PRONGSLET AND THE OLYMPIAN ALLIANCE

Chapter Twenty-Eight

[28]

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"Dragons!" Milo screeched before Gwen shoved his head down from behind the bushes. They weren't exactly supposed to be present with the dragons being brought onto the grounds during the late evening hours, but that didn't stop Milo's excitement. It was a mix of nerves and joy, mainly because Milo didn't want to be burned to death but at the same time, he absolutely loved dragons. He had yet to see one since Norbert had left the castle as only a hatchling with friends that Charlie Weasley had sent. Although the update from Charlie at the Quidditch World Cup revealed that Norbert was actually a girl, which they renamed Norberta. But even if Norberta was among the dragons that were coming to the tournament, Milo wasn't anticipating any sort of sympathy from an old "friend."

When Gwen told him that they were going to be meeting up around midnight, Milo didn't hesitate to bend the rules a little bit. Using the map to avoid everyone in the castle, he was able to make it outside and meet Gwen near the Whomping Willow. Now the two had found themselves hiding among bushes and trees to hide Milo away, while Gwen had greeted a few of the men running back and forth. However, when Milo first stumbled upon the scene, the first thing he noticed wasn't the dragons, it was the fact that Hagrid was there with Madam Maxime. The two nearly stood as tall as some of the young trees in the forest, making it incredibly hard to miss them. 

"A-are they on a date?" Milo had whispered to Gwen, looking up at the woman. She glanced over in the direction of the two before giving a shrug of her shoulders. "Hey, Gwen, imagine the offspring of those two, he or she would be fit for battle at birth!"

He was silenced by Gwen, who wore an amused look on her face before turning back to the scene. It seemed like there were several bonfires just out of control, but it all turned out to be the dragons shooting as much fire to get the men around them running. Suddenly, someone seemed to be approaching them and rather than getting caught, Gwen pushed Milo back into a bush. Milo was left in a sudden daze but he did recognise the voice that greeted Gwen.

It was Charlie Weasley.

"I didn't know you were working tonight, I thought you were going to be back in Hogsmeade," Charlie said as Milo was peaking out from the bush.

"Well, I was, but I might have slipped some information to Hagrid about the dragons and you know him, he'd hug one if he could. I just decided to chaperone his date, that's all."

Charlie glanced over his shoulder for a moment before frowning. "Some romantic date, but he shouldn't have brought her out, you know that the Champions aren't allowed to know of the task until it comes down to it."

"Relax, Charles," Gwen told him in a teasing tone. "There is nothing secretive about bringing four dragons this close to the school. I'm sure all four of the champions will know by the end of the night. Secrets don't last very long at Hogwarts, do they?"