Chapter 586: The Black Dragon
Wade approached Harry, lowering his voice. “Preparation ready?”
Harry forced a weak smile and gave a slight nod. “As ready as I can be.”
In truth, his stomach felt queasy, and he feared that if he said another word, he’d feel dizzy enough to vomit.
They stepped into the tent, finding most of the champions already inside—Fleur sat pale and tense in her chair, Viktor’s expression dark and brooding, Cedric pacing back and forth, Seraphina tapping her wand impatiently against her palm, Asada Chika’s lips moving silently as if chanting a spell, Jabari—formerly transformed into a mouse—swung idly from a chair, and Babuaya from Wagadoo was doing deep squats.
Their expressions varied, but one thing was clear: a quiet, underlying tension, a flicker of dread in their eyes. Just by looking at each other, they all knew—everyone inside the tent was fully aware of what awaited them.
Silence hung heavy in the air. No one spoke.
Another ten minutes passed. The remaining champions trickled in one by one. Bagman burst through the curtain with a cheerful grin.
“Alright! Now that you’re all here, let me explain the situation!”
His tone was bright and upbeat. “Since over half of the competitors will be eliminated this time, to prevent any unfair judging, we’ve spent more than two weeks in intense discussion. After much deliberation, we’ve decided to scrap the traditional scoring system of the Triwizard Tournament. From now on, only those who successfully achieve their goal will advance to the next round!”
He gestured expansively. “Here’s how it works: first, each of you will draw a small model from this bag—each marked with a number indicating your order of appearance.”
He shook the purple silk bag in the air.
“Next, you’ll have to navigate through a series of obstacles and reach the center of the stadium, where a Compass awaits. Don’t worry—you’ll see it easily. It’s quite conspicuous.”
“The Compass will transport you to a prepared arena, where sixteen Golden Eggs are hidden. Only the student who retrieves a Golden Egg and returns safely will avoid elimination and move on to the next round.”
He paused, beaming. “Any questions?”
His face brimmed with anticipation. But the tent remained silent. Everyone seemed determined not to ask anything beyond the essentials.
Of course, it might just be that most were still processing the rules in their heads, unsure what to ask.
Bagman waited a few seconds. Then, in the stillness, he opened the bag and extended it toward the nearest person—Harry.
“Go ahead. Everyone has an equal chance.”
Harry glanced at Wade, then reached into the bag. His fingers closed around something smooth and cold. He pulled out a black egg—about the size of a chicken’s egg—bearing a white number: 3.
The moment it left his hand, the shell cracked open.
A tiny black dragon burst forth, wings unfurling, exhaling a small, flickering flame.
Harry’s face drained of color.
This was one of the most dangerous fire dragons—Hungarian Horntail.
“Oh…” Bagman exhaled involuntarily, surprised by Harry’s misfortune. But he didn’t have time to comment. He passed the bag to the next person.
Wade reached in. He pulled out a green egg with the number 1.
He let out a small sigh of relief—Welsh Green Dragon, a relatively manageable opponent.
But as the shell split open, a dark, hulking creature emerged. Its tiny tail lashed out, smashing the broken shell to pieces.
A Scottish Black Dragon.
Wade narrowed his eyes. Instantly, his mind raced through the facts he knew about the species:
An adult Scottish Black Dragon could grow up to thirty feet long, its spine lined with jagged, blade-like spines. Its tail ended in a needle-sharp arrowhead capable of piercing through flesh. It was fiercely territorial, relying on sweeping tail attacks. Its fire breath was average in range.
Its main weaknesses? Slow movement and a violent temperament.
Good, Wade thought. This one’s slow. Perfect.
Meanwhile, Fleur—initially resigned, her expression resigned to fate—brightened slightly when she saw the dragons Harry and Wade had drawn.
But her eyes held a quiet pity. Poor little boy, they seemed to say. You’re dead.
One by one, the others drew their assigned dragons.
Bagman clapped his hands. “Now you’ve all seen your opponents. The number on the eggshell is your order. Someone inside will escort you to your designated location shortly.”
He turned to Harry. “Harry… could you come with me for a moment? I’d like to have a quick word.”
Harry, still clutching the tiny dragon model, followed the referee out, dazed and unsure.
Moments later, a boy with brown curls poked his head in. “Who drew the Scottish Black Dragon? Please come with me.”
“Rolf?” Wade said, surprised. “What are you doing here?”
The boy was Newt Scamander’s grandson—someone Wade occasionally corresponded with, and whose friendship he valued. Though they weren’t in the same year, they’d met a few times.
“Wade!” Rolf grinned. “I knew I’d see you! That’s why I ran over first! Oh… you got the Scottish Black Dragon? What a coincidence!”
At the same time, four others stepped out of the tent: Jabari from Wagadoo, Natalia from Kodostoriz, Hope from Salem, and Ganesh from Mando.
Rolf continued as they walked. “Last night, the Head of House announced that we needed a few volunteers for the Tournament. Who’d like to help? I signed up right away. Lucky me—only a few people stepped forward, or I might’ve missed out!”
“Volunteers do what?” Ganesh asked in his oddly formal English. “Where are we going, boy?”
A tall wooden panel blocked their view. They couldn’t see beyond it—only distant voices from the stands, the roar of dragons, and the murmur of excitement.
“Of course, to the location of the Scottish Black Dragon, obviously!” Rolf turned back with a radiant smile. “My job’s simple: guide the contestants, then remind each one in order to begin.”
He turned to Wade. “So… what’s your number?”
Wade held up the cracked remains of the eggshell. “One.”
“First? That’s great!” Rolf reassured his friends. “The earlier you go, the better your chance of finding a Golden Egg.”
Wade smiled. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
“Good luck!” Rolf clenched his fist. “I knew you’d do it.”
Jabari shrugged, trying to sound casual. “Being later isn’t so bad. I’m fifth. If you all take care of the dragon, I might just lie down and find the Compass on my own.”
Rolf shook his head. “Not a good idea. If you don’t find the Compass in time, there might not even be any Golden Eggs left.”
Hope suddenly whispered from behind. “You can steal them.”
Rolf blinked. “Huh?”
Natalia grinned. “Exactly. If you can’t find the egg, doesn’t mean you can’t take it from someone else.”
She glanced at Wade. “Be careful, now. Only the one who returns safely with the egg is the true winner.”
Wade remained calm, eyes steady. “You’d better watch your backs too. While you’re searching for the eggs, I might just be waiting… ambushing.”
They exchanged a look—eyes locking, a spark flaring between them, sharp and unspoken.
Ganesh rubbed his chin slowly. “You know… if everyone thinks like this, do you really think sixteen people will even make it through?”
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
