Rose Weasley and the Callamitus Clause

School returned to normal the day after the champions were selected- more or less, that is. Students returned to their scheduled classes, with one small addition.

"Students will remember that at the beginning of the year, I announced that those free blocks on your schedules were not permanent," McGonagall announced over breakfast.

"Of course we do," muttered James. "What kind of school gives you free time, then takes it away?"

"Well, I am pleased to announce that we have a new course starting up," the headmistress continued. "Professor Ivanoff and Madame Maxime, along with myself, will be teaming up to teach Foreign Studies. We will be educating you on magical variations between regions on a rotating schedule."

Rose checked her schedule. After Double Herbology, she was scheduled for a double free, which would undoubtedly be replaced by Foreign Studies. "This should be interesting," she said to Albus, who was leaning over to peek at her schedule.

Foreign Studies was a course unlike any of their others. All students, whether of Hogwarts or foreign, took it together in the Great Hall, where four sets of large padded bleachers had been set up. Rose sat near the front with the other first years, who automatically separated themselves based on house.

Madame Maxime entered, and all of her students immediately stood, and remained standing until she settled into the oversized plush chair where the Head Table normally was. "All of you, stand up," she said, and her students leapt to their feet as if the bleachers had turned into flames. "Now, zere is no reason for all of you to be sitting in zese 'ouses. Switch yourselves, now."

The Hogwarts students looked around reluctantly. Victoire and Molly Weasley simultaneously stood and walked away from their seats. This was a class, and Madame Maxime was obviously the teacher, and thus deserved their automatic obedience. Slowly, the other students trickled out of their comfort zones, and the houses began to mix. There were still clear divisions; the prefects ended up in a small huddle near the front, where the Ravenclaws had been sitting, and Rose spotted Alistair Trimble surrounded by a clump of older Slytherin boys. Rose ended up settling in a few rows back from Albus after seeing that he had found Liam O'Grady. Tia Marsh waved from a few feet over; she was next to Slytherin Callum Leach, who was doing his best to ignore her.

When everyone had settled themselves into their new seats, Madame Maxime declared comfortably, "Zat is better. Zese will be your seats whenever I am instructing you.

"Zis is a place as good to start as any. Now, Minerva 'as been very...liberal in 'er standards for zis course." Her nose twitched, but the rest of her countenance did not give way to the barred disdain that was in her voice. "As zat is ze case, I feel it is my obligation to forewarn you zat I am not 'ere to abandon ze secrets of my palace."

It took Rose a moment to remember that Beauxbatons Academy's building was called the Beauxbatons Palace, similar to the Hogwarts Castle. "I am 'ere to educate you on 'ow my academy is run," the headmistress continued, proud head held high, "and ze first zing you will learn is zat at Beauxbatons, we do not believe in zis foolish 'ouse nonsense." She waved a hand dismissively.

Her air of superiority extended to all of the topics they covered under her. "Now, I 'ave been informed about ze 'Ouse Elves working in 'Ogwarts' kitchens. No. Non, non, non. At Beauxbatons, we 'ave specially-trained witches and wizards making our meals each day. None of zis, zis 'Ouse Elf nonsense.

"And ze food itself!" she exclaimed. "Not nearly so 'eavy and crude. I would never let my students consume zeese, zeese feasts every day! 'Ow you do not all bloat up like ze balloons, I will never understand."

Albus turned and shot Rose an incredulous look as Maxime asked if someone could fetch her a drink. Her students quickly rose, but Molly Weasley, sitting closer to the front of the Hall, reached her first.

"Just some wine from ze kitchens," said Maxime. Molly nodded, paused in thought, then executed a small curtsy before walking briskly away. Some of the students snorted- one Slytherin boy laughed outright- but Madame Maxime nodded in approval.

"We shall discuss 'ow you should treat your teachers and 'eadmistress," she said, "but for now, reflect on what I 'ave told you."

The students relaxed, but there was none of the chatter usually heard between had ended up next to Gryffindors, Beauxbatons next to Durmstrangs, an arrangement which, although pleasing to Madame Maxine, was not conducive to casual remained in their seats- that was obviously the safest course of action.

Alistair Trimble seemed to think otherwise. He rose and walked across the front of the Hall, ignoring the hush that had fallen and the stares directed his way. When he reached the Beauxbatons headmistress, who had leaned back in her chair with one brow raised, he bowed.

From her spot near the rear of thestands, Rose could not make out what Alistair was saying. Whatever it was, it pleased Maxime. She relaxed her rigid expression to one of slight amusement. Slowly, conversation in the Hall resumed.

Rose spotted Dmitri and waved. He was sitting, not surprisingly, to the left of his brother- but they were not with the rest of the Durmstrang students, who had mainly remained on the Slytherin bleachers. Dmitri did not see Rose's gesture. He seemed to be in the midst of an unpleasant conversation with Rafael.

"Nyet!" he said angrily, loud enough to turn heads. Seeing people turn, Rafael put on a strained smile and continued the conversation in a whisper.

Luckily for the brothers, Molly chose that moment to return. She held both a long-stemmed wine glass and a bottle of rich burgundy wine. Alistair offered her a polite nod of his head as she arrived before Maxime. She returned the gesture but concentrated on pouring a glass of wine.

"Merci," said Maxime, accepting the glass. "Just put ze bottle zere, on ze table."

"Merci, Madame," said Molly, placing the bottle on the table. "C'est un honneur."

Madame Maxime raised her thin, dark brows. "Parlez-vous francaise?"

"Un petit peu," demurred Molly with practiced humbleness. "Ma cousine Victoire m'apprend le française. "

Rising from her seat in the front row, Victoire curtsied. "Vous etes Victoire Weasley!" exclaimed Maxime. "Je me souviens de toi"

Their conversation continued, branching into a level of French that Rose could not hope to follow. Molly mainly stayed mute, having thoroughly exhausted her lingual skills. Dominique and Louis, however, were following the conversation with a level of attention usually reserved for Quidditch.

"They were discussing why Victoire chose to attend Hogwarts instead of Beauxbatons," explained Dominique after the bell rang. She had been sitting only a few seats away from Rose and looked mildly perturbed. "It was a tough choice for all of us, actually."

Rose knew the difficult situation Fleur's children had been put it. Allowing for their mother's heritage and homeland, they had been invited to both Beauxbatons and Hogwarts. The decision had been especially hard on Victoire, who had spent each summer in France with her grandparents.

"Why was she bringing that up now?" Rose asked. She thought that it was rude to discuss in front of the entirety of Hogwarts- though admittedly, most of the room's occupants had not understood a word. Dominique shrugged, her mouth still set in a hard line as she walked away.

A few benches along, an odd standoff was taking place. Rafael, drawn up to his full height, had locked eyes with Alistair, who stood directly in his path. Though lanky, Rafael was far from weak, with his wiry muscles. He pushed Dmitri behind his back and squared his shoulders.

"Please step out of my vay," he said softly. Alistair tilted his head, smiled, then stepped to the side. Rafael hooked an arm behind Dmitri and swept him down the stairs, not looking back at Alistair, who retained a thoughtful expression.

"What was up with Alistair and Rafael?" Rose asked Albus, who had waited for her at the bottom of the rows of benches.

"What d'you mean?" he said obliviously. "Oh, did you see Alistair with Madame Maxime? What d'you reckon they were talking about?"

"Interesting lesson," remarked Lysander, drawing up next to the pair before Rose could respond. "I would have liked to hear more about how their classes are structured, but I suppose that will come with time."

Their next Foreign Studies lesson, however, was taught by Professor Ivanoff. "Oh, just make yourselves comfortable," he said upon seeing the students trying to figure out if they should sit in their house seats, or where Maxime had put them. Rose ended up with a group of Gryffindors, consisting of Albus, James, Lysander, Tia Marsh, and some of Albus' roommates, including Liam O'Grady and Dominic Woodard.

Ivanoff sat on a normal chair that looked like the ones that typically lived behind the Head Table. He leaned to one side, resting on an armrest in an utterly relaxed matter.

"As you all know," he began, "I am Vikenti Ivanoff, head of Durmstrang Institute. It is my hope that through this course, we will all come to understand what makes each other's schools tick."

James looked at Rose with a poorly concealed smirk. "Oh, I bet," he mouthed.

"Now, as a sort of good faith gesture," continued Ivanoff, "I would like to begin with a brief lesson on Durmstrang's history, to show that all of these secrets between the schools can so easily be done away with."

Everyone, even the Durmstrang students, looked surprised at this pronouncement. Ivanoff, however, remained completely self-assured.

"Durmstrang Institute was founded by brothers Alek and Stefano Durmstrang. They had been self-taught with secrets of magic passed down through their family, which included numerous spells that they and their ancestors had created.

"The brothers built up a sensible institute which was intended to serve as a location to house their relatives and teach the next generation. However, after the brothers died, the Institute was taken over by Maria Durmstrang, one of their cousins. She decided to open the Institute to the surrounding magical community.

"The Institute has expanded over the years. We now invite all magically-gifted children of former students, as well as accepting applications from affluent families from around the world."

This was an interesting difference from Hogwarts. Rose knew from Hogwarts, A History and Magical Training: from Home to Hogwarts that Hogwarts invited anyone with magical talent, whether their parents had attended the school or were Muggles. Not everyone invited decided to attend, of course; the famous Limosa Sisters were very proud of the fact that their entire line was homeschooled. And if a child had only a touch of magic in them, they were often kept home as to not have them fall behind at a formal academy.

"Now, there is the Institute's basic history," said Ivanoff, lacing his fingers together in his lap. "I would like to take the time to answer some questions, clear up any longstanding...misconceptions."

No hands went up. After a moment, Lysander rose his. "How do your lessons run?" he asked, seeming genuinely interested. Immediately after Ivanoff answered- their classes were also separated by year, but additionally by gender- a flood of questions met him.

"Only two of the eligible girls from the Institute made it into the dozen students I could bring," explained Ivanoff when asked about the apparent gender inequality. When it was clear that the majority of the students did not know what he was referencing, he elaborated.

"You see, we had many students interested in entering the Tournament," he explained. "As I could only bring a dozen students, anyone interested was required to pass through a series of tests and challenges of my own design. Those receiving the highest scores were permitted to make the trip."

Some of the questions received less-than-informative answers. When hesitantly asked about Durmstrang's reputation for teaching the Dark Arts, Ivanoff sighed. "I know I said I wanted to tackle misconceptions," he said, "but we only have a few minutes remaining, and I wish to fully address that matter. But certainly, next time I am your instructor, I will speak on the matter unreservedly."

"Awfully convenient response, wasn't it?" remarked James as the dismissal bell rang. "Leave it until the end so he can think up a good lie for next time."

"Or maybe he really had no time," offered Rose, but she knew that James was in no mood to consider any theories beyond his own.

They lounged outside the Hall until the stands had been turned back into dining tables. James continued his verbal tirade against Ivanoff until they reached the Gryffindor table. Then he sat, assuming a surly silence.

Two minutes later, Dmitri flew through the main doors, as he had at the start of each meal since the champions had been selected. This time, however, someone was with him. Rafael Romolov followed his brother to the Gryffindor table, a steady hand on the younger boy's shoulder.

"May I sit vith you?" he asked as Dmitri fell into his usual spot.

Rose glanced around. When it was clear no one else was going to speak, she said, "Fine with me."

Rafael took the seat next to his brother and did not speak again. Dmitri launched into a story about one of his classes; the foreign students had the option of sitting in on Hogwarts classes, but most of them chose instead to study with their own head. Dmitri, however, found the lessons intriguing and attended as many as possible. Due to his age, he was with the second years. By choice, he followed the Gryffindors' schedule. Lysander was ecstatic- he was enjoying getting to know the foreign boy- but James was still sullen about the addition to the group.

"You are using some of the most interesting potions," said Dmitri. "This morning, ve made vun vith no magical ingredients at all!"

"Just because they're not enchanted doesn't mean they do not have magical properties," corrected Lysander- for once, his nose was not buried in the pages of a book. "The white petals we were using today, the asphodel- it's not magically enhanced, but that's because its nature is inherently magic."

Dmitri paused, then nodded. "I see your point," he said, "but at home, ve put magic on it all, to make all the things most strong."

Nibbling on the end of a carrot, Rose considered this. "But what if you wanted to make something weaker?" she asked. "Say, a light Sleeping Draught as opposed to the Draught of Living Death?"

Confusion swamped Dmitri's face. "I do not understand," he said apologetically. "You say, vhat if I vant something to be not strong?" The concept seemed to befuddle him. "No, I am sorry. I do not-"

Rafael began speaking in a language none of the others could identify. Slowly, Dmitri's confused expression eased up to one of slight amusement.

"I see now," he said once his brother had returned to eating in silence. "Vhy vould you vant something to be not as strong?"

Lysander and Rose took turns attempting to explain, but it was of no use.

"It's not that he doesn't understand the words," said Rose with exasperation once they were back in the common room. "But the concept is completely foreign to him!"

"It's not how they do things at Durmstrang," said Lysander. "The concept of something that is weak being superior to something that is strong is not what they teach."

It was not the first time that Rose wished Hogwarts offered a foreign exchange program. Foreign Studies was interesting enough, but she wanted to be able to fully immerse herself in one of the foreign schools' ways. She would have never thought that someone would be confused by non-magical ingredients; she used them often with her mother.

The next day brought a double Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, which had been highly anticipated by all of the students. "D'you think you'll be doing Stunning Spells?" asked James over breakfast. "That was one of my favourites. I bet I could hit that Slytherin bloke with one from here..."

Rose hit his arm as he reached for his wand. "Do you want to lose those points I got during Foreign Studies with McGonagall?" she hissed. She had earned Gryffindor five points for being able to name all the courses Hogwarts offered and was intent on keeping them.

Secretly, though, she hoped James was correct. The first years had spent the past two weeks learning about the physical effect of Stunning Spells- the reason stunning magical creatures could be more difficult, or even impossible; how to Stun something in the dark ("Or you could just light up your wand," said Liam O'Grady). They had previously practiced Stunning birds, but Evariste assured them that humans were a touch more difficult.

The classroom floor was littered with mismatched pillows and cushions in an assortment of sizes and colors. "I Summoned them from all over the castle," explained Evariste as Albus inspected a heart-shaped pillow adorned with lace and frills.

When everyone had arrived ("Just sit on the pillows, now, no need for chairs"), Professor Evariste exhaled deeply and leaned against his desk.

"We've reached the point where it is very important that you listen to me," he said. His hazel eyes landed on each of them as he spoke. "Up to now, we have only gone over shields and such, correct?" There was a general murmur of agreement. "And as much as I enjoyed watching all of you throw pebbles at each other, it's time we progressed."

He selected two students- Odessa Blackwell and Tomasa Kerbow- and had them stand at the front of the classroom. "Now, this is how we are going to begin: find a partner and face each other. Not yet!" he cried as they all scrambled to rise. "Trust me, we will have plenty of time. For now, just watch the demonstration.

"Now, Miss Blackwell is going to be the attacker. At the count of three, she will try to Stun Miss Kerbow. For the purpose of this exercise, it is important that this is all you do. Miss Kerbow, please resist the urge to repel the spell or shield yourself.

"Is everyone paying attention?" It was an unnecessary question; the entire class was staring at the two Slytherin girls with rapt attentiveness. "Perfect. Miss Blackwell, on my count, if you would so oblige us. One... two... three."

Odessa raised her wand and yelled, "Stupefy!" in a voice which betrayed her confident expression. Tomasa flew backwards like a doll, landing limp on a pile of pillows and scattering the students who had been sitting nearby.

"Everybody back, please," said Evariste calmly, quelling the mutters - anxious or amused, depending on the house - with a single raised hand. "No, do not touch her." He leaned over Tomasa and murmured, "Rennervate."

Tomasa sat up slowly and with a dazed expression, her eyes struggling to refocus. Evariste helped her to her feet, and she teetered precariously for a few seconds, before regaining her balance and going shakily back to Odessa, who was looking rather unconcerned at her friend's unsteadiness.

"Now, what we just witnessed was both a lack of proper concentration and a lack of proper instruction," explained Evariste. "The more grievous breach was on my part. Let's take a moment to return to the theory behind this spell. As you have previously learned, it is one of the broader magical incantations, which can often lead to situations like the one we find ourselves in now.

"Miss Blackwell knew that the incantation was for the Stunning Spell. However, as she only concentrated on the broad term, the spell's reaction was violent and strong. What we must do is focus on one facet of the spell: we want Miss Kerpbow to freeze, but not to fly backwards as she did. Thing of the specific action you are aiming for. Visualize it, and you will succeed. Now, if we could try this one more time? One... two... three."

This time, Tomasa froze in place, her eyes wide and unfocused. Odessa smirked as Evariste praised her. "Very good, a neat job of it indeed!" He once again unfroze Tomasa, who appeared mildly disconcerted, particularly at the look on her friend's face. "That time, Miss Blackwell was wholly concentrated on the effect of the spell, as opposed to restricting herself to the immediate connotations of the word. A very nice job indeed. You two may return to your cushions, and five points to Slytherin for providing such excellent examples."

The rest of the class split off into pairs. Rose stood with Albus, who looked nervous. "It's a simple spell," she said. "Stop squirming. You've done it before!"

"On birds," he retorted quietly as Evariste moved pairs around the room. "Not people!"

"Just pretend I'm Louis," joked Rose. Albus had once accidentally frozen his cousin mid-air during a family Quidditch match. He still maintained that it wasn't his doing, but Rose knew him well enough to catch him in a lie.

Professor Evariste reviewed the instructions before letting the students begin. "Remember, now, no shields. I expect to only see you freezing each other. If it turns into something else, we will have to stop."

In the first few minutes, no one was properly Stunned. Albus pointed his wand at Rose and let out a half-hearted "Stupefy." The only result was a tingling in Rose's fingers, which dissipated as she clenched and unclenched her hands.

"Come on, now!" cried Evariste after Cameron Thornton flew across the room after being hit by Dominic Woodard's unfocused Stunner. "You have to concentrate on the effect you want the spell to have. If you don't see it, you will not be able to make it happen."

"Let me have a go," Rose said to Albus, taking out her wand. "Ready?" He nodded, looking as nervous as before. "One... two... Stupefy!"

Albus froze, emerald eyes wide and vacant. His wand, which had been loosely held in his hand, slid to the floor. Rose grinned, feeling the familiar surge of pride that met a new accomplishment.

"Well done, Miss Weasley!" cried Evariste. He was walking around the room, systematically unfreezing various body parts. He waved his wand at Albus, who immediately stumbled forward a step.

Albus picked up his wand and, after one more try, was able to cast a perfect Stunning Spell. The rest of the class was also catching on; Mary Deverill, one of Rose's roommates, was getting a bit overzealous with her wandwork.

"Whoops," she giggled, having Stunned the wrong person for the third time. "I reckon I should work on my aim..."

"Just concentrate," was Evariste's failsafe response.

The next problem arose when Callum Leach grew tired of being Stunned. When his partner said the incantation, he blocked the spell. The red streak of light bounced off of his Shield Charm, flew across the room, and shattered a window.

"And that is precisely why I said not to put up a shield," said Evariste as he flicked his wand at the window. Shards of glass flew back together and into the frame as an undamaged pane of glass. "Since Mister Leach is so interested in how the Stunning Spell interacts with magical matter, he will open our lesson on Monday by telling the class what would occur if such a spell was to go through that bottle there." He gestured to a tall bottle on a shelf near the window. "Mister Leach, you may need help identifying the contents of the bottle; I would recommend consulting Professor Slughorn. Think of it as a joint assignment.

"Now, if I'm not mistaken, the bell is going to ring any moment now, ending out time together. I have another class to teach before lunch, but my understanding is that first years have Friday afternoons free, correct?" The students nodded. "Perfect- I also have this afternoon off. You are all welcome to return and practice your Stunning Spells, if you so choose."

"I'm thinking of going back after lunch," said Albus as he and Rose headed back to their common room to drop off their books- ("Don't bother bringing textbooks on Fridays," Evariste had said upon seeing that most of the class had brought them. "Unless I say you will need them, assume that we will be working on practical spell applications.")

Rose supposed she should go along for the extra practice. After lunch, however, she realized that she had left her wand in her bag, which was still in the common room.

"I'll meet you there," she told Albus before returning to the seventh floor. Her wand was right where she had left it, and she stuck it in the pocket of her robe before exiting the common room.

As she passed the sixth floor, she stopped, seeing two figures at the end of the corridor. She was about to continue on her way- but then she recognized one of the figures as Rafael.

"You vill leave me alone," he was saying in a low, angry voice. "Do not speak to Dmitri. Ve make our decision long ago."

Instead of responding, the other figure paused. "We have a visitor," he said in a smooth, unctuous tone. Both figures turned, and Rose saw the other boy's face for the first time.

It was Alistair Trimble.