dragons

“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” Bound to Alicia Cressida Spinnet

[ginnysocool-deactivated20220212]

Ginny couldn’t take her eyes off of her big brother, seconds from breaking down. She hadn’t seen him like that for many times and now it felt closer than ever. But it would be alright, and she wouldn’t be scared and she would feel like she had a purpose if she could comfort him. No matter how idiotic it sounded.

The red haired witch nodded, still looking into Charlie’s eyes. “You’ve been too alone, Charlie.” She said, knowing that the same was true for her, also. Why hadn’t they been there for each other?

[charlieweasley-bbm]

Charlie drew a shaky breath, shaking his head. "We both have." It was as though the events that had just passed only made them want to be alone even more, unwilling to share their pain for fear of hurting someone else.

"I'm sorry I left without a decent goodbye," he whispered after a pregnant pause. He had packed and left for Romania, not really thinking about how shattered he was leaving his only sister with Bill in Egypt and him in Romania. That was why he couldn't bring himself to go back, no matter how much he might have wanted to.

[ginnysocool-deactivated20220212]

"Indeed", Ginny admitted, grinning slightly. The second her big brother’s expression grew a tad sadder, so did hers. She nodded. "Yeah, Charlie. I’m trying to find the right path and all that crap."

The red haired girl noticed the tiny tension in Charlie and looked up at him. “Are you thinking about Fred?” She recognized the expression. It was longing, and confusion, and sadness all at the same time.

[charlieweasley-bbm]

Charlie bit his lip, trying to keep it from betraying him as he met his sister's gaze. The second he let go, he would probably break down. He couldn't let that happen.

The ginger let out a shaky breath. "I'm always thinking about Fred, Gin." How could he possibly not?

[ginnysocool-deactivated20220212]

"And the only one, too", Ginny grinned, shaking her head. They always said that to her, all of her brothers. But why wouldn’t they? It was true.

Ginny locked her eyes with his big brothers calming, yet restless eyes. The girl knew Charlie too well to actually believe that he was nonchalant, but she didn’t say anything. She was also worried. “Yes, Charlie. I’m trying to think with my brain. It’s just that… He’s changed. Or then I just didn’t know what he was like. He’s much more accepting than I thought.”

[charlieweasley-bbm]

"Ah, well. All the more reason for me to say so, no?" he shrugged, grinning. But his smile faded slightly as he shook his head.  "You know him better than I would, Gin. I never even went to school with him. It's good if he's getting more accepting, or if he's always been, but make sure it's not all in your head. Okay?"

The ginger was concerned about his youngest sibling, especially since they were probably the closest among the lot of them save for how Fred and George were. The thought left a dull ache, something he was really starting to get used to.

[ginnysocool-deactivated20220212]

Ginny hadn’t felt that secure in months, not being able to open up to close to anyone, and not allowing herself to be weak for a while. So, as Charlie squeezed her tightly and kissed the top of her head and said those words, Ginny closed her eyes, trying hard not to tear up. “Thank you, Charlie.”

The red haired witch then chuckled, shaking her head a tiny bit. “He’ll find out sooner or later. But he’ll get over it, and I’ll handle him being angry for a while. It’s just that… Charlie… I really like Draco.”

[charlieweasley-bbm]

"Anything for my favourite sister," he shrugged. Granted, she was his only sister. Oh well. All the more reason for her to be his favourite, he supposed.

Charlie hesitated, relinquishing his hold on her so that he could look at her properly. "That's a detail you might want to omit when you tell Ron," he said, attempting nonchalance. His voice was still a little clouded with worry, though. "Be careful, okay? Just try to make sure that it's him that you really like and not the idea of him."

[ginnysocool-deactivated20220212]

And that was when Ginny remembered why Charlie had always been her favorite brother. Okay, maybe Bill had shared that, but when he married Fleur… Things had changed slightly. Although not being incredibly emotional, the red haired girl quickly lunged forward and wrapped her arms around her brother. “I thought you’d be angry. I mean, Ron probably will be when I tell him. I’m… Gosh, I’m so relieved.” Ginny mumbled.

[charlieweasley-bbm]

Charlie found his breath knocked out of him as his sister nearly tackled him to the ground. He let out a shaky chuckle, wrapping his arms around her protectively and kissing the top of head. "Not angry. I've no reason to be. If he hurts you, though," he said, growing serious. "I'll injure him myself and he'll wish he had a Horntail to deal with instead."

He hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out how to deal with his less even-tempered brother. "You could always... not tell Ron. What he doesn't know won't kill him."

[katie-bbm]

Dragon Cuddles | Charlie & Katie

Cuddling dragons — when Charlie had told Katie that he could actually have her cuddle a dragon, and have her return home with relatively limited damage done to her, Katie’s disbelief was high and she doubted it was possible, because who actually wanted to cuddle dragons. All her life she had been told about the dangers of dragons, they were fire breathing monsters and she had witnessed the ferocity of them — especially during the TriWizard Tournament during her fifth year at Hogwarts, so she wasn’t quite sure why she was getting ready to meet her inevitable death, but she was.

Dressed as comfortably as she could while still looking presentable in a pair of skinny jeans and a jumper, she was ready — though that term was rather relative as her stomach did flips and her palms had begun to sweat. Charlie Weasley had been a star and quite possibly the most sought after male when she was a first year, though of course she had never dreamed of even spending time with him — not then, and certainly not now. But she found herself being intrigued in the young man for a more biased reason then she typically would allow, he was after all the man marrying her best friend Alicia, and while she knew he was a good man she wanted to get to know him on a more personal level.

Katie let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding when she saw Charlie approach her at the cafe they had decided to meet at, figuring it was easier to travel from Diagon Alley than from either of their homes. She stood slowly, wiping her hands on her jeans and having a bright smile on her face once the ginger haired male approached her. “Hey,” 

[charlieweasley-bbm]

Charlie arrived at the cafe they had agreed to meet at in a white cotton shirt and grey flannel pants. Well, if he was going to be chasing dragons, he wasn't going to be doing it in his dress robes, that was for certain. Chasing dragons — bliss.  He had been excitable all morning, and figured a nice cup of tea would be good to calm him down. His mother would probably have a cow if she found out, though.

In theory, Charlie had known Katie Bell a very long time. He had been her Quidditch captain for two years before he graduated, but in reality that hardly meant anything. The five-year age gap between them had made sure that they rarely saw each other outside practices and the common room, and they hardly ran in the same circles. What happened after he left Hogwarts was a different story altogether. She was obviously still a student there, but he had packed everything and left for Romania, hardly bothering to write to even his mother. When he finally returned to stay longer than a week, Dora was already married, with a baby of her own.

He knew that Katie was one of Fred and George's closer friends, which caused a dull ache in his chest every time he thought about it. More importantly, however, she was Alicia's best friend and the closest thing his bonded had to a sibling of her own. So, as he saw her enter the cafe, he put his tea down and made his way over there.

"G'morning," he said, returning her greeting with a smile. "You ready to cuddle a dragon?" Admittedly, he was only going to let her cuddle a hatchling, but it was a dragon nonetheless, and a particularly exciting experience. That and tickling a sleeping dragon, but doing that was really just asking for trouble or singed hair.

[charlieweasley-bbm]

Asleep | Charlie and Alicia

[alicia-c-spinnet-deactivated201]

Alicia blinked in surprise. “Not predictable at all - I wasn’t expecting that.” She confessed with a gentle laugh, extending her hand out to Charlie. A beautiful, full future hung before them, and at that moment, Alicia could see it all with bright, vivid colors. She had never wanted something - not a job, or a material thing - as much as she wanted that in this moment.

"These past three weeks have been amazing.” She murmured without blushing, her gaze meeting his. The pancakes were long-forgotten as Alicia lost herself in Charlie’s smile.

[charlieweasley-bbm]

"Not at all?" he asked, smiling as he took her hand, pulling her off the table and towards him with a gentle tug. Charlie's arm tightened posessively around her waist and his fingertips brushed against a sliver of bared skin.

"They have," he replied in the same undertone, his smile finding its way into his voice. As wonderful as these past weeks had been, he could only see them getting better as time passed. He was never any good at  divination, but waking up with her in his arms, making her breakfast, those were all things he could see himself getting used to.

Charlie rested his forehead against hers, moving slowly until his lips were on hers, so gentle it was as though she was made of glass. He could definitely see himself getting used to this.

[ginnysocool-deactivated20220212]

"That’s a very good conclusion, brother dear", Ginny said, grinning, her smile then quickly fading. Not much, but slightly. "We’re holding up. Actually, Charlie…" The girl looked up to her brother, squeezing her lips tightly together. "We’re buying a house. Well, actually, he’s buying it. But I’m sort of… Moving in with him."

[charlieweasley-bbm]

Charlie noticed her smile fade, and realised immediately that maybe he'd said something he shouldn't have. "Hey," he said quietly, cracking a small smile. "None of this is what we planned, but it's going to work out. I just want my favourite sister to be happy, okay?"

[gorgeousnessss]

[ginnysocool-deactivated20220212]

Ginny lifted her brows when Charlie trailed off, grinning in a rather stupid way. Although the red haired girl felt some sort of jealousy in her gut, she couldn’t help but smile. Charlie was doing great. It was great. In all honesty, it was all that matter. “That great, huh?” Ginny snapped, grinning knowingly. “I knew you two would get along.”

[charlieweasley-bbm]

"Yeah. I've come to the conclusion that you're always right," he shrugged. "How are you holding up, though? Things with Malfoy going alright?"

[charlieweasley-bbm]

Asleep | Charlie and Alicia

[alicia-c-spinnet-deactivated201]

"That sounds wonderful.” Alicia reassured him with a bright smile, continuing to swing her long, endless legs back-and-forth against the cabinets as she listened to his stories of Christmas, and jam, and his mother. A pang of longing for her own mother ached in Alicia’s chest, but it was soon replaced with a sort of sentiment for memories she never had.

She had spent Christmas Eve at the Burrow once, in her Fourth Year, when the twins had invited her, Katie, and Angelina to do so, and her mother had agreed, after great Alicia went to great lengths to ensure she would do so, and from that experience, the cocoa-skinned witch could not argue: that night had been one of the most magical, wonderful, precious ones Alicia had ever experienced.

"The highlight, hmm? What are some other good points?" Alicia asked, curious to see what things Charlie loved and remembered above others. In the game of getting to know him, she was having good fun figuring out his quirks and likes, as well as his oddities and dislikes.

[charlieweasley-bbm]

The corner of Charlie's lips twitched into a small smile, relieved that she didn't find pancakes with jam too boring. He found himself studying her features as he spoke, squeezing her fingers gently as he saw a flash of pain cross her eyes.

Charlie knew, subconsciously, that she had lost someone extremely close to her. Even so, she hid her loss well. She went around with a smile on her face, so brave that he had to admire her for it. It wasn't hard for him to miss the undercurrent of pain and loss beneath it, however. Maybe that was how others saw him too.

He hesitated, his eyes meeting hers as he tried to isolate a single point he treasured above others. "Would it be horribly predictable if I said it was these past three weeks?" he asked, shrugging. Merlin, he was turning into such a sap these past few days.

[charlieweasley-bbm]

Asleep | Charlie and Alicia

[alicia-c-spinnet-deactivated201]

The little gestures Charlie did made Alicia’s stomach plunge into her gut, and then rise in her throat, and the sparks she felt whenever he touched her - even in the smallest of places, such as fingertips - made her wonder what it would be like for even more contact, though that was a conversation for a later hour.

"Hmm? Oh, surprise me." Alicia said with a relaxed smile as she watched him move about with fluid motions around the kitchen table. Sometimes, he was too good to be true - no, scratch that, Charlie Weasley was always too good to be true. He was phenomenal, irresistible, handsome, clever, cheeky, domestic, kind, chivalrous, and just… just lovely.

[charlieweasley-bbm]

He stifled a laugh, closing the door of the refridgerator and stealing a glance at her. "I'm afraid that surprises aren't my strong suit," he said, shrugging nonchalantly as he took two plates from the rack and the appropriate cutlery before joining her at the counter.

"Would you settle for blueberry jam?" he asked, putting about a third of the pancakes onto each of the plates and leaving the other third there. She could always help herself to more if she was still hungry. "It's my mom's. When I was in Romania, she'd make jars of it right before Christmas and say it was for my birthday."

He caught her eye and smiled sheepishly, offering her the jar. "Christmas at The Burrow was the essentially the highlight of my year." The whole lot of background information probably wouldn't help much if she didn't like blueberries, though. Or if she didn't like jam with her pancakes at all. Ah, well. He could hope.

[ginnysocool-deactivated20220212]

"Well, we have always been caring and loving people… That might be a possibility.” Ginny stated, her brows raised and her mouth curved in a cheeky smile. “Apart from the kitten, how are you? How are things with Alicia?”

[charlieweasley-bbm]

"Precisely. I've been fine. Great, even. Things with Alicia are..." he trailed off, grinning stupidly. Ah, words. They failed him quite frequently on this subject in particular.

[charlieweasley-bbm]

Asleep | Charlie and Alicia

[alicia-c-spinnet-deactivated201]

"Mhmm." She murmured against his chest, feeling the gentle beating of his heart through the thin cotton shirt he wore pressing against her left cheek. "You?" Alicia asked, her voice deeper and huskier than normal due to her rising mere moments ago.

The smell of Charlie’s aftershave, in combination with the gigantic stack of pancakes, was enough to rise Alicia from her grogginess. She straightened her spine and rose up onto her top toes to place a gentle kiss on Charlie’s lips before leaving his embrace to sit on the counter top, her legs swinging back and forth as she accepted a cup of coffee with her fixings - one sugar and cream - and a smile on her lips as she watched him.

Moments like these made Alicia doubt the awfulness of the law. How could something that brought them together be bad? She knew in her heart that he was struggling to get over someone else, and that she would have been trapped in a depression from her mother’s death that would have prevented her from romance or friendship, and that this had helped speed up both processes.

Of course, the dull ache in her chest that had arrived ever since her mother had been pronounced a victim of war had not stopped hurting, and Alicia doubted it would for as long as she lived. But around Charlie, a new feeling in her heart made the pain of loss not so prominent.

[charlieweasley-bbm]

"That's good," Charlie said, his thumb rubbing lazy circles on the small of her back. "I did, thank you."  Well, he had slept well considering that he was learning that his bonded enjoyed wrapping herself in the covers like they were a cocoon.

He smiled against her lips as she kissed him, barely having the chance to return the favour when she pulled away from him to perch on the counter. Charlie sighed lightly at the hollow between his arms before fixing her a coffee, purposely brushing his fingers over hers as he handed her the mug.

"How do you like your pancakes?" he asked, opening the refridgerator and pulling out a jar of blueberry jam, sliding it across the counter so that it stopped right next to the stack of pancakes.

[charlieweasley-bbm]

Asleep | Charlie and Alicia

[alicia-c-spinnet-deactivated201]

Alicia Spinnet never thought she would discover just how comfortable Charlie’s bed was - well, at least, not so soon. The prospect of waking had not entered the cocoa-skinned witch’s mind, as she slept on in a restful slumber, burried beneath the quilts and sheets donning his bed.

The past three weeks had past in a blur for the couple, consisting of endless dates and late nights followed with breakfast before the run was even risen. Falling in love had never felt so simple, but here Alicia slept, her mind at ease, for her realities had become better than her dreams.

She awoke to the smell of pancakes, and to the soft fall of feet crossing the hall that lead from the living room to the kitchen, and for a moment, Alicia panicked, unsure where she was. When she recognized the photos of Charlie with his sister, and with his brothers Fred and Ron, and then one photograph with his parents, Alicia calmed down and a relieved smile slid across her lips.

After giving herself a quick once-over in the mirror - she wore a pair of red, green, blue, and white plaid sleeping shorts and a white camisole tank top - Alicia entered the kitchen, her mind weighed down with sleep.

[charlieweasley-bbm]

Charlie smiled absentmindedly as he flipped the pancake, trying to figure out where exactly in the past two weeks that he'd decided that this law wasn't as bad as everyone was making it up to be. If it was what had brought Alicia to him, it wasn't that bad at all.

The past three weeks had flown by faster than he had expected them to, and even work seemed like something he could look forward too. Truth be told, she was starting to fill the hole in his heart that Dora had left. He would never have guessed it, but he was falling in love again. It was just so easy being with her.

Hearing light footsteps, he added the pancake to the now seemingly monstrous stack and turned off the stove. Turning around, he let a slow smile spread across his features and crossed the space between them. She was breathtaking, even with her hair a little dishevelled and her eyes half-lidded from sleep.

Looping his arms around her waist, he pulled her towards him gently. "Good morning, love," he murmured, pressing a kiss against the top of her head. "Sleep well?"

[woodsakeeper-deactivated2014090]

I am in desperate need of something to do. And I’ve already done my allotted Quidditch practice. Though I suppose there can never be too much practice.

[charlieweasley-bbm]

Sounds like quite the predicament you're in there, eh? At least I've taught you something. 

[charlieweasley-bbm]

Asleep | Charlie and Alicia

When Charlie woke up, it was already bright outside. Strange. He didn't normally sleep in. That wasn't the only thing different right then either. His gaze fell onto the sleeping figure in his bed and the corner of his lips turned up into a half-smile. She looked so peaceful that he couldn't bring himself to wake her.

Instead, he decided to get dressed and start preparing breakfast. It was almost amusing how none of his siblings had bothered to learn how to cook. He hadn't either, at first. Living alone in Romania for a few years had changed that.

Well, at least he could make decent pancakes.