Chaser 3 Cannons - Rook: Write from the perspective of someone other than a student who lives in Hogwarts: a ghost, a house-elf, a teacher, a portrait, the Sorting Hat, etc.
Duelling Lessons: Write about trust between two people.
(word) Royalty
(word) Freedom
(Setting) Durmstrang
(Object or word) Rook
NOTE: Charlie and Viktor are going to be conversing in Bulgarian. It will be bolded like so. However, in the beginning Viktor is unaware of this so he attempts to speak in English and his accent is visible. "You must be Charlie. Welcome to Durmstrang", is what he says, but it is written out as we would pronounce it. :)
Beta'd By: Amber, Bex, Jas, Lizzy
Word Count: 907
Charlie Weasley missed his old job. Sure, he was constantly getting burned and chewed and slashed at, but it had been rewarding and he always knew what he was getting himself into. His new job may have been just as — if not more — rewarding, but it was twice as random and there were times he didn't know what he was doing.
"Charlie, are you busy?" A voice spoke up from the doorway, and Charlie paused in his grading to look up at the speaker.
"Neville! Nope, I'm free as a bee." He winked at the younger man as he stood up from his chair, moving around his desk to lean against the opposite side. "What did you need?"
"Well." Neville relaxed against the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest as he smiled down at his Care of Magical Creatures professor. "Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, and Hogwarts are going to be doing a Professor Exchange program this year so each school can see how certain teachers interact with students. Would you be willing to go to Durmstrang this year? I've heard they have dragons."
Charlie stood up and waved his wand, the papers on his desk flying over to land in his graded section.
"When do I leave?"
….
Charlie grinned as the cold air flooded his lungs. It brought back memories of winter in Romania with his mates; wind slapping his face as he raced a dragon on his broom through the hills; the freedom he had had while living with the powerful beasts.
"You must be Cuharrlie." Viktor Krum, retired Quidditch player and current Headmaster of Durmstrang, stepped off the stairs that led up to large wooden doors and walked towards him. "Welcome to Doorrmshtrrank."
"Yes, Charlie Weasley at your service. Thank you for the welcoming Headmaster." Charlie strode forward to meet the man halfway, his hand outstretched. Viktor's eyes widened at Charlie's fluent Bulgarian and the redhead felt his smile widen into a smug grin. "I heard you guys had a pair of dragon eggs hatch recently?"
"Yes, two Romanian Longhorns." Viktor shook his hand before turning to gesture up towards the stone castle he had appeared from. "Would you like to get settled into your room before we go look at your new work area? We have a barn here for the cold seasons."
Charlie frowned down at the luggage case sitting harmlessly by his feet. He wanted to see dragons again, but he also didn't want to carry around the large case of necessities he had brought along with him. A flick of his wand and a muttered 'reducio' shrunk the case down to the size of a matchbox and he quickly bent down to pick it up and shove it into his pocket.
"Problem solved!" Charlie grinned up at Viktor and stretched his arms out above his head before clapping them together and rubbing them in excitement. "Let's go see those babies!"
Viktor nodded, and the two began to walk around the castle. The silence began to grasp at Charlie and he scowled before taking a deep breath.
"So what do you do for fun around here? Hogwarts has poker night for the professors — anything similar for members of Durmstrang?" Charlie glanced sideways at his temporary boss, smirking at the scandalized look on his face. "Of course, that might be a little too much for your professors. Maybe we could do an ice-breaker over dinner? Something easy like two truths and one lie? I wouldn't want to ruin the royalty vibe you've got going on."
"We don't do anything as childish as poker," Viktor sniffed, turning his face away. "There is Vodka Friday. It gives newbies like you Englishmen a chance to recover for classes three days later."
Charlie threw his head back in laughter, his cheeks hurting from how wide his lips stretched with his grin. Viktor chuckled, motioning for Charlie to stop.
"The barn is warded so that students don't enter and harm themselves. The password is Rook's Gambit; it's something my students and fans don't know about me." As Viktor spoke the phrase, he raised his wand and flicked it sharply in a diagonal line from his shoulder to his opposite foot. The large wooden doors of the barn groaned as they spread apart, and a blast of warmth accompanied the movement. A grin immediately spread over Charlie's face and he dashed into the building.
"Can I transfer here permanently?!" he called out as he dashed from door to door, his heart lightening at the sight of the dragons that had once been his water and air. Chirps and growls and rumbles rang out and Charlie stopped in the middle of the corridor, closing his eyes and taking everything in. The smells, the sounds, hell — even the air itself reminded him of Romania.
This… this felt like home.
"I'm not sure Headmaster Longbottom would like that." Viktor stalked forward, his cloak trailing through the hay on the ground. "But I wouldn't mind. You are very good at your job, and one of the best dragon keepers to ever live, according to some friends of mine."
Charlie opened his eyes, sinking his weight onto his heels as he turned to look at Viktor. He wiggled his eyebrows at the man before winking, turning on the good 'ole Weasley charm.
"How about we see how this year goes, and then we can talk about a more permanent position?"
