The days after returning to the Gray estate went by slowly but still fast as summer was coming to an end. The weather outside was slowly shifting, the days grew shorter and nights longer.
After Linus had settled down her visited Sigrun for a week and Maya. She had a lot to talk about the French magical school of Beauxbatons, Linus already knew a lot through his conversations with Fleur during his training with her and Lyra. He didn't tell her that he knew, it was nice listening to her talk about it.
Linus now sat on the ship heading towards Durmstrang. "finally back, right guys?" Nico said, he sat beside Linus in the couch in the lower decks of the ship.
Armin Kicked his leg in response. "Finally? Are you excited to get messed up in the dueling ring again?" the others laughed at this, but Linus sat and looked around the ship, many new faces. The first years are sitting around the ship, some looked nervous and other tried to hide it.
"Feels weird, doesn't it?" Niko said after a moment, his usual grin softening a little. "Coming back after… well, after the summer."
Linus gave a small nod. "Yeah. Feels like it went by too fast."
Armin rolled his eyes. "That's because you were doing whatever it is you do during summers. The rest of us had to deal with family visits and boring Ministry people."
"Ministry people?" Erik chuckled. "Your uncle still bragging about being an 'important official of the Nordic Trade Division?'"
Armin groaned. "Don't remind me."
"Hey, Linus," Niko said, leaning forward. "Do you think they'll let us pick dueling partners again this year?"
"Probably," Linus replied, resting his chin in his hand. "Though if you're hoping to beat anyone who actually trained over the summer…" He looked sideways at Niko with a faint smirk.
Niko looked annoyed. " Don't tell me you trained even more during the summer." He said with a sigh.
The others knew that meeting him in a duel would result in a loss, or everyone knew in his year.
The ship arrived at the school and the first years went through the ceremony as Linus and the others did just a year ago. After the ceremony concluded the group entered their room again. "Finally, home sweet home." Niko said out loud as he dived into his bed.
Linus put his bag next to the bed and laid down as well, 'its nice to be back actually' he thought as he looked to the ceiling.
Erik dropped his trunk beside his bed with a thud. "I swear, this place smells exactly the same every year. Like someone bottled frost and threw it everywhere."
"Better than home," Armin replied, unpacking his things neatly into the dresser. "No one nagging me about posture or grades."
"You have people nagging you about posture?" Niko asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Pureblood family stuff," Armin muttered. "Everything's about looking 'respectable.'"
Linus smirked slightly, sitting up on his bed. "Then I guess they'd love Durmstrang's rule about standing up straight in dueling class."
"Don't remind me," Armin said, groaning.
The sound of other students echoed faintly from the hallway, laughter, footsteps, and the dull thud of trunks being dragged. The first years were being shown around by the older prefects, their curious voices carrying through the old corridors. For a moment, Linus found himself remembering his own first night, the sense of awe, the icy drafts, and the way the torches along the walls flickered with blue instead of orange.
He leaned against the cold stone wall by his bed, listening quietly as his friends continued their chatter.
"So," Erik said, tossing a pillow across the room that hit Niko in the chest, "how long do you think before the first duel challenge of the year?"
Just then the door to the room burst open and in stepped Sigrun, "Linus, Duel me this week!" she said loudly. The room looked at her.
"A few minutes." Erik said.
Linus just gave a thumbs up towards Sigrun and laid back down on the bed.
Tomorrow, classes would begin. The dueling rings would be crowded again, and the echo of spells would fill the halls.
The following week passed quickly, Linus and Sigrun had faced of in a duel and it ended as one would expect, but she had made improvements during the summer, her spells were faster and more powerful then during the last duel they had.
A rhythm was created in his classes didn't really teach him much new. He instead took his time to teach his fellow classmates what they needed to know.
"It's already Halloween." Niko said as they sat in the dinner hall. The months had flown by, and soon it would be Halloween.
Hey," Armin said suddenly, breaking the chatter. "Did you hear the rumor?"
Niko perked up instantly. "Which one? There are like twelve."
"No, this one's new." Armin leaned in, lowering his voice. "Supposedly, the headmaster's planning something special this year. Something… big."
Linus rested his chin on his hand. "What kind of big?"
Armin shrugged. "Nobody knows. But the professors have been on edge all week. Even Professor Grunfeld canceled the last ten minutes of dueling class. He never cancels anything."
Niko leaned back and stretched. "Maybe they're bringing in some rare magical creatures again. Or maybe a famous wizard. Or—"
"Or maybe," Erik interrupted, "they're finally announcing a winter dueling tournament."
That made the table go quiet for a moment.
Durmstrang hadn't held an official tournament in years. Too dangerous, too unpredictable, too many injuries, that's what the teachers claimed. But rumors always popped up around this time of year.
Niko's eyes lit up. "If there is a tournament, I'm joining."
Armin snorted. "You'll get knocked out in round one."
"Not if Linus trains me," Niko said, jabbing a thumb in Linus's direction.
"I'm not training you for a tournament," Linus said flatly.
"You trained Sigrun," Niko argued.
"She asked nicely."
"She yelled at you," Erik corrected.
"Exactly," Linus said. "Respectfully."
The group laughed.
The next morning the same group stood in front of the big notice board outside the dinner hall. "You weren't kidding" said Niko as he read the notice. It was a Halloween dueling tournament in the school.
"Only chosen can attend, and its from second to seventh years, meaning we could go against seventh years" Armin said worried.
Linus was not worried, he was beaming with excitement. Niko noticed, "Linus dream…" he said as he saw his reaction.
The breakfast was loud this morning, everyone talking about the news. Some looked worried, but other like the seventh years looked excited, most likely already thinking it would be an easy win.
"You will be selected Linus." Sigrun said who sat beside him. "There is no way they wouldn't." the others nodded in agreement.
He looked to Sigrun "It can't be that big of a deal, right?" he was very wrong. Next Friday they whole school sat in the dueling hall. It was packed with a central dueling in in the middle. Linus sat with his group and looked around, waiting for what would happen.
After a while the headmaster stood up and stepped into the middle of the ring. "Students!" he screamed out, making everyone shut up. "Welcome to this little tournament. Today, a selected number of students will partake in a tournament to see who comes out on top." This got a cheer from the crowd. He raised his hand and it make everyone quiet again. "there will be a total of 20 rounds, 40 selected students. And one will come out on top" the hall erupted yet again, this time the headmaster didn't break it up, he instead went to his seat and Professor Volkov stepped up instead.
"I will now start the first round. If you hear your name, you will step into the ring and take the challenge." He said calmly, yet his voice filled with a command.
The following five rounds was a mix of early years and late year students matching it out. The 2 seventh years who had stepped up until now had both won with ease.
As the fifth round was completed and the defeated fourth year was carried away, Volkov stepped up again. "For the sixth round, Herman Stiel and Linus Gray!" the hall went silent, Herman was a sixth year, who was famous for his dueling skills.
Linus didn't think much about it as he stood up and began walking down into the ring. Herman stepped in a moment later. The dueling hall had gotten a new feeling, it felt cold and quiet. Linus and Herman looked at each other as the stood ready.
"both ready?" Volkov asked. The two nodded "Begin"
The first spell shot out in a instant, Heman had shot a quiet confringo. Linus saw the spell and just tilted his head slightly to avoid it.
The spell hit the back of the hall with a bang, Linus took the moment to shot out his out lightingbolt, the bolt hit heman's shield he had quickly put up but Linus didn't let him counter, "Glacius Lancea" a big spear was formed from the tip of his wand, it shot out. Herman's eyes widened as he saw the spear flying towards him, he tried dodging but the spear graced his casting arm.
"depulso" Linus said as he saw Herman defenseless. The spell his him straight in the chest making in fly out of the ring. Linus's spells had gotten more powerful, the spell had hit him hard enough to break a couple of his ribs.
Herman grunted in pain as he laid on the floor, already surrounded by medic team.
The crowd went wild with cheers as Linus stepped out of the ring as well.
As the dueling went further and more intense for each round it was clear who was winning. The seventh years were at the top. No surprise for anyone, Linus was the only one who was under sixth year still in the tournament. Sigrun had a duel as well but was unfortunate to go against a sixth year with bad tempered and lost against him, not by much.
There were now three rounds left, the tension in the air of the hall was intense, betting was taking place in the stands.
Volkov stepped forward yet again, "Next up, Viktor Krum against Linus Gray." He said calmly.
Linus's friends looked at him worried, Krum was strong. He also had gotten a reputation of being a very good duelist. The two stepped into the ring, Linus go a good look at the famous quidditch player. Bald with a very muscular build, he had a very cold gaze, and looked like he just wanted to rip heads of.
"You ready?" Krum asked coldly.
Linus just nodded. Volkov heard this and just raised his hand "Begin"
The reaction was instant, both raised their wands and shot out spells. The very first spells hit each other mid air and created a deafening blast in the hall.
"Fulmen" Linus said, his wand shot out a lightning bolt, but Krum casted a shield. "Expelliarmus" he said after, the spell missed.
Krum countered with incendio, making the ring fill with a fire.
Spells flew for a while before Linus managed to catch Krum of guard. "Fulmen" the lighting bolt hit him in the chest sending electricity through his body. He fell down.
"Stop, point goes to Gray" Volkov said as he stepped closer to Krum to check his condition. Linus didn't get hit but he was breathing heavy as he had constantly been dodging spells left and right.
He could've finished this faster, but since the headmaster is spectating he wanted to avoid showing too much, as he didn't trust the famous Igor at all.
The next match would show who would fight Linus in the final, "Next up, Katrina Volkov and Alfa Humjen" the name made Linus confused, he leaned over to Sigrun.
"I didn't know there were more Volkovs?" he asked her.
"She's his niece." She explained, Linus watched as the sixth year Volkov walked into the ring, she didn't look like him he thought.
"Both ready?" Volkov asked. "Begin." The next moment shocked everyone, Katrina had fired a simple depulso at Alfa, but the spell hit his wand which made him spin violently and his wand flew across the hall. The hit made him lose consciousness. "Uh, winner Katrina" Volkov said.
The sixth year's in the crowd screamed out in cheers.
There was now a paus for the final fighters to recover a little, Katrina stood in the ring already, she had made eye contact with Linus a few times, she seemed unsure. No surprise, not many wizards use lighting and ice magic so she probably is thinking about ways to counter.
Linus stepped down into the ring as well, the paus wasn't over yet so he stepped down and stretched a little. Katrina doing the same. "go easy on me senior" Linus said as they looked at each other. She scoffed.
"I don't think I need to go easy on you Gray" she said.
After 5 minutes Volkov now stood in the ring ready to start the final duel. "Both ready?" he asked the two of them.
They nodded in unison.
"begin" he said.
"Protego glacis" Linus said, a wall of ice formed in front of him. This made Katrina confused as she hadn't even casted anything yet. But in the next moment panic filled her. As she saw the wall of ice begin shot towards her.
She threw herself to the side to dodge the incoming wall of ice. the wall missed and got thrown into the wall behind her with a bang, she looked at the hole formed from the ice block. 'if that would hit me I would be fucking dead' she thought as she looked at it.
Her wand blazed as she threw simple wand arrows to occupy him.
"Dracofulmen" she heard Linus cast, she didn't recognize the incantation. But as she saw what was begin formed from Gray's wand, she lost hope for victory. A big serpent made from lightning stood high in the air looking down at her. She looked on in horror, she dropped her wand.
"STOP!" Professor Volkov screamed out. "Duel over, Gray wins" he said out as he stepped between Linus and Katrina.
The second years in the crowd erupted, screaming his names.
Katrina stood behind her uncle. "What was that?" she said still a bit shocked.
He looked at the now surrounded Linus. "a variant of the fire serpent spell. Most likely some family spell." He said but was unsure himself.