Meet the Godfather

Paris, June 6th

Easily landing on the ground, Harry laughed when he saw his uncle lose his balance and fall. Compared to the trip to Durmstrang, the international Portkey that took Harry and Sirius to France seemed like nothing.

"Shut up," Sirius grumbled. "Just because you're used to Portkeys that take you to Siberia doesn't mean that the rest of us are accustomed to international travel."

"Durmstrang is not in Siberia," Harry said. "I was just kidding when I told Nathan that."

"Do you really expect me to believe you?" Sirius asked incredulously. "That kind of disinformation is too perfect! I bet Durmstrang told you to tell your family exactly where the school is located, knowing that we thought you couldn't say where it was. It's the perfect cover! Besides, my mother wanted to send me there, and dear old Mum was a bitch to her very core. There is no way she'd send me to Durmstrang unless it was in one of the most hellish places on earth. Therefore, it must be in Siberia."

Harry was prepared to point out exactly how insane Sirius' logic sounded when he caught a glimpse of the stadium. The massive structure stood several hundred feet above the treeline, and Harry could see several tent villages that had been set up by fans who would be spending the night.

Located in the heart of the Bois de Boulogne, Harry was amazed at the quality of Muggle-repelling wards placed around the stadium. Standing from a vantage point on the hill, Harry could actually see some Muggles at the edge of the ward look disoriented and then quickly turn around and head off in a different direction. Clearly the French Ministry was upset about losing out to England for this year's World Cup, and they were doing their best to point out to the examining board just how much they deserve to host the world cup of 2002.

As Harry and Sirius got closer to the stadium, Harry could see that the outer walls seemed to be constructed out of pristine marble. Passing the main gates, Harry and Sirius showed their tickets to the nearest usher, who quickly summoned a house elf to show them to their seats.

"This be your box, sirs," the elf said after leading Harry and Sirius up a very long winding staircase. "Should you be needing anything at all, please call for Nilly, and she be getting you what you need."

When the elf popped away, presumably to help someone else, Harry pushed open the door to the box suite. He spotted Kira standing in the far right corner, and the two of them exchanged a dark look.

"Don't talk to me, and we won't have problems," Kira spat in German.

Smiling brightly, Harry replied, "Nice to see you too."

Noticing a large buffet table on the other side of the room from Kira, Harry immediately walked over and started making himself a sandwich.

"You know," Sirius said, following Harry over to the buffet table and placing some food on his plate, "German really does sound like an angry language. I don't know how you can stand to speak it all the time at Durmstrang. I could have sworn that girl wanted to curse you there for a second."

"You get used to it," Harry replied, ignoring the fact that Kira was, in fact, not happy to see him.

"So," Sirius smirked, "got any inside information on this match? Your mum told me about your little gambling thing a few years back. You still betting?"

"No, I told her I'd stop, and I did," Harry said honestly. "If you want an inside tip, just bet on Viktor to catch the snitch. He always does."

The sound of the door opening caught Harry's attention, and he turned around in time to see Calypso hesitantly walk into the box. Harry could feel his heartbeat quicken. Knowing that his godfather was standing next to him, Harry cleared his mind and did his best to remain calm.

Calypso seemed to have no intention of ignoring Harry, and she walked over, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Hello, Harry," she said in German before glancing at Sirius curiously. "I expected your father to look more like you to be honest."

"My dad couldn't make it," Harry explained before quickly switching languages and turning to Sirius. "Uncle Sirius, this is my friend Calypso."

Sirius grinned down at the girl. "Nice to meet you, Calypso."

"Do you speak German, Mr. Black?" Calypso asked curiously.

Looking back at his godson, Sirius asked, "What did she say?"

"She asked if you speak German." Turning to Calypso, Harry asked, "Do you mind if we speak English?"

"I think not." Calypso's eyes sparked with mirth before she said, "You don't have the slightest idea what I am saying to you, Mr. Black? I could call you an ignorant piece of ashwinder piss and as long as I smile pleasantly at you, you wouldn't have a clue."

Harry's eyes widened and he fought down the urge to laugh.

Seeing his godson's expression, Sirius quickly looked for an explanation. "Harry, what did she say?"

"She said it's nice to meet you," Harry quickly lied, trying not to laugh.

Smiling, Calypso took a step closer to Harry and kissed him.

At the back of his mind, Harry briefly registered Sirius' gasp of surprise before he let his emotions take over. Eventually, they separated and Harry turned towards his gaping Godfather.

"But, I, she, how? When?" Sirius sputtered. "Harry, you have a girlfriend!"

Unable to keep the smile off his face, Harry replied, "I know I do."

"How long have you had a girlfriend?" Sirius demanded, a huge grin making its way across his face. "And why didn't you tell us? Come on kiddo, give me all the details. Does she speak English?"

Calypso just stared at Sirius with a deceptively blank look on her face.

"Okay, so she doesn't speak English," Sirius stated. "How long have you been dating? Who is she?"

"Yes, Harry," Calypso said, placing her arms around him. "I can't possibly understand what you and your godfather are talking about."

Sirius grinned at Calypso's actions and watched his godson's face heat up in embarrassment at something the girl said. "You little dog, Harry! It seems like your animagus form isn't the only thing you take after yours truly!"

Calypso immediately stopped smiling and she looked sharply up at her boyfriend. "He knows you're trying to become an animagus?"

"Yes, he's been helping me learn how to transform," Harry whispered, doing his best to keep their conversation from Kira. The angry girl had turned sharply at the word and was openly glaring at Harry, Sirius, and Calypso. Harry simply rolled his eyes and did his best to ignore her. Kira had only grown more insufferable since he had found his form, and he had absolutely no intention of helping her anymore. Even Viktor admitted his girlfriend's attitude was starting to grate.

"Have you been able to transform yet?" Calypso asked interestedly. "I still haven't been able to find my form."

"Don't worry, you'll find it, we know you have one," Harry said confidently. "And no, I haven't been able to transform. I've made some progress, and maybe if it was the only thing I was working on this summer, I could do it, but I can't dedicate all my time to the transformation."

"What else are you working on?"

Watching the byplay between his godson and his girlfriend, Sirius barked out a laugh before going over to the buffet table and making himself something to eat.

"A little of this, and a little of that. Something tells me I'm not the only one who's preparing for the Tri-Wizard, Calypso. You honestly don't expect me to tell you what I've got up my sleeve, do you?"

"And here I was wondering if the Harry Potter I remembered at the end of the term had gone soft again after returning to England," Calypso said approvingly. "Surely, you could tell me something though?"

"I'm going to win that tournament, Calypso." Harry's voice had grown hard, colder. "No offense, but until we figure out who's the Durmstrang champion, we're all competing against each other."

Calypso nodded. "Fair enough. How about an exchange. I'll tell you what I'm working towards for advanced Dark Arts, and you can tell me what advanced Transfiguration and Charms you're working on?"

The memory of a much younger Calypso asking him something very similar during his first year at Durmstrang popped into Harry's head. "I don't know, Calypso, I'm working on advanced Charms and Transfiguration," Harry said, omitting the fact that Romulus had already given him a list of spells to practice. "Technically, I only need to tell you about one for an even trade. So what will it be, Charms or Transfiguration?"

Instantly recognizing the conversation, Calypso's eyes gleamed. "I'm sure we can think of some kind of arrangement later, but let's start with Charms. I'm better at that than Transfiguration, and I heard you had a long meeting with Professor Kosarev before you left on the 25th. What exactly did you two talk about?"

Harry smiled and moved closer to Calypso, ensuring that only she could hear him. "We mostly discussed the Tri-Wizard and what spells I should spend the most time practicing. Professor Kosarev suggested I spend most of my time on area-effect spells as well as illusions. He also hinted that he might be willing to work with me on some basic warding at the start of the new year."

"Warding and area effect spells could definitely be useful," Calypso said thoughtfully, "though I'm not sure how good an illusion will be."

Harry shook his head. "I don't know. An illusion can be very useful. I've already mastered the disillusionment charm, and I'm working on some static and minor active projection spells, but they're pretty tricky and hard to cast."

"I suppose they would make decent distractions," Calypso said begrudgingly, admitting the point. "What area-effect spells have you worked on?"

Glancing over at his uncle, who was simply watching Harry and Calypso interact with a smirk on his face, Harry said, "Just starting with some of the basics like Meteolojinx right now, but I'm hoping to move onto the more advanced stuff fairly soon. I think my mother is starting to wonder about the odd weather around the house of late. Enough about me though, what are you doing for Dark Arts?"

"My father made me a list of spells to learn for the Triwizard Tournament. I might be willing to trade it to you in exchange for a copy of your Charms list. That way if either of us becomes the champion we'll be prepared."

"Not to intrude." Sirius interrupted pointing to the pitch, "but I think the match is about to start."

Nodding, the two teens followed Sirius to the front of the box, Harry was impressed at the sight of nearly sixty thousands cheering witches and wizards. Feeling someone tapping on his shoulder, Harry looked up to see Sirius smirking at him. "Have you ever seen a Veela before, Harry?"

Harry was about to reply that he hadn't when something caught his attention from the corner of eye. He turned to see a group of stunningly beautiful women beginning to twirl and dance.

The second Harry felt the softest, subtle, feeling of magic reach out and touch his mind, an icy expression crossed his face. Without a second thought, Harry cleared his mind and narrowed his eyes at the dancing Veela. Forcing himself to remain calm and not reach for his wand, Harry glanced around the stadium at the various wizards that were cheering maniacally.

"Disgusting," he spat viciously.

Sirius turned to his godson in shock. "What? The Veela?"

"No. Well, they are annoying creatures, though I suppose they can't help the effect they have on people. I'm just not particularly fond of anyone that tries to manipulate my mind," Harry said darkly, not noticing how Sirius and Calypso were now both watching him with varying degrees of concern. Harry swept his arm across his body, and gestured at the horde of crazed fans around the stadium. "Just look at all the people that are enthralled by them. The Veela dance and all those wizards just let their minds be affected. They're pathetic."

Calypso reached out and took Harry's hand while Sirius looked at his godson in disbelief.

"It's harmless fun, Harry. The Veela compulsion isn't really that serio–"

"It doesn't matter." Harry took a deep breath and, again, cleared his mind of all emotion. "I don't want anyone entering my mind. The fact that these people let it happen proves just how stupid they really are."

Sirius continued to look at his godson in concern. He was about to ask if everything was alright when Harry quickly drew his wand and fired off a stinging hex, hitting him in the chest.

"Oi!" Sirius snapped, rubbing his chest irritably. "What was that for?"

Harry stared blankly at his godfather before he let a smile across his face. "You tried to get me enthralled by a Veela, knowing that my girlfriend was next to me. That's for trying to get me into trouble with Calypso."

"Your dad was the same way," Sirius muttered distastefully. "Embarrass him in front of your mum, and he'd spend a month sending hexes at me."

"So that explains it," Calypso muttered, causing Harry to look back at her. Calypso was staring out at the field where the Bulgarian national team was awaiting their introduction near the group of Veela.

"Explains what?"

"The presence of Veela would explain Viktor's rapid ability to detect when I'm using Legilimency on him."

"Huh?" Harry asked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Last term Krum was consistently able to break eye contact with me whenever I tried to use Legilimency on him," Calypso said. "I was wondering how he got so intuitive so quickly, but if he's around those Veela a lot, then he's probably just gotten used to identifying when there is a foreign presence trying to affect his mind. Who would have thought playing Quidditch could actually be useful for something."

"Is that why you've been, well, nicer to him of late?" Harry asked curiously. "I noticed that you two seemed to be getting along better as the term progressed."

"Father pointed out just how much Krum has improved academically of late – of course having every teacher in the school practically jumping at the chance to give him private lessons certainly helps."

"He's actually been improving for a while," Harry felt the need to point out. "He's been one of the best in Dark Arts since October, and while he's still not amazing, his Transfiguration and Charms work has improved a great deal this year."

"And to think, it only took him six years to realize that learning was important," Calypso said dryly. "What an achievement."

Harry laughed as the Bulgarian and Peruvian teams flew onto the pitch, causing the stadium to cheer wildly. Harry tried not to gape at Viktor's incredible aerobatics, but he had to admit that it was impressive. Turning back to Calypso, who seemed somewhat bored by the match, Harry asked, "So, what are you working on this summer to prepare for the tournament?"

"A little of this, and a little of that Harry," Calypso replied with a grin. "Don't think that I'm just going to tell you everything I'm working on when you're not willing to share. I know that you have to be doing something more impressive than practicing a few illusions and a basic area effect spell."

"Did you know that your father gave me a list of spells to learn for the tournament?" Harry asked curiously.

"No, I didn't. What was on it?"

"Dark Magic."

Calypso rolled her eyes. "Such as?"

"Nasty stuff Calypso. I expected him to give me a list of curses, but it was so much more than that. He put some really horrible enchantments on the list, as well as..." Harry hesitated before adding, "as well as the spells to create an earth elemental."

"I don't believe it," Calypso said a little bitterly. "He gave you those spells when he wouldn't tell me? Are you going to try to learn how to create them?"

"Some of it has aspects of the transfiguration magic Rosemburg gave me to look at, so...I don't know. I might be able to do it."

"But will you?" Calypso asked again. "Harry, you do know why ritual magic like that is frowned upon, right?"

"Of course I do." Harry glanced nervously up at his godfather, who seemed to be excitedly watching the match, and not paying them much attention. "It's not like I'm that interested in taking the magic that far, but it's really interesting. The spells are so incredibly complex, and they intermix so much of Transfiguration and Charms."

"And the Dark Arts." Calypso was more than a little pleased to see that Harry simply nodded, conceding the point. "You have to keep this to yourself, Harry," she warned before quickly adding, "I'll help you of course. I think it's just as fascinating, but you know what people will say if they find out you're casting that kind of magic."

"I know. Believe me, I know. A part of me just wants to ignore it and work on other stuff...."

"But you can't." Calypso nodded in understanding. "The magic is just too interesting. I understand, Harry. I've thought about quitting one of my longer term projects as well, but I just can't bring myself to do it either."

"Really?" Harry asked. "What project?"

Calypso looked over at Kira, and then glanced up at Harry's godfather before leaning in to whisper a single word in Harry's ear. "Fiendfyre."

It took Harry a second to process what Calypso had said, but when he did, he looked at her in horror. "Are you mad!?"

Narrowing her eyes, Calypso said, "I'm perfectly sane, Potter, and my father is helping me every step of the way. Besides, I'm still a long way away from actually casting the spell."

"But it can't be controlled," Harry whispered frantically. "You're going to end up killing yourself!"

"That's not true," Calypso said seriously, "It can be controlled, it's just incredibly difficult to do so. Only people with a strong connection to their magic and incredible mental control can tame the fire. And I know it's possible since I've seen my father manage it."

It was now Harry's turn to appear shocked. "He can control it?"

"Not for long," Calypso qualified, "but for maybe a minute or so. He's always able to tell when he's about to lose control, and he can end the spell before the fire turns on him. He let me watch at the start of the summer, Harry. The fire is... it's simply amazing. It can burn anything, even water, and you can literally feel the magic in the air when it's around."

Harry shook his head in amazement, but he still looked worried. "Please tell me you're taking some precautions?"

"Have you ever heard of Aqua Eructo?" Calypso asked. "It's a spell that summons a great deal of water, but it's somewhat similar to Fiendfyre. Very difficult to control and maintain. Apparently it's easy to knock yourself unconscious and drown if you can't manage it properly."

"Yeah, I know of it," Harry said, recalling that the spell was one of the more ambitious charms Professor Kosarev said he should try to learn for the tournament. He doubted very much that Calypso would be able to cast it, but maybe he was underestimating her. Regardless, he decided to give the spell a try when he got home at some point.

"Well my father says if you lose control of Fiendfyre, that's probably the only spell that can buy you some time to escape, but even that won't last long," Calypso explained. "Still, father is having me learn Aqua Eructo first, just in case I lose control. I've tried it a few times, but I haven't had much luck so far."

The sound of people cheering wildly brought Harry and Calypso's attention back to the match. They saw Viktor pull out of an insanely steep dive, just feet from the ground. In his hand, the golden snitch was clenched tightly. The referee's whistle sounded a half a second later, ending the match. Glancing up at the scoreboard, Harry was a little surprised to see that the match had been going on for almost half an hour.

"Oh Merlin, that was incredible!" Sirius shouted, looking at Harry with a massive smile on his face. "He caught that thing going full speed and not ten feet from the ground! How did he manage to avoid smashing face first into the pitch?"

Harry simply smiled. "I told you he would catch the snitch, Sirius."

As Sirius watched the replay of Viktor's catch, Harry turned to Calypso. "I guess I won't get to see you till we get back to Durmstrang. Let me know about your progress, and I'll write to you about mine, okay?"

"Something tells me that we'll see each other before Durmstrang, Harry. After all, Viktor needs to get us some tickets to the final, especially since it's in England."

Harry's smile was somewhat forced as he nodded his head and gave Calypso a goodbye hug and kiss. He wasn't sure how his parents would take meeting Calypso, but he hoped it would all work out.