In his shadow

Chapter 9. Coming to Durmstrang

Harry POV

"Come, Harry, we need to be there soon!" I heard Viktor say from downstairs while I tried to bring my trunk downstairs. 

Dad was crying while I said goodbye, but I knew we would see each other soon. We had to leave quickly, so we would be at the Thames in time.
The big ship was already there and just made in on time. Victor was escorting me through the ship down to our room. 

"Seems like there aren't many others here already." I said, and Victor nodded. "Most students are Bulgarian, obviously. They are entering in Bulgaria. So we will be alone for the next twelve hours." Victor explained, falling down on his bed.
 After some awkward silence, I gathered my courage and asked something that had been on my mind for some time now. 

"Victor, why did you become a beta-brother? Didn't you have a big quidditch carrier?" The older man turned his head to me and sat up. He sighed, and I thought he would tell me to drop it.
"Being a national player isn't all great. Especially when you are sucked into this really young. You meet so many fake people, and your job is only safe until the next season. You need to start to play the role of a hero for all the fans, and it isn't like Quidditch wasn't dangerous. It was actually the Triwizard Tournament that opened my eyes. The way Hogwarts treats their students, especially Alphas and Omegas, that made me realize the importance of beta-brothers, or -sisters. Everyone needs someone to guide them, and I just felt like I was doing good, whether it is protecting an Omega or keeping back an Alpha." he explained. 

And it made sense. There would be so much different if Hogwarts had beta-brothers and -sisters.
"Attention, we are sinking!" we heard a loud voice, and I became scared.
Sinking? Was the ship leaking? Are we going to die?!

"Harry, calm down. It means we are going underwater, and we aren't allowed to go on deck anymore. We are completely safe." Victor grabbed my hand.
Suddenly we heard a knock on our door. Victor went to open and was attacked by a big figure. 

"Victor, how have you been? How is your family?" The voice had a strong accent and sounded somewhat familiar. They began to talk in Bulgarian, and I was able to put a name to the voice. 

Igor Karkaroff, headmaster of Durmstrang.

I cuddled up under my blanket and looked outside through the window I had just spotted (even though you couldn't see much but water.)
"And look what we got here!" I heard Karkaroff say in English, and I turned around. Oh, he spotted me. 

He came over to me and knelt down in front of my bed. "You must be Harry, right? The son of Sirius Black?" the Alpha asked, and I nodded.
"I can hug you, can I?" he asked out of the blue. My eyes strayed to Victors, who just mouthed 'he is a little crazy'. "Okay." I mumbled and was engulfed in strong arms. 

"You know, your uncle was one of my best friends when we were younger." No, I did not know. I didn't even know father had a sibling!
I was (luckily) let go and Karkaroff stood up. "Well, young Harry, my office is always open to all my students, and if you have questions that Victor can't answer, feel free to visit me. I have to go, we will see each other at the feast!" 

And there he left. 

"I am sorry Harry, I should have warned you. We are rather touchy, and Karkaroff is no exception." Victor apologized, but I didn't care much. Better than being aggressive was cuddly. 

And there popped another question into my head. "Why do I not have to learn Bulgarian? I hope I am not being an inconvenience, forcing you to learn English..." I looked on the ground and played with my fingers.
 Victor sat down next to me rubbing my shoulder. "In sixth and seventh year, we have all lessons in English, so that we can learn the language even better. In Bulgaria, wizards have been living far away from muggles for centuries, this way they couldn't adopt their skills. So many of us leave Bulgaria to study and bring back new skills in medicine, wand making etcetera. And knowing English is really important because of that. And being bilingual has benefits on your brain too!" he explained.
"But for now, what do you think: Should I send my mate this necklace or the bracelet?" he asked holding up a delicate gold necklace with a matching bracelet, a little dragon charm attached to both. 

"The bracelet, definitely." "And do you think he will like it more if I enchant the dragon to move a bit, or is that too distracting?"
"Don't, we are all a little ticklish."
"You know Harry, it makes it so much easier, now that I can ask you. I think I just don't have the sense for good presents, and asking someone that knows a bit makes me a little more confident." 

Wow, the tall, muscular Beta Victor Krum was insecure about his presents to his mate. After I had helped him decided on some other things, he asked: "Should I send chocolate?" 

"Always."

We went on like this for the next hours, and slowly the rooms around us started to fill, if the noises outside had any meaning.
Victor helped me to put on the festive school uniform (the one from the yule ball) and I it must say, it was fairly easy! I could have done it by myself, if I had known how to, and I didn't even know how to tie a tie! 

I felt how we raised for the last time, and Victor pulled me after him on deck, and I was able to see the school for the first time: There was the castle of Durmstrang, school of wizardry and witchcraft. 

And it looked so welcoming, I knew I wanted to explore this place right away!

A/N: What do we think?

To the question:

Do you get seasick?

I don't, but my sister and my mom.

MeineKeime