Author's Note

Thanks for the reviews! Please keep leaving them :)

Have a fab day!

Wishin' girl x x x

...

A few hours later the unlabelled couple suddenly appeared in a field on Bird Farm, hand in hand and seemingly out of thin air. Walking up to the back door of the farm house they could see Mrs Bird in the kitchen preparing lunch for her husband and sons through the window, the twins still worked on the farm even though they both lived in the nearby town with their partners, Harry with his fiancee Amanda and Ben with his boyfriend Dean. As Mrs Bird spotted movement outside the window she looked out and froze, dropping the crockery she had been holding which smashed on the floor as she turned white as a sheet.

"Everything alright Mum?" The twins asked in concerned unison, their eyes raising from the documents they were discussing with their Dad at the kitchen table.

Without uttering a word their mother ran out the back door at full pelt, the three men exchanged frantic glances and followed her in confusion until their eyes fell on Ashlynn. As soon as they reached their daughter and sister the family of five collapsed to their knees in a fierce embrace as Ashlynn whispered assurances that she was alive and the war was over, Charlie went to step away and give the family he had missed almost as dearly as his own some time but was pulled down to the embrace by Ashlynn's father before he got the chance to move.

"We're so glad you're okay, both of you." He muttered hoarsely through thick and heavy tears "When Sam called to say you had left in a hurry and hadn't been back in days we started to fear the worst."

After re-entering the farmhouse Ashlynn told her family the harrowing story of the battle and the recovery efforts since then. She and Charlie held each other tightly as they relived the death of Tonks, their only strength coming from each other, and they all slept in the lounge that night in a big heap of blankets, none of them wanting to be apart from their family as they grieved a girl who may as well have been Ashlynn's sister.

…

"So what now?" Mrs Bird asked as they sat around the kitchen table the next morning with hot cups of tea made by Charlie, each made to their individual specifications learnt during the summer he helped out when they grieved the loss of another family member.

"I'm going to see Sam this morning," Ashlynn's voice was clear and free of doubt "I'll collect my things and give him back the ring." A relieved smile spread across the faces of everyone around the table as she slid the yellow diamond from her finger and set it on the tabletop. "Will you come with me?" she asked, taking Charlie's hand and gazing pleadingly into his eyes.

With a firm nod the pair stood and got ready to go while Mrs Bird gathered bags and boxes galore for her to take with her. Ashlynn wanted to get this finished today and return to her true world, so her Dad and brothers jumped in two cars and headed for Cardiff, by the time she had broken off the engagement and packed her things up they would be waiting in the street to take her belongings home. She had to keep up muggle appearances for now after all.

…

Charlie held her arm as she apparated them to a small alleyway in central Cardiff, he could smell salt in the air from the Bristol Channel and could hear the squawks of seagulls enjoying the summer sun. He followed her, with arms full of empty boxes, up a neat flight of stairs and into a block of simple looking flats and set the boxes and bags outside the door as she unlocked the second internal door with a small metal key. Ashlynn had decided that she would talk to Sam first and explain, before bringing in the packing items, she also had decided that she wanted Charlie in there for the latter part of the discussion as she wanted to be as honest with Sam as possible, without risking the statute of secrecy of course.

"Ash?" Sam appeared in the hallway, his face full of worry and his eyes puffy from tears. "Oh Ash you're safe." He gushed, wrapping her up tightly and peppering her head with kisses.

"I'm so sorry Sam," tears brewed in Ashlynn's eyes at the hurt her friend was feeling "I'm so sorry. I had to go."

"It's okay, you're okay, I've got you" Sam soothed her, leading her to the sofa and sitting gently next to her.

Ashlynn detailed the fact that she had heard a message that there had been a terrorist attack at her old school and she had gone straight away to help in whatever way she could. She wept in his arms as she told him that her friend that she had spent so many hours on the phone with almost every day had died in the action, Sam thought Tonks had worked as a police officer so he understood and reminded Ashlynn of her friend's bravery while comforting her through the grief. Once her breathing had steadied a short while later she called out to Charlie.

He had been waiting anxiously outside the flat door, pacing a trail in the thin carpet back and forth as he heard his love cry through her re-telling of events and was desperate to comfort her himself. At her call he immediately entered the flat but focused hard on measuring his pace so that he walked steadily to her side. Ashlynn pulled the ring from her jeans pocket and set it on the coffee table in front of Sam.

"Sam, I'm sorry. You are such an amazing person and you've been so wonderful to me since we met, but I can't marry you." Tears filled Ashlynn's eyes again as she watched the hurt she was inflicting shadow her ex-fiance's face. "One day you will find the perfect woman for you, someone who can give you her whole heart and truly love you. My heart has always belonged to Charlie, it's just that we were too stupid to see it and we let life take us apart. I have always loved Charlie and I always will. I'm sorry for saying 'yes' to you and I'm sorry for changing it to a 'no' now. I have some boxes and my Dad will be here soon with a car, I'll have my stuff gone by the end of the day. Thank you for everything you have given me."

Sam sat in shock through Ashlynn's speech, his hands trembling as he held hers tightly.

"Don't be sorry for saying yes. I love you Ash and I'm so glad I got to spend the time with you that I did. I may wish that you didn't have to leave but I won't make you miserable by asking you to stay. I've seen the way you look at his photo on the wall and I just want you to be happy my beautiful love," Sam's voice was choked with tears "it just sucks that I'm not the one to do that for you."

Without even glancing at the ring, he stood up and with as much strength as he could muster he walked out of the door.

"I'll be at Baxter's for the night so take whatever time you need" he said from the doorway "I will always love you Ashlynn Bird."

And with that he was gone.

…

The next few months were thoroughly chaotic; the ministry was running an investigation into every member of staff, St Mungo's was overrun with malnourished and weather beaten muggle borns, half bloods and blood traitors who had spent the last year running from snatchers, the casualties from the battle were all transferred to the hospital for recovery and there were hundreds of others injured in the battle who came in for outpatient appointments to monitor their healing, all in addition to the numerous heart wrenching funerals held on the Hogwarts grounds near the war cemetery and memorial built between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. Ashlynn had returned to St Mungo's with a loud heartfelt welcome and a long explanation of what she really been doing instead of 'travelling the world'.

"We had hoped you were in hiding when we the world started to change" Healer Jones said as he wrapped her in an enormous bear hug "when things started to get bad we thought of you every night."

"I'm just so glad you're back and in one piece" Gracie added with her own, more delicate but equally relieved, hug.

But Ashlynn didn't feel like she was in one piece, she felt like she had been ripped in two and had one of those pieces wrenched from her grasp. At the sounds of Ashlynn's sniffles Gracie held her by the shoulders and looked into her face.

"Ash sweetie what happened?" She asked kindly, analysing her expression in detail as Ashlynn spoke of Tonks' death and the other atrocities she had witnessed on that hellish night.

This was the catalyst that Gracie needed to jump into action. She was sure from Ashlynn's response that she, and probably everyone else who had been involved in that fateful battle, needed healing care for their minds. She had been reading muggle papers lately about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other injuries our minds could suffer from so she formulated a plan and within a week she had contacted five highly experienced muggle counsellors who knew about the wizarding world, one due to living as a squib, another who had married a witch, two were the parents of a magical child together and the last had a brother who was a wizard. Gracie trained under them with four other St Mungo's healers she had approached and persuaded to join her on the new psychological healing ward, to begin with the muggle counsellors worked in tandem with the magical healers as the counsellors expressed the importance of understanding the magical experiences of their patients.

…

Ashlynn and Charlie both attended Gracie's ward weekly for talking therapy. They went through the details of the final battle and then worked their way backwards through his years on the reserve and hers in hiding and healer training before talking through their years at Hogwarts. The counsellors helped them to meticulously explore the memories and emotions they had felt in each moment of the battle, and they even helped Charlie to process the meaning behind his sexual encounters and Ashlynn to move on from the damage she still suffered from her earlier relationships. After each trip to the ward the two would leave their separate appointments and then walk to a small muggle coffee shop nearby to share a slice of cake and a pot of green tea every Monday night before returning to her room at Bird Farm which they now shared.

…

In January of the next year, seven months after the final battle, Ashlynn came home to her parents' house following another overnight shift in St Mungo's Emergency Care Department to find Charlie caring for the farm's animals with her Dad and brothers.

"I'm done" she declared to her Mum who was cooking them all breakfast "St Mungo's is no longer stretched beyond capacity and I've had enough of the UK. There are so many horrible memories, I need a break. I need to live somewhere else to begin to move forward with my life!"

Mrs Bird smiled at the zeal that had creeped back into Ashlynn's voice, she had missed the feisty part of her daughter and had been worried that that part of her had died with Tonks. Ashlynn had done so well to crawl herself back after the war and now she was ready to be bold and stop living in the past.

"What about Romania?" Mrs Bird asked, turning her face to the window in order to hide the smug smirk on her face. "That man adores you and would give anything up for you, but he misses living his dream, those dragons mean the world to him."

The four men were traipsing back up the garden path, she could see the inked head of a sleeping Romanian Longhorn poking out the collar of Charlie's t-shirt and the tattooed tail of a Peruvian Vipertooth wrapped around his left wrist. She had been considering that as a possibility for a while now and with her mother's support she formulated a plan.

That night Ashlynn cuddled Charlie to sleep before slipping out of bed and sitting at her desk. Walnut had taken to flying between here and the Burrow with her and Charlie in case they needed him at any moment and was perched above the desk watching her eagerly as she addressed an envelope and began her letter.

Dear Mr Stoica,

I am writing with regards to Charlie Weasley (although he is not yet aware).

As you know, Charlie adores his dragons and since staying in the UK following the battle of Hogwarts he has missed them and the reserve terribly. He is keeping busy by working with the non-magical animals on my family's farm but I know it's not the same for him for he has always dreamt of working as a dragon keeper.

In our first year at Hogwarts he taught me the names of all known dragons and by the end of the year I could identify the gender and type of any dragon from a photo, Charlie used to test me on them every week. He loved dragons so much and thought I was terribly deprived having grown up in the muggle world without the knowledge of these majestic creatures. He continued to study them and poured over any new information he could gather for the next seven years and I watched as he was completely overwhelmed when he received your acceptance letter inviting him to work on your reserve in Romania in our final year at school.

I know he's been away from you for six months but is there any way you might consider giving him a second chance on your reserve?

He longs to come back and I would very much like to come with him. I am a fully trained Magical healer with a specialism from St Mungo's, London, in Emergency Care so if you know of any nearby hospitals that might take me on I would be very grateful if you could please send me their details.

Thank you for your bravery on the night of the battle, I know how important the dragons are to keepers like Charlie so thank you for your dedication and the risks you took to help us fight for good.

Yours in hope,

Ashlynn Clare Bird

P.S. please send any responses with Walnut, he's very much looking forward to carrying long distance letters again.

…

"Hey Ash, you've got a letter!" Charlie's voice called through the house around a week later as he stepped onto the landing from her room with a towel wrapped around his waist and dripping wet hair.

Ashlynn ran up the stairs eagerly from where she had been helping her mother fix the electrics inside her kitchen stand-mixer so that she could make bread for the next day. Turning the envelope over Charlie noticed the reserve stamp sealing the letter closed.

"Why does it have the reserve's seal?" He asked as she snatched it from his hand and tore open the paper envelope.

"I'll tell you after I've read it" she answered coyly as she leapt onto her bed and started reading.

Dear Miss Bird,

Thank you for your letter. We all miss Charlie greatly so it was wonderful to hear from you.

We would of course welcome Charlie back whenever he is ready to return, his job has not been and will not be filled by anyone else and his house remains untouched. Please pass on our invitation to him.

You are both very welcome to visit at any time, either full time or for a short trip. As I said, we all miss Charlie very much and would like to see him in any capacity. The offer will stay open for him for as long as he wants it to, we would never be able to replace Charlie, he truly is one of a kind.

With regards to your accompaniment of Charlie, you are welcome to live on the reserve and share his home whether you have employment or not but we actually have an opening for a healer at the reserve's hospital. We have many cases in need of emergency care due to accidents on the reserve but the hospital also deals with all the other medical needs of the keepers and their families. As such we have a head healer, a healer in charge of general healing and a healer in charge of emergency care, however our head of emergency care recently transferred to another reserve with his wife who is a keeper.

Please speak with Charlie and let me know your decision when you are ready. Charlie's offer will be open indefinitely but we will need to fill the healer position soon.

I eagerly await your reply,

Marius Stoica

Head of Longhorn Dragon Reserve

Romania

Charlie watched Ashlynn read the letter, bouncing up and down as he tried his best to patiently wait for her to finish and let him know what was going on.

"Would you like to go home?" Ashlynn asked after she carefully read the letter for a second time, making sure that she didn't miss out any important information.

"We are home love" Charlie's brow scrunched in confusion "we're in your room."

"No, I mean home Charlie" she held out the letter for him to read and watched as his eyes filled with emotion.

"Are you sure?" He asked hesitantly, barely daring to hope that he would be able to fulfil both his dreams of being with her and working with dragons. "You have to be completely sure, I don't want you to end up resenting me."

"Do you resent me for us staying here?" She asked with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms as he fervently shook his head 'no'. "Then why the hell would I resent you when I not only get to be with you but also get my dream job and the chance to live abroad! I love you Charlie. Take me to Romania with you."

Leaping into his arms she tumbled them onto the bed, flicked the door closed with her wand and set up the silencing charms.

"I love you so damn much" Charlie replied huskily "just pick whatever date you want and I'll book us a portkey."

Her head lifted and her supple lips caressed his. He felt intoxicated by the love she poured into the kiss and soon the pair were laying naked on top of the covers, his towel and her clothes strewn across the floor. Their hands explored every inch of each other's bodies, he licked and kissed her skin slowly as he revelled in the feeling of being with her again, her fingers traced each tattoo marvelling at the way the dragons they depicted responded kindly to the patterns her fingers drew across the skin that was their home.

"Tomorrow" she said with an air of finality.

Her hands eventually found their way down to his cock, the tip glistening in anticipation. She wrapped both hands around his shaft, one so close to the base it nearly brushed against his aching balls and the other near the tip so that with her thumb she began caressing his slit and spreading his precum around.

His hand made their way down her chest, caressing her perky nipples, belly button ring and the soft skin of her curves as his mouth returned to hers. With one arm holding his body above hers Charlie slipped a rough finger smoothly between her folds, pulling back and forth to spread the wetness that was already gathering at her core. She whimpered into his mouth as he inserted a large, calloused finger inside her and curled it forwards, pumping against her g-spot. His thumb toyed with her throbbing clit, circling it slowly, flicking it roughly and caressing it with adoration in a pattern she couldn't predict and that was quickly driving her wild.

Her hands pumped him rhythmically as her own orgasm built at the work of his hand. With a silent conversation followed by a smile and nod from each of them, Ashlynn's hands move to his shoulders and he lined himself up with her entrance.

But just as he was about to enter her for the first time in years, her brother Ben walked into her room asking if they were ready for dinner.

"My eyes! My eyes!" Ben screamed, humour lacing his voice as he buried his face in his hands dramatically "I've fantasised about your body many times Mr Weasley but this was never how it went in my head."

Ben slammed the door behind himself as the couple broke into hysterics, the moment was broken but his rumbling laughter shook their collapsed bodies and her tinkling giggles filling his heart with joy.