Chapter 10. One for two
Harry's morning turned out to be unusually scattered. He had argued with Ron last night and now couldn't gather his thoughts. Enormous dragons that Hagrid had shown him kept running through his mind. His thoughts wandered far away, into inaccessible distant worlds where no dragon could reach. His courage, along with all his emotions, travelled there too. Spiraling into the inevitable whirlpool of time, he didn't notice anything around him anymore, just let himself be carried away by the current, desperately clinging to the thin thread that separated him from the dreadful hour when he would face the dragon amidst the cheers and applause.
Harry wanted to cry in fear but couldn't find any tears. He wanted to hide, but had no idea where. He wanted to run and scream, but there seemed to be no way out. In that moment, when everyone turned away from him and only Hermione tried to help, searching for a suitable spell in books, he felt like Atlas, burdened with holding up the sky. He would have straightened his shoulders, but there was no one else to bear this unbearable load.
Even Jeanne, usually cold and mean, was surprised by the absent expression on his face on Monday morning, the night before which sleep had abandoned him, leaving him alone until morning. She didn't know what awaited them. Should he tell her? But if he told her, he would have to tell Cedric too. Gathering his strength to speak, Harry grabbed her shoulder, pulling her towards him without resistance, and whispered in her ear:
"We will face a dragon in the first task."
Letting her go, he looked down at his plate where uneaten bacon still remained. The piece wouldn't go down his throat. Since Harry first saw the dragons, he felt as if he was locked in a cage with them, living alongside, inhaling the scent of burning earth and constantly staring into those yellow eyes with vertical pupils, full of determination. Someone hit Harry on the face and then grabbed his shoulders, shaking him vigorously. Coming to his senses, Harry saw Jeanne. She held him by the shoulders, looking at him, her lips twisted, and confusion was evident on her face.
"You said - with a dragon?" she whispered.
Harry nodded. Jeanne paused for a moment and immediately asked, "Do you have a plan of action?"
Harry only shook his head in response. Jeanne loosened her grip and let him go, her face showing tense contemplation. Harry didn't ask what she was thinking about at that moment.
A little later, Harry met Cedric. He was surrounded by a crowd of friends and giggling girls, and Harry didn't want to speak in front of them. To distract Cedric from them, he subtly put a charm on his bag. It tore, feathers, textbooks, parchment spilled out, and two ink bottles shattered into pieces. Although his friends rushed to help, Cedric distanced himself from them, telling them to go to class, and tried to pick up his belongings himself. After telling Cedric about the dragons, Harry felt a sense of duty fulfilled and headed for his lessons. But he ran into Professor Moody. Moody gave him a crooked smile and invited Harry to his office. In the office, filled with various mysterious contraptions, they sat down to talk. Moody praised Harry for helping Cedric and telling about the dragons, then asked if Harry had any plan. Finding out that Harry still hadn't come up with anything to complete the task and face the dragon, Moody became a little gloomy. Nonetheless, he suggested a suitable plan of action for Harry. Realizing that Harry was good at flying on a broom and hearing his disappointed "but you can't bring a broom with you," Moody gave him a concise "but you can bring a wand." Arming himself with this thought, Harry went to Hermione and asked for her help in studying Alluring Charms.
All day and all evening until two o'clock in the morning, they wandered around Hogwarts and practiced Tempting Charms. In the library, empty classrooms, in the corridor, and in the Gryffindor common room. Harry didn't even care that Professor Trelawney had predicted a terrible, sudden death for him during Divination earlier that day.
"Death, well, let it be!" he couldn't help but say. "Just make it quick. I don't want to suffer."
Even Ron almost burst into laughter at his words. It was as if there were no traces of their previous argument between them, but Harry was still angry at him for interrupting his conversation with Sirius.
Harry trained so diligently that he seemed to have disconnected from reality. Nothing else interested him. He knew his goal - to summon Lightning from the castle when facing the dragon.
"Now I know what to do next time if some spells don't work for me," he told Hermione, glowing brightly with his successes. "Scare the dragon."
The morning of the next day summed up all the previous days. Harry distanced himself from everything and everyone; he didn't notice the mockery or those badges with mocking inscriptions becoming even more inventive in front of him.
"Dragons don't cry, Jeanne Dark, and Harry Potty!"
He didn't even notice that Jeanne had changed her tactics and was no longer personally threatening each student but rather writing their names on a special parchment. He also didn't notice that Fred and George were taking bets on him. Although they promised to share the winnings if he survived, Harry ignored that as well. The classes that day lasted until noon. It seemed that even time itself was betraying him, leading him to the meeting with the dragon. Unable to eat anything for lunch, Harry soon found himself walking with McGonagall and Jeanne to the tent where the Tournament champions were located. Inside, there was a very nervous and tense atmosphere. It was clear from the champions that they were jittery, and even Jeanne didn't seem as self-satisfied as usual. Then Ludo Bagman came in with a small bag made of red silk.
"When the spectators gather, I will open this bag," he said. "In it are copies of those you will have to face. They are all different. Each of you will take turns reaching in and grabbing whoever fate sends you. Your task is to acquire the golden egg."
2
The champions were later surprised to find that there were five of them and only four dragons. However, Ludo Bagman jokingly said that since two champions were chosen from the same slip of paper, they would have to share one dragon between them. They were also less bothered by the sudden appearance of Rita Skeeter, who was soon escorted out despite her keen interest in intrigues. But then came the agonizing wait. A whistle sounded from outside, another champion emerged, and all they could do was guess what was happening from the deafening roar of the crowd and Bagman's brief comments. Finally, only Harry and Jeanne remained in the tent. Harry didn't even think to ask if she had a plan and what she intended to do. They had not even realized before that they would be sent together against one dragon, and now Harry just silently looked at the ground while Jeanne smiled smugly. Strangely, amidst her smugness, this smile unexpectedly gave Harry hope. After all, a person who doesn't believe in their victory wouldn't smile like that.
The piercing whistle of the judge cut through the tense silence that hung over the massive dragon enclosure. Harry Potter swallowed the lump of excitement rising in his throat and took careful, deliberate steps forward, holding his wand tightly.
In the distance, at the far corner of the enclosure, a low stone ridge was visible, behind which a bright spectacle blazed, signaling significant trials ahead. Tongues of roaring flames burst intermittently from the pile of boulders, illuminating the area with dazzling flashes. Harry squinted, trying to discern the source of this fiery display.
And then, from behind the ridge, a massive lizard swayed and slowly crawled out, its scales matte black as if charred. The creature's ridged back periodically bristled with sharp spikes jutting out. Its two massive front paws were capped with curved claws that seemed capable of rending any armor. However, the most terrifying aspect was the looming creature's elongated, forward-stretched head with a jagged dragon-like mouth studded with rows of enormous, deadly teeth.
Harry froze in horror, watching the nightmare come to life. The ancient lizard emanated unbearable heat, causing streams of sweat to flow down the young man's face. But the worst part was that the monster was guarding... eggs. The dragoness restlessly shifted above the dragon eggs embedded in the ground, alternately glancing at the uninvited guest with a deadly glare and then returning her gaze to her precious offspring.
In her hands, Jeanne d'Arc tightly gripped her wand, as if it were a sword, and her cloak billowed with a bloody-red flash as she walked.
Harry followed her with his eyes until the figure approached the dragoness sitting on the nest, and then something incredible happened. Jeanne knelt down and bowed low in a gesture of humility to the ancient creature of power and might.
The dragoness cocked her head in puzzlement, then let out a long, guttural roar in response to the homage paid. Meanwhile, Jeanne remained motionless, still kneeling. The dragon's enormous head slid very close to her body. The dragoness's flared nostrils inhaled the boldness of the young Gryffindor girl, as if trying to discern the girl's intentions.
Finally, the long pause was disrupted by a swift movement of the creature. Its immense scaled wings suddenly soared upward, raising a whirlwind of dust and wind. In the next moment, Harry saw the jagged mouth of the lizard open, and for a moment, it seemed as if it would close on Jeanne's tiny figure.
But nothing of the sort happened. Instead, the dragoness unleashed a powerful wave of fire from her belly, engulfing Jeanne d'Arc in a wall of flame. Harry closed his eyes, expecting to hear screams of pain, but all he heard was the rhythmic clinking of falling metal droplets on the ground.
In amazement, Harry widened his eyes. Jeanne stood unharmed, enveloped in a golden glow, and her cloak shimmered only from the splashes of molten dragon fire. It seemed she had melted an old metal ring in front of her. Jeanne nonchalantly turned to face the bewildered dragoness and bowed once again.
Jeanne d'Arc's figure remained frozen in complete stillness, like a statue, despite the furious stream of flames that had just engulfed her. The golden glow of the magical shield cast whimsical reflections on the ground, resembling the shimmering of sunbeams on water.
The dragoness, who had been guarding her offspring from unwelcome guests all this time, raised her head in astonishment. Her elongated head with a glazed look slowly leaned forward, approaching the human figure. The predator's wide nostrils eagerly sniffed the scents, as if trying to discern the mysterious essence of this creature.
Suddenly, Jeanne d'Arc's chest heaved, as if in anticipation of some sacred act, and her face, covered in soot and ash, turned back to the dragoness. Harry froze in tense anticipation, gripping his wand so tightly that it squeaked plaintively.
"GREDDAHRE BRUDDARD ARWARA!" Jeanne's deep, rumbling voice rang out, a sound that could not have come from an ordinary human's throat.
The words were spoken in an unfamiliar, primal language, interrupted by guttural vibrations resembling the roar of a working mechanism. Harry shuddered at these inhuman, grating sounds.
Jeanne paused briefly, during which the dragoness began to show signs of agitation once again, flexing her enormous wings. However, with the next phrase, the giant lizard seemed to wilt and slump to the ground, listening intently to the mysterious girl's speech.
"GREDDAHRA! BRUDDARD ARWARA!" Jeanne thundered again, hurling words into space in an unknown tongue.
"What are you doing, Jeanne?" Harry couldn't help but ask, lost in speculation. But his words hung in the air, ignored by his ally, completely absorbed in her peculiar activity.
Jeanne continued her mysterious monologue to the dragon. Her speech grew louder and more confident, merging into some primal hymn, sprinkled with peculiar inserts in the dragon tongue.
It seemed as though the earth itself quivered in time to this inhuman chant, as if responding to an ancient call. Meanwhile, the dragoness fell silent, engrossed in Joan's speech, but nothing could be gleaned from her sleepy gaze.
But then the dragoness stirred. Her massive, scaly body rose above the nest, crowned with a mighty head akin to ancient limestone, with an open, toothy maw. A hum filled the air from the flaps of her sail-like wings, sweeping everything in her path.
Jeanne raised her hand, urging Harry to maintain complete silence. She herself moved cautiously forward, trying not to make any sudden movements in the presence of the massive lizard.
Sensing a potential threat, the dragoness let out a roar, spewing flames into the air. The intense heat engulfed everything around, causing the ground itself to tremble. Jeanne recoiled, shielding herself with her cloak from the scorching tongues of flame.
"D'REDDAHRE!" the dragoness thundered, menacingly lowering her muzzle towards the warrior woman and her companion.
For a moment, Harry thought the monster was about to attack. But Joan reacted swiftly. She dove towards the young man, barely bending to the ground, and quickly whispered, her hot breath scorching his face:
"And now we quietly retreat... Imagine that you're a tiny mouse..."
Before Harry could even blink, his companion darted from her spot and hurriedly darted behind a nearby rocky outcrop. Harry followed suit, deftly maneuvering between the boulders.
They had barely managed to take cover in this unreliable shelter when a new burst of dragon's fire hit the spot they had just left. Harry felt his scar flare up again from the scorching wave of heat rolling over their heads.
"Damn, how are we going to calm it down?" he exhaled, pressing against the stone ridge and feeling the small shards falling from above.
Jeanne, leaning her back against a boulder, furrowed her brow and darkened. Her clouded gaze was turned somewhere far away, as if his ally was considering options.
Jeanne caught her breath, listening to the rumbling sounds outside. It seemed that the dragon had momentarily quieted down, sniffing the air in search of a potential victim.
"What did you say to the dragon?" Harry whispered, unable to withstand the tension, glancing at his companion's grim face.
Jeanne turned to him, a glint of regret in her eyes.
"I asked it to give us the egg without a fight," she said hoarsely.
Harry snorted, trying to make the sound not too loud:
"And she replied that she wouldn't give it?"
A faint smile appeared on Jeanne's face:
"How did you guess?"
"You know, just had a feeling!" the boy retorted.
At that moment, a new roar rang out, and a powerful burst of flames hit the boulders that covered their hiding place. The hot wave of heat engulfed both the wizards trying to escape, forcing them to huddle against the stone ridge.
"You won't get dragons to be peaceful," Jeanne muttered through clenched teeth when the roaring storm subsided a bit. "We need a different plan."
Harry was about to open his mouth to object, but then his eyes caught something glinting in Jeanne's palm. It was a chain with a tiny golden locket at the end, shimmering in the semi-darkness of their shelter.
Jeanne shook her head, hiding the tiny locket back in her pocket.
"Do you have any other plan?" Harry asked, peering into her face.
Her only response was a determined grimace. With a swift motion, Jeanne pulled out a wand from her pocket and clenched it in her hand. A whole range of emotions could be read on her face - from reckless courage to a thirst for righteous retribution.
The curious wand... Made from the bark of the ancient Tree of Fairies from the French village of Domremy, and metal from medieval French swords... A truly extraordinary combination, Mademoiselle d'Arc. I'm sure the story of your famous namesake, who lived in the fifteenth century, means a lot to you.
"I can burn it to the ground," she hissed through her teeth, raising the wand in front of her like a blade. There was a malicious glint in her eyes.
Harry recoiled, pressing himself against the stone wall. He remembered all of Hagrid's stories about dragons and their ferocious power. The prospect of an enraged, fire-breathing beast filled him with nothing but horror.
"Let's do without that," he quickly objected, holding his hands up. "I don't want to learn anything new about dragons, especially not about their behavior in fire. It's much safer to hear about it from Hagrid."
Jeanne squinted, her chest heaving heavily. Fired up with battle fever, she still gripped the wand, not lowering it. Just then, a new roar struck their ears, causing both to press against the rock. A whirlwind of scorching air whistled right above their heads, leaving a wave of deadly heat in its wake.
"Jeanne, please don't do anything foolish!" Harry desperately grasped her hand, trying to reason with his classmate. "Think about it, you want to win the Tournament, not get burned alive!"
Jeanne nodded spasmodically, struggling to regain her senses. Her gaze focused, becoming coherent.
"You're right," she hoarsely uttered, lowering the wand. "But how do we get the egg then?"
Harry listened to his intuition, pushing away his doubts. He looked at Jeanne's delicate figure and remembered how effortlessly this girl was able to toss around trained seventh years twice her size. Her strength clearly did not match her petite frame.
And yet, she's talking nonsense. How is this fragile girl going to set a fifty-foot dragon on fire? Five trained adults can't handle it, and she's suggesting to just take it and burn the beast.
A plan began to form in the boy's mind. There was no time for further deliberation – the dragoness roared again, sensing the smell of humans. Harry grabbed the wand and summoned:
"Accio Lightning!"
Moments later, a racing broomstick rushed towards them, cutting through the air. Harry deftly mounted it and nodded at Jeanne.
"Summon a broomstick too! Then we'll split up and confuse the dragon."
Jeanne only smirked in response.
"Do you think I play Quidditch?"
"Of course not," echoed in Harry's mind. There was no time for arguments. He decisively lifted Jeanne and seated her behind him on the broomstick. The dragoness was already spewing flames in their direction.
"Hold on!" he shouted, urging Lightning into motion.
The broomstick soared into the sky, carrying them away from the beast's fiery jets. The dragoness went berserk, spotting their fleeing prey, and lunged after them, rearing up on its hind legs. Swirling near the nest, Harry tried to distract the creature while Jeanne snatched the wand. In the next moment, he saw a blinding beam of magic surge from her wand, striking the dragon in the eyes.
The bewildered monster shook its head, losing sight of its opponents. This was enough for Harry to make a swift dash to the nest and grab the golden egg. Meanwhile, Jeanne once again launched several blinding beams at the dragon, confusing her.
Soon, a furious roar startled all the spectators, and the dragoness stomped around the arena, trying to find her stolen offspring. But they had disappeared without a trace. Harry was already racing towards the finish line with the golden egg in his hands.
The crowd erupted into deafening cheers as Harry and Jeanne landed in the arena, proudly displaying the golden dragon egg. Ludo Bagman, the judge of the competition, hurried towards the winners, gesturing enthusiastically.
"Bravo! Bravo!" he exclaimed, barely catching up with the participants of the first round. "You were unparalleled! True daredevils and innovators!"
Bagman then turned his gaze to Viktor Krum, who stood next to his teammates with a frustrated expression on his face.
"Here, Mr. Krum, a true example to follow!" the judge said instructively. "These young people not only captured the egg faster than anyone else, but also showed wonders of inventiveness by using flight magic!"
Viktor looked embarrassed and frowned, clearly annoyed with his own lack of speed. Harry felt awkward at the loud praise from the audience. Soon, they found themselves surrounded by congratulatory friends. Ron and Hermione's figures stood out from the crowd. Both of their faces were pale from the excitement they had experienced.
"Harry!" Ron cried, trying to embrace his friend. "We thought you were done for!"
"Oh, come on, it all worked out," Harry tried to joke, but Ron just shook his head.
Hermione looked at Harry as if afraid to blink, as if he might suddenly disappear. Seeing her distressed face, Harry felt deeply guilty. Could his participation in the Tournament cause his friends such worry?
"Harry," Ron slowly said after a pause. "Whoever put your name in the Goblet, I understand now: they want to kill you."
"It took you long enough to figure it out."