16Chapter 10: Apart - Chapter 10
Author's Note
Hey everyone, double update today, whoooo!
This chapter is short compared to normal (1.5k words) but I've already written the next one so that will be back to normal length and up within 24 hours as we're nearly at the weekend.
Hope you all have a fab weekend,
Wishin' girl x x x
...
Hey Tonks,
How's it going? I've just got back from dinner on my first night here, the older keepers cooked all the trainees pizza to welcome me and the other two firstees. There are three trainees per year but Kyle is in his first six months on a transfer here from Peru so there are ten trainees living in our area of the reserve. He's British and wanted to move closer to home as soon as he finished his three years so he has to do relocation training because he's so newly qualified.
The reserve is incredible, it has so many dragons living naturally in the valley, a hatchery full of eggs and enchanted pens to care for vulnerable dragons from all over the world. I'll be working in the hatchery to start with but will work with the big ones soon. I've seen so many dragons today and they are the most amazing creatures I've ever seen! I've definitely fallen in love with this place. I'll write more about the dragons next time, after I've actually started working with them though. If I think much more about them now I'll never get to sleep tonight from excitement.
My room is amazing, I have my own bathroom, a huge bed and the world's most amazing view over the reserve. I can see the shadows of the dragons swooping in the moonlight as I write you this letter. It is a little bit bare though so could you send me some photos? I know you have a wall covered in them in your room at your Mum's place so a few where I don't look like a complete fool would be ideal if you don't mind.
Mum and Dad bought me an owl as a surprise leaving present, her name is Walnut and she was sitting in a tree by my room's door when I got back from dinner tonight with a letter from my family! Give her a treat when she arrives will you as it's a long journey and I want her to like us. She can bring your letter and the photos back to me when you're ready too. Can you pass on my reply to my family if she's too tired to fly on to Devon just yet? It would be good for her to carry both your letters at once so she doesn't get too worn out while she gets used to the trip.
I hope you're loving your first few days as an auror and flat hunting is going well.
Your adventurous, daring, dragon keeper trainee, best friend,
Charlie
…
Wotcha Charlie,
The reserve sounds awesome and I can't wait to hear all about your dragons.
Auror training is going well. My mentor is Mad-Eye Moody and more than his eye is mad I'm sure! "Constant Vigilance" is my new mantra and I'm sure he'll hex me if he sees my wand tucked into my back pocket one more time. Apparently "that's who people lose butt cheeks". I asked to meet these butt-less idiots yesterday but Mad-Eye chased me around the auror department for the next 10 minutes so I don't think that'll happen.
We've found a flat in a muggle building near the Leaky. It's got an open plan kitchen/lounge with a marble fireplace and a huge bay window. Mr Bird built a window seat to fit it on our first day here and Mrs Bird sewed us some cushions to make it extra cosy. That's where she spends most of her evenings by the way, gazing out over the park and fountains below. She loves St Mungo's and healer training but is so exhausted every day. I know you didn't ask but I thought you'd want to know.
We both miss our stupid, foolhardy best friend terribly and can't wait to see you at Christmas.
I've enclosed a stack of pictures for you to decorate your wall. They're copies of mine and Ashlynn's, taken of the three of us all through school. We grew up pretty good, hey?
Try not to get eaten by a dragon,
Your powerful, intelligent, auror trainee, best friend with two healthy butt cheeks (for now),
Tonks.
…
S'up Tonks,
I'm sure the lads on auror training with you are very relieved that you continue to have two healthy butt cheeks! How did you manage to run away from Mad-Eye? You always fall over everything.
Your flat sounds ace. I'm glad you found somewhere decent together and even though it hurts to think of her I'm really glad that she's okay. My Mum makes a killer sleeping draught, it might help her if she's not sleeping well, just don't say I was the one who told you.
I have started in the main reserve now, feeding the older dragons their dinner and doing health checks. I got a bit too close to a Hungarian Horntail yesterday though with a sharp stick through his back foot and ended up getting a little bit burned when I pulled the stick out. I've been in the reserve hospital overnight with the scorch mark down my back but Healer Haile patched me up real quick and pretty much all the scarring has already gone.
The most exciting thing though is that I have my first hatchling! Terry (the Hatchling Director) said I am a natural with the baby dragons and allowed me to watch over a cracking (the time when the egg breaks and the dragon is born and bonds with the first face they see), it's really rare for trainees to be allowed this at all in their three years of training let alone in their first month on the reserve! Mine was the first face she saw when she pushed through her shell, she's a Romanian Longhorn (yeah, yeah it's perfect I know) and had a beautiful black crystal shell that looked like a volcano when she breathed her orange fire to help her get out. She crawled straight onto my hand, up my arm and fell asleep on my shoulder. I just sat with her for hours gently cleaning the bits of shell off her and feeding her tiny scraps of meat. I stayed with her that night as she looked scared when I went to leave. I hope she was alright last night while I was in the hospital. When I'm released from here later today I'll go visit her first.
I asked one of the lads to take me to the tattooist in town the day she hatched and I've now got a tattoo of a Romanian Longhorn on my shoulder. The tattoo is free to move around as she likes but usually falls asleep on my shoulder when she's not flying across my back, she kindly avoided the burn mark when it was raw since I winced when she flew across it the first time.
I miss you too but I won't be coming home for Christmas this year. The head of the reserve invites all the trainees' parents over for the first holidays so Mum and Dad will be coming over here to stay at the reserve with me.
I'm going to stay here for a while and try to get my life on track without her. It's time I let her be free so while I appreciate knowing that she's alive and doing okay, please don't tell me anything too personal about her.
Your ever strong and ruthless dragon keeper trainee, best friend, with a cool tattoo and new scar,
Charlie
P.S. the photos you sent are awesome, thanks. I don't even know who took these but the one of the three of us doing snow angels last winter is probably my favourite. Send more showing me your life and I'll get someone to take some pictures of me around the reserve to send back