At five o'clock, Su Er and Hermione returned to the Great Hall. They parted at the entrance and each went to sit at their own house table.
Since it was Halloween, the Great Hall was decorated just as it had been in previous years. Great numbers of magically conjured bats wheeled overhead, and the candles had donned new pumpkin outfits, casting firelight through hollowed-out eyes and mouths. Countless little figures carved from pumpkins stood on the tables, in corners, and along the walls, eyeing everyone sidelong.
The Great Hall was noisy and warm. The guests who had come from afar gazed in wonder at the bats flying overhead and whispered among themselves. A few curious ones even reached for the little pumpkin figures on the tables, only for helpful students to remind them that those were decorations, not food.
The Goblet of Fire had been moved. It now stood in the very center of the raised platform, its blue-white flames swaying inside the cup where everyone could see them clearly.
That evening's feast seemed to last much longer than those of previous years. Perhaps because they had enjoyed an equally lavish feast the day before, everyone showed little interest in the exquisite dishes the Hogwarts Kitchens had spent all day preparing. They simply kept glancing up at the Goblet of Fire, then whispering to the friends beside them, their faces filled with impatience and anticipation.
Never before had they so wished for a feast to end early.
As time passed, more and more people grew restless. A few bolder students even stood on their benches, trying to see whether the plate in front of Dumbledore was empty yet.
Professor McGonagall did not speak up to remind these students of their manners. She, too, was eagerly waiting to see who would