“Charlie!” Astrid yelled as her best friend turned away from her, heading towards the forest. “Charlie Weasley!” she continued to yell his name as she pushed herself through the crowds of students now pouring out of the classrooms. 

The students didn’t move easily for her based on her below-average height, but she continued to shove them out of her way to try and make it to Charlie. Astrid’s feet were pounding against the stone floor that soon turned to dirt and grass and she grew closer to the Weasley.

“Charles Septimus Weasley, you listen to me right now!” She screamed as he stepped into the forest. 

He turners around his face full of many emotions: anger, regret, and sadness. He stared at her as she run up to him, stopping only a few feet away, as she saw another emotion on his face, hate. 

“Why, Astrid? Tell me one fucking reason why I should listen to you,” He growled

She stopped short. His pool blue eyes showed no forgiveness as she stood there staring at him. “I need to talk with you… please, Char. I need to explain.”

He stared at Astrid for a moment, examining her face. He just sighed and looked away and shook his head. “Okay, I get it. So you have been playing with me for months, you’re the first person that I ever opened up to, Astrid. Then today I catch you snogging that jackass Barnaby Lee. So yeah forgive me princess if I don’t want to speak with you at the moment. Not everyone is going to fall for your pathetic act.” He spat

She closed her eyes forcing her tears from spilling out. She opened them just in time to see Charlie start to head into the forest again. “I’m so sorry, Charlie,” she said, it wasn’t meant to come out as a whisper, but that’s all she could manage. 

Charlie turned around, and Astrid was surprised he heard her silent cry of sorrow. He continued to glare at her, expecting her to say something more.

“Charlie, please. Let me explain. I didn’t mean for this to happen.” She said hoping Charlie will give her a chance.

“You have two minutes, Blackwood.” He snarled, “Then I’m going, and you will NOT follow me.”

“Okay. Charlie please please believe every word I say. I’m not going to lie to you, ever.” She started trying to keep her voice from cracking.

He snorts and crosses his arms waiting for her brilliant explanation.

She continued on, “Barnaby and I are never, have never, and will never be a thing. I was supposed to be meeting Tulip and Tonks in that classroom for some sort of surprise they had for me. I got their message in a letter earlier this morning.” She grabbed the note out of her robes and handed it to Charlie, “I honestly had no intention of meeting Barnaby in that classroom. Charlie, I’m telling you the truth. I did not kiss him. He kissed me. When you saw us, you didn’t see the whole picture. I wasn’t kissing him, I was trying to pull away.”

He looks up from the note, reaches into his coat pocket and retrieves a crumpled letter and hands it to her.

Astrid reached for it and found that it resembles her letter. 

“Charlie, don’t you understand. I got set up,” She explained, “Charlie…”

“Your two minutes are up,” He says cutting her off, he turns and heads into the forest

Astrid stared at him as he left and realised she wasn’t about to let his big head get in the way of this, “Charlie! Have you LOST YOUR FUCKING MIND?!” She screamed, she ran up to him and grabbed his wrist to force him to look at her. His face shows none of the emotions he had before, he was confused. He didn’t shake off her hand but his hands were still balled into tight fists. “Charlie, I don’t know what is wrong with me, and I can’t even think of where, to begin with, the apology for making you think I was playing with you,” She said looking into his eyes. She waited for him to say something and she was about to say something more when he spoke. 

“Barnaby forced himself on you. When you didn’t want him to? You were trying to get away?” He said

“Yes,” She said hoping that he will believe her

“I'm going to kill that asshole,” He finished and turned to walk towards the castle

“What? NO! Charlie, don’t give him that. I need someone to practice my hexes on.” Astrid half yelled at him

He stops and she could hear a slight chuckle escape his lips as he turns back to her, and she could see that he was smiling. 

“Okay, I’ll let you have this honour but don’t think that will stop me from hexing him every chance I get.” He insisted

“Oh my hero.” She replied laughing, “But honestly Charlie what can I do?”

“Let’s start with this…” He says as he walked toward her, bringing her into a tight embrace, and placing his lips on hers. Astrid’s arms reached for his hair as she pulled him closer. His long ginger hair engulfed her hands as she took out his ponytail. She felt him smile as she continued the kiss. The animal sounds of the forest die out as her senses stop caring about what’s going on around her, and start focusing on the Weasley in front of her. He pulls back, their foreheads resting on each other and they both smile.

“There has only ever been you, Weasley,” Astrid whispered

“And you have always been the one for me, Blackwood,” He whispered back

“Can we go hex that Slytherin now?” She asked

“Of course we can,” He replied smiling 

The two of them walked back to the castle, hand in hand, eyes searching the hallways and grounds for Barnaby Lee.