Hydrus stood in front of the bathroom mirror.
Every day when she attended to her personal hygiene, she switched to the house-elf constitution.
She opened her mouth, pointed with a finger—instantly, her oral cavity felt fresh.She pointed at her face—immediately clean, smooth, and fair.She pointed at her hair—her black long locks floated gracefully, grease gone, and even braided themselves.
She nodded in satisfaction.
She had been startled by Dumbledore that day and hurriedly fled Diagon Alley, missing her chance to buy textbooks—a little regretful.
But after thinking it over, she realized she didn't actually need any wizard magic right now.
Was house-elf domestic magic better, or was dragon magic no longer necessary?
As for the two ancient books she obtained from the Grey family vault, one was in runic script, the other in Old English.
Runes were no problem—Hydrus mastered nine out of ten magical "apertures." But the Old English one, while she recognized all the letters, made no sense when put together.
Switching back to Audrey's face, Hydrus walked toward the stairs.
"Good morning, Audrey! You're up!" Rick poked his head from the kitchen. "Look what I made for you!"
"Good morning, brother," Audrey cheerfully descended. "Let me see what you're so proud of."
On the table lay several crooked, strip-shaped items on a plate.
"I made them according to your description of 'youtiao,' Audrey. I tried them—they're delicious!"
Audrey smiled awkwardly at the messy-looking "youtiao."Shouldn't have told Rick the recipe—she had dug her own hole! Did these look tasty?
Rick, believing taste triumphs appearance, dipped one in milk and bit in.
Huh?
Audrey was surprised—Rick's fried youtiao was unexpectedly crisp and flavorful.
"Delicious!"
Receiving Audrey's praise, Rick's eyes sparkled.
"If it weren't for our family income these past two months, I really couldn't afford to fry youtiao."
He looked at the pot full of hot oil on the stove, sighing.
"Brother, I'm going out to play!"
Audrey dashed out of the house.
"Hey, slow down! Don't fall!"
Rick called after her. Audrey didn't look back, raising her right hand high, waving, "Got it!"
Rick chuckled, shook his head, and was about to close the door.
A tabby cat suddenly shot through the gap, startling him.
"Huh? Golden Tiger! Didn't Audrey take you out?"
Golden Tiger had been with them for three months. This cat had personality: no picking up, no petting, only eating what they ate—no cat food, no canned food. Feed late, and it would lash out.
A real cat lord. But at least it didn't destroy the house or misbehave. Even its "attacks" were without claws—quite sensible.
Above the Welsh Night Steed Carriage Station, Hydrus hovered in midair, scanning the horizon.
She now used the Night Steed constitution.
She didn't use dragon form because she had discovered a problem.
Her mastery of dragon constitution was incomplete—her body would partially transform, and her temperament would be affected by the dragon's nature.
Flying with the Night Steed was not only fast, but she could also remain invisible to most people.
A few minutes later, a carriage departed from the station, heading toward her position.
Hydrus smiled faintly. "Grey family, how do you keep forgetting your lessons?"
"Change your delivery times at least—you make it too predictable, no challenge at all!"
She ascended higher, closer to the sky. Below, the clouds were no longer monotonous—they resembled mountains painted red by the setting sun.
When the Night Steed carriage entered a 500-meter range, Hydrus deactivated Night Steed form and began freefall. Five seconds later, she switched to house-elf constitution.
"Shhhla!"
Hydrus cheerfully appeared inside the carriage.
She didn't even look at who was in front of her. "Robbery! Hand over the Galleons!"
She knew this routine well, having done it four times before.
The person opposite her remained calm, putting aside the box of Galleons.
He had neat gray hair, a fitted black vest making him look capable, and a coat that added authority.
Hydrus opened her mouth in surprise. "Bod Grey?"
She was shocked. "The Grey family has no one left? Do we need the patriarch himself to deliver the Galleons?"
Bod Grey's expression was far from pleasant.
The past three months had made the Grey family the laughingstock of the wizarding world.
Carriages carrying Galleons attacked by dragons.Bribing Ministry officials with pranks.Framing Gringotts guards for theft.Selling Lestrange treasures cheaply for household expenses…
Bod Grey had been clueless until he heard the name "Evil Dragon Hydrus."
Ignoring Gringotts for now—he had no evidence and no means to confront them directly.
But the Night Steed carriage heist and the Diagon Alley Galleon swaps were clearly her doing.
And indeed, he was right.
Hydrus had crashed into his carriage.
Trying her old tricks again?Bod Grey was no fool.
"Miss Lestrange, you've stolen nearly ten thousand Galleons from us—care to explain?"
Actually, twenty thousand!
Hydrus smiled sweetly. "Grandpa Bod, you know well where the Grey family's wealth comes from."
She liked to start with small talk—it gave her time to transform.
Seeing Hydrus dragon-form, Bod Grey showed no surprise."Only the name's wrong, not the nickname," he sneered."Evil Dragon Hydrus? Today, I shall be the dragon slayer!"
Bang!
A magical shockwave exploded from Bod. The carriage shook violently. The four Night Steeds pulling it were injured, wailing as they flew away.
Hydrus, protected by dragon scales, was unharmed. She saw clearly the wooden box by Bod's side shattered—without a single knut inside.
All along, Bod had been lying in wait.She, the foolish rabbit, had crashed headfirst into a stake.
Floating midair, dragon form bristling with anger—she'd been outsmarted?
Bod Grey's body wrapped in fierce winds, whistling. Calmly flying, he said:"Miss Lestrange, you're not the only one who can fly."
His voice was cold, emotionless."Though I don't know why you have your powers, it no longer matters!"
He raised his wand:"Not the worthless Norsen, Daniel, or Stevenson could end you, letting you survive so many days.But now, for the Grey family, you shall die!"
Infinite Ice!
The air temperature plummeted. Hydrus' body stiffened; ice crystals formed rapidly around her. In another second, she would be completely frozen!
Her dragon body shot upward, narrowly escaping freezing.
Who could freeze a dragon body? Not just anyone.
Even more shocking—Bod's spell had such a large range? From above, a 30-meter-diameter area turned deep blue, spreading outward.
Hydrus was terrified—she had not expected the normally low-key Grey patriarch to be such a powerful wizard.
The alert little girl turned and fled instinctively.She was no match.
She increased speed, hoping to outrun Bod and then Apparate away.
But the five-second delay in switching magical constitutions became a fatal weakness.
She trusted her speed—enough distance, and she might survive!
However…
"Trying to run?"
Shhhla!
Bod appeared right before her."Why not Apparate? I hear you're very skilled at it!"
"It's fine. I'll give you the chance to Apparate, and we'll see if I can locate you through magic resonance, Miss Lestrange!"
Bod's voice dripped with mockery.
Hydrus' face turned pale—disaster. This is a massive disaster.