Sequel
The sequel to Black Silk Boxers. (I really, really hate that name. Must think of a better one. And this doesn't even have a name at this point. Ideas, anyone?)
The sequel:
"So tonight is the big night," Bill observed.
"Yeah," Charlie replied shortly, pulling on the jacket Bill lent him. It was tight around the arms, and for his life, he couldn't remember a spell for letting out the seams.
"Terrified?"
"You have no idea."
"Well, no, I pretty much do. But I think you've set it up well. Taking her out for dinner to a posh restaurant--very nice set up."
"A posh Muggle restaurant," Charlie corrected. "Which is the only thing that will keep Mum from pulling out her wand and putting a hex on me when I tell her."
"Absolute stroke of genius, I admit it."
"Thanks."
"You're going to emphasize how I had nothing to do with it, right?"
Charlie ignored that and straightened his tie. "Why do the men wear these?" he wondered. "I'm going to Mum with a noose already around my neck."
Bill snorted. "You wanted the extra credit in Muggle Studies," he pointed out heartlessly. "Remember how we're wizards?"
Charlie shot him a dirty look, but their mother appeared before he could reply.
"Right on time as always, Mum," Bill greeted her, bending to give her a kiss on the cheek.
"I was afraid I'd be late. Aren't our reservations in half an hour?"
"We have plenty of time," Charlie assured her. "You look very nice," he added, as he opened the cab door for her.
"Ginny and I went shopping to pick out the dress," Mum replied. "Your father had to be chained to that car of his to keep from coming. But even I know a man in a dress shop is a bit odd."
Charlie gave the name of the restaurant and turned back to his mother. "That sounds like Dad," Charlie agreed. "How's that car coming along?"
"It's in pieces in my garden," she said crisply, and Charlie decided to drop the subject.
"Bill told me about this restaurant. He took his boss there to impress him. Backfired when their waiter couldn't speak English and you know Bill's French...his boss had to order."
Mum laughed. "Well, your French is much better, and you can consider me impressed." After the taxi had stopped and Charlie had paid the driver, she blinked. "Very impressed. This isn't necessary, Charlie."
"Oh, it is. Let's go in."
Charlie decided that there was no way he could tell his mother this news on an empty stomach, so they should order their appetizers first. And then, well, he didn't want to ruin the ambience over their entrees, so he should wait a little longer. When they'd ordered a dessert, Charlie realized he had to say something soon or else risk her wrath in private and that just wouldn't do.
She beat him to it, though. "Now. Tell me your bad news before dessert arrives."
Charlie tried to play innocent. "Bad news?"
"Charlie, you could not be more your father--never mind. We've eaten and we've talked, so let's get to the point."
"Dessert is on the way..."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Right. Mum, I got a job."
She just sat there.
"It's on the Continent...it's actually, er, in Romania."
"You're playing Quidditch for Romania?"
She sounded so scandalized that Charlie briefly had hope. "Well, I'm actually not playing Quidditch."
"What--what else could you possibly be doing in Romania then?" she asked.
"Well, I--hang on." His mouth was suddenly very dry, so he emptied his glass of water. "I'mworkingonadragonreserve. I wonder what's keeping dessert."
She was silent for a long moment. "You're going to be a Dragon Keeper?"
"Yeah." He reached over and finished her water, too. "How about that?"
"Are you funning with me?"
"No, I got the letter last week," Charlie said cautiously. This wasn't what he'd expected. She seemed almost excited for him.
"Well--Charlie! I'm so excited for you!" she exclaimed.
Charlie gaped. His mind was blank, he couldn't think. His mother's words kept repeating themselves.
"Charlie? Are you all right?" She flagged down a waiter to bring more water.
Charlie ignored the glass. "I...don't understand," he said plaintively.
"What?"
"How can you be happy for me?"
"Of course I'm happy for you! This is wonderful--what a marvelous opportunity."
"It's dragons."
She looked at him quizzically. "I love dragons."
Charlie couldn't breathe. It was as if he was playing Quidditch with no Beaters to protect him. He was sure he looked the fool, but his mind could only focus on those three words. "Are you...Fred and George in disguise?" he finally asked.
She chuckled. "Charlie, do you remember going to see the Common Welsh Green? You were six or seven."
"I was six. It was all over the news, that they found a dragon egg in Devon, and they were going to tour it for a time before taking it to the reserve. Bill and Percy didn't want to go, it was just--"
"You and me," she finished. "I made your father come home to watch the babies. I was just as excited as you were."
"That's right." He sat back, still a bit dazed. "You love dragons?"
She smiled. "I wanted to be a magizoologist while I was studying at Hogwarts." She chuckled. "Would you believe I even applied to be an assistant to Newt Scamander?"
"I had no idea."
"I'm so happy for you, Charlie. When do you leave for Romania?"
***
Bill pounced when Charlie walked in. "Any visible scars?"
"Bill, do you ever feel that maybe we don't know our parents that well?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Mum is excited and happy for me because she used to want to be a magizoologist."
Bill stared, then grinned and started laughing. "Okay, that was good. Now tell me what really happened."
"That's what she said. I'm serious."
Bill considered it. "Then, she must not have been."
Charlie shook his head. "I really think it was the truth."
"Well." Bill shook his head. "That makes my world askew."
"Yeah, how do you think I felt? I was all set to be on the defense, and then that!"
"It's just not right. Next thing you know, Dad will be breaking his own law to charm that old car of his to fly."
And they laughed and laughed at the very idea.
***
Okay, it is rough as sandpaper right now and the school lab is closing in ten minutes, so I don't even have time for a proper spell-check. Does the bit with the car work? I couldn't find a purchase date for it on the Lexicon. Any reviews, any SPAG errors, please, let me know. Thanks!
ETA: The tie thing...in the books, I very much get the impression that the kids wear regular clothes with some sort of wizarding robe over them, not at all like the movies.. And even though the kids seem to be more familiar with Muggle clothing than adults do, I don't imagine them ever dressing up the Muggle way. That's why Charlie got extra credit for learning how to tie a tie and why Bill mocks him. Also, it was a funny aside.
The sequel:
"So tonight is the big night," Bill observed.
"Yeah," Charlie replied shortly, pulling on the jacket Bill lent him. It was tight around the arms, and for his life, he couldn't remember a spell for letting out the seams.
"Terrified?"
"You have no idea."
"Well, no, I pretty much do. But I think you've set it up well. Taking her out for dinner to a posh restaurant--very nice set up."
"A posh Muggle restaurant," Charlie corrected. "Which is the only thing that will keep Mum from pulling out her wand and putting a hex on me when I tell her."
"Absolute stroke of genius, I admit it."
"Thanks."
"You're going to emphasize how I had nothing to do with it, right?"
Charlie ignored that and straightened his tie. "Why do the men wear these?" he wondered. "I'm going to Mum with a noose already around my neck."
Bill snorted. "You wanted the extra credit in Muggle Studies," he pointed out heartlessly. "Remember how we're wizards?"
Charlie shot him a dirty look, but their mother appeared before he could reply.
"Right on time as always, Mum," Bill greeted her, bending to give her a kiss on the cheek.
"I was afraid I'd be late. Aren't our reservations in half an hour?"
"We have plenty of time," Charlie assured her. "You look very nice," he added, as he opened the cab door for her.
"Ginny and I went shopping to pick out the dress," Mum replied. "Your father had to be chained to that car of his to keep from coming. But even I know a man in a dress shop is a bit odd."
Charlie gave the name of the restaurant and turned back to his mother. "That sounds like Dad," Charlie agreed. "How's that car coming along?"
"It's in pieces in my garden," she said crisply, and Charlie decided to drop the subject.
"Bill told me about this restaurant. He took his boss there to impress him. Backfired when their waiter couldn't speak English and you know Bill's French...his boss had to order."
Mum laughed. "Well, your French is much better, and you can consider me impressed." After the taxi had stopped and Charlie had paid the driver, she blinked. "Very impressed. This isn't necessary, Charlie."
"Oh, it is. Let's go in."
Charlie decided that there was no way he could tell his mother this news on an empty stomach, so they should order their appetizers first. And then, well, he didn't want to ruin the ambience over their entrees, so he should wait a little longer. When they'd ordered a dessert, Charlie realized he had to say something soon or else risk her wrath in private and that just wouldn't do.
She beat him to it, though. "Now. Tell me your bad news before dessert arrives."
Charlie tried to play innocent. "Bad news?"
"Charlie, you could not be more your father--never mind. We've eaten and we've talked, so let's get to the point."
"Dessert is on the way..."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Right. Mum, I got a job."
She just sat there.
"It's on the Continent...it's actually, er, in Romania."
"You're playing Quidditch for Romania?"
She sounded so scandalized that Charlie briefly had hope. "Well, I'm actually not playing Quidditch."
"What--what else could you possibly be doing in Romania then?" she asked.
"Well, I--hang on." His mouth was suddenly very dry, so he emptied his glass of water. "I'mworkingonadragonreserve. I wonder what's keeping dessert."
She was silent for a long moment. "You're going to be a Dragon Keeper?"
"Yeah." He reached over and finished her water, too. "How about that?"
"Are you funning with me?"
"No, I got the letter last week," Charlie said cautiously. This wasn't what he'd expected. She seemed almost excited for him.
"Well--Charlie! I'm so excited for you!" she exclaimed.
Charlie gaped. His mind was blank, he couldn't think. His mother's words kept repeating themselves.
"Charlie? Are you all right?" She flagged down a waiter to bring more water.
Charlie ignored the glass. "I...don't understand," he said plaintively.
"What?"
"How can you be happy for me?"
"Of course I'm happy for you! This is wonderful--what a marvelous opportunity."
"It's dragons."
She looked at him quizzically. "I love dragons."
Charlie couldn't breathe. It was as if he was playing Quidditch with no Beaters to protect him. He was sure he looked the fool, but his mind could only focus on those three words. "Are you...Fred and George in disguise?" he finally asked.
She chuckled. "Charlie, do you remember going to see the Common Welsh Green? You were six or seven."
"I was six. It was all over the news, that they found a dragon egg in Devon, and they were going to tour it for a time before taking it to the reserve. Bill and Percy didn't want to go, it was just--"
"You and me," she finished. "I made your father come home to watch the babies. I was just as excited as you were."
"That's right." He sat back, still a bit dazed. "You love dragons?"
She smiled. "I wanted to be a magizoologist while I was studying at Hogwarts." She chuckled. "Would you believe I even applied to be an assistant to Newt Scamander?"
"I had no idea."
"I'm so happy for you, Charlie. When do you leave for Romania?"
***
Bill pounced when Charlie walked in. "Any visible scars?"
"Bill, do you ever feel that maybe we don't know our parents that well?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Mum is excited and happy for me because she used to want to be a magizoologist."
Bill stared, then grinned and started laughing. "Okay, that was good. Now tell me what really happened."
"That's what she said. I'm serious."
Bill considered it. "Then, she must not have been."
Charlie shook his head. "I really think it was the truth."
"Well." Bill shook his head. "That makes my world askew."
"Yeah, how do you think I felt? I was all set to be on the defense, and then that!"
"It's just not right. Next thing you know, Dad will be breaking his own law to charm that old car of his to fly."
And they laughed and laughed at the very idea.
***
Okay, it is rough as sandpaper right now and the school lab is closing in ten minutes, so I don't even have time for a proper spell-check. Does the bit with the car work? I couldn't find a purchase date for it on the Lexicon. Any reviews, any SPAG errors, please, let me know. Thanks!
ETA: The tie thing...in the books, I very much get the impression that the kids wear regular clothes with some sort of wizarding robe over them, not at all like the movies.. And even though the kids seem to be more familiar with Muggle clothing than adults do, I don't imagine them ever dressing up the Muggle way. That's why Charlie got extra credit for learning how to tie a tie and why Bill mocks him. Also, it was a funny aside.