Chapter 4-All The Right Moves

Charlie liked this role reversal, as he was the one to arrive fashionably late at the ball, and not his dame. He passed through the gate of the Main Hall fixing his tie, looking around all smug, only to realize that it was indeed filled with teens and preteens that were eyeing him weirdly. He dropped the Don Juan act, passed his hand through his loose hair and moved inside, in search of his company. He spotted the towering figure of Barnaby in dark burgundy robes, and right next to him, he saw Alazais in an iridescent, sleeveless, velvet emerald dress, with her hair tied in an elegant bun. They were conspicuously whispering to each other.

Alazais and Barnaby had been guessing which student ball-couples really had a crush on each other, and which were either just friends or one-sided crushes. They placed a bet, on whether one of those couples would resurface in next year's ball; the loser would have to buy dinner at a fancy London restaurant. As she was listening to one of Barnaby's postulations, she noticed Charlie making his way towards them.

He was wearing a very slick black tuxedo with a matching vest and a white shirt. His tie was of a dark green-emerald color, and the rest of the small details, such as his cufflinks were golden; she noticed the similarities with her bracelet. His hair was not in a ponytail, but let loose, and combed to the back, reaching a little below his shoulders. She loved the contrast between the vibrant red color or his hair and the deep black of the tuxedo.

"Hello, Charlie." She greeted, with a smirk. "You're looking very sharp."

He flashed them a big smile. "The time of Weasley hand-me-downs is over, the world of fashion is moving, we have to keep up! You're both looking stunning as well. Although, no offence for Barnaby, I have to admit that Alazais is a bit more pleasing to my eye."

"Of course she is, she looks like a Romanian Longhorn with all this green and gold. It's your favorite dragon breed." Barnaby said, rolling his eyes.

Charlie was actually taken aback by Barnaby's train of thought, but realized that his friend was not entirely wrong. "I never thought of it like that, but I guess you do have a point!"

"Should I say thank you?" Alazais asked. "Anyway, welcome to the Christmas Ball! Please, do help yourself to some nutmeg punch."

"No rum, eh?"

"Sadly not." Alazais and Barnaby said simultaneously, laughing a bit. "But there's always the Professor after-party, if you care to stick around. Rum will be added." Alazais said, winking.

"Sure, why not?" Charlie said, moving to stand next to Alazais and face the room, as the lights were dimmed, and the magical sky of the room turned darker, with thousands of small stars twinkling. Just as he was about to lean over to her and whisper a naughty thought, Barnaby stepped in front, offering his hand to Alazais.

"Let's go dance, we need to set an example for the kids, they're very shy this year. Even shier than I was!"

"By all means!" She replied and took his hand. Barnaby led them to the center of the room and they started swaying to the rhythm of the music, as a few students joined in.

"Did I just watch Barnaby bloody Lee snatch my date out of my hands?! Even he has better moves than me…" Charlie mumbled angrily through his teeth, staring at the two of them with such focus, that he completely missed Minerva McGonagall coming near.

"Mr. Weasley." She called.

"Oh, Headmistress. I didn't see you there, excuse me."

"Yes, I figured out that much. Would you care to dance with your old Professor?"

"Sure!" Charlie replied with a smile, getting in a dance position with her.

"It feels like yesterday I was teaching your siblings how to dance for the Yule Ball. Oh, how the time flies!"

"I remember, yes. It's now a classic joke in our family, no offence to you, naturally; only to Ron."

"Of course…So, how are you liking your stay in Hogwarts so far?"

"Everything is perfect. Thank you for letting me stay at the Castle."

"You're most welcome, Mr. Weasley. And for how long do you think you will stay? It has been a few weeks now, I was under the impression that the new dragon section was almost complete." McGonagall gave him a very stern look.

"Well, yes, everything was almost ready, I just um… I'm a perfectionist. I need everything to be more than just complete."

McGonagall squinted her eyes. "Based on your academic feats, I wouldn't, personally, pick the word perfectionist to describe you, but let us say this is the case. How…perfect do you think the new Reserve is?"

Charlie gave her an examining look, wondering what the purpose of those questions was. "My professional opinion is that it will be one of the best in Europe. Naturally much smaller than other reserves, but it should be able to host a few dragons and their caretaker from time to time. I'm surprised Hogwarts hadn't gone forward with it for so long."

"As you have probably understood by now, Mr. Weasley, I didn't ask for a dance to assess your ballroom skills. I have a proposal for you."

"A proposal?"

"Yes. I have had extensive discussions with Mrs. Haywood about our Potions curriculum and the search of additional income sources for the school. And since you have been prolonging your stay to…perfect the dragon section," she turned her eyes quickly to left, pointing to where Alazais and Barnaby were entertaining some of the younger students, "we came up with an idea that will probably benefit all of us."

Charlie swallowed dryly. "Go on, Headmistress."

Alazais was leaning on a wall, sipping on some punch, when Charlie approached her, after having danced a good many songs with McGonagall. "You look so flustered. I'd say McGonagall was really hitting on you if I didn't know any better. What happened?"

"Nothing, nothing. We were just catching up but you know how intimidating McGonagall can be. So how was your dance with Barnaby?"

"Great, thanks for asking."

"…No problem."

"Don't be jealous, you could have asked first."

"I had just arrived!"

Alazais shrugged. "Tough luck."

He laughed. "I still have the rest of the night to properly be your date now. My pretty Romanian Longhorn."

"Please don't compare me to a humungous lizard."

"Humungous lizard? I'm disappointed, I thought you appreciated dragons… their grandeur, their power, their allure…"

"I appreciate them for what they are. Humungous lizards, with grandeur and power and all that."

"You'll change your mind once I bring some here and you can see them up close."

"I'll look forward to it, truly."

"Say, do you know how Romanian Longhorns mate?"

Alazais raised an eyebrow. "You're the dragonologist."

"They have this…mating routine, we call it a dance, where the male tries to capture the female's attention and impress it, by flapping its wings around and shooting fire in the sky. Then when the female is "convinced", they do circles around each other, rubbing their heads and their necks on one another, and entwining their tails. Then they go to the female's den to…procreate."

"That's very interesting…"

"So… I think I'll show you all of my solo moves, and if you like them, we can dance together and…snuggle."

She chuckled. "And then…we'll go to my room to…'mate'?"

Charlie gave her an intense look, smirking. "It's the natural order."

Alazais took a step closer and let her hands rest on his shoulders. "We can skip the solo moves part, don't you think?"

Charlie gently placed his hands on her waist, and took a step forward, initiating the dance. "As the lady desires." Not once for the remainder of the song did he take his eyes off hers.

"Ah, young love." Flitwick mumbled, from the other side of the Hall, and made a mental note to try and not prolong the after-party this year.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

The sound of Alazais' heels echoed around the stone corridors, as Charlie accompanied her to her chamber.

"Thank you for tonight." He said, when they approached her door. "I had a great time."

"I'm glad." Alazais said, pushing her key into the lock. "I also had a very good time at the Ball." She opened the door, and stepped inside, holding it open for him. Charlie hesitated. "Are you not coming inside?" she asked in a very suggestive tone.

Charlie smiled awkwardly and turned to look at his shoes. "Alazais, um, just because I said that stupid thing about the den and the 'procreation', it doesn't mean that you have to-"

"Ugh, shut up, Charlie." She said, taking a big step to him, snatching his hand and dragging him inside. "I was planning to invite you either way, and I can't believe you thought your dragon mating dance was the thing that actually convinced me to do so."

"It wasn't, eh?" He said as she closed the door behind them. He didn't know if it was Flitwicks's famous Christmas wine, or the nutmeg rum punch of the after-party, but she had a different air about her now that they were alone, and despite him thinking that he was the hunter all this time, her look made him feel like pray in a way that no hungry dragon he had ever encountered had managed in the past.

"No." She said, coming really close. "And for future reference, don't use it again when you flirt, unless you're courting someone equally obsessed with dragons as you, which is highly unlikely."

"I don't intend-"

"Shh, now." Alazais said, bringing her finger onto his lips. "You've done enough talking for tonight." She finally closed their distance, by giving him a strong kiss on the lips.

Charlie was taken over by the flavor of spices, and the smell of her perfume. He cupped her face with his hands, deepening the kiss and feeling their breaths become more erratic. He felt her leg slide up the outside of his thigh and he grabbed it tight, running his hand all the way to her back and the dress' zipper. Her hands were running over his chest, caressing the buttons of his vest, and then she pushed him a bit away, breaking their kiss. "Why?" He asked, confused. Alazais just gave him a devilish grin, placing the palm of her hand on his chest and he heard her mumble a spell unknown to him.

"Expellio Vestimenta Velox!"

In an instant, the buttons of his every clothing piece were undone, and they all fell to the floor, leaving him completely naked.

"You witch!" He exclaimed, grabbing her again tightly. Her touch now directly onto his skin was something completely different; it gave him goosebumps to feel her nails dig into his shoulder blades, as he kissed her collarbone and unzipped her dress.

He knew that by morning, he would have plenty of scratches on his back, but that thought excited him even more.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

When the first ray of light crept through the curtains, Charlie woke up. He knew it was early, but he was never used to sleeping much. He turned around, relishing the sight of Alazais' naked back under the blanket next to him, and smiled contently. He had had several dreams of this scene in his life, but this time it was true.

Careful not to wake her up, he got up and moved to his clothes, thinking that he should also learn that undressing spell. He took his wand out of this trousers' pocket and with a quick 'Episkey', any scratch he had was gone. After getting dressed, he moved to her desk, looking for some parchment to write her a note. Predictably enough, the desk was very organized, with a stack of blank papers left right next to the Quills. He leaned over the desk, dipping a small quill in the ink, and starting scribbling. With the corner of his eye, he noticed a photograph on the far left corner of the desk. When he was done writing, he took the frame onto his hands and smiled. Murphy, wrapped in a National UK Quidditch team scarf, was grinning widely, as Alazais was hugging from behind, over his wheelchair, and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Hey old pal." He sighed and lowered his voice even more. "You believe me, right? I'd really like some help here… Alright." He put the photo back to its place, gave Alazais one last look, and left.

She woke up several hours later, thinking that this was the most refreshed she had felt in ages. She slowly sat up and, just as she expected, found no sign of Charlie. She ran her finger on his side of the bed, finding it cold; he had left quite a while ago. No matter how mentally prepared she had been, it still stung a bit not having him there that morning. She lazily got up, put her robe on and went to open the window for some fresh air. Passing from her desk, she saw the handwritten note and noticed that Murphy's photo frame was turned slightly more to the right than when she last saw it. "Hm."

The note wrote: "Meet me at the reserve's entrance when you wake up, I'll be there." and a small sloppy heart underneath.

"Laconic…" She mumbled, thinking that his handwriting had not improved much since their school days-in fact, it might have gotten even worse.

Making no haste at all, she got dressed, had her breakfast and then headed for the Reserve. Charlie stood at the entrance, holding two brooms. She approached him, and he greeted her with a light peck and a firm hug.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty!"

"Good morning. How long have you been here?"

"Couple of hours. But it's fine, I wake up early every day."

"What are these?" She asked, pointing at the broomsticks.

"The answer to that is obvious. We are going on a little trip today, I want to show you my favorite spot in the entire reserve. So, let's fly!"

Alazais took the broomstick from him and smiled reminiscing at their adventure, when they used to venture out at night, riding their brooms and ignoring all danger. "Let's go!"

Charlie kicked the ground and took off, speeding. Alazais followed him, as they flew over the forest and the lake. They scraped the surface of the water, which shone bright as the sunrays hit it. Charlie laughed heartily, turning to look at her. In a fit of her Chaser days nostalgia, she bumped into his broom. He looked at her playfully and sped even more. Alazais followed closely, doing a full loop around him and continuing to ride, now on his other side. Charlie accelerated once more, gaining height, and she dragged her broom up, to follow his trajectory. Charlie then suddenly stopped and dipped down, before she managed to also brake in time, and so he gained some time and put some distance between them. Alazais pushed her broom to go as fast as it could, but it was too late; Charlie landed on the shore of the lake before her. She laughed as she landed as well.

"If I had my Comet, you'd eaten my dust now."

"Sure thing, Princess." Charlie mocked, drawing her into a hug and kissing her. "How did you sleep?"

"Very well, I'd say. And you?"

"Like a baby. Now come, I'll show you the spot." He took her hand and led them a bit inside the forest that surrounded the lake on that side. They only walked a small distance before they reached a clearing, where the sunlight reached the grass through openings of the branches and the leaves of the taller trees around it. A small stream flowed through the clearing, filling the ambient air with the tranquil sound of running water.

"This is beautiful, Charlie."

"Thought you'd like it." He placed his bag on the ground and took a small sheet out, spreading it on the ground. "And I also brought us some sandwiches and some juice for when we get hungry."

"Very thoughtful of you, thank you."

She sat on the sheet and he sat next to her. Charlie caressed her cheek, looking at all the small details of her face and then giving her a gentle kiss. "You're so beautiful."

She chuckled and let her forehead touch his. "You're beautiful too, you know. And I'm…kind of glad you left that note."

"Glad? Why?"

Alazais shrugged, straightening her back again. "I don't know, I was prepared to wake up without you there. I mean, okay, we had sex, it was great, but that doesn't tie us down to anything. You had every right to leave I suppose, and-"

He cupped her face, looking straight into her eyes. "Listen, I told you. You have been on my mind every day since I left Hogwarts. Maybe I didn't make myself clear when we talked the other time. I wasn't trying to just let you know that I had crush on you, I was telling you that I still want you, and I mean it. I do not plan on making the same mistakes, I…I don't want to leave you like that again."

She snorted. "Yeah… You'll leave me slightly better when your work here is done. And, Charlie, this is fine. I want you too, there's no need to hide behind our fingers. We can have all the fun we want, you don't have to say all those things, just tell them as they are."

Charlie looked at her angrily. "Why don't you believe me?! Listen to me! I am in love with you, damn it!"

"And what with it!?"

Charlie took a deep breath. "Let's lie down, I'll…tell you."

Alazais laid back on the sheet, and pinned her eyes on the shuffling leaves. Charlie scooted closer and laid next to her, taking her hand in his. He calmed himself for some moments, and then spoke.

"You know… I forgot to mention, that when Romanian Longhorns mate, they mate for life."

Alazais gave him a quick side-look. "Is that so?"

He nodded. "And they are my favorite breed. Maybe I see something of myself in them… Look. I won't tell you that I regret going to Romania to study dragons; it was my dream, and I would have been miserable if I hadn't done it."

"But?"

"But… I realize that this is not my dream now. Dreams are what's supposed to make you the happiest, are they not?"

"I suppose so."

"Then, that dream won't cut it anymore. Because you are not in there. Now that I know that you could be in my picture, leaving you behind would only make me miserable again, and I know that. I didn't know it when I was younger. But I grew up, and I guess my dream changed, and it has to include you, and… what I want to tell you, is that I am going to fight for it."

Alazais didn't know from where to begin, with some many questions and feelings choking her up. "Charlie…What about the dragons? They're your whole life."

"I don't want them to be my whole life. They are my passion, but a dragon isn't going to be next to me when I wake up, or…go on trips with me, or cover me up with a blanket when I sleep on the couch when I'm an old man. I want to have someone, and not just anyone; you."

Alazais sighed, feeling her eyes tear up. "I can't let you quit what you do."

"I won't. I've had my very own guardian angels working for my Christmas miracle this year."

"What miracle?"

"McGonagall offered me a position in the dragon reserve."

"A permanent position?!"

"Yes. They are thinking of having some dragons permanently installed here, making it something like a refuge for older dragons. The plan is to accommodate these older dragons, have the planned visitors and all, and when the dragons die, they can be used for potion ingredients, since these ingredients will have been ethically harvested after the natural end of the dragon's life. Penny came up with this idea, since she wants to enrich the potions brewed at Hogwarts, and we can also sell some of these ingredients for extra school income."

"I should have known Penny was somehow involved in this…"

"She only wanted what's best for us, and she did scold me a lot…"

Alazais sighed. "Are you going to take this position?"

"If you say you want me to take it, I will."

She turned on her side, to look at him, placing her other hand on his cheek. "What do you want from me, Charlie Weasley?"

He looked at her as well, kissing the hand he had been holding. "I want you. But I want you happy. If you don't think that is with me here, then I shall leave and never bother you again. Tell me. What is it that you want?"

"Me?" She sighed and turned her look on the sky again. "I want a home. Only once have I ever had such a thing; but it crumbled to pieces. I just want to find my place. And I think I have found some of it here, in Hogwarts, and in teaching. But now that you're here, I think I can feel it more complete." She turned to look at him again; the sunlight filtered through the shuffling leaves hit his freckled face in all the little places; the corner of his honey eyes, the lobe of his ear, half of his upper lip. Alazais wished she could have taken a photo of how he looked that exact moment. And she realized, that the feeling that resonated with her the most at that moment, was tranquility; not infatuation, not excitement, not sadness, not impatience, not anything but tranquility. "You, Charlie... You feel like home."

Charlie smiled; he was happy. But some tears rolled from his eyes regardless. In a hasty motion, he pushed himself towards her, giving her a kiss, which she returned, snaking her hands around his neck. He climbed on top of her, kissing her like this was the last time. But her kiss had a different feel; it was calm, reassuring. It felt certain. He pulled away and looked at her face in the dim sunlight, thinking this was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes upon. And with that, despite the tears, he laughed. He laughed loudly and heartily, the kind of laugh that children do when they open their presents for Christmas; pure joy.

He gave her a hug and laid back down, drawing her closer, so that she could rest her head on his chest, and he could smell her hair. None of them spoke for some moments, before his curiosity got the best out of him.

"Alazais."

"Yes?"

"What do you want in your life? I mean…realistically. Do you, like…Do you want a big house? Children? Lush furniture?"

Alazais hesitated before replying. "I don't know. None of these necessarily belonged in my picture of happiness. I'm also figuring it out as I go, I don't like making many longterm plans anymore…"

He kissed the crown of her head. "It's okay."

"Charlie, I need time. We need time. Our…our feelings are strong, but we need to get to know each other again. We need to get used to each other, to having each other around. This doesn't happen overnight."

"I know, I know. I still want to take you out on so many dates. There's so many things I don't know, but I plan to learn everything and we will figure everything out together. I promise."

"Please don't make promises. Just say you'll try for us, and that's enough."

"I will fight for us. This time I'll make it right-we'll make it right."

Alazais nodded, curling her body into his embrace. Charlie held her in his arms and took a deep breath. Like this, it did feel like home.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

Alazais sat on her desk, opening her diary to place Charlie's note inside, for safe-keeping. The date was the 24th of December, and she tried to smile but for some reason, she found it particularly hard. She looked at Murphy's photo; she had purposefully placed the frame on the desk and not the nightstand so that Charlie wouldn't feel uncomfortable. But he had seen it, and everything was fine. She wasn't going to hide the picture or her past anyway.

"I do miss you, you know. But today was a good day."

*Next chapter will be the last! Hope you enjoyed this so far!*