Chapter 3: Lumi

Hermione whirled around to the large stone building from where the roar had erupted. Charlie strode past her and up to the small human-sized door. There was another, much larger door in the middle of the wall and she could only assume this was to let Lumi out to fly.

She warily followed Charlie and he opened the door a crack and quickly peered in. He pulled his head back out with a frown.

"Well, she's certainly in a mood today. Let me go in and see if I can calm her down."

He pulled off his cotton shirt and Hermione's mouth dried at the sight. She felt his muscles when he had pulled her against him to stop her from falling off the broom but actually seeing them... that was another thing entirely. Charlie was extremely muscled, no doubt because of his physically demanding job. Freckles covered every inch of his torso and a small bit of ginger hair spread from his chest down to disappear below his belt.

Charlie cleared his throat and Hermione flicked her eyes back up to his as an intense blush spread up her neck and across her cheeks at having been caught... well, checking him out.

He gave her a cheeky grin and quickly darted inside the building, leaving Hermione to fan herself with her hand at his absence. She was feeling unusually warm, and she told herself it was simply from not being used to this sunny weather.

In his absence, she tried to smooth back the curls that had become a tangled mess from flying. She swore as her fingers ripped through a knot, yanking the hair painfully from her scalp. She thought she was having a good hair day, but now it was ruined.

After a few minutes, Charlie peeked his head back out the door and gestured for her to come in.

Hermione carefully stepped inside and inspected her surroundings. The barn was completely open inside with large vaulted ceilings. There was a fair bit of hay scattered around on the floor and various tools lined the walls. It didn't take long for her eyes to land on the large dragon in the centre of the enclosure.

It was nearly as large as the Hungarian Horntail Harry had fought in the Triwizard tournament, though certainly nowhere near as ugly. It had the scales of the deepest black, a shade so dark that the beast seemed to absorb all the light that touched it. Hermione was awed by the icy blue eyes that seemed to pierce through the darkness. They reminded her of the way sunlight reflected off of freshly fallen snow and it sent a chill down her spine.

The dragon was bipedal, and its wings flared out from the sides as it came to stand on its claws. Its head was completely smooth except for the two onyx horns that protruded from the top. They had to have been at least three feet long and twisted into an intricate corkscrew shape.

The creature eyed Hermione as if she were a threat and she nearly snorted at how comical it seemed.

She could feel Charlie come up behind her and his body warmth enveloped her, making her relax slightly.

"She's a proud creature, this one. Do you know how to greet a Hippogriff?"

Hermione nodded and Charlie placed his hand on her elbow and pushed her forward slightly. Her knees shook but she forced herself to remain calm and she took a few steps towards the dragon.

"Go slowly. I'm right here if anything happens."

Hermione gave him a fleeting glance over her shoulder and turned back to the dragon. She bowed low at the waist and kept her gaze focused on the creature in front of her, waiting should she need to bolt. The dragon kept its cool stare and flared its nostrils for a moment. A white trail of smoke puffed out of them and Hermione's body went rigid. She desperately wanted to pull her wand at the ready but wasn't sure if the movement would alarm the dragon.

"Good, walk forward a bit but keep your bow low." Charlie encouraged her from behind.

Hermione felt ridiculous but did as instructed and took a few more steps forward. She was halfway to the dragon now and the distance was making her feel anxious. She hadn't been this close to a dragon since the Ukrainian Ironbelly in Gringotts and her instincts told her to run. But she trusted Charlie and if he believed she could do it, then she wouldn't prove him wrong.

After another minute of bowing deeply, the dragon shuffled in front of her and stood tall on its back legs. It spread its wings out and the tips of them touched the walls of the barn. Hermione glanced up in awe at the impressive span; it had to have been at least 40 feet. The dragon came down hard on its claws and Hermione stumbled back a step.

Charlie was instantly at her side and placed a hand at the small of her back, "Stay bowing." The warmth of his hand burned through her shirt and she was thankful he couldn't see her reddened face.

The dragon craned its neck down, its face was only a few feet from Hermione's. Charlie slowly retreated from her side and Hermione felt the magnificent creature's gaze bore through to her soul. It stared at her for what felt like an eternity before it puffed a cloud of smoke right into her face. Seemingly satisfied, it drew back and stood straight.

Her eyes watered and she struggled to breathe for a moment before Charlie flicked his wand, clearing the smoke. She took a deep breath of fresh air but the scent of the smoke still invaded her nostrils.

"That was bloody fantastic, Hermione! You can stand up now." He came to her side as she stood straight.

He gave her a wide grin and something mischievous glinted in his eyes, "Would you like to pet her?"

Her. Right, the dragon was a her.

Hermione swallowed the thickness in her throat and looked back to the dragon. Her gaze still followed Hermione's every movement and she found herself unable to tear away from the glow of her eyes. She took a tentative step forward and reached her hand out as she closed the remaining distance between them. Charlie stayed near her for support and she was glad for it; Hermione wasn't sure she would have made it had he not been nearby.

Her heart leapt into her throat as she stretched her shaking hand out towards the dragon's head. She willed her legs to remain locked so she wouldn't suddenly drop as Lumi closed the distance. Hermione wildly envisioned her taking one large bite and ripping her hand straight off but instead, she gently pressed her snout against Hermione's palm.

She thought her scales would be cold but surprisingly, they were extremely warm to the touch and Hermione marvelled at their smoothness as she ran her hand up over Lumi's head. She glanced over to Charlie to find him grinning at her and she smiled back. She felt like she just conquered something massive and was extremely impressed with herself.

"You did great, Hermione!" He said as he walked up to rub the other side of Lumi. She leant into his touch and was obviously familiar with him. "Maybe before you leave we can get you to ride her." She snapped a glare at him and Charlie let out a laugh. "Or maybe not."

He walked down the length of Lumi, running a hand along her scales and doing various routine inspections. Hermione let her eyes wander over his muscled body and she felt herself heat at the sight. His arms flexed as he picked up the end of her tail to look at the large glinting platelets that had grown from the end of it.

His back was facing her and she trailed her eyes over his wide freckled shoulders, down the dip of his spine to the top of his trousers and over the swell of his arse-

Lumi nudged her head against Hermione, which caused her to stumble slightly, pulling her from her lecherous gaze. Her face heated as she regained her footing and quickly glanced away from the questioning look Charlie gave her. She focused on petting Lumi's head as she tried to calm her racing heart.

What was it about Charlie that made her so... scatterbrained? Her mind was never scattered!

"Well, now that you've met her, let's let her out to stretch her wings." Charlie walked to the wall with the large door and tugged on the rope which pulled the top to the roof.

Lumi rushed to the door and squeezed her way out before it had even fully opened. She spread her wings and sunned them for a moment before flapping them to take flight. She rapidly climbed high into the sky before she dropped slightly to circle the area.

Hermione watched with fascination as she soared overhead and heard Charlie come up behind her. She turned to him with excitement, "Are any other dragons as friendly as her?"

"Quite a few, actually. Why?" Charlie gave her a quizzical look.

She grinned, "I want to meet them all."

Hermione huffed as she plopped onto the cushioned seat of the couch and she opened her notebook. She had had quite a full day meeting many other Dragon species, and even though she was only meant to be there to see Lumi, she couldn't help but document all the details that she remembered from the other species.

She met a Romanian Longhorn, who had lapped up every attention she gave it. Later, she found herself in front of Antipodean Opaleye, which she found to be even more beautiful than Lumi. It was too dignified to be pet like some common animal but Hermione greatly enjoyed looking at it.

They had tried to meet with a Chinese Fireball, but the keeper taking care of her said that particular dragon was in heat, and if they tried to get near her it was likely she'd burn them to a crisp.

They met again with Lumi as she came back to her pen for her evening meal and she allowed Hermione to inspect every inch of her. She had done some quick sketches but now was determined to fully draw out Lumi's likeness. It was a secret talent that she could draw, no one ever assumed bookish Hermione could do something artistic and unscholarly.

She had just finished the outline of the body when a knock sounded at her door. She huffed and tore herself away from the sketch, pushing her curls from her face. She opened the door to find Charlie, finally having put on a shirt - albeit a tight maroon tee that left little to the imagination. The sun was setting behind him and cast his wet orange hair in a soft glow that made it look like a dragon had set it on fire.

He was holding two large bowls of what looked like stew and he gave her a small smile. "I brought dinner."

Hermione stepped back and let him enter and she hurriedly cleared away her notebook and quill from the coffee table so they could eat.

He set the bowls down and eyed the notebook, "What's that?"

She returned to her spot on the couch and Charlie sat in the chair next to her. "Oh, nothing!"

Before she could react, he grabbed the notebook and flipped it open to her drawing of Lumi, "Hermione this is really good! I didn't know you could draw."

She pressed her lips together and snatched the notebook from his hands, "No one does. I only use it for its academic application. I want to remember what Lumi looks like after I leave."

She picked up the bowl and the savoury scent of various spices filled her nose and caused her to salivate. "Did you make this?"

Charlie gave her a wink, "You're not the only one with a hidden talent."

They ate in comfortable silence and when she was finished, Hermione set her empty bowl down on the table with an audible thud. There was a question gnawing at the back of her mind that she had to ask, "How did you come up with the name Lumi?"

Charlie smiled as he set his own empty bowl down and relaxed back into the chair, whipping out his wand to restart the fire that had gone out in the hearth.

"We were notified by the Finnish Ministry that they had confiscated a dragon egg from some muggles. Her egg was quite large and had a bluish tint to it, the same colour as her eyes. They found it in a snowstorm and were calling it the Lumimyrsky Kivi which means snowstorm stone. Imagine, thinking a dragon egg was just a large rock."

He gave a small laugh as he stared into the fire. "We actually didn't think it was alive anymore. Normally, a dragon has to be kept in burning hot coals until it hatches but she had survived a snowstorm and was totally fine."

Hermione smiled, "So since she's a new breed, have you thought of an official name yet?"

Charlie scratched the back of his head. "Not yet. I want it to be something fitting, a title worthy of her and I haven't quite figured that out yet." He stood and grabbed the empty bowls, "Anyways, I'll leave you to your academic sketching."

She quickly stood after him to open the door and his scent invaded her nostrils as he passed. He smelled like burnt wood and leather and it called to her in the most peculiar way.

He turned back to her just outside the door, "Hope you're an early riser - I'll be back at dawn." With a wink that set her heart pounding, he walked down the path back to his own cabin.

Hermione frowned at the door as she shut it behind him. With a groan, she plopped back onto the couch and laid down on its plush cushions. What was Charlie Weasley doing to her? She let out a strained laugh, the what was pretty obvious if her body could be believed, the why of it was the better question. Why was her body calling out to him? She had only arrived this morning and the only thought she could recall from the day was how bloody hot he looked without a shirt on.

With a dejected sigh, she sat back up and grabbed her notebook to finish the sketch of Lumi. As the sun continued to set, she lit a few candles surrounding her and, finally done with the outline, she closed her notebook, standing to stretch. She was surprisingly exhausted and figured it was probably best to just get ready to go to bed.

Hermione climbed the ladder of the loft with her bag over her shoulder and was impressed with what she found above. A large queen-sized bed sat between the peak of the roof and a skylight above it cast a faint glow from the moon. She cast a Lumos and walked to the door on the left, discovering the bathroom. She thanked Merlin there was running water and she quickly undressed to take a much-needed shower.

There was a small window on the back wall and she walked to it to discover she could look directly at Charlie's cabin only thirty or so feet away. There was a large window in his living room with the curtains drawn shut and a small window upstairs that she assumed was for a bathroom that mirrored her own.

She lit a few candles in the bathroom and stripped down, hopping into the shower. She sighed as the hot water hit her, washing away the days grime and soothing her stiff muscles. She was surprised to find a soap that smelled like her favourite flower - rose.

Shutting off the water, she grabbed the fluffy towel hanging on the bar next to her and quickly dried off. She wrapped her hair in the fabric and walked back to the bedroom to rifle through her bag for pyjamas.

Hermione quickly dressed in an oversized cotton shirt and shorts and cast a drying charm on her hair. She climbed under the heavy quilt on the bed and laid her head against the soft down pillow. The skylight let her see the vast amount of stars and she smiled as a stray dragon circled in the sky, momentarily blocking out their light.

She drifted off to sleep moments later, dreaming of dragons and a redheaded Dragon Keeper.