A heavy silence settled over the tent.
Fleur returned to her corner and sat quietly on the wooden stool, but the slight tremor in her body gave away how unsettled she was.
Even if she had drawn the easiest one, the Common Welsh Green, it was still a real dragon.
Viktor clearly thought the same. He had no mood left to tease Tver. With a dark expression, he moved toward the edge of the tent, as if he wanted to escape the stifling air, or else get it over with and be the first to go out there.
The dragon he would face was a full order of magnitude weaker than the Hebridean Black Dragon… but Viktor himself was more than an order of magnitude weaker than Tver.
Cedric and Harry, meanwhile, quietly gathered together, apparently talking through the dragon they each had to face.
Recently, the two of them had been meeting with Hermione to work out strategies against the dragons.
And of everyone there, Cedric's expression was the best—aside from Tver's.
Even though he was going on first, he still managed a stiff smile.
Well. At least it was a smile.
"Beep—"
A crisp whistle rang out, and Ludo Bagman's voice followed at once. As judge, host, and commentator, he sounded almost gleeful.
"Thank you all for coming to watch the first task of the Triwizard Tournament! I see not only bright, enthusiastic students, but quite a few parents as well. I hope you adult witches and wizards will take this chance to explain to your children just how terrifying these dragons are."
"At the very least, it might stop them from doing what that child just tried to do, and running into the enclosure to take pictures."
"I was taking a picture of Champion Harry!" a childish voice shrieked in protest.
Bagman paused for barely a beat, then carried right on.
"I imagine it's not only you in the stands. Our Champions are eager for the excitement to begin as well."
"Yes, I mean the dragons!"
The mischief in his tone was impossible to hide, even under the crowd's laughter.
"And now, please welcome our Swedish Short-Snout, and the Champion who will face it—Cedric Diggory!"
At the sound of his name, Cedric couldn't help shuddering. He met Tver's eyes for a moment, and after catching the encouragement there, he took a deep breath.
"Good luck," Harry said quietly.
Cedric didn't answer. He simply pressed his lips together, nodded once, lifted the tent flap, and stepped outside.
From inside the tent, Tver and the others could only hear the wave of roaring cheers, and then—
"Wow! Now that is a creative approach!" Bagman's voice carried clearly back to them.
"I don't know whether your professors have already told you this, but I'll remind everyone anyway: giving up on the idea of casting directly at a Swedish Short-Snout is absolutely the right call."
"And Mr. Diggory's Transfiguration is excellent. It's rare to see someone his age produce such a lively Newfoundland hound."
"It's working very well—looks like the Short-Snout's attention has been drawn away—oh, no, no, no! The dragon's noticed what he's doing. One breath of fire—"
"Excellent Shield Charm!" Bagman exclaimed.
"He's taken a bit of a hit, but it doesn't matter now, because Champion Diggory has successfully retrieved the golden egg!"
The cheering this time was even more explosive than before, loud enough to drown out Bagman as he announced the judges' scores.
After a while, the roar finally began to fade, and Bagman's voice rose again.
"A very fine performance. A brilliant start to what promises to be a spectacular day."
"And look there—our Common Welsh Green has entered the arena and is anxiously waiting for the Champion who will challenge it, Miss Fleur Delacour!"
At the sound of her name, Fleur sprang to her feet. A moment later, she realized Bagman hadn't actually told her to enter yet.
But she didn't have the nerves to sit back down.
"Don't underestimate this dragon, though. For young witches and wizards still in school, it's anything but ordinary!"
"So, what method will our Champion use to face it? Let's welcome the only female competitor in this tournament with a round of applause!"
Fleur's fingers tightened around the dragon model.
Thankfully it was only a moving model. If it had been real, it probably wouldn't have minded biting her first.
"Don't worry. There are plenty of people here to keep us safe," Tver said gently, meeting her anxious eyes.
Only then did she manage a soft, "Thank you," before stepping out of the tent.
"Very good! It seems Miss Delacour is brimming with confidence—she's walked straight up to the dragon!"
"Ah! That's a rather rare hypnotic spell, somewhat similar to the Stunning Spell we commonly use."
"But there's something different about it—yes, that's it! It's fused with the power in Miss Delacour's bloodline, which makes it significantly stronger."
Bagman lowered his voice slightly to heighten the suspense.
"Excellent—the dragon's eyelids are drooping… Wait, it's snoring!"
"Oh dear! An unexpected burst of flame has set Miss Delacour's skirt alight."
"Fortunately, she handled that little mishap quickly. Still, what a pity—otherwise it would have been a flawless performance."
"But no matter! It was still a brilliant piece of magic. Judges, please award Miss Delacour her points!"
The judges seemed to deliberate for quite a while. Only after a stretch of silence did Bagman speak again.
"Right then—the Chinese Fireball is in position."
"To be honest, this dragon could be called the wizard of the dragon world. The fireballs it spits are like cannon shells—extremely hard to withstand."
"But have no fear! Wizards are stationed around the stands. If any fireballs come too close, they'll make sure you're protected!"
"So, who will be challenging it?"
After a wave of noisy cheers, Bagman announced loudly, "That's right—Mr. Viktor Krum from Durmstrang!"
"Oh! This Champion seems eager—he's already stepped onto the field."
Tver couldn't help smiling at Bagman's commentary.
Viktor had clearly had enough of waiting. The moment he heard the dragon's name, he rushed straight out of the tent.
"Mr. Krum is being cautious. Unlike the previous two Champions, he's not attacking immediately. He's observing!"
"A very good habit—not charging in recklessly… Oh! I had just praised you, and now you're making your move?!"
Laughter rippled through the crowd as Bagman continued helplessly.
"An excellent Conjunctivitis Curse! Against dragon eyes—especially those of the Chinese Fireball—it's remarkably effective."
"But here's the issue. Although Mr. Krum has successfully retrieved the golden egg, nearly half of the real dragon eggs have been crushed!"
"That will certainly cost him points. After all, powdered Chinese Fireball eggs are considered the most effective among all dragon species."
"And, naturally, the most expensive," he added before moving on to the scoring.
Now it was Harry's turn to grow tense.
"P-Professor… do you think they'll be able to rescue me before a dragon swallows me?"
Tver looked at him, speechless.
"If a dragon really did swallow you, I'm quite certain Dumbledore would be the first to slice open its stomach."