The dragon that lays golden eggs

// THIS IS AN OLD CHAPTER. THE NEW CHAPTERS ARE IN VOLUME 2. YOU CAN READ THESE CHAPTERS IF YOU WANT SOME INSIGHT ON WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN LATER BUT SOME EVENTS CAN BE DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW CHAPTERS.

Today is finally the big day, the start of the first test. Draco and Pansy's propaganda campaign has paid off, almost the entire school wears anti-Potter badges except for the Gryffindor students. But my training near the lake also made a big impression because most of the people who ignored me when the champions were announced are now supporting me.

I am having breakfast in the great hall when they come to pick us up for the start of the trial. Harry was already scary pale entering the Great Hall this morning but when McGonagall approached him to take him to the castle grounds for the ordeal, he vomited the contents of his stomach behind the Gryffindor table.

"Bones, it's time to go, the other champions are waiting for us." Snape had just arrived behind me.

McGonagall and Harry were waiting for us outside the entrance to the Great Hall, once we get to their side, we all walk together towards the castle grounds.

"I don't know how you manage to stay so calm Severus. I am worried to death. They are way too young!"

"I'm calm because I have no reason to worry. I know Bones won't disappoint me. As for Potter, it's always the ones you love the least who live the longest."

We move towards the enclosure of the dragons where tiers have been set up as well as a large tent. Snape lifts a section of it, letting Harry and me get inside as he walks away with McGonagall. Fleur and Viktor are already there, they are worried sick, and Viktor is so on edge that I have the impression that he will explode at any moment and ravage the tent.

I'm sitting on the bed next to Fleur. She looked incredibly pale, almost as much as Harry. She keeps playing with her hands in a somewhat desperate attempt to distract herself.

"You should stop worrying about something so easy, it's just a dragon after all." Fleur jumps, apparently, she hadn't seen me sit next to her.

"How do you manage to be so calm?"

"It's just because I know it won't take me more than a minute to pass the test. And I think you shouldn't worry too because I know you can do it." She gives a weak smile but regains her stressed expression soon after.

"Hey, Krum" Victor looks up in my direction. "How about a small bet? Whoever takes the longest time to complete his ordeal has to throw himself naked into the lake. Are you up for it?" He smiles before bursting into laughter, I think it's the first time I've seen him laugh since he arrived at the castle.

"If you win, I'll also dedicate your broom." Now, it is I who explode with laughter, even Fleur cheers up a bit and seems more relaxed.

"And if you win, I'll sign yours."

Fleur gets up from the bed she was sitting on. "In that case, if I ever lose, I'll jump into the lake too."

"I almost want to lose on purpose now" I can imagine the scene of the young veela naked in the lake, her breasts firmed by the cold water of this late autumn. The Beast seems to appreciate this moment of bewilderment in my imagination.

"Sean, your aura! You're leaking." Fleur warns me when she senses the change.

"Ha! Oops." The two champions are much more relaxed than when I arrived in the tent, but it seems that the recreation is over when we see Ludovic Bagman lifting the piece of fabric that served as the entrance, a silk bag in hand.

"Ha, it seems you are finally all gathered. I can now explain the trial. In this bag are the miniature models of the things you are going to face. Your task will not be to defeat the creature but to retrieve a golden egg to keep. by this one. When the audience is seated, you will draw from this bag the… variety of the creature that you are going to face. "

He leaves and does not come back until about twenty minutes later to make us shoot the dragons. Fleur is the first to choose and she comes across a Welsh Green. Viktor Krum runs into the Chinese Fireball. Then it was my turn, I had a fifty percent chance of hitting the Hungarian Horntail or the Swedish Short-Snout, but it looks like fate really wants to see Harry face off against the Hungarian Horntail.

When we all had a dragon, I was the first to pass as the local school representative. I cross a small path between the trees to reach the arena, the audience is going crazy when they see me arriving. Hogwarts students are the most numerous and the loudest of all. Their cheers stifle the boos from other schools.

At the back of the arena is the dragon, its blue scales are much more beautiful in the sunlight than in the dark the last time I saw them. There were several normal dragon eggs below the dragon and between them a single golden egg. Everyone expected the dragon to run over me as soon as I entered the arena, but my hypnosis worked, and the dragon just stared at me from a distance and did nothing. I raise my wand revealing a white light at the end of it. This is the signal for the dragon to bring me the golden egg. it grabs it in its mouth and walks quietly in my direction under the gaze of incomprehension of the audience who have suddenly become silent. The dragon stops in front of me before opening its mouth to place the egg, covered in dragon drool, in my hand.

"And the ordeal is already over. The public and I are struggling to understand what just happened in our eyes, but Mr. Bones' victory is undeniable." Mr. Bagman's voice is amplified by a sonorus when he addresses the crowd.

At the end of the organizer's announcement, the public wakes up and it is under a standing ovation that a sorcerer escorts me out of the arena to the judges' stand to observe the trials of the other champions. The judges raise their wands to give me my grade. Madame Maxime gave me a ten as did Dumbledore, Crouch Senior, and Ludo Verpey. The only one who didn't give me the maximum score is Igor Karkaroff who gave me an eight.

Fleur is the next to enter the arena, she struggles a bit but ends up putting her dragon to sleep with a trance spell. Most of the boys were delighted to see the dragon snoring. One of its snores set fire to the dress of the pretty Beauxbatons champion leaving her slender legs bare. It was then Krum's turn to cast a spell in the eyes of his dragon, but the latter in his fury, crushed several of his eggs causing Viktor to lose several points.

Then came Potter's turn, I lean slightly in my seat. I can't wait to see Potter be put in his place by the dragon.

"And now it's our last champion's turn, make an ovation to Harry Potter!" Very few Hogwarts students stand up to support Potter, leaving an awkward silence reigning over the arena.

Harry enters it, the Hungarian Horntail awaiting him with impatience on the other side of the arena just above its eggs. Harry raises his wand to attempt a spell.

"Accio Firebolt!" We wait for several seconds but nothing happens.

It is at this moment that the dragon chooses to attack. It rushes towards Harry to try to devour him with one bite, but Potter manages to dodge it by throwing himself to the left. The dragon turns around ready to unleash a torrent of flame on Harry. But in a last-ditch effort, he throws a stun spell that hits the dragon's left front paw. The large lizard wobbles and the spray of flame that emerges from its mouth deviate slightly from its original course to burn only Potter's left flank leaving his head barely intact.

The rescue services intervene as soon as they see that Potter has been hit by the dragon's fire breath. Five wizards paralyze it while healers, including Madam Pomfrey, rush to Harry to give him first aid. Harry's cries of agony echo through the stadium which is being evacuated by the professors.

I am evacuated with the other champions and it is finally in Dumbledore's office that the result of the ordeal is announced to us. We are with Dumbledore, Madame Maxime, Igor Karkaroff as well as Ludovic Bagman, and Barty Croupton Senior.

For the first time since I have been at Hogwarts, I can see Dumbledore drinking strong alcohol. He has poured himself a big glass of whiskey which he drinks as if it was water. I don't know if it's stress or one of his habits but in any case, he's one hell of a good drinker for a grandpa.

"Well done to all of you for winning the trial. Now, for a quick explanation, the next trial will be on February 24th at half-past nine in the morning. The golden eggs you collected can be opened. They contain a riddle you have to figure out if you want to be able to prepare properly for the second task. "Mr. Crouch sighs deeply, he didn't expect such a disaster in the first test, in my opinion. "Let's go to rest, it's been a rough day"

As everyone leaves Dumbledore's office, Dumbledore puts a hand on my shoulder, inviting me to stay a moment longer.

"Sean, I know I'm not supposed to ask you this, but I would like you to give Harry the puzzle solution when you find it, or at least lend him your egg when you're done with it so he can get the chance to prepare for the next task. Obviously, Harry is not ready yet to face such trials and I would like you to help me give him some help, so he has a better chance to make it out alive." Dumbledore looks dejected as he stands by the fireplace with yet another glass of alcohol in his hand.

"I could indeed lend him my egg, but I don't see what I gain from it. It's a competition and I'm winning right now. Why would I lose my advantage to help one of my opponents? "

"Ask me what you want in return and I'll try to get it for you." So many possibilities but I don't know what to ask Dumbledore who would have the same value as my egg. If I ask for his phoenix, he will probably refuse. It will probably be the same if I ask him about the dragons since they belong to a reserve and that they are females with eggs, and I don't particularly want to take care of an egg. I cannot ask him for the Elder wand because he cannot voluntarily give it to me. But in the end, the phoenix is ​​the only thing that interests me and that is also within his reach.

"In that case, I would like a phoenix. Not necessarily Fawkes, but if you can give me a phoenix before the next trial, I agree to give Potter my egg."

"I'll see what I can do but I'm not sure I can get one in such a short time."

"Well, when you're sure you can hold your end of the bargain, I'll do mine." I leave Dumbledore in his office. I hope he can hold his end of the bargain, nothing would make me happier than trading my useless egg for a phoenix.