"Roar...!"
The Ironbelly from Ukraine let out a deafening roar, and everyone present could feel the pain and fury behind it pounding in their chests.
The audience fell silent—except for Igor Karkaroff, who suddenly cheered with excitement.
"That's it, Krum! Beautifully done!"
The white-robed headmaster of Durmstrang Institute waved his steel staff, striking it forcefully to make a rhythmic clanging sound of encouragement. His students joined in immediately, and the sharp clangs echoed without pause, like a storm of raindrops beating against a window, disturbing and oppressive.
No one could truly grasp the agony of the Ukrainian Ironbelly. But after letting out a series of crazed roars, it made a terrifying move that sent fear through the crowd. It took a deep breath and unleashed a stream of dragonfire. But that wasn't all. It began to rotate its massive body clockwise—if it couldn't see, then it would simply sweep the entire field!
The dragonfire from this blast burned long and fierce. The first stream landed right beside the dragon egg. Clearly, the Ironbelly intended to incinerate the entire area around it. Another blast of dragonfire followed, each one wide enough to cover the equivalent of three time zones.
"That's the second breath. If Krum takes two more, he'll be disqualified from the tournament,"
Regulus Black explained to the two beautiful women beside him.
"If Krum's eliminated, it'll be the biggest upset of the Triwizard Tournament. The Daily Prophet won't let that headline slip by."
Rita Skeeter leaned up behind Regulus, her chest pressing against his back as she whispered softly in his ear.
Regulus Black glanced sideways at her.
"Rita! You've gotten much younger. Up close, you're as fresh-faced as a schoolgirl."
Rita giggled and backed away flirtatiously.
"Regulus really knows how to charm a lady. No wonder so many girls are enchanted by you. You two—don't fall for him too easily."
She glanced back and forth at the Delacour sisters, her expression brimming with curiosity, like she'd just uncovered juicy gossip.
Even though all three women were connected to Regulus Black, they hadn't fully acknowledged one another yet. Or perhaps they simply didn't accept the others. A subtle hostility between them was inevitable.
Rita Skeeter wasn't sure if the Delacour sisters were truly Regulus Black's women.
Meanwhile, the Delacour sisters suspected that Rita, the top reporter at The Daily Prophet, was here for no good reason—likely digging for some private scoop.
The rivalry between women was always present: complex, delicate, and ever-simmering.
"Krum! He's made the right move—he's starting to run!"
Regulus Black's words drew the three women's attention back to the match.
The second wave of dragonfire was about to end, covering nearly half the arena. Krum began to charge toward the dragon egg.
The Ironbelly took a third deep breath and unleashed another stream of dragonfire.
Krum was already close to the egg, but due to its proximity to the earlier flames, it now glowed with intense heat.
The moment Krum wrapped his hands around it, his skin blistered and bled from the burns.
The third blast of dragonfire was nearly finished, but by now, three-quarters of the field had become a sea of flames.
"Krum! Use your wand! Cast a spell! Quick, use the Aguamenti charm! Kick it! Wrap it in your clothes!"
The spectators were shouting all sorts of chaotic suggestions. But it was hard to blame them—time was running out.
The Ironbelly seemed exhausted, though it only paused for a few seconds before raising its head again, puffing out its chest and taking another huge breath.
"Krum, run! Get out of there, now!"
Igor Karkaroff, headmaster of Durmstrang, was no longer in high spirits.
Of course, as headmaster, he wanted his star student to win. But if that student were to die here…
The consequences would be unimaginable. He might even lose his position as headmaster.
Igor Karkaroff deeply regretted dismissing Krum's earlier plan. Wouldn't it have been better to keep it simple and just complete the task?
"Krum, run! Get out of there, now!"
"Krum, run! Get out of there, now!"
"Krum, run! Get out of there, now!"
By now, the entire crowd was united in one voice. No one wanted to witness a death during the tournament.
Krum turned and bolted toward the exit. Just as he dove through the entrance, a wave of dragonfire swept past his back—only a single step away. Had he been any slower, the flames would've engulfed him.
The Aurors outside were already prepared to rush in and extinguish the flames for him.
The entire courtyard was now engulfed in dragon fire, resembling a hellish inferno.
"Durmstrang Institute has lost the first round! Viktor Krum has lost! A star has fallen."
Rita Skeeter stood up with excitement on her face. From her little handbag leapt her Quick-Quotes Quill and notebook, and in no time, a sarcastic article was written—completely gloating in tone.
Her earlier attempt to seduce Regulus had just been a formality, but she hadn't expected the worst-case scenario she had anticipated to actually come true. She believed Regulus Black wouldn't stand in the way of her reporting.
Everyone was disheartened by the turn of events. The Delacour sisters even felt a hint of relief—it was pure luck that they had managed to make it through the dragon challenge.
"Rita! Don't celebrate too soon. There's still a sliver of hope for completing the task. The question is—can Krum realize it?"
Regulus Black grabbed the Quick-Quotes Quill and notebook and quickly scribbled down a message and a spell.
Rita Skeeter took a look and instantly lost her excitement, staring fixedly at Krum in the arena.
Krum's hands were already badly burned, yet he refused medical assistance. Accepting treatment would mean he was officially withdrawing—it would mean total defeat.
Krum waved away anyone who approached and paced back and forth near the entrance. There was no time limit to this dragon challenge, so he could wait for the dragon fire to die out.
Even finishing last was better than surrendering and walking off.
At this point, the situation was incredibly awkward. Krum's persistence bordered on stubbornness, but the Ministry officials and the three headmasters remained silent. The students could only wait for the outcome.
"He'll never figure it out. What you wrote is so simple—he'll never think of it."
Rita Skeeter was unusually calm now. She couldn't accept that such a desperate, hopeless situation could be so easily resolved by Regulus Black.
"So then—do you want this outcome to happen, or do you not want it to happen?"
Regulus Black leaned back with a smile, letting a pair of soft peaks press against him like a pillow.
"Of course I want the result you suggested. If it doesn't happen, I'll be disappointed!"
Rita Skeeter smoothed down her boy toy's hair, stuffed the notebook and quill back into her bag, and once she stopped worrying about the result, her mood lightened considerably.
"Regulus, what did he write? Did you see it, sister?"
Gabrielle asked Fleur, but Fleur simply shook her head. There was still so much they didn't know about Regulus Black.
"Look! The dragon's about to breathe fire again!"
A student shouted, instantly stirring the bored crowd of onlookers.
The flames on the ground had begun to fade. The Ukrainian Ironbelly could sense this through temperature rather than sight, and so it decided to reignite the blaze a bit to keep things going.
Wherever the fire was thinning, it replenished. The dragon leisurely breathed fire in four directions, one after the other, then sat contentedly in place.
Krum furiously kicked stones outside the entrance—he truly seemed to be out of options.
As a star athlete and student, Krum had never lost before. This defeat hit him hard.
He cried. When the tears rolled down his face, even he couldn't believe it.
As he wiped away the tears, the blisters on his hands stung so badly it pierced his soul.
Krum stared blankly at his hands, not knowing whether he was looking at the blisters or the tears they had just wiped away.
"He's realized what he forgot."
Regulus Black's words startled Rita Skeeter, making her recall the contents of the notebook.
The spell: Accio.You lost—now I get to torment you all night long!
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