PLOT SUMMARY: The Triwizard Tournament returns, though this time, it's meant as a friendlier competition, not to end in tragedy like the last. Dmitriy Petrovich's brother Ivan is chosen as the Durmstrang champion, and he sends his little brother to spy on the Hogwarts champion, or someone close to them. Gentle, disliked, and naïve, Dmitriy goes about it, though he realizes, when shown kindness instead of manipulation, that he'd rather help his host school win than the one he belongs to.
Why, of all things, did it have to be a ship that brought them to Hogwarts? From what he'd learned, the students of the school took a train there, a nice, smooth journey that was preferable to the choppy, tumultuous trip by water. Dmitriy had spent most of the trip down below, attempting to recover from the seasickness that struck him almost as soon as he'd boarded, though whenever he did turn up above decks, he was met with teasing from his classmates about his weak constitution. Even when he wasn't struck with nausea, he preferred to spend time on his own; it wasn't worth the effort of dealing with the other Durmstrang boys.
Dmitriy had always been a bit of an outsider amongst the normally stoic, tough Durmstrang students, preferring the company of animals or books to other people. He looked the part, standing six feet three with a sturdy, muscular build maintained with Quidditch, a sport he loved dearly. One of his older brothers had been recruited by the Romanian World Cup team, and he often brought the game home to family gatherings. Dmitriy wasn't as skilled as his older brother, but he made a nice enough Beater and could generally contribute to the game if he didn't end up distracted.
The Triwizard Tournament was both a blessing and a curse. All Durmstrang students of eligible age were required to put their name into the cup, and since the elder Petrovich boys had all entered, so would Dmitriy and his brother one year older, Ivan. It couldn't interest him less, so he hoped that his name wouldn't be the one pulled. He was much more interested in exploring Hogwarts, finding the secret passages that were rumored to be everywhere, and spending time in their massive library than trying to go for guts and glory. That was much more his brother's forte.
Finally, after what seemed like weeks but was more than likely only a few days, the ship docked at Hogwarts, and they began their structured entrance to the school, parading down the hallways in between the massive tables in a military-like regimen. It wasn't something they had 'practiced', per se, but they all knew what was expected of them, and not one foot was stepped out of line. All eyes were on them as they made their way to their seats at the Slytherin table, Dmitriy taking a seat much near the end of the long stretch of benches. The Headmaster made a short speech welcoming them, which, admittedly, he only half listened to; he was too busy studying the room, taking everything in, when his eyes locked with a pair of doe-brown ones across the room. They belonged to a girl, small and pretty, who couldn't seem to look away from him as much as he could with her. His brain screamed at him to make a smile materialize, to change his emotionless expression to something, anything, less creepy, but it was as though he was frozen in his seat.
He didn't even react when food appeared in front of him, only snapping out of his gaze when his brother elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to jostle and his back to hit the wall somewhat gently.
"What are you doing? Do you not see the food? Eat up, you need your strength," Ivan said to him gruffly, and Dmitriy shook his head quickly to clear the clouds from his mind. He began to pile on the delicious smelling meats and cheeses and breads onto his plate, and though he was shoving food into his mouth at every opportunity, he couldn't help but try and make eye contact with the girl again. It took a bit of practice to seek her in the crowd, but soon enough he was able to find her without any effort, though she didn't look up once more.
Maybe he'd scared her off. He wouldn't blame her.
–
The Durmstrang students spent the night in the Slytherin dormitories in the dungeon, which were most likely meant to mimic the cold of their native Scandinavia back at Durmstrang, but just felt dank and humid to him. He spent most of the night shivering until he remembered a charm that would warm the area around him, but even then, he slept restlessly. The names would be drawn in the following days, and if he was chosen, well, he'd be expected to win. Anything else would dishonor the family, and that was the last thing he wanted to do if he wanted to return home anytime soon.
Dmitriy rose early, much like he always did, and though he got lost a few times on the way up, he made it to the Great Hall in the middle of breakfast. It was a quick but still large meal for him; with his large frame, he needed a lot of fuel to make it through the day and not be exhausted. It was mostly protein, breakfast meats and bagels, but he did allow himself to have a few different pieces of fruit that they didn't have very often up north. He may have indulged a bit harder in the pineapple than he probably should have, as it made him full without doing much for nutrition, but it was just so good, and he so rarely had it back home... Maybe he could just have a relaxing day before the rigorousness of the tournament started.
Not only did he know he wouldn't run into any of his classmates, but he was truly interested in Hogwarts' library, and as soon as he entered, he was in awe of how expansive it was. Sure, he'd heard rumors, but most of the books back home were focused on either athleticism or dark magic, things he'd learned enough about already. Here, there was everything, cooking charms, magical history he'd never even had taught to him, creatures! Dmitriy scanned the titles with a fervent excitement, seeming to rush up and down the shelves like an overstimulated child.
It was this excitement that caused his hand to shoot out and bump into someone else's. He'd sighted a book about the dragons of northern Europe, a map on the spine that showed an area very near his hometown, and he'd just had to have it, but apparently, someone else had had the same idea. "Oh! I apologize," he spit out instantly in his heavily accented English, retracting his hand back to his side. "Oh! It's you!" came out before he could stop it, and he felt a light blush spreading over his cheeks. "I mean, I... saw you at feast. Last night. Yes."
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