Categories > Books > Harry Potter > The Bulldog and the Archer
A letter from Dumbledore, old friends, messages, and meatballs.
1Ambiance
Part 7 – The Warden Headquarters, early November.
Charles,
Regarding our earlier communication, recruitment does not go as well as hoped. Voldemort has rather astutely kept his “public” activities to within the borders of the United Kingdom, thus making it harder for the Order to find those sympathetic to our cause, and our need, outside of the Kingdom.
I received your report concerning the death of the Longhorn, and though the death of this noble creature is a great loss and a tragedy without measure, surely, it is a grave mistake by the other side. Your observation that it will be extremely difficult for Voldemort to find any support from the Dragon community is most welcome, though I would remind you that he may seek aid through the use of deception and accomplices. Ifeel it is important that you continue in your efforts to stay apprised of any strange events and strangers. Of particular concern, beware of any Goblins seeking to do 'new' business with anyone at the Preserve. Please maintain communication with your contacts.
A bit of good news; though Arthur or William may have written to you with this news, you should know that it is almost certain that William and Fleur Delacour will wed this coming summer. While your mother continues to resist the idea, hoping that Ted Tonks' daughter Nymphadora would be more suitable, the outcome will inevitably be that there will be awedding, and that French Champagne will be served.
Lastly, it is with happiness that I have received news that another Weasley may have found true love. I am very happy for you, Charles, or should I say,“Bulldog”? I look forward to meeting your young lady someday soon. My Japanese is a bit rusty, but I may be able to remember enough to embarrass myself!
---Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore
Post Script: Your sister currently likes 'Pygmy Puffs'
Charlie chuckles to himself as he reads the last paragraph and encoded post script.“Leave it to the professor to know about us already,”he thinks to himself, wondering how the man does it. He rolls up the freshly delivered parchment from Professor Dumbledore and tucks it into his inner shirt pocket. He places his reclining feet back down onto the floor, swiveling in his chair until he faces the duty desk in front of him.
“So, Bill is getting married!” he thinks to himself. “Mum and Dad must be in a tizzy right now.” A wide grin colors Charlie's face as he reaches for a quill and a pot of ink. Pushing aside the pile of reports he was working on, a clean sheet of parchment is uncovered. As he composes his thoughts, the end of the hawk feather flicks back and forth across his forehead. Charlie's thoughts turn from being of a congratulatory nature, to thoughts oflustrously long, silky smooth, midnight blue and black,locks of hair, caressing his forehead, face, neck, and chest. The scent of a floral bouquet fills his senses.
/Wham! /The sudden slamming of the outside door in the room beyond brings Charlie's daydream to an end. He rubs his eyes and sits up, trying to stifle asudden yawn. He reaches for, and takes a sip, from the ceramic mug on the desk. The tepid tea goes down with a frown.
Charlie stands and walks over to the other side of the duty room, pours out the old tea into the sink there, and refills the cup with a fresher brew.
Re-seating himself, he picks up the quill once again, dips it into the inkwell, and begins to write.
Bill,
Oi! What's this Ihear about you going out with someone who went to Beauxbatons?Couldn't find a nice, buxom, tavern wench at the 'Leaky Cauldron' to tumble and take home to Mum? Whatever happened to that girl from Ravenclaw, the one who liked music... Mellony Robintton?
All kidding aside, Bro, I am very glad to hear that you have found your 'Special Someone'. As I recall, Mademoiselle Delacour was the Beauxbatons Tri-Wizard Cup selectee. Is it really true she is part Veela? I look forward to meeting her more formally, soon.
Which brings me to tell you that I won't be home for Christmas this year. I haven't told Mum yet, which is why I am sending this letter to you, care of Gringotts. However, should my schedule permit, I will make it home before February.
Right now, we're socked in with about three meters of snow in the mountains. Not much going on up there, though a few of the natives down here on the plain have been rather rambunctious this season. Should you get the chance, visit with Prof. Dumbledore... he's been getting my reports and has more news.
Tell Mum not to bother sending a Howler; I'll be sending her a note very soon. Please ask Fred and George to fix-up the basement of their shop for me. Ihave decided to take them up on their offer when I do manage to get home. I don't think I want to be around Mum if she is fretting about you and your choice of girl friends!
Time to get back to work, Bill. Give my love to our parents and Ginny, and tell our brothers to buck up! Oh, almost forgot. Tell Fred and George not to go too crazy on Guy Fawkes night this year. With all of those new fireworks they've been working on, they're sure to be tempted to go bonkers.
Remember, keep dodging those blodgers!
Love, Charlie
Post Script: Ask everyone to hold off sending presents; I'll get them when I come home. The Squib & Muggle Transcontinental Magic Mail service bogs down terribly around here during the Holidays.
As Charlie seals the letter and addresses it, he hears one of the inner doors in the room beyond open; the weather strip along the bottom edge making that unique sweeping sound across the floor.
“Charlie?” a female voice calls out.
“In here, Marie!”
“Hey, this message just arrived for you from Mayumi.”
Charlie stands as the woman enters, stopping in the door frame between the two rooms. He reaches out to accept the message from her, placing it in his pocket.“Thanks, Marie, I'll read it later. I do have an outgoing one, if you don't mind?”
Taking the sealed letter for Bill, Marie leans against the open door frame, with amischievous smile askew on her face. The sharp-looking, middle-aged office manager for the Warden HQ folds her red-flannel sleeved arms across her chest, and says in her Yankee accent, “You and the Ice Queen are the 'talk of the town', you know?”
Charlie, eyes forward, and secretly blazing, sits back down at the desk. He clears his throat, and reaches for a sheath of documents that he had reviewed earlier. He turns in his chair, makes eye contact with Marie, and hands her the paperwork. “Here are the new applicant dossiers and their background checks.”
Still smirking, Marie takes hold of the sheath, casually opening it up, scanning the insides. She pauses over each of the four sepia wiz-o-pix images.
“Cute bunch, aren't they?”
“I didn't really consider their... cuteness, Marie,” Charlie replies straight forwardly.
“Well, guess you have good reason for that, don't ya?”
Firing right back at her, Charlie replies, “Yes, I most certainly do!”
Laughing, Marie turns slightly away, still looking at the pictures. “This one's abeauty...”
“Bloody hell, Marie...” Charlie laughs. Known as one of the most organized, efficient, and bad-ass Office Managers to ever work for the Dragon Preserve, Marie's sexual preferences were also well known to the tight community at the Preserve. Most of the male Wardens were thankful that her aggressive 'attentions' would never be focused upon themselves. Most of the female Wardens simply stayed away. “What would Lyssa say if she heard you?”
“Never you mind what Lyssa would say, Charlie Weasley!” she answers back sharply, closing up the paperwork. “By the way, the 'Big Man'will be here tomorrow to interview these four. If I were you, I'd be here in case he has questions about the death of the Longhorn.”
“Lord Aramys will be here, tomorrow? What time?”
“Nine o'clock supposedly. You know how he likes to get in and out quick.”
All of the Dragon Wardens had been interviewed by the mysterious 'Lord Aramys' before having been accepted to their postings. Charlie didn't remember much from his interview, except a few impressions of being in the company of a very old, very great Elder. Rumor had it that he was the very first Dragon Warden ever, though that of course was ridiculous, as there had been Wardens for hundreds of years. One thing for sure is that no one knew where he lives, or how he got there.
“Thanks for the heads up.”
“Charlie...”
“Yes?” he looks up at her.
“I really think it's great you two get along so well. I hope she's the one for ya.” Marie smiles back warmly, her arms grasping the paperwork to her chest.
“Thanks, Marie, Iappreciate that!”
Sitting alone in the cool, dimly lit cafeteria lounge after lunch, Charlie looks out the large window panes, half-heartedly watching the thunder and lightening storm slowly approach from the north. The terrain on the plateau is already thoroughly saturated, guaranteeing that there will be mudslides and flash floods over the next few days, he thinks to himself. The mountains would see even more snowfall. Normally, he would feel glad that his time off period had started after his morning watch, meaning he was free from duty for the next two weeks. However, the opened parchment in his hands, with the message written within, has Charlie feeling unsettled.
Mayumi's parents have invited the two of them to dinner, in two days time, November 3rd.
The cold knot of nervous fear begins to twist and tighten in his stomach. He wishes now that he had opened May's note before lunch. The two hearty servings of meatball soup and fresh bread that he had enjoyed were suddenly sitting heavily in his belly. Beginning to feel nauseated, Charlie gets up from his chair and walks to where his coat hangs. He pulls it off the hook and pulls it on. Zipping it up, he heads for the door, leading to the outside, and fresh air. He aimlessly walks along the paved paths between the buildings, some covered, others open to the cold, heavy drops of early November rain.
Stopping in front of the display window for the commissary, hands in his pockets, looking at all the various goods, Charlie begins to wonder if he should go bearing a gift.
He thinks back to the day at the rope bridge, when Zark-san and his dragon had landed next to him, and Charlie had blindly called out May's name, thinking it might be her. He remembers how regal, and formal, her father had looked to him, sitting in his white-lacquered flying gear, with his top knot in his hair, and the black mustache “He looked like a samurai” Charlie thinks to himself. All that was missing were the swords.
As he stands there, lost in his worried thoughts, two of Charlie's co-workers open the double doors, exiting the commissary.
“Well, Charlie Weasley, I wouldn't have expected to see you here!”
“Hello Tomas, hi Jeena.” Charlie smiles at the both of them. He removes his left hand and reaches out to place it behind Jeena's back, preparing to give her a friendly hug.
Jeena and Tomas Rhugaugh are one of the few sibling warden pairs on the active duty list at the Preserve, and the only set of twins, which is one of the reasons why Charlie latched onto them so quickly when they first met.
Jeena smiles, leans in and plants a friendly kiss on Charlie's cheek. Tomas shifts the parcels and bag in his arms and extends his hand. Charlie quickly clasps it and shakes it.
“How are you doing these days, Charlie?” Jeena asks in her bright, cheerful, girl-next-door sort of way.
“Yeah, we haven't been around much these past couple of months.”
“Right, well, I've been keeping myself kind of 'busy'.” As he delivers this line, Charlie's cheeks begin to blush cherry red.
“Uh-oh, Tomas, looks like our Mr. Weasley has found himself someone.”
“Blimey Charlie, you mean to say that in the two months we've been away that you've gone and found yourself a mate?”
Charlie's deep friendship with these two is such that he cannot help but grin and blush even more.
“So, who is it?” Jeena asks, now sidling up to him, her own arm around his back. She gently eases him away from the doors, forcing Tomas to follow, still encumbered by their packages.
“M. Zark.”
“You mean, 'M. Zark', as in my replacement that day, before I went on leave?”
Nodding his head in the positive, Charlie elaborates. “Her name is Mayumi. She is one of the Japanese members from the Enclave.”
“So she is one of the Hokkaidan Dragon riders?” Jeena asks.
“Hai.”
Both Tomas and Jeena grow silent, then look at each other. Finally, Tomas breaks the silence. “Holy Horntails, Charles, you've been bit bad!”
Charlie stands a little straighter, looking Tomas in the eyes, then Jeena, before replying with, “What can I say? I love her!”
Gushing with genuine happiness, Jeena says, “Charlie, you're just going to have to bring your Mayumi over to dine with us. How about the two of you coming over late Sunday afternoon?”
“Can't Jeena, we've been invited to dine with May's parents.”
“Oh ho, so that's why you're wandering around out here in the rain and muck, looking so lost.”
“First time meeting the parents?”
Charlie nods, adding,“I've met her father once, up on the mountain. He was flying patrol for the Avalanche Team when a young Hebridian crawled out from the ravine between 38 and 39, attacking the group.”
“You see that, sister of mine, every time we go away...”
“Anyways, this will be the first time I meet her father and mother formally. I don't even know if they speak English.”
Jeena leans in once more, giving Charlie a quick kiss on his temple. “It'll be okay, Charlie. You'll do fine!”
“Thanks Jee, Iappreciate that.”
Jeena leans in again, whispering in his ear, “You haven't called me that since we used to go out, 'Charlie-bean'.” Charlie turns red again.
Tomas clears his throat loudly. “It's time we get these parcels home, 'Jee'.”
With that, Jeena drops her arm around Charlie and moves over to her brother's side, giving him a saccharin-sweet smile, following up with a punch to his arm. His own arm had been on the receiving end of that punch more than afew times.
Charlie watches as Tomas' eyes water. Jeena turns back to Charlie. “Promise us you'll bring Mayumi over soon, Charlie, please. I'm dying to meet her.”
“I think she'd like that, thank you!”
“You take care, Charlie.”
“Bye Tomas, bye Jeena.” He watches as they head to the transit stop to board abus over to their housing unit.
Feeling better, Charlie starts walking back to HQ to take the floo to the Tower, where May is stationed for the night. As he treads down the pathway in the rain, beneath a darkening sky, he takes out his wand and begins to silently light the gas lamps along the pathway.
Reaching Headquarters, Charlie shakes off the excess drops of moisture beneath the metal awning over the doorway, then pulls open the heavy door. He steps up into the outer room, closing the heavy door behind him with a booming'whump'. He walks into the office, finding Marie still at her desk.
“Hey, I'm glad you're back.” Marie pushes off in her wheeled swivel chair until making contact with a second desk in front of a rack of mail slots. “This is for you. I've already sent one to Mayumi; you are both expected to be here tomorrow morning at 8:45 a.m. Sharp. Lord Aramys WILL want to talk to the both of you!”
Charlie looks down at the sealed message apprehensively, noting the imprint in the sealing wax on the back.
Marie pulls up next to him in her chair, and says in a conspiratorial tone, “By the way, if you're late, they say his howlers breathe fire AND bite!”
“Thanks Marie.”
Charlie leaves and heads to the floo room. He grabs a handful of powder and tosses it into the hearth, saying “Field Shelter #27”. As the green flames erupt upwards, Charlie steps-pivots into the flame and disappears.
Charles,
Regarding our earlier communication, recruitment does not go as well as hoped. Voldemort has rather astutely kept his “public” activities to within the borders of the United Kingdom, thus making it harder for the Order to find those sympathetic to our cause, and our need, outside of the Kingdom.
I received your report concerning the death of the Longhorn, and though the death of this noble creature is a great loss and a tragedy without measure, surely, it is a grave mistake by the other side. Your observation that it will be extremely difficult for Voldemort to find any support from the Dragon community is most welcome, though I would remind you that he may seek aid through the use of deception and accomplices. Ifeel it is important that you continue in your efforts to stay apprised of any strange events and strangers. Of particular concern, beware of any Goblins seeking to do 'new' business with anyone at the Preserve. Please maintain communication with your contacts.
A bit of good news; though Arthur or William may have written to you with this news, you should know that it is almost certain that William and Fleur Delacour will wed this coming summer. While your mother continues to resist the idea, hoping that Ted Tonks' daughter Nymphadora would be more suitable, the outcome will inevitably be that there will be awedding, and that French Champagne will be served.
Lastly, it is with happiness that I have received news that another Weasley may have found true love. I am very happy for you, Charles, or should I say,“Bulldog”? I look forward to meeting your young lady someday soon. My Japanese is a bit rusty, but I may be able to remember enough to embarrass myself!
---Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore
Post Script: Your sister currently likes 'Pygmy Puffs'
Charlie chuckles to himself as he reads the last paragraph and encoded post script.“Leave it to the professor to know about us already,”he thinks to himself, wondering how the man does it. He rolls up the freshly delivered parchment from Professor Dumbledore and tucks it into his inner shirt pocket. He places his reclining feet back down onto the floor, swiveling in his chair until he faces the duty desk in front of him.
“So, Bill is getting married!” he thinks to himself. “Mum and Dad must be in a tizzy right now.” A wide grin colors Charlie's face as he reaches for a quill and a pot of ink. Pushing aside the pile of reports he was working on, a clean sheet of parchment is uncovered. As he composes his thoughts, the end of the hawk feather flicks back and forth across his forehead. Charlie's thoughts turn from being of a congratulatory nature, to thoughts oflustrously long, silky smooth, midnight blue and black,locks of hair, caressing his forehead, face, neck, and chest. The scent of a floral bouquet fills his senses.
/Wham! /The sudden slamming of the outside door in the room beyond brings Charlie's daydream to an end. He rubs his eyes and sits up, trying to stifle asudden yawn. He reaches for, and takes a sip, from the ceramic mug on the desk. The tepid tea goes down with a frown.
Charlie stands and walks over to the other side of the duty room, pours out the old tea into the sink there, and refills the cup with a fresher brew.
Re-seating himself, he picks up the quill once again, dips it into the inkwell, and begins to write.
Bill,
Oi! What's this Ihear about you going out with someone who went to Beauxbatons?Couldn't find a nice, buxom, tavern wench at the 'Leaky Cauldron' to tumble and take home to Mum? Whatever happened to that girl from Ravenclaw, the one who liked music... Mellony Robintton?
All kidding aside, Bro, I am very glad to hear that you have found your 'Special Someone'. As I recall, Mademoiselle Delacour was the Beauxbatons Tri-Wizard Cup selectee. Is it really true she is part Veela? I look forward to meeting her more formally, soon.
Which brings me to tell you that I won't be home for Christmas this year. I haven't told Mum yet, which is why I am sending this letter to you, care of Gringotts. However, should my schedule permit, I will make it home before February.
Right now, we're socked in with about three meters of snow in the mountains. Not much going on up there, though a few of the natives down here on the plain have been rather rambunctious this season. Should you get the chance, visit with Prof. Dumbledore... he's been getting my reports and has more news.
Tell Mum not to bother sending a Howler; I'll be sending her a note very soon. Please ask Fred and George to fix-up the basement of their shop for me. Ihave decided to take them up on their offer when I do manage to get home. I don't think I want to be around Mum if she is fretting about you and your choice of girl friends!
Time to get back to work, Bill. Give my love to our parents and Ginny, and tell our brothers to buck up! Oh, almost forgot. Tell Fred and George not to go too crazy on Guy Fawkes night this year. With all of those new fireworks they've been working on, they're sure to be tempted to go bonkers.
Remember, keep dodging those blodgers!
Love, Charlie
Post Script: Ask everyone to hold off sending presents; I'll get them when I come home. The Squib & Muggle Transcontinental Magic Mail service bogs down terribly around here during the Holidays.
As Charlie seals the letter and addresses it, he hears one of the inner doors in the room beyond open; the weather strip along the bottom edge making that unique sweeping sound across the floor.
“Charlie?” a female voice calls out.
“In here, Marie!”
“Hey, this message just arrived for you from Mayumi.”
Charlie stands as the woman enters, stopping in the door frame between the two rooms. He reaches out to accept the message from her, placing it in his pocket.“Thanks, Marie, I'll read it later. I do have an outgoing one, if you don't mind?”
Taking the sealed letter for Bill, Marie leans against the open door frame, with amischievous smile askew on her face. The sharp-looking, middle-aged office manager for the Warden HQ folds her red-flannel sleeved arms across her chest, and says in her Yankee accent, “You and the Ice Queen are the 'talk of the town', you know?”
Charlie, eyes forward, and secretly blazing, sits back down at the desk. He clears his throat, and reaches for a sheath of documents that he had reviewed earlier. He turns in his chair, makes eye contact with Marie, and hands her the paperwork. “Here are the new applicant dossiers and their background checks.”
Still smirking, Marie takes hold of the sheath, casually opening it up, scanning the insides. She pauses over each of the four sepia wiz-o-pix images.
“Cute bunch, aren't they?”
“I didn't really consider their... cuteness, Marie,” Charlie replies straight forwardly.
“Well, guess you have good reason for that, don't ya?”
Firing right back at her, Charlie replies, “Yes, I most certainly do!”
Laughing, Marie turns slightly away, still looking at the pictures. “This one's abeauty...”
“Bloody hell, Marie...” Charlie laughs. Known as one of the most organized, efficient, and bad-ass Office Managers to ever work for the Dragon Preserve, Marie's sexual preferences were also well known to the tight community at the Preserve. Most of the male Wardens were thankful that her aggressive 'attentions' would never be focused upon themselves. Most of the female Wardens simply stayed away. “What would Lyssa say if she heard you?”
“Never you mind what Lyssa would say, Charlie Weasley!” she answers back sharply, closing up the paperwork. “By the way, the 'Big Man'will be here tomorrow to interview these four. If I were you, I'd be here in case he has questions about the death of the Longhorn.”
“Lord Aramys will be here, tomorrow? What time?”
“Nine o'clock supposedly. You know how he likes to get in and out quick.”
All of the Dragon Wardens had been interviewed by the mysterious 'Lord Aramys' before having been accepted to their postings. Charlie didn't remember much from his interview, except a few impressions of being in the company of a very old, very great Elder. Rumor had it that he was the very first Dragon Warden ever, though that of course was ridiculous, as there had been Wardens for hundreds of years. One thing for sure is that no one knew where he lives, or how he got there.
“Thanks for the heads up.”
“Charlie...”
“Yes?” he looks up at her.
“I really think it's great you two get along so well. I hope she's the one for ya.” Marie smiles back warmly, her arms grasping the paperwork to her chest.
“Thanks, Marie, Iappreciate that!”
Sitting alone in the cool, dimly lit cafeteria lounge after lunch, Charlie looks out the large window panes, half-heartedly watching the thunder and lightening storm slowly approach from the north. The terrain on the plateau is already thoroughly saturated, guaranteeing that there will be mudslides and flash floods over the next few days, he thinks to himself. The mountains would see even more snowfall. Normally, he would feel glad that his time off period had started after his morning watch, meaning he was free from duty for the next two weeks. However, the opened parchment in his hands, with the message written within, has Charlie feeling unsettled.
Mayumi's parents have invited the two of them to dinner, in two days time, November 3rd.
The cold knot of nervous fear begins to twist and tighten in his stomach. He wishes now that he had opened May's note before lunch. The two hearty servings of meatball soup and fresh bread that he had enjoyed were suddenly sitting heavily in his belly. Beginning to feel nauseated, Charlie gets up from his chair and walks to where his coat hangs. He pulls it off the hook and pulls it on. Zipping it up, he heads for the door, leading to the outside, and fresh air. He aimlessly walks along the paved paths between the buildings, some covered, others open to the cold, heavy drops of early November rain.
Stopping in front of the display window for the commissary, hands in his pockets, looking at all the various goods, Charlie begins to wonder if he should go bearing a gift.
He thinks back to the day at the rope bridge, when Zark-san and his dragon had landed next to him, and Charlie had blindly called out May's name, thinking it might be her. He remembers how regal, and formal, her father had looked to him, sitting in his white-lacquered flying gear, with his top knot in his hair, and the black mustache “He looked like a samurai” Charlie thinks to himself. All that was missing were the swords.
As he stands there, lost in his worried thoughts, two of Charlie's co-workers open the double doors, exiting the commissary.
“Well, Charlie Weasley, I wouldn't have expected to see you here!”
“Hello Tomas, hi Jeena.” Charlie smiles at the both of them. He removes his left hand and reaches out to place it behind Jeena's back, preparing to give her a friendly hug.
Jeena and Tomas Rhugaugh are one of the few sibling warden pairs on the active duty list at the Preserve, and the only set of twins, which is one of the reasons why Charlie latched onto them so quickly when they first met.
Jeena smiles, leans in and plants a friendly kiss on Charlie's cheek. Tomas shifts the parcels and bag in his arms and extends his hand. Charlie quickly clasps it and shakes it.
“How are you doing these days, Charlie?” Jeena asks in her bright, cheerful, girl-next-door sort of way.
“Yeah, we haven't been around much these past couple of months.”
“Right, well, I've been keeping myself kind of 'busy'.” As he delivers this line, Charlie's cheeks begin to blush cherry red.
“Uh-oh, Tomas, looks like our Mr. Weasley has found himself someone.”
“Blimey Charlie, you mean to say that in the two months we've been away that you've gone and found yourself a mate?”
Charlie's deep friendship with these two is such that he cannot help but grin and blush even more.
“So, who is it?” Jeena asks, now sidling up to him, her own arm around his back. She gently eases him away from the doors, forcing Tomas to follow, still encumbered by their packages.
“M. Zark.”
“You mean, 'M. Zark', as in my replacement that day, before I went on leave?”
Nodding his head in the positive, Charlie elaborates. “Her name is Mayumi. She is one of the Japanese members from the Enclave.”
“So she is one of the Hokkaidan Dragon riders?” Jeena asks.
“Hai.”
Both Tomas and Jeena grow silent, then look at each other. Finally, Tomas breaks the silence. “Holy Horntails, Charles, you've been bit bad!”
Charlie stands a little straighter, looking Tomas in the eyes, then Jeena, before replying with, “What can I say? I love her!”
Gushing with genuine happiness, Jeena says, “Charlie, you're just going to have to bring your Mayumi over to dine with us. How about the two of you coming over late Sunday afternoon?”
“Can't Jeena, we've been invited to dine with May's parents.”
“Oh ho, so that's why you're wandering around out here in the rain and muck, looking so lost.”
“First time meeting the parents?”
Charlie nods, adding,“I've met her father once, up on the mountain. He was flying patrol for the Avalanche Team when a young Hebridian crawled out from the ravine between 38 and 39, attacking the group.”
“You see that, sister of mine, every time we go away...”
“Anyways, this will be the first time I meet her father and mother formally. I don't even know if they speak English.”
Jeena leans in once more, giving Charlie a quick kiss on his temple. “It'll be okay, Charlie. You'll do fine!”
“Thanks Jee, Iappreciate that.”
Jeena leans in again, whispering in his ear, “You haven't called me that since we used to go out, 'Charlie-bean'.” Charlie turns red again.
Tomas clears his throat loudly. “It's time we get these parcels home, 'Jee'.”
With that, Jeena drops her arm around Charlie and moves over to her brother's side, giving him a saccharin-sweet smile, following up with a punch to his arm. His own arm had been on the receiving end of that punch more than afew times.
Charlie watches as Tomas' eyes water. Jeena turns back to Charlie. “Promise us you'll bring Mayumi over soon, Charlie, please. I'm dying to meet her.”
“I think she'd like that, thank you!”
“You take care, Charlie.”
“Bye Tomas, bye Jeena.” He watches as they head to the transit stop to board abus over to their housing unit.
Feeling better, Charlie starts walking back to HQ to take the floo to the Tower, where May is stationed for the night. As he treads down the pathway in the rain, beneath a darkening sky, he takes out his wand and begins to silently light the gas lamps along the pathway.
Reaching Headquarters, Charlie shakes off the excess drops of moisture beneath the metal awning over the doorway, then pulls open the heavy door. He steps up into the outer room, closing the heavy door behind him with a booming'whump'. He walks into the office, finding Marie still at her desk.
“Hey, I'm glad you're back.” Marie pushes off in her wheeled swivel chair until making contact with a second desk in front of a rack of mail slots. “This is for you. I've already sent one to Mayumi; you are both expected to be here tomorrow morning at 8:45 a.m. Sharp. Lord Aramys WILL want to talk to the both of you!”
Charlie looks down at the sealed message apprehensively, noting the imprint in the sealing wax on the back.
Marie pulls up next to him in her chair, and says in a conspiratorial tone, “By the way, if you're late, they say his howlers breathe fire AND bite!”
“Thanks Marie.”
Charlie leaves and heads to the floo room. He grabs a handful of powder and tosses it into the hearth, saying “Field Shelter #27”. As the green flames erupt upwards, Charlie steps-pivots into the flame and disappears.
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