Chance

"Amoung the notable things about fire is that it also requires oxygen to burn - exactly like its enemy, life. Thereby are life and flames so often compared."

- Otto Weininger

What meaning does the word repair hold? The dictionary says it is the act of restoring to a good or sound condition after damage or decay. Not all things can be repaired, and those that can, are never exactly the same. For there is always a hint of imperfection lying just beneath the initial surface.

One month. That's how long Mai Taniyama had been working for the eccentric European known as George Weasley.

One month. That's all it took to convince herself that he was insane.

"Romania?" Mai asked, watching George dart about the store, packing items on to shelves and rearranging them.

"Yep," he said, pouring food into the Pygmy Puffs' cage. He poked at them, making them coo, as they crowded around the food bowl. "Two weeks. Your summer vacation is coming up. Why not come with me?"

"What exactly inspired this idea?" Mai asked wairily.

"I was watching this Muggle movie the other day," he said, locking the doors. "Something about dragon training and hiccups, when I thought about what having a dragon would be like. Of course, it's really impossible because dragon owning is illegal. So I came up with this!" he pulled a small marble out of his pocket. Mai walked over, cupping her hands as he dropped it in her palm.

The marble turned out to be an egg. Shiny black, like it was polished to shine, it looked like a tiny piece of the night sky cut into a stone.

"What is it?" she asked, examining it carefully.

"It's a prototype Delux Dragon," George said, Summoning a notebook. He flipped through the pages and showed a diagram of a dragon to her. "When it hatches, it'll be about three or four inches long, and about two inches wide, five if you count the wingspan."

"What breed would it be?" Mai asked, handing it back to him gently.

"It's not an actual breed. This one'll be one of a kind." he said, pocketing it. "It's based off the dragon from the movie. They called it a Night Fury."

"So why Romania?" she asked, holding on to his arm as they prepared to Apparate.

POP!

One squeezing sensation later, they stood inside Mai's living room.

"My brother Charlie, lives in Romania," George continued, not missing a beat. "He works with dragons. I could get a chance to make some notes and you could have a nice educational vacation. Whaddya say?"

Mai contemplated this for a moment.

"Alright,"

POP! Mai Apparated outside George's apartment that weekend, dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and carrying a suitcase. She knocked twice and waited. And waited. And waited. And she waited some more. She knocked again. Silence. No rustling behind the door. No approaching footsteps. Knock! Knock! She rapped on the door with her fist, frowning.

"Fine then," she muttered under her breath. "Let him be that way. Alohamora!" she pointed her wand at the lock and the door swung open.

Mai stepped in quietly, sneakers padding softly on the wooden floors. She stepped onto a plush, ruby-colored rug with golden tassles and the image of a lion. A plaque hung over the fireplace, shining in the dying embers. She pointed her wand at the grate and moved closer as a warm fire roared to life. It was unusually cold for summer. Her carmel brown eyes focused on the engraved words.

You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart

"Gryffindor?" Mai whispered, looking at all the red and gold decorations around the room. A battered broomstick and Beater's bat were suspended in a case on the mantle, displayed for all to see. A slew of pictures were pinned to a board on the wall near a window. Mai walked closer, pulling the curtains open to allow the light in.

A plump woman stood next a balding man in one picture, waving at them happily. A beautiful woman with a round stomach and silvery blond hair beamed at them, holding the hand of a scarred red headed man. Another held a picture of a stocky ginger headed man with burn marks on his arm, holding another red haired man with glasses in a headlock. The fourth picture was a group photo of two red heads, a boy and a girl, standing with a black haired man Mai recognized as Harry Potter, and a girl with bushy brown hair and a nice smile. There were no pictures of George on the board.

Mai moved to the bookshelf. It covered the entire wall, filled with books on magic, fairy tale books, and all sorts of magical creatures. She ran her fingers over them, a bit surprised that George even read.

Her eyes landed on a door that stood ajar, soft snores and mumbles floating to her.

"He's still asleep?" she asked irritably. She picked her suitcase back up and walked in, sighing at the sight that met her.

George lay in bed, curled up under the blankets. Orange hair peeked out of the top of the pile and a freckled foot poked out of the bottom.

"No! Fred!" he cried, thrashing violently.

"Who's Fred?" Mai mumbled, moving closer.

"NO! Don't make me eat the waffle!" Mai sweat dropped. "I don't - yuck! I hate cinnamon!"

Mai rolled her eyes at her boss's dream and prodded him with her wand.

"Wake up," she ordered, only to find a wand pressed to her throat.

"Move and die." George growled, glaring at Mai with unfocused blue eyes.

"W-weasley-senpai," she stuttered fearfully. He seemed to focus on her face.

"Mai-chan?" he asked, then started. "Ah! I slept in!"

"You think?" Mai asked sarcastically, watching him jump around the room, throwing random articles of clothing in a suitcase. ("Was that a bowl of ramen?" "Maaaaybe.")

"All done!" George said triumphantly, preparing to Apparate.

"Uh, senpai?" Mai said, trying to stifle a nose bleed. "Please put some clothes on first."

George blinked and looked down at himself, dressed in broomstick patterned boxers. He twisted his bare torso around, looking for a pair of pants and a clean shirt.

"Heh heh," he said, shooing her out of the room. "As funny as it would be to pop in like this, my dignity is on the line. Well, what's left of it."

Mai stared as the door slammed shut behind her. This vacation would require some work.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Charlie asked, sitting on the ground. George and Mai sat on the bed where their Portkey had deposited them.

"You didn't tell him we were coming, did you?" Mai asked dryly.

"Nope!" George grinned, popping the 'p'.

A/N: An interesting fact for any Takashi Morinozuka, Portgas D. Ace, or Roy Mustang fans. Did you know Travis Willingham voices Monk/Bou-san/Takigawa in the English dub?

- Amyyyh, Aliinna, and Ayjah - thanks for Story Alerting!
- winglessangelsstillfly - thanks for Story Alerting and the Review!