Chapter 6
Charlie kissed his daughter good-bye. She was still sleeping but stirred and smiled and mumbled "Bye Daddy."
"I'll see you soon, sweetheart," he told her.
Minnie was waiting for him downstairs with a large cup of coffee. She was cheerier than she was the night before and seemed to be looking forward to going to the desert with Ingrid. She handed him the coffee and looked at him expectantly. Charlie took a large gulp and sat the mug on the counter.
"What do you think I should do?" he asked. He'd already made up his mind, but he wasn't averse to listening to Minnie's opinion. Minnie's only concern was the safety and happiness of her master and Ingrid. She would say what she thought would be the best for them.
Charlie was sure that his house elf would plead the case to remain with Gretchen. After all, he seemed to be happier than he'd ever been before. She didn't have to worry about him getting in fights or drinking too much. Married life had settled him down.
"Think I should give her a chance to cool off?"
Minnie was petting Hercules when she looked up at him. She hugged the dog and set it on the floor. "Master Charlie Weasley," she began, "Minnie loves Gretchen; she is a good witch, but Minnie doesn't believe she's right for her master." Minnie looked down quickly when Charlie's head shot up.
"She doesn't understand Master Charlie Weasley's heart."
Charlie raised an eyebrow. He wanted to say something, but decided to wait on Minnie to explain. It took the longest time and he started to believe she wasn't going to say anything else. Finally, he looked at her and she seemed to be struggling with the words. She was choosing what she was going to say very carefully.
"Minnie knows where you heart lies. Your heart lies in Ingrid, but if you didn't have Ingrid, you would be where your heart is: in the desert with the dragons. Master needs to find his new dragon; that's where his soul is."
A/N: This is the shortest chapter I've ever written, but I wanted to get back to this story. Thanks for your patience. Rita.