Chapter 122 – Durmstrang’s Test
It didn't take long for the Headmaster to invite us into Durmstrang. By noon, we were walking through a giant, open field heading towards a much smaller castle than Hogwarts. It was four stories tall but had only two towers and way less space for classrooms. It could have been only one wing of Hogwarts if we placed the two next to each other. But... the land around it was vast. Way bigger than ours was.
Going by Grindelwald's explanation, many of the classes were practical in nature, and it was customary for lessons to take expeditions into the forests, caves, and neighboring lakes. While we were taught from books and maybe shown some samples, the wizards and witches here got first-hand experience facing the different magical beasts and monsters.
"Is that...?" I whispered, but of course, I didn't get an answer as Grindelwald kept leading us past the front door, confidently walking up the stairs, going past a wall that had the symbol of the Hallows etched into it.
I wasn't surprised to see it; he told me he did it after being expelled. Nor was I surprised by it being still here, untouched. What was weirding me out was that a giant tube was next to it, filled with a mouth-watering amount of gold. I watched as a student walked up with a bunch of others, slotting a gold coin in and then trying a spell to remove the mark... without success.
"They turned it into an attraction...?" Quincy murmured, making me nod, agreeing with her.
"Keep it together." Grindelwald's voice made us flinch, stopping speaking at once, before we entered an old office where the walls were filled with books upon books, and behind a black, wooden table, there he sat, Karkaroff... he was blowing smoke from a long pipe, acting relaxed and carefree. "Headmaster." Grindelwald said as he stopped, bowing while we imitated him, only stealing a few quick glances.
Although he looked calm, I do remember that he didn't used to have that sunken face, and some of the black circles around his eyes were not because of his age. Things were hard, huh? Good. I didn't care if he lived or not; I was just happy that we were going to flip the tables for Voldemort.
"The Archduke told me everything, and I am surprised that your esteemed bloodline is still present!" He started but never returned our gesture or stood up; instead, he kept sitting, blowing smoke from his nose and fixing his eyes on Grindelwald.
"It wasn't easy to stay afloat, and it still isn't easy. But, after what is happening in the world, it may be our last hope to regain our position."
"That is true..." He agreed, finally sitting up straight, moving his eye from Grindelwald's face and examining us. "Young. Not yet 16?"
"Close to 15." Grindelwald answered for us, but I was having a laugh deep within because Karkaroff's attitude was telling enough. He had already accepted us; he just wanted to make it look like he was unsure. It's that bad, huh?