The house was quiet at this time of night. Charlie Weasley sat at the kitchen table sipping on a cup of tea. He knew he had to go back to Romania and to his dragons, but he was torn because he knew that his mum also needed him here. But he missed his dragons.
He wondered that if he hadn’t been so far away, if he had been here when the fight started, if he could have made a difference. Could he have saved Fred?
It was almost four months since they had lost Fred. Later today, they would be taking Ginny and Hermione to the station to go back to Hogwarts. Ron was off with Harry working for Kingsley to round up the renegade Death Eaters. George was living above his shop since it was open again.
Percy was still living here at the Burrow and working at the Ministry, which was now under Kingsley’s guidance. Bill dropped by several times a week to check on Mum. He was content to stay at Shell Cottage with Fleur and work at Gringotts.
Charlie was the only one at loose ends. Even Dad had gone back to work. He wanted to go back to his dragons, but with Ginny leaving, he worried about his Mum being here alone all day.
“Go back to your dragons,” came a quiet voice from the shadows.
Charlie whipped his head around at the sound of the voice. A voice he hadn’t heard in so long but knew instantly.
“So it wasn’t a dream Percy had,” he said smiling.
“A dream? No, it wasn’t. I figured he would say it was, though. I am surprised he even told you,” said Fred as he walked out of the shadows and approached Charlie.
Charlie stood and embraced his brother. “He only told me when I found him sitting here, half a bottle of Firewhisky on the table and the other half in him.” Charlie sat back down, still smiling. “He told me he had the craziest dream the night before.”
“As you can see, it wasn’t a dream. Unless… you are now having the same dream,” said Fred chuckling.
“Nope, I’m wide awake. Even if I wasn’t, that hug would have woken me up,” Charlie said as he shuddered.
Laughing, Fred shook his head. “I bet you are wondering why I am here?”
“Yeah, I guess I am,” said Charlie. “I am also wondering who else you have visited.”
“I was originally given one visit to come back and talk to one person who needed to see me. I choose Dad because he seemed to need me the most,” Fred answered shaking his head. “But it became clear that each of you needed me. It seems as if no one in this family can move on because each of you feels guilty. So, as each of you really needs to see me, I can come back for an hour or so to talk to you.”
“So, you’ve seen Dad and Percy. But, what about George and Mum? I think they need you the most.”
“I’ve seen George. And it isn’t time for me to see Mum yet. I really don’t get to choose who or when. It’s hard to explain. I just get this feeling and then I am here,” said Fred, shrugging his shoulders.
“Now it is your turn. You think if you had been here it would have turned out differently?”
“Yes, it may have. If I had been with you…”
“But you wouldn’t have been with me. You would have been in some other part of the castle fighting Death Eaters. Just as Dad was, just as George was. We all were separated doing what needed to be done. You probably would have been out with Hagrid rounding up creatures to fight.”
“I guess I would have,” said Charlie solemnly.
“You also feel guilty because you are here and want to be with your dragons,” said Fred knowingly. “You need to go back to Romania, Charlie.”
“But Mum…” said Charlie.
“Mum will be fine. Dad is still here and Percy…”
“Neither of them are here during the day. She will be here alone,” said Charlie worriedly.
“She is here alone most of the year and has been since Ginny started school.”
“But it’s different now. She has lost a son, she shouldn’t be alone,” said Charlie.
“Is it really Mum you are worried about, or are you scared to go back to Romania where… you’ll be alone?” asked Fred.
Charlie looked at Fred in shock. Of course it was Mum he was worried about, he thought. Why would his being alone worry him? He had been alone with just his dragons for years.
Fred smiled knowingly. “It isn’t really Mum at all, is it?” he asked gently.
Charlie shook his head. “No, I guess it isn’t,” he said quietly.
“Here you can concentrate on Mum. You don’t have to face your own grief. But, in Romania, with just your dragons for company, you will have to face it, won’t you?” asked Fred. “You’ll have to face the fact you lost a brother.”
“I…I know what I have lost…what this family has lost,” said Charlie, angrily.
“Do you? I guess you do, but have you really let yourself feel what you have lost? I’m not talking about what the family lost, but what you have lost?” Fred stopped and waited for Charlie to think about what he said.
“You lost a brother. And even though you lost him, you still have to look at him whenever you see George. You have a constant reminder of me in him.”
Charlie looked at Fred. “I could always tell the difference between you, even before the lost ear. You never looked exactly the same to me,” he said. “Not even when you claimed to be George when I caught you at three years old trying to ride my broom.”
“You knew it was me?” asked Fred shocked.
“Of course I knew it was you. When I asked you what you thought you were doing, do you remember what you told me?” asked Charlie.
“I told you I wanted to touch the sky,” Fred said. “Funny, it was that memory I talked to Dad about when I saw him three months ago.”
“You talked to Dad about stealing my broom?” Charlie asked.
“No, I talked to him about the day Ginny was born and a conversation I had with him while we watched you and Bill playing Quidditch, or rather, when you two were trying to play Quidditch.” Fred laughed at the look of outrage in Charlie’s face.
“We were playing Quidditch. You were just too little to appreciate our method of play.”
Fred began laughing and Charlie soon joined him. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” said Charlie.
“Why didn’t you sign the contract to play professionally? You could have gone far playing Quidditch. Why dragons?”
“It really wasn’t much of a choice. Not really. I loved playing Quidditch, but dragons… I guess I just loved them more.” Charlie was surprised by the question. No one had ever asked him that before. Not in that way. Sure, Mum and Dad hadn’t understood why he would choose a dangerous career of dragon taming over Quidditch, but they never asked why he picked the dragons.
“So why are you still here and not with your dragons?” Fred asked.
“Because Mum…” Charlie stopped when Fred held up his hand. “Okay, I don’t know. Maybe you are right. It is easier being here surrounded by the memories and everyone else’s grief. If I leave…if I leave then I will only have my own memories and my own grief. I just don’t know if I am ready for that.” Charlie shook his head.
“You are ready. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have been sitting here missing your dragons. Mum will be fine, Charlie. You need to go back to your life. To face your grief and move on.”
“How can I move on? How can I just go back to Romania and live life knowing you are not here? How can I go back and know I can’t just come home and see you?” Charlie wiped impatiently at the tears that had started falling.
He was shocked by the tears and a bit embarrassed. He had cried over Fred’s death, the whole family did. He had grieved in his own way, in private. To have tears falling now, and in front of Fred…
Fred reached out and placed a hand on Charlie’s shoulder. He hated to see his brother, his idol for his entire life, hurting, but he knew the tears were a good thing.
“Charlie, can I tell you a secret?” he asked as he pulled his hand back.
Charlie nodded, wondering what on earth Fred wanted to confess.
“I always looked up to you. I was in awe of Bill, off in Egypt, working as a curse-breaker. But, you… I guess you could say, I idolized you. You had it all. The best Quidditch player in school, smart without showing it, and brave enough to take dragons on. If I could have been anyone, I would have wanted to be you,” Fred said.
Charlie’s face showed his surprise. He had never expected to hear something like that from Fred.
“Go back to your dragons, Charlie. They need you more than Mum does. And you need them more than you need to be here.” Fred stood to leave.
“Will Mum really be okay if I leave?” Charlie asked uncertain.
“Yes, though she will try to keep you here. Deep down, she knows you belong with your dragons. She knows they make you happy.” Fred walked towards the shadows by the clock.
“When you get back there, don’t fight the memories, Charlie, the good or the bad. You need to remember all of them to move on, to live.”
Charlie nodded to Fred. As he watched, Fred began to disappear.
“Oh, and Charlie, try to find a nice girl out there in Romania. There is more to life than dragons.” Fred’s laughter lingered in the shadows for a moment, before fading away.
Charlie laughed at Fred’s words. He always had to have the last word. Charlie stood and went to the sink. Washing his cup out and putting it away, he thought about what Fred had said as he walked up to his room.
He knew there would be no girl for him. His life was his dragons, which he would return to soon. First, he had to make sure Mum was okay once Ginny went back to school.
Visits From Fred by mudbloodproud
Chapter Notes: Chapter Summary:
Charlie Weasley faced a problem. He missed his dragons, but his mum needed him here. Or did she? Could a visit late one night make him see where he really needed to be?
I wish to thank my beta for this story, Alyssa, (Harry4lif). Thanks for all your work.
I do not own anything you recognise in this story. It all belongs to J. K. Rowling. I am thankful to get to play in her world for a little while.