A Weasel Can’t Cry
Chapter 1 – Charlie Weasley

“Oye, Charlie, you coming?�

Charlie Weasley grinned. “Sure, Addicks. Be right out!� He shook his head as he pulled on his boots and donned his gear as quickly as possible. Just hearing the shouts of excitement outside his tent drove him to tie the laces even faster. Finally done, he emerged from his tent, his eyes shining triumphantly and eagerly.

His friend Addicks Hamilton, who’d been waiting impatiently outside, cried, “Finally, Charlie! One more minute, and I would’ve left without you.�

The two began to stride side-by-side across the field and through the forest. “Say,� Addicks started, “have you talked to your brother about the dragon-hunting laws?�

Charlie shook his head. “Hadn’t had a chance yet, Addicks. Thanksgiving is coming up though; I’ll probably go home then. I’ll bring it up.�

“Oh, while you’re there, be sure to talk to your twin brothers for me too. Maybe give them a black eye each.�

Charlie chuckled. Ever since he’d shown Addicks the picture of his family, his friend had been berating him for letting Fred and George wear dragon suits. To redeem himself in Addicks’ eyes, his friend had declared, Charlie had to convince the new Minister of Magic to begin protecting dragons worldwide. Charlie couldn’t bring himself to tell his partner he didn’t think Percy would even consider it.

Addicks sighed, putting his hands behind his head as he walked. “It sure would be nice to be able to protect them, huh? Give these creatures a sanctuary. I mean, look at them!� They’d emerged from the depths of the forest and arrived at the edge of a massive clearing. Fifty huge cages bordered the pasture and formed a huge circle where a few dragons had already come out for training and relaxation. Other lazier dragons had decided to sleep in; gigantic figures were seen lying at the bottom of some cages. Dragons of all shapes and sizes were crawling out of the open cages and into the clearing where they were met enthusiastically by their trainers.

Addicks and Charlie laughed in delight as a small Peruvian Vipertooth, which they had trained a few weeks before, zipped by, trilling in greeting. The two men hooted as the vipertooth’s current trainers trailed after it in alarm. As Addicks turned to give the new trainers a few words of advice, Charlie turned his attention on the cages surrounding him. He scanned each cage until he found the dragon he was looking for.

A magnificent dragon looked through the bars of his cage with red eyes flecked with yellow spots filled with terror and bewilderment. The cage, which had been enchanted to change according to the size of the dragon it contained, towered above all the others and was the same width as at least three Norwegian Ridgeback cages. The steel-grey hide camouflaged very well with the metal cage. Its snout protruded from its face and its lips were curled back to reveal gleaming, sharp fangs. The dragon was sitting on its front claws, but Charlie was sure if the dragon was being attacked, its talons would be enough to unnerve even You-Know-Who himself.

“It’s a beauty, isn’t it?�

Addicks grinned as he came up behind Charlie. He gave the dragon a glance-over as well. “I’ve never seen a Ukrainian Ironbelly anywhere except the textbooks.�

Charlie breathed, “Strangely, I don’t think any picture could do this one justice.� He turned back to Addicks. “You say this one arrived last night?�

Addicks nodded. “Two new trainers had found it in the forests nearby. So they brought the dragon up here.� He shook his head. “Why they allow the new ones to wander around the forests, I’ll never know.�

Charlie began walking toward the cage, Addicks trailing behind him. “Anything unusual about this one?�

Addicks replied wryly, “You mean apart from the fact that this is the biggest dragon ever to exist? Not much.� He thought a bit before adding, “Come to think of it, I’ve never seen a new dragon look so calm.�

“No injuries?�

“None.�

“So why is it here?�

Addicks shrugged. “Technically, these dragons are native to Ukraine, though they’ve been known to wander in Romania from time to time. But they’re usually only spotted along the borders; we’re too deep into the country to have recurring sighting reports. Anyway, the boss was excited about this opportunity to study Ukrainian Ironbellies. So here we are.�

The two stopped right in front of the cage. The dragon had turned its attention on the two men before it, its head tilted in curiosity as it examined the creatures that didn’t even reach its knee. As custom demanded, Addicks and Charlie stood stock-still to allow the dragon to lean over and sniff them. Charlie offered a small smile up at the cautious dragon. Finally, the dragon approved and gave a huff. Charlie stood by as Addicks took out his wand to unlock the cage.

After the dragon had stepped hesitantly out of its cage, Charlie said, “Right, let’s get on with measurements, shall we?� The two worked together to get measurements of height, weight, length, and width. They had no trouble – that is, until it came time to measure its talons.

“Charlie, how do we handle this one?� Addicks’ eyes shifted uneasily to the dragon standing a few paces beside them. Charlie couldn’t blame him for his discomfort; Ukrainian Ironbellies were known for their impossibly long talons.

“I’ll measure,� Charlie volunteered. “You keep him occupied.� They helped the dragon place one paw on a tall, wooden bench, and Charlie slid underneath.

Just as Charlie was writing down the measurement – forty-three centimeters – he heard Addicks say, “Charlie, you better take a look at this.� The disquiet in his partner’s voice caused Charlie to frown.

When Charlie crawled out from underneath the dragon, he found Addicks looking up nervously at the dragon. Charlie followed his gaze and frowned. The dragon’s eyes, originally a red-orange color with yellow flecks, had turned a burgundy shade surrounding a startlingly narrow black slit.

“Merlin, what – “

Suddenly, the tranquil dragon let out a wrathful roar that chilled Charlie to the bones. Its paw, which was still resting on the bench, came crashing down, crushing the bench to splinters of wood. Charlie and Addicks jumped back in fear. Other trainers nearby turned to stare.

“Stupefy!� Charlie yelled as he aimed his wand at the dragon. He had hoped the dragon’s hide would lessen the damage of a Stunning Spell, but the red light hit the dragon’s belly and deflected. The Ukrainian Ironbelly lived up to its name.

The Ironbelly let out another furious bellow when it saw Charlie with his wand. It unfurled its claws and began to swipe at Charlie and Addicks.

By this time, the other trainers were alarmed into action. Several of them came to the rescue and shot ropes up to control, vainly, the beast. Some of the nearby dragons approached in anger as they attacked the wild Ironbelly. Many unfortunate trainers were caught in the cross-fire, their bodies burned, clawed, and bitten beyond recognition.

Charlie and Addicks dodged the few swipes that came their way and collapsed on the ground a few meters away, gasping to catch their breaths. As Charlie panted on the ground, movement to his left caught his eye. He turned and spotted one of the new trainers in the black robes of an initiate pointing his wand at the Ironbelly, his mouth moving furiously as he muttered an incantation under his breath.

Realization dawned on Charlie. He pulled himself up despite his aching muscles. “Hey! You there!� He snatched up his wand and began to run toward the new trainer.

The trainer’s eyes widened when he saw Charlie approach. He turned his attention on the Ironbelly again, his lips flying apart ever faster.

“Stop!� Charlie cried.

“Charlie!� he heard Addicks scream from behind him. He whipped his head about and saw the Ironbelly shaking off the dragons and trainers that had delayed it. The Ironbelly’s scarlet, mad eyes narrowed as it made eye contact with Charlie. With a terrifying howl, the Ironbelly took two giant steps. Charlie froze when he heard that sickening crunch of Addicks’ bones as the Ironbelly crushed his partner.

“Addicks!� Charlie made to turn toward his friend, but the Ironbelly began to charge at him. Charlie knew he had to reach the man in black now. Time was of the essence. Charlie twisted swiftly and, knowing he would never be able to out-race an Ironbelly, aimed his wand and shouted, “Stupefy!�

Before he could find out if his spell hit his target, he felt white-hot pain all along his back. The Ukrainian Ironbelly had reached him. He let out an agonizing cry as the Ironbelly clawed him again with another talon. He felt his legs give out, and Charlie tumbled to the grass below him. He faintly felt a talon stab through his stomach before his world went black.

---

End notes: This chapter follows as closely to canon as my knowledge of the Harry Potter universe as of July 24, 2006 allows. Any information revealed to be false by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will not be changed.

Reviews are graciously accepted and appreciated.