Chapter 580: The Dragons
"Good job, Evan, thus you won’t be seen!" Hagrid said with admiration, pointing to the dark woods, "You four wait for me in the grass and don't make a noise! We won’t take Fang, he won’t like it..."
He walked out of the hut, and everyone saw clearly that Hagrid was wearing a flower that resembled an oversized artichoke in his buttonhole. It looked as though he had abandoned the use of axle grease, but he had certainly attempted to comb his hair and spent a lot of time on it. They could see the comb’s broken teeth tangled in it.
"God, this is terrible. What’s the matter with him?!"
"Shh, keep your voice down, it's Madame Maxime!" Hermione pointed to the carriage.
Sure enough, Hagrid strode into the darkness and headed for the Beauxbatons carriage.
A few seconds later, he walked over to the front of the carriage and knocked three times on the door bearing the crossed golden wands.
Madame Maxime opened it, her silky shawl wrapped around her massive shoulders.
When she saw Hagrid, she smiled slightly. "Ah, Hagrid, it is time?"
"Good evening!" said Hagrid, beaming at her with a smile, and holding out a hand to help her down the golden steps.
Madame Maxime turned back to close the door of the carriage, and Hagrid offered her his arm.
They set off around the edge of the temporary paddock containing Madame Maxime’s giant winged horses.
"Hurry up, he forgot us again!" said Hermione unhappily.
The four people hurriedly ran to keep up with them, trying not to make a sound.
"Where do you say they hide the dragon?"
"I don't know. It's probably around here!"
Madame Maxime, who shared their doubts, looked around blankly.
By this time they were far away from the hut and the carriage, in the dead of night....
"Where is it you are taking me, Hagrid?" she asked playfully.
"Into the woods!" Hagrid said hoarsely. "You’ll enjoy this. It is worth seeing, trust me. But don't tell anyone l showed you, right? You’re not supposed to know."
"Of course not," said Madame Maxime, fluttering her long black eyelashes.
They were still walking, and Evan and the three trotting behind.
They had walked so far around the perimeter of the forest that the castle and the lake were out of sight.
If they hadn't known that Hagrid was taking them to see the dragon, this would look more like a date of Hagrid with Maxime, one where Hagrid could make an advance to her.
At the thought of the scene of Hagrid and Madame Maxime together, Evan couldn't help shivering.
Just then, he heard something. Men were shouting up ahead… Then came a deafening, earsplitting roar...
The four of them stopped abruptly and looked at each other.
"Just ahead, go to the right and stay away from them!" said Evan in a low voice.
Hagrid led Madame Maxime around a clump of trees and came to a halt.
Everyone hurried alongside them. This was an open space, and it was suddenly clear.
For a split of second, they thought they were seeing bonfires, and men darting around them. And then their mouths fell open.
Dragons!!!
They finally saw the dragons!!!
Four fully grown, enormous, vicious-looking dragons were rearing onto their hind legs inside an enclosure fenced with thick planks of wood, roaring and snorting, torrents of fire were shooting into the dark sky from their open, fanged mouths, fifty feet above the ground on their outstretched necks.
There was a silvery-blue one with long, pointed horns, snapping and snarling at the wizards on the ground.
Not far from it, a smooth-scaled green one was writhing and stamping with all its might.
There was also a red one with an odd fringe of fine spikes around its face, which was shooting mushroom-shaped fire clouds into the air.
And finally, there was a gigantic black dragon, more lizard-like than the others, which was nearest to them.
There are at least forty wizards on the field, and every ten people were responsible for dealing with a dragon and surrounding it. They were attempting to control them, pulling on the chains connected to heavy leather straps around their necks and legs.
These four dragons were slightly smaller than the black dragon Evan had seen in the illusion, but their shape was equally amazing.
Evan was secretly surprised and his heartbeat was speeding up. As for Harry, Ron and Hermione, they were completely mesmerized.
Harry stood there in a daze, while Ron opened wide his mouth, dumbfounded, and Hermione gripped tightly Evan's shoulder.
They all looked up, high above them, and saw the eyes of the black dragon, with vertical pupils like a cat’s, bulging with either fear or rage, they couldn’t tell which. It was making a horrible noise, a yowling, screeching scream…
"Be careful, keep back there, Hagrid!" yelled a wizard near the fence, straining on the chain he was holding. "They can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet, you know! I’ve seen this Horntail do forty!"
"How beautiful!" said Hagrid softly.
“It’s no good!” yelled another wizard. “Stunning Spells, together, on the count of three!”
Each of the dragon keepers pulled out his and pointed it at the dragon in front of him.
"Stupefy!" They shouted in unison, and the Stunning Spells shot into the darkness like fiery rockets, bursting in showers of stars on the dragons’ scaly hides.
After the dazzling flash, the dragon nearest to them teetered dangerously on its back legs; its jaws stretched wide in a silent howl; its nostrils were suddenly devoid of flame, though still smoking. Then, very slowly, it fell.
Several tons of sinewy, scaly-black dragon hit the ground with a thud that quaked the trees.
The dragon keepers lowered their wands and walked forward to their fallen charges, each of which was the size of a small hill.
They hurried to tighten the chains and fasten them securely to iron pegs, which they forced deep into the ground with their wands.
"Let's get closer!" said Harry.
They moved right up to the fence, and. Hagrid and Madame Maxime followed.
“Charlie!" Ron said suddenly.
The wizard who had warned Hagrid not to come any closer turned, Evan realized who it was: Charlie Weasley.
Chapter 580: The Dragons
"Good job, Evan, thus you won’t be seen!" Hagrid said with admiration, pointing to the dark woods, "You four wait for me in the grass and don't make a noise! We won’t take Fang, he won’t like it..."
He walked out of the hut, and everyone saw clearly that Hagrid was wearing a flower that resembled an oversized artichoke in his buttonhole. It looked as though he had abandoned the use of axle grease, but he had certainly attempted to comb his hair and spent a lot of time on it. They could see the comb’s broken teeth tangled in it.
"God, this is terrible. What’s the matter with him?!"
"Shh, keep your voice down, it's Madame Maxime!" Hermione pointed to the carriage.
Sure enough, Hagrid strode into the darkness and headed for the Beauxbatons carriage.
A few seconds later, he walked over to the front of the carriage and knocked three times on the door bearing the crossed golden wands.
Madame Maxime opened it, her silky shawl wrapped around her massive shoulders.
When she saw Hagrid, she smiled slightly. "Ah, Hagrid, it is time?"
"Good evening!" said Hagrid, beaming at her with a smile, and holding out a hand to help her down the golden steps.
Madame Maxime turned back to close the door of the carriage, and Hagrid offered her his arm.
They set off around the edge of the temporary paddock containing Madame Maxime’s giant winged horses.
"Hurry up, he forgot us again!" said Hermione unhappily.
The four people hurriedly ran to keep up with them, trying not to make a sound.
"Where do you say they hide the dragon?"
"I don't know. It's probably around here!"
Madame Maxime, who shared their doubts, looked around blankly.
By this time they were far away from the hut and the carriage, in the dead of night....
"Where is it you are taking me, Hagrid?" she asked playfully.
"Into the woods!" Hagrid said hoarsely. "You’ll enjoy this. It is worth seeing, trust me. But don't tell anyone l showed you, right? You’re not supposed to know."
"Of course not," said Madame Maxime, fluttering her long black eyelashes.
They were still walking, and Evan and the three trotting behind.
They had walked so far around the perimeter of the forest that the castle and the lake were out of sight.
If they hadn't known that Hagrid was taking them to see the dragon, this would look more like a date of Hagrid with Maxime, one where Hagrid could make an advance to her.
At the thought of the scene of Hagrid and Madame Maxime together, Evan couldn't help shivering.
Just then, he heard something. Men were shouting up ahead… Then came a deafening, earsplitting roar...
The four of them stopped abruptly and looked at each other.
"Just ahead, go to the right and stay away from them!" said Evan in a low voice.
Hagrid led Madame Maxime around a clump of trees and came to a halt.
Everyone hurried alongside them. This was an open space, and it was suddenly clear.
For a split of second, they thought they were seeing bonfires, and men darting around them. And then their mouths fell open.
Dragons!!!
They finally saw the dragons!!!
Four fully grown, enormous, vicious-looking dragons were rearing onto their hind legs inside an enclosure fenced with thick planks of wood, roaring and snorting, torrents of fire were shooting into the dark sky from their open, fanged mouths, fifty feet above the ground on their outstretched necks.
There was a silvery-blue one with long, pointed horns, snapping and snarling at the wizards on the ground.
Not far from it, a smooth-scaled green one was writhing and stamping with all its might.
There was also a red one with an odd fringe of fine spikes around its face, which was shooting mushroom-shaped fire clouds into the air.
And finally, there was a gigantic black dragon, more lizard-like than the others, which was nearest to them.
There are at least forty wizards on the field, and every ten people were responsible for dealing with a dragon and surrounding it. They were attempting to control them, pulling on the chains connected to heavy leather straps around their necks and legs.
These four dragons were slightly smaller than the black dragon Evan had seen in the illusion, but their shape was equally amazing.
Evan was secretly surprised and his heartbeat was speeding up. As for Harry, Ron and Hermione, they were completely mesmerized.
Harry stood there in a daze, while Ron opened wide his mouth, dumbfounded, and Hermione gripped tightly Evan's shoulder.
They all looked up, high above them, and saw the eyes of the black dragon, with vertical pupils like a cat’s, bulging with either fear or rage, they couldn’t tell which. It was making a horrible noise, a yowling, screeching scream…
"Be careful, keep back there, Hagrid!" yelled a wizard near the fence, straining on the chain he was holding. "They can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet, you know! I’ve seen this Horntail do forty!"
"How beautiful!" said Hagrid softly.
“It’s no good!” yelled another wizard. “Stunning Spells, together, on the count of three!”
Each of the dragon keepers pulled out his and pointed it at the dragon in front of him.
"Stupefy!" They shouted in unison, and the Stunning Spells shot into the darkness like fiery rockets, bursting in showers of stars on the dragons’ scaly hides.
After the dazzling flash, the dragon nearest to them teetered dangerously on its back legs; its jaws stretched wide in a silent howl; its nostrils were suddenly devoid of flame, though still smoking. Then, very slowly, it fell.
Several tons of sinewy, scaly-black dragon hit the ground with a thud that quaked the trees.
The dragon keepers lowered their wands and walked forward to their fallen charges, each of which was the size of a small hill.
They hurried to tighten the chains and fasten them securely to iron pegs, which they forced deep into the ground with their wands.
"Let's get closer!" said Harry.
They moved right up to the fence, and. Hagrid and Madame Maxime followed.
“Charlie!" Ron said suddenly.
The wizard who had warned Hagrid not to come any closer turned, Evan realized who it was: Charlie Weasley.
