Chapter 580 The Dragons
"Well done, Evan, that way you won't be seen!" exclaimed Hagrid with admiration, pointing towards the dark forest. "The four of you wait for me in the grass and stay quiet. We won't bring Fang, he won't like it..."
He left the cabin, and everyone could clearly see that Hagrid was sporting a flower resembling a gigantic artichoke in his buttonhole. He seemed to have forsaken axle grease but had definitely attempted to tidy up his appearance, spending a lot of time on it. They could see the broken teeth of the comb tangled in his hair.
"God, this is terrible! What's wrong with him?"
"Shh, lower your voice, it's Madame Maxime!" Hermione pointed towards the carriage.
Indeed, Hagrid ventured into the darkness and headed towards the Beauxbatons carriage.
A few seconds later, he walked towards the front of the carriage and knocked thrice on the door adorned with golden crossed wands.
Madame Maxime opened it, her silky shawl draped around her enormous shoulders.
Upon seeing Hagrid, she smiled faintly. "Ah, Hagrid, is it time?"
"Good evening!" Hagrid said, smiling and offering his hand to help her down the golden steps.
Madame Maxime turned to close the carriage door, and Hagrid offered his arm to her.
They walked along the temporary enclosure containing Madame Maxime's gigantic winged horses.
"Hurry, he's forgotten us again!" Hermione muttered discontentedly.
The four hurriedly ran to catch up, trying not to make noise.
"Where do you say they hide the dragon?"
"I don't know, probably around here!"
Madame Maxime, sharing their doubts, looked around bewildered.
By then, they were far from the cabin and the carriage, in the dead of night...
"Where are you taking me, Hagrid?" she playfully inquired.
"To the forest!" Hagrid grumbled. "You will like it. It's worth seeing, trust me. But don't tell anyone that I showed you, alright? You're not supposed to know."
"Of course not," Madame Maxime replied, fluttering her long black lashes.
They continued walking, with Evan and the other three trotting behind.
They had walked so far around the forest perimeter that the castle and the lake were out of sight.
If they didn't know Hagrid was taking them to see the dragon, this might seem more like a rendezvous between Hagrid and Maxime, where Hagrid might attempt something.
Thinking about Hagrid and Madame Maxime together, Evan couldn't help but shudder.
Just then, they heard something. Men were shouting ahead... Then came a deafening roar...
The four halted abruptly and exchanged glances.
"Go ahead, veer to the right and stay clear of them," Evan whispered.
Hagrid led Madame Maxime around a cluster of trees and stopped.
They all hurried over. It was an open space, and suddenly everything became clear.
For a moment, they thought they saw bonfires with men surrounding them. And then they were speechless.
Dragons!
They finally laid eyes on the dragons!
Four fully grown dragons, huge and menacing in appearance, stood on their hind legs inside a fenced area made of thick wooden planks, roaring and breathing fire into the dark sky from their open, fang-filled mouths, fifty feet above the ground on their outstretched necks.
There was a silvery-blue one with long pointed horns, growling and roaring at the wizards below.
Not far from it, a green one with smooth scales writhed and thrashed with all its might.
There was also a red one with a peculiar fringe of fine spines around its face, sending mushroom-shaped fire clouds into the air.
And finally, there was a gigantic black dragon, more lizard-like than the others, which was closer to them.
There were at least forty wizards in the field, with every ten individuals responsible for dealing with a dragon, attempting to control them by pulling on chains connected to heavy leather straps around their necks and legs.
These four dragons were slightly smaller than the black dragon Evan had seen in the illusion, but their form was equally awe-inspiring.
Evan was secretly amazed, his heart beating rapidly. As for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, they were utterly mesmerized.
Harry stood there in astonishment, while Ron's mouth fell wide open, bewildered, and Hermione grabbed Evan's shoulder tightly.
Everyone looked up, far above them, and saw the eyes of the black dragon, with vertical pupils like those of a cat, bulging with either fear or anger, they couldn't discern. It emitted a horrible noise, a piercing and howling screech...
"Be careful, stay back, Hagrid!" shouted a wizard near the fence, pulling forcefully on the chain he held. "They can breathe fire up to a distance of twenty feet, you know! I've seen this Hungarian Horntail do forty!"
"How magnificent!" Hagrid said softly.
"It's no use!" yelled another wizard. "Stunning Spells, together, on the count of three!"
Each of the dragon keepers drew their wands and aimed at the dragon in front of them.
"Stupefy!" they shouted in unison, and the Stunning Spells shot into the darkness like blazing rockets, exploding in showers of stars on the dragons' scales.
After the dazzling flash, the nearest dragon staggered dangerously on its hind legs; its jaws opened wide in a silent howl; its nostrils were suddenly devoid of fire, though still smoldering. Then, very slowly, it fell.
Several tons of dragon crashed scaly and sinewy to the ground with a thud that shook the trees.
The dragon keepers lowered their wands and walked towards their imposing fallen charges, each the size of a small hill.
They hastened to adjust the chains and secure them tightly to iron pegs, driving them deep into the earth with their wands.
"Let's get closer!" said Harry.
They approached the fence, with Hagrid and Madame Maxime following them.
"Charlie!" Ron suddenly exclaimed.
The wizard who had warned Hagrid not to come closer turned around, and Evan realized who it was: Charlie Weasley.