Tamed

Chapter 5. Rigescunt indutae

"Nah. I always wanted to be a dragon keeper" Charlie said, tapping his fingers on the desk. All the other boys were huddled together in the middle of the classroom talking about the prospective careers they wanted to land in. Nathan who was sitting by the edge of the desk, pondered for a while "I am not sure though.. I mean I wanted to be a dragon keeper myself. But after having a small chit chat with Mr Antonovich yesterday, I was thinking maybe I should work at the legal wing. It's a promising career really. I could roll in galleons. What say Ezra?" he asked , turning to Ezra, who was standing beside him.

"I don't know" he shrugged "I haven't given it much thought. It's only been two weeks since we got here. I think there is still time to decide"

Natalie and Marshall stepped into the class and went to take their seat at the far right end. The boys exchanged looks. They liked messing with those two. It gave them some kind of satisfaction which they could neither explain nor comprehend. "Well Well.. Miss Scott is here! And her little pet Flicker" Nathan said, getting up from his seat and dramatically slow walked towards where she was sitting.

"Scott.. We were talking about different career options. And we know where exactly you would end up after this training" he said, crossing his arms against his chest.

"And where's that Nathan?" asked Ezra, playing along.

"The kitchen at WICKED!" Nathan snorted, winking at the others. All the boys laughed at his comment. Natalie rolled her eyes.

They heard a chuckle outside the door and suddenly the door opened. A short, plump wizard entered the classroom. He was in his seventies. The thick hair on his head had completely turned white and a bushy moustache adorned his cheerful face.

"Good Morning boys!! " He chirped enthusiastically and scanned the faces before him. "Oh dear I forgot we had a girl this year. Good Morning Miss Scott! It's nice to have a girl at WICKED. Finally!" he sighed and winked at her.

"Ooh I forgot to introduce myself. I am Theodre Chapman by the way and I am here to teach you the tricks and tips for dealing with dragons" he said, leaning against the desk for support.

"We are not here to fight dragons, Gentlemen" he said "And lady of course" he chuckled. We are here to keep them, to control them, to care for them. And for mastering the art of Dragon Keeping, you need to brush up your defense skills, your knowledge in charms, the transfiguration tricks and a bit of Herbology too. You lot are not ready to be exposed to real dragons yet, so I will be transfiguring this tall statue of dragon standing idly behind you, into a live one. They all looked behind their shoulders anxiously. "Now don't you worry. I am not going to do it without a warning" he chuckled.

Chapman coughed to catch the attention of his fellow trainees. "So back to our topic" he began "Dragons are undebatably the most vicious creatures in the magical world. Knowledge and physical fitness is essential, but not sufficient to deal with dragons. Application is what matters the most. Practical thinking and your ability to make quick but intelligent judgement will decide your fate"

"Draconifors" he muttered swishing his wand and flicking at the tall dragon statue. The dragon spread it wings gently and whipped open it's pupil less, multi colored eyes. It craned and straightened its neck as if waking up from a deep dreamless sleep.

"Antipodean Opaleye" Charlie muttered under his breath. All the people present in the very room admired the beautiful features of the giant creature standing in front of them. The scales on its skin shimmered in the sun rays which penetrated into the room through the windows. "Wow!" Natalie whispered. The long silence in the room was broken by the blaring roar of the dragon.