Chapter 12 The Secrets of Halstead

Thanks to darrelldeam and alix33 for looking this over. All mistakes are my own.

Sorry for the short chapter, I simply couldn't think of anymore secrets to reveal. I also twisted some of Merlin's background to fit my plot.

There is a new poll on my profile. Please, take a minute and vote. It, as usual, has nothing to do with the story, just something I'm curious about.

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They decided to hold off on the trap for a few more weeks to see if they could discover the secrets of Halstead first. Those weeks were spent with masses of students and a many adults running through the keep; casting spells, tapping on walls and talking to the portraits. They found many hidden rooms and passageways, some even leading to the towers. Most of the rooms were simply hidey-holes; they had a chair, a book shelf, a small table. The rooms themselves were very dusty and the books and scrolls they held had given away to the hands of time. There were a few diaries that were hidden in the walls, but they too turned to dust when they were moved. They had tried to repair them, but the books were just too old. Soon enough, they simply let them be.

Harry and his friends figured that when the castle was bustling, the people that lived here just wanted a place they could have some quiet. The teens knew well enough that there was no privacy to be had, with all the adults running around, unless you ventured into the woods. There were some rooms that had beds, and he didn't want to contemplate what they were used for.

A few windy and dust filled passageways spiraled down and led to a large chamber under the keep, much like the Chamber of Secrets, without the parseltongue password or the snakes and statues. It was large with stone walls and hard packed dirt floor. The lighting came from nowhere. There were a few tunnels that when inspected showed they led out of the fortress into the woods. It was a perfect place for the non-combatants to hide, better than the towers, since it had escape routes.

It took several days to look over that chamber and they found a small library that had journals of Merlin himself, these were held together with a strong stasis charm. There was also a small armory that housed magical weapons. There was one weapon that was the equivalent to a combination of a concussion bomb and flash bomb. It would light up the sky and knock your enemies out when thrown, and wasn't that fun to figure out. It took hours for them to wake up after Ron set one off.

"Ron, what the hell did you think you were doing?" Harry snarled, after they woke. He picked himself off the floor and went to check Luna and the others.

"How the bloody hell was I supposed to know it would do that?" the redhead defended himself.

"What made you think throwing an unknown weapon in the middle of the floor was a good idea, idiot?" Harry snapped back as he helped Luna to stand.

"Well at least we know what it does," Mr. Weasley said, going over to his son and patting him on the arm.

Not wanting to fight the older man, Harry just stomped off and checked the others. The rest glared at Ron and moved away.

They looked over the rest of the weapons and found that there were silver tipped arrows, charmed to remain strong enough to go through a wolf's pelt. There were also bracelets that would bring up a shield so that you didn't have to cast it. And, of course, there was a potions lab, which housed many old and useless concoctions, though the twins did grab the books and notes. Merlin truly meant for Halstead to be a fortress of war.

Kyle, Kingsley and Dick gathered those bombs up so they could figure out shield that would prevent the ones throwing it from feeling the effects. Perhaps, the bracelets were created for that. They would have to run some test. There were hundreds of bombs, so they could test a few without running out.

Ashliegh commented that he had only been down here once, during the building of the keep. It was where the great sorcerer did most of his experiments. He didn't remember it housing so many things. Merlin forbade him from coming here again, and made him take a vow to keep it secret until it was discovered. Though the ghost did have to wonder why the man hadn't told him about the weapons before he left. Perhaps Merlin was much like Dumbledore, leaving clues and little else.

The twins were not idle; when they weren't searching, they were creating potions. Ashliegh was a great helper, he pointed out the needed herbs in the garden on the roof and one of the greenhouses in the back. They made their darkness powder and when combined with the bomb, it made a great weapon. They sent that off to the trio of men who were testing the weapons.

There were a few potions that would cause great pain, so when they were thrown at the enemy it would hopefully cause them to drop their wands. At the same time they were brewing what the healers needed, but true to the prediction they couldn't stock as many as were needed. Because of Snape's abysmal teaching there were few among the people of the keep that could brew with any proficiency. Those that could were seen helping the twins. Still if they were bringing the battle here, they would need more.

The house elves were also busy. They went back to the houses of the refugees and gutted them of everything but the furniture. Now the people of the fortress had their own clothes and the elves had much needed food. The healers were thankful for the potions that were kept in those households. The Longbottom manor and the Greengrass estate were stocked with much needed items. They gave permission for the elves to bring everything.

Hermione put aside her research and joined everyone on the hunt, though she took great pleasure in reading Merlin's journals at night. Which, of course, she shared with other when she was done, much to Remus's delight. She learned a lot about the man, how sad he felt when Camelot fell, and his months of mourning over Arthur. He didn't go into great detail of his time in Camelot, simply touched on the main points. His history, before he became advisor to the king, was untouched. She learned of the great battles he had with Morgan and Niviane, and she made sure to jot down a few of those spells, however it would take one with great power to use them. She just hoped Harry had enough. Merlin described the treachery of the two women, and told the tales of how he escaped Niviane's plot to trap him and went on to save Arthur from Morgan. He was too late.

Merlin was old, going on a hundred, when he came here and built his dream city. It took over ten years to create this fortress, then five more to bring people to it. He did wax poetic on Ashliegh and had great hopes that his apprentice would be a wonderful leader in his place. He stated that he felt bad about bonding the man to Halstead, but he felt that it was needed. At least he didn't use the term 'for the greater good'. He stayed for fifty years, until the call to find Avalon overcame him. He wrote many times that he felt if he could find the hidden city then he would find his king, or at the very least die in the hands of loved ones. Hermione wished him the best, but truly felt the man died before he could reach his goal.

He didn't tell the secrets of Halstead, merely hinted at what he had done, like he knew one day his journals would be read. This caused the witch to huff in irritation as she finished the last diary. Barmy old men and their games, she thought.

Right now she and Harry were talking to a nice lady with a thick English accent. "Hello, my name is Hermione and this is Harry," the curly-haired witch said as she approached the portrait. "We're trying to discover all of the secrets of Halstead and we wanted to ask you if you knew any."

"Well met, you may call me Leoma. My, that was some time ago, and my memory is all but faded. I will tell you what I can recall," the portly lady said as she sipped her painted tea and nibbled on a biscuit. Her picture was a simple one. It had the ornate cushioned chair she sat in, a table with a white doily, a nice fur rug, and a crammed bookcase in the background. There was also a small burning fireplace, with a picture of the sea over it. On the table was a large green candle, a shiny metal teapot, a cup and a plate of what looked like chocolate biscuits. The lady herself was dressed in a very modest dress, which had three shades of brown with lace on the cuffs of her sleeves. There was a nice golden and ivory broach on her throat held with a strip of velvet, which offset the high lace neck.

"Well, we found a chamber under the keep, which we believe was Merlin's workshop. We've discovered many of the passages and hidey-holes, much like the one you're sitting in, but we were wondering if there was a treasure room. See, we're about to wage a great battle and we need a few things before we bring it to us," Harry explained, to the rather nice lady.

"Oh, you found my secret place, how wonderful. Did you retrieve my diary? I had so much research in there and was wondering if anyone had made use of it after my demise," Leoma said, setting down her cup and clapping her hands at that thought.

"Sorry, but the books we found all fell apart when we tried to read them," Hermione said softly, a bit put out that she had lost knowledge.

"Yes, I can see how that would happen. I was never good at preserving things. I can tell you what I was researching. As to your inquiry, alas, I do not know of any treasures within the keep," she shook her head sadly, and then perked up. "Do you want to know what I was documenting?"

"Oh, yes, please," Hermione said before Harry could protest. "We can take a minute or two for you." She glared at her companion, which made him sigh and nod.

"You see, something strange started to happen and I made it my duty to find out why. It probably was going on before Halstead, but this was the first all magical town and it was much more noticeable. Because of the persecution, Merlin only brought magicals here; widows, children and such. Any non-magical was left out, or those who were married to one were also not invited. However I digress, you see, people were being born to sorcerers that had no magic. We could not understand why this was. Many healers would try and diagnose the cause, but alas, nothing would tell them what made the child magicless. The parents were very upset and wanted to cast the poor children out. Merlin set his foot down and the children were raised here in the castle, helping the house elves and learning potions. He stated that only when they could fend for themselves would they then be given the tools to make it in the world. While he wanted this to be a magical only fortress, he didn't want to cast children into the wild unprepared. When he left, the villagers made them leave with little provisions," Leoma gave an undignified snort at her memory.

"That's horrible, in that day and age it's a wonder they survived," Hermione gasped. At least the squibs of today could appeal to the non-magical government for aid. "That still happens today. We call the ones without magic squibs," Hermione added distractedly.

"What a horrid name. Anyway, Ashliegh, bless his heart, tried to keep them here, but the parents would sneak them out in the middle of the night. Many were punished for this, in the dungeons. It was a blight on the society, as far as I was concerned. Still more were born and cast aside. I had the theory that they would go into the world and in time their children or their children's children would be magical," she explained excitedly. "I tried to tell them this, but they would not listen. No one took the word of a woman." She sadly shook her head. It had been one of the downfalls of the village.

"Did you prove your theory and if so did you document it?" Hermione asked, now very upset that the diary was dust. She was hopeful that the lady's theory was correct and that she was descendant of a squib. It would serve the bigots right.

"Oh, yes, I sent the house elves to find out where they were. Though, the poor little dears could not stay long outside the keep, they did find the ones that survived. It was many years later, after my death, that they would come back and tell what I theorized was correct, but alas, by that time Halstead was empty of people," Leoma explained with a sigh.

"Is there a spell or a potion that will create a family tree?" Harry asked, speaking for the first time. He felt it would be a great boon to the wizarding world if they could prove this theory, though it would have to wait until the war was over. For all they knew, there may be unclaimed vaults in Gringotts or other banks. It was something to look into.

"I do not know of such a test, however, the library is vast so perhaps you will find what you seek there," Leoma said, picking up her teacup and taking a sip, bring the talk to an end.

"Thank you very much for your time, Leoma. We have to continue our search. May I come and speak with you again?" Hermione asked when Harry started fidgeting.

"Of course, my dear. I am always hanging about," Leoma said and giggled at her pun.

The two teens chuckled with her and called their good-byes as they went to the next portrait. They didn't really learn anything new from them. Most would gossip about people long dead. There were a few that would lament that they had been alone too long, and then would exclaim that it was nice to have people about again.

It was some of the muggles that found another weapon depot. It was on the roof, away from the garden. There was a hidden doorway in the wall that connected the castle. Inside there were metal shields, catapults, swords, and bows and arrows. The magicals quickly fixed the worn weapons and the catapults were taken out and put into position.

When the castle was examined from top to bottom, they took their search outside. The houses were also given close inspection, but they were just houses. They went to the woods and cast their spells. That is when they found the door, on a very large oak tree. It was an enormous door, one that could easily let Grawp through. Harry hesitated; there was no telling what was behind something that big. He turned to Bill and asked, "Are there any curses on it?"

Bill waved his wand and shook his head, "Only a very strong intent ward."

Harry took a deep breath and pulled open the door. He, Luna and Bill stepped through and took a good look around. Inside was another forest. It was small, you could see the boundaries shimmering like a silver dome, and it was beautiful. The trees reached the top of the dome and in many shades of greens and browns. The plants were all magical, blooming with multicolored flowers and moved as they wanted. There was a very tiny mountain, almost a hill, in the background that reflected the light off its snowy peak, there was a waterfall that emptied into a blue lake. The white fluffy clouds drifted in the blue sky and much smaller sun, more like a large lumos, shone in the noon position. The air was warm, like the end of spring. Small creatures floated about and there was scurrying in the bushes. It was vastly different then the rainy skies outside.

Harry could feel the magic in the air, even more that Hogwarts. They didn't go too far in, just stood near the door and looked around in awe. "What is this place?" he asked no one.

"If I were to guess, I would think Merlin tried to recreate Avalon," Luna said as she watched the nargles swarm around the trees. They were small things, like little furry, flying worms. There must be mistletoe in those trees, she thought. "Unfortunately, it doesn't look like he succeeded. There isn't enough room for people, such as elves, druids and dwarves to live here. There are no houses that I can see, and definitely no castles." She was itching to explore this place, thinking she would find many of the creatures her father wrote about. She would have to come back when the war was over, and bring her daddy. They could spend months here. They would have to do their best not to leave an impression, but they were good at that, having camped many times.

"Well, as wonderful as this is, I don't think we should disturb it," Harry said, not wanting to upset the balance of this utopia. "I'm pretty sure we won't find treasure here, and we don't have time to explore it properly." The other two agreed, though Luna pouted, and they left the small forest and went back to their search.

It took two days to examine the woods and it was the centaurs that found the cache. It was in an underground cave that was hidden under another oak tree. You had to tap on a certain knot and then a staircase opened. Down the stairs was a simple cave carved out of the ground. There was enough gold and jewels to buy what they needed, but not much more. They had the house elves take the gold to the gnomes and then shop for the supplies.

Harry made a note to himself to move the cave, and to replace what they took. He was happy he didn't have to bond with Dobby, not that he didn't like the little guy, but he'd rather hire him.

Now those two weeks had passed and when all the secrets they could find were revealed, they started training with everything they found. Plans were made for the following week to set the trap, and they needed to work together to use the new weapons. It gave everyone a much needed morale boost.