After all the guests entered the castle, the students of Hogwarts still remained in formation and waited.
But it wasn't so boring anymore, because at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the animals that had traveled from afar were beginning to acclimate to their new environment.
The three-headed dragon was itching to charge into the Forbidden Forest, with the panicked figures of centaurs flitting in and out of view at the forest's edge.
And the elephant stretched out its long trunk, trying to tug leaves from the maze's hedgerow.
The Abraxans were relatively well-behaved under Hagrid's care, but they absolutely refused to go anywhere near the three-headed dragon, so Hagrid had no choice but to settle them near his hut.
Only a few students caught sight of another scene: the school's thestrals flapped their wings and landed near the Abraxans, seemingly wanting to greet the visiting creatures.
However, the Abraxans were frightened by their appearance and backed away repeatedly. Several strong ones stood at the front and adopted a defensive stance toward the thestrals.
Hagrid had to stand between the two groups, doing his best to calm them down, completely ignoring the fact that the elephant nearby was on the verge of stripping a whole section of wall bare.
Not to mention the flying carpet, bus, ghost ship, train, and more—many people were observing the intricate details with great interest.
Of course, this was also because everyone now felt warm all over, giving them the leisure to appreciate the view. If they were still shivering from the cold like before, their minds would probably be filled only with curses for the latecomers.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to tremble gently. Birds scattered from the trees, animals nervously pawed at the ground, and even the calm surface of the Black Lake rippled with endless waves.
Anthony grabbed Terry's arm nervously and asked, "An earthquake?"
"No, it seems like—"
Before Michael could finish his sentence, everyone's mouths dropped open in shock.
A boulder larger than Hagrid's hut was rolling toward the castle, making a thunderous rumble as it moved, as though someone inside was beating a drum.
Suddenly, the giant rock came to a stop in front of the castle. It shuddered twice, as if stretching after a nap.
Then, the surface of the rock began to shift and ripple, revealing a tall arched doorway. A man wearing a golden cloak and a necklace made of animal teeth strode out.
Behind him came around twenty students, all looking seventeen or eighteen years old. They wore brightly colored khangas, some with totem tattoos on their arms or necks, others with their heads full of braids.
"Dumbledore, my old friend, long time no see! You haven't changed a bit!" the wizard said with a loud laugh.
Dumbledore smiled and embraced him. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Adeso."
Headmaster Adeso patted Dumbledore's back and laughed, "I've got a question… something I've wanted to ask for a long time…"
"Please," Dumbledore said, gesturing with his hand.
Adeso gestured in front of himself as if stroking a beard and asked, "Your beard keeps getting longer—where do you put it when you sleep?"
Even someone as wise as Dumbledore hadn't expected that question. He was stunned for a moment, then squinted and smiled, "Naturally, I put it where it belongs."
"Hahaha!" Adeso laughed heartily again and waved his hand. "My students are all very talented. I brought them to see the vast and wondrous wizarding world. And if possible, Uagadou plans to take a champion back with us!"
"May your wish come true—but my students won't let you down either," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye.
Just as the students of Hogwarts and Uagadou were sizing each other up, a gentle floral fragrance wafted through the air, followed by the clear, melodic sound of bells.
Wade keenly heard someone click their tongue. He turned around and saw Headmaster Carvalho leaning against the entrance of the castle, looking disdainfully in the direction the sound came from.
Then, an antiquated-looking wooden cart suddenly appeared out of thin air, slowly rolling toward the castle. The strangest thing about it was that it only had a single enormous wheel—and in the center of that wheel was the head of a bald old man.
The eyes on the head spun round and round, and its mouth opened and closed, letting out a creaky, cackling laugh.
Although Hogwarts students had seen their fair share of magical oddities, this bizarre wheel still left them speechless with shock.
The wooden cart came to a stop beside the boulder, and a folding fan lifted the curtain inside. Then a lady dressed in a kimono with a coral hairpin in her hair gracefully stepped down.
"Pardon our intrusion," she said with a slight bow to Dumbledore. "I hope our Wanyūdō didn't frighten the children."
"It's certainly a unique mode of transportation," Dumbledore replied with a smile. "Welcome, Madam Fujiwara. Please, bring your students into the castle."
The dozen or so students who stepped down from the cart all wore golden robes. The last was a small boy in a pale pink robe, who glanced around curiously the moment he got off.
"I'm terribly sorry—we seem to be late?" Madam Fujiwara said apologetically as she glanced at the students from Uagadou.
"No, your timing is perfect," Dumbledore said with a sparkle in his eyes. "Our feast is ready and waiting."
The guests from both visiting schools followed Dumbledore into the castle, with the Hogwarts students trailing behind.
As they passed the steps, both Madam Fujiwara and Headmaster Adeso paused briefly, feeling the warm breeze sweep gently around them from all directions. They exchanged a glance with Dumbledore before continuing up the steps.
Seizing the moment of disarray in the formation, the Weasley twins bent down and slipped away from the Gryffindor line, darting into the shadows near the wooden cart.
"You think this thing can talk?" Fred asked.
"I'm more interested in what it eats—and whether it poops," George said as he curiously circled to the back of the Wanyūdō, only to see the axle of the wheel before returning.
The twins exchanged a look.
"Wanna try?" George asked.
"Absolutely!" Fred replied eagerly.
He fished a squashed piece of bread from his pocket while George snapped off a twig, skewered the bread on it, and held it up, trying to feed it into the mouth of the human-faced wheel.
The once-smiling face had at some point turned stony and it glared at the twins with an unfriendly expression. But the two ignored it, determined to test the appetite of the bald-faced creature.
Suddenly, the face opened its mouth and shouted angrily: "Impudent brats! Get away from me!"
With a crack, it bit the stick in half, then phfft—spat the piece of bread right at Fred's face.
Fred leapt back, shouting in delight, "It really talks!"
"Fred! George!" Professor McGonagall stormed out of the castle, furious. "You two! Stop harassing the guests' transport! Twenty points from Gryffindor!"
"Oh no… Professor…"
"And if you continue to break the rules, you'll be disqualified from the tournament!"
The Weasley twins immediately quieted down and obediently followed McGonagall back into the castle.
--------------------------------
🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!!
Your support is greatly appreciated!
Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!
Early access to the following translations:-
⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- 200+ Chapters
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460
⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters
⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
[email protected]/Lightreaper457
--------------------------------