(no subject)
Title: Marriage and other nightmares
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Charlie/Luna
Word Count: ~5800
Warnings: AU.
Summary: When Molly Weasley starts bugging Charlie to get married, Charlie turns to his good friend Luna for help.
Author Notes: Thank you to aigooism for the beta! Written for charlieficathon for rivertempest
There was nothing that annoyed Charlie Weasley more than his mother bugging him about getting married to a nice woman and settling down in some white picket fence life with several rug rats running around his feet.
It wasn't as though he didn't like women. His mother would have come around eventually if he hadn't liked women; after all, she'd been fine when Bill had come out as being gay. She wanted grandkids, of course, but she accepted the fact that Bill was in a happy, stable long term relationship. Charlie hadn't had one of those for almost five years. He'd had plenty of flings, plenty of short romances, but he hadn't yet met a woman he'd actually wanted to take home to meet his family. For one thing, his family tended to be a bit overwhelming for most women.
"No, I haven't met any nice women lately," Charlie said with a sigh. He'd explained to his mum plenty of times that life out on a dragon preserve tended to be harsh for most women. Out of his thirty odd co-workers, only three were women and two of them were happily married. "Met some nice dragons though."
It might have just been the flickering of the fire, but Charlie could have sworn that his mum glared at him. "Charlie, you know that I'm not the nagging type," his mum began.
Charlie coughed.
There it was again. The slight narrowing of his mum's eyes before she opened her mouth again. "I just want to see you happy," she explained. "You seem so lonely lately." She turned her head and seemed to speak with somebody. "Look, Charlie, I have to go, but promise me that you'll try to find somebody." She blew him a kiss and a stray ember hit the rug.
Charlie stepped on the ember before it could light up his entire rug. "I will," he told her as he doused the fire. The water hit the burning wood with a hiss and the entire room was filled with a smoky scent.
Leaning back in his chair, Charlie let his shoulders slump. It was ridiculous that even now, at the age of thirty-four, talking to his mum could be so exhausting. She meant well. He knew that, but there was really only so much he could take. He liked his job and very few women could put up with the demands that were put on him as a dragon handler. His jaw hardened as he remembered his previous girlfriend. Tamara had seemed understanding, but after two years, it had taken a toll on her.
"I'm sorry," she'd explained to him softly. "I just can't stand not seeing you for weeks on end... not knowing if you're lying dead somewhere, burnt to a crisp."
It had ended amicably, as relationships went, but every time Charlie tried to date after that, he couldn't help but see Tamara in the eyes of everybody else. A lot of the women couldn't seem to understand why he wanted such a dangerous job.
"It's not like you're an Auror," one particularly bright lass had told him. He hadn't seen her again after that first date.
Charlie supposed he couldn't blame them. After all, it was true. He wasn't an Auror. It wasn't like he was saving lives or that he was working with dangerous potions that would make the world a better place. He was just working with dragons. A small smile twitched his lips. They were magnificent creatures. One of his ex-girlfriends had insinuated that he had a bit of a thing for dragons. It was untrue, of course, but rumours did as they were wont to do and it spread like wildfire. Lately, Charlie found it a bit hard to talk to women without subtle or not-so-subtle enquiries into his career and questions about just how much did he like dragons.
He didn't mind it that much though. After all, he had a fantastic, exciting job (which was more than most people could say), some great friends and a loving (albeit annoying) family. He didn't need a girlfriend.
Charlie heaved a sigh as he flipped open his notebook and pencilled in some notes about the day. His mum was bound to realise sooner or later that he wasn't cut out for the same kind of life as Ron, Percy or the rest of the family. Ron was eight years younger than him and already, Hermione was heavily pregnant with their first child. Percy already had two kids and his wife was expecting their third. Even Ginny - his baby sister - had married and now had a young child. He'd thought that his mum should have been happy with all those grandkids, but obviously not.
"Sickle for your thoughts?"
Charlie jumped slightly as he looked up. Luna was looming over him with a pleasant grin.
"Actually," Luna said reflectively as she dug into her pockets, "I can only offer you a knut for your thoughts. I don't have any sickles on me at the moment." She handed him a bright shiny knut.
Charlie pocketed the knut. He'd learned long ago that it was easier to go along with Luna. Over the last couple of years, ever since she'd started working here, he'd amassed quite the collection of knuts and sickles. He'd left them all in a box underneath his bed with the plan of buying Luna dinner or drinks one day or something like that. "Just family matters," he said and offered her a tired smile. "The Fireball was being a bit antsy today, wasn't it?"
Luna nodded, her eyes wide. "I thought my robes would catch on fire."
Charlie grinned. His robes had been reduced to ash more than once. It had been embarrassing the first few times, but they were all used to it by now. The sight of a semi-naked person running across the field was less unique than most people would have imagined. They were trying to develop a fireproof material for robes, but so far, there had been very little success.
"Of course," Luna added, tilting her head, "it was very cold. A bit of fire would have been comforting."
"A bit might have been," Charlie agreed with a grin. He was beginning to cheer up. Talking to Luna always seemed to help him. "But I'd imagine it would have been a bit too toasty, don't you think?"
Luna shrugged as she leaned over and took a sip out of his drink.
Charlie snorted. She was always doing that as well. He could never have any sort of food or drink in front of him without Luna sneaking a chip or a gulp of his beer. "I thought you didn't like Muggle soft drinks."
Luna looked seriously at him. "The bubbles make my nose fizzy."
"Ah." Charlie still wasn't sure whether that meant she liked it or not, but at times, it really wasn't worth clarifying. Most of his other co-workers didn't seem to get along as well with Luna as he did. That wasn't to say that they didn't like her. Most of them thought she was odd but harmless. But they kept on being confused by what she said, and some of them seemed to be strangely protective of their plates at lunchtime.
Luna wrinkled her nose as she set the can of soft drink back on the table. "You're right though," she said sagely. "I do prefer tea."
Charlie couldn't help but feel rather pleased at that remark. He quite liked it when he managed to understand Luna's mind. There was definitely something peculiar about her, but it was a good kind of peculiar, rather than the horrifying kind of peculiar that Charlie experienced the last time somebody had gone crazy out on the dragon range. One of their fresh recruits, straight out of Hogwarts and keen as mustard, had gotten a little homesick. That was perfectly natural and they assumed it would pass until the kid had stripped naked and run out into the field singing at the top of his lungs. It was quite lucky his hide hadn't been scorched. Charlie had sent the kid on the next Portkey back home and strongly suggested to the recruiter back in London that they needed to rethink their recruitment methods.
"You look like you're thinking," Luna told him. "Is it a fun thought or one of those that skip and dance their way across your mind?"
Frankly, to Charlie, both those types of thoughts sounded like fun to him. His current thoughts seemed to be sinking in his mind, weighed down by his latest chat with his mother. "A bit more like an anchor, really," he muttered.
"That's unfortunate," Luna said. "Those thoughts can get stuck in the sea of your mind. You need to learn how to pull it up again."
Despite himself, Charlie found himself grinning. Talking to Luna was so easy. It was nothing like talking to his other co-workers. While he liked them, he could never seem to relax completely around them. In fact, last month, one of their newest dragon handlers had made the joke that they would make a perfect couple.
Charlie blinked and sat up straight. It was as thought a candle had suddenly been lit inside his mind. He suddenly had the perfect plan, with only one small catch. He looked over at Luna.
"I see you've figured out a way to pull up your anchor," Luna said happily.
"I might have," Charlie said carefully. "But I think I need your help."
Luna frowned. "It's a dangerous task delving into other people's minds. I'll need gloves."
"No, no," Charlie said hastily. "There'll be no delving necessary, but you know how I've mentioned that my mum's been asking whether I have a girlfriend or not. We're having a family reunion next month and I was wondering whether you could come with me." He bit down on his lip. This was a lot more awkward than what he'd imagined. "Not as my girlfriend, of course."
"Well, of course not," Luna agreed, with a small frown. "We're not dating."
It was going well so far so Charlie opened his mouth again. "But it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if my family thought that we were dating..." He trailed off.
Luna's eyes brightened. "So it's like we're in a play? I've always wanted to be in a play."
"Something like that," Charlie said.
"Excellent," Luna said cheerfully. She looked thoughtful. "Except if it has a sad ending. Some of my favourite plays are tragedies."
Charlie bit back a groan.
-^-
"I was thinking," Luna said slowly, the next night after dinner. Everybody else had retired early to bed; it had been one of those days. Charlie was thinking of going to sleep as well. Every muscle in his body was aching. Sometimes, he could swear that the dragons were just taunting them by making them run around in circles.
"Careful," Charlie teased. "You wouldn't want to strain yourself."
Luna nodded. "I did that once while I was hunting for Nargles. I had the most terrible headache. Turns out that they were telepathic."
Charlie laughed. "So what where you going to say?"
Luna perched on the edge of the chair. "I think that we need to go on a date."
"We what?" Charlie's eyes widened. He hadn't been on a date for such a long time. Besides, the last date he had been on was an unmitigated disaster. She was full of frippery and ribbons; they had absolutely nothing to talk about. He had spent the entire dinner making random remarks about the food, and there was really only so much he could say about pasta.
"We need to go on a date," Luna repeated. "You know, for practice. I still remember you telling me about how long it took you to get a handle of those healing spells."
Charlie cringed. "That's not the same thing," he protested. Just because the first healing spell he had tried managed to make the gash worse didn't mean anything. He had got much better since then. His healing spells actually worked now. Unfortunately, people still avoided him whenever they were injured. They claimed it was for their own protection. Charlie just shrugged it off.
"Practice makes perfect," Luna said cheerfully. She looked thoughtful for a second before shaking her head. "With a few obvious exceptions, of course."
Charlie frowned. It did make a certain amount of sense. After all, they wouldn't be able to fool any of the Weasley family if they didn't have practice. "Okay, then," he agreed. "But just dinner though." He could finally use all those knuts Luna had given him. There really was a surprisingly huge jar of them in his room.
Luna gave him a wide-eyed look. "I thought it was customary to get a good-night kiss on dates."
"But it won't be a real date," Charlie pointed out automatically, before his brain caught up with what she said. His mind was suddenly filled with the image of what it would be like to kiss Luna. She would fit perfectly in his arms, her lips soft against his, and right in the middle of everything, she'd probably make a remark about Nargles. Charlie's lips twitched. He had never really thought about her like that before. Sure, she was a woman, but she was also Luna. She was one of the few people who could make him laugh.
Luna waggled her finger in his face. "It is very important that we are realistic."
Charlie opened his mouth to point out that real relationships also included other things, but then he closed it again. Undoubtedly, Luna would want to try out those things too. All in the name of ensuring that they pulled this off successfully, of course. If he didn't know better, he would have thought that Luna had some sort of ulterior motive. "Dinner, tomorrow?"
"I thought that we could have a picnic," Luna suggested. "I'll bring the food."
"Okay," Charlie said, slightly nervously. He still remembered what happened last time Luna had brought food to a work event. Her food had tasted fine, but it had been oddly blue. She had claimed that the blueness added flavour and prevented stomach-aches, but Charlie doubted it. Blue chicken was just strange, and it had tasted like perfectly ordinary chicken to him. He didn't get indigestion from it, but that didn't prove anything. "Does it have to be blue this time?"
Luna frowned slightly. "But blue food aids the digestion. It's a well-known fact."
"I have a strong stomach," Charlie pointed out.
Luna reached over and patted his arm before standing up. "I must be getting back to my room before Nargles get into my supply of sweets." She grinned. "I often come back to find them nibbled on."
Charlie nodded and watched as she left the room, leaving behind her the faint sweetness of her perfume.
-^-
The food was an odd shade of pink, and the location left much to be desired as well. At least it wasn't boring, Charlie thought faintly as he resisted the urge to duck. Luna had set up a protective bubble in the middle of the dragon field, but for some reason only known to her, she had left the bubble transparent. So far, several dragons had swooped down at them. Thankfully, all of them had been kept at bay by the bubble, but Charlie didn't know how long that would last for.
"I'm excellent at casting bubble spells," Luna said matter-of-factly, when Charlie asked her. "They've never failed before. Well, except that one time, but other than that, they've never failed before."
Charlie didn't particularly want to ask her about that one time. He liked dragons. In fact, he loved dragons, but there was something rather unprotected about sitting in the middle of a field having a picnic while surrounded by them. "I don't suppose you'd mind if I cast one as well," he said faintly as he waved his wand. It couldn't hurt to strengthen the barrier. In fact, given some of the horrific injuries he had seen while working with dragons, he would have preferred to be behind the triple-reinforced shield they normally used.
Anybody else would have looked annoyed. Then again, nobody else would have actually brought him out here. But Luna simply nodded calmly and looked off into the distance. She took out her wand. "I think they can smell the food," she said as she twirled her wand.
The dragon that was making a beeline for the pink sandwiches swerved away and flapped off into the distance. "What'd you put in those sandwiches?" Charlie asked. He wouldn't have put it beyond her to have put some sort of dragon attractant in there.
"Ham and cheese," Luna said simply.
Charlie was surprised. He had expected something more bizarre, like perhaps pineapple and pepperoni sandwiches. Or maybe chocolate and ham. Or even something like potato salad sandwiches. Ham was just too ordinary.
"Of course, we can always transfigure them," Luna said mischievously.
Charlie picked one up and bit into it. It was surprisingly good for a simple ham and cheese sandwich. "Maybe not," he said.
Luna blinked. "Are you sure? I'm excellent at transfiguring chocolate sandwiches. Even the bread is made out of chocolate."
"Maybe for dessert," Charlie said, wrinkling his nose. He didn't really fancy eating something like that for a main course. "Will they be pink?"
Luna beamed. "You appreciate my theme."
Charlie coughed as he accidentally bit into an olive. He wasn't quite sure that appreciate was the right word. It was rather disconcerting seeing all that pink. He hadn't realised how much he tended to identify his food by colour rather than by shape or texture. It wasn't his fault that olives and grapes tended to look alike. Usually, it was pretty damn easy to tell them apart, but right now, they were both different shades of pink.
Luna handed him a grape.
"Thanks," Charlie said cautiously as he turned it over in his fingers. This was definitely a grape. He ate it very slowly.
"Why me?" Luna asked.
"Hmm?" Charlie said in alarm. He had been watching her build a small tower with her sandwiches.
Luna tilted her head. "Why'd you choose me for this game?"
Charlie wasn't quite sure that he'd call it a game. After all, it was his life. Then his mind caught up to what Luna had asked. "I'm not sure," he said. It was true. He wasn't sure. He could have gone with something else. It's not as though his mum was nagging him that much. She was just concerned about him; he knew that. It was getting on his nerves, but he knew she didn't mean anything by it.
"Perhaps you should find out?"
Charlie pursed his lips. Luna could make really perceptive comments. Actually, most of her comments were perceptive, but the majority of them required a lot of thought and a good pint of whiskey before he got them. "I asked you because you're my friend," he said finally.
Luna nodded and then beamed at him. "That's a good reason."
Charlie frowned. Somehow, he felt like he was missing something. With a sigh, he picked up another pink sandwich.
-^-
Charlie took a deep breath.
They had been chatting for almost five minutes, so it was just about time for his mum to ask him about his life. She had updated him on everybody else's life. It seemed that everybody else was either happily married or about to be happily married. It was rather sickening. It wasn't as though he wasn't glad for his brothers and Ginny. They were happy with their lives, just like he was happy with his. "I've been seeing somebody," he muttered.
His mum looked surprised.
"Luna Lovegood," Charlie elaborated when she didn't say anything.
The astonished look on her face melted into a warm smile. "That's wonderful!" his mum said happily as she clapped her hands. The fire flickered. "You'll be sure to bring her to the family lunch we have planned. I've always liked that girl. She would be a wonderful addition to our family!"
Charlie's eyes widened in alarm. Perhaps this wasn't such a great idea. His mum was obviously seeing him married off to Luna already.
His mum laughed. "Don't worry Charlie. I'm just kidding. I know you've only been dating for a week. I'm just happy for you. You've seemed ... lonely lately."
"You said that last time," Charlie muttered.
She rolled her eyes. Or at least, Charlie thought that she was rolling her eyes. It was always hard to tell when talking to people via the Floo Network. It could have just been a log shifting. "Forgive your old mum for being pleased that you're happier."
Charlie blinked. "I seem happier?"
His mum laughed. "You don't need to be embarrassed about it. She's a wonderful woman. Very pretty too."
"I'm not..." Charlie protested but the fire flickered and went out. He sighed. The Floo Network wasn't that good around here. His mind went to what his mum had just said. It was ridiculous, wasn't it? He wasn't happier than he was a week ago. And if he was, it was only because he was relieved that his mum had stopped bugging him about getting a girlfriend. That must have been it. It had nothing to do with Luna.
Sure, their so-called date had gone pretty well last week. The location had been a bit of a shock, but once Charlie got over that, he'd had a lot of fun. Then again, they were good friends, so Charlie would have been surprised if it had gone badly. His mind went back to the last words his mum had said. Luna was quite pretty, Charlie had to admit. She wasn't his usual type of woman. He generally preferred them with darker hair and curvier bodies, but there was a kind of slender, almost elfin charm about Luna. He suspected that at least some of that came from her behaviour, not just her physical appearance.
At times, Charlie looked at Luna and could almost imagine her as some sort of mythical creature, gliding over the grass, charming the dragons. At other times, she was just a normal person, prone to oddly amusing remarks, but still normal.
"Night!" one of his colleagues called over his shoulder as he walked to the door.
Charlie snapped out of his reverie to see the door shutting behind. "Night," he echoed to the empty room. He glanced at his watch. It really was time for him to be in bed anyway. They had a new dragon coming in the morning so he needed to be more alert than normal.
With a sigh, Charlie stood up, collected his things and left the room.
-^-
It was a stupid accident.
Charlie couldn't believe he'd hesitated that split second. If he had hesitated any longer, he would have had a huge burn down his leg. As it was, he managed to land on his hip - hard. The bump was beginning to balloon out and the damn thing hurt like all hell. "Shit," Charlie muttered as he limped back to the buildings. "Shit, shit, shit."
He normally had near perfect reflexes. But today, he was distracted. When he should have been watching where the dragon was, he was thinking about his so-called date with Luna and his conversation with his mum the previous night. And then, when Luna suddenly appeared in the corner of his eye, it had made him jump.
Of course, it was then the dragon decided to spew a wall of flame towards him.
Charlie sighed. It was typical, really. He'd gone years without any real injuries and as soon as he'd begun to think that he was never going to get any, this happened. Of course, the injury wasn't too bad. It was just probably going to be black and blue in the morning. His colleagues were probably going to pay him out though.
"How's the leg?"
Charlie stopped at the door to his bedroom and turned around. "I'll live."
Luna looked at him solemnly. "I'm glad."
Charlie chuckled and then hesitated. "I think I'm going to have a bit of a lie down."
Luna nodded.
"D'you think you could, maybe, help me into bed?" The words came out of him in a rush. If he'd said this to any other girl, Charlie knew that she'd take it as some kind of come-on. But this was Luna. Sure they were pretending to date, but first and foremost, she was his friend.
"Of course," Luna told him. She reached around him and opened the door. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
Charlie followed her inside. She closed the door behind him and then ducked underneath his arm to support him. Despite her slim frame, Charlie knew that Luna was strong. He could feel her muscles as she helped him towards the bed. He was about to climb under the covers - gingerly, as everything was beginning to ache - and then thank her, when Luna stopped him.
"You can't wear that to bed," she told him.
Charlie looked down at his dirty, grass-stained robes. He then looked over at the clean bed with its crisp sheets. "It's not ideal," he admitted. "But I can't really do anything else." He didn't want to admit it, but he suspected that it was going to take more out of him than what he had to get fully undressed.
"That won't do," Luna decided. Her eyes gleamed. "I'll have to help you."
"What?" Charlie spluttered, as he sat down abruptly on the bed. He winced as a shooting pain went through his leg. The mediwitch he had seen said that he was fine and just needed some rest. She'd wanted to give him something for the pain and to lessen the bump, but he decided that he was fine. He was really regretting that decision now.
"Don't argue," Luna advised. "I'm going to get you into bed."
Charlie found himself being pushed down until his head hit the pillow.
"Now, do you usually wear pyjamas?"
Charlie could feel his face flush. He usually slept in the nude, but he didn't want to tell her that. "They're in the wash," he lied.
"Then you'll have to do without for tonight," Luna said.
Charlie looked up at her. He could have sworn that she had an impish look on her face as she leaned over and began to unbutton his robes.
"Hey!" Charlie exclaimed as he struggled to sit up.
"Lie down," Luna told him. "Look, we're pretending to date. It's okay."
Charlie blinked rapidly. That didn't make a lot of sense to him, but that could have been the pain in his leg. People did say that pain could make you delirious. Luna's fingers hesitated as she unbuttoned the last few buttons.
"I never knew you had a tattoo," Luna said as she ran her fingers over his hipbone. The dragon flicked its tail at her in irritation and disappeared around to his back.
"It can be unfriendly," Charlie explained.
"All animals like me," Luna said sternly as her fingers stroked his skin.
Charlie gasped. Somehow, it felt as though her fingers had a direct line to his cock. He could feel his face flush as his cock twitched. Damn this was embarrassing. Luna was just trying to help him. He knew that. This was her way of being nice. He didn't have to go and get aroused from her stroking his dragon. His blush deepened, as Charlie realised what he had just thought.
"See?" Luna said happily. "It likes me."
Charlie looked down. It was true, he realised. The dragon had slowly emerged again and was now practically purring under Luna's caresses. "So it does," he said, his tone somewhat strangled.
"And I like it as well," Luna said as she bent over and kissed the dragon lightly on its head. Charlie almost expected her to ... well, he wasn't sure what he expected her to do, but he didn't expect her to just reach over and grab the blankets to pull them up to his chin.
"Uh, thanks," Charlie said, trying to keep his breathing even.
Luna grinned at him. "Don't let the Nargles bite," she said as she walked over to the door and opened it. With a flick of her wand, the light turned off. She stepped out into the brightly lit corridor and closed the door behind her leaving Charlie staring at the ceiling.
-^-
It was almost twenty-four hours later when Charlie knocked on Luna's door. He'd wanted to talk to her all day, but at first, he was at the infirmary getting that potion for his leg and then he couldn't find her. It was only now that everybody was getting ready for bed that he saw her disappearing into her room.
The door opened and Luna looked out at him. "Yes?"
Charlie swallowed. "I was thinking," he said hesitantly. "Maybe you'd like to come with me to this Weasley family reunion. As my date."
Luna blinked rapidly. "But you already asked me that," she pointed out.
Charlie could have kicked himself. That was a bad way of phrasing it. "Yes, but that wasn't ... real," he said.
"I know that."
Charlie took a deep breath. "I realised something last night," he began.
Luna raised an eyebrow.
"It wasn't that!" he said hurriedly. "Well, maybe it was, but is it a bad thing that I'm attracted to you?" Charlie resisted the urge to bang his head against the nearby wall. He was never very good at this. "The thing is... I like you."
"I like you too," Luna said simply. "We're friends, aren't we?"
"No, that's not what I meant," Charlie said.
Luna gave him a surprised look. "We're not friends?"
"Of course we're friends!" Charlie exclaimed. "What I meant is that I like you more than a friend. And I never realised until last night." It was true. Luna was the only person he really spent much time with and she was the person who could was guaranteed to make him laugh. He stared at Luna anxiously. There was a damn good reason why he didn't like this dating stuff. It was nerve-wracking.
Suddenly, she gave him an impish smile. "I like you too," she repeated.
Charlie looked at her. "You mean as a friend?"
Luna just winked at him and then grabbed his hands to drag him into the room. The door swung shut behind them.
-^-
It was rather strange to be walking into the Weasley family dinner with Luna beside him. It may have been what he had originally intended when he had come up with this crazy scheme, but somehow along the way, their fake relationship had become real. "I always liked this place," Luna murmured into his ear. "Much better now without the regular Death Eater attacks."
Charlie nodded. He couldn't disagree on that point. He didn't come back to the Burrow much nowadays, but deep down, it was still his home. There was something quiet about life on the dragon reserve, even though there were a lot of people. There was still nothing like the hustle and bustle of Weasley family reunions.
As they walked into the packed room, his mum came hurrying up to them and hugged them both. "It's wonderful to see both of you," she said happily. "I was afraid that you wouldn't make it in time for dinner."
"Sorry we were running late," Charlie said. "Our Portkey accidentally took us to Hogsmeade. We had to take brooms over."
"There have been problems with the Portkey network lately," Luna said calmly. "Goblins have gotten into the wiring."
His mum's lips twitched. "It's lovely to see you again, Luna. I was surprised when Charlie said he was bringing somebody home. He hasn't done that for years."
Charlie could have mentally slammed his head against a wall. He had forgotten that. He hadn't brought anybody home ever since his last serious relationship. He had only been dating Luna for a month, and that was including the fake part of their relationship. "Well, there's a good reason for that," he said slowly.
His mum looked at him expectantly.
Charlie cleared his throat. "We actually weren't dating originally."
"It was like a play," Luna said sagely. "I've always thought that I would make an excellent actor." She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed Charlie on the cheek.
Charlie curled his arm around her waist and waited for the explosion from his mum. She always hated it when he lied to her. Back when he was five, he ate the last biscuit from the biscuit tin and lied about it. She had been furious. When he decided to be a dragon handler without telling her, she hadn't talked to him for weeks.
To his surprise, his mum just laughed. "I know you better than you think, Charlie Weasley," she told him. "Don't think you can fool me so easily. I knew that from the start." She smiled at Luna. "But I always thought that you two would make a great couple if Charlie here just gave it a shot. I'm glad that it worked out well."
Luna grinned back. "I thought so too," she said mildly.
Charlie stared at both of them. Several of their co-workers had also expressed similar sentiments.
His mum laughed again and patted his shoulder. "Yes, Charlie can be a bit oblivious at times to his feelings."
Luna nodded. "Male Nargles can be like that sometimes. This is why the female Nargle has to build an elaborate nest to entice the male along. I wrote a very detailed paper last year on the mating habits of Nargles. I tried to submit it to academic journals, but they wouldn't accept it. You should read it though."
Charlie was amused to see his mother shaking with laughter. Luna really did do some odd things in her spare time. "You'll be good for him," she finally managed to get out, as she wiped her eyes. "Make sure you two take good care of each other. I do worry about you, out there near all those dangerous dragons."
"You don't need to worry," Charlie said. "It's quite safe. Far safer than being an Auror nowadays."
There was a rather indignant 'Oi!' from somewhere in the room. His mum just shook her head at him and bustled off to talk to one of his brothers.
"Dragons are very friendly," Luna agreed as she turned to him. "But it can be a bit dangerous when they try to give you a full body hug."
Charlie laughed and pulled her in for a kiss.
-fin
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Charlie/Luna
Word Count: ~5800
Warnings: AU.
Summary: When Molly Weasley starts bugging Charlie to get married, Charlie turns to his good friend Luna for help.
Author Notes: Thank you to aigooism for the beta! Written for charlieficathon for rivertempest
There was nothing that annoyed Charlie Weasley more than his mother bugging him about getting married to a nice woman and settling down in some white picket fence life with several rug rats running around his feet.
It wasn't as though he didn't like women. His mother would have come around eventually if he hadn't liked women; after all, she'd been fine when Bill had come out as being gay. She wanted grandkids, of course, but she accepted the fact that Bill was in a happy, stable long term relationship. Charlie hadn't had one of those for almost five years. He'd had plenty of flings, plenty of short romances, but he hadn't yet met a woman he'd actually wanted to take home to meet his family. For one thing, his family tended to be a bit overwhelming for most women.
"No, I haven't met any nice women lately," Charlie said with a sigh. He'd explained to his mum plenty of times that life out on a dragon preserve tended to be harsh for most women. Out of his thirty odd co-workers, only three were women and two of them were happily married. "Met some nice dragons though."
It might have just been the flickering of the fire, but Charlie could have sworn that his mum glared at him. "Charlie, you know that I'm not the nagging type," his mum began.
Charlie coughed.
There it was again. The slight narrowing of his mum's eyes before she opened her mouth again. "I just want to see you happy," she explained. "You seem so lonely lately." She turned her head and seemed to speak with somebody. "Look, Charlie, I have to go, but promise me that you'll try to find somebody." She blew him a kiss and a stray ember hit the rug.
Charlie stepped on the ember before it could light up his entire rug. "I will," he told her as he doused the fire. The water hit the burning wood with a hiss and the entire room was filled with a smoky scent.
Leaning back in his chair, Charlie let his shoulders slump. It was ridiculous that even now, at the age of thirty-four, talking to his mum could be so exhausting. She meant well. He knew that, but there was really only so much he could take. He liked his job and very few women could put up with the demands that were put on him as a dragon handler. His jaw hardened as he remembered his previous girlfriend. Tamara had seemed understanding, but after two years, it had taken a toll on her.
"I'm sorry," she'd explained to him softly. "I just can't stand not seeing you for weeks on end... not knowing if you're lying dead somewhere, burnt to a crisp."
It had ended amicably, as relationships went, but every time Charlie tried to date after that, he couldn't help but see Tamara in the eyes of everybody else. A lot of the women couldn't seem to understand why he wanted such a dangerous job.
"It's not like you're an Auror," one particularly bright lass had told him. He hadn't seen her again after that first date.
Charlie supposed he couldn't blame them. After all, it was true. He wasn't an Auror. It wasn't like he was saving lives or that he was working with dangerous potions that would make the world a better place. He was just working with dragons. A small smile twitched his lips. They were magnificent creatures. One of his ex-girlfriends had insinuated that he had a bit of a thing for dragons. It was untrue, of course, but rumours did as they were wont to do and it spread like wildfire. Lately, Charlie found it a bit hard to talk to women without subtle or not-so-subtle enquiries into his career and questions about just how much did he like dragons.
He didn't mind it that much though. After all, he had a fantastic, exciting job (which was more than most people could say), some great friends and a loving (albeit annoying) family. He didn't need a girlfriend.
Charlie heaved a sigh as he flipped open his notebook and pencilled in some notes about the day. His mum was bound to realise sooner or later that he wasn't cut out for the same kind of life as Ron, Percy or the rest of the family. Ron was eight years younger than him and already, Hermione was heavily pregnant with their first child. Percy already had two kids and his wife was expecting their third. Even Ginny - his baby sister - had married and now had a young child. He'd thought that his mum should have been happy with all those grandkids, but obviously not.
"Sickle for your thoughts?"
Charlie jumped slightly as he looked up. Luna was looming over him with a pleasant grin.
"Actually," Luna said reflectively as she dug into her pockets, "I can only offer you a knut for your thoughts. I don't have any sickles on me at the moment." She handed him a bright shiny knut.
Charlie pocketed the knut. He'd learned long ago that it was easier to go along with Luna. Over the last couple of years, ever since she'd started working here, he'd amassed quite the collection of knuts and sickles. He'd left them all in a box underneath his bed with the plan of buying Luna dinner or drinks one day or something like that. "Just family matters," he said and offered her a tired smile. "The Fireball was being a bit antsy today, wasn't it?"
Luna nodded, her eyes wide. "I thought my robes would catch on fire."
Charlie grinned. His robes had been reduced to ash more than once. It had been embarrassing the first few times, but they were all used to it by now. The sight of a semi-naked person running across the field was less unique than most people would have imagined. They were trying to develop a fireproof material for robes, but so far, there had been very little success.
"Of course," Luna added, tilting her head, "it was very cold. A bit of fire would have been comforting."
"A bit might have been," Charlie agreed with a grin. He was beginning to cheer up. Talking to Luna always seemed to help him. "But I'd imagine it would have been a bit too toasty, don't you think?"
Luna shrugged as she leaned over and took a sip out of his drink.
Charlie snorted. She was always doing that as well. He could never have any sort of food or drink in front of him without Luna sneaking a chip or a gulp of his beer. "I thought you didn't like Muggle soft drinks."
Luna looked seriously at him. "The bubbles make my nose fizzy."
"Ah." Charlie still wasn't sure whether that meant she liked it or not, but at times, it really wasn't worth clarifying. Most of his other co-workers didn't seem to get along as well with Luna as he did. That wasn't to say that they didn't like her. Most of them thought she was odd but harmless. But they kept on being confused by what she said, and some of them seemed to be strangely protective of their plates at lunchtime.
Luna wrinkled her nose as she set the can of soft drink back on the table. "You're right though," she said sagely. "I do prefer tea."
Charlie couldn't help but feel rather pleased at that remark. He quite liked it when he managed to understand Luna's mind. There was definitely something peculiar about her, but it was a good kind of peculiar, rather than the horrifying kind of peculiar that Charlie experienced the last time somebody had gone crazy out on the dragon range. One of their fresh recruits, straight out of Hogwarts and keen as mustard, had gotten a little homesick. That was perfectly natural and they assumed it would pass until the kid had stripped naked and run out into the field singing at the top of his lungs. It was quite lucky his hide hadn't been scorched. Charlie had sent the kid on the next Portkey back home and strongly suggested to the recruiter back in London that they needed to rethink their recruitment methods.
"You look like you're thinking," Luna told him. "Is it a fun thought or one of those that skip and dance their way across your mind?"
Frankly, to Charlie, both those types of thoughts sounded like fun to him. His current thoughts seemed to be sinking in his mind, weighed down by his latest chat with his mother. "A bit more like an anchor, really," he muttered.
"That's unfortunate," Luna said. "Those thoughts can get stuck in the sea of your mind. You need to learn how to pull it up again."
Despite himself, Charlie found himself grinning. Talking to Luna was so easy. It was nothing like talking to his other co-workers. While he liked them, he could never seem to relax completely around them. In fact, last month, one of their newest dragon handlers had made the joke that they would make a perfect couple.
Charlie blinked and sat up straight. It was as thought a candle had suddenly been lit inside his mind. He suddenly had the perfect plan, with only one small catch. He looked over at Luna.
"I see you've figured out a way to pull up your anchor," Luna said happily.
"I might have," Charlie said carefully. "But I think I need your help."
Luna frowned. "It's a dangerous task delving into other people's minds. I'll need gloves."
"No, no," Charlie said hastily. "There'll be no delving necessary, but you know how I've mentioned that my mum's been asking whether I have a girlfriend or not. We're having a family reunion next month and I was wondering whether you could come with me." He bit down on his lip. This was a lot more awkward than what he'd imagined. "Not as my girlfriend, of course."
"Well, of course not," Luna agreed, with a small frown. "We're not dating."
It was going well so far so Charlie opened his mouth again. "But it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if my family thought that we were dating..." He trailed off.
Luna's eyes brightened. "So it's like we're in a play? I've always wanted to be in a play."
"Something like that," Charlie said.
"Excellent," Luna said cheerfully. She looked thoughtful. "Except if it has a sad ending. Some of my favourite plays are tragedies."
Charlie bit back a groan.
-^-
"I was thinking," Luna said slowly, the next night after dinner. Everybody else had retired early to bed; it had been one of those days. Charlie was thinking of going to sleep as well. Every muscle in his body was aching. Sometimes, he could swear that the dragons were just taunting them by making them run around in circles.
"Careful," Charlie teased. "You wouldn't want to strain yourself."
Luna nodded. "I did that once while I was hunting for Nargles. I had the most terrible headache. Turns out that they were telepathic."
Charlie laughed. "So what where you going to say?"
Luna perched on the edge of the chair. "I think that we need to go on a date."
"We what?" Charlie's eyes widened. He hadn't been on a date for such a long time. Besides, the last date he had been on was an unmitigated disaster. She was full of frippery and ribbons; they had absolutely nothing to talk about. He had spent the entire dinner making random remarks about the food, and there was really only so much he could say about pasta.
"We need to go on a date," Luna repeated. "You know, for practice. I still remember you telling me about how long it took you to get a handle of those healing spells."
Charlie cringed. "That's not the same thing," he protested. Just because the first healing spell he had tried managed to make the gash worse didn't mean anything. He had got much better since then. His healing spells actually worked now. Unfortunately, people still avoided him whenever they were injured. They claimed it was for their own protection. Charlie just shrugged it off.
"Practice makes perfect," Luna said cheerfully. She looked thoughtful for a second before shaking her head. "With a few obvious exceptions, of course."
Charlie frowned. It did make a certain amount of sense. After all, they wouldn't be able to fool any of the Weasley family if they didn't have practice. "Okay, then," he agreed. "But just dinner though." He could finally use all those knuts Luna had given him. There really was a surprisingly huge jar of them in his room.
Luna gave him a wide-eyed look. "I thought it was customary to get a good-night kiss on dates."
"But it won't be a real date," Charlie pointed out automatically, before his brain caught up with what she said. His mind was suddenly filled with the image of what it would be like to kiss Luna. She would fit perfectly in his arms, her lips soft against his, and right in the middle of everything, she'd probably make a remark about Nargles. Charlie's lips twitched. He had never really thought about her like that before. Sure, she was a woman, but she was also Luna. She was one of the few people who could make him laugh.
Luna waggled her finger in his face. "It is very important that we are realistic."
Charlie opened his mouth to point out that real relationships also included other things, but then he closed it again. Undoubtedly, Luna would want to try out those things too. All in the name of ensuring that they pulled this off successfully, of course. If he didn't know better, he would have thought that Luna had some sort of ulterior motive. "Dinner, tomorrow?"
"I thought that we could have a picnic," Luna suggested. "I'll bring the food."
"Okay," Charlie said, slightly nervously. He still remembered what happened last time Luna had brought food to a work event. Her food had tasted fine, but it had been oddly blue. She had claimed that the blueness added flavour and prevented stomach-aches, but Charlie doubted it. Blue chicken was just strange, and it had tasted like perfectly ordinary chicken to him. He didn't get indigestion from it, but that didn't prove anything. "Does it have to be blue this time?"
Luna frowned slightly. "But blue food aids the digestion. It's a well-known fact."
"I have a strong stomach," Charlie pointed out.
Luna reached over and patted his arm before standing up. "I must be getting back to my room before Nargles get into my supply of sweets." She grinned. "I often come back to find them nibbled on."
Charlie nodded and watched as she left the room, leaving behind her the faint sweetness of her perfume.
-^-
The food was an odd shade of pink, and the location left much to be desired as well. At least it wasn't boring, Charlie thought faintly as he resisted the urge to duck. Luna had set up a protective bubble in the middle of the dragon field, but for some reason only known to her, she had left the bubble transparent. So far, several dragons had swooped down at them. Thankfully, all of them had been kept at bay by the bubble, but Charlie didn't know how long that would last for.
"I'm excellent at casting bubble spells," Luna said matter-of-factly, when Charlie asked her. "They've never failed before. Well, except that one time, but other than that, they've never failed before."
Charlie didn't particularly want to ask her about that one time. He liked dragons. In fact, he loved dragons, but there was something rather unprotected about sitting in the middle of a field having a picnic while surrounded by them. "I don't suppose you'd mind if I cast one as well," he said faintly as he waved his wand. It couldn't hurt to strengthen the barrier. In fact, given some of the horrific injuries he had seen while working with dragons, he would have preferred to be behind the triple-reinforced shield they normally used.
Anybody else would have looked annoyed. Then again, nobody else would have actually brought him out here. But Luna simply nodded calmly and looked off into the distance. She took out her wand. "I think they can smell the food," she said as she twirled her wand.
The dragon that was making a beeline for the pink sandwiches swerved away and flapped off into the distance. "What'd you put in those sandwiches?" Charlie asked. He wouldn't have put it beyond her to have put some sort of dragon attractant in there.
"Ham and cheese," Luna said simply.
Charlie was surprised. He had expected something more bizarre, like perhaps pineapple and pepperoni sandwiches. Or maybe chocolate and ham. Or even something like potato salad sandwiches. Ham was just too ordinary.
"Of course, we can always transfigure them," Luna said mischievously.
Charlie picked one up and bit into it. It was surprisingly good for a simple ham and cheese sandwich. "Maybe not," he said.
Luna blinked. "Are you sure? I'm excellent at transfiguring chocolate sandwiches. Even the bread is made out of chocolate."
"Maybe for dessert," Charlie said, wrinkling his nose. He didn't really fancy eating something like that for a main course. "Will they be pink?"
Luna beamed. "You appreciate my theme."
Charlie coughed as he accidentally bit into an olive. He wasn't quite sure that appreciate was the right word. It was rather disconcerting seeing all that pink. He hadn't realised how much he tended to identify his food by colour rather than by shape or texture. It wasn't his fault that olives and grapes tended to look alike. Usually, it was pretty damn easy to tell them apart, but right now, they were both different shades of pink.
Luna handed him a grape.
"Thanks," Charlie said cautiously as he turned it over in his fingers. This was definitely a grape. He ate it very slowly.
"Why me?" Luna asked.
"Hmm?" Charlie said in alarm. He had been watching her build a small tower with her sandwiches.
Luna tilted her head. "Why'd you choose me for this game?"
Charlie wasn't quite sure that he'd call it a game. After all, it was his life. Then his mind caught up to what Luna had asked. "I'm not sure," he said. It was true. He wasn't sure. He could have gone with something else. It's not as though his mum was nagging him that much. She was just concerned about him; he knew that. It was getting on his nerves, but he knew she didn't mean anything by it.
"Perhaps you should find out?"
Charlie pursed his lips. Luna could make really perceptive comments. Actually, most of her comments were perceptive, but the majority of them required a lot of thought and a good pint of whiskey before he got them. "I asked you because you're my friend," he said finally.
Luna nodded and then beamed at him. "That's a good reason."
Charlie frowned. Somehow, he felt like he was missing something. With a sigh, he picked up another pink sandwich.
-^-
Charlie took a deep breath.
They had been chatting for almost five minutes, so it was just about time for his mum to ask him about his life. She had updated him on everybody else's life. It seemed that everybody else was either happily married or about to be happily married. It was rather sickening. It wasn't as though he wasn't glad for his brothers and Ginny. They were happy with their lives, just like he was happy with his. "I've been seeing somebody," he muttered.
His mum looked surprised.
"Luna Lovegood," Charlie elaborated when she didn't say anything.
The astonished look on her face melted into a warm smile. "That's wonderful!" his mum said happily as she clapped her hands. The fire flickered. "You'll be sure to bring her to the family lunch we have planned. I've always liked that girl. She would be a wonderful addition to our family!"
Charlie's eyes widened in alarm. Perhaps this wasn't such a great idea. His mum was obviously seeing him married off to Luna already.
His mum laughed. "Don't worry Charlie. I'm just kidding. I know you've only been dating for a week. I'm just happy for you. You've seemed ... lonely lately."
"You said that last time," Charlie muttered.
She rolled her eyes. Or at least, Charlie thought that she was rolling her eyes. It was always hard to tell when talking to people via the Floo Network. It could have just been a log shifting. "Forgive your old mum for being pleased that you're happier."
Charlie blinked. "I seem happier?"
His mum laughed. "You don't need to be embarrassed about it. She's a wonderful woman. Very pretty too."
"I'm not..." Charlie protested but the fire flickered and went out. He sighed. The Floo Network wasn't that good around here. His mind went to what his mum had just said. It was ridiculous, wasn't it? He wasn't happier than he was a week ago. And if he was, it was only because he was relieved that his mum had stopped bugging him about getting a girlfriend. That must have been it. It had nothing to do with Luna.
Sure, their so-called date had gone pretty well last week. The location had been a bit of a shock, but once Charlie got over that, he'd had a lot of fun. Then again, they were good friends, so Charlie would have been surprised if it had gone badly. His mind went back to the last words his mum had said. Luna was quite pretty, Charlie had to admit. She wasn't his usual type of woman. He generally preferred them with darker hair and curvier bodies, but there was a kind of slender, almost elfin charm about Luna. He suspected that at least some of that came from her behaviour, not just her physical appearance.
At times, Charlie looked at Luna and could almost imagine her as some sort of mythical creature, gliding over the grass, charming the dragons. At other times, she was just a normal person, prone to oddly amusing remarks, but still normal.
"Night!" one of his colleagues called over his shoulder as he walked to the door.
Charlie snapped out of his reverie to see the door shutting behind. "Night," he echoed to the empty room. He glanced at his watch. It really was time for him to be in bed anyway. They had a new dragon coming in the morning so he needed to be more alert than normal.
With a sigh, Charlie stood up, collected his things and left the room.
-^-
It was a stupid accident.
Charlie couldn't believe he'd hesitated that split second. If he had hesitated any longer, he would have had a huge burn down his leg. As it was, he managed to land on his hip - hard. The bump was beginning to balloon out and the damn thing hurt like all hell. "Shit," Charlie muttered as he limped back to the buildings. "Shit, shit, shit."
He normally had near perfect reflexes. But today, he was distracted. When he should have been watching where the dragon was, he was thinking about his so-called date with Luna and his conversation with his mum the previous night. And then, when Luna suddenly appeared in the corner of his eye, it had made him jump.
Of course, it was then the dragon decided to spew a wall of flame towards him.
Charlie sighed. It was typical, really. He'd gone years without any real injuries and as soon as he'd begun to think that he was never going to get any, this happened. Of course, the injury wasn't too bad. It was just probably going to be black and blue in the morning. His colleagues were probably going to pay him out though.
"How's the leg?"
Charlie stopped at the door to his bedroom and turned around. "I'll live."
Luna looked at him solemnly. "I'm glad."
Charlie chuckled and then hesitated. "I think I'm going to have a bit of a lie down."
Luna nodded.
"D'you think you could, maybe, help me into bed?" The words came out of him in a rush. If he'd said this to any other girl, Charlie knew that she'd take it as some kind of come-on. But this was Luna. Sure they were pretending to date, but first and foremost, she was his friend.
"Of course," Luna told him. She reached around him and opened the door. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
Charlie followed her inside. She closed the door behind him and then ducked underneath his arm to support him. Despite her slim frame, Charlie knew that Luna was strong. He could feel her muscles as she helped him towards the bed. He was about to climb under the covers - gingerly, as everything was beginning to ache - and then thank her, when Luna stopped him.
"You can't wear that to bed," she told him.
Charlie looked down at his dirty, grass-stained robes. He then looked over at the clean bed with its crisp sheets. "It's not ideal," he admitted. "But I can't really do anything else." He didn't want to admit it, but he suspected that it was going to take more out of him than what he had to get fully undressed.
"That won't do," Luna decided. Her eyes gleamed. "I'll have to help you."
"What?" Charlie spluttered, as he sat down abruptly on the bed. He winced as a shooting pain went through his leg. The mediwitch he had seen said that he was fine and just needed some rest. She'd wanted to give him something for the pain and to lessen the bump, but he decided that he was fine. He was really regretting that decision now.
"Don't argue," Luna advised. "I'm going to get you into bed."
Charlie found himself being pushed down until his head hit the pillow.
"Now, do you usually wear pyjamas?"
Charlie could feel his face flush. He usually slept in the nude, but he didn't want to tell her that. "They're in the wash," he lied.
"Then you'll have to do without for tonight," Luna said.
Charlie looked up at her. He could have sworn that she had an impish look on her face as she leaned over and began to unbutton his robes.
"Hey!" Charlie exclaimed as he struggled to sit up.
"Lie down," Luna told him. "Look, we're pretending to date. It's okay."
Charlie blinked rapidly. That didn't make a lot of sense to him, but that could have been the pain in his leg. People did say that pain could make you delirious. Luna's fingers hesitated as she unbuttoned the last few buttons.
"I never knew you had a tattoo," Luna said as she ran her fingers over his hipbone. The dragon flicked its tail at her in irritation and disappeared around to his back.
"It can be unfriendly," Charlie explained.
"All animals like me," Luna said sternly as her fingers stroked his skin.
Charlie gasped. Somehow, it felt as though her fingers had a direct line to his cock. He could feel his face flush as his cock twitched. Damn this was embarrassing. Luna was just trying to help him. He knew that. This was her way of being nice. He didn't have to go and get aroused from her stroking his dragon. His blush deepened, as Charlie realised what he had just thought.
"See?" Luna said happily. "It likes me."
Charlie looked down. It was true, he realised. The dragon had slowly emerged again and was now practically purring under Luna's caresses. "So it does," he said, his tone somewhat strangled.
"And I like it as well," Luna said as she bent over and kissed the dragon lightly on its head. Charlie almost expected her to ... well, he wasn't sure what he expected her to do, but he didn't expect her to just reach over and grab the blankets to pull them up to his chin.
"Uh, thanks," Charlie said, trying to keep his breathing even.
Luna grinned at him. "Don't let the Nargles bite," she said as she walked over to the door and opened it. With a flick of her wand, the light turned off. She stepped out into the brightly lit corridor and closed the door behind her leaving Charlie staring at the ceiling.
-^-
It was almost twenty-four hours later when Charlie knocked on Luna's door. He'd wanted to talk to her all day, but at first, he was at the infirmary getting that potion for his leg and then he couldn't find her. It was only now that everybody was getting ready for bed that he saw her disappearing into her room.
The door opened and Luna looked out at him. "Yes?"
Charlie swallowed. "I was thinking," he said hesitantly. "Maybe you'd like to come with me to this Weasley family reunion. As my date."
Luna blinked rapidly. "But you already asked me that," she pointed out.
Charlie could have kicked himself. That was a bad way of phrasing it. "Yes, but that wasn't ... real," he said.
"I know that."
Charlie took a deep breath. "I realised something last night," he began.
Luna raised an eyebrow.
"It wasn't that!" he said hurriedly. "Well, maybe it was, but is it a bad thing that I'm attracted to you?" Charlie resisted the urge to bang his head against the nearby wall. He was never very good at this. "The thing is... I like you."
"I like you too," Luna said simply. "We're friends, aren't we?"
"No, that's not what I meant," Charlie said.
Luna gave him a surprised look. "We're not friends?"
"Of course we're friends!" Charlie exclaimed. "What I meant is that I like you more than a friend. And I never realised until last night." It was true. Luna was the only person he really spent much time with and she was the person who could was guaranteed to make him laugh. He stared at Luna anxiously. There was a damn good reason why he didn't like this dating stuff. It was nerve-wracking.
Suddenly, she gave him an impish smile. "I like you too," she repeated.
Charlie looked at her. "You mean as a friend?"
Luna just winked at him and then grabbed his hands to drag him into the room. The door swung shut behind them.
-^-
It was rather strange to be walking into the Weasley family dinner with Luna beside him. It may have been what he had originally intended when he had come up with this crazy scheme, but somehow along the way, their fake relationship had become real. "I always liked this place," Luna murmured into his ear. "Much better now without the regular Death Eater attacks."
Charlie nodded. He couldn't disagree on that point. He didn't come back to the Burrow much nowadays, but deep down, it was still his home. There was something quiet about life on the dragon reserve, even though there were a lot of people. There was still nothing like the hustle and bustle of Weasley family reunions.
As they walked into the packed room, his mum came hurrying up to them and hugged them both. "It's wonderful to see both of you," she said happily. "I was afraid that you wouldn't make it in time for dinner."
"Sorry we were running late," Charlie said. "Our Portkey accidentally took us to Hogsmeade. We had to take brooms over."
"There have been problems with the Portkey network lately," Luna said calmly. "Goblins have gotten into the wiring."
His mum's lips twitched. "It's lovely to see you again, Luna. I was surprised when Charlie said he was bringing somebody home. He hasn't done that for years."
Charlie could have mentally slammed his head against a wall. He had forgotten that. He hadn't brought anybody home ever since his last serious relationship. He had only been dating Luna for a month, and that was including the fake part of their relationship. "Well, there's a good reason for that," he said slowly.
His mum looked at him expectantly.
Charlie cleared his throat. "We actually weren't dating originally."
"It was like a play," Luna said sagely. "I've always thought that I would make an excellent actor." She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed Charlie on the cheek.
Charlie curled his arm around her waist and waited for the explosion from his mum. She always hated it when he lied to her. Back when he was five, he ate the last biscuit from the biscuit tin and lied about it. She had been furious. When he decided to be a dragon handler without telling her, she hadn't talked to him for weeks.
To his surprise, his mum just laughed. "I know you better than you think, Charlie Weasley," she told him. "Don't think you can fool me so easily. I knew that from the start." She smiled at Luna. "But I always thought that you two would make a great couple if Charlie here just gave it a shot. I'm glad that it worked out well."
Luna grinned back. "I thought so too," she said mildly.
Charlie stared at both of them. Several of their co-workers had also expressed similar sentiments.
His mum laughed again and patted his shoulder. "Yes, Charlie can be a bit oblivious at times to his feelings."
Luna nodded. "Male Nargles can be like that sometimes. This is why the female Nargle has to build an elaborate nest to entice the male along. I wrote a very detailed paper last year on the mating habits of Nargles. I tried to submit it to academic journals, but they wouldn't accept it. You should read it though."
Charlie was amused to see his mother shaking with laughter. Luna really did do some odd things in her spare time. "You'll be good for him," she finally managed to get out, as she wiped her eyes. "Make sure you two take good care of each other. I do worry about you, out there near all those dangerous dragons."
"You don't need to worry," Charlie said. "It's quite safe. Far safer than being an Auror nowadays."
There was a rather indignant 'Oi!' from somewhere in the room. His mum just shook her head at him and bustled off to talk to one of his brothers.
"Dragons are very friendly," Luna agreed as she turned to him. "But it can be a bit dangerous when they try to give you a full body hug."
Charlie laughed and pulled her in for a kiss.
-fin