Love Runs Its Course

Chapter 1- Memories

Rose Brown stood in her parents' kitchen making coffee. She was home for the summer and glad to be. Sweden was nice but nothing could replace summer in Ottery St. Catchpole. There were so many fond memories. Days spent with her sisters playing in the pond outside, nights spent around a bonfire singing and laughing. But her sweetest memory was of one night ten years ago, the summer before her sixth year at Hogwarts, when Charlie Weasley had told her he loved her.

~~~~

Sixteen year-old Rose sat on the banks of the pond in her backyard, resting her head on her boyfriend Charlie's shoulder. She smiled; he was wonderful. He'd asked her to meet him that night and she had thought that they would go for broomstick ride. Instead, Charlie had sat down on the grassy banks and they had talked. Rose thanked her lucky stars that she had such a great boyfriend. Most seventeen year-old boys didn't want to sit and just talk, but Charlie didn't mind. Rose felt so comfortable, out there under the stars with Charlie's arms wrapped around her. It felt like home, like that was where she was meant to be. She sighed happily; life couldn't get much better.

"Rose?"

Charlie's voice echoed in the stillness and brought her out of her dreamlike state.

"Yes, Charlie?"

"Do you ever think about the future?" he asked.

"Mm hmm. All the time," she answered.

"What do you think will happen?"

"I don't know. That's why I think about it."

"Don't you know what you want to do after school?"

"No," she said quietly, "There's so many options, I can't decide."

"Oh," he paused and looked up at the sky, "Do you see that constellation?"

"That one right above us?"

"Yeah, do you know what it's called?"

"Charlie," she said a little annoyed, "You know I failed the Astronomy O.W.L."

Charlie smiled softly at her. "It's called Draco. That's what I want to do. Work with dragons, that is. I'm going to live on a dragon reservation and work with them all day and all night."

"You always do get good marks in Care of Magical Creatures."

"Yeah, but Professor Kettleburn never teaches anything really interesting. I wish we could do Hippogriffs or something."

"Charlie! Hippogriffs are really dangerous."

"Yeah, but think how cool they'd be."

Rose laughed lightly. "Oh, you are incorrigible."

"But you like me that way," he teased.

"You're right. I do."

They sat in happy silence for a few minutes before Charlie broke the silence again.

"Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever think about other things in your future?"

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know," he said. "Like marriage and stuff?"

"Every girl thinks about that, Charlie."

"Well, do you think you'll ever get married?"

"Yeah, eventually. Not anytime soon though."

"That's what I think too."

There was more silence until Charlie broke it for the third time.

"Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you.'

"What is it, Charlie?"

He moved and removed him arm from her shoulders so that he could face her.

"We've known each other a really long time, right?"

She nodded. "Almost six years."

"Well, I've really got to know you really well and I've really enjoyed all the time we've spent together. I've been trying to tell you this for a really long time."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she teased.

Charlie chuckled softly. "The thing is, Rose, I think, no, that's not it, I mean I know, that's not right, what I mean is-"

"What is it, Charlie? You can tell me."

Charlie lifted his eyes to hers and spoke very quietly. "I love you, Rose."

Her eyes widened and a smile grew on her face. "Oh Charlie...I...I love you too."

"You do?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yes, I do," she answered, smiling brightly.

He leaned in and just before their lips met he whispered, "Good."

~~~~

Rose sighed. Ten years was a long time. She should be over him by now. Then why couldn't she get him out of her head? She shook her head dejectedly but the image of the redhead she still loved remained. Picking up her coffee she moved to the sitting room and sat down on the seat of the bay window. She watched the road, waiting for the boy to run by like he had everyday that week.

As she sipped her coffee she remembered times she'd spent with Charlie. Quidditch games she'd seen, walks they'd taken around the Hogwarts grounds, trips to Hogsmeade, and that awful day when he'd had to leave her.

~~~~

It was his graduation. She'd seen him shake hands with Dumbledore and McGonagall. She'd seen him get hugs and kisses from his family. She'd seen him get thumped on the back by the rest of his Quidditch team. And she'd seen the sad smile on his face when he looked at her. Somewhere in the pit of her stomach she knew what was coming, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her middle. She raised her arms to his neck and hugged him as if her life depended on it.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered.

"Thanks, love," he whispered back.

"Can I kiss you?"

"My whole family's watching," he reminded her

"I don't care," she said.

"Alright then."

She pulled back a little and kissed him firmly on the lips. She poured all her passion and love for him into the kiss. Somehow she knew she wouldn't get to kiss him like that for a long time. Ignoring the catcalls from his younger twin brothers she kissed him until she had to stop.

Taking deep breaths she looked into his eyes and murmured, "I love you, Charlie."

He smiled sadly again, "I love you, Rose."

"What is it, Charlie? What's wrong?"

"A lot of things," he sighed. "Will you walk with me around the lake?"

She nodded and pulled out of their embrace to take his arm. He motioned to his family that they were going and they left the Great Hall. They walked on the shore of the lake in silence for a few minutes before Charlie stopped and turned to her.

"I got a job offer, you know."

She smiled. She had always known Charlie would do well. "That's great, Charlie. What is it?"

"A job on a dragon reservation," he answered.

"Really? That's what you've always wanted. I'm so happy for you."

Charlie, however, didn't look very happy at all. His face was solemn and his mouth was drawn tight in a straight line.

"What's wrong?" she asked him. Then it dawned on her, "Where is it, Charlie?"

He looked down at her, sighed and looked out across the lake. "Romania."

Her stomach and spirits sunk.

"Romania?" she repeated. "But that's so far."

"I know," he said. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "Don't be sorry. This is your dream. I'm...I'm happy for you."

"But not happy for yourself," he said softly.

"I'm sorry Charlie. It's just I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either, love. I tried to get a job on the Welsh reservation and the British one, but they didn't need anyone on the Welsh one and apparently you need to be a MacFusty to work with Hebridean Blacks."

"It's okay, Charlie. You can't help it. I know you tried."

She turned away from him. She didn't want him to see her cry.

"Please look at me, Rose," he whispered.

She turned back but kept her eyes lowered. He put a finger under her chin and forced her to look up into his eyes. She saw pain, sorrow, regret and love in his. She was sure he could see the same in hers. Tears streamed down her cheeks and he lifted a hand to her face. He brushed away the tears with his thumb and caressed her cheek gently.

"I love you, Rose. Don't ever forget that. I don't want to leave you but I have to. If there was anywhere closer I could work I would, but Romania is the only reservation that offered me a place. Please don't hate me," he whispered.

"I could never hate you, Charlie. I'll miss you, is all."

"I'll miss you too, love. I'll miss you everyday."

"What'll I do without you, Charlie?" she asked.

"What you always do. You'll study, and have fun, and you'll live."

"But how can I without you?"

"You can do it, love. I know you can. Just be strong."

She looked into his eyes searching for some glimpse of the future.

"Will I ever see you again?" she whispered almost inaudibly.

"If it's meant to be, it's meant to be, love. We'll just have to wait and find out."

"So this is it, then?"

He nodded sadly and sighed. "This is it."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her back.

"I'll miss you, Charlie. I'll never forget you," she murmured into his ear.

"I won't forget you either, Rose. I love you."

"I love you, too."

He pulled back and kissed her lightly on the lips. It seemed as though he knew if he kissed her any more passionately he wouldn't be able to leave.

He pulled away from her and started to walk back to the castle. She followed a few steps behind him. The graduates were to leave whenever they wanted to after the ceremony so she knew he'd be leaving as soon as they got back to the castle. They walked through the enormous doors and saw his family waiting. His mother opened her mouth to say something but closed it when she saw the look on his face. Mrs. Weasley's eyes darted from her son to Rose and back again. Charlie's head looked up and his older brother Bill opened his mouth to say something before Charlie cut him off.

"Let's just go," he said sorrowfully.

Mrs. Weasley nodded and started gathering her children to leave. Charlie looked back at her and she tried to smile but the tears that were pouring down her face wouldn't let her. He dug his hand into his pocket and fished out his handkerchief. He handed it to her and she took it gladly. Wiping away her tears she knew she shouldn't go to him but she couldn't help it. She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.

"Please don't leave me," she cried softly.

"I have to," he said.

"I know."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he mumbled before pulling away from her.

His family had gathered around the deflated beach ball they were using as a portkey and he joined them. He turned back to her one more time.

"I love you, Charlie Weasley," she called out. "Don't you forget me."

"Never," he said before he touched the portkey and disappeared.

~~~~

Rose sighed again. She missed him so. Even after ten years she still missed him as much as she had then. She knew his family lived no more than a five-minute walk from her parents' house but he didn't live there anymore. It was maddening that he could be so close but he wasn't. She looked out the window and saw the boy run by, the boy with Charlie's flame-red slightly wavy hair. She'd seen him run by everyday that week and that day she decided to do something instead of just watching. Tomorrow she would join him.