Seated among the crowd that had witnessed the first trial, Henry (Harry) stared sleepily ahead, watching the dragons struggling against the tamers who held them chained and cast spells upon them. He had to admit that, while these dragons were ferocious, they were no match for the power of even a single young dragon from Rias's world. The power contained within just one of those creatures was simply absurd; there was no need to even mention Ddraig and Albion. Ophis and Red were a whole other story.
But even though he seemed slumped and utterly lazy in his seat, his senses were on high alert for any potential complications. After all, the tamers weren't all-powerful. Something could go wrong.
"I still can't believe you killed one of those creatures," Lily murmured, watching the dragons as Ludo Bagman shouted his praises about the exciting competition. Everyone seemed a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
"This is actually way too dangerous. Why, of all the things they could have tried, did they choose dragons?" Hermione asked, frowning. Harry beside her shrugged, unsure of the reason.
Henry (Harry) glanced at her before turning back to the dragons as he spoke: "There are several reasons for this. The first is that it's practically become a tradition to do dangerous things in a Triwizard Tournament."
"I read it..." Hermione replied, though a little shyly, having caught the other Harry's attention. They had barely spoken, so she wasn't quite sure how to act.
"The second reason would be the Minister of Magic. Cornelius Fudge, that man with dung for a brain, doesn't think things through when they're put in front of him. Dragons are powerful and endangered beasts, but what better way to attract people and gain popularity? People won't see the danger first, but rather the so-called glory of passing as a dragon. You only have to look at the expressions of the people around us."
"Or do you think that no one but those in charge knew about the dragons?" Henry (Harry) snorted a little before continuing: "Although they tried to keep it a secret, it's impossible with the roars that could be heard in the distance. Hagrid isn't one to keep secrets either, especially since he told Madame Maxime, and she, in turn, told Fleur. And even then, Karkarov knew too, and he told Krum."
"The secret wasn't really one. But no one took it seriously enough, until now, when they have the real thing right in front of them."
"And as a third reason..."
"Is there more?" Hermione and Harry asked in shock, causing Henry (Harry) to nod immediately.
"While the tamers work in Romania, almost all of them are from England. It would look good if such people proved effective at taming a dragon, bringing it here, and then returning."
"But... if it's so dangerous, why didn't the headmaster say anything?"
Henry (Harry) glanced at Hermione, then looked briefly at Lily, but she didn't seem to respond; in fact, she had a similar expression to Hermione and Harry's.
"There's still more to it?" "You assume Albus is all-powerful, Hermione. And that's actually the furthest thing from the truth."
"Albus Dumbledore is a powerful man, yes. But, in reality, he's shackled by all his responsibilities. Do you think that as headmaster he makes all the decisions? That's false. The headmaster is the chief administrator of the school. He makes all the important decisions regarding the safety and day-to-day running of the school, and he has the power to overrule any decision made by any other authorized facilitator in the school, but there is one exception: the Board of Governors."
"The so-called Board of Governors not only has the power to close the school if they deem it necessary, they also have authority over the teachers and can inspect the school to see how it's running on a daily basis. But most importantly, the appointment and suspension of a headmaster rests with this Board of Governors."
"Similar things happen with the position of High Warlock and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. And most of the time, their hands are tied because most of the people who Those who surround him are Pure Blood"
Suddenly, Ludo exclaimed, announcing the first champion to enter the competition field: Cedric Diggory. The dragon he faced was a Swedish Short-Snout. The dragon was beautiful, a silvery-blue color. Its wings moved slowly as it circled its eggs and the champion's golden target. Its large eyes scanned the area, but were most focused on Cedric.
The sixth-year Hufflepuff nervously eyed the enormous beast, gripping his wand tightly. The young teenager's eyes quickly scanned his surroundings before he pointed his wand at a rock and used Transfiguration to transform it into a Labrador, which barked immediately before bolting. The Swedish Short-Snout growled as blue flames shot from its nostrils for a second before it began its run toward the new target.
Cedric immediately sprinted toward the golden egg, knowing he might not get another chance like this. His legs moved as fast as they could carry him, his heart pounding. He didn't take long to reach the golden egg, but it was the same for the dragon, who had easily caught up with the farmer and swallowed him in one gulp.
"Roooooaaaaarrhh!!" The enormous roar seemed to shake the ground as blue flames lit the corners of its snout and it charged toward the human in its nest. Cedric almost tripped as the dragon approached. He didn't even realize his speed had increased; feeling the fear creeping up behind him, he pushed through large stones. But even so, a powerful heat crept up behind him.
All he could do was leap to the side, slamming into a rock. His mouth opened, and he screamed in pain as he felt his shoulder dislocate while huge blue flames grazed the right side of his face, searing his skin. Despite the pain, Cedric managed to run once more before leaving the field and collapsing to the ground amidst shouts from all around.
"Well, he made it," Henry (Harry) remarked as he heard the tamers yelling as they stopped the dragon and forced it back. Madam Pomfrey immediately rushed to where Cedric had fallen to provide medical attention. With the help of others, he was quickly placed on a stretcher before being carried out to the champions' tent.
"Damn, it's a good thing nothing serious happened. I don't know what would have happened to me," Harry muttered as he watched Cedric being carried out, his face burned on one side.
Hermione frowned at her friend's words but didn't say anything, simply continuing to watch as stitches were handed out. And a short time later, Fleur Delacour emerged to face the dragon she had been assigned.
A common Welsh green dragon, which seemed a little smaller than the previous one, and whose roar had a more melodious and distinctive tone. Fleur left the tent and walked out onto the field, breathing heavily and looking seriously at the dragon she had to face to score more points than Cedric.
"That dragon..." Henry (Harry) narrowed his eyes as he saw the green dragon growling at Fleur.
"How interesting," I said, without saying anything else, watching the battle more closely. I could sense that the common Welsh green dragon was different from the one that had appeared before, perhaps even different from the other dragon that remained. Its eyes held a different light, more intelligent, cunning, yet still ferocious.
The dragon didn't leap forward, not even when Fleur cautiously approached as it hid among the large rocks that stretched across the field. Its eyes simply stared straight ahead without even blinking. It had settled around its nest, protecting its eggs.
Fleur couldn't help but swear in French when she saw the dragon's behavior.
And in the audience, Harry's eyes widened slightly more than usual, a small glint appearing before he stood up from where he was sitting.
"What happened?" Lily asked as Hermione and Harry looked at him curiously.
"Ah... looks like I'll have to move a bit. Fleur's in danger," Henry (Harry) said, placing a hand on his neck before tilting his head to the side, causing a small click to be heard.
And it seemed Henry's (Harry's) words would not come to pass, as Fleur had moved close enough to cast the Sleeping Charm. A burst of light shot from her wand before exploding on the dragon, causing it to drop its head to one side as its eyes closed. She immediately ran to the dragon, leaping over its tail and grabbing the golden egg.
But at that very moment, she felt the dragon move. Fleur slowly moved her head, her eyes widening in fear as the dragon rose up behind her and growled. The dragon had pretended the charm had worked.
"Rooooaaarh!!" The enormous roar made Fleur tremble as her long hair flew behind her from the force of the blast. And then, after that sound exhaled from the beast's mouth, a jet of flame shot out toward her.
The egg fell from Fleur's hands as everyone's screams filled her ears. She could only raise her hands to her face in terror. But just in that moment of fear and despair, a light flashed behind her eyelids.
The heat vanished instantly as everyone's screams ceased. Fleur felt only a soft, delicate caress on her arms, head, and legs. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and what she saw left her in shock.
Henry (Harry) stood before her, his back to her, his gloved right hand extended in front of him, pointing toward the dragon's open mouth. The powerful flames, capable of reducing a human's flesh and bones to ash in an instant, transformed into beautiful cherry blossom petals as they passed through a glowing circle adorned with strange letters and shapes.
The dragon paused, gazing in bewilderment at its flames transformed into beautiful petals. But when it looked at the human before it, all it could see were two beautiful, powerful green eyes. Those orbs seemed to transform into two enormous, glowing stars within a dark silhouette behind the human who had stopped its flames.
"Lower your head."
BAM!
At the calm command that came from Henry (Harry)'s mouth, the dragon fell to the ground, its tail tucked in and its wings trembling. Its snout stopped as it touched the ground, and it stared fearfully at Henry (Harry).
"Are you alright?" Henry (Harry) asked, turning to look at Fleur, who was staring at him without blinking. When he didn't see a response, he snapped his fingers twice in front of Fleur.
"Hey... are you okay?"
"Huh...?" Fleur blinked and swallowed hard before nodding. "Y-yes... I'm fine... thanks."
"Good, that's good. Now go, your task isn't finished yet."
Fleur simply nodded, taking the golden egg once more before running towards the exit of the field.
Harry's eyes scanned the crowd, noticing that they were staring at him in amazement at what he had done. Well, not that it mattered, he thought as he shrugged and walked off the field. But, as he was walking toward the exit, he frowned when he glanced back as the crowd gasped in fear once more. The dragon had raised its head and was about to breathe a column of fire, perhaps made more powerful by its swollen nose as flames shot from the corner of its mouth.
"I can give second chances, but not a third. No matter who it is," Henry (Harry)'s voice came out coldly as he placed his hands in front of him, side by side. Magic circles appeared around his hands as a single drop of water formed before the air cooled and the drop of water spun at great speed.
At that moment, everyone felt the air cool as Harry gently and carefully extended his hands forward. The process actually lasted no more than three seconds, but in that time, not only had the air cooled, but the dragon was losing body heat as the flames forming on its snout died down.
"Cocytus," Harry murmured softly, deploying and releasing the magic fully, causing the tiny droplet to explode forward, expelling a dense, icy mist. And as the white, frosty mist advanced, the ground, the enormous rocks, and everything it passed over froze.
Harry could have ended the problem much more easily with a single Sleeping Charm, but he had been in this world for a few months, and he was feeling bored and a little tired. There wasn't much left to investigate in this timeline, so similar to his own, and he wanted to stretch his body a bit.
When everyone saw the mist slowly dissipate and cease, the dragon that had been proud and angry had become a beautiful ice statue that shimmered in the sunlight.
"Eh... it took less time than I thought..." Shrugging, Henry (Harry) left the field after the first task, under the astonished gaze of everyone.
_______________________________