"Ah, looks like Beauxbatons is about to arrive too," said Agilbert. "I really miss Madame Maxime—their school's brandy and champagne are absolutely excellent."
"I'm so glad we agree," Dumbledore said with a smile. "And the cider and absinthe—Madame Maxime always brings the best."
The students from Ilvermorny, led by a boy, quickly lined up in formation. They looked around curiously at Hogwarts, some gazing up at the enormous carriage overhead.
BOOM—
With a thunderous crash, the powder-blue carriage landed on the ground. The Beauxbatons crest was emblazoned on the door.
A boy jumped down from the carriage, opened the staircase, and stood respectfully to the side.
Then Madame Maxime stepped out. Even taller than Hagrid, she was nonetheless striking, elegant, and dignified—with a touch of haughtiness.
Dumbledore stepped forward and said, "Dear Madame Maxime—"
She extended a hand adorned with several gemstone rings. Dumbledore bowed and kissed the back of her hand. "Welcome to Hogwarts."
Madame Maxime glanced at Agilbert and said, "I hope we're not late."
"Of course not," Dumbledore said with a warm smile. "Your arrival brings glory to Hogwarts."
Agilbert then kissed the lady's hand as well, but added, "We were the first to arrive… hmm, just a little bit ahead of you."
Madame Maxime raised her eyebrows. She didn't care much about who arrived first, but Agilbert's smugness displeased her.
"Well… congratulations," she said indifferently, waving casually behind her. "My students."
A dozen students stepped down from the carriage. They were all wearing fine silk uniforms without cloaks, but with their scarves wrapped tightly around them. Even so, they shivered slightly in the cold wind.
They first looked at Hogwarts, then glanced at the Ilvermorny students beside them—two Ilvermorny girls were actually wearing short skirts, and their faces were turning pale from the cold.
"Are we the only ones here so far?" Madame Maxime asked.
"Yes, the others should arrive at any moment," Dumbledore replied. "Would you prefer to wait here to greet them, or head inside and warm up first?"
"What do you think, Madame?" Agilbert asked politely.
"Let's warm up first," said Madame Maxime. "But my horses—"
"Our Care of Magical Creatures professor would be delighted to look after them," Dumbledore said, waving a hand.
In the line of professors, Hagrid was momentarily lost in thought until Professor Flitwick nudged his shin. Hagrid stumbled forward a few steps.
"I… I'm Rubeus Hagrid, ma'am. I'll… I'll take good care of these lovely creatures," he stammered, and felt a rush of heat flushing his cheeks and turning his ears red.
Luckily, his thick, wild hair hid the redness well, so no one noticed.
At that moment, Hagrid deeply regretted his outfit—a rough, homemade fur coat, shoes with mud on the tips, and a beard he hadn't properly combed.
Madame Maxime looked at Hagrid's towering figure with surprise, then composed herself and said calmly:
"Hello, Professor Hagrid. My horses require special care—they only drink single malt whisky, and their bridles need daily inspection, grooming, and their feed must be changed regularly."
"I understand," Hagrid said nervously. "I'll… I'll take care of them like they're my own children, I promise!"
He reached out to take the reins. Perhaps due to their similar size, the Abraxans felt a sense of familiarity. They lifted their necks and backed away slightly but soon allowed themselves to be led by Hagrid.
Madame Maxime nodded in satisfaction and turned to her students. "Come along."
Agilbert also gestured to the Ilvermorny students. The Hogwarts crowd parted to create a path so both schools could enter the castle.
Just as the last powder-blue figure disappeared through the entrance, a deafening roar tore through the sky.
Everyone instinctively looked up. A massive three-headed fire dragon soared overhead, trailing long iron chains. At the end of the chains was a black, fortress-like battle carriage.
Many students screamed in fright. The Beauxbatons' Abraxans neighed loudly and tried to bolt, dragging the carriage along, but Hagrid held them back with all his strength. At that moment, the battle carriage thundered to the ground.
Each of the dragon's three heads wore a deep black bridle. They jostled against each other, occasionally spewing hot smoke from their mouths.
The crowd instinctively backed away several steps, and cries of pain could be heard as people stepped on each other's feet. Wade swiftly moved aside and grabbed Anthony, who nearly fell. Nearby, Terry landed flat on his backside.
"What is that?" Michael asked in a panic.
"Koldovstoretz," Wade replied. "The Russian wizarding school."
"They actually trained fire dragons to pull their carriage?!" Anthony shrieked.
"Calm down, children," Professor Flitwick said hurriedly. "Keep your composure. That dragon won't hurt you."
Everyone glanced at him, then back up at the towering dragon. Each of its heads looked taller than Professor Flitwick himself, making his reassurance sound less than convincing.
Still, the crowd quickly fell silent.
The carriage door opened, and a burly wizard wearing a white bearskin coat stepped out, holding a long staff in his hand.
"Good evening, Dumbledore!" the wizard boomed. "I hope everything is well with you!"
"Very well, thank you, Ivan," Dumbledore replied with a smile. "And you—I'm glad to see you too, Gorynych."
The three fearsome dragon heads lowered themselves and gazed at Dumbledore. Their hot breath caused the nearby grass to curl and wilt.
Then came a scene that deeply impressed the Hogwarts students—Dumbledore reached out and patted the nose of the middle dragon head. He then said something in a language no one could understand.
The three-headed dragon gently nuzzled Dumbledore's hand with its snout. Its massive eyes appeared unexpectedly gentle.
Wade suddenly thought of some of Dumbledore's writings… such as The Twelve Uses of Dragon's Blood.
With the enormous dragon stealing everyone's attention, few noticed that a dozen or so students had quietly descended from the battle carriage.
They were tall and broad-shouldered, wearing fluffy ushanka hats with the ear flaps tied beneath their chins. Their faces were mostly covered with masks, and they wore thick fur coats and animal-hide boots, standing silently to the side.
"Dumbledore, has Karkaroff arrived yet?" Ivan asked suddenly.
"He should be here very soon," Dumbledore replied.
"Oh, then I'll wait with you," Ivan said, taking a spot beside Dumbledore and motioning for his students to lead the three-headed dragon away.
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