Heri's hair and fringe were slicked back in a no-nonsense topknot, her usual accessories forgone lest they be destroyed. She was dressed (ironically) in an athletic outfit that had been pressed upon her which greatly resembled the traditional Hogwarts' uniform she had told her friends about on the train, but with the cassock split to allow leg movement, and underneath were black linen trousers that resembled jogging bottoms. She had never actually been able to prepare herself to face a monster before, so her exasperation at having the wear the outfit was eclipsed by her almost giddy anticipation.
Out of all the monsters Heri had faced yet, this dragon was right there next to the sixty-foot-long basilisk for how monstrously large it was. It was just as deadly as well, what with the fire-breathing, claws, and spiked tail. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined that she would one day face such a beast.
Despite the threat the dragon presented, Heri was actually excited. With trained dragon-tamers on hand and skilled wizards acting as judges, there wasn't actually any risk of her being killed; they couldn't afford to have actually deadly tasks so soon in the reinstatement of the tournament since that would risk international confrontation. As such, it was very easy for Heri to regard it with the same severity as hunting the carnivorous monsters in the Forbidden Forest; dangerous, but not life-threatening.
"Miss Potter?" boomed Mr Bagman, his voice enhanced with an Amplifying Charm. "Whenever you're ready."
Jumping into action, Heri threw her hand out with a purposeful wiggle of her fingers.
Two heavy heartbeats later, something came zipping over the stands and slapped into her palm. Without thought, she wrapped the thing around her waist, and soon there was a leather belt circling her hips, not only holding her loose tabard in place, but also attached with pouches that carried the things she had thought might come in handy that day.
Kitted out, Heri looked up. She took in the sight of rocky terrain, the tall walls of the stadium made of stone and chained fencing, and the agitated chained down dragon snarling and flicking its wings. She smiled grimly and left the safety of the trees.
Striding out into the open, Heri pointed her wand at the ground and drew precise symbols, muttering a spell under her breath. She had only done this spell a few times before with moderate results, but she was hoping that with the increase in dust and dirt around . . .
Yes!
In five whirlwinds in front of her, gravel and sand from the stadium ground swirled up, compacted, and turned into five extra Heri Potters, identical in features if extremely washed out in colouring.
Tch, they were supposed to be fully coloured. Looks like quantity negated quality. She would need to work more at it.
"Now, here's something new!" Mr Bagman cried. "I don't think I've seen this spell before!"
Heri ignored the commentary. Until the end of this Task, nothing outside of the rocky battlegrounds existed.
"Wait for my signal," she told the debris clones, leading them closer to the dragon.
The dragon looked enraged to see that the number of intruders in her territory had increased. She snorted a gout of flames and growled in warning as Heri and her doppelgängers got within shouting distance.
§Threat!§ it snarled in the language that all reptiles used. §ANGER. Foul egg-thieves. Must defend. MY eggs! Burning fire. Rip apart!§
Heri stopped and raised her hands in a placating manner.
§I don't intend to steal your eggs!§ Heri called up to the irate beast, absently registering a chorus of gasps and exclamations all around her. ("She's talking to it!" boomed out.)
The dragon reared back for a moment before giving an enraged roar.
§MY EGGS. PROTECT MY EGGS!§
§Please, there is an extra egg in your nest,§ Heri told her, pointing at the golden egg visible from under the Horntail's girth. §It's not yours! It was planted there! I can remove it for you!§
§Must defend. Thieves want my eggs. I will burn! Fire scorches!§
§Please, it will hatch and destroy your eggs! Let me help you!§
§You will not touch my eggs!§ the Horntail hissed, thrashing the ground with its tail again.
Heri huffed. This was going nowhere! The dragon gave no sign that she comprehended what Heri was trying to tell her at all! Heri decided to pull back, keeping her eyes on the angry reptile.
"Alright, ladies!" Heri called to her constructs when she was back a few more yards. She lifted her free hand in a 'wait' sign as all six of them shifted into running stances. "Evasive manoeuvring; split up and distract it! Ready?"
They tensed for action.
"Scatter!"
Heri bolted behind the nearest boulder when the Horntail spat a gout of flames at the charging doppelgängers. Since they were made of wind and sediment, they were nearly as fast as nymphs and easily evaded destruction. The constructs weaved in and out of range, climbed on rock clusters, scrabbled on the chain fencing, and bellowed at the top of their lungs, doing everything they could think of to confuse the dragon while Heri crept along the edge of the enclosure.
The Horntail roared in agitation.
Heri darted from behind a pile of rubble and took cover beside an uprooted tree when the dragon side-swiped a construct that got too close, taking out a chunk of its middle and sending it staggering back.
With a look of surprise on its face, the doppelgänger crumbled back into debris, creating a temporary cloud of dust that the others used as cover.
Heri cursed and rolled out of sight as the dragon lashed out at one of the remaining doppelgängers that was dashing not far from where she was hiding.
-----------
If you want to read ahead by 40+ chapters from here, you can visit my Patreon and get access to 6 or more books.
[P] [A] [T] [R] [E] [O] [N]
patreon.com/Playerfanfic