A chill forces its way down my spine as the first sign of the deadly reptiles rumbles across the wooded area.
"We're almost there," Charlie needlessly explains. We had been walking for almost an hour.
"Why did we arrive so far away?" The walk, while pleasant, seems unnecessary.
"To reduce stress on the dragons. They have very touchy senses, so having witches and wizards suddenly appearing and disappearing around them would cause undue stress. It also allows more space for tamers to neutralize a dangerous situation, like if a dragon got loose. You wouldn't want to appear right in the path of an escaping dragon, now would you?"
"I suppose not."
"Besides, there's great weather, scenery, and exercise! Despite the questionable company, I'd say the walk is worth the wait!" He suppresses a grin.
"Hey!" I stick out my tongue like a child, making him laugh. Our conversation is interrupted, however, by another roar. My stomach sinks with nervousness.
We walk in silence for another two minutes, and I watch as a huge, arched gate looms higher and higher as we near the entrance to the reserve. The cast iron masterpiece swings inward as Charlie waves to one of the men working the entrance. His light brown hair is disheveled, presumably from working.
"I didn't think I'd see your sorry arse so soon!" The man yells down. I see that his eyes are either blue or green, but he's too far up for me to be sure. His fair skin and accent leaves no suspicion as to his origins, probably from London. He's definitely not a native Romanian.
"Warm welcome! Good to see you too, Finn." Charlie's demeanor changes, he seems immediately at home here. We haven't even passed through the gates yet.
"And who's this lovely bird?" He turns his attention toward me for the first time. "Blink twice if you're here against your will."
"Your confidence in me is alarming," Charlie says dryly. "She's here with me. She'll be starting with Shay in a couple days."
Turning back to me, Finn asks, "Charlie's forgotten his manners, I don't recall a proper introduction." His face is uplifted in amusement. "I'm Finn Baker, and you are?"
"Emma Lupin. Nice to meet you!" I smile up and ignore the shock that Charlie tries to hide from his face.
"Pleasure's all mine, Emma. I hope you like it here!" Finn waves us through the gate, as we had stopped just outside of it when he called out to Charlie. "I won't hold you two up. See you around!"
Charlie waves and Finn focuses his attention on his duties. He leads the way through the huge compound. The paths are of dirt, not paved. The ground shakes every now and then from the movements of the dragons that I have yet to see. Charlie directs us to the left toward a squat, rectangular building.
"We'll need to check in first. This is the main administrative building." He gestures to the other small structures around it. "These are other offices, but you won't need to know about them. They are more for ministry contractors, inspectors, and such. I don't think you'll need to concern yourself with this either, but just in case, know that anytime you leave the compound you need to check out from this building. It's another safety measure. If there's an accident and no one can find you because your away, then it's difficult to figure out if you were hurt or not."
"After check-in, I'll give you a tour of the place. Then I'll show you where we'll be staying. He opens the door for me and motions for me to enter. "After you."
The office is standard, with plain walls and soft music emanating from somewhere unknown. A woman sits to the left, her glasses taking up most of her face. A feather floats next to her, ready to take notes whenever she needs. To the right, a pleasant-looking man with tan skin and cropped dark brown hair looks up from his work and waves us forward.
"How may I help you today?" His voice is smooth, but his accent unfamiliar. Romanian?
"Yes, I am checking in. My friend needs to be registered and checked in. She is set to start working here in a couple days."
"Yes, of course. You first, name?"
"Charles Weasley." The man pulls out a thick, leather-bound book and opens it to one of the pages before jotting down information.
"All set. And you are?" He turns to me.
"Emma Lupin." He pulls out a different book and asks more questions, which Charlie answers for me since they were questions that I was not sure how to answer.
"Age, birthdate, job description?" He looks up expectantly.
"Seventeen, May third of 1980, intern." Charlie evidently covered this before we left. I suppress a laugh. The fake birthday makes me older than Harry.
"Alright, you're all set. Have a nice day." He begins to put the books away and Charlie leads the way back through the doors we entered through.
The ground shakes as soon as my feet touch the ground outside.
"Is it always like this?" Charlie shrugs.
"You get used to it. The dragons can't help it. It wouldn't be as noticeable, but there are enough of them here that it makes the ground shake like that." He chooses the path that was to our right when we entered the reserve, directly across from the office building we just exited. Full, green trees line the dirt road, but don't block the sun.
"About how many are here?" The question had been swimming around in my head for a while.
"You may not want to know the answer to that. Just know that there's enough." He laughs "Just around this corner, the road splits. You'll take the right to get to the residences or continue straight for the communal square. That's where many of us gather on our time off. Some people play music, there are a couple small pubs, room to dance, and a few different canteens in case people get tired of cooking for themselves… or for those who are just rubbish cooks."
The split in the path appears ahead of us, the trees giving way to not only two routes, but a third to the left, where the trees suspiciously thickened into a darker wooded area. I couldn't see through the blockage.
"Where does that other one lead?"
"To the actual reserve. I don't know if you'll have any reason to go there though. You're listed as an intern, so you could be placed anywhere. Shay, I believed I mentioned her earlier, will evaluate your abilities and decide where you best fit." He turns to the right, not bothering to stop at the intersection.
"I would think it would be busier than this. It's like a ghost town… where are the others?" Other than a few others than the ones we met when we arrived, I had not seen another soul.
"They are all busy. These paths stay pretty clear of any traffic during these hours. Everyone is already where they need to be. Most of us hate to be cooped up, so we don't stay in our houses for too long. We're up for work, then we socialize in the square. In total, there are a few hundred individuals here. Not everyone works one-on-one with the dragons, as you saw earlier." This road, unlike the others, is more pristine. The grass is kept shorter, the trees appear to be pruned, and flowers of different colors dotted the area.
"That makes sense." I start picking at my nails, unsure as to what else to ask.
"My turn to ask you a question. How did you pick your last name? Or, well, what I mean to ask is why did you take Remus's surname?" He slows his pace to match mine and looks at me curiously.
"As you know, my life has been a little strange. And lonely. My father sent me to Remus. Remus has shown me nothing but compassion this entire time, as have the rest of you… I just, I don't know. My father may be dead, but I feel as though he sent me to Remus for a reason. In this short time, I've come to see him as a father figure, or at least a god father or foster parent. Harry had Serious, and it just feels as though my dad gave me Remus to help me. It probably sounds stupid." A couple of my nails are now ragged from my nervous habit. I focus my attention on the scenery around us, embarrassed.
"That makes sense." Charlie smiles. I look up in surprise.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I know that Remus cares for you too." He comes to a stop. Buildings sprawl across a forest lined meadow. A few more paths lead from the houses into the woods.
"Thanks. Do those paths lead to more houses?" I stare in wonder at just how many there are, at how expansive this compound is.
"You got it. All houses are made of wood coated in a special fireproof potion. Each one is unique to the person who lives there. You may have noticed that these woods are different from the rest of the landscape. That's because they are. There are a few herbologists here that primarily deal with the plants that the dragons interact with. They gave this as a gift to employees like me, who come from around England. They said it was to make us feel more at home while we are away."
"That's sweet! There really are more people here than hot-headed dragon tamers…" I look around the area, wondering where I am to stay.
"Hot-headed dragon tamers…" Charlie grumbles. "Cheeky." I give a good-natured smile and change the subject.
"So where do I stay?" I rock on my feet excitedly.
"Well, Remus and my parents thought it best that we stay close, even here, so you're next door to me. We're in the woods." I could be mistaken, but he looks worried… like I'll be upset about that. I was actually hoping to be within the trees.
"That sounds better than being lost within all of these houses in the clearing!"
"I'm glad you think so!" Charlie shows me the way to our residences. They are both rotund and simple, like many of the other buildings here. He reveals that the one to the left is his, which makes me notice the signs of being lived in, like a doormat and a few plants on the wrap-around porch.
I look to the right and take it all in. Almost identical to his, the house has few differences. The coloring is lighter and the porch is empty, lacking in any personal touches.
"You're able to personalize it, don't worry. If you want different colors, certain decorations, anything, just name it. I know you don't know magic yet, so I'll help you. But first, let's get you settled." He hands me my duffle, letting go of it for the first time since we departed this morning. He also hands me a key. When did he get a key? "Go ahead and explore. I'll be in mine unpacking." He leaves me in front of my little hut.
Unlocking the door, I enter into a humble living space. A cozy living room greets me. A small grayish-blue couch faces me. A lightly colored pine coffee table sits between the couch and a high-backed, cushioned reading chair of the same color. Pretty sea green throw pillows are arranged on both seating areas. The living room is separated from a small kitchen by only an island jutting out from the far left wall. The kitchen is similarly decorated, light and airy. To the right of the kitchen is a short hallway that contains two doors on either side. One, my bedroom, the other, my bathroom.
Choosing to enter my bedroom, I admire the beauty of it. I drop my bag on the full bed, brushing my hand across the light blue covers. Light green, white, and light yellow pillows line the headboard. The furniture, a dresser, bedside table, a bookcase, and the bedframe, are all of the same wood as the table in the living room. A great, rounded window protrudes from the wall farthest from the door. A hammock chair hangs to the left of the window.
I can definitely get used to this. The house is simple, but I already feel at home. I won't be requesting many changes. I make my way to the living room and kitchen to explore more. A knock sounds from the front door, and Charlie steps inside without waiting for me to answer.
"What do you think?"
"I love it! You worried me, talking about making changes. I thought it'd be much worse than this. This is wonderful." I give a genuine smile, laced with gratitude.
Charlie ruffles the back of his hair and laughs. "So my services aren't needed then?" He gives an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Wonderful, I'll just be on my way then…" He slowly turns, acting like he is going to leave.
"Haha! Don't think you're getting off that easy! I would like a few things." I tap my chin, hiding a smile as Charlie mocks an expression of fear. "Really, I would just like to make the porch more lived-in. Some plants, maybe a chair or two. I can get the other things I need later."
"Well, let's get started then," Charlie says.