The Greywitch Trials | Harry Potter AU

Warm

Eloise tried her best to be quiet as she sped down the hall to the bathroom. She'd had a gruesome nightmare that had seemed so real she'd been scared awake. The dreams were nothing new, despite the time that had passed, but she'd gotten to the point where she didn't wake in a cold sweat, nauseous and in need of the toilet. 

Of course, all good things came to an end. 

Eloise closed the door and barely managed to brighten the Witchlight before she was on her knees and spewing her supper into the toilet. Her hands flew to her hair, and she pushed the strands away from the line of fire, focusing on the painful tug of her stomach, wishing for it to be over. 

Thankfully, the bout of sickness did pass after the first wave. It was a marked improvement from the nights she'd spend an hour with her hands pressed on either side of the toilet bowl, waiting for the wave to crest again and again. 

Eloise spent a moment breathing heavily through her nose, willing her stomach to settle and her heart to cease its incessant pounding. On a final, shuddering breath, she stood on sore legs and flushed the toilet, moving to the sink to wash her hands and splash water on her pasty face. 

Just as she was about to ease the door open and sneak back into her room, a soft knock sounded. She blinked, confused as to who the hell would be up so late into the night. After a moment's consideration, she decided that she couldn't simply turn down the light and pretend she wasn't inside. That was childish, and if it were Percy, he'd probably sneer at her. He and Malfoy could have a sneer-off, and it would be a draw. 

When Eloise opened the door and came face-to-face with Charlie Weasley, she wasn't even all that surprised. After all, he'd been in the bathroom at the witching hour her first night when she'd gone careening for the toilet. The mild shock that had arisen from being seeing him turned quickly into embarrassment when she became very aware of her bare feet and her messy hair and rumpled clothes, and dear God, if she had sick on her face, she'd just die on the spot. 

"I thought I saw you," His eyes were pinched slightly with worry. "I'm sorry if I'm bothering you. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm f - " Eloise cut off at the gravelly sound of her words, still steeped in sleep. She cleared her throat, and it sounded abnormally loud in the hushed space between them. "I'm fine. Just a nightmare."

Charlie bit at his lip as he swept his gaze over her. It wasn't rude or anything more than him taking stock of her appearance, but she felt his gaze on her from the tips of her toes to the crown of her head. Slowly, he ducked his head in a nod that reminded her of the movements of some sort of animal in the wild. He pressed a hand to the back of his neck and glanced to the side, then back to her, "I can't sleep."

She nodded, unable to think of a better response. 

"How about a game of chess?"

Before her good sense could turn him down, Eloise found herself blurting out, "Alright."

Charlie grinned and offered to take her hand, tugging her after him down the dim corridor. His hand was warm and rough against hers, callouses harsh against her own smooth skin. 

When they reached a door not far from Eloise's own room, he dropped her hand and shouldered it open. She felt colder at the loss of contact. Mentally, she tried to slap some sense into herself. This was Ginny's brother. He was much older than her and probably just being kind because he saw her as yet another helpless animal. 

And yet ...

Charlie gestured towards the roaring fire where two chairs sat across from each other, a small table topped with a familiar chess set between them. As she took a seat opposite him, she took a moment to take in the rest of the space. It was almost identical to her room. There was a large bed laden with dark linens, and the two windows were obscured by dark drapes that had been haphazardly pulled closed. Unlike her room, there was a desk that had been pushed into the corner, laden with a few papers, a dragon scale paperweight and a precarious stack of books. The chair before it had a cloak thrown on it along with a length of rope and a leather bag.