Norway.
The sparsely populated northern mountains.
Three people bundled up in thick, padded clothing were trekking through the mountains, their footsteps crunching on the snow.
"Dawn, can't we switch departments? The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is too grueling!"
"Seriously. And the three of us are stuck dealing with dragons. Those giants are too dangerous! One wrong move and you're disabled, or worse, you're collecting a pension."
Listening to his two colleagues complain, Dawn, the lead wizard, paused before offering reassurance:
"Headquarters said they're giving us a bonus."
Mentioning the bonus only made the other two complain louder:
"A bonus? We've earned that!"
"Exactly! It's nearly Christmas. What Muggle is going to come out to this middle-of-nowhere location? And we still have to patrol this largest nesting ground for Norwegian Ridgebacks just to Obliviate any Muggles who spot a dragon?"
"And the weather's awful! The wind and snow are ridiculous; we can't even fly a broom. We have to walk everywhere..."
Dawn sighed, trying hard to think of a way to calm them down—
"ROAR!"
A resonating dragon roar poured into the three wizards' ears.
The colossal sound, laced with a faint dragon intimidation, briefly parted the wind and snow, echoing farther and farther through the mountains.
Dawn, the one in charge, looked distressed. That was undoubtedly the scream of a Norwegian Ridgeback.
Dragons are considered one of the easiest magical creatures for Muggles to accidentally encounter and record. Firstly, their immense size makes them noticeable, and since they fly, they might pass near the edges of human settlements.
Secondly, you have Muggles who just love to go deep into the mountains and forests, which increases the probability of running into these behemoths.
And then there's the situation right now...
"ROAR!!!"
An even more violent and oppressive dragon roar erupted.
"Those dragons are fighting again! Don't they ever take a break?"
Most dragons have short tempers, and fighting is a common occurrence. They often get so worked up that they lose all sense of their surroundings.
It's not unusual for them to shatter a few mountaintops or burn down large swaths of forest.
This causes the chance of Muggle detection to skyrocket!
For the wizards responsible for this area, it was an undeniable chore.
And when it comes to being quarrelsome, the Norwegian Ridgeback is an absolute champion among dragons!
"Alright, alright, let's hurry to that area and set up a perimeter."
When Dawn gave the order, the other two had no choice but to follow, but they kept grumbling:
"Dawn, it's seriously almost Christmas. What Muggle is going to be out here? Nobody is lonely enough to hike and explore in conditions like this, right?"
"Don't get complacent. Did you forget the year before last when a group of Muggles specifically sought out a harsh place like this to do some kind of... what was it? Wilderness survival? To see who could last the longest in the wild? Honestly, Muggles..."
"Tell me about it. Those people nearly got skewered by a Romanian Longhorn and turned into its winter reserve food!"
The three men quickened their pace, feeling closer and closer to the source of the roaring.
They could even see several bursts of dragon fire shooting into the sky.
"Whoa, why is one of them spitting dark gold dragon fire? Is that even a Norwegian Ridgeback?"
"What's so strange? It's probably a mutation, or maybe a hybrid species from different dragons. It just has some special magical abilities."
They reached a recessed mountain valley.
Two massive black figures were running rampant in the snowstorm, occasionally breathing fire at each other. The surrounding snow instantly melted, and the earth and stones where the flames touched were completely vaporized.
The slightly larger black figure seized an opportunity and lunged at its opponent, clearly more confident in close-quarters combat.
Just as the two were about to clash, a blast of dark gold flame suddenly erupted, enveloping the smaller of the two black figures.
The three observers in the distance couldn't help but exclaim:
"Looks like it really is a mutated dragon species. I've never seen that before."
"Okay, forget about the dragon fight for now. Carefully observe the surroundings. Are there any Muggles who accidentally stumbled upon this from the peak or another entrance?"
Dawn was the first to take out a monocle and put it on, scanning the fiercely blowing snow.
Suddenly, as his sight moved, he faintly caught sight of a human figure standing atop a mountain peak.
Unsure if the person was a witch, wizard, or a Muggle, Dawn instinctively used his magic to adjust the monocle's settings, quickly magnifying his view to scrutinize the figure.
Dawn saw the person's dark gold hair flying freely in the snow. He was about to observe the person's face more closely.
However, the person seemed to sense his gaze and turned their head to look in their direction!
Dawn only saw a pair of deep, dark green eyes before he felt his body stiffen completely. It was as if his body and soul had been frozen and solidified by the sheer cold of the storm.
The figure vanished instantly.
{Obliviate}