CHAPTER 10
For the next few weeks, they were given a lot of homework. For Transfiguration, they had to write an essay on transforming a quill to a fake wand, ten inches, no less. For Charms, they had to read a book and write an essay on every five chapters. For History of Magic, they needed to write weekly essays on goblin rebellions. For Potions, they needed to search antidotes for various potions. Professor Sprout told them to write an essay on pus and they had to visit the Blast-Ended Skrewts in the evenings and take notes. Professor Trelawney told them to continue their monthly planets project. And for Astronomy, they were to memorize stars and write three inches of essay on each of them.
"GAH! I am drowning in homework!" Ginny groaned. She was doing her Astronomy essay. The three girls had a free period right before lunch on Fridays. "I've only done History of Magic, Herbology and most of Care of Magical Creatures! If this continues, I'll go mad!"
"It's as if we were having O.W.L.s coming up in the next six months or so!" Ashley agreed. She was doing her Transfiguration homework. "I'm almost done with Charms, I finished Astronomy just now and History of Magic!"
"Oh, come on, it's not that bad, guys." Summer said, doing her Divination homework.
"Easy for you to say. How much have you done?" Ginny asked.
"Er...let me see...umm...History of Magic, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, History of Magic and part of Care of Magical Creatures," Summer said, checking her homework planner.
"Are you serious?" Ashley gapped at her friend.
"Yup," Summer said.
"How do you manage to do all this?" Ginny exclaimed.
"Er...I dunno." Summer shrugged.
"Have you been sleeping lately?" Ashley asked.
"Yeah?" Summer nodded.
"Then exactly how do you manage to do all this homework?" Ginny asked as they got up to go to lunch.
"I don't know. I do some of it at lunch sometimes and the rest after dinner." Summer said.
"Hey, why are they all crowding around a sign?" Ashley pointed out when they walked down the marble staircase. The sign read:
TWIWIZARD TOURNAMENT
THE DELEGATION FROM BEAUXBATONS AND
DURMSTRANG WILL BE ARRIVING AT 6 O'CLOCK
ON FRIDAY THE 30TH OF OCTOBER. LESSONS WILL
END HALF AN HOUR EARLY - STUDENTS WILL
RETURN THEIR BAGS AND BOOKS
TO THEIR DORMITORIES AND ASSEMBLE IN FRONT
OF THE CASTLE TO GREET OUR GUESTS BEFORE
THE WELCOMING FEAST
"They're arriving a week from now?" Ginny said. "I never knew it would be this early!"
"Now you know. Come on, guys, I'm starving." Ashley said, dragging Summer and Ginny through the crowd of people and into the Great Hall.
Over the weekend and from Monday to Friday, many grimy portraits have been scrubbed clean and the suits of armor were gleaming and moving without squeaking.
When the three girls went down to breakfast on the morning of October the thirtieth, they found out that the Great Hall had been decorated over night. Giant silk banners hung from the walls, each of them representing a Hogwarts House: red with a gold lion for Gryffindor, blue with a bronze eagle for Ravenclaw, yellow with a black badger for Hufflepuff, and green with a silver serpent for Slyherin. Behind the teacher's table, the largest banner of all bore the Hogwarts coat of arms: lion, eagle, badger and snake united around a large letter H.
For most of the day, no one was really attentive, they hardly listened to the lessons. When the bell rang early, Summer, Ashley and Ginny ran down the Astronomy Tower stairs to the other side of the castle. They dumped their bags and books onto the third girls dormitory and hurried down to the front of the castle.
"Follow me, please," Professor McGongall said. "First years in front...no pushing..."
They filed down the steps and lined up in front of the castle. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest.
"Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!" Dumbledore called out. A huge powder-blue horse-drawn carriage soared towards them. It was pulled by a dozen winged horses, all palominos and the size of elephants. The carriage and the horses landed.
An unnaturally large woman stepped out of the carriage. For a fleeting moment, Summer thought the woman was even taller than Hagrid but she wasn't as tall and big as Summer thought she was. As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was revealed to have a handsome, olive-skinned face; large, black liquid-looking eyes; and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick finers.
"My dear Madame Maxime," Dumbledore said, kissing Madame Maxime's hand. "Welcome to Hogwarts."
"Dumbly-dorr," Madame Maxime said in a deep voice. "I 'ope I find you well?"
"In excellent form, I thank you." Dumbledore said.
"My pupils," Madame Maxime said, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her. A dozen boys and girls emerged from the carriage.
"'As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxine asked.
"He should be here any moment," Dumbledore said. "Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?"
"Warm up, I think," Madame Maxine decided. "Be ze 'orses -"
"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them," Dumbledore said. "the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other - er - charges."
"My steeds require - er - forceful 'andling," Madame Maxime said, looking doubtful. "Zey are very strong..."
"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job," Dumbledore said, smiling.
"Very well." Madame Maxime said, bowing slightly. "Will you please inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whiskey?"
"It will be attended to," Dumbledore said, also bowing.
"Come," Madame Maxime said to her students, and the Hogwarts crowd parted to alllow her and her students to pass up the stone steps.
"The lake!" Someone yelled from behind Summer. "Look at the lake!" A long black pole began to rise slowly out of a whirpool.
Slowly, a ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, an anchor was thrown down in the shallows and a plank was lowered to the bank.
Poeple disembarked from the ship. They wore cloaks of shaggy, matted fur. But the man that was leading them up the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair.
"Dumbledore!" He called heartily. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"
"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied.
"Dear old Hogwarts," Karkaroff said, looking up at the castle and smiling. "How good it is to be here, how good...Viktor, come along, into the warmth...you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold..."
"Guys, it's Viktor Krum!" Ashley gasped.
END OF CHAPTER 10!
New chapters posted daily!
~Bluefeather