The smell of damp woodland and pine roused Arabelle from her hot sticky sleep. Charlie's warm body lay next to her and she took a moment to appreciate the memory of last night.

She slid out of the bed, her bare feet tapping the cold floor, careful not to wake him and searched the room for her clothes as the room blurred at the edges, in a less exciting way than the night before, the empty wine glasses on the coffee table evidence of her over consumption. Once dressed she walked to a bookcase at the back of the tent next to the little Kitchenette. There were a few books, mainly on dragon care and the wilderness, next to these stood a wooden photo frame which she picked up to inspect closer. Arabelle remembered the night it was taken, though she didn't recall the photo itself. She was being spun round in her gold sequined dress by Charlie, so handsome in his suite, both of them laughing in their state of joy. Life had seemed so straightforward the night of their engagement, what a mess she had made of the last four years. She sighed as she placed the photo back, smiling at its presence that Charlie had held on their past as much as she had.

The sheets crumpled as she turned to see him wake, rubbing his eyes clearly hungover, and checking the side she had slept.

'Don't worry, I haven't run off again' she teased.

'We have both been guilty of that kind of behavior' he croaked, grinning towards her. 'My head is pounding so bad, what was I thinking drinking red wine, how can you stomach it?'

'it's my oh so chic French lifestyle, I've built up quite the tolerance for wine and expensive tastes' Arabelle laughed as she spun in her skirt dramatically and flicked her long hair over her shoulder. 'I bet you've missed my black coffee' as she filled the kettle at the sink and pulled two mugs from a shelf above the little counter.

'You always were able to make it stronger than anyone else I've known' Charlie grinned.

Arabelle walked back to the bookcase and ran her finger along the titles waiting for the kettle to boil 'Mind if I borrow this one?' she asked pulling a red hardcover book from the shelf, Dragon Species of the World, she could kick herself for the times she would zone out as Charlie rattled on about Dragons when the spent their summer afternoons lounging by the lake. Boy had that really come back to bite her in the arse.

'Go for it' he yawned 'How lucky you are that you happen to be in the presence of one of the best Dragon Keepers in Europe and you happen to need assistance in my very field of expertise' he re-arranged his pillows and rested his arms behind his head, grinning smugly as Arabelle threw the spoon she was using in the sink and carried two mug of coffee towards the bed.

'Indeed, I am lucky' she blew into her mug and passed the other to Charlie who gulped a mouthful down showing no sign that the coffee was hot. 'However, before we start talking dragons' she grinned placing her mug on the bed side table and lounging across the bottom of the bed seductively 'I have something else for you to look into, which I also consider you to be an expert in.'

Charlie raised his eyebrows and placed his mug down 'I don't know why you bothered putting those clothes back on, that was a total waste of time. You might have expensive taste these days but for me, less is more when it comes to your outfits' he grabbed her hips and pulled her towards him, kissing her hard and fast.

The leaves crunched underfoot as Charlie and Arabelle made their way towards the 10 foot high fences surrounding the dragons. Around them men in overalls were holding mugs and passing jokes between them. Her stupid, muddy heels sunk into the ground every other step, and Charlie laughed as he held her hand to steady her each time.

'I see you still haven't quite gotten the hang of dressing for the woods yet' a booming voice shouted towards them, from outside another tent stood the blonde German that Arabelle had encountered in her barefooted frenzy the other night.

'Not quite, but I have at least learnt to stay on the outside of fence this time' Arabelle called back, rolling her eyes mockingly.

The German strolled towards them 'a much safer idea, unless you want me to ruin more of your pretty French clothes' he laughed louder this time as Arabelle tilted her head at him taken aback by his brashness.

Charlie elbowed him playfully in the ribs and he doubled over in mock pain 'I joke, I joke!' he cried.

'Arabelle this in Bren, Bren, Arabelle' Charlie gestured at the two of them and Bren held his hand out for her to shake. His hand was calloused and rough like Charlie's had become and his grip was firm.

'it's nice to meet you, properly this time' Arabelle smiled awkwardly remember their last encounter.

'Nice to meet you Arabelle' Bren echoed. 'I'll leave you two to it, but just remember, stay this side of the fence!' he laughed again as he strode back to the group of men by the tent.

They spent at least an hour watching the four dragons sleeping, Charlie reeling off facts and tips about each one which Arabelle struggled to retain, she was to in awe of the sheer size of them, their claws sharp and their teeth even sharper. She begun to feel uneasy at the task that was at hand for Fleur, and even worse poor Harry.

Arabelle grew quieter as time went on and Charlie saw he was losing his audience, her eyes glazy as she stared into the pens where the dragons were held.

'So I was thinking' Charlie said leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree, Arabelle turned to face him 'I know you're probably busy with your work but it is a Sunday, and it's supposed to be a pretty nice day, I thought it would be kind of cool to get the kids together and have some lunch in the school grounds, you know hang out like we used to in the summer.'

Arabelle smiled brightly, grateful for the offer of a distraction to take her mind off this stupid tournament that was looming in the back of her mind. 'I think that sounds like a perfect idea' as she leaned into Charlie and kissed him lightly on the lips and began to laugh 'but first I have got to get myself a different pair of shoes!'

He looked down at the blue suede heels, more mud than heel, sinking into the dirt. He smiled, threw her over his should and ran through the trees with Arabelle squealing the whole way.