Hogwarts Lion Girl

The carriage turned gracefully in the air and slowly landed on the lawn in front of the castle.

A Beauxbatons boy in a light blue uniform stepped down from the carriage and respectfully opened the spiral staircase next to the door.

Then, a figure walked out of the carriage.

She was a lady of unusually large stature, at least seven feet tall, and she was dressed in a gown of gleaming black satin, and on her head was a wide-brimmed hat of the same material, with a large opal on the brim that gleamed as she moved.

"It's Madame Maxime!" Someone in the crowd recognized the person.

Headmaster Dumbledore was already standing at the castle gate to greet them. He stepped forward enthusiastically, shook hands cordially with Madame Maxime, and expressed his warm welcome in French.

Madame Maxime also responded to Dumbledore's greeting in slightly accented English.

Behind Madame Maxime, a group of young male and female wizards walked down one after another.

They were all wearing uniforms similar to the coachmen's, except that the color was changed to a light lavender, and everyone had a confident smile on their face.

There was a sudden commotion in the crowd. Salina looked in the direction of the sound and saw Gabrielle and Fleur standing in the crowd, whispering to each other, seemingly unconcerned about the discussions around them.

Gabrielle noticed Salina with her sharp eyes. She waved at her excitedly with a bright smile on her face. Fleur also smiled and nodded at her.

The other Beauxbatons students also noticed the situation here. They all turned their eyes to Sharina with friendly smiles on their faces.

The young wizards noticed the little episode here and started talking about it among themselves.

Headmaster Dumbledore and Madame Maxime did not notice the students' whispers as they walked into the castle side by side and continued their conversation in the entrance hall.

"Madame Maxime, I am honored that you have accepted the invitation and brought your students to this event."

Dumbledore said gently, "I hope this can be a good start to restore the tradition of exchanging students between magic schools."

Madam Maxime nodded gracefully. Her tall stature made Dumbledore look a little short in front of her, but she did not show any arrogance because of this. Instead, she said very humbly, "Principal Dumbledore, you are too polite. We also cherish this opportunity for exchange and learning."

"I believe that this will be of great significance in enhancing the friendship between our schools and promoting peace and development in the wizarding world."

Dumbledore added, "Of course, there is another important part of this event, and that is the Triwizard Tournament."

Madame Maxime frowned slightly, as if she was a little worried about this topic.

"Principal Dumbledore, regarding the Triwizard Tournament, I have to be frank and say that I still have some doubts about its safety."

Madame Maxime said, "After all, this competition has not been held for hundreds of years, and there have been some unfortunate accidents in the past..."

"I understand your concerns, Madam Maxime," Dumbledore said calmly, "but please believe that we have taken all necessary security measures to ensure the safety of the contestants. Moreover, I believe that this is also a rare test for cultivating the courage and wisdom of the younger generation of wizards."

Madame Maxime was silent for a moment, as if weighing the pros and cons. Finally, she sighed softly and said, "Okay, Headmaster Dumbledore, I believe in your judgment. However, I have another request..."

"Please go ahead, Madame Maxime."

"I want you to make sure my rune horses are well taken care of," Madame Maxime said in a serious tone, "They are noble creatures and require special care."

"Of course, of course." Dumbledore said with a smile, "I have arranged for Hagrid to take care of them. As you know, Hagrid has a special affection and talent for magical animals. I believe he will take good care of your rune horse."

"That's good." Madame Maxime seemed relieved. "However, I still need to remind you that my divine horse only drinks single malt whiskey, and he has to drink it every day."

Dumbledore was slightly stunned, then he smiled and nodded: "No problem, I will tell Hagrid."

Madame Maxime then smiled with satisfaction and, accompanied by Dumbledore, led her students into the castle.

Outside the castle, the students were still excitedly discussing the scene just now, completely unaware that time was passing by every second.

"When do you think the people from Durmstrang will arrive?" Ron asked impatiently.

"Who knows?" Harry shrugged. "Maybe they got lost?"

Just then, a strange sound came from the distance, like the sound of some giant beast rolling in the water.

"What's that noise?" Hermione asked warily.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, and saw that the originally calm lake surface suddenly rolled up, and a huge whirlpool appeared in the center of the lake. A long black pole-like object slowly rose from the whirlpool, followed by the sails and rigging...

The lake surface rolled more violently and the whirlpool became larger and larger.

A huge sailing ship slowly rose from the center of the whirlpool. It was pitch black and had a long and narrow hull, like some ferocious carnivorous fish.

A ferocious skull was carved on the bow, with a faint green light flickering in the empty eye sockets, as if silently warning anyone approaching.

This ship does not rely entirely on wind power to sail. A careful observation reveals that there is a faint magical halo surrounding the hull. This halo is like a current, pushing the ship to sail steadily on the water. It can even ignore the resistance of the lake water and float directly out of the water.

There were also complex magic runes painted on the sails. These runes emitted a faint black light and exuded an unsettling aura, which were obviously some kind of powerful black magic.

As the boat approached the shore, the figures on board gradually became clearer.

Most of them were tall and burly, wearing heavy fur cloaks, which made them seem particularly stuffy even in the cool weather of early autumn.

There was a subtle hint of arrogance and coldness on their faces, which formed a sharp contrast with the excited little wizards around them.

Walking in front was an unusually tall man wearing a black robe. His long silver-gray hair was neatly combed back, and his hawk-like eyes scanned everything around him sharply.

He is Igor Karkaroff, the headmaster of Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Karkaroff walked up to Dumbledore, forced a false smile on his face, and said, "Good evening, Dumbledore. It's nice to see you again."

Although his voice sounded enthusiastic, his eyes were icy cold, as if a poisonous snake was spitting its tongue in the dark.