Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Beautiful Stranger	By : TheLadyFeylene Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 5460 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Disclaimer: Charlie Weasley and Remus Lupin are not mine. I am just borrowing them. I'll give them back when I'm done.

Dedication: This is actually just a continuation of chapter 3, so the same dedications apply. :-)

Author's note: Still from Charlie's POV. Nothing much has changed. Heehee.....Charlie's so great! Song mentioned was song that was on the radio while writing. And....find the reference! It’s pretty blatant. ;-) ten points to your house if you know where it’s from. And just so you know, this is a completed story, I'm just transfering it over.

Beautiful Stranger
Chapter 4

Charlie sat behind his desk, hands behind his head, feet propped up on his desk. He could do that now, with the wooden divider shielding him from view. He had his little radio turned on, and had fought with it for about ten minutes until he was able to get the muggle oldies station he liked to come in. He had inherited his father's live of muggle things, but had a bit more sense about them.

//This is nice. I wonder if Remus would be willing to stay on, even after we're done working through his little problem. I still can't believe he's a werewolf. I'd never have known, if it weren't common knowledge. The only hint's his eyes, and that's only if you look close. Besides, his eyes are sexy. Gold, and really deep. *He's* sexy. Not in a conventional way, but definitely note worthy.// Charlie closed his eyes, listening to the feeble strains of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", thinking of all the interesting little possibilities living with Remus Lupin-even for just a short time-could bring.

//I think I read somewhere that werewolves are really good in bed. Of course, I also read somewhere that chimera's are vegetarians. But that's not exactly something I'd like to find out for myself.// He let himself slip into a pleasant little daydream, involving Remus and his desk. He wasn't snapped out of it until he heard Remus' voice, from the other side of the partition.

"...really don't think this is the place, sir." Remus was saying, his calm voice taking on a rather desperate edge.

"Nonsense!" A strange voice, but Charlie could pretty much tell who it belonged to. It had the pompous whine that only the truly rich achieved. And it sounded older, as well. "Where else would I go, hmmm? This *is* a *dragon* society, is it not?"

"In theory, yes." Remus was patiently explaining. "This is the main office building for the Society for Protection and Prevention of Cruelty to Dragons. We handle all clerical aspects of the society."

"But you are a society for dragons."

"Yes." Charlie could hear the steel undertones of Remus' voice. What in Merlin's name was going on? Well whatever it was, the werewolf seemed to be handling it very well. "Here, in this building, we handle paperwork and things of that nature. We don't actually handle live dragons."

"Why ever not?"

"Because we are not a dragon pound!"

"Well, what on earth am I supposed to do with this?"

There was an indignant squawking from the outer office, and Charlie leapt to his feet, knocking his chair over as he did so. He stifled a curse, hopping on one foot, as he bounded out beyond the divider. //Please no, please no, please no...// But Charlie saw exactly what he had expected to see. Well, not *exactly*....

Remus was standing up, looking shat hat flustered. He had an exasperated look on his face, and his arms were crossed. In front of him was a tall, grey haired wizard in bright green and blue robes embroidered all over with silver and gold. He seemed to have about ten pounds worth of baubles on him, and he was holding a box.

"I'm in charge here...can I help you?" Charlie said, fighting to keep himself in control.

"Why yes my good man, you can. I need to get this-" He thrust the box forward-"off of my hands. Here you go." He shoved the box into Charlie's hands, and immediately turned and raced out of the door. Charlie took a deep breath, and looked into the box.

"Welsh Green. One to two weeks old. This is the third time something like this has happened. What the hell do they think we are, the Sunshine fucking Foundation for Sick Dragons? Pardon my language and the obscure reference, but this sort of thing pisses me off. Why, *why* do people think dragon's are good pets? They suck as pets! Oh, they're cure at this stage...but wait a week, and they're burning you out of house and home. Biting the kids, eating the house elves...usually they get dumped on edge of some big forest. But every once in a while, they bring them *here*. As if we're some sort of....pound, for dragons!"

"What do we do with it?" Remus asked, and Charlie was amused to see him backing away from the box and it's fretting occupant.

"Well...I'll send a letter to a couple of friends, and I'll see if they can take him to a reservation. I'll check him out here, make sure he's okay. Want to give me a hand with him?"

"Oh, no, that's all right. I ought to stay here....just in case. But thank you." Remus was eyeing the box nervously, and holding his body away from it. //He's a werewolf! He could probably swallow this little guy in one bite. But he's scared of him...that's actually kind of cute.
"
"Nah, if you're gonna be working here you ought to a little bit about dragons. Here..." Charlie set the box on Remus' desk, and reached inside. //Thank Merlin it's a green. They're the best of the lot, and it's still a baby baby. I can handle him-ah! Her, actually-quite well.//

"This is a welsh green, and it turn's out it's a little girl, I think." The dragon squirmed in Charlie's grip, kreening. "I really like these guys, they're easy to handle and they're cute." He scratched the green's head, and it made a noise of contentment.

"You can pet her." Charlie said, holding the dragon out to Remus, who took another step back.

"No, Charlie, that's all right. I'll leave dragon care to those trained to do so."

"I thought you were a Defense Against the Dark Art's Professor?"

"I was. And of course we went over dragons, but we never *handled* them. Er...in all honesty, I'm a bit...nervous around dragons." Remus was nearly backed against the door. Charlie set the green back down in her box and walked over to him.

"She's not going to hurt you." Charlie assured him. "Come on..." He took Remus' hand, drawing him over to the desk. He kept one hand on Remus' wrist, and stood behind him, other hand on his back. "You're going to do this. Just reach out, slowly..." As he spoke, he led Remus' hand to hover above the boxed dragon. Remus was shaking softly under his hand, and it was all Charlie could do to keep from laughing. //What's he so scared of? It's just a baby dragon!// "Just one finger, Remus, come on...just touch it. Just once."

"Are you sure it's all right for me to touch it?"

"This is fine. Just pet it...run your hand over the head. And let's stop using the term 'it' hmm. We'll have to think of a name. You can do that."

"We're going to name it? First you're have me touch it, now you want me to name it?" Remus sighed, pausing. "You know, to the casual passerby this can't sound very good."

"Huh?" Charlie looked confused a moment, then started laughing in earnest. "Oh god...you're right. Oh, you should have been here two weeks ago. Ro and Heather were trying to put a desk together, I think it was, I didn't know what they were doing at the time. I just here from the next room: 'Shove it in harder, Ro!' 'I'm shoving as hard as I can, it's not going in.' 'Twist it, you have to twist it!' and whatnot. Complimented by grunts, moans and thumps. I think I spent half the day with my ear pressed against the wall...Now pet my dragon, damn it!" He chose the words deliberately, lowering Remus hand into the box.

"During office hours? Charlie, I'm shocked..." Remus mumbled, but his tone was rather dry. Charlie felt his hand make contact with the dragon, and immediately draw back.

"There. See?" Charlie leaned forward, resting his weight on Remus' back. "That wasn't so bad."

"It was surprisingly soft." Remus admitted. "Er...where is she going to be staying?"

"I'll keep her in the office with me, since she makes you nervous. What do you want to call her?"

"Oh, you were serious? Well, Daisy."

"Daisy?" Charlie raised any eyebrow. "You want to name her Daisy?"

"I had a dog named Daisy when I was younger. A cocker spaniel, actually."

"Okay, fine. Daisy..." Charlie shook his head, straitening and letting go of Remus. "I still think it's a stupid name, but..."

"You asked me to name her, and I did. Now please get her off of my desk."

//And we see Remus' spine...// Charlie smiled, lifting up Daisy and stuffing the box easily under one arm. He gave Remus a cocky grin and headed back into his office. He set the box down next to his desk, and collapsed back into his chair. //Merlin...what a day. And it's just started. And we need meat...// Daisy would need fresh meat. //Maybe we can catch a couple of rats...rats are the best at this stage. I don't want to give her dead meat, they get too used to it too quickly. Live is better...// He leaned back, feet returning to the desk. He could hear Daisy wuffling around down in her box, and he peeked over the edge. There was a blanket in there with her, and a stuffed cat. //Why do people think they're like dogs? I'm surprised there's no a chew toy in there, too...//

He closed his eyes, settling himself more comfortably into his chair. //Well, Remus seems more comfortable, anyway. I couldn't see him, but I don't think he was panicking when I started making cracks. And I *think* he was flirting back. Or he could be getting very pissed, and he's going to go nuts on me tonight when I get him drunk. Or maybe that'll inhibit him just enough...// The redhead smiled, nodding to himself. That was a much more preferable scenario...//Wonder what he tastes like. He smells like sugar cookies. And I love his eyes. They're just amazing. His hair looks damn too too. Thick and sort of rumpled. The white in it is sexy, too. I still can't decide if it's dark blond or light brown....it's a little bit of both.// Daydreaming about what Remus' hair would feel like helped to take his mind off of the dragon incident, and was enough to hold him over till the next crisis, which showed itself in the form of an irate Rowena Zouvae.

She brushed right by Remus, storming into the office with fire in her hazel eyes. Every muscle in her body was rigid, and her jaw was set deliberately.

"What in 'ell do ye think yer playin' at, Weasley?" She growled, placing both hands on his desk and leaning forward. Charlie pushed his chair back, blanching. //What's gotten up her ass? I didn't do anything! Unless she's pissed at being replaced...she couldn't have liked taking my messages that much...//

"What is it, Ro?" Charlie asked, taking his feet off the desk and leaning forward. Ro, slim and tiny though she was, had an intimidating presence.

"What is that *thing* doing in here?" She growled, her eye twitching. Charlie looked down at the box next to his desk, groaning.

"Some rich guy dropped her off. She'll only be here a few days..."

"Not her! *That*!" She thrust her arm in the direction of the waiting room-as Charlie was beginning to call it-and suddenly Charlie's body went as tense as Ro's.

"If you're referring to Remus, he's working for me." Charlie said, quietly.

"How can yeh bring him on? Don't yeh know what he is?"

"Of course. I'm not an idiot." Charlie narrowed his eyes.

"Yeh could've fooled me, Charlie Weasley. Hirin' a monster to man yer desk....yeh're suicidal now, are yeh?"

"Not in the least." Charlie leaned forward, sapphire blue eyes locking on hazel ones. "I'm disappointed in you, Zouvae. Really, Ro...I don't want to hear anything else about Remus. He's part of the Society now, and he's a damn good part. Deal with it."

"I hate werewolves, Charlie." Ro snapped. "They're dirty, foul, sneaky beasts...and I won't work next ta one."

"I'm not asking you to work next to him, I asking you to work *with* him. If it's that big a deal, just don't come in here anymore. Send someone else." Charlie did not want to deal with this. He hadn't figured there'd be any sort of prejudice. Dragon people were open-minded, they opened their arms to everyone. //Everyone human, it seems.//

"I'm not the only one who's got a problem with't." Ro said, icily. "We're all a bit un'appy with yeh."

//Well you can all kiss my ass.// Charlie thought bitterly to himself. //When did this happen?//

"I don't really care. You people put me in charge, so you're going to have to deal with my decision. And my decision is to hire Remus Lupin. He's a hard worker and a good man. And he stays. That's final Ro, and no amount of bitching is going to change my mind. Now I have work to do, and so do you." He lowered his eyes, grabbing at the pile of paper in his in-box. He refused to look up, regardless of the fact that he wasn't paying any attention to the papers in front of him. He was more angry then he had been in a while. //They don't even know Remus! Ro shouldn't be so quick to judge others, she's muggle born. I bet she a lot of crap for that from the purebloods. The snotty ones, anyway. But she's just as quick to dish it out herself.//

Ro left, silently, slamming the door as she did so. Charlie was at least thankful she had had the sense to keep her voice down. Remus hadn't needed to hear that conversation. He dropped his paperwork, and scrubbed his hands over his face.

"If my being here is a problem..."

"Huh?" Charlie looked up wearily, and saw Remus standing half shielded by the divider.

"No, it's not a problem at all." He said, forcing an easy smile onto his face. "What gives you any idea it's a problem?"

"My kind have acute hearing, Charlie." The werewolf's voice was soft and tired, and Charlie shook his head.

"Ignore them. They're a bunch of pricks who don't know what they're saying. And Ro's a basket of fireworks anyway. It doesn't take much to set her off, and she likes to exaggerate. She'll have forgotten about it by tomorrow, trme.me."

"I don't want to cause problems."

"You're not causing any problems. *I* want you here, and what I say goes. Where's the problem? Now get that cute little ass of yours back to your desk, before I'm forced to write you up for neglecting your duties."

"Yes sir." Remus said, shaking his head. //He does have a pretty cute ass.// Charlie reflected, eyes dropping to that particular part of Remus' anatomy. //Looks good in jeans...I really want to see him in leather. Maybe black leather...too bad I don't own any. Bill's more black leather then I am. Okay....crisis number two dealt with. That means one more disaster, and then we're free and clear for a while.//

The third disaster showed itself in just about everything breaking down, or not working. Ro's slamming of the door had loosened it's hinges, and the next person to come through ended up knocking it out completely. Time had to be taken to fix it. Then down the hall, Heather Bailey's desk broke (Charlie didn't ask, and was rather glad he didn't.) A new one had to be slapped together from broken bits. Then Daisy set fire to some of Charlie's paper work when she hopped up onto the desk after her mal of a rat Charlie had managed to catch when it stupidly scampered across the floor of the office. Then it was time to close down for the day.

"Cha, pl, please forgive me if I'm mistaken, but I thought you said nothing ever happens around here?" Remus looked rather worn and tired, and Charlie figured he probably didn't look any better.

"It usually doesn't!" He defended himself. "It's never been this busy! I don't know what happened..."

"Perhaps tomorrow will be less so?"

"One can only hope." Charlie sent the desk back to it's nightly resting place, and dropped down the bed. "All right...dinner? There's some pizza left over from lunch..."

"Sounds good to me, thank you." Remus sank down into a chair, closing his eyes. Charlie set about heating up the leftover pizza, humming a bit as he did. He turned up the radio, tapping his foot when he recognized "Pretty Woman". //The day could have been worse, I guess. Daisy's asleep, we don't have to go out for dinner, and Remus is tired. Maybe that'll keep him calm, if he does flip out.//

"Reheated pizza....nothing like it!" The dragon master handed a plate to Remus, before plopping down in his own chair. "What a day! Just when you think you've seen everything..."

"I have had far more stressful jobs." Remus said. "My year as professor at Hogwarts, for one."

"I heard about that..." Charlie said. Ron had been deeply involved in the events that happened, and Charlie had heard everything from his mother.

"Mmmm." Was the only answer he got. Obviously Remus didn't want to talk about it, which made sense. That was when his little secret had been let out...//No point in wasting time. It's getting later, and you don't want to be too tired for this. Eat, and then get to it.//

"Well, finish up your dinner, then we'll really get started. You ready?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Coming soon, chapter 5: In which Remus Lupin gets sloshed!
- 3
- 4
- 5
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Beautiful Stranger