Marauders - Always - Part One

CLXIX: Rubeus

There was a real celebration in the mess hall late that afternoon at Fortescue's Dragon Training Academy's chalet. Everyone had celebrated when the Fireball, Short-Snout, and Welsh Green had been selected among the dragons to become the first task of the Triwizard Tournament and now they were celebrating equally hard in honor of Charlie Weasley's Norwegian Ridgeback that had been chosen as the fourth for the unexpected fourth Champion's challenger. Florean joined the lads in celebrating, raising toasts and shouts of pride at the trainers whose dragons would be going to the fray. The other three, who were beaming and flushed with joy at being recognized a second time for their dragon's accomplishments, were having a grand time of it. Charlie Weasley, however, sat in the furthest corner of the hall he could squeak away to without being pulled back by Florean, and poured over a book that lay flat on the table in front of him.

Reginald Braves sauntered over - trainer of the Short-Snout that would be going, Reginald was having a great night of it himself and had been stopped several times to receive slaps on the back from his fellow trainers as he made his way over to Charlie's side. His shadow was cast over the table and the book Charlie was looking at when he sat on the table beside Charlie's book, holding two large steins of beer. The steins were shaped so that the handles were dragons coiled around mountain tops carved into the sides of the glass. Foam fuzzed over the top of the stein and splashed a bit as Reginald put one down on the table and pushed it toward Charlie. Charlie rushed to pluck his book up off the table before any of the spilled beer foam could touch the red cover or pages of the book.

"What's that you're readin' at a time like this?" asked Reginald, laughing merrily as he reached for the tome. 

"Nothing," Charlie answered, and he snatched at it to get it back but Reginald had already gained the grip on it and pulled it up to inspect it. He laughed and handed it back to Charlie, "I had that book when I was a lad, too," he announced. "What are you doing reading a children's book about dragons, Charlie?"

Charlie hadn't really been reading it, just running his fingers over the pictures and calming down. He shook his head, not wanting to explain it to Reginald.

Luckily, Reginald wasn't much interested beyond the initial question. His booming voice asked, "Ah - you must be very proud of Norberta, 'ey? Getting to fly her to Hogwarts and see her compete in the task! What an honor, isn't it? I've been training with Gretchen since we got word we'd be going. I've heard Kevin's been training Gwenold and Yuri's been working double with Xiang as well. You're welcome to come up to the fold with us and train with Norberta anytime. Haven't got a lot of time for it now, have you? They sure do know how to spring a surprise on a guy..."

Charlie replied, "I've already trained Norberta. She listens to me. I don't need to practice."

Reginald might've mocked this but he remembered how Norberta had slid into her cave at Charlie's command and he shook his head. A lot of the trainers at Fortescue's were jealous of Charlie's natural skill and connection with both of his dragons.

Indeed, when Zuzu the Horntail had been brought in, feral and angry, Charlie Weasley had been the only one that had been able to get anywhere near her, which was why Florean had given her to him. Indeed, Zuzu had been flown in after being rescued from the dragon trade and she had a swatch of her scales that had been torn off her hind leg that had been harvested as the traders had begun their work of shearing her when the rescue teams had arrived. She was especially sensitive by the time she arrived to Fortescue's and had been tied up out in the fold, tethered down. The tethering had only made her more ferocious - it was too much like the trader's bindings, Charlie realized, and he'd gone out in the middle of the night, wrapped in his leathers, and cut her free save for one lead that he had used to strap himself onto her back when she took flight. Charlie had talked to her as she flew over the Romanian mountains, angry and puffing in frustration, soothed her, until she'd finally calmed and allowed him to slip the guiding harness around her neck and lead her back home to the fold.