The characters and canon situations in the following story belong solely to JK Rowling. I am not making any money from the publishing or writing of this story.

Is this the climax? I am not sure; I was never very good at dissecting novels.

Looking to an entire week off for Mardi Gras soon. Lots of time to write.

It wasn't the sunlight that woke Charlie up and it wasn't the need to find the loo again. It was when the chatter of the birds stopped. Charlie swiped the sleep out of his eyes and shook his head to clear his foggy brain. Within a minute or two, he was awake and listening to the silence. All of his life he had been surrounded by noise. Growing up with so many siblings, noise was a constant and as a dragon keeper the noise of his surrounding environment was always present, the unearthly quite had altered his senses and he was awake.

Checking his watch, he realized that he had slept for twelve hours. The portkey and the stress of not truly sleeping in the hospital had finally caught up with him. It was early afternoon and cursed under his breath. If he had missed his opportunity with his daughter's playmate, it would set him back a day.

Charlie knew had been whispering to himself and yet his voice seemed inordinately loud. That was when he truly realized how quite the world had become. His instincts screamed to move cautiously and without a peep as he crept toward the window. Crouching low below the window sill, Charlie slowly raised his eyes to the level of the first pane of glass and looked out into the garden. The brightness of the day forced him to blink a couple of time to allow his eyes to adjust and after the third or fourth blink was when he saw the bamboo sway ever so slightly. Focusing on the ground in front of movement Charlie finally saw Puffy. He smiled, in front of him a fairly young juvenile Chinese Fireball. Unlike the bright red adult form of the species, the juvenile coloring was mottled, variations of green and burn orange. Charlie knew from his research that this adaption in pigmentation was a self defense characteristic. The harder the young were to see in the undergrowth, the more likely they would be to survive to adulthood.

Everything made sense, Lottie's illness and Hermione's being completely unaware of Puffy. Charlie only saw the creature because he knew what he was looking for.

All that was left was to capture his daughter's elusive playmate and then simply break hundreds of international laws smuggling the captive back to Britain. Piece of cake.

Charlie grinned, smuggling was the easy part, but catching the little beast, well that would take some thought and a possible trip to a Muggle hardware-type store.

His attention was suddenly drawn back inside and to his borrowed wand. The thin rod was where he left it on the table and now it was vibrating. Another piece of good news, things were looking up.

The sun had set before Charlie return back to Hermione's bungalow. It had been harder to find what needed than he had anticipated. The language barrier and the cultural barrier were formidable obstacles. After multiple false starts, Charlie finally found a small pet store off a side street in the wizarding section of Hong Kong. The toughest part had been trying to decide what would work the best.

Even hatchling Fireballs have an intense flame throwing capacity. Carrying Puffy around in a wicker basket wouldn't work. Anything made of wood seemed like a bad idea. The only alternative was a metal carrier of some sort. Charlie had driven the shop keeper to distraction, mulling over the four different metal cages that were available. Charlie hadn't been very forth coming with information and the wizened old witch finally threatened to hex him if he did make a selection and leave.

Stopping for a quick bite at a restaurant a couple of doors down from the pet shop, Charlie tried tea and dim sum and found it surprisingly well done. The walk back to the bungalow gave him time to digest and to think. The metal crate was a half meter wide by about a meter long and perforated on all sides except the bottom. Charlie's biggest concern was how to camouflage the crate and make what ever was inside enticing enough to lure Puffy inside. Dragons were extremely suspicious by nature. Each species had their own quirks, the Fireball being known as stubborn and ornery. Charlie had a great deal to ponder.

Making the crate smell like to surrounding forest would go a long way to helping the troublemaker feel comfortable. Once Charlie was in Hermione's garden he began working out his strategy. "Plan Puffy" began to take shape. The warm breeze from the waterfront stirred the leaves of the bamboo and the hum of the insects filled the air and Charlie worked diligently on his trap. The crate had been transformed to a small opening of in a thicket of new bamboo shoots. The opening was enlarged to accommodate the Fireball's size and in the back center of the leave strewn floor of the crate was a generous pile of Lottie's favorite treats. Charlie circled the area with a silent alarm ward that would alter him if Puffy entered the garden. Much more sensitive wards had been woven across the front of the crate would signal a second alarm. This would allow Charlie a few precious seconds to secure the crate. Charlie mentally ticked off the items on his list; all that was left was to wait.

The clock's incessant ticking was making his teeth grind in frustration. He had made three cups of tea to ward off sleep. Charlie knew the moment he closed his eyes would be the exact moment Puffy made his appearance. It was early; looking toward the ease Charlie could see the sun begin to peek over the edge of the horizon. His eyes were fighting with his brain. They wanted to shut and they were winning the battle.

With a great sigh, Charlie relented. Perhaps if he did rest his eyes Puffy would show up. Placing his wand on the coffee table and stretching out on the sofa Charlie closed his eyes.

Later when he looked back on the events Charlie couldn't remember how long he had been asleep or which happened first, but he knew the second worst moment of his life. The first had been the moment he realized he was a father to a dying child. Nothing, not even hurting Hermione was worse than that.

Charlie shot to his feet reacting to the garden wards activating and his wand glowing. In that moment his heart shattered. Lottie had taken a turn for the worse and he wasn't there to hold his little girl and now he had to choose. Charlie was faced with having to choose between possibly saying goodbye and possibly saving her life.

There was the real possibility that if he took the time to capture Puffy he would be too late to do any good. The daddy in him ached. His baby needed him, Hermione needed him, and he needed them. Before he could think the sensitive alarms surrounding the opening triggered and Charlie reacted.

Grabbing his glowing wand, Charlie tore through the open window and with two steps and a very intricate pattern of wand movements; he grabbed the crate with his wand hand as he reached into his pocket and activated the portkey.

*.*

Hope the wait was worth it. If you have time let me know what you think.