A/N: thanks again for the feedback! I know the story isn't that interesting nowadays, but I promise that after the build-up chapters (about the first half of the fic) you'll get the action and suspense that is missing here. He second half will be much more interesting, but until then the story needs to evolve (even if it does a bit slowly).

bucky: 30 left.

blaubaerin: yeah, I do know Milupa, that's why I used it, it was kinda funny :) You'll get to know who Aberforth was visiting :) No, Santa lives not in the Himalaya, but Aby doesn't need to ask anyone for a yeti.

X_Tow_Naga: all guys are a bit sexist (don't deny it, it's the truth! – unfortunately) Stupefy and the other spells are the same in most languages, IMHO. Most of the spells Rowling uses are in Latin, and all wizards and witches learn the same Latin words throughout the world. (of course there could be a couple of 'national' spells as well, but not many). It was the original plan for Harry to stay at Dursmtrang only for the challenges, but then that little thing with Dan came and he was told by Ginny and Sirius 'to go'. And he decided to come to Dursmtrang and stay for a while – to let Ginny heal. You know the saying: absence makes the heart grow fonder. Yes, there's an anti-apparating charm in Durmstrang, it'll be mentioned in this chapter. I'll explain all ways you could get to Durmstrang later, don't worry, no holes in the plot in this respect (I hope.) Was Dennis the person Tatyana mentioned? Probably. But even if it was Harry, he wouldn't be the centre of the universe – oh, on the contrary! You'll see, just be patient! Hedwig was away with that male owl – Harry didn't even know where she was! That's why he didn't take her to Durmstrang. What is 'sp'? And did you get the pic I sent you or couldn't you view it?

Nefertiri: no, Tatyana doesn't like Harry at all. No, that's not why she helped Dennis. Why is Aby so eccentric? Because I love writing crazy guys – that's why my fave HP character is Gilderoy! He's absolutely crazy!

Mikey: yeah, yetis are mentioned in Fantastic beasts and where to find them.

jeanine23Dr: I know that Aby is nuts, I wrote him to be one :) But I like crazy guys, they're cute.

Arif: you have partly met Harry's new enemy. Only partly. Herm as detective? Kind of, but not exactly. Hungarian cheese? It's delicious, I think, but I never knew it was famous! You told me something new! :))

Tessa: Mileta is ugly (not as ugly as Millicent, but not too pretty either), it is Tatyana who is rather pretty.

Moony Lover: close, but not totally.

Waldomier: no Tatyana/Snape love, sorry.

princesswitch: right :)

Black Ice: chapters 16-19 will be in Black Manor.

BlueIce: of course, lots of McDonalds in Hungary!

goldenstar555: whole story written, only small corrections need to be done.

Mage: in the second half of the story Draco will be a main character.

Coolio: no, my last fic had not 32, but 34 chapters. But I'm really hoping to top it :)

star queen: yeah, Percy did it! Oh, I see! How touching story about Natalie McDonald! *sniff* Yeah, I'm planning a third part – when I was half-way in this story I decided to write a trilogy, so there'll be one more story. (but that doesn't mean that I'll stop writing HP fics – I might write about other stories later, that have nothing to do with the "Greatest" series.)

Aurumlupi: sweetness comes only in chapters 16-19, but there'll be a lot of it, don't worry.

PUNKsarcasm: I don't know whether people ice fish in U.K., since I'm from Hungary.

Wood's secret lover: about 70% of the story takes place in Durmstrang. You'll see the pogrebins once more, later. How can Harry go back for Christmas if there's a yule ball? Very easily: in Russia Christmas is two weeks later than in the rest of Europe (because the Orthodox church celebrates it later). So Harry can go back to the British Christmas, then come back for the Russian one. So simple. Read my answer to star queen. (the second half of it)

Cassandra Anthemyst: Dennis probably didn't find any other magic plants that bloomed in northern Russia in winter.

apple-pie: no, not a basilisk, of course. I also hate snakes. You'll get to know it later why Tatyana helped Dennis. And you'll get to know where Aby went, later.

Alice Dumbledore: please, don't get mad at me, but I don't have time to mail people about the updates – I usually update on Mondays and Thursdays/Fridays.

Rab: sorry, it's too early to tell what the sequel will be about. (though I already know it, of course :)

xenocide: no, the book Tatyana gave Dennis isn't magical. Is she good or evil? Not telling, you'll get to know in time. I never said that Dennis was the chosen one – he was only chosen to be champion, but… you may never know :)

Girl In The Mirror: the torch can get back to the other side of the wall through some magic, I guess. I suppose when Harry put it in the place on the inside and the wall 'opened', then the torch got automatically to the other side. How Tatyana got out then? Well, of course the hidden chamber is hers, so she must know more than one way to get through the wall if she wanted. How did she get in if Harry had the torch? The same answer applies for it then for the previous question. You know magic does not always need to be explained, it's just magic and we, plain Muggles will never really understand it :)

jennyKT: I'm aware that this story is slower, but it'll speed up after the Christmas chapters, I promise. Hm, Dan is too young for me, either… *grin*

Almah: how could Krum's sister Imperius Harry to do anything with her? Harry can resist Imperius, remember?

TO THOSE WHOSE REVIEWS I HAVEN'T ANSWERED: DON'T BE ANGRY WITH ME, BUT I SIMPLY CANNOT ANSWER ALL REVIEWS, BECAUSE THAT WOULD MAKE THE A/N SECTION LONGER THAN THE ACTUAL CHAPTER. THE OTHER REASON: MANY OF YOU ASK QUESTIONS THAT, IF ANSWERED, WOULD REVEAL TOO MUCH OF THE LATER EVENTS, AND I DON'T WANT TO TELL THINGS IN ADVANCE, BUT I DON'T WANT TO LIE EITHER.

Chapter 10

Dear reindeer

Next morning Harry woke in a good mood. He was very happy about Ginny's letter and longed to see her again. However, he wasn't sure whether it was a bit too early to go back to Great Britain or not, so he decided to write a letter to Sirius.

Dear Sirius,

Yesterday I got a letter from Ginny. She wrote that she loved me and missed me. I also miss her, so much that it hurts! (or is it just my libido? – that was a rhetorical question :-) I truly miss her and long to hold her in my arms again. I'm considering to apparate home for a couple of days before the first task, it's not until 6th December. What do you think? Do you think she's ready for me? I fear that she might not be. It was only two weeks ago that I departed, so I guess it might be early.

Tell me your opinion, Sirius – is it worth coming home? Has her mood improved?

Answer ASAP!

Harry

P.S. don't you dare teach my daughter bad words, do you hear me???

After he finished his letter, he left his room for the owlery. He turned right on the corner and bumped headlong into Mileta Krum. They both fell, the books she had been carrying scattered on the floor and she 'miraculously' landed in his lap.

"Ouch!" he massaged his head. "Sorry! Didn't see you! I should get new glasses."

"Not your fault, Harry." she smiled, slowly – way too slowly – entangling herself from him. In her effort to sit up, she 'accidentally' brushed his thigh. "I wasn't looking." she reached out for her fallen books.

"Let me help." he said, starting to pick up the books closest to him.

"Uh, thanks." she whispered as he handed her two books. That was when she noticed something. A ring on his right hand. A wedding ring. "You… you are married?" she gasped.

"Yeah. Didn't you know?"

"No." she shook her head, turned on her heels and ran away. Harry would have sworn that he heard her sobbing.

"Oh, my. Why do all ugly girls have to fall in love with me?" he sighed and bent down for his fallen letter.

"Love-affairs, huh?" the ghost of Yevgheniy Anegin floated out of the wall. "I wish I also had one, but no… my dear Tatyana is lost for me forever!"

"Tatyana?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "You mean Professor Tatyana Fiodrovna?"

"Who?" Anegin snapped. "No! I don't mean this Tatyana, I mean my Tatyana!" he waved. "You wouldn't understand, anyway."

Harry shrugged, taking off his glasses. "I really need new ones." he perceived. "I'm getting more and more short-sighted. Had I seen that Mileta…"

"Ah, that wasn't your fault." Anegin replied.

"But I bumped into her."

"No." the ghost shook his head. "She bumped into you. She had been waiting on this corner for about twenty minutes, peering in the direction of your room. Waiting for you to come out so that she could run into you."

"What? That b…" Harry shook his head. "That's my luck. First Millicent, now Mileta… I wish there was a Dudley around to marry her."

"A dudley? What's a dudley?" Anegin asked.

"Never mind." Harry sighed and walked away.

* * * * *

"Good morning, Harry!" Hermione greeted him. "You look concerned. What happened?"

"Mileta." he growled.

"Oh, I understand." she giggled.

"It's not funny, Herm. She's following me around. But you know what? She had no idea I was married. Now she knows, so let's hope that she'll stop tailing me."

"Don't you have another cousin by any chance?" she smiled.

"I do." he grinned. "But he isn't old enough for Mileta."

"We should find someone to set her up with… But that can wait. Now I'm thinking of visiting St. Petersburg and make my Christmas purchases. Care to come along?"

"Sure. The family would appreciate getting Russian wizarding stuff. We could buy Fred and George a pair of those balalaikas. Imagine, they'd drive Molly crazy with them!"

"See you at ten o' clock in the entrance hall, then." she said cheerfully.

"Um, really, Herm, how are we going there? Apparate?"

"No. You cannot apparate on the Durmstrang grounds. It works exactly like Hogwarts. You need to walk at least one mile away from the castle to be able to apparate. You could also use floo-powder, but now we are going on Aberforth's sled."

"I thought he had left last night. I saw him leave."

"Did you?" she looked surprised. "No idea where he had gone, but he's back, just seen him."

"Then he maybe just felt like going on a nocturnal ride. You may never know when Aberforth's concerned."

"True." she nodded. "Funny man, Dumbledore. I mean… funny men, Dumbledores."

* * * * *

After having met in the entrance hall, they exited the castle to see Aberforth sitting in his sleigh, wearing his usual blood-red cloak and cap (the latter was trimmed with white fur and had a white pompon hanging from its end). "Ho-ho-ho!" he shouted gleefully, waving them. "Come and get in, ladies and gentlemen! The sled is equipped with central heating," he pointed at two blankets, "air-conditioning," he carried on, letting the cold winter wind ruffle his beard, "and room service!" he pointed at a basket, presumably filled with food.

Harry and Hermione got in and tucked themselves in with the blankets that must have been carrying a heating charm, because they were extremely nice and warm.

"Father Christmas has the same design of sled," Aberforth explained, "small, but roomy enough for all the presents."

Harry squinted at Hermione, who stifled a laugh.

"Um, Aberforth, what are these… paper bags for?" Hermione asked, pointing at two bags hanging from the 'dashboard' of the sleigh.

"I thought you were Muggle-born, Mrs. Weasley." Dumbledore replied with a wide smirk. "Muggles have them on the airplanes, in case the plane gets into an eddy, and the passengers feel sick…"

"Oh…" she chuckled. "How practical. But why are there only two?"

"I don't need it. Got used to it." Aberforth shrugged. "I presume you also got used to hard flights, right, Harry?"

Harry nodded as the sled rose up into the air and set into motion.

"Um, Aberforth, can Muggles see this sleigh?" Hermione asked.

"Well," the old man's voice trailed off, "in spring, summer and autumn I cast an invisibility charm on the sled, but I don't bother with it during winter… whenever people see it, they believe to have seen good ol' Santa Claus."

"Even Muggles aren't that stupid." Harry replied. "Or are they? When they saw Arthur's Ford Anglia flying over whole Great Britain, they got pretty confused. Newspapers were full of articles about it."

"Flying Ford Anglia? How strange." Aberforth said, as though flying sleighs hadn't been strange at all. "And who was driving it?"

"My friend, Ron. Hermione's husband."

"Don't even remind me of it, Harry." she sighed. "That howler next day was really terrible."

"It was nothing compared to having to spend an hour in Snape's room." Harry grimaced. "Anyway, now I admit that I felt sorry about not having a chance to drive that car."

"Driving cars isn't a big deal." Dumbledore stated. "Driving sleds is another thing. Wanna try?" he offered Harry the reins.

"May I?" the young man's eyes widened.

"'Course!" Dumbledore replied. As soon as Harry got hold of the reins, the sleigh lurched forward, much quicker than it had been travelling before.

"Hey!" Harry yelled to the madly racing reindeers. "Slow down!"

"Do something, Harry!" Hermione cried, clutching at both men, fearing she'd be thrown off.

"How do you make them stop, Aberforth?" Harry shouted as the reindeers dived.

"Just try to control them, kid!"

"But hoooooow?" Harry started to get desperate. Hermione had already squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see the ground that was approaching them by a breakneck speed. Or rather… they were approaching it way too quickly.

"Try to find harmony between you and them!" Aberforth instructed.

"Harmony? Are you mad? They're just performing the Wronsky Feint!" Harry yelled back, fearing that the reindeers wouldn't be able to pull out of the dive in time.

"Just do it!"

Harry shot an angry glare at Dumbledore and closed his eyes, trying to relax, trying to find peace and harmony. He let go of his disturbing thoughts, emptied his mind and only concentrated on the eight animals pulling the sled. Suddenly, he felt them. Felt their minds, the life-force they were giving out. And he knew that they felt him, too. *Good… dear reindeers… slow down, please…* his hands weren't jerking the reins anymore, weren't even clutching them so tightly – he barely held them. He barely even felt the touch of the reins in his hands, as though they had been made of some very light material, not thick leather bands. He gently pulled them and felt the sled rise. Now he dared open his eyes.

They were travelling at the same height again, the snowy planes stretching under them as far as the eye could reach. "It's okay, Hermione. You can open your eyes." he whispered.

She – as white as a sheet – opened her eyes and looked around, then suddenly snatched the paper bag from its place, retching.

"All right, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Never felt better." she croaked, turning angrily to Dumbledore. "What was this whole stuff, Aberforth? Some joke?"

The old man squinted jovially at her. "Harry wanted to drive. I let him."

"But you knew what would happen, didn't you?" she demanded.

"Kind of expected it." he shrugged. "Tricky animals, reindeers. Especially the sleigh-pulling ones. They are magic creatures, you know, and need to be treated with great caution."

"Aberforth… I felt something." Harry said. "I mean… I felt them through some inexplicable bind. Felt them breath and think… it was weird."

"Weird at first. But that's what magical reindeers do. They think. They cannot form words in their minds, but certain people manage to understand their will."

"Oh my." Harry rolled his eyes. "I hope this doesn't mean I'm a Jedi now."

"A what?" Dumbledore blinked.

"Nothing." Harry and Hermione replied in unison. "Muggle stuff."

"But really, Aberforth, how can reindeers be magical creatures, if they can't be found in our Fantastic beasts and where to find them book?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, that." the old man laughed. "You know, Newt Scamander never believed in Santa Claus, neither in his reindeers. When he wrote his book, there was no proof that magical reindeers existed at all."

"Aha." Harry nodded, handing the reins back to Aberforth. "I think I'd rather not try this again. I have a family to care for, you know."

"You wouldn't need to worry about it, though." Dumbledore replied. "You know how to treat them. It's a great gift, Harry. Not many people possess it."

"Cool." Harry crossed his arms. "That means I'm not only a parselmouth, but a reindeermouth as well?"

"You think I'm barking mad, right?" Aberforth grinned. "Trust me I'm not. You're a lucky one, Harry Potter. Understanding these wonderful creatures is really a gift."

"Do many people um, understand them?"

"No. Not many. I know of only a couple of people: you, me, the squib guy, Piotr, who is responsible for the stalls… and Santa Claus. That's all. Of course there might be others as well, who haven't discovered their ability yet."

"Lucky ones." Hermione remarked, her face still a nasty shade of green. She saw that Harry was affected by the word 'squib' again, so she decided to turn the conversation to something else: "Is Santa Claus a wizard, Aberforth?" she asked in a sarcastic tone.

"No. Actually he's a Muggle."

"Then who does he fit into those narrow chimneys? And is he able to fly round the world in one night?" Harry asked, bemused. Now he was sure that Aberforth should be taken into St. Mungo or a local lunatic ward.

"Well… let it remain my secret." Dumbledore winked at them.

"Your secret?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Did he reveal it to you?"

"Actually he did. I was eight years old when I got ill at Christmas. High fever and everything. I was lying there and couldn't fall asleep. I heard funny noises and saw a fat guy dressed in red come out of our fireplace. I remember, I even asked him if he had been using floo-powder. He said that he had no idea what floo-powder was, then placed presents under the Christmas tree. He was about to leave when I asked him how he managed to come through the chimney, being so fat and how he managed to get to all children in one night. He laughed and told me the secret, but made me swear never to tell anyone. So I won't."

Harry and Hermione exchanged amused glances. "Are you sure it wasn't just the fever, Aberforth?" Harry asked. "You might have been hallucinating."

"Might have." the old man winked at him again. "Oh, look! St. Petersburg!"

Harry and Hermione leaned forward to admire the view of a huge city lying kilometres away. As they got closer, they managed to make out all the bulb-like spires glittering in the winter sunshine. It was a wondrous sight.

When Hermione was just about to ask where they'd land, Aberforth directed the sled to a small hill outside the city. "Perfect parking place." he said, driving their transport into a cave in the side of the hill.

Aberforth hopped off the sleigh as an old man with long, white beard and his hood pulled over his face walked up to them.

"Hi, Aberforth." he said.

"Hello, Andrey, would you take care of them while we go shopping?" Dumbledore patted the head of the closest reindeer.

"Of course." the other old man replied.

Aberforth thanked him and hurried out onto the fresh air. The two young people followed him with their eyes.

"It's time we arrived." Hermione growled, happy to get off. "I hate flying."

"After today, I can't say I love it, either." Harry made a wry face. "Damn reindeers."

Strangely, all eight reindeers turned their heads back at him, and he would have sworn that they looked hurt.

"Well, at least Aberforth had some fun." he shrugged. "Nearly go us killed, though. He didn't know whether I'd be able to communicate with these animals or not. It seems both Dumbledores we know like risks. It's in their blood."

"Now you tell me." she sighed. "We'd better be careful with him. He's a mortal peril for everyone, even for himself."

"Yeah. Even more so than Albus." Harry answered, walking past the hooded old man who was watering the reindeers. "I'm just wondering why they had a row."

"Did they have one?" Hermione looked intrigued.

"Uhum. Aberforth said it was the reason why he had left England."

"I can picture the two of them, shooting jelly-leg jinxes and Furunculus curses at each other." she chuckled, heading for the opening of the cave. Before they exited the cave, he leaned closer and whispered into her ear: "Do you think he really believes in Santa Claus?"

A/N2: stay tuned for next chapter: the Russian 'Diagon Alley'. It will be the longest chapter of this fic so far.