It chased, he ran, and even if he had wings, he couldn't escape.
John accelerated.
There's a saying: when you encounter a brown bear, you don't need to outrun the bear—just the people you're with.
Clearly, among the three wizards, John was the youngest but also the fittest.
He easily overtook the blood-robed wizard.
At the back of the group, the blood-robed wizard gritted his teeth while the Hungarian Horntail bared its claws and fangs.
Its mouth opened, and a massive fireball shot out.
"Stump, fly over!"
The blood-robed wizard swung his wand and summoned a tree stump to block the fireball just before it hit.
The fireball smashed into the stump, instantly charring it. The narrow gap that remained allowed him to escape.
He turned, stopping in his tracks with a fierce expression.
"Oppugno!"
Shards of stone flew up from the ground, bombarding the Hungarian Horntail. But the dragon grew even more enraged. The attacks didn't hurt it—they just annoyed it.
Seeing that his spells were ineffective, the blood-robed wizard stubbornly prepared to cast again.
But before he could, a massive boulder—grabbed by the dragon's tail—came crashing toward him.
John glanced back. That blood-robed wizard was truly reckless.
Meanwhile, Fleur tripped while running. She felt a tremor beneath her and turned to see the massive rock rolling toward her.
"Expulso!"
A beam of white light struck the boulder, shattering it into pieces. One sharp shard grazed Fleur's cheek.
John's face changed after he cast the spell—he saw the Hungarian Horntail diving down.
The blood-robed wizard kept attacking, but the dragon's scales were far too tough to be pierced.
Seeing the dragon charging, the blood-robed wizard had no choice but to retreat.
"Protego!"
John stood in front of Fleur, a glowing white shield appearing before them.
The dragon swept its spiked tail sideways, slicing through trees like they were paper.
Wood splinters and stone debris blasted into the shield. John's feet sank into the earth from the force.
But it wasn't over. Under the moonlight, the Hungarian Horntail let out a deafening roar.
Its black scales glinted like wrought iron, its form lizard-like.
It had yellow eyes, bronze-colored horns, and tail spikes of a similar bronze hue.
This massive fifty-foot creature raged across the land, unleashing a stream of fire that engulfed all three of them.
"Die... die... die!"
John cast Protego repeatedly to block the flames. Fleur got up, quickly gathered herself, and waved her wand.
"Flame-Freezing Charm!"
The fire lost its intense heat as it touched them, giving them some relief while they struggled to hold out.
"Enough!"
A flicker of savagery passed through John's eyes. He didn't even realize that for a moment, his pupils had become vertical—like a dragon's.
When he spoke, the dragon paused.
Then, the steady stream of fire stopped. The dragon extended its neck, scanning its surroundings.
Still shaken, Fleur panted and asked, "What did you just say?"
John had spoken in Dragon Tongue, which to others sounded like a fire dragon's growl.
The blood-robed wizard also ceased his attacks, turning to look at John.
John stepped forward slowly. The dragon hadn't connected the tiny human in front of it with the voice it had heard earlier.
"We mean no offense," John said again, in Dragon Tongue.
This time, the Hungarian Horntail finally took notice of him. Its large yellow eyes showed surprise.
"You... how... do you speak the language of dragons?"
The dragon looked down at John from above. John took a deep breath—his eyes became vertical pupils, his body emitting a chilling pressure.
"My name is John Wick. We've accidentally trespassed and meant no disrespect, honorable one."
John lowered his wand to show sincerity.
"You are... a Dragon Whisperer." The dragon's hostility faded.
This incredible scene left the others too stunned to even breathe. John nodded and said, "I don't know where this is. My Portkey malfunctioned and dropped us here."
"Dragon Whisperer, this is Scandinavia—Silent Breath Valley."
Silent Breath Valley?
John had never heard of it. But the presence of a blood-robed wizard suggested there were humans nearby.
That brought him some relief.
At least he hadn't been transported somewhere totally desolate. He bowed toward the dragon and said, "Mighty dragon, I offer my sincerest apologies. Please forgive our recklessness."
Though it was really the blood-robed wizard's fault, all three of them were now in the same boat, so John let it go for now.
The Hungarian Horntail withdrew its killing intent and lowered its proud head to John.
"Respected Dragon Whisperer, Amohan accepts your apology."
The exchange between man and dragon left Fleur stunned. Her beautiful face showed disbelief.
This was Dragon Tongue.
According to legend, the great wizard Merlin could speak to dragons. After him, no one had been known to possess that ability.
Fleur had assumed John was just an ordinary Hogwarts student. Now it seemed... could he be a descendant of Merlin?
After all, Merlin had studied at Hogwarts too. It wasn't impossible.
The blood-robed wizard's eyes also flickered strangely. His golden pupils focused on John, and he instinctively gripped his wand tighter.
Apparently, Dragon Whisperers held great status among dragons. After learning John could speak the language, Amohan ceased all attacks.
After much back-and-forth, John finally persuaded Amohan to forgive them for the blow to its... hindquarters.
John also learned the full story.
Originally, Amohan had been peacefully resting in Silent Breath Valley when this vampire-looking blood-robed wizard suddenly appeared and attacked without warning.
Even dragons have basic biological needs, and this was its resting ground. The attack completely woke Amohan up, who then chased them for hours.
…
With Amohan gone, the crisis was over.
The blood-robed wizard hesitated for a moment before approaching the two. In a low voice, he said, "Thanks for the help."
"Hmph. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have gotten involved at all," Fleur snorted coldly.
The blood-robed wizard glanced at her and sneered, "I didn't ask you to get involved."
"You—!" Fleur fumed at his attitude.
"Alright. Either way, it's good to see other living people."
John comforted Fleur, then stepped forward and extended his hand toward the wizard.
"John Wick. Hogwarts student."
"Hogwarts? Here?" The blood-robed wizard was surprised as he shook John's hand.
"Heinrich Edgar. Durmstrang student."
Durmstrang?
John was surprised. He hadn't expected to end up here.
He'd heard Durmstrang had a bad reputation, known for being unfriendly to Muggle-borns and one of the few schools that openly taught dark magic.
More importantly, the infamous Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald had studied there.
John remembered Malfoy bragging that he was originally meant to attend Durmstrang, but his mother didn't want him going too far away.
"Didn't think I'd end up this far out... nearly beyond Europe," John muttered.
That Portkey seller really did him dirty. Might as well have dropped him in China.
At that moment, Fleur's eyes widened when she heard the surname Edgar. She exclaimed, "Edgar? That dark magic family?"
Very few families openly labeled themselves with dark magic, but the Edgars did.
Every member was known for their madness and obsession with challenging powerful figures.
One Edgar had once sent a challenge letter to Grindelwald. After being defeated, he became one of Grindelwald's most loyal subordinates.
Thus, the Edgars were known as followers of the strong—only those powerful enough could command the allegiance of an Edgar.