|
|
|
last online Mar 28, 2024 18:20:09 GMT -7
|
|
|
Oct 29, 2016 18:23:07 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2016 18:23:07 GMT -7
Addi had sent an owl to Charlie Weasley last week, asking him a few questions and if they could meet up to talk. This past summer Addilyn had done a lot of thinking over what she wanted to do as a career, and it eventually ended up as something with animals. And over the past month, she'd decided that dragons were the choice. They absolutely fascinated her, and although she was only in her sixth year, she figured it wasn't a bad thing to get that stuff sorted out soon, right? That way she could tell which classes she'd need to do her seventh year, and even if there's anything else she needs on her belt before she graduates.
It was finally Sunday, and she hadn't told Edmund about this. She just told him she'd meet him later that afternoon, as right now it was fairly early in the morning. She walked into Madame Puddifoots, dressed quite nicely. Addilyn had a feeling that this would be similar to an interview for a job, and she wanted to make a good impression, at least she hoped she would. Slightly nervous, but even more excited, Addi sat down at a booth and ordered a muffin and a hot coffee; she'd just eat breakfast when she got back to Hogwarts. Right now, she was a bit too nervous to eat anything large.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Mar 28, 2024 18:20:09 GMT -7
|
|
|
Nov 6, 2016 11:40:24 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2016 11:40:24 GMT -7
@jill2 He had received a letter from a student that wasn’t one of his children. It happened at least once or twice a year, and had been going on for as long as he could remember. Basically, at some point after the last Triwizard Tournament was held at Hogwarts, there had been a huge rise in interest in dragons. That was good. He needed all the help he could get with research and keeping them hidden. The muggles had better technology now, at least that’s what Harper was always telling him, and the last thing he needed was one of them picking up a dragon on one of their cameras and sending it all over. Everyone always thought the Daily Prophet used to be bad with spreading rumors as news, apparently muggle media was even worse these days. Taking a few steps back though; he was traveling to Hogsmeade to meet a girl that was interested in dragons.
But why did they have to meet in Madame Puddifoot’s? Unless the little shop had changed drastically since he had been in school there, which he doubted would happen, it seemed kind of…a strange location to pick to talk about dragons. There were a few times he had been dragged there by girlfriends while in school, and he could never get the horrid smell of the place out of his nose. Then again, that had always been around Valentine’s Day, and this wasn’t anywhere close to being that time of year yet. Stepping up to the door, Charlie took a deep breath and pushed it open. Surprisingly it wasn’t too bad. Of course he got a few strange looks from some of the students in there. He had tried to tidy himself up a little, something that had rarely happened in his younger days, but as his wife had pointed out that morning, he still had that wild man look about him. He couldn’t help it, thirty years of dealing with dragons did that to a person no matter who they were.
Charlie realized that he had no idea what this girl looked like. He knew her name of course, that much had been made clear. The last thing he wanted to do was make a big show of it though. Had they been in any other Hogsmeade establishment, calling out would have been more than acceptable. Madame Puddifoot’s wasn’t though. It was tiny, and it looked like his mere presence was enough to disturb the other patrons. At least none of them in there were his younger relatives. That would have been a nice little shock, watching good old Uncle Charlie the dragon-hunter walking into a popular date spot. The stories would be endless at Christmas. Looking around the small shop a few more times, he finally spotted a small blonde girl sitting on her own. Unless she was waiting for someone else, she was the only one in there that wasn’t already paired up with another person. Strolling over to the table, Charlie looked down at her. “Addilyn Slater?” He extended out his hand, just in case it was her. “I’m Charlie Weasley. I heard you like dragons too.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Mar 28, 2024 18:20:09 GMT -7
|
|
|
Nov 6, 2016 14:52:05 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2016 14:52:05 GMT -7
Addilyn took a small bite of her muffin, her eyes dancing around the small shop. Only a few students were here, and she hadn't spotted Charlie Weasley just yet. She knew what he looked like, as the Weasley's were a very well known family, so it wouldn't be hard to spot him as soon as he had entered. Not only that, but she went to school with his three children, and while not very close to any of them, Addi hoped this would all work out in her favor. The door swung open and as soon as Addi glanced up, Charlie was standing right beside her.
Addi stood up, smiling and smoothing out her skirt. She grabbed his hand and gave it a nice shake. "Hello Mr. Weasley! Yes, I'm Addilyn Slater, it's very nice to meet you." Letting go of his hand, Addi nodded her head. "I do like dragons! I like many animals, but dragon's are one of my favorites." Addi sat down once more, hoping he would as well and not just stand there. "I've already ordered some food and a drink, if you'd like to do so as well."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Mar 28, 2024 18:20:09 GMT -7
|
|
|
Nov 7, 2016 11:37:42 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2016 11:37:42 GMT -7
@jill2 It looked like this girl was the right one. Almost immediately upon introducing himself, she was on her feet and shaking his hand. Quite the energy this one had. They all started off like that though. Only a few rare occasions where a new dragonologist could keep it going for years on end. Charlie liked to think he was one of those exceptions, still not slowing down all these years later. His wife would say otherwise, but he still felt like he had a few more years left in him. He had hoped at least one of the kids would have followed in his footsteps before he retired. Now that had turned into at least one niece or nephew. Hopefully.
In the few seconds that Addilyn was standing up, Charlie did quick deductions on her. She was small. Very small. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing in the field, since it meant she had less for the beasts to grab on to should they have the chance. Today wasn’t an athletics examination though, it was an information session. She had the right attitude for it though, he had started the same way. His love for magical creatures ended up pushing him towards dragons and that was that. Facing the girl, Charlie dropped his jacket on the inside of the booth and took a seat. Letting out a small chuckle as she said he could order something, he waved the waitress over and a coffee. “So where do you want me to start? Expectations for the job, NEWT requirements, training, dealing with dragons…I can go on and on about this, so it’s probably best if I let you ask the questions, and I’ll try and answer them the best I can.” Every time he met a student to talk about this stuff, it seemed to go different. Most just wanted to be magizoologists, but decided to see what the crazy, thrill-seeking dragonologists had to offer too. Lucky for them, they always ended up talking to him. Charlie liked to think that was a bonus.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Mar 28, 2024 18:20:09 GMT -7
|
|
|
Nov 8, 2016 10:13:55 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2016 10:13:55 GMT -7
Once Addilyn sat down, she kept a bright smile on her face as she watched Charlie take off his coat and sit. He was tall, but a bit lanky, at least in her opinion. She could see some of his children in his facial features but she tried not to focus on that. Charlie didn't seem to be too intimidating, but then again, Addilyn didn't really consider many people to be intimidating. She threw herself into almost everything with grace and joy, just as she was named.
She took a small bite of her muffin as Charlie spoke. Addilyn wanted to know everything, absolutely everything there was to get started on all of this. Grinning, Addi reached down in the seat next to her and grabbed her parchment and pen. She began neatly writing headings here and there about everything Charlie said. Taking a sip of her tea she tilted her head. "Well, let's start with the NEWT requirements as that is my next step in all of this." She smiled, pen at the ready. Addi hoped to get as much information as possible.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Mar 28, 2024 18:20:09 GMT -7
|
|
|
Nov 27, 2016 12:56:58 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2016 12:56:58 GMT -7
@jill2 Tapping his fingers along the table as he thought over the NEWT requirements again, Charlie realized that there really weren’t too many he could think of. Hogwarts liked setting these standards so the students would continue to go to classes, but in actuality they weren’t required for a specific job. If someone was good enough, they were going to be sought after and hired no matter what. When it came down to it, skill and a sharp mind was what he needed for his team, not someone who knew how to score well on a bunch of tests. Of course, he wasn’t going to tell her that, since that meant she would probably slack off. Maybe there was some good to the tests after all, keeping the students in line. “To start, definitely Care of Magical Creatures. Most of those students will be looking to get into other fields, and they’ll never show you a dragon, but it’s good to know about everything, since we still come across them out in Romania. Plus smugglers that have dragons will probably have other creatures as well, so dealing with them does happen.” Unfortunately more often than not.
Seeing that Addilyn was writing everything down, Charlie slowed up. It was clear she was serious about this. While waiting, his coffee was brought over and he took a sip. Not too bad, but he expected better. In the end, coffee was coffee though. “You probably will also want to pursue Charms and Defense against the Dark Arts. Obviously we have to subdue them quite a bit, so those will come in handy as well.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Mar 28, 2024 18:20:09 GMT -7
|
|
|
Nov 29, 2016 13:14:00 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2016 13:14:00 GMT -7
Addilyn was getting more and more excited as he spoke. Most people didn't know what she wanted to do with her career except Edmund. Even Claire and Grey didn't know yet, and the closer and closer it was getting the happier she was getting. Addilyn knew Edmund wanted to do Quidditch...at least that's what he had said prior. But as Mr. Weasley began speaking, Addilyn was writing. She was definitely serious about all of this; her two older siblings were both going into the same career as Aurors. Addi had never wanted to get into that field, animals are what she always loved.
"That's good, I'm in all three." She smiled at Charlie and sipped her coffee again, and took another bite of her muffin, then washed it down with the rest of her tea. She finished writing and rested down her quill, requesting the waiter for another tea. Addilyn glanced up at Charlie and spoke, "What does training entail? And when can I start training? Am I able to do any type of side assignments while still at Hogwarts or have I got to wait until I've graduated?" She was speaking quickly, but she wanted to make sure everything was thrown out now so she wasn't confused in the future.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Mar 28, 2024 18:20:09 GMT -7
|
|
|
Dec 11, 2016 0:26:11 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2016 0:26:11 GMT -7
@jill2 This one was eager. That was good. Young blood and spirit would energize the rest of the dragonologists. Not that they were lazy or anything, they did tame dragons all day long, hard to be sluggish when a beast as big as a dragon was flying straight at you, claws outstretched and fire whipping out from its mouth. If anything, events like that were what kept all of them on their toes. Charlie took another sip of his coffee as Addilyn mentioned she was in all three of the classes he had briefly covered. Care of Magical Creatures was the key class. Most students dropped it as soon as they could, opting for more specialized classes instead. It saddened his heart to know that people didn’t want to enjoy the outdoors and the things that inhabited it. Some of the most important things he had learned about dealing with dragons and other creatures came from that class, mostly because it kept him from getting killed on a semi-regular basis. He had thought Hagrid taking over the position all those years ago would be a step in the right direction, and it was for a time, but after he retired things seemed to go back to the way they had been before.
Charlie was pulled from his reminiscing by Addilyn’s next question. Training. Yes that was important. Especially for surviving. “Technically you can only start training once you’ve graduated, and unfortunately there’s nothing I’m aware of at the school that can help you, other than those classes and studying on your own." He stopped, letting her write all of that down before continuing. “The library doesn’t have a great selection of books on dragons, but there are still some. If you haven’t read them yet, I recommend it.” Not that a book would help with the real thing, but it would definitely give her the background knowledge on how to read a dragon’s emotions and mannerisms, or even what kind of dragon they were dealing with. “As for the actual training, we take you straight into the field. Usually Romania. Since males are a little tamer while in adulthood, we’d get you accustomed to them first and then move you on to the females that haven’t mated yet. While doing all that you’ll start to understand how they interact with each other and with us, as well as how to take one down if necessary. It’s a very hands on learning environment.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Mar 28, 2024 18:20:09 GMT -7
|
|
|
Dec 20, 2016 19:23:30 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2016 19:23:30 GMT -7
Addilyn understood that she couldn't train until after Hogwarts. It made plenty of sense and she also wanted to finish her schooling before she submitted herself to having any damage to herself. The only book Addi had read so far from the library was the first one she had found and what had helped her decision in becoming a Dragonologist. "I'll definitely do that, thank you Mr. Weasley."
Addilyn continued writing in her notebook as he spoke. This was definitely all helping and she was glad she had contacted him to set up this meeting. While she was a bit early, not even in her seventh year yet, Addi knew she was doing the right thing. It also gave her a long time to study more dragons. "Okay...and what are the most common dragons you see? Or, is there anything else you feel the need to tell me, anything I should read up on and study?" She spoke quickly but was easy to understand. Addi took a sip of her drink, smiling, a small blush rising to her cheeks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Mar 28, 2024 18:20:09 GMT -7
|
|
|
Jan 14, 2017 14:36:35 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2017 14:36:35 GMT -7
@jill2 Even more good questions. It did look like the girl was disheartened by not being able to do any kind of training before jumping into the field, but that was the nature of the job unfortunately. A large amount of recruits always ended up going back to magizoology once they learned a little about dragons. Nowadays, communication systems were so good that if one of them crossed a dragon, Charlie and his crew were called in immediately. No need to mess around and have someone that isn’t trained deal with them when he could easily. The lack of books and information was sad as well. He had been working on journals and notes for years, but the sheer lack of interest in the creatures still wasn’t enough to fully produce a book. Maybe someday when he was retired.
The question about common dragons was a different one though. He had to think about the numbers he had in Romania, and what would be considered ‘common’ for their areas. “Pretty much anything in Europe, really. Lots of Common Welsh Greens and Hebridean Blacks, which we’ve removed from England and placed there. That’s why you don’t see dragons much around here anymore. Romanian Longhorns are native to that area as well.” There were plenty of other breeds they had as well. Most recently was the baby Peruvian Vipertooth he had removed from a dealer in Diagon Alley. That little guy tore George’s shop up when he woke up from his nap. “I think the biggest mistake most trainees make is that they assume we have a lot of dragons in Romania. The only ones we keep there are ones breeding, to keep them away from black-market dealers, and young males since their blood is highly sought after. Trust me, getting a dragon to bleed is not an easy feat, so anyone trying to pull that off is an idiot.” He paused for a second. “Any foreign dragons we get, such as ones from the Americas or Asia, we try to send back as fast as possible. They need to be in their native lands as much as possible to keep from cross-breeding and going extinct. We’re basically there to keep the numbers in control, and keep them away from communities.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Mar 28, 2024 18:20:09 GMT -7
|
|
|
Jan 15, 2017 12:15:56 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2017 12:15:56 GMT -7
Addilyn began writing small notes here and there of what Mr. Weasley said, Mostly about what the Dragonologists themselves do, and not what dragons they find. She had been studying different types for a little over a year now, since she was about fourteen years old. So the names Mr. Weasley spoke of were familiar and she had heard of them before, a few she could see in her thoughts even. But what stuck out to her most is what they do with particular dragons, more specifically the young males. Addi hadn't known how sought after their blood was, so that was something she'd like to look into more.
Something he said made her eyebrows go up, and she smiled as she stopped writing with the quill in her hand, and she set it down in the ink. "Sir, how do you know if they're foreign? Isn't there a possibility that say, a Chinese Fireball, while native to China, could have been bred in America without your knowledge?" She was genuinely curious as to how the Dragonologists figured puzzles like these out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Mar 28, 2024 18:20:09 GMT -7
|
|
|
Feb 2, 2017 21:54:01 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2017 21:54:01 GMT -7
@jill2 The raised eyebrows from the little blonde girl sitting across from him was one of the funniest things he had ever seen. Charlie had always assumed Harper would be like this when it came to dragons, but she was pretty quiet and careful around them. Not many questions asked, other than what to do next and how to do it. There were plenty of different kinds of dragonologists, each having their own methods of going about the job. This one in front of him definitely seemed to take a big interest in breeds for the most part. They always needed to send more around the world to train people in different areas. Laughing slightly at her question, Charlie had to think about it a little harder. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at you. Just thinking about it.” There weren’t many cases where that happened, as far as he could remember, so it was a tough question to answer. Letting out another laugh, he decided he’d find some way to respond.
“I guess it’s a possibility. It would be extremely difficult though. First, you’d need two Chinese Fireballs. Dragons can’t interbreed. We’re kind of lucky they can’t actually, because that would get messy. We have enough problems keeping breeds going as it is.” He paused to show that he was going back to answer her question. “So there would have to be two Chinese Fireballs in the same location in America. Possible with black market dealers, but we would never have them there. Second, they would need similar environmental conditions as their breeding locations in China for the eggs to hatch. To move on to your next question, and I know what that’ll be already, how can we breed different dragons all in Romania? Well, we use magic to change environments around the dragons. If we can’t do that, then we have no problem moving them back to their homelands for them to complete the process.” He felt rather satisfied with those answers. “For example, Peruvian Vipertooths breed in the mountains of Peru. They won’t do it anywhere else, no matter how much we try to get it to work. So all Vipertooths we come across here have to go back to Peru to the dragonologists there.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Mar 28, 2024 18:20:09 GMT -7
|
|
|
Feb 3, 2017 15:52:18 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2017 15:52:18 GMT -7
If her eyebrow raising was funny, he would find her next facial expression hilarious. She had been completely shocked, eyes widening and blushing a bright pink as she sat back in her chair and watched as Charlie began thinking about her question. Once he began to speak, she listened intently to his explanation. It was quite long, and not necessary to write down, so Addilyn made sure to hear him as much as possible so she wouldn't forget in the future. Charlie ended, then continued on, guessing what her next question was.
Smiling sheepishly, she looked down and took a sip of her tea. What he said made complete sense to her, and she was glad he had clarified. So far, so good. Addilyn didn't find any other questions or confusion in anything Charlie had said to her. She took a deep breath and finished her tea. "Well, this was definitely quite the meeting. I think I've gotten everything I need...unless there's something you might have forgotten to mention?" Her eyebrows went up again, and she smiled brightly. Addi didn't have anywhere else to be, but she knew she couldn't really get into much of Dragonology until she was in her seventh year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Mar 28, 2024 18:20:09 GMT -7
|
|
|
Feb 6, 2017 12:12:23 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2017 12:12:23 GMT -7
@jill2 This had gone a lot better than planned. Usually the student in question that he was talking to would start to get bored as he went on and on about dragons. This one was different though. There was that same level of passion the rest of his crew had. Even Harper wasn’t this dedicated until her seventh year, so it was great to see some enthusiasm for dragons still going strong at Hogwarts. Charlie only needed a new recruit or two a year, the majority of his team coming from aboard to learn and take their knowledge back home. Romania was, for all intent and purpose, the number one hub for dragons. There was no place better in the world to learn.
“I don’t think I forgot anything. There’s a lot to learn, so it’s hard to get it all in one sitting.” Holding up a finger to let her know to wait for a second, Charlie pulled out his notebook, tearing a piece of paper in half. Quickly scribbling some things down on it, he passed it over the table. “Those are some books that could help you a little more over the next year. They’re not that great, but they’re better than what is in the school library. Like I said, a lot of the learning comes from field work, and that’s a hard thing to put in a book.” He tapped his notebook a few times. “But that’s what this will hopefully become someday.” Taking a last, long sip of coffee, he stood up, dropping his notebook into his bag. “Get in contact with me again before the end of the school year. If there’s enough interest, I might be able to pull some strings and get any students that want to, out to Romania for a week. Can’t promise it, but it’s a possibility. Good luck with the rest of the year Addilyn.” Waving goodbye, Charlie left the small shop, finally getting a breath of fresh air from the overly perfumed insides.
[THE END]
|
|
|
|