Clover should have been mad. She should've been beyond angry at what George had did to her the night before. But she wasn't, for more reasons than one. Firstly, she was tired. Clover had been both physically and mentally exhausted from the events that spanned the last 24 hours. And secondly...well, she was absolutely drunk.
After her night with Charlie, Clover ended up heading back towards Riot just in time to catch Babs at the end of his shift. As soon as they saw each other, neither of them said a word. Their tired physical appearances said enough. Instead, they sat down at the bar top and drowned themselves in their own sorrows until they were no longer sober. And that's when the emotions began flowing, that's when both of them felt just a little more vulnerable, a little more human.
Drinking and talking and living, the two of them hadn't realized the sun had snuck into the sky and pulled the world out of the darkness. But Rory had, and that's when he kicked both of them out, claiming that he refused to serve them when they were this far gone.
So Clover and Babs exited Riot and shielded their eyes from the sun, mourning the loss of their beautiful darkness. They stumbled against each other in pure drunkenness and laughed, despite the world laughing at them.
"Charlie must've been a good one," Babs snorted as he nudged Clover with his elbow and pointed at the trail of red marks on her neck, "Marked you up good."
"Yeah," the blonde girl laughed, both of them slumping against the wall outside of Riot, "He was an alright bloke."
"Just alright?" He shot her an exasperated look before a smirk broke out on his face, "I think you're just upset that you shagged a ginger whose name wasn't George Weasley."
"Oi, shut it. I don't want to talk about that git anymore," she rolled her eyes and pointed at him threateningly, "Besides, at least I'm not getting married to some girl when I'm attracted to blokes, hmm."
And because they were both drunk and none of it mattered right now, they laughed again. They laughed and laughed and laughed as if they never have before. As if they never will again.
"Fuck," Babs whispered between chuckles, "I forgot about that. I guess I am."
Clover placed a hand on his cheek and sighed, the alcohol making her promise things she knew she shouldn't have, "I won't let them force you to do that. We'll get you out of it, yeah?"
"Clo-,"
His face flooded with worry, and then again with a different emotion: fear.
"I promise you," she spoke fiercely.
They stared at each other silently for a moment, but even in the intoxicated state he was in Babs knew better then to get his hopes up. They both did. So instead he smiled.
"You've been hanging out with those bloody gryffindors too much," a smirk pulled at his lips, "Speaking of which, aren't you going to be late for work."
The blonde girl's face dropped as she checked the time and noticed just how late she was going to be. It wasn't the fact that she was going to be late that scared her, Clover didn't care about that at all. But what she was worried about was having to talk to George even more than she needed to, it would be too much for her. Even in the state she was in, Clover knew she needed to avoid him. Otherwise, she would take back everything she knew she shouldn't.
Quickly, she placed a kiss on Babs' cheek, watching as he disapparated with a wink. She turned around and began hurrying down the street, pushing and stumbling past people to get there as fast as she could. To get there before she had to announce why she was late to George.
"Oi, watch yourself, you absolute wanker," she slurred out as her body tumbled into someone else's, someone who didn't move out of the way for the rushing girl.
A chuckle rung out, followed by a deep and familiar voice. Two hands gripped her shoulders to steady her as the voice began teasing her, "I fall in love with you more and more each time I see you, you absolute wanker."
Clover looked up and couldn't help but give a small smile when she saw Charlie looking down at her. After all, it wasn't his fault she was running late. And so she teased him right back, holding up her hand and wiggling her ring finger, "Those are some strong words for a boy who hasn't even had the bollocks to put a ring on it yet."
He laughed again, but stopped as his face lit up. Charlie stuck his hand down into the bag he was holding and shifted it around until he found what he was looking for. Clover crinkled her eyebrows in confusion as he tossed a piece of wrapped candy in the air and caught it satisfactorily.
Charlie tore open the wrapper before proceeding to get down on one knee. He reached out to grab her left hand, and because the alcohol coursing through her body was making her soft, she let him.
"My dear, tiny-,"
"I'm not tiny, you git."
"Feisty, aggressive, vicious-,"
"Salazar, you really know how to please a woman,"
"Indeed I do," Charlie winked as he stood up and trailed a finger down her marked up neck, "Now can I finish what I was saying?"
"Depends on whether or not you're done pleasing me," Clover joked back, rolling her eyes playfully.
He brought her hand closer to his and placed a Ring Pop on her left ring finger, "Clover, my love, will you marry me?"
"Aren't you supposed to wait until after I say yes to put the ring on?"
She smiled cheekily, and he smiled right back.
Shaking her head and chuckling, Clover stuck the candy ring in her mouth before taking it out and speaking, "I'm not marrying you-,"
He cut her off by placing a quick kiss on the corner of her lips, whispering on her skin, "You're already wearing the ring, no take-backs."
Charlie pulled back with a wink, and then he was walking away from her, leaving Clover staring in awe. She shook her head away from him and stifled back a laugh before making her way towards the shop, slower this time.
Clover no longer cared whether or not she was late, it's not like George would care anyways. He made that abundantly clear to her the night before when he sent her away from him, screamed how he loved Angelina, mocked her for ever thinking differently. George never needed her, and she never needed anyone. No matter how much she craved him, no matter how much his touch set her world on fire, no matter how addicted she was to him, George wasn't hers. He belonged to the stars, far and distant and never meant for her to hold.
Five minutes before opening time, Clover stumbled into the joke shop.
"Sorry we're not open yet-," Lee began but quickly cut himself off once he looked up and saw who it was, "Godric, there you are."
He rushed over to her and threw an arm around her shoulders in greeting, before gripping both of her shoulders and giving her a once over, "Why do you look like a hot mess?"
"I'm fine, Lee," she promised him, nudging the boy off of her and ignoring the headache pounding through her.
"Don't lie to me, bean," he looked at her with worry flashing through his eyes, "What's going on? You smell like firewhiskey, you're wearing the same clothes as yesterday, and it looks like you haven't gotten any sleep. Why?"
She was about to open her mouth, when the door to George's flat shot open, "Oi, Lee, has Clover come in-,"
The room went silent. And all at once, Clover felt the anger she hadn't released yet building up inside of her. Because George was standing there looking at her as if he wanted to take back everything he said last night, as if he wanted to fall to his knees and apologize over and over again, as if she was more than just a storm passing through a starry night. He was staring at her as if she meant something to him, but she didn't. She knew that now, and she'd be damned if she ever let him convince her otherwise again.
Lee groaned out loud and slapped a hand to his forehead, "Oh fuck me, did you two shag again? Merlin, last time this happened you two didn't talk for-,"
Clover's laughter cut him off. Cold and stern and bitter, she laughed, because that's all she could do. The alcohol in her bloodstream willed her to do it, so she kept laughing until Lee put a hand on her shoulder and shot her a look of concern.
"Last time meant nothing," her face turned stoic before looking at George, "Isn't that right, Georgie boy?"
His lips parted slightly as if he were about to say something, but then thought better of it and closed his mouth while looking down at the floor. She stepped closer to him and laughed again, anger bubbling up to the surface.
"Because that's all I am, yeah? Nothing."
"Alright, what's going on between you two?" Lee spoke up again from next to the two, his eyebrows furrowed in genuine concern and confusion.
Clover grabbed George's tie from his chest and began twirling it around her fingers, a hurting smile stretching her lips, "Lee doesn't know?! What a surprise, well, should I tell him or would you like to?"
George never looked up from the ground, his cheeks flushing pink and his jaw clenched shut.
"Come on, Georgie, let's tell him together. Let's tell him how I mean nothing to you," She spoke angrily, teasingly, mockingly, his tie twirling in her hand and her fingers brushing against his chest, "Let's tell him how you kicked me out because I mean nothing."
Silence simmered throughout the room like a spell, slowing and beating down time until it disappeared. Clover tugged on his tie until his face wasn't even a breath away from hers. She stopped, sucking on the forgotten ring pop on her finger slowly, watching how George's eyes were solely trained on the way her tongue worked around the piece of candy.
Clover pulled the ring away from her lips and tugged George even closer, her voice nothing more than a whisper, a soft cry, a death spell falling from her tongue, "Tell him that I mean nothing, George. Tell him that you love Angelina."
And then his eyes snapped up to hers, "Clover."
The stars called her name when he did, begging her to wish on them one more time as if they were being plucked from the sky one by one. But no matter how loud she screamed at them, the stars never heard her, never saw her. She was nothing but a stormy cloud in a starry night, stealing their light and raining down on the world below.
"That's enough."
His voice was stern, but wavering, flickering, dying. She wanted to pull him in, taste him, kiss his skin and wish, wish, wish. But she would never be his, he didn't want that.
"Is it, George?"
Clover wanted to cry as she watched the light die from his eyes right in front of her, the stars dimming and falling into darkness.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his hand reaching out to touch her face, to take back his light that she stole, "I-,"
But Clover pulled away, leaving him with nothing but one last thing rolling off her tongue, "Fuck you."
She turned to leave, but not before glancing at Lee, "I'm taking the day off. You'll be okay, yeah?"
Without waiting for a response, Clover hurried out of the shop, tears brimming her eyes and apparated to the cemetery. Falling on her knees, she broke down in front of Linny, not minding to look around for other people, and cried on her stone.
"Come back," she begged her sister, "Come back, please. I need you, I don't want to do this anymore."
Footsteps sounded around her, and then a hand was touching her shoulder softly.
"Clover?"
Ginny was standing over her, wide-eyed and worried. Wordlessly, she sunk down to Clover's level and pulled her into her arms. The older girl shook and cried and trembled in Ginny's arms, uncontrollably mourning the stars, the light, the world. And Ginny held her until everything stopped, until the darkness crept in and sleep took over.
When Clover woke up, she was curled into a ball in between her sister's stone and Ginny's lap. Her face was stained with tears and her hair was pulled back into two neatly-woven plaits. She smiled up kindly, shyly, gratefully at Ginny and sat up in place.
"You did my hair?" She asked softly, her voice croaky and small.
But Ginny smiled all the same and responded genuinely, "Looked like you needed it."
Both of their eyes drifted over to the obvious, to the stone right next to them, and Clover sighed. Her hand lifted to run over the hard surface, tracing the embroidered name on it before looking back over at Ginny. And maybe it was the way she was looking at her, or maybe it was actually from being around too many Gryffindors like Babs had teased her for, but she found herself wanting to open up. Clover wanted to open up and let Ginny into her world. If anyone deserved it, it would be her.
"Well, I promised you someday," Clover spoke slowly, surely as she met Ginny's stare, her hand still running over the cold stone, "So Ginny, meet my sister."
Realization flooded Ginny's eyes, "She's...,"
"Dead," Clover spoke out to her, smiling when she realized her world hadn't fallen to shreds after telling her.
"Clover, I...," Ginny trailed off again, knowing there was nothing to say that could've helped.
She reached out and grabbed Ginny's hand, "Actually, I've never told this to anyone yet. Only Lee and Babs know, but she died with Fred."
"She fought with him?" Ginny's voice trembled, sounding more and more distant as she spoke.
"Right next to him," Clover hesitated before speaking again, "I watched it happen, both of them."
"You saw Freddie before he died?" Her eyes were glazed over, but now she was looking at Clover, holding her hand back tightly, "You watched them both die?"
Clover nodded her head sadly, nostalgically.
Ginny was silent for a second before nuzzling her head into Clover's neck, "Was he smiling at least, when he died?"
"It's Fred Weasley we're talking about," Clover chuckled sadly, feeling Ginny begin to shake in her grasp, "Of course he was, he wouldn't have had it any other way."
And then they were both crying again, softly sobbing into each other as they huddled together on the cemetery ground. It was Ginny's hair that was being plaited this time, and when it was finally done, the two girls moved onto a different topic. Clover cracked and told Ginny what had happened with George, and Ginny began telling Clover about how much of an idiot her brother was. Then once again, the conversation moved on, flowing as easily as it does when two souls find each other.
"Tonight mums having a big family dinner for me and Percy's birthday, you should come. I've invited Babs, Lee will be there," Ginny said, just after she had announced she should probably go home and check on Harry, "George will be there too, but he's a git, don't mind him."
"You and Percy have the same birthday?" Clover looked up at the standing girl.
"A week and a few days apart, but both in August, so we've always celebrated together."
"Well," Clover smiled at the younger girl, knowing she could never miss out on something special for her, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Ginny squeezed in one last excited hug before disapparating out of the cemetery, leaving Clover alone again with her sister. The blonde girl ended up apparating into George's flat while he was working so she could shower and change into new clothes, not minding to pack up her stuff just yet. She'd save that for a different day. Once she was finished, she apparated back to the cemetery and spent the rest of the day sitting with Linny. When she left, it was too early to go to the Burrow yet so she decided to stroll down Diagon Alley for a bit, reminiscing on the very street she quite literally grew up on. Her eyes landed on an empty bench and she sat down, nostalgic of the life she used to have. The life before George. Clover shut her eyes and let the wind blow her breath away, all thoughts of George going with it.
The bench creaked next to her and she cocked an eye open to see what the noise was. A smile reluctantly fell on her face as she looked over to see Charlie sitting next to her, his eyes shut just as hers were moments before.
"What on earth are you doing?!" She couldn't help but laugh freely as she slapped his arm lightly.
His eyes opened and he chuckled at her, "Well if my wife is sitting on a bench sleeping, I figured I should be too."
"I swear on Salazar Slytherin, you are one of a kind," she shook her head playfully and smiled at him.
"Seven of a kind actually," he corrected her teasingly, "I've got six siblings, I have to find a way to stand out somehow."
"I pity them," she joked.
"Them?!" Charlie shook his head fervently, "Trust me, if you ever met them you'd realize it's me you should pity."
They both laughed this time, all smiles and playful glances.
"What are you really doing here?" Clover asked genuinely, finding herself intrigued by the reappearing boy sitting next to her.
"I work in Romania but I'm here visiting my family for a few of their birthdays," he spoke, before scratching the back of his head and looking down, his cheeks tinted pink, "If we're being honest here I've been putting off seeing them for a while, have been since the war. It's just so different after...,"
He trailed off, only continuing when he saw Clover looking at him encouragingly, "After we lost my brother, nothing has been the same. I should've been there for them more, but I just couldn't, you know. I work in a different country, I've been waiting my entire life for a job like that, I couldn't just not go back. It's everything I've ever wanted, I...,"
"Hey, it's alright," Clover placed a hand over his and stroked at his palm gently, "I get it. We're all doing the best we can, but life still goes on whether we like it or not, yeah?"
Charlie nodded, nudging her gently and smiling, "I picked a good wife."
And then he was standing up, holding a hand out to her, his eyes trailing up and down her body, "I've got a crazy idea."
She took his hand and stood up with him, his lips hovering over her neck almost immediately, "I have 20 minutes before I need to be at dinner, care to keep me company until then?"
Clover shivered as his lips dipped down her neck, once again placing soft kisses over the marks he left there last night, "Come home with me."
And because she was desperate and mad and needing to get away from her thoughts of George, she took his hand and let him apparate them directly into a dimly lit room, Charlie's room. Twenty minutes, she gave herself, twenty minutes and then she'd go to the Burrow for Ginny's and Percy's birthday dinner. But right now, it was all Charlie. Charlie with his strong arms, a scarred body, and hungry lips.
The next twenty minutes were filled with sloppy kisses, names rolling off of tongues, and Clover on her knees giving Charlie all the attention he deserved. In return, he helped her get off quickly, his hand working miracles as she rubbed up against it. Once time was up, Charlie told her she could use the Floo network downstairs to get where she needed to be in time. He placed his hands on her waist and continued kissing down her neck until they reached the stairs. The stairs that looked all too familiar to the girl. That's when Clover froze completely.
"Weasley," She turned around and looked at Charlie, wide-eyed and shocked, "You're Charlie Weasley."
"Ahhh, so you've finally worked it out then," he laughed, now leading the frozen girl downstairs, "Hope that doesn't scare you too much. I promise we're not as intimidating as we seem."
By the time Clover went to speak again, it was too late. They were on the bottom of the stairs standing where everyone could see them.
"Shit," Charlie mumbled under his breath, "Didn't expect everyone to be here already. Don't worry I'll get you out of here with as little questions as possible from mum."
"Missed me?" He smirked at the dozen confused faces staring at the two, before winking at the girl stuck in her spot and throwing his arm around her waist, "Everyone, this is Clover, my wife!"
Clover couldn't help but laugh at the insanity of the situation happening in front of her, and Charlie laughed too. But no one else did. Instead, a plate crashed to the floor, small pieces of glass ringing out in the silence.
"Good grip, Georgie boy," Charlie nodded towards his brother, who had been in the middle of setting the table, "Now if you'll excuse us, I'll have plenty of time to explain later."
Charlie started shuffling Clover towards the floo before she could say anything, still not aware of what was going on. But just before they made it into the living room, a strong hand gripped at Charlie's arm and a voice echoed out, stopping both of them from going anywhere.
"Now," Clover turned around and came face-to-face with a seething George Weasley, "You'll explain now."
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AUTHORS NOTE:
*dramatic music starts playing in the background* MWAHAHAAH...The power I have is IMMENSE
I wonder what's gonna happen next hmmm🤔🤔🤔 What do y'all think;)
HOW IS EVERYONE DOING?