Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and I do not claim ownership of anything other than my original plots and OCs.

Shocking Discoveries - Part I

No, that couldn't be true...

Or could it?

Indeed, Grimm Peverell mentioned that in the "new" world, there would be another active Dark Lord, and Harry would enter Hogwarts for his first year at the same time as Voldemort. The only Dark Lord before Voldemort who could be more powerful and feared in the twentieth century was Gellert Grindelwald, who sought to destroy the Statute of Secrecy and rule over Muggles, and he had been defeated by Professor Dumbledore.

Harry froze at the thought of having to face such a powerful Dark Lord. I couldn't even defeat a weakened Voldemort.

Thoughts of despair crowded Harry's mind, and if it weren't for Tuffy, he would probably have stood there in shock for a long time.

Harry froze, and Tuffy, concerned, said, "Is something wrong with Harry?" The house-elf had approached and was looking at young Peverell with bright, tearful eyes.

Harry felt guilty for worrying Tuffy. The domestic elf seemed very attached to him, and the last thing he wanted was to sadden her or cause her problems.

"It's nothing, Tuffy," he replied, forcing a smile. "It's just that... I think I heard my father say that someone very bad is using our family crest."

Tuffy looked at him, not understanding, but nodded anyway.

"So, does Harry want to continue exploring the castle?" she asked, her tone cheerful and happy once again.

"Sure, I would love to," Harry replied.

Upon hearing his response, the small elf took his hand and dragged him along, bouncing with excitement.

Although Harry was somewhat distracted and worried, he tried to pay attention to Tuffy and respond whenever she explained something about the castle or his family. He didn't want to ruin her mood or dampen her enthusiasm. She had a bubbly and fun personality, and Harry found himself smiling happily without even realizing it.

As they wandered through the enormous castle, Harry noticed that each corridor had large and beautiful chandeliers that glowed without relying on candles.

When he asked Tuffy about it, she explained that they were crafted by the goblins and naturally emitted their own light through the crystals they were made of.

Every hallway and room was elegantly and ostentatiously decorated. The suits of armor on their pedestals seemed to watch over everything, and the portraits covered by black curtains continued to puzzle Harry.

The castle was enormous, but it was almost completely empty. The silence was ominous, but it didn't bother Harry. The only sound was the muffled footsteps as they walked on the dark carpets that covered the floors of every corridor and room in the castle.

At the base of one of the towers, there were beautiful murals depicting battle scenes that seemed to be taken from fairy tales.

Armies of centaurs charging across plains and shooting arrows at what appeared to be human warriors with painted bodies and faces.

Dragons engulfing fields in blazing flames.

An army of skeletons devastating their enemies.

All had one thing in common—a wizard was present in each scene. He had gray hair, a beard only a few centimeters long, and wore a silver cloak fastened with a black stone brooch. In his hand, he held a wooden scepter.

It felt familiar to Harry, but he couldn't say who it was until he remembered the elderly Grimm Peverell. The man in the murals must be him, just a little younger... well, much younger.

They continued walking until Tuffy led him to a grand staircase that seemed to descend deeper underground.

They descended slowly, and Tuffy seemed nervous and a little scared.

"The place we're going to is taken care of by an old elf, and he's very grumpy. He doesn't like it when Tuffy comes here, says she's too noisy," the elf said almost in a whisper.

Upon hearing that, Harry also became nervous. He didn't like being scolded, and adults seemed a bit terrifying to him, especially if they were grumpy or easily angered.

They continued descending in silence until they reached the bottom of the staircase. There, they found a spacious corridor, and Tuffy guided him to the kitchens. However, they didn't enter; Tuffy just showed him the door and explained.

"This is where the house-elves work and prepare meals," she said. "If Harry wants something, just call for Tuffy, and she will come and ask for whatever you need. We can't go in, no, no, no. The kitchen elves don't like visitors. It's not a place for masters," she added.

Indicating another door in the corridor, Tuffy continued.

"This is where the elves live—many rooms, but Tuffy doesn't live here," she said.

This piqued Harry's curiosity because he also remembered that Tuffy stayed in his tower, in a smaller room connected to his.

"Why don't you live here, Tuffy?" he asked curiously.

Tuffy looked down at her feet and seemed embarrassed.

"Because Tuffy isn't a good elf. Tuffy's mother wasn't a good elf, and Tuffy's grandmother was a bad elf," she

replied.

"But... why?" Harry asked incredulously. To him, Tuffy was the best elf he could have ever asked for. "What happened? Did your grandmother do something?"

Tuffy looked away, but Harry saw a couple of tears fall to the ground.

Quickly, he approached the little elf and hugged her.

"Don't cry, Tuffy," he said kindly. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad. If it's something you don't want to talk about, you don't have to."

Tuffy stayed there silently sobbing for a moment, but she slowly responded to Harry's hug with one of her own.

"Harry... *sniff* won't hate Tuffy if she tells him?" she asked with such sadness that it was hard to believe it was the same vivacious and fun-loving elf.

"Of course not, Tuffy," Harry replied. "There's no way I could hate my dear friend."

Tuffy nodded slowly and began to tell her story.

"Tuffy's grandmother is a bad elf... because of her, Tuffy's mother was born, and that wasn't good, no, no, no. She shouldn't have had her," she started sadly. "Tuffy's grandmother... had Tuffy's mother with Harry's grandfather's cousin. But Harry's grandfather wasn't happy... he didn't want Tuffy's mother to be born. But Tuffy's grandfather insisted, he wanted Tuffy's grandmother, yes, he did."

Harry began to understand. There was also the fact that they assigned Tuffy as his playmate and personal elf, probably hoping that she would be treated better since she wasn't a typical house-elf.

"What happened, Tuffy? If he wanted her, what happened in the end?" Harry asked.

"Lord Peverell, Harry's grandfather, expelled his cousin from the family but allowed him to stay with Tuffy's grandmother and Tuffy's mother," she replied, calmer now. "Then Tuffy's mother stayed with an elf, and Tuffy was born. But Tuffy was raised alongside Harry because Harry's grandfather said that Tuffy was also a granddaughter. But the other elves don't like Tuffy because Tuffy can give them orders..." she added, tears rolling down her cheeks. Harry simply hugged her tighter and wiped her tears away with his hand. "The elves say that Tuffy isn't an elf or a master, Tuffy is bad."

Harry sighed. He didn't expect it to be something like this. He didn't like seeing Tuffy sad, but he was still happy to know that he still had family in the castle, even if their relationship was somewhat distant.

"Tuffy," he said gently, "you don't have to be sad. You're not bad," he continued, his voice filled with affection. "You're my friend, Tuffy. And also my family. The only family I have left," Harry finished as a solitary tear slid down his face.

It took a few minutes for Tuffy to calm down, but after their conversation, she seemed much happier than he had seen her since Harry could remember. That's when he realized that he remembered everything about Tuffy, all the things they had done in their childhood.

The tour of the castle resumed, and Tuffy led him to the end of the corridor, where a spiral staircase descended even deeper into the earth.

They descended slowly, hand in hand. Tuffy seemed nervous and a bit frightened.

"The place we're going to is cared for by an old elf. He's very grumpy and doesn't like it when Tuffy comes here. He says she's too noisy," the elf said, almost in a whisper.

Harry, upon hearing that, also became nervous. He didn't like being scolded, and adults seemed a bit terrifying to him, especially if they were grumpy or easily angered.

They continued descending in silence until they reached the bottom of the staircase. There, they found a spacious antechamber with only one large double door made of reinforced wood with golden metal accents. The threshold of the door was carved from shiny black stone, adorned with intricate symbols that Harry recognized as runes.

The two children, elf and human, stopped in front of the door, not daring to go any further. But if they didn't, their tour would be interrupted, and they would have wasted their time descending the long spiral staircase.

Harry took a step forward and placed his free hand against the large door, attempting to push it open. Instantly, and without warning, the door swung wide open, causing young Peverell to fall forward, pulling Tuffy along with him by the hand.

They tumbled into a massive circular room, laughing in surprise and realizing what had happened due to their clumsiness. Tuffy and Harry laughed heartily until a shout made them stop.

"How dare you barge in like that?!" It was an ancient and severe voice, albeit a bit squeaky. "Don't you realize where you are? Who are you, disrespectful little brats?"

Human and elf fell silent immediately and looked fearfully towards the source of the voice.

There he was, the oldest house-elf Harry had ever seen, or rather, the oldest creature he had ever seen, including Professor Dumbledore.

The elf was small, with a hunched back and a face as wrinkled as old parchment. His bat-like ears were filled with white hair, his bald head incredibly wrinkled, and he wore thick glasses. He was sitting behind a wooden counter, and in front of him was a book larger than any Harry had ever seen.

Harry looked around and noticed the shelves filled with books. They were in a library, and the elf must be the librarian... Now he understood why Tuffy wasn't welcome. With her open, outgoing, and lively personality, she would definitely disturb a grumpy old librarian who enjoyed reading in silence.

The old elf looked at the two visitors and grumbled loudly.

"It's you again! I've told you many times that this is not a place to play. Get out of here with that hum... human! Did you not say anything, Tuffy?" he began with a grumpy tone, but upon noticing Harry, he tried to appear friendly and understanding.

Tuffy got up first, as she had fallen on top of Harry, and he quickly followed. Then the young Peverell smiled at the old elf and introduced himself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Harry James Peverell, the current Lord Peverell now that my relatives have passed away," he said as formally as he could.

The old elf looked from Harry to Tuffy, then nodded and said, "I see, Lord Peverell. My apologies for my behavior. Welcome to the Peverell Family Library. You're both welcome to stay, just... remain as quiet as possible. This place is meant for learning and reading, not playing," the old elf explained. "By the way, I am Boockart, and it is my duty to facilitate access and manage this library. If you need anything, just let me know."

"Thank you very much, Boockart," Harry replied.

"A pleasure," the elderly elf started to walk back to his place at the entrance but stopped for a moment. "I forgot to mention, you should only sit in the armchairs scattered throughout the library, and a silencing charm will keep everything you say private."

He then continued on his way, leaving Harry with a

pouting Tuffy.

Harry picked up Grimm Peverell's diary and walked to one of the sofas. Tuffy followed him and sat next to him.

"Tuffy doesn't believe it," the elf said. "The old one always kicked Tuffy out, always grumpy and annoyed. But Tuffy comes with Harry, and he's kind and gentle. Tuffy doesn't understand, no, she doesn't."

Harry smiled and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"It's not funny. Tuffy always wanted to see what was in here, but the old one never let her," the elf grumbled unhappily.

"I'm sorry, it's just that librarians are usually like that. I guess he thought you were too noisy," Harry said, still laughing.

"Tuffy isn't noisy, she's just not quiet," she retorted.

"Don't worry, you see that if you come with me, he won't have any problem," he replied.

The elf got up and announced, "Tuffy will find something to read," and she walked away slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Harry looked at the book, or rather Grimm Peverell's field journal. It was old, very old. The leather had cracked, and the pages didn't seem to be parchment. They seemed to be a strange fabric, but the words were still as legible as they must have been when they were written.

"Dear descendants, here is a precise record of all my actions and the significant events that led to the creation of our family..." Harry would have a lot to read in the following days because it seemed to be a very long book. And Grimm Peverell's writing was very dense and elegant.