As he posed the question, all eyes returned to Cedric.
In the arena, Cedric, who had remained on the ground, had just finished casting his spell.
A gentle white light flashed from the tip of his wand.
Six small birds with pale brown feathers flew out, their wings beating in perfect synchronization. They circled clockwise around him, occasionally emitting a sharp, clear chirp, as if confirming their positions or awaiting the next command.
"Ah ha ha ha! Now this is fascinating!" Ludo Bagman's laughter boomed through the stands via the Sonorus Charm. He leaned forward, pointing at the six little birds, his voice full of novelty. "It seems the Hogwarts Champion intends to rely on strength in numbers to break the deadlock! It was originally three Champions against two dragons and a Catoblepas, but with these six magical birds, the numbers have instantly multiplied several times! Honestly, I'm starting to worry for the Hebridean Black and the Common Welsh Green, not to mention the Catoblepas, which hasn't officially appeared yet—they're facing more than just human Champions! But what good are these little birds, eh?"
No sooner had he spoken than Cedric vaulted onto his broomstick. His feet firmly planted on the footrests, his left hand gripping the handle tightly, and his right hand holding his wand up to his chest, the tip aimed at the cluster of dragons ahead.
The next second, a sharp yet not unpleasant whistle pierced the air from his wand tip. It had incredible carrying power; even the spectators in the stands could hear it clearly.
This was the signal!
"I'm sure everyone heard that whistle!" Ludo Bagman instantly pointed out. "Diggory has signaled a tactical move! Now, everyone look to the sky—pay attention to the other two Champions! Ah! Their movements have clearly changed!"
Sure enough, Harry and Draco, who had been merely circling at a low altitude, instantly changed their flying strategy.
Harry maneuvered his broomstick, flying right alongside the edge of the Common Welsh Green's wing, the tail of his broom occasionally scraping against a scale, intentionally causing friction.
Draco, meanwhile, flew directly over the Hebridean Black's head, circling less than two meters from its horns, occasionally firing off weak sparks from his wand tip—not powerful attacks, but pure provocation.
"Look at them! They're so aggressive, you might even call them reckless!" Ludo Bagman's voice was full of awe and a hint of nervousness. "They are clearly trying to bait the dragons into breathing fire! That close-range taunt! One slip, and they'll be engulfed in flames! I'm incredibly curious what plan these three Hogwarts Champions have cooked up to dare to poke the beasts like this!"
The Hebridean Black was the first to lose its temper.
Feeling the harassment above its head, its gigantic skull sharply twisted to the left.
The speed of this movement was unexpectedly fast, and the strong wind it generated even made Draco's broom wobble.
Immediately, it opened its gaping jaws, and a torrent of deep blue dragon fire, laced with sparks, gushed out, aimed right at Draco's position.
Harry wasn't faring much better on the other side.
The Common Welsh Green, irritated by his repeated scrapes, suddenly raised a front claw and swiped at his broom.
Harry reacted instantly, slamming his body down, his chest practically hugging the broomstick, even lightening his breathing.
The Green Dragon's claw scraped past his shoulder, the sharp tip catching a strand of his hair—a terrifyingly close call.
But before he could sigh in relief, the Green Dragon opened its mouth again, and an orange-red jet of flame shot toward him.
He frantically pulled on the broom handle, executing a sharp turn in the air, barely managing to evade it, but the hem of his robes was scorched by sparks, instantly igniting a small patch of flame.
"Blast it!" Harry cursed under his breath. He steadied the broom with his left hand and swiftly waved his wand with his right, clearly enunciating the Diffindo Charm.
A silvery cutting spell flashed, and the burning robe hem detached instantly, dropping to the ground where it quickly went out.
He didn't dare to stop, immediately controlling the Firebolt to drop lower again, avoiding the Green Dragon's immediately following tail-whip.
The tail swept the ground, kicking up a foot and a half of dust and leaving a shallow pit in the dirt.
"Harry! Left flank distraction!" Cedric's voice suddenly came from his back-left. He was riding his broom, leading the six birds toward the Hebridean Black, clearly intending to coordinate with Harry's move.
Harry understood immediately, shouting in response: "Got it!"
He glanced toward the sound, just in time to see Cedric nod at him. The six little birds had scattered, flying toward the Black Dragon's eyes, intending to disrupt its vision.
This was the perfect chance!
Harry didn't hesitate. He maneuvered the Firebolt to climb sharply, flying straight toward the Hebridean Black's head.
This time, he didn't just brush past; he deliberately circled right in front of the dragon's eyes.
The Black Dragon was completely enraged. It let out a low growl from its throat, about to breathe fire.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry seized the instant, aiming his wand tip at the Black Dragon's mouth, and cast the spell decisively.
A red jet of light accurately struck the inside of the Black Dragon's mouth. Following it, a faint snap sound came, like something hard had cracked—perhaps a small stone stuck between the dragon's teeth, or a piece of dental plaque.
This completely ignited the Black Dragon's fury.
It furiously jerked its head up, its bright purple eyes bloodshot. The low growl turned into a deafening bellow that made the entire arena subtly vibrate.
Harry could clearly feel the wave of anger washing over him, and his heart started to pound faster.
He knew this wasn't the time to hesitate!
"Cedric! Ready to cover!" Harry yelled, simultaneously beginning his retreat on the broom.
But it was too late. The Hebridean Black opened its massive jaws, and a stream of deep blue dragon fire, twice as thick as before, surged out, covering virtually all the space in front of him, looking as though it meant to incinerate him and his broom.
Harry's pupils contracted. Without a second thought, he yanked the broom handle, swinging into a huge arc to the right.
The radius of the arc was a full thirty feet; his body was practically parallel to the ground, and the tail of his broom even scraped the stones on the ground, sending sparks flying.
Finally, just as the dragon fire was about to catch him, he successfully swung around to the dragon's flank, evading the lethal strike.
As Harry circled and dodged the Hebridean Black on his Firebolt, the corner of his eye suddenly caught four small, black shadows.
They were four of the six little birds Cedric had Transfigured earlier. They were moving at extreme speed, diving into the Hebridean Black's mouth the moment the dragon opened it to roar.
Almost instantly after the birds entered the dragon's mouth, the Hebridean Black's body showed a violent reaction.
Its neck swelled visibly and rapidly. The normally smooth lines of its neck became bloated and distorted, and a painful, gurgling sound came from its throat.
Immediately following, several emerald-green vines burst out from the crevices around its mouth, nostrils, and even eyes. The tips of the vines were covered in tiny barbs, wrapping tightly around the dragon's teeth and scales, as if forcefully clamping its mouth shut.
Even more agonizing for the dragon were the tiny, poisonous tentacles attached to the vines.
These venomous tentacles continuously contracted and stung the dragon's oral mucosa and skin. Each sting made the dragon's body tremble violently.
Although the dragon thrashed and struggled wildly, trying to tear off the vines, its movements visibly slowed down, and its fierce roar gradually dwindled into painful whimpers.
"Brilliant! The Hogwarts Champions have pulled it off!" Ludo Bagman's cheer echoed across the arena, carried by the Sonorus Charm. He was excitedly waving his arms. "They chose not to fight head-on but found a sneaky way to attack from the dragon's interior! That strategy is genius! Even if a dragon's scales are thick enough to resist most spells, its insides certainly don't have hard armor, do they? The internal organs are all vulnerable! This is absolutely one of the most innovative tactics of this whole contest!"
"We've..." Harry looked at the dragon controlled by the vines, a surge of excitement running through him. He couldn't help but shout that they had succeeded.
But before his joy could last, a chorus of sharp gasps suddenly erupted from the stands.
The gasps were instantly swallowed by a piercing, tearing sound in the air.
Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stand up. A powerful sense of danger hit him. He instinctively tried to control the Firebolt to put distance between himself and the danger, but this time, his reaction was a fraction of a second too slow.
A cold sensation came first from his back, followed immediately by a searing, burning pain—he could actually feel the heat of his skin being sliced open.
Harry grit his teeth against the pain, urging the Firebolt to climb quickly into the sky. He looked down at his back.
His black robes had been ripped open by a long, wide gash. Blood was steadily soaking through the wound, staining the shirt beneath.
Fortunately, the wound wasn't too deep; it had only sliced the surface layer of skin and hadn't damaged any vital organs.
Harry frowned. He pulled his wand out of his pocket with his uninjured hand and cast a simple Bandaging Charm on the wound, temporarily slowing the bleeding.
He knew he wasn't proficient in healing magic. Magic that couldn't be cast correctly was useless and would only make the current situation worse.
Therefore, he could only apply emergency first aid and planned to use Dittany Essence to fully heal it after the task was complete.
They had learned in Potions class that Dittany Essence worked wonders on external cuts like this. If applied evenly, it could scab and heal the wound in less than a minute.
This was a result he had "experimentally confirmed" many times.
So, Harry wasn't overly worried about external injuries.
While Harry was checking his wound in the span of a few seconds, the Common Welsh Green on the other side suffered the same fate.
Cedric and Draco used the moment Harry created a distraction to throw the remaining magical plant seeds at the Green Dragon. Vines and venomous tentacles likewise sprouted from within the Green Dragon, quickly pinning it down, leaving it frozen in place, only able to let out a few weak roars occasionally.
After confirming that both dragons were controlled, Harry endured the pain in his back and maneuvered the Firebolt to descend slowly to the ground.
Cedric and Draco immediately rushed over. Cedric pulled a handful of black seeds from his pocket and scattered them on the ground.
These were the seeds of Snapping Shrubs. Upon hitting the air, they immediately began to grow rapidly. In just a few seconds, they grew into thickets of thorns taller than a man, completely encasing the two dragons and utterly cutting off any chance of them breaking free.
"Your wound is shallow, it's just a graze. You dodged just in time. Let me help heal you." Cedric looked at the cut on Harry's back, his voice tinged with concern. He raised his wand, and a gentle pale blue light shone from the tip as he slowly waved it over the wound.
This was a basic Healing Charm. While not as effective as Dittany Essence, it would temporarily relieve the pain and promote healing.
While Cedric was treating Harry, Draco quickly waved his wand again, summoning a small pouch from the air.
It contained the seeds of Fanged Geraniums.
He scattered the seeds across various spots in the arena. They immediately germinated upon landing, growing into fist-sized green geraniums with tiny teeth lining their surfaces. They could also roll quickly across the ground.
By the time the cut on Harry's back was initially healed, the Fanged Geraniums on the ground were already getting to work.
They were frantically chasing the Catoblepas, which had been restrained earlier.
The Catoblepas had intended to sneak an attack during the confusion, but as soon as it took a step, it trod on a rolling Fanged Geranium.
The Geranium instantly opened its "mouth" and bit down hard on the Catoblepas's paw. The beast roared in pain, violently shaking its leg to crush the plant.
But before it could regain its footing, several more Fanged Geraniums rolled toward it from different directions. Some bit its tail, and others climbed right onto its back, their teeth gnawing at its fur.
The Catoblepas was so overwhelmed by the clinging Geraniums that it had no time to focus on Harry, Cedric, or Draco.
Harry, Cedric, and Draco took the opportunity to mount their brooms and fly toward the Golden Egg in the center of the arena.
The Golden Egg now lay quietly there, completely undamaged. Retrieving it was the final, easy step.
"Good heavens! They came up with a way to handle that!" Ludo Bagman watched the Catoblepas, which was being relentlessly swarmed by the Fanged Geraniums, laughing until his eyes were practically closed, tears nearly spilling from the corners. "I joked earlier that Hogwarts wanted to win by numbers, but I never thought they'd actually pull it off! These swarms of Fanged Geraniums have practically eliminated the Catoblepas's maneuvering space!"
He held onto the commentator's table, finally regaining his composure, his voice still full of admiration: "Honestly, if I were that Catoblepas, seeing so many round, biting plants rolling around me, I'd probably be getting a splitting headache! This strategy seems simple, but it embodies the principle of 'soft overcoming hard' to the extreme—no need to cause serious harm, just pinning the opponent down is the greatest success!"
In truth, the Fanged Geraniums' attack power was limited.
Their tiny teeth could only tear the outermost layer of the Catoblepas's fur; they couldn't wound the deeper muscle, let alone cause lethal damage.
But their advantage lay in their sheer numbers and agility, and once they bit down, they wouldn't easily let go.
The relentless, overwhelming attack gave the Catoblepas no time to breathe. Even if it wanted to use its specialty, the hypnotic magic, it needed to focus its mind. The continuous distraction from the Geraniums made it impossible to achieve the necessary stillness, let alone cast a spell.
While the Catoblepas was tangled up by the Fanged Geraniums, letting out frustrated and angry snarls, Harry, Cedric, and Draco had already landed their broomsticks right next to the Golden Egg.
The three exchanged a glance, reached out in unison, and together lifted the shining Golden Egg from the stone pedestal.
A thunderous roar of cheering instantly erupted from the stands.