Of Dogs and Dragons

The night was late and there was much stress and pain. Charlie Weasley felt for the first time sympathetic towards Dr. Emilia Reyolds as he stared down at the dog that she loved. Charlie knew that she would do anything to save Taffy's life when she agreed to have him help her out. He knew that Emilia didn't like him and that she doubted his abilities, but when he gave her a glimmer of hope for saving Taffy, she accepted it. And now he had to deliver. He had to save Taffy's life. He couldn't look Emilia in the eye and tell her that Taffy was dead.

They finally made it to Charlie's shack. Hermione stayed quiet along the way, as did Emilia. There was no need to talk, as they hurried along under the darkened sky. Emilia's look was frantic as she rushed to help Taffy out.

Charlie knew an acquaintance that could help Taffy, so as soon as he stepped into his shack, he decided to find him. "I'll be back," he shouted, as soon as Emilia put Taffy down on Charlie's bed. Charlie offered the spot for Taffy, and did not mind that the dog was going to be bleeding all over his bed. He could fix blood stains easily. Taffy was not such an easy fix.

"Where are you going?" Emilia asked intensely staring at the red-head.

Charlie was not in the mood for questions. He offered to help, but he didn't want to explain. He couldn't. He had to keep Emilia as out of the loop as possible. Luckily, Hermione was able to save him. "He has to make a phone call," she said. He was appreciative for her. Being a Muggleborn, she just understood the Muggle ways better.

"Erm... yeah," Charlie said, realizing that he should probably ask her what a phone was at some point. He still was not quite sure about it.

He then proceeded to walk out the door to a spot that would be ideal for Apparition. He focused his attention back on the reserve in Romania, and within seconds he was there.

The man soon approached the office building. He did not want to see his irritating boss, but rather a co-worker, Damon Randa, who was a dragon healer.

Charlie walked rather quickly, trying to find Damon as soon as he could. Everything in this task needed to be taken seriously and to be done immediately. He saw Taffy's condition and he knew that she could not survive for much longer without the help of magic.

Charlie found himself in Damon's office, while Damon sat there, not involved in any task, whatsoever. It was perfect because Damon had the time to help. "I need your help," Charlie instantly said.

"What for?" Damon questioned, turning towards Charlie. He was surprised at Charlie's sudden entrance, but he liked Charlie, so he did not question his rash presence.

"Come, now," Charlie demanded stressing his words. He needed Damon to come as soon as possible. They could talk along the way, but he needed to get back to Newberry as quickly as he could.

"Charlie?" Damon asked, perplexed. Charlie could tell that Damon was skeptical of him. They were friends, but they were never that close. He wished that he had had the time to interact with Damon more, but for now he had to rely on the friendship that they had already established.

"Grab whatever medical supplies you can quickly. We need to hurry." Charlie pushed Damon to act quicker.

Damon stood up instantly, and listened. Charlie assumed he finally saw the seriousness of the situation. Damon grabbed a dragon first aid kit from off his desk, and Charlie rushed him back to Apparate away.

"What's going on?" Damon asked as they walked towards a safe Apparition point. In Romania they had to Apparate far enough away from the dragons, so as to not scare them into rebelling. They did not like it when wizards used magic that they could not use themselves.

"We're going to Newberry," Charlie explained bluntly. He grabbed a hold of Damon when they were far enough away from the reserve and Charlie used Side Apparition to travel back to Newberry. Within seconds they were back in the Muggle town.

Before they walked through the door to Charlie's shack, he explained the situation a little more. "Emilia's a Muggle, so you can't say anything about magic. But she needs help." Charlie didn't want reveal that the victim was a dog before he arrived in the house. Not many dragon people thought of dogs as creatures to risk to save.

Charlie and Damon walked through the door. Inside, Taffy was laying on the bed, and by now the bed was fully covered with blood. Emilia and Hermione's hands were covered with blood as well, as Charlie realized that Emilia was trying to stop the bleeding. Taffy still was alive though, so that was a good sign. Emilia had kept her alive up until that point.

"This is my co-worker, Damon Randa," Charlie introduced as they walked in. He waited for Damon's response when he finally realized who his patient was.

"A dog?" Damon had a quizzical expression on his face. Charlie was sure that he didn't understand. He was hoping that Emilia could be the one that showed him that Taffy deserved his care. "I'm not putting energy and resources into saving a dog. Why did you bring me here, Charlie?"

"Please," Emilia begged. She still had tear-drawn eyes, and her hands and clothes were filled almost entirely with blood. Her cheeks were flushed and her expressions were desperate, which showed Charlie even more how much she cared. He saw her eyes glance into Damon's, and it was enough for Charlie to grow weak. If he was not completely convinced up to this point to find help for Taffy, he was entirely now. He just hoped that was enough for Damon. "Charlie said you could save her. Please help her."

Damon rushed over to Taffy's side. "Fine," he grumbled. Charlie had picked Damon, of all of his dragon healer friends, for a reason. Damon was the most likely to give in to Emilia if she played it correctly. And she had done brilliantly. Damon was going to help. "You shouldn't be here," he then told her. "I need all the space I can get."

"I'm a veterinarian," Emilia said. "I can help. Please, let me help."

Charlie knew that it was a good idea to get Emilia out of the way. Damon would be saying spells and giving Taffy potions. She couldn't see that. "My methods are a little unorthodox," Damon said. "If you want me to help, I don't want you to see."

"No." Emilia was furious. "I'm not going to willingly allow you to do something different that I've never seen if I'm not watching."

"Emilia," Charlie spoke up. "Please, just let him do his work. I promise that he's reliable and responsible." He felt guilty for promising Emilia something that he was not sure of himself, but he had to be sure of it. He then took Emilia's hand and he led her away. To his surprise, she let him lead her away. She was being reasonable in a time of distress.

Charlie led her to the kitchen of his shack. It was the only other room available to him, and he needed to keep her as far away as possible.

She kept quiet as they moved into the kitchen. Charlie was sure that Emilia was in shock, and it was taking her brain time to realize what exactly had just happened. It was the first time since she saw Taffy injured that she could settle down. Though, she couldn't completely settle because Taffy was not healed yet.

Charlie noticed the sink and he stared between it and Emilia's bloody hands. He led her over to the sink, and he turned on the water. He kept his pinky finger under the water, waiting for it to turn warm. He kept Emilia's hands away from the cold water, so that it did not shock her. In that time, she did not say a word, and Charlie couldn't find words to say himself. Instead, he kept his finger in the water, and then turned to attend to her, once the water was at a decent temperature.

He placed her hands in the warm water, and he took soap to help her clean the blood away. She remained still and quiet, so he washed her hands for her. He gently scrubbed the soap all over her hands, as well as up and down her arms. He then washed the warm water over the soap. He saw the water turn into a pinkish color, as the blood washed off, and he put on more soap and he repeated the process two more times. After those two more times, the water and sink had turned into a bright red color, showing just how much blood Emilia had on her. Soon, the blood completely dispersed of off Emilia's hands, and Charlie took a towel to wipe away the water on her hands. Emilia still stood motionlessly, as she allowed him to clean her up.

When he finished, he pulled out a chair for her to sit in, and she noticed. She sat down, quietly, and still, obviously in shock. "Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" Charlie asked, hoping that he could do something else to help. He felt his heart race as he was not too sure of himself in front of the woman.

At that point Emilia finally spoke, though quietly, "Some tea would be nice."

Charlie was able to do that. His food and drink making abilities were limited, but tea was his specialty. He jumped up at the opportunity for a task and he set up the kettle and he poured in the water. He got everything ready and he waited in silence for awhile until it was done. Once it was, he grabbed two mugs, and he poured the tea into them. "Thank you," Emilia said, with little emotion as she grabbed her mug.

Charlie sat down next to Emilia, sipping at his tea, while she held hers in her hands, not actually drinking it. "I think I'm going to go check on them," Emilia then spoke.

"No," Charlie raced up from his seat. "I'll go." He put his mug down and he walked back into the bedroom, hoping that Emilia would stay put.

Once inside, he saw Damon forcing a potion down Taffy's throat. Charlie was sure that he had already said some spells, and now he was trying to add some potions into the mix. Luckily, Taffy's bleeding had decreased since Charlie had last seen her, and he assumed that the potion that she was being given was blood replenishing potion. That would help her grow stronger. "Emilia wants an update," Charlie whispered to Hermione as he maneuvered his way to the girl. He did not want Damon to see that he was there.

"She's doing okay," Hermione whispered back. "She lost a lot of blood and had some broken bones, but it looks like she's going to survive. In about fifteen minutes you can bring Emilia back her, as the potion will have had its effect by then and Damon will be done."

"Okay," Charlie said, as he left the room once again to go back to Emilia.

Back in the kitchen, Emilia was calmly drinking her tea. Charlie was appreciative that she was relatively calm and understanding. He was sure it was partly due to the shock, but he also hoped that it was because she trusted him. "How is she?" Emilia asked as soon as Charlie took a seat again.

"She's doing okay," Charlie explained. "He was able to stop the bleeding, but he's still working on some more injuries. You'll be able to see her soon."

"She can't die," Emilia said in such a fierce way that Charlie could not believe it was coming from Emilia's mouth. He had to admit that since the night started, he had seen a change in Emilia. She was no longer the shy, nervous girl he remembered. She was confident and she was sure of her words. Even though it was because of something terrible, Charlie liked that Emilia better.

"He's trying his best not to let her," Charlie reassured her. His voice was confident in the time of distress like the way his mother used to talk to him when he was just a kid and Voldemort's threat were all over. He took her example in most everything that he did - especially work - knowing that it kept him calm and confident as a child.

"She came at a time that I was not sure of myself." Charlie realized that Emilia was ready to tell a story. He was eager to listen. To get some more insight into Emilia. "My brother gave her to me as a gift. Since college I've always been involved with this organization. They help train guide dog puppies for those who are blind. They're always in need of puppy walkers and I became involved in school."

That was not what Charlie was expecting her to say, but he listened. It was interesting and he did want to know more about the veterinarian. "Until I started working at the Veterinary Hospital, I worked with the organization. I raised two dogs, who are currently working now as guide dogs.

"When I started my full time job I wasn't sure if I had the time to raise another puppy. I told my brother that I was going to wait a little while before making a decision about raising again.

"During my first week, I was shy and not sure of myself. I'm sure you've seen that side of me. I knew what I was doing, but I just couldn't show my confidence. I wasn't connecting to any of my co-workers or my boss and I knew I was doing a lousy job. My boss didn't have enough confidence in me to give me tougher cases and I was distraught about that.

"Again, I told my brother about my struggles, and in less than a week he had a solution. He came to my door, with an 8 week old yellow Labrador Retriever in his arms. He told me that her name was Taffy and she was mine to raise for the organization.

"With that I broke down and sobbed. My father's a drunk. He always has been and he always will be. My mother died when I was young, so it was just pretty much me and my brother growing up. One day, when I was about six years old, my father, my brother, and I were at the park. My father was obviously drunk when a mutt came by and approached my father.

"The dog didn't do anything, but my father was in a terrible mood. All she wanted was for him to pet her, but my father was irritated. I didn't see what happened, other than seeing the dog alive at one moment and sick and on the ground a moment later.

"Seeing blood on the dog, I ran over, wondering what had happened. I was too young to put the connections together at that point, but later I figured it out. I saw her dying, and I wanted to save her. I didn't know what to do, and she eventually closed her eyes, leaving the world behind.

"Later I realized that she wasn't just a stray. She had a collar on, and I checked her tag to see that her name way Taffy. Taffy was always my inspiration to become a Vet. I didn't want to have another moment where I could've potentially saved a dog, but not known how to do it."

Charlie was starting to figure out how the story was going to end, and he knew that Taffy had to be saved. "At the guide dog organization, if you donate a certain amount of money, you're allowed to pick a name for one of their dogs." Emilia continued on. "So my brother donated money and picked Taffy's name, in memory of that mutt who died."

Now Charlie was sure how the story was going to end, and he didn't want to hear it. Emilia was going to blame herself for Taffy's injuries and she was going to be upset that she couldn't fix her, just like she couldn't fix the Taffy that she was named after. "She's going to be okay." Charlie stopped Emilia from continuing on. He prayed that he was right. He could not imagine what would happen if Taffy died now.

"Can I please see her?" Emilia asked.

"Okay." Charlie gave in. He had to. Even if they were not done, he had to let Emilia see her.

He led her into the room, making sure that he was the first one in. He noticed that Damon was finished working and sitting down on the bed next to Taffy. "We were just about to come get you," Damon announced.

Charlie felt relieved. The timing was wonderful. Taffy was still weak, but she was doing okay. Her eyes were still opened, and once she saw Emilia, her tail started to wag ferociously. Emilia started to tear up once again, but the tears were no longer of sadness. They were tears of joy, seeing her best friend, alive. "Thank you," she said to Damon.

---

Emilia stayed the night, with the insistence of Charlie. He told her that Taffy needed to stay put for awhile, and that she should stay to keep an eye on her. Damon could not stay for any longer, so Emilia have to be there incase Taffy had any troubles. Remarkably, she was fine throughout the night.

Emilia, Hermione, and Charlie all slept on the floor, making Emilia remember back to the days when she was little and she slept over at her friends' homes. She did not have too many sleepovers, but she did have enough to place the memory. She realized how, as a kid, everything was so much simpler, though she never wanted to go back to childhood. Not if her father was still around.

She felt slightly embarrassed for telling her memories to Charlie, but she knew she had to let them out. He had done an incredibly nice thing, first helping to get someone who ultimately saved Taffy, and then helping her through the shock. He even begged her to stay in his cramped room, so that she could monitor Taffy.

Emilia woke up before the other three and she didn't want to wake them up. She wasn't ready to rush off to work either or even to give word of what had happened, so she just kept her eyes open, staring at Taffy. It was a miracle that Taffy was alive, and Emilia wanted to know Damon's secret. If he lived so close by and he was such an amazing healer, why didn't Charlie tell her about him sooner? That would have saved some more lives. She certainly needed to talk to him. Taffy was not going to be the last attack - not until Charlie captured whatever it was that did that to the town's dogs.

And that was another story. Now that Charlie had been successful in one way, she knew that he was trying his best to capture the creature. He was not full of bull shite, and he was not making everything up. She saw him in a completely different light, just because of one action that he took. Well, it may have been more than one action, but it was one initial step that helped save Taffy.

Soon Hermione and Charlie opened their eyes, Hermione just seconds before Charlie. Even if Charlie and Hermione were having a secret affair, which Emilia somehow doubted now, she did not care. Charlie was a nice person. Charlie helped save Taffy.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Charlie asked, awakening Emilia from her blissful thoughts.

"I can make it," Emilia announced, as she stood up. She left to the kitchen, predicting that Charlie was not much of a cook. She wasn't either, but she could make the essentials.

"I don't really have much in there," Charlie said. "I was going to go out and pick something up."

Emilia opened up the mini-fridge that was in the kitchen and she realized that he was right. He didn't have one thing in the refrigerator. There didn't seem to be much food at all in the shack.

"I'll go get food," Hermione cheerfully said. "Just tell me where to go. I think you two need to talk." Emilia directed the teen to a bagel place that was always good. And before Emilia had a chance to take another breath, she realized that she was alone with Charlie. Well, besides Taffy, she was alone with him.

"Who was that guy?" Emilia asked, staring at Charlie. She felt like that was the best time to ask him.

"Damon?" Charlie asked. The two then took a seat at the kitchen table, waiting for Hermione to get the food. "He's a co-worker. He works as a Vet for the animals that are injured. His ways are a little unorthodox and he's technically not allowed to do some of the things that he does, so you need to keep quiet about this."

"What did he do?" Emilia had so many questions. Her uneasiness about Charlie was settling back in. She felt like he was lying again. There was something about Damon that Charlie didn't want Emilia to know. "I have the right to know that."

"I'm not sure," Charlie answered. "I wasn't there - remember?"

His tone was dirty and nasty and Emilia didn't like it. Charlie had been so kind the night before, yet now he was cruel. "Well, I would love for him to teach me his ways. There are some dogs that could use his help."

"Look, I went out of line getting him to come last night. I probably shouldn't have done that. Don't make this harder than it already is. He's not coming back."

"Charlie." Emilia was disappointed. His friend had answers. His friend could help, but he would not push. If there was anything that she could do to save the creatures she would, but he did not seem to care. He did not deserve the right to work with animals. "You're not going to help? Don't you care?"

"Don't do that," Charlie started to yell. "Don't make me feel like I'm a rotten person. I can't get him back and that's final. Now I'm going to do my job, and I suggest you do the same. You can stay here for as long as you like, but I'm leaving." With that he grabbed a light coat and he walked out of the door.