It was undoubtedly Fleur Delacour. Orli was also gazing at her, appreciating the view. She had very pale hair, striking blue eyes, and perfectly aligned white teeth. What was even more captivating was that she actually stood up and walked over to the Gryffindor table.
Many boys turned their heads to look at her, and a few seemed to lose their ability to speak, looking exactly like Ron.
# Fleur Delacour: "Excuse me, are you still eating this plate of fish soup?"
She asked politely, though her accent was slightly unusual.
Ron's face turned a vivid shade of red. He stared at her blankly, opened his mouth to reply, but only managed to produce some odd little noises, as if his throat was blocked.
# Harry: "Alright, take it."
Harry said, pushing the plate toward her.
It wasn't until she had left for quite some time that Ron snapped out of his daze.
# Ron: "She's a Veela!"
He exclaimed hoarsely to Harry.
# Hermione: "She definitely isn't!"
Hermione retorted sharply.
# Hermione: "I didn't see anyone else gawking at her like an idiot!"
Orli glanced at the professors' seats. Snape was staring absent-mindedly at his goblet. Between him and Dumbledore, four new seats had been added, two of which were occupied by Madame Maxime and Karkaroff.
At that moment, the doors of the Great Hall swung open, and a middle-aged man and woman strode in, taking the other two vacant seats.
As one golden plate after another was cleaned, Dumbledore stood up again. A mix of excitement and tension seemed to permeate the hall.
# Dumbledore: "The moment has finally arrived,"
Dumbledore said, smiling at the upturned faces.
# Dumbledore: "The Triwizard Tournament is about to begin. Allow me to outline the program for this academic year. But first, let me introduce two guests, as some of you may not know them. This is Mr. Ludo Bagman, head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports at the Ministry of Magic."
A round of applause echoed through the hall.
# Dumbledore: "And this is Ms. Amelia Bones, who has just taken up the position of head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation."
Another round of applause followed, accompanied by a buzz of chatter. Clearly, the mention of the Department of International Magical Cooperation reminded everyone of the late Bartemius Crouch Sr., who had recently passed away.
Dumbledore had to knock loudly on his goblet to regain attention before continuing:
# Dumbledore: "Mr. Bagman and Ms. Bones will join me, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime to form the panel of judges to evaluate the champions' efforts. Mr. Filch, please bring the box."
Few had noticed Filch lurking in a corner of the hall. Now he approached Dumbledore, dressed in a very old tailcoat, holding a large, jewel-encrusted wooden box that seemed even older than his attire.
# Dumbledore: "You already know that three champions will participate in the tournament,"
Dumbledore continued calmly,
# Dumbledore: "Each representing one of the participating schools. We will score them based on the quality of their performance in each task. After the three tasks, the champion with the highest score will win the Triwizard Cup. The selector for the champions is an impartial judge — the Goblet of Fire."
With that, Dumbledore drew his wand and tapped the lid of the box three times. The lid slowly creaked open. Dumbledore reached inside and pulled out a large, roughly carved wooden goblet. The goblet itself was unremarkable, but it was filled with flickering blue-white flames.
# Dumbledore: "Every student who wishes to compete must write their name and school on a piece of parchment and drop it into this goblet,"
Dumbledore said.
# Dumbledore: "You have twenty-four hours to submit your name. Tomorrow evening, on Halloween night, the Goblet of Fire will select the names of the three students it deems most worthy to represent the three schools. But I must warn you, once a champion is chosen by the Goblet of Fire, they must see the tournament through to the end. Anyone who submits their name forms a magical contract that must be honored."
# Dumbledore: "To prevent underage students from succumbing to temptation,"
Dumbledore cast a pointed look at Fred and George,
# Dumbledore: "Once the Goblet of Fire is placed in the Entrance Hall, I will draw an age line around it. No one under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line. Now, I believe it's time for everyone to go to bed. Good night."
# Fred: "An age line!"
Fred's eyes sparkled.
# Fred: "That's easy to fool, right? With Aging Potion? Orli, we've brewed that potion before."
## Orli: "I have my reservations..."
Orli began to imagine Fred and George turning into two Santa Clauses.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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