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On that first day the little blonde had wandered into the main building, she literally walked through the Reserve's wards like they didn’t exist and declared the Nargles had told her to come.
Charlie had argued they should obliviate her and send her back out, but the Head of the Reserve found her “refreshing” and “delightful.” Besides, their wards clearly didn’t see her as a threat and wouldn’t keep her out — no matter how unnatural that was — so what was the point of putting her out when she would just wander back in?
It drove him nearly as barmy as she was. No, that wasn’t true. No one was close to as barmy as that girl. Luna.
She had remembered him. Apparently she was from the Rookery nearby the Burrow. That did absolutely nothing to endear her to Charlie. Even if he had remembered her — and he did, maaaaaybe, have a memory of a little blonde girl playing with tiny Ginny — knowing that she was from the Rookery just cemented for him that she was crazy.
Charlie honestly didn’t understand how no one else saw it. Within her first week, she had raced a Swedish Shortsnout, given a Chinese Fireball a bubble bath, fed a Hungarian Horntail from her hand, and slept on the back of a Welsh Green. His Welsh Green. Pandora.
For some unknown reason, Luna called the dragon Mum and could often be found singing to it and making daisy crowns and necklaces for it to wear. Cranky old Pandora adored the girl and nuzzled her like a kitten.
As much as that grated on his nerves, Charlie had to admit that Luna was becoming a very competent dragon handler. She wasn’t very good at following commands. Or paying any attention to wards. Or doing what was supposed to be done to care for the dragons. But they were calmer and more biddable when she was around. More easily handled since Luna could waltz right in and tell them what was needed and the dragons would just… do it.
It was baffling.
More baffling, though, was the way he himself felt spelled when he was around her. Charlie couldn’t help but notice the way her long wispy hair curled at the very bottom, just above her perfect arse. He saw her smile and his entire day lit up. Those lips, pursed in thought, could drive his fantasies for a week. He couldn’t help the way his thoughts turned to what it might be like to kiss her, hold her. It was like nothing Charlie had ever felt.
And he, like his dragons, would do anything the girl said.
Which is exactly how he found himself climbing the outer ridge of a mountain in the Carpathians to find the last home of the mythical Turkish Two Horns. The other handlers had laughed at him for agreeing to go along on the expedition.
It had started out a small plan for their days off. But then Luna had become more insistent as she was certain they were zeroing in on the location. Pandora had helped her, she said. They had gone for a “little ride together” and Pandora had shown her a cave atop the highest mountain.
So here they were. Though why Pandora couldn’t have just dropped Luna off, he had no idea.
As they approached the summit, however, he began to understand. Small as Welsh Greens were, Pandora was still too large to land at the top. There was really nowhere she could have let Luna off and Charlie knew enough about their bond to be certain the dragon wouldn’t have allowed her Luna to jump.
If there was a cave at the top, and if there was a dragon in it, it was a very small dragon. Which, if the storybooks were correct, Turkish Two Horns were just that. As illogical as it seemed, Charlie’s heart started beating faster at the thought that there might be a real discovery just ahead of them. And it might be this barmy, beautiful, intelligent girl who discovered it.
When they finally made their way over the last ridge of the mountain, they came to a craggy outcropping with, yes, a large opening. And, though the signs were smaller than he was accustomed to, there was no denying it was the home of a dragon, even from the outside.
Luna grinned from ear to radish-adorned ear as she turned to him. “Charlie, we’ve done it!”
“We’ll have to go inside to be sure,” he answered, filled with the awe of their discovery.
She nodded. “Yes. She’ll want to talk to us. Mum told me so. But before we go in there’s something I’m supposed to do.”
Charlie blinked at her, wondering how any of that was supposed to make sense.
And then, she was close. Those lovely pillowed lips were moving closer to him, her long, lithe body moving into the circle of his arms.
“What are we—” Charlie began, stunned by this.
“We’re kissing, silly. Because we’re so happy. And because this is where we should.”
Charlie had no idea how she had discerned that, but, like everything else, he did as she said, and didn’t regret it one bit.