First of all, I'd like to thanks Frankie and Alexandra, who were lovely and kind betas. Also Mauro, Bruna, Stela and Sara for their enthusiasm.
Second of all, I'd like to say that this fic is based mostly on the book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but also on the movie.
From this chapter on, the story will be told mainly from Santana's point of view, which doesn't mean we won't have insights into other characters.
And now I lose my writing ff virginity.
3 days
It's cold here. It's always cold here, Santana thought. At least it was summer and the days were longer, meaning she could get her Firebolt and fly across Durmstrang's beautiful lands when she was too stressed to attend her classes or when she simply needed to feel the cold air against her skin and think. She loved to see the forest, watch the most exquisite creatures and wonder what would be happening below her. It may have started as a way of her knowing the school's boundaries when she first got there, but after 6 years and knowing every inch of her course she kept the ride just for the pleasure of it.
Had it been any other day, she probably would have been doing just that - but today Santana was in her bed, bored to death, with no intention to go anywhere outside her room. Unfortunately for her, Aleksandra was in the girl's living room waiting for her to show up. Their little affair had started a few months ago, if only because Santana had long lost her ability to say no to a good looking girl (even though this one was a little annoying). She had long blond curly hair and was great in bed, but she was too far in the closet to let the brunette make out with her anywhere outside their bedrooms, which left Santana not only with a slightly sexual frustration but also irritated. Thank God Aleksandra was not the only option she had at night, because she sucked in understanding the concept of 'friends with benefits' and became a little overwhelming these days.
But then again, this wasn't the first time something like this happened. Along with her best friend, Viktor Krum, Santana Lopez held the position of one of the most desired students in her school. It was well known that both of them had eyes only for the female portion of Durmstrang, but it didn't stop the boys from lingering their eyes a little longer at her (or, in some cases, at Krum) when they walked together through the halls.
Lopez got up. She might as well use her free time to start packing; in three days she'd be leaving with the Durmstrang representatives to Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament. Her ego was huge right then - she was chosen with only another fourteen students, which made them fifteen out of hundreds who applied. Igor Karkaroff had made it clear he expected nothing less than perfection from all of them when they got to England. Karkaroff claimed he already had a bad reputation for himself for being a former Death Eater and he didn't need any of his students embarrassing his image (or Durmstrang's) during their stay.
In Santana's opinion, it was his own fucking fault he made such a poor choice of life in his past years, but she simply went along with it: there was no way she would let her headmaster get in her way of finally going to the legendary Hogwarts. She tried to think about all the stories she heard about the place while she was packing, but they were too many, so she settled for thinking about all the ladies she would meet. The motivation made her task much easier.
About one hour latter, after finishing packing, Santana heard a knock on the door. She didn't answer it.
"Relax, it's Emilya, Aleksandra is gone."
"Finally!" She went to the door and opened with a smile, "It took her long enough."
"I expected more from you, San. This is getting ridiculous," Emilya said, with a disapproving look. She liked to think aof herself as Lopez's best female friend, although Santana hardly ever treated her as such. But she hardly ever treated anyone as such, so by all the time they spent together and how much of Santana's life she knew, she was probably right anyway.
"I'm not in the mood for it. I'll talk to her tomorrow."
"Fine. I just hope we don't receive any unwanted owls when we get to Hogwarts," Emilya replied, very matter-of-fact.
"We'll have other things to worry about there. Aleks is not one of them." Santana looked at herself in the mirror. Maybe there was time to plan a party tonight. "Other blondes may be."
"Redheads are just as pretty," her friend ran a hand through her own hair, to which Santana nodded approvingly with an air kiss. Emilya said, "K-Krum is vaiting for you just outside the dormitory. Don't ask me vat he vants, I 'ave no idea."
"Why didn't you say that in the first place?" Santana rushed by her redhaired friend; it was the first time she would see Viktor ever since he had left for the Quidditch World Cup. Not only had she missed him, but she was also extremely worried about the Death Eaters' attack after the Bulgaria versus Ireland final match. It was bad enough that he had lost the game.
"It didn't really seem urgent. Sorry," Emilya quickly added when she realized her friend probably didn't see the Bulgarian yet.
"Whatever! Oh, and Em… thanks," Santana said. She left her room in a hurry, leaving her friend half smiling and rolling her greenish eyes at the same time. Having a crush on Santana Lopez was never easy.
"Oh my! Viktor! I was so worried! Are you alright?" Santana almost crushed his bones into a hug as soon as she saw him standing near her dormitory's door, with his eyes facing down and looking a little pissed.
"San-san! I told Emilya there vas no need to keep me here vaiting! I 'ave been too many times inside!" He was smiling and the fact that he used the nickname he had given her when they were younger made her grin, "I'd ask you to let me go so I can tell you vat happened."
"Sorry." She smiled back and let go of him.
"I'm okay. I vas not seriously hurt. I vas in a much protected tent, but when I tried to get out of there one of my crazy fans tried to rescue me and ended up cutting my right arm."
"Seriously? Fangirls scare the shit out of me." Santana laughed a little at the thought.
"They pay for many of the gifts I give you. Your Firebolt included."
"Well in that case stop whining about a little injury you had. Grow a pair!" She punched him in the left arm and he flinched for a second.
"Ouch!"
"Shut up. Other than that, how are you?"
"I'm fine enough to be the next Durmstrang's champion in the Tournament," he smiled, arrogant, "If my compatriots veren't completely stupid that day I vould 'ave won the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament at age of 18. If that didn't impress the ladies I don't know vat vould."
"First of all, like you needed this, Viktor. Second of all, your next champion happens to be me. Now stop bragging and tell me everything," Santana said, taking his arm and starting to walk, "By the way, the Irish suck so bad. I hate Ireland, I hate Shamrocks and I hate leprechauns."
2 days
"Are you ready? Almost all the others are waiting!" Quinn Fabray heard her cousin say, as she gathered her make up from their withdraw.
"Yes, darling, I'm coming!" she responded, taking one last look into the mirror and arranging the make up between her belongings.
"I'm actually going to mees thees place," Fleur Delacour song singed as she saw Quinn appearing in the corridor with her little bag, ready to close the door and join the other Beauxbaton's students who would go to Hogwarts with them.
"Me too. Although the idea of spending one year in England is very appealing, I can't help but feel that it's a shame we're not spending our last year here," Quinn said, her eyes lingering in what had been their shared room for 6 years.
She remembered the time her mom told her she'd be leaving the United States to study at Beauxbatons with her cousin, Fleur, who was only a few months older than herself. Quinn was beyond sad, at first; the simple idea of staying so far from her parents made her shiver. She had never spent more than a week apart from them and was too spoiled to imagine how the world would be any other way. The Fabrays were one of the richest wizarding families in Ohio - they always could afford the best and, in their opinion, Quinn Fabray was too good for any of the American schools. They didn't think Hogwarts was the best option either, seeing as its headmaster was Albus Dumbledore, whose opinion they diverged too much about too many subjects. So they chose the charming school in France, where they had family and could visit a few times a year.
It didn't take long for her to fall in love with France and all its charm. Even being so young, Quinn got to know much of Europe with Fleur's parents, especially on vacations. Her own parents came once in a while to check on her, but she gradually felt like they were losing touch. The same had happened with her former best friend back in the States, Santana Lopez. She had also left so she could study abroad, but their family chose Durmstrang over Beauxbaton. They wanted to make sure Santana would go to a school where they didn't accept Muggles and could learn more than in the soft-hearted Hogwarts. Her mother also thought that Durmstrang would offer her beautiful daughter a fantastic opportunity to find a great, pure-blooded husband.
"Santana told me she's going to the Triwizard Tournament too, cousin," Quinn finally said, sighing before leaving her room for good.
"Ees zat so? She's charming from what you tell me," Fleur smiled, trying to shake off the nostalgia that was hitting her too as she walked through the long hallways of her school.
"She is. I'll introduce you both as soon as we get there," the younger one could already see other 10 girls and boys standing in the gardens, from where they'd go together for their horses "Just after I meet Harry Potter!"
"Quinnie, I 'ave already said you are aiming too high. Zat boy must already 'ave dozens of girl at his feet," her cousin smiled at the sight of their friends.
"But not only one looking like me," the Fabray said with a final tone. "For now, let's enjoy our trip. Madame Roxanne is planning to spend one day in Paris before we go to England."
"Zen I hope I 'ave enough space for more clothes!" Fleur replied, excited.
"Don't worry, that's what these little magical purses are for," Quinn replied, taking off her coat from a purse no bigger than a bird. She smiled at Jennifer, a brunette who was spinning around herself, raising most of her skirt. Merlin bless the pervert who invented these.
1 day
Brittany S. Pierce was lying in her bed. She could hear all the other Hufflepuffs in the common room talking about their classes, dates and what they would wear in the Yule Ball a few months latter (the girls were particularly excited about that part). She was beyond tired after her long trip to Hogwarts and would have very much appreciated a few minutes resting before going to the turmoil of excitement that was outside.
Brittany started thinking about their classes beginning in the day after. She cast a spell to turn the grayish ceiling into a moving painting of the sky, adding some unicorns flying from one star to another. It wasn't perfect, but it was beautiful. She smiled and thought of all the magic they would learn this year: unlike many of her friends, she actually enjoyed most of their classes, including the ones they had about Muggles. Brittany thought they were fascinating human beings, for being able to develop what they called science, discovering and creating so many things. She did try to study Physics one day and was highly amused by the fact that Wizards were able to easily break some of its 'rules' so easily. Biology, on the other hand, made almost perfect sense to her, although Muggles could really learn a lot from magical creatures as well.
"Brittany! Are you in there?" She heard a boy calling from the door, along with a knock.
"Yeah… Who is it?" She got up, releasing her long blond hair from its ponytail and letting it fall into her shoulders.
"It's Cedric. I was hoping we could talk?"
Brittany stood still for a second. They'd had a thing last year but she broke it off a few days before their classes ended. It wasn't that she didn't like him, he was one of her best friends even before they started (kind of) dating, but she wasn't so sure she liked him romantically. Her feelings were pretty mixed up and she didn't feel like it was fair to let him hang on to her before she could sort them out.
"Su-sure." Brittany opened the door with a half smile, not really sure what she should say or do. "Come in. How did your holidays go?"
"They were… good. I think. Except for the Quidditch World Cup. The match was amazing, but I'm sure you've heard about what happened after it…"
"I think everyone heard about that. Sorry you were there. Were you hurt?" Brittany's face was clearly worried. There were Death Eaters all over the camp and even though she couldn't see any scars on her friend, she was sure that was a traumatic experience.
"I left right at the start, with my father. We caught our Portkey and didn't see much of what happened…" he shrugged.
"I'm glad you're fine, Cedric," she said, still with a frown on her face. She'd like to say she was there for him if he wanted, but wasn't sure if that was really appropriate.
"Yeah… But how are you? I didn't see you at the golden party we're having out there." Cedric smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed he knew it was hers. He felt a little ache in his chest after seeing how beautiful Brittany looked, so he turned his attention to the ceiling.
"I was a little tired… But there's no way I'm missing that. I heard Hannah Abbott bought us all Firewhiskey and can't wait to get some of our first-years a little drunk," she answered, still smiling in the hope that she could erase some of the awkwardness in the air.
"Some already are! God, it feels weird knowing this is our last year, doesn't it?" he said, lowering his voice. Brittany nodded, making a comically sad face. He laughed and kept on, "Listen, I don't want things to get weird between us. I want this year to be good and I intend to keep you in it."
"Yes, sir!" Brittany struck a soldier pose, smiling from ear to ear for getting her friend back. "If you were gone who else would help me to get Hannah back safe from Three Broomsticks?"
"If you were gone who else would help me to get Hannah back safe from the common room in a few hours?" He raised an eyebrow, relaxing.
"That's what I'm here for," she replied, getting her coat. "Speaking of which, I'm ready to go. Are we good?"
"We're good. Nice ceiling by the way," Cedric said, taking a last look before opening the door. "After you."
"Thank you." Brittany kissed him on the cheek and got out of her dormitory, thinking that it would be really nice if she could be in love with him.
Today
"Did you see this? Did you?" Rachel Berry screamed with excitement to her fellow Gryffindor Lee Jordan, who was right by her left as they all watched the Beauxbatons students arriving in their magnificent carriage with flying horses.
She watched, astonished, as they landed in style, almost running through Hagrid. She had heard quite a few stories about the French school and she could only assume they were extremely classy (and also extremely gifted).
"That's something you don't see every day!" she heard one of the Weasleys twins say, not far from herself.
Rachel watched their students leaving the carriage. At first, they could only see girls and they all wore the same dress, coat and hat in different shades of blue. Even from a fair distance, she could tell they were all beautiful. Short after, the boys appeared and everyone was slightly surprised: Beauxbaton was famous for their female students, but those boys were equally as pretty. They had gray vests and trousers, wearing light blue shirts underneath, along with a deep blue tie. Rachel could already hear the boys and girls drool over the students as they disappeared from her sight, presumably going inside her own school.
Durmstrang's students followed right after, appearing from underwater in an enormous ship. Rachel had also heard much about them and she feared what kind of attitude they would have towards her, seeing they didn't even accept Muggle-borns in their school and she was one herself. She tried to be open minded, maybe they wouldn't be terrible. There was no need to take Grindelwald as an example of the school. He Who Must Not be Named was just as bad and he was from Hogwarts, right?
There was a similar reaction about them. The boys came out first, all very strong and serious, with another kind of beauty altogether but they were certainly attractive. The girls were out and once again people were a little surprised by them. While the boys wore uniforms in brown tones, they wore uniforms a little lighter, with dust-like shirts and a brown skirt over their dark tight pants. They all were covered by brownish coats with some fur and black boots. She heard Ron Weasley say that Viktor Krum was among them and there were screams from some of his fans.
After some time, everyone was inside the Great Hall, waiting for their guests to show up. Dumbledore gave a speech about the Triwizard Tournament, as if it was necessary. Honestly, that was all Rachel could hear in the halls. But they listened closely anyway.
When the Beauxbatons students came in, everyone shut up at the same time and looked absolutely enchanted by their charm. Most of the girls were observing the boys, but Rachel noticed a particularly pretty girl, with her blond hair held inside her hat and a flawless face. The Gryffindor had to release a breath she didn't realized she was holding after the girl got through her, while they all sang an equally involving song she never heard of.
She can hit high notes! I bet she's a great singer in all ranges. I wonder if she would join us in a choir presentation. What would be her name? Is she even French? She doesn't look French to me but Dad and Daddy always told me I shouldn't really believe in stereotypes. But if she's not, maybe we could bond over being foreigners in ours schools? Rachel's mind kept on going. When they all took their places close to the teachers' table, she realized she was staring. And just a moment before she looked away, the Beauxbatons student stared back. It lasted a few seconds, but her gaze felt much deeper than any other Rachel had seen. She shook her head and reminded herself of a conversation she had with Hermione Granger when she told her about Veelas. That must be it. They… She must be part Veela, those enchanting creatures.
Rachel turned her head when she realized their other visitors were coming in. Durmstrang presentation was impressive in a completely other way. They had played with fire and canes, screaming words she couldn't really understand. Even the girls looked fearless and brave (and if Rachel was to be honest, a little scary too). Viktor Krum came in a little after, along with his headmaster and a brunette girl who clearly wasn't from the North, causing a little wave of small talk. They also took their place separated from the House's tables.
"Looks like this year is going to be interesting, right?" Dean Thomas spoke to her and Rachel woke up from the trance she was in.
"Absolutely! I honestly hope we're going to be able to connect and use this unique opportunity to learn a lot from them as they could learn from us. Did you notice that the Beauxbatons can sing really well?" She felt a rush of ideas. After all, before she discovered she was a witch, Rachel dreamed of the West End. She didn't entirely gave up on the idea, though.
"Not really. But the girls are a beauty! I was hoping there was no man among their representatives. The more the better!" he answered.
Rachel looked over to the girls once again, searching for the one who had caught her attention. It was painfully easy to find her. She smiled. This was sure to be an interesting year.
