Notes: Professor!AU.

chasing chance is for the brave

"Hang on," Tonks said slowly, "Hagrid is retiring?"

Charlie nodded. He understood Tonks' incredulity—he had felt much the same way when he had received the news, though that had quickly changed when he read further and found that the "update" was really a job offer. Headmistress McGonagall wanted him to take over as the Care of Magical Creatures professor. She remembered his love of animals, she had written, and felt that he would be a suitable replacement.

Charlie had been uncertain about her proposal at first. He had never really given much thought to teaching, let alone teaching a bunch of young witches and wizards at Hogwarts. Yet the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He found himself missing his alma mater, with the big feasts and the large grounds. Sure, it wasn't Romania and dragons, but it was an opportunity to change up what he had been doing since graduation, and Charlie was nothing if not adventurous. This would just be another adventure, he had told himself.

First, though, he had to see what Tonks thought of all this. As his long-distance girlfriend, her opinion mattered, especially since she would cease being so far away if he accepted the position.

"Yeah, Hagrid is retiring," he confirmed. "I guess he wanted a little peace and quiet in his later years. Anyway, the reason I'm telling you this is because Headmistress McGonagall offered me his job."

Tonks stared at him for a long moment before throwing her arms around him. "You mean you'd move back here? Oh, Charlie, that's wonderful!"

"Well, I'd only take the job if you thought it'd be a good idea, but it sounds like you're all for it." Charlie chuckled, pressing a kiss to her lips. Her hair was violet today, and he admired the colorful strands as he pulled away. "There would be accomodations for me at Hogwarts, of course, so yes, I would be moving back here."

"This is fantastic news!" Tonks said happily. "No more doing the long-distance thing."

Her bright smile cinched it for Charlie—he would take the job. He grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment and began to write a reply to Headmistress Mcgonagall.

...

"Alright, class!" Charlie called. His strong, muscular arms were getting quite the workout rowing his little boat—he could have used magic, but wanted the challenge. For his first class with the fourth-years, he was taking them to Bowtruckle Island, which sat in the middle of the Black Lake.

Despite the enchantments that he had placed on his students' boats, Charlie reached the island first. He disembarked, stretched, and waited for the rest of the class to arrive. They did so over the next couple of minutes. Mary Spalding and Benjamin Brown were the last pair to reach the shore, and they quickly joined the group that was gathered around Charlie.

"Today we'll be studying Bowtruckles," Charlie announced. "Who can tell me what a Bowtruckle is?"

Mary quickly raised her hand. "It's a creature that resembles a twig, sir. They live in Wiggentrees and other trees that are prized for their wand-making wood."

"Correct," Charlie said. "Five points to Hufflepuff."

"Professor Weasley," Katie Winters said, "aren't Bowtruckles dangerous? Will they hurt us?"

A murmur went around as her classmates began to speculate about what she had just said.

"Quiet, please!" Charlie gave Katie a reassuring smile. "They'll only hurt you if you threaten them or the tree they guard, otherwise, they are perfectly gentle. Also, for future notice, I prefer to be called Charlie, not Professor Weasley."

The young girl nodded, casting her eyes at the ground. "Yes, sir."

Charlie walked over to the large, twisting tree that shaded half of the island. "There is a branch of Bowtruckles living in this tree. They can be a bit shy at first, but given time, they will make themselves known. Everyone, be very still. Don't make any sudden movements—Bowtruckles don't do well with the unpredictable. Maybe, if we're lucky, they'll grace us with their presence today."

The group grew quiet and waited. Several students took seats on the ground, while others remained standing. Charlie stood closest to the tree with one arm outstretched. After several minutes had passed, there was a small flurry of movement and a single male Bowtruckle peered down at the redhead.

"Hello, little fellow," Charlie murmured, not wanting to startle the creature. "Will you come and play?"

The Bowtruckle tilted its flat green head, then hopped onto Charlie's hand without warning. Charlie held his breath as the critter scurried up his arm and down the other, then buried himself in his hair. By this time, the class was laughing at its antics. Even Charlie let out a small chuckle.

"Are you feeling a little shy?" he asked. "Or does my shampoo just smell that good?"

The Bowtruckle poked its head out of his hair and peered down into his face.

"I won't hurt you," Charlie said patiently. "And neither will any of them." He gestured to his students, then looked back at the creature, who gave a tiny nod. He then launched himself, with surprising agility, back onto the gnarled trunk of the tree. There, he skittered and hopped around, poking a few seemingly innocuous branches which slowly began to move. Soon, several more Bowtruckles had jumped down to engage with the group.

Charlie watched the class interact with the Bowtruckles, a look of pure joy on his face. It was a delight to be able to share his love of magical animals with others, and have them learn how wonderful they were, too. Even the most quiet and anxious-looking students were soon at ease, enjoying the company of the funny little creatures.

After a little while, Charlie glanced down at his watch—he hadn't worn one in Romania, but he could do so now as long as he kept it away from certain animals—and received a nasty shock: if the students didn't start rowing back towards the castle within the next few minutes, they would be late for their next class.

"Time to say goodbye to our new friends, class," he said. There was a groan of disappointment until he promised that they could return next class. "Let's get back into pairs and I'll set up the enchantments for the boats."

...

Charlie was exhausted but happy by the end of his first day of classes. After dinner, he returned to his chambers and received another surprise. Tonks was waiting for him in the squashy armchair beside his bed, her hair now a rich shade of turquoise. She was studying a wooden contraption in her lap, however, and didn't notice when he walked in.

"Could this day get any better?" Charlie wondered aloud, alerting her to his presence. He smiled. "Hello, love."

"Wotcher, handsome," she chirped, giving him a wink.

"Whatcha doing there?" Charlie asked, nodding at the object in her lap.

She looked up at him and rolled her eyes. "It's a puzzle thing. Apparently it's supposed to help me improve my problem-solving skills, but I'm pretty sure all it's really doing is annoying me." A moment later, as if to prove her point, she let out a loud grumble.

"May I see?" Charlie held out his hand and she passed him the puzzle. He sat on the edge of his bed and examined it carefully. It was shaped like a box, but there were a number of gears, panels, and knobs on the outside. Charlie slid one of the panels and was faced with two knobs.

"I tried the one on the left already," Tonks said glumly. "I ended up getting stuck, though."

Charlie spent a few minutes opening doors and twisting gears, but he couldn't figure out the puzzle either. It probably didn't help that his thoughts kept drifting back to the classes he had taught that day. The third-years had been intrigued by the fire-breathing salamanders, and the fifth-years had been delighted by the Kneazles.

"Charlie?" Tonks asked, putting a hand on his knee. He started, then gave her a sheepish smile.

"Sorry. I was thinking about my day."

"Oh, yeah, how'd that go?" Tonks wanted to know.

"It was..." Charlie tried to find the right words to explain. "It was amazing, Tonks. Getting to help these students understand that magical creatures are a wonderful benefit to our society was just...everything I could have hoped for."

Tonks grinned and joined him on the bed. "Well, you are very passionate about your work, and I'm sure the students picked up on that."

"They're not the only ones who picked up on that," Charlie murmured, setting the puzzle aside and taking her hands—so smooth compared to his own rough, calloused ones—in his.

Tonks laughed. "I suppose you're right about that. Your love of animals is just one of the many things I love about you."

Charlie smirked. "Care to elaborate on those other things?"

"Nah, I think you've got a good enough idea without me needing to go on about it," Tonks said, her voice coy. She rested her forehead against his and looked lovingly into his eyes. "I am so glad you chose to move back to England, Charlie. Now I can visit you much more often."

"Mmm, don't abuse the privilege, love," Charlie said, cupping her face in his hands.

"You can't blame me for being crazy about you," Tonks whispered, capturing his lips with hers.

Charlie let out a low chuckle as she pressed herself closer to him. If he had this to look forward to every night now that he was teaching at Hogwarts, he wasn't going to complain.

WC: 1,605