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BOOK SEVEN: CHAPTER EIGHT

As Veronica and Charlie entered the Three Broomsticks, they found a booth in the back and sat down. They had just finished taking their Apparition Exam, and while Veronica had passed with flying colors, Charlie hadn't as he had landed on top of a woman who was doing her shopping. This mistake had cost him the license, but they were both confident he would pass on his next attempt, which would have to be done at the Ministry of Magic over the summer as he would be leaving for Romania not long after and didn't have time to wait for the next scheduled exam.

As Veronica went on and on about what he could have done wrong, Charlie chuckled and rolled his eyes softly. He would never tell her this, but she had been the reason he failed. She had been standing off to the side waiting for him to finish his exam, and just before he apparated, she had bent over to pick something up. The sight of her bent over with her shirt ridden up, exposing the skin on her lower back was enough to completely distract him from his target, and that's how he ended up five miles south of where he had meant to appear. But even though he knew that he would have passed otherwise, he let her lecture him. They barely got to see each other anymore, and he knew their time together was limited with him moving to Romania. He knew he would miss the sound of her voice, so he let her talk.

The past month after they had gotten back from Christmas break had been a busy one for them both. On top of everything they already had on their plates, Charlie had begun learning Romanian and doing his research on the country he would be moving to in a few months, while Veronica had begun training with Flitwick and shadowing him on a daily basis to learn the ins and outs of his job. They rarely saw each other during the week anymore, so now more than ever, they looked forward to Saturdays where they got to spend the whole day together.

Once Veronica's lecture was over, Charlie changed the subject. "How have your lessons with Flitwick been going?"

"They're great, it's just a lot. I'm sitting in on one class per year level plus an extra seventh year class other than ours so that I can focus on learning in one and shadowing Flitwick in the other. He's also been showing me how to grade essays and build lesson plans. So there's also been a ton of behind the scenes things I've had to learn. Plus frog choir and Head of House tasks as well. It's just a lot." Veronica closed her eyes for a moment and rolled her head, stretching her neck. Opening her eyes, she looked at him. "What about you? How is the Romanian coming along?"

"Pretty good, I think. I certainly can't have full conversations, but I have a few important phrases memorized, like 'where's the toilet', 'what's your name?', things like that."

"Nice! That's a lot more than you knew last week, so you're definitely picking it up quickly. Say something to me in Romanian."

Charlie blushed as he looked away. "No, my accent is probably terrible and–"

"Seriously? That's the lamest excuse ever... as if I would know the difference. Come on."

"Okay, okay. I did learn something specially for you, that I would only ever say to you."

"What?" Veronica beamed as her eyes lit up. "Only for me? Tell me!"

Charlie took a deep breath. "Te iubesc atat de mult. Aș vrea să-ți pot spune ce simt pentru tine."

"Ooooh, that sounds so pretty! What does it mean?"

Charlie shook his head as he took a sip of his Butterbeer. "I can't tell you."

Veronica's jaw dropped, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean? Why not?"

"Because," Charlie shrugged, "I'm not ready to tell you what it means yet. Maybe one day I will. But not today."

Veronica wanted to argue with him, but she could tell he was serious about it, so she decided to just let it go. He would tell her when he was ready. "Fine... Anyway, it sounded pretty good to me. And I'm sure you'll be fluent in no time."

Charlie chuckled. "Luckily, everyone at the Romanian sanctuary speaks English, so it will only be when I'm out amongst muggles that I'll need it, which probably won't be very often anyway."

"Charlie!" Veronica rolled her eyes playfully. "You can't spend all your time with the dragons!"

Charlie winked at her. "No promises."

***

Veronica wiped her eyes as she took one last look at the castle that had become her home for the past seven years. She had so many memories in those halls; the good and the bad. And although she knew she would be coming back next year to teach, it wouldn't be the same. Charlie wouldn't be there.

Their graduation ceremony had brought on a multitude of emotions. They had received their N.E.W.T scores, and unsurprisingly, Veronica had gotten an Outstanding in all her classes. Charlie had gotten a mix of Os and Es, which he was more than happy with. There had been a celebration on the Training Grounds for all the graduates and their professors, and while Veronica missed Art like crazy, she knew he would have been so proud of her and everything she had accomplished that year. She just wished he could have been there to see it and experience it with her.

Once the End-of-Term Feast was over, where Ravenclaw had been awarded the Quidditch and House Cups again, much to Veronica's delight, the graduates separated from the rest of the students and made their way to the boats that would sail them across the lake one last time. Just as they had arrived at Hogwarts seven years ago, they would leave all the same, allowing their journey to come full circle. They had done it. They had closed the final chapter of the Hogwarts portion of their lives, and their future as adults in the Wizarding World would soon begin. And while Veronica knew she should be happy, she couldn't shake the sinking feeling in her stomach, and she wasn't sure if it was the dread of traveling by boat or the dread of knowing her time with Charlie was quickly coming to an end, but either way, she hated it. She wished she could freeze time and live in this moment forever. But alas, there she stood, staring at Charlie's outstretched hand, just as she had done all those years ago, and all she could hear him say was, "come on, I got you, I won't let you fall." And she knew he meant it. Placing her hand in his, she kept her eyes on his as she stepped into the boat.