Charlie yawned tiredly and flipped the switch on the coffee machine, looking forward to drinking a nice large cup of the liquid life-saver. Two mugs, one white with soya milk, the other black with three heaping spoons of sugar. He just grinned when he noticed the contrast of the two. Draco and him were two truly different characters, yet it appeared they had their glue. What, or rather who else than little Callista. He could clearly remember their first night at the reserve...

The reserve was beautiful, and the dragons lived in caves along the mountains, protected by wards but with much freedom. It was truly a better system than they had in Romania. The only thing that made him scrunch his nose slightly was the state of the hatchery. It clearly needed renovating, and further contracts with suppliers of medical equipment, as they lacked some. But over all, it would be hard, enjoyable work. The director had greeted them enthusiastically, and promised to negotiate contracts the next day. Draco had immediately taken to the local medic, who agreed that help was needed and would take the blond as an apprentice.

Jade took them around, showing them the dining hall, medical tent, the halls of residence for the interns and other manual labourers, and the small cottages spread around for medics, handler and senior supervisors. Draco was given a guest room in the medic's quarters, and Charlie received a lovely wooden cottage all to himself, as was the earned privilege of a senior handler and supervisor. He would admittedly miss Callie's little squirming warmth, and Draco's presence in his close quarters. The blond was pleasant company, and would most likely miss Callie as well. They have taken the newborn into the hatchery, where she would stay for a few weeks until grown enough to be taken to the community of adult dragons as a youngling. They tried to reassure her that they would see her the next day, even though they both hoped they could arrange it differently for her, but such were the rules for newborn safety in most reserves.

They unpacked their belongings, each in their new home, and went to bed restless without the presence of the the other two. Sleep did not claim either of them for long however.

"YELLOW EMERGENCY!" came a loud voice, enhanced by sonorous that had all of them out of their beds and quickly running out, no matter their current state. Yellow emergency meant there was a missing newborn, and they would need to search fast in case it was taken by a poacher who managed to slip through the wards.

Charlie threw his door open, only to stumble back when a small weight knocked into his chest. His arms instinctively came up to the attacker, about to throw it off when he heard a distressed whimper, so familiar that it tore at his heart. "Callie?" he asked her and held her close, petting her scales.

She whimpered again and tried to curl up into his safe embrace, her claws digging into his nude chest, as he had ran out only in his sleeping pants. He cooed gently and sent his patronus, a bright silvery wolf, to inform all that the newborn was safe and staying with him for the night. As he made his way to the bed, there was loud knocking on his door and Charlie sighed softly when Callie whimpered in fear of being taken away by the other people.

"Shhh, I'm sure it's just Draco. COME IN!" he called, and indeed the blond rushed in and took the little one form his chest to pet and nuzzle her in his own whimpers soon turned into happy trills at the reunion, as both her human and human's mate loved her again.

"There sweetie, you will be staying with one of us each night, don't worry. We won't make you go to that ugly place again. It's gonna be alright, shhh baby girl." Draco cooed, holding her close and whispering to her soothingly. That night proved long, as Callie apparently feared they would leave her again, so Draco stayed and they watched over her. One night turned into another, when Callie whimpered at the presence of only one of them, and then another when she downright refused to allow Draco from the bedroom, afraid he was leaving her again. It was an easy decision to make, so they moved Draco's things into his cottage, and as they have shared the bed before out of necessity, they would do so now for their precious princess. And that is how they have been living for the past two weeks...

"Morning.." came Draco's sleepy voice from behind him, bringing the redhead out of his thoughts.

"Morning. Here." he smiled and offered him the prepared cup.

Draco took it gratefully and drank it down with a soft hum of appreciation, before pouring himself another, to last him through into the afternoon. "Callie is still sleeping, the poor thing was exhausted last night after the silly Welsh Green attacked her in the pens." he said and headed for the cupboards.

"Quick shower it is then, be right back." Charlie drank down the last of his coffee and headed for the bathroom.

They have immediately fallen into an easy routine. Charlie would usually wake up first and make some coffee for them, during the weekends sometimes popping into the nearby town's market for fresh berries and veg for breakfast. Otherwise, it turned out Draco had a secret love for cooking, so he would be the one to make breakfast most mornings. Charlie would shower in the meantime, or take a quick bath with Callie, who as they found out adored water and splashing around. They would switch afterwards and separate for their day.

No one quite understood how it was that the newborn was so strongly attached to the pair, but everyone got used to it. Draco would take the little one with him into the hatchery, where he was studying care for the newborns and the extensive range of various potions they needed to take on schedule during the first 6 months. At least Callie could always see him, and rest or play with the other newborns as she pleased. Once his day was finished, he would take her back to their cottage and prepare some dinner for the three of them, waiting for Charlie's return.

As a senior handler, Charlie had a great responsibility over a team of handlers, workers and medics assigned to him. His days were more often than not long, but he would always look forward to dinner, and if he could make it on time, he would make the effort. The reserve was vast however, and it often took him about 20 minutes to jut fly from the end back to the camp. But once he stepped inside their cottage, he could not help but smile as he often found Draco either playing with the little one, or reading quietly by the fire, with Callie curled up over his lap.

Admittedly, it was a struggle to live with the blond sometimes, as their relationship was purely platonic and he had his needs, which he turned to resolve with a cold shower on occasion. Having the blond pressed into him the whole night caused a natural reaction to his body that was unfortunately unavoidable. He did not realise Draco was struggling with a similar problem. The redhead was used to walking around in the privacy of his home shirtless, most likely out of habit and for Callie's benefit, who adored his warmth. Sometimes it was difficult to pry his eyes away from the firm form, as most would agree that Charlie was a gorgeous man.

That morning was no different to the rest of them, until they heard a loud pounding on the door. Draco swiftly took the pan off the flame and turned the cooker off, meeting a dripping Charlie with only a towel around his hips in the hall as they both headed for the door.

"Thank Merlin you are both awake! A female was attacked by poachers in Area 34, most likely last night or a few hours ago. We need to get her under control and treat her. Please hurry!" Sebastian, the local medic already carrying his supply bag urged them.

"Give us one minute. Get the brooms and tell Jade to organise the team. They should make a formation, and head off immediately, we will catch up with them. But don't let them get too close, or fly too low, or we risk enraging her by a sudden appearance." Charlie instructed and they headed for the bedroom.

In a situation like this, privacy or nudity were not a concern and they swiftly found protective garb in their closets to get ready as fast as possible. After dropping Callie off at the hatchery, they swiftly mounted their brooms and joined the ones in the air, pushing their brooms faster to catch up with the front of the flying cue. Area 34 was one of the furthest ones, closest to the border between the muggle national park and the reserve wards. It took them too many minutes to get there for such an emergency, and the sight before them enraged the senior handler and medic both.

The female was hissing and breathing fire, most likely in pain and irritation at being stuck. Her leg was in firm chains set by the poachers, and there were cuts all over her thigh and side, scales missing and blood dripping. Dragon blood and scales were a prized item for anyone in the black market business, always selling for large sums of galleons. They never killed the creature, as it meant they could always come back for more. Bastards.

Charlie slowed his broom and let his team catch up. "Sebastian, take Draco and two more medics with you, and fly to the edge of the clearing near her legs. We need to keep her chained for the moment or we are in danger of her leaving without getting treated. Jade, I want you to take Soren, Tom, Kieran and Darla. Ward the clearing from any attack or further threat while we work and get her treated. Aidan, form a group of at least 10 and head South and East. Search for any other dragons or younglings that may have been with her, any further traps, or the poachers. They might still be nearby, the wounds appear fresh. Dylan, a group of five, head West for the search. The rest of you go North, Gwen will lead you. Report back at reserve central, we will join you when done. All clear?" he asked, and after getting nods from everyone, the groups separated.

Charlie looked at Sebastian and motioned him closer. "I need you to give me the sedative dose. I will administer it into the spinal cord. After I do so, you are all clear to move in and start healing her."

Sebastian shook his head. "That is too risky Charlie. She is already irritated. If her flames catch you, we are speaking second degree burns."

Charlie extended his arm for the sedative. "Trust me, I've done this before, it will work. Just stay out of danger." he instructed. Sebastian hesitated a moment longer before handing him the syringe apprehensively.

"Be careful." Draco looked him in the eyes, as the soft words left his lips. Charlie nodded and uncapped the syringe, placing it between his teeth as he gripped his broom harder and swooped in downwards.

The female had noticed him and puffed out some dark smoke, irritated at his close presence. She growled warningly before shooting a stream of fire his way. Charlie was however swift, keeping his Quidditch reflexes and rolled the broom to the side, heading for her neck. She turned the head his way and he saw that path was closed. He would have to use a different tactic. He flew around her head for a while before reaching inside the pouch at his belt that contained a few jokes from the twins in case of an emergency, and threw down the Peruvian night powder that would provide him a blind spot to fly for the spine. It enraged her even further as she was not able to see and streams of fire were flying all around. He tried to dodge all of them and swooped down, pressing the syringe into her spine and forcing the liquid down, the sedative spreading quickly towards her brain. She roared at his interference and with the last of her strength sent another stream of fire at him. He barely managed to avoid it, the heat only catching his upper arm as he manoeuvred a few feet away onto the ground.

The Peruvian powder cleared up and they could clearly see she was already closing her eyes, exhausted and sedated. Charlie jumped off his broom and sat down in the grass, looking over his arm. It hurn, but that was good. At least it meant that the burn did not damage any nerves or deep tissue in his arm. He would heal.

"Charlie!" Draco was hurrying over and quickly knelt by his side, looking over his arm. "You bloody idiot! She almost killed you, you reckless, stupid, ginger...man." he muttered angrily, worry clear in his eyes as he begun to take out sterile cloth and a healing potion that would get the burnt skin to peel off before restoring the skin layer beneath it.

Charlie just chuckled and held still for the cool, gentle fingers of his housemate. "I have done this many times, don't worry. I'm fine, in one piece and she can be healed now. See, it's nothing but a little burn. I have many of those.

Draco just shook his head. "Fool. Remember you have a responsibility towards Callie now. She would not be forgiving if you got hurt." he grumbled and put a clean bandage over the area to prevent infection while the skin healed.

Charlie paused his hands and smiled. "Thank you, I am fine now. Go help Sebastian, the sedative won't work for long." When the blond looked hesitant, he just smiled wider and leaned back against the tree behind him. "Go, I promise to sit and rest here." he encouraged.

Draco finally nodded and closed his supply bag before hurrying to the dragon's side to help Sebastian with the extensive injuries. They managed to patch her up just in time before she begun to stir. Charlie swiftly called them all back into the shade of the trees and cast a disillusionment charm over them all as the chains were released. The female shook her head and stretched her wings out, checking over her injuries by sniffing at the potions covering her healing scales and took off without a second glance around. Once a safe distance away in her cave, they mobilised themselves and headed back to camp.

There was a circle of handlers, standing around three bound men, arguing amongst themselves. Charlie touched down and headed over. "What is going on? Someone report." he made his way to the inside of the circle and looked the bound men over.

Dylan, a petit but lithe and dangerously swift man much respected by his fellow handlers, stepped forward. "I led my team to the West of the clearing as you have instructed us to do. We caught a trail of dragon blood, one of their canisters was not closed securely, and it lead us to a disillusioned camp. They were actually camping inside the protected reserve area. We bound them and tried to get them to speak about how and when they got here, but we couldn't get a word out of them, so we knocked them out, ready for either transport of the holding cells."

Charlie nodded and looked them over. There was something familiar about one of them, but he could not quite work it out...

"Avery..." Draco whispered by his side, looking firmly at the man."He had managed to escape the site of battle along with a few others. The Aurors have captured most, but him and his little group have been evading us. But how did they get here? And why here?" he asked softly, the words meant only for the redhead.

Charlie nodded and motioned for Dylan and Aidan to step forward. "Take the men to the holding cells. I hold the two of you personally responsible for their guard. No visitors, no speaking to them. They are dangerous, so be careful. Make sure to check for at least two wands on each man. Go." he instructed, and the men nodded.

Soon the group of handlers and workers got back to their little jobs before heading to dinner. Charlie made sure everyone was safe and unharmed and after a couple of hours of bureaucracy returned to their cottage where Draco was already making dinner for them. Callie trilled happily at seeing him., but then halted in her step and sniffed him carefully before a whine rose in her throat. She butted her nose against the bandage and gently scratched over it with her claws. Her human was hurt, smelled of blood. She had to help.

Charlie held her gently and took off the bandage slowly. "There there little girl, look. Almost healed, all is well." he reassured her gently, but she twisted out of his arms to have a better look, before he felt her warm tongue licking his skin.

It tickled, but he knew this was the way she expressed her worry and care. Dragon saliva had certain healing qualities to it, however only if the injury was caused by another dragon or magical creature, not by human means. They made their way into the kitchen, only to find Draco distractedly chopping some fresh venison. So distractedly in fact that he hissed in sudden pain when he slid the knife over the top of his nail.

Charlie put the little one in a chair and pulled Draco's hand close, healing the nail with his wand. "Is something wrong? You seem a bit distant. Or is it just seeing Avery again?" he asked gently, knowing it was tender subject still.

Draco shook his head. "There is something about this that bothers me, but I can't quite recall what.. Avery and Dolohov were two Death Eaters that were known for trading and selling rare items on the black market, including magical creatures, potions ingredients and other 'live' commodities. But they had a system worked out. I find it a bit ridiculous that they would be found camping in the area just like that, only hidden by disillusionment charms. And a blood trail? Badly closed canister? It's way too sloppy for someone who worked for the Dark Lord for 20 years. Something about it just doesn't feel right..." he mused, Charlie barely able to keep up with the stream of words.

"Alright hold on, are you saying they had some sort of help from the inside with this?" he asked incredulously. To him, it was simply unimaginable. They were such a tight-knit group in Romania, all firm believers in the protection of these precious creatures that something like this was simply not possible. But here...the reserve was vast. A few scales and pints of blood here and there, it could work from a logistic point of view.

Draco looked at him and nodded. "That's what I think. I may be wrong, but I just have a feeling, you know." he tried to explain.

Charlie nodded. "I trust your judgement. We have a couple of days, and it will be Dylan and I that will be in charge of gaining information from them. Perhaps we will be able to get them to talk. If not, we will have to do this very carefully to not raise suspicion." he mused.

They had a long few days ahead of them, but it would be worth it to protect the dragons and the reserve...