Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 288, Section 287: Malfoy's Virgin Slayer and Hermione's Entry
At this moment, even Gryffindors who hate Slytherin would cheer for Malfoy, because such close dancing with a dragon meant extreme danger. A slight mistake could lead to death under the dragon's claws, or even being crushed to death, beyond saving.

But such thrills often mean they can keep the audience on the edge of their seats, especially Muggle viewers who don't understand magic and therefore can't quite grasp the actions of the previous contestants.

For example, using magic to make oneself invisible and then go and take the golden egg, or attracting the attention of a fire dragon and then secretly stealing it, etc., such competitions are somewhat boring for Muggle audiences. They crave more exciting scenes and scenes that can better satisfy their magical fantasies.

The last thing that could excite them like this was Krum's flying broom. A wizard with a flying broom really fits the fantasy of many Muggle viewers, but compared to Draco now, a mere flying broom is a bit lacking.

Because this was the first young wizard to attempt to defeat the dragon head-on.

Especially after the dragon breeders had already painstakingly sent nearly ten fire dragons off the field, both wizards and Muggles now fully understood the fighting power of fire dragons—but now, a little wizard actually thought he could defeat a fire dragon all by himself?

Even though they were in the stands and knew they were safe, the audience still put themselves in Drak's shoes, subconsciously holding their breath as they watched the small figure dodge and roll amidst the dragon's furious pounces and claws, his twin hammers wreathed in flames and lightning, each strike shattering and peeling off the dragon's scales.

Especially the spurting dragon blood, which was engulfed by intense flames before it even hit the ground, was enough to get the audience's blood pumping.

Because close combat is romantic; it's much more exciting than standing at a distance and waving a wand to unleash colorful lights.

"Malfoy is still roaming on the fire dragon's body! My God! I never imagined a wizard could be so agile! Or is it because he's not a complete wizard? Did the shaman teach Malfoy all this? But shouldn't the shaman cast elemental magic? Does the shaman have some kind of spell that can make someone more agile?! I don't understand!!"

Ludo was screaming wildly, jumping up and down—well, he even jumped onto the commentary table, tearing at his collar, as if only in this way could he barely vent his excitement.

"Oh no! This wood wasp has completely lost its mind! Is Malfoy also going to face the embarrassing situation of having his dragon egg crushed?! Wait! It's flipped over again! My God! Its wings! Its wings are flapping towards Malfoy—no! Wait!! Malfoy has turned into a wolf?!"

"Sorry, am I seeing things?!" Ludo shouted frantically. "No, no! When Malfoy was almost hit by the dragon's wing, he instantly transformed into a giant, semi-transparent wolf! His jumping ability was incredible! He just slid off the ground like that! And he even bit into the already mangled dragon flesh with his gaping maw! Listen! The fire dragon is screaming in agony!!!"

"What is that?! Is it a Malfoy Animagus? But a Slytherin student's Animagus is a wolf? Is that really an Animagus? I clearly remember that Animagus should only be able to turn the user into an ordinary animal, not a semi-transparent, ghost-like wolf like this!"

“What is Animagus?” Hack asked again.

“It’s a kind of transfiguration magic that can turn a wizard into an ordinary animal without magic,” Harry explained briefly. “But Malfoy isn’t using Animagus right now; he’s using a special shamanic spell, the Transfiguration Ghost Wolf.”

“A ghost wolf?” Scrimgeour asked. “That translucent body? Just like a ghost after all?”

"Pretty much," Harry nodded slightly and said, "Shamans can also wield soul power, and this kind of spell can be considered a kind of application of soul power."

“I understand,” Scrimgeour said knowingly. “At least I don’t have to hesitate about whether to bring the illegal Animagus to Azkaban.”

“Um, what is Azkaban?” Hak asked cautiously.

"Wizard's Prison".

Scrimgeour's cold response made Huck dare not ask any further questions; the word "prison" was somewhat ominous.

It's not appropriate to talk about this now.

Just as the group was talking, a loud roar from a fire dragon suddenly rang out from the center of the arena. But unlike any other time, this time, while the roar was still full of anger, it was also filled with a sense of... helplessness.

"...What's wrong with it?" Perrier stood up and leaned against the edge of the railing, asking in surprise, "Why isn't it moving?"

It really stopped moving.

Malfoy drew lots to determine that he would face a Hungarian wood beetle, but this dragon, known for its explosive, belligerent, and ferocious nature, was lying stiffly on the ground.

Its appearance was somewhat pitiful. Its once beautiful black scales were now missing in pieces, as if most of them had been peeled off. Even the thorns that grew along its spine from head to tail had been knocked off in many places, leaving them broken and discontinuous.

His body was covered in pitted wounds, some of which were burning with flames or crackling with azure lightning.

But most importantly, it stopped moving and just lay there on the ground, panting heavily, its chest heaving.

Amidst the buzzing chatter of the audience, the beautiful ghost wolf nimbly leaped out from under the already torn wing membrane of the Hungarian wood bee, then gracefully landed on the top of the fallen wood bee's back, and immediately transformed into a wizard wielding two hammers.

Looking around the entire arena, Malfoy suddenly raised his right warhammer high!

"—Malfoy! Malfoy! Malfoy!!"

The shouts started in the stands where the Hogwarts students were gathered, or more precisely, from the Slytherin camp. Within seconds, they spread to all the Hogwarts students, even the Gryffindors, and even the Gryffindors themselves were cheering Malfoy's name! Because he had truly defeated a dragon! At least he had exhausted it to the point that it could no longer attack!
Malfoy was standing on its back!
Even the most critical and hostile Gryffindors couldn't deny Malfoy's abilities at this moment, because a third-year student defeating a dragon is an incredibly incredible legend, a legend that most people can never emulate in their lifetime!

Not to mention that Malfoy himself was a Hogwarts student, and in such an occasion with so many people from other schools and spectators, all the Hogwarts students were one group!

"Perfect score!! Absolutely perfect score!!!" Ludo Bagman was already pounding the table and shouting, "Never before has such a thing happened! A third-year student! A student who hasn't even graduated from school yet! He single-handedly defeated a fire dragon head-on! And he wasn't even hurt!!!"

"Draco Malfoy has undoubtedly created a whole new legend for us!! There's absolutely nothing about him that deserves a point! Anyone who tries to deduct points from him definitely has their own despicable motives!! Although I'm not a judge, I dare say this—this young man! This boy deserves a perfect score!!!"

"Because he defeated a fire dragon honorably! He proudly puffed out his chest, strode confidently, and rightfully claimed the golden egg!!!"

All I can say is that Karkaroff gave a score of 10 to everyone except Krum with the look of someone who had lost a loved one, while Dumbledore and the others, needless to say, all received full marks.

Originally, the student team's warriors only needed to steal the golden egg from the fire dragon, but Drak single-handedly pushed the student team's competition to a new peak.

"Fortunately, Malfoy came on relatively late," Perrier joked, "otherwise I probably wouldn't have been able to give anyone more than eight points."

“Yes, yes,” Huck nodded repeatedly. “It’s a pity. If it weren’t for the rule, I would have even given him twenty points, haha.”

It is foreseeable that not only the first project, but also any subsequent student contestants will find it extremely difficult to get high scores, because the judges will undoubtedly be more eager to see Draco Malfoy's performance in the following competitions, and will therefore be more cautious in awarding scores.

“Congratulations, Dumbledore, Headmaster Potter,” Madam Maxim said with a sigh. “You have nurtured a legendary wizard. I am already looking forward to seeing what important role Malfoy will play in the wizarding world in the future.”

“Oh, Maxim, you’re wrong about one thing,” Dumbledore said humorously. “Draco uses shamanic magic, which means I didn’t play any role in his upbringing—otherwise, I wouldn’t have failed to cultivate such an excellent student during my long tenure as headmaster.”

“Malfoy’s ability is due to the combined teaching of all his professors and his own hard work,” Harry said with a smile. “There’s no need to be so modest, Dumbledore.”

Just as Perrier had said, although the student warriors who followed Draco performed very well, their matches seemed somewhat dull and unexciting after someone directly defeated the fire dragon and stole the golden egg.

Come to think of it, how can stealing compare to robbing?

Forcibly taking something from a ferocious fire-breathing dragon sounds much cooler than stealing it; it's like defeating a dragon and taking its treasure—a classic story.

"...Very good, the moment has finally arrived!" Ludo said excitedly after taking a sip of water. "I have been looking forward to this moment ever since I received the list of warriors, especially after the Malfoy warriors defeated the fire dragon with such a strong stance—now, we have finally waited for the arrival of the third shaman!"

"She is Hermione Granger, the genius witch of Hogwarts, who got perfect scores in all subjects, Headmaster Potter's assistant in Shamanism class, and a shaman warrior just like the Malfoys!"

Ludo's shouts reignited the interest of the spectators who had been watching performances by several other school warriors. They all craned their necks to look at the entrance to the competition field, where a wary Chinese Fireball Dragon was already lying in wait.

This is Hermione's opponent, extremely striking in appearance, with beautiful, smooth, scarlet scales that are currently shimmering in the sunlight. Unlike other fire dragons, the Chinese Fireball Dragon has a lion-like nose, surrounded by a ring of golden, tassel-like spikes, and bulging eyes.

"...The biggest difference between the Chinese Fireball Dragon and other fire dragons is that the Chinese Fireball Dragon doesn't breathe out a whole patch of flame, but rather mushroom-shaped fireballs from its nostrils. These fireballs can even explode, making their breath more dangerous than that of other fire dragons..."

As the commentator, Ludo is diligently introducing the characteristics of this fire dragon to the audience.

The dragons selected for the competition are all aggressive and irritable; gentle dragons like the Welsh Green Dragon would never be brought along.

“Maybe we should call it a day, honey,” Granger said worriedly, pulling Hermione’s hand outside the tunnel leading to the arena. “I’ve seen the matches of the champions before you, and they were really brave, but you—”

"Don't worry, Mom," Hermione interrupted her mother's worried words with a big hug, and said seriously, "I am very powerful—more powerful than many adult wizards, believe me."

Mrs. Granger was speechless. She just stared blankly at her child, watching her take a step back and hug her father, before turning around gracefully, wand in hand, and walking towards the arena.

“It will be alright,” Mr. Granger comforted his wife, holding her close. “I believe Harry wouldn’t let Hermione take unnecessary risks. He’s the headmaster now, isn’t he? Such an outstanding person. Hermione must have learned a lot from him… Trust Hermione.”

Even though he was still filled with worry, Mr. Granger would not let these emotions show at this time.

Hermione had already entered the arena amidst cheers, and the moment she stepped onto the field, the sounds of the spectators in the stands were completely cut off by magic. Even when she looked up at the surrounding sky, she could only see a clear sky; there were no stands and no spectators.

All that could be heard was the sound of the fire dragon frantically sharpening its claws.

(End of this chapter)