Disclaimer: JK owns HP
1989
Chapter 24
Leaving her that morning had been difficult. Especially when all he really wanted to do was crawl back into bed behind her and sleep the day away with her curled up beside him. As he left the castle he smiled to himself, remembering the way she had woken him up in the middle of the night. It had been quite the surprise; one he was glad he had the memory of to relive while they were separated.
Both Bill and his father were supposed to meet him and his brothers on Platform 9 ¾ before apparating home. He had passed his apparition test the second time, late last summer; so the plan was for each of them to side along the twins and Percy back to the burrow. He honestly didn't know how his parents were going to manage once they had five underage children that needed to be dropped off or picked up at the same time.
The Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross late that afternoon. Charlie'd had a stupid grin on his face the entire journey; his mental reminiscing giving away the previous nights events to Devon, who had sat across from him in their compartment. They had been friends for so long that they could usually read each other just by their facial expressions. Charlie hadn't verbally admitted the details, but did scold his friend to shut up after he'd asked if it had really been that good.
The pair bid each other farewell as they exited the train, and Charlie headed toward the platform in search of his family. He'd found Fred and George pointing nefariously at something under the train and had wrangled them in headlocks under his arms so he could steer them toward the platform. Percy was already waiting there with his dad and Bill; giving them an impatient glare as they finally approached.
Luckily, since it was only a three week visit for Christmas they hadn't needed to bring their large trunks. They each carried only a backpack containing the necessities; making it much easier to get them to their destination unsplinched.
With three loud pops, the six of them landed in the front yard of The Burrow; a shallow blanket of snow causing the grass to crunch beneath their feet. While Fred and George took off at a run to get inside, Charlie took a moment to enjoy the chilliness of the outdoors before following the rest of his family into the warmth of the family home.
The scent of freshly baked bread and christmas cookies invaded his nostrils seconds after he made it past the threshold. At first it brought a smile to his face; it smelled like a traditional Weasley family Christmas, but the thought of baked goods soon began to remind him of the girl he'd left in his bed that very morning. He hoped she'd be okay while he was gone.
"Charlie!"
Charlie turned just in time to catch the flash of red that was jumping at him from the bottom step of the rickety staircase. His eight year old sister had bounded down the stairs so fast he'd barely noticed the racket until she was already launching herself at him.
He laughed as he caught Ginny midair and began to spin her around in circles. "Hey kiddo! Miss me much?"
She nodded vigorously as she smiled at her favorite brother. "Sooo Much. Why couldn't I have gone to Hogwarts with you?" She suddenly pouted. "You'll be long gone by the time I get there."
"Just the way it turned out I'm afraid." He said as he sat her down and patted the top of her head. "But I am home for over two whole weeks; so we better make the best of it, hadn't we?"
She nodded again with a happy face as she tugged on his hand in a silent gesture for him to follow her into the kitchen.
The shriek of his mother filled the room as the door swung closed behind him. She wrapped him into a warm hug, a wooden spoon still clutched in one hand as she left the stove abruptly to throw her arms around him.
"The rest of my boys are home!" She smiled as she patted his cheek. "And your father and I are so proud of you."
"Thanks mum." He grinned and kissed her cheek. He knew she must be referencing his upcoming tryout.
"Dinner will be ready soon." She said as she turned back to the stove. "Why don't you join Ron at the table while I finish up. That boy has been waiting weeks to talk to you about Quidditch."
Charlie felt a pang in his chest at the mention of his youngest brother. The brother who had no idea that he was currently betraying him with a girl he had yet to meet. He needed to make sure he kept up a good relationship with him once he moved to Romania. Who knew if it would ever recover once he found out about his and Hermione's relationship.
"Hey Charlie." Ron grinned at him as he approached the table; unaware of his traitorous thoughts. "Are you nervous for your tryout next month?"
Charlie took the seat across from him so they could converse easier. "A bit. Mostly excited though. How have things been here?"
"Boring." Ron replied as he stuffed an entire christmas cookie into his mouth. "Got bit by a gnome yesterday though. Mum makes me toss those bloody things over the hedge at least once a month still."
Charlie chuckled as he saw the bandage around his brother's hand. "Poor things are going to get a concussion one of these days."
"I get bit and you call them poor things?" Ron looked slightly offended, but laughed it off. "I see how you are."
"If Fred or George wanted to throw you over the hedge don't you think you'd bite their fingers to try and stop them from succeeding?"
"That's a fair point." Ron nodded after thinking about it for a moment. "So what team are you hoping to be recruited to after nationals?"
Charlie grinned, and lied in an attempt to bond better with the nine year old. "The Chudley Cannons of course."
The two brothers talked for a while longer; discussing his win against Slytherin in detail up until dinner was served. And as the food was passed around the table Charlie really took the time to look at his youngest brother. Before now he'd just seen him as a kid. A brother he cared for; someone who's favorite things he knew, and someone he teased; But until now had never really thought about as someone who would become a man.
Ron didn't know that in less than two years he would meet his two best friends. He, along with the boy who lived and the girl who had recently taken over his own life, were about to make a bond a friendship that would send them on a path to be soldiers too young for war. A path that would cause Hermione to end up in this time to begin with. She would take his place at the table he currently sat at, while he would stay busy on the Romanian Dragon reserve. Meanwhile, the three of them would be off saving the world time and time again.
As he sat there, hiding the things he knew that would soon come to pass, he couldn't help but wonder if this is how Hermione felt every day.
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It was nearing midnight. Everyone else had gone to bed while Charlie and Bill had taken up spots in front of the living room fireplace; sharing a decanter of mead that Bill had brought back from Egypt. The pair had always been close and were taking the opportunity to catch up. As much as Charlie missed Hermione, now that he was here he realized how right she had been. He really did need this time with his family; whether a war was coming or not it was going to be harder and harder to get everyone together after this.
Their conversation had started out light; with Bill sharing details of his recent adventures in curse breaking. Eventually the two of them became a bit tipsy and the chatter turned to one of Bill's latest lady conquests and how he had talked her into bed with him. Charlie chuckled as his brother told him about how he'd broken the witch's bed midway, and had been promptly kicked out in only his underwear. He had laughed so hard at that last part he almost fell out of his chair.
"Okay little brother." Bill said once they had calmed down a little. "It's your turn... spill."
Charlie shook his head and took a long sip from his mug. "Spill what?"
"I know that look you've had all day." Bill claimed with a smirk. "You got laid yourself last night. Who is she?"
He groaned and tilted his head back; like with Devon, Bill could read his facial expresses all too well. Only this time it was definitely against the rules to spill his relationship to someone outside of Hogwarts. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Your evasiveness is worrying me." Bill raised an eyebrow at him. "It wouldn't be someone I'd disapprove of would it?"
Charlie's face paled slightly as he worried Bill knew about Hermione, but then realized that would be preposterous. She wouldn't enter their family's lives for at least another few years.
"Oh shit, it is!" Bill cursed. "Really Charlie? Her again?"
Charlies scrunched his eyes in confusion at his brother's outburst. "Who again?" He asked, since both his wit and brain power had been slowed due to his recent intake of alcohol.
"Merlin's mustache Charlie, I thought you knew better this time. I know I live in Egypt now, but I still get thrown a witch weekly here and there. I know Heather broke off her engagement."
"Oh, no it's no-" Charlie tried to defend himself now that he knew where Bill's mind had gone.
"I mean do you not see that the only reason she is back in your life is because she heard about your upcoming tryout and wants-"
"Bill!" Charlie interrupted him; only continuing when Bill stopped his rant. "Although she did pay me a visit in Hogsmeade yesterday, It's not Heather that I've been seeing. Quite frankly I told Heather to piss off because I've not only learned my lesson, but I've been getting rather serious with someone new. Someone you don't know yet."
"Oh." Bill said, now realizing he didn't have to worry about his brother falling for the tricks of his old classmate. "Well okay then. Who is it?"
"A girl who transferred in this year." He repeated her cover story. "You wouldn't know her."
Bill raised one eyebrow at him again. "That sounds odd. And does this transfer student have a name?"
"Yeah." Charlie held back a cringe, as he omitted her real first name. "Her name's Jean."
"Well that sounds disappointingly un-exotic." Bill commented as he took another swig from his mug.
Charlie smirked as he attempted to outdrink his older brother. "Trust me, there was nothing disappointing about last night."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Christmas morning had passed by in a blur. From the twins he had received a bag of Zonkos products; how they had managed to get some when they weren't allowed to go to hogsmeade yet, he wasn't sure. He also had no intention of asking, as he knew he didn't want to get involved.
From his parents he had received a high end broom care kit and a new pair of athletic gloves. He knew without a doubt they had splurged so he could make the best possible impression at his upcoming tryout. A lump formed in his throat as he realized that their splurge would end up being for nothing when he turned the team down.
It wasn't until his mother left to start breakfast that he mustered up enough courage to approach his father with two icy mugs of eggnog in hand. He took a deep breath as he sat in the armchair next to his father's and extended the second glass to him. Hermione may have told him snippets of his future, but it was time for him to start working toward making those dreams a reality.
"Mr. Diggory is still the head of the Department of Magical Creatures isn't he?" He asked before he lost his nerve.
Arthur Weasley looked up from his newspaper and tilted his reading glasses down so he could focus on his son. He could sense that something was on Charlie's mind and that this was about to be a serious conversation.
"He is." Mr. Weasley confirmed as he accepted the frothy beverage. "With no signs of retiring anytime soon I'd wager."
Charlie took a long, slow drink of his eggnog as he thought about the best way to approach the subject he wanted to bring up.
Knowing that his son was struggling internally, Arthur helped the conversation along. "Why do you ask?"
Charlie sighed before clicking his tongue against his teeth. "I was hoping I could run to the ministry with you one morning before I have to go back to Hogwarts to pay him a visit."
"You don't have to beat around the bush with me son." He informed him calmly. "It's not like you to not be direct, and I have rarely ever seen you fret over anything. What is it that has you so tense?"
Charlie relaxed slightly a he realized how stiff he had become; resting his head against the back of the chair. "It's this whole quidditch tryout." He explained. "I never thought I'd really get the chance to play professionally, but now that it's right at my fingertips it's making me think about my other dreams."
"Dreams that have to do with magical creatures I'd bet." Arthur asked rhetorically.
"Yeah." Charlie nodded. "The Romanian dragon reserve to be precise."
Arthur sighed and removed his glasses, cleaning the lenses with the fabric of his robes before replacing them back atop his nose. "Your mother is not going to like this."
"Tell me about it." Charlie snorted uncomfortably. "It's not like I've decided against quidditch." He lied. "It's just that I would like to weigh my options while I still have the chance."
"It's understandable." His father nodded reassuringly. "You've talked of little else but dragons and broomsticks since you were five. It's only natural that your two most intense interests would eventually force you to choose a favorite."
"Yeah, well, if I want a shot at becoming a dragonologist I will need two letters of recommendation." Charlie finally explained his need for getting in touch with Amos Diggory. "Professor Kettleburn will be no problem, and although I'm sure Hagrid would be happy to write the second one, I just figured that the head of the major magical creatures department would look better."
"If that's what you want, I will come up with an excuse to get you in to see him." Arthur promised. There was absolutely nothing he wouldn't do for his family.
"Thanks, dad." Charlie smiled in relief. The conversation had gone better than expected. "Do you think we could keep this just between the two of us for now though?" He asked, as another thought dawned on him. "I don't want to freak mum out unnecessarily until I hear back one way or the other. Especially after the extremely thoughtful gift the two of you got me."
Sensing another thing his son might be worried about, Arthur nodded. He didn't like to keep secrets from his wife, but this one seemed necessary. "If you think it's best; though your mother would never be disappointed in you for following your dreams Charlie." He informed him in an attempt to bring his spirits up again. "All she truly wants is for you to be happy."
"I know." Charlie nodded. "I'd just rather know my decision for sure before springing this on her. You know how uncomfortable she is with me playing quidditch. She knows the dangers that come with playing professionally. Now can you imagine how much she is going to flip out if I tell her I've chosen an even more dangerous career path? One that involves taming dragons half way across Europe?"
Arthur's face paled slightly at the thought. "You're right. We tell her only if, and when, you choose fire breathing dragons over golden snitches."