Willow Song

VIII. Summer Seventeen, A Happy Interlude

That night, Serena moved her trunk back into McGonagall's apartment for the summer. Gryffindor Tower was just too creepy with everyone else gone. Minerva handed her some heavy Muggle volumes on psychology and neurochemistry and told her to study them over the summer. "However, I have some business with the Order, and I thought you might like to stay with the Weasleys for several days and get your apparition license from the Ministry while you're there."

Serena's heart skipped a beat with anticipation; she spent the rest of the afternoon wondering what she and Ginny would do, and what it would be like to stay with a large family.

Serena was so thrilled at the prospect of seeing her friends again that she was distracted as Minerva told her the finer points of apparition. "Serena, if you don't focus you'll splinch yourself and never get your apparition license. Now pay attention." Serena now listened attentively, learning how to focus her mind on the exact place she wanted to apparate to.

Once deposited with the Weasleys, Serena was quickly caught up in the Weasley home life. Arthur was very busy at the Ministry, Molly was often busy with the Order, and the twins were getting ready for the grand opening of their joke shop, so the comings and goings were constant. She spent most of her time with Ginny and Ron, playing chess and Exploding Snap, practicing flying moves, and taking up some of the slack around the house during Molly's absences. She still felt uncomfortable around Ron, so while he was fine to play a game with now and then, she did most of her talking to Ginny.

On the third day an owl arrived saying Charlie and Bill would be arriving that night and staying for a couple weeks to help with the grand opening of the twins' joke shop. Ginny danced and squealed with joy. Ron immediately began making up their beds with fresh linens. Dinner that night became a feast as all the Weasley clan, minus Percy, plus Serena, gathered together.

Serena was quite impressed with the two eldest Weasley brothers. Bill was edgy, smart, funny, and cool. Charlie was quieter, but strong, quick-reflexed, and practical. Serena enjoyed both of them, but soon found herself gravitating towards Charlie. She responded to the depth of wisdom in his eyes, frequently disguised by mirth. In those same eyes she caught a glimpse of his feelings for her. She was flattered by his assessment of her, although he never spoke it aloud. As they conversed together, she felt a flow of light, as if they were communicating on another level at the same time.

During the course of the evening it was decided that she should go with Arthur to the Ministry the next morning, then apparate back if she passed her test. Charlie grinned and told her that if she passed, he'd apparate with her to somewhere fun to celebrate. Serena could barely hide her excitement.

That evening, Ginny asked Serena about Charlie.

"What about him?" Serena asked coyly.

"You couldn't take your eyes off him! You obviously fancy him."

"Was it really that noticeable? I hardly know him, but yes, I am attracted to him." Serena tucked her face beneath her hands.

"I think I'm the only one who noticed. Boys don't usually pick up on that kind of stuff."

"Ginny, have you ever talked to someone and at the same time felt like your spirits were communicating too?"

Ginny smiled and shook her head. "You've got it bad. But if it's any consolation, I've never seen Charlie take to a girl this fast either."

The next day, Serena apparated back from her test, proudly showing off to Ron and Ginny by apparating in and out of the kitchen. Charlie walked in and told Serena to grab her swimsuit and a towel.

"Where are we going?" she asked as she ran upstairs.

"To the beach!" Charlie shouted, grabbing a picnic basket.

"How come Ginny and I can't come?" asked Ron.

"Because we're apparating there, little brother."

Charlie drew Serena a map with his wand of where they were going, then, grabbing her hand, they apparated there together. The shoreline was nearly perfect with white sand, a lolling tide, and rocky outcroppings teaming with sea life. Serena wondered how they managed to get a whole beach to themselves, until Charlie explained it was a wizard's beach, and he had been able to reserve this particular strip for them through a connection he had with the dragon preserve.

Serena took off the robes she'd thrown over her cherry red swimsuit. Charlie did the same, revealing dark blue swim trunks and a sleeveless undershirt. Serena caught her breath as she noticed his well-defined muscles from working with dragons.

"That suit looks nice," smiled Charlie casually, trying not to be too obvious about noticing the full chest Serena had kept hidden beneath loose blouses.

"You look good too," replied Serena.

Charlie looked away awkwardly for a moment.

"Shoot, I forgot sunscreen!" exclaimed Serena.

"No problem. I loaded my wand." Charlie tapped his wand first on Serena, then on himself and a thin layer of magic sunscreen spread over them. "Cool, huh?"

"I think that muggle sunscreen has some advantages over this," Serena said impishly.

"What? Getting sand mixed in, reapplying it every few hours, not being able to reach the hard places yourself?"

"Exactly."

"Huh?"

"Not being able to reach the hard places yourself. Exactly."

Charlie finally understood. "I see. I guess I'll have to try muggle sunscreen next time I'm with you at the beach." He grinned cheekily. "So are you the kind of girl who likes to quietly bake on a towel in the sun, or the kind who gets in the water and plays?"

"Guess," she teased, and then, climbing up the rocks, she jumped in. Charlie followed her, and they spent the next hour bodysurfing. Heading back toward the shore, Serena found a floating bit of seaweed and threw it on Charlie's head. Charlie chased her, grabbing her ankle and tripping her on the ground. They wrestled in the wet sand, throwing globs of it at each other amid peals of laughter.

They staggered back into the shallows to rinse off the mud. Charlie leaned forward and playfully kissed her forehead. She smiled up at him and saw much more than playfulness in his thoughts. She kept looking at him, amazed.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"Just how incredible you are and how glad I am to be your new friend." She blushed, feeling butterflies move through her. He took her hand and pulled her to the picnic basket, spreading out all the wonderful food Molly had packed for them.

After they'd eaten, they lay on the beach blanket together, finding pictures in the clouds.

They began talking about their families and life experiences and Quidditch and Hogwarts and dragons and everything else the conversation randomly meandered to. The talk seemed to flow endlessly and comfortably as they built a sandcastle of Hogwarts. Charlie became the second Weasley that Serena shared all of her past with.

"Serena?"

"Yes?"

"With you a seventeen-year-old student, and me a twenty-two-year old dragon keeper, I'm a little too old right now for you, but in a year or two, I won't be. I'll wait for you. I mean, if you want me to," he offered hesitantly.

"Charlie, that's the nicest thing any boy's ever said to me. Thank you. Can we just be really good friends for now? I don't know where either of us will be in the future."

"Of course," Charlie replied quickly. But she could tell it still stung him a bit. He looked both slightly terrified and excited. Serena felt much the same about Charlie, but after the fiasco with Malfoy, she wanted to take things slowly. She was a bit intimidated by how quickly she had developed feelings for Charlie and wasn't sure she trusted herself again.

"So you're six months older than everyone thinks you are. And you don't know which dark wizard is your father?"

"No."

"And when you make eye contact, you naturally legilimans, without trying?"

"Yes."

"Then have you been, uh, when I looked at you, erm, you knew what I thought?"

"Not exact thoughts as much as impressions, ideas, memories, feelings. But yes, I know." With that said, Serena reached over and quickly kissed him softly on the lips, then leaned back and smiled at him.

Charlie looked both delighted and confused. "But you said 'just good friends.'"

"I want to take it slow, but I wanted you to know the feelings are mutual."

Charlie hugged her. "We'd better get back to the Burrow." They slipped on their outer clothing, gathered up the remnants of their picnic, held hands, and apparated to the Weasley's.

They arrived at the Burrow sandy, browner, and with something shining in their eyes that hadn't been there before. Fred and George made catcalls and wolf whistles as Serena headed for the upstairs bathroom and Charlie headed for the main, but neither reacted.

When Charlie got out of the shower, twittering blue birds carrying linked paper dolls of Serena and Charlie holding hands assaulted him. Flying heart-shaped confetti surrounded the scene. "Very cute," Charlie said quietly, shooing the stuff out of his eyes.

Serena got out of the shower and found a full-size cutout of Charlie in his swimsuit saying, "Hubba, hubba baby!" Serena giggled, but thought the cutout looked pretty good.

Fred and George were disappointed by the under-reactions. They had expected a full-scale prank war, retaliation, and fury--not this. "Hell, they must really be smitten!"

Charlie and Serena spent the next several days joining the four youngest Weasleys in setting up Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. Bill spent several days putting defensive spells and wards around the joke shop, just in case any Death Eaters tried to ruin things. Of course, while Serena and Charlie were helping, they were also trying out the different gags on each other, laughing, and becoming a little more enamored of each other by the moment. Serena slipped a headless hat on Charlie. He retaliated by force-feeding her a canary cream.

When McGonagall returned, she found Serena tanned and happy. She was secretly pleased that the source of this happiness seemed to be Charlie Weasley--he'd always been a great favorite of hers. She made a quick announcement: "Charlie, Bill, Fred, George, Molly, and Arthur--there's a full Order meeting at Headquarters. You younger three may come along. Serena, get your things packed." She handed Serena a tiny scrap of paper that said in Dumbledore's writing, "12 Grimmauld Place."

Ron and Ginny flooed to 12 Grimmauld Place while the rest apparated there. The meeting was held in two parts--the first regarded the disbursement of Sirius Black's will--the house was left to the Order, the silver and family valuables to Tonks, and the money was divided equally between Remus and Harry.

The second part regarded certain tactical moves in the war against Voldemort. Serena, Ron, and Ginny were excluded from this discussion, so they settled down in the parlor for a long night of playing games and wishing that the extendable ears worked around Molly's Impervious charm.