Only when she saw that massive silhouette soaring through the sky again did Fleur finally understand what Draco had meant earlier.
Of course—if a Thunderbird could be defeated so easily, it would never have been classified by the Ministry of Magic as a XXXXX-level threat.
But what shocked Fleur even more was the figure standing right in front of her.
She had assumed Draco had only managed to hold off the Thunderbird thanks to a momentary surge of power, buying just enough time to launch a counterattack. Yet to her astonishment, that pale-gold figure still stood firm and unmoving in her sight.
Unable to lie to herself any longer, Fleur let out a small, self-mocking laugh.
"So the arrogant one... was me."
Thinking back on all her earlier sarcasm and completely unprovoked hostility toward Draco, Fleur's cheeks warmed with a faint blush. The way she looked at his straight, unwavering back now carried a different, unfamiliar emotion.
Though a heart-stopping battle between a wizard and a dangerous Magical Creature was unfolding right before her, Fleur—still weakened from magical exhaustion—found herself, strangely enough, drifting into all sorts of unrelated thoughts as she remained sheltered in this small space.
Perhaps it was that tall, steady silhouette and the heavy sense of safety it gave her...
Just as Fleur's mind began to wander, Draco's calm voice reached her.
"This farce is about to end."
"A... farce?"
Hearing that, Fleur lifted her head and blinked at the Thunderbird, which had just made another fruitless rush. She couldn't quite grasp his meaning. Her already-sluggish thoughts stalled completely.
The Thunderbird, increasingly agitated, indeed couldn't break through to harm them—but by the same logic, Draco also couldn't land any real attack on the creature. It held absolute air superiority, and its speed was far too fast to strike accurately.
Honestly, if she hadn't managed to hypnotize it for a brief moment earlier, Draco probably wouldn't have even touched a single feather.
So to say everything that had happened was just a farce... that felt a bit too...
"See? I still say you're a conceited idiot."
"....."
"The creature's resistance to magic, the lightning wrapped around it—those alone tell us our attacks can't even scratch it. How are we supposed to defeat something like that?"
Perhaps it was the near-death experience speaking, but Fleur—hidden from Draco's view—rolled her eyes at him in a way she never would have during normal circumstances.
And interestingly enough, that charming little eye-roll seemed to sweeten the air around them a bit. Faint gasps from the audience hinted they'd noticed as well...
Draco, however, responded as if he hadn't noticed anything at all.
"Not our attacks—my attacks."
"You—… Forget it. Then what are you planning? Since you called it a farce, there has to be a reason."
"You haven't noticed? Is this really the limit of a Beauxbatons witch?"
Deep breaths. Deep breaths.
Standing behind him, Fleur took several long breaths just to stop herself from stepping forward and landing a few well-aimed punches to his waist.
Whether doing so might disrupt Draco's spellcasting didn't seem to matter anymore. What truly halted her was what he said next...
"Take a closer look at the Thunderbird's neck. You'll find your answer."
"That's just a chain. Why would that—wait?"
"You see it now."
"...But how is that possible? Unless..."
"Exactly. That's why I said this is a farce—completely staged. For us, and for every wizard watching."
Despite the anger in his words, Fleur could've sworn there was a faint smile on Draco's face.
As though he had discovered something amusing...
Was she imagining it?
Fleur shook her head hard, her silver hair brushing mischievously against Draco's arm.
"If that's true, then shouldn't we be asking the Headmaster and the others to intervene? Instead of staying here and—what—stalemating a Thunderbird?"
"Stalemate?"
"Isn't it?"
"Tell me, do you know what magic the lunatic who wrote that book was best at?"
It was such a strange question, paired with an equally bizarre book.
Fleur lowered her gaze to the muddied, rain-soaked volume lying at her feet.
If she remembered correctly, it was titled Lockhart Teaches How to Effectively Weather... a Storm?
...
Boom!
Boom!
Each time the Thunderbird's massive shadow swept across the sky, the air split with a sound like a sonic boom.
Every agile roll, every sharp maneuver—it all made it impossible to tell it had been slammed by a huge boulder just moments ago.
In fact, if not for the gouged earth and scattered golden feathers littering the ground, anyone would think the impact had never happened at all.
And that only made the young wizards even more aware of what kind of monster Draco was up against now...
"That's it—ah! So close! Try again! …Just a little more!! Hey, Granger, hurry up and help Draco think of something!"
Pansy's expression was a spectacle as she watched the Thunderbird weave through spellfire with one impossible maneuver after another. She also seemed rather annoyed that Hermione was still watching calmly from beside her.
"Think of something? What, you want him to start hopping around like a little dog?"
"What did you say? A dog?"
"...You misheard. Actually, something just came to mind."
"Oh? I really want to hear what could possibly distract you right now."
After one last glance at Draco's situation, Pansy grudgingly sat down.
Though she and that sneaky cat Hermione rarely agreed, in moments like this Pansy could set aside their differences and listen. Because, as much as she hated to admit it, Hermione's knowledge did help them a great deal.
And as time passed, that was happening more and more often...
"You read the book Professor Snape gave Draco, didn't you?"
"Uh-huh…"
Hermione sighed, shooting Pansy a look at her guilty expression before continuing.
"It mentioned that creatures as dangerous as Thunderbirds do have obvious weaknesses."
"Weaknesses? If you know that, then there's no reason Draco wouldn't—"
"Of course he knows. But the problem is that in rain like this, those weaknesses stop being weaknesses."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Unless—"
"Unless what?"
Just as Pansy grew anxious to hear the rest, something shocking erupted on the field.
No—more accurately, a terrifying burst of magic exploded outward from Draco at the center—and with it came… flame.
"Pestis Incendium!"
It was the second appearance of dark magic in this match—
Fiendfyre!!