Although the agreed arrival time was 6:45 p.m., even the last of the Champions had reached the edge of the Quidditch pitch by half past six.
Harry, Ron, and the others had arrived a little after six.
Rows of seats had been set up in front of the enormous Tree Wall, clearly for the spectators to sit in once the task began. Quite a few students were already scattered among them.
Students from the seven schools could come early to find seats, but visitors from outside the schools had to wait until the designated time-6:50 p.m.-before entering. Of course, wizards were more efficient, and with only a little over a thousand spectators, that should have been enough time.
And if it wasn't enough... then it wasn't enough. Who cared?
The big shots all got in early anyway.
At 6:45, Bagman, Umbridge, Percy, and two other wizards from the Tournament Committee came to the Tree Wall. The two wizards cast a spell on it, and the mist that had shrouded the Tree Wall, preventing anyone from seeing it clearly or entering, rapidly dispersed.
What lay within was finally revealed to everyone with somewhat greater clarity.
But it was already nearly seven in the evening. The sun had set, and the sky was growing dark. Even with that enormous thing before them, they could not make it out completely.
Bagman took roll for the Champions as usual, only relaxing a little once he had confirmed that they were all there.
Meanwhile, the spectators began entering.
Presumably for convenience, Hogwarts had temporarily shrunk its anti-Apparition barrier to cover only the castle that day. Apparition was still impossible on the Quidditch pitch, but it was possible just a little farther away, so quite a few wizards Apparated straight there, then entered the pitch and