Spit Fire [Charlie Weasley]

Chapter 2: Last Toast

"Cheers, Winnie!"

I clashed my tankard of firewhiskey with Cordelia's and took a harsh swig. My throat burned like I'd swallowed straight acid and seared all the way down as I erupted into fits of coughing. I heard my best friend give a slight cough as well and she clapped my shoulder reassuringly.

"Merlin, Winnie you should save the hard stuff for the big boys if it hurts you this bad! Stick to the butterbeer." She chuckled as I laid my feverish face against the cool surface of the bar counter. I hummed in response, internally hoping that my vocal chords still worked.

"Ah-buzz off, you prat," I mumbled, lifting my head up to smile at her. "Honestly, I think I'm finally over this bought of whatever the hell it was."
"Very good, very good." Cordelia praised me, pushing back her brown hair whilst fanning herself. "I think you just finally snapped under the pressure, you were feeling lonely is all."
"Had to be it." I agreed but I felt my hot stomach fill with cold guilt. Part of me, and a rather decent sized part, too, still yearned for some sort of love and attention, something that Cordelia just wasn't capable of filling.

Cordelia Cosmo, my closest friend since fifth year at Hogwarts. Although she was a know it all, she was one hell of a girl. She worked for Gringotts as a curse breaker. She was stationed in the tropical jungles of Mexico right now, investigating the Mayan ruins. Cordelia was a lovely looking girl with soft, doe-eyes that could melt your soul, and a heart shaped face, completed with full lips and a pointed nose. She had naturally wild curly brown hair that she couldn't tame, and was blessed with sun kissed skin that I could never achieve. She was a pureblood witch and the daughter of two Unspeakables. She was a smart girl, but rarely did she speak her mind as brashly as I did, and on occasion, she was rather dense for a Ravenclaw.

"Okay, so, you're leaving tomorrow." Cordelia spoke awkwardly, drumming her fingers on the counter.
"I'm glad you've noticed."
"Well, it's gonna kind of suck not having you around."
"Cordelia, you just got back for three days' vacation from the tropics of Mexico, you don't have fair speaking ground." I furrowed my eyebrows and she shrugged.
"Sticks and stones, my dear, sticks and stones." She took another sip and I cringed just watched her. "So, what kind of work do you think you'll be doing in Dragonology?"
"Well, not quite sure. Observation, calculation, studying, hypothesizing."
"Oh good, so no hands on work." Cordelia nodded with relief and I frowned.
"Why is that a good thing? I would love to get hands on work with a dragon!" I objected, folding my arms across my chest and she shot me a dull look.
"You have had way too many close calls in your life, and I'd say your luck has about run out. Face it, love, you'd become barbeque within a day." And suddenly, it was the realization of her words and the still raw burn from the firewhiskey that made me realize why I never pursued a career in dragonology before.

"Oh shit," I groaned, hanging my head in my hands. "I just realized why I never attempted dragon study before."
"And that is?"
"I'm terrified of fire." I admitted shamefully. Cordelia paused and a blank look crawled across her face.
"Well now, that is certainly an issue..." She mumbled, sloshing her tankard around in a circular motion. "Um, just remember to run in zigzag motions, bob and weave, and stop, drop, and roll."
"You're absolutely useless." I sighed, forcing myself to take another swig.
"Hey, best advice I got for you is to use whatever closest hunk there is as a human shield. Otherwise, study from a distance." She suggested and I hung my head in defeat. "What's the name of that little organization they got going on over there, anyways?"
"Romania Dragon Sanctuary. I imagine there's much more to the place than what people think." I mused as I tilted back in the bar stool.
"So if you die, can I have all of your stuff? Especially those books. You've got good books."
"Sod off, you negative Nelly, I haven't died yet." I told her, pulling out my wand to transfigure a fork into a napkin. I wiped my face off and glanced up at Cordelia's blank face as she stared into Oblivion.