Spit Fire [Charlie Weasley]

Chapter 4: Dragon's Peak and Lizard's Valley

Charlie, Zander, and Quin walked me back to my small cottage late that night after further enforcing the rules to me. Quin was tall and blonde, with a little bit of muscle to him, but plenty of scarring to prove he worked with dragons. He often wore inch thick glasses due to his poor eyesight and wore an abundance of dragon leather. Quin was a dragon keeper, and was battle hardened by watching over eight of his friends die by dragons.
Zander was short, shorter than I am. He had a beaky, large nose and a scar running down his neck. He had dark hair and constantly wore gloves. Zander was squirrely and nervous, but bring up dragons and it was like talking to a completely different person. Although they were a few years older than me, I wasn't as nervous around them as I was around Charlie. Charlie was a completely different breed compared to them...

After Zander tried for the eighteenth time to tell me not to snuggle with my sick dragon friend, Heffy, I finally told him that rules to me are more like an instruction manual. You may need them, but more than often you throw it away. He threw in the towel after that.

"So, did you learn anything today?" Quin asked me as we walked through the forest.
"Apparently not, I've still got to go back tomorrow." I sighed and I heard Charlie chuckle, causing me to blush.
"Wow, you live here?" Zander muttered.
"Yeah, it's beautiful, isn't it?!" I chirped happily.
"Looks like a jungle." Quin said pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. I promptly smacked him.
"It's a forest you twit."
"You can hardly see the house!" Quin argued.
"Well, it just needs a little grooming!" I snapped at him, crossing my arms over my chest.
"A little?! Oh for criminy-are you mad?!"
"Completely," I answered nodding my head.
"And entirely." Charlie agreed with a smile as I walked them down the crowded stone path. I withdrew my wand, muttering about how idiotic Zander was acting.

"Difindo," I said and pointed my wand down one side of the path, the light green spell slicing through the thick shrubbery and left more room on the path. I pointed my wand at the other side and uttered the spell again before turning with an impatient glare on my face. "Better?"
"Barely." Quin scoffed and I raised my wand at him warningly. "I warn you, I'm capable of dishing one hell of a skull mutating hex!"
"Fine. It looks fine." Quin grumbled, and I turned on my heel and I walked into my little cottage, Charlie, Zander and Quin following suit. Upon entering, I swept my wand through the air and opened the windows and turned on a light. Now that I got a chance to really look at this place, I realized it was rather empty. It had a few rickety recliners and couches in the living room crowded around a fireplace that was unlit, and the kitchen was bare, empty and dusty.

"Huh, cozy," Charlie said and I blushed, his presence in my house sending me mixed signals.
"I'd offer you drinks or food but I just moved in, so I don't have anything..." I mumbled awkwardly. Zander pointed his wand at the two recliners and the couch and a spell shot out, hitting the three. Suddenly, they were being fluffed as dust erupted into the air and Quin sent an air spell out his now withdrawn wand that pushed the motes of dust out the window.
"So are you two just going to clean for me?"
"I hate the smell of dust..." Zander muttered crinkling up his beaky nose and I smiled repentfully. "You could use some throw rugs and quilts and blankets...rather empty in here..."
"What are you? My housemaid and decorator?" I jested at him and Zander rolled his eyes. "Well, maybe not you, but Quin does seem to favor a witch more than a wizard."
"You're a brat." Quin glared at me playfully.
"Always."
"Need I remind you, your house is still filthy..." Zander quietly piped up.

"I know..." I sighed. I pointed my wand at the kitchen. "Scourgify." Instantly, the kitchen started to brighten as the dust vanished. "Well, gentlemen, if that'll be all then I'll see you in the morning bright eyed and bushy tailed!"

With a nod, Zander and Quin apparated but Charlie stayed behind a moment longer. "What's up?" I asked when he still didn't leave. He seemed to hesitate but he continued.
"Look, this job it can get really dangerous. I'm your personal instructor, not your bodyguard," I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. "Not to say that I won't stick my neck out for you, but I've received plenty of battle scars from all the times I screwed up and wasn't careful enough. I'm warning you, where we're going tomorrow, you need to be on your guard."
"A-And where are we going?"
"Well it's your first day of work, right?" Charlie offered up an excited smile. "You're going to be doing a little field study. Wild dragons."
"Oh, wow..."
"Yep! So rest up! Bring your log journal and study books. I'll be waiting on you at the sanctuary at five a.m. Remember, bright eyed and bushy tailed." Charlie laughed and winked before disapparating.