when i met you

26

"They can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet, you know! I've seen this Horntail do forty!" Something was familiar about his voice to Lexi.

"Is'n' it beautiful?" said Hagrid softly.

"It's no good!" yelled another wizard. "Stunning Spells, on the count of three!"

Each of the dragon keepers pull out his wand.

"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 —

The dragons were knocked out—much to Lexi's surprise.

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.

Hagrid and Madame Maxime moved to the fence, Harry and Lexi following to the side.

"All right, Hagrid?" the first wizard panted, coming over to talk. "They should be okay now—we put them out with a Sleeping Draft on the way here –"

Lexi didn't hear the rest of what he said because she had just realized who the man was and nearly shouted out his name, excited to see him again. Harry had realized too and was quick to clamp a hand over his sister's mouth, feeling her intake of air.

"What breeds you got here, Charlie?" said Hagrid.

"This is a Hungarian Horntail," said Charlie. "There's a Common Welsh Green over there, the smaller one - a Swedish Short-Snout, that blue-gray - and a Chinese Fireball, that's the red."

Charlie looked around; Madame Maxime was strolling away around the edge of the enclosure, gazing at the stunned dragons.

"I didn't know you were bringing her, Hagrid," Charlie said, frowning. "The champions aren't supposed to know what's coming - she's bound to tell her student, isn't she?"

"Jus' thought she'd like ter see 'em," shrugged Hagrid, still gazing, enraptured, at the dragons.

"Really romantic date, Hagrid," said Charlie, shaking his head.

"Four..." said Hagrid, "so it's one fer each o' the champions, is it? What've they gotta do - fight 'em?"

"Just get past them, I think," said Charlie. "We'll be on hand if it gets nasty, Extinguishing Spells at the ready. They wanted nesting mothers, I don't know why...but I tell you this, I don't envy the one who gets the Horntail. Vicious thing. Its back end's as dangerous as its front, look."

Charlie pointed toward the Horntail's tail, and they saw long, bronze-coloured spikes protruding along it every few inches.

"I've got them counted, Hagrid," said Charlie sternly. Then he said, "How's Harry?"

Harry tensed beside Lexi.

"Fine," said Hagrid. He was still gazing at the eggs.

"Just hope he's still fine after he's faced this lot," said Charlie grimly, looking out over the dragons' enclosure. "I didn't dare tell Mum what he's got to do for the first task; she's already having kittens about him..." Charlie imitated his mother's anxious voice. "'How could they let him enter that tournament, he's much too young! I thought they were all safe, I thought there was going to be an age limit!' Bless Lexi for taking charge of the situation and stepping up for him."

Lexi smiled but Harry was moving again and she rushed to keep under the cloak as they headed back for the castle.

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