Neverland||Charlie Weasley [2]

16

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It was a breath of relief when August came and Charlie found himself outside of the Marauders' home once again. It seemed as though his family may as well live there permanently because that seemed to be their regular home during the summer holidays. Staring up at the large house, Charlie shuddered at what he believed to be awaiting him on the other side of the door. Not a word had been heard from Hattie towards him since he received the large bundle of letters of which she poured her heart and soul into each word overflowing with hatred. He couldn't blame her for feeling the way she did, after all, he had promised her the world but ended up failing her by not being able to cope. In his defence, dealing with Hattie's problems, her growing attitude and dragons all at once were easier said than done.

His hands shook as he pushed the front door open and his chest felt heavy as he stepped across the threshold. The overwhelming aroma of freshly baked goods filled his nostrils and it suddenly felt as if he was truly home but the ache he felt when he heard the familiar laugh travel through the house was something he couldn't easily ignore. Nevertheless, Charlie ushed himself through the hallway and into the kitchen-dining room where everybody was gathered like a loud rabble.

Nobody acknowledged his presence until Peter glanced up from his paper. "Ah, Charlie, mate, it's good to see you," he greeted with a warm smile and the room fell silent and nearly all heads turned to him as if he was a giant spectacle.

Charlie nodded with a grin and hugged his mother as she outstretched her arms for him. "How is work, dear?" She asked and ushered him to the table where he took a seat next to Ginny who leaned into her older brother for a hug.

"It's alright," he shrugged, "not much different to what I told you a few days ago in my letter but it'll be nice to have a break."

Bill stared at his brother as if a stranger had taken a seat at the table because the man before him seemed foreign to him. He wasn't gushing about any of the dragons or a new scar he had received nor did he tell a gripping tale of how he got his latest burn which would make his mother squeal and gush over him and how he needed to be more careful. Instead, a stranger in his brother's body sat on his chair with a straight back with a stick up his backside, his figure rigid and his smile was not cheeky and joyful. No. It was forced and Bill wasn't entirely sure anyone else noticed it but this so-called facade wasn't going to wash with him.

Thankfully for Charlie, the attention dispersed from him and the liveliness of the room returned. He sat idly listening to around four different conversations, all of the sentences jumbling together and not making much sense to him but his main focus wasn't on trying to decipher each individual conversation, but rather on a particular person who hadn't even glanced his way once since he arrived.

Harriet Black looked so beautiful as she sat beside Percy and was in a deep discussion about the latest area of work that Percy was involved in at the Ministry. Her hair had grown longer and her body had filled out a bit more. The smile she wore as Percy cracked a joke was like one he hadn't seen in years. As much as he had seen her when she was getting better smiling and laughing, this time it seemed much more than just a smile or a giggle. this time it was a full-on guffaw and her smile was bright enough to light up the entire room!