Norberta flew swiftly, darting hundreds of metres away in a rush.
Charlie nervously drew his wand, but Wayne and Newt, the two onlookers, smiled.
They felt no hostility, only overwhelming joy.
Ho-Oh, circling above Wayne, suddenly trembled violently, nearly tumbling down.
Who on earth is a mother!
I'm still just a chick, for goodness' sake!
"Chirp chirp~! Chirp!"
"Roar~!"
"Chirp~!"
Norberta blinked her eyes, her massive head leaning over to affectionately nuzzle Ho-Oh, then Wayne, as the dragon and bird began to converse back and forth.
Wayne and Newt took the opportunity to observe her.
"Incredible," Newt exclaimed, his eyes filled with wonder. "If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have believed this was a Norwegian Ridgeback."
Wayne also found it strange. "Charlie, I've seen photos of Norberta from Hagrid; she didn't look like this back then."
A normal Norwegian Ridgeback should have a distinct ridge running from its neck to its tail, resembling a continuous mountain range.
Norberta retained the ridge feature, but in every other aspect, she bore no resemblance to a Norwegian Ridgeback. She was entirely a ruby colour, exuding a faint glow, and upon closer inspection, one could see flame patterns on her scales.
The head of the dragon was also much softer than that of other fierce dragons, appearing less menacing and even somewhat cute.
With Wayne's discerning eye, he had to admit that Norberta looked much better now than she did as a hatchling; no wonder she could mesmerise that group of dragon enthusiasts.
"You say this dragon is less than three years old?" Newt suddenly asked.
"To be precise, she's just 'two years and eight months old,'" Wayne replied softly.
The old man's expression became even more vivid. "Two years... thirty feet? That's growing far too quickly."
Typically, dragons reach maturity in ten to fifteen years, and a Norwegian Ridgeback grows to about fifty feet when fully grown. Norberta, at two years old, had already reached thirty feet, surpassing some adolescent dragons.
Faced with their confusion, Charlie could only shrug helplessly. "A year ago, Norberta was perfectly normal, but one day, her colour changed, and she started growing rapidly."
"In the end, she became too large to stay with the hatchlings, so I had to bring her here to settle down."
"Don't let her size fool you; Norberta has single-handedly defeated three adult dragons working together. The temperature of her flames... tsk tsk," Charlie shook his head, recalling it with lingering fear.
At that moment, the dragon and bird finished their exchange.
Ho-Oh's eyes revealed a human-like sense of despair, while Norberta squinted her eyes, seemingly smiling.
"What did they say?" Newt asked curiously.
Newt's talent differed slightly from Wayne's; he had a stronger affinity but could only understand the meanings of creatures close to him if he listened carefully.
Wayne, on the other hand, was stronger in communication, though his affinity was not as good as Newt's.
Holding back a laugh, Wayne stroked Ho-Oh's soft feathers, and Norberta nudged her head closer.
"Because it was Ho-Oh who hatched Norberta, she has always called Ho-Oh 'mother,' but Ho-Oh clearly doesn't want to acknowledge this daughter."
"My Ho-Oh is also just a three-year-old baby."
"Chirp chirp!" Ho-Oh nodded like a chick playing hide and seek, but no matter what it said, Norberta refused to change its title.
Wayne thought for a moment and realised that Norberta's reasoning wasn't entirely wrong.
Ho-Oh wasn't Norberta's biological mother, but she could be considered a wet nurse.
That made sense.
Understanding the boy's mischievous thoughts, Ho-Oh playfully ruffled his hair in annoyance.
"Ugh~ ugh~" Norberta suddenly whined softly.
"Do you want me to ride you?" Understanding Ho-Oh's words, Wayne became interested.
This should count as dragon riding, right?
So, under the astonished gazes of Newt and Charlie, Wayne leapt off his broom and landed directly on Norberta's back, the ridge serving as a seat. It was a bit uncomfortable, but nothing too serious.
"Roar~!"
Norberta let out a dragon's roar, flapping her wings and soaring into the distance, with Ho-Oh following closely by Wayne's side. In the blink of an eye, they vanished from Charlie and Newt's sight.
Charlie was unfazed, but Newt felt a bit anxious.
He wanted to observe Norberta more closely to identify the source of her transformation, but Wayne had already taken her for a joyride.
Newt was anxious, and the dragons at the peak were even more frantic.
Seeing their goddess being ridden by a human, they roared in fury and took off after them, shaking the mountains and forests. The simultaneous anger of so many dragons made all the creatures in the mountains and forests tremble.
Wayne heard the commotion behind him, glanced back at the approaching dozen dragons, and a smile crept onto his lips.
"Norbert... never mind, I think I'll just keep calling you Norberta from now on." Wayne paused, realising he had gotten used to calling her Norberta and decided not to change it.
"Show me your full flying speed; let me see how much you've grown in these two years!"
"Roar!"
At Wayne's words, Norberta let out a joyful dragon's roar and suddenly accelerated, gradually pulling away from the pursuing dragons. However, the group of dragons did not give up; their wings flapped, creating a fierce wind as they unleashed their full power.
Thus, a single dragon flew ahead while a pack of dragons chased behind.
From Norberta, Wayne indeed felt a similar aura to Ho-Oh, full of vitality, and her scales felt warm to the touch.
This situation was similar to the Thunderbird Mia, except one was born from sacred flames, while the other was nurtured by thunder, both undergoing beneficial transformations.
As for why other dragons were so infatuated, Wayne figured it out through his communication with Norberta.
Firstly, Norberta was indeed a 'beauty' among dragons; her head, horns, and scales captivated the hearts of those dragons.
Dragons were inherently lustful and greedy.
Secondly, it was instinct driving them; mating with Norberta could produce superior offspring.
While Wayne pondered these matters, the group of dragons behind was nearly going mad.
Watching this little one fondling their dream dragon, they could only roar in impotent fury.
Norberta seemed to be in a playful mood, alternating between sudden bursts of speed and deliberate slowdowns—first allowing the pursuing dragons to close the distance, then abruptly accelerating away.
The entire reserve was thrown into chaos. Dragons were fiercely territorial creatures, and the sight of a large group flaunting their dominance overhead was intolerable to those below. Soon, more joined the chase, brawling mid-air with rival dragons as they pursued.
The dragon keepers were utterly helpless. There was nothing they could do in such a situation, so they trailed far behind, merely observing the unfolding spectacle.
Fortunately, Wayne had no intention of letting Norberta fly beyond the reserve's boundaries. After circling once, the dragon descended back to her own mountain peak.
"You've thoroughly enraged them," Newt said helplessly, watching the furious dragons charging toward them. "Could we try a gentler approach this time?"
He quickly added, "If too many dragons get injured, I won't be able to handle the aftermath."
Charlie nodded vigorously.
Wayne smiled. "Fine. Let's use a simpler method this time."
Dragon wings blotted out the sky as over twenty dragons, their fury mounting throughout the chase, finally unleashed their rage in a dive toward the mountaintop.
Faced with this terrifying spectacle, the boy's smile remained, but his eyes gradually turned cold.
A bunch of oversized reptiles, daring to set their sights on my precious Ho-Oh's daughter.
Ho-Oh: ???
"Chirp! Chirp!"
Ho-Oh stood atop Norberta's head, frantically chirping—this really wasn't its daughter!
Hum~
A strange resonance filled the air.
Tiny points of starlight began to emanate from Wayne's body. Newt and Charlie couldn't help but stare as the boy himself began to glow. The light coalesced above his head, forming the colossal silhouette of a dragon.
Norberta, who had been holding her head high, suddenly bowed low. Her massive body trembled uncontrollably as she pressed herself against the ground, overwhelmed by the oppressive aura radiating from the dragon-shaped shadow—a primal fear rooted deep in her bloodline.
The airborne dragons fared even worse. After a single draconic roar, their wings seemed to lock up mid-flight, sending them plummeting to the ground in a series of thunderous crashes.
Though the Aspect of the Star Forger's true form wasn't that of a dragon—merely a vessel to manifest its grandeur—the draconic majesty it exuded was no less potent. Even the faintest wisp of its presence, conjured by Wayne, was enough to render the dragons immobile.
"Up you get." Wayne patted Norberta's head, shielding her from the oppressive aura.
Only then did Norberta recover somewhat, though she remained kneeling until Wayne climbed onto her back before daring to rise.
As the draconic pressure intensified, the once-ferocious dragons transformed into oversized quails, cowering on the ground with wings draped over their heads, too terrified to even look up.
Many of the dragon keepers, having followed the commotion, arrived just in time to witness the scene, rendered utterly speechless.
"Mr. Scamander... what kind of magic is Wayne using?" Charlie asked, dumbfounded.
"How should I know?" Newt murmured. "All I can say is that the shadow behind him resembles his Patronus—a dragon species I've never seen before."
"Even you haven't seen it?" Charlie gasped.
Newt shook his head. "There are still countless undiscovered magical creatures in this world. And perhaps... this one isn't even from our world at all?"
Newt couldn't possibly imagine what kind of dragon could frighten others to such an extent, unless... it was one of those mythical creatures.
Charlie's jaw dropped in astonishment.
...
Having subdued the dragons, Wayne sternly commanded them never to harass Norberta again and to return to their original territories immediately.
If mere brute force had been used, given the proud and vicious temperament of dragons, they would likely have preferred death over submission.
But under the draconic majesty of the Dragon King, these dragons couldn't muster even a shred of defiance. Their very bloodline forbade them from disobeying Wayne's orders.
Once permitted, they didn't dare glance at Norberta before scattering in all directions, returning to their respective nests.
The problem that had plagued the reserve for months was resolved with just a few words from the young man.
When Wayne returned to Newt and Charlie's side, the latter could scarcely believe it was real.
"Are these still dragons?"
"I've never seen them so obedient."
Charlie looked at the scars on his hands – souvenirs from dragon encounters.
Those massive creatures had terrible tempers. Even familiar handlers would be attacked without hesitation when the dragons were in foul moods.
"My Patronus happens to be the Dragon King."
Wayne smiled without further explanation, turning to Newt: "Senior, those dragons should be back to normal now. You can begin your work."
Newt nodded, a faint smile appearing: "I didn't expect it to be resolved so smoothly. Seems we won't be stuck here too long."
...
In the following days, Newt became exceptionally busy.
Taming dragons was arduous work, primarily aimed at tempering their ferocity until they'd obey wizards' commands.
If it were easy, the reserve wouldn't have only three fully tamed dragons after all this time.
Moreover, Crouch had made an additional demand – the tournament required dragon eggs, meaning they needed to persuade the dragons to allow their eggs to be taken to the competition site.
For creatures who guarded their eggs more fiercely than their lives, this was an immense challenge.
Fortunately, Newt had Wayne's assistance.
While Wayne exerted draconic pressure, Newt worked his magic of compassionate persuasion. The carrot-and-stick approach proved remarkably effective, significantly boosting their efficiency.
The original plan targeted two Welsh Greens and two Swedish Short-Snouts.
But Wayne thought the selection too limited, so he diversified it to one of each species, adding Hungarian Horntail, Peruvian Vipertooth, Antipodean Opaleye, and Hebridean Black.
He'd deliberately held back on releasing too many dragon cards in his collection, waiting to capitalise on next year's tournament hype.
Two weeks passed this way.
By the second week's end, Newt no longer needed Wayne's help, and they divided their tasks.
While Newt bonded with the dragons, Wayne remained at camp bonding with the young Zouwu.
When Newt returned, Wayne would ride Norberta to various dragon nests in search of treasures.
He declined all gold and silver offerings, though when encountering centuries-old antiques that the dragons enthusiastically insisted he take, he found refusal difficult.
When valuable antiques were scarce, there were always scales, shed skins, and that ever-present dragon blood.
All in all, this reserve expedition proved extraordinarily profitable for Wayne.
Dragon blood filled dozens of barrels, while dragon hides and scales occupied an entire room, alongside countless 14th-century antiques and treasures.
Meanwhile, Wayne hadn't forgotten his promise to Hermione. With Charlie's help, he took numerous photos with Norberta, including a grand group shot with dozens of dragons, which he specially mailed back to Hagrid.
The half-giant would undoubtedly be delighted upon seeing them.
Newt could barely tolerate Wayne's thorough scavenging. On their twentieth day at the reserve, he proposed leaving.
"I've no objections," Wayne said indifferently, but Norberta protested.
"Ying ying~! Wu~!"
The dragon bared its teeth at Newt, clearly blaming the old man for trying to take away its mother and master.
Though he didn't understand, Newt sensed Norberta's hostility and grew somewhat awkward.
"If necessary, I'll take you with me," Wayne stroked Norberta, devising a solution.
Charlie quickly interjected, "Wayne, private individuals aren't permitted to keep dragons."
"But dragon reserves can be established," Wayne dismissed the concern. "If those pure-blood nobles can operate them, so can I."
Charlie hesitated. "Even their reserves are registered under the Ministry of Magic. Your idea would be hard to realise."
"I'll find a way. Norberta, stay here a while longer. Once we have our own reserve, I'll bring you home."
Norberta nuzzled the boy reluctantly.
"Shall we return tomorrow then? You've lessons to attend," Newt suggested.
"No rush." Wayne suddenly smiled. "Let's visit France first. I fancy some entertainment."
"What?" Newt eyed him curiously.
Instead of answering, Wayne produced yesterday's Daily Prophet. The front-page headline prominently featured the European Security Conference, to be held in Paris.