bioinnovel Chapter 312 First Appearance
Chapter 312 First Appearance
Chapter 312 First Appearance
November 24th, sunny, cold, with a light breeze.
The Hogwarts students circled the edge of the Forbidden Forest and arrived at the arena, modeled after the ancient Roman Colosseum.
Everyone anxiously peered towards the center of the field, eager to know what the first event would entail and to witness the warriors' heroic bearing.
However, the warriors at this moment did not display any heroic bearing.
In a tent next to the competition venue, Fleur Delacour sat on a low stool in the corner. Her usual elegance and self-assurance were gone, replaced by tension and panic.
Viktor Krum looked even more somber, standing quietly to one side to ease his inner tension and unease.
And then there's Cedric, the young Mr. Diggory who never stops walking around in his tent, making it dizzying to watch.
Finally, there's Harry. The younger Mr. Potter looks like a robot, with stiff joints and muscles, and his smile is uglier than his cry.
Despite already knowing that the first challenge would be facing a fire dragon, and despite having a strategy to deal with it, the four warriors still couldn't sit still, feeling inevitably nervous and uneasy.
Inside the entire tent, only Belvina, who wasn't competing, could still smile, beaming as she beckoned the warriors to gather around her.
"Now, I'm going to tell you the details of the first project," Belvina said, taking out a purple silk bag. "The first project is very simple. You just need to go through the fire dragon and take the golden egg placed next to it."
Simple my foot!
The four warriors reached a tacit agreement on their thoughts.
That's a fire dragon! A fire dragon that can fly, breathe fire, and weigh several tons!
Belvina naturally couldn't hear the thoughts of the four warriors, and even if she did, she wouldn't care.
She shook the purple silk bag in her hand and said, "The bag in my hand contains dragon models. The different types of dragon models you draw will determine your order of appearance."
After he finished speaking, Cedric nodded heavily, indicating that he understood, but Mr. Diggory's expression was not very good.
Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum showed no reaction, as if they had blocked out all external distractions and were focused on today's match.
However, it is usually difficult to fake one's eyes. Fear was written in Fleur's eyes, and unease in Krum's eyes. Neither warrior could remain unmoved.
As for Harry, the scarred brute hadn't yet felt the surge of passion; his young, innocent face was stiff, making him look like a magical puppet—his limbs and face were rigid.
At this moment, Belvina untied the purple silk bag and handed it to Hibiscus.
"Ladies first, Miss Delacour."
Furong's right hand trembled as she reached into her cloth bag and pulled out a delicate and exquisite fire dragon model.
It was a Welsh green dragon, a relatively less aggressive type of fire dragon. Lucky Hibiscus took home the first prize in the first event.
However, Furong did not relax after winning the grand prize. Instead, she seemed resigned to her fate and appeared to have no confidence, as if she did not know how to deal with the fire dragon.
"Number two, Miss Delacour, is the second to appear." Belvina raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected Fleur to have such good luck, immediately picking the easiest one to deal with: the ordinary Welsh green dragon.
Then, Belvina handed the silk bag to Krum, saying, "You're a guest from afar, Mr. Krum, it's your turn."
With a gloomy expression, Viktor Krum remained silent as he reached into the bag and retrieved the bright red Fireball Dragon.
"Number three, Mr. Krum is the third to appear," Belvina said, "after Miss Delacour."
This result disappointed her somewhat; she would have preferred to see Krum draw the ferocious Hungarian Hornet Dragon rather than the Fireball Dragon.
Belvina disliked Krum very much; the kid always had a gloomy face, as if the whole world had some deep-seated hatred towards him.
If Belvina were the same age as Krum and happened to be Durmstrang's student, Belvina would beat him up eight times a day and still not think it was enough.
The third person to reach into the silk bag was Cedric, a native Hogwarts champion.
"Your turn, Mr. Diggory."
Soon, Cedric drew his opponent, a silver-blue Swedish short-nosed dragon.
Looking at the lifelike fire dragon model in his hand, Cedric unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it wasn't a Hungarian hornet dragon.
At this moment, Cedric had no time to worry about Harry and couldn't even imagine that Harry was about to face the most ferocious Hungarian Hornet Dragon.
"Number One, Mr. Diggory, you're the first to appear."
Belvina, holding the purple silk bag, was also speechless. Although the two heroes of Hogwarts were the last to draw the dragon, Harry's luck was still too bad.
"Mr. Potter." Belvina placed the silk bag in front of Harry, indicating that he should complete the selection process.
Harry, stiff as an ice sculpture, reached out and grabbed the last dragon model from the purple silk bag.
As expected, number one, the Hungarian Tree Bee Dragon. The youngest warrior is facing the most dangerous fire dragon; that's fate.
"Alright, you've all drawn your opponents," Belvina said. "Mr. Cedric Diggory, you're first. After you hear the whistle, someone will guide you into the playing area."
Cedric clenched one fist and gripped the Swedish short-nosed dragon model tightly in the other, nodding heavily as if he were going to his execution.
"Next up is Miss Fleur Delacour," Belvina said, looking at Fleur.
Fleur, pale-faced, nodded resignedly. She seemed even less confident than Harry, and Belvina was afraid she would burst into tears on the field later.
"Next is Mr. Viktor Krum." Belvina then looked at the gloomy Krum.
Viktor Krum remained silent, his eyes fixed on the ground, as if he hadn't heard anything.
"Finally, Mr. Harry Potter, you're the last to appear." Belvina looked at Harry, her eyes filled with helplessness. If she had known Harry's luck would be this bad, she should have brought another dragon. At least Harry would have had a 50% chance of avoiding the Hungarian Hornet Dragon.
Harry was also helpless, but he still looked up to meet Belvina's gaze, as if trying to comfort her in return.
However, those bright green eyes stared blankly, unable to convey any useful information.
After a while, Belvina spoke again, saying, "After you take the golden egg from the fire dragon, the judging panel will score you based on your performance and rank you for the first event."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "Also, you have the right to forfeit during the competition. The dragon tamer will immediately subdue the fire dragon and ensure your personal safety."
With that, Belvina walked toward the tent entrance.
Standing at the tent entrance, she continued, "Then, I wish all warriors a resounding victory."
With that, Belvina stepped out of the tent and strode towards the competition venue. She was not only a member of the referee team but also responsible for commentating on the match.
There was no other way; in order to completely exclude the gambling addict Ludo Bagman from the Triwizard Tournament, Belvina had to take on multiple roles and work tirelessly.
Shortly after, Belvina returned to the referee's box in the stands.
Her seat was on the far right of the judges' table, right next to Barty Crouch, with Dumbledore, Karkaroff, and Mrs. Maxime to her left.
Belvina took out her acacia wood wand, pointed it at her throat, and prepared to begin commentating on the first event of the Triwizard Tournament.
Just then, Dumbledore looked over as if he sensed something, his gaze fixed intently on Belvina.
Belvina keenly caught the headmaster's warning, and for the first time in her life, she felt disgusted with her own heightened senses. She wished she hadn't misread Dumbledore's gaze.
With no other option, Belvina had to put away her wicked hobbies, and the channel name "Hogwarts TV, Hogsmeade TV" was thus stillborn.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this year's Triple Crown Tournament."
With the amplification spell, Belvina's voice resounded like thunder throughout the venue, reaching every corner of the space.
The long-awaited audience immediately erupted in even louder cheers and applause, with flags fluttering in the wind, creating a lively scene.
Next, Belvina began to introduce the referee team and the rules of the game. The lively audience did not lose their enthusiasm due to the boring introduction; on the contrary, they made even more noise, which at one point even drowned out Belvina's voice.
"Alright, enough chit-chat!" Belvina had to raise her voice. "According to the pre-match draw, the first warrior to appear is Cedric Diggory, from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
The home advantage was on full display at this moment, and a thunderous cheer erupted from the stands, with the Hufflepuff students chanting in unison.
"Cedric Diggory!"
"Cedric Diggory!"
After a while, the deafening cheers gradually subsided, and Belvina spoke again.
She said, "Before the first warrior takes the stage, let's see what challenges he will face!"
Instantly, a collective gasp of astonishment erupted from the stands as the audience spotted the silver-blue fire dragon—the Swedish Short-nosed Dragon—in the center of the arena.
"Yes, that's right, Cedric Diggory is going to face a Swedish short-nosed dragon," Belvina exclaimed. "The short-nosed dragon breathes a dazzling blue flame that can instantly reduce a wizard to ashes!"
Another gasp rang out from the stands.
Just as Belvina was introducing the Swedish short-nosed dragon, the fire dragon in the arena cooperated perfectly by spewing out blue flames, which terrified the audience in the front row of the stands.
"Alright, let's welcome our first hero, Cedric from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry..."
Diggory!
Amid applause, cheers, and screams, Cedric slowly entered the arena.