章 1: Chapter 1
What does the Durmstrang Institute look like from the outside? A huge castle, somewhat resembling an Orthodox church. A very large Orthodox church. The resemblance to St. Basil's Cathedral was obvious, and those onion-shaped domes… Well. Even though I know that the offices of most of the professors are located inside them, and the larger ones house the dormitories, the resemblance to churches is still a bit unnerving.
I am, after all, a convinced atheist, and I've had enough of seeing the "kind" representatives of that organization driving cars far more expensive than those of various government officials.
But thank goodness, at least they weren't gilded, and like most of the building, they were of a maroon hue. Some of my female classmates in this life have a particular name for this color, but I can't seem to remember what exactly it is. I'm too lazy to rack my brain over such a trivial matter. And here I am, someone who — due to my social position — tries to keep up with fashion. After all, in my place, it doesn't really matter what gender you are; your knowledge in this area will be judged all the same. Not by everyone, but certainly by those like you.
It is thanks to fashion, actually, that I currently have shoulder-length hair, tied back into a ponytail for convenience. In this form, nothing gets in the way, and at the same time, it is considered within the bounds of decency and doesn't fall into the category of vulgarity or tastelessness.
...At least in the eyes of the old pureblood families. But it's among them that I am destined to spend my entire life. I no longer know if that's a good thing or not.
I don't really remember what was said in canon about Durmstrang. It's been fifteen years since my reincarnation.
Besides, I didn't have much time to write down any information about the canon while under the care of my newly-acquired mother and the house-elf — well, house-elf maid, to be precise — so that I wouldn't forget it. And moreover... I didn't want to and still don't want to interfere in events that, as far as I can tell by the timeline, have already begun. The Boy-Who-Lived seems to be starting at Hogwarts around now.
So what's the point in sticking my nose into all that nerve-wracking battle between Good and Evil? To see the childhood heroes in real life? Not the best motivation to dive into the British cesspool. It's easier to pop over to the island out of curiosity at that moment in history when Harry will be taking photos with Gilderoy Lockhart, that fraud and scoundrel. After all, that popular liar will surely announce the time and date of his fan meet-up.
But otherwise, no... forget it. I have no desire to get myself into trouble when I've been reincarnated into such ridiculously — there's no softer way to put it — favorable conditions. Actual magic, a wealthy and influential family, and a strict but, let's be honest, genuinely loving parent, whereas in my previous life I was practically an orphan… And, in the end, a handsome, aristocratic face!
...Though the latter could be a bit more masculine, I suppose. Being nearly a bishounen is fine, of course, as it greatly reduces problems with the opposite sex... But due to being raised in the appropriate society, I sometimes get this itch about the two M's — Masculinity and Manliness, that is. Still, I successfully suppress this itch, because there's no reason for me to let anything be imposed on me. I'll decide for myself what appearance suits me best.
As for the previous years of studying at Durmstrang... Pretty ordinary school days for a private school for the children of the rich, but with magic added in. No particular adventures or dangers for my own hide. Among the adults here, there are no fools who would risk endangering children, regardless of their goals or motivations. Especially children from families who could raise one heck of an uproar...
The good old British grandpa is undoubtedly lucky that his purebloods are sitting quietly and not making much fuss. In the past, they made quite a name for themselves and now don't want to tarnish their reputation any further — something Dumbledore would certainly manage to do, that crafty fellow. In a different situation, he would have been fully held accountable for even a single Cerberus.
At least, Karkaroff got into trouble for less in his first year as headmaster. The man initially seemed to think that, since Dumbledore essentially put him in this position, he could do whatever he wanted. Not quite. The school is funded almost entirely by donations from purebloods in Eastern and partly Central Europe.
Only a small portion of the funding comes from those half-bloods who paid their way into Durmstrang. I don't know how it works at Hogwarts — it seems like tuition is free there, though I'm not sure. But Durmstrang is a bit more mercantile… as are most other magical schools, for that matter.
In any case, having burned himself once, Karkaroff now behaves quite reasonably. The thing is, he still treats students quite harshly, but now there's a "catch," as they say. The punishments that this fellow loves so much are now applied in full only to students of half-blood origin.
Of course, this has increased class inequality, but unfortunately, there's nothing to be done—it's the inertia of their thinking. They've taken care of their own children, and that's that. And the half-bloods? Well, what about them? Are they part of the family? Relatives? No. That means they're nobodies.
Class-based society is great… but only when you're at the top of it.
However, I don't have any idealistic or revolutionary tendencies. I am a pure egoist, and I am completely satisfied with the current state of affairs.
Of course, I haven't spent the past four years in idleness. I've been doing exactly what any self-respecting pureblood is supposed to, according to my maman. I've been gaining my so-called "first" experiences (though in this society, it really is my first) in interpersonal relationships, psychology, and other matters that anyone who wants to actively participate in the affairs of high, heh, society must master.
And I do want to. Not because I'm drawn to some, ha-ha, romantic ideal of aristocracy, but simply because… there isn't much else for me to do. Devote myself to magic 24/7? Sure, I could, but to do that in my prime? Not really appealing. Maybe when I'm older...
As for other forms of entertainment... I'll be honest, things are pretty sparse in the magical world. And as for Muggle entertainments… seriously, it's the second half of the 1980s. What kind of entertainment could possibly exist for someone who grew up in the 21st century?
I could travel, of course. I'm sure there are plenty of interesting things to see in this parallel version of Earth… but then another issue arises.
My dear mother is currently in the prime of her life, despite being thirty-seven years old. And she keeps a close eye on me, making sure that I'm engaged in what she considers "proper" activities. She also makes sure I don't associate with the wrong kinds of people, which includes Muggles and, to a certain extent, Muggle-borns.
As for the latter… The general attitude toward them here is openly hostile, but not mostly because of the purebloods' Sense of Their Own Importance, or genetic racism, and so on. Everyone who thought that way was rooted out along with Grindelwald.
It's a different story here. After WWII, which hit wizards just as painfully, who would have thought… the Yanks showed up, those star-spangled opportunists. It's worth clarifying that they acted — and still act — much like their non-magical counterparts.
Taking advantage of the collapse among the old magical families of Eastern Europe and the absence of communist wizards, the Americans quickly grabbed hold of the Ministries of Magic in various countries in this region and began introducing all kinds of interesting new laws… By the time the purebloods, who had once been the unquestioned rulers of their countries, regained their senses and recovered from the shock of the war, it was already too late to turn things around.
And to speak out against Muggles, Muggle-borns, and the like after a significant portion of their own ranks had either fought for Grindelwald or supported him financially… Well, the situation was similar to what happened not so long ago in England after the first (and so far, only) death of Voldemort. The purebloods scattered to lick their wounds, and the more cunning ones grabbed all the power for themselves.
But something still had to be done.
So the old and not-so-old families declared a simple boycott. They started blatantly ignoring the Ministry — its laws, its decrees, its actions… You'd think that such audacity would be enough to push these damned aristocrats against the wall… But as it turned out, the war had also crippled the purebloods' opponents.
After all, the future recruits and American-backed candidates — Muggle-borns and half-bloods living in the Muggle world — were dying off even before they could start their education, due to bombings and other wartime misfortunes. So, to the Yanks' surprise, they didn't have the strength to openly suppress all their enemies.
Plus, on the side of the Eastern European purebloods was Durmstrang, the most important training ground for magical elites. So in the end, a kind of parity was established.
Over time, things smoothed out a bit. The Americans eventually brought in leaders who understood the situation and began treating these so-called "violators of freedoms and rights" more leniently, suddenly talking about our cultural traditions and historical reasons… When in reality, they were just looking to profit at our expense.
The old families had money. Enough to bribe the new government. So for about twenty years now, there's been no full boycott of the national Ministries, and in turn, they haven't really interfered with the affairs of the purebloods. After all, it's more profitable to avoid another confrontation.
However, despite all this, the old memories of the wizards from these families — of the strange cold wars in their own countries — remain, which is why the irrational dislike of potential Yankee collaborators still lingers. Not entirely logical, of course… But understandable. People don't always act in purely logical or correct ways.
So, what's the result? Four years passed relatively calmly and steadily. The usual school routine was only occasionally broken up by amusing stories involving the students at this institution. At first, I was even surprised that things that seemed so ordinary to me, compared to what happened in canon with the main characters, were considered the height of interest and novelty here.
If only they knew what would happen at Hogwarts… Oh, I can already sense it — once the magical world finds out about them, it'll be the talk of every corner for the entire decade.
クリエイターの想い 
HPMan
HPMan I have browsed various Harry Potter fanfiction websites and was deeply disappointed by the lack of fanfics about studying at Durmstrang. I found some, but they were very short and clearly not intended to be continued. So, I want to give it a try. I don't know how it will turn out, but I will do my best. Only a few characters from the Nasuverse (i.e., "Fate") will be taken if they fit the concept of The Boy Who Lived universe.
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