The Irreplaceable Charlie Weasley

Chapter 7 - Making a Promise

Charlie

It felt like I haven't stopped crying ever since I saw Nova get burned. I was pacing up and down the waiting room in our Healing Station. Then I sat down, felt too anxious, and stood back up. Rubbed the tears from my eyes, took a deep breath, looked at the door where the Healers had her, and sat back down.

I have been repeating this for hours. Andrei was sitting in the chair next to me, getting up occasionally and checking on the rest of the people that were hurt. We were among the few that weren't. 3 teams were trying to extinguish the fires outside. I wanted to help, do my best to preserve what was left of the Sanctuary, just to keep myself busy but Andrei wouldn't let me.

I knew he was staring at me, I felt his eyes on me but he didn't say a word. There were so many scenarios going through my head. Is she going to be okay? The images of her laying on the ground, her clothes burnt, glued to her skin, the burn bubbles forming on her hands and face.

I shook my head. I wasn't strong enough to relive that because once the images left, her screams filled my ears again and there was nothing I could do to stop them. I would rather be under the Cruciatus Curse forever than to see her hurt – it would be less painful.

A new set of tears filled my eyes and I felt like screaming. Nothing mattered to me more than for her to survive and I prayed to Merlin she wasn't in a lot of pain. Hopefully, the Healers could at least make the pain stop. I didn't care how she would look like when they are done, I only cared for her to feel better and to be alright. Oh, please let her be alright.

There aren't words for the amount of guilt I felt. When she was casting the spell I had no idea she was sacrificing herself for me. Why would she do that? I just wanted to run to her to hold her one more time while waiting for the inevitable. Why didn't she protect herself? Why didn't she cast the Protection spell on both of us?

I started shaking again, my mind in a loop. I couldn't get over the whole thing. I felt like suffocating, I couldn't breathe. I was shaking but I wasn't cold. No, I felt like bursting into flames. I rubbed my eyes again, the skin around them was burning but I didn't care. I glanced at the door again, hearing noises, but it didn't open.

I started up and down the waiting room again. I sat down, felt like I was going to vomit so I stood back up. I took my handkerchief out of my pocket and blew my nose for the 100th time in the past 10 hours. What was taking so long, what were they doing to her? I took a deep breath, Andrei's eyes still on me but he was quiet. I appreciated that. I knew he was in his head even though he worried about me.

We lost so many, for some we didn't even know about yet because we couldn't identify the bodies – they were so burnt. I wanted to scratch my eyes out, as the image of Nova's burnt body came to mind again. I didn't even dare to think of the worst. I couldn't. I had to stay optimistic. She has to be alright. She must be. Otherwise, I don't know what I would do with myself. I can't bear to lose her, it would make my biggest fear come to life.

She'll be alright. She has to be. She will be.

My head swung to the left as the door finally opened. Madam Finch, our Master Healer came out. She looked even more tired than Andrei and I did.

"Beatrice and Sam are gone." She said with a rusty voice, trying her best to keep it together as she looked at Andrei. He buried his head in his hands, letting out a long sigh.

"We are still trying to identify 2 bodies, we think one of them is Tim, but we can't be sure yet." She bowed her head. It was hard on all of us. We weren't expecting something like this to ever happen. Not here.

"And Nova?" I barely recognized my voice. I wasn't even sure she heard my question, it was so silent until she turned her head to me and just the look in her eyes broke my heart.