Cicatrices- Marks That Remain

Charlie and Alex

HI I'M SO SORRY ITS BEEN SO LONG. BUT IT WAS WORTH IT I HOPE!!! I put a Lot into this chapter and has even gone as far as to make me make a spinoff of the chapter that is its OWN FIC. SURPRISE!

Warning for discussions of AIDS, homophobia in several different forms, and STI's, also discussions of severe mental health and suicide.

And uh, SURPRISE! I;m making a fic entirely about Charlie Weasley and Alex his boyfriend with no last name. I will be releasing the first chapter later today! Each chapter is named after a song that I will be linking in each chapter! Furthermore, at the end, it will all be compiled into a playlist :)) It is going to be a short thing, less than 20 chapters, and I will be attaching it to this fic as part of a "series". I hope you all decide to read and that you all enjoy it!

And now back to this chapter, please let me know what y'all think, and, as always... Enjoy!

"They're fucking idiots if they think that me liking Alex made me the likes of some monster," Charlie shrugged, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Harry sat across from Charlie and Alex, half bewildered by their nonchalance, and half disbelieving that he actually managed to schedule a time to talk to them.

Charlie laughed, a sudden, light-aired thing. "Don't look so shocked. Alex has stronger opinions than I do." Alex nodded, smirking darkly.

"I love a chance to slander the fuckers at church that my family calls righteous." Alex took a chip off of Charlie's plate and dipped it into a cup of sauce on his plate, eating it in one bite before pointing at Harry.

"I'm with you, Harry, I think religion is stupid as all fuck-"

"Alex," Charlie sighed as though he'd heard it millions of times before.

"It is, Char! Look, I get that you have an awesome family that is fine with us, but I swear you guys are not the norm," he said with a matter-of-fact air that made Harry stare. Alex stole another few chips and Charlie swatted him away, albeit softly, while simultaneously taking a crisp from Alex's plate.

"You ordered crisps so you could eat my chips?"

"I still think it makes more sense to call them fries, but yes, I wanted both!" Alex smiled, and Charlie struggled to hold back his own. He shook his head as he turned back to Harry.

"So," he began, "Alex and I clearly have different ideas about religion, but, yeah," he sighed. "The church can be full of snobs and gits who think they're better than everyone, and gayness has been something they've been after for forever."

"But why does Draco care so much?" Harry asked, exasperated. He cleared his throat, irritated by the persistent itch. "And how the hell have I not gotten my soup?" He looked around the area, and there was not a waiter in sight with his food, despite both Charlie and Alex having gotten theirs.

"Look, Har... I can't pretend to be in Malfoy's brain. I don't know him as well as Ron or even you, but I can come up with some pretty decent guesses as to why. Before I caused my entire family's departure from the church, I used to give a shit... We all used to, at The Burrow."

Harry watched on, listening quietly as Charlie glanced down at his plate, seemingly piecing together what he was going to say. His lips formed a thin line. "For all of us older Weasleys.... I mean, basically all of us except Ron and Ginny, and maybe the twins... going to church was just. Normal. We went every week without thinking twice. It was baked into us, and the things we learned in there were just... second nature. When you grow up with those things all around you, it becomes as simple as- as... the sky being blue, or the rain being wet. It seeps into your bones." Charlie sighed. "I didn't really have a bad experience with church until I came out at eighteen, and it still took me a couple of months to start thinking outside that lens."