The Serpent of Durmstrang // A Harry Potter FanFiction

Chapter Four

It had been just a few days after the Quidditch World Cup incident, and lying in bed rest for so long did not improve Harry's mood all that much. The healers that were sent to the camp grounds had been very adamant about not moving him until he had sufficiently recovered from the bruises on his spinal cord. While potions can be used to significantly lessen the pain, it was not recommended due to the precarious nature of the spinal nerves, and any hampered self-repairing could result to a permanent disability.

Finally, after four days, the healers cleared Harry to leave, to the relief of both Sirius and Remus. Both men were not pleased to have been marooned in British soil, and had to leave for a few days to for Remus' full moon transformation. Harry himself had not been happy with the situation, especially since he was not allowed to move too much, much less walk around. He felt confined, and was rearing to leave when the healer had finally cleared him.

As the healer left, and Harry finished putting on the new set of clothes brought to him by Sirius last night, the man himself bared into the room with a full-blown smile.

"Ready, pup?" Sirius eagerly asked.

Harry nodded, checking his wand holster one last time before walking out of the tent. Unlike when the tournament had been in full-swing, the camp grounds had almost nothing on it at this point. A few scattered tents littered around his own, but aside from that, the vast green pasture looked untouched.

Sirius guided his charge towards the portkey point just across the clustered medical tents, "You're probably one of the last few to leave. I think there's a few more people in some of the tents, and of course, the muggles."

"Muggles?" Harry asked. He had not heard anything about muggles being injured at all, nor was he privy to the fact that there were muggles in the event.

"Yeah, we had a muggle family who managed the camp grounds. They were the ones being levitated by the Death Eaters, if you can recall."

Harry nodded, "They're recovering well, right?"

"I think so," Sirius replied, shaking his head, "From what I hear, the torture curse was used, so they're being treated for that. And of course, memory charms later on."

As they approached their destination, a Ministry official waved them over with a kind smile. The man was wearing very dusty robes, and a hat that had seen better days. He had a splay of red hair, and was portly in stature. As the man approached them, it was Sirius' turn to grin before giving the man a firm handshake.

"Arthur! It's good to see you," Sirius smiled at the man.

Arthur grinned, "Good to see you too Sirius. How have you been? The continent treating you well?"

"As well as it'll ever be. I heard you have quite the family now!"

"Seven children, six boys and a girl."

"You've been keeping Molly quite busy, hey?" Sirius winked at the man, who could only chuckle at Sirius' antics.

Arthur glanced at Harry, and held out his hand as well, "Arthur Weasley. And you must be Mister Potter?"

"Just Harry, sir," Harry took the man's hand with a firm shake, "a friend of Sirius is always a friend of mine."

"Well then, just Arthur as well, Harry," Arthur gave him a kind smile, and Harry decided that he liked the man. He was good-natured, and seemed very jovial.

"Arthur here was one of the old guard's, fought beside this man in the last war," Sirius started, "not someone to be messed with, a good man and a great friend."

Arthur blushed at the compliments, and coughed. He was not used to compliments, especially since a lot of people in the Ministry thought he was a laughing stock. Sirius Black, James Potter, and Remus Lupin were the three people he had been quite close to during the war, and certainly counted them as friends. Sadly, throughout the years, he had lost contact with the last two Marauders.