A Visit To Bulgaria

Chapter 3 - In Which We Meet the Hardcore Vicky Fan Club

It was a dark and stormy night (a/n: how I love cliches!). Long tendrils of lightning snaked their way across the sky. A late summer storm was bursting over the mountains surrounding Durmstrang. The winds whipped and whirled around the high central tower of the fortress, where Hermione was sleeping, albeit none too soundly...

...She felt something wet on her index finger. To her nose it smelled strong and metallic. The light was thin, silvery, whether starlight or moonlight she could not tell. Yet she knew that peculiarly malevolent scent. It was blood. Blood smeared her fingers, hot and thick. She tried without success to wipe it on her robes, her shirt, anything to get the blood, the blood off of her hands. There was a blinding flash of green light and -

Hermione screamed and realized that she was quite alone yet quite safe, ensconced in her four-poster bed at Durmstrang. Still, she shuddered and reached for the ebony bedside table where lay her wand. She didn't need the light - the last embers of the crimson fire still glowed in the fireplace - but the hard wood in her sweaty hand reassured her.

She was about to settle back into bed when a shaky, high-pitched young woman's voice came from the hallway outside her door. It was Pansy Parkinson's.

"Ex...ex...expelliarmus!"

Hermione swore and clasped her wand firmly as she strode toward the door. Before she could touch the doorknob, however, there was a sickening thud as something fell to the floor. She opened the door and rushed out into the hall.

There, on the floor, was the prostrate form of Pansy Parkinson. There was nobody else in sight. Hermione whispered "Ennervate" at the other girl's slowly rising and falling chest, yet nothing happened. She swore again and headed in the direction that Viktor had pointed the evening before when referring to his rooms.

His door was the only one open, and that was how she knew it was his. He was in there already, stumbling out of bed and grabbing his wand from the bedside table. "Viktor, hurry. It's Pansy Parkinson, and I can't wake her."

"Vot do you mean? Is she asleep or..." He was already on his way out the door, and she followed him.

"Stunned. Dark magic, I'm sure."

His sharp intake of breath told Hermione that this was not just a routine Death Eater scare. "Herm-own-ninny, I do not vont you to get hurt. I think that you should stay in my room vhile I revive Miss Parkinson."

"Viktor, I can look after myself." They had arrived at Pansy's softly breathing body.

"But I vood never forgive myself if something vere to happen to you..."

"Nevermind that, just try to get her awake..."

He crouched by her chest and pointed his wand at her heart, muttering some foreign spell in Bulgarian. She blinked once, then twice, groaned, and rolled over on her side. Hermione kneeled by her and shook her gently. However much she might detest this girl, a very powerful Dark wizard had just stunned her.

"Pansy? Pansy, dear? Wake up now, it's alright - Viktor, send for your nurse to take her to the infirmary - Pansy, we're going to take you to the infirmary, it'll all be fine..."

Within seconds, a soft *pop* announced the presence of the school nurse. "Herm-own-ninny, this is our nurse, Professor Volkov. He vill take care of Pansy..."

Hermione nodded and stood up out of the way to let Professor Volkov levitate Pansy onto a magic stretcher and rush her off to the infirmary. "Madam Vulchanov - the headmistress, she has been, well, she will be notified?"

"I vill send her a message immediately. But first, ve must take steps to make sure that you are safe as well..."

"I can look after myself, really..."

"Vell, I know that you think I am being...oh, vot do you call it...a vorryvort. I just do not vont anything to happen to you."

"Oh, all right. It's not your fault, don't worry..."

"I know all sorts of advanced Protection Charms..."

"Whatever you like, Viktor, just don't exhaust yourself..."

"I von't, I promise...You should just get back in bed and try to get some sleep vhile I put up the Charms."

"All right. Good night then, and thank you for your help with Pansy." She went back into her own room, and strangely, fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

The next morning, Durmstrang was shrouded in fog. Hermione woke rather early, just as the sun was cutting a broad path through the mists. The portraits on her walls were chattering animatedly in Russian and Hermione smiled at them. The evening before, she had been too tired to unpack, so she opened one of her bags. It was, of course, larger inside than it could ever have appeared to be. Stacks of neatly folded robes and Muggle clothing lay in orderly piles, interspersed here and there with boots, or rolled socks, or bags of various toiletries. She threw aside a sack filled with little plastic canisters of the newest state-of-the-art dental floss that her parents had helped develop. "I hear that hygiene in Eastern Europe is atrocious. You really must give everybody at that school you're going to as much floss as possible," her mother had reminded her right before she had left. Hermione smiled and drew out of her bag a pair of dark jeans embroidered with butterflies, her Muggle T-shirt with "My parents went to the Edinburgh Dentist Convention and all I got was this lousy T-shirt", and a fuzzy lavender turtleneck sweater. Hermione had noticed that most of the Durmstrang students were far taller than she, so she dug out her chunky-heeled boots that had been a birthday gift from her fashionable model cousin, Gisele. She completed the look with her floor-length black robes, unbuttoned, and stood back to look at herself in the mirror. Something was missing. Ah! Of course. Her hair still stood up in a messy halo around her head. Evidently the Long-Term Straightening Charms that some of the Hufflepuff girls had shown her how to use were no match for her bushy mane. She took her wand, muttered under her breath to it, and quickly, before the charm wore off, gathered her hair into a French knot. She took another glance at the mirror. It was hard for someone like Hermione to admit, but even the studious and prissy side of her had to agree that she did look rather amazing today.

A knock woke her from her rare indulgence in narcissism, and Hermione wasn't surprised when it was Viktor Krum who came through the door. "I thought I vood show you to the Great Hall. I vood not vont you to be lost, especially after vot happened last night vit Pansy."

"Is she alright? It seems like whoever that Dark wizard was used a simple enough hex on her..."

"Trust me, she vill be fine, though Professor Volkov insisted that she stay today and this night in the infirmary. Now that Karkaroff is gone, I thought ve vood haff no more...disturbances of Dark Magic. Our new Headmistress, Professor Volchanov, is investigating the matter. "

"That's certainly a relief...I think he just wanted to scare Harry, you know...like when I got attacked by that basilisk in second year." Grabbing her wand and tucking it into the pocket of her robes, she set off for the Great Hall with Krum.

The Great Hall of Durmstrang glowed with the morning light seeping through the mists. A few red torches still blazed, and the ceiling was unlike anything Hermione had ever seen. It was covered with paintings of famous wizards - Merlin, Circe, Morgan le Fay, and many others. On the eastern wall, right above the entrances from the east tower, was an amazing moving mural, obviously commissioned for the Triwizard Tournament. The four champions were each painted there defeating the dragons from the First Task. Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons Academy tossed her shimmery hair and flashed an exquisite white-toothed smile at a group of Durmstrang second year boys that were gazing with adoration at her face. Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter were there too. Hermione let her eyes rest for a moment on Cedric, who had been killed by Voldemort at the end of the Third Task. On the mural he seemed alive again, waving his wand and running to get one of the dragon's eggs. Harry Potter, smiling slightly as he concentrated on the dragons' fiery breath, swooped on his Firebolt and grabbed an egg. And yes, there was Viktor Krum, scowling and sending a Blinding Hex at the dragon. Hermione wondered how he felt about being such an object of worship in the Quidditch world, and here at Durmstrang too.

She and Krum headed to a table with the other eighth and ninth years. At Durmstrang, the students seemed to be divided not by house but by class. Hermione herself was only a sixth year at Hogwarts, but many of the people at Krum's table looked as young as she. Probably geniuses and prodigies, she thought. Soon food arrived on her plate, much the same as at Hogwarts, and she ate hungrily. She'd had some toast and jam that had magically appeared in her room last night, but she was still famished from the ordeals of Voldemort's toying with their minds and the thunderstorm. Though it was technically the summer holidays, the Great Hall was nearly filled with students.

Hermione wondered what sort of food there would be here. She hadn't had a chance to sample any of the foreign dishes at the Triwizard Tournament except for the rather delicious bouillabaisse, and she didn't know how much she'd enjoy Russian food. Durmstrang appeared to have a similar setup to meals as Hogwarts did, and Hermione supposed they had house elves as well, though she was now in no mood to start a Bulgarian chapter of the Society for the Protection of Elfish Welfare. She rather nervously glanced at Viktor, quite unsure what to say to her plate, and he smiled. "You may have votever you like, and tell the plates exactly that. Ve do not actually haff the house elves here, but a rather complicated series of charms on our kitchens." He grinned again and passed her a jug filled with a murky crimson liquid. "Mulled vine. Ve drink it like the pumpkin juice." Hermione raised an eyebrow but poured some for herself and ordered eggs and sausages to her plate.

After she'd eaten her fill, she sat back and nervously twirled her wand between her fingers. It shot out a few blue and silver sparks, and she stopped. Still a little edgy from the night before, Krum's voice startled her. "Herm-own-ninny," he said, "most of the students stay at Durmstrang over the summer holidays, that is vy the Great Hall is so full."

At this Hermione was rather surprised. Although she herself was a dedicated student, she welcomed the summer holidays as a chance to spend time with her parents and Muggle friends. "Don't they miss their families? Friends?"

"Vell, most of them haff been coming here since they vere very young so it is not as if they really remember their parents that vell."

"Do you remember your..."

"Vell, of course, because of the Quidditch and everything I am often on long trips and my parents come vith me. Oh, I vos vondering if you vood like to come see me at Quidditch practice this afternoon. Ve are preparing for the National Cup that I sent you tickets for...if ve vin this game ve vill go to the International Cup again..."

"I'd love to, Viktor..." How jealous Ron would be when she told him! Ron idolized Krum, and for good reason too. Krum was probably the best Quidditch Seeker in the world. His skillful use of Wronski Feints and other particularly dangerous moves had won him fans both at home and abroad. And it helped that the Bulgarians had veela for their team mascots...

"Also, Herm-own-ninny, Madam Volchanov announced that this year we'll have our first Midsummer Ball..." He said this in a whisper, but obviously it wasn't quiet enough. A whole mob of girls from every class swept down like vultures on their table, nonchalantly chattering as if they had nothing better to do than sit at this particular table. Hermione couldn't believe all the spells they'd put on themselves - HairShine charms, SparkleEyes charms, even Irresistible Charms, which were banned at Hogwarts after one licentious seventh year took fifteen girls to the Yule Ball because he couldn't decide among them. Krum rolled his eyes and grabbed Hermione's hand, stalking out of the Great Hall and looking extremely annoyed.

When they were alone together in the hallway, Krum motioned to an empty broom closet and they stepped in and closed the doors - not a moment too soon. A flood of girls ran into the hallway, obviously searching for him. He quickly put a Soundproof Charm around the closet and muttered "Lumos" to his wand. "Now you see vot I haff to put up vit every single bloody day...That's vy I rushed avay so quickly last night. I didn't vant anybody chasing me. They vill go avay after a vhile, they alvays do. Usually Poliakoff comes and sits vith me vhile I vait in the broom closet, or the men's bathrooms - and even that does not stop them." He slid to the floor and propped his wand up on a shelf to illuminate the closet. Hermione sat on the floor with him. "As I vos saying, there vill be a Midsummer Ball a veek from now...I vos vondering if you vood care to accompany me." Despite the Soundproof Charm, he whispered the last sentence, looking as though he was afraid of being crushed by a mob of angry girls if they knew he was taking someone besides them to the Ball.

Hermione smiled brightly. This was, in fact, exactly what she'd been hoping for, though of course she would never have admitted it to herself or taken the initiative in asking him. "Viktor...I'm honored...you know, you don't have to take me just because I came to see you..."

"Vell, Herm-own-ninny, truthfully, are you surprised? You're probably the only sane girl in this entire school besides Stasi...ever since the Headmistress announced the Ball I've been surrounded vere ever I go..."

She sensed that there was another, more personal reason he asked her, but she let that be. Rushing things wasn't Hermione's style. "Unfortunately, Viktor, I have nothing to wear..."

His eyes brightened a little. "That is vot I thought, you didn't know you'd need dress robes...Vell, just a few miles from Durmstrang there is a vizarding village, a little like your Hogsmeade, I think...they have quite an excellent selection of dress robes there..." Before she could protest, he withdrew a bag of coins from his robes and closed her hands around it. "That vill get you votever you vant, I trust."

Hermione grinned and gave him a little hug. One of her secret pleasures was shopping. "Thank you so much, Viktor...I'll go today, before your Quidditch practice." They soon were able to sneak out of the closet, and Hermione went up to her room to grab her Firebolt. It was only in there that she opened the bag, and saw that it was stuffed full of Galleons. Well, she reasoned, it was probably only a quite small bit of his rather large fortune.

So, an hour after breakfast, Hermione ventured out to the tiny village of Zagorlo. At maximum speed on the Firebolt, her journey was very quick. After affixing a Weightless Charm to it, she slung it over her shoulder in its bag and headed in the direction of Madam Tatiana's Elegant Dress Robes - written in Russian, of course. Everything was in wizarding Bulgaria, Hermione had noticed.

Tatiana, a surprisingly young witch with pale blond hair, stepped out from behind the counter. She reminded Hermione of Narcissa Malfoy, though her manner was warm and inviting and her nose was not quite so lost in the clouds. She led Hermione to the Women's Section, her pleasant chatter balm to Hermione's ears. "Hello, dear. Are you here for the Midsummer Ball? I've had girls all veek asking me for Shimmer Charms, FormFit Charms...you know vot they keep talking about? Viktor Krum, the Quidditch player...please don't tell me you're going to babble on about him too..."

"I don't think you have to worry about that...I'll do all my own charms on my robes, I have a little experience in that line." Hermione didn't think it prudent to tell Tatiana whose date she was. Tatiana had probably had students telling her that for weeks, just trying to impress her.

"Now, dear, I think you vood look ravishing in something a pleasant dark blue...Ah! Just the right one." Tatiana drew a deep blue satin robe off the rack and held it up to Hermione. It was floor-length, sleeveless, rather like a real Muggle ball gown with flowers embroidered and beaded on the bodice, the kind of thing that Hermione used to ooh and aah over in Harrods with her mother. "Simply beautiful...you don't even need any charms with this...it vos imported from Paris, I only got it a couple of days ago. You are not from Bulgaria, I see?"

"No, no, I'm from Britain, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, you know. The name's Hermione Granger."

Tatiana's indrawn breath betrayed her surprise. "Great Vizards! You look just like the pictures in the paper! Poor girl, it is all over Vitch Veekly, quite the scandal, even now after a year, I am surprised nobody can forget it..."

"Ah, yes, the matter of the Triwizard Tournament..."

"Vell, my dear, votever happens, do be careful. Those girls at Durmstrang can be very vicious in their use of curses."

Hermione didn't really care to discuss further how she probably already had Bulgarian hit men after her, so she drew out the bulging bag of Galleons from her robes. "I...ah, I've been saving up...how much is that blue one? I adore it..."

"Fifty-five Galleons and six Sickles, dear." Hermione paid her, though the admittedly large sum barely made a dent in her bag of money. Tatiana wrapped up the robe for her in crimson tissue and Hermione was left to wander the enchanting streets of Zagorlo. All sorts of tiny shops crowded the sidewalks, and Hermione indulged in a butterbeer at a small tavern. Later, feeling the still-heavy sack of Galleons on her robes, she looked longingly at the store displays of a minuscule jewelry shop, and finally went inside. The glitter of gems blinded her for a second. Emeralds, rubies, sapphires, she even spotted a few diamonds...No, she couldn't spend somebody else's money like this. Still, there were other jewels that sparkled just as prettily but weren't quite so expensive...Hermione undid the tight French knot she had wrestled her hair into and asked the store owner if she could try out some of the jeweled hair nets...they did look so beautiful.

She whiled away almost an hour in front of the shop's mirrors, trying on amethysts, garnets, peridots...they were all so perfect! In the end, however, she bought a delicate flowered quartz necklace and a few jeweled ribbons to weave into her hair. She had been quite understated at the last Yule Ball, but this time, Hermione Granger was determined to look as beautiful as possible.