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.
Fleur had a quarter of Veela blood, which granted her some of the Veela's enchanting abilities.
Her exceptional beauty was one of these, giving her a captivating allure over men.
Because of this ability, she wasn't well-liked among other girls, and she was too proud to argue with them. On the other hand, she didn't care for the attention she received from boys, who were often too smitten to behave normally around her.
This left her with very few friends at school.
When she first saw John at school, she had no intention of befriending him.
She just thought he was interesting. He commented about her beauty but didn't fawn over her or try to flatter her like the other boys.
In their interactions, she found herself becoming more drawn to him, but not in a romantic way.
It was a kind of trust, the kind of magnetism a leader has that makes people naturally gravitate towards them.
His mere presence restored people's confidence.
Looking at John, Fleur nodded. "I believe you, John."
John smiled and handed her another fruit. "Now, don't look so gloomy, and take a bite"
Fleur took it without any defense and took a bite. The price of this was that her whole face was squeezed by the sourness.
"John!"
"I didn't do anything. Look, I ate it too."
"But should have warned. I took such a large bite! "
"Oops?"
John looked innocent, and Fleur was so angry that she wanted to smash the fruit on his head.
Holding up the fruit, she thought about it. If she didn't eat enough and starved to death here, wouldn't it be even worse? She bit the fruit fiercely as if she thought of it as John.
...
It was getting dark, and John decided to find a place to rest first.
He lit a bonfire and the two sat around it.
"This forest is huge, but there's no sign of any animals. Even a magical creature would be better than nothing," John grumbled.
Fleur rolled her eyes. "Magical creatures in the wild are very dangerous. Considering their territorial instincts, it's possible there's a powerful creature nearby that's keeping others away."
"Oh?" John thought she made a good point.
Magical creatures indeed had strong territorial instincts. If an outsider invaded their territory, it usually resulted in a fierce battle.
But considering how long they had been walking without encountering any creatures, he wondered if it was a nocturnal one.
As he pondered this, a noise came from the surrounding forest.
Rustle Rustle...
"What's there?" Fleur was a little sensitive.
Both of them drew their wands simultaneously. John glanced at his empty pockets, realizing they were without any useful items.
"I must get a traceless extension spell when I go back."
The Undetectable Extension Charm is a very practical spell, similar to the spatial rings commonly seen in novels.
It can enlarge the interior space of an object without changing its exterior appearance, making the inside a significantly larger space.
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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