novelcrest Chapter 454 Hibiscus Delacour
Chapter 454 Hibiscus Delacour
Chapter 454 Hibiscus Delacour
The three little ones walked to the Gryffindor table and sat down.
Ron deliberately chose a seat facing the door because Krum and his group of Durmstrang alumni were still standing there, seemingly hesitant and unsure where to sit.
The students at Beauxbatons have already chosen their seats at the Ravenclaw table.
After they took their seats, they looked around the hall, their faces showing a hint of displeasure and silence—because the environment here was far inferior to that of Beauxbatons, even to the point of being described as worlds apart—Beauxbatons was a beautiful castle surrounded by magnificent gardens and fountains.
Just like in a fairy tale.
"Here! Come sit here!" Ron shouted in a hoarse voice. "Here! Hermione, move over a bit and make some room." Hermione frowned and turned to look over there.
She saw Krum standing in the doorway with his group of Durmstrang alumni, looking around. Several students seemed uncomfortable, whispering to each other to escape the awkwardness of the unfamiliar environment.
"What's wrong? You want them to sit here?" Hermione's lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped, her eyes sweeping over the group of Durmstrang students with a complicated expression.
Although she didn't like Ron's overly enthusiastic attitude, she ultimately didn't object, but simply moved her seat a little to make it more spacious.
"Whatever, they're all here for the competition anyway, it doesn't matter where they sit." Ron scoffed dismissively, his gaze already drawn to Krum standing by the door. Looking at Krum, Ron's heart seemed to quicken, his mind already fantasizing that if Krum sat down, he might be able to chat with him and maybe even get an autograph.
"Alright, alright, stop looking," Harry said helplessly. "You'll have your chance later."
Just then, Krum finally led his group of Durmstrang students toward them, his expression calm, but his eyes...
Harry didn't know why, but he could sense an unnatural tension.
Perhaps... it's because I'm in a completely unfamiliar environment?
"Hey, Krum!" Ron stood up excitedly. "Here! There's an empty seat, come on in!"
Krum hesitated, his gaze shifting between the empty seat and the students around him.
Finally, looking at the "lions" on their chests, he nodded slightly, took a girl's hand, and sat down with several fellow students opposite Ron and Hermione. The Durmstrang students, while removing their heavy fur cloaks, gazed up at the dark, star-studded ceiling with great interest.
The two students also held up a gold plate and a wine glass, seemingly quite interested in these items.
"Thank you, friend." Krum took off his coat and made small talk with Ron. "This place doesn't really feel like our school, does it?"
Ron was secretly delighted to hear Krum call him a friend, but he kept a straight face and replied quite seriously, "Yes, it's definitely not as good as Durmstrang. However, the food at Hogwarts is pretty good, you should try it."
Krum smiled slightly. Although his expression remained calm, he could clearly feel the enthusiasm emanating from Ron. He was used to this kind of situation and handled it with ease.
So he nodded and pushed his plate forward. "I've heard about the food at Hogwarts. They say it's especially delicious, particularly the desserts."
This wasn't just a polite remark.
Krum's limited understanding of Hogwarts consisted of Karkaroff's account of the journey there and Sean's account in class.
To be honest, he really enjoys desserts, which are comforting foods.
"Dessert? Hmm... You have to try the Hogwarts pudding and chocolate cake, especially for Halloween!" Ron said, subconsciously cutting a piece of pudding he had already tasted with his knife.
Krum nodded slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Your school is really interesting." Then, turning to Harry and Hermione, he smiled gently and asked politely, "You're also students at Hogwarts, aren't you? I'm Viktor Krum, a student at Durmstrang."
"My name is Harry Potter." Harry nodded slightly. Although he never liked introducing himself, he had gotten used to the frequent mention of his name in different situations today.
"Hermione Granger." Hermione answered succinctly without hesitation.
Krum seemed somewhat surprised when he heard Hermione's name. He looked up at Hermione, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. "You're Hermione Granger?" He paused, as if recalling something. "Professor Phillips said when he talked about you that you're very smart and hardworking." He nodded slightly, his tone carrying a touch of respect.
Harry and Ron turned to look at Hermione almost simultaneously, which made her face turn bright red.
"Could you tell me a story about Professor Phillips, Miss Granger?"
On the other side, at the faculty desk, Filch was busy moving chairs.
He specially wore a tuxedo for this grand event.
After all the students had entered the auditorium and taken their seats at their respective college tables, the faculty members also entered one after another and took their seats in the main guest seats.
Bumblebee, Sean, Karkaroff, and Mrs. Maxime walked at the very back.
The students of Beauxbatons stood up immediately upon seeing their headmaster, and several Hogwarts students couldn't help but laugh.
But Beauxbatons' representatives were not embarrassed until Mrs. Maxime sat down to Dumbledore's left, and then everyone took their seats.
Sean recognized the scene immediately.
For some reason, he always wanted to come up with a slogan for them—for example… loyalty?
Imagine how hilarious it would be if, when Mrs. Maxime stood up, all the Beauxbatons students stood up and shouted "Loyalty!"
However, this imagined scenario suddenly froze for a moment until he saw with his own eyes that there were two pairs of eyes staring straight at him on the Ravenclaw table.
One of them is Ms. Qiu Zhang, whom I haven't seen in a long time.
The other one is... Selena.
Yes, Selena, as Durmstrang's representative, also came to Hogwarts.
This made Sean feel a little tricky—especially since he was currently in such a difficult phase with Tonks and Hermin—it was hard to imagine what kind of behavior a crazy girl like Selena would do.
But then again...
For some reason, Sean felt a faint sense of anticipation deep down.
Is it just an illusion?
It's just an illusion.
Sean nodded politely to Cho Chang and Selena, then turned to look at Dumbledore standing in the center.
As Dumbledore appeared, the noise in the Great Hall gradually subsided.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts, and especially—distinguished guests." Dumbledore greeted you with his usual smile. "It is with great joy that I welcome you to Hogwarts. I hope and believe that you will feel comfortable and at ease here."
There were cheers from the audience, as well as disdainful boos.
The cheers were mixed, while the disdainful boos came from Beauxbatons' students.
Dumbledore, however, was unfazed and continued, "The tournament will officially begin at the end of the banquet. Now, I invite everyone to eat and drink to their heart's content, as if you were in your own home!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the atmosphere instantly became relaxed.
Sean looked down at the plate in front of him and found it piled high with food. The dishes were plentiful and varied, neatly arranged and smelled delicious.
Clearly, the house-elves of Hogwarts have pulled out all the stops today.
"What's that?" Ron asked curiously, pointing to a large plate of seafood medley, his brow furrowed. He seemed unfamiliar with the dish's appearance.
Having calmed down, Hermione answered first, "That's French fish soup. It tastes very good. I had it during the summer vacation two years ago."
Just then, a voice interrupted her: "Excuse me, are you still going to eat this fish soup?"
Hermione turned her head and saw a Beauxbatons girl finally take off her scarf.
She had a pair of large, bright blue eyes and a set of clean, even teeth, and long, cascading silver hair that reached her waist.
Ron's face flushed red instantly. He stood there, opening his mouth to speak, but only managed to utter a few strange sounds, as if his throat was choked.
Seeing this, Krum, who was standing nearby, originally wanted to hand the soup to Ron, but a sudden pain in his waist made him give up the idea.
Therefore, this task can only be assigned to Harry—not to mention how to get it over there, at least he needs an answer.
"Okay, you take it," Harry said, pushing the plate towards the girl.
"Have you finished eating?" the girl asked gently, her voice as clear and melodious as a lark's.
"I'm done eating." Ron, panting slightly, replied, coming back to his senses. "I'm done eating, it was delicious."
Ron had never understood why Hermione always seemed so strange when she mentioned Professor Phillips, but perhaps after this incident, he understood something.
The girl smiled, carefully picked up the plate, and walked towards the Ravenclaw table.
Ron remained staring at her, his eyes filled with infatuation.
This feeling was probably more common on Tokyo trains in the 1990s, or in some notebooks—it was as if you had never seen a woman before.
Meanwhile, Sean also noticed this peculiar witch.
It's almost a no-brainer who it could be but Fleur Delacour.
Furong's silhouette was as graceful as flowing water, her figure slender and well-proportioned. She wore a light blue dress that perfectly accentuated her curves. Her waist was so slender it could be encircled by a single hand, and her back had a smooth and beautiful line. The hem of her dress swayed gently with her movements, like a blooming blue rose.
The way she walked had a unique rhythm, neither too fast nor too slow, making the surrounding air seem to flow. Even her slightly swaying shoulders exuded an indescribable charm.
As expected of...Veer bloodline.
Just as Sean was in a daze, a crisp system notification sounded in his ear.
[New character discovered: Fleur Delacour]
The task is as follows: ......
On the other side, Harry couldn't help but laugh when he saw Ron's appearance. The laughter suddenly brought Ron back to his senses, and his mouth opened and closed like a child who had just been startled awake.
"She's a Veela!" Ron said in a hoarse voice.
"Definitely not!" Hermione retorted without hesitation. "I didn't see anyone staring at her like an idiot!"
Hermione's statement was somewhat biased. After all, when the girl walked by, almost all the boys couldn't help but turn their heads, and a few of them seemed speechless for a moment, just like Ron.
"I must say, that girl is something else!" Ron said, turning slightly to keep an eye on her. "Hogwarts doesn't have anyone like her!"
"The girls at Hogwarts are nice too," Harry replied without hesitation, his sunny disposition sweeping around him.
Qiu Zhang was sitting a few seats away from the silver-haired girl.
Harry's feelings toward Cho Chang were always very complicated—to be honest, he greatly admired this opponent he often encountered in Quidditch matches.
However, is this feeling simply admiration?
He wasn't quite sure either.
Meanwhile, the two previously empty seats at the faculty desk were filled.
Ludo Bagman sat on the other side of Professor Karkaroff, while Mr. Crouch, Percy's superior, sat next to Mrs. Maxim.
"What are they doing here?" Harry asked in surprise.
"They organized the Triwizard Tournament, didn't they?" Hermione speculated. "I guess they wanted to witness the opening ceremony of the tournament firsthand."
When the second course arrived, they noticed that many of the desserts were ones they had never seen before.
Ron examined one of the strange, white milk puddings closely, and couldn't resist pushing it a few inches to his right to make sure he could see it clearly from the Ravenclaw table.
However, the long-haired girl seemed to have already eaten her fill, and she didn't come over to take the plate of dessert—instead, the girl next to Krum took it away, and she seemed to really enjoy it.
As each of the golden plates was wiped clean, Dumbledore stood up again, and the Great Hall fell silent instantly.
An atmosphere of both excitement and tension spread through the air.
Harry felt a surge of excitement, wondering what would happen next.
Fred and George, who were sitting a few seats away from him, also perked up their ears and stared intently at Dumbledore.
"The moment has finally arrived." Dumbledore smiled, his gaze sweeping over the expectant faces. "The Triwizard Tournament is about to begin. I'd like to explain a few things first, then bring the box in—"
"Bring what in?" Harry asked in a low voice.
Ron shrugged, looking unsure himself.
Dumbledore smiled and continued:
First, I'd like to explain our school year's activities. However, please allow me to introduce two special guests first, as some of you may not have met them yet. This is Mr. Barty Crouch, Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic—”