章節 163: Chapter 164: Arrival and Reception
"Longbottom, for heaven's sake, do not embarrass us in front of the Durmstrang delegation by revealing that you can't even manage a simple Transfiguration spell!" Professor McGonagall barked near the end of class. The session had been especially chaotic; Neville had accidentally grafted his ear to a cactus.
By lunchtime, the Great Hall was transformed. Enormous silk banners representing the four Hogwarts houses adorned the walls: a red one with a golden lion for Gryffindor, blue with a bronze eagle for Ravenclaw, yellow with a black badger for Hufflepuff, and green with a silver serpent for Slytherin. Behind the staff table, the largest banner displayed Hogwarts' crest: lion, eagle, badger, and serpent united around a large "H."
Loki observed the Gryffindor table with mild amusement. Ron had donned a robe with ornate frills, while Harry wore a simple dark green one. Compared to them, most of the students were dressed far more conventionally.
"Weasley," Malfoy's voice rang out across the Hall, "you seem confused. This is merely a welcoming ceremony, not a ball. There's no need to be so... formal. That robe of yours was in fashion a century ago. Your family must be quite nostalgic."
Most eyes turned to Ron. A few girls close to him wrinkled their noses at the frilled collar of his robe and backed away as though avoiding contamination. Ron's face reddened slightly, but he stood his ground silently, a faint smile on his lips.
Lillian glanced at Ron with some surprise. "He seems unusually calm today. Not his typical behavior."
Thor's deep blue eyes sparkled with amusement. "Obviously, he's acclimating everyone to the sight. See it once, and the second time won't seem as jarring. It's better to endure a little embarrassment now than during an actual formal event."
Afternoon came, and the students of Slytherin filed out of their common room, heading to the Entrance Hall. The house heads were busy organizing the students into orderly lines.
"Weasley, straighten your robe," Professor McGonagall said sternly, adjusting the frills on Ron's robe. "And Patil, take that ridiculous butterfly clip off your hair." Parvati grudgingly removed the accessory from her braid.
The students filed out of the castle and stood in orderly rows before the entrance. The evening air was crisp and cold, a half-moon shining pale and translucent over the Forbidden Forest.
Lillian idly played with a flickering flame in her palm, its warmth dispelling the chill around the Slytherin line. The tiny ember radiated a gentle heat, enveloping their group in a cocoon of comfort.
"How do you think they'll arrive? Flying brooms? It seems a bit too cold for that. Maybe a train? Though there are no connecting tracks here," Malfoy mused, glancing at the solitary moon in the still sky.
"The usual methods, I'd guess. Nothing surprising," Loki said with a yawn, disinterested.
The students scanned the darkening horizon eagerly, but everything remained still and quiet—ordinary and unremarkable. Augustus's silver eyes, however, were fixed on a distant point in the sky. From the mage tower hidden among the clouds, he sensed the approaching visitors.
At that moment, Dumbledore, standing with the other staff members, raised his voice. "Ah, if I'm not mistaken, the Beauxbatons delegation has arrived!"
A colossal figure emerged from the deep blue sky, growing larger as it approached. It was far more massive than any broomstick—a flying carriage the size of a house, pulled by twelve enormous winged horses, each the size of an elephant with silver manes and fiery red eyes.
The carriage descended, its gigantic wheels shaking the ground. The magnificent horses snorted and stamped their massive hooves as the door of the carriage opened. A shiny black high-heeled shoe appeared first, followed by a tall woman stepping into the light spilling from the Entrance Hall. She had an elegant, olive-toned face, large dark eyes, and a sharp nose. Her hair was swept into a shining chignon, and she was draped in black satin adorned with opals on her neck and thick fingers.
"Is the Beauxbatons Headmistress related to Hagrid? She's enormous!" Malfoy muttered, though his attention quickly shifted to the students disembarking from the carriage. "Fortunately, her protégées are much more... normal."
Loki shot Malfoy a disdainful glance. "That 'normal' student leading the group has at least three times your magical energy, so maybe not as normal as you think."
Malfoy coughed awkwardly, his face flushing faintly in the moonlight.
After the Beauxbatons group had been welcomed, the students turned their attention back to the night, awaiting Durmstrang's arrival.
The silence was broken by a strange sound: a deep, rumbling, suction-like noise, as though a giant vacuum cleaner were moving along a riverbed.
From the lake's dark surface, a ship slowly emerged, glistening under the moonlight. Its skeletal frame made it look like a freshly dredged wreck. Dim, misty lights glowed from its portholes, resembling ghostly eyes. With a loud splash, the ship surfaced completely, rocking on the waves before gliding toward the shore. Moments later, an anchor splashed into the shallows, and a gangplank extended to the bank.
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