Chapter 51: Ice!
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Without worry, he turned his back on the dragon in order to face the ground, noting that they weren't cheering quite as loudly for him as they had been for Cedric.
That was probably due to the reputation he had gained over the past few weeks. Whilst the large majority of Gryffindor revered him as a hero, and greatly admired him, his fanclub in the other houses wasn't so large.
Most of Hufflepuff resented him in much the same way that most of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons did, hating how he opposed their champion. Ravenclaw, though curious, were largely neutral on the matter.
The Slytherins, on the other hand, were either also neutral, or clear in their utter hatred of him.
Whether it was for slaying Lord Voldemort as a baby, humiliating Malfoy, or making Snape cry, he did not know. Come to think about it, he also didn't particularly care.
Nonetheless, their respect could be useful, and what better way to gain it than a display of his power? And what better way to display his power than destroying a dragon and showing off at the same time?
He couldn't think of one useful at the present moment, so he lifted his wand high into the air. A crack of thunder split the sky, and lightning exploded from the heavens and smashed into the ground - directly where Harry had been standing.
The crowd went silent as a cloud of dust rose from what could have only been the sight of a misfired spell.
Surely the second Hogwarts champion hadn't failed so soon? He was only a 14 year old, but this?
Quiet murmurings began to rise up, but then the debris cleared, and they were afforded a decidedly unexpected sight: Harry stood unharmed, his eyes glowing neon green and a sword of shining silver hanging lazily from his right hand.
He slowly raised the weapon, and it took only a moment for the crowd to resume their cheering. And then he charged. Illusions would not fool a dragon, and spells would not have much of an effect; he would have to get up close and personal.
Bouncing from rock to rock in inhumanly large leaps, he made his way closer to the dragon. In turn, it let out a challenging roar, before unleashing a torrent of burning flames at him, causing him to duck behind a rock.
Even then, the heat was searing hot, beginning to make him sweat. He didn't doubt that it was of a temperature hot enough to incinerate him in a moment - through his enchanted underlayer and all.
Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if it was hot enough to kill a full Asgardian, let alone him, with the ice of Jotunheim coursing through his veins.
For a moment, the fire relented, and Harry was immediately darting towards the next cover. He managed to dash a further ten meters after that, skidding behind the next boulder as the flames resumed.
Apparently, the dragon had learned, for as he made to progress to the next rock, he found a blast of fire heading towards him, the dragon not having expended all of it a few moments before.
It was only his razor-sharp reflexes that saved him from certain death, allowing him to erect a shield of glowing golden light that prevented his incineration.
It was only a second or two before the dragon halted its fiery breath, and this time, Harry was confident the creature wasn't bluffing. So he dropped the shield and whipped his wand forward, already incanting, "Infrigum Sanguo!"
A bolt of bright blue light leapt from the tip of his wand like an animal closing in for the kill, entering the dragon's mouth as it opened it once again to release another firestorm. Its eyes bulged, and it appeared to gag on the blood-freezing curse.
Apparently, the protections offered by its scales didn't quite extend to the inside of its throat. At this revelation - one that he had already suspected - Harry began to rain more spells upon the beast.
He knew that if he gave it even a moment, it would have the chance to retaliate with a blast of fire, so he didn't pause, firing low-effort spells off one after another. Another curse managed to get down its throat before it closed its mouth, this one a blasting spell.
The dragon dodged his next hail of spellfire before managing to move its head into the path of a bludgeoning curse. It didn't have much of an effect, but it dazed the dragon long enough for Harry to land his next few curses.
That said, they didn't have much of an effect, cutting and blasting spells alike not having a discernable effect except for making the dragon angrier and causing it to flinch back, though he continued his bombardment, not giving the dragon a moment of reprieve.
And then: a moment of success. Blood sprayed high into the air as a decidedly Dark cutting curse struck the dragon's left eye.
Harry, however, had only a second to feel victory, before something equivalent to a speeding car slammed against his side.
A white hot pain gripped his face as he was flung through the air, and he dimly realized that the dragon had smashed him with its paw, one of its talons slashing through his cheek.
Light once again exploded behind his eyes as he hit a boulder, his head rebounding off the rock with a sickening crack.
There was no doubt that if he had been a human, or not wearing his under layer, he would've been dead. That was probably why the crowd, formerly cheering, burst into screams.
Harry could hear people screaming in terror. It was irritating, for he was trying to get some rest. It also appeared that someone had spilled something hot and sticky over his face, and that he was, for a reason unknown, sleeping outside.
He could hear Loki yelling about something, but he was too tired to figure out what, so he went back to sleep.
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