bacchusnovels Chapter 453 Krum's Signature
Chapter 453 Krum's Signature
Chapter 453 Krum's Signature
Dennis's guess is closer to the truth.
As the massive, dark shape swept past the treetops of the Forbidden Forest, its silhouette illuminated by the lights of the castle windows, they finally saw a huge, powder-blue carriage hurtling toward them at an astonishing speed.
The chariot was enormous, almost the size of a house, and was pulled by twelve winged horses that soared through the air. The silvery-white manes of each horse shimmered in the moonlight, and their size, similar to that of elephants, made them appear exceptionally majestic.
The carriage flew lower and lower, almost parallel to the ground, at such a speed that the students standing in the first three rows all stepped back.
Just then, a deafening roar shook the air, followed by the heavy thuds of horses' hooves hitting the ground, each one as large as a plate.
In an instant, the carriage came to a crashing landing, its massive wheels shaking the ground. The golden horses shook their enormous heads, their fiery red eyes darting around as if warily surveying their surroundings.
Everyone saw a emblem printed on the car door—two crossed golden wands, each with three twinkling stars above it—and the car door opened immediately.
A boy in a light blue robe jumped off the carriage, bent down and rummaged around inside for a moment, then pulled open a golden spiral staircase.
He respectfully stepped back, and just as everyone held their breath, a shiny black high heel emerged from the car—the shoe was almost as big as a child's snowmobile.
Then, a woman slowly walked out. Her figure was so enormous that it made it clear why the carriage and the silver-maned horse were so huge.
Several students couldn't help but gasp.
In this school, there is only one person whose physique can rival that of this woman.
Without a doubt—Hagrid.
As the woman stepped into the foyer, illuminated by the lights, everyone could see her beautiful olive-colored face, her deep black eyes sparkling, and her nose pointed and elegant.
Her black hair was combed back and styled into a shimmering bun, and she wore exquisite opal jewelry on her neck and large fingers.
Brilliant and dazzling.
Dumbledore clapped first, and the students followed suit, many standing on tiptoe to get a better look at the woman.
A slight relaxation appeared on the woman's face, followed by an elegant smile, as she extended a hand that gleamed with light.
He slowly walked towards Dumbledore.
Despite his imposing stature, Dumbledore barely needed to bend over when he kissed that hand.
"Dear Madam Maxim," he said in a gentle voice, "welcome to Hogwarts."
"Dumbledore," Mrs. Maxime replied in a low voice, "I hope you are well."
"Very good, thank you," Dumbledore replied.
"These are my students," Madame Maxim said, gesturing casually with her large hand and pointing behind her. Only then did the crowd notice that about a dozen male and female students had emerged from the carriage and were standing behind her.
Judging from their appearance, they were about eighteen or nineteen years old, and they were all trembling slightly.
It wasn't surprising, because their robes appeared to be made of fine silk, and none of them wore cloaks.
Several students covered their heads with coins or headbands, seemingly unwilling to be exposed to the cold air.
"Has Karkaroff arrived?" Mrs. Maxim asked.
"He could be here at any moment," Dumbledore replied. "Would you like to wait here for him, or go inside and warm up?"
"Let's warm up a bit," said Mrs. Maxim. "But what about the horses—"
"Our Protector of Magical Creatures teacher will be happy to look after them," Dumbledore said with a smile. "He just dealt with a minor problem and will be right back—well—he has some other things to attend to."
"It's a Blasttail," Ron whispered to Harry.
"My horses require—well—someone with immense strength to care for them properly." Madam Maxim looked at Dumbledore, seemingly doubting whether Hogwarts's teacher of magical creatures could handle the task. "They have very strong temperaments."
"I assure you, Hagrid is perfectly capable of this job," Dumbledore said, still smiling.
"Very well," Mrs. Maxim nodded and gave a slight bow. "Could you please tell Hagrid that these horses only drink single-origin whisky?"
"I will explain," Dumbledore said, bowing as well.
"Let's go," Mrs. Maxim said authoritatively to her students.
The Hogwarts students made way for her and her students, leading them up the stone steps.
after awhile.
A loud, strange sound came from the darkness, mixed with suppressed rumbling and sucking sounds, like a giant vacuum cleaner moving across the riverbed. "In the lake!" the Weasley twins shouted, pointing to the lake. "Look at that lake!"
They stood on the grassy slope overlooking the site, with a clear view of the calm, black lake.
However, the water surface suddenly became restless.
The water in the middle of the lake began to stir, huge splashes of water rose on the surface, and waves crashed violently against the damp lake shore.
Then, a large whirlpool appeared in the middle of the lake, like a giant plug being pulled from the bottom. A long black pole slowly rose from the whirlpool. Harry suddenly realized: "It's a mast!" he said to Ron and Hermione.
Slowly, the magnificent ship rose from the water, shimmering with a faint glow under the moonlight.
Its shape is bizarre, like a skull, as if it were a shipwreck that had just been salvaged.
The windows on the ship's side flickered with a dim, misty light, like the eyes of a ghost. With a splash, the large ship emerged completely from the water and began to rock on the turbulent surface, heading towards the lake shore.
A moment later, they heard a splash as the anchor was thrown into the shallow water, followed by a snap as a plank was placed on the lake shore.
As the people on the ship began to disembark, everyone could see their exceptionally tall silhouettes as they passed by through the porthole lights.
However, everyone quickly understood the reason behind it.
They looked so tall because they were all wearing fur cloaks, their fur disheveled and tangled.
However, the fur of the man who led them to the castle was quite different: it was silvery-white, smooth as silk, and blended seamlessly with his silvery-white hair.
"Dumbledore!" the man called out enthusiastically as he walked up the slope. "How have you been, my dear old friend?"
"Excellent, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied.
Karkaroff's voice was mellow and sweet.
As he stepped into the castle's main gate, illuminated by the light, everyone could see that he was as tall and thin as Dumbledore, but with short white hair and a goatee. The ends of his goatee were slightly curled and messy, unable to completely conceal his thin chin.
He walked up to Dumbledore and shook his hand firmly.
"My dear old friend, Hogwarts," Karkaroff said, looking up at the castle with a smile. His teeth were yellowed, but his smile was cold and sharp, devoid of any genuine joy. "It's so good to be here, so very good."
No sooner had Karkaroff finished speaking than he caught sight of Sean standing in the crowd out of the corner of his eye.
The cold, sharp smile vanished instantly, replaced by a warm and sincere expression, as if he were seeing a long-lost friend.
"Professor Phillips!" he called out with a hint of surprise, gesturing for the Durmstrang students around him to make way. He then strode up to Sean, his face beaming. "Long time no see! It was thanks to your help this summer that Viktor won the Quidditch World Cup—that's what he said, and he's been praising you highly ever since he came back—."
As he spoke, he gestured for one of the students standing behind him to come forward.
"Viktor, come here quickly, Professor Phillips is here—to warm up a bit. —You don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has caught a bit of a cold—"
The Hogwarts students could hardly believe their eyes as Viktor Krum walked by.
The familiar hooked nose, thick eyebrows, and deep-set eyes immediately made them realize that the person standing in front of them was none other than Durmstrang's Quidditch star and former World Cup champion, Viktor Krum.
"Harry is Krum!" Ron whispered.
"I know." Harry was slightly stunned, equally incredulous—this Durmstrang Quidditch superstar now had such a close relationship with Professor Phillips.
Krum was much more relaxed now than he had been on the Quidditch field.
When he approached Sean, he said respectfully in a low voice, "Professor Phillips, thank you for your help last summer."
“Victor,” Sean replied calmly, a subtle emotion flashing in his eyes, “your achievements are the result of your hard work. I merely offered some assistance.”
"Your help was crucial to me, no matter what," Krum said sincerely, looking directly into Sean's eyes. "I will remember it forever."
As for what kind of help, the two of them naturally knew perfectly well.
Dumbledore stood to the side, his eyes twitching slightly, seemingly unsurprised by the scene before him.
He whispered something to the professors beside him, and as Sean and Krum spoke, the entire room fell silent, many students whispering amongst themselves, including several young Slytherin wizards.
While everyone was still in shock at the scene, Krum nodded slightly, thanked Sean again, and then turned to the Durmstrang students behind him, gesturing for them to enter the castle together.
Sean stood still, his expression calm, and followed behind Dumbledore and Karkaroff.
"I can't believe it!" Ron exclaimed in shock. Just then, the Hogwarts students were lining up behind the Durmstrang delegation, heading up the stone steps. "It's Krum, Harry! Viktor Krum! Krum is so respectful to Professor Phillips, and so close to him. He's a star at Durmstrang."
Before Hermione, whose face was flushed red, could say anything, Ron turned to Harry beside him and asked in an unusually excited tone, "Harry, do you think Professor Phillips could do me a favor?"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked Ron, puzzled.
"Well," Ron hesitated, clearly a little embarrassed, "you see, Krum is so amazing, could I ask Professor Phillips to help me get Krum to sign something? Isn't he quite familiar with Krum? I just want an autograph as a souvenir, could you...?"
"Ron!" Hearing Professor Phillips' name, Hermione snapped out of her daze and couldn't help but roll her eyes. "How can you be so shallow? Krum is here for the Triwizard Tournament, not to hand out autographs." She snorted and muttered under her breath, "Besides, Professor Phillips is always saying he's very busy. You know to bother him to get autographs?"
"What's so strange about that! Professor Phillips's been busy for a long time!" Ron waved his hand dismissively.
Their eyes lit up. "And how amazing would it be to get Krum's autograph? With our relationship with Professor Phillips, and Professor Phillips' relationship with Krum, he definitely wouldn't refuse!"
"Oh, that's really something." Hermione drawled sarcastically, deliberately emphasizing her words, "Our great Ronald Weasley's first thought was to have Professor Phillips get Krum's autograph for him, and then to publicize it so that the whole house would know how popular he is."
"Can you stop being sarcastic? I just thought it was a rare opportunity." Ron was a little unconvinced, but his tone softened. "Who wouldn't want an idol's autograph? He's a Quidditch World Cup winner, you know."
"Please, can't you use this time for your studies instead of all this idol worship?" Hermione turned her head away, seemingly not intending to argue with Ron anymore. She caught up with Harry, muttering under her breath, "He's acting like a brainless, fangirl wizard—"
Ron glared angrily at Hermione's retreating figure, but there was nothing he could do about it.
He was still thinking that if he could get Professor Phillips to make a connection, Krum would probably be willing to sign his autograph.
After all, everyone had witnessed the respect that Krum had just shown to Sean.
The group passed through the brightly lit entrance hall, following Dumbledore and Karkaroff, and entered the castle.
On the way to the auditorium, many "activists" like Lee Jordan stood on tiptoe and skipped around, just to get a clear look at Krum's back.
Several sixth-grade girls walked along, frantically rummaging in their pockets. "Oh no, I didn't bring a single quill pen—"
"Do you think he might sign his hat with his lipstick?"
Hermione had always looked down on such fanatical idol worship.
But then she thought about how these older witches often surrounded Professor Phillips, and suddenly she thought that maybe it wouldn't be bad for a few more people to "draw the fire".
For the first time ever, Hermione didn't show any disgust; instead, she seemed to subtly agree.
Of course, this was not because she was afraid that Professor Phillips would be bewitched by those little witches who "didn't study properly" and whose minds were full of "crooked ideas," nor was it because she was worried that her standing in the professor's eyes would be diminished.
She was simply afraid that Professor Phillips would be distracted by the adulation and unable to focus on his more important academic research.
Correct.
That's right.
That's it.