Harry Potter: The Bard of Hogwarts

Perhaps only in a tranquil environment can one truly appreciate the passage of time.

It feels as if every moment slows down, giving people the chance to savor and understand the meaning of life.

In early May, under the midday sun, Brioni Island was a lush green.

In the center of the island, at the dragon breeding ground, or rather, the fire dragon processing plant, various harrowing roars echoed intermittently.

Next to the processing plant stood a small house made of ice and snow.

The house wasn't large, probably around ten square meters. Its overall structure showcased the charm of Eastern architecture, with a 45-degree isosceles triangular roof that looked both simple and delicate.

After lunch, Ino sat quietly outside the house.

The extreme fear emanating from the neighboring processing plant made him close his eyes slightly.

It had been nearly two months since he arrived at Brioni Island, and the Acromantulas had been settled in the dense forests on the southern part of the island.

Everything was progressing positively.

As a species of magical creatures that lived in groups and had a strict hierarchy, the Acromantulas, led by the first generation of adult spiders, quickly adapted to the island environment, living a life of ease.

All they had to do in return was provide venom twice a year, and only from the young spiders.

Although everything was on track, Ino wasn't in a hurry to leave.

The changes in Boggart during this period intrigued him. Through a series of coincidences, the current Boggart was almost a different species from the original one.

Not only had its appearance and color changed, but more importantly, this mutated Boggart seemed like an insatiable abyss, able to absorb unlimited amounts of fear.

What was once a tiny black speck of a Boggart had now grown a hundredfold.

...

The afternoon was calm and pleasant.

But those with ocean-going experience knew well that the weather at sea during summer could change suddenly.

Over a hundred nautical miles from Brioni Island, a mass of pitch-black clouds suddenly appeared over the sea.

In just a few minutes, the rolling clouds enveloped the island, blocking out all light.

The island was instantly plunged from midday into darkness.

Outside the ice house.

Ino looked up at the sky. Under such natural might, all life forms likely felt a sense of awe.

Lightning flickered in the clouds, accompanied by a strong sea breeze, making the whole island feel like it was facing doomsday.

"I wonder if Lucius will pay double wages for working in extreme weather."

Ino joked as he glanced at the tall fire dragon processing plant next door. The fear he sensed earlier had already vanished.

Thunder and wind drowned out the fire dragons' roars.

Quickly, he stood up abruptly.

The familiar fear had disappeared, but a new fear had already emerged.

"Boom!" A loud bang.

The massive wooden door of the processing plant was violently opened from the inside, followed by dozens of figures fleeing in panic.

"Mr. Swinburne! Get out of here, quickly! The fire dragons are out of control!" Dren shouted anxiously, waving his wand.

As Dren's words fell, the roof of the processing plant was instantly torn apart, and five Romanian Longhorn dragons burst out.

As if celebrating their escape, the five fire dragons kept spewing flames into the sky.

Under the dark clouds, the fire dragons' figures were particularly conspicuous.

However, those who worked at the dragon breeding Farm were not ordinary people. The dozen or so wizards reacted quickly. Without the terrain constraints, they formed groups of three, mounted their brooms, and began dealing with the rampaging fire dragons.

Perhaps these were old dragons ready for slaughter, with their strength and firepower far weaker than that of prime dragons.

After the sudden outbreak, the fire dragons seemed a bit exhausted, even their flames less intense.

In just a few minutes, the dragon handlers had regained control of the situation, and recapturing the dragons was only a matter of time.

...

As the manager of the breeding ground, Dren descended slowly on his broom when he saw the situation was under control.

"I am very sorry, sir! It's my responsibility that such a thing happened," Dren said heavily, with no intention of shirking his responsibility.

"Tell me, why did they go out of control?" Ino asked curiously.

He hadn't been idle these past two months. In a well-managed dragon breeding ground, a fire dragon going out of control was as rare as a Muggle plane crash—highly unlikely.

"It was Commons! He betrayed us," Dren said with lingering fear. "He sabotaged the chains restraining the fire dragons and escaped in the chaos, probably because..."

Realizing it sounded like an excuse, Dren stopped mid-sentence.

"Because our spider breeding ground is on track!" Ino finished for him.

Greed is a powerful motivator. Envy and jealousy are common sentiments. The transformation of the dragon breeding Farm was bound to incite envy among peers, especially here in Croatia, where the Malfoy name didn't carry much weight.

On the other side, Dren relaxed completely upon hearing the boy's supplement.

As the direct leader of the breeding ground, he couldn't shirk responsibility, but if someone else could corroborate his account, that would be ideal.

But the next sentence almost made Dren faint.

"Given that he's chosen to betray and sabotage, do you think he would merely release these five old fire dragons? Or is it that he completely underestimated your strength?"

Ino spoke calmly, but his gaze had already shifted to the northwestern horizon.

Following his gaze, Dren looked up. Despite the dark clouds, the large shadow in the northwestern sky was still very apparent.

"Mr. Swinburne! Get on your broom and fly east, disregard the Statute of Secrecy, and head straight into the Croatian mainland."

At that moment, Derren had abandoned hope of escape.

He knew the boy's identity. No matter how many of them died or got injured, the Malfoy family would compensate them. But if the boy died here, compensation would be the least of their worries; their lives would be over.

Moreover, as the person in charge, he couldn't flee after such a major incident.

Ino looked at the broom handed to him and didn't take it immediately.

"Dren, take them and leave. This time, it's not just five old Romanian Longhorn dragons."

"That's why you must leave!" Dren insisted firmly.

He knew very well what was coming. To meet the needs of the Acromantulas, they had ordered twelve Ukrainian Ironbellies last month.

As the largest dragon species in existence, the power of the Ukrainian Ironbellies was beyond question.

"I have a phoenix! I can leave anytime! But if you delay any longer, none of the dragon handlers above will survive."

Ino finished speaking and ignored Dren, instead considering how to handle the upcoming situation.

The newly operational spider breeding ground couldn't be allowed to be destroyed under his watch, and he didn't think these twelve Ukrainian Ironbellies were the final move.

Likewise, when Dren heard about the phoenix, he seemed revitalized, immediately flying into the sky on his broom without any hesitation.