Chapter 4: A far-away travel
A/N: I own nothing except my mistakes. Also, thank you so much for all of your kind words and your patience! I've had months of preparation for my exams and then my actual exams, but I'm finally free now! So I'm terribly sorry for not having updated in so long. Hope you will enjoy nonetheless
Hermione hadn't known exactly what to pack, neither what to wear, for she wouldn't know what she'd be needing in Romania, nor what the weather would be like. Or even for that matter, how often she would even be wearing regular clothes.
Thus she had packed a bit of everything, all in her handy purple beaded bag that she had used a couple of years ago when she was on the run with Harry and Ron, so that she'd be avoiding the extra luggage. Merlin knows how long the travel would last, and when she'd be arriving at her housing, so she wasn't planning on spending the day in discomfort.
It was for that reason that she had decided to wear a simple set of boots, one that her mother had bought for her when she had graduated Hogwarts, in the hope that she wouldn't only have wizard clothes for when she'd be visiting them. They were plain brown boots, but the sole was good, and proved useful for long walks.
On top of that she had worn light blue jeans, though doubted she would keep it clean for long if she were to mess with some dragons in Romania. That saying went for her white blouse as well, but in case the sun would be shining, she didn't want to be left in dark colours, and had decided to go for lighter ones instead. She could always change the following morning.
With that she had hurried out of her flat, having shot a nostalgic glance back at it before she locked it behind her. She was certain that she wouldn't be seeing this flat for at least a couple of months, and had made an agreement with the landlord that if she'd be out of the country for longer than a year, that her parents would be authorized to grab her things, and that he'd put the house up for sale.
Having such instability made her a little anxious, for she usually had everything prepped and figured out. Yet, the newly awakened adventurous side to her did give her a bit more of adrenaline, making her more excited to step into this new adventure, ready to await whatever it may bring.
Her main focus to even go to the sanctuary was to not only help the dragons from going extinct, but to also improve wages as well as working conditions. Both were seriously lacking, and she was hoping to make that better. Surely if she could convince the wizarding world that house elves had rights too, then surely she could convince them to help out in Romania, right?
Those thoughts easily carried her across the busy sidewalks of London, even in the wee hours of the morning like this, the streets were filling in as everyone made their way over to their work. None of them having a clue as what Hermione would be going to do. She liked that, in a way. To have that mystery about her.
Slipping into a red telephone box, she dialled the number 62442 as she hurriedly checked her watch whilst the booth transported her all the way down. She still had fifteen minutes left to make it upstairs and find Charlie, who was presumably going to be at the department of Magical Transportation.
Stepping out of her booth and into the mass of people – this time it being busier than yesterday – she groaned as she missed the lift, and had to wait for another five minutes before it arrived back at level eight, where she was at the Atrium.
Once it did arrive she swung the lift controller so it would point at level six, and was glad to find she'd only need to wait for two floors before she could get out again.
Perfectly on time, she spotted a certain red haired man far off in the distance, chatting away with one of the workers as he showed the man his papers. Charlie was definitely one of the odd ones out amongst the crowd. Not just because of the bright red hair, and the prominent tan on his face, but also due to the hints of scars and burns, making him look almost dangerous if it hadn't been for that charming smile of his, one that he was flashing at the worker as the man checked his wand.
Upon approaching him she offered him a smile as he took her in for a quick hug.
"'Morning. Papers please," the worker said, his voice monotone, and quite frankly a little bit bored. "Oh no, she's with me," Charlie said, then tapped his finger at the upper right corner of the papers he had handed it to the man.
"Admission slip from Kingsley, you see?" Charlie explained, and waited impatiently for the man to squint at the letters, tap his wand at it, before he squinted at Hermione, and then proceeded to hand Charlie the papers back.
"All right, your fireplace will be open for admission within approximately three minutes," the man said, and Charlie nodded as he gently took Hermione by the arm as they hurried to the far back, where Floo Networks were positioned for international travel.
"Usually one would get into one of these fireplaces and arrive at Bucharest, at the heart of the Muggle city, but you see, it's quite inconvenient for a Dragon Tamer, because that means you'd be required to take a bus to this small wizard bar just outside of town, to then take a Floo Network to one of the bars in the village."
He offered her a smile as he pointed at one of the fireplaces. "If we were to be called out for an emergency, that would just take too much time. So instead, the Ministry has granted Dragon Tamers a direct Network to the bar in the village, which is incredibly close to the sanctuary."
Hermione checked her watch, and Charlie leaned slightly into her to check the time as well. "Twenty seconds to spare, perfect."
"Charlie?" Hermione asked, and the man in question hummed a soft reply of acknowledgement as he looked into the fireplace, clearly awaiting some sort of sign. "What happens if you're a minute late?"
At this red sparks began to emit from the fireplace, slowly turning from amber to a soft orange, which then proceeded to a faint yellow, until at last they became a bright green.
"Hold that thought," Charlie said, then grabbed her hand as he guided her into the fireplace.
The callouses of his hand dug into hers, though she didn't seem to mind as much as he reached for a small jar that had been placed within the fireplace itself. In it was a darker substance of Floo Powder, and he grabbed a handful of it.
"Don't I need to grab some?" Hermione inquired, but Charlie gently shook his head. "Don't want to end up in China," he joked, a smirk tagging on his lips.
"Hold on tight, this'll be worse than regular Floo Travel." With that Charlie dropped the powder at their feet, whilst enunciating "Tails Inn," very clearly, and with that Hermione felt the worst tug at her stomach and lungs that she had ever felt in her entire life.
Never before had she gone through International Travel, and she was glad that she didn't need to do this regularly. Not only did it last longer than regular floo travel, it also felt as if her insides were being turned out, stabbed and morphed together, all at once.
It was therefore that she immensely regretted the breakfast that she had had this morning, but was all the same glad that she could feel Charlie's strong hand, it being the only thing that she could even feel or take notice of, and it kept her more grounded when they finally landed on solid ground again, after what felt like hours (in reality it can't have been more than a minute).
Letting go of his hand instantly when he had caught her and helped her balance on solid ground, she moved out of his way as an iron bucket was levitating towards her. Grabbing it with both hands, she released all of her breakfast right back into the bucket, feeling absolutely horrible from that lurch, being quite positive that she was as pale and sweating as a snowman melting in the sun.
"Knew these would come in handy someday," a distant voice said as the bucket floated away again, emptying itself in a distant corner, whereafter a cleaning spell was fired at it. "Fresh meat, eh, Charlie?"
The latter looked Hermione over as he put a hand to her forehead, grinning madly as he guided her over to the bar, where the voice had come from as well. "Hullo Miles," Charlie greeted, and eagerly accepted the Butterbeer that the man named Miles was handing him.
"Anything for the lady?" Miles asked her, but before Hermione even had the chance to say that she in fact did not fancy a Butterbeer at all, Charlie piped in, ordering her a pepper-upper, which was a common potion for travel sickness.
The man flashed her a smile as he whipped one out of the cupboard behind her, and poured it into one of the glasses. "Ain't the prettiest, but works like a charm," Miles said as he handed her a glass of murky brown liquid.
Scrunching her nose, she swallowed its contents down in one go, and was relieved to feel the potion working so quickly as the sweating and trembling stopped. "I take it that it was your first time travelling internationally, wasn't it?" Miles asked her.
Nodding, she then took a gulp of the water he had offered her next, and gave him a grateful smile. "Definitely some kind of sensation, that was," Hermione agreed softly, still not feeling very dandy.
"Told you the bucket was a brilliant idea," Miles said to Charlie, sounding rather pleased with himself, though Charlie just chuckled. "Miles has been swearing by that iron bucket for at least three years, but every time people have used this Floo Network, it had been done so by experienced travellers." Charlie explained to her.
"Glad to have been to service then," Hermione joked lightly, and Miles tipped his black hat at her.
"I like her," Miles said to Charlie as he retrieved his empty glass, non-verbally asking if he would like another, but Charlie shook his head. "So what is it you came here to do, love?" Miles asked, levitating the used glass towards the sink so it would clean itself.
"I, uhm," Hermione started, but didn't exactly know what to say or what she was permitted to.
"I asked her to come and help around, actually," Charlie answered for her, and Miles nodded understandingly. "Things still going bad, eh?" He asked, and Charlie nodded gloomily.
"Better days will come, my lad," Miles encouraged, though it didn't seem to quite reach his eyes. Something that Charlie seemed to notice too as he got himself off the bar stool. Turning to Hermione, he laid a hand against her forehead again, and she offered him a smile. "I'm much better, thank you," she said to both Charlie and Miles.
Charlie smiled at her as he went to grab his wallet, but Miles waved him off. "First round is on me," he said, and Charlie thanked him for it. "I'll be showing her around the village, though I'm fairly certain we'll be back here tonight, Miles. Save us a bite?"
"Always do," Miles said, a booming smile on his face as he waved them off.
"He seems nice," Hermione noted when they had left through the door, and upon entering the outside world Hermione let out a small gasp as she watched the snow covered roofs and streets of the small village.
"Oh yes, he is, though a bit chatty if you're not careful," Charlie smiled, then looked at where she had been gazing at.
There were barely any footprints on the ground at this early hour, perhaps because main travel was also by broom, as Charlie had informed her earlier. As for the streets it was almost similar to Diagon Alley, as there were two long rows on each side of the street, containing several shops and bars.
Yet in between those rows were two gaps, both leading to a different path. Hermione assumed that one must be leading towards the sanctuary and the other to the housing, for she saw neither in sight.
"This place is beautiful in Winter, but just you wait until Summer. The atmosphere here is so nice, and the folks get even friendlier," Charlie spoke softly, as if almost afraid to break her moment of awe.
"I bet it is," Hermione whispered, looking at the buildings around her. They weren't exactly aesthetically pleasing to the eye, because it was mainly bricks and glass, with no wood in sight. Some buildings even had visible scaring to it from a wild fire, as if a dragon had once broken loose and burnt down half the village. It was for that reason that it took her by awe so much. You didn't find something like that in London, and it made it feel more raw, more real.
"If we want to be doing anything today, we'd be needing to get you a broom," Charlie said after a while, having watched Hermione walk around in circles around herself as she stood gaping at the buildings.
At this her face fell slightly, making Charlie grin. "Honestly, Hermione, it's not that bad," he tried to console her, but it didn't really work.
"Charlie," Hermione started dangerously, "I have ridden a broomstick, a Thestral, a Hippogriff and a blind dragon, and all experiences were as traumatic as the next."
At this Charlie halted in his steps. "Hang on, what did you say last?"
"All experiences were traumatic as the next?" Hermione slowly repeated, coming to a stop as well.
Charlie shook his head. "No, no, before that."
"That I had ridden a blind dragon?" Hermione asked, then smirked as she saw his face light up. "When have you done such a thing?" Charlie inquired eagerly, grabbing her by the wrist as Hermione was planning on walking again.
"Oh, Harry and Ron were with me as well, y'know," Hermione said teasingly, enjoying the building anticipation that was seriously testing his patience. "Harry and R-Ron?" Charlie stammered, losing some of his confident demeanour as his eyebrows furrowed together.
"Hang on, you mean to tell me that my little brother has ridden a dragon and he did not even care to tell me about this?" Charlie asked slowly, as if trying to comprehend this single fact.
Biting back a grin, she nodded her head slowly. "Yup, I s'pose so."
"You do know that I need to know more than this, right?" Charlie asked, practically begging her. For the time being she quite enjoyed the feeling of being able to humble him, instead of the other way around, and so she merely shrugged as she turned back around, this time able to escape his reaching hand for her wrist.
"Let's make a deal, shall we?" Hermione proposed casually, turning around sweetly as she watched Charlie stand rooted to the ground, a curiosity edging on his features. "You make sure I don't die this week, and I will tell you all about it."
At this Charlie's face lightened again, though soon turned devilish as he batted his eyelashes at her. "Sorry, but that deal had already been made, I'm afraid you'll have to tell me nonetheless," Charlie said, then slowly approached her, like a predator assessed his prey.
"Oh, I don't think so, Charlie," Hermione drawled sweetly, then broke into fits of laughter as Charlie suddenly advanced on her, grabbing her by the waist and tickling her merciless. When having agreed to go with him to Romania, she had not been expected that she, a 23 year old, would be tickled half to death by him, a 30 year old, and yet here they were, in this unfortunate position.
"That was not a question, Hermione," Charlie grinned wickedly.
"All right, all right, I'll tell you," Hermione laughed, unable to take the sensations any longer, and was relieved to find him retracting his hands.
Chuckling, they moved towards the broom shop together, which displayed a mighty catalogue at front. "But I'll tell you at dinner. Something tells me that you'll be needing a proper sit-down, for this tale," Hermione proposed.
Though slightly reluctant, Charlie nodded in agreement as he pushed the door open for her. In here he immediately went towards the shop owner, and spoke in hushed voices, presumably giving him an idea of what they were looking for.
"No experience, and yet suitable for a dragon reserve, you say?" The old man behind the counter repeated as Hermione approached them. "Well a Nimbus 2001 would cover it for you, then. Still agile and fast to escape the dragon's wrath, yet not too fast that it'll feel like you'd be falling off." The man said.
Charlie nodded in agreement. "Perfect, we'll take it." The man nodded, and then excused himself to retrieve it from the back. "Hang on, it's that simple?" Hermione asked, a little surprised at how quickly he made the deal.
Charlie just shrugged. "Yeah, it's just a broom. Besides, you won't be needing to do much intensive flying, if everything goes all right. It's best if you have an easy broom to start with."
Hermione nodded, though a little doubtfully. "If you say so," she said with a shrug, watching as the man came back, holding a freshly polished broom in his hands.
"That'll be 3 galleons and a sickle, please," The man said as he tapped the register. Hermione went to retrieve her wallet from her bag, but was cut short by Charlie, who was quicker in retrieving the money from his jacket.
"Charlie, you can't," Hermione protested, but he waved her off. "Honestly, I could pay for that myself," she insisted, but he turned to her, a warm look on her face.
"It's my welcome gift, for helping us out here," Charlie said, then patted her hand away as he took the broom from the man with a "thank you," and he guided her out of the door. "Besides, no one likes to buy something that they hate," he smirked at her.
Though she felt flattered at his offer, it did weigh quite heavily on her chest. "Charlie," she began again, but he pushed the broom into her hands. "If it makes you feel any better, you can pay for dinner tonight," he proposed, knowing she wasn't going to back down without a fight.
Nodding, she smiled in satisfaction. With that she could live indeed. "Thank you," she said earnestly, whilst letting her hands glide over this mysterious object, the wood polished and strong underneath her fingertips.
"What else was on that list? Did you bring it?" Charlie asked her as he closed his jacket a little further, buttoning it to avoid the wind going through it. "Oh yes, I did," Hermione said, then pointed her wand at her beaded bag. "Accio parchment," she said softly, and caught the roll of parchment flying up.
Together they glanced at it, and he then pointed at the store next door. "You'll get your dragon hide clothes in there," he then pointed to a faraway shop on the other side of the street, "and the books you'll find over there."
"All right then, let's get some things," Hermione agreed, and together they hopped by each shop to retrieve the necessities.
"Accio Cleansweep Five," Charlie said as they came out of the stores almost an hour and a half later, having gone shopping for clothes and books. At his command an old and worn down broom came rushing towards him, the tail being half-burnt and dangling loosely.
"We keep a spare set of brooms around, in case a tamer isn't around his own broom," Charlie explained as he dusted off the old broom. "Not ideal, but in case of emergency, or when we come back from international travel like right now, we'll at least be able to move around."
Hermione nodded approvingly. "Very clever," she hummed in agreement, then looked about her. "Where exactly is everything, Charlie?" Hermione asked, having wondered about this ever since they had arrived here.
Smiling, he shook his head, releasing several snowflakes that had fallen down earlier. "Sorry, Hermione, completely forgot to explain where you ended up at," he apologised.
Pointing to the south side of the village, he urged her to move a little to the right so that they'd be looking through the passageway. "Over there, in the far distance are the cabins. In those cabins all workers at the reserve stay to pass the night," Charlie explained, but Hermione couldn't help but intervene to ask him something. "Don't you get visitors?"
She hadn't exactly seen any form of hotel, or anything of that sort. "Sometimes, though not often. If they do, the pubs usually have some spare rooms for them to stay in for a while."
"Anyway, if you look to the other side of this street, nearing north, and go through that passageway," Charlie said, pointing at a far-end passageway that was located between the bookstore and Potions pharmacy, "you'll be an hour short from the sanctuary."
"An hour?" Hermione asked incredulously, but Charlie simply shrugged. "Why d'you think we need the brooms? Cuts the time in half, and if you're hurrying it, you could even make it in twenty."
Looking to her own broom, she doubted if she could ever travel that fast. "Right, should have known. Dragons and villagers don't exactly go well together, do they?" Hermione asked, her eyes travelling to the burn-stained bricks of several shops.
"No they don't," Charlie agreed, following her gaze. "We've had some nasty accidents about a hundred years ago, when there was less space between the village and the housings, which is why there had been made some improvements, and each part of this town is now at least an hour travel on foot in between each point."
Hermione frowned at this information. "You mean to tell me that even on broom, it'll still take an hour to get to the sanctuary from the cabins?" At this Charlie nodded solemnly. "Unfortunately, yes. In case of emergency definitely not ideal, which is why we usually keep four workers there at all times, even at night, so they'll be able to keep them under control whilst the others come in for aid."
"What about Floo Travel?" Hermione proposed, but Charlie dismissed her idea by a shake of his head. "We tried that, too, some fifty years ago, but too many poachers found loopholes around the system, and managed to make the dragons in the sanctuary almost entirely extinct."
Charlie straightened out his broom after plucking at the tail a bit, ridding it from all the bad sticks. "Fancy your first ride in eleven years?" Charlie asked, a lopsided grin dancing on his lips as she began to shudder at the thought of it.
"I don't think I have a choice, do I?" Hermione asked, but he shook his head. "Nothing bad will happen, as long as you don't point it to the ground."
"Not helping, Charlie," She said through closed teeth, feeling the anxiety creep up.
At this he moved closer to her, his body emitting some pleasant warmth in these cold temperatures. "Place your hands here," he instructed calmly, laying her hands at the top of the broom. "Keep them here, and try to diminish the pressure you put on them," he said.
Though her heart was madly protesting against her chest, she knew she had no other choice. She might as well take the next Floo Network home, because if she wasn't going to get on this broom, then she could forget about helping here.
And so with bated breath she did as she was told, swinging her legs over this thin stick that was supposed to carry and support her weight. "If it's any consolation, I'll catch you when you fall," Charlie joked, trying to ease her mood, but all Hermione could do was release a strained chuckle.
"Breathe," Charlie whispered, moving a bit closer to her as he held her waist. "Now kick off," he said, and with a sharp inhalation, she did as she was told, emitting some strangled sounds that were caught at the back of her throat in surprise. "Bloody hell," Hermione kept repeating to herself, much to the amusement of Charlie.
"That's it," he encouraged her, now moving to his own broom and easily kicking off the ground. "Remember, try to keep the weight off the front," Charlie said, and Hermione immediately relieved some of the pressure of her hands against the broom, which stabilized her slightly, making the broom less wobbly.
"Natural talent if you asked me," Charlie teased, his eyebrows raised in entertainment, watching as she leaned forward a little, and immediately moved several feet to the front. Laughing, he flew behind her as she proclaimed all sorts of nasty protests, not in the slightest ladylike.
"Just like that," Charlie encouraged through his laughter, tagging behind her in a bit of a slower pace, because his broom simply could not go any faster.
For a good forty minutes they travelled like this. Hermione cursing and squealing at times, barely hanging on and whipping about, whilst other times she remained calm and collected, able to maintain a stable pace without screaming at the top of her lungs.
Good thing for her they arrived almost in perfect timing at the sanctuary, because Hermione was tipping a little too much down, and had almost crashed if it hadn't been for Charlie sweeping under her and grabbing her by the waist to pull her straight up.
"Blimey, Char, I could've sworn one of the Ironbellies had broken out when I heard the sound of that scream," a female voice yelled in the distant, approaching the two of them on a broom of her own.
Opening the iron steeled gates, Charlie guided her inside, where behind the stone wall that had surrounded it, she could now see an incredibly long field filled with shabby buildings, but mostly cages holding dragons of all kinds, all spread out over different parts in the fields.
"Olivia," Charlie greeted warmly, taking the brunette into his arms when the girl had lowered herself down and off her broom. "Had a merry Christmas, did you?" The girl asked, not even noticing Hermione as they finished with a firm squeeze.
"Yes, it's been nice," Charlie replied, then detached himself as he placed his hand at the small of Hermione's back, pushing her a little forward so that Olivia would notice her. "This is Hermione," Charlie introduced her to Olivia, "Hermione, this is Olivia, one of the dragon tamers around here."
Hermione took the girl's outstretched hand, returning the smile that she offered her. "Nice to meet you," Hermione greeted her, but Olivia dismissed it. "I could say the same, darling."
"So what's the plan here, Char?" Olivia asked him.
"Hermione will be joining us these weeks, and hopefully choose to remain even after her trial," Charlie explained, a firm smile on his face.
"Finally, some help," Olivia breathed in relief.
"How have things been around here?" Charlie asked her, looking about himself as several workers were speeding past them on their broom, a couple of them yelling their greetings to Charlie over their shoulders, whilst others were heavily communicating with each other, throwing orders at one another.
Olivia shrugged dismissively. "The breeders have been a bit nasty, clearly ready to be put back into their own surroundings, but we didn't think it'd be wise yet."
Charlie nodded vigorously in agreement. "No, not at all," he said as he scratched the stubble on his chin. "They'd rip each other's heads off without a doubt," at the latter he grimaced slightly, probably imagining the scenario.
"Aren't you on your day off, though?" Olivia went on, looking him over before glancing sideways at Hermione curiously. Charlie hummed, "Oh, yeah, I am," he spoke absentmindedly, watching one of the workers leave one of the shabby buildings, "but I figured it'd be nice to give her a tour before she'd start tomorrow."
Olivia dipped her head as she raised both of her thumbs at him. "Brilliant, it should go smoothly tomorrow then. Where do you plan on having her first?"
Charlie looked sideways at Hermione, his eyes squinting slightly together as his eyebrows furrowed together. "Caretakers, I think," he said after a moment. "It'll be a slow ease into the real deal," at this he shot her a playful grin before he turned his attention back to Olivia.
The latter clicked her tongue as she followed with a whistle. "Not if she's to deal with the breeders, that is," the girl countered, making Charlie chuckle. "Don't edge her on just yet, Olivia," Charlie warned her light-hearted, and Olivia laughed in return.
"All in good spirits, of course," the girl said, patting Hermione on the shoulders. "I s'pose I'll see you tomorrow, then. Or are you planning on heading to Tails Inn tonight for a drink?"
Nodding, he pointed his thumb back over his shoulder. "Yeah, I think we'll still be there tonight when everyone's done," Charlie agreed, and Olivia nodded her approval. "Perfect. Well, enjoy your tour, Hermione, and we'll see each other soon, then."
Hermione thanked the girl, and with that Olivia ascended her broom and flew off into the distance, making her way over to one of the last cages, her figure growing smaller the further she flew.
"I knew it'd be big, but I didn't think it was going to be this big," Hermione said, an appreciate awe coming from her mouth as she looked about her. Charlie laughed cheekily. "Best compliment to give a man if you'd ask me," he offered.
Realizing what he meant with that, her mouth dropped slightly open as a loud chuckle soon followed. "Not exactly what I had in mind when I said that, but I couldn't disagree," she laughed.
Pointing to one of the shabby, wooded buildings on their left, she tried to see what exactly that was supposed to be as she squinted her eyes. "What is that?" Hermione asked him, and he followed her trail of sight. "Oh those are the changing rooms. Sometimes you want to freshen up after a bad day, and it gives you an opportunity to do so."
"It's made from wood, though," Hermione observed.
"Yes, the sanctuary doesn't tend to waste money on things like that. Wood is easy and inexpensive to replace, so buildings that aren't of much meaning, like this one, tend to be made from wood," Charlie explained, then pointed to two different spots in the distance. The one on the right she could make out faintly, at least to the extent that she saw that it was made from wood as well, but the one in front of them, far back, she could not see, but she assumed that one was wood-made, too.
"Over there," Charlie said, pointing to his right again, at the linings of a low cage, "are the elder dragons. They tend to need more care, as well as medical support."
After Hermione had hummed her understanding, he pointed to the left, to an even lower cage next to the changing rooms. "Over there are the hatchlings, typically those who were born a few weeks prior." At this he shot her an excited grin. "We've just had a batch of the common welsh greens, you'll love to see it."
Smiling, Hermione tried to take a peek at the cage, but the distance was simply too great to be able to see anything inside. All she could see were the slim linings of what was meant to be a cage. "Is that supposed to hold them?" Hermione asked, pointing to the elder dragons bars, for they were closer to see.
Charlie chuckled. "It's spelled. If the gate's closed, then a protective spell covers the perimeters of the cage, allowing them to fly up and about, up to 65 feet," he informed her, "tall enough for them to freely fly about, and short enough for us to take control if things get out of hand."
"However," Charlie went on, his voice turning serious as he tapped a big, rusty board near the entrance, and read it aloud, "Keep the gates closed at all times."
"As soon as you open a gate, the veil momentarily drops, allowing them to escape, if you're unlucky. We haven't had that incident in over twenty years, and we'd love to keep it that way. So if you must get in, make your movements quick, and lock the gate behind you."
Taking a bated breath, she slipped her hands into the back pockets of her jeans to keep them warm, all the while looking at the shabby gates that were the only barrier between her and some 20 to 30 feet dragons. "Right, I'll make sure to remember that," Hermione said adamantly, not wanting to die a cruel death.
Charlie looked her over, his lips quirking up devilishly. "Well, hop on, then," he said, jumping onto his own broom.
Groaning, she positioned herself on top of her broom again, and from here they moved at a slow pace to take a peek at the younger and elder dragons, to which he said "You'll be partaking as a caretaker from tomorrow. Your primary job is to tend to, care for and feed the hatchlings, elderly, wounded and breeders," at the latter he pointed off into the far distance, where she presumed they were positioned.
Moving a little further north, there was an almost arena look-a-like formation, of which a circle divided into four groups were bound together with a gate that seemed to stretch around for eternity. "Here you'll find the Chinese Fireballs, Romanian Longhorns, Common Welsh Greens and the Swedish Short-Snouts, though you won't be working with them for at least five weeks," he informed her, and Hermione visibly relaxed at that information, hearing the loud roars of the dragons as several workers were trying to tame a rather restless Chinese Fireball, who was bumping heads with another.
"Same goes for the three of them over there," Charlie said, and though he pointed to the east. His gaze was still fixed upon the fighting dragons, and Hermione could almost see the eagerness in his eyes to jump in and help. It was obvious that he was made for a job like this. "There you'll find the Hungarian Horntails, Ukrainian Ironbellies and the Norwegian Ridgebacks," he continued, his attention now fully back at her as he watched in satisfaction how the tamers at work had managed to separate the two fighting dragons.
Further they flew, and as they passed by another shabby building, he had informed her that that was where they could grab a bite during breaks, though Hermione didn't feel too comfortable with that idea, for it was right in the centre between the seven dangerous dragons.
Approaching the last cage, this one was a bit smaller, for it only contained three different dragons. "We've got the breeders here," Charlie told her.
Looking at the restless mother, it kept bumping the gates as if testing its strength, but the gates did not give in. "After a few weeks they get a little vicious, ready to get back into the world, but that's when they're most dangerous."
At this he turned his head to her, wanting to see her reaction as he continued. "After laying eggs, the mothers of the Chinese Fireballs tend to leave the nest once they hatched, on search for their male partner, and when they do, they tend to bite their heads off."
Gasping, Hermione went to clasp her hands to her mouth, but with doing so she almost lost her balance and was close to falling off her broom, but she was quick to grab onto it again, only to find herself dip slightly down towards the ground with a bit of a yelp.
Charlie laughed merrily above her, gaging her reaction and waiting for her to move slightly up again. "Yeah, would react the same if they did that to me," he smirked.
"Anyway, because we don't permit that, for obvious reasons, we tend to keep them locked in these gates for a while longer, so that they'll lose that virosity, until they're safe to join the rest of their kin again," Charlie elaborated, but then took a troubled look at the restless dragons below them. "Clearly they disagree with our methods, but give it a week or two, and they'll be back to normal."
At this Hermione was about to continue flying, figuring there was more that she needed to travel to, because she did see two spots to both her left and her right, but he shook his head to stop her. "That's all right, I can just tell you what's there. I think that the less we fly today, the better. Or else your arse will give you a great protest tomorrow," at this Hermione felt her cheeks redden, and not from the biting cold, earning her a laugh.
"To your left, you'll see a stone building, the only one in the reserve. It's an infirmary, though a knock-off, that is. It holds just about enough space for a couple wounded workers that need some mild care, but all others will have to be escorted to the hospital back in the village," Charlie said, glancing over his shoulder into the far distance, where the village was.
"The infirmary is also the stationary post of medics, those who tend for dragons, as well as humans," at this he nodded to a large mountain to their right, which fell right out of the borders of the sanctuary. "Sometimes we scout the mountains, and if we're lucky, we'll find a stray, wild dragon surrounding it. If we do, we try to tame it and bring it back here."
"But, like I said, they're wild creatures, which basically means open fire. Hence, if we do leave, we always take a medic with us, just to be safe," Charlie concluded, then easily propped his hands into his sides, though he remained perfectly balanced on his broom. Something that Hermione was not even going to try and copy.
Trying to turn her broom a 180 degrees around, she finally managed to do so after some groaning and huffing, but was glad she had done so. It was a magnificent sight to see: the various dragons displayed about, a few of them soaring fire, melting the snow below on the ground, as well as several workers busily flying about, all on a different mission to keep this place running.
"All this, and yet so little expenses," Hermione muttered gravely, feeling a bubble of injustice well in her chest. She did not take lightly to injustice, and as she straightened her chest and lifted her chin, she wondered how exactly she could make both the Bucharest as well as the British Ministry of Magic be willing to broaden their subsidies.
"Blimey, it'll be nearing half past three by the time that we get back at the village," Charlie exclaimed, having retrieved a pocket watch from his jacket as he held it in between his calloused fingers.
"What d'you say? Fancy grabbing a Butterbeer and have something to eat?" At the latter her stomach growled loudly in approval, to which Charlie gave a bubbly laugh. "I'll take that as a yes," Charlie offered, and Hermione nodded enthusiastically.
With that they soared back through the sanctuary, a few times coming to a halt as Charlie observed the cages, unable to muddle his curiosity as a few dragons began to roar, his fingers itching to go in and help. Due to it they arrived at almost four sharp at Tails Inn, and Miles assigned them to a spot near the back, where there was room for more people to join them later on, as he handed them their Butterbeers, taking their order for dinner.
"You haven't told me yet what happens when you're a minute late," Hermione said, breaking the silence as her eyes travelled to the front, to the fireplace they had come out of. Charlie was caught off-guard as he ripped his eyes from her, following her gaze. "M?" He asked, then connected the dots as he spotted the fireplace as well.
"Oh right, yes, I was going to tell you about that," Charlie said, shaking his head at himself for forgetting about that. "If you do run a minute late, you'll need to ask for a new license, yet this time you'll have to pay for it yourself."
Hermione frowned at this. "So they assign and schedule hours for you, then?" And when Charlie nodded, she went on. "But what if it's an emergency? They can't possibly make you pay for that."
Shaking his head, he took a long gulp from his beer, a satisfying sigh attached when he had swallowed. "No, you'll need to owl a statement when in Romania from the director, to prove it was really an emergency. You see, people have often taken advantage of this emergency travel before. They'd pretend there was an emergency when they had missed their schedule, just so they wouldn't have to pay for a new one."
Hermione tutted at this. People really did take advantage of the systems, only to then mess it all up and make it more complicated for the rest of them.
"Here you go," Miles said, breaking their conversation as he handed both of them a plate of some good old fish and chips, though it held more chips than it did fish. "Thanks, Miles," Charlie said to the bartender, and watched as the man tilted his head down before leaving the two of them be.
"So what you think of it?" Charlie asked in between a bite, referring to Romania.
Wiping her mouth clean with a napkin on the side, she swallowed the bite she had taken before taking a swing of her Butterbeer. "It's incredible," she said, and needed a few seconds to form her thoughts. "It's so unlike what I had imagined, though. But not in a bad way, at all. It's so grand, and yet it feels so raw to the touch."
Charlie smiled at her, whilst munching away on some chips. "It is, isn't it? I think I felt the same way when I first got here. Of course things have changed since then, but it's still magnificent to me till this day."
Hermione smiled at him, though lowered her gaze as she furrowed her brows, biting her lips as she debated on whether or not to say what she was thinking. When she looked back up again, however, and his eyes were nothing but inviting, she decided that today was as good as a time as any.
"I don't know if I belong here, though," she admitted, feeling rather overwhelmed by today. Dragons. Had she actually gone mental?
Charlie just smiled at her sympathetically, his head cocking slightly to the side as his eyes danced over her face. "I know it can be quite intense," he spoke, his voice soft and understanding, "and honestly, this is a big step for you. Dragons weren't exactly part of your life before I brought it up, and now suddenly you have to make this switch."
At this he lifted his head back straight. "Don't be too hard on yourself these weeks. It's not easy working with dragons, especially if you still need to grow a passion for them. Just let things happen, and if you still feel like you don't belong here after these six weeks, then there's no one stopping you from going through that Fireplace and going back to what you were doing before."
Hermione gazed at him in silence, and he easily held her gaze as his eyes were burning straight through hers. Due to the wind his hair had been ruffled about a couple of times, making it more untamed and wild, though with his overall demeanour it suited him better than when he had combed it back at Christmas.
After their conversation they went on to finish their dinner, and by the time they were done, the first few workers were rolling in as the door kept opening and closing, bringing a cold breeze with them.
"Charlie, mate!" One of the men called out, his accent think, and Hermione assumed the black haired man must be from Australia. "Philip," Charlie greeted, rising up from his chair to take his friend into a hug, patting his back as he pulled out a chair for the man.
Following Philip were two more men and women, all of them passing through Charlie's hug before grabbing themselves a chair.
Out of all the five people that joined them, Hermione knew only Olivia, from when they had spoken earlier on today. "Who's this new girl, Charlie?" Philip asked him, looking her over as he shrugged off his jacket.
"Introductions are in order, aren't they?" Charlie said, then pointed at Hermione. "Everyone, this is Hermione, she'll be helping us out these upcoming weeks." At this a few of them clapped, and Olivia whistled. "Welcome," they greeted her.
"Hermione, this is Philip, Heather, Joseph, Aaron, and Olivia you have met already," Charlie introduced, going from left to right, in the circle that they were sitting in.
"Pleasure to meet you all," Hermione said politely, but Philip clapped her enthusiastically on the back, almost with such a force that she was certain that she'd end up with her nose on the table if he had slapped her one more time. "Let me guess, you worked for the Ministry, didn't you?" Philip asked her, a knowing look in his eyes.
Gaping, she stammered before she could get a word out. "Yes, I did, actually. Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, to be precise. How did you know?" Hermione inquired.
Philip let his grin broaden, his short black hair resembling Harry's, though his was less ruffled than Harry's always was. "Your manners, Sheila," Philip glanced over at Charlie, and out of the corner of her eye she could see him grinning back at him, "we don't see those around here, except for when the Ministry is visiting."
At this Hermione smiled, not really knowing what to say to this. "Sheila?" Hermione whispered to Charlie, when Aaron tossed a fumbled napkin at Philip's head, saying "Perhaps it'll do you well to go there sometime, then. Merlin knows you could use some."
Charlie smirked at her. "It's an Australian nickname, meaning young woman. He used that on Judith, a dragon tamer, for the longest of time, until she finally hexed him when he wouldn't stop using it."
Tugging her lips down as if she was impressed, she focused her eye back to the group. "How exactly did a Ministry worker end up here, then?" Heather inquired, her short and blonde, curly hair dangling loosely on her shoulders. One thing that made her stand out the most was the fact that she was the only one with a glass of water in her hands, instead of the usual Butterbeer. As Hermione looked a little sideways, however, she noticed a small bump protruding from between the woman's jacket.
Not once did it cross her mind that the female workers would be willing to get pregnant at such a risky job.
"Well, Charlie asked me, actually," Hermione said, glancing over to him. "He said you needed help, and I was in much need of a challenge."
At this Philip snickered next to her. "Not surprised at all, ay. Ministry is as boring as the behind of a giant," though his words got lost as Aaron interrupted with a "Really man? Behave yourself for one night."
Smiling, she chuckled at his remark. "No, he's right, though. There's not much challenge there, at least not for the long run, so I was actually quite relieved when Charlie offered me this position."
Turning her head to said man, she shot him a grateful smile, though he returned it rather smugly. "Yeah, you are now, just wait until you get in there," Joseph joked, cracking her a smile as he flashed his white teeth. Something told her that those weren't exactly authentic. If you'd ask her, she'd say it was thanks to a potion. In a way it reminded her of Lockhart's teeth.
Hermione remained unfaced as she shrugged. "Maybe, but at least I'll have tried."
Some people nodded their heads, lifting their glass as they sipped from it in cheers. "How did you two meet, anyway?" Aaron inquired, looking curiously between her and Charlie.
At this Hermione chuckled, shaking her head. "We've known each other for, like, what, nine years or so?" At this she looked at Charlie, waiting for him to confirm with a nod of his head. "I'm good friends with his brother Ron, and his sister Ginny," she elaborated, when their faces were still a little confused.
"And he only waited to drag you in now?" Heather asked, her head tilted to the side as if in thought. "Well, yes, I didn't really need the challenge before now," Hermione admitted simply.
At this Heather continued to stare at Hermione, almost uncomfortably so. "Excuse me for staring," Heather smiled, but then frowned again, "but I could swear that I recognize your face from somewhere."
Lowering her gaze, she fumbled with her hands, knowing that this conversation was inevitable. "You, uhm, might recognize me from the papers from a few years ago," Hermione admitted sheepishly, scratching behind her neck as she felt the uncomfortable itches creep up on her.
Heather continued in thought, but slammed the table as she suddenly remembered. "You're Hermione Granger, aren't you? The one who helped the Potter boy defeat the Dark Lord?"
At this she felt Charlie's arm snake around the back of her chair again, almost protective as he parted his lips to speak, but Hermione beat him to it. "The one and only," she said lamely, as she spread her arms.
Philip whistled, letting himself fall a little to the side so he could lean on the table and have a good look at her. "So we have a fighter in our team, then," he said in appreciation, this time less teasing and more serious.
Hermione snorted as she shook her head. "I'm not some kind of heroic warrior," she warned them.
"Actually, Hermione was going to tell me about one of their adventures, when she had ridden a dragon," Charlie said, straining a smile as he tried to steer the conversation, much to Hermione's relief.
"Wait, you've ridden a dragon?" Olivia asked incredulously, looking Hermione over. "My wildest dreams would have come true," Joseph muttered, loud enough for all to hear.
Smiling, she nodded as she went to sit up a little bit more straight. It was as if she were telling a Christmas bedtime story to some three year olds, as she watched their excited faces and heard their thrilled gasps as she told them about Gringotts break-in four years ago.
Luckily for her she might have scored some points with them for that one, as they suddenly all eased up to her even more, sharing adventures of their own as they kept merrily sipping away at their drinks.
During the evening, as Butterbeers were refilled before she could even protest, Charlie moved his arm away from his chair, and instead let it rest around her shoulder as he pressed her a little closer into him, when he had noticed her slight trembling. She had definitely underdressed for this climate, and these stone walls didn't exactly keep much warmth in, as there were several cracks in between the bricks.
Hermione had smiled at him, and he had easily returned that, his eyes travelling down a little as he smirked, wiping away some foam from leftover Butterbeer that was dangling on her upper lip as she chuckled as well, licking her lips afterwards to make sure everything was really gone this time.
"D'you want to head to the cabins?" Charlie asked her softly, his breath tickling her ear as he moved closer to her ear, noticing her merry yawn. The hours were ticking by, and before they knew it the clock was already nearing nine, and they had yet a while to go before they'd arrive at the cabins.
Hermione nodded sleepily, and stretched her limbs as Charlie removed his arm from around her shoulder, doing the same. "We'll go in for an early night. It's been a long day for her, and I think we could all use some sleep for the day ahead tomorrow," Charlie said, this time a bit more formal as he addressed his colleagues.
"Speak for yourself, boss," Philip slurred, a crack of a smile following his words. "I think I'll take another one."
Charlie laughed, ruffling the man's hair, though the latter protested greatly. "I'll see you at the crack of dawn, though," he warned the man, and then she and Charlie waved the others goodbye as they were putting on their jackets, moving towards the exit.
With one last wave at Miles, they were now left standing in the cold again, though her hands were still warm from all the Butterbeers she had been consuming. "Ready?" Charlie asked her, watching in caution as Hermione stumbled a little trying to mount her broom.
At last she managed to find a good grip, and nodded as they kicked off from the ground, the village being dimly lit by several torches around, though the way grew darker the further south they went, until they arrived in complete darkness at the cabins.
"This'll be yours," Charlie said when they had lowered to the ground upon arriving at a bit of a worn-down cabin. It wasn't much, other than a simple stoned walled square building, but she was sure it would suffice.
With ease he pushed the wooden door open, the only thing on this cabin that was made from wood, and with a flick of his wand he let the torches come to life, surrounding them in a warm light.
There really wasn't much to it. Upon entering she saw a musky clothed couch in the far corner, and within the kitchen was only a single chair she could sit on. Moving through a door on the left, Charlie showed her a bit of a mouldy bathroom, and at last pointed at the bedroom, the sheets being the only clean thing in this cabin.
"It's not much," Charlie admitted, scratching behind his neck as if he was embarrassed that she would have to live in these conditions, but she smiled warmly at him. "It's only for the night," she reminded him, and he nodded in return.
At this Hermione moved through the bedroom, feeling a little isolated for there was only a small window to her left, and other than that there wasn't much to make it feel any better.
"I'll be in the cabin over there, if you need me," Charlie said, pointing out of the front door and a little to the left, at a cabin just a few feet away from hers. "And I will of course be here tomorrow morning, at the crack of dawn to help you fly and find your way to the sanctuary."
Hermione nodded, her eyes travelling about the place as she propped her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "Yeah, I'll look forward to it," Hermione smiled, though she was certain that it did not quite reach her eyes.
As Charlie moved towards the front door, she followed him, wanting to wave him goodbye, and see if he would make it home just fine. It was just a few feet away, and yet Hermione didn't know what she'd do if Charlie were to be suddenly roasted by dragons, or something.
Turning slowly around when they had reached the front door, he laid a hand on her forearm as he moved in a little closer, planting a soft kiss against her cheek as he pulled back with a smile, his eyes dark and fiery as he looked at her. "Get some sleep," he said, and shared a smile with her as he moved away to his own cabin, waving over her shoulder at her without looking back, knowing that her eyes were following him all the way till he reached his front door. Leaving Hermione to wonder why exactly she had said yes to this adventure.