Dragons were always mysterious creatures in this world—powerful, mythical, and beautiful, existing more in legend than in reality.
Geralt had been fortunate enough to encounter one, and tales of dragons abounded in many regions. Now, a new legend had erged over the waters stretching between Novigrad and Skellige—many swore they had seen two mighty dragons streaking across the skies with such incredible speed that they could only have been dragons.
Whispers even claid that the two unknown sorcerers spotted on the Novigrad docks were, in truth, dragons in disguise. The Eternal Fire quietly withdrew their vague and hastily drawn wanted posters.
In this world, unlike Harry's, dragons weren't dosticated.
Harry and Hermione continued flying.
Crossing the open sea wasn't fun—not even for wizards.
Sirius had once made it a personal challenge to cross the Pacific by broom.
Harry never imagined he'd do anything like that in his life. But fate was always strange, and now he found himself on a journey like no other—with Hermione.
With no landmarks for reference, even Harry could easily get lost. That's when Hermione's invention, the Direction Charm, proved incredibly useful.
After flying at top speed for over a day, they finally reached their destination.
The terrain of Skellige was vastly different from Velen or Novigrad. Whether due to its island nature or its latitude, the air here was significantly colder—Hermione felt as though she were back in northern Europe.
They landed at the shore.
Harry conjured a small boat and sat inside, pulling out the glass bottle that contained the glowing orb. It wobbled gently, pointing west.
It wasn't ti to release it yet.
They hoisted the sail and set off.
The sea breeze was crisp, even biting. Hermione cast a Warming Charm on herself and then on Harry. Cradling her chin in her hands, she gazed out at the vast, dark ocean.
"I think this is the first ti I've really looked at the sea like this," she said.
Britain was an island nation—every child had seen the sea at so point. Hermione's middle-class family had taken her to the seaside every year when she was young. But those beaches were always packed with people, never as silent and still as this.
As a child, the sea belonged to her.
Now, she and Harry belonged to the sea.
Harry was about to reply when—
A piercing screech rang out.
A winged creature with a snake-like tail and a bare upper body swooped toward them.
A sea siren—though they were often called rmaids.
Compared to the humans who lived on land and only occasionally ventured into the ocean, these beings were the true rulers of the sea.
In the witchers' bestiaries, sirens were classified as monsters.
But technically, like Veela, they were a subspecies of humanoid.
According to Skellige legend, sirens were once friendly to humans. Perhaps due to the Conjunction of the Spheres or other unknown factors, they now hated humans with a burning intensity, attacking on sight without any trace of goodwill.
Their serene mont was shattered. Hermione frowned slightly, raising her head to look.
A humanoid creature.
Her hand paused as she reached for her wand.
Unlike drowners or nekkers—who were clearly inhuman and lacked high intelligence—sirens looked far more intelligent.
Years of education had ingrained in her a reluctance to attack creatures like this without provocation.
Should she strike first?
"They're monsters," Harry said.
Hermione hesitated no more.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
The siren froze mid-flight, even defying inertia, and plumted straight into the sea.
"But don't kill her," Harry added casually.
Hermione shot him a look.
Could he not be so cryptic?
Thankfully, it was her and not soone like Snape or even Sirius. Had it been either of them, they likely would've used a Bone-Shattering Curse or a Severing Charm, killing the creature instantly.
She cast a Floating Charm just as the siren hit the water, lifting her back up and placing her on the boat.
"Is she really a monster?" Hermione asked as she examined her.
It was hard to believe sothing so human-like could be a monster.
"They're a threat to humans," Harry replied quietly.
Hermione fell silent, nodding solemnly.
Monsters weren't defined by appearance or intelligence.
The only asure was whether or not they endangered humanity.
No matter how smart or cultured they were—if they threatened humans, they were monsters.
"Why are we keeping her on the boat?" Hermione asked after a pause.
Harry looked out over the water.
"There are too many sirens in this sea. I'd rather not be interrupted every five minutes while we enjoy the view."
Hermione didn't respond. She rested her arms on her knees and smiled softly at Harry.
Harry lifted the silencing charm on the siren, pressing his wand to her temple and speaking in a language Hermione had never heard.
Sirens, like Veela, were a sentient race.
They had their own language—a branch of Elder Speech.
Witchers, of course, had to learn these languages.
As soon as the bindings lifted, the siren's beautiful face contorted, transforming into a sharp fish-like maw as she let out a blood-curdling scream.
It was a kind of magic—a sonic assault ant to paralyze prey and alert others of danger.
But...
It didn't work this ti.
Harry flicked his wand again.
Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound ca out.
"Don't bother," Harry said calmly. "Let's make a deal."
"My partner wants to enjoy the ocean view."
"Blood and battle really ruin the atmosphere. And as you've seen, I'm a witcher and a sorcerer—no matter how many of your sisters co, I'll kill them all."
"Sing. Warn your sisters to stay away."
"When we reach our destination, I'll let you go. I won't kill you. Sound good? Nod if you agree."
The siren considered it for a mont, then nodded hesitantly, fear evident in her eyes.
Harry smiled. "Good."
He waved his wand, conjuring a rope around her neck and tying it to the bow of the boat.
Reluctantly, the siren shifted back into her human form and sat far from the two terrifyingly powerful humans. Clearing her throat, she began to sing into the wind.
Hermione even conjured her a harp.
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