The other miss Granger
Chapter 4:
There was a pleasant feeling of anticipation in the air that day. Nobody was very attentive in lessons, being much more interested in the arrival that evening of the people from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, even Potions was more bearable than usual, as it was half an hour shorter. When the bell rang early, Harry, Ron, and Hermione hurried up to Gryffindor Tower, deposited their bags and books as they had been instructed, pulled on their cloaks, and rushed back downstairs into the entrance hall.
The Heads of Houses were ordering their students into lines. "Weasley, straighten your hat," Professor McGonagall snapped at Ron. "Miss Patil, take that ridiculous thing out of your hair." Parvati scowled and removed a large ornamental butterfly from the end of her plait.
"Follow me, please," said Professor McGonagall. "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. Harry, standing between Ron and Hermione in the fourth row.
"Nearly six," said Ron, checking his watch and then staring down the drive that
led to the front gates. "How d'you reckon they're coming? The train?"
"I doubt it," said Hermione.
"How, then? Broomsticks?" Harry suggested, looking up at the starry sky.
"I don't think so. . . not from that far away.. ." Hemrione said. She to was wondering how their guests would arrive.
"A Portkey?" Ron suggested. "Or they could Apparate maybe you're allowed to
do it under seventeen wherever they come from?"
"You can't Apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds, how often do I have to tell
you?" said Hermione impatiently, she was fed up with him never listening to her. Sometimes she just wanted to slap him.
Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers - "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"
"Where?" said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions.
"There!" yelled a sixth year, pointing over the forest. Something large, much larger than a broomstick - or, indeed, a hundred broomsticks - was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time.
"It's a dragon!" shrieked one of the first years, losing her head completely.
"Don't be stupid. . . it's a flying house!" said Dennis Creevey.
Dennis's guess was closer. As the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powderblue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant.
Hermione watched impatiently as a boy fumbled around fixing the steps.
Hermione saw a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerging from the inside of the carriage - a shoe the size of a child's sled. Followed, almost immediately, by the largest woman he had ever seen in his life. The size of the carriage, and of the horses, was immediately explained. A few people gasped. This woman was diffidently had giant blood in here. Hermione clapped with everyone else, ignoring what was being said. Trying to get a look into the carriage to see her sister. But then it struck Hermione, she had no clue what she looked like!
"My pupils," said Madame Maxime, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her.
Hermione looked at the pupils from Beauxbaton, a dozen boys and girls, all, by the look of them, in their late teens, had emerged from the carriage and were now standing behind Madame Maxime. They were shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their robes
seemed to be made of fine silk, and none of them were wearing cloaks. A few had wrapped scarves and shawls around their heads .Most of them were staring up at Hogwarts with apprehensive looks on their faces.
Hermione ignored the talking yet again. Trying to spot one of these girls that might be her sister, but most were hidden under there shawls wrapped around there heads.
"The lake!" yelled Lee Jordan, pointing down at it. "Look at the lake!" Snapping Hermione out of her thoughts. From their position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, they had a clear view of the smooth black surface of the water - except that the surface was
suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the center; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks - and then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor. . What seemed to be a long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool.
"It's a mast!" Harry said to Ron and Hermione.
Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank.
Hermione saw all the boys getting of the boat. Well they weren't really boys, they were men unlike most of the young boys who ran around Hogwarts. They were all tall. And bulky probably due to the fact that they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur.
Hermione was more busy examining the boat when Ron pulled her out of her own mind.
"Harry! It's Krum!" he said like a 4 year old on Christmas morning. Hermione rolled her eyes. Deciding to ignore him and his childish fascination.
"Did you see her Mione?" Ginny asked her. She sighed and shrugged.
"I don't know what she even looks like. So I don't know." She told her red headed friend truthfully.
"We'll help you look. Won't we Ron?" Harry said. He waited for Ron to back him up but he never did so he looked over at his friend only for him to still be staring at Viktor Krum with some weird adoration and elbowed him in the arm.
"OW! What was that for?" he asked Harry, rubbing his arm where his friend had hit him.
"I said we'll help Hermione find her sister won't we?" Harry repeated. Ron gave him a confused look until realisation washed over his face.
"Oh yeah sure." he mumbled before going back to stare at Krum.
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