Happy Holidays, midnight_birth!
Title: Here Be Dragons
Author: A Nonny Mouse
Recipient: midnight_birth
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Charlie/Harry
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 564
Warnings: Not really any, unless you count kisses and a tiny bit of fluff!
Disclaimer: Don’t own ‘em, no profit, suing is futile!
Summary: After his marriage ends, Harry takes a vacation and finds a new way to live and love.
Author's Notes: Many thanks to my beta, who wishes to remain anyonymous. Hope this is something like what you wanted, dear recipient!
It had been what could be best described as an “amicable split’ between Harry and Ginny. No adultery on either side, or even a straying thought towards another person. No vicious fights, broken crockery, tears or remonstrations. Just the seemingly inevitable, quiet dulling of the passions and slow falling out of love that occasionally happens between people who have been married for a long time. Even the children had seen it all coming and were resigned to the outcome, though understandably it was hard for them and they were all deeply disappointed.
And Harry and Ginny were, of course, still the best and dearest of friends. Even though Harry was no longer in love with his soon-to-be-ex wife, he was never going to stop liking her, not in a million years. In fact, it was Ginny, with her usual sensible state of mind, who insisted that Harry de-stress and unwind with a working vacation. And his other best friends, Ron and Hermione, were more than willing to back her up in her opinions.
“Travel in another country, good solid physical work, the company of a trusted male friend - what could be better for you?” Ginny had amiably argued, her facial expression halfway between a smile and a small frown. “A few weeks on the dragon reserve with Charlie would be ideal for you. It’ll take your mind off your problems, and my brother will make sure you get back home in one piece. Trust me, Harry - you’ll find that it’s just the tonic. Having something to throw yourself into has always worked in the past - why should anything be different now?”
Harry had placed his trust in Ginny’s judgement, and had discovered that of course she was right.
The climate of Romania was bracing. A little colder than usual for the time of year than Harry was used to, but he was well prepared with plenty of warm clothing. Although the work was, of course, dangerous - even though he was only required to count and categorize dragon eggs, the presence of nesting mother dragons with their natural defensive and ferocious nature was certainly a challenge, at best. And a decided hazard, at worst. The spikes, claws and projected breath of fire… Harry was grateful for the strength and expertise of Charlie Weasley, without whom he would not have emerged from the field relatively unscathed.
Charlie was both a calming presence during Harry’s periods of mental torment, and a saviour during the moments of physical danger. He was steady and dependable, his stocky body standing firm against any adversity and his easy-going personality bringing a smile to Harry’s face more than once when bleakness and regrets about the past threatened to intrude into Harry’s thoughts. More than once, Harry found himself casting approving eyes upon Charlie’s muscular physique and finding it enticing, admiring the parts of the other man that many would consider flawed - the burns, the scars, the many freckles - and seeing perfection of a different kind from what convention would call attractive there.
And on the sixth night of Harry’s sojourn in Romania, when Charlie first moved closer to Harry across the tent and embraced him, kissing him deeply on the lips, Harry knew that he was going to heal from the past much faster than he first thought he would, and that everything was going to be fine from that moment on.
Author: A Nonny Mouse
Recipient: midnight_birth
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Charlie/Harry
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 564
Warnings: Not really any, unless you count kisses and a tiny bit of fluff!
Disclaimer: Don’t own ‘em, no profit, suing is futile!
Summary: After his marriage ends, Harry takes a vacation and finds a new way to live and love.
Author's Notes: Many thanks to my beta, who wishes to remain anyonymous. Hope this is something like what you wanted, dear recipient!
It had been what could be best described as an “amicable split’ between Harry and Ginny. No adultery on either side, or even a straying thought towards another person. No vicious fights, broken crockery, tears or remonstrations. Just the seemingly inevitable, quiet dulling of the passions and slow falling out of love that occasionally happens between people who have been married for a long time. Even the children had seen it all coming and were resigned to the outcome, though understandably it was hard for them and they were all deeply disappointed.
And Harry and Ginny were, of course, still the best and dearest of friends. Even though Harry was no longer in love with his soon-to-be-ex wife, he was never going to stop liking her, not in a million years. In fact, it was Ginny, with her usual sensible state of mind, who insisted that Harry de-stress and unwind with a working vacation. And his other best friends, Ron and Hermione, were more than willing to back her up in her opinions.
“Travel in another country, good solid physical work, the company of a trusted male friend - what could be better for you?” Ginny had amiably argued, her facial expression halfway between a smile and a small frown. “A few weeks on the dragon reserve with Charlie would be ideal for you. It’ll take your mind off your problems, and my brother will make sure you get back home in one piece. Trust me, Harry - you’ll find that it’s just the tonic. Having something to throw yourself into has always worked in the past - why should anything be different now?”
Harry had placed his trust in Ginny’s judgement, and had discovered that of course she was right.
The climate of Romania was bracing. A little colder than usual for the time of year than Harry was used to, but he was well prepared with plenty of warm clothing. Although the work was, of course, dangerous - even though he was only required to count and categorize dragon eggs, the presence of nesting mother dragons with their natural defensive and ferocious nature was certainly a challenge, at best. And a decided hazard, at worst. The spikes, claws and projected breath of fire… Harry was grateful for the strength and expertise of Charlie Weasley, without whom he would not have emerged from the field relatively unscathed.
Charlie was both a calming presence during Harry’s periods of mental torment, and a saviour during the moments of physical danger. He was steady and dependable, his stocky body standing firm against any adversity and his easy-going personality bringing a smile to Harry’s face more than once when bleakness and regrets about the past threatened to intrude into Harry’s thoughts. More than once, Harry found himself casting approving eyes upon Charlie’s muscular physique and finding it enticing, admiring the parts of the other man that many would consider flawed - the burns, the scars, the many freckles - and seeing perfection of a different kind from what convention would call attractive there.
And on the sixth night of Harry’s sojourn in Romania, when Charlie first moved closer to Harry across the tent and embraced him, kissing him deeply on the lips, Harry knew that he was going to heal from the past much faster than he first thought he would, and that everything was going to be fine from that moment on.