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On the thirtieth, the boys' enthusiasm reached its peak. In the evening, we all crawled out onto the broad plain between the castle and Black Lake to meet the guests. We lined up according to the Houses, and under the strict guidance of the Heads... we stood. Time passed. Time was passing. As they say, it was getting dark.

"To hell with it," I was tired of being cold. The stability of warming charms was in question, but right now, it was an appropriate measure. I discreetly applied them to Hermione and myself, getting an appreciative nod but a doubtful look. "It's okay. In the castle with Finita, you can take it off, and that's it. You won't boil over."

"My heart senses," Dumbledore announced with delight, "that the guests from Beauxbatons are near."

"Where? Where?" the students turned their heads.

After a couple of moments, a carriage appeared in the sky above the forbidden forest, with pegasus harnessed to it. A few minutes later, the carriage landed next to us, and Hagrid rushed over to the animals - well, no surprise there.

The carriage doors swung open, and a boy in a blue cloak jumped to the ground, found something at the foot of the carriage, and pulled out a golden ladder, along which a moment later, a lady as tall as Hagrid, perhaps even taller, stepped down, holding the flaps of her satin-black cloak. In principle, the pegasus and the carriage were a match for her.

Madame Maxim, and it was she, was strikingly different from what I had seen in the movie. Well, not the first time, really, not the first. Just a very beautiful woman, but about two and a half times bigger. Maybe more.

Madame Maxim approached Dumbledore, holding out her hand for a kiss. Well, how did she "held out"? She moved her hand slightly forward, and it was right in front of the Headmaster's face.

"Dear Madame Maxime! Welcome..."

The usual greetings began, after which the French women flew out of the carriage. Like probably most of the male half of Hogwarts, I had a reasonable question - were the best students brought here in terms of appearance, or are they just all beautiful? Oh, Veela!

"Max," Hermione hissed. "Put out the spotlight in your eyes. They're really glowing. What's in there?"

"Veela."

"Yeah? Oh! Curious..." Hermione even started looking for a possible veela with some enthusiasm, and she found one. "Yeah, I bet it's that pretty blonde over there."

"Pretty? One girl calling another girl pretty?"

"It's silly to deny the obvious. What do you think?"

"The feeling passed quickly. I hope I can get used to this peculiarity over this time."

It is worth noting that the French women were not dressed for the weather - very lightly, in the same uniform, like a purple business suit with a skirt just below the knees. Instead of a robe, they had a cape over their shoulders, and a high haircut was hidden under a neat hat. And yes, the girls were cold, and this is what I wanted to point out - they also did not have a normal warming charm, stable. But in this case, you can use the unstable if only you are on the street.

After discussing with Dumbledore the nuances of keeping the Pegasus, Madame Maxim, accompanied by several teachers, went to Hogwarts. The others, along with Headmaster, waited for the representatives of Durmstrang, who didn't keep him waiting for too long.

The ship that swam out from under the surface of the Black Lake, the real Flying Dutchman, made a much greater impression on the students. When Viktor Krum stepped down the gangway along with the others - the whispers turned into a hum. The Bulgarians looked much more adapted to the unfavorable weather. Therefore the joyful hugs and conversations of the two Headmasters, Karkaroff and Dumbledore, had no effect on the well-being of Durmstrang students, looking more like some soldiers in their fur cloaks and coats.

When the greeting came to an end, we finally made our way to the castle, straight into the Great Hall, where the guests had already been distributed among the tables of the Houses. The Durmstrangs sat at the Slytherin table, and the Beauxbatons found a seat at the Ravenclaw table.

Dumbledore greeted everyone, the guests, us, and the ghosts, and wished everyone to feel at home. With that, food appeared on the tables. I did not listen to the conversation, stepping away.

"You're too thoughtful," Hermione poked me with her elbow. "And you don't know how to turn off those lights in your eyes? You even have a vertical pupil."

"Is it that noticeable?"

"No. It's not noticeable at all. I just know where to look."

"Here, have some soup," Hermione carefully poured me a plate full of what smelled like fish soup. "I tried it in Nice this summer. It's called Bouillabaisse."

"Would you be so kind as to pass the bouillabaisse, please?" someone behind me asked loudly.

Turning around, I saw a veela standing nearby. Her long blond hair fell in a wave almost to her waist. Tricky little bird-man.

"I'm afraid, mademoiselle," I smiled, but judging by the fact that Hermione didn't know whether to laugh or worry, it didn't go well because once the eyes showed, so did the fangs. "Even this wonderful saucepan will not be enough for me. I've worked up quite an appetite, and the Marseilles fish soup is so good these days."

She didn't seem to expect such an answer, and she was even a little embarrassed. The boys around her were staring at her, and Weasley was drooling. Harry, on the other hand, was doing all right. I can't feel the charm on me, and the "hot chicken" effect, as I call it myself, is almost gone.

"Will you refuse the dear lady?" smiled the veela, showing off her smooth white teeth. The charm seemed to hit with a new dose of power, and what amused me was that some of the girls began to look at the veela not with distaste but somehow thoughtfully. For the sake of interest, I checked Hermione - waiting for the denouement.

"In a whole pot? Absolutely," I nodded back. "But I can offer to join us for dinner, at this table, and then at least one portion will surely go to the lovely mademoiselle. If, of course, someone stops depriving the mind of the people around them."

Veela shot a glance, snubbed her nose, and with a smile letting it be known that the fish soup is not worth sitting among the droolers, withdrew.

"So you asked Veela to join us? Are you sure the charm doesn't work on you?" Hermione asked with a smile, returning to her food.

"That's what I wanted to find out in a relatively safe atmosphere."