𝐊𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐍 | 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘺

Chapter 66 - The Goblet of Fire

When their headmistress appeared, the pupils from Beauxbatons leapt to their feet. A few of the Hogwarts students snickered. The Beauxbatons party appeared positively unembarrassed 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," Dumbledore announced, 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."

"The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," Dumbledore continued. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

He sat down, and Betelgeuse saw Karkaroff lean forward at once and engage him in conversation.

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 Betelgeuse had ever seen, including several that were definitely foreign.

"What's that?" Lee asked, pointing at a large dish of some sort of shellfish stew that stood beside a generous steak-and-kidney pudding.

"Bouillabaisse," Betelgeuse replied in perfect French.

"Bless you," Lee replied. 

Fred snorted in his goblet.

"It's French, Jordan," Betelgeuse deadpanned. "I had it once when I visited — when I travelled to France a long time ago. It is quite pleasant."

Lee did not notice the suspicious look the twins shared over Betelgeuse's head and helped himself to black pudding as he spoke. "I'll take your word for it."

The Great Hall appeared somehow much more packed than usual, even though there were hardly twenty additional students there; perhaps it was because their differently uncoloured 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.

A Beauxbatons girl came over to the Gryffindor table, asking Ron if she could take the bouillabaisse. Lee stared at her with wide-open eyes.

The girl had removed her muffler. A long sheet of silvery-blonde hair fell almost to her waist. She had large, deep blue eyes and very white, even teeth.

"Must be a Veela," George mumbled, enthralled by her shimmering silver hair.

Fred chuckled, shaking his head at Ron's purple face. "She's just pretty, George."

"Just pretty?" George whispered, eying his older twins in disbelief. "Bloody hot she is!"

Betelgeuse stared at her best friend with raised eyebrows; her grey eyes had become two mercury pools of annoyance.

"I am sure she is flattered by your inappropriate ogling and objectifying commentary, George," she flatly stated before diverting her attention to Lee. "Jordan, close your mouth, for Morgana's sake."

The two boys had the decency to look remorseful as Fred leaned down to plant a small kiss on Betelgeuse's cheek.

"You're hot when you're angry, Lady Black," he whispered in her ear.

"Have you not comprehended what I just said about inappropriate and objectifying comments, mon cœur?" Betelgeuse mildly inquired; amusement danced in her calm grey stare.

"Oh, I heard it just right," Fred replied as he straightened in his seat. "I wasn't disrespecting you, love. I was admiring." He finished with an arrogant smirk.