Ashlynn had had muggle chicken pox as a child and therefore both she and their children, at least while they remained inside her womb, were completely immune to the disease. No one else back at the reserve was particularly vulnerable and as Charlie, and all of the Weasley children, had had dragon pox there wasn't too much of a risk in taking the disease back home to the welsh reserve. The biggest risk would have been keeping the eggs away from the specialist reserve as with every hour that passed the eggs risk of survival decreased.

By the first morning light it was clear to Charlie that all of the aurors had come down with the potentially life threatening disease and needed urgent medical care having picked it up from the dragon traffickers they had arrested. Thankfully all of the keepers on the trip had been working with dragons for so many years that they had all already had dragon pox and therefore were safe. All of them except Santiago.

By the time the portkey was ready to take them back home, Santiago was beginning to take a distinct turn for the worse. Itchy bumps were becoming prominent along his arms with the skin around them fading from his usual healthy glow to a green and purple hue and he was clearly flaking and ready for collapse when they landed back on the reserve armed with a crate of six eggs each. Charlie took Santiago's crate from him and handed both his and Santiago's eggs over to a waiting Tyrese before sweeping the young keeper trainee up into his arms and sprinting across to the hospital.

"Ashlynn - Ash love!" Charlie bellowed as he burst through the hospital's front doors, to be greeted by his anxiously waiting wife. They had spoken via floo call as soon as Charlie had his dragon pox suspicions confirmed so she had prepared the hospital for the incoming potential pandemic.

Laying the sickly looking man down on the pre-prepared bed indicated by his wife, Charlie stepped back and marvelled at how quickly Ashlynn worked. She had the keeper trainee hooked up to all sorts of potions and lathered in a special salve within minutes. Casting a medical variation of the bubble head charm used to contain contagious diseases around the bed Ashlynn enchanted the trainee to sleep and took Charlie over to her desk to share her plans.

"I've run tests for immunity on the whole of the reserve's population. All of our most experienced healers have some level of immunity to the disease but only two of the trainees do and it's a mixed bag with the others." She explained, showing Charlie a table with each of the reserve's residents' names listed beside their photos and their level of immunity to the virus. "I estimate that if it isn't contained then we'll have forty percent of our community incapacitated by the disease by the end of the week. I have more than enough of the required salve and potions and I've tested everyone for adverse reactions, no one here will be in danger of serious or life changing side effects. As I was getting Santiago settled in I also ran a test on this particular dragon pox strain and it is one that will not return across the species barrier so all of the dragons and our other wildlife are safe as well."

Charlie nodded to indicate his understanding as Ashlynn paused to check that he was following what she was saying, it had been a long and difficult two days for the reserve director and she needed to make sure he understood his options and the potential side effects of his choice.

"This means that there are two options. Either we contain the spread of the virus as much as we can, acknowledging that no matter how hard we try we will not be able to contain it indefinitely and it will likely have already spread through the air since you landed, I already sent everyone who had insufficient immunity to shield in their homes before you arrived so don't panic." Ashlynn soothed her husband with a gently placed hand on his as she saw panic and guilt flood his features. "That would cause the forty percent to be out of action anyway for their own protection, for at least a fortnight. Otherwise, the alternative is that we let the disease spread since we know it is a mild strain and that I can heal everyone. This would give everyone future immunity to all strains of dragon pox but would put the forty percent out of action for between seven and ten days depending on their individual reactions to the cure."

Taking a moment to consider the implications his next words would have, Charlie breathed deeply and was encouraged by the feel of Ashlynn's hand against his own. As long as they were together they could face anything.

"So what will it be Director?" Ashlynn asked as her healer team gathered around the couple ready to jump into action.

"We give everyone a choice. I'll record you explaining everything you just said to me, except the bit about people being out of action I don't want anyone to concern themselves over the impact on work at the moment or have that as a deciding factor their health is what matters most, and we'll send it to all those who are shielding with the option for them to choose to either stay at home to protect themselves from catching it or to come here in order to deliberately catch the disease and receive immediate medical care." Charlie stated confidently "I will contact the other reserves and let them know what's going on and ask them to send over as many hatchling specialists and dragon pox immune trainees that they can spare for the next fortnight. We'll host them in our home and the guest cabins and get Mum to come over and cook for us all each night. I have no doubt that she would be delighted to help out in any way she can. I'll call a meeting in one hour with the rest of the reserve staff to let everyone know what's going on. We will get through this."

A smattering of applause followed Charlie's speech to the healer team before they all dashed off to prepare the hospital wing in case anyone chose that option. It was a good thing they did this too as every single person who was sent a patronus turned up at the hospital wing within the hour, each of them fully prepared with books, games and music to keep themselves as distracted and entertained as possible over the next week or so. Charlie had been right that Molly was keen to help and his mother arrived that evening with several large cakes and a huge vat of vegetable soup for dinner. The remaining keepers were exhausted from a long day caring for the vulnerable new eggs while also looking after all their usual residents too and gladly welcomed both the hot meal and the fourteen keepers who had so kindly volunteered and arrived from reserves all around the world. It was a true expression of community pulling together and it highlighted the very best of humanity as the newly arrived keepers dove straight in and soon the tense air of the welsh reserve was once again filled with music and laughter.

Once news spread of the presence of dragon pox on the reserve it didn't take long for Fleur to turn up at Charlie's doorstep with a child under each arm and a request on her lips.

"Teddy and Victoire have not yet had the dragon pox." The silver haired beauty explained to her brother in law as they walked towards the hatchery together "They will not have many symptoms and it will not be a danger to them if they have it now as infants. I know you are ever so very busy but could I stay with them on the reserve today please, perhaps I could help out with the older hatchlings? I can be 'elpful you know!"

"Oh I know! At least half of the Romanian reserve became your own personal fan club after you enchanted that mother dragon to sleep during the triwizard tournament, that's something it can take us decades to master and even then it's still only ever attempted in pairs." Charlie chuckled, he knew his sister in law was highly self conscious around her abilities, the down side of growing up so beautiful was that people rarely saw you as more than just an exceptionally pretty face. "If you take Teddy down to the toddler section by the lake, I think they're about the take the older hatchlings for a swim, including his Opaleye, I'll take Victoire with me to the hatchery. She's too young for the lake swims still as the dragons aren't really aware of their own strength yet and I'm spending the day preparing for the first clutch of Peruvian Vipertooth eggs to hatch."

With a kiss on the cheek and her repeated thanks Fleur handed over her daughter and dashed off down a side path to the lake with a very excited Teddy bouncing on her hip.

...

Victoire loved it in here.

The smell of the dry grass, the warmth of the incubators and the peaceful atmosphere filled her with delight and she was a perfectly behaved angel for her uncle all morning as they prepared play pens for the soon to be hatchlings. Well, she was perfectly behaved until mid afternoon when Tyrese rushed over to one of the Peruvian Vipertooth egg incubators and excitedly announced "It's time!"

Springing into action Charlie set up the cracking basin with long dry grasses, sharp rocks and a large heap of red sand. Immediately Victoire tried to climb her way out of the wrap she was nestled in on her uncle's back and into the basin.

"No Victoire, it's not safe." Charlie tried to explain to the wriggling child as he stepped out of Tyrese's way. "This egg is for a Peruvian Vipertooth, they're poisonous even now and once it hatches you'll see how sharp its claws are. I'm sorry sweetheart but this is one baby dragon you can't be in reach of until it understands its own body better."

His fellow keeper placed a sizzling egg on the top of the pile of sand which turned golden at the egg's touch and backed away slowly.

Peering over her uncle's shoulder Victoire reached out towards the egg and began a mighty, yet ineffective, tantrum in the hopes of reaching it but her wailing stopped the moment a sharp crack split the air. The egg had split neatly into four and the sections of shell slid down into the long dry grasses as a tiny baby dragon uncurled in the space the egg had previously occupied. Raising its scaley scarlet coloured head the dragon locked its golden eyes on Victoire's and Charlie would forever swear that he saw both baby human and baby dragon share a smile.

"You know mate" Tyrese said as he stifled a chuckle at the situation "if your young relatives keep on making hatching bonds with our dragons we're going to need a much bigger reserve."

…

"Have I ever told you how wonderful you are?" Charlie asked as he arrived home from a long shift one day in late August to find his grumpy looking wife sat on the table in the middle of their immaculate kitchen.

"Every day, but say it more because these little suckers of ours are still inside me and I feel like a whale." She pouted, she was due to give birth to twin boys in just over a week but was already thoroughly fed up.

"Why did you clean the kitchen the muggle way love, shouldn't you be resting?" Charlie recognised the fresh lemony scent as one that could only be achieved through non-magical cleaning.

"No I want to do things, I'm fed up and full of energy and I am so bored! Plus I want our kids to grow up with my heritage too, muggle culture is so important to me." She whined and lent back on her elbows watching her stomach twitch as the twins moved around inside her.

"It's important to me too love, you are such an amazing woman I want every part of your world included in the lives of our children. We'll take them to all the places you want to outside of the reserve and we can read those muggle storybooks I bought and put in the snug and play with all the muggle toys your brothers gave us," He kissed her lips and tight belly lightly between every other word "but right now you're full of energy and you are easily the sexiest thing I have ever seen laying there like that in your silk nightgown."

"I wanted to feel better after cleaning so showered and put this on just before you came home" she mumbled into his lips which were now massaging hers.

"Is that the only reason" Charlie pushed the slippery material up her thigh and trailed his lips down to her swollen breasts "you know what this night dress does to me."

A light gasp turned into a moan as his hand slipped between her spread thighs and caressed her pulsing bud, his fingers circled and flicked the engorged bead mercilessly.

"You're not even wearing anything underneath" he groaned against her neck before taking her pulse point between his teeth and sucking gently.

His fingers worked their magic by flicking side to side then up and down, he changed from fast flicks to long slow strokes and back in heartbeat before gathering lubrication from her dripping core and repeating the process. Ashlynn soon toppled over the edge of her orgasm and crumbled into her husband's, and soon to be the father of her children's, arms.