~Chapter One~ Durmstrang Institute (Part 2)

                                    

                                          
Gellert finished his dinner in silence, not because he had to, he had gained the ability to undo the silencing charm by himself almost two years ago after the debacle of the Quidditch world cup, but because he had nothing left to discuss with anyone. All was going well in his little world, his private studies were almost at fruition, he just needed to get through his exams and then he could start his master plan. 'Add a few drops of peppermint to mask the taste and improve palatability', he wrote in a small space beside the binding of the notebook, the page already full of large fat black slugs of scribbled out amendments and thoughts from failed experiments.
                          
A feverish looking boy sprinted across the hall, misjudged the stopping distance and collided with the table with enough force to send everyone's drinks flying and Gellert's Cinnamon bun once again jumped into his remaining gravy. "I need your help," he said between heavy breaths, he hovered there for a while, perplexed as to why Gellert wasn't talking. Overhearing the girls giggling at the end of the table, he grabbed his wand and pointed it at Gellert, "Finite Incantatem."
                          
"You know I am not able to help you, Digby," Gellert said loud enough for all the straining ears to notice, his voice sounded foreign to him as it always did once the charm was lifted. "I'm forbidden to take part in any illegal betting on..."
                          
"Doesn't have to be Quidditch... there's a good bit of money in Thestral racing, as you well know," Digby subconsciously pulled the sleeve of his robes back down to his wrist.
                          
"The ban includes all school betting if they find out it will be bad news, for both of us." Gellert gave him a silencing glare before dropping his vision back to his notes.
                          
"I owe the Helm brothers a lot of money, Gellert, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't an emergency." Digby leaned across the table so no one could overhear. He yelped when someone dropped their wooden goblet on the floor. "They're wanting me to pay up." His voice cracked through his dry throat.
                          
"I take it you haven't put anything aside for this sort of situation?" Gellert didn't honour the question with a look at his friend, "Perhaps you should get a job, I hear they are looking for an extra pair of hands down in the south courtyard."
                          
"I'm not spending my free time down in the stables shovelling your animals..."
                          
"Pays better than the average odds with the Helm brothers I would guess," Gellert said growing annoyed that he couldn't focus all of his attention on the new formula he was itching to test out. His gravy soaked cinnamon bun had been discarded, half-eaten.
                          
"There's not enough time, I don't think any animal produces enough..." He went quiet and blushed as a teacher walked behind him, "I need to make 50 Galleons by the end of the month."
                          
"How much?" Gellert stuttered. He stood up, carefully placed his delicate bag back over his shoulder and grabbed his tray. "I want no part in this."
                          
Digby trailed after Gellert as he made his way over to the tray rack, his cheeks and ears reddening with embarrassment as heads turned to follow him. Digby kept his distance after Gellert shot him a contemptuous look, but kept a close eye on him as he made his to their last lesson of the day. Seeing an opportunity, he rushed forward and grabbed Gellert's curly blonde hair, dragging him sideways into a broom cupboard.
                          
"What the heck?" Gellert yelled as he struggled to get free from Digby's grip.
                          
"I'm sorry, but we needed somewhere a little quieter." Digby looked genuinely apologetic as he let go and used his body to stop Gellert escaping.
                          
"You're going to make us late, I'm not doing another detention for you."
                          
"Detention?" Digby laughed, "That's the least of my worries." He winced as Gellert grabbed his forearm. "Don't mess with the Helm brothers."
                          
"I've learnt that lesson the hard way myself, once was enough."
                          
The coldness in Gellert's voice sent an unwelcome shiver up Digby's spine. "I'm not messing around, they have some serious contacts and aren't afraid of keeping their promises." He rolled up his sleeve to reveal three long, angry looking, scratches. "This was just a warning, if I don't get them this money by the full moon I'm going to get the bite to match." His voice gave out.
                          
The weeping gouges in Digby's arm trapped Gellert's gaze, "What do you expect me to do, I don't have that sort of money laying around." He stepped closer, brushing away the thick curtain of cobwebs that tried to tangle in his hair.
                          
"Your Father..."
                          
"Would ask too many questions, I'm not a skilled enough occlumens to keep the truth from him, and that my friend would be bad for both of us." Gellert stretched out a hand to touch the boy's arm, but he flinched away.
                          
"Everyone knows you are good at potions... charms... dark arts," Digby was fighting the fever raging in his arm as he struggled to list Gellert's known strengths.
                          
"There is nothing I can do for those wounds now, they are cursed. You should have come to me as soon as it happened, I might have been able to lessen the effects, but that hope is gone now, all I can offer is something for the infection that is currently festering in them." Gellert tried to get past him to reach for the doorknob but failed, Digby getting in his way.
                          
"Everyone knows you are making exam stress potions, they are worth something, perhaps..."
                          
"I'm not selling them." Gellert cut him off before he could get started.
                          
Digby started laughing, quietly at first but quickly deteriorating into something that sounded like a mad howl. "I'm not saying all this to boost your ego, or to persuade you to help in some stupid homework project. I'm saying this because I know how you got so good." He smiled darkly, showing an unsettling amount of teeth. "Scurrying about this castle like a rat, burrowing away in secret cubbyholes. People weren't always volunteers were they Gellert?" Feeling trapped and cornered, Digby shoved Gellert back into the dusty depths of the cupboard.
                          
Gellert charged forwards, his wand at the boy's throat without thinking. "You know nothing."
                          
"I know your grandfather left you a good sum of money from his treasure hunting," Digby twitched, a thin foam collecting in the corners of his mouth.
                          
"My Grandfather was no fool, everything he left of monetary value is locked away until I pass my NEWTS." Gellert lowered his wand to the boy's chest, "It's not my responsibility to bail you out. You gained this debt, not me."
                          
"Because of you!" Digby wailed. Snot was dangling in thick tentacles from his nostrils. It took him a while to regain enough composure to be able to talk again. "I'll tell them what you did to me."
                          
Gellert fought the impulse to blast both the boy and the door out of his way, but the recent warning about duelling in the corridors still echoed in his head. He was too close to perfecting his serenity draught to be expelled just yet.
                          
"The only thing of value I have here is down in the south-east forest," Gellert said as soon as he was able to cool his temper. "She's prime breeding stock, you could make well over 50 Galleons for her on the open market."
                          
"I suppose you think you are being funny," Digby balled his fists, "I can't see the flipping things and you know that from all the times we snuck out to go and ride. You'll have to sell her."
                          
"Then she wouldn't sell. My family is known to keep the best for themselves; anything we sell is considered 'lesser stock' even if it could outstrip the last three winners of the Haflinger Cup." Gellert edged himself closer to the door, using the conversation as a distraction. "She'll know I've given you permission to take her, she's smart like that."
                          
"But only those that have seen death can see thestrals," Digby sagged back against the wall.
                          
Gellert put his hand out to offer support, "Correct." His free hand finally found the door handle. He twisted it slowly so as to not make a sound, "If you want something bad enough, you'll find a way to make it happen." 
                          
He felt the latch release, the door pushing against the frame by a fraction of an inch. Seeing his chance, Gellert pushed Digby back and wrenched the door open. He did his best to ignore the various insults hurled at him as he slammed the door shut behind him. 
                          
He scanned the corridor for onlookers. Alone he set a ten-minute delay charm on the broom cupboard door. "See you later Digby."