"Nobody is forcing you to stay!" Hermione exploded like a bomb after Fleur's words, first provoking her boyfriend and then criticizing her beloved school. How far could this go?
Without mincing words, Hermione told Fleur, "If you don't want to eat, you can leave, nobody is forcing you to eat."
However, Hermione realized that her counterattack was based on British food, and unfortunately, Fleur was a French student.
Fleur smiled slightly as she looked at Hermione. "Miss, I am merely stating facts; these dishes really aren't satisfying... but I can also understand your dilemma, after all, the most famous restaurants in London serve French cuisine, don't they?"
Hermione: ...
"Hogwarts will ensure you are comfortable and happy here," said Tom, who was caught between Hermione and Fleur. "For instance, there is a French fish soup; if you'd like, I can bring you a bowl. I can assure you that the taste of Hogwarts cuisine is no less than that of authentic French restaurants. Moreover, Turkish and Chinese restaurants in London are also very popular."
After a brief conversation, Tom realized that Fleur was a clever and shrewd person. This girl was good at deceiving others. She had just shifted the topic, distorting the "poor hospitality of Hogwarts" into "a culinary desert in England." If Hermione continued debating with her on the "food" topic, she would only get into trouble because England was indeed a culinary desert.
However, Hogwarts had not been unfair to these guests. It provided them with the best possible conditions, so complaining was truly ungrateful.
"Yes," Hermione said, as if she had found a source of power, and immediately started to counterattack. "Hogwarts has always been attentive."
"Well then, if you don't mind, bring me a bowl of fish soup. And if possible, I'd like some beef stew in red wine and escargot as well. Thank you very much," Fleur replied with a calm attitude, ignoring Hermione's words. To her, Hermione was like an immature younger sister who could be easily manipulated.
She put her hand on her scarf and gracefully untied it, letting a cascade of silver hair fall. Suddenly, the Great Hall was filled with a beautiful silver color, attracting all the attention.
When Fleur untied her "seal," many of the Hogwarts boys were stunned. They were left speechless, their faces turning red as if they had choked on a fishbone, until their peers shook and slapped them to regain their composure.
A half-Veela, terrifying!
Hermione frowned, feeling defeated in their previous confrontation.
But at that moment, she heard a slight clinking sound in front of her. Hermione looked toward the sound and saw that Tom had served her a bowl of soup.
"French fish soup, I tried a bit; it tastes really good, very flavorful," Tom said as he pushed the freshly prepared bowl of soup toward Hermione. Then, he proceeded to bring a large amount of exotic food from around: gratin snails, beef stew in red wine, Swedish meatballs, roasted venison, Icelandic lamb soup...
"You've brought too much food, glutton," Hermione muttered quietly, and then began to slowly sip her fish soup, taking small sips.
The flavor was truly delicious, and Hermione's eyes narrowed into a crescent moon.
While Tom enjoyed his feast, Malfoy was also trying to find a common topic with Krum. Today, he was lucky, as Krum was sitting next to him, so Malfoy attempted to engage in a somewhat incoherent conversation.
After entering the Great Hall, Krum removed his fur cloak, revealing a blood-red robe underneath, standing out among the Hogwarts students dressed in black. For now, he was listening to the blonde girl ramble on endlessly about some nonsense.
Krum's English level was average, and Malfoy's speech speed was not slow, plus he had a distinctive accent that gave Krum a headache.
"Your performance against the Irish team was truly brave..."
When Malfoy mentioned that topic, Krum's face turned sour. He didn't want that to be brought up. His performance had indeed been brave, but he had lost! He would have preferred to win dishonorably.
"Where is Tom Yodel?" Krum abruptly interrupted Malfoy's trivial chatter. He just wanted to see what this legendary person who had faced dozens of dark wizards alone and had a rare Patronus was like. He hadn't had the chance or the inclination to pay attention to him during the Quidditch World Cup final, but now that he had the opportunity, he naturally wanted to get a glimpse of this person.
Malfoy, whose flow of words was interrupted, felt annoyed. The mention of Tom Yodel irritated him even more, but he couldn't get angry with Krum, so he rigidly pointed toward the Ravenclaw table:
"He's over there."
"Where?" Krum followed Malfoy's finger and saw a crowded group without seeing anything.
"The handsome one, that's Tom Yodel, and he's sitting next to a very pretty girl." Goyle, who had been waiting a long time to join the conversation, saw an opportunity and actively pointed out Tom's location to Krum.
Malfoy: ...
Why are all the Yodel fans around me? Goyle, explain it clearly. What do you mean the handsome one is Tom?
Malfoy glanced at Tom, who was eating and drinking nearby, and despised him so much that he clenched his teeth. How could there be someone so unpleasant in this world?
With the new lead, Krum quickly spotted Tom in the crowd but felt quite disappointed when he saw him. It seemed that apart from being good-looking, he didn't have anything special. He felt like a spoiled brat. However, the girl drinking soup beside him appeared quite beautiful.
The young wizards on the stage were excited in their conversations, and the professors on the stage were not far behind.
Dumbledore watched the lively scene with satisfaction and said to Madame Maxime on his left, "It seems our plan is going smoothly; the children are chatting happily with each other."
Madame Maxime modestly smiled, expressing hope that her coddled students wouldn't cause any trouble.
"The Ministry of Magic representatives have arrived, Ludo, here!" Karkaroff raised his glass, tapped his seat, and indicated to the late-arriving Ludo Bagman to sit beside him.
Hermione's question was answered when the Ministry of Magic representatives arrived. One of them was Ludo Bagman, the Director of Magical Sports and Games, and the other was quite unexpected: Percy, who had recently joined the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
Barty Crouch Sr. was gradually retiring from politics and had delegated many of his responsibilities to his subordinates. For instance, today's opening ceremony had been entrusted to Percy to represent him.