Chapter 318: The Romanian Dragon Sanctuary
Chapter 318: The Romanian Dragon Sanctuary
The next day, the Hogwarts Express left the station, disappearing from Felix's view.
Dumbledore stood beside him, gazing into the distance with a glimmer in his eyes: "How touching... their empty heads now brimming with knowledge, enjoying a wonderful holiday."
"Yeah, and a backpack full of homework", Felix said. "Albus, why did you send me to Romania?"
"Because you are not one of the four Heads of House, and we need to avoid any appearance of bias. This year's Triwizard Tournament is on a larger scale than ever before, with five schools participating", Dumbledore said gently. "This would have been my responsibility, but I am quite busy—"
"Five schools? Besides the addition of Ilvermorny, which other one?"
"Wagadu from Mount Moon in Africa—Fudge's doing", Dumbledore said. "His past two months have been rough. The Dementor incident has severely damaged his reputation. Parents have been sending letters condemning his incompetence, and the newspapers have been filled with critical articles."
"You didn't say Fudge was—"
"Cunning?" Dumbledore smiled. "Have you seen any news about Sirius and Peter Pettigrew in the papers? Including Peter Pettigrew's final words?"
"He did it on purpose?" Felix asked in surprise. He had only seen a brief Ministry of Magic notice in the newspaper a long time ago, and it hadn't caused much of a stir.
"I believe he was just pushing the river... The Dementor incident was something everyone saw, but very few know about that past. In Fudge's view, perhaps the Sirius case is more sensitive", Dumbledore said. "A hero unjustly imprisoned for twelve years without trial, a traitor enjoying a First-Class Order of Merlin, living a comfortable life... Even though it didn't happen during his term, the public doesn't care about such details. Moreover, it involves Voldemort."
Felix nodded, understanding Fudge's strategy: since the Dementor incident couldn't be covered up, he might as well let it go. After all, he still had Umbridge as a shield. But when it came to wrongful convictions and Voldemort, he had to keep the public in the dark.
"I guess he's pinning all his hopes on those two events—the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament."
Dumbledore agreed. "Using prosperity to cover up the darker aspects is Fudge's specialty. So he wants to involve more schools to expand the influence. In fact, he invited ten magical schools, but few responded."
...
Felix found himself amidst the mountains, in the Carpathian Mountains, known as the "backbone of Romania", where the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary was hidden.
Although there are many dragon reserves around the world, the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary is unique—here, the dragons are semi-wild, and over a hundred experts from around the world work here, including dragon trainers, dragon keepers, and dragon researchers.
Almost every known species of dragon can be found here.
Felix watched as seven or eight wizards surrounded a Romanian Longhorn. One of its wings had a large tear, and it was bleeding profusely. The trainers were trying to calm it down.
He walked down the hill to get a closer look at the dragon. It had deep green scales and golden, shiny horns, with a wary and agitated gaze, stomping its feet restlessly.
"Relax—no one means you harm. You need treatment", one wizard shouted. His companions stood alert, wands at the ready, especially since the dragon was in heat and likely in a bad mood after a failed attempt.
The Longhorn flapped its damaged wing, sparks flying from its nostrils.
"Be careful, it's about to breathe fire—Charlie, use the Stunning Spell!" another wizard shouted.
The trainer named Charlie yelled, "Wait for the right moment, when it exposes its belly, then we'll—now!"
"Stupefy!" they shouted in unison. The Stunning Spells hit the thick skin of the Longhorn's belly like rockets. Its hind legs wobbled, and smoke billowed from its nostrils. It looked around dazedly, then slowly collapsed.
"Great job!"
A middle-aged wizard patted Charlie on the shoulder, relieved. "I can trust you to lead a team on your own now." His companions gathered around. Living in the wild had made their skin rough and sunburned, giving them a weather-beaten appearance.
'So it's him,' Felix thought. Charlie Weasley, two years his junior, had exceptional talent in Quidditch and had been the captain of the Gryffindor team, winning the Quidditch Cup.
However, Felix hadn't been interested in Quidditch during his school days and hadn't recognized Charlie immediately. He couldn't even remember the name of the Slytherin captain at the time.
Moreover, Charlie Weasley looked very different from his memory. Although he still had the broad, friendly face and the Weasley family's freckles, his skin was much darker now, and his arms bore a large, shiny scar from a fire burn.
Felix stood quietly to one side, but his sudden appearance startled the others, who had been entirely focused on the fire dragon and hadn't noticed him.
"Who are you? Don't you know it's dangerous here? And you're standing so close", the middle-aged wizard frowned, eyeing the young man in front of him. Felix's face was deceptive, making the wizard assume he was just another reckless adventurer driven by curiosity.
Every year, there were people like this—usually fresh out of school, traveling the world, and the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary was a particularly tempting destination.
"Felix Hep, Professor of Ancient Runes at Hogwarts", Felix said with a relaxed tone. "I'm here on behalf of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore to review the potential events for the Triwizard Tournament."
The middle-aged wizard looked at him skeptically. Were professors really this young these days?
"Captain!" Charlie Weasley stepped forward. "I know him. Let me take him around."
"Is he really a professor?" After receiving a confirming nod, the captain waved his hand. "Alright, if you're friends, it's up to you. Everyone! Practice the Levitation Charm and move the fire dragon."
Charlie looked at Felix seriously. "The captain means no harm; he's a good man."
Felix chuckled. "Charlie Weasley, I'm curious about what image I have in your mind."
Charlie didn't respond. What image? Of course, Felix was a shadow to a generation. As a true Gryffindor, Charlie had always found it satisfying to see Felix deal with the Slytherin students when he was in school.
This led to Felix being well-liked in the other three houses, but his aggressive nature was also widely acknowledged, causing most people to keep their distance.
"Our campsite is over there. Let me show you", Charlie pointed to the base of the mountain. "We set up tents by a stream."
On the way, Charlie introduced him to the environment. "The Carpathian Mountains are vast, covering about forty percent of this country. Besides forests, there are rocky plains, swamps, and caves..."
"Wouldn't the fire dragon start a forest fire?" Felix asked, intrigued.
"Such incidents are rare. They don't rely on fire to hunt. For example, the Romanian Longhorn we just saw prefers to gore its prey with its horns and then drag it back to its nest on the mountain to roast it with fire", Charlie explained. "They only use fire to attack or intimidate when facing a tricky opponent or during territorial disputes, and the victor usually puts out the fire afterward."
He sighed. "This is their home." They looked up as a silver-blue fire dragon flew overhead.
Charlie led Felix to a tent area. It was clear that Charlie was well-liked; many people greeted him as they walked by, and he responded to each one.
"We need to register you. How long do you plan to stay?" Charlie took out a notebook.
Felix thought for a moment. "A couple of days. I'm very interested in this place."
Charlie furrowed his brow. "I thought you'd only be here for half a day... I need to get permission from the captain. Please wait a moment." He hurried away and returned after a while, looking puzzled. "They've gone out again. I'll show you around the area for now."
As the sky grew darker, on the other side—
Harry, Ron, and Hermione got off the train and walked out of King's Cross Station. Harry's mood wasn't great. Even though he had a godfather, he still had to return to the Dursleys' house, as Dumbledore had requested, and he couldn't refuse.
Sirius hadn't been seen for a while, and if Harry hadn't received a letter on the train, he would have doubted whether Sirius had forgotten he had a godson.
Mrs. Weasley gave him a warm hug and invited him to watch the Quidditch World Cup, which improved Harry's mood somewhat. However, when they parted ways and he pushed his luggage toward Uncle Vernon, his mood darkened again.
Two whole months...
Uncle Vernon greeted him in his usual manner. "What's that?" he bellowed, glaring at the envelope Harry still held. "If it's another form for me to sign, then you—"
"It's not a form", Harry said, his face stern. "It's a letter from my godfather."
"Godfather?" Uncle Vernon sputtered. "You don't have any godfather!"
"Yes, I do", Harry said, his mood inexplicably improving. "He was my parents' best friend, a convicted murderer who escaped from a magical prison. This is the letter he sent me. I can show you the name on the letter if you want..."
Uncle Vernon's face twitched, his small eyes filled with fear.
Harry continued to play up the situation with Sirius to secure some perks for his long summer. "...Sirius Black, you know, the one on TV. He's still on the run, but he wants to keep in touch to make sure I'm happy and—"
Harry's eyes widened as he looked past Uncle Vernon, who was as wide as a wall, and saw a man with a hippie-like appearance leaning against a wall nearby. The man wore a pointed hat that covered most of his face, and his lips curved into a half-smile.
The man pushed back his hat, revealing Sirius's bright smile. "Harry, that really hurts my feelings..."
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed in surprise.
(End of Chapter)
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