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"Spare us, Captain!"
"We have urgent information to tell you!"
"It's absolutely true!"
"I swear on Merlin's underwear!"
The twins, who had been dragged to the back of the train by Harry, were crying for mercy. When their leader says he's going to punish you, he really means it, and his methods are surprisingly clever. From the outside, you couldn't see any signs of bruises or swollen faces, but the uncomfortable feeling was enough to make even Marcus the gorilla buckle. After experiencing it once, the twins definitely didn't want a repeat.
"Stop pretending to cry. At least shed a couple of tears. You have no actor's self-discipline," Harry said, tossing them aside and leaning against the side of the train compartment. These two loved to act out, and Harry was all too familiar with it.
"We never lie, Captain."
"This is heartfelt; it's not an act."
The twins, after brushing off the creases in their clothes, became serious. They glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, and then leaned in closer, speaking in hushed tones.
"Captain, Charlie came home during the holidays, and we discovered something incredible!"
"Although he keeps talking about confidentiality and won't tell us a thing..."
"Well, look at who we are!"
The twins' faces lit up with smug grins. They drew their wands and muttered under their breath, quickly erecting a small soundproof barrier.
"Charlie's done something amazing this time!"
"This guy might not be a dragon trainer,"
"But he has a real, breathing, fire-breathing dragon!"
"A crimson fire dragon, though we don't know its breed!"
"You can't understand how cool it is until you see it in person!"
"We didn't get to see the dragon in armor,"
"But there's no denying it, Charlie's a dragon rider now."
"Seriously... damn it. I mean, this guy didn't even bring us along."
The twins, with envy written all over their faces, were nearly drooling. To be honest, after witnessing everything firsthand, it was impossible not to feel anything other than longing.
"A dragon rider?"
The term sounded like something out of a fantasy novel, and at first, it seemed a bit outlandish. But then again, this world was full of magic, so the existence of such a thing didn't seem all that strange.
"Yes! A dragon rider!"
"The dragon must have just hatched recently. Charlie still has to build a relationship with it. We don't really know where he is or who he's working for, but the dragon doesn't seem to be a big secret."
"After all, he brought it home, and Dad knows about it. He even helped Charlie make some stuff, which I think is armor for the dragon. But it's not made by goblins or wizards. It's hard to describe, but it looks incredibly cool!"
"Maybe it came from the Muggles?"
"After all, Dad's best at modifying Muggle things. We even have a Muggle car at home. Dad fixed it up and customized it, and sometimes, we sneak off to fly it around in the sky. It's nothing like riding a rocket."
After the twins had spoken, each taking turns, Harry was left feeling a bit confused. While they had only mentioned the dragon rider, some of the extra details suggested that things were not as simple as they seemed.
The twins didn't realize that their knowledge was somewhat limited. They knew nothing about the Muggle world. Although their father was a fan of Muggles, Mr. Weasley's understanding of the Muggle world was very limited. He loved it, but his observations came from the perspective of a wizard, not through any deep, hands-on study. After all, it was just a hobby. In that sense, he was doing far better than most "pureblood" wizards.
"Tell me, Captain, if you really need a mount, why not just choose a rocket?"
"Because it's too slow."
Shaking his head, Harry refocused his thoughts. "Not counting diving, the maximum speed of a Firebolt is only 300 kilometers per hour, which is pretty slow. Even the newest Firebolt 2001 doesn't change that; it just accelerates faster and has better balance. But it still takes nearly ten seconds to go from zero to a hundred, which definitely isn't fast. The underground flying car at Gringotts can leave it in the dust."
"If it's a fire dragon, even a small dragon can easily fly at speeds exceeding twice the speed of sound. Even large fire dragons can easily fly at subsonic or even supersonic speeds. That's more than a fourfold difference in speed. The acceleration from zero to a hundred for a fire dragon doesn't even take more than two or three seconds."
"Assuming the organization Charlie is with needs to build a fleet of aerial cavalry, fire dragons, with their tough skin, endurance, and immense strength, would indeed be an excellent choice. The only challenge would be taming them, but I imagine that problem has already been solved."
"In the future, our battle group will also need this kind of capability. We start with Quidditch; flying is what we do best. If we discard what we're best at and settle for being simple cannon fodder infantry, would you accept that?"
At Harry's gaze, the twins quickly shook their heads. "Only a fool runs on the ground."
"When Dad was bragging, he told us that the reason Voldemort's gang was so hard to deal with was because they could use a flying dark magic, transforming themselves into a cloud of black mist. Without apparition, Death Eaters had a huge advantage, and old-fashioned rockets couldn't catch up with them. Back then, they used things like the Cleansweep 7 or Comet 210—those old brooms were too clumsy."
"Speaking of flying, Captain," the twins' eyes sparkled slightly. They knew that when Harry spoke, it was never without a plan. If he brought it up, there was at least a rough idea behind it.
"Can we help?"
"It's still early, but when the time comes, you two will definitely be responsible. The first research department for our battle group's equipment wasn't built for nothing. The investments we're giving you aren't just for show."
"Now we can relax," the twins said with confident grins, patting their chests. These kinds of tasks were their specialty; their ability to get things done was unquestionable.
"If you have the time, you can ask your dad about modifying Muggle items. Since he's an expert in that field, it's good to learn more from him."
"Seems important," the twins nodded in agreement.
"Yes," Harry replied. "Many of Muggle technologies are just as practical as magic, if not more so. But they aren't perfect due to their reliance on technology. However, if magic is added into the mix, things change."
"But it's difficult," Harry sighed.
"The more precise the electronic product, the harder it is to modify with magic. I've had my eye on a Muggle military single-man flight device—light and agile. It uses dual micro-ion engines to carry a two-hundred-kilogram heavy guy at 0.8 times the speed of sound, flying nimbly through the sky. Isn't that cooler than riding a rocket?"
"At the moment, though, we can only dream. Such high-precision tech would probably be rendered useless by the magical fields around us within five minutes. If you're serious about this idea, you might as well try modifying a television first."
"Squirrel Wars!"
"Super Plumber!"
Immediately excited, the twins began chanting, clearly thrilled at the thought of Muggle video games. However, the wizarding world wasn't very accommodating of these foreign imports.
"That's settled then!"
With a determined look, the twins clenched their fists. "This year, we're bringing the world's best entertainment to Hogwarts!"
"We're off now, Captain."
"We're going to write to Dad!"
The twins hurried off, excitement radiating from them. They were already daydreaming about the joy of playing video games in their dorms.
(End of Chapter)