Chapter 8

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The group's time in Romania was surprisingly enjoyable. For Tina, the days passed shockingly quickly. She spent most of the day with Newt and Pearl inside Newt's case. The young dragon was growing bigger and more feisty by the day. Newt had told her that dragons can be on their own by 10 days, and before either of them really knew what had happened, the day came for Pearl to be released into the wild. Everyone had come outside to watch as Newt opened his case and coaxed Pearl out into the open.

"It's all right." Newt soothed her. "There's nothing to be afraid of." First came her head, then her wings and forelegs, then her whole body, now the size of a small horse and much longer from snout to tail. She looked around, and lifted her snout up, appearing to take a long smell of the air. She then looked at Newt and wiggled like an excited dog before she took a running start and leaped into the air. Tina saw happy tears in Newt's eyes as he watched Pearl soaring free. But just as she had almost flown out of sight, she turned in the air and flew back to the group. Tina gasped as Pearl trotted up and nudged her with a wing, did the same to Newt, and lowered herself with her wings almost completely on the ground. She glanced at her back.

"Do you...do you want us to get on?" Newt asked. Pearl grunted, looking at her back again. Tina felt a thrill through her whole body. Newt gestured for her to follow his lead. He carefully mounted Pearl before nodding in front of him.

"It'll be easier for you to ride in front." Tina approached Pearl slowly, then mounted her just as Newt had done. Newt pointed to ridges in her scales that seemed to stick out.

"You'll want to hold on tightly there. She won't let us fall, but you still need a good grip. Make sure to grip with your legs as well." Tina followed his instructions, and once she had a good grip, Pearl pushed herself to her feet. Newt's hands wrapped around her waist and she had to hold back a gasp at the intimate touch. Then she felt stupid. How did you think he was going to hold on? With a sudden burst of motion, Pearl launched herself into the air. A cry of surprise and excitement escaped her as the ground fell further and further away. She noticed that Pearl somehow knew to stay within the boundaries of the protection charm as she flew. It was exhilarating, being so far away from the ground. The view was beautiful. There was something about the wind and the sky that felt strange, but in the best way. Like she could feel them through every part of her body. It was hard to describe. As Pearl leveled out to fly in even circles around the perimeter of the protection, Tina found herself leaning back against Newt. She wasn't positive, but she thought she felt his grip around her waist tighten. She felt calmer than she had in a long time. But as Pearl began to descend, the invisible icy claws gripped her throat again as she remembered that there was a chance that experiences and moments like this might be limited. She tried to stamp down the terror at that thought before Newt noticed. Pearl landed surprisingly smoothly. The others on the ground looked awestruck. Newt slid down off of Pearl's back, then turned to help Tina down. Pearl dipped her head, then crouched and took off again. This time, she didn't stop flying until she disappeared beyond the trees. Queenie rushed up to her.

"That was amazing! You just got to fly on a real dragon!" Tina smiled, but before she could respond, Lally burst out of the cottage.

"The portkey countdown just appeared." She announced to the group. "We're out of here in ten minutes."

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