Chapter 354: A dazzling appearance, five empty seats
"Twelve flying horses pulling a carriage, this is much cooler than Hogwarts' carriages," Aaron said meaningfully. Beauxbatons' way of traveling was very similar to how Hogwarts students above the second Class returned to school, but on a much larger scale, so the visual impact was naturally extraordinary.
The carriage descended at an extremely fast speed, its huge wheels slowly decelerating on the lawn, stopping precisely in front of the line.
The carriage was emblazoned with the Beauxbatons school emblem—two golden crossed wands, with three stars emerging from each wand.
The carriage door opened, and a boy in a light blue robe jumped out, then opened a golden spiral staircase.
A Giant black high-heeled shoe emerged from the carriage, followed by a beautiful female Giant.
"My goodness!" Aaron couldn't help but swallow.
He had thought Hagrid was already quite remarkable among Giants, especially being a Professor of Care of Magical Creatures, but he never expected a Giant to become a magic school Principal; it was simply unbelievable.
"Is that Madame Maxime?" Draco looked at the dazzlingly dressed female Giant, his expression a little unnatural. "No wonder my parents never considered sending me to Beauxbatons. A Giant Principal is harder to accept than Dumbledore."
"You can't say that. She should be considered a socialite among Giants.
And to be a Principal as a Giant, her management abilities are probably no worse than Dumbledore's."
As soon as he finished speaking, Dumbledore began to applaud, and hundreds of teachers and students followed suit, clapping in welcome.
Madame Maxime smiled and, as she walked, extended a sparkling hand towards Dumbledore.
After a simple hand-kiss, Dumbledore smiled and said, "Dear Madame Maxime, welcome to Hogwarts."
"Dumbledore, I hope you are well.
And these are my students."
Madame Maxime waved her hand behind her, and over a dozen male and female Wizards descended from the carriage, following her.
Most of these students were seventeen or older, likely the candidates for the Triwizard Tournament.
"Has Karkaroff arrived?"
"He should be here soon. Would you like to wait for him here or go inside to warm up first?" Dumbledore asked, noticing that the Beauxbatons students were dressed rather lightly and might not withstand the harsh weather.
"Let's go warm up first!
Professor Dumbledore, my horses have traveled a long distance; they need care."
"Rest assured, Madame Maxime!" Dumbledore said confidently, "Our Care of Magical Creatures ProfessorHagrid will take excellent care of them.
I assure you, he is perfectly capable of this job."
"Very well. Please tell Mr. Hagrid that my horses only drink single malt whisky."
"I will see to it."
Madame Maxime led her students up the stone steps and towards Hogwarts Castle.
They had barely left when a long mast rose from the lake.
Huge waves surged on the water, and a large ship surfaced from the lake, sailing towards the shore.
"Beautiful," Aaron applauded. "We've had flying and now swimming. In contrast, Hogwarts' ground-based welcoming ceremony seems a bit underwhelming; we're no different from Muggles."
"I can tell, Professor McGonagall doesn't look too pleased," Draco said, still very curious about the magic school that almost recruited him. He stood on his tiptoes, watching the ship approach.
Bang!
A wooden plank struck the shore, and the leading middle-aged man in a white leather coat walked quickly, followed by over a dozen older Class students in fur cloaks.
Gasps of astonishment rose from the Hogwarts welcoming party, because among these dozen Durmstrang students was a celebrity: Viktor Krum.
He had shone brightly in the Quidditch World Cup, and many still had a vivid impression of him.
"Albus," the middle-aged man greeted Dumbledore with a familiar hug. "Old friend, are you well?"
"Extremely well, Professor Karkaroff."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Dumbledore led them up the steps, with Hogwarts students following behind.
"I can't believe it," Draco murmured. "Krum is a member of the national Quidditch team, and I never expected him to be a student like us."
"Krum, Harry, it's Viktor Krum."
Hearing Ron's voice, the two couldn't help but exchange glances.
Turning their heads, they saw Ron clutching Harry's arm, trembling with excitement.
"What a disgrace to Pure-blood, Weasley," Draco said disdainfully. "Krum is a star, true, but you don't have to be so exaggerated!"
"What do you know? He's the best Seeker in the world."
"So… need an autograph?" Aaron teased.
"Of course I do," Ron said as if it were obvious, but the next moment his face fell. "I didn't bring a quill, and I don't have any paper."
"That's too bad; many people didn't bring those things," Aaron shook his head, then winked at Abey.
It glared disdainfully at Ron and pulled out paper and a pen from its pocket.
"How does it have everything in its pocket?" Hermioneasked in surprise.
"Because I put everything I need in there," Aaron explained casually. "I have a pen and paper, but whether you can get an autograph is not something I can control."
"Thank you so much!" Ron quickly took the paper and pen, looking at Krum's back, pondering how to ask for an autograph.
"Do you want one?" Aaron asked Draco. After a moment of hesitation, he blushed and nodded.
"Um… if there's still paper and a pen, could we have some too?" Lee Jordan asked awkwardly. The Weasley twins were beside him, and all three's eyes were filled with anticipation.
Not just them, but Harry Potter and several members of the Quidditch school team also joined in.
Aaron's mouth twitched slightly. He had plenty of pens and paper, but how could he give them out in this situation?
Today was a welcoming ceremony, not a Viktor Krumautograph session.
"I'm sorry, you're a step too late."
"This is ridiculous; he's just a Quidditch player," Hermionesaid in a low voice.
"Ridiculous?" Aaron chuckled and shook his head. "I still remember how a certain Witch in the second Class admired Gilderoy Lockhart even more."
Hearing this, Hermione's face flushed slightly, and she made no further comments.
Beauxbatons students sat with Ravenclaw Wizards, while Durmstrang students chose the Slytherin long table.
Being in close proximity, Draco easily got Krum's autograph. Malfoy's Pure-blood noble status made it easy for him to mingle with these Wizards.
Ron, who had originally wanted to try for an autograph, gnashed his teeth in frustration at this sight, but in front of his idol, he could only suppress his displeasure.
Filch added five chairs next to the staff table, and Madame Maxime and Karkaroff sat on Dumbledore's left and right, respectively.
The feast began after the guests from the two schools were seated, but compared to usual, tonight's dinner had more foreign characteristics, better catering to the guests' tastes.
During the meal, two more people arrived and sat in the empty seats: Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch.
"It seems there are still distinguished guests to arrive!" Draco acted particularly confident in front of the Durmstrang Wizards. "The last to appear must be extraordinary, perhaps an elder of the Magical World!"
After eating and drinking their fill, the golden tableware was wiped clean, packed up, and taken away.
Dumbledore stood up from his seat, and the atmosphere in the Great Hall quieted down.
He smiled at everyone. "The moment has finally arrived; the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin. But before that, I must introduce a few people to you.
This is Mr. Barty Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic.
And this is Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports at the Ministry of Magic."
The two stood up one after another, showed their faces to everyone, and received some applause.
"Over the past few months, these two gentlemen have worked tirelessly to arrange the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore said. "They will form the judging panel with me, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime."
"Cough, cough!" Barty Crouch suddenly coughed.
"Besides us, there is one more judge," Dumbledore looked meaningfully at the last empty seat. "She was delayed by some matters, but she should have arrived by now."
As his voice fell, the Great Hall doors opened, and a young woman slowly walked in.
She wore a beige dress, her slender figure full and graceful, her waterfall of black hair draped over her shoulders. Her face was bare of makeup, her jade-like skin showing a hint of blush, her eyebrows like painted ink, and her black eyes shone with a radiant heroic spirit.
The moment she appeared, she captivated everyone's gaze.
The boys unconsciously swallowed, while the girls felt a bit ashamed of themselves.
None of them had expected the last judge to be so young, yet her powerful confidence and composure made it seem entirely natural; she was undoubtedly the fairest judge.
Aaron, however, stared wide-eyed at the girl walking forward, momentarily unable to react. Fear, doubt, confusion, astonishment, bewilderment, and various other complex and jumbled emotions intertwined in his mind, forming a single word.
"Sis."
At this moment, it was as if many questions were silently answered.
Adrian coming to Hogwarts to serve as a judge for the Triwizard Tournament was likely what Gines had been hiding from him.
No wonder Adrian was interested in the Quidditch World Cup; the Triwizard Tournament, like the Quidditch World Cup, was a major event, and attending in person would provide better experience to draw upon.
As Aaron suddenly understood, he was unaware of the profound impact the word he had instinctively uttered had caused.
Draco, who was closest, stared with wide, astonished eyes, followed by over a dozen Durmstrang students, then the entire Slytherin long table, and finally, everyone's gaze constantly shifted between him and the newcomer.
Harry and the others had seen Adrian at the Quidditch World Cup, but at that time, she wore a half-mask, and her mysterious aura overshadowed her sealed beauty. Now, however, the person before them was a beauty of unparalleled grace, so much so that they didn't immediately connect the two.