The group of young wizards stared at Dumbledore, Ivan included.
He was particularly concerned about Professor Dumbledore's health, as he knew that Dumbledore had been ambushed by a Horcrux and was most likely hanging on to his potion.
However, for some reason, Ivan found that Dumbledore's aura had not only not weakened, but had even grown stronger than before… the occasional burst of magic was enough to intimidate everyone in the Great Hall.
Is it a terminal lucidity? Yvonne wondered.
On the stage, Dumbledore glanced around the Great Hall and smiled. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts… and, of course, our guests! It is with great joy that I welcome you to Hogwarts…"
As Dumbledore spoke, the pressure in the Great Hall lifted, and Ivan and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
The students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang did not look pleased, as they agreed that Dumbledore was deliberately trying to put them down.
A Beauxbatons girl let out a sarcastic laugh.
Dumbledore pretended not to hear and continued with his speech for several minutes before getting to the point.
"The Triwizard Tournament will officially begin at the end of the feast, and as for now… I think you'd rather have a nice warm fire and a good meal!" Dumbledore said, waving his wand in the air.
A fire roared in the hearth, and the cold night air was swept away by the heat, jolting the students who had been waiting in the cold for hours.
The tables of the four institutes were then filled with a variety of dishes.
Unlike before, Ivan was surprised to find a number of dishes on the table that he had never seen before, presumably from France and Northern Europe, presumably to satisfy the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.
Yvonne tried some as well, and it was good. House-elves were very good at cooking.
The warmth of the room, combined with the food on the table, succeeded in disarming the foreign students.
The Durmstrang students shed their fur cloaks, revealing their bulky bodies and blood-red robes.
The Beauxbatons girls also removed the scarves that covered their hair, hoods, or parts of their faces and enjoyed their dinner.
This caused a minor commotion, as one of the girls removed her scarf, causing the Ravenclaw students to stare in shock, many of the boys staring at her in fascination.
Some students were so engrossed in the game that they knocked over their goblets, spilling their drinks all over the other students.
The Beauxbatons girl couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh when she saw this. Under everyone's gaze, she chatted and laughed with the girls as if she enjoyed being the center of attention.
The sudden scream attracted more attention, as did Ivan.
Although Ivan had never seen her in person before, he was able to spot her in the crowd — Fleur Delacour!
Yvonne looked at her curiously. Fleur could only be described as good-looking, but there was something magical about her, as if she were a magnet.
Ron's eyes were as wide as saucers as he stared at Fleur, not even hearing Harry shout his name.
They seemed to be deep in conversation, as Fleur, seated at the Ravenclaw table, suddenly turned to look at Ivan.
When she saw Ivan looking at her, Fleur smiled, showing her perfect white teeth.
"Oh my God, she's looking at me!" Ron's excited voice was out of tune, and he trembled as Fleur's gaze swept over him.
Oh no, this is what it feels like to be moved!
Within a few seconds, Ron's mind was filled with thoughts, especially when he saw Fleur smiling at him.
Fleur's eyes did not stay on them for long, however, and she quickly turned back to the Hufflepuff table.
She was looking at Cedric, Ivan noticed.
Ron noticed this, and his face turned red, as if his beloved goddess had suddenly fallen in love with someone else.
"Is she that good-looking?" a voice suddenly asked in their ears.
Ivan turned around and saw Hermione staring at him with her mouth pursed and a steak in front of her with holes in it…
"Ahem… you mean that Beauxbatons girl? Well… she's just so-so!" Ivan said calmly, coughing twice.
Hermione looked slightly better, but before she could speak, Ron let out a gasp.
"You can't be serious, Ivan? You think she's average-looking? I've never seen a girl so…so beautiful! You can't find a girl like that in all of Hogwarts…"
Yvonne rolled her eyes, disagreeing with Ron.
However, the Veela's aura was so powerful that even he was slightly affected.
Ivan looked around and saw that most of the young wizards in the Great Hall were affected, and were staring at Fleur.
For example, Cedric of Hufflepuff merely raised his goblet and gestured to Fleur after making eye contact with her.
Another example is Harry, who was also staring at the Ravenclaw table, but was obviously looking at Cho Chang…
"She just smiled at me!" Ron continued to bask in Fleur's charm, relishing the memory of her smile.
"Don't be silly, Ron, she's not looking at you!" Hermione interrupted, looking back at Fleur, who, as she expected, looked away from Cedric to the Durmstrang students.
"She just wants to know who she's up against!"
Yvonne nodded in agreement. As Beauxbatons's almost preordained competitor, it was not unusual for Fleur to ask Ravenclaw students for information.
He was the most famous minor wizard at Hogwarts, which was probably why she was looking at him, but because of his age, Fleur thought he was unlikely to be chosen, so she looked at Cedric instead.