Tamed

Chapter 20. Axxor

"Please mute your voices" Natalie croaked, banging her fists against her forehead.

"You brought this on your own" Marshall rolled his eyes "And now, you don't get to complain" he added and went back to his conversation with Charlie "Meet me at the library in an hour and we'll finalize the report together"

"Report?" Natalie questioned, with her eyes still shut "What report?" she asked, knitting her eyebrows together.

"You forgot about the project???" Marshall gave her an unbelieving look.

Instantly, Natalie's eyes grew wider, that they were the size of a Galleon "Holy Dragon crap!!!"

"Language, Scott" Charlie scowled at her. She mirrored his expression. "McMiller!!!" she yelled, to grab Aiden's attention, who was seated a little far away from them, with a sulking Owen beside him.

"Shut it Scott! Your voice sounds like a cruciatus curse right now. Stop yelling!!" Owen whined and rested his head on the table, still grimacing.

"What happened?" Aiden made his way towards where Nat, Marshall and Charlie were seated and took a seat opposite to her.

"The project report! Today is the due date!!!"

"So?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"We have to submit it today you nitwit! I don't want to do the detention project. I don't want to get into Chapman's bad list. I don't want to lose points!!" she spoke nervously, biting her nails.

"Would you relax!!??"

"How can you ask me to relax???"

"Whoa! The alcohol seems to have completely smashed your brain" he smirked.

"Okay you guys!! I did something stupid. I admit it. But you don't have to constantly remind myself that!! And don't you dare ask me to relax Aiden!" she looked at him pointedly.

"Our report is almost done Natalie. So you can relax. It only needs final editing and we'll do it after breakfast"

"All right" Natalie muttered.

"Now, Excuse me, I have an unfinished business to attend to. Meet you in the library?" Aiden asked, getting to his feet. "Okay" Natalie nodded.

"I have to go too" Marshall said and left.

"Wait for me" Charlie called after him, but Marshall had already left the hall.

"Not so fast Weasley " Natalie warned, pressing the fork on the table missing Charlie's hand by an inch.

"Are you mad woman!? What's wrong with you? You could have hurt me with that stupid fork." he yelled at her.

"Ok sorry. Stop acting like a girl" she said, raising her hands in defense "I just wanted to tell you that whatever happened last night..."

"Nothing happened last night!!" he cut her off, his voice still high.

"Whatever I told you last night stays between the two of us. You understand?" she told him.

"No I do not" he said bluntly.

"Why do I have a feeling that you know some of my secrets?" she asked, looking at him intently.

"I don't know! Maybe you are being hysterical?" he shrugged.

"Don't you dare blurt it out Weasley. Coz I know a secret or two may have slipped my mouth"

"Oh you believe so, do you?" he scoffed.

"I know so"

"Well then let me tell you that we didn't talk at all" he smirked.

"Oh yeah? Great then! " she said getting to her feet.

"Nat! Nat!" Joseph came panting, interrupting the conversation they were having.

"What's wrong Joe?" Nat looked over at Joseph intently.

"Joe" Charlie scoffed, rolling his eyes. A new endearment is it now? He thought to himself.

"It's Axxor"

"What about him?"  She crossed her eyebrows, worriedly.

"Who the hell is Axxor?" Charlie butted in.

"It's my project dragon" Joseph explained "He is sick and I think he's breathing his last"

" No!!!" Natalie pressed her palms against her mouth.

"Come with me" Joseph said, grabbing her wrist.

"I am coming too" Charlie said, not taking his eyes off of Joseph's hold on Nat's wrists.

A huge Hebridean Black lay there on the ground, amidst the heap of dry leaves, breathing slowly. Its bony structure was visibly seen perched under its skin due to lack of flesh. Its eyes were droopy and unfocused.

"Oh you poor thing" Natalie gently walked upto it and patted its forehead. The dragon let out a heavy breath.

"How old is it?" Charlie asked Joseph, his stare fixed on the dragon lying before him in a pathetic condition.

"Not very old, but it is suffering from a rare condition. It has even reached a stage where the poor thing isn't even able to gulp down water" Joseph sighed.

"Oh. So it has been like this the whole time since he was assigned to you?" Charlie asked.

"Not really. He was weak, but active. Nat and I used to try and help him regain his fire breathing ability. And he was kinda improving at first but then he started losing it all over again"

"Oh" Charlie looked over at the Dragon and then his gaze fell on to Natalie who was sitting beside the unconscious Dragon, stroking its forehead, and wiping her tears with the sleeve of her free hand. He felt a heaviness in his heart and his eyes brimmed with sadness.

He walked over to the scene, with Joseph by his side. They squatted down beside their friend.

"We are sorry, we couldn't do anything to save you Axxor" she cried. The dragon huffed, blinking its eyes and stared at her intently. "You are brave. You are strong and you will always be remembered" she told him, holding back her sobs. Joseph nodded wiping  the tears tumbling down his cheeks as the dragon stopped breathing.

"And he is gone" Natalie's croaked.

"Atleast he doesn't have to suffer anymore" Charlie stated, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"I will go inform the senior keepers" Joseph said, and left.

"Beautiful creatures, dragons" She said, stroking the jet black skin of the Hibredean black.

"Indeed" Charlie nodded in agreement

"Misunderstood" she added, but he didn't speak.

"You don't agree, do you?"

"What?" he didn't get it.

"That dragons are not that vicious as you think and that they can be tamed?"

"Well dragons are dangerous" he stated.

"Charles, can I ask you something?"

"yeah, I guess"

"Have you ever looked into their eyes and tried to communicate with their soul?"

"The rule is not to make eye contact"

"Rules again!" Natalie rolled her eyes "Can you for once stop being so narrow minded and think of the possibility that the dragons can actually be tamed?"

"You prove it and I will believe you" he smiled at her.

"Okay. I will Weasley" There was a strange determination in her voice when she said that.

"And I will be looking forward to that day" he said, flashing a genuine smile which made the corners of her lips lift up as well. Somehow Charles Weasley has also become her friend at WICKED.