Jacqueline smiled proudly.
Soren stepped off the chessboard just as the disembodied voice echoed through the ruins:
"Well played, bearer of the scale. Your path continues."
The cracked stone at the far end of the courtyard shuddered… shifted… and slowly slid open, revealing a hidden passage glowing with soft blue light.
A cold wind drifted out, carrying the scent of old magic.
But behind them, unnoticed, the small creature that had been following them crept closer.
Its glowing blue eyes blinked.
Its tail swished once across the ground.
And then, with a soft flutter of tiny wings, it slipped into the passage ahead of them.
Almost playfully. Almost… smiling.
Penny stiffened. "Did something just go inside?"
Soren glanced back at the shadows. "I don't think so…?"
Penny frowned. "But I swear I felt something move past us."
Soren narrowed his eyes toward the glowing corridor. "Then we'd better move quickly, or whatever it was might get to our prize before we do."
Jacqueline nodded. "Come on. Let's not lose the lead."
And with their wands drawn and hearts racing,
Soren, Penny, Jacqueline, and Cassie hurried into the hidden passage… completely unaware that a tiny, scaled shadow had already gone ahead of them.
The four stepped through the glowing passage, and the world changed.
They found themselves standing on the edge of a vast, hidden valley.
The air here was warmer… wilder… humming faintly with old magic. The sky above shimmered with drifting streaks of green mist, like northern lights trapped beneath the earth.
Below them stretched an ancient landscape. Towering stone spires rose from the ground like the ribs of some colossal ancient beast.
Massive trees, twisted and silver-barked, grew in spirals instead of straight lines. Their leaves glimmered a deep emerald, glowing faintly whenever the wind brushed through them.
A river wound through the valley, not blue, but bright turquoise, glowing with light from minerals beneath the water. Strange flowers floated on its surface, releasing sparks whenever they touched.
Small craters dotted the land, some still warm and smoking as if something powerful had landed there not long ago.
And the air…
The air carried the scent of hot stone, scorched earth, and something ancient that made the hairs on Soren's arms rise. It was beautiful.
Penny whispered, eyes wide, "Where… are we?"
Cassie turned in a slow circle. "I've never seen anything like this. Not in any textbook."
Jacqueline frowned at the compass in Soren's hand. "Soren… look."
The compass needle, which had guided them through every step so far, was completely still. Not wobbling. Not pointing. Just dead center.
Soren tapped it. Nothing.
"We're off the map," he muttered. "The place isn't marked. Elara didn't expect the compass to guide us here."
They exchanged uneasy glances.
Then, Soren's locket jolted.
A faint green glow pulsed from the scale-shaped pendant.
"What—?" Soren grabbed it instinctively.
The locket glowed brighter… and brighter… until thin strands of green light uncoiled from it like living ribbons.
And then, it pulled him.
Not violently, but firmly, tugging him forward like a magnet.
"Soren!" Jacqueline reached out. "Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine," he said, though the pull grew stronger.."It wants me to follow."
Penny swallowed hard. "Elara said the locket was a key, right? Maybe it only works in places connected to… whatever she found."
Cassie nodded. "Then we follow it. Wherever it leads."
The glowing locket tugged Soren forward, down toward the valley floor, toward the spiraled silver trees… toward the warm craters…
---
The locket's glow dimmed… then stopped completely.
Soren frowned and looked around. "We're… here? But why this spot?"
They were standing beside one of the silver-barked trees—its trunk spiraling like a helix.
Nothing seemed special about it.
Until Cassie whispered, "Wait… look."
At the base of the tree, half-hidden under a curtain of glowing leaves, was a tiny wooden door, no taller than Soren's hand.
Jacqueline bent down, "A door? In a tree? Who even—"
Soren was already reaching for it.
The moment he touched the handle, the door popped open with a soft click.
Inside lay a folded parchment sealed with wax.
Soren gently pulled it out.
The seal was Elara's.
He unfolded the letter.
Dear little brother,
If you are reading this, it means you have arrived at the place where I wanted you to.
This valley is called Caer Gwyrddfa — an ancient nesting ground once home to the Welsh Dragons.
Here, I found a sweet, fierce, curious little companion meant for you.
By now, it must have already met you.
It never could resist following someone it likes.
Consider it my gift to you.
Take care of it well. It will protect you from dangers you cannot yet imagine.
Many spells do not work on its kind… and even fewer creatures can stand against it.
Be brave, Soren.
You're closer than you think.
—Your sister,
Elara Whitlock
The moment Soren finished reading, something green launched out of the tree above them.
Jacqueline shrieked. Penny stumbled back. Cassie grabbed her wand. And Soren's heart nearly stopped.
But before he could react, the creature landed squarely on his chest, knocking him back a step.
"SOREN—!!" the girls cried.
But instead of attacking, the small green creature let out a delighted chirp and began licking Soren's cheek enthusiastically.
Warm. Wet. Happy.
It nuzzled him like a dog greeting its owner after weeks apart.
Soren blinked. "…What… what are you?"
Penny whispered, trembling between fear and fascination, "It's the creature that was following us…"
Cassie nodded slowly. "The one from the ruins. The shadows. The blue eyes…"
Now up close, they finally saw it clearly, A young dragon—small enough to fit in Soren's arms.
Scales shimmering emerald green. Two tiny horns curled like polished ivory. Blue glow flickering deep in its eyes. Its tail ended in a soft spade shape. Its wings were small but real, twitching with excitement.
And when it looked at Soren. Its pupils widened, and it gave a soft, affectionate purr-rumble.
Jacqueline gasped. "Soren… it bonded with you."
The creature nuzzled under Soren's chin.
Penny whispered, "Elara… she really left you a dragon."
Soren slowly lifted the tiny dragon in his hands.
It curled comfortably, wrapping its tail around his wrist.
He smiled.
"…Then…"
"…welcome to the family."
The young dragon chirped, a proud, fierce, loving sound.
And far off in the valley, something massive stirred in the shadows, as if sensing its child had chosen a rider.
The last line of Elara's letter shimmered faintly, then the parchment began to crackle.
Jacqueline gasped. "Soren, your sister's letter—!"
Before he could react, the ink glowed bright gold and the parchment caught fire, but without heat. A silent, swirling flame that didn't burn his hands.
The fire consumed the paper in a spiral, and the ashes didn't fall. They lifted. The ashes brightened to silver dust…
Then transformed into Floo Powder, spinning around the four students and the tiny green dragon.
Penny shielded her eyes. Cassie grabbed Soren's sleeve. Jacqueline held her breath.
"Soren!" Penny shouted. "It's activating on its own!"
But Soren held the dragon close and stayed calm.
"Stay together!" he ordered.
The powder swirled faster and faster, WHOOSH!
Green-gold flames engulfed them. The ground vanished beneath their feet.
The world twisted, and in the next heartbeat.
They landed with a thud.
Grass. Trees. The calming scent of the Magical Creatures Reserve.
They were back. Right in the same forest clearing where their entire journey had begun.
Cassie exhaled in disbelief.
"We… we're home?"
Jacqueline looked around, stunned. "It brought us all the way back here? Just like that?"
Penny brushed leaves off her robes. "That magic, whatever enchantment Elara left, was advanced. Beyond N.E.W.T. level…"
Soren held the small dragon in his arms. It nuzzled his chest, purring softly.
He looked at the forest, then at the girls.
"We completed all four puzzles… And Elara brought us back safely."
Jacqueline stepped closer. "So… what now?"
Soren lowered his gaze to the baby dragon.
Now officially his. A gift from Elara. A guardian creature with unknown powers.
He tightened his hold just a little.
"Now," Soren said quietly, "we prepare for whatever comes next."
Because if Elara left a dragon for him. The road ahead was going to be far more dangerous than any puzzle.
Penny cleared her throat softly. "But first… we need to find a home for it. We can't bring a dragon into Hogwarts, Soren."
Cassie nodded, "She's right. Even a baby dragon can cause… well, a lot."
Jacqueline added, "And Hagrid will sniff it out instantly."
Soren nodded, already thinking. "Yeah… I know. It needs a safe place. Somewhere magical… somewhere it can stay hidden."
Before any of them could suggest a possibility.
The dragon wriggled out of Soren's arms.
"Hey—wait—!"
It leaped to the ground with surprising grace, scampered across the grass, and hurried straight toward a familiar tree.
The Fairy Tree. Where Soren's fairy companion lived.
The tiny dragon circled the trunk once… twice… Then pressed its body against the roots.
A soft green glow pulsed from its scales.
Penny blinked. "It's… choosing the fairy's tree?"
Jacqueline smiled softly. "Maybe it feels safe there."
Cassie folded her arms, impressed. "Or it recognises magical territory. Intelligent little thing."
Soren watched as the dragon curled up neatly beside the entrance of the fairy's burrow, wings tucked in, tail wrapped around its body.
The fairy peeked out, buzzed once, and instead of fleeing, it touched its forehead gently against the dragon's snout.
A silent agreement.
A welcome.
Penny exhaled. "Looks like… they're going to be roommates."
Soren smiled, relief washing over him.
"It chose its own home," he murmured. "And honestly… I think Elara knew it would."
The little dragon let out a soft, contented chirp, as if confirming it.
And for the first time since the journey began, Soren felt something warm settle in his chest.