Jessica Collin's POV

6 hours and 57 minutes ago

"What time do you call this?" Percy asked as he stood behind most of Hogwarts's faculty alongside two Slytherin students.

"There's still ten minutes until three. They arrive at three o'clock," I said as I patted down my robe and joined them.

"Finally, all of you are here," Professor McGonagall said as she approached us and handed us a clipboard. "As you know, you will be our representatives. One pair will be the liaison for Beauxbatons, while the other is for Durmstrang. You can choose between yourselves. Clipboards are for basic admin stuff. Make sure to check off all the boxes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready to entertain our guests."

Professor McGonagall walked a few steps away before turning around and approaching us again.

"Jessica, Percival, I will be sending Miss Potter to be under your care for today," she said. "If she gets too much for you, just let her go, and I'll deal with it. Only Merlin knows what I'll do to her. So much trouble in one small package."

I looked at Percy, and he gave me a defeated look. It looks like we're stuck with her for today. A group of students back in the castle on one of the towers started pointing over the forest. The Crown was definitely wrong. That was something large—much larger than a broomstick, or indeed, 100 broomsticks—hurdling across the deep blue sky towards the castle, growing larger all the time.

"It's a dragon," shrieked one of the first years, losing her head.

"Don't be stupid; it's a flying house," said one of the fourth year students.

The gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden forest, and as the natural light hit it, they saw a gigantic powder blue horse-drawn carriage the size of a large house soaring towards them. It was pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses. They were all Abraxans, each the size of an elephant.

The front three rows of students behind us moved backwards as the carriage hurdled ever lower, coming into land at a tremendous speed. Then, with an almighty crash that made Neville jump backwards onto a Slytherin fifth year's foot, the horse's hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes.

The door of the carriage bore a coat of arms: two crossed golden wands, each emitting three stars. As the doors opened, a boy in pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps. He sprang back respectfully, and then a shining, high heeled black shoe emerged from the inside of the carriage.

A shoe the size of a child's sled was followed almost immediately by the largest woman I had ever seen in my life. I know my cousin told me their headmistress was huge, but I didn't expect her to be this big.

The woman is now at the foot of the steps and looking around at the wide-eyed crowd. She seemed even more unnaturally large as she stepped into the opening. She had a handsome olive-skinned face, large black, liquid looking eyes, and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back into a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers.

Dumbledore started to clap. The students following his lead broke into applause too, and many of them were standing on tiptoe to better see and look at this woman. Her face relaxed into a gracious smile, and she walked forward towards Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore, though tall himself, had barely bowed to kiss it.

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"My dear Madam Maxim," Dumbledore said. "Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Dumbly-dorr!" Her rich, resonant voice boomed. "Still uprighht I see? Zat eez good, we 'ave travelled far to grace your 'umble halls wiz our magnificence!"

"I am. Thank you for asking, And the halls of Hogwarts welcomes all," said Dumbledore as he gestured to Percy, the Crown, Matthew, and me to step forward. "These four will be in charge of fulfilling your needs. Your representative may choose which pair will be your attendants."

Madame Maxine waved one of her enormous hands behind her, and three students walked towards us. There were two girls and a boy. I waved to the brunette.

"These are our representatives. Miss Delacour and her lady-in-waiting, Miss Agreste. The boy is Mister Bohr," Madam Maxine said as the girls curtseyed and the boy bowed. "Pick which pair you want to be our guides."

"Could we 'ave Monsieur Ebonwood and Mademoiselle Collins?" Fleur asked while the giant lady gestured towards us. "Mon Coeur, would you kindly be our guides during our stay?"

The two Slytherin boys shrugged, while Percy looked towards me. I didn't mind, but I would prefer some familiar faces.

Dumbledore, recognising our acceptance, started speaking. "It is decided then. Miss Collins and Mister Ebonwood will guide our friends from Beauxbatons during their stay, while Mister Christensen and Mister Bowen will guide our friends from up north."

Students in powder blue formal dress lined up next to the crowd of Hogwarts students. They arranged themselves in neat rows while the French representative stood with us. Fleur stood next to Percy, while the boy went next to the Slytherin boys, and the brunette stood next to me. We engaged in small talk, waiting for our other guest.

We stood shivering slightly now, waiting for the Durmstrang party to arrive. Most of the students were gazing, hopefully, up at the sky for a few minutes. the silence was only broken by Madame Maxim's huge horses snorting and stamping, but then, "Can you hear something?" asked Sarah.

I stuck my ears out and listened harder. A loud and oddly eerie noise was drifting towards us. From out of the darkness, a muffled rumbling and sucking sound as though an immense vacuum cleaner was moving along a riverbed.

"The lake!" a fifth year student shouted, pointing at the lake.

From where I was standing, I had a clear view of the smooth, black surface of the water. Except that the surface was suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the centre. Great bubbles were forming on the surface; waves were now washing over the muddy banks; and then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor.

What seemed to be a long black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool, and I saw the rigging.

"It's a mast," a fourth-year student shouted.

Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim misty lights shimmering at its port holes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged, entirely bobbed on the turbulent water, and began to glide towards the bank.

A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank. People were disembarking. They could see their Silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's port holes.

All of them seemed to be built along the lines of crabs, but then, as they drew nearer, they began walking up the lawns. They were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy matted fur, but the man who was leading them up to us was wearing furs of a different sort sleek and silver-like like his hair.

"Dumbledore," he called heartily as he walked up the slope. "How are you, my dear fellow? It has been quiet a while since I last graced these halls."

"I am well, Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied.

When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own.

"Dear old Hogwarts, I remember the old times. It has changed a lot from what I've heard," he said, looking up at the castle and smiling. His teeth were rather yellow, and I noticed that his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. "Change is a good thing. Constant means stagnant. Viktor! Athaliah! Come here. Meet our representatives. Viktor Krum and Athaliah Stankov."

Viktor and Athaliah gave a curt nod.

"These two fine gentlemen, Mister Christensen and Mister Bowen, will be your guides," Dumbledore said. "Now, representative, could you guide our guests to their designated meeting point and give them a Hogwarts welcome?"