For Lo.
The second Weasley son's arrival is marked by the first snow of the season. It takes nearly a month for the Fairy to come and bestow a gift upon him.
Molly holds her sleeping infant as her firstborn tugs on her skirt. William has shocking red hair and bright blue eyes that are looking up at her.
The two-year-old makes a grasping motion as he says, "Hole."
"It's hold," she corrects gently as she makes space next to her.
Happily, he climbs up next to her and Molly carefully lifts Charles. She put the baby in William's arms. William holds onto his brother carefully, smiling up at her, "Bubba."
Molly's about to teach her son how to say 'brother' when there's a loud crack. William whimpers when Charles starts to cry. Molly sweeps her son back into her arms, shushing him gently.
Standing in front of her is a Fairy. It's not the same Fairy that gave William his gentleness two years ago. This Fairy is dressed in all black and her wings are a deep purple.
"I'm Marlene," the Fairy introduces as she stomps towards Molly and the baby. She holds her hands out. "Ah, yes, the one that I'm supposed to give a gift to."
William clutches Molly's skirts, hiding the best he can behind her, as she transfers her baby into the Fairy's arms. Charles starts to cry again.
"This one's got a set of lungs on him," Marlene huffs as she looks at the baby. She glances back up. "What's his name?"
"Charles," Molly answers.
The baby continues to cry as Marlene bounces him. Every bone in Molly's body is screaming at her to take him back from the Fairy, but she can't. It's customary for Fairies to bestow gifts on newborns and Molly shouldn't interfere with customs, no matter how badly she wants to.
Marlene makes several weird, unintelligible noises before she snaps her fingers, "I give you the gift of obedience. Now, stop crying."
When Charles falls silent, Marlene grins.
Horror fills Molly. "What have you done?"
"I have given you the perfect child," the Fairy replies brightly. "He will always do what he's told. Isn't it great?"
"That's awful. Take it back!"
Marlene raises her eyebrow. "I have a strict no return policy."
Molly opens her mouth to say something when the front door opens. Her husband comes through the door, shaking off the snow from his hat.
"Oh, Charlie's Fairy's finally came!" he says excitedly, his eyes lighting up. He swings William up into his arms as he presses a kiss to Molly's cheek. He turns his attention to Marlene. "Which gift have you given him?"
"Obedience," Molly answers for her, bitterness lacing her tone.
Arthur's face twists with horror as his eyes dart between his wife and the Fairy. "Why would you give him that?"
"If you're going to be ungrateful, I can always turn him into a snake."
Molly rushes over to take her son out of the Fairy's arms. Marlene disappears with a loud crack that frightens Charles again. The baby starts to cry as Molly swings him gently, side to side.
Molly wants to shush him, but she's too scared too. She whispers reassurances until the baby's cries die out. She's so caught up in dealing with Charles that she flinches when Arthur puts his hands on her shoulders.
"What are we going to do?" Molly questions softly.
He presses a kiss to her temple as he massages her shoulder. "I don't know, but we'll figure something out, Mollywobbles. We'll make sure this isn't a curse."
Molly looks down at her son and hopes that Arthur is right.
The roar of the dragons is the only thing Charlie can hear on the road in between King's Cross and Gringotts. He can barely contain his excitement. He's been begging his father to let join him on his business trips since he learned about dragons in school. His father had only deemed him old enough to accompany him after his eighth birthday.
Gringotts is much different than Godric's Hollow. It's much busier, with so many people and creatures rushing around. Charlie gets caught up looking at the other creatures; only Fairies tend to come through Godric's Hollow.
His father turns around. "Charlie, please keep up!"
Rushing ahead, he follows his father closely as they weave in and out of the crowd. They make it to the loading bay, where his father will inspect the merchandise.
"The training ground is just up the road. I would like it if you stayed there until I'm finished. It shouldn't take too long," his father says.
There isn't a command in his words, which Charlie is grateful for. His siblings sometimes forget about his gift. While they apologize after, he still hates the way that he can't help but follow the unintentional orders.
He nods. "I'll stay there."
"Good, now—" Arthur breaks off, realizing he was about to give his son a command. He clears his throat and tries again, "you can go."
Charlie makes his way to the training ground. As he gets closer, he finds himself looking towards the sky instead of watching where he's going. His school books have nothing on the sight of the dragons. He never thought anything could be so beautiful.
He hits something hard, falling backward with an "oof." He scrambles to his feet, quick to make his apology. "I'm so sorry! I just—dragons. I haven't seen them before, and—"
"It's alright," the girl replies, dusting herself off. She looks to be around Charlie's age, with dark curly hair. "I still get distracted by them."
The man puts his hand on her shoulder. "We're going to be late if we don't get a move on. Are you going to the dragon show?" he asks Charlie. When he nods, the man continues. "You can come sit by us. I'm sure Hestia is excited to chat to someone who's just as fascinated as she is."
Hestia lights up at the prospect. "Everyone thinks that Rhya and her rider are the best, but Elio is much better."
"Which one is Elio?" he asks. "I'm Charlie, by the way."
"He's the silver one. Rhya is a blue-purple dragon," she replies.
It takes very little persuasion to get Charlie and Hestia to move. The raven-haired girl keeps up a steady stream of commentary about the dragons until they reach the training grounds.
There are several dragons on the ground with their riders next to them. Charlie is mesmerized by them. Hestia pulls him to sit next to her with a gentle tug on his arm. She points to each dragon in turn. "That one's Elyria; she's the biggest. Then you have Lyra. That's Kleio; he's the oldest. Of course, the next one is Rhya. Finally, that one's Elio."
"Isn't there supposed to be more?"
Hestia nods. "The other ones are patrolling the borders between Hogwarts and Durmstrang and Beauxbatons and Ilvermorny. In the next fortnight, Hector, Aio, and Amarya are supposed to be back from their patrol."
She falls quiet as Elyria takes to the sky. The other dragons are airborne in a matter of seconds. Charlie can't tear his eyes away from them. They soar and glide and roar and breathe fire and he has never seen anything that can compare.
He doesn't know how long he watches for, but eventually, they land. Hestia grabs his hand. "Come on! They let us pet them if the dragons aren't too moody."
Charlie feels the snap of the command, but he's too excited to care. She drags him through the dispersing crowd. There is a smaller crowd that's a bit of a distance away from the dragons that Hestia brings him to.
They pass the time by comparing life in Gringotts to Godric's Hollow. Hestia had moved between Hogsmeade and Gringotts, and talks animatedly about how she misses her friends in Hogsmeade, but being able to see the dragons all the time more than makes up for it. Charlie offers stories about his brothers and the bakery his parents own, and how he spends most afternoons learning how to make bread and muffins and all the other things.
When it's finally their turn, Hestia asks to see Elio. The silver dragon preens when they come closer. Elio is even more beautiful up close. His eyes are as dark as slate as he studies the two of them.
He feels himself straighten because of the gift as Elio's rider instructs Charlie how to approach him. His gift forces him to do exactly as instructed. Elio doesn't huff when Charlie stretches out his hand confidently. After a few moments, Elio nudges at his hand.
Charlie looks back at Hestia with a wide, toothy smile. She looks just as excited as he feels. Her hand joins his on Elio's nose. She scratches at the underneath of his head and Elio practically melts. Hestia was right; Elio is the best one.
They are urged to leave as Charlie's father calls for him. Arthur stands at the gate to the training ground. Charlie grins at his father and introduces Hestia.
He promptly launches into descriptions when his father ruffles his hair affectionately. "You can tell me all about it during our trip tomorrow."
"You're leaving tomorrow?" Hestia asks, disappointed.
"You can come visit!" Charlie tells her excitedly. "And I can come back! Right, Dad?"
His dad laughs. "We'll have to see. If I have to come back, I'll bring you with."
Charlie nods enthusiastically. Hestia brightens at the prospect of seeing the redhead again. His father starts to lead him away as Hestia's father approaches. "Gingersnaps," he calls. "That's our bakery."
(Hestia doesn't visit, but she does move to Godric's Hollow two years later, bringing with her an easy friendship and the news of dragons being chained.)
Charlie hears the jingle of the front door opening, and briefly longs to be the one to greet the customers. Instead, he's stuck in the back, making the pies, pastries, and bread. He's good at it; great even, but this isn't what he wants to do for the rest of his life.
He's pouring the flour into the large mixing bowl when he hears a voice call out, "Hello, is anyone here?"
Charlie frowns as he wipes his hands on his apron. His sister or youngest brother are usually in the front to greet the customers and to take the orders. He peeks around the corner to see a slim strawberry blonde woman looking around at the displayed treats.
He doesn't see his siblings around. He straightens and heads toward the counter; the bakery needs every sale it can get, regardless that he shouldn't be the one selling. "How can I help you?"
"I need a loaf of sourdough bread," she says timidly.
Charlie releases a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. "Is that all?" he inquires as he grabs the loaf and wraps it. It's not as neat as he's seen Ginny's wrapping, but it's much better than Ron's.
She bites at her lip, her brown eyes wandering the displays before settling. "You know what? Give me a blueberry muffin."
He straightens automatically, feeling the familiar magic flood his system. He can't resist the urge to just follow the order. Reaching out and grabbing a blueberry muffin, he manages to say, "Here you go!" as he's shoving the muffin toward her.
She makes a noise of confusion as she takes it.
Charlie hands her the bread more easily than he did the muffin. "That'll be four sickles."
She hands him the money and takes her items. When she's gone, Charlie flips the sign from open to closed and sighs in relief. He heads back to the kitchen to finish the muffins he was working on.
The silence that he works in is perfect. He doesn't have to worry about anyone accidentally ordering him to do something.
The bakery is closed day the Queen and Prince arrive in Godric's Hollow. They learned from previous visits that the customers are too excited about the royal family coming to their town to remember to drop by Gingersnaps.
It's both a blessing and a curse; on one hand, the bakery needed every sale they could get, but on the other, Charlie is free to join his best friend at the welcoming ceremony. Her raven locks are pulled away from her face in a braid and there's a wide grin on her face.
"Are you ready for some protesting?" she asks, handing him one of the signs she's holding.
He grins just as wide. "Of course!"
When the royal carriage comes to a stop, the people gathered in the square liven up. Charlie and Hestia stand on the fountain's edge holding their signs up. They had spent the day before painting them, and Charlie's quite proud of them.
The crowd cheers at the sight of their Queen and Prince. As loudly as he can, Charlie calls out, "Say no to dragoncide!"
"Let the dragons fly!" Hestia yells.
Charlie and Hestia continue calling out their protests, despite it seeming like they aren't being heard over the cheering crowd. Suddenly, the strawberry blonde girl from the bakery last week is in front of him.
"Stop that!" she demands. The words get caught in Charlie's throat as she continues, "What are you doing? The Queen could see you!"
Charlie lowers his sign as Hestia's cheeks grow red with anger. "In case you didn't realize, that's the whole point of this! We want the Queen and Prince to see. We want the laws changed."
The girl gives them a glare. "There's nothing the matter with the laws! They're there for our protection. Just go home!"
When he straightens minutely because of the spell, Charlie hates it. He gives the girl a glare and fights the order long enough to say his final piece and make his excuse. "You should probably look into the laws that are there for our so-called protection! But I have to go. I'll see you later, Hestia."
He doesn't bother to look at his best friend when he makes his escape. He knows she's giving him her usual nonplussed expression. She may be his best friend, but he doesn't want her to walk on eggshells around him like his family do, so he hasn't told her about his gift.
Charlie is not too far from his road when suddenly someone slams into him from behind. He barely manages to keep himself from falling. When he turns around, he's surprised to see the Prince.
"Tell them I went that way," he says, pointing to the right fork. The blond quickly heads for the trees to the left side of the road, hiding behind a tree.
He feels the snap of the spell. The Prince is barely out of sight when Charlie hears the excited screams of school-aged girls. He just points to the right, and the girls run past him without a second thought.
When he can barely hear the footfall of the girls, Charlie calls, "Are you going to hide there for the rest of the night?"
The Prince comes out of the treeline, brushing invisible dust away. "My apologies."
Charlie nods and turns to go home.
"Wait!" the Prince calls. Charlie groans as the spell forces him to stop. He turns around to look at the other man as he says, "Most people would want a reward for helping."
"Why would I need a reward for doing what people should do?" he asks, shrugging.
The Prince studies him closely for a moment. "You aren't particularly thrilled with my presence," he says in disbelief.
Charlie snorts. "Not everyone is going to be thrilled by your very presence, your highness."
"Draco." When Charlie frowns, the Prince clarifies, "Call me Draco."
He can't help but feel annoyed when he straightens at the order.
"Well, Draco, I'm glad I could help you escape those girls, but I really should be getting home," he says, turning away to leave.
"What did you mean?"
Charlie faces the Prince again. The blond hasn't moved from where he was. He demands an answer with his expression, not his words. Charlie's heart races; he has everything he's ever wanted, here on the road—a chance to voice his opinions to the Prince. He needs to get it right.
"Not everyone is happy with the laws. Or with the way you and your aunt tour biannually. The time you spend going from city to city could best be used other ways," he answers. "The only good that comes from these tours is that the cities get busier than normal, which helps a few shops, but not the city as a whole."
"It's always done the kingdom good to see their sovereign. You'll find the laws are in place for everyone's protection," Draco argues. There's something about his tone that makes it difficult to believe.
Charlie laughs. "It sounds like you're repeating what someone else has told you."
The Prince shifts as if he's uncomfortable, but Charlie continues before he has a chance to respond, moving closer to the blond.
"You're about to take the crown of this kingdom. You should at least have your own opinions and knowledge of the laws," he informs the Prince. "It will only help you when you become King."
Charlie turns on his heels to head home, then turns back to the Prince one last time. "Good luck avoiding those ladies, Draco."
He can feel Draco's eyes on him as he takes the path to the left.
Charlie's heart is still racing when he manages to get to the Burrow. It's relatively small and oddly shaped, with rooms being built on after the original house was built, but it's still home.
"I thought you would be longer," his mother says, giving him a warm smile as she fills a bowl.
For a brief moment, he considers telling her about the girl from the bakery and his run-in with the Prince, but he doesn't want her to worry; she does enough of that as it is. He shrugs noncommittally as he takes the bowl. "Wasn't much of an event."
"What's the matter?" she asks. Before he has a chance to open his mouth, she waves the serving spoon at him, sending droplets of soup all around. "Don't even think about lying. I want the truth."
He feels the command in his bones, his spine forcibly straightens, and the lie that's on the tip of his tongue dies. He knows she didn't consider it a command, but the 'gift' perceived it as one. "Did you and Dad ever try to get my gift lifted?"
"Oh, dear, we did," she says sighing, coming to sit next to him. She places her hands comfortingly on his arm. "We tried every Fairy we could find. Only the Fairy that bestowed the gift could take it back, and well, the Fairy that gave you yours refused."
"Maybe I can change their mind," Charlie suggests.
Molly looks like she's about to protest when she shakes her head and gives him a soft smile. "I don't think it'll hurt to try. Her name is Marlene. She hasn't been around for a while, but there's a Fairy that stays in town who might know where she is—Dorcas."
Excitement rushes through his veins. This is a chance at lifting the cursed gift he's had all his life. His hunger disappears in light of his new mission. He stands up to leave.
His mother laughs brightly. "I know you're in a hurry, but you should probably wait for the morning. I'll help you pack for the journey tonight."
The thought of wasting even one more second is agony, but Charlie nods and says his thanks. He eats without tasting the food as he sorts out a plan in his head.
The street is unusually busy as Charlie tries to navigate it. His mum had said that the local flat building is where the Fairies stay when they're in Godric's Hollow. Taking a deep breath, Charlie walks to the Fairy standing in front. He has dark hair and even darker wings.
"Can you help me find a Fairy named Dorcas?" Charlie asks. "I was told I could find her here."
The Fairy's bright eyes flicker up and down Charlie's frame, analyzing him before nodding. "Stay here," he orders and then he disappears into the building.
Charlie barely manages to hold back his groan of annoyance as he straightens for a brief moment. He tests his feet, trying to move, but his obedience keeps him firmly in place. At least it could be worse; he could be stuck in the middle of the road with a carriage coming and no way of moving.
A few minutes later, the Fairy returns with another. She has blue wings and a warm smile. Her smile drops as she sees Charlie. She hisses, "Benjy, you idiot!" at her companion before she says, "Come here, child."
Charlie feels the snap of the order, and finds himself relieved he doesn't have to wait half an hour before he can move. His obedience forces him to Dorcas.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're the obedient Weasley child," she says.
Benjy's eyes widen as he trips over his words. "I didn't—I wouldn't—sorry."
"I'm used to it," Charlie assures the Fairy. "But that's what I'm here for."
"Didn't your parents tell you? Only the Fairy who bestows the gift can take it," Dorcas tells him softly. "If we could take it, we would've. Obedience is a terrible gift to have."
He nods. "Mum did explain that. I'm going to try to persuade Marlene to take it back."
"She isn't the type to take her gifts back," Dorcas warns, her eyes are shining with pity.
"Look, I just need to know when's the last time you saw her," Charlie tells her.
"She wasn't doing too good last time I saw her. We got into an argument and I haven't seen her since. But if you wait a few minutes, I'll get you something to help find her," the Fairy says. She heads back into the building, leaving Charlie with Benjy.
As he waits for Dorcas, Benjy pats Charlie's arm. "I've never known Marlene to take back a gift—she's too proud for that—but I hope she does, for your sake."
Dorcas returns with two objects, a map and a compass. She offers them to Charlie. "The compass will point in whatever direction Marlene is in. I'm pretty sure the map is self-explanatory. I know they're not the best, but it's all I can offer."
He takes them from Dorcas with a wide, toothy smile. He slips the worn map into his runsack as he says, "these are more than what I was expecting. Thank you."
He glances at the compass and starts heading in the right direction. No time like the present to get started.
The compass points to the Forbidden Forest. He moves it around, hoping for a different direction, but the arrow still points to the forest. He sighs as he judges the direction and pulls out Dorcas' other gift. From what he can tell, Gringotts is on the other side of the forest, which happens to be the biggest city for creatures. The road he's on forks in King's Cross—one heading for Gringotts, and the other for Hogwarts.
He could shave at least a day and a half off his travel if he follows the compass through the forest. However, Giants have been known to live in the forest to avoid the laws on creature legislation that are in place; and well, Giants aren't the friendliest of creatures. That's not to mention all the possible bandits and thieves and other dangerous things.
Go through the forest full of possible life threatening situations or actually follow the path that'll take much longer. There isn't much of an option for him. He rolls his map back up and places in his runsack, and he heads into the Forbidden Forest.
He follows the compass, turning left and right as the arrow does. The only time he stops is to drink from his canteen or nibble on some of the jerky his mother sent him with. He walks until the sun starts to sink below the horizon.
He makes a small campfire and is uncovering his dinner when he hears a scream. Without a second thought, he covers his food and shoves it back in his runsack before he heads in the direction of the screams.
It doesn't take too long before he finds the source.
"Put me down or so help me!" the woman yells.
In the clearing, he can see two Giants and a woman with bright pink hair. He rushes out without a plan. "Hey! What are you doing?"
"We're just having a bit of fun. Would you like to be our entertainment too?"
As the two Giants tower over him, Charlie realizes he's made a huge mistake. However, the Giant's grip on the woman loosens and he sees her slip through the hand and land almost gracefully on the ground before promptly tripping over her own feet.
Charlie barely manages to dodge as the woman screams, "Run!"
He feels the order snap under his skin and he manages to slip between one of the Giant's legs. He grabs her hand as he runs quickly in the opposite direction before he cuts back the way they just came. He can hear the Giants' footsteps as they run. He turns again, not know where he's going; he's just worried about getting away.
The woman trips and pulls Charlie down with her. As they try to catch their breaths, he realizes that the only thing he can hear is the sounds of them panting like they've ran a marathon. "It seems that we gave them the slip."
"Thank you for the help," she says. "I'm Tonks, by the way."
"Charlie," he introduces himself. "What are you doing out here?"
She gives him a cheshire grin. "I thought it would be fun."
A laugh bubbles up Charlie's chest. Her smile shakes until she's laughing with him. When the laughter dies out, she turns towards him.
"What are you doing in the Forbidden Forest; besides being a hero?" she asks him.
Charlie goes through the motions of starting another fire and digging out the food he shoved back inside his runsack earlier. "I need to get to Gringotts. Going through the forest seemed to be the quickest way."
"What's in Gringotts?"
"Freedom," he answers quietly.
She draws her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around them as she rest her head on top of them. "That must be nice."
He looks at her, studying her closer. He frowns. "You seem pretty free out here."
"I'm a metamorphmagus. If I leave the forest, the only thing I can do is be an entertainer," she says, sighing.
She looks up at him and her pink hair grows longer and turns from pink to brown, before it returns to the short pixie cut it was. He watches in fascination.
"Come with me," he says suddenly, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. "We can see what can be done about your freedom."
She shrugs. "I'd prefer not to be a walking freak show, thanks."
Charlie frowns as he splits his food in half. "I've found that nothing changes unless somebody changes it. So you can either stay in the forest, with a high chance of running into Giants again, or you can come with me and try to change it yourself."
"What are you? A motivational speaker?" she asks, shaking with laughter.
Charlie watches her, a grin on his lips. "Are you in?"
She nods. "I'm in, but probably best if we start in the morning. That chase kinda drained me."
Charlie nods and passes her some of his food. The atmosphere between them is easy and light as they share dinner. He watches over her as she sleeps, and wonders what the two of them could do to change things. It makes him miss Hestia's steadfast optimism.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Tonks asks for the third time.
"Yes," he says shortly. "The compass is pointing in the direction I need to go."
She watches her feet as she steps over a root. "So it's a magical compass?"
"A Fairy gave it to me to help me find my Fairy," Charlie explains. "It's supposed to lead me to her."
"Any idea where it's leading you?"
He shrugs. "It was pointing to Gringotts before I entered the forest. But I dunno now. Hopefully we'll find a road or the city soon."
As if it's divine intervention, they hear the sound of a horse trotting. They share a look and run towards the source of the sound. They break through the treeline to find a small party on horseback.
Charlie immediately recognizes the Prince riding at the front of the party. He seems to glow in the sunlight, beautiful and proud, on top of his horse. He's everything that Charlie finds attractive, but he knows nothing could or would ever happen; he's the Prince after all.
Draco seems to recognize Charlie too, and he calls for his party to halt as he dismounts his horse. Seeing no way around it, Charlie heads to meet the Prince halfway, with Tonks in tow.
"Your Highness," Charlie greets.
Tonks makes a noise of surprise before dipping into a curtsy. Charlie is debating whether not he should bow when the blond speaks.
"I thought I told you to call me Draco. What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be in Godric's Hollow?"
"We're heading to Gringotts to meet his Fairy," Tonks answers. "Or at least, that's where he says the compass is pointing."
"I happen to be on my way there as well," the Prince says. "You can join my party."
"No, really, it's okay. We'll be fine now that we found the road," Charlie says, deflecting. He already has Tonks with him; he doesn't need more people around, since it increases the chance of commands.
Draco isn't having any of it. "I insist. I'm rather intrigued about the laws you mentioned people didn't like."
It's not an order, but he feels compelled to follow it. He looks at Tonks, who just gives him a shrug, before he agrees.
Charlie keeps an eye on the compass while they walk to make sure Marlene is still in Gringotts.
They reach Gringotts within an hour or two. The city is bustling; Fairies, Goblins, and Imps are among the humans. It's just as awestricking as it was when he was seven.
There is no reception crowd for the Prince here, but it doesn't seem like Draco expected any. The guards take the horses to the stables near the Inn. The blond makes his excuses and disappears.
Charlie and Tonks makes their way to the Inn. He has enough Knuts to buy them each a tankard of water.
"You seem friendly with the Prince. When did you meet him?" she asks.
He snorts. "He ran, quite literally, into me. Instead of a prize he wanted to give me for helping him lose his followers, I took the opportunity to tell him to get an opinion about the laws of the kingdom. To be honest, I thought if someone were to ask, 'are you going to see him again?' the answer would be no."
Tonks laughs brightly. "I suppose you took your own advice of making the change happen yourself."
"I guess I did," he says, bring the goblet up to finish off. He pulls out the compass and furrows his eyebrows at it. The needle of the compass is spinning wildly. He rolls his eyes and pockets it. It looks like he'll have to do some good old-fashioned searching.
He leaves Tonks at the Inn, as he stops every Fairy on the street, looking for Marlene. He grows more and more frustrated each time. Every single Fairy he comes across tells him that they haven't seen her. He keeps a close eye on the compass, but it doesn't do anything more than spin.
By the time he's had enough, he's standing on the outskirts of Gringotts. He sees the abandoned training ground for the dragons. Hestia had described it to him after her trip to Gringotts with her father, but the descriptions have nothing on reality.
The training ground has posts that keep the dragons from flying away. Charlie starts toward them, his heart breaking. He's just out of range when the Prince cries, "Stop!"
Charlie feels the snap of the spell, keeping him moving forward, and hates his obedience a little more. He's too far from the dragons chained at the base of the mountain, too far from the one he adored as a child.
"What are you doing?" Draco demands. "You're going to get yourself killed."
He longs to be closer to the dragon. Elio is a beautiful creature, with eyes dark as slate and scales the color of liquid silver. There's magic keeping the chain around his back foot from breaking. His heart aches for the once proud dragon.
He looks back at the man with the same eyes as the dragon. "My father brought me here when I was a child. The dragons were all free. Now look at what your aunt has done to them," he says, bitterness lacing his words as he gestures to them. "They don't know what freedom feels like anymore. It's cruel."
A frown graces the blond's lips. "They weren't always chained?"
Charlie bites his lip. He forgets how young the Prince is; he's just as old as his youngest brother. "It was mystifying," he says softly. "They're fierce, intelligent creatures. They dominated the sky with their riders. I wanted to be a dragon rider after that."
"Why didn't you?"
Charlie turns his attention back to Elio, but the order still keeps him in place. "My family needed me more."
He gives the dragon one last look before he pulls out the compass. It finally stopped spinning wildly, and now shows behind him. He's surprised when the Prince follows along next to him wordlessly. He follows the compass to the edge of Gringotts, and he sighs, frustrated. Is he ever going to find Marlene?
"Are you going?" the other man asks, his hand on Charlie's forearm.
"She's already left," Charlie says. "I should go get Tonks and try to catch up to her."
The Prince's hand never moves as he says, "I would like to hear more stories about how it was before."
The redhead looks at him in surprise. His eyes flicker across the Prince's face as the other man drops his hand to his side.
"Tomorrow, I'm supposed to be heading back to Hogwarts. You can accompany me if you'd like. There's records of where all the Fairies live in the Castle's archive that you can look through," Draco offers.
Charlie smiles as he nods. "I think I have a story or two I can share."
He doesn't miss the way that the Prince seems to straighten with confidence. They travel back to the Inn together.
Charlie spends the entire trip from Gringotts to King's Cross to Hogwarts on edge. He's waiting for an order, a command, that will give his secret away. Most of the trip to King's Cross is spent with Tonks discussing the creature legislation with Draco. He's happy to let her say her piece, to make her case.
However, between King's Cross and Hogwarts, Charlie made an offhand comment about Tonks changing her hair color and spent the next thirty minutes unable to speak after Tonks orders him to shut up. Draco shoots him looks the entire time, and Charlie only hopes that the Prince hasn't figured it out.
Hogwarts comes into view, and Charlie is awestruck. His family hasn't had a reason to come to the capital city before. A beautiful castle dominates the horizon.
The lower town gates open for them. The city itself is almost as busy as Gringotts; it takes some time to navigate the streets full of people. Draco swings himself off his horse, handing the reins to a stable hand.
Charlie follows his lead, dismounting and helping Tonks from the saddle. The two of them follow the Prince, impressed by the castle. Draco easily leads them down hallways and corridors before he pushes open the door to a throne room.
The Queen glances up when the door opens. "Ah, Draco, you've returned. And you've brought entertainment along."
He grabs Tonks forearm to keep her from doing anything.
Tonks hisses, "Let go!"
Charlie straightens with the order and lets go of her arm. When he looks at the Queen, she's staring at him curiously. There's something about her that unsettles him. Her attention is drawn away when Draco speaks.
"It's lunchtime," he says. "How about lunch?"
The Queen agrees easily, too easily. "I was just about to have the staff set out lunch. Your companions can join us."
The dining hall leaves Charlie speechless. It's a far cry from any dining rooms he's ever seen. The table could easily seat twenty people. Charlie tugs on his sleeves nervously.
The Queen takes up the head of the table, and Draco sits at her right. She gestures to the seats on the left, "Sit, the servers should be bringing out the food any moment."
Charlie straightens with the command and jerks forward to take a seat before the Queen finished her statement. Tonks stumbles over her feet as she sits on his right, left of the Queen.
"How was the rest of the trip, Draco?" she asks.
The servers sweep in and places food in front of each of them as the Prince recalls his journey. Charlie shifts uncomfortably. Draco had told them a few rules about dining with his aunt, but Charlie's all but forgotten them.
Tonks seems to understand Charlie's hesitance. "Eat," she whispers.
Charlie resists the urge to sigh as he picks up the fork and quickly brings the first thing the fork touches to his mouth. When he glances around, he's relieved to find no one looking at him. With the first bite taken, the order is satisfied, leaving Charlie with the ability to eat slower. He takes sips of wine from the goblet in between bites.
"Tell me what it is you do, Charlie."
He straightens minutely. "Bakery. I work at my family's bakery."
When the Queen's attention turns toward Tonks, Charlie slumps in his seat a little. He picks at his food, too nervous to actually eat. Unsurprisingly, it goes unnoticed by the Queen.
"Is it not to your liking?" she asks.
There's something about the tone of her voice and the way she studies him that makes Charlie shift with unease. "No, no, everything's fine. I jus—"
"Well then, hurry up and eat," she tells him.
He cleans his plate as quickly as possible, hating his obedience even more. He's praying to anyone and everyone that it goes unnoticed.
"I should show him to the archives, and Tonks is wanting to peek around the library. I'll have rooms set up for them, if you don't mind," Draco says, drawing the attention away from Charlie.
The Queen gives her nephew a look that Charlie can't decipher. "Of course not. There is a small meeting I must attend to."
Charlie doesn't like the tone of the Queen's voice. But he can do little but follow Draco out of the room when the Queen stands to head to her meeting.
When the Prince had offered for him to look through the archives, Charlie hadn't expected this. There's rows upon rows of books that line the walls, and the shelves that create walkways. He's never encountered so many books in one place before; Godric's Hollow's archive doesn't compete with Hogwarts'.
Draco showed him to the section on Fairies and left him there without further words. He grabs the book of the latest census from the shelves and starts flipping through it.
He searches by area first, glancing through the M names. When he's looked at all of them, he moves onto the next area. As he's flipping through the Hogwarts lower town information, Charlie feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
Turning, he faces the Queen. There's a smirk playing on her lips that makes him uneasy. "Bring me that book," she orders.
Charlie's spine straightens and he grabs the book from the table to give it to the Queen. When he hands her the book, she immediately drops it.
"Pick it up."
The gift forces him to follow through, and, as he bends down to retrieve it, Charlie knows that she knows. He holds the book as a shield even though he know it'll do nothing.
"It seems that I was right. You do everything that is phrased as an order. Your Fairy must've been sadist to give you that," she says with a tsking sound.
Anger boils just below Charlie's skin. This is what he's spent his entire life afraid of—being used. He can't keep the anger out of his voice when he asks tightly, "what do you want?"
She frowns at him mockingly. "I would remind you that I can have you executed for speaking to me like that, but I have plans for you."
His glare never falters, even after the mention of execution. "What plans?"
She pulls a dagger out from under her sleeve. She taps the cold steel against her other hand. "You see, I'm in a bit of a dilemma. Draco's on the eve of his twenty-first birthday, which means he'll be king in less than a fortnight. But you'll find that I'm unwilling to part with my crown."
"You want Draco killed," Charlie pieces together, dread settling in his stomach. "You would kill your own nephew?"
She snorts out a laugh. "No, of course I wouldn't. But you, on the hand…"
Charlie backs away from the Queen, his heart pounding, as he realizes what she means. "Never."
"You will kill Draco. You will drive a dagger into his back before he has a chance to wear the crown," she says darkly.
Charlie feels the snap of the spell and he's never hated it more than he does right now. His stomach turns with the thought of killing the Prince.
"Before the coronation, you will kill my nephew. With him out of the way, the legitimacy of my rule will be undeniable," she informs him.
"Did you kill your sister as well? Like you've undoubtedly kill Draco's father," Charlie spits out.
Without warning, the Queen backhands Charlie, hard. "I would never kill my sister," she hisses.
Charlie blinks through the pain. "But you'll kill the only part of her that still exists to keep a throne that was never yours."
"It should've been mine. But his family preferred Narcissa's hand over mine. I should've been his Queen," Bellatrix rants, her voice getting shrillier the more she speaks. "The crown should've been mine."
Charlie shakes his head. "So when your sister died, you decide to, what? Kill King Lucius to have the crown of Hogwarts until your nephew turns twenty-one."
She flashes him a dark, cruel smile. "I've always planned on killing him. I was still deciding the way until I saw how he looks at you. He's smitten with you, which is what will make this much more painful for him."
Charlie shakes with anger as he says, "You don't deserve the crown."
Bellatrix runs a finger down his cheek, almost lovingly. "Regardless, pet, you're going to help me keep it. Plunge a dagger in his back before his coronation and tell no one of this order."
She doesn't give him a chance to say anything else as she sweeps out of the library. Charlie drops the book that he's been holding and falls to his knees. He stays there for a long time, his stomach recoiling.
After a while, he finally stands and gets back to the book. He has less than to two weeks to find Marlene and get rid of his curse. He won't kill Draco. He won't.
It takes him a while, but he finally finds Marlene's address. He snaps the book closed and returns it to the shelf. He's about to leave when the door opens.
For half a moment, Charlie is terrified that it's the Queen. His fear doesn't fade when he sees the Prince instead. "Did you find your Fairy's address?"
Charlie nods and he gestures towards the door. "I should go. Hogsmeade. Long trip. I—uh, thanks."
"Great. We can go down to the kitchen and have some provisions packed for the trip," Draco says.
"No. No, I'm fine. Just Hogsmeade," Charlie reassures brokenly. "I got it."
The Prince narrows his eyes. "What is going on?"
"What do you mean? Nothing's going on. I'm fine. Everything's fine," he lies. He barely manages to keep the wince off his face. "Why wouldn't it be?"
Draco laughs and shakes his head. "You're a terrible liar. You know that, right?"
"I should," he says, gesturing to the door before he goes to make his escape.
"I'm not going to order you to, but I would like it if you stayed," the blond tell him.
Charlie straighten, his blood running cold, as he meets Draco's eyes. "You know?"
"Obviously. It wasn't that difficult to figure out. I'm surprised more people haven't figured it out by now."
Charlie frowns. "I didn't really have too much exposure to other people. My parents started a bakery because of me, of the gift. They wanted to make sure that I didn't get ordered to do something I didn't want to do."
"Like you are now?" Draco asks.
"I can't," he says, distraught. "Marlene is in Hogsmeade. I can get her to take the gift back."
The Prince studies him for a minute. "What if she doesn't take it back?"
"She has to! It's the only way."
"Do you trust me?" Draco asks, meeting Charlie's eyes. There's something in his slate eyes that reminds Charlie of the dragon. He nods. "Tell me what order you've been given."
Instead of reflexibly straightening, Charlie feels like he's being torn apart. His gift is struggling to decide which command to follow. He cries out and collapses. Then, after a long moment, the pain fades.
Draco hovers near him, close but not close enough. Charlie looks at him and croaks out, "Give me another command."
"Tell me what order you've been given," he repeats.
For the first time in his life, he doesn't feel the spell snap under his skin; his back doesn't straighten; he doesn't feel the urge to follow the command. Nothing. He gives Draco a look of utter disbelief. "How'd you know?"
The Prince shrugs. "I figured if you had two conflicting commands, it would break the gift."
Charlie gingerly stands, his body aching. How is it that he's never considered that before? "Thank you."
"Are you going to tell me what happened?"
He grimaces and answers, "This is best talked about privately."
Draco nods. "My chambers then."
He sweeps out of the room, and Charlie hurries to follow him. They don't speak as they navigate the castle. Charlie dreads every step to the Prince's chambers. He's not even sure how the other man will react to the betrayal.
Once inside, Charlie explains everything. Draco is quiet for a long time, so long that it begins to unnerve him.
"I know there's no proof except my word, but I swear I'm telling you the truth."
"There's no proof yet," the blond says, far calmer than expected, "but there will be."
Draco then explains how he plans to gather proof. Charlie hates to admit it, but it's a good plan, if a little far fetched. It relies a lot on how Draco expects his aunt to act. It's risky and crazy, but Charlie owes it to Draco, owes him the right to hear the words come directly from his aunt's lips.
Charlie spends the next fortnight travelling between Hogwarts Castle and Hogsmeade to keep the disguise of trying to break his gift. On his way back, the Fairies in the lower town were more than happy to give him a set of two way mirrors. He carries one around with a silencing charm on it so that any noise from the Prince's side can't be heard.
The night before Draco's coronation, his aunt comes slamming through Charlie's chamber's doors.
She studies her nails. "Word is that you've been unsuccessful in finding your Fairy."
She's fallen for the trap Draco anticipated she would. Perfect, now all he has to do is keep the Queen entertained long enough for the Prince to act. "I'm not going to kill him."
She gives him a dark smile. "Of course you are, pet. You have no choice in this."
"I won't," he says firmly.
She laughs like a madwoman. "Did you really expect your Fairy to take back your gift? That's such a source of embarrassment if they have to take it back. What makes you think any Fairy would risk embarrassment for you?"
Charlie glares at her. "Any Fairy with half a heart would take back a gift of obedience."
She tsks at him. "Now, now, don't get all emotional. Save it for your execution after you kill my nephew."
After years of his gift, it's almost natural when he straightens at the sound of a command. It makes the Queen smile. She drops a dagger on the floor. "Kill him before morning comes. You won't like what happens if you don't."
"I was hoping this wasn't true," a voice says, drawing the attention of both Charlie and the Queen. "Guards!"
In comes a dozen guards. Charlie recognizes them as guards loyal to Draco alone.
"Seize her for high treason," Draco orders.
"How dare you?" the Queen screeches. "I am your Queen. You can't arrest me!"
It doesn't stop the guards from grabbing ahold of her. She struggles in their hold but it doesn't weaken. "You'll find, Aunt Bella, that the crown was only yours until I was of age. The coronation was only a formality. I am the King, and you have been found guilty of high treason. These guards will escort you to Azkaban."
As the guards drag her out of the room, Bellatrix shouts, "I am your aunt, Draco! You cannot do this to me!"
They can still hear Bellatrix's shouts echoing off the walls. Draco closes his eyes and takes a deep breath in.
"I'm sorry," Charlie says. "I know it couldn't have been easy."
"She raised me," the blond informs him. "I looked up to her. I thought she was doing a perfect job of running the kingdom. Instead, I've found she all but destroyed it."
"You can change it," the redhead says softly. "You have the power to fix everything."
Draco lips twitch but he doesn't give Charlie a smile. "What are you going to do?"
Charlie shrugs. "I'm not too sure. Of course I need to let my family know about the gift being broken. But beyond that, I don't know."
The King hesitates for a moment. "There's a field just on the other side of the gate to the east. I was thinking that it could be transformed into a training ground for dragon patrols."
"If you're interested, I know you'll have at least two riders," he says. There's a large grin on Charlie's face.
"The field will be transformed within a fortnight," Draco says.
He nods. "I'll make sure we're back within a fortnight then."
Charlie grins as Elio lands. His best friend jumps off the silver dragon, pulling off her helmet. "Boy, am I famished."
He laughs, putting away the saddle. "Tonks has the day off so I figured we could hit up the Three Broomsticks for lunch to exchange stories."
"I thought you'd be off making heart eyes at the King," she teases as they make their way to the local tavern.
He can't fight the blush that creeps across his cheeks. In the past few months, he's been getting close to Draco; they've shared many private dinners together. But the King's been worried about all the changes happening and Charlie's been focused on dragon training. They really haven't had a chance to talk about the elephant in the room.
"Like I haven't notice you pining over Oliver Wood," Charlie retorts, pushing open the door to the tavern.
It has its desired effect. Hestia blushes furiously and struggles to come up with a reply. She gives up and glares at Charlie, who only laughs.
"Seriously, you two have been tiptoeing around this for so long. When are you going to admit that you're in love with him?" Hestia asks as they join Tonks.
The pink haired woman grins and pushes over two tankards. She's foregone her usual guard uniform for a simple tunic and trousers. "Trying to convince Charlie to go for it?"
"Not you too!" he groans, covering his eyes.
"Even a blind person can tell that you're both in love," Tonks defends.
He rubs at his eyes until he sees white dots. There's no denying the attraction he felt for the King has intensified. Draco's worked to right all his aunt's wrongs, from striking down the creature legislation to unchaining the dragons. The kingdom is flourishing under his rule.
Charlie would be a fool to deny that he's in love. But there have been whispers among the court that Draco needs to marry. Whatever is going on between them won't help the kingdom. He expresses that to the two of them.
Hestia frowns. "I've never known you to run away from something you want."
He gives them a half-hearted smile. "Not everything ends happily ever after."
"We'll see about that," Tonks says fiercely.
Shout out to both Amber and Bex for helping and Sophie for beta-ing!
OTP bootcamp prompt: silence is golden.
Insane house challenge: 662 - (dialogue) "When's the last time you saw her?"
Stickers: Hogwarts Express - write about a long journey across the country and Diadem - Write a Royalty!AU
Book Club: Edilio - (word) hero, (restriction) must feature a slash pairing, (emotion) anger
Count your buttons: goblet, marathon.
Character Appreciation: dialogue - "Obviously!"
TV show: Mary Morstan: (character) Nymphadora Tonks, (word) Intelligent, (dialogue) "Are you going to see him again?"
A Year in Entertainment: Will & Grace - (relationship) Best friends
Showtime: Anybody Have a Map? - (word) Optimism
Dragon: word count 9000
365: Plot Point - A character discovers treachery of some sort
Resolutions: write 50 stories, write a gift fic for a Hufflepuff