"Of course! I knew he wouldn't abandon his broomstick!"
His voice, amplified by the Sonorus Charm, boomed across the entire stadium, brimming with excitement: "Ladies and gentlemen, look at this! Viktor Krum has summoned his personal racing broom! Judging by the look of it, that's the very latest Firebolt model! It appears he intends to use his flying advantage to break through the two dragons' defense and charge directly for the Golden Egg! This is absolutely the most daring, and most thrilling, strategy we'll see!"
Viktor Krum swung onto his broomstick, kicked off the ground lightly with his feet, and the broom immediately shot him high into the air.
Students in the stands craned their necks, their eyes glued to his figure. A significant number of Durmstrang students held up signs declaring 'Krum Will Win' and shouted their encouragement.
"Brilliant! Look at that acceleration!" Ludo Bagman also stood up, leaning forward, pointing at Krum in the sky. "He's rapidly approaching the dragons from above! But danger follows just as quickly—look everyone! The Norwegian Ridgeback is tilting its head back! It's about to breathe fire!"
No sooner had Ludo spoken than a column of orange-red flame erupted from the Ridgeback's mouth, rocketing toward Krum.
In that split second, Krum's expression remained intensely focused. He keenly sensed the danger behind him, immediately flattened his body, gripped the handle with his left hand, and lightly pressed down on the broom's tail with his right.
The broom executed a breathtaking sideways dodge. The column of fire whistled past his shoulder, the scorching heat causing his hair to slightly curl.
"Oh my word! What a spectacular evasion!" Ludo Bagman waved his arms frantically, his voice slightly hoarse. "Krum's reaction speed is astonishing! He perfectly dodged that sudden, fatal strike! And did you notice? He didn't even slow down! He has already shot past the dragons and is now preparing to dive!"
Just as Ludo said, Krum immediately corrected his direction after the dodge, driving his broomstick into a rapid dive. His body and the broom were almost perfectly aligned, like an arrow released from a bow, hurtling toward the Golden Egg in the center of the arena.
"Look at that breakneck dive speed! He's almost at the Golden Egg!" Ludo's voice was full of awe. "He's like a shooting star blazing across the night sky! Such a reckless charge—is he trying to prove his strength to the other champions?"
Inside the tent, Harry, Draco, and Cedric, hearing those words, instinctively felt that Ludo's commentary held a subtle jab.
After all, Dylan was the last to go, facing the most difficult combination of dragons. The three cast sidelong glances at Dylan next to them. Only when they saw he was intently watching the arena, apparently unbothered by Ludo's commentary, did they quietly relax.
Just as Krum was about to reach the Golden Egg, a swift black shadow suddenly sprang out from behind the rock pile at the edge of the arena.
It was the Cat-Panther, which had been hiding all along!
Its speed was incredible, and its razor-sharp claws flashed menacingly as it lunged for Krum's lower leg.
Many spectators in the stands gasped, standing up as if they could already see Krum being injured.
But Krum once again demonstrated his amazing reflexes.
In the middle of his dive, he executed a difficult half-turn, spinning halfway around the broom handle to narrowly avoid the Cat-Panther's swipe.
"He did it! He avoided the surprise attack!" Ludo Bagman cheered excitedly. "He's just one step away from success! All he needs to do is reach out, and he'll have the Golden Egg!"
But at that very moment, a blast of deep blue dragon fire suddenly erupted from the Hebridean Black's mouth, hitting the ground directly in front of Krum and burning a long, charred trench.
Although it didn't hit him, it forced him to slow down and dodge, causing him to miss the optimal moment to grab the Golden Egg.
The situation in the arena instantly became tense again.
The deep blue fire gradually dissipated, leaving a striking, charred mark in the center of the arena.
Ludo Bagman stood at the commentators' box, staring at the scene with his mouth agape. He nearly dropped his wand, unable to speak a word. He had never seen such a bizarre situation in all his years of commentating.
In the few seconds he was frozen, a dozen wizards in Ministry of Magic robes rushed out from a side tunnel beneath the stands and leaped into the arena.
They worked quickly and efficiently. A few used ropes and spells to restrict the movements of the two sight-impaired dragons, while others raised their wands, casting binding spells at the Cat-Panther. Pale blue magical ropes instantly wrapped around the creature's limbs, securing it firmly in place so it couldn't launch any more surprise attacks.
Viktor Krum also halted his charge, slowly circling on his broomstick in mid-air. His previously taut expression turned grim. His brows were tightly knit, and his gaze was fixed on the center of the arena.
Where the Golden Egg had been placed, only a pile of charred ashes remained. The Golden Egg had clearly been completely incinerated by the last blast of dragon fire.
"Oh... oh! Ladies and gentlemen!" Ludo Bagman finally recovered. He cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice steady. "Something completely unexpected has just happened—based on the scene, the dragon fire, which was spat out by the Norwegian Ridgeback, accidentally hit the Golden Egg in the center. Our objective... the Golden Egg... has been utterly destroyed."
The moment his words ended, the circular stands erupted into chaos.
Students whispered and murmured, their faces filled with disbelief. No one had imagined such an accident occurring when success was just one step away. The Durmstrang students were especially disappointed, many shouting "Re-do!" into the arena, hoping the judges would offer a fair solution.
Ludo Bagman looked at the noisy stands and stammered, "Due to this highly unusual situation, the judges will need to hold an emergency discussion to determine the next course of action. Please bear with us."
Inside the tent, Harry watched the confusion in the arena, his voice filled with disappointment. "Do you think the judges will allow a re-do? Krum was seriously one step away, but the dragon fire burned the egg. It's such a shame."
"Yeah, this is unbelievable," Cedric agreed, his eyes full of sympathy. "Beauxbatons' champion had a close call, but at least they didn't have the objective destroyed."
"It's not that uncommon, though. Didn't Dylan simulate a similar 'objective compromised' scenario during our training?" Draco shrugged indifferently, his tone certain. "I don't think they'll get a re-do. Think about it: even if Karkaroff of Durmstrang insists, the other Headmasters won't agree."
"Ultimately, Durmstrang's strategy was flawed," Harry said thoughtfully. "They chose to use the Conjunctivitis Curse to blind the dragon, which carried an inherent risk—a blind dragon attacks indiscriminately. Who knew what it would hit? But Viktor Krum was truly unlucky; his performance was nearly perfect, right up to that final moment."
Draco's tone became expectant as he looked at Harry and Cedric. "You saw it—the risk of the Conjunctivitis Curse is greater than we thought. We're about to face the Hungarian Horntail and the Norwegian Ridgeback. Who can guarantee that they won't go berserk like this one and destroy the Golden Egg with their fire?"
"We definitely need to rethink our strategy," Cedric agreed solemnly. "If we get to the final step, just about to grab the egg, only for it to be burned by dragon fire, that feeling would be absolutely devastating. Rather than taking that risk, we should stick to the magical plant strategy we prepared. It's much safer for restricting the dragons' movements."
Harry nodded in agreement. "I agree. The magical plant strategy is expensive, but it's the safest bet. Durmstrang's example is right there in front of us; let's not take chances."
Just as Draco and the others predicted, the judges' discussion did not last long.
When Ludo Bagman reappeared at the commentary box, he offered no explanation for the 'destroyed egg,' simply announcing, "We now move to the judges' scoring phase, which will be based on a comprehensive assessment of the champions' tactical execution, collaboration, and how they handled the risks they faced."
A short while later, the tent flap was gently pulled open, and a Ministry official poked his head in, speaking respectfully: "Mr. Harry Potter, Mr. Draco Malfoy, and Mr. Cedric Diggory, it is your turn. Please follow me to the arena."
Harry and the other two exchanged a look, took a deep breath, grabbed their wands, and followed the official out of the tent.
When Harry, Draco, and Cedric emerged into the arena entrance, wands in hand, a warm cheer immediately erupted from the stands.
Especially when all three raised their wands simultaneously, three flashes of silver light streaked through the air, and three broomsticks flew from the distance to settle steadily before them, Ludo Bagman's voice instantly became especially cheerful. The Sonorus Charm carried his excitement across the grounds: "Look at that! Three brand-new racing brooms! The Hogwarts champions certainly haven't disappointed us!"
He paused, adding pointedly, "To my knowledge, these three champions share a common trait—they are all the key Seekers for their respective House Quidditch teams! Harry Potter for Gryffindor, Draco Malfoy for Slytherin, and Cedric Diggory for Hufflepuff! Seekers are masters of nimble flying and quick reflexes. I'm already looking forward to their performance!"
No sooner had he finished than Ludo's eyes widened, his gaze fixed on the sky. "Wait! There's more! It seems the Hogwarts champions are exceptionally well-prepared. Besides the broomsticks, other items are flying into the arena! What could they be? Magical aids? Or special gear to deal with the dragons? Let's watch and see. I believe they're about to bring us an unexpected surprise!"
As he spoke, the situation in the arena gradually became clear.
Harry and Draco were the first to mount their brooms, kicking off the ground lightly as their brooms lifted them slowly into the air.
Cedric, however, did not immediately take flight. He stood his broom upright in front of him, holding the handle with one hand while raising his wand with the other. The tip of his wand glowed with a pale green light—he was clearly casting some kind of spell.
The soil beneath their feet began to tremble slightly, as if something was about to break through the earth.
"Look, spectators! Potter and Malfoy are airborne, but Diggory remains on the ground!" Ludo Bagman's voice was full of curiosity. "He's leaning on his broom, intently waving his wand. Is he preparing some kind of ground-based magic? This is quite different from the 'all-airborne raid' strategy we anticipated!"
Even more surprising was Harry and Draco's altitude.
They chose not to fly high to avoid the dragons' attacks. Instead, they maintained a low-altitude flight, less than five meters above the ground. Their speed was moderate, but they were incredibly agile.
Ludo watched, his voice shifting between excitement and worry. "Whoa! They seem utterly confident in their flying skills! They're flying so low! At this height, if the dragons' fire so much as grazes them, they'll have practically no time to dodge! Aren't they afraid of being hit by the flames?"
Sure enough, the two dragons quickly noticed the two "provocateurs."
The Hebridean Black roared first, turning its massive head toward Draco and opening its mouth to breathe fire. The Common Welsh Green, not to be outdone, swung its tail toward Harry, trying to knock him off his broom.
"Watch out!" No sooner had Ludo shouted the warning than Harry slammed his body down, his broom practically skimming the ground, narrowly avoiding the Green Dragon's tail. The tail swept across the dirt, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
Draco, meanwhile, quickly pulled his broom handle, his body executing a graceful side-turn in the air. The deep blue dragon fire whizzed past his ankle and hit the rocks in the distance, sending sparks flying.
"Superb! What a flexible turn!" Ludo Bagman clapped his hands in excitement. "Potter's focus is incredible; he timed that dodge perfectly! He successfully avoided the Common Welsh Green's deadly tail swipe!"
He then shifted his tone, adding a touch of humor. "But I must say, these two young champions, Potter and Malfoy, are incredibly brave! Everyone knows the Common Welsh Green is the mildest-tempered of all dragons; it rarely attacks unless provoked. Yet now? Even they've managed to make it mad enough to attack! That tells you how 'daring' their flight path is!"
After his lighthearted commentary, Ludo's gaze turned serious as he focused on Draco's side of the arena. "In contrast, Malfoy seems to be under much more pressure. He's facing the Hebridean Black, which is significantly larger than the Welsh Green! And the Black Dragon's reaction time is much faster. Continuing to dodge its attacks at low altitude is definitely going to be much harder!"
Just then, a new development occurred in the arena.
Harry and Draco seemed to reach an understanding through eye contact, simultaneously changing direction and swapping opponents.
Harry flew toward the Hebridean Black, while Draco turned toward the Common Welsh Green.
Ludo immediately caught the detail and exclaimed loudly: "Oh! They've swapped their fighting partners! Now it's Potter dealing with the much larger Hebridean Black, and Malfoy taking on the relatively gentler Common Welsh Green! Is this to divide the pressure, or is there another tactical consideration at play? It seems the Hogwarts champions are constantly adjusting their strategy even while airborne!"
Mid-commentary, Ludo suddenly slapped his forehead, as if remembering something important: "Speaking of which, we seem to have forgotten one champion! We were so focused on Potter and Malfoy's flying that we nearly ignored Diggory on the ground! So what is our Mr. Diggory doing now? How is his magic progressing? Will the commotion on the ground be the key to turning the tide?"