Chapter 10- Charlie's Correspondence
I love working with dragons, I really do. There aren't many anymore, and it's quite the opportunity to care for them and train them. Especially in a place that won't parade them around in sport and entertainment. There are few things The Romanian Preserve will do with the dragons outside of their natural environment. Not all dragons are as heartless as they may seem, though. Many prey on helpless animals, but don't other creatures do the same? Even humans eat their fair share of meat. The true way you see into any being is how they interact with their own kind.
Ukrainian Ironbellys, for example, have one of the most intricate living patterns anyone studying dragons will ever see. They're committed to the betterment of the group as a whole and protective of one another. Most dragons have to fend for themselves, with other breeds. Other dragons live in a 'survival of the fittest' mentality. Some breeds will even eat their young, if they don't find them sufficient enough. Ukrainian Ironbellys, though, protect. There's a stronghold there that nothing can divide up. They're hardest to deal with when one of their clan is taken away. They fight harder in that case than in any other scenario.
It's like my family, I guess. We're always one another's backbone. Bill once beat up this Slytherin that was giving me a hard time. Even when Mum was yelling at both of us he took the blame. We laughed about the incident after Mum's howler started to burn. No one messed with me after that. Not that Bill is violent by any means; it was more that people knew if they messed with one of us, they would deal with both, and we made quite the team. I was shorter than most the boys my age, but I certainly could pack a punch. The Gryffindor captain during my third year couldn't decide between making me a beater, or the seeker, since I was also quite small.
The Weasley's have always been that way, close as anything. Now, though, I feel like I've wandered; like I'm alone in the whole world. Sometimes I wonder if it would be better if they didn't write at all. I wonder if it would be better not to know about Bill's engagement and the fact that I won't get to be there until a few days before. I wonder if it would be better not to worry about what kind of messes Ron's going to get himself into, or Ginny.
I worry about Ginny most of all. It could be because she writes the most, but I don't know if that's really it. I feel so secluded and helpless. Ginny's my only sister and I haven't been there to see her grow up. I remember getting the letter about her first year. Mum and Dad told me not to mention it in letters, but they wanted me to know anyway. I couldn't believe Percy didn't realize, or Ron, or the twins even. How is it that they get privileged with spending as much time as they want with her, but could let something like that happen? It never would have if Bill or I had been around. Then again, none of us have ever really understood girls.
I got a letter from her just a week ago; a picture too. She's grown so much since The World Cup, I hardly recognized her. For a moment, I thought that perhaps she had found some old picture of Mum with an old boyfriend, but it wasn't. It was Ginny with a dark boy she called 'Dean'. I think Ron had told me about him before, but now she's dating him. It's odd to think of her dating someone.
And it's not like she's just dating one person; Ginny's already had her first breakup. Yet she seemed perfectly calm about it. It could be because she dumped him, but I still have a hard time with relationships. It makes me think Ginny acts too old for her own good.
Then there's Ron. He never writes. Mum and Ginny always fill me in on what he's been doing. Ginny told me he has himself a little girlfriend, or a want to be or something. It was Mum who told me it was Hermione. Hermione did seem like a girl that would help Ron keep his head on his shoulders. Then again, I wouldn't really know.
The twins sent me some samples of their new products. Just two of them. They said I'd have to see the others for myself. I don't know how I'm supposed to do that, though, when I'm always here. It's lonely knowing that everyone else is in on their jokes.
Mum and Dad haven't mentioned Percy in quite some time. Odd, really, as Mum usually can't do much else but brag of his accomplishments. He hasn't written me but one letter in a while as well. He said that he can't go along with it, but I'm not sure what he meant. Ginny told me later that he doesn't agree with The Order, and when I tried to write him, Percy just ignored my owls.
It seems so wrong, the manner in which we're being separated. I think there should have been more of a fight to pull things back together, but I don't know how to get them that way. An Ukrainian Ironbelly would eventually die in isolation, and I'm starting to feel a certain suffocation in my own seclusion.
I do love what I've chosen to earn a living doing, but somehow you can't help but wish you were closer to home. Until then, I suppose I'll have to live with the letters.
A/N: That's one of the easier ones, and one I hope doesn't become too true. I hope things are better with Percy and his family in book 6 (for poor Molly's sake) and I hope that Charlie might make another appearance.
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Fast-Talking Johny: Hey there, glad you liked the chapters. Dean's chapter was a bit… different. I eliminated description because I only wanted basic stage direction so it wouldn't just be a bunch of mumbling. If I hadn't inserted that it would have had the Peter Pettigrew feel to it, which I was avoiding at all cost. Besides that, I liked him talking to Ginny about it. And I love Neville. He's so kind and doesn't get jealous. I loved how excited he was to get the plant in book 5. He's such a cutie.
Hermione30: I'm turning some of these from the angsty side because not all characters are going to appear the same in their resentment. In this one, for example, Charlie's resentment is more of a longing than an anger. I did the most angsty ones to start with, but if I think of any more, I'll probably do them ;)
Katkit: Yeah, I'm weird, aren't I? lol
JamieBell: EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW Pickles… yuck. I'm glad you liked that chapter, and I'm glad you were able to guess why. I'm going to have to come up with a tricky one for you and see what you make of it. The whole point with Neville is that he realizes that he's getting better, but wonders if he'll ever catch up. He always feels behind no matter how good he's getting.