Who: Charlie Weasley & Tavia Proudfoot When: November 5th, 2002 (afternoon) Where: The Petting Zoo Area in London Zoo What: A random run-in... that ends tragically Rating: Perfectly innocent
Okay, so maybe it was a bit juvenile of her to decide to hang out at a muggle petting zoo, but she'd always loved animals, and, well, it wasn't as though she wanted to be cooped up in Tinsworth all day, every day, and the place that someone would least expect her to spend was, well, a muggle facility. Besides, the animals were adorable, and Ivy wasn't around to ruin things, either.
It was almost peaceful in that sense, even with all of the children around amusing themselves, some laughing, others screaming or crying… really, she'd take them over Ivy any day, not that she had to put up with her anymore, now that she was gone. Without Valentina around anymore, it had become even harder to ignore her presence, and her father had seemed steadily to be losing it more and more with her around. She'd hated having her there, but she'd known the punishment that would come with letting her go would be undoubtedly enormous if her father had found out about it-- or worse, Lucius Malfoy.
Spotting a wash of red hair, Tavia frowned. What were the chances that Ivy's boyfriend would be here? At second glance, however, she decided that this guy didn't look like Fred Weasley, a soft sigh of relief leaving her as her hand moved to her purse on instinct. She'd become almost obsessed with the small box since receiving it, Tavia not once letting it out of her sight. It was beginning to become a genuine problem, slowly but surely.
&
Even since the murder of Hagrid, Charlie had felt lost. Well, it wasn't the first time in his history he had been assaulted with this sort of grief, considering he had already lost 2 family members, but Hagrid felt like a 3rd, and it was getting to be too much. More and more he wanted to return to Romania, to leave the stress of the real world behind him and worry about nothing more than not getting eaten by a dragon. Or crushed. It was odd to think that Charlie felt that relaxing, but there was a certain peace that came along with it. Dragons were unpredictable, but they were also entirely predictable, unlike humans. He understood creatures, animals more than he did his fellow man. It was a confusing, strange feeling.
Perhaps that's why he continually found himself wandering in places filled with plants and trees. They were hard to come by in the city, but they existed. It had been the botanical gardens the day before. Today, a petting zoo, maybe tomorrow he'd find something else.
He should probably be with him family. Or writing his book, but instead he wandered aimlessly, trying to screw his head back on correctly. Without thinking, he sat down directly next to a person who happened to be Octavia Proudfoot, but he didn't even realize it. He just hoped the person wouldn't mind some company.
Looking over at her, he managed a sweet smile, "I can sit somewhere else if you'd like. This spot just gives me an excellent view of the goats."
&
She'd just gotten more feed to bring the goats nearer, Tavia petting one of them as she shook her head, throwing the stranger a smile. "I don't mind at all. Though… you do look familiar. I don't suppose I know you from somewhere?"
If not, it was nevertheless a fortuitous meeting, of sorts. He was rather handsome, after all, and Tavia certainly couldn't complain of the company. A beat followed as she blinked at him. "Are you a muggle?" she asked quite simply, not even caring if he was and would undoubtedly end up completely confused. It wasn't a word that most muggles were familiar with in the first, so it wasn't as though she was worried.
&
Yes, she was familiar, but not enough that it set off any alarms in his head. After all, he had met many pretty women in his life. But Merlin, she surprised him with her forwardness. Blinking at her in surprise, Charlie opened his mouth to answer, but instead laughed, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair that most certainly needed a cut.
"You know… asking people if they're muggles is going to land you a lot of odd looks. Some might even think you're crazy," Charlie responded with a wink.
"But no… to answer your question, I'm not. Small world then, huh? Came here to get away from the magical world, and yet…" he trailed off, shaking his head once again with an amused smile. The universe had an awfully strange sense of humor today.
"I'm Charlie. Charlie Weasley. And you?" He held out his hand to her in greeting.
&
"But if they're confused, then it's obvious they're muggles, isn't it? And then I have my answer. And besides, it's not like it matters if I ask-- it's not like they even know the term..."
She offered a shrug in response to his musing, a small smile playing on her features. "I like animals. But daddy never did let us have any. I would have taken anything, too. But he thought that my siblings and I weren't responsible enough-- he probably didn't want to be settled with any pet care himself..." Getting some more feed, she held her hand out to him to offer him some.
That was, until he mentioned his name, her eyes widening considerably. He hadn't been on the death list, had it? But he was still a Weasley… damn.
"Octavia. Pr……. Primrose." She hesitated. "No, that's not-- Proudfoot. Octavia Proudfoot. Tavia, for short. My father kidnapped your brother's girlfriend, I think."
&
It was obvious that the woman next to him didn't care, nor thought very highly of their non magical brethren. Which was something that rubbed him the wrong way, just a bit, but he was also realistic. There were still so many people in the Magical world who had those perceptions of muggles, and at the very least, she was at least enjoying her time among them. That said something. Tolerance at the very least, right? He could respect that.
Charlie reached out then to accept the feed from her hand, but caught the look on her face at the mention of his name. He really had been questioning introducing himself with his last name, recently. Something he had never considered before, but her reaction sort of solidified the thought.
For a moment after she introduced herself, he sat silent, unsure of how to react initially. But instead of getting up and walking away, Charlie smiled at her. Yes, she had tried to lie at first, but stopped herself immediately, and instead gave him honesty. That took a lot of courage, did it not? And he had to respect that.
"I think you're right, Octavia," Charlie agreed with a nod. "But… correct me if I'm wrong, you didn't kidnap my brothers girlfriend, right? Because if you didn't, then I have to let you know that I'm not the type of person to lay the blame on a family member for the transgressions of a father." And after another moment, "I appreciate your honesty."
With the feed in hand, he moved up a bit to the fence, a young goat coming up to him to eat the food from his flat palm.
"I'm sorry you never had pets, Tavia. Animals are amazing. They truly fill a void in some people that nothing else can."
&
Merlin, Tavia was a terrible liar. But he was right, it had probably been a good thing that she'd been honest, and she heaved a soft sigh as she nodded at his words. "Thank you. My father has done some pretty bad things; it would be awful if people didn't know to separate us just because of a shared last name." Hell, it was why she was even still here instead of running in the opposite direction at the thought of what one of the Weasley rebels might do to her.
Moving to stand, she plopped herself down on the ground beside him, crossing her legs in such a way that made her skirt inadvertently ride up somewhat. "Have you had any pets before?"
He was nice, which she hadn't expected. And handsome, too, as she'd considered previously. It was downright inconvenient, that.
&
"I try to let the actions of people speak for themselves. So… until then, clean slate, Tavia Proudfoot," Charlie said with a smile. Though he knew the moment the rest of his family found out about this, he'd never hear the end of it. Perhaps that was one of the main reasons he had always been distant. Such differing opinions and the like. Of course, that did not mean he didn't love his family fiercely. Quite the contrary. He just hated fighting.
When she took a seat next to him, it seemed she felt a bit more comfortable now, which he appreciated. The last thing he would have wanted was for the woman next to him to be afraid or uncertain. Instead, he smiled at her question, chuckling even. "Oh… we had tons of cats growing up. And garden gnomes.. if you would consider those pets. But honestly? I didn't really have time to have pets the last decade. The dragons, you see… they like to eat dogs and cats and anything else that happens to wander across their path. Been thinking about it though ever since I moved back from the preserve in Romania a few months back. Can't quite decide on what I want though, which means I'll probably end up with more than one."
He winked at her then. "I'd say you could come visit when I eventually procure a furry friend but.. I'm assuming you're one of those who lives on the other side." He wouldn't mind, honestly, but he also wasn't big in breaking the law.
&
"You're being really nice to me," she said quite simply, looking at him somewhat curiously. Her father had always been kind to her, but even then she knew he held the capacity to be anything but kind. And everyone else around them in Tinworth either ignored her or actively seemed to dislike her, with the possible lone exception of Bonnie. It was impossibly lonely, too, which didn't help matters much, and Lucius Malfoy terrified her beyond all imagination.
"You used to look after dragons?" That certainly seemed to perk her up, her eyes widened as she blinked at him. "That sounds exciting-- you're like a… muggle knight… except that I assume you don't kill the dragons, but take care of them?" She knew so pathetically little about this that it almost embarrassed her talking to him now.
"My sister isn't living with us anymore. I mainly didn't want to stop living with my father, but..." Her gaze fell. "I don't like how he was around Ivy, I never have. I've never liked her, either, but it's awful now. Worse than before. And I don't like being cooped up in the town. I mean-- there's a reason I'm here, isn't there? I wouldn't have left if it was a particularly happy place for a girl like me. Besides," she continued, dropping her voice, "Lucius Malfoy terrifies me."
&
It was odd to him, that this woman was questioning his niceness, if only because Charlie didn't think being a decent person was that strange. But then again, knowing what little bit he did about her father, he wasn't entirely surprised. And that wasn't to say her father treated her badly, because that was an unfair judgment to make and Charlie truly didn't know. But in a similar vein, he knew who he could be, and more than that, the company he kept, to which Tavia would have been privy too.
"Am I not supposed to be then? Because.. I try to treat all people with respect. At the very least, the ones who haven't done me wrong. And so far, you haven't done me wrong, so…" He shrugged, looking back at the animals bleating at him for more food. He chuckled, letting them eat a bit more before they wandered off.
"Yeah. Been a Dragonologist since not too long after my Hogwarts days. Well, I mean, I trained for a few years first. Was more of an intern. But for the better part of a decade, Dragons have been my life. It's not always about taking care of them but… making sure they have a safe space. Obviously they're creatures not many people understand, and associate with evil destruction, but that's just not true. They're animals, they have instincts just like we do, and they happen to exist on the same plane of living as us. I just… felt it important to make sure we could figure out a way to live in peace, is all." There he went again, showing his passion for creatures other than humans. But sometimes he couldn't help it. Animals just made so much more sense. That wasn't to say humans weren't just like animals as well, but… their unpredictable and cruel nature was certainly something else.
A look of concern crossed his face then, and he stared silently ahead of him for a minute before he looked at Octavia. "Do you want to leave? And by that, I don't mean… leave your father. Or disown him, or any of that nonsense. But do you want to be your own person and just… make your own choices. Start over. Live the life you wanted. Because you know, you could do that. I could help…" he shrugged then, wiping his hand off on his jeans and giving her a small smile. "No sense in living if you're unhappy all the time, right?"
&
"I guess I'm not used to it, is all," she muttered, softly shrugging. Truth be told, she wasn't exposed to a lot of particularly decent people. And while she was the apple of her father's eye, while he treated her like an absolute treasure… well. Tinworth wasn't exactly composed of good Samaritans.
There was a passion that seemed to burn in his eyes that she was wholly unfamiliar with. She wondered what it would be like, to have someone one felt so truly strongly about. Remarkable, most likely. She could barely even imagine. But... then again, she'd always been fairly sheltered. She didn't feel particularly passionate about anything, after all, aside from wishing to impress and please her father. She'd never had goals of the sort of variety that other people did.
"That sounds amazing," she breathed softly, genuinely enraptured for a long moment as she stared at him. "So, what, you… fed them? Raised them? That sounds like it was really dangerous." But exciting, too. She couldn't imagine her father would ever let her do anything so risky.
At his question, she blinked at him. He was offering to help her? A complete stranger? Why was he being so nice to her? He'd claimed that it was because he had no reason not to be, but… that seemed nonetheless so utterly puzzling to her.
"I've never thought about it. I never thought it was an option. I don't even know what sorts of things I like. Or… want." She blinked. "I don't know, honestly. I don't even know if I'm unhappy."
&
Charlie wasn't trying to make his life sound oh so exciting, but well, it sort of was. Dangerous. Thrilling. Every day in Romania brought some sort of new adventure. He absolutely longed to return to it, but at the same time, he was well aware that he was needed here. He could feel war brewing again, and his family always seemed to be in constant danger. Charlie may have been his own man, and able to distance himself from a lot of things, but never his family. Not when they were potentially in trouble. No, he was needed here now, even if it wasn't entirely apparent. Maybe one day he'd return to the preserve, but until then, he was happy to discuss his life there, and recall plenty of memories.
"Dangerous… yeah, I guess so. After a while though you learn what not to do. But there's always that unpredictability that exists so you have to be on your toes. I mostly studied their behavior and health. Learned about the differences in species. Who preceded what, when, and where, you know? But sometimes I got to feed them… mostly the babies. And then every once in awhile one would be injured and that require a lot of trained help."
Shrugging then, Charlie realized that perhaps he was coming on a bit too strong. He was just genuinely a good person though, and when he saw someone in need of an ear to listen, or a hand to hold, he was there. "Hey… it's no big deal. You don't have to go figuring out your life, or how you really feel, this second. But it's just something to think about, you know? Just realize there always are options, and people to help. It just takes the courage of actually finding and asking for it. And trust me, I know that can be the worst part."
Charlie stood up, holding his hand out to help her up as well. "Want to go get a lemonade or tea or something? I'm parched."
&
It was a miracle, by her estimation, that he was here at all, that he'd even bothered to leave Romania in the first place, but she had to assume that he had to have had a good reason behind his departure and the following homecoming.
"Like… the dragon would get injured? Or the people taking care of the dragon?" Because, from the way it sounded, both were equally likely, all things considered.
The problem with what Charlie was saying was that he was right. That was precisely what was so infuriating, too. She had all this… potential-- Merlin only knew that her father told her all the time how precious and special she was when compared to everyone else, after all. But at the same time, she had no idea what she wanted to do with all of the potential she evidently possessed. Once more, her hand seemed to move to her bag with the small box and all the potential it, too, contained, however much of an unknown it still was.
"I've never even thought that there were options," she muttered, pursing her lips as she frowned-- that was, until surprise got the better of her when Charlie offered her his hand, her eyes widening somewhat. Still, she took it quite readily, blinking as she slowly nodded. "All right. I'd like that."
&
"Dragons can get injured, yes, and we had to care for them," he said with a nod and smile, "But I think we get injured at a higher rate. Had a nasty run in myself a few years back. Honestly, it's a miracle I lived, and even more so that I can walk," he said with a shrug. Magical healing truly was something, compared to some of the muggle remedies he had come across in his travels. His recovery had been a downright miracle.
Once Tavia took his hand, Charlie pulled her up easily, releasing her only when he knew she was steady and taking off in the direction of the refreshments. He figured she would follow at this rate, and he waited until he could see her out of the corner of his eye before he responded to the comment he had caught a while back.
"There are always options. I can assure you on that one," Charlie promised with a wink, walking up to the refreshment counter and ordering a large lemonade. He motioned for her to order a drink as well, and once she was finished, he pulled out enough muggle bills to cover it as they were served their drinks and continued to walk on. He just couldn't handle being in one place for too long, after all.
"Have you ever thought about what you wanted beyond staying with your Da? Things you want to do, places you want to go see?"
&
She was absolutely in awe of him. This man had had what were practically near-death experiences, and what had she done with her life? Not gone to hang out with dragons, that was for certain.
She followed him like a loyal puppy, feeling braver by the second. Maybe it was rubbing off on her, even if just a little. Then again, he'd been a Gryffindor, right? It only made sense. Reaching into her pocket again, she pulled out the small box, her fingers skirting along the edge as she bit her lip.
"Oh-- orange juice, please." He really was incredible. And a gentleman, too! Was this how her father treated women when he went out on dates? She could only hope so. The feeling it brought about was incredible! "Thank you, by the way." At his question, however, she shook her head. "I don't think-- I mean… I'm not very smart," she admitted somewhat softly. "I know I don't have a lot of options. I know there's only so much someone like me can do, so I… restrained myself to keep from dreaming too big."
She was still fiddling with her box, a slow frown coming over her features. "My sister was… with your brother. I found out about that the other day. And then there's all that with Fred and my father's girlfriend..." She gestured at the box, lifting it a little for him to see. "He gave this to me, you know. Your brother, I mean."
&
"No problem whatsoever. It's a thank you for providing me with company," he told her, waving off her thanks without a care. They were getting into the part of the zoo again with some open exhibits, and Charlie both enjoyed looking at them, but also couldn't shake the sad feeling at them being so cooped up. It wasn't like a preserve. There was no freedom here, and he hated it.
"Just because you don't feel like you're smart, doesn't mean your options are limited. There are millions of people in the world that aren't Ravenclaw brilliant who manage just fine, and find fulfilling, cool jobs to work. What do you like to do? Like honestly, give me any hobby." Because Charlie was adamant in the fact there was something out there for everyone, and he was bound and determined to show her that he was telling the truth.
But her words caught him off guard, and he stopped, raising an eyebrow as she mentioned her sister being with one of his brothers, followed by the box grasped between her fingers. He hadn't known either bit of information that she had shared, and it was taking him a moment to process. "I...huh," he said, running a hand through his messy red locks. "Guess my brothers have a lot of stuff going on I know nothing about. Might make me a crap brother.." The thought bothered him, but now wasn't the time for it. Instead he motioned to the package. "Which brother gave that to you and.. I mean.. What's inside?" He found it odd that anyone of his family would be giving her a gift. It just didn't make sense.
&
It was strange; the more she was talking to Charlie, the more she was feeling like one of the caged, cooped up zoo animals at home. Was that what her life was like? Was that why Valentina had left? Life seemed so perfect in Tinsworth-- or, at least-- it had.
She had to fight hard at his question not to answer by simply supplying him with the fact that what she loved more than anything was receiving praise from her father, doing things right instead of mucking them up all the time. She liked being the favorite. She liked… well, attention, really. Positive, happy attention.
"I think-- I mean-- I'm kind of pretty, right? I've thought about performance art. Things like… acting or modeling. But I don't know if I could." Or should, for that matter.
"I had to learn about who it was through the papers," she muttered in response to his concern, Tavia shrugging it off. "If you're a bad brother, then I guess that makes me a bad sister. I tried to get it out of her, but… she wouldn't tell me because of our dad, I think."
Glancing down at the box, she frowned. "Fred. Ivy's boyfriend. I don't know what's in it. He said I wasn't allowed to look, but Lucius Malfoy let me keep it, and…" And Merlin, did she ever want to.
&
Charlie thought on it for a moment, nodding at the things she could potentially be in interested in. He wasn't trying to judge by any means, but she did seem the more girlish type, not that there was anything wrong with that. "Modelling could be something. So you like shopping? Could be a personal stylist for people and shop for them. Or even design your own. Who knows, the world is your oyster. Right?"
Taking a sip of his lemonade, he finally stopped, frowning. Fred had given it to her? Lucius let her keep it? Was it actually meant for him then or was he missing something?
"Well… that's weird. Why give something you can't look at? I mean… if you're worried, I can always do it for you? See what all the fuss is about. Or if you wanna do it yourself, I'll be right here," he assured her with a smile. Just.. what on earth would Fred be sending? And honestly, it didn't cross Charlie's mind for a moment that it was incredibly dangerous. Because why would this girl have something like that? Why would she be entrusted with it? It was probably some sort of joke meant to piss someone off.
&
A personal stylist? Maybe. But the thought of designing her own outfits more than appealed to her, her eyes widening somewhat at that. That sounded absolutely magical.
At his questions about the package, however, Tavia frowned. She'd carried it around with herself for so long, too chicken to open it. What kind of a coward would she be if she just consented now to someone else doing it for her? No, that simply wouldn't do.
Taking a long sip of her juice, Tavia braced herself before simply nodding. "No, I can do it." And knowing that Charlie would be right there with her helped enormously. Taking a deep breath, she broke the seal and opened the box, her eyes going momentarily wide in abject terror before she froze, her consciousness seeming to leave her right before Charlie's eyes.
&
The innocence of the moment suddenly broke around them, Charlie watching as her eyes went wide. Confusion crossed his features as Tavia began tumbling to the ground. He reached out, catching her, a gasp coming from the crowd around them. No matter how much he called to her, shook her, there was no response. Just the terror on her frozen face. He heard someone call for the muggle emergency team… but in the sluggish haze of his mind, he knew it would not help. No, whatever this was…
Picking her up, his features blank, he carried her out of the zoo to the sound of yelling and frantic visitors. What had he encouraged her to do?