Yours truly ; Charlie Weasley

Thirty-six

That afternoon I fell asleep and I didn't wake up until I had a nightmare in the middle of the night. I woke up, screaming and sweating. I don't know why I expected Charlie to come into my room.

Maybe because he usually did that, but now he didn't, and when I went to check on him, he wasn't there. He had actually left like I had asked him to.

I knew I had been the one to kick him out but it still made me sad to see the sofa empty, to see most of his stuff gone.

I ended up changing into one of his shirts that he had left behind, and climbed back into bed so I could get some more sleep. Maybe with his smell surrounding me, I wouldn't have another nightmare.

When I woke up again, it was light outside and the sun was shining through my window where the curtains hadn't been closed.

It took me a while to gain the energy to get out of bed, but once I did, I pulled into a pair of shorts and immediately wrote a letter for each of my sisters to tell them I was gonna keep the shop closed today because I wasn't feeling well.

I was gonna take the letters down to the owl office, seeing as I don't own an owl. I meant to buy one years ago but I never got to it.

When I opened the door to walk out of my bedroom, Crispus was there. I sighed, causing him to look up. He was standing by the kitchen counter, looking at something, though I couldn't see what.

"Good morning sleepyhead." He smiled. "I let myself in. Hope that's alright."

"Yeah, sure." I shrugged. "How uh— how're you and Carrie?"

He turned towards me, resting a hand on the counter while resting the other on his hip.

"We're going to talk to the Ministry about adoption." He said. "We went to a clinic a few days ago and I'm the one who's infertile and I don't know if I would be able to handle her being pregnant with a donors child."

"I'm sorry to hear that." I breathed. "But hey— you get to give a home to someone who needs it."

Crispus hummed before he looked at the counter again, making my curiosity grow.

"Congratulations." My brother then said, smiling at me. "I'm sorry that we didn't seem supportive when you told us Charlie were back but if you're happy, so am I and everyone else will come around eventually."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Have you set a date?"

What?

"A date?" I asked and moved closer so I could see what he was looking at.

There was a black velvet box on the table, similar to the one I caught Charlie with the day I came home after helping out George.

The box was opened, placed perfectly on the counter, revealing a beautiful silver ring. It had a was a twisted banded ring with small diamonds leading up to one bigger one. It was simple, yet beautiful and it almost looked royal.

"I didn't open it, by the way." Crispus told me. "It was already open. I just have one question; why is it still in the box and not on your finger?"

I shook my head and grabbed the box, closing it.

"We're not engaged." I said, looking down at the box in my hands. "He's been planning to propose a couple of times but I— not yet. I can't do it yet."

"Okay..."

"I just— I need to know that we'll be alright before I say yes to something like that." I said.
"Divorce is so much more complicated and I know I've been with him for most of my life but—"

"Ember." Crispus interrupted me. "It's okay. You don't need to explain anything."

I let out a breath and nodded slowly before I walked over to the shelf in the living room and placed the box on Charlie's stack of books.

"Where is Charlie anyway?"

I shrugged.

"I asked him to leave." I said. "He's giving me two weeks alone. We've been fighting a lot these past days and I fainted yesterday. He's just—"

I sighed and looked down at the two letters in my other hand, then looked at Crispus.

"Can you do me a favour?" I asked. "I'm not feeling too well. I think I might take a shower and then just go back to bed. I can't open the shop today so can you please go down to the owl office and send these to Valencia and Calypso for me?"

I walked back over to Crispus who held out his hand to receive the letters from me.

"How are you not feeling well?" He asked. "Physically or mentally?"

"I don't know." I breathed. "I'm just really tired even though I just slept for over ten hours and I've got a headache so I just want to spend the day relaxing."

"Alright." Crispus frowned. "Yeah, I'll head down to the owl office with these but I'll be back and I'll make you grandma's famous smoothie."

Our mother's mum used to make these smoothies whenever one of us were sick. It could basically cure anything.

As Crispus left, I got my stuff and took that shower I wanted. Afterwards I got dressed in the same shorts and shirt before getting into bed.

I snuggled up on the side of the bed where Charlie always slept.

Was I crazy for already missing him when I was the one who told him to give me space?

I felt crazy.

I didn't want to act crazy. It's not like I wanted to have space, but I knew it was what I needed and I had to take care of my needs.

When Crispus got back, I could hear him move around the kitchen and it was kinda comforting my to know my big brother was there while I wasn't feeling so good.

My head was pounding. Not so that it was unbearable but my head ached and I felt physically tired but also mentally tired.

The door to the bedroom wasn't open but not closed either. I could only look through a very small creak, seeing my brother walk around out there.

It reminded me of when I was little. Crispus always took care of everyone else. When I was eight and he was thirteen, I got this really bad case of influenza and I remember hearing his humming to the music that played in the kitchen while I laid on the sofa in the living room.

He made me the very same smoothie while mum and dad were working during the summer holidays and our other siblings were either upstairs, in the garden or being babysat.

"Ember?!" Crispus called. I heard his steps before the door to the bedroom creaked. "I'm gonna make you some breakfast as well as the smoothie. Does egg and bacon sound good?"

I opened my eyes and looked at him, yawning before I could answer.

"You don't need to do that."

"No, I do." He nodded. "You're my baby sister and you're not feeling well, so does it sound alright? Egg and bacon? I can make it scrambled."

A small smile formed on my lips and I nodded.

"It sounds good. Thank you." I said. "But Cris— I'm not your baby sister. I'm almost twenty-six."

"And I'm almost thirty-one." He shrugged. "I remember mum and dad bringing you home a few days after you were born. I'll always see you like that."