Chapter 341: Departure to the Fire Dragon Reserve
Chapter 341: Departure to the Fire Dragon Reserve
The next morning, as Kyle made his way downstairs for breakfast, he found that Newt had already arrived and was chatting with Diana at the dining table.
House-elf Dobby was bustling about in the kitchen, tirelessly serving up fried eggs, sausages, and toast...
"Good morning, dear."
Diana straightened Kyle's collar and said, "Go ahead and eat breakfast. You'll be leaving soon."
"Good morning..."
After greeting the two of them, Kyle picked up a slice of bread and asked, "Are we leaving this early?"
"It's not early at all. We need to depart in another ten minutes," Newt replied with a smile. "Last night, they sent me another letter saying that Pino... the Ukrainian Ironbelly, had her wing broken, and the dragon keepers had to send her elsewhere.
The reserve is in a state of chaos, even the gentle fire dragons have been dragged into this mess."
Hearing this, Kyle hurriedly sped up his eating.
Taking advantage of this moment, Newt and Diana continued their previous conversation.
"It's really surprising. How did that man, Black, manage to escape?" Newt wondered aloud.
"I think he must have discovered the weakness of the Dementors... They sense their surroundings through emotions, so there aren't many ways to evade them, but it's not impossible," Diana speculated as she poured tea for Newt.
"Moreover, the Ministry of Magic placed too much trust in the Dementors. There were only two Aurors on an island that large," she added.
"True," Newt agreed, taking a sip of his tea. "But it's still remarkable. No one has ever escaped before."
"Perhaps," Diana said, glancing out the window. "Who knows..."
Kyle remained silent, quietly eating his breakfast beside them.
A week earlier... The Prophet had published another article on the Weasley family to stimulate more participation in the raffle.
In the photo, the entire Weasley clan stood in front of a massive pyramid, including Ron's half-dead rat...
By the time Kyle finished his breakfast, it was just about time to leave.
Newt took out a glass bottle.
"The Portkey, I think you know how to use it," he said.
Kyle nodded and placed his hand on the bottle.
Newt checked the time.
A few seconds later, accompanied by a gust of wind, the two of them vanished from the room.
To be honest, after getting used to Apparition, traveling by Portkey could be considered quite gentle.
When the journey ended, Kyle landed steadily, casually straightening his windblown clothes and hair.
"Welcome, Mr. Newt Scamander... Oh, it's you, Kyle," a voice called out from nearby.
Kyle looked up and found himself in a spacious valley. Standing before him was a burly man who was looking at him with surprise.
"Charlie!"
Kyle was also taken aback.
The man before him was Charlie Weasley, and he looked even more robust than he had two years ago. There was a new, large scar on his exposed arm, a clear burn mark.
The two embraced briefly, and Kyle blurted out, "What are you doing here?"
However, he immediately regretted asking that question... It was like asking Professor McGonagall what she was doing at Hogwarts. Of course, Charlie worked at the dragon reserve.
But Charlie understood what Kyle meant and laughed as he explained, "I'm here to greet Mr. Scamander... So, are you his assistant now?"
He looked at Newt.
There was no response...
From the start, Newt had been staring at the massive silhouettes in the sky.
Charlie didn't feel embarrassed by the lack of response. This was the third time Newt had visited, and he had greeted him each time. Charlie was already used to this situation.
Fortunately, there was one more person this time.
"That's right, I'm Mr. Scamander's assistant," Kyle confirmed, extending his hand. "I hope there won't be any problems.
"Old Pino has been shedding his teeth faster these past few years, and I picked the largest one for you."
Charlie led Kyle to a nearby area where a few people had already gathered.
Kyle spotted Professor Kettleburn, who had been living in Hogsmeade after his retirement and had been invited to this event.
Standing next to him was a tall wizard with a bushy beard.
Professor Kettleburn was already quite tall, but he only reached the other man's shoulder.
This new individual seemed to be over two meters tall.
"Edward Lima," Charlie whispered, "a famous magical creature master from Peru. He once lived with the Peruvian Vipertooth for ten years."
Upon hearing this name, Kyle paused for a moment.
He remembered; this man was the author of The Monsters' Book of Monsters that he had seen before.
It seemed that this person shared Hagrid's affinity for more ferocious magical creatures.
"Hey, Newt, you're here!"
Professor Kettleburn approached them, his voice carrying from a distance as he laughed, "I guessed you would bring this young man along... It's been a while, Kyle."
"It has been a while, Professor."
"Don't call me that; I'm just an ordinary retired old man now," Professor Kettleburn waved his hand dismissively. "I'm no longer a professor."
"Ordinary retired folks don't usually travel this far to see fire dragons," Kyle joked.
"Well, hello there."
The tall Edward Lima also walked over and greeted Kyle politely.
"I've heard of you, the youngest member of the Order of Merlin. I didn't expect you to be interested in fire dragons as well."
His accent was surprisingly standard, without any noticeable quirks.
It was impressive how well-versed these traveling magical creature masters were with languages.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lima," Kyle said. "I've read your book."
"Oh?"
He seemed a bit surprised. "You read such niche books?"
In Britain, his book could indeed be considered niche, as most wizards preferred Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
"In fact, The Monsters' Book of Monsters is this year's textbook at Hogwarts," Kyle explained.
"Is that so...?" He glanced at Newt with a teasing look and said with a proud tone, "Looks like you have a new professor with an excellent eye."
"That eye of his isn't so great," Newt replied with a smile.
The two men then embraced, clearly old friends.
Newt became much more talkative after meeting his acquaintances, and he chatted happily with them.
Charlie, meanwhile, took Kyle on a tour of the nearby area, introducing him to the Fire Dragon Reserve.
"The closest ones to us are the Swedish Short-Snouts; there are seven of them, making this the only relatively quiet spot.
But that's only temporary..."
He pointed to a towering pillar of fire in the distance.
"Last night was much livelier than tonight; the flames lasted the entire evening...
I only have one request for you: don't go weak in the knees later. It would be embarrassing if you end up sitting on the ground."
"That definitely won't happen," Kyle said.
"I hope so..." Charlie patted Kyle's shoulder and laughed. "Actually, I kind of want to see that happen. A recipient of the Order of Merlin, Second Class, scared weak by fire dragons.
It's unbelievable. When I received Mom's letter last year, I thought she was joking.
The Order of Merlin... I never expected you to achieve so much right after graduation."
(End of Chapter)
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