During our first night at the MacFusty residence, they told us a story about a Quidditch team called the Banchory Bangers and how they tried to capture a Hebridean Black to be their mascot. Can you believe that? Those idiots tried to steal one of Britain's most aggressive dragons! Luckily for the team, because let's be real here, they'd be dead if they managed to actually capture a Hebridean Black, the Ministry intercepted them and disbanded the team. After that they let me borrow a few books from their library which I have been reading ever since we got here, man I wish school could borrow some of the books about dragons they have here.
Dad and I got to see the Hebridean Black today and by Merlin's beard, she is enormous! Way bigger than I thought she'd be! Under supervision, the clan let me feed her a deer and a couple of rabbits which were all gone in no time! It's really cool here! I wish you could see the dragon for yourself though!
How's New Zealand? Are you having fun with your cousins?
Sorry this letter is on the short side, I'm really tired from all the things I've already done today and we are about to head off again to collect scales and claws! I'm sure I will have plenty to tell you when I'm writing the next letter!
Okay, I'm not being fair. But let me reply to your part of the letter first before I start complaining like a moody fourteen year old.
Honestly, your trip sounds amazing so far. The Quidditch team sounds totally insane, not to mention not focused on the right things! Any team that lets anything overshadow the actual sport needs to be disbanded, they just wanted something flashy people would talk about. Probably because their team lacked talent. At least, that's my guess, seeing as I have never heard of this team before. Also: I can't believe how many books about dragons you read! You really could become a professor in that field or something. Don't forget to enjoy the awesome sights though!
The fact that you actually saw a dragon is kind of blowing my mind. A dragon! All I've seen so far is the inside of my aunt and uncle's house, though I think at least one of my cousins has dragon blood. But wow, you fed her a deer? How?? Did you levitate it to the dragon? Please don't tell me you carried it with your hands or I will get incredibly worried. You probably look a lot like a deer to a dragon, or even tastier. Be careful, okay? I think I'm good not seeing the dragon, as impressive as it sounds. I don't think I'd like you to see me scared, and I would definitely be scared.
Okay so now about my New Zealand adventure so far. I want to give a disclaimer first: my cousins really aren't that bad. There are just a lot of them, and since I'm by far the oldest the adults seem to see me as a built-in babysitter. I've been asked to watch over them while my parents and my aunt and uncle went out like at least three times already. Let me give you a quick rundown of all the kids around here so you have a reference for future letters:
Rose: She's my oldest cousin, she's a sweetheart but not always the brightest? I mean that int the nicest way. But she can be so clumsy and doesn't always seem to think things through. She tried to make cookies without a recipe on the second day and only managed to make a unholy mess.
Phoebe: The one after her, this is the one thats'at least 10% dragon. Unlike Rose, her mayhem is planned and calculated. She's probably incredibly smart, but reckless. She's planning something, I'm sure of that, though I don't know what! It's just been suspiciously quiet in her room.
Diana: The third of my cousins (They're all sisters), she's sweet but also really really likes me. That's not a problem, I mean, who wouldn't? (I joke), but she rarely leaves me alone! Even when I'm not on babysitter duty. She already stole my make-up once, and she's tried to read this letter I'm writing to you twice already by calling me away with some excuse. She's so nosy!
Alice: the youngest of my cousins. She's sweet but a bit like Rose, very energetic and also very young (she's 7 I think? Don't judge me for not knowing it exactly, there are a lot here to keep track of!) so she tends to go along with whatever sister has the best plan, and they always have plans.
Then there's Violette, who is my own little sister. She's younger than even Alice, there's quite an age gap between us. She's the only one who doesn't want to make me tear my hair out, though. She's so quiet and enjoys playing by herself, sweetly! I fear our cousins will be a bad influence on her.
See? Compared to your dragon stories this is incredibly dull. I really hope I get to do something fun soon. I love my cousins but I'm not made to be a babysitter, I don't have the patience requiered to deal with small kids. Okay, Rose is like thirteen so they aren't that small, but they sure act like it sometimes.
I miss practice, I haven't been on a broom all week. None of the others here enjoy Quidditch so I can't even play under the pretense of playing with one of them.
Sorry to complain so much, please please continue talking about your awesome Scottish adventures, and I will try not to complain too much next time. In fact: I'll make it my mission to write at least one positive thing in my next letter.
Hope you aren't dragon food before you read this,
Grace
Well, don't compare what I have to tell you with what you have to tell me then otherwise I might as well tell you about the not so fun things we have to do here too while taking care of the Hebridean Black. Grace, if you have the patience to listen to a seventeen-year-old talk about dragons all day long - even read letters in which he goes on about them - I'm sure you are patient enough to babysit a bunch of children as well. So far nothing has blown up or broken, right? That's the first tell of knowing you are doing it right I think. Figure out what keeps them busy and have them do/play with whatever keeps them busy that way you won't (hopefully) hear much from them. What I used to do with my little brother is have him do a lot of running or moving around in general, it always tired him out which then led to him going to bed early. (Am I the worst babysitter ever? Quite possibly so, but hey, it meant I could do the stuff I wanted to do and not worry about him) Also, yeah, who wouldn't like you? I'm sure you are already going a good job babysitting them though, and your cousins and little sister all sound very sweet!
So I went and asked the lads about the Bangers and what their reputation was, and apparently, it was pretty bad according to one of them. They said that the team was the worst one in Scottish history ever and that most people were quite happy when they got disbanded, and for some reason, the team was famous for their post-match parties? The more I hear about the Banchory Bangers the more I understand why people our age didn't even know the team existed. Well I kinda have to, don't I? The clan leader here said that it was a smart thing to do, ''read as much about dragons as you can so you will stop thinking that they are something out of a fairytale because the real creature is much worse'' (he's a bit grumpy) I would be a terrible professor though, I am really bad at talking in front of a crowd.
You wouldn't believe it, but today has been kind of boring. There was a storm going on which made some of the dragons go absolutely nuts so we couldn't do anything we had planned to do today. In case you're wondering what we were planning on doing: We were supposed to look for eggs today. I was really looking forward to that, but if the storm would be away tomorrow we would do it then. Now I am writing to you and hanging out with some of the clan members, talking and drinking the day away.
No need to worry, I didn't end up carrying the deer, thank god. No, the deer gets skinned and then chopped into pieces so it makes it easier for the dragonologist to feed them. Because the dragons at the reserve are all chained in order to keep everyone safe while attending to them, we have to put the meat down at the right spot (the chains only let them go so far) It's a bit hectic and scary but as long as you put the meat down where it is supposed to be you are fine. I also found out that apparently, they eat cows as well. I am pretty sure I saw one of them devour three cows at once which shouldn't even be much of a surprise if you're looking at their mouth, but still, wow. Dad told me that if everything went well while we were staying here that maybe we would go to the reserve in Wales or the one in Romania, I think he is more impressed by dragons than he thought he would be. I'm glad that he finally sees what I like about dragons, hopefully now they will allow me to study them more so I can become a Dragonologist.
And I hope you haven't died of boredom before you are reading this
Dominik
For some reason I have more patience for you than for a group of children, even if you do talk about dragons all day, and all night probably (I bet you talk in your sleep). It's funny you would say that about things blowing up, because I finally found out what Phoebe has been doing in her room. She had collected some candles and was trying to sprinkle different types of potions ingredients into the flame! It could have been an explosion (or worse) if I hadn't found out in time. I told her parents, honestly, that girl is going to die in some horrible accident one day. She's too curious for her own good. Who does that!
I'll definitely try your tip, but it's hard when there's so many. While I may be distracting one or two of them, the others can get up to all sorts of mayhem. I swear I wasn't this annoying or reckless(!) as a child. I hope not, at least. The running thing is an idea, though. Maybe I can make them race each other or something. I'm not too hung up on the morals anymore now that Diana has spilled nail polish on my favorite shirt. It's getting out of hand! Though we aren't staying for the entire holidays, thankfully. Peace and quiet are in my future!
(Please don't think I'm a horrible person, just frustrated! I love my cousins I promise)
Didn't I call it about the Bangers? It's a classic story: Quidditch team doesn't get good results so instead of getting better they try some sort of stunt to get fame. It takes away from the actual game, and it honestly sounds like a nightmare of a team. Clearly they didn't have me as captain. Though, I can't say they would have won more if they did. You can totally get used to talking in front of a crowd, though! Don't write off your professor future yet. You've already given me helpful tips about dealing with kids, so you're already on the right path.
I'm sorry your day was boring, I hope you get to look for eggs soon! That sounds interesting and it stinks that the storm caused so much trouble. Who knew dragons reacted to that sort of things? Honestly, you're converting me into someone with an interest in them! I can't believe it.
I also can't believe I didn't think that they chopped up the deer. How stupid of me, I just pictured you carrying it on your back like some sort of caveman instead. Three cows at once is quite impressive. I guess they eat more than even you (I joke). It's awesome that your dad sees how great they are, I'm really happy for you! I hope you get to the other reserves too but I can't help but worry a little about you being near creatures that eat three cows at once. You're smaller than three cows, don't forget that.
I promised I would say something positive, and I will: My little cousin Alice is pretty cute. I know I complained a whole lot about them in both my letters but they can also be quite sweet. She handed me a letter she had written in which she called me 'The best cusin in the word'. She's probably my favorite, but don't tell the others.
I hope you've found a bunch of dragon eggs when you read this that you can then write me about!
You should not have said that now I will talk to you about dragons all day and night long, and there is nothing you can do about it. (I bet you wish I talked in my sleep) I cannot believe that you actually caught her doing that though, does she not see the danger of experimenting with such things? I shouldn't judge though, shouldn't I? I mean, I am surrounded by thirty feet high creatures that could devour me in a matter of milliseconds. Anyway, you did well going to her parents, I bet she would have tried again the moment you weren't focusing your attention on her. Has she always been this curious or did it start recently?
How could I ever think of you as a horrible person? Don't worry about it, I would've probably been frustrated too if I had to constantly watch four cousins and a little sister. Just don't forget to give yourself some free time, okay? I was probably very annoying and reckless as a kid, especially with my love of dragons but luckily for me, they had their hands full with my little brother to also pay attention to what I was doing most of the time. I tell you, the running thing really works! You should definitely try it, I had so many lovely moments to myself whilst Joseph was dead asleep in his bedroom because of it.
Maybe the Bangers should have had you as their captain, at least then the team would've kept their stuff together instead of throwing wild post-match parties and attempting to steal a dragon. I wonder what the fans if they even had fans, must have thought when they heard that their favourite team got disbanded. I gave you those tips so that you can deal with them, I probably wouldn't be the best with a large group of them. (not that I have ever done that before though, so I don't actually know whether or not I'm good at it) Perhaps I shouldn't completely write it off as a possible career after I'm done researching dragons.
No need to be sorry, it wasn't as if you sent that rain storm here, right? (though I wouldn't be surprised if you did because, you know, the whole 'please be safe' thing ) I did not know that dragons would react to weather changes, but apparently, they do according to the clan leader. The weather was fine today so we went out and looked for eggs! I drew you one of the eggs so you will get an idea of how they look like. I mean, when they told us we were going to feed them deer, I also thought that we were supposed to carry them to the dragons so you are not the only one! I know I'm smaller than three cows, but don't worry! If I would be in danger stunning spells would be cast to stun the dragon and get me out of harm's way. (if they are quick enough at least)
That's really cute! Your secret is safe with me (unless I need something from you in which case I might use it to blackmail you )
Hope nothing has blown up in the meanwhile!
Dominik
We left my aunt and uncle's house a few days ago. We're spending a few more days in New Zealand, just enjoying the country before we return home to France. My father needs to return to his job soon, but I'm honestly glad we're going back. My sister is an absolute angel in comparison, I'll never complain about her again.
But yeah, no. Phoebe doesn't see the danger in things like that, she seems to have this belief that she is invincible. I think she will either change the world one day or die in a horrible cauldron accident, and I sincerely hope that doesn't happen because I do love the girl, but she has absolutely no caution. She has been this curious for as long as I can remember, and it's not a bad thing in general but combined with a lack of healthy fear for the unknown... it can get bad results. But you're right, the guy surrounded by dragons(!) has no right to speak about experimenting with dangerous things. I assume if you're reading this that you are still not dragon food, though you might be reading this inside the stomach of one. In that case, lumos is your friend?
Free time is finally mine, though reading you don't think I'm a horrible person was kind of a relief anyway. You probably were an annoying kid obsessed with dragons, since that's what you still were in first year. I joke (but not completely), but you've grown into an only mildly annoying adult so don't worry. I did try the running thing, and it totally exhausted Rose and Alice (the oldest and youngest), but I think the middle two figured out what I was doing. Phoebe is too smart for her own good, as I said, and Diana schemes so much herself she is probably impossible to trick. They both suddenly had stomachaches and couldn't play, which meant I could tell them to go lie down and take it easy. Either way, I had some rest.
I was probably a baby or not even born yet when the Bangers were being horrible, so I don't think I would have made a very good captain. But I definitely would have disapproved of post-match parties. Well, if they were too wild. I picked Jessica to be my co-captain for next year, and she's a bit more of a partier. Maybe she can bring a bit of lightness to my ruthless regime? I don't want the team-members to hate me as a captain but we have to work hard if we want to avoid another humiliation. Zeke is quitting, though he didn't tell me why. I can only hope it wasn't our defeat, but it seemed to be more than that. I hope Jessica can be responsible enough to take his place, but I have faith in her and feel like she's the best choice.
You caught me, I totally sent that storm. Not even sorry! (I joke, obviously). I loved seeing the egg drawing, it's pretty good! I can't really draw at all, and have nothing interesting to draw to send you in return so I sent you a picture instead. I hope that's okay. It must have been magical to look for dragon eggs. Honestly, your holidays sound pretty incredible. I don't mind my own but you're truly doing something special, even more-so because this is your passion. I'm a little jealous, but mostly really, truly happy for you. (Though they better be quick with those stunning spells!)
I don't think you'll need blackmail to get something from me, you have a pretty big case of the puppy eyes. Did you know that?
Besides the babysitting and the constantly having to check if your part dragon cousin wasn't going to blow stuff up, I hope you have had a wonderful time with your family. From what I have heard they all sound like lots of fun to hang around with for a day or two (that.. sorry for the lame joke) No but they really do sound like a fun bunch of people though. Dad and I came home last night
Nope, still not dragon food, which is a miracle really because I had a very clos It has been tonnes of fun being allowed to feed them, I think that I have learned so much during the week I was there so I am very thankful to my parents, especially my dad, for letting me go to a reserve. I don't know, I have never been in the stomach of a dragon before, and to be honest, I am not planning on being in one either. (unless it is dead and I need to do it for research, then I guess Lumos is my friend indeed) Truth be told, I wish Joseph was as cool as Phoebe, no, he just sits on the couch all day and does nothing.
I thought that I'd get some free time as well but nope, mom made me do chores today. I would never think that you are a horrible person unless you tell me that you secretly hate dragons... (joking) Probably, yeah. It's cute that you still remember what I was like during our first year, even I don't remember that! I'm glad you think so, I will continue being a mildly annoying adult then. Haha, yes! I told you it would work! Too bad Phoebe and Diana both had stomachaches, must have been reeaally unfortunate for you.
Boohoo, you know what I mean. Jessica does seem like a good choice of co-captain, she has got that same fiery passion for Quidditch as you do! If anyone can put a stop to your ''ruthless regime'' it is definitely going to be her. Don't be too hard on yourself though, you are a great captain. (my #1 remember?) It's weird that he didn't tell you why, though, and this might sound a little harsh, at least now I have a proper chance of becoming the Keeper on the team.
You are kind but the drawing is not that good. I had to do it over again because I kept messing it up. Of course that's okay, I wouldn't mind seeing your face again after having spent days with only old, wrinkly men! (that's not completely true, I did spend some time with one of the daughters there, she is also interested in becoming a Dragonologist) It was really awesome looking for those eggs. They told me that if one of them would hatch, I would get some of the pieces from the egg, how cool is that! You know, if you want a piece of such an incredible holidays, you could come with us the next time we are going? Perhaps I could teach you a couple of things!
Puppy eyes, huh? I will remember that for when I need to use them,
Dominik
You're right, in between my complaining and whining I honestly did have a good time with my family. It's quite a difference from my own home, as my parents and sister are a lot quieter. You have the right idea,though. After a while you get tired of the loudness and just want some peace. At least I do.
Next time you don't want me to read something, do better than just crossing it out because I could still read it and now I'm worried! It was a miracle you're not dragon food? What happened? Don't pretend you didn't write anything because I stared at it for a long time decipher it! I can't help but be glad that you're home, but I'm still not convinced a dragon didn't... take a bite out of you or something. But I suppose your mother wouldn't make you do chores if you lost a hand or a few fingers or something.
I do remember what you were like in first year, didn't you have very big ears? Or was that someone else. If it was you, don't worry you grew into them. I mostly remember the endless dragon facts and tidbits, it was quite tiring. Though I was probably kind of stuck up as a kid so it may be for the best that your memory isn't flawless.
I'm glad you approve of Jessica's appointment. I was a little bit worried it would look like favoritism to put my best friend in the position with me, but I really trust her and when we graduate next year I'll be glad to know she's there to take care of the team. But thanks for telling me I'm a great captain, I just hope you know that won't give you an automatic spot on the team, (not even combined with the puppy eyes). I look forward to seeing you try out, though! I'm curious if you're any good.
At least you weren't the only young person there, was she our age? What was she like? Did you have a summer romance on the dragon reserve? Glad you're not too opposed to seeing my face, though. Are you sure you would want me with you on a trip like that? I would probably keep giving you disapproving looks as you did dangerous things like feed them and nearly get eaten (like you probably did without telling me, see above!) Though I have to say, it does sound like fun. I may take you up on that, if it still stands by the next holidays.
It is nothing to worry about, I swear. I'm still here so nothing bad has happened to me. I accidentally put the deer too close to the dragon and then she tried to take a swing at me with her tail. You don't need to worry about me so much, you know? You can see that I am fine for yourself once we're back at school. I'm glad I'm back, too. The weather here is much nicer than it is in Scotland. Oh, mom definitely wouldn't care if I lost a hand, she'd say something like ''You have still got your other hand to work with.'' She isn't wrong about that...
And you even remember the ears, dammit, I'd hoped people would have forgotten about my enormous, eleven-year-old ears by now. My endless dragon facts and tidbits are never tiring, I know that you secretly enjoyed listening to me. (don't deny it) All I remember is that even then you were kind of serious about stuff, not that being serious is a bad thing though!
To some, it might seem like favouritism indeed, but if you look at is strategically it was the right choice. You couldn't have chosen a better player to be your co-captain. I expected you would say something like that but that's fine. (not even combined with the puppy eyes? dammit) I'm sure that I can show you and Jessica what I can do - I've trained for this, remember. What I am curious about is seeing who else is going to be trying out for a spot on the team.
Thank god I wasn't. As much as I admire those men for their knowledge about dragons, hearing the same story over and over again wasn't fun. Iona was our age, yes. She was fun, quite the wild card if you ask me, wanted to step closer to the dragon she had to feed constantly. Apart from that she was pretty cool, showed me some stuff I didn't know about in our spare time. If you're asking me if we kissed and such, we didn't - Iona wasn't really my type, I'm more into the serious type, in case you were wondering. Of course I would want you to come with me! You could see how awesome dragons are for yourself!
I'm glad it was nothing serious. I'm sorry if I made you feel like you couldn't tell me what happened. I know I talked a lot about how reckless you were being but I wasn't actually angry or disapproving, just a bit worried. I promise I believe you're fine, though I won't mind getting to see that for myself soon either. That bit about your mom made me laugh, would she really? I suppose it makes some sense, in a mom kind of way.
To be fair, the ears were very memorable. But you were adorable even with them, looking back. I can't promise your dragon facts are never tiring, but maybe they aren't too bad either. I actually did enjoy listening to them up to a point, but you kept going! Endless really is endless in this case. I guess I was serious? I still am a little but I'm trying to be less ...uptight? I don't know if that's the right word exactly but sometimes being not too serious is kind of fun.
I guess it really can seem that way, I just hope anyone that thinks so will just come to me to talk about it instead of whispering behind my back. I suppose that's sort of a naive thing to hope, right? I'm curious who will try out too, can I say I secretly hope you won't have too much competition for keeper? Not that I want you on the team just because I like you, you have to actually be good too, but just in case you actually are I would enjoy seeing you at practices.
Iona sounds like the type of girl to be into dragons, but also honestly it sounds a little stupid to get closer to the dragon just for the fun of it? She has to realize she's putting herself in danger that way. I suppose I just don't really understand the appeal of being closer to those deathly teeth and fire-breathing mouths than you have to be. I guess it makes sense that you're into serious girls maybe? To counteract your own goofy personality. And to tell you when you're being dangerous perhaps, though you don't seem to enjoy it when girls worry about you.
It's definitely something I'm considering, assuming my parents will let me. They don't seem to realize I'm an adult, and honestly I don't really feel like one either. Not enough to go against their wishes at least. But perhaps I can word it as an educational sort of trip. I'll let you know!
I thought it would be best not to tell you because I know that you would worry, and I don't want you to worry about little old me. I knew what I was doing most of the time and if not the clan would help me out. That doesn't mean that I do not appreciate the fact that you do worry, it's nice to know that someone other than my parents care that much about my safety Hell yes she would. Dad got in an accident once and broke his right arm, mom still made him do his chores around the house.
Memorable? Good to know someone thought of them like that. I hated my enormous ears in case you didn't know that, so I'm glad I grew into them finally. Come to think about it, endless really was endless, wasn't it? I guess I should stop talking about dragons so much. I'm sorry if I bored you to death with my facts. (you should tell me when they are tiring next time) I wouldn't call you uptight. You are serious but you are not that serious.
If people do talk about you behind your back, I think you should make sure to let them know who is the captain here. Competition? When I am done with my try outs there will be no competition left. (I joke) My brother and I have been practising a couple of times just so that I am ready for the try outs. Truth be told, I would enjoy seeing more of you as well.
I mean, I get the appeal of being so close to a dragon, but safety first obviously. I just hope that her recklessness won't be the death of her. I guess that does make sense? I think I would need someone who can keep me from dying out there. Girls can worry about me as long as they know that I sort of know what I am doing when out on the field. Sort of - I still need to learn a lot.
So what have you been doing the past few days?
Dominik
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) I did not know that dragons would react to weather changes, but apparently, they do according to the clan leader. The weather was fine today so we went out and looked for eggs! I drew you one of the eggs so you will get an idea of how they look like. I mean, when they told us we were going to feed them deer, I also thought that we were supposed to carry them to the dragons so you are not the only one! I know I'm smaller than three cows, but don't worry! If I would be in danger stunning spells would be cast to stun the dragon and get me out of harm's way. (if they are quick enough at least)
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