"Here, this is my address. Although I'm not sure what Mum will say if owls start turning up at the house! She gets a bit worried about what the neighbours might think."
The other boys laughed, each taking a copy of Matthew's address.
"Well, I definitely think you should all come to mine," Aiden grinned "My parents love having people over, the more the merrier they say. I'll send you all an owl and let you know."
Teddy couldn't believe their first year at Hogwarts was over already. The four boys had spent their train journey back to King's Cross marvelling at all they had done that year and making exciting plans for the next.
Almost too soon, the train ground to a halt and they joined the throngs of other students piling on to the platform.
Stepping through the steam, Teddy spotted his welcome party. His grandmother was there, with Harry and Ginny and –
"Teddyyyyyy!"
Victoire sprang at him with such force that he almost fell over. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a squeeze.
"I'm SO glad you're home Teddy, I've got so much planned for us. I asked Maman if you could stop with us ALL summer, she said no, but I'm sure she'll change her mind. Dom can share my room and you can have hers if you want to. Or if you want, Andromeda can come too, she can have my room and we can camp in the garden. Please say yes Teddy, please!"
Teddy hugged the rest of his family as she finished her speech. It was good to know some things never changed.
...
For the first few weeks of the holidays, Victoire would hardly let Teddy out of her sight. She insisted on seeing him at every given opportunity, and so Molly had invited them both over to The Burrow for tea. When he got there, Victorie and Dominique were chuckling over a box of photos, with Bill providing occasional commentary. Teddy wandered over to take a look. There was one of Bill with his head boy badge, standing proudly in front of the lake. In the next one, Charlie accompanied him, broomstick in his hand, looking like he wanted to be somewhere else. A third one, similar to the one before, except Charlie was trying to pull someone else into the picture: a girl with pink hair. Teddy's heart skipped a beat as the face turned to stare at him. His mother.
Teddy wondered why he had never questioned it before. He was vaguely aware that his mother had been at school with the older Weasley brothers, but had always presumed that they didn't really know each other, being in different houses. However Charlie seemed desperate to have her in the photo with him, which was definitely not the behaviour you would expect from mere acquaintances.
Teddy turned to Bill, who, having realised what Teddy had just seen, was looking awkward.
"You knew her at Hogwarts?"
"Not really..." Bill mumbled.
The room was suddenly filled with silence. Victoire and Dom had stopped giggling and Molly's knife was no longer chopping carrots.
"But she's in the photo with you..."
"I only got to know her during the war," Bill clarified. "I saw her around at Hogwarts, but I never really spoke to her."
"Then it must have been Charlie that knew her? She ended up in that photo somehow!"
Teddy suddenly felt irritated. It sometimes felt like everything in his life was surrounded by secrecy. Why no one would ever tell him a full story? It seemed he was only ever fed fragments of his past, with no one letting him find out his true history.
"Yeah, Charlie knew her. They were pretty good friends at one point, although they never really saw each other much after school."
Anger instantly forgotten, Teddy felt a tingle of excitement at this new lead. Perhaps Charlie could tell him something more about the woman who only gazed at him from photographs.
"Do you think that he'd talk to me about her, next time he's home?" he asked hopefully.
Bill's cheeks flushed slightly. "I don't know, Teddy. Charlie has been pretty busy recently and he's not much of a talker. He likes leaving the past in the past."
"He always talks to me about Hogwarts," Victoire butted in.
"And me!" Dominique insisted.
Bill sighed, staring at his daughters with a strange look on his face. "Look, I'll ask him, okay. Just, don't get your hopes up."
Teddy tried not to let his disappointment show. At least there was a chance.
...
Teddy tried to forget the conversation as the holidays continued. There was plenty to do to keep his mind occupied. As promised, the invitation arrived to visit Aiden's house along with Josh and Matthew, where they spent two nights camping in his garden and playing Quidditch. The Potter clan had him over for dinner as often as his grandmother was willing to give him up and Victoire was also keen to capitalise on his time at home, getting him to fill her in on every little detail about his life at Hogwarts.
It was quite unexpected when, in the last week of the holidays, Teddy found himself being invited over to Shell Cottage for dinner, with the promise that Charlie would also be joining them.
Victoire was most disappointed that Teddy wasn't there to see her, meaning Bill had some serious cajoling to do as he ushered her away, leaving Charlie and Teddy alone in the garden.
"So you saw the photo of me and your mum at Hogwarts, eh? I guess we were pretty good friends back then."
"You've never told me anything about her," Teddy stated, his voice full of accusation.
Charlie shrugged. "It's been such a long time since your mum and I did anything fun together. I guess a lot of the memories I have now are sad ones."
Teddy thought that seemed a pretty poor answer. He'd always liked Charlie. Although he didn't see him as much as the other Weasleys, whenever he did make an appearance he was always laughing and joking, telling fascinating stories or helping to plot pranks.
Now he wasn't so sure. Everyone else he knew had plenty of good stories to tell about his mum, and they were all from during the war. Charlie had known her during some of the best years of her life, the only time she wasn't in danger, and he had nothing good to say? Teddy didn't believe it. It seemed as if Charlie was just another person keeping secrets. There was obviously plenty to be told, or Bill wouldn't have asked him to make the journey over. Why had he come, if he wasn't prepared to say anything?
Charlie opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure of quite how to proceed. "That came out wrong. Your mum was a brilliant witch. She was brave, she was kind and I wouldn't wish for a minute that I hadn't known her." He wrung his hands together, as if trying to find the right words to say. "In the first war, my uncles Fabian and Gideon were killed. For years afterwards, everywhere we went, we would be told stories of these great war heroes. And they just made me feel sad. Sad that they weren't around anymore, sad because when someone talked about them it made our mum cry. As I grew older, anything anyone told me about them felt like a direct comparison, like I should be trying to live up to their name. So I started to avoid listening to the stories, it was just too painful."
Teddy felt a twinge of empathy. He was constantly told about how brave his parents were, how much they had done for the Order, how they had helped to save the world. Charlie was right though, they were the sort of stories that made you feel sad. Proud, but sad. What's more, they weren't real stories, these hero worshipping tales. They didn't tell him about what they were like to hang out with, what they chatted about in the common room, what pranks they played on Filch. Obviously Harry had filled him in where he could, but there was a limit to the information he could give. Likewise his Grandmother had told him about his mother when she was at home, but he felt like this wasn't the full picture. Until now, Teddy had failed to find anyone who knew his parents intimately, who could tell him what they were really like.
Charlie looked reluctant to speak again, however.
Teddy sensed he was going to have to make the first move. "Everyone tells me what she was like during the war. Or what she was like as a young girl. I feel like I only have half of the story though. I feel like there's something missing..."
Charlie's eyes twinkled for a second. "So, are you telling me, you want the uncensored version? The side her mother...your grandmother...doesn't know about?"
"I guess I am."
Teddy failed to realise how much time had passed by, he had become so immersed in what Charlie had to say. True, it had taken him a while to get going. The stories had been stunted at first, full of pauses and glances up to the sky, backtracking as Charlie began a memory he didn't want to complete. With time though, the memories began to flow with more ease. The stories took on the same nature as those he told about dragons, full of expression, vivid hand gestures and with a broad smile on his face.
It wasn't until Bill shouted to announce dinner that Charlie stopped speaking.
"I'm glad we had this chat," Teddy offered. "It's been nice to hear stories that don't involve someone's life hanging in the balance for a change."
Charlie nodded, obviously deep in thought.
"You still miss her, don't you?"
Charlie smiled a sad smile. "She was one of my best friends..."
A thought occurred to Teddy, something he had been pondering for a while. "The Snapdragons that get left on the grave, it's you, isn't it?"
"I'd like to think I'd got away with that sentimental gesture...it doesn't quite fit the dragon handling persona."
Teddy smiled. "I won't tell anyone."
"Are you two coming or not?" Bill's voice sounded slightly irritated. Obviously Fleur was not impressed that her cooking was being left to get cold.
"You should write to me," Charlie offered, "if you ever want to chat."
Teddy grinned. "I'd like that."
...
A week later, after a spectacular spread put on by his grandmother and Molly in aid of his returning to Hogwarts, Bill beckoned Teddy over.
"It sounds like you and Charlie had a good chat the other week."
Teddy grinned. "It was brilliant, especially hearing about all the crazy pranks that mum pulled at Hogwarts."
"I'm glad. I think it did him good too. He spends too much time living in the past..." Bill looked as if he was about to say more, then stopped himself.
"You know Teddy, we're all here for you, anytime you need us. It doesn't matter how old you are, or where life takes you. You'll always be welcome at Shell Cottage or The Burrow."
"Thanks Bill."
He thought back to the photo and what Charlie had said about his mum trying to chase him on his broom, yet never quite being able to catch up. It struck him how similar it was to his own summers, flying with Victoire hot on his heels. He knew then that wherever life took him, he certainly hoped that the Weasleys would always be a part of it.
A/N: I intentionally wanted conversations about the relationship between Tonks and Charlie to seem a little strained in this chapter. In the universe in my head, Charlie and Tonks were really close at Hogwarts, but they drifted apart after leaving, which is something Charlie will eternally feel guilty about. I'm exploring their relationship/ Charlie's angst following her death in my fic 'Memories Of You' if you want to check it out (shameless plug alert).
Many thanks go to PixiePatronus13675 for your faithful reviewing and to those of you who have are following this!
