The Scaled Guardian
"Well, after this short break I'm sure everyone's been waiting for the crowd favorites, am I right or am I wrong?" Ludo said, lifting the spirits of the audience as people began shouting excitedly.
The names that echoed the loudest were Luciel, Draco, and Harry, with banners in their colors waving across the stands; gold, silver, and red.
"Of course, it's not like the other champions aren't just as important, but we have to admit that in the first task these three boys truly stole the show, didn't they?" Ludo added with a wide grin.
The crowd roared in agreement.
"Now, as you all know, they're also the ones who chose the red eggs. Though now that I think about it, that ended up being more or less useless. Still, it showed us exactly what each of them is made of. So without further delay, let's welcome our next champion… Luciel Delacour!" Ludo shouted as the girls in the stands practically lost their minds, eyes fixed on the arena.
Luciel stepped in calmly, wearing his usual gentle smile, greeting everyone with that same steady composure.
For a brief moment, he even blew a kiss toward a specific spot in the stands, where several girls nearly fainted and screamed in excitement, fully convinced the gesture had been meant for them. Completely ignoring the fact that Luciel's fiancée was standing right there, watching him with a slightly tired expression as she observed her boyfriend's fangirls. Even so, she could not stop a small smile from forming.
Luciel stopped at one side of the arena, his smile unwavering as he looked directly at the chest in the center.
Confidently, he prepared himself and drew the sword hanging at his waist. Or rather, his sword wand. Then he shifted his gaze toward the gate, waiting for whatever guardian was meant to emerge.
None of the champions could see each other's battles; they could only hear the chaos that barely filtered through the walls. They never truly knew what they would face until the creature appeared before them.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself to fight a dragon like the one he had seen hatch from the egg, and like Madame Maxime had warned him about the moment she learned the truth, Ludo had said the creatures they would face would be different, yet just as dangerous. So he had to be ready for anything. Because not many animals are as dangerous, or more dangerous, than a dragon.
"Then it's time to open the guardian's gate!" Ludo shouted as the much larger hatch slowly began to rise.
Luciel's expression shifted into something more serious as he waited to see what would come out.
The first thing he heard was the sound of something dragging across the dirt.
He remained there, staring. But after a few seconds, he seemed to see nothing, and his brow furrowed slightly in confusion.
Until he felt a dangerous gaze coming from where the chest stood.
He turned his head toward it.
There, resting atop the chest, was what looked like a small snake, watching him intently while flicking its tiny forked tongue.
The look of complete confusion on Luciel's face was truly something to see. But even more so were the expressions of everyone present. Even Ludo seemed to notice the small snake only once it was already perched on the chest.
Only Newt's expression turned serious at the sight of it, his brow tightening slightly, as though he were trying to remember what kind of creature looked like that.
"Uhm… did some animal sneak in from the forest, perhaps?" Ludo asked, turning toward the handlers. But they looked back at him and shook their heads firmly.
So Ludo could only glance toward Sirius, who had brought the creatures earlier. Sirius simply gave him a faint smile, shaking his head and tilting his chin toward the arena.
Meanwhile, the crowd began letting out small cries of panic and surprise.
Ludo looked back just in time to see the tiny snake begin to grow rapidly. As if it were passing from childhood to adulthood in a matter of seconds.
Dark gray scales that looked as hard as steel. Large reptilian eyes that carried a deadly sense of absolute dread. And massive, razor sharp fangs protruding from its mouth.
Its body went from barely a few inches long to at least fifty feet in length, completely covering the chest, which was now coiled within its enormous frame.
"A… ba… ba… ba… basilisk…" Ludo stammered before quickly covering his face, completely pale with panic.
The crowd began screaming as well, covering their faces or looking away the moment they heard the name.
Not many knew exactly what a basilisk looked like. But they knew its name. And that was enough. Creatures whose gaze turned life into death in an instant. That was why they were forbidden. Not regulated or controlled like dragons, but completely forbidden.
The screams only intensified when they saw Luciel suddenly collapse to the ground without even trying to react. It happened so fast that many did not even understand what had occurred. One second he was standing… and the next he was on the ground, motionless, as if someone had flipped an invisible switch, sending the panic into overdrive.
"Ahhh!" many shouted, rising from their seats and trying to flee.
Madame Maxime shot to her feet immediately, completely pale as she watched her student fall without any sign of resistance.
"All right, calm down," Sirius said as he cast Sonorus, his voice echoing across the entire arena. "This one's gaze isn't lethal. You could say he's not exactly a basilisk. Pay attention."
At the same time, he tried to reassure Madame Maxime, who was completely beside herself with panic.
His voice, booming through every corner of the stadium, seemed to slam the brakes on the chaos. Even so, many still refused to risk looking directly at the enormous serpent.
Instead, their eyes drifted toward Luciel.
The young man was not moving at all.
But suddenly, he pushed himself up with a thoroughly confused expression, bringing a hand to his head before looking back at the serpent. The creature bared its teeth slightly as it flicked its tongue, almost as if it were mocking him.
"I see… I suspected as much. Its eyes are different," Newt said at last, studying the basilisk carefully. There was a trace of contained excitement in his expression at being able to observe it up close, especially since this little one was not surrounded by the usual chaos of the other boys. "Besides, basilisks do not have the ability to change size. Though it could be a species that shares part of its lineage… perhaps a rare variant within the breed," he added thoughtfully, nodding to himself as he continued analyzing the creature.
"R right…" Ludo stammered as he slowly made his way back to his seat; he had very clearly been ready to bolt along with the rest of the crowd. "So…" He glanced at Sirius. "You're absolutely sure it's not deadly?" he asked, just in case.
"Completely. Every Hogwarts student has probably seen him roaming the corridors at some point… and they did not even realize it until now," Sirius replied confidently.
At that, many Hogwarts students began exchanging confused looks, until little by little an image surfaced in their minds.
There were some rather strange and eye catching children at Hogwarts. One of them was Tommy Maximoff, Professor Maximoff's son and Harry Potter's brother. He was known for pulling pranks and, somewhat comically, ending up turned into a baby more often than anyone could explain. But it was also common to see him with a small snake perched on his head or shoulder. And more than once, he had been seen suddenly collapsing just as he was about to do something dangerous.
Very similar to how Luciel had fallen moments ago.
As people noticed the expressions on the Hogwarts students' faces, the slow nods of recognition as they remembered where they had seen that serpent before, they could not help but look at the school in a new light. What kind of place was Hogwarts, to have a basilisk, or something close enough to one, casually slithering through its halls?
At the same time, that realization eased some of their fear and allowed them to look back toward the arena.
Now they could fully observe the basilisk without worrying about dropping dead on the spot. Even so, its appearance was still deeply intimidating.
Yet, like the other creatures that had appeared earlier, it did not seem like a wild beast out of control. It remained calm, guarding the chest while keeping its gaze fixed on Luciel.
Luciel, for his part, wore a rather complex expression as he studied what would be his opponent.
"Well… I suppose the champion of Beauxbatons will have to face this little… big friend if he wants the treasure it protects," Ludo said, carefully avoiding looking too directly at the enormous serpent; or more specifically, at its eyes. "What do you think, Mr. Scamander?"
"Well, like all the creatures we have seen today, our scaly friend appears to be highly intelligent… and rather gentlemanly, showing his ability before the trial even begins. As before, these little ones will likely be the ones testing us humans," Newt replied with a faint smile.
"Well, to be honest, I am quite relieved it is not me who has to go through that particular test," Ludo said, letting out another sigh.
The crowd, though beginning to grow excited again, remained wary of the serpent. And not only that. If this was one of the final three red creatures… what would the other two be?
"Then… let's get this started," Ludo said slowly. "Let the trial begin!"
Luciel, upon hearing the announcement, could not help but form a somewhat strained smile as he looked straight at the basilisk. After all, it was not every day one was knocked down the moment the trial began. At the very least, he hoped no one would remember that small detail… though he knew that was far too much to ask.