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Author: Sassenach Story: Dragon Riders Rating: Teens Setting: AU Status: WIP Reviews: 3 Words: 62,735
Charlie muttered to himself fiercely as he searched through the paperwork on his desk. He was sure he had placed the ministry forms on his desk two days ago. He had been so busy with preparations that he had failed to fill them out and the ministry official was going to arrive sometime today. Cursing himself for not being organized, he tore open the first drawer and began to rip through the contents. There was a tentative knock at the door, and Charlie wished that whoever it was would just go away. Irritably, he called out, “If that’s you Jared, I told you twice already that you’re in charge of the dragon paddock until that bloody pillock of a ministry official leaves!” The door creaked open and Charlie swore sharply as he slammed the drawer shut. He moved to the second drawer. “That pillock of a ministry official is standing in your door,” a sweet voice announced making Charlie’s head snap up toward the doorway. He thought he was seeing things as he stared at the short blonde haired woman. If Charlie’s memory served correctly, she hadn’t changed a bit since Hogwarts. “Maggie Frye,” Charlie muttered absently. She smiled sweetly at him before stepping into the cabin. “Charlie Weasley, it’s been too long,” she replied. “You work for the ministry?” he asked standing straight and dropping the ministry forms he’d dug out of the second drawer on the top of his desk. She giggled as she walked toward him and held out her hand. “I can’t get a thing past you.” Charlie shook his head and grinned at her before taking her hand and pecking it. “You look great.” She blushed before replying, “You look good too, Charlie.” He studied her for a moment noting the tired look in her eyes. “Please, take a seat. You’ve probably travelled straight from London.” She sat down and began to unbutton her coat, revealing a blue blazer with a ministry pin on the lapel. “The trip was pleasant, but long. I had the pleasure of acquiring a car with a snoring gentleman. He kept me awake the entire time.” “You’re more than welcome to rest in one of the cabins. I can easily arrange for-” “Thank you, Charlie, but I’ll take you up on that offer later, perhaps,” she interjected with a lingering gaze. Charlie felt his palms go sweaty as he remembered the last time he’d seen Maggie. Clearing his throat he said thickly, “I haven’t had a chance to fill out the necessary forms. Perhaps you should take a tour of the reserve while I finish them up.” “I’d love that,” she beamed. “Right, let me just get someone,” Charlie muttered as he shot out of his chair and out the door. He rushed over to the first group of people he saw. “Mac, I need you to give the ministry official a tour of the grounds.” “Sorry, Charlie, but I’ve got a shift to go on,” Mac replied. Charlie turned to Brendan who stood on Mac’s left. Brendan shook his head saying, “I’ve got a shift as well.” Charlie looked to the last person in the group. “Jade, please, you have to,” he stated. “I don’t have to do anything,” Jade shot back. “I was just about to go soak in a tub.” “There are no tubs here,” Charlie pointed out. “Fine,” Jade muttered. “Where is this stuffy bloke anyway?” Charlie steered her toward his cabin. “Actually, she’s not a bloke,” he said as he opened the door to reveal the blonde woman seated regally in one of Charlie’s chairs studying herself in a pocket mirror. Quickly, she put her mirror in her purse and rose from her seat. “Hello, I’m Miss Frye,” Maggie introduced herself. “Maggie, this is Jade Quinlan and she’ll be your tour guide,” Charlie said. “Splendid,” Maggie responded with a grin. “I’d love to start with the dragon paddock. They’re such magnificent creatures: beautiful and strong.” She licked her lower lip as she eyed Charlie. “Yeah, we like them too,” Jade snapped irritably as she watched Maggie press a hand against Charlie’s shoulder as she passed him. “I’ll see you later, Charlie,” Maggie called over her shoulder with a sultry wink. Jade narrowed her eyes at Maggie’s back as she followed her out of Charlie’s cabin. She’d only known the woman for two minutes and already she wanted to bash her face in. If anything, Charlie was going to pay for assigning her to this task. Maggie picked her way across the dragon reserve in her navy court shoes with Jade right behind her. They stopped in front of the dragon paddock, where Maggie stared in awe. “They are so big,” she murmured in surprise. “They’re dragons, not lizards,” Jade muttered moodily as she leaned up against the rail. She searched the paddock for Costel as Maggie moved closer to a Hungarian Ridgeback. “Do you think I could get close to one?” Maggie asked as she reached an elegant hand into the paddock in attempts to touch the Hungarian’s tail. Jade reached over and swatted Maggie’s hand back. “No, and if you reach in like that they’ll have your hand for dinner. They’re picky about humans.” Maggie shot her an irritated look before saying, “There’s no creature I can’t charm.” Jade rolled her eyes as she turned away. To herself she mumbled, “Try charming a Peruvian Vipertooth dragon.” “What was that?” Maggie asked pleasantly as she followed after Jade. “I’m sure you’re right,” Jade replied loudly with a false grin. Maggie beamed over at her as they walked toward the medical tent. “When I heard I was going to be reviewing this camp and that Charlie Weasley was in charge I was a bit excited. Charlie and I went to school at Hogwarts. He and I had classes together.” “Oh, how charming,” Jade mumbled feigning interest. Giving Jade a knowing look, Maggie replied, “Isn’t it?” Containing the urge to reach over and strangle the woman, Jade said through clenched teeth, “This is the medical tent. I can show you the mess hall where we have our meals if you’d like?” “Oh, that’s not necessary,” Maggie said. “I’ve seen more than enough and I should get back to Charlie. We have some business to attend to. Thank you for the tour, I can find my way to his cabin.” Jade was more than happy to be rid of the infuriating woman. Everything about her made Jade’s temper rise: from Maggie’s cheery disposition to her perfect face and hair had Jade clenching her fists ready to fight. Even the way she spoke of Charlie and touched him got to Jade. Those neat fine hands had touched Charlie in a very possessive way that made Jade boil over. She stopped walking suddenly and shook her head. She was feeling jealous. She began to laugh because the thought of it was absurd. Why would she ever feel jealous of another woman who had obviously had a past with Charlie? “Merlin, I need to get a grip,” Jade thought. Still, she glanced over at Charlie’s cabin as she passed by it and wondered what was going on inside of it. “This is going to be a serious problem,” Jade admitted to herself. A half hour later, Jade was sitting in front of a roaring fire staring into the flames. She was completely lost in thought when Brendan and Mac joined her. “What do you think is bothering her?” Mac asked with a grunt as he leaned over and poked the fire with a stick. “Probably that little number she had to give a tour to,” Brendan replied with a grin. Jade smacked Brendan across the shoulder. “Shut it,” she ordered. “You may be right,” Mac said with a laugh. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be the one to show her around. Man, was she a sight.” Brendan licked his lips and closed his eyes. With a snarl of disgust, Jade stabbed the fire with a large stick. “You really think she was that pretty?” she asked before shaking her head. “Scratch that, something tells me she and Charlie have a thing going on.” “Oh yeah,” Brendan asked. “What makes you think that?” Jade shrugged. “I don’t know. I just got this vibe from her. If you ask me they’re perfect for each other.” “You think so?” Mac asked with a brow raised in amusement. “Yeah, sure, she’s so perfect and he’s so…oh, who cares anyway!” Jade muttered angrily as she tossed the stick into the fire. Mac gave Brendan a knowing look as he said, “It sounds like to me that someone is intimidated by another woman being in the camp.” “I am not!” Jade cried out shooting him a piercing glare. Brendan grinned as he added, “It sounds like a territory issue.” Jade stood up as she barked, “It is not! What do I have to be territorial about anyway?” Both Brendan and Mac sat silent grinning. They’d gotten a rise out of her. Jade crossed her arms over her chest and stared at them. “If she wants to stay, then be my guest! Merlin knows there’s more men here than I can stand and that includes you lot.” She stormed away and into her tent. As she rolled onto her cot she thought about what they had said. It was the perfect explanation for her having such a strong disliking to Maggie. She was simply threatened by another female on the reserve. After all, Jade was the token female and she liked it that way. As she began to doze she convinced herself that it was her occupation she felt was being threatened not Charlie. ~@~ “Over to my left is a supply closet where we store our extra gear. Things such as dragon hide vests, boots and gloves can be found in there. I’m sure you’ll find everything is in order there.” Charlie stepped aside so that Maggie could peer into the equipment room. Maggie stepped closer to Charlie and with little interest glanced into the closet. “I’m sure you’re right,” she murmured close to his ear. Charlie was getting the distinct feeling that he was being hit on. This was the third time Maggie had gone out of her way to get close to him. “Well, all the same you should check it all. It’s on the list of things that needs to be regulated,” Charlie stated tightly as he shifted to move away. She smiled as she brushed past him and into the room. From within she said, “Yes, everything is in order.” “There’s only one more thing you have to look over and that’s the paddock. We’ve just done some work on the fencing and I’m sure it will be up to code.” He strode to the door and opened it for Maggie. “That sounds great, afterwards we can have a bit of a chat,” Maggie replied. Meanwhile across the camp, Jade was preparing for her second shift of the day. She was busy pulling on her gear when she saw Charlie and Maggie stride out of the equipment shed. “You’ll be happy to know that today is her last day here,” Brendan said with a grin. Jade turned to him with a frown. “I’ve told you already that she doesn’t bother me.” “You’re a bloody liar and a bad one, too,” Brendan replied. Jade sighed and began adjusting the high collar of her vest. “Fine, you’re absolutely right. That woman infuriates me.” “Why is that?” Brendan asked as he watched the petite blonde walk over to the paddock escorted by Charlie. “Just look at her, Brendan. Can you not tell me that she’s the type to use her looks and charms to get whatever she wants? She gives witches a bad name, and furthermore she’s a moron. Last night I overheard her talking to a few of the keepers about the dragon market. She didn’t know the difference between a dragon nail clipping and a shaving.” Jade rolled her eyes as Brendan laughed. “Oh, yes because many people know that a shaving is used for medicinal purposes while a clipping is poisonous,” Brendan simpered. “Come off it, Jade.” Jade narrowed her eyes at Brendan and snapped, “Well, at least I know what part of your body chooses a woman and clearly it’s not your brain.” “That’s not fair!” Brendan called out after her as she began to walk away. “I call them as I see them,” Jade shouted back to him as she headed for the dragon paddock. As Jade strode into the dragon paddock, Charlie steered Maggie toward the mended fence. “As you can see this metal is stronger than the last stuff we used. I’m thinking of having the entire paddock remodelled.” “I’m sure the ministry would approve of such a measure,” Maggie replied as she ran a hand over the fence. “It certainly is solid.” “Yeah, we just put it up a few days before you arrived,” Charlie informed her. She turned to him with a smile. “You built the fence yourself?” “I had help,” Charlie replied uneasily as she looked him over with hunger in her eyes. “I’m sure you did most of the work yourself. You are strong.” She stepped toward him and ran a hand over his arm. “I bet you could have done it all by yourself.” Charlie willed himself not to flinch at her touch. How long had it been since a woman had touched him like this? He couldn’t remember and he was sure he didn’t want Maggie to continue. “It would have taken too long,” he muttered as he took her hand in his and relieved his arm of her touch. “You know, Charlie, I’m finished with my report and everything looks more than in order here. Why don’t we just find some place quiet so that we could…talk,” she murmured pressing up against him. “That uh…sounds nice and all Maggie, but I have work to do,” he stuttered as her perfume began to intoxicate him. “Hang work, Charlie, all you ever do is work. Even back in school you never let yourself have a moment,” Maggie said as she trailed a hand up his chest. Charlie gripped her hand suddenly and said unsteadily, “Maggie, we can’t have a moment.” She smiled sweetly up at him. “How could I forget? A moment is way too short with you…how long was it again?” Charlie felt his insides go hot as he tried to shift away from her. “Maggie, you and I we’re…well, I don’t think this is such a good idea,” he stammered. “Of course not, but that’s not going to stop me,” she said huskily as she threw an arm around his neck. Charlie stumbled backwards and his back hit the fence. “Look, Maggie, I’m not doing this with you.” She pouted up at him and snuggled in closer. “Are you sure about that?” she asked sweetly. He pressed his hands against her shoulders to give him some distance from her. “You’re beautiful and all, but I’m not going back there again.” “The past is the past, Charlie, and I was stupid then,” she said fervently. “I should have never let you get away.” He shook his head trying to clear it. “Maggie, you did and I’m glad for it because I wouldn’t be here at the dragon reserve.” She narrowed her eyes saying, “You’d be a first string Seeker instead. Don’t think I forgot about it, Charlie.” “That’s not the point. Merlin, Maggie, you don’t get it do you?” he asked through a snarl as he pushed her back. “I get it, Charlie. You want to stay here and play with your dragons. Well, that’s just fine for you,” she snapped. “You can’t deny what we had, Charlie.” “Yeah, we had something then,” he retorted. “Now, I’m not sure there’s anything.” “Well, why don’t we just find out then?” she asked pressing up against him. “I’m sure I could remind you.” Charlie didn’t expect Maggie to kiss him then, or he would have tried to avoid it. Even though she was smaller than he she seemed to be overpowering him. Struggling, Charlie freed himself from her and staggered back. “Happy now?” he asked darkly as he wiped at his mouth. “Since your work here is done with the ministry you can leave on the first train out.” She looked hurt, but he didn’t care. “I hope you enjoy your dragons, Charlie,” she said turning and walking away. Charlie leaned back against the fence and sighed heavily. That had been close, too close. He turned and looked into the dragon paddock. His eyes locked with a pair of emerald eyes. Jade moved from the spot she had been rooted to. She hadn’t meant to watch, but she couldn’t move away. Curiosity had gotten the better of her. Now that Charlie was staring straight at her, she was more than spooked. Jumping up onto Costel’s back she urged the beast to fly away without even strapping herself into the saddle.
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