SQUEE! I have been very, very good, and not peeked at my gift until it was posted, and it was oh, so very much worth the wait!
YUM! Thank you, Mystery Author, this was delicious! I love the way you've written Snape and Charlie here, and I love the juxtaposition of the present and past, with Charlie's quiet, almost bittersweet grief and the exacting Master Auroleus Hipworth's increasingly precise demands contrasting with Charlie and Snape's initial, gingerly interactions over the dragons and their first smoldering-hot kiss.
The whole scene where Charlie is preparing to go back to Romania is just wonderful - Charlie manages to break through Snape's barriers and release the passionate (and possessive! *G*) man who is willing to take a chance on a real relationship. The resulting sex is nnngahhh! Smokin'! *G*
Poor Charlie - how typical of Severus to maintain a relationship for years and leave his lover with nothing more personal than an old potions flask! *sniffle*
I love the rich details about the dragons and the workings of the perserve - and Charlie's moments with the Fireball are beautifully tender.
I had to laugh at Snape's oh, so "obvious" - to him, of course! -clues - and the ending hit my bath-sex-kink hard. *G*
Thank you, thank you, Mystery Author, I love this to pieces! *G*