The Kitchens of Durmstrang

[Professor Misha Haden]

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<SIZE size="50">Silent as they were in the middle of the day, since most of the students had not yet returned from their winter break meant that for one particular Durmstrang it was just a lot easier for him to just go to the kitchen to eat rather than anywhere within the school. It was quicker as well as easier. It was only at this time of year that going straight to the kitchen was more productive than going to the eating hall. It wasn't like anyone else actually bothered to eat at the proper allocated times that Durmstrang had set during the year. As a school of strict rules and regulations this change in pattern was a huge change. The average Durmstrang had problems adjusting when there were no durmstrang professors breathing down their necks about if they'd done their work. Not around to just dish out punishment at every turn. Misha Haden was probably one of the only ones in his year to be wandering the halls during this season, but as the son of divorced parents he hated the holidays. Well, he didn't hate them, but splitting his time between the two of them was strenuous and Misha had better things to do with his time that something so trivial. Holidays came every year, and he figured he'd celebrate them, if he ever had his own family. But at Durmstrang alone he didn't to think of such things. Each day was a new experience a new adventure, a new time to play quidditch, study if he felt the need to. Overall just taking things easy than he'd been doing during the entire term. Which was a good thing, since with a place like Durmstrang was much needed. But as the time was seemingly dwindling, the durmstrang boy was hungry and in need of a good lunch.

Entering the kitchens, he was greeted by the usual elves who called him Mr. Haden, no matter how much he told them to just call him Misha, or just Haden if they so wanted to. He greeted them back with their names, and then made him way to the section of the kitchens that Misha always sat at. He sat down, and the elves were around him in seconds asking him what he wanted to eat, if he wanted something hot or cold, what drink. Simply raising a hand he quietened all of them. Smiling at the elves, he just told them to surprise him, make whatever they wanted and would thing he would enjoy. It wasn't too hard he was sure that he would enjoy it no matter what he ate. It was the good thing about being a, from Texas, and b, having a mixed family. Misha sat back in his chair and watched as they began preparing the food, clearly happy at the prospect of making the food they wanted. Although in the simple moments like that, he really wondered if some company wouldn't actually harm him, but since Durmstrang was a pretty quiet school at this time, and he saw maybe one person a day, he highly doubted anyone would come into the kitchens to join him for a lunch made personally by the elves.
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[Victoria Valerio]

Winter was the season which Victoria hated the most ever since she joined Durmstrang.Back at the isle of Capri in Italy it was a beautiful festive season but here it was a dark and gloomy time of the year.The didn't celebrate Christmas at Durmstrang and this year Victoria hadn't received any gifts.Her parents were in New York busy in a business trip.Her best friends had family issues and were in Spain sorting them out,with no hopes of returning before the next school year.Her aunt was too busy being slutty and wasting her parent's money to care about her and her granfather was just cold and distant as ever.Victoria had never felt so alone in her entire life.She was used to being loved and getting her friends and family's attention but this Christmas had turned out to be very frosty.

Victoria mostly spent her time out doors in the snow and wandering on the outskirts of the forest.The lake was frozen and Victoria had plans to go ice skating on it.But first she had to find a companion.In Durmstrang it was hard to find someone willing to have some fun.Most of the boys were way into dark arts to give her a notice and the girls were just plain snobbish.The teachers weren't fun either.They were strict and always looking for a chance to hand out punishments.And when you got less than an E on your homework assignment they started suggesting that you should be put in detention.Honestly,Victoria felt like the whole school and the environment were plotting against her.

She chuckled at her own thoughts and decided that if there was going to be a battle of wills between the School and herself she would need to keep up her strength.She headed towards the great doors of the castle planning to go and get a late lunch.It was late in the afternoon around 4.00 pm and Victoria hadn't eaten anything for lunch because she was feeling depressed.However now she was determined to entertain herself and the Kitchens were a very good place to start.She liked the house-elves and on rare days when she went to the kitchens they were very pleased and gave her so much attention that she felt overwhelmed.She headed down the dark corridor to the kitchen which was in the basement of the school.It's entrance was behind a trapesy which showed a big group of Wizards having a sumptuous meal.Victoria moved the trapesy aside and pushed back the door stepping into the kitchen.

The Kitchens was a brightly lit and high ceilinged hall full of elves at work preparing various dishes.Usually at this time of the day there was cleaning of dishes and crockery from the lunch but Victoria was surprised to see a group of elves preparing food on the wooden stove and in the oven.Then her eyes fell on a boy sitting a few feet away from her.A scavenger hunting for a late meal? she laughed at her own thought and reminded herself that she shouldn't judge people by their looks.She went over to him with a smile on her face "Missed lunch did ya?" she asked flipping her hair back from her shoulders and taking a seat next to him.Immediately the house-elves came to greet her and ask what she would like to eat."Hmm...whatever vegetarian dish is on the menu...."she told the elf with a smile.He gave her such a low bow that his nose almost touched the ground and then ran off to start the cooking."Soo....is this a late lunch or an early dinner?" she asked turning back to the boy.She didn't know whether he wanted her company or not but to her he was a savior who had appeared to save her from her depressed thoughts and she wasn't going to let him wander off and leave her all alone in the castle.

 

[Professor Misha Haden]

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<SIZE size="50">Sitting alone was something that the Durmstrang boy had long been accustomed to. The Kitchens were the place where he would actually interact with others, because apart from that he just didn't. Misha was not the kind of guy who easily spoke to others He was a nervous wreck, generally and tended to just prefer his time alone, but as a fifth year Durmstrang at an empty school, with little worries on his mind he was pretty much ready to just have a bit of fun and get a few friends. He was sure that he could be the causal person all his family members wanted him to be. The confident guy that people could turn to if they needed someone to talk to. The guy who get any girl, he did have the Texan charm as his father always liked to say. He had the smirk that showed the dimples at his cheeks, and his smile was something he only tended to show on rare occasions. Misha was a non-violent guy, he didn't throw a punch unless someone else did first. He didn't get involved in fights if he could avoid it. He was a guy who preferred using his words to get people to do things. He was a smart guy, and while that was almost a necessity for the students of Durmstrang, he was pretty happy in thinking that he was at least top of his year at all the classes he took. Particularly the Dark Arts. Unlike most of the people in his year, and in the school, Misha was pretty good at appearing as if he wouldn't like the Dark Arts, but it was a deep passion of his, and one he would readily go further in. He had no interest in being a Deatheater or anything like that but, the Dark Arts were something that made him hugely curious. He did also like the defense against the dark arts, something that wasn't actually really taught at the school, but the Durmstrang had always figured that if he was willing to use the dark arts, then so would others, so he still had to know how to protect himself from others. It more like insurance for Misha than anything else. He needed to know that he could be the best at both sides of the magical spectrum.

As the door to the kitchens opened and closed, the boys attention was briefly pulled from his thoughts. He noticed the girl was at the door. He would be lying if he said he hadn't seen her around. Though the school was empty, considering there were few of them and most students did stick to the usual schedules that the school had in the year, he was sure he'd seen her around. Never spoken to her, but it wasn't like he couldn't now. However already being seated he didn't want to have to bother. Plus he was pretty sure that she'd be like almost every other girl at the school, completely stuck up. Which was definitely not what he looked for with in a girl. So, with a slight annoyance he turned his attention away from her, and back to waiting on the food being brought to him. The elf brought him a drink of Pumpkin juice, saying they'd added a little something to it, an old elven ingredient that most hated and they tended to not make it. He brought it to his lips but didn't take a sip instead he took in the smell, it would look weird, but it was to try to see if he could smell what was within the drink. It was as he'd been about to take a drink that the girl he'd seen walk in sat down next him. He placed the drink down and just watched her for a few seconds as she told the elves what she wanted. He looked down at his hands, and then with a deep breath he told himself to man up and then looked up at the girl, with his trademark smile, dimples clear and the smile easily reaching the brown eyes. "Something like that, it's more like Lunner" He spoke with a smile. "Lunch and dinner in the one." Misha smiled again at the girl. He cleared his throat slightly, and took the drink, taking the smallest of sips before placing it back on the table. Clearly what the elves had put in was some form of spice. "Oh, wow. That's hot." Misha said, coughing slightly, while also laughing. "It's like pumpkin juice and chile. Wow." He coughed again "What about you, Lunch or dinner?" The texan wiped his mouth with his sleeve before clearing his throat once more. "I'm Misha."​

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[Victoria Valerio]

Out of Character:

I am an indian too so please excuse the crazy references below I couldnt help it

Victoria was actually surprised to see the boy smile at her.And smile again.Damn he has cute dimples she thought.It had been a long time since she had seen a boy smile.A really long time.She had seen several smirks and evil grins but a smile was a rare thing to be seen on a Durmstrang boy's face.Even her ex-boyfriend only smiled when she reminded him that his smile was the only expression that suited his face.

Lunner? hehe she thought acknowledging his sense of humor.It was another rare thing to be found in the Durmstrang boys."Mine is more like a late lunch."she told him as the elf brought her a butter beer and she thanked him for it.She took a swig and felt the amazing warmth spread to her toes and fingertips."I dont plan on skipping dinner though because my tummy needs to be completely satisfied before it lets me sleep.Otherwise it plays the rumble-tumble song and keeps me awake all night." She said jokingly,pushing her tummy as far as it would go and patting it affectionately.

It was true that Victoria was a big foodie.She loved food and even though she was vegetarian she was always trying a new dish.In Rome she had been to all kinds of continental restaurants and tired dishes of all origins.But her favorite food was Indian food especially because it had a wide variety of vegetarian dishes.She always wondered why she never grew fat but once a healer had told her that her metabolic rate was very fast and she didn't know what it meant but as long as she didn't have some kind of disease it was okay.

"Ooh I'd like to try that...."she said out loud leaving her butterbeer bottle aside.She was a very curios person and when he said that the pumpkin juice had a spicy flavour it really made her curious about how it would taste.And she also liked spices because Indian food was full of spices and chilly.

She was distracted when the boy introduced himself as Misha.She giggled but controled her girly laugh and told him,"That's an interesting name.Do you know that Indians also have this name.Only there it's a girl's name."she told him trying to keep her face straight.She wasn't making fun of him.She was just stating a fact that she knew because she had a friend back in Italy by that name.And she knew that the name probably had some deep unique meaning in a language that she didn't know."I am Victoria,by the way" she added with a big smile thinking it would be rude not to introduce herself.

 

[Professor Misha Haden]

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<SIZE size="50">Not quite believing his luck as apparently his humor and the smile went down well witht the girl. She was after all smiling back at him. And she was pretty hot in his books. Misha Haden wasn't exactly looking for anything, but she was hardly going to pass up an opportunity to make friends with a girl who seemed to be very different from all the other girls that he had met so far, not only was she apparently nice, but she could smile, and he found himself returning the smile easily. Which was saying something. Misha was really the type of guy who buried his head in work and didn't bother with friends, or anyone that he would have to be close to. It wasn't like he hated people, it was just he found he worked a lot better with little or no distractions and to him, friends were classed as distractions, but being less like himself and more laid back appeared to be working. He hadn't scared her off, and she was looking pretty happy overall, which was really a new for someone like him. Misha stared at the drink that had been handed to him, it was weird as a drink, he couldn't understand why someone would actually add really hot spices to something like pumpkin juice. Sure, it wasn't disgusting, but it wasn't something that Misha would pick from a line up. He nodded as the girl spoke, she was definitely from all the other girl's he knew and had spent any form of extended time with, for one, she was the first person he'd ever met that said rumble-tumble, and tummy. It made Misha smile and it made him laugh ever so slightly at her choice of words. He wasn't making fun of her, it was just new. Different, refreshing. Misha wasn't quite sure where the girl was from, he pretty much figured that she probably wasn't from Northern Europe she had a flare about her. But being from Texas, the boy could hardly be the one to try to decide where he was from, he didn't really know much when it came to such a thing. Raising his glass again, Misha took a quick sip. He glanced up at the girl.

"If you're sure" Smiling at her as he spoke, he wiped the glass with the edge of his black v-neck t-shirt, and handed her the glass. "Go ahead, and trust me I have no colds, no nothing." He smirked slightly, wondering if she was actually going to try it, or if she was just saying it to make him feel less weird about picking such a drink. When he hadn't really picked it. It had been the elves who were always keen to have Misha try new things. It was the Texan charm that helped with the house elves. He actually treated them rightly, and he was always telling them they didn't need to bow to a simple Texan like himself. He found himself laughing again as she told him his name was a girls name. The guy was fully aware of that. But, he'd been named after his father, who was also named, Misha Haden. "I can assure you Victoria, that I know my name is a girl's one, but it's also my father's name, and it was that, or something like Vyacheslav, so I'm happy with Misha." He smiled at her, showing that he didn't mean/take offense or that he was taking the mickey. Misha just always felt the need to explain to people why he was called Misha. "It is a pleasure to meet you Victoria, which is a very beautiful name indeed." He smiled at her, once again dimples appearing. "Didn't go home for the holidays? Or just back early?"​

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[Victoria Valerio]

Victoria didn't usually babble the first thing that came to her mind even when she was with her close friends but today everything she seemed to speak was coming naturally.She laughed when Misha ensured her that he didn't have a cold,and accepted the glass that he handed to her.She raised it to her lips and took a sip.The drink was a mixture of two completely different flavors.The sweet and familiar taste of pumpkin juice was easily identifiable but it was highlighted with a spicy taste of some unknown thingy.It made the pumpkin juice taste like it had some illness.But on the other hand it was a unique taste and the spice might taste good if added to some food item.

"This pumpkin juice could make smoke blow out of my ears" she said giving the drink back to Misha and picking up her butterbeer to remove the spicy taste from her mouth."Oh okay then,Misha is waaay better than Vya-something that no-one can pronounce." she laughed as she wiped of the mustache left on her face by the butter beer foam."Thanks but it's kinda formal and old...It was my grandma's name...so I just like to go by Vicky or V."she told him.No one in her own family called her Vicky but it was her best friends who liked to call her by nick names.Her father actually called her Queen Victoria whenever she made an urgent demand and she never liked that.

The smile that was playing on her lips faltered slightly and she looked down at her feet.But she wasn't going to let her problems depress her anymore."There isn't anyone to look after me so my parents told me to stay back here.They are travelling for business."she told him with an indifferent expression on her face like she didn't care. "I didn't want to stay but I had to." she added and she knew that her act of nonchalance wasn't very convincing but she hoped that Misha didn't notice.

 

[Professor Misha Haden]

Once again Misha found himself laughing along with what the girl had been saying. It was fun, he liked being able to be normal with someone. Ignoring the fear that she would later reject him, because he was still a guy that she probably wouldn't like during the term. He was absorbed in work all the time, this was his only time when he just acted like a normal person. It was fun, and it felt good. He didn't need to worry about what those around him were thinking of him as he spoke to the girl in front of him, after all besides the house-elves they were the only two actually in the room. It was pretty easy for them to all have a normal conversation without the fears that followed most people attempting to make friends at Durmstrang, considering that it was pretty hard, since with all the rules and the way professors wanted them to be just hard workers. And being a 5th year he was actually okay with just sitting down and only focusing on the work he had to do, which was pretty easy for him to do. Considering he'd done everything he possible in previous years to do such a thing. Now with this girl in front of him, it didn't quite seem like the right path to follow. Having a few friends wouldn't hurt anyone, and he certain looked forward to finding out if she would be okay with having another friend. He was sure, but not wanting to let those thought stay on his mind. "Vicky sounds great, I have no nicknames. Misha is short enough." Misha smiled at her as he spoke. He picked up his glass and took another sip. Letting the chile run down his throat and he held back the need to cough. The drink was great, he actually really liked it. It was nice and while hot, it was fun. Different, and new. It was always fun to do such a thing. The young texan was glad that he had decided to eat at this time, and that he was willing to try new flavors, which didn't work out at time, but at this point it was going well, and he was glad for that.

Noting the small change, the Durmstrang realized that it was a touchy subject for her, and he mentally kicked himself for even bringing it up, but it wasn't like he could do anything else about it. His mind tried to reason that it was a perfectly reasonable question to ask someone considering they were at school during the holidays. It wasn't like he was doing much better, seeing as he was also at the school over the holidays. However it had actually been his choice. He really hated spending extended time with his siblings and he really hated going between his mother who claimed he should just drop out of school and become a model or something where he could money quickly. His mother was a part time model, and he was pretty sure that it didn't matter what he said to her, she wasn't ever going to stop him from just continuing in school. And then his father who had decided to constantly remind him that he needed to work harder if he desired to be a healer, which he also didn't want to be, if Misha was honest, he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do with his life, all he wanted to do was just get through the years at school, and then from their decide. "Well that's a real pity, I'd never pass up a chance to spend the holidays for you." Misha said smiling at her with his usual brown eyes smiling with him. "Well, my stories different, my parents aren't together, and live in two different places, and I have no desire to spend time with them or my siblings. Much prefer the quiet holidays here." Misha smiled at the girl, showing that it really didn't actually bother him. "It's my third Christmas spent at this school, it's something entirely different isn't it. Not to mention the snow is just sublime at this time of year." Which wasn't entirely true, growing up in Texas the boy had truly loved the idea of snow, but now he had it constantly he was a lot less keen on the entire thing. It was great just not in huge mounds which usually happened at Durmstrang. Not mention it made incredibly cold if he wanted to just fly around.​

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[Victoria Valerio]

Victoria gave a small sigh."I'm sorry to hear about your parents...." Victoria's parents loved each other alot and even when they had small fights one of them always made it up to the other.They were a romantic couple and growing up with them as her role models she had always believed that everyone has a happily ever after.But lately she had doubted her beliefs because of the family problems with her best friends.She promised herself that if she ever faced problems in her life she would always have a positive attitude and get over with it but she knew it was easier said than done.

"It's my first Christmas here....normally I go back to Italy and spend time with my parents in Rome for the first week and the second week all of us go to our Villa in the Isle of Capri.It's just that this year has been busy for my parents and my aunt moved to Paris so there wont be anyone at the Villa."She explained.She felt like she could talk to this boy even though she preferred to get her parents attention while her preferred to stay away from his family.

"The snow is pretty...." she said thoughtfully "but it's no fun to make a snowman by yourself..." Victoria added flashing a smile and winking at him."And it really takes all the fun out of wandering on the grounds..." Victoria loved roaming the grounds in her alone time but the snow made it hard for her to stay out doors for long."Anyways so where are you from?"

 

[Professor Misha Haden]

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<SIZE size="50">Just shrugging, Misha smiled at the girls words. He found it weird. He didn't think it was really the right reaction to have considering that it wasn't something that bothered him. His family was still alive he just didn't enjoy spending time with them. Too much moving around, the Texan loved traveling but he also liked being settled in the one place, and he didn't quite get that when his parents lived in two countries and were constantly getting him to travel back and forth. It was an odd way of being because his little sister didn't have to do it. She was ten and she was always living with her mother. Whereas his eldest brother was living with neither and living alone in Poland. And while Misha could tolerate his brother, there was only so much he would put up with if he had to. So overall Misha was left with deciding which member he could put up for the longest amount of time, which surprisingly was a pretty hard decision to make. All he really wanted to do was just spend time alone. That was why he tended to spend one week with one parent, one with the other, a few days with his brother and then stayed with a few friends he'd kept from his time in Texas. All wizards of course. He just found it normal, but fifteen he was sure that he could handle it better than a clearly younger girl like the one in front of him. "Paris is a beautiful city, there might not be a villa in Capri, but there will be a house in one of the greatest cities in Europe." Misha said smiling at her. He personally pretty much loved Paris, he'd been a few times and it was the city that just had so much to it that it would always take more than one visit to take in the true awe of the city. he was sure that the girl had probably been before, but he felt it appropriate to just state his own personal opinion about the city. Smiling at the girl he picked up his glass and took a long drink, despite the burning that erupted from the back of his throat. He coughed loudly once again. Although able to keep better control of it than before. "Well, next time you feel like make a snow man you come find me. And we can do it together." Misha smiled back at the girl.

The story of where he was from was a little completed. Both his parents were from different countries, and his father's grandparents had been from completely different countries. The way Misha liked to describe it in his head was that he was a little bit of everything. A little bit of everything. Obiviously it wasn't how he actually described it to people who surround him, it was a weird way of explaining it. "Well, my mother is Russian, and my dad is from Texas. I grew up in Texas until I was 11 and we moved to Poland, and my mom moved back to Russia." He gave the simple way of describing it. The easy way. The way in which people tended to have a much better chance of understanding what he was actually saying. "What about yourself? Maybe Italian?" Misha smiled at the girl. It was always a weird thing meeting someone at Durmstrang who wasn't from the Northern, or Eastern countries of Europe. They tended to go to Beauxbatons. Where all the prettiest girls went. Where everyone was a little too friendly with each other. He knew he had the chance to go to that school, but he'd happily chosen to not. He liked it in Durmstrang there was no pressure on him to be the perfect friend. To be the kind of guy girls would want to date. He liked just being Misha. Smiling at the people he wanted to, and focusing on school a lot more than he should. Smiling at the girl he waited for her reply.​

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