✔️ 𝐔𝐍𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃 → 𝑐.𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

21 | W E A K N E S S

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  "YOU'RE MAKING ME weak!"

   Charlie had risked his head to get Ana's lifeless body out of the danger zone, after a streak of purple flames had hit her straight in the back, but as he dragged her into the shelter of the solid thick walls framing the courtyard, her eyes had snapped open and they did pierce all but grateful into his, gleaming like embers.

   "I saved you the second time this night, how about a thank you, Charlie, instead of always complaining?", he scoffed, irritation replacing his surprise about this sudden awakening. This curse should have sent her into unconsciousness for days! Letting go of her, so she ungracefully slid back to the floor.

   "I didn't ask to be saved!", she hissed at him, and as she got back to her feet, immediately her whole magnificent aura was restored, as a wind caught her long hair, underlining the power that seemed to errupt from her in pulsating waves. "I didn't ask for you to come to my forest and I didn't ask to care! Leave me alone, Charlie! Save your own neck, it's more fragile than mine."

   "Comparing the times I had been knocked out by Death Eater's lately, I would reconsider this statement", Charlie dryly retorted, watching Ana getting angrier, her nervousness grew when Rosie drew another screech of agony, and he shoved all I f his unsolved mixes of emotions aside. "I will help you", Charlie then said. "But you'll only murder them, if it is absolutely necessary!"

   "The necessity of this is subjective", Ana muttered, but she seemed to decide that there was no time to discuss the conditions of this collaboration. "Fine", she finally said. "I will put the fear of death into their bones — totally without killing them, of course", she added with her eyes rolling, "and you'll free Rosie. Take her away from here as far as you could."

   Charlie silently disagreed with the last part of Ana's instructions, though he nodded in agreement, tightening his fist around his wand, as he watched the world's most feared witch walk into the battle once more to free a creature others would have wished to see it dying. The way she walked was even sending shivers down his spine, though he knew he was on her good side — if something like that even existed. She was gleaming like planet Mars, and indeed she could easily be mistaken for a goddess of war, while Charlie knew better. He'd known it from the very start, maybe even before he had sat a toe into her dark forests of Transilvania.

   Anastasia Voinescu wasn't evil, not at all. They just had told her long enough for her to believe it herself. But if those people had been able to change an innocent girl into something the world refers to as a monster, Charlie would dig through all her layers of fear and insecurities to bring her good sides fully back to the surface.

   He watched her magical aura enlightening the night, and those Death Eaters still brave and stupid enough to stand their ground against her, backed away in fear as she neared them like a lioness would corner its prey.

   It wasn't easy to take his eyes off of her, and he was well aware that it wasn't only given to her incredible powers he was left in awe like this when it came to the young Romanian woman. It wasn't him drawn to the dangers she radiated, not like Tonks had argued not so long ago. There was more ...

   He pointed his wand at the silver rope still holding the dragon by its ankle, firing a spell at it, but nothing happened. Charlie tried everything that came to his mind, but the string didn't even flicker, and frustrated he shot spell after spell at it, not even caring about what was going on around him, knowing that Ana was backing him, and he didn't even think about doubting it for the split of a second.

   The ground underneath his feet quaked. A glance over his shoulder bespoke to him that the giants were coming dangerously closer. With a desperate growl he fired another spell — and to his surprise, this time it didn't remain effectless. The rope started to gleam, shining in ruby red light, slowly wandering up towards the dragon.

   But Charlie trailed its way down towards its origin, finding Ana's petite hands placed upon the no longer silver string, her magic slowly  having it crumbling under her touch, until it broke. Rosie roared, rising higher into the sky, and not a second too soon, as a giants bludgeon missed the dragon only by about two feet — which was, considering their enormous hight, not as much as it sounded.

   "They're alive, I swear", said Ana, and Charlie spotted the Death Eater's behind her back, as she walked towards him, all stacked to a pile of black hooded figures. "They're just having a nap." Charlie blinked at her and she tilted her head. "What?"

   The corners of his mouth about to curve into a grin, Charlie flinched when Rosie's fire illuminated the sky above them, as she was fighting the giants that tried to make it further towards the castle, bringing its remaining solid walls to fall. Obviously, the whole situation became far to hot for the giants, and with a last swing of their weapons at the dragon, they finally decided to leave the battlefield, heading back to the forest.

   "Tom won't be amused about this", Ana snorted a chuckle, before she whistled quietly, and, to Charlie's big surprise, Rosie landed in the courtyard, blinking down at Ana. "Good girl", the latter said, walking over to her dragon, petting Rosie's calf. The dragon lowered her back to the ground, and Ana climbed up.

   "You're leaving?", Charlie asked, and though he knew it would happen, he felt the painful sting of disappointment in his chest.

   Ana cocked an eyebrow at him. "See, this has just becom personal, you know?", she then said. "They attacked my dragon. They attacked me." Her red eyes burned into Charlie's soul. "They attacked you." Rosie's back was still lowered, even after Ana had already taken her graceful position in the crook of the dragon's neck. "What now?", Ana then asked, stretching out her hand. "Are you coming with me, or what?"

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