Even though the first days of June are warm during the day, the temperature this high up the mountain drops significantly once the sun has set. Dinner had been a festive affair and the food had been incredible. Kadrick agreed to do the dishes with Josué, they could talk about what the Andorran Hit Wizard had gathered thus far, and the others had split up. Most Dragonologists had wandered off to check on the dragons and Phillip had returned to the medical tent.
Haela is sitting at the bonfire as she waits for Charlie to show up. He said he had to grab something from his tent before they could leave. Haela has pulled the arms of her favourite sweater over her hands and stares into the flames, deep in thought.
"I recognise the sweater."
Haela looks up when she hears Charlie's voice. The man smiles at her, flashing his bright white teeth. He's holding a bronze lantern that contains a small flame.
"You played for your house team too?"
"Yeah," Haela answers as she stands up, "I was a Chaser for the Ravenclaw team. You?"
"Seeker," Charlie says as they start walking out of the camp in the direction of the mountains, "Captain, too."
"You were a legend at Hogwarts," Haela suddenly remembers the man. He was four years above her and they never played against each other since Haela joined the Ravenclaw team in her fifth year, but she had certainly heard of him.
"Were you a fan?" Charlie teases and Haela wants to shoot back that she wasn't but as she meets his eyes, she can see the twinkle in them.
"No," she says instead with barely contained humour in her voice, "I only remember you because Gryffindor got absolutely flattened by Slytherin the year after you left."
Charlie gasps and stares at Haela with wide eyes which makes the woman only laugh harder. They slowly make their way around the perimeter, Charlie pointing out the different spots of the sanctuary, before they encounter a broken-down, wooden gesture near the edge of the camp. Charlie reaches for his wand and wants to walk closer, but Haela stops him by grabbing his upper arm.
Ignoring how the muscle underneath the jumper the man is wearing feels in her grip, Haela answers Charlie's questionable look: "What's that?"
"A beacon," Charlie answers.
Unimpressed, Haela raises her eyebrows, and the man quickly adds: "It's used to signal the dragons at night where the camp roughly starts. This one must have broken down recently and nobody has repaired it yet."
With those words, Charlie wants to rip his arm out of Haela's grip, but she refuses to let him go. Even at dusk, with the dim light coming from the lantern Charlie is holding, she can see there is a thin layer of something glossy on the wood. Haela's intuition tells her the situation isn't what it looks like and she has learned over the years that her intuition is right most of the time.
From the back pocket of her jeans, Haela grabs her pair of thick dragon hide gloves and transfigures a small vial out of thin air. She tells Charlie to stay where he is as she carefully sneaks closer to the wooden structure while putting on the gloves.
With two fingers, she swipes over the wood. The glossy substance sticks to the glove and when she rubs it between her index finger and thumb, she notices how sticky it is.
"What is that?"
"I don't know," Haela answers and uses her wand to clean her fingers. Another flick of her wand fills the vial. "I'm going to figure out what it is. Until then, I don't want anyone touching this."
A few quick wards around the broken-down beacon make sure she is informed when someone comes too close and to stop anyone from touching the structure. When she stands back up, Charlie is eying the beacon with distrust.
"Do you think that's how Darios got cursed?"
"I'm beginning to think he got poisoned instead," Haela answers, securing the vial to her belt and taking off her gloves again.
"Why would a poacher want to poison one of the Dragonologists?" Charlie ponders out loud as they complete walking the perimeter. It's almost completely dark by now and the chill in the air is getting to Haela. The question roams through her mind as she gets ready for bed.
The next morning, Haela is out of bed early for once. Kadrick is fast asleep as she gets dressed and heads outside. Haela is counting on the medical tent having enough supplies to figure out what the sticky liquid is she collected last night. If not, she'll have to write Jeanette for an analysis back at the Ministry in London, but that might take too long. She has some ideas about what it could be, and if she is right, Darios might not have long before the poison will have harmed his body too much to recover from.
The air is chilly as Haela walks towards the medical tent, but inside, it's pleasantly warm. The brown-haired Dragonologist is still unconscious and Haela spots the thin layer of sweat on the man's forehead. She's no Healer but even she knows a fever is never a good sign. From one of the tables, she gets a washcloth and wets it with a flick of her wand. Carefully, she places it on the man's forehead before heading over to the table where she has spotted a cauldron.
Browsing through the supplies and storage of the medical tent, Haela gets to work. She's deep in thought and doesn't notice the other person in the tent until they're standing right in front of her.
"Good morning," Charlie chirps.
His voice makes Haela look up to see the man smiling at her. Over Charlie's shoulder, she can see Phillip busy with changing the washcloth on Darios' forehead and when her eyes snap back to Charlie's face, she notes that his ever-present grin widens.
"Coffee?"
Haela accepts the mug gratefully and takes three sips before sighing.
"I'm told I'm a godsend."
A snort escapes Haela, "Who told you that? Your mother?"
Laughter sounds from the other side of the tent and both Haela and Charlie turn to see Phillip snickering. The man is trying to hide his laughter with his hand and waves away the looks they send him. Haela turns back to Charlie, only to see him glaring daggers at the Healer.
"Don't you have to check up on your dragons?" Haela asks, taking another sip.
Charlie shrugs, "Yes, but I wanted to check up on you as well. How is it going?"
He leans forward to peer into the cauldron. Haela continues stirring and the liquid inside turns a few different shades of purple before turning the palest of pink. She hums and keeps stirring with her wand as she notes down the change on the parchment beside the cauldron.
"It's been years since I did something with potions," Charlie says with an apologetic tone which makes Haela look back up.
"I'm almost sure the main content is Grindylow blood. It must be infused with something more deadly, but I'm not sure what it is," she explains as Charlie looks between the cauldron and her.
A growl sounding outside sets the man moving again. He bids her good luck and Haela thanks him for the coffee as he walks backwards. When he passes Phillip, the Healer asks: "Where is my coffee, Weasley, huh? You can't only bring coffee to the curse specialist and not to me."
Charlie shrug apologetic at the man. He turns around to wave at Haela but as he takes a step back, he trips over one of the crates that have been piled in the middle of the tent. Haela laughs as Charlie tries to regain his balance. The man's head snaps up and a blush creeps up his neck, matching the red of his hair. Quickly, Charlie turns around and steps out of the tent while Phillip and Haela holler with laughter.
The rest of the morning, Haela continues dissecting the contents of the sticky residue she found on the beacon. She brings in Kadrick and Josué for a second opinion, but they conclude the same thing. Grindylow blood infused with Acromantula venom. When Phillip hears that, he immediately starts making an antidote as Kadrick, Josué, and Haela head over to the broken-down beacon to remove the remaining poison.
The sun is slowing setting as they are heading back to the camp. As they walk, Josué nudges Kadrick and gestures down the hill, "I bet you wouldn't care to get close to that beast."
The dragon Josué is gesturing to is metallic grey in colour and even from where they are standing, its wingspan is immense. Haela spots Isaac petting the dragon's long neck as it leans into the touch.
"What breed is that?" Haela asks.
Josué shrugs, "An Ukrainian Ironbelly, I believe. For more information, you should ask my sister. She is the dragon-fanatic of the family."
Kadrick shakes his head, face paling a little as he regards the dragon, "No way in hell am I getting close to that thing."
Haela laughs, "I didn't know you were afraid of dragons, Wheeler."
"Come on," Josué tries, "Three galleons if you dare to get within ten feet."
"There isn't enough money in the world that will get me close to that," Kadrick shakes his head frantically, "I'm fine right here."
Josué's face falls and he opens his mouth to say something, but Haela beats him, "Five galleons if I get within three feet."
The heads of the two Hit Wizards snap to her. Josué looks her up and down, impressed, while Kadrick starts shaking his head in protest. Before her friend can voice his protest, Josué holds out his hand for Haela to shake.
"Deal, Peucag. Three feet."