Disclaimer: Not mine, apart from Sev's family, Chastity and Kailani.
A/N: Thanks to Sunglow for beta reading, and for all the reviews. Only a smidgeon of Sev in this chapter, as I wanted to concentrate on the brothers.
Sev and the Family Snape
Chapter 11 - Of Dragons and Keepers
Charlie and Sage found Kailani down by the pen, communicating with Nero. Or rather, she was talking to him, with obvious gaps where he was 'talking' back. Nero caught their scent first of all, which brought her attention to them.
"Hello, Charlie." she nodded to him.
"Kailani. Have you had dinner?" Charlie wondered why she was ignoring Sage.
"Yes, thanks. The house elves sent me some down. Sounds like quite a party up there."
"It is. There'll be a few sore heads tomorrow." he grinned.
"The babies have arrived then."
"Boys. Sebastian and Salvador. You've met Professor Snape?" Charlie indicated Sage.
"We've met," she said coolly.
"But not formally introduced. Miss..?" Sage held out his hand to her.
"O'Connor" she shook his hand quickly, and tried to pull away, but Sage lifted her hand to kiss the back. He didn't see her look at him as if he was something that had crawled out from under a rock, but Charlie did, and was puzzled by it.
"Mr Weasley has been telling me about Nero." Sage looked at the dragon who was now eyeing him interestedly. "You can hear his thoughts?"
"Yes." Kailani crossed her arms over her chest and refused to be drawn further.
"Perhaps you should introduce the professor to Nero." Charlie suggested.
"I don't think so."
"Why not?"
"He can be unpredictable."
Sage was beginning to feel uncomfortable. It was obvious she didn't want him around, and he had no intention of forcing her to endure his company.
"I'd better get back to the castle. Goodnight." he bowed slightly to Kailani and turned to Charlie.
"It was nice to meet you, Mr Weasley."
"And you, Professor. I'll be around a few days; perhaps we can go for a drink sometime." there was no harm in trying, thought Charlie.
"Perhaps." Sage turned and started walking back to the castle.
"What was that all about, Lani?" Charlie demanded when he was gone.
"None of your business, Charlie. I'm going to bed." she hefted her pack over her shoulder and swung her leg over the bottom rung of the fence.
"Lani, Hagrid has extended his hut for us."
"I prefer to keep Nero company." was all she said and spread her rolled up bed in between the dragons' front legs.
**Little one angry.** Nero nudged her slightly with his nose.
"If you're going to be like this, Lani, I'm heading back to the party." Charlie said.
"Go, then." she turned her back on him. Charlie stood there, puzzled. What in Merlin's name was wrong with her? He was undecided now whether to stay and force her to talk to him, or go back to the party and chat up Sage Snape. He decided to head back to the castle.
Kailani watched him go, and scrubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands.
**Tell me.** Nero thought, nudging her again.
"He's married, Nero."
**So?** Dragons didn't mate for life.
"He's already bonded to another." she explained.
"No, he's not," said another voice. Kailani sat up and Nero growled.
"Who's there?" she called.
"Saxen Snape. His brother." Saxen moved into the firelight.
"Brother?"
"Yes. Our younger brother, Severus, is married to Hermione. Sage is my twin, the one you just chased away." Saxen jerked his head in the direction of the castle.
"Oh." Kailani didn't know what to say.
"Your friend is interested in him as well." Saxen stated.
"Charlie? Oh, I see. Is your brother..?"
"No. He is as straight as they come."
"Thank goodness." Kailani muttered. She'd seen Charlie at work, and he could be very persuasive.
"Would you care to join me at the party?" Saxen held out his hand to help her up.
"Are you sure I'd be welcome?"
"Of course. Perhaps you would like to visit Hermione and the babies tomorrow. I'm sure she would love to meet you." He tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and led her towards the castle.
They entered to find a few diehards still partying. Sirius and Remus were standing by the fireplace with Charlie and Sage, laughing and joking. Saxen's eyes narrowed as he saw Charlie touch Sage to attract his attention. He could see that Sage didn't have a clue that Charlie was flirting with him. Kailani tugged on his arm.
"I can't do this." She said, a panic-stricken look on her face.
"Yes you can." He said firmly and led her over to the others.
"Sirius, Remus, this is Kailani." Saxen introduced her. Sage frowned. How had his brother managed to ensnare her? Was she to be another in his long line of conquests?
"Enchanted." Sirius kissed her hand.
"So you're the dragon lady." Remus shook her hand. "Charlie tells us your dragon speaks to you."
"Yes. He says he likes it here." Kailani noted their linked hands.
"Well Hagrid's pleased to see him." Sirius nodded towards the big man who was already slightly tipsy.
"I don't fancy carrying him home tonight." Charlie joked.
"That's what Wingardiam Leviosa is for." Saxen looked down his nose at him.
"You sounded just like Professor Snape, then." Charlie felt a shiver run down his spine. Wow, two of them. Saxen rolled his eyes. Remus conjured two more glasses and poured a round of drinks for them all.
Saxen subtly manoeuvred himself between Charlie and Sage, placing his brother next to Kailani and proceeded to guide the conversation in the direction he wanted. A few more drinks and it was Saxen that Charlie was flirting with.
"Give it up, Charlie. Saxen has had more women than you've had hot dinners." Sirius laughed drunkenly.
"Am I making an idiot of myself?" Charlie flushed.
"You're young. You're entitled." Remus grinned. "You'll never make it back to Hagrid's; you'd better stay here the night."
"It's time I headed back to Nero, anyway." Kailani tossed back her drink, not even flinching as the raw alcohol bit the back of her throat.
"How can you do that?" Sirius asked.
"I'm half Irish, and you learn quickly when you're surrounded by a load of dragon keepers." She shrugged.
"I'll make sure I don't get into a drinking contest with you then." Sage murmured.
"You don't think you can keep up?" she challenged.
"No, I just don't appreciate hangovers."
"What, you can't have a cure prepared for the morning?"
"Are you challenging me?"
"Why not? If I pass out before you, I introduce you to Nero."
"And if I pass out first?"
"I'll think of something." She flicked him a look from under her lashes.
Sage looked around the room and spotted something. He walked over to a side table and picked up two bottles.
"Lead the way, Miss O'Connor." He bowed low and waved her forward. Kailani walked past him and took one of the bottles out of his hands.
"Better grab another, just in case." She smirked, and Sage followed her out.
"I hope he knows what he's doing." Charlie said.
"He's a big boy." Saxen rolled his eyes as the other three snickered in agreement.
"I'm going to bed." He said, putting down his glass. "Before this conversation deteriorates any further."
"Want some company?" Charlie couldn't believe he's just said that. Sirius roared with laughter.
"No, thank you, Mr Weasley. I prefer to sleep alone."
"He didn't say anything about sleeping, Saxen." Sirius said. Charlie's face was now almost as red as his hair.
"I..I.." Charlie stuttered. Saxen took pity on him.
"I think you've had a little too much to drink, Mr Weasley. I'll escort you to your room where you can sleep it off."
As Saxen and Charlie walked away, Remus turned to his lover.
"What is it about the Snape men?"
"Dunno, Love. But if I could bottle it, I'd make a fortune."
Charlie walked beside Saxen silently, cursing himself for being such an idiot. How could he have been so stupid as to come on to this man? He'd been incredibly nice about it though, and hadn't ridiculed him too much. Oh well, he could always avoid him for the next few days he supposed. Before he knew it, they'd stopped outside one of the rooms the Headmaster had allocated.
"Care to come in for a nightcap?" Charlie just didn't know why his mouth was running away with him tonight. Saxen looked at the man leaning against the wall beside the door.
"I don't think so. Do you do this often?" he asked curiously.
"Do what?"
"Try to pick up men when you're drunk?"
"Haven't done it in ages. Must be something about you." Charlie was almost the same height as Saxen so he didn't have to look up too much to see into his eyes. Something flickered in the older man's eyes.
"I doubt that. Get to sleep, Mr Weasley, you'll feel better in the morning."
"Charlie."
"Pardon?"
"The name's Charlie. Call me Charlie."
Saxen opened the door for him. "Go to bed, Charlie."
Charlie levered himself away from the wall and lurched forward. Saxen caught his arms to steady him and Charlie sagged against him.
"Sorry about that. Must be drunker than I thought." Charlie apologised.
"No problem. Come on, let's get you inside." Saxen grunted. He could feel the lean muscles of the younger man under his shirt. They staggered towards the bed and Saxen tried to disentangle himself from Charlie. As he hefted him onto the bed, Charlie dragged him down and Saxen sprawled across him, their legs tangling together.
Charlie lifted his head just as Saxen turned his, and their lips met in a clumsy kiss. Before Saxen could pull away, Charlie buried his hand in Saxen's hair and kissed him again. It was messy and unpractised, and quite possibly the best kiss of Charlie's life. It also scared the shit out of Saxen, who pulled away and leapt off the bed, backing towards the door in haste. He fumbled for the handle and was gone in seconds.
"Oh, fuck." Charlie sighed, before passing out.
Saxen fled down the corridor towards his own rooms, praying he wouldn't meet anyone. Reaching sanctuary, he flung himself down in a chair, his trembling hand covering his face. What the fuck happened back there, he wondered? Scrubbing his hands over his face, he tried to rationalise his feelings. Okay, one; they'd both had too much to drink, two; the other man had been flirting with him for most of the night, three; Charlie was a very attractive man. Saxen shifted uncomfortably as he remembered feeling the hard contours of Charlie's body under his. No! He was not attracted to him! He liked women, didn't he? He had them queuing up, didn't he? He'd just been without sex for a while, and he could cure that by owling any number of female acquaintances. He just had to get away for a little while. Ignoring his almost painful arousal, Saxen grabbed some floo powder and tossed it into the fireplace. "Snape Castle." he barked, and was gone.
~~@~~
Sage followed the swaying hips of Kailani O'Connor, wondering what in Merlin's name he was getting himself into. She expected them to get through three bottles of what, tequila? There was no way he was even going to last through one, let alone three. And wasn't there a certain way of drinking this stuff, involving salt and lime? He hadn't noticed her picking up any salt, and then he remembered; she was a witch, wasn't she?
Kailani tossed a look over her shoulder to make sure he was still following. Swing those hips like that, honey, and I'll follow you anywhere, Sage thought. Opening the door to Hagrid's hut, Kailani placed the bottle on the table and dragged up two chairs. Sage was just entering the hut when she summoned the glasses, salt and lime wedges ready for their game.
"Ready to lose, Miss O'Connor?" he sat down after tossing his outer robe over the back of the chair.
"I've not lost yet, Professor." Her hide jacket joined his robe; leaving her in a loose white shirt, hide trousers and boots.
"The name is Sage, Kailani."
"Okay, Sage." She acknowledged and poured two shots. She slid the saltcellar across the table to him and tossed him a wedge of lime. "You first."
"Any rules?"
"Nope. Last one standing wins."
"To the winner." Sage held up his shot glass in a salute, licked a line of salt, drank and bit the lime, wincing as the liquor hit the back of his throat.
"To the winner." Kailani repeated the toast, and copied him.
Five shots later, they'd moved to the squashy sofa and had their boots propped up on the small table in front of them.
"Tell me why you don't like me." Sage threw a piece of lime skin in the fire and watched it sizzle.
"I thought you were married." The alcohol had loosened her tongue.
"Oh. You don't like married men?"
"Been there, done that, don't ever want to go there again."
"Oh. Want to tell me about it?"
"Not really. Oh, all right, seeing as you probably won't remember this in the morning." She tossed back another shot. "Once upon a time, a very naïve young witch fell in love with a very sophisticated wizard. Thinking of happily ever after, and that he was the one etcetera, etcetera, she gave him her virginity and planned the wedding. Two days before the big event, wife turns up and tells her he does this all the time."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Nero ate the bastard two years ago." She snorted with laughter. "His long-suffering wife was extremely grateful."
"Sounds like you had a narrow escape."
"Yeah, well. Your turn."
"My turn?"
"How come you're not married?"
"It's hard to find a wife when you're buried in books." Sage's hand was unsteady as he poured the shots out.
"I find that hard to believe." Kailani put her hand on his thigh to steady her as she reached for her glass. "This would be easier if we brought the bottle to us." She grumbled.
"What's hard to believe?"
"That you can't find a wife." She studied him critically. "You're gorgeous." She could always blame this on the drink in the morning. It was Sage's turn to snort, choking on his drink.
"I think we've both had too much to drink." He said.
"Chickening out on me, Sage?" her eyes narrowed at him. Sage lifted the bottle, and noticed it was empty.
"Just open the other bloody bottle, woman." He growled.
"Which one? There are four of them."
"Just pick one, you have a one in four chance of getting it right." It took Sage three attempts to summon the salt and lime. Kailani broke the seal on the bottle she'd managed to snag.
"Ready?" she waved the bottle at him.
"Hit me." He held out his glass, but Kailani had dissolved into giggles.
"Don't tempt me." She spluttered, but poured the shot anyway. Her hand was surprisingly steady.
"Tell me about Nero." He said.
"Not a lot to tell really. After Charlie brought him to the colony, I was the one chosen to deal with him. Bloody nightmare, he was, I can tell you. Hagrid had spoilt him with that fuel he calls homebrew. I told him he either made do with the same stuff as the other dragons, or he wouldn't get any at all. He sulked for a week."
"Have you always been able to do that?"
"Sulk? I can throw a tantrum with the best of them."
"Talk to dragons."
"No. I only discovered my 'talent', as they call it, when I was fifteen." She poured another shot. "I've been telling you an awful lot about me, what about you?"
"What do you want to know?"
"How old are you?"
"How old are you?"
"I asked first. Thirty two."
"How old do you think I am?" Sage turned his head to look at her, curious to know. Kailani turned her head and found herself nose to nose with him. She pulled back a bit and studied his face.
"Hmmm, hard to tell." She used a finger to turn his face first to one side and then the other, the beginnings of his beard scratching her skin slightly. She refused to think about how that would feel against the rest of her body. The alcohol in her blood made her feel reckless, and she leaned a bit closer, ostensibly to study him.
"Thirty eight?"
"I wish." Sage shivered at the feel of her fingers. They weren't soft; working with dragons ensured that. "Forty four." He admitted reluctantly.
"That's not too bad. You seem in good shape." She smiled, "For a librarian."
"I'm a researcher, not a librarian." He leant his head back on the sofa, trying to avoid taking advantage of her inebriation and kissing her senseless.
"Well for a researcher, you can certainly hold your own in a drinking contest. Ready to concede victory yet?"
"Never." He held his glass out to her. They abandoned the salt and lime and were halfway down the bottle before they spoke again. Sage knew he was near his limit when his words started slurring.
"How long are you here for?"
"Just a few days. Have I told you you're gorgeous?" she leant against his shoulder.
"You did mention it."
"Charlie thinks so too."
"Charlie?"
"You know, the redhead who was groping you earlier."
"Was he groping me? I didn't notice."
"Blind as well as gorgeous."
"You're not so bad yourself." Now Sage knew he'd had enough. Couldn't he think of a better way of saying that she was stunning?
"Why, thank you. Have another drink." Kailani was ridiculously pleased.
"Haven't you had enough?"
"Are you telling me I've won?"
"We are both going to have headaches in the morning." He prevaricated.
"Undoubtedly. Merlin, that was a long word for someone's who's drunk. Do you concede?"
"How about a draw?"
"How about I win?"
"Are you always this stubborn?"
"Always."
"No wonder you're not married." Shit, did he really say that? Kailani turned on him, eyes narrowed.
"You chauvinistic git, you. Not every witch gets married straight out of school."
"But a lot do." He refused to back peddle.
"Well I'm not one of them." She poked his chest with her finger, and Sage grabbed it, flattening her hand against his chest.
"I'm pleased you're not." He tugged her forward and covered her mouth with his, sliding his tongue over her lips to coax them open. Her hand clenched in his shirt and she leaned closer, tangling her other hand in the hair at the back of his neck and kissed him back.
"Kailani?" the door crashed open and Hagrid stood there, swaying. They sprang apart, dazed.
"Hagrid?" Sage stood up, a little unsteady on his feet.
"Professor?" Hagrid wasn't expecting to see him.
"Hagrid." Sage nodded. Hagrid looked at the two of them and smiled into his beard. He was drunk, but not stupid.
"Alrigh' if I go an' see Norbert?"
"Sure, but Hagrid? Don't give him any of that rotgut you call homebrew, it gives him hiccups, and believe me, you don't want a hiccupping dragon near a wooden hut." Kailani knew she was rambling, but the kiss had knocked her for six.
"I'd better be going. I'll see you tomorrow for my introduction to Nero, shall I, Kailani?" Sage asked.
"But you didn't win!" she stared up at him.
"I'm the last one standing, aren't I?" he pointed to her sitting down.
"Cheat." She called after him as he turned towards the door.
"Sore loser." He retorted, and she could hear him laughing all the way back to the castle.
~~@~~
Charlie dragged himself to the main hall for breakfast the next morning after downing the hangover potion someone had left beside his bed. He mentally thanked that considerate person, and prayed that he could get through the meal without embarrassing himself.
The only other people in there were Sirius and Remus, looking disgustedly cheerful.
"Morning, Charlie. You certainly had a skinful last night." Sirius was shovelling eggs into his mouth.
"Don't remind me." Charlie groaned and grabbed a cup of coffee, seating himself next to them. "Have you seen Saxen?" he asked tentatively.
"No. Sage was in earlier, saying something about him not being in his room." Remus said. "Why, what happened?"
Charlie moaned and buried his head in his folded arms on the table. "I kissed him." His voice was muffled.
"And?"
"I passed out, after he left so fast you'd think a dragon was after him."
"So he didn't kiss you back then?" Sirius asked.
"I don't know..I think so." Charlie mumbled.
"Was it good?"
"Merlin, yes!"
"Sirius! Leave him alone!" Remus nudged him.
"What? I only asked!"
"You pervert!"
"But you love me anyway."
"I'm having a crisis here, you two." Charlie moaned, half laughing.
"Who's having a crisis?" Severus entered the hall from a side door.
"Severus! How's Hermione?" Remus asked.
"Tired. Where's the coffee?"
"Here, have mine." Charlie pushed it towards him.
"Mr Weasley? Still here?"
"Not for much longer." His head was still buried. Severus raised an eyebrow at Remus.
"He made a bit of an idiot of himself last night."
"By how much more than when he was at school here?" Severus sipped his coffee while Charlie moaned again. "That bad, eh?"
"Promise not to hex me?" Charlie mumbled.
"After last night I am too knackered, to put it crudely, to do anything except drink this cup of coffee, I assure you, Mr Weasley."
"Ikissedyourbrother."
"Pardon?"
"Please don't make me repeat it."
"In a moment of complete inebriation, Charlie kissed Saxen." Sirius explained.
"That was a grammatically correct sentence, Black. I'm impressed."
"You're not shocked?" Charlie lifted his head and stared at his ex-teacher.
"Nothing shocks me after yesterday. I've known your sexual orientation for years." Severus helped himself to some bacon and eggs.
"But it was Saxen!"
"So? That just shows you have excellent taste."
"Who are you and what have you done with the real Severus?" Remus demanded.
"Don't worry, a few weeks of sleepless nights and I'm sure he'll make an appearance before long." Sirius laughed.
"So where is Saxen?" Severus asked.
"Don't know. Sage was looking for him earlier." Remus said.
"I think I scared him." Charlie put his head down again.
"He'll get over it." Severus said, thinking about his older brother. "Just not yet."
"Just as well I'm leaving tomorrow." Charlie looked up. "When he comes back, can you apologise for me? I'll stay down at Hagrid's until it's time to go."
"Apologies should always come from the perpetrator of the offence, Mr Weasley, if only in a short note." Severus stood up, picking up his coffee. "Are you absolutely certain that it is even necessary?"
"He's your brother isn't he? Don't you know?"
"Mr Weasley, until four months ago, I hadn't seen him in twenty years. How am I supposed to know whether he prefers wizards to witches?" Severus looked down from his considerable height at the redhead, who buried his head again. Severus felt something like pity for the man.
"Give him time, Mr Weasley. Saxen is a mature person." He sent a speaking look at Sirius, who grinned irreverently, "I'm sure he won't hold your impulsiveness against you." Severus finished his coffee and set the mug down on the table. He wanted to get back to Hermione before she and the twins woke up. It was amazing how quickly she had synchronised her sleeping with theirs.
He looked at Charlie and noticed how he sat up and straightened his shoulders. He tried to look at him objectively, and if Saxen was that way inclined, he could do worse than this particular Weasley. Charlie was one of the least annoying ones, and life around dragons was always exciting. Severus mentally catalogued all the potions he could make involving bi-products of dragon, and thought it would be useful to have a dragon keeper in the family. He tentatively patted Charlie on the back. "Give him time." He repeated, and left swiftly before anyone could think he was going soft.
Charlie poured himself another coffee and sat down, staring into it. So he'd made a fool of himself last night; Saxen Snape was stunningly gorgeous and would have both men and women lusting after him, so it wasn't the end of the world. He'd write the note and try to forget about the feel of Saxen's mouth against his and his hard length pressing him into the mattress.
He glanced up and sighed as he saw Remus looking sympathetic.
"Will you be all right, Charlie?"
"I'll have to be, won't I? One kiss does not a relationship make, although it would have been nice to see where it led." He shrugged.
"Do you want me to let you know when he comes back?"
"No, it's all right. I'm heading back to Romania tomorrow, and I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable."
"I thought you were staying a few days." Sirius frowned.
"I decided against it. Kailani will probably be here until the end of the week, though."
"You shouldn't let this chase you away." Remus pointed out.
"Don't worry, I'll be back for Ginny and Harry's wedding. I may have got over my embarrassment by then."
~~@~~
After breakfast, Sage checked Saxen's rooms again to see if he had returned, but he was nowhere to be seen. He knew his brother would turn up eventually, so he wasn't too worried. Sage smiled to himself as he remembered he had an appointment with a certain dragon keeper this morning. He wondered how she was feeling; probably a bit ticked off over losing their game last night. He took a little more care over his appearance than he usually would, and then made his way down to Hagrid's.
The dragon was pacing in the pen when Sage made his way around the side of the hut. Hagrid was not too far away, and Kailani was already by the fence, a harness in her arms.
"He looks restless." Sage commented. Kailani swung around at the sound of his voice, and couldn't conceal the pleased look on her face.
"He needs to stretch his wings. He's used to flying every day in Romania."
"Are you taking him up, then?"
"You make him sound like a balloon."
"I don't mean to." Sage apologised.
"Well, now you're here, come and be introduced, seeing as you cheated to get the opportunity." She said sourly.
"I see you carry grudges as well as being stubborn." He smiled slightly. Kailani snorted, but waved him over.
"Nero, this is Sage." She called to the dragon.
**Little One's magic man?** Nero lowered his head so his eye was on a level with Sage's head.
"Not yet." Sage said.
"You can understand him?" Kailani was astonished.
"He calls you Little One?" Sage was equally surprised to 'hear' the dragon's almost hissing voice in his head. It was rather unnerving, if he was honest with himself.
"They all have names for their keepers." Kailani shrugged. "Charlie is 'Red'."
Sage didn't take his eyes off Nero. "Do we both hear him at the same time?"
"It looks like it. Do you realise how rare that is? There are far too few keepers who can communicate with dragons! Wait until I can tell Charlie!" Kailani's head was spinning with the possibilities. "Have you ever been in contact with dragons before?"
"No, this is the first time."
"I have to go and get Charlie." Kailani thrust Nero's harness at him and raced towards the castle. Sage turned to Nero who was still looking at him.
"Is she always like this?"
**Yes. You want to fly?**
"On your back?"
**Yes.**
"Will Kailani mind?"
**Little One like you.**
"I like her too, but I think I'll wait until she gets back."
**Nero like you.** the dragon lowered his snout so it rested on the fence.
"Thank you." Sage was relieved that it wasn't going to eat him.
~~~
"Do you think he'll come back with us?" Kailani had told Charlie about Sage's ability to communicate with Nero.
"I don't know, Lani. There's nothing to stop him, seeing as term has finished. Why don't we ask him?" Charlie was almost as excited as she was. This development was a double-edged sword. On one hand, it gave him something to take his mind off Saxen; on the other, Sage was Saxen's twin, which meant he was a constant reminder of him.
He'd written a note to Saxen and taken it to the owlery. Watching the owl fly away from Hogwarts had meant that Saxen had left the castle, which made Charlie uncomfortable. He hadn't meant to drive the other man away from his own home, and chastised himself over letting his hormones run away with him. This was really the first time he'd ever had to put in an effort with any man. He'd found that being a dragon keeper, coupled with his unusual colouring, he could have any number of men, and he rarely had to make any moves apart from indicating an interest. That was why he hadn't been with anyone in a long time; it had got boring. Saxen had been a challenge, and Charlie had obviously made an error in judgement in thinking he would be receptive to his advances.
His thoughts were brought to a halt when he saw Sage leaning on the fence 'talking' with Nero. The man obviously had the gift, which was all too rare with dragon keepers. He would be an asset to the colony if he could be persuaded to return with them. Charlie smiled as he watched Sage smile at Kailani in greeting; he somehow didn't think it would be that hard to persuade him, if only to stay for the summer.
~~@~~
Saxen stared at himself in the now-silent mirror after his shower. He'd had a restless night, and didn't feel up to hearing the sarcastic comments it usually made. Running his hands through his wet hair and wringing the excess water out, he tried to analyse his reactions again. It was no good. He'd owled Leticia late last night to meet him for lunch today. She was always good for a no strings attached release of tension, and he was looking forward to it.
Dressing quickly, he summoned some breakfast to eat in his room. His parents were still at Hogwarts, so he knew he'd be alone. He wondered briefly how Sage had fared with Kailani. Thinking of Kailani brought forth thoughts of her red headed companion, and he fought the unwilling arousal as he remembered the look in the other man's deep blue eyes. It wasn't the first time he'd had a man flirt with him, and not long after he'd left Hogwarts he'd had a very brief fling with an attractive older wizard, so that didn't explain the way he'd panicked when Charlie had kissed him. True, he hadn't been with a man in well over twenty-five years, but he had a damn good memory, and most wizards went through a period of experimentation, didn't they?
A tawny owl tapped on his bedroom window and Saxen let it in, rewarding it accordingly. He looked at the unfamiliar handwriting and wondered who it was from. Opening it, he scanned down to the bottom to read the signature. His breath caught as he saw the name written there. Taking a deep breath, he sat down and read it properly.
Dear SaxenPlease accept my apology for my actions last night. I admit that I'd had too much to drink and that I found you extremely attractive. I still do, by the way. I have no wish to drive you away from Hogwarts, and assure you that I am not going to embarrass you with my unwanted attentions. I'll be going back to Romania tomorrow, and I would like to apologise in person, but I doubt you want to see me again. If I don't see you before I go, I'd like to tell you that I envy any witch you are with.
Charlie.
PS. You're a great kisser. Even drunk as I was, I could tell that.
Saxen folded the letter and the owl hooted expectantly.
"There's no reply." He said and released it out of the window. He had an appointment to keep.
TBC