The Return to Hogwarts

Another gasp rang out in the arena as Hogwarts' second champion donned an invisibility cloak under the watchful eyes of countless people, and then vanished from everyone's sight.

The surveillance mirrors hovering in mid-air seemed unable to capture Hermione's disappearance. They circled around aimlessly for a few moments before flying up the hilltop in unison. After all, Hermione Granger's destination was there.

"What should I do now, Amosta—"

Sirius, in his Fireball Dragon form, anxiously wondered to himself, feeling like a complete fool, awkwardly pacing around the haystack, pretending to be wary of the spectators in the stands.

"I don't know where Hermione is. If she gets close to me, how can I avoid her so as not to hurt her?"

On the high platform, Amosta, having received the signal, calmly transmitted the sound directly into Sirius's mind.

"Don't be nervous, Sirius, I'll give you instructions—"

"Instructions. Oh, you must have noticed, imitating a dragon's walk isn't an easy task, and I might not be able to respond in time—"

Sirius had just finished thinking those words when Hermione's voice suddenly came from a small hollow in front of the artificial hill.

"A golden egg has flown in!"

Another summoning spell!

This time, however, Hermione's magic failed. Under countless gazes, the golden egg, lying beside the several red eggs, remained motionless, showing no intention of moving an inch.

"Oh, Miss Granger tried to use the same trick again, but unfortunately, her attempt failed—"

Ludo said in a very amusing tone,

"To prevent the warriors from obtaining the golden egg too easily, we added an anti-interference spell to it when we made it. But we can still see Miss Granger's ingenuity. After all, no other warrior has thought of this clever trick!"

The fireball dragon, pacing near the dragon's lair, stumbled. Although he couldn't see Hermione, her sharp shout had given him a rough idea of ​​her location. Hermione was already close to the lair; if he were a real fire dragon, a single breath attack in that direction would likely end the match.

The fact that the dragon egg could not be summoned was indeed unexpected for Hermione. The moment she realized that the plan had failed, she immediately began to change her location. When she reached a new location that she thought was safe, Hermione turned her head and saw that the fireball dragon was still crouching around the dragon's nest, and did not seem to be disturbed.

This discovery brought Hermione a huge sigh of relief—it was a terrible mistake; she thought she would be able to get the dragon egg, which was why she got so close. Fortunately, her opponent wasn't that alert.

Since clever tricks won't work, the only option left is to take the risks personally.

Having overcome her psychological hurdle, Hermione wants more than just passing the test; she also wants to achieve excellent results. She must hurry, as time is a crucial factor in the judges' scoring.

Hermione quickly traversed the gentle slope to the edge of the artificial hill. With her back pressed against the warm rock wall, she cautiously approached the dragon's lair. She was now only about thirty feet away from the lair, and from this position, the dragon's majestic body exuded an unparalleled sense of awe.

Sirius suddenly caught a familiar scent—he had been transformed into a fire dragon by Amosta in his Animagus form, which seemed to have allowed him to retain some of his canine abilities. Instinctively, Sirius in his Fireball Dragon form wanted to turn around and look back, but halfway through the action, he immediately realized that it would be better for him to pretend to know nothing.

"Seven seconds later, it spins its body and lashes its tail against the rock wall fifteen feet above the ground—"

Just then, Sirius's voice suddenly rang in his mind.

Chapter 631 Breaking out of the cocoon

2023-12-04

"What?!" Sirius exclaimed in astonishment at Amostella's sudden command. "Aren't we supposed to help Hermione pass the competition?"

"I never said that, Sirius. Setbacks are necessary—"

"But this is dangerous!"

"I have confidence in the students I've trained. Hermione is capable of handling any crisis."

The above conversation only took two seconds to pass through Sirius's mind. People watched as the Chinese fireball, which was taking a leisurely stroll, suddenly tensed up as if it had discovered something, its bat-like wings fully unfurled, and its dark red vertical pupils flashed with a sharp light.

"what happened?"

Ludo Bagman asked in surprise,

"The fire dragon seems to have discovered something, but we haven't seen anything!"

It's now!

Amosta's voice echoed in Sirius's mind once more. People saw the Chinese Fireball Dragon raise its neck and roar like an 'ooh' again. Suddenly, it twisted its body and its python-like tail lashed heavily against the rock wall behind it!

Suddenly, a thunderous explosion rang out at the scene. Iron fences plowed marks appeared on the restored artificial mountain wall, and rocks flew everywhere. The Chinese fireball dragon seemed to have used too much force, and in the billowing dust, its claws lost their grip on the ground and crashed to the ground with a thud.

Hermione, who was pressed against the rock wall and focused intently on approaching the golden egg, suddenly felt a gust of wind. A thick, dark shadow left a mark on her terrified eyes. Then, the rock wall behind her and the ground beneath her feet shook violently, and pebbles flew like hailstones at her.

Before all this could happen, the strong wind whipped up by the dragon's tail had already blown away the invisibility cloak she was wearing. The sudden bright vision made Hermione dizzy for a very short moment. Her long-standing instinct made Hermione subconsciously crouch down and create an iron armor barrier above her head!

"What's going on!" Many people at the scene exclaimed along with Ludo Bagman.

They couldn't understand how the dragon had managed to see through the very well-hidden Hermione Granger.

“It’s the scent—” Amosta offered a reasonable explanation, “This Chinese Fireball Dragon has a keen sense of smell.”

The most dangerous situation has probably occurred since the start of the competition.

Regardless of why the comical fireball dragon fell down, the fact is that Hermione Granger, who was still several meters away from the edge of the dragon's lair, was blocked by the Chinese fireball dragon against the rock wall. The ferocious dragon head that was turned to face Hermione was only a dozen feet away from her!

Looking into those dark red dragon eyes, a chill ran up from the soles of her feet and quickly swept through her body. Fear surged through her consciousness like a tidal wave, almost causing Hermione to faint. She didn't scream because the oppressive feeling emanating from the dragon head, which was almost twice the size of her body, made her unable to make a sound!

Hermione was so frightened that she didn't notice the hint of embarrassment that flashed in the Fireball Dragon's eyes.

The dramatic scene terrified everyone. As the dragon stumbled and struggled to its feet, everyone thought that once it regained its footing, Hermione Granger, who was almost face to face with it, would be doomed!

In the entrance tunnel, watching the Chinese fireball appear on the big screen alongside Hermione, who was terrified, Harry gritted his teeth to suppress his laughter. Ron and Neville, on the other hand, were completely different, including Professor McGonagall, who seemed to have foreseen the terrible scene of Hermione being torn to pieces!

"Save her, Albus, Amosta!"

McGonagall was so startled that her wizard hat fell off. She stood up and turned to shout towards the judges' platform above, but to her despair, neither of the two judges responded.

Hermione stared blankly at the fire dragon so close to her, watching it struggle to get up, its proud head reaching the height of a three-story building!

"It's over. Whether I'm torn to pieces or roasted to a crisp, I'm definitely going to die," Hermione thought, tears of despair welling in her eyes, as if she had already resigned herself to her fate. She then thought of the person who had cast her name into the Goblet of Fire, whose dream was probably about to come true. Whether that person's purpose was to kill her or to disgrace Hogwarts, they needed her to die on the field.

But thinking of the person who had plotted to harm her, Hermione suddenly felt a surge of anger, a resentful rage that seemed to be the only rational thing she could muster amidst her despair. She thought of the fright she had suffered during this time, the accusations and ridicule from some of her classmates, especially Ron—

However, Harry and Ron were her best friends, and now, the terrible relationship between the three of them was all because of this!

Moreover, she still hopes to prove that Muggle-blooded wizards can also be the best!

"What should I do now, Amosta—"

Sirius said irritably, as the massive dragon head looked down at Hermione Granger.

"The shock just now was clearly beyond Hermione's tolerance; she seems to have given up!"

"Oh, I don't think so, Sirius. You haven't seen the resilience in these kids' characters—"

Amosta's voice didn't sound urgent; instead, it was full of relaxation.

Sirius was about to question Amostella's statement when he suddenly noticed that Hermione, who was kneeling at his feet, had suddenly stopped looking terrified. The despair in her eyes was still there, but now there was a hint of determination in them!

"Breathe fire at her, Sirius—"

Amosta gave the order again.

"What?!" Sirius was stunned by the command. He almost looked in Amosta's direction, but he managed to restrain himself. "I won't, Amosta, I'm not a real dragon!"

"It's okay, I'll help you--"

Amostella, sitting calmly beside the referee's table, spoke as a faint golden spark detached from the tip of Amostella's staff after Sirius bared his fangs at Hermione. It escaped everyone's sight, quickly disappearing into the arena and climbing up the Fireball Dragon's scales. Then, it formed a crimson sun within the Fireball Dragon's mouth.

"Oh my god, should we—"

Upon seeing a ball of golden lava emerge from the bloody dragon's mouth, Ludo cried out in terror, "Shouldn't we—"

Just then, an unexpected change occurred.

Hermione stared intently at the golden fireball, a resolute glint flashing across her pale face. She abruptly raised her wand and pointed it at the dragon's feet. And what they saw—

Pfft!

The solid ground suddenly turned into a muddy mess, and it seemed to be bottomless!

The dragon's massive body disappeared into the swamp almost instantly, leaving only its ferocious head sticking out of the swamp and staring at Hermione in astonishment. Before it could even react, it realized that Hermione hadn't taken the opportunity to get away from it, and her wand hadn't fallen!

Ouch!

As a crimson cursed light flashed before everyone's eyes, the Chinese Fireball Dragon roared once again, and this time, the pain in its roar was so clear!

"Miss Granger landed a blinding spell on the dragon right in the face; she accomplished what Mr. Krum couldn't. Oh, but things aren't looking too good now!"

Everyone understood what Ludo Bagman meant: the golden fireball in the Fireball Dragon's mouth was about to explode, and at that distance, Hermione had no chance of survival!

Hermione was also aware that the dragon's breath was about to erupt. She knew that if she turned and ran, no matter which direction she went, she would die. The only way to survive was—

Sa!

The most thrilling scene then unfolded: Hermione not only didn't run away, but instead resolutely charged towards the fireball dragon, whose head was the only part of its body remaining. At the critical moment, she stepped on a rock that had just been swept down by the dragon's tail, leaped into the air, tumbled once, and landed steadily on the fireball dragon's head!

Her swift and clean roll, and her heroic landing, stunned countless people. They no longer thought of Hermione Granger as just an underage witch; they looked at her with respect and regarded her as a true warrior!

call!

A raging fire phoenix, accompanied by dazzling light, shot out, the fireball landing in the center of the arena. The instant it touched the ground, a massive pillar of fire shot straight to the sky, its destructive aura sending chills down everyone's spine. This astonishing scene lasted for several dozen seconds. When the commotion subsided, people were astonished to find a lava lake had appeared in the center of the arena!

"Where is Miss Granger? Where is Miss Granger?"

Ludo Bagman shielded his eyes from the bright light, searching aimlessly across the arena. When his gaze fell upon the dragon's lair, his eyes widened in shock. The next second, Ludo's excited roar echoed throughout the entire European magical world.

"Miss Granger has obtained the dragon egg, unharmed!"

Chapter 632 Reconciliation

2023-12-04