Chapter 568: Chapter 568: The Awakening of Tom Yodel (Edited)
"I think I can fully accept it. Couldn't you consider it as a combination of Maradona and Michael Jordan and thus understand their emotions?" Tom explained to Krum's enthusiastic fans.
Quidditch is the only popular sport in the magical world, so it's appropriate to compare Krum to a combination of a basketball star and a soccer star.
After hearing this, Hermione could more or less understand those people's feelings, but she still thought they were ridiculous and boring deep down in her heart.
Why pursue a star? Wouldn't it be better to use that time to read books? Even if they don't want to read, they could eat, drink, or play games instead. Why waste their valuable time chasing after stars?
They entered the Great Hall, where the Beauxbatons students were already seated at the Ravenclaw table, while the Durmstrang students were still undecided.
After the Beauxbatons students had taken their seats, they looked around the Great Hall with curiosity and seemed somewhat bored. Three of them even had their heads wrapped in scarves and shawls.
"Why are they covering their heads? It's not that cold today, is it?" Hermione complained a bit, feeling that those French students seemed to underestimate Hogwarts.
"It's probably for religious reasons. In France, there are many 'pieds-noirs' who come from North Africa, and their doctrine requires them to cover their heads."
In France, there are many immigrants from North Africa. Although even if their skin is white, locals derogatorily refer to them as "pieds-noirs," which means they have black African roots.
"Why do they still believe in those things after becoming wizards?" Hermione muttered. After becoming wizards, very few of them maintain their faith. Even people like Hermione and Harry, who come from Muggle families, rarely say "Oh my God." Instead, they usually say "Merlin" in general. Although Hermione didn't fully understand, she still chose to be tolerant.
She sat next to Tom at the Ravenclaw table, waiting for the food to be served.
"Today we're going to enjoy it." Tom was very excited because the guests were coming from France and Northern Europe, which meant that today's cuisine would include French dishes and Northern European specialties. This made Tom, who was already tired of unappetizing British cuisine, very excited.
He even hoped to expand the size of the Triwizard Tournament in the future, inviting magic schools from Japan and Brazil. This way, he could taste authentic South American dishes and Japanese food.
"Look!" Hermione wasn't interested in the food and was observing the changes at the teachers' table. Filch, in his tuxedo, had added two chairs on each side of Dumbledore's seat.
At the same time, the Durmstrang students finally made a decision and joined the Slytherin students for the meal. Tom could almost hear the sighs coming from the Gryffindor table.
"They added two directors but placed four chairs. It must be that someone from the Ministry of Magic is coming. Will the Minister for Magic be here?" Hermione was more interested in today's guests than in Quidditch stars.
"As Ludo Bagman is the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, he's likely to come," Tom thought while analyzing with Hermione but was interrupted by a voice.
"That spell you used earlier was amazing." A Beauxbatons student with her hair wrapped in a scarf approached Tom and sat beside him, speaking to him.
"Ah, it's you!" Tom recognized the girl approaching him as Fleur Delacour, whom he had met at the World Cup final.
"Yes, it's me. After finding out that you're a Hogwarts student, I thought I might find someone to help me get acquainted with the place." Fleur smiled slightly at Tom. She wasn't intentionally using her veela ability, but that smile was incredibly dazzling; even Tom was momentarily stunned.
Fortunately, with his steel will and excellent Occlumency, Tom quickly recovered and returned to normal.
In a short period of time, Tom sensed a feeling of oppression around him, and his survival instinct sprang up like a spring after the rain.
"I'm sorry, Fleur, but I have to prepare for next year's O.W.L. exams now. I don't have time to show you around Hogwarts, but I'm sure there will be other kind students willing to help you get acquainted with the Hogwarts castle," Tom replied in an official tone, exuding an air of an exemplary model student.
Upon hearing Tom's response, Fleur showed a slight expression of disappointment on her face. She didn't have much interest in Hogwarts castle. Her initial intent in saying that was to get closer to Tom and get to know this extraordinary boy. Madame Maxime had told her that even excellent students who didn't become champions from the three schools would also participate in the Tournament, so she wanted to prepare in advance. However, Tom's evasive refusal completely foiled her plan, so she decided to let it go.
Hermione, who was standing next to Tom, displayed a satisfied smile. 'Well, this response deserves a ten. Tom has a great sense of responsibility,' she thought to herself.
She glanced at Tom, who exuded a sense of rectitude and masculinity, and thought that students with that kind of mindset should be recognized. On the other hand, Miss Fleur Delacour, who introduced herself without being invited, was not particularly pleasant.
Hermione began to think of a way to counterattack, but seeing Fleur fall silent after receiving a negative response, she decided not to say anything more.
When Fleur stopped talking, Hermione's breathing returned to normal, and Tom sighed in relief. 'I finally passed that test,' he thought to himself. The previous conversation was extremely dangerous. One slip-up, and he could have fallen into the trap of this charming half-veela.
Tom was very aware that he already had a girlfriend and that once he and Hermione established a relationship, he needed to be careful with his behavior. Having a girlfriend and flirting with other beautiful girls was not appropriate at all. Putting himself in Hermione's shoes, would she accept him becoming the "tour guide" for Krum? If she wouldn't, then he needed to stay away from Fleur.
At that moment, all the students had taken their seats, and the teachers headed to their seats of honor. Finally, the three school directors entered.
When Madame Maxime appeared, all the Beauxbatons students stood up and didn't sit down again until their headmistress had taken her seat.
Dumbledore delivered a brief welcome speech and then announced the start of dinner with a sweeping hand gesture.
Suddenly, all sorts of food magically appeared on everyone's plates. Upon seeing the mountains of roast potatoes, roast chicken, and sausages on her plate, Fleur let out a mocking laugh.
"Are you sure, Yodel, that this food will make us feel 'comfortable and happy' as Mr. Dumbledore said?"
It was clear that Fleur didn't have a very high opinion of Hogwarts' English cuisine.
Chapter 569: Chapter 569: The Handsome One is Tom Yodel (Edited)
"Nobody is forcing you to stay!" Hermione exploded like a bomb after Fleur's words, first provoking her boyfriend and then criticizing her beloved school. How far could this go?
Without mincing words, Hermione told Fleur, "If you don't want to eat, you can leave, nobody is forcing you to eat."
However, Hermione realized that her counterattack was based on British food, and unfortunately, Fleur was a French student.
Fleur smiled slightly as she looked at Hermione. "Miss, I am merely stating facts; these dishes really aren't satisfying... but I can also understand your dilemma, after all, the most famous restaurants in London serve French cuisine, don't they?"
Hermione: ...
"Hogwarts will ensure you are comfortable and happy here," said Tom, who was caught between Hermione and Fleur. "For instance, there is a French fish soup; if you'd like, I can bring you a bowl. I can assure you that the taste of Hogwarts cuisine is no less than that of authentic French restaurants. Moreover, Turkish and Chinese restaurants in London are also very popular."
After a brief conversation, Tom realized that Fleur was a clever and shrewd person. This girl was good at deceiving others. She had just shifted the topic, distorting the "poor hospitality of Hogwarts" into "a culinary desert in England." If Hermione continued debating with her on the "food" topic, she would only get into trouble because England was indeed a culinary desert.
However, Hogwarts had not been unfair to these guests. It provided them with the best possible conditions, so complaining was truly ungrateful.
"Yes," Hermione said, as if she had found a source of power, and immediately started to counterattack. "Hogwarts has always been attentive."
"Well then, if you don't mind, bring me a bowl of fish soup. And if possible, I'd like some beef stew in red wine and escargot as well. Thank you very much," Fleur replied with a calm attitude, ignoring Hermione's words. To her, Hermione was like an immature younger sister who could be easily manipulated.
She put her hand on her scarf and gracefully untied it, letting a cascade of silver hair fall. Suddenly, the Great Hall was filled with a beautiful silver color, attracting all the attention.
When Fleur untied her "seal," many of the Hogwarts boys were stunned. They were left speechless, their faces turning red as if they had choked on a fishbone, until their peers shook and slapped them to regain their composure.
A half-Veela, terrifying!
Hermione frowned, feeling defeated in their previous confrontation.
But at that moment, she heard a slight clinking sound in front of her. Hermione looked toward the sound and saw that Tom had served her a bowl of soup.
"French fish soup, I tried a bit; it tastes really good, very flavorful," Tom said as he pushed the freshly prepared bowl of soup toward Hermione. Then, he proceeded to bring a large amount of exotic food from around: gratin snails, beef stew in red wine, Swedish meatballs, roasted venison, Icelandic lamb soup...
"You've brought too much food, glutton," Hermione muttered quietly, and then began to slowly sip her fish soup, taking small sips.
The flavor was truly delicious, and Hermione's eyes narrowed into a crescent moon.
While Tom enjoyed his feast, Malfoy was also trying to find a common topic with Krum. Today, he was lucky, as Krum was sitting next to him, so Malfoy attempted to engage in a somewhat incoherent conversation.
After entering the Great Hall, Krum removed his fur cloak, revealing a blood-red robe underneath, standing out among the Hogwarts students dressed in black. For now, he was listening to the blonde girl ramble on endlessly about some nonsense.
Krum's English level was average, and Malfoy's speech speed was not slow, plus he had a distinctive accent that gave Krum a headache.
"Your performance against the Irish team was truly brave..."
When Malfoy mentioned that topic, Krum's face turned sour. He didn't want that to be brought up. His performance had indeed been brave, but he had lost! He would have preferred to win dishonorably.
"Where is Tom Yodel?" Krum abruptly interrupted Malfoy's trivial chatter. He just wanted to see what this legendary person who had faced dozens of dark wizards alone and had a rare Patronus was like. He hadn't had the chance or the inclination to pay attention to him during the Quidditch World Cup final, but now that he had the opportunity, he naturally wanted to get a glimpse of this person.
Malfoy, whose flow of words was interrupted, felt annoyed. The mention of Tom Yodel irritated him even more, but he couldn't get angry with Krum, so he rigidly pointed toward the Ravenclaw table:
"He's over there."
"Where?" Krum followed Malfoy's finger and saw a crowded group without seeing anything.
"The handsome one, that's Tom Yodel, and he's sitting next to a very pretty girl." Goyle, who had been waiting a long time to join the conversation, saw an opportunity and actively pointed out Tom's location to Krum.
Malfoy: ...
Why are all the Yodel fans around me? Goyle, explain it clearly. What do you mean the handsome one is Tom?
Malfoy glanced at Tom, who was eating and drinking nearby, and despised him so much that he clenched his teeth. How could there be someone so unpleasant in this world?
With the new lead, Krum quickly spotted Tom in the crowd but felt quite disappointed when he saw him. It seemed that apart from being good-looking, he didn't have anything special. He felt like a spoiled brat. However, the girl drinking soup beside him appeared quite beautiful.
The young wizards on the stage were excited in their conversations, and the professors on the stage were not far behind.
Dumbledore watched the lively scene with satisfaction and said to Madame Maxime on his left, "It seems our plan is going smoothly; the children are chatting happily with each other."
Madame Maxime modestly smiled, expressing hope that her coddled students wouldn't cause any trouble.
"The Ministry of Magic representatives have arrived, Ludo, here!" Karkaroff raised his glass, tapped his seat, and indicated to the late-arriving Ludo Bagman to sit beside him.
Hermione's question was answered when the Ministry of Magic representatives arrived. One of them was Ludo Bagman, the Director of Magical Sports and Games, and the other was quite unexpected: Percy, who had recently joined the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
Barty Crouch Sr. was gradually retiring from politics and had delegated many of his responsibilities to his subordinates. For instance, today's opening ceremony had been entrusted to Percy to represent him.
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