Chapter 566: Chapter 566: Grand Welcome Ceremony (Edited)
Dumbledore quietly stowed the Elder Wand in his sleeve.
At that moment, Hogwarts students had already spotted the Beauxbatons carriage in the sky.
The carriage pierced through the dense clouds and passed overhead, temporarily blocking the setting sun, leaving everyone in awe of its imposing presence.
The carriage was a light blue, as large as a house, drawn by twelve majestic winged horses with silver manes, looking elegant and noble.
"Professor Dumbledore, does Hogwarts have such a means of transport?" a bold Gryffindor student asked Dumbledore.
Dumbledore: ...
It seems not. Does the Thestral carriage count? Dumbledore thought it was time to search the castle; perhaps he would find some ancient means of transportation left by his predecessors. After all, in five years, he would have to take the students to compete in other schools. Riding broomsticks would be too mediocre.
But what if he didn't find anything? Dumbledore was in a dilemma. The carriage seemed like a good idea, but it had the drawback of being too conspicuous. Other means of transportation couldn't be crafted in a short period of time.
"We can ask the headmaster to use the Undetectable Extension Charm on a teapot, then Dumbledore can put us inside the teapot and travel alone to other schools. When we arrive, he will let us out... and we could also live in Dumbledore's teapot." Just when Dumbledore was worried, Tom offered a solution.
Hearing Tom's suggestion, Dumbledore's eyes lit up. This idea sounds good! As luxurious as Beauxbatons' carriage is, it's still just a carriage. An enlarged teapot with the Undetectable Extension Charm would be different. Generally, the Undetectable Extension Charm in the wizarding world is limited to expanding the space from a tent to a three-room flat. Going beyond that would significantly increase the difficulty of the spell. Newt Scamander's briefcase was extremely rare and almost unique of its kind.
It would probably only be Dumbledore, with the help of the Elder Wand, who could expand a teapot to accommodate a delegation. Going out with such a teapot would not embarrass Hogwarts. With these thoughts in mind, Dumbledore's mind began to wander: if they had already decided to use the Undetectable Extension Charm to create a vehicle, it didn't necessarily have to be a teapot. He could use a hollowed-out stone and fit it into the body of some animal; that wouldn't be bad either...
Actually, if he could repair Hogwarts' Vanishing Cabinet and combine it with the Vanishing Cabinet that Tom had acquired, he could achieve the effect of the Vanishing Cabinets and connect the two schools directly. However, the Vanishing Cabinet was still in the Room of Requirement, covered in dust.
Just when Dumbledore was imagining how to create an exclusive means of transportation for Hogwarts, the Beauxbatons carriage began to descend. After a deafening roar, the imposing winged horses and the carriage landed. From a short distance, the size of the carriage became more apparent, and the young wizards could see the details.
On the carriage door was an emblem with two crossed golden wands, each with three stars. It was the Beauxbatons shield, which went perfectly with its name (Beautiful Wands).
The carriage door opened, and a boy dressed in a light blue robe jumped out of it, unfurling a golden staircase. Then, an elegant and tall lady, similar to Hagrid in stature, gracefully stepped down from the carriage.
It was Madame Maxime, whom Tom had met during the summer holidays. Today, she wore a black satin dress and was adorned with magnificent opals.
Hagrid stood in line, with an expression of admiration on his face, captivated by the beauty of the woman in front of him.
Dumbledore looked at Tom, and he understood. He raised his staff above his head and incanted the spell he had learned from Dumbledore.
The staff struck the ground forcefully, creating a visible shockwave in the form of a halo. The halo rapidly expanded over the lawn, covering the entire expanse in a matter of seconds and continuing towards the Forbidden Forest. Wherever the halo passed, flowers sprouted from the ground, defying seasonal norms to bloom.
The flowers weren't precious species, just simple wildflowers commonly found along roadside edges in the summer, but they still made a significant impact on the students from Beauxbatons and the Hogwarts students present.
In no time, the air was filled with the fragrance of herbs and flowers, transporting everyone back to the peak of summer, although the gentle breeze and the chirping of cicadas were missing.
That strike unleashed all the splendor of summer.
This was the spell Tom had learned from Dumbledore, "Vivify," which could revive withered plants and promote seed germination. It was a passive ability of Tom's when he was a child, but now, through his learning, he had regained that lost passive ability and turned it into a more powerful active skill.
At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, an animated scene full of vitality and flourishing unfolded.
Dumbledore strode purposefully toward Madame Maxime amidst the floral aroma. "Welcome to Hogwarts, dear Madame Maxime."
Madame Maxime quickly snapped out of her astonishment and engaged in conversation with Dumbledore. However, as they conversed, her eyes never left Tom, deep in thought.
Behind Madame Maxime, several male and female students disembarked from the carriage and lined up in order. Each of them was around seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing elegant silk robes. They looked up to admire the imposing Hogwarts castle or lowered their heads to gaze at the flowers at their feet, but in both cases, reverence could be seen on their faces.
"Karkaroff hasn't arrived yet. Would you prefer to wait here for him or enter the castle to rest a bit?" Dumbledore stood beside Madame Maxime, engaging in conversation with her. Dumbledore was a tall wizard and wore a pointed wizard hat, but compared to Madame Maxime, his height was nothing, even with the hat, it barely reached Madame Maxime's chin.
Madame Maxime looked down at Dumbledore and Tom's staff, then said slowly, "If I'm not mistaken, there will be another welcome event, correct? I wouldn't want to miss it. However, my horses do need some rest."
"No problem, our Care of Magical Creatures professor will be delighted to take care of them," Dumbledore said, looking at Hagrid. "Hagrid, could you come here for a moment?"
At that moment, Madame Maxime noticed Hagrid's presence at the edge of the group. When she saw Hagrid's size, she raised her eyebrows in surprise. Clearly, it was the first time she had encountered someone of her own height.
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