and Draco nodded vigorously in agreement. He himself had no intention whatsoever of falling off Fen’s back, but then again, falling off a cliff hadn’t been part of his plans the day before either.
‘Everyone, sit down.’ The dragon jumped at the sound of a shrill, unpleasant voice coming from the door to the classroom. A short, stout woman, dressed in riding gear that was a little too tight, strode briskly across the room. Her chubby face, glistening with sweat, bore a permanent look of dissatisfaction. At first glance, the lecturer did not seem particularly friendly. ‘I am Dolores Taumaturge and, from today, I will be training you in riding.’ She swept a cold gaze across the group. ‘I’m not here to coddle you. My job is to ensure that, by the end of this term, you’re able to ride at least two basic mounts.’ She paused and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Silence fell over the room; no one dared even to breathe a little louder. ‘Anyone care to suggest?’ The question hung over the whole group like the blade of an axe. ‘You!’ She suddenly pointed at someone roughly in the middle.
‘On horseback and on a warg?’ The frightened, faltering voice was hard to recognise, though Draco was certain he’d already spoken to its owner.
‘Wrong!’, a shrill cry caused a collective stir. ‘Why on earth would you need the ability to ride two warmounts right now?’ The lecturer ground out every word through clenched teeth. ‘Horses are too much for you.’ A judgmental gaze swept over the cadets. ‘You need to be able to ride wargs, even if it’s just to work as couriers.’ She snorted as though she’d just told an incredibly funny joke. ‘But really, you’ll be useful if you know how to handle a karven. At the end of the day, someone’s got to transport the supplies.’ A nasty smile stretched across the woman’s lips, revealing her uneven, yellowed teeth. Any enthusiasm Draco had felt for learning to ride had vanished into thin air. ‘By the end of the year, we’ll need to find
