Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0643 Unexpected

Bryan used his superb transfiguration skills and immense magical power to form a huge ice and snow castle on the frozen lake surface. This would have been somewhat strenuous for Bryan if he had to do it alone, but with Dumbledore's help, it was no problem at all.

With the magnificent castle complete, Bryan turned back toward the gathered witches and wizards on shore, taking in their expressions of pure awe and amazement. Faces were tilted upward with eyes wide and gleaming with reflected fascination, and stunned gasps & sighs were rustling through the crowd.

Even Karkaroff, who had been full of critical remarks all evening, was rendered utterly speechless. He could only grunt and jerk his head in resentful approval when Bryan flashed him a grin and asked "How is it, pretty impressive right?"

"It's amazing, Albus!" Madame Maxime breathed in sincere astonishment beside them. "This is simply a miracle." Her huge dark eyes were bright with admiration.

"I'm very honored to be recognized by you, dear Olympe," Dumbledore replied, clearly delighted by her reaction even as he nodded his head modestly.

Basking in the praises for just a moment, Bryan then turned his attention to the still-awestruck students.

"Well then," he called out, "what are you all waiting for, everyone? Hurry along to your castle and warm up!"

Needing no further encouragement, the young witches and wizards made their way down to the frozen lake in a dazed march, unable to tear their eyes from the outrageous ice castle as they drew closer. The intense discussion that was anticipated did not appear. Only once they stood before its gates, close enough to make out the proper details of this fantastical architecture, did they begin to snap out of their stunned trances.

The first thing they noticed was that the charming ice sculptures of playful animals Professor McGonagall had transfigured earlier were already frolicking about the castle grounds. A pair of reindeer walked past the silver fountain Professor Snape had contributed, pausing to let out melodic calls.

Fluttering fairies and mischievous cupids scurried through the high open gates in giggling groups, mingling with the ghosts drifting vaguely in all directions.

Tentatively, the students followed in their professors' footsteps and crossed the threshold into the entrance hall. If they had thought the exterior was impressive, then the castle's interior left them absolutely flabbergasted.

Though constructed entirely of ice, the hall was not frigid as one might expect but instead was submerged by a gentle, enveloping warmth.

Puzzled, Harry glanced up in search of the source of this coziness and saw four enormous flaming banners suspended over their head with each one depicting the crest of one of Hogwarts' houses. Each specific Golden fire was at least as large as a clenched fist, and flickered from these crests, bathing the space below in a golden glow. The warmth inside the palace came from these four flaming banners.

Floating majestically above the four house banners was a very beautiful and grand crystal chandelier. Thousands upon thousands of ice crystals were probably fused together to form this spectacular chandelier. An ice-blue radiance emanated from deep within the heart of this frozen masterpiece, casting mesmerizing patterns of refracted light on every surface. Even Draco, who was used to luxurious decorations, was stunned when he saw it.

The students were fascinated by all these and slowly rotated on the spot, taking in the exquisite ice sculptures positioned around the Hall's perimeter. From delicate crystalline flowers to majestic frozen trees, each creation seemed lifelike.

Many of the little squirrels Professor McGonagall had made were perched on these ice sculptures, tilting their heads and blinking their eyes at the young wizards. This adorable scene made many girls unable to contain their excitement and coo out in low voices.

"It's incredible!" Hermione breathed from where she stood at Ron's side, her eyes were bright with emotion as she struggled to take in the wondrous scene. "I can hardly believe magic is capable of such miracles."

Similar sentiments rippled through the gathered students as they gradually began to regain their voices. Gabrielle Delacour, Fleur's younger sister, was the first to excitedly leave the Beauxbatons team. With an enthusiastic laugh, she dashed from one ice sculpture to the next, stroking the frozen manes of lions and reaching up to playfully tap the little ice squirrels on their shining noses.

Colin who had brought his camera along when he unexpectedly got an invitation to the ball, was frantically snapping pictures of everything in sight. He was so overwhelmed that for once capturing candid shots of his idol Harry Potter was the farthest thing from his mind. The shutter clicked wildly as he tried to capture every last detail of the ice castle's dazzling beauty.

Lost in her own appreciation of the magical craftsmanship on display, Fleur was slower to tear her eyes from their sweeping explorations of the castle. When at last her gaze found Bryan where he stood with the other headmasters, her crystal blue eyes were soft with obvious admiration and obsession.

The young guests were so absorbed in their unbelievable surroundings, the imminent start of the ball itself was forgotten. They would have been content to pass the entire night simply marveling at the ice castle.

Just as this thought occurred to several young wizards, Bryan raised his wand once more, and a fresh wave of his magic rolled through the space to conjure small, round tables and chairs into presence beside each of the sculptures, arranged in a way that felt artfully well-organized.

"Don't just stand there, everyone," Bryan's voice echoed in the empty hall. "Take your seats. Partners should claim a table together. Of course, students attending the banquet alone can share tables. Oh, champions and your partners please come to the head table--"

Still dazed but obedient, the youngsters slowly began to disperse and drift toward the seating arrangements.

"Come on, Ron," Hermione murmured, slipping her hand into the crook of his elbow and tugging him gently along.

"Oh, alright--" Ron's face was flushed red at the intimacy of her touch, his ears were practically steaming, still too tongue-tied to meet her eyes. He couldn't help but notice, however, that all the other ladies Cho, Daphne, and Fleur were taking their partner's arms, and after a few brisk coughs, he did his best to stand up straight and fold his free hand respectably over Hermione's where it rested against him.

Hermione ducked her head with a tiny smile, firmly ignoring Fred and George's knowing looks and elbow jabs in favor of maintaining her own dignity as she steered Ron in the direction of the top table reserved for the special guests of the evening.

As the attendees sorted themselves out, even the faculty members were a bit at a loss, not having been made aware of Bryan's plans for the night's seating in advance. Bryan smiled and guided everyone to their seats. He noticed Professor Moody hadn't shifted from his position beneath one of the ice pines and headed in his direction.

Moody seemed even more overwhelmed than his colleagues by the astonishing ice castle. His face was limp with shock as his eyes roamed over the details of the decor. But there was something pained in his expression too, as though the magical beauty called up some inner turmoil he was struggling to compress down.

His roaming gaze landed on Hermione and Ron proceeding arm-in-arm to the head table and he was visibly startled, more taken aback than ever.

"Granger's got Weasley for a date?" Moody blurted without thinking, his voice was gruff with total incredulity.

"Is there something wrong with that, Professor Moody?" Bryan's meaningful gaze made Moody come to his senses in time.

Moody twitched, seeming to realize he'd spoken out of turn. "Oh, nothing," he grunted, shooting Ron and Hermione one last sharp, inscrutable look before turning to eye Bryan with a complicated expression perhaps something oddly close to suspicion. But he simply shook his head and walked away without another word.

Up at the head table, the champions and their partners took their seats, arranged in alternating seats beside the heads of the three schools, Bryan, and the representatives from the Ministry of Magic. Harry found himself between Fleur and Percy Weasley, while Ludo Bagman took up a spot-on Fleur's other side.

As soon as Harry sat down, Percy immediately leaned in and whispered, "I got your letter, Harry. Since I'm here at the castle attending the banquet on behalf of Mr. Crouch, I didn't bother with a reply. But why are you suddenly so concerned about Mr. Crouch's recent activities?"

"We'll talk about it later, Percy--" Harry glanced guiltily at Professor Watson a few seats away and lowered his voice.

All around the hall, conversation died out as people found their tables and realized that the gleaming ice before them did not have a single plate, goblet, or piece of cutlery. Rumbling tummies provoked perplexed, anticipatory glances up at the head table, all wondering how they were meant to be fed.

"Look at the floor, quickly!"

Harry had just registered the lack of plates before a loud, alarmed voice rose up from the back of the room.

This slightly panicked shout attracted people's attention to the ground for the first time. There were too many things worth seeing in the ice castle - they hadn't noticed what was under their feet yet.

Sure enough, the floor of this ice castle was also one enormous panel of solid, transparent ice, giving a hazy view of the black lake underneath. In the swirling darkness below their feet, an enormous shadow glided past, blurred by the barrier but still near enough to the surface to send a thrill of unease through the staring audience above.

So, the reason why the young wizard shouted out in surprise just now was probably because at this moment, a huge shadow was lingering under their feet!

"It's the giant squid!" someone cried, identifying the unexpected dinner guest.

The giant squid in the Black Lake was also one of the famous campus legends of Hogwarts.

Harry felt his heart give a giddy roll.

Not all the young wizards had close contact with this squid. Some people excitedly left their seats and lay on the ground, regardless of their image, wanting to see what this big guy looked like. Ron, who was seated at the head table, was also attracted by the squid. Although he remained sitting upright, his eyes kept glancing down –

"Oh--" Suddenly, many human-shaped shadows swam past the bottom of Ron's seat and went to the side of the giant squid to 'talk' with it.

"What the bloody hell are those things?" Ron shouted, his face turning nearly as pale as Malfoy's hair where he stood gaping on the other side of the room.

"Maintain your composure, Mr. Weasley," No one answered Ron's question. Instead, Professor McGonagall reprimanded from her own seat further up the table, her voice was tight with disapproval.

Hermione naturally saw what Ron saw. She was originally going to give Ron a reminder, because every champion and their partner was the focus of attention, but hearing Ron's question, she instinctively began to think about the answer. When a term jumped into her mind, Hermione's face changed instantly!

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