"He did it!" Ludo Bagman's magically magnified voice roared across the stadium. "Maurise Black has successfully retrieved the golden egg! And not only did he get the egg, but he has completely knocked out the dragon!"
A deafening eruption of cheers from the audience followed immediately.
Maurise smiled and bowed gracefully to the crowd, taking a leisurely lap around the edge of the arena to soak in their thunderous applause. As he walked past the judges' table, he acutely caught Dumbledore blinking and giving him a subtle, knowing wink.
'Did he notice my little sleight of hand?'
Maurise shrugged indifferently. He figured the Headmaster wouldn't make a fuss over something as trivial as siphoning a bit of dragon blood.
On the other side of the enclosure, the Dragon Keepers rushed toward the fallen Swedish Short-Snout, their wands drawn and their faces painted with utter disbelief.
A fully-grown Swedish Short-Snout had actually been defeated single-handedly by a student! This was entirely unprecedented. Even seasoned professionals like them required the coordinated effort of at least several wizards to subdue a dragon of this caliber.
Charlie Weasley crouched beside the massive beast and placed a hand on its scaled neck.
"It is just unconscious," he called out to his colleagues. "Let's get to work."
The Keepers raised their wands in unison, sending a flurry of Reviving Spells cascading over the dragon.
Half a minute later, the Swedish Short-Snout slowly fluttered its reptilian eyes open. Its gaze was completely blank and disoriented, utterly clueless as to what had just transpired. It tried to heave itself up, but its hind legs trembled violently, and it nearly collapsed back into the dirt.
The Dragon: Why do I feel so dizzy all of a sudden?
A few minutes later, the severely anemic dragon was coaxed out of the arena by the Keepers, stumbling and weaving the entire way.
Shortly after, the Common Welsh Green was led in. It was time for the next champion.
---
Meanwhile, Maurise had already made his way into Madam Pomfrey's medical tent for a post-match examination.
"Are you absolutely sure you aren't feeling unwell anywhere, Mr. Black?"
"I feel perfectly fine, Madam Pomfrey."
Despite Maurise not having a single scratch or scorch mark on him, Madam Pomfrey insisted on running several diagnostic spells over him repeatedly. She fussed over him for a full ten minutes before finally clearing him to leave.
The moment Maurise stepped out of the tent, he saw Professor Flitwick pacing anxiously back and forth near the entrance.
"Maurise!" The tiny professor practically sprinted over, looking frantic. "Are you hurt?!"
"I am perfectly fine, Professor."
Professor Flitwick heaved a massive, visible sigh of relief, a radiant smile of pride blossoming on his face. "Your performance just now was absolutely extraordinary!"
He waved his arms excitedly, practically bouncing on his heels. "That magic you used—that was your own invention, wasn't it? The effect was flawless!"
"Yes, it was, Professor," Maurise smiled, before asking the question he was most curious about. "Were you able to see me through that black mist?"
"Not at all! Completely impenetrable," Professor Flitwick praised. "That was the most marvelous part of it. I imagine the dragon lost all sense of direction as well."
"Indeed," Maurise said. "And then I just used the Stunning Spell to knock it out."
"Oh, the Stunning Spell. A textbook choice! If it were me, I likely would have attempted the same..." Professor Flitwick continued, his smile never once faltering as he spoke.
Once the professor had calmed down a fraction, Maurise asked, "What should I do now, Professor?"
"Find a place to sit and rest," Flitwick said kindly. "Or perhaps head up to the stands to watch the other champions. Miss Delacour was up next. I imagine she should be finishing her task right about now."
As if on cue, Fleur's silhouette appeared at the arena entrance, making her way toward the medical tent.
She was limping slightly, and the skirt of her robes was badly scorched on one side. A tall Beauxbatons girl was walking beside her, supporting her weight.
She looked entirely disheveled. However, she must have completed the task, as the Beauxbatons girl was clutching a golden egg tightly in her arms.
"Miss Delacour," Professor Flitwick gestured to the tent behind him. "Madam Pomfrey is right inside. She is our school matron."
"Thank you," Fleur said, biting her lip.
She caught sight of Maurise standing there, looking utterly pristine and composed. A complicated expression crossed her face, and she subconsciously tried to pull the scorched portion of her robes behind her to hide it.
"Madam Pomfrey's burn paste works wonders," Maurise offered helpfully.
"I am not hurt," Fleur retorted stiffly. "My clothes simply caught a bit of fire, that is all."
---
Afterward, Maurise followed Professor Flitwick back to the arena, this time taking a seat in the stands as a spectator.
The moment he stepped into the section crowded with Ravenclaw students, the entire area erupted. They didn't even care that Krum was currently in the middle of his bout.
"Black! Over here!"
"What was that spell you used?!"
"Woohoo!"
Cheers and questions bombarded Maurise from all directions. He was practically carried by the crowd to an empty seat, which happened to be right next to Kyle.
"Congratulations," Kyle beamed. "You are definitely taking first place. Fleur and Krum haven't been nearly as clean or efficient. Oh! Watch out!"
He gasped and pointed. Down in the arena, Krum had just fired a Conjunctivitis Curse directly into the eyes of his Chinese Fireball.
The dragon roared in agony and began thrashing its tail wildly, sending loose rocks flying everywhere and crushing several of its own eggs in its blind panic. Fortunately, Krum was agile enough to sprint in while the dragon was blinded, scoop up his golden egg, and run for his life.
Only after he was safely out of the dragon's attack range did he raise the egg high above his head toward the judges' box.
"Krum got it," Kyle said with a wince of regret. "It's a pity about all those smashed dragon eggs, though."
Maurise glanced down at the Dragon Keepers who were already rushing in to clean up the oozing yolks.
"Those were likely infertile eggs," he noted. "They aren't worth much anyway."
"Is that so?" Kyle looked thoughtful.
A while later, Harry, the final champion, stepped into the arena.
Harry's method was simple and direct. He used the Summoning Charm to call his Firebolt, then relied on his phenomenal flying skills to bait and outmaneuver the Hungarian Horntail, snatching the golden egg when the beast was distracted.
Aside from a nasty gash on his shoulder from a stray tail spike, his run went entirely smoothly.
The scoring phase aligned perfectly with Maurise's expectations. Even though the judges couldn't see exactly what had transpired within the black mist, the fact that he retrieved the golden egg completely unharmed and subdued the dragon was enough to earn top marks.
He secured first place with a solid forty-seven points.
---
That evening, a small celebration party was held in the Ravenclaw common room.
When Maurise arrived, he found a long table had been set up, heavily laden with food and drinks from the kitchens—apparently arranged by Professor Flitwick and the house-elves.
There was pumpkin juice, Butterbeer, assorted pasties, and even a massive chocolate cake with the word "VICTORY" written across it in slightly crooked icing.
Maurise happily indulged in the feast.
Halfway through the party, Kyle suddenly turned to him. "Show us your egg, Maurise! Maybe we can help you figure out the clue for the next task."
Several other students immediately crowded around, echoing the request.
Maurise generously pulled the golden egg from his pouch, handing it over and letting them pass it around to examine.