Ever since Harry learned that his first opponent would be a dragon, he had fallen into deep anxiety.
These days, he and Hermione had been spending all their time in the library, desperately trying to find ways to fight dragons.
Suddenly, noisy sounds arose in the quiet library atmosphere.
"Ugh, that guy again," Hermione let out an exasperated breath.
"Who?" Harry asked with confusion.
"Krum. That guy goes everywhere followed by a group of swooning fans. Even the library, a quiet place for study, has been tainted by him!" Hermione said, rolling her eyes.
"That's really terrible," Harry said, shaking his head sympathetically.
"Look, Harry, the book says dragons' greatest weakness is their excellent sensory organs, so by that logic, we can consider some interference methods," Hermione said excitedly, holding the book and explaining her discovery to Harry.
"Uh, scalping, pepper powder, hardening the tongue... what book are you reading?" Harry asked, taking the book and looking at it with growing alarm. It recorded some extremely unreliable methods.
"Hmm? Let me see," Hermione said, taking the book back and flipping it over.
The book cover clearly read: One Hundred Ways for Comedic Wizards to Die
Harry and Hermione stared in horror. "..."
"My god, am I supposed to face a dragon with this kind of nonsense?" Harry said, having his first serious thought of escaping from Hogwarts.
"No, we'll definitely find other methods!" Hermione encouraged Harry with determined optimism.
"How about we ask Aiden?" Harry suggested they could consult the miraculous Aiden.
"He's also a champion, you're opponents," Hermione said, looking helplessly at her naive friend.
At noon, Harry and Hermione walked out of the library, preparing to go eat lunch.
But Harry happened to encounter Moody, who was also heading to the Great Hall for his meal.
Moody saw Harry's deeply troubled expression, rolled his magical eye, and approached saying, "Child, after lunch, come to my office to find me."
After speaking, he left with his distinctive cane.
After eating and drinking their fill, Harry brought his books to Moody's office.
The new Defense Against the Dark Arts office had a unique, paranoid style. Moody had placed many defensive magical items throughout the room.
"This is my Foe-Glass. It records my enemies and helps me stay vigilant against threats behind me," Moody explained, then laughed heartily.
"Professor Moody, what did you need me for?" Harry asked with growing curiosity.
Moody removed the metal prosthetic from his leg and placed it on the table, breathing a long sigh of relief, as if the prosthetic made him very uncomfortable.
"Look, this was blown off while fighting Dark wizards. They used powerful Dark magic," Moody said, chatting casually with Harry.
"Now, tell me, how do you plan to deal with the dragon?" Moody asked, leaning closer to Harry and supporting himself on his stump.
"Uh, well, I think..." Harry evaded the direct question.
"Listen, boy, Aiden Prewett is a monster who developed new spells at age eleven and now has completed magical creature transformation... a combination of bloodline, talent, and effort. Fleur Delacour has extremely strong accomplishments in Transfiguration and Charms, plus she has magical creature bloodline. As for Krum, maybe his brain is full of mush, but Karkaroff's isn't. He'll make tactics for Krum to play to his advantages."
Harry listened with a blank expression, but Moody gripped his shoulders and shook him firmly.
"Come on, Potter, think about your advantages!"
"Uh, well, I fly pretty well," Harry said after thinking for a while, mentioning his one clear strength.
"What I heard was more than just 'pretty well,'" Moody said, showing a fierce smile.
"But that's no use, is it? Broomsticks aren't allowed," Harry said with obvious puzzlement.
"But you can use your wand," Moody explained cryptically.
"Wand?" On the way back, Harry kept wondering about this mysterious hint.
Distracted, he directly bumped into Aiden, who was preparing to return with his roommates, and fell to the ground.
"Whoa, Harry, what are you doing?" Aiden asked, pulling Harry up.
"Hmm, I was thinking about what Professor Moody meant when he said I could use my wand in the competition arena. Could it mean fighting the dragon with spells?" Harry said, still distracted and directly voicing his question.
"Summoning Charm!" Aiden said, patting the dust off Harry and leaving a cryptic remark before departing with his roommates.
The enlightened Harry quickly ran toward Gryffindor Tower.
"Is it okay to tell him like that?" Edmund asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You're opponents," Ethan also chimed in with concern.
"Consider it a little comfort for our family's youngest brother. After all, Aunt dotes on him," Aiden said jokingly.
The next day, the much-anticipated Triwizard Tournament finally approached its dramatic opening.
Several champions waited in the temporary rest area.
"Three tasks, each very dangerous. Please take your seats; staff will maintain order in the arena..." Dumbledore's authoritative speech could be heard from outside the tent.
"Hiss," Harry paced back and forth nervously, hearing the growing commotion outside.
"Harry, are you alright? You must concentrate; in a moment you'll..." Hermione's worried voice came from outside the tent.
"Fight a dragon," Harry finished her sentence grimly.
Extremely worried, Hermione hugged Harry tightly. Bang! A camera nearby exploded in a shower of sparks.
Aiden, lying casually on a bed in the rest area, still had white smoke coming from his staff.
"Oh, this is really..." Rita immediately lowered her head and retreated in fear.
"That's quite a nice staff. I've had my eye on it for a long time, Mr. Prewett."
An elderly man with white hair walked in, followed by the tournament judges.
"Mr. Ollivander, it's been too long," Aiden said, nodding to him respectfully.
Ollivander walked to the center and beckoned to the other three champions.
"Come, champions, hand over your wands for me to check, to ensure fairness," Ollivander said, setting up a small table on the ground.
At the same time, he took out a wooden box containing maintenance tools dozens of times more complex than those sold in regular stores.
"Ladies first, then," Ollivander said, extending his hand politely to Fleur.
Fleur took out her wand and handed it to Ollivander with grace.
"Ah, rosewood, Veela hair," Ollivander said, carefully polishing the wand tip with specialized tools and applying a protective oil coating.
"Orchideous," he said gently, lifting the wand as several beautiful orchids bloomed in the air.
"Very well maintained, magic flows smoothly too. Next."
Krum stepped forward and handed over his wand without ceremony.
"Hornbeam, dragon heartstring. Gregorovitch's usual technique. Though I don't quite approve of his philosophy, this wand's performance is excellent."
Ollivander conjured a flock of birds. The spell ran smoothly, and then he returned the wand.
"Come, Mr. Prewett, we're old acquaintances. I need to test all the wands you carry," Ollivander said, showing a smile of mixing business with personal matters.
Aiden shook his head with amusement, handed over his wand, and then grasped the air, and his staff also materialized.
"That's cheating! How can he carry alchemical items!" Karkaroff immediately shouted with outrage.
"Karkaroff, don't insult the art of wandlore with your shallow brain. Wandlore is a branch of alchemy, and this is clearly a wand," Ollivander said, annoyed by Karkaroff's noise. He glanced at the man and silenced him in Snape's signature style.
"Mmm, this unique mental resonance... marvelous, truly marvelous," Ollivander murmured, casting a Lumos with the staff.
Warm light carrying soothing power spread out, greatly reducing Harry's nervous emotions.
Ollivander returned the wand to Aiden, who vigorously wiped the places Ollivander had touched.
"Finally, you, Mr. Potter."
Harry took out his wand and handed it to Ollivander, who conjured wine with practiced ease.
"Hmm, holly, phoenix feather... one of my masterpieces. Magic channels are good, but this maintenance condition..."
Ollivander looked at the dirty wand, feeling his heart bleed with professional pain.
Harry took back his wand and wanted to clean it but saw Fleur's disgusted expression.
"Well, I've tested all four champions' wands, all are in working order," Ollivander said, nodding to Barty Crouch and leaving the tent.