Chapter 496: A Visitor from Afar
Chapter 496: A Visitor from Afar
The final class of the day was History of Magic, and since it ended half an hour early, everyone rushed out of the classroom as soon as the bell rang.
Kyle and Cona returned to the Hufflepuff Common Room, changed into the cloaks they would wear at the Christmas banquet as instructed, and then joined the others in the Entrance Hall.
Professor Sprout was lining up the students at the Great Hall entrance. The first-year students were at the front, followed by the others...
Kyle noticed that Professor McGonagall was examining each student's attire.
"Weasley, straighten your hat..."
"Figgan, fasten your cloak..."
"Pettigrew, remove that ridiculous thing from your head!"
...
Once all the students were assembled, Professor McGonagall checked the time and led them out of the castle to the front.
By now, the moon had risen over the Forbidden Forest, and some of the younger wizards were shivering, whether from excitement or the cold.
In a spot where the professors couldn't see, the students whispered and discussed how the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students would arrive.
"I think it'll be Apparition," Fred said. "Imagine a group of people appearing on the school grounds in an instant. That would be interesting."
"I don't think so," Cedric shook his head. "Hogwarts doesn't allow Apparition. They can't just Apparate to the front gate and then walk over, can they?"
"So I think it'll be broomsticks. Don't forget that Durmstrang's Viktor Krum is a Quidditch star. Arriving on a broomstick would also maximize his fame."
"Do you know how far Durmstrang is?" George said exaggeratedly, "Only a fool would ride a broomstick that far... I still think Apparition is more likely. Maybe Professor Dumbledore has already lifted the school's restrictions."
As George spoke, he couldn't help but raise his voice a little, which caught the attention of Professor McGonagall. She turned and gave him a stern look.
"Ah, if I'm not mistaken..." At that moment, Dumbledore, standing at the back, shouted, "The Beauxbatons representative has arrived!"
Kyle looked up and soon saw a huge light blue carriage flying in the sky above the Forbidden Forest.
The carriage was ridiculously large, resembling a house, and twelve Thestrals with wings were pulling it through the air.
Unlike the Nifflers, the Thestrals had wings but still resembled ordinary silver-maned horses, and they were much larger, looking like elephants.
In the blink of an eye, the carriage also landed on the ground with a deafening roar... As it got closer, the Thestrals pulling the carriage looked even larger, and the students in the front rows weren't even as tall as one of the Thestral's legs.
Then the carriage door opened, and a boy in a light blue robe jumped out and opened a golden staircase from under the carriage.
Then a shiny black high-heeled shoe extended from the carriage.
"Oh... Wow!" Cedric gasped, finally understanding what Kyle meant.
Madame Maxime was incredibly large, standing three or four meters tall. Perhaps only Hagrid could compare in size to her within the entire Hogwarts.
Dumbledore started clapping, and the students followed suit.
First, the Thestrals, and even the headmaster, clapped. Many people were grumbling in their hearts... Could it be that the Beauxbatons students were all big and tall?
Consider a student two or three meters tall participating in the Triwizard Tournament. Could they really win?
Fortunately, this situation did not occur, and there were no large students among those who disembarked from the carriages.
One of the students, with a scarf wrapped around their head, immediately fixed their gaze on the Hogwarts students at the castle entrance, seemingly searching for something.
Upon spotting Kyle in the crowd, she excitedly waved her hand.
Kyle also waved back, but due to the large number of people, he was positioned in the middle towards the back, and could only greet her in this manner.
"Do you know him?" Conna blinked her eyes.
"Yeah." Kyle nodded, "Do you remember I had a friend in France?"
Conna thought for a moment, "The one who sent you French chocolates?"
Conna raised her head to take a closer look, but at this moment, the students had already reached Madame Maxime's side, blocking her view completely.
"Look at the Black Lake..."
Just as the two headmasters were speaking, someone suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone immediately looked over, and enormous splashes appeared on the previously calm lake surface.
"Something is about to emerge from within!" George said instinctively.
"It seems Karkaroff has also arrived." Dumbledore smiled and said, "The timing is just right."
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Madame Maxime nodded. She had originally planned to take the students into the castle to warm up, but since the Durmstrang group had already arrived, she did not bring up this matter again.
Soon, a black mast emerged from the lake, followed by a magnificent ship.
However, its appearance was strange, as if it were a recently salvaged shipwreck. Perhaps this was what a legendary ghost ship would look like.
Nonetheless, this design had a unique charm. At the very least, Fred and George were already captivated.
"It's so cool..." Fred moved closer to George and whispered, "What do you say we make the Weasley Joke Shop into a ghost ship too?"
"Haha, we were thinking the same thing." George laughed.
"Oh... Look at that person over there!"
At this moment, another commotion arose among the crowd, and it was louder than the previous ones.
"Oh my, it's Krum!" someone exclaimed excitedly.
As the current most popular Quidditch player, Viktor Krum had numerous admirers among the students. As soon as he stepped out of the cabin, he was recognized.
Everyone's gaze turned towards him, so much so that no one paid attention to the person walking at the front anymore.
Karkaroff, the headmaster of Durmstrang, was tall and thin, with short white hair and a small goatee, giving off a very shrewd impression.
"Welcome, Headmaster Karkaroff." Dumbledore stepped forward and smiled.
"Dumbledore!" Karkaroff enthusiastically extended his arm, "My dear old friend, how are you!"
"Excellent." Dumbledore embraced him.
Then, Karkaroff walked over to Madame Maxime's side and performed a kiss on her hand.
The three headmasters chatted warmly for a while, and then Dumbledore led them into the castle.
...
(End of Chapter)
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