Shy little Eloise Moreau found herself the proud owner of Ollivanders after his death in the war. Now she's left to cope with the loss of her mentor while attempting to run a business.
When Charlie Weasley drops by one day in hopes of buying a new w...
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The last week of August went by in a blur for Eloise. The shop was busier than ever with last minute shoppers, and she found herself falling back into her bad habit of not taking care of herself only days after Charlie's visit. Thankfully, the lovely boy had predicted something like that would happen, and he showed up each evening with dinner prepared by Mrs. Weasley and made sure that she actually slept in her own bed, not at her workbench.
She slept through the first of September. The shop traditionally closed that day anyway, so she didn't feel guilty about lazing about. She woke up early Thursday, grateful for the rest she had attained and that the busy season was over so she could spend the next few months replenishing her horribly diminished wand supply. It was a miracle that every child had found a match this year, as the stock was only half what it would usually be at this point. She was looking forward to only having the shop open a couple of days a week and instead spending her time in the solitude of the workshop.
Coincidentally, September 2nd happened to be Eloise's birthday. It wasn't something she usually celebrated. She had barely-there memories of chocolate cake and parties with her parents, but they were faint, and more prominently she recalled the simple 'Happy Birthday' note she'd receive from her great aunt every year along with five galleons. It usually left her longing for something more sentimental, but this year when she woke to the gold coins and perfect penmanship it made her feel hopeful.
She couldn't remember that last time she had woken up before seven and felt this well rested. When she got out of bed, she made it, even placing the once discarded throw pillows atop the comforter. She cheerfully waved her wand and muttered a charm that would clear the dust from her shelves, and as she entered her kitchen, she was happy to note that Charlie had done the dishes before he left a few nights ago.
Sleeping for so long without a meal had left her famished, inspiring Eloise to actually cook for once. If you count making toast with jam cooking, that is.
A tap on the window caught her attention, and she quickly rose from her breakfast to let Charlie's owl in.
Ellie,
I assume you've been catching up on your sleep, as August is finally over. Meet me for lunch at Primrose's at noon?
Charlie
She scrawled a quick 'yes' and gave the note back to his owl, remembering to give her a treat from the jar by the window. The last time she hadn't tipped had resulted her finger nearly being nipped off.
Primrose's was a cafe that Ginny had been raving about to Charlie for a few weeks now, and while Eloise was too busy to go, she hadn't let Charlie go without her.
She spent the rest of her morning taking the time to do the things that she felt guilty wasting time on in the past few weeks: taking a long shower, reading a few chapters of her latest wandmaking tome, and doing a bit of laundry. By the time noon rolled around, she was feeling more refreshed than she had all summer.
