Where there is Smoke
His red hair was twisted into a knot on top of his head and secured with a polished onyx chopstick. The dark kohl smudged under his eyes made whoever looked at him zero in on his cornflower blue eyes. It worked on dragons and bartenders alike for Charlie Weasley.
"Firewhiskey." Charlie leaned against the bar at the latest charity function he was forced to attend. "Make it a double, and make it neat." He winked at the blonde witch behind the bar. It was the most effort he was planning on exerting this evening. He had just arrived from Romania, and between the travel stress and the sleep he lost last night because one of the Horntails decided they were going to ignore their hatchlings, all he wanted was a nice warm bed.
Tossing a couple Knuts on the bar, Charlie made his way to a small table in the back.
"Did you clean the dragon dung off those boots before you came here tonight, Weasley, or did you not know that was a custom here in high society?" The nasal drawl could only belong to one person. Well, two, but Lucius wasn't leaving Azkaban anytime soon.
"If it isn't Draco the Dragon. What a pleasure it is to see you this evening." The smile on Charlie's face was forced as he turned to look Draco in the eye. It had been a long day, and dealing with one of his prat brother's friend was not high on his list of priorities right now. Unfortunately, the Malfoy's seem to be contributing at a higher rate than normal, so he was encouraged to be particularly nice to the thin blond standing uncomfortably close to him.
Draco was caught off guard when Charlie turned around. It had been a while since the two ran into each other, the only time actually, and at her wedding Ginny did not let Charlie get away with the dark lining around his eyes or the messy knot of fiery curls on top of his head. No, Ginny insisted her brother be properly dressed for her wedding. This was the first time Draco had ever actually seen Charlie in his own attire, and he did not hate it.
Charlie could feel Draco's eyes raking over him, from the top of his head down to his dragon hide boots. When Draco made his way back up the length of him with one pale eyebrow quirked up Charlie could see another snarky comment about his boots burning on the tip of Draco's tongue. What was more interesting was the faint blush that stained the pale ivory of the skin on his cheeks. Charlie could feel his own cheeks heating up with the attention.
Someone on a rush to the bar brushed behind Draco and pushed him towards Charlie, breaking the silent spell over the two wizards. Rushing to catch up, Charlie offered, "These are actually my dress boots, so no dragon dung."
"Ah, okay. How have you been, Weasley? It has been a while since our paths have crossed." With that, the two slipped into the autopilot conversations that were much more comfortable for the two wizards. Draco was raised to make small talk at parties, and Charlie was raised with too many brothers to worry about a little posturing from a swot like Draco.
As the night went on, their table was visited by no less than two dozen different witches and wizards, but both men stayed when their comrades left. It was nearing the end of the night and it was announced that the fireworks display was scheduled to begin.
"Seems a bit juvenile to have fireworks at the Magical Creatures Benefit, doesn't it?" Draco asked Charlie. His silver eyes were looking into the cornflower blue that almost looked purple against the alabaster skin while waiting for an answer.
"Come on, who doesn't like fireworks? I'm headed out there," Charlie bent at the waist slightly and offered his arm to Draco. "Why don't you join me?"
A soft blush rose to Draco's cheeks at the absurdity of Charlie Weasley acting as though he were asking a maiden to dance. But, he accepted the invitation, with one caveat. "Fine, I'll go. But I am not clutching at your arm, like some sort of frail girl," the last word came out through a sneer.
"I would never describe the women I know as frail. Now, let's head out there before all the good seats are taken." Instead of following the crowd out onto the patio, Charlie led them through the kitchen and up a dark set of stairs at the back of the manor.
"Why is it so cold in this place?" Draco asked, shivering beneath his finest robes.
"Ah, because I think we were supposed to follow the rest of the crowd. I, on the other hand—" Charlie stopped as he got to the Widow's Walk. The November air was crisp, with a hint of snow and an tinge of autumn. "I didn't want to share my view with anyone else but you,"
Draco was stuck just outside the door. The firework display had begun just as Charlie had turned back to face Draco. The view was breathtaking. Bright magentas and shimmering golds set a dramatic backdrop for the green and silver dragon fireworks that swirled in the night sky. All of this, however, paled in comparison to the dragon tamer in front of him. The inky black dress robes did nothing to hide Charlie's impressive upper body. He had pulled the stick from his hair at some point during the night and his hair looked like tendrils of fire whenever a breeze would catch it just so.
"Are you still cold?" Charlie asked with concern after seeing Draco shiver.
"What?" Draco asked, shaking himself from the trance he had been in. "No, I um, I'm okay."
Charlie unfastened his suit coat and draped it over Draco's shoulders. He watched as Draco pushed his nose into the collar and inhaled. It did something that Charlie couldn't quite explain at the moment. But he like it.
"There, now that is better. Come here and watch these fireworks with me, prat. If you are going to wear my jacket, I need you to at least stand next to me so I can keep warm."
.o0o.
Houses Competition
Hufflepuff
Year 3
Standard
"Why is it so cold in this place?"
WC 1054