Su Er showed no trace of stage fright.
The cheers slowly died down as he lowered his hand and drew his wand. Everyone held their breath, eager to get a good look at how the first Champion would retrieve the dragon egg from under the dragon's guard.
The host, Ludo Bagman, had just said that any Champion who failed the First Task would not be allowed to participate in the remaining tasks.
Without the distraction of cheers and applause, the Swedish Short-Snout lowered its head and fixed its gaze on Su Er fifty feet away. Its sharp claws dug into the ground, and its thick tail swept across the ground, rattling against the loose stones.
Its mouth was slightly open, and a close look revealed silver-blue flames flickering inside.
Naturally, Su Er was not foolish enough to confront a dragon head-on. The fact that it had taken dozens of wizards to subdue these dragons that night had already demonstrated their power.
Defeating it head-on with spells was clearly unrealistic.
So how could he retrieve the egg under the dragon's guard? Su Er already had a plan-he leaned behind a rock a little over two meters tall and wide, carefully surveying his surroundings.
Ludo Bagman's commentary rang out right on cue.
"Hogwarts' Champion, Su Er Bones, has begun his task. He's behind that rock thirty feet from the dragon and seems to be observing something. Look, he's raising his wand. What is he about to do?"
"How will he get that golden egg?"
This was a stretch of stony ground, and near the dragon stood a slab of granite over four meters tall. As everyone knew, melting granite required temperatures of at least over a thousand degrees. Clearly, this dragon's flames could not reach such a high temperature.
*That rock looks