BREAK// Fred Weasley x OC

𝑋𝑉𝐼𝐼𝐼

When Charlie woke up, she was no longer in the Department Of Mysteries. She shot up, lifting herself up into a sitting position. She was in St. Mungos. In front of her was Fred, George and Arthur. "What happened? Is everyone okay? Where's Harry and Sirius? Why am I in St. Mungos?" Charlie spoke quickly, staring at the three in worry.

Fred and George giggled as Arthur laughed. "Slow down, Girl. You're alright. The rest are too. No casualties."

Charlie let out a breath of relief. "Oh... Why am I here?"

Fred held Charlie's hand as Arthur spoke. "Well, Bellatrix hit you with a pretty bad stunning spell. You didn't even wake after being crucioed... You're okay though. There was a lot of glass buried in your back."

Charlie nodded, squeezing Fred's hand at the word 'crucio' Scratching her head, she asked "How long have I been out."

Fred answered this time. "About a month." His voice was croaky and tired. That was when Charlie took a good look at the three men sitting in her room. They all looked tired and worried. Fred's face was hollow and adorned by intense eye bags.

"What time is it?" Charlie asked.

"About 4 am," Arthur answered.

Charlie frowned, staring at the three. "You three, go home. Get to bed. I'll tell the nurse to make you leave if you don't do it willingly. You all need to rest."

Once Charlie had finally convinced them to leave, she began to cry. She had missed a whole month of her life. She had missed her graduation, her N.E.W.Ts, the twins store opening. All of it. What was she to do with this information?

At Least everyone was alive. She was grateful for that.

When Charlie was finally cleared to go home, she was ecstatic, a bit worried as well. She had been getting crucio aftershocks at random times. Her muscles would contort and it would feel as though she was getting tortured all over again. Sometimes it was just her arm or leg or even a finger but other times, it was her whole body.

She returned to 13 Grimmauld Place with a huge smile, excited to see Sirius again. He hadn't been able to visit her for obvious reasons.

When she arrived through the fireplace, Sirius tackled her into a hug as soon as she stepped through the door. Charlie laughed with joy as she hugged Sirius back. "Thank you, Charlie. I owe you my life." He whispered into her ear. Charlie smiled softly, hugging Sirius even tighter.

After Charlie had settled in, it became apparent to her that she had graduated. She was an actual adult now.

This fact brought her no comfort. What the hell was she to do?

She had a lot of money, she could open a shop but she was hesitant. Would it pan out? What if her mother or another death eater came in?

What if she had crucio aftershocks in the shop?

Nobody knew of her aftershocks. She refused to talk to anyone about it.

That night at dinner, she wasn't feeling very hungry.

Charlie laid in her bed, staring up at her ceiling when Fred came in. "Hey! I'm going back to my flat- are you okay?"

Charlie laughed, "No."

Fred sat beside her, "What's wrong, love?"

"I feel like a failure. I spent all my years at Hogwarts preparing to go out into the real world and now I have not a clue what to do. I don't want to work for the ministry, I also don't want to sit and do nothing. I'm scared."

"Hey now, it's okay... you got out of the hospital like what... three hours ago? You'll be alright. I'd start with getting your own flat. Georgie and I can help with that if you'd like. Research some different jobs, I'm sure you'll figure it out Char." Fred held Charlie's hand, an understanding smile on his face.