"Inside-Outside Collaboration"

"If I... I didn't see wrong... Did Sean smash the nose of that Hebridean Black Dragon with all his might...?"

"I didn't see wrong... I, I, I... What should I say?"

"Don't talk nonsense... A tap on the nose won't hurt Fire Dragon, but such a provocative act will provoke the hottest Breath Attack... Obviously, except for Sean, look how happy that Fire Dragon is."

"That Fire Dragon wasn't in a 'frenzied' state at all, but rather it was excited to see... its master... Someone help me out, I went to the bathroom with a wizard who has Fire Dragon yesterday, and he was sitting in the next stall..."

"But isn't this a competition..."

In the stands, the stunned audience finally snapped out of their petrified state, replaced by a massive, booming sound like an airplane engine starting up, with everyone frantically expressing their opinions to their companions.

Only one person stood up, trembling.

It's Hagrid.

He screamed "Oh my God!" and large tears streamed from his eyes.

"It's you! It must be you! Oh my god, did you even think of me?!"

If Sean were there, he would have told Hagrid, "No, it's not that it didn't remember you, it's that... it didn't remember you at all..."

That's right, this Hebridean Black Dragon is the same one that Sean encountered in the Forbidden Forest after being punished in his first year!

At the time, he mistakenly entered the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement and happened to run into Grindelwald. Dumbledore later came and rescued him—that's what Sean thought at the time.

However, he has now realized that it was only a matter of time before he met Grindelwald; the old man had already arranged everything.

After that night in first year, Dumbledore also put himself in solitary confinement because Sean was caught wandering around school at night—caught by both Grindelwald and Dumbledore ...

He, Harry, and Malfoy went to the Forbidden Forest to receive their punishment, Hagrid led the group to search for the little Fire Dragon that had been secretly hunting in the forest.

Thinking of this, Sean looked at the big guy in front of him with emotion.

"You're already thirty feet tall... When we first met, you were about the size of a sika deer."

The Hebridean Black Dragon nuzzled Sean affectionately, making soft whimpering sounds.

"Huh? You mean you've been listening to me and eating properly all these years since you went back? Hahaha, well done, buddy."

At that time, the Forbidden Forest was injected with Potions that drove Magical Creatures mad, and it was then that Sean discovered the wonderful use of his Magical Creature Affinity, which allowed him to gain the trust and friendship of this little guy.

When we parted, I gave him a few words of advice, like I was giving instructions to a child, and I didn't expect that he would actually understand what I meant.

Of course, what's even more coincidental is that he actually encountered the Hebridean Black Dragon in such a setting...

"Roar—" The Hebridean Black Dragon let out a low roar, tinged with grievance.

It was asking Sean why he hadn't come looking for it all these years.

"Sorry, buddy, I didn't find a really good opportunity," Sean said apologetically.

"Roar—" The Hebridean Black Dragon let out another joyful roar, like a child who idolizes his older brother, who, after feeling wronged, happily forgave Sean.

"Haha, today is truly a day to celebrate—hey, is this your wife?"

After watching for a while, the female Fire Dragon floated over.

Of course, this lightness only applied to the Fire Dragon; the dust it kicked up when it landed still covered Sean.

The male Fire Dragon roared excitedly, like a young man introducing a girlfriend to his elders...

Sean didn't know how such a metaphor came to mind, but he had to admit... it was quite apt...

On the high platform, Mr. Bagman, who had been providing passionate commentary, was momentarily speechless, unsure how to explain the current situation.

This is Four-School Tournament, and those are two Fire Dragon...

What should have been a fierce battle between humans and giant beasts has turned into a nostalgic reunion!

If the previous move that defeated the Cockatrice was impressive, it was still an exciting battle scene—the second phase should have been even more spectacular...

"Uh, professors?" Mr. Bagman put down his wand and looked toward the judges' position.

There, Karkaroff's eyes were wide open and he was speechless, while Madame Maxime was lost in thought.

Grindelwald waved with a smile, "There's no rule that says players can't chat with the challengers Four-School Tournament... Anyway, the goal is to get the final Golden Egg."

"Ah, ah, yes, Mr. Chairman," Bagman replied humbly, then resumed his previous enthusiasm, "My God! By Merlin! We see that Contestant Wallerup is having a friendly conversation with two Hebridean Black Dragon, one of the most powerful and cruel Magical Creatures in the world, like long-lost pets meeting their owner!"

Sean: "..."

Mr. Bagman is so dedicated...

He looked around and called Daisy and Stephanie, who were also in a daze, over.

"These two are my good friends. I hope you two will get along well in the future."

The two Hebridean Black Dragon simultaneously let out submissive roars, each nuzzling Daisy and Stephanie affectionately.

"It's amazing..." Daisy imitated Sean, touching the black dragon's scales and marveling at it.

"Indeed—" Stephanie's eyes also lit up.

"Are they still talking? It seems that Wallerup and these two black dragons have formed a perfect friendship, but the goal of this competition— the Golden Egg —is still not in their hands. Let's see if this friendship that transcends species can withstand the protective and aggressive instincts of the Fire Dragon during their breeding season! —Eh?"

The Hebridean Black Dragon spread its wings and, in full view of everyone, nimbly picked up the Golden Egg placed in the very center of its nest with its claws.

It flew happily back to Sean, then put down the Golden Egg and gently nudged it with its nose.

Mr. Bagman: "..."

All audience members. "..."

The horrific scenes from the previous four teams flashed through their minds—

The Hogwarts team, who were the first to appear, did a good job with the Cockatrice. At the Fire Dragon, the Weasley twins acted as bait and lured away two Fire Dragon. After Cedric obtained the Golden Egg, he quickly used Transfiguration to lure away the Fire Dragon again— Fred's buttocks were half burned off.

Beauxbatons ' team opted for the safer hypnotic spell, but at the last moment, the Australian Opaleye Dragon ' strong Magic Resistance caused it to wake up prematurely, almost skewering the three players with its tail.

Durmstrang opted for a more violent approach, confronting both the Cockatrice and the Fire Dragon head-on with spells. Although they ultimately succeeded, the Golden Egg was crushed.

Newmontgard displayed remarkable personal qualities, showing no intention of cooperating whatsoever. In the end, they relied solely on their individual strength to snatch the Golden Egg from the Fire Dragon —at the cost of burning off most of Hugo's blond hair and Daniels suffering a shoulder slash from the dragon's tail.

Only with this last team did Sean defeat the berserk Cockatrice in one move, and then quickly reach an agreement with the Fire Dragon in a way that no one could understand— the Golden Egg was delivered by the Fire Dragon...

Although it was completely different from what they had imagined, this method was even more shocking!

Those who had come to their senses knew that this final match would leave an indelible mark on the history of the entire Triwizard Tournament.

Mr. Bagman coughed forcefully, suddenly realizing that his explanation might have been a recipe for trouble...

But he still got to work, waving his hand vigorously and shouting, "Sean Wallerup, Daisy Potter, Stephanie Ollivander! Success!"

Cheers erupted like thunder.

Meanwhile, the protagonist is whispering to the Hebridean Black Dragon.

"... Really? You're not going back? Okay... I'll think of something... Hmm, don't worry, my dragon's nest is big and comfortable..."

Daisy and Stephanie exchanged a glance.

"Stephanie, Sean... planning to bring the competition back..."

"It's not just planning, he's already doing it..."

After calming down the two Hebridean Black Dragon, Sean finally picked up the Golden Egg with satisfaction.

Then, raise it high above your head!

Ravenclaw Common Room, Golden Egg was surrounded by a group of people, including Daisy and Stephanie.

Neither of them was used to being the center of attention, and they felt slightly uncomfortable at the moment.

"Look, look! Professor Dumbledore says this Golden Egg is the next competition item!"

"Yeah, yeah—you should really look at the expressions on the faces of the students at the other schools, hahaha, it's worse than if they ate Dungbomb."

"How could it not be terrible? All the other teams lost points due to various reasons. In other words, the other teams were sent to the Hospital Wing as soon as the game ended, while Sean and his team leisurely walked back with their Golden Egg —out of ten points, only Sean and his team got a perfect score!"

"Ha, I was right next to the referee's table. That Karkaroff is really shameless. I saw it. He was about to hold up an eight-point sign, but Chairman Grindelwald glared at him. Hahaha, it's hilarious."

"Of course—hey, where's Sean?"

It was only when someone asked this question that everyone realized that the main character of the party had never shown up.

Daisy tensed up, but she smiled calmly and said, "Sean said he's going to the library to look for information about the next project."

The others suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! No wonder it's Sean!"

Stephanie: "..."

She discovered for the first time how adorably silly her Ravenclaw classmates were.

After the match, Sean made an excuse and slipped away, but they knew Sean was planning to go back and check on the Fire Dragon Fire Dragon, and then try to bring them back...

No, they weren't brought back; those two big guys did it voluntarily—it's called a joint prison break.

"Huh? Sean has already discovered what the Second Task is?" Someone noticed the key point.

Daisy nodded seriously. "Yes, he said he already knows what it is, and he told us not to open it—otherwise we'd be asking for trouble."

"How could this be? This is a hint obtained during the game. How could the referees allow an accident to happen to the Champion outside of the game?" someone said in surprise.

Stephanie pushed up her glasses. "Sean also said that if you want to open it, you can, but remember to close it."

"Hehehe, since Sean said so..."

Sean's roommate Terry Boot, accepted the Golden Egg.

Stephanie and Daisy exchanged a glance and covered their ears together.

"Ahhhhhhh!" A terrifying, piercing scream filled the entire room.

Everyone covered their ears and crouched down; Terry Boots, who was closest, was so shocked that he saw stars.

Daisy and Stephanie exchanged a glance and shrugged in unison.

"What?! You're taking those two Fire Dragon with you?!" Hermione exclaimed incredulously to Sean on the path leading to the Forbidden Forest.

"Shh, Miss Granger, this is illegal." Sean shrugged.

"You know this is illegal?!"

"That's why I told you to keep your voice down."

The two circled around the edge of the Forbidden Forest and could now see a grove of trees not far away. The area was noticeably lower, and low growls could be heard from time to time.

"So why did you go to Professor Scamander to ask where the Fire Dragon's Lair is? I know that black dragon, the one you encountered in the Forbidden Forest —but are you really planning to abduct it?"

"Watch your words, Hermione. It's not kidnapping, it's helping this young couple escape from the clutches of evil—don't look at me like that, I asked them for their opinions."

Hermione paused, then scratched her hair in frustration for a while, and said fiercely, "So what are you going to do?"

"Ha, so you're going to team up with me? Hey, hey, don't be angry, I was just kidding," Sean quickly backed down when he saw Hermione about to get angry again, and then explained, "Let's check the defenses first. The Hebridean Black Dragon should be guarded solely by the MacFasty family; they're in charge of that."

"It would be best if we could reach an agreement; if not, we'll have to find another way."

Hermione frowned and said, "But if the two black dragons disappear after the match, they'll definitely come after you—it's too obvious."

"That's why we have to find a way. Even though it's no use for them to come knocking on our door, there's no need to cause too much trouble. I still have to prepare for the second competition—we've arrived."

Sean rubbed the ring together and took out an Invisibility Cloak, a "prize" he'd taken from Newt, who was "birds of a feather" with Hagrid.

With a casual wave of his hand, he enveloped himself and Hermione.

"Let's go, sneak over and check it out."

In the open woodland, eight enormous cages were bound to the ground with thick chains, imprisoning eight Fire Dragon. More than forty wizards were carefully guarding these behemoths.

"As expected, the Hebridean Black Dragon is being guarded solely by MacFusty's men," Sean said after glancing at it.

"Then where do we look? The Forbidden Forest is so big..." Hermione asked.

Sean glanced at the sky; the sun had already sunk below the horizon, just a sliver away.

"It's almost time..."

"Um?"

After waiting quietly for a few minutes, as the sun completely sank below the horizon, two loud dragon roars rang out simultaneously from afar.

Sean winked at Hermione: "I already said, it's not kidnapping, it's— Inside-Outside Collaboration."