pulsating, luminous veil began to spread over the settlement, but the further it was from the dragon, the paler and noticeably weaker it became. It was too small to encompass the defenders. Draco bit his lip, tasting blood in his mouth. He concentrated even harder and pushed a much larger surge of energy forward. His vision darkened and he staggered slightly. He felt as though he’d lifted a weight too heavy for him, one that was about to crush him.
A red flash allowed him to focus on something else. A fireball, as if in slow motion, emerged from between the cottages and shot upwards. Draco knew full well that if anyone spotted the explosion, they could kiss any element of surprise or extra points goodbye. However, there was nothing more he could do, so he watched.
A whistling sound in his ears snapped him out of that peculiar state of numbness. The fiery projectile shot upwards and struck the barrier that had formed at the last moment. The ball of flame, however, did not explode; instead, it slid down the sloping barrier and whizzed past, grazing it. Draco watched, fascinated, as the spell arced towards the top of the cast veil and began to descend towards the dragon. The reptile did not react, staring intently at the flames. The magical projectile whizzed over Draco’s head and crashed into the cottage behind him with a thud. The explosion wasn’t particularly powerful, but it was enough to set the simple interior ablaze.
Someone screamed, and the dragon realised he had frozen in the open. The logs behind which they had previously been hiding had shattered into splinters. At the entrance to the building opposite, at the very last moment, he caught sight of a face illuminated by a cast spell. He knew there was no way to avoid it, and a sudden wave of fatigue left him unable to do anything but sustain the energy-sapping spell that stretched across the small square and descended towards the ground by the stream’s bank.
Suddenly, something blocked his view. He wasn’t sure if he’d
