Chapter 291: The Straw Golem in Dragon Skin
Chapter 291: The Straw Golem in Dragon Skin
On the afternoon of November 24th, all classes at Hogwarts were canceled.
The students were organized to gather at the temporary venue built beside the Forbidden Forest, where they took their seats in the stands to watch the beginning of the first task of the Triwizard Tournament.
Meanwhile, Harry and the other four champions were all assigned to a tent near the arena, where they had to prepare for the competition.
Although Hermione had only one and a half days to help Harry, he had already achieved the planned results in his regular practice. However, Harry's nervousness was still overwhelming.
The other three contestants were not faring much better.
Fleur sat on a low wooden stool in the corner, looking far less composed than usual. Her face was very pale, and she appeared to be quite ill.
Viktor Krum looked even more sullen than usual, and Harry guessed this was probably how he showed his nervousness. Cedric paced back and forth, and when Harry entered, Cedric gave him a faint smile.
Harry returned the smile, but it was not a particularly relaxed one.
Just as the atmosphere in the tent became overwhelmingly tense, Bagman entered with a purple silk pouch.
"Alright, it's time for me to brief you on the current situation", he said, the most relaxed person in the tent. "Once all the spectators have taken their seats, you will need to draw from this bag to determine the type of opponent you will face. Oh, and although I can't tell you who your opponents are yet, your goal in the first task is to retrieve the Golden Egg!"
As he explained the rules, the sound of hundreds of footsteps and chatter from the spectators outside the tent made the four champions even more nervous.
Bagman placed the bag in front of Fleur.
"Go ahead, Miss Delacour, ladies first."
Fleur extended a trembling hand into the pouch and pulled out a small, intricately detailed dragon model—it was a Welsh Green Dragon, with a number 2 tied around its neck.
Upon seeing the fire dragon model, none of the champions showed any surprise.
Clearly, as Harry had suspected, Karkaroff and Madame Maxime had not kept the first task a secret from their students, and everyone present had been informed of what it would entail.
After Fleur, Harry and the other two also drew their respective opponents from the bag.
Looking at the small Hungarian Tree Peak Dragon model in his hand, Harry was filled with unease, wondering if this was another new dragon that Charlie and the others had brought.
During the time in the Forbidden Forest, he had rushed to meet Sirius Black and had not seen the scene where Sherlock had Fidelius control the dragon corpse to "revive" it. Therefore, he was unaware that his opponent was, in fact, a straw golem in dragon skin.
The numbers on the models determined their order of appearance. Cedric was chosen to go first, and when the whistle sounded from the arena, he walked out with a pale face.
Meanwhile, as Harry and the others were drawing their dragon models, Sherlock, with a Crimson-Eyed Crow perched on his shoulder, was in the Forbidden Forest behind the competition area, looking at the dragon corpses that Charlie had prepared for him.
He looked at the four fire dragon corpses laid out on the ground, each appearing perfectly intact with no visible damage, and marveled.
"Your craftsmanship is truly impressive. From the front, you can't tell these fire dragons have lost their wings and heads."
Charlie rubbed his hands together and chuckled.
"We have a tradition of making dragon specimens in our institute, so it's only natural we have this level of skill." At this point, he looked worriedly at the crow perched on Sherlock's shoulder. "However, being able to look like a dragon is one thing, but can it really fully exhibit the habits and abilities of a fire dragon?"
Sherlock didn't offer any defense for Fidelius, just casually asked,
"What is the first dragon to appear?"
"The first dragon is the Swedish Short-Snout."
Sherlock snapped his fingers, and the crow on his shoulder spread its wings and flew up into the air, then suddenly vanished from their sight.
The next second, the blue Swedish Short-Snout lying on the ground suddenly opened its eyes, yawned lazily, and stretched out.
Seeing its obvious lack of enthusiasm, Sherlock picked up a small stone and threw it at the dragon's head.
"Don't slack off! I'll judge you for being negligent!"
The "Swedish Short-Snout" pouted in a very human manner, as if muttering, "You only know how to threaten me with that."
Sherlock understood that while a stick was necessary, so was a carrot. Forcing it to work with the contract every day naturally led to this half-hearted attitude.
"Do you like souls infused with fear?" he walked up to the "Short-Snout" and whispered in a seductive tone that only they could hear.
The fire dragon, controlled by Fidelius, immediately had its eyes light up with bright light!
"I'm not some capitalist who only makes you work without rewarding you. As long as you do a good job with the tasks I give you, I'll let you feast on such souls in the future."
Fidelius didn't fully trust Sherlock yet, but life always needed a glimmer of hope, right?
Working aimlessly and just getting by was still work, but working with a goal and hope was also work. It was better to do it in a way that made one feel good.
Fidelius, despite being a demon who enjoyed tormenting and instilling fear before devouring souls, still had to be optimistic and positive.
With this newfound hope, the "Short-Snout" perked up, raised its head, and roared at the sky, spewing a ball of fire from its throat. Then, it beat its wings and took to the air, flying toward the tournament grounds.
Sherlock had already explained its task before they arrived: to guard the Golden Egg and use its fire dragon abilities to deter the champions, but not too seriously. The strict order was that it could injure the students but not severely. If any student got hurt, it would have to self-destruct its soul.
As the whistle blew on the tournament grounds, the "Short-Snout" flew into the arena in front of the entire Hogwarts faculty and student body, taking its position next to the Golden Egg.
The first champion, Cedric, entered the arena with a pale face.
(End of Chapter)
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