Author's Note: Widowmaker is a dragon breed made up by yours truly. They are a small-breed of dragon, fully grown is about the length of an average-sized human. Slender build, with shimmery, sleek grey scales. They lay charcoal colored eggs that resemble and behave like glass when broken, and are born with the natural instincts to survive on their own. A rare breed considering their size caused a lot of trouble for farmers since they could easily hide in barns and attack livestock, and are aggressive enough to kill the farmers, hence the name Widowmaker.
Summary: Charlie was always a thrill seeker, but before the dragons, he found other ways to quench the daredevil within him.
Rated: K+
Genre: Adventure
Weasley the Daring
It was no secret that Charlie Weasley was going to be quite different than his brother Bill the moment he set foot on the Hogwarts Express. By the time it stopped at Hogsmeade station, he already earned five knuts and three sickles after being dared to eat some of the more unsavory Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and not get sick.
He didn't even make it into a boat before his quick reflexes were put to the test when a girl – who sported spiky cherry blossom pink hair – caught her foot on the lip of the boat and almost fell head first into the lake. Charlie caught her by the arm just as quick and firmly pulled her back in.
"You alright there?" he offered as she sat down across from him.
A wide smile spread across her face. "I'm fine! Thanks for the help. Thought I was going to need gills for a moment."
The off-hand comment had Charlie quirk an eyebrow at the witch. "I'm Charlie."
"Tonks. Nice to officially meet you." She firmly shook an unoffered hand. "There was talk on the train about how you ate three rotten egg flavored beans at once. How on earth did you not retch?"
Charlie smirked and spent the rest of the boat trip revealing his secret of a modified taste-canceling paste his brothers made. "Don't tell anyone, though."
"Course not." Tonks gave him a promising wink.
The unlikely pair became fast friends, even when they ended up in separate houses. Charlie learned that her real name was Nymphadora, understanding at once why she used her surname instead. He was also quite fascinated with her Metamorphmagus traits, but didn't bother her about it like the others.
Charlie found himself outside helping Professor Kettleburn and Hagrid every chance he could. Finding the chores a lot of fun and interesting. The dares never stopped coming either, but Charlie took them on whenever offered. He was never afraid of much of anything as a kid, and found the more dangerous things rather thrilling. Using this to his advantage in school was a great way to stay entertained and pass the time, so why not reap rewards from doing something he enjoyed? That brash, uncontrollable, thrill-seeking flame burned deep, and it felt great to quench it. It also kept his classmates wondering just how far he'd go and how reckless he'd get to retain the reputation.
By the time Christmas Break came around, the redhead had already broke a handful of rules just to say: "Yes, I did that. Now pay up."
Charlie received one of his more peculiar challenges on the train ride back to school. A Slytherin, Elijah Dahlquist, confronted him when Tonks left the compartment. He seemed to still have a chip on his shoulder from the tripping hex Charlie cast during breakfast before departing for the holiday. The Slytherin shoved Tonks off balance as he passed, annoyed that she cut him off, so Charlie paid him back for it. What made the entire thing hilarious was Elijah stumbling over the bench and into a large bowl of yogurt that just so happened to slide down the table in time for him to land in it.
"Weasley the Daring," Elijah said, his tone baiting. "Quite the title. But are you brave enough to face The Forbidden Forest, I wonder?"
The forest wasn't entirely out of Charlie's limits, though he would admit the things he heard that lived in there set him a bit on edge. This minor worry soon ebbed away, leaving him curious as to what Elijah wanted. "What do you want, Dahlquist?"
"There's a herd of unicorns that live there," the Slytherin explained, a corner of his lip quirking up some. "I'd like you to find one of their hairs and bring it back to me as proof that you went in. I'll be generous and give you until Spring Break to retrieve it."
"Why on earth do you need a unicorn hair?" Charlie was genuinely confused about the request.
"Does it matter?" Elijah retorted, eyes narrowing. "Are you going to do it or not?"
The redhead was quiet for several seconds. "And if I fail?"
"I'll make sure your hard-earned reputation becomes nothing but a joke. But you wouldn't let that happen, would you Weasley?" Elijah offered a cruel smile.
Charlie wasn't liking the stakes. "What do I get out of it?"
"An adventure. That is your thrill, right?" the Slytherin taunted. "I'm sure it will be like a walk in the woods of your backyard to you, anyway."
"That isn't good enough, sorry." Charlie got up to leave, wishing to join Tonks at the end of the corridor with the trolley lady.
"Twenty-five galleons, then," Elijah snarled. "One hair before Spring Break."
Charlie held out his hand.
"Deal."
Charlie told Tonks about the encounter he had with Elijah as soon as she returned to the compartment with a handful of sweets.
"Weasley the Daring," Tonks repeated. "It's got a nice ring to it."
"Out of everything I said, that's what you took from it?" the redhead slowly shook his head, somewhat frustrated at the lack of a reaction. "He wants to get back at me for that hex before break."
"Probably," she agreed. "You shouldn't have dunked his head in yogurt. Pretty embarrassing to be called a parfait all morning."
Charlie quirked a brow. "That was your doing, not mine. I just tripped him."
"Ah, well the details got lost in the grapevine, then." Tonks smirked, as if she did him a favor for the added cauldron cake points.
"Are you going to do it, though? I mean, they don't call it The Forbidden Forest for nothing. It's as ancient as the castle it sits beneath, so there's bound to be some creepy things lurking about!"
Charlie shrugged, letting out a sigh. "I don't know. I haven't turned down a challenge yet."
"The tentacle hand-shake with the squid is my personal favourite," Tonks offered, getting a strange look from her friend. "Sorry."
The train conveniently curved into the last stretch of the ride, the dark forest in question coming into view. The treeline stretched up the base of the mountain and wrapped around the lake. Charlie felt a chill climb up his spine at the thought of going into it for the thrill of a dare. Working so close to the edge of it with Professor Kettleburn on the weekends already showed him how difficult it was to see in there in broad daylight, but he would have to sneak in after dark. Not wanting to worry too much about the vengeful undertones from Elijah, Charlie accepted a licorice wand from Tonks and engaged in a new topic.
As winter slowly thawed into spring, his peers had stopped offering him things to do, they instead jeered at him for not stepping up to the challenge of entering the forest. Tonks attempted to humor him by daring him to eat three acid pops in a row, but Charlie was still feeling antsy at the lack of entertainment.
"Looks like Weasley isn't as fearless as he says he is." He would hear from a classmate as they passed him by.
"Weasley the Daring? More like Weasley the Coward. What's wrong, scared of the creatures you might run into?"
He was getting fed up with the scathing comments. It was just a stupid unicorn hair, what could go wrong?
A light snow lazily fell that evening, giving the air a chill. Wrapping his Gryffindor scarf tightly around him and pulling on his gloves and cloak, Charlie slipped out into the night and toward the inky darkness across the school grounds shortly before curfew. The moonless night made it even more difficult to see where he was going, but he managed to wait to cast the wand-lightning charm until he was staring down the darkness of a narrow pathway.
The cold silence that wrapped around Charlie as he stepped into the trees was terrifying, but he told himself that he didn't have to go far, he just needed to find a light grey silvery strand of hair. The glow from his wand was hardly any help, but it helped his eyes adjust to the shadowy outlines of the trees ahead.
Stopping suddenly at the sound of a branch snapping, Charlie jerked his wand around seeking the source to no avail. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched and the surge of fear drove him to back up the path and run to the exit, the light on his wand going out. A root he didn't see grabbed his foot in his frantic attempt to escape and he fell hard to the ground. Sensing whatever was chasing him fast approaching, Charlie rolled off the path and into the cave-like roots of an ancient tree. He couldn't tell what was traipsing up the trail, but it was very large and grunting. Scooting further into the roots, a sharp pain stabbed into his palm. Unable to stifle the hiss that escaped him, the large figure had paused while Charlie examined his hand.
It was a piece of eggshell, the light grey shard shimmered dimly against the dark. Charlie must have fallen into some sort of nest. He noticed among the broken shells that an unhatched egg was pushed up against the roots. He carefully reached for it, somehow completely forgetting about the figure closeby. Charlie only just managed to tuck the small egg in his robes pocket before a large hand grabbed him by the collar and pulled him out of his hiding place. A very loud yelp escaped him.
"Charlie? What're the blazes yeh doin' out here?" The booming voice of Hagrid broke the quiet. "This ain't one of yeh daring acts, is it?"
"No," he said quickly. "I was… curious is all."
"Yeh're goin' to get in mighty trouble with tha' curiosity, someday," the giant scolded, patting him on the back before leading him out of the woods. "Be lucky I can cover ya this time, though."
Relief drowned out the terror as Charlie stayed close, finding comfort in the large lantern lighting their way. "Thank you, Hagrid."
They went to his cabin for some tea, it was the least Charlie could do to humor the giant for getting him out of the forest. He avoided the rock cake, however. Wiping some dirt off his robes, Charlie winced from the small shard stuck in his hand. Looking at it again, there was blood starting to seep from it.
"Lemme' see it, now." Hagrid held out his massive hand upon noticing the injury, Charlie hesitantly showed him the gash.
Before the redhead knew it, Hagrid had removed the shard and the blood started pooling out. The giant gave him a clean cloth. "Pinch it hard, it will stop bleedin' in a secon't."
Charlie did what was told and pinched the soft flesh closed with the cloth. He winced at the pain, but the blood flow subsided. "It looks like glass."
"Nah, jus' an eggshell."
"What creature lays glass-like eggs?" The interest was laced in each word.
"Never you mind tha'. Let's get yeh back to teh castle. If anyone asks, you were helpin' me, alrigh'?" Hagrid stood up to escort Charlie out.
"Why are you covering for me?"
A gentle pat on the back guided him out of the cabin and up the grounds. "Yer a good kid, Charlie. I wouldn't want teh see yeh expelled over a dare some bully baited yeh into."
"Speakn' of," Hagrid continued. "What're yeh lookn' for?"
"Unicorn hair," Charlie replied sheepishly.
"Shoot, yuh coulda jus' asked me, Charlie!" On a whim, Hagrid pulled three silvery light grey strands from one of the pouches from his belt and handed them to the redhead.
Charlie accepted them, a broad smile splitting his face in half. "Wow, thanks! I owe you one, Hagrid."
"Jus' don't go wanderin' in there anymore, alrigh'?" the giant warned, throwing the doors open to the castle. "Better 'urry up to your dorm. Curfew is mighty close."
Charlie couldn't take his mind off the mysterious egg he hid in the trunk under his bed. He almost forgot to give Elijah the unicorn hairs until two days later, and even failed to mention the adventure to Tonks. When Charlie got distracted, it was never a good thing. Walking straight up to the Slytherin table, Charlie dropped the three hairs Hagrid gave him on the breakfast plate.
"Proof enough for you?" Charlie taunted at the speechless Slytherin.
"I believe you owe me seventy-five galleons, Dahlquist," Charlie continued, holding out his uninjured hand for payment.
It took Elijah several seconds to recuperate from the utter shock. He picked up the silver-grey hairs with a delicate hand to examine them before tucking them quickly into his pocket.
"I said twenty-five."
"Yes, for one hair. I got three of them, so pay up."
The glare coming from Elijah told Charlie that he better be looking over his shoulder for the entirety of his school years moving forward. He was not pleased to see that the redhead had succeeded in the daunting task. With great reluctance, the Slytherin coughed up the requested payment.
"Get out of my sight, Weasley."
Feeling a little high from the clever swindling he managed, Charlie whistled cheerfully out of the Great Hall and to the bank of the Black Lake to continue reading up on the egg he'd found. Tonks was on his heels, hair the color of a flaming ember, but kept quiet until they were outside and away from earshot and until he got comfortable and opened his book.
"You went into the forest without me, ya jerk!" she scolded, giving the redhead a firm punch in the arm.
"Ow! Gez, your right hook is brutal!" Charlie winced at the impact, delicately rubbing his arm. "And I'm sorry. It wasn't like I exactly planned it, or anything."
"Uh-huh. Sneaking out just before curfew on a moonless night, sounds like it was partially planned," Tonks retorted, folding her arms with a huff.
"Going to the dungeons and ask for—" He trailed off, re-reading the page, he gripped both sides of the book tightly in his hands. "No…"
"What?" Tonks leaned over his shoulder to see what he found, her hair going from the fire-red back to cherry blossom pink.
"I found an egg, a-and I think it's a Widowmakers dragon."
"Really? From the forest?"
"Yeah…" He read further on before taking in a breath. "Only way to find out for sure is to try and hatch it."
"That is possibly the worst thing you've ever suggested." Tonks smirked. "Let's do it."
Tonks had taken Charlie to the kitchens where they stashed the egg in the furnace embers, knowing it stayed active day and night. The house elves would give them curious looks, but never bothered to investigate why they were playing with fire.
Summer break was now only days away, and the egg showed no signs of hatching after a month in the white hot embers. It needed consistent heat based on what the books said, but they also said the hatchling would emerge within a month if properly incubated.
"I think you found a dud, Charlie," Tonks declared, shifting the egg around. "I don't even see a crack."
Charlie sighed, grabbing his Gryffindor scarf, he approached the furnace. "Take it out."
"Are you crazy? The thing is broiling hot!"
"Just drop it in the scarf."
After giving her friend a nervous look, Tonks took the hook of the poker and drug the dragon egg forward. Shoving the embers back, she let out a breath before pushing it in the makeshift nest.
The egg rolled off the scarf on its own accord. "No!"
Charlie fell to his hands and knees and watched the light grey egg crack on the floor. For a moment he was in disbelief, the egg seemed to twitch some on its own. He watched intently as the egg started to jerk around more violently. After several minutes, the egg shattered and a small, light grey-scaled dragon was born.
"Oh my gosh…" Tonks squeaked, discarding the poker to drop down beside Charlie who already collected the tiny little dragon in his hands. "I need you to let me touch it."
"It's… it really is a Widowmaker!" Charlie was ecstatic, holding the dragon up to the bubbling witch next to him so she could pet the delicate scales on its head.
The creature promptly snapped at her and Tonks laughed nervously before a dead serious look fell upon her face. "Charlie… we have to take it back to the forest."
"I can't believe our first year is already over," the witch beamed, seeing Charlie sigh as he grabbed his trunk. "Hey, I'm sure Greyglas will be just fine in the forest. That book said that Widowmakers are born with natural instincts."
"I know… I just… wanted to keep it is all."
Tonks tapped a finger against her cheek. "Charlie the Dragon Wrangler, has a nice ring to it."
The redhead broke into a sudden laugh. "My mum would be thrilled."
"One thing's for sure, summer is going to be real dull after all the fun we had," Tonks hummed, hopping off the train with her redheaded friend.
"Yeah," Charlie said, still upset at having to release the Widowmaker back into the forest. "Just make sure you don't forget about me, okay?"
Tonks gave Charlie a look of disbelief before giving him a hug. "I'll never forget you. You're too weird."
Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)
Written for QLFC Season 6, Round 2
Assignment #11 - Careers Advice - Wizarding Professions & Muggle Alternatives - Task #4 - Dragonologist: Write about Charlie Weasley.
World Cup Stage 1 - Tunisia: [Dialogue] "That is possibly the worst thing you've ever suggested. Let's do it."
Team: Wigtown Wanderers
Position: Chaser 2
Position Prompt: Stegosaurus: Write about a character who's deceit or intent to harm ends positively for the recipient/s. Restriction: Cannot be a character from Harry's year or anyone younger than him.
Additional Prompts:
[Word] Proof
[Colour] Light grey
[Word] Ancient
Creature Feature - Chimera: [Word] Ember, Shishi: [Plot point] a prank gone wrong.
Count Your Buttons: [Object] Scales, [Dialogue] "I need you to let me touch it."
Disney Challenge - Frozen - Kristoff: Write about the Weasleys (any of them)
Showtime - Kinky Boots - Price and Son Theme / The Most Beautiful Thing in the World: [Character] Charlie Weasley
Lyric Alley - 12: Dismissed every rule to abide by
Lo's Lowdown - Gaila: [Trait] Redhead
Eagle Day - Terry Boot: [Dialogue] "Pinch it hard, it will stop bleeding in a second." (bonus); (word) bully
Fire Element: [Word] Embers
Shay's Musical Challenge - Wicked: write about someone being bullied.
Dare Day: Write about someone being dared to do something.
Seasonal Color Prompt: Cherry Blossom
Seasonal Summer Prompt: [Dialogue] "I'll never forget you. You're too weird."
Gryffindor Themed Prompts: [Character] Charlie Weasley, [Trait] Reckless, [Object] Gryffindor Scarf
Faerie Day - Fire Faerie: Flame, Burn, Fire, Uncontrollable
365 Challenge - 70: [Creature] Dragon
Insane House Challenge - 6: [Character] Charlie Weasley
Word Count: (Per Google Docs) 2,944
Beta(s): Angel, Ash