After Sirius and Hagrid bid him farewell, Harry rushed to the Gryffindor Common Room to recount the morning's events to Malfoy.
Malfoy, upon hearing the details, sternly cautioned Harry against revealing this information to anyone. He argued that a fair and just confrontation was far more commendable than exploiting foreknowledge for an unfair advantage. Harry, however, appeared torn, seemingly set on achieving an honorable victory.
"Ugh—you stubborn fool, why are you so obstinate?" Malfoy exclaimed, grabbing Harry and dragging him back to their dormitory, determined to set him straight.
Naturally, their discussion was a serious one. What other kind of conversation could one expect from two boys sharing a dormitory?
Ultimately, though, Malfoy's efforts to sway Harry proved fruitless. Resigning himself to the inevitable, he shifted his focus to strategizing how to aid the thick-headed, scarred boy in overcoming the dragon.
However, after much deliberation, Malfoy realized that short of using the Summoning Charm to call upon Tom Riddle for assistance, Harry stood virtually no chance against a fully grown dragon.
But this is a competition. Can we really ask for outside help? Still, with Harry's well-being at stake, Malfoy's mind, for once, began to work constructively.
It dawned on him that not only Harry but all the other contestants, including Cassandra, lacked the power to defeat an adult dragon single-handedly. After all, an adult dragon's might surpassed even that of an average Auror. To defeat such a beast, one would need to be on par with the skill of a Hogwarts professor.
They had faced such an opponent once before—Sirius Black.
But Sirius had been holding back, and they had only been able to trick him. Yet even then, they had been unable to defeat him.
If we were to face that again, we might be easily defeated by Sirius Black. Against an opponent like a dragon, the true challenge might not involve outright defeat, but something else entirely.
"In that case," Harry thought, "transforming into 'Sailor Moon' should allow my attacks to barely break through the dragon's defenses. With some other methods, I might be able to hold my own."
Malfoy shared his insight with Harry.
Harry had to concede that Malfoy's reasoning was sound. But that would mean dressing as a woman in front of students and professors from three different schools…
Was it really worth being labelled a "cross-dresser" for a worthless trophy?
Sensing Harry's reluctance, Malfoy patiently pressed him. "Scarhead, as long as your performance is outstanding enough, these minor flaws can be completely overshadowed!"
"…" Malfoy's words struck a chord with Harry. Now, with numerous cross-dressing experiences under his belt and a diminished aversion to transformations, all he needed was an excuse, and Malfoy provided it!
"It's just cross-dressing?!"
"I, Harry Potter, will do it!"
...
The following day, Harry approached Cedric and the others to inform them of the dragon sighting from the day before.
Everyone expressed their gratitude, except for Cassandra.
Harry realized, after speaking with her and seeing her expression, that she likely possessed knowledge of the match details even before he did.
Shortly after everyone learned the details of the first match, they were notified to prepare for it.
...
The first task of the Triwizard Tournament was staged in a specially prepared clearing within the Forbidden Forest. Ministry of Magic personnel had magically erected an arena reminiscent of the ancient Roman Colosseum.
The contestants waited in a pre-match preparation lounge.
Their wait was brief. A Ministry staff member, Barty Crouch Jr., entered the lounge carrying a brown bag containing the creatures they would face.
First up was Krum, who drew the Chinese Fireball Dragon.
Everyone visibly relaxed. Just as Harry had predicted, their first challenge involved a dragon.
Next, Cedric drew the Swedish Short-Snout.
Fleur drew the Welsh Green Dragon.
Then came Cassandra, who obtained precisely what Tom Riddle had foreseen: the Norwegian Ridgeback.
Following Cassandra, Harry made his selection, revealing the Hungarian Horntail.
But then, the situation took a turn.
"…"
"What is this?"
"A Basilisk."
"Wasn't it supposed to be about fighting dragons? What the hell is this?" One of the Durmstrang's burly students stared at their drawing, his expression bewildered.
Barty Crouch Jr., however, remained composed. "There's nothing that can be done. We didn't anticipate so many contestants this year, and we ran short on dragons. Fortunately, Professor Tom Riddle has quite a few pets that can fill in."
"...Can I draw again?"
"Hey, don't worry about it. Professor Tom Riddle's basilisk has been around for at least a thousand years. It's more than capable of matching even a regular dragon. The challenge will be equally difficult."
Hearing this, the burly student fervently wished he could draw again. It wasn't that he was complaining about the basilisk not being challenging!
He much preferred a dragon. Durmstrang, with its curriculum focused on the Dark Arts, understood the inherent danger of basilisks.
Another burly man, also from Durmstrang, chuckled and patted him on the shoulder before stepping forward to draw his lot, and then...
"What's this?"
"A Zouwu."
"..."
Like the burly man before him, he fell into a stunned silence. The two unfortunate brothers stood frozen like statues.
Seeing this, Fleur cautiously approached Cassandra. "Professor Tom Riddle's pet is really… unusual."
"That's just how he is; he likes everything big."
The remaining two students from Beauxbatons drew dragons that were much more ordinary: a Hebridean Black and a Peruvian Vipertooth.
"Alright, now that you've all drawn your lots, prepare yourselves here. We'll draw again later to determine the order of appearance. Then you'll each take your turns to complete the task."
With that, the staff member turned to leave the lounge, but Krum stopped him. "Excuse me, sir, I'd like to ask, isn't our task supposed to involve defeating the creatures we drew?"
Upon hearing this, Barty Crouch Jr. appeared mildly surprised. "You're quite clever. I'd planned to reveal this to you just before you were about to enter the arena… but it matters not. That's right, your task isn't to defeat them, but to find a way to retrieve the golden egg they're guarding. Inside lies a clue about the next task."
---
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