Playing matchmaker -- October 1988

From the time that Tonks and I started hanging out, I viewed her as a sister despite my mother trying to make me date her.  That was just odd.  And yes, Tonks was the only girl I ever took home -- but she was my best friend.  We hung out at each other's places all summer long.  I didn't bring any girlfriends home because I didn't get really close with them or anything.  I wasn't about to feed them to the lions when I already knew that it would not amount to anything.  But anyways... I needed to hunt down my brother.  I was pretty sure that Tonks and Bill would make an excellent couple.  They always got along great when they were together at the house -- especially when I purposely got them alone.  I was an evil mastermind.  I wanted to talk to Bill about it before going ot Tonks.  Girls always got a little carried away wiht things and I wanted to make sure Bill would be interested before putting the idea in Tonks's head.  I finally found Bill in the library.  He was probably already getting a head start on studying for his NEWTs.  I really should get a head start on OWLs, but that could wait.  "Hey.  What are you up to?" I questioned, sitting down with him.

I looked up and saw Charlie sit down across from me.  I smiled at him and pointed at all of the books.  "What do you think I'm doing?  Getting a head start on some essays that I know will be coming up," I whispered back to him.  Most of it was Arithmancy, but some of it was Transfiguration things.  "What's up, though?" I figured a break would not necessarily be a bad idea.

I grinned at my brother, glad that he had decided to at least talk.  "So... I was thinking, you're going to need a way to relax with all of this studying.  And you'll probably want to have a little fun at the same time,r ight?" I asked, trying to lead into me asking him what he thought of Tonks.  Hopefully he would not do what Mum does and think that I'm interested in her that way.  Because I definitely wasn't.  I mean, she was a great person... but my best friend.  I had boundaries.

I had a feeling my brother had something up his sleeve about this.  I leaned back in my chair and set my quill down.  I eyed my brother and said, "What do you have in mind?"  I was a little bit intrigued by what Charlie was thinking but a little bit afraid of what he was thinking.  He had an interesting mind to say the least.

I grinned at him.  I leaned forward and said, "I have an excellent idea.  What you need is a girlfriend."  I raised my eyebrows at him like this was the best idea in the entire world.  Which, in my opinion, it was.

I really did not have tiem to be running around with girls.  And really, it had not been that long since I had to break up with my last girlfriend.  She had been a year older than I, and with where her opportunities took her, we had to break up over the summer.  "Let me guess... you already have someone in mind for me," I said matter-of-factly.

"Of course I do," I informed my brother, dismissing the look on his face.  I knew that it had only been a few months since a hard breakup for Bill... but he needed to get back out there.  There were a lot of girls who were pretty much in love with him.  He just was a little too booky to realize that.  "Would you like to know who I'm thinking?" I wiggled my eyebrows at him.

I wondered what was going on right now.  He had a girl in mind already?  I thought he was just fooling around.  "Er... sure," I said.  I may as well humor him.  I mean, I was slightly curious.  Perhaps it was time to move on.  But I had received a letter from Gringott's with a job offer dependent on my NEWTs.  If I did go, then I would be off to Egypt.  I just was not ready to tell Charlie or anyone else about it yet.  So would a relationship be a good idea?  Especially since I knew how it felt to be on the receiving end of the relationship that had to stay behind?

I resisted rolling my eyes at his reluctance mainly because I wanted him to really consider my suggestion.  "Well, Billy Boy, what do you think of asking Tonks on a date to Hogsmeade this Halloween?" I inquired.  I grinned waiting for Bill's reaction.  I thought this was an excellent idea.  They just got along so great together -- even when Bill was dating his last girlfriend, Lauren.

"What?!" I nearly shouted, making Madam Pince shush us and give me a glare.  I lowered my voice and repeated, "What?  Tonks?  Are you serious, Charlie?"  I could not believe that Charlie would even suggest that.  I mean, she was an excellent person... and she was cute.  But she was his best friend.  That just seemed really odd.

I nodded.  "Bill, come on.  You have to see you two have chemistry -- even when you were with Lauren it was there.  You both are just denying it.  I don't care if my best friend dates my brother and vice versa.  I think it would be awesome.  Would you just give her a chance?  She's awesome and you know it," I informed him, pointing a finger at him during my last sentence.  I set my hands on the table as if that was all he needed to convince him to ask her.

Shaking my head, I answered my brother, "I don't know if it would be a good idea, though.  What if something would happen?  I'm not putting you in that position, Charlie."  I saw a smile start to creep across Charlie's face.  "Don't do that... I did not say I was interested," I warned him.  I knew what was going through his mind.

I knew that Bill was so going to do this.  "Now... I can talk with Tonks to make sure she'd accept if that would make you less nervous," I informed him, wrapping up this matter.  I was sure that Tonks would be ecstatic about it.  And if not, then I would tell Bill not to ask her.  It would be okay to suggest this I thought.

I sighed, knowing that Charlie was going to be doing what he wanted to do.  "Wait a second, you want me to go ask her, but you have no idea if she'd say yes?  How does that add up?" I questioned.  I swear, my brother was going to wear me out with all of this.  I did, however, actually like Tonks in that manner of speaking... but with the bro code, I was never going to act on it.

"I'll let you know but I'm sure she'd be fine iwth it.  There is chemistry there and you two would be stupid not to find out where it leads," I informed him standing up and stretching.  "Just don't worry about asking until I get back to you."