It was a good ten minutes of waiting around until Snape and Romi showed back up. Romi smiled towards Lika when she saw her friend was safe and sound, sitting on the tied bundle of leaves they'd called a bed. Lika jumped up and ran over to Romi, glad to see the dark man hadn't tricked either of them. She attached herself to Romi's leg as her Master looked to Snape to see what was to be done next.

Severus thought for a moment and glanced back to Romi. "Do you feel as though you can learn more spells, or are you overwhelmed with the current load we've taught you thus far?"

The Weasley girl shifted and held stared down at her wand. "No I think I could learn more." Her unsettled brown eyes landed back on Snape's. "In fact, I think we could all learn more. Every time we say these spells we can feel the magic rushing through our bodies. Before them, before the wands, it was completely at random." She laughed quietly for a moment. "We thought the legends of people controlling their magic, making it do what they wanted were ridiculous. We thought the ghosts were trying to prank us when they told us about such things. Even one ghost, some monk tried to teach my parents back just after the last war ended but they wouldn't have it. The whole clan said the idea was preposterous and wound up driving the ghost away as a charlatan." A sigh escaped her as she gripped her wand tight. "If only they were alive to see it."

As Snape studied the girl he fought the urge to ask just what had happened to take her parents. "Right. You feel you can learn more, tonight you're learning the amplifying charm and its counter, the quieting charm. We need to wake everyone up to get them in proper beds, and we could waste time by going around to each mat individually and gently rousing them, however it would be faster and easier to simply amplify a voice and wake them all at once. Not only that, it would provide a window for a much needed lesson in readiness and preparedness. I don't know if you're aware of it or not, but the world has gone to shit. These clans as you and some others call them are in it for themselves and their ilk, just as we are. That means people may come for our food, shelter, clothing, who knows what. It would do everyone well to learn to sleep lightly and be prepared in case of a night attack. We can use this opportunity to assess everyone's reaction time when facing the unexpected."

A glare set on Romi's face. "Preparedness? Look Mister, we're prepared. We've all been the targets of rival clans. We've each lost everything we had and even some people we loved at some point. You're the new guy around here and couldn't have known, so I'll refrain from punching you for that suggestion. We've been fighting for our livelihood since the day we were born. Between malicious clans, and military government wannabes, we've all spent the better part of our lives fighting and sustaining ourselves through surprise attacks. These people don't need to be assessed- they need to be able to sleep through the night without some asshole sending them into panic. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that you and the other one are helping us learn to control our magic, and I'm sure everyone else appreciates it too, but the beds can wait until morning. Your little lesson in preparedness is unwanted and unneeded. You've obviously never had to worry about if you'd live to see the next day, or even experienced real hardship if that's the first place your mind goes."

His teeth gritted together in his closed mouth, and the glare on Severus' face could send shivers down even Voldemort's spine. "Child, you have no idea who I am, what I've done, or the hardships I've faced." His voice was steely and cold and his clenched fist stayed firmly held behind him. "My suggestion to you, is the next time you disagree with an idea you just say it and leave your pea brained assumptions about my past out of it." The man turned on his heel and stalked down back into the dungeons.


As the days passed it became clear to everyone that Romi and Severus refused to be around one another for any substantial length of time. Attempts to talk to either of them about it proved fruitless, and only served to further irritate each one about the other.

The main entrance had been mostly fixed up and they'd even moved on to Grand Staircase. Most of those who had chosen to go back to their poor shelters of the night wound up bringing their families to the two of the original 17 people that Snape had gathered still refused to house in the castle, but about half the 15 that chose to bunk there brought family members. The beds had been moved into the Great Hall, and since there were now over triple the people than there were beds, everyone was sleeping in shifts so that all could have a proper sleep every day.

Lika had spent the vast majority of her time perfecting her apparation skills. She nabbed every opportunity to use it that she could, even going as far as to volunteer for any and all tasks that included gathering supplies. Between her, Harry, and Severus, the group had amassed quite the pile of supplies. They had some 30 plus different species of plants all sorted out into little pots transfigured from rocks in the incredibly fertile soil from just outside the castle's main entrance, various lengths of dusty, moldy, ratty fabric from what used to be a clothing shop in Diagon Alley, four wooden brooms that were completely muggle and uncharmed with anything which had been retrieved from the completely decimated ruins of a museum in London, and of course the five books Harry had found in Cairo.

While Harry was trying ever so diligently to uncover the information from the books, Severus had taken up residence behind him and read over his shoulder. Between that, not knowing the language they were written in, and his increasing frustration at everything, Harry let out a shout of aggravation and slammed the book closed. "I can't read any of that damn thing!" He stated as he stormed away from the table that had been set up in the Great Hall.

Severus raised an eyebrow and opened the book up to the first page. "Are the words too big for you to understand?" He asked half amused as he flipped through the pages.

With a deadpan glare, Harry huffed. "No, I just don't speak whatever language that is!"

"English, Potter, it's written in English." Severus stated simply as he leafed through it. "Though I don't know why you picked up this book, it's literally just some woman's ramblings about how plastic from the muggle world has ruined the sanctity of brooms and broom-making. I actually tend to agree with her, though not with the colorful language she chose to use to express her distaste."

With a sigh Harry slumped up against a wall. "Ok, see, now I know you're just making shit up to piss me off. It's clearly not in English, it's in some fancy scripty looking language- I got it from Wizarding Cairo from a place that I barely escaped from because the clan there thought I was trying to steal their food." His face softened some and the young man peered out through a broken window to the fruit trees they'd transfigured before. "Come to think of it, they didn't seem to have a lot of food, and I know they have at least one child. It'd probably be nice of me to return with some fruits and veggies."

Severus was very close to arguing with Harry over the language of the book, however when he stared hard enough at the pages, he did see almost an overlaid image of the original text. He was quiet for a moment then cleared his throat. "It's called Arabic… I think the castle is doing something to me- I can read it perfectly. Bring me the other books from that place."

Harry did as told and soon enough Snape had discovered that two of the other four books were also the ramblings of the same woman, one on whether or not the wood of a Mastolian Tree should even be considered real wood and why it was a horrible idea to make brooms from it, and the other a collection of her private angry notes on all her employees who irked her that day. The other two books though had exactly what he was looking for- one on the different kinds of wood and bristles to use for brooms based on what you're using the broom for, and the other about how to properly assemble the brooms, what spells to use to make it go, and what not to do with certain types of materials.

Harry clasped his hands together. "Right… Well while you're figuring out all this broom stuff, I'm going to go magic me up some food, prepare a couple baskets, and take it to Egypt. I can't in good conscience just let a bunch of people starve, especially when there are children there." Harry informed him before he went to do just that.


When Harry did arrive in Cairo, he came armed. He'd popped in directly to the place he'd been chased out at fully loaded with seven simple wooden baskets he'd transfigured from a pile of sticks positively bursting with fruits and vegetables. One of the refugees, Elise Malfoy, had even managed to help him separate some seeds so that the people would have something to plant. She'd also insisted she come with him to help carry some of the load, and so took three baskets herself, one in each hand and one she levitated in front of her with her newly learned levitation spell.

The place was just as deserted as it had been the last time he was here, but he knew what to do to draw attention. "Excuse me?" Harry called out as the stillness around them seemed to grow even more eerily quiet. "I'm back, but I a friend and we brought you food. We had a surplus and I figured if you were gonna try to kill me over your food you probably needed some."

Within seconds he was face-to-face with the same knife he'd seen last time as three large burly men came at him from all sides. Elisa gasped and dropped her baskets to grab onto Harry's arm. "Please don't hurt us!" She said as her small frame trembled. "We only want to help."

The one man who had acted as a translator before drew closer and growled. "Clans do not share their food with anyone. It is poisoned or a trap. You will die."

Harry gently placed his baskets on the ground and never once broke eye contact with the man. He put an arm around Elise's shoulders. Though he may not have been the most observant person ever, Harry did understand that he wasn't going to get out of this without some sort of exchange, and there was one thing he still needed. "I don't know what it's like around here, but where I come from, if someone's in need, you help them. We can't feed the world, and we can't help the world, but we can help you. You need food, and I still need information. It's not poisoned, and it's not a trick. I'm proposing a trade. Our food- it's tasteless but nutritious and if you've got seasonings can be made to taste good, for your information."

The man glared and he ordered something of one of his companions in another language. Soon the other man began to dig through one of the baskets and he pulled an apple from the bottom of it then held it out to Harry. The translator looked back to him. "Chosen at random. Eat it, and if you don't die, we'll consider a trade."

With a shrug and a somewhat put out sigh, Harry relented and bit into the apple. They stood there in tense, awkward silence through every crunchy, crisp bite he took. After all was said and done, and the group had waited a good ten minutes after the apple had been eaten in case there was a slower acting poison, they finally agreed. The translator smirked and sent one of his companions back to their camp with the food then sheathed his knife.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Right, so a trade then? Information?"

"What do you want to know, outsider?" The translator asked.

Harry studied him and tried to think of what Snape would do- after all Snape was observant and could easily get most information he wanted out of people. "I want to know why you're here. Your accents suggests you're not from around here, and you speak perfect English."

The man scoffed and glared to the side. "I will set ground rules for this trade of information. You get three questions, choose them wisely. This is one of them. I am here because this is where my mother was stationed during the war. That's all you're getting from me on the subject."

Harry frowned. This wasn't nearly the kind of information he'd been hoping for. "Two more questions, that's hardly fair considering how much food we brought, but fine. Where is the nearest non-occupied area with supplies."

The man burst into laughter and even slapped his knee. "You're not just not from around here, kid- you're not from this world! No place worth raiding is unoccupied. Everywhere else has been raided, and the only places worth getting things from you'll either have to trade for, or you'll have to kill for."

While the man snickered, Harry glowered towards him. He tugged Elise closer to him. "You have a girl here, a little girl. When she sneezes she sets things on fire. I believe I can- er, my clan can help her control her magic, the same way we control ours. We may be able to help everyone who needs aid with their magic within your clan. Will you allow this for an exchange of allowing myself and my companion, not Elise here, she's a bit young to know what she's looking for yet- no offense- but my companion back home to look through ALL the stores, shops, stalls, everywhere nearby that isn't your personal campsite for things we might use?"

The translator narrowed his eyes a bit. He studied the young man for lies but found none, to his knowledge. "I've seen little displays of your magic. Do you really believe you can aid my clan in controlling theirs? I need proof before I bring you anywhere near them."

Harry nodded and he looked to Elise. "Could you bring out your wand and show him some of the spells I taught you earlier?"

She readily agreed and in a flash she put her memory to the test. The letivtating charm went off without a hitch when she tried it on some of the sand, as did the transfiguration of said sand into a candle. When she got to the charcoal transfiguration spell she had to be reminded the pronunciation of it, but soon enough she did it and the candle was transfigured into ready-to-burn charcoal.

That last transformation quickly caught the man's attention. "I will speak to the clan's leaders immediately. You stay put- go anywhere and the deal is off." He quickly disappeared into the seemingly endless expanse of sand dunes.