The Night of the Three Schools
The first thing the students saw, as soon as they followed the direction Wanda was pointing toward, was the sky.
Although it was quite cold outside, enough for some students to rub their hands together and blow warm air into them, the sky itself was completely clear, revealing a firmament filled with stars shining brightly overhead.
The moon, suspended above them, bathed the area in a soft glow that made everything appear silver. And because wizards did not rely on electrical energy, the surroundings were free of artificial light pollution, allowing even a few glowing insects to drift calmly through the air. It was then that everyone began to notice something approaching in the sky.
It did not take long to become obvious.
Enormous winged horses descended from the sky, pulling behind them a massive carriage adorned in pale white and blue. Beneath the starry night, the scene only seemed to enhance its magical beauty.
"Look!" a student shouted, though many were already staring up at the sky, completely captivated by the sight. Even Colin could not resist pulling out his camera to take a photograph, which prompted Professor McGonagall to confiscate it immediately, albeit only temporarily.
The winged horses, more properly known as Abraxans, were as large as elephants, and the reason for their size was immediately clear. The carriage they carried was the size of an enormous house, and as it drew closer, it astonished everyone with its sheer scale, the colors of Beauxbatons clearly displayed across its surface.
The carriage soon descended and touched the ground. Some students standing closer to the front stepped back instinctively, causing a few of them to step on each other's feet. The horses came to a halt along with the carriage, letting out sharp, slightly shrill neighs as they shook their heads. At the same time, everyone's attention was drawn to the large Beauxbatons crest displayed on the carriage door, one quite familiar to Harry and his friends: two golden wands crossed, with stars emerging from them.
The door suddenly swung open, and a remarkably handsome young man was the first to step down. He glanced around briefly before spotting Harry and the others, offering them a smile. He had platinum-blond hair, a perfectly elegant face, an immaculate Beauxbatons uniform, and a single earring hanging from one ear. Instantly, he drew the attention of nearly every girl present, many of whom recognized him. Well, most of them.
"Luciel, hurry up," a voice called from inside the carriage, making Luciel Delacour stop wasting time. He turned around, pulling out his wand and pointing beneath the carriage, causing a golden staircase, as if made of solid gold, to emerge from beneath it. Then he stepped aside.
Next, a black shoe emerged from the carriage, nearly as large as a child's sled, followed—quite obviously—by its owner. A woman so tall that many students, especially those who had never attended Beauxbatons during the exchange program, could not help but stare in complete astonishment.
Some even stifled small cries of fear.
From the top of the staircase, the woman paused to look toward the castle for a moment before sweeping her gaze over the students, completely ignoring the fear some of them displayed, as if she were already used to it. Eventually, her eyes settled on Harry, his group, and Wanda as well, prompting her to smile gently in their direction. Still, Harry noticed something else: a faint trace of amusement in that smile as she inclined her head in greeting.
She then moved with grace and poise toward Sirius, recognizing him as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and offered him her hand elegantly.
For a brief moment, McGonagall looked concerned about Sirius's possible lack of proper etiquette, but she quickly realized that her worry was entirely unnecessary.
Sirius took the hand of Madame Maxime, the Headmistress of Beauxbatons, and placed a gentle kiss upon it while inclining himself slightly, like a noble of high standing. He then spoke in flawless French.
"My dear Madame Maxime, it is my great pleasure to welcome such a beautiful woman to Hogwarts. I hope your days in our lands, though foreign to you, will be most gratifying," he said with a calm smile and impeccable manners.
Seeing him behave that way, Professor Flitwick's mouth fell so wide open that Professor Sprout had to give him a light tap to bring him back to his senses.
"Director Black, I have heard stories about you, but I did not know you were so handsome," she replied with a slight smile. "I hope both schools will share a rewarding history in this tournament," she added, also in French.
"By the way, these are my students," Madame Maxime said this time in English, with a faint French accent so that everyone could understand, as she turned and gestured behind her.
Only then did the Hogwarts students, who had been distracted by the imposing presence of the towering woman, finally notice the students accompanying her.
Upon seeing them, they could not help but let out another collective gasp, especially the girls. But unlike the reactions caused by Madame Maxime, these were filled with excitement and unmistakable infatuation at the sight of so many strikingly attractive students.
Luciel led the male group with that signature smile capable of stealing hearts if one was not careful. He even winked at a few girls, causing several of them to nearly faint. After all, it had been almost half a year since they had last seen him, when he had been an exchange student at Hogwarts the previous year. His departure had been, for many of them, the worst day of their lives, and now they were finally seeing him again.
Leading the female group was Fleur, who cast an embarrassed glance at her cousin's flirtatious behavior. However, when she briefly looked back, she met Katerina's gaze, who was offering Luciel a completely fake smile. Surely, as his fiancée, she would take care of that issue later.
For a moment, Harry found it amusing to think that the Headmistress of Beauxbatons might have had the same idea as Professor Flitwick: placing the most attractive students at the front.
Aside from Fleur, Luciel, and Katerina, who had already studied at Hogwarts before, the rest of the Beauxbatons students observed the castle with a mix of apprehension and disdainful expressions.
"And Karkaroff?" Madame Maxime asked, glancing around.
"It seems he's trying to make a dramatic entrance," Sirius replied with a hint of amusement, looking toward the dark lake. Wanda had mentioned earlier that he had already arrived, but the reason he had yet to appear was likely so he could arrive last and steal the spotlight.
"Is that so?" Madame Maxime said again, a playful smile on her lips.
Harry noticed it and looked at her with mild curiosity before turning his attention to the students for a moment. They were all dressed in fine silk garments, yet none of them seemed bothered by the cold. That was when Harry realized something else: every single one of them wore an identical bracelet on their wrist.
The magic emanating from them felt strangely familiar to him.
After noticing it, he briefly shifted his gaze back toward the carriage.
A faint smile then appeared on his face, as if he had understood something, and he shook his head in quiet amusement.
"What is it?" Draco asked, noticing his reaction. However, Harry did not get the chance to answer, as Luciel stepped forward at that moment to greet them.
"It's good to see you… again," Luciel said with a smile, rubbing his shoulder slightly, most likely the result of a discreet hit from his fiancée when no one was looking.
"We see you so often that it's not even that exciting anymore," Daphne commented, waving her hand as if she did not care. She was not the only one in the group; only Hermione offered a proper greeting.
"Yes, yes, I missed you all too," Luciel replied, this time with a somewhat forced smile, noticing their reactions.
"Hermione, Daphne, it's good to see you," Fleur said as she suddenly appeared and wrapped both of them in a tight embrace. For a brief moment, neither of them knew how to react before she finally let go.
She then turned and hugged Harry as well, catching him completely off guard and leaving him frozen for a second, staring blankly into nothing.
That earned an amused smile from Daphne, Hermione, and his mother, who was watching from not too far away. Luciel also smiled faintly and closed his eyes for a moment as he looked at Harry. It was the kind of expression someone wore after finding something very, very amusing for later.
Fleur then attempted to hug Draco, but he quickly raised a hand to stop her. He was not particularly fond of physical contact.
Fleur did not seem bothered by this in the slightest, continuing to smile as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, numerous jealous stares from other students were fixed on them from behind.
"I'm happy to be back," Fleur said with a bright smile that seemed to illuminate the night even more. A small issue with her charm caused many boys to become completely mesmerized by her beauty. "Oh, Professor Wanda!" she suddenly exclaimed before running off to hug her, as she stood among the professors.
"What got into her?" Daphne asked, confused by Fleur's unusually… springlike behavior, as everyone turned to watch her embrace Wanda, who returned it with a calm smile.
"Oh, well. She's usually afraid of flying, so I gave her something to calm her down, but maybe… I overdid it a little," Luciel admitted with a hint of guilt, glancing toward his older cousin, who was now hugging Professor Flitwick and even lifting him off the ground.
"It's Mr. Villain!" a small voice suddenly shouted, causing everyone's gaze to lower slightly as a miniature version of Fleur appeared behind Luciel, pointing at Harry with a serious expression.
Upon seeing her, Harry's eyes widened, and he immediately glanced toward Astoria and Luna, as if issuing them a silent command.
In the blink of an eye, before little Gabrielle could even realize what was happening, both girls appeared beside her and carried her away effortlessly, while she exclaimed in confusion, "Eh? Eh? What's happening?"
Luciel was left completely stunned, staring as his younger cousin was quite literally kidnapped right in front of him.
"Wow… did you know she was coming?" he asked, though he made no attempt to intervene.
"Of course I didn't, but they're always prepared to kidnap someone," Harry replied, amused.
That left Luciel and Katerina even more dumbfounded, while Draco, Hermione, and Daphne could not help but hold back their laughter, well aware of how true that statement was.
"Well, it seems they've finally decided to make their appearance," Sirius said suddenly, drawing everyone's attention as he looked toward the lake, just in time for a striking sound to begin echoing from it.
The sound resembled a deep suction. The surface of the lake began to break as a massive whirlpool started to form. From its center, a black mast slowly emerged, followed by an old, tattered sail. A ship began to rise from the whirlpool, spinning as it surfaced, like a ghostly vessel emerging from the lake's dark depths. Water splashed in all directions, waves crashing violently as the ship finally broke free.
Swaying atop the turbulent waters, the vessel eventually drifted toward the shore. After a few seconds, the sound of the anchor dropping and striking the water echoed out, stopping it right at the lake's edge.
Soon after, the sound of wooden planks being placed and stepped on followed, while several shadows began moving in the direction of the castle.
Then, after a brief moment of silence, hurried footsteps could be heard approaching.
From the shadows, they all appeared tall and broad, like an entire army of Crabbe and Goyle. However, as they stepped into the light, it became clear that this impression was due to the thick fur coats they all wore. Leading them was a man clad in a smoother fur coat, silver in tone, matching the color of his hair.
He walked with pride, his students following closely behind, surveying the surroundings with confidence and even a hint of mockery. However, his expression shifted the moment his gaze fell upon Sirius, standing beside Madame Maxime. His eyes widened in surprise, a flicker of fear crossing his face for a fraction of a second, nearly halting his stride.
"Hello, Karkaroff. It's good to see you after so long. Though it seems we're on the same side now, I welcome you to my school, Hogwarts," Sirius said with an amused smile, his gaze fixed firmly on him. Karkaroff hesitated briefly before stepping closer.
"Black… no one told me you'd be here. Where is Dumbledore?" he asked seriously, staring directly at Sirius while gripping his staff tightly, the place where he most likely concealed his wand, as if ready to draw it at any moment.
"Dumbledore was removed after certain issues in previous years, so I am now the Headmaster of Hogwarts," Sirius replied with a calm smile. Harry noticed that he deliberately omitted the fact that his position was only temporary. His eyes, however, remained cold as he noted Karkaroff's hand on the staff. In contrast, Sirius kept his own hands in his pockets, as if completely at ease.
"I am now the Headmaster of Durmstrang, so…" Karkaroff said heavily.
"Yes, I know. Don't worry, we can leave the past in the past… for now," Sirius replied, his tone calm, like the stillness before a storm.
That did not seem to fully reassure Karkaroff. Even so, the two of them shook hands, gripping tightly for several seconds until both of their knuckles turned white.
Karkaroff was slightly taller than Sirius and noticeably slender, with neatly combed silver hair streaked with gray and a carefully groomed goatee.
"I hope your stay at Hogwarts is a pleasant one," Sirius said, looking him straight in the eyes. Unlike the tone he had used with Madame Maxime, this sounded far more like a warning.
Karkaroff held his gaze for a moment before withdrawing his hand, flexing it slightly before moving it behind his back, a faint ache evident.
"Yes… I hope so too," he replied.