Chapter 4: Takhtoyamsk
I do not own Harry Potter and I am not making any money from writing this whatsoever. The Harry Potter franchise is the property of Warner Brother's and J.K Rowling.
"Bloody hell,"
- A dejected sounding Sirius Black as he read that morning's Daily Prophet, sometime in the summer of 1996.
┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ 〈 ⏣ 〉 ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈
Zabini Manor was breathtaking.
Harry had never seen anything like it before in his life. Save for perhaps Hogwarts. Blaise's house truly felt like a modernized version of what a castle would look like. If that even made any sense. It was huge, with sprawling fields and gardens. Pristine white marble foundations and walls.
Sirius whistled appreciatively from beside him. They were at the front gate.
"I knew his mother had money, but I didn't realize it was this much."
Harry looked at his Godfather curiously. "You know Blaise's mum?"
Sirius nodded, still looking at the manor. "Course, we went to school together. Beautiful woman, very intelligent as well. Had some of the best test scores of our year next to Lily." He then frowned. "She got a bad reputation, though. For being someone, who, er, slept around. Most of it was probably bollocks, but, well, you know how Hogwarts gossip is. It followed her outside of school too. She's been married and then widowed seven times, being left a sizeable inheritance each time."
Harry was surprised. So that's how she could afford this place despite being a single mother.
"Anyway," Sirius continued, "we're here, so, shall we go in?"
Honestly, Harry wasn't even sure if the gate would open for them.
"If it'll open," he said, gesturing at the gate.
"Ah," Sirius said, "right, well, I may have a solution..." He pulled out his wand, and for a moment, Harry foolishly thought Sirius was about to blast it open or try to unlock it. But Sirius, with what looked like no small effort cast a Patronus in the form of a large dog. "This is Sirius Black and Harry Potter," he said, "we're here at the front gate."
The dog bounded off towards the manor.
"Can you teach me how to do that?" Harry said with barely restrained excitement.
Sirius chuckled. "Of course, but not right now."
After a few moments, two figures were bounding down from the entrance. It was taking them a while.
Harry smiles as Tracey and Blaise finally come into proper view. They both had identical grins plastered on their faces once they laid eyes on Harry. But when Tracey looks at Sirius next, her expression becomes unreadable.
"I take it you must be Ms. Davis," Sirius says jovially, "I must thank you for going along with my idiot godson to come and save me, even if I was completely fine. You are very brave. And of course, I can't downplay your contribution either, Mr. Zabini."
Both fidget under the praise, looking anywhere but at Sirius. Harry catches Tracey's eye though and offers her a smile. She returns it tentatively.
"I know he'll be in good hands with you two," Sirius continues as the teens mutter awkwardly and embarrassedly about it not being a big deal. "I'll be back in around five hours to pick him up. Have fun you lot!" He shoots Harry a wink, before turning on the spot and disapparating with a small pop.
Tracey pushes open the gate slowly. "S-shall we?"
Johnny marvels at what Sirius has done with his home. Grimmauld Place is not even remotely like the depressive manor it once was. It felt more lively. It felt much more like Sirius. Kreacher still roams the halls, insulting any living thing that dares to cross his path, but other than that, it's like an entirely new place.
He takes a seat at the dinner table. It's barely past lunch, but there's a meeting to be held soon. Most of the Order is assembled.
Remus, who's reading a newspaper across from him. Tonks, three seats down from Remus, pointedly staring at the tablecloth. Johnny frowns. Mad-Eye Moody is in deep conversation with Kingsley Shacklebolt at the end of the table. Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour are sitting very close together just two seats down from Johnny's left. He wishes he was deaf. Though when he looks over at Fred and George Weasley, he smirks as he sees them miming gagging. Arthur is next to them, failing horribly at smothering his grin. Molly looks on disapprovingly. Hagrid has taken a rather large seat next to a very short man Johnny's never seen before, as well as Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, and Sturgis Podmore They are all talking animatedly. Mundungus Fletcher is soundly asleep by Hagrid's elbow.
It's a fun sight. Things are a little bleak, with attacks almost every week. But to see everyone assembled here, well, it gives him just the tiniest bit of hope.
"Why are you so happy?" A gruff voice greets in Russian. Igor Karkaroff plops down in the seat right next to Johnny, looking around with a vaguely annoyed expression.
"We're all here aren't we?" He responds in English. His smile vanishes though when he remembers Emmeline Vance. He'd barely ever spoken to her, but her absence was felt.
It's then that the front door opens, welcoming in Dumbledore, Snape, and an old but fierce-looking woman he's never met before.
Dumbledore takes his seat at the head of the table, Snape and the woman sit on either side of him. The room quiets immediately, even Mundungus wakes up.
"We're just waiting on Sirius and a few others," Dumbledore said idly, his hands clasped and a polite smile on his face.
Two minutes later, there's a knock on the door.
Dumbledore is the one to get up and answer, surprisingly, despite Johnny already being halfway there. He follows the old man anyway.
It's Hestia Jones, looking around nervously. But relief takes over her expression once she sees Dumbledore. "Good to see you, Albus." She said.
"And you, Hestia, and you. I see you've brought some friends." He returns kindly.
Three men stood around her, hoods over their heads. Johnny could barely make out their features.
Hestia began to introduce them. "My uncle," she said, pointing at the one nearest to her, "Tiberius Jones. Gabriel Pascal," the one directly behind her, he's the tallest of them all. "And Garett De Jong." The one on the left nods stiffly.
"A pleasure to meet you all," Dumbledore said. "Please, come in."
The three men rush in as if they'd been desperately wanting him to say those words. Bringing up the rear is Sirius, whom Johnny had not noticed before.
"It's my bloody house," he grumbled to Dumbledore as he walked in. "You'd think I'd be able to let them in."
"I don't believe that's how it works, my friend." Dumbledore chuckled.
"Where've you been?" Johnny asked.
"Nice to see you too," Sirius responded, as they re-enter the dining room. "Just dropped Harry off at a friend's house, that's all."
They retake their seats. Everyone is here now.
"Firstly," Dumbledore said, everyone's attention is now on him. "I would like to thank you all for making it here today. This meeting will not be a long one, I promise. There are a few things I would like to go over, some tasks to assign, but that is all." He looks around the room, his eyes look sad. "Before all that though, as I'm sure most of you already know, we've lost one of our own recently. Emmeline Vance was a brave and intelligent witch. I remember the day she walked into Hogwarts and was sorted into Ravenclaw. I remember when she joined the Order when Voldemort rose to power for the first time. Her loss will not be in vain, and Emmeline will never be forgotten."
Dumbledore does not speak for some time after that, and the room stays silent with him.
When he speaks again, it is more businesslike. "We have new members joining us, friends of Hestia." He gestures to each one in turn. "Tiberius Jones, Gabrial Pascal, and Garett De Jong. They are vampires, and I ask that you would treat them with the same respect you would show me, or any other member of the Order. Though I know we'll all get along just fine."
The men have taken off their hoods. Tiberius looks much like Hestia, though that's no surprise considering they're related. Short stature and dark balding hair. Gabriel is a Hispanic man with high cheekbones and jet black hair. Garett is blonde with blue eyes, and clearly the youngest of the three.
"Now, as well all know, Lord Voldemort does not care for staying in the shadows any longer as it no longer benefits him. While this now means everyone believes us, it also means an increase in attacks." Dumbledore's face was set in a deep frown as he spoke. "Just in the last week, there's been almost one-hundred deaths. Most of them coming from the destruction of the Brockdale Bridge, but there have been several reports of attacks on small muggle towns on the coast. This is an easy target for the Death Eaters, as these places are small, and there is usually no Ministry personnel nearby to intervene. By the time we or the Ministry hear about the attack, it's already over."
This is news to Johnny, and he wonders how they'll combat it.
"We cannot put out every fire," Dumbledore continued gravely. "It is heartbreaking and frustrating, our arms can only stretch so far... but that is not to say that we will do nothing. I will be sending a few members to safe houses we have in coastal towns and cities all around Britain. As far as I can tell, it's mostly in England. Only one or two have occurred in Scotland, and none in the entirety of Ireland whatsoever. I understand that almost all of you have jobs and regular lives to live, and I cannot ask you to give that up. However, a schedule will be decided upon, in which some of you will go to your designated towns to check in from time to time. Spending the occasional night or two there. Those members are as follows; Dedalus, Hastings. Sturgis and Elphias, Crosby. Alastor and Mundungus, Folkestone. Sirius and Igor, Stromness. Fred and George, Plockton. That is all."
"I can stay there full time, Albus," Elphias wheezed, "it's not like I have anything better to do."
"That is appreciated, old friend," Dumbledore said with a nod. "A large band of werewolves have set up in Galloway Forest and have been terrorizing the muggles there, no doubt led by Fenrir Greyback, though thanks to Severus' intel, we know that Greyback himself is not there all that often. Remus," Dumbledore turned to the man in question, "I would like for you to infiltrate them, see what you can learn, and, if possible, turn a few to our side. Do not outstay your welcome, however. If you feel it is pointless to continue, or if you feel you are in danger, please, get out of there."
Remus nodded, but whatever little color that was in his face was now drained.
Sirius and Tonks were both frowning.
"Kingsley and Arthur," Dumbledore continued, "remain alert at the Ministry, keep your ears open for any valuable information. The same to you, Bill and Fleur, Gringotts brings in a variety of customers."
Bill scoffed. "They have me working a desk now, while they figure out what to do with me. Not a lot of places here need curse breaking. Or, at least not ones that aren't inhabited by Death Eaters," he amended. "I've just mostly been training Fleur."
Dumbledore smiled slightly. "We'll see if we can find something more, ah, exciting, for you. More members will be stationed at Hogwarts this year," he continued, "mostly due to the Ministry's insistence to protect Harry Potter." Dumbledore's eyes harden at this. It's hardly noticeable, but Johnny sees it. "While it helps the other students, believe me, it is mostly for the boy. Of course, Severus, Fillius, Minerva and myself will be there, but Nymphadora will also be joining us in a larger Auror detail." The old man's blue eyes float over to him. "As well as Johnny, who I'll be having stay at the castle as a 'special enforcer' of sorts."
The reaction is immediate.
"He's just a muggle!"
"You can't be serious, Dumbledore!"
But the old man wasn't hearing any of it. He raised a hand, and very soon after the room quieted down.
"I understand everyone's concerns," he said calmly, "it's not a decision I make lightly. But this is the best place for him."
Dumbledore did not look at Johnny anymore, did not give anything away with his expression.
"Put it out of your minds, he'll be just fine."
He then continued to talk about other Order things, but Johnny tuned it out.
God, was it bad he was only thinking about how he was going to be around Hermione for around ten months?
"He is up to something," Karkaroff murmured to him.
Oh, Johnny knew that already. In fact, he thought he had a good idea of the reason why.
The meeting went on and there were no more real announcements to be made. Voldemort was staying hidden while his Death Eaters carried out attacks all over the country. There was no word on any more Horcrux's, nor any further attempts to steal Norse artifacts. The Norweigan Ministry still wasn't very happy though, but thankfully they couldn't trace what happened back to them.
When the meeting ended, Dumbledore gave Johnny a short pointed look, and he knew to follow the old man down the hall.
The inside was even more extravagant than the outside. Glittering gold artifacts all over the place, more marble support pillars and walls, beautiful paintings.
Half a dozen house-elves milled about in different directions, entering multiple separate rooms to do various tasks. Harry knew Hermione would have something to say about that if she saw it.
"Have you eaten yet, Harry?" Tracey asked as they lead him to a sitting room just as nice as the last.
"I had breakfast a few hours ago," he said, "I could definitely eat though."
Blaise waves an elf over and signs something to it.
The elf nodded. "Of course, Master Zabini."
"Thank you, Tabby," Tracey added on kindly.
The elf left with a pop a moment later.
They waited in silence. To be honest, it was a little awkward. He knew they were good people, he liked them, but, Harry wasn't very social to begin with, and Blaise and Tracey only ever really talked to each other.
"So..." he tried, "so Greengrass is still in trouble?"
Tracey and Blaise share a look.
"Yeah," Tracey answered, "I've hardly heard from her all break. Only one letter at the start of July and that was it." She wrung her hands together. "I'm worried about her."
Harry nodded, unsure of what to say. They're at war now, telling them that Daphne would be okay was a promise he couldn't make and they all knew it.
"I'm sorry," he settled on, "I shouldn't have let you come."
It was the wrong thing to say apparently, Tracey and Blaise looked almost offended.
"We made a choice to help you, we did it because you're our friend." She sounded very passionate, her eyes were narrowed. "Daphne might have been forced to choose a side, but nobody's forcing us!"
Harry was taken aback, he raised his hands in mock surrender.
"I didn't know you were so passionate about it," he admitted, still so unused to people caring about him.
"Well," Tracey mumbled, confidence gone, her face red at her outburst. "We are your friends, after all, aren't we?"
"Of course," he answered immediately.
Tracey looked relieved, and just then, Tabby the elf came back, a platter of food in her hand.
Blaise signed something, and Tracey smiled.
"What'd you say?" Harry asked.
Tracey answered for him.
"We've got your back."
He caught up with Dumbledore, who was bidding goodbye to the older woman and short man from the meeting. Snape was standing with him.
"Wanna get out of this hallway so you can give it to me straight?" He said.
Dumbledore nodded without a word, and so they walked up the stairs to Johnny's bedroom.
The door closed behind them, and with Snape jabbing his wand out slightly, a low buzzing filled the room.
"So, are you going tell me why you've decided I'm coming to an all wizards school as a normal human?" Johnny asked, arms crossed. He trusted Dumbledore, but it took a while to get there. And he knew the old man was crafty, even if he meant well.
"We believe it's in everyone's best interest that you come and stay at Hogwarts during the school term. The Ministry is attempting to have some influence over there, and while understandable, and not nearly as meddling as it was last year, I'd rather have more than just Nymphadora close by." Dumbledore answered.
"You've got Snape," Johnny said, gesturing at the man. He didn't like having to go spend time at a school while all the adults did important work.
Dumbledore smiled in that way that never failed to make him mad, but it faltered. "My boy, I..." Dumbledore stopped and sighed. "To be brutally honest, without your powers, all you'd be doing at Grimmauld Place is sitting around. I'm sure as you remember, Sirius was very displeased by this when he had to do it last year. And I do not wish for you to go through the same thing. At school, you can add an extra sense of security. And we can continue what we started at the beginning of Spring."
Snape raised an eyebrow at the old man but did not say anything.
Johnny knew what he was saying though, the ring they destroyed at the Gaunt house. The Horcrux.
God, he hated that the old bastard was right all the time. Truthfully, he was worried about how he'd be able to contribute to the Order as well without his powers. He was happy to be free in the Rider, but now he needed it more than ever. There was something ironic about that.
"Fine," he muttered, "whatever."
"Don't think of this as busy work or pointless," Dumbledore continued, "you are an intimidating young man, Johnny, and I believe you can bring a sort of order to Hogwarts that even the Auror's could not."
He didn't know how much he believed that, but, at least it was something to do. And... he'd be able to see more of Hermione, so it wasn't all bad. He groaned internally at the fact that he was thinking about that.
"School starts on the first of September," Dumbledore said. "I look forward to seeing you there, and continuing our meetings."
They left, but not without Snape sparing him a pointed stare before the door closed fully. The buzzing went away, and Johnny let out a sigh.
Honestly, being cooped up at a school was going to make him go stir crazy more than being here ever could, but maybe he could get away to that wizarding village that he and Hermione went to on Valentine's day. There were still a lot of those candies he wanted to try. And he could always ask Tonks to take him somewhere if she ever felt like speaking to him again.
There was the promise of finding more Horcrux's too, and that was probably the most important thing Dumbledore could entrust with any member of the Order.
He just hoped he could prove himself worthy of that trust.
Shaking his head, Johnny left his bedroom as well. He decided to go back downstairs.
Almost everyone was gone. Only Remus, Sirus, and Karkaroff remained in the dining room. Kreacher walked by Johnny's feet, muttering obscenities as he passed. Remus and Sirus were in conversation, the latter seemed to be comforting the former, their heads bowed down close to each other. Karkaroff was eating some leftover food from the day before.
"What did the old man say to you?" Karkaroff asked between bites. Johnny was momentarily shocked. "You followed after them not long after they left, it shouldn't be that surprising that someone was able to figure it out."
Johnny eyed him. "It was nothing you need to concern yourself with, Igor."
The man harumphed. "I am stuck here with nothing to do but glean information from hushed conversations." He said bitterly. Honestly, Johnny felt bad for him. It was the same situation that he might have been in, or like how Sirius was.
Johnny thought on it for a bit. "I'll let Dumbledore know you want to contribute more. I don't know what he'll decide in the end, but I do know he'll hear me out."
Karkaroff regarded him strangely. "You will?"
Johnny nodded. "Yeah, sure."
"You are a strange man, Johnathan," Karkaroff said, switching to a heavily accented English. "Vhy vould you do this for me?"
He shrugged. "Same thing was gonna happen to me if they didn't send me to Hogwarts. The same thing did happen to Sirius all last year. I guess I just feel bad for you."
Karkaroff looked away. "I do not need your pity." He said stubbornly.
"Whatever," Johnny said, shrugging again. "You can be prideful all you want."
A silence settled between them. He looked over at Sirius and Remus, they were both still talking, though whatever conversation they were having now seemed miles less tense than before.
"Vhy do you follow Dumbledore?" Karkaroff asked suddenly.
Johnny was momentarily taken aback by the question. It was one he thought of somewhat often, he supposed. At the start, one year ago, his answer would come out fast. Kill demons. Allying with this group of wizards seemed like the fastest way to accomplish that mission at the time. It then shifted to fighting Blackheart. But even then, during his stay here, he began to care for the people dearly. Tonks and Sirius became some of his closest friends, even Harry and Remus to an extent. Hermione too, though that was more complicated now.
It's not what he intended to do, really, and yet, he's here without his powers anyway, going to a school and staying there for the next ten or so months. Somewhere along the way to getting his vengeance, he found a cause to fight for and a family instead. Months ago, the realization might have made him mad, but now, he just smiled.
The threat of Mephisto and his prophecy still hung over him, as well as the brewing war that was sure to come soon, but it all seemed distant in the moment.
"Vhy are you smiling like that, you idiot?" Karkaroff interrupted. "Are you going to answer my question?"
Johnny scowled. "One is a murderous racist psychopath, and the other one is trying to stop him. Some things aren't that complicated, Igor."
Karkaroff glared at him in return. "It is not your fight, you could return to America at any time."
"No," Johnny replied, shaking his head. "I couldn't, not anymore." He thought of all his friends now, thought of Hermione especially, how she'd be treated if Voldemort won and took over. Maybe it was selfish to not care about the rest of the population that would suffer. He didn't care. "Some things are worth fighting for."
Karkaroff did not have a response for that immediately, but a few moments later, he spoke.
"I used to think that too," he said, "ven I was a boy." Karkaroff then switched back over to Russian. "I grew up in a small town in Russia that gained popularity for its gold mining business. We were poor, but when a group of local prospectors got lucky, it made national news. We thought it was wonderful to finally be recognized. I had never seen my mother that happy in years. We lived among muggles, but even we felt pride in our town's accomplishment. Government officials paid us a visit not long after. We thought maybe they'd want to buy from us, and thus improve our economy." Karkaroff's expression turned sour. He wasn't angry, exactly, his tone was hollow. "But they seized the gold that the workers had found, and took over the caves where they had been discovered in the first place. They drained the place dry in weeks and left us with nothing. But during that time, the workers, and others not even involved, including my father, banded together against them." Karkaroff scoffed. "They were all arrested or shot, sent off to a graveyard or the gulags."
"But wasn't your father a wizard?" Johnny asked. "How could someone with magic be arrested by normal people?"
Karkaroff shook his head. "One man with a wand against an army with guns. It would have been suicide to fight them. Instead, he was able to slip away at night as they were being brought to prison. It was a noble cause, that these men fought for. To protect what was there's. To help our town survive off the back of it. The men that found the gold wanted everyone in Takhtoyamsk to profit from it. But in the end, what did their fighting get them? Death and misery. The wives of the men who were taken spoke up about this at the men who had taken over, and they were fired upon. My home was now nothing more than a ghost town, we moved to Kamchatka after, and two years later, I went to Durmstrang for school. Nothing that the men did there changed anything. The news did not talk about the massacre, the unfairness of it all."
He looked at Johnny seriously. "I fear that is vhere all this vill lead us too."