A/N: Sorry this is taking so long…I know people are reading/subscribing to this story or are at least glancing at the page, but please, please review!! I would really appreciate feedback!! And for those of you who are reviewing – THANK YOU SO MUCH!
--
Post-Hogwarts:
Somewhere in Russia
He shook her awake. "Time to make camp?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.
"No," he smiled, "time for breakfast and packing up camp."
She looked around, taking in the inside of the tent and the blanket around her, "How long was I asleep?"
He shrugged, "Sun's just coming up now," he opened the flap of the tent, "come on, stream's over there. We can set up a slightly more permanent residence tonight. Just want to get a bit further away. They won't follow us too far into dragon-territory."
She could only nod as he went to check on their breakfast and she walked to the small stream to wash her face and brush her teeth. Feeling slightly more awake, she sat on a log opposite Charlie and accepted the bowl of oatmeal he passed her. They sat in silence for a moment, Charlie shoveling the food into his mouth and Adelaide simply staring at it before saying quickly, "I'm sorry for uprooting your life, Charlie. You didn't have to do this, I could have managed on my own -"
Charlie grinned, "You're nutters, Addie. I've got my best friend back, I'm out camping and I'm helping the Order by protecting you and whatever it is you've been researching. If anything, I should be thanking you."
She looked up at him and smiled slightly, "You're much too nice, Charlie."
He grinned and nodded at the bowl she was holding, "Eat. We'll make real food later."
They ate in silence for a few moments when she let out a clear laugh. He looked up, grinning at her happy face. "We're really camping aren't we?" He gave her a quizzical look and she laughed again, "I mean, I did always wish we went camping around St. Ottery. And here we are. Camping for real."
Charlie joined in her laughter. "Come on, Addie, we've got to get moving." She stood and wiped off the shorts she had been wearing for what felt like weeks and smiled when, with a wave of his wand, sent everything packing into his bag. He looked at her, "Want some fresh clothes, eh?"
Adelaide shrugged, "I could make them myself."
Charlie's eyebrows shot up, "And let you ruin my favorite clothes, woman! Never!"
"All right," she challenged, cocking an eyebrow "you fix me some new clothes, and I'll make myself a broom."
--
He opened his eyes, wondering what had woken him up, and then remembered the dream he was just having: the same dream he had been having for nearly two years. His subconscious had been making him relive the last time he had seen or talked to Adelaide nearly every night for two years. It wasn't just a dream; it was a nightmare.
She had yelled at him, he tried to defend himself, he accused her of not caring for him anymore, she accused him of never liking Cedric and wanting him to get hurt and told him she didn't want to talk to him. "For at least a while," she had said sadly. He squeezed his eyes shut as he clenched his fists. He had wanted to tell her then that he wanted to tell her and Cedric about the dragons, wanted to tell her that he was nearby, wanted nothing more than to see her. And he had. Well, he had yelled it at her. And then as she was walking away, he nearly scrounged up enough courage to tell her that he loved her, that he was jealous of Cedric and all the time he got to spend with her. But instead he had said, "If that's what you want."
She had looked at him with such sadness, such disbelief that even now his stomach turned. And then a few months later he found out she was dating Cedric. From his mum no less.
And then, she had disappeared.
He beat himself up for months when she first left. He would have been happy she and Cedric had split up...no, that was a lie and he knew it. He was happy for her; happy that she was happy. (At least he wasn't Oliver, he had told himself numerous times). But she had severed ties with everyone. And then they were in a war. What if he died without telling her how he really felt? Without even apologizing? What if she died? He tried so many times to write to her and he still didn't know if she had gotten his letters. But one day he knew he had to stop: it was killing him to write to her constantly and to get no reply.
His private musings ceased when he heard her whimper softly and move about her sleeping bag. He held his breath, his heart aching. When she whimpered again he couldn't take it; he climbed out of his bag and laying on top of hers, wrapped his arms around her. He felt her tense in his arms but she didn't move away or whimper. "It's all right," he whispered into her hair, "I'm here, you're okay."
He felt her relax slightly but tense again when she realized someone was holding her. She tried to maneuver away from him slightly but he continued to hold her, "Adelaide," he whispered softly, kissing the top of her head, "I'm not going to hurt you."
"I know," she whispered back.
He let out a soft sigh, "Were you having a nightmare?"
She didn't answer for a moment, "I've been taking a dreamless draught nearly every night."
He nodded against her head, frowning. "Do you want me to stay here with you?"
She turned over so she could look into his face. His breath hitched when her pale grey eyes that looked eerily similar to the full moon searched his deep blue-green ones, "Charlie, I -"
He nodded, smiling slightly and tucking some hair behind her ear, trying to hide a grin when he noticed her cheeks colored slightly and her breathing quickened slightly, "I know you're not used to interacting with people, much less touching or hugging, but Adelaide, maybe it'll help." Her eyes continued to search his.
"I'm sorry," she said breathily.
"For what?" His eyebrows furrowed and she tried not to smile despite the gravity and sadness she was feeling.
"For yelling at you and accusing you of hating Cedric -"
He put a finger to her lips, chuckling slightly and adjusting his arm that was around her lower back, inching ever closer to her waist. "Hey," he chuckled again as she frowned, "you talk too quick. And besides, it's me who should be sorry. I beat myself up over that everyday -"
She nodded. "Charlie," she brought her hand up to his face so he would have to look into her eyes, "I'm sorry." There was no other way she could express just how terrible and sorry she truly felt.
He attempted a smile and kissed her forehead lightly, "I know. Now come on, go to sleep."
--
Her eyes flew open as a cold fear gripped her: where was she and why was someone holding her? Her eyes darted around the dimly lit tent and bracing herself she turned slightly. All she saw was red hair before she remembered the events of the last two days. She was a fugitive. Running from Voldemort. In a forest in Russia. With Charlie. She took a deep breath. At least she was with someone now.
She tried to squirm her way out of his arms so she could get dressed, maybe take a dip in the nearby pond, but Charlie's grip was vice-like around her. Sighing, she relaxed her body and tried to drift back to sleep, but her mind kept wandering to the last time she had woken up in a boy's arms: Cedric.
She blinked her eyes and stared at the tent wall. Cedric. Charlie murmured softly and she could feel him move his head closer to hers, his breath tickling her ear. She smiled slightly. Charlie. Even though she felt slightly uncomfortable being in direct contact with him, or anyone really, she could not deny that she had slept nightmare free. Mostly likely due to him sleeping beside her. She was able to turn to her otherside without waking him and with a light finger, she traced his arms and collarbone, remembering how the hard planes of his chest had looked all those summers ago and imagining what they looked like now as they were pressed against her. Her eyes and finger traveled up to his face; she outlined his jaw lightly and smiled to herself as she watched him sleep. He really was a wonderful best friend.
And a gorgeous one too.
She snapped back to reality and looked over his shoulder, embarrassed by her traitorous mind. This was Charlie. He was risking his neck to protect her. The last thing she should do was fancy herself in love with him. Look at what had happened with Cedric and Sirius. At least Cedric wasn't dead...
Yet.
She bit her bottom lip. She really needed to control herself before she worried herself sick with these ridiculous notions.
She couldn't get her mind to shut down long enough to fall back asleep: she tried focusing on her breathing and her heart, but Charlie's would grow louder and her mind would create images of Charlie shirtless and of Charlie taming dragons. What felt like hours later, Charlie slowly opened his eyes and smiled when they landed on Adelaide. "Morning."
She smiled ruefully, "If you let me go I could go make us breakfast."
He chuckled, his chest vibrating against her, "But this is so comfortable, darling." He chuckled again when she groaned. "Did I fix your nightmare problem?"
She raised an eyebrow, "This isn't a permanent situation, you know."
He chuckled and pulled her closer, "Isn't it? Come on, Addie," he whined, "don't you like cuddling with me?" He batted his eyelashes at her making her laugh and swat at his chest.
She bent her arm to rest her head, smiling slightly as her bright grey eyes flickered between his blue-green ones, watching as a few hazel specks became more pronounced. "Tell me about Bill and Fleur."
He grinned, absently caressing the pad of his thumb down her bare arm. "Well," he started, adjusting his own head so he could look down into her face, "you know Bill's a bit of a ladies' man. And, well, she thought he was cute when they met during the Tournament. She had already planned to spend a few months in England afterwards and so Bill had mentioned that he was contemplating taking the position at Gringott's. And after Cedric and Harry saw You-Know-Who, Bill decided to stay in England. And so they began to get lunch and stuff together and he helped her with her English." He cocked an eyebrow suggestively at her, "Those were her words, not mine."
She let out a laugh, "Helping her with her English? Bill would!"
He continued to make her laugh recounting the "Tale of Bill and Fleur" and she would laugh uproariously at his terrible French accent complete in a falsetto. "She doesn't sound like that!" She laughed at him and would swat his arm. But then she would quiet down again and allow Charlie to continue. Neither noticed how long they laid there, their faces mere inches apart, their legs and feet pressed together, her hand resting against his chest near his heart, his fingers still dancing across her arm: they were both too comfortable around each other to notice.
But then Charlie's story reached the actual wedding day and they both became somber. He tucked some hair behind her ear, his finger accidentally brushing against her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered quickly. "I wish I could have gone."
Charlie smiled sadly, "I do too, Addie. You got the invitation?"
She nodded, "The day before."
"You could have gotten hurt if you were there anyway."
She let out a hollow laugh, "Because I was a lot safer at the Ministry."
"Addie," he started but she shook her head.
"Come on, we should get up and eat something, maybe change." She attempted to get up but he tugged on her arm.
"Adelaide CatherineHayworth, stop." He took a deep breath, "Will you please just stop for a second? We were having a nice time, weren't we? Look," he rubbed his face tiredly, "I know these past two years have been difficult for you, they've been tough for all of us!" He sat up when he spotted her rolling her eyes and lifted her up with him, grabbing hold of her hands.
"I don't need saving, Charlie!" She stormed out of the tent, leaving a perplexed and helpless-feeling Charlie sitting on the enlarged cot.
He found her a few moments later angrily stirring something in the small pot floating over the fire. "I'm not trying to save you from anything, Adelaide. I just want to help."
Her head snapped up to look at him, her eyes flashing dangerously and he planted his boots firmly on the ground, fearing the worst. "I don't need your help, Charlie. I was perfectly fine on my own before and I would be fine now too. I don't need you or Cedric or anyone!"
"I never said you did!" He sounded exasperated and sad but Adelaide ignored this.
"Then why are you out here with me? I didn't ask you to come. I don't need you!"
Charlie's face contorted slightly; it was one thing for her to yell at him once because she was angry and confused and not used to anyone's company, but to yell at him multiple times over something stupid was borderline ridiculous. "Really? You don't need me? You'd be okay here in the forest by yourself? With dragons and other dangerous creatures?"
"Yes!" She crossed her arms furiously across her chest. "I'd be perfectly fine! I can handle myself!"
"Really?" He laughed, "Because it looks like you did a great job of taking care of yourself these past two years!" He threw up his hands, ignoring the pain and embarrassment crossing her face. "You're rail thin, you look sickly and white as a ghost, and you don't even know how to talk or act around me, let alone actual people!"
She didn't respond and the realization of what he said finally hit him, "Adelaide, I -"
She frowned and put up a hand, "No, you're right. I couldn't take care of myself properly these past few years and I probably wouldn't last very long out here either," she frowned, "but I don't need saving."
Charlie nodded, "I don't want to save you, Adelaide, I want to help you."
She looked up at him and nodded, "I never needed anyone to save me."
Charlie's face broke into a smile, "I know, Addie. We all knew."
"I didn't need Cedric, you know."
Charlie nodded, not particularly liking where this conversation was going; he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Adelaide, come on, the oatmeal is probably burning."
"Oh!" She turned her attention back to the pot and Charlie prayed she didn't mention Cedric or the Tournament or anything again.
--
Charlie felt as though he was walking on eggshells around Adelaide that first week as they continued to travel through Russia by broom and by foot: he had thought there location was fine, but Adelaide would worry and wish to continue on just a little bit further. Charlie didn't mind all that much and they were far enough away from where any known dragon caves that they weren't in any immediate danger. And he was glad to see Adelaide getting some exercise and some color: to see her flying, hiking and occasionally swimming in the ponds and creeks they came across: at least she was always smiling. But he never tried to start a conversation, afraid of her reactions and instead opted to wait for her to ask him about the dragons on the Reserve or ones they may run into, what the others had been doing the past few years or anything else.
But on their 5th day of traveling, Charlie stood his ground: "No, Adelaide, we are staying here. We are thousands of kilometers away from the border, away from England, and it's only going to get colder the farther west we go."
She looked up at and bit her lip, "All right, all right." She looked around at the landscape. "So this is Home Sweet Home?"
Charlie laughed, "I think you mean Tent Sweet Tent." She swatted at his arm and helped him to unpack the bag.
"You mind if I go wash some of these clothes?" He shook his head and continued to put together the tent, set up the fire-pit and begin to put up a few basic wards. Wiping his hands off on his dirty and worn-out khaki shorts he set off towards the river hoping to at least wash off his shirt and face. He was only a few meters away when he stopped, his mouth open in shock and his eyes bugging out slightly: there was Adelaide, standing calf-deep in the river, facing away from him, clad only in her knickers. He had seen her in her shorts and a bra she had made out of her only shirt when she went swimming, but here she was, completely starkers except for a pair of barely-there panties. She didn't look as thin and sickly as she had felt only a week ago when he had slept next to her: she looked healthier, more like her old self...
Except now, an adult.
And thank Merlin for that. He turned around quickly, realizing that he was clearly intruding on her and feeling like a bit of a perv for watching her bathe and wash her clothes...
His clothes.
He rubbed his face tiredly and gathering up enough will power, tried to walk quietly away from the river, not wanting to embarrass her by making his presence known. But she was wearing his clothes, technically of course. But they were made to fit her: not too tight, he didn't want to offend her, but Merlin she had looked good in those denim and khaki shorts and those tight, short-sleeved flannels...
He made it back to the camp and sat down. He was frustrated with treating her like she was some sickly, delicate flower. He wanted to treat her like he used to: like a best friend, like a...
Definitely not like a sister. But not like a girlfriend, she probably still is in love with Cedric...
He was deep in thought when she returned, mussing his hair and sitting across from him, "You put up the wards?"
"Hm? Yea. You can put more up if you'd like, Ms. Top-of-Her-Year."
She rolled her eyes and stood up, walking around the tent and waving her wand, not bothering to mutter any incantations out loud. She stopped however when Charlie broke her concentration, "I've been thinking. Since you were working for the Order, was, was Percy working for the Order too?"
She couldn't look at him, the pain and hope so evident in his voice; she hated lying to him, but she couldn't tell him the truth. He already knew too much. "I don't know what you mean." She waved her wand again, not facing him.
He was behind her in an instant, grabbing her arm lightly and turning her around, his hopeful eyes searching hers. "Adelaide, who am I going to tell out here?"
"Charlie, it's not my place -"
"Please, Adelaide."
She had never seen him so depressed and helpless. Not even when they had fought, or rather, when she had picked that fight with him...
"You can't tell anyone until he does. It could ruin everything."
Charlie's face broke into a smile, then his eyebrows furrowed and before she could read the hundreds of emotions flitting across his face, he wrapped his arms around and lifted her up. "Thank you, Adelaide. Thank you." She laughed into his chest. "I just, I just couldn't handle my little brother..."
He trailed off and set her back down but she patted his arm, smiling. "I understand."
Charlie returned the smile and sat down on the log closest to the tent. "That mean that he knew you were in the Order too?"
She shook her head, "He probably assumed, but no one explicitly told him, no. He had no idea where I was actually working or what I was doing..."
"So when he told us you were in Belgium?"
She shrugged, waving her wand again, "Probably just wanted everyone to stop worrying."
He nodded, "You ever going to tell me what it was you were working on?"
She didn't flinch, "I worked on a lot of things, Charlie."
He bit his cheek to keep from smiling. Typical Adelaide. He knew it would take a while for her to tell him anything.
--
"Adelaide, Adelaide!" He shook her shoulder, "Come on, wake up."
Her eyes shot open, "Wass wrong?" She rubbed her eyes as she mumbled, sitting up in the process. "Somethin happen? Why's it dark out?"
Charlie smiled, "Here, put this on," he handed her a coat and a part of worn khakis that they were shrunken to fit her, "it's cold out."
She slipped the pants on over the pair of Charlie's boxers she wore to bed throw the coat on as she slipped her boots on, trying to keep up with Charlie, "Charlie! Where are we going?"
He only smiled at her and took her hand, waving a blanket in front of her face, "Star gazing!"
She laughed as he laid the blanket down after they had walked along the stream for a short ways to a small clearing far enough away from the light from their camp. "Perfect!" He clapped his hands and with a flourish, gestured for her to lay down first. "I brought food and some butterbeer too."
Her mouth hung open in shock, "Butterbeer? Merlin's beard where did you get butterbeer?"
He laughed as he squirmed slightly next to her, trying to get more comfortable. "You really think Dragon Keepers don't bring some kind of alcoholic beverages with them on trips?"
She put her cheek on the blanket to stare accusingly at him, "You were hiding alcohol from me!"
He hesitated, "Um, I, uh –"
She laughed, "I'm kidding, Charlie. It was probably better that you did anyway." She turned her head to look back up at the dark sky and let out a contented sigh. "This is beautiful, Charlie."
His fingers grazed her slightly and his pinky intertwined with hers, "Not this many stars in London, eh?"
"Not even this many in St. Ottery, either."
"There are no lights out here anywhere."
They were silent for a moment, watching the sky when Adelaide pointed out a shooting star, "Make a wish," she laughed. After a short pause she intertwined all of her fingers with Charlie's. "That was the first shooting star I've ever seen."
He shifted his head to look at her, "Glad I got to share that with you."
She nodded slightly before meeting his eyes, "Thanks for being so patient with me, Charlie."
He shrugged and with a slight smile, reached up to tug her hair lightly, "Figured I should be nice to you now since I'm going to make you come with me when I look for dragons in a few days."
He chuckled as her eyes lit up, "Really? You're going to let me come with you?"
"Well, course! And I hope you're ready to listen to me talk endlessly about them."
She grinned, "Charlie, please. You know how I love to learn new things."
They were silent again for a few minutes before Adelaide, her eyes still on the sky, "Time Turners," she said quietly.
Charlie stared at her, "What?" He swallowed, "Adelaide, you don't have to tell me anything –"
She smiled, "I trust you, Charlie. You heard how all the Time Turners were destroyed?"
He nodded, "It was in the paper. And most of the prophecies too."
"Well, I took it upon myself to see if I couldn't recreate a Time Turner, even though there weren't any instructions left."
Charlie looked impressed, "How did you even begin? What did you do?"
"Muggle science books, charms and incantations that were related to time travel and the like. I needed to get my mind off death and that ruddy Veil," she paused and swallowed, Charlie's thumb caressing the top of her hand, "I had to get my mind off Sirius, so I started to research this. I know I can't use it to save Sirius or change anything significant in the past, but maybe one day it will help our cause," he voice trailed off.
"But you don't want it to get in the wrong hands."
"Which is why I had to go back for it. I might have been able to leave without having to fight, but I couldn't let them find the Time Turner."
He looked at her incredulously, "You finished it?"
She nodded, "Nearly. I just need to test it."
He frowned, "You're going to need my help, aren't you?"
She nudged his shoulder with her own, "Don't you trust my skills?"
He rolled his eyes, "I just don't want you to hurt yourself, you twit."
She rested her cheek against his shoulder and whispered, "I know, Charlie." She yawned quietly and turned her attention back to the beautiful and star-filled sky, just wanting to lay there quietly with Charlie. And for the first time in a long while, looking up at the stars, laying next to Charlie, she felt contented.
--
He was already eating breakfast when she stumbled out of the tent, "How long are you supposed to be on this little excursion?"
He shrugged, "Depends. They'll send a few more supplies in a few days and hopefully Jack will slip in a few Prophets to keep me updated on my family and the like. But I do need to look for and document a few dragons."
She nodded and sat down, picking up the other bowl, "Will we need to move camp?"
He shook his head, "Not yet at least. We'll need a home base and we're fairly close to them." He watched her to see if her face would let slip how scared she was.
She cocked an eyebrow, eyes still on her bowl, "I'm not scared, Charlie."
He coughed awkwardly at being caught, "No, no, course not."
She changed quickly and laughed as Charlie apologized that they would have to hike the whole way as magic could scare the dragons and they'd be easier targets on brooms. "Charlie, stop apologizing! I like hiking!"
He smiled, "I've got water and lunch in the pack, is there anything else you want to bring?"
She shook her head and pulled on his arm, "Let's go already! I'm excited to learn all about your dragons!"
He told her all about the types of dragons they had at the Reserve, what exactly a 'dragonologist' did from day-to-day and about Jack's tenure at the Reserve. "After this year, he'll have three types of dragons that will be his expertise. He's already the lead dragonologist on Hungarian Horntails since McPhee retired. But he's been working extensively with our one Ukranian Ironbelly and he has been petitioning for more; hopefully once this mess is over he'll be granted permission to get a few more. He's also been working with the Portuguese Long-Snout." He paused, "He's a good kid. A real natural with the dragons," he glanced at Adelaide who was grinning as she watched where she walked. "Who would have thought that quiet little Jack would grow up to be a natural dragonologist?"
She laughed, "He did always idolize you, Charlie. Neil too. Although, I'm fairly certain for different reasons."
"What do you mean?" He laughed, "Because I was the coolest and most attractive of the Weasleys?"
She bit her lip and Charlie watched, amused; he knew she was thinking of something to cover her apparent slip-up. "No, well, I mean, probably because of Quidditch and because you talked with him more than Bill. And I don't think he was very fond of Bill's hair."
Charlie laughed, "Course. I know I was cooler than Bill." She punched his arm.
"What dragons are you an expert on?" She watched amusedly as his face flushed slightly. "Come on, Charlie. Boost all you want."
He rubbed the back of his neck like he always did when he was nervous or upset, "Well, when you work at the Reserve as long as I have, you tend to have worked with all of the dragons we have." She waved her hand to encourage him to continue on. "But, I'm Head Dragonologist for the Chinese and Catalonian Fireballs, although I'd like to get another Cataolonian so we can have a few hatchlings. And I've worked extensively with the Romanian Longhorn and the Norwegian and Rhodesian Ridgebacks," he hesitated and Adelaide cut in.
"But?"
"Well, I'd really like to get another Peruvian Vipertooth since the first one that was ever caught died a few months ago. Of old age, really. And I'd really like to get an Antipodean Opaleye for the Reserve too: they're very few in Reserves. Most of them run free in Australia and the government has been known to allow wizards and witches to kill them at will if Muggle see them."
"I can't imagine there are very many places for them to hide in Australia what with it being mostly desert."
Charlie shook his head sadly, "Hopefully once this bloody war is over, Jack can get his Ironbelly and I can get me either a Vipertooth or an Opaleye. Or maybe both." He shrugged, "But I'm not getting my hopes up."
"So you've worked with all dragons except the Opaleye?"
"Worked with all of the dragons? No. No one really works with the Hebridean Black since those MacFustys usually care for them, sell their hides and claws and all that, and there really aren't any wild ones. But I've studied them and the Opaleyes and Common Welsh Greens since we no longer have any on the Reserve, with books and reports and things. But there are a lot of hybrid species, some we know about and some we have yet to find, that are hiding out in No-Man's Land." His eyes twinkled with excitement.
"And that's the mission of our little quest?"
He shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, "An added benefit."
--
Adelaide kept quiet when Charlie motioned that they were nearing a cave where he was fairly certain there was a Rhodesian Ridgeback. She kept pace with him but when they got closer, he looked at her sternly and waved for her to stand behind a tree as he went closer to the mouth of the cave to investigate. She watched him with bated breath as he stepped into the cave. A few minutes later, he emerged, a large grin on his face and waved for Adelaide to join him.
"They're sleeping," he said, still grinning.
"Th-they?"
He chuckled quietly, "Thought you weren't scared, kid."
She crossed her arms haughtily, "I'm not. I just was surprised that there was more than one is all."
He continued to grin as he put his pack on the ground and rummaging through, took out what Adelaide recognized as fire-proof parchment and fire-proof pen and a small wizarding camera. "Look here," he pointed at the ground, "see these prints? Can you take pictures of them?" He handed her the camera, "Make sure to take pictures of all of the ones you can find, yea?" She nodded, "Then give the camera back to me."
"What kind of dragon are they?"
His eyes twinkled, "One Norwegian and one Rhodesian. They haven't mated on the Reserve, but it sure would be fascinating to see if these do. Otherwise, they're probably on their own and decided to share this cave, safety in numbers sorta thing."
She watched him walk back to the mouth of the cave, "Charlie!" Her whisper was harsh and grating. "What are you doing?"
He grinned, "Documenting what I see," he winked and walked a few more feet into the cave as Adelaide started to take pictures with slightly shaky hands.
When she was done, she waited for Charlie to come back, examining the mouth of the cave, running her fingers along the rock. They passed over some sort of divot and taking another look, Adelaide was surprised to see some sort of marking. She stared at it intently and didn't hear Charlie come up behind her. "What is it?"
She jumped slightly, "Not sure. It looks like Runes, but there's something slightly off about it." She moved over so Charlie could look at it.
"Never seen it before. Here, give me the camera and write down what you see here," he took the camera and snapped a quick frame of the drawing before taking pictures of the cave mouth and the surrounding area.
Once they were done, they continued a little further on before Charlie suggested they head back to camp. "Tomorrow we'll go north from camp." She nodded, chewing on her lip slightly, still thinking about the writing they had seen.
--
They were lying in their respective cots, as they had been doing; Charlie's eyes were wide open as he stared at the roof of the tent, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. Adelaide really enjoyed herself today; she loved to hear Charlie talk about his dragons, about his favorite dragon, Caterina, a Catalonian Fireball, who he had raised since she hatched and had reminded him of Adelaide almost immediately because of her stubbornness, eagerness to learn new commands, her love for her few fellow dragons and her overall protectiveness of Charlie. Adelaide had smiled and comforted him when he had admitted that he hated leaving Caterina like this, that he missed her and that she would love Adelaide nearly immediately. She hadn't been anything but understanding and impressed and told him how much she looked forward to tomorrow.
He put his hands behind his head, knowing full well that he was far from a peaceful sleep. He wanted to hold her in his arms like he had that first night, but he was worried about disrupting her new-found inner peace, her familiarity with him, the ease with which she interacted with him now. She looked alive now; the deadness gone from her beautiful grey eyes –
She let out a whimper and his eyes searched for her in the darkness of the tent. She moved violently, but still Charlie kept still. But when she let out another whimper, Charlie flicked his wrist, lighting a lantern and sat on her bed to shake her awake. "Adelaide, hey, it's all right, I'm here, hey, hey."
Her eyes shot open and before Charlie could tell her it was all a dream, she had thrown herself at him crying freely. He nearly fell off the cot from the force with which she threw herself at him, but he steadied himself and stroked her hair murmuring, "It's all right, I'm here, you're safe," over and over again in her ear. After a few minutes she hiccupped and wiping her eyes looked at him. "Merlin," she let out a watery chuckle, "I'm sorry."
He frowned, running his thumb over her cheek to wipe away excess tears, "Nightmare?" She nodded. "Want to talk about it?" She shook her head. He eyed her warily, "You sure?"
"It was bad, that's all. I was just overwhelmed that you were here."
He hugged her again, "You want to go back to sleep?"
She bit her lip, "Uh, no, I think maybe I'll –"
He chuckled and stood up to drag his cot alongside hers, "Come on, lay down."
"Charlie, I –"
"Nope, no arguing, come on. I don't want any nightmares either."
She let out another watery chuckle and smiled, her eyes glistening slightly, "You're too nice, Charlie."
He winked, "This is more for my benefit anyway."
She rolled her eyes and lied down, flicking her wrist to mesh their cots together and expand their blankets so they could share more easily. She watched him lay next to her on his side and smiled when he yawned. "Tell me more about Caterina."
He smiled as he watched her close her eyes, her breathing even out as he told her more stories about his favorite dragon.
--
The next day they traveled north. But their encounters today were much more eventful.
They chatted as they hiked: Adelaide wanted to know if Jack had written to Cymbelia at all, if they had ever gotten back together, if Neil was seeing anyone, if Harry had finally admitted to himself that he loved Ginny, if the twins ever made time to date. Charlie had laughed and slapped her on the back with a "One question at a time, Addie," before pulling her hair and running ahead. She laughed and chased after him before he finally stopped to answer her seriously.
"Yes, Jack writes to Cymbelia on occasions, but there is little time to date on the Reserve, especially because she's in London," he rubbed the back of his neck, "and they got into a fairly big argument, about," he turned so he could keep walking, "his love for dragons." She followed him, frowning, knowing that they had probably argued about her and the dragons. "Neil hasn't brought anyone to meet your family, Jack says. But the Prophet sure does like to make him out to be some sort of womanizer, eh?" He slowed down so he could walk with her. "He went stag to the wedding as well, as most of us did. Harry and Gin apparently did date, but I didn't get to give him my well-practiced 'Older Brother' speech on a count of he apparently broke things off right before the wedding. Didn't want her to get hurt I guess."
Adelaide frowned, "Once this whole mess is over?"
He nodded, "Bill said she apparently dated loads of blokes at school," he chuckled, "I was horrified at first, but, it's Ginny. She knows what she's doing, doesn't she?" He shook his head with a smile and Adelaide knew that he missed his kid sister just as Ginny missed her favorite brother (aside from the twins). "She did look bloody pissed at the wedding though. She and Fleur don't exactly get along and she was a bridesmaid, but Fleur really does love Bill, even after the whole," he rubbed his neck, "werewolf thing. The twins went on about how no one ever goes to pubs because of the War and so they were mad that they rarely got to meet girls." He hesitated and turned to look at her, "And no, Cedric hasn't been on any dates that I know of."
She looked up at him and tried to smile brightly as she passed him, "And what about you? Any Keepers or Healers or Romanian Muggles?"
Charlie followed her, a puzzled look on his face. "No, just me and my dragons." They walked in silence for a moment, too deep in their own thoughts. But then, Charlie knocked into Adelaide nearly knocking her over, "Hey, what happened? Are you –" He followed her eyes and let out a "Bloody hell," before pushing Adelaide out of the way. "Stay down," he yelled, jumping away from her and grabbing his wand. "Oi, oi!" He shouted, trying to get the Ironbelly's attention. The dragon hot him an angry glance before rearing its head and letting out a deafening scream.
"Bollocks, she's got a nest and we're too near them. She's long past trying to calm down," he shouted, "run far enough away and Apparate back!"
Adelaide stood up, gripping her wand, "No, I'm not leaving you."
He dodged a line of fire, "Don't be stupid!"
But she had already transfigured a large fox and a large dog that raced in front of the dragon, the same technique Cedric had used during the Tournament, but this only made the Ironbelly angrier. "Charlie, come on!" She yelled, waving for him to follow.
He knew that trying to calm this Ironbelly was a no-win situation, but he knew Adelaide's diversion wouldn't last long enough for them to get away and he didn't want to risk hurting the new mother by confounding her. Looking around frantically, he wordlessly waved his wand to uproot a few trees and stacked them in between the Ironbelly and Adelaide and himself. She saw what he was doing and soon a few boulders were blocking the dragon's path as well. "She won't fly," he grabbed her hand and pulled her, her legs moving quickly to keep up with his long-legged pace.
"It won't hold her very long," he yelled back as he guided her through the dense forest. He finally stopped and swung her into his arms before looking her straight in the eyes, "I'm so sorry," he whispered before they Apparated.
They landed next to the water, breathing heavily, still staring into each other's eyes, his arms locked around her shoulders, hers wrapped around his waist. His eyes flickered over her face, his breath shallow and fast: and there was only one thing he could think to do.
And so, he kissed her.
It was gentle and cautious; he didn't want to scare her, he was out of breath and he hadn't exactly thought this through. But she wasn't pulling away. He felt her hands grip his shirt. And then she was moving her lips against his. He moved his hand up to cup her head as used his lips to tug on her lower lip, his other hand sliding down her side to rest on her waist, pulling her closer. But then she had pulled her head back and her soft, warm and utterly delicious lips were gone from his. He didn't want to open his eyes, didn't want reality to settle in: he wanted to live in that moment forever, wanted to lock it away and dream about it when he was depressed and distraught and worried about the war. But he heard her take a ragged breath and so he slowly opened his eyes, his deep blue-green eyes now a deep sea green and rested his forehead against hers, still holding her body close to his, not wanting to lose the heat that she was radiating, the fire that she was starting.
"Charlie –" her voice was barely a whisper. He looked into her eyes and nearly lost himself in the slate grey that had replaced her usual clear pale.
"Adelaide," he smiled softly, his eyes flickering between her mesmerizing eyes and her terribly kissable lips before focusing on her eyes. "I can't lose you again," she smiled at how adorable she looked when she was confused. "I wanted to tell you after the World Cup when it finally hit me and I wanted to tell you during the Tournament, but then we fought and I had seen how Cedric looked at you that summer and I knew that he would be good to you, for you: he would be there when you needed him, he would leave you be when you needed to be alone, he wouldn't be a burden, but he'd be good for you. And I knew that you'd realize that sooner or later. But then," he licked his lips and swallowed, "then I thought you hated us all forever and I – I couldn't bear it, Adelaide. To not even have you has a friend was one thing, but to never know if you were safe? If you really hated us?" Her body was flush against his now, his shirt still balled in her fists. "I just can't bear to lose you again, Adelaide."
"Charlie, I –" she licked her lips and watched as his eyes flickered down to them. She pulled on his shirt slightly and he looked back up into her eyes, gauging her reactions, wanting nothing more than to kiss her again, but not wanting to scare her off.
Her eyes flickered quickly to his lips and then she was closing the few centimeters between them, standing on her toes to kiss him better.
She let out a soft moan that only made Charlie kiss her harder, massaging her lips with his, wanting nothing more than to part her lips, to let him kiss her properly, the way he wanted to, to show her just how much he cared for her. This time she pulled on his bottom lip as she pulled her face back with a chuckle, rocking back on her heels and burying her face in his chest, bringing her arms loosely around his neck.
"What are we doing?" She laughed quietly.
He kissed the top of her head and stroked her back. "I confessed years worth of feelings for you and attempted to snog you soundly."
She lifted her head to meet his eyes, "Are you sure this isn't just because you're stuck with me?"
He smiled, drawing his thumb across her cheek, "I'm not stuck with you, Adelaide. If you hadn't been so young during the Cup, if I hadn't been so scared of hurting you –"
"Charlie," she tried to take a step back but he still held her hand, "I don't – I can't – I'm still, Charlie, I'm still trying to get my life in order."
He lifted her chin, "We all are, Adelaide, I'm not trying to pressure you. I just, I just needed to tell you and that Ironbelly and that," he rubbed a hand over his tired face. "If you're still in love with Cedric, I understand," he dropped her hand. "He was your first boyfriend and all that, I, I just needed you to know."
He turned to walk to the tent, looking completely forlorn, but Adelaide grabbed his hand and hugged him fiercely. "I'm not in love with anyone, Charlie. But, well, I'm still trying to figure everything out and well, can we still be the same? I mean, you know, can we still be friends – best friends – while we're here and just see. Just see where this takes us?"
He smiled, "Are we still sleeping in the same bed?"
She swatted his arm and laughed, relieved that he was able to lighten the mood.
We'll be okay, she thought as she looped her arm around his, her head resting on his arm as they looked out over the water. They'd be okay.
--
A/N: Thoughts? Did they kiss too soon? Are they going to be totally awkward now? (Ah, I couldn't bear them to be awkward and I doubt Charlie would allow it….) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!!! :) I hadn't originally planned on ending it here, but….figured it was as good a place as any….
I have no idea what I'm going to do with them for the many months before the final battle…maybe they'll have to go back to the Reserve? Make new amends with Jack? Disguise her? We'll see…
Please review!!