39: Portkeys and the Hungarian Horntail

39: Portkeys and the Hungarian Horntail

The drunkard burped at the two kids, stretched out his hand with dead fish eyes and said, "Three Galleons, I guarantee you a safe trip."

With the thought that they were already here, John and Fleur paid the man and grabbed hold of what looked like an old, worn-out shoe that seemed to have just been taken off.

The two held hands to avoid getting separated.

As John touched the Portkey, he felt a hook somewhere behind his navel pulling him forward with irresistible force.

His feet left the ground, and he soared into the air.

When his eyes could see clearly, he and Fleur were already in free fall.

They landed heavily.

John rubbed his sore back, stood up, and glanced around, saying, "This doesn't look like a place where they would hold a Quidditch match, or is it just me?"

"I am going to kill that damn con artist!" Fleur's beautiful face had turned dark with anger. It was an unstable Portkey.

It had dumped them in some unknown forest.

John felt a headache coming his way.

The Portkey had vanished, leaving them stranded in what could very well be an uninhabited wilderness.

"Let's hope we can find someone to ask for directions," he sighed.

(A/N: Alone in the wilderness with a beautiful girl..? Sign me up!)

....

At least they weren't hurt due to that broken portkey, but now there seemed no way for them to return.

"Haah, Haah, I can't go on; I need a break," Fleur said, sitting on the ground without any trace of her usual grace.

John stopped, sweat beading on his forehead.

They had been walking through this forest for at least three hours, and in all that time, they hadn't seen a single person or even many animals.

John deeply regretted not bringing his flying boots. If he had known they would end up in this desolate place, he would have brought them for sure.

"Four-Point!" (or Point me/Pointeme)

His wand pointed to the north. John looked at the direction. At present, they were still in a good situation.

"It's a shame I haven't learned Apparition yet; walking is exhausting."

John sat down to rest as well. He picked some seemingly harmless fruits from a tree and handed them to Fleur but Fleur didn't eat them.

She buried her head in her knees and mumbled, "Sorry, John. I shouldn't have dragged you into this."

Fleur was a little bit nervous when she thought that she might not be able to get out.

As the older one, she needed to be more responsible but ended up being irresponsible and dragged John into this terrible place with her.

Hearing her words, John wiped the fruit and put it in his mouth and took a bite.

The sour taste almost made him spit it out, but after thinking that this might be the only food they could find here, he swallowed it again.

"It's okay, Fleur," he said, trying to sound reassuring. "We'll find a way out of this. We just need to keep moving and stay positive."

John reassured Fleur, trying to lift her spirits.

Fleur looked at his handsome face and inexplicably felt a sense of security that made her want to believe him.

John hadn't learned this spell yet; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone out with just his wand.

The two of them watched the direction of the noise tensely, with John ready to cast a Blasting Curse at any moment.

The sounds were getting closer. John's body, enhanced by the fusion of dragon blood, had heightened senses.

He could hear breathing and heavy footsteps.

"Is it a person?"

John thought. Judging from the voice, it should be a person.

And this person was injured, so he should be on the run.

He held his wand up without relaxing at all. Encountering a person in the wild could be more dangerous than encountering a magical creature.

Finally, under their watchful eyes, a person emerged from the bushes in front of them.

"Stop!" Fleur shouted nervously.

It was a boy who looked about the same age as John, wearing blood-colored robes that appeared to be a type of school uniform.

His face was extremely pale, so much so that Fleur initially thought he was a vampire.

With black hair and a high-bridged nose, he would have seemed ordinary if not for the golden eyes faintly visible through the messy hair covering his left eye. Fleur's attack might have been launched if not for this detail.

The newcomer clearly hadn't expected to encounter two student-like wizards. He thought anyone daring enough to light a campfire in this place would either be Aurors or outlaws.

"Run!"

The boy shouted, and a ball of fire fell from the sky, igniting the bushes around him.

Fleur looked up in horror to see a black Hungarian Horntail spewing dragon fire from its open mouth.

||Ambush... offense... death...||

John looked at the Hungarian Horntail in disbelief; it seemed to be speaking.

Suddenly recalling that he had a dragon language blessing, John waved his wand and cast a Levitation Charm to pull the wizard out of the sea of flames.

Though this action saved a life, it also drew the Hungarian Horntail's attention to John.

"We need to run!" Fleur finally understood why there were no other creatures around.

The Hungarian Horntail was the fiercest of dragons, and its presence meant no other creatures dared to appear nearby.

John immediately turned and started running, with the angry words of the Hungarian Horntail still echoing behind him.

||Wizards... sleeping... ambush... dishonorable... butt hurts... sore butt...||

'Don't tell me.. this kid..' Hearing the Hungarian Horntail's words, John looked at the fleeing wizard with a strange expression.

This kid was quite bold, daring to ambush the Hungarian Horntail while it was sleeping. And of all places, he attacked its rear end.

No wonder the Hungarian Horntail was so furious.

If someone ambushed him while he was sleeping, he'd at least make sure they didn't escape without some pain.

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