Facing the mountain-like pressure and scorching breath of death from the Hungarian Horntail, Harry's mind raced with fear.
His green eyes remained fixed on the agitated beast as he slowly raised his wand.
"Stupefy!"
A jet of red light shot towards the Horntail's head, but the attack only succeeded in enraging the terrifying creature.
"Harry Potter didn't hesitate!"
Bagman exclaimed, "He actually chose to attack the Hungarian Horntail directly! The spell struck the dragon's head, but it clearly did no damage!"
Enraged by the Stupefy, the Horntail spread its wings and lunged forward, gliding directly out of its nest.
The dragon landed in front of Harry. Instead of breathing fire immediately, it swung its massive tail, covered in bronze-coloured spikes, towards Harry's waist like a giant mace, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle.
It was too fast.
A collective scream erupted from the stands.
At that critical moment, the last trace of fear vanished from Harry's eyes.
He did not try to block it with Protego. That would clearly be useless.
He barely had time to think. Relying purely on instinct, he threw himself forward and to the side.
Boom!
The dragon's tail brushed past his back and smashed heavily into the spot where he had just been standing, shattering the hard volcanic rock.
Several sharp fragments of stone grazed his cheek and arm, leaving behind burning stings, but he had successfully avoided the fatal blow.
He did not stop.
The moment he hit the ground, he rolled several times and took cover behind a large rock.
Almost the instant he disappeared behind it, a thick torrent of flame engulfed the other side.
The rock immediately glowed red, and the heat scorched Harry's back.
"Potter used the rock as cover to avoid the Horntail's flames!" Bagman shouted excitedly. "A beautiful dodge! Incredible reaction speed!"
But the Horntail's attacks came one after another.
It moved around the rock with heavy steps, its yellow slit pupils locking onto Harry once again.
Its fanged jaws opened, and the ominous red glow deep in its throat appeared once more.
Harry knew he could not stay hidden any longer.
He suddenly leaned out from behind the rock, pointing his wand directly at the Horntail's glowing throat, one of its most vulnerable areas.
"Impedimenta!" he shouted.
The spell shot accurately towards the Horntail's throat, interrupting the flames that were about to erupt.
The Horntail abruptly snapped its jaws shut. A wisp of black smoke rose from its mouth as the fire failed to emerge, and it shook its head furiously.
Taking advantage of the opening, Harry began running and leaping across the rugged volcanic terrain like a nimble goat.
He did not flee in a straight line. Instead, he used rocks of various sizes as cover and constantly changed direction, making it difficult for the Horntail to aim at him.
The Horntail was completely enraged by his slippery movements.
It let out furious roars and repeatedly spewed flames, which crackled as they scorched the rocks Harry had just passed. Its claws and tail smashed everything in its path.
Shards of stone and sparks flew around Harry. Several times, the scorching dragonfire nearly caught the hem of his robes, filling the air with the smell of burning fabric.
Sweat covered Harry's forehead, and his breathing grew ragged, but his eyes became brighter and brighter.
"Impedimenta!" he shouted, weaving between the rocks while firing Impediment Jinxes at the Horntail's ankles.
Although the spells could not truly stop the beast, they succeeded in making it stumble, buying Harry more time.
"Diffindo!"
He tried attacking its eyes again. Although the spell was once more blocked by its scales, the continuous harassment drove the Horntail into an even greater frenzy.
Sometimes, Harry crouched low and slid beneath the sweep of the dragon's tail. At other times, he used sloping rocks to launch himself into the air, avoiding flames spreading across the ground.
Every one of his movements looked incredibly dangerous, yet he always managed to escape at the last possible second.
"Oh my goodness! He's doing it! Harry is actually holding his own against the Hungarian Horntail!"
Bagman's voice was filled with incredulous excitement. "Look at his movement! Look at his timing! This is nothing like what you'd expect from a fourteen-year-old wizard!"
Finally, after using an Exploding Charm to shatter a massive rock behind the Horntail and momentarily distract it, Harry seized the fleeting opportunity.
Like a wild horse breaking free, he cast aside all fear and distractions. There was only one thing left in his mind: the golden egg.
He pushed himself to his fastest speed, lowered his body, and charged straight towards the nest like a bolt of lightning.
The Horntail immediately realised what he was trying to do.
It let out an earth-shaking roar and spun around, unleashing a scorching torrent of flame directly across Harry's path.
This time, Harry did not dodge.
Under the horrified gazes of everyone in the stands, he did something incredibly reckless. Instead of slowing down, he accelerated.
At the very last moment before the flames swept over him, he suddenly threw himself forward into a slide, narrowly slipping through a gap less than half a metre beneath the fire.
But before he could recover, another attack followed.
The dragon's tail came sweeping after the flames like a giant mace.
That enormous spiked tail, like a monstrous serpent that had already anticipated where its prey would flee, tore through the air towards Harry with a terrifying whistle.
Its range was so wide that it covered almost every possible escape route.
He could not dodge.
In that split second, Harry made a bold decision.
Instead of trying to evade, he abruptly turned, held his wand horizontally in front of himself, and shouted with all his strength,
"Protego!"
A translucent magical barrier instantly appeared before him.
Almost at the same moment, the dragon's tail slammed into the Shield Charm with tremendous force.
BOOM!
With a deafening crash, the barrier shattered like fragile glass, but it succeeded in absorbing most of the direct impact.
Harry felt as though he had been struck head-on by a speeding train. His entire body was lifted from the ground and hurled backwards uncontrollably.
"No!" Hermione and Ron cried out simultaneously from the stands.
But Harry did not panic.
Because the direction he was flying in was exactly where the dragon's nest lay.
He had used the tremendous force of the Horntail's attack to turn himself into a human cannonball, launching himself directly towards his target.
While flying through the air, he endured the agonising sensation of his insides being shaken and his stomach churning, yet still managed to calmly adjust the angle of his wand and point it at himself.
"Arresto Momentum!"
His uncontrolled flight immediately slowed, turning into a vertical fall.
Harry dropped straight into the dragon's nest, his fingers landing on the cold, hard surface of the golden egg.
He clutched it tightly against his chest, rolled forward to disperse the remaining force, and came to a stop on one knee on the far side of the nest.
He had succeeded.
For a moment, the entire arena fell silent.
Then deafening cheers erupted like a tidal wave.
The red of Gryffindor seemed to engulf the stands.
The Hungarian Horntail roared unwillingly, but the arena's protective magic had already activated, and its form began to blur before disappearing.
Harry knelt on the scorching rocks, gasping for breath.
His robes were torn, his face covered in scratches and dust, and sweat had soaked through his hair.
But he held the golden egg tightly in his arms, raised his head, and looked out at the roaring crowd.
"He did it! Harry Potter did it!"
Ludo Bagman's voice had gone hoarse with excitement.
"Brilliant tactics! Extraordinary courage! He used the dragon's own attack to propel himself to victory! Let us give the warmest applause to Hogwarts' champion, Harry Potter!"
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