Chapter 341: Chapter 341: Something Out of Place
Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 341: Something Out of Place
Not wanting to waste what could be his only chance to escape, Cedric took advantage of the confusion and sprinted past the dragon.
The beast shook its head and snapped back to reality after being hit.
Without turning around, it swung its tail like a whip, catching Cedric on the back.
"Arrgggg!" The boy was pushed forward and ended up falling on top of a large rock.
He heard the dragon moving behind him.
"No…" He must have broken something in the fall because he could barely move.
The dragon began to open its mouth, sparks of crimson flames appearing within.
But before it could unleash its fiery breath on Cedric, it was hit by a barrage of spells from the four dragon handlers rushing at it.
The dragon shrieked violently and took several steps back.
"Get him out of here!" Charlie Weasley commanded the others.
Two of the handlers grabbed Cedric and carried him out of the arena, into the infirmary tent that had been placed nearby.
"Let me see," Madam Pomfrey was ready and waiting for them.
"Hmm... three broken ribs and a fractured leg. It could have been so much worse, to be honest." The Healer smiled.
"I'll get you fixed up in a jiffy, Mister Diggory. You'll be running by dinnertime."
Back in the audience stands, everyone was talking about what they had just seen.
"Yikes... I thought he was a goner," Lyra grimaced.
"Lyra! Have some tact… he really could have died there," Ginny sighed. She had said earlier that she hoped Cedric would get burned a bit, but this had been too close.
"They were warned that the tournament was dangerous and still chose to participate. So there's that," Daphne said.
"Did anyone else see something fall on top of the dragon's head?" Luna asked.
The girls turned to look at her.
"Am I seeing things again?" Luna asked with a confused expression.
"No...you are not seeing things, Luna. Well, at least not in this specific case. I saw something too. It fell on the dragon's head and distracted it for a few seconds." Daphne told her.
While the handlers placed the dragon back in its cage, the judges were giving their scores.
"A three?!" Harry exclaimed.
"It's already very generous, considering he failed the task," Daphne pointed out. "They probably gave him a few points based on the quality of his transfiguration," she added.
"It didn't seem very impressive to me," Lyra commented. She was used to seeing her brother use that branch of magic, and he always made it seem so effortless as he transformed his surroundings. Turning a few rocks into small animals was something even she could do.
"What do you think, Harry?" Lyra turned to glance at her brother.
"Ehm... yes!" Harry recalled his instructions. He was told to keep his answers short, and that was exactly what he was going to do.
"Yes, what?" Lyra was confused. She had no idea what was going on with Harry today, but it couldn't be just because of what she said before.
"I mean… I don't care." Harry tried his best to sound authentic.
The girls looked at him for a moment before losing interest. That had been a more normal answer, at least.
Back in the arena, the dragon handlers were able to safely remove the beast and place it back in its secure container.
While some of them began to work on replacing the eggs for the next dragon, Charlie appeared to be looking for something on the ground.
"Where could it be..." He scanned the area with his eyes.
"What are you looking for?" One of his co-workers approached him and asked.
"I swear I saw something fall from the sky and hit the dragon before it could attack the boy," Charlie said.
The other young man looked up.
"From the sky?... You mean one of the spectators threw something at the dragon to help the champion?" The stands were much higher than the arena floor, so it wouldn't be impossible.
"Maybe..." Charlie said.
"That's some impressive aim, then."
Charlie spotted something red behind a large rock.
"There!" He rushed over and grabbed the object. "A broom?"
His co-worker got closer to have a better look, and when he saw it, his eyes widened.
"That's not just a broom, that's a Firebolt! The best flying broom in the whole world."
"Yes, I know that," Charlie said.
Most of his family was obsessed with Quidditch, so how could he not know what this was? "My brother Ron wouldn't shut up about this broom all summer. Apparently, one of his classmates got one." He then added.
"Must be a rich kid. That broom costs about six months' worth of my salary." The young handler said with a chuckle.
"What I meant to say is… who would throw a broom at a dragon?" Charlie wondered.
"Mmm... a very rich kid?" The young worker looked at the broom with wide eyes. "Say… you think we could keep it?"
Charlie scoffed.
"Don't be ridiculous, of course not! This must belong to a student from the audience, and I'm certain they'll want it back."
"Yeah… I guess so," the young man looked a bit disappointed.
Charlie chuckled at his friend's reaction before turning his attention back to the broom. He passed his finger across the wooden body.
"There's a bit of damage on the handle, but it shouldn't be too much trouble to fix... wait, here are some engravings on the side." He just noticed.
"Does it say the name of the owner?"
"Let's see…" Charlie read its contents aloud.
"To H.J.P., with love from your favorite Godfather, Padfoot."
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