Thank you very much for the lovely comments and for the PM too. You make me smile.
Icarus beta'd this chapter too, and I'm ever so grateful that someone corrects my awful grammar/phrasing.
Chapter 21 - Forest, again
Every bit of color left Malfoy's face when the plane began to descend, and he reached constantly for his ears, agonized by the effects of height loss and pressure differences. His expression was clearly anxious and she could not quite blame him since the nasty weather that welcomed them to Norway caused the plane to shake, tossing it like a leaf in the wind. He was still constant in his decision not to talk to her, and she did nothing to change his mind; the silence between them was as stormy and threatening as the tempest outside.
Alexa smiled bitterly knowing they would need some life threatening experience to make peace with each other. Predicting what the future held for them, she knew it would be soon enough. They made their way wordlessly through the airport, Malfoy suppressing all of the questions he had, until they exited the building and walked into the freezing squall that was another typical day in Norway.
"Where are we going?" he asked through chattering teeth.
"To the train station. We could easily take another flight, if you rather." Alexa suggested with a devious smirk.
"I rather not." Malfoy replied dryly.
Alexa shrugged. "It's a long ride in the train though." She informed him, and it was indeed true. They had not exchanged a single word through the eight hour train ride and Alexa was surprised both of their egos could fit in the same compartment. She knew their quarrel was silly and could be easily resolved, but soon the breathtaking view had taken her mind off Malfoy and all she could focus on was the untamed wilderness outside, dark, furious and unforgiving. Malfoy was equally captured.
When they reached Stavanger it was already late afternoon but the sun was shining brightly, since the days were quite long at that time of the year. Alexa navigated her way to the main Owlery, and sighed happily when a letter for her already arrived. She quickly read it, and placed it safely inside her robes, marching confidently while Malfoy was dragging his feet behind her.
"Where are we going now?" He drawled hating the fact he was following Alex and letting her have control of the situation.
"We need to catch an Abraxan to Durmstrang," Alexa said impatiently as she pushed through the crowd of the central station towards the sparkling sign of 'Express Rides'. Before Malfoy could say another word the said creatures entered their view and they were just as awe striking as the first time she encountered them. The first thing that came to mind when Alexa watched the Abraxans was royalty, and it once again amazed her how something so gigantic and powerful could move with such effortless elegance. Their skin was silvery and sparkling and the feathers were cool grey with the slightest hint of blue, like stormy skies; she felt they put Hogwarts's Thestrals to shame.
She walked over to one of the men handling the winged horses and showed him the letter. He examined it carefully, and after verifying it was authentic he lead them into one of the carriages. "What was that about?" Malfoy asked pointedly, motioning to the letter.
"It's an invitation to Durmstrang; you can't go there uninvited." Alexa replied shortly.
"How did you get it?" he inquired, trying to sneak a look at the letter's content but Alexa quickly hid it in her robes.
"I Owled a friend of mine when we were in Berlin. She is a teacher in Durmstrang." Alexa supplied the information in a very dry tone, still cross with him. They did not speak for the rest of the ride, and Alexa realized that forced silence was starting to bother her but could not bring herself to appease Malfoy. When they reached Durmstrang the sun was setting, and a dark red aura surrounded the mighty castle, and though it was not as large as Hogwarts, it left a strong impression. There was dark, ancient magic contained in the ground they walked on, it radiated from the cold stone walls and passed through their bodies like a ghost.
A tall, dark haired woman awaited them near the iron gates, her posture confident and calm. The woman exchanged a few word with Alexa in fluent German, her expression a little darker now, and moment later they were rushing through the castle, trying to draw as little attention to themselves as possible. Malfoy was nearly panting when they reached a pleasant looking office. After casting a few quick spells to ensure their privacy, the woman allowed herself to smile at Alexa.
"Maria Eleonore Von Furstenberg" the woman introduced herself, turning her gaze to Malfoy.
"Draco Malfoy." He said in a clipped voice, looking a bit uncertain.
The woman scanned him through narrowed eyes. "Interesting company you've got here." She remarked, looking at Alexa with amusement.
"Quite unwillingly," Alexa said bitterly and she could hear Malfoy grit his teeth, "I came here due to rather unpleasant circumstances. The winds had been shifting lately, and following the traces brought me to Durmstrang." Alexa said vaguely, "I need information."
Maria watched the pair before her with pensive expression, as if making a crucial decision. "Speak." She finally uttered.
"We need any information you have on Igor Karkaroff," Malfoy drawled lazily, "Where he lived, if he had a wife, or children. Maybe documentation of his work as headmaster."
Maria crossed her hands over her chest and gave them both a piercing stare through narrowed eyes, "I should be reporting you two, for snooping around, asking the wrong kind of questions," She said darkly, "However, since it's you Alexa, I will overlook it."
She paused for a moment, looking out the window, into the thick forest, "Dark wizards control this school and they are more extrovert and daring lately." She warned them, "I won't say a word, but other teachers will, so take in count that they we'll be watching you. About Karkaroff, I didn't know him; I finished school before he became headmaster, and returned to work here after his death."
Alexa sighed tiredly and Maria continued, "I do know that his name is taboo around here, though I don't know why. I'm quite sure any documentation regarding him was destroyed." She informed them. "All I can tell you is that his grave is somewhere in that forest; maybe you'll come across something that helps you."
"Thank you," Alexa said softly, giving the other woman a genuine smile.
Maria waved her hand in dismissal, "It's nothing really. I'm sorry I couldn't provide with the knowledge you seek. If you have any other questions in the future, don't hesitate," Maria said encouragingly, returning the smile. "Blut ist dicker als Wasser" she added with a hint of pride.
"I won't forget it." Alexa said earnestly. Maria extended her hand and Alexa shook it, Roman style, gripping the other person's wrist instead of palm. Alexa felt the hard metal beneath Maria's sleeve, and smirked.
Maria cocked an eyebrow, "Don't you carry your dagger with you?"
"I threw with my left hand," Alexa replied with a lopsided smile. And with that statement she turned to leave the office, Malfoy following closely behind her.
"What did she tell you in the end?" Malfoy asked, slightly confused by the odd encounter.
"She said blood is thicker than water." Alexa translated.
"What does it mean?" Malfoy inquired as they walked through the gloomy corridors.
"Our families are connected through blood bonds and marriage and ancient alliances." Alexa told him, "It means that even though she is required to obey to certain figures of power, her first loyalty is to me."
"Then she can be trusted." Malfoy said slowly.
"Without a doubt." Alexa stated.
They stopped cautiously in the entrance of Durmstrang's forest, giving each other a wary look. "Have you ever been here?" Malfoy asked her insecurely.
Alexa snorted. "Do I look suicidal? They don't even fly above it on their brooms." She said grimly, pulling her wand out of her pocket. "The castle is west of the forest," she remarked looking at the dark surroundings, "Can you lead us out?"
Malfoy examined the star lit skies, searching for familiar constellations, then nodded shortly. "The sky here is so clear, unlike in the polluted Britain. It shouldn't be a problem."
And so they entered the forest, unsure of what they were looking for, uncertain about what they might encounter, unnerved by the growing darkness. Alexa could feel it in every cell of her body, a premonition of danger.
High Spruce trees towered above them, hiding the sky behind a thick cover of pointy leaves, letting only a few moonlight rays to penetrate the complex, concealing array. The ground was slippery, knee high mud puddles and moss coated rocks, and the path they walked seemed to have be forgotten a century ago. The air was dense and wet, and a strong scent of lichen attacked their nostrils; aggressively sweet and distinctively woody, the aroma dulled their senses and induced a false notion of serenity.
Alexa fought to keep her guard up against the lulling magic of the forest; she glanced at Malfoy to see that he was struggling to preserve his vigilance. She felt her skin itching, not only from the needle like leaves; she felt eyes caressing her hungrily, many pairs of eyes she could feel but not see. She saw Malfoy tense the slightest bit and she knew he heard what she did; a quiet, predatory movement to their right. She squinted her eyes and tried to locate the source of the noise but she was only human, and the darkness was blinding.
The next second, she threw herself forward and that movement saved her life; the creature only managed to claw at her right shoulder, missing the rest of the body as she ducked to the ground, landing ungracefully on a sharp rock. She caught a glimpse of a scaled tail, before the assaulter disappeared into the darkness. Malfoy yanked her up, and they stood back to back, their vision covering three hundred and sixty degrees. "Was that a bloody lion?" Malfoy whispered.
"I saw scales." Alexa muttered, vaguely aware to the pain.
"Chimera." They hissed in unison. They continued to advanced cautiously, guarding each other, knowing the creature was still targeting them. And soon, when the smell of Alexa's blood had spread, it would not be the only one. The second attack came from Malfoy's side, who reacted unbelievably fast, avoiding the beast and hitting it with a well-aimed Stupefy. Unfortunately, the spell did nothing but provoke an angry roar.
The chimera lurked in the darkness, hidden by the thick flora, following them into a clearing before launching at them again. It appeared in the further end of the clearing, growling and revealing perfects rows of razor sharp teeth, golden mane surrounding a vicious face. Alexa and Malfoy hexed the beast simultaneously, halting the avid pouncing for a moment; enough for Malfoy to cast a dark spell that wrap like a collar around the Chimera's neck, choking it slowly. Not wasting time, Alexa dashed towards the creature, using the slick mud to slid beneath the crossbred creature, slicing its soft belly with her dagger. She imbed it to the hilt where she thought the heart was, an then pulled away quickly, rolling to the side and away from the monster. It gave a pitiful cry and left the clearing in a cumbersome run.
Alexa lay on her back, too shocked and disturbed to move, before Malfoy pulled her to her feet again. "Bloody hell." Alexa cried weakly, still hanging on Malfoy to support her. "They didn't cover this in Auror training."
"I'll add it to the syllabus when we get back." Malfoy said dryly, equally shaken. He scanned her wounded body with worried eyes and before he could comment she casted a few immediate healing spells, treating what she could. "You can't go on like this." He remarked.
"I'll be fine. If we linger here longer, we'll be sitting ducks." Alexa argued, starting to march forward to end the discussion.
"Where are you going?" Malfoy demanded to know, catching up with her.
"I assume that not only Karkaroff is buried on Durmstrang grounds. So we're looking for a graveyard." Alexa deduced, "I think that would be a perfect place." She said pointing at the high mountain in front of them. Malfoy shrugged and followed her, occasionally mumbling 'Anapneo' to clear their way through the wild flora and the fog. Suddenly the sky was colored by an orange glow and an earth-shattering bellow filled the forest, escorted by a familiar scent of sulfur.
Malfoy stopped dead in his track. "No, I'm not going there. I draw the line in dragons."
Alexa snorted in mockery, "cowardice does not become you. We are going to where the action is." She flashed him a crazy smile.
Luckily, they did not encounter said dragons on their way to Karkaroff's grave; but they had plenty of other unpleasant rendezvouses. Facing an angry Graphorn was one of those unfortunate events; they ran for their lives knowing its purple skin can repel most of the spells. Fortuitously, they were running straight towards the dragons, and the Graphorn did not seem too eager to follow. They chanced upon other unfriendly creatures, and even the vegetation had a tendency towards violence, but in the end, wounded and fatigued they reached the cemetery's gate.
There was a tiny problem though, the gate was guarded by a Sphinx. "I guess you wouldn't just let us pass?" Malfoy asked hopefully.
A slanted eyed female smirked at him deviously, shaking her long mane. "A correct guess." She said amusedly, "if you guess correctly my riddle, I will let you pass."
"Let's hear it." Alexa said tiredly.
The Sphinx smiled widely. "If the prefix re means "to do again", and the word reveal means "to disclose" or "to make known", what does veal mean?"
Alexa pulled at her hair in desperation. "Where is the Mudblood Granger when you need it?" she whined, reverting to old habits in times of pressure. Malfoy could not help but grin at her frustration. They sat in front of the magic creature, trying to solve the riddle, until the first rays of sunlight appeared.
"Fuck it!" Malfoy cried out, "A veal means what is always meant; calf meat!" he yelled, and Alexa feared he'd doomed them to painful death. "And I haven't eaten since Berlin." He added weakly.
"That's correct." The sphinx confirmed with a slight nod of her head, and moved to allow them entrance. Alexa shifted her gaze from the lioness to Malfoy, dumbfound. She rose to her feet only after receiving a not so gentle kick from Malfoy, and followed him into the graveyard.
Hundreds of graves were spread in front of them; all the previous headmasters of Durmstrang were buried there. They found Karkaroff's resting place soon enough, and read the writing on the tombstone.
Igor Ivanovich Karkaroff
1950 – 1995
Escaped the darkness to live by the Northern Lights
"Another bloody riddle?" Malfoy asked meekly.
"Not really." Alexa said casually, "If we interpret it literally…it means he lived in Nordkapp."
Malfoy grimaced. "And how do we get there?"
Alexa sighed heavily, "This is our last concern at the moment. First of all we have to get back to the castle; you can't Apparate on the school ground."
Malfoy turned around slowly, looking at the dreadful forest. "Oh Merlin." He said tiredly, letting his eyes close for a moment.