the marriage stone (Discontinued)

Chapter 48 Wolf at the Door

Charlie watched Draco as the others left the infirmary. There was a strange pensive gleam in Draco's eyes as he stared at the retreating form of his father. When the door finally closed, the young man turned that blue gaze on him; it was filled with anger, with hurt, and somewhere deep down a desperate hope that somehow Charlie could make this all right. Seeing that look Charlie knew he had a small window of opportunity here to set their future to a course they could both be happy with. No more tricks or machinations, no more knee-jerk reactions to grab what he wanted before someone stole it away. He had to speak from the heart or break something fragile and possibly irreparable.

He pulled a chair up to the edge of the bed where Draco was sitting, and sat down in front of the young man. His mother had always told him that the truth was the only sure path in any relationship, and considering her long years of marriage, he had to guess she knew what she was talking about. He searched for words and found to his surprise that he already knew what he wanted to say.

"When I was twelve years old a fortune-teller told me that I would one day marry a Dragon who was about to be devoured by a wolf," Charlie began. Something flickered in Draco's eyes, but he remained silent.

"Of course," Charlie continued with a wry smile. "At the time I took the prophecy quite literally and found the whole idea a bit gross - marrying a fire breathing lizard wouldn't appeal to most people. Eventually I realized that she was probably speaking metaphorically. And then I met you and I knew you were the Dragon. And thanks to your father's intervention you were literally about to be devoured by a werewolf."

Draco paled at that, but still he remained silent, listening closely to Charlie's words. Charlie let his gaze move over the young man's form, noting the tense shoulders, the paleness of his cheeks, the bitter frown on his lips. But mostly he saw the lonely confusion in his eyes.

"I asked myself how could I save you," Charlie told him softly. "My family has no means to overcome the Malfoy or Black Conscriptus. Even if you had not been promised to Sirius, your father would never consider me a suitable match. And then the thought struck me that if you were going to be literally devoured by a werewolf, why not simply turn you literally into a Dragon."

Draco stiffened at that, his features tightening as his anger returned. His fist clenched, and he turned his head away either in shame or fury, Charlie did not know which. Impulsively Charlie reached out and covered one of his hands with his own, and while the fist did not unclench, Draco also did not pull his hand away from his touch. He took some heart in that.

"But the reality is, Draco, that the fortune was never meant to be taken literally. You are not a Dragon, despite that gold around your neck. And as coincidental as the situation with Remus Lupin is, he is not the wolf that threatens to devour you. There is a wolf at your door, Draco, a dark and terrible wolf that will eat you alive. Even your father can see it, and in his own strange way he was trying to save you from it by marrying you to Sirius."

Draco had grown still at these words, and looked back at him, his eyes wary. "You mean the Dark Lord," he whispered, sounding both frightened and accusing all at the same time.

But Charlie shook his head. "No, I don't."

Draco blinked in shock at that, confusion filling his face. That was obviously not the answer he was expecting.

Charlie sighed and squeezed Draco's hand once before releasing it. He stood up and paced slowly at the foot of the bed as he tried to find the words to explain what he meant. "A lot of things could happen in the next few years, Draco," he said softly. "This war may drag on for decades with huge losses on both sides. Voldemort might win and kill or enslave all his enemies. Our side might win and kill or imprison all the Death Eaters. Or maybe both sides will completely destroy the world, and nobody will win. But regardless of the outcome of the war, that wolf will still devour you."