Chapter 210
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the first task of the Triwizard Tournament! Next up—the final Champion—Mr. Draco Malfoy! He will face the most ferocious dragon! Let us cheer for his courage!"
Ludo Bagman's booming voice rang in Hermione's ears.
Hermione Granger opened her eyes in a daze and found herself sitting among a roaring crowd. Students all around her were shouting the Champions' names, waving banners high. She could see the scarlet lion of Gryffindor and the green serpent of Slytherin rippling like waves in a storm.
"Why am I here…?" she thought.
But before she could make sense of it, her attention was dragged forward—
to the dragon.
The arena stretched wide and oval-shaped. Jagged rocks and broken terrain filled the ground below, gravel scattered everywhere—clear traces of earlier battles.
"Did Harry pass already…?" Hermione felt a brief surge of relief, then focused on the creature ahead.
The dragon was far larger than she had imagined.
Its massive body was armored in scales that shimmered with magical resistance, every inch radiating danger.
"I don't know whether to call it lucky or unlucky," Bagman continued excitedly, "but I can already tell that the battle between Mr. Malfoy and this dragon will be spectacular! As the final Champion, he may have learned something from the earlier matches—yes, dragons have weaknesses! Viktor Krum's spell nearly pierced its eye earlier! Our dragon handlers are still treating it now!"
The crowd booed loudly.
"Oh—ah—sorry, unnecessary detail!" Bagman said without the slightest embarrassment. "Still, this Champion is facing the most dangerous dragon of all. Perhaps the weaknesses discovered earlier won't help him at all!"
"Now then—let the task begin!"
Hermione sat frozen, watching.
A strange thought surfaced—
This tournament felt… wrong.
Like the ancient Roman arenas she had read about.
Where gladiators fought beasts for spectacle.
Only now, the "slaves" were called Champions—
and the beasts were dragons.
Her rational mind argued back immediately.
This wasn't the same. There were safeguards. Albus Dumbledore, the other headmasters, medical staff—all were present. This wasn't a death sentence.
And yet—
emotion refused to listen.
"Here comes the Champion!" Bagman's voice thundered again.
Across the arena, Draco Malfoy stepped forward.
He looked tense. His movements stiff.
Hermione's heart tightened.
Even an adult wizard would hesitate before a dragon—
let alone this.
She recalled what she had read.
A dragon's hide wasn't invincible—but it required multiple powerful spells hitting simultaneously to subdue one.
A single wizard couldn't do that alone.
Panic rose in her chest.
Could he handle this?
"Mr. Malfoy begins by testing the dragon!" Bagman announced.
Hermione watched as Malfoy raised his wand.
A streak of blue light shot forward—swift as the wind.
It struck the dragon's foreleg.
Sparks flew.
The dragon merely shifted, turning lazily, its massive tail gouging deep trenches into the ground.
It didn't even wake.
The crowd erupted in noise.
"It seems the spell was too weak! The dragon remains asleep!" Bagman narrated enthusiastically.
Hermione's hands clenched.
Then—
"Reducto!"
A flash of scarlet light shot from Malfoy's wand.
But not at the dragon.
It struck the rock above its head.
With a thunderous crack, the stone exploded, dust and debris cascading down.
"Excellent! The Champion has blocked the dragon's vision! But can he withstand its fury when it wakes?"
The explosion did the job.
The dragon stirred.
Then—
it woke.
Its jaws stretched wide in a slow, terrifying yawn.
Its chest swelled.
Then it roared.
A pillar of fire blasted into the sky, heat crashing across the arena like a wave.
It was enraged.
This tiny human had dared to disturb its sleep.
The dragon moved.
Fast.
Its wings spread wide, beating once—twice—
lifting it into the air like a monstrous aircraft. Gravel scattered in a storm beneath it.
Then it dove—
straight at Malfoy.
Everything happened too quickly.
The dragon closed the distance in an instant.
Its jaws opened—
wide enough to swallow him whole—
then snapped shut.
Silence—
Then—
blood.
It splattered across the arena.
The moment was too sudden.
No one had time to react.
"No—!"
Hermione shot to her feet, screaming.
Her voice tore through the noise—
She couldn't accept it.
Couldn't believe it—
That this was real.
Of course—
It wasn't.