The Marauders: Year Six Part 2 #Wattys2017

Where is Durmstrang?

Remus hesitated, "Yeah, but --"

Sirius didn't wait to hear the but - instead, he turned about and waved the letter at the adults gathered about the living room, still heatedly arguing - divided into two groups: those that were opposed to going recklessly searching and those that were saying they couldn't just sit about and wait for clues to be flown in by owl.

"OI!" Sirius shouted, running into the middle of the pack, "OI! Somebody take a look at this." He held the parchment up and Dumbledore snatched it quickly - having been standing directly behind Sirius. He unfurled it and stared at he words upon the page.

Dumbledore looked up once his eyes had skimmed the page.

"Is it from James?" Dora asked, desperately. Charlus looked hopeful.

"No," Dumbledore said. Then, handing the parchment back to Sirius, he said, "None know where Durmstrang is located, Mr. Black."

"Rubbish, of course people know where it is! How else do they get there to go to school?"

"The same way that you, sir, get to Hogwarts," Dumbledore replied.

"Because I bloody know where it is!" Sirius replied, frustrated.

Dumbledore said, "Please, sir, enlighten us of the school's location, then."

Sirius opened his mouth to say it, and then realized he really didn't know. He said, "North."

"That is quite specific in the same way that to say Durmstrang is East," replied Dumbledore. "Which I can certainly tell you it is."

Sirius looked frustrated. "It's... it's by Hogsmeade."

"Yes, Mr. Black, in exactly the same way that Durmstrang is near to Havmork." Dumbledore said.

"And where is Havmork?" asked Remus.

Dumbledore replied - as Sirius stammered in frustration, trying to spit out words for where Hogmeade and Hogwarts were - "As unplottable as Durmstrang itself."

"What's Durmstrang got to do with my son?" Charlus asked defensively.

"It seems, Mr. Potter, that our impersonator may have paid a little visit to another friend of James's - Miss. Lily Evans - and perhaps given a bit of a clue." Dumbledore motioned for Sirius to hand Charlus the letter and Sirius, still red with trying to expel the words from his mouth, handed it over rather roughly.

Charlus stared at the parchment and Dora, Gideon, Fabian, Bilius, and Chriselda all gathered about to look as well.

Dumbledore sighed, "Most unfortunately, the only people who know the way to Durmstrang are those who have been welcomed there, and that is, of course, a very rare few." He shook his head. "I myself have only been once, on a part of a committee to compare curriculums during the time that Armando Dippet was headmaster at Hogwarts." He smiled, "I was requested not to return upon my response to viewing their rather... liberal... curriculum for the Dark Arts."

"Do they teach a more aggressive form of Defense?" Remus questioned.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Defense they do not teach at all, Mr. Lupin, but rather the Dark Arts themselves!"

"No bloody well why Snape likes it there. That snake fits right in!" Sirius crowed.

Charlus handed Dora the parchment. "What are we standing here discussing this for? If there's even a chance that James is there - or anywhere near it --"

"It'll take special clearances," muttered Gideon.

"We'll need to work it out with the Ministry," added Fabian.

"Let's go," said Gideon.

"Back in a jiffy," added Fabian.

Dumbledore nodded as the twin aurors popped through the hearth and Dora Potter shivered with the implications of what her son being held at a place as mysteriously located and as infamous for it's practice of the Dark Arts as Durmstrang was. Charlus put his arm about her shoulders and led her into the kitchen, murmuring that it would be good for her to have a glass of water... as they went, Dumbledore began discussing the plan for action to save James Potter...

Sirius grabbed Remus's arm, stopping him before he could follow after the others. "What?" Remus asked, looking at Sirius's hand on his elbow.

"They're talking about waiting for the Ministry to help," Sirius said.

Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Help us the way it helped Jasper Odair," Sirius's voice was sour.

"Well what else are we supposed to do?" Remus asked.

"Fuck the Ministry."

Remus stared at Sirius.

"Also. The Morris Mini is out there so where is Lily?" Sirius demanded, pointing at the window. "Huh? Where is she then?"

Remus's eyes clouded over. He'd forgotten the car was there. "I... dunno."

Sirius looked very meaningfully at Remus.

Remus paled. "Where do you reckon?"

"I reckon she's trying to find Durmstrang," Sirius replied, "And I intend for us to do as well."

"How? You heard Dumbledore. Nobody knows where it's at. Nobody can go there unless they're welcomed."

"Yeah, well... I have an idea for a way around that," Sirius answered.

"A way around that? Sirius, I don't think it's like a blockade you can simply step about, it's a good deal of powerful magical properties and --"

Sirius grinned, "I'm not talking about stepping about it, I'm talking about using what we know to our advantage." He glanced toward the kitchen, where the adults were discussing things and making plans, where Charlus Potter was adamantly trying to talk the others into simply going and Dumbledore was imploring him to calm down until the Prewetts had returned... Sirius grabbed Remus's arm again and hauled him to the floo. He grabbed the little dish of floo powder and took a fistful and motioned for Remus to do the same.

"Where are we going?" Remus asked.

Sirius replied, "To get Regulus."

"Regulus?" Remus asked, confused.

"Sure," Sirius replied. "I mean if all the Death Eater families kids were welcomed to attend Durmstrang this year, I reckon that my brother was one of them."

Remus's eyes dawned with understanding. "Sirius --"

But -- "The Leaky Cauldron!" Sirius was saying and throwing the floo powder down with a flash of green light. -- it was already too late to stop him.

"Oh bloody hell," muttered Remus, and he hurried into the floo. "The Leaky Cauldron, I s'pose.... Mental!" And with a flash, he, too, was gone.