The Red Dragon | Charlie Weasley

Chapter 8

"She is, uh," Josué begins, "a, uh, non-Magical person. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't do magic when she is nearby. We're trying not to give her a heart attack at the age of eighty-nine."

He gestures to the doors at the end of the hallway, "We'll be sleeping in her guest rooms."

The guest rooms are small, but each has two single beds. They have dinner prepared by Josué's grandmother and after they have eaten, Haela feels like they have to roll her to the casino if she has one more bite. After thanking Josué grandmother, they return to their rooms to change. Haela locks herself in the bathroom and reaches into the bag she brought.

The first location they'll visit in the city will be one of Andorran's underground wizarding casinos called 'The Siren'. The dress code is formal, so Haela pulls out a black, bodycon dress with matching heels. They're trying to get information about any black-market items related to dragons and tomorrow, they'll check out an underground bar. Josué said both locations might cater to people who want to do business that calls for smuggling rare items, among other things.

After she has squeezed herself into the dress, Haela does her hair and make-up with a few quick spells. She is grateful for her short haircut as she combs her fingers through it to model it the way she wants. Her wand is attached with its holder to Haela's thigh, and she has charmed the bandages around her arms so they won't be visible and attract unnecessary attention.

Once she has checked her cleavage is secure and she won't flash anyone with this neckline, Haela puts on the heels and after checking her outfit in the mirror one last time, she steps out into the hallway.

Charlie is waiting in the hallway, leaning against the wall. When Haela exits the bathroom, the man looks up and for a moment, he seems lost for words. His jaw is slack as Charlie's eyes roam up and down Haela's body, taking in the outfit.

"Are you trying to catch flies?" Haela asks with a sly smile which has Charlie promptly shut his mouth. Haela barks out a laugh and pats the man's shoulder as she walks past.

Popping her head in one of the bedrooms, Haela calls out: "Wheeler, Barrés, hurry a little, will you?"

She turns back to Charlie who has finally torn his gaze from Haela. The Dragonologist clears his throat and pulls up a dashing smile. The man is wearing a pair of black slacks and a deep red button-down shirt. The colour reminds Haela of her own jacket. His black suit jacket is folded over one of Charlie's arms and Haela notices his cufflinks are little, golden dragons. His hair is pulled into a messy bun, and a few strands of hair have come out to frame his face. When Haela meets the man's eyes, a little voice in the back of her mind comments about how the deep red of his shirt makes Charlie's piercing blue eyes stand out even more.

As their eyes meet, Haela feels her heart pick up its pace.

The moment is broken by Kadrick stepping into the hallway, busy buttoning the cuffs to his navy blue suit.

"How is it that you are ready before me, Peucag? Aren't women supposed to take double as long as men?" Kadrick says as he finishes the final one and looks up. The words seem to dry in his mouth and he whistles lowly as he takes in Haela's outfit, "Damn, Haela."

Haela rolls her eyes at the man, "I'm so out of your league."

Kadrick barks out a laugh and shakes his head fondly. He winks at her and remarks: "And of the completely wrong gender, that's an important detail we shouldn't overlook."

This gets them both laughing. Charlie is still leaning against the wall, not having said a word but his gaze burning on Haela's skin, and moments later, Josué steps into the hallway to complete their group. After Josué has told his grandmother they are heading out, he leads them to a square with an old church.

There are still tourists milling around the place and most of the food places around the square are packed. It's starting to get dark with the sun almost completely set and the square is illuminated by street lanterns and the fairy lights strung between the houses. On one side of the square, a crowd has gathered around a street act but the four of them walk past it without stopping.

Josué heads to the church but instead of the main entrance, Josué leads them around the old building to the back. They have to ascend a pair of stairs that leads to a dead-end, seedy back alley. Josué pulls out his wand and taps one of the stones twice before muttering something in Catalan.

For a moment, it seems like nothing will happen, but then the stones start moving inward. A small hole in the walls appears before it grows into a large archway. The display reminds Haela of the first time she visited Diagon Alley with Professor McGonagall when she was eleven years old and she learned she was a witch.

When the archway is large enough, Josué makes a move to enter but is stopped by a large man who seems to appear out of thin air. He's heavy-built and eyes the four of them with a hint of suspicion as he crosses his arms. Josué speaks with him for a few moments, but the man doesn't seem to plan on letting them enter as he keeps staring at Josué with a blank facial expression.

As Josué speaks in his language to the bouncer, the man's eyes move over to Haela who is standing behind Josué. When the woman notices the man's attention, Haela takes a step forward. She drapes an arm around Josué's shoulder and musters up a flirtatious smile. Josué freezes for a moment and glances at her from the corner of his eyes. Haela pushes her cleavage slightly forward and eyes the bouncer up and down.

Now, the bouncer certainly has more interest in Haela than whatever Josué is still going on about. With his eyes glued to Haela's cleavage, the bouncer nods before gesturing vaguely behind him and stepping aside. Haela sends him a bright smile before brushing past him and stepping over the threshold.

Josué, Kadrick, and Charlie follow her suit, and as they give off their coats, Haela huffs: "Men think of one thing and one thing only."

Kadrick laughs, "It got us inside without much trouble."

He turns to Josué and asks: "Right?"

Josué nods, "I'm bringing you along more often if it's this easy to enter one of the most exclusive underground casinos in the city. I wasn't sure if we would manage to enter, but you seem to be full of surprises."

Haela winks jokingly at the man before turning to Charlie who hasn't said a word since they left the house.

"Are you ready to gamble a little, Weasley?"