Hogwarts' Golden Glory

Furong turned her head, and the dragon's breathing gradually quickened.

Its eyelids snapped open—its yellow vertical pupils locked onto Hibiscus's figure once more.

Furong stood still, the golden egg still in her hand.

She hadn't expected the dragon to wake up so quickly.

But the dragon was way too close to her!

Although the dragon trainers were on the sidelines, they didn't have time to rush over.

Everyone thought that Hibiscus was about to be eaten by the dragon.

Long quickly stood up.

He roared at Furong!

Its body blocked out the sunlight, shrouding the entire stands in shadow.

The dragon's wings spread out, and its scales shimmered with a dark green light in the sunlight.

Furong didn't run; she knew she couldn't outrun the dragon.

She raised her wand and cast a spell on the dragon.

They barely managed to dodge the dragon's first wave of attacks.

"Quickly! Dragon tamer! Control this dragon!"

"No--!"

The screams of the girls in Beauxbatons pierced the sky; some covered their faces, some jumped up from their seats, and some cried out.

Mrs. Maxim rushed forward two steps, but was stopped by the railing. Her face was as white as a sheet, her lips were trembling, and she couldn't utter a single word.

"Dragon Trainer—" Bagman's voice caught in his throat. He gripped the microphone, his eyes wide, forgetting to raise it.

In the audience, some people were shouting "Help!", some were crying, and some were trembling.

Dumbledore sat on the referee's bench, his wand already in his hand.

But he didn't move. He just stared at the center of the field, his blue eyes showing no panic, only a calm, almost resolute gaze.

He glanced at Kane.

Kane sat in the Slytherin area, his gray eyes also fixed on the center of the arena, expressionless.

Dumbledore put the wand away. He gently placed it back on the table.

The noise from the audience grew louder and louder. Some were crying, some were shouting, and some were cursing the referees for not taking action.

The chaos lasted for a full five seconds.

Then the dragon raised its foot.

A deep footprint was left on the grass.

But there was no one in the footprints.

Crushed flesh and blood?

No. A tattered robe?

No. Where's the golden egg?

nor.

Hibiscus has disappeared.

Everyone was looking for her. People were peering out from the stands, asking, "Where did she go?" and some were trying to rush onto the field.

Then someone shouted, "Look over there!"

Edge of the venue.

Beside Kane.

Hibiscus stood there.

She was alive and well, her long silver hair was a little disheveled, her light blue robe was torn, and there were bloody scratches on her arms, but her feet were still on the ground, and she was still holding the golden egg in her hand, completely unharmed.

She was trembling all over, but she was alive.

There was a moment of silence in the stands. Then, thunderous cheers erupted.

Some cried even harder, but this time it was tears of joy. The girls from Beauxbatons hugged each other and cried their hearts out.

Mrs. Maxim clutched her chest, leaning against the railing, gasping for breath.

Furong stood there, as if she hadn't yet realized what had happened.

She looked down at the golden egg in her hand, then up at the cheering crowd in the stands, and finally turned to look to her side. Kane was standing there, less than two steps away from her.

Furong was stunned. "What's wrong with you...?"

She spoke, her voice a little hoarse.

Kane didn't speak. A soft "snap" sound came from the side.

A house-elf appeared at Kane's feet, wearing a dirty tea towel, with large ears drooping to the sides of its face, and big, round eyes filled with a mixture of fear and smugness.

"Dobby did it, Master Kane! Dobby teleported Miss Delacour in that split second!"

Dobby's voice was high-pitched and trembling, but its back was very straight.

"Dobby has been waiting here the whole time! Master Kane said that if Miss Delacour is in danger, Dobby must act immediately!"

Fleur looked at Dobby, then at Kane.

Her mouth was slightly open, but she couldn't speak.

Kane looked down at Dobby. "Well done."

Dobby's eyes lit up, its ears twitched, and then it disappeared with a "pop".

Fleur turned to Kane. "You...you arranged for a house-elf to be waiting to rescue me?"

"What else?" Kane's tone was calm. "Watch you get crushed?"

Furong's mouth opened and closed again.

She didn't know what to say. She wanted to say, "Are you crazy?", "How did you know I'd be in trouble?", "Why didn't you tell me?" But she couldn't utter a single word. Her eyes were red.

"Thank you—" she said, her voice trembling slightly.

"No need," Kane said. "You survived. That's enough."

Furong looked at him. There was no hint of self-aggrandizement in her grey eyes, only a statement of facts. Her lips trembled, her eyes grew increasingly red, and strands of silvery-white hair gently brushed against her cheeks in the wind.

Then she took a step forward. She put down the golden egg, reached out and wrapped her arms around Kane's shoulders. She hugged him tightly.

There was a moment of silence in the audience.

Then an even louder cheer erupted. Some were whistling, some were clapping, and some were shouting "Beauxbatons! Hogwarts!"

Fleur buried her face in Kane's shoulder, her long, silvery-white hair cascading over his black robe.

Her shoulders were trembling slightly, not from fear, but because something was blocking her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.

Two seconds later, Hibiscus let go of him.

She took a half step back, looked at him, her eyes were red, and the corners of her mouth were curved.

Then she tiptoed and quickly kissed the corner of his mouth.

Very light. Very fast. As light as a feather falling on water.

The audience fell silent for a second, then erupted in chaos.

The girls in Beauxbatons screamed even louder than before. The Durmstrangers whistled.

The people of Hogwarts stood up and applauded.

Aside from Hermione in the Gryffindor area, Hermione's eyes were already red and swollen.

They, they really...

On the judges' stand, Mrs. Maxim's expression shifted three times between shock and relief, finally settling on a solemn expression that said, "I didn't see anything."

Bagman stood behind the microphone, his mouth agape, wide enough to fit a golden egg. He cleared his throat, struggling to find his voice. "Uh—Fleur de la Cour—has successfully retrieved the golden egg! Now, judges, please score the contestants!"

Fleur didn't look at the referee's table. She was just looking at Kane, her lips curved into a smile, her eyes still red, but she was smiling.

Kane's expression remained unchanged. But the tips of his ears turned a very faint red. It was very subtle, almost imperceptible unless you looked closely. But Fleur noticed it. She smiled even more broadly.

On the judges' stand, Mrs. Maxim raised her placard first, her voice trembling slightly, as if she hadn't fully recovered from the shock she'd just experienced: "Ten points."