While Harry and his friends huddled together in the warmth of Gryffindor Tower, studying the golden egg and its secrets, Adrian was standing at the very edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Before Adrian stood a group of men whose tired faces and practical dragon-hide clothing immediately marked them as Dragon Handlers. At their head was Charlie Weasley, his red hair catching the afternoon light and his expression carrying a combination of embarrassment and grim determination.
"Wait just a moment!" Adrian's voice had a tone of disbelief. He blinked several times, as though it might somehow change the words he had just heard. "Are you actually telling me that you've lost the Chinese Fireball? You, professional dragon handlers with years of experience dealing with these creatures have somehow managed to misplace a fully grown, fire-breathing dragon?"
Charlie's face flushed even deeper red than his hair with embarrassment. As Adrian had so bluntly pointed out, they were indeed supposed to be among the most professional dragon handlers in the wizarding world, trained at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary and experienced in managing these creatures.
Losing a dragon wasn't just embarrassing, it was the kind of professional failure that ended careers and potentially cost lives.
But that was exactly what had happened, and no amount of wishing could change the reality of their situation.
"It happened during what should have been a routine security check," Charlie began. "My colleague Thomas had stepped away for just a few minutes due to a personal biological necessity(needing to relieve himself), that couldn't be postponed."
Charlie's expression grew even more pained as he continued. "When he returned to his post, he found that the reinforced magical chains we had been using to bind Torch had been completely melted through. All that remained were a few charred claw marks on the ground."
Adrian stared at the group of dragon handlers with the expression of someone trying to process information that contradicted both logic and professional competence.
"As a former keeper of Torch, you should understand," Charlie sighed. "Torch is much more intelligent than his peers. According to our tests, he has at least the intelligence of a ten-year-old child."
The admission only seemed to deepen Adrian's incredulity and he argued. "Even granting Torch exceptional intelligence, that still doesn't explain how he managed to escape from properly implemented security measures."
"I know, I know!" Charlie's voice cracked with frustration and self-blame. "We've made a catastrophic mistake, and standing here analyzing how it happened won't solve our immediate problem. Every minute that Torch remains missing increases the likelihood of a disaster that could expose the wizarding world to Muggles."
Charlie's hands gestured anxiously as he spoke. "If Torch decides to fly toward any of the nearby settlements whether they're Muggle villages or wizarding communities, the results would be absolutely catastrophic. Even a single adult Chinese Fireball could reduce an entire town to smoking ruins within hours, and neither Muggle emergency services nor most wizarding communities have the resources to take on an effective defense against a rampaging dragon."
"Didn't you prepare for this kind of emergency?" Adrian couldn't help but ask. "Emergency tracking devices, or at least some method of monitoring the dragon's location in case of escape?"
Charlie's shoulders sagged with the weight of constant failure. "Of course, we implemented multiple tracking systems."
He swallowed hard before continuing. "But Torch destroyed or disabled every single one of them. We're not even sure how he managed it. At this point, I have no choice but to inform Professor Dumbledore about the situation. Perhaps he'll have a solution. In the meantime,..."
Charlie's desperate gaze fixed on Adrian with the intensity of a drowning man spotting a lifeline. "You know the Forbidden Forest better than any of us. Would you be willing to help us search for Torch?"
"Of course I'll," Adrian replied with a decisive nod.
As Charlie turned and began making his way toward the castle, Adrian turned his attention to the wall of ancient trees that marked the beginning of the Forbidden Forest.
The deeper Adrian went into the forest's depths, the more convinced he became that there was something wrong with the entire situation. The bare facts of Torch's escape, while certainly alarming, didn't align with the dragon's documented behavior patterns.
Chinese Fireballs were known for their ferocious territorial instincts and their preference for establishing and defending specific hunting grounds, but they typically chose high locations such as mountain peaks or high cliffs that provided strategic advantages for aerial hunting.
The Forbidden Forest, with its dense forests and limited flight corridors, represented exactly the opposite of ideal dragon habitat.
Why would Torch deliberately escape into terrain that restricted his greatest advantages?
It couldn't simply be for mischief.
Adrian wasn't sure what Torch was thinking or where he might have gone. He could only head deeper into the Forbidden Forest and try his luck.
Of course, he didn't expect to actually find Torch in this vast forest. This matter would have to be left for Dumbledore to worry about.
However, just as he reached an area he rarely visited, he suddenly caught a whiff of something burned—most likely caused by a dragon.
After walking in the direction of the burnt smell for several minutes, some charred, unidentifiable objects appeared on the ground.
Adrian examined them carefully for a long time before he could barely confirm that these were Acromantula corpses.
Acromantulas were classified by the Ministry of Magic as XXXXX-level creatures, the same threat rating assigned to adult dragons, and for good reason. These massive spiders possessed not only the physical capabilities to kill adult wizards with ease, but also the intelligence to coordinate group hunting strategies and the magical resistance to shrug off all but the most powerful offensive spells.
Their venom, when properly harvested and preserved, was among the most valuable potion ingredients in the wizarding world, with a single pint getting price up to a hundred Galleons from reputable suppliers.
Fortunately, Adrian wasn't particularly short of money, or he might have been tempted to harvest some of the Acromantulas here.
However, it was unexpected that Torch had encountered Acromantulas.
"Interesting," Adrian murmured softly.
He wondered if these Acromantulas had lost their minds to actually provoke a dragon.
Of course, it was also possible that Torch had wanted some snacks.
Following the trail left by the Acromantulas, Adrian walked for a long while until he came to a large stone cave. The edges of the entrance still bore obvious claw marks and charred traces.
This was a part of the Forbidden Forest he rarely visited, as it was the Acromantulas' nesting ground.
If he wasn't mistaken, this ridiculously large cave entrance should be Aragog's dwelling.
Aragog was a male Acromantula that Hagrid had raised, who should now be well into old age. Adrian had heard from Hagrid that Aragog suffered from severe cataracts.
But that wasn't important.
What mattered was that he couldn't see any living Acromantulas at the cave entrance!
Drawing his wand and muttering a quick protective charm to shield himself from potential residual toxins, Adrian stepped carefully through the cave entrance. The temperature inside was noticeably higher than the forest air outside, and waves of heat rolled through the cave like the breath of some enormous furnace.
"Lumos," Adrian whispered, his wand tip immediately blooming with steady light that pushed back the darkness and revealed the inside.
The situation inside was far worse than outside and it could be described as carnage. The cave walls were covered with charred scorch marks, and the ground was littered with massive amounts of spider remains, some burned to charcoal. The air was filled with a pungent burnt smell mixed with the distinctive stench of spider venom.
Adrian walked forward cautiously when suddenly, a low dragon roar echoed from deep within the cave.
Quickening his pace, he turned around a corner and the scene in front of him left him stunned.
Acromantula corpses were scattered everywhere, some still burning with residual flames. Torch was crouched over a massive black mass, tearing into his prey with great bites.
"Tsk," Adrian shook his head, feeling a mixture of admiration for Torch's power and genuine sadness for the loss of such an ancient and remarkable creature. Hagrid would be devastated when he learned of Aragog's fate.
Before approaching the feeding dragon directly, Adrian took a moment to change the chamber's toxic atmosphere. With a complex series of wand movements and incantations, he conjured a powerful ventilation charm that immediately began drawing fresh air into the cave while expelling the poisonous smokes that had accumulated during the battle.
Only when the air had cleared sufficiently did Adrian begin his careful approach toward the feeding dragon.
Sensing an unfamiliar presence, Torch suddenly raised his head. But upon noticing that the visitor was Adrian, his eyes immediately softened.
Then, he tore off a still-steaming spider leg from Aragog's charred corpse and gently pushed it toward Adrian's feet with his nose, making small whimpering sounds like a dog—clearly still recognizing Adrian as his former babysitter.
Seeing this scene, Adrian mouth twitched with suppressed amusement and spoke. "Thank you for the thoughtful offer, but I'm really not particularly hungry at the moment."
Curiosity overcoming disgust, Adrian crouched down to examine the offered spider leg more closely. The intense heat of dragon fire had cracked the creature's natural armor, revealing glimpses of pale, pink meat within that bore an unsettling resemblance to cooked lobster or crab.
The aroma rising from the charred flesh was surprisingly appetizing.
Under different circumstances, and with proper preparation to neutralize any residual toxins, the meat might even be edible. Many wizarding cultures considered properly prepared Acromantula a rare delicacy, though the extreme difficulty and danger involved in hunting such creatures made it available only to the wealthiest collectors of exotic cuisine.
Of course, Adrian was far too cautious to actually taste something that had been prepared by dragon fire rather than skilled magical cooking. Who could say what toxins might remain active even after such extreme heat treatment?
Instead, he straightened up and approached Torch, extending one hand to gently pat the dragon's snout in the same gesture he had used when Torch was still small enough to curl up in his lap. "So, you traveled all this way just to sample this local cuisine of roasted spider legs?"
Torch responded with a satisfied snort that sent small sparks through the air around his nostrils.
Whether the dragon fully understood the question or was simply responding to the familiar tone of voice was impossible to determine, but his relaxed posture and continued gentle demeanor showed that this hunting expedition had satisfied whatever urge had driven him to escape from his handlers in the first place.
"Alright, little guy," Adrian said sighing. "I think you've had quite enough adventure for one day. The dragon handlers are searching frantically for you, and Charlie Weasley is probably explaining your disappearance to Professor Dumbledore at this very moment. We really need to return you to captivity before your absence causes an international incident."
He paused, considering Torch's satisfaction with his hunting success and the large quantity of spider meat still available in the chamber. "Of course, if you'd like to bring some of these spider legs with you as supplies for the journey, I'd be happy to help you package them appropriately."
The suggestion seemed to strike exactly the right note with Torch. The dragon nodded with remarkably human-like understanding.
He had played enough too. Today's adventure time should come to an end.
"Good boy," Adrian murmured, reaching out to pat the dragon's head.
Following his childhood habit, Torch immediately leaned forward to nuzzle against Adrian with the enthusiastic fondness of a giant, fire-breathing puppy
The problem, of course, was that Torch was no longer the small, manageable creature that Adrian remembered from their early days. He had grown into a magnificent dragon of his species, with all the size, strength, and mass that such development needed.
The affectionate head-butt that would have been merely playful from a young dragon became something much more when delivered by several tons of enthusiastic Chinese Fireball.
Adrian went flying backward through the air like a projectile launched from a catapult, his robes curled around him as he sailed across the cavern in an arc. He landed hard against the far wall of the chamber, but his impact was cushioned somewhat by his quick reflexes as he used transfiguration to cushion his fall.
From his position sprawling against the cavern wall, Adrian looked up at Torch's concerned face and couldn't help but laugh.
This little guy's strength was far too great.
"Note to self," Adrian gasped, slowly pulling himself back to his feet, "remember to account for growth spurts when interacting with nostalgic dragons."
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