Marvel: Trading with Worlds

"Hermione, I'm miserable. I need you to save me."

When Harry and Ron found Hermione in the library, she was drowsy and nearly asleep. Their loud voices startled her awake, and in the process, attracted the wrathful glare of Madam Pince. 

The three of them were promptly shooed out of the library under a barrage of scolding.

Once outside, Hermione, trying to hide her embarrassment at being caught nearly dozing, took the lead in reprimanding them. "The library isn't a place for shouting and noise! I've told you both this a hundred times. Now, what's the matter with you?"

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Harry said quickly, trying to appease her. "But if you're sleepy, you really should go back to your dormitory or the Gryffindor common room. It's warmer there than the library."

Hermione glared at him, but Harry, sensing her patience was wearing thin, hurriedly changed the subject.

"It's the dragon, Hermione—the first task of the Triwizard Tournament! Hagrid took me to see it. It's just... so terrifying. I honestly want to curse whoever threw my name into the Goblet of Fire."

Fire dragons were among the most dangerous creatures in the wizarding world. 

Their tough skin could repel most spells, and even the Killing Curse might not work unless cast by a wizard of exceptional power.

In Romania, taming a dragon required at least two highly trained dragon handlers working in tandem. 

These experts had a variety of strategies to subdue the creatures, but even so, it was a challenging task.

Letting a group of young, inexperienced wizards face off against dragons, even with precautions in place, was unquestionably reckless. Injuries were almost inevitable.

Harry pressed on urgently, "Hermione, I remember you went to the Romanian dragon reserve during the summer and even rode a dragon. Do you know any weaknesses they might have?"

Ron chimed in, his voice hopeful, "Yeah, Hermione, maybe you know a secret about riding dragons? That'd be brilliant."

"There's no secret," Hermione replied matter-of-factly. "I only managed to ride a dragon because of my godfather. Even the dragon trainers were surprised it worked. That said, I can tell you some of a dragon's weaknesses. But, Harry, every dragon has a different temperament. Which one are you facing?"

Balancing a stack of books in her arms, Hermione looked at Harry. She knew that handling a dragon depended heavily on understanding its habits, which varied greatly between species.

"Actually, forget that," she said after a moment of thought. "You should come with me and ask my godfather. He keeps a dragon with him."

Harry and Ron's jaws dropped. They stared at Hermione in disbelief before exchanging shocked glances. Then, without hesitation, they hurried to follow her.

As the first task approached, Harry knew he wasn't the only one aware of its dangers. Other champions were undoubtedly preparing their own strategies to face the dragons.

The three of them reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office just in time to see Fleur Delacour stepping out.

Hermione froze, her breath catching. Why was she here in the middle of the day?

Hermione took two quick steps forward, clutching the book in her arms, her tone sharp and questioning. "Ms. Delacour, the professor should be in class right now. Why are you coming out of his office?"

"Class?" Fleur replied with a delicate smile. "But Professor Pent is inside. I just stopped by to ask him a few questions and to deliver some French desserts."

Her tone was light and casual, but Fleur's intentions were more calculated. Though she planned to use a love potion to alleviate her family's crisis, she couldn't simply hand it over without building a foundation first. 

Gradual steps were needed. Bringing desserts to the professor every day seemed like a good approach. Over time, Fleur hoped it would become a habit for him to accept her offerings, paving the way for her true plan.

Hermione frowned, raising her voice slightly. "Inside? That's impossible. This morning is the Defense Against the Dark Arts class for the lower years. Everyone at Hogwarts knows that. Are you suggesting the professor skipped his lesson? Right, Ron? Harry?"

But the two boys didn't respond. Fleur's smile was too captivating for them. With her Veela charm and striking beauty, few young wizards could resist her allure.

Hermione glanced back and saw their dazed expressions. She stomped her foot in frustration.

Fleur, still smiling, turned slightly and gestured toward the door. "But Professor Pent is inside. If you need to speak with him, feel free to knock and go in."

Hermione bit back her retort, though the words 'This doesn't need your suggestion!' burned on the tip of her tongue. 

She didn't want to appear overly hostile. Though she prided herself on her good manners, something about Fleur always set her off.

Suppressing her irritation, Hermione walked past Fleur to the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts office and knocked twice.

Within seconds, the door opened. Hermione stepped inside, motioning for Harry and Ron to follow.

Kain was sitting at his desk, engrossed in a detailed rune chart on magical beasts. He looked up as Hermione entered.

"Godfather, didn't you have class this morning?" she asked.

"I did," Kain replied, setting the chart down. "But I used an avatar. That's still me, and the lesson's already finished."

Hermione raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

Kain looked at the trio curiously. "So, what brings you three here? Is it about what happened last time?"

"No, Godfather," Hermione replied quickly. "It's about the first task. Harry found out it involves dragons, and he's hoping to get some advice."

As she spoke, Hermione's gaze drifted to a box of beautifully arranged desserts on Kain's desk. They were delicate and intricate—clearly not the work of Phil or Isaac.

"Dragons," Kain said thoughtfully. "Technically, as a professor, I'm not supposed to help you. The tournament prohibits any form of assistance."

Harry's face fell at those words, but Kain's lips curled into a faint smile.

"That said, if you want to meet my pet, I suppose I can arrange that. And Hermione, if you're hungry, help yourself to the desserts. They're not Phil's work, but they seem decent enough. You two can try them as well," he added, glancing at Harry and Ron.

Harry's face brightened instantly.

Kain pushed the box of desserts toward them. Harry and Ron eagerly thanked him before diving in. 

Hermione hesitated for a moment—she hadn't planned on eating—but hunger won out. She reached for one of the cakes, her irritation with Fleur momentarily forgotten.

After the three of them finished eating the desserts, Kain waved his wand to clear the plates and debris. He then pulled a small pouch from his robe and said, "Come in."

Harry and Ron exchanged confused glances. "Go in? Professor, do you mean..."

Before they could finish, Kain cast a spell, and the next moment, the three of them were sucked into the pouch. Hermione followed without hesitation, while Harry and Ron flailed in surprise.

 Once they were all inside, Kain levitated the pouch onto the table and flew in himself, transforming into a wisp of smoke.

Inside the pouch, Harry and Ron were utterly stunned. They had never seen anything like it before.

 What seemed like an ordinary pouch on the outside contained an enormous space—a vast prairie stretched out before them, with a sparkling blue lake and dense woods in the distance.

"Harry, look at that!" Ron exclaimed, pointing toward a massive figure in the distance.

It was an enormous creature, even at this distance appearing colossal. As it moved, they realized it was easily 20 to 30 meters tall.

Harry's eyes widened, and he whispered, his voice tinged with fear, "Professor, is that a fire dragon?" The fire dragons he'd seen before were nowhere near this size. 

For a moment, he desperately wanted to go back.

"That's right," Kain confirmed, smiling. "This is a mixed-breed fire dragon. It's much larger and stronger than the average fire dragon in terms of fire-breathing distance, size, agility, and defense. It's still growing, and its appetite matches its size—dozens of sheep a month, at least."

'To this day, I'm still not sure what exactly Orochimaru injected it with.'

Harry and Ron could only stare in horror, while Hermione remained calm.

"Don't be afraid," she reassured them. "The godfather's fire dragon is very obedient—and very beautiful."

She glanced at the dragon, its pure white scales glistening under the sun. Though it had horns on its head and was covered in tough scales—even on its wings—it didn't look as ferocious as most fire dragons. 

Its powerful forelimbs added to its intimidating presence, but Hermione still found it striking.

….

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