Disclaimer: don't own.
„Hey!" a voice called out. Synchronically, Ginny and Hermione turned around, only to see the grinning face of the infamous Antonin Dolohov.
"Hey Antonin." Hermione greeted whereas Ginny chose to remain silent. "The time flies by, don't you think so? Tomorrow is our last day of classes and then we have the exam."
"Yes, definitely. And to think that you've just settled in. Don't you prefer Durmstrang to Hogwarts?" Antonin ignored Ginny deliberately which suited her just fine.
"I must admit, Durmstrang has its own beauty, though I still miss our castle." Hermione answered while following Antonin into the dining hall for dinner. She was starving. Today had been a particularly strenuous day with various hexes, potions and duels. Not to mention dark plants and a certain animal. Hermione was sporting lovely green dots, reminding her of polka dots, on her left arm, Ginny's left hand was burned and Antonin wore nothing but a smug expression.
"I must say that your potion was quite incredible." Antonin praised her. "Thank you. Though, I'm not used to Danijels hex – look at my arm!" Hermione exclaimed, holding up her arm unnecessarily.
"Not that bad, Natalija. It will be gone by tomorrow."
"Hopefully." Hermione mumbled, about to sit down at their usual table where Ginny, Vladimir and Mascha were already sitting.
Antonin took her arm and suddenly looked flustered. "Natalija, would you care to accompany me to the quidditch match tonight?"
Hermione noticed that his face was bright red. 'Well why not? Although he sounded as if he was asking her on a date, it seemed pretty normal to go to a quidditch match.' Therefore Hermione accepted.
"Yes, of course, I can go with you." she answered, wearing a half-smile and Antonin breathed out in relief. "That's great. I will pick you up in front of the girls dorms at 8."
Hermione bade him good-bye and took a seat at her half-filled table. Ginny shot her a confused glance. "What?" Hermione asked, clearly aggravated.
"Why did you accept to go on a date with Dolohov?" Ginny spat out the name.
"We are not going on a date, we are going to watch Quidditch together." Hermione explained, though suddenly felt uneasy.
What? Why?`
Ginny looked at her pityingly. "It is different in Durmstrang. They are not allowed to go out on dates into the village, therefore they celebrate quidditch differently. It's like Hogsmeade with us where we take someone on a date. Here, a quidditch match means much much more than in Hogwarts." Ginny explained.
Hermione opened her mouth like a fish.
Vladimir jumped in. "It will be like a big party. Quidditch match, of course. There will be food and drinks and music and lights – just like a huge party."
Hermione felt definitely sick now. She had just accepted to go on a date with Dolohov.
"I didn't know." she murmured quietly. Ginny looked at her sympathetically. "What shall I do now?"
Ginny shrugged. "There is nothing you can do NOW. It's too late, Nat."
Hermione scowled. "Aww come on, Natalija. Dolohov is a nice bloke." Vladimir cut in and Hermione almost wanted to punch him into his face and yell the truth at him. "You had fun playing quidditch together – as I was informed. Therefore, you will also get along perfectly tonight. Besides, I'm taking Katya."
Hermione sighed deeply and vaguely noticed that the other boys had already sat down. She decided to just play along with her fate and have as much fun as possible. Besides, she was on a mission and it might have been her job to keep Dolohov away from Tom as well. Sliding down more comfortably in her seat, Hermione rearranged her face into an unreadable mask and Ginny winked at her.
THTHTH
Hermione and Ginny were not wearing their uniforms tonight, but rather breathtaking dresses. Hermione was glad that Ginny had urged her to pack one – one might never know, Ginny had mysteriously winked at Hermione. Now she was happy. Ginny was a real flirt – Hermione only just noticed – but she hoped that she wouldn't go as far as she feared.
"You're together with Harry!" Hermione said when they stepped out into the common room where a lot of girls were assembled, wearing dresses and fussing over each other.
"I know, I'm not daft, Natalija. Besides, it's just a date, probably even less serious than Dolohov and you."
"You know perfectly well that I didn't know what this was about!"
"Tom won't be happy!" Ginny teased and Hermione rolled her eyes exasperatedly.
"He won't know!"
"Yeah."
Silence.
"Hermione, what do you think about HIM?"
"About whom?"
"Vladimir?"
"Hmpf. I think that Harry is… "
"Stop. Here they come."
"Natalija." Dolohov cried out happily and kissed Hermione's hand. "You look absolutely stunning." he said sincerely.
"Thank you. But so do you, Antonin." Hermione admitted whole-heartedly while Ginny and Vladimir were exchanging similar pleasantries.
"Ready to go?"
"I'm ready." and with that the two 'couples' made their way down the halls to the quidditch pitch.
THTHTH
"It's not as if you can ever win over me! I've got the elder wand. It's the real one."
"I think differently. It's not always the wand that decides who is better, it is the person behind it, Gellert. You should know that better."
"Ah, but here is the mistake, Dumbledore. This wand is invincible. No matter who is behind it or how great the opponent is – he can never win!" Grindelwald cried out in rage.
It was enough for Dumbledore. True, he had been sorted into Gryffindor, but he had Slytherin-qualities and they usually showed when he was angry. Very angry.
"YOU-KILLED-MY-SISTER!" he yelled and pointed his wand at Grindelwald.
Grindelwald sneered at Dumbledore. "Of course, I did!" he snarled sarcastically. "Why should I kill such a pathetic little creature? An excuse for a witch? Think, Albus."
Dumbledore held his wand tighter and glared at his former best friend. "YOU killed her! I wouldn't… I couldn't… I could NEVER kill my sister! It was YOU."
Dumbledore knew that he just had mere seconds to react. He knew it was a coward solution, but it was now or never.
He did the spell nonverbally – of his own creation and Grindelwald was bound by thin ropes. "Accio wand!" Dumbledore said calmly and the wand soared into Dumbledore's outstretched hand.
"If I remember, there is a cell waiting for you in Numengard. You are finished with killing innocent people, your time is over. Besides, the elder wand is legendary. I believe it will work perfectly for me as I have defeated its previous owner."
Grindelwald said nothing but glared at him with deepest loathing.
"Aha, here the aurors come. It's time for me to say good-bye."
And Dumbledore was gone, smiling in victory.
And the same time, Harry Potter woke up in the Slytherin dormitory, having an interesting dream about Dumbledore and Grindelwald fighting. He smiled in remembrance. Dumbledore finally defeated Grindelwald! Luckily, they didn't change the outcome of that fight. Or did they?
THTHTH
"Oh come on!" Antonin was now standing up in agony, Vladimir following his lead, desperately balling his fists. They were cheering for the Dark Tigers who were playing against the Durmstrang Dragons – two quidditch teams, made of entirely boys from the 5th and 6th classes.
Ginny and Hermione grinned at each other, clutching their drinks. Since their 'dates' were cheering for the Dark Tigers, they were more or less forced to cheer for them as well. However, it wasn't looking to good, they were losing 200 to 320. Although, nothing was lost yet.
"What a game!" Dolohov breathed and sat down next to Hermione when another goal was shot by 'his' team. "I just hope that Nicolai is going to catch the snitch this time!"
"Oh, don't worry, he will." Hermione smiled and handed him his butterbeer.
"I hope he does. The other seeker is usually faster." Vladimir said, two seats down.
Vladimir and Dolohov pulled similar desperate faces at the same time, when the other team scored another ten points.
Hermione laughed, taking an ice-cream from the basket the 3rd-year witch was passing around. Truly, quidditch at Durmstrang couldn't be compared to quidditch at Hogwarts. While she was admiring the heating spells cast around the stadium so that even she wasn't freezing in her dress, or the differently coloured lights, or the party music, and not to forget the drinks and food, Vladimir's and Ginny's hands were inching nearer and nearer.
That snapped Hermione out of her reverie.
"Katya!" she said reprimandingly.
Ginny, already drinking her third firewhiskey, laughed mischievously. "Harry would never know!"
Hermione leaned closer towards her with an angry expression. "So what? But he is a great boyfriend!"
"How do YOU know, Hermione? Besides, you aren't being faithful to the dark lord either!"
"Faithful, Ginny? I'm NOT together with that man, haven't you noticed?"
Ginny chose to remain silent and just glared at Hermione. "Natalija, they are having a break." Dolohov explained.
"Why?" Hermione asked, distracted.
"Oh, because, they have been playing for an hour and need rest for 15 minutes. Want to go for a walk?"
"Yes, sure." Hermione said without thinking and Dolohov helped her out of her seat.
"We'll be back in 15 minutes." Dolhov told Vladimir and he and Hermione departed together.
Vladimir laughed in his seat, mirroring Ginny's grinning expression. "Awww, how sweet!"
THTHTH
"Professor." Tom said in his silky voice, "There is a student from Durmstrang missing."
Draco shot him a glare. So what if Hermione was missing? He was together with Tom in the group and obviously didn't like the constellation.
"That doesn't matter. It's just a small project and Miss Karkarova won't miss anything." Dumbledore said with twinkling eyes.
Both Tom and Draco looked at the teacher with distaste, the former, because he was angry that Hermione couldn't work with him and the latter, because he was paired up with the future dark lord.
Tom sank back down in his chair and continued daydreaming about a special girl. He remembered her long, shining, gold-blonde hair, her beautiful, big eyes, her glowing skin when she was happy, her mouth and teeth when she was smiling… Tom sighed. He dearly hoped that she was alright.
Oh, and she would be meeting her ex-fiancée. No, he didn't want Natalija to go back to him – whoever that was.
"Tell me, Krum, what's the ex-fiancée of Natalija like?" Tom couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering him for days now.
Draco looked positively shocked. Hermione had a fiancée? Was that part of Dumbledore's plan or was that just a trick question from Voldemort?
Before Draco could answer, Harry saved the seriousness of the situation. "Alexey?" Harry sneered in a Slytherin-like fashion and Tom's and Draco's head whipped in his direction.
"If that is his name, then yes, Poliakoff." Tom said, dripping with fake politeness.
Harry smirked again a Malfoy-smirk and whispered so that Dumbledore couldn't hear. "He is evil. He treats Natalija as if he owns her and orders her around mercilessly. Alexey is not afraid of violence and believe me, torturing or violating Natalija is part of his everyday-hobbies. Trust me; she is not happy with him. She has been confiding in me for weeks now that she is scared of him and wants to break off the engagement. Natalija showed me bruises as big as my whole hand and cuts that were undoubtedly from him. She cannot go on like this – she is going to break, if she stays with him any longer."
Harry looked up to see Tom's reaction and was surprised – for a second – as afterwards Tom's mask of indifference slid into place.
"That's awful." he said with something, that neither Harry nor Draco could place.
"Yes. She needs someone better. She cannot have another one who is like Alexey." Harry finished.
Voldemort looked at him with a pained expression. "I agree with you, Poliakoff." was all Tom said.
Draco looked at the pair of them, closing his mouth. Harry's acting skills were undeniably beautiful. He didn't know, Potter had it in him. When Tom looked away, he winked at Harry who smiled back. Jackpot. That would get Tom thinking.
Well, it was not true of course – Harry and Draco didn't even know who this fiancée was, but it was worth a try. And a very good one at that. It surely got Tom thinking.
Indeed. Tom was sitting in transfiguration class, only listening half-heartedly. He was thinking about Natalija and her awful fiancée. Tom was hoping that she would really break off their engagement as he was obviously not good for her. Strangely enough, Tom felt an inexplicable need to protect her from Alexey, or rather from all evil, to be there for her, to care for her. He remembered how fragile, graceful and sweet she looked. He sighed. 'Natalija needs a better man… who protects her and is there for her, not someone who beats her or uses her. Someone like… me.'
Tom was shocked and dismissed his thoughts immediately. What a stupid suggestion. He growled at his sub conscience. He was about to become a dark lord who didn't need any women, or love or something close to that. And Natalija was not an exception. Tom looked sad. He felt strangely empty without her…
But he regained his composure quickly. "Krum." he barked into Draco's ear, who immediately jumped in fright. "I need to speak with you and Abraxas today. BEFORE lunch. It's urgent."
Draco answered: "Yes, Tom." as he wasn't allowed to use the 'other' name in public. "Very well." was Tom's clipped reply. He needed to do some serious thinking…