Competition between Headmasters

"Is that so?" Hermione eyed Ivan suspiciously, but didn't comment, as the other young wizards were also looking curiously in his direction.

Madame Maxime then left the carriage to take the Beauxbatons students to the castle.

The Hogwarts professors and students continued to wait for Durmstrang's arrival.

It was getting dark, and the wind was biting. Ivan was beginning to get impatient when he heard a strange noise in the distance.

It sounded like someone beating a leaking drum, accompanied by a soft sucking noise.

"Ah, it seems Karkaroff has finally arrived!" Dumbledore exclaimed happily.

"Where?" Ron looked around, then up, but there was nothing nearby.

Ivan, on the other hand, was staring at the Black Lake. The calm surface of the lake was suddenly agitated, causing huge waves to splash against the wet shore.

A large vortex appeared in the middle of the Black Lake, and something that looked like a flagpole rose slowly from the center of the vortex, followed by a sail that fluttered high in the air. Finally, a huge sailboat burst out of the water, and water splashed everywhere like a light rain.

Ivan stared up at it. The ship looked ancient and worn, like the remains of a ship that had just been salvaged.

Vaguely visible through the portholes, shimmering in the darkness, were a few skeletal pirates on deck.

Within a few minutes of sailing, the ship came to a gradual halt at the edge of the lake, and with a dull thud, a stout wooden plank was extended from the ship and placed on the shore.

A group of tall, fierce-looking wizards stepped down from the ship. They were all wearing thick fur cloaks that covered their bodies.

They were led by a tall, thin, elderly wizard with short white hair, a thin chin, and a curly goatee. His eyes were cold and piercing, but when he was close to Dumbledore, he seemed very welcoming.

"Hello again, my dear old chap! How are you? How are you?" The old wizard laughed and held out his hand, his voice smooth and sweet.

"I'm fine, thank you, Professor Karkaroff." Dumbledore shook his hand.

Karkaroff released his grip after a few seconds, then turned to look at Hogwarts Castle and exclaimed, "Oh, Hogwarts! This is so nice… I wish I had come earlier!"

"It's not too late, is it? You'll be here for months, you can shop around…" Dumbledore laughed.

"That's right. The Triwizard Tournament is going to be a long one." Karkaroff nodded, then seemed to remember something and slapped his head, turning to look at the students behind him.

"Oh, speaking of which, I almost forgot… Viktor, come here and warm up before you catch a cold…"

A sturdy-looking boy of seventeen or eighteen emerged from the Durmstrang students, his cloak bearing the Bulgarian team crest.

"You don't mind, do you, Dumbledore? Viktor's had a bit of a cold lately… I can't leave him out in the cold for too long!" Karkaroff sounded apologetic, but he seemed pleased with himself.

Before Dumbledore could reply, a commotion broke out among the Hogwarts students, many of whom recognised the boy, the legendary Seeker for the Bulgarian team, Clum, a world-class Quidditch star!

"Oh my God, Harry, Ivan, Hermione! It's Krum, he's come to Hogwarts! Am I seeing things?" Ron was so excited to see his idol standing right in front of him that he was shaking Harry's arm so hard that he was losing his speech.

"I didn't know Krum was such a good player as a student!" Ron muttered.

"I know it's Krum!" Harry exclaimed, pushing Ron's hand away. He admitted that Krum was a good player, but surely he didn't have to do this?

Ivan also looked at Ron in surprise, unable to understand his actions, but thinking of Lockhart in his second year, he fell silent.

There were quite a few young wizards like Ron, many of whom were excited to see Krum, and a few older girls who complained about not having a pen and paper with them so that they could go up to Krum and ask for autographs.

Karkaroff heard the comment and his smile widened.

Krum did not react. He had been on many occasions like this and was used to it.

"Very good. I read about that match. You played very well!" Dumbledore said admiringly to Krum.

Having a world-class star at the age of seventeen or eighteen was something to be proud of, and he was not surprised that Karkaroff had brought it up.

"It's just a pity, as I recall, that Bulgaria lost the whole game!" Dumbledore said, looking regretful.

"Just short of ten!" Karkaroff insisted, then complained. "And you can't blame Krum, he's done well enough! Next time Bulgaria is sure to replace the underqualified players, they'll win!"

"That's true, I'll be congratulating Crum in advance!" Dumbledore merely smiled.

Karkaroff raised his eyebrows proudly, and even Krum smiled. Dumbledore was reputed to be the most powerful white wizard in Britain, and it was natural to be pleased by his praise.

However, before they could rejoice for long, Dumbledore continued.

"By the way, I think good students should interact more with each other, and Krum needs friends at Hogwarts, so allow me to introduce you…"

"Hars!" Dumbledore turned his attention to the Hogwarts team and found Ivan.

Ivan, who had been watching the proceedings, was shocked to hear his name, but quickly recovered when Dumbledore stared at him. He strolled out of the group and spoke politely to Karkaroff.

"Hello, Headmaster Karkaroff!"

Karkaroff's eyes narrowed as Ivan approached, and his expression soured, but he forced a smile and patted Ivan on the shoulder.

"Ah! I know you, Mr. Harls! I've heard your name all over Durmstrang."

Krum was also looking at Ivan, his happy expression fading and becoming serious.

He was well aware of the enormity of his task, which involved representing Durmstrang in the Triwizard Tournament against Hogwarts and Beauxbatons.

However, Krum had read in the Nordic Times that Ivan was a recipient of the Order of Merlin, which meant more to him than a Quidditch player!

Despite his scattered thoughts, Krum maintained a gentlemanly appearance as he took the initiative to step forward and greet them.

"Hello, Hales, nice to meet you. I read about you in a column that said you'd been awarded a Second-Class Order of Merlin, right?"

Ivan looked troubled at this.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster Krum, Headmaster Karkaroff, but I think you may have been misinformed…" Ivan began hesitantly.

"Is it a mistake in the report?" Krum asked reflexively, feeling relieved.

Karkaroff's face softened as well, and he smiled reassuringly. "Haha… don't worry, I know how newspapers are. They tend to exaggerate…"

"No, Headmaster Karkaroff, I am referring to the fact that your news is outdated, and that I am now a recipient of the Order of Merlin, Class I!" Ivan corrected him.

Professor Karkaroff's smiling face froze.

"Is… is that so? That's quite something…" Krum stammered after a while, as if he had been forced to speak.

"Wait, Albus… I remember that the Order of Merlin was only awarded to wizards who had made significant contributions to the wizarding community. Why would they… why would they give it to a fourteen-year-old child?" Karkaroff was incredulous. He suspected there was more to this than met the eye!

"Yes, because of Hales, the Order of Merlin made an exception!" Dumbledore exclaimed, then paused before continuing.

"Because he not only developed the Wolfsbane Potion to keep werewolves awake, he solved a huge problem for the wizarding community. He also caught a Death Eater who had been in hiding for many years at the end of the school year, and conveniently corrected a major Ministry mistake!"

When it came to Death Eaters, Dumbledore made a point of speaking with emphasis.

Karkaroff's expression changed.

It occurred to Ivan that Karkaroff was also a Death Eater, and one of those particularly cowardly renegades who betrayed Lord Voldemort by revealing a large number of Death Eaters during the Great Trial more than a decade ago.

With this in mind, Ivan muttered to himself that Dumbledore was no ordinary badass, picking on other people's sore spots.

On the surface, however, Ivan was very polite. He sighed and said modestly, "Actually, I was only doing a little work. I'm ashamed…"

Karkaroff's mouth twitched, and Dumbledore looked at him with amusement, waiting for a response.

Karkaroff opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. It took him a while to get the words out. "It's a bit windy today. Let's get inside!"

(PS: Three-thousand-word chapter, today's update…)