BREAK// Fred Weasley x OC

𝑋𝑋𝐼

Things had been going good for Charlie, even if she didn't feel like it. She had worked for weeks, perfecting her recipes. Mostly with the help of Theo. Charlie had barely slept a blink.

It showed, the eyebags on her face grew darker as the shelves of her store became more stocked. Today was opening day.

Spending so much time with Theo had forced her to be honest with him. She told him about her medications and her aftershocks that she still had. She would have them for the rest of her life. Theo respected her wishes and didn't tell George or Fred.

Today, Charlie and Theo were standing in the store, before it opened. Charlie was wearing pinstripe dress pants and a professional white blouse. Her hair was pulled back into a low bun. She looked as though she had aged from lack of sleep.

George eventually came in, with a box of donuts. Fred standing awkwardly behind him. Charlie was too busy fussing over everything to notice them at first. It wasn't until George got bored of the awkwardness as shouted "I brought donuts!" That Charlie turned around. This was the first time Fred or George had seen her in person since her fight with Sirius. It had been long forgotten.

Her cheeks were hollow, her eyes looked tired and she did indeed look as though she had aged. "Thank you, George." Charlie offered a small, emotionless smile.

She hadn't really spoken to either of the twins in at least four months. She was far too busy to worry about the hurtful things Fred had said. Theo had been keeping the twins updated on Charlie but Charlie hadn't asked about them at all.

"Calm down Charlie, it looks fine." Theo laughed at Charlie re-displaying some potions.

Charlie took a deep breath, grounding herself as she listened to Theos words. "Alright. I can stick around for an hour or so after opening, Theo. But after that, I have a meeting with Angela. We'll go out for lunch I suppose, perhaps we'll check up on the plans for the foundation... After that, I have my checkup at St.Mungos. You'll be at dinner with the team tonight, right? It's written on the calendar in the back. I need you there." Charlie was rambling to Theo, he agreed to the dinner, putting a hand on her shoulder to calm her. George snickered, watching her ramble and be stressed. It was funny to see the girl so dishevelled, she almost never was.

Her anxious thoughts were interrupted by Fred. "I've never heard of a 'Sobering Potion' before." He looked at Charlie and Theo.

Charlie began to blush uncomfortably. "Well, um- you see,"

She was interrupted by Theo rolling his eyes. "She created it! Jeez, Charlie. Why are you so scared to tell anyone that these are all original potions." He crossed his arms.

Both Fred and George looked at Charlie in shock. The girl looked at the palms of her hands, now looking like a small girl in dress clothes. "That's incredible, Charlie!" George exclaimed, taking a better look around.

Theo patted Charlie's shoulder, "She's been working on them since third year."

In a way, Charlie really didn't want Fred to know that. It would further his suspicion that Charlie shared absolutely nothing with him when they were together.

With a deep breath, Charlie clapped her hands together. "Alright well, it's time to open."

Opening day went amazingly. Elixr was a hit. Even before Charlie had left, they had made upwards to 500 galleons in sales.

Her meeting with Angela had gone well. Charlie and Angela got along perfectly, they worked together as a team.

Her doctor's appointment went alright, there were no changes in her aftershock syndrome.