Chapter 123 – Back To School
Living in Durmstrang was vastly different than how it was in Hogwarts. It didn't have different houses, and for example, not everyone had a room within the castle. Only those with sufficient backgrounds, influence, and prestige could live there. The rest had to either live on the grounds, find their own way, or in the nearby town of Valdemar and commune to school every day. This also meant that we, as newcomers, didn't get to live inside the castle. Not that I minded it, so instead, we rented out one of the abandoned houses in Valdemar. We only bought what we needed for it as we didn't know how long we would stay anyway.
I can't lie; I enjoyed it. Because Grindelwald was a teacher, he had to live in the castle, so it gave us a certain autonomy, taking care of ourselves and governing our days as we saw fit. It forced us to use brooms to get to school, which was also fun, and I didn't mind flying in the early morning, watching the sunrise as we headed to Durmstrang. It was... serene. Peaceful.
The only thing that both Quincy and I disliked was the constant need to drink polyjuice. You just can't get used to the taste. In the end, we were placed in the 4th-year, and I was surprised at how welcoming the others were. I did not expect that. Neither did I think that the guys were going to show this much interest in Quincy... I didn't know they would be this blatant about it and coming to me asking what my 'sister' liked and how to court her... It took a great effort to keep myself calm and polite while being bombarded by these questions.
As for Grindelwald, he became a teacher who fulfilled his duty to the best of his ability and very quickly became loved by the students. I could see why his lessons about magical beasts were captivating. Instead of just reciting from a book, he summoned bewitched images of the different monsters every time, displaying them in front of the class without the need to procure one and place everyone in danger.
Of course, some were saying it was a cheap imitation because what if his fabrication displayed something wrongly, teaching the children incorrect facts? I understood why they thought that way, but I had a strong feeling that he knew what he was talking about.
"Haaah..."
"What is it?" I asked, sharing an orange juice with Quincy, sitting on the stone wall surrounding the back garden of the school, enjoying our lunch break, munching on a sandwich.
"You saw it, and you still ask?" She grumbled, elbowing me in frustration. "It was the sixth guy I had to tell that I am not interested!"
"Well, you are popular, even when you... look like this!"
"Pft, maybe I should beat you up?" With a stifled laugh, she couldn't help but roll her blue eyes, making me grin.
"You can always try~!"