Chapter 366 (2/2)
”Now that we're all here allow me to fill you in,” Amundsen brightly said. ”Once the audience has been assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag-.” He paused to show them a small sack of purple silk and shook it at them.
”Each of you will each select a small model of the thing that you are about to face. There are different varieties you see. The ending task is to collect the golden egg that is somewhere in the challenge,” Amundsen carefully worded his statement.
Rowan didn't react nor did the other three champions. She was fairly certain that they knew what they were up against. But she knew as well and as such wasn't worried either. She just had to run very fast and yell out she was forfeiting the match.
In no time at all, hundreds upon hundreds of pairs of feet could be heard passing the tent. The owners were talking excitedly, laughing, joking, having a general good time all about. Finally, the footsteps faded away and Amundsen opened the neck of the purple silk sack.
”Ladies first,” Amundsen said, offering the bag to Rowan first.
Rowan reached inside and pulled out the Hungarian Horntail, and the number one. ”How utterly typical,” Rowan muttered as she stared at the miniature dragon that bared its teeth at her.
Amundsen tactfully remained silent and moved over to Jean Delacour. With a steady hand he removed a tiny model of a Welsh Green and the number two. Jean let out a breath in relief as there were always worse dragons to have. His gaze unconsciously flickered to the Hungarian Horntail in Rowan's hand.
Naturally, Igor Karkaroff got whatever was left in the bag. The number three, a scarlet Chinese Fireball. He didn't blink and just proudly sat on a stool to rest.
”Well now that is settled,” Amundsen explained. ”Each of you will go according to your number. First up is Miss Prince. When you hear the whistle please exit the tent and enter the enclosure.”
”Oh, goody,” Rowan sarcastically said as she crossed her arms over her chest. The tiny miniature creature in her hand tried to bite her. But all it took was a firm glare from her and the model quieted down.
The minutes slowly ticked by until at last the whistle was blown. ”Good luck,” Delacour cried out to her as Karkaroff remained silent. Rowan made her way past the trees and entered the enclosure. There were hundreds upon hundreds of faces staring down at her from the stands that had been magicked there. Good thing she wasn't shy, Rowan idly thought to herself.
Across at the opposite end was the Horntail crouching low over her clutch of eggs, her wings half-furled. Her yellow eyes were upon her, a monstrous, scaly, black lizard angrily thrashing her spiked tail. There were yard-long gouges on the hard ground where the Horntail's tail struck.
The crowd was making a great deal of noise, but Rowan ignored them for the time being. Instead of pulling her wand, Rowan just kept walking forward as a burst of whispers of fear burst from the crowd. The marauders were sitting next to Severus, Terry, and the rest of the girls including Lily, and her bunch.
”Is she crazy?!” Terry practically screamed. ”Why in Merlin's name is she not pulling out her wand!” That seemed to be the question on everyone's mind as even the judges looked remarkably ill at ease.
Terry whirls around towards the pale-faced Severus. ”Please tell me that you gave Rowan, your Felix Felicis potion and that's why's she's walking so confidently towards a bloody dragon!”
Severus turned a sickly green as he croaked, ”No.”
”Oh,' Terry tragically wilted as he debated to cover his eyes with his hands or not. He wasn't the only one as dozens of girls started screaming and covering their eyes, while some of the boys looked a bit intrigued awaiting a gory scene.
On the other hand, Professor Slughorn was sweating severely as he tried to futilely dry his forehead with a handkerchief. Horace Slughorn felt the swing of the bladed guillotine swing that much closer to his neck to behead him. Gulping rather drily, he clutches his neck recalling exactly who the girl's grandfather is, Reginald Prince. The wretched Prince patriarch would surely kill him and get away with it!