Chapter 276: Dragon
Chapter 276: Dragon
When Liam followed the sound to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, he saw Wolf standing on a huge tree trunk, his head thrown back in a howl. Upon spotting Liam, Wolf jumped down from the trunk and asked eagerly, “What do you think of my stance? Does it give off the vibe of a wild hunter?”
“—Indeed, it’s just like the wolf kings I’ve seen on TV howling under the moonlight.” Liam didn’t tell Wolf that the goofy look in his eyes had ruined the entire atmosphere.
“Of course, I am the coolest wolf in the Forbidden Forest.” It seemed that reading more books had made Wolf speak more like a human. “By the way, let’s not talk about that. The reason I called you here is that someone from the Centaur Tribe noticed a lot of people suddenly appearing on the other side of the Forbidden Forest. They started building something that looks like a fence using thick wooden planks, so I came to inform you. Everyone thinks it might be something related to your upcoming competition.”
“How did you guess it was for the competition?” Liam asked, curious.
“Historically, whenever the Triwizard Tournament is held at Hogwarts, the creatures needed for the beast-fighting event are always placed in a clearing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest a couple of days before the competition. According to the records of the Centaur Tribe, dragons have been the most common, followed by hydras, chimeras, and various other creatures.”
After saying this, Wolf picked up a cloth bundle from beside the tree trunk and handed it to Liam. “This is from Aunt Betty. Put it on and follow me into the Forbidden Forest to take a look.”
Liam unfolded the bundle and found a robe that resembled a ghillie suit, capable of covering his entire body. The faint natural scent on it would provide the highest level of concealment in the forest.
After putting on the robe, Liam retrieved his Grapple Hook from his Spatial Bag and attached it to his arm. Using the Grapple Hook, he moved swiftly through the trees, following the running Wolf toward the other side of the Forbidden Forest.
As they approached the edge of the forest, Liam heard the distant sounds of commotion. They both slowed down and carefully made their way to the edge of the forest, using the trees for cover.
Sure enough, outside the Forbidden Forest, a group of wizards was busy constructing a massive fence. Tall trees were being cut into thick planks and firmly driven into the ground. Several wizards were casting various spells on the planks, and since they weren’t using non-verbal spells, Liam could hear them reinforcing and fireproofing the fence.
“The largest one can stretch its neck to fifty feet and breathe flames forty feet away. So make sure to add extra magic to the fence,” a young man’s voice said.
Liam turned his gaze to the speaker and recognized him as Charlie Weasley, the dragon keeper he had met during the summer vacation. Indeed, the plot hadn’t changed much; the first task still involved dragons. Since Liam was hidden in the forest, the wizards didn’t notice anyone watching them. They continued to work methodically, clearing the grounds and building the fence.
Liam watched the construction for a while, feeling a bit bored, and was about to leave when he noticed some dark spots approaching in the distance. As the dark spots drew closer, they revealed themselves to be massive steel cages, each containing a sleeping dragon. At each corner and in the center of the cages, iron chains extended, with the other ends attached to flying carpets floating in the air.
Wizards sat on flying carpets, each of them nervously pointing their wands at the sleeping dragons.
"Lower them down, carefully. Make sure you don’t wake them up", Charlie said, creating various colored lights from his wand to direct the flying carpets as they slowly descended with the iron cages.
After confirming that the first challenge would involve dragons, Liam called Wolf and they left together.
At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Liam bid farewell to Wolf and headed to the Library. As soon as he entered, he saw Krum sitting at a table by the door, surrounded by a few chattering girls who were trying to get his autograph. However, Madam Pince quickly shooed them away.
When Liam found Hermione, she was rummaging through a pile of books. She looked up as he approached and asked, "What did Wolf want with you just now?"
"He took me to see what I’ll be facing in the first challenge", Liam said, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. "We were right. The first challenge involves dragons. I saw them transport six dragons over."
"How prepared are you?" Hermione asked.
"No problem at all", Liam said with a confident smile. "I’ve been preparing for dragon slaying, but now I think it won’t be that difficult. After seeing those dragons today, I believe the challenge will likely be to retrieve something under the dragon’s guard or to survive its pursuit for a certain amount of time. I don’t think all the participants are stronger than me, and they’ve been emphasizing safety this year, so it won’t be too dangerous."
"That’s good to hear", Hermione said, closing the book in front of her and looking up at Liam. "By the way, should we tell Harry about this? He is our classmate, after all."
"Of course, it’s just a competition. I can’t just sit by and watch a classmate embarrass himself. The butterfly effect has been affecting things, and I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of it. There are a lot of people watching me these days, so it’s not a good idea for me to tell Harry directly. You can find a chance to tell Ginny about it."
During dinner, Hermione whispered something in Ginny’s ear. Ginny’s face paled, and she quickly left the table, having clearly been told about the dragons in the first challenge. She was rushing upstairs to inform Harry.
The next day was Sunday. After breakfast, Liam was about to head to the Room of Requirement with Hermione for their final practice when Harry suddenly appeared in the entrance hall.
"Liam, thanks! Last night Hagrid took me to see the fire dragons. Oh, I only have two days to prepare for facing a fire dragon. What should I do?" Harry’s voice trembled, likely due to the stress of recent events and the fact that Liam had tutored him for half a semester last year, making him feel more comfortable sharing his anxiety.
It seemed the recent events had put a lot of pressure on Harry. Liam gently shook his head and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can ask Sirius Black. He might have a good solution for you."
"Right, I’ll write to him right away", Harry said, suddenly looking more hopeful. As he was about to leave, he turned back to Liam. "Liam, are you ready?"
"Of course, but my method involves alchemy. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to use it", Liam said, waving goodbye to Harry, who hurried off to write a letter to Sirius Black.
(End of Chapter)
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