CHAPTER THIRTEEN
As per usual, Harry was working in front of the fireplace, surrounded once more by a fortress of books and making a start on her dissertation on the Ashwinder egg. She was happy that her friends, Tom, his Knights and the other Slytherins were all out elsewhere – after what Thanatos, Hypnos and Melinoë had told her, Harry knew she couldn't deal with company until after dinner. Dinner was fortunately two hours away.
As Harry finished the introduction and began her paragraphs on Felix Felicis, Harry's mind could not help but drift back onto the very long conversation she had with the three gods.
-Flashback-
"Start talking." As soon as they were back in Thanatos' apartment, Harry rounded not only on the god of Death, but the god of Sleep and goddess of Ghosts as well.
"We wanted to tell you sooner; Hypnos tried," Melinoë told her. "Your weird dreams were supposed to give you a clue about your heritage. But Thanatos wanted to wait."
"Why?" Harry demanded.
"I needed to be sure if you were ready," the god of death answered meekly. "The responsibility of being Mistress of Death … it is crushing, Harry. I lost three Masters of Death because the powers they were bestowed consumed them."
"I had a right to know," Harry growled.
"Yes, you did. And you still do," Hypnos agreed and gestured for her to take a seat. Harry, determined to keep her scowl, complied and glowered at the god opposite her. "Being Mistress of Death is more than just being the one who my brother takes orders from. Because you are also a Potter, and a Peverell, your Family Magic also comes into play, which changes things. Then there is also the fact you survived the Killing Curse, twice, and the fact you have had Basilisk venom and Phoenix tears in your veins. This makes you unique to Tosti's previous masters."
"I hate you," Thanatos muttered.
"What do you mean by unique?" Harry questioned.
"People think you can be Master of Death by owning all three Hallows. This is true, to an extent," Hypnos informed. "But you have been dancing with my brother since you were born. You have Death magic in your Family Magic; you were Marked not only by Lord Voldemort but also by Thanatos himself. It is the power that Lord Voldemort does not know. Your powers will be greater than those of the past Masters of Death."
"How great are we talking?" Harry swallowed.
"If you do not learn to control it when it awakens, it will end up tearing you to shreds. Your unstable magic is thus because your core is now more powerful."
Harry felt her heart stop for a few moments. Why did it always have to be her? Why couldn't Harry be the side kick for once? But maybe it was because she was born that it had to be her. Family Magic. Thanks to the purebloods, Harry knew it wasn't something to be messed with, or ignored. It was her birth right.
To be Mistress of Death, was her birth right.
There was no point in complaining.
Harry then spoke the fateful words. "Tell me which powers are likely to awaken first."
Thanatos breathed a sigh of relief while Hypnos and Melinoë grinned.
-End of flashback-
"Miss Harry?"
Harry was promptly knocked out of her own thoughts by the timid voice of Eileen Prince. Harry pushed her own problems aside for now and forced a smile on her face. "Yes, Miss Prince? How can I help?"
The girl began fumbling with her hands nervously. "I was just wondering … well some of my friends they read books to try and sleep better. Rookwood's parents read to him and no one hear wants to read to us. Can … can you read a story to some of us tonight? One of my dormmates has this amazing story written by a Muggle, Tolkien I believe?"
Harry scoffed – she never had a chance to read Tolkien before, courtesy of the Dursleys, and the irony that a bunch of purebloods were giving it to her was amusing – and nodded. "Of course. I like bed time stories too."
"Really? Thank you! I will go and tell Rookwood," Eileen smiled brightly and left again with a skip in her step.
To keep her mind from wandering completely, Harry threw herself back into her dissertation, Transfigurations homework, Defence prep and sketches. This time Harry chose Hermione, Ron, Luna with a Thestral and Neville studying plants in the Black Lake. Once again, Harry was so absorbed into her work that she was unaware to how much time passed and if people were coming back. Most people left Harry alone; they were more than accustomed to seeing her work by the fireplace.
Just before dinner, Tom and his Knights returned from their lessons and training to shower and get a change of clothes. Dolohov, Rosier and Abraxas immediately went upstairs, ignoring Harry entirely. Tom, Heron, Avery and Mulciber, on the other hand, carefully approached Harry, making sure they did not approach from behind. As Tom quietly sat opposite Harry his eyes were drawn to the sketches. At first he sneered – maybe she was drawing another unworthy weakling – but Tom's expression softened slightly when he came face to face with a bushy haired girl with deep dark eyes and a fair complexion, reading a book. He then looked at another – a sandy haired (it was quite difficult to tell with the pencil) boy was playing wizard's chess and winning. The boy had a billion freckles and looked quite lanky but wasn't displeasing to the eye, from a woman's perspective anyway. The third was of a girl who looked quite similar to Loreley Malfoy, wearing strange jewellery, if one could even call it that, and long wavey hair patting the snout of a skeletal horse with bat wings and pure white eyes.
"They are my closest friends," Harry informed softly, not looking up from her current sketch. Heron now and again peaked at it from over her shoulder. "Hermione, Ron and Luna."
"And the one you're working on?" Avery asked carefully.
"Neville," Harry answered with a sad smile.
"Luna could see the Thestrals too?" Tom pressed a little more gently, picking up the sketch to look at it more closely.
"Yes, she introduced me to them," Harry replied with a grin. "There was a herd living close to our … hiding place. Luna befriended them – used to visit them without wearing any shoes."
"Why?" Mulciber snorted.
"Because of Nargles," Harry answered shortly. "Luna was bullied – a lot. Hermione had a theory Luna may have had Seer blood or Fae blood, because she could see and know things others did not. But when it came to the creatures she and her father believed in, we learned quickly it was a code. Nargles are bullies, Wackspurts are corrupt people and ploodies were eavesdroppers and gossipers. Nargles loved stealing Luna's shoes and hanging them on very difficult to reach areas, but she never really let it get to her." Harry laughed shortly. "She found it funny in cases; if there was pudding, Luna would first go to dinner before hunting for her stuff. Neville, Ron, Hermione and the Creevy brothers would help me hunt for Luna's stuff while Luna went to dinner."
"Did you … tell anyone about this?" Heron wanted to know.
Harry shrugged. "We did but no one cared about a dotty, weird witch's stuff going missing; they only cared when they found us climbing trees to try and get Luna's books out of several different bird's nest and the home of one ill tempered squirrel."
Avery and Mulciber snorted with laughter but quickly coughed it back when Tom glared at them.
"What death did she see in order to be able to see the Thestrals?" Tom dared to ask.
For the first time in a while, Harry looked up and – stealing her crappy Occlumency defences – looked Tom directly into the eye. "Her mother."
Tom's expression softened slightly. "What happened?"
"Luna's mother was an inventor; spell creation," Harry replied in a tone that was little more than a whisper. "She loved experimentation and from what Luna told me, one day one of her spells went badly wrong. Luna was there; she had just come home from playing outside. She was nine years old."
"Merlin," Avery breathed.
"That is … I cannot even begin to imagine," Heron shook his head.
"I really am sorry," Harry had to double take to make sure she had heard Tom correctly. The boy looked sincere enough, but then again he was a master manipulator. "I really hope your friends all made it out alive."
Harry scoffed. "I doubt it. The last I saw of them was against Grindelwald's men. I don't know if they are alive. I am honestly resigned to the fact they may be dead." Harry then genuinely smiled. "I went to Luna's house once. Her room was as bubbly and vibrant as she was, and on the ceiling she had painted me, Ron, Hermione, Ginny – Ron's younger sister – and Neville. They were really well done too; must have taken her hours. Around the outside she had written, 'these are my friends. I am glad to be their friend.'" Harry had not realised there were two tears rolling down her cheek until Tom handed her a kerchief. "Luna was thanked for being friends with me with kidnap and torture. Not that it seemed to change her in the slightest!"
"She sounds so strong," Tom stated with a small smile. "I would have loved to have met her at least once."
"Absolutely," Avery agreed immediately.
"Me as well," Heron added.
"Yeah, she sounds interesting," Mulciber grinned. "From what you say, Evans, I think your Luna will have survived. One way or the other. She sounds like a warrior, like you. If you can get out of there alive, so can she!"
Harry felt herself smile. "Thank you, Mulciber." She then frowned. "Shouldn't you guys be changing for dinner?"
"Ah yes! I knew I forgot something," Tom said with a Cheshire grin. "How was your Gringotts business?"
"Interesting. Really interesting," Harry chuckled. "I got to meet some of my family."
"Well, well!" Mulciber grinned. "What are they like?"
"Different. I can barely believe they are brothers," Harry replied as she began piling her books together. "One is wand maker with a power complex, the other is obsessed with our Family Magic and the third is a musician."
"They sound intriguing," Tom's eyes shone.
"Well they were more headache-inducing this afternoon," Harry sighed. "They helped me pick my home. One wanted the flipping castle while the other suggested the manor house and only the third told both of them to shut up and let me decide."
The boys blinked at her in complete shellshock.
Harry frowned. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Castle?!" Avery repeated.
Harry laughed weakly. "It turns out that my family was more powerful and influential than I was ever told," Harry didn't even disguise the venom in her voice.
Harry had gone to dump her books and Ashwinder egg in preparation for dinner before the boys could ask anything else. Tom watched her retreating figure for a moment longer before leading his friends up to the dormitories. His friends, including Mulciber, quietly wondered if they had maybe crossed another line too soon. No one had noticed Athenaïs stealthily sneak past them into the girls' dormitories.
All the while he was showering, Tom found himself thinking on the enigma that was Harry Evans – for the one hundred and fiftieth time. Tom could tell the majority of what she said was the truth, but there was a veil in front of others. The way she spoke of her old friends … Tom could see the love she held for them. Morgana, he could practically feel it himself!
It was no secret Tom hated emotion but seeing it in Harry's stunning peridot eyes … Tom could not help but be entranced. Harry's face betrayed her a lot, but Tom noted it was her eyes that revealed the most.
Maybe he could get Abraxas to find Luna and the others? Or find a whisper of where they could be? It could earn himself a spot in Harry's good graces if he could find out if her friends were alive or dead. Maybe also ask the Malfoy heir to find out which family Harry was a scion of.
Tom made the request to the arrogant Malfoy boy on the way to dinner; naturally, Abraxas was more than happy to help. Tom spotted looks of doubt in the eyes of Avery and Lestrange when he made the request but Tom quickly brushed that aside. He and his Knights came into the Great Hall to see Nott, Black, Druella and Harry, chatting with Artemis Potter and Loreley Malfoy. Tom found himself smiling to see the group back sitting in their usual spots, near him and his Knights. Tom was also quite pleased to see Rosier's jaws clench when he saw Nott joke with Black and Harry.
Abraxas was less than happy to see his sister. "Dear sister, and Potter too. I'd say the two of you are at the wrong table."
"Pfft, no one keeps to those rules apart from you boring lot," Artemis sneered, sipping her pumpkin juice. "Besides, we haven't seen Hera all day and we wanted to catch up."
The Knights waited with bated breath for Harry to hex Artemis into oblivion and when the volatile witch kept digging into her treacle tart, they looked at her in disbelief.
"What happened to drop kicking someone into the maw of Charybdis for calling you Hera?" Dolohov demanded.
"Artemis has earned the right," Harry answered with a shrug.
"And what did she do to earn the right?" Avery asked eagerly.
"By making well timed mythology jokes of course!" Artemis grinned. Harry rolled her eyes, shoving another forkful of treacle tart into her mouth. Nott and Black chuckled. This made Tom pause; since when did Altair Nott enjoy the company of Black and the Potter girl?!
"Is this your third or fourth treacle tart?" Heron teased Harry.
"Hey!" Harry protested. "I am not that bad."
"It's her second," Druella commented with a grin.
Harry mock scowled at her. "Traitor."
"You'll get over it," Druella grinned.
"Hey Harry," Loreley said serenely as she looked further down the Slytherin table. "I see the shadows around some of the children in Slytherin too. Are they not sleeping well?"
Abraxas rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. Dolohov snorted and Mulciber scoffed. Rosier openly sneered at her. Heron ignored her and Nott simply rolled his eyes. Avery was the only one undisturbed by Loreley's … oddity.
"I don't think they are," Harry answered. "I know one for definite has sleeping issues – Eileen Prince. She has asked if I would read a story for some of the kids before bed to try and help them sleep better."
"Dreamless Sleep doesn't work?" Black asked with a small frown.
"Apparently not," Harry replied with a small sigh, her eyes darkening quite a bit. "Then again, there is no medicine that can cure fear or trauma. Otherwise I would have a triple dose of the stuff."
Tom lit up a little at the opportunity that presented itself.
"I could try brewing something for you," Tom offered kindly. "I use my own potions to keep my own nightmares at bay. Maybe they will work for you?"
Suspicion bathed in Harry's eyes for a moment but she smiled smally. "I don't want to cause any trouble."
"It's no trouble," Tom reassured. "I wanted to brew a batch anyway."
Especially now.
Harry's smile grew a little. "Then I accept. Thank you, Tom."
"And I will make some chimes for the children," Loreley added serenely. "Maybe your family friend's brother would like to help? He is pretty good with dreams I take it?"
Harry promptly almost started choking on her treacle tart. Nott and Potter immediately patted her on the back and gave her some water. As Harry gasped for air, she managed to say, "I will … have … a word … with him."
"Still alive, Evans?" Avery teased.
Harry chugged down some water. "Yep. I'm breathing."
"Which story are you reading the young ones tonight?" Tom asked as he began cutting up his beef.
"Don't know but it's written by Tolkien," Harry answered once she could breathe again, with a small grin.
Tom looked quite taken aback. "A pureblood is in possession of Tolkien?"
"I was as surprised as you are! But I never got to read Tolkien so I am quite looking forward to it."
"Will there be hot chocolate?" Nott asked eagerly.
"Of course," Harry grinned.
"Yay." Nott looked quite content with that knowledge. "Heron, you get hot chocolate this time!"
Dolohov's lips curled into a sneer. "Fitting, I think. You have the mind of a child; not the magical prowess of one, since most of those first and second years could put you on your arse quite quickly."
Nott looked set to explode but the boy's wrath quickly cooled when Harry placed a well-meaning hand on his elbow, and when he looked at her, gave him a shake of her head. Tom felt his jaw clench when he saw Harry willingly touch this insipid weakling. What increased Tom's irritation, was that Nott complied. The brazen boy never backed away from sniping at Dolohov.
He did now, for Harry. It was clear that the girl had influence over the people she befriended but what shocked Tom, was that Harry seemed to be utterly oblivious to just how much power she actually had over people. Harry may not know the whispering behind her back but Tom did. Some feared her, others wanted to get to know her but were too nervous to approach while others were envious and said some very unsavoury things. Lament being the biggest offender; Tom had put a few of them in their places.
The atmosphere later that evening in the Slytherin common room was one that Tom never had thought would ever be felt there – homely and relaxed. Nott, Black, Druella and Heron went to get hot chocolate from the house elves for everyone who wanted to try the drink – a total of twenty – while the children with sleeping issues made themselves comfortable on the carpet. Octavian Rookwood went to fetch the book. Uncharacteristically, Harry sat on the sofa, next to Malum and Heron, when the latter returned. Athenaïs sat at her feet.
Most of the fourth, fifth and sixth years went to their dorms; the Slytherin Quidditch team and the people who had shown up for try-outs staid behind. Tom made sure his Knights did, even though Dolohov, Rosier and Abraxas both looked they would rather be at a dinner with a bunch of pixies. Harry's dormmates also stayed to hear the story, mostly because they were curious about this Muggle writer.
The Rookwood boy owned a copy of The Hobbit. Tom feared that he would die of boredom – reading to a bunch of silly children was not exciting – but Harry had a talent for oration and storytelling. Using her magic, she conjured up each scene as she read, and always tried to put on a different voice for each character. The children were captivated and so was Tom, as he would later admit to himself. The best part was when the hobbit met Smaug, the dragon. Not only was Harry's magic incredible at conjuring him, with her familiar's help, but she also put on an amazing voice. One that had Prince and few of the others hide behind Black and Druella.
However, when the children's curfew arrived, Tom insisted for the children to be brought to bed; he was still Head Boy and had a duty to perform. The children protested but let themselves be carried to their dorms: Harry, Druella and Ophelia Rowle hummed the young girls a lullaby while Black chatted with the boys about Smaug the dragon.
"Bloody finally," Dolohov commented as he got up. "I thought that would never end."
"Awww, you haven't even finished your hot chocolate," Nott teased. "Scared it will make your salty personality a bit more bearable?"
"Altair," Rosier sighed. He too got to his feet and turned to his long term friend. "You coming?"
"No, sorry," Nott smiled smally. "Heron, Harry and I are going to play advanced Ingredient Ping Pong."
Hurt flashed in Rosier's eyes but the boy kept his countenance. Tom could smell victory; Harry could have the little louse. Nott was simply not tough enough to be a Knight. Not powerful or important enough.
Tom headed to his dorm, followed by his Knights. Almost immediately, Tom set to work on the potion he promised Harry. Mulciber and Lestrange discussed politics and Grindelwald while Tom listened in on bits and pieces. Avery contented himself with reading a book.
Tom finished his self-made draft in record time, which made him smirk with satisfaction. He went back down to the common room, trying to keep his smugness to a minimum. Black and Druella were working on their essays for History of Magic, Heron and Nott were onto the ingredients of the Draught of Living Death and Harry was balancing her attention between the four people. Athenaïs, funnily enough, was helping with Ingredient Ping Pong by holding up the cards.
Tom cleared his throat gently, and Harry turned around sharply and gave him a smile. "Hey, Tom! Do you want to join us?"
"I promised you a draft," Tom reminded her and held out the vial to her.
Harry beamed at him and took the vial gratefully. "Thank you again. But you haven't answered my question."
Tom hesitated. He had not meant to – he had wanted to go straight back to the dormitory. But spending some more time to observe Harry really was quite tempting. Even for a little while more.
"All right. Which camp do I join first?" he joked.
"Ours!" Black immediately exclaimed enthusiastically. "I still do not understand the differences between wand and staff traditions."
Tom steeled himself but he smiled gently. "Do not fret, Black, I will help."
"Goody," Druella muttered.
Tom ignored her. He settled himself down to help the human wrecking-ball that was Orion Black, Heir to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. It had been years since Tom had a full conversation with the boy but seeing the gratitude in Harry's eyes, made Tom preen inside.
It was already worth it.
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There was a buzz in Slytherin the following morning: the official listing of the Quidditch team was up before breakfast. As Avery already decided, Harry was to be their Seeker for the year. War was the new Keeper, which surprised no one; War did not even bother trying to hide her smugness.
Orion was so excited that one would have thought that it had been him picked for Seeker; he physically could not stay still. Much to Harry's amusement and Druella's resignation, when Orion saw Artemis and Loreley he practically kidnapped them from the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables. Artemis and Loreley protested loudly but put up no fight – they got their revenge by eating Orion's toast.
Nott and Heron joined them without so much as rolling their eyes at Orion or the fact Artemis and Loreley were with them. Harry was happy Nott was warming to Artemis and that Heron was very open minded. Tom paid them no mind and shut down his Knights' sneering with a cold glare. Harry had never thought that she would ever be thankful for that glare.
Avery and Mulciber surprised Harry the most: they nonchalantly started a conversation with Orion and Artemis on the reasons behind the choices made for each pick, despite the fact Artemis was the Gryffindor Seeker.
Artemis was busy peeling her orange as she spoke. "Are you sure Warrington is the best option though? I worry that she may let that attitude of hers run away with her and that she may put your chances in danger."
"War is incredibly hot-headed," Avery agreed. "But I think that will fuel her to make sure she won't let any Quaffle in."
"I hope you're right," Artemis said forebodingly. "I mean, I am surprised she's not a Gryffindor sometimes. She's not one to curb her words, like some of you."
"I know two more who fit that description," Dolohov sneered, eyeing Harry and Nott coldly.
"Do shut up, Caius," Druella advised coolly as she peeled her apple.
"Are you going to try and crack my head open again, Mulci?" Artemis teased, trying to lighten the mood before it could darken.
Mulciber faked looking rather wounded. "I did no such thing, Miss Potter!"
"Yeah, yeah, try telling that to the furious healers who took of me during my hospital trips," Artemis grinned.
A chuckle rippled through the people nearby, but it was silenced quickly when Harry was doused from behind in ice cold water. Instinctively Harry threw out a non-verbal Stunning spell from one of the Old English grimoires, her eyes flashing silver. To her surprise, her attacker who was flung back was Oizys Avery. Malum's eleven-year-old sister.
"What the hell?!" Harry thundered, jumping to her feet. Orion, Druella, Artemis, Loreley and even Avery himself were also up on their feet with wands drawn. All the Slytherins had suddenly stopped eating to watch; the Hufflepuffs tensed up.
Oizys fished herself off the floor with a sneer. "You deserve everything you get, you stupid Mudblood. You pollute us with you weakness."
"Your mother needs to paddle you more, you little shit," Artemis growled.
"Shut up, blood traitor. This is no business of yours," Oizys snapped.
"I think I will turn you into a ferret a feed you to Ophelia's demon cat," Artemis threatened, pointing her wand directly at the child. Malum paled considerably but did nothing to get Artemis to lower her wand.
"Artemis, leave this to me," Harry stated firmly, her eyes on the child unblinkingly.
"Awww, the Mudblood thinks she can fight her own battles," Oizys sneered. "We shall see."
Oizys raised her wand at Harry, which made Harry smirk. Did this child think that she was more powerful or intimidating than Lord Voldemort? That Harry was genuinely terrified of a stupid kid? Harry was going to enjoy this.
"Harry, please don't hurt her too badly!" Avery begged.
Oizys opened her mouth to say a spell; Harry raised her right hand and closed it, her eyes flashing silver. In a second, Oizys was frozen to the spot, her mouth hanging open pathetically. She clearly tried to move, but found that none of her muscles responded. Oh yes, the archive was coming in useful. Harry nonchalantly, humming under her breath, ambled over to Oizys and plucked the wand from her hands as easy as taking candy from a baby. Harry almost smirked with satisfaction when she saw Oizys' eyes widen in shock.
"There. No wand for you," Harry stated, twirling the wand in her fingers in a manner that reminded her only a little of Voldemort. She then opened her hand and released Oizys from the spell.
The child looked set to implode with fury, her hands balled into fists. "Why you filthy-"
"Oizys!" Avery roared. "Enough! You have shamed our name enough today."
"Me?!" Oizys shrieked. "That Mudblood is the one who shames us day in and day out with her bedtime stories-"
"Call me a Mudblood one more time and I will allow Artemis to carry out her threat," Harry promised. "Or better yet, I will do it myself and feed you to my familiar."
Lightning began dancing in Harry's eyes and around her hands. Oizys tried to stare Harry down, but there was an uncertain look in her eyes and she began to physically shake with fear.
"That is quite enough for one morning!" Professor Slughorn was marching straight towards them. "I was just informed by Miss McGonagall and Miss Sprout that a first year Slytherin attacked a seventh year Slytherin while her back was turned! And it would seem that they were not exaggerating."
Oizys flushed red. "But sir, I was just trying to restore some honour to Slytherin-"
"Twenty points from Slytherin and you will have two weeks detention with me. I will also be writing to your parents," their Head of House cut her off. "You attacked a member of your own House, Miss Avery, and one who is known for having an aversion for people approaching from behind precisely because of the reason you just demonstrated!" Slytherins glowered at Oizys but Harry could not help wonder if it was mainly because Oizys was caught. Slughorn turned to Harry. "Are you all right, my dear?"
"Just drenched as you can see, sir," Harry answered with a small smug. She handed Slughorn Oizys' wand.
"Go and dry yourself off. It is a good thing you have me for first period because now I know why you are late!"
Harry laughed shortly, bowed her head in thanks and went to collect her things. Orion, Druella, Artemis and Loreley followed closely behind. Avery apologised profusely and promised Harry to deal with his sister; War and Tom also swore retribution, Head Boy and Prefect style.
Harry shrugged it off; in her eyes, public humiliation was vengeance enough.
"That girl needs to be taught a serious lesson," Druella snarled. "To attack Harry when her back is turned … cowardice."
"The little brat called Harry a Mudblood!" Artemis seethed. "I need something to hex before Potions or I will end up taking it out on my cauldron."
"Please don't. You will end up putting the peacock, the raven and the crow in the infirmary," Loreley said serenely.
"Loreley, please!" Artemis sighed in exasperation.
Harry kept tactfully silent. Even in the dorms, she allowed Druella to thunder around, working on drying Harry and getting her a dry set of the uniform. Harry noted that Druella momentarily glimpsed her letters, but did not really think anything off it. Not even when Druella frowned.
It was probably nothing. What she had to worry about was the needless fussing of her friends. At least she was going to probably have another debate with Binns again to distract everyone. After all, the new topics were on old artefacts. Harry guessed the cippus was likely to crop up as was Babylon's 'Queen of the Night', Ancient Mesopotamian 'curse bowls' and ancient African and Middle Eastern talismans and amulets. Some of those were, as Harry found out, now classified as Dark in nature, surprisingly enough. Yes, it was safe to say Harry was going to have fun.
#############
Druella decided to spend the evening in her dorm. Dumbledore and Riddle had another debate, Harry and Binns were at each other's throats again – this time about magical artefacts from the past – and Orion had to practically restrain Druella from wringing the neck of her idiotic twin brother throughout the day. Arcturus was getting needlessly and unfairly jealous; Altair was finally getting over being a doormat and Arcturus had the apparent temerity to get angry about that. Druella had at first been concerned that Altair would drag Harry into Riddle's little Dark Arts group against her wishes but it became more and more apparent to Druella that Harry was actually getting Altair away from Riddle. Even if both of them were completely oblivious to that fact.
Altair liked Harry, that was clear. Druella did not like it at first, but Altair was a good man deep down. He was not violent and he was smart, not to mention loyal. But the family of Nott was … complicated. Perhaps too complicated for Harry to get caught up in. It was better than the Blacks though!
"Hey, Dru!" Ophelia sang as she, Ygraine and Walburga returned. "Harry is working by the fireplace again with Orion and some of Tom's friends. I still cannot get that sight out of my head! That girl has upended Slytherin House. Hot chocolate, bed time stories – that girl is a right mother."
"Mother, huh?" Druella smiled.
"Indeed. She is warm and inviting," Ygraine agreed as she flopped onto her bed. "I think she still feels like an outsider because we are all so aloof and reserved."
"I do not think she needs to be," Walburga stated as she began working on her Divination homework. "She would not be Harry otherwise. I do not want her to change, not for anything or anyone."
Unfortunately, as the girls settled in for a quiet night, Ophelia's demon cat decided to cause more trouble. As Ophelia tried to groom the hell beast, she once more tried to escape and Druella, Ygraine and Walburga were once more roped into trying to catch it. Sigyn artfully jumped onto Harry's books, papers, trunk, causing a whole load of mess – Walburga managed to catch the Ashwinder egg before anything bad could happen to it and used the sequence of runes she saw Harry use to keep it from burning the dormitory down.
"Sigyn! No! Bad kitty!"
"You little shit; don't make me dunk you again!" Druella threatened. Morgana, she hated this cat.
"This is the one thing I will not miss about Hogwarts," Ygraine complained as she began gathering Harry's books and papers again, putting the trunk back. Then, something caught her eye. Frowning, Ygraine put down the other books and papers on Harry's bed to take a closer look.
Harry's letters from Gringotts. They were addressed to … Lady Harry Peverell.
Peverell?
What?
Ygraine blinked and then a look of realisation spread across her countenance. Morgana and all the fairies of Avalon! The Peverells – it all made sense! That is why Grindelwald was hunting the family! Harry was the last Peverell.
"Ygraine? What are you doing? Those are Harry's letters!" Ophelia wailed. "You don't go reading private correspondences-"
"She's a Peverell."
Sigyn stopped running; Ophelia caught her cat and froze. Walburga's ability to breathe stopped momentarily and Druella's heart skipped a beat. So, she hadn't started becoming doolally after swearing she had seen Harry's letters use a different surname. That was comforting.
"Forgive me, Ygraine. I do not mean to sound repetitive, but did you just say that Harry is a Peverell?" Walburga asked faintly.
"I did. Here." Ygraine handed Walburga the letters; Ophelia immediately came over to read over her shoulder. The only one who didn't, was Druella. Ygraine narrowed her eyes. "Druella? You do not want to see it?"
Druella rolled her eyes. "I already knew."
"WHAT?!"
"And you didn't think to say anything?" Ophelia shrieked, arms flailing.
"I thought I was seeing things!" Druella protested, holding up her hands placatingly. "Besides, if anyone else finds out, who knows if Harry is still safe? Grindelwald has allies among pureblood families. I should know, thanks to my own family," she added darkly.
"You're right," Walburga agreed with a smile. "That was indeed a prudent thing to do, Druella."
It took a moment for Ophelia to calm down.
"So what do we do?" she asked eventually, starting to pace slightly.
"First, we get rid of the evidence," Ygraine responded and with a click of her fingers, set Harry's Gringotts letters ablaze. Walburga then dropped them into the font. "Now, we try and find some books on Occlumency so we can protect this knowledge even if our minds are invaded."
"Agreed," Druella affirmed. Ophelia and Walburga nodded.
"We also need to talk to Harry about this."
"Talk to me about what?"
All four of them whirled around to see Harry standing in the doorway with her arms full off books and notebooks, frowning, Athenaïs looking at them with a frown. Druella's expression softened, Ophelia had a sudden interest in her feet while Walburga and Ygraine smiled softly.
Ophelia began babbling. "Harry, Sigyn caused a mess at your bed and stuff. I swear, we did not mean to be nosy or anything like that. We picked everything up but … why didn't you tell us you're a Peverell?"
Harry paled. She slammed the door of the dormitory shut, practically threw everything in her trunk and turned to them, looking a mixture between terrified and angry. "You went through my things? Really?!"
"We did not mean to!" Ophelia protested. "Sigyn made a right mess. Ygraine gathered your stuff but she saw something … and well, Druella knew already and did not say a word."
Harry's ire stilled for a moment. Druella tried not to gulp as green and silver orbs turned on her. "You told no one?"
"Not even my own owl," Druella replied with a small smile.
"I burned your letters already," Ygraine admitted. "If we could find it, who knows who else could?"
Harry relaxed visibly in an instant. "Thank you. I will have a word with Ragnok and Griphook about putting an alias on all my correspondences in the future."
"Idiotic goblins should have done that in the first place," Walburga sniffed.
"They're very steadfast in their ways," Harry grinned.
"Oh, and we're going to learn Mind Magics to keep pesky Legilimenses out," Ophelia added with a grin.
"Eeeeerrrr … what?"
"Of course, you included. Can't have Grindelwald get your family's secrets straight from your own head," Druella teased.
"OK," Harry agreed. "When do we begin?"
"I will write to my family asking for some books tonight," Walburga promised. "We Blacks have a lot on Mind Magics. As soon as we have them, we will start training."
############
As it turns out, it was a fortuitus thing indeed that Ygraine, Walburga, Ophelia and Druella wanted to train in Occlumency. As October drew ever closer, Harry began experiencing the first sign of her power's Awakening.
-Flashback-
"Believe it or not, the first thing you will notice about your powers coming alive has nothing to do with taking souls or raising the Dead," Hypnos said as Melinoë poured some more liquorice tea. "It will be something more close to the Fates than Thanatos."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, frowning.
"Well as you know, the Fates are responsible for the story of every life in existence," Thanatos said. "But the deaths, they have to be agreed between Atropos – the Snipper – and myself. Whenever a life is taken, Atropos sends me a warning in the form of a vision. You will undoubtedly receive the same."
"And what am I supposed to do with those visions?" Harry pressed carefully.
"They need your agreement, sometimes. Others are not necessary; Atropos usually does not need my help," Thanatos answered. "But as Mistress of Death, you also get to appoint Reapers. Some of them are candidates."
"Right, so how am I going to tell you if I agree or not?"
"I will know, Mistress," Thanatos grinned. "I will always know."
"Or you can always give them to me," Melinoë added, rolling her eyes. "I need new ghosts in my ranks too."
-End of flashback-
Tuesday, Harry had several visions – one in Charms, another in Herbology and two in Potions. A child was dying of fever, Germans and Russians were fighting against wolves and werewolves and a young witch was out of control of her powers; she was about to kill her parents. Each time, Harry practically collapsed from the force of each one and each time, McCullagh, Griffith and Slughorn wanted to send her to the hospital wing. Each time, Harry had to use a complex but believable excuse to stop each of them marching her to see the matron.
And then there were her friends and housemates. Orion, Artemis, Loreley, Nott and Heron all wanted to take her to the hospital wing, but fortunately Druella, Ophelia, Walburga and Ygraine helped Harry escape every time. The whole week Harry was watched closely by her friends, housemates and the Knights. Tom and Avery tried several times on Wednesday and Thursday to get Harry to go and see the matron. Harry had to employ her best evasive tricks to shake them off – it was a good thing the Marauder's Map was practically burnt into her mind.
By Friday, Harry was sick of being watched and sick of the visions. It seems Atropos had a lot of Reaper and ghost candidates – it was literally headache inducing. Thanatos had eventually given her some techniques to calm her mind, but Harry had a feeling only Occlumency could help her now.
Her prayers were answered. At lunch, Walburga gathered Harry, Druella, Ygraine and Ophelia in an abandoned classroom on the seventh floor. "My father has sent me some of the best Occlumency books in our library. We can begin this weekend."
"Good," Harry said through the pain of her latest vision. "Not a moment too soon."
"What exactly has been going on with you?" Ophelia asked carefully.
"Visions of who is going to die soon," Harry replied glumly. "I have been getting them on a daily basis."
None of her dormmates had a good answer to that.
"I know a good place we can practise," Walburga announced. "We are going to Hogsmeade this weekend and I know for a fact no one else has found our little gazebo yet."
"Perfect!" Druella agreed.
"This had better work," Harry grumbled. "Or I am going to be suffering a lot of migraines."
"Don't fret, Harry. Everything will be fine," Ygraine reassured.
Harry did not mind admitting that she went to bed feeling very uneasy. In fact it took her almost two hours to get to sleep and to add insult to injury, her old nightmares about Sirius, Cedric and her parents returned. Finally, at around six, Harry decided to give up on trying to sleep further, took a shower, got dressed and decided to take a walk around the castle, eventually heading up to the Astronomy Tower to watch the sun rise above the mountains of the Scottish Highlands. It had been one of Harry's favourite sights in her own time and she missed it.
"You're awake early." Harry froze and spun around. To her surprise, Thanatos was leaning against a pillar rather casually, cloaked in shadows.
"I have visons and nightmares? What did you expect?" Harry sneered. She frowned. "How did you get here?"
The god of death's expression softened. "I am a deity, Harry. There are very little magical defences that keep me out. As for your nightmares, I am sorry that you have to go through them. All of my past Masters hated them. But you are right; Occlumency will help filter them."
Harry gawped at him. "I didn't say anything about Occlumency … You reading my mind now?"
"Harry, you are my Mistress. Your mind and mine are Linked. All you need to do, is say my name – out loud or telepathically – and I will come," Thanatos grinned.
"You could have told me that before," Harry scowled.
"You never really gave me the chance," Thanatos pointed out. "You left quite abruptly after our meeting, which considering everything you have gone through is understandable."
Harry scoffed but she couldn't resist the smile etching onto her face. "So you knew I was having trouble sleeping and what? Decided to keep me company?"
Thanatos grinned. "Yes, actually. No one else has stirred yet. Hypnos made sure of that."
Harry rolled her eyes, but then stopped any snarky comment she was going to make as an idea popped into her head. "Is he here too?"
"Of course!" Harry jumped out of her skin as the god of Sleep appeared out of nowhere on the other side of her, looking very chipper given how early it was. "What can I do to help, my Lady?"
"I need to know some Dream Magic," Harry was almost preening at the surprise on both deities' faces. "There are some kids in Slytherin with nightmare problems, and it seems they are not the only ones."
"Yes," Hypnos agreed grimly. "Phobetur really has more than enough victims to pick on."
"Well, I need a spell to lessen your son's hold on them," Harry said matter-of-factly. "So that I can do the same for myself and others. I do not wish to overrule the god of Nightmares but-"
"No need to explain yourself, Harry. I will help," Hypnos promised. "You won't necessarily need a spell in order to succeed. Just intent and some powerful visualisation." He grinned. "All you need, is a lullaby. And I know just the thing."
Harry nodded and conjured parchment and a quill and began scribbling Hypnos' lullaby. No sooner did the god of Sleep provide Harry with her answer, were he and Thanatos forced to leave when Hypnos felt his hold lessen on the sleeping witches and wizards. Harry went down from the Astronomy Tower and saw the first of the Hogwarts residents heading from their respective dormitories and offices, in the case of the teachers, to the Great Hall for breakfast. Before Thanatos had left, he had advised Harry to spend some more time with Loreley for some reason, and also signed Harry's permission form for Hogsmeade, much to her delight.
Harry entered the Great Hall and sat in her usual spot just as other members of Slytherin House filed in. The elves must have sensed her presence because a kettle of coffee soon appeared next to her. As she poured herself a cup, the visions began again. For an odd reason, the visions began with the death of a cat. Botched kidnapping attempts by Grindelwald's men. A child accidentally drowned by a kelpie.
"Harry. Wake up. Harry! Can you hear me? Please respond if you can."
The voice snapped Harry back down to planet Earth – and saw the overflowing coffee cup. Orion and Druella were cleaning up the mess while the person who called her back … was Tom. Sitting next to her in Heron's usual spot. Harry frowned in confusion at this. "Tom?"
"Are you all right?" Both Tom's eyes and voice were seeped in concern. "Harry, for the last time, is your condition coming back? And don't you dare lie to me."
"As it turns out," Harry responded weakly with a small smile, "my condition … has reared its head in a different way."
"You will come to practise tomorrow though, right?" Avery asked with a frown, which earned him lethal glares from Tom, Druella, Orion, Nott and Heron.
"Nothing can stop me," Harry reassured. Avery sighed a sigh of relief.
"It is out of the question," Tom objected.
Mulciber looked scandalised, as did Avery.
"For once I agree with Tom," Nott agreed. "You cannot fly in this condition, let alone catch the Snitch."
"I am working on a solution," Harry answered, exchanging a knowing look with Druella. "Don't worry – everything will be fine."
"Harry, promise me that if this gets any worse, you will go and see the matron," Tom stated seriously.
Harry regarded Tom for a moment. She tried to find any overt sign of any deceit or ill intention in his countenance – she made sure to avoid direct eye contact – but could not find any. "I promise," she finally replied. "Seriously, Tom. Don't worry. Please."
Tom did not seem convinced but he seemed to be willing to let the matter lie, at least for now. "All right. If you say so."
"Oooo, Harry! They have made pancakes!" Orion squealed. "And eggs! Oh it has been a while since I had an egg. Stupid war."
Harry smiled brightly, thankful for the distraction. "Indeed, Orion."
She plated herself a pancake and when she went to put maple syrup on it, Harry noticed something. Tom had not gone back to sit with Dolohov and Abraxas; in fact, he stayed firmly rooted to the bench and also got himself a pancake. The Knights were gorgonised by this; only Nott was trying not laugh. Heron smiled softly and sat next to Druella, directly opposite Tom.
After breakfast, Harry and Druella split from Orion and the other boys and joined up with Walburga, Ophelia and Ygraine. Dumbledore looked each permission slip over, and looked especially set to interrogate Harry about Thanatos' signature, but Orion fortunately saved them from that fate by nattering the Deputy Headmaster's ears off about the sweets he was eager to buy.
It allowed the girls to drag Harry away from Dumbledore before the meddling old coot could do or say anything else.
"Your visions happened again," Druella stated as soon as they were far out of earshot.
"Yes," Harry confirmed.
"And Tom brought you back out of it," Walburga teased. "I must say, I have never seen the King of Slytherin look that tender, or show affection for anyone before."
Harry flushed red. "That wasn't-"
"Oh it was," Ophelia contradicted quickly. "You did not see it, Harry. The moment he realised you were not responding to Orion or Druella, or Nott, he took charge immediately. Kept on saying, "Harry, listen to my voice. Come back." You were drawn back by Tom. I have never seen him so worried."
"Tom doesn't care about anyone," Harry protested.
"True," Ygraine agreed. "But I think he will make an exception for you."
Lord Voldemort, caring for Harry! She could split her sides laughing. But these girls did know Tom best, so perhaps there was a kernel of truth in what they were saying? No, it could not be. Voldemort was conceived under love potion … there was no way … Was there?
Harry soon became distracted by the sight of Hogsmeade. So much and yet so little had changed in over fifty years. Honeyduke's still essentially looked the same but Zonko's looked relatively new. The Hog's Head looked the same as ever, as did the Three Broomsticks, and Madam Paddifoot's Tea Shop. There were shops she recognised and ones she didn't, like the presence of a hairdresser. Harry still could not get over just how different and yet the same everything was, and tears threatened to fall from her eyes. Oh, how she missed her own time. Her friends …
"Hey, are you OK?" Ophelia asked lowly, looping her arm around Harry's.
"Yeah … it just … looks like an old village my friends and I went to," Harry admitted truthfully. "I miss them, so much."
"I have seen the sketches," Ygraine replied softly. "They look like a decent and … fun group of friends. The girl with the Thestral especially intrigues me."
Harry smiled. "Luna."
"She is Luna?" Ygraine perked up. "Forgive me, but do you know if she was a Seer or Veela?"
"I don't know for certain, but I had suspicions," Harry replied truthfully. "She saw things others could not."
"You were not kidding about Luna being your Loreley Malfoy, were you?" Druella asked with a grin.
Harry smirked. "No, I wasn't."
Walburga, Ophelia, Ygraine and Druella led the way into a chunk of the Forbidden Forest behind the village. One that Harry had never gone into. The girls took Harry to a gazebo near to a branch of the Black Lake that spread into the forest. She never would have thought it part of that creepy place just by looking at it. The gazebo looked too elegant for it.
"All right, ladies," Walburga stated, taking out the Mind Magic books from her bag as the girls began using some conjuration spells to make the gazebo more comfortable. "The first step to learn Occlumency is to clear your mind. Discipline your emotions and keep control of them. Build an intricate shield in your mind."
"Eyes open or closed?" Harry dared to ask.
"It doesn't matter. It is meditation of a sort, but not quite," Ygraine told her. "So, let's start building, ladies."
Harry and her dormmates made themselves comfortable. Harry closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing; she knew her impetuous nature was one of the reasons learning this with Snape had been nigh on impossible. That and the fact she didn't trust him for a single moment. But she did trust Druella, and Walburga to an extent. Ygraine and Ophelia were slowly gaining it. Maybe it could work now.
Or maybe, she would use her erratic mind to her advantage. Create a palace of madness that would make no sense to any foolhardy invader … a bit like Luna. Yes, that was a better idea. Harry could not do calm or logical or clinical – she was the exact opposite, so she would build shields that were exactly the same.
Harry started with the outer wall, fortified by singing snakes and condescending dragons with a moat full of Harry's deepest and darkest moments of despair. Apparently Dementors were useful for something other than sucking out souls! To top it off, Harry created a mental version of Hedwig and Athenaïs that would bully the intruders the longer they remained in Harry's head.
It was at this moment that Walburga decided to try and invade her dormmates' minds. Harry had no idea how the others were doing, but the moment she felt Walburga enter her mind was when she manned her defences; Get out of here!, Unwelcome intruder, and Please remove yourself before we peck your eyes out began flying from Hedwig and Athenaïs. Walburga managed to resist them, the snakes and the dragons … but not Harry's pit of despair.
Sirius' mother was flung out of Harry's head, looking deathly pale. "That is one way to build a wall, Harry," was all she could comment. "Not bad for a first try though I did manage to catch glimpses of you and your friends by a lake."
Harry nodded solemnly and turned to the others. "Did she get into your heads?"
"Yep. I need more training," Ophelia grumbled.
"I managed to push her out eventually," Druella informed. "But yes, I need more practise also."
"I slipped up too," Ygraine added.
"I think you're all doing more than fine. Occlumency is difficult," Walburga told them. "Considering we are doing this from books, we are doing better than most. Usually specially qualified teachers are meant to do this, but asking for tutors could alert Grindelwald."
"Let's try it again," Ophelia stated firmly.
After an hour and a half of further practise – Druella and Walburga took it in turns to invade their dormmates' minds – the girls called it a day. To Harry's horror, neither Walburga nor Ophelia had forgotten the oath that they would take Harry to the hairdresser on their next Hogsmeade trip. The pureblood heiresses practically dragged the Lady Regnant moaning and complaining to the hairdresser's. To Harry's shame, the witch in charge of the shop had nearly fainted at the sight of the untameable mess she had to deal with.
"Make it more manageable," Walburga had said to the hairdresser, "but keep the character."
"How short should I make it?" the hairdresser had asked Harry, who had went along with Walburga's suggestion.
"Just past the shoulders," Harry decided. "Waist length is too much work."
The hairdresser promptly went to work, first washing Harry's hair, towel and magically drying her hair and pulling out several different scissors. Harry's friends sat in chairs nearby, reading magazines but now and again looking up to watch the process. As the process went on, Harry found she hated it less and less as she watched the hairdresser use snipping techniques Harry had never seen before to sculpt and form her wild raven locks. Harry was surprised when Druella suggested to straighten the hair, the hairdresser refused, saying Harry's curls were too beautiful and insisted on working with the curls. Harry watched through the mirror the hairdresser painstakingly work with each layer of her curls.
By the end, Harry stared at her own reflection in shock. Her curls fell in uniform but still artistic cascades, straight at the top but becoming more and more twisty as one got to the tips. Her hair looked voluminous and healthy, and framed her face in such a way Harry could almost call herself pretty. Considering Harry hadn't had been to a professional hairdresser, because the Dursleys never wanted to spend money on her, it felt like a complete transformation. She looked and felt good and judging by Druella, Walburga, Ophelia and Ygraine's reactions, she had the right to feel so. Walburga looked close to tears, Druella and Ophelia exchanged a look and Ygraine was grinning.
"So, what do you think?" Harry dared to ask them.
"You looked good before, but this is so much better," Ygraine responded candidly.
Walburga insisted on paying. As she did so, the hairdresser advised Harry to buy a different brand of shampoo to try and keep the hair in better condition. To Harry's shock, Walburga had bought the shampoo as well as paid for the trim. To Walburga, those 15 Galleons had definitely been worth it.
After leaving the hairdresser's, the girls decided to go to Madam Paddifoot's for tea and cake. They were famished.
The subject turned quickly to boys, clothes and other subjects Harry usually hated. As they joked about Abraxas' betrothed probably being a mirror, Harry spotted through the window she sat next to Orion, Nott, Artemis and Loreley heading to Zonko's, followed by a disgruntled Rosier, Dolohov, Tom, Abraxas and Avery. Mulciber and Heron were no where to be seen. But the idea of Voldemort going into Zonko's made Harry snort with laughter.
The girls ignored it. Harry let Druella order for her, as she was still pretending not to know the lay of the land. Fortunately, the subject turned to the Malfoy Yule ball while Harry had to wait for her next distraction.
"What theme will they go for this year?" Ygraine asked. "I do hope a lot more thought will be put into it this year. Winter Wonderland is so redundant."
"Neither Abraxas or Loreley have betrayed anything," Walburga groaned. "Anything is better than Ice Royalty. I mean, really! That really was the most horrendous display, especially when trying to pick a costume."
"That does sound like a recipe for disaster," Harry said with a smirk.
"Oh you have no idea!" Ophelia grinned. "Last year we had Lady Selwyn and Lady Greengrass at each other's throats because they had the same dress! Curtains were torn from railings and portraits had to flee their canvases."
Harry laughed with mirth. "I guess character flaws override good breeding now and then!"
"Harry, you are friends with the Malfoy girl. Can you not get her to confess to the theme so we can prepare?" Walburga begged.
"She may be a Ravenclaw but she will see through my deception," Harry pointed out. "Loreley may be odd but she is a Malfoy and will know every trick in the pureblood book. It cannot work."
"Harry does have a point," Druella agreed. "Looks like you will simply have to wait for the invite, Wally."
Walburga huffed. "Very well, then."
"You are going with Orion, Walburga?" Harry asked casually.
"I have to. He is my fiancée," Walburga answered crisply as the tea and cakes arrived. "Just as Druella will be going with Cygnus."
"I am going to need a lot to drink to survive the evening," Druella commented dully as she stabbed her cake with her fork. "Girls, promise you will save me in intervals that night. I do not wish to die of boredom!"
"Is Cygnus really that bad?" Harry wanted to know, stirring some sugar into her tea. Was he the reason Bellatrix completely lost all grip on sanity? They did say the Black madness was something that was an inherited trait.
"Cygnus is perfectly decent, and perfectly boring. He is like every other pureblood you could meet," Druella answered scathingly. "All he does is talk about Abraxan races, how well his suits are cut and complains if someone from a lower standing House is at the same party as him. There is nothing original about him. He has let his name go to his head. This marriage is not my choice, because ideally I'd marry a man with some wit about him. Cygnus does not have that most of the time."
"I will be attending with my brother, who in no doubt will be trying to parade me to the Mulcibers and Averys again," Ophelia sighed, poking her cake sulkily with her fork. She turned to Harry. "You're lucky, Peverell. No one knows who you are so everyone ignores you."
Harry scoffed as she pricked another piece of cake onto her fork. "Trust me, being known is not fun. It is a different kind of hell."
Ophelia winced. "Sorry. That was tactless of me."
"Don't worry about it." Harry smiled reassuringly. "What about you, Ygraine? Who are you going with?"
Ygraine flushed as she sipped her tea. "No one. I never do."
"Well, this year we will find you someone," Walburga promised. "And we will get Harry a date too. I mean, she has three options to choose from already!"
"Please!" Harry scoffed, popping another bit of cake into her mouth and chewed a couple of times before swallowing it down. "I do not."
"Altair would be happy to take you," Druella pointed out with a slight smirk. "Heron Lestrange too, which surprises me more!"
"Indeed! He is quite smitten," Walburga teased while the others giggled. Harry rolled her eyes, flushing brightly. "And dear Tom too. Dear me, Harry, you never said you were a heartbreaker."
Harry sank a little in her seat. The girls fortunately dropped the subject and moved onto the subject of Grindelwald – great. Harry listened to their conversation for a good five minutes before she finished her tea and cake, paid for her share and then made her excuses to leave before the girls could say anything.
Harry decided to head over to the Three Broomsticks to get herself a Butterbeer and buy herself some time to see if her newly constructed Occlumency shields were already working. Harry found herself a booth, away from as many prying eyes as possible, and closed her eyes, constructing some walls that could provide a little bit more protection against mind readers.
Unfortunately the Moirai were withholding the visions for now, which left Harry with nothing to do other than drinking her Butterbeer. She had not drunk at least three sips when Druella and Walburga came into the Three Broomsticks, followed closely by Orion, Artemis and Loreley. As soon they spotted Harry, they made a beeline for her, Druella and Walburga looking worried.
Walburga practically launched into a tirade. "Harry! I am sorry if I offended you. I did not mean-"
"It is OK," Harry reassured meekly. "I am not offended, it's just that I have never seen myself as remotely pretty or had time to date."
"Harry, Merlin's scarf and jacket, your hair! It looks amazing!" Artemis gushed. "And don't be stupid, you are pretty. You're practically my mirror image and my own mirror said I looked good today!"
Harry couldn't hold back her laughter, no matter how much she wished to.
Orion decided to lighten the mood further. "I managed to convince Nott to help me lure Tom and his Knights into Zonko's – ooo, ooo, ooo, Artemis bought a new collection of prank spells that we can try out! Even Nott bought something; I even saw Avery and Mulciber sneakily buy some things as well."
"Did Tom catch them?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Ha!" Artemis laughed shortly. "Loreley kept him, Abraxas and Dolohov distracted!"
Loreley preened at this. "I was pretty good, was I not?"
"The best," Orion informed seriously. He then turned back to Harry and began fishing around in his bag. "I bought some presents for you, since you and Dru went off with Wally and the others to do Morgana knows what. Here."
Orion dumped a hoard of pranking treasure in front of Harry, which made her pale. "I cannot pay you back for all this!" Harry wailed. "My wages are going to food, new clothes-"
"They are presents, Harry!" Orion pointed out. "Stop objecting to presents."
As Harry went through her hoard, her friends joined her in the booth. There were Singing Snakes, Hiccough Sweets, Dungbombs, Nose-Biting Teacups, Malevolent Mirrors and the spell book for pranks: 5000 Easy and Funny Tricks to Play on Your Friends. Harry and Artemis both dived into those books greedily; Harry wanted to be able to give some of these ideas to Fred and George when she returned to her own time.
If, the little voice in her head whispered. Harry tried to ignore it.
For now, though, her Occlumency shields seemed to be holding the less-than-important visions at bay. She felt her head pound, as she guessed the visions were trying to reach her, but the visions were kept away from her eyes. Harry was able to spend her day without worrying if she was going to collapse all of a sudden. Her life was not completely safe though. The prank she, Orion and Artemis played on Tom and the other Knights using the Dungbombs and the conjured butterflies in their trunks worked a treat but now there was a group of murderous Slytherins out hunting for the culprits. The three of them had the good sense to hide in the library, with Harry in the archive, to make sure they had an alibi. Athenaïs had joined them after hunting, having not yet explored the library. The only time the three of them came out was for dinner. On the bright side, Harry did learn five new spells that day and had finished her Ancient Runes essay for Professor Babbling so it was not for naught.
When Orion, Harry and Artemis came to the Great Hall, they spied a quick look at Tom and his friends – they were practically vibrating with fury. Artemis silently prayed while Orion and Harry steeled themselves as they approached the table.
"When I get my hands on the culprits, I will make them regret being born!" Dolohov fumed as Harry and Orion took their seats. He glowered at Harry and Orion, looking very taken aback at the sudden change in Harry's appearance as did Riddle and the others. "Where the hell have you two been, and Evans, what have you done to your hair?"
"I had it cut, obviously, and for your information, we were in the library. We had homework to do," Harry answered crisply. "Besides I didn't know that we are suddenly accountable to you, Dolohov."
"We got covered in fake shit and had butterflies flying from our trunks, wardrobes and shower!" Dolohov snapped. "Who ever did this-"
"Well I hope you are not suggesting it was me," Harry cut across lightly. "We girls are not allowed into the boys' dormitories, nor are boys allowed anywhere near ours. And I am pretty sure it wasn't Athenaïs either, because she was out hunting, so save that ridiculous accusation if you please."
"That may be the case, but your friend Black here has a history of doing stuff like this," Rosier sneered, glaring daggers at Orion, who was blissfully – somehow – tucking into shepherd's pie. "It is likely to be him."
"How? We went to the library as soon as we returned from Hogsmeade," Harry lied smoothly.
"They did," Druella backed up easily as she cut into her pie. "Walburga and I went back to the dormitories to do homework while Harry, Orion and Artemis went to the library. Loreley went to work on her Care of Magical Creatures project in Ravenclaw Tower."
"Are you sure none of you left the library until dinner?" Avery asked Harry a bit more calmly than his friends had.
Harry tucked into her treacle tart with easy nonchalance. "Pretty sure. Orion, did you leave the library?"
"Nope," Orion answered brightly. "I had not finished my translation of lines 250-90 of the Edda yet and Artemis needed to do her Care of Magical Creatures essay on Kelpies, Unicorns and Puccas in the library because her own books didn't give enough information."
"Which is stupid if you ask me," Artemis added crankily. "If you write a book, provide all the damn information!"
"What did you need to do in the library, Harry?" Tom joined in the interrogation.
"Went to the archive," Harry replied simply. "I am writing Binns' essay on the historical and political changes that classified Old Magic as Dark according to modern standards. Plus, I am almost finished with all the Old English tomes so I thought I might as well finish them before I start on early Renaissance magic."
"Does not surprise me, considering how much time you spend in there," Nott grinned. "Have you found some interesting magic? Creatures? Artefacts?"
"Absolutely," Harry answered brightly. "People say the Dark Ages was an age of intellectual stagnation but for some areas of Wales, Ireland, England and Scotland it was anything but. The Ancients knew about creatures that have been hunting to almost near extinction-"
As Harry launched into her enthusiastic descriptions of old wyverns, Bastets, Griffins and the Afanc, the matter of the pranksters was dropped momentarily. Later, she played a few games of wizard chess with Mulciber, Heron and Tom before heading to her dorm to await the curfew of the younger years. Once the hour came, Harry closed her book and started to perform the ritual Hypnos gave her.
Harry focused on the snakes carved into the walls of the dorms – she doubted highly the children did not at least have a few snakes carved into the stone above their heads. She took a deep breath as she began to visualise the snakes coming alive to fend off the nightmares and then started to sing.
#Listen to the waves become the blue voice of the sea,
And they whisper as they touch the shore: 'Come back to me, come back to me'.
Boat by boat upon the waves all come to find the light in the darkness of the sky above, 'Come back to me, come back to me'.
Capella,
Auriga,
Eta Carinae,
Sagitta Aquila,
Alpha Centuri,
Twilight comes close to the day and let the night break free, and from deep blue skies the heavens rise. Come back to me, come back to me, come back to me, come back to me'#
Harry had no idea for how long she was singing, but when she finished, she was met with a grinning Druella, Ophelia and Ygraine. Walburga was knocked out completely; she had not even changed into her nightgown! Harry gaped at this and frowned.
"What happened?" Harry whispered.
"You cast some kind of Sleeping Spell without a wand, that's what!" Druella hissed back quietly. "I think the whole House heard you because people have been randomly falling asleep. You have knocked out War and several of the other fifth and sixth years. The first and second year girls are gone off to the Realm of Hypnos already. What did you do?"
Harry grew quite pale. "I … focused on the snakes in each dormitory to act as a protector against the nightmares and then I just started singing …"
"Well, that explains why the snakes were apparently singing according to some of the kids," Ophelia mused.
Harry blanched. "You what now?!"
"Ssssssh!"
"Sorry."
"Indeed, the snakes were singing your song," Ygraine explained quietly. "I have no idea how, but you managed to project your song throughout the whole House."
"It was an accident!"
"Nevertheless, you did it," Ygraine grinned. "We are not angry with you, Harry. On the contrary, I think everyone is secretly quite happy to get an early night's sleep. Even if it is the weekend."
"Oh! Orion has just written to me that the younger boys are also all asleep and those who are obstinately refusing to sleep are being sung to again by the snakes," Druella reported, closing her own two-way journal. "Abraxas and Mulciber are apparently also knocked out. I never knew those two had issues sleeping."
"Did you know about Walburga?" Harry questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes," Druella admitted grimly. "But like a great many things, we purebloods simply do not talk about such matters."
Harry rolled her eyes. "Yes, because bottling things up is completely healthy," she commented in a tone dipped fully in snark as she prepared herself for bed.
"Hey! You have not a leg to stand on, young lady!" Ophelia mock scolded. "You do not talk about your war much, which could be quite unhealthy too."
"Touché," Harry grumbled.
As she prepared for a shower, Harry grinned. Hey, Thanatos?
Yes, Harry? How may I help?
Tell your brother his spell worked a treat.
Good. Let's hope it helps. By the way, Harry?
Yes, Tosti?
Nice prank.
You saw that?!
I did.
Harry could hear the grin on the god's face. Though I do not believe Mr. Riddle believed you.
Harry internally cursed but stopped fuming quite quickly when she realised Tom had kept his mouth shut and did not betray her to his irate Knights. Yet.
There was more cause for her to feel triumphant. Thanks to Walburga's rudimentary Occlumency training, Harry had a Sunday without any vision attacks at all. She went to Quidditch practise, with her friends watching like hawks to make sure Harry would stay on her broom. Avery didn't pay them any attention and put Harry and the others, especially War, through the ringer. Each time Harry caught the Snitch faster, and each time War managed to defend the hoops quickly, Avery would put them under further pressure. Mulciber also gave no quarter – he sometimes aimed two Bludgers at the same time at Harry and War. Harry thought about going onto gymnastics with the moves she had to pull in order not to be knocked out of the air, but she did stay on the broom and kept chasing the Snitch. War too managed to stay in the air, but her dodges were effortless. Harry felt clumsy compared to her.
However, Harry's luck had run out on Monday morning. She was on her way to Charms when Harry was overcome with a nauseating feeling. A massive migraine spread itself over her head and the next thing she knew, she was watching a group of wizards fight with a bunch of very territorial vampires. In Belgium. Harry laid an educated guess at Antwerp.
Better make this one a Reaper than a vampire, Harry thought. She had no idea if anyone heard her, but with the pain she was in, Harry did not really care at that point. It seemed that the Occlumency walls made the arrival of the visions worse. Perhaps because the visions were of people not really considered … mundane.
When she finally did come to, Harry realised she was no longer near the library; she was in the Slytherin common room. Laying on one of the sofas, with Nott sitting opposite her, looking quite worried.
"Harry? Are you all right?" he said softly.
"Nott? How …" she asked weakly.
"I found you on the floor near the library. I asked Black, Druella, Potter, Loreley and Lestrange if they knew where you were and when they said no, I … thought something bad must have happened and since you spend a lot of your time in the library-"
"Thank you, Nott," Harry replied gently. She then frowned. "Wait, do we not have Charms soon?"
"Yes, but your health is more important," Nott insisted. "Besides, I know I will only be bored this lesson. We are doing the Knitting Charm this lesson – I mean, really! I will end up knitting a woolly dick for Dolohov and I will get a pair of woolly ballsacks thrown at my head! This is infinitely more useful."
Harry did not try to refute – she would need oxygen for that and she was currently dying of laughter.
"I would have tried to make a scarf," Harry admitted. "Or a jumper. The mother of my friend Ron made us jumpers every single Yule. Scarves and gloves too."
"They didn't have a lot of money?" Nott guessed.
"No," Harry agreed. "With us all in hiding and Arthur, their father, taking low ranking jobs in the Ministry … there really wasn't much to go around. But they never complained. It was always warm and inviting."
"Well, why don't we practise the Knitting Charm together?" Nott suggested with a genuine smile.
Harry beamed. "I'd love to."
Soon the bell rang; Charms was over. But Nott made no effort to move; he conjured some wool and needles for himself and Harry and proceeded to teach her the incantation and the wand movements.
"Nott, the bell rang."
Nott didn't look up from his knitting. "So it did."
Harry frowned. "You need to get to your next class."
"I suppose I do." Nott made no effort to move as he proceeded to knit.
Harry's frown deepened. "You will get into trouble."
"Yes, I probably will."
"Nott-"
"Harry, I am not leaving you here in this state. Nothing you can say or do can convince me to leave you. So, let me keep you company and start knitting."
Harry huffed and started on her own knitting. First up, a blanket. Harry always wanted her own comfort blanket as a child but never dared to ask for one. Perhaps she could make one for someone else.
"I don't like the idea you're going to get a detention because of me," Harry whispered.
"And I don't like the idea of you alone when you're this vulnerable," Nott countered, not looking up from his knitting.
Harry felt her heart skip a beat with a warm feeling.
################
Rosier hurried along the corridor towards the Slytherin dungeon and opened the entrance of the common room. Most of Tom Riddle's group was hot on his heels, apart from Mulciber. Rosier ignored the sweat that was starting to form around his fringe and the clammy feeling of his uniform. He had cursed himself that he had Charms and Divination in the morning and late morning; it had made his search for Altair drag. The only good thing about it was the fact Druella had told him about Altair's search for Evans.
The girl had apparently not shown up for both of her first classes. Heron found that both Altair and Evans had not shown up for Herbology.
Rosier pre-emptively called out the password and marched into the common room as fast as he could. He froze when he saw the scene before him.
"You call that a snake? It looks like an earthworm with a forked tongue!"
"Well at least you could take a guess at what it is! Yours looks like a messed up love child of a wyvern and a squirrel!"
"But I think I have gotten this snake just right."
"Awwww it looks really cute!"
Harry was lying on the sofa under a blanket; Nott was sitting in the chair opposite her, and really close. They were acting in a comfortable, amiable manner that told Rosier they had been like that for a while. They were laughing together, joking. About knitting!
"Altair!"
Altair stopped for a moment and turned his head as though chasing a momentary distraction and realised rather belatedly that it was Rosier. "Oh, hello, Arc."
Rosier marched over to them, eyebrows knitted together and tried to tower over them. He attempted to look intimidating but all he managed to do was make himself look a little slap stick, especially since his shadow did not blanket neither Nott nor Harry.
"So this is where you have been for the past hours? Skipping class with Evans?"
Fatigue overwhelmed Harry again at that point, but she tried to distract herself by taking notice of Tom and his gang come into the common room. This made her frown. Didn't some of them have extra lessons at this time? Their schedules were all so different that it was quite difficult to keep track sometimes.
"Well I had left my Charms and Herbology essays behind because I forgot-"
"And then you decided to stay here?"
"Would you let me finish?" Nott half snapped. "I did get my things and then I saw Black and Druella with no Harry and I asked them where she was; they said they had no idea so I went to find her. Harry was outside the library in that damn comatose state of hers so I took her down to the common room to lie down."
Nott was now on his feet, invading not just a little but all of Rosier's personal space. Nott's eyes flashed with his own magic, which made Rosier blink for a moment in shock but it was quickly replaced with a scowl. He was not going to back down easily.
"Do you think that justifies skipping class?" Rosier sneered. "You should have brought her to the matron."
"This is clearly something our school nurse cannot help with, Arcturus," Nott answered icily. "This condition has threatened her for years. A few potions will not help her now." There was something rather dangerous in Nott's eyes that no one had ever seen before.
"Why is that my problem?" Rosier asked, trying to ignore the anger building up in his friend.
"Is it your problem?" Nott countered.
Both boys were ugly with anger and Harry cursed as the migraine and the ringing in her ears – yep, there were now two signs that a major vision was head her way – and the vision blacked her out. This time, it wasn't about a death. No, the feeling she had was somehow colder than death. It was about something more familiar. Harry was on the Quidditch pitch, in the box close to the teachers' seats in the staff tower of the spectators' seats, watching the Slytherin versus Hufflepuff – the colours gave it away – game. Then … ice; cold despair … Dementors.
A voice she had never heard before rang in her head. They're coming. Grindelwald knows the Cursebreaker he seeks is at Hogwarts. He wants to check Hogwarts' defences and put you to the test. They're coming. Be prepared, Lady Peverell. Be prepared!
" … Harry. Come back … Harry …"
Nott. Harry clutched her head and shook her head quite violently to escape the vision; she came face to face with a very worried Nott, who was carefully and cautiously patting her hair. Harry gave him a small but reassuring smile and tried to sit up.
"No, no, you stay lying down," Nott cajoled, gently easing her back down onto the sofa. "You're not going anywhere until you feel better."
"Nott," she whispered.
But Nott was not finished with Rosier. He rounded back on him. Rosier had suddenly moved place and Harry wondered if Nott had actually pushed his own friend or something. "Do you think this is funny, Arcturus? Look at her!" Nott roared, jabbing a finger in Harry's direction. "Her condition may be rearing its head, and you think you can just curse her and get away with it?!"
Cursed?! Huh? How? Rosier couldn't have had the chance … Wait. He made her a cup of tea at breakfast. Harry had been surprised by the unusually friendly gesture from Druella's brother but she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. What did the Rosier boy do?!
"You're the one with the problem!" Rosier seethed.
"Oh, am I?"
"Yes! You accuse me, your best friend since birth, of cursing Evans without any proof! What is wrong with you?"
"Oh no you don't! I have more right to demand that of you than you of me!"
"Me?! Really?!"
"You have been changing for weeks! Months even. I'd even say years!" Nott snapped. "I do not recognise you anymore."
Rosier laughed coldly in shock. "You think I have changed?! You have changed!"
Nott scoffed, shaking his head at his life-long friend. "What did I say about you trying to be funny, Arc?"
"I am serious! Ever since Evans came here-"
Nott was apoplectic. "Are you bloody kidding me right now?! You're bringing her into this?!"
"Yes! All I did was put a minor Ill Health Curse on her! I have done it before and you never cared then. You found it funny the last time! Why should you now?" Rosier realised only a little too late exactly what he blurted out. The atmosphere turned to ice and Rosier's eyes became like saucers as he stared at Nott. The other witnesses tensed up too. Harry paled even further, making her look like she was made of freshly fallen snow.
"What … did you just say?" Nott's anger was like a knife but he kept his tone dangerously calm. Rosier opened his mouth to say something but no words could come out. He floundered for an excuse, but none came.
"Altair-"
"You … could … have … killed her!" Nott looked set to attack his own friend. Rosier at this point looked positively terrified.
"Nott," Harry whispered, her head pounding with the information, feebly reaching for his clenched hand. "Don't. He is your best friend."
"He hurt you," Nott growled.
"No. My condition is giving me grief; Rosier's little curse is making it only slightly worse." Nott growled at hearing this. Harry picked herself up off the sofa and sat up, trying not to throw up as she did. "Ill Health Curses are easy to get rid of. I will go and ask Slughorn for an antidote."
"I will take you," Nott stated, voice full of authority, still glaring at Rosier, whose tear ducts looked quite full at the moment.
"Altair," Rosier whispered.
"You do not get to say anything," Nott cut across sharply. "Not until you apologise to Harry for what you have done."
Nott turned and carefully helped Harry to her feet. Avery looked quite concerned, as did Heron, but none dared to help her without Tom's say so. As for Riddle, there was an unreadable look in his eyes; this told Harry enough. Tom could not be more happy for what just happened. After everything … Harry thought they were beginning to be friends.
Rosier stared after Nott's retreating form. He sank down onto the sofa, staring down at the knitting work Harry and Altair had been working on. One was a scarf and the other a blanket with some very cute animal patterns on them. Nott was making sure Harry wasn't missing out due to … Rosier stared at the adorable knitting work for as long as he could, as though it could erase what just happened.
"That was a stupid thing to do, Rosier," Heron spoke up, fury dancing in his eyes.
"Why? Evans knew who played that prank on us. I say we are all even now," Dolohov sneered.
"Oh, knowing about it has earned her this? We don't even know if she really knows who did it! Otherwise, Druella should have been cursed too, if we use that logic. Besides, a minor curse that could be lethal because of her condition?" Heron snapped at Dolohov before rounding again on Rosier. "What the hell is wrong with you, Rosier? Nott's right. You have changed."
Rosier barely registered what they said. The hand on his shoulder was something he registered more.
"Do not fret, Rosier," Tom said silkily. He had been worried about Harry and slightly angry at Rosier for what he pulled, but the ire was quickly replaced with a smirk. This was a golden opportunity and Tom was not going to let it pass. He spoke the words directly into Rosier's ear, to make sure no one else overheard. "I will deal with this for you."
Rosier only nodded vaguely and sniffed.
Tom beckoned Avery to him and the two boys distanced themselves from the group a little.
"What is it, Tom?" Avery asked.
"Abraxas could find nothing to find Harry's family, or friends. They knew how to hide themselves very well," Tom answered. "I want you to ask your little spy if she has heard anything interesting in the girls' dormitories."
"Why?" Avery wanted to know, sounding very tense.
"You know the answer to that."
Avery did, and didn't like it. But there was little he could do about it. Whatever Tom wanted, he got. One way or the other. "Very well. I will ask her tonight."
Tom smiled. "Good."
During Potions that day, Nott point blank refused to work with Rosier. Instead, he took the seat next to Harry with some extra determination, forcing Orion to work with a very dejected Rosier. Harry admitted that she felt rather nauseous watching Nott and Rosier's relationship blow up so badly; this is not what she wanted. But she kept her silence. Slughorn noticed the tension too and tried to keep the atmosphere as light as possible.
That man really did have a good heart, underneath it all.
The tension at the Slytherin table was so cutting that Harry plated treacle tart and some food and escaped to sit next to War, who was sitting with Bletchley and Ophelia. War had seen the rising tension between two of Tom's Knights and welcomed Harry with open arms. Druella and Orion were quick to follow.
"Damn! You can feel the fury from here," Bletchley stated nervously.
"What caused this?" Ophelia wanted to know.
"Me," Harry admitted with an exhausted sigh.
War scoffed. "How did you in Merlin's name come between those two? Jealousy?"
"Of a kind," Harry agreed. "Rosier put a curse on me and well … my condition struck but at the same time I was also a little sick-"
"WHAT?! I am going to kill him!" Druella thundered, springing to her feet.
"Right behind you!" Ophelia agreed.
Before the two could go on a murderous rampage, Bletchley and Orion yanked the two of them back into their seats. Harry shook her head. "No. Rosier did it because he doesn't like how much time Nott has been spending with us, namely me."
"That is no excuse!" War pointed out. "There is no excuse for cursing someone like that, especially someone who could literally die from it."
Harry shrugged and tucked into her treacle tart. As soon as she was done with dinner, Harry left the Great Hall without waiting for anyone. She didn't want to sit next to that powder keg any longer than she needed to. Doing some reading and spending time with Athenaïs would help.
As for Avery, he was now the one feeling sick to his stomach. Tom had been one of his closest friends for years, but Harry … Avery liked Harry. She was like … a sister. Or at least she could be. Avery knew Tom was testing his loyalties, underneath it all, and Avery hated it. But he … had no choice. Abraxas had failed; Tom hated failure. Now Avery had to do what Abraxas failed to do.
Avery stayed down in the common room, pretending to read a book, keeping an eagle eye on the common room door. As soon as Oizys stepped through the door, Malum shut his book and beckoned her over to him. Oizys beamed and skipped to him happily.
"Brother! How are you?"
"Well, thank you, sister. I am going to be honest," he sighed, "I did not call you over for pleasantries."
A mischievous glint shone in the eyes of Oizys. "You want to know if I have heard anything."
Avery blinked. "Yes."
Oizys smirked evilly. "I have the best news for you then. The Evans girl … there is more to her than anyone knows."
Avery's heart skipped a beat. "What is it?" he asked in a low voice.
Oizys giggled gleefully. "She is not Evans. Not really. It is why Grindelwald probably had trouble finding them – or why he tried to kill them."
"Tell me!"
"Hera Evans is actually Hera Peverell." Avery's heart practically stopped for a moment. "And there is something else. She is also a Potter!"
##########
Uh-oh. This isn't good … Grindelwald is up to something and it seems Oizys Avery has sussed out Harry's secret. How will this play out?
I know this one was long, but stay tuned my friends! This could get nasty!
Disclaimer: as you guys know, the world and character except Artemis and Athenaïs are JK's. The song sung by Harry belongs to Enya.
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