The Dragon Thieves//Charlie Weasley

10 ~ Tournaments

"Do you have any idea what this is about?"

Lia glanced at Charlie as he settled into the chair next to her. He had somehow paled over the week he was in England. The sun-kissed gleam that had graced his skin was missing, and it made Lia's heart mopey. No doubt he would regain it in the coming weeks before autumn truly dug its teeth into the countryside. 

On her other side, Jason leaned forward, looking around Lia to peer at Charlie. "Not a clue, but there were a few ministry workers poking around the stables earlier."

Lia stiffened, glancing at Jason. If the ministry was here, there was no doubt they would have to be on their best behaviour. Hopefully, none of them had gotten near Helena. Lia was certain that her dragon would eat any ministry worker who got too close.

Vester and Simon were chatting nearby, the five of them plus the two other recruits-- neither of which were any closer to bonding a dragon-- were seated in two rows in the mess hall, where a wide space had been cleared of tables and chairs. Andrew had called the meeting earlier.

As if her thoughts had summoned him, Andrew came strolling into the mess hall, a few of the ministry workers trailing behind him. They were dressed in neat black suits-- far too tidy for the kind of work that occurred at the Romania Dragon Compound; one of them was brushing hastily at his pants in a useless attempt to clear the dust off.

Lia scanned the faces, most of them she didn't know, a bunch of ministry grunts with non-remarkable faces. The only one she recognized was Amos Diggory, who had often attended dinners that her parents held.

"It's the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," She whispered as the ministry workers formed a line in front of them. "That's Amos Diggory. If they bothered to make a trip out here, there is something going on."

Lia glanced at Andrew, somewhat horrified to find his face beaming. Something was definitely going on.

"I'm sure you all learned about this in school," Andrew started, stepping forward and scanning them all. Lia shifted in her seat. "But the ministry has decided, in the hope of promoting positive relations between the schools, that they will be hosting a Triwizard Tournament."

Lia's eyebrows shot up. The Triwizard Tournament. She could recall learning about it briefly in one of the dull History of Magic classes she had been forced to take. It had been cancelled because a student had died. She was surprised that the ministry had decided to do anything again.

"What does this have to do with us?" Vester called. His shock of pale hair was tied into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck and the sleeves of his shirt had been ripped off in a rather dramatic fashion.

There was a murmur of agreement from the people around Lia. She became faintly aware of the smell of smoke and something herbal lingering from Charlie. She shifted away.

Amos Diggory glanced at Andrew before stepping forward. "We want to make the first event with dragons protecting their eggs. You lot are the best and only experts on dragons in the wizarding world. The ministry is asking for your help in wrangling dragons long enough to have them for the first event. You would all be paid for your time of course."

Lia pressed her lips together. The extra pay would be nice, especially if she was going to have to escape this place with Helena soon, but that meant she would have to go back to Hogwarts, where her little sister was no doubt still a student. 

"This is an excellent opportunity and the ministry is looking forward to working with you all." 

~~~

Lia waved her wand, muttering under her breath. A stream of pale blue light flickered from the tip and wrapped itself around the nursery and the stables. Behind her, a warm puff of steam hit the back of her neck as Helena chuffed, digging her long claws into the dry dirt.

The nights were finally starting to cool as Autumn settled into the countryside, and Lia had taken to wearing long pants and shirts again. The spell she was casting only made her shiver more, but they had to take advantage of the time while Andrew was away in England finalizing the event with the ministry. 

Across the nursery, Charlie and Jason were matching her movements as they spread the shield and alarm spell across the stables. If anyone were to apparate in or remove anything from the premises, they would be alerted, and hopefully, they would be fast enough to stop them.

Lia lowered her wand and glanced over her shoulder at Helena, who had settled into a sprawled-out position on her back. Her shiny green belly was exposed, the sunlight scattering off her scales. Lia snorted to herself as Helena's eyes closed, the dragon letting out a contented sigh. She must have felt safe since Charlie's dragon was only a little way across the arena. 

She turned back to the two men as they approached and clenched her jaw, scanning Charlie. There was a sheen of sweat across his forehead, and she frowned, trying to ignore the rising heat inside her. The last time he had been near her and sweaty like that, it had been after that Quidditch match, when he had demonstrated his skills in more than one way. Lia straightened up, hating the way the memories still made her tingle. 

"Well that should be good for now," Jason mused, leaning back to look at the spell. It was invisible unless you knew it was there-- the thin sheen of blue catching the light at only one angle. 

Lia hummed in response, placing her hands on her hips. Charlie was uncomfortably close and she could smell the lingering scent of his cologne underneath the masculine sweat. Lia huffed once. She needed a cold shower and a moment in her bed with her hand. 

"I forgot to mention," Charlie spoke. Lia glanced at him. In the orange evening sun, his eyes were turned almost amber. "While I was in England, I found someone who might be able to translate the runes for us. She's a Beauxbatons student specializing in Ancient Runes and Language Translation. She despises my brother but gets along well with the rest of us. We can reach out during the first event and see if she can translate for us."

Lia nodded. It seemed as though things may finally be coming together, and they could stop Andrew once and for all.