((Oh, my lovely readers and reviewers! How I love you. Once again, thank you so much.
I really enjoyed writing this chapter. It was...wow. It was kind of draining to write, but I loved it. I'm actually pretty proud of this, so I hope you enjoy it. : ) Things are going to get pretty crazy/exciting from here on out. Here's where the actual action starts. So, without further delay...enjoy the chapter!))
The night following the first task was filled with Butterbeer and Firewhiskey. The Three Broomsticks witnessed a night that was even noisier than usual, as jubilant dragon keepers celebrated the success of their endeavor. The following morning (or, more accurately, afternoon) the keepers had assembled in Hogsmeade, and Disapparated to Romania. The following day had been sluggish and slow, as those keepers who had consumed a little too much Firewhiskey worked through their headaches. Now, months later, Shay was dealing with a different kind of headache – an injured Charlie Weasley.
It wasn't that Charlie was demanding or obnoxious as an invalid. Just that he was unconscious and, since he was the one running their little experiment, it left Shay with very little to do – Claire, with an evil look in her eye that Shay didn't quite understand, had assigned her to "look after Charlie," though what there was to do for someone who was unconscious Shay didn't quite know. But his roommate had been reassigned, sent off for special work at a different reserve, and Shay wasn't necessary to the function of this place. So a temporary reassignment had seemed to be in order.
At least, such had been Claire's excuse. Although now that Charlie was waking up for hours at a time, that excuse had lost some of its original strength.
Yet, Shay still found herself standing at Charlie's kitchen window, paying a delivery owl for The Daily Prophet. She yawned and squinted into the morning sun, barely glancing at the paper she tossed onto the table until she had the chance to pour two mugs of tea.
"Mornin'."
Shay turned from the counter to see Charlie, his hair sticking up on all ends, bleary-eyed. He'd dressed, but his shirt was on slightly crooked, and he was wearing neither socks nor shoes.
"You look like you had a losing fight with a hippogriff," she told him, setting the mug down in front of him. "Your hair is getting long."
"Is it?" Charlie ran a hand cautiously through his hair. "I hadn't noticed, next to the blood."
Shay winced – there had been an accident involving a young Norwegian Ridgeback, which had left Charlie with a wound at the back of his head, near his neck.
"I could cut it for you," she said, looking down into her half-empty mug. "That is…if you want."
"Yeah," Charlie replied after an uncomfortable pause. "Yeah, that sounds…er, that's good. Thanks."
Shay nodded and summoned a pair of scissors – she didn't trust herself to attempt this by magic, figuring she might accidentally chop off more than hair. Soon, the only sound was that of the scissors – strands of red hair fell, scattering the floor near Shay's feet.
"There we go," Shay said when she had finished, running her fingers through the recently-cut hair. "Much better, don't you…"
Charlie had grabbed her wrist, gently, his fingers wrapping entirely around it. Shay's breath caught, her mind caught. Only her pulse seemed to be working, and that in overtime. It was rushing so fast that she was very nearly dizzy. And now Charlie was standing, standing right in front of her, and she couldn't remember that happening at all…
Everything was confusing, and Shay didn't know where to look.
She opened her mouth, meaning to speak, but forgot what it was she had meant to say as Charlie brushed an errant strand of hair back behind her ear. Shay gulped, and was sure Charlie noticed…he was smirking.
"I…I don't…"
"Shh," Charlie said, his nose brushing against hers. Shay jumped, unaware that they had suddenly gotten so much closer. And then closer still. In a moment, before she could process anything that had happened until this point, Charlie Weasley was kissing her. His hands weren't soft. They had suffered too many burns, cuts, and callouses to ever be soft again. But they were gentle, one hand holding her close by the curve of her waist, the other in her hair just at the back of her head. Shay's hands had come up instinctively upon her surprise at their proximity, and so had been pressed against his chest at the beginning of this kiss. Only now did she have the presence od mind to slide one up, hesitantly, to rest where his neck met his shoulder. Like every silly novel, every stereotype of such a moment, Shay did not know how long the kiss had lasted. It could have been moments or minutes, hours or days. Time had stopped and rushed ahead, all at once. All she knew was that when they did, finally, end the kiss, Charlie was smiling.
In fact, she'd never seen his smile quite so broad.
She blushed and looked down, preparing for an awkward separation, preparing to stumble around the kitchen as if nothing had happened. This did not appear to be Charlie's plan. The hand that had simply held her waist was now pressed against her back, arm around her waist, holding her close. The other hand tugged gently at a curl that had been sitting on her shoulder just a moment ago. Charlie's forehead still rested against Shay's. She wasn't, it appeared, going anywhere.
"I'd say I'm sorry," he said softly. Shay could feel the leftover air from his breath skittering across her skin. "But I'm not."
She couldn't help but laugh. It was so typically Charlie.
"I'm not…not, either." She whispered.
"Good. Then I guess you won't mind if I do this?"
He kissed her again, quickly, on the lips. "or this?" On her neck, right by her ear. "Or this?" Her nose.
Shay, uncharacteristically, giggled.
"No," she said.
"Good. You have no idea how long I've been thinking about doing that."
Shay must have looked startled, because Charlie chuckled. "Don't tell me you didn't notice. I'm not exactly subtle. With anything."
"No, I noticed…I mean, I thought that…" Shay paused, pressing her lips together. She wrinkled her nose. "You're confusing me, Charlie Weasley."
Charlie laughed.
"Am I still on sick leave, then?"
Shay nodded, and Charlie threaded the fingers of one of his hands with those of one of hers, tugging her toward the small sitting room.
"Wait!" Shay laughed, giddy with adrenaline and confusion and the remnants of air shortage, "the mail."
"The mail," Charlie scoffed, "here we just share an important moment, and she's looking for the mail."
Shay laughed, snatched the envelopes and Prophet from the table, and then, still shyly, rejoined their hands.
"Life goes on," she said. Charlie rolled his eyes and led her to one of the wide, comfortable armchairs in front of his small fireplace. He sat, then tugged Shay onto his lap. With surprising grace, she fell into it. His arms were around his waist in a moment, his face (rather distractingly) pressed into her hair, against her neck. There was a featherlight kiss on the skin there, which sent goosebumps waving up her arms.
"I can't even open this," she whispered unsteadily.
"That was the idea."
Shay twisted around until she was facing Charlie. The look in his eyes made her suddenly shy again.
"Just let me read this," she said, finally smiling. "We have all the time in the world, after all."
"Fine," Charlie said, faking irritation as he rested his chin on her shoulder. His voice became suddenly low. "But you'll be lucky if I let you out of my sight for a moment, then."
Shay could hardly be held responsible for the silly grin that had taken its place across her face. She dutifully sorted through the letters in her hands, passing Charlie letters (which he ignored, stacking them loosely on the floor by the side of the chair) and opening her own. Cat's letter from Hogwarts caused her to stiffen.
"What is it?" Charlie asked. "Shay?"
She was trembling, she knew it, could feel it, but couldn't stop it. Unable to form the words, she passed the letter to Charlie. She knew he would find the line as quickly as she had.
"Cedric Diggory is dead. Harry Potter says You-Know Who is back, like before. Shay, I'm so scared." She knew the moment he'd found it. The letter had fallen to the ground, and he was scrambling to get his own letters without unseating Shay. Finally, with a mumbled curse, he gave up and summoned the letter into his hand. He read it quickly the first time through and then, again, more slowly.
"He's back," he said finally, voice hoarse. "It's actually happened."
The happiness that had been following them since the kiss was slowly giving way to a pressing, stifling fear. Shay, still hesitant on this new territory, leaned against Charlie, rested her head against his shoulder. Her fingers questioningly traced the line of his jaw, the skin of his cheek, as if unsure if they were really allowed there at all. Charlie's eyes closed, muscles relaxed. He leaned into the touch for the duration of a few breaths before catching her hand in his own. He traced circles against her skin with a calloused thumb. Shay could tell he was beating away fears, knew he'd lost family to the last Wizarding War. Two uncles, he'd told her once. He'd only been about nine, but he remembered it, remembered the unbearable sadness it had caused his mother.
'It'll be alright," she whispered, squeezing the fingers that entrapped her own. "Promise."
The "promise" made him smile.
"I hope you're right," he said, tipping his head to rest it against hers.
"Of course I am."
Struck by the heaviness of the fear and doubt, the leftover sadness, Shay raised her wand and summoned the feelings that had surrounded them after the kiss. Her "expecto patronum" was whispered, but the spell was no less strong. She could feel Charlie smile – her Patronus, which had once been a silvery lynx, was now much larger and much more reptilian. The dragon circled them once and then vanished through the window and into the sky.
"Promise," Shay repeated, closing her eyes and ignoring the hubbub arising from the reserve as more and more handlers finally got around to reading their Daily Prophets.
You-Know-who was back, Shay was sure. Charlie believed it, and Charlie knew Harry Potter. And Shay trusted Charlie.
You-Know-Who was back, and if things were going to be anything like she'd heard they'd been, before, there were going to be far less quiet, happy moments like this to enjoy.