Fire and the Flood - Charlie Weasley

Chapter 9

⭑ ⭒ ⭑ ⭒ Checking in ⭑ ⭒ ⭑ ⭒

"A Christmas Party?"

"Yeah." Newt shrugs handing Charlie over his shirt.

He looks up from where he lies on her bed and raises a brow, "Really?"

She sighs and climbs onto the bed beside him, "Please? For me?" She pecks his lips and pulls back to look at him.

Sighing he wraps his arms around her waist holding her against him, "I only have a few days, I have to go back to Romania again," She frowns and he sighs as he moves his hands to poke at her cheeks, "I'll be back after Christmas, I promise, you'll see me before the new year."

"But Christmas is over a month away, I'll never see you."

He chuckles and rolls over holding is weight on his elbow, "You can see me right now, can you not?"

She rolls her eyes and rests her chin on his chest looking up at him, "I have a class in thirty minutes."

He hums, his eyes still staring into hers with a glazed over looks, "Charlie." She drags out his name and he smirks lowering his head so his nose brushes against hers. "Charlie, I mean it."

"I'm sure it won't take me that long to make you s-."

"Charlie," She giggles slightly hitting him on the chest, "I'm serious, I have to set up, today's lesson is Murtlaps."

"Can I help?"

She instantly shakes her head knowing his one goal is to distract her, "Please?"

She sighs and moves herself to place a kiss on his nose, "If you don't distract me then-"

"I can't help my good looks, they can be very distracting."

"-If you don't distract me," She continues, "I will let you sit in the class and occasionally help me."

The sound of chatter fills the air as a few of her students arrive early, "Whose class is this?" He asks climbing off of her.

"Your brothers." She throws his shirt at him and then he grabs his jumper pulling it on, "I'm going to greet them, it's probably Longbottom, Finnigan and Thomas, they're always early."

Charlie nods watching her walk out and smiles at the sound of her voice greeting the three Gryffindor students.

Newt leans against her desk as she watches her class enter the room, her gaze lifts up to where Charlie is struggling to hold the wriggling Murtlap, he catches her eye winking and then losing his grip on the creature in the process making her roll her eyes.

"Settle down, guys." She calls out.

The class all sit into their seats looking towards their Professor, "Today we're learning about Murtlaps..." She trials off watching as Charlie puts them into the wrong box, "No, no, Charlie, no, that's wrong."

"You do it then." He huffs having enough with the creatures that clearly do not like it.

"My lovely assistant, ladies and gentlemen." She says smiling sarcastically.

She sighs, muttering under her breath as she climbs the stairs and puts the rat-like creatures into the right box, "See? Not that hard."

"Do I get a kiss for trying?"

She smiles up at him and leans up on her tip-toes, "No."

She smiles again an over the top sickly sweet smile taking one of the boxes from his hand and walking down the stairs, Charlie hot on her heels with the second box.

She takes one out, placing the open lid box onto her desk as she holds up the creature, "A Murtlap," She says holding it up for everyone to see, "Believed to have been a relative of the rat, kinds looks like Scabbers, don't you think, Ron?"

Harry and Ron's practically choke on air at the mention of the old Gryffindor- Animagus, Hermione smirks slightly getting the hint that the woman still hates the rat looking man.

"Now, if my lovely assistant will stop playing with the Pygym Puff and hand these guys out we'll be good to go."

Charlie freezes, the Pygym Puff staring up at him with wide eyes as the class stifles a laugh, "How did you do that?"

"I know you," She says blankly still not looking back at him as she gestures to the class, "Now, if you will."

He hands the out, one to a pair pacing them on the desks, "Not to worry, I've had these guys since they were born, well trained, and they will not bite you. If they do, give them a clip on their nose, it'll sort them right out."

A few of them chuckle while others look at her with wide eyes. "She's kidding." Charlie says quickly as he hands a Murtlap to Pansy who shrieks and hands it over to Draco who stares blankly in front of him.

He hands the last creature to Blaise before settling on the seat behind Newt's desk and kicking his feet up as he watches the lesson.

"Feet off the table." She says sternly without looking back making the baffle redhead look to his brother.

"Does she have a fifth sense I don't know about?"

After an eventful lesson in which Charlie and Newt had to chase Neville's Murtlap around the classroom and Rocco had sneaked down only to get bit when he tried to play with one of them the lesson finally came to an end.

"See you, tomorrow, oh, Draco, would you mind staying for a moment?"

Draco looks up, the first time for the entre lessons, before quickly looking down at his feet, "Sorry, Professor, but I really need to get going, you see-"

"It will only take a minute, Draco." She promises.

Charlie looks back at her and she gestures for him to go on, "Is everything okay?"

He's taken aback by the question and his eyes look up to meet hers before once again returning to his shoes, "Fine."

"Draco," She says softly stepping forward and placing a hand on his shoulder, "Are you sure? If there's something bothering you let me know, I can try to help."

"You can't," He says turning away, "I appreciate the offer, Newt, but like you said before, I have to think for myself."

"Draco-"

"I'm sorry." He says quietly, his hand gripping his school bag before walking away and closing the door quietly behind him.

She sighs watching as the door closes behind him, "You okay?"

She nods leaning into Charlie as he wraps an arm around her, "Yeah, he just seems a little... off."