the past is another land {Jürgen}

late September 2002

Maja had always loved the water.

Closing her eyes, she took a slow, deep breath in through her nose. She’d very much missed the distinct smell of saltwater and brine, and hadn’t realized just how much so until she’d arrived in the coastal town. The late September breeze was chilly off of the Lule River – known to the locals as Luleälven, as she’d learned just a few minutes previously. It gently lifted a few loose auburn tendrils from her bun, and Maja brushed them behind her ear absently.

The almost-twenty-one-year-old drew her cloak more snugly around her, looking out over the river’s choppy surface. The sights and smells hit her with a wave of nostalgia; she remembered the countless hours she had spent at the port, soothed by the roar of the waterfall. It was a strange thought that that castle now stood empty in the wake of Durmstrang’s rather abrupt relocation to Sweden. Well, back to it, she supposed, given that Luleå had been the school’s original location years ago. While Sweden was almost undoubtedly a more appropriate location, Maja herself was fond of familiarity. It felt odd to visit the ‘official’ village of Durmstrang, and not recognize a single shop. To Maja, it almost felt as though something had been lost.
It was true that Durmstrang had moved locations in January of her fourth year, just over five-and-a-half years ago… but her memories of the castle in Kaliningrad during those early years were marred by the invasion of the Russian Ministry: of bed checks, interrogations, and restrictions. Moving to Novaya Zemlya to escape the scrutiny of the Ministry felt like freedom, like starting over.

Though she hadn’t forgotten two years ago, when she and Elias had gotten word that the school was under attack by its own Headmistress during the year that Koldovstoretz had merged with Durmstrang. Then, too, were students subjected to interrogations and restrictions. Perhaps this recent move was rooted in some of the same reasons. To start over.

She was pulled from her musings by the unmistakable form of her youngest brother, walking up the path towards her; Maja raised a hand in greeting in case he hadn’t seen her. After all, he was the whole reason she was here in Luleå today. When the letter announcing the relocation had arrived at the Dörfler home shortly before the start-of-term (she’d retuned home for the last few days in August to see Jürgen off), Maja was intrigued. The youngest two Dörflers had agreed that Maja would come by for a visit during the first village weekend, and as soon as it had been announced Jürgen had owled her. She’d marked her calendar – and here she was.

Maja reached out for a brief hug as he approached. She was quite tall for a girl, but even so he had a good three inches on her.
“How are you? Settling in to the new… ambience?” Maja smirked, then dropped her voice to a whisper. “Seen any sirens yet?”
The German witch had heard that the town was quite close to a siren clan, and that it was not uncommon to see its members roaming about. She knew better than to be openly rude and stare, but she couldn’t deny her fascination all the same.

Regardless of the rather indifferent display that Jürgen often assumed, sixth year had not started without its fair share of concerns. He was not only in an important position but there was also his future, his studies, his new girlfriend; all important pieces to his daily life that he at times struggled to balance as effortlessly as he had managed to when all he needed to focus on was receiving good grades. Even though he was still a teenager, he felt closer to adulthood than he felt comfortable admitting.

It was times like this when he realized how much he missed his siblings and how he longed to see them. He took advantage of the fact that he was the youngest when he was around them, the only time he felt comfortable enough to let himself go and give in to his childlike wiles. Even if his siblings could be intimidating to some, Jürgen could not imagine ever wanting anyone else to look up to; every sibling’s personal path one that he aspired to, particularly that of Maja, whom he had always longed to impress. 

He had written her as soon as the first village weekend had been announced, as they had agreed when she had returned to see him off. Though his friends had insisted that he stroll around with them, the first weekend oftentimes being the best for them to explore, particularly now as the town was completely new to all of them, he had refused, proudly announcing that his sister was due to visit. What his friends thought of him when it came to family meant little to him, but those closest to him knew that his family had always been the most important. They had always been that way, close, even if distant in location or age.

But more than simply a matter of catching up, Jürgen wanted to see Maja to ask for her advice. She had always been good at helping him through his own personal struggles, and as a girl, he could only hope that she could help him in successfully figuring out how to navigate the ins and outs of relationships. Though he had dated girls in the past, he had rarely felt the desire to speak of them with anyone in his family. It was not particularly shame or lack of respect but it seemed trivial to open up about a girl he was unsure of. But there was a particular girl on his mind and no matter how much he tried to think otherwise, the thought simply wouldn't go away.

Spotting Maja just on the horizon he waved, a big smile on his face as he quickened the pace. Even though it had been only a short time since they had seen each other, Jürgen felt a sense of relief wash over him when he saw her face. It was much like the feeling one experienced when meeting again after a long absence; a sort of relief that came with knowing that soon he could return to being carefree and feel much more his age, even if only for a short time. Greeting his sister with a hug, he smiled the delight evident in his expression.

“Not bad, it’s so good to see you,” he started, “You know, busy, this tsar business is no joke and the classes are more challenging but nothing I can’t handle, and well girls,” he said rather fondly, looking back at his sister he felt suddenly flustered, moving on to the next topic, “Want to take a stroll around town? Or, are you hungry? We can always find a café or something along the way,” he says, extending his arms so that she can take ahold of it. “So, how have you been?” he said finally, “Work’s not too busy I hope," he immediately relaxed. She had that sort of effect on him.

“Great to see you, too,” she replied sincerely with a flash of white teeth.

Maja nodded absently as he mentioned Tsar responsibilities (during her time at school she’d been upset that she hadn’t been made Tsaritza; in hindsight, though, she did not envy him but was certainly proud) as well as, simply, ‘girls’ – and the witch’s manicured brows went up as Jürgen hurriedly changed the subject. Merlin, he was that age now…
The Klyk alumna was intensely curious, of course, but she held her tongue; while her eldest brother Elias certainly needed a healthy amount of goading to bare his soul, her youngest brother rarely struggled with that. And then, of course, there was Lea who would tell a complete stranger exactly what was on her mind at any given moment… Between the four of them, they had quite the emotional expression spectrum.
In any case, Jürgen would likely voluntarily offer what was on his mind if she simply bided her time.

“A walk sounds wonderful. Shall we check out the wharf?” she asked, taking his gentlemanly-proffered arm with one hand and with the other gesturing rather unnecessarily to the water. “I could go for some fresh seafood… maybe there’s a market. Did they give you any information about the town layout?” By ‘they’ she meant the administration, but she supposed there were at least a small handful of students from the area that might be of some help.

Maja smirked as he said the words ‘not too busy’; with the current political goings-on, it was difficult to find a day that wasn’t busy. It was even exhausting to think about, most days. She waved her free hand in vague dismissal.
“Eh, much of the same for the past few weeks. Lots of disparaging remarks and dissenting opinions popping up left and right… it’s a madhouse more often than not, really.” Germany wasn’t directly involved in the majority of the proceedings, but it was becoming increasingly evident that their home country would need to take a stand at some point in the near future. On more than one occasion, she wondered how her eldest brother was faring in London.

Eager to be rid of work-related discussion, she turned the question back on him, her blue-green eyes briefly finding his face.
“Any new classes or changes in professors? How does this new castle compare?” She paused briefly, grinned, and continued. “Given any detentions yet? And— wait, how was the Beginning of Term Ball?!” Somehow Maja had nearly forgotten about the event.

Jürgen was pleased to get away from the school grounds even if just for an afternoon and so he took Maja’s offer to visit the wharf with much enthusiasm. “Of course,” he replied almost instantly, “They’ve given us some information, I filled in the rest with the help of the some of the boys in my dormitory, very resourceful people we’ve got in the Krov house,” he continued, grinning proudly as he produced a small piece of parchment from his pocket where he had hand-drawn a small map and scribbled notes in his native tongue under which he had attempted to write the names of the designated places in Swedish, but that was still a work in progress for the teenager. “They’ve got a place here and…here,” he pointed out on the map, “I heard this one’s new but it’s pretty good, let’s try it?” he suggested. He had heard it was of a more modern style but kept very neatly and with a very nice view of the wharf, two things that the wizard was certain would please his older sister.

“Ah-ha,” he noted as she spoke of her work. Jürgen himself had considered for some time going into the ministry but if he did it was going to be a result of following in his older sister’s footsteps and little else. Either way, his family would expect him to get a respectable job, after the incident with the dragon stables he had even considered becoming a dragonologist but that was something he’d have to give more thought to. After all, the teenager did not have much experience with animals nor was he sure if he had the personality for that type of work. He still had some time to think about it, he decided. “Not exactly the same but sounds a little like school,” he reasoned though was certain that the connection was a little farfetched. “Either way, it’s always a madhouse in the boy’s dormitory at the beginning of the term,” he reasoned.

“Hm—Dueling is fun, Necromancy is--still not good,” he gave her question some thought, over the last several years he had grown accustomed to life in Russia felt assimilated to the twists and turns of the mighty castle and a part of him had been rather disgruntled at the thought of having to leave the place. Nevertheless, Jürgen had also become enchanted with the prospect of learning a new language and a new landscape. The small town next to the school was filled with interesting opportunities, many of which he would be foolish to give up simply because the new campus came with a slight learning curve. The young wizard had a good knack for adjusting to new areas. “Learning Swedish is a bit of a pain but I’m enjoying the challenge,” he reasoned after several moments, “The castle is nice, I’ve been having a great time wandering around, the library is amazing but I do miss my favorite reading spots at the old castle, I guess it’s time to find some new ones,” he continued with a slight smile.

“You’d be surprised at how many new friends you make once you become Tsar,” he joked lightly. It had been a struggle for Jürgen to balance his duties along with his friendships. He was not the type to skirt around the rules for the sake of friends and it was starting to put a bit of a damper on some of his relationships. “But friends or not, rules are rules, I’ve given out a few detentions, first to my friends so that other students know I’m fair, mostly to those sneaking around the castle after hours,” he continued. “Ah the beginning of term ball, ha—” he paused, his shoulders slouching as he no longer felt as comfortable or at ease. “Well you know, there is this girl I asked her out over summer and saw her at the ball but she turned me down,” he muttered, stopping as he looked down at the parchment again in slight embarrassment, “Anyway, the restaurant is just up this way, “Girls, you know,” he shrugged, sure that the tips of his ears had turned red but he could use her advice.

Maja nodded agreeably as her brother consulted a map, wrinkling her nose at his lighthearted jab.
“Sure, I'm flexible – wherever you’d like.”

She arched her eyebrows.
“Only at the beginning of term, eh?” she grinned. Somehow she suspected the boys’ dormitories were in constant tumult…

Again, she nodded to show she was listening as he told her about lessons and the castle thus far, with a sympathetic head-tilt when he mentioned Necromancy. That had not been one of her strong suits, either; he knew this, though, so she did not comment on it. The Inferi from her unique Trial of Thirteen challenge still haunted her dreams from time to time… Maja shuddered imperceptibly, forcing herself to tune back in just in time to process a comment on missing old reading spots.

“Mmm, I remember feeling the same when we moved from Kaliningrad to Novaya Zemlya – that was the term before you started,” she recalled. It had been unsettling to become accustomed to a place for four years, only to be uprooted and transplanted for the final three. Though, she supposed, that must have been how those Koldovstoretz students had felt three years ago.

“You’d be surprised at how many new friends you make once you become Tsar.”

Her eyebrows went up again.
“Do tell, Mr. Popular,” she teased back – but his follow-up was not quite what she’d expected. It felt somewhat… un-Jürgen? To be sure, he was all about fairness, but Maja was mildly surprised that he extended that executive justice even to his close friends. It was impressive, really, and a difficult thing for a lot of people to do. She had neither been Tsaritza nor had much in the way of close friends while she’d been in school, so she was hardly in a position to comment; instead, she took in the scenery and made a noncommittal noise of intrigue.

But then his tone shifted abruptly, and Maja glanced up in surprise. Plainly, she was surprised to hear Jürgen was having ‘girl problems’; he played Quidditch and had been made Tsar. Usually the combination of the two in particular drew girls in like Amortentia itself. She felt a twinge of sympathy for her brother, but at the same time knew that anyone who turned him down was clearly insane and so – in Maja’s mind – there was no love lost.

“Her loss,” she commented simply with a nonchalant shrug. “But, I’m sorry she disappointed you,” she added, belatedly remembering to try to be sympathetic; he was only sixteen, after all.

Then she winked congenially at him, and gave his arm a quick squeeze.
“For what it’s worth, anyone who turns you down is – firstly – not worth your time and energy anyways and – secondly – definitely out of their mind,” she proclaimed with relish. Maja recalled hearing about this girl and disliking the sound of her from the start; but, then again, Maja was an exceptionally critical type.

She was hardly a sage advisor at almost twenty-one, but in this case five years did make a lot of difference. Maja had learned a lot during that time, herself – including how to be an overall more agreeable person. Jürgen hardly needed a lesson in that, as he had always been a delightful human, but hopefully his five years would lead him to recognize his self-worth; something that Maja had little trouble claiming early on, herself. They were almost perfectly reciprocal, in that way.

Even though the move to Sweden had been an unprecedented one, Jürgen wanted Maja to leave his company completely aware that everything was just fine and that he was adjusting well. “For a place so traditional, it surely has moved a lot,” he considered, though there was no particular intentions behind his words. Jürgen knew that a lot of the time, large scale events such as moving a school’s location from one place to another were politically motivated and because he did not want to be seen or heard taking sides so openly, Jürgen had shrugged the entire move off. “But it’s nice here, and now I’ll also be able to speak Swedish so that should help my future career prospects,” he considered with a grin.

It was comforting to hear Maja tell him that his girl problems were not hi fault but rather the girls that failed to notice him. He had never considered himself much of a catch in the physical department, there were definitely much more handsome boys at Durmstrang, but he certainly knew that he wasn’t completely hopeless. In reality, with all of the work that awaited him that year, Jürgen doubted that he would even have the time to look for or court a girl properly but the thought of having a girlfriend sounded nice, especially when it came down to school events and other similar things. “It’s alright,” he shrugged in response, not one to let one or two failures throw his plan completely off track. “When the right girl comes along, you know I’ll be writing to you about her nonstop,” he added, almost certain that he would indeed do something like that. He told Maja everything after all.

Jürgen pointed out the restaurant, it looked busy inside but there was hardly a line outdoors. In comparison to all of the other shops and restaurants surrounding the restaurant, it looked new and a little out of place. But, it was in a perfect position to get great views of the wharf. He wondered if they would be able to get a table near a window and then realized it would have been polite of him to make reservations. “Sorry I didn’t plan anything in advance,” he said genuinely, walking up to stand right outside of the door in line with the other waiting customers. “We shouldn’t have to wait too long, though,” he added. Time was precious to them both he was sure, and Jürgen didn’t want his older sister to think that he did not appreciate hers.

Turning to her, he continued to speak. “So, how have you been? Are things at work going alright? Have you been home? What else have you been up to?” he asked, enthusiastically asking several questions at once as if to make sure that he had not missed an important detail.

“It has,” she agreed in response to his comment on the frequent locale changes. “True, built-in résumé-padding is always a nice bonus.”

“When the right girl comes along, you know I’ll be writing to you about her nonstop.”

“Oh, I am counting on it. Will cry for days if you keep that from me… and you don’t want that on your conscience, do you?”
She was joking, of course – at least about the tears. Maja honestly couldn’t remember the last time she’d legitimately shed tears over something. Had it been after her disaster of a flying attempt in Third Year? She didn’t recall crying during her Trial of Thirteen in Seventh Year; she’d had far too much adrenaline pumping. And she may or may not have ‘teared up’ when she and Elias managed to successfully extract Jürgen from Vulchanova’s full-scale attack…

“Sorry I didn’t plan anything in advance.”

“Hmm? Oh, pfft, do not worry about it,” she dismissed with a flap of her free hand, her mind returning to the present as she realized they had arrived at the restaurant her brother had in mind. it was true, she did like to be organized… but not necessarily for something as casual as this. She had mellowed out a lot since her school years…
“How would you know, anyway? It is only the first village weekend in a new place. And I have nowhere else to be today.” Maja grinned.

“So, how have you been? Are things at work going alright? Have you been home? What else have you been up to?”

“Well… I submitted my law school application in June, so that is one less thing on my plate— did I tell you that already?” As it was, she’d only told a handful of people (and her immediate family comprised the vast majority of that handful) that she had even been considering law school, and had told even fewer that she’d gone through with the actual application. She was reasonably sure she’d kept her siblings up-to-date on all of the proceedings, at any rate.
“Out of my hands, now… nothing left to do except wait. Interviews are typically in the fall but can extend well into the winter, and it may be as late as the spring before I know whether or not I have been accepted. London would be a nice change of scenery,” she mused. “I must admit, it is a relief to have a reprieve from constantly searching for résumé-building points in every little thing that I do.”