Chapter 12

Erzsébet Báthory was already familiar with the group that would be... enlightening them. She had seen most of them at various receptions, though she hadn't really spoken with them much — her parents said it was due to the significant age difference.

However, Erzsébet herself believed that she would definitely find common ground with them, considering that her peers and those close in age acted far less mature than she did.

In short, any intelligent and observant person would notice that this young lady was one of those who had matured too early.

Her burgundy eyes carefully studied the wizards entering the room.

At the front, walking confidently and at a relaxed pace, was a tall young man with blond hair tied back in a ponytail. He was dressed... Erzsébet looked more closely at his robe and quickly noted that it was handcrafted by Lady Sorel. Although Erzsébet's older brother preferred robes made by other craftsmen, she was knowledgeable about Western European robes and could tell that this upperclassman was wearing garments worthy of his status and the status of his family within the intricate web of pure-blood relations.

Noticing the bright blue eyes of the blond as he entered, Erzsébet was certain that this was the heir of the Stahlwolf family — Adalbert, the only male in the direct bloodline of the family. After all, his father was dead, his sisters had long been married, and his mother belonged to another family.

Following Stahlwolf was another upperclassman, with brown hair and green eyes — Ivan Volgin. Her skills in reading people's emotions failed her here, as the Russian was completely imperturbable. Still, one could infer something from his clothing. It was somewhat more disheveled than that of the blond, which led her to suspect that he might be more careless or simply not consider clothing important, and thus take a more negligent attitude toward his position.

The young Báthory had heard a bit less about this old Russian family; after all, the Volgins were far less involved in the affairs of Eastern European wizards. Still, what she knew was sufficient—her father was right about that.

After all, only Muggles had to travel by horse and carriage for long stretches of time. Wizards, of course, were not limited by such trivialities. As a result, gathering information was much easier. She didn't even bother mentioning the other means that magic allowed.

The Volgin family owned iron ore mines, so it was not surprising to see the heir of that family in the company of or subordinate to a member of a family that produced magical metal and crafted certain products from it — the Stahlwolf family.

Next, Erzsébet's gaze fell on...

"Large..." — the thought passed through her mind phlegmatically, though she didn't feel particularly surprised. Unusual, but that was all.

...on a very tall and broad upperclassman. For a moment, she had the odd sensation that not even a broom could hold his weight... But if it could, he would likely make an excellent Quidditch player. However, as they say in her family, Quidditch was not a sport for a self-respecting lady. Flying for the amusement of a crowd, many of whom outside the school were Muggle-borns—or, as they were more sharply and emotionally called, Mudbloods... nonsense. In this, the young Báthory was in agreement with her elders.

Why were only the boys so eager to participate in all this? Even those from families no less respectable than the Báthorys!

With polite composure in her gaze, expression, and posture, she looked at Stahlwolf, who had seated himself on the sofa across from them. Alongside him, Volgin and Karpishin sat to his right and left, respectively, while three other girls positioned themselves nearby. One of them, with the same gray hair as Báthory, caught her attention. Such a coincidence wasn't accidental, even if the first-year's hair was a bit lighter than that of the current House prefect.

"It seems this is Erika Stadtfeld, whose grandmother is the sister of my father's mother..." Erzsébet recalled the nature of their family connection.

She was pulled out of her thoughts about the fifth-years by the voice of Stahlwolf, whose tone, while friendly enough, didn't have a hint of overfamiliarity. Fortunately for Erzsébet and the nervousness of her peers, Stahlwolf hadn't stooped to such impropriety.

"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen," he addressed them in a neutral, universal manner, avoiding anything overtly national or linguistic. "I'm glad to see all of you at this traditional meeting..." Glancing at her fellow first-years, Báthory quickly noticed how they practically swelled with pride at being addressed in such a manner.

Hadn't they been taught that such words were just a simple psychological tactic? Or was she just too diligent in remembering the words of her parents and brother? Or perhaps her peers were simply too lazy?

"I'm sure many of us have met at various events," he said, scanning the pure-blooded students seated before him. If any half-bloods were sorted into this House, they were usually those who had grown up in the magical world and knew how to conduct themselves in the presence of more prominent members of the magical community. Of course, there were exceptions, but in Báthory's view, they were merely the exceptions that proved the rule. There were some this year as well, but they did not warrant the young witch's attention. "Many remember me from the first day at this wonderful place… But let me introduce myself once more. Adalbert Friedrich of the Stahlwolf family," the blond introduced himself with his full name.

Alongside Volgin and Stadtfeld, whose family was well-known for their battle mages, Anton also introduced himself. He was the large young man, from the Karpyshin family, one of the oldest families in Eastern Europe, with Ukrainian-Russian origins.

Marta and Greta, who came from Hungarian families allied with the Báthorys, were familiar to her from childhood, so she had no trouble recognizing them. They were even something like older sisters to her... though at times, they behaved more like younger ones. Erzsébet also recalled that her grandfather had come from Greta's family. It wasn't uncommon for the second or third son to be adopted into the wife's family if she was the eldest daughter and heir.

"...That concludes our introductions. Now let's turn to you," Adalbert continued, gesturing toward them with a sweep of his hand before folding his hands together again.

They were to introduce themselves in order of the age and influence of their family. Báthory still didn't know exactly what criteria determined the latter factor, as it was not something obvious, but her parents had told her not to worry about it, and this had been settled long before the school year began.

And… in this case, the Báthorys were the oldest and most influential family among the first-years in Schneewolf, meaning she was expected to introduce herself first.

"Erzsébet Katalin of the Báthory family, forty-first generation," the witch rose from the sofa with the elegance drilled into her by her tutors and, after introducing herself, performed a curtsy — a skill she had spent considerable effort perfecting.

"Your family's crimson eyes are always striking, Lady Báthory. It's a pleasure to have you in our House," Stahlwolf said with the same expressionless yet courteously pleasant face and even tone, offering a formal compliment.

But she wasn't particularly moved by such things.

It reminded her too much of her brother, who acted in much the same way at formal events, and so Báthory had grown used to witnessing such gestures.

The attention of the older students shifted to the next first-year to introduce himself, a blond-haired, brown-eyed boy from the Finnish family Edelweiss, Vilian Ernest. Briefly, Erzsébet noted that this relatively young but very wealthy family could serve as a useful ally. After all, an example of such an alliance was literally before her eyes: the Stahlwolfs, who were acknowledged equals to the Báthorys, maintained a close relationship with the Stadtfelds, whose situation was quite similar to that of the Edelweisses — young but rich.

"I'm glad to see the Edelweiss family once again in our fine House. Lady Luviagelita will undoubtedly be pleased," the older student said approvingly, nodding as he gestured for Erzsébet's classmate to return to his seat. The Hungarian girl quickly noticed that the boy paled slightly at the mention of his sister's name.

I'll have to find out more about that, Erzsébet noted mentally. As her brother had instructed, she needed to begin asserting herself as a leader from the very start. Otherwise, she could end up in the position of Stadtfeld — holding the prefect title only because she had received permission from the true leader of the House.

She had no intention of yielding to any of them. Not only because her family was superior to theirs, but because she was better than them.

Meanwhile, the introductions continued.

Summing up her observations, the young Báthory noted that she had plenty of competition. As her mother sometimes expressed rather vulgarly, she could crush them one by one. However, the potential for alliances troubled her.

Perhaps these boys were still too shortsighted to plan for the future and simply wanted to be "the main ones" out of sheer instinct, but she certainly wasn't like that… That's why she needed to exert effort. She categorically refused to be second in command.

"I'm glad to see once again the representatives of these noble families in our House," the older student said, nodding at the now-very-proud-looking first-years. "Now, let's move on to what even my parents left unspoken." Watching an unfamiliar upperclassman pass by with an unreadable expression, Stahlwolf began again: "Since most of the necessary things, you undoubtedly already know... let's get straight to the point. As you may have noticed, there are also half-bloods studying at Durmstrang. A significant portion of them understand their place in society, but there are others who behave extremely foolishly. The Unjoined," he said, waving his hand dismissively. The first-years smiled, almost all of them. They had heard a little about these students, but their parents had brushed off their questions, saying the school would explain everything clearly. "This group of students, deficient in common sense, believes they are superior to the more worthy pure-blood wizards. Yet, for some reason, they don't want to leave Durmstrang and run to the arms of the Yankees and Muggle-born lovers in the Ministry." He scoffed, his tone noticeably more informal now. "As for them... they've been given a complete boycott. You are not to interact with them in any way. The only exception is if it directly impacts your grade and you have no way to avoid it."

"Why?" one of the first-years asked, surprised.

Erzsébet glanced around and was shocked to see that some of her peers seemed to agree with the question. Did they really not understand?

"Because the puppets of the American commoners will be outraged," Erzsébet responded condescendingly, examining her suddenly fascinating nails with a dignified air.

"Mr. Franich, mind your manners. You're not at home," Stahlwolf shot a quick glance, causing the Croatian boy to lower his eyes in embarrassment. "As for Lady Báthory's answer, it is indeed correct. But if you'll allow me, I'll explain the situation in more detail. You're all aware of the Ministry situation. However, there have been more recent problems with Dumbledore as well. We all know who he is. Well, his protégé, Karkaroff, is now the headmaster of this place. I won't go into how he got here or who allowed it — that's something you can learn at home," the fifth-year waved his hand dismissively, as if swatting away a pesky fly. "The fact is, Dumbledore is a known defender of Muggle-born rights. And while we don't particularly care about the Ministry, the potential cooperation between the Yankees and Dumbledore remains a concern, and we cannot allow that. Who knows, he might follow the example of British Muggles and sell out to the Yankees as well?" He shrugged, crossing one leg over the other. "That's why it's not worth the risk. You won't find anything valuable in these foolish individuals, and they won't strengthen our influence in any way. They'll only poison the air with their presence."