AN: Pride of Portree
Beater 1: S.S. Dragon Scars (Charlie/Harry)
Optional Prompts: (dialogue) "You're crazy!" / "Were you ever under the impression that I was normal?", (dialogue) "This isn't safe… or legal for that matter."
In 24 Hours Challenge:
Words used: Hogwarts, Hidden, Kitchen, Sandcastle, Sweet, King, Sunshine, Sleepy.
Colours used: Orange, Purple, Brown, Red.
As you can tell from the paring, this is an AU that's set after Hogwarts where Harry and Ginny do not end up together :)
After Hours
Harry unlocked the front door of Charlie's small home, struggling to keep himself concealed under his Invisibility Cloak. He wanted to surprise his boyfriend after the two months they had spent apart. Now that Charlie wasn't able to come home for Easter, Harry couldn't wait any longer.
Entering the house, Harry tiptoed towards the stairs. It was midday, but there wasn't any sign of Charlie being awake yet.
"Who's there?" called a voice from the top of the stairs. Charlie. Harry paused, trying not to make any noise, but Charlie wasn't fooled. The sound of the older male's footsteps coming down the stairs made Harry freeze in place.
Charlie stumbled into the kitchen, his eyes still half closed. But as Harry watched, the redhead paused and smiled. "Harry?" Shit. He'd been caught.
Despite being disappointed that he hadn't been able to surprise Charlie, Harry couldn't help but grin as he let the cloak drop to the floor. Charlie turned around and offered him a sleepy smile.
"Good morning," said Harry.
"Can I ask what you're doing here?" Charlie's voice was hoarse with the remnants of sleep that clung to him and the sound sent a shiver up Harry's spine.
"Aren't you happy to see me?" he asked with a small smile.
Charlie nodded and rubbed his eyes. "Of course I am."
Harry grinned; Charlie looked quite comical. His bulky frame juxtaposed with his lethargic actions, and the rumpled shirt he wore, coupled with his mussed hair, added to the image of him being tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Harry couldn't help but feel… privileged that he was able to witness an unguarded Charlie. The redhead was fiercely private.
"Have you had your breakfast yet?" asked Harry.
"I've only just woken up."
"Do you want to have a go at cooking?"
Charlie shrugged. "Do I even have any ingredients?"
Harry opened the cabinets nearest to him and scoured the shelves for food. Once he had finished his examination of Charlie's cupboards, Harry gestured to the things he had pulled out. "We can make pancakes with these."
"Sounds good," said Charlie.
Harry frowned slightly. What did Charlie usually eat for breakfast? There were no boxes of cereal or even any teabags in his cupboards. "What do you generally have for breakfast?" he asked.
"I usually don't have time for breakfast."
"This is why you shouldn't be allowed to live on your own."
Charlie snorted. "Shall we start making the pancakes?"
Harry shook his head at Charlie's poor attempt to change the subject but nevertheless asked, "Do you have a bowl anywhere?"
They ate their pancakes sitting on the worktops in Charlie's kitchen—he didn't have a dining table. The wireless was the only sound as the two of them tucked in.
A now wide awake Charlie patted his stomach and said, "Those pancakes were as good as the ones they did at Hogwarts."
"You're only saying that to make me happy." Despite his suspicions that Charlie wasn't being entirely honest, Harry couldn't help the smile that spread across his face at the compliment.
"Is somebody blushing?" Charlie teased.
"No!" Harry protested. But he could feel the contradictory blush creeping up his face.
Once they had finished breakfast, Charlie jumped off the worktop and stretched, his shirt lifting up slightly to reveal a scarred torso. Harry's fingers twitched but he stamped down on his desire to run them along each scar. He watched, disappointed, as Charlie's arms returned to his sides and his shirt lowered again.
"What shall we do now?" asked the older of the two.
Harry shrugged. "Is there anywhere interesting nearby?"
Charlie frowned, then his eyes lit up. "There's a beach nearby! It's only a short walk away."
"Do you want to go now?" asked Harry.
"Whatever you want."
When they arrived at the beach, Harry took his shoes off straight away. Charlie looked incredibly confused. "Why are you taking off your shoes?" he asked.
Harry frowned. "Don't you usually take your shoes off when you come to the beach?"
"I don't come to the beach. I just thought you'd like it," muttered Charlie, ducking his head in embarrassment.
Harry looked around at the beach. There was no one else there—most were probably at home celebrating Easter with their families—and the blue waves were gently lapping against the smooth sand. The granules of eroded rock were warm beneath his feet as gulls circled lazily overhead, carried by a gentle breeze. It was a truly picturesque scene. "You're right. I love it."
From the corner of his eyes, Harry could see Charlie grin and couldn't help his own smile. "I think it's about time you took off your shoes," he said with a laugh. Charlie didn't hesitate to comply, and soon enough, the two of them were walking towards the water hand in hand.
When they reached the point where the ocean met the land, Harry let go of Charlie's hand and rolled up his trouser legs. Charlie quickly followed suit and they took their first steps into the sun-warmed ocean.
They stood there together, feet submerged in the water. Harry was looking directly ahead at where the ocean's surface met the skies and Charlie was staring at the water surrounding his feet. "Harry," he whispered, his voice sounding urgent. Harry tore his gaze away from the horizon and faced Charlie. "Look," said the redhead, barely moving his lips as he lifted a finger to point at what had caught his attention.
"It's a jellyfish," said Harry, scrunching up his face in confusion.
"I've never seen one before," whispered Charlie. His childlike intrigue made Harry grin.
"You might want to move away from it," he said as he watched the jellyfish float closer to Charlie. "They give nasty stings."
They moved out of the water, Charlie's eyes still fixed on the jellyfish. Harry cast a quick drying spell on both him and Charlie to keep the sand from sticking to their feet and sat down on the sand. "Is this all you do when you come to a beach?" asked Charlie.
"No, you do other things as well."
"Like what?"
Harry thought for a moment, then an idea struck him. "Sandcastles!"
"What are they?"
Harry almost gasped. He couldn't believe that Charlie didn't know what a sandcastle was. Then again, he should have been more surprised when the redhead hadn't known what a jellyfish was despite working with animals all year round.
"They're castles made out of sand. Here," said Harry, sitting up. "This is how you make them."
After Harry had finished showing Charlie how to make a sandcastle, they had a go at making one together. Harry watched as Charlie's large fingers poked delicate details into the sand as they finished off the castle. He sat back to look at what they had built but Charlie didn't seem to be finished just yet. "What are you making?" asked Harry, watching as Charlie molded a small sphere and joined it with a longer shape.
"It's a person. He's the king of the the sandcastle," said Charlie, sitting back with Harry and looking at his work with a proud grin on his face. Harry had never wanted to kiss him more.
Charlie traced his finger through the sand as the sky began to change colour to a fiery orange. "Anything you want to do before today is over?" Harry asked.
Charlie was quiet for a moment but then he spoke, his voice full of excitement. "We could go to the sanctuary!"
"It's after visiting hours, Charlie."
Charlie shook his head. "That should be something two talented wizards like us can get past."
Harry laughed. "You're crazy!"
"Were you ever under the impression that I was normal?" Charlie asked. "Come on, Harry. I should be able to get in, and you just need to bring your Invisibility Cloak."
Harry shook his head. "If we get caught—"
"We won't."
"Then let's go."
"This isn't safe… or legal for that matter." On the way to the dragon sanctuary, Harry had been thinking of all the things that could possibly go wrong. What if one of the dragons went rogue?
It would be like the tales teachers used to tell him in primary school whenever the fire alarm went off. The one about the boy who got left behind at school because he wasn't registered. Did he really want to be that boy? No, he didn't.
"Stay quiet, Harry. The guards might hear you," mumbled the redhead.
Harry closed his mouth obediently. It was too late to back out of this now.
They made it past the security guards. Charlie had gotten into a chat with one of them but managed to extract himself from the conversation fairly quickly after a pinch to his leg from Harry.
Now, they were deep within the sanctuary and Harry was able to take off his Invisibility Cloak. Huge leaves towered over his head and tropical plants surrounded him. Charlie, who was walking beside him, slowed his pace down. Harry mimicked him. "Why have you slowed down?" he asked.
"This is where our Norwegian Ridgeback is kept," he whispered.
Harry's eyes widened. He remembered Norbert, the dragon Hagrid had hatched all those years ago. Could it be the same one? "Charlie?" he asked.
"Yeah?"
"Do you remember Norbert? The Norwegian Ridgeback Hagrid kept?"
Charlie smiled. "This is her," he said, parting two large leaves to reveal a wire fence. Behind it was one of the biggest dragons Harry had ever seen.
"This is Norbert?" he asked, staring at the big brown beast before him.
"Norberta, actually," said Charlie with a cheeky grin. Harry nodded slowly, remembering when they had found out Norbert was actually a female.
"What's that?" he asked, pointing to a purplish orb a few meters away.
"That," said Charlie, "is an egg."
"Is it… Norberta's?" he asked, hesitating slightly. Charlie laughed and nodded but stopped abruptly when Harry gasped. "Charlie, is it hatching?"
"I think it is," he replied, peering closely at the egg. There seemed to be a crack running through it that hadn't been there earlier. As the two of them watched, the crack turned into a hole and out came a small head. It looked just like Norberta had when she was born.
"It's so amazing," muttered Harry.
"It's fitting, don't you think?" asked Charlie. "With it being Easter as well."
Harry nodded in agreement and, as the first stars began to appear in the sky, Charlie pulled him closer and dipped his head down for a kiss. "Thank you for an amazing Easter," he murmured.