The carriage had a strange, floaty sort of feel. It really did seem like they were slicing through watery depths. Harry saw a stream of bubbles float past the window, and he knew Hermione was right.
"D'you think Dumbledore's manipulating our carriage somehow? Whatever's pulling us can apparently breathe underwater."
Hermione looked as bewildered as Harry felt. "I wish I could look up what a thestral is! It would make this whole situation so much easier to understand! Maybe I can use Durmstrang's library, if they have one."
It was Neville who finally understood.
"Hermione, you were right." He said slowly.
"I was? About what?"
"We're doing a combination of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang's entrances. The carriage part is Beauxbatons, and we're rising out of water like Durmstrang did!"
"Wow, Neville, I never thought of it like that." Ron looked genuinely impressed.
Neville looked pleased.
"Durmstrang is said to be located in the mountains, and we're coming out of water...which means they have a lake! A mountain lake, which must be freezing. That's probably why they have furs as part of their uniform, because they live in such a cold place." Hermione reasoned.
Harry could feel a chill set into his bones already. He wished that he had thought to bring a cloak with him, and he had no idea where his trunk was. His robes felt thin and penetrable.
They were still slowly sinking downwards. Looking out the window produced their reflection and nothing else. It was so dark outside that Harry wondered if they were even still in water.
For a long time, the four were silent, save for the occasional rustle of snack wrappers.
Harry was just thinking that they were never going to see daylight again when the carriage jerked upwards. The four friends froze, grabbing onto belongings and pets. Then the carriage lurched sickeningly and was suddenly pulled upwards by a strong, unseen force.
Harry's head spun with dizziness. Several voices cried out as their ears adjusted to the pressure. They moved through the lake quickly, rising higher and higher. They stared at each other in a kind of mute panic, exchanging anxious glances.
The water outside of the window got lighter and lighter until they burst up through the surface in a flurry of bubbles and water.
The carriage smacked back down onto the surface of the water, bobbling and swaying as it regained equilibrium.
Harry and the others stumbled about, crashing into things and falling over. When the carriage finally stopped moving and bobbed gently on the waves, Ron was gasping like he'd nearly drowned, Neville was whining about his ears, and Hermione clutched the table at the center of the carriage for balance.
Harry ran to the window for his first glimpse of Durmstrang.
Water sluiced off the protective barrier, making shiny shimmery tracks.
The scenery surrounding the carriage (which now started to hover in the air) was breathtakingly beautiful. The snow capped mountains surrounded a lush landscape of green grass and evergreen trees, and the lake below them looked frigid yet clear and perfect. Dumbledore and McGonagall's carriage drew up beside them, and Dumbledore gave Harry a small wink through his own window.
The sun shimmered at them through the water-covered window, and Harry had to shield his eyes. He was dimly aware of the small crowd that had gathered below them.
Then their carriage transformed (at least Harry assumed theirs did, because he could see Dumbledore's transforming). The Hogwarts seal gleamed bright gold against the black marble, and gold-edged banners unfurled from the sides of the carriage. They said HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY in enormous letters, and they zoomed towards Durmstrang.
"Dumbledore really wanted to make an entrance," Ron said, recovering. "And I can't blame him," Ron added after joining Harry at the window.
Their unseen steed brought their carriage gently to the ground in front of an enormous stone fortress. Although not quiet as impressive as Hogwarts (though the scenery made up for it), its turrets and towers loomed above them all. Its blood red banners flapped in the wind, and the gates looked cold and forbidding. Harry swallowed and straightened his spine.
"Look presentable!" Hermione hissed at them, straightening her robes and patting down her hair. "Line up or something. The doors are going to open!"
Harry, Ron, and Neville got into a mediocre line, attempting to look their best. The windows of the carriage unsealed with a hissing noise, and the doors slowly swung open. Harry felt rather noble, until he looked at the students and realized many of them were as tall as the carriage. Harry had to tilt his head upwards to make eye contact with any of them, which gave him a sense of un-nobleness.
Out of the corner of his eye, he was aware that Dumbledore and McGonagall were climbing out of their carriage, so Harry decided to be the first to step out of theirs.
Hermione marched out behind him, holding her head high, and was followed somewhat nervously by Ron. Neville got out last, catching his robes on one of the doors, and tripped a little. He dusted himself off and stood there blinking nervously in the light.
The Durmstrang students stood in rigid lines, each uniform pressed and tucked with military precision. They each held a gold-topped staff in their right hand, and looked straight forwards. Unlike the screaming, disorganized crowd that Hogwarts was when welcoming the foreign students, the people in front of Harry were the picture of discipline and self control.
A witch with silver-streaked black hair stood in front of them all, with the air of a experienced captain and self confidence.
"Greetings," she said in a cool, stiff voice, and the students behind her nodded as one. Harry had to admit seeing all those people move at the exact same time was a little eerie and unexpected.
Dumbledore strode forward, and said loudly:
"Scarlett Vulchanova! What a surprise. I hear you're taking over for Karkaroff?" He strode over and offered her a hand, which she seemed rather reluctant to shake.
"Temporarily, yes. I am, ah, filling in for as long as Durmstrang needs me." Her cunning, sharp gaze swept over Harry and the other four Hogwarts students. "Hogwarts," she said softly. "I remember you."
Harry had been so fixated on Dumbledore and Vulchanova's conversation and reading their body language, that he had not noticed a student separate from the lines and stand next to his headmistress.
It was Viktor Krum.
"Ve are honored to have Headmistress Vulchanova here." Krum said in a formal voice. "And ve are pleased to velcome the Hogvarts students to our school."
"Yes, it is a pleasure." Her black eyes cut into Harry's. "We look forward to getting to know you better."
Durmstrang's new headmistress was giving him the creeps. It felt like she could read his soul. Harry broke eye contact and looked towards the ground. The Durmstrang students were still standing in exactly the same way. Legs slightly apart, staffs grasped tightly in the right hand, and eyes staring over everything. Harry realized that there were girls too, though they were definitely in the minority.
"Viktor. Please show our guests to their quarters, where they can get acquainted and settle down a bit before our welcoming meal." Vulchanova's voice was cold and silky smooth. She reminded Harry distantly of Snape.
Krum bowed and turned to the assembled Durmstrang students. He gave a hand motion and they all took a step forward with their left foot, twirled their staffs twice, and filed into the fortress, perfectly in step.
Ron's mouth was slightly open. Neville looked on in astonishment. Hermione looked at Krum as if to say "What are you waiting for?"
Professor McGonagall had stepped forwards to speak to Vulchanova. They talked in quiet tones, neither getting close to the other. Vulchanova's blood red, black and silver robes glinted in the light. Harry caught sight of a long ebony wand before she shifted and the folds of her robes covered it again.
He wanted to stay longer to listen in on what they were saying, but Krum was leading the rest of them towards the fortress. The damp grass felt heavy and crackly under Harry's feet. Krum's uniform seemed to consist of a red coat-like thing, which was overlapped by a half cape trimmed with thick fur. It seemed to be doing its job of keeping the students warm, because Viktor didn't seem cold in the least.
Harry couldn't stop shivering. Hermione shot him a glance as his teeth chattered out loud. The mountains seemed to tower over them, foreboding. Harry rubbed his arms briskly to get the blood flowing and resolved to find his cloak as asson as he could.
Harry, Ron, and Neville walked at the back of the group while Hermione walked up front with Krum.
"So, Viktor, how have you been?"
"All right. I am glad you have decided to visit me."
Ron coughed loudly.
"I was going to anyway," Hermione said, glaring at Ron. "Who is Vulchanova?"
"Professor Vulchanova is a descendant of our founder, Nerida Vulchanova. She offered to fill this position for as long as ve need it, vich is very good and kind of her. Karkaroff vas not the most compassionate headmaster. Professor Vulchanova listens to us. Ah, ve have arrived."
Harry looked up at the stone arch above the two large and heavy-looking double doors. Gargoyles edged with gold decorated the front of Durmstrang Institute.
Viktor pushed the doors open and stood to the side.
Ron went first.
Harry remembered indistinctly that Krum had described Durmstrang to Hermione at the Yule Ball.
"Vell, ve have a castle also, not as big as this, nor as comfortable, I am thinking. Ve have just four floors, and the fires are lit only for magical purposes."
The entrance hall was definitely smaller than Hogwarts's. There were torches placed sparingly every ten feet, flickering with purplish flame. Everything seemed to be made of gray stone, giving the castle a hollow, abandoned atmosphere. Harry wondered briefly where Dumbledore was and what he was doing.
"You are going to sleep in the vest wing. Ve have guest accommodations there." Viktor said, looking at them all.
They followed him up an enormous sweeping staircase to the second floor, where, when Harry looked around, seemed to be lacking any paintings, sculptures, or suits of armor. It was so undecorated and plain that Harry wondered if…
Krum strode forward and disappeared. Hermione gasped.
"Blimey! What just happened?" Ron said in a hushed voice.
They all stared at the spot where Krum had apparently evaporated, as if waiting for him to appear again. Harry had a feeling that something was not as it seemed...
Neville approached the spot where Krum had vanished and waved his arm cautiously about. It reappeared in and out of view.
"It's an illusion!" He whisper-shouted, and the four cautiously ducked through to the other side. Krum was waiting in a hallway lit with more torches, slightly more decorated than the fake one.
"Did you find the hallvay amusing?"
"Very much so," said Harry. He saw a shadow on the wall and turned quickly, but it wasn't there any more. He couldn't stop the chills that swept up his spine.
"Ve have a room for each of you. Ve will send a student ven it is time for dinner."
They were introduced to their respective chambers. Each doorway was hung with rich red curtains, and they stepped eagerly over the threshold. Harry could hear the others exploring their rooms and settling down, but Krum held him back with a hand on his arm.
"Harry."
"What?" Said Harry, bewildered and a bit worried. Viktor didn't let go of his arm.
"Um, do you think Hermy-own-ninny still likes me? Does she have a boyfriend or something?"
"Er, not that I know of. I'm sure she still likes you. She was talking about going to visit, since you guys stay at Durmstrang year-round."
"Okay. Thanks."
"No problem," Harry said, a bit overcome by this more human side of Krum.
Krum took a deep breath and said, a bit gruffly:
"Cedric vos alvays nice and polite to me. I'm sorry you had to, erm, go through that."
"Yeah," said Harry, his throat tight. "Yeah."
He walked quickly into his room to avoid choking up more.