Chapter 364: The Same Kind? Five Different Adult Fire Dragons
"This is too much," Harry said in a low voice, his face showing an unprecedented level of grievance.
"I warned you not to read this newspaper.
But... she really is too much. You were forced to participate in the Triwizard Tournament, but she wrote that nothing in the competition could harm me, that my parents gave me strength and would protect me from beyond the grave.
When I heard this, all I could do was write 'impressed'."
"I wasn't crying all night either," Harry said, exasperated. "I miss my parents very much, but before I came to Hogwarts, I didn't even know what they looked like."
"Let me see."
Hermione took the newspaper from Harry's hand, and soon her expression also turned exceptionally grim.
"What a joke, when did I become your first love?"
"I'd like to know too, but clearly Rita Skeeter won't answer us."
"Calm down, at least Rita described you as stunningly beautiful and the school's top student."
"But I'm really not Harry's girlfriend, you should know that," Hermione said, annoyed, a hint of worry in her tone that she herself didn't notice.
"Uh... that's just how unscrupulous journalists are. It should blow over after a while.
But Harry, I remember helping you out a few days ago! How did you still end up being interviewed?"
"Ah, this..."
After an awkward moment, Harry finally said, "After the photos, the few of us were about to leave. I was the last one, but Rita Skeeter blocked the door."
Aaron blinked, saying nothing, but a hint of sympathy and disdain entered his gaze as he looked at Harry.
Damn it! I gave you a chance, but you were useless!
"You can't blame me, and her interview targeting me didn't even mention Hermione. She must have heard from other people that we were close and just made things up," Harrysaid, pointing at the news in the newspaper, indignant. "She's just targeting me. The four of you combined couldn't even make up a single sentence; your photos and names never appeared."
"Alright! Good luck to you.
You'll be the center of attention for everyone before the competition.
Now it seems Ron was more prescient; he's in a cold war with you, otherwise Skeeter would definitely have put him in the newspaper too."
"Don't mention him to me," Harry said sarcastically. "Maybe he's regretting missing an opportunity to become famous!"
"Don't pay attention to anyone else," Hermione said, taking a deep breath and calming down. "Just pretend this newspaper doesn't exist."
"You can't say that," Aaron said, smiling at Harry Potter. "If you have someone you like, it's best to clarify your relationship with Hermione to her, otherwise it's easy to cause misunderstandings."
Harry froze for a moment, thinking of Ravenclaw's Seeker, Cho Chang, and a sudden paleness appeared on his face... Two weeks quickly passed, with only two days remaining until the first task of the Triwizard Tournament.
The five champions felt the eyes on them intensify.
Cedric was both excited and nervous, constantly surrounded by admirers.
Fleur was calm and confident, as if the dangerous tasks were not worth mentioning.
Harry, however, was preoccupied with worry, anxious about his fate two days later.
He had already sent an owl to Sirius Black, and they would have a face-to-face conversation tonight, which was his only lifeline at the moment.
As for Aaron and Krum, two people who had nothing to do with each other, they would run to the library whenever they had free time. However, Aaron had few people around him because the Slytherins all respected his opinion and tacitly didn't disturb him, but Krum's celebrity effect meant his side was filled with girls.
"How sad!" Aaron shook his head at Krum. He could feel that this big star didn't like this atmosphere, but it was hard to refuse, or rather, refusing was useless.
Just then, Abner, who was dozing on the table, suddenly opened his eyes. He stood up and sniffed the air for a while, then let out a low growl.
Aaron was startled, and his right hand, which was engraving a forbidden magic, trembled involuntarily.
"Damn it! An hour of my hard work!
You'd better give me a perfect explanation, or you won't get supper this month."
"Someone's coming," Abner's face was serious.
"Who?" Aaron looked around. Anyone who could make a Holy Dragon so wary was definitely not a small fry.
"A kindred spirit."
"Are you saying... Dragons?" Aaron swallowed.
"Exactly. The scent is very similar to the Dragon Hagridraised a few years ago, and there's more than one."
Hearing this, Aaron's heart was filled with gloom.
If it was one Dragon, it could be explained by coincidence, but several made him inevitably link it to the first task of the Triwizard Tournament.
No matter what the first task was, getting involved with Dragons, creatures at the top of the magical food chain, would never be simple.
Barty Crouch had said that the first task tested the champions' daring and their ability to deal with danger... Could it be Dragon fighting?
Thinking of this possibility, Aaron also found it hard to remain calm.
He had killed Dragons before; unless it was a magical Dragon like Smaug that had lived for several epochs, other Dragons posed no threat to him. Dragon-slaying magic was no joke.
But the problem was that he had imposed too many restrictions on himself. Fighting a Dragon in the arena, the difficulty of concealing his full power would be much greater than expected.
"Phew! Where are they?" Aaron asked, but the next moment he felt the question was somewhat redundant.
Dangerous magical creatures like Dragons certainly couldn't be kept in Hogwarts Castle. The only place that could accommodate them was the Forbidden Forest, and only one person could care for them, the gamekeeper Hagrid.
"Looks like we need to make a plan," Aaron thought to himself. He no longer had the heart to practice magic circles and left the library, carrying Abner.
After curfew that night, the Slytherin common room door suddenly opened.
Aaron cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, then added an extra layer of security with an illusionary projection. The person and the Dragon headed towards the Forbidden Forest.
Abner sniffed out the scent of its kind, flying in mid-air to lead its master.
As they passed Beauxbatons' carriage, they unexpectedly saw Hagrid. He was dressed more appropriately than usual, without any pungent odors, his hair was specially combed, and he wore a strange yellow flower on his chest.
"Tsk tsk tsk! It seems we've come at the wrong time!" Aaron shook his head. He didn't need to think to know that Hagridwas there to meet Madame Maxime for a date.
However, calling someone out in the middle of the night, the timing was somewhat inappropriate.
"Master, Hagrid has someone else with him!" Abner suddenly said.
"What?"
Aaron was startled for a moment, then focused his gaze.
He hadn't noticed before, but with Abner's reminder, he immediately became alert.
Harry Potter, it was definitely Harry Potter in an Invisibility Cloak.
It seemed he wasn't the only one gathering intelligence late at night!
Madame Maxime descended from the carriage. She and Hagrid chatted and laughed, gradually walking towards the Forbidden Forest.
"Follow them," Aaron quickly decided, pulling Abner down from mid-air and carefully trailing behind the two.
After a long detour around the edge of the Forbidden Forest, they heard deafening roars.
Abner was particularly excited at this moment, spreading its wings as if to fly over, but Aaron held it down firmly.
He could understand Abner's feelings; it had only seen one of its kind, Norbert, in its life. Now having the chance to see other Dragons, it was inevitably a bit restless.
Soon, Hagrid and Madame Maxime stopped.
In front of them was a huge enclosure, where five enormous adult Dragons were confined, the smallest of which were twenty to thirty meters long.
Iron chains locked their legs and necks, and dozens of Wizards, divided into five groups, were subduing them.
Balls of Dragon fire spewed from their mouths, illuminating the night sky nearby.
"Welsh Green, Chinese Fireball, Swedish Short-Snout, Hungarian Horntail, Australian Opaleye," Aaron murmured. He had only seen these Dragons in bestiaries before, never expecting to see them alive today.
"Stay right there, Hagrid," shouted a Wizard pulling on a chain. "They can breathe fire twenty feet. I've seen this Horntail breathe forty feet."
Aaron silently noted this data. If he had to fight a Horntail, he would need to maintain a fifty-foot safe distance.
"Cast Stupefy. Count to three, then cast together," a Wizardshouted.
The Wizards in front of each Dragon instinctively pulled out their wands. After one, two, three, they simultaneously chanted 'Stupefy'.
Each Dragon received at least seven Stupefy spells before gradually quieting down and slowly lying on the ground.
Their mouths were wide open, and black smoke mixed with sparks billowed from their nostrils.
The Dragon handlers lowered their wands, taking advantage of their sleep to reinforce the chains, securing them firmly to iron posts, and then using their wands to drive the posts into the ground.
"How's it going, Hagrid?" Charlie Weasley, one of Ron's brothers, walked over. "It should be fine now; we've given them sedatives.
We thought they'd feel better waking up at night, but it seems they're not happy."
"What types are here, Charlie?"
"Hungarian Horntail, Welsh Green, Swedish Short-Snout, Chinese Fireball Dragon, and Australian Opaleye."
Madame Maxime began to stroll around the enclosure, seemingly wanting to observe each Dragon up close.
When Charlie noticed this, he couldn't help but frown.
"Hagrid, why did you bring her here too?
She'll definitely tell her students, but the champions shouldn't know this before the competition."
"Just to get a look," Hagrid said, staring mesmerized at the Dragons. "The task won't be fighting Dragons, will it?"
"Probably not. That would be an almost impossible task for the champions.
I think it's just passing by them. That would depend on luck, as long as you don't encounter the Hungarian Horntail; it's the most dangerous one.
These are all mother Dragons about to lay eggs, and we've also brought a clutch of Dragon eggs."
"Dragon eggs?" A strange glint, and a deep longing, flashed in Hagrid's eyes, and he couldn't help but groan.
"I've counted them, Hagrid, you'd better not have any funny ideas," Charlie warned helplessly, clearly aware of Hagrid's obsession with Dragons.