Jace, Mia, and Theo had been experiencing a whirlwind of emotions since the arrival of their dragons, Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar, at Durmstrang. At first, they had been nervous about how their fellow Durmstrang students would react to the presence of these creatures. After all, it wasn't every day that dragons graced the grounds of their magical school. Surprisingly, though, the majority of the school's population had embraced the idea that the Unholy Trinity deserved dragons that matched their riders.
The three friends found themselves bombarded with requests from their peers. Many students begged for the privilege of flying alongside them on their dragons, wanting to experience the thrill of soaring through the skies. Others sought their assistance with the pronunciation of certain Valyrian seemed that the allure of these creatures and their ancient heritage had captivated the entire Durmstrang community.
In the weeks that followed, the Ukrainian Ironbelly eggs had started to hatch. It was as if the magic of these three legendary dragons had awakened something within the eggs, and almost every student at Durmstrang had now formed a bond with a dragon of their own. The school had become a haven for dragon enthusiasts, and the campus was abuzz with the roars and cries of these newfound companions.
However, with the surge in dragon-related activities came an increase in visits to the infirmary. Many students, emboldened by the thrill of having their own dragons, had attempted to cook with the fire of their newfound companions. The result was a series of accidents that led to burns and singed eyebrows, as dragons were not known for their culinary skills.
The chaos didn't stop there. Rumors of an underground Quidditch match had spread like wildfire, and it had ended in disaster. Twenty participants were nursing burns from inadvertently flying too close to their dragons' flames, while another fifteen had sustained various injuries, including scratches and bruises, during the intense match.
Despite the challenges and occasional chaos that came with having dragons at Durmstrang, there was an air of excitement and pride that permeated the school. Igor Karkaroff couldn't help but feel a sense of vindication. He had longed to prove to Dumbledore that Durmstrang now possessed real dragons, not the mere dragon-themed motto that Hogwarts boasted. The construction of a new Grotto to house Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar only added to his satisfaction. Deep down, Igor Karkaroff couldn't wait for the next year to arrive.
The Great Hall at Durmstrang was abuzz with anticipation as Igor Karkaroff, the headmaster, stood at the front of the room, preparing to address his students about an important matter.
"Dear students," Igor began, his deep voice commanding the attention of the entire hall, "as many of you have surely heard, next year the Triwizard Tournament will be held."
A curious voice piped up from the crowd, "Where is it going to be?"
"It's going to be held at Hogwarts," Igor responded, his words met with a resounding chorus of boos.
"Hogwarts sucks!" the students chanted, their disdain for the rival school palpable.
Igor raised his hands, trying to calm the rowdy crowd. "Please calm down," he requested. "The only thing I ask of you is that you behave next year."
"That's like not telling us anything," laughed a seventh-grader.
Igor maintained his composure. "I want you to do only one thing next year."
A third-year student shouted from the back, "And what is that?"
"Take care of each other. You are a family; behave as such," Igor ordered firmly. "If someone messes with you or with a student younger than you, you defend them."
Theo mischievously posed a question, "Under what jurisdiction? Dueling at Hogwarts is prohibited."
"Our camp will be Durmstrang territory during the time we are at Hogwarts. You are intelligent; you will find a way to teach them that their actions have consequences," Igor replied with a hint of satisfaction.
"Will we be punished if we duel with a Hogwarts student?" Jace asked, mischief dancing in his eyes.
"You will not be punished," Igor clarified, "duels are a tradition in Durmstrang. It's not your fault that Dumbledore does not prepare his students properly."
"Does that mean carte blanche?" Mia inquired.
"That means carte blanche," Igor agreed, a sly smile playing on his lips. "If a first or second-year student asks you for help, you help them. Durmstrang protects its own. Internally, you may have your disagreements, but when it comes to Beauxbatons and Hogwarts, we are a united front. No one messes with us without suffering the consequences."
The students erupted in applause, and some of them couldn't help but start making mental lists of those they'd like to take down a notch or two.
"I also want you to know that there is going to be a dance at Christmas; it is a tradition of the tournament. Therefore, I suggest that in September, you bring gala clothes or have your parents send them to Hogwarts," Igor concluded.
Excitement filled the Great Hall again as the girls squealed with delight and the boys sighed, already dreading the thought of the upcoming dance.
"I wish you a good Easter," Igor bid them farewell before leaving the hall with the other teachers.
As he departed, André stood up on a table and pointed his wand at his throat. "I would like to say something before we all leave."
"Get off the table," Jace shouted, amused.
"Shut up, Your Majesty," André retorted with a mischievous grin.
Mia, Jace, and Theo had made peace with Ivan and André, and they were now getting along swimmingly. The student population couldn't decide which was worse: the Unholy Trinity and André and Ivan as friends or as enemies. Either way, fun was guaranteed.
"Talk; I have places to be," Theo said, putting an arm around Mia's shoulders.
"As our director said," André began, "next year we are going to Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament."
"Hogwarts is shit," many students jeered, while others whistled loudly.
"And who lives at Hogwarts?" André asked with a grin.
"HARRY POTTER!" the entire hall erupted in a deafening shout.
"How many of you know, and if you haven't heard, where were you living? Under a rock?" André teased. "The fact is that Hogwarts' Golden Boy is our princess's little brother."
"MIA!MIA!MIA!" the students chanted, causing Theo and Jace to laugh.
André continued, "The fact is that little baby Potter has made a small mistake."
"What did he do?" Jace asked grinning, as Mia playfully smacked him.
"He dared to mess with Mia and her family, which is a big, big mistake," André declared with a pout.
"What does this mean for us?" a third-grade boy inquired.
"Mia, like a good sister, not like that shitty Potter, has put a ban on her brother, which prevents us from dueling him directly," André explained.
"Mia, you're taking away our fun," Ivan jokingly complained.
"Let's see, guys, calm down," Theo said, climbing onto the same table as André. "The fun doesn't have to end."
"What do you mean?" a student shouted.
Theo grinned and said, "Hogwarts has Quidditch, and most of us play Quidditch. Can't you guess who else plays Quidditch?"
"HARRY POTTER!" the entire hall chorused.
"Great, guys, you've got it," Theo said. "The season is open for Quidditch; let's knock that kid off his broom."
The entire hall exploded with joy at the prospect of challenging Harry Potter in a game of Quidditch. Potter had crossed a line with Mia Borghese, and he was about to face the consequences.
"I want to say something too," Jace said, climbing onto another table.
"What do you want?" Mia asked jokingly.
"All bets are off the moment Potter or Malfoy open their big mouths to insult Mia or the Borgheses," Jace declared, earning a round of cheers and applause from their fellow students.
As the rest of the students said their goodbyes and began to disperse from the Great Hall, only the Unholy Trinity—Mia, Jace, and Theo—remained, along with André and Ivan, who had become unlikely allies.
Mia couldn't help but laugh at the audacity of her newfound friends. "You guys are absolutely crazy," she said with a grin.
"Princess, your brother doesn't know what's coming to him," Jace declared confidently.
"He's not my brother," Mia clarified, her tone firm.
André, sensing that there was more to Mia's story, asked, "Has something happened?"
Mia took a deep breath and confessed, "Potter told me that he hated me and didn't want to see me."
Ivan's eyes flashed with anger. "I'm going to throw Potter to the Lake for a refreshing dip with the squid when I meet him," he vowed.
Mia, however, was quick to set some ground rules. "The ones who are banned and cannot be touched are Blaise, Pansy, Neville, and Ron," she stated seriously.
André couldn't resist teasing, "So Potter's face, can we touch it?"
Mia rolled her eyes playfully. "I don't care about Potter. Just don't leave too many marks on him. Lily, James, and a lot of my other family appreciate him."
"Can't promise anything, You Royal Highness" Ivan and André said in unison, their mischievous grins indicating that they had every intention of leaving their mark.
As André and Ivan departed, leaving the Unholy Trinity behind, Theo couldn't help but reflect "Who would have thought that one day we would be friends with those two?" he mused.
Jace shrugged,"They're not that bad."
Mia's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she looked ahead to the coming year. "We're going to have a great time next year," she exclaimed excitedly. The Unholy Trinity, along with André and Ivan, were ready to take Hogwarts by storm.
James Potter had just finished the painstaking paperwork required to arrest Dumbledore and obtain search warrants for Hogwarts. The whole situation was giving him a throbbing would have thought that a wrinkled raisin like Dumbledore would cause him so much trouble? James didn't like Dumbledore; in fact, he couldn't stand him. Hate wasn't the right word because it implied some level of caring, and James didn't care about the man at all.
Lost in his thoughts, James approached his office door, unaware that it was slightly ajar. He pushed it open and was greeted by an unexpected sight. Sitting in his chair, dressed as an Auror, was Barty Crouch Jr. Barty had his feet resting on James's desk, his arms casually behind his head, and his eyes closed as he whistled the melody of the Moonlight Sonata.
Barty opened one eye, his lips curling into a sly grin. "Did you like your Christmas present?"
"Barty," James exclaimed, startled, "what the fuck are you doing in my office?"
Barty pushed himself up from the chair, still smirking, and replied, "Just paying a visit, Potter."
James's frustration was mounting. "Do you realize that this department is crawling with Aurors who have a search and arrest warrant out for you?"
"I'm well aware," Barty replied, casually picking up a framed photo of James's family. "Lovely family you've got there. Where's Mia?"
Suspicion crept into James's voice. "What are you doing here, and how do you know about my daughter?
"Answering your first question, Moody lent me these Auror robes. Don't they look ravishing on me? Seriously, If I had known this uniform was going to fit me like a glove I would've applied a long time ago" Barty with a playful tone answered.
James couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Moody knows you're here?"
"Moody knows everything," Barty said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "As for your daughter, Evan was my best friend. How do you think I found out?"
Annoyed and still suspicious, James pressed for answers. "What are you doing here?"
Barty sighed and pouted dramatically. "And back to the same old question, Potter. Don't you know how to say anything else?"
"If you don't start explaining, I'll walk out that door and inform the entire department that you're here." James threatened.
Barty seemed unfazed. "You won't do that."
James challenged him. "How do you know?"
"Because you want to hunt down Snape, and I'm going to help you," Barty said, getting to the point, "but first, I need a favor."
Suspicion hung in the air as James asked, "What favor?"
"Once Dumbledore and Snape are prosecuted, I want their heads on silver platters," Barty declared without hesitation.
Shock washed over James. "You want to make me an accomplice to murder?"
"I'm not going to do that, you're too Gryffindor for that," Barty shook her head dismissively. " What I need is for you to put Black under surveillance in the same hallway where you plan to lock up Dumbledore and Snape."
"What's your plan?" James was skeptical.
"I'm going to get my personal revenge for Evan's death," Barty stated coldly.
James tried to reason with him. "Killing them won't bring Evan back."
Barty's response was cold and unapologetic. "I know. Save the moral speeches for someone who needs them."
"If you do it, and I catch you," James warned, his voice firm, "I will be forced to arrest you, and you will be sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss."
Barty simply smirked in response. "You said it," he replied with an unsettling calmness. "If you catch me. If you don't catch me, you won't have to worry about my arrest. So... do we have a deal?"
"We have a deal," James reluctantly agreed, though he couldn't shake the feeling that he was making a pact with the devil. "But how are you going to help me arrest Snape?"
Barty leaned back in his chair, a confident glint in his eye. "Have a little faith in me, will you?. After all, I was the one who provided you with the crucial information to close the case and find those responsible for Evan's is Mia, by the way?"
"I plan to talk to her this week," James replied cautiously.
Barty couldn't help but stir the pot. "True, I found out what happened with Harry and her. You should teach your son some manners."
"Don't tell me how to raise my children," James grumbled, bristling at the implication.
"I thought you only had one kid, or at least that's what I understood," Barty said casually, examining his nails.
"What are you saying?" James demanded. "Mia is my daughter."
"Is she?" Barty raised an eyebrow. "Because the conversation you had at Christmas, which more than a conversation, was Mia telling how she felt about being a Potter, it seemed to me that Mia doesn't consider you her father."
"You don't know anything," James shot back defensively.
Barty leaned in, his tone calculated. "I know what dysfunctional families look like. Look around you, Regulus, Sirius, Narcissa, Isabelle, Thoros, Evan, Lucius, and myself—we all come from dysfunctional families. When I see your family, I see a big bright red poster that has "dysfunctional" written on it."
"You have no right to judge me," James retorted.
"True. But your family is falling apart," Barty conceded the point with a shrug. "If I learned anything from Evan and Reggie, it's that family is the most important thing there is. If you don't have a family, you have nothing. You have nothing to fight for, you have nothing to die for. Your life has no meaning."
James challenged him. "Does yours make sense?"
"My life stopped making sense the day Evan died," Barty admitted, his voice tinged with sadness. "Evan was my family. Without him, I have nothing to fight to die for."
James attempted to offer some hope. "You can move on with your life once we catch Snape and Dumbledore."
"What have I told you about moralistic speeches?" Barty asked smirking
"That I should keep them to myself," James sighed.
Barty took a step toward the fireplace in James's office. "I'm glad you understand. You won't be hearing from me for a while, so stay calm."
"Take care," James said, his voice holding a hint of concern.
Barty turned back before stepping into the fireplace. "Fix your family," he advised, and with that, he disappeared into the Floo Network, leaving James to contemplate the tangled mess of his personal and professional life.