Chapter 301. Not a Hypothesis
19 November.
Saturday, only five days left before the first task of the Triwizard Tournament.
A thin morning mist shrouded all of Hogwarts. Adrian Wesson was leading Harry and Cedric along a narrow path in the Forbidden Forest.
"Professor, where exactly are we going?"
As they went deeper and deeper, Cedric finally couldn't hold back his question.
Wesson winked mysteriously. "Be patient, Cedric. We'll be there in a few minutes. Trust me, this surprise is absolutely worth a little extra walking."
That made Cedric and Harry even more curious.
Just last night, Wesson had suddenly informed them that he had prepared a secret training session specifically for the Triwizard Tournament.
The two of them, of course, trusted Wesson and agreed to take part without a second thought.
Yet even now, Wesson had not revealed any details of the training.
After nearly twenty minutes of walking, the three of them finally stopped.
They had come to a relatively open stretch of grass. In the very centre stood an enormous wooden crate about fifty feet high, strikingly conspicuous.
"What is this…?"
Staring at the crate—taller even than Hagrid's cabin by quite a bit—Harry felt a sudden sense of foreboding.
"All right, eyes on me, you two Hogwarts champions." Wesson clapped his hands and smiled at them. "As everyone knows, the first task of the Triwizard Tournament tests your nerve, so I've prepared this training to warm you up and give you a bit of preparation."
"But we don't even know what the task is…"
Harry trailed off, then suddenly widened his eyes. "Wait! Sir, do you already know what it is?"
"Oh, of course not." Wesson waved a hand.
"Then what exactly are we going to do?" Cedric asked curiously.
"Don't rush, you two," Wesson said with a small smile as he walked toward the crate. "While we don't know the exact task, we can make a hypothesis."
"A hypothesis?" Cedric was taken aback.
"Ah, yes, a hypothesis." Wesson gave them a wink. "For example… let me think… suppose in the first task you need to defeat a dragon… hm, very possible."
"A dragon?" Harry gave two dry laughs. "Don't joke like that, sir."
Wesson said nothing; he only smiled and drew his wand.
Harry and Cedric exchanged a look, seeing unease mirrored in each other's eyes.
Judging by the size of the crate…
"All right, they're certainly not going to have you defeat a dragon," Wesson finally said. "But—let's make another hypothesis: if they wanted you to snatch something from under a dragon's nose, what would you do?"
The hearts Harry and Cedric had just let sink immediately leapt back into their throats.
At the same time, Wesson tapped the edge of the enormous crate lightly with his wand. With a thunderous crash, the side panel fell away, revealing a massive iron cage within.
Curled up inside the cage was a hulking beast. It had metallic-looking skin; its nostrils quivered slightly, sending out a few wisps of white smoke; golden slit pupils slowly rotated before finally locking onto Harry and Cedric standing not far away.
Everyone had read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, so Harry almost instantly recognised the species of the dragon before him—the ridged, serrated spine running along its back.
There was no doubt: this was a Norwegian Ridgeback!
Harry also remembered that Wesson had once raised a Norwegian Ridgeback named Torch, but the one before him was much larger than Torch had been at the time.
"Merlin's beard!" Cedric drew in a sharp breath and involuntarily took a step back.
"This is a joke, right?" Harry swallowed.
"I don't think so." Wesson shrugged and pointed at the dragon's feet, where a plain, unadorned grey-black giant egg lay quietly.
"Your task is to find a way to grab that egg."
"Now—you have five minutes to discuss a plan."
Harry and Cedric were incredulous at first, but still did as Wesson said and began to confer.
In truth, given how well Harry knew Wesson, he understood that although the dragon before them was intimidating, Wesson's easy expression meant there was surely a way to keep them safe.
Besides…
Harry glanced again at the dragon in the cage.
He kept feeling that this Norwegian Ridgeback's eyes looked rather vacant.
Surely it couldn't be Transfiguration?
What sort of Transfiguration could produce a dragon this enormous and lifelike?
At best, he could only turn Ron's bed into a pig.
Wesson stood off to the side, smiling benignly at the two with grave expressions.
In fact, Harry wasn't wrong.
How could he possibly have got hold of a real dragon?
And even if his powers were vast enough to obtain a real dragon, safety could not be guaranteed.
[Type: Dragon (Transfiguration)]
[Level: 1]
[Weak point: three inches to the left of the centre of the spine]
Yes, it was a dragon produced by Transfiguration.
Wesson still remembered that when he had first come to Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore had arranged a dragon trial for him.
The dragon Dumbledore had prepared back then was likewise a product of Transfiguration.
Therefore, over the past few days he had specially consulted Dumbledore about the Transfiguration used for a dragon.
The old Headmaster had been unstinting in sharing the principles of the magic with him, and had even kindly given him some very useful insights.
To Wesson's surprise, Dumbledore had not asked what he needed the magic for.
So Wesson spent nearly three days and finally replicated the spell, turning a boulder into this lifelike Norwegian Ridgeback.
Well—except for the eyes, which still had a slight flaw.
But it was already enough. Though it looked a bit vacant, its functionality was fully assured.
The only pity was that this Transfiguration had a weakness.
As long as one struck three inches to the left of the centre of the spine, the dragon could be defeated with ease.
Of course, an ordinary person would not easily find that weakness.
The five minutes flew by.
Harry and Cedric drew their wands, gave each other a bit of encouragement, and looked at the dragon with firm eyes.
Although Hogwarts was thick with rumours portraying the two of them as enemies, clearly their relationship was not that bad.
Neither Harry nor Cedric paid any mind to the gossip.
Of course, Harry still had a slight knot in his heart about Cedric—but that was not because of Cedric; it was Harry's own issue.
"Looks like you're ready." Seeing them both fully prepared, Wesson nodded with satisfaction. "Then… first training session, begin!"
As his words fell, the cage beside the dragon vanished in an instant.
The dragon rose to its feet and unfurled its colossal wings. Harry and Cedric immediately felt an overwhelming pressure.
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