Weasley Twins - A Fate You Can't Escape

Chapter 128 - Sober Hazel

I wake up very warm.  And not the too warm type.  No, the just right kind of warm.  Where your toes are cozy, but you aren't sweating.

And then I realize why.

I scramble away from the person beside me, falling out of the bed in the process. I land on my butt, the pain causing me to mumble a few choice swears. My head starts pounding, reminding me of the birthday drinking I had done last night.

Oh no.

I slowly raise myself up to peek at the bed. Charlie is sprawled out, sleeping in a pair of flannel pants. Last night is a bit fuzzy and out of focus, but I remember everything well enough.

We almost...

I called him...

I am mortified.

It seems I am unable to drink alcohol around Charlie, because I make very stupid and reckless choices. At least Charlie was enough of a gentleman, even drunk, that he stopped it from going further.

I grab my clothing off of the floor and book it out of the room. I throw on some shorts and shuffle to the kitchen so I can get a hangover draught.  After downing the icky liquid, my head starts to clear, and my stomach settles. 

It's still super early, and thankfully Teddy is still sleeping.  I make some tea and sit at the table.  The cup cools between my palms as I beat myself up about the night before.  Why am I so bad at self restraint?  Is Charlie going to be mad?  Is he going to have expectations?  Or like me, would he just chalk it up to us being drunk and impulsive?

I pick up the card I got from Snape yesterday and read it again.  I suppose a visit to him could do some good.  I grab a pen and quill and quickly write a note, telling him I'll visit tomorrow.  After posting it, I settle in with a book and try not overthink things.

The sun is well up by the time that Charlie stumbles out of his room.  He's thankfully fully clothed, but he looks a wreck.

"Hazel!"  He practically shouts, panic clear in his eyes.

"Hey, Charlie."  I say nervously as he rushes over.  He drops to his knees in front of me, wincing as his head pounds from the movement.

"I'm so sorry about last night.  I was out of line.  You were drunk and I took advantage.  I'm so sorry.  I understand if you and Teddy feel uncomfortable around me now.  I can move out if you need.  I'm just so sorry."  He blurts in a frantic avalanche of words.

"What?"  I drop the book on the couch next to me.  "Charlie.  No!  No, no, no."

"But-"

I cup his chin in my hands, cutting him off.  

"Charlie, it was a mutual thing.  You were also drunk.  If you took advantage of me, then I took advantage of you as well."  I stare into his brown eyes, watching as they soften slightly.

"I'm sorry."  He looks like a sad little puppy with the amount of sincerity in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, too."  I ruffle his already messy hair. 

"Is there any hangover draught left?"  He asks, my lips pulling into a smile.

"Yeah, there's plenty in the cabinet."

"Thank Merlin."  He heads off to fix his head, and I sigh, leaning my head against the back of the couch.

***

I gather up the rest of Teddy's things and shove them in the diaper bag.  The portkey leaves in ten minutes, and if we don't get a move on, we'll miss it.  I thankfully make it with a minute to spare, quickly bein whisked away in a whirlwind of magic.  I land on the cobbled street of Spinner's end, shivering as the wind blows through the dull buildings.  

I hurry to the front door, and knock, waiting for Snape to open the door.  After a moment or two the door swings open, and instead of Snape, I'm greeted by Draco.

"Oh!  Hi Draco!"  I smile at the boy.

"Hey Hazel.  How's it going?"  He steps to the side so I can come in.

"It's alright.  I brought cinnamon bread."  I hold up the bag with one hand, struggling with a squirming Teddy in the other.  "Can you take Teddy?  He's slippery."

"Oh!  Yeah."  He awkwardly pulls his nephew from my arms.

"How have you been?"  I ask as I take the bread into the kitchen.  I put the kettle on for some tea and start cutting the bread into slices. 

"Alright.  Feels weird to back at school.  At least McGonagall is letting me visit here though."  He shrugs, sitting at the table.

"Yeah?  How's the new defense teacher?  Not sure how much someone would be able to teach you all after everything."  I measure some tea leaves, making sure to get the perfect amount.  It's still brewing after all.

"Eh, she's alright.  She tries at least, which is more than most of the previous professors."  He shrugs, resting his chin in his hand.  "How's Romania?  Everything going okay with your ginger boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend."  I snap, my cheeks flushing at the memory of the other night.  "Things are fine.  I do potions research, so that's pretty cool."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to assume."  He blushes as well, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"It's fine.  I'm just jaded."  I snort, pouring the hot water into three mugs.  I finish making the tea, and Snape enters the room.  He looks better than the last time I saw him.  His color has fully returned and he's put some weight back on.  

"Tea's ready."  I nod for him to sit at the table, placing the mugs down.

"Thanks."  He mutters, sitting down.  I place a plate of cinnamon bread in front of him.  His eyebrows raise in surprise.

"I got the recipe from Rita." 

"I appreciate the gesture."  He nods, trying not to appear too excited for the treat.

"You're welcome."  I smile, winking at Draco as Snape digs in.  Draco's lips tug into a hint of a smile.

"So, Sir.  I have a bit of a brewing question to ask of you."  I take a sip of my tea before continuing.  "I've been working on an adaption of the fire protection potion, to make it resistant to dragon fire.  I think the solution is a dragon scale, as they already have fire resistant properties.  However, I can't figure out the best form of it for the potion."

Some of the tension in Snape's shoulders seem to melt away as we begin discussing the different properties of ingredient prep methods.  Draco also joins in with some helpful insight here and there, being an excellent brewer himself.

After a lengthy discussion and finally settling on powdered, the tea and bread are all gone, and Draco and I have to depart.

"Thanks for all your help, Sir."  I hug Snape, before taking a sleeping Teddy back from Draco.  "I'll come back to visit soon, okay?"

"Very well."  He murmurs, shaking Draco's hand.  The blonde boy and I leave the house, pausing on the street.

"Is it bad for you?"  I ask quietly, watching the sun set off to the west.

"Is what bad?"

"Being back?  Are you treated alright?"

"Better than I treated everyone before."  He admits, regret thickening his tone.

"Amazing how badly parents can screw us up, huh?"  I chuckle darkly.

"Yeah?"  He sniffs, running a hand through his hair.  He doesn't slick it back anymore.

"Good thing we've outgrown them, huh?"

"Yeah."  He smiles, turning to look at me.  "I like that.  We've outgrown them."

 We stand there quietly, watching the last rays of sun disappear, reflecting on how far we've come since our Hogwarts' letters.

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