Chapter 584: Books That Can't Be Borrowed
Falcon turned his line of sight, locking onto a specific horn in the forest. Transfiguration had sharpened his vision beyond anything he’d known before.
Suddenly, he dove—wings tucked tightly against his body like a silver arrow streaking from great height.
Among the dry leaves, a mouse perched on a branch suddenly sensed danger. Without even looking up, it scrambled down the slanted trunk.
Just as Falcon’s claw reached for its back, the mouse made a sharp turn, darting to the underside of the trunk!
The attack missed. Falcon snapped his wings open, slowing his speed, circling, reversing course—and charged again.
The dusty-gray mouse had already vanished into a thicket, darting with astonishing speed along tree roots and patches of grass. Its gray form blurred like lightning—agile, swift, relentless.
Then, in an instant, it vanished into a narrow tree hollow. Falcon’s claw swept past the entrance, stirring up a gust that whipped the fallen leaves. The sound of his wings beating was deafening, close enough to feel.
Inside the hollow, the mouse trembled, heart pounding. It gasped for breath, panting heavily. Only after a long moment did it cautiously peek out, scanning the area.
No Falcon. No wizard.
Relief flooded it. It slipped out of the hole, its form elongating as it ran—limbs transforming, long whiskers shortening, skin smoothing and softening, turning dark, so black it was nearly invisible in the night.
Now in human form, the boy no longer feared the falcon’s pursuit. He glanced up at the pitch-black sky, then dashed toward the giant stone on the grassy field.
Falcon remained perched high on a branch, watching as the mouse transformed into Jabari Wiven. Then he watched the boy sneak across the clearing, slip into the camp they’d brought—the giant stone camp.
Turning, Falcon saw Karkaroff emerge from the Forbidden Forest, his silhouette hidden in shadows. Moments later, Mando, the dark-skinned headmaster, appeared from another direction.
A few minutes passed. Then a palm-sized black cat scampered out of the trees, not transforming into a human, but with a device resembling a camera mounted on its head.
Abby from Salem Academy stepped down from the helicopter, bent, scooped the cat into her arms, gently stroked its chin—and returned to the aircraft.
Even though the Fire Dragon arena was far from the castle, the commotion had drawn the attention of every school headmaster. Each used their own means to gather intelligence—no one followed the rules.
Falcon stopped watching. He circled the edge of the Forbidden Forest, then, once more behind the castle, slipped through a window and into the castle proper.
…
Sunday morning sunlight streamed through the library’s glass, casting dappled patterns across the floor. Wade sat at a window seat, calmly flipping through The Wizard Certification Exam Essentials: A Complete Guide to Basic Magic.
“We have to tell the others!” Harry paced beside him, voice tense with worry. “This is life-or-death, Wade!”
Madam Pince’s eagle-like gaze snapped toward them instantly—but thanks to a spell Wade had cast to shield their voices, she heard nothing.
Frowning, the librarian stared at them for a moment, then turned her gaze away.
“No need,” Wade said, turning another page without looking up. “Just tell Cedric.”
“But… what about the other schools’ students?” Harry said uneasily. “There are kids younger than us in there!”
“Harry,” Wade looked up, handed him a note. “Go to Madam Pince. Borrow these books.”
“What?” Harry took the parchment, eyes scanning the list—titles all related to Fire Dragons. A sudden understanding dawned.
Right. They needed to secure their own advantage first—then warn others.
He grabbed the note and ran toward the librarian’s desk.
…
“What? The Magic of Dragon Caves is gone?” Harry stared, stunned, at Madam Pince’s stern face. “What about The Art of Taming Fire Dragons?”
“Unfortunately, that one’s gone too.”
“How is that possible?” Harry scratched his head, then looked back at the parchment. “What about Legends of Dragons?”
“No.”
Mystical Powers of Magical Creatures? “Also gone.”
Wizard vs. Dragon? “I know it’s gone. But Flame and Scales—surely that’s still here?”
Madam Pince sighed, sympathy in her eyes. “You’re too late, Potter. The last copy was borrowed an hour ago.”
“Can you tell me who took it?” Harry asked urgently. “I really need it!”
“Absolutely not. Borrowing records are confidential.”
Harry slumped, shoulders drooping. He clung to a final hope. “So… there’s no book about Fire Dragons left?”
“One remains.” Madam Pince pulled a dusty old volume from a cabinet, as if by magic. “Returned just ten minutes ago. Would you like to borrow it?”
Harry glanced at the title—The Dragon Enthusiast.
He didn’t need to open it. He already knew. This was a book for people like Hagrid—full of advice on hatching dragon eggs, raising young dragons, treating injuries, and postpartum care for dragon mothers.
But what choice did he have? It was the only book on Fire Dragons left.
With a heavy sigh, Harry took it. He flipped it open at random and read: “Using magic to clean a Fire Dragon’s teeth—here are a few key points to keep in mind…”
…
“This can’t be right!” Harry dropped into the seat beside Wade, slamming the book onto the table. “I don’t want to know how to brush a Fire Dragon’s teeth! Who took all the useful books?”
“Other schools’ competitors,” Wade said calmly. “I’ve been sitting here since the library opened. Before most people even got out of bed, those students from home schools had already borrowed every available book.”
“Can they really borrow that many at once?” Harry asked, bewildered. “Do champions get special privileges?”
“No,” Wade said. “You forget—they have plenty of unselected teammates too.”
“Wait…” Harry paused, then suddenly realized. “So… everyone else already knows?”
“Exactly,” Wade repeated. “Cedric is the only one still unaware of the first task involving a Fire Dragon. So telling him is enough.”
Cedric had always been outstanding, but only now did Wade truly understand—those students were truly Hufflepuffs.
The champions had guidance from their headmasters, of course, and knew how to face a Fire Dragon. Yet, without exception, they chose to borrow only the light, non-specific books from Hogwarts’ library—deliberately weakening their opponents.
Meanwhile, Wade had been quietly observing from this quiet corner, near the entrance but still hidden—watching who came to borrow books.
The result? Besides the three from Hogwarts, every other competitor had already come and gone.
Harry had been late—because he’d stayed up all night learning from Sirius Black how to handle Fire Dragons. Cedric, meanwhile, was still clueless, probably still guessing with his housemates what the first task might be.
“But…” Harry still worried. “If all the books are gone, what do we do?”
Sirius Black and Remus Lupin could teach him a lot—but no amount of personal knowledge could match the full, detailed information in a book. Besides, some Fire Dragons lived only in specific regions, and even the elders didn’t know everything.
“Didn’t I just tell you?” Wade clapped Harry on the shoulder. “I’ve known about Fire Dragons from past tournaments. All the information I needed—I’ve already collected it. The books you wanted? I have them too.”
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
