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Chapter 9: The Dragon's Power! The Dragon's Speed! The Dragon's Fire!
In Short—It's All About Dragons!
The Malfoy Dragon Reserve was located in Romania.
That was quite a distance from the British Isles.
Fortunately, Hydra had planned ahead and had already "unlocked the map."
Before she turned five—during the days before Lord Voldemort's downfall—she had pestered her parents relentlessly, insisting on travelling everywhere so that one day she could Apparate freely across the world.
Her parents were consumed by the Dark Lord's cause and had no time to indulge her whims, so the one who accompanied her on those journeys was the now-deceased Northon Grey.
Their first stop had been Normandy, across the English Channel.
The second stop was the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The third stop was the Golden Hall in Vienna—this leg was rather far, so Hydra had rested for several days there.
The fourth stop was the Malfoy Dragon Reserve outside Târgu Jiu, Romania.
At this hour, Romania lay deep in the night.
The Dragon Reserve was silent as well.
Naturally, Anti-Apparition wards were in place—but they still could not prevent the innate talent of a House-elf.
Along the cliffside, artificial caverns had been carved out to serve as Dragon lairs.
The Malfoy Dragon Reserve primarily housed Common Welsh Green Dragons, a four-legged Dragon species—perfectly suited to Hydra's needs.
Among Dragons, their temperament was considered relatively gentle, making close contact far less suicidal than with other breeds.
Hydra Apparated into a small villa some distance away from the Dragon lairs.
This was the Malfoy family's holiday residence.
She herself had stayed here for several days in the past, but after Lord Voldemort's downfall, the Malfoys had quickly distanced themselves from the Lestrange family.
In six years, she hadn't seen Aunt Narcissa or Uncle Lucius even once.
Among pure-blood families,利益重于亲情—interest always came before kinship. That was hardly news.
Hydra shook her head.
Why dwell on such meaningless things?
The priority was to copy a Dragon's magical physique as quickly as possible!
Crack!
The young miss Apparated directly to the entrance of a Dragon lair, where a foul, suffocating stench assaulted her nose.
Frowning, she groped her way deeper inside.
After pretending to be a Squib for eleven years, she didn't even know how to cast a simple Lumos Charm.
If she'd known earlier that she could replicate a House-elf's physique, she never would have avoided learning magic altogether!
And now that she wanted to learn—
—the family library had already been stripped clean by the Grey Family!
Infuriating!
The deeper she went, the worse the visibility became, until it was pitch black.
Damn it.
Please don't let me walk straight into a Dragon's mouth.
Her footing was uneven—sometimes hard, sometimes soft, sometimes sinking slightly.
Hydra no longer cared what she was stepping on. She forced herself not to think about it and quickened her pace.
Heavy breathing reached her ears.
The Dragon was close!
Just a little further!
As long as she touched it—she would win!
Touch it, then retreat immediately!
Just as the thought crossed her mind—
A burst of flame erupted without warning!
It was barely four or five feet from her face.
Dragonfire.
The next moment, a wagon-wheel-sized, waxy-yellow eye opened.
It glowed faintly in the darkness and stared at her silently.
By that dim light, the Dragon's enormous silhouette was revealed in full.
…Good Merlin.
Facing a legendary Class XXXXX Magical Creature at point-blank range, Hydra finally understood what true pressure felt like.
The suffocating dominance of an apex predator.
She froze completely, not daring to move a single muscle.
Rush forward? Touch it? Run?
Are you insane?!
That idea had already been flung straight into oblivion.
So this was what Harry Potter had faced during the Triwizard Tournament?
That was absurd.
Utterly absurd.
No wonder he was called the Chosen One—or whatever destiny nonsense that was!
"H-hi… hello…"
Hydra greeted it stiffly, ready to Apparate away at the slightest movement.
"I only came here to make friends. Would that be… acceptable?"
"CRAAWK—!"
The Common Welsh Green Dragon let out a strange yet beautiful cry.
The sound wave alone made Hydra's eardrums throb.
As the Green Dragon raised its head toward the sky, the Dragons across the entire mountain responded in chorus!
"Hrrk… hrk…"
The Dragon before her lowered its head and released a low, rumbling sound.
Hydra, who had been on the verge of fleeing, suddenly froze.
…That was goodwill.
There's a chance.
Hold on!
The next instant, the Dragon's massive wings folded around her, gently nudging the girl toward its head.
Its enormous, cold, smooth forehead rubbed lightly against her.
Hydra went blank.
This… this gesture—
The Lestrange young miss, who had memorised the Dragon Compendium, knew exactly what it meant.
This was an affectionate motion—a mother Dragon comforting her hatchling.
So…
Did I just get adopted by a Dragon?
Before she could process it further, the information of the Common Welsh Green Dragon's magical physique surged into her mind.
Hydra immediately initiated Physique Switching.
—!!
Merlin's saggy socks and Salazar's left fang!
Power.
Pure, overwhelming power!
Damn it—still more power!
The Dragon physique was far too strong. Her human body could barely withstand it.
Her pupils slit vertically, turning waxy yellow.
Green scales erupted across her exposed arms.
Her fingernails sharpened.
Her throat burned with accumulating heat.
"ROOOAR—!"
Unable to restrain herself, Hydra spewed a jet of dragonfire straight into the cavern ceiling.
"Ooh—oh!"
The Dragon mother released two reproachful murmurs.
Hydra immediately clasped her hands together sheepishly.
"S-sorry! I didn't mean to!"
"CRACK!"
"CRACK!"
A rapid series of Apparition sounds echoed through the cave.
Five Wizards appeared in an instant.
They raised their wands, and Hydra instinctively assumed a defensive stance.
"Lumos!"
One of them cast the Lumos Charm, while the other four cast unfamiliar spells, forcing the Common Welsh Green Dragon behind Hydra into Deep Slumber.
"CRACK!"
More arrivals followed.
Thanks to Dragon-enhanced vision, Hydra could clearly see the newcomers even without light.
Pale blond hair.
Cold grey eyes.
A sharp, aristocratic face.
Lucius Malfoy.
"Who are you?" Lucius demanded, his wand—disguised as a cane—pointed straight at her.
"And what is your purpose in infiltrating my family's Dragon Reserve?"
"Oh, I merely wandered in by accident," Hydra replied cheerfully.
Unfortunately, her scale-covered face made the smile deeply unconvincing.
"I sincerely apologise for disturbing your rest!"
"Answer me properly, intruder!"
She looked like a young girl, but the abnormalities on her body were terrifying enough to put every Malfoy on high alert.
"Shouldn't Mr Lucius Malfoy be at Malfoy Manor in England?" Hydra asked lightly.
"Why are you here?"
She clapped her hands suddenly.
"Oh—right! Of course! Your family comes here every year for summer holidays. I see!"
She had dodged his question—and knew the Malfoy family's habits far too well.
Lucius grew even more tense.
"Serpensortia!"
Hydra watched with interest as Lucius cast the famous spell—rumoured to originate from India.
A thick-bodied serpent materialised, coiled low before rearing up and hissing threateningly at her.
[Die! Die!]
Hydra responded at once:
"Hiss—hiss—hiss."
[I am not your enemy. Leave immediately.]
The snake froze.
Then lowered its body, turned away, and slithered rapidly out of the cave.
"Parseltongue…"
Lucius stared in shock.
"You… who exactly are you?"
Hydra walked slowly toward him.
At this point, her uncle's hairline wasn't yet quite so tragic, and his face somehow looked even paler than usual.
She spoke softly.
"You really are forgetful, Uncle Lucius."
"Uncle…?"
Lucius's eyes widened.
"You're—Hydra?!"
Hydra beamed.
"Uncle, thank you very much for the Dragon. I must be going now. If fate allows, we'll meet again."
"Good night!"
She dashed past the stunned Lucius and bolted for the cave entrance.
Her speed was terrifying.
Each push of her feet sent her hurtling four or five metres forward.
At the entrance, she leapt—
—and shot into the sky.
She had no wings.
But Dragons didn't rely on wings to fly.
Otherwise, how could creatures weighing dozens of tonnes stay airborne with membranes thinner than bat wings?
Wings were for balance.
Flight was magic.
Hydra surged up and down through the Romanian night air, fast and slow, exhilarated beyond measure.
She threw back her head and let out a triumphant cry.
"CRAAAWK—!!"
The beautiful Dragon roar echoed across the mountain once more, rousing the entire reserve.
The Green Dragons:
Are we ever allowed to sleep?!
Lucius Malfoy stood at the cave entrance, eyes narrowed, watching Hydra streak across the sky.
No one knew what thoughts were churning behind that aristocratic mask.
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