“Charlie,” I replied, getting a bit offended. Why was he being so stiff? Why was he here in the first place?
“Hello,” said Leo, looking uncomfortable. “We’ve met before.”
“I don’t mean to be rude, Charlie,” I began, “but what are you doing here?”
“I was going to ask you that, but the Daily Prophet sums it up quite nicely.” He said coolly. My confusion must have shown because Charlie raised his eyebrows at me and said, “Oh, I suppose you haven’t read today’s edition, then.” He tossed me his copy, and my eyes fell on the headline:
I skimmed the article (which was mostly about Gwenog Jones’s behaviour at the party) until I saw my name:
“Among the many guests at Quidditch announcer Noah Lords’s party was the newest addition to the Appleby Arrows team, Adrianna Perry. The up-and-coming Beater was seen with Leopold Adams, the star Chaser of the team. Although she was Leopold’s date for the evening, Noah Lords was also seen chatting with the two. Miss Perry, who just graduated from Hogwarts in June, was overheard requesting Noah Lords to call her “Adri”, no doubt a name she does not permit just anyone to call her. Late into the party, both Leopold Adams and Noah Lords were seen Adrianna upstairs, the reason unknown. So the question that remains is: is Miss Perry holding onto Leopold Adams, or does she have Noah Lords on her eye?”
I felt my jaw drop and eyes widen in horror as I read the final sentence. I was in such a state of shock that I almost didn’t hear what Charlie was saying.
“I have the Daily Prophet delivered to me especially from England. After I read this article “ oh, and you can imagine my surprise after I read it! “ I went to look for you in your flat, and then at his place,” (he jerked his head towards Leo) “before I came here. So, were you enjoying yourself, Ari?” he asked mockingly.
I searched the article until I found out who wrote it. “Charlie, this article was written by Rita Skeeter. She makes mountains out of molehills! Everything she writes is spun out of thin air! Surely, you can’t believe her, right?”
Charlie looked away and didn’t say a word.
“Charlie!” I exclaimed, shocked and hurt. He believed that Skeeter cow over me?
Charlie’s gaze was unforgiving. “She had to have gotten the idea somewhere. There has to be some fact in her article.”
I was close to tears at the moment, and a sick knot in my stomach was forming. “What fact?!?! That my name is Adrianna?!? Yeah, great facts!”
Charlie bristled. “Well, you are here! You were at the party with him!” He pointed at Leo, who was getting more and more anxious by the minute. “And they obviously carried you upstairs!”
“I passed out, Charlie!” I exclaimed, my eyes watering up with dangerous amount of tears that threatened to spill at any moment. “I drank too much champagne! What were they supposed to do, leave me there? Look at me, Charlie! I’m still in the clothes that I wore for the party! Noah just gave me a hangover potion! Does it look like I’ve been having much fun?!? Rita Skeeter just made me look like an idiot in front of the world! Rita Skeeter wasn’t even at the party!”
“No; you made yourself look like an idiot!” Charlie retorted. “And me! What will everyone think of us when they read that article? In their mind, I’m being cuckolded by a Quiddtich star and an announcer!”
“You’re not being cuckolded!” I shrieked. “Leo’s my friend -”
“And you remind him of his sister! Ari, I’m a guy, and I know a lot of lines, but that has to be as unoriginal and pathetic as it gets!”
My jaw dropped, and I tasted the saltiness of my own tears. “Charlie, you’ve got to be kidding me! Leo’s been the only person on the team who’s been nice to me! Do you know how it feels to be on a Quidditch team where five out of the seven players hate you? I know, and trust me; it’s not a walk in the park! Leo is my friend! We could never…I wouldn’t dream of…we’re just friends, Charlie! Just friends “ nothing more!”
“We started out as must friends, Ari!” Charlie exclaimed mournfully. “Remember?”
Remember? How could I forget? Meeting Charlie was the highlight of my life; it was right up there with getting into Hogwarts, graduating, and getting the letter that told me I had made it into the Appleby Arrows. It was hard to believe that just a year and a half ago, Charlie and I were falling in love for he first time, and that everything seemed perfect.
“I remember, Charlie,” I said. “But why can’t I be friends with Leo without it being speculated that we’re dating? Or having an affair? Or that I have a crush on him? Why? Answer me, Charlie.”
“Because most relationships “ including ours “ began as friendships. That’s now it usually is, Ari; you meet someone at school or at work, and then the rest is history.”
History? Well, Leo and I are not history in the making. “Oh, really, Charlie?”
“Yes, really.”
“Well, guess what? It’s my turn now.”
“What?”
“You heard me correctly; it’s my turn now. You’ve played the role of interrogator for too long. So, I’ve heard that a lot of females are coming to Romania to study dragons these days.”
As I had expected, Charlie’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Excuse me?”
“I think you heard me correctly, Mr. Weasley.”
“I don’t believe this….”
“Yes, well, neither can I! I don’t believe that you’re accusing me without any hard evidence!”
“Except that article!”
“That article is shit, Charlie! You, of all people, should know that!”
“I saw you two hugging in a bed! Care to explain that?”
“What about that mark on your shoulder? Care to explain that?”
The room was so silent that I could hear Charlie’s quick breathing. “I’m out of here,” he declared, and proceeded to apparate back to Romania.
I rubbed my head and turned to Leo. “I’m sorry you had to witness that.”
Leo stood, frozen. “I’m sorry for causing so much trouble.”
I sighed. “It was Charlie’s lack of judgment, so don’t apologize.”
Suddenly, the door burst open, and Noah came into the room carrying biscuits, sausages, fried eggs, sliced pears, and coffee on a tray. He beamed as he set down the tray in front of me, pleased at his efforts to make me breakfast. “So, did I miss anything?”