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"You don't read those signs, do you?" Harry asked as he spotted that weird alphabet the Russians, Belarusians and other Eastern European countries seem to use. In fact, just looking at those letters gave him a headache. He couldn't comprehend it; he knew they were supposed to mean something, that there were instructions and the like, but what could he do if he couldn't so much as read the name of the city or see how far anything truly was?
Elaine regarded the sign he had been looking at, and then she turned back to look at him. "Is there a reason to read them, or are you simply curious if I have the capability to do so?"
"If we need to know the city name or how far one village is from the next, it's important, isn't it?" Harry pointed at the sign. "You said there was a spell that helped, right? Was it for written words, or for communicating with people?"
"I can't tell you what any of it translates to short of us running into a local, but I have the ability to pronounce the name of the locations. All it takes is a rudimentary understanding of the Cyrillic alphabet, and so long as you have that, the others will know what you mean in a pinch… mostly and context would help — the only portion of the language I truly studied was distances. When we've returned, mayhaps I'll show you the Russian verbs of motion. They're very annoying," Elaine then said something that Harry couldn't understand, though he understood she was saying the name of the village they would be headed to, should they have chosen to continue down that road.
But that wasn't what they would be doing. Not tonight, not in the next hour or a week from now. Harry imagined they would never return to this portion of the world again. One day, when he was far older and Grindelwald was well and truly gone, perhaps he would wish to do just that. It wouldn't be fair to any country to have your entire opinion formed on burnt cities and villages, partially destroyed forests and roads with pothole after pothole in them.
Grindelwald had done horrible things to this country, Belarus. He had gone on to do just as many horrible things to the French, the Dutch, the Belgians and towards the end, the United Kingdom. Harry's own country. The man was a monster, an animal, and soon enough, he'd be well and truly gone. Countries like his own and those that were ravaged would finally be at peace.
"Are you coming, my love?" Elaine asked, her face pulled into an expression of amusement as she cocked her hips to one side and her head to the other. "If you'd like, we could nest in the nearest Magical settlement rather than return home. You seem so very enamoured with these rustic villages and the forests that surround them."
He shook his head, albeit slowly. Truly, the prospect of spending time in some little village surrounded by nature after so much time fighting sounded wonderful. It wasn't lost on him that he hadn't fought half as long as many of the Muggles had, nor had his fights been as long or destructive, but they had been fast and brutal, and the losses had mounted quickly. If it weren't for their allies, the many hundreds of them that had come, the state of Magical Great Britain would be just as ruinous as the majority of settlements turned out to be.
With a last look down the road, Harry shook his head, committing the memory to his mind as he started towards Elaine and the forest that loomed behind her. She had said it would be filled with Magical Creatures, traps and other forms of danger. But she had also said Grindelwald had visited the place where they were headed, and if there was even some minute chance that he had left behind a clue or one of his Horcruxes, they had to take it. Lest he returned without those that could stop him from doing so. Together, he and Elaine would brave any amount of vicious animals, runic traps or wards. They had to, for if they didn't, who else would?
That was a truly sobering thought; Dumbledore was gone, and his work, all of it, was left to them.
"Careful," Elaine barked as Harry moved through a series of holes dug into the ground, some with wood around them and others connected to form jagged lines that delved into the ground with wooden logs of felled trees forming little shelters. "I remember when the Muggles dropped bombs, and I saw much on their televisions. We might be near bombs or rockets, and if we are, not all explode and not all get fired."
She's right. We could be walking along…
"Stop. Watch where you step. I remember something else too — they're called mines. If you step on it, the thing will explode. The Muggles have something that checks for it, I think. At least, I think they do. We can't really see them with our bare eyes," Harry finished speaking and scouted the surrounding area as best he could. Sure, he didn't have glasses and hadn't had them for years by this point, but that didn't help him much at the present.
Merlin, unless he brought along a Muggle to help him, there was truly very little he could do that would stop them from stepping on one of those Muggle creations. He remembered how dangerous they were and that there had been hundreds of thousands, millions possibly, of them placed throughout all of Europe.
"Elaine," Harry said again as a thought came to mind. One that would help them avoid a grisly fate but also risk outing them in a foreign country; in his mind, it was well worth the risk.
"Yes?"
"Do you still have that broom with you in that bag of yours? If you do, I could fly us a few feet over all of this brush and through this maze of holes rather than risk the walking as we're doing. It doesn't need to be more than a couple of feet above the ground, so I don't think any Muggles if there even are any Muggles around us, would be all that likely to notice us," Harry finished with an expectant look at her bag. He knew the thing was enchanted to have more space. She did the same charm to her satchel; potions, bedrolls, tents, everything that she wished to pack for comfort or that they needed should a problem arise, she would have.
As if to answer those very thoughts, Elaine swung the bag around from her back so that it paused before her. One of those deft hands reached in up to her elbow, she made an impatient face, and after a few seconds time, she withdrew with the item he so badly wished to see. It was the very broom he had flown the pair of them on nearly half a dozen times.
"You didn't think I'd get rid of it, did you, lover?" Elaine asked as she fit it between her legs and slowly, almost casually, started towards him. He seldom saw her fly, but it was of no surprise that she was as graceful atop a broom as she was atop him… as she was with everything else. Harry cursed his mind for both the image and the thought. Now most definitely was not the time.
"I shouldn't have thought you would," Harry responded with a snicker as she came to a stop before him, dismounting and handing it to him.
"You didn't think I'd ride in the back, did you?" Elaine tutted at him, reached out and pressed a kiss from her lips to kiss with her fingers in a very teasing fashion. "Climb on and I'll get on once you're settled. It's so very windy too, so I fear I might need a hand around my waist to ensure all is well lest I fall off. You can manage that and fly with nought but one arm, I'm sure."
Harry snorted. Elaine had never failed in any physical fashion, and as of yet, he had yet to see her fail in any Magical capacity either. That she could suggest she of all people could lose balance or be momentarily careless was very amusing. Obviously, he knew what she wished for him to do, and with that thought in his head and just as evident as her true intentions, he obliged the woman. Why wouldn't he pull her close and take the opportunity presented to continue their bond?
The two continued with Elaine giving the occasional direction until such a time came that she urged him to pause by raising an arm and whispering one word. As soon as he listened and they stood floating, she pointed something out to him, her face a mixture of curiosity and annoyance.
"Would that happen to be one of those items you mentioned?"
Harry followed her gaze and arm and saw a small circular item with a lump that stuck up from the centre of it. From the look of things, there had been some sort of explosion that the Muggles were so fond of, and because of it, the mine had been partially uncovered. He wasn't an expert by any means, but he did know enough to stay away from the thing.
"I think so, yeah," he said, slowly nodding as he rose an extra few — ten — feet from the ground out of caution. "They're usually placed in large groups, so I think it's probably best if we stay high up until we reach our destination. In fact, unless we really need to get off the broom and go walking about, it's probably for the best that we remain as high up as possible. We don't need to activate any forgotten Muggle traps, yeah?"
"If they're as dangerous as you say, I will agree, yes. When we've returned home, I will visit London near where I had spent a few of my earliest years and seek out books that might teach us about these sorts of things. I hadn't planned for the Muggle actions to be as bothersome as they're proving to be," Elaine paused, turned so that he could see her face, and then she kissed him. It wasn't aggressive, it was rather gentle if anything. "You did well to warn us. I should not have discounted them as I had. Well done, my love."
Harry kissed her cheek, tightened his hold around her stomach and pressed one final kiss to the back of her neck when she turned around. He was thankful that she'd listened. "How far are we from the destination?"
"I've not seen any stacked, decayed and vine-covered stones thus far. Until we manage to spot them, we're a fair distance away from the stone-made fortress. I believe there's a charm on it to keep away the Muggles too, so it should be more intact than most of what we've seen. I hope," Elaine clearly seemed to rethink that with disdain in her voice as they passed a particularly large felled tree, the trunk of it jagged and uneven in a way that no Muggle could do with tools.
The place had seen quite the battle.
"How big is it?" Harry asked as he quickened their pace. He would have to be mindful lest a branch snags them as they went, but he was confident in his abilities to fly them and if it were truly a good distance away, he could fix that whilst remaining careful.
"More of it lays underground than above, I'm afraid, and nobody's ever mapped the entirety of it. Most who enter these old tombs, fortresses or otherwise ancient ruins tend not to come out or share their journeys. Why would they when they can gather riches, accumulate wealth and learn of magic that was long forgotten?" Elaine laughed, and then a moment later, she mused aloud. "Grindelwald himself might not have explored the labyrinth in its entirety. I doubt he would spend the time to do so. It's more likely that he had something specific that he was searching for, and after he found it, he left."
"Do you think he found whatever that thing that he was looking for was?"
Elaine laughed again, this time the sound was more cynical. "That's what we're going to find out very soon, my love. If he did, if he didn't or if he left behind a treat for us; we'll soon learn the answer to all of those questions. I do so hope it's the lattermost, lest this journey be without incident."
Oh yeah, it'd be horrible if the journey here was too easy or peaceful, yeah?
"When do you think we'll come across those traps he left behind or those creatures you were talking about?" Harry took a cursory glance around but very quickly looked back to where he had them headed. "Probably when we reach the entrance to that Anti-Muggle charm?"
"I would imagine so. It wouldn't do if the Muggles who owned the land sprang his traps, nor do I imagine those who made this stone fortress wished to harm their countrymen or let the beasts devour them," Elaine opened her mouth to speak again, but she paused immediately and relayed an order. "Stop."
Just as when she said the word previously, Harry stopped their flight with a very quick and decisive snap of his arm.
"There," Elaine said.
He looked at where she had indicated, and just as she saw, there was a stack of carved stones with moss and chunks of them towards the bottom of the pile. When he looked back at her — Elaine turned as she was to look at him — he nodded. When he had decided to pick up the pace, he had done so correctly.
"That's the hint," he said, nodding again. "I suppose that means we're a bit closer than I thought we were."
She tutted at him. "Please, did you think I'd have us moving aimlessly through an old Muggle battlefield? Onwards, Harry. We'll soon reach the ruins… I would wish for you to halt as soon as we've passed the barrier too. I know not if the rumours are true, but if they are, the pause will be most necessary."
"You're not going to tell me what it is or what they are, are you?"
Elaine smiled at him one last time before she had them start off again. "There's no point in worrying about something if we're not even sure it's present."
"I'm going to start spanking you," he grumbled under his breath.
He had thought so, at least.
Her response made him think she'd done some other form of ritual that increased her hearing. That or he had missed something whilst he'd been grumbling under his breath.
"Good."
Oddly enough, he didn't believe he'd missed anything.
Harry and Elaine had stopped right outside of the barrier, for he felt it just the same as he did. The air was stifling and oppressive, and as soon as they had passed into it, the wilderness was decidedly more feral; the plants were larger and lusher, the trees stood taller with next to no sunlight entering, the deadfall was trampled or caught in very large webs.
"Acromantula?" he asked, tapping his fingers against his lower leg. "There's a colony of Acromantula inside of that protective barrier, isn't there? What else? It can't be just… no, I suppose it could be just them. They're vicious enough to keep any unwanted intruders away."
"They are, and lest there's a friend or owner nearby, I imagine they'll kill anybody or anything that ventures in. Grindelwald must have killed many in his quest to find the entrance to the underground city. Our task should be much easier because of him," Elaine chuckled and shook her head. "How foolish he was to destroy the very creatures that had guarded him."
"I don't believe he got them all, not for a minute," Harry said, adamant in his refusal. He knew how tough the creatures were and how they could overcome so much. Even Hagrid's Acromantula lair which he was responsible for barely kept from eating the giant man. They would have if it weren't for the Spider Queen… or King?
Harry didn't really know how the whole Spider Empire or Leadership went down. He just knew that it was horrible, very horrible.
"I wouldn't imagine he would, but he isn't the time to avoid a fight I would go so far as to wager he might have killed any that he came across for nought but the fun of doing so or practising a new spell," Elaine finished with a look that told Harry she was contemplating doing much the same.
He wouldn't allow that. Not for the sake of those murderous creatures, but for the sake of not risking their lives in the domain of creatures that had been around for centuries longer than they had been. Who knew the traps they had set in store for those that weren't watchful?
"There's no need to hesitate," Elaine said as she gingerly dismounted the broom and stretched her legs against a nearby tree at a nearly ninety-degree angle. He watched as she did so, her ability to manipulate her body not the least bit surprising. "I've never been fond of brooms. They're easy to strike and cause tension in my body. With you, they're bearable, if only just."
Harry snorted. "I'm glad I make them bearable," he responded teasingly, snickering when Elaine rolled her eyes at him.
"When we've killed Grindelwald, we'll continue studying an alternative means of transportation from both the Floo network and a broom. I've been researching one for quite some time, but that's had to be paused for the time being," Elaine promptly finished her stretches, a satisfied series of noises coming from her before she righted herself and gestured towards the broom he was still floating atop of. "If you would, please. I'll return it to the pack and we'll continue carefully. The higher you rise the more likely you are to venture near one of our newfound friends."
Now that Elaine mentioned it, that sounded about right. If he flew higher and higher to the top of the trees or their branches, it would grow increasingly more likely that he'd catch himself in some Acromantula webs. That didn't sound very fun, not at all. As such, Harry very quickly gave the broom over and felt his feet sick an inch or so into the soft, mushy ground. It felt like marshland, and vaguely, he recalled her mentioning that this was part of a series of wetlands that were similar to something called the 'prip-yawt' marshes or something of that ilk.
Merlin knew he couldn't pronounce any of the words or names in any country that wasn't English-speaking. They were all too difficult… but Elaine and her French, well, maybe he'd study that language just to hear her speak more of it. She sounded hotter than usual even when she was simply reading the various names of buildings or settlements they passed during the earliest part of their little adventure.
Elaine shook her head and swatted his rear. "Now's the least appropriate time to have thoughts such as those, and lest you accuse me of spying, you were feeling particularly guilty and lustful just then," she pointed towards the ruined walls that went around and followed the same path as the barrier had. "We can satiate either type of hunger after, lover."
Harry couldn't help but grin and laugh at her. For a change, a very rare change, it was Elaine that had to return their focus to the task at hand rather than letting their minds go rampant with whatsoever they wished to do. He imagined that was a particularly difficult task for her to do, especially when he considered how she often felt about him.
"Let's get to it then… what's the plan?"
"We'll move carefully, staying low and ensuring that we mind our step. I've never known Acromantula to set traps as a trapdoor spider might, but these might be of a different breed and it's better to remain vigilant. I'll keep an eye out ahead of us, and you'll watch behind us, I'll tether us together so that we aren't unaware of each other, and if we see something and it's noticed us, we'll kill it," Elaine gestured to her pack and the satchel that hung at her hip. "I've already prepared Anti-Venom for all known Acromantula bites, and in addition to that, I've ensured that we have additional potions for common illnesses of the region as well as common pests that might plague us. If you feel strange in any sort of fashion, tell me and I'll ensure that you're taken care of. Now would be the least appropriate time to try and keep that to yourself on account of what lies ahead."
Harry nodded when she was completely finished. "I suppose there's quite a few illnesses and the like that are in this region?"
"Enough so and prevalent enough that I thought it would be best to prepare rather than be caught unaware," Elaine answered in a way that was helpful, worrying and not entirely as straightforward as he would have liked. "If we run into problems, enough so that we're unable to continue, we'll Portkey away. It'll take us away and we'll likely not return for a week or two which would be far from ideal, but safety is a priority. We needn't risk ourselves if Grindelwald seems to return weaker and weaker every time. It would be pointless."
Harry agreed with her there; they didn't need to risk themselves.
"Alright," he finally said, clapping his hands together as his eyes returned to the forward destination. "We're ready then."
"We're ready," Elaine agreed with a nod. "Please, do be careful. I'm aware that you like to endanger yourself for those you care about, but I can assure you that I'll be fine."
"I won't be reckless," Harry said, promising Elaine so that her worries would dissipate.
It was true too. He wouldn't be reckless or foolish in his attempts to keep the pair of them safe. Not unless she was in the face of danger and there was little else he could do but save her. Elaine being Elaine, he doubted anything could get the drop on her. She was infallible, indomitable and together, with their wands in action, nothing could stop them.
They had proven that against Grindelwald, the 'greatest' Dark Lord of all time.
What were creatures to that?
They reentered the forest and just as before, it felt oppressive and overbearing, almost as if the very air was enchanted to make those who entered feel terribly nervous and heavy enough that breathing was a hard task. Whatever magic it was, the intent was dark, just as dark as the forest itself seemed to be.
"Careful," Elaine warned in a whisper, her voice so light that he nearly missed it; still, to the eerie silence of the surrounding woods, it stood out. "There are webs all around, and with one misstep, our friends will be able to find exactly where we are. We don't wish for them to do so until we're near the entrance."
Harry wanted to ask where the entrance was and how far it would be, but he refrained from doing so. Elaine likely had as little knowledge about that as he did. There had to be a reason the two of them were following some overgrown stone path with mud, leaves and branches all across it.
Elaine stopped suddenly, and Harry did much the same lest he ran into her back and sent her tumbling forward.
His eyes followed where hers were taking them, and it was then that he saw what she had seen. There, nearly fifty meters away from them and in a large — incredibly large — tree-spanning web, was a spider. It looked like one of the juvenile ones from Hagrid's colony, and it was chowing down on a creature that Harry wasn't familiar with in the slightest.
Slowly, Elaine raised a hand and motioned for him to follow after her. She didn't need to imply that silence was necessary. That much, he could figure out on his own. Harry wasn't aware of the Acromantula senses and he wasn't sure if Elaine was, but when he lacked knowledge he could generally always trust her not to.
Thus, it was slowly that the two crept along in the spider-infested magical woods. They continued at a snail's pace, with Elaine using her wand and a small continuous stream of wind from the end of it that sent the littering items atop the path elsewhere so that they could better see it. There was also the added benefit of sending the noise-causing deadfall, branches especially, out from their path.
If they hadn't done so, Harry imagined their Spider friend would have found them out much sooner. Speaking of the very creature, Harry took the chance to examine it the closer they grew to it. As he imagined, it was similar, but not exactly the same as the Acromantula that he was familiar with. For a start, where those near Hogwarts were large and dark, nearly black, these ones were thinner built and a green that matched the surrounding lush woods. These ones lacked a large number of hairs on their body too, favouring a harsh-looking exoskeleton that seemed to almost have a sheen to it.
Finally, what drew his attention was the colour under it, when it moved. There was a long, yellow stripe on its underbelly. He wondered briefly if that meant it was more venomous than those he was familiar with, but he shook the thought from his head in mere moments. It didn't matter how venomous the creatures were, not if all it took was one bite either way.
He shook his head at such a dark thought and continued onwards, with Elaine, in silence. They hadn't been caught by the feasting creature, thankfully, and so they continued atop the path that seemed to grow sparser and thinner as time went on. Harry was grateful that the sense of overbearing pressure and oppressiveness in the air didn't grow the more they continued. If it had, he doubted he would have been able to continue breathing normally.
"Carefully, more ahead," Elaine whispered, confident enough to speak as she verbally pointed out the mass of creatures ahead of them
Harry looked at where she indicated again, and sure enough, much like the last time, there were Acromantula. Instead of one juvenile one, there were dozens of them, and most were large, far larger than the juvenile had been.
He swallowed, and when he looked closer, he could see that they weren't just moving idly around, they were eating… it looked similar to the first creature, but this one was larger. It had to be for the number that were eating it.
Merlin, the view was vicious and nerve-inducing. It truly made Harry feel as if he was some insignificant little being when compared to things that were five times his size and bloodthirsty. Harry lowered his eyes, and when he did, he stopped, causing a slight tug and an immediate look from Elaine; when she saw him, she narrowed her eyes and pointedly indicated upwards, where the spiders were.
Harry disregarded her look and indicated towards the right of where they were. They had almost missed something, be it the entrance to the stone 'fortress' she kept mentioning or something else entirely. He wasn't certain, but with how much studying she had done for this little quest, he knew she would be.
And she was.
Elaine looked — for a brief moment — where he indicated and looked back at him after a scant few seconds time had passed. She nodded to him, and then she narrowed her eyes again, her attention back on the ground before them. There was no path that would see them safely to the entrance of the ruinous stone structure ahead of them, and Harry imagined that was by the design of the original creators that were long since dead or elsewhere.
Probably dead, with how brutal the magical world seemed to be.
He looked towards Elaine's backpack while she stood motionless, her eyes focused on the entrance. If it were up to him, they would climb atop the broom again and rush towards the ruins, but he knew that could also be dangerous. Should the place ahead not be where they needed to go, they would be trapped with spiders right behind them.
These types of choices were always so difficult to make, he hated it. If only such things were easy to decide and easier to enact.
Elaine moved suddenly, an unhappy look passing across her face as she directed her wand toward the ruins. It was clear to see that she was going over some sort of plan in her mind and a decision was near, the wind gone from the tip of her wand to favour something else. Nothing seemed to move, but the path ahead seemed to raise ever so slightly, just enough for him to realise that she was doing something.
When that wind later returned and the leaves, branches and other deadfall cleared, he figured out what that was. There was a path maybe a meter wide that was risen and firm-looking as if it were some sort of solidified mud, but lacking the cracks that often came with such a material. He raised an eyebrow at her when she took a step on it, and when no noise emanated and she pointed her wand further ahead, he followed after her in much the same way as he had been.
Her plan seemed to have worked thus far, and unless something drastically changed, everything seemed as if it was going to be fine; he hoped that continued, the sound of those spiders feasting above him was cause enough for such a wish. In a way, as they chittered and moved about, it almost sounded as if they were communicating. It made Harry feel strange knowing that they had the ability to communicate not in a fashion that was too far away from his own.
He swallowed, the sound imperceivable to the creatures thanks to the noises they were making, and then the sound began to dampen as he and Elaine passed through the remnants of a stone archway. It had long since fallen into disrepair from neglect, the elements and likely other people destroying them. That was a shame. Harry would have liked to see this stone fortress at its peak when it was manned and defended and without cracks.
It would have looked like a miniature Hogwarts, only more rudimentary and inside of a forest rather than surrounded by one.
Harry slowly looked around and took note of more ruined structures. There didn't seem to be any signs of others having been here for a very long time, but then again, the magic could just as easily conceal that as it concealed the place from the eyes and attention of Muggles. He nearly snorted, only just containing himself, when he thought about that as they moved along the various small streets in what looked to be a series of roads that led to different destroyed structures. Perhaps as the Muggles found more and more ruins as they ventured the world, they weren't randomly found, but the magic had run its course and as such, was no longer protected from them.
It would explain how new discoveries happened so often in the future, during his time.
Elaine took in a quick, shallow breath and pressed a hand to his chest. He wasn't sure why that was until he looked up to where her eyes had previously been. There were trees aplenty, as could be deduced by their location alone, but beyond that, there were shapes that were too unlike those that the spiders had previously feasted on wrapped in webs. Humans, or humanoids, rather. There could be other creatures that were of a similar size and shape to a person, but whatever they were, the things had been human-shaped and taken.
They couldn't tell how long those corpses had been there, that was impossible unless they cut them down and even then, they still would likely only be able to guess short of bringing the bones back.
Past adventurers, the inhabitants, raiders… maybe even members of Grindelwald's group. We'll never know, and we don't need to. Just the sight of their bodies is more than warning enough to be on our best guard.
Elaine seemed to agree, and sure enough, the two continued further, not deterred but more cautious; her wand had a familiar green glow at the end of it. The beasts would be killed if they attacked, but only if they attacked. Unlike Grindelwald, they wouldn't slaughter the creatures unless it was their lives on the line.
The two continued like that for quite some time too. Silently, they gallivanted through the myriad of paths that twisted and turned in a way that felt as if it were purposefully made to confuse those who entered. If it weren't for the air growing less oppressive, less stifling to the senses, the close-quarters and lack of visuals all around them would have had Harry's heart beating faster than it had any right to.
Finally, and Harry thanked Mortem endlessly for it, the two saw an incredibly intact and large building towards the centre that seemed to materialise to them. Obviously, there was damage, and the outskirts were littered with vines and plant life that had grown from between the many cracks the building had. Still, that it stood was a testament to the architecture and magic of its creators. Had Harry guessed, he would have said there was nothing left inside of this entire expanse of woods save for the many ruins he and Elaine had already seen. Evidently, he wasn't quite as aware of magical architecture as others were.
"That must be the entrance to the undercity," Elaine whispered, confident enough to speak despite the spiders they'd witnessed at the front and the many corners and ruined buildings around them that could act as an ambushing point. When he caught her eyes after she spoke, they were awash with eagerness and that sense of adventure that she got… but only when they were in dangerous or stressful circumstances.
The Muggles have a saying for that, I think. It's something like Adrenaline junk or of that ilk. Elaine must be one of those people. I doubt she's anything else with how happy she tends to be when we're in for a fight or mystery.
"I imagine we're going through the front entrance, yeah?" Harry asked, nodding towards the aforementioned opening at the base of the building with all sorts of slits aimed down at it.
"Of course, how else would we enter?" Elaine smiled at him, moved closer and pressed her lips to his; there wasn't a need to bend her head as there had been when first they met. They were nearly the same height, with the advantage slightly in his favour, finally. "I'll check for traps set by the founders of the fortress, or those who came before us. You'll need to watch our rear, lest a wayward friend with far too many legs decides to accompany us."
Harry figured that would be his job, and so he shrugged, fine with it. There hadn't been any expectation in his mind that he would be the one to search for ancient magic or stuff that could have been left by Grindelwald. Equal the two might be, or nearly equal, enough so that he could last a great deal of time against her, but that was where the equivalency died — Elaine's knowledge of magic and her list of spells was far vaster, and as such, her list of utility-like spells would see them safer and more confident as they delved further into the ruins than his ever would.
They closed in on the building, Harry pressed his back to hers, and with his wand out, he kept his attention everywhere that she couldn't see. His eyes sought out the sky and the ground, their left and right, and most obviously, their centre, lest something bolt towards them from the path they had cleared.
Briefly, and while she worked, he wondered if the Acromantula were clever enough to notice the very obviously cleared path. He shook his head. No, he told himself. They weren't intelligent enough to deduce that.
As he suspected would happen, Elaine very quickly assured him that there was nothing that had been left to wait for them. Not one trap had remained, and she went so far as to tell him there likely had never been a trap set at the entrance. It made sense the more that he thought about it. Why would there have been a trap in an area that would likely see so much traffic?
If one of your own people were careless, well, your society suddenly had one less person and back in those days, that could very well be crippling.
"We can whisper without worry, darling. There's powerful magic within these walls, and it wasn't placed by the creators of the structure. Somebody that came before us very likely made camp in here — look to the right room, you can see that it's disturbed and the furniture is far from decayed," Elaine huffed as she examined the aforementioned furniture. "How bland. Mayhaps this wasn't Grindelwald. He tended to have taste, as horrible as he was."
Leave it to Elaine to compliment Grindelwald's gaudy fashion choices. The Persians, Grindelwald, Elaine, the Royal Family… they all have far too much for that overly ornate shite. Bland isn't so bad.
She narrowed her eyes at him, leaving Harry to wonder if she had intercepted his thoughts or deduced them by the emotions that flowed between their typically open connection. They controlled it far better, that was true, and no longer did he have dreams that would see through her eyes unless the pair wished for that to happen. Elaine had only done it once, in truth, and that was a story he wouldn't be sharing with anybody. All he could say when it was through, was that it was far from surprising what her actions had been.
"So… how do we go down? I don't exactly see an entrance to a basement here," Harry asked, looking around at the many different doorways that littered the structure. The majority of them were without any cover, some had vines that flowed down as if nature had created a door, but as he peered from one to the next, it was clear that there weren't any staircases that were easily and readily definable.
"Don't always rely on your eyes, lover," Elaine chastised with a tut, her hands brushing across his chest as she moved to stand on his opposite side. "Illusions are one of the greatest defences magic has ever granted us. All too often, those who see something believe it and move on. Go near the centre room, and brush your arm across the wall to the right of it."
Harry furrowed his brows at Elaine, though he did recognise that her words had a certain degree of truth in them. Maybe he truly had spent far too much time studying how best to combat her directly that he'd overlooked or skipped entirely so many other fields of magic that were also necessary. Then again, if they had 'eternity' together as she implied, it wasn't too dangerous to do so.
He huffed at the thought of living forever and how ridiculous it sounded, and a few seconds later, he was doing as she suggested. The stone was cool to the touch, dry and brittle, the cracks causing little chips of rocks to fall when his hands disturbed them. He continued to brush his hand with a touch so light that nought but his fingertips brushed the stone, and then, it happened; the stone grew hot, the rocks grew stronger and were without cracks, and his eyes changed the sight before him.
There was a hidden doorway, devoid of plants, cracks or light, and it went deep into the earth. He couldn't tell beyond what the light from beyond him showed, but if he were to guess, it went far deeper than he could see. Hundreds of meters wouldn't have been surprising.
"Was it obvious?" He asked as he turned around to look at Elaine, the girl with her nose raised in the air in a manner that was both arrogant and pleased with her deduction.
"Not very," she said, the answer appeasing him and her both. "I've perhaps… encountered similar charms before, and as such, know what to look for more so than you would. There's a subtle shift in the quality, the charms of these times weren't as advanced as they are now, and if you look closely, whether it be from the spell or age of the magic, they shift."
Harry would be sure to understand that for future usage. If the stone or illusion shifted, the longer you looked at it, the more obvious it should be.
"I suppose we just go on down now then, yeah?" he paused and turned to nod at her pack and the satchel both. "I hope you've got a way to make sure we don't get lost. I don't imagine they'll have any instructions for us."
Elaine tapped her satchel. "I've brought something you're bound to enjoy, for it's a very simple idea that Muggles oft use."
He couldn't begin to guess what that was.