Worlds can be shattered in an instant. Children go from experiencing new things in blissful innocence, to adults facing the harshness of ever-changing existence in the span of a single moment. Those who see the truths of the world are presented with...
Emma offered a lifeline from the gentle teasing. She leaned back in her chair and grinned, "Speaking of brothers, does your older brother Charlie walk around with no shirt on? Please, I really must know."
Ginny snorted, "He spends his time in Romania wrangling dragons, not faffing about with his shirt off."
"Once, when he visited Caspian during the summer," Emma began conspiratorially, "They were playing quidditch, and it was so warm that they took off their shirts. So I just sat in my room and enjoyed the show."
Ginny scowled and plugged her ears with her fingers.
Hoppla! Dieses Bild entspricht nicht unseren inhaltlichen Richtlinien. Um mit dem Veröffentlichen fortfahren zu können, entferne es bitte oder lade ein anderes Bild hoch.
Artemis stared at the large silvery-blue dragon that angrily paced in the arena, her mouth hanging open. So this was one of the creatures her father had dealt with. It had been quite a while since Dorian Scamander had overtaken most of the field world required, and Thomas had switched to administration. Still, she remembered the light in his eyes when he talked about the work the Dragon Research and Restraint Bureau accomplished.
Thomas Williams had been within close proximity of the great lizards without fainting. That fact in and of itself was very astonishing and commendable to Artemis at that moment.
"Merlin," Artemis blew out a sharp breath as the beast rattled in its chains.
A weight knocked into her shoulder, and she turned to glare at the two boys jostling through the stands. Fred and George Weasley. The former wrapped an arm around his sister, who sat beside Artemis and mussed at her hair, "Feeling lucky, Gin?"
"Willing to bet a few galleons on a certain champion?" The other added, squeezing between two disgruntled Ravenclaws.
Artemis felt her lips curl at the sides, but she just rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the arena. The craggy rocks could make a good cover, but the egg at the centre was in direct view of every corner of the space.
Then Cedric Diggory appeared. She was sure there was an announcer of some sort, and yells of support, along with discouraging catcalls. But the moment he stepped inside the arena, it was life and death.
Artemis watched, transfixed, as the older Hufflepuff and quidditch captain stared at the beast without an ounce of surprise or terror. She was sure she would have tucked tail and ran the moment she heard the earth-shattering roar.
Cedric was smart. He transfigured a rock into a yapping dog that took the attention off of him as he made a break for the golden egg. It seemed as though he had already won when the Shortsnout turned. Artemis had time only to inhale a sharp gasp before the dragon expelled a jet of brilliant blue fire in her housemate's direction.
Everything happened in a flurry of motion. Cedric won, the dragon was restrained, and he emerged with minor burns. His chiselled features were still visible despite being rather singed at the edges.
