The students immediately split into several camps and began a heated discussion.
Gryffindor's plan was simple and direct.
"Gather the strongest wizards and bombard it head-on with Stunning Spells!"
Ravenclaw was doing the calculations.
"Analyze its weaknesses! The scales around a dragon's eyes and belly are the weakest! Concentrate fire with piercing spells!"
Slytherin's method was more underhanded.
"Poison its food! Or control it with the Imperius Curse and make it get lost!"
Hermione even drafted a detailed report, citing dozens of cases to argue the possibility of negotiating peacefully with the dragon through a magical contract.
Douglas listened to every proposal.
Then he shook his head.
"You're all wrong."
He walked up the steps into the midst of the students and lowered his voice.
"Your thinking is still stuck at the level of combat. All you can think about is using your own strength to oppose the dragon's strength."
"There's an old saying in the East: the highest form of warfare is to attack strategy. The best tactics use schemes to crush the enemy's schemes, rather than fists to smash open the city gates."
He looked at Gryffindor's representative.
"A frontal assault? One breath from that dragon, and your formation is gone."
He looked at Ravenclaw.
"Attack its weaknesses? Do you think the dragon will stand there like an idiot and let you aim?"
He looked at Slytherin.
"Poison? The Imperius Curse? Do you think a dragon that's lived for centuries is stupid?"
Finally, he looked at Hermione.
"Peaceful negotiations? Miss Granger, you're trying to reason with a mountain. Guarding gold is its instinct. You can't persuade it with logic."
The entire classroom stopped breathing.
Everyone was stumped.
The intelligence they took such pride in seemed laughably childish before Professor Holmes.
"Then... what should we do?" Neville asked quietly.