The Wizarding World of Kelly Trelawney

Chapter 20

Kelly knew she wouldn't have to wait long to be back in the fray of the fighting. When Poppy arrived back at school, she had startling news for her friend.

"I uncovered a dragon fighting ring!" The girl said with disdain. "Rookwood and his poachers are taking dragons from the environment and forcing them to fight for entertainment. My family told me about it- it's just terrible!"

Kelly thought back to the only encounter she had with a dragon, and fear rose in her stomach. While that dragon had attacked, it seemed as though the amulet it was wearing was connected to Ranrock, so it hadn't been random violence. Even still, Kelly wasn't chomping at the bit to throw herself in a ring of dragons.

"Kelly, I'm going to go try to free them. Please say you'll help?" Poppy begged.

She was reluctant, but couldn't let her friend go alone. "Fine, Poppy."

Poppy smiled and tugged her companion along, where she led her further North than Kelly had traveled. When they landed from their brooms, they were in front of a tiny, nondescript tent.

"This is the ring?" Kelly asked in disbelief.

"It has to be sneaky, or else they'd be caught. Let's look inside."

Kelly was taken aback by her companion's boldness, but followed her lead. When they pulled the front tent flap open, she gasped. The inside was at least ten times as large as it looked outside, and it was alive with noise. Crowds cheered and dragons screamed as a green dragon fought a brown dragon in a center ring.

"This is horrible," Poppy said.

"This is a death wish!" Kelly responded, "There are way too many of them."

Poppy frowned dejectedly, "You're right... but maybe we can still do some good. Let's sneak in the back and try to let some of the dragons out."

Kelly supposed it wasn't the worst idea, and knew that her friend would do it with or without assistance. Using disillusionment, they crept behind the crowded stands, everyone too enthralled by the dragons to notice them.

"This is so horrid," Poppy spat, "I can't believe people would pay to watch this abuse."

Kelly agreed wholeheartedly, but knew what these dark wizards were capable of firsthand. She absentmindedly rubbed her side where her wound had been, "They're capable of terrible things."

When they had snuck past all of the crowds, a final hallway beckoned them. They walked through to find the back rooms, and the noise of the cheering faded away.

"Kelly, down here!" Poppy called ahead, and when she rounded the bend she could see enormous dragons, of all different colors, chained and bound in the tent.

"How do we get them out?" Kelly asked, not sure she wanted to free angry dragons inside a confined space.

Poppy looked at the roof of the tent and sent a damage spell up, where it ripped to expose the open sky. The dragons seemed to get antsy, and began pulling at their chains and huffing.

"Take the left side and I will start over here," Poppy said, casting unlocking spells as quickly as she could.

The dragons only grew in commotion as they gradually began being freed, and Kelly tried to work as quickly as she could. She had gotten down to the last one, a gorgeous blue dragon with silvery eyes. She stared Kelly down, and shivers ran down the girl's back. Perhaps dragons were much more sentient than Kelly ever knew.

She went to work on the chains when the worst happened- an Ashwinder walked in.

"Hey!" He screamed, and Poppy and Kelly startled, "Get in here! She's back!"