Title: Girl of Sun and Summer

Part I of the Charlie x Luna series

Pairing: Charlie Weasley x Luna Lovegood

Word Count: 800

Rating: T

Summary: Whenever Charlie was required to stay at the sanctuary over Christmas, one of his siblings would make a point of visiting him. Unfortunately, this year, it fell to Ginny, who had spent the last five years setting him up with her numerous friends in a variety of increasingly creative ways.

Charlie resolved not to bury her in snow. Even if she deserved it.

Notes: Not beta'd or alpha'd.

Ginny's visit coincided with tragedy at the reserve: Hera, mother of dragons, had died of a bad cold.

Charlie hated discussing this topic with laypeople, because the inevitable question was "but don't they breathe fire? Shouldn't it, you know, keep them warm?" He probably heard this joke at least twenty times in the first week of December alone.

He wasn't feeling very humorous about the plight of the dragons. Hera should have been tending to her newest brood, carrying her young in her mouth during winter when it was chilliest out. Instead she was gone. Charlie was not only sad but worried sick about her babies. He had never wished so hard for the season to be over.

In the wintertime, dragons entered brumation, requiring only minimal care. The dragonkeepers restocked the pastures less often and relied on the animals' natural instinct for cover to dig underground shelter for themselves.

The same could not be said of baby dragons, whose growth slowed drastically if they brumated in their formative years. All five hatchlings were showing signs of ill health and seasonal lethargy due to being orphaned. Instead of being iridescent shades of blue or green, their scales were grey and dull, their fat pads were depleted, and they had mucus in their mouths. None of which endeared them to visitors, though infancy was the time people usually appreciated them the most.

"Ew," was Ginny's ever blunt first response. "Why is that one drooling foam?"

Next to Ginny, her friend was silent. A quiet girl—a rarity among Ginny's friends, each of whom was more raucous and forward than the next. She looked like a child and would probably not even come up to Charlie's clavicle. Ginny was really running out of prospective setups for him.

When Charlie didn't reply right away, the small girl reached into her bag and drew out a flute. Charlie watched with elevated brows, as he recalled the one setup who liked to recite erotic poetry. That one was—interesting.

"Luna?" Ginny frowned, falling silent as her friend lifted the flute to her lips.

Both Charlie and Ginny waited, but nothing could be heard.

Then the five baby dragons nesting under the lamp started to croon—a high-pitched shrieking sound that trailed off into random barks and screeches. They were singing, albeit horribly.

All five of them had lifted onto their hindquarters, waddling slowly towards Ginny's friend. Luna.

Luna lowered her flute, and she glanced up, directly looking at Charlie for the first time. He felt a jolt go through him. Her eyes were the color of healthy silver scales on a bright summer day.

"I wasn't sure if it would work." Her voice was soft, ethereal, and calming. "That's how dragons mourn their loved ones. They've just been orphaned, haven't they?"

He was too startled to reply.

The five baby dragons bobbed their heads up and down, searching for the music that had disappeared. Luna laughed, the sound delicate and light, tinkling like elven song. Just like her, Charlie supposed, dainty thing that she was.

But there was nothing dainty in the fearless way she crouched down and let the nearest dragon crawl up onto her hand.

"Her name is Luna?" Charlie murmured to Ginny. He still didn't like setups, but there was no point in being rude.

Ginny grimaced. "I know, I remember what you said. This isn't a setup. I just thought it'd be a nice trip for her. She's one of my best friends and she likes—misunderstood creatures."

Suddenly, Charlie remembered Luna. Luna Lovegood, the wraith-like girl who lived not far from the Burrow. She and Ginny used to play together, chasing fairies into the dusk. This was Luna? She had grown up—although, admittedly, not vertically. A small pale blonde girl made of snow and winter, exuding the warmth of sun and summer. When she shifted, Charlie saw red and green potted mushroom earrings dangling at her earlobes.

"Oh," was all Charlie could think to say. He crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. He scratched his beard and then his temple. "She—seems like a nice girl…"

Ginny stared at him. "Are you—are you interested in Luna ?"

He didn't quite know how to answer that. Only—any girl who knew to play inaudible music to newly orphaned dragons deserved a closer look.

Especially when she had silver eyes as bright as the sun and a laugh like the warm summer breeze.