A series of events unfolded too quickly. Neither Viktor nor Fleur had time to react before they were pulled in front of Barty Crouch and completed their draws one after another.
Fleur, Viktor, and Harry each drew the dragons they would face. Ethan found that he didn't need to draw, the remaining one was his.
Even though the order of the draw had changed, Harry still, unfortunately, ended up with the most dangerous dragon, the Hungarian Horntail.
Ethan would be facing the same dragon that Cedric Diggory had drawn in the original storyline—a Swedish Short-Snout.
"Alright, the champions have determined their opponents. Now it's time for you to perform."
Barty Crouch didn't stay long or give a lengthy speech. He and Dumbledore left together, leaving the tent to the competitors.
Facing a dragon, even Viktor, who had experienced many grand occasions, appeared very nervous. He paced back and forth in the open space.
Fleur stood nearby, biting her lip. Though she remained still, her foot tapped the ground repeatedly, showing that she was far from calm.
Surprisingly, Harry was the calmest among them. Was this a protagonist's innate trait?
Although the Harry in front of Ethan hadn't yet undergone the repeated trials of the original plot, his resilient heart was clearly innate, allowing him to stay composed when facing pressure.
"Aren't you nervous at all?"
Harry had been watching the others. Viktor and Fleur's reactions had somewhat affected him, but when he looked at Ethan, this Slytherin classmate didn't seem nervous at all.
"Why should I be nervous?"
"You're about to face a dragon."
"Just a dragon." Ethan stood with arms crossed. "There are plenty of beings in the magical world more powerful than dragons. Weren't these dragons captured by wizards?"
They were all young and among the best of their schools. They would never believe they were inferior to others. Saying dragons were strong didn't bother them, but implying they were weaker than 'ordinary' wizards was something they couldn't accept.
Viktor stopped pacing, and Fleur's tapping foot also stilled. Their nervousness eased slightly.
There was no reason they couldn't do what other wizards had done.
As for the fact that it took a group of wizards to capture these dragons... well, they weren't being asked to kill the dragons, just to retrieve the golden egg under their protection.
Just then, the competition officially began.
Fleur was the first to leave the tent. Having calmed down, she suddenly paused as she passed Ethan. "Thank you... Also, I'd like to ask you about wandless casting sometime."
Without waiting for a reply, she walked out of the tent.
Harry, who had been sitting nearby, and Viktor, who was standing close, naturally heard Fleur's words.
"Don't worry. I won't tell Hermione."
"..."
Viktor turned his face aside and cleared his throat as if he hadn't heard anything.
Ethan shook his head and walked to the tent's entrance.
It looked like he was standing there listening to the commentary and crowd reactions. In reality, he was observing everything through mental energy. The view was no different from what his eyes would see.
He noticed that as the commentator narrated and the crowd gasped, both Harry and Viktor who had been calmer started to tense up again.
But this time, Ethan didn't say anything more. He kept his eyes closed, as if silently absorbing the pressure around him.
Soon, Fleur succeeded in retrieving the golden egg from under the dragon's guard. After calming herself, she had cast a Sleeping Charm, putting the dragon into a groggy state. She took the opportunity to snatch the egg.
Though the dragon's snoring breath nearly singed her with fire, she managed to get through the round without major mishaps.
Next up was Viktor. Only Ethan and Harry remained in the tent, listening to intermittent commentary and crowd reactions. Ethan stood silently while Harry could only guess what was happening outside.
Just as a particularly loud gasp echoed from the audience, Ethan opened his eyes.
"Viktor made a mistake. He damaged the golden egg."
Harry was stunned for a second, then understood.
"You can see what's going on outside?"
"Fleur got the egg smoothly. Viktor messed up. If nothing changes, he'll be ranked last in this task."
"Uh..."
Although Ethan didn't answer directly, it was clear enough that Harry understood.
"Can I really pull this off?"
"That depends on whether you really want to succeed." Ethan stepped aside slightly. "Go. It's your turn."
Harry looked at Ethan one more time, then nodded and walked out with determination.
This time, Ethan didn't use his mental energy to observe, because Harry would summon his broomstick and fly around the dragon. He wasn't going to waste effort following a high-speed aerial chase.
He simply stood there and waited.
Compared to the previous two rounds, Harry's match took longer. In the end, he successfully retrieved the golden egg.
Since this was Hogwarts, their home ground, the audience erupted in the loudest cheers of the tournament so far when Harry succeeded.
As Ethan exited the tent and waited by the arena, Harry walked past him holding the golden egg. Upon seeing Ethan, he beamed and approached.
"I did it."
"Well done, Harry."
Harry was thrilled. He smiled, nodded, encouraged Ethan with a few words, and went off to find his friends.
The contestants didn't need to leave after finishing. They could find a place to watch the others.
Ethan scanned the area and saw Fleur sitting with her schoolmates, golden egg in hand, while Viktor sat with his classmates, his face dark.
After a short break and prep, another dragon was led in and chained. With everything ready again, the audience focused their attention on the final performance.
"I wonder if this dragon can break the chains."
"Probably not. Didn't you see them reinforce it with extra chains?"
In Harry's match, the Hungarian Horntail had broken its restraints, leading to a chase across the sky. Otherwise, the trial would have remained confined to the arena.
Everything was ready.
Ethan drew his wand and began thinking about how to approach this.
Unlike the other contestants, who had been cautious and used the terrain for cover, he walked directly toward the dragon.
The Swedish Short-Snout was considered one of the gentler breeds, with the fewest recorded fatalities. But dragons were still dragons, and their reputation was far from friendly.
Sensing a human's approach and the threat to its egg, the dragon instinctively reacted. It released a small ball of blue flame, like a warning: Don't come closer.
Ethan ignored it. With a flick of his wand, the blue flame, still floating in the air, re-condensed and flew back, hitting the Short-Snout right in the face.
"Whoa!"
The spectators had already watched three matches. Fleur had approached quietly, cast a spell, and taken the egg while the dragon was drowsy.
Viktor had used a more aggressive approach, attempting to blind the dragon with a spell, then retrieve the egg while it was disoriented. Unfortunately, the injured dragon stepped on the egg and broke it.
As for Harry's match, everyone had witnessed the full chase.
Despite the differences, all three shared the same goal: avoid direct confrontation.
And now Ethan... was taking the dragon head-on?
"The paper was right. This kid really is insane."
Ethan's actions enraged the Short-Snout. Though chained, it could still reach him. Since he wasn't backing away, the dragon attacked.
A massive claw swept down.
The audience gasped collectively. From their perspective, Ethan was about to be crushed.
Hermione screamed in fear, and Fleur covered her mouth in shock.
But the next moment stunned them all.
The dragon's claw never landed. Midway down, it was suddenly slashed open. Blood spattered across the claw. Countless wounds appeared, as though sliced by dozens of invisible blades. The intense pain made the dragon roar in agony.
(To be continued.)