CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Harry had no idea how long she had been in the Realm of her friend; her mind and dreams had been eerily quiet and when she finally did awake once more from a death-like slumber – one could have dropped a bomb next to Hogwarts and Harry would have likely slept through it – the young Lady Regnant felt extraordinarily light. As though the weight of the world had been lifted up from her shoulders. It was in that moment that she remembered the events from the night before.
The hairs on the back of her head stood on end, signalling to he that she was being watched. Harry looked up as she propped herself up into a sitting position. Druella, Walburga, Ophelia and Ygraine were awake as well, watching her with hawk-like gazes as though they were waiting for her to start crumbling any moment into dust. They looked emotionally drained. Harry smiled at them sadly, trying to think of something to say.
"Morning," was all she could eventually say, feeling utterly embarrassed.
"How are you feeling?" Ygraine asked immediately.
"Honestly? Relieved," Harry responded with a short chuckle, wiping the last of the sleep sand out of her eyes. "I feel like I can breathe again."
"You still cannot talk about what happened, can you?" Walburga guessed, adjusting her pillow slightly.
Harry sad smile morphed into one that could be deduce to be apologetic. Ophelia was the one who answered the question for her. "No, she can't. She has to wait for official confirmation from Gringotts that her gag order has been lifted. There are official conditions that she can be released under and the condition dictates further how much she can divulge."
"Oh bloody hell," Druella muttered.
"Language, Druella," Walburga sighed.
Harry fumbled with her hands, avoiding her friends' gazes for a moment, thinking back to the night before. "I'm sorry," she managed to whisper after what felt like an eternity of silently debating.
"Sorry?" Druella repeated incredulously. "What do you have to be sorry for?"
"For breaking so publicly," Harry answered with a small shrug. "I know it isn't considered to be appropriate to show that kind of emotion in public and I put everyone in a really awkward situation-"
The Cursebreaker did not get to finish her sentence because she was soon being pulled into a very tight group hug that very quickly took away her ability to speak coherently, on the account that she was being almost asphyxiated by her friends' enthusiastic and tight hugs.
"Don't you bloody dare apologise for breaking – yeah, yeah, Wally, I know, ladies do not swear," Druella stated, still holding Harry in a vice-like grip. Walburga huffed. "I think we can all agree that we would have broken much earlier than you have had we all been in your position."
"Absolutely," Ygraine confirmed as they let their friend go, the girl in question flushing red with left over embarrassment. "We all have no idea how you managed to compartmentalise all that emotion for so long, so I can say for certain that no one thinks any less of you for what happened. We are all just concerned for your well-being. That shock wave we felt was no joke; it was at that moment that there seemed to be a collective decision made by most of the House to make sure you came back to the dungeons alive and in one piece. Goblin law be damned."
"Plus, I can say for certain that everyone is more angry at Gringotts than anything else," Walburga told Harry, who cocked her head to one side in confusion. "Oh, and apparently Loreley Malfoy has figured out the Slytherin password."
"What?" Harry spluttered in disbelief.
Ophelia grinned. "Yes. According to Artemis Potter – yes, you heard me correctly, Potter and McGonagall were in our Snake Pit as well – Malfoy was about to go back to her Tower when she suddenly stood there in a trance-like state and as soon as she was out of it, barrelled down to the Slytherin chambers and then shouted at Riddle and Nott not to touch that scythe of yours."
Harry blanched at this information. What in the name of the ancient Dragonlords did Loreley See that made her effectively break into the Slytherin dungeons? And the scythe – Harry completely forgot she had been carrying the thing for a moment.
"I must say, you have some interesting artefacts, my friend," Ophelia continued. "A scythe, a rapier, a bunch of daggers and a very odd looking cloak. I sometimes forget that you were trained for war."
Harry laughed awkwardly. "Indeed."
"I must say, a scythe does not seem like a very practical weapon," Walburga stated.
"It isn't," Harry agreed. "Which is why I mainly stick to my rapier and daggers."
"I still cannot believe we had two Gryffindors and a Ravenclaw down here, uninvited," Ygraine shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I hope War, Riddle and Jenkins go to Slughorn for a new one, and make sure that it isn't one a Ravenclaw can figure out in a matter of seconds!"
"I still cannot believe Harry went outside in her nightgown!" Walburga sniffed. "It is a miracle she hasn't caught cold."
Harry rolled her eyes at that, stretched and yawned, getting rid of the last remnants of sleep and then shoved her sheets away from her and swung her legs out of bed. "OK, girls. I want to take a shower. Am I going to have to fight one of you for it?"
"Not today," Druella grinned.
"Go right ahead," Ophelia agreed. "Oh, and Harry – we have Samhain chant practise until lunch so we're not going to be able to join the others in Hogsmeade until much later."
"OK, good to know," Harry replied, carrying a pile of clothes and shampoo towards the shower. "Quick question: should I bring Evren's violin?"
Ygraine's eyes widened. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, we don't know what the thing can do yet."
"True but the times I have played it, nothing happened," Harry's voice sounded much quieter but still audible through the closed door of the bathroom.
"That's true," Ophelia pointed out. "I say bring it! Some of the school violins are in desperate need of re-tuning and right now we cannot afford an out-of-tune violin."
"Got it!"
"So then you do not mind if Druella, Ygraine and I go and pick up your clothes from Twilfitt and Tattings?" Walburga asked, standing very close to the bathroom door, raising her voice a little when she heard the shower being turned on.
Harry could hardly believe her ears. "They're done already?!"
The pureblood heiresses had to laugh at the genuine disbelief and shock in the tone of the Lady Regnant.
"Some of the important items of clothes are, yes. I got the note quite late yesterday," Walburga answered. "Including the Samhain dresses, which is the most important at present."
"Bloody hell," Harry's attempt at a mutter didn't really succeed.
"Is that a yes, my dear?" Walburga teased lightly.
"Well, it doesn't matter if I say no because you're going to do it anyway," Harry responded candidly.
"Ah! She's learning!" Druella laughed.
That conversation was drawn to a close when the girls heard Harry begin to sing. The girls almost sighed with relief; they had feared that their friend would be in a catatonic state after what happened yesterday, but it seemed that Harry was recovering quite quickly.
"I think I am going to give the boys a head's up," Ophelia decided, keeping her tone low to make sure Harry could not accidentally hear her. "She is still a little embarrassed about what happened and I think the feeling may come back if she sees Nott and Riddle."
"Good idea," Druella agreed.
The Rowle heiress immediately conjured her kelpie Patronus and sent it with a warning that 'Harry is OK but embarrassed about what happened when she came back yesterday so be very careful' to Orion, Nott and Riddle.
As Harry stepped out of the shower, taking her towel, she found herself looking in the mirror properly for the first time in a long time. Her hair, more manageable but still wild and chaotic in its curls, seemed to fall differently than before. She found her own eyes looked brighter than they ever had been. There was even something different about the Lichtenburg scar on her forehead. For the first time in a while, the Cursebreaker felt herself smile and she actually liked the reflection staring back at her.
Harry dressed quickly, because an impatient Walburga was an absolute nightmare, and found herself whistling Whistle While You Work as she left the bathroom – the Black heiress predictably diving into the bathroom next – and stuffed her nightgown under her pillow and opening her trunk to fish out her arisaid and Evren's violin.
Ophelia, Druella and Ygraine were actually going through flashcards – ones Harry made for History and ones they made for themselves for other subjects – while they waited for their turn to use the bathroom. Harry entertained herself by practising some of the music pieces Altair had bought her, providing some soothing music that stilled some of the latent worry and stress in her friends. The silence in the dorm room, apart from the music, was comfortable and relaxing, and once all the girls were ready, the easiness between them had fully returned. The two cats and the Gargouille were still asleep as the girls set off for breakfast.
The boys had been waiting in the common room, sitting on the sofas; Tom sat pensively in his high backed chair. Orion and Altair had been pacing with Arcturus trying to get them both to sit. Dolohov had been drumming his fingers while Heron, Mulciber and Avery had kept a sharp eye each on the door. Malfoy had been the most passive of them all. When they saw Harry and her friends leave, they all immediately turned around and got to their feet.
Orion was the first to approach her, eyes soaked with concern. "Are you OK? Did you sleep at all?"
Harry smiled reassuringly and nodded. "Ironically enough, I had the best night's sleep in a while."
"No nightmares?" Tom quizzed.
She shook her head. "No. Nothing. Bloody relief I can tell you!" Harry swallowed awkwardly and began fumbling with her hands. "I … erm … I'm sorry you had to see me like that. Yesterday. I didn't mean for you to see that."
"You're apologising … for reaching your limit?" Arcturus could barely believe his ears. It seems Ophelia had not been kidding!
Harry shrugged awkwardly and nodded her head in affirmative. She turned her eyes cautiously to an utterly flabbergasted Altair. "I am sorry for crying on you. I know you were not waiting for someone to make your shoulder all soggy-"
Once more, the Cursebreaker was not permitted to finish her sentence as she was pulled into a tight but warm and loving hug by Altair. Harry felt her heart skip more than a few beats and then flutter happily; her cheeks flushed red.
"Apology not accepted," Altair told her seriously. "Mainly because I am not hurt or offended. Not in the slightest. You were in pain; of course I let you make my shoulder soggy without complaint! I am more concerned about your welfare than the state of my sleeping wear."
Harry laughed shortly.
Altair reluctantly let her go as he could feel Orion vibrate with impatience next to him, also wanting to hug his best friend. The Nott heir tried to strangle the slight envious feeling at the warmth between Orion and Harry. The feeling cooled slightly when Arcturus nervously asked Harry if it was OK for him to embrace her. He didn't care that Heron hugged her too. Altair had been too amazed to feel jealous when Tom Riddle, who hated physical contact of any kind, also offered Harry a hug. The Lady Regnant had been too shocked to speak and had simply nodded her head, allowing the King of Slytherin to hug her. Mulciber and Avery had kept their contact with her to a limit, opting to give her side hugs. Dolohov gave one of her shoulders a relieved squeeze and Malfoy simply gave her a genuine smile.
Further surprises met them on the way to the Great Hall. Loreley, Minerva and Artemis met the group at the dungeon entrance, all anxious to see if Harry was OK. All three had breathed out overt sighs of relief when they saw Harry's blinding smile light up her face as she greeted them.
"So, are you able to tell us what happened?" Artemis asked cautiously on the way to the Great Hall, her arm looped with Harry's right arm.
"Officially not yet," Harry informed, with a quick apologetic smile. "I am still under Statute 611 D until further notice."
"Oh, bloody hell," Artemis grumbled. She lit up quite quickly. "Still, it's Hogsmeade day! We will make something fun of it. Oh wait, is that Evren's violin? Oh yes! You are helping with the Samhain chant. How could I have forgotten?"
"Potter, you're an idiot," Mulciber commented, shaking his head. Heron scowled at him for that.
"Not going to deny it!" Artemis laughed heartily, clearly not seeing the indignation shown on her behalf.
"We will be back for lunch, though," Ophelia reassured her.
"So, we can still drag Harry to Kelpie's Hollow?" Orion lit up. "Please say yes! There are some Samhain events being held today and I really want to go."
"Kelpie's Hollow? That is a hamlet close to Hogsmeade, is it not?" Tom frowned.
"We went there not too long ago. It's where Harry bought that awesome Scottish shawl," Altair informed him with a small smile.
"Arisaid," Minerva supplied.
Altair clicked his tongue. "Ah, yes. That was it. Thank you, McGonagall."
"Well, the girls and I are going to run some fashion errands on Harry's behalf first," Walburga stated. "Some of her new pieces have arrived and not a moment too soon."
Loreley lit up at hearing this. "May I come along?" she asked eagerly.
Harry blanched at this. Loreley asking to come along was not an entirely a good thing! What vision had her Sighted friend seen now?
Walburga grinned. "I was hoping you would offer!"
Artemis sighed. "I would offer to come along but this one over here," she gestured to Minerva, "is insisting we go to Tomes and Scrolls first for extra reading material for her Revision Club sessions."
"One can never be too prepared," Minerva sniffed indignantly. "Besides I have already promised we can go to the Care of Magical Creatures section too so stop complaining."
"Min, that isn't the point! Half of your little bookcase is already just Transfigurations books and papers," Artemis returned, laughing. "I mean, you barely have enough space for everything else because you have so much!"
"Huh, that sounds familiar!" Ygraine commented as her eyes, Walburga's eyes, Druella's and Ophelia's immediately turned on Harry, who was attempting to look completely innocent. "Madam My-Entire-Bookcase-Is-Full-of-Books-I-Inherited!"
"Hey, at least I have variety!" Harry shot back, laughing.
The jovial atmosphere continued even at breakfast. Harry had wanted to sit with the Gryffindors again, mainly because their easy-going attitudes could help her heal the last bit of shame she felt, and to her surprise, even Dolohov, Mulciber and Malfoy had decided to join everyone amongst the Lions, although it did take some non-verbal persuasion – i.e. death glare – from Tom. Ignatius and Septimus happily conversed with Orion and Walburga about the Blacks and Octavius, Wood and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team helped Artemis and Heron to entertain Avery and Mulciber. Tessa was talking fashion with the pureblood heiresses and both Malfoy twins were mediating in a Transfigurations debate between Minerva and Tom. Altair and Arcturus were testing Dolohov's History of Wandlore knowledge with the flashcards he had gotten from Harry yesterday. Billy Prewett was talking Harry's ears off about cameras.
"-I love magical cameras, don't get me wrong, but I just really find the ingenuity of the Muggles to work with forces of nature in order to achieve a modicum of what we do utterly fascinating!" Billy's eyes shone brightly. "I have seen some amazing films that the Muggles have made. My favourite is about a giant ape called King Kong; it was so cool! They made the film using puppets, you know. I have also watched Hound of the Baskervilles, Bride of Frankenstein, The Mummy, and Werewolf of London!"
"Yes, against Mother and Father's wishes," Tessa commented, overhearing the conversation.
"Come on, Tess! I was with him the entire time," Ignatius pointed out.
"Yes, hiding behind the sofa!" Tessa shot back, causing chuckles to run through the Snakes and Lions.
Billy turned to Harry. "Have you watched any of them?"
Harry grinned. "I did. I watched King Kong once."
"Really?" Billy lit up.
Harry nodded. Dudley had seen it once with his friends behind Petunia and Vernon's back; it was one of the few pieces of blackmail material Harry ever managed to gather on her cousin.
"I sometimes wish we could have a film evening at Hogwarts," Billy confessed. "Not just Muggle or magical ones, but ones we have made ourselves – I think it would be rather fun but not everyone agrees. They think me strange for even suggesting it."
The young boy deflated quite a bit.
Harry, eyes softened, put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's OK. You're not strange." She suddenly remembered something and smirked. "You know, my friend Luna once told me that being different isn't a bad thing. It just means you're brave enough to be yourself. I mean, you're a Gryffindor – she must be right in your case."
Billy lit up in an instant. Harry grinned happily at this reaction. Sometimes the boy really did remind her of Colin and Nigel; it was scary.
"You have to admit, though," Dolohov, who had been one of the covert eavesdroppers on their conversation, spoke up, "it isn't exactly an … orthodox hobby."
Harry rolled her eyes. "My dear Dolohov, what is deemed to be orthodox in society ebbs and flows by the bloody moon. In about fifty years, things that are orthodox now may well become unorthodox and utterly frowned upon by polite society."
"She has a point," Loreley agreed whimsically.
Billy then started poking Harry, much to Tessa's dismay, to get her attention back. "Evans, may I use your camera to capture some Samhain images for your uncles' Yule project? I am sure they would love some Samhain photos."
"Good idea," Harry agreed.
"Heads up, Evans – owl alert!" Octavius announced.
Harry raised her eyes as did a good number of the students around her. Lo and behold, a Gringotts owl was heading straight for her, flying at a shocking speed. It was going so fast it utterly misjudged its landing time and ploughed head first into the cereal bowl in front of Ignatius and Orion, sending cereal flakes flying in all directions. Harry was eerily reminded of Erroll in that moment. The Cursebreaker took a deep fortifying breath and took the letter and pouch that were attached to the bird's leg, which was sticking out of the bowl.
Once the letter and pouch were unattached, the owl got back up, spraying more cereal flakes onto the table, and flew away. Harry cracked the seal on the letter and unfurled it, surprised at the fact an official document also fell out onto the table, aware of the eyes on her and the bated breaths around her.
Dear Lady Peverell,
Frankly, my Lady, I am at an utter complete loss as to how you have managed to deal with this menace so swiftly. Indeed, His Grace almost fainted and Mr. Rowle did faint; it took us half an hour to revive him. All right, perhaps I am exaggerating! Admittedly, there has been a great deal of stress and concern going around at Gringotts regarding the decision to send the assignment to you, thus the relief is palpable.
Now, your brief was to de-Curse the Compass, which in our eyes you have managed to do, especially since you claim it was in self-defence. However, I am afraid that our clients are none too happy at the fact that the Time Compass has been utterly and completely obliterated. Indeed, they had hoped you would get rid of the malevolent sentient creature inside of it but manage to keep the Compass whole and functioning. They used some very colourful language until His Grace pointed out to them that they had effectively washed their hands off the instrument and that despite your skill, you are still young and will use methods that may be a little … unorthodox. It calmed them down a bit, but they now insist that a meeting be held at Gringotts to discuss what happened in the coming days. His Grace is currently still in a verbal battle with them over it, so we are paying you half of your wage now and half once this mess is cleaned up. Enclosed in the pouch you will find 47,500 Galleons.
I personally congratulate you on another stunning achievement. I do not mourn this particular loss, I assure you. Oh, yes before I forget: by the laws of the Goblin Nation and by the will of His Grace King Ragnok, you are hereby released from Statute 611 D under the Beaton Clause.
As always, may your enemies fall at your feet,
Griphook.
"Holy mother of Kilgharrah, thank the gods!" Harry sighed in relief the moment she read that the gag order had been officially lifted.
"What is it?" Orion asked immediately.
Harry laughed shortly. "Ophelia, would you like to do the honours of explaining the Beaton Clause?"
"Thank Merlin!" Ophelia exclaimed. She recovered very quickly. "The Beaton Clause is one of the conditions a Cursebreaker can be released from Statute 611 D. Under this condition, Harry can now tell someone of what happened, just as long as the person or people in question take an oath and sign that document there in blood as part of the oath."
"So, Harry can choose Secret Keepers?" Orion translated.
"In a way, yes," Harry confirmed, sending the letter up into flames and securing the document in the inner pocket of her blouse.
"How much did those creatures pay you for your trouble?" Artemis asked coolly.
"Forty-seven-thousand-plus Galleons," Harry answered, looking sadly at the pouch. "This is just the up-front payment apparently."
She shook her head despondently at it.
"Harry, why is it-"
"-that you look like-"
"-you have been given a-"
"-dead badger?" the Weasley twins asked.
Harry shook her head at the pouch. "I still have more than enough money. Plus, I … just can't take it."
"Evans, you earned that," Mulciber argued. "Literally with blood, sweat and tears."
Harry continued to shake her head. "I can't take it. I won't take it! I … can't …" She shoved the pouch away from her like it was a rotten fish.
Funnily enough, no one dared to touch the pouch either. Eventually, Loreley did. "Well, let's keep it safe until you change your mind," she sang.
"I won't change my mind," Harry stated definitively. "Do with it what you will."
No one dared to argue with that statement; they knew it was futile. Fortunately it wasn't long afterwards that Professor McCullagh made the rounds around the Great Hall, collecting her choir members and Harry to start their chanting practise. Harry and Ophelia were gone in a matter of minutes.
"Poor thing," Walburga sighed. "That assignment really did a number on her."
"Oh don't fret – I am putting the money into Scythe and Raven," Loreley stated with a smile.
"It isn't just about the money!" the Black heiress huffed. "Something happened to make Harry look like she was being given blood money instead of her well-earned wages."
"Let's just make sure we let her tell us in her own time so we can get the answer to that," Artemis replied. "Focus on torturing Harry with clothes; that will help."
Walburga conceded the point easily. But she still could not help but feel that no amount of teasing or torturing with clothes could fix this particular issue.
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It was true what Artemis Potter had once said: Tom Riddle and regret were not best friends but Tom had not been lying when the two of them were at least on speaking terms. Tom garnered further proof of this fact after he was forced to face the consequences of agreeing to help Walburga, Ygraine, Loreley, Druella, Orion Black, Nott and Rosier with fetching the extensive order that had made up some of Harry Evans-Peverell's new wardrobe.
Tom found he would rather have taken another trip to Zonko's Joke Shop with Mulciber and Avery than set one foot in Twilfitt and Tattings' ever again, especially after Walburga nonchalantly started to fill his arms with three rather large boxes, containing only Morgana-knew-what. The only consolation to the ignominy he was forced to suffer was that Orion, Nott and Rosier were forced to carry just as much, if not more. It also didn't help matters that Druella was splitting her sides laughing at the disjointed expressions on Tom, Nott and Rosier's faces. Orion Black, like the giant child he was, was the only one having fun being loaded up like a donkey.
We will never live this down, the darkness in Tom's subconscious grumbled.
What, you expected the girls to carry all this load back up to the castle themselves, did you? the much more reasonable of the two voices sneered back. It is not very gallant to refuse assistance to a lady.
Assistance is one thing, but giving physical affection – in public? the darker voice retorted. He has a reputation to uphold!
Harry was in pain! Who cares about reputation? the saner voice sneered back immediately.
Tom could not get the events from last night out of his head. Harry, armed and in her night gown, collapsing – the thoughts that had been swimming in Tom's head at that point. The ones his darker voice had immediately tried to kill off in their infancy; the thoughts that were centred around Harry's form, her strawberry scent and how soft those wild curls felt …
It was the sharp clap from Walburga that knocked Tom out of his head, much to his own relief. "All right, ladies and gentlemen, I think this is it. Now all we have to do is bring this to the dungeons and then we can enjoy our free time!"
Loreley at this point joined the group, carrying under her arm a silver one with a black ribbon around it, smiling smugly to herself.
Walburga had frowned. "I was certain that we had all the boxes already. Loreley, what is that?"
"Present for Harry," Loreley responded whimsically. "Do not tell her, though! I want her to discover it in her dormitory later – it has to be a surprise."
"Oh, Merlin, Harry is going to freak," Nott commented, shaking his head.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Malfoy," Rosier added. "We cannot afford an angry Lady Regnant at present."
Loreley waved her hand dismissively. "I know what I am doing – trust me."
Those words rang eerily in Tom's ears. He had a funny feeling that once again, the Malfoy girl knew something that no one else could know, just like she had done with that odd scythe. When she had come barrelling into the Slytherin common room, Tom swore that Abraxas' sister would have duelled anyone who decided to disobey her.
Despite being quite desperate to know what she could be hiding, Tom had to console himself with the knowledge that it was likely all in an attempt to try and protect Harry. Probably another Peverell secret that Loreley Malfoy's Sight uncovered.
Speaking of the enigmatic girl, Loreley now and again shot him knowing looks, mischief and smugness dancing in those saffron orbs. Tom had been tempted to use Legilimency to take a look at what was so amusing to her, but knew that outing himself as a Legilimens was not a very smart thing to do. Nor was it a good idea to vex a Malfoy, no matter how coo-coo they appeared.
As the girls unloaded the boxes into the dorms, Tom decided to try and at least numb the lethal boredom and irritation he was feeling. "Black, I never did ask: what is in Kelpie's Hollow that you simply have to see?"
"Oh, they are holding a parade and a giant hamlet street party! They also are currently selling some powerful herbs and potions that make it easier for our ancestors to visit us tomorrow, so I thought it would be a good idea to pick up some of that while we are there," Orion babbled enthusiastically.
"I am sure the faculty have more than enough Runes and potions to make sure everything goes to plan," Rosier chuckled. "You just want to go to the parade!"
"Hey, you never know when such herbs and potions come in handy; a parade is just the bonus," Orion protested with a small pout. "Besides, if we're going to have another Oracle of the Dead again, we might as well be prepared."
"I doubt Professor Slughorn will allow a repeat of last year, Black," Nott chuckled. "I mean, you managed to scare even Dolohov with the crap that you were spewing out of your mouth!"
"What crap?" Orion looked offended. "It is not my fault that Granny Dolohov is not happy that he is still not eating enough vegetables, or that Mulciber's grandparents decided to use me to complain about Felix's mother's décor style or that Granny Rowle was still disappointed in the fact Ophelia is still not betrothed-"
"And this is why an Oracle of the Dead is not a good idea," Tom chuckled. "Scarily accurate."
"All right, boys, the fashion duties have been dealt with!" Druella announced as the girls joined them once more. "Where to next?"
"Scrivenshaft's, please!" Rosier piped up immediately. "I need new quills; I have just gone through the last of mine and someone has been pilfering from me."
He shot a pointed look at Nott, who was giving one of the worst attempts at looking innocent Tom had ever seen. He almost had to smile at it; it was comical. And something else – something he could not quite place but could describe as … adorable. Tom grimaced. But he quickly distracted himself from his bumbling train of thought by focusing on the incoherent and continuous babbling of Orion Black, who was restrained now and again by Druella and Walburga from broaching subjects that were off-limits, in the girls' eyes at least. Ygraine White simply stayed out of it, rolling her eyes now and again at their antics.
Tom was happy to stay silent, keep a distance and simply observe Harry's friends. It was true that in the six years of being in the same year, House and sharing classes with them that Tom had never once paid much attention to any of them, especially the heiresses. He regretted the folly of not at least being on civil terms with both Blacks, Rosier's sister, the Rowle heiress and one of the only Whites left in Great Britain. They would have, in hindsight, been very useful allies. Tom could admit to himself that he had been a little short-sighted regarding putting all of his focus on his bid to obtain a friendship and an alliance with Arcturus Rosier.
Rosier and Nott went around Scrivenshaft's arguing like the old married couple one would think they were about the quality of the quills and Nott's unfortunate habit of 'borrowing' Rosier's quills and then forgetting to return them or losing the quill before he could return them. As for the girls, they were trying to browse the ink section while trying to juggle Make-Sure-Orion-Does-Not-Knock-Anything-Over duty with Loreley taking most of the shift. The Black Heir was perusing two-way journals, homework diaries that would remind of up and coming deadlines and journals that would remind one of important birthdays, Sabbaths, and when best to Fire Call or send a letter to one's mother. So far, nothing had been knocked down in his enthusiasm.
Tom himself began perusing parchment, sketch books, specialised drawing pencils and books on Magical Art as he caught snippets of the girls' conversation.
"So the Rowles still have not made a decision on Ophelia's match?" Walburga sounded as affronted as Tom guessed she would be.
"Indeed, no. Her cousin Rollo is still unmarried too, much to the horror of both of his parents," Ygraine informed. "They are in despair, according to Mama's last letter. The Rowles are hoping Rollo will finally make a decision soon."
"This is ridiculous," Druella scoffed. "Rollo is a grown man who can make his own decisions. I hope for his sake his parents are not going to force his hand simply because they are getting annoyed."
"They might do," Walburga snuck a look at Arcturus before lowering her voice. "Have your parents decided on a match for your brother yet?"
Druella snorted. "They have been so focused on their beloved Black alliance that lucky Arcturus has been ignored for a good few years now. Next year, that is very likely to change unless Arc beats them to it."
"I heard Nott's own father is blatantly refusing to enter into any formal alliances," Ygraine added, shaking her head. Tom frowned at this. "Apparently, according to Father, Lord Nott has 'better things to do' than to try and look for a match for his only son and heir. I mean, it is unheard of! Your line is at stake, and he's treating the matter so utterly flippantly that it's frankly concerning."
"Well, I for one am glad he isn't, for Harry's sake," Druella stated. This made Tom frown a whole lot more.
"Oh, yes," Walburga chuckled. "Harry would not be happy with some competition."
"The girl, whoever she would be, wouldn't last a day," Ygraine grinned evilly. "No matter what Harry tells herself."
Tom felt his jaw clench slightly, and his hands curl into slight fists around the sketch book he had been studying. He felt his eyes bleed red momentarily until he felt the presence of two others next to him.
"What have you got there, Riddle?" Nott asked gently, cocking his head to one side at an oddly adorable angle.
Tom forced himself to take a few deep breaths, trying to force himself to relax. "Just a sketch book, as you can see."
"I did not know you liked to draw," Arcturus commented lightly.
"I don't," Tom answered in a manner that even he felt was perhaps too curt. He shot Rosier an apologetic smile for it.
But Harry does, the rational voice in his head whispered.
Before he could fully register what he was doing, Tom found himself picking up the burgundy book, a set of magical drawing pencils and a book on Magical Art almost on autopilot. Rosier and Nott watched in confusion, utterly dumbfounded at what they were seeing, especially when Tom actually went and paid for the things with most of his weekend money.
"Taking up a spot of drawing, Riddle?" Druella teased the fledgling Dark wizard, standing directly in the line behind him, waiting to pay for some new coloured ink. "I did not ever think you had the patience or desire for it."
Tom ignored her, and any other comments about his purchase, all the way to Madam Paddifoot's Tea Shop. He was for the first time grateful for the sight of Artemis Potter and Minerva McGonagall because the two of them soon distracted the girls with a conversation on books. Heron was trying to pay attention to it, but drifted mostly to the dominant conversation at the table, which was once more Quidditch. Tom really could not fathom his friends' fascination with the damn game! Abraxas, who was keeping his mouth shut and trying not to die of boredom, raised an eyebrow at the sketch book, art pencils and Art book under Tom's arm but said nothing.
Abraxas simply looked to his sister and Tom spotted a ghost of a smirk spreading on Loreley's face. Fantastic. As if he didn't have enough problems to deal with; the Seer Twins were sharing secrets too.
Tom shoved the three gifts into his bag to avoid any more awkward questions and distracted himself by ordering a coffee and a sandwich, deciding to pay attention to Potter and McGonagall's debate on How Many Books is Too Many? Tom, for the first time in his life, played devil's advocate.
"One should know one has too many books when the books do not fit into a bookcase anymore," Walburga grumbled.
"Says the girl with so many shoes, she has two closets," Druella shot back with a chuckle.
The Black heiress huffed as the other girls chuckled.
"Too much of anything is never a good thing, books or shoes," Tom stated, sipping his coffee, smirking slightly.
"So you're planning on reducing the size of your ego then?" Potter teased with a grin of her own.
While Heron, McGonagall, both Blacks and White looked shocked at her audacity; Druella and Ygraine split their sides laughing. Loreley bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. The Knights had no idea how to react; Rosier and Nott had to hide their grins behind their hands. It was at this precise moment the bell rang, signalling that the door of the Tea Shop had opened.
"Thank every single deity of every pantheon, practise is finally over!" Harry announced as she and Rowle headed straight for their group, cutting through the tension in a heartbeat. "I love singing and music, but good grief McCullagh is a drill sergeant! And to think, tomorrow we are having another rehearsal straight after breakfast. By the way, girls, what is with the mountain of boxes on my bed?"
Walburga laughed as the pair drew closer. "We did say we were going to pick up some of your finished clothes, my dear."
Harry blanched as she sat down between Nott and Heron. "How fast do those seamstresses work?! That looks like half of the order has already been done!"
"Felt like it too," Tom teased with a grin.
"How would you know?" Harry questioned with a frown.
"Oh, the girls used the boys as packhorses," Loreley informed whimsically, pouring herself another cup of tea.
Harry's eyes widened further. "The boys? Wait – Wally, please tell me you didn't load Orion, Altair, Arc and Tom with boxes?"
"We did," the Black heiress informed proudly. "And they did not complain too much, I am happy to report."
The Lady Regnant paled; Rowle looked suitably impressed. "They didn't complain – you used Tom Riddle as a packhorse!"
"I know better than to cross a Black when she is out shopping," Tom reassured, his grin widening further.
"And I am used to it," Orion added nonchalantly. "As are most of the Black men. You do not want to get in the way of Mother and Lucretia when they go into full-on shopping mode. You carry the boxes, and you smile while doing it or you will never live it down. In fact, Father protested once after Mother bought too many hats for his liking and he was forced to sleep in the parlour for a night."
Harry gaped unabashedly at that.
"I had expected it to be worse, to be honest," Nott chuckled.
"Harry, what sandwich do you want? They have cheese, bacon, tuna – oh, salmon is back on the menu!" Ophelia's eyes shone as she read the small lunch menu of the Tea Shop.
"Bacon or salmon," Harry answered. "And please order the biggest one on the menu, I am absolutely famished, and don't you dare buy a sandwich that is in the shape of a baby owl or something! I still have not recovered from the baby dragon cake experience."
"Drama queen," Heron commented, earning himself a slight nudge in the side from the Lady Regnant.
"But practise went well?" Malum asked her with a smile.
"Very well, thanks. There were still one or two high notes that were missed by a margin. Someone hit a high note a little bit too much and accidentally cracked a window, but other than that, the whole choir took to the song like fish to water," Harry responded brightly. "It's like they have been working on it for a week!" She looked to her friends. "So what are guys talking about?"
That promptly started the debate once more, which by the end looked like it had given Harry whiplash. Indeed, her eyes soon began to glaze over and she began to message her temple as McGonagall and Walburga continued to debate which was better to own, shoes or books. Ophelia Rowle returned with her sandwich and cup of coffee just as the right moment. At least the sandwiches were not baked into cute baby animals.
##########################
Harry was happy that her small headache was gone by the time she had finished her sandwich and coffee; she needed all the energy she could get to deal with the infectious but slightly tiring enthusiasm of Orion, who was as eager to get to Kelpie's Hollow as a Niffler to get to a jewellery store. She had half expected the group to split up – Harry couldn't imagine Tom and his Knights being able to stomach Orion's energy for too long – but was surprised when Orion had to request two carriages to the hamlet instead of one.
Harry soon found herself in a carriage with Orion, Altair, Druella, Tom, Arcturus, Walburga, Ophelia and Minerva. Artemis, Ygraine, Ophelia and Loreley shared a carriage with Tom's Knights – they had all made sure to ensure Wally and Minnie did not share a carriage ride for everyone's sakes! A good thing too because Orion more than made up for it.
"-I am not entirely sure, but I did read in a pamphlet not too long ago that there is turnip carving for tomorrow as well as several Design Your own Guise activities and competitions. We can also make soul cakes – I have never tried it. Pity we will miss the fire dancing; that is only for Samhain itself. It's a pity the faculty do not allow us to do it too-"
Altair laughed. "A good thing too! I wouldn't trust any of us with a flipping torch let alone to dance with one!"
"We'd likely burn the school down," Harry agreed, chuckling. "Not a good idea! Fire dancing children? We will cause enough mischief as it is!"
"Will cause? I think it's safe to say that you have caused enough mischief for the whole school in two months," Arcturus teased with a grin.
"Touché," Harry was forced to agree, Orion and Loreley nodding in agreement.
"At least the mischief caused tomorrow is actually Sabbath sanctioned," Tom grinned. "Though, Harry, I would advise you to be very careful about opening any doors tomorrow because pranks from poltergeists will be least of your worries."
Harry frowned. "OK?"
Altair lit up. "Oh, how can I forget that this will be your first and last Samhain at Hogwarts? You don't know the unspoken rules amongst the students and faculty!"
Harry's eyes widened. "Unspoken rules?"
Minerva sighed heavily. "On Samhain, whether it is a weekday or the weekend, it is a day where everyone pranks everyone. The teachers will prank each other – but us as well. The same goes for us students: we will be able to pick on teachers without fear of being put into detention. As long as the prank does not go too far. So while we are all playing games, doing small rituals and preparing for the Dumb Supper, we all have to exercise constant vigilance because at any given moment you can be targeted for pranks by anyone!"
Harry blanched at hearing this. Yes, this was definitely different to how Samhain and Halloween had been celebrated in the 90s! While she was shocked, the daughter of Prongs also could not help but feel a hint of sadistic glee at the prospect of being able to prank people without too many repercussions.
"Have you been targeted, Min?" Harry asked, biting her cheek to stop herself from smirking evilly all too much.
"Too many bloody times!" Minerva fumed in an instant. "Artemis and the Weasley twins become unbearable during Samhain. Artemis had rigged my trunk to have things jump out at me, put a fake Boggart into my trunk at one point, had enchanted my shoes to say some very questionable things every time I took a step and the Weasley twins topped it all off by enchanting my quills to write and draw questionable things the moment I needed to use them. But they are even worse when they team up to prank people collectively." Minerva was red in the face by this point. "One year the three of them had managed to boobytrap every single classroom on the seventh floor and somehow had managed to slip enchanted buckets full of goo to every classroom, including the Astronomy Tower, and had put a Timer Charm on them to tip onto the people below almost as soon as the lessons began! That Morgana-be-damned goo took about an hour to get out of your hair!"
"Yeah that was not fun," Altair agreed, grimacing at that memory. "It was so bad that the supposedly secret Prefect baths saw student after student coming in and out for the entire evening because sometimes an hour long shower didn't do the trick."
"Dumbledore pranked all of us by sticking things into our desk that jumped out at us at random intervals," Tom informed, looking rather sour. "Then he had enchanted our chairs to make our robes turn into the most horrendous colours imaginable!"
Altair cackled. "Merlin, how could I forget that? Yours turned pink, Riddle!"
"Yours wasn't much better, Altair," Arcturus pointed out. "Yours turned a nasty shade of orange."
Harry spluttered at the image her head was conjuring of Tom in bright pink robes and Altair in orange.
"So Madam I-Turn-Textbooks-Into-Muggle-Novels," Tom turned to Harry with a calculating look, "what are you going to cook up tomorrow?"
Harry looked mock-offended. "Me?! Who says I will be up to anything tomorrow?"
Everyone in the carriage gave her a pointed look. Harry blinked as innocently as she could manage. "And what if I said I wasn't plotting anything?" she squeaked.
"We'd tell you you're full of Thestral dung," Altair answered candidly, grinning.
"Are you going solo or will you team up with your Lion twin and the twin menaces?" Druella questioned.
"Oh come on, Druella, we all know Harry works at her best when she is spontaneous," Walburga purred. "Though I would not mind seeing if someone can get the better of Madam Slippery here."
"Madam Slippery?!" Harry spluttered.
"You sneak out at ungodly hours, you go about the castle unseen – practically – you know your way around secret passages like it no one's business, you can find secret rooms in this castle within weeks let alone months and anyone has yet to prove it was you who switched Riddle's books despite the fact that we all know it was you," Minerva began listing. "My dear Hera, if anyone ever doubted you're a Peverell, that proves it! Because not even Septimus and Octavius have managed to achieve what you have."
Nods of affirmation ran around the carriage.
Harry mock scowled and then sassily folded her arms.
"I swear if you manage to not prank someone during Samhain, we will take you straight to St. Mungo's," Druella added. "Or you're a changeling at that point and we will just have to rescue you from the fairies."
"Whooohooo, I'd love to kick some fairy butt!" Orion looked way too happy at that prospect.
"You're only saying that because we did not permit you to send a Nightmare Curse to the goblins, dear," Walburga sighed, shaking her head fondly at her fiancé.
"Touché," Orion was forced to confirm, looking very disappointed.
Harry frowned at this and gaped. "Hold on, back that Pegasus up – you wanted to send a Nightmare Curse to my employers? Are you mad?!"
A menacing glint had entered the usually jovial and bright electric orbs of Orion Black. "The assignment they sent you caused you pain. It was only right that they get a taste of their own medicine but," Orion looked at Altair and Tom, much to Harry's surprise, "I was overruled."
"Good!" Harry laughed half in relief. "Because I dread to think what the repercussions for that would have been!" She looked to Altair and then Tom. "Well done for stopping him, and thank you."
"Our pleasure," Tom reassured with a bright grin.
Altair beamed too. "We would have put him into a Body Bind if it came to it."
Orion scowled. "Traitor."
"Better a traitor than being skewered alive by a furious Lady Regnant for allowing her best friend to commit an act of sedition," Altair responded, still smiling brightly.
"I would have helped them," Walburga informed firmly. "I refuse to get married in Azkaban. The aesthetic would clash with my dress and I do not fancy having Dementors as my caterers, thank you."
Hearty chuckles arose at that, especially since Orion went bright pink in the face. Fortunately the group was very soon distracted as the carriage pulled into Kelpie's Hollow. Harry turned around full to get a proper look at the hamlet in Sabbath mode. The houses were all decorated with marigolds, roses and colourful banners. In the windows, she could see candles – white, black, yellow, orange and red ones, carved turnips and carved pumpkins. Some houses also had pine cones, leaves corn dolls and chestnuts as part of their décor. The doors were left open in a lot of cases already so Harry could see that family altars with photos of past loved ones were already being prepared and she saw a few people hard at work in their kitchens.
The centre of Kelpie's Hollow was positively packed with people, so much so that the drivers had to let the Hogwarts students out a few streets back because there simply wasn't enough space to park. Orion was one of the first to get out of the carriage, followed closely by Druella and Walburga. Arcturus and Minerva followed at a more sedated pace, as did Altair, Tom and Harry. Artemis, Ygraine, Ophelia and Loreley caught up with them quickly, all of them eager to get to the centre of the hamlet as quickly as possible. The Knights followed at a more leisurely pace, clearly relieved at getting some peace after what Harry guessed had been a loud carriage ride.
Tables were being set up with all kinds of foods, potions, herbs, and places to carve turnips, pumpkins and candles. There were stalls that sold all kinds of costumes, masks, skulls and there were magical seamstresses hard at work on custom designs and taking measurements for their clients, most of whom were young children. Harry could see Thestrals attached to a fancy silver carriage being adorned with garlands made of dry flowers, much to the shock of some very confused young children.
The group had quickly split up in all directions. Orion had headed for a potions and herbs table while the majority of the girls went straight for the stalls selling disguises. The Knights had gone for the food tables. As for Harry, she opted to simply observe the people around her from the safety of a nearby café, joined by Tom and Altair.
"Hogsmeade could take a leaf out of Kelpie's Hollow's book," Tom commented as the three of them found a decent table by the window that could fit a few more people later and looked at the café menus.
Harry nodded in agreement. "Indeed! The village only has a few banners and garlands here and there." She then turned to look at him, deciding to pick up their game of Ask Tom Questions once more. "Do the people at your orphanage do anything for Samhain-slash-Halloween?"
Tom shook his head, looking a little sour. "Mrs. Cole is a … devout Christian. A devout Catholic, to be exact. She believes that 'the Devil's day' doesn't deserve to be even acknowledged, let alone celebrated! If she even spots one of the little ones taking candy on the day, they get whacked on the fingers with her cane."
"Bloody hell," Altair commented lowly. Harry gaped in horror.
Tom bit his lip for a moment. "May I ask a question this time?"
Harry closed her mouth quickly and nodded. "Sure."
"Did you celebrate Samhain or Halloween with your friends and family?"
Harry tilted her head from side to side. "Yes, but it was in such a way I would also say no, not really," she answered honestly.
Tom titled his head slightly, curiosity dancing in those burgundy orbs. "How did you celebrate Samhain with your friends and family?"
Harry smiled. "Well, it wasn't anything like this I can tell you! I never went Trick-or-Treating, or even dressed up for that matter. With my friends, our unofficial little school had feasts and such, pumpkin carving, but nothing to the extent that I have seen here. No rituals, nothing." She laughed shortly. "We weren't even permitted to dress up."
"Seriously?" Altair scoffed, shaking his head. "That's ridiculous. In both of your cases. I mean, it's just unbelievable. Samhain is sacred – it should be honoured as such."
"Agreed," Tom concurred. "Issue is, Muggles do not see it as such. They haven't for centuries."
"Yes, but wizards forbidding magical children from dressing up during Samhain? That is just borderline blasphemy," Altair pointed out.
Harry felt a little embarrassed hearing that. She tried to shake the feeling off quickly by moving onto the next question. "How did you find your first real Samhain experience?"
"Well, admittedly, it was a bit of a shock to the system, seeing the castle decked out extravagantly and having to learn the proper rites and traditions," Tom answered, frowning as he went through the memory. "I remember feeling a little apprehensive, until I saw the faculty and students all having fun and sitting at the Dumb Supper with the spirits of the ancestors who answered the call made by the choir, just eating and talking." He grinned unabashedly. "It was … an eye-opening experience, to say the least. One that I got more and more used to each year."
Harry nodded. "So no pressure then?" she joked lightly. Thanks to her Samhain books, the Mistress of Death knew how important the right music was to call any spirit who wanted to join their loved one for a yearly feast. Hopefully she wouldn't screw it up.
Tom looked at her seriously. "I have faith in you, Harry. You will be fine."
"Just remember what you said yourself, have a bit more self-confidence," Altair added with a grin as a waiter came to take their order of three coffees and three slices of chocolate cake.
As the waiter left, Harry frowned thoughtfully. "Which Sabbath is your favourite?"
"Favourite?" Tom repeated, eyes widening slightly. "Good question. I … haven't really got a favourite Sabbath. They just all happen year in year out. I don't love or hate one above the other, except I can categorically say Yule is not my favourite."
"Fair enough," Harry commented, remembering Tom's answer about his ideal Yule gift all too well.
A random thought then popped into her head. She grinned mischievously. "If you had to pick between spending a day by the beach with me and the girls, going to a Quidditch match with Avery and Mulciber but going to a bookstore afterwards, or spending the day hunting Nessie with Orion, which would you pick?"
Altair tried to compose himself but failed miserably, splitting his sides laughing to the point a few tables nearby gave him some odd looks. Tom had to blink more than a couple of times at the rather absurd question but found himself struggling to also keep a neutral countenance.
"Well," he managed to say as a Cheshire cat grin began forming on his lips. "I would rather spend an afternoon listening to Frey trying to sing opera with the Giant Squid than go to a Quidditch match, no matter the bribe. So going to a Quidditch match with only Avery and Mulciber is out of the question. Erm …" Tom took a moment to think of his next answer, his cheeks actually turning red, "Orion Black may be likely to end up in the lake with Nessie because of his constant nattering and my rather short temper, so that isn't a good idea either. So, I suppose I'd pick option one."
Altair finally managed to regain the ability to breathe. "I can see you tossing Black into the lake. Absolutely," he agreed unequivocally.
"What about you, Nott?" Tom asked him, taking both Altair and Harry by surprise.
Altair blinked a few times. "I … would pick the same," he admitted, blushing slightly, his eyes suddenly finding the table very interesting.
Harry tried to spare his blushes. "OK, next question. Maybe this is also a bit personal, but, Tom, if you had to pick between having a brother or a sister, which would you rather have had?"
Tom didn't even miss a beat. "A sister, absolutely. But I would have liked to hope that she could stand on her own two feet – I would have liked her to have a strong character." He chuckled. "I would have likely had many arguments with her, but I know they would not have been boring." He ran one hand through his hair. "You?"
"I would have liked both a brother and a sister. The three of us against the world," Harry grinned. "I mean, I got substitute brothers in Ron, Fred and George and sisters in Hermione, Ginny and Luna but … it's not the same." She then lit up again. "Have you ever played a Samhain prank on someone?"
Tom smirked mischievously. "I have. Once."
"Do they know it was you?" Harry pressed eagerly.
"No, they assumed it was Mulciber and Dolohov, because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time," Tom answered smugly.
Altair laughed shortly. He clearly knew immediately who Tom was referring to. "Mordred's unpolished armour, it was you who made the singing frogs appear in Merrythought's fourth year class!"
Tom chuckled, nodding his head in affirmative as the waiter finally arrived with their coffee and cake, apologising profusely for the delay as one of their other patrons had come with a list of complaints about the amount of cream on her hot chocolate.
Harry then thought about her next question. She desperately wanted to ask Riddle about his parents, specifically Merope Gaunt, but knew once more that it was a treacherous topic that should not be covered in public.
"May I ask a question again?" Tom requested carefully, derailing her train of thought.
Harry nodded, sipping her coffee. "OK."
Tom fiddled with the Gaunt ring around his finger. "Are you hoping that your friends and family will visit for the Dumb Supper?"
The question shouldn't have taken her by surprise, but it did. The Traveller froze almost to the spot for a good minute before clearing her throat and sticking her fork into her chocolate cake. "I … don't know," she admitted. Was it even possible for people from a different time line to enter via the Veil?! "On one hand I don't but at the same time," she smiled slightly, "it would mean being able to introduce them to you."
"You'd want us to meet your friends and family?" Altair sounded like he could hardly believe his ears.
"Yes, although it would be in less than ideal circumstances," Harry affirmed firmly. She looked up at him, making direct eye contact. "Why are you so surprised?"
"Well, because I know how much they mean to you," Altair admitted, his hands tightening around his coffee mug. "Being introduced to them would be monumental."
Harry smiled and reached out her right hand to take his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "The way I see it, it would be like introducing one group of people who mean the world to me to the other, who mean just as much. Nothing more, nothing less."
Neither Altair nor Tom could find the right words to that statement. But they were both distracted quite quickly from their shock and quiet elation by something on Harry's right hand. It was Altair who noticed it first.
I must not tell lies.
The words were scarred, etched right into her skin. The Nott heir ran his thumb gently over the words. He knew exactly what had done this; he had seen his father sign a few of his more important legal documents with one. A Blood Quill, one that had been used extensively. Dangerously so.
"Who did this to you?" he demanded in a deceptively calm tone.
Tom frowned and leaned closer to see what had gotten Altair Nott to change his tone in a millisecond. When he too saw the words, Tom's burgundy eyes began glowing an eerie scarlet, his hands curling slightly.
"Do you remember me mentioning the crappy Ministry worker who actively tried to hinder our education?" Harry sneered. Both boys nodded. "Well, as it turns out, she was quite a vicious old toad. She made everyone write lines during her bullshit detentions using a Blood Quill. She would make us use the thing for hours on end, because she 'wanted the message to sink in'."
A deadly silence fell onto the table.
"Whoever she is, never mind Azkaban, she deserves a slow and painful death," Altair stated. "Send her to Grindelwald with a bow and an explanation of what she has done because not even he would stand for that kind of behaviour. Torturing children? Who in the name of Merlin's saggy trousers let her close to you and your friends?!"
"We were not given much of a choice," Harry admitted. "Our Resistance group was already under suspicion of something our leader was supposedly doing. The woman hated all of us indiscriminately because of it and was determined to make sure we were practically vulnerable and defenceless."
"Why?" Tom questioned, also deceptively quiet.
"Because people were getting nervous about a bunch of child soldiers, led by yours truly," Harry rolled her eyes. Stupid Fudge and his delusions; they were actually handy in strengthening her backstory. How that man ever got into power and held it was beyond her. "After all, if we could take on Grindelwald and his men-"
"You could take on anyone," Altair finished, shaking his head in disgust. "That is no excuse for causing almost permanent damage to someone!"
Harry shrugged and stirred her coffee. "It wasn't just me. She used the Quill on everyone, eleven-year-olds included."
"Excuse me?" Tom spluttered, eyes widening. "And none of your parents knew about this?"
Harry shook her head. "No. We went to our tutors for help and a few tried to rebel in passive manners but none of them … stopped her from using the Quills on us or reported it in any way." She sighed. "The parents found out the hard way, by having to look at their children's hands very carefully because we all put our hands into Essence of Dittany as soon as we came back from detention with the pink demon toad. It's why the scarring isn't as bad as it should be."
"Hermione's doing?" Tom guessed. Harry nodded in affirmative. Tom smiled smally. "That girl really did have a good head on her shoulders."
"I'll say," Altair stated with a hint of venom.
The subject was soon dropped for the time being, mainly because Orion, Arcturus, Artemis and Heron had decided to join them in the café. Orion was babbling happily about his new potions and herbs, and everyone else was content enough to let him reduce the tension they had felt between Harry, Altair and Tom. The three in question distracted themselves with their coffee and cake while only half listening to the continuous stream of words coming from Heir Black's mouth.
Harry, once she, Altair and Tom were finished and had asked for the bill, turned to Orion. "Orion, you don't happen to know a good place to take a quiet walk do you?"
Orion lit up. "I do actually! There is this branch of the Black Lake that abuts the hamlet quite close to here known as the Kelpie Pool because some of the Black Lake's kelpies come to visit it so often."
Harry nodded, putting a few Sickles and a Galleon on the platter the waiter brought over. "OK, good. Let's go and gather the others. I think it's time I give all of you some answers about what happened over the last few days."
At the prospect of answers, the Slytherins and the snake-in-lion's-clothing that was Artemis Potter, jumped into action. Artemis, Arcturus and Heron hunted down Walburga, Loreley, Ophelia and Ygraine while Orion and Altair tracked down Minerva and Druella, leaving Tom to round up the rest of his Knights. When the group was together, Orion led the way up one of the streets that led away from the centre of town and towards the hang-out of the Black Lake's kelpies. There was an eerie determined silence amongst the group unlike anything Harry had ever experienced.
The Kelpie Pool was just as silent as the group was. When they arrived and sat down on the ground in a circle, Harry, who had somehow gauged she would need it, had taken out the document that the goblins had sent her from her inner pocket. "OK, just to make sure we are all on the same page – if you are willing to take the oath of silence required, sign your name on this. In blood, as you probably remember."
For once, no one asked any questions; not even Dolohov. The group collectively pricked their fingers with a jinx, allowed a droplet of blood to spill on the document and one-by-one signed their names with a conjured quill. Once all the names were written, they glowed a bright gold colour, signifying the binding oath they all just took. Harry then folded the document up and put it back into her inner jacket pocket.
She took a deep sigh. "So I guess a good question to start with for all of you, where would you like me to begin?"
"What was the damn thing, why were you put under a gag order and why was it given to you in the first place?" Altair fired off immediately.
Harry sighed. "The 'damn thing' as you aptly put it, Altair, was something that I thought I would never see so early in my Cursebreaking career, let alone my life," she began. "It didn't exactly have an official name – I called it the Time Compass for simplicity's sake. That was because on face of it, it looked like a really strange, intricate compass that looked like it could have been an object from a work of fiction. However, instead of pointing you in the direction you need to go or want to go, it was designed to bring you to the time period you need or want to go. It was an upgraded Time Turner."
Multiple pairs of eyes widened in an instant and mouths were on the floor in five seconds. Harry decided to continue just in case someone wanted to start asking another barrage of questions. "You would be correct in guessing it was precisely because of the fact it was an upgraded Time Turner that the goblins had decided to place me under Statute 611 D, but I'm afraid it was more complicated than that."
Harry exhaled sharply. "You see, the creator of this Time Compass was a man who worked for the Department of Mysteries, spearheading an experiment of theirs called Project Leapfrog. This project centred around the improvement of using Time Magic to travel back into time. Essentially what they were trying to do was to push the boundaries of the time wizards are able to travel back to. The man in question, Hourglass as he was called in the official files, wanted to see if he could push to the point where he could recreate the powers of the Travellers."
"Are you serious?!" Mulciber could not contain himself.
Harry nodded. "As it turned out, Hourglass seemed to have succeeded – the Time Compass was everything he and the rest of the interested parties seemed to have hoped for. But, it came with a rather … nasty surprise, because Hourglass, who decided to use himself as the test subject to circumvent protocol slightly, made a slight miscalculation in his Arithmantic equations."
Everyone waited with bated breath.
Harry swallowed slightly. "The Time Compass … was sentient."
"WHAT?!"
Harry chuckled nervously. "Yes, the thing spoke to him. No one believed him though; they brushed it off as the ramblings of a mad Time Mage who was just losing himself to his work and suffering from a lack of sleep. That is until one night he collapsed and was taken to St. Mungo's. Which was when the Department of Mysteries decided to wash their hands off Hourglass and his work but two Unspeakables and two Aurors took it upon themselves to bring the matter to Gringotts and the Cursebreakers. They, quite reasonably, thought the Time Compass was accidentally possessed by some kind of evil spirt. It was because of this, and the fact that the clients were Unspeakables, that Gringotts were forced to put me under Statute 611 D."
"You mean to tell me you had to deal with a talking mega Time Turner without help?" Heron was whiter than freshly fallen snow. "All because it was part of a secret project the Department of Mysteries are working on?"
"Yes," Harry confirmed easily. "You have no idea how angry I was when I saw those Arithmantic equations and I could not go to Loreley for help."
Loreley's usually serene face was rather dark at this moment. "The feeling is mutual," she assured.
"As for why it was given to me," Harry continued, "from what Griphook told me, they had no other alternative. Every single Cursebreaker at Gringotts abjectly refused to countenance taking the thing on."
"No shit!" Artemis scoffed. "Anyone with their mind still intact would refuse to work with it!"
"I have a question," Arcturus brought the conversation back on track. "Did the thing talk to you?"
Harry scoffed. "It did more than just talk to me," she admitted. "The magic on it was so strong, that it effectively tried to lure me multiple times to come to the trunk and pick the box out of it. I had to fight against an almost continuous Siren-song. Eventually, I forced myself to face it in order to try and figure out what in Avalon's name I was dealing with. So I took it to the Forbidden Forest-"
"YOU DID WHAT?!" everyone chorused.
"You're an idiot," Artemis dryly commented soon after.
"Oh come, guys! I couldn't risk classrooms, the Room of Requirement is now known and I frankly didn't think I would be safe in the Serpentine Corridor either so I went for the next best option," Harry countered. "No one enters the Forest, ergo it was the perfect place to keep this away from prying eyes."
"She has a point there," Druella stated begrudgingly.
"You are still an idiot," Artemis informed Harry candidly.
"I know," Harry agreed. "Anyway, I did the usual: set up privacy charms, Silencing Charms, and then put the entire box in a containment cell. I went through all the information handed to me, did my History Revelation spell on the Time Compass once I managed to get over my apprehension … and then I felt it trying to enter my mind. I tried to keep it out as much as possible but … it got in."
"How did you stop it from entering your mind? You need to know Occlumency for that – oh for fuck's sake," Mulciber pinched the bridge of his nose. The rest of the Knights, apart from Abraxas Malfoy, gaped at Harry, who was smiling as angelically as she could manage. Tom too stared at her in shock. "Of course you know Occlumency!"
Arcturus chuckled. "Given who you are, it shouldn't take us by surprise."
"We have been training her, and ourselves," Druella confessed, glaring at them. "Just in case we need to protect our minds from anyone who may have heard the secret you idiots spilled!"
The Knights at least had the decency to look contrite at that.
"What did it say to you?" Tom wanted to know, turning to Harry.
"That I was unusual," Harry scoffed. "That it could do more than just drive someone nuts. I … kind of challenged it to prove it and it … started to sing one of Luna's songs in Luna's voice. With her tone and intonation and everything."
Once more, there was a cold silence.
"It told me it could take me back to see her," Harry whispered. "That's when I shouted at it, forced it out of my mind and threw it back under its protection dome and box and left it for around two days."
"Shit! It tried to emotionally blackmail you into using it," Ophelia could barely believe her ears.
"Yes it did. It tried to do it again yesterday," Harry laughed shortly. "Only this time I was prepared for it and I threatened to drop it into the Black Lake if it tried anything I didn't like. It just sounded so smug and arrogant that when he mentioned taking me back … I showed it the wound on my arm." She swallowed. "That's when it knew it had lost some leverage over me because … my wound ties me to this time line forever. It tried to break me by pointing out that no matter where I go if I time travelled, I would eventually be forced to come back to all of you." Harry smiled smally with some satisfaction. "That was when I kind of went on a rant – how I have never been normal, never felt like I truly belonged and that, even if I did go back, I would just be as much of a stranger to the people I love as I was to all of you not too long ago."
Harry then looked straight at Loreley, who held her gaze. "I made my choice. But … I also knew that the thing wasn't cursed because it was accidentally created to give 'potential clients', as the Compass called them, some 'encouragement'." Harry swallowed a little. "I took my scythe and destroyed it. After that, I met up with Minnie, Athenaïs and the other familiars who had followed me and we went to the Owlery to send the thing to the goblins. Made my way back towards the Slytherin dungeons … the rest you guys know."
"Yeah about that, why do you have a scythe?" Mulciber asked curiously.
Harry smiled awkwardly. She knew the vague truth was the best option here, for now. "It was a gift. It's a magical instrument that is supposed to help me harness some of my Family Magic."
"Which is why it would have reacted harshly to anyone touching it," Avery deduced. "It's because none of us are Peverells!"
Loreley smirked slightly; Harry had never been so thankful to have a Seer for a friend in her life!
Dolohov, however, could not wrap his head around what he just heard.
"But, it could have taken you back to your friends and family," the Russian Knight stated.
"Yes. It had not lied about that," Harry confirmed.
Dolohov blinked. "You chose to stay regardless."
"Obviously," Harry responded sassily.
"No, not obviously!" Dolohov could barely believe his ears. "You lost everything – you could have gone back and saved them all. You could have seen them one last time. But you didn't."
Harry smiled sadly. "Correct again."
"Why?" Dolohov breathed out. "Why stay with us when … when we have put you through hell?"
The smile on Harry's countenance grew. "Because despite all that, I feel like I belong. I am liked because of who I am; not because I am some child General. You had no idea who I was – yet you welcomed me. You betrayed me, that's true, but others didn't. But since the betrayal, most of you have made amends and I can tell you that the ones who betrayed me in the past, did none of that. Not really; they gave me empty apologies that I was expected to take. Besides," she laughed, "I like who I have become here. My friends and family – they would not have liked who I am now. Not at all."
"You said that 'it's over' and that 'they're gone'," Druella recollected. "Did you mean-"
"I was referring to the fact I decided to let my friends and family, my past, lie there – in the past," Harry confirmed. "I threw away my last chance to properly go back; that's what I meant with 'they're gone'. 'It's over' – I meant not only the assignment but also my struggle with who I am. Reconciling my current self with the child soldier I was." Harry hung her head a little. "I subconsciously refused to acknowledge that there were two Harrys until I was forced to confront that reality after being hit with the Power Wither Hex. It was in that moment, almost, that I realise that I … have changed."
"So, you chose the Cursebreaker Lady Regnant you over the child soldier, and us over going back," Orion summed up.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, that is a good way of summarising it. But I broke because the relief and the finality of it all just hit me in one go. I hadn't meant for it to be so public-"
"Don't you dare start apologising for that again," Tom cut across with a gentle but firm tone of authority. "Someone with less strength would have broken much earlier than you did."
"Hear, hear," a chorus of agreement ran around the group.
"So, what happens now?" Altair then asked.
"Well, the Unspeakables are not best pleased that the Compass has been obliterated," Harry informed with a short laugh. "They want a meeting, no doubt to scold me about it."
"Oh, bloody hell," Avery scoffed. "The bloody idiots should have dealt with it themselves then if they didn't want it to perhaps get destroyed for being a dangerous psycho!"
Harry laughed. She was then surprised by a double hug from Artemis and Orion.
"I know this sounds really selfish, but thank you for not going back," Artemis stated lowly.
The Traveller was stunned for a moment but soon returned their embrace, smiling brightly. "Thank you for being my friends."
"Pffft. Friends? You are my family, Hera," Artemis reminded her as she let her go.
"Agreed," Orion concurred immediately.
Harry blinked away the tears that were threatening once more to fall. She didn't get to dwell on her melancholy for too long because very soon she was flattened under a group hug, led by Walburga, Druella, Ophelia and Ygraine, who all had thrown decorum out of the window momentarily. Even Minerva did not complain about being dragged onto the pile by Loreley. The Knights thanked Harry for her service by peeling the girls one by one off her. Arcturus did hug her once more, though.
As for both Altair and Tom, they didn't seem to know what to do with themselves. Orion did soon distract the group by pointing out it was almost time for the Samhain Eve parade to begin and that he didn't want to miss it before heading back. Well, that seemed to spur Tom into action. As the group picked themselves off the ground, he opened his bag and took out a sketchbook, magical drawing pencils and a book on Magical Art and handed them to Harry.
The Lady Regnant was gorgonised to the spot, her eyes wide, blinking at the objects in her hands. "What … Tom … what the …"
"I bought them today," Tom replied, flushing slightly. "For you. I saw them and, well, I thought you might like them. Being artistic and all. You could bring some magical life to your drawings of your friends-"
Tom was the one surprised when Harry hugged him warmly and tightly. For a moment, his arms hung stiffly by his side but they soon moved to return the embrace.
"Thank you," she whispered gratefully. "I mean it."
Harry let him go, flushing slightly. It was a miracle that he had not hexed her for it! It was one thing for him to initiate but … she knew Tom usually did not take kindly to being touched.
"You like them?" Tom shuffled slightly with his feet.
"Like them? I love them! I don't know how to repay you-"
His answer still rang in Harry's ears for the rest of the day, and would probably do so for quite a while. "I don't want repayment. I just wanted to see you smile."
It was safe to say that not even the Samhain Eve parade of Kelpie's Hollow distracted Harry from the gravity of those words and Tom's actions.
####################################
"Well someone is looking happy," Melinoë commented as soon as Harry walked through the doors of the Room of Requirement that evening, a very smug-looking Athenaïs following behind her. "Very happy, indeed!"
"I am," Harry readily agreed with a grin, putting her weapons down and her Cloak off from around her shoulders. "So, what first?"
"Well, first a word of warning about Samhain itself," Hypnos answered. "Because the Veil is thinning, you and Athenaïs are very likely going to be able to see the Unseen, such as Tosti's Reapers-"
"I still hate you," Thanatos stated.
"-and very likely nature spirits, such as the genius loci of the trees," Hypnos finished with a grin.
Harry nodded. "OK, well thank you for the warning."
"As for your training, we will be focusing on Animancy, but this time you won't be bringing statues to life," Thanatos informed her, which took Harry by surprise. "We will also test your Shadow Transformations and then we will see what has happened to your scythe, because we sense that its magic has grown in strength."
"Sounds like a plan," Harry agreed readily. "So, what kind of Animancy will you be teaching me today?"
The God of Death smiled. "I am going to ask you a question you likely never asked yourself before: is there a difference between raising a dead, fleshy body with its organs intact, and raising a long deceased person who is nothing more than bone?"
Harry froze, her eyes widening slightly. "Erm … well one could still be considered recognisably a person but the skeleton is slightly more … dehumanised. Because our bones are nothing more than a calcium composition. It sounds bad, I know, but a body with the organs and flesh there seems to be more human than just the skeleton."
"Which I agree with, whole-heartedly," Thanatos nodded. "Now, the reason I ask is because of this: do you remember what I said about your ability to raise the dead?"
Harry nodded slowly. "Yes, that I can never truly raise the dead. What has this got to do with the branch of Animancy?"
"I should have clarified what I meant back then," her immortal friend grinned. "I should have specifically mentioned you can never raise a dead fleshy body, due to the fact that is resurrection of a kind. I'm afraid divine law doesn't really like that kind of Necromancy, and frankly neither do I. It's insulting."
Hypnos and Melinoë rolled their eyes in tandem.
"But," Thanatos continued, "you are able to raise a skeleton."
Harry blanched. "Seriously?!" she squeaked.
"Frankly, the bones matter very little to me," Thanatos admitted. "Plus, as long as you put any human skeletons back into their proper place afterwards-"
"Yeah, yeah, Tosti, I doubt Harry is going to go around desecrating people's graves," Hypnos cut across.
"But in all seriousness, to ability to raise a skeleton or two to help you out of a sticky situation is rather handy," Melinoë informed the rather shocked Mistress of Death. "So, bearing that in mind, we have brought a few animal skeletons for you to practise on."
Harry recovered from her shock quickly. "OK. So, am I right in guessing I need to use a soul in order to put enough life force into the skeletons to hold them together and then be able to steer them in the direction I need them to go?"
"Yes," Thanatos smiled. "It is much like puppetry only instead of being on a string, they are tied to your magic, your willpower and your intention."
Harry nodded. "OK. Well, I have no idea if I ever will use it but let's get cracking anyway."
The three deities had brought her the bones of a bat, a sparrow, a jackdaw, a cat and a dog to start off with. The Mistress of Death found that animating the bones to start acting in the exact same manner as they would in real life – even with the help of the animal souls at her disposal – was much like putting a very finnicky doll together. It was half experimentation, seeing if all the pieces were in the correct spot and moved in the anatomically correct way and having to go back to the drawing board if one bone was out of place or fell back onto the table. Eventually she had managed to animate the sparrow to fly around the room without much issue but the jackdaw and the bat both had slightly crooked wings so they were flying at really odd angles. Now for some odd reason, Harry had no issue with putting together and animating both the cat and the dog, getting the two skeletons to play around with each other, the dog trying to catch one of the cat's tail bones in a game of chase.
Athenaïs joined in too. The necklace glowed brightly as the young dragon's eyes glowed peridot green. Harry watched enviously as her Familiar put the skeletons of the sparrow and jackdaw together without very little effort and got the birds to bully the cat and the dog skeletons.
"Show off," Harry muttered fondly.
Athenaïs preened rather proudly at her success, causing the three deities to chuckle heartily. Yes, she had help from her friends in the necklace but still!
At least in Shadow Transforming Harry did not completely fail. She had managed to transform into her Grim form and race from the Room of Requirement to the West Tower and back again – while cloaked completely in shadows – in under ten minutes. Then Harry had turned into her dragon form much quicker than the first time and had done two full laps around the castle, cloaked in shadows and enjoying the freedom of flying on her own pair of wings, before returning to the Room. The Mistress of Death had even managed to turn into her Prongs inspired form: a silvery hind that would have been able to stop a small car in its tracks with bright green eyes and some strange markings on her back. The transformation into the form had felt like she had been cocooned in an oppressive whirlwind for about a minute, but boy had that feeling been worth it, especially since Harry loved trailing shadows behind her as she walked!
She was still not used to walking on four legs, though, and was very happy when she turned back into her normal human form.
"Not bad, Harry," Melinoë praised as the young Traveller took a breather for a moment. "I have definitely seen worse!"
Harry chuckled. "I am not so sure that is a compliment coming from an immortal!"
"Touché," the Goddess of Ghosts grinned.
"So," Harry summoned her scythe to her with a non-verbal, wandless Summoning Spell, her eyes glowing silver momentarily, and looked to Thanatos. "You said something happened to my scythe?"
"I have a sneaky suspicion," Thanatos nodded slightly.
Harry frowned and focused her magic to activate her scythe's power. The runes glowed bright purple. In about a few seconds, a Mist had appeared, leaving three Cu Annwn looking extremely confused, especially since two bony, skeletal – literally – animals came to greet them. Athenaïs was giggling at the bewilderment of the three fairy dogs as they sniffed the animated cat and dog.
"Atty, stop animating the skeletons, please!" Harry laughed, shaking her head. "Merlin, this was a bad idea."
Athenaïs drooped a little but broke the spell on the cat and dog, the bones collapsing into two separate piles. The three Cu Annwn sprung back slightly but then stepped to them again, sniffing the piles curiously and nudging them, clearly trying to wake them up.
"OK, so Summoning is still not a problem," Hypnos mused. The God of Sleep's eyes suddenly widened as he remembered something. "Oh no … it couldn't be … could it?"
Thanatos caught on to what Hypnos meant in an instant. "Harry, would you mind casting a History Revelation spell on the Room with the scythe, please?"
Harry frowned but closed her eyes and incanted the spell in her mind. As soon as she did, the Runes on the scythe suddenly began to glow a familiar golden colour and from the glow emanated a wave of warm, golden magic. Harry opened her eyes and her utter surprise, all around her were at least five three dimensional, almost four dimensional moving images in different versions of the Room in around five different time periods if the clothes and hair styles of the students were anything to go by! It was unlike anything she had managed to conjure before now.
"What the hell …?" Harry breathed out, watching the people of the past who discovered the Room before she or Tom did go about their business, studying, reading, playing music.
"As I suspected," Thanatos shook his head. "It seems the Compass might have had a last laugh after all."
Harry's expression darkened in record time, the dangerous silver glow entering her eyes. "How?"
"Your Revelation spell has been … upgraded," Hypnos swallowed. "You can now see as much of the history of the target of the spell as it is able to show you. And if my hunch is correct, if you focus on one of the specific visions … it could show you exactly what happened as though you were actually there."
Harry was fuming. "Hypnos, I know you long enough to know that you are side-stepping information. The damn thing embedded some of its powers into my scythe, didn't it?"
The three deities looked to their feet as they nodded in affirmative.
"Great buggering fuck!"
"Harry, language!"
"Does that mean my scythe is liable to start sending me to different time periods?" Harry thundered.
"No, the magic isn't unstable. It's behaving itself," Thanatos informed her.
"And there is no way of disenchanting it?" Harry demanded, her heart beating quite loudly.
"Not likely," Melinoë answered darkly. "It seems the Moirai are not finished with you, my friend."
"They will never be done with me," Harry snorted as she dispelled the Revelation spell and then banished the three still confused fairy dogs, who had been conversing, of a kind, with Athenaïs.
"Well, if it is any consolation we are done with training for tonight. It is Samhain tomorrow after all. We want you awake for the most holy Sabbath of the year," Thanatos grinned. His Mistress scoffed at this.
"You are so biased," Harry shook her head.
"He is right, you know," Melinoë stated.
Harry rolled her eyes. "As are you."
"I am," the Goddess of Ghosts readily admitted. "By the way, expect Tosti's raven tomorrow. Your ancestors are sending you something; we might have mentioned you are helping with the welcoming chant tomorrow."
Harry blanched. "Merlin, why did you have to do that?"
"Oh you will thank us tomorrow," Hypnos promised.
Harry chuckled as she gathered her things. "I doubt that. Good night, guys! Come on, Atty."
"Night, Harry!"
"Good night, Harry."
"Harry, beware – Morpheus has been experimenting with dreams again so you might end up with a few weird ones tonight!"
#######################################
Gellert always loved Samhain; it was the time where his own Sight was at its strongest. He knew he was fortunate to be born so blessed by Lady Magick herself but he always felt a little cheated that his Sight could not be directed in the most desirable direction for Gellert and his cause. It would have made finding out the identity of his favourite little Cursebreaker and this so-called Silver Dragon much easier! His magic also felt at its strongest during the Sabbath, even when he was still a young man and still enrolled at Durmstrang. Yes, Gellert had been very happy that he had managed to convince his parents to send him there instead of to the insufferable Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.
There was so much of the French that he could tolerate; having to live in France with some sanctimonious more Light aligned children from France, Spain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Portugal, to name a few, would have been a nightmare. Gellert could never have been free to experiment with his magic as he had been able to at Durmstrang. That is, until one of them had admittedly gone a bit awry and the faculty were forced to expel him for it, lest they got into trouble with some of the more powerful families who had children attending the school.
Such a pity that the faculty proved to be as weak as Gellert once thought them to be.
The Dark Lord, who was pensively staring out of the windows of his War Council room as he came to view it as, raised his eyes to the moon. The moon's full phase was almost at its zenith. He smirked to himself. Tomorrow his sleeper agents would perform the ceremony that would allow Gellert to find the Flamels without having to wait on the incompetence or negligence of any of his followers. Not even the Silver Dragon would be able to stop what was coming!
But it was in that moment that his Sight did show him who would be able to stop it. Four winged beings, cloaked in shadows. One with an executioners sword, another with a scythe, a third who shimmered like a mirage and the fourth who could summon and control spectral entities. Their faces – obscured. Gellert's jaw clenched. Whatever these creatures were they could not be permitted to interfere! His entire campaign depended upon it; the Flamels knew the Peverells better than anyone did.
Nicholas and Perenelle could point him directly towards the Resurrection Stone, the Invisibility Cloak and the little that remained of the Peverell family. There were only one or two descendants left – it should not have been this difficult, but something or … someone had been interfering with his Sight! And not only with his Sight …
It was then that the double rowan doors of the War Council opened and he heard the tell-tale clip-clopping of Queenie Goldstein's heels.
"They are prepared, darlin'," Gellert really was sometimes rather thankful Queenie could read his mind. It saved him a great deal of time not having to ask inane questions. "They are just lookin' for an appropriate place to do it now – and no, no one has come to see either Ambrose or Bradley yet, poor doves. They did get the flowers though."
"I suspect dear Meg may have Seen our friends coming," Gellert sighed. "Having Sighted opponents really is the most vexing inconvenience."
"Indeed," Queenie agreed mildly. "But no matter what the dear little dove Sees or doesn't See, there ain't much she and her team of nitwits can do about our next plan."
"Very true, my friend," Gellert confirmed, his damaged eye glowing ominously.
It was then that Queenie saw the vision in her master's head. "We have angels to contend with?" she scoffed.
"Not angels," Gellert responded coldly. "Something else entirely. But whatever they are, they cannot be allowed to intervene."
"I will send a message to our friends to keep their eyes peeled for four winged beings," Queenie snorted. "I personally think your little Weaver friends have lost a few marbles."
The natural Legilimens was rewarded for her impertinence with a nonverbal, wandless Choking Curse, this time both eyes of the Dark Lord glowing. "I told you before, my visions are not always absolute, but we would be foolish to dismiss them. I expected better from someone who claims to believe in me," he hissed as Queenie struggled. "It is not for me to dictate what I See, or I would have found the clown who you permitted to make a fool out of you and through that, me!"
He dispelled his curse, Queenie soon coughing and heaving for air, almost crumpling to the floor. Gellert smirked. "On one hand, I hope the Silver Dragon hears about my little plan. They can then die in the attempt to stop it and the mess would be cleaned up quite nicely. But on the other hand, it would rob you of the thrill of getting revenge."
Queenie picked herself up from the floor, glaring daggers at Grindelwald's back. His obsession with the damn Peverells was going to ruin everything; she didn't need the Sight to know this. She had betrayed her beloved sister and darling Jakob to get rid of the stupid laws that forbade magical marriages to Muggles, not to hunt a family whose ability to hide was legendary. But then Queenie, through her anger, realised something.
When was the last time Gellert had used that strange wand of his? When she first met him, the Dark Lord conducted spells with the thing almost on a continuous basis. But now, he was barely using it.
Why? The Elder Wand was the most powerful wand in the magical world and Gellert was skilled at using it … unless, something had changed. Drastically.
"Was there anything else, Queenie?" the silky tone of the most dangerous Dark Lord in recent memory knocked her out of her train of thought.
The Legilimens swallowed. "Nothin' that needs your attention, darlin'."
"Well, then. I am sure you will want to spend your evening elsewhere and not with a grumpy old man," Gellert stated jovially. "Be off with you. Oh and you can tell Vida that the next time she neglects to order chocolate cookies I will enchant all her shoes to bite her toes!"
##############################
So Grindelwald has something special planned for Samhain, Harry has finally gotten some heavy shit off her chest, the Unspeakables are throwing a hissy fit and it seems the Time Compass may have had one last hurrah! What will happen next? Will Samhain once again prove why it is the Sabbath of Shenanigans? Stay tuned to find out!
Thank you to all those who are still reading and to the guest reviewer who suggested Queenie and Vida should just buy out someone's stock and put a Charm on the cookies to keep them fresh and simply pass them off as freshly bought because I genuinely laughed for a good two minutes! Because I can see the girls doing that! XD
I hope you guys are as stoked for Samhain as I am because I have been planning and replanning it for a while so I hope you guys stick around for it!
Orion: I sent some flower garlands to Nurmengard! I hope they like them!
Harry: Erm … Orion? Doesn't Gellert have hay fever?
Orion: … Ooops?
*Sighs* Oh boy. See you everyone!
Kingmaker'sUmbreon
