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Yuuri crept down the dark hallway, his hands shaking more with each step he took. In his hand a small slip of paper crinkled, damp with sweat. Yuuri paused outside a slightly ajar door and leaned against the cold stone of the castle’s walls, his breathing a little ragged.
It was a miracle he had even managed to find his way here in the first place- between moving staircases and shifting hallways, not to mention unhelpful paintings and ghosts, Hogwarts was a bit of a nightmare to navigate for someone who didn’t attend school there. Even though Yuuri had been shown, with the rest of his classmates, exactly where the Goblet of Fire was being kept, waiting for brave students to throw in their names…
Yuuri squeezed his eyes shut, and the paper in his palm crumpled as he clenched his fist. This was such a horrible, stupid idea. Why would the Goblet of Fire choose him to compete in the Triwizard Tournament? Was there even any point in putting in his name?
Yuuri exhaled slowly, and opened his eyes before looking down at the piece of paper with his name. He had written it out in both English letters and Japanese kanji, in his best handwriting with his best pen. Takeshi had made fun of him. It had been his (playful) teasing that had chased Yuuri out of the rooms where he and the rest of the students from Beauxbatons were staying to find the Goblet of Fire in the first place.
Yuuri clenched his jaw, closing his fist again. Despite what Takeshi seemed to think, he wasn’t a chicken.
With renewed confidence, Yuuri pushed open the door of the room in front of him and strode inside. At the same time a door at the other end of the room opened, and a student in a red cloak crept inside. He spotted Yuuri at the same moment Yuuri spotted him, and they made eye contact over the low blue flames of the Goblet of Fire.
The other student was the first to speak. “Hello,” he said in English with a sheepish smile. “I expect you’re here for the same reason I am?”
Yuuri could do no more than nod, his mouth a little dry. He had meant to drop his name in secretly, privately, and then no one would know he had if- when!- his name didn’t get pulled to compete in the tournament. Somehow, having a witness just made everything that much worse.
And it didn’t help that the other student was remarkably handsome; he cut a regal figure, with long silver hair in a braid and clear blue eyes, dressed in a long, red, fur-trimmed cloak.
Yuuri’s heart thudded against his ribcage, and he quickly broke eye contact, trembling a little. The other student frowned slightly and crept closer. “Hey, are you alright?” he asked.
Yuuri managed to nod again, forcing his eyes back to the goblet. “I’m fine,” he managed to say hoarsely.
Still closer the other student walked, until he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Yuuri and staring at the goblet. “It’s a lot bigger than it looked before, isn’t it?” he murmured.
Yuuri swallowed hard. “Yep,” he mumbled. He could tell out of the corner of his eye that the other student was studying him, and when Yuuri glanced over there was worry in the other’s clear blue eyes.
“I’m Viktor,” the other student said, and then laughed a little sheepishly and gestured to his red cloak. “I’m from Durmstrang, but you’ve probably already guessed.”
Yuuri jerked his head in a small nod, and then replied quietly, “I’m Yuuri.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Yuuri,” Viktor said with a grin. He eyed Yuuri curiously. “Pardon me for asking, but are you from Hogwarts or Beauxbatons?”
Yuuri looked down at himself, at his plain navy blue cloak. “I’m from Beauxbatons,” he said, and then tugged gently at the sleeve of his cloak. “This is warmer than our uniform cloaks, that’s all.”
“I’m not judging,” Viktor laughed. “It can get cold in Scotland, I’m sure it’s chillier than France at this time of year.”
Yuuri nodded. “Yeah,” he agreed, and then added impulsively, “Is it warmer where you’re from?”
Viktor laughed. “No, I’m from Russia, it’s not warm at all.”
“Is that where Durmstrang is?” Yuuri asked, and then winced. The location of Durmstrang was supposed to be one of the best-kept secrets of the wizarding world, he was an idiot to even ask!
Viktor put one finger over his lips and then winked playfully. “I can’t tell.”
Yuuri laughed a little, and Viktor grinned back. For a moment, Yuuri even forgot about the Goblet of Fire, still gently spitting flames in the center of the room.
Then, Viktor’s smile faded slightly and he glanced at the goblet with a sigh. “I suppose I should just throw this in and get it over with,” he sighed, waving a small slip of paper between two fingers.
Yuuri’s smile slid off his face, and he looked down at the little ball of paper in his hand. “Yeah, me too,” he whispered.
Neither of them moved.
Viktor rocked forward and back on his feet, his long silver braid swinging gently against his back. “You know,” Viktor said suddenly, looking thoughtfully at Yuuri. “Durmstrang hasn’t won the Triwizard Tournament once. Not in the hundreds of years it’s been running. There’s a lot of pressure on all the students that came here to win. We all had to promise that we would drop our names in the goblet.”
Yuuri looked up in surprise. “Really?” he asked.
Viktor nodded, not looking at him. “Not in so many words, of course,” he said. “Everyone that wanted to come was very eager for the chance to compete.”
“Except you?” Yuuri ventured, hoping he wasn’t guessing completely wrong.
Viktor shrugged slightly. Even though Yuuri was sure the other student was only sixteen or seventeen, he looked a lot older in that moment. “I’m not against putting my name in the goblet,” he said slowly, after a moment. “But I don’t know what I would do if the goblet happened to pick me. I’m not very good in a fight.” He gave Yuuri a crooked, sideways smile. “Sounds strange coming from a Durmstrang student, I know.”
“No, no, not at all,” Yuuri was quick to say.
Viktor shrugged again and flipped his braid over his shoulder, catching it in one hand before playing with the ends with one thumb. “I know my school has a reputation,” he murmured. “That’s fine. We’re all very used to it.”
Yuuri bit his lip. “Just because your school has a reputation doesn’t mean you have to live up to it,” he argued before he really knew what he was saying. “A lot of people think that Beauxbatons is an all-girls school.”
Viktor chuckled. “That’s a good point. I guess there’s more to everything than just a reputation.”
They fell silent again, both watching the flames in the goblet. “So why do you want to throw your name in?” Viktor asked, folding and unfolding the paper in his hands and avoiding Yuuri’s eyes.
Yuuri sighed, long and slow. “I don’t know,” he muttered. “It feels like the right thing to do? Like, why did I even bother to come if I wasn’t going to volunteer to compete?”
“Competing isn’t everything,” Viktor argued immediately. He met Yuuri’s eyes. “You don’t have to throw your name in if you don’t want to. No one is forcing you.”
Yuuri narrowed his eyes slightly. “Are you trying to get rid of your competition?”
Viktor’s eyes widened. “Oh, no, that’s not-” He paused when Yuuri smiled, and then sighed in relief. “Oh, I thought you were serious.”
Yuuri shrugged. “I’m not much in terms of competition.”
“Don’t say that,” Viktor said, pouting slightly. “I’m sure you would be great.”
Yuuri just shrugged, and then turned back to face the Goblet of Fire. His eyes itched, and his limbs were heavy with exhaustion. “Well,” he said, and then huffed out a sigh. “Do you want to do it together?”
Viktor smiled. “Sure. On the count of three.” Yuuri nodded.
Viktor quietly counted them off, and then both boys threw their names into the Goblet of Fire at the same moment. The papers fizzled away in two small explosions of sparks, and then the fire went back to placidly licking at the rim of the cup.
“That was a little anticlimactic,” Viktor observed.
Yuuri nodded. He had expected something more, to be honest- maybe to be struck down with lightning from the heavens, or for a phoenix to appear and burn him to a crisp, or for the fire to overflow from the goblet and consume him for even thinking that he could be worthy-
“It was nice meeting you,” Viktor said a little tentatively, gazing at Yuuri.
Yuuri managed to smile back. “It was nice to meet you too.” He offered his hand. “May the best wizard win.”
Viktor’s smile grew, and he took Yuuri’s offered hand. “May the best wizard win.”
***
“Yuuri, you put your name in the goblet, right?” Takeshi asked curiously, sitting down across from Yuuri in the enormous dining hall.
Yuuri nodded, swallowing hard. The names of the three schools’ champions were being chosen, and he felt like he was about to throw up.
“Did you?” Yuuri’s friend Yuuko asked, sitting down on Yuuri’s left.
Takeshi wrinkled his nose. “Nope, I don’t want to fight dragons or whatever crazy stuff they make the champions do this year,” he replied. “I like being alive.”
Yuuri lurched forward, covering his nose and mouth with his hands and breathing hard.
“Yuuri?” Yuuko said softly, and put her arm around his shoulders. “Are you going to be alright?”
Yuuri nodded, trying to control his breathing. “I’m OK, I’m OK,” he muttered. “I’ll be fine.”
Yuuko hugged him until he stopped shaking, and then handed him a chalice. “Here, have a drink,” she said.
Yuuri took a few tentative sips of water before looking back up at the front of the Great Hall, where the Goblet of Fire still sat in front of the teachers’ table. “When are they going to pick?” he asked. Yuuko shrugged.
“Any minute, I bet,” Takeshi added.
The doors of the Great Hall opened and all of the Durmstrang students marched in, making their way to their seats at the Slytherin table. One of the students broke off and approached the Ravenclaw table, where Yuuri and his friends were seated, and as the student drew closer Yuuri recognized Viktor.
“Hey, Yuuri!” Viktor said cheerfully, and gave Yuuri a wide, heart-shaped smile. “Good luck!”
“Thanks, you too,” Yuuri croaked.
Viktor patted his shoulder reassuringly, ignoring the way Yuuko and Takeshi stared at him. “Are you excited?” Viktor asked airily, and Yuuri tried his best to make his nod convincing. Viktor sobered a little bit. “I wouldn’t worry, I think-”
“NIKIFOROV!” the Durmstrang headmaster roared from across the Great Hall, and Viktor turned around so fast that his braid almost whipped Yuuri in the face.
“Coming!” Viktor called back, waving as most of the wizards in the room stared at him, and then glanced down at Yuuri. “I’ll see you later,” he said with a smile and a wink, and then he was gone.
“Wow,” Yuuko said, staring at Yuuri with wide eyes. “How do you know Viktor Nikiforov?”
Yuuri coughed into his fist. “Um, we met while putting our names into the Goblet?” he said. “Why? It’s not a big deal.”
“Everyone expects Nikiforov to be Durmstrang’s champion,” Takeshi hissed, leaning across the table on his elbows, his eyes wide. “He’s supposed to be the most gifted wizard to attend the school for decades!”
Yuuri gulped. “Um. I didn’t realize?”
Takeshi rolled his eyes. “Figures, that the future Durmstrang champion has the hots for you,” he muttered.
“He what?” Yuuri squawked.
“Oh, totally,” Yuuko agreed, grinning. “Yuuri, he’s totally into you. Why else would he come over here?”
Yuuri opened his mouth to argue, because they were being ridiculous- why would a wizard as beautiful and apparently gifted as Viktor be into Yuuri? - but before he could speak the Hogwarts headmistress stood and called for attention.
“It’s starting!” Takeshi said gleefully, and then turned to face the front of the room. Yuuri braced himself and then turned as well. He unintentionally caught Viktor’s eye, and Viktor winked and waved. Yuuri tried not to blush, and went back to silently panicking.
He couldn’t focus on the headmistress’s words, too caught up in a whirlwind of fear and worry and anxiety, but when the headmistress stepped up to the Goblet of Fire his focus snapped back razor-sharp.
The headmistress drew out her wand and tapped the rim of the goblet. “The Triwizard Champion from Hogwarts is Phichit Chulanont of Hufflepuff,” she read dramatically.
One of the Hogwarts tables, filled with students in black robes and yellow ties, burst into cheers. A grinning boy stood up and pumped his fist in the air before he was ushered into a back room off to the side of the hall. Yuuri smiled slightly despite his nerves. He was in Phichit’s Charms class, and the Hufflepuff had been nothing but kind to him.
The headmistress tapped the goblet again, catching the scrap of paper it spit out. “The Durmstrang Champion,” she read, “is Georgi Popovich!”
There was just a beat of stunned silence before the applause began as a dark-haired boy stood up from where the Durmstrang students were seated, taking a dramatic bow before leaving with one of the teachers in the same direction that Phichit Chulanont had gone.
“Huh,” Takeshi said thoughtfully. “I guess everyone was wrong about Nikiforov.”
The Hogwarts headmistress tapped the goblet a final time, and Yuuri’s world narrowed to the scrap of paper she caught. His heartbeat pounded in his ears so loudly that he could barely hear as she said, “And the Beauxbatons Champion is…”
“Go Yuuri!” Takeshi whispered, grinning across the table at Yuuri.
“Yuuko Toyomura!” the headmistress announced. Yuuri and Takeshi both gaped at Yuuko.
“You put your name in?” Takeshi grinned. “You never told us!”
Yuuko shrugged and smiled, even as she got to her feet. “I didn’t want to say anything.”
“Congratulations,” Yuuri said honestly, squeezing his friend’s hand. “You’re going to do amazing!” Yuuko gave him a quick hug and blew Takeshi a kiss before leaving the Great Hall to the raucous clapping of the Beauxbatons students.
After the three champions had been chosen, the Great Hall quieted down a little and students started to leave.
“She’s gonna do great,” Takeshi said with a smile, leaning his cheek against his hand and staring off in the direction Yuuko had gone. Yuuri nodded in agreement. Now that the champions had all been chosen and his name hadn’t been picked, the bit of fear in his stomach had settled.
Yuuri had to admit that he was just a tiny bit disappointed- why hadn’t he been selected? What had he done wrong? Was he not worthy? But for the most part, he was relieved, and very proud of Yuuko. She deserved the chance to win, and she had an excellent chance of doing so.
Yuuri opened his mouth, about to say so, when someone tapped on his shoulder. “Have fun,” Takeshi said with a teasing smirk, and then quickly got up and left.
Yuuri turned, his mouth dry, to find Viktor standing behind him. “Hi, Yuuri,” he said cheerfully, and then plopped down in the empty seat Yuuko had left. “So I guess neither of us are Triwizard Champions,” he said.
Yuuri nodded. “I guess so,” he replied, and then his eyes widened. “Viktor, I’m so sorry!”
Viktor frowned slightly, a cute little wrinkle appearing between his eyebrows. “What are you sorry for?”
“I didn’t realize who you were,” Yuuri blurted. “That you’re, um… you. I’m sorry.”
Viktor gave him a searching look. “I don’t care about that,” he replied. “I wouldn’t expect you to know who I am.”
“Oh,” Yuuri said dumbly.
“Actually, I should be the one apologizing,” Viktor said. He reached out and touched Yuuri’s hand. Yuuri swallowed hard. Viktor’s fingers were warm, his skin smooth, but his fingernails were bitten to the quick. It made him seem a little less intimidating, somehow.
Yuuri looked up. “Why should you be apologizing?” he asked. “You haven’t done anything wrong, either.”
“I should have realized who you were as soon as you told me your name,” Viktor said with wide eyes. He brushed his long silver bangs out of his eyes, and then said excitedly, “Is it true that you’re the five time consecutive dueling champion at Beauxbatons?”
Yuuri cleared his throat awkwardly. “Um, yes?” he squeaked. “But it’s not that big of a deal, it doesn’t even matter outside of school-”
“That’s so impressive,” Viktor replied, gently cutting him off. “I heard you’ve already been scouted by Aurors in five different countries!”
Yuuri blushed up to his ears. “It’s six, actually,” he mumbled.
Viktor gazed at him starry-eyed. Yuuri managed to gaze back, even though he could tell his blush was getting stronger. “My friends told me that you’re the most talented wizard to attend Durmstrang in decades,” he said. “Being good at dueling is nothing compared to that.”
Viktor bit his lip. He looked like he was suppressing a smile. “Maybe we could agree that we’re both impressive and talented?” he suggested.
Yuuri bit back a smile of his own. “I guess that’s fair.”
Viktor tilted his head slightly. “Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend, Yuuri?” he asked suddenly.
Yuuri stared at him. “Why do you ask?”
Viktor smiled slightly, and pressed his fingertip to his chin. “Just curious.”
“Um, no,” Yuuri mumbled. “I’ve been asked out, but…” He shrugged helplessly.
“No wonder people want to date you, you’re so handsome and talented,” Viktor sighed dreamily.
Yuuri choked on his own spit as Viktor went red. “Um. Forget I said that,” the other boy said.
“OK,” Yuuri agreed a little awkwardly, and wrapped his arms around himself. He looked down at the table in front of him. Viktor stared up at the ceiling, twirling his ponytail around his hand.
“So, um, is there anything specific you wanted, coming over here?” Yuuri asked, and then cringed. “Not that I’m trying to get rid of you!”
Viktor laughed, brightly. “There was something specific I wanted, actually,” he said, and then leaned a little closer. “I asked a couple of Hogwarts students, and they told me there’s a little village within walking distance called Hogsmeade that students go to on the weekends. I kind of wondered if…”
He trailed off, and bit his lip, staring at Yuuri. Yuuri couldn’t help but notice that his cheeks were a little bit pink. It was very cute, and that thought made Yuuri blush.
“If…?” he prompted, his heart in his throat. From what he had heard around the castle a lot of students went to Hogsmeade on dates, so was Viktor really…?
“There’s a place that apparently has really good butterbeer,” Viktor babbled. “It’s a really good drink around here, I guess? And it’s supposed to be nice around this time of year, before it starts to get cold, although it’s also supposed to be really pretty at Christmas, but there’s also other stores and historic wizarding things to look at-”
He broke off, and made direct eye contact with Yuuri, his jaw set. “Yuuri,” he said firmly. “I really like you. I don’t know you very well yet, but I think you’re cute, and talented, and nice. Would you like to go on a date with me to Hogsmeade sometime?”
Yuuri’s eyes widened.
Viktor seemed to take that as a negative answer. “Or, um, if you don’t want to,” he started.
“I do!” Yuuri nearly screeched. He took a deep breath, let it out. “I do,” he said again, this time a little calmer. “I do want to go on a date with you.”
Viktor gave him a wide, heart-shaped smile, and reached out to clasp both of his hands. “Really?”
Yuuri nodded, making eye contact. “Really.”
Viktor squeezed his fingers, his smile somehow becoming wider. “I can’t wait,” he said happily.
Yuuri smiled slowly back. “Me neither,” he said shyly.
Viktor leaned forward, and then he was hugging Yuuri. Yuuri froze for a moment in surprise, and then hugged Viktor back, Viktor’s bangs tickling his cheek. Viktor was warm, his cloak soft and his arms strong around Yuuri’s shoulders. Yuuri’s heart fluttered, and he smiled giddily.
Yuuri hadn’t been chosen as his school’s Triwizard Champion, true. But it seemed like his year was shaping up to be exciting anyway.