Rookwood smiled as he made his way through the Department of mysteries. He had in his possession the file from the ICW with the specs from the mechs they had purchased through a holding company which was linked to Dragonfire, a new mercenary group based out of Geneva. He internally thanked his contact at the ICW for the invaluable gift.
He stepped through the floo network into a much less opulent sitting room, then previously, the Hebridean Manor being sold. Once the wards broke as completely as they did, the cost to replace even a fraction of the wards were astronomical, and none of the Dark Lord's supporters had the means to repair them.
The Dark Lord sat in a high backed chair staring into another fire, this one not connected to the floo network. They had been forced to relocate to Malfoy Manor after 'Snake's Revenge was ignobly ruined by the very thing Rookwood had spent the last four months trying to track down. The Dark Lord had taken the master's study as his sanctum sanctorum. He spent most of his time locked in this room, no one was exactly sure what he did in here.
Rookwood cast his eyes back and forth, Heavy burgundy curtains covered the windows blocking all but a sliver of light in from the outside. The room itself was dark, only lit on either side by roaring fires and a few candles. The rest of the room was cast in shadow, giving off a eerie veneer of mystery, and intrigue. Rookwood tried and failed to cast a quick nonverbal cooling charm on himself, the room was sweltering, the fires as well as the heavy window coverings doing an excellent job of insulating the room
"Please tell me you have good news Rookwood" he hissed, as he pet the head of his familiar, who's long lithe body was curled around her master's chair. Rookwood took an involuntary step back as the snake flicked her tongue out at him, as if tasting the air around him. A shudder ran through him as the snake hissed something to the Dark Lord, who seemed to pause as if giving what his familiar said some thought before replying.
There was something simply off putting about Parseltongue, Rookwd decided, the unnatural hissing made his skin crawl.
"Do you fear me, Rookwood?" The Dark Lord suddenly asked, turning to face the man in question.
"N-No My Lord," Rookwood said, immediately dropping to one knee in subservience. Scared that he had displeased his master.
"Then tell me" Lord Voldemort lifted Rookwood's chin so the man was staring directly into his eyes. "Then tell me why Nagini smelt fear coming from you" he commanded.
"B-Because I fear I am not worthy to stand in your presence." Rookwood gulped noiselessly as Lord Voldemort allowed his head to droop once again, breaking eye contact.
"Your answer is acceptable." Lord Voldemort said as he relaxed deep into the cushion of the chair he was sitting in "Please Rookwood, let us dally no longer, give me your report"
"I have found it my lord, after months of searching, One of my contacts at the ICW has sent me all they have on the Machines, of which they have purchased six of. They are unsure of how to recreate the core, the central piece which is vital for the machines to be anything other than hunks of metal" Rookwood flinched as the Dark Lord reached for his wand, but relaxed as Lord Voldemort simply summoned a glass of Ogden's Finest Firewhiskey.
"What do you propose?" He asked, projecting a false sense of calm, Rookwood knew that the next words out of his mouth were probably the most important out of his mouth, possibly ever.
"It won't be easy, but if you give me time I have no doubt I can figure out how to create the core" He let his tongue run around the inside of his mouth trying to alleviate the sudden dryness he felt, "They, and by extension, I know the composition of the core, I'm sure that given enough time I could find a solution to our problem."
Voldemort simply waved it away, "I shall want weekly updates on your progress" He gently stroked Nagini's head who let out a contented his, sending shivers down Rookwoods spine.
"Now for the next part, How goes finding a way to circumvent the safeties on the prophecy?" Lord Voldemort asked, a dangerous undercurrent underlying his words, a promise of violence if Rookwood could not deliver, but an even worse fate awaited him if he dared lie to his master.
He gulped, "Not well my lord, the prophecies are guarded by enchantments done by Merlin himself, as well as the most clever enchantments each subsequent generation could come up with, I'm not sure that Merlin himself could undo them."
Prophecies were the reason the Department of Mysteries had been created in the first place, as a way to store and study prophecies. Well that and what was commonly referred to as the veil of death. No one knew what exactly it was or what it's exact purpose was, only that things sent through never returned. The only thing that was officially known to come through the veil to their side was well before his time and the file was so secure that only the head unspeakable could access it.
"I'll continue working on the prophecy," Rookwood said, dreading it. He was unsure why the Dark Lord was so hellbent on learning the context of the prophecy. He had heard a few in his time as an unspeakable, and they were always vague to the point of uselessness, many were self fulfilling at best, utter bollocks at worst, one could never divine anything from a prophecy except in hindsight. And yet for some reason or another, the Dark Lord seemed utterly convinced that the secret to eternal life was contained within the prophecy. Apparently Severus Snape had overheard the first part of the prophecy and had ran off to tell Lord Voldemort the contents without waiting to overhear the rest.
"See that you do, Rookwood, see that you do." Voldermort mumbled as he stroked his Phoenix and yew wand possessively. Rookwood quickly bowed and left the room as quickly as he could without causing offense. Once he was outside in the much more well lit halfway he took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart before letting his mind wander to the problem of the mech core. He rushed off ready to begin experimentation.
Harry spotted Daphne just as he was leaving ancient runes, he was slightly taken back when she fell into step next to him, hiking her shoulder bag up onto her shoulder a bit further. While it wasn't exactly a secret that they were friendly, the didn't often exchange words outside of the Room of Requirement where the group who were calling themselves the Mech squad, met fairly regularly to all kept up with the Defense Initiative, and the twice weekly jogs around the great lake Harry had informed them that if they wanted to be the best mech pilots they would need to do more than simple running. He was pleasantly surprised when they all readily agreed and began training more regularly. There were of course initial holdouts on the idea of signing their lives away for three years, but the lure of the mech proved too strong and one by one they all eventually signed, especially hearing the salary offered at 16 Galleons, and change a month, or 200 plus galleons a year, more than most ministry employees.
"Are you going to Slughorn's Valentine's Day Party?" Daphne asked. Keeping pace with his quick stride, as they made their way to the great hall for lunch
"Valentines?" asked Harry, unsure of what was so special about that day. If there was one area of study he neglected; it was the cultural mores and more specifically the holidays. Christmas was so ubiquitous that it was impossible to not learn about through cultural osmosis, but he knew very little about this Valentines. "I'm afraid that I don't even know what that is."
"You don't know what Valentine's day is?" she asked, shocked "Valentine's day is a day for love, a day for romance. A day when a girl gets chocolates from her beau, or at least flowers."
"Do you have a beau that I was previously unaware of?" Harry asked, his eyebrow quirked in an amused question.
"No," She said, sounding oddly disappointed in Harry's ear. Internally he was smiling, ever since the Yule ball, he couldn't get her out of his head, with this revelation Harry could make his move.
Harry shook his head vehemently as she popped into his head, her button nose and mischievous smirk invading this moment he was having, 'No you're dead, you're dead!' he thought.
'Yes and who's fault is that?' she, it, seemed to reply, the smirk turning cruel as the girl in his mind's eye seemed to rot away, maggots crawling from her empty eye sockets.
Harry noticed his breathing becoming laboured as the breaths he was able to take became quick and ragged. Daphne looked at him scared, not sure what was happening, as he slunk to the floor with his back pressed against the cool stone of the castle.
"Do I need to get Madam Pomphrey?" She asked, frantically, searching for someone, anyone who could lend a hand, as luck would have it the entire hallway seemed deserted, the rest of the school no doubt further ahead.
"I'm fine," Harry said, pushing himself to a standing position, shrugging his shoulders. His breathing however was still laboured.
"I guess I never really celebrated it." Harry shrugged, forcing the subject to a more comfortable topic, as he began walking towards the great hall. Nonplussed by what the big deal was, he had long ago learned to have the panic attacks and move on.
"Celebrate what?" Daphne asked rushing to catch up with harry who marched with a purpose towards the great hall.
"Valentine's day" He said as if that were the most obvious answer ever"
Even on Kissindra Harry wasn't the biggest celebrator of holidays, they just seemed rather pointless to him.
Seeing how he was either unable, or unwilling to discuss what had just occurred, she decided to humor him all while keeping this episode in the back of her mind.
"So are you going?" she asked with forced casualness.
"Going where?" Harry asked, genuinely confused by the question, he hadn't received an invitation to the 'slughorn party' as she so eloquently put it so he wondered if she was inquiring about a different event.
"To Professor Slughorn's Valentine's day party."
Harry only knew of Professor Slughorn through reputation, He threw these little shindigs for a lot of alumni as well as current promising students. To be an invited guest was either a great honour or a pain, depending on who was answering the question. Apparently they were quite a production,with notable alumni coming from all over Britain and occasionally the world to attend these soirees.
"No, I never received an invitation. Why do you ask?"
He saw a flash of something, perhaps relief, cross her face, and she stopped walking and pulled him to a stop where they stepped into an alcove out of the press of people that were all trying to make their way into the great hall where delicious smelling food was wafting out into the entrance hall.
"Would you like to go with me to the party? We were allowed to bring a date" Daphne asked, her grey eyes boring into Harry's green, as if daring him to decline. Harry couldn't help but noticed how long her eyelashes were, or how deep her eyes were. She couldn't hold the pose for very long and turned averting her gaze away, and tucking a strand of blond hair back behind her ear. He couldn't help but notice as her chest quit moving, as if she were waiting for baited breath for his answer.
"I- I would love to" Harry said. His own heart beating like a jackhammer against the inside of his ribs, he could barely think with all the blood rushing to his head. His hand resting on the wall above her position allowing him to look down at her. She smiled coquettishly at his acceptance before slipping back out into the hustle and bustle of the arriving lunch crowd.
"Meet me here at 8:30 wearing something nice," she said sending him a little wave "It's Black tie"
Harry smoothed down his pale grey vest again. While definitely less ostentatious then the suit he had worn to the yule ball, it was still a respectable piece, with matching pants tailored to fit him, and a genuine swiss made pocket watch sent from Abreo Shwartz himself as a christmas gift, completing the ensemble. His sword was replaced with a goblin made dirk that hung on his left hip, within easy reach if the situation called for. Forgoing the tie, he instead left the top free, giving him a devil-may-care type look.
He was waiting for only a few moment in the entrance hall when Daphne showed up wearing a floor length empire cut pine coloured dress with silver accents. While similar to her house colours it was much more understated and muted. She wore her hair down this time, instead of in a fancy updo, a simple pair of silver earrings as well as a matching silver necklace were the only pieces of jewellery which she wore.
Harry let out a low whistle, as he looked her up and down. His jaw hanging open upon seeing his date.
"Tordy" Daphne called.
"Yes, miss?" the house elf replied appearing with a muted pop in front of the couple
"If you would be so kind as to shut his mouth, I do believe he would be most appreciable, before fly inevitably wanders into that mammoth thing he calls a mouth" she said smirking
"Shall we?" she asked, as Tordy gently pushed Harry's jaw together, reminiscent of the way he had done in the Room Of Requirement.
"You- you look amazing"He said as he offered the crook of his elbow to his date. Who took it as they began making their way towards a door that was on the opposite side of the entrance hall and made their way up the stairs to a room that looked remarkably similar to the great hall directly beneath their feet, only instead half of the room was occupied by circular tables where small groups could all congregate together, rather then the four overly large house tables. With the front of the room fashioned into a dance floor.
They were greeted by a man who could only adequately be described as a walrus.
"Daphne, Welcome, and who is this fine man you've bought with you?" He asked as he bent at the waist while kissing her hand.
"Getthen, Harry Getthen." Harry shook the man's hand. He was pleasantly surprised at the strength of his grip. He was not expecting that from the man.
"There's nothing more important than a good handshake, as my old man used to say, now I think there are some more important things, like having a beautiful woman on your arm" he said Winking flirtatiously at Daphne, "But I understand his meaning, so I've always been one to practise my handshakes."
"Daphne, I understand that you want to follow in your father's footsteps, by going Into the export import business, " He said, switching his attention to Daphne.
" that's right sir, I do" she said, " there's a real market for it, even if I don't take over Greengrass shipping, and start my own thing"If you said, a hint of pride in her voice.
"And what of you Mr Getthen?"
"Can I be frank with you professor?" Harry asked Growing serious.
"Always, my boy always." Slughorn replied equally serious.
"My business is war, supplying, fighting, if it have to do with war, I want in,"
"Oh really? An interesting proposition to be sure, can I ask why?" He asked with fake interest.
The defense industry on the muggle side is sitting here about 23 billion galleons per annum, now I asked you where is The Wizarding equivalent?"
Slughorn looked slightly taken aback at that number "Really that much?" suddenly much more interested.
"Yes indeed, now given the fact that wizards make up about 2% of the global population, and are all already armed, I would consider about 1% of that total 23 billion to be reachable, selling only to legitimate governments and other people we can be fairly soon and have not nefarious uses for products." Harry explained animatedly.
" tell me lad, what got you interested in such a venture?" Slughorn asked, Listening intently, leaning forward in his seat " you said your name was Getthen correct?I was not aware of such a family here in England."
"Technically speaking I'm from switzerland, and my family is very small."Harry said by way of explanation, " As for how I got interested in it, my cousins, squibs, I am the business and I saw how well they were doing, and I wondered why no one in the wizarding world has tried it" Harry said, making it up on the spot, taking inspiration from the Weasley squib cousin Simon.
"And how is that going for you?" Slughorn asked.
" as well as can be expected, being here at Hogwarts, which is to say I actually have no idea, But if you want to be going well and the number of my bank account was anything to go by."Harry said with a slight laugh.
" well you must keep me informed" said Slughorn, suddenly looking nervous " Don't feel please excuse me I have other gas I need to greet." you stood up and began walking back towards the entrance where a group of students congregated, as if waiting for something.
" You know,, the joke about you being a whiskey magnate leave me on the train, wasn't as far fetched as I originally thought" Daphne said taking a sip of her white wine now she must have grabbed while having was busy speaking to Slughorn., "But instead of whiskey it is bullets," she tilted her head, as if examining him " I don't know, I think 'A merchant of death' fits you better than a whiskey magnate" She said with a smile.
Harry wasn't entirely sure he liked that new moniker, letting it roll across his tongue. " a bit dark, no?"
" Come, dance with me." she said, pulling him on to the dance floor, avoiding the question all together. The band struck up a slower dance than previously. Harry could feel the warmth of her comparatively much smaller hand in his, Sending an electric shock coursing through his whole body, her hips swaying hypnotically, as they made the way to an empty spot on the Dance Floor.
" Oddly reminiscent of yule, no?"Harry commented, as they gently danced, essentially just swaying back and forth as they talked, oblivious to the rest of the crowd. Reminded of the night at the ossuary.
" a bit" Daphne conceded, with a far away look in her eye, Only half listening.
"A knut for your thoughts, " Harry prodded.
" I grew up thinking that wizards were superior in every way" She said absently, " that magic can solve any problem, answer any question. While I never once believed that muggles should be wiped out, I thought them inferior, that was just their nature. Like an oddity at the zoo, nothing more, and yet you tell me that they spend as much on defence this month alone, as we" she made a circular motion around the room, as if encompassing all wizardkind, spend in two years, total"
" Have you ever seen muggle London?" Harry asked, remembering the cars, and the Billboards, and just the overall noise. he cast a quick glance around to make sure no one else was listening to the conversation, satisfied he turned back to Daphne
"A not insignificant amount of hardware on my mech, is what you would consider muggle in origin" Harry whispered softly in her ear.
Daphne looked up into his eyes, lips trembling, "Harry, am I on the wrong side?" she asked, her eyes wet with tears.
"In What way?" Harry asked."you're Not a supporter of the dark lord, are you?"
" No of course not" Daphne said incensed, " I thought we settled that question When you rescued me from them!"
" That's what I thought, so I don't understand the question," Harry said, trying to calm her down "Of course you're not on the wrong side. take what I say with a huge grain of salt, everything I have learned I learned from books, which paints a distorted picture of reality." he lifted her head in his hands and gently tried to wipe the tears that were silently dripping down her face
Daphne relaxed into his chest, her head resting comfortably on his sternum. Harry was enjoying the feel of her warmth pressed up against his even as her tears stained his silk shirt her make up which was tastefully done, running slightly.
"Voldemort is a bad man, no question about it, but there are as evil men in the muggle world as there are here. Not sixty years ago, about analogous with the war with Grindelwald, there was another man, a muggle by the name of Joseph Stalin, who would send anyone who disagreed with him to 'work camps' in siberia, its been estimated that during his reign of terror was 1.3 million killed."
"Oh my god! That's, that's horrible, that would completely wipe out the entire population of magical britain!" she pulled away from Harry and looked at him in shock.
"What I'm trying to tell you is that there are evil men no matter where you go, or who you become. As far as I can tell, the muggle world is no better or worse than this one, and just because you have magic doesn't make you superior or inferior, I truly believe that the best world can be found by combining the two worlds."
"Like the one you came from?" Daphne asked a slight smile.
"Something like that" Harry said, pulling her off the dance floor and into a waiting table that seemed to materialise as if by magic, "except a little less bigoted, I suppose."
"What was it like? Was it as idyllic as you make it sound?"
"Oh Gods no, definitely not," Harry said chortling. "Take Veela, for example, in most countries they are seen in w decent enough light, sapient humanoids with enough similarities to humans that they can safely interbreed with humans. Have more or less the same rights as humans, as near as I can tell. On my world we have a similar species called Svartens, beautiful humanoid creatures, many, if not most of whom were smarter than some of my were treated as pets, dolls even, they were given no rights,No way to retaliate if they were in an abusive situation." he looked wistfully out the window, lost in thought. "Objectively, here is more beautiful, but if I'm honest there was something beautiful about the rugged landscape,And harsh unforgiving land that I miss."
Harry looked down at his pocket watch, nearly 1:00 a.m. He took Daphne by the hand and led her to the stairs going to the entrance hall, Professor Slughorn waddled over just as they were about to descend the staircase.
"Leaving already?" he asked, beaming. "Harry, Miss Greengrass already knows this, but once a month I like to gather together with some of the more promising students and discuss various ventures. be they business or political or what have you, I find it very stimulating, it would be my great honour if you would consent to join us Next time."
"Thank you, sir I shall have to check my schedule but I think that could be arranged, " Harry said, giving the man a firm handshake.
"I guess this is where we say goodbye" Daphne said Once they reach the entrance hall, looking directly into his eyes, a hint of something deep and longing there.
"I suppose so"Harry agreed, feeling a slight pang of loss at having to end such a perfect night. Just as he was turning to leave Daphne grabbed one of her hands in his, and quickly rose to her tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
"Thanks for tonight, it was most enlightening" she said before spinning away and making her way towards the slytherin common room, calm and poised as the day he first saw her on the train back from Hogwarts before the winter hols
Involuntarily his hand touched his cheek where she kissed him, a huge goofy grin splitting his face.
A/N Working a slow burn romance into a story when you've never been in a relationship, and can only go off of what you've seen slash read? Easier said than done. Also hey, Don't forget about my discord! discord. gg/gm9mhAYYYa
