A/N: Alrighty folks, fourth chapter, and I would like to thank everybody who faved, story alerted, and reviewed. You guys, all of you, seriously made my day, and make me all too happy to keep pumping out chapters as quickly as I am. And believe me, this is the quickest i've ever been able to get chapters posted. used to be maybe once or twice a week on my first chapter fic. I'm happy for opinions and what you thought of my story attempts for this genre.
Oh, and... just fyi... I'm currently listening to oldies music while I type... anyone up for Rockin' Robin? ^_^ lol, and don't forget about Aretha Franklin either. Heh, I'm boogying with the classics man!
Warnings: Slash, male on male lovin', don't like, use that ever lovely back button, or do the nice thing, if you hate but continue reading, and don't flame the fic. All flames will fuel the campfire that roasts my marshmallows and weenies to perfection! Oh, and I will probably be jumping through time in this one so there can be... a little bit more than just conversations? um, yeah..... kisses anyone? ^_^
Disclaimers: I hereby declare that I in no way, shape, form, or fashion own anything related to Harry Potter and the world in which he so luckily resides. The only things I own... are the plot bunnies who bug me daily.
Charlie Weasley was one amused redhead. He'd had the pleasure of being nearby when Draco told Severus Brandyn's secret to winning chess by cheating without cheating. The man's reaction was hilarious, and when he'd shared the memories with Bran, the teen had readily agreed. Charlie never let Brandyn win through his cheatless cheating. He'd figured out that Brandyn's during Chess conversations were just distracting enough to make your mind focus more on him than the game. Otherwise, he'd have never been able to beat Severus so often.
Brandyn had had a good laugh when Severus confronted him and even took to hiding behind Charlie when he'd told the man that he'd been far easier to fool than Charlie, as the redhead had figured it out almost immediately. Charlie, of course, protected Brandyn from the growling Snape. He'd squirrelled the teen away to the Room of Requirements where they'd joked around and talked over some very indulgently brought snacks from Dobby. All in all, it'd been an amusing repast in an otherwise boring and dull day.
Hermine and Draco had not been amused at being found in an alcove by the pair, only moments after they'd exited the Room, snogging like there was no tomorrow. Brandyn's comment about not understanding how a mouth could be so interesting was countered with the ever helpful snarky comment that maybe he should let Sev and Char snog him so he could figure it out. Brandyn couldn't look either man in the eyes without blushing for the rest of the day after that.
It was bad enough that Hermione'd suggested such a thing this early in the game, but he wasn't sixteen just yet and he couldn't get caught snogging either man until after his birthday. So now he had the thought in his head and could barely look at either man without whating to know what it would feel like to kiss them. How different would their kisses be? Would it fit their personalities and be as different as they themselves were? So now he wondered, and gloried in he upcoming OWLS that kept him from lingering on such a thing for too long as he studied everything his professors told them would be of importance enough to place on the tests, or be tested on.
Christmas wasn't really all that better as his loving papa had decided that his current suitors would just love to get to know Bran better in a more informal setting than the school. There were a few close calls with an oddly roaming sprig of mistletoe that seemed to be everywhere Brandyn and one of the two men was. He managed to magic it away before the others saw it, but it was a near thing quite a few times.
After a harrowing week or two spent dodging mistletoe so he'd not be further haunted during the semester by lips and kisses he couldn't have until his next birthday, Brandyn had very sternly given his papa a talking to that had Sirius rolling in laughter that his mate was getting into trouble. All through his 'lecture', Remus merely smiled sheepishly. The rest of Christmas break was spent with a quiet happiness that radiated warmth and love.
Brandyn remembered at the end of the holidays; however, that bringing someone you were tempted to kiss, but could not yet around the marauders was nothing but a headache.
Once back at school, after he'd completed the exhaustingly easy OWLS, Brandyn was only too happy thast summer grew nearer by the day. Valentine's day had been a nightmare, as usual, even with the sweetly thoughtful gifts he'd been given by Severus and Charlie. From Severus, he'd gotten a handwritten potions text, breaking down the steps to multiple potions. It even had a section of terms that were explained thoroughly, as well as ingredient potency at varying stages of freshness.
From Charlie, he'd gotten an egg in a black basket with a red cushion that the egg rested on. There was also a care guide with it that told him how to take care of his new little familiar. There was a book along with it that had a page bookmarked. Brandyn found out, after opening it, exactly what type of dragon it was. The egg was from an autumn forest dragon, given willingly as a gift from the nesting mother, who'd liked the taste of Bran's scent on Charlie.
There were relatively small dragons that varied in color, from a dark orange, to a bright red. They were known to inhabit the highest place that they safely could in a forest, and were called autumn dragons because of their range within the colors seen in nature during that season. At odd times during that day, Bran could be found keeping his egg warm and reading over the care instructions and the information in the book.
Severus was seen watching Brandyn with a small smile on his face, gracefully accepting defeat at most loved gift for the day. A familiar trumped a book any day, especially one that fit Bran's personality so well, and honestly spoke of the love that Charlie had for him. Anyone who faced a nesting mother for a present had to be besotted, confident, or an outright fool. Then again, it could just be a dragon handler thing.
Severus loved his gift from Brandyn, and knew that he'd be able to adore the teen for years to come for having given him the carcass of the Chamber's Basilisk. It was priceless potions ingredients that Brandyn had agreed to open the door for him whenever he decided to go harvest the ingredients. honestly, it wasn't all that hard to analyze, or realize exactly what he felt for Brandyn. It also wasn't hard to understand the reasons behind why he enjoyed watching the teen interact with Charlie.
Charlie's gift from Bran had been a handful of carefully selected, and very rare, books from his personal collection. They were old texts, three of the four handwritten by some of the very first dragon handlers that'd helped pioneer the challenging career and set up the resrves and laws that protected them and the creatures that had been very close to extinction at muggle hands in those times. Charlie's eyes lit up when he'd opened the gift, and Brandyn knew that those books would be cherished and enjoyed.
Charlie gazed calmly at the first years flying low-altitude circles around him carefully. Upon his broom, in the midst of them, he couldn't help the smile that lit his eyes. Catching movement on the ground, he watches as Brandyn gently hands Draco his dragon's egg basket, seeming to give him a stern talking to on its care. Draco smirks and salutes him playfully before taking a seat in the stands on the pitch and resting the basket securely on his lap.
Brandyn walks onto the pitch and gestures to a nervous looking Hermione. Curious, Charlie gestures to his class to land, wraps up their lesson for the day, and sends them on their way before taking a seat beside Draco. He accepts the egg with a smile and places a hand over it, using constant heat from his magic to help the hatchling along. Blue eyes remain, after that, on Brandyn and Hermione. The girl was on a broom now, low-altitude, and he was there beside her, guiding her. It reminded Charlie of having to teach first years, and beginning from the basics, then moving up to the more complicated techniques.
"He's teaching her to fly?"
Draco nods curtly. "Baby steps first to help her get over her fear of heights and learn to control the broom, to sense its magical signature and learn to anticipate which direction it's willing to go at a certain time. He's teaching her the merits of unwinding in the air, cruising. I believe he likened it to a walk in the park without having to walk, and with the broom as a silent companion."
Charlie smiles easily. "He's a natural teacher if he's able to even coax her onto a broom to begin with. I have yet to be able to get her and the broom into the air, let alone get her anywhere near a broom stick."
Draco chuckles. "It took him an hour to reason her down to even taking a chance. Research and first hand experience on how he could enjoy something so much. So, you got him a dragon?"
Charlie watches as Brandyn leads Hermione into a slow, steady circling path around the pitch, slowly easing her from one speed to another, and rising further into the air in tiny incriments that she doesn't seem to notice as Brandyn speaks to her calmly, keeping her talking and thinking, and calm and relaxed while in the air. Charlie could definitely see Brandyn as a professor in the near future. The teen really was a natural.
"Kyla, this egg's mother, was one of the first dragons I became the handler of. I'm the only one she trusts enough to allow anywhere near her nesting grounds. When she caught Brandyn's scent on my clothes, she rolled this little guy out of her nest to me and nuzzled where the scent of Brandyn was the strongest. I asked if her hatchling were to be a gift to my mate, and she nodded and allowed me to leave with it after she was sure that I knew how to care for it."
Draco smirks, his silver eyes catching the fact that Hermione's laughing and flying freely now, relaxed but holding onto the broom well enough to stay on it as she flies. Bran's smile is brilliant as he flies with her, the joy of flying being shared between the two for the first time in their friendship.
"Uncle Sev thinks you're crazy, lucky as hell, besotted, or all three. My thoughts on this crazy love triangle want to be thing you've got going with Brandyn, is that he already knows who he wants." Smiling at the look on Charlie's face, Draco elaborates. "I believe that, as much as Severus enjoys Brandyn's company, and as much as Bran enjoys his, that there may not be much more than that to their relationship."
Charlie raises a brow. "How could you know that and seem so confident about it?"
Amused, Draco answers. "I'm on the outside looking in, and any fool can see the difference in the way he interacts with the two of you. Hell Weasley, even my godfather finds enjoyment in simply watching the two of you together. I will concede that Bran may have a change of heart before this is done and over, but I'm sure that he won't. What he is, is stubborn as hell when it comes to his emotions. Helping Hermione was supposed to be helping him in his mission to get his mind off of the two of you and his feelings. He's odd enough to make sure you both have a chance at trying for his hand. By the way, the dragon familiar.... best present in the bloody world."
Charlie's grin is a tad wicked. "Blew Snape's gift out of the water didn't it?"
Draco laughs. "Bloody brilliant, that was. Even he had to admit defeat on that one! Oh, it was almost as priceless as the day he found out that you already knew Bran's secret to cheating without cheating in chess!"
As Brandyn and Hermione enjoy the freedom of flight, they glance at the stands and watch the two men settled there laughing with confused amusement. Hermione sighs. "Do you think we want to know?"
Brandyn chuckles and shakes his head lightly. "And risk understanding their shared sense of humor of the moment? Not a chance Mione. It's better if we remain blissfully ignorant. I'm just glad that Char's got my familiar in his hands now. Dray looks like he's about to go rolling off the bench if he laughs much harder."
Hermione grins. "Draco Malfoy, falling from the stands in a fit of his 'manly' giggly chuckles? Pensive worthy that is."
Bran laughs, agreeing with her completely.
Summer break came upon them swiftly once their exams werwe finished, and the days seemed to melt away until July was upon them. At their home in Ireland, not far from the outskirts of Dublin; Brandyn, Remus, and Sirius putter around their sprawling mansion-like cottage to make sure that everything is ready for the guests they'll be having for the last month of summer hols. Bran was looking forward to having Draco, Hermione, and Charlie over. Severus, unfortunately, was unable to make it as he was on a trek to supposedly non-existant places for rare ingredients.
The tension, for Brandyn, was already there. He'd be stuck in the same house as two marauders and someone whose lips always seemed to capture his attention more often nowadays. Said marauders were hell bent on letting him get a taste of what he wanted, no matter what legalities they had to push aside to make it happen. So, as he attacked dust bunnies and cleaned the linens in the rooms that were being aired out for their guests, Bran prays to the powers that be that he can make it through this visit without falling into the temptation of finding out just how lush and firm Charlie's lips really were.
Remus was the only one to successfully hide his amusement at Brandyn's look of dread. Honestly, the only plans he and Sirius had, were to suggest that Brandyn show Charlie his collection of books on dragons. It was one of the three collections kept in his bedroom, on the set of built in shelves on the wall beside his desk. They knew that it was only a matter of time before Charlie decided to make his move. Brandyn hadn't been good at hiding the fact that he wanted to find out just what kissing the older man would feel like, and both of his dads approved more of the younger suitor than of the elder one. Severus' already planned excursion was only the icing on the cake for them as it gave Charlie a slight advantage.
Marauders, after all, always got what they wanted in the end, and both Remus and Sirius could see what their cub wanted and were determined to help him claim it as his own.... even if it was a person.
July 15th dawned bright and brilliantly beautiful as Brandyn watched the sunrise through his bay window. He was settled comfortably on the cushioned window seat built into the curve of the window. It also doubled as storage space seeing as the seat itself had hinges that enabled it to be opened and closed when needed. Bran was dressed in worn jeans that fit comfortably and his favorite blue shirt. His feet were bare and his hair was braided and tied at the end, all in the interest of comfort for the day.
Amber eyes glitter in the first rays of sunlight, his mood deep and contemplative, so much so that he didn't so much as twitch when someone knocked on his door. Sipping at his usual morning cup of coffee, doctored with three teaspoonfuls of sugar, and two teaspoonfuls of half and half, Bran continues gazing out the window absently. A curious Sirius opens Bran's door silently and gazes at his son with a raised brow as he gestures for his mate to look at the teen.
"Do you think he'll snap out of it enough to let us drag him downstairs to greet his guests, or should we bring them up here?"
Remus, watching their cub thoughtfully, notices how the young man doesn't seem to realise that they're talking in his doorway. "I think we should allow Charlie to work his magic on Brandyn. He's the only one who can get through to him when he's in this type of mood."
Sirius sighs softly and follows Remus downstairs to the main room. His blue-gray eyes land on the only redhead in the group. "Remy says you can snap Brandyn out of his thoughtful mood Charlie. His room's on the second level, the third door on the right after you've taken a left turn at the top of the stairs."
Charlie allows a fond grin. "I hope he's not contemplating anything too important up there. If he is, this may take a while."
Remus smiles warmly. "Take your time. We need to show Draco and Hermione around the manor, and to their rooms. Brandyn will likely show you around as well once he's snapped out of his current mood."
Charlie simply smiles and makes his way upstairs, following Sirius' directions and opening Brandyn's door. Stepping inside the room, he softly closes the door behind him and walks over to the window. Settling on the window seat, facing Brandyn, Charlie studies his expression intently before speaking softly. Having dealt with the teen when he was in these moods, he knows that a normal tone and volume of voice, or a loud one would go unnoticed, but a softer tone would be heard and listened to.
"A knut for the thoughts that takes those gorgeous eyes of yours so very far away."
Brandyn, catching on to the fact that he's no longer alone now, blinks and turns his gaze to Charlie, expression still thoughtful. When he speaks, his tone is an absent one. "I was thinking... about how I could go about ending this two-front war I've got myself into. Albus needs to be taken out as much, or maybe even more than Voldemort does. He's more dangerous than the dark lord because of his manipulations. Hell Char, he created Voldemort by ignoring Tom Riddle when he most needed a mentor to keep him on the right path. He doesn't care whose life he ruins, just that his chess pieces obey his every whim and command in the game he's made of life."
Charlie, understanding completely, tugs Brandyn over to him, wrapping the younger male up in a protective embrace, smiling indulgently when bran relaxes into the familiar embrace. "Your decision then, would be who to get rid of first and how Bran."
Brandyn curls into Charlie's warmth and the security and love found in his strong arms, still thinking, but not so out of it, or distant now. "First to go, I think, is Dumbledore as he's most dangerous in my eyes. The problem I have is with how it needs to be done."
Charlie hms softly, thinking. "You have many friends in high places, spitfire, so I'd say that you use your connections and contacts in the most Slytherin ways you can think of. Should you tell them that Albus has given you good reason to doubt his intentions and quality of care when it comes to the children he's supposed to be leading, those contacts, and their contacts will be more than glad to dig up anything and everything they possibly can on the man. Once the information is yours, you can choose how you wish it to be handled."
Bran nods slightly. "That sounds like a good idea. You're brilliant Charlie, really you are.... As for Voldemort.... there's a spell I'd like to try out. How do you feel about adoption?"
Charlie blinks and looks down as Brandyn looks up, curious as to the redhead's answer. With a soft chuckle, Charlie smiles. "How old will our adopted son be Brandyn?"
Bran's expression softens and Charlie knew it'd been the right thing to say. "I'm not entirely sure yet as it will take him to an age he'd been before the darkness took hold of his heart and magic. It could very well turn him back into an infant.... but it'd be a second chance, and I'd like to believe that all the man needs is a second chance at life. Maybe, just maybe, if he had a loving family, he'd at least have the chance to be a happy child and grow up knowing of the good in this world. He's just a bitter old man who's forgotten what being loved feels like... or maybe he's never known."
Charlie gently caresses Brandyn's cheek and gazes deeply, lovingly, into his eyes. "You've got a good, pure heart Bran. To wish only redemption and a happy life for the one who killed your parents, is something only a rare, forgiving, few could ever do. What of your own miseries in life, caused by his decision to kill you and your parents?"
Brandyn smiles tenderly. "As much as I miss what's been taken from me, I have so much more than he had, and that is vengence enough on its own. Thanks to my friends, and those I love and care for. I've known true happiness, and I've felt love. I'm blessed as he wasn't, despite him having taken my parents from me. I think I can forgive him as it was out of fear that he killed them, and tried to kill me. To him, I was the one prophecied to destroy him. It was kill or be killed in his mind, and I can understand his reasoning in an oddly morbid way. In the evil dark lord handbook, rule one seems to be, 'destroy all who threaten to block your path to success.'"
Charlie snickers softly. "You have an odd way of understanding the enemy Bran, you know that don't you?"
Brandyn smirks. "It's not so odd when you keep in mind that he was a Slytherin in his day, and that I almost was one had I not begged the sorting hat to place me elsewhere. If you can understand the Slytherin way of thinking, and their self-preservation instinct, then it's not so hard to understand your very Slytherin enemy."
Charlie, amused, smiles and finds himself lost in those jewel-toned amber eyes. Absently, he notices just how close their faces are, and that Brandyn doesn't seem to be protesting at the slow, careful, loss of that very short distance. As their lips touch, Charlie feels his heart skip a beat, even as his lips move in a gently coaxing way over Brandyn's softer ones.
Brandyn, only too happy to comply to the slightly chapped lips caressing his own, returns Charlie's kiss and allows him to deepen it. There was a slow sweetness to it, as well as an anticipation. It was as if there was more to enjoy that his body longed to be taught. The yearning to have those big, strong hands on his skin was a hard one to beat back, as was the urge to kiss Charlie again when the older man ended their kiss sweetly and pulled back.
Charlie watches as Brandyn's eyes open slowly and smiles before simply pulling the younger man snugly against his chest and cuddling with him there, on that comfy window seat. After a moment, Brandyn's body relaxes into his, his head resting on Charlie's shoulder as they both gaze out of the windows in a comfortable silence. One man comforted and no longer confused as to which path to follow, and one reading between the lines and making tentative plans for the future.
Standing silently in the doorway of their cub's room once more, Sirius and Remus share a warm smile and close the door as silently as they'd opened it. It was time to leave the two to their privacy. They knew it'd go no further than that one kiss for a while yet, but when it did, they'd make sure their son knew all about silencing spells and locking wards. There was no need, after all, for them to hear any part of their son's love-life that should stay behind closed doors....
A/N: That's only one first kiss, doesn't necessarily mean that Charlie's won, but he's far from losing as well. You never really know what my plot bunnies will grace you with, so hang in there with me. We'll find out what Brandyn's dragon will look like soon enough. Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed! see you guys next chap! ^_^
