Gabrielle Delacour walked straight toward the Fire Dragon. No one had expected this—absolutely no one.
The Chinese Fireball's expression showed a hint of amusement. Its tail gently tapped the ground as it curiously watched the little human approach.
"Um! Can I take the dragon egg?"
Gabrielle looked up at the towering dragon's head, only to receive a clear shake in response.
"Then what do I have to do to take the egg? You should know that this dragon egg is fake—just a prop for the competition."
Gabrielle naively stated the truth. Since it wasn't a real dragon egg, why not just give it to the adorable Gabrielle?
"Oh my god! She's actually negotiating with a Fire Dragon. How could she be this naïve?"
Ron looked exasperated. He wasn't the only one—many students were growing anxious about Gabrielle's intelligence.
"Shut up and watch carefully. The Chinese Fireball is the smartest breed of Fire Dragon. You can communicate directly with it. If it didn't want to talk, it would have driven away anyone who got too close by now."
Hermione had a book on dragon breeds in her hands. The page she'd opened happened to be the one introducing the Chinese Fireball.
Suddenly, the Chinese Fireball moved, lifting a front claw toward Gabrielle.
"Run! Get out of there! Where are the Aurors? Professors! Help!"
Cries of alarm erupted from the audience. A champion was about to be smashed into pulp by a dragon.
"You see? A dragon is a dragon. Smartest breed or not, it's still a beast."
Ron was deeply worried for Gabrielle, but he still couldn't resist refuting Hermione.
"Gabrielle will be fine."
Hermione slammed the book shut. Although the situation had taken her by surprise, she still trusted her judgment—and also believed the Ministry of Magic wouldn't just sit back and let a champion die.
As for that last point, the Ministry might have no choice. After all, sometimes rescue doesn't come in time.
Gabrielle froze. This Chinese Fireball had been calmly providing them with dragonfire for barbecue—it should have been a reasonable creature. Why was it attacking now? Should she run? Could she even escape?
The dragon's claws gently landed, pinning Gabrielle between them. Then, a rumbling sound echoed from deep within its chest.
So that's how it worked.
Now caught between its claws, Gabrielle finally realized what had happened when she saw Regulus Black approach the Chinese Fireball and speak to it. To communicate with a Chinese Fireball, you needed physical contact. Only then, with the dragon's chest rumble and mental force, could its intentions be understood.
Even so, Gabrielle was in a difficult spot.
Chinese Fireball: "I'm hungry, little girl. Did you bring a cow?"
Dragons could definitely be called gluttons. One whole cow was just enough for a full meal, and digestion was quick. While they could go hungry for long periods, when food was available, they'd eat as much as possible—otherwise, they'd lose a lot of weight. The past few days had been decent; the dragon had regained a bit of weight.
But Gabrielle had no cow. Gabrielle had never even thought about bringing a cow.
Gabrielle: "Sorry! I didn't think to bring one. Maybe next time I could bring you a cow?"
As she touched the hard dragon claw and its tough scales, Gabrielle regretted her mistake. Regulus Black had always brought meat when he spoke with the Chinese Fireball to get dragonfire for barbecuing. Why hadn't she thought of bringing beef herself? Maybe if she had, she could've traded it for the dragon egg. But before the match, she'd just been too nervous to think things through.
Chinese Fireball: "I see. But after the competition, I'll be sent back. You won't even be able to see me again."
The dragon seemed a little disappointed. It had grown used to the days when offerings were delivered daily. Now people insisted it was for restoring dragons to the wild, letting them hunt for themselves. Sure, prey wasn't hard to catch, but it was nowhere near as convenient as having takeout delivered.
Gabrielle: "Then what do I have to do to get the dragon egg?"
She was starting to feel hopeless. The Chinese Fireball clearly preferred beef, but she didn't have any. Using magic to force a solution? That was out of the question. Gabrielle wasn't even half as strong as her sister. After seeing her sister reduced to charcoal just to obtain the egg, Gabrielle realized—she wouldn't get it even if it killed her.
Chinese Fireball: "First of all, I want to eat beef!"
Gabrielle: "But I don't have any beef to give you. Maybe Mr. Regulus Black has some—I can go ask him."
Chinese Fireball: "I see! That's acceptable, but since the cow won't be yours, how do you intend to repay him, in accordance with the principle of fair exchange?"
The Chinese Fireball, once worshipped as a deity in the East, had learned a basic principle of fair exchange: you offer me tribute through rituals, and in return I'll do something for you—be it pillaging, guarding your home, or even babysitting. As long as the tribute is sufficient, nothing is out of the question.
As a weapon of war, dragons were ideal for offense, defense, or serving as national symbols of protection and prosperity.
In other words, the Chinese Fireball's logic was:
"I can give you the dragon egg I'm guarding, but you must offer tribute—a cow. Yet you don't have a cow. The cow you're giving me belongs to someone else. So how will you repay that person? If you do repay him, then I will give you this fake dragon egg."
Clear logic—it was a simple matter of triangular debt.
Gabrielle: "I can give Mr. Black some money afterward to cover the cost of the cow."
Chinese Fireball: "I can't accept a deferred transaction. Do you have anything you can offer him right now, something that would ensure he'll give me the cow? After all, you're taking the fake dragon egg immediately."
Gabrielle: "What do I even have right now that I could give Mr. Black?"
Chinese Fireball: "What humans can offer isn't always material—it can be something spiritual: a promise, an oath, or a contract."
This was something the Chinese Fireball had learned. In ancient Eastern traditions, humans could honor a promise, an oath, or a contract for centuries, even millennia. The Fireball had come to respect and uphold this practice as well.
Gabrielle: "I can give Mr. Black an oath and a contract."
Chinese Fireball: "Oh! If you can actually do that, then I'll pretend I didn't see you take the dragon egg. Hurry up and do it!"
The thought of soon eating an entire cow had the Chinese Fireball in high spirits—it even urged Gabrielle along.
Blushing furiously, Gabrielle scanned the stands and spotted the shadowy figure she was looking for in the crowd. She pressed her wand to her throat and cast the Sonorus charm.
"Mr. Regulus Black! I like you! I love you! I will only ever love you in this lifetime. Can you accept my love? No! You must accept my love—because I can't love anyone else anymore!"
The Chinese Fireball looked around, swaying its head. Due to the enchantments, it could only see the people entering through the gate and was oblivious to those in the stands. Judging by Gabrielle's reaction, though, there had to be a large crowd nearby.
"Gabrielle just confessed to Mr. Black."
Fleur Delacour watched in shock. To make such a public declaration—in front of a dragon, no less—was incredibly bold. If she didn't receive a response, the fallout could be unimaginable.
All the girls were stunned by Gabrielle's audacity, but the boys at Hogwarts were entirely unfazed.
After all, this was Regulus Black—the school's resident heartthrob, the girl magnet.
That a young French girl would fall for him in just a few days? Totally expected.
Everyone turned to look at Regulus Black. The girl had already confessed—what was he going to do about it?
Madame Maxime looked visibly displeased but found herself unable to intervene. Was the outcome of the tournament more important, or was it more important to stop one of her students from falling in love too young? It was an impossible dilemma.
Regulus Black pulled out his wand and waved it, dispelling the magic ward above the courtyard. Suddenly, everyone in the audience was visible to the Chinese Fireball, which made the dragon visibly excited—this felt exactly like an ancient sacrificial ceremony!
"I like you too, Gabrielle! I've received your love. Chinese Fireball! Catch—here's your cow!"
Regulus Black also used the Sonorus charm. A dairy cow flew through the air, and the Chinese Fireball snapped it up, roasted it instantly in its mouth, and began devouring it with great satisfaction.
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