"A very unfortunate outcome," Ludo Bagman's voice rang out at just the right moment, trying to lift the atmosphere again. "But this is the Triwizard Tournament, full of uncertainty and challenges! Let us once again applaud Champion Ramirez for his courage and wish him a speedy recovery!"
"Oh? So this is Durmstrang's champion?"
Castelobruxo's Headmaster, Alfonso Oliveira, wore an undisguised sarcastic smile as he turned his sharp gaze towards Karkaroff, whose expression had stiffened.
"Igor, according to your 'unique' judging standards, it seems your student has already demonstrated the kind of pure strength that meets your high expectations, without any need for 'wisdom' or 'strategy'. Truly eye-opening."
Headmaster Oliveira deliberately emphasised the words "pure," "tricks," "wisdom," and "strategy," throwing Karkaroff's earlier remarks about Diego Rodrigues straight back at him.
Karkaroff's face darkened. Through gritted teeth, he forced out a few words.
"Durmstrang's education is beyond question, Oliveira! Even in defeat, my student remains an honourable warrior, unlike those who rely only on petty tricks!"
"Petty tricks? Any trick that gets you the golden egg and passes the task is a good trick."
Headmaster Oliveira shrugged casually, seemingly unconcerned by the other's anger.
Their sharp exchange, clearly carried across the arena by magic, drew a low wave of laughter and discussion from the audience.
Karkaroff's chest rose and fell with anger, but given the occasion, he could only snort heavily, turn away, and direct his gloomy gaze towards Viktor Krum in the small dark room, placing all his hopes and pressure on Durmstrang's only remaining champion.
"Er... haha, it seems our judges have some very passionate views on magical philosophy!"
Ludo Bagman quickly stepped in to smooth things over and draw everyone's attention back to the competition.
"But the competition must continue! Let us welcome our next champion..."
He deliberately drew out the pause, his gaze sweeping towards the champions' waiting area.
"Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons!"
Applause erupted once more as Fleur Delacour gracefully stepped out of the shadows. Her silvery-blonde hair fell like a waterfall, and although nervousness was visible in her deep blue eyes, determination was even more apparent.
Unlike the previous two champions, she did not hurry towards the stone tablet. Instead, she approached the Duelling Stone Tablet with slow, light steps.
The arena changed once again.
The icy tundra and humid rainforest disappeared, replaced by a relatively open stretch of rolling hills covered in low shrubs and scattered gravel.
The air carried the fresh scent of grass and earth, and the faint sound of running water could be heard in the distance.
Compared with the previous two environments, this one seemed much gentler.
A Common Welsh Green lay coiled in a simple nest on a gentle hillside. It was only medium-sized by dragon standards, and its scales were a pleasant emerald green that blended subtly with the surrounding landscape, making it appear almost beautiful.
Its orange eyes gleamed with vigilance, while the occasional sparks escaping from its nostrils reminded everyone that it was far from harmless.
Common Welsh Greens were known for being relatively mild-tempered, at least by dragon standards.
They usually attacked only when provoked, but their fiery breath remained deadly. In addition to their flames, their roars were exceptionally piercing and carried a terrifying deterrent effect.
"A Common Welsh Green!" Bagman announced. "Oh, it certainly looks a little 'friendlier' than the previous two opponents, but don't be fooled by appearances! Miss Delacour will need to watch out for its flames and that ear-splitting roar!"
Fleur had clearly prepared thoroughly.
She did not provoke the dragon like Hektor, nor did she attempt to manipulate the nest from a distance like Diego.
Instead, she carefully studied the Green and the conspicuous golden egg in the nest beneath it before slowly raising her wand.
She chose no offensive spell. Instead, she began chanting a soft, melodious incantation.
A silvery glow, like moonlight, flowed from the tip of her wand. It was not dazzling, but it carried a strange soothing power as it spread slowly towards the Common Welsh Green like ripples across water.
It was an advanced calming spell, one of the branches of magic in which Beauxbatons excelled.
The Green's raised head gradually relaxed beneath the silver glow.
The fierceness in its orange eyes began to fade, replaced by confusion and drowsiness.
Its enormous head slowly drooped, and the sounds coming from its throat changed from threatening growls into a low rumbling almost like snoring.
"Merlin! Incredible!"
Bagman lowered his voice as though afraid of disturbing the scene, though it was merely for dramatic effect, since outside sounds could not enter the arena.
"Miss Delacour is using an advanced sleeping charm! She's trying to put the dragon to sleep! What a clever strategy!"
The spectators held their breath as they watched Fleur maintain the spell and carefully approach the nest one step at a time.
The silvery glow continued to envelop the Green, and its eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
Just as Fleur came within a few steps of the nest, close enough to almost reach the golden egg, something went wrong.
Because she had been looking straight ahead, she stumbled when her foot struck a sharp piece of gravel.
The silver light at the tip of her wand flickered and became unstable.
At that moment, the Common Welsh Green suddenly shook its head. The confusion in its eyes rapidly faded, replaced by awakened fury.
Startled, it let out a deafening roar. At such close range, Fleur was struck by a wave of dizziness, and her movements involuntarily faltered.
"Oh no!" Bagman exclaimed from the stands.
The startled dragon opened its jaws without hesitation, unleashing a searing jet of flame directly at Fleur.
Fortunately, Fleur reacted extremely quickly. She immediately abandoned the sleeping spell and floated backwards as though under a Levitation Charm, while swiftly moving her wand.
"Aguamenti!"
A thick stream of water burst from the tip of her wand and collided with the incoming flames, producing a loud hiss as clouds of steam erupted into the air.
Water and fire met, and the rising mist temporarily obscured the Common Welsh Green's vision.
The dragon was now thoroughly enraged. It began lumbering after Fleur with heavy steps.
Fleur used her agility and Beauxbatons' distinctive footwork to weave between rocks and bushes across the hillside, dodging the dragon's lunges and intermittent bursts of flame.
From time to time, she cast Impedimenta or Stupefy, trying to slow the dragon down, but the effects were limited.
The situation quickly reached a stalemate. Fleur could no longer approach the nest easily, while the dragon was unable to catch her agile figure.
"The situation has become difficult! The sleeping plan has been interrupted, and Miss Delacour is now locked in a struggle!" Bagman narrated. "She needs to find another solution quickly!"
After narrowly dodging another attack, Fleur's gaze returned to the golden egg before shifting to the relentlessly pursuing dragon.
She seemed to make up her mind.
While continuing to dodge, she began chanting another spell.
This time, her wand was not aimed at the dragon, but at several scattered pebbles near the nest.
Under the influence of her magic, the pebbles quickly rose into the air. As though shaped by an invisible hand, they gradually fused together into a crude imitation of the golden egg, even reproducing some of its glow.
Then, with a forceful sweep of her wand, she sent the "fake egg" flying far away from the nest.
The Common Welsh Green's attention was immediately drawn to the glittering imitation.
It let out an anxious hiss and instinctively rushed towards where the fake egg had landed, trying to recover its "treasure."
Fleur seized the precious opportunity and sprinted towards the nest at full speed, grabbing the heavy, genuine golden egg.
"She's done it! She's got it!"
Bagman shouted excitedly. "A feint, a classic tactic! Miss Delacour used a fake egg to distract the nesting dragon and successfully obtained the golden egg! How ingenious! How elegant! Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons has successfully completed the challenge!"
The arena's protective magic activated, and the Common Welsh Green and the simulated hillside gradually disappeared.
Fleur Delacour stood in the centre of the restored arena, breathing slightly heavily. Her silvery-blonde hair was somewhat dishevelled, and her cheeks were flushed from the exertion, but she held the golden egg firmly in her hands, a victorious smile on her face.
She gave an elegant bow towards the Beauxbatons section.
The Beauxbatons students erupted into enthusiastic cheers and applause, while Madame Maxime also wore a relieved smile.
The judges began awarding their scores.
Dumbledore and several of the other Headmasters gave her high marks of 8 or 9, recognising both her intelligence and her strategy.
When it was Karkaroff's turn, he pursed his lips as though searching for something to criticise. However, under everyone's gaze, and with Fleur's performance having been nearly flawless, he finally raised his scorecard with obvious reluctance.
6 points.
Although still low, compared with the 4 points he had given Rodrigues, it was already considerably more "generous."
Fleur's overall score was quite good. Holding the golden egg, she calmly left the arena amid the applause.
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