"Hello Emily," Harry wrote in the diary. After several moments, much to his amazement, the diary responded in dark ink.
"Hello. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"
"I am Harry White. Your apprentice gave me this diary. He thought that we would have much to discuss."
"I recall many apprentices...but...do you perhaps mean Amanda Hurst?"
"Indeed, would it be presumptuous to ask if your last name is Riddle," Harry penned, and the book did not respond for several minutes. Just as he was about to close it, ink began to form.
"Very well done, Harry. I am, indeed, who you suspect. I have no doubt you have many questions, so ask away."
"Why attack the Potters in 1981? You were on the cusp of victory, and yet you attacked a prominent but otherwise insignificant light side family. It does not fit your profile."
"How...curious. I believe few would have bothered to ask such a question," the diary inked. "The answer to that question is both simple and complicated. Information I acquired from a source suggested that the Potters possessed a weapon that could have defeated me. In the end, I was proven correct, and in my carelessness, I was temporarily defeated, my body vanquished."
"A prophecy then?"
"...yes, you seem to possess much coveted information, Harry. Were I not so sure...perhaps you might have been...but I doubt it."
"Doubt what?"
"Much of the world believes Rose Lily Potter to be the girl who lived. This is, in fact, untrue. The Potters had another child, one Harry James Potter. He is the one I fired the killing curse at that night, and the one prophesied to defeat me."
"What happened to him?" Harry questioned in the diary, a wry smirk on his lips as he did so. He felt hesitancy from the journal.
"No one truly knows. He has all but disappeared from all records, as though he never existed. Most likely, he was abandoned after the fools proclaimed his sister the girl who lived. A true shame, I'm sure who would have grown up to be a remarkable wizard. I must admit, it is refreshing to meet someone who does not seem to fear or hate me. Why is that?"
"I respect power, skill and knowledge, all three of which you possess. That even Dumbledore, the man who stopped Grindelwald, was only able to fight you to a standstill, is a testament to you. I would be remiss to not respect that."
"And you don't find my actions...repugnant?"
"I always thought you were quite merciful," Harry confessed.
"...that's a very strange perspective."
"For all your actions, your favourite curse was always reported to be avada kedavra. You granted your victims a painless death. I don't think I could be quite so merciful," Harry wrote.
"...That's...quite a unique perspective, Harry."
"Would you disagree, Emily?"
"I find it hard to refute the point, admittedly, though I must wonder what dark deeds you have done. Most would abhor the destruction i have caused."
"I can respect it. A half blood who brands her pureblood followers. There's probably a dirty metaphor somewhere."
"...you are the first to make me laugh for a long time, Harry. For that, I thank you. Alas, duty calls, but I look forward to writing you again."
"Likewise," Harry inked before closing the book and stowing it.
-Break-
Spring Equinox was a welcome break for most of Durmstrang, who took the opportunity to return home to celebrate the week-long holidays. Project demonstrations would begin the week after, so those who had the tail ends to finish would undoubtedly devote much time to their projects.
For Harry, it was a week spent completing logistical arrangements, warding and renovating the various common rooms of the neutral faction to serve as hubs. He also had a secondary project, enchanting galleons to serve as communication devices. Frankly, it was a pain, and he already had to make several concessions in features to get it to work. But those worries were set aside for now.
Harry sat comfortably on his chair with only Sarah sitting across from him as she sipped on a cup of cocoa as they rested by the woodfire of the lost's common room. For the third time in the past minute, she looked up, to see Harry watching her with poorly concealed amusement. Finally mustering the courage, she softly asked, "Harry?"
"Yes, Sarah?"
"Can I ask you a question? Promise not to get angry."
"I promise," Harry smiled reassuringly, patting his lap. She set down her cup of cocoa and skipped over, sitting herself on his legs and allowing him to run his hand like a comb through her hair. "Now ask away, my dear, the night isn't getting any younger."
"Where do you live over the summer?"
"I...have my own apartment in Voronagrad. I stay there and sometimes I travel."
"Can I...join you? I...don't wanna go back to the orphanage," she admitted. Harry squeezed her shoulder sympathetically.
"Of course. It does get lonely at times," Harry fibbed. She glowed with happiness, hugging him tightly while whispering thank yous over and over again. "Where do you want to go?"
"I suppose...I want to go to the Baltic Magical Union. It's apparently supposed to be a really nice place."
"That it is," Harry nodded in reminiscence. Reaching for his pocket, he unshrunk the large bag that an owl had delivered and placed it in her hands. "Open it."
She did, to see that there was a bag of assorted candies, and gasped. "This is…"
"For you," he affirmed. "I find that they're a bit sweet for my tastes, but I thought you might appreciate having a taste."
"T-t-this is too much! And I have...I don't have anything for you, I can't accept this," she shook her head resolutely, pushing the bag back to him. Harry merely chuckled.
"Don't you worry about that. I can afford splurging every now and again, especially for friends. Don't wait, have a taste," he encouraged. She tentatively reached down and grabbed a beautifully wrapped chocolate truffle, taking the foil off before placing it in her mouth carefully, before biting down.
"Mmmh, this...thank you, this means a lot to me." He nodded with a warm smile at her. "I...why are you so nice to people like me? You're not that far off me in armithacy, and you could easy win the support of some seventh years. You've let maybe thirty people join the lost, when hundreds have applied. What is your endgame?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because...because I want to help you. Because...because I believe in a world where people like you lead, where people like you protect those who can't protect themselves...because, with you...I dare to dream," she struggled to explain. He nodded sagely, a silent reassurance he understood the message she tried to convey. "Can I...can I tell you about it?"
"Anything you say I will keep in confidence," Harry assured warmly.
"Just...please...don't reject me for it. I...I know you will look at me differently, but...I'm still me, I still the Sarah that joined the Lost...but I need you to understand...I don't think anyone else could..."
"I promise to listen," he assured. "You're not the only one with a dark past."
"When I was in the camps...I...I would...offer favours for food. I was young...but they would use my mouth...and...then...I realised I could get information and exchange it for food. I...I sold them out...several of the other adults...the children too. Some were thieves, other cannibals...but some were innocent. It didn't matter, the guards would take them away regardless, and I got my food...when i learned of a resistance movement...I...I sold them out to the guards for a chance to escape...my mother...I sold out my mother. The camp commandant made me watch...I...I'll never forget her look of betrayal...they were all shot. The commandant then kept his promise, and sent me to the Danish border...but...their voices still echo in my mind at night. The gunshots...the pleas...but worst of all the betrayed looks...am I a horrible person?"
"You did what you needed to do to survive," Harry shrugged neutrally, and somehow Sarah took comfort from that assertion. The two lapsed into a comfortable silence, him brushing away her tears with one hand while both listened to the crackling fire. "I've never told you much about my past, have I?"
"You told me enough. I don't want to pry," Sarah assured.
"No...if there's anyone that can understand...I need this, Sarah." She was taken aback at first by the broken look he held, but squeezed Harry's hand encouragingly, meeting his gaze with a comforting smile. He ran a hand through her hair. "I suppose it all began when the war in Britain neared a close...my mother was knocked into a coma, and my father...he struggled to care for me and my sister, so I was sent away to my aunt and uncle."
He paused, eyes glossed over in reminiscence, as she hugged him tightly, trying to channel her reassurance and comfort to him. "I was beat...worked like a serf, until one day, I thought I was being rescued. A Russian man, who visited, found me, and took me back with him to the Union. I thought I was saved. He proceeded to throw me into a labour camp in kolyma. I was a child...but on my first day, I watched a man get eaten alive in front of me...I think...a part of me died then."
He took several minutes before continuing, yet she waited patiently, never pushing him to speak, and he massaged her scalp in thanks before pushing on. "So I worked in the camps, just like the others. Each day, I would fight to board the train, and to stay on, so I could work and be fed. Some days I lost, but I would just try harder the next. Until one day...another inmate started a fight with me...and we were both exiled from the camps, left to die in the arctic snow...I...I fought a wolf and won...but nearly didn't survive. Then, the man who took me from my family...he came back, and gave me a place and purpose. Chechnya, Afghanistan, Germany, Africa...my kill count must be in the tens of thousands by now. I served the revolution, because it was my place, until...I fell in love."
He chuckled bitterly at the memory. It was one of the few which could truly summon emotion out of him. "A fellow agent...we had no reason to trust each other, to even like each other...but we fell in love. We plotted our escape...but it was a setup. Did she betray me...even today I can't say for certain. But I was sent back to the camps, until the hope was beaten out of me. I had my first taste of human flesh then...what could I do? I keep telling myself anyone else would have done it, but that's not true...the priest, Sergei...he was a better man than I could hope to be. And all that...before I was forced to kill her. They say that they captured her as she escaped...was she a fake? Was she loyal to the Union and sacrificing herself to test me? I cannot answer these questions, and a part of me is glad of it. Then, I served the Union, much like before, until the Union didn't exist...and now...I'm just adrift, trying to find my place in the world."
"You're seeking redemption," Sarah observed sympathetically.
"I cannot make up for the years of atrocities I committed," Harry sighed, "but I will try, by creating a world where no one has to suffer like I did again."
"And I'll be beside you, till the end," Sarah swored determinedly, clutching his hand, "and by my soul, so do I swear, so mote it be."
"Do you...do you realise what you just did?" Harry exclaimed in shock. Sarah merely shrugged. "You swore an oath in the old ways…"
"Dumbledore had Mcgonagall, Grindelwald had Rosier, Voldemort had Lestrange. Let me be your second," she pleaded. At his confused look, Sarah sighed. "My demons of the past. They haunt me, but with you...I can push them back. Let me be by your side...please…"
"I...Sarah...I don't know what to say," Harry confessed.
"Say yes then," she retorted with a smirk on her face.
"You know you'll always have a place by me," he promised, causing her to hug him tightly while he patted her soothingly on the back.
-Break-
"Pathetic," Isard growled as Ira laid on the floor bleeding out. "Perhaps your brother was right. You've grown weak, haven't you?"
"That little shitstain could't even defend himself!" Ira bit back as she forced herself to her feet shakily. "White is different...he's probably beyond you!"
"Oh really? Crucio!" her father cast angrily, causing Ira to tumble to the floor as her nerves felt as though they were set on fire. Her mouth opened, but no screams could come out. Her muscles were all tightened, though her eyes merely looked up to her father's unsympathetic ones with burning hatred. "Look at you. Weak beyond belief. Maybe I should disown you, even the shitstain, as you call him, might have more potential than you. You had one job, to maintain the assembly in its state of weakness, and I learn that you walked away? How dare you! How dare you ruin years of planning! Do you have any idea of the mess you have caused?"
He ended the curse, though it took several minutes for the aftershocks to wear off, at which point she shakily got to her feet, limping over to a chair and setting herself down on it. "Piksy!"
"Yes mistress Ivarin?" the elf dutifully popped to her side.
"Cruciatus relief potion," she ground out as a particularly nasty jolt washed through her. The elf popped away, before returning with a bottle of sickly green liquid in a flash. Uncorking the bottle, the elf poured it down her throat, waiting dutifully by her side as the pain slowly subsided to manageable levels. "Thank you Piksy, you may return to your duties."
"Yes mistress," the elf popped away, leaving Ira to her own thoughts. This would be the last time, she swore to herself. Idly, she mused that this wasn't nearly as painful as the facial reconstruction surgery she underwent after the duel with Harry. While she would never admit to fearing her father, she felt no shame confessing her absolute terror at the prospect of angering Harry again.
-Break-
Katerina's gaze was distant as she robotically ate the food in front of her. Her father and mother were both silent, the former reading the newspaper and the latter reading some sort of magazine. "Father, may I be excused?"
Seeing the man merely grunted, she assumed it was a reply to the affirmative and quickly left the dining table, wandering through the large empty hallways of the manor and into the family duelling pit deep in the basement.
Concentrating and adopting a ready pose, she began reciting the chakras, going through each motion in succinct succession until they were blended into one. Sweat dripped from her forehead in concentration as she moved across the room, dodging invisible spells by contorting her body to the extreme, leaping, rolling, ducking. Often, she adapted her momentum, forwards, backwards then forwards again, pivoting such that the delays would be minor.
Leap, hesitation step, roll, duck, the motions flowed through her. The exercise had been one of the first drilled into her head after all. She hated them with a passion, yet could not deny the results. Dodging spells, a skill she thought impossible to all but centennial wizards of the like of Dumbledore and Grindelwald, became within grasp.
"Feel. When you walk, I want you to notice the air. Feel its nature, its ambience, its state. Notice the distortions as you walk, as you breathe. Learn to master the environment, and you will find it difficult to be surprised."
She had laughed at him when he had proposed that such a feat was even possible. He had proved her wrong very quickly, able to distinguish what spell was being fired despite being blindfolded and deafened. It was humbling, knowing that she was likely witnessing the rise of a centennial wizard, that she might well have a part to play in making history.
A place with Harry was undoubtedly going to be fought over by many. Even now, many in the Lost coveted their space. Many more outside undoubtedly did so as well. Despite her reputation, many had tried to befriend her in the past few weeks, seeking a pathway to meet Harry and curry his favour.
To be by his side would be even harder. Katerina wasn't blind: Ira was nearly fanatical in her loyalty after the duel; Harry saw something in Sarah that made him soft towards her, not to mention the girl enjoyed nearly a whole week alone with Harry that she would undoubtedly put to good use; Otaba was quiet, but undoubtedly making his owns plots to endear himself to Harry.; Croft...was perhaps the only one content with her current position with Harry, despite her clear interest in him, though Katerina would not let her guard down. She was talented in defence and charms, but the others had their talents as well. This led to one sobering conclusion.
She needed to get better.
Finishing her chakras, she waved her wand, casting a cleaning charm on herself to get rid of the sweat. Grabbing two advanced duelling dummies from the closet and dusting them off, she activated them, before quickly backing up, dodging the cutting curses they sent.
Retaliating with a flurry of blasting curses, cutting spells, bone breakers and organ liquifiers, she quickly fell into a rhythm, dodging the spells, slowly inching closer. Of course, this made it progressively more difficult to dodge, but even two mannequins could not compete with the fury that Harry cast with when he trained her, and she managed to close in on the nearer dummy, literally ripping the wand from its hand and shoving it towards the other dummy, sending them both tumbling to the ground.
Taking a deep breath, she cast a repairing spell on the two and prepared to repeat the exercise. The name Katerina Ivarin would be etched in history next to that of Harry White. She would make sure of it, or die trying.
-Break-
"Ognum! Ognum! Ognum!" Harry banged his gavel as the delegates to the assembly had grown. There were currently a dozen factions, the largest being his own, but still not close to being a majority despite being the largest faction. "I call this meeting to order. The first item on the agenda, the passing of Bill CX-13 on reforms to procedural votes."
"Boo!" several members on both the far left and right. The filibuster was one of the few tools the smaller factions could leverage against any bill they didn't like. Unfortunately for them, with a lot of wrangling, and more than a few incapacitation of guild representatives, the chamber, being only roughly two thirds full, was stacked in his favour. "Order! There will be order!"
The grumblings died down quickly. Despite the furious glare he received, all knew that Harry would use any excuse to eject members of their ranks from their chamber. Within several seconds, silence had descended. "Very well, we will now vote on concluding debate on this issue. Those in favour?"
Slightly over two thirds of the chamber raised their wands, consisting mostly of the neutrals. The other factions looked mutinous, but knew there was little they could do, especially with his security detail of seven below his podium, wands out and their looks betraying they were just looking for an excuse to use them.
"And those against?" Most of the remaining delegates raised their wands in objection. Ironically, Harry mused to himself, he had done the near impossible and united the pro-Grindelwald extremists with the anti-Grindelwald extremists.
"Very well, the motion passes," he banged his gavel, his face neutral even as the neutrals cheered. "Now next onto the agenda, Bill CX-14 on the ensuring of non-violence in the chamber."
-Break-
"My friends," he addressed all the members of the neutral faction in the assembly hall, their numbers in the middle nine hundreds, "in a year, we have broken the deadlock that has plagued the assembly. Despite the attacks against us, we have prevailed, and for that, I thank you!"
Cheers erupted from the members, as dozens of sparks were fired up.
"But...our work is far from done. Within Durmstrang, the board and the staff now rally against us. Our training sessions are being decried as against regulations made up to weaken us! Our meetings labelled as a breach of non-existent rules! For the first time, we are defending ourselves, and you know what, the enemy are afraid!" Cheers erupted at this proclamation. He took a breath, preparing for himself for the next part of his speech, the one that might well make or break him. "But our work, whether within or beyond Durmstrang, is far from done. There are extremist purebloods who would condemn many of you within these chambers as blood traitors. There are extremist muggleborns who would seek to tear our culture apart and replace it with a bastardised version of the muggles' one."
He could feel the anger building within many members despite the undeniable uncertainty of others. Harry gave an internal sigh of relief as the mood in the room remained favourable to him. "Grindelwald preached a campaign of equality of all magicals. Voldemort preached the superiority of purebloods. But do you know what they truly brought? Blood, fire, death and destruction! Cities left in ruins! Thousands dead and thousands more scarred for life! And for what? The egos of the mad and delusional! And who suffered the most for it? Neutrals like us!"
There was anger raising in the room, and Harry felt his hopes surge as the muttering began to crescendo. "For the crime of refusing to prostrate ourselves to extremism, we are left to shoulder the burden, and left to die. This is a universal truth. You have experienced it for months prior within the walls of Durmstrang. You will experience it for decades to come outside. Unless we do something about it!"
There was several moments of silence until one of his trusted guild leaders yelled, "Strength in unity!"
It was as though a fuse had been lit with the sudden flurry of activity that erupted. Fists were banged on tables, feet stomped in a rhythmic drum. Harry smiled, and raised his ring in the air, which glowed a bright white.
Author Note:
Another chapter down. We're seeing Harry's plans progress smoothly...though perhaps a bit too much so. Just as I was writing this note, Dragonhitter left a comment for chapter 27 speculating on Emily Riddle being Voldemort from the last chapter. I'll be blunt and say that is correct. I'm planning for this plot thread to expand significantly. As for your latest comment, thank you for the kind words, I'm definitely trying to stick to two chapters a day, so here's another one for you. ;)
The factions titled the preservationist, reformists and neutrals are very loose. The preservationists represents mostly pro-magical Grindelwald supporters who believe the only way to protect magical society is to enshrine magical equality for all through revolution. Notably, a large chunk of his supporters were actually pureblood families who fled Russia and wish to reclaim their homeland. This faction is generally considered the most consolidated, and is essentially a successor to the Alliance (the name of Grindelwald's faction), in no small part thanks to ideological unity, though notably the purebloods who wanted to reclaim Russia, while still sympathetic to Grindlewald, are mostly not outright supportive. The reformists are a loose coalition of less radical pro-magical rights supporters who believe violence under Grindelwald isn't the answer (though this overlaps with the neutrals), purebloods who believe in pureblood supremacy (which is ironic, yes I know), radical muggleborns who were against Grindlewald's ideals of subjugating muggles, and many others. The neutrals, many of whom initially sided with Grindelwald but later defected when the war began out of disdain for his increasingly radical agenda, largely consists of moderates who want to preserve the statute of secrecy, those who believe in gradual reform, and a bunch of more obscure ideologies. Not to mention, there are of course many families who join because their rivals or allies are in a particular faction, because they seek benefits, etc. As in real life, there really isn't any clear boundary between the various ideological branches. Grindelwald managed to hold together essentially two seperate movements because of his power and charisma. Dumbledore would eventually unite the Coalition to resist Grindelwald even though many parts of the coalition hated each other and were infighting. Of course, faction lines move, which is why you'll also see a parallel system of labels, being light, dark and neutral used in the British context, with the dark being pro-Voldemort, the light being a coalition of all those against her and neutrals generally trying to stay out of it. As seen, the context of neutral is far different between the two: in Grindelwald's war, it was to a magnitude where you had to either be supporting or against him, either directly or indirectly. With Voldemort, knowing that she was outmatched, she allowed many of the neutrals to believe they were safe with a plot to integrate them forcefully later. Because she never achieved dominance over the light, we never saw this happen before she was defeated by Harry in 1981. That is the only reason why a neutral faction realistically exists in that context. If all of this goes way over your head, don't worry, this is the nature of politics. Essentially, Harry is neutral on most issues but preaches armed neutrality, in which those in the ideological centre unite and compromise to ensure their security and interests. So ironically, we're seeing authoratarian and militarised centrists. For those feeling the Durmstrang arc is starting to drag, believe me you're not the only one. There's so many plot seeds I want to sprout but literally can't yet. I am making a commitment now that within three chapters we'll see the end. Next chapter will be an expansion of Harry's inner circle along with some classes. The one after that will be his mastery tests (end of year). You'll just have to wait for the finale, though I'll tell you that I'm very excited for it, and not just because I am going to be able to explore more of the BMU.
A bit on Sarah, she's definitely a mirage of Harry, and I'm hoping through her to explore more of Harry's human side and expand the conflict between Harry and Raven. I deliberately made it so she does not have a focus in direct combat, though I will say, she's going to grow beyond math girl for sure. But you'll have to wait until the summer to see how.
For those who were hoping for a bit more of Harry during the break, I definitely understand. From the highs of prior chapters, this definitely feels like a softball. But you have to remember, he's a student at a school that's largely isolated from the outside world. I considered adding a Hogsmeade parallel, but decided against it to explicitly create this feeling of isolation. This, I hope, will be a beautiful contrast to the explorations done over the summer.
As always, if you enjoyed this chapter, be sure to leave a favourite, follow, share with your friends and leave a comment, even if just to say hi. Until next time, toodles!