"You were in Slytherin? You're kidding!"
"What a Gryffindor-like thing to say, Charles"
Far from every Slytherin is a dark wizard or witch.
Some of them use their cunning to get cookies.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHARLIE DID NOT LIKE HOW MUCH POWER THIS WITCH HAD OVER HIM ALREADY. Only her smile made his stomach knot up in the most delicious way. His relief had been immediate when she confirmed that Rikin was just her friend and would never be more than that. They had been very close to each other during the day and Rikin would often wrap his arm around her which also made Charlie's stomach knot up - but in an uncomfortable way.
His emotions were not helped by the fact that she handled the Mira-situation well today and that she could so easily detect that the Horntail had been in pain. She obviously cared a great deal about the creatures that were so close to Charlie's heart in many ways.
Trouble. He was in trouble and he knew it would be worse as they sat by the bar, drinks in hands to get to know each other. And she looked stunning as well. Her lips stained red, stood out against her pale skin, as well as the black dress she was wearing. She had softened up her wild curls to soft waves and her blue eyes were sparkling in the dim lighting of the pub as she laughed and smiled between drinking. She was beautiful to look at. She had been beautiful when handling the dragons earlier as well, but then she had been covered in protective gear from head to toe.
Charlie was sure she was beautiful and radiant everywhere she went. He had to tear his eyes from her. It became too much for him to handle and he didn't want to stare for too long. He was sure she would not like that, so he looked at his hands that he was holding his tumbler with whiskey and watched the liquid inside for a moment before he dared to look at her again.
"So why dragons?" He asked and took a long drink of the whiskey. He wanted to know everything there was to know about this woman.
"I've always loved all kinds of creatures and I was sure that I wanted to become a magizoologist after school", she started and now she was looking down on her own glass instead. "I got that internship and went traveling for a few months. We went everywhere, searching for creatures thought to be extinct, exploring ruins where ancient creatures dwelled." She met his gaze again and Charlie felt his heart beat a little faster just because she did.
"When we were exploring the outback of Australia we stumbled upon a rouge Opaleye dragon. He was stunning but hungry", she laughed. "I almost became his meal because I was transfixed by how beautiful he was".
I know the feeling, Charlie thought to himself as he studied her face for the hundredth time.
"Some dragon handlers from the Opaleye reserve caught up with us and brought the dragon to the reserve. We were invited to have a look and I was just in love with the dragons and decided that I wanted to come back there after our expedition. And a few months later I got hired at the reserve and now I'm here", she finished her explanation with a grin that made her skin around the eyes wrinkle ever so slightly.
"How about you? How come you ended up here?" She asked.
"I got fascinated by dragons during my school years and I heard about a dragon sanctuary in Romania. It was between quidditch and dragons, but I chose dragons in the end and moved here a week after graduation. My mother was not thrilled about it. She's still against it actually", Charlie chuckled. "But I wouldn't want to trade my decision for all the galleons in the world".
"That's very brave", Jess complimented. The redhead looked down at his hands again to hide the fact that he was blushing ever so slightly.
"Maybe", he mumbled.
"Jess", Rikin suddenly appeared between them, swinging an arm around Jess' shoulders in his usual manner. "I'm abandoning you for a cute guy", he announced. "Sorry to break your heart this way, love - but I'll give you all the details in the morning", he said and gave her a kiss on the cheek which she quickly wiped away with the back of her hand.
"Oh no, whatever should I do now?" She asked sarcastically. "And I don't want any details, thank you very much", she added and pushed him away. Rikin was laughing and then turned his eyes to Charlie. "Thanks for the drink, Charlie. Take care of my girl", he added with a wink and then pinched Jess' cheek a little before skipping over to the man he just snogged and left the pub with him.
Jess rubbed her cheek. "Is he always this - eccentric?", Charlie asked.
"Worse, unless it's work, then he is very serious", she answered and turned back to Charlie. It was really a shame that Rikin didn't plan on staying. He did work really well, the little Charlie had seen at least, and by Amelia's reports as well.
The night progressed with Charlie and Jess continuously talking and getting to know each other. They talked about quidditch since Charlie had mentioned playing it. He got to know that her favourite team had been his sister's former team. He also got to know that she never played it at school but that her ex-boyfriend did. Then he got to know that her ex-boyfriend was the current keeper in Great Britain's national team - Rover Green.
He learned that she had been Head Girl even though she never held a prefect title previously to it. He learned that her father and brother were both muggles and that her mother was a witch who left the wizarding world to establish herself in the muggle world.
"So, what do they do for a living then?" He asked curiously. Jess had abandoned her tumbler of firewhiskey and now drank a beer instead.
"My mum is an equine veterinarian", she answered and laughed a little when she saw Charlie's confused face. "It's a sort of healer for horses", she explained once she realised that he had no idea what she was talking about.
"She met my father through her work, she got hired at his stables", she took another drink of her beer, humming a little at the taste. "He's a professional showjumper and trainer and represents Ireland on international competitions - my brother is following in his footsteps now. He has qualified for the world cup final actually - both of them have", she sounded really proud of her family and their success in the muggle world, even if he didn't know what 'showjumping' was or what you would do as a professional. Racing maybe? He had no idea but didn't want to seem like an idiot for asking. And 'world cup' sounded very impressing at least.
Even though he passed both his OWL's and NEWT's in muggle studies with top grades, he was still clueless of many things going on in the muggle world.
"Why did your mother leave the wizarding world?" He asked as his curiosity once again struck, but he regretted his question when he saw Jess' face curl up in a frown.
"She was marked as a blood traitor, so she fled and never looked back... well until she noticed that I was a witch as well. She will never admit it to my face, but I know she wanted me to be a squib so she could put magic behind her altogether", she drank deeply. "But I'm happy I am a witch. I love horses still and would probably make a good rider like my brother, but could you imagine a life without dragons?"
Her smile was back again. "No", Charlie admitted and shook his head. "No, I can't".
