Dragon Tamer of My Heart

Ophelia woke up the next morning to find her room bathed in warm light. She smiled as she stretched out in her bed, enjoying the lie in after all the work they had done in the last two weeks, but then frowned when she found the other side empty. She sat up and looked over, wondering where Charlie was. For a moment, her heart clenched, but she then realized how silly she was being and settled back in the bed, contemplating what she wanted to do with her day off.

Apparently, Charlie had ideas because no sooner had she settled back in, he walked in with a tray covered in breakfast.

"What's this?" she asked, sitting up. He walked over and put the tray down and then walked over to the other side of the bed and crawled in next to her, snagging a sausage. Ophelia's stomach growled slightly as she picked up a piece of bacon and took a bite, looking over at him.

"Thought you deserved breakfast in bed after the last couple weeks," he said. Ophelia chuckled.

"Seriously, what did I do to deserve you," she replied. He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Think it's me who's the lucky one," he replied, reaching for an envelope from the tray that Ophelia just now noticed.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Dunno. Came from Larkins. Guess he figured out where I've been staying," Charlie said, opening it up.

"Suppose we may have made that a bit obvious yesterday," Ophelia said. She then leaned over to try and read it over his shoulder. "The contract, maybe?" Charlie hummed, though continued reading. Ophelia kept eating, waiting for him to finish with it.

"Seems he wants me here as soon as possible," he said finally. "He was impressed with work so far and thinks I would be invaluable in helping with setting up the reserve."

Ophelia's eyes widened slightly as Charlie looked over at her with a crooked grin.

"Seems as though we're going to be working more closely together much sooner than we thought," he replied.

"I could get used to that," Ophelia replied. "And ye'll be needin' a place to stay before we've got the cabins ready."

"This is true," Charlie said.

"Unless ye maw wants ye home," Ophelia said. Charlie chuckled.

"Oh, I'm sure she will. In fact, I'm waiting a bit longer before I tell her just because I know she'll be insufferable," he replied with a sigh. "I love her and my family, don't get me wrong, but there was a reason I moved to Romania and it wasn't completely the dragons… Needed a bit of space."

"Don't blame you," Ophelia said. "Certainly can relate to wantin' space. May not have had six siblings, but Oliver and Duncan certainly made it necessary."

"As I have now learned. I didn't recall them being so… invested… at Hogwarts," he said.

"Och, likely because ye were too busy with quidditch and all. Though Ollie was never that bad. I could stand to be around him most of the time. Duncan, though… we had to jinx the Hufflepuff barrels to douse him in vinegar every time he showed up, it got so annoying," she replied with a chuckle.

Charlie's eyes widened slightly as the realization hit him.

"Wait… that's what happened? I'd always ask what he was getting up to when he'd come back reeking of vinegar, but he refused to say," he said, laughing softly. Ophelia just shrugged as she smiled.

"Apparently never learned his lesson," she said with a sigh. "And at least wi' ye family… There's Percy's wedding to keep her preoccupied." Charlie snorted.

"Mum is quite the multitasker, you'll find. She can plan a wedding AND manage to pester us to death on settling down," Charlie said, rolling his eyes slightly. Ophelia laughed loudly.

"Fine, we wait a few more days to tell her ye are moving back. But ye know the longer ye do, the more upset she's going to be when she does find out," she said rationally.

"I'll gladly take her wrath if it gives us a few more days of peace," Charlie said.

The front door slammed shut at that moment.

"Phillie!" Oliver shouted. Ophelia rolled her eyes. He must have the day off from training - he would often pop by when he did, claiming he needed a break from his roommate, who played chaser for Puddlemere.

"So much for peace," she muttered, causing Charlie to snicker.

"Get yer arse out here!" Duncan added. Ophelia froze as she looked over at Charlie. What the hell were both of her brothers doing here?

"We need to talk about Charlie!" Duncan added. The couple gave each other confused looks as Charlie picked up the tray, allowing Ophelia to get out of bed.

She was thankful they were at least in their pajamas, though she still grabbed her robe and pulled it on before they walked down the corridor and into the living room.

"Just what about Charlie has the two of ye here so early?" Ophelia asked, raising an eyebrow at them. "Aren't ye supposed to be at work? And how did ye even know I'd be here?"

Oliver's cheeks turned pink as he saw Charlie standing with her, though Duncan cleared his throat and looked away from the couple, clearing slightly uncomfortable with seeing the proof that Charlie had been staying over with Ophelia.

"Oh, ehm… Martins in magical creatures said ye took the day off," Duncan said.

"Larkins gave us two days off after we spent two weeks straight killin' ourselves over the proposal," Ophelia corrected him.

"How did that go?" Duncan asked, looking back up at her.

"No. First, why are ye here?" Ophelia repeated, undeterred. Duncan sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Honestly, after seein' Charlie this weekend and then hearin' ye took the day off, I worried that ye were in some sort of… downward spiral and wanted to help," he said. Ophelia's mouth fell open in shock. "Seemed so wretched I thought maybe I could convince ye to hear him out. Didna want to bother ye on Sunday or yesterday because of the presentation. But… seems ye've worked things out…"

"Ye wanted to help me and Charlie?" Ophelia asked, not quite believing it. Well, Oliver she could believe, but certainly not Duncan.

"Is it so hard to believe I might?" Duncan retorted, as though he were hurt. Ophelia snorted.

"Aye, it is," she said. Duncan sighed and shook his head.

"Look, I reckon someone that messed up over ye… and that desperate to make things right, well, reckon he deserves another chance," Duncan said.

"How did ye even know we had had an argument?" Ophelia asked, still confused over the whole situation. She looked over at Charlie, wondering why he hadn't mentioned anything about talking to her brother.

"I went to Shell Cottage afterwards. Didn't tell anyone what had happened, but Bill owled Duncan and got him over to figure out what was wrong," Charlie said. "Actually, gave me some good advice…"

Ophelia looked back over at Duncan, even more surprised.

"Och, don't look at me like that, Phillie," Duncan said. "I may be too much sometimes, but ye are my wee sister. Gotta look out for ye. And I do want ye to be happy. If that's with Charlie, then so be it."

Ophelia just stared at him a few more minutes before a smile broke out and she walked over, throwing her arms around her oldest brother.

"Thanks, Duncan," she said softly before kissing his cheek. She then stepped back and Charlie immediately was at her side, his arm around her waist.

"So, ehm, when did ye two make up?" Oliver asked, still seeming a bit lost as to what exactly was going on. Appeared Duncan hadn't shared all the details with him.

"Yesterday," Ophelia said. "Came back from the presentation to find him waiting in my office. Where he confessed his undying love and then got down on one knee."

Both Oliver and Duncan froze, Duncan's mouth gaping as the color drained from his face. Ophelia looked up at Charlie, who was barely containing his laughter.

"Right, so… ye two are getting marrit?" Duncan asked, his voice a few pitches higher than normal. Both Ophelia and Charlie burst out into laughter, unable to hold it in longer.

"Merlin, no. We just got over our obstacle," Ophelia said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Och, this may have happened rather quickly, but we're no ready for that."

Duncan glared at her a moment before turning it to Charlie.

"That was all Phillie," Charlie said immediately, pointing at her. "I just went along with it." Duncan groaned and ran his fingers through his hair.

"It's no that funny," he shouted, which only made Ophelia and Charlie laugh harder.

"Come on. Think Charlie's got some breakfast left in the kitchen," Ophelia said, walking towards the kitchen. Oliver immediately followed her, his attention diverted as soon as she referenced food.

Charlie and Duncan remained in the living room, Charlie finally quieting down as Duncan continued to frown at him. His face then softened as he glanced towards the kitchen and then back at Charlie.

"So… ye two are truly good?" he asked. Charlie nodded.

"Better than good," he replied. Duncan nodded and then smiled at him.

"Just… be good to her," he said softly.

"You know I will…"

Ophelia chuckled as she walked back into the living room later that night, two beers in hand. She sat next to Charlie and held one out to him as Oliver continued on with his story about the new reserve seeker. Duncan was watching them, though she couldn't really tell what he was thinking.

After breakfast, Ophelia had shooed her brothers away, telling them to come back later that day for dinner. She supposed she could have told them the news then, but she wanted to wait and inform them and Daria at the same time. Besides, Duncan needed to get to the office. And she was enjoying making them wait. Call it payback, if you will.

She and Charlie had then spent the day at a leisurely pace, though at one point, Charlie had pulled out a sketchbook and started working on planning out her cabin. Er, well, technically it was to be the cabin for the head of the reserve, but she had a distinct feeling he - like herself – was already thinking of it as theirs.

But now dinner was finished, and they were all sitting around the living room. From the looks on her brothers and Daria's faces, they were all suspecting that this wasn't just a casual get-together.

"Never understood the draw to quidditch. Such a brutal sport," Daria said before casually sipping her wine as she looked over at Oliver.

"Aye, that's what makes it so amazing," Oliver said sternly, frowning at her. Daria just rolled her eyes.

"So just why are we here?" Duncan asked, directing the conversation back to Ophelia and Charlie, noting the fact that they were now cuddled up together on the sofa.

"Right, well… the presentation went well," Ophelia said. She then stopped to take a drink.

"Just fucking tell us!" Daria practically yelled, causing all them to look at her in shock. "Oh, shut it, you all were thinking it! We've been hearing about this damn proposal non-stop for years. And then you invite us here for dinner and drinks. But this is the first damn time you've brought up the damn proposal. So, just tell us because the anticipation is killing me."

Ophelia chuckled and looked over at Charlie.

"It went through," she said, looking back at the room.

"I knew it!" Daria cheered.

"Well done, Phillie," Oliver said, clapping.

"And?" Duncan said, his face clearly saying that he knew there was more to this.

"They've asked Charlie to be head tamer," Ophelia said. "He's accepted the position."

"So ye are movin' back?" Duncan asked, his eyebrows rising as a smile filled his face. Charlie nodded. "Brilliant!"

"Yea, but they've asked Phillie to run the whole damn thing," Charlie said. All three froze a moment, before Oliver and Daria jumped to their feet, running over to the couple and dragging them up.

Ophelia couldn't help but laugh as Daria threw her arms around her and Oliver slapped Charlie on the back.

"I KNEW IT!" Daria screeched, causing Ophelia to wince.

"They'd be mad not to put ye in charge of Hebrides," Oliver added. Ophelia couldn't help but grin at the praise, though at the back of her mind, she was already feeling a bit worried. It was a lot of work – not just rebuilding the reserve and opening it, but then keeping it open.

"Don't worry, you'll have me there," Charlie whispered in her ear, clearing reading her. She smiled gratefully at him.

"Wait, but this means you're moving to Scotland? What am I going to do without you?" Daria wailed, her mood changing suddenly as she wrapped her arms around Ophelia's neck again.

"I'm sure ye'll survive. And it's no that far," Ophelia said, rolling her eyes. "Can get back by floo rather quickly. And it's no like we're goin' tomorrow. Still have loads of work to do before we move up there."

"I expect one weekend a month with you," Daria stated as she stepped back and gripped Ophelia's shoulders. She looked at Charlie, raising an eyebrow at him. "You hear that?"

He raised his hands, an easy smile on his face.

"On my honor, I promise to give her up one weekend a month for you, Daria," he said solemnly. Daria nodded and then walked back over to her chair, sitting down.

Ophelia then looked towards Duncan, realizing he hadn't said much. She couldn't help but feel a bit nervous, though she wasn't sure why. He had basically given her and Charlie his blessing this morning.

Duncan sat up and leaned forward, studying the two. He then started grinning as he stood and made his way across the room, his hand out to Charlie.

"Congratulations to the both of ye," he said as Charlie accepted his hand and Duncan pulled him towards him, slapping him on the back. He then turned to Ophelia and pulled her into a crushing hug. "Maw and Da will be happy to hear ye are movin' closer to home."

"Merlin, Duncan. It's no that different," she replied.

"I meant Charlie," Duncan said with a chuckle as he started back to his chair. "Ye told yer family yet?"

"Waiting a bit on that," Charlie said as he and Ophelia sat back down. "Not to mention, I need to go into the Ministry to figure things out before I go back to Romania. Figured I'd get that sorted and then tell them this weekend before I go back on Sunday."

Ophelia couldn't help but frown to herself. Of course, she knew that he had to go back to Romania, though in the excitement of the last couple days, she had managed to forget about it. But it was only for a little bit. He'd need to turn in his resignation, clear out his cabin and all. Surely it wouldn't be longer than a few weeks or a month.

"Merlin, Phillie. Ye look as though Madame ate Herbert," Duncan quipped. She looked over at him. "He's coming back for good, ye ken?"

"Aye, I ken," she said, shifting on the sofa as she frowned at her brother. Both he and Oliver chuckled as Daria smirked.

But then Charlie's arm was around her, pulling her closer to him and she told herself that he was here right now, which mattered more than however long they would be separated.

Because he was coming back, this she knew for sure.

Charlie looked down at the small thimble in his hand, spinning it around. In just a few minutes, it would transport him to the Ministry of Magic in Bucharest and then he would make his way back to the sanctuary.

And then came telling Andrei and Elena that he was leaving – had accepted a position as head tamer in Hebrides and they wanted him there as soon as possible to help re-open it. And then would be weeks of packing up everything he owned and saying good-bye to the place that had been home for the last 10 years of his life.

He then looked over, seeing Ophelia as she straightened her shirt, knowing that she was avoiding looking at him too much because she'd start crying. While there was still a bit of sadness there at the thought of leaving Romania, it was overwhelmed by hope and excitement for the future. He was being given an amazing opportunity – to help build a reserve from the ground up. To build his own team.

And he got to do all of it with Ophelia at his side.

She finally looked up, tears glistening in her brown eyes. He chuckled softly and reached out to her, pulling her into his arms. Once again, she felt so small in them, but he still knew that she was made of tough stuff.

"It's only for a few weeks," he murmured into her hair.

"I ken," she replied.

"And then I'm back for good," he continued.

"Aye," she said.

"And then you'll be sick of me," he said. Ophelia pushed back from him, an incredulous look on her face.

"Never," she vowed. Charlie only chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

"Ah, well, I guarantee you'll be sick of my family in due time," he said. Ophelia chuckled as she rolled her eyes slightly.

"I think I handled them well enough yesterday," she said, raising an eyebrow at him. Charlie couldn't help but laugh softly.

It was true. Ophelia had more than impressed him, able to handle his mother's many questions that only mildly danced around the topic of marriage along with George's more overt jokes. Ginny had then pulled her aside with Fleur and Audrey away from all the others. At first, Charlie worried, but Ophelia assured him that they only wanted to chat with her away from the boys and they had made plans to try and meet up soon.

They had left with Charlie feeling as though she was already part of his family from the way things went yesterday.

"Right, so… ye make sure ye got everything?" Ophelia asked, suddenly all busines. Charlie chuckled again and nodded.

"Even if I left something, it's not that big a deal," he said. "You can owl it to me or hold onto it until I get back." Ophelia nodded, once again looking away as she blinked rapidly. Charlie reached out, touching her cheek and guiding her to look back at him.

"I love you, Ophelia," he said. "And I'll be back before you know it." A smile lit up her face as she nodded.

"Aye, I love you too, Charlie," she said. She then went up on her toes, pulling him down to meet her in a tender kiss.

Just why had he been so afraid of this, he couldn't help but wonder. Now that he had finally confessed his feeling to Ophelia, he couldn't say it enough. Nor could he stop thinking about the future.

But yet, wouldn't do to get ahead of himself. Despite everything, he still had to remind himself that they had only been together about a month at this point. Which was odd to think about as it felt as though he had been with Ophelia for his whole life.

"Say hi to Rupert and Colonel for me," Ophelia said.

"I will. Soon enough, Colonel should be joining us in Hebrides," he replied.

Charlie then felt the magic beginning to stir in the thimble. He looked at it then back at Ophelia, bending down to press one last kiss against her lips before he stepped back. A tear slid down her cheek, but she remained smiling.

He put up his hand, waving.

"I love you!" she called out. Charlie chuckled.

"Love you too!"

He had just gotten it out when he felt the magic pull at him and suddenly, the Ministry of Magic in London was gone, and he was standing in the rather empty Bucharest Ministry. He flipped the thimble in the air, then easily caught it as he walked to return it and make his way through customs.

All the while happily counting down the days until he would once again be with the woman he loved.

And it's a happy ending for our lovebirds… but hold on… one more chapter…

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