Chapter 570: “New Threats”
Chapter 570: “New Threats”
Based on the information Jerry gathered during his travels around the country:
Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is situated in the Pyrenees. Instead of a castle, the school boasts a grand manor with a large fountain at its entrance.
Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has a castle, but its considerably smaller than Hogwarts Castle, only four stories high.
In terms of the number of seventeen-year-old young wizards, Beauxbatons has about twelve or thirteen, while Durmstrang has even fewer.
Combined, the number of seventh-grade students at these two schools, as well as those approaching the age of seventeen in the sixth grade, is roughly equivalent to the number of seventeen-year-olds at Hogwarts.
This suggests that the combined student population of both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang is likely less than half of Hogwarts.
Its no wonder that when students from these two schools visit Hogwarts, they are awed by the castle and the sheer number of students.
Jerry believes that this gap can be attributed to Hogwarts status as the most renowned school of wizardry, with most parents preferring to send their children there.
Additionally, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang have unique cultural attributes.
Beauxbatons is co-educational but predominantly admits female students.
The school is known for its strict rules, particularly regarding etiquette.
The Headmistress, Olympe Maxime, is a half-blood giantess wizard who stands even taller than Hagrid.
Durmstrang, on the other hand, only accepts pure-blood and mixed-blood students and refuses Muggle-born wizards.
The school specializes in dark magic and was once the alma mater of the infamous Dark Lord Grindelwald.
The Headmaster, Igor Karkaroff, was a Death Eater who later betrayed Voldemort after his fall.
Upon arriving at Hogwarts, the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, led by their respective headmasters, drew exclamations from the young Hogwarts students.
The Beauxbatons students, including ten witches, captivated the young wizards with their beauty.
As the students from the two visiting schools, accompanied by their headmasters, approached the young wizards on the Hogwarts side, exclamations erupted from the gathered students.
The leader of their group possessed a unique charm that seemed to hold the onlookers attention.
Oh my God, theyre so stunning!
Isnt that Viktor Krum, the Quidditch Seeker for the Bulgarian national team, and hes still in school!
The Durmstrang students elicited awe, especially among fans of Quidditch, as the legendary Seeker Viktor Krum, who was still in school, accompanied them.
Krum was revered as the best Seeker in the world and an idol to many Quidditch enthusiasts.
However, the excitement reached its peak when the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang spotted a figure standing in front of the Slytherin groupJerry!
Jerry Carmen, the fourteen-year-old Quidditch World Cup champion Seeker, was tall and handsome.
He had set the record for catching the Golden Snitch just fifteen seconds after it was released and had become known for his unique skill, Jerrys Godly Maneuver.
In addition to his Quidditch accomplishments, he had authored numerous magical books, enhanced and updated advanced spells, and even created the most powerful space spell, the portal.
As the wizarding world looked on, Jerry was hailed as the future Dumbledore, a figure worshipped by young witches and wizards alike.
His charm, both in the magical and mundane realms, was undeniable, and he had become the ultimate idol.
Amidst the spectacle, Beauxbatons School was teeming with excitement.
If it werent for the towering presence of Madame Maxime blocking their path, a group of enthusiastic witches would likely have charged toward Jerry to claim his attention.
The young witches from Durmstrang were similarly enthralled.
Hermione, I think youll have some competition if you dont act soon. Take a look at that silver-haired witch from Beauxbatons. Every wizards gaze is fixed on her, but shes been eyeing your Jerry, Lavender whispered jealously to Hermione, who was standing amidst the Gryffindor group.
Hermione turned her gaze toward the lead witch from Beauxbatons and was taken aback by the intensity of her stare.
Her eyes were aflame, and they never wavered from Jerry, who stood in front of Slytherin, accompanied by several professors.
However, Hermione quickly noticed that Jerrys interest lay elsewhere.
Instead of being captivated by the enchanting Beauxbatons witch, like the other wizards, his attention was fixed on the rune horses.
Indeed, Jerry merely gave the students from the visiting schools a passing glance, not deeming them of much importance.
In his eyes, they were relatively weaker compared to him, and there was no need to focus on them.
As for the silver-haired, blue-eyed witch leading Beauxbatons, Jerry was aware of her identity as Fleur Delacour, with a quarter-Veela heritage.
Fleur was indeed beautiful, but her appeal to wizards was due to her quarter-Veela blood, which emitted an enchanting aura that stirred the desires of men.
Veela were magical beings, the mascots of Bulgaria, known for their beauty and the magnetic charm they exuded, which could captivate any man who gazed upon them.
Yet, provoked, they could transform into hideous bird-headed creatures and even marry humans.
Fleurs attraction to men stemmed from her quarter-Veela blood, which emitted a weaker form of the Veela charm. However, it had no effect on Jerry, whose current magical strength rendered him impervious.
In fact, Jerry found more fascination in the twelve rune horses that were as massive as elephants.
In his realm, he had yet to breed any Pegasus with such colossal proportions.
After the welcoming and applause, the three Headmasters commenced their journey to the castles first-floor auditorium.
Meanwhile, House-elves in the auditorium had worked tirelessly to prepare a lavish feast on four long tables.
This special dinner featured not only the usual Hogwarts fare but also included French delicacies and regional dishes from the north.
Once all the young witches and wizards were seated, Dumbledore took the podium and addressed the audience:
The time has finally arrived, as the Triwizard Tournament is set to begin. But before we delve into this years events, allow me to introduce two distinguished guests. For those who may not be familiar with them, please welcome Mr. Barty Crouch, the Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic, and Mr. Ludo Bagman, the Director of Sports and Games at the Ministry of Magic. Alongside Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime, they will comprise the panel of judges to assess the contestants.
As Dumbledores voice concluded, the auditorium erupted in applause.
The joy and sorrow of the tournament have officially begun brewing in the background, far from the prying eyes.