Chapter Text
September 1.
It was a rainy monday, the skies gloomy and dark as it cried salty tears. The clouds blocked any shred of sunlight that desperately tried reach the ground, almost giving the impression that it was late in the afternoon instead of it being morning.
It was typical weather for modern day London but Yuuri never got used to it.
For the past six years, Yuuri had only gone back to Japan during the summer breaks. Now that he was back here in the station, Yuuri couldn’t help but think about the school year ending already (it hadn’t even begun yet) just so he could travel back and visit his family once more.
A hoo snapped him out of his thoughts, brown eyes shifting to stare back at large black orbs looking curiously at him from behind thin iron bars. The train whistle shrieked in alarm, a reminder that it was leaving soon for its destination. He wasn’t sure how long he was standing there with a cart carrying just enough luggage and a caged owl throwing bewildered glances at him.
Yuuri offered a sheepish smile.
“Sorry Vicchan, got lost in my thoughts,” Yuuri said, another hoo coming from the elegant owl, as if it understood what he just said.
He stuck his beak out from in between the iron bars, a gesture he usually did when his owner was lost in his thoughts. Yuuri let his finger caress the top of his owl’s beak to reassure him that he was fine, he really was just thinking about a lot of stuff. How he missed Japan, how his future, although quite secured if he didn’t screw things up, made him anxious.
Vicchan was smart enough, he probably also did understand when Yuuri said, “Let’s go inside the train and find us some seats, Phichit’s gonna catch up soon enough,” and settled back in his cage with a relenting hoot.
“I don’t know how you managed to get through last year with seven subjects for NEWTs. I‘m already scared with just five,” Phichit whined, his hand going over his pet who sat on his lap.
Yuuri could only smile at his Thai friend, his gaze shifting to look at the scenery quickly passing the train. It had been an hour since they left King’s Cross station, a long way still to Hogwarts. If Phichit hadn’t been in the same cart as he was, he would be snoozing the entire way to school. Long trips had always made him sleepy but, the first and last time he was able to sleep in this annual trip was back in first year, the one year he wasn’t tagging along with Phichit.
Phichit was a sixth year Hufflepuff student, making him very new to NEWTs classes while Yuuri was already on his last year in Hogwarts. Yuuri had met Phichit on the trip to Hogwarts at the start of the year when Yuuri was already in second year, the latter being a new student.
Since then, they have become nearly inseparable after their classes. Now that Yuuri thought about it, it was a bit strange that his best friend was someone that wasn’t even in the same house as he was. Not that he didn’t have any friends in Slytherin but Yuuri could proudly say that Phichit was the one he could truly count on, the one he could proudly call his best friend.
“Well Phichit, I do need at least five NEWT-level subjects just to be considered as an Auror candidate when I graduate. And I can’t be careless by taking exactly five,” Yuuri clarified, scratching his cheek lightly with a fingernail.
“Yeah but you do remember what we talked about self-care, right?” The puff in the Hufflepuff’s cheeks was a clear sign of him being adamant on what he was implying, “because I don’t want to meet you in the infirmary after class just because you passed out when you weren’t taking good care of yourself.”
Yuuri definitely remembered their talk. No one said that the road to being an Auror was going to be easy. It required having high academic credentials, especially on the core subjects, a lot of courage, and plenty of will to not back down. It was a path that Yuuri already decided on and there was no way he was going to half-ass it at all. Celestino, the Headmaster, had entrusted him with a time-turner at the beginning of his third year to aid him in his extra class load because of his over-achieving tendencies. But it wasn’t as if he couldn’t get more classes when his grades were fantastic.
It put him in an irregular schedule compared to other students and soon, it became too much for him that to the point that Yuuri had collapsed due to exhaustion for taking too heavy a load that his body could take. He was hesitant in dropping the classes when the extra stress came from Divination and Muggles Studies but a firm gaze from his best friend made him let go of the classes he least needed and went back to a regular class schedule.
Not that he wasn’t thankful for the lesser load. But then again, Muggle Studies was interesting...
“Yes, you made sure I wouldn’t forget the lecture of my lifetime. Don’t worry, my schedule wasn’t as bad as before,” Yuuri chided lightly, waving a hand to try and dispel any unfounded worries.
“It better be or I’m telling on you to Ciao Ciao!” Despite scolding Yuuri, Phichit still gave a bright grin with Yuuri giving it back with a polite smile.
“I’m sure the Professor would have made sure of it.”
He wasn’t sure what he would have done to himself if Phichit wasn’t there looking out for him.
Yuuri watched his friend play with the Pygmy Puff that he brought with him. It was cute, to say the least. Although, the tiny fluff was a different shade of purple from last year and it made him wonder just how many Pygmy Puffs Phichit actually had.
“Phichit…”
“Yeees?”
“I know this is entirely unrelated but,” Yuuri pointed at the mauve colored Pygmy Puff that settled comfortably on Phichit’s lap, “but is that the same Pygmy Puff from last year? I just thought… It looks quite different…”
The Hufflepuff seemed to brighten at the mention, scooping up the small fluff into his hand before nuzzling it to his cheek, using his other hand to cup his mouth as if to whisper.
“I have three babies, Yuuri…! But we can only bring one pet so I snuck the others in my bag!”
“Phichit!”
Next thing he knew, Phichit was right at his face with a cheeky grin on his face, nudging him at his side with his pointer finger.
“But enough about me. How was your vacation by the waaay? To be more specific, how was the Quidditch World Cup? Viktor won, yeah?”
Yuuri felt his cheeks start to warm up.
“Bulgaria won, Phichit. Not just Viktor. And we’re not going to ignore that you’re sneaking in your pets--!”
“Yeah! But you on the other hand probably just watched Viktor the entire game, you fanboy,” Phichit said with a teasing tone lacing his words and completely ignoring Yuuri’s attempt to stay on topic.
Viktor Nikiforov was a boy Yuuri looked up to as soon as he saw him on the Daily Prophet brought to the spotlight as scouts from various teams already showed interest in the Russian boy as early as first year. Viktor then had long flowing silver hair which made him look ethereal, almost god-like. There were some people who underestimated him in the past for his appearance of looking delicate but was proven dead wrong by the time his skills were shown on the field.
When Viktor played Quidditch, he made it look so easy, like child’s play. He always caught the Golden Snitch. He wasn’t being biased (okay, maybe he was a little bit) if he thought Viktor was the best seeker in the entire world. He wasn’t like the rest of the Quidditch athletes, he was an artist that turned the game into his favor as soon as the Golden Snitch was out on the playing field.
Yuuri would have gone into Quidditch as well if he wasn’t so fat. Unconsciously, Yuuri placed his arm in front of his stomach, his fingers digging into his soft spots.
He wasn’t like Viktor who’d make the game look effortless. He barely even passed flying class, what more Quidditch tryouts?
He gave up that dream as quickly as it manifested in his head. Yuuri was satisfied just by watching Viktor play, and collecting all the articles and pictures of Viktor that were officially distributed. He even went to every game that Viktor was in just to cheer him on.
Quidditch World Cup only proved to the world how good Viktor Nikiforov was. A friend of his from Slytherin house somehow got luxury box tickets (“How did you get these?”, “Connections, mon ami!”) and invited Yuuri to go with him, knowing that Yuuri of all people would definitely want to go.
Including the fact that his friend’s ‘guardian’, a man named Masumi who seemed to have little restrictions on what they can and can’t do, Yuuri could say he definitely had fun before and during the World Cup.
Yuuri just wished he remembered what happened after...
“Oh no, I’ve lost my best friend to the Viktor wonderland once again… How will I ever get him back now?” Phichit jokingly grieved, placing the back of his hand to his forehead.
“Shut up, Phichit…!”
Phichit could only laugh as Yuuri tackled him to his seat, his hands flying to tickle zones to make his friend regret teasing him.
Anything Viktor could get Yuuri’s mind out of anything, and that included the extra fluffy pets Phichit brought with him for the school year that could get his friend in trouble.
It was nearing nightfall when they arrived in Hogsmeade. It was a miracle that Yuuri was able to pack in some sleep during the ride with Phichit talking him away (“At least Vicchan’s a good listener, unlike you Yuuri,” His friend had whined when Yuuri blinked his eyes open from his sleep when the train stopped).
Travelling to Hogwarts castle wasn’t supposed to be as difficult as it was then but Yuuri grew more distressed when the noise in his arms continued.
Vicchan was making too much noise in his cage, clicking his claws on the metal floor, and also nipping at the bars of the cage in agitation. The misbehavior could only mean that he was hungry. The boy cringed quietly as the distress of his Owl only made him all the more upset at his carelessness. It was Yuuri’s mistake that he forgot to bring a snack for Vicchan and that meant he had to go to the Owlery fast.
The sudden hand on Yuuri’s shoulder made the boy yelp in surprise, jerking his head only to see Phichit had stopped walking and instead, tugging at his sleeve, pointing out into the sky in excitement.
“Yuuri, look!”
And basically, everyone else did the same thing by going up to the railings of the concrete bridge they were walking on, pushing and pointing at the same spot at the sky.
Yuuri had to fix his glasses and squint at the dark blue sky to be able to see that there was a house… no, a gigantic carriage, being pulled through the air by a dozen icy white winged horses. The stallions were massive, as if they were meant to be ridden by giants. It flew over the stretch of the Forbidden Forest, hurling towards the drive that led to the entrance of the Hogwarts castle. Yuuri could have sworn he heard the hooves of those horses click against the concrete when they landed, the wheels of the carriage making effort to stop on the ground. If he saw correctly, an insignia that consisted of two crossed, golden wands that emitted three stars on the carriage.
He wondered what that was about.
“The lake!” People started to turn their heads and their murmurs grew in volume when a random student spoke up, “Look at the lake!”
Yuuri’s undivided attention on the carriage was quickly stolen by the disturbance spreading all over the black lake in front of the castle. The ripples started small but soon it grew in intensity, an unfounded epicenter making the water create waves that could only mean something was coming up from the waters.
“What’s that coming out of the water?”
Gradually, what were previously ripples then started to swirl into a whirlpool as a pole appeared at the center. A colossal ship followed, the water making it shine under the moonlight. The sail opened, bearing an insignia of mirrored Hypogriffs and a skull of a moose. It had an ominous feeling, as if the ship itself was a skeleton of a great being. The harsh waves licked the body of the ship as it fully emerged above the turbulent waters, finally making its way towards the bank. Only a few moments after, the sound of the anchor dropping and splashing against the water filled the night air. Hogwart students simply watched from the bridge as people disembarked from both the carriage and the ship by the entrance of the school.
Soon after, murmurs and whispers were being passed around among the Hogwart students, the obvious topic being the mysterious ship and carriage.
Yuuri couldn’t stand being in the middle of gossips, especially when he had more urgent matters to take care of. He nudged Phichit and said, “I have to go to Owlery first for Vicchan… I’ll meet you after!”
“Yuuri, wait!” Phichit called out.
But Yuuri was already off to the familiar route towards the distant tower.
Okay, maybe Yuuri should've hauled his things back up to the Slytherin dorm first before dropping Vicchan off. It was hard enough that he was carrying Vicchan’s cage up the staircase to the Owlery but he also had to bring his luggage up there as well. Definitely not his best idea.
“Vicchan, you’re lucky I love you so much…” Yuuri grumbled quietly, earning him a pleased hoot from his companion.
As soon as he reached the top of the staircase, Yuuri had the urge to simply collapse on the cold hard concrete to be able to breathe back what he had lost.
He was really out of shape.
Instead of dropping like a fly, Yuuri placed his bags neatly to one side before carrying his owl inside the owlery.
The first thing Yuuri did was release Vicchan from his cage, the Tawny owl making its way to an empty burrow on the wall. Yuuri already knew that he had found something to snack on with the way Vicchan was sticking his beak around the burrow.
There were a few standard owls that were owned by the school that gathered around the Slytherin, gently hooting at him. Some stuck their beaks in the crevices of his jacket and pants, seeming to search for something. Yuuri couldn’t help the giggles that escaped his lips as he waved the owls away from his clothes.
“Sorry guys, I’m empty-handed right now,” Yuuri gave a sheepish smile, “next time, okay?”
If these owls could make any other sound other than hoot, they would probably be whining to him. The birds that circled his perimeter hooted in mourning for the lack of snack but that didn’t stop them from huddling around the Slytherin. Yuuri could say that besides his friend’s, especially Phichit’s, constant companionship, animals were the next best thing. He let his palms pamper the birds with pats and scratches to soothe their disappointment.
That was when it happened.
A large Eagle Owl landed on the sill of one of the windows, an unfamiliar one at that, and started to loiter around. Its color was more of a warm-ish stone brown at best, its black pupils surrounded by crimson red. It caught the attention of most of the owls, scaring a few of them away. Yuuri could say that he has never seen that specific owl before and he frequented the Owlery since he was in first year.
Its blood red eyes seemed to dig into Yuuri’s own gaze that it actually made him a bit uncomfortable. Why did it feel like it was studying him? It turned its head from one side to the other, nearing him ever so slowly with the other owls moving away and going behind him. The inferiority seemed to be felt strongly by the other birds.
At this distance, Yuuri was able to make out the shiny coat the eagle owl had, the claws free from dirt and grime, and the gold plated name tag that hung around one of its leg. As the owl grew closer, Yuuri slowly reached for the tag, careful to look at the animal’s reaction as to not get himself pecked on in aggression.
Turning it over, Yuuri quietly read out, “Makkachin,” from the tag and looked at the owl as it preened, “is your name, huh?”
The owl hooted in what seemed like agreement, poking his head under Yuuri’s finger as if to request for a scratch.
“Weird… ” Yuuri thought to himself, as he relented with giving scratches. He didn’t even know this owl yet it was being very friendly to him. About a few minutes after, Makkachin seemed to shake off Yuuri’s hand before it started to look over Yuuri’s shoulder, its wings seeming to flap in recognition.
Was there something… someone behind him?
As fast as the thought passed, Yuuri whipped his head to look behind him.
Only a gust of air greeted him, the sight of the night sky and the glowing moon awaited his gaze.
Now that was strange.
“Now that we’re all here and every first year have been sorted, I’d like to make an announcement,” the excitement in the room quieted down when Celestino spoke, his eyes skimming over Yuuri in worry for a moment before flicking back to the crowd.
Yuuri, to put it lightly, was exhausted. He had practically ran back from the owlery with his things when he realized he had spent too much time, barely making it when all the students were already rushing to the banquet hall. He didn’t even have the time to properly fix himself up when he threw his robes over his clothes before dashing back along with the other students.
Celestino’s booming voice reached until the far back of the room as he continued, “you see Hogwarts have been chosen to host a much celebrated event from the past. As of today, this castle will not only be your home for this year but also to delegates that have joined you this evening…”
“It’s probably the horses and ship that docked at the shore a while ago…” Yuuri was momentarily startled by the sudden voice whispering into his ear, jolting away to look back only to find a familiar blond wearing circle spectacles. Seeing the boy made him release a sigh of relief.
“Good evening Chris,” Yuuri murmured quietly, sensitive to the other students listening to their Headmaster drone on, “I didn’t notice you there…”
Christophe Giacometti was one of the few friends Yuuri had in the house, and the only one in his year level. Yuuri remembered their meeting very well. Getting lost together in the castle on the first day of their first year during the freshman initiation was something unforgettable to say the least.
He wasn’t going to deny that it was the possibly the worst hour of his freshman life but it wasn't so bad that he regretted becoming Chris’ friend from that point on. He was still wary of his friend’s wandering hands whenever they’d stand beside each other and the flirtatious remarks but that was made Chris simply Chris so he got used to it.
And how could he not be so grateful he was friends with Chris when he was the one that invited him to the Quidditch World Cup last summer in the first place?
“That kinda hurts, Yuuri,” Chris placed a hand over his chest, mock pain spreading over his features, “I thought you already knew I would always sit beside you during Grand Feast. A beautiful man like yourself ignoring a lovely man such as myself, it struck me painfully hard…”
“Oh don’t be dramatic,” Yuuri couldn’t help the shallow giggle that escaped his lips. Katsuki Yuuri? Beautiful? What a joke.
“I’m only telling the truth,” His own playful smile only growing wider, “it brings me great pleasure watching you enjoy yourself on this one night of the year. It’s a shame that you always watch what you eat soon after.”
Of course he watched what he ate. If Yuuri was too careless, he wouldn’t even fit in his robes anymore--
“Now, let me be clear,” The firmness of Celestino’s tone made Yuuri a bit guilty for not giving him his full attention. The boy smiled at his friend before turning to look back at their headmaster.
“Once you are chosen as the champion, you stand alone. Trust me when I say that the Triwizard tournament is not for kids. There was a reason why the tournament was discontinued after all, and it’s not just because of the high death toll.”
Dread filled Yuuri when the fact had finally sunk in. There was a death toll. Students actually died from this contest. That should have made it all the more concerning so why was it being brought back?
Other students didn’t seem to share the same sentiments as he did, judging from the excited murmurs that floated around. Too much new things happened in that single day that there was barely anything that can dampen the mood of the student body.
“Though there have been several attempts to bringing this back,” Celestino droned on, “we have taken measures and made preparations over the summer for the tournament this year to be approved. This is to make sure that we would not be adding to the towering death toll of this lustrous event.”
“Now… we’ve kept our guests waiting. They do need to hear what I’m about to mention next,” Celestino raised his arms up, gesturing for the door at the back of the room to be opened, “let us give a warm welcome to the lovely ladies from the Beauxbaton Academy of Magic and their headmistress, Madame Lilia Baranovskaya!”
What greeted them when the door opened was the scent of roses, revealing an orderly march that consisted of mostly ladies wearing light blue robes made of what seemed like fine silk with the way it contoured to their bodies. A few boys stood at the end of the march, completely showing the discrepancy of the numbers between the two sexes was.
Their headmistress seemed to take elegance on a high pedestal that even the fundamentals of ballet was engraved in their movements, walking in stride with their arms swinging gently and toes pointing just the slightest.
Madame Baranovskaya was a slim woman that was heavily clothed in black satin, lined with fur on the collars and sleeves. There was even a cape of fur that trailed after her. Along with the fashion that screamed regal, her appearance was that of an elitist full blood. Her eyes were sharp and unforgiving, not a hair out of place when she it up in a bun. The streaks of gray on her hair showed her growing years but despite that, she carried herself well.
Once she approached the front with her students forming a path right in the middle, Celestino had helped her up the steps to go one of the chairs behind the feast table belonging to the teachers’, right beside Celestino’s own chair. Madame Baranovskaya had offered him her hand, the Hogwarts headmaster kissing her knuckles in return for her gesture.
“Good evening, Cialdini.”
“Celestino is alright, Madame Lilia. I hope your trip has been well?” Celestino inquired as he let go of the woman’s hand. She only rolled her eyes.
“It could have been better. I trust that my horses will be well taken care of, that at least I can expect from you?”
Celestino, having not taken any offense merely smiled, “You have my word.”
Madame Baranovskaya nodded her head in approval and said, “very well.”
The room roared in joy and excitement once the Beauxbatons have all reached the front of the tables, various whistles and clapping filling the great hall. The entrance was grand to say the least, each one having showcased their prowess in dance.
Celestino turned back to the students in the room, raising a hand to silence them.
“Now… Let’s also greet our friends from the North, the proud sons of Durmstrang and their High Master, Yakov Feltsman!”
Contrary to the grace and poise demonstrated by the girls from Beauxbaton, the way Durmstrang entered the room was nothing less to thunder clapping, a violent storm that swept everyone’s attention to the display. Staffs struck the ground in synchronization as men in brown uniforms marched into the Grand Hall, the manner in which they spun and handled their staffs was that of a true master, like trained soldiers.
As more students in identical uniforms started to sprint down the hall, there were a few that were clothed in thick cloaks, their heads raised high in pride and eyes looking ahead steadily. They were confident, all-knowing, and so sure of themselves. A part of Yuuri wished he could carry himself the way they did.
Two of the cloaked students that walked side by side, one of them was a man with swept back black hair, sporting an undercut. Yuuri found the man intimidating, more so for the shorter blond that walked alongside him.
The blonde boy on the other hand, Yuuri knew. He was Yuri Plisetsky, the grandson of the late Durmstrang High Master, Nikolai. A prodigy wizard, nothing less for a Plisetsky. Although there were rumours of the boy spreading that he was merely a half-blood (a disgrace to his bloodline), his magical prowess was nothing to sneeze at.
The last student, the one chosen to walk alongside the current headmaster, finally entered the room, the grand doors behind him closing in finality. Silver threads of hair flowed gracefully after as the young man continued in a march, his expression relaxed but his stormy blue eyes quietly glowed with power and dignity. The way the student carried himself made High Master Yakov look like he was the escort instead.
Yuuri had to swallow a lump to compose himself.
“It’s him,” Yuuri heard another fellow Slytherin student speak, “it’s Viktor…”
Everyone knew who he was, he was Viktor Nikiforov. He was the captain of Durmstrang’s Quidditch team, its prized seeker no less. Despite being a student, he was already the seeker of Bulgaria’s Quidditch team. He was the pride of Durmstrang, the star student.
Yuuri felt like he was going to hyperventilate from the excitement. He was seeing him this close, it almost seemed unreal.
“You’re practically vibrating on your seat, you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m okay,” Yuuri gave a small smile to reassure him, “I’m just overwhelmed by Viktor’s presence. He’s much more amazing close up like this.”
“Oh?” There was a knowing smile on Chris’ face, one that Yuuri felt was out of place, “is this your first time seeing him up close like this?”
“Yeah I mean, I do watch his games, yeah. I just… Haven’t been in the same room as he is.”
The blond looked like he was going to say something more but only settled with laughing quietly to himself.
“Whatever you say, Yuuri.”
That was odd, to say the least. Yuuri decided to pay no mind to it as he turned back to the guests that were being ushered to their seats near the front of the room.
The Beauxbatons have settled on the additional seats that was previously unoccupied by the Ravenclaw table near the front, remaining on their feet as Madame Baranovskaya remained standing beside Celestino up near the podium. Meanwhile, the Durmstrang students stayed near the Slytherin table, removing their thick coats, and looking up at the floating ceiling in mild interest.
Viktor was up so close that it was hard for Yuuri to look away from him just because he really wanted to make sure he was there. It was too unbelievable, too surreal. Up close, Yuuri was able to study how his eyes softened the angular structure of his face. Although his eyes were round and curved, the emotion evident in his sky blue eyes were nonchalant, almost ignorant. It was as if he had better things to do. That was then the gaze shifted away from the crowd.
For a moment, Yuuri had locked eyes with Viktor. It left the Slytherin staring, his breath hitching when their gazes couldn’t seem to leave each other.
“Love at first sight, Yuuri?”
Yuuri jolted in surprise, quickly breaking the eye contact only to find Chris grinning at him. He felt his cheeks flushing, the redness probably reaching up to his ears just at the prospect of it.
“We just…! I just… He just c-caught me staring, that’s it!” Saying it out loud like that made it more embarrassing for Yuuri, giving a sideway glance to find Viktor already looking somewhere else.
If Yuuri had more confidence in himself, he would have said that the small smile that graced Viktor’s pink lips was all because of him.
When everyone seemed to settle down, with the Beauxbatons finally sitting when their headmistress did and the Durmstrang students comfortable on their seats, Celestino was the only one that remained standing by the podium.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I am happy to welcome all of you, especially all our beloved guests, into Hogwarts,” Celestino said, his expression beaming in ecstasy. It was as if he completely ignored the glares that Madame Baranovskaya was clearly shooting at Professor Feltsman when he continued, “I entrust that every one of you will enjoy your stay here.”
There was a chorus of claps that followed soon after, the sound quickly extinguished by another raise of Celestino’s hand.
“Now, the tournament will officially open as soon as the feast ends,” Celestino said, “as tradition, I invite you all to eat, drink, and simply be make yourselves at home!”