Immortal Magic (Book 1)

Chapter Forty-Nine

Allison's Point of View. 

That night after dinner, I slipped away from the others and headed down toward the Entrance Hall.

Charlie had apparently convinced Professor Dumbledore to let him spend some time with me after dinner, though considering the mischievous glint I had seen in his eyes earlier, I doubted this was going to be simple sibling bonding. Not that I minded. I had missed him.

The moment I spotted him walking through the entrance doors, bundled in a heavy dragon-hide jacket, I immediately broke into a grin and hurried toward him.

"Charlie!" He barely had time to react before I threw my arms around him. He laughed warmly as he hugged me back tightly. "There's my little sister."

We pulled apart, and he immediately looked me over carefully. "How are you doing?" he asked, his smile softening slightly with concern.

I gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm alright. Carlisle and the others are taking me out tomorrow to properly test everything." Charlie nodded thoughtfully. "The vampire abilities?" He asks me. I nod. "Yeah."

He hummed before slinging an arm around my shoulders and steering me toward the doors. "Well then," he said casually, "before all that serious family stuff tomorrow, I thought you deserved something fun tonight."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "That sentence alone concerns me." Charlie just grinned.

The cold night air hit us the second we stepped outside, and I immediately noticed the direction we were heading in. Toward the Forbidden Forest. I looked up at him slowly. "Charlie?" 

"Yes?" He asks me, smirking. "Where exactly are you taking me?" I ask him curiously. "The Forbidden Forest, obviously." I rolled my eyes. "I gathered that much, genius. What I meant was, does Dumbledore actually know you're taking me into the forest?"

Charlie winced sheepishly. "Technically, no." I stared at him. "All Dumbledore knows," Charlie continued quickly, "is that I wanted some quality sibling bonding time."

I snorted. "You are absolutely a Weasley." Charlie laughed loudly at that. "Please," he said. "You've snuck around this castle more times than Fred and George combined."

"That is not true." Charlie gave me a look. I sighed dramatically. "Okay, maybe slightly true."

"You, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are basically a walking detention record." I grinned. "Honestly, compared to some of the things we've done, this feels pretty tame." Charlie laughed and nudged me lightly.

"I'll make sure Percy never hears that sentence." He teases me. "You do that." The deeper we walked into the forest, the quieter everything became.

Eventually, Charlie pushed through a thick patch of bushes and stepped into a massive clearing. The second I saw what was waiting there, I froze.

My eyes widened. "Oh, my God." Dragons. Huge dragons. Four of them. Each one was chained separately, surrounded by dragon keepers moving carefully around them.

The firelight reflecting off their scales made them look almost unreal. Charlie smirked proudly at my reaction. "Pretty incredible, huh?" I slowly turned toward him.

"This is the First Task." Charlie's grin widened. "You catch on quick." I looked back toward the dragons in awe. "This is insane." Then my excitement dimmed slightly. "I'm worried about Harry."

Charlie immediately caught the tone in my voice. "What about the other champions?" I folded my arms. "The other three are seventeen. Harry's fourteen."

Charlie raised an eyebrow knowingly. "Sure, that's the only reason?" I glared at him while feeling my face heat slightly. "He is not my boyfriend."