Penelope Clearwater entered the library and looked around, grinning when she saw a telltale flash of red.

“Hey there, Charlie,� she said when she got to his table.

“Oh hi Penny,� he replied, smiling happily at her. “How are you today?�

“Well enough. How are you, Percy?�

Percy looked up from his work and cast a distracted half-smile Penelope’s way. “I’m almost ready for us to check Arithmancy. Have a seat.�

Penelope sat down next to Percy and got out her things, but when Percy still showed no sign of being ready, her mind started to wander. Charlie was pretending to work on Potions but she could see the Quidditch plays underneath his essay. He really was very good at it; what a shame that he would prefer to work with dragons – he’d find out which Dragon Preserve he was going to work at soon. Penelope was excited about that.

With a start, Penelope realized she’d been doodling. Penelope Weasley graced the page at least three times. Blushing, she scribbled it all out and hoped that neither Percy nor Charlie had noticed. It was very trying to have a crush on Charlie; he was so popular, and she was so young. He’ll never see me as anything but Penny, a girl who sat by him in the library one day. Just Penny.

“Ready, Penny?�

“Oh. Yes, let’s get started,� Penelope replied with a shy smile. Percy was nice enough but Charlie was ultimately nicer and friendlier. The thing Percy and Penelope had most in common, besides their age, was a similar regard for school and rules. With a small sigh, Penelope bent down over her textbook as Charlie gave up on homework altogether.

“See you two later, I’m off to do some flying,� he said. “Don’t have too much fun without me.�

“Is that possible?� Penelope murmured to herself as Percy grabbed her parchment to see how she’d gotten a particular answer.

***

“Good morning,� Charlie said, meeting Penelope at the bottom of the stairs. She had a small bundle of food from breakfast wrapped in a napkin. “Percy not eating with us today?�

“No, he just grabbed a piece of toast and dashed off,� Penelope replied. “I think he wanted to talk to McGonagall about something.�

“Well, that’s all right,� Charlie said with a grin. “I wanted to get your feedback on the last Quidditch match anyway, and he wouldn’t care so much for that. So, as a casual bystander in the last Hufflepuff/Gryffindor game, what were your favorite parts?�

“Well, I really liked the play where Johnson zoomed around your Beater – I couldn’t tell if it was Fred or George – and they blocked the other team.�

“Excellent,� Charlie remarked, wiping jam off his mouth. “Anything else?�

Your flying is incredible, Penelope thought. Every time you swoop by my heart flutters and I’m so disappointed you didn’t catch the Snitch. She knew Charlie wouldn’t be looking for those sorts of comments from her; he got plenty of them from other girls. Just Penny, she reminded herself. “Hufflepuff had a couple of nice plays that you might consider practicing. There was this one, you probably noticed it, where one of the Chasers flies underneath...�

“Oh, that one. Yeah, that’s a classic,� Charlie said as they walked down the hall, eating the toast and scones from Penelope’s bundle. They continued talking Quidditch until it was time for class. Penelope didn’t find the game quite as interesting as Charlie did, but she did like it and it was a chance to talk to him. She didn’t think she could ever pass up any chances like that.

***

“So, Penelope, what do you think my chances are for becoming Head Boy?�

Penelope looked up at Percy and grinned. She could tell he was only partly serious. “Well, let’s see...if you did half as much work as you do now, and only sucked up to the teachers a little bit, I’d say your chances were still pretty good.�

“Only half as much work? Really?� Percy looked absolutely shocked, though his eyes twinkled. “Hey, those boys shouldn’t be doing that, it’s against the rules. Where’s the nearest prefect to tell them off?�

Penelope rolled her eyes as he looked around wildly for someone wearing a badge. “Don’t worry about it, Percy, they’ll get in trouble eventually without your help.�

“Okay. Hey, listen, I know we were on our way to the library, but I have to run do something real quick. I’ll be right there!� Percy squeezed her arm before walking quickly away.

Penelope stopped stock still and stared at her arm. He’d . . . he’d squeezed . . . was it possible . . .?

“Penny! Penny, they accepted me!�

Her train of thought shifted dramatically as she turned to see Charlie running toward her. “The Dragon Preserve?�

“Yeah!� Charlie exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. “Two days after I graduate I’m off to Romania!�

“Romania?� She tried to smile. “That’s so far!�

“Nah, not so bad. It’s in Europe still at least. I could have gone to Japan.�

“Have you told your family?� she said quietly, not looking at him.

“Of course; I owled my mum and dad right away. I’m going to go tell Hagrid now; want to come?�

“I–I can’t. I have to go...go to the library. Percy and I wanted to check our Arithmancy homework.�

Charlie looked a little crestfallen for a moment. “Oh. Well, while you’re there, could you tell him the news? I was going to go find him after I told Hagrid, but if you’re going to meet him you can do it.�

“Sure. No problem.�

“Thanks, Penny. You’re the best.� And he bounded away toward the gamekeeper’s hut, his cloak billowing behind him. Penelope watched him go, blinking back the tears.

If Percy had thought that their easy companionship of a few minutes before would still be there when they worked in the library together, he was mistaken. Penelope’s entire mood was shattered by Charlie’s news. For some reason she’d thought he’d still be close enough to see on Hogsmeade weekends, or at least at Christmas.

When she told Percy, he didn’t look particularly saddened that he was going so far. “The Romanian Preserve is a nice one,� he told her matter-of-factly. “It’s not nearly as far as Egypt, where my brother Bill is. Charlie will have a good time there.�

“Won’t you miss him?� Penelope asked quietly.

“Oh, I suppose,� Percy said reluctantly. “It’s always hard at first when a brother leaves. But you get used to it. I do have plenty to spare, after all. Now, let me see what you got for number four, I had a bit of trouble with that one.�

***

The days were getting warmer. Charlie and Penelope (and Percy, when he had the time) began eating their breakfast outside. Charlie began spending even more time than usual in the library with Percy and Penelope; his N.E.W.T.s were coming up soon. This was good for Penelope because she longed to spend all the time she could with him before he left, but not so good for Percy, who was annoyed by the people that came up to their table to commiserate on the loss of their last Quidditch match.

“Maybe he should go sit at his own table,� he muttered to Penelope.

“I think it’s nice that so many people care,� she replied. “It was a very sad loss, you know. Gryffindor hasn’t won since Charlie became the captain.�

“Why should you care? You’re a Ravenclaw!� Percy said; Penelope could tell he was teasing, and this became all the more apparent when he touched her arm and said, “I’m sorry. I’ll be nice about it. But, really, this is the library and people are trying to work!� He huffed impatiently.

Charlie apparently agreed because he told all the people around him, “Thanks, guys, but I’m really trying to study for my N.E.W.T.s right now. You can come chat with me at dinner or something.� He grinned at Percy and Penelope. “Sorry, you two. If only we’d won this match, there wouldn’t be so much publicity.�

Penelope smiled sadly at him. “You just work on your Transfiguration,� she told him. “Don’t worry about Quidditch right now.�

“Thanks, Penny,� Charlie said, his eyes on his notes. “You’re always so sweet to me.�

She blushed brightly and bent forward onto her book so her hair would shield her. She wasn’t trying to be sweet; it was just that she cared so much and would miss him so when he left. The day was approaching far too fast.

***

“Hey, Penny!�

Penelope turned around. Percy waved at her to join him at his horseless carriage. She hesitated, then saw that Charlie was there as well. She ran as fast as she could manage and plopped down in the seat next to Charlie.

“Glad for summer break?� he said, grinning at her breathlessness.

“Oh, I guess,� she replied. “Call me a typical Ravenclaw but I love being here at school with – with all my friends.� And you won’t be among them, she realized, faltering.

“Can’t tell you how glad I am to just be done with all this!� Charlie remarked, stretching. “I’m ready to head off to Romania.�

Penelope felt tears prick her eyes. No! she told herself firmly. No crying! “I’ll really miss you while you’re gone, Charlie.�

Percy reached across the seat and patted her knee. “Don’t worry, Penny.�

“I’ll miss you too, Penny,� Charlie said, interrupting Percy’s attempt to comfort her. Penelope couldn’t tell if he was just saying it to be nice or if he really meant it. He was always nice.

They were at the train station now. Charlie helped Penelope take care of her baggage while Percy went to go find a compartment. She couldn’t stand it anymore. Suddenly she threw her arms around Charlie and cried, “I’ll miss you so!�

Charlie dropped a bag to slide his arms around her. “There, there,� he said awkwardly. “It won’t be forever, you know.�

Penelope remembered herself and stepped back, trying to retain some dignity. “That’s right.� People were calling to Charlie, wishing him good luck and congratulations, and he was getting distracted. “Well, goodbye.�

She turned away, keeping the tears at bay by sheer willpower. It won’t be forever, she reminded herself fiercely.

“Come on, Penny, I found us a compartment!� Percy said, bouncing down from the train and grabbing her arm to pull her aboard. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about your summer plans.�

And she let him drag her away from Charlie – who was too busy for her, anyway.

***

It was with great relief Charlie made his way back from the Dragon Preserve to his barracks. Real life was so different from school. Here his Quidditch skills rarely came in useful, everyone had had grades equal or greater at school, and – though Charlie had never considered himself a vain man – it chafed to work around a crowd of tall, statuesque, beautiful men and women when he was so stocky and plain. Being a rookie was worst of all – far from being adept and impressive when it came to dealing with dragons, Charlie felt he was constantly tripping over his feet.

His family had such unshakable faith in him. It was a comfort in many ways that they believed he could do anything, but he also felt he couldn’t tell them of his struggles. Perhaps he could find another sympathetic ear....

Even as he thought it a face popped into his mind – a young, sweet face with hazel eyes framed with long, curly hair. She would understand what he was going through – she always understood. He got out some parchment right away. He was going to write to Penelope.


“Hey, Penny, this owl has a letter for you.�

Penelope looked up from pondering her breakfast and blinked at Scott Bradley, who was pointing at a tawny, tired-looking post owl. Sure enough, it was her name on the envelope. Who could be writing to her?

It was from Charlie. Penelope had to remind herself to breathe, her heart pounding wildly. He was writing to her. It was tempting to skip Transfiguration to read it, but she knew McGonagall would find that inexcusable; her lecture about the importance of O.W.L.s still rang in Penelope’s ears.

Finally class was over and Penelope rushed to her room. A letter from Charlie – what could he have to say to her? She plumped down on her bed and simply devoured the contents. When she finished, she wiped the tears from her eyes. He was having a hard time.

“I worried this might happen,� she murmured, running her finger down the letter. “He’s gone and given himself an inferiority complex.� Well, there was one thing to do about that. She got a new piece of parchment and began scribbling a response. An encouraging, clever, amusing response, she hoped. She finished just in time to send it off before lunch and crossed her fingers that it would cheer him up.

The months that followed were filled with delightful correspondence between the dragon keeper and the schoolgirl. Charlie told Penelope some of the new things he was learning, how his new wand worked out, and what amusing thing a dragon had done lately. In return, she told him about the famous Harry Potter, her new prefect duties, and Quidditch.

She was grinning as she teased Charlie about Harry’s Seeker skills in the library one day when Percy peered over at her parchment.

“What are you doing?� he asked suspiciously.

“Nothing, just writing to Charlie,� she replied, straightening up so he could see what she’d written. “Anything you’d like me to tell him?�

“Oh, no,� Percy said, narrowing his eyes at the letter. “Mum already told him about my becoming a prefect. Which reminds me – we have patrol duty again tonight. Would you like to get dinner or shall I?�

Percy and Penelope had gotten into the habit of taking dinner out of the Great Hall so they could start patrolling the halls even earlier than usual. It was a good time for them to talk, even though it was sometimes punctuated with worry that it was against the rules to remove food.

Penelope was finding it strangely invigorating to spend so much time with Percy. He wasn’t Charlie, of course, but she’d never been able to flirt with him. Percy was more than amenable to being flirted with and flirted back with enthusiasm. She wondered if, one day, she could forget about Charlie if Percy ever...

“Penny? Who should get dinner tonight?�

His light touch on her arm brought her back to reality and she smiled at him. “Sorry, I got distracted. I’ll get it tonight, if you like.�

“All right.� Percy patted her arm and left his hand there while flipping open his textbook with his other hand. “Enjoy writing your letter.�

***

“You’re very nice to spend time with, Penny,� Percy remarked that night as they wandered the halls. “I’m glad we’re both prefects.�

Penelope was nonplussed. This was a peculiar statement. “Thank you, I think.�

Percy grabbed her arm to stop her. “I wish we could spend more time together.�

“We’re in the library studying all the time, Percy!� Penelope began, feeling a premonition of things to come and not sure she wanted to forestall it.

“I wish...� Percy slid his hand down her arm and grasped her hand. “I wish we could spend different time together.� Suddenly, he pulled her against him and caught her in a kiss.

Penelope was shocked. This kiss was warm, it was exciting, and it made everything but Percy fade into the background. This was the sort of thing she’d hardly dared dream of but it was happening right now, with Percy. But not with Charlie.

She pulled back. Percy looked at her, clearly insecure about what he’d just done.

“I – � Penelope said, not sure what she wanted to say. Even after all these months of letters, Charlie still thought of her as just Penny. There was no sign he’d ever think anything else. Percy, though, thought of her as more, right now. Instead of saying anything, she leaned into him and kissed him back.

***

“Letter for you, Charlie,� said Pete, one of Charlie’s coworkers. “It’s not from your mum.� That was code for ‘from Penelope.’ Charlie grinned and grabbed the letter from him and dashed to his room to read Penny’s latest news.

“What?� Charlie gasped as he read the letter, then read it again. “How could ... what could have happened? ‘Things have changed. I don’t think I should write you anymore. Love, Penny’?�

“Looks like she found herself a man, Charlie,� Pete said when he was shown the letter. “It’s the only explanation.�

Charlie had a feeling he was right, but he also thought that Penelope would have kept writing even if she had found herself a man. Very few boys at Hogwarts would really consider Charlie Weasley a threat; he was so far away and so much older. Besides, there was no threat.

“If there’s no threat, why are you so tempted to fly to Hogwarts and beat the chap up?� Charlie muttered to himself. “Maybe just a warning to be nice to little Penny, that must be it. She’s like a sister, after all.�

With a groan, he buried his head in his pillow. Romania suddenly seemed much harder to bear with no letters from Penny to sweeten it.

Charlie learned to depend on his mother’s letters as the months went by, though they were more full of news from the family than of Penelope’s news. He got the most terrible shock when, in the list of names of people attacked by the Chamber of Secrets, Penelope’s name was among them, with no added significance. His family didn’t know they’d been corresponding. Maybe Percy had....

Then Fred and George wrote him a letter, clearly wanting to share the amusement. Percy had a girlfriend, they gleefully informed him. Some Ravenclaw prefect. Ginny had walked in on them kissing. Charlie wasn’t amused. Instead, it was like a kick in the stomach. Percy. Why hadn’t he figured it out before? Percy wouldn’t want his girlfriend writing to his older brother. It made sense now. The urge to fly to England and beat the chap up was stronger than ever, but Charlie knew he wouldn’t even write an angry letter. He just couldn’t stop thinking about Penelope. Was she happy? He didn’t even know if her O.W.L.s had gone well, if she’d suffered any lasting effects from being Petrified, or if she’d changed since last he’d heard from her.

Maybe he was spending all his time thinking about a girl so different from the one that had written him long, funny letters that he would never recognize her. Finally, he put her out of his mind and threw his whole self into his work.

***

“You’re sure you don’t want to fly, Charlie?�

“What a joker you are, Pete,� Charlie replied, hitching up his bag on his shoulder and catching the Portkey Pete tossed at him. “I’m far out of practice flying. I’m not willing to risk my life trying to go all the way home on a broomstick.� He glanced at his watch. “I’ll be back at the end of the summer.�

“It’s about time you went on leave,� Charlie heard Pete say just before the Portkey whirled him out of the room.

“Charlie!!�

“Hi, Mum,� was Charlie’s muffled reply. “Any chance of letting me breathe anytime soon?�


“It’s been so long since we came to visit you that Christmas!� Mum cried, wiping her eyes on her shawl as she released him. “And you haven’t been home for years!�

“Charlie!� Fred and George piled in and sandwiched him between them. Charlie noticed with pleasure that he was still taller than both of them. Ron, on the other hand, towered over everyone in the room, including the brown-haired girl that followed him that Charlie didn’t recognize.

“This is Hermione, Charlie,� Mum said, beaming at her. “We’re going to go pick up Harry later.�

“Harry Potter?� Charlie asked. Penelope had told him that his little brother Ron had become friends with him.

“That’s the one! And here’s Bill; he got here this morning.�

“Hey, little bro,� Bill said, thumping his back. “Long time no see, eh?�

“I’d have to say so,� Charlie replied, eyeing Bill’s long hair and his earring. “Where’s Percy?�

“Upstairs working,� Mum said. “He’s very busy with his job at the Ministry.�

“I think I’ll – go and say hi to him real quick,� Charlie said, finally escaping from his mother’s clutches and darting upstairs.

His heart was pounding in echo to the knock he left on Percy’s door.

“What is it?�

“It’s Charlie; I came to say hi.�

Percy opened the door with a distracted look in his eye. “Hello, Charlie. How’s Romania?�

“It’s very nice, thank you.� Charlie stepped inside the room and stood awkwardly for a moment. Percy sat down at his desk and looked expectantly up at him.

“Did you want anything, Charlie?�

“Erm...not really. But say, Perce, have you heard from Penelope lately?�

Was it just him, or had Percy’s eyes hardened at the sound of her name? His voice, however, was nonchalant when he answered, “Oh, fine enough, I expect. Probably fiarly busy with Healer training.�

“You don’t talk to her much?� Charlie’s heart sank.

“No.� Percy glared at him; there was definitely something hard in his gaze. “We haven’t spoken since we broke up after leaving Hogwarts. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to work on this cauldron botttoms report.�

Charlie’s leaden heart slowed his steps as he made his way to his room to drop off his luggage. He’d done so well at forgetting about Penelope in the past couple years, but in the last few weeks hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. She’d probably changed, but maybe she hadn’t; maybe she would be all right with becoming friends like they’d been before. But Charlie hadn’t realized how much depended on this conversation with Percy. He’d have to find some other way.

Laughter burst briefly from the kitchen and Charlie grinned despite himself. In the meantime, he was going to spend some quality time with his family; he’d be going back to Romania far too soon. He didn’t know if he could stand to go back without seeing Penny, but he wouldn’t think about that right now. The twins were probably up to some antics he didn’t want to miss....

***

“All right boys, you’ve had your lie-in, now it’s time to get up!�

“Aw, Mum, it’s so early...� Bill muttered.

Charlie sat up right away and started getting dressed. It was the Quidditch World Cup, after all. Penny liked Quidditch; she’d be there if she could. As he pulled on his boots he reflected on how preoccupied he was with the idea; he’d never thought so much about a girl in his life.

“It’s not that early, Bill,� Charlie said, throwing a pillow at him. “We’ll get there just in time for lunch at this rate.�

Bill groaned.

Finally Bill, Charlie, and Percy were ready to go. Mum bade them all farewell and warned them to keep an eye on Fred and George, please, then they were off.

The moment they arrived in the woods at their campsite, Charlie was on the lookout for Penelope. There were several thousand people around, but still he looked. As they sat by the fire and ate their lunch, he watched everyone that walked by. When they went shopping, he hardly paid attention to the vendors at all, he was so busy looking for just one girl.

She wasn’t to be found. With heart-wrenching determination, Charlie pinned on his green rosette and focused his mind on Quidditch – the thing he’d missed second-most these last years in Romania.

Charlie screamed himself hoarse and felt better than he had in years, watching the game. Krum was so superb, the Irish Chasers so fast, and tensions were high. He was tempted to nip off to one of the Irish tents to join in the victory party, but half a glance from Dad told him that wasn’t such a good idea. Instead he found his thoughts turning to Penelope. What would she have thought about the cobbing he and Dad were arguing about? Did she recognize any of the plays they’d talked about during breakfast? He went to bed still thinking about her, missing her easy conversation and restraining himself from getting up and pummeling Percy.

His mind hadn’t even begun to slow into sleep when it became clear there was something wrong. Without hardly thinking about it – years of working night shift at the Preserve had taught him well – he got dressed and picked up his wand. It sounded like something bad was happening.

He looked around and saw Percy and Bill were also dressed and ready. “Ministry needs our help!� Dad said before racing off to wake Harry, Ron, and the girls. “Go quick!�

The three of them sprinted toward a sight that Charlie had hoped never to see; masses of dark-cloaked marchers in masks, inciting terror in those around them. “Stupefy!� he shouted once he got within range. It was by no means a real battle, but Charlie quickly got caught up in the action. He turned around to see if anyone was behind him and stopped stock still. There was someone behind him, all right, but she wasn’t in a mask.

“Penny,� he gasped, reaching out toward her. Then someone grabbed his shirt and tore it, and he had to get back into the fray. But she was here; she was fighting too.

“You shouldn’t be here,� he called, craning his neck to keep her in view as he punched an approaching wizard; wands were quickly becoming obsolete in this scrimmage. “You could get hurt!�

“So could you!� she called back, effectively binding three attackers at once.

Charlie cursed and ran away from the quickly dwindling fight; real Ministry workers were on the scene now, doing what he had no authority to do. He dragged Penelope with him.

“I don’t care if I get hurt,� he told her roughly once they were safely into the woods. “But I can’t go so long without seeing you and then see you get hurt.�

To his surprise, Penelope burst into tears. “Charlie!� was all she said.

“Oh, Penny,� Charlie said, drawing her into his arms. She’d grown up; he was only barely taller than her now. “Penny, I missed you.�

“I’m so sorry, Charlie,� she sobbed. “Percy made me stop writing to you. I shouldn’t have done it, but he ... I was lonely and he was – � she choked on her tears. “Well, he wasn’t you.�

“From what I hear, he was a pretty good correspondent,� Charlie tried to joke. Mum had written and told him of Percy’s strange behavior that first summer. “I’m sorry he broke up with you, Penny.�

“I broke up with him,� she murmured, drawing back so he could look her in the eye. “He was very good to me for two long years, but even he could tell that there was nothing there.� She smiled wryly. “I guess I missed you too much for his taste. After he told me it’d be best if I stopped writing to you, he got tired of me asking after you all the time so gave me an ultimatum and I decided to let it go.�

Charlie realized with a start that they were out in the woods and there might be renegade wizards about still. “Penny, I’ve got to go. My little siblings...�

“Don’t go!� she said. “I haven’t finished apologizing yet.�

He pulled away and started running back to his tent. “Write to me at the Burrow! Tell me how I can find you again. I have to go, Penny.�

Suddenly he turned around and ran back to her. “I won’t lose you again, I promise,� he whispered, giving her a quick kiss then Apparating to his tent.

“All right there, Charlie?� Bill said when he saw who’d arrived. “Lost you for a while.�

“Yes, I’m fine,� Charlie replied. He felt fine. He felt wonderful. “Met an old school friend and wanted to catch up with her really quickly. Is everyone all right here?�

“Dad, Ron, Harry, and Hermione are still missing,� Percy said flatly, holding a handkerchief to his bloody nose. He seemed to know who Charlie had met.

“Oh dear.� Charlie heard something. “Hey, that’s Dad!�

Dad was fine, and he had the other three with him. Charlie listened to his lecture about You-Know-Who and tried to be worried, but he couldn’t. He’d found Penelope, and she hadn’t changed. Nothing could dim that happiness.