Dragon claws.
Sharp fangs.
Boom!
For a fire dragon, its greatest weapon was naturally its enormous body.
Every collision brought a thunderous crash and a burst of surging air.
Below, Hermione and the others, who had come nearby out of concern for Draco, looked up at the sky with worried expressions.
"Draco..."
"Hermione, should we?"
"No. It's not time yet."
"Then what exactly is this moment you and Draco talked about?"
"...I'm not sure either."
"Huh?!"
Hermione's unexpected answer made Pansy, who was communicating only through the badge, let out a startled cry.
Needless to say, Pansy's expression at that moment probably did not look good.
After all, it was impossible for her to accept such an irresponsible answer all at once.
If not for her trust in Draco and Hermione, Pansy might have cursed aloud, thrown down her wand, and gone on strike right then and there.
Hermione, who had known perfectly well that this answer would provoke that kind of reaction, gave a bitter smile. "All I can say is that when the moment comes, we'll know."
"....."
"That's it."
"....."
Whether it was Pansy or the other girls secretly listening in on their exchange, they all looked speechlessly toward the figure in the sky.
It had to be said.
This really was very much Draco's style.
In any case, after giving up on asking further questions, Hermione and the others turned their attention to the sky, where the commotion was growing louder and louder.
To be precise, to the clash between those two fire dragons!
...
Boom, boom, boom!
Perhaps because the one opposite her was a fake, Norberta was far more frenzied than usual.
"Is that... Norberta?"
"She's completely different."
"This is the dangerous creature the Ministry of Magic classified as danger level XXXXX!"
Her savage appearance made Hermione and the others watching anxiously from a distance unable to recognize her for a moment.
In the end, this was probably Norberta's true form.
Her usual docility existed entirely because Draco was there, which was why Norberta behaved so obediently.
She had even let Hermione and the others ride her through the sky before.
Had it been any other fire dragon that Draco had not communicated with, they would probably have been swatted to death by these dangerous creatures the instant they came close.
In fact, although fire dragons were indeed classified as XXXXX-level dangerous creatures, every part of a fire dragon was valuable.
Because of that, hunting fire dragons was not exactly rare for wizards in the wizarding world. In fact, many were quite eager to take on such missions.
And for fanatical Death Eaters like Barty Crouch Jr. and the others, this was not some difficult or dangerous process. As long as they were careful, they could deal with these fire dragons without losses, or even capture them.
That was the real reason Barty Crouch Jr. had looked down on Norberta so much at first.
But as time passed, and under the pressure Draco brought, Barty Crouch Jr. could no longer treat this perfectly coordinated pair of enemies before him with that same attitude.
"Why? Why! How can you do this much?!"
Killing Curse!
Killing Curse!
Killing Curse!
With every attack, a sickly green beam shot from the tip of Barty Crouch Jr.'s wand.
But what he got in return was one strange evasion after another, along with the wooden fire dragon beneath his feet being cracked apart again and again.
Clearly, Draco and Norberta's perfect coordination had completely suppressed Barty Crouch Jr. and the fire dragon he had transformed.
Hearing Barty Crouch Jr.'s impotent fury, the corner of Draco's mouth lifted slightly. "This is the difference between something alive and something dead. Besides..."
As if he had spotted an opening, Draco began chanting the Charm he had prepared.
At the same time, Norberta opened her mouth in perfect coordination.
The next second, a vast torrent of flames surged toward Barty Crouch Jr. from behind.
It was magic that could cross space and time.
Apparition.
And the innate magic of a Dragon.
Dragon's Breath!