Upon entering the Great Hall, the Beauxbatons students chose to sit at the Ravenclaw table.
Meanwhile, the Durmstrang students chose the Slytherin table.
Ron was a bit disappointed that his idol didn't choose the Gryffindor table.
But he was still very excited.
"I can't believe Viktor Krum is at Hogwarts!"
"I really want to get his autograph."
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Don't make such a fuss, he's just a Quidditch player."
"What do you mean 'just a Quidditch player'?" Ron's eyes widened.
"He's one of the best Seekers in the world! And so young!"
"You saw the World Cup this year, he caught the golden snitch. If his teammates weren't so useless, the championship would definitely have been his."
"That's ridiculous." Hermione raised her hand and pointed in Charlie's direction.
"You mean you spend every day with the youngest Potions Master and Transfiguration Master in the world, someone who has foiled the Dark Lord's plots countless times, yet you idolize a Quidditch Seeker?"
Ron froze, his expression as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on him.
He subconsciously looked around, hoping to find someone as excited as he was.
But Neville was nodding vigorously: "Hermione is right."
Harry also nodded, his expression somewhat complex.
"Indeed…"
Ron scratched his head. So, was he overreacting?
After the Beauxbatons students sat down, they looked around the Great Hall.
The girls in silk robes looked displeased; three of them still had their heads wrapped in scarves, seemingly dissatisfied with their surroundings.
The Durmstrang students, however, were enthusiastic. They took off their heavy cloaks and looked up at the star-studded ceiling.
But the Slytherin students merely gave them a polite nod, then sat quietly, no longer speaking.
This made Krum, who was popular everywhere, a little puzzled. Don't they play Quidditch at Hogwarts?
Once everyone was seated, Dumbledore stood up.
Charlie noticed two chairs were still empty at the faculty table, but Karkaroff and Maxime were already seated. Was someone else still missing?
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Dumbledore's voice echoed through the Great Hall.
"I hope you will find comfort and joy here, as if in your own home."
A Beauxbatons girl wrapped in a scarf let out a disdainful sneer.
Hermione, not far from her, scowled, her gaze turning unfriendly.
"How rude. Nobody's forcing her to stay."
"Don't mind them," Harry whispered, advising her.
Dumbledore continued.
"Now, let the feast begin."
As soon as he finished speaking, he sat down, and the golden plates immediately filled with various foods.
Karkaroff immediately leaned towards Dumbledore, smiling broadly as he began to converse.
Charlie was pleasantly surprised to find many unfamiliar French and German dishes on the table.
Roasted foie gras with fig jam, onion soup with a thick layer of golden-brown cheese, various fish stews, and German sausages with sauerkraut.
Whether it tasted good or not was another matter, but for someone who loves to eat, being able to try new delicacies was a pleasant surprise.
Just as Charlie was engrossed in his meal, a voice spoke up.
"Hello, are you still eating this mixed fish soup?"
It was the girl who had sneered when Dumbledore was speaking.
She took off her scarf, revealing long, cascading silver hair, large sapphire-blue eyes, pristine white teeth, and skin as white as snow.
Many boys around her stopped eating and stared blankly at her after seeing her.
Even the people at the Gryffindor table next to them were no exception, and Ron's face turned bright red.
Charlie glanced at her, then at the soup.
He had just tasted the soup, and it was delicious; he was a bit reluctant to part with it.
However, she was a guest, and Hogwarts was the host, so some courtesy was necessary.
He pushed the plate over.
"Take it."
The girl smiled sweetly at Charlie, her voice soft.
"Thank you, Charlie. My name is Fleur."
She picked up the plate and turned to leave, her silver hair shimmering in the light.
Charlie wasn't surprised that she knew his name; Maxime had called him earlier outside.
But at the Gryffindor table, Hermione was so angry that she almost bent her spoon.
She was already displeased by Fleur's sneer earlier, and now she was even angrier.
She kept her scarf on to be mysterious, only to take it off in front of Charlie.
Don't you have that old, broken mixed fish soup at your own table?
Ron, beside her, stared blankly at Fleur, his gaze following her as she walked back to her seat.
Seeing this, Hermione was furious and stomped on Ron's foot.
"Ah!"
Ron cried out, bending down to clutch his foot.
Hermione withdrew her foot, staring coldly at him.
After recovering, Ron also realized he had been a bit embarrassing and quickly lowered his voice.
"She must be a Veela! I was just enchanted!"
"Really?" Hermione sneered.
"Then why is Harry fine? And Neville is fine?"
"Didn't Harry also stare at her?"
Hermione looked at Harry in disbelief, and indeed, Harry was staring in that direction.
Hermione shook her head in disappointment and sighed.
"Oh, men."
She didn't know, however, that Harry wasn't looking at Fleur at all, but at Cho Chang, who was next to Fleur.
The dinner continued.
Charlie noticed two people entering the Great Hall – Mr. Crouch from the Ministry of Magic and Ludo Bagman.
The two sat down at the faculty table, perfectly filling the empty seats.
The students gradually became full, and the food on the plates began to diminish.
Dumbledore stood up again.
The chatter in the Great Hall immediately ceased, and everyone looked up.
"The moment has finally arrived," Dumbledore's voice echoed through the Great Hall.
"The Triwizard Tournament is about to begin."
The students erupted in excited murmurs.
Dumbledore raised a hand for silence.
"Before I explain the rules, please allow me to introduce two distinguished guests." He gestured towards the faculty table.
"Mr. Barty Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation."
Crouch stood up, nodded expressionlessly, and quickly sat down.
The applause was sparse.
"And Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."
Bagman jumped up and waved his arms at the students.
This time the applause was much more enthusiastic, especially from the Gryffindor table, as Bagman seemed much more approachable.
"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch, along with the Principals of the three schools, will form the judging panel," Dumbledore said.
"They will judge and score the champions' performances."
He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the Great Hall.
"Mr. Filch, please bring forth the Goblet of Fire."
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