The trolls in the valley finally didn't have to continue their hard labor with those logs anymore.
These ignorant creatures had no idea what stopping the construction meant for the future, they were simply overjoyed with the current relaxation and leisure.
The other trolls didn't understand, but Lulu did.
It might not be smart enough to fully grasp what 'dragon reserve's expansion' meant or why it was happening, but after traveling north and south with Andrews for so many years, it clearly knew what the outcome would be for this troll tribe if a herd of dragons and trolls were placed in the same natural habitat.
"I can't... I can't watch Jackman and the others... die here for no reason..."
As Snape and the others approached Andrews and Lulu, they heard Lulu's gruff, clumsy and helpless voice.
"They... they haven't hurt... anyone... they're not guilty..."
Andrews could only run his hands through his hair, trying to think of a solution. He attempted, "Maybe you can teach them not to provoke the dragons? As long as the dragon herd isn't disturbed, there won't be any conflict."
Lulu shook its small head.
"No, no... Jackman and the others are fools... you understand... Pique and the others are fools... they have no brains... they'll think the dragons... are invading their territory..."
Andrews was completely at a loss now.
He didn't know what to do either.
Persuade the Dragon Nature Reserve not to expand into this valley?
This was an order jointly issued by the Departments for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures of both the Albanian and Greek Ministries of Magic. How could they possibly change their plans and designate a different area just based on his few words, especially to protect a group of worthless trolls?
Just abandon these trolls and leave?
Even putting aside the feelings Andrews had developed living with these trolls for three years, he couldn't get past the friendship between him and Lulu!
This would be abandonment, the worst kind.
And Lulu could actually see Andrews's difficulty. Its brain was absolutely rare in the history of the entire troll species.
"Pique... you don't have to feel... troubled... I know... you can't help it either... it's not your fault... but they... even if they are fools... they are my kin... If I weren't here... I... I might not do anything either... but... but I am here now... I will stay with them... spend... these last days here together..."
It crouched down, trying to make itself smaller, meeting Andrews at eye level.
"...I... I will keep myself safe... I... I just want to at least do something for my... foolish kin..."
Hearing its words, the entanglement and confusion in Andrews's heart seemed to completely dissolve at that moment.
He met Lulu's gaze and smiled.
"My friend, I'm glad you didn't, in this situation, tell me to leave first! You know, that wouldn't be a blessing to me… it would be an insult."
Lulu grinned foolishly, scratching its bald head with its large finger.
"Pique... Pique needs my help... I... I also need Pique... we are friends!"
Andrews patted its granite-like arm and said with a smile,
"Yes! We are friends! The only wizard-and-troll duo in the Wizarding World!"
"I will stay with you. Like you said, maybe we can't stop what's coming in the end, but we can't just stand by and watch, right?"
Harry, watching this scene from the side, had envy in his eyes.
"Their bond is so strong."
Draco, however, was muttering,
"Completely foolish."
Then he turned to look at Snape.
"We won't do something this foolish, right? We will leave this place, won't we? Anyway, you've already learned what you wanted from him."
Snape looked down and met Draco's gaze. He smiled and said,
"Don't worry, we won't stay here."
This finally made Draco breathe a sigh of relief.
Taking care of a Muggle was already the limit of what he could do now. If Snape really expected him to stay and help these trolls fight dragons, Draco would feel that the Malfoy Family's reputation would be completely ruined by him!
However, Snape's next words made Draco freeze.
"Because they won't stay here either."
Before Draco could react, Snape had already walked over to Andrews and asked,
"Why haven't you considered relocating the trolls living here to another part of the forest within these three days?"
Snape's words made Andrews turn around. The troll expert immediately shook his head at this idea.
"They're used to living here. Getting them to move on their own is impossible. And if we force them to leave, once we're gone, they'll definitely come back. Then they'll still provoke the dragons."
"There are only over thirty trolls. Using a Memory Charm, we can forcibly relocate them from here and make them completely forget about returning to this place." Snape proposed a solution.
Andrews still shook his head.
"Trolls' mental structures are different from humans'. Ordinary Memory Charms would just turn them into mindless fools. Unless it's an expert proficient in Memory Charms! But there are only a handful of wizards in the entire Wizarding World who can master Memory Charms to that level. We can't find one."
"We don't need to find one. That Memory Charm expert will come to us on his own!"
Snape suddenly stated with certainty.
Andrews didn't know where Snape's confidence came from, but these past few days of interaction had shown him that this famous British wizard wasn't one to boast.
Confirming this made Andrews somewhat excited because if this issue could be resolved, the relocation plan would indeed be feasible!
"And the final destination for the relocation? We can't drive them too far, but they must leave the expanded dragon reserve area!"
"What kind of environment is suitable for trolls to live in?"
"Just like here: clean water sources, open space. They are mountain trolls, so anywhere in the forest is their home."
"The river fork you took me to the other day is quite good. It's far from the dragon reserve, there's a large open space nearby, and the water source is fully guaranteed."
Hearing Snape's words, Andrews also clearly thought of the various advantages of that location.
"And the biodiversity there is much richer than in this valley! Even after Lulu and I leave, if they don't keep Yellow-Horned Goats anymore, they can still hunt to survive on their own!"
His voice grew louder because, from Snape's words, he increasingly felt this was completely feasible.
Andrews began pacing excitedly. As an expert in the field, he could certainly develop a more specific relocation plan.
"These lazy fools definitely won't want to leave. We'll need to work with Lulu to force them out of here!"
"We can't continue building the houses. In fact, we need to demolish the ones they're already living in! We also need to cordon off the lake water they usually drink, dirty it so they can't drink it! The Yellow-Horned Goats also need to be driven to the relocation destination in advance. These fools have almost forgotten how to hunt and find food using their own skills. If they can't get out, they'll just starve here!"
Snape reminded him from the side, "We only have three days. Not just to leave this valley within three days, but to travel over ten kilometers east, completely out of the expanded dragon reserve area."
"Time is indeed a bit tight," Andrews frowned, but his enthusiasm didn't diminish at all, "From now on, we must seize every second! We also need to make some preparations in advance at the new troll's settlement. We can't waste all the wood we've prepared these days; we need to take it all with us!"
"The goats and water issue need to be handled this afternoon. Tomorrow, we need to find a way to drive them out and control them so they don't run wild in the forest..."
He rambled on, finally fixing his gaze intently on Snape.
"But the most important thing is, are you sure a Memory Charm's master will come to us?"
Severus nodded again in affirmation.
"You can write a letter to your cousin right now. Don't say anything else, just tell him the landmark of the new troll settlement. Believe me, in a few days, a master among masters of Memory Charms will actively come knocking."
"Why are you so sure he will help?" Andrews asked, puzzled.
Snape just smiled.
"Because I'm sure he'll help."
He was being cryptic, not revealing the reason further, but at this moment, Andrews had complete confidence in Snape! He grasped Snape's hand and said sincerely,
"I don't know why the person you mentioned would help me, but I am truly grateful for your assistance! This isn't something you had to do at all!"
"Don't say that, Mr. Andrews…" Harry said loudly, "This is a very interesting thing to do, we all think so!"
Lupin also smiled and said,
"I bet if we succeed, this will definitely become something we can boast about in pubs with others later."
Draco, however, pouted listlessly and muttered quietly,
"Bragging to those drunkards about how foolish we are?"
…
The relocation plan was quickly finalized.
Afterward, they didn't delay and began intense preparations.
Lupin was sent to the relocation endpoint to clear the area and later handle the transfer of the Yellow-Horned Goats.
Snape and Andrews took advantage of the trolls' lazy afternoon nap to demolish their original shacks. They also sectioned off the part of the lake the trolls usually drank from, making the water muddy.
Lulu, of course, continued its work as the announcer. It was responsible for explaining in troll language what dangers they would face and warning them that they must leave and relocate.
Even if the trolls didn't want to go, they needed to be clearly told why they had to leave here.
Harry and Draco had it easier. The only help they could provide was using the Flying Skateboard to determine the fastest route from the valley to the destination from the sky.
They didn't need to rush particularly because actually getting the trolls moving wouldn't start until tomorrow afternoon.
And this troll migration wouldn't be completed in just a few hours. Once they left the valley, keeping this group together and moving in the intended direction wouldn't be easy.
Just getting out of the area designated for dragon reserve's expansion was planned to take at least a day and a half by Andrews.
In between, they would also need to find a place to spend a brief night.
After these days of practice, Harry's skills in riding the flying skateboard had improved immensely compared to the beginning. He could skillfully glide at heights below twenty meters, and beyond that, the skateboard became somewhat uncontrollable.
This was partly due to his proficiency not being very high yet and partly due to the inherent limitations of the goblin-made skateboard. It wasn't like a Flying Broomstick, a vehicle meant for long-distance travel, as its main advantage lay in agility.
The communication between Lulu and the trolls was, as they had initially expected, quite unsuccessful.
Even though Lulu had established considerable prestige within this troll tribe, and they regarded it as their leader, when it came to survival choices, these trolls stubbornly clung to their lazy, foolish instincts and simply refused to leave.
But what Snape and Andrews were doing was forcing them to leave, whether they wanted to or not!
Soon, the trolls discovered their food source was gone.
The herd of Yellow-Horned Goats was led out of the valley by Andrews and temporarily hidden in a secluded cave. The trolls had nothing to eat for dinner and could only go to bed hungry.
And when they, grunting and complaining in troll language, went to the lakeside to find some water to drink, they found the water near their tribe was so dirty it was undrinkable!
A couple of slightly smarter trolls knew to go farther away to drink water not polluted by Snape, but the vast majority would just foolishly take a sip of the dirty water, then retch and spit it out.
Just as the hungry and thirsty trolls thought about simply hiding in their houses to sleep, hoping that maybe tomorrow the food would be back and the water clean again...
They then discovered their shacks were gone!
It hadn't rained these two days, but Andrews and Snape could create artificial rain for them.
They couldn't perform large-scale weather magic, but using the nearby lake water and Summoning Charms to continuously create small-scale rainfall was quite simple.
And so, these trolls, who had originally lived without worry about food or shelter, endured an entire night of torment.
They finally couldn't take it anymore.