The Girl Who Saw Tomorrow II » Harry Potter

2.6 | The Romanian Dragon Sanctuary

Falling into a vortex and reappearing in a foreign country was never fun, especially if the air was thinner and the sun was higher.

"Hello? ...Are you all right?"

Margaret mumbled something, disorientated. What was up and where was down?

"Good," says the person cheerfully, apparently having taken her death groan as a signal that she was alive. "I thought I was going to make a fool out of myself by turning up late but then I saw you flailing around in the water."

It was then that Margaret noticed the wetness seeping into the back of her shirt; causing her to yelp and flap her arms like a useless penguin, afraid she would drown. Something clanged loudly next to her and she looked down to find herself still clutching the rusty old bucket in the... few inches of water underneath.

Margaret paused, sitting up in the low stream and coming face-to-face with a freckled-faced man with bright red hair tied into a short ponytail over his broad shoulders. He squinted down at her, smiling bemusedly.

"Not used to portkeys, I see?"

Clearly, the man was a wizard, and there was something familiar in the way he was grinning crookedly; it reminded her of Ginny.

"...Charlie?" Margaret croaks.

"The one and only," says Charlie Weasley amiably, offering her a big hand which she took. Helping her to her feet, he gestures around, "Welcome to Cetățile Ponorului or Fortress of Ponor, Transylvania, Romania! Famous for its caves, a fast-flowing river and a sense of adventure. But for witches and wizards, the main attractions are the dragons."

He ended with a dramatic laugh, spreading his arms wide and almost knocking Margaret off of her feet again.

"Huh," mutters she, looking around.

They were surrounded by a forest with the stream flowing amidst the trees, right where Margaret had the misfortune of landing. In the distance, however, she could see a magnificent cliff-face several hundred feet in height with a gateway-like opening so big that she could almost imagine a dragon flying through it.

Charlie turned to her quizzically. "You are Margaret Xenakis, aren't you?"

"Er, yeah... I am," she confirms, feeling her head starting to settle. "Shouldn't you have asked that before informing about the dragons?"

"Uh, yeah, maybe..." he gives her a sheepish grin before beginning to walk. "Nevermind that, let's get going, shall we? Romania is two hours ahead of Scotland so it's twenty minutes past nine in the morning. I s'pose, you came from Hogwarts? The entrance to the sanctuary is a bit into the caves, this way, it's a small hike- Oh you're drenched; you can't use your wand I was told. Here let me help."

Before Margaret knew it, Charlie had extracted his wand from within his sleeve and a blast of warm air hit her, causing her to stumble back slightly before bracing her footing. Just as soon, it stopped, and Margaret was dry once more.

Charlie grinned at her, motioning to follow as he began trekking down the forest path. Shaking her head to herself, she followed at a brisk pace.

Charlie seemed as welcoming and trusting as any other Weasley. He was a few inches shorter than Fred, George and Bill, even Ron who was now the tallest in their family, but their resemblance was clear. He already reminded Margaret of Ginny the most.

"So, are you planning on studying dragons?" asks Charlie, stepping over a root of a tree.

"I'm not sure, actually," she answers. "What has Dumbledore told you about me?"