"On excellent form, I thank you," says Dumbledore. 
                          
"My pupils," says Madame Maxime, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her. Around a dozen boys and girls - all, by the look of them, in their late teens - have emerged from the carriage and are now standing behind Maxime. They're shivering, which is unsurprising, given that their robes seem to be made of fine blue silk, and none of them are wearing cloaks.
                          
"'As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxime asks. "He should be here any moment," says Dumbledore. "Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?"
                          
"Warm up, I think," says Madame Maxime. "But ze 'orse -"
                          
"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them," says Dumbledore, "the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation which has arisen with some of his other - er - charges."
                          
"My steeds require - er - forceful 'andling," says Madame Maxime. "Zey are very strong..."
                          
"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job," says Dumbledore, smiling.
                          
"Very well," says Madame Maxime, bowing slightly, "will you please inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whisky?"
                          
"It will be attended to," says Dumbledore, also bowing.
                          
"Come," says Madame Maxime imperiously to her students. The Hogwarts crowd parts to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps.
                          
We stand, shivering slightly now, waiting for the Durmstrang party to arrive.
                          
For a few minutes it's silent with only the sounds of the horses. Then, a loud and oddly eerie noise drifts towards us from out of the darkness. A muffled rumbling and sucking sound, as though an immense vacuum cleaner is moving along a river-bed.
                          
"The lake!" yells Lee Jordan, pointing down at it. "Look at the lake!"
                          
From our position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, we have a clear view of the smooth black surface of the water. Except that the surface is suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance is taking place deep in the centre. Great bubbles are forming on the surface, waves are now washing over the muddy banks.
                          
Then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appears. What seems to be a long, black pole begins to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool...and then I see the rigging. Slowly, magnificently, the ship rises out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It has a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it's a reconstructed wreck, and the dim, misty like shimmering at its portholes look like ghostly eyes.
                          
Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerges entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and begins to glide towards the bank.
                          
A few moments later, I hear the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank.
                          
People are disembarking. I can see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's porthole. They're all wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur.
                          
The man leading them up to the castle is wearing furs of a different sort, sleek and silver, like his hair. "Dumbledore!" he calls heartily, as he walks up the slope. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"
                          
"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replies.
                          
Karkaroff steps into the light pouring from the front doors of the castle and I see that he's tall and thin like Dumbledore. His white hair is short and his goatee finishes in a small curl.
                          
When he reaches Dumbledore, he shakes hands with both of his own. "Dear old Hogwarts," he says, looking up at the castle and smiling. His teeth are rather yellow and his smile doesn't extend to his eyes, which remain cold and shrewd.
                          
"How good it is to be here, how good...Viktor, come along, into the warmth, you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold..." Karkaroff beckons forward one of his students.
                          
As the boy passes, I catch a glimpse of a prominent, curved nose and thick black eyebrows. It's Viktor Krum.
                          
***
                          
Krum and his fellow Durmstrang students are still gathered around the doorway, unsure about where they should sit. The students from Beauxbatons have chosen seats with us at the Ravenclaw table. The Durmstrang students are currently looking around the Great Hall with glum expressions on their faces. Meanwhile, Mandy stares in amazement at how beautiful the boys and girls of Beauxbatons are.
                          
The Durmstrang students seem to make up their minds because they settle themselves at the Slytherin table. They're much happier looking than the Beauxbatons students. Each of them starts pulling off their heavy furs and looking up at the starry black ceiling with expressions of interest. A couple of them pick up the golden plates and goblets and examine them, apparently impressed.
                          
When all the students enter the Hall and settle down at their house tables, the staff enters, filing up to the top table and taking their seats. Last in line are Professor Dumbledore, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime.
                          
When their Headmistress appears, the pupils from Beauxbatons leap up to their feet. A few of the Hogwarts students laugh. The Beauxbatons students appear unembarrassed and do not resume their seats until Madame Maxime sits down on Dumbledore's left-hand side.
                          
Dumbledore, however, remains standing, and a silence falls over the Great Hall. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and - most particularly - guests," says Dumbledore, beaming around at the foreign students. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable. The Tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast. I now invite you all to eat, drink and make yourselves at home!"