Archive of Our Own ^beta

Dimitri was not normally one to break the rules. He did his homework when it was due, stuck to his own common room, and wasn't loud past nine pm. But he only had a few classes with Ingrid, Sylvain, and Felix, and he hadn't got to hang out with all three of them since they'd arrived at Hogwarts over a month ago. So, when Sylvain suggested they all sneak out and meet up in the astronomy tower, Dimitri found himself agreeing.

Sneaking out was surprisingly easy. Dedue was aware of his plans, of course, and it wasn't hard to escape the notice of the three other boys in his dormitory - Caspar and Ferdinand were constantly arguing about some topic or another, and Siegbert was usually attempting to defuse the situation. He simply slipped away as Caspar declared that he could beat Siegbert in a fistfight any day. Dedue gave him a small nod as he disappeared through the doorframe.

There were only two girls in the common room - two redheads, one with a long braid and one with messy, cropped hair. The short-handed girl turned to look at him as he headed towards the main door. "Hey, you're that Blaiddyd kid, aren't you? Where are you going this time of night?

Dimitri was a bit disappointed he'd been recognized, but not surprised. The Blayiddyds were a very important family, and lots of people at Hogwarts had seen him around before. "Oh. Yes, I am. And. Um. Professor Hanneman wanted to see me."

"He is needing to see you at this lateness?" The other girl asked.

It took a moment for Dimitri to process what she meant. "He wanted to talk to me about… umm… something pertaining to a nighttime activity. He was not specific." He blinked innocently.

The first girl simply shrugged. "Alright. Go wild, then."

Dimitri breathed a sigh of relief and cracked open the common room door, slipping out through the smallest gap he could. He turned to shut the door firmly when a voice boomed "Aha! And where do you think you're going?"

He jumped about a foot in the air before realizing it was the painting. Of course. He looked into the squinting eyes of the giant man hanging on the wall. Most of the students simply called him "the fat man," but Dimitri remembered his name. "Hello, Oliver," he said, trying to keep his voice even. "You're looking lovely today. I was simply going to meet with Professor Hanneman."

"Oh, to meet a true lover of art!" Oliver exclaimed, clasping a hand to his chest. "Dozens of students walk by every day, and do you know how many even stop to mention my exquisite beauty? Most days, not one!"

"That's terrible," Dimitri said.

"Yes, is it not? I'm so glad someone understands. It's not easy to be as elegant as I in a world so unappreciative." Oliver put the back of his hand to his forehead and leaned back as if he would faint."

"I can imagine." Dimitri gave a solemn nod.

"Now normally I would be suspicious of these nighttime activities, but I'm sure a fellow lover of beauty couldn't be up to something nefarious, hmm? Go on, now," Oliver said, shooing him with his hands.

"Thank you, Oliver. Have a good night." Dimitri gave the painting a short bow before turning and running off, robes fluttering behind him.

Excited by his success, Dimitri ran down three flights of stairs before a sudden realization stopped him in his tracks. He had never been to the astronomy tower. He didn't know where it was.

That had been a bit of an oversight, hadn't it? Well, he hadn't made it this far to turn around. Surely he could find a map somewhere, right? He pressed on and began scanning the darkness for any hint on the tower's location.

He began to lose hope after the thirtieth flight of stairs when he realized he'd seen those exact same paintings a few minutes ago. This was hopeless. Hogwarts was far too big to simply wander around. He should just turn back-

A muffled shout came from somewhere in front of him. Dimitri jumped before following it down two more flights of stairs. He ended up near the entrance to the Great Hall. He peeked around the corner and saw Madame Casagranda talking to a student in the dim torchlight. Dimitri couldn’t see the student well, but he assumed they were a first year based on how Madame Casagranda towered over them.

Madame’s tired voice echoed through the empty hall. “You and I both know you’re not supposed to be here.”

The student responded with a playful lilt. “And we both know you don’t get paid enough to fight with me about it.”

“That might be true, but I’m still going to.”

“Aw, come on. I’m not doing anything bad. Wouldn’t you rather hole up in your room with a good book and some firewhiskey?”

"If your intentions are so innocent, why don't you share them with me?"

The boy - Dimitri was fairly certain by the voice that it was a boy - clicked his tongue a few times. "I… can't do that."

"Then you can explain them to Headmistress Rhea."

"No, no - okay, I'll tell you. But this stays between us, right, teach?"

"That depends entirely on what you're about to say."

The boy's voice took on a somber tone. "My grandfather's in the hospital. Mama was supposed to send me an owl telling me how he was doing, but it never came today. I wanted to make sure it hadn't come in before I went to bed."

There was a beat as Madame Casagranda (and Dimitri) processed his words. "Well," Madame began, "so long as that's all you're doing, and you make it quick."

"Yes, ma'am!" The boy replied.

"If anyone asks, I never saw you."

"I'll tell them you were having a beer."

"Do not say that." Madame shook her head. "As if I'd drink that cheap stuff. I have a reputation to maintain."

Madame Casagranda retreated to the other end of the hall, and the boy skipped towards Dimitri. Belatedly, he realized he should move before the boy reached the hall entrance. Instead of slipping behind the door and out of sight, he jumped backwards as the boy reached him. So much for staying hidden.

The boy turned to him and narrowed his eyes, green like his robes. Now that Dimitri could see him better, he looked familiar, though he couldn't quite place him. He had pretty tan skin and messy dark brown hair with a short braid on the right side of his face.

The boy's eyes widened. "Oh! You're Dimitri, right?" Dimitri nodded, too startled to speak. "You're in my Potions class."

He knew the boy now - he sat in the back of Potions whereas Dimitri sat in the front, which is why he hadn’t recognized him sooner. If memory served… “Aren’t you the one who almost set Professor Yukimura on fire?”

“The one and only,” he laughed. “It’s not my fault he put his face right up to the flask.”

“Could you remind me of your name?”

The boy paused for a beat too long before sticking out his hand. “Claude von Riegan.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Claude,” Dimitri said, giving his hand a loose shake - he’d learned his lesson long ago on what happened if he shook someone’s hand too tightly.

“Likewise. What are you doing out so late, anyways?” Claude raised an eyebrow as he released Dimitri’s grip.

Oh. What had he told Oliver again…? “I’m going to meet with Professor Hanneman.”

Claude pantomimed looking at a watch. “Bit late for that, isn’t it?”

“I suppose, but I didn’t want to ignore a summons from a professor.”

“That’s true. Hey, his office isn’t far from where I’m headed. Want to walk there together?”

Dimitri stammered for a moment, trying to find an excuse. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to walk with Claude - quite the opposite, actually, since he’d just seen his skill at fending off Madame Casagranda. But he couldn’t very well go to Professor Hanneman’s office - he needed to get to the astronomy tower quickly, before his friends assumed he wasn’t coming. “I’m meeting him in the astronomy tower,” he blurted out.

“You’re meeting our Transfiguration teacher… in the astronomy tower?”

Dimitri nodded stiffly. “Yes.”

“Mhm… yeah. Not buying it. Who are you really going to see?” Claude stepped forwards, something hungry in his eyes.

Dimitri held his hands up, eyes wide as he scrambled. “The professor-”

“I bet it’s a girl, isn’t it?” Claude chuckled and took another step back. “Quite a scandal, mister Blaiddyd.”

“No!” Dimitri exclaimed, face immediately flushed. “I… I’m just going to meet my friends. We’re all in different houses, and we haven’t seen each other much since we got here…”

Claude stared into Dimitri’s face for a moment before bouncing back on his heels. “Alright, I buy it. Not quite the gossip I was hoping for, though. Who are your friends?”

Dimitri swallowed, thankful for the extra space. “I don’t know that you’d know them. Felix Fraldarius, Ingrid Galatea, and Sylvain Gautier.”

“Gautier?” Claude looked up. “I know him. He’s in my house. Third year, right?” Dimitri nodded. “I didn’t know you two were friends.”

“We all grew up together,” he said.

"That's cute. I'll let you get to it, then. If anybody asks, we didn't see each other, right?"

Claude winked and turned on his heel. Dimitri reached out to grab his arm, trying to make him stop. Claude jumped when he felt the other boy's hand, and Dimitri quickly pulled away.

"I was going to ask if you knew where the astronomy tower was," he said sheepishly, training his eyes on the ground. "I've never been there."

Claude blinked. "Oh. Sure, I can take you there."

Dimitri shook his head. "Oh no, I couldn't ask you to do that. I just need directions."

"Nah, it's fine! I'm headed that way anyways."

"I didn’t think the owlery was near the astronomy tower…?” It could be, but he didn’t think so. He went to the owlery a lot - his father sent him an owl at least once a week.

"Oh. Uh," Claude rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm not actually going to the owlery."

"But you told Madame Casagranda-"

"That my grandpa's in the hospital, yeah. And that's true, he is. And I was gonna swing by there at some point. It's just not the main reason I'm out."

"So what is?" Dimitri turned his head, curious.

"That's personal. And if you tell Madame Casagranda or anyone else-" Claude stuck a finger in the air - "I'll tell them you were out too."

"But I told you what I was doing." Dimitri crossed his arms. Claude just shrugged.

"Do you want help finding the astronomy tower or what?"

Well… he supposed he didn't have much choice, did he? "Alright," Dimitri said with a sigh. “Lead the way.”

Claude grinned and turned around, setting off at a brisk pace. Dimitri gathered his robes and followed him, careful to keep his footsteps quiet. Even though he was deliberately trying to walk softly, his footsteps still sounded like gunshots compared to Claude’s deft tread. I don’t think this is his first time sneaking out, Dimitri thought. There was no question as to why he was in Slytherin robes, at least. Dimitri might have been able to get past a painting, but there’s no way he would've been able to swindle Madame Casagranda.

As if he’d read Dimitri’s mind, Claude spoke up. “I’m guessing you’ve never snuck out before, huh?”

“No,” he replied. “I’m guessing you have?”

“Oh, yeah. Lots of us do. Security is actually pretty terrible here. I’m pretty sure Sylvain sneaks out every other night.”

“That sounds like him,” Dimitri muttered. “So you’ve never been caught?”

“Only once, by the groundskeeper. Well, and I’ve run into Madame Casagranda twice now, but she doesn’t care enough to stop me.”

Dimitri felt himself deflate slightly, to his surprise. He normally took comfort in following the rules, but what was the point if there was no real punishment? He’d taken sneaking out so seriously, and here Claude was, his own age, doing it as if it meant nothing.

But he didn’t voice any of this. He just nodded.

The two ascended a spiral staircase, Dimitri watching moonlight come through a high window and land on the ancient stone walls. Hogwarts felt so… different at night. The staircases still moved, strange noises still crept from the walls, but there was an impression of sleep. The stairs seemed leisurely in their movements, less purposeful. More paintings were vacated or sleeping rather than looking down on the students. It was a side of the castle he never would have seen had he not broken the rules, and it fascinated him.

Claude suddenly whirled around and clapped his hands together, spooking Dimitri out of his reflection. He looked to the shorter boy, who gave a giant grin. “If you’ve never snuck out before, you’ve never been to the duels, huh?”

“The duels?” Dimitri cocked his head.

“Oh, man, you’ve got to go to the arena. It’s like a rite of passage. Of course, it’s entirely against school policy, so you can’t tell anyone about it… but I can trust you, right?” Claude winked.

“U-uh, of course!” Dimitri said, nodding furiously. What was that about? He was breaking all kinds of rules today, There was just something about all this that made him want to throw caution to the wind.

“Well, you need to get to your friends, and I’ve got my own places to be. But we’ll go another time, hm?” Claude smiled and gave a short nod before turning back around and continuing on his way.

"Yes!" Dimitri said before realizing it was weird to respond to Claude's back. Oops. Luckily, the other boy just gave him a sideways grin as they rounded another set of stairs.

“Alright, we’re here,” Claude said, stopping outside a grand entryway. Dimitri heard Sylvain’s boisterous laugh echo down the hallway, and a grin crept across his face. Merlin’s beard, he’d missed them.

“Thank you so much, Claude,” he said, giving him a short bow. “I probably wouldn’t have found it without you.”

“Ah, don’t mention it.” He flapped his hand dismissively. “My w- The place I gotta be is nearby. And it was good talking to ya. I’ll see you next time we both decide to sneak out, huh?” Dimitri nodded. “Tell Sylvain I said hi.”

“I will,” he said.

And with a swish of his green robes, Claude disappeared into the darkness of the castle. Dimitri turned and walked towards the sound of Ingrid lecturing Sylvain.

“Dimitri!” Sylvain called as he came into focus. The Slytherin was sitting on one of the tables, papers and trinkets shoved aside to make room. Ingrid and Felix turned to look at him from their seats in nearby chairs.

“What took you so long?” Felix griped, leaning back in his chair and playing with the sleeves of his yellow robes. It had been quite a shock to everyone when the youngest Fraldarius was sorted into Hufflepuff instead of Gryffindor, but Dimitri got the impression that he was relieved - he was a bit more out of his brother Glenn’s shadow that way. Dimitri was disappointed that they weren’t in the same house, though.

“I had trouble finding the astronomy tower,” he admitted.

“That’s what you get for opting out of astronomy this year,” Ingrid said, rolling her eyes. “I told you that was a bad idea.”

“Nah, it was smart. Astronomy sucks ass,” Sylvain said.

“You’re just mad you only got acceptable,” Ingrid shot back.

“No, I only got acceptable because it sucked ass. There’s a difference.”

“I think you only got acceptable because you’re a dipshit,” Felix said.

Despite himself, Dimitri chuckled. “You three haven’t changed a bit.”

“You’re one to talk, Dimitri. You’re still that bad with directions?” Ingrid crossed her arms.

“Nah, if he actually got here he’s better than before,” Felix said.

“Well, I actually had some help. I ran into Claude von Riegan in the halls,” he said.

“Oh, shit, Claude’s a cool dude,” Sylvain said. “What was he doing out?”

“I don’t know. He wouldn’t say. He said to tell you hi, though.”

“Ah, typical. That kid’s kinda weird.”

“He’s a Riegan? I thought that family died out,” Ingrid said.

“Apparently not,” Sylvain said. “He doesn’t exactly look like the rest of ‘em, though. There’s definitely something going on there.”

“He was nice,” Dimitri said.

“Oh, great,” Felix said, rolling his eyes dramatically. “I know that look.”

“What?” Dimitri said defensively. He wasn’t making any kind of face!

“That’s the look you had for that one girl when we were eight. You like him.”

“I-I do not!” he stuttered.

Sylvain raised an eyebrow. “You think Mitya’s got a crush on von Riegan?”

“I’m just saying,” Felix said, raising his hands in the air.

“Felix is just saying that to distract you guys from the fact that he likes Annette,” Ingrid said.

“No!” Felix shouted, at the same time Sylvain said “Oooh, Felix!”

“Annette Dominic?” Dimitri asked.

Ingrid nodded, a smug grin on her face. “They’re both in my herbology class. He’s so nice to her.”

“Felix, nice?” Sylvain clasped a hand to his chest. “I don’t believe it.”

“We’re friends!” Felix yelled, throwing his hands in the air. “Am I not allowed to have friends? God!”

As his three friends burst into another argument, Dimitri found himself wondering what Claude was doing. Maybe if they met again, he could find out what the other boy was doing. Not that he liked Claude, like Felix said! He was just curious what he wanted to keep a secret. That was totally natural. It had nothing to do with crushes. What a ridiculous thought.

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“He seemed really nice,” Claude said. “And I know you wanna meet some more people. Do you think you’d like it if I brought him here?”

The snow-white baby wyvern crooned and butted her head against Claude’s hand. He laughed and scratched behind her horns, earning a low purr.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll probably need to get some dirt on him first, make sure he doesn’t tell anyone about you. You’re so smart.”

In response, the dragon climbed into his lap and contentedly blew a puff of smoke from her nostrils. Claude pressed a kiss to her scaly forehead.

“Don’t worry, girl. He might be cute, but you’ll always be cuter.”