Dragons-actual dragons.
Silence fell over the tent. The champions shifted uneasily, as though the stools beneath them had caught fire.
Pale-faced, they exchanged glances and coughed to hide their fear.
Hermione took a deep breath. Rather than dwell on the dragons she had already known about, she wanted more specific details about the rules, so she raised her hand.
"Professor Dumbledore, may we use magic in all of the first three parts?"
"A good question, Miss Granger. I was just about to address that."
Dumbledore held up one finger.
"First, no magic of any kind is permitted in the first part, nor may you attack other competitors directly. You may, however, make use of the rules governing legal physical contact in Quidditch."
The champions suppressed their anxiety about the dragons and began considering how this would affect the competition ahead.
Then Dumbledore held up a second finger.
"Magic is permitted in the second part, but only spells intended to restrain or control. Any magic capable of causing injury is strictly forbidden. Using it will result in immediate disqualification!
"I doubt anyone could escape the notice of myself, the other headmasters, and the Ministry of Magic inspectors."
The young witches and wizards immediately nodded furiously to show they had taken this to heart. Anyone disqualified for that would be the greatest fool imaginable-the sort immortalized in school history.
"As for the third part... of course you may use magic, provided you have the time."
Dumbledore gave a mysterious smile, then clapped his hands.
"Right, you may proceed to the staging platforms. You have fifteen minutes to prepare and decide on your strategies. Now-good luck!"
The enormous stadium was packed with people lucky enough to have secured tickets. They raised the brass telescopes they had bought during the Quidditch World Cup