Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 403 Black and White Dragon Eggs
The three Hogwarts students held their breath and frowned, instantly going on high alert. They spread out around Krum to block the direction and raised their wands at him.

Meanwhile, Piccolo arrived from behind. In the dim cave, only the flames spewed by the Norwegian Spinosaurus served as the light source, making their faces flicker between light and shadow, and their shadows were stretched long on the rock walls.

As outstanding students of the Duel Club, the three worked together seamlessly to block Krum's every move, and any slight disturbance would trigger a burst of spells.

Krum wisely raised his hand, indicating that they could have a proper talk.

Hermione wasn't entirely convinced, and while holding up her wand, she forced him to back away.

"Krum, Pickley, what are you doing here? Where are your other teammates?" Cedric asked cautiously.

“The rest of their team has already left the arena. They didn’t get the golden egg, let alone the highest-scoring black and white dragon egg. Krum is unwilling to give up and wants to attack other teams.” Pickley warned the three of them from a safe distance.

"..."

Krum glanced in Pickley's direction and said in broken English, "Ilfamoni, too. Only Beauxbatons, Fleur has the golden egg, and Grevis should also be guarded against."

“Slander! Don’t think I’m like you.” Pickley curled his lip in disdain. “This guy was guarding the cave entrance we chose, but he was discovered in advance and failed. I saw him coming this way, so I followed him to warn you.”

Hermione stared at the man before her, her eyes wary, a dangerous magic brewing at the tip of her staff.

“The rules don’t forbid it. Remember Mr. Bagman’s explanation? The black and white dragon eggs are like the Golden Snitch in Quidditch.” Krum paused. “You should know that I’m a Seeker.”

The Seekers, detached from the battlefield, search for and pursue the players who will decide the outcome. Harry and Cedric happen to be Seekers as well, their staffs glowing with two different colors, their Disarming Charm and Stunning Charm ready to be unleashed.

The distance was too close; the tip of the staff, gleaming faintly, resembled the tip of a sword, its sharpness causing a slight itch between my brows.

“Listen, you’re smart people, you should know this isn’t a good place for a duel. Nobody wants to wake this sleeping dragon.” Krum’s thoughts shifted quickly, but his speech was slow as he carefully chose his words. “Let’s make a deal. I only want the blue dragon egg and won’t touch the black one.”

"What about the golden egg?"

"You can have the golden egg, but I need to know the clues inside."

"Why should I give it to you?" Hermione's fair brows furrowed, her eyes filled with disgust as she looked at the man.

"Because I know the Eye-Burning Charm, the best spell to provoke a fire dragon." Krum took out his wand and glass ball. "Don't think you can subdue me instantly with a Disarming Charm or a Stunning Charm. The glass ball the tournament committee gave me can even stop dragon fire."

Originally intended to protect the lives of warriors, it has now become his leverage to kidnap four warriors.

“Yes, you can have the blue dragon egg.” Cedric made his decision quickly, his face expressionless. “But you can’t go near the dragon’s nest. We’ll retrieve the egg and hand it to you.”

“I have no objection.” Krum nodded and stepped back to a safe distance. “Let’s begin.”

Harry and Hermione had no objections, but looked at Pickley, who shrugged to indicate that he had no objections either.

"Thank you for reminding me. I'll give you a copy of the golden egg clue too." Hermione turned around and started to retrieve the blue dragon egg that was placed outside. This task was already half completed, and the rest was easy.

Instead of immediately handing the dragon egg to Krum, he began to fiddle with the golden dragon egg, which was right next to the Norwegian Ridgeback, but not in its claws. After some effort, he managed to take it out successfully.

"Are you planning to wake the fire dragon and lure it away?" Krum asked, looking at the fire bolt.

"Hmm, the fire bolt's maximum speed is faster than a fire dragon's, so as long as we avoid the dragon's flames, we'll be safe." Harry gripped the fire bolt, took a deep breath, and began to prepare.

Krum took a few steps forward, facing the four men's wariness, and reached for the fire bolt. Harry raised an eyebrow slightly, remembering that this was the Seeker from the World Cup final; when it came to flying skills, he was the best.

……

The waving flags swayed in the air, casting shadows that obscured the wizards on the judges' platform. The commentator, who had stepped down from the platform, sighed and couldn't sit still.

Knowing full well that it was a spectacular scene of the three schools coming together, yet unable to see what was happening inside the cave, Bagman, as the bookmaker, was extremely anxious, feeling as if a fire dragon was scratching at him.

"There are two dragon eggs, one black and one white?" Headmaster Fontana, sitting on the right, asked. "Isn't there only one Golden Snitch in Quidditch? Why are there two in the competition? Is there any special meaning to choosing black and white?"

“It wasn’t designed that way on purpose. It’s mainly because the Norwegian Spinosaurus and the Australian White-eyed Spinosaurus are a couple, and the two eggs inherited their bloodlines respectively. The Spinosaurus egg is black, and the White-eyed Spinosaurus egg is white, so the props naturally had to be made exactly the same,” Melvin replied.

Principal Fontana nodded, picked up the teacup on the table to take a sip, and suddenly froze: "Spinosaurus and Ephemeral are a couple, so why are they living in two separate caves?" "How could a young couple still in the incubator be separated? This is just a temporary competition venue. The zookeeper mixed an excessive amount of dead water into their breakfast and moved them into two separate caves while they were sleeping."

Melvin smiled. "Judging by the time, Mr. and Mrs. Dragon should be getting up soon."

Principal Fontana suddenly opened his eyes wide. Karkarov, who was tugging at his curly goatee, suddenly trembled and tore off a strand, wincing in pain.

Ms. Maxim picked up her teacup and took a sip without making a sound. Fortunately, the students from Beauxbatons had all left.

"Roar……"

A long, drawn-out roar of a fire dragon echoed from the depths of the low mountains, followed by a muffled whooshing sound. A medium-sized fire dragon emerged from the cave, and the silent stands suddenly erupted in cheers and exclamations, the sound overwhelming the judges' platform.

The Australian White-eyed Dragon is the most beautiful of the dragons. Its body is covered with pearl-like scales that shimmer even in dim weather. Its eyes have no pupils, and the pale whites of its eyes radiate a dazzling array of colors.

It has a dragon egg in its mouth, which is grayish-white in color.

……

A deafening roar echoed through the cave. The Norwegian Ridgeback opened its eyes, its orange-red vertical pupils emitting a sharp light that stung their eyes.

The five people gathered together without prior arrangement, keeping watch both inside and outside the cave, because a few seconds ago a fire dragon roared outside, and the one inside immediately opened its eyes in response.

The sudden surge of pressure, hundreds of times greater than when they were asleep, made their hearts feel like they had stopped for a moment; they were terrified and breathless.
What's happening outside?

"Didn't everyone else leave?"

Pickley and Krum asked and answered their own questions.

Harry and his friends stared intently at the Spinosaurus. Faced with the intruders, the dragon should have burned them to a crisp with a single breath, but it kept its mouth shut and didn't even bar its teeth or roar.

The moment the Spinosaurus regained consciousness, it immediately put the pure black dragon egg into its mouth. Sulfur-smelling smoke billowed from its nostrils, sparks flew onto the rock wall, and the dark red light quickly dimmed.

The spiny dragon's spikes stood erect, waiting warily, unsure of what it was waiting for, but an ominous atmosphere was brewing in the cave.

“It’s waiting for its mate.” Hermione said, her face pale, as she tried her best to calm down and analyze the situation.

As a semi-expert in the field of fire dragons who has recently gained some understanding of fire dragon habits, judging from the various behaviors of the Spinosaurus, it really did treat that prop dragon egg as its own dragon egg. When it encountered danger, its first action was to hold the dragon egg in its mouth to protect it and wait for the rescue of its tribe.

“We can’t stay in the cave any longer, or we’ll be blocked by two dragons.” Cedric took a deep breath. “Let’s retreat, and be careful of attacks from the Spinosaurus.”

"Hurry up," Pickley urged in a low voice.

The five of them formed a circle, with Pickley and Krum leading the way out, while Harry, his two companions kept watch for the Spinosaurus behind them. The passage wasn't too narrow, the rocks and soil were damp again, the rock walls kept receding, and their hearts sank heavier and heavier.

It took them almost half an hour to find their way in, and they won't be much faster to retreat.

To make matters worse, the Spinosaurus didn't stop and let them leave. Instead, it followed them at a distance, its heavy body trembling as it pounded the ground. It was only a few dozen feet away and could swoop down at any moment.

“No, we’re going to get stuck inside like this.” Harry’s throat tightened.

“Let’s ride the fire crossbow and scout ahead,” Krum suddenly said.

"what?"

“No matter what’s outside, ride your broomstick and go take a look. You said that fire bolts are faster than fire dragons, so as long as you avoid the dragon's flames, you’ll be safe.” Because he wasn’t familiar with the language, Krum spoke slowly, which actually gave people a calm feeling.

Why didn't you rob it this time?

"It's safe to use the Fire Arrows to scout ahead. I need to stay here and deal with the Spinosaurus. Your magic can't penetrate its scales, so I'll have to rely on my Eye Strike Charm."

Krum stopped talking. Harry and his two teammates exchanged glances and immediately mounted their brooms and rushed out. They could already hear the sound of a fire dragon flapping its wings coming from the cave entrance.

(End of this chapter)