Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.

Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. Feel free to back out if need be.

Author's Note: Yes, I held this piece until the 14th. And I may not actually be on Tumblr, but I've seen the screencaps of that post with Charlie dressing the hatchlings in onesies because of Molly pressing him for grandbabies.

Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Ministry (Winter Year 1); RAVEN (2023); MC4A (Winter Year 5)
Individual Challenges: Old Shoes (Y); Bucket Listing (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Two Cakes (Y); Setting Sail; Lunar Era
Ministry Challenges: Valentine Exchange (Draco/Charlie); RRD [Day 12] (Draco/Charlie; Dragons)
RAVEN Challenges: Settings [94](Mountains); Items [70](Knit Hat); Colors [67](Indigo)
Other Challenges: Zee Monthly [Day 19](Short)
Other MC4A Challenges: Ship (n/a)[WiMic1 (Bodyguard)]; Chim [Rick]("Louder than Words" – Tick, Tick, Boom; Life/Death);Fire [x3](Zoology); Hang [Phrase 4] (n/a); Soup [I](Indigo)
Representation(s): Draco Malfoy/Charlie Weasley; Post War; Romanian Dragon Preserve
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Gingersnap; Suddenly Audrey; Fruit Fly
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: Share (Ameliorate); AD (Amphibian)
Word Count: 768 words

(^^)
Tour de Draco
(^^)

Charlie was an experienced dragon handler. He had worked with dragons for the past 10 years, and he had been obsessed with them since long before he had gotten the chance to take any classes in how to care for any magical creature. He had seen many baby dragons come and go, watching them grow and develop over the years.

He had seen nearly as many handlers do the same. Dragon handling wasn't for the faint of heart. It was a tough field to break into, highly specialized by not only species but also the specific aspect. Not to mention how dangerous it was working with dragons in any role. Just as many careers ended with a major injury or death as ended by someone walking away before they ended up on the wrong end of a dragon.

Thus even small preserves were always looking for new handlers. Being in constant need, most preserves were willing to bend a lot of requirements for an applicant. It was unfortunate that matriculating at Hogwarts wasn't the boon that most British citizens wanted to believe it was. It fell short on multiple subjects but especially on the vital Care of Magical Creatures. Kettleburn was bad enough as a professor, especially on the topic of safe handling for both the creature and the wix, but Hagrid was in a whole another class of horrid. Charlie guessed that was only to be expected when the professor of a subject didn't even have OWLs in it, let alone NEWTs.

(Hagrid was a nice enough bloke, Charlie mentally reminded himself. He just lacked the skill sets necessary to be an effective teacher, primarily an understanding that humans were more fragile than anyone with giant heritage was.)

Charlie was now showing a new handler, Draco Malfoy, around the preserve. He had just been accepted for an apprenticeship and was eager to learn more about the dragons. He was also a graduate of Hogwarts, though he had been Sorted into Slytherin the same year as Charlie's youngest brother. By all accounts, the kid had been as much of a snotnose brat as his name would suggest, but Charlie could see how the war had changed him. He could certainly sympathize with the urge to run away from Britain.

They started the tour of the Romanian Dragon Preserve at the nursery. Charlie proudly showed Draco the newborn dragons, barely weeks old. He explained the importance of providing a safe and healthy environment for them to grow up in, and how they were closely monitored to ensure the best possible care. He demonstrated the proper way to handle the dragons, carefully scooping up the small ones and cradling them close.

Charlie talked at length about why each hatchling had been dressed in a tiny onesie and equally tiny knit hats, trying to make it seem like a decision made for the rational reason of keeping them warm and not the entirely sentimental one of how cute they looked.

Draco watched in wonder as Charlie introduced him to the dragons. He pointed out the different breeds, and their individual personalities. He marveled at how Charlie could tell them apart by seemingly more than the different onesies. Yet at the same time, Draco was starting to notice the tiny differences between them. All the hours of lessons that his mother had required of him as a proper pureblood meant he noticed the variations in the shade of indigo spots on two hatchlings from the same nest.

Charlie then took Draco to the training field and showed him how he worked with the older dragons.

He explained the different commands and showed him how to safely approach a dragon, always staying mindful of the dragon's boundaries. He also showed him the basics of flight training, and how to make sure the dragon was comfortable and safe while flying.

Finally, they went to the feeding area. Charlie explained the importance of feeding the dragons a balanced diet, full of both meat and vegetables. He showed off the different types of food for various dragons, including the jammy dodgers that Charlie baked himself using a recipe he had learned from Tonks when they were attending Hogwarts together. The Ridgebacks particularly loved the ones made with blackberry jam.

At the end of the day, Draco had learned a great deal about dragon handling. He felt as though he had gained valuable knowledge and felt more confident in his new role. Charlie was a great teacher, and Draco was grateful for the chance to learn from him. It didn't hurt that he was far cuter than any Weasley had any right to be. Those freckles should be illegal.

Draco was definitely looking forward to kissing every single one of them sometime hopefully in the near future.