Today is the day the other two schools arrive for the tournament. I don't know whose brilliant idea it was to make all the students wait outside in this freezing cold. Many of the younger children don't have heating enchantments on their robes, so the twins and I made small fires to keep them warm. I also asked the elves to serve hot drinks since we didn't know how much longer we'd have to wait for them to arrive, even though they were supposed to arrive at 6 pm. I'm not sure it was worth leaving half an hour early just to be out here half-frozen.
It was a few minutes after 6 when the first school arrived; it was the Beauxbatons delegation. They arrived in a huge pastel blue carriage pulled by a dozen Abraxans the size of elephants each. The carriage landed gracefully on the school grounds, and once it stopped, the headmistress of Beauxbatons, Olympe Maxime, got out. She is a very tall witch, a little taller than Hagrid. Behind her, her students got out, looking very affected by the cold.
Mrs. Maxime approached Dumbledore and they exchanged greetings. At that moment, the water of the Black Lake began to form a large whirlpool, and slowly, a huge, dark wooden ship with an almost skeletal appearance emerged from the depths of the lake through the eddy. Once the ship was completely on the surface of the lake, it approached the shore, anchored, and shortly afterward, Headmaster Igor Karkaroff disembarked, followed by his students. Leading the Durmstrang students was the famous Quidditch Seeker, Viktor Krum.
After the three headmasters exchanged greetings with all the students, we entered the Great Hall. Each school gave a short presentation showcasing its defining characteristics. Beauxbatons' presentation was a display of elegance and beauty, while Durmstrang's showcased its vigor and strength.
As we were re-entering the castle, we could hear several students excited about Viktor Krum's arrival. I think the most prominent voice was Ron's; he sounded incredibly excited every time he talked about the famous Seeker. I'd never heard Ron speak about anything with such enthusiasm as he did about Krum, though it's not like I know him very well, since I haven't spoken to him much since Harry and Hermione had their fight with him. We only exchange the usual polite greetings when I see him, as he usually turns away when he sees Harry, and since I spend so much time with Harry, I hardly ever see Ron.
The Durmstrang students sat at the Slytherin table, and Draco and his gorillas were happy. Draco seemed to be getting closer and closer to Krum, trying to talk to him, but Viktor seemed to be ignoring him. It was rather amusing to watch. The Beauxbatons students sat at the Ravenclaw table.
The professors entered last, with the three headmasters being the final ones to enter. When they saw their headmaster, the Beauxbatons students stood up and only sat down again when he took his seat.
Dumbledore remained standing and began welcoming the guests and wishing them well, saying that the tournament would officially begin after dinner.
The banquet had barely been going on for about 20 minutes when a beautiful girl with long, platinum blonde hair that reached her waist, striking deep blue eyes, and perfect white teeth approached our table. From her uniform and her appearance, I knew it was Fleur Delacour. Once she reached the table, she said,
"Pegdonag, aren't you having bouillabaisse?"
Some of the boys closest to her blushed and couldn't speak properly. Seeing them like that, I chuckled a little at them, as they looked quite funny, though I was surprised that Harry wasn't fazed by Fleur's beauty. When I laughed, Fleur heard me and turned to look at me. I coughed a little, trying to hide it, and answered her in French as I handed her the tureen.
" Sorry... you can take it."
Fleur's eyes widened in surprise at seeing me, and she smiled when I spoke to her in her language
. "Have you finished with it?"
"Yes, you can have it, that's fine with us.
" "Thank you."
Fleur took the tureen and carried it to Ravenclaw's table. The boys were still staring at her, mesmerized. It was as if they'd never seen a girl before. A few moments later, someone mentioned she was a Veela. This little comment sparked a small debate among the Gryffindor boys and girls, and for some reason, my name came up. I saw Harry nod in agreement, but since I hadn't been paying attention, I didn't know why they'd mentioned my name. So I asked Harry what they'd said about me. At first, Harry was about to answer, but when he opened his mouth and looked at me, he blushed and could only stammer out a reply I didn't understand. Hermione rolled her eyes and said,
"They were saying that Hogwarts also has a girl just as pretty as that girl from Beauxbatons from before... you.
" "Oh... haha... thanks... I guess."
Her answer took me by surprise and I felt a little shy. Seeing me like that, Hermione smiled and said.
"You know... sometimes you can be very bold with the things you do, and other times you're charmingly shy."
I shot Hermione a dry look, but she just laughed in response. Harry and Neville were also laughing at our exchange. Feeling a little shy, I got up and walked over to Ravenclaw's table to sit next to Luna. Once I was sitting with Luna, I put my arm around her shoulders and stuck my tongue out at Hermione. When I did that, the three of them started laughing, and Luna, though bewildered, returned the hug with a smile.
Our little exchange attracted the attention of several students from both Hogwarts and the other two schools, and from the head table, I could see some teachers laughing too.
While we were chatting, Mr. Crouch and Ludo Bagman arrived and sat down, one next to Headmistress Maxime and the other next to Karkarov. After dessert, Dumbledore stood up and said with a smile when everyone turned to look at him.
"The moment has arrived, the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin... I'd like to say a few words before the chest is brought out... just to clarify the procedure we're going to follow... but first, for those of you who don't know them, allow me to introduce Mr. Bartemius Crouch, the Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Director of the Department of Magical Sports and Games."
There were a few polite claps for Crouch and a few louder ones for Bagman, as he seemed to be known as a famous Quidditch striker or something like that, I overheard some students whispering to each other. Besides, Bagman seemed much friendlier and even gave a jovial wave as he acknowledged the applause, unlike Crouch, who didn't even smile when he was introduced.
"Messrs. Crouch and Bagman have worked tirelessly for the past few months on the tournament preparations and will be with me, Professor Karkarov, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts... Mr. Filch, if you would be so kind as to bring the casket."
With these words from the headmaster, Mr. Filch, who had been standing in a corner of the Great Hall, approached Dumbledore carrying a large wooden box encrusted with jewels that appeared very old. The students were excited, and some even stood on their seats for a better view.
Mr. Filch carefully placed the box on a table in front of him...