Written for the Golden Snitch Scavenger Hunt, Team Castelobruxo

580 words excluding authors note and title

I own nothing. Thank you for reading!

First Encounter

To say Charlie Weasley was excited about his new position in Romania at a Dragon Reserve was the understatement of the century. He practically vibrated with excitement. He knew he was driving Bill insane (who was helping him move into his new apartment), but he couldn't bring himself to care.

He had a job looking after freaking dragons! For all his mother worried over the danger, there was nothing else Charlie wanted to do with his life. He'd loved dragons since he'd been a little kid. What wasn't to love about them? They were gorgeous, intelligent, strong, and they could fly and breathe fire.

His first day was spent being shown around the reservation by his coworkers, attempting to warm up to them. He'd be working side-by-side with them for the years to come, after all. Of course, if he got fired he wouldn't be, but it didn't do to be so pessimistic. He's always been fairly optimistic, after all, and there was no need to break that trend now.

Charlie was looking forward to finally be allowed closer to the dragons. He understood the safety precautions that had to be taken first- at least, logically. The little kid in him couldn't stop bouncing in excitement, eager to be able to care for the beautiful and dangerous creatures.

His first opportunity was a routine check of a Romanian Longhorn. One of his coworkers got hurt in an exchange with a Peruvian Vipertooth and hadn't been available, so it had fallen upon Charlie to look after the dragon. Vibrating with excitement, he entered the enclosure.

The second oldest Weasley had to take several deep breaths before he dared approach the dragon. He needed to be calm and in control, or the Longhorn might react rather violently. It wasn't easy, but he managed.

"Hey there, girl." Charlie called in a calm, level voice. The dragon's attention was immediately on him. It regarded him with eyes that spoke of intelligence and a power he could never understand. He shoved back the rush of fanboy emotions that surged up within him. He could squeal and bounce around like a Hufflepuff girl later, away from the dragon.

Charlie inched closer, barely daring to breathe. The Romanian Longhorn had yet to exhibit any hostile behavior, but dragons were known for being unpredictable. That was part of the reason he loved them so much- he was a Gryffindor, and the stereotype was for idiots who loved dangerous situations.

It was actually going really well for him, surprisingly. The dragon was willing to let him approach. It simply sat and watched him as he slowly inched forward, eyes never wavering from him.

He couldn't keep the grin off of his face when he stopped directly in front of it. He might be a bit closer than safety cautioned, but the dragon hadn't reacted badly and he simply couldn't stop himself from getting closer.

Charlie was still grinning when his feet left the ground and he was sent flying backwards. Hell, he was giggling like a lunatic when he was chased out of the enclosure by a long stream of fire, and then when one of his older colleagues raised an eyebrow at him and his singed robes.

"Didn't anyone tell you, newbie?" the man said, "You shouldn't have even been allowed in there with how junior you are."

At his puzzled look, the man continued, "She's got eggs."

"Oh." Charlie said, before his giggles began anew. Oh indeed.