For LSS with prompts: 2. (word) basking, 3. (word) disheveled, and 8. (dialogue) "I'm open to suggestion.
For OTP bootcamp with the prompt vicious.
So many thanks to Lo and Bex for beta-ing this for me.
Charlie shivers as a chill runs down his spine. Even with his armour and chainmail, he's surprised to find himself cold. He doesn't even realize he's halted his horse until his brother calls to him.
"What are you doing? We're going to be late!"
His brother's red hair is blowing as the wind picks up, his cloak whipping around him. Charlie frowns and glances around. There are dark clouds forming when the sky had been clear and beautiful, not but moments ago. Both of their horses tread uneasily in place. Charlie doesn't like this.
"Do you feel that?" he asks.
"It's nothing to worry about. Now come -"
He hears someone scream. He kicks his horse into action. "You had to say something, Bill."
By the time they break through the forest, there is a knight running towards them. He only has his chainmail left; his armour, helmet, and cloak all missing.
Bill offers the man an arm and hoists him up on his horse.
"Leave!" the knight begs.
"What is going on?" Charlie demands, not wanting to leave until he has answers.
The knight must realize this because he points in front of them. "Monster! It killed all of my men!"
Charlie wonders how he missed the castle. The castle is dark, nestled in between two mountains. This must be the cause of the uneasy feeling in his stomach.
"What monster are you talking about?" Charlie questions.
"A dragon!"
Charlie sits up almost impossibly straighter, a grin taking over his entire face. His brother shoots him a warning look. Then he sees a large blur high in the sky.
"We're going home," his brother says firmly. "The king is waiting our return."
"It's a dragon, Bill. When are we ever going to get the chance to see one again. This is the stuff legends are made of!" Charlie says, unable to hide his excitement.
"A dragon that killed all of this knight's men," Bill replies pointedly.
Rationally, Charlie understands what his brother is trying to say. Dragons can only be killed by magic and they can't wield magic. There is another part of Charlie that wants to see a dragon up close. He has a feeling that this dragon isn't quiet what it seems. He sighs, knowing that Bill won't let him approach.
He spurs his horse on, heading back in the direction of his city. "Let's go home."
Charlie barely lasts a week. He can't stop thinking about the dragon. He's read every book he can get his hands on about them. He decides to sneak out to the stables in the dead of night.
"Charlie," a voice says.
For the briefest of moments, Charlie thinks it's his mother. But when he turns around, he's staring at his sister. Her flaming hair is braided and resting over her right shoulder. She's wearing riding clothes that don't fit her properly.
"No," Charlie says immediately.
"You don't really have a choice," Ginny informs him with a smirk. "You either take me with you or I'll tell mother and father."
"It's too dangerous," Charlie hisses.
Ginny pats him on the chest. "It's funny how you think that's going to sway me. Dawn is fast approaching. You need to make your decision if you want to cover any ground."
Charlie hesitates. He weighs his options. Neither of them are good, but he can keep Ginny from approaching the castle, whereas if she goes to wake his parents, he'll never leave.
"Fine, but don't think I'm waiting for you if you can't keep up," he says, hoping to deter her.
"Of course not. Now let's get saddled."
Ginny brushes past him, grinning victoriously. He has no choice but to follow. He wonders what he's gotten himself into.
Charlie finds that Ginny is an excellent rider. When he says as much, she smiles.
"I'd sneak out at night and would teach myself to ride," Ginny says.
Charlie smiles back at her. "We'll stop in a bit for lunch. Did you pack any food?"
Ginny pats one of the bags on the saddle. "I packed appropriately," she assures him, "as I hope you did too."
"It's not my first time outside the city gates," Charlie reminds her.
She snorts, but doesn't say anything. The silence that falls between them is easy and comfortable, much like the silence between him and Bill. He may have to take her on rides more often.
Charlie ties up his horse to the tree before doing the same for Ginny's horse. He helps her down despite her protests.
The castle is exactly like he remembers. It's dark and ominous. He shivers.
Glancing to his right, he sees his sister. Her braid has loosened from the ride and the wind. There's a determined look on her face as she stares at the castle.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ginny asks.
Charlie nods. "I don't think I'll be able to stop thinking about it until I do it."
"So do you have a plan?" she asks.
Charlie frowns. He didn't really think about that.
She must read his answer across his face because she places her hands on her hips with a scowl. "Charlie! You don't have a plan!" she scolds.
"I got distracted by the fact that it's a dragon," he says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm open to suggestions."
She turns back to the horse, shuffling around in her bag. She whirls around with a plate. It's one of their mother's fancy dinner plates.
"I heard that dragons are attracted to shiny objects," Ginny says, offering the plate. "I packed it just in case."
Charlie takes the plate. It looks like Ginny took the time to polish it for him; it shines as the sun hits it. He grins. "Thanks, Gin. Now, stay here. Whatever happens, do not come after me."
Ginny raises her eyebrow at him.
"I'm serious. Stay here."
When she glares at him and turns back to her horse, he starts walking towards the castle. He's relieved that Ginny doesn't follow him.
The chill from earlier comes back full force. He suddenly finds himself missing his chainmail and armour. He holds onto the plate protectively, as if it could offer him protection.
He's stopped in his tracks by a wall of fire. He curses, glancing around. He sees a glimpse of a wing in the sky.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't kill me," he calls out.
He places the plate on the ground and backs away slowly.
When he makes it back to his sister, she is sitting on a blanket. She rises up easily and sets about folding the blanket.
"We rode for most of the day for you to barely make it five steps onto the bridge," Ginny says.
Charlie offers his hand to help her up on her horse. "I have a feeling that this is going to take some time to build some trust."
They ride away to the sound of Ginny's laugh.
It becomes a habit for Charlie to visit the castle when he's not on patrol or otherwise engaged. Every time he approaches, the plate he left the time before is gone.
All he can see is the mark on the bridge he left. He doesn't try to get more than one step more than the time before. He places another plate and leaves.
Sometimes it goes without incident; others, he finds himself in front of a wall of fire. Those days are happening less and less often.
He leaves with hope building, despite his best efforts.
"Are you going tonight?"
He turns around to see Ginny wearing her riding clothes. Her flaming hair is just falling freely around her shoulders and her arms behind her back.
He smiles, turning around to gather his bag. "It looks like you're going riding regardless," he comments.
She pulls a plate from behind her back. "That isn't a no. I thought you may want some company."
"I would love some. Are you ready to go?" Charlie asks, plucking the plate from her grip.
"More than ready. Let's go."
Charlie is excited and thrilled when he manages to make it to the door of the castle without incident. He places his usual plate without opening the door.
He stands there for a moment, looking up at the castle. He wonders who actually lives there. In the months since he's started leaving the offerings, he's never once seen any sign of activity besides the dragon.
He gives the castle one last look before he turns back towards his sister. He sits on the blanket next to her.
"What else are we going to do?" she asks.
He frowns. "I don't have any plans. Do you have anything you want to do?"
"Is there some place we could go swimming? It's so hot today."
Charlie stands up and offers Ginny his hand. "I know just the place. It's not too far from here."
It takes several more weeks before Charlie goes inside the castle. He packed a torch for this moment. Everything is covered in dust and cobwebs.
He slowly walks through, room by room, each as empty and lifeless as the last. He's about to give up hope when he climbs to the stairs of the east tower. The air becomes warmer and he can hear the faint sound of clanging.
He pushes the door open and gasps. The dragon is breathtaking; its scales are silver and its eyes are like the storms that plague the area. For something that's supposed to be so vicious, he's never seen anything as beautiful.
He's so caught up in the beauty of the dragon that he barely manages to dodge the fire.
"Okay, okay, I'm going to leave the plate and go," Charlie calls.
He takes a deep breathe and slowly walks towards the door. He places the plate and backs up.
The dragon keeps its eyes on Charlie as it leans down to pick up the plate. He hears a rumble deep in the dragon's throat. Charlie holds his hands up in surrender.
"I'll come back when I can. I'll bring another one."
Charlie doesn't look back to see how the dragon reacts.
Charlie places the plate on the floor. The dragon moves to take the plate in its mouth. He doesn't hear the rumble from the dragon. Before he can think of it, he extends his right hand and takes a step forward. The dragon makes a noise, the plate falling from its mouth, its piercing eyes fixed on Charlie.
Charlie takes another step forward. The dragon makes another noise, but it doesn't move otherwise. Charlie decides that he's not going to push anymore.
He holds both of his hands up in surrender. "I'll be back later."
Charlie doesn't make it back for another two weeks. He makes the same offering to the dragon, laying down the plate for it. He doesn't move from in front of it.
The dragon drops its head, bumping into Charlie before picking up the plate in its teeth. He laughs happily. He holds out his hand and takes a tentative step forward.
The dragon doesn't move. It holds perfectly still as Charlie takes another step. He places a hand on the dragon's head. The scales are rough under his hand.
"My gods, aren't you beautiful?"
The dragon huffs at him. Charlie can feel the heat of its breath on his skin. It just makes Charlie grin widely. He rubs his hand over the scales.
He doesn't know how long he stood there for, petting the dragon, but he knows it must be late. "I'll be back. I promise."
The sun is almost below the horizon when Charlie exits the castle. He's thankful that he didn't bring Ginny with him this time. He takes one last look at the castle before swinging up on his horse and heading home.
He's holding the plate tightly in his hand as he climbs the steps to the tower. He freezes as he sees the open door. There isn't a dragon blocking the room.
"Who are you?" someone demands, voice rough.
"Where's my dragon?" Charlie asks, frantically looking around the room. "What did you do with it?"
"Oh, you're the plate person," he says.
Charlie approaches the man, angry and frustrated. "I've been working for months to get my dragon to trust me. What did you do to it?"
"Him," he corrects. "And I didn't do anything to the dragon."
Charlie finally focuses on the man. He looks disheveled, his clothes torn and ill-fitting. His hair is sticking up and dirty. But Charlie sees grey eyes looking at him. The familiarity of them shocks him.
"You're the dragon," he says, taking a step forward, his arm stretched out. "How is that possible?"
"You always were a smart one. I'm a shapeshifter. However, there's a danger of staying too long in your other form. The longer I stayed a dragon, the more I forgot about my humanity," the man explains.
"How long have you been a dragon?" he questions.
The man shook his head. "I don't know." There's a pause then he smiles. "You're taking this awfully well."
"I'm pretty sure I'm dreaming," he replies. "A very convincing dream, but a dream nonetheless."
The man reaches across and pinches Charlie, hard. Charlie drops the plate that he's forgot he was holding when he pulls away.
"What was that for?" he demands.
"You can't feel pain in dreams." The man tilts his head. "Did you ever give me your name?"
"I'm Charlie Weasley," he introduces himself, his pain nothing more than a memory.
"Draco."
Charlie grins. "Did your parents know of your shapeshifting form when they named you or was that completely coincidental?"
"Shapeshifters don't come into their abilities until after their second birthday," Draco informs him, a smile tugging on his lips.
Charlie gestures to the door. "I'm going to leave you to it. It was nice to meet my dragon."
Charlie doesn't give Draco a chance to disagree with him. He takes the steps out as quickly as he can. His mind is swimming with all the new information. He can hardly believe any of it.
He gives the castle one last look before he spurs his horse on.
"You haven't snuck out in nearly a month. Did you stop going?"
"Hey Gin," Charlie says. He turns around to see her. He's surprised that she isn't wearing her riding clothes.
"That isn't an answer," she replies, sitting on the end of his bed.
He sighs. "Yeah, I did. And I know your next question will be why. The answer is it got complicated."
"Mum and dad didn't find out, did they?"
Charlie laughs. He almost forgot about worrying about them finding out. "No."
"I take the short answer means you don't want to talk about it. I respect that. You don't have to tell me what happened. But I think you should know that whatever happened, I never saw you happier than when you were sneaking off to see that dragon."
Ginny stands, pats his shoulder, and leaves as quietly as she entered.
Charlie drops his head into his hands. He debates quietly until he's rushing into the kitchen to grab another plate and then packs his bag as quickly as possible.
He's spurring on his horse before long.
The sun is high in the sky by the time that Charlie makes it to the castle. He doesn't hesitate as he makes his way through the familiar halls.
"I didn't think you'd come back," Draco says.
Charlie glances around the room before landing on the man. He's looking better than he was. The clothes, while still ill-fitting, look new and it looks like he's taken a bath. Charlie can see that his hair is so blond that it's nearly silvery.
He's basking in the sunlight, almost as if he's starved for it. Charlie actually grins at the sight.
"It was a lot to take in," Charlie says.
Draco stumbles to his feet, almost as if he's still not used to legs, and takes the few short, unsteady steps to stand in front of him. "You brought another plate."
Charlie tightens his hold on the plate. "I wasn't really sure I didn't make it all up. I wanted to have something just in case it was."
"That's fair," Draco says with a laugh. He nods towards the plate in Charlie's hand. "Are you going to leave that one or what?"
"I think I'm going take this one with me since I don't need it to bribe a dragon," he answers.
Silence falls between them. Charlie takes the time to finally really look around the tower. There a giant hole in the tower to the right, where the sunlight hits it just right at high noon. But what really draws his eyes is the amount of gold and silver trinkets that are piled high against the walls. The amount is staggering.
He whistles. "You made quite a collection."
"I guess I did," Draco says.
"I should probably go," Charlie says, gesturing towards the door. He is a little disappointed when Draco doesn't ask him to stay. On his way out, he swears that he won't come back.
Charlie finds himself back the next month. He hadn't meant to come, but the moment his feet slide into the stirrups and his hands grabbed the reins, he couldn't help but steer the horse in the direction.
The sun is barely above the horizon when he ties the reins to the tree. He debates on going up, despite the lateness of the day, when he hears the tell-tale sound of dragon fire.
He looks up to see the silver dragon he has seen for the past year and his decision is made. He rushes toward the front door of the castle, through the maze of halls, and up the steps of the east tower without a thought.
He slides into the room just as the dragon comes through the window. He watches as the dragon transforms into a man; not just any man - Draco. All Charlie can do is open and close his mouth in amazement.
As the transformation ends, Draco lands on his feet. He furrows his eyebrows at the sight of Charlie.
"Where does your clothes go when you transform?" he blurts out. He slaps a hand over his mouth. When he speaks next, his words are muffled. "I'm sorry. That was rude to ask."
Draco laughs. He holds up his arm that is covered in a white tunic. "I'm not sure where they go. I'm just glad that they reappear when I change."
Charlie blushes at the thought of Draco standing naked in front of him.
"You didn't bring a plate," Draco notes.
"Is that all you think of?" he asks amused.
Draco shrugs. "That's the downside to shapeshifting; I can turn into a dragon at will, but I have a lot of similar qualities to them."
"Like a penchant for shiny things?" Charlie asks. Since there is nothing but treasure in the room, he takes a seat on the ground, making himself comfortable.
"And a liking for raw meat," Draco confirms. He takes Charlie's lead and sits on the ground, his back up against his treasure.
"Whose castle is this?" Charlie asks.
Draco's expression becomes guarded. The words are on the tip of Charlie's tongue to take back the question when he answers. "It was my family's."
"You don't have tell me any more than that."
"I'm assuming that you remember the Uprising?" Draco asks. When Charlie nods, he continues. "Well, my father sided with Voldemort. After it failed, your King granted my mother and I pardon. My father, however, was imprisoned for his crimes."
"That doesn't explain what happened to your home," Charlie points out.
"Doesn't it?" the blond counters. "We were striped of our titles and of our lands. The castle has been vacant since. I guess my dragon side never found comfort at the home I shared with my mother after. I don't remember deciding to come back here."
"I'm sorry," he whispers softly.
"Why did you approach me in the first place?"
Charlie shrugs. "I've always been fascinated by dragons. But I got this sense when I first saw you flying away from here that there was something different about you. I was right."
After that day, Charlie can barely stay away. He rides off to the castle every moment he gets. Tonight, Ginny is waiting in the stables when he saddles up.
He offers her a hand while she's getting on her horse. She keeps pace with him all the way to the castle. He ties up their horse in the same place as always.
Ginny starts to pull out her blanket when Charlie stops her with a hand on hers. She looks up with confusion on her face. "Come on. I'll introduce you," he says softly.
"Are you sure about this?" she asks.
He nods. "It's time you met my dragon. You've tagged along enough times, you should get to see him."
She looks at his hands. "Where's the usual plate?"
"I established trust. I don't need it anymore."
He offers her his hand. She gives him one last uncertain look before taking it. She follows him into the castle. The only thing that gives away her nervousness is the tight grasp on his hand.
They climb the familiar stairs in silence. He drops her hand and moves in front of her as they climb the last few steps. She grabs at the back of his shirt.
"Hey, I brought a visitor," Charlie calls out.
"Who?"
"Charlie," Ginny whispers, her voice tight.
"It's okay. You're safe. I promise," he assures her. He pushes open the door to find Draco basking in the sunlight again, curled up as small as he possibly can get. "I brought my sister."
Draco uncurls himself and stretches. "Ginny, right?"
"Charlie, that's a human. I was expecting a dragon," she says, letting go of his shirt.
"I am the dragon. Or at least, the dragon your brother was trying to win the trust of," Draco answers.
"He's a shapeshifter," Charlie explains.
Ginny narrows her eyes. Then she looks around at all the trinkets in the room, noting the plates from their mother's collection among them. "I need a minute."
"I would offer to show you, but that's a bit…personal," Draco says.
Ginny nods then heads for the door. "I think I'm going to leave."
"Do you remember your way out?" Charlie asks, giving her a concerned look.
"I'll find it," she assures him. She's almost out the door when she remembers her manners. "It was interesting to meet you, even if I was expecting to meet a dragon and not a human."
"If your brother warns me next time, I'll wear my dragonskin for you to meet, if you would rather."
She nods absently and disappears through the door. They listen to her footsteps retreat until they can't any longer.
Charlie sits on the floor. "Sorry, I would've warned you but it was a last minute decision. I hope you don't mind."
"Not particularly. But I don't suggest bringing anyone who isn't related to you with you unless you've given me prior warning. Though, I really hope you don't bring anyone who isn't family to begin with," he warns.
"Are you going to tell me why?"
"I told you before that I take on traits from my dragonskin. I get territorial," he admits. "I recognized you from your scent on the plate, which is how you earned my trust. Your family smells similar enough to you that I can recognize them as your family."
Charlie smiles. "Gin's the one that convinced me I should come back after I found out that you were a shapeshifter. I wanted to show her what she convinced me to come back to."
"Are you sure that you want to talk with me when your sister's probably freaking out?" Draco questions.
Charlie curses himself. He forgot how difficult it is to come to terms with a shapeshifter. He hears Draco's chuckle echo off the wall as he dashes outside to Ginny.
She's sitting on the ground not too far from the horses. He drops to his knees in front of her and covers her hands with his. He spends the next twenty minutes coaxing Ginny onto her horse, and the entire trip home explaining things to her.
She takes it about as well as he did.
"Are you sure you aren't part cat?" Charlie asks.
Draco looks up from where he's curled up in the sunlight. He stands, leisurely stretching, before he comes to sit near Charlie. "Very sure."
Charlie sits down. "Out of curiosity, do you plan on cleaning up the rest of the castle? Or maybe fixing the wall?"
"I've cleaned out the rooms that actually matter. But I haven't done the rest since I wasn't actually plan on staying here," Draco answers.
"Where are you going to go?"
"I haven't decided. The dragon part of me considers this home, even though I know it's not mine anymore. But the home I shared with my mother is probably long gone," the blond explains.
Charlie tilts his head. "Did your mother die?"
Draco frowns, dropping his gaze to his hands lap. "She did. She was my reason for changing back into a human."
"So you just transformed and didn't turn back?" Charlie asks.
The blond nods solemnly. "At first I didn't want to turn back. By the time I considered it, I lost too much of my humanity to remember how." He looks up and meets Charlie's eyes. "I told you that shapeshifting came with its own dangers."
"If you forgot, how did you turn back?"
Draco lowers his eyes and answers quietly. "You reminded me of my humanity."
"I'm glad. I like your dragonskin but I like human you better," Charlie says, flushing.
The blond laughs. It sounds like the rumbling of thunder, a sound similar to what he makes as a dragon. "I wouldn't have transformed in front of you if I didn't like you. For shapeshifters, transformations are only seen relatives or lovers. It's a sign of trust; trust that you built with me over months."
"So you're saying that you'd never transform in front of my family?" he asks, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Probably not," Draco answers easily. "Speaking of that, how is your sister handling the fact that I'm a shapeshifter?"
A grin forms across Charlie's face. "Better than I did. I was going to ask her to come back with me next time, if you don't mind."
"As long as you're with her."
"I think I can arrange that," Charlie says. He glances out the hole in the wall, noticing the sinking sun. "It's getting late. I should probably go."
Ginny looks at the castle. "I don't know about this," she says uneasily.
"You're not in any danger. I promise," he tells her for the hundredth time already.
She takes his hand in her own. "I trust you."
Charlie squeezes her hand for a brief moment and then leads the way back to the tower. He is surprised when she doesn't show any outward sign of her unease.
"Draco!" Charlie calls from the bottom of the staircase. His voice echoes through the tower.
When Ginny lets go of his hand, she doesn't grab the back of his shirt. She quietly follows him up the stairs.
Charlie walks into the room and sees Draco lying there in his dragonskin. He can't help himself as he steps forward and runs his hands across the scales. A gasp brings Charlie out of his thoughts.
Ginny is opening and closing her mouth in amazement.
Charlie steps towards her as Draco lifts his head. He bumps into Charlie and snorts hot air when Charlie glares. When Charlie is out of the way, Draco lays his head down at Ginny's feet.
"Is this really Draco?" she asks. She sticks her hands out and runs it down the silver scales.
"Yeah, I wouldn't have believed it either but he transformed in front of me," he says. He takes a seat near Draco, running his own hands down the scales. Ginny follows his lead.
They sit there for a long time. They talk about the patrols he's done recently and about Ginny's secret training of swordsmanship. Charlie can't help but enjoy the time that he spends with his sister and his dragon.
"Thanks for showing me this," she says, looking directly at Draco. Then she stands up, dusting her riding clothes off, and looks at Charlie. "I'm going to leave you two. I doubt he's going to change back with me here."
Charlie shifts from where he's staring at Draco to his sister. "Let's go home," he agrees.
She pats him on the shoulder. "I can make it home just fine. You can stay."
"I won't let you ride home by yourself," Charlie argues, standing quickly. "First off, there might be trouble between here and there. And secondly, mum and dad would kill me for letting you ride home alone."
She frowns. "You've been waiting to come out here for days now. I don't want you to have leave so early."
"Your safety is more important here. I can always come back," Charlie says.
She folds her arms across her chest. "Fine. I'm going down to the horses. At least stay to say goodbye."
Charlie narrows his eyes at Ginny. "Only if you swear you won't leave without me."
"I swear."
With that, Ginny turns on her heels and disappears from the room.
It takes several minutes before he sees Draco shed his dragonskin. It's just as breathtaking as it was the first time. He comes to stand in front of Charlie, searching his eyes for something.
"When you come next time, you should stay," Draco says.
Charlie is captivated by his stormy eyes. There's something about them that Charlie can't describe, but he likes. He leans forward and kisses Draco. He pulls away almost immediately. "I'm sorry I shouldn't -"
He's cut off by Draco kissing him again. His eyes close on their own volition as he kisses back. He's grinning when they finally part.
"I thought you would've realized what I wanted when I told you shapeshifters only transform in front of relatives or lovers," the blond says. "So are you going to stay for a while next time?"
He nods. "I will. But right now, I have to ride with Ginny back to the city. I'll see you as soon as I can."
He kisses Draco one last time before he leaves. His sister teases him the whole way home about the silly smile he wears.
Charlie is laying the blanket on the floor when he hears the sounds of wings flapping. His heart rate increases with excitement as Draco starts to transform. His human feet hitting the floor, barely inside of the tower.
"I was just flying until you got here," Draco says, sitting down on the blanket.
Charlie picks up a basket from in front of the door. "I have some food, if you would like some."
As soon as Charlie sits, Draco kisses him. "Thank you." He grabs some grapes from the basket and pops one in his mouth.
Charlie rubs the back of his neck nervously. "I was thinking. Maybe you could move to the city with me."
When Draco doesn't answer immediately, he panics.
"I know your dragon part considers this home. But I'm still a part of the King's army. I would be putting myself, my family, and you all in danger if I leave and I don't want that. You can always come back here to transform whenever you need to. I just don't want to have to travel nearly a day to see you every once in awhile."
The blond kisses Charlie again. "I think that will work out," he says. "When were you thinking about doing this?"
"Before next month," he answers.
"That sounds good," Draco confirms, leaning back comfortably.
"What do you want to do with your treasure?" he asks. "Take it or leave it?"
"If I don't take some, I may end up stealing any shiny objects. I doubt that would be good," Draco replies.
Charlie laughs. "No it wouldn't. On a similar note, would you mind letting me give my mum back her dinner plates?"
"You mean the plates you basically courted me with?" Draco asks, arching his eyebrow.
"I didn't court you with plates," he objects. Then after a moment, he frowns. "Okay, maybe I did. The fact still remains that they are my mum fancy dinner plates that I was using and she's going to be hosting a party for people in a few months. She'll realize that most of them are missing."
The blond grins. "You can give them back as long as I get to keep a few."
Charlie kisses him triumphantly. "That's a deal."