Disclaimer: All rights go to the Great Genius J.K. Rowling
A/N: ITALICS = BULGARIAN (when people are talking)
I sat in the Great Hall with Stefan. I don't know why it's called a Great Hall. There's honestly nothing great about it. It's just big enough to sit all the student in it. From left to right the tables sit the first years to the seventh years. Me and Stefan are sixth years and will be turning seventeen this year. Legal wizard adults. I don't know what Stefan will do with himself, but I've known what I would do for almost three years now. "You got food in your beard." Stefan told me. The two of us were the only sixth years from Bulgaria.
Well, technically speaking Stefan's dad, my uncle-the headmaster, my mom, and my dad where from Bulgaria. "Um-shave-in-it." I replied with my mouth full. Translation: I'm saving it. Stefan's lip curled back at my lack of hygiene. I smiled as I chewed with my mouth open. I loved messing with my roommate like that. Stefan's stuck up attitude didn't make him the most popular kid in our year. At least I was trying not to bring attention to myself. I mean, I am the girl who's forced to morph into a guy just to go to school. At least I can choose to be a good looking one.
I had brown eyes, scruffy-cut dirty blonde hair, a muscular build, and a devilishly handsome face. Stefan also had brown eyes, but that's where the similarities ended. He had shaggy black hair, keeps his face shaved and is easily annoyed. He denies it, but I think he has issues. "You're acting like a pig." he told me curtly. I knew he was just in a bad mood 'cause his crush called right before we left Stefan's house for Durmstrang, like seriously five minutes before we walked out the door. Didn't matter how good the date had been Stefan had to call it off for school, which he hates.
Honestly Stefan loathes the practical 'We'll show you both sides of magic, but if you try to take over the world we'll turn you over to the Ministry.' motto Durmstrang has. Unlike him I've learned tolerate it. Though that won't stop me from dropping out come December. "Attention students! Please read the announcements before leaving." the headmaster instructed before leaving the Great Hall. The staff ate elsewhere do to the lack of room, and my uncle wasn't one to yell at his students. The announcements appeared in white writing on the dark colored wood wall.
"Tell me if you see anything interesting." Stefan muttered in Bulgarian. "See for yourself." I told him as I smirked at the announcement:
The Triwizard Tournament takes new shape this year. The participating schools: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry , Durmstrang Institute, and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic will now be joined by Salem Witches' Institute. In addition to the new participants, two champions will be selected from each school. One champion from each school must be the legal age of seventeen, but the second champion must be at least sixteen. The tournament will be held at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Anyone over the age of sixteen will be allowed to go to Hogwarts for the chance to participate; however, even if your name is not selected you must remain at Hogwarts for the rest of the school year. -Headmaster Chilikov
"Hogwarts students come from England." Stefan pointed out in English. Stefan is bilingual do to his mother being English and his father being Bulgarian. I am too; I started learning the day I found out that's where Chargaff Antov lives. "I know." I replied. I couldn't waste this. "Does that mean we're going?" he whined. "You're welcome to stay here." I replied. Stefan's nose scrunched up in disgust.
"Good luck." he told me. "With what?" I asked suspiciously. "With getting your uncle to agree to letting you go." he clarified. "I'm pretty sure 'anyone' doesn't include you." he added. I frowned, finished my dinner, and wiped my beard. I went straight to the Headmaster's office and knocked on the door. "Come in." my uncle called. "Why are you bothering me?" he snapped when he saw it was just me. "I don't have time for incompetents." he added curtly before returning to his work.
I gulped and took a deep breath. "I was wondering-" "Straighten up." he commanded. I straightened up and stared him in the eye. "I want to go to the tournament." I told him firmly. He nodded in consideration. "No." he said before returning to his work. I knew he'd say that but my mouth still fell open. "Why not?" I asked weakly. "I rank top in over half my classes." I reasoned. "And I might have said yes if you ranked top in all of them. It's pathetic that you don't. You're an embarrassment to me and I refuse to be laughed at by the other Headmasters." he explained.
"Incompetent slut." he muttered to himself. I flinched at the insult even though I knew it wasn't true. "Why the hell are you still bothering me?" he asked in annoyance. "I want to make you proud," I calmly lied, "but I can't if you don't let me go." He leaned back in him chair and looked at the ceiling. "I guess I should bring you so that you won't be tempted to shag my students. We leave at the end of the week." he decided. I nodded and turned to leave. "Did I excuse you?" he demanded. I stiffened. "No sir; I'm sorry, sir. I was was just anxious to practice my combat spells." I lied again. He grunted and turned back to his work. "May I be excused?" I asked timidly. He nodded and I had to refrain from running out of the office.
Stefan was waiting for me out in the hall. He looked me over several times. "What?" I asked defensively. Stefan shrugged. "Just looking for bruises." he replied. I frowned. "He wouldn't hit me." Stefan raised an eyebrow at my obvious lie. "Not over something like this." I amended. He shook his head seriously. "I don't understand why you won't report him. If you did you could live with your dad." Stefan reasoned. I smiled at him before locking my arm around his head and ruffling his hair.
"Who would look out for you if I did, huh?" I asked teasingly before releasing him. Stefan pouted as he tried to fix his hair. "So are you coming with me?" I asked excitedly. "Yes. I want to see were my mom went to school." he replied. I smiled and twirled giddily in a circle. "You're acting like a girl." Stefan warned in a board tone. "So what? I have four more months till I can be a girl permanently and when I drop out I'll take the flew network to London." I informed him.
"But what if your name gets picked and you become a champion?" he replied. "The odds of that happening are slim." I replied stubbornly.
"Angel!" Stefan called. I was already in our cabin. The whole ship was made of wood and the outside was impressive to those who hadn't seen it before, but considering I grew up on these grounds I'd seen it a few times. Stefan was panting by the time he made it to our cabin. The boat had just enough cabins that each roomed two people. "What's the emergency?" I asked curiously.
Stefan pulled his trunk in and closed the door. "It arrived, at the window, as I was, leaving our room." he explained between pants. I dropped my stuff and rushed over to him. "Where is it?" I asked as I patted him down looking for it. Stefan pushed me away and pulled the envelope out of his back pocket. I snatched it from him and tore it open. I only got a few letters a year from my dad.
"No thanks required." he muttered in Bulgarian. I ignored him as I read the short letter. I pulled the other piece of parchment out of the envelope carefully. I unfolded it gently and smiled before showing it off to Stefan. It was an almost realistic outline of two people walking hand in hand down a street. The even more impressive part was that the figures were actually moving down the street; which is highly advanced magic. "The kid has serious talent." Stefan agreed.
I smiled and went to hang it on the wall. "You want people to see that when they do contraband checks?" Stefan asked. I frowned and sighed before reluctantly putting the picture into a small chest inside my trunk with the others pictures I'd gotten. I laid down in bed and tried to assure myself that I'd be with my family soon. I pulled the necklace I always wore out from under my shirt and kissed it. It was made out of a dragon's baby tooth. The tooth had been cut in half so that one side of it was flat. The flat side that always faced my chest had a small rose etched into it. My dad had made it for me.
The next morning I found that I'd stripped down to my bowers in my sleep, again. "Are you awake?" I asked Stefan. "No." he whined before pulling the blanket up higher around his head. "Sounds like a yes to me." I said before lighting the lantern in the room. "Go away." he whined miserably.
"Careful, you're acting like a girl." I told him. "Make her stop, Hydra." he whined pitifully from under his blanket. I looked around for the bush viper before spotting her beady eyes near my feet. I jumped backwards and she slithered after me. I scrambled up the desk chair and then onto the desk. "Call her off! Call. Her. Off." I cried desperately. I didn't like snakes and Hydra hates me with an unnatural passion.
She bared her poisonous fangs at me as I tried to pull my feet out of her reach. "Never mind, I'm already up." he grumbled as he sat up. Hydra turned toward her master obediently. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and squinted at me. "Some people sleep walk. Some people sleep talk. Yet I managed to get roomed with someone who sleep strips." Stefan grumbled sleepily before flopping back down onto his pillow.
