Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

Whoosh!

The sudden eruption of the dragon's fiery breath was a sight to behold. A vortex of swirling, searing flames roared forth, bathing the entire area in a blinding, scorching light. To the panicking dragon handlers, it was as if the gates of hell itself had opened up before them, unleashing an unstoppable avalanche of primal, draconic rage.

The rising flames surged forward with the unstoppable force of magma bursting from the broken earth. In an instant, the cool night air transformed into a raging inferno.

An oppressive, sizzling heat radiated out in pulsing waves, distorting the air into shimmering scarlet mirages. The dragon's breath extended like molten tentacles, hungrily lashing out to sear and consume everything in their path.

Under the shrill, ear-piercing wails of the dragons were the handlers' terrified screams.

Though the direct reach of the flames stretched around forty feet, the blistering heat permeated out to a hundred feet in all directions, turning the entire zone into a boiling cauldron where no one dared to remain.

The trees nearest to the assault stood no chance. Before they could even catch flame, they instantly evaporated into wisps of charcoal-black smoke, swept away by the scorching, howling winds. As the top layer of dead leaves and bushes was stripped away by the blaze, the exposed dark, damp soil of the forest floor was almost immediately baked into a cracked yellow crust. 

"Charlie, what in Merlin's name is happening?" Lovek cried out, his voice cracking with dismay and disbelief.

The instant the captive dragons first showed signs of growing distress and agitation, the experienced handlers had already begun backing away to a cautious distance. Charlie, without a word, firmly grasped the arm of Bryan and hastily pulled him back as well, retreating from the rampaging beasts.

Lovek stared slack-jawed at the apocalyptic scene unfolding before them.

 "I've worked with dragons most of my life," he said in numb shock, "and I've never seen anything like this--"

Charlie also gawked at the frenzied dragons, his eyes wide with bewilderment. His rough hand still clutched Bryan's arm in a tight grip as various thoughts and realizations whirled through his mind. Then suddenly, he whipped his head around to stare at Bryan with teeth gritted and eyes flashing with anger.

"Bryan, you've killed dragons before, haven't you?" Charlie snarled accusingly over the roaring firestorm. "Killed them in the wild!"

On Charlie's normally friendly face, an expression of fury grew, making him nearly unrecognizable. He glared at Bryan with blazing intensity, not bothering to control his booming voice despite being so close.

The blazing heat caused exposed boulders to glow with hellish glow before finally surrendering to the thermal assault and violently breaking into superheated debris.

Covered in showers of fire, these blazing rocks arced through the air, burning like falling stars torn from the space before crashing back to the charred ground dozens of feet away.

Yet for all the scale of devastation unleashed by the dragons, their outburst was not quite enough to alarm Bryan. He still let Charlie to maintain his grip on his arm, continuing to observe the unfolding chaos with an air of interest.

"Uh—"

He had originally thought the dragons' strange behavior was because they sensed his presence as a threat, causing them to go berserk. However, Charlie's accusatory words surprised him.

"Why would you think that, Charlie?" Bryan asked, his eyes wide with mild puzzlement.

"Dragons raised in captivity are completely different from their wild kin, Bryan," Charlie growled through clenched teeth. "They're much more perceptive than you think. Somehow, they can tell you've spilled the blood of wild dragons before!"

"Is that so?" Bryan replied, continuing to blink with an air of innocent bewilderment. "Is it not possible that the long, arduous journey here simply left them disoriented and hypersensitive? Couldn't their tense senses be mistakenly perceiving a threat where none exists?"

"Not a chance!" Under the blazing flames' illumination, Charlie's face still looked dark as he glared at Bryan. "A dragon's senses are infinitely keener than a wizard's. Under normal circumstances, they would never lose control to this degree. At most, they might grow a bit agitated, perhaps try to break free and escape. But these dragons are all brooding mothers. In their current state, trapped and hysterical, they're convinced someone is trying to murder their precious eggs!"

"Ah, well, erm, you see--" Now that things had come to this, Bryan could only continue making excuses. "I just remembered..." he said with feigned annoyance. "few years ago, while I was traveling around the world, I was attacked by a wild dragon. At the time, my magical abilities were not yet at their current level, you understand. To save my life, I had no choice but to go all out...."

He flashed a strained grin, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Ancient history, all water under the bridge now. The question is, do you need my help in pacifying this situation?"

"Absolutely not!" Charlie snapped, still eyeing Bryan with deep suspicion, unable to determine if his story held even a shred of truth. "You've done quite enough already. Just hurry up and leave from their presence. I'm sure they'll settle down quickly enough once you're gone."

CLANG!

Just as Charlie was attempting to expel the instigator of the dragon's agitation, a piercing, metallic ring suddenly cut through the thunderous noise of shrieking roars and howling gales.

Though nearly drowned out by the overwhelming noise, that single clear note of sound still managed to strike a bolt of terror through the hearts of Charlie and the other handlers.

"Charlie, we're finished!" Lovek cried out in despair, his face turning ashen. "That sound, it can only mean one thing - the dragon burned through its cage! I bet it's that Hungarian Horntail. Of all the dragons, it alone possesses the power to melt steel with its breath. What do we do? It might fly to the castle and massacre the children!"

"No...no, it will not come to that," Charlie murmured, his voice suddenly drained of all emotion. Slowly, mechanically, he rotated to face Bryan once more with a corner of his eye twitching.

"Bryan...I beg of you...show mercy to these poor creatures. They are not in their right minds, consumed by fear for their offspring. They know not what they do. So please...no matter what happens...don't go all out again—"

"Of course—" The corner of Bryan's mouth twitched. "If I knock the dragons out, I can't very well enter the arena and fight the champions myself."

The moment he finished speaking, a ripple of purple flashed in Bryan's eyes, and his wand had already appeared in his palm.

Realizing Bryan was about to take action, the handlers showed awe on their faces, Charlie included. After all, on the night of the Quidditch final, he had been present on the scene with Sirius and the others.

Bryan gave his wand a single, almost lazy flick, and a whispering wind raced out from him in all directions, invisible but palpably powerful. To the amazed eyes of the onlookers, it was as if an immense ethereal eraser had suddenly materialized in the ravaged air, attacking the raging inferno at its outermost edges.

Starting from the farthest reaches where the dragon fire was already losing potency, the intangible force swept inwards, extinguishing the flames as easily as wiping a simple scribble from a classroom chalkboard.

In the time of a few heartbeats, the hellish orange and crimson hues that had engulfed the night receded into oblivion, replaced once more by deep blacks and blues.

The blazing waves of searing heat dissipated into the suddenly crisp and cool air. And the four rampaging dragons, found themselves abruptly robbed of their voices and their fire and could only crouch mutely on the crumpled remains of their transport cages, craning their long necks to the sky as they howled soundlessly in confusion and despair.

The Hungarian Horntail, however, was not intimidated so easily. Driven to reckless fury by the primal need to safeguard its unborn child, it ripped itself free of the final shreds of its half-melted prison.

Spreading its vast wings, which extended thirty feet or more from tip to tip, the beast released one last defiant roar. The spines and bony protrusions on its hide flashed like polished bronze in the starlight and flexing the claws of its hind legs, the Horntail snatched its sole remaining egg and flew into the sky with the egg clutched tightly to its chest.

The dragon handlers cried out in horror and panic as they watched it flying into the darkness, knowing its escape could well mark the end of the Triwizard Tournament - and dozens of innocent lives.

In unison, they drew their wands and sent torrents of suppressive spells lancing after it...but to no avail. The Hungarian Horntail was simply too far away and too fast and its magic-resistant hide was also too thick. Not a single spell found its mark, just flickered out of existence as they failed to connect with their target.

In that dark moment, as all hope seemed lost, a deep rumbling began to build beneath the handlers' feet. Cracks opened out through the scorched earth with the ground churning like a storm-tossed sea.

And then, as if the land itself had finally been drained by the attacks inflicted upon it, the broken soil and shattered rock flowed together like water, merging into a mighty humanoid form.

In the blink of an eye, a massive earthen golem over sixty to seventy feet tall, reaching to the sky appeared. The handlers gaped at this stone giant—its outline was rough, and even the most unskilled sculptor could carve a more beautiful statue. But no one would doubt the power of this giant. As they looked at it, a primal fear gushed from the depths of their hearts.

Whoosh— The godlike giant stirred up gusts of wind with its movements.

Extending one boulder-like hand towards the fleeing Hungarian Horntail, the golem wrapped its thick fingers around the dragon's neck. With no more care than a farmer tossing a misbehaving chicken back into its coop, the giant tossed the thrashing, screeching dragon to the ground. The impact shook the forest for miles around, toppling many of the ancient trees that were near the clearing.

Many towering ancient trees nearby that had escaped the blaze painstakingly pulled out their roots from the ground. At some unspoken command, they quickly walked over and surrounded the Hungarian Horntail. After a series of complex transformations, a new rough enclosure appeared.

The giant golem repeated the process, throwing the remaining three dragons inside as well. Then, like snow meeting sunlight, it melted away, returning its body to the earth.

In the suddenly still and silent air, the only movement came from Bryan himself. He strolled around the edge of the living cage, occasionally pausing to curl his wand as he muttered a list of protective spells and wards. "Protego Maxima. Silencio. Salvio Hexia. Repello Inimicum. Fianto Duri..."

Fireproofing Wards, Anti-Flight Wards, Shield Charm, Silencing Charms.

Charlie and the others watched woodenly as, within moments, Bryan single-handedly transfigured the crude wooden structure into an impenetrable, magic-warded vault.

Having done all this, Bryan turned back to the others with a warm smile, casually brushing a few flecks of dirt from the sleeve of his robes.

"Well!" he said brightly, as if discussing nothing more remarkable than the evening's dinner menu. "That was a bit of welcome exercise. Nothing like some vigorous spellcasting to make one feel properly awake and restored after a long journey."

He stretched lazily, breathing deep of the crisp night air as if savoring the bouquet of a fine wine. Then, staring distractedly in the direction of the distant Hogwarts castle, he gave a small nod of satisfaction.

"Oh, at this distance…it probably won't draw much attention—" He muttered smiling calmly at Charlie. "Probably won't attract a crowd of teachers like back then."

Looking at Bryan stretching his shoulders, Charlie clenched his fists, completely speechless.

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