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How to deal with a dragon had become Harry's greatest headache.
Ever since learning that the first task involved dragons, he had been thinking about that question constantly.
Although he had already learned many spells and considered himself a reasonably qualified wizard, he still had little confidence against a magical creature that stood at the top of the food chain.
His earliest impression of dragons was still Norbert, the baby dragon Hagrid had once raised in his hut.
A bite from a newly hatched dragon had been enough to make a finger swell like bread dough and rot with pus if it was not treated in time. If it had been a grown dragon, a person might lose far more than a finger.
'If it were Big D...'
Every day, Harry tried to think about the matter from Dudley's perspective. The answer he reached was always the same: Big D would definitely have a way.
He was always that outstanding.
Harry wanted very much to ask Dudley for help, but each time, he held himself back. Their current relationship was that of competitors.
Harry sat alone in his bedroom, casually flipping through books about dragon-handling while considering strategies for the coming task.
Beside him, the fireplace suddenly lit on its own, crackling as it burned. Then the blazing flames formed the shape of a human face.
That distinctive curly hair and that small, rather self-satisfied moustache.
"Harry... I heard you were in trouble."
It was Sirius.
He had not given up on Harry. Whenever he had time, he came to "bother" Harry. According to him, Harry was the reason he kept living. As Harry's godfather, he had failed to fulfill his duties when Harry was young, so now he wanted to spend the rest of his life making it up to him.
Incidentally, if Dudley and Snape were present, Sirius absolutely would not appear. Even when Ron and Neville were around, he rarely showed himself. Only when Harry was alone would he emerge.
Harry ignored him most of the time, but right now, having someone help him think things through was not necessarily bad.
Staring at the face formed from flames, Harry asked the question that concerned him most.
"Do you know how to deal with a dragon?"
"What? A dragon? Harry, are you joking? That takes several adult wizards to... Your father, when he was your age... Oh, I mean, that is incredibly brilliant."
After listening to him ramble for a while without reaching the point, Harry clearly grew impatient.
"If you cannot help, please be quiet for now and let me think alone."
Asking Sirius had been a mistake.
This was a man who had failed to last even a few exchanges against Snape and had been hung upside down from the ceiling for an entire night. Expecting him to come up with a plan?
It would be more practical to ask Neville which herb worked best against dragons.
A dragon's power was not limited to its superiority over other magical creatures. It posed a tremendous threat to wizards as well.
Among all XXXXX-class magical creatures, dragons stood near the very top.
Their hides possessed extremely high resistance to magic, allowing them to withstand the vast majority of spells. Even spells that could affect them were greatly weakened.
That was why dragon-hide gloves were among the most useful protective equipment in the wizarding world.
Harry had learned many spells, but among the spells he currently knew, very few would work on a dragon.
Fiendfyre could barely count, but Harry had not mastered it well enough. With his current ability, releasing it was too slow. A dragon would not stand there stupidly and wait for him to finish casting.
The moment he summoned Fiendfyre, the dragon would either breathe fire at him or bite his head off.
Transfiguration also counted, but Harry had no confidence that he could suppress a dragon with it. At most, he might hold one down for a short while. In a fight to the death, lasting one or two minutes would already be impressive.
Even though his Transfiguration was now good enough for Professor McGonagall to praise.
What about Transfiguration plus Fiendfyre?
Combining them might have an effect.
As for potions, he remembered Dudley teaching him how to prepare several unstable mixtures.
Right. He still had a dose of Bresta Potion. It could greatly improve his physical condition. Although he still could not possibly beat a dragon in close combat, it would greatly improve his reaction speed.
That gave him some hope of winning.
'I really do wonder how other wizards manage to defeat a dragon.'
In truth, no wizard in the entire wizarding world wanted to face a dragon head-on. Even several wizards together would rather avoid it.
The first line of Hogwarts's motto was "Never tickle a sleeping dragon."
The combat power of such a magical creature was no joke.
"Harry, Harry, Harry..."
While Harry was deep in thought, Sirius kept calling his name from the side.
"Can you let me have some quiet, Mr. Black?"
Harry glanced at him irritably. Having his thoughts interrupted felt terrible.
He had almost figured out how to handle a dragon.
Sirius looked a little wounded after being snapped at by Harry, but he still said quietly, "I was saying that you could try the Conjunctivitis Curse."
"?"
Harry paused at Sirius's words.
"Explain."
Sirius had apparently intended to keep him in suspense, but under Harry's sharp gaze, he immediately became honest.
"Harry, listen to me. A dragon's most vulnerable point is its eyes. That is the only place not covered by scales and hide. In other words, it has the lowest magical resistance."
"The Conjunctivitis Curse is one of the best ways to deal with a dragon. One small spell can blind even something as powerful as a dragon."
No matter the creature, the eyes were vulnerable.
Harry's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Yes.
He had thought of a way.
Of course, it was not the Conjunctivitis Curse Sirius had suggested.
It was the reminder hidden in those words.
The most vulnerable place was the eyes.
The eyes had the lowest magical resistance.
Then what if he used Sectumsempra on a dragon's eyes?
Compared with a mild spell like the Conjunctivitis Curse, which only blinded the target, Harry preferred magic that could actually injure the opponent. In his subconscious, he had already equated the first task with fighting a dragon to the death.
He would need to train Sectumsempra properly over the next few days.
Right. Could he attack the dragon's brain through its eyes? He remembered Big D once saying that the nerves of the eyes connected to the brain. If poison was poured in...
The more Harry thought about it, the more excited he became.
If other young wizards knew what Harry was thinking, they would surely exclaim that he truly deserved to be Mr. Potter. His mind went straight to poison and lethal force.
"Mr. Black, thank you."
Although Harry still called him Mr. Black, Sirius was as happy as a child.
A good beginning was half the battle.
At least Harry was willing to speak to him.
Poor Sirius was truly humble.
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