Hermione was somewhat dissatisfied with Fleur clinging to Harry's side. She stared resentfully at Fleur, who was almost pressed against Harry, and mocked her with a smile that did not reach her eyes.
"Fleur, the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin. Unlike Harry, you actually intend to compete for the championship. Shouldn't you be training instead of coming here to disturb our reading?"
Fleur could see through the little girl's thoughts at a glance. She gave Hermione a charming smile and said unconcernedly, "Harry is the top genius of this age, and the top Potions Master as well. If I can gain even a little from him, I will benefit greatly. So how am I slacking off? I am clearly working hard, all right?"
Hermione gritted her teeth and stared at Fleur, but she did not continue mocking her.
Ginny was not here today. On her own, Hermione was no match for Fleur. This Veela was far too eloquent.
Just then, Fleur suddenly thought of something. She propped her chin on her hand and smiled sweetly. "Harry, do you know the specific content of the first task in the Triwizard Tournament?"
Harry had not paid attention to those things. He had no intention of competing for the Triwizard Tournament championship. He would simply leave that opportunity to these young witches and wizards.
He shook his head, showing that he did not know, and continued reading An Explanation of Ancient Magic in his hands.
Fleur had also guessed that Harry did not know. She lifted her little head as if asking for praise and said, "I found out some information about the next task from our headmistress. Do you want me to tell you?"
Harry only hummed, without asking further.
Seeing this, Fleur felt a little disappointed, but she quickly perked up and told Harry what she had learned.
"Actually, I do not know the exact details of the first task either, but I vaguely know the general idea. We may need to take something from a dragon. My God, this is a dragon we are talking about."
Even Fleur was somewhat afraid when facing a dragon.
A dragon usually required several Aurors to deal with it. The strongest Hungarian Horntail even required more than a dozen Aurors cooperating flawlessly to defeat it.
A single young witch or wizard facing a dragon alone, and even needing to steal something from that dragon.
They would die, right? They would definitely die, right?
Imagining her body being bitten in half by a dragon, Fleur instinctively shuddered.
She secretly glanced at Harry beside her, only to see that he was still calmly reading the book in his hands, not frightened by her words in the slightest.
Because his powerful chaos magic constantly improved his bodily functions, even though Harry was only fourteen or fifteen, his appearance was already like that of an adult wizard.
At this moment, he sat there quietly, his face calm and his temperament steady, as if he did not take the terrifying dragon seriously at all. In him, Fleur seemed to see a profound, masterly aura similar to Dumbledore's.
When such an aura appeared on an elderly professor like Dumbledore, it seemed quite normal and did not draw too much attention.
But when it appeared on a young wizard of only fourteen or fifteen, it was far too captivating.
Before she knew it, Fleur was quietly staring at Harry, forgetting the dragon and everything else.
But soon, she was snapped awake by a loud cough from Hermione. She immediately glared at Hermione somewhat angrily, only for Hermione to glare back without the slightest politeness.
The two young witches' gazes clashed in midair. Under the effect of the mind-over-matter nature of chaos magic, it was as if magical sparks were bursting between them.
Very soon, Rita Skeeter's article about the Triwizard Tournament was published.
This article followed Rita Skeeter's usual style. Rather than a report about the state of the tournament, it was more like an exaggerated description of the champions' personal lives.
However, Harry's earlier warning had clearly worked. The report about him was all truthful, but the other three champions were not so lucky.
Rita Skeeter especially described the tangled and chaotic emotional relationships between the four champions. According to her, Krum liked Cedric, Cedric liked Fleur, Fleur liked Harry, and finally, Harry had no romantic connection with anyone.
When they read the newspaper, Harry, Hermione, and Fleur were reading books together in the library.
It had to be said that it was the happiest Hermione had smiled recently, while Fleur's expression looked frighteningly ugly.
Time quickly arrived at the opening day of the Triwizard Tournament. Inside the tent specially prepared for the four champions, Harry sat on a stool and calmly flipped through the magic book in his hands.
The other three champions were not nearly so relaxed. Cedric was pacing back and forth in the tent with an anxious expression, while Krum sat on a stool with his hands clenched tightly into fists.
Fleur came to Harry's side, looking pitiful as she sought comfort.
"Harry, are you not nervous at all? Can you tell me your secret? I am afraid I will be eaten by a dragon in one bite later."
Harry turned his head, closed the magic book in his hands, and smiled at Fleur.
"Relax. Nothing will happen. At worst, you'll lose the task. This Triwizard Tournament is very safe."
Harry knew better than anyone how strong Dumbledore and the professors were. Even without the other professors, Dumbledore alone could protect all the champions.
Besides, Harry himself would not stand by and do nothing either.
After learning that there would be no mortal danger, Fleur let out a heavy sigh of relief. But she did not relax completely, because she also wanted to win the honor of becoming Triwizard champion and leave a heavy mark with her name in the histories of all three schools.
Suddenly, the tent behind Harry shook. A cute Miss Otter with fluffy hair suddenly rushed into the tent and hugged one of Harry's arms.
She pulled Harry hard toward herself, trying to keep him as far from Fleur as possible, and asked with concern, "Harry, you're not nervous before the task, are you? I came to give you a massage. I'm sure it will help you relax."
Although Harry was not nervous in the slightest, he would not reject Miss Otter's kindness. He thanked her gratefully.
"Thank you, Hermione. I feel much better like this."
Fleur narrowed her eyes slightly. She took back what she had said before. She had underestimated this young witch Hermione.
This bold and mature young witch could pose a great threat to her.
But Fleur had no intention of admitting defeat. A bold Veela never lacked courage. She would fight for everything she wanted, whether it was the Triwizard Tournament championship or the most ideal partner.
So Fleur took a step forward, hugged Harry's other arm, and pulled him toward herself with even greater strength than Hermione. She smiled charmingly and said, "Little sister Hermione, you are still too young, and your fingers do not have enough strength. You should leave Harry to me. I will take good care of him."
Hermione glared at Fleur, her gaze fierce, like an angry beaver.
"No, you horrible woman, stay away from Harry. He does not like this kind of thing."
"No, does Harry truly dislike it? Ask him," Fleur replied with a smile.
Harry certainly did not dislike it, but he would not make Hermione sad, so of course, he would not say that aloud.
Just as he was preparing to take Hermione's side a little, the click of a camera suddenly sounded.
An old-fashioned camera flashed, capturing the image of Harry and Hermione embracing just now.
Rita Skeeter walked in with a photographer holding the old camera. She stared excitedly at Harry and Hermione, her expression ambiguous as she said, "Oh my God, look at these two young people. Young love blooming for the first time. What thrilling big news."
Hermione was very dissatisfied with Rita Skeeter's sneaky photography. She scolded angrily, "Rita Skeeter, destroy that photograph!"
Rita Skeeter was naturally not afraid of Hermione's scolding. She shook her head and said to Harry in a fawning tone, "Mr. Potter, please do let me keep this photograph. It might become a beautiful memory between you two."
Harry shook his head and said calmly, "Hermione told you to destroy the photograph. If you are unwilling, I can help you."
That photograph could absolutely become the headline of her next article. Rita Skeeter naturally did not want to destroy it.
Moreover, things were different now from last time, when the two of them had been alone in a dark little room. Right now, they were beside the Triwizard Tournament grounds, inside the tent where all four champions were staying.
She reasoned that even Harry Potter would not attack her here. After all, that would be illegal.
Still, just to be safe, Rita Skeeter secretly winked at the photographer beside her, telling him to leave first.
As for herself, she took a few steps forward and blocked Harry and Hermione's view.
"Hey, you two young wizards, relax a little. It is only one photograph. I will not do anything to you."
Harry raised an eyebrow. With his experience, how could he possibly fail to guess what Rita Skeeter was planning?
He spread his hands helplessly and said, "But I am planning to do something to you."
Harry did not draw his wand. That would have been too obvious. He did not even make any extra movement. He only lightly tapped his trousers with his index finger.
The next moment, a flash of green light suddenly appeared on the old camera. Immediately afterward, the camera exploded.
Rita Skeeter was furious when she saw this. She wanted to roar at Harry and question why he had done that.
But Harry had already predicted Rita Skeeter's intentions. With another hidden spell, Rita Skeeter and the photographer were both transformed into two toads, hopping out of the tent together.
They would need to remain toads for several hours before they could change back. During this time, they would not encounter any danger, because Harry had cast a Repelling Charm on them that could drive away all living creatures.
Fleur, who had witnessed the entire process, looked regretful. She had been looking forward to appearing in the newspaper together with Harry, even if there was a third wheel in the picture.
But as a clever schemer, Fleur knew what she should do at a time like this. She said with concern, "Harry, will this cause trouble? Although Rita Skeeter is an unscrupulous reporter, she still has quite a bit of influence in the wizarding world.
"If she loudly publicizes the fact that you attacked her this time, your reputation will definitely be affected. You might even be thrown into Azkaban."
Hearing Fleur's words, Hermione also looked at Harry worriedly. Her expression was not as charming as Fleur's, but it was purer and came sincerely from the heart.
Harry shook his head, reassuring the two of them.
"It's fine. When I cast the spell, I also cast a Memory Charm on them. They will not remember what just happened."
Fleur immediately praised him. "Harry, you are amazing."
Hermione glared at Fleur again. What an annoying woman.
At that moment, Bagman walked into the tent. He was wearing an old Wimbourne Wasps uniform, and he smiled at the young wizards.
"All right, everyone is here now. It is time to explain the situation to you. You will each draw a model from this little cloth bag in turn. There are different types, and each type corresponds to the kind of dragon you will need to challenge.
"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. Your first task is to retrieve a golden egg from beside a dragon. No matter what method you use, as long as you obtain the golden egg, you will succeed."
Dense footsteps and lively noise sounded outside. Presumably, the spectators had already begun entering the stands.
Although Fleur was a girl, she was the first to step forward. She reached her hand into the cloth bag and pretended to be relaxed.
"There is nothing to be afraid of. Let me go first."
She pulled her trembling hand out of the bag and took out a green model. It was a small green dragon that was still roaring.
Bagman loudly announced the result. "Our first champion, Fleur, will face the Common Welsh Green!"
Next was Krum. His expression was calmer, but at the critical moment, he was still somewhat nervous. He drew a bright red dragon model, a Chinese Fireball.
Soon, Cedric reached into the bag and pulled out a silver-blue Swedish Short-Snout.
There was no need to think about the last one. It was the Hungarian Horntail, the most difficult dragon to deal with.
Harry grabbed the Hungarian Horntail model and joked with his hands spread. "Looks like my luck is poor. I drew the hardest one. It seems it will be very difficult for me to pass the test."
No one took his words seriously. If even he could not pass the test, then the other three champions would have even less chance.
Very soon, the first task began. The first to enter the arena was Cedric of Hogwarts.
Outside, dragon roars kept sounding, along with the audience's cries of surprise, and faintly, Cedric's cries of pain.
Those sounds made Krum and Fleur even more nervous. But through the tent, Harry used observation runes to watch the outside world. Cedric's battle situation was even better than Harry had expected. Presumably, he would soon pass the test and obtain the golden egg.
Sure enough, Cedric soon passed the test. The next to enter was Krum.
Krum was probably the strongest champion below Harry. He also passed the test very easily.
After Krum, it was Fleur's turn. This young witch was trembling from head to toe. She was clearly not as calm as she had acted before.
As she tightly gripped her wand and prepared to leave, she turned to look at Harry. She revealed an awkward smile, no longer charming as she said, "Harry, can you give me a hug to encourage me?"
Harry naturally had no objection. He had only just opened his arms when Fleur threw herself into his embrace and hugged him tightly.
Several seconds later, Fleur gave Harry a brilliant smile, then walked firmly out of the tent and toward the arena.
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