24th November 1994
Champions' tent
I pushed open the flap of the champions' tent and stepped inside.
Fleur sat on a low stool to the left, hands clasped together in her lap. She looked up as I entered and gave me a small smile. It was polite, controlled—but she was pale, and there was a faint tremor in her fingers that she hadn't quite managed to hide.
I returned the smile, steady and reassuring.
Krum was pacing a few steps away, his boots moving in a slow, deliberate rhythm across the ground. He glanced at me briefly as I came in and we both nodded at each other.
"Benjamin! Good-o!" said Bagman happily, looking around at me. "Come in, come in, make yourself at home!"
Bagman looked somehow like a slightly overblown cartoon figure, standing amid the pale-faced Fleur and Viktor. He was wearing his old Wasp robes again.
"Alright!" Bagman said brightly. "All three champions are present—excellent! Now we can begin!"
He lifted a small sack made of purple silk and held it up for us to see.
"Inside this bag," he said, "are small models of the things you're about to face and each of you will select one. There are different… varieties, you see. Your task is simple," he went on, smiling. "Retrieve the golden egg."
He turned to Fleur and offered her the bag. "Ladies first."
Fleur put a shaking hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon — a Welsh Green. It had the number two around its neck. Fleur looked at it for a moment, then gave a small nod and sat back down.
Viktor put his hand into the bag, and out came the blueish-gray Swedish Short-Snout, the number one tied around its neck.
Knowing what was left, I put my hand into the silk bag and pulled out the Chinese Fireball, and the number three. It stretched its wings as I looked down at it, and bared its minuscule fangs.
"Well, there you are!" said Bagman. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see? Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Mr. Krum, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right? Now... Benjamin... could I have a quick word? Outside?"
I nodded. "Of course."
I went out of the tent with Bagman, who walked me a short distance away, into the trees, and then turned towards me with a fatherly expression on his face.
"Feeling all right, Benjamin? Anything I can get you?"
"I'm fine," I said. "Thank you."
"Got a plan?" said Bagman, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Because I don't mind sharing a few pointers, if you'd like them, you know. I mean," Bagman continued, lowering his voice still further, "you're the underdog here—only fifteen and all—so if there's anything I can do to help…"
I looked at him carefully.
"Why?" I asked.
He blinked. "Why what?"
"Why are you trying to help me?"
Then it came to me. "Wait a minute. You bet on me, didn't you?"
His expression shifted, subtle but unmistakable.
I couldn't help it—I chuckled.
"Alright, listen, if the goblins were stupid enough to offer you great odds against me," I said evenly, "that's fine."
He blinked again, clearly not expecting that.
"I plan to win anyway, and I don't care if you make some money off that," I continued, my tone cooling slightly. "What I do care about is fairness."
"If you even think about giving Viktor or Fleur less points than they deserve just to tilt things in my favor," I said, holding his gaze, "I'll go straight to Dumbledore and Crouch."
He nodded quickly. "Of course—of course! Nothing like that. I'll be perfectly fair, I promise."
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
"Good lord, I've got to run!" said Bagman in alarm, and he hurried off.
I watched him go for a second, then turned back toward the tent. As I approached, the flap opened and Viktor stepped out. I gave him a small nod. He returned it once, then walked past me towards the arena.
I stepped back into the tent. Fleur was no longer sitting. She was pacing now, her steps tight and restless, her arms drawn in close to herself as if she were trying to hold her nerves in place. Seconds later, we heard the roar of the crowd, which meant Viktor had entered the arena.
I moved to one of the chairs and sat down, then closed my eyes and let the rest of the tent fall away. The arena wasn't far, just a little ways behind the tent. I focused, letting my hearing stretch towards it.
The crowd came through first—a chaotic mix of shouts, gasps, and rising tension. Then the dragon. A deep, furious roar that rolled through the air like thunder.
But beneath it, there was something else. Faint. Distorted. Almost like words tangled inside the sound.
Bagman's voice cut sharply through the noise. "Very daring! That's some nerve he's showing!"
The crowd reacted again—louder this time.
I listened more closely. Another roar followed, harsher, more aggressive—and again, for a brief moment, I could swear there was something more to it than sound.
"...Aren't you afraid?"
My eyes opened.
Fleur had stopped pacing. She was looking at me now. Up close, the strain was clearer—her skin pale, a sheen of sweat across her forehead, her hands trembling slightly.
"Aren't you afraid?" she repeated.
I studied her for a moment before answering.
"Fear… is illogical," I said quietly.
She frowned slightly, but didn't interrupt.
"The only place fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future," I continued. "It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. That is near insanity."
She held my gaze, expression thoughtful.
"Do not misunderstand me," I said. "Danger is very real. And we should prepare for it accordingly."
Another distant roar echoed through the tent.
"But fear… fear is a choice."
I looked away from her, toward the tent wall, toward the arena beyond it.
"Do not fear an uncertain future, Fleur. Ground yourself in the present. And the future will take care of itself."
For a few moments, neither of us spoke.
Then the crowd exploded.
A deafening roar of applause surged through the air, followed immediately by Bagman's voice. "Very good indeed! And now the marks from the judges!"
The noise dipped and rose again over the next few minutes as the judges displayed their scores. Then the whistle sounded once more.
"One down, two to go!" Bagman called. "Miss Delacour, if you please!"
Fleur drew in a deep breath. When she looked at me this time, she was steadier—still tense, but focused.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
She turned and walked toward the tent entrance, her posture straight, her grip firm on her wand. Then she was gone.
The noise began again almost immediately. The crowd surged, sharp and intense. The dragon roared—fierce, but not as severely as the one before.
And again, faintly, I thought I heard something within it.
Bagman's voice carried in bursts. "Oh—I'm not sure that was wise! Oh… nearly! Careful now… good lord, I thought she'd had it then!"
The crowd gasped, then shouted, then—
After what felt like ten minutes—
Applause broke out again, loud and sustained.
Fleur had succeeded.
A few more minutes passed, the sound rising and falling as her marks were displayed. Then the whistle cut through the air again.
"And here comes Mr Carter!" Bagman's voice rang out.
I stepped out of the tent, the cool air hitting my face as the noise of the crowd grew clearer with every step. I walked past the line of trees and finally, the arena came into view.
---
24th November — Afternoon
The Arena
The arena floor was rough and uneven, shaped to resemble a natural rocky terrain rather than anything controlled. Heat lingered faintly in the air.
At the far edge of the enclosure, the Chinese Fireball was already watching me.
She was crouched low over her clutch of eggs, her wings half-furled. The moment I entered, her head lifted slightly and a low growl rolled out of her—deep, warning, deliberate.
I looked around. The stands were packed. The entire school was there, a wall of faces surrounding the arena. I spotted Krum and Fleur among them. Both were standing, both looked uninjured. Good.
Above, two Argus drones hovered silently, their lenses fixed on the arena, broadcasting the first task live on Wiphones around the world.
I turned my attention back to the dragon, more specifically, to the clutch of eggs and spotted the golden one, gleaming against its cement-colored fellows, residing safely between the dragon's legs.
The interesting thing was—none of the other eggs were real either.
I remembered reading in the book how Krum had hit his dragon with the Conjunctivitis curse, sending it trampling around in agony and squashing its own eggs. With that in mind, I had gone to Dumbledore and explained my concern of what might happen if a dragon panicked and crushed its own clutch.
Dumbledore had agreed and then gone to speak with the organisers. Crouch and Bagman hadn't cared much at first, but in the end, they had relented. The real eggs were safe with the dragon-keepers. These were transfigured stone, crafted to perfection by the Headmaster.
I already had a plan, and it was a straightforward one. I would create a smokescreen to break line of sight, layer concealment charms over myself to erase sound, scent, and presence, and leave behind a convincing illusion to hold the dragon's attention.
While it focused on that, I would move in unseen, switch the golden egg with the replica I had prepared and stored in my ring, and leave the arena before anything could go wrong.
Clean. Efficient. No unnecessary risk.
I took a step forward.
The dragon reacted instantly, letting out a powerful roar.
"Stay back!"
I stopped where I was.
Not out of fear, but because of what I had just heard.
The voice had been clear—female, distinct, and unmistakably deliberate. For a brief moment, I simply stood there, watching the dragon as it watched me, its body tightening slightly around the eggs.
Interesting. Very interesting.
Without taking my eyes off her, I raised my wand and silently cast a noise-suppression charm. The effect spread quickly, cutting off all sound within the arena. The crowd beyond the boundary continued to move, but no noise reached the ground anymore and vice-versa.
I lowered my wand and spoke, keeping my tone calm.
"Excuse me… can you understand me?"
The dragon didn't respond. It continued to watch me, wary and tense, its wings shifting faintly as if preparing to react at any moment.
I considered that briefly, then made a decision.
Slowly, I put my wand away. Then I closed my eyes and reached inward, drawing up a fraction of the magical energy I usually kept suppressed. I didn't release it fully, not a full transformation—only enough to let it bleed outward.
When I opened my eyes again, I knew they had changed.
I met the dragon's gaze directly and spoke once more, my voice deeper now, carrying something older beneath it.
"Can you understand me?"
This time, the reaction was immediate.
The dragon stilled, her expression shifting from guarded hostility to something closer to shock. She stared at me, properly this time, as if seeing something she had not expected.
"You speak our tongue?" she said.
"Apparently," I replied.
The dragon studied me in silence for a long moment, then her eyes narrowed slightly. She drew in a slow breath, nostrils flaring as if tasting the air rather than smelling it.
"You smell like us…" she said, her voice low and edged with suspicion. Then her gaze shifted briefly toward the stands, where hundreds of silent figures watched us without sound. Her expression hardened. "But you also smell like them."
Her eyes snapped back to me.
"Who are you?"
I inclined my head slightly. "I am Benjamin Carter. And you are?"
She gave a low, dismissive huff. "You have not earned the right to know my name yet."
Her gaze sharpened again. "How did you come by this power?"
"I won it in battle," I said evenly.
Her lips curled back, exposing rows of gleaming teeth. "By which you mean you killed another dragon and stole its essence."
I didn't flinch. "If it's any consolation, Smaug was a truly evil dragon."
She scoffed, the sound harsh and bitter. "Of course. It is always the dragons that are evil. Never the wizards."
For a moment, something conflicted flickered in her eyes as she looked at me again. Then her voice lowered.
"For the sake of the dragon whose strength you now carry, I will give you one chance, youngling. Walk away. Leave now, and I will not pursue you."
I shook my head.
"I can't do that."
Her gaze hardened instantly.
"Then you will die," she said, her voice turning cold. "You will die before you get the chance to lay your hands on my children."
I raised both hands slowly, palms open.
"I am not here for your children," I said calmly. "I am here for the thing that has been placed among them."
I pointed toward the clutch.
"That golden, oval object. That is what I need to complete my task."
Her head lowered slightly as she looked down at the eggs. She shifted, bringing her snout closer, and sniffed the golden egg carefully. Then she lifted her head again and looked at me.
"I was wondering why this thing was placed among my brood," she said slowly. "You should know, youngling, that no dragon worth their fire would ever part with a treasure they come upon."
She fell quiet for a brief moment.
"But I…" she continued, her tone shifting, "…am not just a dragon. I am also a mother."
Her gaze steadied on me.
"If you leave my children in peace, I will give you what you seek."
I nodded once. "You have my word."
She gave a low harrumph, then began to push the golden egg outward slightly with one of her forelimbs.
"Um… that might not work," I said.
Her head snapped toward me. "What?"
"I'm supposed to collect the golden egg," I explained. "If you simply give it to me, it might not count as a legitimate victory."
Her eyes narrowed. "Then what do you suggest?"
I hesitated briefly, then said, "Let me come and take it."
The reaction was immediate.
"No!" she snapped, drawing back over the clutch. "You will not come near my children!"
"I won't touch them," I said quickly. "I promise. Just the golden egg. Trust me."
She let out a sharp, mocking laugh.
"Trust you? TRUST YOU?" Her voice rose, anger flaring. "We dragons trusted your kind once. Believed that together we could build a better world. So we aided you in your wars. Taught you the greater mysteries of life. Showed you the secrets of ancient magic."
Her wings shifted, the ground trembling faintly beneath her.
"And what did we get in return?" she continued, her voice turning cold and sharp. "Betrayal. Betrayal and blood. Knowledge was not enough for you. Friendship was not enough for you."
Her gaze burned into mine.
"You enslaved my kind. Tore their skin for your garments and boots. Drained their blood for your potions. Consumed their flesh for strength. Used their heartstrings in your wands so your children could perform magic more easily!"
The last word came out like a curse.
"Never will I trust the likes of you… dragonslayer."
I let out a slow breath.
"I do not deny your words," I said quietly. "And I do not defend my people's actions. What you said is right. Wizardkind has long treated other species with arrogance and cruelty."
I met her gaze steadily.
"And we will surely have to answer for that someday."
I paused, then added, "But today does not have to end in a fight."
I let a fraction of my power rise again, not enough to threaten—but enough to be felt. The air around me grew heavier, the pressure subtle but undeniable.
"I don't want to harm your children, and I'm not going to," I said. "And I don't want to fight you."
My voice hardened slightly.
"But if I have to, I will. And believe me when I say this—you do not want to fight me."
She hesitated—not backing down, but uncertain. Her gaze flicked briefly to the eggs.
I exhaled and let the aura fade.
"Would it help," I said more evenly, "if I told you those aren't your eggs?"
Her head snapped back to me.
"What?"
"The judges were afraid the real eggs might be damaged during the task," I said. "So they replaced them with replicas. Extremely convincing ones."
She froze.
Then immediately lowered her head and began checking them, turning them slightly, sniffing, nudging.
"No… no, no…"
"Your real eggs are safe," I said quickly. "They're back in the enclosure with the dragon-keepers."
But she wasn't listening.
She kept moving the eggs, faster now, agitation building.
"No. No!"
Her head snapped up, eyes blazing as she looked around the arena.
"Where are they?"
Her voice rose into a roar.
"Where are they?! Where are my children?!"
Then her gaze locked onto me.
"You!" she snarled. "You did this!"
Her jaws opened wide.
I saw the glow before the fire came—a concentrated, blazing gold building in her throat.
And then it surged forward.
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Hi guys 😊 Hope you all are well and good. So about the Wednesday chapters not being uploaded on time, here are the reasons:
1. It's my B. Ed. final semester. We don't have any final theory exams this sem, but a whole lot of practicals, Internship, and a ton of writing. Thankfully it will all be over by May, but I'm swamped till then.
2. Class 11 final exams are going on in my school and I'm on invigilation duty and worse paper checking. As an English teacher, my workload is the worst.
3. I'm also involved in the ongoing admission process for my school, so more work there. Yay!
4. And finally, although the spirit's willing, but I have found that if I try to write 2 chapters per week, I just can't find the time to do anything else. That was starting to impact my private life, and the only way around is to give less than 100%, leading to a drop in writing quality, which I don't want to do.
So I hope you all understand why I have only been updating on Sundays recently.
By the way, I wasn't planning on updating today, but I just found out the day before yesterday that I passed the Central Teacher Eligibility Test for my country, and on my first try, no less. I was so happy that I wanted to share it with you all. So, enjoy the chapter 😊