Professor Dumbledore sat in his golden chair, as he listened and he knew there was not a chance in hell that Harry would ever cut ties with that strange land he called home. He didn't want to be known as Potter, as was his birth name. In addition, Harry had done something; too many titles to name Dumbledore only thought the death of Voldemort could server, the curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts post.
Harry pulls his family closer feeling their love and saying a prayer for his friend and brother.
Morgan pulled away and left the hall. Dasher looked between His chosen and his friend.
"Go, Dash. She needs you more then I at the moment." Corina states
Dasher followed Morgan out of the hall.
Harry waited until both companions left the room then turned to the professors "Corina and I will be in our tents, there are things we need to talk about but they can wait till tomorrow." The two Heralds made their way to their tents to mourn the loss of their friend.
The following morning, Harry and Corina woke and discovered that all their dirty clothing had been washed and folded into neat piles.
"What?" Harry questions
:The house-elves took your clothes and washed them. I told them, they were to be white, not dyed any other color.: Morgan explains, her mind-voice was filled with a gentle sorrow, and not the overwhelming grief.
Harry took the clothes in and got ready for the day. He tried to be quite to let Corina rest as the stress was harder on her.
"Trying to let me sleep in is just stupid." Corina muttered
"Morning love, I know but you need it, and you were close to Stephan and I know his loss hit you hard." Harry replied softly.
"A Herald in Whites in a Herald on duty. I am not sleeping, and he was your year mate too." Corina replied as she got up, and reached for her trews. "So don't even tell me, it hit me hard."
"Fine, his death hit us all hard and you're right, so let's get ready for the day, can you handle the students? I need to speak with Professor McGonagall this morning about some news I heard yesterday." Harry answers
Corina nods, pulling on her tunic and started lacing up the cuffs.
The two Heralds went their separate ways as soon as they entered the castle. Corina into the great hall while Harry went to McGonagall's office.
Harry reached her office door and knocked.
"Enter." Came McGonagall's voice from in the office.
Harry entered and closed the door behind him "Professor McGonagall, we need to talk about something my companion learned a short while ago that I feel we should deal with all haste."
McGonagall looked up from grading papers, "Such as?"
Harry explained what he learned from Morgan "and I feel your students need some more training in basic shields."
McGonagall blinked, "I am afraid, I do not understand."
"I mean they have to learn how to defend themselves from mental attack and they need to learn more mental discipline to lower these accidental magical." Harry explains, and then it dawned on him that not even the instructors at this school didn't know a thing about mental defense.
Harry's jaw dropped, once he was able to close his mouth, "Seriously, you don't even shield yourselves, do you even teach the children to 'Ground and Center?'"
"Ground and center, what is that? I never heard of that technique." Minerva asked her face looking confused.
Harry blinked in disbelief. "Grounding is finding that place in the ground that all's all your own, and centering is focusing on yourself, it's the building blocks of basic mental defense. If you don't a have firm foundation, you don't have anything to build the shields on."
Minerva thought about this and finally spoke "the only thing that we have that's even close is Legilimency and Occlumency."
"I doubt that, I've been doing some reading, the books say that if the caster is strong it can be broken. Shielding isn't like that, and I should know, since that potions teacher of yours has been trying to break my defenses." Harry replies
Minerva eyes flashed in anger. "What how dare he, he knows that the use of that spell is illegal save for emergency."
"So? It's not like Dumbledore is going to do anything about it." Harry replied
"Well the old fool might not do anything about it but I will but first lets deal with this problem first what do you recommend Herald Harry." McGonagall requests
"Nothing, Morgan, and I are enjoying watching him waste his time and energy trying to break down my shields." Harry replied, he and McGonagall began to set up a time for the Heralds to take groups of students and put them through a Valdemaran shielding lesson.
Corina took a deep breath and released it, as she entered the great hall. The students all looked at her as she entered. "Now, I know what Kero means by 'Here I am, shoot me' uniforms." She went over to the staff table to sit down and she noticed that a large number of the students had a look of concern on their faces.
"I'm fine really, just some rather disturbing news from home." Corina explains
The students still looked concerned but continued with their breakfasts.
Corina didn't feel much like eating, she just picked at her food.
The meal passed quickly and the students all left to go to their regular weekend activities some stopping to talk with Hermione and Ron.
Corina's brows rose and she sent out a surface probe and she found out most of the others were trying to convince Hermione and Ron to come up and question her.
After the hall emptied, she saw that the two Gryffindor students stayed behind talking quietly with each other.
Corina stood up, walked over, and sat on the bench of one of the other tables, quietly waiting.
They seemed to argue some more then played some kind of a game, stood, and walked over to her.
Corina tilted her head, "So what did you two get volunteered to ask me about?"
Ron stepped forward "Well Herald Corina, we all want to know what happened yesterday? A lot of us seemed to feel a lot of sorrow just then?"
Corina didn't feel surprised at all. "A fellow Herald died in the line of duty. It felt worse to Harry and me because the herald was our year-mate."
They both gasped then Hermione spoke "I'm sorry to hear that."
"It was worse for Morgan, because Stephan's Companion Carlen was her elder half-brother." Corina replied
They both look at her and then out to the courtyard's direction.
"Dasher is with her, offering support. If we were in Valdemar the moment the bell rang the Companions would gather around the bell tower staring at it." Corina comments, "It must be hard on them not having the others there."
"We're sorry to hear that, can we do anything to help?" Ron asks
"No, it just hard that we won't be there for the funeral." Corina answers, "It's not like you can create a gate to cross realms." Then she looked at Hermione but she thought better of her question it was for Madam Pomfrey then again maybe Hermione knew where these people kept their supplies for moon-days. "Hermione, could I speak with you in private?"
She turned to Ron and asked him to leave "Herald Corina, what can I do for you?"
"Do you or others females have something to use for moon-days?" Corina asks,
Hermione made a silent 'o' as she got what the female Herald was saying to her. She nods and led Herald to the second floor bathroom, and shown her where the girls hid their supplies.
"Thank you! I have enough powder to last me a while but I rather just deal with my moon-days then run out." Corina states
"What kind of power are you talking about?" Hermione asked with a tilt to her head.
Corina smiled before she gave a laugh, "it's just something that the Healers make for us. Heralds are rather wanton about personal pleasure when we're not on duty, and we don't see pregnant Heralds that often. So the powder is something we female Heralds use to adjust our cycles." Corina then shuddered "And it tastes better than the other foul brews that the Healers treat us with as well."
"I guess so but for the most part we just deal with our cycles." Hermione commented
"Other times it's just a drag to have it. I want children sometime, but not right now!" Corina replies, "That's another reason, I do not want to tell my mother about my wedding plans."
"Well it ain't like you two are getting married right now you're both to young still." Hermione replied
Corina blinked in surprise, "If I wasn't Chosen, I would have already gone off to an arranged marriage." She then reached out. :Thank you, Dasher, for Choosing me."
:You're welcome.: Dasher replied giving a mental chuckle.
"But you're about the same age as me that's not old enough to marry." Hermione gasped
"It is when you're Highborn or when you're born on a Border sector, they get married at a very young age, when your cycles first start. They treat each other like their livestock. But then border children aren't childlike at all." Corina answers, "Also do I really seem like I'm sixteen?"
"I mean I'm just guessing at your age thats all." Hermione replies
"I'm sixteen, most come to the Collegium at thirteen, and earn their Whites when they're eighteen, but Companions really don't care about age." Corina explains
"Wow that must make a childhood hard." Hermione states
"Our one governing rule, 'There is no one true way' we still have purely internal troubles of the criminal element. However, mostly Highborn children are more privileged then most. I was tutored in swordsmanship since well I can remember…and I'm always studying on my own." Corina went on, enjoying just talking to someone who would understand her love of studying.
Hermione enjoyed her talk with Corina and they both exchanged there know how of their worlds.
"My dream other than being a Herald?" Corina asked "That's a tough one." She continued to walk and thought about that question, "I suppose I want to live my Uncle's dream."
"And what was his dream." Hermione asks
"He wanted to be Dean of the Collegium." Corina answers, "His dream at least one of them didn't come true."
"That's a great dream I wanted to be like my parents or a teacher." Hermione replies
"Sometimes dreams change, something that shakes your core." Corina responds as if she was taking words from someone else.
"That's true, you being chosen; me finding out I'm a witch but I still think our dreams can still happen." Hermione replies
"Maybe not in the way we expect them. But I believe you would be wasted as a teacher, you reminded of someone back home." Corina states
"Me? I don't think so." Hermione replied
"Yes, you do. You're a lot like the Herald-Chronicler." Corina replies
"Oh that does sound like a wonderful job." Hermione replies
"Yeah, I already know one person, who might be returning to Valdemar with Harry and I." Corina states
"Oh you mean some of us can go back with you." Her eyes gleaned at the idea.
"Yeah, I think that is the main reason, we were sent here other than your blood path wizard." Corina replies, "Think about it, only the gods know what we happen between now and then."
"I would love to go with you if I could please." Hermione states
"I said think not take two seconds past a candlemark." Corina comments