Courting Destiny

Harry came to his senses before he opened his eyes. For a few seconds, his body froze because of his instincts saying, he was not in his own bed. However, his body instantly relaxed as he felt the familiar ward.

"Marcus," she whispered in one breath.

The man walked over and helped her sit down. They stared at each other, Marcus observing Harry's expression.

"What happened?" whispered Harry warily. "How could I be here?"

"You don't remember?" Marcus touched the bracelet on Harry's wrist, he returned to calm when he realized his protective magic was still strong. "Luna brought you here. The little girl is carrying you on her back," her voice was flat, but the corners of her lips twitched with a laugh. "How could you suddenly overslept while chatting with him?"

Harry squinted. "I overslept?"

"Of course not, if you look at your reaction. What was the last time you remembered." Marcus still looked calm. Although his mind was full of speculation, including suspecting the possibility of Harry entering a trance period, which made him lose consciousness, just like before. But it could also be something else, because this time, it seems that Harry doesn't remember the situation clearly.

"Luna. It seems that we are talking about something important.... But... why can't I remember it?"

They looked at each other.

"Luna said I overslept while chatting with her?" Harry frowned. "What did the girl plan to do?"

Marcus's tone remained calm as he said,"Obliviate?" the word showed that, even in third-year students, he did not relax his vigilance. Marcus's principle, Harry wouldn't really be safe, if he hadn't protected her with his own hands and blood.

"It's impossible. Luna had no motive," he stood up from the bed, not looking worried at all. "I just need to ask him, so you don't have to be anxious. I have a feeling that this is not something dangerous..." but neither is it an ordinary matter, the sentence hangs in the air, between them.

It's eight o'clock in the morning, it's still early enough to start the day in hogwarts castle. Most students are still asleep, and will wake up in a hurry near nine o'clock. "I skipped a lot of classes yesterday," he grumbled.

Marcus smiled. "You slept pretty well."

Harry intends to meet Luna in the Great Hall and they rush there. Upon their arrival at the Front Hall, they could not move forward as many children swarmed up loudly, all swarming around the large bulletin board that had been erected at the foot of the alabaster stairs.

TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT

DELEGATES FROM BEAUXBATONS AND DRUMSTRANG WILL ARRIVE AT 6:00 P.M., FRIDAY, OCT. 30. THE LESSON ENDED HALF AN HOUR EARLY.

THE DISCIPLES WERE ASKED TO KEEP THEIR BAGS AND BOOKS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE ROOMS AND GATHER IN FRONT OF THE CASTLE TO WELCOME OUR GUESTS BEFORE THE WELCOME PARTY.

Less than a week away!

Just on the night of Samhain.

This old castle will be even more lively with the arrival of many students from other magic schools. This is something rare, and he not only feels the passion of the students and professors, but also hogwarts castle itself.

The crowd became more and more jostling. No one seemed to want to move on immediately. In fact, many began to form small groups to chat. Seeing that the crowd did not end, even Perfect joined the crowd, Marcus snapped, "Oi! Get out of the way!" His voice was thunderous, sharp and cold; delivered on everyone who stands in the way of using magic. Instantly, the children were in shock and for a few seconds there was a tense silence. Then they ran away.

Harry spouted a laugh.

Marcus's anger is more effective than the professors' warnings, because he is unmitigated when throwing in value reductions and detention. Not a week into being an Apprentice, he has already made Professor Prince's detention class full of enslaved students.

Yes, Marcus was that cruel. Harry didn't exaggerate it; the man was more sadistic than Professor Prince.

As if to prove it, Marcus walked over while throwing a cruel smile and darting magic at the buttocks of the children whose steps were not fast enough. "Idiot boys," he grumbled softly.

Harry shook his head. A fond smile was drawn on his face.

In the distance, Hermione shook her head desperately and raised an eyebrow at Draco. The Slytherin boy retaliated against him by throwing a golden galleon into Hermione's hand. "I don't want to bet with you anymore," he grumbled. Hermione threw a triumphant smile. I don't know what is the subject of the second bet. They looked suspicious.

Upon arriving at the great hall, Harry did not find Luna. He didn't eat breakfast or go to lunch. Harry was aware of Luna's habit of preferring to go down to the kitchen alone and eat with the house elves.

So, he and Marcus decided to pay a visit to Ravenclaw's dormitory after school hours were over. Harry also noticed, that the castle was extra thoroughly cleaned. Some very dirty paintings have been brushed, making the painting objects unhappy. They sat huddled in their piguras, grumbling in anger and beard as they fingered their pink and sensitive faces from being rubbed too much.

The armors suddenly glittered and moved without a creak. And Argus Filch, the school's caretaker, was extraordinarily fierce to anyone who forgot to rub his shoes on a doormat, until there were two first-year girls who were hysterically so scared.

Several professors also joined in the tension.

"Longbottom, don't divulge the secret that you can't do a simple Spell of Exchange to anyone from Durmstrang!" snapped professor McGonagall at the end of the lesson. In that lesson Neville accidentally transplanted his own ears on the cactus.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, after the lesson, Marcus and Harry walked down the quiet corridor to the eagle dormitory. The corridor is quieter than in the morning, as most students spend their time in dormitories or club activities.

Compared with Gryffindor's dormitory, the children of Ravenclaw dormitory have no bad attitude towards Slytherin students. Most of them only cared about studying and only looked displeased at slytherin students who liked to bully, or riot; like when the Slytherin and Gryffindor hordes quarreled in class or corridors and disturbed the peace.

However, since Harry ascended the throne, the Slytherin students have been much calmer, and most of them have ignored the fishing rods of the Gryffindor students. Of course, this was realized by the smart Ravenclaw, so their attitude towards Harry was very kind and polite. They even allowed the two Slytherins into their dormitory.

In the common room, Luna was already sitting with a tray of snacks and three cups of tea in front of her, as if waiting for them. Marcus raised an eyebrow and just sat beside Harry as if it were a matter of course. Ever since he followed Harry, no one could surprise him anymore. Especially when he was between these two Seers. Logic can't play with them.

"Hello, Harry," his eyes were fiddling, "You're full of questions."

"I'm not going to be pedantic. What happened yesterday, Luna? Why can't I remember it?"

The girl poked her head over, "Don't remember it?" after a pause, she whispered, "it's really interesting. I just gave you a Vassal oath."

Harry, who was sipping tea, spit out his tea and coughed. He was flabbergasted by the way he answered it which made it seem like a normal occurrence. "You swear a vassal to me? But isn't Lovegood already a Vassal of Peverell?"

Luna nodded, "Yesterday's vows were a little different. I personally tied the oath to you, my lord... even so, it shouldn't be a big deal. But why can't you remember it?" asked Luna. "It's so weird."

The three of them fell silent in confusion.

Finally Marcus said, "Maybe we can borrow Pensieve to review your memory back?"

"Pensieve?"

"Pensieve is a magic object that can be used to review memories. The memory can then be seen from the point of view of a non-participant third person. But it will be very difficult to find that thing in this castle." And if anything, most owners don't lend it because it usually holds the most personal memory. But we are lucky, there is a Pensieve in Flint Manor. It's just that, we need to wait until the winter vacation."

"Why wait that long? we can't just buy it?"

"Pensieve is a rare object. There are not many experts who can make that thing and it is rare for anyone to lend it because it keeps the most personal memory. I even heard that there were wizards who buried him with their bodies."

"But there was no strange incident at that time..." Luna whispered.

Marcus nodded. "But that doesn't necessarily mean nothing happens without our knowledge. Given that this concerns Harry, I don't want to take the risk."

Harry understood Marcus's concerns, but he himself wasn't worried because his intuition said it wasn't something dangerous.

The evening of the 30th was bright and cold. The pale moon shone above the Forbidden Forest. The Hogwarts students filled the front and sides of the castle. Even the connecting corridor that clearly shows the front yard, is filled with curious students.

Harry stood at the front of the castle with the professors and a small part of the selected students. He stood between Ron and Hermione, in front of Marcus. There was an interlude between his group and other students. Perhaps it is the result of Marcus's domineering existence.

"It's almost six o'clock," said Ron, who looked at the road leading to the front gate. "What's up huh they are? Train?"

"I don't think so," Hermione said.

"Then, broom?"

Draco shrieked, "It can't be from such a far place..."

Ron glared at Draco who blatantly ignored his negative reaction.

Now, Draco Malfoy is different from his old self. Although he did look arrogantly at Ron with his head held high, he did not reply to his comment. He is now much calmer and more calculating. The young man cast a look at Harry, as if seeking approval. As Harry returned him with a nod, Malfoy's signature smug smile grew wider.

"Portkey?" Ron proposed, as if there was no Draco there. "Or can they apparate? Maybe in their place, they are allowed to do it under the age of seventeen?"

"You can't Apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds, how many times do I have to say?" said Hermione impatiently.

They looked at the darkening courtyard excitedly, but nothing moved. Everything was silent and quiet, and the same as usual. Harry began to feel cold. He hoped that the delegates would arrive soon....

Suddenly, a heavy cloak was spread over Harry's shoulders and covered him with warmth. His distinctive scent immediately told him who the owner of the robe was. Marcus stood behind him in a thin shirt, but did not appear cold at all. His heavy aura of magic buzzed around him, giving a warm touch that made Harry move back a step. Automatically, the man put his big arms around Harry's body and gave him complete protection from the cold. It could have overcome it with magic. But when there is Marcus, Harry doesn't bother to find other solutions.

"Aha! If I'm not mistaken, the Beauxbatons delegation is approaching!" exclaimed Dumbledore suddenly, he stood at the front with the professors, somewhat beside the swarming Hogwarts students.

"Where? Where?" the children immediately noisy, looking in various directions.

"That's it!" a sixth-year student shouted, pointing in the direction of the woods. Something big, bigger than a broom or, even a hundred brooms sliding against the backdrop of the dark blue sky towards the castle, getting bigger and bigger.

"It's a dragon!" the first-order little girl shouted, lost her mind.

"Idiot... it's a flying house!"

Dennis's guess is more correct. When the giant black object hovered over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the light shining from the carriage from the windows of the castle fell on it, they saw a blue giant horse-drawn carriage, whizzing towards them, pulled by a dozen golden-white horses each as big as an elephant.

The three rows of children who were in front retreated when the carriage slid down, stopped very suddenly. The beating sound was unusually loud, making Neville jump back and step on the feet of a Slytherin boy. The legs of horses larger than the dinner plate treaded the ground. A second later, his chariot also landed, jerking on its giant wheels, while its golden-furred horses plucled their enormous heads and twirled their large fiery red eyes.

Harry still had time to see that on the door of the carriage was plastered with a symbol of two crossed golden scepters, each of which took out three stars, before the door opened. Beauxbatons (bc: bobatong) does mean a beautiful stick.

A boy wearing a light blue robe jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, momentarily fumbled for something on the bottom of the carriage, and unfolded a set of golden stairs. He jumped back respectfully. Then Harry saw the biggest woman he had ever seen in a lifetime coming out of the carriage.

Now it is clear why the size of the carriage and horses are so big. Several children were shocked. Harry had only ever seen one other person who was as big as this woman, that was Hagrid. Their height is not as sharp as it is. Nevertheless, although he was used to seeing Hagrid's huge body, this woman still looked extraordinarily large. When he stepped into the glare of light from the Front Hall, there appeared to be his beautiful olive-skinned face; his eyes were big and black shiny, and his nose was a little hooked. Her hair was curled tightly shiny on the nape of her neck. From head to toe, he was covered in a black satin robe, and many beautiful big opal beads gleamed on his neck and big fingers.

Dumbledore began to applaud. The children, following his example, applauded. Many of them are tiptoeing, in order to be able to see this woman more clearly. The woman's face relaxed in a graceful smile and she walked towards Dumbledore, extending a sparkling hand. Although Dumbledore himself was a tall man, he almost didn't need to bend over to peck the hand.

"My dear Madame Maxime," he greeted. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Dumbly-dorr," Madame Maxima said in a deep voice. "I'mrap you okay?" the distinctive accent of *d'oïl sounded thickly in the ears of the British. (*language derived from the Gauls-Roman fusion.)

"Very good, thank you," Dumbledore said.

"My students," Madame Maxime said, waving one of her big hands with just a backwards.

Harry, who had been completely seized by Madame Maxime since just now, now noticed that about a dozen boys and girls, all of whom seemed to be eighteen or nineteen years old, had gotten out of the carriage and were now standing behind Madame Maxime. They trembled with cold. It is not surprising, because their robes were made of fine silk, and none of them wore coats.

Harry realized that they were showing a typical Parisian dress mode. He had visited France, so he knew how freely and creatively the wizards there were when expressing themselves. It's no surprise they wear this type of weather-inappropriate robes. Fortunately, they are wizards, so none of them will freeze to death.

"Has Karkaroff come?" Madame Maxime asked.

"He would arrive at any time," Dumbledore said. "Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you rather come in and warm up a little bit?"

"I think," Madame Maxime said. "But the horses..."

"Our Occult Animal Keeping Teacher will gladly take care of them," Dumbledore said.

Suddenly, a terrible odd sound sounded loudly from inside the darkness. Muffled squeams and suctions, as if a giant dust sucker was moving along the river bank....

"Lake!" chirped Lee Jordan, pointing to the lake.

"Look at the lake!" From their position on the top of the grassland overlooking the yard, they could clearly see the slippery and dark surface of the water--only that suddenly the surface was no longer slippery. A major disturbance was brewing deep in the water in the middle of the lake. Huge bubbles formed on its surface, and now a wave swept across its muddy banks and then, in the center of the lake appeared a whirlpool, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the bottom of the lake....

Something that looked like a long black pole slowly emerged from the center of that whirlpool... and then Harry looked at the rigging... I've had this vision, his inner self.

"It's the mast of the ship!"

Slowly, majestically, the ship emerged from the water, shimmering in the moonlight. Its appearance evokes the impression of a skeleton, as if it were a raised shipwreck, and the misty dim rays radiating from the holes of its window like a terrible spy. Finally, with a loud splash, the whole ship appeared, floating on the turbulent water, and began to slide inland. Moments later, they heard the sound of anchors being thrown into shallow water, and the dusting of boards lowered inland.

Many people began to get off the boat. They could all see the silhouettes passing through the light in the holes of the window. All of them, have a big profile and putty... but as they got closer and closer, walking across the grass field entering the light shining from the Front Hall, Harry saw that their bodies looked large because they were wearing thick and long coats.

It is not surprising because Durmstrang is in the north. It's unclear which northern Europe, but obviously, they are cold regions shrouded in snow. Some say that the school is located not far from Sweden and closer to the poles.

But the man who led them into the castle wore another kind of fur, shiny slippery and silvery, like his hair.

"Dumbledore!" he exclaimed kindly as he walked. "How are you, buddy, how are you?"

"Very well, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied.

Karkaroff's voice sounded sweet-sweet, and as he stepped into the light from the front door of the castle, they saw that he was a tall and thin man like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goat beard (whose tip was curved in small curls) did not completely hide the shape of his soft chin.

Upon arriving near Dumbledore, he shook Dumbledore's hand with both hands. "My dear Hogwarts," he said, looking at the castle and smiling. His teeth were yellowish and Harry noticed that his smile didn't reach his eyes. His eyes remained cold and cunning. "It's so good to be here, it's so nice... Viktor, come on, to a warm place... you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor was a little dizzy because of a little cold..."

Draco gasped next to him. "Victor Krum!" she whispered half squealing. Harry nudged him so he could get in control of himself soon. But Ron even almost fainted, so Harry didn't blame these passionate children of youth so much.

The three principals walked together while chatting, followed by the second entourage of the magic school. The Hogwarts students began to scatter in. But Harry and his entourage remained standing there, watching. As the group crossed them, Professor Karkaroff's cold eyes briefly stopped for a few seconds on Harry. It was enough to make Marcus move forward and shift to close Harry from his invisibility. The two men stared at each other, before finally Professor Karkaroff turned to the bed.

"What's the matter?" whispered Draco.

Harry shook his head. But it seems that he himself was aware of the interaction, because Victor Krum was staring at Harry. There was shock in his eyes, as if he could also recognize Harry. The young man gave him a polite nod, before his eyes fell on Draco who was standing by Harry's side. Marcus flicked the back of Draco's head to prevent him from suddenly fainting. In the end, Hermione pulled him away from the crowd as he saw him starting to lose oxygen.

Harry blinked his eyes, for a second his retina turned silver. Then, a smile expanded on his face. Marcus, who recognized the expression full of conspiracy, suddenly became in a cold sweat. He asked, "What's the matter?"

Harry's big smile hadn't disappeared, even wider, "No, no." He followed the group into the castle to attend the welcome ceremony. "It's going to be interesting," she whispered happily as she whistled merrily. The children walking next to him held their breath and gave him way, not wanting to get ahead of Harry. They cast a mixed look between fear and awe.

Guests are provided with a special room, while Hogwarts students wait in the Great Hall. Everything looked the same had there been no French food to decorate their table.

Dumbledore, who was standing on the podium, was giving a lecture as Argus Filch ran around excitedly past the table and gave a whisper to the principal's ear. Apparently, the group of foreign schools had been looking forward to entering the great hall.

Without spending much time, Dumbledore said, ".... Let us welcome the students of the Beauxbatons magic school and their principal Madame Maxime." The blue-clothed students walked in elegantly. The front row is the girls walking in a hurry. Their blonde hair was decorated with round hats and waved as if played with by a gentle wind. Blue glowing butterflies fluttered around them and spread throughout the room, spreading a sweet fragrance.

At the Gryffindor table, Ron looked so fascinated that his body also leaned in following the movements of the beautiful female student line. His eyes looked mischievous, following their curves. An exasperated Hermione, quietly pushed Ron's shoulder slightly and made him fall to the floor. Laughter rang at the Gryffindor table, followed by a bewildered Ron. Hermione suddenly pretended to be busy eating from just now on.

After Dumbledore invited Madame Maxime to sit at the teacher's desk and the Beauxbatons students took a place at Ravenclaw's table, the door of the hall was completely opened with a bang. This time the softness was replaced by the loud sound of regular and steady pace.

The mighty Durmstrang students appeared in line. They walked with long sticks that sparked flames as the tip was banged against the floor. The male students have short army-style hairstyles. They show strict military discipline and high collectiveness.

Durmstrang school of magic obviously adopts the typical Nordic society. It stands in the northernmost region of the European continent which is famous for having difficult terrain; made him look cold and hard. The north of Europe is an area filled with light, as well as darkness. There are times when the sun never rises to the Horizon line and sinks again for a long time. They call it Polar Night, a time when there is never a sunrise. This extreme contrast of light and darkness is due to the rotation of the earth and the position of the sun. The more north you go, the greater the contrast. His nature forged his people into formidable humans.

Of course, those who go to school in Durmstrang are not only Nordic. They even accepted students from the distant south of Europe such as Victor Krum who was originally Bulgarian.

Durmstrang couldn't be any different from the soft, light-filled Beauxbatons. Their characteristics are similar to Slytherin's, perhaps that's what underlies them choosing to sit in the snake dormitory. It's no coincidence that the same type of magic calls each other.

Harry sat in his usual place. Near the very front end of the long table, among the seniors. On both sides of it, sat the members of the Knight of Walpurgins of various grade levels. Among them were Durmstrang students and they did not hesitate to chat with each other.

Durmstrang school never accepted muggleborns, and even rarely halfbloods were accepted there. So, it's not surprising that there are fellow purebloods who know each other. After all, even if their dwellings are far apart, there are times when the purebloods are in the same place within the scope of their small group.

Of course Durmstrang students were aware of the somewhat different seating arrangements in Slytherin compared to other dorm tables. Usually the end-to-end settings are adjusted by grade level, but not entirely correct at the Slytherin table. Harry, who was supposed to be sitting in the middle because he was a fourth-year student, was now sitting at the very front of the desk, near the teacher's desk; a place that should only be filled by senior students. This clearly shows a form of power. There is no more plausible reason than that.

Especially when they saw how the Slytherins treated Harry. They blatantly call it Lord, or even King. Durmstrang's student representatives are certainly not fools, they wouldn't be here if that's the case. So they immediately recognized the existence of a disguised hierarchy in slytherin dormitory.

Everyone finds out who Harry Potter is. If it weren't for the legend to survive the Curse of Death, naturally from his actions reported by many media. His heroic actions at the Quidditch world cup are not only important to the British magical community, but also to the world. Not only ordinary people have been rescued by him, but also the higher-ups of the Ministry and the nobles of other countries. Had his age not been too young, there might have been many people who offered alliances with him, or even became his vassals.

It's no secret, he also bears the nickname of the prince of the wizarding world. Although Durmstrang is not in England, and not in the same Ministry, it is undeniable that Harry Potter's position is very special in the magic community as a whole. Because there is no other magic prince except Harry Potter!

"Hello, I'm Victor Krum."

"Harry Potter," Harry retorted, nodding. They didn't shake hands because the table in front of them was full of food. "I hope the journey here is smooth."

The young man smiled, "Surf blink of an eye," his eyes fell on Draco who was hiding his face in front of the red crab. But the red ears are still quite obvious. This made Victor raise his eyebrows intrigued.

"I hope no students bother you," Harry said as he looked at the other dorm boys who had begun to look up trying to see Victor Krum. "You can rest assured in Slytherin. I guarantee that there will be no children who suddenly ask for your autograph here." Next to him, Draco choked. Harry patted his back patiently, his attention not in the slightest escaped from Victor Krum, as if implying Draco used to choke and Harry always helped him.

"And you are?" asked Victor in the end.

"Draco Malfoy," he tried to sound cold and authoritative, but at the end of the sentence choked and his face was bright red. Harry thrust pumpkin juice on him.

"You'd better stop eating shrimp, it seems that you are allergic."

"I'm not allergic to shrimp, Potter," she hissed. Harry rolled his eyes, "Oh, is it because you want an autograph-" Draco kicked his leg secretly. Harry cast a desperate look at Victor, but to his surprise there was a flicker of interest in the young man's eyes when he saw Draco. Harry smiled secretly.

As the dinner ended, Durmstrang's delegsi resigned himself to returning to their ship to rest. As soon as the Durmstrang students left, the Slytherin students followed not far from them. Harry nodded at the members of the Knight of Walpurgins, he knew they would be waiting for him to lead Simhain tonight.

By the time Harry walked into the dormitory, and into a special room on the inside of the Knight of Walpurgins meeting room, Marcus and professor Prince were already waiting for him there. A large pentagram had been drawn in the center of the room, with small candles whose fire would continue to burn until November 1, as if it had never run out of fuel.

Having done so for the past two years, Harry understands the importance of this ritual to wizards. Especially for Hogwarts, which stands right on the le fay line. As they started the ritual, Harry, whose magic was currently fused with the land of Hogwarts, felt apparently it wasn't just his group that was performing this ritual. Apparently, there was a reason why durmstrang's delegation ended their night early. Harry could feel it when their magic touched each other, even Harry was sure that not only himself felt, but also Durmstrang's school of magic.

But there was one whose magic energy caught Harry's attention. As he slowly touched it, he realized that, the light that was standing alone was Barty jr. Harry smiled, and then he pulled the man's magic into his magic, and let the man taste a little darkness from Harry's pure magic.

He wanted to show him that black magic does not mean that it is as dirty and sickening as Voldemort's.

In a closed room full of protection runes, inside the castle, a man fell down and panted violently. The sound of his breathing echoed in the empty room. But his eyes rounded wide with anticipation. The pounding of his heart was so loud, a mixture of shock and enthusiasm.

Inside this castle is a Dark Lord and Barty knows who he is!