Three Heads Think Better Than One

  “That beast is trying to kill him! Stop it at once!” Karkaroff shouted, furious, as he watched Buckbeak lift Marton into the air and drop him again, only to repeat the process over and over, leaving the champion with no real chance to defend himself. “You must end this trial now!”

  But of course, it was not truly about Marton’s safety… it was about his school’s pride.

  “Are you certain? If we stop it, it will look as though Marton failed the trial,” Sirius said, watching him calmly.

  “That thing did not even let him draw his wand! It should be illegal!” Karkaroff snapped, turning toward him in anger.

  Sirius held his gaze, completely at ease.

  “And can he not use magic without his wand? Because I am fairly certain the champions of Hogwarts can. And the Beauxbatons student did not need to attack either. Perhaps he does not even need magic,” he added lightly.

  That seemed to irritate Karkaroff even more. The mockery was obvious. He let out a low growl before glancing at Marton again, this time with clear disapproval.

  “Tsk… he is still alive, at least,” he muttered.

  Then he drew his wand and aimed it at Buckbeak.

  The spell shot forward swiftly, but before it could even enter the arena, a reddish barrier flashed briefly, blocking it completely.

  Sirius let out a faint scoff before turning toward Hagrid, who was seated among the professors. In truth, he seemed more distracted watching Madame Maxime than the trial itself.

  “Hagrid,” Sirius called, snapping him out of his thoughts. “I think Buckbeak listens to you more.”

  “Oh. Right, yes,” Hagrid replied quickly. And for a moment, noticing that Madame Maxime was looking at him, he lifted his chest slightly before placing two fingers to his mouth and whistling sharply.

  Buckbeak, who had Marton dangling by the legs, heard the familiar whistle. He turned his head mid-flight, nearly dropping the student in the process. For a second he seemed to hesitate, but he tightened his grip and changed direction, flying toward the call.

  When he descended, he released Marton without much care. The young man rolled several times across the dirt before ending up flat on his back, completely disoriented.

  Buckbeak walked with elegant steps toward the lower teachers’ stand and lowered his head toward Hagrid, who leaned over the railing to stroke him.

  “Well done, Buckbeak. You are quite popular now,” Hagrid said with a proud smile.

  The crowd seemed genuinely amused by the creature’s behavior.

  “Go on, join the others. A fine feast awaits you, as I promised,” Sirius added with a grin.

  Buckbeak let out a small, pleased cry before striding off with his wings half-spread, utterly ignoring Marton, who was still staring at the sky with a blank expression.

  Many watched him for a moment. Sirius was just about to make some biting remark toward Karkaroff…

  But before he could, Ludo shouted with sudden excitement, drawing everyone’s attention back to Marton.

  The Durmstrang champion raised a trembling arm.

  In his hand, he held a key.

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  And then he fainted.

  “Woooow! He managed to grab the key even in the most chaotic moment of his life! Truly incredible!” Ludo cried, as the crowd, surprised, could not help but applaud.

  Though, to be honest, it had been pure luck. The key had been tied to one of Buckbeak’s legs, and when he dropped Marton at the last instant, it had caught in his robes.

  “Well… it seems your student is not so bad after all,” Sirius said, his tone clearly mocking Karkaroff, whose expression was now a mixture of fury and wounded pride. Still, Marton had obtained the key.

  “Well, technically he must open the chest to pass… but I doubt he will manage that. And since his opponent has already left, I suppose it counts as a victory for him,” Ludo commented. “Mmm… while the medics remove Marton from the arena, would Mr. Scamander like to say something about hippogriffs?”

  Newt gave a slight nod.

  “Well. Hippogriffs are truly majestic and honorable creatures. They will only allow themselves to be ridden if they receive a respectful and formal greeting; by bowing the head. If they return the bow, it means they permit it. If not… it would be wise to step away. They can be quite dangerous, and their talons are as sharp as any blade.”

  He paused briefly before adding,

  “It is said they are related to griffins. Both are known as rulers of the sky.”

  And he finished with the same calm with which he had begun.

  “Well, that is quite interesting. Thank you very much, Mr. Scamander,” Ludo said smoothly, as Marton was already being carried out of the arena. “That one was certainly faster than the previous trial. But no less thrilling; especially for poor Marton, who likely will not want to fly on a broom for quite some time,” he added, and the crowd could not help but laugh, the mood rising once again.

  “But we must continue. We have many champions to see and only a short intermission to rest. So before everyone rushes out to find something to eat…,” Ludo said with a playful smile, “let us welcome the next competitor. Also from Durmstrang… VICTOOOR KRUUM!”

  He shouted it with extra energy, knowing perfectly well that Viktor’s fans would erupt.

  And that was exactly what happened.

  The stands turned into chaos of cheers as Viktor stepped into the arena with a completely serious, focused expression. Unlike Marton, he already held his wand in his hand. Even so, for a brief moment, he could not help but glance back.

  There, a beautiful blonde young woman watched him with amusement.

  A faint chill ran down his spine before he forced himself to look forward again.

  “Do not die yet. You have much work to do,” he heard from behind him.

  Viktor firmly refused to turn around again, yet he could not stop the slight shiver that ran along his back.

  He knew that demoness meant every word.

  “And now, let us introduce the little one who will have to face him,” Ludo said with a smile as the gate on the opposite side slowly opened.

  The moment he saw what stood inside, he lifted his gaze in mild surprise.

  “Well… perhaps not so little,” he corrected himself as the enormous creature stepped forward. “Are those not illegal?” he asked, turning to Newt just in case.

  “Only in several countries in America. And perhaps in some parts of Europe,” Newt replied, watching with clear fascination as the creature revealed a head… or rather, three heads.

  Hagrid was smiling proudly at the sight of another one of his little ones. Well… not so little.

  “Come on, Fluffy!” Hagrid shouted, encouraging the Cerberus.

  Fluffy entered the field with surprising enthusiasm, his tail wagging like that of an oversized puppy. The audience did not know whether to feel terrified or… strangely charmed by the horrendously adorable creature.

  That feeling did not last long.

  The moment all three heads fixed their gaze on Viktor, they began to growl in unison, deep and threatening.

  Viktor, for his part, quickly scanned the creature’s entire body. His eyes paused briefly on one of the collars worn around each head.

  “This is far more difficult than an Erumpent, Black!” Karkaroff shouted, rising from his seat.

  “It is classified XXXX, just like the Erumpent, according to the Ministry,” Sirius replied calmly.

  “That is nonsense!” Karkaroff snapped, this time genuinely worried. Not for all his students… only for Viktor.

  Yet when he looked more closely at his champion’s expression, even he had to fall silent.

  Viktor looked completely serious. Ready.

  His stance was defensive, firm, prepared to receive any attack. There was no tremor in his body. No panic in his eyes. Only unshakable confidence.

  “He may surrender whenever he wishes. But it does not seem like he intends to,” Sirius said, watching the young man as well, unable to deny a slight respect for him.

  Karkaroff ground his teeth, having little more to say.

  “I hope the last three competitors have beasts worthy of their difficulty,” he muttered at last before sitting back down.

  “Oh, do not worry about that. Not even you would want to face what awaits them,” Sirius replied calmly with a faint smile, turning his attention back to the arena.

  There, unlike Buckbeak, Fluffy did not attack immediately. He continued growling with his three heads while positioning himself over the chest in a clearly protective stance. Fulfilling his task.

  “Fluffy is a good guardian,” Hagrid said proudly, watching his three-headed friend.

  “Well then, we have the challenger and the defender of the chest,” Ludo announced, raising his voice to regain control of the spectacle. “Let the trial begin!”