made Regan feel uncomfortable and caused Charlie to glance at his little sister curiously. "How are the wedding plans going?"
"I wouldn't know; I'm not really involved." She muttered. "Astoria's been busy with it; I just have to show up." Ginny solemnly nodded, her eyes seeming to suddenly brim with tears.
"At least you get to have a wedding." She muttered pathetically. Charlie quickly embraced his sister again, but she just shook her head. "I'm so sorry, I promise that I'm not some emotional basket case, it's just…with everybody talking about your wedding, it's hard not to be upset."
"It's all right, I understand." Regan quietly said. And she did understand, to a certain degree. Although, Regan was sure that Ginny cared far more about Harry then she did for Oskar. Still, they shared a common bond and that seemed to bring some sort of comfort to Ginny.
"I heard about Oskar. It must have been so awful to come home and find him like that." Regan shook her head.
"I never saw the body…I only saw the blood." She answered. Regan had never told Astoria about the uncomfortable examination that Lucius had given her and she preferred to keep anyone from ever knowing that. She also hoped that Astoria hadn't said anything about the baby.
"Ginny, you look tired, why don't you go take a rest?" Charlie gently suggested. She slowly nodded, smiling one last time at Regan before she went back to her room. Charlie sighed once she had left, clearly bothered by his sister's condition. "I can't remember the last time that she was honestly happy." He muttered, gently pushing away his bowl. "Until this whole thing is over, she's just never going to get better."
"It's going to hurt for a very long time." Regan muttered after swallowing a large spoonful. "Losing somebody is never easy."
"Yeah, I know…excuse me." He abruptly stood up and disappeared to his room, leaving Regan alone. Ron, who had been watching from a corner, approached Regan and occupied his brother's abandoned seat.
"How are you doing?" He gently asked. Regan shrugged her shoulders. "Did you get a lot done with Charlie?"
"Yes, he was very helpful." And she wasn't just saying it because she didn't want to insult Ron's brother. She meant it.
"I'm glad, we've been looking for something to do for Charlie…he wouldn't tell you himself, but he hasn't been doing well since Angie died."
"Angie was his wife?" Regan asked.
"She was his girlfriend, but she was pregnant."
Ah, his almost family.
"They killed her a year after the final battle…we don't know what happened to the baby." Ron sighed, running a hand through his red hair. He looked so old and worn down; how had he managed to keep these people together for so long? "He was upset because he was defending the dragon camp in Romania and she was taken while he was gone. He hasn't really spoken about it, but I hope that working with you will help him open up about Angie. I'm glad that you're here…he needed somebody." Regan nodded, suddenly feeling sorry for pushing his buttons earlier that morning. "Just don't treat him any differently, he would hate that and probably figure out that I told you about Angie."
"May I have a pen and paper?" Regan suddenly asked. Ron gave her a curious look, but called over Neville to bring Regan what she wanted. She scribbled down a quick note before asking where Charlie's room was. Ron pointed down the hall, directing her to the ninth door on the left. Without another word, Regan strode away from the table in the direction that Ron had pointed. She didn't know what she was hoping to achieve by doing this, but she felt compelled to do something for Charlie despite Ron's warning. She ducked down and slipped the note under his door before she rushed back to her room, but she didn't get very far.
"What is this?" Regan stopped, letting out a little sigh.
"I see that you aren't able to recognize a note." She muttered, turning to face him with her hands on her hips. He had just gotten out of the shower, only wearing a pair of loose gray sweat pants. His body was lean, but built solidly with gently defined muscles. His massive burns were completely bear to her eyes, spreading across his chest and down his stomach to dip across his hip. His short red hair was still glistening, a pale yellow towel hanging around his neck and the note between his fingers.
"I thought you said you felt prepared."
"More practice wouldn't hurt." Regan insisted, crossing her arms. Charlie quirked an eyebrow.
"Do you really need my help with this?" He asked.
"Well…you said that you had nothing better to do." Charlie smiled, the first genuine smile that Regan had ever seen from him.
"Yeah…I suppose it would be all right." Regan firmly nodded.
"Good, then I will see you tomorrow morning." She turned away, not sure why she suddenly felt so embarrassed about their encounter. Her cheeks felt hot and she was suddenly mad at herself; what on earth was her problem?
Charlie quickly called out her name, running to take Regan's hand. She stared up at him with a furrowed brow, but was shocked when he bent down and hugged her tightly. It was brief, no more than three seconds, but as soon as their bodies touched it was like something exploded in Regan's chest. She felt the urge to push him away and nearly stumbled forward when Charlie pulled back, his hands shaking as he held onto her shoulders.
"I'm sorry…" He finally managed to speak, avoiding her eyes. Regan shook her head, silently excusing him, though she did secretly wish that he would explain himself. She stared up into his face and surprised them both when she reached out to hug him again. This hug was longer, but Regan once again felt her chest burst.
Great, more emotions and feelings that she didn't understand...
Because she totally had time to deal with this...
"Charlie, you know the rules."
The two abruptly parted and glanced over to see Narcissa slowly approaching them. Her face was unusually stern, free of the smile that Regan was so used to.
"No relationships until this is over." Charlie briskly nodded, squeezing Regan's hand before quietly disappearing into his room. That's when the smile returned to Narcissa's face. "How about some tea?" She happily offered. Regan nodded, making a mental note to ask Charlie about this tomorrow.
...
A/N: Ah summer...I hate it...anyways, hope that you enjoyed the chapter :)
