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Chapter Text

(Y/N) sucked in a breath as she passed through the towering iron gates and spun on her heel, taking in the rows of quaint cottages and breathtaking summer greenery. The Romanian Dragon Sanctuary was even more beautiful than the pictures she had seen.

After allowing herself a few moments of bewilderment, it didn’t take long for her to spot the sign beside the nearest cottage that read Felix Rosier, Head of the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary. Exhaling, she started toward the porch, determined not to let her nerves get the best of her.

“Come on in,” came a gruff, masculine voice on the other side of the door that her knuckles wrapped against.

She pushed the door open, and a slender pale man with a head of dark hair came into view. He was seated at a round table, scribbling furiously on the roll of parchment in front of him before glancing up. “You must be (Y/N),“ the man said, his brown eyes igniting with excitement as he stood up and made his way over to her. “Perfect timing. We’re so excited you came to work with us.”

She smiled, praying her hand wasn’t sweaty as he shook it. “It’s incredible to be here.”

“Glad to hear it. We’ve got your arrangements all finalized.” Felix grabbed one of the dozens of notes off of the table and skimmed it before setting it back down. “You’ll be in the house across from your mentor, Charlie Weasley.”

“Sounds great,” she said, elated to hear someone would be helping her for the first few weeks. She initially thought Felix might be the one to show her the ropes, but now she was relieved it was going to be someone else. Even though Felix was notably intelligent, he came off a little too intense for her liking. "Has he worked here long?”

“Not the longest of the team, but he still somehow manages to be the best worker we’ve got. Would have taken my spot years ago if we didn’t have a seniority policy.” Propping open the door with his boot, Felix pointed toward a cottage off in the distance with clusters of wildflowers and snapdragons surrounding the front porch. “He’s over there. You can go to his place whenever you get settled.”

She nodded and thanked Felix before heading to the house across from Charlie’s. It wasn’t necessarily the prettiest of the bunch, but that didn’t stop the excited jitters from dancing in her stomach. A rush of emotion flooded through her as she gave the door a push and stepped inside the home—her home. (Y/N) usually wasn’t an emotional person, but something about this moment felt important. She was really here. She was really doing this.

Striding over to the made bed, she set her bag on the floor and sat down on the mattress with a contented sigh. It felt right. She stayed there for a couple minutes, wanting to remember every detail about this day, before hurrying over to the cottage across the way. The only thing more exciting than unpacking or decorating her new place was diving into the work she would be doing.

She paused once she reached the well kept front porch, noticing that her mentor’s door was propped open and she didn’t see any movement inside through the screen door. Still, she decided to knock. “Hello?”

“Looking for Charlie, darlin’?” came a voice from behind. She spun to see a tan man with a chin of greying stubble holding what must be a dragon egg. “He’s up with Gertie, the Swedish Short-Snout.”

(Y/N) pursed her lips, wondering if it was okay to go looking for him. “Is it easy to get to from here? It’s my first day and I’m supposed to meet up with him.”

“Oh, a newbie, eh?” The man outstretched his hand, mindfully keeping a tight grip on the egg with his other. “I’m Hank.”

She smiled, shaking it. “Nice to meet you, I’m (Y/N).”

“Likewise.” He returned the grin and tipped the bill of his baseball cap towards her. “I’m headed up that way to give Scott this egg, so I can point you down the right path.”

“That would be great, thanks.” A rush of nervous excitement returned at the thought of meeting the Swedish Short-Snout. She fell into step alongside Hank as he led her up the hilly dirt path. “How long have you worked here?”

“Oh boy, let’s see—” He broke off, clearly counting the numbers in his head. “Seventeen—no, eighteen years.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

“How old are you?”

“Just turned twenty-seven,” she answered, feeling inadequate against the man’s many years of experience in the field.

Hank nodded, chuckling. “Yeah, I was just a little younger than you when I started. A reckless twenty-five year old who finally found his match. Nothing like fire-breathing, man-eating creatures to knock you off your high horse.”

She bit back a smile. “Do you have any advice for me?”

“You look like you have a good head on your shoulders. I’m sure you’ll do just fine.” He paused briefly before adding, “And no one could advise you better than Charlie. That kid is incredible. You know, he’s the same age as you. Turning twenty-seven at the end of the year.”

Her head snapped towards him, eyes growing wide. “What? But Felix said he’s the best here.”

Hank laughed again. “He is.”

The giddiness in her stomach twisted into a bitter bundle of nerves. “Oh, I just assumed that meant—”

“That he was an old bloke like me?”

She laughed in spite of herself because that's exactly what she meant. Hank’s lightheartedness helped lessen her worry momentarily, but she still felt intimidated. How could a twenty-six year old be better than someone who had been here for nearly twenty years? “How long has he been here for?”

“Eight years. Just celebrated his anniversary at a nearby pub a coupl'a weeks ago. He came right after he graduated Hogwarts, and I’ve never seen a more ambitious kid. Apparently he’s always been obsessed with dragons. He’s one of the lucky ones that knew their dream early on.”

(Y/N) nodded, not willing to admit it took her those eight years to get the courage to follow her dream.

“Well, if you continue down that path and turn left at the fork, you should find him,” Hank said, pointing down the narrow path to their left. “Just promise me you won’t go right—that’s where our Hungarian Horntail lives.”

“Left,” she verified. “Got it. Thanks so much for the help.”

He tipped the bill of his cap again. “Anytime.”

She trotted down the pathway, feeling her heart leap as she veered to the left and heard a roar in the distance.

“Easy—easy there, girl.”

Pushing past the tall brush ahead, a deserted, mountainous landing came into view with magnificent snow-covered peaks in the distance. Perched upon one of the various boulders ahead was a stunning icy blue dragon flapping its wings. She looked excited. That’s when (Y/N) spotted someone’s profile to the right—a man with an unmissable head of red hair and a similar shade of stubble running along his jawline. Thick brown gloves covered his hands, and his wand was at the ready. It took a moment for her to notice the raw meat he was guiding through the air towards the beautiful beast. No wonder Gertie was excited.

She waited until the dragon had successfully clamped her impressive jaw around her lunch before cautiously moving toward Charlie. “Excuse me,” she said, careful not to be too loud to alarm Gertie.

Slightly startled, the man turned, and her stomach lurched. To make this panic inducing life change even worse, her mentor was attractive. Not the conventional, clean cut attractiveness, but rather the rugged handsome, not-afraid-to-get-his-hands-dirty type.

“Can I help you?” he whispered, brushing red strands away from his heavily freckled face as he eyed her quizzically.

“Are you Charlie?”

He nodded slowly before a switch seemingly flicked on inside his head. “Bloody hell. You’re (Y/N), aren’t you?" 

She nodded in return, offering him a small smile. She didn’t know what else to say. She was usually full of words, especially around magical creatures, but suddenly her mind was completely blank. Luckily for her, Charlie seemed too preoccupied swearing under his breath and rubbing the back of his neck to notice.

"Sorry to have made you come up here. I just assumed you would spend the morning unpacking and meeting everybody.”

A flush swept down the back of her neck. Of course normal people would be more excited to meet their new coworkers first instead of the dragons. “I, uh, was a little too excited to wait.”

The corner of his lips quirked up briefly, reminding her of what Hank had said. Apparently he’s always been obsessed with dragons. Maybe he understood. “You didn’t find your way all by yourself, did you? I hope you didn’t get lost, Rosier would have my head.”

“Oh, no, Hank showed me the way." 

Charlie let out a hollow laugh and shook his head, muttering something along the lines of, Should’ve known.

(Y/N) was going to ask what he meant by that, but he had already moved on to peeling off his gloves and offering them to her. That’s when she noticed that he hadn’t gone to shake her hand like Felix had.

"Would you want to feed the next one? Only have one more until later tonight." 

(Y/N) attempted to contain her excitement as she eyed the brown material. She noticed Charlie’s calloused, scared hands and smiled to herself. She had similarly worn hands and two equally noticeable scars on her left arm. Life of Magizoologist. "Do you even know my qualifications yet? What if I’ve never fed a dragon before?”

“Well, you waited until I fed Gertie to approach me. You kept your voice level and avoided eye contact with her. And I know Felix was overly excited to hire you, which is extremely uncharacteristic of him.” He extended the gloves even closer. “So let’s see what you’ve got.”

She smiled and accepted the gloves. “Okay, where to then?”

After heaving the bag next to him onto his shoulder, Charlie lead her back down the trail and turned right by a staggeringly tall pine tree. “She’s just over here.”

The pair stopped a good fifty feet away from the impressive dragon ahead. “Wow, she’s beautiful.”

“Do you know what she is?”

She noted her brown scales and the black ridges lining her back. “A Norwegian Ridgeback.”

His eyebrows raised in surprise, causing a pleasant feeling to accumulate in the pit of her stomach. A lot of people confused Norwegian Ridgebacks with Hungarian Horntails, and if (Y/N) wasn’t mistaken, she had just impressed Charlie. 

“What’s her name?” she asked while she pulled the gloves on and withdrew her wand. 

“Norberta.”

She noticed the dragon in question not only ignored Charlie’s presence, but her body language was completely relaxed until her piercing gaze settled on (Y/N). “She likes you,” she commented as she pointed her wand toward the raw meat Charlie provided and used the levitation spell on it.

He shrugged. “I’ve known her since she was a baby." 

"Still impressive. Especially since she’s female.” (Y/N) felt his gaze linger on her and the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. She forced her attention to stay focused on feeding Norberta though, determined to do a good job and not be distracted. She moved the food toward the dragon the same way Charlie had with Gertie but froze as Norberta stiffened. Averting eye contact, she bowed her head and lowered the food away from the creature. After waiting there several minutes, she caught sight of Norberta’s claws relaxing and her tail swaying once behind her, signaling it was okay to continue. Much to (Y/N)’s relief, Norberta lunged forward toward the meal as it was raised into the air the second time and devoured it in mere minutes. She lowered her wand, but her smile faltered as she turned back to see Charlie’s expression. “What?”

He blinked a few times. “You just—I mean, she usually only let’s the three of us who rescued her feed her. She tried to scorch the other two that have tried.”

Pride swelled inside her stomach before a thought struck her. “Wait a minute—you mean to tell me you were going to have me feed her even though you assumed she would try to burn me alive?”

A playful grin spread across the redhead’s face, lighting up his eyes and sending her heart pounding. Something inside told her those genuine smiles from him were rare. 

Instead of answering, he nodded back toward the path. “Come on, everyone’s probably about to eat lunch.”

She wanted to yell for him to get back here but knew better with Norberta still nearby. Once (Y/N) caught up to him, she slowed her pace, catching sight of the dozen or so people conversing at the bottom of the hill.

“(Y/N)!” a familiar voiced bellowed, and she was relieved to find Hank waving her over. As she moved towards him, however, heads swiveled in her direction and a group to her left stopped her.

“So you’re the newbie,” a tall white woman said, stepping toward her with a vibrant smile. She had shoulder length blonde curls and high cheekbones. Even without a trace of makeup, she was beautiful. “I’m Sydney.”

“And I’m Dave,” greeted the equally tall man beside her with dark skin and striking doe brown eyes. “You’re from America, right? Did you go to Ilvermorny?

(Y/N) nodded, which prompted the woman to Sydney’s right to ask, "Did you like it there?”

“No way it’s better than Hogwarts,” Dave added.

“Come on guys, let the girl breathe,” Sydney teased, causing the ball of nerves in her chest to release a little. “Why don’t you come sit with us?”

(Y/N) glanced toward Hank, who was now seated across from Charlie at a nearby picnic table. She was surprised to find the redhead staring at her until she caught his gaze and he returned his attention to the plate in front of him. “Thanks, but I was going to sit with Hank and Charlie.”

She wasn’t sure if it was her own paranoia getting the best of her, but she could have sworn there was a shift of tension in the air.

Sydney studied her closely. “No problem. We can catch up later.”

Nodding, (Y/N) excused herself, making her way over to Hank and Charlie before anyone else could stop her. “Mind if I sit?”

Hank beamed up at her and patted the bench beside him. “Of course not, darlin’. Take a seat.”

She obliged and grabbed a banana from the assortment of food on the table. “So, who’s the group that just ambushed me?”

Hank’s cheerful demeanor turned into a scowl as his eyes settled on Sydney’s table. “That’s the research team. They don’t do much field work but instead observe dragons and write about them,” he explained, adding a dramatic emphasis to the word “observe” as if it equated to dragon dung. “They try to lure all the newbies to their side. Dave is okay, but that Sydney changed the second she was published.”

She frowned, a little disappointed to have her fairy-tale view of working at the Sanctuary tainted by reality. She was used to drama in the workplace, but it was always disheartening to find out situations weren’t as picture perfect as they appeared. “What do they have against you guys?”

“Not so much against us—just against Charlie boy here.” She heard Hank’s boot clank against Charlie’s beneath the table. “They were pretty peeved they couldn’t convince him to join their team because he’s got a lot of pull with Rosier.” Hank grinned and added, “And I think Sydney took it a little personally, if you know what I mean.”

(Y/N)’s brows knitted together before she noticed the red tint highlighting Charlie’s freckled cheeks as he continued eating. She tried but failed to stop the smile tugging at her lips. “Oh.”

Hank caught her peering over at Sydney’s surprisingly full table and raised an eyebrow at her. “If you’re at all interested in being a researcher, now’s your chance. She’s probably not too thrilled with you either at the moment, but there’s probably still time for damage control.”

“No thanks,” she said, trying her best to sound polite. “I was actually just wondering how they would manage to convince anyone to give up field work.”

To her surprise, Charlie smiled at this. 

“Money,” the redhead answered, his brown eyes flicking up to meet hers. It was the first thing he had said since she sat down and (Y/N) felt oddly satisfied. She wanted him to talk to her and wasn’t quite sure why.

“Yeah, somehow they bring in the extra galleons while we do the dirty work and risk getting our limbs seared off,” Hank huffed before tipping the pint of Butterbeer to his lips.

“Well, I hope you guys don’t mind being stuck with me,” she said, piling food onto a plate, “because I’d never trade working with dragons for anything.”

Hank grinned at her. “Then you’ll fit in with us just fine. How’d it go up there earlier?”

She purposefully filled her mouth with food, hoping Charlie would say something. She didn’t want to brag or be modest. She honestly didn’t know how to answer.

Luckily, her hopes came true and Charlie said, “She fed Norberta.”

Hank looked like he was about to choke on the chicken he was eating and quickly reached for his Butterbeer, coughing to clear his throat. “What?” he boomed, loud enough for her face to turn pink. “Why on earth didn’t you two start with that!” Hank stretched forward and slapped two full Butterbeers onto the table, one for Charlie and one for (Y/N), before lifting his own into the air. “You’re one of us kid. Now I wouldn’t let you leave for their group even if you wanted to.”

Her cheeks hurt from how wide she was smiling and her chest flooded with warmth as she clinked her glass against Hank’s and Charlie’s. She wasn’t sure why, but (Y/N) had a sudden overwhelming feeling that she was right where she belonged.

Chapter Text

“Watch out!” Dave shouted, giving (Y/N) and Charlie just enough time to duck behind the nearest boulder.

A burst of fire filled the air as Aro the Hungarian Horntail roared in disapproval at the swarm of people closing in on him. (Y/N) crouched closer to the dirt, shielding her face from the blaze. Once the heat and smoke died away, she peered over at Charlie who looked like he was having the time of his life.

“Having fun yet?” he asked over another booming roar from Aro.

She returned his grin. “Best time I’ve had in awhile.”

She had only been at the Sanctuary for two weeks and could already see why Charlie Weasley was considered the best Dragonologist there. He effortlessly maneuvered around the boulder, staying low to the ground to appear less threatening to Aro, and crawled toward the blazing flames ahead, determined and unafraid. It sparked a memory of all the stories her mom used to tell about her no-maj grandpa who was a firefighter. (Y/N)’s young mind was mystified by what no-majs managed to do without the help of magic, but as her gaze followed Charlie with his outstretched wand, she couldn’t help but think maybe wizards were just as crazy.

“Stupify!” Charlie, along with three other wizards shouted at once. The remaining four, including (Y/N), followed in suit, sending red sparks soaring toward the dragon. At last, the beast collapsed onto the platform, successfully stunned.

“Nice work!” Felix boasted, slapping Charlie on the back. “You too, (Y/N). Quick reaction time and impressive stunning spell.”

She nodded appreciatively, feeling the last of her adrenaline pulse through her as she helped Dave, Hank and Charlie finish boarding up the dragon so it could be transported to a different area of the Sanctuary. She caught a glimpse of Charlie petting the dragon’s tail through the crate and smiled. The most distinguishing factor that separated Charlie from the rest of the team was that he didn’t just do this for the thrill or the hard work. He genuinely cared for these creatures and wanted the best for them.

Sliding her wand back into her jacket, she turned to ask Charlie a question but reconsidered as the redhead strolled past her.

“Good work today,” he said with a nod before continuing down the hill. Something about his long strides and demeanor prevented her from trying to catch up with him.

Despite how hard (Y/N) tried to ignore it, her heart sank. The other thing she had noticed about Charlie was that he had some sort of indistinguishable pretense up most of the time. She had caught glimpses of what she assumed was the real Charlie—like his excitement moments ago when they were crouched behind that boulder, or his teasing grin on her first day when he thought Norberta would roast her alive. But the rest of the time it was like he was holding back, keeping to himself and letting others do the talking.

“Don’t take it personally,” Hank muttered, snapping her out of her reverie. “He’s like that with everyone.”

Not with you or Scott, she wanted to point out, but she shrugged instead, not wanting Hank to know that she cared. Because she didn’t. She didn’t have to be best friends with her mentor. “So, who’s going to move Aro to the south wing?”

“The night crew takes care of that. Someone oversees on a broom and directs the other workers the safest route.”

This peaked her interest. She'd seen a handful of wizards use brooms around the Sanctuary when rounding up or feeding dragons, but her team hadn’t gotten the chance to yet. “Do you ever ride a broom here?”

“Lord no. I was never a good flyer. Charlie does the flying in our group.”

(Y/N) felt an unexpected wave of annoyance hit her. “Bet I’d be better,” she muttered, catching even herself off guard.

“Oh really?”

Despite the fact that she wasn’t usually that competitive, she didn’t take it back. She was a good flyer. “Mhm.”

“Do you like Quidditch?”

“Who doesn’t?”

Hank laughed. “Guess I should have asked if you play Quidditch.”

A pang of nostalgia reverberated in her chest. “Yeah, I played Beater for four years at Ilvermorny.”

A concerning, lopsided grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Charlie was the Gryffindor Seeker for five at Hogwarts.”

She shook her head, resisting an eye roll. “He wouldn’t catch a thing if I was playing against him.”

“Is that so?” They came to a stop at the bottom of the hill where the other Dragonologists were socializing. “Did you hear that, Scott? (L/N) here thinks she can beat our boy at Quidditch.”

All three heads to Hank’s left jerked up and stared at her as if she had just sprouted multiple heads.

“Come off it, Weasley could have gone pro if he wanted to.”

Not wanting to sound pretentious, (Y/N) decided not to mention the two offers she received to play professionally after she graduated. “Guess I’ll just have to play him one day and see.”

“Darlin’, I’d buy you Butterbeer for a month if you won,” Hank said, reaching for a drink before plopping down into a chair beside the other three. The men soon began bickering about which Quidditch team was the best this year, and (Y/N) took that as her chance to sneak back to her place and get some rest.

The one major con about her and Charlie not being close was the age gap between (Y/N) and the rest of the team. She got along great with Hank and Scott, but it was different than the dynamic she had with the Magizoologists back home. It would take some getting used to.

-

It was drizzling as (Y/N) began her trek back up the hill to meet Charlie the following morning. They had agreed to start with Ventus, a Welsh Green dragon, and she wasn’t surprised to find Charlie already at the landing when she approached. She was surprised, however, to find him swearing and clutching his left arm.

“Everything okay?” she asked, jogging over to meet him. “Oh man.”

A fresh gash stretched across Charlie’s freckled forearm. “I’m fine. Ventus’ claw was lodged beneath that boulder and he lashed out once I got it free. I would have waited if it was any of the others, but he’s always been so tame. He must have been in pain all night.“

She turned around to ensure Ventus had calmed down. Luckily, the Common Welsh Green was curled into a ball, seemingly able to rest now that his claw was free. Charlie was right—any other breed would have most likely scorched his entire arm.

"I’ll go down to Madam Rosetta to get this cleaned up,” he said, wincing as he raised his arm to help stop the bleeding. “You can wait here if you want. Just don’t approach him until I get back in case his claw still hurts.”

“I can fix that for you,” she said automatically, instinctively reaching for his arm with one hand and withdrawing her wand with the other.

Charlie flinched as her fingers closed around his wrist. Whether it was from anticipating pain or the mere physical contact, (Y/N) wasn’t sure. Maybe both.

She looked up at him with concern, still holding onto his arm but loosening her grip in case he wanted to pull away. She didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. “I mean, I can if you want me to.” She attempted a smile. “Promise I won’t make it any worse.”

He stared at her for a long moment, as if weighing options inside his head, and she felt his rigid posture ease the tiniest bit. “Okay.”

Clearing her throat, she directed her ebony wand at the wound. “Episkey.” Within seconds, the open skin sealed itself shut, leaving but a faint trace of the injury. Charlie began to pull his arm away, but (Y/N) held it in place and muttered, “Ferula.” A white bandage sprang from the tip of her wand and coiled around Charlie’s pale skin. “That will help with pain and prevent scarring.”

She could tell the spell worked because she saw the tension release from his shoulders as the bandage fastened around his arm. The redhead looked at her with curious brown eyes and she quickly released her grip now that the wound was taken care of.

“I didn’t know you were a Healer.”

“I’m not, I’m a Dragonologist,” she corrected, a teasing smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She was surprised when Charlie returned it. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she shrugged her shoulders. “You never asked.”

He frowned a little, turning toward Ventus. “Can you heal creatures too?”

She nodded. The process of healing creatures was remarkably different from healing wizards, but that encompassed the majority of her work back home. “Can’t say I’ve worked on all of them, but I’ve helped a fair share.” A sudden tightness crept into her throat at the thought of the Reserve back home. She attempted to clear it. “You?”

He shook his head. “I’ve tried but can never seem to get it right. Rosier and Dave’s buddy Logan do most of the healing around here. Must have been one of the reasons Felix was so excited to bring you on.”

At first, she was relieved to know there was finally something this man wasn’t good at, but then she felt a twinge sympathy at the dejection on Charlie’s face. “You can’t be good at everything you know.”

He laughed a little. “When you have as many siblings as I do, competitiveness becomes almost innate.”

Her attention sparked at the admission. Everything she had learned about the redhead so far, from his age to his house at Hogwarts to how many years he’d been at the Sanctuary, had been from Hank. That was the first time Charlie himself had told her something about his personal life. Maybe he would come around after all.

Unfortunately, the elation died away as fast as it came when she realized she couldn’t press him further. If she asked how many siblings he had, Charlie would likely ask if she had any and (Y/N) was hardly in the mood to address that question. So instead, she tried a different approach at friendship. “Want me to show you how to fix Ventus’ claw?”

He hesitated. “Aren’t I supposed to be the mentor here?”

(Y/N) laughed. “I won’t tell.”

To her astonishment, he agreed. She explained the process thoroughly; the best way to approach, how to distract, tips to ease the pain, the correct wand motion for the spell. Within an hour, Charlie had cast his first successful healing spell on Ventus.

“I can’t believe that worked,” he said, staring down at Ventus’ unscathed hind leg resting comfortably on the grass.

(Y/N) nudged his shoulder with her elbow. “Told ya you could do it.”

Charlie glanced over at her, and she was horrified to feel a flutter in her stomach as their eyes met. Abruptly, she stepped away from the dragon and from Charlie, disregarding whatever fluke feeling that was.

“We should probably go feed Norberta before she gets too hungry.”

He nodded, and the two started down the path towards the Norwegian Ridgeback. “Thanks,” he said after a moment. “I really appreciate the help back there.”

(Y/N) smiled. “Anytime." She really hoped he would take her up on that offer sometime.

-

A couple weeks turned into a month faster than (Y/N) anticipated. The summer leaves turned orange while the temperature dropped to a comfortable breeze in the evening. Most importantly, she had succeeded at nearly every task Charlie or Felix handed her and was starting to feel more apart of the team everyday.

Her and Charlie’s relationship had improved a little after that day with Ventus, but she still wouldn’t go as far as to say they were friends. She continued giving him occasional lessons on healing and Charlie talked more when she was around, but there was still some sort of a barrier up that she couldn’t quite figure out. She tried to convince herself she didn’t care, but as she eagerly awaited for her friends’ responses to her letters, the tell-tale weight of loneliness crept up on her more and more each day.

“So, what’s this I hear about you being better than me at Quidditch?” Charlie asked as he sat across from (Y/N) at the team’s picnic table.

She choked on her porridge, feeling heat crawl up her neck as everyone at the table turned to look at her. “I didn’t necessarily say I was better,” she clarified after swallowing her food. “I just said you wouldn’t catch the Snitch if I was playing against you.”

He raised an eyebrow at an uncharacteristically bashful Hank, who added, “You did say you’d be a better flyer though.”

(Y/N) smiled and continued eating her breakfast, feeling no regret or need to deny that accusation.

“Ha!” Hank shouted, slapping the table. “Look at that smirk. I have all the faith in the world that this gem right here will be your downfall, Weasley.”

“Well, we can’t find out who’s the better Quidditch player on the grounds,” Scott said, making a point to pause and glare at Hank. “Because someone has horrible aim. But we can easily find out who the best flyer is.”

That caught (Y/N)’s attention. She wasn’t able to bring her broom from home and would give just about anything to ride on one.

“They would have to ride the same broom so it’s fair,” Hank said.

“I’ll ride any broom you give me,” she said, excitement already bubbling in her stomach. Even though it had been less than two months, it felt like it had been ages since she and her friend Rowan had soared around the Khanna family’s farm on her last day in America. The nostalgic knot weaseled it’s way back into her gut at the thought of her friend, and she prayed someone would get her a broom. Flying was definitely what she needed.

“I believe we’ve got a coupl'a Nimbus 2008s up in the storage shed by Aro.”

“Well, what are we waiting for then,” Scott said, seizing Hank by the arm and lifting him to his feet. “We’ll find the brooms and meet you kids by the entrance gate.”

As they both raced up the hill, (Y/N) and Charlie got to their feet, starting toward the entrance to the Sanctuary.

“You sure you wanna do this?”

(Y/N) grinned. “I just hope you’re better at flying than you are at healing Norberta’s tail.” After a half hour explanation, Charlie still somehow managed to shrink the poor beast’s tail instead of mending the wound, which made resizing it without enlarging the injury incredibly difficult.

His mouth dropped open, but she could tell he wasn’t actually offended. In fact, that playful grin she had only managed to glimpse once so far made an unexpected return. “Oh, you’re going to regret that.”

“Whatever you say, dragon boy.”

Charlie’s fiery red brows raised. She didn’t exactly know where that nickname came from, but she decided she liked it.

Scott and Hank took longer than expected, and they discovered why when Scott began explaining the rules.

“No, they have to go under that tree branch first and then over the pine tree with the red marker on it. Then they’ll go into the extreme dive, pull up no sooner than this blue marker right here, which gives them a straight shot to the landing up there where they have to loop-the-loop before dismounting. First to touch down wins. Sound good?”

(Y/N) nodded, taking a moment to observe the area the way she would a Quidditch pitch. She knew Charlie would likely be better at the extreme dive and pull up since he was a Seeker, but she had the under-and-over and loop-the-loop mastered from years of chasing after Bludgers.

“Ready?” Charlie asked as they each mounted their broomstick.

She gripped the handle, letting her eyes flutter shut for a moment and a slow exhale fall from her lips as she relaxed onto the broom. Boy was she ready. She glanced from the branch, to the pine tree, to the marker near the ground, to the landing and nodded. “Whenever you are.”

“On the count of three,” Scott announced, taking the job way more seriously than anyone else would have. “One...two...THREE!”

They both kicked off the ground and shot into the air as cheers erupted behind them. Apparently Hank and Scott weren’t the only people wanting to see someone beat the infamous Seeker.

But (Y/N)’s mind was far from the crowd as fresh air filled her lungs and her hair whipped behind her. She felt like she was on cloud nine as she and Charlie swooped down to fly beneath the first branch, each switching off for the lead every few seconds. One advantage she had as a Beater was she was used to distractions. Seekers were primarily solo players, focused on catching the Snitch while the rest of the team watched their back. The two Beaters, on the other hand, not only protected their team but also created chaos for the other players.

So (Y/N) attempted to fluster Charlie, mimicking every move he made within a mere foot of him. She could tell he wasn’t used to sharing his personal space on the broom when his eyes caught hers as they reached the top of the pine tree. Neither hesitated as they launched into the extreme dive, the only part she felt less comfortable with. As she expected, Charlie executed the pull up flawlessly, showing off a little by how close to the ground he was willing to go. Her dive wasn’t as deep or graceful, but it was enough to hit the marker, sending her heart thudding in excitement as she began the loop-the-loop. While several wizards became dizzy and disoriented from the move, she loved the drop in her stomach and the freeing effect it had. She had performed the tightest continuous loop of her Ilvermorny class and set out to do the same right now. She whipped passed Charlie on the final loop, flying out of it and dismounting on the landing effortlessly, touching down less than five seconds before Charlie did.

Once she was steady on her feet, (Y/N) exhaled again, smiling so hard her cheeks hurt as she stared down at the breathtaking scenery below.

“Bloody hell,” Charlie breathed, stepping beside her and brushing his ruffled hair from his face. “That was—I mean you were—”

She laughed. Apparently flying could be added to the list of things that made Charlie’s guard slip. “You weren’t so bad yourself.”

The corner of his mouth twitched and he looked as if he was about to say something else, but unfortunately their moment was cut short by the thunderous shouts approaching from Hank and Scott in the background.

“That was incredible!” Hank howled, coming up to clap (Y/N) on the back. “We’re all going to the pub tonight.

“Yeah,” Scott chimed in. “Anything you want is on me.”

She laughed again, keeping a firm grip on the broomstick in her hands. “The only thing I want is this broom.”

“Sweetheart, I’m sure Felix will let you fly that thing anytime you want after a ride like that,” Hank reassured her.

(Y/N) suddenly wasn’t as fond of all the attention when she realized nearly every team had been watching the competition—even the research team had decided to join them at the pub. All the excitement and chatter began to overwhelm her as everyone sat down and ordered drinks. She appreciated everyone’s compliments, but all she really wanted was to be back up on that landing, looking out at the Sanctuary.

Thinking of the landing sent (Y/N)’s gaze searching across the table for Charlie’s freckled face. He always sat across from her at the Sanctuary, so she was surprised to not find him there but rather in the seat right beside her. Her stomach did a loop-the-loop of its own as he smiled at her.

“Bet you didn’t thinking beating me would be this big of a deal,” he said, leaning over to ensure she could hear over the crowd.

A shiver trailed down her neck. Once again, she ignored it, forcing a laugh. “No, not quite.”

He chuckled before taking a sip of his Butterbeer and clinking his glass against hers. “Well you deserve it. You were awesome out there.”

She was suddenly grateful for the dim lighting as her whole body grew hot. Eager for an excuse to get up, she took a final swig from her glass. “I’m going to get another drink. Anyone need anything?”

(Y/N) was beyond surprised when Sydney stood up, a smile expanding across her smooth, tan face. “I’ll go with you. Dave and I need a refill too.”

Leaning against the bar, (Y/N) ordered another Butterbeer while Sydney ordered a shot of fire whiskey and some Pumpkin Juice.

“You were really amazing today,” she said, picking up the tall glass of Pumpkin Juice the bartender set in front of her. “But can I give you some advice?”

(Y/N) stiffened, instantly uncomfortable. Confrontation was not one of her strong suits. “Sure?”

The beautiful blond swirled her straw around the glass and looked down at the floor. She seemed nervous. “I just thought you should know you’re wasting your time.”

She blinked at her, completely lost. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

“What I mean is we get it. I mean look at him.” She glanced back towards the table, her gaze landing on Charlie. “He’s attractive, successful. We’ve practically all had a crush on him at some point, but I just thought I should warn you before you get hurt. He doesn’t date anyone. Like ever. Hell, at this point I think there would be more of a chance of finding him with a dragon than a woman.”

(Y/N) nearly knocked over the freshly filled glass of Butterbeer the bartender placed in front of her. “Excuse me?”

Sydney slid a tip across the table before turning back to her. “I just wanted to spare you some heartache because Charlie is obtuse and doesn’t know when he’s leading people on.”

A spark of protectiveness for the redhead flared through (Y/N) so unexpectedly, she couldn’t stop herself from saying, “I hardly think it’s Charlie’s fault if someone else can’t take a hint.”

The innocent glow in Sydney’s blue eyes vanished faster than (Y/N) could say Nox. She straightened and grabbed the whiskey from the counter. “Suit yourself then. Don’t say I didn’t try to warn you.”

(Y/N) waited for her to walk away before returning to her seat between Charlie and Hank. Her head ached, attempting to organize a million thoughts at once while exhaustion set in.

What irked her the most though was the gnawing thought at the back of her head asking why hadn’t she just corrected Sydney? She should have brushed it off with a laugh and said she wasn’t interested in anyone here like that.

“Everything alright?” Charlie asked. As those brown eyes stared down at her, she was not okay with the answer that voice in her head gave.

“Yeah,” she said, rubbing a hand over her face. “Just ready to get some sleep soon.”

“You’re gonna need it because tomorrow we’re getting three new rescues shipped in.”

(Y/N) felt her thoughts untangle the slightest bit at this. Dragons. That’s why she was here. And that was it.

Chapter Text

(Y/N) had started visiting the owlery nearly every morning the following week in hopes of hearing back from one of her friends. Finally on Wednesday, her heart leapt as she cracked open the door and saw Pearl, one of the Sanctuary’s beautiful barn owls, with a letter addressed to her clamped between her beak. She tore into the envelope as fast as her fingers would allow, leaning against the cool concrete ledge behind her as she began to read.

(Y/N),

I am so proud of you!! I can’t believe you’re actually in Romania. I don’t know what gave you the final push to make the move, but I am SO glad you did. I think this will be great for you, especially considering it’s the one job you’ve talked about since we were third years. How long do you plan on staying? I hope indefinitely—if anyone deserves a place to settle down it’s you.

Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. Things have been hectic since I took on this new teaching job. Can you believe I’m actually a potions professor? Professor Haywood does have a nice ring to it if I do say so myself. Don’t worry though, I still have plenty of time for my shop on the weekends. Just let me know if you need any Felix Felicis to help you take on those crazy beasts you’re working with—or perhaps a small vial of Amortentia if settling down is actually a possibility?? Only joking...sort of. How’s everything been at the Sanctuary so far?

I miss you so much and hope to hear back from you soon. Bea sends her love too!

Love,
Penny

(Y/N) sighed as she finished reading, drawing the parchment against her chest. It was nice to know Penny was proud of her. The beautiful blonde had always known what she wanted to do and had her life as a Potioneer planned out since their very first day at Ilvermorny. (Y/N), on the other hand, had been interested in so many different careers in the wizarding world she struggled when it came to narrowing down her options and feeling confident with her decision. Funny how that ended up working in her favor with the way everything turned out...

She shook her head clear, not wanting to think about that right now. Reaching out, she stroked Pearl affectionately, realizing this was her first encounter with a magical creature that wasn’t a dragon in over two weeks. That was her only complaint about working at the Sanctuary so far. She was well aware before she accepted the job that owls and Thestrals were the only other creatures permitted on the grounds, but it was an adjustment after having spent nearly two years bonding with all the different creatures back at the Reserve. She frowned, feeling the ache in her chest grow, and decided she would have to write back to Penny later. Right now, she needed a reminder of just how much she enjoyed being here at the Sanctuary, and maybe she could visit the Thestrals later.

Working alongside Charlie and Hank did just the trick at first. She had purposefully worked through the next two days to keep herself distracted, and it was working fine until now. (Y/N) stilled as Ventus bowed his head to her and flapped his green wings once, creating an all too vivid parallel in her mind with her favorite Hippogriff back at the Reserve.

“Hello? Earth to (Y/N)?” Hank said, waving a hand in front of her face.

She pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to ease the sudden pounding in her head. “Sorry, what’d you say?”

“I said I think Ventus here is growing quite fond of you.”

She forced a smile, admiring the dragon in front of her. “Yeah. Probably helps that he’s the nicest one of the bunch.” She felt Hank’s inquisitive gaze linger on her for longer than she felt comfortable with, so she added, “We should probably get back down for dinner.”

Both Charlie and Hank agreed. They followed the path back to the village, joining Scott at their usual picnic table.

“Did you hear that the Wasps got owned by Puddlemere yesterday?” Scott asked as he piled his plate with a second helping of mashed potatoes.

Hank snorted. “No surprise there. I would'a bet twenty galleons on it with how rubbish Wimbourne has been this year.” The forty-three year old who had already downed his dinner grabbed a piece of pie from the tray. “Hey Charlie, didn’t you play with some bloke on Puddlemere’s team?”

Beside her, Charlie nodded. “Oliver Wood. He became captain for Gryffindor after I left. Pretty good Keeper.”

“Wait, isn’t your friend Andre a Keeper too?” Scott asked.

“For Pride of Portree, yeah.”

“Bloody hell,” Hank said through a mouthful of pie, “and your sister may start playing for the Harpies? With all these connections, you better damn well get us tickets to the next World Cup.”

The men carried on with the Quidditch conversation, but (Y/N) was distracted by the mention of Charlie’s sister. So far, she had only caught wind of a brother named Bill, and now an unnamed sister, presumably younger if she’s just now joining the Harpies. She'd resisted asking about anyone’s family outright, resorting to making mental notes whenever something was mentioned instead. Hank had a sister named Chloe, but Scott had never mentioned family, only a friend named Steven.

“How’s Andre doing?” Scott asked. “He should come visit again sometime.”

“I haven’t seen him in awhile actually. I’ll probably send him an owl when I go home for Christmas.”

(Y/N) stiffened, her stomach twisting at the thought of going home for the holidays. She silently hoped it wasn’t uncommon for people to stay here around Christmastime.

“Awh man, you’re going home this year?” Hank said, deflating too. “I was hoping Molly and Arthur were gonna come back here for a change. We haven’t seen ‘em since your siblings stayed at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament.”

Molly and Arthur, she repeated in her head, adding who she presumed to be Charlie’s parents to her mental list. She was surprised to find herself a little disappointed too. She would have liked to meet them.

“Seriously, that cake she made was the best I’ve ever had,” Scott added, patting his stomach. “Plus it’s always fun to get the scoop on Charles’ childhood.”

So, his parents were still together and his mom was a great baker, maybe even a housewife since he apparently had so many siblings. From the sound of it, Charlie seemed to have a big, happy family. Of course he did.

“Are your parents gonna visit, (Y/N)?” Scott asked as he refilled his glass of Pumpkin Juice.

An anxious chill scattered down her neck, traveling all the way down her back and legs. She hoped to God she didn’t look as alarmed as she felt, and she shrugged in an attempt to ease some of the tension between her shoulders. “No, we aren’t that close.” She kept her tone casual, not wanting anyone to think it was a big deal. “But I’m sure my friends will sometime,” she added for good measure. Penny, Rowan, Barnaby or Jae might visit her someday.

“Don’t you have any siblings that wanna come?” Hank asked, forking the last of his pie into his mouth.

She stilled, feeling the color drain from her face. She shouldn’t have been surprised. In all honesty, she was more stunned she’d managed to make it this long without it coming up. For a split second, she considered lying—it’s not like they would know the difference if she said she was an only child. But these guys were her friends, and she didn’t want to lie to them.

Swallowing, (Y/N) looked down at her plate and scooped the last of her mashed potatoes onto her spoon. “Unfortunately, my brother passed away several years ago.”

“Oh shit,” Hank said, his blue eyes going wide. “Sorry to hear that.”

She offered a smile, not wanting anyone to feel uncomfortable. That was always the worst part. “Don’t worry about it. It was a long time ago.”

Hank wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Were you two close?”

“About as close as your average siblings. We loved each other but did our fair share of arguing,” she said with a laugh. To her relief, Hank and Scott joined in laughing.

“Chloe and I used to torment each other all the time,” Hank began before diving into a story of the best prank he ever pulled on his younger sister. (Y/N) let out a breath, grateful that they hadn’t made a big deal of it. She was confused, however, when she turned and found a certain dragon lover’s gaze piercing right through her. Had Charlie been staring at her this whole time? Why was he looking at her like that?

She kept her focus on Hank and Scott but could feel the redhead’s eyes on her for the remainder of dinner. As Hank got to his feet, she quickly followed, feeling oddly vulnerable. She desperately hoped her mentor wasn’t about to start treating her differently—or worse, about to start asking questions.

“Anyone up for a game of Gobstones or Wizard Chess?” Scott asked, downing the last of his Pumpkin Juice. When his eyes flicked to (Y/N)’s, she shook her head.

“Sorry, but I’m actually going to fly for a bit before it gets too dark. I’ll be up in the west wing if you guys need me.”

Hank and Scott waved as she went to retrieve one of the brooms from the storage shed by Aro. She made a point to not look at Charlie, not wanting to know if the confusing redhead was still staring at her like that.

As she disappeared up the hill, Charlie reflexively glanced toward the west wing, the winding pathway and herds of workers just barely visible in the distance.

“Would you look at that,” Hank said, stepping up beside him. “Yet another thing in common. You’re running out of excuses, Weasley.”

Charlie remained silent. He hated whenever Hank was right.

“That nagging voice in the back of your head asking if you should go talk to her?” Hank continued, crossing his arms over his chest. “Yeah, you should try listening to that for a change.”

-

(Y/N) loved flying, but the real reason she was heading to the west wing was to see the Thestrals. The manufacturing team used them to pull carts and even flew on them occasionally since dragons couldn’t see them.

As the creatures’ resting spot came into view, she lowered her broom handle, dismounting gracefully onto the secluded clearing. The area was easily one of the most beautiful and serene that she found at the Sanctuary so far. The trickle of water from the creek greeted her ears, the steady stream leading into a dense forest ahead. Not many dragonologists seemed to approach the Thestrals when they were off duty. Whether it was because her coworkers couldn’t see them or because of the bad omen myths about them, (Y/N) wasn’t sure, but she was more than grateful for it.

Five Thestrals were there, two laying in the grass while the other three stood idly by, stomping their hooves and flapping their bat-like wings occasionally. She didn’t hesitate to approach the nearest one, watching closely for any sign of protest before stroking it’s long, bony muzzle. The Thestral nuzzled his head against her hand, and the emptiness weighing on her chest vanished in an instant.

She stayed there for awhile, sitting in the grass and petting the creature, letting her mind wander to the Reserve for the first time since she’d been there.

“There you are.”

(Y/N) whipped around, startled from her reverie and even more startled to see Charlie come into view, the matching Nimbus 2008 clutched in his right hand.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, assuming one of the dragons needed help for the redhead to come looking for her. “Norberta’s wound didn’t break open again, did it?”

“No, she’s fine.” He set the broom down beside hers and pushed his messy hair back away from his face. “Mind if I sit?”

She blinked at him, wondering momentarily if she had fallen asleep and was dreaming—not that she had ever dreamed about dragon boy before. “Uh no, of course not.”

He sat beside her, resting his forearms on his knees, and (Y/N) became far too aware of just how close he was. Sure, he usually sat by her at the picnic table now ever since their trip to the pub, but it was a big table with plenty of room between the two. As she stared down at the redhead’s beat up jeans, she estimated less than seven inches between their legs.

“So why’d you come here?” he asked, reaching forward and running a hand along the Thestral’s back. “I could have sworn you’d be up on the landing. Took me awhile to spot you down here.”

(Y/N) blinked again, her eyes following his hand before darting up to meet his curious gaze. He could see them. He could see the Thestrals. She bit the inside of her cheek hard, using all of her willpower to stay silent. She wanted to know more than anything, but how do you politely ask someone who they had seen die? You didn’t.

“I like visiting the Thestrals,” she admitted, glancing back to the creature resting on the ground. “Don’t get me wrong, I love dragons, but it’s an adjustment only seeing one type of creature everyday.” She frowned as the image of her Hippogriff returned to her mind. “I left a lot of creatures back in America.”

“Oh. Do you miss home?”

A scoff fell from her mouth before she could stop it. As far as she was concerned, home was wherever she was working, meaning the Sanctuary was her home now. She peered up at Charlie and wasn’t sure why, but something in those big brown eyes made her confide in him. “This is my home now. Closest thing I’ve got to one anyway.”

Unmistakable sadness flashed across his face. His eyes remained fixed on the Thestral, but she could tell his mind was elsewhere. “I lost one of my brothers too,” he said quietly.

Her attention snapped back to Charlie. Guilt swirled around in her stomach as she recalled her earlier assumption. A big, happy family. No wonder he had been staring at her earlier. He may have had a bigger family, but it was broken just like hers.

“Oh.” Her mind filled with questions, but she knew the first one to ask. “What was his name?”

“Fred.” He went quiet for a moment, and (Y/N) understood—she struggled saying her brother’s name for an entire year after losing him. “Yours?”

“Jacob.” She waited a minute before asking another question, not wanting to overwhelm him. “Was he older or younger?”

“Younger.” The redhead rubbed his forehead with his palm before saying, “He and my brother George were twins. I can’t even imagine what he’s going through.”

Her stomach dropped, not only at the inconceivable thought of losing a twin, but also at Charlie’s choice of words. I can’t even imagine what he’s going through. How recently had Fred died? “Can I ask what happened?”

He looked down at her, and the sadness in those eyes made (Y/N)’s heart crumple. “Battle of Hogwarts.”

She sucked in a breath, her jaw dropping. It had only been a little over a year since the battle. She’d read about it of course. Even in America, Voldemort’s defeat was all people talked about for months. After Grindelwald, Ilvermorny ensured students knew about Harry Potter and the history of one of the darkest wizards of all time for fear of him invading America. But she had never imagined coming so close to it all. Charlie’s brother was amongst the fallen who had fought and died for the rest of the wizarding world. She suddenly felt stupid for not putting the pieces together sooner. Charlie had gone to Hogwarts after all. “Did you fight in the battle too?”

The redhead nodded. “My whole family did.”

Her gaze flicked back and forth between Charlie and the Thestral. “That’s why you can see them,” she whispered, reaching a hand out to stroke the creature’s muzzle again. “Did you see him—I mean did you see Fred—” her voice cracked and she looked away, blinking away the tears gathering in her eyes. She hoped he knew what she meant because she didn’t think she could get the words out.

“No,” he said, and a wave of relief washed through her. “I saw a lot of people die that day, but not my brother. I came in halfway through. I didn’t know he was gone until it was all over.”

She fell silent, unsure of what to say, before deciding to take a risk. Slowly, she placed her hand on top of his forearm and squeezed, letting her thumb brush comfortingly across his smooth, freckled skin. “I’m really sorry. It’s one of the worst feelings in the world and I know nothing I say will make it any better.”

He attempted a smile. “You sure? Because talking to you has made it a little better.”

It was possibly the worst thing he could have said to her. Butterflies gathered in her stomach and she pulled her hand back, feeling stupider than ever as a smile tried to reach her lips. This conversation was definitely not helping her put an end to the idiotic crush she had begun developing for the redhead.

To make matters even worse, Charlie nudged the side of her knee with his own, causing a cluster of goosebumps to break out down her leg. “Your turn,” he said, nodding towards the Thestral.

She knew what he meant, but the answer approached dangerous territory. She didn’t want to tell him anything, but how could she not after he had finally opened up to her? She just wouldn’t tell him the full story.

“My brother was a Curse-Breaker,” she started, continuing to pet the Thestral. “He went missing while he was at school, and I started looking for him once I got there. It took me awhile to find him, but I eventually did.” (Y/N) let out a breath, trying her best to keep the flashbacks from her mind. “But he wasn’t the same. He was obsessed with these Cursed Vaults around Ilvermorny and the last one killed him.”

Charlie’s forehead creased with worry. “You saw him die?”

She nodded. “I tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t listen. By the time I caught up with him—” She broke off and cleared her throat. “Let’s just say I wish I hadn’t.” The sound of thunder began pounding in her ears, and she shut her eyes, giving her head a slight shake as she forced the miserable memory away.

“Life really isn’t fair sometimes,” he muttered.

“No. But I still think everything happens for a reason.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

Charlie let out a sigh, and he was quiet for another moment before whispering, “Does it ever get any easier?”

She looked up at him, wanting him to see the honesty in her eyes. “Yeah, it does.”

“Good. I’m sorry about your brother, and I’m sorry you had to leave all those creatures behind. I couldn’t imagine leaving these dragons.”

“You guys make it a little easier.”

That brought a smile to the redhead’s face, one of his genuine ones that lit up his eyes and tugged on her heart. “What creature do you miss the most?”

She frowned. “My Hippogriff Sirius. I’d never admit it to the other creatures, but Hippogriffs have always been one of my favorites.”

“Sirius? As in Sirius Black?”

She internally cursed herself for mentioning the name. “Uh, yeah. I was a bit obsessed with him when his whole story came out. Couldn’t imagine being locked away in Azkaban for twelve years as an innocent wizard.”

Charlie laughed. “I’m technically related to him.”

She blinked at him, completely astounded. “What?”

“My dad’s mom was a Black.”

“Oh.” She suddenly felt embarrassed for some reason. “Small world.”

“Yeah, I never got to meet him, but my siblings did because of the Order of the Phoenix and since he was Harry’s godfather.”

“You mean Harry Potter?” she asked rhetorically. That had to be who he meant because it had been all over the papers how tragic it was that Sirius never got a chance to be the father figure that Harry Potter deserved, but she couldn’t resist a laugh. “You talk about him like you’re friends.”

Charlie wasn’t the least bit fazed by this. “Well, he is my brother Ron’s best friend and has been dating my sister for over two years.”

“What?” (Y/N) gaped at him, completely dumbfounded. “You mean the Harry Potter might be your brother-in-law one day and I’m just now hearing about it?”

Charlie laughed. “Sorry, I’m so used to him hanging around my family I forget how some wizards see him.”

(Y/N) wanted to understand where he was coming from but just couldn’t. It was Harry Freaking Potter they were talking about. That would be like saying meeting Newt Scamander was no big deal. She shook her head, still bewildered. “You’re insane.”

The pair sat there for a little longer as the sun began to set. When Charlie remained quiet, (Y/N) gave into the question that had been nagging at her since he had told her about Fred. “So does this mean we’re friends now? Because to be honest, I feel like I’ve been getting mixed signals for the past two months.”

“Sorry about that,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Hank’s been telling me for weeks I need to get over it, but ever since Fred died it’s been hard to let people in.”

“A lot of people don’t understand. Nobody, not even my friends, knew how to act around me after my brother died.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, a sad smile reaching his lips. “It’s nice to finally have someone who gets it. And yeah, I’d say we’re friends now.”

Unexpected jitters danced around her stomach. She paused for a moment before peering up at him. “Well then, as your friend, can I ask you a personal question?”

Charlie’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What?”

“I know you love dragons and all, but you’re not like into them, are you?” She bit back laughter over the look of disbelief on the redhead’s face.

He shook his head, laughing a bit too. “Funny. Real funny. Did Hank tell you to ask me that?”

“No…” She bit her lip, unsure how truthful she should be. “A certain blonde may have accused you of being more attracted to dragons than women.”

He rolled his eyes but didn’t seem the least bit offended. “I swear, my dating life—or lack thereof—has been of more interest to people around here than I would have ever imagined.”

She laughed, somehow managing to stop herself from saying, Can you blame them? The last thing she was going to do was to admit to Charlie just how good looking and talented he was. “You don’t have to talk about it. It’s really nobody’s business.”

He shrugged. “There’s just not much to tell. I was pretty much consumed by dragons at Hogwarts. I didn’t even have a crush on anyone until my last year.”

That wasn’t weird. People were allowed to be picky or have other priorities. “Did you two end up dating?”

“Yeah. But it was pretty stupid because I knew I was going to Romania and she was staying close to home.”

“Ah.”

“Then I came here and was primarily focused on work. And it’s not like there was an abundance of options around.”

She nodded slowly, arguing internally on whether or not to ask the next thought that popped into her head. After a moment, she decided to go for it. “What about Sydney?”

He shrugged again. “She’s fine, I just never felt comfortable around her. She doesn’t really understand the whole dragon obsession. This is just a job for her. Probably why she made that comment.”

(Y/N) wanted to ask if he felt comfortable around her but realized how it would sound in that context. The last thing she wanted was for Charlie to think she was flirting with him. She was not about to ruin their new friendship. “Well, she doesn’t know what she’s missing. This has easily been the best job I’ve ever had.”

“How many have you had?” he said with a laugh, sounding surprised. “I thought you were a Magizoologist before this?”

Her smile faltered. “I was, but only for the last two years. I, uh, moved around a lot after my brother died. Had quite a few different jobs after graduation.”

“Like what?”

“Healer, Potioneer, Wandmaker, and a couple others,” she muttered with a shrug.

“But you graduated the same year I did. Did you really have a new job every year?”

Anxiety pricked her skin from being put on the spot. “No, I told you I spent two years at the Reserve.” She elbowed him playfully in attempt to lighten the mood, but he frowned.

“So the longest you’ve ever stayed somewhere is two years? Does that mean...” Charlie didn’t finish the sentence but he didn’t have to.

Stomach acid churned in her belly at the thought of leaving the Sanctuary. “I don’t know to be honest. Like I said, this is the best job I’ve ever had, so you might have a harder time getting rid of me.”

This seemed to reassure the redhead. He smiled at her, and (Y/N) knew she was doomed because all she could think about was that it seemed like Charlie didn’t want her to leave, and that thought made her way happier than it should have.

Eyeing the darkening sky, Charlie said, “Race you back to the village?” Before she even responded, he was standing up and picking up his broom.

“Hey, you cheater!” (Y/N) called as the redhead kicked off the ground just as she reached her broom. She darted up after him, heading back home, and couldn’t help but think that this was going to be the start of one of the best friendships she would ever have.

-

October and November came and went even faster than the previous months, and (Y/N) couldn’t believe how much fun she was having with team. She felt entirely comfortable around all of them now and hung out with Charlie all the time. She was sure, however, to set specific boundaries for herself, not wanting her ridiculous crush to get out of hand. Hopefully, it would disappear altogether soon enough and there would be nothing to worry about.

When the first snowfall of the season came one December morning, she couldn’t wait to visit the dragons and see just how glorious the Sanctuary’s scenery looked.

“Hurry up,” she groaned as Scott and Hank took longer than usual to get going. Charlie, on the other hand, didn’t disappoint and seemed as ready as he always was. He was definitely a morning person.

“I thought we agreed to start later in the winter,” Scott grumbled mid yawn, pulling a hat onto his head and rubbing his hands over the sleeves of his coat. “It’s bloody freezing out here.”

“The sooner we start, the sooner we get hot cocoa,” Hank pointed out even though he too looked less enthused about working.

They started with Gertie and Aro first, feeding them and making sure they had enough areas to stay warm. Most dragons could handle the severe weather due to their love of mountainous regions, but they weren’t entirely immune to illness and overall irritation from the drastic change. Certain breeds in particular seemed to handle the frigid climate better than others, and that became clear as they approached Odie, the Antipodean Opaleye.

“Boy he’s cranky,” Hank said after dodging a second blast of fire from the agitated beast. Odie was refusing to let anyone feed or even step within 50 feet of him.

Charlie laughed as he guided the raw sheep meat back onto the ground several yards away from the dragon. “You probably would be too if you were from Australia.”

“True.” Hank stepped away from the rock he had hid behind, his eyes never leaving Odie in case another burst of flames came his way.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” (Y/N) began, eyeing the purple patch covering the dragon’s right ear, “but I think it’s more than him just not liking the weather. I think he’s developed frostbite from it.”

“Shit,” Scott grunted as he followed her line of sight. “I told you guys we should have made them wait until Spring to ship him here.”

Hank slid his wand back into his pocket and turned to Charlie. “Guess I should go nag the research team to help us stun him. Should I get Logan or Felix to heal it?”

Charlie looked from Odie’s ear to (Y/N). “Can you do it?”

She craned her neck to see the full span of the injury. “If I can somehow get within five or so feet of him then yeah.”

“Five feet?” Hank pointed out, quirking an eyebrow.

She groaned in exasperation. They loved mocking her American ways. “One and a half meters, whatever. I think you should use the freezing charm instead though.”

“Are you mad?” Scott spat.

“If we stun him, we risk him not eating for another hour. Dehydration and starvation will only make the frostbite and his attitude worse.”

“Can’t we use the body-bind curse instead? I’d feel far better about you getting so close if he was more restrained.”

“And traumatize him while he’s hurting? Hell no.”

Scott turned to Hank, clearly looking for backup, but the forty-three year old shrugged and started for the pathway. “It’s your funeral, darlin’.”

Five minutes later, he returned with Logan and Dave to help with the charm. “Six of us should do it, don'tcha think?”

The rest of them nodded. Half a dozen were usually plenty to subdue a more timid breed like Odie.

“You sure you want to do this?” Charlie asked, handing her his gloves. “It’s not exactly the safest task in the world.”

She smiled at him, sliding the thick material over her hands. “If I wanted safe, I hardly would have picked this career.”

He barked a laugh, seemingly satisfied with her answer. “I’ve got your back.”

She hated when he made comments like that. They crossed far too many boundaries and made her insides tingle in a way she wished they wouldn’t. Managing another smile, she withdrew her wand. “You better.”

The six of them lined up and waited for Odie to lay down. As soon as he comfortably rested on the snow-covered ground ahead, they all shouted, “Immobulus!”

(Y/N) darted forward, unsure of exactly how much time she had, and moved to the dragon’s right side, staying as far away from his mouth as possible. With a complicated wave of her wand, she used the hot-air charm first, letting a gentle mist of steam warm the affliction. As soon as the proper pearl color returned to his skin, she performed two healing charms—one on the injury and one on the opposing ear to prevent it from facing the same fate later.

“Hurry up,” Scott warned. “Or we’ll have to do it again.”

“No, I’m good,” she said, catching sight of the slightest movement of the dragon’s arms. Right as she stepped back, Odie unfroze completely, jumping to his feet and flapping his wings. She nearly escaped the danger zone until his giant white tail flicked out behind him, hitting her square across the thighs. Swallowing a startled yelp, she toppled backwards and winced as her back hit the ground, knocking the wind out of her and shooting her wand into the air. Luckily, the snow helped ease her fall and she recovered quickly, automatically reaching her hand out. “Accio wand.”

Big mistake. Odie’s gaze hungrily followed her only means of protection as it flew through the air, clearly mistaking it for potential food. When the wand soared back into her grip, Odie’s eyes darkened, just now spotting (Y/N) and how close she was.

Knowing no one would be able to subdue or distract him in time, she moved faster than she ever had before, scrambling behind the only boulder in sight as the Antipodean Opaleye sent a rush of flames her way. She overheard the men in the background attempting to extinguish the blast, but they could only manage to lessen the blow. She ducked as close to the snow as humanly possible, but she was so worried about her head, she forgot to move the hand resting against the rock. Pain seared her flesh as the flames reached the top of the glove. Jerking it back with hiss, she tucked her whole body behind the boulder, her ragged pulse pounding against her ribs. When she heard Scott and Hank taming Odie, she finally relaxed, sitting up and yanking off the glove to examine the reddened, already blistering skin. Their gloves protected them as much as possible but could only do so much against such direct contact with fire.

A familiar head of red hair came into view as Charlie crouched down beside her. “You okay?”

“Almost,” she said, letting out a sigh of relief as she dipped her hand into the surrounding bed of snow. She couldn’t help but laugh a little, still feeling jolts of adrenaline course through her body. “Would you think I’m utterly insane if I said I’m a little excited about my first potential scar here?”

A grin spread across Charlie’s freckled face. “Not one bit.” He stood back up and extended a hand to her. “Come on, let’s get that cleaned up.”

-

The throb in (Y/N)’s hand substantially lessened once burn-healing paste was applied. She continued working for the rest of the day while Hank and Scott profusely commended her readiness and ability to stay calm.

“I could have sworn you were gonna lose your eyebrows like Scott did his first year,” Hank had said, ruffling the man's hair while Scott jerked away.

“It was only one eyebrow and that only happened once.”

Due to day’s events, the team retired early that afternoon. (Y/N) snuck away to her kitchen for some alone time, enjoying a cup of tea and trying to ignore the occasional twinge in her hand when there was a knock on her door.

“Come in,” she called, instantly annoyed by the flip in her stomach as Charlie’s silhouette came into view. He was wearing a knitted crimson sweater she had never seen before with a dragon embroidered in the middle. None of them wore nice clothes much since they were usually out on the field, and she tried to avert her eyes, not wanting to admit how well it suited him.

“Figured you could probably use some more of this,” he said, closing the door behind him and setting a fresh bottle of the burn-healing paste onto the table.

“Thanks. Want a cup of tea?” His eyes glanced uncertainly to the auburn liquid steaming in her teacup and she laughed. “Relax, I have milk and sugar if you want it.”

He smiled. “Sure then.”

“You Brits are weird,” she muttered, moving toward the kettle as Charlie took a seat on the wooden loveseat off to the left. The pair had hung out a lot, but not so much in each others’ houses, and (Y/N) suddenly felt nervous.

She poured a second cup of tea and grabbed the burn-healing paste from the table before joining him. She did, however, decide to sit in the chair adjacent to the loveseat. Boundaries.

“Thanks,” he said, accepting the mug from her and leaning back into the cushions. “You did really great today.”

“All in a day’s work.”

He laughed and set the teacup down on the coffee table in front of them. “You gonna put more of that on or am I going to have to do it for you?” he asked, indicating the bottle next to his mug.

Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries, she repeated over and over inside her head. As much as she hated to admit it, the tiniest part of her understood what Sydney had meant. Charlie was a little clueless when it came to how words and actions could be interpreted. “Okay, mom.”

“I just know how much it hurts going on at first.”

He wasn’t wrong. It stung like a bitch the first time she applied it after the incident, but she wasn’t about to admit that. She had a relatively high pain tolerance and was a little too prideful when it came to her resilience. “It’s not that bad.”

“Oh really?” He picked up the bottle and offered it to her. “Go ahead then.”

She stared at it, trying to convince herself that it was like ripping off a bandage, but in the end she didn’t want to do it.

Charlie grinned. “That’s what I thought.” He opened the bottle and poured some of the potion onto his palm.

“What are you doing?”

The redhead moved in front of her, sitting on the edge of the coffee table before reaching for her hand. “Doing it for you. We need your hand better before Monday.”

The word BOUNDARIES blared in (Y/N)’s head like a siren, complete with flashing red lights, bells and whistles. She pulled her arm away, attempting a laugh. “I can do it myself,” she insisted, trying to snatch the bottle away from him.

This didn’t seem to deter him in the slightest. He just stared at her, a half smile on his lips. “And people say I’m stubborn.”

She kept her eyes locked on his, refusing to be the first to break eye contact.

“Technically it’s only fair,” he added, “considering I let you help me.”

Shit. That son of a bitch cornered her. She glowered at Charlie, feeling defeated as she pulled her sleeve up and extended her left arm.

"Was that so hard?” he asked right as he brushed the potion across the back of her hand. She winced as the orange paste sank in, fighting to heal her burned flesh. The pain lasted no longer than a minute though and was soon replaced by jolts of electricity at Charlie’s touch.

It was less than five minutes before Charlie screwed the cap on the potion and set it back onto the table, but (Y/N) was more concerned with the fact that he didn’t return to the couch. Instead, he pointed to the scar along her forearm. “I’ve wondered how you got that for awhile now.”

“Oh, I had to fight off a Chimera once. He got a good slash in but don’t worry, I won.” Her gaze instinctively flicked to his eyebrow. Her rules were screaming at her to resist the urge, but he had touched her hand first. It was only fair. She reached up, briefly brushing the pad of her thumb across the small scar that separated his left brow. “Your turn.”

He cracked a smile, raising his own hand up to touch the scar. “Why does everyone have to ask about this one? It’s actually the least exciting of them all.”

“Try me.”

“Okay...my brother Bill and I wanted to try and play Quidditch once when we were little. He started teasing me, saying there was no way I could ride an adult broom, so I took it from him. Needless to say I fell, but I actually would say I did fairly well considering I was only five.”

She laughed, unable to ignore how cute a stubborn five-year-old Charlie must have been. “No fair. I can’t believe you got to ride on a broom that young. My mom would have had my head.”

Now he laughed. “I never said I didn’t get in trouble for it.”

The pair talked for a little while longer before (Y/N) said, “I like your sweater by the way.”

He arched a brow, following her gaze and pinching the knitted material between his fingertips. “You mean jumper?”

“Ugh, whatever.” She let her head fall back against the chair, coaxing a deep, rumbling chuckle out of him. At least it wasn’t as bad as finding out Brits thought you were talking about underwear when you said pants. (Y/N) had reiterated the word trousers until it stuck in her mind for good. “Where’d you get it?”

He glanced away, a noticeable flush reaching his ears. “Uh, my mum made it.”

That was probably the cutest thing she had ever heard in her life. She didn’t know which was worse—the fact that Mrs. Weasley was perfect enough to knit her children sweaters or the fact that Charlie was the type of son who actually wore them. “When are you leaving to go see them?”

“Probably a few days before Christmas. I usually stay for about a week.”

She bit the inside of her cheek, hoping her disappointment didn’t show on her face. Hank and Scott would be there, but she was going to miss Charlie.

“Are any of your friends coming to visit you?”

She struggled to keep her frown at bay. “Not until early next year. A lot of them are stuck at work or visiting their own families.”

Charlie nodded and looked like he had something else he wanted to say.

“What?”

He peered up at her, and if (Y/N) wasn’t mistaken, that subtle tinge of pink had spread, highlighting his freckled face. “You could come to the Burrow with me if you want.”

Her heart stopped. As her reeling mind caught up with his appealing offer, she waved an anxious hand at him. “Oh no, that’s okay. I can't intrude like that. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine here.”

Much to her dismay, however, Charlie didn’t let it go like she thought he would. “It really wouldn’t be a big deal. There’s already nearly a dozen of us, so there’s always plenty of food. And to be honest, Christmas is a bit dismal here at the Sanctuary.”

She had no doubt that Christmas would be disappointing here, but this was exactly the sort of cluelessness she had been referring to. Charlie was just being a nice friend, she told herself, refusing to let the offer go to her head. But why was he asking her and not Hank or Scott?

No. She was overthinking it. Maybe he had asked Hank and he said no because Chloe was visiting. And Scott already said he would hang back to help Hank with the dragons. Maybe he asked the team every year and it was no big deal.

“Uh, I don’t know...I’m not sure I could handle meeting Harry Potter. I’d probably embarrass the hell out of myself.”

Charlie laughed. “If either of us stands to be embarrassed it would be me. My siblings live to humiliate each other.”

She fell silent, trying to ignore just how much she would love a chance to meet his family.

“Are you really going to say no to me two days before my birthday?”

“Hey, that’s not fair,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I think it is. Think of it as a birthday present.”

Why was he being so persistent? This was crossing dozens of boundaries. The last thing she needed to do was fall in love with his family. “What if I already got you a present?”

Charlie’s eyes narrowed. “I told you guys not to.”

“No, you told us not to buy anything,” she corrected before standing up and walking over to her dresser. She opened the bottom drawer, withdrawing a neatly folded sweater before returning to Charlie. “My team gave me this after the Bludger I hit stopped the other team’s Seeker and won us the House Cup.” She held up the striped blue sweater, showing off the Snitch darting around the center of it. “I never wore it much because let’s face it, two Bludgers moving around on it would have been much cooler, but I thought you might like it. I was going to turn it red for Gryffindor and use the enlargement charm on it.”

Charlie stared at her, smiling one of those damn smiles—the ones she had become strongly opposed to because of the way they made her feel. “Can I see it on?”

Her brows drew together. She didn't know why he wanted her to, but for whatever reason she obliged, tugging the thick pullover on over her long sleeve shirt. “Well?”

“I have one word for you,” Charlie said, his appreciative smile soon replaced by an alarmingly playful grin. “Run.”

Eyes rounding, she yelped, darting for front door as soon as he shot to his feet.

After somehow managing to not kill herself as she flew down slushy porch steps, she sprinted toward the west wing, knowing the exact path to take to avoid any dragons. “You’re insane,” she called back, unable to contain her burst of laughter as she heard the Seeker’s heavy footsteps gaining from behind. Pushing past a tall patch of brush, she made her way towards the manufacturing team, passing by crates full of dragon-hide gloves and boxes of dragon heartstrings. She tried to slow him down by knocking a couple empty boxes back toward him, but Charlie dodged them with ease.

“You’re gonna have to try harder than that,” he said, laughing as he gained in on her.

(Y/N) was panting hard by now, not used to breathing the cold air into her lungs. She kept running though, set on where she was headed, but her plan came to a screeching halt when the trail she intended to follow came into view, the narrow path blocked by a pile of shoveled snow.

Before she could switch gears, Charlie caught up with her. With a knowing groan, she braced herself and sure enough, he tackled her right onto the powdery mound of snow.

Neither could stop laughing as they landed in the pile, which was nearly deep enough to consume them both. It wasn’t until (Y/N) had wiped the snow from her face and opened her eyes that her laughter died out.

“Gotcha,” Charlie said, panting as he grinned down at her. He was bracing himself on his forearms to prevent from crushing her, and his face was so close—less than five inches from her own, making her go slightly dizzy. Heaving a defeated sigh, she dropped her head back into the snow, letting her eyelids flutter shut as she tried to steady her racing heartbeat—which was only racing because of all the running.

“Fine, you win,” she said, more than relieved to feel the twenty-six year old collapse onto the ground next to her. She chanced a glance at him, but it wasn’t much better. She still felt every urge to kiss him. “I’ll go with you.”

The redhead grinned at her, his chest still rising and falling from all the running. “Good. I prefer the jumper on you anyways.”

(Y/N) knew Charlie just enjoyed messing with her and showing off his Seeker abilities, but that didn’t stop her from wishing he meant something else by that.

Yep. She was completely and utterly doomed.

Chapter Text

“Hey, you ready to go?” Charlie asked, pushing open the screen door.

(Y/N)’s heart gave a painful squeeze as he stepped inside. He was wearing khaki trousers and another crimson jumper, but instead of a dragon, this one featured a bright golden “C” in the middle.

“Woah.” He paused, his gaze roaming around the room. “I didn’t know you liked Christmas so much.”

Embarrassed, she quickly turned away. She had reorganized and used the colour changing charm on the scarce objects around her house this morning to give herself something to do. “I was bored and thought I should make this place a little more festive.” Perching on the edge of her mattress, she reached for her shoes while Charlie stepped toward the dining table, picking up the snow globe Rowan had given her last year.

“Any reason you decided to do this right before we’re about to leave?” he asked, giving the Christmas decoration a little shake.

“Not really.”

He set the snow globe back down and considered her for a long moment before a small smile crept across his face. “You’re nervous, aren’t you?”

“What? No, I’m fine,” she insisted, but as she followed his gaze down to her boots, she realized she was trying to tug the left boot onto her right foot. Swapping it for the correct one, she said, “Okay, maybe I’m a little nervous.”

He laughed. “There’s really no reason for you to be.”

“Easy for you to say.” She couldn’t decide what intimidated her the most—trying to impress Mrs. Weasley, meeting Harry Potter, or just the sheer size of his family. She felt queasy just thinking about it. “Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe I should just stay here.”

Charlie snatched her bag from the floor before turning back to her. “I can pick you up too if I have to.”

She stiffened, her face flushing as red as his sweater. Despising the perverted direction her mind went, she jumped to her feet. With a playful shove on his shoulder, she pulled on her coat and grabbed the bag from him. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Since nearly all forms of transportation were banned inside the Sanctuary for both security and personal safety, she wasn’t exactly sure how they were going to get to Weasley’s until they stopped right outside the gates.

“Felix managed to get us a Portkey,” Charlie said, indicating the battered oil lamp peeking out of the snow near the Sanctuary wall.

Her stomach swooped in a violent backflip. “Oh.”

“Everything okay?”

She nodded. “It’s just—so soon. We touch that thing and boom, we’re there. Guess I was expecting a train ride or something.”

Amusement flickered across the redhead’s face as they stopped in front of the lamp. “You’ve faced dragons head on for nearly six months now, but it’s my family that scares you?”

“It’s not your family,” she clarified, “it’s all families. It’s just...it’s been awhile since I’ve done the whole holiday thing.”

His expression softened and he hesitated a moment before grabbing her gloved hand and giving her palm a quick, reassuring squeeze. “This will only take us outside the Burrow. We don’t have to go inside right away.”

Expelling a breath, she nodded, distracted by the tingling sensation in her hand. Thank God they were both wearing gloves—she didn’t think she could handle any skin to skin contact from him at the moment. “Okay." 

On the count of three, they each grasped one of the lamp’s handles, distorting reality and sending (Y/N)’s world spiraling. Portkey transportation was uncomfortable, but no worse than Apparition. She felt the familiar tug near her lower abdomen and within a minute was landing firmly on unfamiliar ground. Flying skills were definitely an advantage when it came to Portkeys because she hardly ever felt sick after using one.

She readjusted her bag while Charlie pushed his hair from his face. For a moment, she wondered if they had ended up in the wrong place because all she saw was a field of snow-covered grass until she spun around.

A staggeringly tall, slightly leaning house stood in front of them. It looked as if each room had been tacked on as an afterthought, carefully building upward as the family grew larger. There was a detached garage out front, along with a snow-filled cauldron and what appeared to be a chicken coop.

"Wow,” she breathed. She was used to the cities and quaint suburbs in the States with nosy neighbors and houses smushed together. She didn’t know anyone who lived out in the country.

Charlie rubbed the back of his neck. “I know it’s a bit odd, but I promise it won’t topple down while we’re in there.”

“Like I’d ever doubt any Weasley’s ability when it came to magic,” she said, nudging his shoulder with her elbow.

He smiled at that. “You ready?”

(Y/N) swallowed, gripping the strap of her bag for something to hold onto as they drew nearer to the Burrow. “What if they don’t like me?”

“Why wouldn’t they like you?”

She scoffed. “I don’t know, it took you nearly three months to be my friend. Does stubbornness run in the family?”

Charlie laughed, shaking his head. “Trust me, if I were you, I’d be more worried about whether or not my mum will ever let you leave.”

That helped untangled the knot in her gut the slightest bit. “Okay.” She wanted to ask what Molly said once Charlie told her he was bringing company, but then a scary thought struck her. He had told them she was coming, right?

Before she could double check, Charlie’s knuckles were rapping against the door and he was pushing it open. “Mum?” he called, holding the door open for (Y/N).

Gripping her bag for dear life, she crossed the threshold into what had to be the Weasley’s kitchen when a plump woman with an all-too-familiar head of red hair came bustling in.

“Oh, Charlie!” she cooed, arms outstretched as her son stooped forward to hug her. “How have you been, dear?” She patted his arm, looking up at him with clear motherly affection before her eyes landed on (Y/N).

Her heart dropped into her stomach as nerves got the best her. She tried her best to force a smile, now suddenly panicking on whether a wave, handshake or hug was appropriate.

“Merlin’s beard,” Mrs. Weasley said, her eyes twinkling. “You sure are prettier than Hank or Scott.”

“Mum, this is my friend (Y/N),” Charlie said, causing a rush of happiness to swirl inside her chest. Even though the he'd confirmed their friendship months ago, she still loved hearing it. “The one from America I told you about that works at the Sanctuary with me.”

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Mrs. Weasley said, enveloping (Y/N) in one of the best hugs she had ever received. Unexpected emotion tickled the back of her throat at the gesture. It had been years since one of her own parents had hugged her like that. 

Feeling vulnerable, she forced thoughts of her family away. “Thank you so much for having me. I hope I’m not intruding.”

“Oh nonsense,” she assured, sweetly patting her upper arm. (Y/N) wished she could read minds because the look in Molly’s eyes made her feel like there was something she was missing. “In our house, the more the merrier. It’s about time Charlie brought something other than just presents for the holidays. I’ve been pestering him to bring the team for years.”

Her thoughts wandered back to the unanswered question she had mulled over endlessly at the Sanctuary. Did that mean Charlie invited them every year and they just said no?

“Hank and Scott keep pretty busy, even during the holidays,” Charlie said, not answering her questions in the slightest.

Wanting to get out of her own head, she added, “Someone had to hold the fort down while the expert is out.”

The corner of his mouth ticked up. “Oh please. I took you hostage to make sure they didn’t replace me while I was gone.”

A swell of pride bloomed inside her. Did he really think she was anywhere near as good of a Dragonologist as he was? 

As she tried to think of a witty response, (Y/N) caught sight of Mrs. Weasley, who looked between the two of them with the brightest smile on her face. Oh God. Mrs. Weasley didn’t think...No, definitely not. Charlie had just introduced her as his friend. She was overthinking things again. She was probably just thrilled to see her son after all this time.

“Arthur is still stuck at work,” Mrs. Weasley said, moving to fuss over a pot on the burner, “but he said he would try to get off early today.”

She glanced at Charlie, suddenly feeling rude for not asking sooner. “Where does he work?”

“The Ministry of Magic,” he answered, leaning back against the kitchen cabinets.

(Y/N) stilled, feeling as though a bucket of ice water had been dropped over her. “Oh.” She tried her best to sound casual, but her heart began pounding in her chest. “What does he do?”

“Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. The Ministry keeps offering him promotions, but he always turns them down.”

Mrs. Weasley laughed, shaking her head. “No amount of galleons or authority can persuade that man to give up his fascination with muggles. Do you have any muggle relatives, dear?”

She tried to relax, feeling oddly comforted by the adoring look in Molly’s eyes. She could handle this. (Y/N)’s problems had zero ties to no-majs, she should be fine. “Yeah, my grandpa was a no-ma-” She stopped herself before the American term left her lips. “I mean muggle." 

"Oh, Arthur will be so excited to hear about him. Can I get either of you something to eat?" 

Charlie looked to her for the answer and she shook her head. Her latest panic washed away any indication of hunger.

"No, I think I’ll show (Y/N) around the Burrow. Is anyone else here yet?”

“Ginny, Harry, George and Angelina are up in the orchard playing Quidditch. Bill and Fleur should be here shortly, and Percy and Audrey will be joining us in a few days.”

“What about Ron and Hermione?”

“They’re visiting the Granger family this year, but they send their love.”

(Y/N) exhaled, feeling a weight lift from her shoulders. At least now she would only make a fool of herself in front of Harry rather than the entire infamous trio.

Nodding his head toward the doorframe, Charlie waved her on. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”

The passageway led to a staircase and as they began climbing, Mrs. Weasley called up, “Audrey’s staying with Ginny and Percy is sharing George’s room, so you two will have to share your and Bill’s old room.”

Heart rate spiking, (Y/N) tripped over the last step. Charlie laughed, gripping her by the waist. Not helping!, her subconscious chided.

“Don’t worry, there’s two beds,” he explained. As soon as she was steady on the landing, he released her, gesturing inside the first open door to their left. That’s when she spotted the separate twin beds on opposite ends of the room. “If it still makes you uncomfortable though, I can take the couch.”

“Oh no, it’s okay.” She tried ignoring the pitter patter of her heart at the thought of going to bed later. “Which one is yours?”

Charlie pointed to the one on the right, and she resisted the urge to claim that one as her own for the week. The last thing she needed was him knowing how attached she was to his outdoorsy scent. So she set her bag down on Bill’s bed, taking in the sparse room. “Did you and Bill always share a room?”

“No, Ginny’s room used to be mine,” he answered, setting his brown leather bag on the dresser. “Cons of being the second oldest I guess.”

(Y/N) bit her lip. She was about to ask why Mrs. Weasley was letting them stay in the same room when all other unmarried guests were separated, but the answer seemed obvious enough. They were just friends, and Molly was probably aware of her son’s disinterest in dating. If anyone could be trusted alone in a room with a woman, it would be Charlie.

“So, are you going to give me the grand tour?”

His answering smile spread from ear to ear. “I’d love to.”

He showed her the remaining bedrooms, adding tidbits about each of his siblings along the way. She could tell he was closest with Bill because of their age, so she was most excited to meet him.

They eventually made their way outside, walking up a hill behind the house until they reached a small paddock surrounded by trees and hedges. As (Y/N) glimpsed the four figures on broomsticks, it dawned on her that this must be the orchard. She stopped dead in her tracks, and Charlie laughed.

“You gonna be okay? I thought you might want to join them since you’re so sure you’ll beat me.”

(Y/N) knew what he was doing. Charlie’s playfulness always helped her relax and she was grateful he knew it. Before they continued on, however, one of the figures dismounted their broom and came barreling toward them.

“Charlie!” a stunning slender woman with long red curls squealed before colliding straight into the dragon lover. 

“Oof.” He stumbled back a bit before returning the bear hug. “Hey. You’re kicking their asses, right?”

“Obviously. There’s no real competition until you come home—but don’t tell Harry I said that.” She did a double take, realizing with a start that they weren't alone. Shifting her weight to the other leg, chills shot down (Y/N)'s neck the moment their gazes met. The woman’s hair may have been a deeper shade of red, but her brown eyes were nearly identical to Charlie’s. 

“Who’s this?” Ginny asked, a smile growing on her pale face. The subtle suggestiveness in her voice resembled Hank’s once he found out she was going to the Burrow too.

“Hi, I’m (Y/N).” She gave a small wave before twisting her gloved hands together. “I work at the Sanctuary with Charlie.”

His sister studied her with deep interest. “Wait, are you American?”

She laughed a little, forgetting how out of place her voice must sound compared to their enviable British accents. “Yeah. Actually, that’s kind of why I’m here. Charlie invited me since I couldn’t go home for the holidays.”

She nodded slowly, her gaze slinking back to Charlie. “How kind of you." 

"So, do you have room for two more?” he asked, making (Y/N)’s heart flutter nervously.

“You play too?!"

It was probably a good thing Ginny looked as though her happiness relied on her saying yes—it prevented her from trying to weasel her way out of it. “I do.”

“Brilliant! What position? Please don’t say Seeker, we already have enough of those.”

She laughed. “No, I prefer Beater." 

Ginny sent Charlie another curious glance. For the second time, (Y/N) felt like she was missing something. “That’s perfect. We can play girls against guys. Harry can be Chaser for a change.”

Charlie chuckled at the look of dismay crossing her face. “You may want to introduce (Y/N) first, or we might risk her fainting off her broom.”

Mortified, she smacked the dragon lover on the shoulder. “Shut up.”

Ginny howled with laughter, taking her by the arm and leading her towards the paddock. “Hey, it’s okay, he still gets it all the time. You should have seen me the first couple times I met him. If that hadn’t scared him away, nothing will.”

His sister had been right of course. Harry, George and Angelina were all incredibly nice to her. Charlie had already told (Y/N) about how George lost his ear, so she was sure to make a witty remark about it, securing an instant friendship with the joke shop owner. 

As for Harry, she managed to not make a total imbecile of herself and was even a little less starstruck by the end of their match. She did, however, still get a shiver down her spine whenever she caught a glimpse of that lighting bolt scar on his forehead.

“You’re a natural,” Ginny said as they dismounted from their brooms. Just as Charlie was about to catch the Snitch, she had sent a Bludger his way, allowing Ginny to sneak in and snag the fluttering golden ball. “I can’t believe you didn’t go pro.”

A sore spot flexed inside her. That was the one wizarding career she had no chance of ever perusing. “I was offered but don’t really like the spotlight,” she said, which was as close to the truth as she could manage.

They sat on a nearby bench together as Charlie and Harry wrestled the Bludgers back into the box. George had managed to slip away with Angelina beforehand, claiming his disability prevented him from helping, which (Y/N) found hilarious. She really liked George, and her heart ached whenever she considered the pain he was in. And most of all, she wished she could have met Fred.

“So, are you and Charlie together?” Ginny asked as casually.

Her stomach bottomed out. Thankfully, her face was already flushed from the cold air as a heat swept up her neck. “Uh no,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “We’re just friends.”

Ginny considered this for a moment, staring down at the powdery snow beneath their boots. “Well, I’m really glad he brought you. He needs someone who can give him a run for his galleons.” She smiled, but it fell away quickly, and when she spoke again, her voice was more fragile than (Y/N) anticipated. “We’ve been down a Beater ever since we lost Fred. Did Charlie tell you about him?”

Frowning, she nodded, suddenly clued into their silent exchanges earlier. “Yeah.”

“Wow, you two must be close. He hardly ever talks about it.”

“Well, it wasn’t easy.” She attempted a laugh, but it faded just like Ginny’s smile had. After hesitating a moment, she cleared her throat. “I actually lost my brother too. I think that helped him open up to me.”

Ginny’s lips parted in surprise. “Oh. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”

"I’m glad he has someone to talk to about it.” She bit her lip before adding quietly, “I think he fancies you.”

Unwelcomed butterflies swarmed in (Y/N)’s stomach. She tried to steady her voice, praying she didn’t sound as flustered as she felt. “What makes you say that?”

“Well, he brought you here for one,” Ginny said, looking at her like she was missing the obvious.

“He was just being nice. None of my friends could come visit me and I’m not really close with my family.”

Ginny hesitated for a moment. “You do know he’s never brought anyone here before, right?”

She figured he had never brought a woman home before, but she wasn’t a girlfriend, just part of the team who happened to be a girl. “Well, Hank or Scott have come here, haven’t they?”

Ginny shook her head slowly. “Nope.”

She tried to keep her breathing steady. “Maybe he’s invited them and they’ve just always said no. The Sanctuary is hardly ever not busy.”

“I don’t think so,” Ginny said with a cute giggle.

“Oh.” The answer to her long awaited question caused a weird tingling sensation to spread throughout her body. “I, uh, didn’t know that.”

“I hope that doesn’t freak you out or anything,” she added quickly. “And it’s perfectly fine if you two are just friends. I just—” She broke off, staring admiringly at her older brother. “I know it may seem like he only cares about dragons, but once he cares about someone, he never stops.” Her attention found its way back to (Y/N) and she looked uneasy. “Just—if you don’t feel that way about him, can you please careful? I know my brothers always feel the need to protect me, but I don’t like seeing them get hurt either.”

(Y/N) had to pinch her thigh to force away the emotion bubbling up inside her. Charlie was so lucky to have a family like this. “I promise I would never do anything to hurt him. He’s honestly one of the best friends I’ve ever had.”

Something dangerous sparked in Ginny's eyes. (Y/N) suddenly had a terrible feeling that her confession may have had a little too much honesty behind it. But before she could add anything else, Harry and Charlie made their way over to the bench.

“Uh oh,” Charlie said, looking between them. “Do I even want to know what you guys were talking about?”

Hopping to her feet, Ginny grabbed Harry’s hand, a suspicious glow of happiness radiating off of her. “Just how bad you two are at Quidditch. C'mon, Harry, let’s go see what my mum’s cooking.” She flashed (Y/N) another grin before tugging Harry back down the hill to the Burrow.

Charlie filled the empty spot on the bench, looking at (Y/N) with a mixture of amusement and apprehension. “Should I even ask?”

Chuckling, she shook her head.

“But she was nice to you, right?”

For a second, she thought he was teasing her in spite of her earlier comment, but he looked surprisingly serious. “Of course. Your sister’s really sweet.”

“Then she took to you a lot better than Fleur,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to freak you out, but her and my mom were pretty hard on her at first.”

“She’s just protective of you guys, that’s all,” (Y/N) said, trying to ignore the stirring in her chest at the comparison. To Bill’s wife. “It probably helped that we got to bond over Quidditch. She was glad you finally have a friend who can kick your ass.”

Charlie laughed, shaking his head. “Hank and Scott are never gonna let me hear the end of it.”

She tried to think of a response, but her heart ached as she watched Charlie’s profile—his laugh, that smile. She thought back to what Ginny had said, and a chill raced down her spine. You do know he’s never brought anyone here before, right?

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked.

She tore her gaze away, pressing her lips together in an attempt to hide her pathetic smile. “I was just thinking about something Ginny told me.”

“Merlin’s beard. Let me guess, the Apparition test story? They love telling that one.”

Her brows raised in interest. “No, she actually didn’t, but you bet your ass I’m not letting you drop it now.”

He groaned, rubbing his face with his gloved hand. “Oh well, George would’ve told you eventually anyway. I failed my first attempt because I ended up five miles away from where I was supposed to.”

That didn’t sound embarrassing. Several adult wizards rarely used Apparition because of the risks, and retaking the test was hardly uncommon. “Where did you land?" 

He sighed. "On top of an older woman shopping.”

(Y/N)’s jaw dropped, laughter pouring out of her as she leaned into him. “Oh my God, are you serious?”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” he said, knocking his elbow into her side. “Fair is fair. Now you have to tell me what other embarrassing secret she spilled.”

“It wasn’t embarrassing,” she assured him once her hysterics subsided. She fiddled with the end of her scarf, choosing her words carefully. “She just—well, she told me that I’m the only one you’ve ever brought here, and I guess I was wondering what made me so special." 

She waited for Charlie to say one of the obvious answers she had managed to come up with. Perhaps it was the age difference—it would make a lot more sense to bring a friend his own age rather than two forty-year-old coworkers. Or maybe he was too reserved to ask Hank and Scott and knew that she was less likely to say no. Or maybe Charlie just felt sorry for her and didn’t want her to be a lonely loser on the holidays.

Instead, he laughed and said, "Don’t friends invite other friends over for holidays?”

She couldn’t contain her smile at that. She didn’t think she’d ever get tired of hearing him call her his friend. “But Hank and Scott are your friends, and you’ve known them longer.”

The redhead drummed his fingers against his knee, considering. “You’re probably going to think I’m a nutter." 

"Try me.” She tried to think of what reason he could possibly have that he would be embarrassed by. Maybe he was tired of being the only sibling without a significant other and they teased him over it.

Charlie sighed. “I wasn’t lying when I told you Christmas at the Sanctuary is a little depressing. I was worried that if you stayed back, you might get homesick. And then maybe—” He paused for a moment, looking back down at his hands. “Maybe you’d want to go back to America.”

(Y/N) held in a breath, recalling his reaction to her notorious career hopping. She had already spent six months at the Sanctuary, and he was worried she was going to leave. Her heart felt like it was going to burst.

“And now you think I’m insane, don’t you?"

She shook her head, hoping he didn’t see the emotion shining in her eyes. She had never had a coworker care about her like that and it affected her more than she anticipated. "Quite the opposite, actually,” she said once she managed to find her voice again. “That’s one of the sweetest things that anyone has ever done for me. But you don’t have to worry about that, okay? I’d never just up and leave.” It was risky for her to make those promises, but she would do whatever it took to stay true to her word. Charlie deserved that.

“Good to know,” he said, the weight of gaze triggering a million butterflies behind her ribs. “I also invited you because of your Christmas present." 

“What?”

He stood up, rubbing a hand over his jaw in an attempt to conceal his grin. “We should head back to the house. Bill and Fleur are probably here by now.”

“Charles Weasley,” she began threateningly, pushing off the bench. He started down the hill, pretending not to hear her as she tried to catch up with his long strides. “We agreed no presents!”

He turned around, continuing to walk backwards while holding his palms up in a shrug as if to say, Oops.

He was so dead.

(Y/N) unfortunately didn’t catch up to him until they reached the back door, which he so kindly didn’t hesitate to open. She wouldn’t have minded so much if it was a small present, but then he could’ve given it to her anytime. What on earth would she need to be here for?

A pair of unfamiliar voices broke (Y/N) from her thoughts, and she tried her best to remain neutral as they entered the living room. Like George’s ear, Charlie had warned her about the werewolf attack, so she'd prepared herself for the worst. But as she glimpsed the healed slashes across Bill’s pale face, she decided it wasn’t that the scars themselves were that bad—she had seen wizards in America completely disfigured after encounters with dangerous magical creatures. What was more startling was the stark contrast as the eldest Weasley brother stood side by side with his breathtaking wife. It was like looking at a portrait—tragedy and hope. Love and war. It was a lot to take in.

“Hey, how’s Egypt been?” Charlie asked, relieving (Y/N) of her initial surprise as the brothers slapped each other on the back in a hug. Charlie looked so happy to see his older brother, it reminded her of how she looked up to Jacob when they were kids.

“Busy. Discovered three cursed tombs just this past week,” he replied. He was taller and leaner than Charlie with his matching red hair pulled back into a low ponytail. “I managed to break the first two though. I said they could handle the third.”

Her heart thudded painfully inside her chest even though Charlie had already mentioned Bill was a Curse-Breaker. She didn’t think she would ever be at ease when it came to that career.

“He'z a natural. Works zo very ‘ard,” the blonde woman said proudly, stepping forward to hug her brother-in-law. “How are ze dragons?”

(Y/N) had to purse her lips together to prevent a fit of laughter from escaping as Fleur placed a kiss on each of Charlie’s cheeks. Even though Fleur was one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen, (Y/N) felt no jealousy. It was hard to when Charlie looked more uncomfortable than Hank did when on a broom.

“I don’t see any new scars,” Bill added with a quick up and down glance. “So, I’ll take that as a good sign?”

With a self-deprecating laugh, Charlie opened his mouth to say something, but Fleur interrupted as her eyes met (Y/N)’s. 

“Oh—where are my manners. Who'z zis?” Her eyes were twinkling the same way Mrs. Weasley’s had as she approached (Y/N).

“Oh, it’s okay.” Her cheeks grew hot from the sudden attention. “I’m (Y/N). I work at the Sanctuary with Charlie.”

A mixture of wonder and curiosity reflected in Fleur’s ocean blue eyes. “Are you American?”

“Yep.”

“Wow, you’ve come a long way for ze dragons.” To (Y/N)’s surprise, she repeated the kissing gesture on both of her cheeks. “I’m Fleur, Bill’s wife. I would love to 'ear all about where it iz you came from. I’ve never been to ze States before.”

“Of course.” Her stomach gave a nervous tug as her gaze shifted to Bill, who was staring intently at her—the kind of stare that made a person worry if they had something on their face.

“Hey, I’m Bill,” he said, taking a step forward to shake her hand. “Charlie’s told me an awful lot about you.”

She hoped the skip in her heartbeat wasn’t reflected on her face. She knew Charlie hadn’t seen Bill since last Christmas, so any mention of her would have had to have been in letters. Did he really write about her? “Is that so?” she asked coolly, and it was now Charlie’s turn to squirm under the scrutiny. “All good things, I hope.”

“Definitely. Even beat him on a broom I heard. About time someone knocked him off his pedestal.” He elbowed Charlie in the shoulder, but the younger Weasley did not look amused.

Instead of commenting, he nodded towards the kitchen. “Well I think mum’s almost done with dinner. You guys ready to eat?”

-

The next two days at the Burrow flew by and soon enough it was Christmas Eve. The family hung out around the house for most of the day, continuing to swap stories and play wizarding games together. 

(Y/N) told Fleur as much about the U.S. as she could and frequently bonded with Ginny over Quidditch. She talked to George about the clever pranks she used to pull on her brother and even managed to bond with Bill a little bit over her limited experience breaking curses. Arthur went crazy for stories about her grandpa, and she showed Molly a unique knitting pattern her mom used to use. It was such a good day in fact, it started to take a toll on her. By nightfall, she realized she had never had so much fun around the holidays before and that knowledge left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“Hey,” Charlie said, leaning against the door frame that lead upstairs as (Y/N) emptied her tea mug into the sink. “George wants to know if you’re up for a game of wizard’s chess since he and Angelina will be leaving tomorrow.”

“Actually, I’m pretty beat and was going to go to bed soon,” she admitted, turning off the tap and leaning back against the counter. The early morning routine at the Sanctuary usually left her yawning at ten o'clock, so she was impressed she managed to stay awake this long. “But tell him rain check for me?”

The smile that spread across Charlie’s face made her realize a rain check implied she anticipated seeing his siblings again at some point. She hoped that wasn’t too forward. “Sure thing.”

Because of the dim lighting, it took her a moment to register the decoration hanging above Charlie’s head. As soon as she glimpsed the small bouquet of green pinned to the door frame, she couldn’t restrain a giggle.

“What?” He glanced up, tensing as he registered what she was staring at.

Sensing his immediate discomfort, she decided to offer him a bone. “Want me to go get Fleur? It’s bad luck to break tradition.”

He let out a muffled groaned, rubbing his face with his palm. "Sorry I forgot to warn you about that. It’s a French thing I guess.”

“It’s fine. Some people in America do it too, but it’s usually just one cheek.” She grimaced, recalling the way her mom’s friends used to pinch her cheeks when she was little. “Your face was priceless though. It looked like a frog was kissing you, not a stunning part Veela woman.”

He shrugged. “I guess I just see her as Bill’s wife, so it’s weird to me.”

“That makes sense,” she amended, despite the sinking feeling in her gut. First Sydney and now Fleur. Had any woman ever caught his eye before? 

She nearly mustered the courage to ask about his former girlfriend from Hogwarts, but the clock chiming on the wall distracted her. "Merry Christmas,“ she said, realizing that both clock hands pointed straight up.

An alarmingly smug smile grew on the redhead’s face. "You mean Happy Christmas?" 

She shook her head in disbelief, fighting back a laugh. Even on Christmas and away from the rest of the team, he still loved to push her buttons. Well, two could play that game.

Pushing off the kitchen counter, she walked toward him, wanting nothing more than to wipe that grin off his face. Instead of passing by, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder, gratified as the playfulness slowly faded from his face. "Happy Christmas, Charlie,” she corrected quietly and, without questioning it, eased onto her tiptoes, placing a friendly kiss on his freckled cheek. If the French could uphold traditions, Americans could too. 

He blinked at her, a subtle hue of pink spreading beneath those freckles she loved as she drew back. “Goodnight,” he rasped, his voice weak and breathy.

“Night, dragon boy.” She patted his shoulder once before continuing past him to the stairs, her lips still tingling.

Happy Christmas indeed.

-

(Y/N) couldn’t believe how fast the rest of their vacation flew by. Christmas passed in a blur with all the heartwarming presents and affection. The thing about the Weasley’s was it was never about the amount or the cost. It was solely about giving meaningful gifts and everyone was always grateful. 

The only thing that confused her was that Charlie hadn’t given her a present and whenever she questioned him about it, he refused to answer.

“Why won’t you tell me?” she complained as they packed to leave the following morning. “It’s driving me nuts.”

But Charlie merely smiled to himself and kept on packing before they made their way downstairs to say goodbye.

“Are you sure you can’t stay another few days?” Mrs. Weasley asked as she held on tightly to her son.

“Sorry, mum. I promised Felix we’d drop off some dragonhide gloves to Hagrid today or we would.”

That was the first time Charlie had mentioned a name associated with wherever the hell they were going, but before she could ask who Hagrid was, Molly pulled her into an equally tight embrace. “Promise me you’ll come back to visit again, dear? It was so lovely having you.”

She hugged her back, for once welcoming the unfamiliar motherly affection. “Definitely. This was honestly the best Christmas I’ve ever had. I can’t thank your family enough.”

Mrs. Weasley beamed as she pulled back, dabbing her misting eyes. Just as (Y/N) was about to head out the kitchen door, Charlie tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the living room.

“We’re traveling by Floo Powder this time,” he said, leading her to the grand fireplace in the Weasley’s sitting room. He scooped a handful of powder from the vase on the mantelpiece, splitting the amount between them.

(Y/N) gripped the powder in her hand nervously. She had traveled by Floo Powder before but had no idea where he was taking her. “Where exactly are we going?”

“You really wanna know?” Charlie asked as he stepped into the fireplace. When she nodded, he smiled and closed his eyes. “Hogwarts.” He dropped the powder and was instantly engulfed in wild green flames before vanishing. 

Her mouth dropped open. What? They were going to...Hogwarts?

-

(Y/N) coughed and sputtered as she landed on her feet, fanning away the smoke residue in the air. 

“I’m going to kill you,” she choked out between coughs, stepping out of the fireplace and dusting off her clothes. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me sooner.”

She was surprised to not only hear Charlie’s familiar chuckle, but a deep gravelly one too. The redhead came into view first as her eyes blinked open, but she soon paled, stifling a gasp as she processed the unmissable giant next to him. Huge didn’t begin to describe the man who was more than double Charlie’s height and at least three times as wide. Thick, long brown hair covered both his head and chin, and his cheeks were flushed pink.

“Oh, hi,” she said, mildly embarrassed.

“(Y/N), this is Hagrid,” Charlie introduced, gesturing to the stranger. “He’s the Care of Magical Creatures Professor here at Hogwarts.”

“It’s so good teh meet yeh,” he said, his jovial expression instantly putting her at ease. 

She smiled back. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

"Charlie tol’ me yeh werk at the Sanctuary with him. Do yeh like dragons as much as he does?”

(Y/N) laughed. “I’m not sure anyone likes dragons as much as Charlie does.”

Hagrid chortled, nudging Charlie’s shoulder. “Yeah, he hasn’t changed one bit. I’ve known him since his first year here at Hogwarts. Did'e tell yeh he tried to buy a dragon egg when he was just a wee fourth year?”

Grinning, she shook her head, but Charlie interrupted before he could elaborate.

“I think she’s heard enough embarrassing stories from George and Ginny this past week.”

She wanted to say speak for yourself, but Hagrid conceded.

“Okey, okey.” He held up his massive hands in defense before turning back to (Y/N). “I hear yeh’re a natural with Norbeta. Isn’t she a beaut?”

“Oh, you know her?” she asked, surprised.

Hagrid looked at Charlie, shaking his head in disbelief. “Yeh jus’ spent how many days with Harry and yeh haven’t told her the story yet? C’mon, I’ll tell yeh all about it on the way back to my hut.”

(Y/N) followed Charlie and Hagrid through the castle, trying hard to not ogle every new corridor or room that came into sight. She couldn’t believe her ears when Hagrid told her how the Sanctuary acquired Norberta. Another nostalgic twinge tugged at her chest. It had been nearly six months since that first day when she fed the Norwegian Ridgeback. Time really did fly when you were having fun.

It wasn’t until they reached Hagrid’s place that (Y/N) realized how far they walked. Since Hagrid had met them in the castle, she was confused why Charlie needed to bring the gloves all the way out here—Hagrid could have easily carried several boxes of them on his own.

“Here we are,” Hagrid said, propping open the door. “Yeh take as long as yeh need. Jus’ be sure teh come back for some tea before yeh leave, okey?”

Charlie smiled appreciatively at him. “Of course. Thanks again, Hagrid.”

The door shut behind with a bang and she looked to Charlie for an explanation, now completely lost. “Take as long as we need for what?”

“Your Christmas present,” he answered, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Her gaze flicked back and forth between Charlie and the castle. “But I thought Hogwarts was the present?”

“No, consider the castle a bonus.” He lead her towards the forest off to the right and pointed to a trail in the distance. “The real present is in there.”

“Wait—is that—” She gaped at the dense, snow-covered forest ahead. “Holy shit, that’s the Forbidden Forest, isn’t it?”

“I’m starting to think you’re easily impressed.”

“Oh come on. Voldemort was in that Forest at one point. I know you grew up with it, but this is stuff I only got to read about in textbooks.” 

“Fair point. I guess it’s a good thing my mom never found out how much time I spent in here,” Charlie said, staring around at the tall trees as they continued walking. 

“Let me guess—looking for dragons?”

Charlie grinned. “Absolutely.”

“So, are you going to finally tell me what this is this all abo—” (Y/N) stopped dead in her tracks and lost the ability to speak as the answer to her question stared back at her. She blinked, gaping at the stormy grey Hippogriff standing less than twenty feet in front of her. Mystified, her gaze alternated between the beautiful creature and the redhead. She tried to say something, anything, but the words couldn't seem to break past the giant lump rising in her throat.

“You still mad I got you a present?” Charlie asked.

She shook her head slowly, still unable to find the words. She was so overwhelmed she was trembling—partially from missing such a stunning creature and partially from how unbelievably perfect Charlie was. “I—I can’t believe you did this for me.”

"You don’t even know the best part yet.”

She blinked, unsure how this situation could get any better.

“This Hippogriff used to be Sirius Black’s after he escaped from Azkaban.”

All remaining air left (Y/N)’s lungs. She peered up at Charlie, lips parted and throat dry.

“Harry helped Sirius escape on him in his third year, saving both Buckbeak and Sirius’ life.”

This time, when she glanced back at the Hippogriff, she could no longer stop the tears from spilling down her cheeks. She quickly spun away, dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve and forcing out a laugh. “Dammit,” she hissed under her breath. “I’ve been burned and scratched by dragons for the last six months, but it’s a damn Hippogriff that makes me cry in front of you. Now who looks like a nutter.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.“ The warmth in his voice descended over her as he stepped closer. "I won’t tell the guys—as long as you promise they’re happy tears.”

(Y/N) laughed, nodding her head so fast it began to hurt. Without thinking, she flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly around the waist. He was stiff at first but soon relaxed into the embrace, wrapping his arms around her. 

“You don’t know what this means to me,” she whispered against his chest. She stayed there for a moment, breathing in his honeysuckle and grass scent before pulling back slightly to look up at him. 

It was a big mistake because Charlie’s body was too warm and his face was way too close. She could make out every last freckle on his smooth, pale skin and it took all of her willpower to not let her eyes drop to his mouth. Her whole body shivered, and she held in breath as he smiled down at her, praying he couldn’t feel how fast her heart was racing.

Boundaries.

Dropping her hands back to her sides, she stepped back, her body instantly feeling betrayed from the loss of his warmth and touch. “I just—how can I ever repay you for this?”

“By not telling Hank or Scott you beat me at Quidditch,” he answered easily.

(Y/N) shook with laughter, her tears and sniffles now subsided. “Deal.” He always knew how to make her feel better.

The only problem was that as Charlie urged her toward the Hippogriff, encouraging her to ride him for a bit, (Y/N) realized she wasn’t just crushing on her best friend.

She was falling in love with him and had no idea how to stop it.

Chapter Text

(Y/N) brought her steaming mug of tea to her lips as Charlie sat down beside her on the couch. It had been a couple days since they returned from their time off, and the Sanctuary was busier than ever. They had to split up the past two mornings since Hank and Scott were the ones up to date on how the dragons were doing, and (Y/N) was grateful for the space. Between all the time they’d spent together and Charlie’s Christmas present, she needed to distance herself from her feelings, which was a lot easier to do when the redhead wasn’t around.

“Did Norberta do that?” she asked when Charlie began applying a thin layer of burn-healing paste to his wrist. 

“No, she did great. Aro on the other hand...” He flinched as the orange potion began to work its magic on the small patch of raw skin. “He wasn’t as pleased to see me.”

Setting her mug down on the wooden end table to her right, she screwed the cap back onto the potion for him. That was the sixth burn to happen in one week, and though it wasn’t unheard of for the breed, it wasn’t exactly normal either. “Does Hank have any idea what might be going on with him?”

“Not a clue. They did a physical evaluation yesterday and found nothing.”

“Huh. Well, how about we check on him Monday after Gertie and see if he’s getting any better?” she suggested, placing the potion onto the coffee table in front of them.

Charlie smiled. “Sounds like a plan. How was Ventus?" 

"He did great after about ten minutes or so. I’m pretty sure he was giving me the cold shoulder at first for being gone.”

He chuckled. “Guess I’m not the only one to notice when you’re not around." 

That caught her attention. She tried to steady her breathing by forcing a laugh, confused by Charlie’s eyes on her. Was he saying he missed her? "I’m surprised you aren’t sick of me after being stuck with me for a full week.”

Charlie leaned back into the couch, propping his arm up on a pillow in his lap. “You’re joking, right? That was one of the best holidays I’ve taken in years.”

Not sure what to say, she took a quick drink of her tea again to occupy herself, feeling her cheeks, and now her throat, burn.

“Did you mean what you said to my mum? About it being the best Christmas you’ve ever had?”

She looked down at her lap, surprised Charlie remembered that. “Well, yeah, but don’t go getting a big head on me because that’s not saying much.” She bumped her shoulder against his, but Charlie frowned.

“You don’t have to do that with me you know.”

“Do what?" 

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Use jokes to cover up your feelings.”

She swallowed, realizing it sounded like she was bitter over her family when in reality she just didn’t want Charlie to know how much she enjoyed spending the past week with him and his family. “Uh, sorry. It’s a bit of a habit.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I like how tough you are, but you can talk to me about anything.”

(Y/N) stared at him, blood pounding in her ears. I like how tough you are. She tugged at her sweater sleeves awkwardly. “Okay, then I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous of your incredible family.”

He gave her a soft smile. “I don’t mind sharing. In case you didn’t notice, my parents are pretty accustomed to taking in strays at this point.”

Every nerve ending in her body sparked, making it hard to think properly. Despite the fact that Charlie was talking about his siblings’ significant others, she reminded herself that Harry and Hermione had been Ron’s friends at the start. Friends. Just like she and Charlie were.

She forced another smile, praying the dragon lover couldn’t see the effect his words had on her. “Thanks. I’d like that.”

“The only condition,” he added, narrowing his eyes at her, “is that you can’t repeat any of the stories you hear to Hank or Scott.”

The tension in her stomach released and she burst out laughing. “Aw, come on. Can’t I at least tell them you used to have a hippy ponytail like Bill does now?”

He groaned, shaking his head adamantly. “Absolutely not. And I’m going to tell Bill you said that.”

“I don’t know why you’re embarrassed by it. That picture of you was adorable.” She glanced up at his orangey-red hair, which was still parted to the left like it had been in his Quidditch picture at Hogwarts but was now much shorter in the back. The thick layers up top fell past his ears and always seemed to droop in front of his face in the most adorable way. “You never did tell me why you lopped it all off.”

He ran a hand through the spiky strands up front, pushing them back like he always did even though they rarely stayed put. “I stopped wearing the ponytail once I left Hogwarts, but it actually wasn’t until Bill’s wedding that my mum had a go at it. I figured she had enough going on at the time, the least I could let her do was cut my hair.”

“I take it you liked it short then?”

“No, she cut it really short. I used a spell on it a few days later but compromised by not letting it reach my shoulders.”

The corners of her mouth twitched as she pictured his trademark red hair as long as Bill’s. “Well, if you ever grow it back out, I call dibs on braiding it. I love your hair." 

The look in Charlie’s eyes made her heart stutter. "You do?”

“Of course I do. Who wouldn’t? It’s the most distinguishable thing about you.”

His gaze fell back down to the orange paste on his arm. “In my experience, red hair and freckles have always been considered negative traits.”

“Who the hell told you that? If anything, those are two of the most attractive things about you." 

His head snapped up, and all the blood drained from (Y/N)’s face as she registered what she had just said. It didn’t have to be embarrassing, right? It’s not like she admitted she frequently thought about touching his hair and kissing every last one of those freckles.

"Oh, come on,” she added to be safe, smacking his shoulder with a pillow. “You don’t get to be self conscious. The most sought after woman here was interested in you for crying out loud. That’s gotta be an ego boost.”

Charlie shot her a look he usually reserved for Hank. “I take it you’re referring to Sydney?”

“Of course. Who else would I be referring to?” She considered the other women in their age range at the Sanctuary. Jessica was the only other one their coworkers obsessed over, but they would never admit it. She was Dave’s younger sister and common sense told everyone she was off limits.

“Now look who’s selling themselves short.”

She stared wide-eyed at the redhead before barking a laugh. “You’re kidding, right?” The serious look in his eyes, however, said otherwise, and her amusement faded. “I can assure you literally no one here has hit on me. Sydney probably made it abundantly clear where I stand with them.”

Charlie pursed his lips together, looking as though he had something to add to the conversation.

“What?”

“I don’t think it’s because of Sydney,” he said hesitantly.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m pretty sure the only reason they haven’t chatted you up is because...” He trailed off, looking as though he was hoping she could somehow magically connect the remaining dots.

“Because what?” She genuinely had no clue where he was going with this.

He kept his eyes on her, but (Y/N) could tell he was embarrassed. “Well, based off of comments they’ve made in the past, I think they’re assuming there’s something going on between us.”

“Oh.” The single syllable croaked out of her, her throat suddenly bone dry throat. While she had always worried about Hank and Scott assuming she was pining over the redhead, she hadn’t given a second thought about what the other teams likely presumed about their relationship.

“I’ve tried to tell them otherwise,” Charlie added, “but they listen just about as well as Aro does.”

The expression on his face made it seem as though he’d been teased about their friendship at one point or another. She tried to ignore the nervous pitter-patter of her heart at the thought. “Shit, I’m sorry. Did you want me to say something? I can tell them to piss off.”

“I don’t care what they think, I just thought I should tell you. You know, in case you wanted any of them to ask you out.”

“What? No,” she said automatically, unable to stop the distaste from showing on her face at the idea of anyone at the Sanctuary asking her out. Anyone except...She swallowed, forcing herself back to the present moment. “If anything, I should say thanks. That’s spared me a lot of trouble. But...doesn’t it bother you?”

His brows drew together. “Why would it? You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”

Just like that, it suddenly felt as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. Did he...did he really just say that? 

An indistinguishable shift in tension settled over them as they stared at one another, and (Y/N) realized how easy it would be to make a move. She could practically feel the words pleading to leave her mouth—Charlie, is there something going on between us?

But he stole the opening first. “Besides, they were—”

Boots clomping on her front porch followed by an abrupt knock on the screen door made both Dragonologists jolt in their seats.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Hank said, pushing open the squeaky screen door, “but some woman’s here to see ya, (Y/N).”

She froze, a heavy lead weight crawling its way up her legs, settling itself neatly inside her stomach. “Did she say her name?”

“Nah. She said it’s a surprise? Adorable little thing with blonde hair. Looks to be about your age.”

“Oh my God!” (Y/N) squealed, jumping to her feet. “Charlie, hold that thought—I promise I’ll be right back!”

She flew past Hank, not even bothering to grab a jacket despite the chilly temperatures. Dashing down the porch steps, she squealed again when she spotted the one and only Penny Haywood standing near the entrance gates.

“What are you doing here?” (Y/N) cried, colliding into her friend with the best bear hug she could manage.

Penny giggled, hugging her back just as hard and refusing to let go even for a second. “My family decided to visit relatives in Britain over Christmas break, so I thought I’d surprise you for New Year’s." 

(Y/N) felt a tightness creep into her throat. She couldn’t believe Penny was really here, she had missed her so much. "You scared the hell out of me, you know,” she whispered into the blonde’s ear.

She could hear the dorky grin in Penny’s voice. “Just making sure you’re staying alert. You seemed to be getting quite cozy here in your letters.”

“Alright, alright,” came an unexpected masculine voice behind Penny, and (Y/N)’s mouth dropped open when she glanced up. “I gave you the first two minutes like I promised, but I want my hug now.”

“Barnaby?!”

Penny conceded, releasing (Y/N) from her death grip long enough for her to lunge at the Thunderbird. The six foot tall Magizoologist lifted her off the ground with ease, spinning her around in a full circle and squeezing her as tight as he could without crushing her. “You didn’t think I’d miss out on this epic trip, did you?”

Elated tears pricked her eyes while Barnaby set her gently back on her feet. “I’ve missed you guys so much. How is everyone?”

“We’ll catch you up on everything,” Penny promised before a mischievous glint reflected in her blue eyes. “But first, you have to tell me who’s waiting on your front porch for you.”

She turned to find Charlie leaning against the porch railing. He smiled at her, which only worsened her over-stimulation and brought his earlier statement rushing back into her mind. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. Shit, what had he been about to say to her?

“Merlin’s beard, is (Y/N) (L/N) blushing?” Penny gushed, playfully shoving her shoulder. 

Barnaby howled with laughter. “Awh, come on, don’t tell me this place has made you a softie.”

“Oh, shut it. We're just friends, okay? I’ll only introduce you if you guys promise to behave.”

“Fiine,” Penny huffed, and Barnaby drew an “X” over his chest. 

“Cross my heart.”

(Y/N) bit her lip, secretly excited for Charlie to meet her friends. She hoped he liked them as much as she liked his family. 

When she spotted Dave and Russell gawking from the researcher’s picnic table, however, a wave of jealousy pinched her side. For a ridiculous moment, she was afraid to introduce Penny to Charlie until common sense caught up with her. In fact, as they approached the porch, she noticed his eyes weren’t even on the blonde at all but rather on Barnaby.

“Charlie, this is Penny and Barnaby, two of my best friends from America.”

“It’s great to meet you,” he said, extending a hand to Barnaby, but she noticed a change in his demeanor since they had been talking. Was he mad at her for running out on their conversation? She sure hoped not.

He turned to do the same for Penny, but (Y/N) was mortified when the blonde flung herself forward instead, hugging Charlie without warning. 

“Thank you for looking out for her,” she said, unapologetically squeezing him once before releasing him. (Y/N) was going to kill her later.

Charlie blew out a laugh, his posture rigid as usual from the unexpected physical contact. “This one hardly needs taking care of.”

She smiled at that. He really needed to start being more careful or her head was going to be the size of a hot air balloon by the end of the night.

“Isn’t that the truth,” Penny said, shooting (Y/N) a pointed look. “So what now? We don’t want to butt in if you’re busy.”

“No, we were just hanging out. We’re always done a few hours before nightfall. What do you guys want to do?”

“Can we tour the place at all?” Barnaby asked, the childlike excitement evident in his voice. 

Unsure of the rules, she glanced to Charlie, who checked the watch on his wrist. 

“As long as (Y/N)’s with you and you stay far enough away from each dragon, then sure. Just stick to the paths and be back by dusk.”

Penny beamed, instantly dragging Barnaby towards the winding pathway past Charlie’s house. “C'mon then, what are we waiting for?”

(Y/N) moved to follow them, but when Charlie stayed put, she turned back. “Aren’t you coming?”

His eyebrows raised. “Oh no, it’s cool. Go catch up with your friends.”

She shot him a funny look. Did he really think she was going to ditch him because her old friends showed up? Without questioning the urge, (Y/N) grasped his hand the way Penny had Barnaby’s and tugged his arm. “Then you have to come too.”

His gaze trailed down to where their hands were connected before settling back on (Y/N). Refusing to feel self conscious, she squeezed his hand and urged him forward again, earning herself another half smile as he conceded and followed her down the porch steps.

And the best part? Instead of letting it go, Charlie squeezed her hand right back.

-

Penny and Barnaby stayed at the Sanctuary for the weekend, celebrating the new millennium with (Y/N)’s team and catching up on everything they had missed in each others’ lives. (Y/N) tried her best not to babble too much about the Sanctuary but could hardly help it as story after story came rushing to her head. She got to hear all about Penny’s teaching position and Barnaby’s new pets back home. They told her how Rowan and Jae were doing, and at night (Y/N) was able to confide in Penny about her confusing feelings for the redhead. It was so amazing to have them there that it went by in a blur, and as she anticipated, saying goodbye became one of the hardest tasks in the world. 

But the one thing that made the inevitable easier to stomach was Charlie, who was waiting for her with two brooms in hand as soon Penny and Barnaby left on Sunday morning.

“Figured you could use a ride right now,” he said, extending one of the Nimbus 2008s to her. 

She beamed at him, refusing to acknowledge the lump in her throat while she mounted the broom. What would she do without him? 

He led the way to the Thestrals, surprising (Y/N) again with just how well he knew her. The comfort of the creatures combined with Charlie’s company meant more to her than she could put into words. 

“You okay?” he asked, keeping his eyes on her as they sat next to each other on a large rock near the pond. The concern in his voice brought (Y/N) back to that bench at the Burrow when he said he was worried she’d want to return to the States.

“Yeah. I still have the dragons and you, don’t I?” She nudged him, wanting him to know she would be alright. Even in America, (Y/N) jumped around so much she became accustomed to not seeing her friends for months at a time. Her sadness from today would dissolve soon enough and Charlie was undoubtedly expediting that process.

He grinned at her, his freckled face pink in the afternoon sunlight. “Definitely.”

“So my crazy friends didn’t scare you away then?”

Laughing softly, he shook his head. “No, they were cool. I’m glad I got to meet them.”

“Me too. Even if they are humiliating sometimes...” She shuddered, recalling when Penny revealed she spent most of their third year in the library reading about dragons.

“Just consider the playing field a little bit more even now. More incentive for you to not tell Hank or Scott any of my stories.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She studied the resting Thestral in front of her and replayed the weekend events in her head a few times. “I would say it went pretty well though.”

“Aside from Logan hitting on both of them. He’s ridiculous.”

(Y/N) laughed. The thirty year old research team member was the most flirtatious wizard she had ever met. “Honestly, I considered it a win that he was the only one. Those two always get hit on, especially Penny." 

Charlie didn’t say anything in response, so she added, "It’s okay, you know. You can admit she’s hot, it’s no secret.”

Their gazes met and the guileless look in his eyes told her he wasn’t holding back anything. “Yeah, I mean she’s pretty I guess.”

She stared at him, stupefied by his disinterest. In the fifteen years she had known the Pukwudgie, nearly everyone was a little stunned by her beauty. “Okay, was your girlfriend at Hogwarts some sort of rare godless-like creature or am I missing something?”

Charlie looked back toward the Thestral and (Y/N) had the sudden fear she made the dragon lover uncomfortable. Just as she was about to apologize and tell him to forget it, he said, “She was nice.”

(Y/N) held her breath, waiting—or at least hoping—for him to continue. That couldn’t have been the only quality he liked about her. Sydney may have walked a tight line on that one, but Penny and Fleur were nice too.

“And we were friends.” He sighed, rubbing the stubble across his jawline. “I don’t expect you to understand because no one seems to, but I’m only ever attracted to someone after I know them. After we’re friends." 

(Y/N) prayed he couldn’t hear the nervous hammering of her heart. They were friends. Did that mean that she could actually have a chance with him?

She shook her mind of the thought, scolding herself for being so selfish. Scooting closer to the dragon lover, she leaned against him, placing a comforting hand on his forearm. "Hey, what’s wrong with that?”

He glanced down at her, his eyes searching hers for something. “I don’t know. People have given me grief about it since I was a teenager. They just don’t get it." 

She frowned, not sure if she was more upset on his behalf or angry with those people. "I would’ve never made that comment if I’d known. I’d never make fun of or judge you for anything like that. Those people are assholes.”

A grateful smile tugged at the redhead’s lips. “Thanks.”

Their eyes met again, and for a ridiculous, utterly delusional moment, she thought she felt another shift in tension between them. Did he just lean in closer?

She was clearly losing her wits because Charlie merely turned to face the Thestrals again, saying, “So what about you?”

She swallowed, attempting to calm her rampant pulse. “Huh?” No wonder they called it lovesick. The way this man fried her brain cells was sickening.

“You’ve heard all about my lack-luster love life, and yet I’ve heard nothing about yours. Surely, you left some bloke heartbroken back across the pond?”

Less than pleasant memories resurfaced in (Y/N)’s mind, causing an angst-riddled scoff to escape her lips. “Hardly,” she muttered, the flashbacks leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

Charlie waited patiently, clearly expecting further explanation, and her heart sank as she was forced to confront one of the many aspects about her past that she would prefer to forget.

She couldn’t blame her ex’s. (Y/N) had more baggage than most their age—baggage that had to be kept under wraps and constantly required her to move from place to place. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt when people you cared for called you selfish and a liar. Or when they betrayed you.

“My first relationship was great,” she began, wanting him to know not all of her experiences had been shitty. “He was insanely sweet and was in the same Ilvermorny house as me, so we had a lot in common. But after my brother died, I needed space and he understood.” She tried not to fidget, grateful the cool air kept her hands from sweating. “We never could rekindle what we once had, so I moved on to a new state and new career.”

“And after that?” He wasn’t stupid. He knew she was stalling.

She sighed, drawing her knees against her chest. “Let’s just say I learned early on that it’s better not to get involved with people until you’re ready to settle down." 

Charlie seemed to consider this. "I take it someone didn’t like it when you switched jobs again?”

She shook her head. “I asked him to come with me, but he didn’t want to.” She shuddered, still able to feel the slap of rejection after all this time. “I’d never had someone be so angry with me before and it’s not really something I ever want to experience again.” Her head began to ache because the memories were only an earth-shattering reminder of why she and Charlie would never work. Of why she should never trust anyone but her four Ilvermorny friends with her secrets ever again.

Charlie tensed beside her, the muscles in his jaw flexing. “I’d ask if he hurt you, but I have no doubt the damage you’ve done if he tried." 

A welcomed grin tugged at her lips. She and Charlie had dueled each other loads of times, most of which ended with Charlie on the ground first. "You betcha.”

“Sorry for bringing it up if you didn’t want to talk about it.”

“No, it’s okay.” It was only fair, considering what he told her. “It’s probably healthier to talk about it.”

“Have you dated anyone since?”

She shook her head. “A couple flings here and there, but he stabbed me in the back pretty good. Haven’t really been able to trust anyone enough." 

"No one at all?" 

Holding her breath, she glanced up at Charlie. Was he asking if she trusted him?

As her heart rate increased, he added hesitantly, "What about Barnaby?”

A mixture of disappointment and bewilderment bubbled in her stomach. “What?” Her shoulders shook with laughter, and she cringed at the mere thought. “No. Merlin no.” She continued laughing until she saw tension release from Charlie’s shoulders and remembered his expression when he met the Thunderbird.

Wait, was he...

“I just thought you two seemed close,” he said with a shrug.

(Y/N) studied him closely. “I trust that guy with my life, but not like that. He’s like my brother." 

Charlie remained quiet, and a realization struck her. While she may have had several intimate bonds with a handful of friends, Charlie really only seemed to have his brother, who was now married, and her. Jealousy could exist in platonic forms, not just romantic.

"Charles Weasley,” she began, a slow grin spreading across her face. “Are you jealous of my friendship with Barnaby?”

Color flooded the redhead’s cheeks faster than she could say gotcha. “What? No, of course not." 

"Merlin’s beard, you so are!” She couldn’t stop herself from poking his side, and he swatted her hand away. 

“Sod off,” he said, standing up to avoid her teasing. She hurried after him towards their brooms.

“Oh, come on. There’s no need to fight over me. I can have more than one best guy friend, you know.”

Charlie swiveled back around so unexpectedly, she had to reel back to stop herself from colliding into his chest. He stared down at her, his mesmerizing eyes piercing right through her, but a roar in the distance caught their attention before he could speak.

Her face lit up at the familiar sound. “Want to go check on Aro?”

Charlie paused, the teasing seemingly forgotten as his eyebrows raised. “You want to go check on him? On our day off?”

“Sure, why not?” She was surprised he was even questioning her. He was always down to visit the dragons.

Amusement reflected in his eyes. He stared at her for so long, she wanted to look away, but she didn’t. 

“Sure,” he said finally, flashing a grin. “Race you.”

-

To say Aro was more irritable than usual was an understatement. The Hungarian Horntail would barely let them stand a hundred feet away, let alone the standard fifty. The pair had to use the surrounding trees and boulders to sneak closer, keeping their motions limited and voices low.

“When exactly did he burn you?” (Y/N) asked, crouching behind a thick, leafless oak tree.

Charlie thought for a moment. “Actually, it was after I fed him, which I found odd. He’s usually one of the easiest to manipulate with food, but he almost seemed worse right after he ate.”

She considered this. While a physical exam wouldn’t diagnose gastrointestinal issues, there was no way the food would have made it to the digestive tract that quickly. “No vomiting?”

“Nope. Felix thinks they’re going to have to take a blood sample tomorrow unless they find out what’s wrong.”

Her heart sank. Withdrawing dragon’s blood was no easy task. Their thick skin was hard to penetrate even with the use of magic, and it was usually a painful, traumatic experience for the creature. “No. We’ll figure out what’s wrong with him.”

One of Charlie’s heart stopping smiles made an appearance, releasing a hoard of butterflies in her chest. “What’s the plan then?”

She peered around the tree, glancing at the dragon perched on the solid ground. His posture was tense and tail rigid, indicating he was either alert or in constant pain. Since there were no alarming sounds or threats nearby, she assumed it had to be the ladder, but what could be hurting him that wouldn’t show up in a physical?

“Charlie, do you think you could get him to open his mouth?” she asked suddenly.

The redhead chuckled. “I don’t think that will be a problem.”

She smiled apologetically. “Preferably without it being followed by fire though.”

“Alright, that might be a tad bit more difficult.” He reached for a Snitch-sized rock on the ground before standing and moving behind the next tree in line. “Mind telling me what we’re looking for first?”

“The mouth is the only external part not checked in a physical.”

Charlie quirked an eyebrow. “You think he’s being this mean over a toothache?”

“He could’ve cut his tongue or have an infection,” she whispered, hurrying past Charlie to duck behind a nearby boulder. She was no longer thankful for the surprisingly warm January day; snow would have been a welcomed distraction for what she was about to do. “I’m gonna get as close as I can to see while you try to distract him.”

Charlie nodded hesitantly. “You sure you don’t want to wait until tomorrow? I’d say the probability of getting burned is pretty high.”

Despite knowing the odds were likely not in her favor, they could keep looking for answers if they were wrong today. If they were wrong tomorrow, Felix would probably move forward with the blood withdrawal. “I’m willing to get a little banged up for Aro’s sake.”

He still didn’t seem as convinced. “Why don’t you let me get close to him while you distract him?”

“Because you don’t know what different injuries to look out for. How many dragons here have had gum infections or tongue abrasions?”

“Okay, fair point.”

She smiled at him, hating the way her heart warmed at his obvious concern. “I’ll be fine as long as you promise to apply the burn-healing paste for me.”

The worry instantly left Charlie’s face. “Deal.”

She ignored the butterflies in her stomach, along with the thought that maybe the burn that was likely to follow wouldn’t be so bad. “Now throw the rock while I try to get a good view of his mouth.”

Charlie obliged while she army crawled forward, staying low to the ground and wiggling her body as little as possible. When the rock hit the ground, Aro’s head lifted in response, body seemingly frozen as those intense eyes darted around the clearing. (Y/N) froze, hoping she was far enough to the dragon’s right that he would miss her. Thankfully, Charlie sent another rock past Aro this time, causing the dragon’s head to jerk in the opposite direction. He growled at the pebble, displaying the right side of his mouth. No black teeth, purple gums, or bleeding there. 

She glanced back at Charlie, motioning for him to toss the next rock up into the air. He did one better by withdrawing his wand and using the levitation spell on the rock. Aro’s followed the rock as it climbed through the air, giving (Y/N) the perfect opportunity to center herself with the dragon. His growl was a low grumble, clearly more intrigued by the rock than threatened, but his mouth was just wide enough for her to spot the blood oozing from his top left canine. It was no wonder the team didn’t notice it- most would assume the blood was from the raw meat he was being fed.

Realizing Aro was losing interest in the rock, she scrambled to her feet, retreating to the nearest tree. He howled in anger when she made a break for it, but the Hungarian Horntail surprised her. Instead of letting out an angry burst of flames like she was anticipating to dodge, Aro whipped his tail from out behind him, nailing her right between the shoulder blades.

She stumbled forward from the blow, letting out a gasp as the spikes punctured her skin. She caught herself from face planting on the rock solid ground and instinctively tried to push herself up until agonizing pain unfurled inside her, forcing her arms to give out. She tried to crawl forward, just barely registering Charlie distracting Aro in the background. Thank God for that.

Once she reached a large enough rock, she used her abs instead of her arms to pull herself up and leaned against the chilled stone for support as she made her way back to her feet.

“What hurts?” Charlie asked once he reached her, his voice gentle as always. He had always been the best at staying calm under pressure.

“Upper back,” she gritted, digging her fingernails into the palm of her hand. She couldn’t stop herself from slumping against him as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her away from the rock, carefully trying to avoid the injury.

“Madam Rosetta’s is at least a ten minute walk from here. Can you make it?”

She shook her head, but not for the reason Charlie was thinking of. Despite the stinging pain, she could force herself to make it just about anywhere but thankfully she was cognizant enough to know better.

“Do you want me to carry you there?”

Burying her face into that forest green shirt he was wearing seemed like one of the most appealing options in the world, but she willed herself to shake her head again while her body and subconscious called her a traitor. “Just help me get the nearest emergency shed first.”

Even though the pain was isolated to her back, each step felt worse than the last as her adrenaline wore off. Once they reached one of the dozens of sheds scattered throughout the Sanctuary, she rested a palm against the dark wood for support while Charlie held the door open for her.

Blinking through the black and white dots clouding her vision, she eased her way into the cramped shed, stumbling toward the oak table against the left wall and letting out a hiss of pain while she leaned back against it. “Son of a bitch.”

As the shed door banged shut behind Charlie, she squeezed her eyes shut and eased herself up onto the wooden table, gripping the ledge on either side of her. She was probably going to bruise her palms from how tightly she was holding on, but she didn’t care. She’d do anything to find relief from the searing pain emanating from the space between her shoulder blades.

Two creaks of the floorboards and a sudden nearby warmth told her her Charlie was now beside her, undoubtedly surveying the damage.

“We’ve got to get you to Madam Rosetta.”

His voice seemed to be about the only thing that could bring her any relief. Smooth as honey and concern for her threaded into each syllable. But there was no way she could do that. The Sanctuary had rules when it came to serious injuries. Rules that required documentation and professional review—more written proof of her being here.

She shook her head again, releasing a slow, calming breath before she blinked her eyes open. She was wrong—her best friend’s freckled face brought her an ounce of relief too.

“I just your need help,” she insisted as calmly as she could while brushing hair away from the nape of her neck. A light smear against her fingertips indicated just how deep the wound was and Charlie let out a hiss of breath.

“Bloody hell.”

She attempted a pathetic smile while she wiped away the faint trace of blood smudged across her fingers with the sleeve of her sweater. “Quite a literal choice of words there, don’t you think?”

Charlie didn’t laugh. His eyes were laser focused on her back, and embarrassment settled over her when she realized she needed to take her shirt off.

“What are you doing?” he asked, more alarmed than she’d ever heard him before as she fumbled behind herself to grip the back of the sweater. 

With a wince and a frustrated sigh, she lowered her hands back to her sides. “Can you help me lift the back of my shirt over my head?”

Considering this was the man who flinched at hugs and flushed at cheek kisses, she waited for him to protest, but it never came. To her surprise, Charlie moved without being told twice, carefully sliding the hem of her gray sweater up and stretching out the collar to guide it seamlessly over her head. 

(Y/N)’s shirt now rested in front of her, giving her a view of the slashed and blood soaked material. Despite how off putting the sight of her own blood was, she kept her arms in the sleeves, thankful the bunched up fabric managed to cover up most of her cleavage and black lace underneath. Why couldn’t she have worn a sports bra today instead?

“It’s over a centimeter deep,” Charlie said, averting his eyes from the wound. The raspy falter in his voice made her wonder if it was the severity of the injury or the fact that she was practically shirtless that left him so unnerved. They were best friends right? This was no different than him seeing her in a bikini top.

(Y/N) slowly straightened her slumped shoulders, forcing away all visible signs of insecurity for Charlie’s sake. Anything to make him feel less uncomfortable. “Can you speak American for two seconds? My brain is a little too overwhelmed to handle the metric system right now.”

For the first time since they had stepped foot inside the shed, he gave a weak smile, holding his thumb and index finger up to show her.

“Okay, about half an inch. Thank you.” She attempted to pull her hair free from the neckline of the sweater but stopped abruptly as the abrasion moved with her shoulder blade. She let out a second grunt of irritation and pain, hating nothing more than the temporary loss of her independence. Just as she was about to try again, her breath caught as Charlie’s fingers grazed her neck, freeing the trapped strands and brushing them over one shoulder.

“What do I do?” The look in his eyes was urgent, and her heart squeezed in response. He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t tell her she was an idiot for not going to the nurse. He just wanted to help her.

Managing a grateful smile, she pointed to the top shelf on the back wall. “Grab one of the purple bottles on the right.” Staring down at her sweater, her head pounded argumentatively while she racked her brain for the blood cleaning spell. It started with a T and was right on the tip of her tongue. “Ugh.” She roughly rubbed a hand over her face, wanting the throbbing sensation in her back to stop for just one second.

“What?” Charlie asked, instantly stepping back in front of her and setting the potion bottle onto the table beside her thigh.

She turned away from him as a frustrated flush reached her cheeks. Two of the traits she prided herself most on were her intelligence and independence, both of which were failing her right now. “I can’t remember the stupid spell to clear all this blood up. I was a Healer for an entire year and I can’t remember the damn spell.”

“Hey.” Without warning, he gripped her chin, gently forcing her to look at him. The touch was quick, but the striking contrast to her scorched skin made her head spin. “Your body is beat up enough. We don’t need you taking swings at it too, okay?”

She nodded, still slightly dazed from the feeling of his hand against her skin. “Okay.”

Satisfied, he grabbed a stack of towels from the shelf and set them beside the potion bottle. “This is going to hurt,” he warned, tugging on a fresh pair of work gloves, “but I’ll try to put as little pressure as possible.”

She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut again as Charlie picked up one of the towels and began blotting away the excess blood from around the wound. She calmed herself by breathing in through her nose and exhaling through her mouth while counting to ten, the technique she used to encourage her former patients to use.

“What now?” Charlie asked, setting the blood stained towel off to the side.

(Y/N) twisted the cap off of the potion and poured a generous amount of the purple liquid onto a fresh towel before handing it to Charlie. Leaning forward so her back was more accessible, she said, “This will clean it and prevent infection. Just dab it until it starts to smoke.”

“I’m sorry,” Charlie muttered when she sucked in a sharp breath as the wet towel touched her skin.

She knew the potion stung and had anticipated the pain, but it was even worse than the burn-healing paste. She bit her lip hard and was relieved when the antiseptic started to settle into the wound, alleviating some of the discomfort. 

Charlie’s forehead creased with concern after he set aside second towel and gloves. “It’s smoking, but it’s still bleeding.”

“It’s okay. Do you remember the third healing spell I taught you?“

Nodding, he withdrew his wand but hesitated. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather Madam Rosetta do it? We’ve only practiced that one a handful of times.”

“Now who’s beating themselves up? You also mended Gertie’s broken claw last month on your first try and bandaged Scott’s leg two weeks ago like a pro.” 

“But none of those were this bad.” He glanced down at the infliction for a minute before their eyes met again, his voice barely audible. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

She couldn’t help but smile at him. “You won’t, you’ll help me. We’re best friends, right? I trust you.” 

Something sparked in his eyes at those words, and after a minute, he nodded. “Vulnera Sanentur, right?” The melodic phrase fell from his lips with the perfect inflection on each syllable.

She nodded and leaned forward again. “Just like that, three times.”

He did exactly as he was taught, tracing his wand back and forth and performing the spell with so much elegance, she was too distracted to notice the poking of his wand or the sickly feeling of her broken skin knitting back together. When the words stopped, it felt as though someone had used a Time Turner, reverting back before Aro had ever scratched her.

“Merlin’s beard,” Charlie breathed, his voice full of wonder and pride while (Y/N) exhaled in relief. She knew what he was feeling—Vulnera Sanentur was one of those spells that had the ability to take your breath away when you saw it work. Without warning, he set his wand down and traced his fingers across her upper back, making her head and heart go haywire. She sucked in a shaky breath and Charlie paused, looking alarmed. “Does it still hurt?” 

Mortified, she shook her head and hopped off the table. “Are you kidding? You did it perfectly!” She wanted to hug him but stopped herself once she registered her current sweater situation, which only led to a second wave of embarrassment. He probably wouldn’t appreciate (Y/N) pressing her blood covered shirt or her bra-clad chest against him. Studying the material, she realized she still couldn’t recall the blood cleaning charm and wondered what the hell was wrong with her. 

Her attention returned to the redhead when she heard rustling, only to find Charlie now in a white undershirt, extending his long sleeve shirt toward her. For a moment, she just stared at the green fabric in his hand while her heart continued to have a mind of its own. He was offering her his shirt. It took several seconds for that realization to sink in, and she wasn’t sure which outcome was worse—having to put her mangled, bloody sweater back on or Charlie continuing to stand there in his nearly see-through T-shirt that clung to his body like static. Neither were great options. 

“You don’t have to,” she began, but he pushed the cotton material into her hand.

“Take it. I don’t want you to start freaking out about that spell again.”

She was hardly about to put up a fight after what he had just done for her, so she did. As soon as she began to slip her arms free from her sweater, he rotated around towards the table, liquefying her insides. He was so damn sweet she couldn’t take it.

Every last nerve ending in her body jolted to attention when she pulled the fresh material over her head and a wave of Charlie’s scent hit her. It took all of her self control to not bunch the material up against her nose and breath in that overwhelmingly pleasant honeysuckle and grass smell. "Thanks,” she muttered, letting him know it was safe to look once the hem of the shirt fell past her hips. He was only three or four inches taller than her, but the shirt was easily two sizes too big because of his broad chest and defined arms.

She tossed her sweater onto the table and was surprised to find Charlie staring at her. His eyes held an intensity she had never seen before and she started to feel claustrophobic in the tiny shed. Why was he looking at her like that? She attempted to take a step back, but the heel of her boot clacked against the wood panel wall behind her. His gaze somehow managed to feel more invasive now than when she was standing beside him in her bra just moments ago.

(Y/N) was about to ask what he was staring at, but she didn’t have a chance to speak. Without warning, he closed the distance between them, his hand suddenly cupping her cheek, his body pushing her back against the wall, and before she knew what was happening, he was kissing her. 

Butterflies erupted in her stomach and her brain short circuited as his mouth met hers. Her palms landed on his chest while his free hand gripped her waist, and she was frozen in place. The only move her instincts allowed her to make was to close her eyes and kiss him back.

She imagined kissing the redhead more times than she’d ever admit, but this was nothing like those fantasies. She had always assumed he would be sweet and gentle, maybe even shy. Boy was she wrong. 

Her heart pounded like a Bludger trapped inside her chest as Charlie’s body pressed against hers. His calloused fingers dug into her hip, keeping her firmly in place while he angled her neck, kissing her deeper. She sucked in a breath, goosebumps spreading as he licked his way into her mouth. She involuntarily curled her fingers into his shirt to tug him closer, unable to believe how good this man’s mouth felt on hers. Every inch of her body was on fire. She never wanted him to stop. She wanted to do this all the time.

But unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end. She wasn’t sure if it had been a few seconds, minutes or hours when he finally jerked back. Both of them just stared at one another for a minute, wide eyed and breathless. His heavily freckled cheeks burned a deep shade of red she had never seen on him before.

“Bloody hell,” he whispered. She could tell by the panicked look growing in his eyes that he was about to freak out. He took a step back and closed his eyes, roughly rubbing one of his palms over his forehead.

(Y/N) just blinked at him, her chest still heaving as she tried to circulate more oxygen to her brain. Anything to help the gears in her head start moving again. In that moment, she wanted to be bold. She wanted to pull Charlie back against her and tell him to do it again. She wished more than ever that she hadn’t accepted his shirt so there would have been something more substantial to cling to, forcing him to stay close for as long as she wanted. But instead, there she stood, dumbfounded, confused and unable to form a single damn sentence. Her chin still tingled where his stubble had scratched her, which somehow managed to be both the best and worst feeling all at the same time. 

“Chaaarlie,” a muffled voice called from outside, breaking their staring contest. 

Hank. Of bloody course.

The wizard in question looked downright tormented as his gaze flicked between her and the shed door. His brain seemed to be every bit as rattled as her own.

“Go ahead,” she encouraged with a weak smile, reaching for her sweater on the table. “I’m good.” She was referring to her back but hoped it passed for both the injury and the...the word kiss lit up in neon inside her head. Holy shit. Charlie Weasley had seriously just kissed her.

He hesitated, frowning slightly. “You sure?" 

She wasn’t sure what to make of his expression and still couldn’t think properly, so she nodded. The last thing she needed was to have a mental breakdown in front of him while overthinking what the hell just happened. "Yeah, of course. Let’s go see what he wants." 

-

"There you are,” Hank said, jogging down the path as soon as Charlie emerged from the shack. “Everything okay?” His greying eyebrows ratcheted up as (Y/N) leaned against the door frame. Her face flamed once she realized all the dirty scenarios undoubtedly running through the forty-three year old’s mind. She was wearing Charlie’s shirt for heaven’s sake.

“All good,” she said, quickly folding her sweater over her arm so the deep red patch faced Hank.

His cocky smile vanished immediately. “Merlin’s beard, you sure? What the hell happened?”

Charlie and (Y/N)’s gaze met briefly before they both looked away. 

“We found out what’s wrong with Aro,” she answered, hoping to lead the conversation to the safest territory she knew—dragons.

Hank sighed, shaking his head. “Seriously? You guys can’t even take the weekend off?” When neither of them responded, his forehead creased. “Is that all? You two look like you’ve seen a dementor.”

The anxious look in Charlie’s eyes made her chest ache. Did he really think she was going to tell Hank right then and there that he had kissed her?

“Just shaken up.” A lump bobbed in her throat. “I was expecting fire, not his tail. Charlie was great though and healed it for me. It hurt too much for me to make it down to Madam Rosetta.” Her stomach twisted at the lie. Why did her life have to be this way?

Hank nudged Charlie in the shoulder with his knuckles as they turned back toward the village. “Good on ya, Weasley. Why don’t we go grab a Butterbeer? To two look like you could use a good drink right about now while ya tell me about Aro. I’m sure Felix will be thrilled.”

Food and drinks were the last thing on (Y/N)’s mind, but she went along with it. They told Hank about the Horntail’s infected tooth, and she managed to stomach half of a Butterbeer before the tension in the room was too much for her to handle.

“Where ya goin’?” Hank asked when she stood up from their picnic table.

“I’m gonna go get cleaned up and fix my sweater,” she said, taking a step back and jabbing her thumb towards her place. To her surprise, Charlie looked more startled than relieved.

“Do you want any help?" 

Her head started spinning again as she tried to decipher what that meant. Was that code for let’s sneak off and kiss again? Or for wanting to tell her to never mention what happened ever again? 

"Nope, I’ve got it,” she reassured a bit too forcefully.

The concern in his eyes made it seem like that wasn’t the answer he was hoping for, and that just made everything that much more confusing. She needed a moment alone to think. Her brain was about ready to explode.

“Just let us know if you need anything,” Hank said, raising his glass to her.

Backing up towards her front porch, she forced one last smile and waved. “Yep. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”

She felt Charlie’s eyes on her until the door closed behind her. Leaning back against the wood, she slid down to the floor and began racking her brain, finally letting panic sink in.

Why had he kissed her? Was it some sort of response to her being hurt? Was it something she said? Most importantly, why did he look so regretful after he had done it? 

Maybe he hadn’t enjoyed it. Maybe he thought he might feel something and didn’t, and now he didn’t know what to say. 

The kick to her gut was quickly remedied by the inappropriate reminder that at least one part of him had enjoyed the kiss. Goosebumps broke out across her skin at the vivid memory. While she tried to force away thoughts of his body flush against hers, a lightbulb flicked on. The look in his eyes and the unanticipated hunger behind the kiss. He was only ever attracted to someone after they were friends, and she had been practically shirtless while they were crammed in a small space together. How could she be so oblivious? It was probably a purely hormonal response and now he was mortified. But (Y/N) couldn’t blame him...eight years was a long time. She just wished that realization didn’t make her heart so heavy.

Forcing herself to breathe, she told herself she was being ridiculous. Whatever the reason, it wasn’t a big deal. It was just a kiss. Sure, it may have been a mind-numbing explosion of one for her, but she could put it behind her. A relationship was the last thing she needed to worry about anyway. It was too dangerous. She barely could afford to make friends, let alone date someone. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt or into trouble because of her.

-

Charlie continued sitting across from Hank, barely able to take his eyes off (Y/N)’s door as the minutes ticked past. He was completely conflicted between staying glued to the picnic table all night and pounding on her door until she opened it.

“You two have been acting weird ever since you got back,” Hank said, setting his Butterbeer down onto the table. “Everything okay?”

He shook his head, drumming his fingers nervously on the table. “No, I’m an idiot.”

“Oh, Lord. What’d ya do now?”

“I kissed her.”

Hank straightened so abruptly he knocked his Butterbeer over, but the man hardly seemed to care. “You what?”

Sighing, he dropped his head into his hand and rubbed his throbbing temples. “I bloody kissed her.”

“What the hell are you groaning about?” Hank boomed, slapping a hand against the table. “This is the best news I’ve heard all month!”

“No, it’s not. The walk back here was awkward as hell because we were interrupted before we had the chance to talk.” Charlie shot his buddy a look, but Hank hardly looked apologetic.

“You could have told me to piss off.”

“And say what? We’re busy in here, come back later? I’m sure your reaction to that would have been real appropriate.”

Hank rubbed his stubble to hide is grin, not even attempting to correct him. “Well, did she kiss you back?”

Charlie averted his eyes, hating how easy it was to recall (Y/N)’s mouth on his—the way her hands gripped his shirt, the muffled gasp she made into his mouth. He had never been kissed like that before, and he wanted to do it over and over again. He blew out a breath, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. He had more self control as a bloody teenager. “That’s not the point.”

Hank grinned the biggest toothy smile that Charlie had ever seen. “That’s one hundred and ten percent the point. I know she’s into you—even if you are a total wanker." 

"She didn’t say anything after.” Or try to do it again, his subconscious added unhelpfully. “For all I know, she could’ve felt cornered.”

Hank barked a laugh. “You’re kidding, right? That wild thing could'a kicked your ass if she wanted to.”

Deep down, he knew that was true, but he also knew that (Y/N) had a soft spot and just might not have wanted to hurt his feelings. Her quick dismissal of him offering to help reverberated in his head. “What if I’ve screwed everything up?”

“Here’s a crazy idea, if you’re so damn worried about it, why don’t you try talking to her instead of me?”

Charlie narrowed his eyes at Hank despite knowing the forty-three year old was right. With a sigh, he forced himself off the bench, slowly making his way to (Y/N)’s porch and praying he didn’t mess up their friendship.

-

A knock on (Y/N)’s door made her freeze at the kitchen sink. After scouring through her books for that stupid spell, she managed to fix her sweater and was now rinsing out her tea mug. Her heart thumped nervously and she cleared her throat. “Come in." 

She fumbled with the mug as the door creaked open, wondering what the odds of it being Hank or Scott were. Or Felix or Dave. Hell, she’d probably even take Sydney right now. Setting the cup in the sink, she turned around and her stomach plummeted. They apparently weren’t good enough.

"Hey,” Charlie said, shutting the door quietly. He could hardly look at her. His eyes flicked around the room, just barely jumping up to meet hers, and he hadn’t moved past the first chair at the dining room table. He looked more uncomfortable than she had ever seen and her heart cracked open in response. She didn’t want him to feel that way. 

“Hey, what’s up?” she asked with a smile, picking up a dish towel to dry off her hands. She could ignore the elephant in the room.

Charlie hesitated for a moment, but her tone must have resonated with him on some level because his stiff posture eased and he stepped a fraction closer. “Uh, are we—I mean are you...okay?”

She could see the concern in his eyes, and her heart skipped a beat in response. Even though he was clearly uncomfortable and embarrassed, he was asking if she was okay. How could she not be head over heels for him? 

“Yeah, of course,” she answered, taking the time to fold the towel and set it neatly on the counter before turning back to face him. She hoped her casual tone said, Why wouldn’t I be?

He ran a hand through his hair, pushing the soft red strands away from his face, and a horrible thought entered her brain before she could stop it. Why hadn’t I done that? 

The thought of sinking her fingers into Charlie’s hair as they kissed left her face flaming with embarrassment. Averting her eyes only made the situation worse, however, because she realized she was still wearing his shirt. She had changed into leggings in place of her jeans but didn’t take off his damn shirt. He was going to think she was mental. 

He took another step forward, now leaving only two dining chairs left between them. “Look, about earlier..." 

"You don’t have to do this,” she interrupted, glancing at him again. “It really isn’t a big deal. We can pretend it never happened if that’s what you want." 

Charlie stared at her for a long moment. She watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. "What if I don’t want that?”

Chills scattered down her spine and she gripped the chair in front of her for support. She couldn’t have heard him right. This was the off-limits dragon lover that had been single for years. She must’ve misheard him. “What?” Her voice was as unstable as her legs were. 

“Look, I know I’m not good at this,” he began, rubbing the back of his neck. “In fact, I’m probably just about as rubbish as you can get. But I fancy you, (Y/N). A lot.”

Her lips parted and the wild pulse in her throat was nearly all she could concentrate on. She tried to speak, but his words made her head spin and mouth dry up. Ginny was right? He liked her too?

His face was beat red now as he took one final step forward. “And I was wondering if...if we could be more than just friends.”

She tried to calm the rampant beat of her heart. It wasn’t until Charlie cleared his throat that she realized how long she had merely been staring at him, jaw dropped and eyes wide.

Sighing, he looked down at the floorboards beneath his feet, his expression turning stony. “But I completely understand if you don’t think of me in that way. Or if my...lack of dating experience is—”

(Y/N) surged forward before he had a chance to finish that ridiculous sentence, wrapping her hands behind his neck and crashing her mouth against his. He stumbled a little to catch his balance, letting out a raspy breath before his arm slid around her waist and he kissed her back, sending her heart free-falling. He pulled her close and she tangled her fingers into his hair like she wanted to earlier, feeling like her whole world was complete. 

Their fevered kisses eventually faded down to delicate. When they slowly pulled back for air, she could feel Charlie’s warm, ragged breath on her lips. “Is that a yes?”

Reality shook the ground beneath her like an earthquake as her promise to Ginny echoed inside her mind. Easing down from her tiptoes, she rubbed her face, feeling the overwhelming bliss diminishing inside her. “Shit. I don’t know." 

"What’s wrong?” he asked, his intense gaze searching hers. “Is it the team? I’ll make sure Hank keeps his mouth shut if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“It’s not that. I just—I don’t think it would be fair to you.” The words cut her to the core. Life had never been this cruel to her.

Charlie didn’t look angry or annoyed—he looked concerned. “Why not?”

She turned away from his gorgeous face, ashamed, heartbroken and angry. “Charlie...there are things you don’t know about me. Things you can’t know.”

“Does this have to do with why you’ve moved around so much?”

She nodded, biting down on her lower lip.

“Why can’t you tell me?”

Despite her trust issues, a part of her knew that wasn’t it. As much as she tried to fight it, as much as her past experiences told her not to, she really did trust Charlie every bit as much as Penny, Barnaby, Rowan and Jae. “It’s too dangerous.”

The corner of his mouth twitched the slightest bit. “More dangerous than being a Dragonologist?”

She nodded, trying to convince herself more so than him. She knew him too well to think danger would scare him away.

He was now in front of her, the tips of their boots nearly touching. “What if I care about you more than my safety?”

Her nerve endings crackled like static, and it took every ounce of her self control not to touch him. “I refuse to put you or your family at risk. I just can’t.” Her lip trembled at the mere thought. She couldn’t handle being responsible for anyone getting in trouble because of her. “Your dad works for the Ministry, for Merlin’s sake. He could lose his job.”

“Did you do something bad?”

Her heart cracked. “People think I did,” she whispered.

“But did you?”

She shook her head, blinking away the tears gathering in her eyes. She hoped to Merlin that he believed her. She didn’t know what she would do if he didn’t.

He nodded slowly. "I think I’m starting to piece together the whole Sirius Black obsession now.”

That made her laugh—a pathetic, hollow laugh that caught in the back of her throat. “Pretty stupid, right? It’s not like that story has even a remotely good ending.” She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to suppress all the conflicting emotions she felt. “Don’t you get it? There’s no happy ending for me. There’s no case for my innocence, I’m just a fugitive to catch. They may come after me again, and if you know what happened, they’ll say you were involved in it. I can’t have that on my conscious.”

"There’s one thing you’re not accounting for,” he said, leaning his face closer to hers.

She glanced up at him, her voice still overruled by defeat. “Oh yeah, and what’s that?”

He smiled, clearly accepting the challenge. “You probably picked the only career where we could care less what the Ministry thinks.”

“They’re our government, Charlie. You really expect me to believe wizards here don’t care about the Ministry of Magic?” 

He looked genuinely surprised by her response, as if he expected her to know better. “Do you know why reserves like this even exist?” 

She waited for him to answer, sensing the question was rhetorical. The frown forming on his face told her the subject made him upset.

“It’s because wizards like Newt Scamander stuck up for the safety and preservation of all creatures, even the XXXXX category. In the Ministry’s eyes, dragon’s are probably the largest nuisance in the wizarding world. They’re massive, loud and lethal. Bloody terrible to conceal from muggles and untamable. If they had it their way, most of these creatures would likely be killed and sold for parts.” 

The thought of losing any of these dragons yanked roughly at her heartstrings. “No...they wouldn’t do that. I mean sure, maybe decades ago when we didn’t know as much, but they have to feel differently now, right?”

“Some of them do, sure,” Charlie conceded. “But we still get hassled about our work when they visit. Some badger us about our numbers, demanding if we really need this many. Some suggest expediting mother nature when one falls ill or grows old. Like I said—to them, dragons are a headache. They make up a large portion of what makes their lives miserable when an accident happens and they have to repair the damage.” He leaned his forehead against hers and brought a hand up to stroke her cheek. “So would you stop worrying about protecting me? Because I don’t really give a damn what the Ministry thinks and I’d really like to kiss you again.”

And just like that, (Y/N)’s entire resolve crumpled, and she kissed Charlie Weasley like her life depended on it.