"He's come out!" Bagman cried. "Mr. Behrens hasn't used any strategy at all—he's walked straight out! What is he thinking? Is he going to face a Hebridean Black Dragon head-on?"
The Hebridean Black Dragon opened its eyes, its bright violet slit pupils locking onto Will at once.
It gave a low growl and slowly rose, spreading its wings slightly, like a predator that had found its prey.
Will, meanwhile, strolled along without a care.
"What's Will doing?" the spectators murmured. "Why isn't he making a move?"
"Maybe he's scared stiff," someone nearby said. "That's a Hebridean Black Dragon. It's much more aggressive than a Common Welsh Green."
"He needs to do something! Time's running out!"
As the spectators fretted, Will raised his wand.
"Stupefy!"
A bolt of red light struck the Black Dragon's neck.
The Black Dragon merely shook its head, then spat a furious burst of flame. Will swept his wand, and a mass of earth rose as if alive, shielding him from the searing fire. It kept writhing and growing until it formed a towering wall.
"Another brilliant bit of Transfiguration, but Mr. Behrens nearly got hit!" Bagman exclaimed. "His spell barely affected the Black Dragon! Dragon scales are far too resistant to magic!
"Remember, it takes a dozen, sometimes even dozens of wizards working together to deal with a dragon—oh! Merlin's magical headbutt! The Black Dragon's attacking!
"The Black Dragon just smashed straight through Behrens's earthen wall!
"Behrens has gone into denser woods! He's dodging between the trees, flames are flying everywhere, and the trees along his path are taking a beating!"
"He's running!" Disappointment crept into Bagman's voice. "Mr. Behrens is being chased down by the Black Dragon! He looks utterly helpless!
"Merlin, is this how our young scholar gets eliminated?
"As you can see, everything