Hari was just about to enter the great hall when Fleur made her way over from the other Beauxbatons students, putting a hand on Hari's shoulder.
"Hari! Can I sit with you?"
#)Fleur! Yes of course you can. (#
As she made her way over to Gryffindor table with Fleur, Hari wasn't surprised to see a bunch girls frantically searching their pockets as they walked for a pen to get an autograph from Krum. Hari shook her head. The rest of the Beauxbatons students made their way towards the Ravenclaw table.
Fleur got her attention as they reached the table, pointing at the ceiling. "How does that work?"
#) It's enchanted to look like the sky outside. (#
"That is spectacular." She shivered, "Why is it so cold?"
Hari pulled her wand out of her pocket, waving it over the girl. #)Why don't you try warming charms until you get used to the weather, it's a lot colder here then in France. (#
When Madam Maxime appeared, Fleur and the rest of the pupils from Beauxbatons leapt to their feet. Hari stood up beside Fleur as a few of the Hogwarts students laughed. They didn't take their seats until Madame Maxime had sat down on Dumbledore's left-hand side.
Dumbledore remained standing.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and - most particularly - guests," said Dumbledore, 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," said Dumbledore. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"
The plates in front of them filled with food as usual. There was a greater variety of dishes in front of them than Hari had ever seen, including several that were definitely foreign.
"What's that?" said Ron, who had sat beside them, pointing at a large dish of some sort of shellfish stew that stood beside a large steak-and-kidney pudding.
"It is Bouillabaisse," said Fleur, looking slightly annoyed. Ron seemed to notice she existed for the first time.
His mouth dropped as he looked at her.
"You look like a gasping fish." Hermione said, and Ron closed his mouth.
During dinner Ludo Bagman and Mr Crouch entered the great hall, moving to sit at the staff table.
"What are they doing here?" said Ron in surprise.
"They organized the Triwizard Tournament, didn't they?" said Hermione. "I suppose they wanted to be here to see it start."
Once the golden plates had been wiped clean, Dumbledore stood up again. "The moment has come," he said, smiling around at the sea of upturned faces. "The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."
Everyone clapped.
"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore continued, "and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts. The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch."
Filch, who had been lurking unnoticed in a far corner of the Hall, now approached Dumbledore carrying a great wooden chest encrusted with jewels. It looked extremely old.
"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," said Dumbledore as Filch placed the chest carefully on the table before him, "and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways.. their magical prowess - their daring -their powers of deduction - and, of course, their ability to cope with danger. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."
Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. The lid slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames. Dumbledore closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it would be clearly visible to everyone in the Hall.
"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," said Dumbledore. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete.
"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation," said Dumbledore, "I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line.
"Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. There is no way out."
I'm sorry that this chapter took so long.... exams are very good at stalling all un-exam related things.