DUSK; Cedric Diggory

Chapter 44

"I hope I'm not going crazy, because I sure do hear something." said Luca.

"The lake!" Lee Jordan yelled, pointing at it. "Look at the lake!"

Ophelia stood on her tiptoes a bit so that she could get a better view of the lake, and instead of the usual smooth surface, there were great bubbles and ripples that were making splashes. A long black pole began to rise out of the forming whirlpool, and a huge ship rose up, and in a few second sit was making its way down the lake.

There was a bit of commotion before a burly crowd neared them. 

"Well shit," Luca licked his lips. "They're all my type."

Ophelia raised an eyebrow at him. "Nope," she decided when she saw the burly cloaks of fur. "animal rights."

The man with the sleek and silver hair lead them up the stairs and approached Dumbledore. "Dumbledore!" he called in a deep voice. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff." 

"Dear old Hogwarts," he said, smiling at the castle. "How good it is to be here, how good...Viktor, come along, into the warmth...you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold..."

Ophelia squinted her eyes to find the Viktor Krum, the seeker on the Bulgarian team beckoning forward, and excited whispers came from all around the hall.

"It's Krum!" Luca said in awe. "Ophelia! Viktor Krum!"

"He was so good at the Quidditch World Cup," Ophelia said as they followed the seventh years back up to the steps. "That move he made—perfecto."

"Lucky bitch," Luca mumbled, earning a smirk from her. 

They walked over to the Gryffindor table to sit down next to the twins, who were also talking about Krum being at the school. Ophelia didn't mind that the Beauxbatons students had chosen seats at the Ravenclaw table—they looked too snobby for her taste.

"Over here! Come and sit over here!" she heard Ron hiss from a few seats down, obviously trying to be discreet but failing. "Too late," 

"Hey," Ophelia nudged the twins. "Why are there four extra chairs? Who else is coming?"

"Dunno," Fred replied. "The judges, I suppose."

After the headmasters had taken their seats, Dumbledore beamed at all the foreign students, looking at the Great Hall. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts, and—most particularly—guests. I have a great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be comfortable and enjoyable."

"I'll show those Dumstrang boys what enjoyable experiences they can have with me," Luca sniggered, and Ophelia fist bumped him.

"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!" 

Dumbledore sat down, and the plates in front of them filled with food as usual, but there seemed to be a great variety of international style dishes.

"What's that?" Ophelia squinted, pointing at a dish. 

"Bouillabaisse," Hermione replied.

"Bless you," Ron said, already stuffing his face with some of it.

Ophelia tried to hold back a laugh when Hermione told him that it was a French dish, and scooped some onto her plate. Around twenty minutes into the feast, Hagrid finally appeared, his hands heavily bandaged, and Ophelia guessed it was the skrewts.