Vinson had never expected Dumbledore to throw a full-sized Dragon at him.
The idea itself was absurd, yet the reality of it stood right in front of him.
Even so, Vinson remained completely calm. Creatures like Dragons had not been a serious threat to him for at least five years. His gaze briefly shifted toward Professor Kettleburn, who was observing from the sidelines.
Professor Kettleburn stood with his arms crossed, a confident and relaxed expression on his face. He was one of the few who knew Vinson's true strength. He had personally witnessed Vinson capture a living Dragon in the past, so this scene did not worry him in the slightest.
Hagrid, on the other hand, looked both excited and terribly anxious.
He loved dangerous magical creatures, especially Dragons, but he wasn't foolish. He understood perfectly well that, for an ordinary wizard, a Dragon was nothing short of a walking catastrophe.
"Ten minutes?" Vinson murmured quietly.
A faint, confident smile curved at the corners of his lips.
The instant the cage vanished, the Dragon, no longer restrained, gave a sharp twitch and slowly opened its eyes.
It pushed itself up onto its powerful limbs and looked around, clearly confused about its change of surroundings. After a brief pause, its attention focused on Vinson, who stood closest to it.
A low, rumbling growl escaped from its throat, carrying a clear warning.
"Looks like you're quite spirited," Vinson chuckled softly.
His expression remained calm, and he didn't show the slightest intention of stepping back.
Thin streams of scorching white smoke poured from the Dragon's nostrils, and the overheated air twisted and warped the space around its head. Despite the obvious danger, Vinson didn't make any aggressive move.
He even whistled at it.
The Dragon's vertical pupils narrowed. It seemed to understand that the human before it was provoking it on purpose.
With a sudden motion, it slammed one massive claw into the ground. Its razor-sharp talons dug deep into the soil, and the grass around it was instantly scorched black by the intense heat radiating from its body. The white smoke pouring from its nostrils grew thicker, rolling out like the warning fumes of a volcano about to erupt.
Then—
"ROAR!"
A deafening roar exploded from its chest.
The Dragon spread its enormous wings wide. They unfurled like towering city walls and slammed forward with terrifying force. Its massive body surged low across the ground, charging straight at Vinson like a living avalanche of scales, muscle, and fire.
A savage heatwave exploded through the air, so powerful that even Professor Dumbledore's beard fluttered wildly in the distance.
Just as the Dragon was about to crash into him—
"Apparate!"
Vinson's body twisted unnaturally and vanished into thin air.
In the very next instant, he reappeared to the side of the Dragon, safely outside the path of its charge.
Even though he had been fully prepared, the speed of the Dragon's attack surprised him slightly. The edge of the blazing heat still managed to lick his clothing.
A small patch of fire caught onto the hem of his robe.
He frowned.
Lightly patting at the flames, he extinguished them with a casual cast of Nox and muttered with clear dissatisfaction, "This is quite expensive. I really hope you can be a little more careful."
Professor Kettleburn's eyes never left the scene. He showed no signs of panic, but he also did not relax for even a second.
He knew that this level of danger was far below Vinson's true limits.
Hagrid's heart, however, began to pound faster.
"This is really too dangerous," he muttered to himself, unable to look away.
The Dragon, enraged by the fact that its prey had easily escaped, let out a furious, rumbling growl. Its burning gaze locked onto Vinson, while its massive chest began to heave violently.
Deep inside its throat, intense heat started to gather.
A deep red glow flickered inside its wide-open mouth, and the surrounding air trembled as if responding to the rising temperature. Anyone familiar with Dragons would instantly recognize the signs—it was preparing to breathe fire.
Vinson, of course, knew Dragon behavior like the back of his hand.
Just as expected, the Dragon suddenly opened its jaws, and a blazing sphere of fire shot straight toward him.
At that exact moment, Devil's Snare burst out from beneath the hem of Vinson's robe.
Dark vines shot forward with alarming speed, twisting and intertwining in the air to form a thick, layered barrier directly in the path of the flames.
When fire and vines collided, the air itself seemed to ignite.
A raging sea of flame surged forward, while the plant barrier barely managed to resist the impact. However, no matter how thick the vines were, they were still made of Devil's Snare.
Devil's Snare possessed frightening vitality and aggressiveness, but it had one fatal weakness.
It was extremely vulnerable to fire.
The vines quickly blackened and curled under the unbearable heat, releasing a sharp, burnt stench. Ash flaked away in large chunks as portions of the Snare were completely reduced to cinders.
Vinson's brows furrowed.
A hint of displeasure flashed through his eyes, clearly directed at the plant's unauthorized action.
Although Devil's Snare had successfully blocked the first wave of the Dragon's flames, it had paid a heavy price. A large section of the vines had been burned away completely and vanished into the air.
"This is not something you should deal with," Vinson said in a low, firm voice. "Fire is fatal to you."
In response, the charred remains of the Devil's Snare trembled slightly, as if it felt wronged. The scorched vines quivered in defense of their attempt to protect their master.
However, Vinson didn't allow it another opportunity to sacrifice itself.
With a simple wave of his hand, the damaged vines immediately retreated back under his robe like a reversing tide, disappearing without a trace.
"Eldera," Vinson said silently, his thoughts reaching inward, "help me analyze the weakness of the enemy in front of me."
He activated the power of the Tree of Wisdom that resided within his mind, intending to gather information about the Dragon before him.
The response came almost instantly.
[Species: Dragon (Transfiguration)]
[Level: 1]
[Weakness: Three inches to the left of the center of the Dragon's back]
So that's how it was.
Vinson nodded slightly to himself.
No wonder the Dragon's flames felt somewhat weak. This wasn't a real adult Dragon at all.
Dumbledore hadn't brought in an actual Dragon.
Instead, the creature before him was a product of advanced Transfiguration magic.
While impressive, something created by Transfiguration wasn't enough to force Vinson to use any of his true trump cards.
After unleashing its fire, the Dragon lowered its massive body again, muscles tensing as it prepared for a second charge.
Vinson raised his wand and flicked it sharply through the air.
"Incarcerous!"
Thick, silver chains burst from the tip of his wand, shooting forward like a deadly net. They flew with perfect accuracy, wrapping instantly around the Dragon's limbs and torso.
The Dragon was caught completely off guard.
Its massive claws were restrained, its wings pinned, and even its gaping jaws were forced shut by specially reinforced chains. The fiery breath gathering inside its mouth was forcibly blocked, producing only a choked, furious roar.
"Behave yourself," Vinson said calmly.
While the giant creature struggled helplessly against the bindings, Vinson walked toward it at an unhurried, almost casual pace. Step by step, he approached the Dragon's back.
Once in position, he lifted his wand.
The tip aligned precisely with the weak spot revealed by the Tree of Wisdom.
A flick of his wrist.
A beam of silvery-white light shot forth, striking the exact point located three inches to the left of the center of the Dragon's back.
In that instant, the Dragon froze.
Its violent struggles stopped completely.
Its scales, claws, wings, tail—every part of its massive body rapidly lost all color. The brilliant reds and dark tones drained away, replaced by a dull, gray-white surface.
Stone began to spread across its body like frost.
"BOOM!"
A heavy, dull thud echoed through the area as the living Dragon disappeared entirely.
In its place stood a massive, irregularly shaped block of stone.
Silence fell over the entire scene.
Several long seconds passed before Professor Dumbledore slowly walked forward. He raised his hands and began to clap softly, genuine admiration visible in his eyes.
"A perfect performance, Mr. Vinson," Dumbledore said warmly. "Truly impressive."
Vinson brushed the remaining ash and dust from his robe.
"I must admit, Professor Dumbledore," he replied, "I have never seen a Dragon created through Transfiguration with such realism. The level of detail was almost indistinguishable from a real Dragon."
"Indeed," Dumbledore said with a faint smile. "Professor McGonagall and I spent quite some time preparing this little surprise. We wanted to give you a sufficiently interesting test."
Vinson looked at him calmly.
"So… have I passed?"
"Of course," Dumbledore answered without hesitation.
At that moment, Professor Kettleburn walked forward, wearing a smug and extremely satisfied expression. He reached out and clapped Vinson on the shoulder.
"I told you," he said proudly, "I knew you'd have no problem at all, little Ed."
"Thank you for your help as well, Professor," Vinson said, offering a sincere smile.
Kettleburn waved his hand dismissively.
"I didn't help at all," he said casually.
Nearby, Hagrid stood frozen in place, staring at the large stone block in front of him.
His face was completely blank.
A moment later, he suddenly snapped back to reality.
"Wait!" he shouted, his eyes wide in shock. "That wasn't a real Dragon? I always thought it was real… and nobody told me… oh, dear…"
Poor Hagrid.
It seemed he had truly believed the Dragon was real the entire time.