They were only thinking about the prize at the finish line, forgetting the chaos that erupts when two evenly matched teams clash. They think they can be the ones to reap the benefits, but so can everyone else!
Beauxbatons and Durmstrang might not be as strong as Hogwarts or the exchange students, but they aren't pushovers. When the sides finally meet, won't they intervene? Of course they will.
The smart move is to go straight for the dragon and grab the scroll. It's hard to steal when the power balance is equal, but defending is easy! Unless you can overwhelm your opponent instantly, dragging the match to a draw is the best option. Erwin shook his head. Consider this a lesson for the two of them!
At least this is a championship bout, not a real battle; they have room for error. They can correct their mistakes later. But if this were a war, they'd be dead.
Erwin stopped watching the two teams. He turned his gaze to the Beauxbatons group.
Fleur and her team had already found their target—and they were fighting the dragon!
Unlike the original timeline, there were ten of them this time. They weren't in such a sorry state. Fleur used her Veela heritage to briefly daze the beast, and the girls attacked. But a dragon is a dragon; they are born to rule the food chain. A half-Veela like Fleur—even a full Veela—wouldn't stand a chance alone.
Erwin had arranged thirty adult dragons this time. Not the scrawny juveniles from the history books, but full-grown beasts. Even a seasoned dragon-taming team could be overwhelmed if they slipped up.
As the dragons breathed fire, the Beauxbatons girls scrambled for cover. Madame Maxime, watching from the Great Hall, stood up instinctively, her face etched with worry. Hagrid sat beside her, offering quiet comfort. Even without the bizarre twists of the past, the two had hit it off. After all, it is incredibly difficult for a half-giant to find a partner, especially one with blood as pure as Maxime's.
Fleur waved her wand, and the Beauxbatons girls scattered, messy but adapting to the rhythm of the battle. Erwin respected them. They lacked the raw power of the exchange students or the aggressive confidence of Hogwarts, but they were hardworking and tenacious.
Fleur conjured ropes, binding the dragon, while the others sealed its mouth to prevent fire. Gritting their teeth, they pinned the beast down, creating an opening. Fleur was swift; she didn't disappoint. She snatched the parchment fragment from the dragon's neck.
The girls cheered. But the dragon roared, snapping the bindings and rising. The Beauxbatons students paled.
Just then, a figure in black robes appeared. He flashed a badge bearing the purple lotus symbol. The dragon snorted, glared at the girls, then took to the air and left. The man vanished.
Fleur stared at the empty space. Was this Erwin's doing? As long as they got the parchment, the dragons would stop? That was surprisingly manageable.
Beauxbatons became the first house to secure a fragment. The onlookers, regardless of allegiance, applauded. They had shown courage, teamwork, and grit. They had proven they were more than just an arts school.
After Beauxbatons, Viktor Krum led the Durmstrang students to a dragon. Unlike Beauxbatons, they didn't try to control it; they wanted to beat it into submission and take the parchment.
In the Great Hall, Grindelwald watched the performance and shook his head. "Igor Karkaroff! Is this what you teach? Do they not have a brain among them?"
Karkaroff's face darkened, but he dared not speak back. He just lowered his head, seething. Shouldn't a warrior face difficulties head-on?
Grindelwald saw the resentment and scoffed. "That is a dragon. Do you know how much effort it takes to bring a fully grown dragon down completely? In that time, they could find several dragons and get the fragments!"
Karkaroff stayed silent. He couldn't argue; the truth stung.
The Durmstrang students were indeed powerful, but subduing the dragon took far longer than it took Beauxbatons. By the time they were taking a breather to recover their magic, Beauxbatons had already secured their second fragment using the same strategy.
Erwin shook his head. A bunch of reckless brutes. Each generation is worse than the last. When Grindelwald ran Durmstrang, it wasn't this chaotic. Now, with Karkaroff in charge, it had become a glorified sports academy. It was truly unfortunate; so many wizards insisted on developing into athletes rather than strategists. Different environments indeed nurture different people.
Meanwhile, the Hogwarts students, though they planned to acquire fragments later, had already encountered their first target while wandering the grounds.