Ready for the second task?

  Fleur looked straight at Harry’s face, as if she were trying to process the information she had just received. Meanwhile, Harry watched her with that smile she hated so much. The “everything is under control” smile. The one that says everything is going according to plan. Mixed with that small spark of amusement in his eyes whenever he has something else planned… just for his own entertainment.

  Meanwhile, Tommy, in Fleur’s arms, looked at Harry for a moment with a confused little expression, then back at Fleur, as if he had absolutely no idea what was going on between them.

  “So?” Harry said, waiting for an answer.

  Fleur held his gaze, stepped closer, and without warning, handed Tommy to him, practically pushing the baby into his face.

  “I refuse,” she said with a truly charming smile before turning around and walking away quickly.

  Harry, now holding Tommy in front of him, watched her back as she walked off, the sound of her steps echoing down the corridor until she disappeared around a corner.

  Then he looked down at his little brother, currently turned into a baby… and the baby looked back at him.

  “Did she just reject me like that? Just like that?” he asked.

  “Ta,” Tommy replied with a cheerful little smile, nodding as if he fully understood the situation.

  “Well…” Harry seemed to think for a moment before looking at Tommy with a slightly amused expression. “So I should do what her sister suggested and kidnap her like a proper villain?” he said with a faintly evil smile.

  Tommy stared at him silently for a moment… before saying,

  “Ta.”

  Harry let out a sigh.

  “You’re right. I don’t want to end up grounded like you,” he said, turning around and starting to walk down the corridor with his brother in his arms. “By the way, what did you do this time to end up like this again in just one week?” he asked casually as they walked.

  “Ta,” Tommy answered simply. And for some reason, that seemed to be more than enough for Harry to understand.

  “I see. That must’ve been fun.”

  “Ta.”

  “Yeah… no thanks. I’ll pass. Professor McGonagall scares me a little.”

  …

  “Finally! You’re here. Come on, come on!” Hagrid said happily when he saw Harry and Draco approaching his hut.

  Draco and Harry stepped inside while observing Hagrid carefully. For some reason, he was actually well dressed. A flower was sticking out of the front pocket of his coat, which looked like it was made from some kind of strange hide, yet somehow also looked quite comfortable.

  They could also spot several broken comb teeth tangled in his hair, likely the result of a somewhat desperate attempt at brushing it.

  “Sorry, I wanted to bring you earlier when I told you to get ready, but I was… a bit busy,” Hagrid said.

  “Yeah… we noticed,” Harry replied with a faint smile, glancing toward the bucket of lotion that, even from where they stood, gave off a rather strong smell. And which, incidentally, now had much less than half of what it had the last time they’d seen it.

  Hagrid seemed to notice Harry’s look and understand what he meant. He looked embarrassed… but at the same time, incredibly pleased.

  “Well… I didn’t expect Madame Maxime to accept my invitations. So, well… you know how it is,” he said excitedly.

  “No. Not really,” Draco replied.

  “Me neither,” Harry added.

  Both of them looked at Hagrid with amusement and curiosity, entertained by the way his expressions kept shifting, as if he were more a lovestruck child than an adult over ten feet tall.

  “Right, we’ll leave that for another day. Your eggs still haven’t hatched, have they?” Hagrid asked, turning serious again.

  Harry and Draco took the eggs out of their pockets. Both looked exactly the same as when they had taken them.

  “There’s still one more day before it’s been a full week. So no,” Harry said.

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  Hagrid shook his head quickly.

  “That’s because there’s a trick to them,” he said at once. “The green egg is probably about to hatch,” he added.

  “What do you mean?” Draco asked immediately.

  “Sirius explained that the eggs will start hatching a week before the task… but depending on their color. So the green one hatches first, then the yellow ones, and finally, just one day before the task, the red ones,” Hagrid said casually.

  Harry looked at him closely for a moment.

  “Sirius told you, huh?” he said with a small smile, as if a piece had just clicked into place. Draco rolled his eyes as well, clearly reaching the same conclusion.

  “What?” Hagrid asked, confused.

  “Nothing. Just that you were used as the messenger to help someone cheat,” Harry said lightly. “So I’m guessing you called us here to give us a hint… or maybe to show us what we’ll be facing,” he added.

  Hagrid looked at him in surprise… before breaking into a wide smile.

  “You really are very clever, Harry,” he said proudly.

  Draco stepped a little closer to Harry and murmured,

  “I’m starting to fear that Hagrid is far too easy to fool in a world this cruel.”

  Harry nodded slightly at that, unable to completely disagree.

  “Right then, since you already know everything… let’s get straight to it,” Hagrid said with a grin before opening the hut door. “Come on, follow me,” he added, grabbing a lantern and stepping outside.

  Harry and Draco followed him, noticing that he was heading straight toward the Forbidden Forest, taking long strides.

  Harry really wanted to ask why they were going directly into the forest, but before he could, he heard several roars and low bellows that immediately caught his attention.

  Hagrid stopped abruptly and looked at them seriously.

  “I forgot. Harry, did you bring your invisibility cloak?” he asked quickly. “You’ve got to hide. You’re not supposed to see them yet,” he added.

  “See what?” Draco asked.

  “The little ones,” Hagrid replied, offering no further explanation.

  Harry didn’t pull out his cloak. Instead, both boys raised their wands and cast a Disillusionment Charm over themselves.

  “Well… that works too,” Hagrid said when he could no longer see them. “Come on.”

  They moved closer to where the sounds of beasts were coming from, now clear and unmistakable. The glow of several torches began to flicker through the darkness of the forest.

  As soon as they stepped past the trees, still invisible, they couldn’t help but stare at what lay before them.

  Magical creatures gathered in a wide clearing. Several people were moving among them, feeding them, calming them, likely after a somewhat unpleasant journey or relocation.

  In the center of it all, an elderly man walked calmly, as if overseeing everything, making sure no animal was harmed and that each one felt as comfortable as possible.

  There were more than a dozen different species. From small Nifflers trying to steal from the workers’ pockets to massive Erumpents dozing on the ground, their heavy breathing making the earth tremble slightly.

  Harry looked around with quiet surprise. Draco did the same.

  The animals were free. No chains. The handlers seemed experienced, keeping them calm with patience and understanding. The clearing, lit by torchlight and the occasional shimmer from a magical creature, looked almost beautiful with so many beings walking, wandering, and interacting freely.

  “Those over there in the corner… aren’t those Red and his group?” Draco murmured, pointing toward a more secluded section.

  Harry didn’t even turn.

  “Obviously your imagination,” he replied calmly… as if he had no intention of confirming it.

  “Oh, Hagrid. Back again?”

  A voice suddenly echoed across the clearing. It was the same elderly man who had been guiding the workers earlier. He approached with a friendly smile, drawing the immediate attention of Draco and Harry, who, though invisible, recognized him instantly.

  “Mr. Scamander, sorry to interrupt again,” Hagrid said quickly. The respect in his voice was unmistakable.

  “It’s quite alright. I’m always happy to see a friend who cares for creatures as much as I do. And I’ve told you before, you can call me by my name. No need for so much formality,” the man replied with a gentle smile.

  “As much as you…? Thank you very much for your words, Newt,” Hagrid said, as if he had just received the highest praise imaginable.

  Newt smiled at Hagrid’s slightly awkward attempt to sound less formal, but said nothing about it.

  “Seems you didn’t bring your young companion today,” he added, noticing that Hagrid appeared to be alone.

  “Oh… yes, well…” Hagrid grew visibly nervous as Newt’s gaze shifted toward the spot where Harry and Draco were supposedly standing.

  Instead, Newt gave a small amused smile and looked elsewhere. In the distance, a faint commotion began to rise.

  “Well… it seems those little ones you introduced me to are at it again,” he said with a tired but clearly fond smile. “I’ve never seen a group quite so lively and diverse. I’d better make sure they don’t frighten Hank, or things could get… dangerous,” he added before walking briskly toward the source of the chaos.

  For a brief moment, reddish flames shot up into the night sky. And the sound that followed wasn’t quite a roar… it was a fiery snort, almost satisfied.

  Even though Harry couldn’t see Draco, he could feel his gaze. And Draco, who shouldn’t have been able to see him either, likely felt the same. Even so, Harry stubbornly refused to look in the direction of that all-too-familiar chaos.

  Finally, they lifted the Disillusionment Charm.

  “So, Hagrid… are we supposed to fight these creatures?” Harry asked as Draco dropped his own spell.

  “Yes… well, no. Not exactly. Those are for the others. Yours are on the other side of the forest,” Hagrid replied, glancing at them before continuing forward.

  Harry and Draco followed. They didn’t walk very far.

  But even before they reached it, the air changed.

  The smell was different. Thicker. Hotter.

  And the ground vibrated faintly beneath their feet, as if something enormous were breathing just beyond.

  And unlike what they had seen earlier, where the animals had been free and carefully tended to with patience and gentleness, what awaited them now was the complete opposite.

  Three enormous cages stood there, shaking violently.

  People were running in every direction, trying to contain the fire bursting from within, flames that seemed eager to burn everything in their path. The metal bars rattled under heavy blows from the inside.

  “What you’ll be facing… are these,” Hagrid said, looking at the caged dragons with a hint of excitement.

  An excitement neither Harry nor Draco shared.

  Both of them were staring with their mouths slightly open.

  “Yeah. Our mothers are going to kill Sirius when they find out,” Harry said, a dry smile tugging at his lips, not quite hiding what they were both thinking.