A/N: Well, I'm back again. I finally managed to get a few days to myself, and of course, that's right when Real Life decided to rear it's ugly head. Between suddenly realising I only have two months until NaNoWriMo, drama at college, and a small case of minor nervous breakdowns, I've had trouble finding the time or the motivation to update.

TLDR: I'm sorry I took so long to update *hangs head in shame*

This one is a little lacking in actually Charlie/Draco-ness, but I hope you enjoy it all the same ^^"

Word count: 478

Draco's task that morning was to make sure the orphaned eggs in the hatchery were all the right temperature and not damaged or hatching early. There were only five eggs in the hatchery this year, a bunch of four from a Romanian Longhorn that had been forced away from her eggs by another dragon, and a single silvery Arctic Moonstorm egg whose mother had died. Each egg was nestled in a small nest of woven grasses and other natural items, and he was forced to check each manually, as it was not advisable to use magic around dragon eggs and hatchlings. It disturbed them and made them restless.

Some of the eggs were rocking slightly, and Draco noted it down on the scroll kept near each nest. Those eggs would likely be hatching soon. One of the Longhorn eggs needed to be warmed up, and Draco swiftly moved it closer to the heater running along the back wall.

Lastly he came to the Arctic Moonstorm egg, and ran his hands over it. It was colder than the others, but that was to be expected. Absently, Draco trailed his fingers over the membrane of the egg. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he removed his hands from the egg and then very deliberately traced a rune over the shell. Ehwaz, the rune of friendship. The egg twitched.

Surprised, Draco pulled his hands back, but the egg didn't move again. Carefully, Draco drew the rune again with his finger. The egg vibrated and he heard a tiny squeak. A little in awe, Draco did it again. The egg wobbled, and toppled out of the nest towards him. "Whoa-" He gasped, catching the egg before it could hit the ground.

"Careful." Charlie's voice came from behind him.

Draco looked round as he settled the egg back in its nest. "Hey, Charlie." He greeted, looking back to the egg thoughtfully.

"That one nearly ready to hatch?" Charlie asked, walking over to join him, and running his hand over the shell. He frowned. "This one shouldn't be shifting around for another couple of weeks." He said.

"She wasn't doing, not until…" Draco trailed off, deciding it would be easier to show Charlie than explain.

"She?" Charlie questioned mildly as he watched Draco reach out and trace a symbol onto the shell with his right index finger. There was a loud squeak from the egg, and it jolted towards Draco, who was ready for the sudden move this time, and had his hands close to stop it toppling over again.

"Did I say she?" Draco asked, just as surprised as Charlie had been.

"Yeah." Charlie agreed. "What did you draw?" He asked.

"Ehwaz. The rune for friendship." Draco replied.

Charlie arched his eyebrows. "I think… you ought to make her your special project."

Draco looked at him, frowning. "Her?" He asked, surprised.

"Yeah."