Harry Potter : Bloodraven-Chapter 299: The First Task, Nightmare Difficulty IV (CH - 318)

Chapter 299: The First Task, Nightmare Difficulty IV (CH - 318)

"Incredible, ladies and gentlemen, absolutely incredible!" the announcer exclaimed, his voice ringing with barely contained excitement. "That makes three of the five champions through the task without a single emergency response. A thunderous round of applause for Durmstrang’s own Viktor Krum! Known to the world as a Quidditch legend, and now he has shown us that his magic is just as exceptional!"

Three and a half hours had passed beneath roaring cheers and held breaths. Thanks to an exceptionally well organized team running the operation with precision, five champions had already completed the task and claimed the golden egg.

As proclaimed by the overly enthusiastic commentator, Viktor Krum had indeed shown that he was more than just good on a broom, scoring eighty five points in total, the highest score so far. Cedric and Fleur followed close behind, while the remaining champions of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were not far off either.

Durmstrang’s second champion scored fifty seven points, while Beauxbatons finished with sixty. Their reduced scores were the result of necessary intervention, as Maverick and Flitwick stepped in when the task pushed them perilously close to the dragon’s jaws and becoming dragon food.

Regardless, the games had been gripping from start to finish, and the roaring atmosphere had not diminished in the slightest. Now the stage was set for the final contestants. Harry and his team, drawn to perform last, were ready to reveal what they were made of.

"What brilliant confidence, ladies and gentlemen," the announcer’s jovial voice boomed out over the arena, brimming with barely contained excitement. "Let’s hear a rousing round of applause for our final competitors, Hogwarts’ very own Harry Potter! Let’s see if they can give us a performance to remember!"

Harry entered the arena with Ron and Hermione at his sides, and indeed looking every bit as confident as anyone had yet been. Well, they had better have. After all, compared to the others, they had the most time to put together a solid plan.

The dragon occupied the center of the arena, the ground beneath it shaped into a gentle rise. The trio approached with care, paused near the base to perform a few spells on themselves, then continued forward.

From their vantage point, the dragon dominated the summit, its massive body covering more than half the hilltop. It was, without question, the largest and most terrifying creature they had ever laid eyes upon, even bigger than that three headed monstrosity they had faced during their first year.

"Merlin’s beard, mate..." Ron muttered before he could stop himself, forcing his shoulders to square as he tried to look confident. He showed no outward fear, same as the others, yet deep down his stomach twisted in knots. Knowing an adult dragon was part of the task and standing before one were, he realized, two very different things.

Even from that distance, they could feel the raw, overwhelming power emanating from the beast.

"Just one wrong move, one tiny mistake, and this dragon could easily rip us to shreds..."

"Thanks for that, Hermione. Really comforting." Ron shot her a sideways look and rolled his eyes before turning to Harry. "We still going with Plan A, mate?"

"Absolutely," Harry replied firmly, without a second thought.

When the start was finally signaled, an eerie silence swept across the stadium. The deafening roar of the stands vanished, every spectator leaning forward, eyes fixed on the trio’s motionless forms as they waited to see how the final team would face the terrifying obstacle before them.

High in the stands, the other five champions also were watching intently, curious to see how Harry and his team would handle the challenge. Would they take the direct route like Cedric and Krum, win the crowd with clever magic like Fleur, or push through with raw force?

Meanwhile, all across Britain and the European magical communities, spectators alike were huddled together, watching with the same anticipation.

"Well, it appears the Boy Who Lived may need a moment to collect himself first," the commentator’s voice rang out across the arena and from the magical vision speakers once more, his tone one of barely contained amusement. The scene showed Harry and the duo simply standing still, observing the creature many times their height.

However, no sooner had the words left his lips than Harry, Hermione, and Ron, who had been standing stock still for a while, finally moved into action.

Their movements were neither stiff nor awkward. They did not separate either like some of their counterparts before them, instead climbing the slope in a single line.

It was evident they had undergone some training, shown in the way they concealed themselves, crouching low and moving carefully along the paths between the boulders that dotted the hillside.

An absolute silence settled over the stadium, so deep that even the fall of a pin would have echoed, as the crowd waited for the trio’s strategy to reveal itself.

Slowly, carefully, they made their way upward and halted behind a large boulder, some hundred feet from the dragon’s sleeping form. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Up close, they truly realized just how massive the creature was. Ron was drenched in sweat, his hair plastered to his forehead and his robes sticking to his skin, and Harry and Hermione looked no better.

They took a moment to gather themselves, pressing their backs against the conveniently placed boulder and cautiously peeking around its edges to assess their progress.

Harrys heart leapt into his throat as he peeked out, when his gaze fell upon the glint of the golden egg, nestled among the dragon’s own clutch.

"I saw it. The egg," he whispered to the others.

"I saw it too."

"Then we should hurry," Hermione said quietly. "Ten minutes have likely already passed."

Harry gave a firm nod while Hermione added another cushioning charm with a flick of her wand.

"Be careful," she whispered.

"I will."

Steeling his nerves, the Boy Who Lived pressed on, shuffling closer with care while Ron and Hermione stayed behind. His movements were so light that not a single footstep echoed, the cushioning magic doing its work.

The rules demanded that the first offensive come from the champion himself. The dragon was still, apparently asleep, which in itself was an accomplishment, since no champion before had come this close without rousing it.

Harry exploited every lapse in the dragon’s vigilance, slipping from one boulder to the next as he drew closer.

One hundred feet... ninety... seventy... fifty...

At that distance, he could clearly feel the dragon’s powerful presence pressing in on him. He could see its ferocious fangs beneath its jaws and the hot steam spilling from its nostrils with every breath.

"What will Mr Harry Potter do?" the commentator wondered aloud, perfectly timing the moment. Of course, his voice was only audible to the spectators, and not inside the field, otherwise any attempt at stealth would be useless.

Harry ultimately stopped thirty feet from the Hungarian Horntail. Everyone understood why he stopped there. Apart from the boulder he was hiding behind, there were no more sufficiently large rocks nearby to offer cover.

He leaned back against it once again, taking a few deep breaths, and quietly turned his head to survey the surroundings for what felt like the hundredth time.

Unless you had power to spare, the environment was never something to overlook. That was something Professor Caesar had taught him well.

Harry was keenly aware that he could not simply sneak right up to the nest. How could a tournament of this scale present a task so easy.

He gauged the distance with intense focus, forgetting even that he was under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of witches and wizards.

Time seemed to freeze across the stadium as everyone waited for Harry to act. And perhaps influenced by the strange tension in the air, the dragon’s growling breaths also seemed to have deepened, thick sulfurous smoke puffing from its nostrils even as it remained, seemingly asleep.

Then, under the gaze of tens of thousands, Harry finally moved. His wand slipped out from behind the rock, its tip steady as it pointed toward a boulder a dozen feet away. The air stirred. A sudden gust rose from nowhere, and the stone twisted and reshaped itself. In the next heartbeat, a massive, absurdly fat bull stood where the boulder had been, filling the competition screens.

"Good heavens," Professor McGonagall said, eyes bright with approval. "That is exceptionally well executed transfiguration. If Mr Potter had performed such work in my classroom, I would have awarded him full marks without hesitation."

"Outstanding transfiguration magic, ladies and gentlemen. If I am not mistaken, that is a Chianina, one of the largest cattle breeds in the world. Which raises the question... is Mr Potter going to attempt exactly what we all think he is?"

The commentator’s voice rang out, warm with excitement as the pressure in the stands relaxed just a touch. "At last, our final champion acts. A flawless bait, if I may say so. One can hardly miss the intention behind it."

As expected, the enormous, tempting cattle sprang to life the instant it could move. Guided by Harry’s magic, it did not rush the dragon directly, instead tearing across the slope in a wide arc, hooves pounding as it bellowed loudly.

"Aha! It seems the dragon has finally awakened from its slumber," the commentator laughed. "But will the Hungarian Horntail take the bait? Breakfast delivered right to its bedside!"

The clever Hungarian Horntail indeed had already awakened to the noise, its keen eyes immediately locking onto the very fat, very tempting meal the moment the stone transformed.

The earth quivered as the massive beast slowly lifted itself from its crouched position, letting out a low growl.

However, it did not pounce at once, nor did it incinerate the fat creature with a burst of dragonfire. Instead, it paused, watching closely, judging what this audacious little thing was trying to do. Or perhaps its keen senses had caught something else entirely.

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Author’s Note:

Apologies for the late update. Work has been intense these few couple of days, plus I want to take my time with this arc to make it as immersive as possible for you all. ✌️

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Author’s Note:

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