Who: Charlie Weasley and Tony Wyrzykowski What: Charlie's new here and he's kind of lost When: Wednesday, 20 March 2019. Afternoon. Where: The entrance to the Reserve Warnings: Tony
New York had been confusing and a bit overwhelming. This was why Charlie didn't do international travel if he could avoid it usually. But it was convenient for him to not be in Romania just now for a number of reasons and a six month stretch in Montana sounded idyllic compared to six months in shouting distance of Alina, so off to Montana he and Mircea had gone. Getting money and portkey and phone together in New York had also been a pain in the arse and he was pretty sure that dealing with American immigration had made him late and whoever was supposed to meet him had given up in frustration.
Mircea whoofed at him and Charlie looked down at the dog. "Me too, mate, me too." He was idly contemplating unstrapping his broom from his gear and taking a look round when he caught sight of someone coming up from inside the gates. He started waving frantically. "Hullo!" he called. "I'm Charlie Weasley, and I'm supposed to be coming to the Reserve as part of a zoology exchange--" always say zoology, they'd reminded him "--and I think I'm supposed to meet someone here but they kept me too long in New York?"
Tony wasn't even supposed to be working today, and he'd had no idea about a new arrival; he was just here to bug Jesse and Nat and Stevie and Kent, in that order. But everyone else was working and not giving him the attention he thought he deserved, so he was taking himself out for a light jog back to town to see what was up in the general store or Delilah's or maybe stop in to talk to Tess at the barbershop, or maybe just head to the gym. He hadn't decided yet.
He slowed down as he approached the stranger on the other side of the gates, and widened his eyes at the introduction. "You're Charlie Weasley, really? Like, England, Harry Potter, Order of the Phoenix Charlie Weasley? Wow." Tony flipped his wand out of his pocket with a flourish and opened up the gates for him, courteously. "I've got cousins from Scotland here, they'll be... proper chuffed, mate... to have another one around." His best attempt at a Scottish accent was still terrible, and he grinned at the older man, absolutely unembarrassed by it as he offered his hand to shake. "Welcome to Brightstar, man. I'm Tony Wyrzykowski. I'm working here as a tour guide, which is great for you, because you definitely need one. Come on in, I'll take you to administration and get you where you need to go. And your dog! Hell-o, beautiful."
Charlie told Mircea to stay in Romanian, and the dog, who understood Charlie clearly even though Tony didn't, let the new human inspect him, wagging his tail at the friendly attention. While Tony and Mircea were getting to know each other, Charlie said, "Technically I suppose that is me, but I mostly think of myself as a Dragon Wrangler." His job title in Romania didn't exactly translate to that but it was close enough for Ministry work, and Charlie was running with it. "But yeah, Harry's married to my sister. Three kids, actually kind of--well, reassuringly normal by the standards I grew up with.
"Actually I think I'm supposed to be able to find my way around with this--" he produced a brand new smartphone out of one of the pockets of his jacket "--which my sister-in-law got for me when I told everyone I was going to be spending some time in the states. But she didn't get me lessons for it so I haven't figured out how I'm meant to use it," he admitted shamefacedly.
He'd been more interested in spending time with his nephews and nieces, truth be told, and Hermione's instructions might have gone in one ear and right out the other. Too much like filling up parchments and such.
Tony, who'd crouched right down on the ground to make friends with the gorgeous dog who didn't speak English, glanced up at Charlie (Charlie Weasley -- he was going to have a good time breaking that news to everyone who'd listen) and raised his eyebrows at him. "Wow, your first phone, huh? Let me see that, man, I bet we can get it all set up for you." He stood up, brushing snow off his knees, and reached out to take the phone from the older man without waiting for permission.
Charlie said something feeble about it not being his first phone but--
In a moment Tony had the phone unlocked and was scrolling through apps. "I'm gonna set you up with wand security once we get back to the offices," he told Charlie without looking up from the screen, "but first let me just get you started with the essentials. We're gonna put the map of Snowcap right on your home screen, next to Appraise -- that's your safe apparation point locator, really helpful, I promise. HootMail is your email and messaging, and then there's Terpsichore for your music, Niffit to get you in the gym, Wizgram because everybody's on there, man. And I put my number in your contacts." He handed the phone back with a grin, pointing out where he'd put his name in the contact list, helpfully labeled Tony W - Tour Guide.
He jerked his head toward the main road and started walking. "So, dragons, huh? My cousin Finn Campbell works with dragons, so you'll get to know her pretty well. She's the one from Scotland. She went to Hogwarts and everything. You'll feel right at home."
"I'm sure I will," Charlie agreed, quickly levitating his gear so he and Mircea could fall in with Tony. "Is she related to the MacFusty clan? Most of them on the preserve up there are related one way or another so if you don't want to marry in, they say you'd best consider Snowdonia. I ended up in Romania, but that's different." That he and Bill had both chosen their careers in an effort to get away from their mum was not something he'd disclosed to anyone, but Charlie reckoned it was obvious to anyone who knew his mother. "Do they have a good supply of Scots food here? We all go to school up there, so we've all got a taste for it."
Tony shrugged to both questions. "Sorry, man, I have no idea. Finn's dad sent her a package of stuff like gummy worms and fudge and this orange drink that looked terrible and she seemed pretty pumped about it, and that's the limit of my knowledge about Scottish food. Her dad's famous, though. He was a Quidditch player for Scotland years ago. Lennox Campbell, the older one, you know him?" He grinned over at Charlie. "Finn brags him up every chance she gets but you know, I've got to give her grief over her Quidditch obsession. I'm a Quodpotter. Was, anyway, but I retired last season and now I'm back home. I bet you're a Quidditch guy, though."
At last, here was something Charlie could talk about with knowledge--and comfortably. "Lennox Campbell? I played opposite him in school. I didn't know any of his kin were out here." He smiled at Tony, which proved to be quite a grin that Tony might not have suspected Charlie had in him. Mircea, who was walking alongside, started wagging his tail, relieved that Charlie was finally in something like a good mood after the stress of the last couple of days. "Not that I reckon they knew I was coming either."
"Wow, small world," Tony answered, and grinned back at him, pleased to get that smile. "But I guess you guys only have one school over there, so doesn't everybody know everybody? Well, you should definitely come meet Finn, anyway. And Lennox, the younger one, who's Finn's cousin on her dad's side. He's a pro Quidditch player, too, plays seeker for the Kappas over in Pacific Territory, but his girlfriend is in medical on the reserve, so they live here in Snowcap."
They reached the crest of the hill overlooking the reserve, with its grand view of the frozen lake, the main buildings, and the snow-covered mountains spreading out beyond them, and Tony spread his arms to show it off to the new guy. "So this is the Brightstar Reserve. I promise it's even prettier in the summer. If you're still gonna be here by July, you'll love it then, everybody does."
"Ahhhhhhh," Charlie said, getting a good look at the scenery, still grinning. While he could see where the people were, there was also a lot of unclaimed territory. Hundreds, thousands, of acres. Room for dragons and creatures and who knew what all else. "The sky here is really big," he added. "Not like in England, or even in Romania. Trees are taller there, and most of Britain is too settled. That's why the reserves in Britain are in Wales and the Hebrides."
"Oh, yeah, Big Sky Country, man." Tony waved a hand at the mountains. "We've got lots of room to spread out. Aside from Snowcap, there's nothing around for miles, magical or no-maj. You'd think it'd be hard to keep a place this big hidden from the no-maj, but we've been here so long we've gotten really good at it. Anyway, hardly anyone ever comes looking to see what that big empty spot on the map is." He smiled and headed down the hill. "You work in Romania? What are you doing over here?"
"Exchange of knowledge. I teach you all the ancient Romanian secrets we know about dragons, and I take your best practices home to Romania. Not that you can do that in a week, so I'll be here--six months? I think. Me and Mircea." Charlie gestured at the dog. "He's a Carpathian shepherd dog and helps me with my work. Knows a lot about dragon smells and he's also good at herding smaller creatures. Technically not a magical breed, but the ones they have on the preserve have some gifts bred in. They're really smart and they live a long time.
"Yes you are, you're really smart," Charlie added to the dog in something that was not baby talk because grown up dragon wranglers didn't use it.
Tony laughed appreciatively -- one of his favorite things was when grown men got all soft in the head over animals and/or children. Exhibit A: Dr. Kent Brightstar sweet-talking sick beasties with too many legs. "Mircea," he repeated, wrapping his tongue around the unfamiliar name. "He's a good dog, huh? We've got some other dogs around here if he wants friends." He counted them off on his fingers. "Ethan Proudfoot's got a great big shaggy boy called Titan, his sister Kimiko -- watch out for her, man, she's the new CFO and she is intense -- has this hilarious sweet bulldog, Benny Adler's got about five pups… anyway, Mircea's gonna be a hit, I can already tell. Gorgeous boy, and so talented." He grinned over at Charlie. "So how did you get into dragons? I mean, what made you decide on that as a career path?"
Charlie was still smiling at the praise for his dog. "Always was interested in them, even as an ickle. And when you're one of six--boys, I've got a sister, too--you end up identified by one thing. For me it was dragons. I also really loved Quidditch but I couldn't do both, and I loved dragons more." Plus, despite what Oliver had to say, Charlie had not been convinced he could go pro. "And I got very good marks in Care of Magical Creatures in school. Only subject I could be arsed to do well in--though I was fine with anything that had a large practical component. It was writing three feet of parchment on anything that I couldn't manage." He made a face.
"Yeah, I remember there were a ton of brothers. Your poor parents. My uncle had enough trouble just with me." Tony laughed, leading the way down the road toward the administrative building. "I never took magizoology in school, but my sister -- Nat, we're twins -- was crazy about it. She works here now: Senior Keeper in Water Creatures. Our little sister Stevie's here too, in the potions lab over at medical. And Uncle Jesse's head of HR. I'm taking you over there, he'll get you set up with whoever you need to meet over in Dragons. Do you have a place here yet or are you staying in the bunkhouse? If you want a tent I bet we could get you one of those, too, I know sometimes the keepers like to stay closer to their creatures." As they reached the building, he opened the door for the two of them. "Come on in. You too, handsome," he told the dog. "Everybody's gonna want to meet you."
Mircea, having intuited from Charlie's response that it was all right to make real friends with Tony, barked and wagged his tail enthusiastically at Tony.
The way Tony kept talking to Mircea was earning him a lot of points with Charlie, points that even realising he was a bit of a celebrity for something he'd done a long time ago and really not played much of a role in couldn't drain away. "I don't have plans yet, so I guess I'll be in the bunkhouse for a while. Have you stayed there?"
Tony laughed at that question. "Many, many nights," he answered. "I've dated a lot of interns in my time, man. Actually, I'm dating somebody who lives there now, so I'm around there a bit. Not an intern, though." He smiled over at Charlie. "Nah, I live with my sister in Snowcap since I got home. If you get sick of bunking with interns and junior wranglers, there's usually rooms to rent in town. Or some people live over in Billings or Bozeman if they want a little more nightlife, just an apparation hop away, but man, I grew up here and I love being back. There's no place like it."
"No, I don't want to live in town, thanks." Charlie made a face. "Though it'd be easier since you speak English, at least. Honestly during breeding season I spend too many nights with the dragons to make it worthwhile anyroad. If the bunkhouse here is anything like the dorms in Romania, I may be a bit old for it, which is to say I may need a door between me and the interns." He flashed a momentary and very knowledgeable grin at Tony. "No offence to your friends and dates and whatevers."
He laughed again, shaking his head. "Man, do I ever know what you mean. Kids, huh? Don't worry, it's not literally bunks, you'll have a door. Just keep a couple privacy charms in your back pocket and you'll be golden."
Tony led his tiny tour group down the hall, pausing to wave at a couple of people who looked up from their desks. "So, this is administration. Most of the offices are in here, but the creature departments have their own buildings, closer to their habitats. We'll get you over to Dragons eventually, but I'm sure there's paperwork and whatever to do first." He waved his hand dismissively -- as far as he was concerned, paperwork was just a formality. "Jesse will get you all set up with that stuff. More importantly, are you hungry?"
"Yeah. Please." Charlie was almost always hungry. Reserve life, in his experience, meant eat now, sit with dragons the rest of the time. And he definitely shared Tony's opinion of parchments. Or e-parchments, or whatever they called them here.
Tony grinned back at him. "Awesome. Then let me introduce you to the cafeteria next."