The wooden door of the owlery creaked shut behind Harry. The air was thick with the smell of hay and bird droppings, and the floor was littered with tiny bones.
Cold wind whistled in through the glassless windows. Owls of every kind perched on the rafters—some fast asleep, others fixing sharp eyes on Harry, as if monitoring his every move.
Cedric was feeding strips of meat to an owl much larger than the rest. At the sound of the door, he turned his head.
"Harry?"
Tossing the remaining meat to his owl, Cedric straightened up and asked, "You said it was urgent?"
Harry suddenly noticed Cedric's open robe. Underneath, he wore a gray sweater that made his tall, well-built frame stand out even more, making Harry—shorter by a good measure—look like a child in comparison.
"Yeah…"
Harry instinctively stepped back a little to create some space, glanced at the owl devouring its food, and said, "I wanted to tell you: the first task is dragons. Seven of them. All fully grown."
The smile froze on Cedric's face. He stared at Harry, his gray eyes first filled with confusion, then slowly clouded over with fear. His pupils shrank, his Adam's apple bobbed.
"Dragons?" Cedric whispered. "You're sure?"
Even his breathing now sounded heavy and unsteady.
Harry nodded. A tightness in his chest miraculously eased a little.
—So it wasn't just me who was scared!
Taking a deep breath, Harry said, "Absolutely sure."
He counted them off on his fingers: "Hungarian Horntail, Chinese Fireball, Swedish Short-Snout, Welsh Green, Scottish Black, Romanian Longhorn, Ukrainian Ironbelly. I saw them all with my own eyes."
A gust of cold air blew through the window, ruffling Cedric's hair and making his head look untidy.
Cedric pulled his robe tight, buttoned it, and took several deep breaths—only to sneeze from the owlery's pungent smell.
Rubbing his nose with a wry smile, he said, "All right, dragons… I won't ask how you found out, since we're not supposed to know. But Harry, why tell me?"
"Because everyone else already knows. You're the only one who doesn't," Harry said honestly. "I can't just stand by and watch you face them unprepared."
Cedric: "…Everyone else knows?"
"Yes," Harry added. "This morning, every single book on dragons in the library was already borrowed."
The owlery fell silent, broken only by the occasional flap of wings. Cedric stared blankly at one of the owls in front of him.
"Wade still has books," Harry continued. "He said he's willing to share his notes with us. If you want to look anything up, go to the Umbrella room to find him—you know the address, right?"
Cedric nodded slowly. "Theo told me once."
"Good… then I'll head back."
Harry walked toward the door, his hand on the rusty handle, when Cedric suddenly called from behind:
"Thank you, Harry."
He turned back and saw Cedric smiling as he said, "If you hadn't told me this, I probably would have been eliminated in the very first round… I really owe you, thank you."
His voice had regained most of its steadiness—seven, maybe eight parts of it—and he seemed calm again.
Harry grinned, waved his hand, and said, "Then let's wish ourselves luck… we have to survive tomorrow!"
…
The blue curtains of the dormitory hung down over the windows. Wade sat in an armchair, and his quill scratched across the page while a communication bean rested in his ear. From it came his mother's voice:
"The competition is tomorrow, isn't it…? The school still hasn't told you what the first task is?"
"No." Wade replied calmly. "But whatever it is, I have a way to handle it. Don't worry."
"Then I'll be waiting to see you on the Streaming Mirror tomorrow," Fiona said with a smile. "I'll be praying for you the whole time."
"Get some good rest," Fred reminded him. "Make sure you're in top condition when you step out there. Don't eat too much in the morning, and don't drink too much water either. Keep some chocolate with you to restore your strength."
"I know," Wade said with a small laugh. "That's exactly what you used to say before every exam."
He chatted a bit longer with his parents before ending the call when they insisted he go to bed.
Wade hadn't told them—or anyone else—about the dragons, not wanting to make them worry, nor to put himself in the position of having to comfort them.
In truth, Wade wasn't worried at all. But it wasn't easy to pass on the sense of certainty and confidence he carried inside himself.
…
By Tuesday morning, the whole school was buzzing with tension and excitement. Because of the sheer number of competitors, classes had been canceled early, and once breakfast was finished, students were free to head to the venue.
Wade walked into the Great Hall for breakfast at his usual hour. As he passed, many people greeted him:
"Good luck, Grey!"
"All the best in the tournament!"
"Wishing you victory!"
Just as Wade finished eating, Professor Flitwick hurried up to him.
"Had your fill? Good. Come with me once you're done—the champions' entrance isn't the same as the audience's."
Wade stood, leaving with Professor Flitwick. They skirted the edge of the Forbidden Forest, making their way toward where the dragons were kept.
The rest of the students followed the signposts down another path, heading toward an enormous new structure.
It was a massive set of temporary stands. The night before, when Wade had flown reconnaissance as a falcon, it hadn't been there. But just hours later, magic had raised it from the ground, complete and towering.
The noise of the gathering crowd had already driven the forest creatures away, while the shadows of the trees swayed quietly in the wind—making Flitwick's voice sound all the gentler.
"Wade, I'm guessing you already know what the first task is?"
"Yes," Wade replied.
"Are you afraid?"
"Not really."
Flitwick tilted his head up, studying Wade's expression, as though worried the boy was only putting on a brave face.
Then he said warmly and sincerely, "Wade, while I do hope you'll win glory for our house, what matters far more to me is that you come back safe. Promise me you'll protect yourself."
"I will, Professor," Wade said with a smile. "I've prepared thoroughly. I won't let you down."
"Remember, no matter what you face, the most important thing is to keep a cool head," Flitwick added. "If you feel nervous or afraid, just take a deep breath. Calm yourself down…"
Ahead stood a tall tent, and Harry was lingering at its entrance, looking out.
"Go on, child…" Flitwick patted Wade's arm. "I've always been proud of you."
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