666

Chapter 13

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Hermione and I were isolated. With nowhere to go other than the library, we were essentially prisoners. I had no way to owl my slaves. Nippy had been forbidden to take any post or messages to my contracted either. Nippy followed Father more than me. No newspapers, no Wizarding Wireless Network, no letters, I was completely isolated.

I needed to get my own elf, ASAP.

Voldemort kept us completely isolated from the familiar world we were used to. It was a tactic pimps used on training whores. I recognized his tactics immediately. Voldemort wanted me and my attack dog(Hermione) to be his loyal lackys. He was starting off surprisingly light handed.

I would have started out with potion addiction and beatings if I were him. But who am I to complain about the Dark Lord giving me special favor.

There was only a week, until we had to leave for Durmstrang. Hermione and I spent it mostly in the library. I browsed the Dark Arts section for books that I would take with me to Durmstrang for half the time, and spent the rest browsing the Enchanting and Charms sections for equally enlightening books.

I prepared for the cold climate by learning the warming and impervious charms. I was fascinated by the idea of enchanting magical artifacts like the Marauder's Map or time turners. I wanted to create my own inventions. I had wild ideas. Seeing all the limitless charms and their effects left me breathless, day after day.

My trunk contained many new books I could not find in the Hogwarts library like, Magik Moste Foule, The Foul Secrets of Herpo The Foul, How to Beat the Muggle Menace, Making Magic, Enchanting For Beginners, Your Inner Animal: The Road To Animagi, and The Advanced Book of Charms.

Hermione studied about Durmstrang and the Russian Confederation of Magical States. It was similar to the International Confederation of Wizards, she said. The difference was the wide variety of nationalities and ethnicities that congregated in the RCMS as opposed to the ICW. The ICW encompassed western Europe alone, While the RCMS contained a massive number of countries all the way from eastern Europe all the way to China. Their laws were even more archaic than the ICW's laws that were followed in wizarding Briton.

In the RCMS, muggles had no rights. Muggleborns were literally second class citizens, abducted from their muggle parents in infancy, and lived in the magical version of Brazilian favelas on the edges of proper pureblood towns. They lived segregated, and halfbloods were common due to purebloods in power fathering bastards with poor muggleborn witches. Halfbloods were looked down upon as 'half-breeds', but were allowed full citizen rights.

The Information available of Durmstrang was sparse. It was located in a cold climate, surrounded by dangerous creatures, and didn't allow muggleborns... Until now. Hermione would be enrolling as a foreign national and as such, afforded the rights of a ICW citizen, whatever her birth. I was a pureblood from an ancient and noble house and was guaranteed superior rights anyway. Archaic as fuck.

It was like 17th century Mexico, but with wands.

Hermione had lost the baby-fat over the last summer as she ate so little. Her eyes had a cold and angry look to them. Her face was often icy cold and she glared at everything, including the house elves. The only time she softened is when she looked at me. Me, her manipulator. Me, the real cause of her misery. Me, Her master.

“Lets go to bed, Hermione,” I said. “Its late already and we will have a long day tomorrow.” I was getting tired of waiting for tomorrow. We were to take a portkey to wizarding Moscow and register with the RCMS Import officers. All traffic into and out of the RCMS was subject to search for magical smugglers and criminals.

Muggles were contraband there to export. Yes, muggle slavery was legal in magical Russia. They were so archaic. You weren't allowed to export them in the ICW countries, yet highly trained muggle servants could be found, even, in the dark parts of Knockturn Alley.

I always found more and more similarities to 17th Century Mexico.

After being searched and questioned by the RCMS law enforcers it was on from there ,by floo, to some magically hidden docks in the city of Kern, Russia.

Hermione and I laid quietly in bed, but I could tell that neither of us wanted to sleep. “You remember when I talked about The muggle discovering the wizarding world, Hermione?” I spoke finally.

She shifted next to me, uncomfortable. “Yeah. In the room of Requirement. It was scary.”

“I know how they will do it, Hermione.” I frowned up at my bed's cream colored canopy as it flickered in the lamp light. “I know how they will find us.”

“How, Draco?” One thing Hermione had learned was to believe me. “How will the muggles find out?”

“With public access to satellite cameras.” I stated with conviction. “The muggles are developing more and more efficient and advanced technology. They have probes taking pictures and landing on other planets. The had men walking on the moon thirty years ago for Merlin's sake.”

“They will find us,Hermione. Technology will advance so far beyond us that there will be no way to stop it. Independent magical civilizations will fall. The muggles will adapt to fight us, and they will win.”

I could see Hermione's eyes staring into mine. “You actually believe that?” She bit her lip.

“There is no doubt.” Added. “And I want to die as a rich old man, surrounded by my great, great, great grandchildren, not being stuffed to be propped up in a muggle museum.” Hermione giggled at the imagery.

“Its not a joking matter Hermione.” I retorted angrily. She flinched back. She was unused to me being angry with her. “The muggles will kill our children before we could ever have grandchildren.”

That stopped her cold. “Chi-children?” Her mind jumped right to a place where romantically inclined girl brains go to.

“The muggles will murder them in their cribs at worst or raise them in a circus at best.” I whispered.

“Our children murdered.” Hermione whispered in equal parts elation and anger.

“Yes, I need your help to stop the slaughter of our children.” I said. “I need you to help me.”

“I will, Draco. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I went to sleep hating myself.

I dreamed of Dobby's final moments of life. His eyes begging me to do something. To stop his pain. To save his life.

Waking in the morning, I dressed with a cold rage in my heart burning away. Hermione could feel my anger and so we ended up smoking a couple of bowls. My anger and resentment was covered temporarily.

I put my collection of drugs into ingredient bottles in my potions kit. If they were confiscated, oh well. I'm sure the Dark Lord could get me another house elf to train up in Cannabis hunting if my stash were confiscated.

Finally the time had arrived. Hermione and I shrunk our trunks into matchbox size and made our way into Father's study. “Take this, dear.” Narcissa handed me a golden key. “It is a vault key for the Malfoy Vault at Gringott's in Kern. You get to travel in the magical community there every month.”

“Thank you, Mother.” I said with a fake smile. I detested this woman after the way she treated Hermione. Yet there was no need to antagonize her with letting my true feelings be know.

“I want you to take care, my little dragon.” Narcissa sniffed back tears. “Now here is you portkey.” She held out a short length of rope. “Both of you grab on.”

Hermione and I gripped the length of rope. “I'll see you at Christmas, dear.”

“Portus.”

Briton disappeared in a swirl of color.

666

Author's note: Assume everything is being said in Russian at this point. AN: End

“Next!” The women at the front counter called. Hermione and I were next in line to be checked for contraband. It was a nerve wrecking wait. The women in shabby robes behind us had a cage of clucking and hissing baby cockatrices.

They spit blood out of their ass-mouths and it stunk. I'd had to snap my fingers twice to get the blood off my robes. Hermione just giggled and thought they were cute.

She was still in la la land after my comment about our future children and her high this morning, before we left the war in Briton.

“Next.” It was finally our turn. Hermione and I were led to different cubicle offices. Security looked us over as we walked by them. One gestured at Hermione and frowned. I finally sat at a desk, after hours in line.

“Name?” A fat balding wizard in crisp brown robes grunted.

“Draco Scorpius Malfoy.” I said with a smile.

“Country of origin?” He gave me a bland look in return.

“ICW, Briton.”

“Wand, please.” He held out a hand.

He inserted it into a bulky looking clockwork contraption sitting on his desk. It spit out a piece of paper and my wand. “Yew, 14 inches, dragon heart string. Now registered as belonging to ICW Noble Citizen, Draco Scorpius Malfoy.” He spoke like a robot.

“As a noble, to protect your privacy, you are given a choice before we go through your property.” The man pulled a piece of paper out of his desk. “Would you like to be searched or the use of a truth potion?”

I shrugged. I didn't have anything to hide. The search could take who knows how long if they started to go through my liquor store mole-skin pouches. “Truth potion.”

The fat man nodded. He took a vial out from his desk and conjured a small glass of water. He poured three drops into the glass and handed it over to me.

I drank the potion and felt it's effects immediately. It felt like a a high off bars. I felt like my body floated as I relaxed into the chair.

“Are you bringing any undeclared lifeforms, living or undead, into the country?” I heard a voice through the fog.

“No.” I felt the answer slip off my tongue without thinking.

Are you transporting Muggles?”

“No.” I felt the uncontrolled work roll off my tongue.

“Are you a spy sent by the ICW?”

“No.”

I felt something cool down my throat. The fog over my mind cleared. I blinked around the cubicle, remembering where I was.

Was I a spy? Really?

I waited for Hermione in the waiting area on the Russian side of the Rasputin International Key-Port. Apparently she had to get searched. I was liking my superior rights already. After a half an hour, Hermione came out of the door to the inspection area.

We headed to the public floo, hand in hand. It didn't feel real. We were alone in a far off country. Was this a test to see if we would run away? I had no such ideas. I needed to go to school to learn magic. That was my top priority.

Hermione and I reached the public floo, to find another line in front of us. The same old hag with the cockatrices filed in behind us. After a fairly short wit, we were at the front of the line again. I took a pinch of floo powder.

“Kern!”

We were off into the flames. Twisting and turning this way and that. It was a far rougher and older system than the ones in the UK. The floo was invented here, and had yet to be fully updated.

We crashed down into stone pavement in Kern. It was summer, and the sun shone high in the sky. The air was crisp and clear. The ocean breeze was chilling. And we were covered in soot.

I snapped my fingers once, and we were lifted to our feet and free of the soot.

My wandless magic was getting better. After long months with Voldemort, meditating, I had noticed my energy slowly begin to grow. I was growing stronger and could perform more energy intensive spells.

We walked around the boardwalk, we gawked at the different shops we passed by. It was twice as large as Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade put together. I had never been to any of the other magical areas in Briton, so I didn't know if there was a magical community to compare it with.

“Wow” I muttered as we made out way to the docks. “I'm really going to have a good time exploring here.”

“Me too.” Hermione agreed.

We finally reached the docks. There was only one ship present.

It was a magnificent looking galleon ship with golden fixtures. Ropes of gold rigged the sails. In front of it, on the dock, stood one man. He wore dull, piss colored yellow robes and a pointed wizard's hat. He was tall, with long dark hair and a long Van Dyke beard.

“You are almost late, Mr Malfoy” He grumbled. “We were just about to leave.

I smiled at the man, First introductions and all...“You are Headmaster Igor Karkaroff?”I asked, politely. Inside, I yearned to rip his face off. Death-eater scum. Elf killers, the lot of them..

“Yes, now get on the ship.” Karkaroff turned around and began walking up the gangplank. “Bring the mudblood with you” I would kill this man slowly.

Hermione snorted at the man's back and gripped my hand tighter. “We'll get through this, darlin'” I whispered. “We will kill him slowly.” Hermione giggled at my joke as We followed the Headmaster up the gang-plank. The ship was bigger on deck than it was from down below on the docks.

Dozens of twelve year old children stood on the deck. Some children were loud in groups. Some children were shy and alone. They were all dressed differently. Some looked Asian and wore the colorful pants and tunics so common in the Mongol Steppes. Others wore modern dress robes of the finest silk. A few of the blond, Nordic looking, girls were huddled together, giggling, and wore heavy snow-cloaks in the warm summer air. A few girls stood, wearing niqab burkas. Around them stood a large group of boys wearing Arabic robes with turbans.

This was a massive class compared to Hogwarts. Hogwarts had a couple of dozen students every year, at most. Durmstrang had at least fifty first years, and probably more.

“Bang.”

Karkaroff stood on the upper deck of the ship. Next to him stood one man and one woman. The woman was cloaked and hooded, yet the cloak was tight enough to show feminine curves. Her cloak was black, as were the parts of her boots, visible under her cloak. The man wore dragonhide armor, with leather stained a dark red. He wore knee high red leather boots and seemed to have two glowing purple fairies sitting on his shoulders.

Smoke steamed from his wand. He had been the one to silence the students with a bang. Headmaster Karkaroff began to speak.

“As you are still young and ignorant of our ways, I will excuse the noise.” He spoke. “You are coming to Durmstrang to learn. That is what makes Durmstrang the best institute of magical learning in the world.” He looked at Hermione and I with a look I could not discern on his face. Then he continued speaking. “I will begin with the rules. I assure you, they are quite simple.”

“Number one, Do not attack your classmates outside of an official duel. Keep your wands to yourselves, outside of practice or in classes. Anyone caught attacking another student will be given very severe corporal punishment.” He paused to let the threat linger for a second. “Rule number two, respect your Instructors. Any sign of disrespect will be punished. You will obey your Instructors as you would obey your parents. They have permission to curse you severely should you disobey.”

I wanted to slap my my forehead. I should have run. Better to run than face Catholic school all over again. I should have run in Moscow, but I had no doubt that Voldemort would start a manhunt for me if I ran. I had no wish to be chased down by Greyback's pack of werewolves. Karkaroff would tip him of to my running too quickly and I had no place to hide in a foreign country.

“Rule number three, If you do not graduate within nine years, you are expelled.” I was utterly confused. Wasn't magic school 7 years? “You need the approval of at least five Instructors to reach graduation. If you do not have five sponsors within nine years, you are an imbecile and we will not tolerate imbeciles at Durmstrang.” The imbecile said.

The man and woman I assumed were Instructors began flicking their wands their wands at the rigging. Massive white sails unfurled as the golden ropes moved and tied themselves to various places. The ship began to move. A breeze picked up from nowhere and began to move us into the White Sea at a rapid pace.

“Those are the rules Of Durmstrang Institute of Magic.” Karkaroff gave a hacking cough. After clearing his throat, he continued. “As first years, you are at the bottom of the school rankings. I will leave the explanation of rankings and of the finer workings of the school to Instructor Bole.”

Karkaroff gave another hacking cough and waved the cloaked woman forward. He backed away from the railing in front of him to give Instructor Bole the center space at the railing. Instructor Bole began to speak. “My name is Svetlana Bole. I am your dueling Instructor. My classes will allow you to graduate early. You are all ranked based on your dueling ability. Your rankings are based on your ability to win in a duel. If you can spend a full year in as one of the top ten school rankings, then you will graduate, without the needed five sponsors. You will challenge each other to duels, in your free time, and, be given extra privileges and upgraded rooms based on your ranking.”

I looked at Hermione. She was looking at the Instructor, attentively. “Ranks three to four hundred will have their own rooms, with communal bathrooms. and be allowed travel to Kern once every month.”

I grimaced. I did not look forward to sharing the bathroom with 100 people. I would never get to blaze there. I couldn't enslave 100 witches and wizards to take a toke in the restroom, to my regret.

“Ranks two hundred and ninety nine to two hundred will have rooms with a private bathroom and be allowed to Kern twice a month.” She paused. “Ranks One hundred and ninety nine to one hundred will have a large bathtub in their private bedrooms and be allowed to Kern every four times a month. “

“We will have to brush up on our dueling.” I whispered to Hermione.

“I don't want to shower in communal bathrooms.” Hermione whispered back.

“Then we'll have to duel tonight.” I grinned and started listening to the Instructor again. The weed had worn off, and my hatred and anger over Dobby's murder had come back. I wanted to duel anyone right now.

“Ranks ninety nine to ten will have a small study opened to their rooms and allowed to visit Kern every weekend.” She paused. “The top ten are the honored position within this school. You will have to progress far in your studies to even think of challenging one of the top ten for their positions.”

“The top ten are given a balcony, large study, private bathrooms with large bathtubs and are allowed to spend their free time wherever they like.” I had stars in my eyes. This was much better than Hogwarts. If I were in the top ten, I could spend my time in the muggle world taking over the Russian mafia. Or find a little more weed strains over in Amsterdam or Copenhagen. Or steal a few of the muggle nukes and set them off in Malfoy Manor.

Throughout her speech, she had yet to lower her hood. “I will now step aside for Instructor Baggs.” She backed away from the railing. The man in red armor took her place.

“My name is Marcus Baggs. I am the Instructor of Artificing and Captain of the Ice Queen. This ship you are standing on is named the Ice Queen. She is fully capable of tunneling, which we will be doing soon. I'll ask all of you to hold on to the railings tightly.”

The sails ware lowered as the golden ropes once again wound themselves around the sails. The water around the ship began to swirl. “I'll ask you all not to panic.” The swirling began to spin the ship in circles. “This is very frightening to experience for the first time. I have been told. I quite enjoyed it myself.

The water formed into a massive whirlpool. We were spinning around the whirlpool, fater and faster. I gripped Hermione's arm as we clung the the railing on the top deck. Th ship began to spin into the whirlpool. As the ship tilted downwards, I could see a widening black hole in the center of the whirlpool. The centrifugal force of the spinning pressed me tightly to the Ice Queen's deck.

“Eeeek.” Hermione squealed as we twisted lower an lower into the chasm of torrential sea water..Eventually, we were spinning vertically in a spiral deep into the blackness.

We spun in absolute blackness for a few minutes. It was terrifying. Fantastical, but terrifying. Hermione gripped my hand for comfort. I squeezed back. After a few minutes, light began to show in the end of the tunnel. We swirled in the opposite direction that we had stared in. upwards instead of downwards.

Soon, we were breaking the surface of the water and I caught my first glimpse of Durmstrang.