Autumn were giving way to winter when the delegates from the other schools were confirmed to arrive, and not so surprisingly coincide with Halloween Feast. Every Hogwarts staff, man and creatures alike, goes out of their way to make it the best Halloween Feast of the age to both impress their foreign friends and to keep up the school's respectable reputation. Students were reminded again and again for the last two weeks about minding their behaviours and to keep in mind of the school's dignity before their visitors.

Ron huddled together with Collin, who has been paid by Harry to take picture by picture of the arrival to send to Draco. He even bought a whole box of magical camera films. Currently the younger boy was trembling with excitement, ready to snap Kodak worthy moments of the arrival from start to finish. Hermione had blankly noted that he would make quite the fortune as a photographer last year with his enthusiasm and this year it seemed that the young Gryffindor has decided that that was exactly what he will do upon graduating.

Ron asked a shivering Neville, "What do you think are they going to arrive in?"

Neville, who hasn't been having a good night rest, snapped, "Sorry, left my crystal ball back in my bed. How would I know Ron?"

Ron pulled away from the shivering Hufflepuff, "Someone rolled out of bed on the wrong side today,"

Neville huff a puff of air and sighed, "Sorry. Haven't been sleeping right lately,"

Hermione huffed, "I get you. It was Prof Moody's fault, isn't it?" At the boy's wince, she softened her tone, "How could he even show you them? In fact, how could he be showing any of us any of that?"

Luna nodded beside her, "I felt that something is off with him,"

Ginny shivered and huddled closer to the group, "He's good and I remember Dad telling us how helpful he was with the war effort and that he's a good family friend. But I think he's a little too paranoid,"

Harry looked at them as he sat cross-legged in the air, "You guys are starting to resemble penguins, what with all that shivering and huddling together,"

Nearby listener glared at the unaffected boy.

Albus suddenly announced, "If I am not wrong I believe our delegates from Beauxbaton have arrived!" He pointed at an ever growing dot in the sky that slowly grew into large winged horses pulling a nine horse carriage that reminded most Muggleborns of Cinderella from a certain animation company. And for something so large, the Pegasus landed with grace and gentleness that does not seem to fit their intimidating size.

The beautiful and seemingly large but delicate carriage door opened and a Hagrid sized lady stepped out. She immediately greeted Albus with a thick French accent, "Dumbledore, how good to see you!"

Albus accepted the hug, looking much like a child before the lady despite his own impressive height, "Welcome to Hogwarts, Madam Maxime,"

While the two Heads of schools greeted each other, the students were distracted by the lightly dressed witches from the all-girl school of Beauxbaton Academy. Ginny shivered, "Merlin, how do they stand in that thin robe?!"

Indeed the witches of Beauxbaton were dressed in a thin silk-like robe made of dove grey-blue that were knees length and their legs covered in a tone darker leggings. All the girls hair were either cropped chin short or held up high in a bun of different twists and styles. Madam Maxime of Beauxbaton then called her girls to follow her to enjoy the warmth of Hogwarts's interior and the waiting hot cacao.

Not long after they went in, a Hufflepuff student pointed out, "There's a boat on the Black Lake!"

Albus smiled, "And here arrive Durmstrang School of Warlocks!" The students wondered where the students were because there was only a boat with one man waving at them when suddenly something large broke out of the lake's surface. A large galleon sized ship docked at their shores before wooden plank were dropped down for people to bridge across the strip of water separating the ship and dry ground. The man who was obviously the Headmaster greeted Albus, "Albus, my old friend, how are you?!"

Harry whispered, "That goatee make his face looked like someone tapered his chin to a point with how angular his face is already is," The listeners snickered at his description. Ron then gasped when Igor Karkaroff pulled a student close, "That's Viktor Krum! He's a student?!"

Harry frowned, "Wow, favouritism much?" He watched as Karkaroff pushed aside another student who said he could use a bit of alcoholic warmth when Krum declined the offer while keeping a hand on the Quidditch star player.

Hermione nodded, "I mean, sure he's famous but that shouldn't put his need above his peers,"

Minerva called the students in as they filed in with the Durmstrang's boys who all heavily dressed thick furs. Luna whispered, "I heard that their school were situated up on a cold mountain, that's why their uniform also consisted of the fur cloaks,"

The friends then separated as they returned to their respective House tables. Harry streaked lines of frost everywhere and Daphne Greengrass sent a stinger at the boy, "Keep the snow outside, Grossman!"

Harry smiled and fluidly sat on his spot on the bench, "Sorry!"

Once they were all seated with their formal pointed hats sitting on their heads, Albus started the second Welcoming Ceremony of the year and welcomed their visitors with a grand speech which simply flew over most people's head. Harry ignored the speech because Albus have been going back and forth on the speech to anyone who would lend an ear, meaning forced to give opinion to him, and mumbling the words and rearranging them while having their usual game of chess. Basically Harry has heard over a thousand and one version of the speech circulating the same subject. Showmanship really was a hard work.

At the end of the speech, the door of the Great Halls opened and the Beauxbaton girls floated in a ballet number, making the scene appear dreamlike. A student whispered to someone, "Bet you ten Galleon that girl there is part Veela,"

Harry took note of the comment and noticed a strange shimmer around one particular Beauxbaton girl that seemed to turned more heads than the rest of her peers. Harry had noticed that he could see magical distortion around any individual if he concentrated hard enough; this discovery happened around Remus when the moon waxed and waned, noticing that the shimmer around the wizard strengthened and weakened depending on the waning and waxing of the moon.

Then the Durmstrang boys made their appearance after the Beauxbaton girls looked for a seat, sitting mostly with the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Harry noticed the bright blush staining Ron's cheek and make note to tease the boy about it the next time they had a chance to talk. Unlike the floating entrance of Beauxbaton the Durmstrang's warlock had a forceful and stern entrance, that make one both afraid and intrigue, which ended with a fire breathing show.

The Durmstrang then joined the Slytherin table and Harry made place for one of them only for it to be Viktor Krum himself. The stern looking boy nodded a greeting and Harry smiled back, causing the older boy to blush. Albus then stood up with his wand out like an orchestra conductor, "And for our Alma Mater, pick your favourite tune and sing!"

Harry locked eyes with Severus and noticed the carefully arranged polite smile on his face, looking to Harry's trained eyes as if the man were facing a Dementor's meal time. Harry decided to stay this one out for everyone's sanity, literally for their sanity, and bear through the racket they all made as they pick their own favourite tune to sing out loud.

Krum winced and noticed that Harry didn't seem to join the mess of noise pollution that Hogwarts students called singing and asked, "Is this…really…how they…sing…school song?" Krum's words were halting, full of in-between pauses and hard to understand heavily accented words. Harry smiled and nodded, doubtful that the other boy can hear him above the racket.

The magic of such mess can only be seen when everyone almost finished; the twins sang with a funeral dirge and someone from Hufflepuff managed to make a choreographed group singing to a Muggle's band boy's pop song. They finally finished their very much clashing tunes they bowed at the enthusiastic clapping of their peers.

Viktor, since he's nice enough that Harry decided that he deserved to be called by given name, asked again, "Do they not…have…formal tune?" He looked as though he wasn't sure if he worded his enquiry correctly.

Harry shook his head, "No,"

At hearing Harry's voice, his eyes wide, he asked, "You…boy?"

Harry chuckled, "Yes. It can be confusing since I'm sitting and you can't see my pants,"

Viktor blushed, looking embarrassed, "Sorry, I thought…"

Blaise joined in on their conversation, "Don't worry. Everyone is still betting on Harry's gender. Blaise Zabini by the way and that gender confusing kid there is Harry Grossman.

Viktor nodded again, not trusting his language skill enough for a much longer and thus complicated conversation. The feast ended with the revelation of the Goblet of Fire which would magically chose a Champion from each school. The other guests from the Ministry then proceeded to explain the finer details of the competition. Harry drifted away from the rest, studying Moody as surreptitiously as he was capable of.

He still haven't tell anyone of his suspicion so he decided to just keep his head down and his suspicion to himself until the chance came for him to 'unveil' Moody's real face…