In love with a Weasley (Charlie Weasley)

HBP 14

Back to Auroras POV

I wake to the bright lights of the hospital wing a few days after the attack. I notice Bill sat up in the bed beside mine looking down at a book. He glances over at me.

"Rory, thank god you're finally awake" I slowly sit up wincing at the pain in my sides and neck. I look at Bill properly and notice his face as everything comes back to me from the attack. I realise it's my fault he got hurt.

"I'm so sorry Bill" I say, my voice quiet.

"Why are you sorry, it's not your fault and don't call me Bill you never call me that" He gives me a small smirk before wincing.

"If I hadn't been there, you wouldn't have had to pull him off of me and you wouldn't have got attacked" I put my head in my hands.

"Hey Rory look at me" I look up and see him smiling slightly at me "You're my little sister and that's not just because you're married to my brother, I'd protect you from anything just like you protected my brother a few years ago, if it wasn't for you he might not be here right now" he pats the bed next to him for me to sit beside him as I do he puts his arm around my shoulder pulling me into him gently. We stay like that for a while not saying anything, my head on his shoulder until Charlie walks in.

"Nova" Bill lets me go so Charlie can hug me. "I was so scared, stop doing that to me" He smiles but I can see the pain in his eyes as he helps me back to my bed and sits beside me, wrapping his arms around me.

"I'm sorry" I tell him as I look down at my hands.

"No, don't be sorry" Charlie gently places a finger under my chin, lifting my head slightly to face him "You have nothing to be sorry for"

"I do though, it's my fault Bill got attacked. If I had just been paying attention to what was around me" 

"I told you not to call me Bill, it is not your fault Aurora as I already told you" Bill said from his bed.

"Nova" Charlie starts but I cut him off not wanting to talk about it anymore.

"Where's Moony" 

"He's been visiting you daily, he was here earlier" She nods as she rests her head on Charlies shoulder.

The day of Dumbledores funeral arrived. Charlie had an arm around my waist helping support me as we walked beside Bill who was also being supported by Fleur. An extraordinary assortment of people had already settled into half of the chairs; shabby and smart, old and young. Most I didn't recognize, but a few I did, including members of the Order of the Phoenix: Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks, her hair miraculously returned to vividest pink, Moony, with whom she seemed to be holding hands, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, followed by Fred and George, who were wearing jackets of black dragon skin. Then there was Madame Maxime, who took up two and a half chairs on her own; Tom, the landlord of the Leaky Cauldron in London; Arabella Figg, the hairy bass player from the Wizarding group the Weird Sisters; Ernie Prang, driver of the Knight Bus; Madam Malkin, of the robe shop in Diagon Alley; and some people whom Harry merely knew by sight, such as the barman of the Hog's Head and the witch who pushed the trolley on the Hogwarts Express. The castle ghosts were there too, barely visible in the bright sunlight, discernible only when they moved, shimmering insubstantially on the gleaming air. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny filed into seats at the end of a row beside the lake. People were whispering to each other; it sounded like a breeze in the grass, but the birdsong was louder by far. The crowd continued to swell, Neville being helped into a seat by Luna. Neville and Luna alone of the D.A. had responded to Hermione's summons the night that Dumbledore had died. Cornelius Fudge walked past toward the front rows, his expression miserable, twirling his green bowler hat as usual, next came Rita Skeeter, who had a notebook clutched in her red-taloned hand, and then, with a jolt of fury, Dolores Umbridge, an unconvincing expression of grief upon her toadlike face, a black velvet bow set atop her iron-coloured curls. At the sight of the centaur Firenze, who was standing like a sentinel near the water's edge, she gave a start and scurried hastily into a seat a good distance away. 

The staff was seated at last. Scrimgeour was looking grave and dignified in the front row with Professor McGonagall. Music could be heard, it was strange, otherworldly music, it was the merpeople in the lake. Hagrid was walking slowly up the aisle between the chairs. He was crying quite silently, his face gleaming with tears, and in his arms, wrapped in purple velvet spangled with golden stars, was what Harry knew to be Dumbledore's body. Hagrid placed the body carefully upon the table before he retreated down the aisle, blowing his nose with loud trumpeting noises that drew scandalized looks from some, including, Dolores Umbridge. I leaned into Charlie, who still had his arm around my waist as I looked across at Harry, he gave me a small smile. The music stopped, and he turned to face the front again. A little tufty-haired man in plain black robes had got to his feet and stood now in front of Dumbledore's body. We couldn't hear what he was saying. Odd words floated back to us over the hundreds of heads. "Nobility of spirit" "intellectual contribution" "greatness of heart" It did not mean very much. It had little to do with Dumbledore. There was a soft splashing noise to his left and he saw that the merpeople had broken the surface to listen too. As the little man in black droned on there was movement among the trees. The centaurs had come to pay their respects too. They did not move into the open but I saw them and I noticed Harry looking to, they were standing quite still, half hidden in shadow, watching the wizards, their bows hanging at their sides. The little man in black had stopped speaking at last and resumed his seat. Then several people screamed. Bright, white flames had erupted around Dumbledore's body and the table upon which it lay: Higher and higher they rose, obscuring the body. White smoke spiralled into the air and made strange shapes, the next second the fire had vanished. In its place was a white marble tomb, encasing Dumbledore's body and the table on which he had rested. There were a few more cries of shock as a shower of arrows soared through the air, but they fell far short of the crowd. It was the centaurs' tribute: They then turned tail and disappeared back into the cool trees. Likewise, the merpeople sank slowly back into the green water and were lost from view. People slowly started to get up and leave as Charlie helped me. Moony walked over to us and pulled me into a gentle hug.

"Hey Wolf" He whispered into my hair as he kissed my head.

"Hey Moony" He pulled away and smiled at me "Charlie told me about your little chat where you blamed yourself" 

"I wasn't alone in the self blame though was I" He gestures to Bill who was now stop the other side of me with Fleur.