In Asterion's room.
"It started the day the Game of Kings ended, a voice appeared in my head." Luna said, feeling relaxed and no longer able to endure the agonizing pain. "It was a man, powerful and full of hidden arrogance."
"He said empty promises and a crown on my head, he wanted me to be Queen of Great Britain, like he once did with Morgan Le Fay." As Luna said these words, Asterion's eyes narrowed and Hermione behind him couldn't help but open her eyes in utter shock and disbelief.
"Why would he make such a promise?" Asterion asked straight to the point, he already had an idea who it was from Luna's words. Together with the warning he had received from Phineas Black, he put the puzzle together without too much difficulty.
"He wanted me to remove Excalibur from his flesh and blood so that he could finally be free of the seal that had imprisoned him for over a thousand years." Narrowing her eyes in comfort, Luna answered without hesitation, not caring what shock her words might cause.
Asterion's lips curved into a smile of amusement, he put his hand to his face and muttered to himself. "So that's it, that's what you were counting on to kill me and Dumbledore. I must say, you really are capable of killing me. A relic from another age, probably the last of its kind, a creature that fought against wizarding gods."
Suddenly, a pair of hands touched his chest, five slender fingers with blue-painted nails sliding over his skin, hugging him tightly while a soft body pressed against his back.
"Put some clothes on, you're still almost naked." He heard Daphne speak and then helped him into a loose and very comfortable white silk shirt,
Asterion rolled his eyes, he wasn't naked, only his upper body was exposed, but Daphne's possessiveness spoke louder at the moment.
Hermione looked at Daphne and couldn't help but feel a little envious and embarrassed at the scene in front of her.
Daphne was wearing a beautifully stitched black lace camisole with floral prints, her black underwear showing through the almost transparent fabric, especially at the top where her modest and beautiful breasts were perfectly visible. She didn't want to admit it, but she was a little jealous of that body, Daphne seemed to be perfect in every way, especially her body, which seemed to be sculpted to perfection.
Looking at Asterion and Daphne, Hermione was sure that Rose had won the lottery.
Seeing Asterion finally presentable, Daphne nodded in satisfaction, she didn't like other women looking at her fiancé's naked body, even if it was only her upper body.
Asterion didn't mind Daphne's thoughts and concentrated as countless ideas began to appear in his mind. Looking at Morgan, Asterion could barely hold back the laughter that threatened to escape his lips. He had found the best battery to bring Morgan to the second stage, how could he not be happy?
Originally, he'd thought of something else to use as a battery, but with an Elder Dragon captured and deliciously served to him on a silver platter, he didn't need anything else and would leave whatever he came up with for Stage Three.
"Did he say anything else?" Asterion asked, narrowing his eyes with a seemingly calm expression.
"He said there was no worthy king in this empty age, no king capable of fighting him as King Uther and King Arthur had done in the past. So I said I would find a king worthy to fight him." Luna looked at Asterion innocently and spoke with a sweet expression.
Asterion rolled his eyes at Luna's innocence. He had already discovered that Luna was not as innocent as she seemed to everyone. She was more cunning than anyone else, especially with her gift of seeing into the future.
As for her dragging him into this mess, Asterion didn't mind at all, he had been involved before, when they wanted to use an Elder Dragon as a weapon to kill him.
But Luna's words practically confirmed his suspicions about who the Elder Dragon was. He wasn't the only one who figured it out, Hermione and Daphne behind him with wide eyes also understood who Luna was talking about.
Vortigern, King of the legendary Camelot, also known as Albion, the White Dragon. A tyrant king in every sense of the word.
There probably wasn't an English wizard who didn't know this name, he was King Arthur Pendragon's main antagonist in the legends handed down from antiquity.
Knowing that this monster was alive and sealed beneath the castle made both girls feel a cold shiver run through their bodies.
"How is that possible?" Daphne tried to remain calm, but in the face of such a frightening fact, she couldn't. This was no ordinary enemy. This wasn't just any enemy, this was the accursed Vortigern, the one who had personally fought Arthur Pendragon.
Who was Arthur Pendragon? Not only did he have Elder Dragon blood running through his veins, but he also wielded a sword. A sword made by the Lady of the Lake herself - Viviane - a true pagan goddess.
Excalibur was a weapon that could kill gods!
But even with all these advantages, it was only with Merlin's help that Arthur managed to kill Vortigern, which was obviously a lie, considering what she had heard from Luna.
"What are we going to do? From what Luna said, the seal isn't as strong as we thought." Hermione asked with a panicked look on her face, she was the most panicked of all the people here. Of course, no one blamed her.
Unlike Asterion and Daphne, Hermione hadn't been involved in the world beyond the attack on Hogwarts, so it was normal for her to panic at this point. "Don't worry too much, Hermione, the seal probably took some damage when the Hogwarts core exploded. Besides, his request for Luna to help him escape shows that he's nowhere near escaping the seal." Seeing the girl's panic, Asterion comforted her by putting his hand on her shoulder. He wasn't lying, Vortigern was far from escaping his seal, something he would use to his advantage.
"Even if there is a problem, there will be me, Dumbledore and Rose, it's not so easy for that winged lizard to do something." Asterion continued to speak, gradually calming Hermione's panicked expression.
Noticing her own state, Hermione felt a little embarrassed, but looked at Asterion with a look of gratitude. Asterion was right, even if there was a problem, it wouldn't be something she, a mere second grade witch, could do anything about.
That kind of thing would be handled by Special Grade Wizards. Knowing this, the girl's troubled heart calmed down considerably.
Luna, almost asleep from exhaustion, opened her narrowed eyes and spoke in a tired tone. "Someone will try to release the dragon seal, I don't know who or what it is, but my vision can't see it.
Asterion's eyebrows knitted together. Trouble, this was trouble. An unknown enemy who knew about the highest secret of Hogwarts, no matter how he looked at it, he was still part of the damn conspiracy, even if he had arrested the conspirators.
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Author's thoughts:
Support me to write more and read chapters ahead of all regular readers!
P-atreon.com/HPSCB
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Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 183 - Second Trial of the International Tournament of Witchcraft and Wizardry (1), Chapter 184 - Second Trial of the International Tournament of Witchcraft and Wizardry (2), Chapter 185 - Second Trial of the International Tournament of Witchcraft and Wizardry (3), Chapter 186 - Second Trial of the International Tournament of Witchcraft and Wizardry (4), Chapter 187 - Second Test of the International Tournament of Witchcraft and Wizardry (5), Chapter 188 - Asterion & Daphne (R-18), Chapter 189 - Asterion & Daphne, Chapter 190 - How to Train Your Dragon (1), Chapter 191 - How to Train Your Dragon (2), Chapter 192 - How to Train Your Dragon (3), Chapter 193 - How to Train Your Dragon (4), Chapter 194 - Dragon Race (1), Chapter 195 - Dragon Race (2), Chapter 196 - Dragon Race (3), Chapter 197 - Dragon Race (4).
After some thought, Asterion stopped worrying about a possible attack on Hogwarts, he would leave Morgan to guard the seal, even if a Special Grade wizard came, he could still be stopped until he, Dumbledore and Rose arrived at the site.
If the Special Grade wizard came within ten meters of Morgan, that Special Grade wizard would be dead before he could even reach the location of the seal.
"Luna, what can you tell me about the second trial of the tournament?" Asterion asked, changing the subject; the atmosphere seemed to be relieved by his words,
Luna looked at Asterion, she understood that he was changing the atmosphere, but she didn't say anything and answered truthfully.
"A race."
Luna's words surprised everyone, including Asterion; he hadn't expected the second trial of the tournament to be a race. It seemed too simple, considering what happened in the first trial.
"It's not that easy, we'll have to suffer a lot to tame these little winged reptiles." Luna commented with a bored expression, her voice containing a bit of bitterness. She herself will have a lot of trouble with her little experimental companion.
Asterion looked at Luna in surprise, he hadn't expected Dumbledore to choose a dragon race for the Second Trial. Though the dragons of today were infinitely weaker than their ancestors, there was something about them that hadn't changed. Pride, tyranny, and cruelty.
It wasn't easy to tame a dragon, even if it was bred from an egg. The word "untameable" was almost associated with this race. If it hadn't been for an English wizard named Newt Scamander, there probably wouldn't have been a credible account of taming a dragon.
Asterion didn't think he could tame a dragon, let alone any of the other participants, so the school didn't want dragons to be tamed at all, but rather forced to be controlled by any means necessary.
Seeing Luna's annoyance, Asterion assumed that she had chosen to tame the dragon and that it hadn't worked out very well.
But knowing what the Second Trial was already about was more than an advantage.
"Hermione, tell Rose what you heard and Luna will tell Cedric when she recovers." Asterion ordered in a calm tone. He wanted to concentrate on something more important than the second trial now, to analyze and calculate how he had turned the last of a whole race into a battery to help Morgan complete the second stage.
Hermione nodded with a serious expression and left the room with quick steps, obviously wanting to talk to Rose as soon as possible.
Luna, who had heard the slight signal for her to leave, pouted, very unhappy with his attitude; she had suffered so much to tell Asterion and had only managed to be thrown out of the room. Worthy of a selfish king! "Rest well and don't use your gift too much, although I don't know the price for seeing the future, it will never be easy, fate always takes its toll, Luna." Asterion commented as he approached Luna and stroked her hair in a calm tone.
Enjoying the pats on the head, Luna closed her eyes with pleasure and nodded silently. She also knew that seeing the future came with a price, an especially expensive price.
Life itself was the least of the prices to be paid, even a relief for someone like the Seers. The highest price was to be held hostage by one's own mind and paranoia, to live a life of tragedy, if one could call it a life at all. Madness, obsession and insanity were practically normal for any powerful Seer.
Grindelwald and other Seers were there to prove it; practically at the end of their lives, all Seers become insane and extremely paranoid. Perhaps this was the fate of those who saw the world through special eyes.
"I'm going to sleep and let Daphne snuggle up to you again." Getting up from the chair, Luna spoke, causing Daphne to roll her eyes as she crossed her arms under her breasts.
Luna stuck her tongue out at Daphne and left the room, jumping for joy and whistling like a bird.
"She's going to go crazy sooner or later." Daphne commented in a tired voice, she couldn't imagine that Luna was still sane at thirty.
"It doesn't matter, I can help her anytime, having a personal psychic is very useful." Asterion sat down in his chair, resting his head on his hand as he leaned sideways.
Daphne sat on his lap, leaning comfortably against him, doing nothing but keeping him company. At that moment she knew he was thinking about something very important, something she noticed every time Morgan was involved in any way. Without realizing it, Daphne felt her eyelids grow heavy and she fell asleep in his arms, her head resting on his chest.
Asterion looked at Daphne sleeping peacefully in his arms and couldn't help but reach out to stroke her hair gently.
She seemed to trust him completely, being completely unprotected, which might sound strange, but it was something that made Asterion's lips curl into a smile. It was quite comforting to have someone who trusted him on that level.
-
In the Gryffindor dormitory, Rose was asleep in bed, but her sleeping position was anything but comfortable. She was lying horizontally on the bed with her feet facing in different directions. She was wearing a large white man's blouse and very small black shorts.
This was the scene Hermione saw when she entered the room, which didn't surprise the brown-haired girl at all. For some reason, she compared Rose to Daphne at that moment and couldn't help but pucker her lips unnaturally.
She was really curious how Rose would manage to seduce Asterion with her manners. Shaking her head, Hermione quickly approached the bed and began rocking Rose back and forth, trying to wake the white-haired girl.
"Wake up, Rose!!!" Seeing no sign of her waking up, Hermione shook her even harder, speaking in a louder tone than usual.
"Hmm..." Rose didn't bother to open her eyes. "Five more minutes, Mione~"
Hermione rolled her eyes and spoke directly. "Luna's been attacked!"
Rose's eyes opened at the same moment, her drowsiness disappearing instantly. She sat up in bed and looked at Hermione seriously.
"What happened?" Her tone was unbelievably dignified. She knew Luna was a Seer, what could happen to a Seer who could easily run away from any ambush?
Hermione took a deep breath and repeated what she had heard in Asterion's room.
The more she listened to Hermione's words, the more Rose's eyes lit up with excitement. To say that she was excited to fight someone like Vortigern was an understatement!
Mentally, she couldn't help but thank this organization called R, which Dumbledore had said was responsible for putting her and Asterion's names on it.
"To thank you for your thoughtful gift, I'm going to destroy you in the most direct and brutal way I can think of. No one can threaten my life and get away with it without consequences." Rose thought as an amused smile played on her lips. Although she found her participation in the tournament amusing, she still didn't like being plotted against, especially with a weapon that could kill her!
"As for the second trial of the Tournament of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I want to train my dragon," Rose commented with a glare, not once or twice had she felt envious of Asterion's dragon named Nidhogg.
Now she could finally get one, even if it was nowhere near as strong, but she could change that. Potions were one of her strengths, she could make a potion to purify a dragon's bloodline!
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Author's Thoughts: The second trial was inspired by How to Train Your Dragon. I liked the concept, and it seemed appropriate if we think back to the original Triwizard Tournament. This second Trial will be shorter than the first because I don't have to introduce the characters.
By the way, I'd like you to give me some tips for the third and final Trial, as I'm very unsure of what to do.
Support me to write more and read chapters ahead of all regular readers!
P-atreon.com/HPSCB
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 184 - Second Trial of the International Tournament of Witchcraft and Wizardry (2), Chapter 185 - Second Trial of the International Tournament of Witchcraft and Wizardry (3), Chapter 186 - Second Trial of the International Tournament of Witchcraft and Wizardry (4), Chapter 187 - Second Test of the International Tournament of Witchcraft and Wizardry (5), Chapter 188 - Asterion & Daphne (R-18), Chapter 189 - Asterion & Daphne, Chapter 190 - How to Train Your Dragon (1), Chapter 191 - How to Train Your Dragon (2), Chapter 192 - How to Train Your Dragon (3), Chapter 193 - How to Train Your Dragon (4), Chapter 194 - Dragon Race (1), Chapter 195 - Dragon Race (2), Chapter 196 - Dragon Race (3), Chapter 197 - Dragon Race (4).
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