Boxes
Magic had a way of making packing extremely easy. He had found some wooden crates and boxes on the reserve and brought them back to the small hut he lived in. Besides the clothing in the drawers, and the books, he really only had personal effects enough to fill his backpack.
When the boxes were packed, he simply shrunk them, and tossed them into the backpack. Charlie then searched for his boss, and informed him of the changes that would be happening, such as he would be living off sight. His boss, Reginald, nodded and told Charlie that they were in the process of building a floo in the reserves office so that the men and woman who worked at the reserve could have a direct point to come and go now that the world had been thrown on it's heels.
At least I won't have to keep buying drinks. Charlie thought. He wasn't a drinker, he didn't enjoy it, but it was easier to order a drink then order food at the pub.
“What's her name?” Reginald asked.
“Huh?”
“The woman you're marrying? What's her name?”
“Iris, she's actually a old family friend. Her and I have been friends since we were thirteen and she's actually been friends with my brother longer.”
“That's nice. I know many of the guys and girls don't even know the people they're been assigned to marry.” Reginald said, “I'm happy for you, that you know her and that you already have an established relationship.” Charlie nodded, deciding not to tell his boss that the relationship was about as easy to navigate as a bowl of spaghetti.
When Charlie arrived through Iris's floo, he realized the house was just as colorful as the flower fields. Most of the walls were an off white creamy color, but there was bright colored furniture and knick knacks all about the house.
“Iris?” Charlie called out, putting his stuff down by the fireplace in the sitting room. “Iris, you here?” Since there was no answer, he figured she must have still been in the fields with Harry and Ginny. He noticed a framed newspaper article and stepped over to read it. “Rosehill Farms, make life beautiful.” He read the article that Iris had framed and saw her and Ben, still barely teenagers in the photo, posing in front of their fields. Iris held a large armload of flowers, and Ben just wore a smile of pure adoration as he looked at Iris.
How on earth am I going to fill that void? Charlie thought to himself. Iris and Ben had a lot of history, and had been to hell and back with one another, for one another. They had fought in the war, they had helped people hide from snatchers... And it resulted in Ben's demise.
Pitterpatter came from behind him and Charlie turned to see what was making noise and saw Iris's giant Maine Coon cat coming towards the door.
“Hopwaffle!” He called when he saw the cat, he had adored the cat when they were at school and was happy to see him. Memories of working with Iris on different reports and projects with Hopwaffle's fluffy tail knocking their stuff all over came flooding back and made Charlie smile. The cat was getting more grey around his face then normal, which was expected since he was getting close to being in his late teenage years. He hoisted the giant cat into his arms and gave him some hard scratches under his neck, causing the cat to purr incredibly loudly. He looked around the house to see if there was any sign of Iris when he noticed another cat. It was cream colored with bright green eyes, sitting on a white and pink spotted chair in the den, swishing it's tail back and forth while looking at Charlie menacingly. This cat he didn't know.
He heard the back door open, and Iris, “Charlie?”
“Yeah, I'm in here. Hopwaffle found me.” He announced. Iris walked into the front room and smiled.
“He still remembers you, that's sweet.”
“I loved this cat. He was the coolest cat anyone in Gryffindor had.” Charlie told her. “I don't recognize that one though, is he new?”
“That's Fuzzclaw.” Iris told him. “It was Rowan's cat. He's a few years older then Hopwaffle, so you need to be extra gentle with him.” Charlie nodded. He had no idea that Iris had somehow been given Fuzzclaw after Rowan's death, and he felt weird asking how long she had had him, in case she had him when they were still at Hogwarts. “I can show you where to put your stuff.” She told him, pulling him from his thoughts.
He suddenly felt nervous, and could feel his ears becoming red. Where to put his stuff, would more then likely be the bedroom. Where he would be sleeping. With Iris. Alone. Among other things.
“Sure.” He managed to squeak out.
He followed her up the stairs, looking at the pictures on the wall, there was pictures, paintings, some ornate empty frames. He noticed there was a couple photos still of Iris and Ben.
“I'm sorry about those.” Iris said, standing at the top of the stairs. “I just... Can't take them down yet. I tried.” She admitted to him.
“It's ok. I understand he was your husband, you loved him. You probably still love him, and I don't expect you to act like he wasn't here.” He told her, walking up the last few stairs. She gave him a sad nod, and walked down the hallway, past a couple doors before pushing open one at the end. “This is your room.” He announced, as if she didn't know.
“Uh... Yeah?” She asked him. “Technically yours too.”
“We aren't married yet!”
“We will be.” Iris said incredulously. “Charlie, I'm not going to smother you in your sleep.”
“I wasn't thinking that... Until you said it.” He put the bag down.
“Is that it?” She asked, seeing his few things. He looked at his things.
“Yeah, why?”
“It's just... I was expecting a few more things, even though you said there wasn't much.” She shrugged, “I actually cleared out-” she stopped and cleared her throat. “The other closet.”
Ben's closet. His mind supplied for him. “Thank you. I have more stuff, I just shrunk it so it would all fit in the bag.”
“Oh that makes sense.” Iris nodded, “I was going to go make something to eat, tea and cookies just isn't a satisfying dinner. Do you want anything?” She asked, seeming to offer a olive branch.
“Sure, I'm not super picky. Whatever you make is fine.” He told her and she simply left the room to go fix dinner. Charlie heaved a long sigh.
How on earth was this going to work.
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When he was content with the amount of things he had put away, he followed the smell downstairs to see Iris finishing whatever she was making.
“It smells good.” He told her.
“I call it garden skillet.” She informed him, “it's pasta with just whatever was ready to be picked in the garden. Tonight it's tomatos, eggplant, broccoli, an onion, and some herbs tossed in there with some pasta and butter.” Charlie peeked over her shoulder and saw the colorful pasta in the skillet. “I have some soda in the icebox.” She pointed at the butter yellow fridge in the kitchen, that matched the yellow stove and oven she was currently cooking on.
“Soda?” Charlie questioned.
“It's a Muggle drink, I think you'll like it.” She assured him as he opened the dainty little fridge. “It's the glass bottles with the brown liquid.” Charlie pulled them out and looked at her oddly before sitting them down at the small wooden kitchen table. Iris came over with two plates of the food she had made and placed them on the table, before she turned and pulled something from a drawer, returned to the table and popped the little metal caps off the bottles. “Try it.” She held up the bottle to Charlie, who looked at it like it was gonna bite him.
Still, he put the bottle to his lips and took a sip. It was sweet, carbonated, and burned in a good way down his throat.
“This is... Really good.”
“Right?” Iris smiled. “Ben got me turned onto them after we got married, I was mad he didn't share them sooner.” She took a sip of hers and sat down in one of the pink chairs at the table, and sprinkled salt and pepper on her food. Charlie took that as go ahead and eat and sat down across from her with his dinner. His mom was the best cook he knew, but he had to admit that Iris wasn't half bad, the food was good and he knew that there was more then enough for him to have seconds and perhaps even leftovers. He took another sip of soda and another.
“Did Ginny pick out any flowers?” Charlie asked, trying to make conversation.
“She did actually, you know Ginny, she picked out all the 'weird' flowers.” Iris smiled.
“Oh? What do you consider weird?”
“Oh you know, the cactus dahlia's, the heuchera, and she wants me to blend in some of the white pussy-”
Charlie choked on his food, violently. “THE WHAT!”
“Willow! Charlie! Willow! Japanese pussy willow!” Iris shouted through laughter. “It's a plant! Ironically, she picked it hoping for that reaction by people.”
“WHY IS IT CALLED THAT!” Charlie shouted, “why did someone look at it and say 'hey you know what we should call this?' And then agree to it!”
“Want to see it?” Iris asked.
“That gleam in your eye scares me.” Charlie admitted, seeing a glint that he recognized from their teenage years.
“Oh come on, you need to walk the property anyway and you can keep me company while I milk the cows and the goats.”
“Milk the what and the what?” Charlie spluttered. Iris smiled, and casually kept eating her dinner while Charlie's mind wrapped around what exactly had had got into.