Chapter 174: The Magical Russia
( [Hey] 👈This bracket represents that the words are spoken in the Russian language. I don't suppose all of you guys know Russian, so I'm not going to write English. )
***
The Martins and the Delacours all stood at the porch of the Delacour Manor. Even though it wasn't cold, all of them very wearing warm clothes.
"Is everyone ready?" Asked Sebastian, who held an old lamp in his hand.
Gabrielle shook her head which was wrapped in a scarf, "Non! It's too hot!" She complained while tugging at her cardigan.
Esmée, who was standing beside her also nodded her head. She was wearing a rainbow beanie with a cute dragon logo and a puffer jacket, looking like a fluffy doll.
Sebastian laughed as he patted her head, "My Ange, you'll stop complaining in a few minutes," he said as he patted her head.
Fleur answered Sebastian's question, "Papa, everyone's ready. When are we leaving?" She was wearing a faux-fur coat and skinny jeans with a fur scarf around her neck.
Sebastian checked his watch, "It's only 2 minutes now! Everyone, gather around!"
Everyone was cheerful, though Chris was still somewhat distracted by the news of Vampires and the fact that there are people who might be stronger than him.
Camille put a hand on his shoulder. She could understand Chris's feelings very well,
"Don't worry, honey. Leave everything to us," She said, trying to reassure him. She was now feeling very guilty for making the always bright and playful Chris turn serious.
Appoline didn't know what the situation was, but she didn't pry, she just patted Chris's other shoulder, "The trip is going to feel bland without your constant shenanigans,"
Fleur laughed, "That is true. Look, even Gabby is also moody now," she said, pulling Gabrielle's cheek.
Sebastian also nodded, "Seriousness doesn't suit you, young man," he said in all seriousness.
Chris felt a tug at his sleeve and looked down to see Esmée looking up at him, "What happened, big brother??" she asked looking confused and her mouth was in a downward (
Even Nyxie, who was on his shoulder licked his cheek as she seemed to agree with everyone else.
"...."
Chris was a bit speechless.
'Is it so weird for me to be serious?'
Durnant seemed to be the only one who had no problems with the change.
Chris looked at all of them and finally sighed, "Alright, I'll be normal again. And
... I have a gift for everyone," he said as he finally smiled his usual smile
Chris realized that he was indeed a bit grim and dour right now and it was affecting the whole group. And he also realized that maybe, he was over-worrying.
With the stealth, no one would detect his scent. And if they meet other Vampires, there's no reason for conflicts... right?
'Besides, it's not like we aren't prepared,' thought Chris as he thought about the so-called gifts he'd been working on recently.
He waved his wand and a small box floated into each person's hands.
Gabrielle, who was in a bad mood moments ago, instantly perked up, "Gift?!" She asked excitedly. Though funnily enough, Sebastian also had the same reaction.
On the other hand, Appoline looked to the sky in exasperation, 'Again?!'
Chris's gifts were always just too precious. They hadn't properly thanked him for his last gift and here he is, presenting another. She hoped it was nothing too precious.
Esmée was the first one to open hers. And as soon as it was opened, a bright radiance came from inside it, attracting everyone's attention.
It was a pendant, shaped into a beautiful symbol of a circle containing three arcs that were interlocked. It looked well crafted, but, the most eye-catching factor was the material it was made up of!
It seemed to be made up of what looked like a crystalline material which seemed to be filled with multicolored energy.
"Sooooo beautiful!" Gabrielle exclaimed and everyone had the same thought.
Chris's mouth twitched. Beauty was the least impressive factor about the pendants.
These babies were made of the most Magical metal in the world: The Chrytanium. The metal's enchantment capacity was phenomenal. You can put in any amounts of enchantment you want.
Everyone opened their boxes to find the necklace inside.
"The Trinity Knot, a Celtic symbol representing family, unity, and love," murmured Sebastian as he looked at the shape of the pendant.
Chris nodded as he smiled, "You got that right," everyone in the family would have it from now on. Dora and the twins also have them.
Esmée's eyes were shining brightly as she looked at the pendant in fascination. She brought up her hand to pick it up and as her hand touched the necklace, it pulsed it got connected to her, instantly giving her a warm feeling rushing through her body.
A similar thing happened with everyone else as the pendant got connected to them and the veelas found their allure under their control. No one could feel exactly what was happening but Sebastian's mouth still dropped open.
"...Just... how many enchantments did you cram into this thing?!" he asked in a shaky voice. Even though he didn't have magic sense, he had other methods of finding out.
Chris just shrugged, "I don't know," he said truthfully. He didn't bother counting since this thing could literally take everything he put.
There were a lot of them including the minor ones like antisummoning and the one which took some effort, something to block Legilimency.
"Just keep wearing this all the time," he said, looking at everyone.
Camille hesitated, "Honey... that," she didn't want to make Chris feel bad after he'd just perked up, but... these pendants...
Appoline also had the same expression, "Chris, if we wear this in public, we'll be the target of all the thieves in the world," she said, helping out Camille. These pendants were just too eye-catching.
"Oh, that won't be a problem," Chris said nonchalantly. He tapped his finger on his chest and a locket similar to everyone else's visible. These things could be made Invisibile at will.
Chris spent a few moments instructing everyone on how to use the locket before it was time to leave.
Sebastian held out the old lamp in his hand. "Alright everyone, gather around. Gabby, Esmée grip this tightly and don't let go," he said to both the little girls. The rest of the people should have no problems.
They were, of course, going to travel by portkey for this international trip. Usually, Portkey is quite an uncomfortable mode of travel and but it's not much of a problem if you have a master enchanter make it for you.
As the portkey which was the lamp activated, everyone felt a tug on their navels as they were pulled into the space. And in the next moment, they found themselves in a field covered with snow. Now no one could complain about warm clothes.
They were somewhere in the cold plains of Siberia. Russian Ministry wouldn't give out direct portkey access to its habited and prosperous regions to other countries.
As soon as they appeared, a group of guards, all clad in black cloaks approached them with their wands drawn.
Chris activated his super Trigger Blue as he entered the guards' heads undetected one after another. He stopped when he found his target.
Meanwhile, the men finally reached them and one of the guards who seemed to be the leader stepped forward.
[You're on Wizarding Russia's lands. Don't draw your wands! We first need to confirm your identities and permit.]
Chris stepped forward as he took out his tournament participation id,
[We're are here for the Dueling Tournament. I'm the representative of Magical France, and this is my family. We also have the VIP permit] he said in fluent Russian. Though his accent was a bit off since he was speaking it for the first time.
Durant, even though he was surprised by Chris speaking Russian, took out the VIP permit which they had because they were big shots of France. This basically allowed them entry without any checking and other tedious procedures.
As soon as their identities were shown the lead guard made a gesture and the guards withdrew their wands. He took off his hood as he bowed slightly,
"Welcome to Volshebnyy (Magical) Russia," he said in English as he led them to their base where they'd their clearance attached to their identities.
"When did you learn Russian?" Asked Fleur as they followed the man.
'Just a few seconds ago,' he thought wryly.
It's the reason why he entered the man's head just now. Legilimency can be very fast. It's the best way to learn, as long as your mind can take the strain. It's why he activated Super Trigger Blue.
He learned most of his French the same way and found this method to be the best so he had planned on entering Russia's first mind that also knows either English or French and learn the language.
But since he couldn't tell this all to Fleur, he changed the subject, "Are you excited to go to Kitezh?" he asked.
Fleur nodded excitedly, "Oh yes, I am! It is the famed underwater city of Russia. Of course, I'm excited!" She gushed.
Kitezh, the main domain of magical Russia, is situated beneath the waters of Lake Svetloyar in central Russia. According to muggles, it's just a myth, like most myths, it's real.
This place has always been the pride of the wizarding Russia, like Hogwarts is for Britain. So, when the tournament was going to be held in Russia, they made sure it was going to be held here.
Their camp, which should have been quite empty was currently bustling as many wizards from all over the world were coming to see the tournament.
But Chris's group was given the VIP treatment as in a few minutes, they had gotten their clearance as they got an emblem that would allow them to enter the city wards.
Even Nyxie had gotten clearance since she was properly registered as a live transfiguration made by an expert.
"Huh, cheap people,"
Sebastian scoffed as he looked at the portkey they were given in disdain. It was apparently not of a good enough grade according to his criteria.
"We'll have to manage," said Durant as he cast a sticking charm that stuck everyone's hand to the portkey.
Chris put an arm around Esmée, "It's not a big deal," he said as he recalled how casual the Weasley's were with their inferior/ordinary portkey in the fourth year canon. This shows the difference in class. His family is just too used to luxury.
Within a few seconds, the portkey was activated and they found themselves being pulled violently into the space and this time, it was comparatively much more uncomfortable as felt themselves being dragged at an incredible speed.
Esmée and Gabrielle were hugging Chris and Fleur respectively, so both the little girls were ok. And then they were thrown out just as violently, though somehow, their descent slowed down at that time and their positions became upright just before their landing, making everyone land safely on their feet.
Everyone looked at Chris, whose veins on his forehead were visible due to the sudden exertion of using Flight skill. do
Though Chris was sadly not aware of the fact that his veins had popped up, and he was discovered, so he pretended to be surprised, "Well, that wasn't so bad," he said, making everyone want to roll their eyes.
But then, he looked around and got actually surprised, "Woah..."
They were under a huge dome-like structure, the ends of which Chris couldn't quite see. Beyond the dome, and the architecture seemed old but quite beautiful and magnificent. The sky of lit with floating bubbles of light which gave out light similar to sunlight. And beyond the dome, was the view of the lake water, showing that they were indeed underwater.
Everyone else was also mesmerized by the scene when they saw it.
"Magnifique," muttered Fleur as she looked at the place.
"Better than Beauxbatons?" Asked Chris teasingly to which she just scoffed.
Though she didn't want to admit it but in terms of beauty, this place seems to rival Beauxbatons, perhaps even better.
There were guards here too. Upon showing their identities, they were informed that the tournament participants are to report to the tournament venue where arrangements are made for them.
"Why right now? The tournament doesn't start for the next day!" protested Fleur who wanted to first look around the city.
The guard almost gave her permission to go anywhere she wanted before he snapped out of his daze. It wasn't cold here so she had her hood down right now, along with the other ladies, thus making the guard distracted.
The guard couldn't understand her words, but he still got the context. He explained that the participants are going to be under surveillance for a day so that they don't use any performance-enhancing potions before the match.
'We'll be checked, huh?' Chris was already prepared for moments like these. He took out a simple dummy bag from his precious backpack and put the Newt case which was slung on his back under stealth. He can't have this thing checked.
The dummy bag was a normal bag with a normal space extension bag. Chris had prepared it for occasions like these. It contained all of his daily necessities... which are legal.
Chris and Fleur separated from the group as they were escorted to a luxury big luxury hotel that was prepared for the participants where a female the staff welcomed them,
[Please wait while we call your escort and guide from France.] she said as she led them to a lobby.
Usually, the escort and guide is a person who brings the participants to the country but they had come with their parents. The same thing happened with their training since Durant was everyone's dad when it came to dueling.
"Just how many people are participating?" Asked Fleur in wonder as she looked at a large number of guys and girls their age wearing different colors representing their countries.
She had taken off her cloak under which she was also wearing France's colors and so was Chris. Their jerseys had FRANCE written behind them along with their names.
Chris saw a lot of country names he had never heard of before,
"Wait a moment, did I just read ATLANTIS?!" He asked in disbelief while craning his neck to get a better look.
At this moment, an annoyed voice came from behind them, "A total of 180 countries are participating, and yes, that was indeed Atlantis,"
Chris and Fleur both turned around at the same time. Chris, because he couldn't quite remember the scent, and Fleur because she knew the voice very well,
"Head Teacher Felice!" Fleur exclaimed, and Chris also recognized the charming and enthusiastic woman who was the referee of the selection tournament, Felice Daniel.
Felice smiled at Fleur who was a good student and very well prepared for the tournament, "Hello, Fleur dear. It seems you have finally come. As you know, I'm your guardian, guide, and instructor sent from the French embassy," she said to her, ignoring Chris.
"...."
Chris felt that this teacher had issues with him.
'Fine, it's not like I actually care enough to be bothered,' he thought while shrugging.
With his hands in his pockets, he idly followed her and Fleur as she took them to their rooms.
"I was supposed to teach you guys dueling, but 'someone' had different plans," Felice was saying, "Didn't even let me teach you two a thing in the long summer holidays. It's fortunate that at least you're prepared, Fleur," she while patting Fleur's shoulder, to which Fleur could only awkwardly smile.
It seems that the headteacher also had issues with his father, Chris realized.
Felice continued, "The Selection Tournament this time wasn't as ideal as it used to be. Just look at what happened to poor Louise," Fleur recalled what happened to 'poor' Louise and immediately tried to stop her gleefully laughter. Those photos did their job perfectly. She had yet to thank Chris for it.
The head Teacher didn't know what Fleur was thinking continued,
"Such an ideal student... but she was cruelly injured and with such cowardly and unfair means! It was totally opposite of how a person representing France should show. I always knew Durant just wouldn't be able to teach properly, and he has a history of making the wrong decisions!"
Chris was finally getting to know what this was all about, but the progress was interrupted since they had already reached their accommodations.
It was a long corridor, with countries' Flags painted on doors. Here, they could see some teenagers going in and out of their rooms, all of whom would stop to stare at Fleur and even Felice while Chris was training again. Even though he tried to behave normally, he's still not gonna waste time. He was trying his new magic. It kills his presence, kinda like the notice me not.
So he was walking around, completely visible while flinging out Invisibile stinging hexes on whoever whose gazes were inappropriate and no one would even glance his way. This was good practice of Invisibile hexes, and he was also reading out minds of those whose language he felt the need to learn. It's not like he has a limited storage, so he might as well learn whatever he can.
In front of the door painted with French colors,
Felice finally turned around and handed Fleur a key.
"Here are the French accommodations," she said, while looking around, "Now where did that wild child go?" She wondered out aloud.
"I'm assuming you were talking about me?" Asked Chris who was standing right in front of her, making the woman jump.
"Merlin's beard, Dura— I mean, what was your name again? Chris. Anyways, here's your key," she said, tossing the key to him while affirming the fact this child was indeed the son of that woman.
She opened the door which led to a living space with a few doors leading to different bedrooms and entered one.
"Lunch's in an hour. Do whatever you want till then," she called out while slamming the door shut.
"What's the problem with her?" Asked Chris as he laid down on a couch while kicking off his shoes.
Fleur made a face like it's obvious, "Her father was the one who taught your father Dueling. She's Louise's Aunt."
Chris groaned.
"Yep. That'll do it."
A.N.: 3200 words
Louise is that villainous bitch in Beauxbatons.
Do give me your power stones! Also, I've been reseaching different countries and mythical communities to put their representatives in this tournament. Send the info on the countries you want me to put there!
Currently, there are Two OP ones from China, one cool one from India, one from Russia, One from Japan, Two from Egypt etc.
Each country will have their own special type of magic
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It has 8 extra chapters of this and 9 extra chapters of my new . Check it out as well and give me your feedback.