— — — — — —
The commotion Ariana caused was so massive that the match had to be paused for a while.
She may have left, but the "Fire Jutsu" hadn't.
Blue flames still raged wildly across the ground, devouring everything in their path. The stone beneath blackened and cracked under the heat. It was only when Dumbledore stepped in that things turned around. With an effortless flick of the Elder Wand, a wash of pale golden light swept across the arena, and the fire shrank back as if doused in water, curling in on itself before vanishing completely.
Meanwhile, the dragonologists were gathered around the injured Hungarian Horntail, working frantically. Bandages, potions, spells—everything was thrown into the effort as they tried to treat its wounds.
But halfway through, they realized something was wrong.
The usual methods weren't working.
A faint black mist seeped from the dragon's wounds, and dark magic—like a web—clung to its body. It continued to gnaw at its flesh and magic alike, spreading silently and relentlessly.
In the end, it was Grindelwald who resolved the issue.
"Fifty thousand Galleons have already been transferred to the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary," he said casually. "From this moment on, this dragon belongs to me. Take it away, dissect it, sort the materials, and send everything back to Hogwarts."
The dragonologists exchanged uneasy glances. Their leader pulled out a Codex, checked the message from the sanctuary, and gave a small nod.
Together, they cast Levitation Charms and, with visible effort, lifted the massive Horntail before carrying it out through one of the exits.
"…That's some serious spending," one of them muttered once they were sure no one inside the arena could overhear. "Fifty thousand Galleons for a single match. Grindelwald is ridiculously rich."
"Money's probably the least valuable thing to him," Charlie said, scratching his head as he watched the dragon being taken away. His tone was casual—like Molly, he'd never been particularly sensitive about wealth.
"Enough," the leader cut in sharply, lowering his voice. His gaze swept over them, stern and warning. "Watch what you say. When we get back, you didn't see any Dark Magic. Who's to say there aren't Acolytes among us?"
At that, everyone fell silent. Even their footsteps seemed heavier.
Romania was in an awkward position. Most of the surrounding regions had already fallen under Grindelwald's control, yet he had halted his expansion—for now, they were safe.
But only for now.
The higher-ups were already considering surrender. Who knew how many had been infiltrated?
Loose talk could very well find its way back to Grindelwald.
...
Back in the arena, once the pause ended, the students gradually calmed down. Soon, Ludo Bagman's voice rang out again, amplified across the entire stadium.
"And now, let us welcome Hogwarts' champion—Miss Daphne Greengrass! A young witch blessed with both beauty and brilliance!"
Bagman waved his wand energetically, his face plastered with a sycophantic grin.
Applause erupted at once. Some younger students even snuck in amplification charms of their own. Crouch's eyelid twitched—he was gaining a whole new appreciation for Bagman's talent for flattery.
Everyone else had been introduced with just their name and school.
Daphne, on the other hand, got a full compliment package.
It was obvious—Bagman was trying very hard to curry favor with Tom.
Step by step, Daphne walked toward the northwest corner of the arena. The final dragon—the Hebridean Black—waited within the stone cavern there.
The heavy stone doors creaked open.
The dragon burst out almost immediately, as if it had been waiting for the chance. Its body was covered in glossy black scales, its bronze horns gleaming coldly. Its vertical purple pupils burned with violence.
The earlier clash between Ariana and the Horntail had shaken its nest. Now, it was on edge—extremely unstable. Its claws scraped against the ground with a harsh screech.
"Finally, it's Daphne's turn," Hermione said to Ginny beside her.
Ginny nodded. "At this point, I want to see if she can still keep it hidden."
To this day, neither Ginny nor Hermione—nor any of the other girls—knew what kind of special training Tom had put Daphne through over the summer.
Every time they asked, the young lady would just put on an air of smug confidence… and refuse to say a word.
Even Astoria had no idea.
"ROAR!"
The Hebridean Black let out a thunderous bellow. Sparks sprayed from its mouth and nostrils, the lingering stench of sulfur mixing with something foul and bloody.
The crowd, the unfamiliar surroundings—it all pushed the creature further into agitation. Its wings spread slightly, poised to strike at any moment.
Only now did everyone truly understand how crucial the first round's rankings had been.
Aside from Ariana, everyone else had faced dragons in a normal state.
But for Daphne—the final contestant—
Her dragon had gone completely berserk.
Daphne clearly understood the principle of self-preservation. A noble lady didn't throw herself into danger. She stopped at a safe distance, raised her wand high, and closed her eyes.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Her voice rang out, clear and steady, cutting through the noise of the arena. Quite a few people caught the spell—and immediately looked confused.
The Patronus Charm was famous worldwide. Different regions might pronounce it slightly differently, but among the major schools, the Latin roots were more or less the same.
What they didn't understand was... what use was a Patronus against a dragon?
It wasn't like this thing was a Dementor.
But the next moment, their confusion turned into shock.
Daphne's Patronus… was nothing like what anyone expected.
Silver mist poured from the tip of her wand, threads of light twisting and weaving together like something alive. Before their eyes, it took shape—
not as an animal, but as a humanoid figure.
It stood nearly ten meters tall, floating in front of Daphne. The silver fog churned around it, radiating an overwhelming pressure that blocked the dragon's vicious gaze entirely.
"…Is that Tom?"
Hermione and Ginny spoke at the same time.
The Patronus's face was indistinct, but its tall frame and that unmistakable mix of lazy ease and commanding presence. There was no way they could mistake it.
It wasn't just them. The Hogwarts students had all recognized it too.
Last year, when Dementors invaded the Quidditch pitch, they had already seen Tom summon a giant Patronus. That incident had even made Andros the Invincible trend for a while thanks to him.
But who could've imagined, it wasn't just Tom who could conjure a giant Patronus.
Now Daphne could do it too. And it looked exactly like him.
…Wait a second.
Did she borrow this thing?
...
Out on the field, the moment the Patronus appeared, the dragon sensed danger. It didn't hesitate. A torrent of blazing fire burst from its mouth.
Patronus Tom slowly raised a hand.
Soft, pale mist flowed from his palm. It looked gentle, almost fragile—but it effortlessly stopped the dragonfire in its tracks. The two forces collided with a sharp hissing sound as the blazing red flames were cut off and extinguished midair.
Then an invisible, irresistible force slammed into the dragon.
Its massive body was hurled backward, crashing hard against the stone wall of the cavern with a heavy boom.
A true Patronus repelled anything that threatened its caster. With enough magic behind it, it could control the air itself, shape repulsive force, even block dark magic.
That was what a real Patronus looked like.
Daphne glanced at the aftermath of Ariana's earlier performance, still fresh in her mind. That overwhelming display had nearly taken down a Hungarian Horntail outright. If no one had stopped her, she might've killed it on the spot.
And meanwhile, Daphne's own poor showing in the first round had been the subject of quiet gossip ever since.
That thought made her temper flare.
So what if they thought she was useless?
So what if they thought she only got her spot through connections?
Fine.
Then she'd prove them wrong—right here.
Originally, she'd only planned to grab the golden egg and call it a day.
Now?
Now she was going to do exactly what Ariana did.
Crush the dragon head-on.
"Tom, attack!"
One hand on her hip, she waved forward with the other, full of confidence and momentum.
The Patronus responded instantly to her will. Its already massive form swelled even larger, its hazy body growing more solid.
The Hebridean Black, having steadied itself, roared in fury. It beat its wings and charged forward, claws gleaming as it slashed straight for the Patronus' head.
But the Patronus raised a hand again. And the air visibly compressed, condensing into a shimmering silver barrier.
Clang—!
The dragon's claws slammed into the wall of air. Sparks flew. A few scales were knocked loose from the impact, scraping with a harsh, grating sound like metal against steel.
The next instant, Patronus Tom reached out and seized the dragon's foreleg.
With a simple pull, he dragged the massive creature toward him—
and then slammed it down.
BOOM—!
The ground shook violently. A crater several meters wide exploded outward on impact, rubble scattering in all directions. From within, the dragon let out a low, pained roar—its earlier ferocity completely gone.
The entire audience stared, dumbstruck.
This… this was supposed to be a Patronus Charm?
---
Up in the viewing box, Nicolas Flamel and his wife, along with Newt and Tina, were all staring at Tom in disbelief.
The boy looked like he was glowing.
Well, he was really glowing after Patronus Tom appeared.
In the end, Nicolas rubbed his forehead and let out a long sigh. "Tom… it's just a small competition. Don't you think this is a bit too much cheating?"
Tom rolled his eyes.
"Professor, Daphne and I aren't cheating," he said casually. "This is just her version of the Patronus."
"And the only reason it's this strong is because my Daphne worked hard enough to keep the buff running nonstop."
Nicolas: "..."
.
.
.