Yours truly ; Charlie Weasley

Forty-five

Charlie

Ember was sleeping. She was actually sleeping peacefully with a weak smile on her face which told me that she was having a nice dream.

She hasn't had as many nightmares since I moved back into the bedroom. Now I was the one who couldn't sleep.

Ember knew I was hiding something. I should've known it would come to this. She's smart. Way too smart for someone like me.

She was on her back, her head turned towards me. Her left leg was bended at the knee, the other on my side of the bed — or, her side. I went to the toilet and when I got back, she had rolled over on my side so now I was sitting on hers.

She had an arm underneath her pillow, the other hanging off the bed. She was wearing my dark red t-shirt.

The duvet was barely covering her. Only her left leg and the rest of the duvet hung off the bed like her arm.

She was drooling a bit which she had always been embarrassed about but I just found it adorable.

I sighed and placed a hand on her clothed stomach, caressing it with my thumb.

She's the only person I ever imagined to give birth to my children. Even before we were dating, when we were simply at the start of our teen years. She was the only one I could imagine parenthood with. The only one I could imagine a life with.

When Ember placed a hand on mine, my eyes flicked up to her face but she was still asleep. She mumbled something inaudible in her sleep while nuzzling her head further into the pillow.

"I love you." I whispered and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "So much."

I pulled my hand from her stomach, and carefully got out of bed, making sure not to wake her. The floor creaked as I walked to the door, but she stayed asleep.

I left the bedroom and once I closed the door behind me, I let out a breath of relief, though I quickly got aware of the circumstances when I could hear rattling coming from the living room.

I didn't have my wand. It was in the bedroom on the nightstand. I slowly opened the door and put out my hand towards where my wand was. I summoned it, using both wand-less and nonverbal magic.

Once it was in my hand, I slowly and carefully closed the door again, then approached the living room, holding out the wand.

I stepped around the corner and my eyes widened at the person.

"What the hell are you doing in my home at three at night?" I asked, trying not to be too loud. If Ember woke up now, she'd know. She's know what I had been keeping a secret and it would break her to know the truth.

Edison straightened up, closing the drawer he had been going through. He turned around, pushing his hands into the pockets of his way too fancy dress pants.

For a seventy-year-old man, he's really healthy and looks like he could take me out in a second. He also looks way younger than he is and he scares the absolute shit out of me.

He loves Ember. He would do anything for his grandchildren and he's for fucking loads of them. Twelve to be exact.

"What are you doing in your home?" He shot back. "You should be in Romania, forgetting all about my little Emmy."

"Your little—" I let out a quiet laugh. "... she's about to turn twenty-six. You can't baby her forever, Edison."

"It is Mr Crooks to you." He said roughly, taking a step towards me.

Sounds like a villain from a Disney movie.

"What were you doing?" I asked, pointing my wand at the drawer. When he didn't respond, I walked over and pulled it open, frowning when I saw the bag of white powder. "What's this?"

I grabbed the bag and held it up as I turned towards him again.

"It's some kind of Muggle drug." He told me. He acted like it wasn't that big of a deal. "I believe they call it— coke."

"And you're planting this in my drawer of the desk?" I asked. "I'm not— you're not gonna ruin this again. She needs me and I need her."

Edison chuckled, shaking his head at me.

"She doesn't need you. She wants you. There's a difference, Charles. I'm gonna be generous and give you two weeks weeks and if you're not gone by then, I'll just find another way of planting something that'll make her kick you out."

"And how are you gonna do that?" I asked. "Ember won't believe that I do drugs. I don't even know about Muggle drugs. I thought you were smarter than that."

I threw the bag of powder on the coffee tables and gently put my wand down before I faced him again.

"I've got cameras installed in this loft." He said. "I am watching all the time. In the kitchen area, the living room. I see your fights, I hear your conversations and I know she's pregnant."

Excuse me what?

"You've installed cameras in my home?" I asked. "You've installed cameras on a property that doesn't belong to you. In your own granddaughter's home? That's sick. That is sick and it's twisted and she is going to hate you for that alone, but even more when she figures out that you threatened me and my sister so you could get me to leave."

"Who's going to tell her?" He asked. "You? Because if you do, I won't only go for you and your sister. I'll make sure your dad loses his job, that the one twin that's left from the war will lose his shop and his home. Do you need me to continue?"

I clenched my fists along with my jaw, gritting my teeth at the same time.

"Two weeks, Charles." He told me again. "I can ruin your entire family and I won't hesitate to cause Ember to miscarriage either."

That's enough.

"Do not come into my home and threw them my girlfriend and my children!" I raised my voice a little, grabbing my wand, pointing it at him. "If you just as much as curl one hair on her head, I will kill you."

"Oh, you will kill me?"

"You're not fucking sane." I continued. "That is your granddaughter and not only are you trying to ruin her relationship, but you are talking about murdering her unborn babies! Your own fucking granddaughter!"

He let out a hum and smirked before he waved his hand at me, making me fly back, my head hitting the cabinet above the counters before I fell to the ground.

Then a green fire filled the fireplace, and he was gone. The bag of white powder was no longer on the table. He had taken it with him.

"Charlie?!" Ember called out as I laid on the floor, holding a hand to the back of my head where I could feel something warm and wet.

Fast steps approached and then I heard Ember gasp before she a second later, had thrown herself on her knees by my body.

"Charlie!" She exclaimed, brushing her fingers into my hair, her other hand rested against my jaw, turning my head so she could get a look. "You're bleeding. What happened? Are you okay?"

"Fuck." I mumbled, opening my eyes to look at her. "I'm fine, I'm sorry. I-I... slipped."