The Crawling Chaos 1/2
Draco's forced smile was clearly visible on the enchanted screens suspended above the stands, while the crowd stared at the small dragon who, rather than looking dangerous, simply looked… cute.
"What is that dragon? He looks so strange… and kind of dumb." some visitors commented with amused smiles as they watched Red standing there proudly.
Only those who truly knew him wore the same forced smile Draco had at that moment. Even Sirius couldn't help making that face. Red was supposed to be Harry's opponent. If this had been some blatant trap, it now looked like it was falling apart.
"This… is strange," he muttered.
After all, Red had been more than excited to play with Harry, and convincing him had not been easy. Sirius could feel that someone had interfered. His gaze shifted toward Wanda, who was speaking with Narcissa, who had just arrived with a serious expression, her eyes fixed on her son inside the arena.
"He won't hurt him, will he?" Narcissa asked Wanda quietly. "I know how dangerous that little one can be," she added.
"Don't worry. Even if he's a bit foolish, he would never hurt Harry's friends," Wanda replied calmly, and Narcissa gave a slow nod.
"Wow. Helicopter mothers putting their cubs in danger. That's really hard to believe," Susan commented with a faint smile toward both women, whom she knew far too well.
"Well, after all, a bird kept in a cage will never see the sky," Selene said with amusement, fully understanding what the two of them were doing.
"So then, who's going to face Harry?" Pandora asked with mild curiosity.
Wanda did not answer. She simply gave an enigmatic smile before turning back to Narcissa.
"How is it going?" Wanda asked after a moment, while Selene and the other mothers also looked toward her. Narcissa had disappeared since the incident at Black Manor. "If you need help…"
"No. I'm fine. It's better if you stay at the school to protect our children," Narcissa replied firmly. "Until Kreacher wakes up, I'm keeping everything under watch. But… everything is so quiet. Too quiet. It feels like a storm is about to fall on us."
Her gaze slid toward a section of the stands where several French spectators were watching the tournament with faintly mocking smiles. But their eyes were not truly on the arena. They were studying every wizard present.
Among them were also individuals under the command of old families, paying special attention to that group. One of the Frenchmen met Narcissa's gaze and gave a slight nod.
"Well, it was obvious that man wouldn't stay still after losing all his power," Selene said lightly, almost amused. "But then again, what would we be if we didn't protect our little chaotic ones?"
She smiled.
"Don't worry about those idiots. Edward is watching. You focus on your investigation."
Narcissa nodded faintly before turning her attention back to her son in the arena.
Draco was still staring at Red without making a single move.
Red held a proud stance, almost standing over the chest, watching him closely before tilting his head slightly as Draco slipped a hand into his robes and drew his wand.
Gold coins began to fall around him.
One after another.
Within seconds, a gleaming pile formed at his feet.
Red's attention seemed to fix on the glittering coins for a moment. Then he lifted his gaze toward Draco, who was watching him with absolute focus. As if losing sight of him for even a second would be the worst mistake he could make.
The crowd seemed confused by Draco's caution. He wasn't doing anything against a dragon who, at first glance, looked calm. And far less terrifying than the creatures that had appeared before.
"Come on!" some impatient voices shouted.
That made Red turn his head slightly toward the stands, wearing that almost silly expression again.
Draco did not hesitate.
He flicked his wand sharply.
The gold at his feet instantly transformed into bright chains that shot forward toward Red, aiming to bind him in a single motion.
Red looked back at him.
And simply opened his mouth.
Then it happened.
From that small dragon's body erupted a blaze larger than any adult dragon's. A deep crimson fire that swallowed a large part of the arena. The heat was so brutal it struck the stands themselves, and several spectators froze as they felt it tear through the air.
Cracks began to spread across the magical barrier protecting the arena.
They were not small. They were living lines, expanding as if the fire was looking for a way out.
The flames pressed against the barrier as though they intended to devour the stands as well.
Some people stumbled back. Others screamed in panic. A couple of professors already had their wands raised, ready to intervene if the barrier gave way.
But it wasn't necessary. The shield repaired itself almost instantly, reinforcing and containing the scorching heat.
Which allowed them to lower their wands and release a restrained breath, a few casting brief glances toward Wanda.
The crowd slowly calmed.
And turned back toward the arena.
The flames began to fade.
Draco was still there. Standing.
His robes were scorched along one side, and cold sweat ran down his back despite the heat that had just engulfed him.
The fire had only barely grazed him.
He hadn't been incinerated like the chains or the gold, simply because Red hadn't been aiming directly at him.
There was no need to exaggerate. What had just happened was more than enough to show the true power that small chaotic creature could unleash.
The remaining gold at Draco's feet, the pieces untouched by the flames themselves, looked half-melted from the residual heat alone.
The chains had vanished completely.
Even the magic sustaining them had been consumed.
That alone intensified Draco's stare toward Red, who looked back at him with that same foolish expression as always.
Red, as an ally, was the most chaotically useless and absurd dragon one could imagine.
But as an enemy… he was a mistake the world could not afford.
And now, technically, Draco was his enemy.
Red watched him for another second, then suddenly seemed to grow excited about something. Without warning, he bolted forward, teeth bared.
Draco felt it instantly.
As if every alarm in his mind had gone off at once.
A primitive fear crawled up his spine.
Without wasting time, he flicked his wand sharply. The half-melted gold still around him liquefied at once, rising and hardening into a thick, unadorned shield in front of him.
But the moment it finished forming, Draco heard it.
The crack.
The sound of gold being destroyed.
He opened his eyes just in time to see Red's jaws sink into the golden shield. The sound was dry. Brutal. Like metal snapping under invisible pressure. A whole chunk disappeared between his teeth. The bite marks were clean, precise. An entire section was simply gone.
Draco stared, stunned.
Red stopped and began chewing the gold, each bite producing a metallic crunch. Then he made a face, as if he had just tasted something deeply offensive, and spat the metal out with disdain, letting the half-melted piece fall in front of Draco.
Draco, taking advantage of the distraction, stepped back quickly, putting as much distance between them as possible.
But the dragon didn't even look at him.
Red stepped on the gold he had spat out and scraped dirt over it with his claws, as if burying trash.
Then he lifted his head and looked at Draco, almost as though he had just remembered he was still there.
Completely unpredictable in every sense, Draco thought, unsure whether he should attack again or wait.
The crowd had fallen silent after seeing the bite taken out of the golden shield. Even more so when they realized Red hadn't been attacking with real intent… he had simply been testing the metal.
And he hadn't liked it.
Some of those who knew Red couldn't help laughing at his nonsense.
Meanwhile, Susan leaned slightly toward Wanda and Narcissa.
"Is it really okay for Red to be Draco's opponent? What if he swallows him by accident?" she asked.
Under normal circumstances, that would have been an absurd concern.
At that moment, it no longer sounded impossible.
In the arena, Red fixed his gaze on Draco again and suddenly looked excited once more. He began bouncing on all four legs, flapping his wings enthusiastically before baring his teeth in pure amusement.
As if he had just remembered this was supposed to be a game.
Draco did not take his eyes off him.
Then, with a streak of red afterimages, Red vanished.
And reappeared directly in front of him.
Sharp dragon teeth materialized inches from Draco's face and snapped shut over the arm holding his wand.
Draco reacted purely on instinct, jerking his arm back at the last possible second.
Red's jaws closed on empty air.
Cold sweat ran down Draco's back.
This wasn't imagination. If he had been half a second slower, his hand would no longer be there.
Red chewed the air for a moment, confused when he realized he hadn't caught anything. Then he looked at Draco with mild irritation, as though Draco had just ruined something interesting.
In this case, his hand.
Draco had a great many things he wanted to say to the dragon.
But Red was already staring at his arm again.
That was enough.
Draco flicked his wand swiftly. Chains burst from the ground and wrapped tightly around Red, binding him in place while Draco retreated again to create distance.
The dragon hit the ground, writhing against the restraints.
But of course, it didn't last.
Red began biting through the chains, snapping them apart like brittle wire.
Within seconds, he was free again.
And looking at Draco.
As if this were all still a game.
Red took off running after him once more.
The crowd watched in confusion, unsure how to react. This wasn't a conventional duel. It wasn't elegant combat.
It was something… strangely extreme.
Even Ludo had fallen silent, not quite sure how to narrate what he was witnessing.
And coming from Ludo, that might have been the most concerning part of all.