A/N:
Two chapter is one day, that makes three this week! This chapter is dedicate to Cait who dared me to write two more before we went back to school this is number three and number four is on the way. This one was so long that instead of mushing it all here, I've split it into two and haven't quite finished the other half so stick that in your pipe and smoke it! Tehe my grandad used that expression.

Things That Begin To Go Wrong

Charlie awoke early the next morning and waited almost patiently for Lexie to get up and get ready. Every time one of the other girls from her dormitory came down he peppered her with questions along the lines of '… is Lexie awake?' or '...how long do you think she'll be?' When she finally came down the stairs from the girl's dormitories she looked stunning, her hair was up in a high pony-tail and it seemed curlier than ever. Charlie took a minute to appreciate her beauty before bombarding her with questions.

"How long does it take? Are you aware you've been awake for nearly half an hour?" He said, not angrily but maybe a little bit exasperated.

"Contrary to popular belief we girls do not wake up looking like natural goddesses, it takes a little effort and a lot of patience."

"Well, you look beautiful but was it really necessary?"

"Be thankful you're not waiting for Daisy Keats, she was up before me and she's only just finished doing her make-up, she still has to do her hair and get dressed."

"Well yeah but you can see why with her."

"What ever do you mean, my dear?" Lexie said with a giggle as she looped her arm through his and they exited the common room through the portrait hole.

"Well, she's not the prettiest duck on the pond is she now?"

"Would you, by chance be calling her an ugly duckling?"

"Thank the lord you catch on fast, I beginning to think I was being nasty to the poor girl."

"But ugly ducklings turn into beautiful swans"

"Not always, if that girl was going to do any changing, it would have happened by now. Anyway you're already a swan, you always have been." He kissed her on the cheek.

"We are feeling quite the gentleman this morning aren't we?"

"Well, one must act at ones best when one finds out a secret kept so tightly from ones ears." Lexie laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Well, one might want to save their pleasantness for when one finds out the secret. It is unwise for one to try and second-guess secrets for one does not know whether one will like it yet."

"Wise words in deed my dear." Charlie said as they entered the great hall for breakfast. They did not take long to eat their breakfast because they were both very excited about their day. It being a Saturday they could spend as long as they wanted revelling in their secret, when at last they both knew it. Charlie followed Lexie out of the entrance and down the stone steps, as though they were heading to see Hagrid. Lexie's plan was to circle around the other side of the forest so no one would see them going into the forest and think to follow them. Charlie grew suspicious as they came closer to Hagrid's cabin but made no comment until they were nearly at the door.

"Are we paying a visit to Hagrid first?" He asked confused.

"No, we're going into the forest and I didn't want anyone to see us so we're going around the back."

"We can't go into the forest there's something loose in there remember?"

"Yes, and I know what it is, it's my secret Charlie, trust me. Nothing in there will hurt us, they centaurs won't even bother us."

"You're sure?" When she nodded he grabbed her hand and looked at her,

"Alright then, lead the way."

Lexie led them through the thickest part of the forest to the very heart of it. It took longer than it would usually have taken her due to a combination of the different route, the less familiar way and Charlie trying too keep up with her. They arrived just before midday and were both out of breath and sweaty beyond belief but they had made it. In the middle of the clearing was the huge white stone, unmoving and with no obvious beginning or end, it seemed to taper away at one end but it was so bright to look at when the sun shone on it's crystalline surface that Charlie didn't look at it for long. He returned his gaze to Lexie and raised an eyebrow.

"You brought me to the middle of the forbidden forest to see a shiny white rock?"

"No I didn't actually, give it a minute." When a minute passed and nothing happened Lexie sighed and went up to the rock, she kicked it gently at first and then harder, shouting with her mind. "He's not going to make this easy."

"Who isn't?"

"You'll see"

"Did you really bring me out here to meet someone or did you bring me out here to seduce me, where no one could find us?" He said in his most teasing voice, wrapping his arms around Lexie.

"Eew, get off me, you're all sweaty!" She said pushing his arms half-heartedly.

"I thought sweat was attractive"

"Eew no! It's just 'sgusting!" Charlie tightened his arms around her and she battered them off with light punches.

ENOUGH!

The rock began to stir, put her down!

A head appeared from one end and a powerful tail swept the floor at the other.

When my bond-mate wishes to be let go, you should do so!

Wings unfurled and the whole thing stretched, like a cat.

Do not make such advances without her permission!

A creature bigger than two houses blocked all light from the clearing and roared.

"Enough yourself!" Lexie shouted at the beast, you knew I was bringing him, stop acting like a child.

I am not acting like a child I am acting like a dragon.

Well behave! And introduce yourself.

Charlie was staring up at the dragon with adoration in his eyes, he made a wide circle around the dragon and spoke of how his scales shone and he was the finest dragon Charlie had ever seen. Lexie let him speak, she knew that the compliments would help Lycan warm up to him, if there was anything dragons loved it was compliments.

Welcome, friend of my bond-mate, I am Lycan.

"He talks!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Sometimes I can't get him to shut-up."

"You have a dragon?!"

"NO! He's not my pet, he's bonded to me."

"I've read about bonded dragons I've never met one before." He turned back to Lycan and addressed him, "it is my pleasure to meet you Lycan, my name is Charlie Weasley."

Well met human

"Amazing, this is amazing. When you said secret, I never thought … how?! This just proves that you're the best person I know, there is no other person in the world more deserving of a bonded dragon!" Charlie was beside himself and she knew why. Charlie had always wanted to work with dragons but it was a rare job and one you had to travel for. He had never thought he would meet a dragon while still in school and he had never even dreamed he would meet a bonded dragon in his entire life.

"How do you feel about flying?"

"What?!"

"It's not so different from being on a broom."

"Fly … on Lycan?!"

"Yup, come on, I'll show you." She pulled the saddle out from it's place between the two trees and with Charlie's help fastened it securely to Lycan's back. Once it was in place Lexie jumped on to Lycan's foreleg and from there pulled herself up into the saddle, it was a practised move which made Charlie's effort to copy her look even more clumsy. Once he was high enough for her to reach she helped to pull him up and he slipped into the saddle behind her. They sat between the first two spikes, it was a bit close but still comfortable and she preferred it to him sitting behind the middle spike on Lycan's neck.

"Ready?" She called back to Charlie and when he put his arms around her to hold on she gave Lycan the signal and he launched into the air. He ascended quickly to avoid being spotted and soon they were high enough in the winter clouds to look like a hawk from anyone looking up.

They flew with Lycan for a few hours and just generally talked about dragons. Lexie had a feeling of weightlessness, even after they had landed. She had told Charlie, he knew! He wasn't angry he was overjoyed when they walked back up to castle, hand in had there was a new gleam in his eyes, he looked at her with even more love and she almost laughed, of course she loved him. It was Charlie she had always loved him and she always would.

"So where have you two been hiding all day?" Chris asked, wiggling his eyebrows at them and they looked at each other with knowing smiles.

"We've been down at Hagrid's, helping him and doing some care of magical creatures homework by the lake." Lexie lied smoothly and Charlie nodded along with her, putting another forkful of food in his already stuffed mouth.

"All day? I mean you got up pretty early." Said Thorne

"Shut-up," Charlie said swallowing and Thorne did as he was told with a smile. Chris apparently wasn't going to let it go so easily, he questioned them all through dinner and only stopped when they had gone back up to the common room and an owl tapped at one of the windows. It was Errol, the Weasley family owl, carrying a piece of parchment that had been battered around so much in the winter wind that it was hard to read on many places. Charlie took the letter and Lexie took Errol over to rug in front of the fire so he could warm up. He nipped her finger affectionately and sat in front of the flames for a few minutes before returning to Lexie's knee. She was sat on the chair arm of Charlie's chair.

"Do you want to spend Christmas with us?" Charlie asked Lexie who looked shocked, though she had stayed at the Burrow through the summer holidays, she had never been over for Christmas, she had always spent Christmas at Hogwarts, preferring the cheer and having the castle almost to herself over the pathetic muggle decorations her father put up. She'd had it all sorted out, her sister was staying at her school for Christmas and her and her dad were staying at Hogwarts. She thought about it for a minute and then decided it would be much fairer to her sister if she went to the Weasley's for Christmas, then neither of them got their dad. So she turned to Charlie and nodded. By the end of the next week they were both packed and heading to Kings cross station on the Hogwarts express.

A/N: Well, get reviewing!