Chapter 31 - The Funeral

"Your father is dead."

It was so unreal that Katia wanted to ask "What?" But she didn't. Before she could do something, say something, Iliya's arms pulled her into a strong embrace.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. Iliya was in shock as well, but he had promised Katia that he would be with her. He couldn't allow himself to lose his composure. If not for Wulfrick Ivanov, Iliya would never have been able to afford the education at Durmstrang.

"How?" Katia choked out through her tears.

"It was a heart attack, and the magic traces left in his body point to be a result of Cruciatus Curse. We don't know yet if it was intentional murder or if he died during questioning of some kind."

Katia started crying harder, sobs racked her body. "I don't want to believe that."

"Miss Ivanov, as you very well know, he was also close to my heart. For me, his death is not less tragic."

"I need- need to see him."

"My office has a secure floo connection with Ivanov Manor. Do you wish me to escort you?" The Headmaster's voice was very cold, as were his eyes. If Katia didn't feel so broken, she would have been terrified by this.

"I will go with Katia. Just please inform Viktor, sir. He has a right to know," said Iliya.

"Mr. Krum will be informed in his own time. He is a Triwizard Tournament champion and his duty is to remain to the end of the ball."

Hello! We never met before, but I heard about you. It is important for you to take dark, formal clothes with you and use the attached Portkey. I will be waiting for you.

Sasha Krum

"Is it from her?" asked Anastasia, as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"No, but this Sasha has the same surname as the most famous Seeker, Viktor. It may be Quidditch related. This Sasha person has invited me to some serious event."

Marcus fed the owl an owl treat and handed the letter to Anastasia. She read it quickly and flicked her wand over the small parchment.

"Strange. This letter says exactly nothing and it was definitely written and send by a male. I don't think you should go."

"There is no other way to find out. I will not let the opportunity fly away from me, Amy."

The Portkey took Marcus to a snow-covered field. There was nothing but endless whiteness and thick clouds in the sky. He turned around and saw a dark silhouette.

Marcus could tell that it was a man as he approached. From a closer distance, Marcus could see that his features strongly resembled Viktor Krum's. He was however smaller and visibly thinner.

"You must be Sasha Krum," said Marcus and extended his hand in invitation.

"I am."

Sasha briefly explained that the reason of this letter and portkey was to get Marcus to attend Katia's father funeral.

"Katia always said good things about you, and she was really broken hearted that she had to end your relationship. I thought that she might feel better for you to be at her side during these sad circumstances," said Sasha.

Before Marcus could reply, Sasha grabbed his hand and Apparated them to the graveyard.

There was a lot of magic folk and he spotted Katia in the front. She stood there in black trench coat with a high collar that reached her chin. Her blonde hair was pinned into a high ponytail and she looked utterly miserable.

Marcus quietly pushed through the crowd to stand next to her and took her freezing cold hand into his warm one. He ignored the loathing look on the blond woman's face who was standing on the opposite side of excavation. She was the one he had seen at the train station. She was wearing some make-up and had nicer clothes, but she still resembled a harpy to him.

He looked at Katia's tear streaked face.

"I can't believe he's dead," said Katia and looked at the coffin that was being lowered into the excavation.

Marcus squeezed her hand a bit. "Life is unfair; it takes the good people first," he said quietly.

Katia let go of his hand and took a shovel of dirt. Everyone seemed to expect that she would say something. She looked at the crowd. Her family, her friends, friends of Wulfrick, Adepts, Albus Dumbledore.

"You made the darkness go away and you believed in me when I couldn't believe in myself. I believe in myself right now and I will never stop loving you."

She threw the dirt on the coffin.

"I never met a greater wizard. Rest in peace Wulf," said Dumbledore and threw a handful of dirt on the coffin.

Then the never ending row of condolences started.

It was late evening when Marcus found himself in Katia's room. There was a dinner, but she hadn't touched a thing, so he decided to get something for her. She threw herself at the bed and just lay there, unmoving.

He went through the corridor and hoped to find some servant, but instead he met the harpy.

"Why are you here?" she asked annoyed.

"I wanted to get something to eat for Katia," he replied, ignoring her tone. "She hasn't eaten anything since I first saw her, and that was at noon."

"As much I dislike you personally, you care about her and I can tolerate you. My name is Irina," she said and nodded her head.

"Marcus," he replied.

"I damn well know who you are. The pain in the ass that made her life miserable and can't get off her for good. Come on, there is a roasted pumpkin. If she's up to eating, it's the best choice."

"I'm really sorry that caring for her makes her life miserable," he said as he got the plate with food and tea for Katia. "But I can tolerate you as well, because somehow she thinks that a horrible person like you makes a good friend."

When he got back to her room, Katia was in the same position as when he'd left. He put down the tray on the night table and sat beside her.

"Hey," he said, as he took off the hand that covered her face.

"Just leave me alone," she said, her voice thick from tears.

"I'm not going to. You will eat and we will have a talk." She didn't really react to this, so Marcus stroked her hair. Slowly, she leaned in to his touch. After some time, she ate what he brought her and seemed to calm down a bit.

She looked intently at his face and gently traced her fingers over his forehead, his eyebrows, his jaw line, and his lips. She moved closer to him; he embraced her and rested his face in the crook between her neck and shoulder. They sat like that for a while and Katia started to kiss him. He didn't mean to use her in any way, and was reluctant at the beginning. It was Sasha who invited Marcus, because he thought it would be better for Katia. Marcus also thought about Amy, and wanted for this to be more like closeness, touches, and embrace, but he finally surrendered.

"I like how you smell and how your skin feels against mine," she whispered in between kisses. "And I like the look in your eyes when you look at me. You never look at anyone like that."

"Because something draws me to you and I can't resist."

For her, it was some kind of solace, he was sure. And for him? A thousand thoughts that it was wrong, that he was cheating on his precious Amy, and that he had tasted the forbidden fruit once again. Because Katia felt forbidden to Marcus, and it was probably what drew him to her so much. It was also his feelings for her that he couldn't get rid of, no matter how hard he tried.

Something scratched, shuffled, and he woke up. Katia was leaning over a big, wooden chest, and was digging through it.

"What are you doing?" he asked sleepily.

She looked at him "Packing my stuff. I thought it was obvious."

"When are you leaving?"

His question wasn't answered, as someone knocked the door. "Come in," said Katia and went towards the door. It was Maria, the servant, with a handful of clothes.

Katia picked one blouse, then another. Marcus couldn't see her expression because she stood with her back to him. He covered himself more tightly as he felt exposed to the girl.

"Shto ti priniesla?" asked Katia, obviously irritated. Katia put the blouse to her chest and pointed at the sleeves. They were too short. "Ti nie vidish nichevo."

Maria mumbled something and Katia tapped her foot impatiently. He couldn't hear what she said and even if he did, he didn't know Russian to understand. "Von" was quite audible and he knew already that it meant to get out.

Katia shut the door loudly and marched towards the large wardrobe. He used her silence to ask her next question.

"Will you meet me soon?"

Katia took some clothes and put them into the chest. "Maybe. I'll think about it."

"It means no," he said, angry and disappointed. "I am nothing more than a sex toy for you to use and discard when you're finished," he added angrily. He felt hurt by her lack of any kind of explanation.

"It's not true! And stop complaining for fuck's sake! I'm not in the mood for that." She threw a pair of trousers into the fireplace.

"You expect me to follow your wishes and prefer if I don't ask questions. You never explain your actions to me, like when we were in the hotel last time. But I want to know something, anything."

Katia closed her eyes and exhaled. "The less you know, the more safe you are. I can't tell you my reasons, and I don't have to explain my actions. Deal with it. You're a big boy."

She put a pile of underwear in the trunk.

"Is it so hard to tell me what is next? When we can see each other, what do you plan to do?"

Katia shut the lid so loudly that he jumped.

"Is it so hard to stop being a pain in the arse? I don't expect anything from you. You wanted to be here, you came. I was upset, you gave me comfort for which I am grateful, but nothing has changed. Realize that is how things are. Move on, find someone else if that blasted Amy of yours is not enough for you. And stop asking me questions; it's pissing me off, in case you haven't noticed."

"I'm not asking about many things; I do not pry in your life. I don't ask why are you older-" He smirked as he saw the look on her face. "Yes, I saw the time turner, I'm not an idiot. You are far too mature to be a fourteen year old."

Katia took a handful of Floo powder. "The Portkey is on the shelf above the fireplace. Good bye, Marcus."

She tossed the powder into the fireplace and the flames turned green. "Hogwarts, Headmaster Dumbledore's office!"

Katia kicked the trunk inside and stepped into the flames without a second glance. She did it again, she fled when he started to push her about answers. Damn it all.

Neville sat in the deserted corridor with the girl who spiked his interest and seemed to understand him very well. He could even admit that he had a serious crush on her.

Ginny Weasley was not only interesting and intelligent, but also very pretty. They talked about Neville's great fear of Professor Snape.

"I think that if you relaxed a bit, Potions wouldn't be that bad for you."

Neville shook his head. "It's easy to say for you, but Professor Snape is even more nasty than before. He always looks at me like that, makes me drop things, and makes me make mistakes with the ingredients."

Ginny sighed heavily.

"You have it easier, somehow," continued Neville.

"It's not that I have it easier, but I feel like I can understand him sometimes. That he is familiar to me, Neville. I can't explain that, but for me, Katia Ivanov is somebody I would like to avoid."

"That dream of yours - the one you can't remember - do you still have it?"

"Yes, every night and I don't know what is that, but it terrifies me, and it's connected with Ivanov in some way. I just sense it. But the point is that I don't jump in my seat if she looks at me, and I don't shake with fear when she passes me. You should do the same with Snape, Neville."

She seemed so composed in that moment, unlike usually, when her fiery temper made her scream at the stupid things that people did.

Later that evening, Neville had a strange feeling that made him follow Ginny when she snuck out of the Gryffindor common room just before curfew.

She was probably meeting Dean Thomas, and Neville, knowing his luck, could only receive her wrath and a detention. But he couldn't stop himself from following Ginny.

She walked strangely somehow, like in a trance. It was cold in the corridors and Neville hugged himself to keep warm, but Ginny didn't seem to mind. She went up and up until she was in the Astronomy Tower. Slowly, but without hesitation she crossed the barrier that separated students from the ground far below.

Neville never thought he could be so fast as he sprinted to grab her before she jumped. It was obvious that she would, when she spread her arms and swayed forwards a bit.

Neville caught her in the last possible moment. She didn't struggle but it was hard to pull her in anyway.

When she was safe, she started hitting him like mad.

"Ginny!" he shouted, but she didn't seem to hear him screaming. He was so beaten after few minutes of struggling that he could barely move and Ginny aimed her fist at his throat.

It is over, thought Neville but then she hesitated. Her eyes went wide and she let him go.

"Neville," she said terrified. "What happened?"

"You tell me," he rasped, coughing. "You tried to jump from the tower and when I stopped you, you tried to kill me."

Ginny stood up and looked at her hands. "Let me help you," she said and lifted him up. "The last thing I remember was writing an essay for the Potions lesson I have tomorrow. Are you okay?"

"I had a feeling I should follow you," said Neville. "And while I'm not entirely okay, I would follow you again."

Neville visited Madam Pomfrey that evening. He barely made it before the curfew.

"What happened to you this time?" asked the Healer.

"I tripped and fell offf the stairs," replied Neville

"I thought you had a sparring partner," said Viktor as he put his boxing gloves on his hands.

"I used to, but he said that he can't fight with me anymore because he's afraid to hurt me too much. I hope that you have the guts at least."

"It's not my intention to-" he was unable to finish as Katia took a mighty blow at his face. He started to defend himself, but Katia was like wildfire. Finally he tackled her to the ground and pressed her down with his body.

"I can understand now what he meant. This Montague wasn't a stupid fellow after all."

Katia grunted and somehow managed to get one leg free, which she used to kick him into the butt. Viktor rolled over and quickly stood up, prepared for more blows. He felt a little guilty when he looked at her face. It was obvious that she hadn't managed to block all his hits.

"Come on!" she shouted as she also got up, ready for more.

They fought for a little longer and finally she was too tired to hold her ground. Katia sat on the snow and threw her boxing gloves angrily near her training bag. She hid her face in her hands.

"I promise you that Sasha, Ilya, and myself will find the ones responsible for Uncle Wulfrick's death. We won't leave it like that. Just don't exercise yourself to death."

"Thanks Viktor. It's just... I have problems keeping myself together. And anger...It makes me keep going and not to wallow in misery. I just can't get over that he's dead." She looked at his face and smiled weakly. "I'm sorry for your left eye."

"Should I be sorry for most of your face then?"

"Absolutely not."

Severus Snape was not disappointed. Miss Ivanov had not only read the journal that he gave her, but had also almost memorized it. She had studied the ingredients, and Severus was aware that she had already contacted her previous Potions Master discreetly.

"You hit a dead end with your work, Professor," she said like she was completely not interested in that fact. But reminding him of his failure, that he had had to use help of another Potions Master, AND that he'd had to do it through his student was absolutely mortifying.

"I don't remember asking you to state the obvious, Miss Ivanov," he said silkily and hoped that it would have some effect on her.

She just bowed her head slightly. "I apologize, Professor. I just wanted to add that, as powerful plants and other organic substances are, there is only so much that they can do. In my opinion, this won't work unless it's combined with synthetic chemicals."

She moved to the blackboard and took a piece of chalk. "We have three possible outcomes, according to the journal."

She drew something that looked like the roots of a plant. "The first one: when the nervous system is numbed, but the impulse caused by the Cruciatus curse got into it - so we're too late." She drew arrows that reached to the end of this "nervous system".

"Second one: when a combination cuts off the impulses that goes through the nerves completely, so the outcome - I'm guessing here - is probably very similar to the Draught of the Living Dead, which is not acceptable of course." She looked him in the eye. "I would go the same way if I had such excessive knowledge in the subject. I mean, now I can compare the results and study them, but to have it in the first place, it had to have been huge amounts of trial and error."

Severus crossed arms against his chest. "I don't need compliments, I need the results."

Ivanov nodded quickly. "Yes, yes. The third one. The third one seems to be the closest one to the solution that we seek, but in fact, it is the most unlikely path to follow, in my opinion. It should let the impulses to go through the nerves and numb them as well, but it causes an inability to think coherently. It causes a near-catatonic state, because the substances that are used are theoretically compatible, but after mixing them with stomach acid, they are not anymore. They join together to create a mildly poisonous mixture, which affects the brain."

Now he was impressed. Not only did she go through the notes and tried to copy the results, but she also had a high level of understanding the process and she told him exactly why it didn't work. It was only three months since he gave her the assignment so she had to have spent a huge amount of time studying the material. However something with the girl herself was slightly off. He could tell that she was deeply saddened by her father's death, but it didn't explain the quick, uncertain looks, when she thought he couldn't see it. She was easy to startle when Severus snuck up on her, and she absent-mindedly played with her hair. Like now.

She stared at nothing and he fought the urge to snap his fingers at her.

"Miss Ivanov?" he asked and she seemed to shake out of a trance.

She cleared her throat and looked at his hands. Then her gaze darted to his face for a second.

"With the lack of possibilities while using conventional methods, I thought that maybe psychotropic and nootropic Muggle medicines might come in handy. I made a list of possible combinations with potions, and if you agree, Professor, then I would like to start experiments with them."

Severus looked at the presented list, but truth to be told, he had no idea of the possible outcomes. He would have to know the specifics of Muggle medicines and he did not. So Severus did the only thing he could without humiliating himself.

"I agree," he said.

But Ivanov seemed to be lost in her little world again as she looked into nothingness. He felt irritation which threatened to explode. He advanced her slowly until he was very close. "What is so interesting about this chair Miss Ivanov? Could you please enlighten me?"

As expected, she nearly jumped in the spot but quickly regained her composure. She looked him in the eye now and seemed frightened. "Do you have this notion, that something is changing and morphing into darkness, Professor? The great darkness that wants to consume us all?"

He would laugh at her seriousness, at her choice of words, if not for the fact that he felt it too, and it was a feeling that didn't want to leave him for some time. He also noticed that his Dark Mark seemed to be more prominent, and there was a ghost-like of tingling.

But when she voiced it, Severus felt as if something cold clenched around his heart. And her eyes, stubbornly fixed on him, gave him the creeps.

"Out," he spat. It was a mere whisper, but she obeyed immediately.

She decided to go to the one place that made her feel comfortable for the last two and a half school years. ; The cosy and warm caretaker's private quarters. Filch looked as if he'd expected her to come.

"I'll make a rum tea for you. You look like you need one," he said as he greeted her.

"I would be very grateful," said Katia. She lifted Mrs Norris from her favourite armchair and took the feline on her lap. The soft purring had a calming effect on Katia. The fire blazed pleasantly and the moth eaten cardigan felt pleasant as she wrapped it around herself. But none of this could take away the chill she felt inside.

"What's the matter?" asked Argus, and Katia jumped in her seat. He put the rum tea on the table next to her. "No need to panic, it's just plain old me," joked the caretaker, but it came out humourless.

"I was just discussing an assignment with Professor Snape, when I stupidly blurted out something and he sent me off," said Katia and sipped the hot tea.

"Let's hope you didn't start to wallow in misery in front of him. Because that would be utterly stupid."

"Nothing of the sort. It's just that I realised that the task he given me –which I cannot speak of, because I was sworn to secrecy– and- and that my father was murdered and the Dark Mark in the sky; it must be connected somehow. I said that I feel something dark is coming, and you should have seen his eyes, Mr. Filch. For a moment, he looked like I had scared him, and then he became furious and told me to leave."

Filch rubbed his forehead. "I wouldn't want to hear something like that in the way you just said it, but I feel in my bones that you're right. Something's changing, and damn to hell anyone who doesn't feel that it's a bloody change for the worse."

Katia hugged the cat more tightly, but Mrs. Norris seemed to be okay with that. She felt better that she wasn't the only one who felt like that, and that she could share her feelings, but also it terrified her that it was likely to be true. Without her father, she felt like a tree without roots. He couldn't help her deal with it, couldn't tell her what to do to protect herself and the ones she cared about. Maybe the key was to know the truth about herself and the other cursed ones? Maybe there was something helpful in those Latin notes?

"Did you make any progress?" she asked suddenly.

"Aye, but not the kind that I would like." He poured himself a glass of Firewhiskey. Katia waited patiently. "I was intrigued by that small notes in the margins, so I went to the archives and started to look at essays, from the year that you found the notes and then back (?)." He smirked.

"Have you found who it was?"

"Oh indeed I have. The handwriting is identical with Tom Riddle's. I hope you know who that might be."

Katia inhaled sharply. She felt unable to speak for a moment and her heart started to beat very fast. "The You-Know-Who! Oh Rasputin help us!" Her mind started to create dozens of possibilities, each one worse than the others. "He's trying to make more of us, or maybe he would find a way to control us and I know already too much and he wouldn't have a problem with-" Argus hit the table to stop her babbling.

"That is enough! You will regain your composure young lady, because the last thing I need is the only person who sits in this dung-heap with me going hysterical!"

Thanks for beta reading to Artemis J. Halk and for a lot of advice on this chapter :)