Work Text:
The Chinese Fireball is loose. Night shift is pinned down. Get here as soon as possible.
The note was still scrunched in Charlie's hand as he raced through the Reserve towards the nesting area. The Chinese Fireball had a clutch of eggs right now, but she was generally a docile creature. If she had night shift pinned down, then something must have startled her fairly badly.
Night shift…
Charlie tried to push the thought to the back of his mind. The fact that Teddy was on night shift right now was something that he couldn't focus on. He had to keep his mind clear in order to be of any help. Still, it nagged at him.
He and Harry had been the ones to encourage Teddy to join the Reserve after Hogwarts six years ago. He had excelled at Care of Magical Creatures, and loved working outdoors. It had seemed the perfect fit. In more ways than one–
"Charlie!"
Ducking behind a large boulder at the edge of the nesting area, Charlie tried to breathe quietly enough to listen to the briefing. Almost every single Keeper had arrived by then, and he could hear footfalls coming up the path from the opposite end of the Reserve.
"…we don't know what it was, no. The team scattered. There are several confirmed injuries, but I don't know exactly who, or how bad they are. If we can manage to subdue the dragon without harming her or her eggs, that is the priority. If you find a Keeper, help them, but the dragon must be the priority. She is the most dangerous and unpredictable problem we have right now."
Charlie nodded along, listening to the approximate locations of the team. He tried to keep focus, but his attention kept wandering to the fence separating them from the nesting area. He had to wonder just where Teddy was and if he was one of the confirmed injuries. Guilt flooded him as the thought that he wouldn't have needed to be this worried if he had just encouraged Teddy to stay back home, where it was safe.
"Weasley! Pay attention!"
Charlie jumped. "Sorry."
He shook his head and paid closer attention to the rest of the briefing. By the end, his muscles were aching from the position he was in, crouched down behind the boulder. He split off with a small group of three others, following the fence line south. The dragon should be in the north, they claimed, so it was unlikely they would meet her. Their job was rescue and, if needed, distraction.
"Charlie, take Dorian just inside the fence. I'll circle around with Maria and meet you at the next gate."
Luca Albu was even more senior than Charlie, and there wasn't a chance he would disobey what sounded like an order from him. Nodding, he glanced over his shoulder at Dorian. He was relatively new and Charlie could see his tensed muscles giving away how nervous he was. Charlie tried to offer a reassuring smile.
"It's alright, you know," he murmured as they made their way into the nesting area. "We're sticking close to the fence, so if there's trouble, we can just run. We've probably got the safest job tonight."
Dorian nodded jerkily. "This is my first emergency call."
Charlie could tell. They always stuck the newbies with experienced Keepers, not only as protection for the Keepers themselves, but also for the dragons.
"It's nothing to worry about. She's about as far from us as she can get right now."
He hoped it was true. If it wasn't, he was stuck with an inexperienced partner against a pissed off dragon looking to protect her eggs. He was about to continue when he was interrupted by what sounded like a groan.
"Luca!" Charlie hissed. Standing up straight, he glanced around, trying to see who had made the sound. "We've got something."
"Over here."
The voice was female. Charlie crouched again, making certain that if the dragon came their way, he was offering as small a target as possible. He and Dorian reached the fence just as Luca and Maria. There, curled up into a small ball, was Emilia Herda. She had been at the Reserve almost as long as Charlie, and they got along well. He and his team set about trying to help her as much as possible. He could immediately tell that she would need more medical attention than they could offer, but they could at least get her stable.
"Is there anyone else around here, Em?" Charlie asked as she stood before him, with the help of Dorian. "Did anyone follow you?"
"I was thrown, Charlie." Her thick German accent was a little difficult to understand even after all these years. She coughed, her voice rough. "I think no one else was with me, but I cannot be sure."
Charlie nodded, his attention already turning back to the field. They sent Dorian off with Emilia, to help her back to the Healers. That left Charlie alone inside the fence. Luca placed a restraining hand on his forearm.
"Too dangerous and you know it."
Charlie opened his mouth to object, but was cut off almost immediately by Maria. She even stepped in front of him to prevent him from entering the nesting area again.
"We're going to be doing the searching, Weasley. Get back out there and keep watch for us."
Charlie sighed. He knew they were right. No Keeper was allowed inside the nesting area on their own. Especially in an emergency. It still didn't feel right, but he let it go.
It took nearly all night to find everyone. The dragon was subdued after about an hour, but some of the Keepers had been knocked unconscious by her as she rampaged. Charlie was tempted to use Homenum Revelio to search, but knew better. With the Fireball as tetchy as she currently was, any unnecessary use of magic was likely to set her off again. So, he searched manually.
By the time they had searched the entire fence line, daylight was breaking over the mountains. Charlie had yet to hear a single thing either about or from Teddy, and it was beginning to show in his nerves. He had snapped at Maria several times, and twitched at every slight noise. When the bright lights of the temporary medical tents came into view, he swore he heard Maria release a sigh of relief. Without waiting for permission, he began to jog over to them.
Despite the fact that they were tents, they still smelt like a hospital ward. Potions and cleaning supplies pervaded Charlie's senses. He fought the urge to sneeze as he entered.
"Charlie!"
Words could not express the relief he felt at the sound of Teddy's voice. He had time to turn towards him, but was immediately knocked backward when Teddy collided with him in the doorway.
"Teddy, what–"
"Get back here, Lupin! You'll pull your stitches!"
Charlie pushed Teddy back from him. "Stitches? You are injured?"
Panic rushed through him as he ran his hands over Teddy's arms and back, but couldn't discover any wounds. Teddy grinned at him, the smile reaching his eyes, causing them to dance.
"Got hit into a tree. They found me unconscious in the highest branches, apparently." He ran a hand through his hot pink hair, messing it up in a similar way to Harry's. "They managed to pull the branch out of my leg, but Healer McClintock says I'll be out of commission for a few days."
"Branch?"
Charlie could hear the weakness to his own voice. He stepped back and forcibly turned Teddy around. Surely enough, Teddy's workpants were torn from the top of his thigh down to his ankle. The edges were rimmed in blood and a large gash extended from just below his knee, all the way down his calf. Charlie let out a breath.
"I'm fine Charlie, I swear!"
It was only when Teddy turned around that Charlie saw how large his pupils were. The goofy smile was nothing new; Teddy was always happy. Shaking his head, he bent to scoop Teddy up in his arms.
"Hey, what–"
"You are high as fuck on painkillers, aren't you?"
"I'm fine. Put me down."
"Yes, Weasley. Right on this bed, if you please."
Charlie nodded to the Head Healer, Victoria Andersson. Like Luca, she had been at the Reserve longer than Charlie and he knew not to mess with her. He placed Teddy gently down on the bed he had evidently launched himself from when Charlie had entered the tent.
"Stay here and do what Vic tells you to."
The combination of adrenalin and relief was wearing off rapidly now that he knew that Teddy was relatively safe. He blinked as Teddy grasped the front of his shirt.
"Kiss me."
"Fuck off."
"C'mon, Charlie. I swear I'll stay here if you do." Teddy grinned at him again, and Charlie had to wonder how he had missed just how high he was when he had first entered the tent. "Scout's honour."
"You were never a Scout, Teddy."
Still, Teddy had always been difficult to resist. Charlie bent and placed a soft kiss on his lips. When Victoria cleared her throat, he backed away.
"Give me a shout if he misbehaves, Vic?"
"Is that a threat or promise, Charlie?"
Charlie shook his head as Teddy began to laugh. He met Victoria's eyes and saw some kind of understanding there, at least. He gave her a nod before turning around and exiting the tent again. It would be hours before Teddy was allowed out of her care. Charlie planned on spending that time sleeping, especially now that the adrenalin was wearing off.
Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly. The sun had risen over the mountains, turning the sky different shades of pinks and purples. He stretched his arms up over his head and set off back to their cabin. Just a typical day on the Reserve.