Twisted (Charlie Weasley)

Chapter Thirty-Six

The warmth of June washed over Romania in a way that I had spent all of the winters dreaming of... or at least the nights that horrid nightmare of my parents didn't plague my sleep in the way they so often did. I sat packing up a bag knowing the next couple months would be hard, but Molly's begging had made it hard to refuse as she claimed that she needed my help when it came to preparing the wedding. Part of me knew that she simply didn't want to put up with Fleur on her own any longer, and I knew that going to England now would likely benefit the two's relationship in the long run. 

Packing, however, also proved to be hellish as my young toddler seemed to take two things out of my bag for every single item I placed in. It reminded me of a very similar moment when I had left Romania for one of the first times after I had met Charlie. I placed my hands on my hips and turned to my son who had grin spread across his face, seemingly enjoying this game. His grin disappeared though when he saw my familiar stern face. 

"Arthur Weasley!" I scolded the boy, "I need to pack up our trunk so we can go to England."

He let out a huff, "No! Stay!" He mimicked me in placing his hands on his hips, "Daddy! Stay!"

This was an argument it seemed I was now having with both men of my family, as neither seemed to be looking forward to the upcoming trip. Artie was to accompany me to England, as Charlie would be far to busy with work to care for the boy, and he was not happy that the two of us would be gone from him for so long. Artie had picked this attitude up from his father quickly when he realized what the fight was about. 

Normally the boy grew comfortable in England a couple of days into our trip, however, I thought the case might be different as we were due to be there over a month with Charlie not joining us there until the end of the trip. I let out a sigh, "Aren't you looking forward to seeing Aunty Tonks? Or Aunty Ginny? Uncle Ron? Uncle Fred? Uncle George? I know your aunty Fleur and uncle Bill are looking forward to seeing you, sweetheart."

The boy gave me a narrowed look, "Ron uck!" 

I suppressed a laugh, "Well darling, you will be seeing a lot of your uncle Ron whether you like it or not. If you won't let me pack I will have to take you over to Amorette's and pack then!"

The boy scowled for a moment before putting down the shirt he had gripped in his chubby fists. "Why don't you go grab your toy broom so you can fly at Nan's?"

He grinned and wobbled out of the room at top speed. At over a year and a half old, he moved quickly and all the time, full of energy and determination. I was able to finish packing quickly after reasoning with my son. By the time I had finished Charlie was off work and had made his way home. He found me still in our bedroom, my trunk now closed and Artie rambling about his broom. While he didn't have the biggest vocabulary yet I was able to understand that he wanted to fly with his aunts and uncles as soon as he could. 

"Are you off tonight?" Charlie asked eyeing the trunk before looking at our son. I could see the sadness in his eyes, and I wished he was able to come with us. I cursed the reserve countless times over the past few days for not giving him more time off work. 

I gave him a quick kiss, "It's only a couple weeks. We have been apart longer than that in the past." I told him, "And you will join us in England as soon as you can. Artie will be able to get to know your family more, and I will stop the wedding from turning into a funeral... because if I don't go, your mother will kill Fleur."

Charlie let out a chuckle, "I love you." He said softly, "I would say write but..."

"Letters aren't safe anymore." I finished, "I know darling, we have been over this a hundred times. I love you so much, and the time will fly by."