Zabini panted with exertion. He'd fired off a dozen spells and Ron had countered with nothing. He raised his wand to try something new and in that moment, Ron lept at the opening.
"Expelliarmus, stupify, petrificus totalus!"
They hit him near simultaneously, each aimed at a different spot on his body. Zabini stiffened, dropped his wand, and keeled over.
The whistle could not be heard over the excited cheering of the Weasleys.
"That's my boy!" Arthur shouted.
"Fifty-three seconds," Hermione supplied.
"Damn it!" Harry fished around in his pants for the money.
...
The chatter of the crowd was notably less cheerful as they filed into their seats Sunday morning. The roars of the dragons held just beyond the pitch left the adults questioning their life choices.
"Are you sure this is safe?" Mrs. Granger asked.
"For us or for Harry?" Alabasandria complained. "He has a plan." She fidgeted in her seat until she was safe from the horrors of the sunlight, completely unconcerned for Harry's health. Mrs. Granger shrugged and thought to herself that wizards were insane and she was rather happy she was a normal dentist.
Meanwhile, Sirius ran into the tent just before the start of the event, nearly bowling Harry over as he pulled the boy into a fierce embrace.
"You came!" Harry said.
"Of course. Did you doubt me? I'm sorry."
"You're mad at me," Harry muttered, voice quiet as he noted the officials dotted about the room in a perfect position to eavesdrop.
"I am not mad at you, love. Please do not doubt that. My issue is between your mother and I. We - " he paused and made a face, brushing a large bug out of Harry's hair. "Look, this isn't the place to talk about it. I promise I am not mad at you. Now, how are you feeling, you didn't write me much about your plan, are you okay, do you need -"
"I've got it handled," Harry murmured. "Mama and I practiced all the spells I need."
"Good. Good. I'll see you afterward, alright?" He pulled Harry into another hug, pressing a featherlight kiss against his forehead. "Be safe kiddo." He smoothed down the front of Harry's robes. "It feels a bit silly to be worried about you now, but still. Do me a favor and don't need to be resurrected please." And then he disappeared, just as quickly as he'd bounded into the tent.
Harry, of course, pulled the most dangerous dragon out of the bag, because life hated him. Luckily, all three contestants had preemptively "figured out" the subject of said task via cheating (Harry having received the supposed secret from both his fellow competitors, Hagrid, Moody, and lastly Charlie) so everyone faked mild surprise at the miniature dragons and carried on their way.
"Will you be alright, Harry?" Fleur asked. "The dragon is very big and very scary, unlike you. As you are a small boy."
"Thank you for your concern," Harry said. "I'm not worried." She exited the tent, giving him a pat on the head as she passed. Harry paced the length of the tent as he listened to the dramatic sounds of his competitors fighting their beasts. He ran his plan over in his mind.
"Harry, you're up, kid." Bagman gave him a nervous grimace. "Time to break a leg?"
Harry stopped his pacing. He would show everyone that he meant business, that he was not going to cry like the scared boy the press thought he was. They would regret the day they put his name in the tournament. Every step of his plan highlighted this fact, showcasing his resources and his power and his strength. They would all come to understand that Harry was the one in charge of this scenario.
He took a deep breath and called his magic forward, peeling the shadows away from the corners.
"I'm ready."
He stepped into the blazing sun. Okay… the dragon was bigger than he'd expected. Several stories tall, angry, and why did it need so many spikes? Being impaled sounded like the worst way to die!
The beast roared, sending a coil of fire overtop the stands. Harry turned toward an outcrop of rocks and transfigured them into sheep. They were less fuzzy and more jagged, but they were sheep, and Harry figured they ought to taste the same. They bleated as Harry shoved them down the path to the dragon. The beast ceased its roaring as it stared down at the offered meal. Harry had been too nervous to ask Sirius for help with that spell, and mama was terrible at transfiguration. He hoped it worked well enough. The dragon bent its snout over to sniff the animals and popped one into its maw.
Wasting no time, Harry fired off the list of spells he'd been forced to memorize. Fire retardant spells for his precious, flammable skin, a transfiguration to harden his robes into thick armor, and charming his feet to make himself run faster. He summoned his school bag, which he'd left with his friends in the stands, and it flew towards him. He was double-checking that his supplies were in order when he heard a loud roaring scream.
The dragon gagged on the crunchy sheep and spit their brittle, rockish bodies into the earth. It turned its angry gaze toward Harry. Oops. Well, he'd tried to make them tasty.
Magic trickled up his spine, the shadows curled around his feet and Harry dredged every sliver of power he could muster and bolted, his movements bolstered by magic. Fire blasted the earth where'd been seconds prior. Rolling into a dive behind some rocks, Harry twisted onto his back. The dragon reared up to roar, and as its belly was exposed, Harry aimed and threw a small bottle towards it. Aided by magic, the bottle smacked the beast in its vulnerable flesh, right under the wings as Charlie had advised - and cracked open, spewing a layer of orange liquid onto its skin. Harry rolled into an upright position and threw another one.
Then a third.
Dragons were magic-resistant, that's why people liked to skin their hides to make boots. But little known fact, the term 'magic-resistant' typically applied to spellfire, not potions. Where a spell would have bounced off the impenetrable hide, a potion could be absorbed through the skin, if you gave it enough time. It had something to do with atoms and biochemistry and osmosis - Harry had politely droned out the lecture from mama. Spells were too big to fit through the layers of the hide, whereas a potion wasn't, basically. Maybe. Hermione had the notes on it, if he cared to understand it later.
....
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