Aboard the Durmstrang ship, everything was tense. No one spoke as they waited in two straight lines for the moment when the ship would break the surface of the lake outside of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the students would make their entrance.
Viktor had his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his fur-lined robes as stood next to his headmaster, Igor Karkaroff, directly in front of the stairs leading up to the deck. Strangely, he felt the same way that he always did before a Quidditch match: his heart was pounding in his chest, but he was intent on his goal—and that goal was victory. He had prepared himself, mentally and physically, over the past few weeks for this new challenge that had arisen. He knew that he would have to be the best of his school to be chosen for the Tournament, and he was determined to be just that.
At last, they heard the noise of the ship surfacing on the lake, and within minutes, they had all been shown across a damp lawn—along with the students of Beaxbatons—to an enormous, looming castle with hundreds of golden squares of light that were the windows of the tall towers and wide halls of Hogwarts. Compared to Durmstrang castle, Hogwarts was enormous, and when they had entered the front doors, it was revealed to be much more elaborate and spacious, with its high, cathedral-like ceilings, carved stone pillars, and the moving portraits that lined the walls.
In a few minutes, an unshaven, irritable looking man in a moth-eaten waistcoat, followed by a scruffy cat, opened the door to let the Beauxbatons students inside a large room adjacent to the Entrance Hall. Looking through the doors as the young ladies in blue passed through them, Viktor could see a brightly-lit hall lined with long tables, with students in black robes sitting on the benches. A higher table was against the far wall, where, he assumed, sat the teachers and staff of Hogwarts, and above the tables floated hundreds of lit candles.
Then it was their turn to enter. Viktor waited outside with Karkaroff while the others entered, performing their magic in front of the Hogwarts students, and then marched inside, staring resolutely ahead, up at the staff table. He heard just what he expected: excited whisperings amongst the students as he stalked past, but he pretended to be oblivious. He and the other Durmstrangs chose to sit at a table where all of the students' robes were lined with green, and had a serpent embroidered onto the front. The moment he sat down, a boy with white-blonde hair and a pale face leaned towards him, his hand outstretched.
"You must be Viktor Krum," he said, as Viktor shook his hand with a nod. Something about his voice made him sound as though he thought himself superior to everyone around him. "My name is Malfoy. Draco Malfoy—"
But anything else he was planning on saying was cut off as Albus Dumbledore began to speak words of welcome to his guests. Viktor, only half listening, took a moment to look around him. The plates and goblets seemed to be made of gold, and there were five richly colored tapestries hanging from the walls: one of a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a serpent, and the largest one, of all four animals on a single shield, like a coat of arms. But the most amazing thing about the Great Hall was the ceiling. For a moment, Viktor thought that it was open to the sky, but then realized that it was enchanted to look like exactly like the sky outside. The effect seemed to make the hall seem even larger than it already was.
Viktor returned his attention to the front of the room when he noticed four men carrying a large object beneath a purple velvet cloth in front of the staff table. Then the cloth was removed, revealing an enormous, roughly hewn wooden goblet. Dumbledore placed his hand against the wood.
"The Goblet of Fire," he said, now stepping forward. "Anyone wishing to submit themselves for the tournament needs merely to write their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before this hour on Thursday next. Do not do so lightly; if chosen, there's no turning back. As from this moment, the Triwizard Tournament has begun."
So this was the thing that would judge who was the most worthy to enter the legendary tournament. Viktor stared at it, sizing it up as though it were another Quidditch opponent, and he didn't even notice that the plates and dishes before him were suddenly filled with food until the boy, Draco Malfoy, asked him if he was going to have any steak-and-kidney pudding. Viktor shook his head, and then began serving himself nearly everything that he could reach other than the revolting-looking pudding, although he was so lost in thought that he barely tasted any of it.
Malfoy attempted several times to engage him in conversation, talking of important people that his father knew, and how he had almost been sent to Durmstrang himself, but gave up due to the fact that Viktor mainly communicated in grunts.
After the feast was ended, and the plates were magically cleared away, Viktor and his fellow Durmstrangs stood and made their way through the sea of black-clad students to the doors. Right when they had reached the Entrance Hall, however, Karkaroff stopped abruptly, causing Viktor to nearly run into him. Peering around his headmaster's shoulder, Viktor saw three Hogwarts students, at whom, apparently, Karkaroff had been staring. The people in line had begun complaining, when a voice behind them growled, "Yes, that's Harry Potter."
Karkaroff turned to face the man who had spoken, but Viktor continued to watch the three students. A boy with glasses and jet-black hair, from under which a lightning-shaped scar was just visible, stood in the middle. It had been he, Harry Potter, at whom Karkaroff had been so startled to see, but Viktor's attention was caught by a girl standing beside him. She had wavy, light-brown hair and brown eyes, and, Viktor thought, was rather pretty. He noticed that the robes of the three students were lined with scarlet, rather than green, and had golden lions embroidered on the fronts.
Although there was bustling movement and conversation all around him, Viktor barely noticed any of it. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was about this girl that made her so attractive. No, it was more than just attraction. Her face was so bright, and the way her eyes sparkled...it was enchanting. He would have continued to watch her, but at that moment, their eyes met, and he looked quickly away. A few seconds later, Karkaroff, his hand on Viktor's shoulder, and they swept past the three students. Viktor passed so close to the girl that their sleeves brushed against each other, but he didn't dare to look at her again.
Later that night, as Viktor lay awake in the slightly uncomfortable bed in his own, private quarters on the ship, his thoughts returned to the pretty girl he had seen outside the Great Hall. He almost wished he had found the time to say something to her; she had looked so warm and full of life. He would have to find out her name….
* * *
A Midwinter Night's Dream by winters_tale
Chapter Endnotes:
I saw her last night, standing in the crowd
And in a sudden flash of glory, I was blinded.
And though everything was moving,
My whole world came to stop,
And now I need to know, please I need to know,
Who's that girl, tell me what's her name?
Who's that girl, does she feel the same?...
Angel-eyes of mine, where have you gone to?
Were you really here, or was it just a dream?
In a sea of smiling faces, someone special caught my eyes,
Now I need to know, please I need to know,
Who's that girl?
~Darin, "Who's That Girl?"