"I did NOT transfer to this prissy school of perverts to volunteer my name to this fucking death trap of a tournament just to have you get us fucking EXPELLED or get yourself KILLED! Of all the STUPID things you could have done! That you have ever done! Neptune's Balls Feliciano! Fucking lights in the sky is NOT a good enough reason! Something is up. There's something you're not telling me. Spit it the fuck out! NOW!"
Feliciano whimpered on his bed. The last thing he remembered was being warm in Ludwig's arms, and next, the moment he woke up, his brother was red in the face from yelling at him.
"Did you HEAR me Feliciano?! I swear-"
A knock on their room door saved Feliciano from having to endure more. He had missed his brother, that was true, but he didn't miss how his brother exploded when he was worried. Though, Feliciano probably had to admit that breaking the rules to sneak into a dark and unfamiliar castle in the midst of below freezing temperatures warranted his brother's fury.
"Boys!" Francis popped his head in. "Get ready, you're late. We have to be in the Durmstrang main hall to unveil this year's champions!" He finished pointedly before closing the door.
Feliciano looked at his brother in a panic, and both gulped. After a frenzy of getting ready, both ran as fast as they could to the ballroom, where they were greeted with judgmental stares. As they fell in line, Feliciano felt his brother's angry gaze upon him and looked up in fear.
"After this ceremony business is done Feliciano, you are going to tell me what I want to know. Understand?"
Feliciano gulped and stared straight ahead. Had he dreamed everything last night? What exactly had happened? Where was...in a panic, he grabbed his brother's arm. "Fratello!" He cried in a loud whisper. "My sketchbook! Have you seen it?"
Lovino turned irritated eyes back at him and answered coolly. "No idiota. I didn't see any sketchbook last night and I sure as hell wasn't carrying it with me when I lugged you back. If you dropped it, let that be a lesson to you."
All at once, Feliciano felt the air freeze in his lungs, and a sharp pang in his chest as if Lovino had struck him. The air turned salty, and tears came to his eyes. "No...no please Fratello I'm so sorry alright? I am, but please, if you know where it is, please tell me. That's the same sketchbook I've had since Mama took me with her."
Lovino paused at that, and let out a reluctant sigh and put a comforting arm around Feliciano's shoulders. "Damnit Feli, you careless fool." He grumbled softly. "Look idiota, once they announce the champion, we'll applaud and shit, and after that they won't notice if we slip out. I'll help you look for it then alright? If we can't find it, I'll get you another one."
Devastated, Feliciano looked down at his feet as he forced himself to put one foot in front of the other, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. Then he realized that something was missing from the picture. "Ve fratello...was there a Durmstrang student with me when you found me?"
"Uptight German bastard, yeah. We'll ask him if he saw it if we see him. Now come on."
Somewhat elated now, Feliciano managed to smile and follow.
Once they arrived, Madame Maxime took her place up at the front, next to Headmaster Germania and Headmistress McGonagall, who stood around the Goblet of Fire. Food was available, but it appeared that most in the hall preferred to discover who the champions were before eating. Lovino caught up to where his friends waited - Lars, his younger twin sister Belle and their younger brother Christian.
"Lovi! Feli!" Belle greeted excitedly. "Well? Who do you think it will be?"
Lovino scoffed, raising an eyebrow and letting a small smile grace his face. "I'm saying Lars only because I know you don't want the honor."
Belle laughed, and Feliciano lost interest in the conversation, looking desperately around the room for Ludwig, whom he finally saw sitting near the front with the rest of the Durmstrang students, his brother next to him. Feliciano contemplated going over when Germania started to speak.
"The Goblet is ready to pick the champions. When your name is called, you must come here to the front to be acknowledged, and then you will go to the left-chamber where Professor Edelstein is standing. There you will receive your instructions. I wish you good fortune."
Lovino scoffed. "Good fortune to survive this death trap." He whispered to Belle. She lightly elbowed him in the stomach, chuckling.
Lars shrugged. "They said it would be much safer this year."
"Sure...everything is safe until someone is dead." Lovino retorted. Christian only chuckled.
The Goblet suddenly released a bright and sparkling light, filling the hall. Blue flame burst from the Goblet and a piece of parchment fluttered into Germania's outreached hand.
All in the hall held their breaths in anticipation. Feliciano found that his heartbeat was rapid, despite thinking that he did not care much for the tournament. In the sudden quiet of the hall, the howling winds outside could be heard.
"The champion for Hogwarts,"
The entire right of the hall where the black robed Hogwarts students stood, unconsciously leaned forward.
"Is Dominique Weasley."
A loud applause erupted in the hall, mostly from the students of Hogwarts, but from pockets of Beauxbatons students as well. Even Madame Maxime smiled as if one of her own was called. A striking, lithe, flaming red haired girl emerged from the throng of black, turned and waved with a charming smile.
"Why are we cheering for her?" Lovino asked, clapping politely.
"Ve...she's Jean-Luc Delacour's older cousin." Feliciano answered, indicated a fellow fourth year at their own academy. "Her mother was our champion in 1994."
Lovino smiled sarcastically. "Well we're cheating a little then aren't we? We'll have an extra half a chance of claiming glory in this game."
The Benelux siblings all laughed, until Lars frowned suddenly.
"The hell is he doing here?" Lars grumbled.
Feliciano looked up to where Lars was glaring and saw Antonio. He had forgotten. Quickly he turned to Belle, whose grin had faded into a simple smile, but she smacked her brother's arm none-the-less.
"You don't have to hold a grudge for my sake Lars. I don't even hold one, that was years ago!"
"Wait," Lovino frowned, looking up the red velvet cloaked auror who was smiling and talking to Francis. "That idiot up there is the famous ex?"
Belle shrugged. "Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. At least you've tried, no?"
"Or you can save yourself the trouble and just not try that game at all." Lovino shot back.
"Quiet." Lars shushed.
Dominique's fanfare had ended and Professor Edelstein was escorting her to the side chamber. The Goblet flared again, and another piece of parchment flew into the air.
"The champion for Beauxbatons,"
Germania announced, as Lovino thumped Lars on the back with a smile. Lars smiled back. All the Beauxbatons students stared at him with similar looks of anticipation.
"Is Lovino Vargas."
Feliciano's jaw dropped and he stared at his brother in silent shock. What? This couldn't be. The Goblet was wrong! Lovino had only been a student at the academy for a few months! He didn't even want to be the champion! He...
Lovino had gone pale, staring in disbelief at Headmaster Germania. Even Madame Maxime looked surprised. The rest of the hall had started to stare at Beauxbatons apparent lack of response to the announcement of their champion, until Lars was the first to recover.
"Come on," he whispered to Lovino. "Get up there."
"No, there must be some mistake." Lovino barely managed to whisper back. Feliciano felt his heartbeat race in panic. Lovino couldn't be the champion! Not because of all the previous reasons, but because the tournament was dangerous! And people had died before, or lost their memories! Or were seriously injured! He could take speeches at face value before of making this current one safe when he was convinced that Lars would be the champion - because Lars had handled dangerous situations before. But Lovino? Lovino taught him to run to safety whenever danger showed itself. He grabbed his brother's hand in desperation and prayed. 'Neptune, don't take my brother away from me please. Don't take him, don't take his love, don't take his memories of me. He's all I have now. I'm so sorry, I won't be stupid anymore and I won't do stupid things, just help my brother be safe.'
All these thoughts ran through Feliciano's mind in a second. The whole hesitation did not actually last that long, but finally, Belle started to clap, which led to everyone else clapping. Eventually she cheered, which led to a chorus of the expected enthusiasm, and Lovino, still pale, and terrified, looked at Feliciano and squeezed his hand.
"Lovino Vargas?" Germania repeated again.
Lovino took a deep breath, gave Feliciano's hand one last hard squeeze, before he squared his shoulders and walked up to the front. Feliciano fought back tears as Madame Maxime smiled with some concern at her latest champion, and as Professor Edelstein came to guide Lovino to the side chamber. The hall seemed to fade in his sight as his brother disappeared from sight. Words buzzed around him as his fellow schoolmates questioned the Goblet's unexpected choice, but he didn't hear specifics. He only wanted to wake up from this odd dream. He looked up, trying to find an anchor to reality, because this could not be real.
Feliciano barely heard Headmaster Germania announce Durmstrang's champion - Timo Vee-na...something he could not process - the ethereal looking blonde haired young man from the previous day's musicamagus orchestra - who strode confidently up to the front with a cheerful smile, to the expected cheers and applause from his schoolmates
Then the room started to spin and the next thing Feliciano knew, he was on the floor, breathing hard, but hardly sensing anything. Some commotion was raised, a deep voice barked out some words, and eventually, strong arms hauled him up and half helped, half carried him out of the Hall into the cold open air.
A heavy deep red fur-lined cloak was thrown on top of him, warming him instantly, and surrounding him with a familiar scent. Feliciano looked up to a pair of concerned blue eyes and pressed lips. Ludwig.
"Are you alright? Do you need to return to Nurse Katyushka?" He gently asked.
But Ludwig's concerned face, so familiar to Felciano's recollections of younger years only reminded him of the agony of losing him the first time, when they lifted Ludwig off him unconscious, and when rumours eventually worked their way back to him that the boy he loved had lost all his memories - forgetting him, his family and all he had learned. So Feliciano shook his head and again burst out crying, holding Ludwig with all his strength, while his brain spun out of control, imagining all the possible horrors the new tournament might bring to Lovino.
Ludwig was at a loss. He could not remember anyone having relied on him for comfort before (the first eleven years of his life did not count). Besides, he had never met anyone in need of so much physical comfort as Feliciano. He had known the boy for less than two full days, and each time he had to deal with this desperate hugging. Durmstrang students were generally a less...touchy group, well...Matthias and his infatuation with the sea nymph Luka was an exception, but there were always these small cases that could not be made into a rule.
Even as Ludwig began to over think the mystery that was Feliciano Vargas of Beauxbatons Academy, (and over think in paralyzed circles), he felt the strange fluttering within again, replacing the emptiness he felt the night before and this morning, staring at that beloved leather bound sketchbook. He had wanted to return it as soon as he could, but now...now he had to help Feliciano stop crying. But how? What did they have in common after all? And...wait...they did have something in common.
"Feliciano Vargas, do you have faith in your brother?" Ludwig demanded in a curt tone. Perhaps it came out judgmental, but memories or no, he could not possibly imagine that he would have cried or collapsed when Gilbert was selected as the previous Durmstrang champion.
That at least, seemed to shock Feliciano out of his hopeless cries. He lifted his head and looked at Ludwig straight on in the eyes, a sad but knowing look him then. Shaking, he drew himself up and asked. "Wh...what do you mean?"
"You were asleep so I do not know if you remember me. But I was the student who found you last night. Your brother came to fetch you. I did not meet him for very long, but I don't believe even a stampede of Hippogriffs could keep him from returning to you. So have some faith in him."
Feliciano blushed and looked down, ashamed, his hands still gripping the front of Ludwig's robes. Tears still streamed freely down his cheeks but at least he seemed to be calming from his state of panic now. "Ve...I'm sorry." He mumbled.
Ludwig was taken aback. "Why?" Logically he knew that while he could trust his grandfather and Gilbert to deliver on their personal promise that further tournaments would be safe, outside students who only remembered the championship's reputation for ghastly accidents would only feel comfortable after witnessing a successful one.
"You must think me pathetic and dumb." Feliciano declared, staring down at his feet. "You're obviously smart, very brave and strong. And me? I collapse because my brother is taken from my side, I sneak out at night to paint and I nearly freeze myself to death...I.." He stopped, looking so miserable that Ludwig found himself vehemently objecting.
"No, I do not think that you are pathetic and stupid!" He barked. Feliciano flinched back a step and Ludwig sighed, putting his head in his hands for a moment. "No, I...I apologize, I am not very good with words. What I mean to say is, I do not know you, but I confess that I do not understand you. We only met briefly after all, and you were so cold that the first thing you did was hug me. It was most... Unexpected. And you have no reason to assume I am...all of those things."
Feliciano looked at Ludwig with the sweetest smile he had ever seen, but still with sad eyes. "But I do. You rescued me after all. And well, the thing that I am good at is painting, and I'm actually quite observant. You have beautiful clear and kind eyes that only look at me with concern. You helped me from the hall when I collapsed before anyone else did, and you went to find me last night, I imagine, because something didn't seem right and you felt there was an intruder at your beloved school. See? Thank you. I uh...heard that your name was Ludwig."
Ludwig frowned in confusion. Only because he was confused as to why the last sentence sounded like a lie, but was the truth, whereas everything else he would otherwise think was a lie was said with only the utmost sincerity. He also did not quite know what he was feeling or why. Before he could say anything however, Feliciano latched onto his arm and started speaking, all smiles and energy again.
"Ve Ludwig! Let's be friends please! My name is Feliciano! But I think you know that from yesterday. We'll have a great year together! I'm not useless you know, I can help you! And I can cook you some nice warm meals as well! There has to be a classroom here with a kitchen, we have one it Beauxbatons! Kitchen magic is considered an important art! But I'm not really surprised that Hogwarts doesn't have one, are you? Brrrr it's so cold up here! And if you haven't already met them I can introduce you to Luka's people, and oh would you mind showing me Durmstrang? I've always wanted to see and know more about your school. I know it's a secret and all that, you don't have to tell me everything, but it's already so amazing! And we can study together, and-"
"Hold on! Wait!" Ludwig yelled, staring down at those wide and beautiful brown eyes. He could not process Felicano's sudden change. "I am...listen. You do not need to thank me, I-"
"Of course I do Ludwig! Oh whatever it is, please, let's be friends! I think we'll be amazing!"
Now at a loss for words, Ludwig simply looked at Feliciano, dressed in those ridiculously light blue robes and Ludwig's own cloak, no longer shivering, and no longer crying. Ludwig realized that he felt happy, having managed to do that for the strange boy. He was also trying unsuccessfully to fight the warmth that was steadily spreading inside his chest, and to the rest of his body. Ludwig did not have friends. Not really. He filled his time up with studying and working. He loved his grandfather, and even his rather irritating brother. He loved Berlitz - the dragon he held a special bond with. He was close to Professor Edelstein and Groundskeeper Herdevery but these relationships were all more like family. He was cordial to his fellow students and they returned the favor, but because of how hard he had been studying and how uncomfortable he felt at potentially having forgotten everyone...
Well...what did he want to do right now in his life? Now he had a true answer - He wanted a friend.
Warmth and bubbly excitement churned in his stomach as Ludwig fought to control himself. In the end, all that managed to get out was a small smile, which made Feliciano smile even more brightly, making both forget that they were standing outside in winter's chill.