𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 || 𝐃.𝐌

XXXI

“Anything's possible if you've
got enough nerve.”

[Ginevra Weasley.]

☄. *. ⋆

“Malfoy's a show-off! He wouldn't be able to do it!” Cormac said amongst the crowd in the arena.
 
“If, as a person, you're not relevant, then you might as well just shut the fuck up,” Crabbe countered as the whole Slytherin and other houses cheered for Draco.

Despite his well-known disdain for Muggles and his frequent derogatory comments regarding their inferiority, it was still a shock to many when Draco Malfoy himself, expressed a genuine interest in taking the slot reserved for a Muggle-born. This revelation left many wondering about the motivations behind this unexpected change of heart, and whether it was solely driven by ambition or if there were bad intentions because Y/n was close with the Golden trio and he wanted to use her for his own gain. It also raised questions about the nature of prejudice and whether it was possible for someone like Malfoy to truly overcome their deeply ingrained biases.

The attendance for the event was impressive, with not only the teachers and students but also Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father, in attendance. Despite his anger and disapproval of the event, he couldn't bring himself to leave without seeing his son attempt and possibly fail the challenge at hand. It was evident that he had no faith in Draco's abilities and expected him to falter. He was sure that Draco wasn't going to be able to do it and would scream and cry out for his help, like always.

“This is for Y/n,” Draco whispered underneath his breath as he could feel the icy-death glare of the Peruvian Vipertooth that was piercing right through him. He had heard stories of how the Vipertooth had taken down even the most skilled wizards with ease, its venomous fangs capable of killing in an instant. With his wand at the ready, Draco took a deep breath and prepared to face his greatest challenge yet.

Draco takes a few steps back from the vipertooth, his heart pounding with fear. He looks over at Y/n, who is standing in the audience area, a safe distance away, and tries to give her a reassuring smile. But the little girl feels too anxious to smile back. She's worried about Draco's safety, and he can't blame her.

Draco knows he needs to act fast if he wants to survive this encounter. As he stares down the dragon, a risky plan starts to form in his mind. He realizes that the only way to distract the vipertooth and buy himself some time is to get it to move to a different location.

So, taking a deep breath, Draco quickly casts the spell, “Lumos!”

As the Lumos spell dazzle the vipertooth dragon, its attention is diverted. Lured by the light, the dragon turns and swats at the beams, but Draco is ready. He casts a few more spells in various locations of the arena, further confusing the creature. With the dragon successfully distracted, Draco makes a dash for the golden egg, but just as he reaches for it, the dragon swiftly turns around and unleashes a stream of poisonous fire.

“Fucking Merlin!” He cursed as he barely dodges the flames, rolling away from harm's way. Gasping for breath, he manages to stand up and face the dragon once more, with his wand at the ready, he knew that he needed to think of another way to distract the vipertooth again.

Draco desperately tries to come up with a plan to distract the dragon. He looks around frantically and suddenly his eyes catch an empty spot on the dragon, just behind its head. A bold idea springs to his mind. He thinks of using a powerful Confundus charm on the vipertooth in the hope that it would be enough to confuse it. However, he hesitates at the thought of the spell failing, and the dragon attacking him.

As he is thinking, the dragon lets out a thunderous roar and suddenly lunges towards him. Draco's heart races with adrenaline and fear as he quickly rolls out of the way, narrowly dodging the attack. The flame from the dragon's breath singes the tips of his hair—his gorgeous damn platinum-blonde hair!

“This is outrageous!” Lucius snapped, his face contorted with fear and anger. “Take my son out of the arena, now!” his voice echoing throughout the whole arena as he could no longer watch the sight of his only heir, who was almost dying.
 
“Calm down, Lucius,” said Professor Snape as he watched the scene unfold. Everyone was starting to worry as well.

Meanwhile, Y/n amongst the crowd was sobbing uncontrollably. She couldn't bear to see Draco in so much pain, and with Ginny holding her, she silently whispered to herself, “Please save him.”

As every second ticked by, the tension in the arena continued to mount. The little girl weakly cried, closing her eyes and praying to the heavens above to keep Draco safe. She knew that Draco was strong, and she believes in his abilities, but still, can we blame an innocent little girl for wanting the people she loves and cares for to just be safe? The thought of losing him was unbearable for her.

The roar of the crowd, once a source of excitement and anticipation, now felt overwhelming and oppressive for Y/n as he watches with them.

There is a loud crack as the nearby trees are set ablaze. Draco stands up, his heart still pounding with fear, and faces the dragon once more, trying to think of another distraction that might work. 

He swerves to the right to cast another spell. His legs scrape the ground as he searches for his wand to cast another spell. He considers casting a tremendous spell that only the greatest wizard can cast—the disillusionment charm—on himself to make him invisible. Draco casts the charm as the dragon prepares to attack again, and he gradually fades from the dragon's view.

“Where did he go?” Blaise asked, his voice full of bewilderment. The other students and teachers were equally confused as they watched Draco's figure disappear from the arena. The sudden vanishing act left them all wondering what could have possibly happened to him.

The vipertooth then stops short, as if confused as to what had just happened. It tilts its head in confusion, and the dragon tries to locate the invisible Draco, its sharp teeth glinting in the dim light. The moment he realized that the dragon could no longer see him, he slowly took one step backward. His movement was fast, and then he took the chance and cast the “Wingardium Leviosa!” spell on several objects from the stands.

The objects then become projectiles, crashing into the dragon mid-flight. With one more Lumos spell, Draco tries to blind the dragon, and finally manages to gain the upper hand.

The vipertooth growls angrily as the objects rain down on it. The Lumos spell helps keep it blinded as it tries to regain its composure. It shakes its head and tries to clear its vision, and while it is distracted, Draco quickly approaches and runs towards the Golden egg.

Heavy and large pebbles struck the dragon, knocking him off track. The dragon's agonizing howl ripples around the whole arena before finally closing its eyes, indicating that it was over, the vipertooth has lost its consciousness and Draco has already won.

After a long and arduous struggle, Draco's hand finally closes around the elusive golden egg. Beads of sweat roll down his face as he turns to face the cheering crowd. Thousands of eyes were looking at him, but his eyes only longed for her—for Y/n's, and he felt a jolt of electricity pass through him. She was beaming with happiness, tears streaming down her face.

The noise of the crowd is deafening as everyone erupts in cheers and applause at the sight of Draco holding the coveted prize.

“Did I do it?” he inquired, his voice barely above a whisper. Y/n wasted no time in breaking free from Ginny's grasp and heading straight for Draco. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she made her way to him, her eyes fixed on his face. Her mind was racing with a thousand thoughts, but one thing was clear: she had to hug him.

He did it, Draco Lucius Malfoy won the first task. He actually fought a Dragon, and this time, he didn't need his father's help. He didn't need anyone but his strong willpower to protect her, to protect Y/n.