A/N: This is for the HPFFC, Charlie Challenge! And it's dedicated to my dear friend, Katy, who gave me the idea. The story takes place during the Tri-Wizard Tournament (GOF). Based on characters that were created by JK Rowling. No characters were harmed in the creation of this story. –Rita

Sacrifice

Charlie Weasley was one of thirty dragon keepers selected to escort and transport the four dragons for the first of three challenges for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He was excited about the idea of going back to Hogwarts and seeing some of his old classmates and professors. And of course, he was doubly excited about watching the tournament itself. He'd heard that Quidditch great Viktor Krum would be participating along with Harry Potter.

Charlie and his friends watched the first task from a safe, but convenient distance so that they could rush in and control the dragons should something go terribly wrong. He watched as the bloke from Hufflepuff made his way into the arena.

"Who's this?" one of his friends asked over the din of the crowd and the roar of the dragon.

"Diggory, I think," Charlie said. "Looks like he may keep his head."

His friends laughed as they watched Cedric struggle to obtain the golden egg. It took him a whole heart-stopping fifteen minutes before capturing the egg from the Swedish Short-Snout. Overall Charlie was impressed. He'd watched other wizards lose control of all bodily functions when faced with a full sized nesting dragon. Cedric handled himself commendably.

Charlie was about to say something to his friends when he stopped suddenly. Fleur Delacour had just entered the arena. At once Charlie had forgotten how to breathe. She was so beautiful. She was about to face the Welsh Green and he fought against everything inside him to rush out and save her. He couldn't watch, but he couldn't pull his eyes away from her either. He held his wand tightly just in case she needed help.

He watched as she took a deep cleansing breath. Her hair was twisted into a severe bun on top of her head and as she stepped to face the dragon, their eyes met and she smiled at him. Charlie sucked in his breath and tried to smile back, but he was too stunned to move. By the time Fleur had seized the golden egg, Charlie was drenched with sweat and his muscles ached. Visibly shaken, Fleur clutched the egg in her arms and once again she smiled, this time bravely, at Charlie as she passed him.

Charlie and his team were in charge of the next dragon, the Chinese Fireball that Viktor Krum had to challenge. The dragon was exceptionally moody and Charlie had to forget all about Fleur Delacour and concentrate to get her positioned. He knew the Fireball's personality so he stayed closer to the action, ready to jump in whenever needed. When Krum finally captured the golden egg, Charlie and his friends rushed to secure the dragon before she could do any damage. These dragons were especially maternal. They had a glass egg in sight to lure her back into her crate. The task was routine and they were able to control her just in time for the fourth team to bring out the Hungarian Horntail for the fourth competitor.

Everyone wanted to hang around and watch Harry Potter. Most of them had bet that the Horntail would have Harry fricasseed or gutted before the first minute. Charlie had more confidence in Harry. After all, he had survived the Killing Curse. He won over one hundred galleons after Harry grabbed the egg in record time. Pretty clever using the Accio charm, he thought.

Charlie got permission from the director of the sanctuary to stay for a few days to visit with family and friends. The Weasley family had come in to watch Harry and the rest of the Tri-Wizard champions; they would be staying through the weekend. He hadn't seen his family in a long time and was anxious to spend a couple of days with his brother, Bill.

That evening, Charlie's team had plans to spend their last night partying in Hogsmeade at the Three Broomsticks, and Charlie went along with them for a well-earned break. The group was loud and boisterous and they were enjoying re-living the challenge. The Tri-Wizard champions impressed the seasoned keepers and Fleur seemed to have been their personal favorite.

"Did you see the way she handled herself with that Green?" His friend Peter asked.

"I wouldn't mind if she handled me," Rufus Beardsley laughed raucously.

Rufus's joke bothered Charlie and he didn't really know why. For any other witch, he might have made the same comment, but Fleur was too beautiful and pure to be soiled by lewd comments. He was about to say something to Rufus when he looked up and saw her. Fleur had entered with a few of her Beauxbaton friends.

Charlie jumped out of his chair leaving Rufus in mid-sentence and practically ran over to the group of girls.

"Hi," he said.

Fleur's friends looked at him, not sure whether to look down on him with disdain or simply ignore him. Fleur looked at him and smiled radiantly.

"I remember you," she said. "You are one of the dragon keepers from today."

Charlie blushed and nodded. He had an urge to say 'yes ma'am', but he caught his breath. "Yeah," he said, hoping to sound casual. "My mates and I were impressed with you today."

Fleur laughed so pleasantly that Charlie thought his heart was going to break. "And I have more respect for you. I don't know how you could handle those frightening creatures. I was sure I was going to die."

"I would have rescued you," he said.

Their eyes met. "My hero," she said. She held out her hand. "I'm Fleur Delacour."

Charlie took her hand. "My name's Charlie Weasley. At your service, ma'am."

"Would you like to join us? I'm not supposed to be off the grounds, but since I battled a dragon today, I felt like doing something really dangerous," she winked conspiratorially.

Charlie didn't even bother to tell his friends that he was leaving them, he found them an empty table and he jumped into a seat next to her. The two of them began talking as if they'd known each other all their lives. She asked a million questions about his job and Romania and she insisted he visit her in France this summer. The longer they talked, the harder he fell and by the time the evening reluctantly ended, Charlie knew that he had found the love of his life. She, of course, was unaware of her impact on him. She laughed and flirted, but never hinted there was anything more than a friendship growing.

Next morning Charlie helped his friends and the other keepers crate the four dragons and waved as they took off into the pre-dawn sky. He had two whole days to spend with Fleur before he had to return to his life in Romania.

He ate breakfast at the Three Broomsticks while he waited for the end of the school day when he could see Fleur again. He was anxious to introduce her to his family. Surely his mum would approve of such a beautiful future wife for her favorite son. He was thinking about how he was going to introduce her to his large family, when his brother Bill walked in.

"Hey, bro," Bill said, slapping him on the back. "Where were you last night? Mum was worried one of the dragons ate you."

Charlie blushed. "No, I met someone and, well, you know how that goes."

"Why, yes, yes I do," he said, his smile growing wider. "My little brother got lucky?"

Charlie blushed again. "No, it's not like that. I just ran into Fleur Delacour, you know the girl from Beauxbaton, the Tri-Wizard Champion? She's awesome."

"I know, and gorgeous! Man, I'd like to meet her. Hey! You know her, why don't you introduce us? I'll owe you big time." Bill's eyes lit up.

"Uh, sure," Charlie said shrugging nonchalantly. Charlie had planned to introduce her to his family anyway, so what was the harm? And why did he get that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach?

Bill and Charlie spent the rest of the day together. Bill told stories about his adventures in Egypt and the more exciting news that he was transferring to Gringott's in Diagon Alley. "Now," he said, "if you'd move back home, mum would finally be happy."

"Actually—" he began.

"But, you'd never leave your precious dragons for anyone, including mum, would you?" he interrupted, not really listening to his brother.

"Right." Charlie smiled and nodded. For the longest time, he believed that dragons were his life, and this was the only time he'd even paused long enough to consider any other option. But Fleur made him feel like he could settle down and have a normal life.

Fleur and her friends managed to sneak away from Madam Maxime, who seemed to be distracted by a certain grounds keeper, and walked into the Three Broomsticks right before nine o'clock. Charlie stood up and waved to get her attention. Fleur smiled broadly and waved back. Suddenly her expression changed. Her eyes turned from him and he saw that she was looking past him, right into his brother's eyes.

Bill's expression was just as dopey as hers. Charlie's smile fell for a second, and he took a long cleansing breath. "Fleur," he said as she walked toward them. "I'd like to introduce you to my brother, Bill."