After I finally managed to disentangle myself from the French octopus and return to my seat in the stands, I released a long breath of relief.
Honestly.
Facing dragons was probably easier. At least they generally stopped trying to kiss you after you saved them.
I adjusted my robes and sat down.
Immediately, I noticed Aurora and Rosmerta staring at me with identical smiles.
That was never a good sign.
"...You aren't angry?" I asked cautiously.
Aurora looked down at Gienah, who was currently chewing enthusiastically on one of her own silvery-blue curls.
With a dramatic sigh, Aurora adjusted the baby in her lap.
"I always knew this day would come."
My eye twitched.
"What day?"
"The day a beautiful younger witch swept you off your feet and stole you away from us."
I stared at her, stupefied.
Aurora continued solemnly.
"I simply didn't expect it to happen so soon."
Then she looked down at Gienah.
"Come now, Gienah."
She gently waved one of the baby's little hands.
"Say goodbye to Daddy."
My eyes widened in horror.
"Wait, no!"
Gienah immediately copied the motion.
"Aaa!"
She seemed delighted by the game.
"It's not like that!"
Aurora nodded sadly.
"Of course."
"I mean it!"
"Naturally."
"I don't have anything going on with Miss Delacour!"
Aurora wiped away an imaginary tear.
"Your father always was popular."
At that point, Rosmerta completely lost the battle and burst into laughter, clutching her stomach and struggling to breathe.
"Aurora," she managed between giggles, "stop teasing him."
Aurora's lips twitched, but she finally relented.
Rosmerta turned toward me.
"We saw how uncomfortable you were."
She smiled warmly.
"There's nothing to be angry about."
I immediately deflated.
Thank Merlin.
For a moment there, I had been preparing my own funeral.
I pointed accusingly at Aurora.
"You're evil."
Aurora looked pleased by the accusation.
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"It is in some circles."
I shook my head.
Hopeless.
Then I extended both arms toward my daughter.
"Come here, Gienah."
The baby immediately brightened.
"Da!"
My heart melted instantly.
"There we are."
I wiggled my fingers invitingly.
"Let's get you away from this wicked witch before she corrupts you and drags you to the Dark Side."
Aurora gasped theatrically.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
I carefully lifted Gienah into my arms, and she immediately grabbed a fistful of my hair.
Painful, but adorable.
Mostly adorable.
Aurora crossed her arms.
"I'll have you know I am an excellent influence."
"Really?"
"Of course."
I looked down at Gienah.
"Your mommy Aurora once made her students research an imaginary constellation, the poor kids turned the whole library upside down but couldn't find a single clue."
Aurora pointed at me.
"First of all, that wasn't intentional."
"Of course."
"I hadn't slept in two days and made a mistake."
Rosmerta started laughing again.
Meanwhile, Gienah had become fascinated by my nose.
Her tiny fingers immediately latched onto it hard.
"Ow."
Gienah giggled, and the sound instantly erased all annoyance from my mind.
I felt my expression soften.
Merlin.
How was something so small this adorable?
She reached up and patted my cheek.
Then, quite suddenly, her hair changed again.
The silvery-blue dragon colour faded away as golden blond spread across her head.
A perfect match for mine.
Aurora smiled.
"Look at that."
Rosmerta leaned closer.
"She's copying Daddy again."
"Naturally, a child could hardly ask for a better example."
Aurora rolled her eyes, but I chose to ignore that.
Below us, the dragon handlers were already preparing the arena for the third and final champion.
But for a few moments, I paid them no attention.
Instead, I bounced Gienah gently in my arms.
She responded by grabbing my nose again.
Harder this time, making me wonder if she somehow inherited some of my increased strength from Gryffindor's ritual.
"...My daughter," I said proudly through the pain.
"Definitely your daughter," Rosmerta agreed.
Aurora nodded.
"No doubt whatsoever."
And judging by the mischievous sparkle already visible in Gienah's eyes...
I had the distinct feeling Hogwarts would one day regret her arrival.
…
The cannon exploded once more.
BOOM!
The crowd immediately quieted.
All eyes turned toward the champion's tent.
As the flap opened, the final champion stepped into the arena.
Harry Potter.
A wave of applause erupted from the Hogwarts students.
Particularly from Gryffindor.
I joined in politely while observing my student carefully.
Harry walked forward a few steps before stopping completely.
Honestly, I couldn't blame him.
The Chinese Fireball was a terrifying sight.
Unlike the previous dragons, this one possessed only two legs. Its enormous wings served as both forelimbs and weapons, giving it the appearance of a gigantic wyvern.
Crimson scales gleamed beneath the sunlight like polished rubies.
Golden spikes surrounded its head in a mane-like formation.
Hence the nickname:
Liondragon.
Its large protruding eyes fixed upon Harry immediately.
Hungrily.
Not a promising sign.
One particularly unfortunate detail about Chinese Fireballs was their preferred diet.
Pigs.
And humans.
The dragon slowly lowered its head, smoke escaped its nostrils.
And then…
BOOOOM!
A massive ball of flame erupted from its mouth.
The fire expanded outward into a gigantic mushroom-shaped explosion.
The audience screamed as Harry dove desperately to one side.
The fireball detonated where he had been standing only moments before.
Heat washed over the entire arena.
Several spectators in the front rows instinctively recoiled.
Harry scrambled behind a large boulder, breathing heavily.
I nodded slightly.
Good.
At least his survival instincts were functioning properly.
The young wizard took a deep breath before pulling out his wand.
He waved it decisively and I immediately recognised the spell.
The Summoning Charm.
Ah.
I smiled slightly.
Was he planning to use the same strategy as in the original timeline?
A broomstick.
It made sense.
Stick to your strengths.
Although...
I frowned thoughtfully.
A Chinese Fireball was considerably more dangerous at range than a Hungarian Horntail.
Flying around it would be significantly more difficult.
Still.
It wasn't a bad idea.
And if things went poorly, I would intervene.
I had already done so once today.
I wasn't about to allow a fourteen-year-old child to die for the entertainment of bureaucrats.
Particularly not Harry.
Who hadn't even wanted to enter the tournament in the first place.
"Huh."
Bagman's voice echoed across the arena.
"Potter cast a spell, but nothing appears to have happened!"
I followed Harry's gaze toward the distant castle.
A tiny speck was approaching rapidly.
There comes the broom, I thought.
Except...
It wasn't a broom.
It was a bag.
I blinked.
The bag flew directly into Harry's waiting hand.
Around me, the audience sounded equally confused.
"What was that?"
"A school bag?"
"Did he summon his homework?"
Aurora snorted.
Rosmerta looked utterly baffled.
Meanwhile, Harry opened the bag and pulled something out.
Something silver.
My eyes widened slightly.
"No way."
Harry unfolded the Invisibility Cloak and wrapped it around himself, instantly disappearing.
The audience gasped.
Bagman practically shouted into his microphone.
"He summoned an Invisibility Cloak!"
I rubbed my forehead.
"Well."
Aurora looked at me.
"Well?"
"I suppose that also works."
Behind me, Sirius barked out a laugh.
Unfortunately...
I immediately spotted the flaw.
The dragon's eyes were not its only senses.
Far from it.
"That won't be enough," I murmured.
Rosmerta nodded.
"Dragons can smell prey, can't they?"
"Exceptionally well."
The Fireball lifted its head and its nostrils flared.
Searching.
Listening.
Smelling.
Then suddenly…
A piglet appeared out of nowhere.
The tiny animal landed awkwardly on the dirt before immediately taking off at a frantic sprint.
The dragon's head snapped toward it.
"Potter transfigured a pig!" Bagman shouted excitedly.
The crowd erupted.
"It appears he's attempting to distract the dragon!"
As the dragon roared, the poor pig squealed and began running even more frantically.
The dragon's eyes lit up as it charged after it.
The ground trembled beneath its weight.
I nodded approvingly.
Not bad.
Very clever.
While the dragon pursued the piglet, I noticed something else.
Tiny footprints appearing in the dirt.
Invisible footsteps.
Harry was moving rapidly toward the nest.
The dragon was now halfway across the arena, focused entirely on its prey.
Harry reached the eggs, and a second later, the golden egg vanished.
The invisible footprints immediately began retreating.
"And he's got the egg!" Bagman screamed.
The Hogwarts section exploded into cheers.
Sirius nearly jumped out of his seat.
"That's my godson!"
Just then, the dragon finally caught up to the pig.
Its enormous jaws snapped shut around the pig, causing it to disappear in a single bite.
And then...
Something very unexpected happened.
POOF!
A cloud of yellow smoke exploded from the dragon's mouth.
The crowd fell silent.
The dragon vanished, and in its place now stood an enormous yellow bird.
A giant canary roughly the size of a small house.
The bird blinked.
Tilted its head.
Then began sprinting wildly around the arena while flapping its wings in panic.
The audience stared as the giant canary continued running.
Someone started laughing.
Then someone else.
And within seconds, the entire stadium erupted into laughter.
Students were falling out of their seats.
Teachers were laughing openly.
Even several dragon handlers looked moments away from collapse.
Behind me, Sirius was howling.
"THAT'S MY GODSON!"
He pointed dramatically toward the arena.
"CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? HE PRANKED A DRAGON!"
The giant canary ran directly into a fence.
"He turned the dragon into a giant canary!" Bagman shouted in utter disbelief.
I stared.
Then stared some more.
And finally...
I started laughing.
Because I had figured it out.
The pig.
The transfigured pig.
It hadn't merely been bait.
It had been a delivery system.
"A Canary Cream."
Aurora blinked.
"What?"
"A Canary Cream."
Understanding dawned immediately.
Rosmerta's eyes widened.
"No."
"Yes."
The Weasley twins' experimental joke sweet.
The one that transformed the consumer into a giant canary for several minutes.
I had assumed it would fail completely against a creature as magically resistant as a dragon.
But apparently...
I had underestimated Fred and George.
The crowd continued laughing as the enormous yellow bird sprinted around the arena in confusion.
Even Dumbledore was chuckling into his beard.
Meanwhile, Harry had already reached safety with the golden egg tucked beneath one arm.
The task was over.
No injuries.
No burns.
No near-fatal maulings.
Just one very confused dragon-turned-canary.
Honestly?
This was by far my favourite outcome.
…