Fated Adventure.

The day of the first task had finally arrived.

I sat at the long table in the Great Hall, dressed in something far more comfortable than standard school robes—a fitted black t-shirt, my original hammer-style black pants that allowed for full mobility, and a pair of specially made ninja sandals that provided both grip and comfort. The cold didn't bother me in the slightest; with fire and lightning coursing through my veins, winter was nothing more than an afterthought.

Not that the girls seemed to mind. On colder days, they treated me like their personal space heater, which often led to rather amusing situations.

"The school robes really do hide all the good stuff… look at those muscles. Come to mommy," I heard a Hufflepuff girl murmur.

I smirked but didn't bother reacting beyond that. She wasn't wrong. Hogwarts robes had a way of concealing a person's figure, whether male or female. Today, however, appearances were the least of my concerns. There were bigger things to worry about—namely, dragons.

Fleur and the others arrived not long after, and I immediately noticed the tension in her posture. It was subtle, but her nerves were clear. Considering what we were about to face, I couldn't blame her.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine," I reassured her, wrapping an arm around her waist. She let out a quiet breath and leaned into my side, some of the tension easing.

The rest of the hall buzzed with speculation. No one outside of the champions and judges knew what the first task entailed, but theories ran rampant. Some thought it would be another retrieval challenge, others guessed it would be a test of Transfiguration. Few could have imagined the reality—facing dragons.

I finished eating quickly, knowing I had something to take care of before heading to the champions' tent.

As I stood and exited the Great Hall, the familiar sensation of my Deathly Hallows mark activated. I vanished beneath the effects of my enhanced Invisibility Cloak and shot out of the castle at high speed—not toward the tent, but to the Great Lake.

My real target was waiting for me there.

The massive, ghostly silhouette of the Durmstrang ship rocked gently on the water, its enchanted hull gleaming ominously in the morning light. With a smirk, I placed my hand against its side and pulled it into my Inner World.

A chorus of startled yelps and splashes erupted as several Durmstrang students plunged into the lake from the now-vanished vessel.

Sorry about that.

Like I was going to pass up a fully functional magical ghost ship capable of underwater travel. With my access to the One Piece world, this thing would be invaluable in the future.

Satisfied with my theft, I turned and shot toward the champions' tent, reappearing just as I crossed the entrance.

Time to face a dragon.

---

Inside the tent, Viktor Krum was stretching, Fleur adjusted her gloves, and Ludo Bagman stood near a large enchanted trunk. The air was thick with nervous anticipation, but I felt perfectly calm. After all, I was about to face a dragon—not exactly something I was unprepared for.

"Ah, Ryan! Glad you could make it," Ludo greeted with his ever-present enthusiasm. "Now that all the champions are here, let's go over today's task."

He clapped his hands, and the trunk flipped open, revealing several parchment scrolls and a magically projected map of the arena.

"Today's event is quite the spectacle—Dragon Slaying! Each of you will be facing a dragon—one of the meanest, most dangerous types we could get our hands on. These beasts were already set for termination due to their violent nature, so this serves as a controlled environment for their disposal."

Fleur paled slightly, and even Viktor tensed at the news. I, however, merely raised an eyebrow.

Ludo continued, oblivious to my growing irritation. "Your goal is to retrieve a treasure hoard guarded by your assigned dragon. There are three possible outcomes: you can surrender and earn zero points, steal the treasure for fifty points, or slay the dragon and take both the body and the hoard as your prize, earning the full hundred points."

I exhaled sharply, crossing my arms. "Let me get this straight—some idiots thought it was a good idea to have a bunch of teenagers fight dragons? You do realize it takes fifteen fully grown wizards just to knock one out, right?"

Ludo chuckled nervously. "Er, well… Minister Fudge and I thought it would make for good entertainment and a proper test of skill."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Of course it was Fudge…" Seems killing off Lucius had also killed off that man's brain. No doubt British magical society would suffer for this, as for Ludo well he had taken one too many bludgers to the head as a Quidditch player so he was already unrealiable.

Shaking my head, I glanced at Fleur and Viktor. "Well, this wasn't exactly what I expected."

Viktor grunted in agreement, while Fleur took a deep breath to steady herself.

"Alright then, let's see what we've got," I said, motioning toward the map. "What dragons are we dealing with?"

Ludo eagerly tapped his wand against the map. Three images appeared, each displaying a different dragon:

Viktor Krum: Hungarian Horntail

Fleur Delacour: Peruvian Viper-Tooth

Ryan Grim: Hebridean Black

I blinked. Only the Hungarian Horntail was from the original selection.

Ludo scratched his head sheepishly. "Each of these dragons has killed wizards before. They're some of the most violent we could find—larger, meaner, and more aggressive than their usual counterparts."

I sighed. "Fine. Let's just get this over with."

"You'll be called into the arena one at a time to face your dragon. We start in five minutes with Mr. Krum," Ludo announced before leaving the tent.

A smirk played at my lips.

Dragon slaying, huh?

This was going to be interesting.

However for now I had a very nervous looking veela girlfriend to comfort and calm down. Walking over to Fleur I wrapped her up in my arms and started to whisper comforting and reassuring words in her ears.