Chapter 78: The Young Man Was Deeply Shocked
"This… what is this?"
Draco Malfoy followed Audrey down into the suitcase space—and immediately paid the price for it. The entrance hung more than two metres above the ground; Audrey landed lightly, but Draco crashed hard onto his backside, teeth clattering as the taste of blood filled his mouth.
He forgot about the pain almost instantly.
Because right in front of him—
—was a dragon.
In one corner of the vast space, Audrey had already built an artificial cliff. Beneath it lay a "sea," a large pool teeming with fish. Grasslands spread nearby, dotted with sheep. It looked less like a storage space and more like a carefully constructed ecosystem.
On top of a tank beside the cliff, Nobeta lay sleeping.
The moment she caught Audrey's scent, her eyes snapped open. She tumbled off the tank, scrambled upright, and ran toward her with excited cries.
Draco watched with undisguised envy as Audrey scooped the dragon up like a puppy.
"This is a Norwegian Ridgeback," he said, unable to hide his admiration. "I'm tired of seeing ordinary Common Welsh Greens at the reserve… but this—this is rare."
He leaned closer, mesmerised by the tiny dragon's contented breathing.
"She's beautiful…"
He hesitated before reaching out. He knew Ridgebacks had venomous fangs—one careless bite wouldn't be trivial.
"Go on," Audrey said. "She won't bite."
Draco carefully touched Nobeta, his expression lighting up with pure satisfaction.
Audrey gave him a look of disdain. "Why are you acting like a coward? Are you even a man?"
Before he could react, she shoved Nobeta straight into his arms.
"Nobeta, behave. That's my cousin. If you bite him, no meat for you."
The dragon chirped twice, then obediently went still—letting Draco hold her like a toy.
Like mother, like daughter.
As long as food was guaranteed, even a dragon could be perfectly well-behaved.
"Cousin, what are you doing?" Draco called as Audrey walked away.
"Nothing," she replied casually. "Just practising driving."
She hopped into the cockpit of a T-80 tank and started it.
The engine roared to life.
Draco stared in stunned silence as the massive steel machine began moving forward.
This… was a car?
His understanding of "vehicles" barely extended beyond carriages—and perhaps simple Muggle cars. This thing weighed tens of tons. It didn't fit into his world at all.
Audrey drove for several minutes, completely absorbing his attention. He didn't even notice when Nobeta slipped from his arms.
The tank stopped.
The turret rotated.
Aim—
Fire.
"Boom!"
The shell struck the cliff face, blasting stone into the air.
"Reparo."
From inside the tank, Audrey's voice sounded almost bored. The shattered rocks reversed through the air, snapping back into place as if time itself had rewound.
The cliff returned to perfect condition.
Nobeta squealed in excitement, trying to leap onto the tank. After several failed attempts—and a few solid head bumps—she finally managed to hook onto the side and climb up.
"Wow! Gaa!"
Only then did Draco realise she was gone.
But it didn't matter anymore.
His mind was completely occupied by the tank.
"Cousin!" he shouted, pounding on the armour. "What is this?!"
"Boom!"
Another shot fired.
The shockwave knocked Draco flat onto the ground. His ears rang violently—he could barely hear anything.
Nobeta watched gleefully as her "home" was blown apart again, then looked at Draco and chirped, as if mocking him.
"Reparo."
Everything restored once more.
Audrey floated out of the tank.
"Cousin!" Draco yelled (mostly because he couldn't hear himself), "Is this some kind of alchemical invention? It's incredible!"
Audrey shook her head.
"No. It's a Muggle weapon of war."
Draco froze.
Muggles… made this?
The heir of a pure-blood family felt his worldview crack.
He pointed shakily toward the enormous white aircraft in the distance.
"…Then that… was made by Muggles too?"
"Yes," Audrey said. "That's the plane you always brag about—the one you said nearly crashed into you."
Draco flushed red with embarrassment.
"…Come on," Audrey added. "I'll show you properly."
The Tu-160 bomber towered over them—more than fifty metres long, over thirteen metres high. Up close, it felt even more overwhelming.
Inside, Audrey led him straight to the cockpit.
Except—it wasn't a cockpit anymore.
It was a lounge.
A television. A VCR. A towering stack of videotapes. The enclosed suitcase space allowed electricity to function freely, powered by stored fuel.
"Sit wherever you like," Audrey said casually.
Draco sat stiffly on a sofa while she rummaged through tapes.
"Ah, found it."
She inserted the tape and glanced at him with a faint smirk.
"Ready? What you're about to see will change how you see the world."
Draco swallowed and nodded.
Static flickered—
Then the video began.
Russian voices filled the background. A cylinder appeared onscreen, being prepared and handled.
Audrey fast-forwarded.
A flash of light.
Then—
A blinding explosion.
A massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky, swallowing everything beneath it.
The sheer destructive power was beyond anything Draco had ever imagined.
But that wasn't what shook him most.
He had seen that cylinder before.
On this very plane.
Which meant—
His cousin carried something capable of destroying entire cities.
His thoughts spiralled.
Voldemort?
Irrelevant.
Compared to Audrey… he seemed almost harmless.
Was this intimidation? A warning to the Malfoy family?
His resolve wavered rapidly.
"Malfoys will never be slaves…"
Pause.
"…Well… maybe not the worst arrangement…"
Meanwhile, Audrey had no idea what was going through his head. She only wanted to make sure he stopped underestimating Muggles.
Instead—
She had accidentally reprogrammed his worldview.
Completely.
---
Outside the dormitory, Pansy Parkinson lingered.
Her earlier anger had faded, replaced by hesitation.
Examples like Arginia Roar and Alan Ash were… cautionary tales.
Besides, boys entering girls' dorms wasn't unheard of. It could be harmless.
Right?
Still…
Curiosity gnawed at her.
What exactly was Draco doing in Audrey's room?
Slowly, she pushed the door open.
What she saw was not a room.
It was chaos—swirling with purple and black light.
Her breath caught.
What is this…?
Suspicion flared again.
Without thinking, she rushed forward—trying to break through the strange barrier.
Her body merged into the light.
And in the next instant—
Pansy Parkinson vanished.