Professor Potter

Chapter 26

Chapter 26 

The final two weeks of the visit took on an almost routine nature. Harry had returned to staying over two nights a week while the three visiting teachers freely came and went from Meadow Crest. The nights that Harry was home invariably included some discussion of the day's lessons specifically or about education in general. Ginny and Abagail were regular participants now unless Professor Ivanov managed to steer the conversation towards Quidditch. At that point his wife would look for a book and Professor Dragonova would start a side conversation with Abagail about art. 

Everyone seemed to truly enjoy the exchanges but near the end of the month one discussion got very serious. Harry had been curious as to why nothing had been mentioned about the situation at Durmstrang. Since it was the root cause of why all this was occurring, he found it odd that it hadn't come up. So he raised the issue himself. 

"Professors, if it's not of out of keeping, can you offer any insight into what has been going on at Durmstrang these last few years?" 

The three Bulgarians looked at each other in obvious discomfort but eventually nodded and Professor Dragonova took a deep breath and said, 

"Please understand, Harry, that ve are all graduates of Durmstrang. Even Professor Markovic finished his schooling there. Ve find vot happened most embarrassing. No, I think the vord should be mortifying. Excluding myself ve all attended Durmstrang betveen thirty and forty years ago. For me it vas closer to fifty. Ve know that many do not appreciate the vay Durmstrang approached magical education, teaching only pure bloods and including practical instruction in the dark arts. But that is the vay it has always been done. But this situation goes vell beyond tradition," the older witch said, her expression grim. 

"Igor Karkoroff vas a foolish man. He vas a fool to get involved with Voldemort and a bigger fool to think he could ever be done vith him. Igor may not have actively encouraged the expansion of the dark arts, but it vas vell known his sympathies lay in that direction. Those who thought likevise vere therefore emboldened. After Igor's death, a schism occurred. You could say the dark side von. This new headmaster vas their leader. He had been taken on shortly before Igor died. It vasn't long before those who opposed this direction vere forced out. So here ve are." 

Harry could see that Eva was quite upset. He looked at her and said, 

"I'm sorry, Eva. I didn't appreciate how you might feel." 

She waved him off. 

"There is no need to apologize, Harry. You of all people deserve to know," she said. 

"You seem to be remarkably well informed," he went on. "It's been very difficult to find out anything specific up until now." 

"Vell, Harry, I guess that is because I vas an eye vitness. I taught potions at Durmstrang for over twenty years. I vas von of those that vas pushed out." 

Harry gave her a rueful smile and laughed a bit, then shook his head. 

"It shouldn't be a surprise, I suppose. Our conversations were loaded with clues if I had really been paying attention. You talk like someone who knows her way around a classroom," Harry said, then he looked at her closely. "If you had all this first hand information why wait until now to say anything?" 

"Harry, imagine if Voldemort had been successful in his attempt to take over Hogvarts. Vould you have been so ready to talk about being unable to stop vot happened?" 

"I guess I can appreciate that," he said. 

"For those of us that had to leave, it vas a very traumatic time. One of my colleagues vas so despondent he killed himself," she replied, looking at Harry. "You know vot it is to lose those close to you. Perhaps that is vhy I chose to speak of this to you."