A week after they had arrived, the four dragon smugglers were returning to England's green pastures. Despite having visitors, Charlie had been making a point of visiting Norbert in the holding pens every morning and evening in the hope of establishing a routine. He reasoned that if Norbert expected him to be there, he'd find his presence less threatening, and perhaps the dragon would then be easier to manage.

On the morning of his friends' departure, however, Charlie set off to see Norbert earlier than usual. Not having an illegal dragon in tow this time, the others had booked a morning Portkey for their return journey, and he wanted to walk with them to find it.

He was joined, yet again, by Artemis, who wanted a final look at Norbert before she left. So far, Charlie had mainly gone down to the holding pens alone, not wanting to overwhelm the young dragon, but when Artemis asked him the night before if she could come with him, he found himself unable to think of a reason why she shouldn't. After all, she had helped Norbert get there in the first place. Who was he to deny her a chance to say goodbye?

"He's gotten bigger already," she said, sitting cross-legged on the ground beside Charlie.

"They grow fast," Charlie shrugged. Artemis frowned and tilted her head slightly, front teeth grazing her lower lip.

"You can still see his keel, though."

"Well, he's not had much of a reason or chance to move around that much, being stuck in here."

"Doesn't that mean he's going to be another week behind where he should be?" Artemis asked. Charlie kept his eyes firmly on the dragon as he nodded his head. He had an idea of what Artemis was going to say next, "Does that not make it harder for you to get him healthy again?"

There was a forced breeziness to her voice that Charlie had heard many times before. The corners of his mouth twitched, in spite of the fact that the faint undertone of helplessness to her words made his chest tighten in an unpleasant way.

"It does, but I don't mind a challenge," he said, his voice level, his eyes still on Norbert. "I told you I'd get him better, and I'm going to get him better. I swear."

He took a deep breath and cleared his mind of any thoughts of the things that could go wrong - for him or Norbert - before turning to smile at Artemis.

"How are you going to do it?"

It was more the tone of genuine interest than Artemis' intense gaze that caught Charlie off guard. Unable to hide the real answer from her, he grinned sheepishly.

"Well, I haven't worked out the details just yet," he admitted. Artemis' face hardened, and he added, "but I will. After you lot leave I'll go to my boss and ask for help. She'll know what to do."

Artemis raised her eyebrows disbelievingly, before frowning again.

"What's the matter?" Charlie asked her.

"You've shaved your beard off," replied Artemis. "Is that because of what Tonks said?"

"No, I just decided to shave it off."

"You know, she was only teasing you, Charlie."

"I didn't do it because of what Tonks said."

"None of us actually think you're turning into Hagrid. It was just a joke, because of the beard, and the dog, and the hut-"

"It's not a hut, it's a lodge."

"Right."

"And I don't shave my face for Tonks' sake."

Artemis nodded, smirking to herself.

"Fine," she said, and Charlie shook his head. Artemis rested her own on his left shoulder, leaning against his side as she watched Norbert. Charlie didn't move a muscle. "At least you're better at looking after dragons than Hagrid. Next time I visit we'll be able to go and see Norbert in the wild."

"Yeah, of course," Charlie nodded, suddenly feeling as if he had the entire weight of Norbert's pony-sized body resting on his shoulders, instead of just Artemis' dark-haired head. "If I invite you back, that is."

"You will."

"I might not. Not if you keep calling my lodge a hut."

"What's the difference?" Artemis asked, lifting her head to frown at him again.

"It's rectangular. And it has an upstairs," Charlie shrugged. Artemis had started to giggle, and he could feel the corners of his mouth being pulled into a grin. "It's not a hut."

Their laughter was carried with them back to the lodge and most of the way to the Portkey, an empty plastic bottle, that lay as if discarded in a nearby meadow. Charlie hugged each of his friends in turn, before they each took a position next to the Portkey.

"I'm back in July," Charlie said, as Artemis approached him. "I'll see you soon."

Artemis nodded, a grim sort of smile on her face.

"As long as you don't get yourself devoured or incinerated in the meantime," she muttered, pointedly. "Or both."

"I'll be okay, don't worry about me."

"It was a joke, Charlie. I'm not worried."

Artemis rolled her eyes, before bringing them to meet Charlie's own. She was holding his gaze with a passive facial expression, but the tip of her nose twitched ever so slightly. Charlie sighed.

"Come here," he said, wrapping his arms around his friend and pulling her into a hug. He rested his chin on the top of her head and lowered his voice so only she could hear him. "I am not going to get devoured, and I'm not going to be incinerated. I will see you in July. Alright?"

Artemis mumbled something that he couldn't quite make out - though, from her tone of voice, he could guess that it was something sarcastic - and he released his arms, leaving his hands resting just below her shoulders.

"I'll even bring you a photo of Norbert so you can see how well he's doing," he added, and Artemis nodded, her smile instantly looking more genuine.

Aware that the Portkey was going to leave at any moment now, and that the others were probably watching, he decided against pulling her in for a second hug. After all, he only gave his other friends one hug each. Instead, he gently squeezed Artemis' upper arms, and let go of her entirely.

All four of the dragon smugglers gathered around the Portkey, and Charlie bent down to pick up Dragon the Crup so he wouldn't get in the way. The sounds of a church bell chiming faintly from the nearest village could be heard in the distance, and the Portkey began to spin.

Charlie waved with one hand, the other still under Dragon's ribcage, the Crup yapping his goodbye. There was a flash of light, and Charlie's friends disappeared.

"Just you and me again, boy," he said to Dragon, who whined quietly in response. Charlie forced a smile and placed Dragon on the ground by his feet. "Come on. Let's go and find Magda. We're going to need her help if we're going to get Norbert back into the wild."

Ignoring the bruised, hollow sensation he could now feel in the centre of his chest, Charlie made his way back to the reserve, Dragon scampering alongside him. His boss, Magda, was incredibly knowledgeable about all things dragon related. She, like him, had gone straight from school to working with the creatures, and she now had over twenty years of experience in the field. If anyone was going to be able to help him, it was Magda.

Magda's office was in a cabin in the centre of the workers' area of the reserve, where a collection of small buildings housed offices, seminar rooms, a medical centre, feed stalls, and so on and so forth. Charlie conjured a piece of soft rope to use as a lead for his Crup as he approached the busy compound, and walked past his colleagues to reach Magda's office.

"Enter," Magda's thickly accented voice called out as soon as he knocked on her door. At the sight of him, she blinked. "Charlie. This is surprising. I thought you had friends."

"I did. Well, I do. They've just got their Portkey back to England," Charlie told her.

"But you are not supposed to be working until tomorrow, no?"

There was a laugh from the corner of the room, and Charlie turned to see who else was there with him. As soon as he realised who the person laughing was, his heart sank: Brett was one of Charlie's colleagues, and not one he was particularly fond of. Not quite as senior as Magda in terms of experience or job role, Brett nevertheless always had an opinion on how things should be done. His opinions were always loud, and generally not ones that Charlie agreed with. He could be heavy handed with both people and dragons alike, and Charlie always felt that he didn't respect anyone or anything but himself.

"If the kid wants to work for free, Magda, you shouldn't stop him," Brett said, loftily. "You know, when we both first started out, we'd never have been allowed a week off so that we could play hostess to our school friends."

"Can I help you, Charlie?" Magda asked, ignoring Brett completely.

"I hope so," Charlie said. "I've got a bit of a problem. A dragon problem. I have a Ridgeback juvy in the holding pens who's in a bad way-"

"Ah ah," Magda held up a hand and silenced him with a look. "Why and how is this Ridgeback in my holding pens?"

Charlie cast a cursory glance over his shoulder at Brett before telling her, "Uh, rescue case. Illegal egg trade. My friends—"

"I think what you are about to say will make criminals of everyone in this room and of your friends, also. Maybe don't say it. So, Ridgeback is in holding pens, yes?"

"Yeah. No idea how it got there, of course," Charlie said, and Magda nodded curtly, "but I'm guessing it's about a month old. Pretty poor body condition, not able to fly. He's been kept in a hut and fed chicken carcasses and brandy. I think. I don't know that for certain, of course."

"Of course not," Magda pursed her lips. "So, I am thinking that you want to attempt rehabilitation for this Ridgeback."

"Yes."

"Is that not unnecessary?" Brett asked, leaning back with his arms folded across his chest. "Hey, I'm all for rehabilitation, but it is a lot of work. It's dangerous, time consuming, and well above the abilities of a nineteen-year-old boy barely out of school."

At Charlie's feet, Dragon let out a low growl.

"Shush, mate. What would you suggest I do instead, Brett?"

"Find an existing clutch. Add the juvy to the nest while the mother is out hunting. Hope she accepts it as one of her own."

"I thought you could only do that with hatchlings. Would it even work with a dragon this old?"

"Probably not," said Brett, with a yawn. "Gotta be worth a try, though."

Charlie shook his head. That was a big risk to take. If he tried it and the mother rejected Norbert - which was the most likely outcome - she'd try to kill him. And Norbert, not being able to fly, wouldn't be able to get away. It was almost certainly a death sentence.

"No. That's not going to happen," Charlie said, definitely. "I want to do rehabilitation. Proper rehabilitation."

"Waste of time, buddy."

"It won't be a waste of time."

"If this Ridgeback is in as bad condition as you are saying it is, it's a waste of time. I'm not paying you to-"

"You are not paying him at all, I am paying him," Magda interrupted him. "And you, also. I do not pay you to make clutter in my office."

"But-"

"Psh. Go. Do some work."

Magda flicked her hand at Brett, and Charlie tried his hardest not to smirk as his colleague shuffled past him, muttering angrily under his breath.

"Magda," he said, after Brett had closed the door behind him, "I know it's hard work, and time, but I really want to see this through. I'll work outside of my shifts, or you can dock my wages for the hours I-"

"This means very much to you. Why?" Magda asked, stopping him mid-sentence.

"Because I promised my friend that I'd get him better," Charlie said. As soon as he heard the words out loud, he realised how incredibly childish they made him sound.

"Why would you promise this?"

"Well, I... Because..." Charlie found himself unable to answer Magda's question. Why had he promised this? At a loss, he shrugged his shoulders, and Magda sighed loudly, closing her eyes.

"Charlie, Charlie, Charlie," she said, shaking her head. When she opened her eyes, they were filled with an expression of mixed pity and weariness. "You know, this is stupid promise to make, yes?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Very stupid promise. Even with rehabilitation, this Ridgeback, you may not be able to save him."

"But I have to try."

Magda sighed again.

"What have you done so far?"

"Initial assessment, established a routine, attempted to set myself up as a non-threatening presence," Charlie told her. "I was thinking next I'd try reward-based learning, try and get closer to him so I can work with him more. He's young enough that it might just work."

"Yes. This is all good. You read this in the Willows manual?" Charlie shook his head and Magda raised her eyebrows. "Good instincts. I am impressed. But you should read the Willows manual. Llewelyn, too. There are copies in the research unit. You are going to rehabilitate your Ridgeback, you will do it properly, yes?"

Charlie nodded, his face splitting into a wide smile.

"I will. Thanks, Magda," he said. Magda waved her hand vaguely at him. "Any other advice?"

"Next time you make promises to a woman, make sure they are ones you will definitely be able to keep."

"I meant about the dragon."

"Try to not get eaten," Magda blinked at him. "It's a lot of paperwork for me."

"Right," Charlie frowned, not sure if she was joking or not. "Well, thanks for the tips."

"Yes, yes. You are welcome. Now, go. I am very busy."

"Well, that went as well as we could have hoped," Charlie said to Dragon as they walked back through the compound. "Right, let's go and get the books and take you back to the lodge. It's too hot for you to be outside."

Back at the lodge, Charlie put the radio on while he skimmed through the texts Magda had recommended, making notes as he went along. Usually, he would have found the noise too distracting for studying, but this afternoon the silence seemed somehow too loud for him to bear.

He was pleasantly surprised by how well his plan so far for Norbert tallied with what the books recommended. The afternoon flew by, as it so often did when he was researching something that interested him, and before long, he realised that the evening was approaching. He still had a short time left before he was due to go down to the holding pens, and it was still far too warm to walk the Crup, so he Apparated to the nearest village, purchased such a large number of steaks from the butcher's that he received several concerned looks from his fellow customers, and returned to the reserve with a plan.

"Good evening, Norbert," he said, approaching the Ridgeback, who was determinedly looking anywhere but at him. "I hope you're hungry, pal. Because there's some food here for you."

He slipped through the bars of the holding pen, leaving the large sack full of steaks within arm's reach, but just behind the bars. Norbert was watching him out of the corner of his eye, feigning disinterest.

"Now, I want to make this clear," Charlie said, keeping his voice level: just low enough to not scare the dragon, but loud enough that Norbert could tell exactly where he was. "When I say that there's food, I don't mean me. I am not the food. The food is in here. Food," he added, pointing to the sack of steaks, before pointing his finger to the centre of his chest. "Not food. Alright? Here you go."

He reached behind him, put his arm into the bag, and withdrew a steak. He tossed it into the air, and it landed just in front of the dragon. Norbert tentatively leaned forward and sniffed the steak, picked it up gently between his teeth, and ate it. He exhaled, and a tiny spark of light appeared at the back of his open mouth. It flickered, and died out.

"Yeah. Steaks are good, right? And I have more, see?" Charlie threw another steak to Norbert, who ate it more enthusiastically than he had the first. "See, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm just bringing you steaks. Here, have another one."

Norbert caught the third steak in mid-air, and barely chewed it before swallowing. Charlie laughed.

"Careful, mate, you don't want to get indigestion," he said. Norbert was watching him intently now, his yellow eyes flicking between Charlie and the sack. Charlie smiled. So far, so good. "Yeah, you're not stupid, are you, Norbert? You can see what I've done. I've made it so the only way you can get the steaks is if I pass them to you. Clever dragon. Now, what if I do this?"

He threw another steak in Norbert's direction. This time, though, he threw it with less force, so that it landed halfway between him and Norbert. The dragon looked at the steak lying on the ground, and then to Charlie's face.

"Suit yourself," Charlie shrugged. "You see, Norbert, I am actually just trying to help you. I know you don't know that, but I am. But to help you, you need to let me get closer to you. So, what I'm going to do is keep giving you steaks, but you're going to have to come and get them. Like this."

The next steak landed between the other and Norbert himself. Norbert hesitated, but slowly crept forward, picked up the steak, and withdrew once more.

"There we go. That wasn't so bad, was it? The thing is, Norbert," Charlie threw another steak so that it was just out of Norbert's reach, and again the dragon inched forward to take it, "I need you to work with me, because I've been a bit of an idiot. I told someone that I was going to get you in good enough form to leave this pen for good, and at the moment, you're in no shape to do that. It's unlikely that you'll ever be in shape to do that, but, I reckon if we work as a team, we might just stand a chance. Even if Brett says I'm wasting my time trying."

Charlie stopped throwing meat. Instead, he looked from Norbert to the steak that still lay on the ground equidistant between the two of them, then back to Norbert. He took a step back from the dragon, and raised his eyebrows at him.

"What do you think, mate? Fancy helping me to keep my promise to Artemis, and to prove Brett wrong?"

Norbert blinked slowly, stood up, and walked forwards. When he reached the steak, he picked it up, and instead of withdrawing again, he lay back down next to it, now only a matter of feet away from where Charlie was standing.

Charlie smiled to himself. Perhaps it hadn't been such a stupid promise to have made, after all.