House: Slytherin
Category: Drabble
Prompts: [Word] Secret
Word Count: 409 (Excluding Author's Note, but including entire Entry and Title)
Warning: This is an AU (Alternate Universe) piece.
Characters: Charlie Weasley; Hermione Granger
Summary: When a beautifully designed tattoo appears on Charlie Weasley's arm, the ritual of the Antipodean Opaleye dragon is unleashed, binding him with his brother's best friend, Hermione Granger, in the most ancient of magic. With each interaction, he's drawn closer to her.
Author's Note: I've never written this pairing before, but I can tell y'all I had the most amazing time writing this piece. I'm pretty bummed it's the last round of the Competition, but this would definitely be something I continue in the near future :)
As always, enjoy
-Carolare Scarletus
To Love you Better
Charlie Weasley stared silently at the colorful tattoo on his forearm. For months, the image had slowly evolved from some insignificant dot on his arm into a monstrous picture on his body. He hadn't a clue what brought on the strange phenomenon; all he had to go on was that they were thinking of dragons. Specially one so beautifully endowed that even he caught his breath when the colors first appeared in a swirling, tantalizing touch. It was a strange conundrum that baffled him. Charlie was a dragon connoisseur of sorts, but that wasn't what bothered him. It was the fact that the tattoo was a depiction of the rare variety, only seen by few. He'd heard whispers of it during his travels and studied it further when his suspicion grew. After months of doubt and research, he'd concluded, with great difficulty, it was the Opaleye. They were known to inadvertently tie together two individuals with its last scale. Charlie must have picked it up somewhere, but he doubt that was the case since he couldn't remember ever stumbling upon the rare emblem of the dragon. What he couldn't figure out who the tattoo was connected to and why.
The dragon tamer tugged down his sleeve and sighed. Leaning back against the wall, Charlie opened his eyes and watched as his youngest brother waved the letter he received around in the air. Ron had invited his friend to the World Cup, a competition of sorts of Quidditch. He wasn't much for spot, finding it boring to say the least. Charlie only agreed to go once word came that Ron's friend, Hermione Granger, would be going. He didn't understand his obsession with her. All he knew that is he enjoyed her company. Her easy smile, her boiling personality that he attributed to having to be babysit Ron and Harry. Tilting his head, Charlie supposed he loved the conversations he had with her the most and that's why the tattoo appeared on his skin.
Charlie had to wonder if the dragon tattoo was a good or bad thing. It was his biggest secret and he couldn't let some trivial little thing get in his way of having a normal friendship with his brother's best friend.
For now, he'd keep quiet. He'd protect this secret with his life, but there will always be this nagging feeling of possession whenever he looked at her and voice that said, Mine.