Chapter 393: Counterspells and Coordination

Chapter 393: Counterspells and Coordination

On the following weekend, the six champions gathered once again.

Led by Felix Harp, they strolled along the edge of the Black Lake. The lake's waters shimmered under the warm sunlight, and a few merpeople with forks in hand peeked out, observing them from the gaps between water plants.

"Did you all make any progress?"

Felix's words acted like a switch, prompting Hermione to start muttering immediately.

"I did some research. Hagrid's dragon-raising books are utterly useless. The 'Indulging Dragons' book does mention how to trim dragon nails with magic, but they recommend purchasing their own extra-large nail clippers instead of using magic... And there's a section about treating festering skin... The book does suggest bribing them with two large barrels of wine, but I believe that would only make their flames fiercer..."

"Harry's Disarming Charm isn't very effective. The scales of those fire dragons are too sturdy. The best we managed was flipping off a couple of scales, and then the enraged dragon breathed out blue flames—"

Harry tugged on her sleeve from the side, and she blinked in realization. "Um, to sum it up, we think a few spells might be useful—like the Eye-Blur Curse, the Impersonation Charm, the Golden Fire, and the Lumos spell... but we're not sure if we can use the Impersonation Charm in the final arena."

"And then there's dealing with dragons descending from the sky. I found out that even excluding the fire, their swooping down is terrifying..."

She sighed. "Defeating a dragon is just incredibly difficult."

After she finished speaking, she noticed Cedric, Roger Davies, Colin Creevey, and Professor Harp all looking at her simultaneously. This puzzled Hermione; had she said something wrong?

Felix spoke cryptically, "Miss Granger, what has led you to entertain the notion of conquering a dragon?"

Hermione instinctively looked at Harry.

Harry scratched his head. "Isn't it obvious? Mr. Bagman said it would be quite challenging. We—mostly Hermione—read that during one competition, a Blast-Ended Skrewt went out of control, and all three heads of the school took injuries... So, based on that, we can assume our challenge will be even harder."

Roger Davies exclaimed in surprise, "Could that actually be true?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances. They had experienced some unintentional coordination in this area before.

In their third year, they simultaneously used the Stunning Spell to ambush Peter the dwarf, promptly knocking him unconscious. It took his companion quite a while to wake him up, and even then, his mental state wasn't the best—he was slow to react by more than a beat. Eventually, his partner escaped, but he got caught.

"Why does the Ministry of Magic believe that a trio should increase the difficulty? Just because there are two more people?" Felix looked at them, his expression serious. "Do you recall the three keywords Mr. Crouch mentioned?"

"Courage, cooperation, and fire."

"Each word holds significance. 'Fire' points to the source of your danger—the dragons. 'Courage' is the most essential quality to overcome inner fear. I'm pleased to see that your spirits are high..." He glanced at Ron; Ron's resilience was rather weak, but he seemed alright for now, at least not trembling suddenly.

"'Cooperation' highlights the strategy you'll employ through the task."

Each of the six champions seemed lost in thought. In Felix's view, Cedric's team had progressed further on the path of cooperation; they had at least established clear roles. Cedric with his weather-related magic, Roger Davies with his Dark Thorn spell, Collins was still uncertain, but he believed he would undoubtedly have a crucial role.

As for Harry's team, Felix wasn't so sure. However, they would find out in a little while.

"Carefully consider what each of you can do. In the afternoon, we'll head to Classroom Seven to face real dragons. Though they're not real, the experience will be quite instructive. I believe you'll be surprised."

Felix playfully said, leaving Cedric's team excited but Harry's team somewhat feeble, especially Ron, whose face suddenly turned pale.

Felix shook his head inwardly; Ron's mental resilience was still lacking. Hopefully, they wouldn't be too frightened when the time came.

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