Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K Rowling.

Chapter 59: Feriollo

-Rowena-

The forests sprawled out beneath my towers like someone had spilled green ink over the landscape. The sky was dreary, promising rain at any moment.

I stared at the little black dot by the horizon, the one with a grey trail of smoke pouring out of it. Helena had left the tower by herself for the first time ever. She had seen a man, who looked to be the same age as her passing by.

I couldn't help but smile, what was proof of my success, if not that? Helena may look like she was forty, like me, but in reality, I supposed, was approaching that age when the opposite gender becomes interesting.

I felt a tingling in my mind, like someone was ringing a bell inside my head. I jerked my head up; I knew immediately what was going on: someone had entered my domain, and passed through my protective enchantments.

I approached the hearth burning in the middle of the room; no matter if it was winter or summer, a fire always needed to be burning. I could see a woman walking down the path towards my tower through the fire. She was a couple of years older than me, perhaps in her late fifties. She carried a wand in her right hand.

Huh.

Wizards were rare.

Witches even more so.

Down below, I heard her knocking on the door. I contemplated letting her stand out there until she got bored and left. Perhaps even get drowned by the impending rain.

But I didn't have much else to do since Helena was gone, so I admitted her entry.

A couple of seconds later, the woman stumbled through the entry. She, much like most witches, wore a cloak over her robes. This particular witch wore a yellow cloak, a peculiar choice. The cloak was accompanied by a pointy black hat.

I stood up and looked down at the woman, who was several inches shorter than I. "Good afternoon," I said. "I'm Rowena Ravenclaw." I held my other hand -grasping my wand- behind my back.

The woman smiled at me, her brown eyes looking like a pair of amber crystals. "Helga Hufflepuff," she said in response. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Ravenclaw, I must say, I was beyond impressed when word of your work reached my ears."

"Thank you," I said, my eyes narrowed for any sign of deception or intent to attack. I gestured to a chair by my table. "Do you want to sit down, have a drink? I suppose you want to talk about something."

Helga nodded. "That I do, I have an offer for you, you see."

We sat down together, and I poured her a cup of old beer. "So," I said. "What is this offer?" I said, with a slight hint of condescension. There were very few things in the world someone else could offer me, that I could not get myself.

Helga sipped her drink. "I want to build something," she said. "I want to build something which the world has never seen before, something that will stand safe for thousands of years."

I raised my eyebrows. "Sounds ambitious. What is it?"

"A school," Helga said. "A school where every wizard and witch can go and feel safe." Helga stood up and walked over to the window, staring out over the forests. "How did you learn magic?"

"Self-taught," I said. "I- I met a man once who had some teaching, but he didn't teach me much." I found myself surprised that I told her that.

Helga nodded. "I had the luck to have a master. I was very, very lucky. He found me when I accidentally lit a wagon full of grain on fire," she said. "That's the problem, don't you think? My education was pure luck. There are so many wizards and witches who never get to use their abilities because there's no one to teach them." Helga turned around and looked at me. "Not even one in a thousand is as brilliant as you and can learn everything by oneself, Ms. Ravenclaw. People need education to learn."

I smiled at the complement. "The knowledge is guarded jealously. People who receive teaching are usually not too keen to share what they've learned, in my experience." I remembered how he used to close the book on magic he had every time I entered the room, despite the fact that I could perform his most advanced spells with my hands bound behind my back.

"I want to change that. Knowledge shouldn't be a priviledge, but a right," Helga said. "I only need a safe place to do so. A place which can help me teach the young wizards and witches of Britain."

I nodded, thinking over her reasoning. "So? What do you want me for? I doubt you want me to create the students for you."

Helga smiled. "Students won't be a problem. No, I want you to create the school."

I looked her in the eye for a moment, searching for any mockery. "Explain yourself. Do you want the school to be a per–"

"No," Helga interrupted. "I want the school to be able to think, at least to some extent. That way, no one will have to worry about the defences, because the school takes care of them itself."

"You certainly don't lack ambition, Hufflepuff," I said, thinking about whether or not my previous method would work. "But what you ask me of is completely different from what I've already done."

"I understand that," she said. "You won't be the only one to help me build this, of course. There are a couple more who are onboard."

I raised my eyebrows. "How many?"

"Two more," Helga said. "They're very talented, just like you."

I doubted they were 'just like me'.

"I don't expect you to make a decision today, or even this week, but I want you to know that I'm starting this project." She smiled at me, like she already knew that I was going to accept the challenge. "We can create something special, Ms. Ravenclaw. We can create something which can make our kind more than individuals who do nothing for anyone other than ourselves. Just imagine all the orphans and kids who are killed each year because they consort with the devil. . ."

"I'll think about it," I said, my hands folded neatly in my lap. "Where do I find you?"

"A small village in the northern part of the isle," Helga said. "I've found a magical anomaly there, I thought it could be useful to the school."

I nodded succintly. "Then it shouldn't be too hard to find."

Helga smiled. "Good, I'll be there." She paused in the doorframe which would teleport her back to the bottom. "And Ms. Ravenclaw?"

"Yes?" I said.

"I'd love it if you brought her with you there. I've obviously heard the rumours, but seeing her for real would be incredible."

I smiled. "You were unfortunate. Had you come any other day, she would have been here."

Helga shrugged. "Oh well, there is naught to do about it." She smiled at me. "I hope to see you soon, Ms. Ravenclaw, goodbye."

"Goodbye."

The witch disappeared down the stairs again, leaving me to think.

Create a school: a thinking school.

It was impossible.

I smiled and walked back to the window.

The clouds had finally started to release their hold, drenching the forest in water. I wondered if Helena would notice any of it, during her activities with the lad she'd met.

I smiled.

Creating her was said to be impossible, until I did it.

Creating this school would be called impossible, until I did it.

-()-

-Harry-

The flames flickered inside the fireplace in Gryffindor tower. I stared into them, the parchment resting in my lap, my fingers twisting a quill back and forth.

The common room was quiet, except for the fire. It would not remain so for long, for in a couple of minutes, the Hogwarts Express would slide into Hogsmeade Station, and students would come bustling inside, chattering about their Christmas gifts.

I packed my things together neatly; I cursed my own inability to concentrate. The essay would have to be done another day.

My steps echoed in the halls on my path towards the fourth floor. Once there, I stuffed my things away and made for the feast. The feast to celebrate everyone's safe return; it was a rather rare occurrence, not a single student dying or withdrawing all break.

Voldemort was being quiet, even more so than usual. Dumbledore had been tight-lipped about it, promising to tell me later. He had also invited me to come to his office after the feast.

A stream of students were piling inside the Great Hall when I got there. I joined the queue and tried to slip inside without too much attention; but I didn't even need to try.

Someone else had every single gaze locked on them. Someone else made people take a step aside like they were royalty. Someone else had to endure the whispers and the comments.

Greengrass looked like a princess as she walked through the entrance with the crowd parted. Her head was held high, I noted with a smile. She was staring straight ahead; her friend, Tracey Davis, walked rigidly beside her too, as if all her joints were made of wood.

I supposed that everyone felt the pressure of that much attention. Still, the whisperes plauged them throughout the hall. Ironically enough, I couldn't see a single person looking at me. Part of me felt offended, but the other part felt proud that Daphne didn't crack or break.

I selected a seat so that I could survey the Slytherin table; and that I did the entire meal, I didn't even glance at Greengrass, I outright stared at her. Every time she looked up from her meal, she was glaring at me, but there was about as much anger and animosity in her eyes as there was ice in the sun.

She liked it.

Despite the strange meeting during the break, I still believed the liked me.

Speaking of suns, I felt like one on my seat at the table. Ron and Hermione both sat a step away from me, as if they would get burned if I got too close. Was associating with Greengrass that bad for me? Had I become a traitor because she was Slytherin?

I looked up at Hermione; she hid it well, but through her mask, I thought I could see a gleam of satisfaction from seeing me sitting alone. Once again, it felt like I was missing something.

I had felt the same way when Corner 'proposed' to her before the break.

Something had changed, I realised as I sat there, alone.

Hermione had pestered me like an annoying salesman up and until just before the break; why had she suddenly stopped?

With Hermione, there were always reasons, the question was what they were, and whether or not I should be worried.

I finished my dessert and waited for Dumbledore to go on with his speech; one most likely filled with illustrious metaphors and grand imagery. I had about as much patience for it as a little toddler, I wanted to get this over with.

I wanted to get Dumbledore's meeting over with too.

Then, maybe, just maybe, I could visit Greengrass in her room.

The headmaster stood up and clinked his spoon against his glass, silencing the hall in a second.

"Welcome back, everyone," he said, lifting his arms in an almost welcoming embrace. "It gladdens my heart to see you all back here, safe and sound. It has been a tumultuous time, for all of us, this past year." Dumbledore smiled, forlorn. "I could talk to all of you about how dark forces are rising, or how there has been another breakout at Azkaban."

Mutterings broke out in the hall, people were looking around the room now, eyes narrowed with suspicions at those they thought were their enemy.

"I could talk to all of you about how classes will increase in intensity or how some of you might fail your subjects," he continued. "But I encourage all of you to do one thing: not think about those things." Dumbledore looked up into the ceiling. "I encourage all of you, forget about the dark forces moving through our country for just this evening. We haven't known true peace in years, and I fear that it will become even rarer the further we walk down this path." Dumbledore sighed. "Therefore, it is up to all of you to find peace in yourselves, despite the turmoil crashing around you. When you read the newspaper tomorrow, don't focus on the man who landed in hospital, focus on his three daughters who were saved by the aurors."

It was a noble philosophy, comfortable, but thinking rationally, such behaviour would grow complacency and ignorance.

"Whether or not we lose our hope is up to each and one of us," he said. "Just because they feed us fear, doesn't mean that we have to let them empty our stores filled with hope." Dumbledore paused, and his eyes settled somewhere on the Slytherin table. "And I know that this room is filled with hope, as long as we don't let them steal it, we will win, no matter how much fear they feed us."

He clapped his hands together. "Thank you everyone, now, off to bed."

The hall was silent for a moment, mumblings and chatter broke out.

I didn't know if I liked the speech or not.

It did only one thing, I supposed, it made people smile a little wider, laugh a little louder and think about the day after with a little more hope.

-()-

"Come in Harry," Dumbledore said as I knocked upon the door to his office.

I got a sense of deja vu when I walked inside the office, I didn't even remember how many times I'd visited the past year. Considerably more than previous years.

"You asked to speak to me sir?" I said, sitting down.

"Yes, there are a couple of things we have to speak about." Dumbledore rolled up his sleeve to show me his cursed arm. The black rot had spread like a rot under his skin. It was by his elbow, it couldn't be long left until it reached his shoulder, then his neck, then. . .

I swallowed. "Is it working faster?" I wondered, fearing the worst. I may not have liked the man terribly, but he was fighting against Voldemort.

"Not really," Dumbledore said. "Everything is proceeding as I thought it would. I just wanted you to know how things are faring and. . . that if we ever get into a fight again, I won't be much help." Dumbledore held his hand up in front of himself. "Professor Snape's told me that every spell I use will make my death arrive one day closer." Dumbledore clenched his hand into a fist. "I live like a muggle now, I have to save as much strength as I possibly can for when I need it."

"What do you need it for?" I asked. "You don't have to fight him."

Dumbledore frowned. "Perhaps not, but just because I don't have to, doesn't mean I won't."

I hummed. "Was there anything else?"

Dumbledore rolled his sleeve back down. "Yes, it concerns that last locket we've desperately been searching for."

I sat up a little straighter. "Last I knew, Mundungus had it, but it's been a while since then"

"Yes, it has. As I told you about a month ago, Mundungus didn't have it when I asked him about it. No, he sold it to someone."

"Have you been able to find out who?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Who? Yes, that was pretty easy. The hard question is 'where'. You see, the person who bought this locket wasn't British."

"Aha, you've had to travel abroad."

Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed, it's taken quite a lot of work, and I've had to use a lot of connections, but I believe that we've found ourselves a lead again."

I sat silent, waiting for him to continue. If we got our hands on the locket, we only needed to destroy Nagini and Voldemort himself.

A task which looked impossible a couple of months ago was approaching the realms of possibility.

"There is a witch by the name of Jennefer Venger who lives in Australia, who is the one who bought the locket." Dumbledore glanced at the sword displayed by the wall. "She is a colleague of Mrs. Corner, who aided us a couple of months ago, a historian."

"Does she specialise about the founders too?"

"No, she studies snakes, I believe."

I raised my eyebrows. "Wait? She studies parseltongue and such?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I even think she knows a couple of spells related to it, but saying she guards them closely is like saying that Tom is only slightly concerned with dying."

I made a mental note to do some research about this magic, perhaps it was something I could use? I knew how to speak it, after all.

"Either way," Dumbledore continued. "Jennefer recently returned home after one of her excavations, hence, I have booked an appointment with her."

I frowned. "Are you sure Voldemort or the one-armed man hasn't talked to her yet? They must be looking for her too."

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair. "Must they? We have Kreacher at our disposal, they don't. We have Mundungus at our disposal, they don't."

"I guess you're right, but we should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst." I cleared my throat. "When are we meeting her?"

Dumbeldore pulled a sheet out of his drawer. "This waiver here will allow you to go with me for two days to Australia, for some 'research'." He put the paper in front of me. "Sign this and you are legally allowed to leave the school this time, not even the Ministry can do anything about your absence, since it is school-sanctioned."

I shrugged and signed the paper after I'd read it through. "We leave in two days?" I surmised from the paper.

"Indeed. Be ready to depart at ten o'clock on Wednesday. We'll stay in a hotel overnight, I trust you know what needs to be packed yourself."

"I might have an idea."

"Good, I'll see you in a couple of days Harry. Goodbye."

I stood up. "Yes sir, goodbye."

Just as I was almost through the door, Dumbledore spoke up again.

"And Harry, I've heard that Ms. Greengrass currently is in that little room of hers, I'm sure she'd love some company." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily, but I felt a twinge of concern.

He was watching me, and my. . . girlfriend?

Could she be called such?

I stepped outside his office, and practically ran down the stairs.

It was about to find out.

-()-

-Daphne-

"Just keep you act up for a few more days, Daphne. I'll talk to him, so we can finally get this over with."

That was the last thing my father told me before I left for school again.

If only I could tell him. He couldn't know about my betrayal. It was a miracle Voldemort didn't find out from me. I couldn't count on him not finding it out from my father too.

I stood up from my armchair and started to pace the room. The traces of mine and Potter's preparations for the presentation were still present, I looked at them, as a knot was formed in my stomach.

I expected Potter to be there; he kept glancing towards me during dinner like I was magnetic. Tracey tried to tease me more than once about it, but I felt myself swelling with happiness under Potter's gaze.

Everyone else's gazes though. . . not as much.

No one had spoken to me, but I knew that it was only a question of time.

I had to tell him when he came inside. The longer I kept the secret, the more likely he was to find out.

I started to pace faster and faster, biting my nails as my mind wandered down paths I didn't want to.

I had to tell him.

Knock. Knock.

I froze in the middle of my step. "Come in," I said. I grasped my wand and held it behind my back; this could be my housemates showing their displeasure at my choice of. . . partner.

I let the wand fall to my side, however, when the door opened to reveal Potter standing there.

"Hello Greengrass," he said, walking inside.

"Hello Potter," I responded.

He stopped in front of me, shuffling his feet at the spot. Ironically enough, I noticed him staring at his feet.

"Sooo," he said. "How was your break?"

"Do you want to go on a walk?" I asked, ignoring his question.

I had to tell him.

Potter looked up from his feet, into my eyes. "What? This late?"

"Are you afraid we'll get attacked?"

He rolled his eyes. "Do I think we could get attacked? Yes. Do I fear us getting attacked? No."

I scoffed. "One day, you will regret being this arrogant, you know?"

He shrugged. "It's not really arrogance, I just know that there are less than five people in this castle who could really hurt me."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really? And what if someone caught you unaware?"

Potter put his hands in his pockets. "I guess I'll just have to make sure they don't." He opened the door for me. "So, shall we get going?"

I walked out the room, hearing him close the door behind me. "Yes. I'd love to get out for a while, I've barely been outside this holiday," I said.

I opened my mouth to say it, confess about the plan and Voldemort and eveyrthing.

Potter fell into step beside me; unconsciously, my eyes were drawn to his hand hanging loosely by his side, so close to mine. I closed my mouth shut.

I blinked and looked up, trying to focus on the corridor ahead of me, but his hand was still hanging there. So close and tantalising, like it was magnetic.

"Greengrass," Potter said; he was once again staring at his own feet. "I was wondering. . ." He paused and looked outside the window, away from me. "About the dance. . ."

We walked through the doors into the biting January cold; the thing was, I didn't feel cold at all walking there, not even in my toes or my fingers. No, I felt warmer than I had been in ages.

"What about it?" I said.

Potter looked at me like I was an idiot. "What do you mean 'what about it'?" he said. "We– We kissed. Don't you think we should talk about that?"

I raised my head and watched the sky; there were no clouds in the sky that night, each and every star was shining in the sky, sprinkled throughout. "I don't know," I said, honest, for once. "What is there to say about it?" I wanted to kick myself.

Tell him! Now!

Potter stopped in his tracks, forcing me to do the same. He stood a couple of steps away from me, his face concealed in darkness. The wind blew over the ground, making me shiver with cold.

"What?" I said.

Potter's lips were slightly parted; his emerald eyes were fixed inside mine. He took a couple of steps toward me, closing the distance.

I could feel his warm breath against my skin. My eyes were drawn to his slightly parted lips, against my will. I felt warm again, like the wind had vanished.

I couldn't tell him, I couldn't ruin this.

His eyes watched mine like my eyes were worth more than anything else in the world, I couldn't tear my gaze away from his. I wanted him to look at me like that forever.

His hands reached out and took my hands in his, they were warm, like the sun, despite the cold outside.

"Daphne," he said. "We kissed." He smiled at me, once again forcing me to stare at his lips. "What does that make us?"

I tried not to think about how my hands were growing sweaty in his, or how his hair moved in the wind, or how his eyes shone in the light. "I don't know," I whispered. "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Potter said. "I don't know." Potter smiled at me, and I felt my knees go weak under me. "But I do know what I want."

I shivered in the wind, feeling myself take another step towards him, longing for his warmth. "What do you want?" I whispered, my breathing shaky.

Potter's grip of my hands tightened, like he never wanted to let me leave. He, too, looked up into the sky. "I want. . . I want," he stammered.

I couldn't take it anymore.

I leaned in closer again, and captured his lips with my own. For a couple of seconds, all I felt was warmth. I ran my hands through his hair and pressed him close, I could fell his hands settling on my hips.

We broke apart and looked each other in the eyes. He was breathing heavily, so was I. His eyes were cloudy and dark with desire. I could see him pressing me up against the wall, our tongues caressing and his hand touching me in those eyes.

Potter was alight, like someone whose greatest wish had just been fulfilled. "Greengrass," he said, his voice dark with the desire I felt clashing inside myself. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?" he whispered.

I didn't respond, but kissed him again, with more fervour and intensity than before. I felt like a fire, I wanted more and more every second that went by. His hand had grasped my hips again, but I took a hold of them and led them downwards.

When we broke apart again, we were both panting, and I was warm as the sun.

I'm your wife, Potter," I said, finally answering his question.

"You'll be my wife," he said, his eyes glued to mine. The look was still there, like I was worth more than anything else in the world.

Nothing in the world could make me want to remove that look. "Perhaps we should start as a normal couple?" he said, his breath rasping.

I licked my lips as I watched his lips moving. I wanted more. "Let's do that, then," I said. I batted my eyelashes at him. "What else do normal couples do?"

Potter's eyes darkened again, and I could see the thousand things he would do to me. "They–"

He never got a chance to finish that sentence, because there were a thousand things I wanted to do to him too.

-()-

-Harry-

I twisted and turned in bed; I flipped the pillow to the colder side; I even tried to sleep without a blanket.

None of it worked. My heart was racing; my mind was filled with images and desires, things I couldn't get out of my head.

Not that I wanted to. I'd never looked forward to the morning as much as that night. Perhaps we wouldn't kiss tomorrow, or anything like it, but just being close to her, being able to sit together in class or walk in the corridors.

I couldn't keep the smile off my face thinking about it. It was like a fairytale, almost too good to be true.

That wouldn't keep me from enjoying every second of it.

I stared into the ceiling, Greengrass' beautiful face, smiling, flashing in front of me.

I wanted her to stay like that forever.