Rising From The Ashes

New Beginnings

Harry Potter trundled along the long corridor of the train like he had done so many times before. 

"We need to find a compartment, Harry. The train's leaving in a second." Harry's bushy-haired friend, Hermione Granger, whined.

"Ok, ok." Harry breathed impatiently. There was only one carriage of the train left and he had little hope of finding a free compartment. 

He turned his head left and right, peering through the windows at the students all laughing and chatting, catching up. 

Finally they found a compartment with no one in so the trio sat down. "Bagman wanted to tell us what's happening at Hogwarts," Harry's other friend, Ron said grumpily, sitting down next to Harry. "At the World Cup, remember? But my own mother won't say. Wonder what -" 

"Shh!" Hermione whispered suddenly, pressing her finger to her lips and pointing toward the compartment next to theirs. Harry and Ron listened, and heard a familiar drawling voice drifting in through the open door. 

"...Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the headmaster, you see. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore - the man's such a Mudblood-lover - and Durmstrang doesn't admit that sort of riffraff. But Mother didn't like the idea of me going to school so far away. Father says Durmstrang takes a far more sensible line than Hogwarts about the Dark Arts. Durmstrang students actually learn them, not just the defense rubbish we do...." 

Hermione got up, tiptoed to the compartment door, and slid it shut, blocking out Malfoy's voice. 

"So he thinks Durmstrang would have suited him, does he?" she said angrily. "I wish he had gone, then we wouldn't have to put up with him." 

"Durmstrang's another wizarding school?" said Harry. 

"Yes," said Hermione stiffly, "and it's got a horrible reputation. According to An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe, it puts a lot of emphasis on the Dark Arts."

"I think I've heard of it," said Ron vaguely. "Where is it? What country?" 

 "Well, nobody knows, do they?" said Hermione, raising her eyebrows. 

 "Er - why not?" said Harry. 

 "There's traditionally been a lot of rivalry between all the magic schools. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons like to conceal their whereabouts so nobody can steal their secrets," said Hermione matter-of-factually. 

 "Come off it," said Ron, starting to laugh. "Durmstrang's got to be about the same size as Hogwarts - how are you going to hide a great big castle?" 

 "But Hogwarts is hidden," said Hermione, in surprise. "Everyone knows that...well, everyone who's read Hogwarts, A History, anyway." 

 "Just you, then," said Ron. "So go on - how d'you hide a place like Hogwarts?" 

 "It's bewitched," said Hermione. "If a Muggle looks at it, all they see is a mouldering old ruin with a sign over the entrance saying DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE." 

 "So Durmstrang'll just look like a ruin to an outsider too?" 

 "Maybe," said Hermione, shrugging, "or it might have Muggle-repelling charms on it, like the World Cup stadium. And to keep foreign wizards from finding it, they'll have made it Unplottable -" 

 "Come again?" 

 "Well, you can enchant a building so it's impossible to plot on a map, can't you?" 

 "Er...if you say so," said Harry. 

 "But I think Durmstrang must be somewhere in the far north," said Hermione thoughtfully. "Somewhere very cold, because they've got fur capes as part of their uniforms."