Classes on October 31 might as well have been cancelled based on how little the students of Hogwarts paid attention and how little the professors were able to accomplish. The only professor to get any true work done in class was Professor Snape because it was Professor Snape. Even Professor McGonagall had not had as much as like he had.
Just before the dinner hour, Aria gathered with the rest of the Hogwarts student body on the grassy knoll overlooking the Black Lake. Hagrid's hut was just off to the left and the fire inside illuminated the lengthening shadows brought on by the sunset. The firelight reminded Aria that there was, as far as she was aware, no Samhain bonfire this year, which she thought was sad as last year's had been fun. However, Dumbledore had cracked down hard on declaring that no Samhain bonfires were to happen due to October 31 being the day the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were to arrive.
Every student was dressed in their formal uniform. This was not much different from the everyday uniform, it just meant that the students wore sweaters instead of sweater-vests, the girls wore skirts and tights instead of the of knee-highs or pants, and everyone wore the black school robe over their uniform. Prefect badges had been shined, and Aria and several other girls from a variety of years had specifically done their hair to showcase their Hogwarts and house pride. Of course, all the girls involved in the illicit demonstration had done their hair similarly. It had been Lavender's idea. They all wore ribbons in their hair in their house colors. Aria had weaved green ribbon into two braids and silver ribbon into two other braids, pinning the four braids around her heard in a crown, the green and silver alternating prettily around her head. Hermione weaved scarlet and gold ribbon into one Dutch braid which had had Lavender asking to learn how to Dutch braid. Lavender had opted to just using a scarlet ribbon against her blonde hair which she had had Hermione braid into two Dutch braids. Parvati had opted to using both colors.
Looking around, Aria could see ribbon in Susan and Hannah's hair, in Luna and Padma's, and more. In Slytherin all the fourth-year girls had ribbon in their hair.
"There they are!"
A cry went up from a younger student and everyone's eyes followed the first year's pointed finger towards the sky where a speck was growing larger and larger until Aria and the rest of the students could make out a large carriage pulled by flying Abraxan.
"I hope they have good charms to deal with motion sickness," Harry muttered to Aria from her left. She giggled, swallowing it down when Snape turned to give them both a sharp look. On her other side, Draco glanced at her with a soft quirk of his lips. They had not been able to spend much time together, it was much harder at Hogwarts to get some alone time, but they had managed to stand beside each other on occasion or be partnered with each other in class.
"Which school is that?" Pansy wondered aloud.
"I bet it's Beauxbatons," Aria said, remembering that Nikola had said something in one of his letters about a ship.
"How do you know?" Millicent questioned.
"Intuition."
The carriage landed, rather smoothly, and Hagrid stepped forward to grab hold of the Abraxan halters to keep them steady and calm. The door to the carriage opened and steps descended. Aria gaped with the rest of the students as a woman, as tall and as broad as Hagrid, stepped out of the carriage.
"It must be bigger on the inside," Aria said to Harry. "Like the tents!"
The large woman, dressed stylishly in a well-tailored coat with silver fur on the collar, held out a hand towards Dumbledore who walked forward with an entourage of British, French, and various Eastern European officials. According to Ron, who had had a letter from Percy, because Durmstrang refused to say where their school was located, and because it pulled from a variety of countries (far more than Hogwarts or Beauxbatons), the ICW had chosen delegates from several Eastern bloc countries to be at Hogwarts during the tournament. He had also helpfully pointed out a few officials he knew such as Barty Crouch Sr., Ludo Bagman who was in charge of national sports or something of that nature, and then Lord Weasley, who was one of Britain's ICW delegates and apparently the Weasley grandfather although the Weasleys do not talk to him.
Aria understood that. As far as she was aware, her mother's parents still refused to have anything to do with her and Kenneth. She only met them briefly at her mother's funeral when she was nine.
Dumbledore kissed the giant woman's knuckles. The flash of bulbs and clicks of cameras could be heard from the gathered press off to the side. Aria had hardly given them a glance, but now her attention was torn between Dumbledore and the new arrivals and the many lights flashing.
"Madame Olympe Maxime!" Dumbledore cried, "you are a sight for sore eyes!"
"It eez good to see you, Dumbleedore," Madame Maxime replied, her French accent thick. "Eez Karkaroff here yet?"
"We expect him at any moment."
Madame Maxime turned back to the carriage and beckoned someone to come forward. Out of the carriage came twenty students of varying ages, most looking old enough to compete in the tournament, but a few were definitely younger than seventeen. Their uniforms were a pretty periwinkle blue, but it looked to be made of silk as were their capes, and they did not look warm even though they must have been using Warming Charms.
"Where is Beauxbatons located again?" Aria asked Draco.
"Somewhere in the Pyrenees," he answered.
If they were in the mountains, Aria mused, why were their uniforms so light? Unless they were not high up and closer to the warmer southern France areas.
"Look!" someone else cried, pointing towards the Black Lake. "Something's happening!"
A mast suddenly burst from beneath the waters of the Black Lake, growing taller and taller until a three-mast ship was exposed.
"Ahoy, ahoy!" Justin cried, causing a ripple of laughter to run through the Hogwarts students. Snape hissed at everyone to be quiet. A flag flew from the top of the crow's nest, Aria could barely make it out due to the distance, but she thought that perhaps it had the crest of the school on it.
Somehow, and Aria assumed that magic was once again at play, the large ship managed to dock close enough to the boat house that a gangplank was able to be lowered to the ground. She was certain that if this were a Muggle ship, it would have gotten stuck on the bottom of the lake by now.
An entourage of students filed down the gangplank in two lines, one of boys and one of girls. From the distance, Aria could tell that they wore red wizarding robes cut in a vaguely militaristic style, both boys and girls wore knee high black boots, a wool cloak that definitely looked a lot warmer than Beauxbatons' capes, and a fur hat that was definitely Russian in appearance.
A tall, thin man with a sharp chin and beard to go with it led the group. As the Durmstrang entourage got closer, a surprised murmur rose up from both the Hogwarts and Beauxbatons students as one of the first male students came close enough to be recognized.
"That's Krum!" Aria heard Theo whisper excited to Blaise. Aria glanced towards the Gryffindors and could see Ron excited vibrating next to Hermione and Dean.
Behind Krum, Aria recognized Nikola and she barely managed to keep herself from bouncing on her feet as seeing her friend.
"Dumbledore," the Durmstrang headmaster greeted. Several other adults dressed in gray or black came up behind the headmaster and nodded in greeting to Dumbledore and the other officials.
"Igor Karkaroff," Dumbledore greeted, a serene smile on his face. "It is so good to see you again after all these years."
"That is the biggest lie I've ever heard," Draco muttered.
"Indeed, it's been a long time since you graced the British Isles with your presence," Dumbledore said. "If you and Madam Maxime would like to bring your students inside the castle, we have a receiving room where you can prepare for your demonstrations."
Aria and Harry shared a sly smile as the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students followed their heads of school into the castle. The Hogwarts students filed into the Great Hall and took their seats at their house tables, which had been lengthened to accommodate additional students from the other schools. Professor Snape had already told the Slytherins that Durmstrang would most likely choose to sit with them. Aria had heard a lot of about Durmstrang in the last few weeks, about how they only allowed purebloods into their school, which an article from an English-French newspaper showed to be untrue, it was that Durmstrang did not allow Muggleborns into its school, which was now causing issues with ICW because Durmstrang had told the ICW they would allow Muggleborns in this year, but had yet to do so.
Draco had shared with the fourth years that his grandfather had thought about sending him to Durmstrang, but that his father and mother had managed to convince him not to do so. Aria thought that Draco would not have looked as good in the red uniforms.
"What do you think Dumbledore meant by demonstrations?" Astoria asked her friend Harper. Aria shared a knowing glance with Daphne. Daphne looked far too smug about knowing something her sister did not, and Aria could not help but feel pleased by the idea as well.
Glancing around the Great Hall, Aria noted over the bare tables where everyone who was a part of the demonstration was sitting. Cedric, Cho, Adrian, and Angelina had taken positions at their house tables close to the doors which was good because she knew that they had stashed their brooms just outside the Great Hall under a Notice-Me Not Charm.
"Attention students!" Dumbledore cried from his podium before the Head Table. All heads turned to him. The Head Table looked a little crowded with professors and government officials all sitting on one side on it. "I am pleased to introduce to you the students of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their headmistress, Madame Olympe Maxime!"
The doors to the Great Hall swung open and the Beauxbatons students strode in purposefully in a beautifully coordinated triangle. Halfway up the center aisle of the tables, the students paused and leaned gracefully to the right, sweeping their arms in a manner reminiscent to ballerinas, conjuring dozens of butterflies as their arms swept in the elegant motion. Immediately, the students flittered forward, pausing at the front of the Great Hall and leaning gracefully to the left, making the same sweeping motion with their arms and conjuring more butterflies which fluttered all around the Great Hall to everyone's delight.
Behind the group of students came Madame Maxime, who was following four younger looking students who were performing elaborate cartwheels and backbends.
"They look awfully young for students," Aria whispered.
"I think there is an option for younger students to attend a primary school of sorts," Daphne whispered back.
The Hogwarts students clapped politely as Beauxbatons students bowed. Aria wondered if she could figure out how to conjure something. They were supposed to do conjuring this year and, of course, everything she learned with her wand she now tried to replicate without it. She had been steadily improving!
The doors to the Great Hall thudded shut and the Beauxbatons students settled at the Ravenclaw table. Dumbledore held up his hands and silence fell over the hall.
"And now," he cried, "I give to all of you, the illustrious students of Durmstrang Institute and their headmaster, Igor Karkaroff!"
The doors to the Great Hall burst open and the students marched into the hall in alternating lines of boys and girls, each one holding a staff. As they marched, they pounded their staffs to the floor and sparks shot out. Halfway down the aisle, the front lines knelt on one knee while several back lines ran or leaped forward, using their staffs to propel them up over the heads of their classmates. Ribbons of brightly colored magic trailed behind these students from the top of their staffs, bathing the Great Hall in a multitude of multicolored lights.
"Apparently the schools on the continent make gymnastics mandatory," Harry joked to Aria who laughed. They had no acrobatics in their demonstration, just some skillful flying and lots of Weasley twin specials.
Oh, and their Patronuses!
"I didn't realize anyone still taught staff work," Theo said to Blaise. The Durmstrang students tossed their staffs like batons, each staff giving off its own ribbon of magic before being caught and brought down hard against the floor in a last shower of sparks. Aria clapped and cheered along with the rest of the two schools. Wandless conjuring and staff work, two things for her to research when she had the time.
Durmstrang students gave a final bow towards the Head Table before one of the students spun around towards the Slytherin table. Aria grinned broadly as did Harry as they waved towards Nikola. Viktor Krum stepped up beside his friend as the two led the delegation to the Slytherin table. Aria and Harry had strategically placed themselves, and their four-year friends, at the end of the table where it extended to make more room so the fourth years were right next to the Durmstrang students. Draco was hiding how excited he was to be so close to Krum while at the same time unable to hide his surprise at Harry and Aria already being on friendly terms to the Quidditch player and another student.
"I thought the ship vould never get here," Nikola muttered to Aria as he sat beside her. Harry leaned around her to greet him. "Vhat vill Hogvarts do for their demonstration?"
"You'll just have to find out," Aria answered with a smirk. She turned back to her classmates and found most of the fourth years, even Pansy and Millicent, giving her "expect-an-interrogation-later" eyes.
Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"Thank you, Durmstrang," he said. "And now, Hogwarts students, let us rise and—,"
"GIVE IT UP FOR THE GREATEST SCHOOL IN THE WORLD!"
Lee Jordan's voice reverberated off the walls of the Great Hall. He had, at some point, risen from the Gryffindor table and now stood in the very center of the Great Hall. He had procured a pair of sunglasses, from which Muggleborn student, Aria did not know.
An explosion of confetti erupted from behind Lee, showering those within a good twenty feet of him. Students cried out in glee and laughter filled the Great Hall.
Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall burst open once again. Angelina shot in on her broom followed by Cedric, Cho, and Adrien. Each of them tossed multiple brightly colored cannisters over their shoulders as they each zoomed over their house's table. The canisters exploded into a myriad of fireworks and confetti.
Cheers erupted from the students as the four Quidditch player formed a four-person formation and did a victory lap around the Great Hall, their broom suddenly trailing smoke in scarlet, yellow, blue, and green.
Multiple people jumped up from their seats now, the noise in the Great Hall rose as dozens of charms and spells were shouted. Bubbles filled the great hall, bright orbs of color-changing lights floated over the heads of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students. More fireworks went off.
Aria, Harry, Ron, and Hermione marched their way up to the front of the Great Hall. The students who had gotten out of their seats now, in a well-practiced choreographed move, bent down on one knee all facing the four as they raised their wands, and cried aloud in one voice,
"Expecto Patronum!"
Four life-sized corporal Patronuses burst from their wands. Aria felt a surge of power come snapping back into her from her wand, as if her new wand were excited to perform such a show of powerful magic. With a grin, Aria sent her fox running and darting around the Great Hall. People gasped and reached for the Patronuses as they passed, Ron's Jack Russell Terrier chasing after Hermione's otter while Harry's stag sauntered up to the Head Table and nuzzled McGonagall's outstretched hand and attempted to nibble at Snape's hair. Aria tried not to look at her Head of House, knowing that there was no way any of the Slytherins would escape a lecture from him, but she could not help herself. She brought her fox around to the Head Table. Professor Snape looked like he had seen a ghost as he stared at the stag rest its ghostly head on his shoulder. Flitwick looked ready to fall out of his seat in excitement and McGonagall was very pleased with the amount of Gryffindor-colored confetti still falling. Dumbledore seemed torn between confused, bemused, and perhaps . . . just a bit miffed. He was certainly caught off guard.
Suddenly, the students involved into the demonstration surged into one group and Aria turned around in time to grin at Colin Creevey as he snapped a quick group photo.
"Welcome to Hogwarts!" the whole group shouted.
Hogwarts students leaped to their feet, screaming, and cheering as Aria and the other students took elaborate and dramatic bows. The Weasley twins were milking the attention for all that it was worth.
It took a long time before the Great Hall returned to any semblance of normalcy. Aria and her friends took their seats back at Slytherin, breathless and giddy at what they had just pulled off. Some of the color-changing orbs had taken to hanging out with the floating candles, basking the Great Hall in a soothing multi-colored haze. Confetti continued to slowly rain down on the heads of students, although the amount was starting to dissipate.
Dumbledore held up his hands and the Great Hall eventually fell silent. In the silence, Flitwick's whispers to Sprout could be heard. He was telling her every spell he had taught the students, and did she know who had created the confetti cannisters or the fireworks? He wanted to have words with them!
"Thank you, students," Dumbledore finally said with a grandfatherly smile, as if he had expected what had happened. "And excellent demonstration of the wide range of talents we possess here at Hogwarts from a wide range of ages."
Aria and Harry lifted their heads high as people glanced at them.
"And now," the headmaster continued, "onto quick business before we tuck into the feast that has been prepared for us. In two weeks, Champions from each school will be selected. As it has always been, names will be drawn from the Goblet of Fire!" he waved his hand dramatically as a group of wizards pushed forward a podium on which a large, ornate goblet with two handles stood, bathed in blue flames.
"Each student who wishes to have the chance of their name being drawn will write their name on a scrap of paper and place it into the goblet," Dumbledore told them. "At the end of a fortnight, we will see who is worthy to represent their schools. As the Triwizard Tournament has been known to be a dangerous event, it has been decided that only students who are of age can participate."
"Not fair!" several Hogwarts students cried, the loudest being the Weasley twins.
"They turn seventeen in April," Ginny whispered from beside Tracey. "I think they had planned to put their names in."
"I wish every student who puts their name forward, good luck," Dumbledore said. "And now, without further ado, Nitwick, Tinstick, Peepsqueak!"
The feast appeared before them. Aria gasped at the wider variety of foods displayed before her. It was clear that the Hogwarts elves had been instructed to consider the cuisine of the different European regions visiting.
"I cannot believe you are able to produce a Patronus," Nikola cried as he reached for a soup dish. "Ve are meant to learn it this year! Do they teach all fourth years this?"
"No," Aria answered as she reached for a Yorkshire pudding. "Harry learned it last when we were thirteen because there were Dementors around the school and then he taught me, Ron, and Hermione."
"You learned at thirteen?" Viktor Krum cried, sounding impressed. A few other Durmstrang students seemed impressed as well. "And then managed to teach it?"
"It took a while for it to become corporeal," Harry said, blushing. "We only accomplished it just before summer."
"So modest," Blaise cried, heaping his plate with some kind of French dish. "If I didn't see it for myself, I would think someone was pulling my leg with what you all accomplish."
"The hardest part is the memory," Harry said, "it has to be an all-consuming type of happy memory."
"I might have to come get tips from you," Nikola said. "Now, please, introduce me to your lovely friends."
Aria began going around and introducing the other fourth years. Nikola and Krum were very polite.
"I am looking forvard to seeing the castle," Nikola said as they ate. "Aria has said much in her letters about the place and it's much older and bigger than Durmstrang."
"You've been writing letters to her?"
Astoria Greengrass had, at some point, snuck up on them while they were having their conversations and she now stood behind Draco, right across from Aria, arms folded and a wicked gleam in her eyes.
"Astoria, go sit down," Daphne hissed.
"Aria and I met this summer," Nikola explained. "Vhy do you ask?"
"I just find it interesting—,"
"Astoria, so help me—," Daphne cried.
"That any respectable Durmstrang student—,"
"Astoria, I swear if you keep talking—,"
"Would want to be around someone like her. She's a Muggleborn after all."