ooo000ooo000ooo
July 15th 1998; 08:10 AM
Harry's Room, Potter Cottage
Harry re-read his letter, once again, peering over his shoulder to confirm Daphne was still asleep. It wasn't that he was afraid of her seeing him writing to Malfoy, just that it would hurt Malfoy's chances to win Daphne's approval. It mattered little to Harry if Malfoy ended up with Astoria. But, after last year, spending time with Daphne more and getting to know Astoria, he'd seen how fond of Malfoy she was, and Daphne's disapproval of the relationship hurt the two that it mattered to.
So, Harry spent time with a list of things he'd need Malfoy to retrieve, enough of he could make a pair for he and Daphne as well (call it his payment for helping Malfoy), and a date that he'd be over at Malfoy Manor to help enchant the mirrors with Malfoy - teaching him as well as doing it for him; just in case one broke, Malfoy wouldn't come to hassle him again.
Getting up from his desk, he grabbed another two letters: replies to Ron and Neville and tiptoed over to Hedwig's window - a large perch sitting on the wall next to it and a den Harry had crafted for her to sleep in and nudged her awake. "Hey, girl - would you deliver these letters for me? This one first, please," holding up Malfoy's letter.
"Hoot!" Hedwig gave Harry an affectionate nip.
"Thanks," Harry said, tying the letters to her leg, Malfoy's letter, on her other leg.
Harry petted the bird one last time, watching as she left. He went back to bed, cuddling up to Daphne for another hour of blissful sleep.
ooo000ooo000ooo
July 15th 1998; 13:19 PM
Harry's Room, Potter Cottage
"I thought you said the diary was filled with just New Runes, Harry," Daphne said, lying on Harry's bed whilst he was sitting at his desk.
"Yeah, why?" Harry asked, turning to face her.
"Well, these look different," Daphne said, pointing at a page.
"Oh, those are the same Runes as the Muggle population used at the time."
"And you didn't think that important?"
"Erm no, why?"
"Could this be a translation page? Look - here's what I'd assume is a translation between the written language at the time and his new one." Daphne flipped the page and pointed.
Harry sat in silence for a moment, then took the diary off of Daphne, "I'm a fucking idiot sometimes."
"Harry! Language, what would your father say if he heard you," Daphne said, gasping mockingly.
"Oh, shut it, you!" Harry tried to berate but held a smile on his face, "I spent all night looking through this, and it was right in front of my nose the whole time."
"Perhaps some new glasses would help?"
"Now, that's just a blatant insult," Harry said, pouting.
Daphne giggled, "Aw... What could I ever do to make it up to you?" Her hand caressed Harry's shoulder.
"I can think of a few ways..."
"Can you now? Would you show little ol' me, pretty please?" her doe-eyes beckoning him forward.
Harry smirked and stood, discarding the book on his desk. With one knee on his bed, Harry captured Daphne's lips with his own, forcing her back down onto the bed, causing her to let out a moan.
Daphne wrapped her legs around Harry's waist, trapping him. She pushed forward with fervour, rolling Harry onto his back, so now she was on top, pinning him to the bed forcefully - grinding herself against him, making Harry let out a husky groan.
They broke apart, panting heavily, chests rising and falling in perfect harmony. Without a word, they came back together.
Time passed quickly for the two; not wanting to ruin their moment, they almost forgot about their meeting with Dumbledore and had to frantically clothe themselves; lest they be late.
ooo000ooo000ooo
July 15th 1998; 15:47 PM
Headmaster's Office
Entering the circular room from the beckoning call from Dumbledore, Daphne in tow. Harry noticed Dumbledore was pacing the length of the room. Deep in thought.
"Hello, Albus."
Dumbledore stopped in his tracks, his face lighting up, "Ah, I trust you had a good sleep?"
"It was wonderful, though Harry forgot to mention his fall down the stairs yesterday - his back is all black and bruised," Daphne said, casting a fretting glance over at Harry.
"Oh, what happened?"
"Nothing, nothing," Harry said quickly, "Just tripped is all."
Dumbledore kept Harry's gaze, and Harry felt a slight pressure in the back of his mind, like the beginnings of a headache. He dropped his eyes from Dumbledore's, feeling as if he'd been read like a book.
"Very well... You best be more careful next time, Harry. Perhaps if someone were to supervise, you'd be better off?" Dumbledore said with a smile.
Harry would've argued that he didn't need supervising to walk down the stairs but knew Dumbledore wasn't talking about that, but about his poor attempt at unaided flight. To say he was miffed with his mind being read like parchment was an understatement, but there was nothing he could do about protecting himself for the moment. So, Harry nodded, keeping his head down in a futile attempt at hiding the heat in his cheeks. "I'd rather you stay out of my head, Albus."
Dumbledore at least had the decency to look ashamed of himself, his head hanging guiltily. "Apologies, I often forget."
Harry cast a glance at Daphne, and she was looking at him, perplexed. "Am I missing something?" She asked tentatively.
"Need to improve my Occlumency," Harry dismissed.
Daphne's eyes lit up, "Oh! I'd love to be back in your mind. It's such an interesting place!"
Harry rolled his eyes and turned back to Dumbledore, "I blame you for what she'll find."
Dumbledore merely grinned. "Oh, I have something for the both of you!"
"Really?"
"What is it?"
"Your NEWT results came in this morning." Dumbledore waved his hand, and two letters came soaring off his desk, one into each of their hands. "I may have had a glance at them myself..."
Harry and Daphne didn't really take in what Dumbledore had said once they'd got hold of their letters. Instead, they ripped them open and had a look. Quickly scanning past the 'pass' and 'fail' criteria, Harry searched for his results, swiftly reading each and every part for the results he'd wanted. DADA, O. Ancient Runes, O. Charms, O. Transfiguration, O. Herbology, O. Arithmancy, O. And, finally, Potions... O.
"What did you get, Daphne," Harry asked as he looked over her shoulder at the parchment.
"O's in everything, you?" Daphne asked, glancing over her shoulder.
"Same - was there any doubt?"
"Yes - that Potions result doesn't make sense!"
"I told you I could do it - mind you, I'm hopeless when it comes to making new Potions, but I can memorise the necessary things for an exam."
Daphne shook her head, "Only you, Harry."
"I believe congratulations are in order! How about a drink?"
Harry looked up to see a beaming Dumbledore.
"Champagne? I was saving it for an occasion like this."
Dumbledore didn't wait for Harry's answer, a goblet materialising in his hand as the champagne glided over to him - starting to fill the goblet. All the while focusing on Daphne.
"Yes, please, Albus," Daphne asked, and Dumbledore mimicked his previous actions.
"Now, am I right in assuming that, though you both received the best NEWT results in your year, bar Miss Granger, that you'll not be putting them to use for the time being?"
"No - my parents have given me enough gold to be comfortable for the next few years before I need to seek out a job."
"And you, Harry?"
Harry smiled brightly, "I made an investment in the Weasley Twins using a large portion of the gold my dad put aside for me. Their joke shop in Diagon Alley has seen a lot of success as of late - I'm sure they'll be setting up shop in Hogsmede within the next year or two."
"Has it? That's wonderful news! I can only imagine what mayhem that could cause for the school."
"I don't think it'll be enough once I have a place of my own - but it's good enough whilst I'm still at Godric's Hollow. They also give me some of their products on occasion - though, I'll have less of a need for them now that I'm out of Hogwarts."
"Dare I say some students would love to get their hands on those products whilst in Hogwarts. Don't tell Minerva I said this, but some of the first and second years would enjoy getting some in the middle of a term."
"Isn't having some of their products against the rules, Albus?"
Dumbledore grinned, "Perhaps, but children having fun is also a top priority of mine - if it means some rules are broken, so be it. As long as they have no lasting effects, I am happy to allow slips within the castle on special occasions. I would, however, like to know what you'd be bringing in - for safety purposes, of course."
"No problem, Albus - the real issue is getting them into the castle without making a trip myself..."
"Might I suggest something at Halloween, Albus? A new tradition for the castle. The Feast is lovely, but Christmas has those amazing crackers. How about a trick or treat style thing, as the Muggles do?" Daphne said, taking a sip of her champagne.
"A brilliant idea!" Dumbledore said jovially, "I'll bring it to the next staff meeting, with some luck and some... persuasion. I'm sure I'll have them all behind on the premise! Perhaps we could go over the products at a later time - I'm interested in having a look at this diary you two were talking about."
Harry necked the last of his champagne and grabbed the diary from within an enchanted pocket of his cloak. "Here - Daphne found something else earlier, but we haven't had time to properly study it."
"Indeed?" Dumbledore asked, opening the diary to the first page to read the writing. "This is definitely not a language I've come across before... truly fascinating. I believe the two of you have found something worth many months of research - if you don't mind, will you keep me updated on anything you find? I'm always eager to learn something new!"
"Of course, Albus."
Dumbledore smiled gratefully, "I believe you'll find this useful," Dumbledore summoned a tome from one of the vast library shelves. "It details some of the languages from the rough time of this sorcerer - I think it might come in useful when looking to make connections." Dumbledore handed Harry the tome and pulled something from one of his pockets, the vial. "I believe this belongs to the two of you?"
"Thank you," Harry said as he took the two items.
Dumbledore waved off the thanks, "I would love to help you more in your endeavour, but I feel that it'll be more enjoyable for the two of you to discover this together! You don't need an old man, such as me, breathing down your necks at every turn!"
"We could use your help, though, Albus," Daphne said.
"If you do, just come over, but I'll let you both do this - my time for exploring as long since passed - I too have many jobs to do, I doubt the Wizengamot would be very please to hear that I have been helping you both instead of them," Dumbledore chuckled.
"We'll probably come back to wrack your brain if we need help."
"I'll be more than happy to help if needed, but I have faith that you'll not be needing me. Now! Off with you both - I shall not keep you any longer!"
ooo000ooo000ooo
July 16th 1998; 12:09 PM
Harry's Room, Potter Cottage
"Okay, so we have the alphabet at the time here - and the new one here."
"All we need to do now is match the old ones to the new ones - then roughly translate through to Modern English - no problem at all."
Daphne rolled her eyes at him. "Ah, yes, translating an entirely new language into something plausible is easy."
"Well, it's all here - we just have to make sense of it."
"Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem at all..." Daphne drawled.
Harry ignored the statement, "Look, it can't be that hard - write out the first sentence of the diary, and I'll match his language to Old Norse, then we'll work together to get it into English. There are enough translations between those two languages to do it relatively quickly."
"Okay," Daphne said, writing out the new language carefully into her diary.
"So - that first letter looks like... Er - ah, this one here."
Daphne looked at the one he'd pointed to and copied it down directly under the first letter of the sentence. "I'll write it all - I don't trust your writing enough."
"Yeah, I think that's for the best... Okay, this next one is here."
This slow process continued for several hours, having to correct mistakes as they'd run into some grammatical problems. But, eventually, they had the sentence complete, aided by some of the similarities between Old Norse and Modern English - however few there were. Dumbledore's book helped a great deal with the second translation.
'Hello, Travellers, my name is Trygve. I hope you found this in good fortune.'
"Well, that's a start..." Harry said, stretching out with a groan.
"Once we've got the hang of this, it'll become quicker." Daphne straightened out her legs across the cluttered bed.
"That'll take a couple of weeks, at best."
"We've got to start somewhere - Merlin knows nothing good is given out easily."
"Do you want to get some food?"
"Yeah, we've been at it for ages." Daphne yawned.
They exited the room, walking down the hallway and to the top of the stairs.
"You need me to hold your hand, Harry?" Daphne asked with a sickly sweet smile.
Harry rolled his eyes, "Very funny... No, I don't."
"Just making sure - I'm the only one who's allowed to mark your back."
"How could I forget?" Harry said, smirking, thinking back to the previous night.
As they walked toward the kitchen, hearing voices in the living room, they stopped to see who was in.
"Dad? What are you doing home so early?" Harry asked, standing in the doorway, leaning on its frame, Daphne coming to stand slightly behind him.
"Early? It's just gone six, Harry. Are you feeling alright? Is that Daphne - hello, dear, how are you?"
"I'm doing great, James."
"Wait, six? I thought it was like three, four at the latest."
"Have you been in your room all afternoon?"
"Yeah, we've begun to translate the books we found."
"How has that been going?"
"Slow, we only just got a sentence - should pick up soon, though."
"Keep me updated on how it goes! There could be something to get Sirius a girlfriend in there!" James chuckled, and Sirius threw a cushion at James' head, which he caught. "I've put some dinner on - roast beef. There's enough for Daphne as well - Remus might come along in a bit later."
"Yeah, that'll be good. How long will it be?"
"About fifteen minutes, maybe twenty."
"Okay." Harry turned to Daphne, "D'you want a drink?"
"Yeah, a butterbeer would be lovely."
Once in the kitchen, Harry grabbed two butterbeers from the cupboard and pulled his wand out, tapping the bottles and chilling them. Handing one to Daphne.
"Do you think we should translate the titles of the books first - then decide what books to do first?"
"Yes, I'd rather not spend hours translating a book to find it's all about levitation charms."
Harry snorted, "I wonder if there'll be something on preservation charms - could come in handy to upgrade your library."
"He can't have had so much knowledge that it filled a whole library - maybe he wrote of his travels? He did mention that he'd explored the world."
"We'll find out soon enough. Just have to make sure we actually go outdoors this summer."
"I'm sure we'll have plenty of time for other activities - we just have to make time."
"I'll need to actually see some of my friends - Owls are fine for a couple of weeks, but they're all going into jobs soon, except Neville."
"You'll have more than enough time to see them. I expect my parents would like to spend some time with me - especially if we start to travel the world next year."
"It'll be the best time of our lives, exploring the world. Just imagine the possibilities! All the unknown branches of magic, secrets held, just as this sorcerer, Trygve, did."
"And I cannot wait... Dumbledore truly did us a favour, didn't he?"
Harry smiled, placing his butterbeer down and bringing Daphne into an affectionate hug, his hands on the small of her back. Daphne wrapped her hands around his neck, looking up green entwining with blue.
"Meddling old man - but I wouldn't change it for the world."
"Neither would I... I love you, Harry."
"And I love you, Daphne."
Neither noticed the teary-eyed James in the doorway.
ooo000ooo000ooo
July 17th 1998; 07:21 AM
Harry's Room, Potter Cottage
"Five more minutes!" Harry grunted as he felt something peck his head.
There was another peck, and Harry tried to swat whatever had interrupted his sleep, burying his head into Daphne's hair. "Stop it."
"I'm not doing 'thing," Daphne mumbled into Harry's chest.
After another peck, Harry opened his eyes to see Hedwig, a letter in her bill. Carefully removing his hand from Daphne, he took it and opened it. It was from Malfoy, informing him that he'd gotten all that he'd asked and was waiting for Harry to come over.
Harry grunted and summoned some Premium Owl Treats, giving Hedwig one before shooing her off to her perch so he could fall back asleep. He lit the letter up from Malfoy in flames and closed his eyes. Dreaming, once again, of unaided flight.
ooo000ooo000ooo
July 17th 1998; 17:55 PM
Malfoy Manor
Malfoy Manor was imposing, Harry standing at the gates of the colossal mansion in dead silence, taking in the extreme proportions of the place; it dwarfed Daphne's own home and made his home in Godric's Hollow look like Hagrid's Hut did against Hogwarts.
There was just something that gave Harry a sense of dread when he walked through the open gates and down the gravel path toward the enormous doors that stood waiting for him.
Harry couldn't help but regret promising Malfoy he'd help get Daphne on his side. Regretting he'd kept it from her as well. It was the first time Harry had kept a secret from her since they'd started dating. He would tell her after Malfoy had gifted Astoria the mirrors. Hopefully, she wouldn't be upset with him for helping Malfoy and appreciate that Malfoy was genuine in his pursuit for Astoria.
Daphne was currently with Astoria, they were having a girls night, and Harry seized the opportunity to help Malfoy.
It wasn't surprising that Daphne was less than happy Malfoy was dating her sister. Harry could say, without doubt, that if he had a sister and Malfoy started seeing her, he'd be equally as upset with him. And may have become overly protective of her. But, luckily for Harry, he didn't have a sister - the closest thing was Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister. He was somewhat protective of her, as were her brothers - mainly the twins and Ron.
Knocking on the oak door, Harry waited patiently for someone to answer.
The door opened, revealing a small and malnourished house-elf.
"H-Harry Potter!?" The Elf exclaimed, its beady eyes bulging from their sockets.
"Hello... er, what's your name?"
"Dobby, my name is Dobby, Sir! It is a pleasure to meet you, Harry Potter!"
"Thank you, Dobby. I'm here to see Draco Malfoy. Is he in?"
"Yes! Yes! Master Draco is being in! Come in! Come in! I go get Master Draco!"
Harry waited for a few minutes in the large atrium, admiring the staircase, the intricate carvings on the skirting board and the generally medieval feel of the room.
"Potter!" Malfoy called out from the balcony above him. "Come on up."
"Nice to see you too, Malfoy," Harry snarked, making his way over to the staircase.
"Ha Ha, Potter. I got the stuff, as you asked."
"I read your letter, Malfoy. Why did you send it so early?"
Malfoy shrugged.
"It almost woke Daphne up - how did you get Hedwig to deliver your letter, anyway?"
"I gave her some food when your letter arrived. She came back later that evening."
"Bloody owl... Always looking to get something better than normal owl food."
"She's a nice owl."
"You've been fooled by her charm. She can be downright dangerous when angry."
"You're probably neglecting her or something."
"I am not! She lives like royalty - I don't even get to look out my window properly because I built her a perch that takes up a large part of my room."
"She lives in your room? Our owls have their own space in the garden."
"I like having her close. She's not just my owl. I'd class her as my friend."
"You have a weird relationship with your owl, Potter."
Harry shrugged, "Eh, she's smarter than other owls - she'd get lonely if she were to sleep outside."
Malfoy shook his head disapprovingly but didn't comment. "This is my room - don't break anything."
"I wouldn't dare," Harry drawled, entering the king-sized room. "I don't know why I was expecting any different..."
"What? Don't you have a room like this at your place?"
"This room is as big as the whole first-story of my house." Harry took his bag off his shoulders and placed it on the floor next to the door.
"Really? I didn't know you were so poor, Potter."
"We're not poor, Malfoy! We just don't flaunt our wealth."
"No need to get defensive. I was just asking a question, Potter."
Harry grunted.
"What's in the bag, anyway?"
"I grabbed some diaries for Daphne and me to use."
"For what?"
"Nothing important. A project, nothing more."
"Okay, Potter, keep your secrets."
"Do you have the mirrors?"
"Yes. Why did you ask for three sets instead of two?"
"I'm going to make a set for Daphne and me."
"Wouldn't that show her you helped me?"
"I realised... but I'd like to make a set for us as well."
"Why not I give them to her instead? Then your cover isn't blown, and she'll think I was being thoughtful."
"I hadn't thought of that - it's a good idea. We'll do it."
"All books smarts, you. No real-world critical thinking."
Harry rolled his eyes, "Okay, so to make two-way mirrors, you need to use an altered form of the Protean Charm. You can add other enchantments, such as impervious, unbreakable and anything else you might want. But, the part that connects them is the Protean Charm."
"Why are you telling me this, Potter."
"I don't want to make another set for you, so if I teach you now, I won't have to help you again if one breaks."
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
"Now, what mirrors do you want to use for what?" Harry asked, pointing at the expensive, jewel-encrusted mirrors.
"These for Astoria and me, those for Astoria and Daphne - you can have those ones there." Malfoy set them in their respected pairs.
"Okay, we'll start with Astoria and yours first. I'll show you how to do it, then you can try on the next one - I'll tell you if you're doing anything wrong."
Harry grabbed the two mirrors, looking at them intently; without his eyes.
"What are you doing, Potter?"
"Feeling."
"For what?"
"I want to know how I should layer the magic on them - and if there are any other enchantments already on them."
"How do you even know to do that?"
"Dumbledore," Harry said offhandedly, not looking up from the mirrors.
"So you are close to Dumbledore! I knew it!"
"Shut it, Malfoy! I'm doing something here," Harry hissed.
Malfoy went quiet, and Harry re-focused on the mirrors. Taking out his wand and placing them on the bed in front of him. Harry started to tap onto the mirrors, non-verbally casting detection charms.
"Where did you buy these?"
"Knockturn Alley. Why?"
"They've got enchantments on them already."
"I would ask how you know that, but I have a feeling you won't tell me."
"Simple detection charms. Nothing more."
"Simple my arse - I already tested them myself, I came up with nothing."
Harry ignored him, "Finite Incantatem." Continuing to cast more detection charms on them. "Okay, that should do it. Now for the fun part."
Picking up one of the mirrors, Harry cast a single spell. "Draco." Quickly placing it back on the bed and picking the other one up, mimicking his prior actions.
"Astoria," Harry spoke in a monotone voice, each of the syllables clear and concise.
Grabbing the other mirror, Harry pointed it at Malfoy.
"Done."
"It was that easy? I thought it'd be harder."
"Try it yourself - Daphne and Astoria's next."
"It's weird to hear you say my name, you know?"
"I doubt Astoria would like to call you Malfoy."
Malfoy nodded in agreement and grabbed two mirrors. "What spell did you use?"
"I didn't - not one that you'll find in a book, anyway."
"Then how did you do it?"
"You ask a lot of questions, you know that right."
"You don't give any answers."
"It's all about intent, Malfoy. With the Protean Charm, one object is the master object - the only one that can change the others. This is different, with a different ask of it. But, the premise is the same. You want to connect the objects together. You want them both to be the same."
"Why don't you just use the Protean Charm normally?"
"The desired effect isn't the same - you know how to use the Protean Charm, correct?"
Malfoy nodded.
"Then you understand how it works? How you need to connect the objects together. An unseen connection, just like connections between people. It's the same with objects. Now, connect the mirrors together. Don't talk, don't try to use the Protean Charm non-verbally - it won't work."
"Okay..." Malfoy grabbed the first mirror, taking his wand out of his pocket and pointing it. He threw a furtive glance at Harry, closed his eyes and tapped the mirror, then spoke, "Astoria." Grabbing the other mirror within a second, Malfoy mirrored his actions from before, "Daphne."
Holding the mirror up at Harry, Malfoy's face showed through.
"Good job. You're not as bad as I thought you'd be."
"I'll take that as a compliment, Potter."
"Good - it was intended as one."
ooo000ooo000ooo
July 18th 1998; 12:12 PM
Harry's Room, Potter Cottage
"This one has an interesting title, Harry," Daphne called from his bed, holding up a thinner book, maybe an inch thick.
"Yeah?" Harry looked up from his notes on the desk and the half translated title he'd been working on.
"It's called Defeat of Death."
Harry furrowed his brows, "Huh... He did mention in the memory that he'd met a man that defeated death. Do you want to start translating this one whilst I continue with the titles?"
"Sure, I'm intrigued how he supposedly did it." Daphne crossed her legs and opened to the first page of the book, grabbing one of the empty diaries Harry had bought before he'd gone to Malfoy's the day before.
Harry turned back to his desk, reading the first two words he'd translated; The Mind.
It was exciting seeing something that could potentially be helpful to them, the ten other book titles he'd translated nothing more than what he already knew or thought he knew. Things that had been found after this man's demise. Such as The Properties of The Number Seven, which was interesting. But they knew much of that already from a Witch in the 13th century. Another discovery was Portrait Making. Something that could come in handy when they were much, much older. But had no use at the moment.
Harry turned to the book cover he'd been translating, one more word left to depict. Writing out the first letter, he searched for it on the alphabet, which held three different languages. Starting from Trygve's language to modern English. The middle one is Old Norse.
He didn't have to search long, as the first letter was an A. Scribbling that down onto another piece of parchment that held the original and translated versions of the title, Harry repeated the process until he got the title: The Mind Arts.
Harry set the book aside into a pile that he now decided to use for what he wanted to translate first. Leaving the other as only a back thought, he grabbed another book from their bag and began the process again.
After a few hours of translating titles, Harry grunted as he stretched out at the desk, fifteen new books translated on top of the other ones he'd already done, the translating becoming less demanding as he continued to work, but making sure to double-check all his workings, not wanting to make a mistake and have to re-do it again.
"How is it going, Daphne?"
"One moment, I'll just finish this page off," Daphne said, not looking up from the book.
After a couple of minutes where Harry spent studying his wand out of boredom, Daphne looked up and spoke. "I've finished the first page - it's an introduction to the man he mentioned..."
"Really? Does it say who he is?"
"Herpo..."
"Herpo?" Harry hummed, "I've heard that name before... Isn't he on a chocolate frog card?"
"Yeah... He's meant to be from Ancient Greece. Long before this mans time."
"That just lends credence to the man's discovery of immortality even more!"
"What did he say? The man had lived for ten lifetimes?"
"And could live for another ten..."
"Do you think he's still alive?" Harry asked suddenly.
"He could be. But where?"
"Keep translating the book. I think... I think we need to learn Occlumency properly. This man... this man could be genuinely dangerous. If we go looking for him - we need to be prepared to defend ourselves." Harry got up and went over to his trunk, digging through it for the book on Occlumency.
Daphne hummed, "I agree... Should we tell Dumbledore?"
Harry shook his head, still digging through his trunk. "Not all of it, not yet at least. We'll tell him we're going to Greece, but only to get to know the culture and what's different about it."
"Okay... I'll keep translating this to see if there is any mention of where this man was. It's a long shot that he's still there, but it'll be a starting point."
"Sounds like a plan. I'm going to grab a drink and a snack before I start on some more titles. Do you want anything?"
"A butterbeer and a pumpkin pastie, please."
"Coming right up!"
After grabbing some snacks, Daphne's pumpkin pastie and a slice of treacle tart for himself, Harry returned to the room.
"Here you are!" He handed her the food and drink. "One of the books I translated was called The Mind Arts - do you think that'll be helpful for this?" Harry asked as he sat back down at his desk, grabbing the book he'd put to the side earlier, holding it up for Daphne to see.
"That could be useful... I'll finish translating this book and then start on that one. You continue to translate the titles - you never know if something else could be useful."
"Okay - I'll put the books that I think will be useful with you; so we don't misplace them."
"And I'll get back to work."
ooo000ooo000ooo
July 19th 1998; 11:21 AM
Harry's Room, Potter Cottage
Harry yawned as he finished another title, Limitations to Magic, and put it to the side, believing they knew of the laws of magic already.
It had been a long night for them, staying up well into the night, Daphne getting through the first three parts of the book, just under halfway through the whole thing.
The first couple of parts had spoken of Herpo and his claims, but nothing on how he'd achieved immortality, nothing to show that Trygve had learnt Herpo's secret. It was intriguing that he wrote a book on defeating death but didn't even mention at all how he'd done it. Nothing to prove the story was real. But, Daphne continued to translate it. Just in case.
Harry, on the other hand, hadn't spent the night with the new books. Instead, he'd read up on Occlumency and Ligilimency. He wanted to be sure they hadn't missed anything before moving on to the next book written by Trygve.
He'd managed to translate just under thirty book titles so far. Some had been very intriguing, and some less so. He'd put aside five books so far, some for more of his personal interests and others because they could be a genuine help. The Mind Arts, the first one, and the others: Elemental Magic, Wand's and Their Purpose, A Guide to the Dark Arts and finally, Pensieves.
Harry's interest in Wand's and Their Purpose was strictly self-indulgent. Not having much of a chance with Ollivander to share wandlore with him, he was now seeking other means to learn. But would continue to badger Ollivander until he relented - not that Harry thought it would happen.
The other books were more of a boon to them both. Harry and Daphne both hoped that Pensieves would show them how to make one of their own. But, they weren't too optimistic. It was most likely showing the nature of them and what they were. But they couldn't be sure until they'd translated it.
Harry grabbed the next book and started translating. Wondering what other secrets Trygve held.
ooo000ooo000ooo
July 19th 1998; 21:33 PM
Harry's Room, Potter Cottage
"Harry, I think I've finished translating it."
"Yeah?" Harry placed the latest book aside,
Daphne held up a book to Harry, "Here, I made a copy for you to read."
"Thank you." Harry took the book from Daphne, opening it to the first page.
"I'll let you read it before we talk about our next moves, but I think a location is hinted at."
Harry nodded and began to read through the pages in silence as Daphne grabbed at The Mind Arts. It was clear that Trygve deeply feared Herpo, even stating it outright at one point in the book. But, it did speak of an area in Greece where Herpo lived.
Athens.
It didn't directly say that Herpo lived there, but it hinted that was where Trygve had found him.
If Harry were to guess, Trygve seemed to hope that his fear would be listened to. And no one would, in their right mind, seek Herpo out. The clever thing to do was listen to Trygve's warnings, but that wasn't in their nature.
After reading through all of it twice, Harry shut the book.
"Nothing of how Herpo did it."
"No, I noticed that too."
"Trygve doesn't want us to go, does he?"
"Certainly sounds like it. For someone with as much knowledge as he had. And seemingly vast magical power - likely one of the great sorcerers of the time, Herpo clearly scared him shitless."
Harry hummed, "I still think we should go."
"I do too. But in a few years - when we've honed our skills and have more power under us. This man is older than Nicolas Flammel, has little to no morals - it would be stupid to try and converse with him now."
Harry rubbed his hands over his face, "Yeah, you're right. It would be stupid... Occlumency and Ligilimency will be needed. I say we get through the rest of the books, all the while practising our magic, honing our skills. Then take the trip to Greece once we think we're ready."
"We need to practice our skills on someone that could equal Herpos' power eventually. We can't just go in blind."
"Dumbledore is the only man that I can think of."
"If we're going to use Dumbledore but not tell him, we should practice our Occulmency first. He read you like a book the other day."
"You don't have to remind me - I think I'll need the summer before I can keep him out. You, on the other hand, seemed to keep him out just fine."
"What can I say? I'm a natural at mind magic." Daphne said, grinning.
Harry couldn't help but smile at her. "I wish I could say the same."
"My, are you jealous, Harry?" Daphne asked, getting up from the bed and straddling Harry's lap. "You're better at combative magic than me - does that make you feel better?"
He pulled her in closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "I think together... we are a perfect mage."
"That we are."
ooo000ooo000ooo
July 19th 1998; 13:44 PM
Harry's Room, Potter Cottage
"You need to clear your mind, Harry!" Daphne panted, slumping down against the foot of the bed.
"I'm trying! I really am. I'm just finding it hard." Harry grunted as he rubbed his head, slouching further into his chair. "This gives an awful headache."
"Do you want to swap?"
"Please. It's getting unbearable."
"Let's get a drink first - I think we both need a break before we continue."
After having a drink and some snacks, Daphne went to sit in Harry's desk chair. And Harry stood opposite her wand drawn.
"You ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Lilgilmens!"
ooo000ooo000ooo
A/N: Okay, so whilst I was writing this, I realised a few things - I'd gotten some parts wrong in the earlier chapters regarding the written language at the time, and I made a few changes to what they found. Now, it doesn't change the story one bit, so there's that, but I just thought I'd mention it because it was bugging me.
Along with that, I went through and corrected some errors and re-wrote others, but again, nothing of the plot changed.
This is the last part of this series, but what I've set up will be addressed in their own stories.
Let me know your thoughts, reviews are very much appreciated! I have replied to a couple through PM's on the last chapter, and will likely do the same for this one.
-Salt.