Just Like Home | Charlie Weasley

Chapter 17

Cheeky little double update for y'all! I'm off work and I can't stop writing, so why wait? I'm sure you may end up finding chapter 18 up very soon too. 

George took one look at the defeated expression his brother was wearing when he arrived at his flat and let him in without question. There was no denying that he looked truly gutted, but the question was why? He hadn't explained a single thing before he bolted out of The Burrow. George waited until he'd fixed him a cup of coffee and settled onto the opposite sofas before he spoke up.

"So... Gonna tell me what's up?" he asked lightly, leaning back in his seat.

Charlie heaved a deep sigh, for the umpteenth time that evening, before running his hands over his face in a frustrated manner. He then rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward inspecting the floor before he spoke up. "I don't understand how I let it happen," he said finally.

"Let what happen? Mate, I'll be honest, I have no idea what you're chatting about. You're worse than Trelawney in one of her episodes right now," George chuckled.

"I... Well I was called back to the sanctuary on... I guess it was Wednesday... And I planned on staying for a short while to help out with one of the new intakes," he began, but still obviously very confused. "But then, next thing I knew, I was coming back home for dinner with you lot," he finished.

"Next thing you knew?" George clarified. "Meaning what? You don't remember what happened between you arriving in Romania and coming back here?".

"No," Charlie shrugged. "I remember Zoey coming to fetch me, asking for help, I remember being there with the little Vipertooth, but... That's about it,".

Both of them sat in silence for a few moments, absorbing the information that Charlie had set out. It was bizarre, it didn't make much sense, but neither of them had an explanation for it.

"Did you fall asleep? Is that why you're so confused?" George pressed. He was almost certain that Charlie hadn't missed his date with Eleanor on purpose. He couldn't possibly see why he would, after all, he was already smitten with her. "You didn't know what day it was when you came back?".

"I... I dunno, mate," he shrugged. "Maybe I did? I was a bit groggy when I came home wasn't I? I just... There was no way I knew it was Thursday, like, I've got an entire evening just gone!". He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, messing it up as he went. He stood up and began to pace around the room as he tried to piece it together.

"It really does sound a bit weird, doesn't it?" George voiced. "Can I ask you something though?".

Charlie hummed in response, continuing his pacing as he chewed on his thumbnail.

"Why the fuck did Zoey, of all people, come to get you?".

That made Charlie cease his actions. He hadn't meant to let her name slip out, but in his frustrated state, he hadn't noticed. He knew exactly how George, and his entire family, felt about her.

"George," Charlie warned, dropping into a seat again. "She still works at the sanctuary," he explained. "I can't avoid her, as much as I'd like to,".

"Still..." George huffed. "Could have been literally anyone else. I don't trust that bitch,".

"That's not the issue at hand, mate!" Charlie groaned. "How am I gonna get Ellie to listen... How can I expect her to believe me if I don't even know what happened myself?".

George sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. "Try tomorrow? And we can go from there?".

After a long pause, Charlie began chuckling to himself. When George glanced at him with a wary look, he spoke up. "We're both pretty fucking useless with women, aren't we?".

George couldn't help but laugh too. After all, he was right. How long he'd been in his situationship with Angie and he was still terrified to admit his feelings to her.

Friday morning greeted Eleanor with a headache that felt like her brain had been pulled out with a rusty spoon. As soon as she attempted to open her eyes, she immediately began questioning her entire life's choices. It took her a minute to spot the glass of water, vial of clear liquid and small note on her bedside table. God bless Hayley. She popped the cork of the vial, trying desperately to inhale the awful stench of the hangover cure, before chugging it in one, immediately following with the glass of water. After a small retch, she dragged herself out of bed and stood in the shower for a while.

Of course, Darcie couldn't help but giggle at Eleanor's state as soon as she walked in. Sure, the vial helped massively, but it didn't completely banish all of the wretched symptoms of a mighty hangover. Eleanor decided to stick with simple and easy recipes for the day, not entirely sure she'd be able to stomach making anything elaborate. Darcie helped out as much as she could, having learnt a thing or two from Eleanor in the time she'd been working with her.

When the doors opened, the usual steady stream of customers kept the girls busy for the majority of the morning. There was always that small niggle of nerves, for Eleanor, that Charlie would pop in at any moment. She knew that it was very unlikely, though, since his absence on their date made it abundantly clear that he didn't want to see her, but still. Girl's brains tend to be rather illogical like that sometimes.

"So, what are your plans for Christmas this year?" Darcie asked merrily during the momentary lull of customers.

Truthfully, Eleanor had sort of forgotten that it was already early December, and that the festive season was already looming over their heads. "I'll just be with my dad," she smiled, ignoring the sinking feeling she got when she thought about what Christmas used to be like. It was always the hardest time of the year... It always was her mother's favourite.

"Aw, that's so cute," Darcie gushed. "My cousins are all arriving from Ireland soon," she explained. "There's loads of them, and they always stay for practically the whole of December. Honestly, it's a nightmare."

Eleanor chuckled. "A busy house then, I assume?".

Darcie nodded dramatically, her eyes wide. "They're a bunch of nutters. The lot of them. They survive solely on whiskey and terrible jokes." She paused for a moment before her smile turned slightly more devious. "Although... I do have a cousin who's around your age. He's called Finn."

Eleanor narrowed her eyes suspiciously, wondering why on earth Darcie was telling her this. Did he need a job, or something? "Okay...".

"Yeah," Darcie sang. "Maybe I'll bring him along one day, y'know, for a visit...".

"I mean... I doubt he'd find it very interesting, but sure," Eleanor shrugged. At her response, Darcie mentally facepalmed. The poor, sweet girl really was clueless.

Around lunch time, things picked up again. Eleanor somehow ended up covered in caramel syrup, causing specks of flour to stick to her hands and face. She tossed her now-wild curls up into a haphazard bun, sticking her wand through it to keep it in place. Her dad always told her off for doing that, telling her she'd take her own head off one day if she wasn't careful, but whatever. She was just finishing up with a friendly customer, an elderly wizard who was one of their regulars, when she spotted a sight that caused her heart to somehow simultaneously jump as though it was on a pogo stick, but also sink lower than the depths of the Pacific Ocean. A flash of red hair, a familiar denim button-up shirt and a pair of bright sapphire eyes. She felt sick.