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CHAPTER 3
*** CHARLIE ***
Hermione had been right; Draco and Blaise were like a pair of excited two year olds on Christmas morning. She'd mentioned that Harry had tried to swap his weekend shift, but it had been in vain. He'd been to the Sanctuary with my sister — the fact that Ginny was due any day, there was no way she'd let him come anyway — but a weekend with the boys? Knowing my brother-in-law, he'd be disappointed he would miss it.
My disappointment was that my potion girl had refused to come with them. I'd been looking forward to seeing her away from the labs.
Seeing what she wore under those robes.
The fantasies that had played out in my head had been some of the most erotic imaginings I'd ever had. Pansy stretched out on my bed, my face buried between her thighs. On all fours in front of me while I spanked her arse and fucked her wet cunt. Her mouth wrapped around my cock, my hands twisted into her hair. Lying quietly afterwards, cuddled together half asleep.
Her belly stretched and swollen and carrying our child.
And it was the last fantasy that filled my head the most.
Since I'd been surrounded by siblings all my life, having children of my own wasn't something I'd ever been interested in. Having met Pansy, however, everything I thought I wanted had changed. A wife and child. A life away from the Sanctuary. My path had veered from the course it had been on. And it had veered in a direction that always took me to her.
A dragon screeched overhead, drawing my eyes to the sky. The Chinese Fireball took off like a rocket; the sight would usually have my heart racing, but I only felt the numbness I always did of late when I returned to Romania. My love of the Sanctuary would never change, but my want to stay longer and longer in London was an ache I couldn't get away from.
I watched the dragon until it was out of sight and sighed. I was at a loss with Pansy; she was a puzzle I just couldn't work out. Every time I returned to London, I saw glimpses of the sassy woman I'd heard about, saw the smile, the spark in her eyes, but I just couldn't seem to break through her shell.
She protected herself like no one I had ever known. I guess I understood, in part. She'd been on the opposite side in the war, had been a purist through and through. But if Hermione saw the good in her, I knew it was definitely there.
But I saw it myself anyway. Pansy had a sweet side, had a kindness hidden beneath her hard exterior. She worked hard to improve herself, but she also worked hard to help everyone around her. She spoke highly of the students she was teaching, and her loyalty to Draco and Blaise was something I was sure would never change. And I didn't want it to. I didn't want to change anything about her, other than tearing down her walls and having her let me in.
However, I had no idea how to do that.
"Was that a Fireball?"
"Yeah," I answered and turned to see my weekend companions staring up at the sky as they walked towards me. "A male looking for a mate."
"Well, good luck to him," Draco said and stopped beside me. "Maybe we can come back and see his babies hatch."
"You saw a hatching this morning?"
"No." Blaise crossed his arms over his chest. "Lots of movement, no cracked shells."
"You still have two more days here, so you might get to see one hatch. We have a Vipertooth due any day now."
"Pansy will be pissed off if we see that. She's fascinated by baby dragons, especially the vicious ones. And Vipertooths have always been her favourites." He shook his head. "I still don't know why she didn't want to come."
I ignored his comment — knowing full well why she didn't want to come here — and pointed across the clearing. "We're housing wood lizards just inside the forest. They're not technically dragons, but they're still awesome."
"They're tiny, right?" Draco asked as we began walking across the clearing.
"Just a few inches," I replied. "We're helping Peru and Ecuador with a new breeding program, and this is one of the safest places for them. There are only twelve species of this particular genus, and three of those were only discovered in the last few years. But of course, deforestation is causing problems, so we stepped in and offered assistance."
"I wasn't aware the sanctuary did that." Blaise looked impressed.
"We help across the globe where we can. It's what we're all about. The dragons are our priority, of course, but we're trained in all manner of creatures so we get small lizards and rare birds here as well."
"Only small ones? Not bigger lizards?" Draco asked.
"No, unfortunately we discovered the dragons like to snack on them, so we shifted the larger lizards to the Sanctuary in Indonesia. They're thriving there; it's the perfect climate for them."
"And the birds?" Blaise looked towards the tree tops and Draco laughed.
"I'm sure they're not interested in you, princess." Draco glanced at me, grinning. "He had a terrifying experience with my father's peacocks as a child."
I chuckled. "Yeah, that'd make you nervous. But you'll be fine. The birds pretty much look after themselves. We only get involved when they're injured."
"And the dragons don't fight for space in the sky with them?" Blaise was still glancing up.
"We had an Occamy try to take on some young dragons a few months back — it wasn't pleasant — but usually they're happy to share."
"Never a dull moment then?"
"Rarely," I laughed. "You always have to be on your toes."
"This place is incredible, Charlie. I'm sorry I've not visited before now," Draco said. "I love what I'm seeing here. We may have to work out a way to be more involved."
I smiled. The spoiled brat I'd heard of had become quite the businessman. They'd only arrived the night before and his brain hadn't turned off since, looking not only at the dragons, but also at the plants and shrubs and the possibilities they might contain. He was constantly taking notes and his questions were endless. I could see why Hermione had fallen for him — they were a perfect match.
"You're thinking of some kind of partnership?" Blaise asked.
"It's possible," Draco mused. "I have a large fortune I inherited and don't really want, and I think it could be used wisely here. This place is something I could definitely get behind."
"All donations are gladly accepted," I told him. "The Ministries across the world all contribute, but it's never enough. I'll hook you up with the director before you leave."
"That would be perfect, thanks." Draco nodded. "And what about the partnership you're after?"
"Excuse me?"
"The potion girl in our labs," Blaise said with a grin. "The partnership you both want but are too stubborn to move forward with."
"I'm not the stubborn one," I said without thinking and they both laughed.
"No, you're really not." Draco clapped his hand on my back. "She's not easy, Charlie, but she's worth it."
"And don't let her cool exterior fool you," Blaise added. "It's just a front. She's got a good heart and I know she's just nervous about getting in too deep with you."
"Nervous because of me?"
Blaise nodded. "She still believes she's not worthy of anyone. She's allowed Granger, Potter, and your sister into her life, but it took some time for her to truly believe they weren't trying to make her look like a fool."
"They're good people. They wouldn't do that," I said slightly indignantly. "My brother was a complete prat, but they aren't like him."
"She knows that now, but everything she did and said during the war—" Draco shrugged "—she still hates herself for it."
"But she was influenced by forces she had no control over. And far too young to make the decision to go against everything she was raised to believe."
"We all were, but she seems to believe she doesn't deserve to be happy," Blaise explained. "But I've seen the way she looks at you, and maybe she can be convinced otherwise."
I glanced at them both, unsure what to say. I'd gotten to know them both more with each visit to their offices, but since Pansy was one of their closest friends, I had to assume there would be some kind of warning that went along with their encouragement.
"You don't have to worry about us," Draco assured me. "We're her friends and yes, we are protective of her, but we also know she needs help pulling her head out of her arse and being shoved in the right direction."
"And that direction is…?"
"Towards you," Blaise stated. "That is what you want, right?"
"It is," I admitted. "But honestly, I'm not sure it's what she wants."
"Oh, believe us, it is," Blaise laughed.
"Have you asked her out?" Draco asked and I shook my head.
"It's always awkward between us. There are days when I get the feeling she wants me to ask her, but other times I get a strong vibe that she doesn't want me to."
"She wants you to," Blaise said. "She'll be all haughty and nonchalant about it, but she'll say yes."
"And do I get a big brother warning from you both?"
They looked at each other and started to laugh.
"What?" I glanced between them, confused.
"She's the one who needs the warning," Draco said. "She has been known to chew men up and spit them out."
"You're not seeing the real Pansy, mate," Blaise added. "We've never seen her like this, you've got some kind of superpower. No one has ever silenced Pansy Parkinson."
"It wasn't my intention. I had no idea what I was walking into that first day."
"Neither did she," Blaise chuckled. "I think she was expecting your brother to walk in."
"Yeah, she did mention that."
"Did she also mention she knows you're not him?" Draco asked and I wondered at the neutrality in his expression.
Ginny had mentioned that Hermione didn't allow anyone to speak ill of my youngest brother, despite what he'd done to her. I guessed Draco was sticking to her rules, even though she was fifteen hundred miles away.
"She knows my view on what he did," I told them. "But I'm just not sure how to read her. I think she still sees what he did as something I might do."
"We didn't realise how much she admired Hermione until your brother fucked her over. She had to be held down, or he would be missing certain parts," Draco said and then shared a look that said they agreed with her, but I was sure they also knew Hermione would do the same to them if they broke her rules.
"Charlie, just ask her out," Blaise said. "She's not the mental case you've been seeing — she's actually intelligent and fun."
"And when you meet the real Pansy," Draco added. "You'll understand why you're already under her spell."
*** PANSY ***
"So…" Granger was grinning as she wandered into my lab. "I just spoke with Draco; the boys are loving their field trip."
I rolled my eyes. Blaise's wish of going to Romania had finally come true. After weeks of harping on about it, he finally convinced Draco it would be wise for them to see the inner workings of the Sanctuary and ensure the dragons weren't being harmed in the collection of ingredients. It was a complete ruse and we all knew it. It was nothing more than the ultimate boys weekend — chasing dragons in a foreign country — and Draco had only held out as long as he did because he hadn't wanted to seem overeager to go. They'd been acting like two-year-olds hyped up on sugar for the last week and I was glad it would be out of their systems by Monday so we could return to normal.
"They'll be talking about it for weeks," I replied. "You'll be holidaying in Romania for the rest of your life."
"If I get to watch baby dragons hatch, absolutely I'll be holidaying there," she countered smugly.
"What is with you all and baby dragons?" I snarked. "Blaise was raving about them before he left. You all seem to think they're sweet, but I'm sure they're just smaller versions of the savage adults."
"Pansy…"
"Hermione…"
"Come on."
"Come on, what?"
She stared at me and I continued to work, feeling the heaviness of her eyes on me. I knew exactly what she was getting at, but I refused to just give in. She hid from us for weeks, not letting anyone — except Draco — know what she was feeling, so she needed to ask me exactly what she wanted to know instead of playing games.
The silence stretched on and I continued to watch the cauldron in front of me. And while I was more than confident in what I was doing, having Hermione Granger watch me always made me nervous. Potions weren't her forte, but she soaked up information like a Niffler stole gold. There was a reason she was called the brightest witch, and working with her every day I understood that reason better than ever.
But I'd also learned she could be sneaky and shrewd.
I added boomslang skin to the cauldron and stirred it clockwise, then slowly shaved the ginger root into the potion, aware that she was watching my every move.
"Beautification potion?" she finally asked.
"Hmm," I hummed in response, watching as the potion began to bubble and change colour.
"Special order?"
I nodded; she was too smart. It wasn't a potion we made on a regular basis, but a very rich French client's daughter was getting married and wanted to look her best.
"For Monsieur Autry?"
I glanced up at her, surprised.
"His daughter is getting married in three weeks," she said with a shrug and watched as I stirred the potion once more then extinguished the flames.
It would have to cool before I could bottle it.
"Charlie was here twice this week," she said offhandedly.
I lowered my eyes; if I looked at her my grin would give me away. She might have been the brightest witch, but she was also completely transparent.
"He needed to organise a few last minute things with the excited two-year-olds. Plus, two dragons shed claws this week. He wanted to deliver them before they were unusable."
"Oh, that was very thoughtful of him." She dragged a stool to the workbench and sat opposite me, leaning on her elbows. "I'm so glad he's enjoying this partnership."
I stirred the cauldron again, still refusing to look up. "Yeah."
She picked up the small bottle in front of her, dragging her thumb over the label — dragon blood.
"It's from an injured dragon," I said quickly. "You know he'd never harm a living creature."
"Pansy?"
"Yeah?"
"It's okay to admit you like him."
I finally glanced up, waiting for her smart remark. I would have deserved it after all the comments I'd made about her and Draco, but she was simply smiling at me.
"I don't like him." I felt my cheeks heat up. "Not in the way you're suggesting. He's smart and takes amazing care of the dragons and all the ingredients he brings have been well preserved. That's all."
"Pans, Charlie is such a great guy." She paused, twisting her lips in that annoying way she had when she was being overly cautious. "He's not like Ronald."
"I know," I answered. And I did know. In the weeks since he'd begun dropping in, I learned quickly he was nothing like his douche of a brother.
"So what's the problem?"
"Why would there be a problem?"
"Because you clearly like him more than you're willing to admit. And if you don't do something about it, he'll find someone else."
The thought turned my stomach.
"Listen," Granger began. "You don't have to be the tough hard-arse with a point to prove all the time. You've more than proven yourself to everyone. Charlie included."
"I'm not trying to prove anything to Charlie."
"I know, and you don't have to. He was impressed with you the first day he was here." She picked up the small glass jar — the seed pods that I should have given her but couldn't part with — and she frowned. "You're allowed to let people in. Even if they're not the people you thought you should."
"Speaking from experience?"
"Absolutely." She pointed a finger at me. "And you were the one who encouraged me, so I'm doing the same to you. Give Charlie a chance."
I glanced down at the cooling potion. The dragon claws Charlie had delivered a week ago were a godsend — I'd already powdered and brewed them into three different potions, and those potions had been sold before they'd even cooled in their bottles.
"I don't want to get hurt," I admitted quietly.
"And you won't," Granger said with such assurance I almost believed her. "Charlie has a good heart, and I'm certain that heart already belongs to you."
"I'm sure that's not true. He doesn't even know me. Not really. He's only ever seen me here."
"And he'll only ever see you here if you don't give him a chance."
"He's not…" I began then glanced away. "He's not my type."
"Good looking, smart, kind." She paused, grinning. "Built. That's not your type?"
"No. I like ugly idiots."
"You're the idiot here." She stood and shook her head. "Yes, he's a Weasley. And with the exception of the youngest brother, they're good people. Very good people. And he'll never tell you, but Charlie, Bill and George pay all of Molly and Arthur's expenses, send them on a holiday each year, and sneak extra gold into their vault whenever they can. They had so little growing up, but Molly and Arthur did the best they could. They made sure their children had a home and a family, and that's what they see as important. Not material things. So, believe me, if Charlie Weasley thinks you're important, he'll lay his life down for you."
I watched, dumbfounded, as she returned the stool back to its place.
"If you're not interested in Charlie you need to tell him. He's head over heels for you, Pansy, and he deserves to know if you don't feel anything for him." She headed for the door, pausing and turning back to me. "You told me that you would rip me a new one if I hurt Draco, so I'll tell you the same. He's my friend and like you with Draco, Charlie's friendship is more important to me than you are."
She left without another word, leaving me to stare at the door as it slowly closed.
I'd seen Hermione Granger angry, had seen what she could do when she was pushed too far. My warning to her was nothing in comparison to the way she had looked at me just now. Family might have been important to the Weasleys, but family meant everything to her.
She loved Draco with a fierceness I'd not expected, and Blaise and I had been pulled into her world and accepted with very little fuss. She was loyal and once you had earned her trust, you were considered family. I also knew that if you pissed her off, you were in danger of becoming a pile of dust.
I lifted the cauldron from the stand, poured the colourful liquid into a bottle, and pressed the label onto it. In the morning, I would send an owl to let the client know it was ready. I crossed to the sink and rolled up my sleeves. I began scrubbing the cauldron, and my thoughts returned to Charlie.
He did deserve more than I was currently giving him. I wasn't exactly sure what my feelings were, but I knew they were more than me wanting to be just friends. His ability to make me trip over my tongue, or render me silent. The fact I looked forward to seeing him each week. His blue eyes and friendly smile that made my stomach flip. I'd never felt anything like that before.
Was it something I wanted? Was Charlie the man who would challenge me? Was he the one who would make me believe I could have everything I had worked for and all the things I didn't dare to dream of?
I paused and glanced around the lab. It was another Friday night and I was still here. And all I had was an empty house to go home to.
Granger was right; I wouldn't know until I gave Charlie a chance.
