https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-294-Crouch-s-Continued-Observations/13460177/
Chapter 293: Buying Dragon Hide
Chapter 293: Buying Dragon Hide
No matter how much Harry was despised in the castle before, once the real competition began, he was still the champion supported by all of Hogwarts' students.
Although Karkaroff clearly favored his own champion and deliberately gave Harry a low score, it did nothing to dampen Harry's spirits.
When he came out of the arena, Hermione and Ron were waiting for him below.
"You need to see Madam Pomfrey; she'll heal the wound on your arm."
As soon as they met, Hermione didn't mention the competition. Instead, she looked worriedly at Harry's arm and pulled him toward the temporary hospital wing that Madam Pomfrey had set up nearby.
Ron, who had been walking beside them, no longer had the cold expression he had shown Harry before. He looked uneasy and guilty, and apologized to Harry.
"I understand, Harry. Whoever put your name in the Goblet of Fire wanted to kill you!"
"You finally get it?" Harry's voice was full of resentment. "It took you long enough."
Hermione stood nervously between them, glancing from one to the other. Ron's face was filled with guilt, and he opened his mouth as if to apologize again.
But before he could speak, Harry interrupted him.
"It's fine, Ron. Let's forget about it. It doesn't matter when you understand, as long as you do."
"No, it was my fault", Ron insisted.
Hermione, seeing the tension between them, suddenly burst into tears. She grabbed both of them in a hug and cried out, her voice choked with sobs.
"You two are so silly!"
She seemed to be overwhelmed by the scene, crying louder and running out of the hospital wing tent.
Madam Pomfrey had already pulled Harry aside. She saw the wound on his arm, which had been clawed by the dragon, and looked disgusted.
"Another fire dragon."
She tended to Harry's wound while Ron chattered on about how the other champions had retrieved the Golden Egg from the fire dragon and their final scores.
After his wound was treated, Harry had to return to the champions' tent, and Ron waited for him outside.
He and Cedric praised each other for doing well, though both looked somewhat disheveled. Harry had only injured his arm, but Cedric had a small burn on his face, which Madam Pomfrey had covered with a yellow ointment.
Fleur and Krum, while not scoring very high, appeared more composed. Fleur had even changed into a new dress.
Once they were all back in the tent, Bagman announced the time for the next task.
"The second task will begin at 9:30 AM on February 24th next year. In the meantime, you can rest for a long time—though we have a challenge for you to consider!"
Bagman's voice was as cheerful as ever.
"Look at the Golden Eggs in your hands. You'll see that they have a seam that can be opened. You must solve the clue inside the egg, which will tell you what the second task is, so you can prepare in advance. Are we clear? If there are no questions, you can leave!"
As Harry walked out of the tent and met up with Ron, he looked up and saw a witch in a bright green robe.
It was Rita Skeeter.
Just the sight of her made Harry's face twist in disgust. Without waiting for Skeeter to approach, he turned and left with Ron, ignoring her calls.
"I swear, I’ll never answer her another word!" Harry muttered under his breath.
As the first task came to an end, so did Sherlock’s work for the day.
However, he still had other matters to attend to. With a bright smile, he approached Charlie, trying to persuade him to sell a complete dragon corpse from their research institute.
Charlie looked exasperated at being pestered.
"Believe me, Sherlock, it’s not that I don’t want to help you. The institute has rules, and we dragon handlers can’t make such decisions privately. If you really want to buy one, you could make a trip to Romania, and I’ll help you negotiate with the institute."
Sherlock’s face still showed his determination.
"Can’t you at least buy it under your name first? Don’t worry, I’ll pay you every last bit of the price."
"This really isn’t possible", Charlie said, looking troubled. "These four dragons were loaned to us by the institute. They’re already upset that the dragons died at Hogwarts. I need to take the bodies back first. If I sell them to you here, the higher-ups will definitely investigate."
Realizing that this would indeed cause Charlie trouble, Sherlock didn’t press the issue further.
He smacked his lips, watching the dragon corpses being loaded into iron cages by the dragon handlers, his face filled with reluctance.
To be honest, using Fidelius in a dragon’s skin had been a sweet deal for him.
Fidelius was the perfect tool as a Straw Golem.
Occupying the fire dragon’s body and gaining control, Fidelius could use all of the fire dragon’s abilities while being impervious to pain. Even if half of the body was destroyed, it could still continue to fight.
It was truly an emotionless fighting machine.
However, since the institute wasn’t selling these dragon corpses, he would have to make the trip to Romania himself if he really wanted to buy one.
This semester, Sherlock certainly didn’t have the time to leave Hogwarts. He could only watch regretfully as Charlie and the others left, hoping to find a chance to secure the dragon skin later.
After the first task, the second one wouldn’t begin until the following year.
During this period, the champions could relax for a while, but the students at Hogwarts would continue with their studies and daily lives.
After the competition, Mad-Eye Moody specifically sought out Sherlock for a meeting.
"Crouch is preparing to leave Hogwarts."
At this, Sherlock’s brow furrowed.
"Why is he leaving?"
"The gap between the two tasks is too long, and as a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Magic, he can’t just sit around doing nothing at Hogwarts", Mad-Eye Moody explained.
Sherlock stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"Actually, I’ve been thinking about making a somewhat risky move."
Mad-Eye Moody’s one good eye fixed on Sherlock.
"You’re considering using some special means?"
Sherlock remained silent, but his silence was a tacit acknowledgment of Mad-Eye Moody’s words.
Mad-Eye Moody’s expression grew serious.
"I don’t advise you to do this, Sherlock. You need to understand that Crouch is far more than just a high-ranking official at the Ministry of Magic!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
