After seeing the fire dragon, everyone went home satisfied.
Sirius Black and Lupin did not linger in the Forbidden Forest, returning to Hogsmeade via the secret passage of the Whomping Willow.
The Delacour sisters returned to their carriage in Beauxbatons, while the rest quietly slipped into the castle.
After dinner, it was, as is customary, the Hogwarts Champion's training time.
The Hogwarts students, always eager for a good show, had already arrived at the Club Room to wait. Watching their own Champion train after dinner had become a new form of entertainment.
Today, they all noticed that Vincent seemed a little different.
Daily physical training has been tripled, and the training to withstand blows has been so intense that it's been torturing people to death.
"Ouch—" Draco was punched hard in the stomach, causing him to vomit up his undigested dinner.
Harry, who was resting by the ring, had his eyelids twitching wildly. He finally understood what Vincent's look meant earlier.
There are only a few days left until the First Task. Obviously, this amount of time is not enough to train them to the point where they can deal with the fire dragon, but they can withstand one or two attacks.
"Ouch—" Another punch landed, and Draco was already kneeling on the ring, his eyes rolling back.
Vincent roughly grabbed his collar and delivered a third solid punch to his stomach.
Harry swallowed hard as he watched Draco collapse like a rag.
"Your turn, Harry."
"Agh—" A shrill scream rang out again.
Draco, curled up like a shrimp, instantly forgot his pain and laughed gleefully.
Harry took a total of nine punches, and he didn't spit out his dinner.
Vincent helped Harry sit down, then turned and walked toward Draco, who was both in pain and pleasure.
"You look so energetic, it seems you've recovered."
Draco, alarmed, clutched his stomach and slowly sat up. "Wayne, don't go too far!"
Vincent shook his head in disappointment. "With your current skill level, it's a miracle you even survived."
Enraged, Draco Tennant stood up abruptly. "You dare underestimate me?"
Clearly, he misunderstood.
However Vincent had no intention of explaining. "Turn around, next up is back training."
"Hmph!" Draco slowly turned around. "People will die from this kind of training? I'd be laughing at you to death."
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt as if he had been struck on the back by the tail of a fire dragon, and the immense force sent him flying into the air.
Before he lost consciousness, he saw the students' surprised faces.
With a "thud," Draco flew over the ropes of the ring and crashed straight onto the cold floor.
"Hiss—" The students, who loved to join in the fun, all held their breath.
Who just said training wouldn't kill anyone? Oh, it was that little golden retriever who got kicked away.
Harry craned his neck to look at Draco lay motionless on the floor.
"Awooo—" Even more shrill cries echoed continuously from the fifth floor of the castle.
Wednesday morning,
Draco, his right arm hanging limply, came to Snape's office.
He struggled to extend his trembling left hand and gently knocked on the door. "Professor, are you awake?"
A moment later, the door was suddenly flung open from the inside.
Snape, dressed in gray-black striped pajamas, looked down at him with a cold expression.
"Professor, I want to quit Wayne's damn training!"
Snape glanced at his drooping right arm. "No."
Draco hurriedly lifted his shirt with his trembling left hand. "Look, that bastard Wayne almost broke my ribs last night. If I had continued, he would have beaten me to death sooner or later!"
He turned around, revealing a bruise on his back that was even larger than his stomach.
This was Vincent kicking himself on Sunday night. He's been taking Madam Pomfrey's medicine for several days now, but he still hasn't gotten better.
Snape remained expressionless.
He slowly closed the door. "I said no."
Draco quickly squeezed to the doorway. "Professor, Wayne is a thug!"
He said it was a miracle I survived, and I seriously suspect he wanted to cripple me so that Potter would have one less competitor!
"Hmph—" Snape sneered, scrutinizing him from bottom to top.
The injuries look quite serious, but he seems to be in good spirits.
Draco strained to lift his numb right arm. "He's crippled my hand, so his next target is definitely my leg!"
Snape walked out of the office with an impatient look on his face. "Come with me."
Draco was overjoyed and obediently followed behind him.
But as he walked, he felt more and more uneasy.
Weren't we supposed to be looking for trouble with Wayne? Why did we leave the castle and come to the Forbidden Forest?
Snape walked past Hagrid's Hut without saying a word, Draco had no choice but to hurry after him.
He hadn't walked far when he heard several heavy breathing sounds with different rhythms.
"Professor, where are we going?"
With extreme impatience, Snape pulled his wand from his pajama pocket and pointed it at their feet. "Heh—go see what can really kill you."
Draco gasped, not daring to ask any more questions.
When he arrived at his destination and saw the four fire dragons fast asleep, he was so shocked that he fell to the ground.
"It... they..."
Snape turned to the side, staring coldly at him. "If you're lucky enough not to die in Wayne's training, you'll be facing them next."
Draco's face turned pale with fright. "Professor... can I withdraw from the Triwizard Tournament now?"
"Ha—" Snape sneered repeatedly, "Your father went to great lengths to promote you, and you actually want to run away?"
Draco was stunned.
As one of the most admired Champion, he is now the brand ambassador for Nobili.
His Malfoy family owns a dragon farm in Romania, and his father wouldn't let him be in danger; he would definitely find a way to deal with the fire dragon.
Therefore, he has a sure-fire way to win the First Task, and it's even possible for him to complete it without taking any damage.
Draco's expression changed instantly.
His little face gradually turned rosy.
"Hiss—" The sudden sharp pain in his back made him gasp.
But he quickly regained his composure as a Pure-blood nobleman and stood up despite the pain.
"Professor, I understand. I will not give up the competition."
Snape turned and went back without expression.
Draco followed quietly behind him, a sinister smile on his face.
That kid Potter is doomed. No matter how strong his body is, if he gets hit by the fire dragon's tail, he'll either die or be crippled.
As expected, it was shoddy training. No matter how powerful Wayne is, can he compare to the most dangerous creature in the Wizarding World?
"Hiss—" Another sharp pain shot through his back.
That kick was at most at the level of a young dragon!