The girl on the big screen remained pale and her lips were ashen, but her brown eyes sparkled with resolute determination. People could guess that this youngest warrior had just undergone a complex internal struggle in the brief time. Without a doubt, like the three warriors who had taken the stage before her, she had overcome her fear of the dragon.
Invisible clothing flies in!
The clear and beautiful cry heard on the playing field seems to bear the resolute will, piercing through the thin clouds, and wandering under this vast blue sky.
"It's a summoning spell, oh, I just taught them a moment ago——"
Professor Flitwick stood on the podium, happily addressing his colleagues, "Although Ravenclaw had no one selected for this championship, the warriors have been maneuvering with the wands I taught them and the fire dragons, which fills my heart with pride and honor."
"Invisible Cloak, oh, I understand now, what a great idea!" Ludo exclaimed happily to the European wizarding community, "As I just emphasized, Hermione Granger is incredibly wise, she has found a unique path!"
"But she violated the rules!"
"Kalafin stood up, his eyes blazing with anger as he stared at Dumbledore and Amortens."
"Besides the wand, warriors are not allowed to carry other magical items onto the field; this is a clear rule, and I believe we all agree that she should be declared defeated and disqualified from her next match."
"If you hadn't forgotten to leave your eyes and mind on that ship when you came to watch the match today, Professor Kalafin——"
Amortens leaned back in his plush chair, both of his hands hidden beneath the table, he calmly addressed Kalafin's inquiry.
"You should have noticed that Miss Granger only brought her wand onto the field. To put it simply, she was just lucky to encounter an ill-fitting Chinese fireball, and she also happened to have an Invisibility Cloak to use. But at the end of the day, it was Granger's quick thinking that allowed her to come up with a countermeasure in such a short time."
It's utter nonsense. It's obvious that this little girl has already learned about the competition today and has prepared accordingly in advance – Kalafin was filled with anger and frustration as he thought to himself.
However, this statement could never be spoken aloud, unless he wanted to offend everyone.
During the brief argument on the judges' stand, Hermione maintained her posture of gazing up at the sky, making no second attempt at a summoning charm, as if she knew her summoning spell was sure to succeed.
"Is that Harry's Invisibility Cloak?" George's face expressed great surprise, "This idea is truly amazing. Oh, I have to admit now that Hermione's head is brighter than ours, brother!"
"Not--" Ron's abrupt words left everyone around him puzzled.
"What's not?" Ginny turned her head to look at Ron, frowning and saying, "Be clear about it, Ron!"
Ron raised one finger towards the sky, and a grey-white object had just crossed the barrier and appeared in the sky above the playing field. Ron looked just as surprised, his gaze following the agile figure that quickly disappeared into Hermione's wand, which was filled with grey-white robes.
"That's not Harry's Invisibility Cloak, I haven't seen that one!"
After Hermione called out 'Invisible Cloak, come here,' Dumbledore's brow furrowed slightly at the center of the judges' stand. However, it was only after he saw the Invisibility Cloak in Hermione's hand on the big screen that Dumbledore's brow relaxed.
"A travel cloak made of the feathers of an invisible beast, oh, the craftsmanship doesn't look too good. I hope it will work--"
Ludo said concernedly.
Hermione finally relaxed after catching the flying Invisibility Cloak. This cloak was made in a rush after her conversation with Professor Moody, and even Hagrid ran to the Forbidden Forest just for it. It shouldn't have been this complicated; Harry had an Invisibility Cloak, which Hermione and Ron have been using since first year, very reliable. However, oddly enough, Harry's Invisibility Cloak didn't respond to the summoning charm, no matter how hard she tried to call it to her.
After consulting some information, Hermione found out that some high-quality Invisibility Cloaks are made with additional protective magic. A persistent anti-interference spell is enough to render the summoning charm ineffective.
Another round of applause echoed across the playing field. The second warrior of Hogwarts put on the Invisibility Cloak in front of everyone's eyes, then disappeared from sight.
The monitoring mirrors hanging in mid-air seemed unable to capture the disappearing Hermione. They spun aimlessly in place for a few circles before flying en masse up the slope. Whether or not they succeeded, Hermione Granger's destination was there.
"What should I do now, Amortens?"
The fire dragon in the form of Sirius asked, "What should I do now, Amortens? I feel like such a foolish fool, wandering around the haystack pretending to be on guard, while watching the audience on the stands."
"I don't know where Hermione is. If she gets close to me soon, how should I avoid her so that I don't hurt her--"
From the high platform, Amortens, who had received the signal, calmly transmitted his voice directly into Sirius's mind.
"Don't worry, Sirius. I will give you instructions——"
"Instructions. Oh, you must have noticed that learning how to walk like a dragon is not an easy task. I may not be able to respond in time——"
Just as Sirius finished the sentence in his mind, Hermione's voice suddenly came from a small hollow in front of the artificial hill.
"Golden Egg, come here!"
Again, a summoning charm!
However, this time Hermione's magic failed. The golden egg, lying beside several red eggs under the eyes of many, remained completely still, showing no intention of moving an inch.
"Oh, Miss Granger wants to try the same trick again, but unfortunately, her attempt has failed——"
Ludo said it in a very interesting tone.
"To prevent the champions from obtaining the golden egg too easily, we added an anti-interference spell to it. Nevertheless, we must still acknowledge Miss Granger's cleverness; comparatively, no other champion has thought of this little trick except for her!"
The fire dragon, who was pacing around the dragon's nest, stumbled a little, though he couldn't see Hermione's figure. However, her clear cry had already allowed him to pinpoint her location. If he were a real fire dragon, breathing a flame at that direction would probably end the match.
The egg couldn't be summoned, which surprised Hermione. As soon as she realized that her plan had failed, she began to quickly change her position. And after she reached the new safe place she thought was safe, Hermione turned her head and found that the fire dragon was still crouching by the dragon's nest without any signs of being disturbed.
This discovery relieved Hermione greatly--that was a terrifying mistake; she thought she should be able to obtain the dragon's egg, which is why she had come so close. Fortunately, her opponent was not that alert.
Since the trickery didn't work, she had no choice but to risk getting close to the dragon herself.
Hermione, who had overcome the psychological challenge, wanted more than just to pass the test; she also wanted to achieve outstanding results. She needed to seize the opportunity because time was a crucial factor in the judges' scoring.
Hermione swiftly cut across the gentle slope to the edge of the artificial hill, her back pressed against the warm rock wall, cautiously approaching the dragon's nest. Now she was about thirty feet away from the nest in a straight line. At this position, the imposing figure of the fire dragon gave an overwhelming sense of awe.
Sirius suddenly smelled a familiar scent – he had been transformed into a fire dragon in the form of Animagus by Amortens, and this seemed to have retained some doglike instincts. Instinctively, the fire dragon in the form of Sirius wanted to turn his head to look back, but as soon as he moved halfway, he realized that it would be better for him to act as if he was still clueless.
"Spin the body seven seconds later, and use the tail to whip the rock wall, at a height of fifteen feet above the ground——"
At this moment, Amortens' voice suddenly echoed in Sirius's mind.
(Chapter completed)
