Harry Potter : Bloodraven-Chapter 300: The First Task, Nightmare Difficulty V (CH - 319)

The transfigured bull was approximately the size of a truck, but compared to the towering, nearly three story high Hungarian Horntail, it appeared as nothing more than a tiny, insignificant dot against the dragon's massive, scaly body.

The dragon refrained from immediately pouncing to tear the cow to shreds or annihilating it with a scorching blast of dragon breath. Instead, it paused, shrewdly judging what exactly this audacious thing was trying to do.

Mooooo!

The strange sound of a cow's low pitched, insistent whimper echoing through the Triwizard Tournament stadium was quite an amusing and unusual scene to witness.

"Did you see that, everyone!" the commentator called excitedly, his amplified voice tinged with barely contained glee. "Mr Harry Potter is having his creation seduce the ferocious dragon. He wants to lure the beast away. Clever. But I do hope Mr Potter remembers that dragons are no mere beasts. They are highly intelligent magical creatures—"

He paused mid sentence, then continued with even greater excitement.

"—Oh wait a moment. What are Miss Granger and Mr Weasley up to?" He paused again. "They are… ladies and gentlemen, Mr Potter has apparently given control of the transfiguration to Mr Weasley. And Miss Granger has transfigured a second creation, another bull of the same species. It appears their plan is indeed to lure the dragon away from the nest."

On the field, Ron and Hermione guided the actions of the two fat bulls, making them perform taunting movements toward the dragon.

A roar echoed as the large Hungarian Horntail lazily tilted its head. To the dragon, everything had happened far too suddenly. One moment it had been resting in its usual place, nesting its young, and the next it found itself in an unfamiliar environment, surrounded by a swarm of buzzing insects that irritated its senses.

Its mood soured. Its massive neck slowly turned toward the nest of shimmering golden straw where its eggs rested, and it felt the connection immediately. Good news, at least. Its young were unharmed. These were its children.

Its movements grew cautious. Ignoring the tiny creatures directly, its gaze finally settled on the two juicy looking cattle. Hungry.

Harry, seeing the dragon's attention fully shift to the bait, finally made his move. With as little movement as possible, he retrieved his broom immediately and hopped onto it, slowly rising into the sky.

Roar!

The dragon let out a deafening roar and drew in a breath, its eyes locked onto the prey some distance away. It still had not moved an inch from the nest, and from that very spot it unleashed a scorching jet of dragon breath at the nearest cow.

Flames hot enough to melt even metal surged forward like a charging train, targeting the cattle guided by Hermione. But the witch had anticipated it, and the transfigured creature was already moving the moment she saw the dragon inhale.

She ran in one direction, and under her control the creation hammered its four legs against the ground and bolted faster than any fat cow ever should have been able to.

Boom!

Dragonfire scorched the earth, melting stone and soil alike, but it missed, the cattle already gaining distance.

Roar!

The Hungarian Horntail released an irritated second roar at its failed attack, only to catch sight of another fat piece of meat.

Ron taunted it, literally making the rear of the cattle wiggle in the dragon's direction before sending the transfiguration running.

The audacity.

Since when had its prey ever provoked its majesty. Their purpose was to serve as nourishment. It was a beast, yes, but it was not mindless. Even a mindless creature could recognize provocation, especially one so humiliating.

How dare that insect.

It roared again, drawing in a deeper breath.

"Ron! Get away!" Hermione shouted from the other side, though she hardly needed to. The redhead was already running, the cattle under his control fleeing in another direction. If they ran in the same line, he would no doubt be caught in the blast.

High above, Harry's brows twitched as he noticed Ron's daring move. That taunt had not been part of the plan. Since when had his best friend grown so bold. Still, while part of his attention was on his friends, he had not forgotten the objective. He was waiting. Waiting for the dragon to leave its nest.

Come on. Move. Just move.

Unfortunately, his wish did not come true.

The dragon unleashed its ferocious breath a second time without leaving its position, faster this time, hotter, and reaching farther. The cow, no, the rock it had once been, was completely engulfed, dragonfire overwhelming the transfiguration and reverting it into molten stone that melted like plastic beneath the flames.

"Things are escalating quickly now, ladies and gentlemen," the commentator announced. "Mr Potter's bait does not seem to be working, and time is no longer on his side... and let us not forget the clock. Half the time is already gone. Fifteen minutes remain before this effort scores nothing."

He stopped short as the situation changed. "Oh. Are we about to see our final champion take a more direct approach?"

The trio had gone into the task with three prepared plans to secure the prize, simply called Plans A, B, and C. The first, drawing the dragon away from its nest, had proven unworkable. That left two options.

"Mr Weasley and Miss Granger have taken to the skies as well," the commentator's passionate voice rang out. "Incredible, but a bold move."

The screens displayed Ron and Hermione mounted on a single broom, Hermione seated behind Ron with her arms wrapped firmly around his waist. The broom cut through the air in a steady climb, neither too fast nor too slow, before leveling out beside Harry, the three of them facing the massive dragon in a tense standstill.

The stands exploded into thunderous applause. Finally, some action. The long, tense lull was over.

The cameras flashed, each one catching a different angle. The colossal wyvern stood fully upright on all four limbs, towering hundreds of feet over the arena. Against its sheer size, the trio on their brooms looked no larger than ants before an elephant.

Roar!

The wyvern unleashed a thunderous roar that rolled across the stadium, the sound crashing into the stands like a physical force. Its massive body surged forward, winged limbs slamming into the ground and sending violent tremors through the arena floor.

"Now!" Harry yelled over the noise. "Just like we planned!"

Ron peeled off to the left while Harry veered hard to the right, their brooms slicing through the air in opposite directions. At the same time, Hermione raised her wand, her eyes sharp and focused.

"Aguamenti!"

A powerful gush of water burst forth from the enchanted bag hanging at her waist, surging upward in a roaring stream before gathering above her head. The water twisted and swelled, forming into a massive, churning sphere that shimmered under the arena lights.

High in the stands, Dumbledore and Karkaroff flanked Olympe Maxime, the size difference so striking it was as if she had adopted two well dressed ornaments. The camera paused on them just long enough to catch their reactions, turning the scene into a quietly amusing sight.

Olympe Maxime lifted an eyebrow, clearly impressed by what she was seeing. "If I remember correctly, these three are only third year students, Albus. Or has Hogwarts advanced to the point where thirteen year olds now perform magic of such complexity?"

Dumbledore smiled faintly, fingers brushing his beard. "If you are curious, there is plenty of time to see for yourself. We have an entire year ahead, after all, for you to observe Hogwarts' standards of teaching."

In truth, he was just as surprised. That level of control… it went far beyond what someone her age should have been capable of.

"And let us not forget their preparation," Amos Diggory added, nodding thoughtfully. Since when, he wondered, had they even come equipped with that much water?

"Ingenious, yes..." Karkaroff said, then narrowed his eyes. "But do they really think a little splash of water will stop a dragon?"

"Now, now, Igor. It may be a little early to pass judgment," Dumbledore said, smiling as he continued to stroke his beard. "Let us wait and see."

"Oh, this is splendid!" the commentator's voice also rang out as the spectacular display of magic unfolded on the field. "Brilliant preparation from Hogwarts, and an incredible display of magic from the young witch!"

With a decisive flick of her wand, Hermione was seen driving the water forward, the great sphere racing toward the wyvern's head as it roared.

Its jaws were spread wide, fire building within, the heat visible in the air like a burning torch in its throat. The next instant, the enormous mass of water, easily the size of its head, crashed into it, jerking the dragon's skull sideways. The air hissed and boiled, a clear warning of the danger the behemoth posed even without breathing fire.

"Did it work?" the commentator wondered aloud, watching. A beat later, he added, "If anything, it looks like it only enraged the dragon. Surely they don't expect water by itself to bring down a monster of this scale!"

Hermione, of course, was not stupid enough to assume as such. She watched as the wyvern snarled at her, enraged, its eyes narrowing as it locked onto her.

"Hermione, please tell me you're nearly done," Ron shouted, swallowing hard as his knuckles went white around the handle. "It looks properly angry now!"

His heart was pounding in his ears. The sight alone was enough to freeze his blood. Only his absolute trust in her was keeping him from bolting.

"Wait..." Hermione answered from behind him, her voice stretching the words as she lifted her wand high, already shaping the next surge of magic.

The dragon took another crushing step forward, the ground buckling beneath its weight. Harry was forgotten. The nest, ignored. All that mattered now were the little bugs daring to toy with it.

Its focus had narrowed to the two insects drifting backward in the air, slowly, mocking it with every inch they retreated. When had its majesty ever been reduced to this.

Its anger boiled over. It wanted nothing more than to drown them in fire, to erase those two flies from the sky and reclaim its dominance in ash and flame.

It inhaled deeply, the sound of air being dragged into its lungs audible even from the stands as its chest swelled and fire began to build within.

"Hermione, any bloody time now!" Ron screamed, sweat pouring down his face.

"Here it comes! Here it comes!" the commentator screamed too, barely able to remain seated. A collective gasp rippled through the stands. Would security have to intervene? And even if they did, could they stop it in time? 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

And just as the fire was about to burst forth, Hermione finally made her move.

"Glacius!"

Her wand flashed. The water clinging to the dragon's head froze in an instant, ice racing across its scales in the blink of an eye. Frost swallowed its massive skull, the sudden blue sheen smothering the heat as the wyvern's breath stalled mid draw. Its jaws snapped shut with a furious snarl, as if it had just swallowed a truckload of ice.

The timing was flawless. Any earlier, and the dragon would have shaken it off. Any later, and the fire would have already been unleashed. It worked.

"Incredible! I can hardly believe what we are seeing!" the commentator cried. "That was perfect execution and not luck ladies and gentlemen. An extraordinary display of control from Miss Granger!"

And then his voice rose even higher.

"And look at this! Mr Potter is preparing to strike as well. The champion steps forward now. The question is, can he top that astonishing display?"

—————————

Author's Note:

🔥 Drop those Power Stones! 🔥

If you're enjoying the story and wish to support me, you can visit my P@tr3on, where you can read 25+ extra chapters ahead!

You can find this story on Webnovel, Fanfiction, and ScribbleHub, all under the same author name: RyanFic. Updates drop first on Webnovel!

PAT r30n [.] com / RyanFic

Thank you so much for your support. It means the world! 💙😊