"Hey Phoenix." Harry smiled as they left the Potions room.
"Can I help you Mr. Potter?" She smirked.
"Yes, I was wondering if you would meet me in the room of requirements for dinner tonight." He said.
"I'll see if Mike can cover for me." She replied.
"I'm glad you came." Harry said.
"Yeah, well, I'll talk to you tonight." She sighed.
"I do trust you Nix." Harry said as if reading her mind.
"You really can read me." Phoenix smiled.
"You just owe me answers." Harry told her.
"Phoenix, Shane just told me that Kenneth is taking our afternoon shifts so we can train more." Justin cut in.
"Is Shane joining us?" she asked.
"Yes." He replied.
"Ok, I'll talk to her." Phoenix said.
"You have a lot to explain tonight." Harry whispered.
"I know love." Phoenix replied and pecked his cheek.
"What was that about?" Justin asked.
"I am not going to avoid Harry just because I am not a student." I replied.
"No, the you owe me answers."
"Oh, don't worry about it Justina. It's between me and Harry." Phoenix said.
"Nothing bad?" He asked.
"Nothing bad, I promise." Phoenix smiled. "Meet you in the Great Hall after class."
"After class? Where d I go?"
"Draco, come here a second." Phoenix called.
"Yes cousin?" He asked.
"What do you have next?"
"Charms, why?" He asked.
"Perfect, that's our next assignment, but I need to speak with a girl so could you show Justin the way?"
"Sure, I'll bring him to the Great Hall after."
"I'll be there by then, hopefully, but if I'm not, thank you." Phoenix smiled and ran off.
"We can go once the other Slytherins are out." Draco said.
"Ok." Justin agreed and leaned on the wall.
"Hey cutie." a girl said. Justin looked up and saw a girl with black hair.
"Step off Cho." Harry's voice sounded.
"What do you have dibs Potter?" The girl asked.
"Ah, he's twenty and married." Harry said. "To Professor St. Heightz."
Cho's face distorted into disgust and she walked away.
"Thank you Harry." He sighed.
"No problem, Phoenix is getting the same from the younger years." Harry chuckled.
"That must make her stay here all the better." Justin said.
"Yeah, it must." Harry sighed.
"Hello Harry." Pansy smiled as she walked out with Blaise.
"Hello Pansy." He replied as a red head walked by.
"Did he just glare at you?" Justin asked.
"Yes, you remember Ron." Harry said.
"I heard that story." Justin replied with a smirk.
"That was a fun summer, well...before..."
"Before what?" Justin asked. Draco gave Harry the cut signal and Harry seemed to understand.
"Before everything with Dani's hatchlings and Phoenix's disappearance."
"Yeah, she is about ready to kill Mal...sorry." Justin stopped.
"No need." Draco said. "I want him dead too, but Phoenix has dibs on his death. He killed her mum."
"We need to get to charms." Greg stepped in.
"Yeah, give this to Hermione, will you?" Draco asked handing Harry a slip of parchment.
"Sure." Harry said and walked off.
"What does he have?" Justin asked.
"DADA I believe." Draco replied.
"That's Kenneth's room."
"Why are you in a pair with Phoenix when everyone else is solo." Greg asked.
"They are all Handlers. I'm just a trainee."
"Why not stay with Mike then?" Blaise asked.
"Phoenix is my mentor." Justin replied.
"She is? Didn't she just bridge up?" Vince asked.
"Bridge up?" Justin replied.
"Didn't she just get promoted?" Greg asked.
"Yes, but she is our best." Justin said.
"So why are you entering the program now, why not with Mike?"
"Dragons scared me a little, but living in the Gates you get a new perspective."
"What's it like? Working in the gates?" Greg asked.
"If you like working with Dragons, it is nice, but if you are nervous it gets harder." Justin said. "But I only work with the babies and sometimes fly with Mike. Ask Phoenix sometime."
"We have asked her, she can't describe for her life." Draco chuckled.
"Good point." Justin smiled as they reached the charms room.
"Well hello sir, you must be one of the Handlers." The small professor smiled.
"Justin St. Heightz sir."
"Ah yes, I had your bro..."
Justin gave a little cough.
"He's not my brother." Justin muttered going red.
"Ah, I see, how could I have been so silly." The professor chuckled. "Filius Flitwick."
"Nice to meet you sir." Justin smiled as Phoenix slipped in.
"Miss Black, so good to see you!" He cried.
"Hello professor." She smiled standing with Justin.
"Today's topic is dragon charms, would you two be willing to help us with that?" Flitwick asked.
"I'll give a hand, Justin is still learning."
"I just became a trainee this summer and just gained my mentor before we came." Justin said.
"I know Anton, he doesn't send an untrained student out in the field."
"He has a special gift that we need and I am his mentor so he had to come to train." Phoenix stepped in.
"Special gift?" Flitwick asked.
"Not like mine." Phoenix said.
"Speaking of that, the fourth years and fifth years are learning that next month." Flitwick asked.
"Give me the days and I'll coordinate with everyone." I replied.
"Wonderful, thank you so much." Flitwick squeaked as the last few students came in and sat down.
"So, did you talk to her?" Justin whispered.
"Not yet, I will at lunch." Phoenix replied.
"Miss Black has kindly agreed to help with this lesson." Flitwick smiled and Phoenix stood up.
"Haven't I stood here before?" Phoenix asked.
"Two years ago, only that time, it was almost unwillingly." Draco smirked.
"Thanks Mr. Malfoy for that, anyway." Phoenix chuckled. "What am I doing again?"
"The unit is charms in the workplace, today's workplace is Dragon Gates." Flitwick said.
"Ok then, easy. We use the same charms you do in life, stunning, cheering, levitating, etc. What I will explain maybe different from what Professor Flitwick would tell you, but this is not common knowledge. The difference between the charms we use and the charms you use is simple. A dragon's hide is magic resistant and so as handlers we use charms and magic only if we must. The best of us can simply talk to a dragon, we don't need magic. Let's look at Starter here on my shoulder. Starter is a sphinx dragon, an italian dragon picked up in my travels this summer."
"Why don't you let her fly?" Justin suggested.
"I was going to, if thats ok with you Professor." Phoenix said.
"By all means." He smiled.
"Go ahead Starter." Phoenix smiled and let the dragon launch himself into the air.
"If you look, Starter has red-orange scales, but there is a softer, darker under belly. This area doesn't have as strong a protection as the scales, but there is still a fair amount of protection there. If you want to hit a dragon you need to twist the magic in a way the armor doesn't recognize. The way to twist is different for every dragon. Let's take the Horntail from the tournament your fourth year. To get past their armor, you have to be subtle. It will take far to long to explain. The essence of magic is a subject I'll leave for the actual professor." Phoenix said.
"Essence of magic?" A Ravenclaw asked.
"That is a seventh year concept." Flitwick stepped in.
"You are a sixth year, how do you know about it?"
"I have been studying all this since the summer after third year. Every spare minute." Phoenix said.
"This just turned into what is a handler." Justin smirked.
"Well, this is much more helpful to them."
"Ok then, this will take a couple classes if we get into, is that ok?"
"Please do, I am interested. I want these kids to get as much as they can out of this." Flitwick smiled.
"Ok then, what exactly is a handler, or what is a professor? They are almost the same in a a way. Do you have any ideas?" Phoenix asked. "Come on, how many of you know me?"
The whole class raised their hand.
"Now keep your hands up if this applies. How many thought you'd see me working as a Handler?"
Only the Slytherins kept their hands up.
"Did you expect to see me here in front of you?"
No one raised their hands.
"Right. Handlers, trainees, teachers and students. We're all the same. Handlers are the mentors of trainees, and yet, trainees can end up teaching handlers a thing or two. Teachers and students are the same way."
"What are you trying to say?"
"What is Handler? Well, they are dedicated men and women. They are dedicated to what they do and to the dragons. Their life is for the dragons. They may not have amazing skill, but they are willing to learn and get better. I am a platinum handler in Sector One. I am the best, the only person above me in rank is Anton Dupris. He is my boss, but there are a lot of things I still need to learn. I know a dragons heart, but that doesn't mean I won't come across a dragon that I can't stop, or can't help. There are things I can't do. I'm not a healer, or a midwife. I can't heal a dragon or help a mother give birth. I help mothers train, I make sure they are happy and healthy. Make sure they thrive without getting hunted. I am a protector and there are spells I have yet to perfect, skills I have yet learn. Trainees, students, they have tricks and ideas Handlers have never thought of." Phoenix explained.
"Who can become a Handler?"
"Anyone. There are many different gates with different kinds of people with different skills. Different Gates have different skills."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Romania, my home Gate, specializes in hand-to-hand combat, in Kenya, they specialize in firestarters, India specializes in dragon communication, Brazil in blade fighting, and so on." Phoenix said.
"You know how to fight, is that why you chose Romania?"
"No, Romania was my home before I came here. An old family friend, Gale Matthews, works at the Gates and helped me get a job there. I grew up around the dragons of Romania and so it was familiar. Now that I work there, it is more than an old home. I have rooms there, friends, family, and enemies. Dragon Gates is a community in and of itself. It is safe for all ages. For families with children, we have specially trained professors that start their education at age five. Basic magic, muggle studies, the basic classes muggles take in their schools, and it is all in an area the dragons can't get to. It is in a building near the boarding houses."
"What if both parents are working and can't care for their child at any part of the day?"
"Like I said, The Gates is a big community. Say I have a daughter. My husband is at work and I have a shift in the afternoon, but Charlie Weasley doesn't. Charlie can pick up my daughter for me and take care of her until I get back. People with children that are very young are given more lenient schedules, so they can take care. When I have a child, I'll be given paid leave for up to half a year, though most mothers only take three months. It is just like living outside the gates. The good thing about such a tight community is that it's easier to find help." Phoenix explained.
"I am afraid I have to stop you Miss Black. Thank you for talking about your life in the Gates."
"It was nice, there are so many rumors about us and we really aren't as mysterious as people make us out to be."
"You are all dismissed." Flitwick smiled.
"Time for lunch and more training." Justin groaned.
"Fighting after lunch. You and Shane, I'm not going to fight." Phoenix promised and followed the Slytherins out of the classroom.
