Hogwarts Mystery Imagines

REMEMBER ━ CHARLIE WEASLEY

PAIRING: implied Charlie Weasley x reader

SUMMARY: Charlie never truly dated before, it wasn't a priority. Yet you captivated him instantly, having him question his priorities. Sadly, he never got the chance to tell you how he felt.

NOTES: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH WARNING. sometimes i think about the ending for the game and i'm so full of angst that i truly believe this is how it'll pan out. YIKES. sorry for the angst, by the way.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

Bill's wedding is unexpected but not unwanted. Charlie is pleased to have an excuse to come back home and pretend everything is normal. And in many ways, things are normal. As always; the twins are causing mayhem throughout the day, Ron is off with his friends in his room, Ginny is with their parents in the kitchen, Percy is keeping to himself and Bill, he's with his bride-to-be.

Everything is copacetic.

Until it isn't.

Just one innocent question has to be brought up to completely ruin the mood.

"You know," Ron says in between bites. "Whatever happened to Y/N?" Bill, who is sitting across from Charlie freezes. Tonks, who is also a guest and sitting to his left, stops mid-chew, gawking at the audacity of the question. Ron, ever oblivious to the tension in the room, continues. "I have vague memories of them but from what I do remember, they were close to Bill, Charlie, and Tonks."

It really shouldn't surprise him, after all, his siblings are far too young to remember much. So really, Charlie shouldn't be upset but he is. His fingers tremble around the fork in his hand, the utility slipping from his clutch. The sound of clinking silver against the dinner table is the only sound in the otherwise silent room. Swiftly, Charlie rises from his seat and flees. He can vaguely hear the others calling out his name.

There are only a few places he can get privacy in The Burrow, one of those places being his old bedroom. While the room is now occupied by the twins, he stills sees a few things here and there that left a mark of his and Bill's previous ownership. He hastily sits on one of the beds, placing his face in his hands. His fingers are still trembling, Charlie thought he was over this, over you. Evidently, he isn't.

The door creaks open, the sound of boots clanking on the wooden flooring gives Bill away. He closes the door behind him, quietly murmuring a privacy charm before setting himself across from Charlie. He doesn't say anything. Instead, he looks through the bedside table and pulls out a Remembrall.

"You remember this? Y/N gave it to you that day in fourth year when you kept forgetting your notes for Charms." Bill smiles, twirling the ball in his hand. "They charmed it to glow green instead of red. So-"

"So if I couldn't remember what I forgot, I would at least remember them because green is their favorite color."

Bill looks down, a rueful smile still on his face. "Yeah."

There is a silence, it isn't awkward; just melancholic. The door opens once more, Tonks steps in and locks it behind herself. She plonks down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Ron's getting chewed out by your Mum," Tonks states, adding a bit of pressure to her grip as silent reassurance.

Bill chortles quietly, shaking his head. "It's not his fault."

"It's pretty hilarious how oblivious your brother is." Tonks pulls her hand away and gestures for Bill to toss her the Remembrall. He does and she catches it effortlessly with her right hand. "We got this at Zonko's during one of our trips to Hogsmeade. I told Y/N to get you a dungbomb disguised as a treat but you know — knew — Y/N, always considerate when it came to you."

Charlie finally glances up, his cheeks are tinted in a red hue and eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I miss Y/N," He admits, voice faint enough to be misinterpreted for one of the noises downstairs.

"I know," Bill replies, a remorseful simper on his face. "I do, too."

Tonks looks down, scuffing her boot on the wood flooring. "Me too."

"I never got to tell them how I feel," Charlie murmurs, his hands now on the Remembrall. It turns green, almost as if it's mocking him for not remembering to tell you how he felt. "I-I loved Y/N. Can you believe that? I loved them. Merlin, I still do. I almost told them, before... it happened. But I thought they'd come back from the Cursed Vault like they always do but Y/N never came back."

"Y/N loved you back, Charlie," Tonks adds a bit hesitantly, almost like the thought of admitting that out loud is challenging. Which it is, it's like breaking a promise to a ghost. "They told me they did. Y/N loved you so much, it was rather charming." There's a faraway look on her face. "They thought your rambling about dragons was cute and not annoying; that's the biggest giveaway."

Charlie smiles lightly, Bill shakes his head before adding his own input. "No one is ever truly gone, Charlie. Y/N lives inside of us. If it wasn't for them, I would've never been a Curse Breaker."

"And I wouldn't have had the determination to be an Auror," Tonks continues. "I knew I wanted to be one but my Mum was never really on my side — thought it was too dangerous. Y/N, on the other hand, was rooting for me all the way. Merlin, I miss 'em."

"What a pity party," Charlie huffs with a watery chuckle. He glances down at the trinket in his hand once more, it's still glowing in vivid green color. "Y/N wouldn't want us to be like this, would they?"

Tonks snorts, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "Y/N would have marched right up to us and pulled us out by the ear and scold us for this."

"They would've chided me for leaving Fleur at the table," Bill winces at the thought.

"Probably," Charlie beams, there's a much more sincere smile on his face now. "Merlin, what am I doing." He stands, pocketing the Remembrall. "We should get back there before Mum comes up here."

The other two stand, Bill clamping a hand on his shoulder. "You sure you're okay?"

Charlie shakes his head. "No, but I will be."