You Mispronounced Spider

Chapter 14

[A/N: Oof, look at that! Another chapter! Boy oh boy are you in for a surprise :D ]

As the young wizard and his owl traveled through the night towards the edge of the woods, the usual song birds and other forest creatures that chattered in the area were silent. So with nothing to obscure the noise, Peter heard it again.

The deep roar.

He had heard it back at the castle when they first made it out of the owl tunnel, he thought it might have been the wind or perhaps a trick of the ear, but no. Now that he was closer, it was undeniably a roar.

"Did you hear that?" Peter asked his owl.

'Yes,' Vader replied, 'should we investigate?'

Peter glanced towards the castle, just visible through the trees, some of the windows bright from the fire illuminating them inside. The forbidden forest had many creatures hidden within its depths, the roar belonging to any number of them. He should really go back to the dorms and not go searching for a fight with something.

At least, that was the plan, until Vader said 'I hear wizards as well.'

That tugged at Peter's curiosity more than the roar alone.

"A detour wouldn't hurt... we should check it out. Make sure no one's in trouble," Peter said as he quickly scaled a tree. He was faster up there and it allowed for good hiding in the night if he needed it.

'I shall scout ahead,' Peter could hear Vader dart through the leaves to fly silently above the forest's canopy.

Peter quickly turned to follow. As he got closer he could hear the shouting of wizards followed by multiple low roars.

Bright orange light blinked through the branches as Peter approached. It flickered and surged as if the source was erratic and unstable. There were a few small dots of consistent light but on occasion they were drowned out by a bright pulsing glow.

Now that he was closer, the ear-piercing roar of one of the creatures was so unexpectedly intense that it nearly knocked Peter out of the trees from a sudden wave of dizziness.

"For Merlin's sake! Someone get the damn muzzle back on that head!" A man yelled. It seemed like he wasn't the only one affected by the roar.

'Peter,' Vader said from somewhere above him, 'No danger, but stay within the trees.'

He wasn't about to doubt Vader's advice, as he got closer to the bright clearing. He thought there might have been some kind of strange magic bonfire going on with how the fire was acting but as he jumped to the closest tree limb that would still keep him hidden while providing a clear view, he nearly slipped when he realized what was in front of him.

Incredibly large, fully grown dragons fought against chains and enchanted wooden cages. Fire spouted from fanged mouths, long tails swishing with agitation, and snorting followed by different roars filled the air.

Five dragons stood in the clearing, with a few dozen wizards keeping them contained. Four of them Peter was familiar with from his creatures class at Ilvermorny. He could see a Chinese Fireball, thrashing angrily in its cage as it puffed out balls of flames like a cannon. A Swedish Short-snout, its blue flames licking the edge of its cages. A common Welsh Green, bashing against its only recently shut door, wood splitting from the strain as wizards rushed to keep it contained. And finally, a Hungarian Horntail who seemed to be putting up quite a fight with its spines hitting and fire shooting off every which way. Though, through all that, the professionals handling them didn't seem bothered by their struggles as they dealt with each protest the dragons presented with ease.