Hermione groaned when the clock went off at four in the morning. Charlie reached over and slammed his hand on it shutting it off. "One thing I won't miss at Hogwarts is the early morning wake ups."

Stumbling out of bed to get dressed Hermione turned to Charlie, "You are really going to miss this place aren't you?"

"Yeah, but at least I'll have you close by which will help. You are more important than the dragons."

"Charlie I want to come back when I finish my apprenticeships, I want to live here. I love the dragons also; I want to be able to spend time with you and the dragons. I've already told Severus I want a two prong apprenticeship medical potions and dragon potions. He's agreed and said that he will make sure I have a very well rounded apprenticeship along with specialization in the two fields I'm most interested in."

Charlie walked over to Hermione, "Are you sure you want to live like this? I mean it's a rough life and we will probably be in tents at least another year. I wouldn't want you to have to live like this."

Charlie, "this is what you love, I love you and I love the dragons; you forget that I lived on the run for a year with Ron and Harry. I'm not a girly girl; I'm a veteran of the war and can deal with a tent."

"I know you aren't love but I only want the best for you."

"We have a year to talk about this, let's see how much you hate being tied down to the school before we make a decision. But, the nice thing is I can do my work any place."

Charlie nodded, "Come on we are going to be late if we don't get a move on. I know you want to see Noreen and her little ones before we have breakfast also."

Hermione let Charlie pull her out of the tent and they joined the line going into the dragon part of the reserve. The two of them fed the hatchlings and teenagers then they moved out to the larger pens. Hermione noticed a huge dragon off in a pen at the back of the reserve by himself. "Charlie what's with the big gold and green dragon penned off by himself?"

"He's a mean one; I've not been able to talk to him yet. He doesn't want to talk and he's already hurt several handlers."

Hermione felt drawn to the animal she didn't know why, so she started walking towards his pen. Charlie tried to puller her back, "Hermione you have to stay away he's blown fire at everyone we've been spelling his food to him. No one can get close you will get hurt."

Hermione shook her head, "he's not going to hurt me, and I just know it. I don't know what it is but I can feel him pulling me to him. Let me try please Charlie I just know he won't hurt me."

Charlie wasn't comfortable with this, "Let me get Pete here so that we can shield you."

Hermione finally gave in and a few minutes later Pete and the director both showed up. The Director wasn't happy with someone that was just a guest on the reserve doing this but he had heard how the girl had the power to talk with the dragons and something had to be done with the dragon or he would be put down. He noticed that the dragon was staring at the girl and she seemed to be pulled towards him so he agreed but she had to have a shield.

Hermione started towards the dragon she felt like she needed to be close to him. The closer she got the more she could feel him pulling her closer, trying to open her mind she heard the buzzing of him trying to talk with her.

Then all at once it felt like an explosion in her head and she could feel the dragon talking to her. "You are the one the other dragons talk of. You are very special, you feel us more than any other, and you will save our kind."

Hermione shook her head she couldn't believe what the dragon said, "I'll save your kind?"

"It was told a human with earth colored hair and the ability to heal would help save our kind. You are the one; I can feel the power coming off of you in waves. And you have the ability to mind talk with us. You will understand us as no other has, you will be able to heal the disease that is beginning to affect many of us. It's a tiny mite that burrows into our ears and then into our brain. Several of the dragons on the reserve are already feeling the effect of this mite."

"Can you tell me which dragons so that I might try to help them?"

"The Hungarian ridgeback that has been shaking his head all the time is the worst you should be able to spell the mite out with a summoning charm. That way you can study the pest and find a cure before it gets into his brain."

"Thank you, I will do that before I go to breakfast, now will you let me help you? Why do you insist on blowing fire at the trainers? They will not hurt you they want to check and make sure you are healthy and then let you have free range of the area of the reserve. They are only trying to protect you and give you a good life."

"I was waiting for you; I knew you were coming but not sure when I knew if I was here that you would be drawn to me when you came."

"But, it could have been over a year for me to come; I wasn't supposed to be back to Romania for over a year. This trip was just a chance."

"No you have been coming since you were born, you were sent to us. I knew you would be here in the near future."

Hermione shook her head, "Will you allow the trainers to get near you now? My friend Charlie loves dragons and would do nothing to hurt you."

"Your mate is a good mate and he does care for us, but you are more important to him than we are. He would die for you and not for us; you on the other hand would die for us if necessary. Not that we want that but you would that is the difference. I will let your mate care for me and will allow the others so that you can find a cure for us."

"Thank you, may I call the others over, the larger man is the person that makes sure everyone takes good care of all of the dragons."

The dragon nodded its head, and watched as Hermione turned to the others, "Come over everyone he won't hurt you. He told me the reason he had been acting as he has. There is a mite that is affecting several of the dragons. I need to see the Hungarian Ridgeback and see if I can charm the mite out of its ear. Then I'll need to take it to Severus and see if we can develop a potion to stop them."

The three men looked at Hermione funny but stepped towards the dragon that lowered his head in acceptance showing he wouldn't breathe fire at them. Charlie could feel the buzz of the dragon's thoughts and then felt him start to mind talk. "Your mate is our hope she was born and brought to us through the sages of time. She will save our kind, I allow you to care for me so that she can save us. I have been waiting for her to arrive."

Charlie looked at Hermione, who nodded, Pete had even felt the buzzing of mind talking and he had only felt it once before. "I felt something he was talking to you wasn't he?"

Charlie nodded, "Yes, he says that he was waiting for Hermione to arrive, that she is their salvation and that the sages of time brought her to them."

The director and Pete looked at her like they didn't know what to say. "I know it seems strange, but that is what he has told me. I want to check on the ridgeback before breakfast I will need a sterile vial to keep the mite in."

Hermione looked back at the dragon, "Are there others with the mite? I would like to have several to work with so that we can do testing."

"The one you call Noreen has the mite, and two of her hatchlings are infected also. I believe that you can get those. Noreen is not nearly as far along as the ridgeback. Once it makes it to the brain it's too late, most of the dragons here are not in a serious state yet. The dragons in China are at a critical juncture, I hope you can find a cure quickly or many will die there."

Hermione turned to the director, "Do you have contact with the reserves in China?"

"Yes, I'm in touch with all the reserves in the world why?"

"Once I see how it works with the summoning of the mites I need you to let them know how to summon the mites. Many of the Chinese dragons have the mites and are going to die if we don't find a cure. Some of them the mites are already to their brains."

The director looked to Pete, "run to doc and get Hermione sterile containers and meet us at the Hungarian Ridgebacks pen bring the doc with you. I want him to see how this works and then do it to all of our Dragons. I want to make sure we have all of the mites out that we can. Hermione I'll have all we catch sent to you."

"You will notify the Chinese as soon as we finish?"

"Yes and all the rest of the reserves, do you think you can find a cure?"

"I won't know till Severus and I do an examination and try to put together a potion. The Dragon seems to think I can."

Charlie was talking to the dragon in the mean time. "What is your name?"

"It is Agro, I am a warrior and my name means battle. I will do all in my power to keep your mate safe."

"Argo, thank you for caring for my mate, I will do all I can for you."

Charlie turned when Pete left on the run, "Your friends name is Agro, I'm going to see he has fresh water and feed then tonight I think we can move him to the main reserve."

The director nodded, "whatever you think is best Charlie, while you're doing that we are going to head to the Hungarian."

Hermione followed the director while Charlie quickly spelled fresh water and fed the dragon," I'll move you this evening so that you can spread your wings and be more comfortable. Right now I want to see if I can help Hermione with getting the mites."

"Your mate is Hermione?"

"Yes, that's her name, she is a very brave woman and her name means 'the earth'."

The dragon nodded, "Please take care of her I will be fine until you return."

Charlie turned and jogged to the area Hermione was headed. He caught up with them just before they met up with Pete.

Charlie called to the Hungarian that had been used in the tri-wizard tournament. The dragon had calmed down since that time and matured into a very easy to be around dragon. Charlie explained to the dragon what was going on and that Hermione was going to try to get the mite out of its ear so it wouldn't cause it any more trouble.

Hermione walked up to the dragon and placed her hand on her head so that she could mind talk, the only ones she could talk to without touching were the very strong dragons. "Have either of your ears felt funny, or maybe itched?"

The dragon seemed to be thinking and then raised the wing on her left side. "This side itched a few days ago but now it doesn't."

Hermione had the dragon turn around so that she could put her wand close to the ear and did a summoning charm holding the sterile container close to the ear. Sure enough in just seconds a little black dot landed in the container. Hermione quickly placed a stasis spell on the mite and sealed the container. Hermione held the container up so she could get a better look and saw that it was a very tiny little bug; doing a quick spell a picture floated in front of the container magnifying the bug so it was big enough to look up close. It had a very large mouth for such a small creature and 4 tiny legs that looked like they had hooks on them.

The three men were looking closely at the projection. Pete spoke up, "looks like that mouth could do some damage."

"Agro said that it eats through the ear canal to get to the brain then imbeds it's self and eventually either kills the dragon."

Pete shook his head, "Hard believe such a little thing could do all that."

Hermione laid her hand on the dragon again, "Thank you we got it out so it shouldn't do any more damage to you. Thank you for helping, I hope I can find a way to stop these from hurting you."

The dragon turned and looked at the humans, "Thank you Hermione, Agro told us that we had someone coming to help us."

Hermione turned to the others "let's get rest of these miserable creatures and then I'm going to get some breakfast before I return to England."

They spelled three more of the mites; the doc did the last two so he could see how to do it. He was going to have Charlie talk to the rest of the dragons and see if he could find more. Charlie was also going to see if Agro could give him more information. He was angry that the dragons were sick with the mite but he didn't want Hermione to have to leave either. But, knowing his fiancée he knew she would do anything to heal a hurting beast.

The four humans moved towards the dining hall still talking. Hermione had conjured a wooden box out of a piece of limb and placed cushioning charms on it so that the containers wouldn't break. She was going to portkey back to England and then head to the Burrow and pack. So that she could floo to Hogwarts as soon as she was finished.

"I want to get these to Severus as quickly as I can so we can start doing some research. In the mean time if you will keep a close watch on the dragons and clean out as many of their ears as you can and send me the mites I'd appreciate it."

The director sat down with them to eat. "I hope you can find something to stop these nasty mites. I'll get in touch with all of the other reserves to let them know what can be done to the dragons that aren't too far gone. Charlie would you and Pete be willing to do training with doc if necessary?"

"Sure, and if you need I can go to other reserves that don't have dragon talkers."

"Good, Hermione I can't thank you enough you may have saved the dragon population of the world with your knowledge. I'm glad you insisted on going up to Agro, I know you scared Charlie."

"I just had to go to him; it was a need I've never felt before I'm glad I listened to it."

They all nodded, Hermione finished up her breakfast and Charlie walked her back to the tent. "I wish you could stay the extra day but I know you need to get started on this. I love you and really don't want you to leave."

Hermione smiled at Charlie, "I don't want to go either but this is too important to put off. I'll floo straight to the Burrow from your dad's office and then into Hogwarts I hope Severus has some ideas because I have nothing."

"You will find something I have no doubt you have too much determine not to heal them."

Charlie walked Hermione to the Portkey terminal. "I love you and I'll see you as soon as possible."

"I love you Charlie and I'll write as soon as I know anything."

Charlie pulled Hermione into his arms and what started as a gentle kiss soon turned into a hot passion filed; curl your toes up kiss. When they finally pulled apart Hermione was gasping for breath and more than just a little hot and bothered.

Charlie reached over and gave her one gentler kiss before she walked up onto the portkey platform and tapped the portkey.