Chapter 357 Intelligence Gathering and Response Methods

Chapter 357 Intelligence Gathering and Response Methods

The House of Requests opens quietly.

Candles were burning on both sides of the high walls. In the middle of the room stood a huge oak table. Four dragons were shaking their tails, casting shadows in the center of the table.

"Are you sure..." Cedric lowered his voice as soon as he entered the room, as if he was afraid of being overheard, "The first item is the dragon?"

"I've seen it." Harry sat at the table and sighed, "Really, the kind that can breathe fire."

"It's bigger than the illustration in the textbook." Draco added, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. "It's the kind of size that a fingernail can cut you in two."

"Draco." Amanta glanced at him. "Don't scare them."

"I'm helping everyone face reality." Draco said coldly, "Otherwise, you won't even know what happened when you get burned to a crisp."

"The four you saw are all female dragons, right? I remember it was written in the Manual of Classification of Magical Creatures that dragons are particularly aggressive during the incubation period." Hermione quickly flipped open the notebook she carried with her, "Their sense of smell is more sensitive than that of a hound. Especially the Hungarian Treecrest Dragon, which is extremely sensitive to metal."

"Then let's not wear armor." Harry laughed dryly. "Running on the field naked?"

Luna said lightly, "You can put on a moon slug slime coat, which will make you smell like a plant."

Harry stared at her, feeling hopeless. "I'd rather smell like ham."

"Then you might attract another kind of dragon." Luna nodded seriously.

"Well." Amanta interrupted them, "Now is not the time to talk nonsense."

She glanced at the seven people and said, "The first step is to gather intelligence. Hermione, you will be responsible for collecting and classifying the dragon-related books in the library."

"No problem," Hermione nodded quickly, already starting to take notes.

"Luna - you...try to collect some strange but potentially useful biological information, just in case we really need it."

Luna looked serious and nodded slightly: "I will go find my dad. We used to collect a whole set of "Guide to Exotic Beasts". There may be spells that can restrain dragon behavior."

"Neville." Amanta turned to him and said, "You are the most knowledgeable about herbs."

Neville sat up straight quickly. "I remember... there is a kind of pale silver grass that can release a scent that can calm large magical creatures... but that kind of plant only grows occasionally on the edge of the Forbidden Forest."

"Then can you pick it?"

Neville hesitated. "If I bring night vision goggles and a potion to repel poison ivy, maybe I can... I need to prepare."

"Very good, prepare the list and we will help you get the stuff together."

"I can go too." Cedric said calmly and firmly, "We Hufflepuffs are best at collecting in the wild."

"You have to be careful," Harry warned him, "Don't fall into the goblin's pit like last time when you were chasing that nightingale snake."

"It was an accident." Cedric smiled helplessly.

"And you." Amanta finally looked at Julius. "Have you learned... strategies for dealing with giant magical creatures at Durmstrang?"

Julius stood lazily against the wall, and only looked away when he heard the words.

"Yes," he smiled, "but they're usually not legal."

“We’re not considering the legality right now.”

"Well," he shrugged slightly, "there is a spell that can disrupt the perception system of magical creatures without causing any actual harm. But the problem is-"

"It's hard not to lose control." He paused, and his smile deepened. "Most students either blow themselves up or pass out when they use it."

Draco whispered, "That sounds a lot like a spell you would recommend."

"Of course I won't let you learn it." Julius walked slowly to the table, "But I can use it."

"Are you sure?" Amanta's eyes narrowed slightly.

"You want me to join the team battle?" Julius raised his eyebrows, "I just want to prove that I can be of some use."

Amanta was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly: "Okay."

Everyone has different expressions.

"Now," she patted the table, "the next step is to work out a tactical division of labor."

"We don't know which dragon we're facing yet," Harry reminded.

"But we can train to have a tacit understanding," Amanta said. "Even if we are separated, we will know how to support each other."

She raised her hand slightly and pointed her fingertips at the shadows of four dragons on the table.

"I am good at spell attack and control."

"Harry flies the best," Hermione added.

"Draco's defensive magic and trap skills are top-notch in his grade," said Cedric.

"So Julius..." Luna asked softly, "What are you good at?"

Julius smiled slightly: "Lure the enemy deeper."

Everyone: "..."

"Then let's try and see how to win this game." Amanta said softly.

The candlelight flickered, the dragon shadow swayed gently, and this battle had just begun.

Before the training ended, Amanta listed the key arrangements for the next few days, the first of which was:

Flight training - a must every day.

"Are you serious?" Draco frowned as he stared at the battle plan she had pinned on the wall. "You want to make me the next Quidditch star?"

"No." Amanta said calmly, "It's to practice until you can turn around under the dragon's mouth and still keep the broom steady to avoid being sprayed down."

"That's about right," Harry mumbled between bites of a pie. "You saw how handsome I flew at the last Quidditch match -"

"You fly well," Draco said indifferently, "but that's because you're thick-skinned and aren't afraid of falling and being embarrassed."

"I'm more afraid of not winning the game than being embarrassed," Harry muttered.

Amanta glanced at them and turned to look at Julius standing in the corner: "Same to you, gather at the Quidditch field at seven o'clock every morning."

Julius curled his lips lightly: "I won't fly."

Harry stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

"I said, I don't fly." Julius raised his eyes and said calmly, "It's not because I'm lazy, it's because I can't and I don't plan to learn."

"Are you kidding?" Draco squinted at him. "You can't even ride a broom?"

"I don't really like flying." Julius gathered his cloak, "I can win the game in other ways."

Amanta narrowed her eyes and said nothing, but her gaze lingered on him for a moment longer.

*

Amanta has been using the library as a second lounge these days.

She calmly looked up every record about dragons, even many ancient books that she had collected and placed in the Sage's Ring, but the more she looked, the more uncertain she became.

Is it stealing dragon eggs?

If it is still the original game logic - this is just a part of testing courage and skills, but now it is a group battle.

So, could it be that it’s not “stealing eggs”, but…

"Confrontation?" She murmured, but quickly denied it. "This competition is more safety-oriented, so maybe it won't be so dangerous."

"What?" Hermione next to her raised her head.

Amanta responded: "Nothing, I said the book has too little information."

Hermione was holding several thick volumes of "Regulations on the Breeding and Protection of Dragons" and "Hazard Levels of Magical Creatures" and flipping through them quickly.

"Krum is also checking Long's information." She suddenly said softly.

Amanta raised her eyes: "Hmm? You saw him?"

"Hmm." Hermione paused, her tone delicate, "In fact, he is not as aloof as the newspapers say. He even asked me for advice on how to sort a few books... He is very humble."

Amanta raised an eyebrow: "So you have some...admiration for him?"

Hermione coughed and blushed slightly: "It's just a little bit, don't tell them."

Amanta smiled and said, "I'm not interested in these."

"You're not uninterested," Hermione shot back, "You've been stared at a lot."

"Who?"

"You know who I'm talking about."

Amanta closed the book and said no more.

Just then, she noticed that the librarian, Madam Pince, was sorting a pile of materials that had been checked out, and several of the dragon analysis manuals that Hermione was looking for were stamped with Beauxbatons filing labels.

Hermione's face changed: "...They know it too."

"Krum knows it too." Amanta said solemnly, "They must have received the news in advance."

Hermione bit her lip: "Then we have to speed up."

Amanta nodded slightly, but her heart tightened quietly.

The exposure of information...is not a coincidence, everyone wants to win the game.

She looked out the window and saw an owl quietly flying across the sky.

The chessboard of the game is gradually becoming complete.

And the four of them - will stand on the flames and fight for their lives.