The Houses Competition
Ravenclaw
Charms
Standard
[Pairing - Positive] Charlie Weasley and Hermione Granger and [Emotion] Fear
2980 words
"Hey, Weasley, looks like we're getting some fresh meat from your neck of the woods," Charlie's boss, Florin, called out across the reserve's chow hall. Charlie just raised a brow as the other came closer. "Apparently, a British official is visiting the Romanian government, and, in the interest of international cooperation between reserves, will be spending a week or two here with a contingent of Aurors. This was not my decision; however, the higherups have given their approval, making their safety our problem. You and Garth are the welcoming committee. Got it?" The sightless gaze of Florin's left eye left no questions in Charlie's mind about just what sort of welcome he should provide their 'guest'. Florin hated when laypeople messed up with the running of the reserve, so it would be his job to make sure they wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
"Sure thing, boss. I don't suppose you have a list of our esteemed visitors, do you? Several of my siblings work for the British ministry, and it may help me… personalize the experience a bit."
A scroll with the list of names was handed over, and as Charlie read it, he couldn't help but groan. He only needed to see the first name to know that this wouldn't be easy. Of everyone in the ministry, why'd it have to be her who signed up to visit his dragon reserve?
"I'm telling you, Garth, Granger isn't going to be easy to get rid of. She's not some stuffed robe who's scared of getting muck on her boots. The woman ran in the same circles as Harry Potter when he was off stopping the last Dark Lord!" Charlie ranted. His tent-mate didn't seem to understand just how impossible of a task he'd been given. "Staying unscathed during the Horntail mating season would be easier!"
Garth just laughed. "Surely, it's not as bad as all that, Char. Look, I'll get some of the boys together, and we'll help to create some worthwhile experiences for our esteemed visitor. Besides, their arrival aligns with Draco Lunam. Even if our usual tricks don't do her in, no one likes having to go wandless for a week!"
Charlie hmmm'd. While it was true that the reserve did have a prohibition on wand magic during the week of the Dragon Moon because the dragons often acted violently in retaliation, he wasn't sure that a Muggleborn would be as negatively impacted as most outside the field. Honestly, her presence could be a positive. For the last few years, they'd had more and more problems with poachers taking advantage of the wand prohibition to steal dragon eggs. From what he knew of her, the woman could be a formidable ally if given the chance. If even half of what he had heard was true, his brother's friend could take care of herself.
Explaining that to Garth or Florin would be difficult, however. "Create the list. I need to figure out where to put Granger and her guards before they show up."
Today was the day that Hermione Granger, Minister of International Affairs, would Portkey to Romania's premiere dragon reserve, and it took all of her considerable experience in keeping a professional demeanour to keep a straight face. Preparing for talks with magical Romania's minister had been the work of a day, maybe two, so much of her time before leaving Britain had been spent in preparation of visiting the dragon reserve.
"We're ready at your count, Madam Minister." Hermione shook her head at the reminder that their Portkey would be ready momentarily. Her research into Romania's Dragon Reserve had made certain… inconsistencies… come to light, inconsistencies that she was determined to find a resolution to. If what she suspected was correct, this trip could have longterm consequences on par with her decision to join Harry on a camping trip to destroy Voldemort. Unfortunately, just like that trip in her 17th year, the number of people whom she could trust to have her back was very limited. Even the Aurors sent to theoretically protect her would have their own motives behind their actions.
Sighing, she stepped forward. Ready or not, it was time to go. Grabbing a free section of the rope Portkey that would act as their transportation, she breathed in… and out, the tumult of her emotions tightly locked behind a mask of professional competence.
She could do this.
The telltale feel of a hook pulling at the naval told Hermione that her time was up. It was time to act.
"All wands must be placed in the box to enter the reserve," the deep voice of Charlie Weasley called out to numerous complaints from the Aurors. Hermione stepped forward with a polite smile.
"And if we left our wands in Britain, Dragonologist Weasley?" One of Charlie's coworkers scoffed, obviously disbelieving that anyone would willingly disarm themselves before travelling to another country. Charlie's eyes twinkled in a way that was reminiscent of his prankster brothers. Obviously, he'd guessed that she would be prepared.
Raising his voice, he asked for all to hear, "And have you, Madam Minister? Left your wand in Britain, I mean."
Catching on, she similarly spoke loud enough for her grumbling guards' benefit, "But of course! Doesn't everyone know of the folly of using wand magic during the Dragon Moon? I hardly would like to risk being burnt to a crisp my first day here simply because I was too reliant on my wand."
Grumbles behind both herself and Charlie could be heard, but ultimately, her Aurors did as asked, and a rat-faced man who introduced himself as Florin explained that a number of activities had been planned for her enjoyment over the course of the next few days and that Charlie would be one of her guides.
"Right this way, Madam Minister," one of Charlie's colleagues who introduced himself as Garth said. "I'm afraid that, due to the short notice, the accommodations mightn't be quite what you're used to," he explained while leading them to a group of six-person tents. Hermione couldn't help but smirk. Magical tents generally had no need to be obviously large due to expansion charms. If her guess was right, it looked like memories of camping with her parents as a kid might come in handy. Well, that and the sleeping bag she'd packed on Ginny's suggestion.
A lowkey whine behind her made the smirk grow. She knew very well that at least some of those who had volunteered to be her bodyguards for this trip had done so assuming it would be fairly cushy. Obviously, at least one of them had put two and two together and gotten four. Harry'd be horrified at how his colleagues were behaving. It really was too bad that he couldn't come, but he'd been deep in some undercover thing when the arrangements were being made.
Hermione turned to her host. "These look just fine to me. I understand that my coming was somewhat last minute. Please don't trouble yourself further." With that, she opened her magically-expanded bag and pulled out her delux sleeping bag, ready to turn in for the night.
"How'd they take to the tents?" Charlie asked over the rim of a glass of Firewhiskey. Garth's confidence that Hermione would be easy to scare off had irked him, and for the last week, he'd spent the majority of his time attempting to explain to his superior that, if any government official would be able to follow the rules and protect herself, it was one of Britain's Golden Trio. Unfortunately, neither Florin nor Garth could be persuaded to change their minds, and he hoped that Hermione's awarenes of the Dragon Moon might at least shift Garth's mind.
"Weell, I hate to say it, but you were right. Our esteemed guest didn't seem to care in the least that their accommodations were Muggle in origin, and she even had her own sleeping bag. Some of her entourage seemed to be of a different opinion, however. Honestly, I'd have expected Aurors to have more endurance than that. Oh, well. I doubt her unflappability will last long. Tomorrow's the day you bring 'em to the nursery, right?"
Charlie sighed at the bullheadedness of his colleague. "That's Wednesday. Tomorrow's a hike up Mt Pontag to see the dragons in flight. Five galleons say she doesn't even flinch."
"Give an oath that you won't warn her, and you're on!" Garth replied.
One oath later, Charlie decided that, if nothing else, he'd earn quite a bit off Garth after this.
"And here is our nursery where orphaned hatchlings are cared for until they gain the skills necessary to survive in the rest of the reserve," Charlie began.
"Awww, how cute!" One of the Aurors cooed, holding her finger out towards a small ridgeback. This started an avalanche of grown men and women acting like children towards the dangerous beasts. By the time Charlie regained order, two Aurors were suffering from bites while another had obviously been burned when a hatchling sneezed. They were only the latest in a number of unfortunate incidents that proved that British Aurors weren't as tough as they thought they were. The others seemed to have gained a healthy apprehension and fear of the reserve's smallest dragons.
Meanwhile, Hermione had hatchlings climbing all over her and was smiling indulgently.
"I wouldn't let them do that if I were you," Charlie warned. One of the hatchlings was a known scratcher while another was from a species that emitted an irritant in their skin if they got startled. Actually, looking more closely… were those welts on her hands?
"Don't worry about me, Dragonologist. After caring for blast-ended skrewts in Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class, this is nothing."
"...Very well then. On our way to the next thing on our list, we'll stop by the medstation, just to be safe."
"Excellent. I've been so looking forward to seeing Norberta in a more natural environment."
Beside him, Garth twitched, and Charlie mentally counted his winnings thus far. The night before, they'd further clarified things so that every part of the tour that didn't have Hermione running for the hills would hike up his winnings, and however early in the proceedings she caved would indicate how much money Garth won.
Things were looking up.
"Tomorrow we'll be visiting the Night Fearmonger cave, right?"
Charlie had to fight not to laugh as Garth's jaw clenched. Fearmonger dragons were called so because they tended to attract creatures like boggarts to their caves. It had been the ace in his colleague's hand; however, their characteristic of cohabitating with boggarts was primarily known only to dragonologists, and their scientific name did not give anything away about those tendencies. That Hermione knew about it boded well indeed for Charlie's bank account.
Underestimating her research capabilities was obviously a mistake that no one could make twice.
That night, Garth was nearly foaming at the mouth, claiming that Charlie was forewarning their guest, and Charlie couldn't do much but smile as he reminded the man of his oath against doing so. Nonetheless, they attracted the attention of their fellows as well as their boss.
"Why's the British official still here? I thought I gave orders to scare her off the reserve!" Florin raged.
Charlie sighed. "As I explained to you before they ever got here, Hermione Granger isn't someone who scares easily. She fought in war and learned about magical animals under Rubeus Hagrid, a man whose preferred creatures are notorious for being generally unsafe. I don't see what the big deal is. She's been adapting to the reserve admirably and has shown that she can take care of herself. Now her bodyguards, on the other hand, they've been dropping like flies from the situations that Garth and I have set up. They clearly don't belong."
Florin sneered. "Neither does she! Get her gone tomorrow or on your head be it!"
Charlie frowned. Tomorrow night was the night that the Dragon Moon was due to be the strongest, and he knew that the chances of Hermione leaving before she could see such a sight were slim to none. He just couldn't understand why everyone was so against the brunette.
Deciding that arguments were futile, Charlie decided to go to bed. Dealing with Boggarts wandless was never simple, and between keeping up with Hermione and stopping any would-be poachers, he was almost afraid of what the next day would bring.
That night, Hermione smiled. Her real objective, stopping what appeared to be a dragon-smuggling ring from inside of the reserve, had almost reached its peak. If she was right, the smugglers would act tomorrow night; even better, tomorrow they would be visiting the Night Fearmongers. She'd slipped a slight anxiety potion into everyone's drinks that night, and with any luck, anyone from the inside who was involved in the act would be influenced enough by the drink and timing that their fears would make themselves known during that part of the tour. She just needed to arrange things so that more of Charlie's colleagues joined in….
"Now everyone, the cave we're about to enter has a colony of Phrynosoma Draconum or Night Fearmongers. They're called that because boggarts and similar fear-based creatures tend to live in close proximity with them. It is very important that you take efforts to control feelings of fear and danger while in there. The dragons themselves are fairly peaceable compared to some others you've met, but I cannot protect you if you're panicking," Charlie told everyone before they entered the cave despite the glares it got him from his superior. Even if the goal was to scare off his countrymen, he couldn't justify letting anyone walk into this cave without a proper introduction and warning.
One of the remaining Aurors whimpered. "How're we supposed to conquer fear without a wand? I know Riddiculus just like anyone else, but without a wand, I can't do anything."
"That's a good question. I–" Before he could say anything else, Hermione had pushed past him.
"If your training hasn't included facing your fears head-on, Booth, perhaps you're better off out here. Now if you don't mind, I have been quite interested in seeing the fearmongers since I first read about them. Per my understanding, they are generally considered even more intelligent than is typical of most dragon species?"
"That's right. Now the key here is to clear your–"
"Come on! Last one in is a rotten egg!" his charge, the normally so prim-and-proper Hermione Granger shouted. Even his colleagues hurried in after her.
Taking a moment to follow his own advice to clear his mind, Charlie walked in to chaos.
Aurors were quivering at the plethora of fears overwhelmed them, and Hermione appeared to be facing off a depiction of her parents claiming to hate her for removing their memories.
Despite that, she stood tall and laughed at the horrid image while Charlie looked on in confusion.
"Clearing your head is great, but I've had to face that fear every day as healers give me updates on the likelihood of my parents' memories ever returning. I know they could hate me, but I have to face it everyday," she explained with a sad smile. "I laugh because if I don't, I'll cry. Let's see how the others are doing."
Together, they helped Aurors clear their minds or laugh at their greatest fears, all without the help of a spell. The laughter confused the Boggarts, and for a moment, it seemed as though everything had returned to normal.
Then Charlie realised that his coworkers were nowhere to be seen.
Going further into the cave, he eventually found them frozen under the thrall of Boggarts showing men with sacks full of dragon eggs. Stepping forward to stop the scene before it could continue, he allowed his emotions out, and the Boggart shifted to Hermione with an ugly sneer on her face.
Forcing out laughter, he did what he needed to do but avoided looking at the woman for the remainder of the tour.
That evening, after he came back from guard rotation (something they'd instigated due to the possibility of poachers), the woman caught up to him.
"I'll have you know, my disdain isn't anything to laugh at," she said with a haughty sniff. The flames from a nearby fire made her eyes seem to dance, and Charlie almost forgot to breathe.
"You've been trying to scare me away, ineffectively, might I add," she continued. Charlie nodded as he swallowed the stone that suddenly lodged itself in his throat.
"Florin's orders, I'm afraid. He doesn't like the responsibility of protecting outsiders. Garth's in on it too," he admitted once he could speak.
"I can see that, but Charlie, I don't think your colleagues' dislike of me is quite so simple. Every year for a decade, at least a few eggs have disappeared during this night. Doesn't that strike you as strange?"
"It's not every year. We've managed to stop them thrice!" Charlie didn't know how Hermione had learned about their problems, but he wouldn't let her think they were incompetent.
"I looked at communications on the expected number of hatchlings for the last decade. Even the years your people have stopped them, there's a distinct difference in numbers for this part of the year."
Charlie paled. If that was true, there'd have to be inside men to keep things quiet.
"Charlie, I saw your colleagues' Boggarts. I don't think they fear what you hope they fear."
"What're you saying?" The very idea chilled him to the bone.
"I gave them a sleeping potion at dinner. I think you'll find that there won't be any number discrepancies this time."
"I–why do you care?"
Her hand rested on his chest, warming him, even as he saw fear in her eyes.
"Because I care for you."