Hogwarts' Golden Glory

Cedric took a few steps, glanced back at the people in the stands who were still cheering for him, and then looked down at the golden egg he was clutching tightly in his hand.

He entered the emergency tent.

The tent looks much bigger inside than it does from the outside.

Several folding beds were neatly arranged, with clean white sheets carefully tucked into the edges of the mattresses.

In the corner stood a medicine cabinet, crammed full of various bottles and jars. The air was thick with the mixed smell of benzoin essence and disinfectant.

Mrs. Pomfrey was already waiting by the innermost bed, holding scissors in her hand.

"Sit down. Take off your robe."

She was slightly dissatisfied.

As a nurse, she didn't want too many people to get hurt.

Cedric sat on the edge of the bed and had just placed the golden egg on the table beside him when Mrs. Pomfrey cut open his left sleeve.

The wound was exposed—three parallel claw marks, extending from the shoulder to the middle of the upper arm. The depth wasn't fatal, but the flesh was turned inside out, the edges were black, and blood was still seeping out.

"The dragon claws are poisonous."

Mrs. Pomfrey frowned. "It's not a deadly poison, but it can cause infection if not cleaned properly."

She picked up a bottle of light green medicine and poured it directly onto the wound.

Cedric took a deep breath, his shoulders tensing.

The medicine hissed when it touched the wound, like something was being boiled.

"……pain."

"That means you're still conscious." Mrs. Pomfrey said without looking up. "A person who can feel pain won't die, don't worry, young man."

She picked up another roll of bandage and deftly wrapped it around his shoulders and arms.

Layers of white bandages were applied, and the bleeding quickly stopped.

The dark aura around the wound gradually faded under the influence of the medicine, turning back to a normal red color.

Cedric's shoulders finally relaxed. He looked down at his bandaged wound. "Thank you, madam."

And now, the second warrior is about to enter the fray.

Krum was the next to enter.

Krum took long strides, each step heavy.

He didn't look at the audience seats, but walked straight to the center of the field.

The Chinese Fireball Dragon coils atop its nest, its red scales resembling flowing flames, and its breath carries a sulfurous odor.

It was a size larger than the Peruvian Viperosaurus, and the wrinkles on its neck opened and closed as if it were measuring the distance to its prey.

Krum raised his wand—without hesitation, without testing the waters.

A beam of red light shot out from the tip of his staff, striking the dragon precisely in the left eye.

The dragon let out a deafening roar, its head snapped to one side, and its claws dug three deep trenches in the ground.

The audience erupted in cheers.

Some cheered, some gasped, and some covered their mouths.

Krum did not stop.

He ran forward, and swung his wand a second time—another beam of red light struck the dragon's right eye.

The dragon's roar grew louder.

It frantically shook its head, swept its tail wildly, and flapped its dragon wings haphazardly.

The golden egg was right in the center of the dragon's nest, but the dragon's struggles caused the entire nest to shake.

Krum ran towards the dragon's lair. As he ran, he quickly ducked and crouched, squeezing through the gap between the dragon's tail and wings, and reached out to grab the golden egg.

But at the same instant, the dragon's claws kicked wildly backward, striking the edge of the dragon's nest.

Three eggs rolled down, hit the rocks, and shattered.

Clear egg liquid and tiny pieces of eggshell splattered all over the floor.

There were originally four eggs in the dragon's nest, but now only one remains.

This greatly affects his rating!

Krum stood beside the dragon's nest, holding the golden egg in his hand, and glanced back at the broken eggshell.

His expression remained unchanged.

On the judges' stand, Bagman raised his hand. "Victor Krum—successfully retrieved the golden egg! But the dragon egg is damaged, which will result in a point deduction!"

A cacophony of voices rose from the audience.

There was much discussion about whether Krum or Cedric would get a higher score.

Mrs. Maxim raised her sign first.

She glanced at the broken eggshell, then at the golden egg in Krum's hand, and wrote down a number: "Six points."

Karkarov almost immediately raised his sign, his smile seemingly etched on his face: "Ten out of ten!"

A chorus of boos erupted from the audience.

Karkarov pretended not to hear and leaned back in his chair smugly.

Dumbledore was silent for a moment, then wrote a number on the grade sheet and held it up: "Eight points."

Bagman scratched his head and made a mark on the score sheet: "Six points! Fast and efficient, but the dragon egg was severely damaged, so points are deducted!"

Krum's total score was thirty points, the same as Cedric's.

He didn't look at the scoreboard, but turned and walked towards the first aid tent with the golden egg in his hand.

His back was straight, but he moved a little faster than when he entered.

Perhaps he wasn't as indifferent as he seemed on the surface.

Next up is Hibiscus.

When Furong entered the venue, the whispers in the audience suddenly subsided.

She wore a light blue robe, and her long, silvery-white hair shimmered softly in the sunlight.

A Ukrainian iron dragon was coiled in the center of the field.

Its scales are grayish-black, like rusted iron, reflecting a dull light in the sunlight.

It is the largest of the four dragons today.

Fleur raised her wand and began to sing.

Nobody understood.

Weren't we supposed to be grabbing the golden egg?

Why did she start singing?

The dragon twitched its nostrils, raised its head slightly, and its yellow vertical pupils lingered on Furong for a few seconds.

The hibiscus did not stop.

She continued singing and took a step forward.

The dragon did not attack. Hibiscus took another step forward.

This time, the dragon's tail stopped wagging.

In the audience, everyone was holding their breath.

She did it!

She actually made the dragon fall asleep!

All the young wizards found it incredible.

On the judges' stand, Mrs. Maxim's lips curled up in a smile; Hibiscus's allure was so captivating that even a dragon could bewitch her.

Even Dumbledore praised it.

"This girl has a very high level of control over her bloodline magic."

Karkarov, however, disagreed.

"It's just singing, right? How are you going to hypnotize me if you plug your ears during a battle?"

Mrs. Maxim did not want to argue with Karkaroff.

At this moment, everyone in the audience was holding their breath.

Because Hibiscus had reached the edge of the dragon's nest, only ten feet away from the enormous green dragon.

Her soft singing echoed above the field, the dragon's eyes were tightly closed, and the flaring of its nostrils slowed down.

Hibiscus reached into the dragon's nest. Her fingertips touched the golden egg.

She held it in her hand and gently lifted it up.

The dragon did not react.

It had closed its eyes, its breathing as steady as a sleeping stone.

Hibiscus grasped the golden egg and slowly backed away.

"From the referee's stand," Bagman shouted.

"Miss Hibiscus—successfully retrieved the golden egg! And without sustaining any damage! What a brilliant move!"

She did it!

It worked!

What an outstanding female wizard!

Everyone was cheering for her!

Even the dragon trainer standing nearby was impressed by Hibiscus's method.

But then, the surrounding sounds stopped.

"Run! The dragon has awakened!"