STRANGE LOVE | O. WOOD ✔

[31] : CHARLES WEASLEY

"I'm sorry."

Astrid stared at Oliver, who sat a few inches away from her. She could smell his cologne, and his minty breath. All she wanted to do was kiss his lips but she restrained herself. She licked her dry lips, averting her eyes from his soft, inviting ones. She couldn't give into temptation.

"What for?" Astrid has asked and Oliver gulped. He wasn't expecting her to be this cool. He was expecting her to be a sobbing mess or a violent wave of malice and anger. However, the world proved him wrong. He could hear the hurt in her voice, no matter how hard Astrid tried to hide it. He had spent enough time with her to know when she was sad or angry. The little time apart they spent, had slightly wavered his senses but now they had enhanced.

"Accusing you." Astrid looked up, surprised to find tears in Oliver's eyes. "I-"

"Shh." Astrid said, wiping the tears away for him as they fell. "I only spent time with Leo because he reminded me of Cedric." They both swallowed hard. They both still refused to believe that their best friend was dead and rotting underground. "I was scared Cedric was going to die, hence why I never went to the Tournament except that day. And Leo— Leo gave me that flicker of hope that Cedric might live you see." She sighed. "I barely even like Leo, he's such a nebbish who tries to be hubristic, hardly any surprise there." She snorted. "I've missed you. I've missed this. I've missed your voice, your eyes, your lips, your face, your smell. I've missed you so much Oliver."

"So have I Astrid." He sighed. "I was a git was I not?" Astrid giggled and Oliver smiled at her. He had missed the way her nose would crinkled when she laughed, or how freckles would dot her cheeks unbeknownstly to her whenever she was genuinely happy, he had missed her voice and how soothing it could be whenever he had bad days. "Even Dirk from the team noticed."

"No, not Dirk! You lie!" Astrid laughed. She didn't really like Dirk, he was always happy and tried to pump them up with positivity every practice.

"Telling you." Oliver chuckled. "And Ida told Wesley that you might be pregnant, hence why we don't talk anymore."

Astrid laughed hard at this. She liked Ida and Wesley, but more of Wesley. "Honestly, where do they get the time to make such stuff up?"

"I wonder." Oliver mused as he stood up. "Join me?"

"This is technically my house you idiot, I should be asking you that." Astrid shook her head but took his hand nevertheless. She noticed then that she had absolutely missed his touch. "But I admit to being flattered by the thought." They laughed as they strolled out her room, avoiding the deadly look Elladora and Kreacher had thrown their way. Astrid was that happy.

Despite her happiness, she sketched again that night, someone she only met once but maybe, she fell in love with him.

*

"Daddy, is uncle Petey bad?" The younger version of Astrid asked Sirius as they sat on the floor. Astrid was clutching a doll close to her, as though she was afraid it would disappear if she'd let loose.

"No my star. Your uncle Peter isn't bad, he's just very confused at the moment and very scared." Sirius sighed. "He's misunderstood my star."

"I heard auntie Lily telling uncle Prongs that uncle Petey is bad." She sniffed. "But uncle Prongs got angry and auntie Lily cried."

"No my star, your aunt Lily is wrong. Peter isn't bad, like I told you, he's merely misunderstood." He wiped away the tears that fell from her cheeks. "And I'm sure your aunt Lily wasn't crying."

*

Astrid sighed as she woke up. Ever since she showed Harry her memories as a child, it seems as though a window had opened and the memories just came flooding in. She hated it. They reminded her of a time when things were good, when things were just and simple. Even though it was barely five in the morning, the Order were already downstairs and Astrid rushed to freshen up before rushing downstairs. The Order had grown by now, and she knew them all by name but she avoided Nymphadora and Fleur. She didn't know why, maybe it was because her mother chose Nymphadora and Fleur didn't die like Cedric had.

"Good morning Ell." Remus warmly greeted her and Astrid kindly returned it, sitting beside him and a very moody looking Snape, she paid no attention to him.

"Is Harry still asleep?" She found herself asking Remus, who shook his head.

"He's awake, with Sirius and Albus."

"Oh." Astrid said. She then made eye contact with Leo and her heart began racing. She could see him etched on his face, etched into his mannerisms. She hated it, yet she could not bring herself to look away. To look away from the ghost of his memory. She missed him.

"Staring at the boy won't bring him back you know." Snape whispered to her and Astrid finally peeled her eyes away from the toxic reminder that Cedric is dead and he will never return.

"Well then, don't invade my mind Severus." She hissed under her breath. Snape smirked.

"Then don't let me in willingly." Astrid narrowed her dark eyes at him but this had no effect on him, instead, he looked past her and his eyes landed on the approaching bodies of Nymphadora and someone trailing awkwardly behind her. "Nymphadora, you've brought a friend."

"Don't call me Nymphadora!" The girl hissed, her hair turning a vibrant shade of red before she sat down next to Remus and Astrid suddenly gasped in shock when she recognized the stranger.

"Charlie! You're part of the Order?!" She was happy that she knew someone else in the Order, except Leo, Snape, Sirius, Colette, Mia and Remus.

"Yeah." He said as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head and his eyes landed on Leo, who was staring at him. "Galileo Van Halen, I thought you died."

"Told you he was part of the Order." Nymphadora snorted.

"Charles Weasley." Leo nodded. "It's been long hasn't it? My dear friend?" Astrid furrowed her brow in absolute confusion. They were friends?

"You were friends?"

"Bloody hell we were." Charlie beamed and something fluttered in Astrid's stomach, and she ignored it. She then remembered her sketches and gulped. "Best friends actually, we did everything together. Lost contact after I graduated."

"Charlie!" Nymphadora whined. "I was part of your charades, was I not?"

"Oh and Tonks was our watchdog. Literally. She used to turn her nose into a dog's snout and change her into this puppy brown, whenever a Professor would pass by or come close, she would usually bark or give out a howl." Charlie chuckled. "I miss those days."

"Have you had any experiences like that?" Nymphadora asked her and she gave a little smile.

Astrid shook her head. "I mean, I would occasionally mock Severus here and just fight with him." Astrid shrugged. Snape narrowed his eyes.

"It's still Professor Snape to you Miss Black." He drawled out and Astrid rolled her eyes at him.

"In 1990, Cedric, Oliver and I brewed Poly Juice Potion and stole Severus' hair from his brush. Don't ask how we got into his chambers, that's not really a pretty picture. Cedric ran around the school, yelling 'I don't bath!'. Oliver started a fight with Mrs Norris, the cat and I waited for dinner time, made sure Severus wasn't there and started running on the Gryffindor table, yelling out Slytherin sucks." Astrid smiled at the fond memory and Snape glared at her.

"I recall I had to have a talk with McGonagall and Dumbledore, and might I add, it was most unpleasant."

"I never said let us take your hair." Astrid shrugged.

"We used to mess with Dumbledore the most." Nymphadora beamed.

"But yours sounds even more fun." Charlie smiled at her and Astrid could feel heat rush up to her cheeks and she looked down to hide her cheeks. Why was she feeling like this?