As soon as Bagman's words fell, a brief silence was followed by a thunderous uproar from the crowd. What did "complete the challenge alone" even mean? There were four dragons!
Aside from the Welsh Green, the other three were fighting dragons. A normal adult wizard would flee in terror from just one of them. A minor facing all four at once? Even the most brilliant student wouldn't stand a chance.
Dudley's challenge of facing four dragons caused a huge stir. Even if the Triwizard Tournament had a high death rate, it didn't mean they were willing to watch a young wizard be slaughtered. They were there for a thrill, not to watch a bloody massacre. Were they supposed to watch a young wizard be torn to pieces by four dragons?
The audience found this plot line ridiculous and began to condemn the Ministry of Magic's actions. Seeing the situation escalating and the crowd growing more agitated, Bagman quickly added, "Of course, if our champion, Dursley, feels he can't cope, he only needs to yell to give up, and professional dragon handlers will rescue him immediately."
After much coaxing, he managed to calm the crowd down. He could only hope the wizards who called themselves Romanian dragon handlers were reliable. "His task is to retrieve a golden egg from each of the four dragons. There is no time limit; he has until he either succeeds or fails!"
As Bagman was speaking, Dudley walked out of the tent.
A deafening cheer erupted from the stands. The entire crowd, a sea of faces both familiar and unfamiliar, watched Dudley—the Hogwarts champion who was about to face four dragons all by himself.
The arena was a rocky valley, clearly modified with magic. The walls rose into the sky, where the spectators were seated. The four dragons were located in the four cardinal directions—east, south, west, and north—of the arena. Except for the Welsh Green, the other three were known for their belligerent nature. If placed too close together, they would fight among themselves even without Dudley's interference. The Ministry of Magic didn't have the power to make four different breeds of dragons get along.
"Which dragon do you think he'll go for first?"
"Shh, be quiet! He's moving!"
After a quick scan of the four dragons, under the gaze of countless eyes, Dudley slowly began to move. His first target: the Welsh Green.
This decision didn't come as a huge surprise. Everyone knew the Welsh Green was the calmest of the four dragons. The Welsh Green, with its head held high, watched Dudley warily. It didn't attack, even though Dudley was now within its range of motion. To ensure the dragons couldn't reach the audience, the Ministry of Magic had each of them chained by a massive iron collar around their necks. The Welsh Greens were known for being non-aggressive and not seeking trouble.
Of course, this wasn't always the case. For example, the Ilfracombe Incident documented in the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was the most famous attack by a Green Dragon in the 19th century, when a mischievous Welsh Green attacked a group of sunbathers in Ilfracombe, Devon, England.
Dudley stopped less than ten feet from the Welsh Green. He didn't make a move or even pull out his wand.
"What is he doing?"
This distance was incredibly dangerous. No one could guarantee the Welsh Green wouldn't get a sudden urge to roast him with a burst of dragon fire. While not as destructive as Fiendfyre, a dragon's flame was far beyond any ordinary fire. Some dragons' fire was even poisonous.
The audience held their breath, waiting for Dudley's next move and the Welsh Green's reaction. What kind of spell would you use to take on a dragon?
Dudley's next action completely astounded the crowd.
"Wait... is he talking?"
"What did he say?"
"It's too far away; I can't hear."
"Is he trying to communicate with the Welsh Green?"
"Don't be ridiculous! While dragons are smarter than most beasts and can understand some human words, you can't truly communicate with them. If you could, there'd be no need for dragon handlers!"
Dragons were classified as a 5X beast because they were not only incredibly powerful but also highly aggressive towards humans, who they viewed as just another type of livestock.
"If a ham were standing in front of you and telling you what to do, how would you react?" someone joked.
The likely answer: ignore it if you're full, and eat it if you're hungry.
However, the scene that unfolded next silenced him. The Welsh Green roared at Dudley a few times, then actually bowed its green head to the "ham"—or rather, to Dudley.
What was going on?!
The minds of those who knew anything about dragons were struggling to process this. A dragon bowing to a person? That only happens after a powerful wizard has tamed a dragon, a skill that's been lost for ages. What did Dudley do? He just spoke a few words to the Welsh Green, didn't even pull out his wand. Was this some secret technique? Or maybe wandless magic?
While the crowd was still in a daze, Dudley made his next move.
"My goodness, he's taking the collar off the green dragon!"
Yes, Dudley walked right up to the Welsh Green without a hint of fear that it might attack him. He broke the chain, freeing the dragon from its collar.
"ROAR!" The Welsh Green, feeling much lighter around its neck, shook its head happily and let out a joyful roar. It tilted its head back and breathed out a thin stream of green-tinged fire from between its jaws.
This action sent a wave of gasps and excited shouts through the audience. Compared to the harsh roar of a Fire Dragon, the sound of the Welsh Green was surprisingly melodic.
Dudley gently stroked the Welsh Green's neck, and the dragon closed its eyes, purring with pleasure.
Then, he did something even more astonishing: he climbed onto the Welsh Green's back.
"He's riding a dragon! He's riding a dragon!" one spectator yelled excitedly, as if he were the one doing it.
The Welsh Green then spread its massive, bat-like wings and flapped them a few times, ready to soar into the sky. But it abruptly stopped, staying right where it was.
The Welsh Green tried a few more times but couldn't get off the ground. It twisted its snake-like neck and looked at Dudley with a pitiful expression.
Dudley sighed deeply, looking at the dragon's sad eyes, and silently climbed back down.
"What's going on? It looks like the Welsh Green can't fly with Dursley on it."
"I thought Welsh Greens could lift hundreds of pounds?"
"Maybe the Ministry of Magic has kept this Welsh Green locked up for too long, and it's temporarily unable to fly."
"That makes sense."