January 11, 1944
Monday Afternoon
When the meeting had finished, the students of Hogwarts had been ordered back to their new 'temporary' dorms with an escort of Professors and Aurors. Most of the students, the vast majority it seemed, believed every single word that Headmaster Dippet had said. Harry knew exactly how that was too, for unlike in his times, he was very much aware of the information barrier that could be imposed by the Headmaster if the wizard or witch so wished.
He would let it lay in place by and large too. Perhaps the old him would have struck it down, tell the entire school that it wasn't going the way it was, but he didn't see much of a reason for that. The chaos that it would bring would be horrible, likely as bad as the Troll had been if not worse - this was a literal Dark Lord that was proven to cut through whole Auror teams and not some simply beat beast as the troll had been.
Everybody would panic and scatter, run and hide; in the end, it would make his life that much harder in keeping his true identity a secret.
Harry sighed and rubbed at his eyes, the classroom he was in once more registering in his mind. It was a history class, one that was taught by Professor Binns just as it'd been bac-forward in his time. As was usual in this classroom thanks to the ghost teaching it, half of the students were working on work for other classes while the occasional one attempted to sleep with their book up.
Nobody cared, and as the Professor continued with his lecture, Harry found himself zoning off again. His mind lingered back to Corene and more specifically, the fact that she was considering writing her name in the book. It wouldn't hurt him, not that he'd seen thus far and especially not when that contract between their families was worked out. The fact of the matter was the book still presented some small measure of danger in his mind.
It had magic on it that he nor she could figure out and beyond that, the room as a whole that had been set up for those not quite worthy of Slytherin's heirs was equally as… suspicious. Why would there be information within its walls that wasn't made available for Slytherin's own favourites? The man in the portrait had claimed to be Slytherin too, but why had he been absent during Corene's entire presence?
That second question of his was stuck on his mind worse than the other two, as it very annoyingly set him on a path of paranoia as he tried to think of other people it cou-
He jolted in his seat at a sudden flash of light, one that was brighter and larger than he'd ever seen before. Trees, chunks of buildings, rocks and even a bit of water was all made visible within the air, then finally the sound that accompanied the flash came. It made his ears feel a heavy pressure, they popped half a dozen times during that pressure too and even when he tried to right the feelings with a quick anti-sound charm, the feelings lingered.
With the noise, uncomfortable feelings and other distractions now gone, he had all his feelings back in near-perfect clarity. Obviously, there was a lingering ache and the dullest of pressures still around, but he pushed through enough to look around the classroom. All of his peers down to a handful - if that - were still on the ground with their hands covering their ears. Professor Binns was looking about confusedly, his ghostly eyes lingering on a student for no more than a second each before they flickered to the window or next teenager.
Corene, Aster, Marcus and three other students the likes of which were barely known to Harry were fine, a few were even going so far as to help their neighbours. As nice as that was to see, especially with the houses in this class being Gryffindor and Slytherin, Harry was too focused on the blasts outside to do the same.
Hogsmeade, or wha- no, no it's really Hogsmeade.
Harry blinked and swallowed as he finally registered just what was happening. All of the blasts had been a prelude for now with his eyes focused on the small town as they were, he could see the telltale signs of a battle raging on within the small village.
Spells of varying colours would streak off into the sky, some would explode dozens of feet outside of the village and others would hit random buildings or have no effect at all. Others, the harder ones to watch, would hit a target as it fled the town - there were no shortage of people fleeing either - and then there those that he couldn't see save for a few milliseconds, the ones that likely struck somebody close to them.
Somebody tugged on him before they struck down his charm, one from whoever it was going up shortly thereafter as they spoke.
"We're going," the person, Daphne, said quickly.
He turned to respond to her, but she didn't stay long enough to hear. Daphne was already off, rushing towards Corene with her eyes on Aster and Reinhard. She was efficient and very quick, he would give her that, but Merlin if she cared even a bit for those she taught it had to be hard passing them all up.
Harry winced when a second, larger explosion than was typical in Hogsmeade went off. After that wince, he risked one more glance around the room as he got up from his seat. Most of his peers were safe now, the sounds no longer stunning them as they huddled together in groups and pushed towards the windows. He wanted to say something, anything to them so that they'd get away from the windows, but nothing would be heard so long as they had those charms up.
Marcus or Veronica, perhaps one of the lesser-known Gryffindor classmates, one of them had said something of that nature too. There wasn't any other reason that the whole group of friends would be stood as far as they could be from the windows, just like Corene and most of Slytherin had done when the confrontation started.
"Come on," Daphne's voice came again as she tugged hard on his arm, enough so that it hurt and made him turn his attention back to her.
"We should war-" Harry wasn't given the chance to finish before Daphne's grip was gone and a newer, softer one had taken hold of his sleeve.
"Daphne will speak with Professor Binns, we must leave, Harry," Corene said, her voice as monotonous as was usual but with a distinct edge that he couldn't quite place.
Worry wouldn't fit it very well, but it was as close as he could get to describing how she felt. Trepidation maybe, but that was a word he'd heard Hermione use a lot and hadn't quite determined the exact meaning of… words weren't quite as important as figuring out the inner-workings of a crazy future dark lady turned wife's mind.
Harry shook his head and followed after Corene once those few seconds had gone by. There weren't any additional words said by either of them nor was anything offered up by the others in House Slytherin that went with them. Everybody was content in quietness, as the ramifications of Hogwarts coming under siege and the future danger that had just turned to present was still running their minds completely.
It wasn't until all of them, those being the true 'friends' of Elaine were together in an empty classroom in the bowels of the school that anybody spoke. When that person turned out to be Elaine, who she herself was wearing a Prefect badge as she brought in a few other members of Slytherin, he wasn't surprised in the slightest.
"I won't waste my time explaining what's happening outside of these walls and for that same reason, you'll have to ask one another any questions you might have about it. Your opinions, thoughts on the matter and anything else might offer up that you don't believe to be beneficial for all in this room should stay within your minds too, else I'll be very annoyed that you chose to waste our time," Elaine looked pointedly around the room, her eyes lingering on Aster's corner especially long before they sought out Harry and she continued her speaking. "Grindelwald, at this very moment in time, is attacking Hogsmeade with roughly one-quarter of his forces. These numbers were provided by trustworthy sources thanks to connections within this room, should any of you doubt me. I can say with absolute certainty that the rest of his forces are elsewhere, defending a larger ring around Hogwarts that had been established overnight. It's not completed and the strength isn't what it needs to be, thus Grindelwald will attempt to breakthrough. Because of that, there will very likely be a defence within the walls of Hogwarts and as such, our security is needed now more than ever - follow me, this is your only chance to do so for guaranteed safety."
"Guaranteed how?" Came the voice of a larger boy in the far back of the room, his size and the way he filled it out likely filling him with confidence as he crossed his arms whilst waiting for Elaine to answer his question.
"That's a very easy question to answer, Elliot, for my presence and that of Harry's combined will equal too great a threat for Grindelwald to take on. Should it come to that, should the walls of Hogwarts come crashing down under the might of a Dark Lord, he and his remaining forces will have to fight us in the depths of Hogwarts' underground. I'm very confident in our ability to defend said depths thanks to factors unknown to all save for one of you within this room. Thank you for the question, Elliot, and that will be the only one all of you may ask," Elaine gave a perfect curtsey and then she headed towards the door.
Harry followed after her with only a short two looks given; Corene and Aster, Harry waited to see what either of them would do before he made his move. It wasn't out of nervousness or anxiety, those feelings couldn't be farther from his mind. No, why he looked towards the two of them was very simple.
He wanted to make sure they'd do the smart, safe thing and move with Elaine. If they didn't he was certain they wouldn't survive the battle thanks to their status as Purebloods, ones that are very old in terms of their lineage. Marcus, Sarah and the others, on the other hand, Harry had to see what they would all be doing before he fully dedicated himself to the Chamber.
Not one person in that room had opted to stay.
Harry had taken count when he turned around and saw that not a single person had remained still. All of them down to every witch and wizard had opted to follow Elaine to safety. It was funny seeing people who claimed superiority due to genes alone cower and follow after a person who wasn't a Pureblood in their own right, not technically.
"You're not planning on doing anything stupid, are you?" Elaine asked, her hand tightening around one of his as the happy couple led nearly four dozen of their peers towards a second hidden entrance, one that made the Chambers far more accessible for the number they were bringing.
"Not unless you think spending an extra thirty minutes at the most outside of the Chamber is stupid," Harry answered, a bright smile on his face as he continued walking right alongside her.
Elaine blinked at him a few times, then her eyes went down to their connected hands and finally, back up at him as her upper lip twitched. When he noticed that final detail in addition to the very minor, near imperceivable bags under her eyes, he finally realised that Elaine was vaguely affected by Grindelwald's presence too.
She hadn't let on that she was feeling vulnerable, stressed or what have you, but there was only so much that potions or make-up could do. For what it was worth, it did take him being very close to her to tell that she wasn't her usual self.
"That plan is beyond the description of stupidity, Harry," Elaine said sweetly as she started swinging their hands, her tone completely at odds with her words. "Not only will I tell you that such an idea is dangerous, stupid and silly, but I'll also tell you that it's one I won't be allowing you to undertake. Equals as we are in near every way, when it comes to your safety at this point in time especially, I'll not be treating you as an equal - your continued existence is vital for my happiness and development."
That's about as close to an 'I love you' I think I've ever heard from her lips and I've heard her say love before, Harry thought as he watched Elaine's face, her expression getting more frayed as she looked at him.
"What do you suggest I do then?" Harry asked, his tone and face conflicted as he looked at Elaine.
He knew how important he was to her, he'd witnessed the growth of her empathy very recently… but at that same time, he knew how important it was that Marcus, Vee, Sarah, most of them really, lived. The Potters had become tentative friends of his, the Weasleys could be likely business partners and the Goldhorns were already important to him in a myriad of ways.
In other words, there was no way Elaine would get him down and into the chamber short of knocking him out or using other forceful means. It didn't matter to him that Marcus had claimed he and the others would always be safe in Hogwarts, what mattered was that those words rang true.
"You're able to use the Patronus charm, are you not?" Elaine asked, her voice noticeably patient as her grip tightened again around his hand.
"I am and before you tell me to do it, I don't know how I can use the Patronus to send a message. If I knew that, I would have used it many, many times before," Harry mentally facepalmed when he realised just who it was that he was speaking with. "Can you do it? Could you send a message to somebody for me?"
"Daphne, Corene, bring the group to the room we secured that's one hallway away from the entrance. I have something I need to very quickly do with Harry - should we be gone for any duration past that of fifteen minutes, Corene, send your house-elf after us and we'll return," Elaine then looked back to Harry and pulled him from the group until she dragged him into an empty room. "No."
Harry winced at her abrasive, aggressive-sounding answer. It had been a very long time since he'd heard her tone be so bothered or otherwise agitated, and so when he made to ask why it wasn't with any lack of trepidation that she'd get worse.
"Could I ask why you don't want to?' Harry asked as his other hand came up to gently brush a few stray strands of her hair back behind her ear.
Elaine's eyes found his despite the darkness and when he saw her face, the faint glow of a torch barely illuminating it, he realised just why she wouldn't without her needing to say a single word; she wouldn't because she couldn't. The spell wasn't too hard for her, he knew that much since he had learned how to do so, he figured it was because she lacked any good memories when she last tried to cast it. Harry figured that was quite some time ago too based on how advanced the current magic she was using tended to be and if that theory was true, he felt worse for her than he previously had.
Everybody their age deserved some manner of happiness no matter what it was and the fact that she hadn't gotten any of it caused a cocktail of negative feelings to rise up in his chest towards those who had raised her. If he had thought the Dursleys were bad, whoever had been Elaine's 'family' had to be far worse if she was never afforded so much as one single good memory.
"You've figured it out far faster than you would have one year ago," Elaine said as her displeased expression gave way to one that seemed conflicted with pride taking a heavy amount of that mixture.
"Have you tried it anytime recently?" Harry asked, shrugging as he put a hand on each of Elaine's hips and drew her closer, his eyes flickering down to her lips for all of a second before he figured out what he was doing; a small portion of his mind was screaming that this wasn't the time too, but he brushed that off easily enough.
Elaine shook her head, the gesture oddly shy from a woman who was anything but. "I seldom go back to things that best me, regardless of what they are - you alone are something that I remained persistent in, and I have would done so for all of eternity."
There's my crazy fiance.
Harry leaned forward and pressed one soft, gentle kiss to Elaine's lips. When he pulled back to look into her eyes as was often done in their lover's embrace, he saw that familiar spark of something… as cheesy as it would sound… good, in her. Maybe it was something he'd mistaken as empathy, there was the chance it was her love for him as she felt it but whatever it truly was didn't matter to Harry so long as it existed in the first place.
"Try it again," Harry said, his wand held by both of their hands as he pressed it into her free one and his gaze still totally on her.
She tried thrice; the first had no effect, the second showed a wisp and the third?
It was so bright, so full and so overwhelmingly warm that he had to close his eyes until she cancelled the spell.
He didn't think he'd ever seen her smile, cheer and jump in excitement until that point in his life. More would have come, she said as much herself before they rejoined their friends and promised as much later when they were in bed together. Time would have to tell, however, for with his friends warned by Elaine's Patronus, the true core group now had to finish preparations for the Chamber should Grindelwald advance.
"You placed a majority of the wards already, didn't you, Elaine?" Daphne asked as she, Corene, Harry, Emilene, Joseph and Elaine stood above the entrance to Slytherin's recently expanded chambers.
Aster and Reinhard would have come with them too, even Ash, but some of the core members of their group had to stay with the others to prevent snooping or other potentially problematic issues from arising. Harry didn't think any were likely, but Elaine seemed to see the help that leaving her trustworthy enforcer in Reinhard with those that she wasn't as trusting of.
"I did," Elaine said as she looked over to the other girl, her nose slightly raised. "Most of them are ready, nearly all of them, but there were some that are better left for groups to raise. I wouldn't see the effectiveness ruined just out of my own wish to do it completely my way - come, I'll need you and Corene for this one. Emilene, Joe, I'll leave you to Harry."
Harry didn't voice protest any, and so Elaine took that as his acceptance. Thus, just like that, the three he usually spent his time with were headed down the vast chamber and he was left alone with Joe and Emilene. He seldom talked to the latter while the former was far more known to him, though not ever in an official matter such as this one.
"Joe, you're good with blood magic, aren't you?" Harry asked casually despite the seriousness said magic was treated with.
"I wouldn't say I'm bad at it, not that the public needs to know. Why, is there something you think I can do?" Joe's eyes went over to Emilene with a small degree of nervousness in them and after that, they examined the wonder that was Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets openly; the look of awe was the same Harry gave it when he truly had the chance to look the place over.
When he had thought he was dying thanks to the Basilisk - one that was still very much alive and in the statue should they need it - he didn't think the Chamber was beautiful in the slightest. Merlin was he wrong, especially with the magic Elaine had tossed around to clean it up and remove the lingering stench that had been overpowering in his time.
"If you could, I'd like something that's easy to dismantle but still tough to pass and worse to walk through on the entrance we took. There's no need to leave that wholly undefended and I'm sure you'd love the chance to do something as large and intricate as that," Harry grinned at the other boy and then he nodded towards the door again. "Go crazy, mate. Doubt you'll ever have a better chance or reason."
Joseph lingered nearby for another few seconds, a look of confliction on his face until it eventually caved. As soon as that happened, he was off in the direction that Harry had nodded with a gleeful, near maniacal look on his face as he shrugged his satchel into his hands.
"You sent him away very quickly. Is there any reason for that, Harry?" Emilene asked, her voice as light as Corene's often was but without the lack of emotion.
He blinked at her question and made a look of pondering. That look was mostly used to study the girl, but a portion of it was dedicated to figuring out what the pair of them could do. He couldn't think of anything particular, but he definitely took in a few interesting notes about her; she was different when they last spoke together alone nearly a year ago, friendlier, semi-shy and in her eyes was still the same look he saw in Elaine's, one that seemed vaguely… unhinged.
Checks out if she's following her, doesn't it?
"Are you any good with wards or runes? I don't fancy myself a master of either of them, but if you've been with Elaine as long as you have I reckon you know a good bit," Harry's final words were meant in levity and for the first time, they were taken in stride.
Corene didn't cock her head at him in confusion, Daphne didn't sneer or disregard his remark and Elaine wasn't playing a thousand angles at once - Emilene laughed politely and nodded. "You would be correct that Elaine saw fit to teach me a few extra pieces of knowledge as she does with Corene and Daphne. It wouldn't do if her main advisors were inept, that's in her own words too."
"It sounded like it," Harry said quickly as he nodded towards the thinning out portion of the path. "We could, and by we I mean mostly you unless you'd want me to get in the way, could figure out something to do over here? I'll make it up to you if I can't help, figure there's probably a lot of questions I could answer that you haven't had the chance to ask me now that we're alone here while Grindelwald's invading."
"That's awfully dark of you, isn't it?" Emilene asked teasingly, an edge to her voice that seemed very Elaine-like as she laughed and moved towards where he had nodded. "Are you familiar with the Circle of Acidic Air made by Ajax nearly two decades ago? It's a rune scheme that's fairly complex, so if you haven't, this could be a very good chance to learn."
Almost immediately after she had spoken, Harry shook his head to signify that his answer was a firm 'no'. He had never heard of any man named Ajax save for one in a Muggle book he'd read and as for his Runic knowledge, he wasn't failing the class but he could be considered by no means beyond proficient… that proficiency would be a hard thing to prove too.
"Watch me place the runes and how I connect them - you can do that and pay attention to any questions I ask at the same time, right?" Emilene asked, the girl already reaching into her satchel to withdraw numerous items.
"I can pay attention and answer your questions at the same time, yes. I'm not like Abraxas or Aster," Harry pointed at a specific rune that she pulled out that seemed a mixture of the two then, his attention temporarily diverted. "What's that one? We never learned about this, not that I can recall."
Emilene looked confused for a few seconds until she looked where he was signalling. Once she saw that he was looking at the unique rune, she laughed. It didn't feel condescending, more so it felt like she completely forgot about it herself. To Harry, that seemed to signify a degree of comfort with Runes beyond that of most people.
"Certain runes - when you're beyond an intermediate knowledge of them - can be combined safely, thus requiring less in the way of magical power, showing less for a potential enemy to recover and most importantly, doing so can make it all the harder to figure out your intentions," Emilene withdrew a half a dozen more runes, some of them from other cultures that again, he had not learned at his point in the classroom. "I'll admit that I may have undersold my love of Runes and warding. Most of these are from cultures across Europe and Asia, allowing the scheme that I use to be even more difficult to determine its inner workings. Explained very simply, using different runes and combined ones at that will cause a higher risk and chance for failure when trying to disable these."
"I understand… when will we learn about all of this in Ancient Runes?" Harry's final question was a tad bit hopeful considering his current level of expertise or lack thereof. Still, he figured it wasn't horrible to ask and should he live, he could ask Emilene for lessons in the class.
If he could get her to teach him Runes, have Corene for Politics, Elaine for Curses as well as other nefarious forms of magic and perhaps Slughorn for his array of connections, Harry could very well end in the strongest force in all of Magical Britain. Obviously, Elaine would be a big issue but one that could be easily mitigated thanks to their mutual affection.
"You have friends outside of Slytherin. Sarah Goldhorn as well as the rest of her sisters, Marcus Potter, Veronica Weasley, the French trio that Cade spent time with," Emilene paused whilst speaking to finish connecting a rune and when she was done, she continued as if she hadn't stopped at all. "Most of those in our house don't spend that much time with those of another. I understand your circumstances are different thanks to your family staying in hiding, but I'm still very curious about how that all came to be. Did you have connections with any of the others or did you take to them similarly to how Elaine took to you?"
Harry cast a lingering glance at Elaine when she was mentioned, spotting her nearly fifty feet away with the other two witches she'd taken still at her side. As always, her appearance was immaculate and the confidence she had in spades was evident in her physical actions. Nothing was different, she remained her attractive, confident, beautifully dangerous self.
"I didn't have any connections with anybody when I left my home. Sarah Goldhorn met me when I ended up in Diagon Alley all those months ago. Unless I'm mistaken since it's been a while now, I think I met her second out of everybody with only Professor Slughorn appearing before she did," Harry pointed at a rune, recognising the small scheme painted on it for what it was. "Clouding, that makes sense for an area of effect damage but shouldn't each runic letter be on its own stone? The Professor always preaches order and keeping the letters as large as they can be on the stone."
"Normally, you'd be correct. In this scenario, however, this scheme will likely be facing off against Masters of Runes and as such, it needs to be as complex as possible. Even if the ward isn't exactly the way that I want it, the problems it causes will still remain at least semi-effective, hence ceasing forward progress all the same. Anything that buys us time whilst having the chance to seriously injure a follower of Grindelwald's is beneficial - I didn't know Professor Slughorn was the first person you met either, that's very interesting. I'm equally as surprised that Sarah Goldhorn was the first peer of ours you'd met too, considering where you ended up and your fairly different personalities," Emilene finished with a tentative glance over her shoulder, one that was likely meant to show she didn't mean her remark rudely, it was just that she truly thought it a queer day.
"I guess it's a bit coincidental, that day, isn't it? I mean, I met all of you save for Elaine, Professor Slughorn, Sarah and got my Gringotts issues sorted out too. It's fun to think about, it really is when I'm especially bored, but I've never put too much stock into stuff happening for a reason," Harry stepped back and away from her runic task, recognising that it was nearly done after a few minutes of talking. "Did you have all the runes pre-drawn and ready to be used at a moment's notice? There's no way you could have set this up completely without having done so"
"Preparation is key and seeing as we're finished, I do believe I'm afforded questions whilst we wait for Elaine and the others. I'm recalling that correctly, aren't I?" Emilene's look conveyed to him that she already knew the answer, but wanted to hear him say it for her own fun.
Again, he didn't think she was rude, just maybe a bit more forward and, dare he say, normal; that word only really fit when she was compared to other Slytherin students still fresh in his mind. Nobody in Slytherin seemed totally normal, nearly all of them had a special issue or family secrets that could be exploited if you had a mind for that type of thing. Luckily for him and at the same time, unfortunately for him, he wasn't able to discern what those secrets were quite yet without vast amounts of exterior aid.
"I'll keep it short and non-invasive, as Elaine first said to do when we were told we could finally reach out to you," Emilene prefaced as she nodded back towards the conjured padded bench atop the stairs into Slytherin's personal Chambers. "Are you and Elaine truly getting married to one another for the sake of love? Why did you choose to reveal yourself over a year ago if you've only recently gotten back your Wizengamot title while making no economic or political moves? Lastly, for the sake of my sanity, how long were you and Elaine together before you decided to begin dating?"
When he heard the final question out of Emilene's mouth, he couldn't help but cock his head at the shorter girl. It wasn't invasive, not really, but it was definitely an odd question to ask all things considered.
Emilene laughed at the face he seemed to have made upon hearing her third question and patted him on the back. "Don't worry, it's not some twisted fantasy or anything along the Walburga lines. If I'm completely honest with you, the exact date and time don't matter so much as a general time does. Many of us had a pool going and so I'd very much like to see if I won."
Harry nodded and made a sound of understanding even if he didn't quite grasp her meaning. Well, he did understand what she meant but it was more that he didn't understand why it existed in the first place. There were plenty of people he had gone to Hogwarts with nearly fifty years in the future who didn't date once, but so far as he knew, there weren't any pools going on for them.
"Oh, right, answering," Harry said with a laugh as he turned his attention back to Emilene so that he could face the young woman completely. "Yes, Elaine and I are getting married because we have a great deal of affection for one another even after a short amount of time. You'll be invited just like most of the others will, so I guess you'll know right around the time that I do when our wedding will be. I revealed myself on my own accord, at least for the first day that I spent out - my first real day I should specify since I had gone out one day before under a guise to take a tentative look arou-
"You were out one day earlier than everybody thinks you were? I imagine you said something to somebody on that day, which means the first person you truly spoke with will never be known. Whoever it was would have to be fuming if they ever found out they were the first person to speak to a Peverell in over five centuries without even knowing it," Emilene laughed for a good thirty seconds, going so far as to wipe at a few tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes before finally nodding that he could continue.
When she whispered an apology for interrupting him, he thanked her for that too. Elaine never did it and she was the only other person save for 'Professor' Daphne that interrupted him.
"What was the last question again? How long were Elaine and I together before we started dating… do you mean how long were we flirting before officially getting together?" Harry asked, pondering the question himself as he thought of their many earlier intimacies.
"Yeah, that's exa-" Emilene was interrupted this time, but not by a person.
Her words, their simple conversation, it was tossed aside as a noise like thunder reached their ears. It was terribly loud and as horrible as the prior explosion he'd heard, but what was worse this time was the shaking of the ground despite their position in the bowels of Hogwarts. Harry doubted he had ever felt such a strong force even if it had been diluted by the ground. Grindelwald had to be the caster and if that were the case, if he were attacking Hogwarts already, the battle would be over in hours.
If not hours, then a day or two at the most; Harry had no confidence in the Hogwarts Staff if it lacked Dumbledore. Merlin, even if the old - but still younger - man was present, the odds of him beating Grindelwald were lower thanks to whatever was medically affecting him. It had to be horrible, truly horrible if a man as strong and knowledgeable as Albus Dumbledore couldn't overcome it.
He's not invincible like I used to think he was, but even Elaine has a form of respect felt towards him. She;'s right to, nobody else holds as many titles as he does in his school of magic and if that weren't a feat itself, the number of record marks Professor Dumbledore held at this point in time were simply stunning.
"You're not losing it thanks to a battle, are you?" Emilene asked, one finger of hers poking him in the chest as she looked towards the stone ceiling. "This should keep us as safe as anything else will. Those added wards and protections should do well in mixing with the ancient ones. They'll probably provide a newer, fresh shield so that the older ones get more potent - the strategy is brilliant."
Harry nodded and swallowed, his eyes slowing looking towards the stone ceiling to which he could see the occasional pebble fall from. "I'm not losing anything, I was a bit caught off-guard. As you said earlier, I have friends above us and I'm hoping they'll all be okay by the time this little battle is over," Harry motioned for Elaine and the others to come back when the bombardment got worse, and then he spoke to Emilene again. "What about you? Not worried about Grindelwald, all those criminals with him or anything else thanks to the upcoming battle?"
"Not particularly. Elaine says this is likely the safest place in all of Magical Britain and if that's the case, with the two of you here as well as the rest of these true Purebloods from a rich stock, my safety is practically guaranteed," Emilene leaned back at that, her feet rising so that they were on a bench that she only just conjured for herself. Not more than a few seconds later, she changed the wooden bench into an ottoman.
Elaine came over at that point, with Daphne and Corene right behind her, each of them looking a bit winded. Ultimately and without any note of surprise, Elaine broke the silence when Joe came over not fifteen seconds later.
"Hogsmeade at this point has likely fallen, which means the remainder of her defenders will have fallen back to Hogwarts. Those sounds you're hearing are the explosions hitting Hogwarts and strong as the enchantments are, stone can only hold on for so long," Elaine gestured to the staircase and brought up the rear when the others descended, Harry was the one directly in front of her. "We'll organise shifts once we're inside. Not all of us can sleep at once if we're to maintain security in the face of a Dark Lord - at this point, nobody save for myself or those I give permission to may leave the Chamber. We'll be together in perpetuity, though perpetuity for our sake only remains definable with Grindelwald on Hogwarts' ground."
"How many days of provisions do we have if we assume it's the current number and not one more?" Harry asked, forcing the group to a halt right outside the entrance of Slytherin's Chambers and in a room that could best be described as a lobby of sorts.
Elaine raised an eyebrow and turned her attention over to Daphne, the latter would wipe her brow before speaking. "We have enough food and drink to last the current fifty-three people in the expanded chambers ninety-seven days. That assumes nobody eats more than their share, no extra mouths to feed are brought in and rationing is adhered to. Do keep in mind this could quite easily change depending on the trouble we find ourselves in."
"House-elves could easily resupply us, couldn't they?" Harry asked with a very purpose-driven look sent in the direction of Corene.
"They could, yes, but that could require dozens of trips for a single elf and if we have multiple thanks to Corene's family, the chance of us getting caught, increase," Daphne shrugged, seemingly careless. "The number of days we have are sufficient enough for a counter-attack to take place and lift the siege. If they fail multiple times, we'll still be able to hold out and by that point, the remaining forces here should we have to breakout ourselves would be weakened after three months at Hogwarts under constant counter-sieges for our Castle."
Let's hope everything goes as smoothly as they all think it will.
Elaine snorted a split-second before Emilene opened the door and as she did, Harry couldn't help but wonder if she was in his mind again.
If she was, well… there'd eventually be an issue.
January 11, 1944
Monday Evening
Nothing more had happened for the rest of the day, not anything of note at the very least.
More bombardments came, the occasional rumbling of the very earth itself caused a primal fear of being buried alive to rise up and finally, the first panic attack had descended upon the group as they hid away in the deepest known point of Hogwarts. It was a younger witch, no more than a second-year but likely a first that had gotten scared to the point of an attack taking hold of her, but it was that one singular instance of panic that seemed to spread the feelings openly in the hearts of a majority of their group.
Everywhere Harry looked, he could see at least one openly frightened housemate glancing around constantly with unblinking, wide-open eyes. It was unnerving, but as he had said to himself days prior, there would be no panic or nervousness in the face of this battle. Grindelwald had chosen violence and Harry would make him pay with Elaine at his side.
They would defeat the Dark Lord, capitalise on their heroic statuses and rebuild the magical community at large. Harry promised himself and Elaine that, for he truly believed at this point in time that he could see them into a stronger future than any Minister he'd yet witnessed - many had come in his short life too, and that he truly thought he could do a better job himself said much towards their quality.
"You're not nervous," Elaine said as she emerged from their private bathroom, a towel wrapped around her hair and a second one around her body. "There were some in our group of friends that thought you would be nervous to the point of requiring comfort or constant companionship. I doubt I need to inform you of those two individuals' identities."
Abraxas and Daphne. It has to be the pair of them because I know for a fact that Aster, Reinhard and Corene are confident in my abilities, Harry shook his head and quickly banished the line of thinking that would send him down. He didn't care what Abraxas thought about him and as for Daphne, well, she had very quickly turned out to be the one he saw as least beneficial within the group.
Her attitude, the lack of political strength she really seemed to wield in Great Britain and her family's overall disposition towards him were the three largest factors in his thinking.
"I'm not nervous, no. I'm glad you didn't think I'd be, not after I charged out to fight three of Grindelwald's fighters alone in the streets of Hogsmeade while looking to rescue as many people as I could," Harry yawned and stretched his arms over his head then, the feeling incredibly nice as the soft bed swallowed him deeper into its cloudy confines. "If I'm totally honest with you, I see Abraxas cutting out and running when we get into our first fight out of everybody. Corene never gets scared, she rarely shows anything really - Aster, Reinhard, Joe, most of the blokes are here for the fighting, ways to get tougher or the occasional strategic maneuvring in the case of Aster specifically."
"Abraxas will surprise you as I'm sure you'll surprise him. By the end of this, I do see us crossing wands with Grindelwald whilst our friends do battle with his followers," Elaine dropped both towels and moved to the wardrobe, dressing with his eyes lingering on her rear and speaking when he seemed entirely captivated. "For that very reason, I thought of having them all take upon themselves a tattoo or other significant, easily seen mark. It would prevent any spies in our camp while allowing myself as well as you the ability to find them with the simple casting of a spell."
Harry swallowed nothing as a wave of nausea hit him, but still, he soldiered on whilst attempting to see the goodness or benefit in such an action. "Would it allow you to summon them too? Something such as that would be wicked so long as it doesn't cause them pain or trouble, we wouldn't want that for anybody that's currently sided with us… actually, come to think of it, why don't we use an item with an activation word?"
"Items are far easier to steal along with their passwords than an entire magical tattoo or other physical mark is to replicate, Harry. You're intelligent enough to know that a permanent, runic and inherently magical marking on one's body is the most secure route to take short of keeping constant contact in large groups whilst ordering various groups into different tasks that hold a so-called 'circle of accountability'," Elaine scoffed and rolled her eyes. "That doesn't work. Constant competitiveness to the point of being detrimental, circles of spying within your friends, nothing that involves those as your foundation will ever last. "
"We should still give an item with a password a try. It could be difficult too. We could form people into groups and give them the same item but different passwords, then instruct them all to say it at the same time so that they don't know the real password for their item. They would all have to be different too, the passwords on each item, I mean," Harry looked back over to Elaine and grabbed a hold of the bed, a violent tremor racing down the foundation of Hogwarts horribly enough to make his teeth hit one another.
"I still believe a runic marking is the best option, but for the sake of our equality and partnership, I will sleep on it for the night," Elaine came over and climbed into bed, finally fully dressed with a yawn of her own escaping as she cuddled into his side. "The others will manage guard duty. You and I need our rest if we're to be ready to fight Grindelwald - Corene or Daphne will wake us as we're needed, they're the only two with the ability to enter this room."
Well, that answers one of my questions.
Harry kissed Elaine on the forehead and wrapped one arm around her as the foundation of Hogwarts continued on with its shaking. No longer was he concerned that it would all come crashing down onto their heads, not with the recent fortifications and improvements they had made. Instead, he found himself worrying about the hundreds of students above them as Grindelwald attempted to destroy the many protections that Hogwarts and her defenders put up.
"When we face Grindelwald, we face him as equals, alright?" Harry asked, not looking at Elaine so that he could avoid her piercing eyes while rubbing her shoulders to increase their intimacy and hopefully help show her his side of the argument. "You won't try and take the upper hand by yourself, you won't place your own self in the way of greater harm for me. We'll fight him together, side by side, and we'll win together."
"I promised you we would do so and I can promise you I'll not go back on my word now that it's been given, Harry," Elaine answered, a series of kisses peppered across his collarbone.
That's that then… if I can believe her, Harry continued his impromptu massage of Elaine until her breathing grew lighter, at which point he knew she had fallen asleep and his mind sent him one more thought before it crashed alongside hers for the night.
She's said she'll do whatever she wants if it keeps me safe. Equality be damned, those were her own words.
How far will she really go to keep herself to that?
Harry wasn't sure… no, he knew he didn't want to find out the answer to that question.