RP: Two Brothers

[shh_charlie]

Date: May 30, 2005
Characters: Charlie Weasley, Ron Weasley, Slibovitz the Cat
Location: Charlie's House
Status: Private
Summary: Two brothers hang out
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[shh_ron]

A cat suddenly began nosing around, black with a white chest, and Charlie shooed it away from the food, for which Ron was very glad.

"Dunno what put Bill in hospital," Ron said slowly after letting Charlie vent a bit. "You saw Fleur too? I saw her about three weeks ago, at Socks. She didn't look well. Had a bunch of bruises on her arms." He took a bigger swallow of slibovitz and leaned closer to Charlie. "So they're getting a divorce? You think maybe they had a fight? I mean, hit each other? Or he hit her?" Ron scowled; Weasley men didn't hit women. He didn't want to believe that of Bill. "Maybe he's ashamed of it. I know I would be."

Ron's scowl turned into a frown at the word family. "I thought I had my own little family for seven years. Me and Hermione and Harry. Reckon I was wrong about that. Remember what Bill said that night? He's been hanging out a bit with Harry the last couple months. I guess they're friends." That was the story he'd heard from Harry at any rate, though Ron suspected Harry wanted more than friendship even if he wouldn't admit it. "Remember I asked, just making conversation, if Bill had seen Harry lately? Bill said Harry had visited him while he was in hospital."

Ron gritted his teeth, trying not to explode as he thought about the whole situation.

[shh_charlie]

Charlie thought about what little Fleur had told him but the story didn't quite match what Ron was telling him now. "A row? I don't--blimey, I don't know. I saw Fleur a few days ago at the Five Alarms. She was--" He stopped, realising that telling Ron he'd seen her with Wood would probably sound wrong.

"She was there and I went to talk to her. Just to say hello, as you do. She told me they were splitting up, that they'd decided their lives were going in seperate directions and..." He drew in a sharp breath, hoping he wasn't betraying confidences. "Well, there were problems with babies too. She had a miscarriage and things went pear-shaped from there. However, if I find out Bill hit her, I'll break his bloody neck."

Charlie gulped down his drink at that thought, then poured himself another.

[shh_ron]

Ron took in what Charlie had learned from Fleur. "I didn't know about the miscarriage. That's too bad." No wonder Fleur had seemed sad and tired when Ron saw her. Still, that didn't explain her bruises. "Lives going in separate directions. That's...sad too." Not to mention it sounded all too familiar.

Charlie was drinking hard and fast, but Ron took just a sip of his own drink, as he was going to see Percy soon for dinner and didn't want to arrive there drunk. "I don't know what went on between Fleur and Bill. I do know that somehow -- might've been a different time, maybe later -- Bill ended up in hospital and was there for several days. Somehow Harry found out about it and went to see Bill while he was recovering." Ron bit his lip, bile rising in his throat at what he would say next. "Charlie, Harry knew Bill was in hospital, he knew Bill was sick or injured, but he didn't tell anyone. Not even me."

[shh_charlie]

Shrugging, Charlie nodded. "Well, I don't think anyone knew she was preggers. It's not like they sent out announcement owls or anythin'. She seemed...sad. Can't blame her. But sod Billy-boy for not tellin' us or about their splittin' up. I mean for fuck's sake, Ron, we're his brothers."

He scowled further. "Can't believe Harry couldn't be arsed to tell you anything about Bill. What's all that about, then? Harry's your best mate. You'd think he'd reckon it was important!"

[shh_ron]

"That was my reaction too," Ron said. "We're his brothers. We have a right to know what's going on with him, don't we?" He scowled, biting his lip. "I reckon he's embarrassed about it, but Merlin, it's not the end of the world."

At Charlie's next comment, Ron shook his head. "Yeah, you'd reckon he would think it was important for me to know something that important about my own brother. I can't believe he walked around the house for a couple of weeks, knowing that about Bill, and didn't tell me. I can't believe he didn't tell me right when he'd seen Bill in hospital. I mean, what the fuck?" He shoved a hand impatiently through his hair then took another long sip of his drink.

[shh_charlie]

"What's he got to be embarrassed about?" Charlie asked, taking another swallow of slibovitz in annoyance. "S'not his fault if Fleur lost the baby. S'no one's fault. Shite happens. And relationships split all the time. Alright, p'raps Mum and Ginny'll give him an I told you so but...no, it's not the end of the bloody world. He should be turning to us for support, shouldn't he?"

"As for Harry, I dunno what that's all about, mate. Honestly. Did someone hit him with a Confundus or somethin'?" Charlie shook his head in disbelief. "Too right that he should've told you. You're his mate, Bill's brother. What's he keepin' secrets for? What was Bill in hospital for, anyroad?"

[shh_ron]

Ron shrugged. "Dunno what Bill could be embarrassed about. Like you said, relationships split up all the time." Though, to be honest, Ron didn't want to think about that. Fleur and Bill had seemed really happy for a long time. She'd stuck by him after Greyback attacked him, which had certainly surprised Ginny and Mum.

He barely resisted a snort. "Who knows? Maybe Harry is a bit Confunded. I've no idea why Bill was in hospital. Might've been something to do with the full moon. I mean, I know Professor -- Remus has to hide away then so he won't accidentally hurt someone. Bill's not really a werewolf but I bet the full moon isn't much fun for him either. Maybe something happened during the last one. Or else he caught dragon pox or scrofulungus. And where'd he get dragon pox from anyway? That's more up your alley." Taking a bigger gulp of his drink, he winked at Charlie over the edge of his glass.

[shh_charlie]

"Dragon pox?" Charlie nearly snorted his drink out his nose. It went down the wrong way and he started to cough and laugh at the same time. "No, he hasn't got dragon pox. If he did, he's be covered in green spots. Which would only improve his looks..."

He finally stopped coughing, drinking a bit more to make certain. "Don't think the full moon is much fun for 'im but he's never gone into hospital before. Something must've happened but obviously, it's nuffin' you or me are gonna know about. We're clearly not amongst the chosen few." Charlie rolled his eyes. "Dragon pox...blimey, what I wouldn't do to hear about a few more cases of that. It'd mean we actually had ruddy dragons in the vicinity."

[shh_ron]

Ron couldn't help snorting at Charlie's reaction to the words dragon pox. "Yeah, green spots'd probably do Bill's looks some good," he joked, well aware that Bill was probably the best-looking of the Weasley brothers. Still, he couldn't fault Charlie for taking a little shot at Bill, who wasn't there to defend himself so really, they could say whatever they wanted. It seemed Charlie was almost as pissed off about the situation as Ron was.

"No, I reckon we're not in the chosen few," he agreed. "Just don't know why Harry got to see Bill in hospital while the rest of us had no idea what was going on. Then he didn't bother to tell me about it from then until now. I just don't know what the hell he could've been thinking. I thought I knew him pretty well but, bugger... maybe not... I don't know anymore."

[shh_charlie]

"Don't let it bring you down, baby brother, yeah?" Charlie patted Ron's arm in sympathy. "Mum always said that if your friends treat you like shite then you don't need 'em. Well, she didn't say it precisely like that." He flashed Ron a cheeky grin. "But you know wot I mean, don't you?"

"Green spots and a burlap sack over his big fat head," he muttered. He'd always teased Bill about his looks, always needing to take him down a peg in order to keep him from getting big-headed. Even the werewolf attack hadn't stopped him -- to do so would've meant something was wrong. "Obviously Bill wanted Harry there for some reason. They up to somethin' I don't know about? Seems bloody odd to me but..." he shook his head, "don't talk to Harry or Bill much so I dunno. Just hacks me off that you've been hurt by your best mate and all that. Hermione have any clues?"

[shh_ron]

"I've been friends with Harry, best mates, since we were both eleven," Ron said, biting his lip as he looked down from the floor. "Only been on the outs with him, really, one other time, back in fourth year, and I know I was pretty miserable about it then. Thought he'd put his name in that goblet thing to enter the TriWizard Tournament without telling me. We'd joked about trying it together, you know, and then suddenly his name got spat out the goblet and Harry looked gobsmacked but I wouldn't believe him when he said he didn't put it in. Pretty much didn't talk to him for a month after that, not till after he faced that Hungarian Horntail. Then I reckoned he'd never offer to almost get himself killed, even Harry isn't that self-destructive. Ever since then everything's been good between us until now. Dunno if they're up to something. Don't even know if Bill asked Harry to visit him or how Harry found out, I just know Harry knew Bill was there and didn't tell any of us."

Ron didn't know for sure what was going on between Harry and Bill, but he still suspected that Harry fancied Bill, based on the couple of times he'd seen the two of them together, just the way Harry looked at Bill and sort of stumbled over his words around him. Was it worth bringing up his suspicions to Charlie? The situation was complicated enough to make Ron's head hurt.

[shh_charlie]

"I know you've been best mates since you got on the bloody train," Charlie mused. "Harry's been like family ever since. I don't know him well -- just the times I've been there when you've brought him round and he's a great bloke. I just..." His shoulders slumped and he took another drink just to gather his increasingy muzzy thoughts. "Dunno."

"If Bill was a different sort of bloke," he said, a slightly drunken grin forming on his lips, "I'd say we might want to question why a bloke his age was hanging about with a guy 10 years his junior but...nah. Our Bill's not like that. He's always been a ladies' man, not...you know."

[shh_ron]

"Yeah, you're right, he has been like family since before we started second year," Ron said. "Dunno either, Charlie. It's all sort of weird."

Ron nodded. "Actually, I...um, I know something about that myself, actually. Before I hooked up with Lavender this time, I sort of found myself checking out a few blokes I knew. Never did anything about it, though. Not because I was embarrassed, but I could tell that the other bloke wouldn't be interested. But yeah, I had those thoughts. So I think I'd know if Bill was interested in blokes. Don't think he is, though I could be wrong. But now I'm so happy with Lavender I don't even notice blokes any more, plus I don't want to fuck up the best thing that's ever happened to me."

That was as far as Ron was going to go, because he didn't want to discuss Harry's possible sexual orientation when, really, he had no idea himself, and despite how angry he was with Harry, it wasn't any of Charlie's business. "

[shh_charlie]

"Mum thinks he's family, Ginny thinks he's family, Dad...Dad reckoned he was family and any time I've been around him in past, he was just one more of us, even if he wasn't lucky enough to be born ginger like the rest of us," Charlie opined. "It does seem pretty odd, if you ask me. Did Harry get hit on the head recently? That might explain it..."

His eyes widened as Ron explained about his interest in other men. "Huh. Well, learn something new every day about your brothers, don't you?" Charlie scratched his head, trying to think of the right words to say. "I've never been interested in any blokes m'self. Other than the usual changing room stuff... you know, seeing who's got the biggest willie or that sort of thing. But it's sort of alien to me. Only ever fancied girls. Not that there's anything wrong with the other. Just...not something I understand. If Bill's suddenly changed teams, it's news to me."

He leaned over and patted Ron on the arm. "Lavender seems like a brilliant bird so no, don't go fucking it up. Someone in this family's got to live happily ever after and give Mum the grandchildren she so desperately desires." Charlie considered telling Ron about Parvati but seeing how she was Lavender's friend, either he already knew or it would be a tough subject to broach.

[shh_ron]

Did Harry get hit on the head recently? Ron stifled a laugh. "Not that I know of." Possibly below the waist, but not in the sense Charlie meant. "I'm still too pissed off at him to talk to him about it and find out what the fuck he could've been thinking. Maybe in a week or two...but not now." He shook his head unhappily.

"You're the only one I've told so far," Ron admitted. "Yeah, I know what you mean, the changing room stuff... that was sort of my first hint that I didn't just fancy girls. Like I said, I've never done anything about it, so maybe that means I'm mostly interested in women. Doesn't matter that much to me, really, because I'm not interested in testing those waters. Lavender keeps me very happy that way" -- he blushed again -- "and I'm going to do my best not to fuck it up. Not for Mum, though I know the minute she meets Lavender she'll probably start sending out wedding invitations...well, that's not an issue yet, really, because I'm not ready for anything permanent yet, and neither is Lav. That's why I didn't consider moving in with her when I moved out of the house. Right now I reckon I need to live on my own for awhile. I've never done that and I'm more than overdue. Not sure where I'll go yet but I'm sure I'll find something; this town is full of empty flats and houses."

[shh_charlie]

"It might get sorted, Ron. You two have been friends for far too long for things to go that pear-shaped," Charlie said optimistically. "Just give t a bit of time, yeah?"

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. S'not like I want to shout from the roof tops about it at any rate." He laughed. "And it sounds like your girly is keeping you from noticing anyone else which is good, isn't it? No need to rush. If it's supposed to happen, it will. That's what Dad always said. Of course, he and Mum knew it was love at first sight, didn't they? Can't even imagine what that's like. Anyway, you're welcome to kip here as long as you like. Don't mind the company at all."