He studied the dragon carefully. Its eyes were half-closed, an occasional wisp of bluish smoke drifted from its nostrils, and its tail lay sprawled lazily to one side. It looked asleep.
But Cedric could clearly see its eyes moving. It was not asleep at all, merely resting. The slightest disturbance could draw the dangerous dragon's attention.
He needed to lure it away, or find some way to stop it from attacking for a while.
Elsewhere in the Forbidden Forest.
Viktor Krum had been lucky with his landing. He was in a sparse pine grove with a fairly clear view, and he spotted a dragon nearby almost at once.
It was a Welsh Green, pacing restlessly through its territory. Every so often, it breathed fire and scorched a few low bushes.
Its nest, built from dead branches and rocks, stood behind it. The golden egg lay in the middle.
Krum thought for a moment, then raised his wand and strode forward. The green dragon spotted him immediately. With a deafening roar, it opened its jaws and breathed a stream of fire.
Krum dodged and swept his wand at the same time, sending a powerful Stunning Spell toward the dragon's head.
The spell struck its neck, but the tough scales clearly absorbed most of its force. Dragon scale was an exceptionally effective protective material.
The Welsh Green merely staggered, then lunged at Krum with even greater fury.
"My goodness, Mr. Krum is clearly not thinking straight! How can he expect to take on a dragon head-on?"
Krum did not retreat.
He cast spell after spell. Stunning Spells, Impediment Jinxes, even a powerful Reducto—every one struck its target.
But the Welsh Green barely seemed hurt. It kept bearing down on Krum.
Krum's attacks hardly bothered it. The Welsh Green's attacks, on the