Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Ancient Magus' Bride. All rights go to respective owners.

The Keeper of the Dragons' Aerie

The air was so cold that he could see his breath. Inhale— Exhale. It hung there in front of his face. If he reached out, he was sure that he could physically touch it; a frosted cloud suspended in time for a brief moment. Then an icy blast of wind swept it away. As the daylight faded, the temperature continued to steadily drop. Charlie kept moving forward.

He hadn't reached his destination.

Charlie carefully scrambled down a snow-covered hillside, and he tried not to slip and fall too many times. It was important that he maintained a somewhat dignified appearance. The task laid out before him demanded it. He knew he was young, but he was going to take this job seriously; it was too important to do otherwise. That mentality didn't stop him from slipping and sliding down the incline, like a particularly uncoordinated baby Graphorn.

He bit back a surprised shout; he didn't want to make a lot of noise. They were in the middle of nowhere—far, far to the north of any human settlement. However, dragons were always high priority targets for poachers. A mage could never be too careful.

Not just a mage, Charlie thought. Not anymore.

Distracted by his thoughts, Charlie slipped again and landed hard on his butt. Groaning, he tried to stand, only to fall once more. There was a deep cough followed by a sudden crackle of a sparking fire. He rolled his eyes.

"Stop laughing at me, Skaifya," he grumbled. Charlie didn't even glance at the pearly white dragonet behind him. "You're not cute."

Skaifya let out a low rumble that sounded like it came from deep in her chest. There was an abrupt loud thrum in the air as she took off in flight. The wind whipped his hair into his face. Just for a moment, he caught a glimpse of a pearly white body about the size of a small Muggle car against the blue-grey sky. She didn't allow him to admire her for long. At the last possible second, she twitched her tail and hit his back. Charlie faceplanted into the snow.

Sitting up, he shook his head. Clumps of snow fell away, and he was able to see once again.

"I hate you," he grumbled halfheartedly. It didn't matter, anyway. She was too far away to hear him, even with her enhanced hearing; or that was what he thought. She banked in the air, gliding back to him. Charlie watched as her white body seemed to melt into the icy surroundings.

The ground shook as she landed in front of him, stumbling forward. Charlie frowned in concern. This was the first chance she had to fly free since her rescue; the poachers had not been kind to her. Scars scattered across her body and wings, and he wondered if they caused her pain.

Skaifya lowered her head and stared into his eyes. Her gaze flickered between him and the distant horizon. The sun was quickly setting. Her intelligent eyes settled once more on him.

"I agree," he murmured, resting a hand on her muzzle. "We should set up camp for the night."

.oOo.

The wind violently howled, but Charlie hid safely beneath Skaifya's wing. He leaned closer, pressing against her side, and drew warmth from the fire the roared within her. She stirred and tucked her head underneath her wing. Charlie marveled at the dragon's flexibility.

A small glass jar… A sprig of holly… A whispered spell…

Sparkling blue fire flared to life in the glass container. He set in down on the ground and pulled his legs to his chest. Out in the northern wilds, he was so far from home and everything familiar. He was expected to stay out here until he or the last dragon died. Not for the first time, Charlie wondered if he had been crazy to take the job. He felt so alone.

The little spell had taken more out of him than he would have liked. Drawing in magic from his surroundings was more work than he cared to think about; he needed a familiar. While that was a priority, Charlie had other worries.

Not just a mage anymore.

The words turned over and over in his mind, like the flurrying snow beyond the safety of the dragon's wing. Skaifya nudged his feet and pulled him back to the present. Charlie gazed into her knowing eyes.

"You're far from home, too," he murmured. "I'm sorry you couldn't stay in Australia; it wasn't safe."

The Opaleye dragon let out a long sigh and then nudged his shoes again. Charlie grinned.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he said and closed his eyes. "It's you and me, out to save every dragon in existence."

Charlie made a conscious effort to relax his muscles. He listened to Skaifya's steady breathing and the whistling wind. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

.oOo.

A new day meant more opportunities to slip and fall on ice.

For what was at least the one-hundredth time since dawn, Charlie tripped and fell. Skaifya let out a snort, and vivid red flames flared out of her nostrils. Grumbling, he pushed himself to his feet. The dragonet gently bumped his shoulder with her nose.

"You're not well enough to fly and carry me, Skaifya," he replied. He rested a comforting hand on her nose, and his eyes flickered over her scars. "We'll be okay."

She narrowed her eyes at him, and Charlie tried not to laugh; she was remarkably expressive.

"Alright, I might trip and fall to my death," he corrected. "We're almost there, though. It's just beyond those mountains."

They looked at the line of steep ridges rising before them. Charlie thought Skaifya looked especially exasperated at this outlook.

"Yep. Just a hop, skip, and a jump away."

.oOo.

They reached the peak at noon. The endless snow vista stretched before them in all directions, as far as the eye could see. Through the clouds and mist was what they had been looking for since they had traveled north.

Tucked in-between the nearly impassable mountains was an immense, protected glade. Deep lochs and grassy fields with trees blanketed the valley. It looked warm down there; a bonus for dragons, especially younger ones like Skaifya. Magic crackled in the air.

"Protective wards and enchantments need to be set up as soon as we get down there," Charlie said, taking on a professional tone. "Then we need you to rest and heal."

The dragonet rustled her wings in agitation.

"Obviously," Charlie responded. "After you get better, we will save the others. No one will be left behind."

Skaifya roared, and Charlie couldn't help but agree with the sentiment.

I'm no longer just a mage, he thought. I'm the protector of the last dragons.

He looked up at the beautiful creature beside him.

"Welcome to the Aerie," he said.

A/N 2 — "Skaifya" is pronounced like sky-FEE-ah. Opaleye dragons are native to New Zealand and Australia.

Prompt (Around the World—The Golden Snitch): Fight: In this task, teams will submit one story about a magical creature native to Australia, such as Billywigs.

Word count (not including title and author's notes): 1148

Dessie / Castelobruxo, South