New story! I'll be posting what I have of this story and then I'll be posting another one later today as well (this one is partly finished, I just need to write the other half, but it is planned). So, keep your eyes peeled for this!
Blue satin. Absolutely gaudy blue satin was all that was in front of us. I stood on one side next to Highmaster Karkaroff. I was the only woman allowed inside the castle - perhaps because I was Viktor Krum - his prized student's - girlfriend. It was an idea. But I really was friends with all of the boys.
Perun Poliakoff stood on Igor's other side, straight and proper. His brown coat was off, and only his brown button up was on instead. His black hair twisted up and curled slightly in the gel. It was handsome, I guess. Not something I enjoy.
The doors opened and a withered voice introduced the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. The beautiful women that I absolutely loathed in such a short time of seeing them flitted into the room, making their bums bounce. Whores. I noticed many Durmstrang men watching. Pigs.
"And now our friends from the north," the withered voice announced. I snapped to attention, knowing this was our cue. "The proud sons of Durmstrang, and their highmaster, Igor Karkaroff!" Ok, sir, you forgot the woman that are attending Durmstrang as we speak. Highly insulted here.
The doors opened and a mangy man stood there, watching as the men did their routine. He looked like he hadn't showered in weeks. Once they started to do their flips, we walked down the rows of tables. Dimitry blew on the flame stick and a dragon, representing the Drakonya Krov house - or Dragon's Blood - which was Viktor and I's house, appeared. The dragon disappeared as Viktor was recognized by the Hogwarts students. Whispered spurred.
Perun and I hung behind Igor as Viktor walked strongly with determination to the front. Perun's eyes scanned the crowd as we both turned, Igor heading towards Albus Dumbledore. I let my long curly hair drape over my shoulder and stood straight in my heels next to Viktor. As one, Durmstrang bowed to the Beauxbatons frilly girls and the Hogwarts ordinaries.
"Albus!" Karkaroff greeted. "Albus!" They hugged chuckling, and talked quietly to each other.
"A girl?" I heard a man whisper from the Gryffindor table. "They have girls at Durmstrang?"
Viktor took my hand delicately and we walked to the empty space at the green and silver table. Slytherin was what the banner read. The Beauxbatons girls were at Ravenclaw.
After Hogwarts sang their horrendous and cheesy song to us guests, we were allowed to eat.
"Look, ma'am," Perun said suddenly, lifting his hand to point. "It's Harry Potter!"
I followed the direction of his finger and indeed saw the boy wonder himself. I nearly groaned, smacking his wrist.
"Be more polite, Poliakoff," I snapped. His hand dropped immediately to his side. "Yes, it seems Harry Potter attends Hogwarts. It's not as though you've never seen the boy in papers."
"But this is in person-" Perun tried to reason.
"Shut up, Perun. Ve'll have our chance later," Viktor whispered.
"You're Viktor Krum, right?" A very fat child asked Viktor. I grimaced at the straight forward question.
The blonde boy next to him smacked him, "So rude, Crabbe."
"Famous Quidittch seeker!" Another fat boy continued.
Viktor looked very uncomfortable and I touched his forearm briefly before taking some food onto my plate. Viktor did his best to ignore them politely.
"My father almost sent me to Durmstrang," the blonde boy from earlier announced proudly. "He sent me to this trash-hole instead because of my mother. Father was furious, of course. They don't teach a proper education here."
I chewed the chicken slowly in my mouth before swallowing and taking a sip of red wine that appeared. It's amazing how a few thousand miles can change the food culture completely.
"And my father said I could transfer next year, after I take my O. ," he continued haughtily. I already didn't like him.
"Who's your father?" Perun asked.
"Lucius Malfoy," the boy smirked. "I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy."
He offered his hand to Viktor, but Viktor made no move to take it. I just smirked as I took another sip of my wine.
"And you are?" Draco Malfoy asked, seeming not deterred by our coldness.
"Katarina Romanova," I said kindly. My eyes turned hard in an instant, "But you only are allowed to address me as ma'am or 'Your Highness'."
"I don't look up to anyone-"
I interrupted him with a raised eyebrow, "I have an older and more powerful family than the Malfoy's, Draco. And quite frankly, I don't like you."
"Then why are you here?"
"She's vith me," Viktor stated, pausing from cutting his steak into pieces. "And that's vhy she's here."
"I didn't even know woman were allowed in Durmstrang," Draco said as if he knew it all. "They're too soft to take the punishments, father said."
"Your father knows nothing," I said sweetly. "We are just as tough as the boys. And half of the school's population is woman. Rich people attend." Viktor stiffled a smile. "I doubt you would know what that's like."
"Why how dare you-"
"Vitya, dear," I murmured softly in Bulgarian, "You'll be in your dorms tomorrow, right?"
He said back in Russian loud enough for the people around us to hear, "Yes. I'm all yours."
I smiled shyly, tucking a piece of my curly brown hair behind my ears, "I've missed you."
A few people were staring in interest. Ugh, such brats.
"Ve have no privacy here," Viktor grumbled in English.
"At least the students at Durmstrang know how to be discreet," I said, glaring slightly at a few boys eying me. I held up my left hand and showed them the ring. "See zis ring? It means stay avay."
They gulped at the fire in my eyes and quickly busied themselves with their meals.
My eyes flitted up to the teacher's table and I noticed Karkaroff sitting besides a black haired man and they seemed to be having a discussion. Did they know each other?
"Viktor, Perun, who's that man?" I asked, tilting my head to the Head's table. "He's talking to Karkaroff."
"That's Severus Snape," the blonde boy told me. "He's the Slytherin Head of House. Brilliant potions master."
"That so?" I asked. "He looks familiar. Perhaps mother knows him from somewhere?"
"I don't think she would unless your mother was a Death Eater," The Malfoy boy replied.
That's where I recognized him. "He's a Death Eater?"
"Was. After you-know-who's fall, he sought refuge with Dumbledore. He's my godfather, also."
"Good for you," I said sarcastically. "Yes, I do believe he has been around the manor once or twice while I was a child. Perhaps three or four years old," I offered. "He looks familiar."
"I'll ask Karkaroff if you vould have known him," Viktor murmured to me, sipping his wine.
I nodded, "Thank you."
"So, how come you're the only woman of Durmstrang to come to Hogwarts?" Malfoy asked, his gray eyes looking me over.
"I really didn't have a choice. I didn't want Viktor here without some sense of sanity, and knowing Karkaroff, he'd push Viktor to do something extreme if I weren't here to tame him." I smirked and lowered my gaze from the gray eyes of Malfoy to sip my wine. "Igor did have no limits."
Four henchmen entered the halls after dinner was served and I felt sick to my stomach. They're food was so . . . generic. But what distracted me from my stomach was the large golden object the dirty men were carrying in. Obviously this is the object Karkaroff told us about on the ship ride here.
The elder man that had greeted Karkaroff, Dumbledore, rose and walked around the large table as the hall conversed. Perun and Viktor were having a conversation in rapid Bulgarian about Quidittch. I chided him in Bulgarian as well, putting my input as often as I could.
"Your attention please!" Dumbledore called. The Durmstrang students immediately halted their conversations as Igor watched us carefully. Dumbledore paused as the hall grew quiet before continuing. "I'd like to say a few words." He rested his hand on the golden statue, which was absolutely beautiful to look at. "Eternal glory! That's what awaits the student who wins the Triwizard Tournament." I was intrigued and listened closely. "But to do this, that student must survive three tasks." I felt my stomach flip at that. A challenge. Of course Viktor will enter now. But to survive made it deadly. "Three extremely dangerous tasks." Just add fuel to the fire. The warning in the old man's eyes showed just how serious he was.
"For this reason, the Ministry deem it fit to pose a new rule," Dumbledore continued. I was already not liking where this was going. "To explain all of this," I noticed a man get up and start to clamor around the many chairs to reach Dumbledore. "We have the head of the department of International Magical Corporation, Mister Bartimus Crouch."
I recognized that name as well. But where?
Suddenly the ceiling started to lightning and people screamed, ducking out of the way as the lightning bolts shot down. I just stared at the fake sky. It couldn't hurt anyone, but it was warning us of evil. That much was certain.
A sharp movement out of the corner of my eye gained my attention and the all famous Auror Alastor Mad-Eye Moody shot a spell into the 'sky', causing it to become calm once more. People shut up as they saw who it was. He was a legend before he went crazy.
Dumbledore exchanged words with him, shaking his forearm. Moody's eyes skittered around the crowd, observing us all. He paused when he saw me, but turned away and went to the corner, to watch the finale of the dinner, and took a sip of his flask. Said Auror shivered a little before turning back around to face us all. Bartimus Crouch took Dumbledore's previous place and began talking.
"After due consideration," he started. "The Ministry has concluded that for their own safety, no students under the age of seventeen should be allowed to put forth their," Already people were shouting at the Department Head, and they were all from Hogwarts. How rude, "name for the Triwizard Tournament. This decision is final!" He seemed to flinch as people shouted louder.
"That's rubbish!" I heard people shout. "That's rubbish!"
Dumbledore looked angered and shouted, "Silence!" Immediately the hall quieted. It was then that we caught our first glimpse of the Triwizard Cup of Champions. Dumbledore flicked his wand and the intricate gold design faded away into nothingness as the cup began to appear. A blue fire started above it and I was amazed just by its looks. It was no beauty, but it held so much power.
"The Goblet of Fire!" Dumbledore started. "Anyone wishing to submit themselves to the tournament, duly write their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before this hour on Thursday night. Do not do so lightly," Dumbledore advised. "If chosen, there's no turning back. As from this moment, the Triwizard Tournament has begun."
I looked at the flames for a moment. When it was apparent that he had no more to say, I turned to Viktor. "Don't."
"I must," Viktor replied. "Karkaroff will be expecting me to."
"You don't have to if you don't want to."
"And be labeled as weak by the other house?" Viktor snorted. "I don't think so, Kat."
I swallowed, nodding, "I can't stop you."
He took my hand and rubbed his thumb over my knuckles in a soothing gesture. "I'll be fine."
Karkaroff rose. It was immediate that we all stood. We leaped over the seats we were previously seated in and bowed, or in my case, curtsied. Karkaroff nodded to us and we snapped to attention, my back straight, my head tall, and my hands clasped behind me while the men held their arms straight to their sides.
"To the boat," Karkaroff instructed.
Viktor, Perun, and I led the group out of the Great Hall. I met a girl, with bushy brown hair's, eyes and smiled. She looked nice. And she was sitting by Harry Potter. A friend of his, no doubt. They talked about Hermione Granger all over the world.
We stopped just in front of the Great Hall doors and spun on our heels sharply. And we bowed lowly, me flashing a flirtacious smirk to the boys that were staring at my legs. This skirt wasn't that short, so they didn't really have a lot to look at. Especially with my knee-highs.
We then spun around again and glided out the doors. The frilly-dilly Beauxbatons girls following.
"Classes will be taken in the Hogwarts empty classrooms," Karkaroff told us as we walked in the cold, stormy weather to the boat. Viktor placed an arm around me in an attempt to keep me dry, but the rain was pouring so heavily that it was futile. I appreciated his effort, though. "Classes that we have in common with the Hogwarts curriculum will be taken with the Hogwarts seventh years. . . or in Your Highness's state, with fifth years." Karkaroff looked to me if that was okay, and I nodded my head once, to which he nodded back. "To your beds."
We boarded the ship and I knew the chill breeze of the storm was going to give me a cold. I could tell. Wonderful. Just what I needed them to see. The only girl allowed on this trip sick with a cold. All of the boys will tease me about this for weeks to come.