December 1998
"No, Harry, I'm not going to do this with you," Charlie said as he gently removed Harry's fingers from his belt loops.
"Why not?" Harry demanded.
"Because… shit, Harry, it's complicated. I live too far away. You deserve more than a long distance relationship."
"I don't mind that though. Do my opinions not matter?"
"It's not that and you know it," Charlie sighed, leading Harry through to a quieter corner of the Leaky Cauldron, although in the pre- Christmas crush, the pub was pretty packed.
"What then?" Harry demanded. He threw back a short glass of scarlet Firewhiskey and placed both his hands on Charlie's broad chest. He'd shot up in the past year, riding the tail end of a growth spurt they never expected from the perpetually short and skinny teenager. But six months in Auror training had bulked him up, drawing his muscles tightly together in places where he'd never had muscles before. No longer scrawny at sixteen or desperate at seventeen, but aching at eighteen for the only person who he couldn't have.
"Because I only come home a couple of times a year," Charlie said softly, stroking the hair at the base of Harry's neck. "Because you're so much younger than me, and you deserve to fall dizzyingly in love with someone who can reciprocate immediately, not after two days of waiting for a letter by owl. Because you're Harry bloody Potter, and because you can have anyone."
"Anyone except you," Harry said stubbornly.
"I'm really sorry," Charlie whispered. "Please believe me. If things were different..."
"But they're not."
"No."
"And I can't change your mind."
"Just… give it a few years, yeah? And see what you want when you've seen a bit more of the world."
Harry nodded. "Kiss me goodbye?"
"It's not goodbye."
In the dark, cramped corner of the Leaky Cauldron, more than one person oversaw Charlie Weasley kissing Harry Potter, and more than one eyebrow was raised at the sight. More, though, smiled quietly to themselves, or to their companion for the evening, and thought how nice it was that Harry had finally found himself a nice boy to settle down with.
What they didn't hear, over the sounds of the busy, bustling pub, was the sound of Harry Potter's heart slowly breaking.