Sorry about the super long wait! I promise to have the next chapter up soon. :) Anways this one is a bit longer than usual because you all had to wait longer for it! I hope you enjoy it! Don't forget to review!

(I do not own Harry Potter Universe.)

(Shout out to beta ceville143)

Chapter 5 of Love, Harpies and Dragons

As I'm about to jump.

Something stops me.

Not a person.

Not a sound.

Not an animal.

I didn't catch sight of the Quidditch Pitch, or the Black Lake.

A thought, a memory, it hits me like a ton of bricks and has me scrambling away from the edge in seconds.

The wails.

My mother. My family. Gwen.

What would they think?

Who have I become?

I was once the brave, courageous, and fearless Charlie Weasley who single handedly held down a Chinese Fireball that was deemed the most dangerous dragon on the reserve. Hence the tattoo that now flew around my torso and back.

I was the older brother that my younger siblings looked up to, begged to have stories about, pleaded to hear from.

I was a Gryffindor.

And right now, I was acting no better than a Slytherin, a snake, trying to run away from my problems.

I can almost imagine my mother screaming in my face about what I had been thinking about doing.

I sit down against the wall and cradle my head in my hands, the parchment that I crumbled up in my hand is scratching my forehead uncomfortably but I ignored it.

Life is rough.

Yes, it's very tough, rough, it's like taming a dragon.

One day the dragon is receptive, playful, wants attention and extremely cooperative.

The next it's breathing fire down upon you, roaring in anger, and is very…very agigitated and wants nothing to do with you.

But the thing with taming a dragon is, you have to keep at it, because one day you'll reach the finish and you'll look back and be thankful for every good day and bad day because they helped you become a better tamer in the end.

That's why I'm here.

That's why I can't do this.

How could I have been so selfish?

When did I become this weak?

So Gwenog doesn't love me, I'll just have to live my life alone.

I have siblings who love me, parents who adore me, friends who cherish me, and dragons who need me.

I'm Charlie Weasley, dangit, and I'm not going to run away anymore.

I'm going to go to Gwenog tell her that I love her, and I always will and hope for the best. Because I'm a Gryffindor, and Gryffindors face their fears head on.

If I'm rejected I'll just walk away, knowing that I took that risk. I need to know. And I'm going to find out.

I stand up and walk down the stairs the letter still crumpled in my hand. I wipe away the tears with the back of my hand.

I'm a Gryffindor.

I'm Charlie Weasley.

And I'm going to tell her.

~Gwenog~

He told me he still loved me.

Charlie Weasley. Still. Loves me.

He loves me.

He's angry.

Oh merlin.

He doesn't know.

Merlin. Merlin. Merlin's saggy pants. I have to tell him!

That he's for me. That I'm his and always have been.

He hasn't dated anyone since me.

He was torn up over the break up.

He still loves me.

I limp out of the infirmary.

I need to tell him.

My chest is pounding so hard, I think it's going to make a permanent impression on my chest.

I need him.

I want him.

Charlie.

Merlin.

I wonder if he ever saw that letter.

I hope he hasn't.

He acted like he didn't.

Merlin.

I say Merlin a lot. I think it's to replace the other words I want to say at the moment. A few select curse words to be exact.

Off topic I know.

Where would Charlie go to if he was upset?

Where did he always go?

..hmmm….

OH MY MERLIN'S GREY OLD BEARD! I KNOW WHERE HE WENT.

Now to figure out how to get up all those stairs while I'm injured.

Hmm…

The pain'll be worth it, if I get to feel those smooth, firm, lips against mine again, to be able to run my hands through that fiery red hair that just fires me up. Oh yes. So worth it. Unbelievably worth it.

I begin my limp up the stairs.

Ouch.

This hurts more than I thought it would.

If everything goes according to plan, maybe Charlie will carry me down them.

Ooooo. Yes. Good idea, Gwenog. Good idea, my friend.

That is if he still wants me.

I pause.

What if he doesn't want me back. What if he doesn't want me near him at all.

I shake the thought away.

I'm not letting him go this time. I'll follow him to the edge of the Earth and then some to get my feisty, fiery, passionate Weasley back.

I'm not going anywhere this time.

~Charlie~

I walk down the steps, one at a time, trying to figure out what I'm going to say to her when I see her.

Maybe action is better.

Just kiss her.

That would work.

Although I might end up getting the crud beaten out of me for being so forward.

Maybe not the best idea.

Gwenog is a world renowned Quidditch player. She probably can pack a worse punch than she did during Hogwarts.

But I can also take a punch better.

Awwww..this is so hard. I want to kiss her so bad, but I'd wait years if that's what it took to have her forevermore.

A muffled noise comes from further down the staircase.

I start racing down them now clutching my wand.

I turn and BAM!

I come to what would be a screeching halt. My arms flailing as I struggled to maintain balance.

Once I'm balanced I look to see who it is. And I'm shocked.

"G-Gwen?" I ask, my eyes wide in surprise and my lips parted.

She doesn't reply instead she launches at me, her lips pressing to mine. She wraps her arms around my shoulders and pulls herself up, kissing me with a passion that has my knees shaking, almost buckling under the sheer intensity of it. She takes advantage of my parted lips and I gasp as she slips her tongue inside my mouth. Our tongues fight for dominance as I wrap my arms around her waist to keep her lips on mine. The parchment still clutched in my hand.