New Romantics | Hermione Granger Book IV

|44| Chapter Forty-Four

F O R T Y  F O U R 

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Even though Potions was half an hour shorter than it usually was, it felt like an eternity as Professor Snape wanted to make it as miserable for them as possible before the moment they all had been waiting for all year was due to occur. As it drew to an end, Saffron was close to snapping at the man as she did back in her second year, but she successfully managed to keep her mouth shut to get through the afternoon and into the evening, where the entirety of the school was to be found getting put into lines by their respective heads of houses, who were just as agitated as they had been all week, or at least Professor McGonagall was.

"Weasley, straighten your hair," She snapped at Ron rudely. "Miss Patil, take that ridiculous thing out of your hair."

Parvati scoffed and removed her large ornamental butterfly out of the end of her plait, much to the chagrin.

"Don't mind her, Parv," said Lavender consolingly but way too loudly making Saffron think that Lavender actually wanted McGonagall to hear her. "She's just jealous because you're young and she's not,"

Saffron couldn't tell if the woman heard but if she did she didn't care as she was engrossed in ensuring everything ran smoothly, as she directed the Gryffindors out of the castle.

"Follow me, please," said Professor McGonagall. "First years in front...no pushing...."

It was quite cold outside but when they were all huddled together in front of the castle, the body warmth emitted by the mass of people warmed them up. The anticipation had never been higher but no one was entirely sure what they were looking for.

"Nearly six," Ron looked down at his watch. "How d'you reckon they're coming? The train?"

"I doubt it," said Hermione.

"How, then? Broomsticks?" Harry wondered.

"I don't think so...not from that far away...."

"A Portkey?" Saffron suggested. "It's probably too far still now that I think about it..."

"Or they could Apparate - maybe you're allowed to do it under seventeen wherever they come from?" said Ron thoughtfully

"You can't Apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds, how often do I have to tell you?" said Hermione impatiently.

Hermione's tone of voice was exactly how Saffron felt as the schools were late. The body warmth that had been keeping her warm was beginning to lose its effect. It took another ten minutes of them all just standing there until Dumbledore informed them that the Beauxbatons were approaching.

"Where?" Was the word that swept across the students, all looking around wildly for where the delegation was at that current moment.

Saffron saw everyone point over the forest and she narrowed her eyes to see something very big shooting down towards the castle. She just couldn't work out quite what it was.

"It's a dragon!" screamed a first-year girl in excitement.

"Don't be stupid...it's a flying house!" Dennis Creevey yelled.

In the end, it turned out to be a horse-drawn carriage, elegantly being pulled by the largest horse-like creatures Saffron had ever laid her eyes on. Hagrid yelled at the first few rows of students to move back which caused a knock-on effect of everyone moving back to make way for the enormous carriage. Hagrid was far too consumed on helping the students that he had to dive dramatically out of the way before the carriage landed.

The doors of the carriage opened swiftly and a boy in pale blue robes jumped out to unleash a set of gleaming golden steps for them all to see.

Out of the carriage then came the biggest woman that Saffron had ever set her eyes on and the second biggest person behind Hagrid, meaning that she was very likely half-giant too. She wore black high-heels and have a pretty olive-skinned face, a few shades lighter than the colour of the Mitchell siblings. She wore black satin and wore a plethora of opal jewellery.

When Dumbledore began to clap, the students followed suit with people craning their necks to get a better look at the woman.

"My dear Madame Maxime," said Dumbledore, standing tall to kiss the woman on the cheek. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Dumbly-dort," Madame Maxine had a deep masculine voice but friendly nonetheless. "I 'ope I find you well?"

"In excellent form, I thank you," nodded Dumbledore.

"My pupils," said Madame Maxime, waving an arm to usher just over a dozen students from Bauxbatons to follow her. They were all shivering against the cold and the way Saffron interpreted it, they didn't look very happy to be at Hogwarts.

"They're all too pretty," Lavender remarked sickeningly. "If I wasn't for female unity I would definitely insult them right now,"

"As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxime enquired. Saffron got the impression that the woman wanted the answer to be a 'yes' so that she got the lasting impression of being last to arrive.

"He should be here any moment," Dumbledore. informed her. "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," said Madame Maxime. "But ze 'orses -"

"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Hagrid will be delighted to take care of them," Dumbledore assured her.

"My steeds require - er - forceful 'andling," said Madame Maxime cast a very uncertain look at Hagrid. "Zey are very strong...."

"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job," said Dumbledore, smiling.

"Very well," said Madame Maxime, bowing slightly. "But you know Monsieur Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whiskey?"

Hagrid nodded at the woman profusely and in spite of uncertainty she set off towards the castle, her students hot on her heels.

"How big d'you reckon Durmstrang's horses are going to be?" Seamus Finnigan said curiously.

"I highly doubt they're going to arrive in the same way," said Hermione rather hotly. She was still annoyed at Seamus for how swiftly he rejected her offer to join S.P.E.W.

The waiting game continued for another six minutes or so until -

"Can you hear something?" said Ron suddenly.

"The lake!" yelled Lee Jordan excitably. Saffron's eyes looked from the sky to the water to watch. "Look at the lake!"

Something was happening from underneath the lake and it wasn't the giant squid or merpeople causing it. As a whirlpool appeared and out of it came a long black pole, that turned out to be a mast. A mast that belonged to a very strange ship that began to glide toward the shore, before an anchor was dropped into the shallows and soon thereafter students started to flood out of it.

These students looked quite different from the ones from Beauxbatons. As those from Durmstrang were mostly all well-built and muscular, leading Saffron to believe that they partook in some form of physical education at school. They wore magnificent furs and were led by a man who wore a silver fur akin to his hair and when Saffron looked closely he almost looked like a pirate from a children's book, as he teeth were very clearly rotting away.

"Dumbledore!" The Headmaster greeted the Hogwarts equivalent. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied. He was considerably taller than Karkaroff and it showed when Dumbledore shook his hand.

"Dear old Hogwarts," he smiled up at the castle appreciably. "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..."

Saffron's jaw dropped. That Viktor wasn't just any Viktor. She looked at Ron for confirmation and realised who it was who arrived.

Ron's man-crush himself, Viktor Krum.