The Red Dragon | Charlie Weasley

Chapter 6

To quote her best friend Acelina: 'You are always doing things without thinking them through, Haela. One day, that is what going to get you killed.'

Thus far, it hasn't and Haela likes to take the risk. If it turns out she miscalculated the risk after, at least she dies in a way she can be proud of in the afterlife.

She can hear Kadrick's protests as she ascends the hill in the direction of where Isaac is working with the Ukranian Ironbelly. Haela ignores the Hit Wizard and can hear the other Hit Wizard tell Kadrick how she got balls and he doesn't.

"Haela, hello, hello!" Isaac greets her halfway. He has stepped away from the dragon and is leaning against the fence separating the training grounds with the path leading to the camp, "This is my Suzy. Isn't she beautiful?"

The metallic grey colour of the dragon's scales shimmers in the sunlight and Haela watches as the dragon lifts its head up. Two deep red eyes stare at her.

"Can I pet her?" Haela asks the head-Dragonologist. The older wizard looks between Haela and the dragon before nodding enthusiastically, "Of course, of course! She's a bit grumpy today, but it should be fine for you to pet her. Do not make any sudden movement, and you'll be good."

A smile forms on Haela's face. She rolls up the sleeves of her shirt and climbs over the fence.

"Be careful!"

Haela turns around to see Kadrick and Josué arriving where Isaac is still leaning against the fence. She sends Kadrick a smile and takes a few steps backward with her arms stretched: "When am I not being careful?"

Behind the three men, she can see Charlie and Aurora coming from the direction of the camp and heading in their direction.

When Haela turns back to Suzy, the dragon is regarding her with interest. As she steps closer, Haela slows her movements and holds out a hand. The dragon is enormous and Haela suspects it is only going to get larger as it gets older. Suzy's long talons scrape the ground as Haela gets closer.

Three feet. She needs to get within three feet to get the five Galleons from Josué.

Suddenly, Suzy snaps her head to look at something behind her. Haela follows the dragon's gaze and freezes. There is someone coming towards them, making their way up over the rock formation. The ground ends abruptly a couple of feet behind the dragon and opens into a ravine with a small river flowing through it.

A bad feeling creeps up Haela's spine when she spots the firearm the man is holding in his hands. He hasn't seen her as he tries to climb up the rocks without dropping his rifle.

"That's not three feet, Peucag!"

Josué's voice helps Haela out of her trance and she looks over her shoulder. Suzy must be obscuring the view of the man from the others. Josué is gesturing for her to get a move on, but when Haela takes another step forward, Suzy growls.

The man is getting closer and closer and Haela needs to decide what to do. If she screams for the others, the Muggle – she assumes he is a Muggle since he is holding a firearm instead of a wand – will be alerted he has been spotted and might start shooting. A wave of panic shoots through Haela when she realises she doesn't know if dragons can get hurt by bullets. Muggle technology rivals the strongest spells on a good day.

She lets her wand lower out of the holder on her right forearm and into her hand. After a deep breath, Haela dares another step forward.

Another growl comes from Suzy, louder this time, and from the corner of her eye, Haela can see the dragon look between Haela and the Muggle. The sound has made the Muggle look up and when his eyes lock with Haela, he raises the rifle.