Later that evening, Charlie came over, looking even more exhausted than the others. His face had the pale, wilted look of overcooked cabbage.
“I’ve been flying for over thirty hours!” he grumbled over dinner. “And I’ve had to keep an eye on the dragons constantly so they don’t bite me in half or knock me out of the sky. Honestly, I think the Quidditch players should come here for some special training. Flying a broomstick between seven or eight dragons would be a lot more useful than any training they’d get on the pitch.”
“They just want to play Quidditch, not get killed,” Kyle laughed. “And I don’t think the Dragon Reserve would agree to that kind of ‘training.’”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Shame though, they’re missing out on a great opportunity.”
Seeing how worn out Charlie was, Kyle offered him a mint-flavored Exploding Bonbon. “Want some? It’s not as strong as Awakening Potion, but it should perk you up a bit.”
“Thanks, I’ll take anything at this point,” Charlie said, popping the candy into his mouth. A moment later, there was a loud pop, and his face swelled up comically, resembling a giant toad. Charlie shivered and rubbed his cheeks as the mint’s chill spread through him.
“That’s better,” he said, taking a few sharp breaths. “Funny thing, I never used to like mints.”
“Tastes change,” Kyle said with a shrug.
Charlie raised an eyebrow, smirking. “So, you’re telling me you’ll be liking licorice next?”
“Absolutely not,” Kyle replied instantly.
“What a shame, you’re missing out on a real treat.”
The Weasley siblings were all big fans of licorice, as was Harry. A Liquorice Wand was a must-have snack for Harry and Ron on the Hogwarts Express. Kyle usually set aside any licorice he received to give to them on special occasions—like Christmas or their birthdays—as an extra treat.
Before long, Charlie excused himself, as he still had to patrol the reserve that night. Kyle handed him a large bag of sweets.
Though there were some shops and gathering spots for wizards near the Romanian Dragon Reserve, they mainly stocked things like rare wines, minerals, potions, and magical equipment. The sweets that filled the shelves at school were a rare commodity here. Not that sweets were impossible to find, but they were troublesome to get hold of. Ordering from far away often meant limited flavors, and the selection couldn’t compare to Honeydukes back home.
After Charlie left, Kyle returned to the tent. Inside, he found quite a few people, including Newt, who all looked refreshed. Just like on their first day, everyone was gathered around, happily chatting.
The conversation revolved around Magical Creatures, covering everything from dragon treatment techniques to postpartum care for Tebo warthogs. Kyle took a seat beside Newt, listening silently but intently, absorbing a wealth of useful knowledge.
Professor Lochneal even mentioned that he’d discovered a new Magical Creature in the Barisan Mountains—something massive with four arms.
He’d already compiled his findings and illustrations, which would be published soon. Everyone showed great interest, and Kyle could tell Newt was intrigued too. It was clear he wanted to see this creature for himself, though he’d have to wait until Lochneal’s publication was available.
This time, the dragons took a longer break. Everyone remained in the field for three days before activity resumed. When things began to stir again, Kyle and Newt returned to their usual hilltop. Their area of responsibility had been pre-arranged and was set farther from the highest cliffs, likely to accommodate Newt’s age and ensure a safer position. However, it was a bit uneventful compared to other locations.
Once again, the dragons launched into several days of relentless combat, but now, more dragons were dropping out of the skirmishes. Kyle heard the familiar hissing sounds of surrender almost daily.
But there were exceptions.
On the second day, a Romanian Longhorn, worn out and disoriented, took a direct hit from a Ukrainian Ironbelly’s tail swipe, rendering it unconscious. With its eyes rolling back, it plummeted from the sky, landing near the hill where Kyle and Newt were stationed.
For a moment, it looked like the fight was over. But then, the Ukrainian Ironbelly, perhaps not realizing the Longhorn was out cold—or maybe just too fired up to notice—hovered for a moment before diving down to finish the job.
Newt’s brow furrowed, and he immediately used Apparition to appear beside the fallen Longhorn, pressing his wand to its throat and emitting a series of short sounds, signaling surrender. However, Newt’s attempt didn’t work—his “accent” was thick, and the dragon sounds he made didn’t quite resemble those of a native dragon.
Under normal circumstances, the Ukrainian Ironbelly might have understood, but at that moment, it seemed too agitated to heed Newt or Kyle at all.
“This is a problem!” Newt’s face grew tense. If the Ironbelly continued its descent, its nearly six-ton weight would crush the Romanian Longhorn beneath it. Yet using any direct spells to intervene would harm the Ironbelly, disrupting its battle and violating the rules of non-interference with dragon combat.
“Nebulus!” Newt quickly conjured a thick fog around the area, attempting to obscure the Ironbelly’s view.
Then, with a flick of his wand, he managed to nudge the fallen Longhorn a short distance. Meanwhile, Kyle cast both the Softening Charm and the Sliding Charm on the ground, hoping they’d cushion the Longhorn if it needed to be moved further.
Almost simultaneously, the trees around them began to stretch and twist, as if transforming into massive, sturdy ropes. They reached into the fog, intertwining to create a gigantic net beneath the Ironbelly’s descent.
“Crack…crack…” The sound of the tree-net breaking was like firecrackers popping, as the immense dragon’s weight strained the improvised web. For every rope that snapped, another quickly grew to take its place.
Finally, the Ukrainian Ironbelly halted less than two feet from the ground, its claws just shy of the Longhorn’s tail. Had it landed, there’d likely be a tailless dragon in the reserve.
The Ironbelly struggled in the net for a moment, then gradually seemed to come to its senses. Letting out a grumbling growl, it freed itself from the net and soared back into the sky, seemingly satisfied.
“That was close,” came a familiar voice from behind. Kyle turned to see Chris, who stowed his wand as he approached them. It was he who had conjured the tree-net just in time.