Just Like Home | Charlie Weasley

Chapter 7

Eleanor was rushed off her feet in the midst of the afternoon rush when George ducked in through the door of her tiny shop. Darcie spotted him first, her cheeks reddening slightly as she cleared her throat and gave Eleanor a prod to alert her to his arrival.
"Oh hey George!" Eleanor smiled, small specks of flour and chocolate dotted on her cheeks looking like multi-coloured freckles.
"Hey Ellie," George greeted. "I uh... Came to ask you something, but I can see you're rather busy," he laughed.
"Never too busy for you. What is it?" She asked, simultaneously filling two coffee cups as she craned her neck around to look at George.
"Why don't you pop over once it's died down a bit, eh? We can talk then?".
Eleanor faltered. "Is everything okay?".
"Oh, yeah, everything's fine," he said hurriedly with a nod. "Just don't wanna get in your way. I'll be in the office, just come on back when you're ready yeah?".
"Okay, sure. Want me to bring anything?".
George grinned, thinking of how pleased Charlie would be to see Eleanor again. "Nope, just your lovely self,".
"And some coffee and a few muffins? Got it," she winked playfully. George shook his head fondly and retreated back to his own shop with a smile. It made him happy to think that he may possibly be on his way to setting up his second favourite brother and Ellie; he thought they would make a wonderful pair.
A few hours later, once the rush had died down, Eleanor left Darcie in charge of the coffee shop after fretting for a few minutes and feeling bad for ducking out. Darcie scoffed and practically shoved the worried girl out of the door. Deciding to walk in the pleasant October afternoon air, it took no longer than a few minutes for Eleanor to reach Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. She froze by the door before heading inside, frantically smoothing a hand over her hair to take her wild curls and brushing any of the visible flour off her jumper... Just in case. She pushed open the bright Orange door, her senses immediately being overwhelmed by a multitude of sounds and scents. As instructed by George, she made her way through the shop toward the office at the back, allowing her eyes to subtly scan the area for any sign of another handsome red-head. She raised a hand to knock at the door, it opening softly before she could even make contact with the wooden surface.
"Ellie!" George beamed as she took a single step inside. She grinned back as she saw him sitting casually at his desk, piles of paperwork and abandoned projects surrounding him.
"Hey George! What's up?" She asked, stepping further into the room and gingerly placing herself on the chair the other side of his desk. She giggled to herself as it felt awfully like an odd kind of business meeting.
"So," George started. "I was thinking of having a little gathering in the flat one day next week,". As he spoke the words, he felt a small ball of anxiety begin to bubble away in his stomach. He hadn't done anything like this since before Fred died, and it felt completely wrong to even be thinking about this. Of course, Fred would be scolding him for being so ridiculous, he should be living his life. But it never stopped the guilt gnawing away at George. Fred was the life and soul of the parties; how would they fare without him? Still, he attempted to brush it off by plastering a smile on his face as he spoke to the smiling girl in front of him. The one who felt like his anchor. The one who would be a wonderful match for his older brother.
"Okay..." Eleanor pressed, sensing that George may be beginning to clam up. "Can I help you in any way?" she asked kindly, genuinely wanting to help.
"Of course you can! By gracing us with your wonderful presence and coming along,".
"You want me to come?" Eleanor asked. She was evidently shocked. She herself was not exactly a 'party' kind of person, and least expected to be asked by George to attend when they didn't know each other all that well. "Are you sure?".
"Of course!" George beamed. "We'll play some games, have a few drinks, order some food. Only a very small affair, but it'll be great,". He was telling himself more than Eleanor.
"Does this mean I'll get to meet Angelina finally?" Eleanor smirked, knowing George was besotted with the girl, his own emotions and trauma getting in the way of his happiness.
"She uh... She might be there if she doesn't have a game," George scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "And Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Lee, Charlie, Bill and Fleur I expect,". Eleanor's heart sped up slightly at the mention of Charlie's name.
"That sounds amazing, George. I'll be there! I can always whip up a couple of things to bring along too, as a thank you for inviting me,". George warmed at the sheer sweetness of the girl. Just as he went to speak again, there was a sharp knock at the door before it swung open, revealing an evidently surprised Charlie. His heart almost stopped when he opened the door as he did not expect to see Eleanor sitting on the other side. Her warm smile and bright green eyes caught him off guard, and he found himself standing stupidly for a few seconds before finally opening his mouth to speak.
"George, there's someone from the suppliers asking for you out here mate," Charlie informed. "Hey Ellie,". He offered a smile to the girl, ignoring the way his hands began to sweat ever so slightly.
George groaned before standing up and heading to the door. "Sorry Ellie, better go. So glad you can make it, I'll be in touch with a day!". With that, he left the room, leaving Eleanor and Charlie in silence for a few moments.
"Hi Charlie, how are you?" she asked shyly. Standing up to put her coat back on.
Charlie leaned casually against the door frame. "Yeah, yeah... I'm good, thank you. And yourself? What brings you here today?". They both inwardly groaned at their lack of conversing skills; wondering why they were acting so painfully awkward with each other.
"Oh, George just invited me to his little... Gathering? I'm not exactly sure what you call these things," she grimaced before letting out a small giggle. Charlie's stomach fluttered with the news; George had actually done it. He certainly owed him one.
"Brilliant!" Charlie said enthusiastically, surprising both of them. He immediately recoiled slightly and mentally face-palmed at his eagerness. "I mean uh... That's great, I'm sure it'll be fun,". Eleanor smiled.
"I suppose I'd better leave you to it, then!" She announced, not exactly wanting to leave, but not wanting to out-stay her welcome. She shrugged her coat on and stepped towards the door, towards where Charlie was still standing. As she moved closer, her own heart hammered in her chest as she caught his attractive scent. He really was even more attractive up close. "I'll see you soon, Charlie," she smiled.
"Wait!" Charlie spoke up just as she was about to duck past him, making her jump slightly. "Sorry," he muttered sheepishly. "Can I walk you back?".
With a flutter of her stomach, Eleanor stifled a wide smile as she looked up at the man. "Sure, that would be nice,".