Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0566 Cedric’s Chance

As Charlie and his mates cautiously led the Swedish Short-Snout dragon onto the arena, the creature's immense size became strikingly apparent. Standing several stories high, its magnificent silver-blue scales each one as large as a dinner plate glinted in the sunlight. The dragon's powerful legs, thick as tree trunks, dug into the sandy ground with each step, leaving deep imprints.

The moment the dragon came into view, the packed spectator stands erupted in a collective gasp of astonishment and fear. Thousands of widened eyes were fixed on the ferocious-looking beast. Murmurs rippled through the audience as they marveled at the dragon's size and discussed the upcoming spectacle.

"Look, it's Charlie!"

Amidst the excited buzzing of the crowd, Fred's shout rang out in clear dissatisfaction. "I can't believe it! He knew all along that the first task involved dragons, and he didn't breathe a word to us!"

"Ignore him, Fred. Let's just hope Cedric manages to last more than ten minutes out there," George chimed in, craning his neck to get a better view of his brother, and a mischievous grin spread across his face despite his concern. "Although, I wouldn't bet on that pretty face of his coming out of this unscathed!"

In the arena, Charlie and his team took advantage of the Swedish Short-Snout's temporarily dazed state, a result of the potent Sleeping Draught they had fed earlier. With the utmost caution, Charlie meticulously rechecked the sturdy, magically-reinforced chains secured around the dragon's neck, ensuring there would be no chance of the creature breaking free.

Once satisfied that all was in order, he swiftly took the gleaming golden egg from his companion's hands and deftly placed it among the genuine, mottled dragon eggs nestled at the beast's feet. Aware of the dragon's imminent awakening, Charlie hastily signaled to his team, urging them to make a swift and stealthy escape.

The tense scene was clearly projected on the magical screen, allowing the audience to witness the moment in vivid detail. Quite a few spectators found the dragon handlers' hurried retreat rather comical, and they chuckled softly at their almost comically exaggerated movements as they tiptoed away from the rousing Dragon.

The arena itself was designed with the utmost concern for safety. Thick, teal stone slabs, each one imbued with powerful protective charms, formed an impenetrable barrier around the perimeter. The spectator stands were high above the arena floor, providing a clear view of the action while keeping the audience at a safe distance.

However, most found that observing the events through the screens was a far more convenient and detailed experience than attempting to follow the action directly.

On the screen, the audience watched as the Swedish Short-Snout's hazy, unfocused eyes gradually regained their clarity. The dragon slowly rose to its full height, its massive wings unfurling to stretch out the hooks from its sleep.

As it stood, it let out a bone-rattling snort, inadvertently releasing a jet of blindingly bright blue flames that engulfed a sizable rock some dozen foot away. The intense heat of the dragon's fiery breath caused the solid stone to rapidly soften and melt, like wax exposed to a blowtorch. Streams of molten rock dripped down the boulder's sides, pooling on the ground below in a mesmerizing display of the dragon's raw, unrestrained power.

The magical screen gave a fascinating close-up of the smoldering remains of the rock, offering those in the audience who were less familiar with dragons a visceral, almost terrifyingly tangible understanding of the overwhelming might possessed by these legendary creatures.

In the stands, Professor McGonagall noticed Professor Sprout's shoulders trembling slightly, and her face was etched with lines of worry and anxiety.

Reaching out a comforting hand, McGonagall gently patted her back in an attempt to soothe her tense nerves. "Don't worry, Pomona. I'm certain everything will be just fine. We all know how outstanding Cedric is!"

Despite her reassuring words, there was an unmistakable quaver in McGonagall's voice, revealing her own carefully hidden uneasiness.

Down in the arena, the Swedish Short-Snout had finally become fully aware of its surroundings and its eyes wandered over the thousands of humans encircling it from above.

In a spontaneous try for freedom, the dragon's massive wings began to flap with increasing speed and force, whipping up swirling clouds of dust and debris that momentarily obscured it from view. The dragon pressed against the chains binding it, desperately seeking to escape from the restrictions of the arena, but the magically-reinforced restraints held it back.

As the realization that it was well and truly trapped sank in, the Swedish Short-Snout's demeanor shifted from panicked to defensive. Thick, pungent smoke began to swirl from its flaring nostrils as it assessed the situation, preparing to protect its eggs at any cost. It nimbly folded its wings around itself, forming a protective cocoon that completely enveloped its own body and the eggs at its feet, shielding them from any potential threats.

The audience was so utterly captivated by the dragon's every move that they almost failed to notice the arrival of the first champion on the scene, and would have missed it entirely if not for the timely interjection of Bagman's magically amplified voice cutting through the charged atmosphere.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Bagman boomed, his voice brimming with barely contained excitement, "let's hear a rousing round of applause for the first competitor, Hogwarts' very own Cedric Diggory! Here's hoping he's able to wow us all with a truly spectacular performance!"

Bagman's words helped to firmly redirect the audience's collective gaze from the dragon and back to the arena floor, where they scanned the boulder-scattered area for any sign of Cedric. However, in comparison to the dragon's imposing presence, Cedric was quite inconspicuous, and from their vantage point, the audience could only spot a figure that seemed no larger than a matchstick, making it impossible to discern any meaningful details.

Fortunately, several magical omnioculars swooped in, hovering around Cedric and projecting close-up images of his face onto the large screens, finally giving the audience a clear view of his facial expressions - a detail many found to be of particular interest.

The dragon had been placed at the foot of a towering artificial mountain that was at the center of the arena. In contrast, Cedric stood at the base of a comparatively small slope, his wand gripped tightly in his white-knuckled hand as he remained absolutely motionless, as if he'd been petrified on the spot.

From his position, Cedric had a clear view of the dragon, sitting menacingly beneath the summit's massive boulder. It was, without question, the largest and most terrifying creature he had ever laid eyes upon.

Even from a distance of over a thousand feet, Cedric could feel the raw, overwhelming power emanating from the beast. A shudder ran down his spine as the grim realization hit him: one wrong move, one tiny mistake, and this dragon could easily rip him to shreds without a second thought.

As the true start of the competition was signaled, an eerie silence descended upon the stadium. Every single spectator was on the edge of their seat, eyes glued to Cedric's motionless form, waiting to see what he would do to overcome the frightening obstacle before him.

Yet Cedric himself was in no state to even begin contemplating a plan of action. His mind was reeling, and his thoughts were drowned out by a deafening buzzing that made it nigh impossible for him to think clearly.

After all, he'd only learned the true nature of the first task a few days ago which had left him stuck in a constant state of overwhelming doubt and all-consuming fear, with little time to come to terms with the immense challenge he faced and formulate a viable strategy.

Up in the stands, Cho Chang, who had been tasked with maintaining order among the spectators, found herself unable to bear the sight of Cedric facing such danger. She covered her eyes with trembling hands, her heart pounding in her throat as she silently prayed for his safety.

Meanwhile, in a small, hastily constructed building not far from Diagon Alley's bustling commercial district, Amos and his wife, sat huddled together with their hands clasped tightly and faces etched with lines of worry.

"Well, it appears our brave Mr. Diggory may need a moment to collect himself and adapt to the situation at hand," Bagman's voice suddenly rang out across the arena once more, his tone one of barely contained amusement, as if he found Cedric's obvious struggle to be a source of great entertainment.

However, no sooner had the words left Bagman's lips than Cedric, who had been standing stock-still for several minutes, finally moved into action.

His movements were stiff and awkward, his limbs jerking like those of a poorly-controlled puppet as he began to climb the slope before him. Yet even in his fear-muddled state, Cedric had the presence of mind to make an effort to conceal himself, crouching low to the ground and using the path between the boulders that dotted the hillside as cover as he slowly made his way upward.

The silence that blanketed the stadium was so absolute, one could have heard a single pin drop onto the arena floor. Yet not a single soul dared to laugh or even crack a smile at Cedric's clumsy, uncoordinated scrambling. After all, the fact that he had managed to overcome the paralyzing terror that had initially rooted him to the spot and was now actively trying to confront the challenge head-on was a testament to his courage and determination.

"Well, would you look at that! It seems Mr. Diggory has managed to conquer his initial bout of nerves and is now making a valiant attempt to approach the dragon!" Bagman roared, sounding positively giddy with excitement. "Let's all wait and see what strategy he'll employ to emerge victorious!"

For Cedric, the distance between his starting point and the waiting dragon seemed to stretch out into infinity - a huge chasm of roughly a quarter-mile, or around a thousand feet. It was, he realized comparable to the grueling length of the dung bomb dodging courses he'd been subjected to during his Physical Education classes.

The difference was, while Cedric had eventually managed to master evading the dungbombs during those training exercises, the prospect of approaching the dragon made those challenges seem like child's play in comparison.

By the time he was two hundred feet from the dragon, Cedric was drenched in sweat, his hair was plastered to his forehead and his robes clinged uncomfortably to his sweat-slicked skin. He paused for a moment, pressing his back against the reassuringly solid surface of a large boulder and cautiously peeked around its edge to take note of his progress.

His heart leapt into his throat as his gaze immediately fell upon the glint of the golden egg, nestled among the dragon's own eggs. His eyes then flicked to the heavy chains encircling the Swedish Short-Snout's neck, and he felt a brief flicker of relief at the knowledge that the dragon's movements would be at least somewhat restricted.

This was both good news and bad news for him.

On one hand, the chains would ensure a bit of safety, providing him a buffer zone within which he could maneuver without fear of immediate retaliation from the dragon. However, this also meant that the Swedish Short-Snout would not stray too far from its eggs. He would also have no choice but to venture dangerously close if he hoped to have any chance of retrieving the golden egg.

Steeling his nerves, Cedric pressed on, shuffling ever closer to the waiting dragon carefully. He took advantage of every gap in the Swedish Short-Snout's vigilant surveillance of its surroundings, scurrying from one sheltering boulder to the next in a frantic attempt to close the gap between them.

Two hundred feet... one hundred and fifty... one hundred...

At this distance, Cedric could clearly feel the dragon's majestic, powerful body. He could even see the ferocious fangs protruding from its mouth!

"The time has come for Mr. Diggory to make his move!" Bagman, adept at capturing the moment, spoke up again. "Let's see what he's got up his sleeve!"

Cedric ultimately stopped sixty feet from the Swedish Short-Snout. Everyone understood why he stopped there. Apart from the tower-like pillar he was hiding on, there were no sufficiently large rocks nearby for him to hide.

Up to now, the amount of activity wasn't too great, but Cedric was already drenched in sweat and panting heavily. He leaned his back against the rock, and quietly turned his head to survey the surroundings.

Unless you possess overwhelming power, never forget to familiarize yourself with the surrounding environment - this was Professor Watson's teaching.

The terrain at the hilltop was still relatively simple, a fact for which Cedric was immensely grateful. Apart from the huge artificial mountain protruding from the ground, the other three sides were dotted with small rocks on yellow soil. Perhaps to make it easier for champions to approach the dragon, the slope on his side was gentler, while the opposite side was much steeper.

There is only one chance. As a champion, Cedric was keenly aware that if the dragon realized someone wanted to steal its egg, he would have no more opportunities!

He was gauging the distance with intense focus, forgetting he was under the watchful eyes of thousands of wizards!

Time seemed to freeze in the entire stadium. Everyone was waiting for Cedric to act. Perhaps influenced by this strange atmosphere, the Swedish Short-Snout's rate of surveying its surroundings increased, and it started puffing out thick smoke full of sulfur from its nostrils!

Under the gaze of the masses, Cedric finally took action. His wand poked out from behind the rock, pointing at a boulder a dozen foot away. Under the gust of wind that appeared out of thin air, the rock underwent a complex transformation. Finally, a Newfoundland dog appeared on the competition screen!

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