Disclaimer:

I do not own Harry Potter or any characters common to my story and J.K. Rowling's books.

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Chapter 3

Learning the Ropes

Hermione awoke bright an early in preparation for her trip to Durmstrang. The sun was already peaking through the half open curtains of her dingy room at the Leaky Cauldron. She tiptoed towards the bathroom but growled in frustration when she found it occupied. Of all the days Ginny could have woken up early, she just had to choose this one. As much as it frustrated her, it was in her favor that Ginny had woken up early. Hermione would need to make herself presentable since she would meet her classmates for the next year.

Hermione rapped lightly on the bathroom door, urging her friend to hurry with whatever she was doing. She could hear an exasperated sigh from the bathroom but still heard the faint click of the unlocking door. Hermione scurried through the door and grabbed her toothbrush from her toiletries bag. She could magic her teeth clean but after what happened to her parents, she had begun to practice, once again, the routine of her childhood. She spared a quick glance towards Ginny, finding her best female friend looking completely disheveled and rather cross. Hermione returned her toothbrush to its cap and grabbed Ginny's hand. Her hands felt cold and clammy, like death or something to a lesser extent. Maybe she had spent the night in the alley. No, Blaise wouldn't let her do that.

She led the younger girl to her bed, and pulled her down to sit beside her. Her red hair looked matted and slightly greasy, her eyes were bloodshot (Hermione wasn't sure if it was because she was crying or lack of sleep) she was still wearing the clothes from the night before, which were creased and stained, and she was wearing an expression of passionate rage. What had happened the night before? Last night should have been a magical night for Ginny. She got to spend time alone with the man who would become her future husband. She should be telling Hermione stories with a dreamy look in her eye. Not cursing under her breath and looking like she slept in the gutter.

"What the hell are you staring at?" Ginny demanded angrily, which shocked Hermione to no end. Ginny had never talked to her like that before. Hermione overheard her talking in the same fashion once in a while to her brothers or people from Slytherin but she never used that tone with Hermione. Hermione stared at the alien Ginny, dumbfounded. She had no right to talk to someone who was trying to help her like that!

"I'm staring at someone who looks like they slept on the street" she countered, ignoring Ginny's resentful expression. Ginny looked at Hermione somewhat curiously and surveyed her mangled clothes. The once midnight dress robe was cluttered with random pieces of dirt. It had a major rip along the seam of the left side and many minor rips, leaving the once elegant robe a decrepit mess. Hermione slightly wondered how Ginny didn't notice her state when she was in the bathroom, a room covered with mirrors.

"I look horrible" Ginny murmured, she seemed to be talking to herself rather than Hermione.

"Let's get you cleaned up" Hermione suggested, digging through her bag for some make-up. She searched through Ginny's suitcase for an outfit for the distraught girl. She selected a casual pale pink robe and a pair of black trousers. She held up the outfit for Ginny's approval. Ginny just shrugged but she a slight smile appeared on her face. Hermione's mood brightened somewhat now that Ginny was feeling a little better. Hermione decided to play off Ginny's slight improvement and demand to know what happened. Mrs. Weasley would never forgive her if something truly atrocious happened to her baby girl.

Hermione realized how lucky she was they had both woken up early. She still had to get herself ready, but instead, she was overseeing Ginny. Maybe when Hermione finished, Ginny would be in a better mood and she could get Ginny to make her presentable. Hermione shooed Ginny into the bathroom to have a shower and tried to start getting herself ready for the day.

She sighed; Ginny obviously didn't want to talk about what happened. She made a mental note to ask Blaise about it when she got to Hogwarts.

Hermione rummaged through her trunk, throwing clothes left and right in search of her important letter. She pulled the slightly crumpled paper from underneath her pewter cauldron and began attempting to smooth the battered letter. She received this letter weeks ago. It was the information she would need for her voyage to Durmstrang. She reread the letter;

Dear Hogwarts Student

First, we at the Durmstrang Institute of Magic would like to congratulate you for having the highest grades of your year. We are delighted you will be attending our institute for the duration of the school year.

Due to security reasons, we are not permitted to disclose the location of the school to anyone other than our staff and students. We have arranged with your headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, to provide transportation from Hogwarts.

Your transportation will arrive at Hogwarts on the 15th day of August at noon. We suggest you be at Hogwarts by eleven o'clock for any parting words your headmaster may have. You will leave promptly at twelve thirty. Due to our lack of time, any student who is not at Hogwarts at this time will be left behind. You will be arriving at Durmstrang institute the following morning.

Three seventh year Durmstrang students will be assigned to help with your transition. They have all agreed to help the student they are assigned and answer any questions they might have about our institute. They will be accompanying you on your voyage to our institute in order for you to acquaint yourselves with one another.

We debated the issue of your sleeping arrangements and we at Durmstrang have come to the following conclusions. The staff feels it would be best if the Hogwarts students share a common room. We feel it would be the most ideal situation to live with others whom you are acquainted with and provide you with a certain level of familiarity and comfort.

You will receive your course schedules once you reach our institute.

We look forward to meeting you at Durmstrang. We hope you enjoy the coming year at our school.

Igor Karkaroff

Headmaster

Durmstrang Institute of Magic

Hermione hugged the crumpled parchment to her chest and sighed. She could escape for the year and forget everything. All her worries, fears, even her dreams could lay comfortably waiting for her once she returned to Hogwarts. She didn't have anyone to please at Durmstrang except herself. She wouldn't only be seen as the female member of the golden trio or the Gryffindor Princess, a nickname she particularly hated. Seamus Finnigan had thought of it during her fourteenth birthday party that Lavender and Parvati had thrown for her. Parvati had got her a fake gold crown with deep red jewels (also fake) for her birthday and she had worn it for the entire party with pride, it was a beautiful present. Seamus made a joke about her being the Gryffindor Princess and the name stuck. Even Slytherins would sometimes address her with it, usually for malicious purposes, of course.

She sighed happily and began to re-organize her trunk and supplies for the journey; one could never be too organized. She whistled a cheerful tune as she grabbed her new Durmstang uniform which, like the blood-red coat she had received, was suited for colder climates. She tucked them into her book bag, which she was using to pack anything she might need for the journey to Durmstrang, and began sorting the books she was going to take. She finally narrowed her selection down to two books, her book on Durmstrang and Achievements in Charms, along with all her required school books. She carefully placed them on top of her luggage so she could have easy access to them on the trip.

She finally heard the shower stop and waited patiently for the red headed girl to emerge. She grabbed her assortment of clothes and outfits she put together so Ginny could voice her opinions. Hermione rarely dressed before consulting her fashion guru. She wondered what kind of hopeless fashion disaster she would look like at Durmstrang. Since she still had Ginny's services, she could get her to put together some outfits for her to wear at Durmstrang, if she was in a better mood, that is. Showers always cheered her up for some unfathomable reason; hopefully it would do the same for Ginny.

Ginny walked out of the bathroom looking much leaner and refreshed than she had been. She looked downright cheerful as she carefully looked over Hermione's fashion choices.

With a smile on her face, she assessed Hermione's clothes. "Why Hermione, I think I may have taught you all you need to know. I might have thought that I had put together some of these outfits, if I didn't know better."

Hermione smiled and picked one of her favorite outfits from the pile, to which Ginny nodded in approval. Her mood, though a welcome change, was slightly unnerving. Hermione figured it would be safer not to test her mood by mentioning whatever had happened before. Hermione quickly changed into her clothes, which consisted of a modestly cut dark green V-neck sweater over a white tank top and dark wash bootleg jeans. She threw her hair up into a haphazard bun. She carefully packed the rest of her luggage with Ginny's help.

Before she knew it, it was time to leave for the station. She grabbed her bags and lugged them down towards the fire place in the lobby near the bar. Ginny grabbed a handful of floo powder after giving Hermione a tight hug and wishing her a great year at Durmstrang. Hermione sighed as Ginny disappeared into the green flames. She felt like following Ginny to the Burrow and saying good-bye to everyone but she wasn't looking forward to another fight with Harry. Even if Harry didn't fight with her, she would be late for the train, to Malfoy's delight. She resolved to send everyone letters once she arrived at Durmstrang, her new school. The thought of being in a new place with new people scared the living daylights out of her but it was too late now. It was an excellent experience and she would have no problems.

For some reason, she felt utterly alone in the world at that moment. Hermione was never one to feel sorry for herself. She though people who pitied themselves just didn't know how deal with their problems, yet at that moment, she wanted to march right back up to her room, crawl back into bed and let the day pass.

She shook her head and grabbed a handful of Floo powder. She knew exactly how to deal with her problems. Study. The only constant in her life were her books. They could never change; they always offered the same rich knowledge. Whenever she felt the seams her of life being ripped apart, she withdrew into her studies until the problems passed. This system had helped her get through the worst times in her life and she knew it would continue working.

She threw her handful of Floo powder into the hungry flames. They danced around her slim figure as she took a dainty step into the glowing green embers. As a muggle-born, she never felt comfortable with Flooing. Fire was something to be feared or something to experiment with. It was not supposed to be a form of transportation, but she would need to get used to it.

"Platform 9 and 3/4"

With a barely audible 'pop', the young Gryffindor disappeared into the flames, chestnut curls and all.

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She looked around Platform 9 and 3/4 thoughtfully, reminiscing about the many times she had been in the usually cramped platform. This was where it all started for her. Her magical life began here at the end of every summer. It may end when June is finished, but every year she felt the pull to remain grow stronger and stronger.

She saw the majestic crimson paint of the Hogwarts Express. It seemed to have shortened itself to accommodate the number of people who would be traveling on it. Instead of the usual mass of compartments, she could only see three windows on either side of the train. She heaved her trunk across the platform and struggled to lift it onto the luggage storage rack underneath the train. After several minutes and countless attempts, Hermione finally shoved his heavy trunk into the luggage compartment and swiftly shut the hatch.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a flash of bright red. She would have thought it was Ginny, but the younger girl had gone home earlier to rest up. Poor girl seemed to really need to go home. Hermione reminded herself once again to talk to Blaise about what happened to Ginny. He would surely know. What kind of boyfriend was he is he let the future Mrs. Zabini get into trouble while on a date with him? They may not be officially dating, but they were so close to jumping each other, she would be careful to leave them alone as much as possible. They would get married even quicker if Hermione Elizabeth Zabini was conceived. How mischievous! How daring! How...Slytherin.

She walked towards the place she saw the pre-mentioned flash. She ran into someone she didn't expect to see here. She was thrilled that her best friends had come to see her off to Durmstrang.

"Harry! Ron!" she shouted, pulling both boys into a tight hug. Before, she hadn't been sure if she wanted to see them before she left, but she couldn't have been any gladder that her two best friends were there to see her off to her new school. It was only then, on the train platform which she would be leaving shortly, that she realized she wouldn't see her two best friends for an entire year. Who would remind her to eat during exams or hide her textbooks so she couldn't study during a Quidditch game? Not that the latter was a good thing, it was just something she would miss a little bit. Did Durmstrang even have Quidditch? Knowing teenage boys, it most definitely would.

With tears suddenly flowing from her chocolate brown eyes, she hugged her friends even tighter, constricting their breathing.

"I'm going to miss you both so much!" Hermione cried, clinging harder onto Harry's muggle t-shirt.

"If you're going to miss us so much, then don't go." Harry suggested, earning himself a shove and a glare from his female best friend.

Hermione sighed softly, shuffling away from Harry. Of course he didn't come to see her off and give her his blessing. He just came for a final attempt to stop her from leaving for Durmstrang.

"You're completely batty, Harry" Hermione said, scathingly. "You've completely crossed over the line between sanity and being absolutely barmy. Actually, you're so far past the line, you can't even see it! To you, the line is a tiny little dot on the horizon that you can only see when you squint really hard. You're the King of the Nutters, Harry. Now get this through your thick skull. I AM going to Durmstrang, I AM going to get top marks, and I AM completely capable of taking care of myself without my two bodyguards."

Harry looked none too impressed by Hermione's wordy rant of how crazy he was becoming. Was being worried about a friend's safety deserving the title of King of Nutters? Most definitely not!

"You're absolutely right Hermione." Harry replied, coolly.

"I am?" Hermione asked, confusedly. She cocked her head to one side and attempted to puzzle out Harry's words. Why would someone admit they were barmy? They wouldn't, which means he has a devious plan. Looks like she wasn't the only one who could've been in Slytherin.

"I shouldn't worry about you at all." Harry said, calmly.

Hermione knew he meant business when he used that tone of voice. Being his best friend for so many years, Hermione could read his moods from his body language and tone of voice. Right now, he was really struggling to stay calm. He had used that 'calm' voice a lot when they encountered Malfoy and his Slytherin cronies. Underneath his calm exterior, he was boiling mad, ready to blow like a volcano when the first chance presented itself. She knew it would be long now...

"You'd have to be an absolute idiot to worry." he continued, still using his calm tone that scared Hermione out of her wits. "With all the death eaters running around, out for our blood, I'd have to be insane to worry about my best friend! I already lost my godfather and now I run the chance of losing one of my best friends. Forgive me for not leaping for joy at the thought of Voldemort hurting someone else close to me."

There it was. Boom! Harry rarely referred to his now deceased godfather, Sirius Black. He seemed to prefer to try and forget that his godfather was murdered by a death eater, Sirius' own cousin, right before his eyes. Not that she could blame him. Who would want to remember a moment like that?

"But you won't lose me, Harry." Hermione said softly, attempting to calm the raging Harry. Geez, he was sensitive. One simple comment on his sanity and he goes bonkers. Bloody Lunatic.

"How do you know that?" Harry asked, seeming slightly less enraged.

Hermione bit her lip thoughtfully. How did she really know she wouldn't die?

"I don't." Hermione said, simply. "But I have faith that I won't. I know you'll always be there to save me, Harry."

"I won't be there for an entire year! Anything could happen" Harry ranted.

"It could happen but that doesn't mean it will. Something could happen to you, something could happen to someone across the country. Anything can happen; I'm not going to say it couldn't. All I want is to assure you that I'll handle anything that does happen. I will see you at the end of the year."

Harry looked unconvinced by her words but luck seemed to be on her side. The shrill bell of the Hogwarts express sounded, drowning out Harry's last words. She scurried quickly to the train after giving the two boys another heartfelt hug. She waved good-bye to Ron and Harry before climbing the steps onto the train. She immediately found a scowling Blaise Zabini waiting for her. His foot tapped and he seemed to be deeply annoyed with something. He attempted a grin when he saw his ally, but it came out looking like a demented scowl. Hermione sat across from him in the compartment. Her brilliant smile soon faded as she spent minutes in the silent atmosphere of the compartment. She almost wished Malfoy would come trade insults, just to liven things. As if one cue, the compartment door slide open, revealing a smug looking Draco Malfoy. Stupid bloody wishes. Adds new meaning to 'Be careful what you wish for' because the bloody worst wishes seem to have a nasty habit of coming true.

"Traitor" Malfoy greeted, cheerfully. "And of course, Mudblood."

Hermione scowled, a frown etched deep onto her face. Bloody lovely. What was he? A bloody genie? Did he hear wishing for him to come in her mind? She wasn't in the mood for another battle with the infamous Slytherin Prince.

"Sod off, you bloody albino ferret" Hermione hissed, loud enough to earn a chuckle from Blaise. Maybe wishing for Malfoy wasn't so bad after all; Blaise seemed a little less moody after the ferret insult.

Malfoy smirk faded, replaced with an angry scowl. He'd look like a disgrace if he let a silly little mudblood beat him.

"I'd much rather stay here with the beaver and her pet"

Hermione bristled at his beaver comment. She remember the day he had charmed her teeth to grow. Ever since, Malfoy and her Slytherin cronies (and the occasional malicious Ravenclaw) called her either mudblood or beaver, neither name being particularly charming. Ever since, she had been aware of the size of her teeth, until last summer when she had used a shrinking charm to make her teeth the perfect size. Being dentists,

Blaise stood abruptly; he muttered something about getting some snacks from the trolley and proceeded out of the compartment, leaving Hermione all alone with Malfoy. They glared at each other in complete silence, neither wanting to back down.

"Have you gained weight, Granger? You look fat" Malfoy said.

"Well you're a prat" Hermione countered.

"Slut"

"Man-whore"

"Beaver teeth"

"Ferret face"

"Witch"

"Bit--" she halted abruptly in mid insult. She almost lost her composure. She almost called Malfoy a bit-- derogatory name for a female dog, which was kind of silly since he wasn't even female and ferret described him much better than a dog. Stupid Malfoy, he probably planned that with his insults, he knew that she would just follow what he was saying. How else could she have responded to witch?

Malfoy had a superior smirk plastered on his face, he obviously though he had won. Oh how wrong he was. She would show him who the real winner was. Hermione pulled back her left leg and gave him a swift kick in the shin. To her immediate delight, he collapsed onto the seat across from her, groaning in pain.

'And this is exactly what would continue for the entire year', she realized. Did she really want to spend the year looking over her shoulder, waiting for Malfoy to spring some sort of trap or spell on her? It would distract her from her studies, something that would not stand! She would solve the problem before it started. As much as it hurt her Gryffindor pride, she had to admit Malfoy would be able to do some damage if he put his mind to it. It would be safer to not be his enemy, at least for now, anyways.

"Malfoy, this may seem crazy but...maybe we shouldn't be at each other's throats. Maybe we should have some sort of truce for the year." Hermione said apprehensively. How would a Malfoy respond to a truce with a mudblood?

"Rich coming from the little bint who just kicked me." Malfoy muttered, still nursing his shin. "Same bloody spot as yesterday, too!"

"Well? Is that a no or a yes?" she asked impatiently.

"It's a hell no, Granger." Malfoy replied coldly. "You're almost as barmy as Potter, and that's saying something! A Malfoy saying yes to something like that would be as bloody likely as Voldemort square dancing with the Weasley family."

She could feel her anger building. He could have just said no, other comments were unnecessary but he found the need to continuously push all her buttons. She tried in vain to sooth herself. Like she told Harry so many times, Malfoy simply wasn't worth it. The bloody git wasn't worth the gum stuck to her shoe.

"Oh damn," Hermione muttered to herself. There really was gum on the bottom of her shoes. And they were so new and shiny. They were black with a small one inch heel, the highest heel she could wear without falling over. They had little silver clasps over the sides. In all, they were rather attractive shoes and she was somewhat depressed to have scuffed them already. Her parents had given them to her for her birthday. It was the first time she had ever wore them in public and they had gum stuck to them. It was probably Malfoy's bloody fault, too!

She shrugged and pulled out her book on Durmstrang. She might as well read up on their customs and status before she met their 'tutors'. She figured she could read the non-essential parts later, at this time, it was important for her to learn about Durmstrang's hierarchy and social standings. She didn't know how she would be ranked, being a muggle-born witch. That though worried her. Durmstrang had only began admitting muggle-born students a few years ago and from what she had heard, the prejudice hadn't disappeared. If anything, Victor told her in the letter he had written after she told him the news, it was almost worse than before. For some reason though, he told her not to worry about herself. No matter how much she trusted her friend, she couldn't help but worry. How could he prevent anything from happening to her? He probably couldn't. They wouldn't even have any classes together, since he was a year ahead of her.

She turned the pages of the book carefully until she reached her desired section which happened to be on page 263.

'The Durmstrang hierarchy system has been regarded as a highly efficient system used around the world. It was first developed in 1789 at Durmstrang by the headmaster, Reganis Volkov, when he chose a responsible seventh year student to be his student advisor.

In the current system, a seventh year student is appointed as the 'King". This student can be male of female, though the title remains the same. Simply, they ensure the other students treat everyone with dignity and respect. He or she acts as the student representative in staff meetings. Unfair detentions and assignments are brought by student to the attention of the 'King'. It is their reasonability to ensure a practical work environment for all residents of the school. They are able to give detentions to their fellow students, as well as punish those who break the rules. The 'King' is given all the powers and rights as a professor of the institute. He or she had access to all sections of the library and has unlimited access to any part of the school.

The King is expected to maintain their grades, though teachers have been known to be more lenient towards Kings due to their heavy work load. The King is usually well respected before he becomes King to ensure that other student accept his or her leadership. The student selected is usually among the brightest of the year to ensure no difficulties arise between their responsibilities and their studies.

The King chooses a group of students of any year to be part of his court. The King's court consists of students whom the King feel will be good role models for other students. Members of the court are expected to help the King with his duties as well as have responsibilities of their own. Students from any year, including first, can be chosen as a member of the court. Among these members are the deputies. These members of the court are the closest to the King. They aid the King by watching their fellow court members, making sure they are not abusing their powers as members of the court. Court members can be demoted at any time by the King. Only the King had the power to demote those in his court. Even the professors at the school do not have to power to demote a member of the court.

The King and his court resides in the East Wing of the school. Members of the court are grouped into groups of four by the King for rooming. Each room consists of four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and one common room to be shared with the other members of the court residing with them. The King is given his own room unless he wishes otherwise.'

"What are you reading, Granger," Malfoy asked almost curiously. If he had emotions and feelings, she would have swore he was interested in her book. But alas, he was a Malfoy. An unfeeling troll from the bowels of hell.

"A book. Now leave me alone," she murmured. Malfoy little interruption ruined her concentration. Everyone knew not to disturb her while she was reading unless it was an emergency. Ron learned that the hard way after she threw her book, Advanced Rune Translation, when he persisted in talking to her while she was studying for her exam fourth year exams. No one understood that studying was a silent activity meant to enrich your brain. It was not a time to be social.

'The King is given his own room unless he wishes otherwise.'

Damn him! It would be a miracle for him to escape with all his limbs now that he effectively disturbed her. To be fair, since it was his first offence of interrupting her reading, she would give him one more warning before all hell broke loose.

"Get out, Malfoy. If you get castrated, its your own bloody fault," she hissed dangerously. If he didn't leave now, she could promise that he wouldn't be able to even think of procreating for months. She sniggered at the though, how disappointed the sluts of Durmstrang will be. The idea seemed even more pleasant the more she though about it. She started to hope that he didn't oblige. She wanted him to stay, the thought of castrating the Slytherin 'sex god' (according to Pansy, who wasn't a very reliable source) sent shivers of excitement through her. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be.

"I wouldn't want to stay anyways. I have more valuable things to do with my time." Malfoy said quickly, almost nervously, before sliding the compartment door shut behind him. Finally alone, Hermione turned back to her book.

'The King is given his own room unless he wishes otherwise.'

The King helps his or her school with integrity and intelligence. It is because of this that the Durmstrang system is the envy of all wizarding schools around.

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows. The book basically explained that whoever the 'King' was and the rest of his court ruled over the other students like Malfoy and his posse ruled over the Slytherins. It took her a moment to realize that the Hogwarts system was very similar, if not identical. The King would be considered the Head Boy or Head Girl and the court were the prefects. She only had to worry if this King was prejudice against muggle-born and half-bloods. She doubted Blaise and Victor would be able to help her if the King was against her. Hopefully, the King would be some kind of Arthur Weasley clone. Except he would be devilishly handsome with dark brown locks and he whisk her away to become his bride after they finished school. After their marriage, they would crusade for elf rights until their first child was born, who would be named Larissa Ginevra Granger-King. Then they would settle down in Ireland and raise their children in a peaceful environment.

She shook her head; day dreaming would be saved for later. Now, she would confront Blaise about Ginny's early morning problems. She didn't have to wait long for him to return. Shortly after Malfoy left, Blaise came strolling back in with an armful of sweets. It almost seemed like he had been waiting for Malfoy to leave before returning. His sweets spilled out onto the seat beside him. He seemed to have bought out the entire trolley with all the food he bought. For some unfathomable reason, he also bought numerous Cockroach Clusters. Hermione couldn't stand those bitter sweets; they tasted like feet and something else she preferred not to identify.

"Blaise," Hermione began sweetly. "Have you any idea why Ginny was so upset this morning. She seemed fine before Malfoy dragged me away."

Blaise looked at her questioningly, "You remember being dragged away by Malfoy? I thought you had fainted." His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he studied her. What she needed was another Slytherin moment so she could think of a quick lie to get her out of her sticky little situation.

"Uhm, Malfoy told me about it! When I woke up. He threatened that if I told anyone that he was acting nice, even if I didn't remember any of it, that he would...kill my cat!" Hermione lied quickly. Blaise seemed to believe her petty lie, because looked disgusted at the thought.

"Malfoy would stoop low enough to kill someone's cat? I always known he was deranged. Now I have even more proof."

Proof? Not quite, but Hermione nodded her head sincerely. "Back to Ginny," she prodded, thanking the tiny Slytherin who seemed to live in her head for the quick thinking.

"She was an annoying little bint," Blaise huffed, grabbing a handful of chocolate frogs. "I suppose I was a little harsh on her, now that I think about it. I yelled at her a bit." He had the decency to look guilty for yelling at someone younger than himself.

Hermione's face froze at his words. Annoying little bint? Those words destroyed her perfect vision of the future Mr. and Mrs. Zabini. And now what would happen to little Hermione Elizabeth Zabini? Hermione sighed sadly; her little goddaughter would never be born, just like her would-be parents would never get married. The only suitable man Hermione found had been resistant to Ginny's charms. She had enough, from now on; Ginny would have to find her own men. Except she would just follow Harry around like a lost puppy, or at least until he got married. Hermione doubted, although she had top notch matchmaking skills, that she could convince Harry that Ginny was his soul mate, not the Hermione believed they were soul mates anyways.

Hermione reached across to the pile of treats and grabbed a Pumpkin Pastry. What did muggles call it when you ate sweets after something bad happened? Right, it was called comfort food, and she needed some.

Hermione turned on the bench so she lay on it lengthwise. She propped up her book on her knees, hoping to continue reading. Her mind wandered elsewhere until, moments later, when she fell asleep.

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Hermione was awoken when strong arms roughly gripped her shoulders and shook her awake. She opened a groggy eye to see an incredibly handsome man in front of her. The King? No, they weren't at Durmstrang yet. She opened her eyes wider. Then her consciousness took over. It only took a moment to realize it was Malfoy in front of her. Must've been a dream, she would never mistake Malfoy for anything other than obnoxious and ferret-like.

"What the bloody hell was that for, Malfoy," she hissed sleepily, her head still feeling somewhat heavy. "I was having a great dream and you had to ruin it!"

"Pull yourself together and hurry up," he said. "We're here, you stupid mudblood."

"I'm up, I'm up. Geez. Somebody's got their knickers in a twist," Hermione mumbled under her breath. Malfoy either didn't hear or decided to ignore her comment. Hermione guessed it was the former because Malfoy would either yell her face off if she was taking about his 'glorious, pureblood knickers' or he would start making sexual innuendos to make her uncomfortable.

She stretched lazily and followed Malfoy into the familiar halls of her sanctuary, Hogwarts. To her annoyance, several house elves followed with their assorted luggage. They walked in silence to the Great Hall, almost running so they wouldn't have to stand another minute with the present company. Hermione followed her nemesis through the wide doorway to the Great Hall. She gasped at the sight before her. Almost every professor who had ever taught her (save her muggle teachers) was assembled in the large hall, even Snape, to her surprise, though she realized he was probably there to see off his little pet Malfoy. A large banner hung across the Great Hall, it was charmed to display a new message every minute or so. At first it read, 'Bon Voyage', and then changed moments later to read the names of the students departing.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts," Dumbledore announced to the students. He also seemed to be addressing the three Durmstrang students who were all sprawled lazily at the Ravenclaw table. Hermione studied the Durmstrang students, her new classmates. Both girls were dressed practically, like herself, unlike their male counterpart. He was dressed in a silk button down and black trousers, making him appear to be rich. The boy himself was rather easy on the eyes. He had dark, straight hair that was angled just below his ears. His deep blue eyes were mesmerizing against his olive toned skin.

With the arrival of their Hogwarts counterparts, the Durmstrang students readied themselves with gracious smiles. They rose and walked towards the Hogwarts students. She almost felt as though they were coming to ripe out her soul. She almost flinched when the student closest to her, the boy, reached for her hand in greeting. He grabbed her hand and brought it delicately to his mouth, giving it a quick kiss.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Granger," the Durmstrang boy said casually. "I look forward to getting better acquainted with you this year."

Hermione couldn't help but blush at his polite gesture. She hadn't ever met anyone at Hogwarts with level of etiquette. She could consider Harry and Ron to be barbarians compared to the suave Durmstrang boy in front of her.

"The pleasure is all mine," Hermione replied politely, determined to make a good first impression on her soon-to-be classmate. "But please call me Hermione."

He shot her a dazzling smile before replying, "Of course, Hermione, but only if you call me Kaleb. I'm sorry, but I must introduce myself to your companions, please excuse me."

Hermione watched him trudge towards the Ravenclaw table, where Blaise was currently seated, with a faint blush apparent of her cheeks. It had been a long time since a member of the opposite gender, besides Ron and Harry (They barely counted as members of the opposite sex, to her anyways), had paid any attention to plain, old Hermione Granger.

"Wow, Granger, you move on quick. You just left your little boyfriends Potter and Weasley and you already have someone new. Though what they see in you, one can only imagine."

Hermione spun around on her heel to face the malicious Slytherin Prince.

"What do you want, Malfoy," Hermione asked huffingly.

Malfoy just stared at Kaleb's back, his eyes narrowed into menacing slits. "I don't trust him."

Hermione was confused for many reasons, but what was puzzling her the most was that Malfoy was relaying this information to her, the Gryffindor mudblood. "He seemed perfectly nice to me."

Malfoy turned his head back towards her, his eyebrows raised into elegant arcs. "I suppose I gave you too much credit," he drawled. "I thought you might be intelligent enough to see past his looks. Disappointing, yet unsurprising, you are a mudblood after all."

With his final scathing words, he trudged over towards Professor Snape, who sat alone near the corner of the Slytherin table. Hermione glared daggers at his back, almost hoping that looks could kill, for if they could, someone would have taken care of Malfoy by now and she wouldn't have to deal with him.

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After Dumbledore's brief lecture on how they were representing their country as well as their school, the headmaster led everyone down to the Great Lake, where there was a boat there, similar to the one Durmstrang brought to the Triwizard Tournament. It seemed much less impressive now

Hermione walked beside the two Durmstrang girls, Kalia Hellevi and Reyna Lovisa, who chatted happily among themselves. She slowed her pace and looked frantically for Blaise. He would save her from these insane girls! All they were talking about was clothes, make-up, and Malfoy. In an attempt to be polite, they even tried to include her in the conversation, asking her what muggle make-up was like and what it was like going to school with Malfoy. The situation was getting desperate, she felt as though she would gnaw off her own arm if it would help her escape. She finally spotted Blaise walking by Dumbledore and excused herself from the conversation and ran towards Blaise.

He smiled at her before resuming his conversation with their headmaster. They seemed to be talking about Quidditch, an unlikely subject of the ancient headmaster.

They boarded the large ship and waved good-bye to their former professors. Hermione shuddered at the thought of her new professors. She would have to prove to an entire new staff that she was the very best in all her studies. She may have known it was inhuman to be completely perfect, but that didn't stop her from striving for anything less. If her being wasn't perfect, then she would have to make up for it in her studies. Perfection would be attained in time.

A large, ancient man was waiting for the six students in the cabin. He was so wrinkled; she would have sworn he was over one thousand year old! His robes looked to be just as old, and probably hadn't been washed in that long too. Hermione did her best to smile politely at the sight of the old man. He ushered them towards the group of chairs to their right.

"Welcome," the man said cheerfully. "I am the Transfiguration teacher, Professor Reynolds. I want to congratulate our visitors from Hogwarts."

Hermione gave her new professor a small smile before she raptly focused on his words.

"I would like each of my Durmstrang students to act as a personal tutor for our visitors for the entire year. You are to explain customs and traditions they may not have at Hogwarts. You will help make sure they have a smooth transition to Durmstrang. I will select you partners for the year at random right now. I'd like Mister Einar to pair up with Mister Malfoy. Miss Hellevi with Miss Granger, and Miss Lovisa with Mr. Zabini."

Hermione was delighted with the expression on Malfoy's face when Professor Reynolds announced he was going to be paired up with Kaleb. He looked positively murderous. Hermione wondered if Kaleb would survive the year as Malfoy's tutor.

She was awoken from her daydreams of what horrendous ways Malfoy would torture Kaleb by her own tutor, Kalia. "Hermione, we should probably get this over with. I need to tell you about some of the school rules."

Hermione just shrugged and followed her into a small room off the main cabin. Kalia's calm grin was replaced by a stoic face. Something told Hermione that she may not like the rules of Durmstrang.

"I won't get into the rules on courtesy since I expect you probably had the same rules at Hogwarts, they don't really matter anyways. You need to learn the more important rules about life at Durmstrang. These are rules evoked by the previous King of Durmstrang in 1976. All rules are punishable by the current King, if broken by any student. One of the first and most important rules is about association with death eaters. I don't deny that Durmstrang may have death eaters in the student body but no one speaks of their alliances. You are never to talk about your alliances for either side in the vicinity of the school. This includes talking about you adventures with Potter."

At the mention of Harry, Kalia looked almost disgusted. Hermione looked at her arm suspiciously, checking for any visible form of the dark mark. Kalia didn't seem to take notice and continued with the Durmstrang rules.

"Another rule is that you are not to address the King or his court unless you have been previously introduced or a severe problem takes place. The King is not to be spoken to unless he speaks first. This rule does not apply to court members. A complete list of the rules will be waiting in your common room. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. If you learn the ropes quickly, you won't have any troubles at Durmstrang." Kalia offered Hermione a gentil smile before heading to a small cabin reserved for the Durmstrang students Hermione knew she would not ask her tutor a question unless absolutely necessary.

Hermione wandered back to the main cabin, deciding she didn't feel like facing Malfoy in the Hogwarts cabin. She found Blaise sitting on the couch, browsing though his copy of the Durmstrang book.

"None of those rules are in here," he murmured as she sat beside him.

"I'm sure we won't have any trouble with their rules," Hermione assured him. "I would be worried for Malfoy. He'll have to go an entire year without boasting about him Death Eater connections."

Hermione and Blaise both fell into an uneasy sleep, full of worries and feels that words couldn't alleviate. The last though in Hermione's head before she drifted to sleep was, 'is this really worth it?' Probably not, she decided before she drifted off, seconds behind her Slytherin friend.

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Hermione was pulled from her uneasy sleep when the horn sounded on the ship. The vibrations of the sound shook through her body like a jiggling charm. She lazily stretched her arms, careful to avoid Blaise, who was surprising still asleep beside her on the leather couch. She tripped on Blaise's copy of the Durmstrang book, which ended up lying a couple feet from the couch, as she made her way to the deck. If she was correct, the horn meant they had most arrived at Durmstrang. Anticipation pushed her up to the deck. She had not expected the sight she was met with.

Hermione gasped at the grand sight of Durmstrang as they arose from the depths of the lake. Victor hadn't nearly done his institute justice when he told her about it at the Yule Ball at the Triwizard Tournament. He was right about one thing; the grounds were a lot bigger than those of Hogwarts. The landscape was mountainous with many forests on the premises. The sparkling lake they had just immerged from was a deep blue. As breathtaking as the grounds were, they were outdone by the magnificent castle. It was decorated lavishly with white marble, giving it the air of elegance. It seemed more like a five star hotel where the rich and famous stayed rather than an institute for magical children. It may have been smaller than Hogwarts, but it was substantially more grand than her own school.

Hermione stumbled back down into the cabin, where Blaise was still asleep. She gently nudged his sleeping, form causing him to stir. He swatted at her hand and turned around.

"We're here," Hermione whispered to the groggy boy. He shot up like a Nimbus 2001 broomstick at Hermione's words. He looked excited and nervous, though he would never admit to the latter. He may have disregarded many pureblood traditions, but he didn't lack the trait of pureblood pride, something Malfoy had in abundance.

They stepped out of the cabin into the bright sunlight and walked with their group to the front doors of the castle. As they approached, the doors magically opened, revealing the new headmaster, Igor Karkaroff. He shook Malfoy's hand as well as Blaise's, but stopped short of greeting the third member of the party. He guided them through the halls, which were even more elegant than the outside, until they reached a pair of thick wooden doors. A small sign was displayed beside the doors, hardly noticed behind its thick layer of dust. Upon reading the sign, Hermione was somewhat more hopeful, ' Durmstrang: A place of dignity and integrity'. Hopefully, it would prove true, though the headmaster didn't give any indications that it would.

"Welcome to Durmstrang," their new headmaster, Igor Karkaroff announced with a flourish. He seemed to be mostly addressing Malfoy and Blaise. He was ignoring the brilliant muggle-born witch as if she were a wizarding variation of the plague. Parenting isn't contagious, you silly git. "I would like to tell you how happy we are that you will be attending our institute."

Once again, he shook the hands of the two Slytherin students while completely ignoring Hermione's presence. She wanted to yell at the smarmy bastard. She was the most brilliant witch Hogwarts had seen since Rowena Ravenclaw, herself, and she deserved all the respect Draco Malfoy was receiving from their sorry excuse for a headmaster. She was about to step forward and address the problem when she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to meet Blaise's gaze. He seemed to be silently begging her to not make a scene on their first day. She nodded in acceptance, though her anger was still bubbling under her skin. It took all of her self-control to smile pleasantly at the headmaster, though he took no notice and continued address Malfoy.

Hermione realized that she should really listen to the 'headmaster'. She caught the end of what he was explaining to Malfoy, who seemed to be his favorite Hogwarts student. "Through these doors and the rest of your student body. You are required to introduce yourself. Since I trust you have all read about Durmstrang, I trust you know that the new King will be assembling his court. After much deliberation, the staff has decided that you will be eligible to join the court, if the King so desires."

The headmaster pushed the heavy wooden door open, revealing a mass of unfamiliar faces and people. At the end of the hall, she spied Victor, who waved once to saw her. She gave him a small smile in return, which he might not have seen at a distance. It was nice to know at least one person other than Blaise and, unfortunately, Malfoy, not that she planned on speaking to the latter more than absolutely necessary.

Hermione stood before the unfamiliar student body, feeling the icy stares wash over her body. Her hand reached out to grab Blaise's hand only to find it was already searching for hers. Hermione found comfort in knowing that her friend needed her as much as she needed him. In such a short time, she had come to depend on him for so much. It was a little frightening but she loved it. He was completely different from anyone she had ever met. She almost considered him a walking oxymoron. He was one of the nicest people she had ever met and he was a Slytherin. He was sensitive to her feelings and was a man, who was presumably straight.

She loved Harry, but she was constantly giving him comfort and never receiving it in return when she needed it. She didn't blame him, he had so many problems to take care of that hers seemed trivial to both of them. Her relationship with Blaise was different, even somewhat more fulfilling. They didn't have save the world or fight evil. They had regular teenage problems, well regular problems for the wizarding world. It was nice to have a break from worrying

As Hermione looked out at the sea of malicious students before her, she realized that the sign by the door was a complete lie meant to reassure the weak, and then bring their fears crashing down around them. The sign should have truly read;

Welcome to Durmstrang. Please check your sanity and integrity at the door.

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End of the Chapter

A/N:

First of all, I'm going to answer some of my reviews. I'd like to once again thank everyone who read or reviewed my story. I'd especially like to thank my only reviewer for chapter two.

mizzlanfear

- Thanks for the review! I'm planning on Blaise and Hermione becoming very good friends (maybe better than her and the rest of the golden trio) though their relationship will be strictly platonic. This story will be D/H and I don't want Blaise in there to mess it up. There will be a segment in the fourth chapter explaining a little more about Hermione's relationship with Blaise (I already started writing it). Sorry about confusing you with the Voldemort spell theory. Harry made it up trying to convince her to stay at Hogwarts instead of going to Durmstrang. It has no plot significance and will not happen in this story. Just a paranoid fear.

Kimmie Said What

- Thanks for the support. I was getting pretty discouraged about my story (stats and other pesky problems) and your review cheered right up. Hopefully next time your on, I'll have a couple of new chapters waiting for you.

merecat

- I'll keep writing if you keep reading. Thanks for the review

I just want to name all my reviewers again. I love you all to bits. You're all utterly fantastic.

mizzlanfear

KimberlynnAstonia

forkslover1

bloodwitch88

Kimmie Said What

merecat

I know. Its very late and I really apologize. I've been super busy. I have senior band music, pit band music, volleyball team, regular school and a whole swack of other things to do coupled with a minor case of writers black (I ended up re-writing half the chapter on a whim). Thank god Christmas break is coming soon or I'd probably burst with all the stress. Still, that's no excuse; I had plenty of time to write. I could lie and say this won't happen again but it would probably be a lie, truthfully. I will have my next chapter out by December 18th and that is a promise! Yes, I realize that's over a month, but for the next three weeks, I'll have virtually no time to write at all! I just have a lot on my plate right now. I'll write as much as I can.

I have some notes on this chapter so I won't have any readers confused.

I do realize what happened to Igor Karkaroff in the fourth book but as no other professors (to my knowledge) from Durmstrang were introduced, I decided to revive him and continue using him as the current Durmstrang headmaster. He will also not be a death eater but will retain his views on muggleborn witches/wizards. If anyone has any questions on Durmstrang's social system, please review or contact me in some way for information. It's rather lengthy to explain in complete detail. Hopefully, everyone will be able to understand it without need for clarification. There will be some more about it in chapter 4 but that will be mainly Hermione and Draco coping with their new ranks, which will also be announced next chapter. The current King of Durmstrang will also be announced next chapter, though it may not be a surprise to many of you.

Thanks for reading the third chapter in Discover the Darkness

Review!