(Gilderoy Lockhart)
After several long minutes, the dragon handlers finally managed to calm the enraged Welsh Green and escort it out of the arena.
The audience applauded politely as the enormous beast disappeared through the reinforced gates.
Soon enough, however, another set of gates opened.
And this time, the crowd's reaction was very different.
A collective gasp swept through the stands as the Swedish Shortsnout stepped into the arena.
Even I had to admit...
It was magnificent.
Its silvery-blue scales glittered beneath the afternoon sunlight like polished gemstones. Every movement sent ripples of light dancing across its body, making it seem less like a living creature and more like a sculpture carved from crystal and ice.
Thin streams of blue flame escaped its nostrils with every breath.
The dragon handlers surrounding it looked tiny by comparison.
Around me, I could hear countless voices.
"It's beautiful..."
"Look at the scales!"
"I've never seen anything like it!"
Most of those comments were coming from the girls in the audience.
Frankly, I couldn't blame them.
The dragon truly was beautiful.
A small sound drew my attention and I glanced toward Aurora.
More specifically...
Toward my daughter.
Little Gienah was sitting comfortably in Aurora's arms, staring at the dragon with absolute fascination.
Her pink eyes were wide.
Her tiny mouth hung open.
Even more amusingly, her hair had reacted.
Moments ago it had been styled into long black braids identical to Aurora's.
But now it was changing.
The black slowly faded away as silvery-blue strands spread across her head until her hair matched the dragon's colour almost perfectly.
Aurora laughed softly.
"I think she likes this dragon more than the last one."
"I can see that."
Gienah pointed toward the arena and babbled excitedly.
"Aaaa!"
"An excellent observation," I said seriously.
Rosmerta giggled beside me.
Then…
BOOM!
The cannon fired once more.
The crowd's attention immediately returned to the arena as the champion's tent opened.
Bagman's magically amplified voice echoed throughout the stadium.
"And the second champion to face their dragon is..."
He paused dramatically.
"Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons!"
The male students erupted into cheers as Fleur emerged from the tent with graceful confidence.
Her silvery blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight as she walked toward the arena.
Bagman quickly added,
"After the somewhat underwhelming performance of the Durmstrang champion..."
From the judges' table, Igor Karkaroff's expression darkened noticeably.
Bagman either failed to notice or simply didn't care.
"...let us see whether the French champion can provide a spectacle worthy of this tournament!"
Karkaroff's glare intensified and Rosmerta snorted beside me.
"Is that man fearless?"
She shook her head.
"Or is he simply too dumb to realise he keeps insulting dangerous people?"
"Definitely the second one," I replied with a chuckle.
Aurora nodded immediately.
"Without question."
Meanwhile, Fleur continued her approach.
And as soon as I saw what she was doing, I recognised it immediately.
Ah.
Just like before.
The same strategy she had used in the original timeline.
As she approached the wary dragon, Fleur began to hum.
The melody was beautiful.
Soft.
Enchanting.
Almost impossibly so.
Magic flowed through every note.
And within seconds, the effects became apparent.
Several spectators in the front rows slumped sideways in their seats.
A few dragon handlers collapsed entirely.
One unfortunately fell face-first into the dirt.
The Swedish Shortsnout resisted for a while.
Its eyes narrowed.
Its wings twitched.
Blue smoke escaped its nostrils.
But even dragons had limits.
Slowly...
Its eyelids drooped.
Its massive head lowered.
And eventually, the creature settled beside the nest completely asleep.
The still awake audience erupted into applause and Fleur allowed herself a small smile.
Then she approached the nest gracefully and confidently.
Perhaps a little too confidently.
She bent down to retrieve the golden egg and turned around with obvious satisfaction.
That was when I remembered.
The Welsh Green in the original timeline had released a burst of flame while sleeping.
The result had merely been a burned skirt.
Unfortunately...
This was not a Welsh Green.
This was a Swedish Shortsnout.
Its flames weren't merely hotter.
They were the hottest produced by any dragon species on the planet.
If Fleur took a direct hit...
The consequences would be catastrophic.
My eyes widened as the sleeping dragon suddenly snorted and blue fire exploded from its nostrils.
It wasn't a small spark or a harmless puff.
It was a torrent.
A concentrated stream of dragonfire surged directly toward Fleur's back.
When she noticed her eyes widened and she tried to dive.
But unfortunately, it was too late.
The flames were already upon her.
The audience gasped.
Some screamed.
Others covered their eyes expecting the worst.
But I had been watching for exactly this possibility.
Space folded and I appeared directly beside Fleur.
One arm wrapped around her waist.
The other supported her legs as I lifted her in a princess carry.
A classic.
The next instant, we vanished from the dragon's path as the blue flames roared harmlessly through empty air.
The heat alone scorched the ground black.
Several spectators nearly fell out of their seats.
Then came the shouting.
"Look!"
"It's Professor Lockhart!"
"He saved her!"
"That was amazing!"
The audience erupted into applause.
Many of the students had shut their eyes at the last moment.
Now they opened them again.
And what they saw immediately reassured them.
Their beloved professor stood safely outside the dragon's range holding Fleur Delacour securely in his arms.
Entirely unharmed.
The French champion blinked several times, clearly still processing what had happened.
Then she looked up and our eyes met.
For a moment, she simply stared.
Her face slowly turned pink.
Her heart was beating so loudly I could practically hear it.
I chuckled knowingly.
"Yes," I said. "I tend to have that effect on people."
Fleur continued staring.
"Do not worry," I assured her. "You are perfectly safe now."
The audience was still applauding.
Unfortunately...
What happened next caught even me by surprise.
Fleur suddenly wrapped one arm around my neck to pull me downward.
And before I could react…
She kissed me.
The crowd exploded immediately.
Half the arena cheered.
The other half gasped.
Several Beauxbatons students screamed excitedly.
I froze for a while, but then I felt her tongue slip in my mouth and I immediately pulled back in alarm.
"Miss Delacour!"
My eyes widened.
"I am a married man!"
Fleur looked completely unapologetic.
Instead of releasing me, she tightened her hug.
"Thank you!" she exclaimed emotionally. "You saved my life!"
The Beauxbatons section applauded loudly.
Several Hogwarts students began wolf-whistling.
Aurora laughed so hard she nearly dropped Gienah.
Rosmerta was laughing even harder.
"Your poor wives," she managed between giggles.
"Oh, this is going to be entertaining," Aurora agreed.
I looked toward the stands, and unfortunately, both of them were looking directly at me.
And both were smiling.
That somehow worried me far more than if they had been angry.
Meanwhile, Fleur seemed entirely unwilling to let go.
The audience absolutely loved it.
And somewhere in the background...
The Swedish Shortsnout finally woke up and looked around in confusion, seemingly wondering why everyone was applauding.
…