Lockhart slammed a copy of "The Quibbler" onto the floor, his face contorted with frustration.
"Garbage! Absolute garbage! Why would Blake have me publish in this kind of magazine?"
Fuming in his office, he had lost his composure once again.
Two days earlier, Blake had assured him that "The Quibbler" could be an invaluable platform for his writing career. Trusting in Blake's seemingly magical ability to turn situations to his favor, Lockhart had been relieved. But curiosity got the better of him, and he had decided to examine the magazine himself.
The result was appalling. Just two articles in, he was already regretting his decision.
He could have overlooked a poor reputation or the fact that it was a little-known publication. But what on earth was this magazine publishing?
Curved-horned Snorlacks? Harassing Fly infestations? What nonsense was this?
And then he saw it.
"Fudge is secretly training an army of house-elves?"
A magazine that published such outlandish, baseless rumors could never be taken seriously.
Lockhart didn't need to be a genius to figure it out—this magazine probably sold no more than ten copies a day.
How could he hope to battle "The Daily Prophet" using this as his platform? The very idea was laughable.
"Could... could Blake have been toying with me?"
Dread gripped him.
He was no fool. A former top student at Hogwarts and a best-selling author, Lockhart was perceptive enough to know when something didn't add up. He frantically searched through his belongings until his hand closed around a crumpled issue of "The Daily Prophet." It was the same one that had nearly made him explode in anger days ago.
That day, he had barely glanced at the article before crumpling the newspaper into a ball. But now, suppressing his fury, he forced himself to read it carefully.
Even the illustration.
It depicted a middle-aged wizard with his face partially obscured. At first glance, the man bore a resemblance to Snape, and Lockhart had initially assumed Rita Skeeter had used a stolen photograph to add credibility to her story.
But now, studying it closely, he realized something.
This wasn't Snape. And yet, there was something about this man that was eerily familiar.
Minutes passed as he stared, then a single line in the article sent chills down his spine.
"…an unnamed victim, Ackerman Allen…"
Lockhart's breath hitched.
Ackerman Allen…
A victim indeed.
But not of a crime.
Of Lockhart's own Obliviate curse.
His trembling hand reached for a copy of "Wandering with Werewolves" on his desk. It all clicked into place—
This book had stolen Ackerman Allen's experiences and passed them off as Lockhart's own.
Panic gripped him.
If Ackerman had resurfaced, did that mean his past misdeeds were about to be exposed?
His fingers found their way to his mouth as he chewed on his nails, his eyes turning bloodshot.
"I will not let everything I built collapse!"
But why had Rita found Ackerman? Did she already know what he had done? Or was it mere coincidence?
If she knew, who had told her?
A name flashed in his mind.
Blake.
Blake had claimed he had known everything about Lockhart for a long time.
Could it be… that he was the one who had tipped off Rita?
But why? What would Blake gain from exposing him?
Lockhart couldn't tell whether Blake had truly known everything or if he had only been bluffing. The most troubling part was why Blake had encouraged him to publish in "The Quibbler" in the first place. If he wanted Lockhart to fail, wouldn't it have been easier to let "The Daily Prophet" slowly destroy him?
Lockhart's mind was a storm of confusion.
Meanwhile, Blake soared high in the sky atop his great black dragon. The wind howled past him, but he remained steady.
Nagini and Luna rode alongside him, their hair whipping wildly in the wind. They had been traveling all day, barely stopping to eat.
As the stars twinkled in the evening sky, Blake glanced around and spoke.
"Let's find a place to rest."
Nagini and Luna both nodded. Their stomachs grumbled, but the thrill of riding a dragon made up for the lack of food.
Using his enhanced vision and magical awareness, Blake scanned the land below. Finding a secluded mountaintop, he guided the dragon downward.
The dragon landed with a heavy thud, its powerful wings stirring up dust and loose stones. Blake helped Luna down first, then gracefully leaped to the ground himself.
"Go on, then. There's no food here for you," he said, patting the dragon's side.
With a mighty leap, the dragon took to the sky again, disappearing into the night.
The three of them wasted no time. Nagini and Luna set up the tent while Blake kindled a fire and cast protective spells around the camp.
Within minutes, the flickering flames illuminated their cozy little setup. Luna boiled water, her mastery of the Aguamenti charm evident. She looked around, her eyes sparkling with delight.
"This is more exciting than anything I've ever done before," she said. "I never imagined I'd be traveling by dragon."
Blake chuckled. "If you wish, you could live like this often."
Luna's eyes shone. "I'd love that. I could travel the world and study magical creatures—just like Newt Scamander!"
She gazed at the stars, dreaming of her future.
"Would you travel with me?" she suddenly asked.
Blake smirked. "You don't know my dream, do you?"
Luna tilted her head. "What is it?"
"I want to be an adventurer. The world is vast, full of untold mysteries and stories waiting to be discovered. I intend to witness them all."
Luna's heart leaped at the thought. "Then… we could be traveling companions!"
"Looks like we've got a deal," Blake said.
Luna turned to Nagini. "What about you? What's your plan?"
Nagini pointed at Blake. "Wherever he goes, I go."
Luna blinked, realizing there was a story between the two she had yet to uncover. Just as she was about to ask, a sudden noise made her freeze.
Down the mountain, voices and the barking of dogs echoed in the distance.
Blake's demeanor changed instantly. He wiped his hands with a cloth, eyes narrowing toward the woods.
"Who is it?" Luna whispered.
"No need to be quiet. We're protected by a concealment charm," Blake assured her. "They can't hear or see us."
The voices grew louder.
"Are you sure it landed here?"
"Positive! I saw that black dragon land right here!"
"If we find evidence of it, we can capture it. The Colosseum needs new beasts."
Blake's jaw clenched. His gaze darkened.
For ordinary wizards, poachers were criminals. But for an archdruid like Blake…
They were already dead men.
Nagini sensed his shift in aura and stepped forward, ready to fight alongside him. Meanwhile, the poachers reached the mountain's summit, torches lighting up the area.
One of them frowned.
"Impossible! There should be tracks! A dragon that big wouldn't leave no trace!"
Indeed, the dragon's footprints were there—inside Blake's magically protected campsite. But to the poachers, the area appeared as nothing but an empty, desolate flatland.
The lead poacher hesitated, about to step forward—
But then, for no reason he could explain, he stopped.
A strange feeling settled over him.
There was nothing there.
Why had he even considered looking?
The enchantments had worked. They would never step foot into the camp.
Blake turned to Luna with a confident smile. Then, without hesitation, he stepped out of the camp—
=============
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