The Reunion
The sheer beauty of it all. He inhaled the hot, early July air and took in the rolling hills, the daunting mountains, and the vast plains. Travelling by muggle modes of transportation was inconvenient, but considering his current standing with the Ministry of Magic, it was a necessary precaution, and well worth the hassle. He was, after all, too large for an ordinary-sized broomstick, and that motorcycle did attract an awful lot of attention.
Romania was home to many creatures and Hagrid had always gotten along well with creatures, perhaps more-so than the witches and wizards he had been raised amongst. Being half-giant himself, he saw past the exterior of many "beasts" and felt compassion where others often found terror. Romania was home to many conservations and protected areas for the creatures that he empathized with. While muggles thought the beast of this country to be the brown bear, Hagrid was in search of something much more dangerous—dangerous according to the Ministry of Magic, at least.
The Ministry classified dragons as a category XXXXX creature, presumably impossible to domesticate or train. Dragons were often hostile towards other creatures, and have even been known the kill wizards. The people from The Ministry feared them, but like he was with all dangerous creatures, Hagrid was fascinated. He had a large amount of respect for the dragon keepers trained to work with them.
He had read all of the books, from Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit to Men who Love Dragons Too Much. Had he remained in school, perhaps Hagrid would have become a magizoologist. He wouldn't have minded eventually becoming a dragonologist himself. In his own mind, Hagrid sheepishly doubted he had the smarts for that kind of career, but he certainly had the passion. His dad would have been so proud if he had become… oh, he need'nt head down that path now. The Weasley boy had already done so much—and then even inviting him to visit—he could only be grateful for the kindness shown to him.
As he approached the sanctuary, he remembered the words in Charlie's letter: "You'll have to keep pretty far back, Hagrid. As you probably already know; Norwegian Ridgebacks are able to shoot flames as early as one month after they're born."
This was a fact that Hagrid was well aware of and since the little bugger wasn't yet three months old, it would still be sparking up a storm and having trouble controlling its flames. Ridgebacks were a bit more docile than most dragons but they were still a fearsome lot. Although even as a hatchling the dragon had been a biter, its venomous fangs were avoidable if you didn't antagonize it.
Dragons were misunderstood creatures. Wizards and witches and other creatures alike had both feared and made attempts to kill them throughout the centuries. After years of being hunted for their livers, scales, venom, and other magical products, they liked to be left to themselves. Their aggressive behavior stemmed from a long history of persecution and barbaric treatment. Hagrid was familiar with that. Hell, he had even been known to get a bit aggressive himself, at least when it came to protecting his friends. Still, he trusted Charlie's judgment and realized that the flame might be of actual danger to him.
Luckily, just after he had acquired the dragon's egg earlier this year, he had ordered a full assortment of custom-made fireproof clothing from his shirt down to a pair of socks. It had taken him many years-worth of savings to be able to afford to do so, but this moment would be well worth its weight in Galleons.
"Hagrid!" Charlie approached the entrance of the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary and snapped him out of his thoughts, "Follow me!"
The second-oldest Weasley headed toward the far left of the Sanctuary. It was not unusual for others to struggle to keep pace with the half-giant, but today Hagrid's excitement got the better of him and Charlie had to ask him to stop many times so that he could catch up. Charlie's short, stocky build and sun-darkened skin made him appear a bit tougher than the other Weasleys, but he carried the same excited glint in his eye that his father did. Hagrid had always been fond of the Weasley family, but he had especially taken to Charlie while he was at Hogwarts because of their shared passion for magical creatures.
While they would catch up and discuss old times later, few words passed between the two now. The impending excitement was so much for Hagrid that he figured he could barely utter a proper sentence. Charlie tossed him a fireproof balaclava. "You should put this on before we get any closer," he instructed, and put one on his own head.
It was then that he heard it… the majestic flapping of wings. The strong breeze from the flapping wings was enough to make even Charlie stumble a bit, but in the 100 degree weather, Hagrid appreciated the breeze. Still quite a distance away he saw what his little one would eventually grow into—thirty-five feet of Norweigan Ridgeback. Hagrid paused to stare, but Charlie grabbed his arm "We'll circle back later and I can show you around. I know you're excited to see your old friend."
It seemed like ages that they continued on, although it must have only been fifteen minutes before the nursery came into view. Charlie had explained in his letter that because the dragon had hatched away from its mother, the dragon keepers would have to tend to it for the first two years, until it was fully grown and able to hold its own amongst the rest of the herd.
Charlie grinned at Hagrid, "Well, this is the moment you've been waiting for. Why don't you go on and say hi? Your friend is just over there."
Still too young to fly, twenty feet before Hagrid stood the creature he had hatched himself just a few months ago.
"Hello, there, Norbert. Mummy's here!"
The dragon cried affectionately, and blew a little puff of smoke into the air. Hagrid could almost swear that the smoke took the shape of a heart, and a small tear welled up in his eye.