The Serpent of Durmstrang

A/N: This will most likely be my last chapter until after NaNoWriMo. I will be starting to write my NaNoWriMo novel in a few days! If you guys are interested in it, feel free to check me out on Wattpad under the same username (nigelforest) I have on here! Finally, thank you to those who have supported this rewrite, and those who have given me tips and constructive criticism about my writing. I will be using those when I finally start writing my novel!

Chapter Thirteen

Harry felt Fleur's skin rub against his own. His hand slowly caressed her thigh, the feeling was intoxication, and her ministrations were doing no favours to his own carnal desires. He could feel her breath, whispering sweet nothings in his ear, making him shiver in anticipation. Fleur traced kisses on his shoulder, trailing until she finally reached lips. She tasted of peppermint, and cocoa, a weird combination, but nectar to Harry's taste buds. Harry slid his hand higher up her thigh, and he could hear her moan his name in his ear.

"MISTER POTTER!"

Harry immediately got up and was at attention immediately. His bleary eyes catching sight of Professor Gregorovitch and Highmaster Karkaroff, although the Highmaster seemed to be hovering over by the door of his room.

Professor Gregorovitch had a light blush at what he heard his student whispering in his sleep, before shaking himself and grabbing Harry by the shoulder, "There's been an emergency, Mister Potter, and you'll more than likely want to be informed."

"What happened?" Harry whispered in puzzlement, his throat still dry from his sleep, and his eyes barely being kept open.

"You best be dressed, and meet us in the study area."

Harry nodded, and watched both professor and Highmaster leave his room. He shook his head, clearing any cobwebs lingering, before finally getting up. With a quick cleaning spell, and grabbing a set of his Durmstrang robes, he made his way out of his room and into the study area.

With each step, his thoughts ran through the possible reasons as to why he was being called up in the ungodly hours of the morning. Professor Gregorovitch had said something about an emergency, and he immediately thought of one of his friends. It's a possibility, and a cold shiver ran down his spine as to what trouble one of his friends might have gotten themselves into.

As he reached the oval shaped room, he quickly took in the sight of Headmaster Dumbledore standing in between Professor Gregorovitch and his Highmaster. Dumbledore seemed to be deep in thoughts, whispering rather rapidly with his professor, while his Highmaster was sneering at the two.

"Professors," Harry started, awkwardly standing just by the doorway that led to the male's rooms.

Dumbledore looked up, and frowned. His face becoming a shade darker, as he slowly went up to Harry and stood in front of the Potter heir. He looked exactly like James, if not more filled-out, but his eyes were Lily's through and through. Albus placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, and let a lone tear slide down his cheek.

"Harry, I'm sorry," Dumbledore was finally able to choke out, his hand squeezing Harry's shoulder lightly.

Harry was stunned for a moment, not sure what he was supposed to do. The Headmaster's action puzzled him, until it dawned to him that the only person he knew that was in contact with the Headmaster was-

"Sirius! What happened?!"

Professor Gregorovitch stepped up beside the Headmaster, before nodding at his old master, "Mister Black is currently in Saint Mungo's. We're here to take you to him."

"But what happened to him? Is he going to be-"

"Not here, Mister Potter," Professor Gregorovitch shut him down immediately, glancing at the Highmaster for a brief second.

The Highmaster caught the blatant glance, and growled, "I know you don't trust me, Gregorovitch! Just take him and go! You don't need to spit in my face right in front of our student, in the middle of my ship!"

Petyr seemed to want to say something in return, but held himself as Dumbledore patted the man on the shoulder. Dumbledore looked towards Igor and sighed, "Igor, this is not the time or place."

"You too, old man! Meddling again and again, even with my own student!"

"Igor!"

Igor Karkaroff roared in anger, before stomping away with a sweep of his cloak. Professor Gregorovitch sighed as he watched the man walk away, unsure of what to say to the man after their last confrontation about his Dark Mark. Contrary to Igor's belief, Petyr wanted to believe the man had changed his ways, yet from their conversations, he could not help but doubt that man. He was a turncoat, a man who sold his comrades for his own safety, and there's something about that which made Petyr doubt the man more than he should.

"There's not time to waste, Petyr," Dumbledore chided his old apprentice, before leading Harry out into the still dark sky. Petyr sighed before following Albus, his mind still troubled by Igor's outburst.

Harry didn't register anything that happened, his mind still caught up with the fact that Sirius is hurt. Thoughts ran through his head, fear clutched his already fast-beating heart, and the chill of dread creeped up his spine. Sirius Black, one of the most capable men he knew, and his father in all but name, had been hurt, and here he was staying comfortable without any worries in the world.

"Wha-What happened to him, Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked, his throat betraying his resolve.

The Headmaster looked even more aged as he sighed wearily, "I promise to tell you everything, Harry. First, we must visit Sirius to ease your mind, then we shall discuss matters at hand."

Harry couldn't do anything but nod. A younger Harry might have demanded answers here and now, yet Harry had been able to temper himself against brash actions. There was an urge, but he squashed it immediately. The most important thing right now was seeing Sirius, and making sure he was alright.

As they passed the Hogwarts gates, the groundskeeper who towered all of them only nodded, before closing the steel gateway behind them as they crossed. Professor Gregorovitch gave his arm to Harry, who immediately took as as they were whisked away in a soft crack.

Harry shook off the mild dizziness he got after landing unsuccessfully from the apparition. His mind was so focused on Sirius' condition that he paid no mind to anything else, which he paid for with his almost fall after Professor Gregorovitch apparated them outside of Saint Mungo's.

"Come," the grim professor motioned for Harry to follow himself and Professor Dumbledore, who were already halfway up the steps to a seemingly abandoned building. As he crossed the threshold of the first step, a cold wave passed over his body, and right before his eyes, the abandoned building was suddenly lit up with lights on almost every window.

They walked through the entrance, and was welcomed by noise easily found in any other hospital. Healers ran left and right, while patients were meandering about, with some sitting by an area waiting for their number to be called.

Albus Dumbledore led the way towards the reception, which was probably the best idea since everyone stopped to assist the Headmaster, eager to please. Dumbledore put his influence into good use, and quickly found Sirius' room without any hassle or wait. In fact, everyone in line for the reception were quite amiable and even happily let the old wizard cut through to the front.

"Fourth floor," Dumbledore nodded at Petyr, and with harry in tow, they quickly made their way to Sirius' room.

Harry's heart threatened to burst, as they neared the room Sirius was cooped in. Apparently, he had been transferred to a private room, after they realized that it was lord Black they were dealing with.

As they opened the door, Harry saw Sirius sitting up on his bed, talking furiously with Remus, who had bandage running through half his face. His heart settled for a moment, before running to both his father-figures and enveloping them in a hug.

"Oof!" Sirius cried, Harry's charge hitting just below his left lung, where most of his injuries were still fresh.

Remus laughed loudly, patting the raven-haired teen on the back, "Might want to let go of Sirius, Harry. His injuries are still quite fresh."

"Sorry," Harry grinned at Sirius, who only grinned back and ruffled his godson's hair in the process.

"You had me worried, you know. What the hell happened anyway?" Harry quickly grilled into them, his worry now set aside for curiosity and frustration at the man who had been very secretive for the past few months. Ever since Harry had gone back to Durmstrang this year, Sirius and Remus had been sending him less and less letters, only hinting at the fact that they were doing very important things.

Sirius gave Harry a look, before glancing at Dumbledore, who only nodded. He sighed, making himself comfortable in the not-so-comfortable hospital bed, before gesturing for Remus to start. He was still very tired after the ordeal he had gone through, especially since he might not have made it if Remus had not made it in time to save him.

Remus nodded, "Where to begin...I suppose we should tell you that Sirius and I have been travelling endlessly the past few weeks, which is one of the reasons why we couldn't keep in contact with you as much as we had previous years."

"Remus, I believe I should explain this part," Dumbledore spoke up, already conjuring three single-seater couches for the rest of the occupants to settle on. As Harry and Petyr moved to take their spots, Dumbledore flicked his wand three times, and the room glowed a purple-hue, to the satisfied smile of the old professor.

"Wards, Harry, especially since what will be said here should be kept within this circle," Dumbledore smiled at the inquisitive look of the young Potter, before settling himself down on his own armchair.

"Harry, as I've said, what is going to be discussed in this room should remain in this room."

"Yes, professor," Harry nodded.

"Good, now against my better judgement, Sirius, Remus, and Petyr have all finally forced my hand in revealing this to you. I had hoped to grant you a final year without this burden, yet our hands are being forced."

Sirius coughed, "Old man, tell him everything. He needs to know."

Albus nodded, "To understand, we must first recount the fall of Voldemort at your hands, Harry. Why he chose to visit your family that night, and the reason for his obsession for your family."

Harry couldn't help but flinch at the memory of a green light, his mother's screams, and his father's valiant effort to subdue the Dark Lord. It was a memory he could not erase after a brief encounter with a Dementor during his sixth year Dark Arts class at Durmstrang.

"His obsession was spurned by a prophecy, Harry. And Lord Voldemort clung onto this prophecy, which spelled his doom in the hands of a child, which led to his paranoia."

"A prophecy? Wha-"

Harry was cut-off by Dumbledore, who raised his hand, "The contents of the prophecy shall be discussed later, for now, keep in mind that Lord Voldemort vanished after confronting your family, and finally you. Vanished, Harry, not dead."

"Not dead? Did his killing curse not bounced back at him?"

"It is theorized that it did, but we may never know because there was no witness that except, except for you, Harry. What we do know is that Lord Voldemort vanished, and left no trace, not even his wand. The Dark Mark had faded since, and his supporters mostly rounded up and incarcerated."

Dumbledore shifted in his seat, at this point contemplating on how he would break it to the young man that his own Highmaster was a convicted Death Eater., "Recently, we've had some reports that the mark is becoming more visible and active. This is concurrent with the incident at the World Cup, if you remember the Dark Mark being cast on the night sky that night."

"I do, so those mask men were actually Death Eaters then? Not hooligans, or even rowdy party-goers too drunk?"

"Yes, well the British Ministry has been trying to downplay the incident, but the Department of Magical Law Enforcement with Amelia Bones in charge has classified the event as a Death Eater attack. There are some promising individuals in the Ministry, but they are drowned out by the vocal few. Suffice to say, Harry, that there is sufficient evidence that the Dark Lord might not be dead as we might think."

Harry stewed on this information, his hands trembling at the thought of a madman, the one who caused so much pain to families in Britain and beyond, still lurking in the shadows. He had previously entertained the thought that the Death Eaters might just be looking to cause some havoc once again, but throwing the Dark Lord into the mix did not bode well for the Wizarding World.

"You still have not explained why Sirius or Remus were injured. What have they been doing? What warrants the vast amount of travelling?"

"Have you ever thought, Harry, as to how Lord Voldemort was able to stay alive?" Dumbledore leaned back into his chair, composing himself as they were finally getting into the topic that he had been the most leery about.

Harry stopped for a second, before shaking his head, "There is no such thing as true immortality, is there? The Flamels are close, yet I don't think Lord Voldemort would have access to the Philosopher's Stone."

"Thankfully, he doesn't. The Flamels keep their location unknown but to themselves, therefore the Stone is out of their reach. However, there are ways, vile and corrupt, in achieving a pseudo-immortality. Tell me Harry, have you ever heard of a Horcrux," Dumbledore stared hard at Harry. He had been uncomfortable about sharing this piece of information, yet he knew he had to, it was Harry's future at stake after all.

Harry shook his head, the subject sounded foreign to him. Pseudo-immortality was still a very dangerous path, and Harry knew from his limited knowledge about the Dark Arts that everything came at a price.

Albus glanced at each of the adults in the room, with Sirius giving him a hard glare. He could only smile at the Lord Black's conviction about Harry knowing. While Sirius Black might be the very protective of Harry, the man was also the most vocal about Harry being treated as an adult, and letting him onto this knowledge. He had been swayed, yet he was still unsure if Harry was ready for this burden.

"It's a relief to me that you don't know, nor should you ever know about this vile piece of Dark Magic. A creation of Herpo the Foul, a Horcrux is a soul container, a vile object that is used by the darkest of wizards in attaining immortality."

"Wait, so you're saying that Lord Voldemort had actually made a Horcrux?"

Dumbledore nodded somberly, "With the help of Sirius and Remus, we were able to track and finally gotten a hold of a memory," he paused, sighing, "seven, Harry. Lord Voldemort had been planning on splitting his soul into seven pieces."

Albus Dumbledore looked older than he had ever been after relieving the information onto Harry. The weight of Tom Riddle's action had burdened Dumbledore, especially since he had watched the young man grow, and was not able to stop him from becoming evil incarnate. It was his failing, amongst others that he could never atone for.

"So, that's what you guys have been looking for?" Harry turned to Sirius and Remus, who nodded.

"On my orders, Harry," Dumbledore cut off any contests by the raven-haired wizard, "Sirius and Remus are the most adept, not including your Professor Gregorovitch, and they agreed on helping me find and gather possible Horcruxes. One of which was dispatched by myself years ago, a diary in the hands of Ginevra Weasley. Another one has been secured a few weeks ago just after the First Task by myself, Sirius and Remus. This leaves us five more."

"Five more," Harry echoed, the thought of an immortal Lord voldemort sending chills up his spine.

"Four, professor," Remus smirked, before handing Albus a lead box with a lock mechanism that reminded Harry of goblin made items.

Albus Dumbledore reverently took the box, inspecting the fine craftsmanship, "You were successful, then?"

Sirius nodded, "The goblins were amiable, especially since Bellatrix is an incarcerated criminal. Since I am her Lord Black still, I was able to take hold of her personal vault, confiscating all of her monetary and worldly possessions. We were unprepared for the...curses that were tied to the cup."

Albus Dumbledore smiled at Sirius, relief overtook his emotions, before handing the lead-lined box for Petyr to inspect, "I'm grateful, Sirius, Remus, for your dedication to this old man's cause. But before any celebrations are due, there is another topic we must discuss, and an item we must procure."

Turning to Harry, Dumbledore continued, "You must learn about the prophecy, Harry. As we take another step closer to combatting Lord Voldemort's immortality, the forces that will try to stop us will be much more vicious."

"Will you tell me then?"

Dumbledore smiled, "Better yet, we will procure it within the Department of Mysteries. It is a two-fold reason as to why we must do this. First, you must learn of the prophecy, and secondly, by procuring the only tangible copy of the prophecy, we take it out of Lord Voldemort's hands."

Harry nodded, understanding the fact that by taking away the knowledge of the prophecy from the Dark Lord, they would have an upper hand against him. However, a thought has been bothering Harry since they first brought up Lord Voldemort's more than plausible existence, "Professor Dumbledore, what about the tournament? Couldn't he-"

"We have taken precautions, Harry, which is why we have Mad-Eye Moody teaching at Hogwarts this year. There is also your Professor Gregorovitch, who has been my eyes and ears within Durmstrang, as well as added security for the tournament. I am quite surprised, however, at the ease you're taking this all in"

Harry shrugged, "After the Quidditch World Cup incident, especially seeing the Death Eaters and the Dark Mark, the looming danger has been running through the back of my mind. It was reinforced after having the talk with Sirius, the disappearance of Aleksander's father, and finally the constant news of Dark creatures becoming more active lately," Harry ran a hand through his hair, "To be honest, I didn't think it would be the Dark Lord rising again, and was chalking it to Death Eaters mobilizing once again. But now...it's become more than what I initially imagined…"

Silence reigned the room, before Petyr finally spoke up, "That's why we're here, Harry. This is not your fight, but all of ours. And we will make sure you're prepared." Unsaid was the fact that Harry is going to be on the highest hit list for Lord Voldemort and his supporters, which made his training more important now that he was finally privy to all this information.

Harry glanced at Professor Gregorovitch, who only smiled back. At that moment, Dumbledore clapped his hands, and stood up, which prompted Petyr to also stand up.

"Now, shall we go retrieve the prophecy, Harry?"

Harry nodded with determination. The thought of Lord Voldemort still frightened him, yet he knew that he will do his utmost best to be prepared. Looking around, he knew that whatever he faced, he won't be alone. Sirius, Remus, and both professors were determined to stop the madman, and Harry was determined to fight alongside them.