Dragon Man Part I - Disorder of a Weasley

Chapter 4

"You OK there lad?"

Charlie glanced to his left to see Sam, half his eyebrows regrown with a hasty spell, looking at him.

"I'm good Sam" Charlie nodded in return "Yourself? Enjoying the party?"

"Always enjoy a bash of yours" Sam chuckled "Good food, good beer and some pretty girls to look at"

Charlie chuckled in reply "You'll get a reputation as a dirty old man" he chided softly "Keep talking like that"

Sam laughed "Ah, they know I mean no harm" he refuted "They're in far more danger from you, and the lads on your team"

Charlie shook his head "I'm a good boy these days Sam"

Sam snorted "Right" he said with no attempt to conceal his disbelief "Tell me, what happened to that admin girl again?!"

Charlie pulled a face "She was a bit full on Sam" he answered "You know, I like flattery as much as the next guy but..."

"She was in love with you"

"She was obsessed" Charlie refuted "The day I finished my shift and found her naked, spread across my bed covered in rose petals..." Charlie shivered at the memory "That was enough"

"And you didn't take advantage?" Sam laughed.

"No" Charlie raised an eyebrow "And to think it was all because I bought her a drink...damn sight more careful who I buy for now!"

"You should be" Sam nodded "You might not get away so easily next time..."

"There won't be a next time" Charlie said dryly "Like I said...more careful now"

Sam laughed low in his throat as they watched the party continue around them "Going to become a confirmed bachelor like me?" he asked.

"Might do" Charlie said speculatively "I used to think that one day I'd get married, have some kids, settle down. I'm not so sure now, families don't really mix with this job do they? And I kind of thought I'd have done it by now..."

"Plenty of time yet" Sam soothed "You're only what? 40?"

"I'm bloody 31!" Charlie almost choked on his firewhiskey "As well you know"

Sam merely chuckled softly and sidled off to the food table again, leaving Charlie to ponder on his words, and his own words.

Charlie refused an offer of the food plate Sam offered on his return.

"So" Charlie eyed him carefully "Duke tells me we have a new healer in town, how do you feel about that Sam?"

Sam swallowed and thought a moment "I recommended her" he replied "She really impressed me with Tess"

"She did?" Charlie was surprised.

Sam nodded "Yes" he replied "You didn't see the full procedure, and you didn't see her before we went in, she stood up to Duke when he tried to brush it off and wait for you, she knew that dragon was in danger, and she wouldn't leave her. I thought I was going to have to...well you know" both men frowned slightly, they'd both had to use the killing curse on a dragon before, and for men that lived for the creatures, it was heartbreaking, even if it was the only sensible course of action.

"Yeah I know" Charlie said softly "So Duke asked you then? About her?"

"He mentioned that he was looking for someone official to work with me healing the beasts" Sam agreed "And that she was interested, I told him to snap her up, she's good"

"No one else applied though did they?" Charlie pressed "And with her ministry connections..."

"They didn't advertise in the end" Sam told him "Because she wants it. I don't doubt that Duke is trying to impress by taking on the wife of a minister, but regardless, she'll do the job. He wants to 'lead the field in dragon medicine'"

"Does he now" Charlie regarded Sam "And where's the money coming from? What about the breeding programme?"

"Give it time" Sam soothed, sensing Charlie's tone "It'll happen, Professor d'Eath will attract some serious funding, even only because of her status"

Charlie gave a non-committal snort and poured himself another whiskey. He had no doubts about Ruby's ability at all, what he was uncomfortable with was ministry intervention and the publicity that she was bound to attract. And, he reasoned, it wasn't just because he'd gotten rather quickly rather used to having her to himself over the past week or so.

…...

"Oooh" Charlie turned his head from writing the notes on Tess and her egg to squint in the general direction of the voice "Good party then?"

"That obvious?" he replied with a wry grin.

"That you're hungover?" Ruby toyed back "Oh yeah"

"Party was great, you should have come" he set the clipboard back and folded his arms "But the bottle of firewhiskey was better. Until this morning"

"Oh not one of those 'Where am I and who are you?' moments?" she asked with her head on one side.

"Nope" Charlie grinned back "I was in my own bed...and the only person I saw after waking up was Nelly, and he was crashed out on my sofa"

"He?" she asked "Strange name for a man"

"Strange man" Charlie laughed "It's his nickname, he's known as Phil Nelson in real life"

"Ah" she replied, almost absently picking up the clipboard Charlie had just put down "How's she been?"

"Restless" Charlie looked through the fence hard "I think the egg must be getting ready to hatch"

"Hmmm" Ruby replied, reading the notes of the keepers that watched her 24 hours a day while she incubated her egg to hatching. Her absorption in the paperwork gave Charlie chance to study her without it being obvious, he thought she looked tired, and drawn.

"Your husband get away all right?" he asked.

"Yes" she replied, distracted "Though he went later, we hosted a dinner for some of his 'friends' last minute, that's why I didn't make your party. I was looking forward to it"

"You were?" Charlie looked mildly surprised "I wouldn't have thought it was your scene..."

Ruby replaced the clipboard "Why ask me then?" she challenged lightly, her eyes showing her mischief.

Charlie shrugged, beating back the retort in his mind of because I fancy you...

"Good manners" he finally answered "And because another pretty face to look at at a party is never a bad thing is it?"

Ruby smiled "I'm flattered I'm sure" she replied serenely "And sorry I couldn't make it"

Merlin thought Charlie She's a cool customer this one...

"I'll be sure to invite you to the next one then" he grinned.

"And I'll be sure to make it this time" she grinned right back at him.

Charlie swallowed "Have you heard about the job yet?" he blurted out.

"No" she replied, turning to watch Tess as she nudged at the egg, it was shaking slightly "But Duke said it'd be a couple of weeks and anyway, he'll probably tell Magnus first"

"Why?" Charlie frowned "It's your job"

"Because Magnus is a minister" she replied in a dead tone "And Mr Helborne knows well enough that Magnus can arrange the funding he wants for not only the hospital, but the breeding programme too. He'll tell him first"

"Sounds like you've got the job then"

"Like you said, no other applicants, and as I am constantly reminded, I do have ministry connections don't I?!"

Charlie caught the bitter whiff to her tones and frowned for a moment, thinking on his conversation with Sam the night before. He reached out a hand on impulse and rested it on her forearm gently, she looked down at the calloused and rough skin before meeting his eyes, a question in her own.

"I don't care about any funding or connections" he said gently "You'll do a great job, because you care about the dragons"

"Thank you" she replied quietly.

He squeezed her arm before releasing it and smiling, her answering smile was unsure, yet grateful.

"Fancy a cuppa tea?" he asked in a brighter voice.

Her whole face changed, she smiled "Yes" she said warmly "I think I do"

"C'mon then Red" he grinned "I'll show you the canteen"

"You have a canteen here?" she asked, falling into step beside him.

"We do" he puffed his chest out with a mocking pride "And if you have time I can show you the rest of the place, seeing as you're the newest member of staff"

"I've had the guided tour" she reminded him "From Duke"

"Oh not that" Charlie dismissed with a wave of his hand "Not the tourists tour, the real one, the one that not a lot of people get to see..."

"Sounds like fun" Ruby grinned back.