I do not own Harry Potter.

A big thank you to everyone who has favourited, followed and reviewed the story. It honestly means so much to me and motivates me to keep writing

The next chapter may be a bit longer in coming as I am doing a summer course at uni, but hopefully it won't take too long.

I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter 7

Harry woke early the next morning, he looked around for a moment before he remembered where he was. Pulling back his curtains he noticed that his dormmates were still sleeping, he slipped silently from his bed and decided to make the most of the empty bathroom to enjoy a long hot shower. The hot shower helped to sooth some of his nerves and with more confidence he finished getting ready for his day. Hedwig and Zima were nowhere in sight so he assumed they were off somewhere exploring their new home.

Harry wasn't sure when breakfast started so decided to read quietly on his bed until his dormmates woke up. He was half a chapter into his Transfiguration text book when the other boys began to stir.

Timur gave him a small smile as he headed for the bathroom, but Harry noticed that the twins were barely awake and didn't acknowledge him as they dragged themselves into the bathroom as well. Harry was glad that he had gotten ready early, so he had missed the morning rush. He went back to reading his text book when he heard the bathroom door open, he looked up to see Timur walk out smiling at him.

"Good morning Harry, I trust you slept well"

Before Harry could respond Lukas and Roman walked out both still dripping wet, towels wrapped around their waists. Harry gaped at the sight for a moment eyes flicking between the pair before quickly turning his face away, he cheeks burning.

Roman smirked at Harry's embarrassment and proceeded to pull his towel off and dry himself in the centre of the room before slowly pulling on his clothes. Lukas did the same, though he was still half asleep and unaware of his audience.

Harry determinedly kept his face turned away and decided the best course of action was to simply ignore. Obviously, this was just a regular occurrence that he would have to get used to.

His eyes swept to Timur who was grinning widely at Harrys embarrassment, Harry rolled his eyes at this before answering Timur's earlier question.

"Morning Timur, I slept quite well thanks, how about yourself?"

"Oh, very well thanks, though there is nothing like a nice hot shower in the morning to get you going, hey?" Timur responded, his grin widening even further.

Harry's green eyes narrowed at this. "I'm going to head down to breakfast, I will see you down there" Harry responded, starting to head towards the door to their room.

"Wait a moment Harry and we will all accompany you. It's your first day here wouldn't want you getting lost" Lukas called out, seemingly finally catching up to the mood in the room.

Harry paused at his words before nodding, he had no clue how things were done here, it made sense for him to wait for his dormmates. Luckily, he didn't have long to wait before everyone was ready and they were heading out their door. They walked through the common room and straight out the door to the hall. As they entered the hall, he noticed that some students turned to look at him, but he just ignored them, continuing to the same table as last night and dishing himself up some eggs on toast.

Lukas and Roman sat either side of him and Timur sat across the table from him, the three started eating vigorously while Harry merely nibbled at his eggs on toast.

Harry kept quiet as he listened to the conversation around him from the other students, mostly about what classes they might have that day.

Just as he was finishing his toast a piece of parchment appeared on the plate in front of him. He picked it up to read, noticing that everyone at the table was now looking over their own parchment.

"It's our timetable for the year" Roman explained. "Our whole year has classes together regardless of house."

Harry looked down and saw that today they had Care of Magical Creatures, Charms and Herbology. What a nice way to start the year, though Harry was a little disappointed that he didn't have any of his new classes today. He had been quite looking forward to giving duelling a crack.

As he kept reading his timetable, he felt a wave of homesickness overcome him. He looked down quickly as his eyes start to mist and it felt like a cold fist gripped his heart. He couldn't help but remember Hogwarts as he sat here in Durmstrangs hall, waiting for his first day to begin. He knew he had made the right call leaving, but that didn't mean that he didn't miss some things that he had left behind. He was also missing Viktor terribly, today had been the first time in months that they hadn't awoken and shared breakfast together before heading out for a morning fly. Harry wondered what Viktor was doing that morning, was he out flying already? Was he missing Harry as much as Harry was missing him? He decided that he would write Viktor a letter tonight when classes were over.

His new friends noticed his change in demeanour, they eyed the room carefully to see what had upset the younger boy, but nothing really stood out.

"Harry, is everything OK?" Lukas asked quietly beside him.

Harry started, forgetting for a moment that he was in the hall surrounded by people. He cursed himself silently, he didn't want to come across as weak, he had a feeling some people here would be only too happy to exploit weakness.

"Oh yes, everything's fine. Just feeling a little homesick is all" Harry explained quietly.

Lukas nodded in understanding, he was lucky to have always had his twin with him so had never really suffered from it, but he knew a few people at the start of every year got homesick.

"Would you like to talk about it" he asked Harry gruffly, wanting to help not really sure how to go about it.

Roman and Timur shared a surprised look, it wasn't often you saw Lukas willingly talking about feelings to anyone let alone someone he had just met.

Harry smiled softly at the offer, aware of how uncomfortable Lukas was but touched that he had made the offer.

"I'm just missing Viktor and I guess wondering if he is missing me. I know it's silly he is probably too busy to have even had a chance to miss me yet" Harry answered with a small grimace.

Roman who had been listening to the conversation as well leaned over and said with complete sincerity, "I can't imagine anyone not missing you Harry."

Harry turned around to look at Roman, his eyes opening in surprise as Timur choked on the sip of juice he had just taken.

Roman himself seemed taken by surprise at his own answer and quickly turned back to his breakfast ignoring the chuckle from his twin.

Their words however did make Harry feel a little better, it made him feel warm inside to think that he was already making some friends.

Just as they were preparing to leave Blake and Martin walked in with two girls who looked a similar age to the pair.

Harry's face lit up when he spotted his friends, the last of his sad mood falling away.

"Blake, Martin, good morning" Harry began, greeting them cheerily.

The older boys smiled at Harry, "good morning Harry, how was your first night?" asked Martin.

"It was great thanks," Harry replied, deciding to skip the part where he had been up half the night with nightmares.

"This is Annabelle and Hannah" Blake said pointing first to the tall girl with soft honey colored hair then to the other girl who was slightly shorter with dark curls falling over her shoulders. "They are in Concinne with us."

"It's lovely to meet you both" Harry said pleasantly holding out his hand to shake one girls hand and then the other.

Both girls seemed surprised by the niceness of the greeting, students at Durmstrang were not known to be the most expressive sorts. Most trained from a young age to keep themselves hidden behind a stoic mask. But here stood the new transfer student who held no such qualms about wearing his heart on his sleeve. His face an open book for anyone to read, it was like a breath of fresh air through Durmstrang.

"Blake and I were wondering if you would like a tour of Durmstrang later Harry? We figured you probably have no clue where anything is yet, so a tour might come in handy."

"That would be amazing, thank you so much" Harry said enthusiastically.

"Great, well we better get into breakfast before we run out of time, we will see you later Harry" said Martin. Harry waved as the four walked off, while he joined his new friends as they headed off to their first class of the day, Care of Magical Creatures.

As they walked out of the front doors Harry gazed around in amazement again, he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. He knew the grounds were large but really, he had no idea just how beautiful they were. Large sweeping hills, forests and several lakes met his eyes as he looked around. He also saw what looked like stables in the distance, I wonder what they keep there he thought. Hopefully Blake and Martin would show him on his tour later.

Timur smiled at the look on Harry's face as he gazed around the grounds. "It's truly beautiful here isn't it?" Timur asked.

Harry just nodded, too busy taking in the sights to form a coherent answer.

As they started walking Harry realised, they were walking towards the stables that he had spotted earlier.

"This is where we have Care of Magical Creatures" Roman explained, motioning to the approaching building.

As they got closer Harry realised the building was larger than he thought, about the size of half a football field. They walked in the building to be greeted by a large open space, surrounded by a variety of enclosures. The enclosures varied in size from large to small, some with heavy wooden doors, others were more like glass enclosures.

"It sort've looks like a zoo" Harry wondered aloud.

"Ah, I'm not sure what a zoo is but this is an animal clinic," Timur explained gesturing around him. "Sometimes classes are held here, sometimes down by the forest depending what we are doing in the days lesson."

Harry looked around still not quite sure what the purpose of the building was.

"This is where any sick or injured creatures come to be treated. We not only learn about different creatures but also how to take care of them," Roman said pointing out the variety of different enclosures for different types of animals.

Harry was seriously impressed, "that is such a good idea" he exclaimed feeling excited for the class to start.

He approached the closest stall and peered in coming face to face with a large black skeletal creature that look like it could be distantly related to a horse. He jumped back in surprise then approached a little more cautiously.

"Hey there beautiful," Harry murmured reaching out a hand slowly.

Roman and Lukas shared a look, "who are you talking to Harry? That stall is empty."

Harry turned and frowned at the trio, "what are you talking about? There's a big black horse thingy in there" Harry said looking at them like they were crazy.

Harry turned back to the animal and reached out his hand again, running his hand gently over its long neck. It was soft and leathery, and Harry could feel the bones moving under his hand as the creature shifted.

The creature let out a soft trill and Roman, Lukas and Timur jumped in surprise while Harry chuckled softly at their reaction.

"He's just saying hello" a deep voice said behind them, this time it was Harry's turn to jump in surprise. He spun around and came face to face with a tall muscular man. Harry thought working with creatures must keep you in shape because the only other man he has ever sit as strong looking was Charlie who worked with dragons all day. The man looked to be quite young, perhaps his mid-twenties and had dark hair and the deepest blue eyes Harry had ever seen.

"Oh, I'm sorry" Harry spluttered in embarrassment backing away from the unknown creature.

"It's OK" the man said eyeing Harry thoughtfully, "he seems to like you after all. Class is about to start though, why don't you boys get ready" the teacher said, moving to the front of the large empty space.

It was then that he noticed other students had begun to arrive as well.

When the open space was mostly full of students, the man began the lesson.

"Good morning and welcome back everyone. I know all of you know me from our previous two years together but for our new student Harry, I believe a brief introduction is necessary." At his words Harry felt many eyes flicker to him then back to the teacher, Harry blushed softly at the attention.

"I am Professor Boden and I teach Care of Magical Creatures, I have been teaching at Durmstrang for the past two years. This class is not only about learning to identify different animals and creatures but also how to care for them. Creatures are supremely intelligent and deserve our respect and friendship and I will tolerate nothing less in my classes." As he finished his speech his eyes flashed to Harry in clear warning, leaving no doubt that there would be serious repercussions if the creatures were not treated this way in his class. Harry gulped a littler nervously but nodded at Professor Boden.

"Today we will be learning about Thestrals," at his words he threw open the door to the enclosure Harry had been at earlier and the large skeletal creature walked out slowly, eyeing the students with a contemptuous look.

Harry chuckled, amused that the creature could even pull off such a look and Harry saw Professor Boden smile slightly at him.

"Now hands up, who can actually see the creature standing in front of them?"

Harry raised his hand, as well as a short girl with caramel hair.

The Professor nodded like he had expected nothing less.

"Thestrals are gentle creatures, though they can be dangerous if you provoke them. They have an amazing sense of direction and can fly at amazing speeds. They are able to pull heavy loads and are extremely loyal to those they trust. Hence why this one consented to coming to class with me today" Professor Boden explained.

"Now, I'm sure your all wondering why some of you can see them but most of you can't? Does anyone happen to know the answer?"

At his question five students raised their hands into the air. Harry noticed that the class was very well behaved, everyone was listening attentively, and some students had parchment out and were taking notes. He wondered if this was the norm at Durmstrang or just this class in particular.

"Yes, Sarah?" Professor Boden said pointing to a girl towards the front of the class.

Sarah cleared her throat before speaking, "the only people who can see Thestrals are people who have witnessed death."

At her words a few of the students gasped and some turned to stare at him and the other girl who could see the Thestral. He heard Lukas whisper to Timur and Roman, "wonder who he has seen die?" Harry turned to see the three of them eyeing him speculatively.

Harry gulped thickly, great this is just what he needed to be reminded of on his first day. His mind automatically straying to Cedric and how his last year at Hogwarts had ended.

He looked down, taking a few deep breaths, there was no way that he was going to get upset in his first class on his first day at his new school.

Harry looked back up and focused on what the teacher was saying, trying to get his face to remain in a calm mask.

Professor Boden looked at his new student and he wondered if the teen had any idea how expressive his face actually was. Professor Boden could tell that he was trying to calm himself, but his startling green eyes swam with pain, his jaw and shoulders tense. He felt bad for his new student, I'm sure this is the last thing he needs on his first day at a new school.

Lukas seeing Harry's distress reached out and place a hand on his shoulder in comfort. Harry turned and smiled appreciatively at the gesture and feeling the warmth soak into him he felt himself begin to relax a little. Lukas kept his hand on Harry's shoulder for a few moments longer before letting it drop to his side.

"Now I want you to come out in pairs to calmly pet the Thestral, I want you to gently feel him, getting an idea of what he looks like from touch and then return to your books and attempt to draw what he looks like. Those of you who can already see the Thestral can still come and pet him if you wish, this Thestrals name is Ernie and he is a glutton for attention. Once you have finished your drawing, I want you to pull out your text book and find me three interesting facts about Thestrals that we have not already discussed today. I also want you to tell me two ways in which you would treat an injury to a Thestral differently to an injury to a hippogriff. You will not be leaving for your next class until you are done, so I suggest you work hard."

At his words the class sprang into action, forming into pairs and lining up to feel the thestral.

Timur came and stood beside Harry to form a pair and they fell into line behind Lukas and Roman.

As they approached Ernie, the thestral turned to look at Harry. Harry guided Timur's hands to Ernie's back where he started to pet down his spine and run his hands over his leathery wings.

Harry himself ran his hands through the thestrals dark mane, the thestral leaning in and nuzzling his neck slightly. Harry smiled at the gesture, strongly reminded of Hedwig and Zima.

Harry turned to see Professor Boden watching him thoughtfully, but before Harry could comment the man had turned away to assist a student.

Harry and Timur walked over to join Lukas and Roman on their assigned work. Before Harry knew it the class was over and the group was walking back towards the castle for charms. As he traipsed along with the rest of his year, he couldn't help but think that that was one of the best classes he has ever had. He just hoped that the rest were just as good.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

As the whole year walked into Charms, he started to pay more attention to the students around him. There seemed to be around 25 students in their year, the group as a whole was quite quiet, talking amongst themselves but none were overly exuberant. Harry supposed that this was just the behaviour expected at Durmstrang. There was a mixture of both boys and girls and most looked friendly enough.

Harry took a seat at a desk next to Roman, while Lukas and Timur sat at the desk behind them.

An elderly witch walked in with a stern expression on her face. Her long grey hair braided around her head and pinned at the back.

"Good morning everyone, I trust that you all had an enjoyable summer. For those of you who are unaware I am Professor Nilsson and I am the Charms Professor here at Durmstrang."

Harry didn't know if it was her age or her mannerisms, but this teacher strongly reminded him of Professor McGonagall. The Professor went succinctly through the days lesson, Harry taking as many notes as possible, before getting them to practice the spell. Today they were working on a spell that would get a wound to stop bleeding and Harry was astonished to realise that he had never learnt any basic healing charms before. Now that he thought about it it seemed like a gaping hole in his magical education. Although, maybe they didn't start learning them until older years at Hogwarts he reasoned. Though with the world how it'd been the last few years he was astounded to think that the teachers at Hogwarts hadn't thought to teach them at least the basics of healing.

The class ended and Harry's brain was spinning with how much information it had just taken in, luckily, he had been able to perform the spell by the end of class, Timur hadn't managed it and had extra homework to practice it tonight.

"I don't know if I would be any help, but I would be happy to work with you on the spell tonight if you like?" Harry asked as they walked towards the hall for lunch.

Timur turned to look at Harry a slightly surprised look on his face before it quickly disappeared, "sure Harry that would be great, thank you."

As they sat down for lunch Annika, Jasmine and another girl sat down with them. Harry greeted them all pleasantly though inside he was feeling anxious around Annika after her treatment of him the day before. Perhaps Jasmine noticed his anxiety because she leaned over and engaged him in conversation, asking how he was enjoying his lessons so far.

After lunch the afternoon seemed to fly by. Herbology at Durmstrang was very similar to Herbology at Hogwarts, a middle-aged witch with a passion for plants ran the class and Harry found her enthusiasm infectious.

He was walking in through the castle's front doors with Roman intent on practicing the charm they had learnt earlier that day on a small cut on Harry's finger.

"Hold still Harry, I will have this fixed in no time" Roman said holding Harry's hand gently in his own.

"Honestly Roman, it's only a little cut from a plant in Herbology just leave it" Harry said, attempting to pull his hand away. But Roman wouldn't let go, he gripped Harrys hand tighter muttering the spell, then he ran his thumb over the place where the cut used to be, inspecting his spell work. Harry blushed at the touch and Roman shot him a small genuine smile.

"There, all better."

"Ah, thanks very much" Harry replied pulling his hand away and putting it in his pocket.

As they walked into the common room Harry was immediately waylaid by Blake and Martin who appeared to have been waiting for him.

"Ready for your tour Harry?" Martin asked.

"I sure am" said Harry excitedly, "just let me put my bag in my room" he said as he ran off to chuck his bag on his bed before hurrying back.

"Let's go" he said, and Blake and Martin smiled at his enthusiasm.

Harry waved goodbye to Timur, Lukas and Roman before leaving with the older boys.

They walked around for over an hour, Martin and Blake showing Harry all the things of import at Durmstrang, giving him a running commentary along the way.

"This is where Charms is usually held, and this is where you will have Transfiguration," Martin explained pointing to different corridors as they walked along.

"Be careful when entering an empty classroom Harry, they tend to be used by students for a variety of reasons. Students practice duelling, meet up for study groups or meet their lovers in empty classrooms" Blake said with a wink. "So always best to knock, just to be on the safe side."

"Oh, don't worry I learnt that lesson at my old school" Harry said shuddering at the memory of walking in on Draco and Pansy getting friendly in an empty classroom.

Blake eyed Harry curiously, 'so he has been to a school previously, not home schooled at least' Blake thought, thinking about the puzzle that was Harry.

"There are no hidden passageways at Durmstrang like at some schools, but we have plenty of alcove's that offer some privacy if you ever feel like you need some time to yourself."

Harry nodded filing that information away for later, he knew from experience at Hogwarts that sometimes you do need a break.

As they walked, they chatted about their summers. Harry told Blake and Martin about spending his summer flying and exploring with Viktor, both were suitably impressed though they knew Harry hadn't told them to impress them, he truly cared about Viktor and spoke about their summer together with fondness. Harry didn't talk about anything other than his summer, but Blake and Martin didn't push him.

Blake spoke about travelling with his family for most of the summer, while Martin had spent most of his summer with his new baby sister. Harry could tell that they both cared about their families greatly.

They made it back to hall for dinner, Harry telling his year mates all the different things he had seen, while they put in with anything else, they thought he should know. Jasmine again engaging him in conversation.

"Curfew is 9pm Harry but you are able to get a pass from the library to stay out an extra hour if you are in there studying" Jasmine explained.

"That's good to know" Harry said as he dished up some stew for his dinner.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Later that night found Harry laying on his bed writing a letter to Viktor, telling him all about his first day and his sorting. He hoped that Viktor would write back soon.

When he was finished, he watched Lukas, Roman and Timur playing exploding snap for a few minutes before pulling his curtains and falling into an exhausted sleep, it had been a long day.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

Also, I am after peoples thoughts on who I should pair Harry with?

Choices are the twins in a triad though not twincest relationship, Martin, Blake, perhaps someone from Viktor's quidditch team or Professor Boden?

Let me know your thoughts as I am having trouble deciding.

Thank you!