The Midnight Watch

Nadia finished her watch before she permitted herself to feed. It was a matter of pride to control hunger and use it to be a better keeper. Senses that heightened to assess prey became tools to monitor the dragons' health.

That night she visited a Ukrainian Ironbelly she had not fed from in months. One of the first lessons Alexandru taught her was to select a wide variety of prey. At the time, he believed she would eventually revoke her stand against drinking from humans. He warned her that they could not donate whole blood frequently without dire consequences. The first was damage to their health. The second was thrall.

Thrall was a Dark enchantment subjugating human will to strigoi. It created an obsession that drained sanity along with physical vitality. The Council forbade binding humans in such a way because it drew the unwanted notice of Muggle and wizard authorities. Any strigoi judged guilty of creating thralls paid a dire penalty. Dragons were magical creatures, not humans, and unlikely to become enthralled. Nadia still made sure not to feed regularly on any particular dragon. The wellbeing of her charges was more important than convenience.

A Confundus followed by back-to-back Stunning Spells and a Sleeping Charm immobilised the ironbelly and ensured he would not remember her invading his territory. She patrolled each night to assist the day keepers, not rouse the dragons' ire against them.

Nadia moved to the ironbelly's side. She admired the glittering scale she lifted in order to reach vulnerable skin. Efficiently, she sliced leathery hide with a dagger.

Thank you very much, my dear friend.

After she fed, Nadia cast a Healing Charm to close the gash. She never used her teeth. In her eyes, such an action would mean regressing to the animal ferocity of a new strigoi: a state she vowed never to fall into again.

She thrust away raw memories and flew to Charlie's house. His devotion to the dragons, his sense of humour, the way cared for his family: everything about him was appealing. Costi believed she was unwise to spend so much time with a human--she could read it on his face--but she refused to let Marko's betrayal affect her personal life anymore.

Costi's face appeared in her mind's eye. She imagined his lips thinning in disapproval. How personal is you planning to be?

A smile crossed her face. Tonight, a few kisses. Another night...

When she climbed into Charlie's room, he wasn't there. She glanced around. Should she wait in the room or explore the house? If he had imbibed too much and was passed out on the sofa, she could wake him, assist him. Undress Charlie and tuck him into bed. Kiss him goodnight.

Nadia cast a Disillusionment Charm and opened the bedroom door. A murmur of sound drew her to the wood-panelled kitchen. Two men sprawled in chairs.

Charlie pushed to his feet and gripped the back of the chair for balance. His face was flushed. "Bottom of the bottle, mate. Time to sleep it off."

The other man--Emil, she presumed--sat up to pound his fist on the table. "More brandy!"

"Go ask Maia for it. I'm all out."

That wasn't true, Nadia had given Charlie an assortment of flavoured brandies to sample. He was keeping his friend from drinking himself into a stupor.

Emil hiccupped.

Make that more of a stupor.

"I will ask her for nothing." Emil bit off each word. "I will demand!"

"Demand brandy?"

"Demand she return my book. Maia is such friends with Oliver, let her borrow his books!" Emil sneered. "If he has any."

"Yeah, that'll teach her."

Nadia heard the laughter in Charlie's voice.

Emil was oblivious. "Da, it will." He pillowed his head on his arms and began to snore.

Charlie saluted his friend and walked unsteadily to the doorway. "Wunner if Nadia's here?"

She whispered, "I am here."

He lurched toward the sound of her voice and toppled forward, pinning her against the doorframe. "Sorry, couldn't see you." He sniggered. "Still can't."

Charlie didn't move, and Nadia didn't ask him to. She put her lips close to his ear. "Your friend--he has romantic troubles?"

"Heh heh. Tha' tickles. Yeah, he does, poor blighter."

He sounded extremely cheerful about it. Alcohol had affected her that way, too, long ago. Nadia gave into temptation and kissed Charlie's earlobe. "Shall I help you to your room?"

His grin was naughty. "Please do."

She wrapped her arms around his middle and steered him into the corridor.

Charlie stumbled, throwing his weight onto her. She hit the wall and cracked the back of her head. "Oh!" she said. The exclamation was out of surprise rather than pain.

"Merlin! I hurt you!" Charlie felt around until his hands tangled in her hair. "Lemme see."

"I was taken unawares, not injured," she said. "Strigoi are much stronger than humans. It's not so easy to harm us."

The fingers that massaged her scalp ceased their gentle, soothing motions. "Hey, you said 'it's' and I didn' get to watch your mouth." Charlie's expression became adorably sulky. "You watched mine. No fair."

"Wait until we have privacy."

"Okay." He was all smiles.

Nadia slipped from beneath him and put her arms around his waist. "Let us try again."

Charlie draped his arms around her. "This is like slow dancin'."

"Do you always allow the woman to lead?"

"Only if she's you."

He was a sweet drunk. If they were lovers--and he was able--she would happily take advantage. Since they were not, Nadia led Charlie to his room as quickly as possible. She used a counter charm to become visible. "It's time I leave," she said.

Charlie traced her lips with a fingertip. "You have a lovely mouth."

"Thank you." Nadia guided him over to the bed. "Here. Time for bed."

"Don' wanna sleep."

His bottom lip turned down. Her resolve melted. "I could stay for a little while."

Charlie stretched out on the bed. "Lie with me," he said. "I'll dim the orbs so Emil won' see under the door and innerup our talk."

Talk? Nadia amended her earlier thought. Charlie was seductive as well as sweet, and if they were lovers, she would ensure he was able to be seduced, no matter how much brandy he drank.

He blinked when she suddenly appeared at his side. "You move fast."

She carressed his cheek. "Nu. I am moving very, very slowly."

"Cause of Marko?"

"Because you are special. I want what we will have to be special too." Nadia leaned forward to kiss him goodnight. His hand cupped the nape of her neck as he kissed her deeply. She responded with passion until the taste of brandy on his tongue reminded her conscience that he was not clear-headed. She tried to ease out of the kiss by shifting from her side onto her back.

Charlie rolled on top of her. "Am I too heavy?" he asked between kisses.

She should have said yes. "Nu. Remember? Strigoi are strong."

"Ace." He pressed closer.

Nadia arched against him and moaned. As wonderful as he felt-- "Charlie, we have to stop."

His muffled chuckle vibrated against her throat. "Don' wanna."

And she did? Frustration made her push his shoulders harder than intended. Charlie didn't roll to the side. He catapulted into the air.

He slammed to the floor with a thud. "Ow!"

In a flash, she was on her knees beside him. "I am so sorry! Are you injured?"

"Nah, my skull's thick." Charlie gave a bark of laughter. "When you said strigoi are strong, you meant it!"

"Da. I meant what I said. All of it. You are special to me."

He cradled her face in his hands. "You're special to me, and I do want to talk. We can sit here if you don't trust me on a bed."

She heard the "t" pronounced at the end of his contraction. Poor man, had she scared him sober? Nadia said, "I trust you."

Charlie's teeth flashed white against his tanned skin. "Cause you can throw me across the room?"

"I can also pin you down and--" She couldn't finish the "joke." His racing pulse thrummed through her body. "We will trust each other," she said. "Yes?"

"Da."

They returned to the bed and maintained a pillow-width distance--courtesy of the pillow Charlie put between them. He propped his head on his hand to gaze over the downy barrier. "What does dragon blood taste like?"

Magic. Power. Life.

"Salty-sweet and metallic due to the iron in haemoglobin." She saw his eyes drop to her mouth and said, "Yes, I fed tonight."

"I couldn't tell."

"Naturally. Strigoi would find it hard to entice if we reeked of blood."

"By the time a victim got close enough to smell a vampire; bad breath would be the least of his worries." When she didn't reply, he said, "Something else I've wondered...does it burn or sting when you drink the blood? It's used as oven cleaner," he added at the end, as if justifying the question.

"It also heals." Nadia pretended surprise. "Are Hogwarts students not required to memorise the uses of dragons' blood?"

"My class was busy memorising magical herbs and fungi."

"So was mine. I did research on my own."

"Durmstrang's know-all, were you?"

"Only if the subject was dragons." She scooted closer. "If you wish, I will share the twelve uses with you."

"A bedtime story?" He dropped his head to the pillow. "Okay, but I'm not sleepy," he said around a yawn.

It was easy to picture him as a child determined to fight bedtime. She smiled, thankful that Charlie was all grown up. "The first use," she said, "is healing."

"And the second use is oven cleaner."

"Nu. That is the twelfth use. Close your eyes and listen."

"I will if you give me a kiss."

She brushed his lips with hers. "The second use is to understand the language of birds."

"Why not dragons themselves? Or reptiles?"

Nadia kissed his eyelids. They looked pale compared to the rest of his skin. "Magic works in mysterious ways."

"Hmm...d'you understand birds?"

"Yes, and before you ask, I preferred their song when I did not." She smoothed Charlie's hair away from his face. "Especially during mating season."

He sniggered. "What's the third use?"

"It enhances the potency of spells and potions."

"What kind of potions?"

The question was innocent, but Nadia caught Charlie peeking at her through his eyelashes. She refused to talk about so-called love potions. If he volunteered to test one, she might take him up on it. "Dragons' blood is also added to red ink and used to inscribe talismans and magical seals," she said, deliberately speaking in a calm, low voice. "And it can be used as a varnish, or to make incense."

"Yeah?" He sounded sleepy.

"Mmhmm...and burning dragon incense will clear a room of negative energy."

His breathing and heartbeat slowed. She murmured, "The seventh use is for scrying by fire. Sprinkle dragon blood onto wood that is well burned and in the dying embers you may see visions of the past, present, or future." She paused. "It is said that if blood anoints a fire at midnight, in its flames you will see..."

Charlie didn't ask her what he would see. He had fallen asleep.

She kissed him softly and whispered, "You will see the face of your lifemate."

-

A/N: Folklore attributed healing powers to dragons' blood before Jo did in OotP, ch 20, where Hagrid slaps a dragon steak over the left side of his face. Greenish blood trickled down into his beard as he gave a soft moan of satisfaction. "Tha's better. It helps with the stingin', yeh know." (Quote in italics.) In the Danish dragon tale, Sigurd of the Volsungs, when Sigurd's friend Regin touches the slain dragon Fafnir's blood to his tongue, he understands the speech of birds. Dragon's blood (singular possessive) also refers to a tree of several origins and names (Calamus Draco, Draconis Resina, Sanguis draconis, and Dragon's Blood Palmplant are a few.) In remarkable coincidence, the animal and plant "blood" have many of the same properties. (Tongue-in-cheek bit in italics.) I googled like mad to come up with six uses to add to the two already established. Readers are welcome to fill in the rest. :D One day Jo might list them in her encyclopaedia, but until then, we're all free to speculate.