So, yeahhh...


She barely left the house for weeks, skipping her Quidditch practices, not answering any letters that flew through her window, and not answering the door when someone pounded their fist on it. It was like the dawn of the dead in her and Charlie’s apartment. Charlie tried to get her out of the place every once in a while, but she refused. She didn’t want to leave again until Bobby was locked away in Azkaban.

She knew it was driving Charlie crazy, but she just couldn’t. He never complained to her or anything. And so, he did the only thing he could think of to get her to feel alive again. He went to Ginny.

“Christelle Jeffries! If you don’t open this door, I will break it down!” came Ginny’s voice from outside the bedroom door. She heard someone argue with her before Ginny pounded on the door again. She wanted to hex Charlie into next week for sicking his sister on her. He didn’t fight fair.

Christelle slowly got out of their bed, her eyes still puffy and her nose splotchy, from one of her crying tirades of feeling responsible for the entire mess. “Fine,” she grumbled as she unlocked the door and then went to curl up on the bed again, not bothering to actually open the door. She knew Ginny would fly through it any way, and she wasn’t wrong as the door banged open, hitting the wall. Ginny marched into the room, two other people on her heels.

“Coach won’t tell me what happened at that match! You won’t answer my letters or calls. Charlie asks me to come talk sense into you because you’re acting like a zombie. What is wrong with you?” Ginny demanded as her hands clutched her hips tightly.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Christelle mumbled into the comforter.

“Well that’s too bad, because our game is coming up and I refuse to lose because we have to have bloody McLaggen as our substitute Keeper!” Ginny studied her for a minute, taking in the rumpled pajamas and the mascara that was smudged down her cheeks and neck. “What happened?” Ginny asked more softly than before.

“You know what happened,” Christelle answered as she met her eyes.

“Chris, c’mon, you’re giving him what he wants by locking yourself up in your room, by not playing your favorite game, by not smiling or laughing, and even not loving!”

“You don’t get it!” Christelle huffed as her eyes flashed dangerously.

“You’re right, I don’t get it! I don’t get why you refuse to live your life just because some git put a target on you! Do you have any idea how many Aurors we have watching you and Charlie, making sure you’re safe? We know the risks, Christelle, and we’ve prepared for them. He isn’t going to touch you or any of us ever again. As soon as he comes out into the open, he is going down,” Ginny said darkly and Christelle couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“Come on, let’s go out tonight,” Ginny whispered. “It will take your mind off things. We can go to that Muggle club you like so much,” Ginny smiled.

“Okay… Let me take a shower,” Christelle whispered in defeat. She sat up slowly, taking in the other people. One was Harry; he looked at her apologetically. The other, of course, being Charlie. He looked instantly relieved that Ginny had gotten through to her. She gave them both a small smile and caressed Charlie’s cheek in passing as she went to get ready.

*
Christelle smiled slightly as they all sipped their whiskeys and talked quietly in their little corner of the club. Christelle knew the owner, so she was able to get VIP passes. Down on the dance floor, many people were dancing, some so inappropriate that you had to look away. Ginny had invited Hermione, Ron, Angelina, and George, along with Bill and Fleur. Christelle talked quietly with Charlie, their conversations ranging from her dragon to the new changes they wanted to make to their flat.

“Christy!” someone in her ear boomed. She flinched in surprise as she slowly turned to look at a man with dyed black hair and dark green eyes. He looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place how she knew him. The way he looked at her made her skin crawl. He slid into the couch beside her, making her scoot closer to Charlie. How did he even get past the rope and into the VIP area?

“Do I know you?” she asked timidly. He grinned a sloppy drunken smile as he slapped her knee, leaving his hand there in the process. She went to move it off of her, but found that Charlie had beat her to it.

“Of course you know me,” he said in her ear. She flinched away from him and found that she was being lifted and placed on the other side of Charlie.

“This is the VIP area, and I’m certain you don’t have the right pass to be over here, so why don’t you leave?” Charlie said calmly, though Christelle could tell that he was furious.

The man in question started laughing suddenly for no apparent reason as he started to stand.

“What the bloody hell was that about, Christelle?” Ginny murmured as he started walking away. Christelle glanced at him once more, shrugging, before her view was blocked by a standing Charlie with his wand out.

“Charlie!” Christelle yelled as a flash of red light left his wand and hit the man square in the back.

“Charlie, contain yourself, man! So, he hit on your girlfriend, it doesn’t give you the right to hex him!” Harry yelled as he tried to hold Charlie back while Bill went to check on the guy.

“Harry, you don’t understand, it’s him!” Charlie growled as he tried to get Harry off of him.


So, yeahhh, I know it's kind of a crappy and pathetic way of stumbling upon the guy but when I wrote it, it's about the only thing I could come up with, apart from the one where Charlie was kidnapped and Christelle had to follow Bobby's exact instructions to get him back, but that one was just too complicated... Sorry if I disappointed you guys on the "epic" way they were supposed to find him...
What do you think?