Chapter 76: Dragon Mother
The name "Hydra" was proving to be… problematic.
At Hogwarts, the Book of Admittance clearly recorded her as Audrey Astray. The Marauder's Map showed Audrey Astray. Even the enchanted systems of the castle acknowledged only that name. Meanwhile, letters addressed to "Hydra Lestrange" never reached her at all—owls simply failed to find their recipient.
It was as if the name Hydra did not truly exist.
"There's nothing strange about that," Albus Dumbledore said calmly, sipping pumpkin juice. "When millions of people believe you are Audrey Astray, even magic cannot easily define you as anything else. Identity, in a sense, is shaped by perception."
Audrey nodded slowly. That explanation made sense—annoyingly so.
Dumbledore then pulled out a thick stack of letters and dropped them onto the table.
"These," he said, "are from Gringotts Wizarding Bank. They've been asking me to help locate Hydra Lestrange."
His eyes gleamed with curiosity. "What exactly did you do to them?"
Audrey gave a faint smile. "Nothing much. I just refused to lend them money. After all, they borrowed money to lend it to me in the first place. I'm not that foolish."
---
Even without the Lestrange and Malfoy fortunes, Gringotts managed to scrape together 2.4 trillion kupon before Audrey's deadline.
But markets are never kind.
Once Audrey stopped flooding Ukraine with cheap goods, the currency began to slide. Within just half a month, the kupon had lost 20% of its value.
For Audrey, this meant nothing—she had already converted her holdings into tangible assets.
For Gringotts?
It was a nightmare.
A loss of 20% on trillions meant devastation—hundreds of billions in value simply… gone.
The goblins tried to reassure themselves. This was temporary, they said. Growing pains. The economy would stabilise.
Only Audrey—and Gellert Grindelwald—knew the truth.
The kupon would never recover.
Eventually, it would become so worthless that millions would barely buy a meal.
What began as a scheme to outplay Gringotts had spiralled into something far larger—an economic catastrophe that would swallow vast portions of the Western wizarding world's wealth.
A dragon's hoard… built from ashes.
---
A Quiet Spring
By mid-March, the world outside was warming.
Inside Hogwarts, Audrey was doing what she did best—sleeping.
For nearly two months, she had eaten, rested, and ignored the chaos she had unleashed. Only a few classes—Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts—forced her to leave her bed.
Good news arrived from Edmond: the Black Sea Shipyard had been renamed Astray Shipyard, now capable of producing aircraft carriers.
The Golden Tiger had been gone for a long time. It had likely passed away quietly.
Without a companion, Audrey felt an unusual emptiness—after all, she was still human, not truly a dragon.
Even she needed something to fill that silence.
As for Isolde, she was buried under OWL pressure. Ten weeks remained, and she had no time to accompany Audrey.
So Audrey celebrated in the only way that made sense to her—by going to the Forbidden Forest.
---
"Heidi!"
At her call, the forest stirred.
The Forest Welcomes Its Queen
Not just one unicorn—but many creatures emerged. Unicorns, small beasts, winged creatures—all gathered around her as if answering a summons.
Audrey leapt onto the back of a unicorn, stroking its neck.
"Everything's been peaceful lately?" she asked.
The unicorn nodded.
Good. That meant no one—especially Quirinus Quirrell—had been hunting unicorn blood again.
Soon, she was racing through the forest, a tide of magical creatures following behind her like a living storm.
At the forest's edge, she spotted Rubeus Hagrid.
He stared in awe.
"I thought something terrible had happened," he said. "Turns out it's just you!"
Audrey laughed lightly and dismissed the creatures, sending them back into the trees.
Hagrid stared in amazement. "I never imagined you were so popular with magical creatures!"
Audrey laughed lightly. "I've always been liked by animals. Must be a talent."
Hagrid stroked his beard. "If I had that talent, I'd be laughing in my sleep!"
She smiled. "By the way, the feathered hat you gave me for Christmas was wonderful. I didn't get the chance to thank you."
Hagrid chuckled. "It's been months! I haven't seen you since the Quidditch match. Figured you were busy studying—Hermione said you've been locked in your room day and night!"
Audrey gave an awkward laugh.
Hagrid led her toward his hut. "If you ask me, it's good you came out today. You need a break!"
Audrey was about to say goodbye when she noticed him hesitate.
"Hagrid?"
"Oh! Right—actually, I might need your help."
Audrey tilted her head. "With what?"
"Come inside. I need your… affinity with animals."
Inside Hagrid's hut, the temperature was unbearable.
The source of the heat quickly revealed itself.
A baby Norwegian Ridgeback was rampaging across the room—biting, scratching, and setting things on fire.
Audrey didn't look surprised.
"Don't tell me…" Hagrid muttered. "You've seen this before?"
"Of course not," she replied flatly. "I'm completely shocked."
She walked closer anyway.
The dragon froze.
Then, to Hagrid's utter disbelief, it whimpered and crawled toward her.
Audrey picked it up effortlessly, scratching under its chin. The creature relaxed instantly, eyes half-closing in contentment.
Hagrid stared, stunned.
"That's incredible," he said. "You look more like its mother than I do!"
Audrey smirked slightly, examining the dragon.
"What did you name it?"
"Norbert!" Hagrid said proudly.
She paused… then laughed.
"Hagrid… why would you give a girl a boy's name?"
"…Girl?"
Hagrid's eyes widened in pure shock.
"Yes," Audrey said calmly, still stroking the tiny dragon. "She's a female."
---