A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

"For example, a hippogriff?"

"Can you please not mention those beasts to me?" Draco said irritably, his arm throbbing at the thought of the hippogriff.

At that moment, Dumbledore, who was standing in the back row, suddenly shouted, "If I'm not mistaken, Beauxbatons' representative has arrived."

"Where is it?" many students asked.

"There!" Someone excitedly pointed above the Forbidden Forest, where a colossal creature flew towards Hogwarts Castle in the night.

It was a huge powder blue carriage, as big as a common lounge, pulled by twelve silver-maned horses the size of elephants with white wings.

Chapter 354 A dazzling entrance, five empty seats

“Twelve flying horses pulling the carriage, that’s way cooler than the carriages at Hogwarts,” Aaron said meaningfully. Beauxbatons’ mode of travel was very similar to that of second-year and older wizards returning to school, but on a much larger scale, making it visually striking.

The carriage descended at an extremely fast speed, its massive wheels slowly slowing down on the lawn before coming to a stop right in front of the procession.

The carriage was emblazoned with Beauxbatons' school emblem—two golden crossed wands, each with three stars emanating from them.

The carriage door opened, and a boy in a light blue robe jumped off, then opened a golden spiral staircase.

A huge black high-heeled shoe emerged from the carriage, followed by a beautiful giantess.

"My goodness!" Aaron couldn't help but swallow.

I thought Hagrid was already quite remarkable among giants, after all, he was able to become a professor of the Magical Creatures Protection class, but I never expected that a giant could also become the headmaster of a magic school, it's simply unbelievable.

"She's Maxim?" Draco looked at the glamorous giantess, his expression somewhat unnatural. "No wonder my parents never considered sending me to Beauxbatons. The giant headmaster is even harder to accept than Dumbledore."

"You can't say that. This person should be considered a socialite even among the giants."

Moreover, given that she was a giant and could become the headmistress, her management skills were probably no less than Dumbledore's.

As soon as he finished speaking, Dumbledore began to clap, and hundreds of teachers and students followed suit in welcoming him.

Maxim smiled and extended a glittering hand toward Dumbledore as he approached.

After a simple hand kiss, Dumbledore smiled and said, "Dear Madam Maxim, welcome to Hogwarts."

"Dumbledore, I hope you are well."

Also, these are my students.

Maxim waved his hand behind him, and a dozen or so wizards and witches dismounted from the carriage and followed behind her.

Most of these students are over seventeen years old, and they are probably the candidates to participate in the Three Kingdoms Tournament.

Has Karkaroff arrived yet?

“He should be here soon. Would you like to wait here or go inside and warm up?” Dumbledore asked, noticing that Beauxbatons’ students were dressed rather lightly and might not be able to withstand the harsh weather.

"Let's go warm up first!"

"Professor Dumbledore, my horses have traveled a long way and they need care."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Maxim," Dumbledore said confidently, "Our Professor Hagrid, who teaches the Magical Creatures Department, will take good care of them."

I assure you, he is perfectly capable of doing this job.

"That's good. Please tell Mr. Hagrid that my horse only drinks single malt whisky."

"I will take care of it."

Maxim led her students up the stone steps toward Hogwarts Castle.

They had barely left when a long mast rose from the lake.

Huge waves surged on the water's surface as a large ship emerged from the lake and sailed toward the shore.

"Beautiful!" Aaron clapped his hands and said, "They've got things flying in the sky and swimming in the water."

In comparison, the welcoming ceremony on the ground floor of Hogwarts seemed rather undignified; we were no different from Muggles.

"I can tell, Professor McGonagall doesn't look too good." Draco was still very curious about the magic school that had almost accepted him, and he stood on tiptoe to watch the ship approach.

boom!

A plank was thrown onto the shore, and a middle-aged man in a white leather jacket strode over, followed by a dozen or so senior students wearing fur cloaks.

A gasp of surprise rippled through the Hogwarts welcoming party, for among the dozen or so Durmstrang students was a star figure: Viktor Krum.

He shone brightly in the Quidditch World Cup, and many people still have a deep impression of him.

"Albus." The middle-aged man gave Dumbledore a familiar hug. "Old friend, are you alright?"

“Excellent, Professor Karkaroff.”

After a few simple pleasantries, Dumbledore led them up the steps, with the Hogwarts students following behind.

“I can’t believe it,” Draco murmured. “Krum is a member of the Quidditch national team, and I never imagined he was a student like us.”

“Krum, Harry, it’s Viktor Krum.”

Upon hearing Ron's voice, the two exchanged bewildered glances.

Turning his head, he saw Ron holding Harry's arm, trembling with excitement.

"You're a disgrace to purebloods, Weasley," Draco said dismissively. "Krum is a star, that's true, but you don't have to be acting like this!"

"You don't know anything. He's the best Seeker in the world."

"So...do I need an autograph?" Aaron teased.

“Of course I need it,” Ron said matter-of-factly, but his face fell the next moment. “I don’t have a quill pen or any paper.”

"It's such a pity, a lot of people didn't bring that thing." Aaron shook his head, then gave Abe a wink.

It gave Ron a disdainful look and pulled out a pen and paper from its pocket.

"How come it has all sorts of things in its pocket?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"Because I'll put everything I need in there," Aaron explained casually. "I have a pen and paper, but whether I can get an autograph or not is none of my business."

"I'm so grateful!" Ron quickly took the paper and pen, then looked at Krum's back and pondered for a moment how to get an autograph.

"Do you want to?" Aaron looked at Draco, hesitated for a moment, then nodded with a blush.

"Um... if you still have paper and pens, could you give us a set too?" Lee Jordan asked sheepishly, with the Weasley twins beside him, all three of them looking on expectantly.

Not only them, but also Harry Potter and several members of the Quidditch team joined in.

Aaron's lips twitched slightly. He had plenty of pens and paper, but how could he give them to others in this situation?

Today is a welcoming ceremony, not a Viktor Krum autograph session.

"I'm sorry, you're a step too late."

“This is ridiculous. He’s just a Quidditch player,” Hermione said in a low voice.

“Absurd?” Aaron chuckled and shook his head. “I remember back in second year, a certain witch’s adoration for Gilderoy Lockhart was even greater.”

Hearing this, Hermione blushed slightly and made no further comment.

The students of Beauxbatons sat with the wizards of Ravenclaw, while the students of Durmstrang chose the long table of Slytherin.

Being in a good position, Draco easily obtained Krum's autograph. Malfoy's pure-blooded noble status made it easy for him to get along with these wizards.

Ron, who had originally wanted to get an autograph, was so angry at what he saw that he could only suppress his displeasure in front of his idol.

Filch added five chairs to the faculty table, and Maxim and Karkaroff sat on either side of Dumbledore.

The banquet began after the guests from both colleges were seated, but compared to usual, tonight's dinner had more international flavors and was more in line with the guests' tastes.

While they were enjoying their meal, two more people arrived and sat in the empty seats: Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch.

"Looks like we still have some distinguished guests who haven't arrived yet!" Draco exclaimed with particular confidence in front of Durmstrang's group of wizards. "The last one to appear will definitely be extraordinary; they might even be a veteran of the wizarding world!"

After a satisfying meal, the golden tableware was cleaned and packed to go.

Dumbledore stood up from his seat, and the atmosphere in the Great Hall quieted down.

He smiled at everyone and said, "The moment has finally arrived. The three-way battle is about to begin, but before that, I must introduce a few people to you."

This is Mr. Barty Crouch, Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic.

This is Mr. Ludo Bagman, the Director of Sport and Physical Education at the Ministry of Magic.

The two stood up one after the other, showed their faces to the crowd, and received some applause.

“Over the past few months, they have worked tirelessly to arrange the Triwizard Tournament,” Dumbledore said. “They will form the judging panel with me, Professor Karkaroff, and Ms. Maxime.”

“Ahem!” Barty Crouch coughed suddenly.

“Besides us, there is another referee.” Dumbledore looked meaningfully at the last empty seat. “She was delayed by something, but she should be here by now.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the doors of the auditorium opened, and a young woman slowly walked in.

She wore a beige dress, her slender figure was full and graceful, her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, her face was free of makeup, her jade-like skin had a slight blush, her eyebrows were like ink paintings, and her black eyes shone with a radiant and heroic spirit.

The moment she appeared, she attracted everyone's attention.

The boy unconsciously swallowed, while the girl felt somewhat ashamed of herself.

None of them expected the last referee to be so young, but her strong confidence and composure made it seem like it was only natural. She was definitely the fairest referee.

Aaron stared dumbfounded at the girl who walked up to him, momentarily unable to react. Fear, doubt, confusion, astonishment, bewilderment and other complex emotions intertwined in his mind and formed a single word.

"sister."

At this moment, it seemed as if many doubts had been silently answered.

The fact that Adrian will be coming to Hogwarts to serve as a referee in the Triwizard Tournament is probably what Genes was keeping from him.

It's no wonder that Adrian would be interested in the Quidditch World Cup. The Triwizard Tournament, like the Quidditch World Cup, is a major event, and watching it live would allow him to better learn from the relevant experience.

When Aaron suddenly realized what had happened, he had no idea how much impact his unconsciously uttered word had caused.

Draco, who was closest to the newcomer, stared in astonishment, followed by the dozen or so Durmstrang students, then the entire Slytherin table, and finally everyone's gaze shifted back and forth between him and the newcomer.

Harry and the others had seen Adrian at the Quidditch World Cup, but she wore a half-mask then, and her mystery outweighed her sealed beauty. But now, she appeared before them with stunning beauty, so much so that they didn't immediately connect the two.

Chapter 355 The Goblet of Fire, A Demand That Is Hard to Request

Adrian smiled and raised an eyebrow at Aaron before calmly walking to the front of the stage.