"This… this is…?"
Draco Malfoy followed Audrey as she jumped down. The entryway was over two meters high. Audrey's strong body made the landing effortless, but Draco wasn't so lucky—he landed hard on his backside, his teeth clashing together, and his mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood.
But the minor pain was immediately forgotten.
Because before him was the fire dragon he had longed to see.
In one corner of the suitcase space, Audrey had created an artificial cliff for Norberta. She had thoughtfully dug out a "sea" as well.
The large pool was filled with fish, and grass and sheep dotted the cliffside.
Norberta was dozing on a tank near the cliff. Catching the scent of her "mom," she immediately woke, leaped off the tank, and tumbled across the ground like a rolling gourd.
She let out two excited chirps and scrambled to Audrey, running with tiny thumping steps.
Draco watched enviously as Audrey scooped up the tiny, puppy-sized dragon.
"She's a Norwegian Ridgeback," Draco said. "At my family's dragon sanctuary, we only have the ordinary Welsh Green dragons—I'm so bored of them!"
He leaned closer, admiring Norberta as she purred contentedly. "Look at how beautiful she is!"
Draco cautiously reached out, unsure whether to touch her. He knew the teeth of a Norwegian Ridgeback were poisonous; one bite would be serious business.
"Go ahead, it's fine," Audrey said.
Draco gingerly touched Norberta, a look of satisfaction on his face.
"Why so timid? You still call yourself a man?"
Audrey, annoyed by Draco's cowardice, glared at him and shoved Norberta into his arms.
"Norberta, no biting. This is my cousin. If you bite him, no meat for you later!"
Norberta chirped twice and stayed still, letting Draco handle her like a little dragon plush toy.
Like mother, like daughter—the lazy dragon life needed no explanation. As long as there was food, she'd happily perform tricks.
Watching Audrey walk away, Draco quickly spoke up:
"Cousin, what are you doing?"
"Nothing. Practicing driving."
Audrey expertly jumped into the T-80 tank's cockpit and started it up.
As the roaring tank began to move, Draco's jaw dropped.
She calls this a "car"?
His concept of vehicles was limited to carriages—or at most, Muggle cars. This tens-of-tons behemoth was beyond anything he had imagined.
Audrey raced the tank for a few minutes. Draco was completely mesmerized; he didn't even notice when Norberta wriggled free from his arms.
This thing looked so mighty!
The tank stopped, its cannon rotating.
Aiming, firing!
Boom!
The shell hit the cliff, scattering rocks everywhere.
"Reparo!"
Audrey's calm voice came from the tank. The rocks seemed to rewind, returning to their original positions in seconds. The cliff instantly restored itself.
Norberta chirped, attempting to jump back onto the tank. After a few clumsy headbutts, she finally grabbed the skirt of the tank with her mouth. Flapping her wings wildly, she climbed up under her own power for the first time in her life.
Chirp! Chirp!
Only now did Draco realize the little dragon had left his arms. But it didn't matter—his young heart was already filled with awe for the tank.
"Cousin!" Draco pounded the tank's armor. "What… what is this?"
Boom!
Another shell fired. The deafening noise and the blast shook the air, knocking Draco backward, ringing his ears.
Norberta excitedly watched the simulated destruction of her future nest and chirped at Draco, seemingly mocking his timidity.
"Reparo."
The cliff restored itself again. Audrey floated out of the tank.
"Cousin!" Draco yelled, temporarily deafened and dumbfounded. "Is this some new alchemical invention? Amazing!"
"This is a Muggle war machine!" Audrey said.
Draco froze.
A Muggle invention?
The young heir of a pure-blood family was utterly shocked.
"That… that too is Muggle-made?"
Draco pointed at the massive TU-160 strategic bomber, its swan-like shape intimidating.
"Yes. That's the Muggle aircraft you always bragged about to classmates—the one you nearly collided with."
Draco's face turned red, recalling his past boasts. He was mortified.
"Follow me, I'll show you something even more impressive!"
The TU-160 was over fifty meters long, thirteen meters tall—a true giant.
Up close, Draco was even more amazed than from afar.
Audrey led him into the cockpit. She had transformed it into her own entertainment room out of boredom—television, VCRs, and piles of tapes stacked over half her height.
The TU-160's fuel tank could provide energy for over five years.
"Draco, sit anywhere."
Malfoy hesitated before sinking into a single chair. Audrey dug through the tape piles. "Where's the instruction tape? Here it is!"
She inserted it into the VCR, glancing mischievously at Draco.
"Draco, are you ready? What you're about to see will completely change your perspective."
Draco swallowed nervously, nodding. He had no idea what his cousin intended, and unease bubbled in his chest.
Snow-like static appeared, and images filled the TV screen.
The audio was in Russian, incomprehensible to Draco. He only saw someone operating a cylindrical device. Audrey also didn't understand, so she fast-forwarded.
In the video, a bright spot appeared in the sky—then a blinding flash. A massive mushroom cloud erupted. The power of the hydrogen bomb could only be described in four words: apocalyptic destruction.
Draco's pupils dilated.
Not from fear of the explosion—wizard versus Muggle wars were far removed from him. He could only marvel at Muggle ingenuity.
What truly shook him was the cylindrical device at the start of the video—he had seen it before.
Earlier, in the TU-160 cockpit…
That device had been lying there, identical to the one in the video.
So his cousin carried a world-destroying weapon around casually?
Voldemort? Who? Compared to his evil cousin, that was child's play.
What? His cousin isn't evil?
If she wasn't, why bring something that could blow up all of England?
Draco seriously doubted his cousin's intentions—she must be showing off to remind the Malfoys to obey her!
But… Malfoys never obey… well, maybe this once…
Yes… she won. He'd write to his father later…
Audrey never imagined she had merely intended to expand Draco's knowledge of Muggles, and instead he had spun all these conclusions in his head!
If she had a Legilimency-like power, she'd cry injustice—far worse than Dou E's.
Pansy Parkinson paced outside Audrey's door.
She had stormed over in anger earlier, but now her rage faded, leaving hesitation.
Having been expelled from home like Aronnia Rohl, or from school like Alan Ash, these were cautionary tales.
Moreover, girls helping boys in dormitories wasn't unusual; it was normal social interaction.
Reason prevailed, and Pansy hesitated further.
Performing such naughty deeds in broad daylight at school? Only a love potion-crazed Rohl would do that!
Audrey Astrey was not that kind of person.
Pansy clenched her fist. Yes—she could tell from Audrey's songs. She wasn't that type.
But…
But she really wanted to know what Draco was doing in Audrey's room!
Maybe just a peek?
She gently pushed the door.
Before her eyes wasn't a room, but a swirl of purple and black light—a chaotic mist.
What was this? A glamour?
Could there really be something they didn't want her to see?
Why else would they hide it?
Impulsively, Pansy lunged forward, merging into the chaos.
The next moment… Pansy vanished from Hogwarts.