บท 190: Durmstrang

The water in the Dark Lake had begun to swirl into a whirlpool, as if someone had flushed a gigantic toilet. Oleandra was beginning to worry for the aquatic life in the lake, particularly the giant squid. It sometimes liked to stick its gigantic eye to the porthole that served as Oleandra's window to look inside her dorm room, which would scare the daylights out of her and her roommates when they were least expecting it. Despite these breaches of privacy, Oleandra was quite fond of the creature; it was a gentle giant, not at all like Fluffy.

The whirlpool then turned into a waterspout, spitting out vast quantities of water upwards and carrying a wooden ship from the inky depths of the lake into the air. Gradually, the tornado of water calmed down, gently depositing the still-spinning ship on the lake's surface. Soon after, a splash was heard as an anchor was dropped in the water, and a thud as the ship's crew lowered a plank to solid ground.

To Oleandra's amazement, none of the people who came out of the ship seemed seasick; not even after enduring the equivalent of being thrown into an active washing machine. They also seemed quite burly; perhaps they taught some sort of martial magic at Durmstrang that required a certain level of fitness? However, her theory was soon disproved when they drew nearer; their bulk was due to the thick fur coats they were wearing.

The silver-haired man walking in front of the Durmstrang students went up to Professor Dumbledore to shake his hand.

"Dumbledore!" he said. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied.

"Oleandra, pinch me!" said Tracey excitedly as she grabbed Oleandra's hand tightly. "I think I'm dreaming!"

"What, what is it?" Oleandra said, puzzled, as she squeezed Tracey's hand.

"It's THE Krum!" Tracey said with stars in her eyes. "Do you think he'd sign an autograph—"

And then she sighed, as she realized that she'd come empty-handed, since the teachers' instructions had been to leave their belongings before coming to greet the visitors from the other schools. Tracey was a big fan of Quidditch, and it wasn't every day you got to meet your heroes!

"Here," said Oleandra, as she withdrew a leaf of talisman paper and a Muggle pen from her pouch. "But I'd wait until we're back inside, he'll have nothing to sign it on."

And sure enough; Professors Dumbledore and Karkaroff weren't going to stand there on the steps all day, and the Hogwarts students followed the Durmstrang students into the Entrance Hall and then into the Great Hall. There, they found the Beauxbatons students trying to warm up at the Ravenclaw table.

Oleandra walked past the Durmstrang students, who seemed unsure of where to sit, and plopped herself down at her usual seat at the Slytherin table. Eventually, Professor Karkaroff whispered something in Krum's ear, before returning to Professor Dumbledore's side.

"He's coming this way!" Tracey tittered happily.

Indeed, the Durmstrang students had elected to sit with them at their table.

"Viktor, it's good to see you again!" said Draco familiarly, when Krum sat in front of him.

"Haff ve met before?" grunted Krum.

"At the gala before the finals, remember?" Draco said. "You signed an autograph for me. Draco Malfoy?"

"Ah, yes," said Krum unconvincingly. "Drago."

Taking advantage of the awkward silence, Tracey rose from her seat, clutching Oleandra's pen and paper in her small hands.

"Excuse me, could I have your autograph?" Tracey said.

"Of course!" said Krum, flashing her a smile. "Anything for a pretty lady such as yourself. Vhat is your name?"

"It's Tracey Davis," Tracey said. "With an e."

Krum scribbled his signature on the small piece of paper, which Tracey happily took before returning to her seat.

"What, that's it?" said Pansy Parkinson, who, as usual, was being a busybody. "He seemed interested in you, why did you come back so soon?"

"He's not my type," said Tracey dismissively.

"That's for sure," Oleandra snorted, which earned her a wary look from Tracey.

"Not your type?" said Pansy incredulously. "Tracey, you could be going out with an international Quidditch player by the end of the year if you play your cards right; who cares if he looks a little foreign?"

"Why don't you try your luck, then?" Tracey shot back.

"I don't need another man in my life," said Pansy smugly. "I've got my Draco."

And then, she shot Oleandra a victorious look, which aggravated her more than it should have.

"Oh no!" Tracey suddenly whined.

"What is it?" Oleandra asked.

"Take a look," said Tracey, handing her the autograph that read: To Tracy Davies, my number one fan.

"Pfft!" Oleandra giggled. "Well, you can always ask him for another one, he's still right here."

"I don't know," said Daphne lazily. "He seems more interested in the cutlery, more than anything."

Until now, Daphne hadn't said a single word; this conversation seemed to have bored her to no end. However, she was right: the Durmstrang students seemed fascinated with everything in the Great Hall, from the plates and forks to the enchanted ceiling. Heh, bunch of tourists.

While the girls had been talking, the headmasters had been making their way up to their seats. The moment Madame Maxime reached her seat at the teachers' table, the Beauxbatons students rose to their feet, and wouldn't sit back down until their headmistress had done so as well.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and— most particularly— guests. I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts," said Professor Dumbledore. "I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable. The Tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast. I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

The dishes then magically filled themselves up as usual, surprising a Durmstrang student who'd been busy inspecting the insides of a bowl over his head, with predictable results: the poor boy's face ended up scalded with piping hot soup.