Time slipped by under the students' constant urging, and before long, evening arrived. To welcome the guests, afternoon classes ended half an hour early. Tver timed it perfectly and dismissed the impatient students ahead of schedule so they could make their preparations. Even though Tver himself had no idea what, exactly, they were supposed to be preparing…
After a brief stop at his office, he walked through the freshly cleaned corridors. By the time he reached the open space in front of the castle, it was already packed with excited students.
The sky looked as though ink had been spilled across it, the light slowly fading. The moon was bright, the stars few but clear, and the night was rather beautiful. At the very least, it looked far better than cloaks festooned with bows or glittering chains.
"Where did you learn to hang decorations like those oversized red flower garlands?"
Tver gave the Weasley twins a strange look. The two had slipped out of formation and were hiding near the back, ducking away from Professor McGonagall's inspecting gaze while whispering to each other.
"Uh—"
They both jumped at the sudden voice.
"Professor, we learned it from a Muggle singer called Elvis Presley," George said, proudly holding up the garland.
"Elvis Presley?"
"Yes, yes, that's the one!" Fred, thinking Tver liked the look, immediately started to take the garland off to offer it to him.
Tver hurriedly waved his hands to stop him.
The name Elvis Presley might not mean much to some people, but once you mentioned the King of Rock and Roll, everyone knew exactly who it was. No wonder the outfit had felt so familiar.
Even so, though Tver let the Weasley twins off, they were still spotted by the sharp-eyed Professor McGonagall and forced to remove the garlands.
"If you want the Beauxbatons girls to think you have no taste at all, then by all means, keep wearing them!"
Amid all the noise and commotion, Tver made his way to the back of the line, where Dumbledore was standing with the rest of the faculty.
"Tver, I thought you'd put a bit more effort into dressing up," Professor Flitwick said cheerfully, stepping aside to make room.
The professors were all wearing brand-new robes, or at least robes that looked brand-new. Their hoods were decorated with all sorts of flamboyant patterns. While they hadn't gone as far as the students with bizarre accessories, they didn't look much better for it.
Of course, Snape was still dressed head to toe in black, exactly the same as always, no different from Tver himself.
"I don't think our guests will hold my clothing against me," Tver said. "Besides, about half of them could be considered… my friends."
According to Viktor's letter a few days earlier, Durmstrang had brought along nearly a third of its most outstanding students over the age of seventeen.
And those students, being among the strongest of their generation, had more or less all been taught a hard lesson by Tver in dueling competitions…
"I'd almost forgotten you were a Durmstrang student, Tver. Over the years, I've felt more and more that your bearing suits Hogwarts better and better."
Hagrid laughed loudly. He clearly seemed to have made an effort to dress up, though his unruly beard was as disobedient as ever, leaving him looking much the same as usual.
Tver shot him a strange look.
As far as temperament went, he really had been influenced by the three founders and absorbed quite a bit of their thinking. Yet even those closest to him had failed to notice this subtle change, while Hagrid had pointed it out so confidently.
Was it true that the simpler a person's mind, the more clearly they could see things others overlooked?
"What is it?" Hagrid asked, thinking something might be wrong with his outfit. He quickly looked himself over from head to toe.
"I thought about tidying up my beard, but after staring at it for a while, I decided it was too much trouble. I doubt I'll ever want to bother with that in my life."
Tver chuckled softly and withdrew his gaze.
"Don't be so sure. Maybe you'll soon meet someone who makes you willing to groom it properly?"
"That's impossible…"
"Ah! If I'm not mistaken, the Beauxbatons delegation has arrived!"
Dumbledore suddenly pointed toward the distant sky and called out loudly.
Following his gesture, the students quickly understood why he'd shouted.
A massive powder-blue carriage, as large as a house, was racing toward them from the far reaches of the sky.
Pulling it were twelve magnificent silver-maned horses. Each was as large as an elephant, and only with their beautiful, slender wings could they haul such an enormous carriage.
Tver immediately recognized what they were.
"Abraxan horses, the most beautiful among the Four Great Winged Horses," Hagrid said, gazing at them with deep affection.
The Four Great Winged Horses referred to the Abraxan, the Thestral, the Granian, and the Aethonan. Each had its own strengths, but the Abraxan were indeed the most beautiful winged horses Tver had ever seen.
They moved astonishingly fast. Before the students could make out any details of the carriage, the Abraxan landed heavily on the ground.
As a thunderous sound rang out, a wave of dust surged toward the crowd. Dumbledore silently reined it in, letting the carriage gradually reveal itself.
Carved into the carriage door was an emblem: two gleaming golden wands crossed, with three stars rising from each.
It was the Beauxbatons crest.
The door soon opened, and a boy in a pale blue robe stepped out. He unfolded an elegant spiral staircase and helped a stately, dignified woman descend.
Unlike most ladies, Madam Maxime's stature was even slightly taller than Hagrid standing beside Tver. Of course, that might have had something to do with her high heels.
Regardless, the sheer size of the Beauxbatons headmistress stunned the assembled students, who fell silent as she slowly swept her gaze across them.
When she spotted Dumbledore applauding, her eyes lit up at once.
Madam Maxime strode forward, while Dumbledore also stepped toward her… a mutual advance, Tver thought oddly.
It was only then that he noticed the students from the carriage were following behind.
At the front was a slender girl with her face covered by a scarf. Holding her hand was Gabrielle, whom Tver had met during the summer.
The moment Gabrielle spotted Tver in the crowd, she broke into a bright, adorable smile and waved enthusiastically at him.
They didn't even have time to exchange greetings before Gabrielle was pulled away by her sister and led into the castle. Hogwarts still had to wait for Durmstrang's arrival, so the guests were ushered inside first.
They didn't wait long before students noticed something unusual about the Black Lake.
Ripples spread out from its center, growing into rolling waves that crashed again and again against the shore.
Then a black mast slowly rose from the middle of the lake. Moments later, a grand ship emerged from the water, gleaming under the moonlight.
As soon as the hull cleared the surface, the ship swiftly approached the shore. With a loud splash, an iron anchor was dropped, followed by a wooden gangplank extending from the deck and settling firmly against the lakeside.
A man wearing a silver-white fur coat stepped forward at the front, leading a group of equally imposing students toward the brightly lit area.
Only then did everyone realize that the students looked so burly because their coats were exceptionally thick.
It was the complete opposite of Beauxbatons' robes.
Beauxbatons robes were made of light silk, delicate but thin.
Durmstrang's coats were thick animal furs, simple but warm.
Yet in this weather, neither outfit seemed particularly suitable.
Tver had once disliked those heavy coats as well, but after suffering through a miserable bout of illness, he had obediently wrapped his then-fragile body in layer after layer of them.
Fortunately, as his physique grew stronger and his magic more refined, he could keep himself warm with spells alone. He no longer needed to wear those cumbersome coats that restricted his movement.
"Dumbledore! It's been a long time, my old friend!" Headmaster Karkaroff greeted him warmly, extending a hand while his eyes kept darting past him.
"Ah ha ha! Tver, my dearest student, we finally meet again!"