I'm back with a new one.
This is essentially the difficult second album that came after "There Was". I had no motivation until a few days ago when I started writing this.
I want to thank DZAuthor AKA DZMom for the prompts she gave me about a month ago. I've changed it a bit, but you gave me an idea!
This will not be as regular in the updates as "There Was" was, but I have exams right up until the end of May so I need to work my ass off for those. I will try my best to keep these as weekly updates.
Enjoy, and please review at the end!

At the tender age of seventeen, the day after he came of age Charlie fled to Romania in search of his passion. He was watching a flock of small Iron Bellies in the countryside of Kazakhstan when workers from the reserve in Romania caught him and accused him of being a spy and hunter for the British black market. After Charlie told them his name and showed his captors the research he had done at Hogwarts, they took him to their reserve. While there, he spoke with the reserve supervisors and explained his case before they offered him the most junior position on their team. His new bosses could see in his eyes the true passion for dragons that lay beneath his charismatic and hyperactive exterior.

Over the years, Charlie's passion for the great beasts grew and grew. He was obsessive over details, with a hunger to know everything he could find out about his favourite animals. He thought them to be beautiful and respected their power unconditionally while he worked his way up the ranks. Slowly, the team around Charlie grew to trust him after their initial weariness of the newcomer wore off. He made friends who shared his love and found their experience invaluable when added to his continued research.

It was during this research, late at night in the privacy of his tiny bedroom years later that Charlie noticed a trend: Hunters stalking their prey in specific places, at specific times of the year. Charlie thought this odd, as they were killing only one or two dragons at a time but he knew that those one or two dragons would keep illegal dragon trade lively for a year if the traders were cunning enough.

Charlie of course took his research to his superiors, who took his news calmly. They had been aware of this hunting for a number of years, but we're not able to do anything to counteract it without the law changing first. Charlie was outraged, angry with the law, his supervisors, the hunters, everyone. Charlie however took his time, changing the angle of his research to that of the law, and old laws that proved he could change the law if his support was greater than the opposition.

He and a small band of friends from the reserve planned for months how they would stage their protest. They had to do it right, knowing that one slip up would be the end of all their work and all hope of changing this disgusting law would be gone. They started with a bang, storming the Ministry's main atrium on sleepy Monday morning and beginning their protest. Shouting from the rafters about how despicable dragon hunters were, about how this illegal trade was unsafe, magically unstable and potentially catastrophical when it came down to personal safety was what did it. Charlie and his team had got the publics attention. As the crowd gathered, Charlie told them the naked truth about his work as he scanned the crowd. Petitions were signed, flyers and brochures passed around and the support was phenomenal. They stayed for a week, passing information onto the Ministry and their legal department, as well as the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, scorning them for not doing anything sooner when it was revealed they knew of the hunters.

On the final day of Charlie's protest, Hermione walked through the atrium after having heard the gossip about radical movements and massive protests. She knew nothing of the people holding the protest or about how extensive it was but the idea of taking a stand against the Ministry drew her closer. Even as she took her first step from the fireplace she flooed in to, she could see someone was trying to make a big deal. She fought through crowds of people, shouting their support to the people on the stage and looked up at the men.

There were seven men on stage, all weather hardened and rough around the edges. Despite this, they all held themselves with authority and confidence needed to drag old laws into the twenty-first century. Three were dark haired and olive skinned, one a short black man with deadlocks down to his waist, two with the dark hair and pale skin of Eastern Europe. There was no mistaking the final man, trademark red hair, more muscles than its possible for a man to have, tattered jeans, tight fitting t-shirts and a look of fire in his eyes. Charlie Weasley. Of course, Hermione thought. If anyone was passionate about his or her vocation it was he.

She stood and listened to Charlie speak, outing the hunters and traders to the world. He was more determined than anyone Hermione had ever seen in her life and she couldn't help but feel she had to help. Charlie words were well spoken, strong and truthful (a fact that didn't escape Hermione's attention as being the exact opposite of the Ministry they were correctly occupying). After working in the Ministry for the past few years, Hermione had heard stories and rumours of illegal traders in all niches, not just dragons but with being so low in the hierarchy she had no power to stop them.

She noticed Charlie coming to the end of his speech now, flicking his wand at a pile of flyers that flew around the room like a tornado as they landed in the hands of the crowd. She took hers quickly, scanning the page.

"We will be coming around now to ask any further questions you man have," the black man called out in his thick West Indian accent. The seven men mixed with the crowd, heated discussions brewing with all of them. Hermione made her approach to Charlie before he was engulfed in the wave of people heading to him. He had spoken the majority of facts so naturally people wanted him to answer the most questions.

"Where's your proof?" a shrill voice asked him in the crowd.

"I have been personally involved with research into dragons since my fifth year at Hogwarts, and I started the current research into unlawful hunting and trading nearly six years ago after I found a trend for the annual killing of innocent and unmarked dragons in eastern Europe and the western borders with Russia and China. I took my findings to my superiors and once I learnt that they were only stopped by an outdated law did I decide to do something myself." Charlie said smartly to the haggard old woman. "By bringing this issue forward with the Ministry, I truly believe that these issues can be stamped out, and only lawful, and safe dragon products can be used in extreme circumstances and in wand production."

Hermione was suitably impressed at Charlie's involvement, heading the research for over half a decade while still working full time was no mean feat.

"How can they be unsafe? A dragon's a dragon, ain't it?" another voice asked. Even Hermione joined in with the rolling of eyes at this.

"Dragons that are wild and unmarked by any legitimate reserve can be diseased, cursed. Contaminated in some way. It can happen if dragons are abused by wizards, causing their magic to change and become unstable," Charlie started. "When they are brought to the reserve by the specially trained wranglers, we have a medical team and a curse breaking team dedicated to clearing dragons of any infections or curses before they are permitted to enter. Only once they are free of these, they can be recorded and marked by a tracking charm to be worked on further. If you were to use contaminated dragon products in potions, the repercussions would be dangerous and may lead to death. Would you want that for a loved one?" he challenged. Taking his defeat with a huff, the man backed away slowly.

"Why haven't the laws changed already? You claim the Ministry has known about these hunters but they haven't done anything!" another voice asked. This one was not angry like the previous ones, just skeptical.

"There are a few reasons," Charlie said. "For the most part, no one has researched to the depth we have. As far as I know there is only one other person in the world that would go to the lengths we have to get information. Secondly, this Ministry was on the brink of war when I started this research six years ago, any attempt to change laws then would have ended up with me in a cell for wasting time and nothing would have been done for my trouble. For the most part, an idea was needed to kick start this change, and now that my team and I have got the wheel in motion we are confident in the law changing and stopping these hunters dead."

"How can we help?" a small voice asked. Hermione didn't know she had said anything until Charlie's eyes met hers. He allowed a small smile of recognition to grace his features before he went on addressing the masses.

"We need support," he said plainly. "We need to let everyone we know that we are fighting back. Tell your friends; family and coworkers, anyone you can think of that we are putting a stop to this unlawful hunt. Take your stories to the Prophet and the Quibbler if you must but we need to make sure the Department of Magical Law Enforcement know we are serious. Only when they know that can we take out case to the Wizengamot and get these laws changed in our favour."

A small clattering of noise overcame this smaller crowd as they spoke about Charlie's idea until a voice overtook them all.

"Who was the other person you said would put effort into doing the research? Why didn't they do something sooner?" a voice called, obviously questioning Charlie's work.

"Because that person was working on something else, and I'm sure you're as appreciative of her work as the rest of us," Charlie called back. "Without her help, we would be kissing the feet of Voldemort right now."

A collective shocked gasp was let out when Charlie called You Know Who by name. Even after five years, most witches and wizards refused the name completely. A realization came over them however at his words while Hermione silently blushed.

For now...

So, what are our thoughts? I know nothing can be really be said about the plot just from the first chapter, but I'd love to hear your thoughts anyway.