December 2, 1944
Tuesday Morning
Guilt.
It was eating away at Harry. There wasn't any reason that it shouldn't, not with Walburga still being in Hogwarts despite her compromised status. He'd killed a man, yet he couldn't find it within himself to get rid of her either; she wouldn't die like, she wouldn't even be hit with the Cruciatus curse. It was the simple fact that he was worried about Sirius, or what would come to happen to the man he'd thought of as a father figure in his time.
One that he'd let down on account of Bellatrix Lestrange killing him mere feet away. Even now, a year and some months later that event still replayed in his mind. Sirius, the life fading from his eyes as he fell through the veil and the sheer number of similar features he'd gotten thanks to his mother, the source of Harry's recent frustrations, Walburga.
It was like a constant nightmare, one that couldn't be resolved or stopped thanks to how often he'd see her. That dream, the damned thing still didn't make any sense to him, if anything, it only raised his internal conflict.
"Harry?" Aster called back to him, trying to gain his attention.
"Yeah mate?" Harry answered after a rough shake of the head. "What is it?"
Aster squinted his eyes as he walked a few steps closer. "Everything alright? Seem a bit out of sorts - I know you got enough rest, thought you were dead with how long it took you to rise."
"Very funny," Harry said as he rolled his eyes and pushed the other boy with no real amount of force.
"Seriously," Aster laughed as he pulled Harry along with him. "You were right dead in bed and you've been out of it since yesterday. Walburga asked for you again, by the way. I nearly forgot to mention that to you."
Harry swallowed and closed his eyes, rubbing at them to pretend that it was caused by a sense of general tiredness. "What'd she want?" He asked whilst doing so.
"Didn't really say on account of Elaine being nearby. You know how it is, we can't talk to her and she doesn't really have the opportunity to talk to us. Maybe that'll change if she gets back in Elaine's good graces and finally apologises for those remarks when you were brand new to our group," Aster shrugged, pulled a snack from his pocket and threw what looked to be a small chocolate frog into his mouth. "Don't actually care though, not really. Walburga's nutty like the rest of House Black and Elaine doesn't like that. She always tried to take command too - Walburga I mean - it was like having two Elaine's. Well, somewhat, I guess. Walburga isn't quite as pretty and she definitely isn't half as smart or driven."
"I see, that makes sense. Elaine's not been all that happy with her since the party like you said. It's still weird that she keeps trying to speak with me though… what, with me dating Elaine and all. You think she'd get the message to leave things well enough alone," Harry caught Aster's grimace and paused.
Silence. Aster didn't say a word, he didn't even change the look on his face from when he'd finished speaking; contemplation, curiosity and a small little half-smile.
"Aster?" Harry prompted, elbowing the boy as they continued their walk.
"Yeah, yeah sorry. I was just thinking, Walburga, you see," Aster huffed and nearly tossed his hands up in the air before he looked around and pulled Harry into the closest empty room. When the door was tightly shut, he spoke in a hushed tone. "Walburga, there's something off about her this year. I can't place it, Elaine doesn't seem to care and Corene's in the same boat. Reinhard doesn't know what it is either, just watch your arse around her, Pev. Something isn't exactly right as rain like she wants us to believe."
He's right on and he doesn't even know it. Not like Corene does… Corene. She knows and hasn't said anything, Elaine was leaving Walburga to me too. They both know, Elaine has to if she's being so uncaring about it.
"I will if you do the same. Walburga's nutty, just like you said. It wouldn't be very good for either of us if we didn't keep a careful, wary attitude about while she was nearby," Harry patted Aster on the shoulder and motioned towards the door.
Aster nodded a couple of times quickly, picked at his shirt and tie, then huffed. "Hate these things. It's better when we're out of Hogwarts and don't have to wear these daft uniforms. I'd be in my pyjamas all day if I could," Aster looked about ready to yank off his crooked tie before he let go of it and huffed. "Let's go get some food."
Harry couldn't agree with those words any stronger, for he definitely had developed a stress eating habit as of lately. He didn't have as much time to practise duel Elaine or the others… that was a thought, Cade's trio was still around. He'd have to seek them out and see if they were still running a little practice group despite the house differences.
"Food it is, mate. Food it is," Harry said when he felt Aster impatiently bouncing from foot to foot. "Lead on."
Harry was alone again following a good feeding with Aster, Reinhard and the rest of the friendly crowd he'd come to enjoy so much. Most of them had gone off, as was usual, preparing for a prank or something else that'd likely land them in some amount of trouble. Albeit with a Professor, Prefect or a regular peer, it didn't matter on account of the end result being pretty similar.
As for him, he was back within his own mind thinking about what he needed to do regarding the Walburga situation first and foremost, with the Elaine one not too far behind. She was trouble - Walburga he meant - Elaine was too, but the latter Witch wasn't immediately threatening to him like the former was. Then again, Elaine was likely the larger threat as a whole unless Walburga was dumber than she tended to act.
He knew first-hand thanks to Draco that a stupid 'enemy' could be worse than a competent one.
Come on, Harry, think. You've dealt with Voldemort, you somehow agreed to come back in time to help and this is what's got you stuck after killing a man?
He huffed in annoyance. His internal conversation, argument rather, raised a good point. Within the last week, he'd used two of the three unforgivable spells and had a conversation with a being that still wasn't all that forthcoming… he still didn't remember nearly anything they spoke about, all he could recall was the hooded womanly figure.
How had the most difficult part of all of this come from Walburga despite her not even having spoken with him?
Merlin, he was all the more convinced that Witches were headaches just like Sirius had said.
"You look deep in thought," Corene said, catching him off guard as she casually strolled over to him with a sweet in her mouth, one that looked awfully a lot alike with a lollipop. "May I help you with whatever's troubling your mind?"
"Walburga," Harry said, hoping that was a sufficient enough answer.
Corene looked around with no sense of time, her actions were slow and relaxed as they always were. When that was done and she determined all was well, she grabbed the edge of Harry's sleeve and withdrew her wand with her other hand, throwing up a privacy spell.
"You remain unsure of what to do regarding her, I take it?" Corene asked him, her eyes staring into his with no sense of intensity, almost blankly, but that word wouldn't do justice to the intelligence and undistinguishable emotions behind them.
"Yeah. Yeah, I don't know what I should do," Harry answered, shaking his head as he focused on Corene. "What would you do?"
"Truly, or are you hoping for an answer that would be similar to what you'd do?" Corene asked, cocking her head.
"I'm asking what you'd really do. I don't want you to say what you think I would do and I don't want you to answer with something that you think would make me happy. Think of this like our House's agreement, we're helping one another and that's better done with honesty, right?" Harry hoped she understood what he was trying to get across, especially when he conveyed it like he just did.
"I see, and yes, that's correct. Suspicion breeds hostility and hostility ultimately ends in conflict," Corene cocked her head to the other side now. "As for what I would do… I believe I would speak with her in a position where no outside variables could happen. The environment would have to be controlled by myself and I would have people I trust nearby should it get belligerent. People like her are untrustworthy and only feet away from falling off an edge that even they don't know the distance down from."
"What would you speak with her about?" Harry pressed, hoping Corene's way of doing things would help him come up with a plan of his own.
"Everything, as unhelpful as an answer as that is for you. Why she does what she does, what types of information is shared and by what channels, that sort of thing," Corene looked at him closer, the distance between them shortening. "I do not believe that Walburga is any sort of real, physical threat to the safety of yourself, me, or those within the confines of Hogwarts. She is nervous, a liar, a person that supports the wrong causes, but not any form of true evil."
"You're sure about that?" Harry asked.
Corene nodded once. "Few within Hogwarts would I ever think horrible enough in regards to causing any real harm. Walburga would not be one of those few, and of those who I'll remain not to name, only one is in Slytherin. For the alleged home of dark wizards and witches across the centuries, few of the truly evil ones come from a home driven by ambition and self-preservation - tell me, Harry, why would they when the whole goal for any living creature is to survive and procreate, ultimately teaching your offspring their way of life?"
Harry thought her words were a bit… weird, but they checked out. He wouldn't have bought them back when he was a pure-blooded Gryffindor, but with equal parts green flowing through him if not more, he could see her point. Most of the people in Slytherin just wanted to accomplish their goal and survive long enough to enjoy it and start a family.
Aster, the lovable fool that he was and alongside Reinhard weren't exceptions to those rules. They each mentioned from time to time starting their own family and doing whatever they wanted to do in life thanks to the old money they came from.
"Thanks, Corene," Harry finally said. "That's helpful, really."
"I'm always glad to be of assistance to you, Harry. We are friends, and friends are meant to help one another wherever and however they can," Corene looked at him as closely as she had earlier in the conversation, but with a slight rise of her lips that conveyed happiness or light-heartedness in her own unique way. "Would you by any chance be interested in hot chocolate and a warm fire in that room of yours? I find myself enjoying the simpleness of those moments, especially while within your company."
Harry laughed and nodded. "We can do that. I think that's actually preferable to anything else right now."
Everybody deserves the occasional break, especially people like us.
Corene was constantly running around for Elaine, even more so than he would. He figured she deserved it just as much as he did, if not more so, and besides… Harry missed bonding with her. It was exactly as she said, the simpleness and the company she provided was better than most other people within Hogwarts.
December 5, 1944
Friday Afternoon
Harry took one step, a second, and nearly two dozen more until he was at the corner of his destination. He would wait at the edge of a hallway, Corene's words still fresh on his mind, for her course of action seemed the most decent once to do. It could fail just as anything could, but he figured if he proved to her that he didn't tell anybody else, that he wouldn't do anything against her… maybe he could turn Walburga away from her current loyalties.
"Dorea, you better be nearby," Walburga muttered, loud enough in the empty halls that it echoed over to him.
She better not scream and make it seem like I'm doing anything horrible. That'd be a horrible time for me.
Not three seconds later from when he thought that, did Walburga turn the corner and nearly run completely into him. She didn't have a wand in her hand, there wasn't a book, potion or anything else either. Walburga had been completely caught off guard when she saw him and when he saw that, he smiled genuinely at her.
"Elaine isn't here, nobody else is either," Harry quickly said when he saw her eyes dart around and try to look past him. "I got your letter, and I'm here to speak with you about it."
"Why now instead of closer to its happening?" Walburga asked him accusatorily, her tone heavy with an offensive edge.
"I needed to think about what I learned about you," Harry answered honestly as he motioned with his head towards a nearby empty classroom, one that had absolutely nothing inside of it. "Can we…"
Walburga narrowed her eyes at him and simply stared in silence for nearly fifteen seconds. She was trying to read him, likely in hopes of finding out whether or not it was a trap. Harry didn't mind her doing that since there was nothing to hide. He was completely honest with her for the first time since they'd met, and the thought likely threw her off balance just as much as the area he'd picked. The fact that she was alone was just icing on the cake, for it meant she couldn't try any form of power play.
"Fine," She said, pointing once towards the same door as him. "You can go first."
She's more nervous than I thought she'd be.
"Don't try anything," Harry said before he partially turned away and walked over to the door, placing his hand on the handle while ensuring she was following after him. "Good. This is a better place to have this type of conversation than in the wide-open halls."
"If you say so," Walburga said, sticking close behind him when he entered; enough so that any spellfire or trap meant for her would strike him too.
Harry had to appreciate how careful she was being, it wasn't at all like the Walburga that he was familiar with. No, the confident girl with her posse of followers purely as a result of her last name seemed completely different than the skittish young woman sticking close to him. He hoped that it would mean she'd be easier to converse with and convince that what she was currently doing wasn't worth it… whether that'd be the case, however, there was no telling until all was said and done.
"Now that you've seen how empty the room is, do you trust me enough to know this isn't a trap?" Harry asked, leaning back against a portion of the cold wall that was next to a large window. It had a perfect view of the Hogwarts grounds, though it was hampered by the rain and overcast.
"If you want me to trust you, I'll say that you've missed a dozen chances if not more by now," Walburga said, eyeing him warily as she kept herself posted by the door. "As for whether or not this is a trap, it wouldn't have been sprung just yet if there wasn't enough proof of my involvement with anything. I would need to check every nearby room, the walls and ground for hidden pathways - I do hope that suffices, Heir Peverell, because I'd rather not continue."
Harry shrugged. "It's fine," he nearly shook his head, but thought better of it and instead looked pointedly at her side. "Why don't you pull out your wand and cast however many privacy charms that you'd care to? That would help, wouldn't it?"
"They work on an area, and with how far apart we are as well as the position that you chose, there's no telling where anybody hiding within the walls could be. This isn't like our common room, where the ground beneath us is dirt and the outer wall leads under the lake," Walburga shook her head. "We'd have to be nearly touching in a spot of my choosing if you wish for me to speak freely, and getting that close for either of us would be dangerous. Put plainly, neither of us trust one another enough to stand so close in the event of a curse being secretly cast."
I'm trying Sirius, I'm trying. Your mum was a right suspect barmy… I have to convince her that I'm not trying to fool her into saying or doing anything.
Harry's internal monologue had lasted a bit longer than he'd meant for it too, and Walburga's suspicious, wary looks had grown in the meantime. There was only one real course of action he could take and he didn't exactly fancy it all that much. Not if she was absolutely mad as Sirius had said she was. But really, as much as the idea bugged him, there wasn't anything else that he could feasibly do.
"Why don't you pick your spot, cast a privacy charm that's small, and then we'll both throw our wands across the room," He said, deadly serious and without moving.
Walburga was entirely too skittish for any quick or large movements. He wasn't even sure if she'd go for what he suggested, not if the girl thought there were others nearby.
"You want me to slide my wand across the floor after casting a privacy charm in the opposite corner of the room?" Walburga shook her head, motioning with one incredibly sharp fingernail at herself, then him. "Have you failed to notice the size difference between us? What if you went Muggle on me and used your larger physique to entrap me?"
"With a wand or without one for the both of us, it doesn't change that we're on unequal footing," Harry said honestly, Walburga had to know by now how strong a fighter he was. Especially if she was still feeding Grindelwald's camp information, a group with which he'd killed one man and tortured another; it was those actions that pushed him to try and resolve Walburga's spy status by different means.
The guilt of them and the thought of Sirius never coming to be, or any form of him.
"Should I understand that disagreeing with your suggestion will lead to you telling others about what I do and who it is that I assist?" Walburga asked, the girl slowly, cautiously, making her way over to a small corner of the room that seemed like it was at the edge of Hogwarts itself.
"I'm not blackmailing you or your family. I'd give you time in advance to flee if I decided to tell everybody about what exactly it is that you do. I'm sure you've had enough people watching me to know by now that I'm not needlessly cruel," Harry finished speaking and fought the urge to roll his eyes.
If he wanted, he could've revealed the day she told him, but he hadn't. There were dozens of other times he could've done so too, especially if he told Elaine and she fabricated evidence - he was certain she'd do that too, so long as a modicum of truth from him was given. That older witch who'd delivered it would've likely been shown Elaine's way of thinking too, considering what she knew.
"My family has nothing to do with my current deal regarding his camp," Walburga said firmly, finally stopping in the corner she'd picked. "Should you choose to tell on me regarding what I've been doing, I would wish you only mention myself. The others in Hogwarts aren't aware of the extent of my actions, and my family have no knowledge. What I'm doing is purely for myself in the hopes of combatting Elaine's growing influence."
"You're working with Gr- him, so that Elaine stops getting stronger?" Harry repeated, finally breaking the action of leaning against the wall and getting closer to her.
Walburga's eyes narrowed and she looked around. "I'm putting the spell up. We'll go through with your earlier plan and toss away our wands. If you mean to give me a chance to stop before you speak with others about this, I'm willing to listen. At the very least, I'm appreciative that you'd grant me a headstart on my leaving."
Harry nodded. "I told you, I don't want anything bad to happen to anybody if I can control it," he moved over to her then, stopping when there was a foot or two between them and she'd cast the privacy charm. "Are we good to follow through with it?"
"You hold the cards in your hands, but forgive me if I won't throw my wand away before you do," Walburga said, eyeing him with a horrible amount of suspicion and discontent in her eyes when he slowly reached down to his side.
"I'm taking my wand out," Harry said, telling her before he did it. She watched him, her wand between her fingers and slightly twitchy as her eyes remained focused on the one part that mattered to her. "Alright, you can see it and I can see yours. We'll do it on the count of three too, I don't want either of us timing it incorrectly."
Walburga nodded after a few seconds of silence, her wand slipping to dangle between her fingertips and his grasped tightly within a clenched fist.
"Three… two… one… do it now," Harry did so a split-second after Walburga did, ensuring that she was rid of her only means of defence before he did the same. After all, he trusted himself far more than he trusted her. "And here we are. I suppose we're good to hold this conversation now, right?"
"You'd have to tell me, it was you that brought me here and you that's willing to speak with me regarding the circumstances that were revealed to you. It wasn't completely under my control either, if it were, I wouldn't have shared with you that I worked for him," Walburga shook her head sorrowfully, a myriad of emotions running through her eyes and body language. "I know you'd not believe me, but I very much predicted this is what would happen. You would wait to act - you've always been overly cautious - and then you'd present me with an ultimatum. Perhaps two different choices that would be equally as hard for me to handle."
Harry couldn't help but chuckle softly. "I suppose you think stopping altogether is hard to handle?"
"Impossible," Walburga said simply. "If I stopped now that I've started, it would paint a target on my back. Perhaps enough of one that I'd become as large a priority as you currently are. Traitors on any side aren't welcomed, especially when they've betrayed both of whom they're trying to work with. If he saw that I've stopped, what's to say that he wouldn't reveal my status himself through unofficial means?"
"Then lie. Lie with what you tell him, or when you give the truth, only give part of it. Just because you've already done damage doesn't mean you can't stop from doing more," Harry's voice came out firmer than he wanted, but it was exactly how he felt.
She had to stop by any means necessary, and if that meant telling somebody in the Ministry so that she'd be protected - she would be too, her family would see to that - then that was what she'd have to do.
"I can't tell if you genuinely think it's that easy, or if you're being overly optimistic. Nobody can lie to Grindelwald, Peverell. If you thought Elaine could see right through you whenever there's a minor fib, you haven't seen anything yet," Walburga shook her head. "I can tell him partial truths so long as he doesn't press on them, but if you truly mean to assist me - which I don't genuinely believe on account of our personal relationship - you would need to lie to me. It would have to be convincing," Walburga finished with a strong look at him, one that made him feel stupid when he finally caught on to her meaning.
She's telling me to lie. I have to fake conversations, interactions, everything near her would have to be a lie if this is going to work.
"What if Grindelwald finds out that you're compromised? He would have to know that when he finds out all your information is fake," Harry finished speaking and immediately waited for her response.
If it meant her death or any form of injury, he would have to think of another plan. Possibly one where he faked a kidnapping for her… if she agreed. That could be a bit too on the nose though, thanks to Yaxley's stunt. Merlin, the boy was a traitor and at the same time because of Elaine, Harry wasn't completely sure if Yaxley was a traitor.
"Grindelwald would probably find a way to let me know, a warning if you would, and then my escape or care would be up to me alone. He wouldn't risk any other person who may or may not be spying for him to save me regardless of my familial ties. Remember, it's only me that's keeping this arrangement with him," Walburga made to step back but stopped on account of the privacy charm still on them. "Are we done now? Is there more that you'd ask of me or is that satisfactory?"
"We're done. This is fixable, I want it to be," Harry was trying so hard, so desperately hard.
"I don't understand why, but I suppose it'd be nice if I told you it's appreciated," Walburga stepped away from him and slowly made for her wand. "Truthfully, Peverell. You have my thanks for not sending me to the Headmaster or the Aurors. I know I shouldn't have made a deal with him, but I did what I thought was best. My ideals and personal ambitions won't be as easily shelved as our peers."
Harry wanted to ask who exactly she was referencing, but he wouldn't. He didn't.
"We'll talk again before Hogwarts is up," Harry said, not wanting to say anything more. There wasn't any reason to, he was vindicated enough and Sirius' future life was, for the moment, saved.
Assuming he's even conceived this time around.
He huffed when the door closed and Walburga was gone. That was one issue dealt with, at least for now. He wasn't stupid, not nearly as much as some of the others would think. She would be a problem again in the future, Walburga appreciated his help now on account of her horrible decision-making skills, but when all was said and done she'd mess up again somewhere along the line.
Harry nearly laughed; Elaine and Walburga were incredibly alike in that way.
December 7, 1944
Sunday Evening
"Hi there, Pev. Long time no visit, huh?" Marcus asked, throwing his arm around Harry's shoulders and pulling him against him in a rough, brotherly embrace.
"Not long enough for his sake, I reckon. You're still a prat with too much leniency from your family," Vee switched her attention to Harry, grinning at him as she patted him on the back. "Good seeing you, Pev. I hope Marcus wasn't the reason it's been so long since you last spent some time with us - I know, he's stinky, doesn't wash well, can be horribly annoying and th-"
"You didn't say I was stinky when you fell asleep on me in the common room," Marcus said petulantly, poking at Veronica with his free hand.
Vee looked offended. "You offered to rub my feet! I wasn't going to say no to that, no, there's no chance of that."
"Quiet, the both of you. There's no reason you can't be good little Gryffindor cubs," Sarah had impersonated a Professor's voice and demeanour, but when she came around the corner ahead of them and they saw who it was, they both started badgering her with remarks - naturally, she paid Vee and Marcus both very little attention, Harry was her favourite. "Hi Harry. I hope these two aren't too good at scaring you off. Gods know we don't spend enough time together anymore, that horrible war and the needless fighting only makes everybody stressed out."
"Needless my arse," Marcus huffed. "We should've been involved earlier, way earlier. My grandpa and my father agree too. Our Aurors should've been on the continent right alongside the Muggles, fighting Grindelwald's forces until there weren't any left to fight. If we did that, we wouldn't have lost all the people we have."
"Boys," Vee said with a roll of her eyes and a glance at Sarah.
What's that supposed to mean?
"What's that supposed to mean?" Marcus asked, swinging his head between the two girls while Harry watched on in silence.
Merlin… we really are related.
"It means only boys would want to fight such a stupid war and die in it. Witches, we understand that fighting and dying for some other person is stupid - you don't see Muggle girls fighting because a King or person that thinks they're better than them demands it, do you?" Vee looked smug when she made her point, and it was Sarah who picked it up in a more gentle sort of tone.
"Think about it this way, Marcus. Our Aurors and volunteers are fighting to defend Magical Great Britain. That's the right thing to do, defending your home and kicking out anybody who wants to kill you for it," Sarah then pointed across the hall. "Picture that as the continent. Why would you go fight for it? The Potters don't have family elsewhere, not like a good many of us here at Hogwarts. Honour, that's a stupid thing to die for - Glory, that's only in those war books you read with the other boys - Money or Women?"
"You're rich enough, and if you don't think so, give me all the Galleons in your saving vault. I could put them to good use," Vee said, grinning when she spoke about the final point Sarah had raised. "Good luck fighting for a woman either. Knowing you, great big prat that you are, she'd have to do the fighting."
"Aside from that final remark of Vee's, do you understand the points we made?" Sarah asked, strangely serious as the group began walking again after a lengthy pause.
"I agree with most of them," Harry said when Marcus hesitated. "Honour, Glory, none of that really matters when it's not at home. Freedom or helping others though, shouldn't you always strive to do that? Grindelwald wouldn't let the French magicals be any freer than he would the Russian or Polish ones. He wanted them all to fall in line and live as he told them to."
"Exactly! Better to die alongside friends like the French, Polish, Belgians and the rest of 'em than hide on our island," Marcus crossed his arms as he shot a look at the two girls. "You can't tell me any different."
Sarah looked contemplative, sad almost, before she ultimately nodded.
Vee, on the other hand, huffed. "That's nothing new. No matter how wrong you ever are, Marcus, you never let yourself get convinced otherwise."
Harry laughed when the two started bantering back and forth again like they always did. It made him feel like the minor argument if it could be called as much didn't really matter. Obviously, he and Marcus were on the same side for different reasons, but after fighting Grindelwald's forces, Harry knew that beating them was better than watching them rule over others.
Luckily, it wouldn't come to that. Such a future would never come to pass, the light had already gone out on it and with the passing of said light, Grindelwald's forces were in the twilight days of their existence. They'd do a great deal more damage before it really ended, but Harry knew it would end. He would see it through alongside Elaine or Dumbledore, whoever he needed.
"You don't plan on doing anything stupid like volunteering to fight when Hogwarts is done for the summer, right?" Sarah asked him, the question coming from her mouth the moment the four had sat down.
He looked to see if the other two had heard it, but with how close they were and the hushed conversation they were having, he suspected that they hadn't heard anything. They were in their own little world, maybe they'd even kiss with how close they were and the looks they were giving one another.
That'd be about time.
"No. I wouldn't volunteer to join a temporary Auror force," Harry shook his head and stuck out his bottom lip to signify a strong 'no' on his part. "Grindelwald has to go, don't get me wrong, but killing his foot soldiers or the people he put under his control won't stop him. The only thing that'll do is cause more pain."
Sarah nodded with a smile on her face, one that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm glad we can agree on that if nothing else. You boys like going to violence too much, you know. Mama always told me that boys like to think with their fists, men like to think with their wands and grandpas like to think with their heads. I think that's right most of the time."
"Fists?" Harry asked.
"Fists," Sarah said again. "I've seen a lot of Hogwarts boys wrestling around, you don't see that with men, do you?
Harry supposed he had to give her that point. Most of the time, people didn't fight using their fists when they were older - that was the 'Muggle' way of solving things. It was 'barbaric' and 'savage', everybody 'knew' the right way to solve things was by using magic. You know, the gift they all had that could be absolutely devastating if somebody took too much offence at something.
"I think fists might be preferable to throwing around spells, but I get what you mean. Anyways, let's go past this political stuff and talk about Yule if that works for you?" Harry broached the subject about the upcoming holiday in the hopes of finishing the political nonsense early.
His hatred for politics hadn't changed, it never would, but he'd come to see how important it was for the operation of society. Bureaucracy, the very reason the wizarding world was behind in so many ways was also the only thing keeping it running. If it stopped and people were ousted too many or at the wrong time, the Ministry would probably collapse that very same day.
"You're coming over again, aren't you?" Sarah asked, a smile growing on her face as she scooched closer to him. "My mama and the rest of my family would enjoy that a lot. Believe me, you're probably more of a favourite than half of my cousins. I suppose that's because they're horribly rai- ah, I shouldn't speak poorly about them. Honestly though, Harry, my family loves you - oh! You'll have to take part in our older traditions this year too."
"Older traditions? Like the Greek god's stuff?" Harry asked, fighting to hold a grimace from showing.
He knew nearly nothing about them, he'd missed that Muggle curriculum. It wouldn't come in handy during his time, and he hadn't thought it would during this time either.
Oops.
"Yup! My family, the older members only… mostly, they all love the 'real' Gods and Goddesses. Most of them still keep up their prayers and offerings, which obviously we didn't show you over Yule. They still did it while you were over, they just kept it private or waited until you left," Sarah shrugged. "Before you think it's too crazy too, my sisters and I only do it once every so often. It keeps my grandparents happy."
Harry nodded despite not knowing exactly how that felt. "I get it," he said, following up with a question. "If I'm supposed to be taking part in this too, well, what exactly would I be doing? I don't know anything about them except for a few names."
"That's all you need. Everything else is just sacrifices - not the live kind - or sitting silently while somebody prays aloud for us. Don't worry, this won't do anything. If this used to be a ritual or for any real purpose, it's been lost to time," Sarah pulled on his hand when she finished speaking and pulled him slightly closer to her while at the same time moving him away from Marcus.
He took a glance over his shoulder to see if the boy was annoyed by that, but with Marcus' face closer still to Vee's than it'd been earlier, Harry figured he was the last thing on his friend's mind. Seriously, the two should just start dating already. The fact that they weren't but would always be so intimate with those looks on their faces was infuriating even to him.
Harry could only imagine what truly romantic people thought when they saw the pair.
"Don't worry about all that dancing around, sacrificing stuff with my family either. It's nothing, and if you want, you don't need to participate in it. I could tell my mom that it's not your thing, she'd let it go even if my father wanted you to see it," Sarah smiled smugly, her nose scrunching up a bit in the process. "Witches get whatever they want from the wizard they marry, it's adorable."
Harry huffed. "Try telling that to me when Elaine wants to cuddle at three in the morning. She's had people sent in to wake me up just so we could do that by the fire."
"Did you go down and cuddle with her after you got woken up?" Sarah asked, ignoring the rest of the mark as the smug smile stayed on her face.
"Yeah, of course, I did. I was already awake, I may as well go down and spend some time with her. Merlin knows I can't fall asleep all that well for half an hour or more once I've been woken up out of a sound sleep," Harry responded with a roll of his eyes - he'd stolen that from Vee and the other sassier friends he'd made.
"See, that's cute. If you really didn't want to go down there and cuddle with her, you wouldn't have rewarded her waking you up by doing exactly what she wanted. I think you're just being stubborn with yourself, most boys are around this age," Sarah finished with a knowingly said remark.
How would she know, she's never dating anybody?
Harry blinked a few times and asked her exactly that. "How would you know if we're stubborn?"
"That sounded stubborn," Sarah teased, her face relaying that she was close to giggling until she relented and continued. "My mama said as much and you know how smart she is. I know I said that she really liked you, but she was really impressed with you too. She said you were a gentleman, smart, polite and everything else that's positive. But even you, she said, would probably be stubborn or fighty like most boys are."
"Fighty?" Harry asked, snickering.
"Fighty," Sarah agreed. "Those two look about done eating. We should do the same before they ditch us, huh?"
Harry looked over at Marcus and Vee. They had split off from their close proximity conversation and started eating. One whole plate was devoured in a minute or so, that amount of time having been how long he and Sarah had lazily been speaking. With what he knew of them at dinner time, three or four plates were their usual number and the final two were eaten much more slowly.
Really, they reminded him so much of how he and Ron were… minus the horrible tension between them.
December 10, 1944
Wednesday Morning
I really should be spending more time down here.
Harry thought that as he entered into Slytherin's study and closed the door behind him. There were still so many books - hundreds of them - that he hadn't read yet, and the possibility of secrets being hidden within them was a wonderful motivator… mostly.
Elaine and Grindelwald were both better motivators. Had either of them or better yet, both of them not proved to be problems to some degree, he would spend nearly every day for the majority of it tucked away in this small little stale-smelling room. It'd be horribly tedious and awfully suspicious, but at the end of the day the benefits would outway the potential lack of friends.
Like all things in his life though, it didn't go that way. He had to spend nearly all of his time with Elaine, his Slytherin friends, the few friends he had outside of Slytherin, the occasional checking in on Walburga post-conversation, extra time with Corene for Grindelwald news and studying with a mixture of the aforementioned people. All of that combined and with a sprinkling of time spent in the Chamber for extra preparations on account of Elaine's paranoia left him with essentially zero free time. That lack of free time killed him in more than one way too, and he knew it'd come back to bite him.
At least she's gone next year and Grindelwald will probably be a thing of the past by then. I suppose if he's not, I've got bigger things to worry about.
Harry shook his head; Dumbledore would rise up, leave the Ministry and handle Grindelwald by then. If that failed, Harry and Elaine together would defeat the dark lord. There was no future that Grindlewald survived as a free man in, he'd have to die or be sent to the very same prison he was in Harry's time.
It felt weird discussing it too, the final few moments or time a man would live.
" Welcome back, Son of House Peverell. As always, you arrive randomly and without any sort of schedule, " Slytherin said from his portrait above the door, his body already turned to exit the room. " Make time, commit yourself to it, and perhaps then you'll not lack what you keep coming here for. "
Harry sighed at Slytherin's very true statement. It was his fault and his alone that he hadn't been better with time management. If he were naturally or if he'd bothered learning from Hermione, he wouldn't have half as much trouble as he currently does. Ah well, at least he was here now, at two in the morning and with nobody having followed him.
That was all that mattered.
"Give me something regarding defensive spells," Harry said aloud to the room, hoping the magic of it would give him the best book for it rather than the one he should start with. He was good with spells, he had cast ones that were years ahead of him that he shouldn't have been able to and if he continued doing so, he wouldn't stagnate.
Suppose her ambition or drive really is rubbing off on me… unless it's that link she always goes on about.
Harry shuddered at the thought. Elaine, she wasn't inherently evil or horrible, not like Tom or Voldemort had been. Really, she just seemed conflicted with a bit of a Muggle-hatred going on, and if what he remembered about her birth was right, it made sense that she'd dislike Muggles on account of them bombing where she lived.
That was all according to Walburga's book and tales from his time though, so it may not be entirely true, any of it.
Sure enough, while he was debating himself, a book had flown over to him. It was lit up the same way the others usually were and had no title. Most of the books were the same in the sense that they had no description, cover or title. It made sense when one realised they weren't officially made books but a collection of ancient and not so ancient notes meant for future generations to use.
All these purebloods leaving behind so much knowledge only for their family and friends, they could have done so much good for the rest of society, Harry laughed and looked at the wall, I'm the last person that'll use them unless I have kids here. All of their work, it all ended up in my hands.
Harry loved the irony of it all since he was certain nearly all who had come before him would dislike his mixed heritage or different political stances. He didn't care though, not since they were all go- shite.
Elaine's grandma, Corene's grandma. He still needed to meet with the woman when Yule came, later wouldn't do, not in this instance. She had used the room before him, she was the last one to do so, and with that knowledge in her mind she could likely tell him so much about it… starting with why Corene wasn't using the room. That thought, the one that he'd only just thought of now while he was in the room and holding a book made him more nervous than he'd been in a very long time.
Why wasn't Corene using the vast amount of resources in Slytherins private study if her grandma had used it? If the older woman had survived, surely that was a testament to its safety right?
If it wasn't, couldn't she tell Corene how to survive regardless?
Harry sighed, shook his head, and rubbed at one of his temples. If there was anything too wrong with the room or the book he'd signed his name in, he'd missed it. His name was signed, the enchantment on the book had confirmed it and he was in the room using everything that he could so long as the room responded to him. Corene and Elaine's grandma was either too cautious, just like he'd been, or she didn't want her granddaughter knowing of the room's contents.
Should the latter ring true, Harry would really need that conversation to happen sooner than later. Regardless, he was in the room and had a book in his hand with a modicum of free time available. He wouldn't worry, he would focus and improve upon himself.
' Shield charms are a wonderful thing, and like most spells, they can be improved upon almost endlessly. The inherent power of the caster plays an important part in the strength of any spell, this much is true for almost any magic, but this is twice as important for a spell that's whole purpose is to stop or blunt other spells.
Physical health, mental ability, inherent strength, trained strength, all of this matters towards the successful and strong casting of the basic, typical shield charm. Once you advance, be it to a larger shield to cover your home or a stronger, smaller shield meant to cover a group of people, the factors are all the more important in addition to the recognition of magic based on your desires. Magic understands your wants just as a wand does, albeit in a primitive thought-driven way. Cast it with meaning, as you would a Patronus, and the strength of your protection will be guaranteed.
As we progr…'
Harry stopped and thought about that. There was much he would have to learn, apparently, and physical health… he'd have to start exercising again.
Wicked.