Ashes of Betrayal

"False friends are worst than bitter enemies."

–Scottish Proverb

Chapter Four-Confrontations

Sneering slightly at Dumbledore's pathetic subtle attempt to forgive them, Harry got up and left. Derek immediately followed him. Both made their way to the temporary Durmstrang territory and Harry noted the fallen look on Sirius' face before it being filled with confidence and hope.

What the confidence was Harry didn't know, but he suspected it had something to do with gaining Harry's trust once again.

"Come on Harry, Professor Everwood will go freak out if we're late to Defense. Remember the lecture last night? 'It is imperative that you do well in my class Mister Potter! Defense is needed in the competition!' Honestly, you're already the top in his bloody class! I bet you can beat his bloody arse all the way to the muggle realm if you just tried!" cried Derek after mocking the professor.

Chuckling Harry said, "You on the other hand, need lots of work!" He smirked at the scowl his friend threw at him.

Both were about to turn the corner since both teens were almost deep within the dungeons when a yell caught their attention.

"Harry!"

Beside him, Derek could feel the raven haired boy stiffen and stop but it seemed as if he was deciding whether or not to just ignore the call. The black eyed boy eyed his companion and decided that Harry would stop to "talk" with the person.

"Damn! We're right by Snape's class. Of course they might see me here," he hissed angrily under his breath.

The owner of the voice had reached them as both could feel their presence behind them. Fluidly, the Durmstrang Champion turned around with enough grace that one could never tell that he was agitated. However, his indifferent mask was up and Derek could see that he clearly did not want to see the person in front of him––ever.

"Granger," he said addressing the person as another figure approached, "Weasley."

The two flinched at his use of their surnames. The taller Durmstrang boy could remember the stories that Harry told him weeks ago about the trio when he went to Hogwarts with them. From the pained look whenever Harry spoke of them, Derek could tell that the pair had not believed in his innocence, and it was they that hurt him the most.

The vivid red head opened his mouth, but before he could say anything the bushy haired girl beat him to it.

"Oh Harry, we're so sorry," she said tearing up, "we should have believed you but please! Can you forgive us!"

Derek watched his friend as the piercing emerald eyes no longer hidden behind large glasses looked coldly at the girl. Said female flinched and backed away at the fury and pain in those emerald orbs.

"No," he whispered before turning around and striding off.

"But Harry––" she protested before the bell rang.

Stuck between chasing after her friend, or ex-friend depending of the view, Hermione decided to just go to Potions since they pair were already late and would have to face Snape's wrath for being late, most likely resulting in Gryffindor losing points or detentions. It seemed that their chance with Harry was blown this time.

"Come on Ron, let's go to Potions," she said quietly as the pair walked off.

They arrived at the door only to have a huge lecture, not knowing that deeper into the dungeons, Harry and his friend were suffering the same albeit to a lesser degree of harshness.


Classes were the same all week long for all schools––boring. However, whenever the schools were together, their professors expected the best of their pupils. All were courteous to one another discounting the occasional spats.

The largest fight happened on Thursday between a group of Gryffindors and Durmstrang students. Needless to say it ended with both parties in the line of fire from their professors.


Flashback

After the debate during Potions on the importance of Ministry regulations on "dark potions," the class was dismissed to go to dinner in the Great Hall. As the door opened, the Durmstrang students walked out still caught up in the debate.

Like their Headmaster and school, all felt that there was no such thing has "dark magic" or "light magic" and felt that the Ministry regulations were ridiculous.

The boys spilt to go their own way as the girls walked towards their dormitories. Getting to their chambers, everyone showered or put their schoolbooks away before making sure they were "presentable" for dinner. The teachers seemed stricter than ever that they make a good impression for their school.

Just after he was out of the shower, as they had a bit of time before dinner started, Harry was interrupted in his hair drying when Derek popped his head through his doors.

Though a simple charm would have done it, Harry wanted to dry his hair manually the muggle way to work off his frustration of yet another confrontation with his ex-friends. This time he was not, as the muggles say, "saved by the bell," and had to ignore their rather persistent and annoying attempts.

"Harry!" called Derek.

Stopping in the middle of his task, Harry turned to his brown haired friend and said in Bulgarian, "Yes?"

"Do you want me to wait for you or should I go ahead to the Great Hall?"

Sighing, Harry looked at his stated of undress and still damp hair and said, "Go ahead 'Rek," he said gesturing to the glaring boy at the use of his nickname to go.

Derek hesitated for a moment.

Impatiently Harry said, "Go on! I'm not going to get jumped on my way to dinner," he said with a roll of the eyes and a smirk then fingered and waved his wand, "but if they do, there's this curse I've been dying to try."

Chuckling, the light brown haired teen said, "You, Mister Potter are not a Gryffindor! I honestly don't know how you got into that house when you clearly are a Slytherin! Very well, I'll go…your snakeliness of Durmstrang," he added as an afterthought.

Ducking out of the room, Derek just missed getting sprayed with a jet stream of icy cold water.

Stepping out of the portrait hole, he was hit with it nevertheless from above and a cry ricocheted into Harry's room with a loud cry of, "Potter!"

Laughing, Harry quickly changed into his uniform robes. He banished his towel into the bathroom before checking to see if his wand was in its holster. After making sure that it was, he dumped unceremoniously his textbooks onto the lone bed before walking out of the door.

He was one of the lucky few that had his own room. The others had "insisted" since he was the champion and needed 'his rest and privacy' or whatnot.

Deciding that he was the most presentable that he could be, Harry walked out of the Durmstrang common rooms after a very weak drying charm on his hair.

A good part of living in the dungeons was that it was closer to the Great Hall. All one had to do was go up one floor and a couple of turns later it would be visible.

Hurrying so as not to be late (which would draw much attention), Harry walked rather quickly when a shout, or rather shouts, caught his attention. The yells seem to be both encouraging something and trying to break it up. Harry sighed. Did he really want to get caught up in house rivalries again? Deciding to just ignore it and go, a voice caught his attention.

"Take that back you good for nothing––" exclaimed a voice he knew all too well. Whatever the voice was going to say was drowned out in loud screams from other parties. Wincing, Harry turned the other corner instead of the one leading to the hallway that would be in front of the Great Hall.

Just around the bend he saw a group of three Durmstrang boys and four Hogwarts students. By their appearance and school uniforms, it seemed that they were Gryffindor sixth years. What they were arguing about he knew not.

Before things could escalate even more, Harry walked over to his friend, Derek, who was being forcibly restrained by Mikhail Daletsky.

"Der! What's going on here?" he asked surprising the group just as he interrupted Derek's swearing.

"Harry!" he exclaimed in surprised and tried to stand normally as the Daletsky and Strogolev released their hold on him. All from Durmstrang were shifting nervously along with the Hogwarts students.

The raven haired Champion raised an eyebrow at his friend and asked, "Why don't you fill me in on how this fight happened?"

It seemed that the question caused the brown haired teen to snap.

"It was their bloody fault!" he yelled while pointing at the four sixth year Gryffindors. It was a testimony on how mad he was that Derek did not rant in Bulgarian but rather English, so that everyone could hear and understand.

"We were walking to the Great Hall when we passed them talking about us! Well, a more accurate description was that Durmstrang was turning you into Voldemort! He thinks we're going to go in that mad lunatic's footsteps and be muggle hating people!" Derek practically shouted and tried lunging at them again if not for Daletsky and Strogolev at his side.

Harry was stunned to put it as an understatement.

Sure he knew that people would react badly to him going to a "dark" school that taught the Dark Arts as a regular class. However, he didn't know that his friend would react so venomously in his defense.

He walked over to the still restrained Derek. Harry noted the wary look the Gryffindors cast him while preparing to grab their wands.

He stopped in front of Derek and said calmly, "Der, you know that I don't give a damn what people think about my actions. Hell, if I did, I would be rotting away in Azkaban right now! You should have just ignored them; they're just idiotic students who don't know what they're talking about. So how about all of us go have some dinner?"

Outwardly, Harry was very calm and collected to help his raging friend calm down. Inwardly, he wanted to rant just as much as his friend. It seemed that people will never change, he thought, they keep thinking up of rumors just to start problems. Using some meditation techniques that he learned in Azkaban due to the connection to Voldemort, Harry calmed down and beckoned to the other three to follow.

"You Dark Wizard!" exclaimed a boy who Harry vaguely remembered as Jacob Newton, "You're evil just like the rest of them! I bet you just got rid of You-Know-Who so there's no more competition as the Dark Lord! You're not worthy of being a Gryffindor! Stupefy!" he cursed angrily in Harry's direction.

With an impatient wave of his hand, a shield was erected and absorbed the curse.

"What is going on here!" exclaimed a voice as they turned the same corner that Harry had came from. It seemed that the professors had been on their way to dinner and the loud yell had drawn their attention.

The Gryffindors looked frightened looking at their Head of House. Professor McGonagall leveled them with a stern glare as she took in the scene. Accompanying her was Headmaster Dumbledore and Headmaster Platov. All three were engaged in a debate on certain methods of Transfiguration when the cry of outrage caught their attention.

"Mister Potter, would you care to explain this fight?" asked Platov sternly, seeing that none of the students were going to answer the Hogwarts Transfiguration teacher.

"Well Headmaster, I was heading to lunch when I heard a yell from Derek so I went to check it out. I saw that Durmstrang and Hogwarts were fighting over the fact that our school was turning me into the next Dark Lord," he said with no emotion bar a touch of sarcasm and fury shone in his eyes.

McGonagall gasped turned angrily to her Gryffindors.

"Is this true!" she demanded with more fury than Harry had ever seen in his four years with her as the Head of Gryffindor House.

The four students stammered an excuse to the stern woman.

"Pro–prof–fessor," began one, "it's t–true! The signs are a–all there. He c–can talk to s–s–snakes and only s–s–someone dark could d–defeat You-Know-Who! Now he's g–g–going to that school!" a dark skinned Gryffindor eventually said.

Both the teachers of Hogwarts were angry beyond belief at the wild accusation. Also, to make it worst, the Headmaster of said school was right next to them as they insulted both his student and his school.

"Never before in the history of Hogwarts have I ever been so ashamed of my Gryffindors! I would have thought you would know better as you area all to be graduating soon! It is this kind of prejudice that creates the same evil you speak of! Misters Eblong, Wright, Newton, and Ringlow, you will all be serving detention with me, Mister Filch, and Professor Snape for the next month."

The four looked outraged that their Head would punish them like so.

A dark red haired boy started to protest, "But––"

However as soon as he protested, he was cut off at the glare leveled his way by the Transfiguration professor and the stern look in the normally kind Headmaster.

Nodding their agreement, all four fled before upsetting their Head even more.

Platov gestured to his students and said in Bulgarian for Daletsky and Strogolev's sake as the two spoke very limited English.

"Come, let us leave this matter behind and go to the Great Hall for some dinner. I will talk with you later about the retaliation, which was not up to standards with Durmstrang."

All three nodded and walked off talking in low tones in Bulgarian before being followed by the professors just meters behind the group. All were discussing the fight without appearing so.

End Flashback


After the confrontation Hermione and Ron before, they hadn't approached him again. Sure they had seen him and made to talk to him, but still hesitated.

Now however, the time came for the special Saturday classes in the Great Hall with the other schools.

Sighing, Harry called out to his friend to come, "Derek! It's time for the bloody shared classes. I think Headmaster is making it mandatory to come!" he cried out just outside his friend's room in Bulgarian.

"Coming!"

The pair had retired after breakfast to their rooms to finish their homework before the afternoon courses that was no doubt going to be exhausting. As for lunch, both had skipped it for the sanctuary of their rooms.

Finally, Derek popped his head out of his room to stare at Harry.

"Okay, let's go. No need to anger Everwood by showing up late. The others have a head start as they all went to lunch."

Both Durmstrang boys walked rather quickly all the while holding conversations of what the staff would teach. They decided that it would be rudimentary to advance Defense as Hogwarts would never deal with the Dark Arts.

"Ten galleons say that Black will pair me with one of my ex-friends," said Harry holding out his hand as they walked.

"Deal," answered the brown haired student as they shook hands on it.

As both approached the Great Hall entrance, they walked through and saw the gathering mass of students in the very center of a bare room while the professors were levitating the tables to the edge of the room.

Harry and Derek walked over to the group of Durmstrang students. In the mass, it seemed that there were three distinct groups for the Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang students. From Hogwarts, it seemed that the assembled were fifth year and above as the lower years didn't know enough spells for the session.

"Welcome!" stated Professor Dumbledore standing where the Head Table was. At his right was right was Platov and to Dumbledore's left dwarfing them all was Madame Maxime. On the other side of the Platov was the Durmstrang professor of Defense and the Dark Arts, Professor Everwood. Standing on the Headmistress' other side was no one other than Professor Black.

Apparently, the professors for Beauxbatons would be flooing in when their students' classes were taking place and then they would floo back to the château of the French school. Therefore, it there were only two Defense teachers teaching the Saturday classes.

After Professor Dumbledore's speech, the Headmasters, Headmistress, and the teachers began moving everyone into pairs in the large room. It quickly became apparent that the staff was pairing up people from the different schools so everyone could get to know one another.

Sighing, Harry stood where his friend had been paired with a short blond girl from Beauxbatons. Harry shot Derek and look, clearly glaring at his friend's better luck to be paired with Beauxbatons and not Hogwarts.

"Mister Potter," said a voice, drawing his attention away from his smirking friend, "If you would kindly move over here with Miss Granger."

The raven haired Champion glared at the Headmaster of Hogwarts for the pairing but complied, albeit reluctantly.

"Great! Now that everyone is paired accordingly to their years as best as we could, let's get started on the spells and their counter spells!" said the dark brown haired Durmstrang teacher. His stern glare was enough to enforce the rules of not deliberately hurting the other.

"We, the Defense teachers, will demonstrate how a duel works," said Sirius, "Now Professor Everwood, would you care to join me on the platform?"

Everwood nodded and the pair walked up the table set aside for the demonstration. Platov acted as the judge and counted to three for the Defense teachers to send their spells to the other.

"Expelliarmus!" exclaimed Sirius.

"Protego!" cried Professor Everwood for the counter spell. Meanwhile, when Professor Black was planning another attack, the Durmstrang teacher sent a nonverbal, "Expelliarmus!" at the Hogwarts teacher, causing the wand to go flying out of his hand and into Everwood's own outstretched palm.

Loud applause came from the Bulgarian school's student body followed by those of Beauxbatons and finally Hogwarts, who were a bit miffed that their teacher had lost. The Durmstrang students knew that their teacher would win. After all, he was well versed in both Defense and the Dark Arts.

"Now, why don't you all give it a try?" said Everwood, "Try to disarm, stun, or put your dueling partner into a full body bind!"

Turning to the bushy haired girl, Harry bowed stiffly along with the others in the room. Hermione started by casting a rather weak, in Harry's opinion, disarming spell. After a quick Protego he retaliated with a stunning spell. While Hermione was blocking it he sent a nonverbal body bind at her.

As Hermione's limbs snapped together in a rigid body bind, he disarmed her. Then, Harry unbound her with a lazy flick of his wand.

Hermione walked over to get her wand nervously then opened her mouth to talk. Apparently, she wasn't the only one with the idea as many other pairs were talking in a bored tone.

"Harry," she started timidly and paused.

Harry turned to her and said, "Yes?"

"I was wondering if we could talk?" she asked. Her eyes were pleading with him to relent.

"Why?" was all he asked in a rather harsh tone.

"Please Harry! Ron and I are so sorry. We want to apologize with you directly and explain our actions!" she begged rather loudly but no one noticed as the room was loud from the occasional hexes being fired.

"There's nothing to explain," Harry said harshly, "both of you betrayed my trust and condemned me to Azkaban just like the rest of the Wizarding World. Apparently four years as best friends amounted to nothing," he said coldly. By now her eyes were shining with unshed tears as she looked at him.

"You will find Granger," he said as she flinched at her surname, "that my trust is easy to get but harder to regain." Crying, Hermione backed away to a Ronald who was close by talking with Dean Thomas.

Meanwhile, everyone was still dueling while the Professors, Headmasters, and Headmistress were walking around correcting curses and dueling stances.

A soft voice so familiar gathered his attention as it came from behind him.

"Harry?" the low voice said softly. The Durmstrang Champion turned around slowly on the heels of his feet and stared into the blue eyes of his ex-godfather.


A/N–Sorry the update took ages! I've been busy with the summer homework, and truth be told, this story is losing my interest… oh well…

Anyways, reviewers wanted to know about pairings so here it is. THERE WILL BE NO RELATIONSHIPS IN THIS FANFICTION! I can't write romance all that great so it's just Drama/Action/Adventure and all that stuff… even if there was romance it would never be Harry/Ginny! I hate HPGW stories! So that answers your question, NO RELATIONSHIPS!

Much thanks to reviewers: alwaysariyana, Harry Draco Malfoy, goofball44306, The Dark Squirrel, Laume, athenakitty, Crystal Madness, red rose of love, Anaelisa, Honor-Harrington 1982, Weirkat, Laura, JVTazz, alpalwarner, yournombrehere, animeflunky, jka1, DivineDarkness, I-Y-T-Y, mrmistoffelees, Prophet of the Waves, Jas120 for being the best reviewers! This chapter is for you guys!

Disclaimer–JKR owns everything in the Harry Potter realm. If I did, which would be never, I'd totally rule the world! )