All around, there was silence, broken only by the howling of the cold wind and the snorting and stomping of Madame Maxime's giant horses.
Suddenly, a burst of gurgling sounds erupted near everyone's ears.
It was like the sound of bubbles rising, as if something was bursting forth from below.
Many had already realized what was happening and immediately turned their gaze towards the Black Lake.
Since the Hogwarts students and teachers were standing on the lawn to welcome Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, they had a clear, elevated view of the Black Lake's surface.
At that moment, the surface of the Black Lake suddenly became restless. Underwater, in the center of the lake, a commotion began, with huge splashes of water erupting and waves crashing against the damp shore.
Then, right in the middle of the lake, a large whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had suddenly been pulled from the lakebed.
A long, dark pole-like object slowly rose from the center of the whirlpool, attracting everyone's attention.
At first, everyone thought it was the giant squid causing the disturbance.
The giant squid that lived in the Black Lake would break through the ice and bask in the sun every winter, and many Hogwarts students had seen it with their own eyes.
If it wanted to, it could certainly create such a large disturbance.
But seeing the ship's mast made it clear that it couldn't be the giant squid.
"It's a mast!"
"Did Durmstrang come from underwater?"
"I don't know!"
...
Amidst the whispers of the young wizards, the sails, rigging, and deck gradually emerged, until the large ship rose completely out of the water, shimmering in the moonlight.
At the same time, the young wizards could clearly see the appearance of the ship, which was quite strange, as if it were the wreckage of a sunken ship that had just been salvaged, its portholes flickering with dim, misty light, looking like ghostly eyes.
After surfacing, the seemingly ghostly ship bobbed on the choppy waters of the Black Lake with a series of splashing sounds, and began to sail towards the shore.
A moment later, with a thud, an anchor was thrown into the shallow water, followed by a snap as a wooden plank was laid onto the shore.
Through the silhouettes cast by the porthole lights, it was clear that people inside were coming ashore.
Unlike Beauxbatons, which was almost entirely female, Durmstrang was represented entirely by male wizards, and rather large ones at that.
However, as they came closer, walking along the lawn into the light cast by the entrance hall, it became apparent that they were wearing fur cloaks with matted, tangled fur, which gave the illusion of being larger than they actually were.
The man leading them towards the castle, however, wore a different kind of fur, silvery-white, soft, and smooth, like his hair.
Igor Karkaroff. Ethan recognized him instantly. He had some ability, after all.
Although he was quite cowardly and afraid of death, his abilities were undeniable.
As a Death Eater, after being arrested by Moody, he made a deal with Barty Crouch, who was then the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, to avoid Azkaban and living with Dementors, identifying many hidden Death Eaters.
After his success, he was released from prison, but he couldn't survive in Britain at all.
Neither side could tolerate him, so he had to seek a new life abroad, and he even managed to become the headmaster of Durmstrang.
It should be noted that he started over after going abroad, and even so, he was able to become the headmaster of one of the three major European magic schools in just over a decade, a position that many people coveted.
Don't underestimate the social status of the headmasters of these three European magic schools. Although they don't have much real power, their connections and influence are definitely among the top tier.
It's just that he has quite a few old acquaintances at Hogwarts this time!
"Dumbledore! My dear old friend, how are you?"
Karkaroff called out enthusiastically as he walked up the slope, feeling an indescribable sense of pleasure.
When he was in Britain, he was afraid of running into Dumbledore. He would stay far away from any place where Dumbledore appeared. But now that he was appearing in front of him, he had to greet him. How could that not be satisfying!
"Very well, thank you, Professor Karkaroff."
Dumbledore's expression was somewhat stiff, quite different from his attitude towards Madame Maxime.
Although both of them had given him a cold reception, Dumbledore didn't care about that, but he was a little concerned about Karkaroff's identity.
He was different from Snape. Snape still had love in his heart, something more important than his own life.
But Karkaroff was opportunistic, cowardly, and afraid of death, not even a qualified Death Eater.
Naturally, Karkaroff, being the shrewd person he was, had noticed this, but he didn't care.
He took a few steps forward and shook Dumbledore's hand.
"Dear old friend Hogwarts."
But he was looking in the direction of Hogwarts. That's right, he was also a graduate of Hogwarts. He never thought he would return one day, and as the headmaster of Durmstrang.
At this time, the young wizards also clearly saw his appearance. He was tall and thin, almost as tall as Dumbledore, but his white hair was very short, and he had a goatee with small curls at the ends, revealing a gaunt chin that was not completely covered.
Faced with Karkaroff's actions, Dumbledore did not respond. Naturally, he could see through his thoughts.
The more he showed any reaction, the more pleased he would be.
Dumbledore's indifference did not embarrass Karkaroff. After calling Krum over, he led his students, together with the Hogwarts students, through the entrance hall towards the Great Hall.
During this process, the Hogwarts students frequently looked at Krum, and many were whispering about something.
There was no way around it. Quidditch was too popular in this world, and many people regarded Krum as their idol.
Arriving at the Great Hall, the Hogwarts students naturally returned to their respective house tables.
But the Durmstrang students were still gathered at the entrance, and the Beauxbatons students were also gathered in the hall, standing.
Ethan waved to Fleur and Gabrielle, signaling them to come over.
"Ethan, don't tell me that the Beauxbatons girl you know is her?"
Terry looked at the object of Ethan's wave in disbelief. Just as Krum's appearance had attracted the attention of all Quidditch enthusiasts.
Fleur's appearance had also attracted the attention of a group of Hogwarts wizards.
"That's right, so you understand!"
"Got it!"
Terry sighed, lamenting his love that had ended before it even began.
There was no way around it. As his roommate, he knew how attractive Ethan was to girls. As long as he set his sights on someone, they couldn't escape.
But if this one didn't work out, he could have Ethan introduce him to other Beauxbatons girls. He had just seen several pretty ones.
Dreaming of his prospects, Terry immediately got up, but when he left, he dragged Michael and Gene away as well.
Immediately, three seats were empty on Ethan's left.
Fleur, seeing Ethan wave, also happily waved back in response.
Then, with a smile, she said something to her classmates, and soon the Beauxbatons students collectively came to the Ravenclaw table.
Besides Fleur and Gabrielle sitting next to Ethan, the other girls also found empty seats.
Fleur first greeted Cho Chang on Ethan's right before starting to chat with Ethan in a low voice.
Cho Chang also switched places with Gabrielle at this time.
As a result, both sides of Ethan were now Veelas.
"Gabrielle, how did you come!"
"Madam Maxime brought me, she was visiting my house when..."
Fleur immediately explained from the side. Madam Maxime was her mother's best friend. They were senior and junior classmates back in school. Because they were both half-breeds, they had been good sisters since they were students.
Although Madam Maxime didn't admit to having giant blood, many people knew it.
Therefore, as the headmistress of Beauxbatons, Madam Maxime took great care of Fleur.
Last week, when Madam Maxime visited the Delacour family, Gabrielle kept clamoring to go to Hogwarts. Helplessly, her mother could only ask Madam Maxime for help.
With Madam Maxime's care, there was nothing to worry about. Although the Triwizard Tournament had some danger, Gabrielle wasn't participating. At most, she was just a spectator, so there was no risk.
It was just that her father's face was quite ugly!
Ethan's actions also attracted the attention of many Hogwarts wizards, who gnashed their teeth in jealousy.
Did it have to be like this? It was enough that you monopolized the high-quality Hogwarts students, but you didn't let go of other magic schools!
At the same time, Viktor Krum and his Durmstrang alumni had already taken their seats at the Slytherin table.
In this regard, Slytherin was also quite arrogant. There were quite a few who had just invited Durmstrang, but they ultimately chose their side.
Immediately, Draco began to communicate with Krum, and also glanced at Harry triumphantly.
After the students were seated, the faculty also walked in from outside and sat down in their respective seats.
Walking at the end were Professor Dumbledore, Karkaroff, and Madam Maxime. They were following Dumbledore. Filch had just added two chairs next to Dumbledore's seat.
However, after Madam Maxime entered the hall, the Beauxbatons students immediately stood up.
Faced with this situation, several Hogwarts students couldn't help but laugh. Hogwarts didn't have this rule.
But the Beauxbatons students didn't seem embarrassed at all. They didn't sit down again until Madam Maxime sat down on Dumbledore's left.
In the faculty seats, after Karkaroff and Madam Maxime sat down, Dumbledore was still standing. Seeing this, the little wizards gradually quieted down.
"Good evening, ladies, gentlemen, ghosts, and especially our guests. It is with great joy that I welcome you to Hogwarts. I hope and believe that you will feel comfortable and happy here."
Dumbledore looked at the foreign students below with a smile, and after scanning around, he said again:
"The Triwizard Tournament will officially begin at the end of the banquet. I now invite everyone to eat and drink to their heart's content, just like at home!"
Along with the end of Dumbledore's words, the plates in front of everyone were filled with food as usual.
The house elves in the kitchen seemed to have used all their skills. The abundance had exceeded the Christmas banquet, and all kinds of dishes were placed in front of everyone, including almost all European cuisine.
Ethan didn't know how the Durmstrang side was eating at this banquet.
But the Beauxbatons witches were quite satisfied, especially the French fish stew, which wasn't enough for them to eat.
At the same time, during this meal time, Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch filled the two empty seats next to Dumbledore.
Ludo had only received the news after the Quidditch World Cup ended, and had reported it to Ethan at the time.
At the same time, he was selected as a judge at that time.
As for Barty Crouch, as the Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, this kind of exchange with other countries still required his presence.
It wasn't just Ludo who was busy with the Quidditch World Cup, Barty Crouch was also working overtime.
It was just that their arrival didn't attract much attention!
As usual, after dessert time ended, the golden plates were wiped clean again.
Dumbledore stood up at this time.
A kind of excitement and tension seemed to permeate the hall. Dumbledore had just said that the Triwizard Tournament would officially begin after the banquet, so everyone looked at Dumbledore with a tense and expectant expression.
Chapter 250: Maxime and Karkaroff's Worries
"The moment has finally arrived, the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin. I would like to explain a few words before bringing in the box."
Dumbledore looked at the little wizards below with a smile.
It was just that many people were looking around at this moment. What was the box that Dumbledore was talking about?
What did this have to do with the Triwizard Tournament?
But Dumbledore obviously had no intention of explaining now.
"I want to explain the program of our activities this year, but first, please allow me to introduce two guests, because some people don't know them yet. This is Mr. Barty Crouch, Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and this is Mr. Ludo Bagman, Director of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."
With Dumbledore's introduction, applause rang out in the hall, but the applause given to Ludo was much more intense than that of Barty Crouch.
Not to mention that Ludo was already an old acquaintance at Hogwarts, and he also had the added bonus of being a well-known Quidditch player.
Even the two people's reactions to the applause were different. Ludo waved with a smile to express his gratitude.
As for Barty Crouch, he still had a cold face in front of the little wizards below, looking indifferent, which made it impossible for him to be popular.
"In the Triwizard Tournament, they will form a judging panel with me, Professor Karkaroff, and Madam Maxime to judge the efforts of the champions."
Upon hearing the word "champion", the little wizards instantly held their breath.
So far, no one knew how the champions would be selected.
Although the conversation between Ethan and the twins had just made several sixth and seventh grade Ravenclaw wizards give up the idea of participating in the Triwizard Tournament, most people were still interested.
