Hogwarts Summoning Guide

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Life at Hogwarts was simple yet busy. Although Bai Lin was only a half-professor, he and Hagrid not only had to take care of the animals used for teaching (yes, that's right, at Bai Lin's insistence, in addition to the Blasttail, they added other animals, such as the Lamora Fish and the Fluffy Fish), but also had to manage the habitat of the Summoning Pokédex.

After a month of hard work, the habitat, which has expanded to 28 hectares, has been divided into several areas by earthen walls they built with magic. They have also awakened some of the sealed creatures. The small lake, which is not very large, has become the home of the resurrected mermaid lady, along with a few Greendylos, who are also their old neighbors in the Black Lake.

Poor Asatl had already been burned to ashes in the furnace by old Addison. Bai Lin was only relieved after receiving the contribution points as a system reward, no longer worried that the guy might suddenly rise from the dead or use mind magic to influence the people outside the mirror.

In late October, the students were pleasantly surprised to find a new notice posted in the auditorium:

The delegation from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will arrive at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, October 30th. Afternoon classes will end half an hour early. Students, please return your bags and textbooks to your dormitories and assemble in front of the castle to greet our guests before attending the welcome banquet.

Harry, Ron, and Neville were all happy, but it was because Friday afternoon was Snape's Potions class. Although Snape didn't really torture them, his constant sarcasm still made the two of them, who weren't that interested in potions, miserable.

The group of friends walked and chatted, and soon they started arguing about whether Cedric was a handsome boy or an outstanding student. Most students believed that Cedric would become a champion of Hogwarts. Except, of course, Ron and the twins.

Although Ron didn't say it, he was quite envious of Cedric, because Ron failed to make it into the Gryffindor Quidditch team, while Cedric was the captain of the Hufflepuff team and posed a great threat to the Gryffindor team. In addition, if you were to ask who the most popular boy among the girls in the whole school was, it would definitely be the handsome Cedric.

As for the twins, they didn't have any issues with Cedric, but deep down they believed that they should be the warriors of Hogwarts, even though they were half a year younger.

Throughout October, the two of them were strategizing how to sneak into the competition. Every time Harry ran into them, they were discussing tactics to slip through the cracks. Of course, there were many students like them, but Harry just smiled and dismissed it. Although winning the championship would bring him great honor at school, for Harry, perhaps the honor was just a psychological burden.

Harry couldn't wait to grow up, not to participate in any inter-school competitions, but to become a powerful wizard who truly controlled his own destiny.

"I think you could ask someone," Hermione suggested mysteriously to the twins.

"You mean... Professor Kelling?" Fred asked, his eyes wide.

"That's true! With Professor Kelling's help, maybe we can get in!" George exclaimed excitedly.

"He'll tell you bluntly that you're too weak, and you're just there to make up the numbers!" Hermione mercilessly stabbed them twice, and Ron couldn't help but burst into laughter.

To welcome guests from afar, all the staff in the castle were on edge (except for one person, of course). Floors, dining tables, windowsills, curtains, railings... everything was thoroughly cleaned. Even the portraits hanging on the walls were magically "renovated." Filch went even further, flying into a rage if he found any student not dressed properly or whose shoes were not polished to a shine.

On Friday morning, when the students went downstairs for breakfast, they found that the Great Hall had been completely transformed overnight. Huge silk banners hung on the walls, each symbolizing a house of Hogwarts, and behind the faculty desks, four emblems—a lion, an eagle, a snake, and a badger—were joined together to form a capital letter H (the first letter of Hogwarts).

Seeing the twins whispering, Harry and his friends walked over to them, and Hermione couldn't help but ask, "You haven't given up yet?"

George said, "I went to smell Professor McGonagall to find out how the champions are chosen, but she wouldn't tell me. She just told me to shut up and focus on becoming my raccoon..."

"I wonder what the competition events are in the Triwizard Tournament?" Ron said while eating breakfast. "I bet we can do it too. Think about what we've dealt with? Basilisks! Dementors! Is there anything more dangerous in the world than these?" After his intensive training during the summer vacation, Ron was full of confidence.

The group spent the whole day making all sorts of guesses and coming up with all sorts of imaginative ideas.

As evening fell, Bai Lin, led by Professor Pomona, walked out of Hogwarts Castle. At a glance, all the teachers and students were lined up in front of the castle, with the younger students in front and the older students in the back, forming a neat welcoming formation. This showed how much Dumbledore and the board of directors valued the Triwizard Tournament.

As evening fell, Bai Lin, led by Professor Pomona, walked out of Hogwarts Castle. At a glance, all the teachers and students were lined up in front of the castle, with the younger students in front and the older students in the back, forming a neat welcoming formation. This showed how much Dumbledore and the board of directors valued the Triwizard Tournament.

Most of the students had never seen students from other magic schools before, and their faces were full of curiosity.

Bai Lin saw Harry and his two friends whispering among themselves, probably discussing how the delegations from the other two schools would make a grand entrance. Eddie, standing next to them, waved to Bai Lin. Compared to Harry, Eddie was a complete and utter cultist on Bai Lin.

Bai Lin glanced at his watch; it was almost six o'clock. He had to carefully observe everyone in the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang delegation to find out who had sneaked in—Little Barty.

As night fell, a bright, translucent moon hung in the sky above the Forbidden Forest. The students excitedly scanned the gradually darkening grounds, but there was no movement; it remained as silent and tranquil as ever.

While Harry and his friends were still lost in thought, Dumbledore, standing in the back row, suddenly exclaimed, "Ah! If I'm not mistaken, the Beauxbatons representatives have arrived!"

As the students looked around, a sixth-grade student pointed to the horizon above the Forbidden Forest and exclaimed, "There!"

A huge, indistinct creature flew in from the horizon, rapidly traversing the deep blue sky, heading towards the castle, and growing larger and larger.

"What is that?"

"It's a fire dragon!"

"That's a house, you idiot!"...

Finally, they saw a huge, light blue carriage flying toward them. It was as big as a house and was being pulled by twelve winged, silver-maned horses, each about the size of an elephant.

The carriage descended at great speed, and the children hurriedly backed away. The Pegasus strutted arrogantly across the grass, shaking its mane and enormous head.

Immediately afterwards, everyone understood why there was such a huge Pegasus, because when the magnificent carriage opened its door, the first person to step out was a giantess who was nearly three meters tall, more than a head taller than Hagrid, the tallest person the children had ever seen. Her black high heels were as big as children's sleds. Even Bai Lin, who was mentally prepared, was quite shocked, because although this giantess was not young, she was not ugly. No wonder Hagrid was in love with her.

Dumbledore clapped as he went to greet her. The giantess extended her hand, and Dumbledore gracefully gave her a kiss.

"Dear Madam Maxim," he said, "Welcome to Hogwarts!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Maxim said, "My students." As she waved behind her, a dozen or so young men and women alighted from the carriage. There were more girls than girls, and unlike the "musical troupe" attire in the movies, they wore exquisite silk robes and had their heads wrapped in scarves or headscarves. They all looked up at Hogwarts with expressions of awe.

However, a familiar face was spotted in the crowd: Catherine, dressed in a light blue gown and wearing a silk coat, stood behind the students.

Bai Lin was somewhat surprised. Catherine had obviously seen him too, but she carefully avoided eye contact and lowered her head.

"Our Magical Creatures teacher will be happy to take care of them..." Dumbledore pointed to the Pegasus Path in Beauxbatons. Hagrid quickly stepped forward and gave Maxim an "elegant" smile. Maxim was quite surprised and happy to see that Hogwarts had a half-giant teacher. Moreover, Yuqian, who was next to Bai Lin, also went over and greeted Maxim warmly.

Hagrid watched Maxim lead the students into the auditorium before nudging Bai Lin and saying, "Are you free? Give me a hand."

Bai Lin was still scrutinizing every Beauxbaton student, including Catherine. Some of them only had two eyes showing, making them difficult for him to identify. He could only hope that Youxi, who had accompanied them inside, would have sharp eyes.

"I'm afraid I'd like to see Durmstrang's guests in person. I'll be back to help out later!" Bai Lin dismissed Hagrid. Hagrid shrugged, muttering as he untied the Pegasus and loudly beckoned them to follow him.

Upon seeing Beauxbatons' Pegasus, the children began speculating about the size of Durmstrang's horse, wondering if it was an oversized Thestral.

But they soon noticed something amiss. A rumbling and sucking sound suddenly arose from the Black Lake, and a huge whirlpool gradually formed in the lake. Huge splashes of water rose on the surface, waves crashed against the damp shore, and then a long, dark pole slowly rose from the whirlpool, followed by sails and rigging.

As the children watched, a magnificent black ship rose from the water, its hull and sails gleaming in the moonlight. It looked strange, like a shipwreck that had just been salvaged. If one had to describe it, it would be the legendary pirate ship of the Caribbean, the most terrifying of all, the Flying Dutchman.

Although the ship looked dilapidated and unable to float, it still sailed smoothly to the dock by the lake. An anchor was thrown into the shallow water, and then a large wooden plank was laid on the lake shore.

Dumbledore led the students who had spontaneously come to greet them toward the lake, where they saw people filing out of the boats. Each of them was tall and burly, but after seeing Maxim's physique just now, their tolerance had increased considerably. They wore large fur cloaks, making them appear quite rugged and wild.

The man at the front wore a tall fur hat and a magnificent cloak. Seeing Dumbledore in the distance, he hurried over enthusiastically: "Dumbledore, my dear old friend, how are you?"

Dumbledore gave him a warm bear hug and said, "Professor Karkaroff, excellent, thank you!"

Headmaster Karkaroff couldn't wait to introduce his students to Dumbledore, especially the "domineering" Viktor Krum. Then, seeing Bai Lin standing next to Dumbledore, Bai Lin, who had always found Karkaroff to be a very strange person in his previous life, couldn't help but lean closer to take a closer look at him.

"Is this also your student?" Karkaroff asked.

Dumbledore said, "Ah, I wish it were. This is our assistant professor, Karin White from the East. Professor White seems quite interested in our guest!"

"Yes! Principal, Mr. Karkaroff has always been my idol. I've always wanted to study at Durmstrang, but I've never had the chance," Bai Lin said, staring at Karkaroff.

Karkaroff grinned, his teeth a mix of black and yellow, somewhat at odds with his flamboyant style. But Bai Lin knew that Karkaroff was a master of dark magic, and that dark magic had already begun to erode his body.

Ignoring the principal and professors' pleasantries, the students showered Viktor Krum with the highest praise, calling him the Messi and Ronaldo of the wizarding world, arguably the brightest star in Quidditch.

Ron, who had always claimed to dislike Krum (and always tried to appear indifferent when his classmates had Krum posters above their beds because he supported the Irish team), was now utterly shocked and somewhat emotionally distraught: "It's Krum, Harry! Viktor Krum!"

"For God's sake, Ron, he's just a Quidditch player," Hermione said casually. She then expressed her regret for the girls around her who were completely infatuated, "That's ridiculous!" Actually, the little girl was secretly overjoyed; no one knew that she and Krum had been pen pals for a long time.

"If I could, I'd like to get his autographed photo..." Ron and a group of boys were still caught up in their fuss.

Bai Lin carefully met with every faculty member and student at Durmstrang. They all had serious expressions and an aura of dark magic about them, making them seem like men of ill intent. However, Bai Lin didn't make any new discoveries. Although they all looked fierce, they actually had neither murderous intent nor the smell of blood on their hands. This puzzled Bai Lin.

Logically speaking, hiding in Durmstrang's delegation would have been the best option. Did Barty Jr. give up on that? Or did Voldemort come up with some other plan?

The Durmstrang faculty and students were ushered into the auditorium, where the students took their seats and everyone gathered together in a lively and enthusiastic atmosphere.