Chinese Fireball
From UnknowableWiki
| Creature profile | |
|---|---|
| Chinese Fireball | |
| Also known as | Liondragon |
| Species | dragon |
| Ministry of Magic Classification | XXXXX |
| Appearance | scarlet, fringe of golden spikes, snub-snouted, protuberant eyes; crimson gold-speckled eggs |
| Origin | Oriental |
| Known specimens | Dragon faced by Viktor Krum in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament |
| First appearance in canon | The Hungarian Horntail (GF) |
The Chinese Fireball, sometimes called the Liondragon, is a medium-sized (two to four tonnes) red dragon originating from China. It is the only oriental dragon. It has smooth scarlet scales and a stub-snouted face surrounded by a fringe of golden spikes. The eyes are extremely protuberant. Females are larger than males. The eggs are a gold-speckled crimson; their shells are used in Chinese wizardry.
The Fireball has been named after the form of its flame, which is mushroom-shaped. Fireballs are agressive and very dangerous, as humans (and pigs) are their preferred food, although they feed on most mammals. Untypically for dragons however, they are quite tolerant towards their own breed and will sometimes share their territory with up to two other Fireballs (FBAZ).
Quong Po (1443–1539) is a Chinese Dragonologist famous for his studies on Chinese Fireballs, and his findings on the uses of their powdered eggs (FW).
A female Fireball from the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary is brought to Hogwarts for the first task of the Triwizard Tournament in 1994 . Charlie Weasley shows it to Hagrid and Madame Maxime (and unknowingly to Harry Potter) the night three days before the task (GF19). Viktor Krum has to get past it in the first task to steal the golden egg hidden between its real eggs. He blinds it with a spell, which works well to stop the dragon from attacking him, but has the negative side-effect that it tramples around and squashes half of its own eggs. Krum receives forty points for this task and is tied with Harry in first place (GF20).
