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Tweak says, "Ted, you look fabulous."

Charlie Weasley (tamethebeast) wrote in wished,
@ 2010-03-07 21:18:00

Current music:	the proclaimers - i'm gonna be (500 miles)
Entry tags:	!1998: 03, !incomplete, charlie weasley, hestia jones

|WHO:| Charlie Weasley | Hestia Jones
|WHEN:| Sunday, 7 March, early evening
|WHERE:| Hogsmeade: The Three Broomsticks
|WHAT:| Charlie sticks around Hogsmeade for a while to meet up with Hestia for dinner and a chat.
|RATING:| G/PG
|STATUS:| Incomplete | Closed

After sending a few letters back and forth, Charlie had plans to meet with Hestia during a Hogsmeade weekend for an earlier dinner. Since she was a busy Healer, he never really knew what her exact schedule was, though he knew she was not available until the evening.

Once he left the Quidditch supplies shop after a talk with Marcus Flint, Charlie chose to poke around a bit more and check up on various people—the Order had business to tend to and Charlie was not there to simply play around. A lot was on their plate and he needed to do his part for their efforts (or go above and beyond if he could at all manage).

In and out at Honeydukes, Charlie headed straight to The Three Broomsticks. He ordered chips to share with Hestia, and two cups of coffee (if Hestia did not want it, he would probably drink it himself). As he sat in the booth, Charlie placed Hestia's favourite candies on the table for her. He did not have the chance to get her a birthday present, nor did he really know what to give her, but he did know her favourite treats from Honeydukes and had an assortment for her whenever she arrived.

Spotting Hestia, he stood up, kissed her cheek, and waited for her to sit down before he slid back into the booth. "We didn't have the chance to talk much at the meeting, did we?" he said, taking a sip from the hot coffee. "Hope you don't mind that I ordered a bit. And happy belated birthday, by the way," he said, his eyes darting to the treats. "Since you're still sick, Hes, I thought you might need the usual cure," he grinned.

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hastyhestia
2010-03-08 05:55 am UTC (link)

Although her throat still felt a bit sore and perhaps her nose wasn't quite as quiet as she would have hoped, but Hestia was beaming all the same when she came inside the Three Broomsticks and caught sight of Charlie. Although she had only seen him the night before, it was true that there had been much more going on then a time for socializing.

She shed herself of her coat and hung it on the back of her chair before settling in across from him at the table. "This is quite the loaded dinner, then, isn't it?"

She couldn't help but tease as she pulled the steaming mug toward her, "And you've gotten it right. After all these years, I can't believe you've remembered how I like it. How are you doing, Charlie?"

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tamethebeast
2010-03-08 06:11 am UTC (link)

"The chips are only the appetizer," he said. Charlie would never be able to be able to sit down for only chips—he would always at least eat a sandwich. "Surely you know me well enough to know this is only the beginning. And I've been well, Hestia, with the exception of not being able to spend time with Ron."

Charlie frowned a bit, wrapping his hands around the coffee mug. He let a long moment pass before shaking his head, "but I understand the reasons for it. I've been away in Romania for so long, it's like I come back and I still don't see anyone much. It means a lot to me that you came to dinner, Hestia. Thank you," he said, reaching across the table for a moment to squeeze her hand. Charlie usually did not show emotion, but Hestia had known him for fifteen years now, and there was not much Charlie could hide from her anymore.

"Of course I remember your favourite treats!" he said, changing his tone and sitting back. "They always put a smile on your face, Hestia. That's why I did it. Plus, I heard a rumor that chocolate cures colds," he winked.

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hastyhestia
2010-03-08 06:21 am UTC (link)

She smiled again, this time her smile grew so wide it hurt her mouth for a short moment. She looked down at her hand, a small part of her excited to see Charlie's over it. As of late, things had been incredibly serious around her. Things between her family were tense, things among the Order weren't exactly easy and as always, St. Mungo's did not make a stressful life any more easier. She thought back briefly to her appointment with Verity and wished she could tell Charlie - she'd be violating clear patient/Healer terms if she did. Merlin, it was eating at her.

"It damn well better," she told him, a laugh following. "I should be eating all the chocolate I can muster, then."

She sighed then, positioning herself in a more comfortable way.

"I understand your frustrations, of course. The meeting last night was something, wasn't it? Who knew we all had so much to talk about."

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tamethebeast
2010-03-08 06:37 am UTC (link)

Once they placed their dinner orders, Charlie was able to focus on Hestia more. "How long have you been sick?" he asked, genuinely concerned. The only problem with the cold virus is that even if one ended, another could manifest and start the entire cycle over again. Fortunately, he rarely got sick (not even a cold) during the winter.

Sighing a bit, he really did not want their conversation to head towards the meeting the night before. Charlie just wanted to have dinner with Hestia and nothing more than casual conversation—even if it only lasted a short while.

Popping another chip in his mouth, and they were still hot from the deep frier, Charlie nodded. "The meeting needed to happen, everything that needed to get discussed was talked about, and now we all know what we need to be doing as of now." Charlie did not realise how difficult the war had been the last eight years he was in Romania, and it hit him light a freight train—he felt like he was the only one that was shocked and surprised about certain things and was clinging to his family and best mates like he may not see them the next day.

"I had a chat with Marcus Flint this afternoon," he said, grinning. "He's a brilliant player for the Falcons. I think you and I should go to one of their games if we can. What do you say, Hes? Sit in the stands with me rather than cheer for me?" he laughed.

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hastyhestia
2010-03-08 06:48 am UTC (link)

"After all those years spent cheering for you, this could be a nice change," she told him, her eyebrows raised in a playful sort of way.

She could sense that Charlie was feeling more tense than the last time they'd had a meal together. She almost felt sorry for him, a tiny bit. He had been away for so long and not much news of what was going on in London traveled well to Romania. She wondered how he felt, if he felt like he was just ambushed by everything that was going on.

She raked a hand through her hair, the thick braid hanging past her shoulders was fraying slightly from the day's activities. She was surprised the braid was still in tact.

"But I think it sounds like a fantastic idea. My brother has been trying to get me to see a match for ages now. But you've no idea how hard it is to watch a match when someone you care about is playing. Even with you - I'd be watching and hoping you wouldn't fall and crack your neck."

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tamethebeast
2010-03-08 07:10 am UTC (link)

"I still had a few injuries," he replied with a smile as he recalled a few instances (though nothing too serious), "and I think Madam Pomfrey could fix even a broken neck."

Perhaps he was more tense. As the war grew closer and closer, Charlie could not help but get nervous about various situations. He was a very capable wizard, and he knew how to defend himself well-enough, but he had yet to face a Death Eater or see anything remotely as awful as Ron, Harry, and Hermione (and even then he did not know all the stories).

"It's a date then," he said, not really thinking about the implication. Charlie always thought Hestia and Tonks were fit, but he had always been too interested in school and Quidditch—with the exception of the couple girlfriends he tried to have—to attempt anything with either of them. Even still, he was somewhere else in his walk in life and too detached from wanting romance to think he may actually want it. If the time came, Charlie would take it, but now was not the time to try to settle down for any reason. "I told Flint it'd be brilliant to see one of his games, but we could go to one of Alex's too. I've never seen an Arrows game." He sat back, glad when their dinners arrived so he could dig into it. "I mean it, Hestia," he said, pointing his fork at her. "I'll get us tickets to the Falcons, you get tickets for the Arrows. Flint may be able to pull strings for me. He's actually a very decent bloke."

There was a pause as he thought about wanting Ron there with him, but he knew that was not feasible. Charlie convinced himself that if he had a good time without sharing that with those he thought deserved it more, like his brother, that he was not being the person he needed to be. A match would raise his spirits, he knew that well enough, but Charlie also knew it would make him feel guilty—like he should be brooding about, talking only about the war, and finding solace in nothing.

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hastyhestia
2010-03-10 01:47 am UTC (link)

"Madame Pomfrey could fix any damn thing," Hestia mused.

Which was true, enough. Although Hestia had always begrudged the woman for picking at her while in Hogwarts, she found that Pomfrey took a special liking to her when Hestia alluded to her dreams of becoming a Healer.

She laughed shortly, "I mean it, too! We'll do an Arrows game and a Falcons game. I'll be a bit of a grouch, I admit, during the Falcons. They've always been a ghastly bunch to watch. A terrible bit of cheaters - but you know, it is bloody entertaining."

She looked down at her meal she ordered, grateful that for one day her stomach wasn't acting up. It had been far too long since she'd eaten a proper meal.

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tamethebeast
2010-03-10 06:58 am UTC (link)

"Good!" he grinned as he began to eat. The short time he spent chatting with Marcus Flint earlier that afternoon turned out for the better and Charlie hoped that he would be able to get a pair of tickets out of Flint. "I'll probably beg Flint for ticket by the end of the week by turning on my Weasley charm," he laughed, downing half of his water in one gulp. He did not realise how thirsty he was until he finally sat down for dinner.

Staring at Hestia a moment, he gave her a look, "you better not be a grouch. If I can manage to get tickets from Flint, I expect nothing but insincere happiness and fake gratitude when we meet the team." Charlie winked at Hestia. He knew they were not her favourite team, but being able to see them play would have been more than enough. "Besides, you can always root for the other team. But if you get kicked out, you're on your own."

Pausing for a moment after a few bites, he eyed Hestia. A part of him was really curious about a lot of things. It was not often they had opportunities to spend time together. "I hate to ask, since I hate being asked, but... do you have a boyfriend yet? And if you do, when can I meet him? I have to make sure he's good enough for you," he smirked.

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hastyhestia
2010-03-11 06:47 am UTC (link)

Often throughout their friendship, Hestia and Charlie often spent time just one upping each other. They were a relationship filled with witty remarks and casual retorts. It was how their friendship worked. Though, if Hestia took a moment to sit back and think about it, she would realize most of her friendships were like that. But mostly because it was easier for Hestia to poke fun than talk about things seriously. She usually had a problem talking seriously.

It was hard enough to maintain some sort of professionalism at work. She didn't feel like working with her friends, too.

At the exact moment Hestia was about to say something biting in response to Charlie's remark about getting kicked out, Charlie went on to ask her a question she never thought would come out of his mouth.

"A boyfriend," Hestia repeated, her eyebrows rising slightly. "Merlin, no. If I had a boyfriend, you'd know about him-"

Or, better yet- be him. But Hestia would never be able to admit that to Charlie. Ever.

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tamethebeast
2010-03-11 07:48 am UTC (link)

If they wanted to be more serious with each other, they probably could manage. Charlie certainly had his moments—especially in school while he busied himself with everything he possibly could—but he still maintained a large sense of playfulness (which he attributed to Bill), or so he thought. Others probably saw him as a bit uptight, but Charlie turned serious with certain subjects.

"Sorry, just thought I'd ask. I'm only looking our for you Hestia." One thing Charlie did not like was the pressure he received from all angles to find someone 'to make him happy.' In his opinion, he was perfectly happy without someone—but not that the idea had not crossed him mind. Charlie was still young, the war still pressed on, and too many people were in too many places for him to think he would be able to stay in one place long enough. "It's hard enough keeping up with family and closest mates. I dunno how people manage to settle down, like Bill, but he's been able to stay in one place long enough that it worked out. Sometimes I think people want me convinced I'm missing out on something, but I really don't think I am. My focus is on this war, and that doesn't mean Bill's mind is elsewhere, because that's certainly not the case, but it's like I'm doing too much. Of course, I also just don't really care about that right now. You too?"

Charlie wanted someone else to relate to him, someone else that thought being with someone was the least of their worries and it was okay to not have that on their mind. He bottled his feelings towards being single up for quite some time, understanding that his parents wanted him happy and with someone, and it felt good to at least admit a small piece of his thoughts to Hestia.

"We can talk about something else," he said, taking another bite of his dinner. "I found a brilliant broom kit earlier today. I'm thinking about taking the broom out of the closet again, Hestia, and flying again."

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hastyhestia
2010-03-12 03:30 pm UTC (link)

"I obviously can't talk for the rest of the single world out there, but I haven't been able to think about dating for even a second this year. I just haven't been allotted the time," she said, her shoulders sagging slightly as the thought caught up with her.

Since the turn of the year, things had taken a fairly drastic turn in the wizarding world. Decrees and prejudices were taking ahold of the daily media and turning perfectly normal folks into scared people. She'd vaguely recalled her parents talking about how many marriages took place during the last war. She had a feeling things would become quite similar if given the chance. She looked toward Charlie with a small smile.

"Bill got lucky," she continued. "Once in a while, you can manage to do all those things at once. Work, worry about what we've got to worry about and still manage to find someone - that's lucky. But honestly, I'm not much for luck. And I'm not much for looking for it, either."

She took a forkful of her food and mulled over her thoughts as she chewed.

"Are you?" she asked, grinning suddenly. "Think you've got what it takes, still?"

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tamethebeast
2010-03-14 05:23 am UTC (link)

Charlie agreed, on multiple levels, about not thinking of that aspect of his life. The war was their first priority, and he thought it wonderful some managed to find love and marriage during such a horrible and tragic time for two generations of witches and wizards. His focus, however, had always been elsewhere and on other things, but as he approached the age of thirty, in addition to the pressure from friends and family, Charlie began thinking about it more and more (but decided to wait until the war ended and after things settled towards a more normal society).

"He did," Charlie nodded, swallowing a bit of his dinner. "And one day you will be too, Hestia. I'm happy just being close to home again. I miss Romania, and I know I can always go back, but we all need to be together now, which includes going to Quidditch matches with your best mates." He winked at Hestia over his glass, a smile on his face. He was thinking about the match now and how brilliant it will be to be there with Hestia and not worry about anything but cheering on a team.

He laughed, "I never lost it." Charlie finished his dinner rather quickly, then slouched a bit in his seat. "But I would like to get on a broom again, maybe play a match for fun. I did some flying in Romania, but all my time was focused on the dragons. Being around them, Hestia, it's like nothing else and it's like I didn't need to have other hobbies." His face lit up while talking about Romania. Charlie longed to go back, to see and be with the dragons again. There were so many things he wanted and needed to do, yet he knew how to prioritise and focus on what was truly important.

"Fancy doing a bit of flying with me? A competition, perhaps?"

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hastyhestia
2010-03-15 12:54 pm UTC (link)

"I imagine most dragons wouldn't feel right about having you lot flying about their heads," Hestia said, finding the image quite funny, indeed. She stifled a short giggle as she looked to Charlie.

She hitched an eyebrow. A competition? Although she was clearly the lesser talented Jones on a broom, she could still hold her own fairly well. She'd been flying since she was an infant, nearly, with Alexander. She even had a surely, crooked nose to prove it. She looked back down at her plate as she contemplated the idea.

"You know, it has been bloody ages since I've been on a broom," she said, letting the idea set in. "And what could it hurt? Aside from your ego, of course, when I win."

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tamethebeast
2010-03-16 07:12 am UTC (link)

Charlie laughed, "I only flew with a dragon because it had been injured and its left wing needed to be reconstructed and repaired. It was actually a really brutal task we took on. The dragon, we assume, was attacked somehow and we received a message from the Ukranian Ministry about it, so we took the dragon in. Flying with it was to ensure he could fly properly. It took quite a while before everything was back to normal, and his wings were not the only thing wrong."

The laugh turned to a frown rather quickly as he remembered dealing with that dragon—his favourite breed, a Ukrainian Ironbelly, which died only a few months after the rescue. It had been a very hard and difficult task for Charlie and he felt as though he failed long afterward.

"I doubt you could out-fly me," Charlie snorted, a smirk slowly appearing on his face. "Merlin blessed me with a gift, Hestia. You're a brilliant witch, but you've got nothing on me when it comes to flying," he winked.

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