https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-584-Books-That-Can-t-Be-Borrowed/13685751/
Chapter 583: Seven-Headed Fire Dragon
Wade finished his training and returned from Hogsmeade to the school. He had barely tapped twice on the Vanishing Cabinet when the door slid open silently, letting in a soft glow from outside.
But it wasn’t Zoe—whom Wade had arranged to meet—who pulled the door open. Instead, it was Harry, who should have been asleep in the Gryffindor dormitory.
“You’re finally back!” Harry blurted before Wade could even speak. “I’ve been waiting for over half an hour!”
Wade shut the cabinet door behind him and asked, “What happened?”
Harry’s brow was furrowed, his knuckles white from gripping his wand with force. His robes were smeared with dirt, and strands of spiderweb clung to his hair.
“Fire Dragon!” Harry said, his voice hollow. “Tonight, Hagrid found us. Since you weren’t at school, he took me to see what the first challenge would be… it’s a Fire Dragon!”
His tone was desperate. “We’re done for, Wade… I saw it—even adult wizards need seven or eight people just to barely control one. The flames from their nostrils can shoot out forty feet!”
“Oh,” Wade said, casually flicking his wand and casting a Scourgify charm on Harry. That made him look much better.
“Oh? Just an ‘oh’?” Harry stared, stunned. “Wade, are you paralyzed with fear?”
“Harry,” Wade said calmly, walking to the table and pulling out a bottle of beverage from the cabinet, “if you’d studied the history of the Triwizard Tournament, you’d know that Fire Dragons haven’t been the first dangerous creature to appear. There’ve been far more dangerous ones before.”
He gestured for Harry to sit. Harry hesitated, then finally did.
“What else could be worse than a Fire Dragon?” Harry asked.
“Plenty,” Wade replied, sipping his warm drink. “Like the Venomous Tentacula—fast, deadly, and their breath alone carries poison. Legends say it takes a hundred wizards working together to subdue one. Isn’t that far more terrifying than a fire-breathing lizard?”
He paused. “And then there’s the Chimera. Equally deadly. In all of recorded history, only one wizard ever succeeded in killing one. But Fire Dragons? Most of them today are domesticated—used as ingredients in potions.”
Harry paled. “So… there were Venomous Tentacula and Chimera in past tournaments? How did the champions survive?”
“Oh, no Chimera,” Wade said easily. “But they did use a Venomous Tentacula—raised from infancy—to test the champions’ courage.”
“Then what happened?” Harry pressed.
Wade raised an eyebrow. “Do you remember why the Triwizard Tournament was discontinued?”
“Because… too many people died…” Harry murmured.
“Exactly.” Wade shrugged. “So compared to that, isn’t a Fire Dragon… manageable?”
Harry stared in silence.
How could “not dying” be the best possible outcome?
He felt no comfort—only a deeper dread.
“I think I won’t make it past next Tuesday,” he muttered, voice thick. “Fire Dragon scales and hide are laced with ancient magic. Only the strongest spells can pierce them. I don’t think I can do it.”
“You’re overthinking it,” Wade said. “Do you really think the others will be any better? The purpose of this tournament isn’t to make us die—it’s to test our ability. I’m sure we’ll have to get past the Fire Dragon, or take something from it. Either way, there’s always a way around it.”
He held the script in his hand, his expression calm and composed. That quiet confidence began to sink into Harry, even making him feel a flicker of shame for his fear.
“You’re right,” Harry said slowly. “That’s probably it. I should go ask Sirius Black—he might know how to get past a Fire Dragon.”
He pulled open the Vanishing Cabinet. “Wade, you coming?”
Wade shook his head. “I’ve already planned for this. No last-minute panic.”
“Fine. I’ll come back tomorrow morning,” Harry said, not pressing further on Wade’s strategy. He was determined to seek Sirius Black’s advice.
“Harry?”
“Hmm?”
Harry turned, one foot already inside the cabinet.
“Accio Charm is a really useful spell,” Wade said with a smile.
Flying through the sky, taunting a Fire Dragon—now that sounded like something Harry’s kind of adventure. But not Wade’s. He wasn’t even good at Quidditch.
“…Right. Accio Charm,” Harry mumbled, giving a vague nod before vanishing into the cabinet.
Wade stepped out of the Room of Requirement and whispered, “Zoe?”
“Here!” A tiny sprite popped into existence beside him.
“Harry’s gone to Hogsmeade. Remember to open the cabinet for him tomorrow morning.”
“Got it,” Zoe whispered.
Wade then walked down the corridor to the other side of the castle, opened a window, and transformed into a falcon—soaring into the night sky.
He flew high above, circling the castle once, then veered toward the Forbidden Forest. As he passed over the dark trees, something sudden caught his eye—a flash of blinding light in the pitch-black sky, like a giant campfire suddenly lit in the distance.
The falcon flared its wings and flew straight toward the glow.
He had to see what the Ministry of Magic had brought this time.
The location was far beyond the castle’s usual boundaries. Wade doubted he was still within the protective magic. As he drew closer, he heard the thunderous roar of a Fire Dragon, and the shouted commands of wizards inside.
In a relatively open field, dozens of wizards were struggling to keep a group of Fire Dragons under control. Seven stun spells fired simultaneously at a black-scaled Hungarian Horntail. The beast roared, jaws wide open—then collapsed to the ground.
Several others lay unconscious, each one as large as a small hill.
The falcon landed on the tallest pine tree, watching silently.
There were more Fire Dragons than in the original tournament—of course. More champions meant more creatures. But not thirty-three. Just seven.
The classic black Hungarian Horntail—capable of breathing fire up to fifty feet—was the one Harry faced in the original story.
Then there was the aggressive Chinese Fireball Dragon, the swift Swedish Short-Snout, and the relatively docile Welsh Green Dragon—each from the original lineup.
But now, three unfamiliar beasts had joined them.
A Scottish Black Dragon—territorial, with jagged spines along its back.
A Romanian Longhorn, bearing two golden horns.
And the massive Ukrainian Ironbelly, armored like a tank, the largest of all.
There weren’t enough dragons for one per champion. The tournament rules had clearly changed. But knowing what each creature could do—what its strengths and weaknesses were—would always allow a way through.
Wade watched the sleeping dragons for a moment. No more were being brought in.
He turned to head back to the dormitory, already preparing to rest.
Then—just as he was about to leave—his eyes caught a flicker of movement in the shadows of the forest.
Something had stirred.
(End of Chapter)
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