This is a prequel to Fremione and the Weasleys. In that story, Charlie told Hermione about a muggle woman he had once spent a summer with, and his search for her became a bigger part of Fremione and the Weasleys than I had imagined. Here's the story of how Charlie and Lauren met and spend a summer together in Romania. No promises as to how often I'll update it, because F&tWs is my priority, but I'll get there :-)
OoOoOoOoOoOoOCharlie Weasley was tired. He had walked for miles tracking what he thought might be an errant teenage dragon halfway across the Carpathian mountains. That wasn't even his intended activity for the day; he was actually on his annual mission to check for as-yet unlogged dragon nests when the tracks had appeared out of the blue. And then to add insult to injury, the trail had just as suddenly gone cold. When he stopped to wipe his face and spotted the white half-wall that marked the edge of the muggle spa resort, he was simultaneously dismayed at how far he was from his starting point and buoyed by the thought that he could at least sit on his arse for a couple of hours and drink a beer. If he had his muggle wallet, he thought, hauling his charmed backpack off his shoulders to fish his hand in and check and then sending a prayer of gratitude to the gods when he discovered that he did.
He clocked the position of the sun, realising that the late hour and twenty minute walk to a muggle-free zone meant he would have to choose between having a beer immediately or delaying his gratification and erecting his tent while it was still daylight. The beer won. It wouldn't be the first time Charlie had magically put up a tent in the dark.
Checking to see that no-one was nearby, Charlie stepped off the path for a moment. He took his wand out of its holster and applied several charms, ensuring that he was clean, fresh and presentable enough to be allowed into the resort. The bartender was a friendly local who knew several of the dragon keepers by sight from their visits to the village and was happy to let them into the bar or restaurant when they came by as long as they met the dress code. Charlie transfigured his shorts and shirt into slightly smarter versions of the originals and sent a charm through his soft, red, medium-length hair which served as shampoo, conditioner and brush in one. With a practised movement, he re-tied the strip of leather that he used to hold his red hair in a ponytail.
He stood still for a moment, doing a mental appraisal of what was left and then casting a freezing spell on his dragon tattoos. Not that they could be seen while he was wearing his shirt; that was one reason that he had had them magically painted onto his body rather than his arms, but he had once needed to obliviate a muggle who had seen the moving creatures when he had lifted his arm and revealed the Chinese fireball spitting flames across the left side of his body. He didn't want to take any chances, especially as the resort was likely to be busy at this time of the year. Finally, he sent a cleaning charm over his booted feet before casting a disillusionment spell on his holstered wand and striding forward, his energy slightly renewed at the thought of having a drink.
It took him less than five minutes to reach the gate that he knew would take him onto the bar's terrace, where the tourists tended to gather in the early evening to sit on the soft seats while the sun set and the soft illumination of the garden lights created an entirely different kind of atmosphere. Nodding to the bartender, Charlie ordered himself a beer and handed over a banknote with a request to set up a tab. As he was here, he might as well get some food in a bit as well; it would be nice to have a meal that someone else had cooked instead of the sausage sandwiches that ended up being his staple diet when he was camping.
He took a long pull of his drink and then, beer in hand, Charlie strolled back towards the terrace, noting that it looked fairly busy. All of the sofas and armchairs were full and he was going to have to sit on the white wall if he wanted to enjoy the sunset, but he didn't mind that. He headed for the path that would take him towards the more secluded edge of the seating area but stopped in his tracks just a few feet from his final destination when he saw a disaster about to happen. A family of small lizards were trying to cross the path of an American couple who were headed indoors, talking animatedly and completely unaware that their feet were putting the tiny creatures in peril. Charlie called out and strode forward, bending down to help the little reptiles reach their destination and blocking the tourists' way until he had ensured that the entire family was safe. Nodding to the couple in thanks for having stopped, he made it to the wall, leaned on it as he appraised the mountains and drank another mouthful of his beer.
"That was very kind of you." He turned around to see a small, plump woman in a red sundress and a straw hat that was almost bigger than she was. She was sitting on one of the few sofas that lined the edge of the terrace and faced the mountains rather than another sofa. It was a romantic seat made for two, but she was alone. Waiting for her husband to return with another drink, he supposed, although she had nearly a full glass of wine on the table.
"They were stressed," he shrugged. "There have only been people here for a few years; they don't know to be scared until it's too late, and then they don't know what to do."
The woman nodded slowly. "I see," she said. "Are you staying here?" She didn't want to be rude, but he didn't exactly look like a typical resort guest, and she was slightly intrigued by this man who had appeared almost out of the blue.
"No," he replied. "I work locally. With animals," he smiled, a bit shyly, realising that that might serve to explain his behaviour which might, he supposed, seem a bit odd.
The woman didn't seem daunted by it though. She looked at the wall he was leaning against and then patted the other side of the purple sofa that she sat on. "You're welcome to sit, if you like. There aren't many spare seats at this time of the evening, I know. I was lucky to get this one," she smiled, "although it helped that I parked myself here with my reading before the rush began." When she said 'reading', she nodded towards a small grey thing that she held in her hands.
"What are you reading?" Charlie asked, picking up his beer and walking towards the sofa.
"Oh," she laughed, "what aren't I reading, more like! I've got about seventeen books on the go in there, work and pleasure both. I'm having a break for a few weeks and it's a good chance to catch up."
"You're here alone then?" Charlie asked. "No husband or boyfriend going to come over and be cross if I'm sat here with you while he's in the sauna?"
"Definitely not," she laughed, deciding that the sun was low enough for her to take her hat off. Placing it on the table, she shook her head to release her hair. "I don't know what I'd do with one of those. No, it's just me and the mountains and my books." She picked up the grey thing from her lap and waved it a bit to emphasise her words before placing it on the low table that sat in front of the sofa. "And the odd glass of wine, just to cap it all off. Lauren Bennett," she said, holding her right hand out. "Lecturer and book lover."
"Charlie Weasley." Charlie clasped her hand, which felt tiny in his. She had a confident handshake though, which he admired. "Rescuer of lizards and animal lover." Lauren picked up her wine glass with her other hand and held it up in a toast. Charlie nodded his head and clinked his beer softly with her glass.
"Cheers," they said at the same time, and then, "it's nice to meet you!" They both laughed, ice broken in their mutual delight at being so far from home and yet connected by their English cultural norms.