The Serpent of Durmstrang // A Harry Potter FanFiction

Chapter Fifteen

"A house...men and women in black cloaks...a gathering...a sacrifice..."

Harry woke up with a start. He could feel his hand trembling in fear. The dream, or perhaps it was apt to call it a nightmare, had been far too intense. And yet, as he tried to remember the details, he found himself losing them one at a time. As though his mind would not let him remember such horrid details. The Boy-Who-Lived shook his head, trying to clear the mental cobwebs, before slowly rising from his bed.

The night prior had been one filled with drinks. Booze flowed like honey, and Harry still struggled to answer the age-old question of "where does Aleksander procure his booze?". Viktor had been adamant that he should relax, which was odd coming from the surly and never-relaxed Quidditch star. While Alanna and Kassandra were just dying to hear more about his time with Fleur.

What he didn't tell them, however, was his run-in with the Slytherins plus Cadmus.

He didn't want his friends to worry about him, especially now more than ever. With the second task of the Triwizard Tournament looming over him, he knew that his friends had been more and more agitated. They were stressed about him. Worried and frightened. It was one of the reasons why he loved his friends so much. They cared for him deeply, and he would give his life for any of them. He was sure they would do the same for him.

And that was the crux of Harry's current situation.

The second task was literally in just a few hours, and Harry could feel himself wanting to just sprint away and never look back. And yet, he couldn't. He knew he would never forgive himself for leaving, for giving up, and for disappointing those who believed in him. It was his weakness, the need to live to others' expectations.

With a sigh, he stood up. Stretching the kinks in his muscles and joints, he quickly dressed his best and packed the supplies he would need.

"Swimming short, check. Wand holster, check. Wand, check." He listed it all out to himself, before packing everything else into a small bag. Slinging it over her head, he started his way out of his dorm room, only to be assaulted by his five friends.

Viktor was giving him his grim smile, Alanna winked at him playfully, and Kassandra could only muster a weak smile. They were all there, despite the early morning hours, ready to support their friend through another deadly scenario. They had all begun to realize quite quickly after the first task that this competition was truly not worth it. That this was a blood sport for the entertainment of the masses in attendance.

"Harry...you be careful..." Viktor whispered, unable to think of anything else to say. He had been the first to see what Harry's strategy was for this task. Even with his confidence in his best friend, he still feared for his life. "Just return to us." Please, he wanted to add, and yet the word was choked out of him. "And return him to us."

That was when Harry realized that Aleksander was missing from this rabble. Perhaps he had thought that the young man was still sleeping when he first saw the three of them standing outside his room. But then Aleksander would not be one to miss something like this. No...

"They took him?"

Viktor nodded, turning his attention away. "They asked him last night after you had left for bed if he would stand as your hostage. That drunk idiot accepted, of course." He shook his head, eyes cast down as though ashamed that he did not speak up. That he did not volunteer instead.

He didn't even realize that he was clenching his fist. Harry felt pain, before slowly letting go. His nails had dug into his palms, though not breaking skin. He shook his whitened-hands, returning the blood that had been lost, before sighing.