A magnificent ship rose from the surface of Black Lake, Winky in the moonlight.
Its appearance is bizarre, like a skeleton, or the remains of a shipwreck that has just been salvaged.
The porthole flickered with a dim, hazy light, looking like the eyes of a ghost.
With a series of splashing sounds, the large ship emerged completely, bobbing on the undulating lake surface, and began to sail towards the shore.
A moment later, the Hogwarts students and teachers heard a splash as an anchor was thrown into the shallow water, followed by a snap as a plank was laid on the lake shore.
People inside the ship are disembarking, and you can see their shadows cast by the lights as they pass through the portholes.
They were almost all big guys, even bigger than Crabbe and Goyle.
As they walked along the lawn toward the castle, they were illuminated by the light cast from the Entrance Hall.
The reason they appeared so large was because each of them was wearing a thick fur cloak.
The man walking in front was different; the fur of his cloak was silver-white, soft and smooth, much like his hair.
"Dumbledore!" the man called out enthusiastically as he walked up the slope. "How are you, my dear old friend?"
Dumbledore stepped forward, responding loudly as he walked. "Excellent! Thank you, Professor Karkaroff."
Karkaroff strode into the light shining from the castle Entrance Hall, where the students could finally see his tall, thin figure.
His white hair was short, and his goatee did not completely cover his chin, with the ends of his beard curling slightly.
Dumbledore stopped in front of him, and the latter warmly extended his hands to shake them.
"My dear old friend," Karkaroff said with a broad smile, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
He looked up at the castle. "Hogwarts, it's truly amazing."
Although he was smiling, his eyes held no joy. "It's so good to be here, so good."
He turned around and beckoned to a tall man, "Viktor, come over and warm up."
Then he turned back to look at him. "You don't mind, do you, Dumbledore? Viktor has a bit of a cold."
Viktor?
Hermione's lips twitched.
Both Vincent and Viktor mean conqueror and victor in Latin, and Crabbe's name is also Vincent.
There was also a Duke Vincent de Tefole-Picoque who cast a Concealment Charm on his neck, pretending that he had been beheaded, thus escaping the hanging.
Vincent isn't a particularly rare name, and this Viktor might not be the same Viktor 're talking about.
The tall man stepped forward, Hermione could clearly see a striking hooked nose and two thick, dark eyebrows.
Maybe they just look alike?
Ron, standing behind her, nudged Harry's arm hard. "Harry, look! It's Viktor Krum!"
Hermione's lips twitched wildly.
What a small world! We even bumped into each other at school.
She quickly looked at Vincent.
Someone who is kind and gentle is unlikely to resort to violence.
Unless...
"I can't believe it!" Ron behind her exclaimed dramatically. "It's Viktor Krum! Viktor Krum!"
Hermione glanced back and said, "What's the big deal? He's just a Quidditch player."
Ron was taken aback. "Just a Quidditch player?"
Harry, who was next to him, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, there's really nothing to be surprised about."
Ron stared blankly at Harry, who was constantly winking at him. "He's the World's Number One Seeker. I can't believe we've met again so soon. And I certainly didn't expect him to still be a student."
"Heh heh—" Hermione chuckled dryly. "Ron, there are many things in this world that can surprise you. Do you always have to be this exaggerated?"
Ron remembered that she knew Viktor Krum, but he went to watch the awards ceremony later and didn't gossip about their relationship like everyone else.
Now, seeing Harry still giving him meaningful glances, he suddenly realized that their relationship was not simple.
Just then, Dumbledore and Karkaroff ended their conversation and walked into the castle side by side.
The Hogwarts students and Durmstrang's delegation followed behind the two men respectively.
Leading the way were Vincent and Viktor Krum.
Hermione followed them into the castle, while Harry and Ron, who lagged behind, began whispering to each other.
"What!?"
"Shh—" Harry whispered, "Didn't you notice the way Viktor Krum looked at Hermione? And didn't George and Fred tell you about it?"
Ron also lowered his voice, "No, that's just Hermione's side of the story. Maybe Viktor Krum didn't mean it that way at all, and she just misunderstood."
The two walked through the Entrance Hall into the Great Hall.
Li Zheng tiptoed up and down, seemingly trying to get a clearer view of Viktor Krum's back.
Several older female students were frantically rummaging through their pockets as they walked.
"Oh, I can't believe it, I didn't even bring a quill pen with me."
Do you think he'll sign my hat with his lipstick?
Ron rummaged through his pockets. "Harry, you brought a quill, right? I definitely won't miss his autograph this time."
Harry shook his head helplessly. "Ron, let's get back to what happened earlier."
He walked toward the Gryffindor table. "If it were you, would you give the Golden Snitch from the World Cup final to a girl you don't like? And after being rejected, would you still go and ask her out alone in front of a group of strangers?"
"Uh... Viktor Krum said that the Golden Snitch was a souvenir." Ron felt a little strange, but still said with certainty, "Hermione helped Viktor Krum. If it were me, I would definitely try to thank her, but she didn't appreciate it."
Harry shook his heavy little head and sat down at the long table.
He thought he was straight enough, but he didn't expect Ron to be the straightest of the straight men, practically a terminal case of male chauvinism.
"Ron, you're such a clueless straight man, you're destined to be single forever. I think you desperately need to improve your emotional intelligence."
"Emotional intelligence?" Ron sat down next to him with a puzzled look. "I know about IQ, but what the hell is EQ?"
Harry took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling with a sense of utter despair.
"Emotional intelligence... Ron, you can go to Hermione, she's read a lot of books on this topic."
Ron scoffed. "Looking for her? Forget it, I think I'm doing just fine right now."
After he finished speaking, he turned his head toward the entrance of the Great Hall.
The delegations of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were looking at the four long tables, as if considering which one to choose to sit at.
Harry shook his heavy little head again.
Looking at Ron's expectant face, he suddenly felt a sense of weariness.
But since they were friends, he decided to borrow some books from Hermione after the banquet.