There was only one thing that stopped Charlie from returning home as frequently as he would have liked: Portkeys. It wasn't just that they were unpleasant — he could have coped with that alone — but international Portkeys were incredibly expensive. He simply couldn't afford to travel back to England more than once every few months, as much as he wanted to.

That being said, using a Portkey was a notoriously horrible experience. Charlie had just arrived in the same field his dragon-smuggling friends had departed from a little over two months previously, holding an empty plastic bottle. He screwed his eyes shut and took a few deep breaths in an attempt to alleviate the feeling of nausea that remained from the journey, to no avail. He placed his hand to his forehead and groaned. He couldn't stand there all evening. He had a Crup to pick up, after all.

It would have been quicker to apparate back to the sanctuary, of course, but if there was one mode of travel Charlie disliked almost as much as Portkeys, it was Apparition. Besides, he had his broomstick with him. It would be a shame not to use it, especially with the location being so remote, and the sky already dusky.

He mounted his broom and rose into the darkening sky, the cold air against his face making him forget the sickness he felt, not just from the Portkey, but the homesickness, too. The nine days he had spent seeing his family and friends had passed far too quickly, but the dull aching that seemed to weigh his heart down from the moment he'd left them was starting to ease now that he was airbound.

Of course, one of the first things Artemis had done when he saw her was ask how "her dragon" was doing. It was unfortunate, however, that she had decided to ask this question loudly, and in front of his entire family. Charlie had quickly responded with a quip about Dragon being his Crup, not hers, and changed the subject before she could make any more poorly-timed comments about their illegal dragon smuggling activities. The whole situation was a lot funnier looking back on it, and Charlie couldn't help but laugh to himself as he relived the moment in his head.

He decided that he'd pay "Artemis' dragon" a quick visit before he went to collect the Crup, and so he made a small detour to the holding pens. He had actually missed working with Norbert while he'd been away. Charlie had sourced Norbert some high quality nutrition, and had been building up a degree of trust with the help of steaks bought from the local Muggle butcher. In the space of two months, the young dragon had gone from being underdeveloped to small but well-proportioned, and his fearful aggression had given way into a guarded tolerance of Charlie's presence. That, as far dragons were concerned, was as close as you'd get to docility. Charlie was happy with his progress so far, and the look on Artemis' face when he'd told her so (once they were safely out of earshot of anyone else) had been an added bonus.

When he arrived at the holding pens, Charlie was pleased to see that Norbert had maintained his condition, and even seemed to recognise him; as he approached the enclosure, the dragon slowly moved towards him and lowered his head slightly in a non-confrontational posture.

"Hello, mate. Have you missed me?" Charlie asked Norbert, who lifted his head and raised it to the level of Charlie's own. The dragon's yellow eyes drifted to the floor, and Charlie chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry, Norbert. No steaks tonight. I'll get you some tomorrow. Might need to try a new butcher, though. I reckon the old one's getting a bit suspicious."

Realising that Charlie had no food, Norbert turned away and settled himself down in the corner. Charlie shrugged. That was as good a welcome as he could have expected to receive. Hopefully, Dragon the Crup would be more enthusiastic.

Charlie got back onto his broomstick and flew to the researcher's accommodation. There were only three lodges between his own and that of his workmate Felix, who had agreed to look after Dragon. Charlie dismounted outside Felix's lodge and summoned a small parcel from his duffel bag before knocking on the door. Clearly, Dragon had been making himself at home, judging by the barking Charlie could hear from the other side of the door.

"Hope he's not been too much trouble," Charlie said, having accepted Felix's invitation to come in for a Butterbeer before returning to his own lodge. "There's some fudge for you to say thanks. Mum made it, so it's pretty good."

"No, he's been fine," replied Felix, taking the fudge anyway and passing Charlie an open bottle of Butterbeer, which he took with the hand that wasn't currently rubbing Dragon's white belly. "Same can't be said for the actual dragon, though."

Charlie frowned. He had entrusted the care of Norbert to a few of his favourite colleagues, of which Felix was one, whilst he was away. He hadn't expected Norbert to cause too much of an issue, seeing as all the young dragon needed was feeding and encouragement to move around his enclosure.

"Really? How come?"

"Bloody thing's vicious. None of us could get near it all week. Afraid we just had to chuck its feed in with it and leave it be."

"Ah. Never mind," Charlie said, trying his hardest not to sound disappointed or ungrateful.

"Sorry, Weasley."

"Don't worry, Felix. It's alright," Charlie smiled. "Just going to have to work harder to get him moving again. I really want to get him flying soon."

"Wait," now it was Felix's turn to frown. "He still isn't flying?"

"No, he can hover but not actually go anywhere. I think he still needs more muscle over his ventral thorax."

"I dunno, he looks like he's got enough muscle to be able to do more than just hover," Felix muttered. "And he definitely beat his wings at us a few times."

"Sorry about that," said Charlie, with a sheepish grin. "Well, serves me right for going on holiday, I guess."

The conversation turned to Charlie's time at home. Felix was one of the only other Brits on the reserve, and the only one Charlie had known before taking the job, having been a few years above him at Hogwarts. Having caught Felix up on the latest news from England - the recent demise of their former Muggle Studies teacher, his youngest brother's rapidly improving chess skills, and the Quidditch league tables - it was time for Charlie to head home.

"Thanks again for looking after Dragon. Both the dragons," Charlie said. "I wouldn't have asked, it's just I'd said I'd be home this week and I couldn't not show up when I'd said I'd be back."

Felix raised his eyebrows quickly before shrugging, "Don't mention it. It was nice to have the Crup around. Just be careful leaving. Magda's cat was out there last night and I only just managed to catch him before he ran off to chase the thing."

"That wouldn't go down well."

Charlie conjured a rope and made it into a slip lead, which he looped over Dragon's head. Felix smirked.

"Shame you can't do that for your other dragon," he said.

The two men laughed and bade each other goodnight. Walking back to his own lodge, Charlie considered Felix's words. It was a shame that he couldn't put Norbert on a lead of some kind. Making him walk would certainly help to build up the strength in his flight muscles, and that could in turn get him airbound more quickly.

Back at the lodge, Charlie rifled through a box of assorted possessions, things that he didn't have much use for, but couldn't quite bring himself to throw away just yet. He was sure he'd put it in there somewhere... He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the box.

"Accio dragon harness!"

The embossed leather harness Andre had created in order to transport Norbert from Hogwarts to the sanctuary flew out of the box and into Charlie's palm. He closed his fingers over the strap instantly, and withdrew his wand to examine the harness more closely. He'd always been quite good at tinkering and making things himself, especially when it came to working with leather. While he was at school he'd made a potions belt for his friend Penny, bound himself a notebook, and made a necklace for Artemis - although he had to admit that the last task had been considerably easier that the others, seeing as the leatherwork had consisted of pulling a seam off a satchel to make a cord for a pendant to hang from. Nevertheless, he was sure that if he put his mind to it, he could adjust the harness to turn it into what he wanted.

It took him most of the night, but by the early hours of the morning, he had what looked like a functional dragon head collar and lead rope. After a few hours less sleep than he would have preferred, it was time to put his plan in motion.

"Morning, Norbert," he said, tossing a freshly purchased steak through the bars of the holding pens. The dragon pounced onto the steak and almost swallowed it whole, making Charlie laugh. "You're meant to chew your food!"

He slipped through the bars and walked around the perimeter of the pen, making sure to keep both a safe distance from Norbert, and not make any sudden moves that might frighten him. He slowly raised his wand to levitate another steak through the bars towards Norbert, who ate this one just as fast as he had the first.

"Alright, mate. I've got something new for you today," said Charlie, levitating the halter in front of him. "I was thinking that maybe you'd like to go on a little adventure, maybe get outside of this pen for a bit. Would you like that?"

Norbert leaned forward and sniffed the leather, a suspicious look in his yellow eyes. Charlie waited. Norbert, having decided that the head collar was unlikely to be edible, withdrew slightly. Charlie brought the head collar towards himself and let it hang over his right forearm as he summoned another steak as a reward.

"See? Not scary, and you get a steak for going near it, look."

He repeated the process another five times, making sure that Norbert was in physical contact with the leather for a little longer each time before getting the steaks. On the seventh time, Charlie loosened the halter before he levitated it, and when Norbert lowered his head to touch it, draped it over his head. There was a fleeting look of panic in the dragon's eyes, and his body stiffened.

"You're doing great, pal. Have some more food," said Charlie, quickly but calmly, and three more steaks flurried through the air into the dragon's open mouth. He pointed his wand at the loose end of the harness that hung from just by the dragon's right cheekbone, and brought it to his hands. "Now, don't worry, the halter is going to tighten up, alright?"

Gently, he put pressure on the strip of leather in his hands, and as he pulled, the halter tightened around the dragon's head. Norbert lifted himself onto his hindlimbs and flapped his wings.

"It's alright, Norbert," Charlie told him. "Want some more steaks? Good dragon."

Happy that the food had settled Norbert enough that he wasn't distressed to be wearing the head collar, Charlie flicked his wand at the gate of the pen, and gripped the leather tightly.

"Come on then, Norbert, let's take you for a walk."

Charlie levitated the sack of steaks so that they hovered in the air in front of the gate, and switched his wand into his non-dominant hand, leaving his left free to hold onto Norbert's "lead". Another flick of his wand, and the sack tilted, dropping a steak on the ground. Tempted, Norbert started to crawl towards it, through the gate and out of the pen. Charlie walked behind him, keeping his distance at the end of the lead.

They were out.

He knew he couldn't take Norbert far, that would be overwhelming for him, both physically and mentally, but he could maybe cope with ten minutes - just enough to get to the main compound and back. So, that was where the pair of them walked, Charlie holding the lead rope in his left hand, his wand in his right, and the sack full of steaks leading the way.

He had hoped that, with it being so early, the compound would be empty. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. As he walked past, he saw that Felix was standing outside the research centre, mid-conversation with another of their colleagues, Jaime. Charlie nodded his head at them in recognition, and their jaws dropped.

"Charlie, what... what?" stammered Jaime, his eyebrows shooting up to the level that would have been his hairline, if he wasn't bald. His mouth opened and closed a few times. "Is that the Ridgeback you wanted us to look after for you?"

"Yeah," Charlie shrugged, and took a few steps back from the other two as he noticed Norbert's posture changing into a defensive pose. "Just trying to build up some strength in his flight muscles, that's all."

Jaime blinked, hard. Felix, who had been staring at the dragon in stunned silence, found his voice at last.

"I think you've officially lost the plot, Charlie," he muttered.

Charlie chuckled and shook his head, and waved goodbye to his colleagues. He and Norbert made their way around the perimeter of the researchers' compound, making sure to keep out of sight of the cabin Magda used as an office. He had the feeling that his boss would definitely have something to say about him walking a dragon on a lead.

"You know, Norbert, Felix and Jaime are both really decent blokes. You didn't have to be so rude to them while they were trying to look after you. Oh yeah, they told me all about your attitude problem..."

Norbert was doing surprisingly well, his strength and stamina was more than enough to cope with the route Charlie had picked. Perhaps they could have gone for a longer walk, after all. Next time, he'd choose a more interesting route.

"What the hell are you doing, buddy?" a voice called out, distracting Charlie from his thoughts. His heart sank as he recognised the accent and patronising tone.

"Morning, Brett," he replied, turning to face his colleague, trying to sound as friendly and casual as possible. "Just trying out a new rehab method, that's all."

"What are you, insane?" Brett asked, with none of the gentle teasing of Charlie's friends. He started to walk towards Charlie and Norbert, both of whom tensed as he neared them. "That's a frigging dragon. On a lead."

"I know. Brett, can you just stay where you are? Norbert's getting-"

"Norbert?" Brett scoffed. "Now, you listen here, buddy, and you listen good. I know Magda thinks you're some promising upstart who just needs a shot at proving himself, but I know better."

"Right. Brett, I mean it, don't come any closer."

Brett dismissed Charlie's warning with a wave of his hand, and took another step towards him. Behind Charlie, Norbert crept backwards, his wings held away from the sides of his body. Charlie opened his mouth again, but Brett interrupted him before he could say anything.

"I knew it was a mistake to let some dumb kid try and put a dragon through rehabilitation. And just look at you. You've given the damn thing a name, got it walking on a lead. Look, this ain't Hogwarts, Chuck. You aren't dealing with Crups no more."

"Yeah, I know that," Charlie replied, trying and failing to keep the strain out of his voice. At the end of the lead, Norbert was getting increasingly distressed. "I know you and I don't agree on how things should be done, Brett, but I'm actually making pretty good progress with him, and - stay where you are!"

He hadn't meant to snap, but Brett had taken another step towards him, and he had felt Norbert pull on the lead, and smelled smoke. The last thing he wanted was for Norbert to react out of fear and burn anyone, even Brett.

"I can see you've made progress, kid. I'm not saying you haven't," Brett said, eyeing Norbert. "He's got decent muscle on him,y'know. It's high time you released him."

"No, not yet. He can't fly."

"Really? Let's test that theory, shall we?"

Brett stopped walking towards Charlie and Norbert, and pulled his wand from his pocket. He aimed it at Norbert's feet, and issued a few purple sparks. Norbert made a pained sound, and lifted into the air, his wings beating wildly, his neck writhing, sending ricochets down the lead rope all the way to Charlie's left shoulder.

"Looks like he can fly to me," Brett said, his voice low.

Norbert, having been airborne for all of twenty seconds, returned to the ground, where he crouched low to the ground, breathing through his mouth. Charlie placed himself between the dragon and his colleague.

"He can hover. He can't fly. We're working on that," he said, shortly.

"Like hell you are. You're walking the beast on a frigging lead."

"To build up strength."

"Because you don't want to let him go. What, you hoping that taming a dragon will help you get chicks to notice you?"

"No."

"Got some girl you're trying to impress with your new pet, that it?"

"Brett, use your eyes," Charlie growled, as Brett took yet another step closer to Norbert. "You keep walking towards that dragon, he'll fly at your face."

"I thought you said it couldn't fly," Brett sneered. Before Charlie could say another word, Brett raised his wand once more. But this time, he didn't point it at Norbert, he pointed it at Charlie's hand.

The purple sparks hit Charlie on the wrist, searing his skin. His hand spasmed in pain, and he dropped the leather that connected him to Norbert. He tried to summon it with his wand, but his spell wasn't powerful enough, being cast with his non-wand arm. Brett turned his full attention to Norbert, and started advancing on the young dragon, waving his arms and calling to him in a loud voice.

"Go on then, Norman," he shouted. "Off you go. Show us what you're made of."

"What is your problem?"

"My problem? You want to know what your problem is, kid? You're hanging on to this poor critter like it's your new teddy bear. Maybe you shouldn't have left home until you were ready," Brett sneered at Charlie. He was no longer paying attention to Norbert, whose whole body was tense, adrenaline dilating his pupils as he prepared himself to fight... or for flight. "That way you wouldn't be clinging on to a beast that's more than ready to fly away."

"I... He's not ready, Brett. Back off!"

"Oh, he's ready, just you watch."

Brett had his wand raised once more, holding his arms wide to appear as threatening as possible to Norbert. The dragon threw back his head, and a glimmer of orange appeared in his mouth.

"No!" Charlie shouted, and ran at Brett, pushing his colleague out of the way, just as Norbert shot flames into the air. The flames missed the two men, but the dragon wasn't done. Brett was now on the ground, and Norbert was advancing towards him, neck arched. The smell of smoke pinched Charlie's nostrils. He turned back to Norbert, and raised his voice. "Norbert, no! Bad dragon!"

He hadn't meant to shout. He really hadn't meant to shout. Norbert turned away from Brett and towards Charlie, who suddenly felt icy cold all over. Norbert opened his mouth, and roared, his breath lifting Charlie's hair and pushing it away from his face. The dragon settled himself onto his haunches, tensed up, and pushed off from the ground. He flapped his wings, and propelled himself through the air, up over the top of the nearest hut and into the centre of the compound.

"Can't fly, huh?"

Charlie glared at Brett's smug face looking up at him from the ground. From the other side of the building Norbert had flown over, he heard raised voices.

"What the hell have you done?"

Charlie ran as fast as he could into the compound, his heart racing in his chest. In the centre of the compound, Norbert was crouched as low to the ground as possible, his tail thrashing, and fire bursting from his mouth. A team of researchers in fireproof balaclavas were gathering, circling him, surrounding him.

"Stunners on three!" one of them called out, and five wands raised into the air. "One, two-"

"NO!"

Charlie sprinted over to the handler calling the instructions. As he approached him, he realised it was Jaime.

"Charlie," Jaime said, pulling off his balaclava, "isn't this your Ridgeback? What happened?"

"It was Brett, he-"

"Say no more. Are you going to help us stun the boy?"

"No, Jaime," Charlie shook his head, "I don't want to scare him any more than he already is. Let me try and get him back."

"Charlie..."

"Please, Jaime, let me try first."

Jaime frowned at Charlie's earnest face, before stepping backwards and calling out, "Okay, everyone. Back it up."

The other researchers looked around in confusion, but they all stepped backwards. Charlie sighed and thanked Jaime, before lowering his head and slowly approaching Norbert.

"Hey, lad," he murmured, crouching down low to the ground a few metres away from the dragon's right shoulder. "It's me. It's just me, alright? Nothing to worry about."

Norbert let out a rumbling growl and puffed smoke into the air. Charlie swallowed.

"Yeah, I know. You're angry with me. I get that. I'm angry with me, too," he said, not moving a muscle. "I shouldn't have shouted at you, and I shouldn't have said you were a bad dragon. You're not a bad dragon, you're a very good dragon. Look, shall I summon you some steak?"

Charlie pulled his wand out, and Norbert tensed.

"It's alright, Norbert. I'm not going to hurt you. Just wait," Charlie made sure that his wand was pointed away from Norbert as he called out the incantation to summon the sack full of steaks. They came flying to him over the top of the building, and landed by his feet. Norbert sniffed the air, and Charlie pulled one out and threw it to him. "See? It's me, your friend. Steak man. Have another one, look."

As Norbert relaxed, Charlie flicked his wand at the strip of leather he'd used as a lead. It wriggled across the ground towards him, and he picked it up, before slowly straightening himself back up to stand. Norbert made a low hissing noise.

"I know, I know. I'm not going to walk you anywhere near Brett. I just want to get you back home, alright? Come on, let's you, me, and the steaks all go home."

He pointed his wand at the sack so that it floated in midair, the way it had at the start of his walk. Norbert narrowed his yellow eyes, and Charlie held his breath, waiting to see what the dragon would do next. After what felt like an age, the dragon pushed himself up, and started to walk. Charlie exhaled, feeling more relieved than he had ever felt in his life.

The feeling was short lived, however, for as he started to walk Norbert away from the small crowd that had gathered in the compound, he heard a woman's voice, sharp and authoritative, call out to him.

"Charlie!" Magda's unmistakable voice rang through his ears like a bell. He turned to look sheepishly at her, standing in the doorway of her office looking thoroughly unimpressed. "You take that dragon back to holding pens, then you come to me, yes? We need to talk."

Charlie nodded, and walked Norbert back to the holding pens with a growing feeling of uneasiness. By the time he returned to the compound, and was standing outside Magda's office, he could barely breathe.

"Come in," Magda called, the second his fist made contact with her wooden door. He entered to find Magda at her desk, Brett sitting in a chair on the other side. His stomach lurched. "Charlie. Sit."

Magda clicked her fingers at the chair next to Brett, and Charlie sat in it, stubbornly refusing to so much as look at Brett.

"So," Magda said, "you go away for a week, and you come back and release a Ridgeback into my compound. What possessed you to do this, ah?"

"It was an accident, Magda, I swear," Charlie started. "I was trying to work on Norbert's strength to help him fly, and I had the idea of getting him to walk, and he got away. I'm sorry, it was a stupid idea."

"Yes, it was."

"It won't happen again."

"No, it won't," Magda said, "because you are going to release the dragon. Today."

"Magda, no," Charlie shook his head. "He's not strong enough yet."

Beside him, he heard Brett laugh.

"See? He's delusional," muttered Brett. "Thinks the Ridgeback is his pet. I told you this was a bad idea, Magda. You should've listened to me."

"I always listen to you, Brett. I just don't agree with most things you say," Magda replied, silencing her employee with a look. "But this time, you do have a point. Dragons are not dogs, Charlie."

"I know, Magda, it's just that Norbert is still weak. He can't fly," Charlie shot a dark look at Brett as he scoffed, "not properly, anyway."

"He flies properly enough to fly into my compound."

"Yes, but that was the first time ever, and even then it wasn't far and he was only a few metres off the ground. I don't want to release him until I know he can fly well enough to survive on his own in the wild."

Magda was quiet, contemplative.

"You can't seriously be thinking of letting him carry on with this charade!" Brett shook his head. "Magda, he just tried walking a dragon on a lead, and let the rope slip through his fingers."

"Hang on," Charlie rounded on Brett. "I didn't let it slip! You pulled your wand on me and hexed my hand so that I dropped it! And you were the one who provoked Norbert into flying off in the first place. If you-"

"Is this true?" Magda asked, glaring at Brett. "You let the Ridgeback loose?"

"I was making a point."

"What point is this?"

"That the dragon could fly, and that it needed setting free," Brett shrugged. "It's not my fault that this kid here is too much of a lovesick little boy to realise that by himself."

"Yes, this is very sensible," Magda nodded. "Dragon needs setting free, why not set it free in the middle of the compound? It is not like there are buildings there that can catch fire, expensive equipment that can get damaged, my staff who can be endangered..."

"Now, don't you start on me-"

"I will start on you if I want to start on you," Magda snapped, looking at Brett as if he were some kind of disgusting insect that she would very much like to squash. "Right now, I do not want to. In fact, I don't want to look at you."

"Oh, come on."

"Ah ah. I will tell you when I want to hear what you have to say. For now, wait outside."

Brett grumbled, pushed his chair back so hard that it fell onto the floor, and walked out of the office, slamming the door behind him. Magda turned back to Charlie, and raised her eyebrows at him.

"Charlie, where in the Willows manual does it recommend walking dragons on leads?"

"It doesn't."

"And the Llewelyn?" Charlie shook his head in response to Magda's question. "So, what were you thinking?"

"I... I don't know. I just thought it was worth a try. And it did work, actually, until Brett came along and started... being Brett."

The faintest hint of a smirk played on Magda's lips, before she sighed heavily.

"You are very young. I forgot how young you are when I agreed to let you rehabilitate this dragon," she said. Charlie opened his mouth, but she held up her hand to indicate that she wasn't finished talking. "We have all been young. We all have made mistakes. Today, you make mistake, yes?"

"Yes."

"But, you have learned from your mistake?"

"Yes."

"Good," Magda nodded. "Now, problem is you have also learned that your dragon can fly. I cannot permit you to continue rehabilitation once it is ready for release. This is not how things work."

"I know," Charlie sighed. "I swear, Magda, if I thought that Norbert was ready to be released, I'd do it. But he isn't. He won't survive if I release him, and I can't—"

"Charlie, I know you have promised this dragon will survive, but this is the reality of what we do. I am impressed with your work so far, but this is a wild animal. It belongs in the wild. If you care about this dragon, you will let him go."

"I do, and I will. I need more time, that's all. Norbert needs more time, he-"

"Quiet, I need to think," Magda frowned, and Charlie fell silent. "How long have you had this dragon?"

"Since the start of May."

"Very well. You have until the end of October. I want this dragon gone before the colder weather, yes?"

"Yes," Charlie was so relieved that he might have hugged Magda, if she weren't quite so intimidating. "Thank you, Magda."

"No more walking on a lead. No more walking, full stop. It flies now, okay?" said Magda, and Charlie nodded enthusiastically. "And you will release it as soon as it is ready."

"Yeah, of course. I promise."

"I do not want your promises, Charlie. Save them for this girlfriend of yours."

Charlie opened his mouth to correct Magda, but before he could say a word, she dismissed him with a wave of her hand.