The Agreement

Durmstrang Library, Feb. 24 th

"So you're going to be traveling around all summer playing Quidditch?" Harry asked, trying to hide his disappointment. He had hoped to invite Viktor over for a little bit this summer, but that wasn't going to be possible now.

"Yes, I can't wait," Viktor said excitedly. "There are two junior national teams in Bulgaria, and I am the youngest person ever to be selected as a Seeker."

"How did they find out how good you are?" Harry knew Nathan wasn't in the same league as Viktor, but his brother would probably be interested in knowing anyway.

"A member of the Bulgarian Department for Magical Games and Sports is a Durmstrang alumnus. My family is rather influential in Bulgaria and my uncle asked him to come and take a look at me as a personal favor. He attended my last two games, and I got a letter in December telling me that I was a finalist for the open Seeker spot on one of the junior national teams. Today, the news came that I got the spot!"

"Congratulations, Viktor. You deserve it."

"Thank you, Harry," Viktor replied with a beaming smile. "It will be a lot of hard work but I'm certain tha–"

"As interesting as all this is, Krum, I need to speak with Potter."

Harry and Viktor turned around. Standing directly behind them was a bored-looking Calypso.

Viktor narrowed his eyes at the much smaller girl. "What do you want with Harry?"

"Don't worry, Krum, I'm not going to hurt your tutor."

"Harry," Viktor said hesitantly, "I did not know you knew Ro-"

"Please," Calypso interrupted again, "call me Calypso, Viktor. Now, Potter, do you have a moment? I need your help with something."

"Alright, Calypso." Harry slowly stood up, wondering exactly what the history between Viktor and Calypso was. She was just a first year, after all. "Viktor, I'll catch up with you later, alright?"

Viktor nodded his head, but Harry noticed him mouth the words 'be careful' as he turned to leave. Confused, Harry followed Calypso to a table over by the Dark Arts section of the library. He felt several silencing and privacy charms around the table, and couldn't help but be slightly impressed.

"Good charms work."

Looking completely impassive, Calypso met Harry's eyes and, slowly, a smile graced her face. "I wish I could take the credit, but my father charmed this table so that only I or those I invite to sit here are able to use it."

"How did he do that? I could see the table, and I didn't feel any aversion to coming over and sitting down here."

Rolling her eyes, Calypso said, "Trust me, had you actually sat down and not been invited by me, you would have noticed very quickly that you didn't belong here."

Deciding that he didn't want to know exactly what curses were on the chair he was currently sitting in, Harry asked, "So what is it that you need?"

"Very well," Calypso said, her voice suddenly becoming eerily devoid of emotion. "I'm stuck in first year Charms and Transfiguration classes with a bunch of idiots. You are already in third year Charms and Transfiguration and, from all appearances, are Professor Rosemburg's new favorite student. I'd like for you to help me skip my second year in Charms and Transfiguration."

Harry thought about it. He felt that he certainly owed Calypso for helping him, and, so far, she had not been at all hostile towards him like others in his year. Still, helping her pass her second year in two classes would take a lot of time, and he, unfortunately, didn't have a lot of that to spare. Besides the time he spent with Viktor, Harry was almost overwhelmed with trying to get caught up in Transfiguration, Charms, and Spell Creation. Still, Calypso had helped him. Biting his lip, he replied, "I don't have the time to help you with both classes, but I'll do my best to help you out in one of them. Let me know which class you eventually decide on, and I'll work with you."

When Harry started to stand up, Calypso immediately reached out and grabbed his arm, preventing him from leaving. Turning back to face her, Harry saw a look of undisguised anger on her face. He was about to draw his wand to force Calypso to let go of him when she abruptly released him and the anger left her face. "I apologize, Harry, but it is very important that I move ahead in both classes."

"And I don't have the time," Harry said with some bite in his voice.

"What if I can make it worth your time? I'll agree to help you with something in exchange for you helping me in both classes?"

"Oh?" Harry asked curiously. "What do you think I need?"

"From what I hear, you have been rather bored in Professor Grausam's class. I can help you jump a year in the Dark Arts."

"You're in second year Dark Arts?"

Calypso smirked victoriously. "No, I'm currently in the third year Dark Arts class, and I'm one of the best duelists. Your friend's bitch of a girlfriend has yet to even land a spell on me during our duels."

Now Harry understood what Viktor meant by 'Be careful.' Third year was when Durmstrang essentially broke from Hogwarts and Beauxbatons' Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum and started to become more of a Dark Arts class. If Calypso had managed to test into the third year class as a first year, she must have had some extensive and rather frightening training at home from her parents.

"What do you say?" she asked.

Harry knew that his parents would probably want him to say no. Regardless of what Quirrell had told him, Harry had listened to his father when he talked about the dangerous nature of the Dark Arts, and that wasn't something he could just forget. The few dark spells Quirrell had taught him and what he had so far learned at Durmstrang weren't that dangerous, and they would be considered less than nothing if Harry actually took all seven years in the Dark Arts at Durmstrang.

Still, it seemed like Professor Grausam had taken Harry's success in his class as a personal insult. The professor was now forcing two students to fight him at once, and Harry was forced to dedicate a lot of his already sparse time to making sure his dueling spells were up to par. So far, Harry had continued to win whenever it was his turn to duel, but he knew his classmates truly hated him now, and the last few duels had been too close. He didn't even want to think about what his peers would do if they were finally able to disarm him in a duel; Merlin knows Professor Grausam probably wouldn't stop them from taking turns cursing him without his wand. Moving ahead a year would not only relieve some of the animosity Harry's peers had for him, but even if it didn't, it could still send a message that he was not someone they wanted to mess with. Jumping a year in the Dark Arts would definitely tell people he was no pushover, and all the people who still wanted to curse him would know that he had started to learn some more dangerous magic.

Feeling that he really didn't have a choice in the matter, Harry said, "Alright Calypso, you have a deal."