"You brought ice-cream on a rescue mission?"

"Well, it's Charmed to stay frozen for months."

"That's not what I meant."

"Whatever. Do you want it or not?"

"Fine. I'll have some."

"I don't hear a thank you."

"Thank you, oh great one."

"That's more like it, kid."

It had been a little over a month since Sirius and Tonks went to find Charlie Weasley. To say that her mother supported her would be a bit of a stretch. But Andromeda knew that when Tonks set her mind on something, there was no point on trying to convince her otherwise. In the end, she relented and let Tonks go for the mission. It did help that Sirius promised he would keep an eye 24/7 on Tonks, and if there was anyone in this world that Andromeda trusted her daughter's life with other than her husband, it would be her cousin. So, without further ado, Sirius and Tonks Apparated to one of the many Black estates spread all over Europe, Romania included. It wasn't exactly a manor like the one Sirius lived in, more like a cottage. It was located in Cârligi, and was heavily protected with countless Protection Charms and Spells. They spent almost two weeks there to look for clues about Charlie because the last time anyone saw him, he was seen in a local Muggle pub not far from their cottage. The pub owner told Sirius that he did know Charlie, who stayed at the inn just across his pub. He said that Charlie spent the week he was there visiting his pub at least twice every day to have a drink. Charlie never talked to anyone though, always kept to himself and the piles of papers he brought with him. The last time he came, however, the pub owner remembered Charlie was cradling his right hand, which was twisted in a painful angle. When Sirius asked whether he saw Charlie carrying anything valuable during one of his visits, the man said that the only thing the redhead had with him was an old picture of a young woman.

Before the pub owner even said it, Tonks knew instantly whose picture Charlie was holding.

"Hey, you're the woman in the picture!" the man said in his thick accent, pointing at Tonks. "You looked a little older though, and your hair was brown in the picture. But it was definitely you. Is he your boyfriend?"

"Well, thanks a lot for everything," Sirius said quickly. "I appreciate your help, draibăr."

"Ah, sure. It's not a problem, really – "

"Obliviate."

The pub ownerstared blankly at Sirius for a minute as the Pureblood Auror tempered with his memory. It wouldn't be good for any of Voldemort's followers, or Voldemort himself, to find out that there was someone trying to help Charlie. Before the man could come back to his senses, Sirius and Tonks had left the pub. But they did leave a bit of Muggle money for the him before they left for Focșani. According to the clues and information they gathered back in Cârligi, Charlie once mentioned to the pub owner that he wanted to visit his friends there. It didn't take long for Tonks to realise that Charlie intentionally told people about it, probably realising that sooner or later, he'd go missing. Those friends Charlie talked about was obviously his fellow dragonologist who were known to reside in cities with huge wizard-community like Focșani. Tonks finally came to the conclusion that Charlie's work as a dragonologist could have been a front after all, and that he actually was a spy. When she told Sirius about it, the senior Auror nodded his head in agreement, although he couldn't help but to wonder about Charlie's employer.

"Could it be Dumbledore?" Tonks asked. "Could the old man ask Charlie to be his ears all the way here in Romania?"

"Probably," Sirius said slowly, considering the possibilities. "The man did say that it was important to keep our alliances with other countries."

"Speaking of Dumbledore, does he know about this?"

"Of course not. Other than the Weasleys and my family, your parents are the only ones who know about us coming to Charlie Weasley's rescue. I didn't want to alert unwanted attention."

"But, don't you think it'd be better for Dumbledore to know? He could help, I know."

"And risk Lucius Malfoy finding out that Dumbledore's attention was on something else other than Hogwarts? Trust me, the last thing we need is for Malfoy to hear about this. Besides, if it turns out that I'm wrong, I prefer no one finds out about this."

Tonks dropped the subject when she realised that Sirius was right. It didn't mean that she agreed though. Just like every other person who knew the man, Tonks was under the impression that whenever something bad happened, Dumbledore would save the day. It wasn't like she didn't trust Sirius would be able to save Charlie. It was just habit for her, seeing that everyone she knew practically worshiped the ground Dumbledore walked on. But like Sirius said, Dumbledore wasn't there to help, so Tonks decided that it would be better for her to look through the information they gathered so they could haven an inkling where Charlie went. They'd spent over eight days in Focșani, asking Charlie's friends about him, but nothing they said seemed to be enough to give them clues on his whereabouts. Lost in her own concentration, Tonks didn't realise it when her mind took a little detour into the drawers in the back of her mind, where she kept all the memories she had of Charlie Weasley. The moment she finally took notice that her mind wasn't on the little notes she and Sirius made, it was too late. Tonks' mind had started to go through everything she had on the redhead, starting from the first time she saw him, back when she was only eleven.

They first met just a week after their Sorting ceremony, when she got into Hufflepuff and he went to Gryffindor to join his older brother. A group of Slytherin girls from her year was cornering Tonks because of who she was, and the teasing got even worse when Tonks' hair started to change colours frantically because of her emotions. As cliché as it sounded, Charlie Weasley came to her rescue, telling them to get lost or he'd hit them all. Unlike her bedtime stories where the knight was wearing a shining-armour, Charlie was soaked to the bones in his Gryffindor uniform after playing in the rain. It didn't matter to Tonks, because in her eyes, when the redhead began to ask whether those girls had hurt her or not, Charlie could have worn a jester-costume and Tonks would still think the world of him. They became friends ever since. Despite being in different Houses, they managed to hang out as often as they could. Whenever they had classes together, they would immediately sit beside each other. Tonks didn't have much friends in her own House, but Charlie had tons of friends in Gryffindor. That was when the teasing began. At first, the Metamorphmagus thought that Charlie would push her away because back when you were eleven, being friends with girls was bad. But Tonks was wrong. Charlie merely shrugged it off and told his friends to find their own 'awesome friend' because Tonks was Charlie's friend. Tonks felt like her face was going to split into two from her smile when Charlie put an arm around her and dragged her to have lunch with him by the Black Lake.

By the time they were in their fourth year, a lot of things changed. Tonks finally grew into her Black-inherited looks, and people started to see her as someone other than the clumsy Metamorphmagus. They began to acknowledge that she was as pretty as her mother and her other Black relatives. Other than that though, when it came to Tonks' life, not much happened. But the same couldn't be said about Charlie. He entered his rebellious phase the moment he turned fourteen. Though he had always been popular for his charms and rugged good-looks, the moment returned to Hogwarts with his first tattoo on his left bicep, all girls went crazy about him. The fact that he became everyone's favourite Seeker only boosted his popularity even more. Then long string of girlfriends started, and poor Tonks was pushed to the sidelines. She really wanted to say that it didn't affect their friendship, but it did. They spent less time together, and by the end of their fourth year, Tonks was thoroughly convinced that Charlie no longer cared about her. She came home that year with tears brimming in her eyes as she sat alone in her compartment, cursing the stupid redhead and herself. She felt a terrible pain in her chest, so horrible the pain was she felt like vomiting. It was until she saw Charlie kissed his newest girlfriend that Tonks realised she had fallen for her best friend. She'd stupidly fallen for her best friend, who didn't seem to consider Tonks as his best friend anymore.

So Tonks did what she knew best. She changed.

Fifth year started and for the first time ever, Tonks made use of her Metamorphmagus. She did a complete one-eighty and change her entire appearance. When she boarded the Hogwarts Express, she turned from 'boring but pretty' into 'gorgeous and flirty'. She changed her light-brown hair that she inherited from her father into the beautiful shade of golden brown that she saw from her mother's magazines. Her brown eyes that she always felt really dull changed into purple. Tonks didn't wait too long before she started on her mission. Samuel Kenneth was her first victim, a fellow Hufflepuff from her year. For a week, she toyed with him. When the boy asked her to be his girlfriend, she had already approached her next target. For the whole year, Tonks' activities revolved around studying (because her mother would kill her if her grades slipped) and crushing every boy's heart that she toyed with. She knew she was being a total idiot as she became the kind of girl she swore that she would never be. But the look on Charlie's face when he saw her kissing his biggest rival was too priceless for her to witness, so she kept doing it. When the train arrived at King's Cross from from Hogwarts at the end of her fifth year, Charlie stopped her by grabbing her hand, and asked what had happened to them. Coolly, Tonks told him to ask himself what had happened, before she pushed pass him to go meet her mother, quickly altering her appearances back into her true form.

Tonks' OWLs result came, and she was so proud of herself when she found that she passed the classes she neededto become an Auror. Her parents praised her achievement the whole summer, and she even got a new broom from her father. For the first time since her tragic fourth year, Tonks felt genuinely happy. During the whole summer, not even once did she think about that git. She even offered to babysit little Harry when Sirius asked her. She had a huge smile on her face as she got on the train for her sixth year, but it was soon wiped off her face when she felt Charlie dragged her into the train's loo. She was about to scream at him to sod off, when she saw the look in his blue eyes. For all the years she knew him, never once had she seen him looking that dejected. It had only been two years, and she couldn't believe she had forgotten just how beautiful her oldest friend was. He had new tattoos peeking from his sleeves, and both of his ears were pierced. Tonks opened her mouth to ask him what did he want, but he beat her to it. He cupped her face with one hand as he leaned closer, pressing his forehead against hers. The Metamorphmagus let out a shuddering breath when she realised that Charlie's free hand had wrapped around her waist and was pulling her even closer to him.

"Charlie?" Tonks had whispered, swallowing heavily at the close proximity.

"Don't punish me anymore, Tonks," Charlie had replied in a heart-breaking tone. "I was wrong, and I'm sorry. I know I deserve it, but please..."

Tonks froze, unable to think let alone say anything. She let out a small gasp when she felt Charlie moved, lowering himself to the ground so that he was kneeling in front of her. It broke heart heart to see him like that. Yes, what he did hurt her too. Call her a stupid romantic, but she did love him. It was her turn to cup Charlie's face, reaching forward with both hands as she said, "Get up, Charlie. Come on. Get up."

"No, Tonks. Not until you say you've forgiven me," Charlie said, shaking his head stubbornly. "I will not get up until you tell me you've forgiven me. I will not get up until you tell me that you're done punishing me."

"Charlie..."

"It hurt, when you flaunted all those boys in front of me. I felt like dying every time I saw you kissing those boys."

"Good," Tonks said coolly before she could stop herself. And when she saw the pain, the betrayal in Charlie's eyes, it made her feel stronger. "Because that was what I felt when you started dating all those stupid girls in our fourth year. You know, the same girls who made it a game to make my life hell. You want to talk about hurt? That's rich, coming from you, Weasley. You hurt me first. You betrayed me first."

"I know," Charlie replied in a small voice, looking embarrassed. "You're right. I have no right asking your forgiveness for what I've done to you. But for what it's worth, I want you to know that I love you, since second year. And I'm not trying to turn the blame on you, but the only reason I never told you about it is because I didn't think you'd appreciate me having feelings for you. Not when you specifically told me that you only wanted us to always be best friends because-"

"-because romantic feelings would only ruin our friendship," Tonks finished quietly, remembering the promise they had years ago.

All the anger was drained out from Tonks' body. When she asked Charlie to make that promise, she was just parroting what she'd heard from the Muggle movie she saw that one time her parents took her to her to see her paternal grandparents. She didn't even remember that promise if Charlie hadn't mentioned it again. They were only eleven then, and it was only a couple weeks after they became friends. She never thought that Charlie would really took to heart what she'd said. She never thought that something she'd said just to seem cool, would be the reason for the pain and heartbreak she'd suffered in the past two years. She and Charlie could have been together since at least third year, if it weren't for her eleven-year-old-self being stupid. Despite the urge to find a Time Turner so she could go back in time and slap her past-self, Tonks felt her heart nearly burst from happiness. Charlie Weasley, her best friend in the whole wide world, the boy she loved in return with her whole heart, had just told her that he loved her. Unfortunately, she'd been silent for far too long that Charlie had taken the wrong conclusion. It seemed like the stupid git was resigned with the fact that their friendship was truly over between them, and he was about to step back from Tonks, when the Hufflepuff wrapped her arms around him.

And like in every romantic novels she (sadly) had read, Tonks kissed Charlie with all the love she had for him, hoping that he'd understand.

Judging from the cheeky grin Charlie had against his lips as he returned her kiss, it seemed like she was successful.

"Tonks? Hey, Tonks? Kid, are you alright?"

("Hey, what happened? Are you alright, love?")

("You're leaving me, you git. How could I be alright?")

Tonks shook her head to clear her thoughts at the sound of Sirius' voice calling her name. She realised that she had spent too much time thinking about the past. Taking her eyes off from the pile of papers she had been reading, she turned her attention toward Sirius. The older Auror had just gone to meet someone who claimed to be the last person who had seen Charlie before he left Focșani. One look at Sirius' face, Tonks didn't need to ask him whether he had good news or bad news. The frown on his face was proof enough that whatever Charlie's friend told him was definitely bad news.

"What did he say?" Tonks said, unconsciously began to wringing sleeves as she waited for the dreaded information.

"He was visiting Charlie, and was about to knock on his front door, when he heard the noises coming from inside the room Charlie rented," Sirius began. "He said that there seemed to be quite a few people in there with Charlie, and they were talking heatedly with one another. He was going to come in to see whether Charlie needed help, when the yelling started. It wasn't hard for our friend to guess that whoever was inside the room with Charlie was trying to get your boyfriend to come with them. By the time he finally managed to knock down Charlie's door, he saw a spell struck Charlie unconscious. Then Charlie's attackers quickly Apparate away, and our friend only had enough time to put a Tracking Spell on them before they were gone."

"That's great!" Tonks exclaimed, feeling like she could breath for the first time in weeks. "Where did they go, Sirius? We should go after them before it's too late."

"Not so fast, kid," Sirius said, his frown deeped. "It's not like they took your boyfriend to Paris to see the Eiffel tower. The place where they took him was a really dangerous place, the centre of every Dark Magic that ever existed. It was filled with ancient and vile magic, and we needed at least twenty highly-trained Aurors if we wanted to go there."

"Well, I don't care," Tonks said firmly. "Besides, where in the world did they take Charlie to? It's not like they were taking him to hell."

"Close," Sirius said, and Tonks was shocked to find Sirius paling slightly. "They're taking him to Hoai Baciu forest."

Percy Weasley was known to be the biggest jerk in his family. It wasn't like he intentionally acted like an arse most of the time. No, Percy became the person he was because he had high expectations toward himself. He had goals that he needed to fulfil so he wouldn't end up as another Weasleyamongst hundred others. Percy wanted to become somebody that people would talk about because of all the great things he did. But it didn't mean that he didn't care about his family, because he did. Percy cared deeply about them. That was why he desperately wanted to succeed in life, so he could give them the life they deserved. It broke his heart when he saw how the twins had to keep it to themselves whenever they wanted something that would help them explore their creativity, or when Ron was getting all the secondhand stuff he had, or how Ginny had to settle for someone else's secondhand stuff. His family was good people, he knew it. But why did they have so little, when other people who Percy believed didn't deserve it had more? More than once that Percy wondered why people like the Malfoys practically had the world by the palms of their hands. Life wasn't fair, that was the conclusion Percy came to. It was never fair, and he needed to fight tooth and nail to finally get what he and his family deserved.

So he separated himself from others, compartmentalised his feelings to focus on his studies, and tried his very best to succeed in achieving his goals.

But sometimes, when his family was going through something truly horrendous, Percy wished he wasn't so emotionally constipated, just so he could cheer them up a little without feeling like an colossal idiot.

Like that day when Sirius Black and Nymphadora Tonks came to his house to deliver the news about Charlie

Percy desperately wished that he could take the pain away from his mother when he saw the look on her face. Molly had always feared for the safety of her two eldest, and Sirius' news was literally her worst nightmare coming to life. She wasn't alone though, because out of all his siblings, Percy was the closest with Charlie. True, Bill was probably the one who was really close with Charlie. But Percy felt the most comfortable with his dragon-loving older brother. Bill, kind and wise that he was, saw Percy as someone much too young to be his equal. Being the oldest of seven child, Bill more often than not saw himself as another parent instead of an older brother. Charlie was different. Even when he was still a kid himself, Charlie would sneak sweets to his younger siblings, winking cheekily as he ducked away from Bill's backhanded slap to his head.

It would be an understatement of the century to say that Percy was distressed about Charlie being missing. He was trying to console his sister, who had started crying midway Sirius' words, when he began to notice something from the woman sitting beside the Pureblood. She was silent the whole time her companion talked, her composure was incredibly calm and poised. But Percy had always been the keen one in his family, and it didn't miss his attention when he saw the slight tremor in the woman's hand, the pain flashing in her purple eyes. Percy remembered Tonks. She was already a fourth a year with Charlie when Percy began his first, and she was actually very reserved until the end of the year. In her fifth year, Tonks became very popular for being a total flirt. The third Weasley child remembered the rumours he heard regarding the former Hufflepuff and his brother, and it was only that moment, as he witnessed how she clenched her jaw, that he realised how true the rumours were.

(You owe me five Galleons, Bill.)

"Hullo, Perce," a voice surprised Percy out of his reverie. Turning around, he found Oliver Wood standing by the door to the boys' dormitory, dressed in his Quidditch uniform.

"Hi," Percy greeted, eyeing his friend closely before he let out a snort. "Please don't tell me you're making your team practise till late again."

"Of course not," Oliver said, rolling his eyes at Percy's accusation. "It was just me. I know this must be a little surprising for you to hear, but I don't actually make it a habit to go hard on my team."

"My brothers would definitely argue you about it," Percy said, remembering the twins' moaning to him about how cruel Oliver could be when he was in his moods.

"We all know how dramatic Fred and George can be," Oliver said, rolling his eyes despite the small grin on his face. "They are your brothers after all."

It was Percy's turn to roll his eyes, but he said nothing else. Not a lot of people knew it, but Percy was actually very close with Oliver. He could even confidently say that the Quidditch fanatic was his best friend. To a lot of people, it was almost impossible to think that Percy and Oliver could even spend a minute without yelling at each other, seeing that they both were as different as night and day. But they were friends. At first, it was their love toward Quidditch that brought them together. Growing up as a Weasley meant it was written in his DNA to be a Quidditch fanatic. So, Percy was the only one in his year who could ever stand Olive when she was ranting about Quidditch nonstop, because he was the only one who was just as dedicated as Oliver was. From Quidditch, they started to talk about other things, namely their ambitions and their visions for their respective future. Because again, they might seem entirely different, but they actually weren't. From then on, Percy and Oliver became inseparable. They would study together and partner up for every assignment, and in between they would be talking about Quidditch until their dormmates told them to shut up. Being the odd one out in his family, Percy really welcomed the friendship Oliver gave him. It made him feel normal.

Oliver made him feel like he wasn't as heartless as his siblings always made him out to be.

"…Perce? Hey, Percy. Percy, do you hear me?" Olive called his name a few times. The Keeper had showered and was prepared for sleep. Shaking his head to clear his mind, Percy then nodded.

"Yeah, sorry," Percy muttered, running a hand through his hair tiredly. "I…I had something on my mind."

"Imagining yourself as the future Prime Minister again?" Oliver teased as he threw himself on Percy's bed, squeezing his stockier build to fit in the small bed. The Prefect could only roll his eyes as he scooted to the side a little bit to give his best friend some space.

(Percy tried to ignore the fact that if it were anyone else other than Oliver, he'd have kicked them off the bed. Even his girlfriend Penelope.)

(Even his beloved siblings. Especially his siblings. Complete prats, they were.)

"No, I was thinking about something else," Percy said quietly, glancing at the day's Daily Prophet that reported about Charlie's disappearance. It seemed that the news had reached Skeeter at last. Oliver followed his gaze and sobered up instantly.

"I'm sorry about your brother," Oliver said. "He was a great Captain. Brilliant leader."

"I know. Charlie's always the best. Him and Bill."

Oliver looked like he was carefully trying to think of the right words to say before he opened his mouth. Tilting his head to the side, he said, "I read that there were Aurors who secretly went after your brother. Is it true?"

Percy nodded. "Sirius Black and Nymphadora Tonks went after him. It should be a secret actually, lest Charlie's captors would find out that someone was coming to his rescue. Dunno how Skeeter got it."

"That's Skeeter for you. The woman is cunning as hell. She has eyes and ears everywhere in the Ministry. You know, people who'd blab irresponsibly for the money she'd pay them."

"I just wish that by the time everything's out in the open, Sirius and Tonks have found Charlie. I mean, imagine what they'd do to him if…"

Percy swallowed heavily as he trailed off, unable to continue as he couldn't but to imagine his brother being tortured. Charlie was strong, everyone knew that. But going under torture for months now, it wasn't easy. It couldn't be easy.

"They'll find him, Perce. We have to believe that they'll find him," Oliver said, patting Percy's knees.

"I hope so," Percy replied, his eyes once again landed on the Prophet.

There was a picture of Charlie back when he just graduated out of Hogwarts. He was practically glowing in happiness, even though he made a face when Molly gave him a kiss. His family had the picture back at home, framed and hung in their cramped house. Percy had walked pass the picture thousands of times before. But it was the first time he noticed Charlie's blue eyes, so similar like his and Bill and Ron's eyes, were focused on someone on the far side. The person on the edge of the picture was cut because Arthur probably focused the camera on his son and wife. But Percy could tell that, even though the picture was black-and-white, the person Charlie was looking had shocking bubblegum-pink hair.

Percy couldn't help but to wonder how long Charlie and Tonks had been together.

"Hey, Perce?" Oliver said.

"Hm?" Percy hummed absentmindedly.

"I just want to tell you that you're not alone, okay? When you feel like talking to someone, feel free to come to me and talk my ear off."

Percy blinked, and swallowed thickly when he realised that they were so close to one another. "Uh, thank you, Oliver."

Oliver shrugged, ruffling Percy's hair before he went to his own bed and buried himself under his covers. "You're my best friend, remember? I know you'll do the same for me."