Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 357 Riding a Dragon

The two lingered outside the vault, unaware that a head was peeking out from inside.

Although he had accepted the fact that his best friend and Thea were in a relationship, Ron still couldn't get used to seeing the two of them being so affectionate.

Just as he was about to say something, a hand accurately grabbed his ear.

"Shut up and get to work!"

Hermione got Ron out of the way, and then Harry and Thea stepped into the vault.

"You two haven't had a chance to touch these things yet, have you?"

"Of course!"

"That's good."

Thea breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "The summoning spells in the vault are forbidden, and the valuables inside are basically all protected by copying spells and fire spells."

"But aren't these your own things? How dare those demons do this?"

Harry was a little confused.

"This is just a fairy's anti-theft measure. Otherwise, why do you think I'm so important?"

Thea didn't care, bent down, rolled up her trouser legs, and prepared to climb up the pile of gold gallons that had formed a slope.

With Thea's reminder, Ron no longer dared to act rashly, no matter how tempted he was, and could only feast his eyes for now.

"Don't worry, Hermione, my family's vault will have just as many Galleons in the future!"

Hermione punched Ron in annoyance, as a response to his daydreaming.

"Hey Harry, look!"

Ron didn't notice Hermione's reaction; instead, he reached out and tugged at Harry's sleeve, who was looking distracted.

"Such a complete range of flying broomstick models, I've never seen anywhere else but Quidditch shops..."

Looking at the row of neatly arranged flying brooms by the wall, Ron's face turned red with excitement, as if he wanted to rush over and give them a big kiss.

Thea, who was climbing halfway up the mountain, naturally did not miss the commotion below. She turned around and glanced at the three people standing around the rocket crossbow, a deep light flashing in her eyes for a moment.

"Sweep One Star, Comet 140, Sweep Five Stars, Light Wheel 1000, Light Wheel 1001, Light Wheel 2000, Cornflower, Meteor, Silver Arrow, Sweep Six Stars..."

"God, if this is a dream, I'd rather drown here—"

As more and more flying brooms were identified, Ron's envy deepened, and even Harry became excited.

Thea, who had been working silently above, had been waiting for the two to speak, but before she could even touch the metal cup, Ron and Harry below had already finished recalling the Nimbus 2000 that had been tragically killed by the Willow.

Thea didn't get a chance for either of them to speak.

"You really like it?"

Thea, who had slid down the tall pile of golden gallons, stood up nonchalantly and asked the two excited boys.

"Actually... it's not so bad..."

Ron scratched his head sheepishly. Although he was surprised that the vault could have such a complete collection of flying brooms, he was only surprised and envious.

As for asking for it... let's forget about it. He didn't really like flying brooms that much.

Seeing that Ron was not being sincere, Thea suddenly remembered that he had been selected as the Gryffindor goalkeeper and even made a great comeback.

"Well, I sincerely hope that your goalkeeping skills haven't deteriorated."

Thea didn't say whether she would give it to him or not, nor did she mention how she and the three of them were at odds in fifth grade. At this moment, she felt that it was far better for Ron to have the rocket crossbow than for it to continue gathering dust here.

"Really...really?"

Even after he held the brand-new but heavy broom in his hand, Ron still had a blank expression, as if he hadn't come to his senses.

"God knows how long it took me to get to where I am today..."

Ron's inner murmur went unheard. He looked up and saw only the joy on his friends' faces.

How much time do we have left?

In the end, it was Thea who broke the joy.

"There are still 5 minutes left, but... I think they might get here in less than 2 minutes."

Hearing the faint sounds of running and noise around her, a sense of irritation welled up in Thea's heart.

"Are we really going to fly away on dragons today?!"

Although it was a question, anyone could hear the excitement in Harry's voice.

"Logically speaking, this is the most time-saving method."

Hermione's tone was calm, but her eyes were sparkling.

"But... can that dragon seat all four of us?"

Ron scratched his head.

"Aren't there still so many flying brooms?"

While the vault was still open, Thea scooped up two large handfuls of Galleons and stuffed them into Harry and the others' pockets. She also slipped the Nimbus 2000 closest to the door into Hermione's hand.

"I remember you did well in your flight lessons?"

"what……"

Before Hermione could react, Thea shoved the flying broom into her hand with the words, "Keep it as a spare."

"Hermione... how about we ride this rocket crossbow together? Don't worry, with my skills—hey! Don't go!"

Poor Ron was heartbroken when Hermione turned away without even turning her head before he could finish speaking.

Holding a flying broomstick, Hermione's speed was naturally no match for Thea, who headed straight for the dragon as soon as she left the vault.

From afar, the three lagging behind could even hear each other's excited shouts:

"When it comes to riding a dragon, I'm definitely number one!"

The girl's voice was spirited and exuberant, making people unable to help but smile.

"I want to ride a dragon too!"

Harry responded and quickened his pace toward the dragon.

When Hermione and Ron, panting heavily, reached the dragon, they saw Thea rise into the air without any effort, then float down onto the dragon's neck like a petal.

"Unmanned flight—"

Hermione muttered to herself.

Before Ron could hear clearly, Harry made his move:

He raised his wand and shouted at the giant beast's heavy shackles: "Loosen your grip and release your power!"

With several loud bangs, the shackles broke.

Before the dragon could react, Harry, following Thea's signal, swung the heavy shackles up, and the shackles circled the dragon's wide-open mouth once more.

Thea wasn't idle either; with lightning speed, she grabbed the end of the shackles and, once she had a firm grip, shouted at Harry:

"Aren't you coming up?"

Having received Thea's instructions, Harry climbed onto the dragon's back by stepping on the bend of its hind legs.

With the final step, Harry stretched out an arm to Thea, who grabbed him and jumped up.

Harry settled in, and the dragon slowly came to its senses. Thea didn't hold back, giving the shackles a hard tug, preventing the dragon from spitting out the flames that were about to form in its mouth.

"Shackles turned into reins, Thea, you're really something!"

Harry's excitement went unanswered by Thea, who was speaking to Hermione and Ron on the ground:

"Harry and I will go up and break the roof open first!"

"okay!"

With a roar from the dragon, Harry could see the roof getting closer and closer.