Triwizard Tournament Opens

As dusk settled and night fell, a pure white, translucent moon hung in the sky above the Forbidden Forest.

Black Lake is as calm as a mirror. A gentle breeze ripples across the surface, and invisible moisture blends into the damp, cool air, carrying the scent of earth and grass that is refreshing and invigorating.

Dumbledore stood with his hands tucked into his beard, a faint smile playing on his lips; anyone who saw him would describe him as gentle, polite, and approachable. Led by the headmaster, the Hogwarts faculty and staff stood in a row along the shore of the Black Lake, welcoming the arrival of the other schools in the Triwizard Tournament.

"Minerva," Dumbledore's lips barely moved, but his muttered complaints were heard by the surrounding professors, "Couldn't we have just met her in the Entrance Hall? At least there we wouldn't be exposed to the cold wind there."

Professor McGonagall stared intently at the sky above the Forbidden Forest, not even glancing at him. "Do you think that's polite of Hogwarts?"

"No one will say Hogwarts is impolite to your face..."

Dumbledore received a glance from Professor McGonagall, his voice gradually softened, and after a cough, he resumed his gentle and polite demeanor as the old headmaster.

Professor Sprout, standing nearby, initially intended to remain silent and pretend he hadn't heard anything. Professor Flitwick, however, thought this was too abrupt and cleared his throat, asking, "Ahem, where's Severus? I haven't seen him."

"His last class is Potions class, so he probably still has things to take care of."

"Where's Hagrid? I haven't seen him anywhere."

"Oh, my Prefect told me that there was a little trouble in Hagrid's class."

"..."

As the ground gradually darkened, the young wizards of Hogwarts ' excitement slowly faded. The ground remained the same, silent and tranquil, without a trace of any unfamiliar wizards.

"It's chilly."

Loren muttered, reaching his hand under the hood of the girl's magic robe to draw in the warmth stored there. "I've been standing here for almost half an hour. I'm already thinking of going back to the Castle."

Hermione sighed, leaned back against Loren, and let her sore legs relax.

"They're here! They're over there!"

A sixth-grade student suddenly shouted, pointing to the sky above the Forbidden Forest.

Following the direction he was pointing, everyone looked and saw a small black dot rapidly streaking across the deep blue sky, Accio towards the Castle, gradually growing larger. When the dark object entered the Castle's light, the young wizards finally saw its shape clearly and cheered in surprise.

"Is it Fire Dragon?"

"Don't talk nonsense, it's a house flying!"

Twelve Abraxan, their broad wingspans obscuring a large portion of the sky, were enormous, larger than Hippogriff, pulling on the powder-blue carriage. With a sickeningly loud thud, the carriage crashed to the ground.

The square carriage was covered with luxurious decorations. The plant vines were carved from silver, and the animal eyes shone with golden light. The most eye-catching thing was the emblem printed on the door: two golden cross wands with three dazzling stars emerging from the front.

Amidst the clatter of horses' hooves, the carriage door opened, and a gleaming black high heel emerged.

Seamus gasped, "My God, she's so tall."

A burly woman, dressed in black velvet, peeked out. Her single leg was longer than the entire body of many young wizards. Her face was surprisingly beautiful, with an olive-colored face, a pair of dark and bright eyes, and a pointed nose.

"Dear Madam Maxime"

Dumbledore smile, took the rough hand adorned with precious opals, kissed the shimmering back of the hand, and said warmly, looking up at him, "Welcome to Hogwarts."

The scene was so bizarre that the young wizards all shuddered.

"Dumbledore, I hope you are well," Madam Maxime said in a low voice.

"Very good, thank you."

"These are my students."

All eyes turned to the dozen or so young wizards who came down from behind. Judging from their appearance, they were all around eighteen or nineteen years old, dressed in exquisite silk garments, and shivering slightly in the cold wind.

Just as the young wizards at Hogwarts were curious about them, the young wizards at Beauxbatons were also filled with curiosity about Hogwarts. A dozen or so young wizards looked up at the ancient castle not far ahead, their faces filled with awe.

"Karkaroff," Madam Maxime paused, "And Fontana, have they arrived?"

"They could arrive at any moment. Would you rather wait here to greet them, or would you like to go inside and warm up first?"

"Let's warm up a bit, but what about those horses—"

"Our teacher who Care of Magical Creatures will be happy to take care of them..."

Harry and Ron, who had rushed over and were panting from running, happened to hear the last sentence. Looking at the Thestral, which was even bigger than an elephant, they were astonished and asked eagerly.

"What horse?"

Where is Hagrid?

Hearing the sound, Loren and Hermione turned around and saw the two of them, so they moved aside to make room for each other.

"These are the Thestral of Beauxbatons, and that is Madam Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons. Hagrid is looking after the Blast-Ended Skrewts." Loren introduced them very thoroughly. "Don't worry, my dear friend, you haven't missed anything."

Harry and Ron rolled their eyes and squeezed into the front row of the crowd watching the spectacle. Ron whispered, "Look at that lady over there, isn't she beautiful?"

"We think we've seen her before, on the night of the Quidditch World Cup."

"Come on, we've seen plenty of wizards that night."

"..."

As Professor McGonagall led the students and teachers of Beauxbatons into the Castle, the place fell silent again, with only the sound of the Thestral snorting and stamping its hooves remaining.

Hermione suddenly asked, "Did you hear anything?"

Before the words were finished, a suppressed rumbling and sucking sound gradually approached, as if the sound came from underground, causing ripples to spread across the Black Lake. The ripples gradually turned into splashes and waves, stirring the lake surface until a large whirlpool suddenly appeared in the center of the lake.

A black mast rose from the center of the whirlpool, and slowly, a magnificent ship emerged from the water. Its entire iron hull was covered with decaying black stains, with only the portholes gleaming with a hazy light, like the eyes of a ghost.

As the anchor was lowered and the bridge was erected, the young wizards finally saw Headmaster of Durmstrang, a tall, thin man with short, graying hair, a goatee with small curls at the ends, and a thin chin.

"Dumbledore! My dear old friend, how are you?"

Karkaroff's voice was high-pitched but not harsh; rather, it had a mellow, sweet quality. He called out to Dumbledore from afar. But as they got closer, the young wizards realized that although he was smiling, his eyes were full of indifference.

"My dear old friend Hogwarts, it's so good to be here, so good—"

"Toot-woo—"

"Toot-woo—"

His voice was interrupted by a series of car horns. A large, unassuming, bright yellow vehicle gradually approached from the distant hills. It had the heavy front of an SUV and the square body of a bus, with sharp, angular lines, exuding a rugged and upright character.

A yellow sign hangs above the driver's window, clearly displaying the words "[School Bus]".

The bright yellow school bus traversed mountains and valleys, constantly rushing into forests and rocky areas, but it didn't hit anything. The branches and rocks automatically jumped aside as the school bus passed, and returned to their original positions after the school bus was over.

There was a tall, sturdy oak tree that the school bus couldn't jump over in time. Just as it was about to hit it, the bus suddenly flashed and passed through the obstacle... The young wizards stared in disbelief as the school bus drove through the hills and woods and came to them.

The young wizards peering out of the car window met the gazes of the other young wizards waiting at the venue, their eyes flashing with the same curiosity and surprise.

A dull screech of brakes sounded, and the school bus came to a stop, a red stop sign popping up on the side.

A friendly-looking middle-aged man stepped out of the car, wearing a black trench coat and a gold Goldy Gordian Knot tied around his neck. Aegilbert Fontana looked around and when he saw Dumbledore, a warm smile spread across his face, "Mr. Dumbledore, it's been a long time!"

"Fontana, we just met during the summer vacation." Dumbledore shook his hand and turned to introduce him, "This is Headmaster Karkaroff of Durmstrang, I think you've already met him."

"Yes, it was Principal Karkaroff who invited us to participate in the Triwizard Tournament. Thank you so much."

"Don't say that, it was also Madam Maxime's idea."

"..."

The young wizards weren't interested in the adults' small talk; they were much more interested in two cool modes of transportation—giant ships that could cross oceans and travel underwater, and school buses that could traverse mountains and valleys.

"I really want to go up and sit there..." George uttered the sentiments of many young wizards.

While examining these two items Ilvermorny and Durmstrang's students were also seen.

The young wizards of Ilvermorny wore blue and berry-red robes with identical knots tied around their necks, though some tied them crookedly while others tied them into neat triangular shapes.

"The Gordian Knot," Hermione whispered, "Is said to be in honor of Aesop Thale, the Founders of Ilvermorny."

The Durmstrang wizards standing nearby all looked quite large, as they were wearing thick fur cloaks.

Upon seeing the striking hooked nose and thick, dark eyebrows, Harry and Ron widened their eyes in unison and exclaimed, "It's Krum!"

The feast was in full swing.

Loren savored the new French dishes that had appeared on the table: beef bourguignon, Coquilles Saint-Jacques, Foie Gras, and Escargots de Bourgogne...

Although the House-elf at Hogwarts are skilled cooks and can even make delicious English cuisine, there are some things that are inherently different and cannot be compensated for by skill alone.

Hermione sipped her Bouillabaisse, but her mind was clearly not on the food. Her beautiful brown eyes were fixed on two familiar faces at the High Table: Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch.

"Loren, don't you think Mr. Crouch. Barty Crouch looks too pale?" Hermione asked hesitantly, then shook her head and began to answer her own question before he could reply, "He probably has a cold. It's getting colder lately, Krum has a cold too..."

Loren nodded.

The five newly added seats in the High Table occupied by the headmasters of the three schools, Ludo Bagman of the Department of Physical Education, Barty Crouch of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and the group chatted happily with Dumbledore, raising their glasses for drinks from time to time.

"Headmaster Fontana." Crouch raised his glass to clink with Fontana's, his smile subtle but impeccably polite. "Ilvermorny brought the most students; it must be difficult for you to manage them all by yourself. Why didn't you bring another professor?"

Fontana took a sip of red wine, shook his head and smiled wryly, "Don't even mention it. Last semester, a professor who had just arrived left without saying a word, and the school is short-staffed."

"He left suddenly?" Crouch asked suspiciously. "Could it be that the Protestantism's knowledge was insufficient, and he felt he was not up to the task, so he resigned voluntarily?"

Fontana shook his head. "That professor is very knowledgeable and understands Muggle very well. Apart from his somewhat extreme teaching philosophy, he's excellent in every other way..."

Crouch glanced at Dumbledore, his smile widening.

The headmaster sat at the High Table, while the young wizards from the three schools took their seats at the four Head of House.

The Durmstrang young wizards were chatting happily with the Slytherin students, and the presence of Viktor Krum made the Slytherin even more eager.

The young wizard from Beauxbatons sat at the Ravenclaw table, where the Beauxbatons girl at the head of the table Winky in the candlelight. Her long, silver hair cascaded down to her waist, her slender waist was gracefully curved, and her large, bright blue eyes were captivating.

Ron turned his head with difficulty, his face flushed with excitement. "Hey, I was supposed to be looking at Krum, but I ended up staring at that girl without even realizing it. That girl is really something else!"

Harry paused for a moment. "Have you ever considered that it's not the girl's problem, it's your problem?"

There were more people from Ilvermorny, who split into two groups: one group sat in Hufflepuff and the other in Gryffindor.

"The Horned Serpent House loves reading and research, the Thunderbird House loves adventure, and the Goblin House cultivates kind-hearted people... This sounds just like our Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff!"

A group of young Gryffindor wizards enthusiastically surrounded several Ilvermorny students. Lee Jordan excitedly waved his fork and looked at the boy in the blue robe next to him. "And you, what house are you from, Gravis?"

The young wizard Gravis smiled, "Catamount House, which reveres power, is it similar to which house in your school?"

Lee Jordan's smile froze, and he became speechless. "S- Slytherin..."

"Stop teasing him, Gravis."

The little Witch Bute But chuckled softly, "The strength that the Catamount House values is not just power, but also includes physical strength. Most importantly, the Catamount House values Champion uphold peace. Lee, this is like a combination of your Hufflepuff and Gryffindor."

Lee Jordan breathed a sigh of relief, and the little wizards around him smiled again.