The Big Dipper

The Christmas Party

"I recognize Fred's handwriting," continued Charlie, when Ursula didn't respond. "Why is he writing to you?"

When the letter had ended up in Charlie's mailbox by mistake, he hadn't thought anything of it, until he noticed the familiar scrawl in which Ursula was written. Ursula did not react for a moment, staring at the letter in his hand. Then her eyes moved up to meet his, and she smirked.

"Read it," she challenged, dropping into a chair in front of her desk.

Still confused and a little suspicious, Charlie fumbled with the envelope, finally pulling out the letter itself and unfolding it, revealing a whole page written in his brother's handwriting.

"My dearest Ursula," read Charlie, spluttering. "... I miss you so much... spend Christmas together... remember when we — I can't read this!" he exclaimed, gaping at Ursula, who continued to smirk at him as he read onward. "... going home for Christmas... best present ever... Love, Fred."

He looked up at Ursula, dumbfounded. She was grinning broadly now, and she closed the distance between them with two steps, snatching the letter from his hand to read it for herself.

"You — he —" said Charlie weakly.

"Do you need to sit down?" deadpanned Ursula.

"But what about Hadrian?" said Charlie, pulling himself together. "Fred — you aren't just stringing him along?"

Ursula frowned.

"I'm offended you would even think that," she said.

"Sorry, it's just — he's my brother, you know?" said Charlie, running a hand through his already messy hair. Ursula nodded understandingly.

"Yes, Hadrian knows about Fred, and yes, Fred knows about Hadrian," she explained, gesturing for him to sit down. "Hadrian and I have... an arrangement together. With the war going on, we haven't found a way to break up without putting our families and ourselves in danger."

"He's not —"

But Ursula nodded.

"Hadrian is a Death Eater," she said. "But," she added, before Charlie could interject, "he didn't become one by choice, and he's helping me to spy for the Order."

"Spy — for the Order?" spluttered Charlie. This was too much new information for him to take in.

"Haven't you heard?" said Ursula, far too casually. "I've got a whole network of Death Eaters who want to desert."

"Then, why don't they?" Charlie could barely decide which avenue of questioning he wanted to follow.

"It's complicated," was all the answer that Ursula gave.

"And — and Fred?"

"What about him?" asked Ursula, amused.

"How..." Charlie was still so shocked by the news that he could barely form the words. "How long have you and Fred been... together?"

"We've been dating since June," said Ursula calmly. "We first kissed in April, the night before he and George left Hogwarts."

"You — you —"

"Are you quite alright, Charlie?" asked Ursula, who seemed to find the whole situation highly amusing. "You're white as a sheet." She paused, smiling to herself, and said, "Fred wanted to be there when we told you, so he could see your reaction. I must say, your surprise does not disappoint."

Charlie just gaped for a moment. Of all the people he had expected Fred to date — and Ursula for that matter — neither had been high on his list for the other. Ursula was like another sister to Charlie, and he rather thought she was too serious and hardworking for Fred, even if her family hadn't been as uptight as they were. He thought that Fred's troublemaking ways would have been a turnoff for Ursula, but clearly he could not have been more wrong on both counts.