The courting

Chapter 18. A great secret revealed

A/N prepare for fluff! 

Harry POV (Christmas Eve)

"Harry, how long do you intend to take?" I heard father ask.
"I am doing my hair, father, I will be finished soon!" I replied and pinned the last needle into my hair. 

I cleaned the upper part of my dress from the makeup-powder, and stood up from my chair. I held my gown in one hand while I went downstairs, so I wouldn't trip over it.
 We were going to a Christmas party at the place of Lady Brown. We had been invited (it seems it had always been so) and I was happy that it was just a party, and not a ball. 

I arrived downstairs and let my gown go. I had made my dress myself again. It was made out of a dark green/blue fabric and it was shoulder-free. I had made a big gown, because I loved the feeling of it billowing behind me. 

I wore my rings and no other jewelry, I found it too heavy for today. The other three were all wearing their robes and ready to go.
"Do we have everything?" I asked and put my wand into the holder on my lower leg. "Yes, we do. We are a little early, so..." mother was broken of by a knock on the door. 

"Fuck. I hope it isn't someone from the village that wants to say a happy Christmas." father said. Mother went to the door, father hated when one of us opened it when he didn't know who was coming, but if it was a villager, explaining fathers appearance would be hard.
We heard the knocking again, and mother opened the door slowly. 

I couldn't see much, mother was stopping my view. I could see a bit of his arm, he was muscular, and had some scars on his arm. He was as tall as Neville, maybe some inches smaller, and I thought I spotted a bit of red beard.
"Hello, Lord Prince, I am sorry for my sudden arrival, I wasn't able to inform you earlier. I am here to see my fiance, Neville Longbottom." 

Even when he was still talking, Neville started to run and push mother away. He threw himself around the neck of the stranger. 

"Charlie!" 

he cried and hugged the man. "Hello love." He gave Neville a peck and hugged him.
I knew it! (As did most of you, I feel so predictable! :'(   )
"Come in, Charlie and tell us a little bit about your time in Romania." I said and tried to pry Neville of his betrothed.
The older man grabbed his suitcase and entered the mansion. "KNUCKLY!" father called one of our house elves. "Make us some tea." The elf nodded and left. 

We sat down around the coffee table (I needed one whole loveseat with my dress!) and started asking Charlie questions.
"So, how is it going?" I asked.
"Good. The dragons are feeling the war, so they are forming little fight groups. Soon they will interfere, to save their own in Great Britain. I am hoping for you that you aren't holding any dragons in captivity." I shook my head.
Where should we even hide such a big creature?
Neville had snuggled into Charlie and his fiance wrapped his arms around him. 

"Gringotts once had one to watch the old vaults. He was stolen some days ago." father said and took a sip from his tea.
"Your grandmother is okay, she is taking her new surroundings well. Our house is full of little orphaned dragons, they even took over my bed." Neville giggled a little.
"I told you, grandmother attracts such things. I'm sorry for your bed, but you can sleep in mine." Neville said and looked up to Charlie. 

"Apropos together in one bed, how did you two meet?" I asked, because I couldn't stand how everybody was looking into the eyes of their partners, and I was here alone! Charlie looked at me and started:
"I am six years older than the twins, as you might know. So, for the most part of my childhood, it was only Bill and me. He was the oldest, the heir to our family. He was a wish-child, and perfect in every aspect of my family.
They intended for me to be a girl, but got a son instead. In their eyes, I was useless. When I was finally old enough to start learning, mother became pregnant again, with the twins, and my education was put on hold. 

"I studied for myself most of the time, interested in magical creatures. At Hogwarts I, again, stood in the shadow of my big brother:
He became head boy and had all the good grades. I needed to live up to that. And when I didn't, I lost even more support from my family.
I started to save money from the beginning of my third year, so I could go to Romania and study with dragons. And I searched for a way to separate myself from my unloving family. And I stumbled over a book over submissive families. 

"And so, at my seventeenth birthday, I stood in front of the doorstep of Neville's grandmother. She had never given the Lord title to her son, so I discussed the marriage contract between Neville and me with her.
My baby here was only eight at that time, so I contacted him again when he turned fifteen, and made him slowly fall for me." He gave Neville a peck and looked at me again. 

Now I realized. Molly and Arthur Weasley loved their children for different reasons: Bill was the heir, the twins (even though they disowned them) were successful businessmen, Ron was the 'friend' of Harry Potter, and Ginny was the girl Charlie wasn't. And Charlie wasn't loved.

"How long do you intend to stay?" mother asked. "Not too long. I will most likely leave in two days. I just came here to spend Christmas with my family." Charlie answered.
"The dragons are used to the people around them, that's why we don't take long vacations, so we don't irritate them. When a worker dies, dragons mourn, like humans. They are similar to us in many aspects. Do you remember the Triwizard tournament?" I nodded. 

"It was a torture for the poor dragons. Whoever thought that bringing brooding dragons into a completely new environment was a good idea must have a negative IQ. We worked three months until they were able to calm down. Thankfully they didn't kill a worker or another dragon." I had an idea who did it. Dumbledore. "
We need to get going, or Lady Brown will get angry." father said and we left the mansion.

A/N: Please tell me if you liked the chapter, and if you like NevillexCharlie. I tried to be original with the pairing, because everyone always puts him with Luna, Ginny, Blaise or Pansy. 

The picture is how I always imagined Charlie, maybe a little more muscly (Nor this nor any other pic in this fanfic is my own!)

MeineKeime