It was 5 AM on Saturday morning in New York, and the sky was still pitch black.
Chuck Stan stood at the airport's arrival gate, his face full of resentment.
He was so sleepy!
As a dignified Auror, he couldn't even get a good night's sleep and had to come pick up these British Wizards.
These damned Brits were so troublesome.
He really wanted to crack open their skulls and see what these foolish guys were thinking.
As Wizards, instead of using a Portkey, they insisted on taking a Muggle airplane.
Didn't these damned guys know that using Muggle transportation increased the risk of magic exposure?!
He hoped they weren't foolish enough to wear Wizard robes on the plane.
Chuck's gaze drifted to the electronic display screen from time to time, the time was clearly shown, it would be at least ten more minutes until the British flight landed.
He rubbed his hands, not because he was cold, but because he was annoyed.
He had originally planned to sleep in on Saturday or have a proper breakfast.
But now, he could only stand here, waiting for those British Wizards to leisurely walk out of the cabin, and then go up to them with a fawning smile, like a bar attendant.
He could almost imagine these British Wizards saying in their authentic London accents, "How interesting Muggle technology is!"
"This trip has been full of novel experiences!"
Just thinking about having to make small talk with those guys about such boring topics made Chuck feel like he was going crazy.
What a waste of time!
It was truly puzzling that the British Wizards, who valued propriety, would go to such lengths for something so improper.
Was a Portkey not good enough?!
Other magic schools all honestly came directly to the designated location of the American Magical Congress via Portkey.
Only Hogwarts was special.
Chuck glanced at the screen, maliciously speculating in his mind.
Hogwarts, heh heh, just a declining noble!
They hadn't participated in the International Potion Championship for so many years, these people probably didn't even think about winning the championship, but rather took this opportunity for a publicly funded trip.
No way, who made them have a richest Professor, this travel money was just a drop in the bucket.
About half an hour later, Chuck finally saw the target people emerge.
He quickly straightened his body, changed his expression, and greeted them with his most enthusiastic smile.
"Professor Swan, you've come a long way, you must be tired."
"I am Chuck Stan, an elite Auror."
"You can call me Chuck. Next, I will be responsible for leading you to the Magical Congress of the United States of America to handle wand registration and Wizarding World entry procedures."
"Please follow me."
Sebastian nodded and, along with Snape, led the students to follow.
Under Chuck's guidance, the group arrived at the Woolworth Building.
This building was where the Magical Congress of the United States of America was located. Its exterior looked like an ordinary skyscraper, but it was actually a building shared by Muggles and Wizards.
After passing through a hidden revolving door, everyone arrived in a magnificent hall with a cathedral-like ceiling.
"Welcome to the Magical Congress of the United States of America," Chuck said with a hint of pride in his voice.
As he walked, he casually mentioned that the Magical Congress had moved five times—from the Appalachian Mountains to Williamsburg, then to New York, and now settled in this skyscraper.
Chuck led them to a Wand Permit Issuance Hall, where several Congress staff members were already waiting to process wand registration and entry procedures for each visiting Wizard.
After going through the tedious registration process, Chuck, with a relieved smile, took out a box containing an old shoe.
"Welcome again to the American wizarding world. This shoe is the Portkey to Ilvermorny. I wish you all a pleasant competition."
Seeing that it was almost noon, Sebastian simply took the students to explore New York and enjoy a delicious meal.
After lunch, the group went to a secluded alley and used a Portkey to arrive at the gates of Ilvermorny.
Upon seeing Sebastian and the others appear, a middle-aged Wizard with a full beard immediately came forward to greet them.
"Welcome everyone to the best magic school in the world—Ilvermorny. I am the PotionProfessor here, William Smith."
Saying that, he extended his arms towards Sebastian.
"Sebastian, I received the message from the Ministry of Magic this morning. Why are you only showing up now? I've been waiting for you."
Sebastian hugged the man and then said with a smile.
"William, I didn't expect you, the Head of the Potion Department, to personally greet us. It's truly flattering."
"You're not unaware of the efficiency of your Magical Congress of the United States of America. It's already good that we could make it here now."
"Here, I need to correct what you just said. The best magic school in the world is clearly Hogwarts."
"Are you sure?" William said with a teasing smile, "Since I became a Professor, I've never seen a Hogwarts student in the Potion Championship. Don't be too blindly confident, open your eyes and see the world."
"Tsk—" Sebastian scoffed disdainfully, "We were just affected by the war, and the Professors at the school couldn't spare the energy to lead students to participate in the competition."
That bastard, coming up and poking him where it hurt, not knowing the principle of not hitting someone in the face.
The last time Hogwarts participated in the Potion Championship was when he was in his sixth year at Hogwarts.
The original participants were Snape, Lily, and himself, but after the Christmas holiday, Snape and Lily went their separate ways and were no longer in the mood to participate in the competition.
Therefore, the final participant from Hogwarts was only him, a lone seedling.
Fortunately, he lived up to expectations, defeated students from various schools, and brought the golden cauldron back to Hogwarts.
This William was the second-place winner at that time.
Although they were fierce competitors on the field, after the competition, they actually formed a deep friendship because of the competition.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow: "What are you, a defeated opponent, bragging about? Since we, Hogwarts, have appeared, then the championship will definitely be ours."
"Don't be arrogant. I lost to you in the Potion Championship back then, but now my students will definitely win it back."
William, full of confidence, extended his arm in a welcoming gesture: "Follow me, I'll take you to rest."
As he walked, he introduced the upcoming arrangements to the Hogwarts group.
"Today, four schools have arrived: Uagadou, Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, and your Hogwarts."
"Tomorrow morning, Castelobruxo from Brazil and Mahoutokoro from Japan will arrive. As for Koldovstoretz from Russia, they didn't register this year."
"So, the welcome dinner will be held tomorrow night, and there will be some special programs waiting for you guests."
"During the day tomorrow, Ilvermorny will arrange for some students to lead your students on a tour of the school."
"As for the rest of today, you all rest well. Dinner will be arranged by a dedicated person who will come to you."