Chapter 86 - 86. flaming juice cup. (1/2)
As they recrossed the entrance hall with the rest of the Hogwarts students heading for the Great Hall, Ryan saw Lee Jordan jumping up and down on the soles of his feet to get a better look at the back of Krum's head. Several sixth-year girls were frantically searching their pockets as they walked –
”Oh I don't believe it, I haven't got a single quill on me -”
”D'you think he'd sign my hat in lipstick?”
”Really,” Hermione said loftily as they passed the girls, now squabbling over the lipstick.
Viktor Krum and his fellow Durmstrang students had settled themselves at the Slytherin table. ”They look a lot happier than the Beauxbatons lot,” said Harry. The Durmstrang students were pulling off their heavy furs and looking up at the starry black ceiling with expressions of interest; a couple of them were picking up the golden plates and goblets and examining them, apparently impressed.
Up at the staff table, Filch, the caretaker, was adding chairs. He was wearing his moldy old tailcoat in honor of the occasion. When all the students had entered the Hall and settled down at their House tables, the staff entered, filing up to the top table and taking their seats. Last in line were Professor Dumbledore, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime. When their headmistress appeared, the pupils from Beauxbatons leapt to their feet. A few of the Hogwarts students laughed. The Beauxbatons party appeared quite unembarrassed, however, and did not resume their seats until Madame Maxime had sat down on Dumbledore's left-hand side. Dumbledore remained standing, and a silence fell over the Great Hall.
”Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and – most particularly – guests,” said Dumbledore, beaming around at the foreign students. ”I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable. ”
One of the Beauxbatons girls still clutching a muffler around her head gave what was unmistakably a derisive laugh.
”No one's making you stay!” Hermione whispered, bristling at her. ”The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast,” said Dumbledore. ”I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!”
The plates in front of them filled with food as usual. The house-elves in the kitchen seemed to have pulled out all the stops; there was a greater variety of dishes in front of them than Ryan had ever seen, including several that were definitely foreign.
”What's that?” said Harry, pointing at a large dish of some sort of shellfish stew that stood beside a large steak-and-kidney pudding.
”Bouillabaisse,” said Hermione.
”Bless you,” said Harry.
”It's French and seafood gross,” said Ryan he had a hatred for all things seafood shrimp crabs lobster fish he didn't touch any of it mostly because he didn't like seafood he was a steak and chicken kinda guy.
The Great Hall seemed somehow much more crowded than usual, even though there were barely twenty additional students there; perhaps it was because their differently colored uniforms stood out so clearly against the black of the Hogwarts' robes. Now that they had removed their furs, the Durmstrang students were revealed to be wearing robes of a deep bloodred.
Hagrid sidled into the Hall through a door behind the staff table twenty minutes after the start of the feast. He slid into his seat at the end and waved at them with a very heavily bandaged hand.
”Skrewts doing all right, Hagrid?” Ryan called.
”Thrivin',” Hagrid called back happily.
”They better be those are my future minions..” he whispered back.