application for permission to use your own mount has been approved. In accordance with the current rules, the costs of maintaining the beast are totalled at the end of each month. Understood?’
‘Yes, sir!’ The boy blurted out before he’d had time to think.
'Excellent,’ the officer seemed satisfied.
‘Here is your timetable. As Group Two in your year had the fewest cadets, that is where you will be joining.’ Hartmann held out the sheets of paper he had picked up earlier. ‘There is also a list of books you’ll need to get hold of. You can do that at the Solvein or Gelenweith library. It’s very likely that your master has at least a few of these titles.’ Draco stepped forward and took the stack of papers. ‘That’s all from me. You can wait for your group supervisor in the corridor. See you in class, Mr Ignis.’
‘Goodbye, Instructor.’ The dragon bowed and hurried out, still under the instructor’s piercing gaze.
Draco studied his new timetable carefully and had to admit that it didn’t look too bad at all. Generally speaking, the days were very similar to one another and consisted of two blocks of lessons. All the lectures and theory classes were scheduled for the morning, whilst the afternoons were devoted to practical work. He was particularly interested in the riding lessons, which, according to the timetable, were due to take place the following day. He had to admit that he felt surprisingly relieved. It was enough for him that, that very morning, Fenrir must have somehow sensed that the dragon was off somewhere, and bess tried to do everything in his power, and he certainly had plenty of it, to stop the lad. The reptile had no idea how he’d managed to calm Fen down, but he had absolutely no desire for a repeat of that morning’s commotion.
‘Draco Ignis?’ The dragon jumped and turned round. He hadn’t noticed when someone had approached him.
‘Yes, sir,’ the dragon blurted out before he’d had a chance to take in anything beyond the white uniform.
The man standing before
