Fiery Dragon | 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘺

Chapter 03

The morning had come too quickly, the first of many long days ahead, Mrs Winters waited for Mr Weasley to be back from the morning feeding time before she woke Jessica up.

Little did she know Jessica was already awake hoping that everything had been a dream, but the screeching sound of a Dragon's roar, brought her mind back to reality she was really here, in Romania. Mrs Winters knocked on her door, waking Jessica even more.

"Come in," Jessica said, sitting up in her bed.

"I thought you might like some breakfast before you start your work," Mrs Winters placed a tray down on top of her bedsides table.

"Thank you, I'll be ready soon," Mrs Winters nodded leaving Jessica to weather breakfast,

She had been given a new set of clothes to save her own from dirt and getting torn. Though Jessica hoped she wouldn't be doing anything that may involve her clothes being torn. Jessica got dressed, she cringed at her appearance, she walked downstairs carrying her plate into the kitchen. Charlie was sat in the kitchen, he looked up from the table when Jessica walked in.

"I'll be with you in a second, I just need a drink before we go," Jessica nodded sitting at the table with him.

"What will we be doing today?" she asked

"Just for today, I'll show you around you can meet some of the animals, then tomorrow, I'll put you to work," he explained

"Which creatures?" she asked

"I thought you could tell me," he said, with a smile on his face "would be nice to see what you know," Jessica nodded, but her eyes widened, she didn't know much about any creatures, this day was going to be long and embarrassing.

"I told you, I don't have experience with creatures-

"Correction, you told me you didn't have experience with dragons, not other animals," he reminded her.

"Okay, I'll give you that, but I still don't have any experience with other creatures either,"

"Animals," he said

"What?" she questioned

"They're animals, not creatures, creatures makes them sound cruel," Charlie told her

"I'm sorry," she said

"It's not your fault the whole of wizarding society refers to them as creatures or monsters in some cases," he said, "here we don't see them like that, just animals that need a second chance," Charlie explained, Jessica smiled at him.

"You care for these crea- animals a lot don't you?" she asked, he nodded

"Yes, they can be a lot nicer than people sometimes," Charlie said, Jessica eyed him curiously she couldn't understand how someone could have such faith in animals, they couldn't communicate with, but she could tell her cared deeply for them.

"Right well, we best get started," he said, heading out of the kitchen, Jessica followed behind him. "Grab two of them buckets for me," Charlie told her, Jessica picked up two buckets filled with bits of vegetables and insects

'At least this creature didn't eat meat'

Charlie walked fast, Jessica struggled to keep up with him, Charlie stopped at a low fenced enclosure, though you couldn't see where the enclosure ended, 'Probably magical boundaries containing the creatures' she thought. Charlie climbed over the fence, gesturing for the buckets, Jessica handed them to him.

"Come in, these little guys are harmless," Charlie said,

Jessica looked around, the enclosure, not a creature in sight. She cautiously climbed over the fence. Charlie clapped his hands, causing an echo of his clap to travel throughout the lush green field. Bluish-pink birds came running towards them

"Charlie said they were harmless, no need to be scared Jess," she said out loud to herself

"Do you know what they are?" Charlie said, though Jessica didn't hear him, he waved his hand in front of her face.

"What?" she asked

"I said do you know what they are?" he asked again, Jessica took a look at them.

"Erm, they look like dodos," she said

"That's what muggles call them, these are Diricawls," Charlie explained

"Diricawls," Jessica said, making a mental note of them, they had all crowded around Charlie knowing he had come to feed them, which made Jessica feel better that they wouldn't come near her.

"Alright, alright wait a minute," he told them,

Jessica saw smaller ones that seemed to be getting pushed around by the bigger ones, they were a sandy colour rather than blue pink. Charlie threw some of the food high in the air, at first Jessica thought the Diricawls would have flown after the food, but the appeared in the air, then back on the ground.

"How did they do that," she asked, Charlie turned to her,

"They can apparate, well all except this little guy," Charlie said, picking up one of the smaller ones, cradling it in his arms, two other small ones, climbed into the bucket of food,

"Hey!" he said, "hold him," Charlie handed small Diricawl to Jessica, she held it with her arm outstretched, while Charlie took the two small Diricawls out of the bucket "greedy little sods," he said, putting them down on the floor, he turned to Jessica and the squirming Diricawl in her hands.

"What are doing?" he asked

"I'm holding it," Jessica said, trying to not let her shaky voice betray her.

"It's a baby, not a bomb," Charlie said,

"I'm sorry, I'm not used to this," she said, hoping he'd take it from her.

"Hold him, like you'd hold a quaffle," he said

"This is how I would hold a quaffle," Charlie laughed at her,

"Here," Charlie put one of her hands under the baby Diricawls feet to stop him squirming,

"Can I put it down?" Jessica asked,

"Yes, carefully though," Jessica put the baby on the floor, the baby Diricawl, attempt to run to others tripping over its own feet.

"Sorry," she told Charlie

"Don't be he's a little clumsy," Charlie told her.

"Why can't he apparate like the others," she asked, trying to take an interest

"His egg was rejected, the mother didn't want to hatch him," Charlie said, watching the baby mingle with the other Diricawls "So I hatched him, but without a mother to teach him, it'll be difficult for him," he explained

"Isn't there something you can do?" Jessica asked

"I'm hoping if he spends enough time in here he'll learn from watching the others, but so far no luck," Charlie said explained

"Why did his mother reject his egg?" Jessica asked curious to know why a mother would reject her baby.

"It happens sometimes, an egg might roll out of the nest, most mothers put them back but not all,"

Jessica could see perfectly clear just how much Charlie cared for these creatures, he went out of his way to hatch an egg that otherwise would have become food for another creature if they lived in the wild.

"Come on, we've got lots more to see," Charlie said, climbing back over the fence, he waited for Jessica, she felt more confident now, Diricawls weren't so bad.

Jessica 1, Creature 0