Title: The Fire Within
Author: alisanne
Characters: Charlie Weasley/Harry Potter
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Nothing, really.
Themes/kinks chosen: jewelry and thalpotentiginy (arousal by feeling warmth or heat)
Word Count: +/- 4000
Summary: Dragons aren't the only ones who like fire and dragon keepers.
Author's notes: Thank you to my darling slashchat girls (sassy_cissa, lilyseyes and leela_cat), who held my hands throughout this. Without you, this story would never have seen the light of day. *smooches*
Thanks also to my beta readers, sevfan and eeyore9990, who managed to whip my ramblings into shape. ♥
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.


~

The Fire Within

~

Harry stepped through the Floo and into the Burrow, smiling as the sheer noise assaulted him. It was never quiet there; no matter what time of the day or night, it seemed something was always happening at Weasley central. Another reason he loved the place so much.

“Harry’s here!” George announced as he emerged. “Good to see you, mate.” He clapped Harry on the back, almost making him stagger.

“Harry Potter!” Grinning, Harry braced himself for the huge hug from Mrs. Weasley, who almost bowled him over in her enthusiasm. “It’s so good to see you!”

“Thanks,” he said. “It’s great to see you, too.”

She beamed and clasped his arm. “Come on, dear. The others are through here.”

Upon reaching the kitchen, he was nearly knocked over by Hermione before being passed off to Ron, Ginny and finally Neville. “Thought you’d never get here,” Neville whispered when it was his turn to greet Harry. Drawing him to the side, he continued, “I know you said Mrs. Weasley’s all right with me and Ginny, but I still feel as if she’s disappointed I’m not you.”

Neville looked worried, and Harry sighed. “She knows we’re not meant to be together, Nev, trust me.”

“I guess.” Neville still looked nervous, and Harry patted his shoulder.

“If you want, I’ll try to make it even more glaringly obvious that Ginny and I are not meant for each other,” Harry said. “Although I’d have thought that interview I gave Luna for the Quibbler would have set her straight.” He paused, then chuckled at his unwitting pun.

“Yeah.” Neville chuckled. “I would never had had the courage to do that, to come out as a gay wizard in a newspaper.”

“It was that or have Skeeter discover it eventually.” Harry shrugged. “At least this way I knew the coverage would be fair.”

“True.” Neville exhaled. “Well, I’m hoping this dinner will get Mrs. Weasley finally on my side. Maybe when she sees that we’re good friends, she’ll relax because it’ll look like I have your blessing or something.”

Harry nodded. “Good luck, mate.” Walking over to Mrs. Weasley, Harry offered to help with the meal, pleased when she took him up on it.

He made sure to stay close to the stove. For some reason the heat always made him happy, he’d always ascribed that to being shoved into an unheated closet to sleep as a child, although there were times Harry wondered if his penchant for heat went a bit beyond normal.

He sighed. Part of the reason it had taken him so long to realise he wasn’t interested in Ginny beyond friendship had been because he was always half-hard when standing in the Weasleys’ warm kitchen.

“Take these to the oven, will you, Harry?” Mrs. Weasley asked, handing him a tray of rolls.

He almost skipped over to the hot oven and made sure to position the rolls in the very centre and, while he was at it, got a lovely blast of warm air right over his bits. Biting back a moan, Harry finally shut the door and stood next to the stove.

More people arrived and throughout the day, Harry made it a point to be very friendly towards Neville, often commenting in Molly’s presence about how good he and Ginny looked together and how happy he was for them.

Ginny, who clearly knew what he was about, simply shook her head and smiled, but after about the fifth remark, Mrs. Weasley patted Neville on the shoulder and said, “You know, I think you’re right. Neville will make a lovely addition to the family.”

Everyone seemed to settle after that, and the atmosphere got a lot more relaxed. Harry was having the best day, lingering next to the oven, chatting with his friends...so much so that by the time Charlie arrived, Harry almost missed him, and Charlie always made an impression on Harry.

“Charlie!” Mrs. Weasley screamed, rushing towards him.

Harry straightened up, shoving his hands into his pockets. Charlie always looked good enough to eat and that day was no exception. His stocky build, broad shoulders and muscled arms covered with fascinating tattoos never failed to make Harry’s mouth go dry, and combined with the fact that he was a dragon tamer... Harry could only imagine what working around all that heat would be like.

“Everyone’s here, looks like,” Charlie said, his bright blue eyes sweeping about the kitchen to land for a long moment on Harry. “Hullo, Harry.”

Harry smiled, hoping he wasn’t being too eager. “Hey, Charlie.”

Charlie smiled. “So I was just telling one of my mates at the reserve about that stunt you pulled with the Hungarian Horntail during the Triwizard.” He shook his head. “Still dunno how you did it.”

“Just luck I guess.” Harry shrugged.

Charlie pursed his lips. “In my experience, men make their own luck,” he finally said. “Have you decided what you’ll be doing now that you’re out of school?”

“Not yet.” Harry shot a look over to where Ron and Hermione were standing, heads bent together. “Ron and I have been talking about applying to the Aurors, but now he’s working with George and the thought of tracking down criminals is just--” He sighed.

“Been there, done that, eh?” Charlie smiled. “Well, I took the liberty of talking to Hagrid about you.”

Harry blinked. “Hagrid? Why?”

“I wanted to know how you did in Care of Magical Creatures.” Charlie looked Harry up and down, and for a moment, a wave of heat that had nothing to do with the stove suffused Harry. “And I trust Hagrid’s opinion.”

“What did he say about me?” Harry asked, voice faint.

“That you’ve a rare gift for communicating with wild creatures.” Charlie tilted his head. “So, how would you feel about checking out the dragon reserve? We take a new recruit every other year, and I’d like it to be you if you’re interested.”

“I...wow!” Harry was floored.

“I don’t need an answer right now,” Charlie said. “But by the end of the week would be good. That way you could come back with me. Do you think you can let me know by then?”

“Er, yeah!” Harry wanted to accept Charlie’s offer immediately but he knew Hermione and Ron would kill him if he didn’t discuss it with them first. “I’ll get back to you soon.”

“Great.” Charlie gave him a half-smile that made Harry’s breath catch before moving away in that slow, sensual way he had.

In that moment, Harry knew he was going, and later, after dinner, as everyone gathered on the back lawn to sip ale and chat, and, predictably, Hermione and Ron tried to talk him out of it, he stuck to his guns.

“I thought we were all going to apply to the Aurors this year,” Hermione finally whinged. “I was looking forward to that.”

Ron, rubbing her back, nodded. “Yeah, we were. You can’t leave us now us, mate.”

“Except I’m not sure I want to be an Auror,” Harry said, watching as Mr. Weasley began to fiddle with a broken Muggle radio. “You seem to have a calling, Hermione, it’s all you’ve talked about this year. And you seem to like it at WWW, Ron. Do you really want to give that up?” He smiled at the look that crossed Ron’s face.

Ron sighed. “Not really.” He shrugged at Hermione. “I guess it makes sense for him to try dragon taming. It may be his thing.”

“I...Harry, it’s just so far away,” Hermione cried, leaning over and clasping Harry’s hand. “Will you be all right all alone in Romania? What if you get lonely?”

“I’ll be fine,” Harry said, involuntarily glancing over at Charlie. “It’s time I found my own calling, don’t you think?”

Hermione must have spotted something in his expression, because she blinked, then slowly smiled. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. But you have to promise to owl, okay?”

Before going home, Harry approached Charlie and quietly told him he would accept his offer. Charlie, grinning, clapped him on the back, and left his warm hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Excellent. Meet me here in a week and be packed to go to Romania.”

Harry nodded. Suddenly, he was more than ready.

~

Having checked out the climate in Romania, Harry realised he needed to shop and conscripted Hermione to help him. She did, and by the end of the week he was well outfitted, albeit with a much lighter purse.

Mrs. Weasley was thrilled when she heard Harry would be apprenticing under Charlie, and she made sure to send them off with tons of snacks. Finally, Charlie had to tell her he didn’t have any more room.

In addition to Hermione and Ron, Ginny and Neville were there to bid Harry farewell, and just before he left, Neville took Harry aside. “Moving to Romania is a bit of a drastic way to show Molly that you’re not interested in Ginny,” he said, grinning.

Harry chuckled. “Sometimes you have to be clear with her,” he joked. “And I’ll visit. Just make sure you invite me to the wedding, yeah?” Neville blushingly assured him he would.

As Harry was hugged and patted, Charlie waited patiently, rolling his eyes discreetly until finally, clearly out of time, he held up a hand. “Right, he’s not going to outer space, people, he’s just a Floo call away. We have to get going; international Portkeys are difficult to get and we can’t miss our window.”

Hermione hugged him and, just before he moved away, she whispered, “And good luck with Charlie taming.”

Harry narrowed his eyes. “You mean with dragon taming, don’t you?”

She smirked. “If you say so.”

Before Harry could respond to that, he was being pushed towards Charlie, who was holding an old book. “Grab on,” he said. “It’s activating.”

Harry only just managed to touch the book when the breath was whisked from his throat and then the world began flying by in a blur. His friends faded quickly, and just when Harry thought he’d lose the majority of the biscuits Molly had fed him before they’d left, they landed, Harry stumbling slightly.

“It’s a long trip,” Charlie acknowledged, and even he looked a bit green. “But I prefer doing it all in one go rather than hopping across the continent.” Reaching into his jeans, he took out a flask and offered it to Harry. “Here, this will help.”

Harry accepted it warily, taking a tentative sip. He blinked as deliciously arousing warmth spread through him. “Good,” he said, handing it back, suddenly glad he’d chosen to wear robes, even if Charlie hadn’t. It wouldn’t do to have Charlie see his body’s reaction.

Charlie tilted the flask to his lips, and for a moment Harry watched his throat work as he swallowed. “One of the other tamers makes it in his spare time,” he said, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. “A lot better than that swill they have back in London, trust me.”

“I bet,” Harry chuckled. Looking up at the mountains that surrounded them, he asked, “So where’s the reserve?”

Charlie grinned. “Hidden, of course. Don’t want Muggles finding us, after all. This way.”

They walked for a short way until Harry passed through a barrier that tingled against his skin and found himself in the midst of a bustling clearing.

“Hey, Charlie! Welcome back,” a gruff-looking man called out. “Is that the new recruit, then?” Harry blushed as the man frankly looked him up and down.

“Yep.” Charlie clasped Harry’s arm. “Taking him to his tent, then we’ll be at supper.” Pulling Harry firmly, Charlie didn’t stop to introduce him to anyone.

By the time they arrived at a large collection of tents, Harry was dazzled. The reserve was enormous, taking up several hundred acres of the Carpathian Mountains. He suspected there was some sort of wizard’s space at work, since he couldn’t imagine how Muggles wouldn’t have managed to stumble across the place otherwise.

“Here’s your tent,” Charlie said, ushering Harry inside. “As you’d expect, we use wizard’s space. Bathroom and shower are through there.” He pointed to a door in the corner. “And in case you need anything, my tent is a few flaps down. I’m your mentor while you’re apprenticing.”

“Great,” Harry said, looking about with interest. “Are there Warming Charms built in?”

Charlie narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, although most people have the opposite problem, they require cooling.”

“Oh, I’m always cold,” Harry said, fighting down a blush.

“You’ll be fine. Dragon taming is hot work.” Charlie grinned and, moving past him, said, “Why don’t you unpack and I’ll be back in a few minutes to show you the pens. Then we can have supper.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Once Charlie had left, Harry sighed and moved to put away his stuff. He hadn’t brought much, so in a couple of minutes he was done. Figuring he would look for Charlie, Harry left his tent and set off in search of his mentor. His very fit, very HOT mentor. Harry shook his head. He was going to have to work hard to hide his attraction. It wouldn’t do to have Charlie suspect how he felt, after all.

Wrapped up in his thoughts of Charlie, Harry barrelled into someone immediately upon leaving his tent. “Oh, sorry!”

“I was just coming to get you,” Charlie said, his hands resting on Harry’s shoulders to steady him. He smiled and something in Harry’s guts flipped. “You can’t be too distracted, Harry. Be alert, all right?”

Harry nodded, mute. The steady warmth flowing from Charlie’s hands was so bloody arousing... “Um, yeah,” he muttered, pulling away. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize.” Charlie stepped back, an unreadable look on his face. “Dragon pens first, then food. Follow me.”

The dragons were glorious, fully as fierce as he remembered, but fascinating nonetheless. The blast of heat that he felt when he approached the pens made Harry gasp and again be glad he was wearing robes.

The workers were scrambling to corral one dragon into a cave and she was putting up a good fight, tossing her head and dragging grown men off their feet.

“We’ll be doing that tomorrow,” Charlie murmured, making Harry jump. Somehow, he hadn’t realised Charlie had been standing so close. “Think you’re ready?”

Harry nodded. “Oh yeah.”

Charlie nodded as if satisfied. “Good. Come on, then. Time for food.”

Everyone at supper seemed nice enough; the other dragon tamers turned out to be an earthy lot, and the lewd jokes flowed freely throughout the meal. Harry soon was laughing right along with them. The food wasn’t bad either, although certainly nothing compared to Molly’s cooking.

By the time dinner ended, Harry was relaxed, although still half-hard from his previous contact with Charlie, whose warm, fit body was seated next to him.

“Come on, then,” Charlie said, rising. “We’ve a long day tomorrow. Time for bed.”

Mentally berating himself for the images that statement produced in his head, Harry nodded and stood up to follow Charlie.

They returned to his tent silently. “Be ready to go at six,” Charlie said, hesitating before finally turning away. He stopped for a moment, then turned back. Sighing, Charlie rubbed a hand over his chin. “You do know how to set an Alarm Charm, yes?”

Something in his voice made Harry move closer and peer into his face. “Yeah, I do.”

Charlie nodded and turned away again.

“Would you... Would you like to come in?” Harry asked, chewing his bottom lip. “I still have a couple of dragon questions.”

Charlie smiled. “Sure. Lead the way.”

God but his smile makes my toes curl, Harry thought, pushing aside his tent flap and stepping aside so Charlie could follow. I wonder if he--? Harry yelped as he was spun around and hauled against a hard, warm chest. “Charlie?”

“Isn’t this why you invited me in here?” Charlie murmured, his hands rubbing circles into Harry’s back.

“I didn’t think you’d be interested,” Harry gasped, melting into Charlie’s warmth.

“Not interested?” A laugh rumbled through Charlie. He thrust against Harry’s thigh, and Harry moaned as he felt a sizable erection. “Does this feel as if I’m not interested?”

“Oh.” Harry blinked up at Charlie. “Then can we--?”

“Most definitely.” Charlie moved Harry backwards until the backs of his legs hit the bed. He smiled. “But not tonight. Tonight you need sleep. You’ve a big day tomorrow.”

“What?” Harry’s mouth fell open. “There’s no way I can sleep now!”

Charlie grinned wickedly. “You can always wank to relax,” he murmured. “I would love to see that, actually.”

“But I don’t have to wank!” Harry said, falling back onto the bed. “You’re here. Who wanks when they have company?”

Sliding one knee onto the bed, Charlie grinned. “But watching can be fun, too.”

Harry shook his head, pushing up onto his elbows. “Next time. Right now I want you.”

Charlie moved slowly up the bed, his hands lightly caressing Harry's legs, stopping only when his fingers brushed against Harry's cock that was straining against the cloth of his trousers. “We really have to get some rest,” he whispered, sliding one hand around Harry’s back to draw him close and stare into his eyes. “But you are tempting.”

Smiling, Harry reached up and pulled Charlie towards him for a kiss. It was tentative at first, their tongues brushing together slowly as they learned each other’s mouths. Settling backwards onto the bed, Harry grew bolder, his hands first fumbling with Charlie’s shirt buttons before finally moving over the warm flesh of his chest. He flicked his thumb over Charlie’s nipple ring, tugging it gently, and was rewarded by Charlie nibbling his neck.

“Yes,” Charlie hissed, shifting so that he was fully covering Harry. “Come on. Touch me.”

Moaning, Harry pushed Charlie’s shirt off his shoulders and down his arms. He flexed his fingers, caressing the muscled biceps and smiling when he felt one of Charlie’s tattoos moving sensually under his palm. “I think he likes me,” he whispered.

Chuckling, Charlie slid his mouth over Harry’s Adam’s apple and sucked, making Harry buck up beneath him. “Of course he does. He has excellent taste,” he murmured. “And he knows how long I’ve wanted you.”

“You...have?” Harry gasped as the tattoo dragon flicked its tail and rubbed against Harry’s sensitive inner wrist.

“Umm hmm.” Charlie smiled. “He really likes you.” Staring into Harry’s eyes, he fumbled with the flies on Harry’s trousers, eyes darkening with lust as Harry shivered.

“Do it,” Harry whispered. “Please.”

Wasting no time, Charlie moved down Harry’s body, stopping occasionally to suck kisses into random spots. When he got to Harry’s nipples, he lingered, tormenting the sensitive nubs until Harry was sobbing. “God--” Harry moaned.

“You’re very responsive,” Charlie said around Harry’s nipple. “You really should consider a nipple ring.”

Harry laughed, the sound turning into a groan as Charlie bit into his flesh. “Oi! Are you trying to pierce me yourself?”

Grinning, Charlie raised his head and shifted his hand between Harry’s legs. “That comes later, actually.”

“Oh, ha, ha.” Harry’s eyes widened as Charlie slid down his stomach. “Oh, oh, oh!” Harry gasped as Charlie swirled his tongue inside his navel, the sheer heat of his mouth making Harry shake.

“You like this,” Charlie said, voice muffled against Harry’s skin.

Harry, unable to form true words, could only babble in reply. Charlie's hot mouth moving over him aroused him to a fever pitch, and at the first touch to his cock, Harry lost it, clenching his fists in the sheets as he tried to thrust deeper into the unbelievably erotic heat.

Something slick spread through Harry. Lubrication Spell his mind supplied, and then Charlie’s moist finger slipped inside him. Even his bloody finger is hot.

Harry spread his legs wider, wordlessly encouraging Charlie, moaning as he introduced a second and even a third finger inside him, and then Charlie’s tongue fluttered against the underside of his prick, teasing that fat, sensitive vein there. “Please--” he managed.

Charlie hummed and that was it. With a shout, Harry came, his seed fairly gushing into Charlie’s mouth, his eyes rolling back into his head as he felt Charlie’s throat moving around him, coaxing the last of his come from his still twitching cock.

After one last, lusty suck, Charlie pulled off, his fingers still buried in Harry’s arse. “Now, about that piercing,” he rasped hoarsely.

Harry, gasping for breath, raised his head. “I thought we had to rest tonight?”

Smirking, Charlie twisted his fingers inside Harry. “We can rest later.”

Biting back a moan, Harry nodded and, with a burst of energy, he reached down and tried to pull Charlie up and over him. “Then I want to ride you,” he whispered.

Charlie’s eyes kindled and he removed his fingers. “Yes.” Rolling onto his back, Charlie grasped his cock whispered something. A moment later, Harry saw slickness spreading over his flesh. “Come on then,” Charlie invited.

Harry straddled Charlie, hissing as he felt the fat head of Charlie’s prick prodding his hole. Closing his eyes, he sat down, his back arching as Charlie’s fingers dug into his hips. “So hot,” he whispered.

“So tight,” Charlie murmured back. “Now move!”

Harry obeyed, raising himself until Charlie almost slipped out of him before jamming himself back down. “God.”

“Faster!” Charlie began thrusting upwards, gripping Harry’s hips as he did so. “You feel so good.”

“So do you.” Harry groaned, his head hanging down as he moved. “So hot.”

“You like it hot, don’t you?” Charlie asked, eyes at half-mast. “Heat turns you on.”

Harry’s mouth fell open and his movements slowed. “How--?”

Charlie bucked up sharply. “Don’t stop.”

“Sorry.” Harry clenched his inner muscles, smiling when Charlie moaned. A second later he wasn’t smiling, however, when he found himself on his back, his legs splayed, Charlie looming over him.

Leaning down, Charlie licked along Harry’s jawline and began thrusting in earnest. Harry could only cling to Charlie’s arms as he was fucked into the cot, and every time Charlie slid deeper, his dragon tattoo breathed tattoo fire onto Harry’s palm.

“Gonna come...” Charlie gasped, his breath hot against Harry’s skin, and scant seconds later he tensed, grinding himself against Harry and driving his cock deep. He shuddered, sinking his teeth into Harry’s shoulder as ecstasy overtook him.

Harry’s own cock spasmed under the onslaught of stimulation and he, too, came.

“Now you’ll rest well,” Charlie murmured a few minutes later, a finger playing with one of Harry’s nipples.

“Mmm.” Harry snuggled closer to Charlie, grumbling when Charlie sat up and began Summoning his clothes. “Thought you wanted to sleep.”

“I do, which is why I’m leaving,” Charlie said. He ran his gaze up and down Harry’s still trembling body. “How much sleep do you think we’d get if I stayed?”

Harry flushed under that look. “We’d manage,” he muttered.

“Just managing isn’t good enough,” Charlie said. “Dragons are unforgiving creatures. One mistake and you’re dead.” He winked. “Although, I have to say, if you like heat as much as you seem to, just wait until you spend a day in the pens.”

“You said that before.” Harry leaned up on his arms. “About me liking heat.”

“Well you do.” Charlie leaned close. “As do I. Looks like you’ll do just fine here, Harry.” Standing up, he pulled on his trousers and didn’t even bother with his shirt. “See you tomorrow,” he said, parting the flap and leaving.

Happily exhausted, Harry collapsed back onto the bed. Yes, it did look as if he’d found his calling after all.

~