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The monthly family meetings after the war always reminded Charlie of the Yule and birthday celebrations of the years before he attended Hogwarts. The freedom to laugh and mock each other, do and say even sillier things and see who can eat the most of aunt Muriel's cakes.
This time it was the Yuletide celebrations that had called everyone back to the Burrow to join in the festivities. Charlie had watched as Fred and George spiked the punch, which had resulted in a bit of a tipsy stumble into more dangerous conversation topics. The kids had been sent upstairs shortly after dinner and only the adults were still downstairs so no innocent ears would hear them talk.
The conversation turned, as it always did, to the topic of marriage. If Molly had it her way ,every single one of them would have been engaged in seventh year and married during the first summer after Hogwarts. Luckily for Ron and Ginny, they had provided her with the fulfilment of that dream and Bill and Percy had followed them into matrimony during the war. Now only Charlie and the twins were available for her to dream about.
It was an enormously entertaining thing to watch if she went after Fred and George, and Charlie was not above riling her on and giving suggestions for possible suitors.
If she turned her eye on him it was a lot less fun.
Charlie's life motto was that life was meant to be lived on the edge, and every good day ended with a flying leap off it. But that didn't meant he enjoyed playing with the fire that was Molly's thirst for grandchildren.
"Now tell Charlie, how is it going on Romania? Someone's caught your eye yet."
This question was naturally followed with several eyebrow waggles, that Charlie did not appreciate in the slightest. Really did they have to have this conversation during every single family gathering. Ignoring of course the small detail when he had asked Molly if Fred of George were dating someone yet and that he knew some eligible young wixen from Romania who would surely be interested. Completely unrelated matter.
"Now that you're asking, as a matter of fact I am. We have even exchanged vows already, but we try to take it slow. The ministry loves to put their noses where they don't belong and I don't want to spook them with too much attention."
If his intentions had been to shock everyone into silence he had been successful. If he had been trying to give Molly a new topic to set her teeth in and to not let go until there was a wedding for her to plan, he had been successful too. If he had been trying to get some peace and quiet while distracting his mother with marriage plans for the twins, he was not.
"Charlie!"
The only thing Charlie could understand from the following stream of sounds of happiness was his name and a general sense of happiness. This was surely not going to blow up into his face.
"It was all quite beautiful, if you want, I can recite my vows to give you an idea of who they are and how we met."
After several enthusiastic nods Charlie sat himself down in the middle of the circle of his closest families and opened his mouth to tell an epic tale.
"Why do we play with fire?
Is a little trill in life, all that we require?
I was safe I was sound
Feet on the ground
That was when you flied in
and my heart went...
I did not dare hope for more
than trusting you to let me soar.
How can you make someone take off and fly?
I will jump, and no longer feel shy.
I brushed your scales and filed your claws
Always knowing, you held my life in your jaws.
So I vowed to the blue skies above
On a never-ending quest for something new
Will I find your love
Beyond the never-ending blue?
A dragon more unique than you?"
Silence reigned the room as no one dared to disturb the silence following Charlie's vows. It was maybe not exactly what he had been hoping for, but it did serve it purpose.
"Do you want to see some pictures of use flying together, or her when she's asleep? Opaleyes are considered the most beautiful dragons in existence for a reason after all."
If he was lucky this would be the end of Molly's crusade to get him to marry something else than his love for flying reptiles.