"Are you sure about this?" Lia asked, glancing over her shoulder. They were supposed to be wrangling down the dragons for the Triwizard Tournament. They had carted the Hungarian Horntail all the way from Romania, but the rest of the dragons had been hunted down by the ministry and left for them to deal with. Lia could still hear the roars rattling in her ears. Helena hadn't been happy about being left behind, but at least she was safe.

Charlie's hand brushed over her bicep. Lia's skin tingled underneath her long-sleeved shirt. "It'll be fine. I've known Aurella for years, she's smart and trustworthy. She can do this and be discrete."

They stopped near the edge of the crowd, against one of the tall towers that made up the arena. There was a bottleneck of students heading into the arena, ready to start watching the first event. 

Lia watched Charlie scan the crowd. His eyebrows were furrowed and he had his bottom lip between his teeth as he focused, looking for their target.

"There she is," Charlie murmured, before shouting. "Aurella!"

Lia watched as a girl turned her head towards them. She was small, wearing a long dark cloak over a blue knit sweater and jeans. Long shimmery hair of warm brown was tucked away, and as she turned, Lia noticed that her hand was intertwined with another student. The boy she was holding hands with had the same red hair and freckles as Charlie, though Charlie was shorter and stalkier.

"One of your brothers I presume?" Lia knew there were tons of Weasley boys, but had never met all of them before. 

Charlie's eyes were wide, a grin spreading across his face as he eyed the couple's hands as they approached. "Yeah, that's George, one of the twins."

The two weaved through the crowd of students until they were within earshot.

"Well," Charlie chuckled. "That is certainly a development."

Lia watched the girl's face flush pink. She'd question Charlie later about his meaning. She stepped aside as George hugged Charlie, greeting him warmly. Her heart twinged as she watched the two of them. Hannah would be here somewhere. Lia missed her younger sister at times. 

"What's going on?" Aurella asked. Her voice was tinged by a French accent. She tugged her hand out of George's and dragged them down the sweater-- embroidered with a yellow 'G'-- and tucked them into her pockets.

"Aurella," Charlie spoke. "This is...."

Charlie trailed off, and Lia met his gaze. He blinked once at her and Lia felt her heart stutter once in appreciation. He was giving her the opportunity to choose her name and hide her birth name away. She had never liked him more. 

"Lia Everest. I work with Charlie in Romania. I hear you are an expert at runic translation."

Aurella gave her a sheepish smile. "I try my best. I'm not an expert."

"She's great at it," George interjected. Lia raised an eyebrow. Teenage lovebirds. 

Aurella glanced between them. "What do you need?"

Charlie's gaze bounced between the two of them. "This is a top-secret document that we aren't supposed to have,"

Lia hissed and slapped Charlie's arm. "You can't tell them that."

"It's fine we can trust them." Charlie swatted her off. "We need these translated. They are likely very important to the safety of a lot of magical creatures and we need to know what is happening,"

Lia watched Aurella take the papers from him and thumb through it. She clenched her jaw. Everything that could save all the dragons was likely wrapped up in that stack of documents. She stiffened, clenching her hands into fists to resist the temptation to snatch it back. She stiffened more as Charlie's hand brushed against the back of her knuckles, a sign to calm down.

"It looks like it's a blend of the Germanic and Eastern Asian runic languages," Aurella commented. The girl flipped through the papers again. "Where did you get this? This isn't an ordinary language."

Lia waved her hand, focusing on Aurella. "That's not important. Can you translate it?"

Aurella exhaled through her teeth and scanned the runes once more. "Yeah, I probably can, but I'm going to need a bit of time to unscramble the languages. How soon do you need it?"

"As soon as you can," Charlie rested a hand on Lia's forearm. Lia let the warm brush of his fingers against her skin calm her down, exhaling slowly through her nose."We appreciate you doing this."

Lia nudged Charlie. "We need to get back before someone notices we've vanished. Simon will only cover so long."

Charlie nodded. "Thank you, Ella, and say hello to the rest of the family for me." 

Lia watched them return to the crowd of students before she looked up at Charlie. Being back at this school was enough to set her head spinning. Everywhere were memories of who she was, of who she tried not to be. 

"Come on," She dug her fingers into Charlie's arm as her head spun. "Let's get back."

~~~

Lia grabbed the fireproof rope and threw it upwards, watching it arc over the head of the Chinese Fireball. On the other side of the raging red dragon, Vester grabbed the rope and tugged it down, pulling the Fireball to the ground. Nearby Charlie and Simon were doing the same with the dragon's back. 

Once the Fireball was pinned, Lia flicked her wand, knocking the dragon out. It slumped beneath the ropes. It was the ministry's problem now.

Lia stepped back, wiping her sweaty palms on her dirt-smeared pants. Her heart was pounding with the exhilaration and the welcome distraction. The other dragons were unconscious and ready to travel. 

With the sun starting to dip in the sky, Lia was looking forward to a glass of hard liquor and a long sleep. She shoved the dark loose strands back into her braid, stretching her back.

Vester cheered, his pale hands held high to the sky. "Well done team! Another success for the dragon riders."

Simon waved his hand, though Lia could see an exhausted smile on his face. "Keep quiet with the riding nonsense. Last thing we need is the ministry shutting us down."

Vester rolled his eyes, walking over to where the others stood. "Let us celebrate for once, man. It's a rare evening away from Andrew and his all-bearing presence."

Lia paused next to the dragon, kneeling to check for a heartbeat at its scaled throat. Once she was satisfied she had found it, she looked up and met Charlie's gaze. He was standing near Simon and Vester, listening to their conversation, but his eyes were fixed on her. 

She swallowed, stunned by the warmth in his eyes. She was about to stand and head to talk to them-- perhaps he wanted a drink as well-- when his eyes drifted beyond her and he frowned. 

Lia glanced over her shoulder and stiffened, standing up straight. She had always been taller than her sister, but that did nothing to stop the small feeling that grew in her lungs, threatening to suffocate her. 

"Ophelia?" 

Lia clenched her jaw. The blonde girl in front of her was nothing like she remembered, though it had been six years since she had seen her in person, and four since the last letter-- enough to remind her that her sister was in Hufflepuff and she would never be one. 

Sure enough, Hannah, who would be 14 by now, was wearing a yellow knit sweater with a badger on it. There was a rosy sheen to her face, and despite their different features-- Lia had always taken after her father-- they both had their mother's brown eyes. 

"It's Lia," She responded, letting that familiar coldness back into her voice. It had been so long since she had had to use it as a shield. She had only ever used it at school, around her parents, who made her into a caricature of who she was. Lia had thought she had left it behind in England when she went to Romania, but evidently, it wasn't suppressed as much as she thought. "What do you want?"

Hannah paused, squeezing her hands. Behind her, far out of earshot, Lia could see a multitude of students, all gawking at the dragons. "I wasn't sure if you would be here. Dad said that the ministry was sending the Romania dragon workers here."

Lia exhaled slowly. This was her sister. She wasn't responsible for everything that their parents had done, but still, as she stood there in front of her Lia was reminded of everything she never was. 

"Well, here I am," Lia spread her arms wide, aware of the three boys a ways behind her focusing on her back. "And I have work to do, so unless you want to talk about our feelings and what our parents did, then I suggest you get back to your dorm. It's getting late."

Hannah flinched back as though Lia had actually hurt her. Lia suppressed a bitter laugh. Maybe she was everything her parents said she was. 

"I just wanted to see how you were," Hannah murmured. "I missed you."

Lia pressed her lips into a thin line, clenching her jaw to keep from screaming. "I'm here and I'm well. If you want to talk to me, send me a letter. I am working."

She turned her back on Hannah in an attempt to hide the quiver in her voice, the stinging in her eyes. Gods, seeing her just reminded Lia of everything.

There was a quiet shuffle behind her, and Lia was almost certain Hannah had left when her sister's voice murmured. "Dad was right, you are cold. You belonged in that house."

Lia tensed, ready for more familiar words, but they never came. When she finally had the strength to look behind her, Hannah was gone.

~~~

Lia tipped the glass bottle back, letting the amber liquid spill over her tongue. The sun was dipping below the horizon, and light scattered through the bottle, sending beams across the grassy hills. She was tucked away behind the Quidditch pitch, one of the few quiet places at Hogwarts. 

"I thought I might find you here," Charlie's voice was a warm blanket. "I never took you as a watcher of sunsets."

Lia snorted but handed him the bottle as he sat beside her, stretching his long muscular legs out on the green grass. Gods, what would it feel like to have those between her thighs?

Charlie took a long drink, wiping his mouth with the back of his freckled hand. His fingers were long and curled at just the right angle. 

Lia pressed her lips together to suppress the growing heat in her core. She desperately needed to get laid, before she began trying to climb Charlie.

Charlie handed her back the bottle and Lia took it, resting it on her lap as he stared at her openly.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Lia paused, running her fingers over the glass. She knew what he was talking about. "I don't know." 

Charlie shrugged. "That's fine. I can be here when you want to."

Lia gave him a tiny smile, her heart swelling with appreciation. "Did I ever tell you I changed my name?"

He shook his head, staying quiet. His hair was on fire in the evening sun.

"My parents were big fans of the playwright Shakespeare, who was a Hufflepuff, and my mom is descended from the Hufflepuff explorer George Everest. Hence my middle name. Ophelia Everest Abbott," Lia hadn't said her own name in a long time, and even now it still made her stiffen with discomfort. "After I was sorted into Slytherin, I got a long letter from my parents basically telling me that my name wasn't meant for me anymore. I spent seven years despising my name, and so the second I got the chance to get away from it, I did."

Lia propped herself back on her elbows, the cool grass tickling her forearms. "It's so fucking stupid because I know my house means nothing now, but there is still part of me that wishes I had just been a Hufflepuff so my parents would talk to me. They were great when I was a child, but the second I was sorted, it was like I no longer existed."

Charlie was quiet for a moment, and Lia took a sip of the bitter liquid, letting it sit on her tongue for a moment. Maybe she should just drown her sorrows in alcohol. 

"I think you were meant to be a Slytherin," Charlie started. "I mean, look at this plan. It's cunning, and none of us could've thought up of this. Not to mention your determination. If the dragons are saved, it'll be due to you." 

Lia held a hand up above her eyes, blocking the sun out, and stared at him for a moment. Nobody had ever said it like that. Nobody had ever suggested that being a Slytherin was a good thing.

He met her gaze, warm eyes meeting hers, and his lips parted slightly.

There was a brief moment of quiet before Lia surged up and kissed him. He let out a tiny gasp of air but pressed back, his large hand coming up behind her and pulling her to him.

Lia traced her fingers around his neck and tangled her fingers in the red hair at the nape of his neck. He tasted as good as she remembered years ago. Her heart pounded in her throat as she moved closer to him, her other hand running up his broad chest. What she wouldn't do to have him under her. 

"Fuck," He hissed, lowering his lips to her jaw and pressing a kiss there. His lips were warm against her skin. "Not that I'm objecting, because I've been dreaming of your fucking mouth since that Quidditch match, but are you avoiding a hard conversation?"

Lia let out a laugh that quickly dissolved into a soft gasp as his teeth nipped at her neck. "Maybe," 

Charlie snorted in response and pulled her closer, his fingers digging into her dark hair as he pulled her closer. "Then let's have a distraction,"