Chapter 397: The Hungarian Horntail

Chapter 397: The Hungarian Horntail

Felix Harp made his way through the pillars of the stands, and Bagman's booming voice cut through the restless crowd: "Welcome... the first task is the Hungarian Horntail! The champions must retrieve a golden egg while evading the dragon... Please have the eggs placed, you see, the dragons are still asleep, which is the perfect time to observe them."

Six dragons of various colors lay on the ground, appearing to be in a state of slumber, yet their immense size still instilled fear, even from the referee's box, situated about five hundred feet away.T/his chapter is updated by nov(ê(l)biin.co/m

"Next, let me introduce the panel of judges: the five Heads of School, myself, and Minister Fudge, who is standing in for my dear friend, Barty Crouch. Unfortunately, he's taken a leave..."

Felix located the busy Professor McGonagall. She was pacing at the edge of the arena, lost in thought. As he approached, she nearly collided with him.

"Watch out, Mr. Harp—"

"Oh, it's you, Felix," McGonagall exclaimed sharply, her tone more elevated than usual. "Charlie is looking for you. Charlie!" She called out to a small group of people, and a stout young wizard turned around and trotted over.

"Hey, Felix," Charlie said, looking quite nervous, fidgeting with his hands. "We'll be watching from the sidelines, carrying whistles with us. If danger arises, we'll intervene—of course, we'll need your support as well."

"No problem," Felix replied.

A roar echoed from the distance, and a black Hungarian Horntail lazily raised its head. The nearby staff quickly placed the dragon eggs and hurried away.

The Hungarian Horntail found itself in an unfamiliar environment, surrounded by a swarm of buzzing insects that irritated its senses. It also caught the scent of its own kind, and its two yellow eyes scanned around, soon spotting, not far away, a platform where five other dragons lay.

Its mood soured abruptly. It managed to stand up, its nest made of shimmering golden straw beneath it. In that nest rested an egg, and it felt an intense connection to it. This was its child, a viewpoint it swiftly accepted. Its movements became cautious, and a clinking sound resonated as it eyed the thick chain around its left foot, letting out a deep roar towards the sky.

A blast of scorching flames shot upward, creating a gust of wind, rapidly heating the air.

With its agitation, the other five dragons also awakened. They lifted their heads, flapping their wings restlessly and stomping their feet, causing a dull sound against the dark stone ground.

The Hungarian Horntail surveyed its surroundings, clearly disliking the situation. It would be best to leave with its dragon egg. It tugged at the iron chain tentatively, finding it not entirely secure. Just as it was about to exert more force, it caught sight of a familiar figure.

"Roar~"

It let out a resounding cry—it was that dreadful barbecue chef!

Felix glanced at it and asked Charlie, "Do dragons have good memories?"

"Absolutely," Charlie answered. "Norbert remembers Hagrid even now. Whenever he misbehaves, I show him a picture of Hagrid, but I'm not sure how long we can keep fooling it... it's getting smarter, and it doesn't let us inspect it anymore..."

Bagman's voice guided the audience's emotions as he continued, truly a master in his field.

"Look, the dragons have awakened, but they need some time to adjust... and at least find their eggs. In the meantime, let me explain the rules of the match..."

Felix retrieved a broomstick from his ring, mounted it with a flip, and shot straight into the sky. He circled the area twice, taking in the view from above.

"This is quite the vantage point," he murmured with a smile.

From this height, the layout of the arena became clear—a silver tent for the champions' temporary rest stood a few hundred feet away, and beyond that was the viewing stands. In the midst of the somewhat crooked, almost oval-shaped stands, six segments were marked out, resembling a daffodil.

On each petal, closer to the center, a dragon was situated—of varying sizes, they had all raised their heads, surveying their surroundings with unease. They were restive, swaying their wings and stomping their feet. The stone ground resonated with a dull sound.

"After the whistle blows, you can take action. Timing, strategy, effect, and the displayed courage will all be considered in your score. Good luck! Ready—three—two—one! Let the match begin!"

The cacophony around them seemed to be muted, and Harry barely saw others. He had to focus on his own task—for safety, he had to start with reconnaissance. He shouted with conviction, "Firebolt, let's fly!"

Waiting quietly for a moment, he accurately identified a familiar sound amidst the sea-like noise. A blurry figure soared from the direction of the castle. Harry flipped and ascended into the air, the familiar rush of speed calming his heart.

The sky is my domain!

Harry told himself, ascending rapidly until he overtook a figure—that was Professor Harp. He caught a glimpse of the professor rolling his eyes in his direction.

Harry adjusted his broom, surveying below. At a height of seven to eight hundred feet, the dragons looked like the fire lizards Hagrid had spoken of in class. He also noted that the entire arena resembled a daffodil: each petal near the center held a dragon, while the champions stood on the opposite side of the petals.

From above, he could see that only Viktor Krum's and Cedric Diggory's teams had made a move. That inconspicuous wizard—Harry couldn't recall his name, but he knew he had a sharp, eagle-like hairstyle—suddenly rolled on the ground and transformed into a swift hawk. Flapping its wings, he soared into the sky, courageously heading towards the magnificent Swedish Short-Snout.

Gasps echoed from the stands; the actions of Beauxbatons' students had astonished everyone. "Animagus!" someone exclaimed.

"Not an Animagus!" Bagman's voice reached everyone's ears. "That's a unique human Transfiguration from Durmstrang. As far as I know, all three champions can perform this feat!"

"Caw~"

The bronze feathers of the giant hawk glinted in the sunlight. The Swedish Short-Snout sensed the threat, its glittering, multicolored eyes without pupils fixed on him. It spat out a fan-shaped burst of vibrant red flames.

The hawk dodged nimbly, responding with provoking calls.

On the other side, Cedric raised his wand. Hazy mist gathered in clusters, expanding and deepening in color until a dark, towering rain cloud formed, rising hundreds of feet high.

The rain fell gently, extinguishing the sparks emerging from the Swedish Short-Snout's nose. Annoyed, it lifted its head and spewed out blue flames. Its fire was scorching enough to melt rocks, yet its size was only about twenty-three to twenty-four feet tall. With the flames, it couldn't reach the rain cloud above its head.

The rain was minor, but it grew heavier, making it uncomfortable. The Swedish Short-Snout impatiently attempted to move along with its egg, its iron chain producing a grinding sound.

Colin Creevey had vanished from sight somehow, and Harry grinned. He had figured out that Cedric's team had chosen the most appropriate strategy.

Harry dove downward abruptly, catching sight of Fleur's team seeming to face difficulties. Other than Fleur, the other two champions hesitated.

Bagman's commentary sounded timely, "It seems there's a conflict in Beauxbatons' team—this really shouldn't happen... Look at Durmstrang; they're using dark magic from a distance, but apart from making the dragon more irritable, it's not much use... oh, wait, look at Krum! What kind of magic did he cast on himself? Diminishing his presence, he's stealthily approaching—could he be planning to snatch the egg with his fast legs? He should be on a broomstick; Durmstrang's strategy hasn't fully exploited his advantage!"

In the judges' box, Karkaroff's expression appeared displeased. "What's he doing? He's disturbing Krum."

Beside him, the headmistress of Durmstrang—a lean witch—smirked, and Karkaroff glared at her. "What's so amusing? Your other two students are just standing there!"

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