Ophelia hummed to herself as she studied the shelves of supplies a moment before grabbing a few things and packing them into a knapsack. She and Charlie were heading out to check on a few dragons on the far borders and then going outside of the sanctuary to see about a possible dragon attack on a farm, so wanted to make sure they were prepared for whatever could happen.
Though it had only been a few days since the storm, Ophelia felt as though it had been much longer. There was an easy familiarity to being with Charlie, though she supposed it could be because they had known each other for years as it was. Or maybe it was something else.
She spent every day going out in the field with him now, checking on the dragons and studying them. Then every evening they would spend hours talking or just reading together - he had a personal library that rivaled her own. Then she would fall asleep in his arms either at his cabin or hers.
Ophelia couldn't help but think this could possibly be the best time of her life. Working with dragons, learning how to run a reserve, and getting to do it all with an incredible man who, for some reason, seemed to care just as much for her as she did for him.
It was like something from a fairy tale or one of those muggle films. But here she was, living it. A soft smile came over her face as she thought of him and how she fit perfectly in his arms.
She heard footsteps behind her and started chuckling.
"Och, thought I told ye I didnae need help. I can pack a supply bag by now," she scoffed, figuring Charlie was getting impatient to get out to his dragons even though they had agreed to leave in about 30 or 45 minutes.
"Just getting my own gear," a feminine voice replied.
Ophelia spun around, her eyes wide as she saw Adara walking into the shed, pulling her own knapsack off one shoulder.
"Ah, I see," Ophelia said curtly before turning around and getting back to her work.
Truthfully, after everything that had happened, Ophelia had been avoiding the woman, still angry that she had attempted to sabotage her and Charlie. It was something that hadn't gone completely unnoticed by some of the other tamers, though they were thankfully too polite to ask about it. They hadn't been shy when it came to asking about her and Charlie, though Ophelia was of the mind that it hadn't been that obvious. She still wasn't one for public displays of affection and was getting used to the fact that Charlie enjoyed sneaking kisses here and there. Always found some way to touch her.
"So... how are you? We haven't really gotten a chance to catch up much the last few days," Adara said casually, glancing at Ophelia. "Seems you've been a bit busy... not spending much time in the mess hall for dinner and all."
"I'm fine," Ophelia said brusquely. Adara nodded.
"And Flint? Saw you got another letter from him yesterday," she continued. Ophelia huffed and turned to the older woman, who was wearing a look of innocence, though Ophelia knew better.
"I know what ye're tryin' to do and ye might as well give up," Ophelia said bluntly. Adara's eyes widened.
"I don't know what-"
"Och, ye do. Ye're tryin' to get in between me and Charlie and it's no gonna work," Ophelia said, scowling at her. "And rather childish, if ye ask me."
She then turned back to her work, though she noticed Adara's eyes narrowing.
"You think you're so special," Adara said, her voice now cold as ice.
Ophelia looked over at her, slightly surprised at the sudden change. It was almost as though an entirely different woman was standing before her. The smile was gone and instead there was a dark scowl across her face.
"But you're not. You're just like all the others. It'll be all hot and heavy for a few weeks, but then once you're gone, he won't even give you a second thought. And then he'll be back with me. He always comes back to me," she spat. Adara leaned closer, a smirk appearing on her face. "Enjoy it while it lasts. Because soon you'll be back in England. And Charlie will be here. With me."
She then straightened up and sauntered out of the shed, leaving a stunned Ophelia with her mouth gaping. She then turned back to collecting supplies, fuming as she thought over Adara's words.
"Definitely dinnae think I'm special," she muttered under her breath.
She continued grumbling to herself as she finished up and then slung her knapsack over her shoulder. As she turned to leave the shed, she stopped as a small bit of worry crept in.
Ophelia knew it was ridiculous. Charlie had made it clear that he didn't do casual relationships and that he was serious about them. And that Adara was just lashing out in any way she could from jealousy. He hadn't felt anything about her for years. But even though Ophelia knew all this, it was working. She couldn't help but worry - yet again - that it was true, and that Charlie was just using her.
Not to mention, there was no denying that Adara was an attractive woman. Far more attractive than Ophelia, she couldn't help but think.
"No, Ophelia. Ye're bein' daft. Ye and Charlie talked about this already," she scolded herself. "Ye trust Charlie."
She did trust Charlie. But why on earth was she now standing here in the damn supply shed, worrying that everything was coming to an end in less than two weeks?
Ophelia groaned to herself and then shook her head, determined not to let Adara come in between her and Charlie again as she stepped out of the shed. But then she stopped again, frowning. Looking down at her watch, she noticed that she still had about 30 minutes before they were set to head out.
That was long enough for her to get a pep talk. And she knew exactly who would get her sorted and out of her head. Her twin had proven over the years that he could set Ophelia straight in all manner of things, whether it was freaking out over an exam or something with work.
She quickly headed back to her cabin and went to the floo. He would definitely be up, though she hoped that Oliver hadn't left yet for the gym at Puddlemere Stadium.
"Oliver!" she shouted into the fireplace after tossing a handful of floo powder. It only took a few seconds for his face to appear in the embers.
"What is it? Was about to leave for the stadium," he said, a look of concern on his face.
"Oh, I'm fine. Nothing dangerous, just... I need ye to tell me I'm bein' dafty," she said. Oliver's concern turned into a frown.
"What the hell are ye talkin' about, Phillie?" he asked.
It was then that she remembered that she had yet to tell Oliver or Duncan about her and Charlie. Her eyes widened as she realized just how big a mistake she was about to make. Why didn't she think to floo Daria instead?
"Oh, now that I think about it, I'm fine," she said, hoping she sounded casual. "It's just a wee thing..."
"Phillie, what's goin' on? Are ye okay?" Oliver asked, now worried even more. Crap, Ophelia thought. He wasn't going to let it go now. "Duncan! Get over here! Somethin's wrong with Phillie."
"Oh shite," she muttered as she dropped her head into her hands. What the hell was Duncan doing at Oliver's at this time in the morning?
"Oi, Phillie, you ready?"
Ophelia turned her head, seeing Charlie walking into the cabin with an easy grin and his own knapsack over his shoulder. She then whipped it around to the fireplace, seeing Duncan's face appear next to Oliver's in the flames.
"What's going on, Phillie?" Duncan asked sternly. "Who's there with ye?"
"Oh, nothin'! Gotta go!" she shouted cheerfully, trying to scramble to her feet and shove Charlie out the door.
"Duncan! Mate! How are you doing?" Charlie asked brightly as he stepped over to the fireplace and peered down into it. Ophelia groaned again.
"I'd be a lot better if I ken what was goin' on with my sister," Duncan said, undeterred.
Charlie looked at Ophelia with wide eyes and then back at the two brothers, taking a deep breath.
"Well... we knew we'd have to tell you eventually. Just didn't think you'd figured something was going on this soon," he said with a nervous laugh.
Ophelia immediately shook her head, trying to signal to Charlie to shut up. This is most definitely not how she wanted to tell her brothers.
"WILL SOMEONE TELL US WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOIN' ON?!" Duncan shouted, causing Ophelia to jump. She looked down at her brother's face, clearly seeing the vein popping in his forehead.
Oliver didn't look any happier.
"Charlie and I are dating!" Ophelia shouted quickly, figuring it was best to get it out of the way. Like pulling off a plaster. Quick and easy.
The room filled with silence as the two of them stared down at the flaming faces of her brothers. Oliver looked stunned while Duncan seemed to have shut down completely, his mouth opening and shutting like a fish. Ophelia glanced at Charlie, who offered her an encouraging smile as he reached over and took her hand.
"UNHAND MY SISTER, YE CAD!" Duncan shouted, roaring back to life.
"YE ARE FAR TOO OLD FOR HER!" Oliver chimed in. "YE SHOULD BE PROTECTIN' HER! NOT DATIN' HER!"
The couple stared down at the fireplace in amusement for a few moments as the two brothers began shouting insults and threats at Charlie, both of them threatening to leave for Romania immediately to come kick his arse. While this is what Ophelia expected, she had to admit it wasn't as bad with the two of them stuck in London and unable to physically hurt Charlie. Maybe it was best they found out this way.
Well, she wasn't sure either of them could hurt him at all, now that she thought about it. He was a fair bit bulkier though shorter.
"This is what you were talking about," Charlie said, looking over at Ophelia. She nodded. "Merlin, now I understand."
"WOULD YE LISTEN TO ME!" Duncan shouted, obviously offended that neither Charlie nor Ophelia seemed to be taking him seriously.
"Actually, I think you should calm down and listen to me," Charlie said evenly. Duncan sputtered a few times before Oliver smacked him on the back. "I care for Ophelia. Truly." He looked over at her, smiling. Ophelia felt her stomach do flip-flops. "Deeply." He then turned back to her brothers. "And I'm taking this very seriously, but if I'm being truthful, our relationship is none of your damn business."
Duncan's mouth dropped open as Ophelia snorted, and then attempted to cover her laughter. If there was anything to make this situation worse, it was likely laughing at her irate brother.
"But for what it's worth, you both know I'm not the sort to run around breaking hearts. I'll be good to her, I promise," Charlie vowed, squeezing her hand. Emboldened, Ophelia smirked down at her brothers' stunned faces.
"Now as wonderful as this has been, Charlie and I need to get to work. Love ye toads," Ophelia said, standing and pulling Charlie up with her.
He started towards the door, but Ophelia stopped him, pulling him back as she grinned. Charlie raised his eyebrows in question, but Ophelia only pulled him closer, kissing him.
"Where did ye go? Phillie, are ye still there?" Duncan shouted. "Get back here! I'm no done! Ye best not be snoggin'! CHARLIE, DO NOT SNOG MY LITTLE SISTER!"
Charlie broke the kiss with a laugh and rolled his eyes.
"Let's get out of here," he said. "Reckon they'll keep on for an hour if we let them."
"Please," Ophelia begged.
Charlie glanced over at Ophelia as they walked down the trail. She was smiling softly as she looked up into the sky, watching a couple dragons as they flew overhead.
"So, ehm, just why did you contact your brothers this morning?" he asked. "Take it you were not intending to tell them about us."
Ophelia looked over at him and sighed before turning her focus back to the trail.
"Well... so while I was gettin' supplies, I ran into Adara and she had a few words to share with me," she admitted, her cheeks turning pink. She saw Charlie frown out of the corner of her eye.
"What did she do?" he asked, his voice angry.
"Oh, it's nothin' to get all worked up about," Ophelia said, tightly gripping the straps of her knapsack as she looked at the ground.
She was rather embarrassed to admit that she allowed Adara to get to her. Enough that she had contacted her brother.
"Just... she said it wouldnae last and that once I left ye'd forget about me and go back to her. Ye always go back to her..." she said, stuttering a bit.
"Fuck's sake," Charlie muttered.
"And I know that it's no true. I do trust ye, just... had a moment of weakness and needed to talk to someone. So flooed Oliver, forgettin' I hadnae told him yet. And then apparently Duncan was there - though I've no idea why," Ophelia said, rushing through the story.
She heard Charlie sigh and then his heavy footsteps stopped. She stopped as well, looking over at him. A soft smile was on his face as he reached out for her and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her.
"I don't want this to end when you go back to England," he said firmly.
"I ken," Ophelia said, burying her face in his shirt as she breathed in his scent.
"And I'm definitely never going back to Adara," he added. Ophelia looked up at him. "Of that you can be absolutely certain. You, Ophelia Grace Wood, are stuck with me for the time being." Ophelia chuckled.
"Ye sure about that, Charles Septimus Weasley?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at you. "Ye sure ye want to deal with my brothers?"
Charlie laughed loudly as he tightened his grip on her waist.
"Phillie, if I haven't learned to handle them by now, then we would have been doomed from the beginning," he said. "Besides, I'm far too smitten with you to back out now. It's you, barmy brothers and all."
Ophelia grinned as she went up on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly.
"Good. Now, I think we've some dragons that need tendin'," she said, turning to start down the trail again, though she still tightly held Charlie's hand.
"Ah, yes. That we do."
Ophelia opened her eyes after Charlie had apparated them, looking around the small, hillside farm. The house was quaint with a stream of smoke rising from the chimney.
"So, they've seen a dragon?" Ophelia asked, looking up at Charlie.
"They think that one's been getting into their livestock. Need to check in on it. See if it's one of ours or another," Charlie said, already walking up the path to the front door, Ophelia trotting to keep up with him.
"Does that happen often?" Ophelia asked.
"Not usually, though it's happened on occasion. We've got a rather large spread of land for the dragons to use with plenty of game. Shouldn't be any reason for them to venture outside that for food," Charlie said. "But this area doesn't tend to get a lot of dragon activity, so if it isn't one of ours, then we should tag and watch it regardless."
Ophelia nodded as they stopped in front of the door and Charlie knocked. It opened to reveal a middle-aged man who began speaking in rapid Romanian, looking relieved to see them. Ophelia's eyes widened as she looked at Charlie, though he responded easily in the foreign language. They went back and forth a few times before the man stepped out and motioned for them to follow him.
"What's goin' on?" Ophelia asked, looking up at him.
"Said he lost two goats over a span of three days," Charlie said as the man led them around to a barn.
Ophelia frowned, going through her knowledge of dragons as Charlie looked around the landscape.
"Where are we exactly?" she asked.
"We're up in the Carpathian Alps. Fair ways outside the sanctuary," he said.
"Might be dealin' with a juvenile - dare say a full-grown dragon would take a lot more than just two goats," Ophelia said.
"That's what I was thinking," Charlie said as he stepped up to observe the damage to the barn door.
The man spoke again, gesturing towards the barn and then up the slope into the forest. Charlie nodded and looked into the trees then back at the door. Ophelia bent down, sticking her fingers into the marks as Charlie continued talking with the man. Soon enough the two were shaking hands as Ophelia straightened up and Charlie turned towards the slope again.
"Fairly certain that it's young and injured," Charlie said. "Somewhere in that direction."
"Since it's come back twice?" Ophelia asked.
Charlie nodded and then started walking, pulling his wand out. Ophelia quickly did the same, easily keeping up with him.
"It's got a small hunting radius," Charlie said.
"I think it's Romanian Longhorn. Did the farmer get a good look at it?" she asked. Charlie raised an eyebrow at her.
"No, not really. Heard it more than anything. What makes you say that?" he asked.
"The marks. Didnae look as though they were all claw marks. Probably gouged it open with its horns," Ophelia said. Charlie smiled as he turned back to the slope.
"I'd ask if you want to bet on it, but I'd rather not bet against you," he said.
Ophelia chuckled, shaking her head as she scanned their surroundings. They were now into the forest, the farm becoming smaller behind them.
"Ye think it's nestin' this close to the farm?" she asked.
"Doubt it. Probably farther up in the mountain. I don't see a lot of disturbances around here, so it's flying at least," Charlie said, looking around. "Looks like we're getting a bit of a hike in today."
Ophelia just nodded, resolve in her eyes as she started up the slope again.
A couple hours later, they were much higher into the mountain and Ophelia was starting to get a bit winded. They had yet to find the dragon, but were seeing more broken branches, signifying that something large had been in the area. Though she couldn't tell how long ago.
She stopped and scanned the forest around her, looking for a cave or some sort of hole where a young dragon might be burrowing.
"Phillie," Charlie said urgently, his voice quiet.
She stopped and looked over at him, his gaze fixed farther up the slope. She followed it, seeing a small clearing in front of a cave entrance. It didn't look that large and a stream of smoke was coming out of the opening.
"Ye think that's it?" she asked.
"Only one way to find out," he replied. "Follow me. Be as quiet as you can and be prepared to stun it. If it's injured, it could be rather nasty. If it's young or severely injured, then we can probably take it down the two of us, but if not, I'll need to call for backup."
"Got it," she said, nodding.
They slowly made their way towards the clearing, Ophelia's heart pounding. While she was now used to being around dragons, this was different. They were approaching a pure wild dragon that could be injured.
Charlie put his arm out to stop her as they reached the edge of the clearing, both of them peering into the cave. They saw a young Longhorn lying there, gnawing on a bone. Its horns were still on the small side with one sawed off towards the root. Or at least, Ophelia thought it was young, but there was no way to tell as it was nearly skin and bones with obvious signs of abuse.
"Dear gods," she murmured, taken aback by the sight.
"Poachers. They like to take the horns. Though reckon he's a fighter if he got away," Charlie replied.
"How are we goin' to get it back to the reserve?" she asked.
"Stun it," he said, studying the beast. "At least I think we can with only two of us. Just need to be quick about it."
"What if we cannae?" Ophelia asked. Charlie looked over at her, a lopsided grin on his face.
"Just need a bit more confidence," he replied. He then took a deep breath and turned back to the clearing. "Ready?"
"Aye," she said.
They both lifted their wands and on the count of three, both shot stunning spells at the dragon. As soon as they hit, it reared up, a loud roar erupting from its throat. It then leveled its eyes at the two and began flapping its wings.
Though it was young and malnourished, it was still a decent size dragon.
"Again, Phillie!" Charlie shouted.
Ophelia began shooting spell after spell at the dragon, though it only roared more and started charging for them. Charlie shoved her out of the way, managing to dodge the dragon as it roared past them. She hit the ground hard, but immediately rolled over and hopped back up to her feet as the dragon whirled back around, its glittery eyes fixed on her. It was now blocking her from Charlie.
For a moment she froze, forgetting just what it was that she should do. She shot another stunning spell which bounced off its horn. The dragon roared again, and Ophelia knew she was only angering it more.
"Fuck, think, Ophelia," she muttered to herself as she began backing up.
She then noticed that its eyes were fixed on her. If she aimed right, she could hit it straight in the eye with a spell as its skin was proving too thick to bust. Just as it reared up again to charge, she shot the spell and watched as it hit the dragon as planned. The dragon stopped, dropping to all fours as it shook its head. It looked back at her and then slowly lowered itself to the ground, its eyes drooping closed.
Ophelia breathed a bit heavily as she stared at it, almost not completely believing that it worked.
"Are you hurt?" Charlie asked, rushing up to her side. She looked over at him as he quickly looked her over.
"Just a few bumps, but I'm fine," she replied. "Ye're hurt." He had a few small scratches on his face.
He then started grinning down at her.
"That was brilliant," he said, hugging her before he turned and made his way to the now sleeping dragon. "I think we can get it back now. Looks like the poachers did a number on him."
"Is he goin' to be okay?" Ophelia asked, walking up to his side as he bent down.
"Should be able to get him fixed up," he said, turning to smile at her. "All thanks to you." Ophelia blushed slightly.
"Come on, let's get him back to the sanctuary..."
I can't lie, I LOVED writing the floo scene with Duncan and Oliver. I was cackling as I wrote it, just imagining the look on their faces. Baby sister has a new boyfriend and it happens to be your best friend from school. As I've well established, Duncan is very much the overprotective old brother. Oliver to a bit of an extent, but not nearly as bad.
I love those sibling dynamics...