The adventure begins [open]

School was over. She was a graduate.

It didn't seem real to Edyta, not yet anyway. She hadn't got what one might call firm career plans, though she had plenty of dreams, and she knew that she really didn't want to take advantage of her friend Nikola's hospitality by accepting her offer of a job as a fashion model, as well as room and board in the older woman's ample home. No, that wasn't the whole truth. She disliked the idea of living off someone else's wealth and frankly, the idea of being a model bored her silly. Not to mention it was quite ridiculous...okay, so she was tall and people didn't run screaming when they looked at her, but walking up and down while rich people stared at her clothes? Ugh...

Which was why, when the summer school brochures had appeared in the Drakonya Krov common room, Edyta had applied that same evening. No stranger to financial aid by now, on this occasion she hadn't so much as asked for assistance but offered it herself, and to her surprise and delight she had been accepted. Which was why she had arrived the previous evening, met the camp organisers and now, dressed in one of her smartest outfits that was nonetheless a little too warm for the sunny July afternoon she was waiting with a clipboard and a list of students, looking out for anyone who looked like they needed help.

The real adults were actually checking students in, assigning them to their dorms and giving out the following day's schedules. Already groups were congregating, some taking advantage of the table of cool drinks and snacks that had been laid out en route to the cabins, others (who clearly already knew each other) chatting animatedly. Edyta's job was to look out for anyone who looked lost or worried, to approach them and help them settle in. Make friends with the older ones, be a big sister to the younger ones. That was her task for today. Tomorrow, she would be running an elementary Quidditch training session for the under thirteens, something she was surprisingly nervous about. It was one thing to Captain a school team, but quite another to potentially be responsible for a bunch of preteens, especially when many of them would be from other schools and countries. That's why you spent three days mastering the translation charm she reminded herself as she scanned the newcomers.

Just then she spotted a student standing off from the rest, staring at their schedule for what seemed far too long to merely be reading it. Taking a deep breath, she walked over with and said with a reassuring smile “Hello, my name is Edyta Ciesynska, student liaison. Are you happy with everything?”

[OOC: Admin approval given for Edyta's semi-official position, thanks Mel. If you're the one Edyta approaches, feel free to have a problem for her to solve, ask questions, or just tell her you're fine and to get lost ;-). Anyone else who wants to ask her anything, just jump in]

Freddie was in Stowe, Vermond, America!

The boy had only just arrived and although he had barely seen anything – except for the huge mountain that wasn't easy to overlook – he felt overwhelmed and impressed by the scenery. It was the first time he was going on vacation. Some might not call it that but for the boy this was not only the first vacation ever, it was also a dream come true. He did get to see a new place, meet new people… He was not confined to his family's small flat in Manchester for the summer. He was here!

At first it had felt awkward to come to the camp, accepting financial aid, leaving his mother behind in England… but right now this feeling was equally present as the feeling that he'd have a great time he'd look back to with a smile on his face.

Yet, he was confused. Having never been to a summer school or camp, only knowing Hogwarts as an institution where young witches and wizards came together, he was a little lost. He had got his schedule and everything since his arrival had happened so quickly that he felt that there were still plenty of questions to ask even though none of them came to his mind right now.

He seemed to have stood there for a bit too long – the group around him had moved, leaving him alone with the schedule in his hand – as he suddenly heard a young female voice addressing him. He looked up and immediately a smile spread across his face. This was a beautiful girl! He looked at her with mild fascination. She was tall, slender but his gaze rested on her bust for a moment. It was well formed. She was older than him that much he could tell. He glanced up, meeting her gaze and looking into large blue eyes that were rather nice too.

“I'm Freddie! Freddie Snyder,” he introduced himself, taking a step closer to her. “I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch your name. It's Edyta Cheesy Kah? That's an unusual name... and you do not look cheesy at all.” The words came out before he could second guess them. “Thanks for asking,” he quickly added, thinking that he should move on quickly in case it offended her that he probably hadn't properly understood her name. “I think I looked a little too long at the schedule. Now the group I was with is gone and I am unsure where I am supposed to go.”

“I don't mind staying with you though,” he said not more than a second later. “You look really pretty,” he offered her a wide smile, thinking that this compliment surely made up for the fact that he struggled a little with foreign names.

Edyta had what she hoped was a professional smile on her face. One that said she was approachable and wanted to help, but yet was an adult and thus deserved respect. It felt a little strange to be helping to welcome the students rather than to be a student herself, but she supposed that having attended three summer schools already meant that at least she knew how such things worked. Presumably it was this boy's first time, and he would be feeling nervous, perhaps a little shy and would need reassurance.

Or...not. While it was good that she wouldn't have to take care of a nervous child so soon into her official duties, she wasn't sure this was anything she knew how to handle. He was foreign, that much was obvious even with his words being translated so she could understand them...well, most of them. It took a moment for her to realise he was trying to say her surname, and apparently in his language it sounded like...cheese? She started to frown, but forced her face back into the professional smile.

"Cie-syn-ska" she repeated slowly "I am...I was a student of Durmstrang Institute, and you..." she ran her finger down the list of names "attend Hogwarts School" she didn't make it a question, but she continued to smile as she nodded at his explanation, then her face faltered slightly. What did he just say?! She decided to ignore it, though what else could she have said?  Are all Hogwarts boys as forward rude outgoing as you? Bad idea.

"You will be in Cabin Eight" she said, having keep her finger next to the boy's name and details "and this evening there will be a welcome cookout, followed by an informal Quodpot tournament. If you would like to take part I can add your name to one of the teams?" she kept her muggle pen poised above the list in case he agreed.

Freddie smiled as Edyta repeated her name and explained that she was from Durmstrang.  Apparently she had just graduated which meant that she was at least 17 years old by now, probably even 18. The Gryffindor did not avert his gaze, still considering the girl rather pretty although she was clearly not interested in him the same way as he was in her. Well, sometimes it took people a little longer to warm up to new acquaintances.

As she ignored his compliment, Freddie's smile faded a little. She pretended to be all serious now and looked at her list. Okay, he understood it – she was working here. Probably she'd much rather be here to enjoy herself than to work. He nodded when she mentioned cabin eight, truth be told, now that she said it, he remembered that he had been told so before.

“Quodpot?” the boy asked a moment later, raising his eyebrows a little. He had heard about it before but didn't really know the rules. Since she was acting so superior and grown-up, she could as well do her job and explain him how quodpot works. “Can you explain me how it's played?” He offered an innocent smile. “I mean, I cannot sign up for anything I do not even know, right?” He shrugged before he added a question, “do you join activities too or are you just here to work?” Freddie was really interested in that and not even flirting right now. He wondered if she got paid for this job and if that would be something he could do in the future as well.

Breathing an inward sigh of relief that apparently the boy didn't want to tell her how nice her hair looked or how attractive her shoes were today, Edyta decided she could overlook the tone of his next question. She doubted he was really interested in the sport, but was rather looking for a way to hang around a little longer and talk to her. At least she wasn't having to look after a tearful twelve year old who was missing their mother, and this was something she knew about. Well...she knew all about Quidditch, her only experience with Quodpot having been to watch a game on a previous camp, but she had read the rules and that would be sufficient.

Except he now asked another question, and while it felt irritating she knew there was really no harm in it. It wasn't a secret that she was working and studying this summer, and everyone would find out soon enough. "So many questions!" she exclaimed in a lighthearted way "I am both working and joining activities, though for the most part I will be leading groups of younger students..." Edyta wasn't entirely sure, only having her schedule for the first week so far, but it seemed that would be setting the pattern for the rest of the summer "I am also taking the Professional Certificate program, which I believe is open to students aged sixteen or over. There is a practical section, and a portfolio to complete, but as I am here for the whole summer I should have time for that in between my other duties." she smiled, though she hadn't told the whole truth. There would be opportunities to join the older students on hikes, and there was a two-day kayaking expedition next weekend which she had already signed up for. But Freddie didn't need to know that.

"So, Quodpot. It is a little similar to Quidditch, because there are two teams, but each team has eleven players. There is only one ball, the Quod, which is similar to a quaffle, and must be thrown into a single goal hoop. However, it is charmed to explode randomly and when that happens, the player holding it must leave the game. It is very popular in America but not played much elsewhere, I think because it's easier than Quidditch." She held her pen poised over the new sheet "So. Would you like to join, or shall I tell you about some of the other activities we have planned?"

Freddie immediately picked up on the lighthearted way in which Edyta reacted to his questions. Right, so she was warming up to him a little at least. That was good. She would be leading groups of younger students… Freddie wondered if he was considered younger for he was younger than her although there were clearly students that were still a few years younger than him. He decided not to ask though.

The Professional Certificate program, whatever exactly that was, was not open to him, not being sixteen years yet, Freddie didn't even bother to enquire what this program was about. It seemed like it meant a great deal to Edyta though, as she shared more information than he'd have expected. Freddie returned her smile, thinking it was nice that the girl was finally willing to actually talk to him. However, he had nothing at all to say on the matter himself.

Quodpot sounded fun! Edyta didn't mention if it was also a sport on brooms but as she said that it was similar to Quidditch, Freddie assumed it must be. He felt how his heart sank. He had no broom of his own and would likely not be able to afford one during his time at a student at all. It was frustrating to be from a poor family background and Freddie felt ashamed. He was interested in Quidditch, too, but never really tried it because on a school broom he thought he'd just make a fool of himself even if he had talent what didn't know.

“Umm...” he said uncertainly, “well, do they give out brooms here? I… I didn't bring mine, you know...” He shrugged. “I'd like to join though if I can. Anyway, I'm also interested in the other activities! What do you recommend?” He looked at her hopefully. Surely there were other activities that would be fun as well.

Unable to get away from the distinct feeling that this boy was attempting to flirt with her, Edyta wondered how the counselors dealt with such matters. She made a mental note to ask Carla how she dealt with questions that made her feel uncomfortable, but for now she felt as thought she was doing reasonably well. She knew exactly what was going on, she was answering everything she was asked and it sounded like she was going to be able to sign him up for at least a couple of activities.

There was something in the tone of his next question, though. For a moment the teenage bravado slipped and he seemed to hesitate, and it made Edyta wonder if perhaps he hadn't simply not brought his broom. Perhaps he didn't have one at all. She didn't think there was anything wrong with that, not having owned a broom herself until the previous year. Perhaps...

"Don't worry. We have plenty of spare brooms here. You should arrive early though if you want a good one, the cleansweeps fly much better than the comets" Now she was on one of her favourite subjects, she could have talked about the pros and cons of different racing brooms for hours. Indeed, she now appeared relaxed and quite happy, so she nodded and said "I'll add your name to the list. The teams will have students from all the schools, so it's a good chance to make some new friends" she added.

As for other activities - there were plenty, but running through a list was going to get dull and confusing very quickly. Instead she asked "what kind of things do you enjoy doing? We have a full-day kayaking expedition on Thursday, the creative arts faculty is signing up students who want to perform in the talent contest, or perhaps you would prefer the science program?" Edyta felt that if the boy showed an interest in one of those things, she would be in a better position to guide him towards other activities he might enjoy.

“Really?” Freddie beamed at her. “There are spare brooms?!?” It really made him happy to hear that. The boy almost felt like bouncing. He didn't play Quidditch because he didn't want anyone to know that he couldn't afford a decent broom (or any broom for that matter) so joining a game of quodpot could be interpreted as him finding that sport more fun and he didn't need an own broom. Finally he'd be joining a sport that was played on brooms. This news totally made his day.

He nodded eagerly. “I'll be there really early and try to get a cleansweep!” He would have liked to enquire further but figured that if he asked her more about brooms it would be too obvious that he was not an expert. He had, of course, sometimes read old Quidditch magazines that a student had left in the common room at Hogwarts but since he couldn't afford a broom he had not felt like reading too much on the topic – it was just frustrating.

“Yes, please do,” he said and watched her write down his name. The summer at the camp might really be the best summer yet.

Edyta told him a bit about the other activities and the boy watched her as she spoke. He still thought that she was really endearing but he understood that it was best not to try and flirt more. In the end she was just a pretty older girl and likely not girlfriend material. There was another girl he hoped to charm anyway.

“Oh wow,” he was clearly impressed by all the things the camp had to offer. “I think all of that sounds great,” he admitted. “I think I like outdoor activities and possibly the talent contest most, though. What kind of talent should I show there? Science is amazing but probably not my very first choice.” He shrugged. “Anything you can recommend in particular?”

She decided her intuition was correct. Nobody who had simply left their own broom at home would be this excited at the prospect of being able to borrow one; they would have asked whether it was possible to send home for theirs first, she thought. Despite his rather forward behaviour earlier she decided she liked this boy's attitude, and therefore would do something for him.

"You should come early so you can take a few minutes to fly and get used to the broom, but I'll save a cleansweep for you, don't worry about that" she said, making a note on her list and deciding that he genuinely seemed keen to get involved with various types of activities. This made her happy, while there was no extra bonus or recognition for helping students to sign up for things, she felt it would look good if she managed to interest people in what was on offer. It would look like she was trying...like she was earning her right to be here.

"I'm afraid I can't help with the talent contest" she admitted with a laugh "I can't dance, my singing makes small children cry and I have never stood upon a stage in my life. But I think anything is acceptable, so long as it counts as a talent and can be shown to others" she paused "though if I decided to demonstrate the correct way to rig sails or harness a dragon, I don't think anyone would find that terribly interesting. What kind of talent do you think you might want to show?"

She frowned thoughtfully, scanning her list once again. "Well I think you might enjoy the kayaking expedition. There are two levels, beginners and experienced, and everything is provided except for some clothes which you don't mind getting wet" she thought she should add that, so the boy didn't worry that he would be excluded from an activity due to not having the correct equipment. "Then, we have an overnight hiking expedition for students over the age of fifteen years which I think you might enjoy...oh, and there will be a quidditch tournament next weekend" she added, thinking he might want time to prepare for that if he signed up.

“Oh wow, thank you!” Freddie was surprised that Edyta offered to save him a cleansweep. He thought it was a particularly nice gesture and wondered if it meant that she liked him a bit, after all. “I'll make sure to be there early,” he said, nodding. “Totally want to try it out for a while before participating in the game.

At her reaction to the talent show, Freddie let out a dramatic sigh. “Well, I am not sure I have a talent to show,” he admitted more seriously now. “None that I know of anyway.” He paused, rubbing his head thoughtfully.

“Truth be told I'd love to be on a stage,” he said dreamily. “I mean, imagine how it must be if you have a real talent and everybody is looking at you as you perform on stage. Well, might not happen for me, after all.”

Something she said came to his mind again as he finished. “Harness a dragon?” he asked incredulously. He knew that was a thing but he didn't know that it was actually a part of Durmstrang education. “You can harness a dragon? A real dragon? That sounds amazing!” He was clearly impressed and hoped that Edyta would tell him more about this.

“Kayaking sounds fun, totally be at the beginner level, I suppose. I've never done it before anyway. Well, actually all you mentioned sounds great. But time will not suffice to do it all, right?!” Freddie felt suddenly a little awkward. Could he play Quidditch here when he had pretended not to be interested in the sport while at Hogwarts simply because he couldn't afford a good broom? He was eager to try but felt like the whole construct of lies that he had built up over the past years would come toppling down.

Edyta hoped all the students she assisted would be as amenable as this one. True, there was the weird flirting thing he'd tried to begin with, but maybe that was just something English boys liked to do? She'd mainly interacted with girls or very young boys at the previous summer schools she'd attended so it was quite possible she just hadn't encountered someone like Freddie before. Either way, she decided to overlook his opening comments,t hough she was still going to talk to Carla about what she should do if she felt uncomfortable another time.

The idea of anyone actually wanting to be onstage amused her. To have everybody looking at you...well, now she thought of it, she had been in exactly that position not too long ago. At Nikola's fashion show she had paraded herself on the catwalk with everyone watching, and after she'd got over her initial insecurity, it hadn't been such a bad feeling. That was one experience she was certainly going to keep to herself, though. The idea of this boy's reaction to hearing she'd worked as a model, even if it had been a one-off, didn't bear thinking about! "Well, why not leave that for now, and if you change your mind, the sign-ups are open until Wednesday" she suggested, thinking that would be the best way to draw a line under thoughts of the talent show.

But now it seemed he was interested in one of her pet subjects. Of course he was, who wouldn't be excited by the idea of a dragon? Edyta knew how fortunate she was; she knew that the other schools didn't keep dragons...Beauxbatons had the flying horses of course, but they couldn't breathe fire and so she assumed were entirely tame and safe... "Yes, it's one of the lessons at Durmstrang, which I continued to NEWT level. We keep several species of dragon in the stables, though of course most people aren't allowed to approach them unless they're in the company of a professor or an older student who already has their flying permit." she decided not to mention that she was one of those people, thinking that it might sound like she was showing off. Besides, her job was to interest students in the camp activities,not talk about herself.

"Okay, Ill put your name down for kayaking. It's really fun, I tried it at a summer school in Greece a few years back" she offered as she added his name to the list "It depends on whether you're here for the two weeks or the whole summer..." she glanced back at her sheet of names as she spoke to check this. If Freddie was only here for two weeks he definitely wouldn't have time to do everything "My advice though, would be not to try and do everything. If you're too tired after the first week you won't enjoy it so much for the rest of your stay..." she paused, hoping that hadn't sounded too much like a staid professor "So, do you have any other questions?"

Freddie nodded. “Yes,” he said, “yes, that sounds like a plan. Until Wednesday, you say? I will think about it some more and maybe I still discover my special talent.” He was tempted to ask her to help him find it but, given her previous reaction to some of the things he said the boy decided to bite his tongue. Edyta surely would not approve of such a comment and end the conversation abruptly then.

“Wow,” the boy said in awe. Hogwarts was great, of course. He had always thought himself lucky to be able to attend a school like that. However, dragons at a school? That sounded amazing. He wasn't sure how he'd actually like having dragons around. He had never seen one close up but it sure was exciting.

“A flying permit?” He enquired curiously. “You mean, you actually ride the dragons and fly on them? That is… just… wow… awesome. How does it feel? Is it scary when you first fly on a dragon?” He stood there wide eyed, just like a little first year on their first day at a magical school.

“Kayaking, yeah,” he nodded, still thinking about the dragons. Edyta gave him an advice and the boy frowned a little. He should not try and do everything? Well, wouldn't that be a waste? They boy  shook his head thoughtfully. “You mean, I don't have the stamina for all of the activities?” he joked. “I think I get what you mean, though. However, I do want to participate in as many activities as is possible.” He shrugged somewhat apologetically. “It's just a once in a lifetime opportunity, I think.”

Although she had talked with students from other schools before, Edyta always forgot how fascinating they found the dragons. When she had started at Durmstrang she too had been awed by the magnificent beasts, so it was hardly surprising that others felt the same way. She glanced quickly over her shoulder to check nobody was listening, because she had an idea that she shouldn't really have let the discussion get so far off topic. On the other hand though, she was supposed to be putting new arrivals at their ease, and she'd certainly succeeded on that score.

“Yes, I gained my permit when I was sixteen. Our professor was allowed to fly solo when she was only fifteen, but...” she stopped, unsure whether she was going to say something uncharitable about the single-minded dragon-flying teacher and deciding that would be very unprofessional “...but she was exceptional” Actually, Edyta was on one of her favourite topics now and had entirely relaxed. As for how it felt to ride a dragon...

“Imagine you are on a broom, but it has a mind of it's own. You aren't entirely in control, but rather asking it to do what you want and hoping it will respect you enough to not try and eat you once you dismount. The first time we fly it is always with a professor or seventh-year student, but that won't happen until we are able to saddle the dragon safely. We need the correct protective clothing as well - dragon-hide will repel dragon fire, you see.” Edyta herself could see that the boy was fascinated, but she didn't want to distract him too much from the task in hand, so she finished with “It's always a little frightening, but if you don't have the fear, you also lack the respect, and that in itself is dangerous, you see?”

Ah, now he was back to joking again. Well, that was okay. Edyta felt quite comfortable now and she said, with mock concern “Oh, I'm sure you have the stamina. It would just be embarrassing for you if you fell asleep with your face in your breakfast because you tried to fit in four activities the previous day...” Really, it was Freddie's choice if he wanted to do everything that was on offer and not her place to try and dissuade him otherwise “but I can sign you up for everything if you like” this she added with a teasing smile.

His last comment took her mind back to the first summer school she had attended, as a much younger, very excited girl. “Yes...” she said almost wistfully “It is.” 

Freddie listened wide-eyed as Edyta spoke of dragon flying. It was odd how different the magical schools were. Why hadn't he been to a school that offered a cool class like dragon flying? Freddie loved Hogwarts, it was an amazing school (as far as schools could be amazing) but there were no dragons. So far he hadn't missed them at his school but now that he heard what the Durmstrang graduate had to tell he was envious. Why did they have dragons and at Hogwarts there were just creatures like invisible winged horses? What use were they when you couldn't even see them?

“Does everybody at Durmstrang take this class?” Freddie asked, curiously.

“Well, I'd sure have respect for a bloody dragon!” the boy said, nodding as if to underline how much respect he'd have.

Freddie considered what the girl said about getting too exhausted because of having taken too many camp activities but was that really a problem? He could always take a break when he felt he needed it or did he have to go to everything he had signed up for without a chance of getting out of it?

He smiled as Edyta said she could sign him up for everything. “Well, I suppose if I end up sleeping with my face in my breakfast I'd be excused from other activities I signed up for? Anyway, if I can still sign up at a later time we'll leave it at quodpot and kayaking for now, I think. I'll see about the rest later. Thanks for your help, by the way. I think I really know more about what I can expect from my stay now.” Freddie was now ready to move on and, therefore, decided to leave Edyta to her tasks whichever they might be.

“I guess I'll see you around,” he said, a wide smile spreading across his face once more. Not waiting for much of a response, the boy went to find his cabin. He would explore the camp some more once he'd have settled in properly.

[out]

"Not everyone" she admitted "it's pretty popular among younger students, but some of them realise that dragons are...well, difficult, and we have to study their natural history and welfare, and a lot of theory, so there aren't many of us at NEWT level" She didn't want to sound like she was showing off, but at the same time she was proud of what she'd achieved so far. She almost told Freddie that she had a classmate here who also flew, but decided the boy had already had enough excitement for his first half hour at camp. And she was glad he had decided to be sensible, as well. Once you signed up for things there was a tendency to feel like you had to do them even if you were already exhausted, as she had discovered to her cost in previous years.

"Oh, yes. Though you might have to help clear the tables if you were the last person sleeping there" she agreed. He wouldn't of course, but she kept a straight face as she spoke, thinking she'd survived her first encounter with a student pretty well. She'd answered his questions, he'd signed up for several activities and seemed happy about being here. She was going to call that a success.

"You're welcome. Enjoy your stay and I'll see you at the tournament later" she said as the boy headed off to find his cabin. She double checked her clipboard to be sure she'd made a note to save him a decent broom for the Quodpot game, and then looked up with a friendly smile as another student approached.

[out]