39 What's in a Name

Dark Arts Classroom, March 17 th

"What is the difference between a regular magical creature and a Dark creature?"

"While a regular magical creature can be dangerous, they are dangerous because of their animal nature. For example a manticore or acromantula will kill a wizard and eat him to survive, but a Dark creature will attack even if it isn't hungry. Dark creatures attack for the sake of hurting someone, not simply to eat."

"Describe a Dark creature you might encounter during your time at Durmstrang."

"A boggart is the most likely. They've been found here before, and they traditionally like dark, confined spaces. "

"Alright, last question. What is the best way to identify a Pogrebin?"

"Well, sudden feelings of hopelessness and depression when you were previously feeling fine is an indicator. Also, if you ever notice a rock that isn't covered by snow in winter, it is most likely a Pogrebin. Their natural body heat melts snow before it can build up on them, making it obvious that they are not really rocks."

Calypso put down the first and second year Dark Arts examination questions. "This is the last time I'm going to ask you any of these questions. Why do they even bother testing us on the theory if the questions are going to be this easy? "

"I don't know. Maybe they make the theory exam easy so that students can focus more on the practical stuff."

"Are you good with the Dark Arts? I've been meaning to ask you a question about animation charms."

"I'm fine," Harry replied. "What's your question?

"How do I get a single animation charm to have multiple effects? Professor Kosarev used an animation charm today, and he made a banana not only start to dance, but sing also. Is it a more advanced spell, or..."

Harry smiled as he listened to Calypso list off her theories on why a single charm could have multiple effects. Working with Calypso was a lot different than working with Viktor. When Viktor didn't know or understand something, Harry knew that he'd have to help him. Fortunately, Harry found that by re-teaching and explaining things to Viktor, it helped him better master the material. Working with Calypso was a refreshing change of pace. Instead of needing to give Calypso the answers, Harry found that she liked to talk out the problem and to try to solve it herself first. Whenever she would get stuck or start going in the wrong direction, he would point out something she didn't think of, but, generally, Calypso would reach the conclusion by herself without too much of his help.

"...perhaps he sent a second spell that I didn't notice. He could have–"

"Calypso, it's not an advanced spell or anything. When you got your apple to dance for the first time, was the animation as good as it is now?"

"No," she said slowly, "it wasn't very good at all."

"So, if your animation charm got better the more you practiced it, what does that tell you?"

"That eventually the spell could be used for more complicated animations?"

Harry grinned. "Got it in one. The spell is the same, but Professor Kosarev has just practiced it more and has better control over what he wanted to happen. Do you want to try multiple animations or something?"

"I was hoping to use one on my final project, but it might be too advanced. I'll have to come up with something else."

"At least you have an idea what you're going to do," Harry muttered.

"You don't?" Calypso asked, surprised. "Have you started thinking about it at all? It does have to be good enough to get you into third year Dark Arts, and from what the other students say about Grausam, he likes grandiose and impressive projects, not just advanced spells."

"I've thought about it a little, but I just can't think of anything impressive enough. Viktor's been asking me what I plan to do for Transfiguration and Charms, and I haven't told him because I don't know."

"Have you considered combining the projects for a few classes so you don't have to work as much?"

"You can do that?"

"You just need to alert the instructors beforehand so they can make sure that their schedules coordinate appropriately," Calypso explained. "I had thought about doing a Charms and Dark Arts project, but that's not likely to happen if I can't do multiple animations."

"What were you planning on doing?"

"The Charms aspect was going to involve household charms and animation, while the Dark Arts would have been demonstrating the use of household charms in a duel."

"Sounds...complicated," Harry said as he tried to think how one could use household charms and the Dark Arts. Whatever Calypso had planned, he probably didn't want to know too much about it. "Well, you could still probably use some household charms in your project if you want. Those are generally taught at the start of third year, and I could let you borrow my book to read about them." Harry went to his bag and quickly handed Calypso his Charms book.

"Thanks," she said, placing the book into her own bag. "Do you want to work on anything else?"

"I think that's enough for today," Harry said. "I'm supposed to meet Viktor for lunch anyway."

"I'll see you in Spell Creation tomorrow then," Calypso said as she grabbed her bag and left the room.

Harry quickly gathered his books and put the few desks they'd moved back into place. While Calypso didn't care about leaving Grausam's room a disorganized mess, Harry had no desire to further antagonize his Dark Arts professor. Once everything was back to normal, he walked out of the room and placed a locking charm on the door.

Entering the Main Hall, Harry muttered a curse under his breath when he saw that Kira was sitting next to Viktor. Harry contemplated turning around and getting food later, but just as he was about to leave, Viktor looked up and waved at him. Walking over to the table, Harry sat down across from Viktor and Kira.

"Hey Viktor," Harry said, "How was your practice this morning?"

"It was alright. Nicolai took a Bludger to his hand, and he called practice off early so that he could go to the hospital wing."

"And you actually left early?" Harry asked.

"Well, no," Viktor admitted. "I stayed for an hour or so to practice drills."

"Kosarev should just name you the captain," Kira said haughtily. "You're the most dedicated and talented person on the team."

"I'm also one of the youngest players, and it is rare for Seekers to be named the captain anyway."

"That shouldn't matter," Harry said, somewhat surprised to be agreeing with Kira. From the look on her face, his support was not particularly wanted.

"No one is named a captain before their fifth year. Ever. It's tradition. I will probably be named captain next year when Nicholai graduates."

"I still say that you deserve it," Kira said stubbornly. "You design most of the plays, you book the field, and you practice longer than anyone else. By Zeus, Viktor, you already do most of the things that Nicolai is supposed to be doing."

Viktor gritted his teeth in frustration. He had been doing most of the captain's duties for the last two years, but Kosarev still hadn't given him the title. More than once Viktor had seriously considered injuring Nicolai during practice, but he knew if he did that, his team mates would never accept him as the new captain. Even with all that Viktor did for the team, Nicolai was far more popular. Wanting to think about something else, Viktor asked, "What time do you want to practice Charms tonight, Harry?"

Harry's eyes widened. "Oh, I'm sorry, Viktor, I forgot that we were supposed to practice tonight. Calypso and I were practicing this morning, and I lent her my Charms book. I'll have to go and get my book back. I suppose I can duplicate the pages she wanted to look at on household charms."

"Wait, wait just a minute. You," Kira pointed her finger directly at Harry, "are friends with–"

"No," Viktor interrupted, "they just practice spells together. Right, Harry?"

Harry looked between Viktor and Kira in confusion. "I don't know. I mean, I enjoy spending time with Calypso. She's actually really smart and very talented –"

"That bitch," Kira snapped, "is not talented. Old man Rosier should have smothered her at birth if you ask me."

Harry felt his heart skip a beat. Rosier? He knew that name. The entire family was said to have been as dark as the Lestranges, and Death Eaters to boot, but the family line was supposed to have ended. "Calypso's last name is Rosier?" he asked weakly.

"You're friends with her, and you don't even know her last name? What's wrong with you, Pott–" Kira's eyes suddenly widened, and a moment later she started to laugh uproariously. "You didn't know! You didn't know that her father was one of the last Dark Lord's followers!"

Turning to Viktor, Harry asked, "Did you know that Calypso was a Rosier?"

Viktor met his friend's eyes and stoically replied, "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Harry demanded.

"You seemed happy, and you just admitted that you think of her as a friend," Viktor said tiredly. "I...dislike the Rosier family for my own reasons, and, as long as she didn't try to harm you, I saw no reason to ruin the closest thing you had to a friend near your age."

"I-I need to go," Harry said, quickly standing up and leaving the Main Hall.

As he walked down the hallway and up the main staircase, Harry thought back to what he knew about the Rosier family. He had overheard Sirius talking about how he and his cousin Andromeda despised Andromeda's mother, Druella Black, nee Rosier. Sirius had called her a 'twisted old hag', and Andromeda apparently blamed her mother for turning her sisters against her. There was also another Rosier that Harry knew his mother absolutely hated. The only time Harry had ever heard his mother swear was when Sirius mentioned Evan Rosier. That Rosier had apparently hurt one of his mother's friends back at Hogwarts, but she refused to talk about it beyond that.

Reaching the top of the staircase, Harry immediately made a right heading down the girls' corridor. As he walked past all the doors, Harry realized just how many fewer girls were at Durmstrang than boys. By the time it would have taken him to get to his own room on the boys side, he had reached the Rs. Racsner, Raymond, Reiginald, and Rheinstein, soon gave way to Rippling, Rolland, and then Rosier.

Harry knocked on the door and waited.

After a few moments, the door opened and Calypso stood there looking surprised to see him. "Potter. What do you need?"

"We need to talk," Harry said, brushing past Calypso and walking into her room. Once inside, Harry came to a very abrupt stop.

The room was massive! His entire room could have fit into the space of Calypso's living room. A couch was pushed against a far wall, and a much more elegant desk was sitting in a corner.

Turning around, Harry asked, "Are all the girls' rooms this size?"

Calypso laughed. "No, Potter, my father felt that while living like a peasant would be alright for some, it was not acceptable for a Rosier to live as such."

"He must have used a space expanding charm on the entire room." Harry began to walk around the room, and he wondered if more people altered their room like this. "He probably transfigured the desk, maybe even conjured the couch. What's through that door?" he asked, gesturing to a door that seemingly shouldn't have been there.

"Do you really think that I sleep on a couch? That's my room with an attached loo."

"That…would be beyond anything I could do. I'd need to transfigure the walls or manipulate the space enhancement charm. Not to mention the attached loo. You'd need to figure out how to get the water to work, and I don't have the first idea where to begin something like that," Harry thought out loud. "I think I could do everything else. Some of the transfiguration and charms I'd have to practice, but I'm sure I could figure it out before the end of the term."

"Figured out what you're going to do for your final project?" Calypso asked knowingly.

Harry just turned and nodded his head. "What do you think? Would that be good enough?"

"To get an 'M?'" Calypso asked. "I don't know, but it'll definitely get you a 'J' which would be good enough for you to pass."

"M? J?" Harry asked, looking confused. "What are you talking about?"

Calypso wasn't able to keep the surprise of her face. "Hasn't anyone explained the final grade scoring system here to you yet?"

Harry just shook his head, causing Calypso to scowl slightly.

"While we use the standard owl system for tests and such, the final grades are calculated differently," Calypso explained patiently. "There are three grades you can receive at the end of year which are considered passing. Although, technically, only two of them allow you to move up a year level. The best grade you can get on your final project is an 'M.' It stands for Master, and it's awarded to the best student in each class for that year. The next passing grade is 'J' for Journeyman. If you don't get an 'M' and you want to move on to the next level in a course, you need to get a J. After a J is an 'A,' or Apprentice. This grade is passing, but you have to retake the course next year. Basically, it's a do-over."

"Next are the three failing grades. 'B' stands for 'Blood-traitor'--" Harry scowled darkly, but Calypso simply ignored him-- "--and results in you failing the course. You can petition the teacher to let you back into the class the next year, but unless the teacher really likes you, you probably won't be allowed. I hear your friend Krum is rather familiar with this grade. Worse than a 'B' is an 'S' for Squib. If you get an 'S' you fail the course and can't ever take a course in that subject ever again. That means if you get an 'S' in second year Transfiguration, you can never take a Transfiguration class at Durmstrang ever again. You are also banned from checking out books in the library on that subject–"

"What!" Harry exclaimed in horror. "So if you fail, you can't even study the information any longer?"

"Of course," Calyspo said, looking at Harry as though he were stupid. "Why should the school let someone borrow a book when they've already proven their uselessness in the subject? By letting the moron check out that book, you are stopping someone competent from reading it."

As strange as it seemed, Harry couldn't help but somewhat agree. If you couldn't do the work, why should you stop someone else from learning? "I--well, I suppose that makes sense."

"Yes, I'm sure the Highmaster will be glad you approve, Potter. Now, if you get four or more 'S's in your time at Durmstrang, you are expelled. That's why a lot of people who get As or Bs just stop taking some courses--it's better to just stop than to potentially get an S. Finally, the worst grade you can get is a lowercase 'm' which stands for Muggle. This grade is given out to the worst student in each class for each year. The students who are awarded the uppercase and lowercase 'M's for each class are read off during the welcoming feast at the start of each year, so it's a great deal of pride or embarrassment to receive one."

Harry shook his head. "Hogwarts is a lot different."

"I know. My family was living in Britain during the 1970s and so my father sent my brother to Hogwarts. I think it's stupid to let people who routinely fail a class to continue taking it after their fifth year."

The mention of her father and brother brought Harry back to his reason for the visit. "Why didn't you tell me you were a Rosier?"

Calypso's face quickly became devoid of any emotion. "What would you have done if I had introduced myself as Calypso Rosier and then proceeded to give you a Dark Arts book?"

"I don't know," Harry admitted.

"I'll tell you what you would have done, Potter. You would have ignored my advice, or asked Krum what he knew about me. The broomloon would have confirmed how terrible my family is, or told you that I'm dangerous because I'm better than his girlfriend at the Dark Arts. I need your help to get out of first year Charms and Transfiguration, so, yes, I avoided telling you my last name. I'm not sorry that I kept it from you."

Harry sighed. "You don't know that's what I would have done."

"Of course it is," Calypso said dismissively. "My family is one of the most notorious practitioners of the Dark Arts in Europe. You would have avoided me at all costs. The only reason you're even here now is because you've seen I'm not an evil, twisted, dark witch, and you're curious about my family."

"I also told Viktor that you were my friend," Harry snapped, slightly unnerved by how well Calypso could read his intentions.

"Well, you know who I am now, Potter. Do you still want to be my friend? I can just imagine what your parents would say."

"They'd...." Harry stopped. He wasn't sure if his parents probably would understand. Changing the subject, Harry asked, "I thought the Rosier family line had died out. My uncle Sirius said that Evan Rosier was the last."

"That was a bit of misinformation. My father was injured very badly in 1980, and he spent the rest of the war recovering in France. My mother died giving birth to me in 1979 and when my brother Evan died, I was hidden by my first cousin. Very few people knew my mother was pregnant, and those that did know were family or...associates of my father. They kept me safe and stopped anyone from knowing about me until my father was able to get me out of Britain."

"So your brother is Evan Rosier?" Harry asked.

Calypso nodded.

If Calypso's brother went to Hogwarts with his parents in the seventies, that would make her father... "Wow," Harry said, "your father must be really old."

"If you ever meet my father, I wouldn't call him old." Calypso smiled. "But yes, I guess you could say that I was a bit of a surprise."

"So, um..."

"Just ask Harry," Calypso prodded. "I know you want to know."

"Your father was a Death Eater," Harry said bluntly. "How do I know that you...well, how do I know that –"

"How do you know that I'm not trying to use you somehow?"

"Well, yeah."

Calypso sighed. "You know, Harry, we're a lot alike. Most of the school judged you the second you arrived here based on your name. It was the same for me, except while people instantly dislike you for being a talented half-blood, it took them about a week to hate me."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on Potter, surely you've heard a few things about me. I was put into a third year Dark Arts class, which only a handful of people have ever managed. My room is huge for a first year, and my father's relationship with the Highmaster is well known. Everyone thought that I was getting special privileges because of who I was."

"But you're good at the Dark Arts. People would have realized that you weren't getting special treatment for that."

"Oh, they did realize," Calypso said, a dark look crossing her face. "They realized it when I started to show how talented a duelist I am. But do you really think that made me any friends? I heard a rumor that you got jumped for doing well in your third year classes. Is that true?" Without waiting for Harry to answer, Calypso continued, "I wouldn't be surprised at all if it is true. Now, if people got upset at you for just doing better academically, how do you think that a third year would take it if they were routinely embarrassed in a duel by a first year?"

Harry winced slightly. "Not well."

"No," Calypso said dryly, "that's an understatement. My classmates started throwing darker spells at me, and I had to adapt. Harry, do you know why I need to get into third year Charms and Transfiguration?"

"Because your classmates are idiots," Harry replied.

"No, that's why I want to skip second year Charms and Transfiguration. I need to move ahead because if I don't, it won't matter what curses I know. If I can't cast a shield charm, I'll eventually grow tired from dodging and get cursed. If I can't de-animate advanced charms or cancel advanced transfigurations, I could get really hurt. I'm not dueling first years, Potter. I've cursed older students with dark magic. If you think the students in your Dark Arts class want to hurt you, how do you think my classmates feel about me?"

"This still doesn't explain why I should trust you," Harry said with just a touch of sympathy. "You're a Rosier. You could be–"

"And you're a Potter!" Calypso shouted. "I'm not my father, just like you're not your father or brother. Merlin, you're at Durmstrang! I don't think a Potter has ever come to this school, so obviously people don't have to be their families."

"Have you told your father about me?" Harry asked, looking Calypso straight in the eyes.

Calypso met his gaze unflinchingly. "No. He doesn't even know that I've talked to you. Like I said, Potter, I really need your help."

After a moment, Harry broke eye contact. "Alright, I believe you."

Extending her hand, Calypso said, "Calypso Rosier. Nice to meet you."

"Harry Potter. Likewise."

"So, are we good?"

"Yeah, I think we are...provided you ask your father what spells he used to expand your room."

Calypso smiled. "Deal. I'll see you tomorrow, Harry."

"Have you had lunch?" Harry asked. "I sort of walked out on Viktor and Kira after I found out who you are, and I haven't eaten."

"Are you sure that you want to be seen eating with me?" Calypso asked with a grin. "People will talk if they see us sitting together."

"It's not like either of our classmates will like us any less."

"True."

Walking back downstairs with Calypso, Harry couldn't help but think that perhaps he had just made another friend. Biting his lip, Harry wondered if being friends with Calypso would be a good thing or a bad thing. Either way, he wouldn't be mentioning in his letters home that he had started to enjoy spending his free time studying the Dark Arts with Calypso Rosier. He doubted very much that anything good would ever come from that.