It was finally the 30th of October, and what Dumbledore had hinted at would finally be revealed today. And it turned out to be a very good day, with classes ending half an hour early. That meant she only had 15 minutes of History of Magic. So even with Binn's best efforts, she couldn't slip into her normal coma-like state. After class, they were to take their schoolbags to their dormitories and then gather at the main gate.
The Heads of Houses had their students line up on the steps, with the youngest on top and the oldest on the bottom, so that everyone was looking around the same height. As the minutes dragged on, some of the students drew their cloaks closer to their bodies. The late October air was getting cold now that the sun had set. "They're not particularly timely," Briget Rookwood said. Avalon hated to admit it, but Briget was right.
A second year suddenly shouted. "LOOK AT THE LAKE!" he said, and just like that all the students' eyes were drawn to the smooth surface of the lake. But it wouldn't stay smooth for long.
Out of the lake came a huge galleon-like ship. It broke through the surface of the water as if it were a submarine. It was black and the sails were frayed, as if it had either been a ghost ship or had once been once sunken and repaired by magic. Years of grime seemed to have clogged the ship's cannons. Doors were opened and boards pushed out. Shortly after, a group of 20 to 30 people emerged from the ship. They wore red cloaks with fur on them and were led by a stern looking wizard wearing white robes with fur on them ass well.
A huge powder-blue carriage, pulled by a group of huge winged horses, flew through the air a few minutes after the new strangers had left the ship. They landed with a bang on the grounds by the lake. A footman opened the door of the carriage and a group of 20 people came out, dressed in the same blue as the carriage. They were led by an enormous woman wearing a red robe. She was so tall that she made Hagrid look like an average-sized person.
The two groups made their way to the main entrance where their respected headmaster greeted Dubledore. The huge woman pronounced his name strangely, pronouncing it "Bumblydore". The man in the white robes pronounced his name correctly, but had a thick Eastern European accent. He quickly caught Snape's eye for a brief moment. There was an air of familiarity between the two men. But it didn't look like any kind of friendship.
The group of guests were led into the castle. This couldn't have come soon enough for the Bleu students. They were obviously shivering with cold, wearing what looked like very fine silk robes. They were obviously not made for colder weather. "We need to get Victor inside." The man in the white robes spoke. "Victor has a cold and needs to be looked after." The man added, sounding warm and fatherly. As they passed by, Avalon realised that the Victor to whom he was referring was Victor Krum. He was the Bulgarian Seeker.
Ron Weasley seemed to have noticed. He was on his toes, trying to catch a glimpse of him. Dumbledore told the Hogwarts students to go inside. In the Great Hall the students were waiting for Dumbledore. Smiling, he first told all the Hogwarts students to sit down. Probably to show that he was in control of his school. Then he made his way to the podium
"Welcome, honoured guests. We have prepared a feast to celebrate the happy fact that the Bauxbatton and Dumstrang delegations have so graciously joined us. After the feast I will explain." Dumbledore said, sitting down. The Slytherin table was now joined by the Dumstrang students. They looked like they belonged there. The Bauxbatton students joined the Huffelpuff table. Some Bauxbatton students didn't seem to want to be there. A couple of bored looking girls had scarves over their heads and big sunglasses on their noses.
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Avalon looked at the plates, and there were some strange dishes on them. "Ah, stroganoff." The white-robed wizard said as he shovelled one of the dishes into his plate. The other, dish she could not identify, looked like fish soup. Avalon tried a bit of it, but she didn't like it. "Ow orible." She heard one of the blue girls say. "This ogwarts food is to eacy for moi," she said. "Nobody's forcing you to eat it." Fred said to the girl. "And who do you zink you are?" She bit back at him. You Orrible British barbarian." She said. "French Priss," the twins said in unison. "Exusemoi?" She said. You have heard it." George said, defending his brother.
Dumbledore perhaps sensing the tension stood up "Once again welcome to our honoured guests. It is my pleasure to present to my students Igor Carcarof, head of the Dumastrang Institute of Magic. The students clapped briefly. And Madam Maxime, head of the Bauxbatton School. He added. There was another brief round of applause from Hogwarts. "Now, you probably want to know why. They've come. He said smiling.
"We are gathered here to celebrate the Tri-Wizard Tournament." Dumbledore explained. "This is a magical tournament between three wizarding schools. It is to determine which of us is the best." Dumbledore said with a chuckle. "All joking aside, this is a wizarding competition between our three schools. Mr Crouch can explain it, much better than I can." He added. "There, for I give you Mr Barry Crouch of the Foreign Liaison Office and Mr Ludo Bagman of the Department of Magic Co-operation and Sports. They are both from the Ministry.
The applause that came from the students of Hogwarts was deafening. Avalon saw 2 men walk onto the stage, one was the World Cup's blonde commentator. She had never seen the other one before. He was wearing a pinstriped robe, his once brown hair was streaked with grey, he had a thin moustache under his nose and he looked a mixture of Feeble and stern.
The unknown wizard came to the front of the stage and tried to silence the school. It took a stern look from Dubledore to get the silence he wanted, but this man didn't seem to notice. "Thank you." He said. He seemed to think he had silenced the school. "Starting this year, some safeguarding measures have been introduced. No student under the age of 17 will be allowed to take part in the tournament.
The sounds of outrage coming from the Great Hall were deafening. The Weasley twins had even stood up and shouted "This is rubbish", all the while the wizard in the pinstriped robes was trying to get the school back under control. But once again, it was Dumbledore's call for silence that brought the students to order. The blond wizard seemed to be enjoying himself very much. "An impartial party will make sure that everyone who puts their name in is treated with the same chance of winning." Dumbledore said, as a chest, encrusted with jewels, was placed on the podium.
He opened it and took out a very old-looking cup. As it emerged from the ornate chest, it seemed almost anticlimactic. But soon blue flames burst forth. "I present to you the Goblet of Fire." Dumbledore said. "And for those of you who think it is a chalice, so it cannot know if you are of age. You would be right to do so." Dumbledore said, amused.
And looking around, Avalon saw younger students planning to put their names forward. "But I myself will draw an age line next to the chalice and no one of 17 will be able to cross it without consequences." He finished as he placed the goblet on the top of the ornate chest. "I give you Ludo Bagman, who will tell you what the rules are.
The school burst into loud applause. The blond man stepped up to the podium. He raised and lowered his hands, which had a silencing effect on the students. "Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone. It is great to be back at Hogwarts." He said. "Now for the rules. For the duration of one week, the Goblet will be placed in the corridor. Anyone wishing to enter their name will write it on a piece of paper and place it in the Goblet. In a week's time we will be back here to see which 3 students - one from each school - have been chosen to take part in the competition. But know that you must be prepared to see it through once you have put your name in. Once your name has been submitted, you have entered into a binding magic contract. If you are chosen to be the champion of your school, you must finish the tournament or die in the attempt. said the blonde wizard to them.
A new chatter broke out across all the tables. "Did he just say die on the attempt?" Joshua Sallow said, sounding very nervous. "I'm sure he didn't mean it literally." Sharon said trying to calm him down. "I'm afraid he does." nearly headless Nick said , the Griffindor ghost. "You're saying what now?" Joshua said, sounding very frightened now. I said. "Well, this is the third attempt to revive the tournament. They shut it down twice in the past because of the death toll." The ghost said bluntly. "But Dumbledore seems to want to be sure that won't happen this time." Nick added.
After letting the students finish their first reactions, Dumbledore stood up again. "I think you all have enough to think about. I wish you all a good night." He said. "Right Dumstrang, back to the ship!" Carcarof said. He led Victor out first. The Bauxbatton students followed them out the main door. "Right." Luna said. "I guess we have to go to bed then." She added. Smiling, Avalon followed her best friend to her dormitory.