[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-wizard-war-at-hogwarts":3,"chapter-wizard-war-at-hogwarts-wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-200":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Wizard War at Hogwarts",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2358173,4612,"Chapter 200: Dragon","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-200",200,"\u003Cp>When that day finally arrived, Harry suddenly felt a pang of doubt—even though he and Cedric had both polished their brooms and practiced the Sharpness Charm several times, and even though Harry carried his trump card in a magical pouch—the Seven Sins given to him by Donald—yet as the school buzzed with tension and excitement, and students eagerly discussed the newly built enclosure, Harry suddenly realized the source of his unease: fundamentally, he had never faced an adult dragon before, a terrifying creature capable of killing adult wizards with ease; yet his mind had been entirely consumed by the blind confidence granted by the Time-Shift Matrix and the Seven Sins, until he noticed his hand trembling as he held his bowl of oatmeal, and only then did he understand—he was still afraid of dragons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the morning slipped away, and when Harry finally calmed down, he was sitting in a tent beside the enclosure, with Zhang Qiu gripping his hand tightly, while Ron held his broom for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now, I must announce the details of the first task,” Prince Montbardon said slowly. “As you can see, there is a vast enclosure here—perhaps you’ve heard the roars. Yes, we call it the Dragon’s Nest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry nervously scanned the surroundings; Fleur and Elina sat side by side, while Hermione was earnestly whispering something to them, perhaps her way of easing their nerves. Renata and Krum gripped each other’s hands tightly, their faces far from cheerful—though perhaps Renata’s complexion was naturally pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Inside the Dragon’s Nest are ten dragons of different breeds, each guarding a dragon egg,” Prince Montbardon continued. “Champions must approach an egg, touch its top with their wands, and paint it a color of their choice—this earns six points. Ten eggs mean sixty points total.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cedric sat upright, and Harry knew this was his part. In truth, though Harry could think of several ways to reach the eggs, how to change their color remained a puzzle worth studying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beyond these sixty points, forty more are awarded by the five judges, who will each give you a score based on your magical skill and technique, combining into your final score,” Prince Montbardon explained. “But champions need not feel undue pressure—scoring over forty points will suffice to pass the first round. Your score will determine how complete your clue for the second task is—that is what truly matters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone nodded slightly; forty points was not a difficult target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One more thing,” Prince Montbardon added. “To prevent champions from hesitating, we’ve agreed in advance: injuring the dragons is permitted. Judges will not deduct points for it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Very well. Now, champions, take your places in the waiting area in the agreed order!” he announced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t be too nervous, children,” Madame Maxime said gently. “We’ve stationed people along the perimeter—if things turn dangerous, they’ll intervene. You only need to perform to the best of your ability.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, everyone exhaled slightly. Fleur stood first, taking Elina’s hand as they walked out of the tent. Hermione waved to them and called out loudly, “Stick to what we planned—it’ll be fine! I’ll be waiting for you in the stands!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry, we’ve memorized every step,” Elina replied with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Harry and Cedric rose together, Ron said to him, “Honestly, just improvise—you’ve prepared enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks. We’ve got this,” Harry said, taking his broom from Ron’s hand, then following Cedric out of the tent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he climbed the steps and sat in the frontmost preparation seat, he took in the full view of the Dragon’s Nest: the ground was strewn with jagged rocks, gray-white mounds stretching into the distance. The enclosure was enormous; at a glance, only a few dragons paced restlessly. Upon closer inspection, Harry noticed white dragon eggs beneath their bellies—perhaps not real eggs, but magical props, since the dragons clearly ignored them entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see—those two are Welsh Green Dragons,” Cedric murmured. “That one’s a Swedish Short-Snout.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can identify dragon breeds? Then take a look at the others,” Harry said, pulling out the small telescope he’d bought for Quidditch matches and handing it to Cedric—he was glad he’d brought it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh yes, that one’s a Short-Snout too. Let me count—three total,” Cedric said. “Four Hungarian Horntails, and one Eastern Fireball.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So,” Harry mused, “because of their breeds, their territories are separated—solitary, pairs, and a group of four. That gives us plenty of options.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, safest bet: we only need to handle the solitary Fireball and the two Greens to get eighteen points. The professors won’t begrudge us the remaining twenty-two.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t think so. We can easily get those eighteen, then try taking on the Horntails as a pair of two against three. If you’re unsure about the Short-Snouts, I’ve got a trick up my sleeve.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine. I hope your trick works,” Cedric said, his face slightly green.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry glanced down at the preparation seat. The staff had assigned each team their preferred color—the same as the sofas they’d sat on during their first interview. Fleur and Elina had light blue; he and Cedric had warm orange; Renata and Krum had gray-brown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, how about we turn the eggs orange?” Harry said casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem—I’m quite skilled with the color-changing charm,” Cedric replied with a strained smile. Harry thought his partner might be overly nervous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minutes later, after Renata and Krum had settled and the announcer finished his pleasantries, a voice boomed: “The champions from Beauxbatons and Ilvermorny may begin their challenge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry watched Fleur and Elina—they carried nothing, not even wearing robes. In the chilly November air, they wore their autumn uniforms: short coats over skirts, with thicker tights and high-top canvas shoes—shoes that looked identical to Barty’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like they’re counting on ‘no weapons’ for bonus points,” Harry murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re right,” someone replied—Cedric’s tension eased slightly. “But isn’t it strange? Aren’t they cold? Or is this just to prove they’re truly unarmed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This isn’t just about looks,” Harry rubbed his chin. “We wear thick robes because flying is cold. Their outfits are ideal for ground combat—light, snug, built for agility.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then by that logic,” Cedric glanced at the two beside them and lowered his voice, “Krum’s wearing the same thick robe—he must plan to fly too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Renata’s dressed for the season in cotton, but it’s not flight-ready. What’s she thinking?” Harry whispered back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A roar of applause erupted. Harry noticed Fleur and Elina had entered the arena, so he fell silent, focusing intently on the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fleur and Elina approached the Fireball Dragon one behind the other, crouching low, creeping closer. Suddenly, Elina sprang up and sprinted left, casting a spell as she ran.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fireball Dragon was hit—it grew agitated, pacing in place. Elina darted backward again. Fleur, meanwhile, moved slowly toward the egg. Miraculously, the dragon seemed blind to her, focusing only on spitting fire at Elina.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That aim’s terrible—what spell did she use?” Harry couldn’t help asking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like the Blinding Hex,” Cedric marveled. “I thought it wouldn’t work—but maybe Fireball Dragons can’t resist it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elina kept leaping side to side; the crowd gasped intermittently. But the blinded dragon couldn’t aim properly—fireballs landed harmlessly meters from her, until she nearly escaped the range. Then, a thunderous cheer erupted. Harry realized: Fleur had quietly painted the egg beneath the dragon a deep blue—the same color as Elina’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a flash, the two girls bolted from the dragon’s territory like rabbits. Harry couldn’t help cheering their cleverness and courage—they completed the task without provoking the dragon at all, a method utterly different from Harry’s own, yet equally brilliant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Welsh Greens, Fleur took the lead, Elina followed. Harry instantly guessed: Fleur would cast the spell. True enough, the dragon fell into a drowsy stupor under her charm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Greens looked content, resting their ugly heads on their claws and snoring. Then, an absurd accident occurred: the first dragon to fall asleep let out a powerful jet of flame—directly striking the wing-root of the other, jolting it awake. Elina, who had already crept near the eggs, dropped flat to the ground, motionless. But Fleur quickly cast another spell—the awakened dragon’s eyelids fluttered shut again. Once asleep, Elina easily reached both eggs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving the Greens’ territory, they headed toward the Swedish Short-Snouts. The audience, who had dared not speak for fear of waking the dragons, erupted in cheers. Harry sat up straight, eager to see how they’d handle the three dragons.\u003C\u002Fp>",1402,"2026-06-21T04:54:27.874Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2dbc218cde4b7581fc7b324b7fa82a642159353c1f5f650b875be792634ff6a1","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-201","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-199",528,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwizard-war-at-hogwarts-cover.jpg"]