Chapter 595: Cedric's Tragedy

"I thought I'd screwed it all up!" gasped Ron.

"There is no such thing, Ron!" said Ivan, "You have shown unimaginable courage in the task. Not only have you beaten the dragon, but you've also beaten yourself. Not everyone can fly so well in front of a dragon."

Ron seemed to have something to say, but finally held the golden egg tightly in his arms and didn't say it.

Perhaps, as everyone was saying, his performance was remarkable.

If the Chinese Fireball had reacted from the beginning, he would have gotten the golden egg long ago, and nothing would have happened from the following incident.

Since the use of black magic was no big deal, Ron didn't see what he had to worry about.

He had gotten through the hardest part, and now, even if he had to fight the dragon again, he would feel no fear.

He was thrilled again at the thought that he had beaten the dragon and completed this difficult challenge.

"Well, before you go back, you'd better see Madam Pomfrey first and let her examine you!" Professor McGonagall said, interrupting Ivan who was about to speak,

"Mason, I know you're not hurt, but the magic you used is very powerful. You'd better check for after-effects. Hurry up and go with Weasley."

The two came out and saw Madam Pomfrey standing at the entrance to the second tent, looking worried.

"Dragons!" she said, in a tone of disgust, ushering Ivan and Ron inside. As she examined them she spoke furiously to Ivan, "I'm not surprised to see you again. The basilisk, the dementors, the werewolf, the centaurs, the curse, and now a bloody dragon! What monster are you going to face now? The school is already a mess..."

He examined them thoroughly and there was no problem.

Ivan and Ron had only used a little too much magic. Madam Pomfrey insisted that they both drink a purple liquid with a very unpleasant smell. This potion had a calming and soothing effect on their spirits, making them less nervous.

"Well, lie down here for a while and rest!"

Just after Madam Pomfrey left, Harry, Hermione, Fred, George, Colin and Ginny rushed in.

"Ivan, thanks to your magic, you saved everyone!" said Hermione sharply. "I saw the huge, ferocious mouth of the Chinese Fireball. It was sort of bound and its head was blank. I thought..."

She rushed to Ivan, hugged him tightly and burst into tears. She couldn't help but scream.

At that moment, she thought she was going to die with Ivan.

"Well, there's nothing to cry about!" Ivan wiped the tears from her face and said in an extremely confident tone, "I told you a long time ago that as long as I was with me, you would never be hurt. You should believe me."

"I believe, I will always believe in you!" replied Hermione, still with tears in her eyes.

She rarely showed such fragility as she did now, not because she was afraid, but because of her many complex emotions fused together.

"Don't cry, it's not pretty when you cry!" said Ivan, hugging Hermione.

Hearing this, Hermione felt a little embarrassed, and the others were still looking at them.

She broke away from Ivan's arms and saw Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Ginny and Colin smiling and watching, tacitly ignoring her embarrassment.

"To tell you the truth, I thought I was going to die," Colin said. "Up close, the dragon was so terrible, and its huge fireball is like a volcano erupting in front of my face."

"Yes, it was definitely a nightmare. A lot of third-year students even peed themselves in fear." Fred, George and Ginny hadn't been on those bleachers to feel the horror of the dragon. What shocked them was what Ivan used, which defeated the dragon directly.

That was absolutely a shocking and powerful force, and anyone who saw it would never forget the scene of the huge creature being flung away.

Everyone gathered around Ivan at Ron's bedside, talking endlessly about what had just happened.

Soon, the topic turned to Ron.

After learning that Ron had learned black magic to enrage dragons from Krum, everyone voiced their opinions.

Everyone had a bad impression of Krum, but Ron argued in his favor.

Viktor had clearly told him not to use that curse at the time, but he didn't think about the seriousness of the matter....

Overall, what happened today was still worth celebrating. Despite the many turns, Ron finished his first task intact and scored well.

Everyone was in good spirits and there was nothing to worry about.

About fifteen minutes later, Cedric was brought in by Charlie and another wizard. He was covered in blood and looked badly injured. Madam Pomfrey rushed him to another cubicle.

"Charlie, what the hell is going on?" Fred couldn't help but ask.

"This guy transfigured a rock on the ground and turned it into a dog!" After confirming that Ron was okay, Charlie sighed and said, "I was trying to get the dragon to go after the dog instead of him. To be fair, it was a pretty cool bit of Transfiguration, but it was useless. He was up against Hungarian Horntail. That creature is the most powerful. He ran a few steps after the Labrador and changed his mind halfway through. He went back and blocked the poor child there. If we hadn't rushed..."

He didn't finish, but it was clear that if the Dragonkeepers hadn't stopped the Horntail, Cedric would have been more than hurt.

Despite their intervention, he was now severely wounded.

Without using fire, the Hungarian Horntail's rough claws and barbed tail were enough to launch a fatal physical attack.

Fortunately, Ron didn't draw that creature; otherwise, it might not have ended much better.

"It was a dangerous move to let the young wizards fight the dragons. Fortunately, he got the golden egg and wasn't killed by the dragon, otherwise the tournament wouldn't continue!" Charlie shook his head and said, "The dragon isn't in good condition either. Under Dumbledore's double attack, he's barely breathing now!"

"Is it going to die?" asked Ivan.

Ivan had just swatted the dragon away. It looked like a vicious attack, but the actual damage wasn't very great.

The point was Dumbledore's attack. That was the key. He used a fierce attack, but it didn't kill the dragon. Such a creature was too valuable, and killing it would jeopardize the continuation of the contest.

"Hagrid is taking care of him. When he recovers, he'll be fine," Charlie said, shaking his head again.