The champions taking part in the tournament quietly followed Professor McGonagall.
The journey to the arena seemed unusually long. No one spoke. They all walked in silence, constantly exchanging glances with their teammates.
Zhang Xiao did not know whether Malfoy and the others had found a way to deal with the dragons, but that no longer mattered.
Even if they had asked him, he would not have had any particularly good way to help them. Not everything had a shortcut. The best way to face a dragon was to be stronger than it, to confront it with power it could not resist.
Just as Charlie and the others had always done, the best approach was for a large group to unleash a volley of spells at the dragon.
The cool, damp morning air cleared their groggy heads. They crossed the dew-covered grass and took a long route around the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
As they approached the stand of trees from which they should have been able to see the arena, Zhang Xiao noticed a tent pitched there. This seemed to be an entrance to the valley, and it was precisely the spot from which he had looked out that day.
Dense white mist still lingered behind the tent. It drifted back and forth between the woods and the valley as though alive, never straying so much as a step beyond its boundaries. It certainly had a mind of its own.
"All right, Professor Dumbledore is waiting for you inside-he'll explain the rules and details of the first task..."
Professor McGonagall stopped and looked over the tops of her square glasses at the champions. She paused, then glanced toward the Hogwarts team, though only briefly.
Even so, Harry and the others noticed the encouragement and worry in her eyes.