Even after the guests had entered the castle, the Hogwarts students still had to wait in formation. It wasn't as boring now, though, because at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the animals who had traveled so far were getting used to their new surroundings.
The three-headed dragon was eager to charge into the Forbidden Forest, and the frantic figures of the Centaurs flickered at the edge of the woods.
The elephants stretched their long trunks, trying to pull leaves off the maze's shrubbery walls.
The Abraxans, though docile in Hagrid's hands, absolutely refused to go near the three-headed dragon. Hagrid had no choice but to settle them near his hut.
Only a few students saw another sight: the school's Thestrals flapped their wings, landing near the Abraxans, seemingly wanting to greet the guest horses.
However, the Abraxans seemed terrified by their appearance, backing away repeatedly. Then, several strong ones stood at the front, in a wary stance facing the Thestrals.
Hagrid had to stand between them, trying to calm both sides down, not even noticing the elephants were nearly stripping a section of the wall bare.
Not to mention the flying carpets, buses, ghost ships, trains, and so on nearby; many people were observing the details on them with great interest.
Of course, this was also because everyone was now comfortably warm all over, allowing them the leisure to enjoy the scenery. If they were still shivering from the cold like before, they would probably only be cursing the latecomers in their hearts.
Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble slightly. Birds scattered from the trees, and animals restlessly pawed the ground. Even the calm Black Lake developed continuous ripples across its surface.
Anthony grabbed Terry's arm, nervously saying, "Earthquake?"
"No, it looks like—"
Michael didn't finish his sentence before everyone gasped in surprise.
A giant boulder, larger than Hagrid's hut, was rolling towards the castle, making a booming sound as it moved, as if someone was hidden inside, beating a drum.
Suddenly, the boulder stopped abruptly in front of the castle. It shivered twice, as if the stone was stretching.
Then, the surface of the stone rippled, revealing a tall, arched doorway, from which a man
wearing a golden cloak and a necklace of animal teeth strode out.
Behind him were about twenty students, who looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old. They were dressed in brightly colored Kanga robes, some with totem tattoos on their arms and necks, and some with their heads full of small braids.
"Dumbledore, old friend, it's been a long time, you haven't changed a bit!" the wizard said, laughing.
Dumbledore smiled and embraced him, saying, "Welcome to Hogwarts, Adso."
Headmaster Adso patted Dumbledore's back and chuckled, "I have a question... I've actually wanted to ask for a long time..."
"Please, speak," Dumbledore said, gesturing with his hand.
Adso gestured in front of himself, making a motion as if stroking a beard, and asked, "Your beard is getting longer and longer. Where do you put it when you sleep at night?"
Even someone as wise as Dumbledore hadn't expected such a question. After a long moment of stunned silence, he narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Naturally, where it belongs."
"Hahahaha..." Adso laughed again, then waved his hand and said, "My children are all very talented. I brought them out this time to see the vastness and wonder of the Wizarding World. If possible, we at Uagadou would like to take a championship back!"
"I hope your wishes come true, but my students won't disappoint you either," Dumbledore said with a smile.
Just as the students from Hogwarts and Uagadou were sizing each other up, a faint, elegant floral scent wafted in, followed by the clear ringing of bells in the air.
Wade keenly heard someone "tsk," and he turned around to see Headmistress Carvalho leaning against the castle entrance, looking disdainfully in the direction the sound had come from.
Then, an old-fashioned wooden cart suddenly appeared out of thin air, slowly moving towards the castle. The most peculiar thing was that this cart had only one giant wheel, and in the center of the wheel was the head of a bald old man.
The eyes on that head rolled around, and its mouth opened and closed, letting out a creaking laugh.
Although the Hogwarts students had seen many strange sights in the Wizarding World, this bizarre wheel still left everyone too shocked to speak.
The wooden cart stopped next to the boulder. The cloth curtain on the cart was lifted by a folding fan, and then a lady wearing a kimono and a coral hairpin in her hair slowly stepped down.
"My apologies," she said, bowing slightly to Dumbledore. "I hope our Wanyudo didn't frighten the children."
"It is indeed a unique mode of transport," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Welcome, Ms. Fujiwara. Please enter the castle with your students."
The dozen or so students who disembarked from the wooden cart were all wearing golden robes. The last was a small boy in a light pink robe. As soon as he got off, he looked around with curious eyes.
"I'm so sorry, it seems we're late?" Ms. Fujiwara glanced at the Uagadou students nearby, saying apologetically.
"No, the timing is perfect," Dumbledore said, his eyes sparkling with delight. "Our feast is already prepared."
The guests from the two schools followed Dumbledore into the castle, and then the Hogwarts students followed.
As they passed the steps, Ms. Fujiwara and Headmaster Adso both paused, feeling the warm breeze gently sweep over their bodies from all directions. They then glanced at Dumbledore beside them before resuming their steps.
Taking advantage of a moment when the formation became chaotic, the Weasley brothers bent down, secretly slipped out of the Gryffindor line, and ran to the wooden cart, using the shadow of the trees for cover.
"Do you think this guy can talk?" Fred asked.
"I'm more concerned about what it eats and if it, you know, excretes," George said curiously, running behind the Wanyudo. He only saw the axle of the wheel, so he turned back.
The two brothers exchanged a look.
"Want to try?" George asked.
"Yeah!" Fred said eagerly.
He felt his pocket and pulled out a squashed piece of bread. George ran to break off a twig, impaled the bread on it, and then, holding the twig, tried to push the bread into the human face's mouth.
The originally smiling face had become expressionless at some point, its gaze unfriendly as it stared at the twins, but they ignored it, stubbornly determined to test the bald human face's appetite.
Suddenly, the human face opened its mouth and cursed furiously, "Rude brats, get lost!"
It bit through the twig with a "crunch" and then spat the bread with a "thwack" directly at Fred's face.
Fred quickly jumped back, shouting in surprise, "It really can talk!"
"Fred, George!" Professor McGonagall stormed out of the castle. "You two! Stop messing with the guests' transportation! Twenty points from Gryffindor!"
"Oh, no... Professor..."
"If you continue to break the rules, you'll both be disqualified from the competition!"
The Weasley Twins immediately quieted down, obediently following Professor McGonagall back into the castle.
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