"...By the way, this thing really can't fly?"
On the suburban road in Los Santos, California, Sirius reached out again and slapped the "tin" overhead, persistently asking, "I heard the kid from the Weasley Family say Arthur created a flying Muggle car, and Harry and Ron even drove it to school—"
"Yeah, and almost hit me—it's still sunk in the Black Lake now; if you're interested, you can go fish it up, just be careful not to get smacked by the squids."
William, who was holding the steering wheel with one hand, nodded while casting a Confundus Charm on the police officer who seemed to want to make an American-style stop on the roadside—can't afford to be pulled over, though none of the three people in the car are black, there's no way he'd have a driver's license or anything like that—
Although a piece of white paper plus a Confundus Charm could work, why be pulled over for nothing?
Also, what if they encounter a corrupt cop... he was referring to their skin color.
In the 1990s, racial tension cuts both ways; who knows what level of American Iaido those cops have reached.
To avoid overturning in the gutter, William decided to steer clear of it altogether.
"So, why are we heading there? I checked the map; this is America's West Coast, but Ilvermorny School is on the East Coast in Massachusetts—"
"Are you in a hurry?"
William reached out to adjust the rearview mirror, exchanging a glance with Sirius sitting in the back seat.
"Not really—"
Sirius paused, realizing he's here to travel, but these two are on a mission...
"Exactly, so neither of us is rushing, why are you?"
William tossed the thoroughly chewed popsicle stick out the car window, casting a glance at Lupin sitting in the passenger seat beside him, who had a map of Los Santos resting on his lap. Observing this scene, William couldn't help but purse his lips, "Stop looking; with this broken place, I could drive to that stiletto shop with my eyes closed—"
Speaking, William glanced at the familiar yet foreign street view outside the window. It had been about ten years since he became familiar with Los Santos, but that didn't prevent him from recognizing most of the city's landmarks—
"?"
Lupin stayed silent for a moment, then put away the newspaper, looking out the window as the endless stream of cars slowly disappeared. They were gradually departing from the bustling city center, heading towards two national parks in the West of California—
Of course, he knew who William was searching for...
Sighing, Lupin instinctively turned to glance at Sirius, full of innocence, having already suggested he shouldn't tag along...
"So what exactly are we doing now?"
Sirius noticed Lupin's look, and furrowed his brow in confusion, continuing to ask.
"Catching up with some old friends."
"You have connections in America?"
"...Yes, but they haven't been born yet."
"?"
...
...
"Holy crap, Remus, you didn't tell me tonight would be this thrilling?!"
As night fell, Sirius hugged the tree trunk and watched the nearby tent experiencing "earth-shaking" tremors. He couldn't help but swallow his saliva, clutching his wand tightly, glaring at Lupin sitting on another tree not far away, and grumbling.
"I told you earlier, but you didn't believe me—'How thrilling could it be? Could it be more exciting than when I was almost blown up by that little rat bastard in the Muggle Market?' That's what you said back then."
Lupin pinched his throat, mimicking sarcastically.
"I... Fine, I admit defeat."
Sirius wanted to argue, but his gaze was drawn to the nearby blue tent again, where dim lights illuminated monstrous beasts within—before he could comment further, Lupin shouted—
"Alright, stop talking, pay attention, William might miss a few stray ones—"
Perhaps the words were magical, as Lupin hadn't finished speaking when a man clutching his arm...shoulder stumbled and crawled out from the tent door. He stared wide-eyed in terror at the entrance behind him, blood gushing forth from the wound on his shoulder, his right arm seemed freshly severed with a cut smooth as a mirror.
"Aaaaaaaaah——"
He screamed loudly, reaching with his blood-soaked left hand for the wand at his waist, but the next moment, Lupin raised his wand, and a Disarming Spell struck him, causing the blood-loss-induced man to black out and faint with a stiff leg twitch—
"Roar——"
In the following instant, a massive Fire Dragon's head poked out from the tent, spewing Dragon Flame, incinerating the man's body into flying ashes and disappearing instantly.
"Sssss——"
Sirius couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath, looking at the still calm Lupin beside him, somewhat perplexed, "You... aren't you aiding evil, really?"
"What these people have done would land them, and as neighbors of yours, in Azkaban." Lupin explained helplessly.
"That harsh?"
Sirius couldn't help but twitch his eyelids, but then he frowned, "But shouldn't this be handled by the Ministry of Magic... No, here it's the U.S. Magical Congress, isn't it? We're just going to..."
"If Congress were handling this, do you think they'd be camped out in a place like this?"
"...You've changed a bit, Remus."
"Sirius, you must understand, these people, although called poachers, don't just deal in selling magical creatures; they also poach people. It's a long-standing organization with activities on every continent in the world."
"?!!"
"Bang—"
Before Sirius could react, he saw the dragon's head extend from the tent opening, expanding the tent and drilling out. It spread its wings, its body slightly crouched.
Sirius's eyes widened, instinctively looking towards the tent not far away where the cries had been gradually dying out, swallowing, "Remus, if I had been caught by that guy back then and kept my mouth shut without telling the truth, what would have happened to me?"
"Then... I would probably have had to pick up your corpse."
"Roar—"
Norbert spewed a shot of dragon flame onto the top of the tent, and then carried William into the sky. William soared upwards, with bright yellow feathers quickly covering his body. The next moment, as William flapped his wings, a dull sound of thunder echoed, and in an instant, a giant thunderbolt descended from the cloudless night sky—
"Rumble—"
The ignited tent instantly turned to black ash and disappeared, neat and smooth.
"Remus."
Sirius looked at the dragon and bird in the sky, his tone returned to calm.
"Hmm?"
"So, we're... really not the bad guys?"
"...We shouldn't be, right?"
Lupin's voice was a bit uncertain.
...
...
Thus, as they fought and traveled along the way, two weeks zipped by.
Finally, on a stormy night, William ceased his nightly "entertainment" activity. He crawled into his suitcase, while Lupin drove outside; there was no need to worry about any issues now. Over the past two weeks, he had already become adept at dealing with those Muggle officers.
So—
Right now, William lowered his head, looking at the long, translucent light blue solid in his hand.
"Hiss—"
A large blue-green snake coiled in front of William, with a gem and a horn on its forehead, although that translucent horn was clearly freshly grown, its length completely mismatched with the size of the snake. More of a lump than a horn?
This is a Horned Serpent.
But to William, if this creature had several claws on its belly, it would look more like a dragon than a snake—Of course, even with claws, a Horned Serpent and a true Eastern Dragon are quite different, but it's hard to deny that this widely distributed species might indeed be the prototype of an Eastern Dragon?
Perhaps it could be called a Flood Dragon?
Looking at the crystal in his hand, William's face showed a trace of joy. Although he could forcefully cut it, this Horned Serpent saved from poachers willingly shed its original horn, which is, of course, much better than William cutting it forcibly, and at the very least, it remains intact.
"Hiss hiss—"
The Horned Serpent nodded. Its entire family was rescued by William, and now just a horn doesn't matter, especially since it can grow back. Without William, its whole family would have their horns cut and used as materials for wizard's wands—
The wisdom of Horned Serpents is high, not much worse than Basilisks.
William nodded as well, without further ado, returning the Horned Serpent to the temporary habitat he opened for its family in his suitcase, and slowly walked to the other end. Instructing Kabuda to watch the door while writing its homework, William found a place to sit down—
Firstly, handle the "ingredients"—
William waved his hand, causing the horn in his hand to float up. In the next moment, a pile of already prepared materials appeared around William. He raised his wand, and these materials began fusing with the light blue horn that was growing darker—
Good, the next step is the environment.
William waved his hand again, instantly extinguishing the original light. In the darkness, the horn lost its color. William blinked, fumbling to press the processed horn against his mouth, already having consumed Mandrake Root, he hesitated momentarily—
This ceremony was originally to use flesh, but its essence absorbs energy. All the essence of the Horned Serpent is in this horn, which is of course more useful than snake meat. Still... Will it break my teeth?
William hesitated for a moment, then steeled himself and bit down hard—
...
ps: Seeing the casting choices for the new Harry Potter series last night threw me off with all the changes.
...I guess I have no objections.