Another Goodbye
By the time Iris and Charlie returned to the farmhouse, they were both dead on their feet.
“Do you still have to take care of all the animals?” Charlie asked, almost dreading the answer.
“No, I gave Melanie overtime and had her stay late.” Iris explained, chucking her shoes off just inside the front door. Charlie nodded, remembering the dark haired girl he had met earlier. “Just think, we get to feel like this every weekend for the next few months.” Charlie let out a loud groan. Iris picked up a pile of mail, handed the owl a treat for delivering it all, and started rummaging through it.
“Anything interesting?”
“Invitation to Jae's wedding, invitation to Alanza's wedding... Annnnd Diego asked me to step in and be a bridesmaid in his.”
“Um... Aren't bridesmaids typically friends of the bride?”
“He says here she's an introvert-”
“Oh that's gonna work wonderfully.” Charlie laughed. Iris agreed and placed the letters on the table, resolute to deal with them in the morning. “I feel like taking a bath.”
“Is that an invitation?” Iris grinned, watching Charlie turn as red as a beet. “I jest. Go enjoy your bath, I'm just going straight to bed.” She told him, as she started her nightly routine of feeding the cats. When the lid on the can popped, the pair came running as fast as they could, considering they were both geriatric it was quite a feat.
Charlie went upstairs and started to run the bath, before he turned and quickly closed the door and locked it. Not that it would do much good, since Iris has revealed not only she was good at magic but incredible at it, and a simple spell would open the door if she wanted. He heard Iris open the bedroom door and then by sound followed her as she did her routine, to the closet, dropped her dress in the hamper, get her pajamas on-
“Are you naked yet? I need to wash my face and brush my teeth really quickly.” Iris knocked.
“Oh, yeah,” Charlie unlocked the door and opened it for her. Iris walked in past him and turned the faucet on, quickly washing her face, patted it dry, smeared something across her freshly cleaned skin, and then began to brush her teeth. “Here,” she pulled out a drawer and handed him a little jar. “It's a sandle wood mix for the bath, you might like it.” She disappeared before her could open and smell whatever she had handed him, but it did smell really good. He hoped he wouldn't smell to froo-froo when he went into work the next day or else he would never hear the end of it.
He had no idea how long he had been in the water, he just knew his feet were sore, he had a headache, and he wanted to relax. He was sure that at some point he had fallen asleep, because by the time he sat up and got out, the water had went cold. Iris was sound asleep, snoring lightly, her hair pulled back into a long braid that was flipped onto the mattress.
Charlie was awed by how fast she could fall asleep, although her schedule made his head spin so in theory it made hers spin too. She just never complained about it.
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“Hey, your wife has a farm thing right?” Charlie was suddenly asked by one of his co-workers the following morning at work.
“Uh yeah, why?”
“My parents dog had puppies. I was thinking you guys might want one of the puppies. It's a sheepdog, and you mentioned you two have sheep.”
“I''l talk to her, when it comes to the farm dealings, Iris has everything running like a machine and I don't want to mess it up to her.” Charlie explained to him.
“It's mixed with a old English sheepdog, if that makes a difference.”
“It just has to get along with her cats.”
“I didn't peg Iris for being a cat person.”
“You've never met Iris.” The redhead laughed. His co-worker shrugged.
“I feel like I have, as much as you talk about her.”
“I don't talk about her that much-”
“Bull foockin' shite!” He laughed loudly. “Iris grows such pretty flowers, Iris makes her own cheese, Iris has a root cellar full of vegatables and jars, Iris, Iris, Iris.” Charlie could only muster a dirty look before he went back to unloading the delivery of medications for the Dragon Hospital. He couldn't argue, because he knew it would be wrong. He was astounded by Iris's accomplishments, and if she wasn't going to talk about them then he would.
“What smells so good?” One of the female Veterinarians asked when she stepped into the room.
“Maybe one of the jars broke and it's a medication?” Charlie asked. She shook her head,
“no... It's like... I don't know, it smells good. None of the Dragon's medication smells good, trust me.” She laughed, then took a hard sniff. “Oh, Charlie! It's you!” Charlie felt himself getting heated, especially around his face and ears. “Is it a new cologne or something?”
“Or something... My fiance made it.”
“Really? Does she sell it? I would love to buy some for my husband! If you smell that good after working then that's really good stuff!” She lamented excitedly. “Would you ask? I'll happily pay for it.”
“Yeah, I'll ask her tonight.”
Dog and smelly stuff, Charlie made a note to ask Iris when he returned. By the time he did, he had several people asking for the cologne Charlie was wearing, and he had no idea how he was going to tell people it was actually for a bath and still keep his dignity.
When he opened the front door, assuming Iris would still be in the fields, he saw her crumbled on the ground holding Fuzzclaw.
“What's wrong?” He asked quickly.
“I don't know, he won't eat, and he's acting funny, like he can't keep his balance.” She told him. He had noticed the last few weeks of living with Iris that Fuzzclaw was showing some signs he wasn't feeling well. His hair wasn't matted, but it wasn't as neat as Hopwaffle's and his green eyes were slightly cloudy. Iris had told him that Fuzzclaw was old, but Charlie had never really thought just how old Fuzzclaw must have been. Iris and he were now twenty seven, if say Rowan had Fuzzclaw three years before they went to Hogwarts, that would put him at nineteen years old.
“Do you want to take him to the vet?”
“I'm just waiting for Liz to write me back.” She told him. Charlie looked up and saw the window was open, a owl treat waiting in the window sill.
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The instant that Iris heard the flutter of wings, she was up, at the window and reading the note. It was after hours but Liz told Iris she could use the floo and come straight to the clinic. Iris picked up a fluffy blanket, and wrapped Fuzzclaw in it, and Charlie noticed a puddle under the old cat. He may have been a dragonologist, but he knew when and animal of any kind urinated on itself, that was usually a sign of something deeply wrong. For a cat, it was extra upsetting as they are extremely prissy animals who groom themselves for hours on end.
Iris and Fuzzclaw erupted in a flame of green, and even though she had not asked, Charlie followed right behind. Liz met Iris in the front room and the two immediately took Fuzzclaw into a room. Charlie watched silently as Liz began to run a series of tests, spells, and enchantments on Fuzzclaw, her brow furrowed hard. She used the stethoscope around her neck and held it to his chest, listening intently before she looked up at Iris and Charlie.
“I'm going to take him back, and do some bloodwork and a few other things. You two can just wait here and try to relax ok?” She picked up Fuzzclaw, Iris nodded, giving him one last pet and scratch before Liz took him to the back room.
“Iris?” Charlie tentatively asked. “How old is Fuzzclaw?”
“I think around twenty? Maybe twenty one.” She told him as she fell into a chair and put her head in her hands. “He's been on a medication for his kidney's for a while now, and he has a heart murmur.” Charlie nodded. He had no idea that Fuzzclaw was so old, nor did he know the extent of his medical issues. Hopwaffle was younger, still old, but he was a quarter kneazle, so he had a longer life expectancy.
“Is he a mix breed?”
“No, he's a full blood cat. Just a cat. Rowan found him when he was a kitten in their barm when she was around five.” Iris told him sadly. Charlie reached over and started to run his hand over her back, in a way he hoped she found comforting. They didn't talk much more, just some small talk. Charlie asked about her flowers and told her that some of the ladies liked how he smelled. Iris smiled, and seemed to be quite proud of herself that others found her bath mix pleasing.
Her smile quickly faded though when the door opened and Liz walked in. Charlie saw a look on Liz's face that he recognized from school when they couldn't help an animal, and his stomach fell. .
“Did you find out what's wrong with him?” Iris asked hopefully.
“Iris.” Liz started leaning against the table, “while we are magical... There's some things we just can't fix. Age, for example. Fuzzclaw is twenty one years old, that's old for a cat that is mix breed with a kneazle. Extremely old when you factor in he's just a solid cat, in fact. The fact that he has been so well cared for has aided in his years, but... He is simply getting old.”
Iris looked at her, and Charlie could almost see her heart drop. This wasn't just a cat, this had been Rowan's cat. To Iris, this was the last living bit of Rowan she had.
“So... There's nothing we can do for him?” Charlie reached his hand out and placed it around Iris's shoulder's and he felt her almost drop.
“His kidney's are failing, he's got a heart murmur, and he's showing signs that he had a stroke, which is what's causing his balance issues. It's... It's just time, Iris.” Liz told her and the air in the room was sucked out completely. “I'm so sorry. I know how much he means to you.” Liz told her as gently as she could. “We can give him some medicine to take, but... He's just ready to see Rowan again.” She told her friend in a way that she hoped would ease Fuzzclaw's inevitable passing.
Charlie had only saw Iris cry four times in his life, and he had known her since he was twelve. When Rowan died, the Battle of Hogwarts when she was doubled over between Ben and Tonks, and then at each of their funerals.
He watched her closely, watched the tears gather in her eyes, her bottom lip begin to quiver, and then the sob escape her lips as the tears finally fell. Charlie wrapped his other arm around her, and she actually fisted his shirt into her fingers, clinging to him as she began to cry. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and Liz gave him a look that he knew as I'll give you two a moment, before she left the room. Charlie held Iris close as she cried. Iris knew what she had to do, and she had to do what was right for Fuzzclaw, because he was suffering and no amount of magic was going to help him now.
Charlie, Iris, and Liz stood around the table, and Iris ran her hands along Fuzzclaw's side. His eyes were foggy from age, his hair was nappy, and he was thin. He was ready to go and Iris understood that. She leaned down and rested her forehead against the top of his head while Liz administered the medicine and let him pass.
Charlie found a shovel and helped Iris bury Fuzzclaw under the Rowan tree behind the farmhouse. Charlie had not really been bonded to Fuzzclaw, but he felt a tear escape his eye as Iris laid him down, wrapped in a blanket, and placed some flowers on top of him.