My New Life (DRARRY)

Chapter 11

It was finally the day. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are arriving.

Classes let out early, and we all rushed to the entrance, with our heads of houses lining us up neatly. Suddenly, a huge ship arose from the Black Lake, gasps of awe coming with it. Before anyone could fully process it, a ginormous carriage, pulled by a herd of a mix between pegasi and something else, probably the French wizard government's attempt at keeping pegasi 'alive' even though all they did was hide from the wizards, as many mistreated the species.

From the carriage came a extremely large woman, probably a half giant like Hagrid, and behind her about 100 students, all age 17 or above. Dumbledore greeted her by kissing her hand, then gesturing for her and her students to enter the Entrance Hall.

Behind them came someone who looked like the headmaster of Durmstrang, Igor Karkaroff, betrayer of my father. I looked past him into the neat rows and lines of students. I heard many people gasp and start chattering.

I soon realized it was because of Viktor Krum, who apparently attended Durmstrang. I studied his expression and found he was staring a Dumb-as-a-door with a look of malice. I chuckled to myself. Draco noticed, and gave me a questioning look. I quickly whispered to him what I had observed, and a look of realization dawned upon him.

Once we got to the Great Hall, the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang decided where to sit. The Beauxbatons students sat at Ravenclaw table, and the Durmstrang students sat with the Slytherins, with Viktor Krum sitting right next to me.

I started up a conversation with him "Hi, I'm Harry, and this is Draco. Nice to meet you."

"You didn't use your last name, or go crazy over who I was." he immediately observed.

"I don't care about what my name means to people. I honestly hate all the attention I get just because I'm 'Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived'  I assume you don't enjoy people only wanting to get to know you 'cause you're famous."

"You are correct, Harry."

Just then Dumb-as-a-door said "Quiet down everybody, quiet down. Now that all of our schools are here together, I will have Mr. Crouch, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Mr. Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, explain more." he then stepped down from the podium, allowing Bagman and Crouch to go up.

Bagman went first, saying "Alright! You already now the basic rules of the tournament and how it works, but I will now reveal how the champions are chosen." Filch then brought up an elegant wooden stand/podium, with an object covered in cloth on top. Crouch then stepped up, and at the same time, Bagman removed the cloth. There was a huge, elegantly carved stone goblet, with bright blue flames coming out.

"I would like to reveal the Goblet of Fire. The Goblet will be choosing our champions. In order to enter the tournament, you must write down your name and school on a slip of paper and place it in the Goblet. I would like to remind you that you must be 17 or above to enter. There will be an age line to enforce this rule."

Then Dumbles came back to the podium to say "Let the feast, begin." Food then started appearing, and I noticed there were also some foreign dishes for our guests. I decided to try some Banitsa and Bouillabaisse as tribute to the guests.

After filling my plate, I turned to Viktor to resume our conversation. "So, what's it like at Durmstrang?"

"It is okay. The castle does not have this liveliness that Hogwarts seems to have."

"What of the classes?" asked Draco.

"The academics are grueling, and not my preferred teaching method. It is advanced, yes, but it is hard to learn much when they hardly teach you, they just expect you to know. I prefer a more calm learning environment, where we can ask questions and get help. Durmstrang may put out some great wizards, but those are just the ones who make it through. If you're struggling, they kick you out. It is generally not a good place for mental health."

"Wow," I breathed out. "Sounds like you want to transfer."

"Well, this is my last year, and it will be spent here, a place where I wish I had gone."

Draco informed him "Well, since you take classes here, so your last year will be a chance to experience this place."

"And to that, I am grateful."

We continued chatting throughout the feast, and when curfew came around, some of the Durmstrang students, including Viktor, opted to sleep in the Slytherin dorms because the ship may be luxurious, but it can get tiring to always be there. Some of the Beauxbatons students are also sleeping in the Ravenclaw dorms, because the carriage can only expand so far.

A/N My sister experienced a school like how Viktor described Durmstrang, so I wanted to include this. Her teachers practically ignored her ADHD, and would accuse her of looking at other's tests or not paying attention.