"It's not about the owl. It's about the nature of the thing."
Douglas sighed and spoke earnestly.
"Charlie, you need to understand. This operation might sound exciting, but at its core, it's an extremely dangerous illegal activity.
"We're going against the Ministry of Magic. We're challenging the limits of both the authorities and the underworld."
"It doesn't matter for the rest of us.
"I'm a notorious 'mad professor,' and Bill is a Curse-Breaker who deals with curses all day.
"As for Sirius and Remus, that goes without saying. One's a former fugitive, and the other's a werewolf."
"We're already a bunch of people rolling around in the mud. Even if we become wanted men, at worst, we can go on the run or hide in the company's sanctuary and carry on living."
Douglas paused, letting those words sink into Charlie's mind, then delivered his trump card:
"But you're different, Charlie. Your record is clean."
"I... how am I different? I can go on the run too!"
Charlie argued, but he clearly lacked conviction.
"No, you can't."
Douglas cut him off firmly.
"Think about your dragons. Think about the career you've built in Romania. More importantly..."
Douglas's voice suddenly took on a teasing note.
"Think about that... Dragon Girl."
The other end of the line instantly fell silent, leaving only the hiss of static.
"Bill told me there's been a female dragon-handling expert from Bulgaria lately who seems very interested in your dragon-handling techniques?
"And you're working together on a research project about hatching Antipodean Opaleyes?"
"If you end up on the Ministry of Magic's wanted list because you came along to Azkaban to raise hell with us, what do you think that beautiful expert would think?
"How would you keep working in that field? How would you raise your dragons?