AN: I apologise for any mistranslation, please blame Google ;) But I do hope you are enjoying the story.
Draco was having a dream. A very, very nice dream...the sun was warm upon his face, something wet tickling his spine in a very pleasant way, and when he licked his lips, he could taste the sea. It has been many weeks since he had slept well, and it was a wondrous feeling. He was warm and comfortable, if only the mattress would stop moving...
His eyes shot open and he groaned softly, the sun bright in the room. His lips brushed something warm and soft, and he blinked the sleep away from his eyes to see his face was pressed into soft, golden skin. The sea that he tasted...what the-
He looked up swiftly, noticing he was pressed close into the wide chest of his sleeping companion, even his arm was wound around a firm belly, his long fingers flexing over burnt skin upon the man's side. Well fuck. He had never before slept the night through with someone in his bed, not to mention a man of Charlie's proportions. The redhead was certainly comfortable and warm, and Draco could hardly be blamed fully for their position when a heavy arm was looped tightly around his back, pulling him as close as possible into the warmth. It was a foreign sensation, but he found himself surprisingly enjoying it.
He gasped as the hand moved from his waist to his back and caressed the length of his spine. The redhead's eyes remained closed but it was obvious he was either just waking or already aware of their position. "Te simti bine in arme mele.." he said softly, his voice slightly hoarse from sleep. The language sounded foreign, heavy in accent to the blond, and he had no idea what Charlie said, but the rumbling tones made his spine tingle pleasurably.
"You know I have woken up to many things in my life. A dragon chasing my team, or a tree falling on my house for instance. But not once did I wake up to someone licking my ribs and mumbling about sea..." warm hazel eyes finally opened and were directed at the blond immediately, with light amusement, but no teasing or distaste.
Draco jumped out of the bed immediately, turning away from the man to hide his rosy cheeks. "I'll try to fight my way into the bathroom." he said, hastily grabbing a change of clothes and leaving the room before it got even more awkward.
Charlie watched him go, chuckling softly at his antics, not at all bothered. He had admittedly never been too bothered about personal space and the blond did feel nice in his arms. Perhaps for a moment, he did think it might have been Ivan in his arms, the lithe young man almost as light of frame as Draco. But it was not meant to be, and so he would waste no more thought on him. Instead he got out of bed and put on a few glamours over his tattoos so he could wear a short sleeve shirt.
The kitchen was already bustling with activity, Molly making stack after stack of pancakes, both blueberry and chocolate chip for all the slowly waking occupants of her home. Some, like Hermione or Harry, were already cheerfully eating while the others around the tables were still trying to pry their eyes open.
"Morning mama." he greeted and pressed a kiss to her cheek before grabbing a towering plate of blueberry pancakes from right under her nose with a cheeky wink.
"Oh you naughty boy, I was not finished with that plate!" he waved her spatula warningly.
"You complain when you know I will have seconds. Tsk tsk, never change mama." he winked and put a large dollop of butter on top of his stack.
"Your arteries must hate you." Draco drawled, taking a seat across from him. Charlie hid his smile by taking a sip from his strong black coffee. The sweet sleeping beauty was gone, and the Malfoy heir was back in the saddle with his sarcasm. So far, a fairly pleasant morning, he thought.
He was just about to dig into the delicious treat in front of him when the fireplace hissed, the flames turning green and a much familiar head appeared.
"Eva! Ce sa întâmplat?" he asked, rising from the table swiftly and moving towards the beautiful but frantic-looking woman.
"Director, avem nevoie de tine!Grăbește-te! Ou Zofia este de rupere!" she said hurriedly in fast Romanian, gesturing wildly. This is what he was worried about all along, the precious little one he was looking forward to was coming a little bit early.
Charlie nodded. "Voi fi acolo în curând, lasă conexiunea deschisă!" he called and she nodded, leaving the fire, but keeping the network open as commanded. Charlie pulled out his wand and swiftly summoned his thick leather trousers, switching his pyjamas for the protective attire with a flick of his wand.
"What is that matter Charlie dear?" Molly asked worriedly, and hurried to bring him his jacket as it was clear he was leaving.
"We have an egg situation. This could take hours, I will return as soon as I can." he said and grabbed the jacket, pressed a kiss to her cheek and picked up the small baby emergency kit he always carried around for situations like this.
A roar sounded through the open network, making everyone at the table jump. "DIRECTOOOR!" came Eva's frantic call that had Charlie running into the floo.
"Be careful son!" Molly called after him but the flames have returned to their orange glow before she even finished her sentence.
The whole room stayed quiet for a moment, some trying to comprehend what just happened with their sleepy minds, others looking at each other worriedly. One of those few was Bill, who exchanged a worried look with his dad. Since becoming a Senior Handler, and the second in command over the large team of medics and dragon riders, Charlie's job became much more dangerous and strenuous due to the responsibility. Perhaps that was the reason none of his relationships ever lasted, but Charlie knew that himself. Still, he would rather sacrifice his love life than give up caring for creatures so precious to this world. This caused much worry to his closest, but Bill knew none worried like their dad and himself.
He turned away from dad, only to notice Draco picking at his food, suddenly appearing to have lost his appetite. "He will be fine." he said softly, having a feeling the blond just might be worried for his brother. Perhaps he was right in his assumption that there was something between those two...
Draco looked around to see who he was talking to, before his piercing gaze focused on the man across from him. "What would I care? He looks to be able to take care of himself." he shrugged. But without realising it, Draco had given Bill an answer. With his heightened senses gained from Greyback's assault, he could smell lies well. And while playing at nonchalance, Draco did care, at least somewhat.
It was nearing dinnertime and there was no word from Charlie still. Molly was beginning to worry, as she distractedly chopped lettuce for a salad. "Oh!" she jumped slightly as she managed to cut her finger in a moment of inattention.
Arthur flicked his wand, closing the lightly bleeding wound immediately and pressed a kiss to her palm. "Your worry too much, Mollyblossom." he said gently, holding her close affectionately.
She sighed and leaned into her husband. "How can I not when my boy leads a life of danger? When will he settle down with a nice boy? It is about time, he is 24 after all! I just wish he was closer to home." she sighed.
Arthur chuckled softly. "He is his own man my love, and always has been. For now, you already have a grandchild who loves you very much. Focus on little Victoire and leave worrying about our son to Bill. If anyone, it would be him to reason with Charlie if the need arises." he reassured her and pressed a small kiss to her cheek, noticing movement behind the window. "Look, you have worried without a cause." he chuckled, as a large raven sat upon their windowsill and extended his leg towards Molly.
She immediately took it and unrolled the little scroll as Arthur offered the raven a piece of meat from the chopping board. A deep relieved sigh from his wife made him focus again and he looked at her smiling face. "Well?" he inquired.
"He will be home soon. And we will have one more guest at the house." she smiled. "He is bringing a newborn dragon yat again, this time only for a couple of days though. Apparently she needs to be transferred to the Welsh reserve." she put the scroll into her pocket and begun stirring the stew anew. "Go set the table please, he will surely be hungry!" she said and started humming to herself yet again.
Arthur smiled fondly at his wife's back. Everything was well with his Mollyblossom again, at least for the moment. He could not wait for dinner, it did smell delicious, as always...
Draco was reading in the window seat, trying to decide whether Milton or Dante had a better grasp on what Hell might look like. Were his parents in such a place right now? He sometimes wondered, in quiet moments like these, whether he truly was free of expectations laid upon him. One cannot escape their upbringing, and he knew that well. But what was really holding him back? The Manor had been in his family for generations, and while it was home when he was still a little boy, it would forever be tainted by evil in his eyes. He had nowhere to go, only a number of vaults filled with gold and shares in various companies around the world that held no interest to him. Perhaps he could start over, change the destiny of the Malfoy line...or let it die out as it deserved, his thoughts turning spiteful for a moment before he shook off the gloom and leaned back in his seat.
The door opened slowly and he turned to see Charlie walking in with measured steps, his large hands gently holding a bundle of furs. Their eyes met and the redhead pressed a finger to his lips, indicating for the blond to remain quiet as he gently placed the bundle upon the once more single bed. He turned around to close the door and flicked his wand, muttering what sounded like a silencing spell.
"Finally." he sighed tiredly and rolled his shoulder, the joints popping tiredly as he shrugged off his jacket.
Draco cleared his throat and raised his eyebrow inquiringly. "What is that?" he pointed at the furs.
Charlie chuckled tiredly. "That is not a what, it is a who. And SHE is a dragon newborn." he smiled, watching Draco's features subconsciously lighten as he came closer.
"Can I have a look?" he asked hesitantly.
Charlie smiled and nodded, motioning him closer as he opened the furs slightly. "It took me a while to get her to sleep, little menace." he chuckled and let the blond have a look.
"Oh she is precious!" Draco gasped at the sight. Inside the tan furs was a little curled up form of a dragon babe, not much bigger than a human child. Her scales were shiny and a stunning sapphire blue, true to her Opaleyes heritage. She huffed contently in her sleep, a little puff of white smoke leaving her nostrils.
"Mala kraska." Charlie smiled fondly at the little one.
"What does that mean?" Draco asked, leaning closer without realising, wanting to remember such a pretty sight for a long time. If there were such precious creatures in this world, there had to be some good left in all of them. He had always dreamt and read about dragons, as his name literally translated as one. They were scary, but powerful and beautiful nonetheless.
Charlie covered her back up and looked for something to transfigure into a cot or a crib for her. "It means 'little beauty' in one of the slavic languages of my friends.." he said distractedly and finally gave up, transfiguring the one chair in the room. "No sitting down at the table for us, unfortunately." he said, trying to think of how to place it so they would still have enough space to enlarge the bed.
Draco noticed his intentions and retrieved his book from the window seat, before putting the chair in front of it. "Here, I can always read downstairs or in the garden. She needs her own space." he said, a small albeit honest smile softening his features.
Charlie paused a moment, just looking at the change in the blond, before motioning for him to step back. The chair rattled a little before slowly turning into an ornate wooden crib that would suit the little princess. He placed her inside with the furs curled around her tightly to keep her warm with the added heating charms, and set an alarm to warn him when she would wake. "We may be in for a long night. Are you alright to stay? I am sure there would be someone willing to switch up for a couple of nights." he offered, but Draco was already shaking his head.
"It's fine, I do not mind. I just hope she won't mind me around." he said in a moment of honesty. "What is her name?" he asked.
Charlie chuckled. "Well, that is another thing I wanted to ask you. What would you like to name her?" he asked with a grin.
Draco looked at him startle. "You want me to NAME her?!" he asked, too delightfully shocked to be careful with his expressions.
Charlie nodded. "As the Senior handler, the choice of name is usually mine, but I think this is a much better about it. You will be the only 'Dragon' to ever pull off naming another dragon." he grinned cheekily. "It's just too unique to pass up if you ask me."
"Thank you!" Draco smiled once more and surprisingly hugged the man briefly before standing above the crib to look at the newborn more closely in contemplation. "Can I call her any name?" he asked.
Charlie nodded. "There is only one condition. It has to either begin with a C, or a Z."
"Is there a reason for that?" Draco asked curiously.
"Those are the initials of her parents names, mother Zofia and father Cerberus. It is how we keep track of the bloodlines within each breed." explained to the redhead.
Draco nodded and looked down at the beautiful little girl, happily puffing away, the little bit of smoke forming small clouds that swiftly vanished. For now they were white as steam and she was cute, but one day she will be a strong dragon lady that would make even dragon gentlemen tremble at her power. She deserved a strong name... "Does origin matter?" he asked.
Charlie smiled, Draco was really taking this seriously, and so he should. Naming a dragon was serious business. "Over the past years I have named about 20 newborns, and I prefer classical and powerful names, because they are such regal creatures. Greek, Roman, Phoenician, or pre-medieval Anglo-Saxon." he suggested as a pointer.
Draco nodded and thought of all the beautiful names he knew, trying to picture the little sleeping newborn as a powerful beauty breathing fire. "Do you already have Celosia? It means 'burning'." he asked.
The redhead chuckled and nodded. "One of the first dragon ladies I named. She was but a few minutes old and already set fire to the whole stables. We were running half a mile there and back for water. You should see the menace now." he grinned cheekily.
Draco nodded and looked at her once more. She was just so beautiful with all the scales and the various tones of blue... "Callista. Because she is the most beautiful lady I have ever seen." he said with a firm nod.
Charlie smiled and wrote the name into the official paperwork, before signing his name at the bottom and stepping closer. "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. All the others at the reserve will envy her. But now, we need to finish the naming ritual." he took the blond's hand and gently placed both their index fingers onto her little forehead. "Now, say her name clearly and let my magic do the work." he guided and nodded to the blond.
Draco took a deep breath and thought of how beautiful the little girl is before clearly speaking the name 'Callista'. He felt a pulse of magic wrap around them as Charlie muttered a few word in latin before the room was quiet once more. Callista only stirred when she felt the magic and figetted slightly in the furs, but otherwise kept sleeping peacefully.
"There, it is done. You have just named a dragon." Charlie smiled at the blond, who was looking with so much pride at the precious bundle, almost as if he were the father himself.
"DINNER!" came Molly's voice from downstairs, interrupting the moment.
Charlie groaned and stretched his tired shoulders once more. "Come on, let's get some food before I fall asleep for a week." he joked. But he already knew that the sight of Draco smiling gently down at the precious dragon baby girl will not leave his mind anytime soon.