PRANKSTER [1] ↝ C. DIGGORY

twenty-nine

"Even Dumbledore's got himself a new pair of robes." Fred said, pointing to where Dumbledore stood at the back of the crowd with the rest of the school's faculty, adorned in a very vibrant pair of purple robes, much brighter than his usual set, and Clary's eyes moved slowly around them, looking for any sign of the opposing schools.

"Aha!" Dumbledore called out, everyone's attention shooting to where the old man still stood, a proud smile now gracing his weathered features. "Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

"Where?" several voices cried out, and Clary strained to try to make something out in the distance, though it was to no avail.

"There!" Vasantha exclaimed suddenly, pointing above the forest in the distance, where Clary's eyes finally caught sight of something very large moving very quickly towards the castle.

"It's a dragon!" a first year shrieked with a scream, her friends instantly beginning to try to calm her down.

"Don't be stupid," little Dennis Creevey called out. "It's a flying house!"

As it loomed closer, Clary could see that it was neither a dragon, nor a flying house. Instead, massive winged palomino horses soared through the sky, pulling behind them a powder blue horse-drawn carriage that would have given the size of the Burrow a run for its money. The horses dropped to the ground at a tremendous speed, hurtling towards where the Hogwarts students gathered around with a large crashing sound. As soon as the carriage came to a stop, a boy in powder blue robes jumped from the carriage, quickly unfolding a set of steps before a very large woman stepped out, descending to the ground beneath her.

With the exception of Hagrid, Clary had never seen anyone with a stature quite as hulking as the woman standing before them. The woman was incredibly beautiful, with an olive skinned complexion, very large dark eyes, and a pointed nose. She was dressed very elegantly in shining black robes, with a number of jewels adorning her throat and fingers. Dumbledore began to clap as the woman made her way through the crowd to greet him, the rest of the Hogwarts students following suit, though most continued to gaze in awe at the giant woman.

"My dear Madame Maxime," Dumbledore greeted. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Dumbly-dorr," Madame Maxime drawled in a very deep tone, adorned with a heavy French accent. "I 'ope I find you well?"

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

"My pupils," said Madame Maxime, and Clary's eyes shifted back to where about a dozen boys and girls had exited the carriage, all of them huddling together, as they seemed to be shivering in their thin satin robes. They all gazed up at the Hogwarts castle, none of them seeming too eager to go inside, even if it would protect them from the chilly October air.

"Look at them," Lee chuckled, the three boys' gazes fixed on the French girls standing before them. All three of them wore awestruck smiles, causing Clary to roll her eyes at their expressions, even as their eyes followed after the Beauxbatons students while they made their way inside.

"French is the language of love, you know," George pointed out, but Clary elbowed him in the ribs, all conversation ceasing as an eerie sound began to hit her ears.

"Do you hear that?" she asked, the smiles quickly gone from the boys' faces as the sound became louder and much more apparent.

"Yeah," Vasantha said, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "It's almost like-"

"The lake!" Lee exclaimed, pointing off to their right. "Look at the lake!"

Clary followed where Lee had been pointing, her eyes studying where bubbles began to form on the surface of the lake, waves suddenly beginning to appear, even though the Black Lake had always been a still body of water. Suddenly, a long, black pole emerged from the surface of the deep, soon followed by rigging before a magnificent ship rose out of the water, the students' jaws dropping in awe.