The human mind could only process so much information at once.
So Draco decided to let Hermione take Ginny and the others around the area to get familiar with the place, giving them time to calm down a little.
And to think about what they should do next, and whether they wanted to join them.
In truth, Draco doing this did not mean Ginny Weasley and the others were especially important, much less indispensable.
It was mainly because there were far too few wizards Draco could trust unconditionally now, and Ginny and Luna just happened to meet his criteria. That was why Draco was willing to spend time on them.
Otherwise, Draco never would have let them know about this place.
...
The soft murmur of flowing water.
Wooden cottages arranged in neat, scattered rows.
They could even see the sun gradually sinking and the moon beginning to rise.
Even now, Ginny still found it incredibly hard to believe that everything before her was real. "I'm starting to wonder... what exactly I've been learning at Hogwarts."
"Mm..."
Hearing Ginny's words, Luna looked around the magical space with sparkling eyes.
Unlike Ginny's shock and disbelief, Luna seemed to have thought of something, and she looked rather excited. Such a clear shift in emotion was rarely seen from Luna.
It made Ginny curious.
"Luna, you..."
"I heard that Newt Scamander also created similar magical spaces to care for Magical Creatures. It seems that was all true."
Before Ginny could finish, Luna's distinctive voice cut her off.
Her usual airy, unconcerned tone now carried a trace of unrest.
Ginny, however, had no idea who Newt Scamander was. She looked blankly at Luna and tried to repeat the name she had just heard.
"Newt... what?"
"Newt Scamander. The famous Magizoologist, traveler, travel writer, and author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. That book later became the textbook for Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts Wizarding School. Haven't you ever read it properly?"
The person who picked up the topic, gave such a long and detailed explanation, and then ended with a reprimand was naturally Hermione Granger, who had just appeared beside them.
Ginny rolled her eyes at that. "Come on, Hermione. Other than you, I don't think anyone cares who wrote those annoying textbooks, much less knows anything about some Newt Scamander wizard."
"It's Newt Scamander, Ginny. If you knew that this wizard, who once studied at Hogwarts Wizarding School, defeated a Dark Lord, you definitely wouldn't say that."
"The Dark Lord? You mean that one?"
"Oh... my goodness. I meant another Dark Lord. I thought you would know that."
"..."
Luna, standing to the side, paid no attention to her friend being treated as ignorant and foolish.
This young witch from Ravenclaw House was clearly more interested in what Hermione had just said.
"Hermione, you..."
"So, are there Magical Creatures here too?" Luna interrupted Ginny once again.
This time, Ginny was neither angry nor upset, because it stopped Hermione from dwelling on the previous topic and freed her from it at once.
It had to be said that the Weasley family seemed to have no way of dealing with Miss Granger.
...
In any case.
Luna's question did make Ginny curious, but what puzzled her even more was Hermione's hesitant answer.
"Um... about that, I suppose there are?"
"Suppose?"
"I suppose?"
What was that vague answer supposed to mean?
But what left Ginny most speechless was Luna's reaction.
As though she had not noticed that Hermione seemed to be hiding something, Luna directly made her request. "Then can I raise some Firetrail Snails here? Or a Swooping Evil?"
"..."
"Huh?"
The corner of Ginny's mouth twitched as she asked, "I've never heard of Firetrail Snails, but Swooping Evil... that sounds very bad. Let me ask just one thing. It isn't some dangerous Magical Creature, is it?"
Ginny might not have known, but Hermione, whose knowledge far surpassed others her age, knew exactly what kind of Magical Creatures Luna was talking about.
Hermione gave Luna, who was looking at her expectantly, an exasperated glance. "It's extremely dangerous. It's a Magical Creature that feeds on human brains. Its venom can be used to erase bad memories if properly diluted, but only after it has been diluted."
"..."
"So not only would the others refuse, Draco would never agree to let you bring such a dangerous Magical Creature in here either..."
Roar!
At the sound of a deafening roar, everyone lifted their eyes toward the sky.
"....."
"....."
"....."
Before Hermione had even finished speaking, reality had slapped her in the face. She could practically feel Luna and Ginny's strange looks.
Because everyone saw it.
The enormous figure flying through the sky.
It was not magic, nor was it an illusion. It was a real, massive living creature.
It was a dragon!