Charlie waves his wand, packing his bags for the Burrow. He didn't mean to leave his packing until last minute but he's been pulling doubles all week to make up for the week he'll be gone; by the time he gets home, all he wants to do is fall face first into his bed and sleep. When the last of his clothes and gifts are packed, he sends them ahead.
His portkey won't arrive for another half hour, so he takes the time to make him a cup of hot chocolate. He has just enough time to take a sip of his drink and sit down when a Patronus comes through his door. It's a shimmering blue tigress that leaps forward before curling around Charlie's feet. The Patronus doesn't have to say anything for Charlie to know something is wrong at the Reserve. He sets his cup down and Apparates.
When he appears, the Reserve is in chaos. There are several dragons flying in the open, above the small town the Reserve inhabits. He curses. So much for making the portkey on time.
He shivers as the wind blows around him. The snowfall is whipping around furiously. And all Charlie can think is that he should've put on his jacket. He puts that thought aside and summons a broom to him.
He can see several Tamers firing spells to keep the dragons, somewhat, contained. He spots Zoelie's blonde hair from the crowd of Tamers. He speeds off to fly next to her. "How can I help?" he shouts over the wind.
Zoelie's eyes never strays from dragons in from of her. "Make sure they don't fly higher than they are," she shouts back.
He nods his understanding. He spots a few Tamers who aren't firing off spells. One by one, he sends them above the dragons. Together, they cast a shield charm to keep the dragons from flying higher. The dragons break through their charms multiple times, but the Tamers firing off distraction spells catch their attention before any dragon can fly off.
It takes several hours before they manage to get the five dragons back behind the second gate of gate six.
Charlie touches down as one of the Fireballs' Tamers shut the inner gate. As soon as he dismounts, he feels the cold. The adrenaline had kept him warm, but now he shivers as the wind refuses to let up.
Zoelie touches down next to him, and shakes her head. Snow falls from her hair. She sags in relief. "Didn't you think to bring a jacket?" she asks when she notices him shiver.
"Nope," he replies. "How much damage was done?"
She points her wand at him and murmurs a spell. Charlie feels warmth spread through his body. He really needs to remember that spell.
"The dragons didn't harm anyone but the Tamers. There's a few of the building that need a little remodeling since the dragons demolished parts of the buildings," she says.
"It could've been worse," Charlie replies.
She hums her agreement. "But you should go on and get home. Your holidays started a few hours ago. We can handle the aftermath of this."
He curses. "Now I have to Apparate because there's no way I'm Floo-ing." He presses a kiss to her cheek. "I'll see you after the New Year! Enjoy your Christmas!"
"You too!" is the last thing he hears before he Apparates away.
When he appears just outside of the Burrow, he leans over and waits for the wave of nausea to pass. When he stands, he notices the cold creeping back into his body. He curses at the realization that he left his coat at home.
He tramples through the layer of snow as he heads for the door. He doesn't bother with knocking. His mother is in the kitchen, cooking as usual. The moment the door opens, she stops what she is doing and gives him a tight hug. He sighs as he hugs her back. He truly misses the Burrow when he's away.
"Your stuff arrived hours ago and you didn't come with the portkey," Molly says. She puts her hand on her hip as she awaits his explanation.
"Some trainee left ones of the gates open," he says. "A few of the dragons escaped, so we had to get them back into their area before any harm could come."
Her eyes soften as she looks him over. "You didn't get hurt, did you?" she asks.
He shakes his head. "I'm fine, mum." He looks towards the living room. "Who else is here?"
"Just Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Hermione," Molly says. "Your father and Percy are still at work. George is supposed to be here any minute. Bill and Fleur won't be coming until Christmas, though. Victoire caught a cold and they are trying to get rid of it."
He grins at the mention of his niece. Then he asks his mum, "Do you want any help?"
Molly smiles back at him and pats his cheek. "I would love some."
Molly motions towards the pans on the stove and Charlie nods his head. Since the war ended, he made a promise with himself that he will come home for Christmas. He needs to see his family more often, more than just the letters he writes occasionally.
He hums while he helps his mum cook, thinking he misses a great deal when he doesn't come home.
A/n - written for the Fanfic Tournament. Also for family bootcamp, obviously, with the prompt: snow.