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Harry gestured for Elaine to do as she wished once he'd taken a few steps backwards, allowing her the distance she seemed to desire. His wand was in his hand as she'd asked, and he was more than prepared to cast a cushioning charm should something happen. Her plan was likely some form of travel since she'd alluded to it being her way of solving her dislike for travel by way of the broom. Still, if she wasn't totally confident in it, he wasn't sure why she'd even bother utilising the magic.
He knew just as well as she did — likely less but he wouldn't be of that opinion for too much longer — that magic had been highly volatile since it was found. Some might master certain fields of it, others might master multiple fields thereof and go on to magical theory and the creation of spells. Those few that did the latter, would often be the few that were killed whilst creating spells the likes of which people centuries down the road would finally master, and improve upon.
It was the way things went. The Roman Empire, Harry had learned, was a good example of that. The country had taken bits of land as far as his homeland to Egypt and ventured further, to Asia and Africa beyond their known borders. In doing so, their wizards and witches had been some of the most advanced in the world and even now, could likely duel modern wizards and witches with no debilitating flaws.
"What're you doing?" Harry asked when he saw Elaine raise her head, close her eyes and focus, silent. "I thought you we—"
And then he went quiet, unable and really, no longer able to speak with Elaine. Nothing horrible happened to her. No mine as he'd feared had been stepped on, nor had a muggle weapon sounded; it was everything Muggle that he truly feared as they went on this trip again too. Instead, what had happened was the sudden absence of Elaine as she was replaced by a black smoke that refused to be whisked away by the occasional gusts of freezing wind with the scent of nature in it.
Quite simply, Elaine's body had morphed into the smoke and maintained a semblance of shape. Enough for him to understand — to a degree — what had happened. When she suddenly shot off into the sky, the smoke defying much and more of the natural world, he understood then why she'd been cautious. The higher she went into the sky, the smoke allowing him to follow where she went, the more nervous he grew. If anything happened, especially at the distance she was from him, he'd be very hard-pressed to rescue her.
That wasn't enjoyable for him, and he doubted she was overly fond of that either… no, never mind, she likely didn't mind in the slightest. If there hadn't been any fear of Grindelwald or Acromantula, he wasn't foolish enough to believe that Elaine would be worried about heights or the like.
"Enough looking at the Minister," Harry heard Frank say gruffly, the man's tone business-like and serious. "Get back to your designated fields. We don't need anything sneaking up on us, least of all while you're all distracted."
Harry didn't look over his shoulder at the Aurors he'd brought with him and Elaine, and thanks to those words, he reckoned he didn't need to. They had likely reacted much the same way that he had when Elaine morphed into black-hued smoke and tore off into the sky. With surprise, awe, and possibly not but the chance was there, worry.
In a way, she was their source of income and the reason why they all had lovely accommodations. Any person that worked under the Minister or in the office therein, was very well taken care of. Historically, that was part of the reason why corruption would run so rampant. Well, that and a host of other issues. Most governments were fundamentally corrupt past a certain time. Harry had heard something from Urban Maxis once, and that was a man that he'd gladly take advice from.
Good reasons can cause bad happenings, love can bring about hatred, and all of the nobility in the world could turn you into a villain thanks to one choice. Those words that Urban had said, Harry would never forget them.
Harry shook his head and rid himself of any errant thoughts. The winter wind was still whipping, the scents of winter that came with the season were present as ever, and whilst enjoyable, they were distracting. He needn't look behind himself, not with the others present and alert as they were, but Harry wouldn't grow complacent. He knew to do so would be dangerous and foolish, and he'd seen what complacency could do.
Instead, with his wand still at the ready, he watched as Elaine flew to and from, the black smoke that was her flying around the entirety of the mountain before them. He wasn't certain what the visibility was like for her, it wasn't like smoke had eyes… it wasn't an animal. Harry snorted to himself, nearly cracking a small bit of laughter. The more that he thought about the lack of eyes that smoke would have, the more he realised that didn't matter; magic was magic, and he knew firsthand that more often than not, it didn't follow any rules.
It didn't need to.
Elaine had, eventually, returned to him and landed very near to where she had ascended from. She conveyed to him that, whilst she could confirm there was something in the mountain, she couldn't confirm if there were bits of Muggle machinery or trinkets between them and the entrance to the place. That wasn't ideal.
"I suppose it's good that we could at least confirm the information wasn't wrong. Well, not wholly," Harry mused aloud as he brought a hand up to his chin in thought. He didn't know how they could continue or what they'd do to do so. "It'd be a bit too easy if you could just make a broom, right?"
Elaine's brow, raised in response to his question, was all the answer he needed to receive. That wouldn't work, unfortunately. Like most of what they'd done, that would have been far too easy for any higher power to allow.
"I could bring a person with me to the entrance, but I'm only able to do so one at a time," Elaine's eyes went downcast as if she was focusing on something or thinking.
"What is it?"
"I'll admit I wouldn't be completely certain as to the safety of myself or the person I brought along. We'd also have to take into account whosoever I bring to the entrance, would be alone for a short time, long enough for bad happenings to occur," Elaine gestured over to Frank, but before she could speak, Harry did.
He didn't want her to decide something so drastic. The reason? He knew she'd prioritize his safety to the detriment of others. That wouldn't sit right with him regardless of her desires. Even if it was his safety that she made to guarantee, there was only so much he'd allow.
"Bring me first, and have Frank brought last," he said. "Valerie, the brothers, they can go between Frank and I, so that they're safe. If it's you and I going first too, we'll figure out if that spell can handle both of us at the same time," Harry brought a gloved hand up to his face, covering his nose. Undoubtedly it was red and angry-looking from the cold, but there was little he could do until they reached some form of cover. "Come on, let's do it," he urged.
There wasn't a reason to wait, and with the cold growing harsher than it'd been whence they'd arrived, time was of the essence. One of the others, especially the two petite, young Aurors that had been brought along, would be especially susceptible to the cold.
"Let me prepare something before I take you with me, lover," Elaine said as she raised a hand, gloveless and without the same chill that he had, to run it across his face in a fashion that made a chill of a different type run through him. "If you're forcing me to take you along I would ascertain your safety. You know by now never will the day come in which I risk you."
"I know," Harry agreed, and as such, he stood still, allowing her to do whatever it was that she thought would help him. He wasn't sure what the incantation of the spell that she cast meant, and he didn't feel any different afterwards, but he assumed based on the look she wore that it had been successful.
Elaine walked a small circle around him. Her eyes went up and down, almost as if she was searching for something. He saw not a line, outline or anything else that might give away that what she had done meant something.
"Alright?"
"All is perfect as can be," Elaine answered. "If we're to continue, then as you said, it would be wise to make haste lest the others freeze."
With those words out of her mouth, Elaine reached a hand out to Harry, but he moved back when a thought struck him. When he did so, he only narrowly dodged her grasp and as a result, earned himself a frown. One that he'd not seen in a very long time — not directed at him at least.
"Wait," he said, dodging another attempt from her to grab at his arm. "I'll tell Frank the plan so the others know what to expect. It'd be better than having the both of us vanish. We wouldn't want them to think that we'd abandoned them."
Elaine stopped her attempts to grab him when he said what he did. She frowned, and as quickly as the look had come, it went away. "You've raised a fair point. Go, speak with him, and whilst you do so I will see if I can't prove the existence of these muggle 'mines' before us."
Harry nearly reminded her that they didn't know with absolute certainty that they were before them as she'd said, but he didn't. There wasn't a reason to do so, and besides, it was better to prove that there weren't any, than to leave the truth in the air; he might also be a bit interested in what it was that she'd do… a bit worried too.
All the same, with a look of trepidation, shot her way, Harry moved toward the man they'd previously spoken about. Frank. He was the only man with experience among the group, and Harry figured if any person would be confident whilst alone, it would be him.
They didn't need anybody panicking. There was still an element of surprise, after all. It wasn't like they'd seen anybody that might give their presence away.
"Deputy Minister," the man in question, Frank, said by way of greeting. He was ever-formal and the seriousness with which he'd used earlier, was still present. "How might I help you or the Minister, sir?"
"The Minister and I have a plan. You saw the spell she used earlier, didn't you?"
Frank nodded.
"Perfect," Harry said. "She'll bring me with her to the entrance of the place she found. Once she does so, she'll return and grab one of the others, one by one, until you're the last to arrive — I'm sorry that you'll have to be without the others for a short time, but you're the one we trust most to stay alone. I'll be making sure the path ahead is safe too, so there's no need to worry about the others once she brings them over to me… what do you think?"
"It's the only way forward, is it not?" Frank asked, his bushy brows furrowed together and his arms crossed as he looked at Harry. The man was seemingly deep in thought, as Elaine had been earlier, and he seemed to be contemplating the plan in which Harry had laid out to him.
"The Minister's looking to see if she can identify any Muggle mines or traps ahead of us, but I'm not sure how fruitful those efforts will be. I would think, and this is based on the limited understanding that I have of Muggle machinery and the like, that it's best just to keep away from anything involving them," Harry said. "Short of the spell she showed off earlier, and without brooms, I would think this is the only way we might be able to continue. It would be that, or stopping altogether and returning home."
Frank's nose wrinkled at Harry's words. "All this way just to sit on a mountain wouldn't sit well with the others, I'd think, but it'd be the safest option."
Before Harry could speak, Frank spoke again after a short pause.
"The safest option isn't always the one to go with. Not if the matter at hand is more important than any of us might realise. That decision, it's yours and the Minister's to make. You especially, Deputy Minister, since you'd be ahead of the rest of the group and without any help," Frank slapped a meaty hand against his large, barrel-shaped chest. "Me? I'll do as you and the Minister ask. If I'm to stay here and make sure the others stay out of trouble while the Minister whisks them over to you, I'll do so easily."
Harry thought about the man's words. They weren't wrong, and he knew that. If he wanted to risk himself, Elaine, and the others for the sake of Grindelwald and the potential that he had a Horcruxe ahead… was it worth it?
In the past, Harry might have said no, that it wasn't worth risking the lives of even one person. If anybody could die or be grievously wounded, the point of everything was thrown out of the window. Now? Harry knew if they failed to destroy every remnant of the man's soul, there would be more than a death, more than a dozen… he'd seen first-hand that there'd been hundreds and thousands.
If he could stop that with Elaine by his side and the best Aurors they could bring along behind them, it was worth it.
"It's what we need to do if we want to keep the country safe," Harry said. He wasn't quite sure why he said those words, he didn't need the man to approve of what they were doing, but he wanted him to hear those words. It was a justification of sorts.
Frank nodded, his grizzled face showing an understanding free of anger, anxiety or judgement. "I'll tell the others the plan," he said before he nodded over Harry's shoulder. "It would seem the Minister would like you to speak with her. She's gesturing for you to go over to her."
"Thank you, Frank. Twice over."
Harry received a nod from the man, pleasant as he was likely capable of being, and then he moved towards Elaine whilst Frank went from person to person, ensuring that they maintained the security they were providing.
When Harry landed after a pretty nerve-racking trip spent in the air and under the spell that Elaine had likely created, he felt a bit… strange, but nevertheless, he set about doing as was required of him whilst she turned back to grab the others, as was the plan. The trip with her, whilst strange and at times, compelling evidence that they needed to bring brooms with them whenever they travelled again, hadn't gone bad by any stretch of the imagination.
In fact, she had ensured that they moved quickly and without issue, and with a stability that he hadn't expected on account of the uncertainty that she'd shown before taking off previously. It nearly made him wonder why she'd been nervous at all, considering there hadn't seemed to be a potential for anything too horrible to happen to them. But a master of unknown spells, he was not.
Harry took one last glance over his shoulder, watching as the smoke that was Elaine dissipated gradually before disappearing altogether from his view, and once she was well and truly gone, he turned back. Before him was an entrance to the mountain, the snow around it melted to show the area more readily to the naked eye; he couldn't imagine how hard it had previously been to spot, but the fact that Elaine had seemingly done much and more to make it visible told him it had probably been a bit more difficult than he'd have thought.
She was lucky she didn't set anything off with the spell she'd used, Harry thought to himself as he very slowly moved forward, taking a page from her book whilst he did so.
It hadn't found anything, and mayhaps it wouldn't, but he transfigured the stone around him into a statue and after doing so, animated that statue so that it might move before him. It was made in such a way that it had a plough at the front of it, for it was his hope — after watching Elaine craft something similar — that should anything be ahead of him that he couldn't see, the plough would set it off if the weight of the statue and the disruption it caused to the ground around it didn't.
One step after the next, the animated statue moved ever forward. It was quieter than he'd have thought, thankfully, and the vibrations as a result of its movement weren't half as horrible as they could have been. He nearly had half a mind to transfigure a second one, but larger, stronger and with a spot for him to hide in.
Nearly being the keyword. It would have taken more effort, much more, and likely set him back a decent bit of time, and that was something they didn't have the luxury of wasting at the present time. The more that he thought about it, the more he recognised that time had always been a luxury to him and Elaine. It seemed as if they'd never had a great deal of it to fool around with, much less make mistakes.
As before, the statue, gradually moved forward whilst Harry took time to think to himself. He was a bit more distracted than he should have been, but he was alert, experienced, and confident that he could tackle any threat that a wizard or witch might provide — if there were Muggles nearby, it wasn't worth being worried about. Those guns of theirs would go far faster than he could react. Merlin, the noise wouldn't even reach him before the bullet tore him open.
Not if everything Aster said about them was true.
Harry reckoned if Aster had said it, the truth was a done deal. The bloke loved his Muggle stuff when it came to war and the things they'd make for it. He still had half a mind to get Aster a few uniforms, maybe a Yankee and Soviet one for his collection. That'd be right cool, and it'd probably help to keep Aster's mood on the rise after Reinhard's…
The statue halted, and Harry's order was finished. It reached the entrance, that being the front of a fence that did little to conceal the metallic door built into the mountain beyond it. He could have it smash through the fence and the door, he could probably use it to climb over the fence and get to the door himself if he fancied doing so; no Muggle lock would ever be problematic for Harry.
But what were the odds that, beyond the fence, there wasn't anything laying in wait for him? What were the odds that the door, strong and sturdy as it looked, wasn't reinforced with a ward or charm that might see problems arise?
He could go and risk it, he had half a mind too, but ultimately and as Elaine began to return with one of the Aurors in her grasp, he decided against such a reckless course of action. Whilst, admittedly, it would be good to prove himself and show that he had similar abilities and mastery over magic that she possessed, doing so at the risk of others being harmed wasn't worth it. Nor was it wise to risk anything whatsoever when she was with him. Only those that were immature or reckless would try and show their other half up at the risk of said other half and the comrades they'd brought along.
Thus, instead of doing so, Harry moved to the boundary of the small plateau that Elaine had dropped him off upon. It was small, flattened by man rather than nature — he was certain of that — and had stones strategically placed around the perimeter. They were thick, grey, and chiselled in such a way that one might stick an item of a cylinder shape through them.
Possibly a spot for the Muggles to fight other Muggles if such an event had come to pass. Based on the lack of marks on the stones as he drew closer to them, it hadn't, and now, it would never. Those that had warred had come to peace talks some time ago, and the weapons of war would, by and large, be destroyed or kept locked away, as they should be.
"Deputy Minister," the voice of Nick, the younger brother of the two Auror brothers he'd brought with him, said as he trotted over. He was cold, the shaking was evidence enough of that, and anxious. His eyes scanned their surroundings endlessly as if he expected an enemy to pop up from the snow that encircled them. "Where would you like me to go?"
Harry nodded at the rock he'd previously been observing. The plateau, small as it was, formed a small U-shape with the mountain behind it providing an overhang that covered much of the space above them. He imagined maybe sixty people could fit atop the plateau altogether, and that'd be squeezing them together very tightly. In other words, the place wasn't too large to garrison and the rocks made for perfect spots to tuck the Aurors.
"Here," Harry said when the Auror didn't quite understand him based on the look he was giving. "Use this, make sure you stay behind it and keep an eye out. Until one or two of the others arrive, I'll go and watch the other side so we're safe."
"Understood," the young Auror said with a nod as he moved into the position, his body, large as it was, easily concealed thanks to the size and modifications of the rock. If anybody attacked them, Merlin, they'd be in for a rough fight.
Unsurprisingly, Harry didn't believe they'd come under spellfire or Muggle gunfire. Not if they'd made it here unharassed as they had. The Muggles that had likely been ordered to defend the bunker ahead were captured, killed or they'd fled; the wizards or witches, Grindelwald had most definitely taken them with him when he'd made to invade Great Britain.
He'd taken just about everybody he could grab, and the bulk of them had been killed or captured… killed the prevailing fate of any Grindelwald loyalist.
One by one, Elaine brought over the force of Aurors they'd chosen to accompany them. By the time the third had arrived, Harry left the area he'd been guarding in the hands of Valerie and went back over to the entrance of the facility that had seemingly been abandoned and locked up. Elaine had two more trips to make, and he'd be damned if he didn't gather at least a small bit of information before she arrived for good.
With those three watching his back, he was more than able to do so too.
Harry leaned forward, his face nearly pressed against the fence. His eyes sought out the entrance again. It seemed more reinforced than he'd initially thought. He could make out bolts, steel beams and a quality that he didn't understand. In a way, it looked like it was bubbled out or the like. Harry wasn't exactly sure what would cause that quality to form, and on account of the fence, he couldn't exactly get all that great of an unobscured look. Thus, with a decision he made in the span of a second, he climbed the transfigured, animated behemoth beside him intent on getting a view that wasn't ruined.
It took him seconds, his athleticism still as innate and present as ever, and he was greeted with a view that far exceeded what he'd previously had. Before him, he could see the door free of obstructions and thanks to that, he managed to make out a small keyhole or the like. It was oddly shaped, and the door, as he'd first seen, was strange. If he didn't know any better based on the lack of bulletholes or craters, he'd have assumed some sort of blast had happened.
Wait, he thought as his brows furrowed together. That wouldn't make sense. If there'd been an attack from the outside, where I'm standing with the others, the bubbles would be going inwards, not outwards.
That made him scratch the back of his neck — cold as it was — in thought. There shouldn't be bubbles that burst outwards unless a fight or happening had taken place within the labyrinth that lay before him. If that was the case, and something had occurred within, he'd be alerting Elaine as soon as she landed just in the event that she'd failed to notice that.
Another second-long look over his shoulder alerted Harry that she'd dropped off yet another Auror, this time Thomas, the brother of the man he'd spoken with earlier. With those two and the two women now present and in defensive positions, it left Frank.
Harry ran his tongue over his teeth, his brows still furrowed as his attention went back to the fenced-off entrance before him. He truthfully didn't know how to make sense of the door, but what he could do whilst he waited to commune with Elaine, was check if there seemed to be anything readily visible before him.
Were it not for the other Aurors near him, two of them very near for the sake of security, he would have been tempted to send his animated stone friend forwards, through the fence. If such a place had traps, be it Muggle or Magical, that activated upon a creature stepping into them, the behemoth made from stone, would do so with nary a downside.
With much to lose, however, Harry opted to have the statue hold him higher, in those great, large hands. It couldn't separate its fingers on account of the haste with which he'd animated it, but it didn't need to. All he wanted was a higher view — and he had one with his head nearly touching the roof of the overhang they were under — so that he might spot errant wires or pieces of metal sticking up from areas that it shouldn't be.
His eyes swept the ground before him with the focus of a zealous quality. To and from, it went, not leaving even one stone unchecked or a mound of dirt without the scrutiny it justly deserved. He would ensure that all were free of the traps that Muggles serving Grindelwald might have left and the more he looked on, his eyes scanning as much as they could, the more he thought that nothing might lay before them. Perhaps he'd wasted his time and given attention to nothing that might deserve it.
He wouldn't be overly surprised, frustrating as that would be. Grindelwald was maddening and, as many would say, simply mad. Maybe he'd been so arrogant by the time this was constructed or when he'd utilised it so as to assume no person might ever find it, much less think about raiding it. That hadn't been the case when it came to the forest in Belarus he'd visited with Elaine, but… getting inside the mind of a maniac like that man wasn't possible. Not even remotely.
I suppose—
Harry stopped that thought as he made to turn around. There, near the door and nearly invisible, was something of a man-made nature. It wasn't a wire as he'd suspected, and as he thought about it, that made sense. If it had been a wire of any kind, one that might be stepped on by any who ventured into the structure before him, those that had built it or manned it might come to a fate similar to those they didn't wish to allow entry.
Thus, that was likely why before him, rather than any trap that he was used to, appeared a weapon of some sort that was partially hidden in the dirt. Somebody had forgotten it or dropped it whence they'd taken their leave from the area. It seemed like a long, thin barrel made from steel, and whilst it was barely visible, Harry knew to be cautious. Muggle inventions, especially those meant for war, were ofttimes some of the most dangerous things in the world.
The last thing he, or any of those with him needed to do, was to mess around with one of those creations. Aster, had he come along with them rather than stay behind in the office, he would have likely been able to tell them of the danger the item presented, if any. More than likely, he would have secured it and taken it with them too, so as to add to that collection of Muggle artefacts he'd been constructing.
Had he done so, Harry would have had a laugh. Here they all were, nervous as to what Muggle machinations were around them that they couldn't see, and yet, as always, Aster had no fear about the creations of the Muggles. It was as if he was more comfortable and understanding of their creations than those of the Magical world.
In a way, and had this been a few decades down the line, Harry would have understood a bit better where the boy was coming from.
"You seem deep in thought, lover."
Harry looked down from his raised position atop the hands of the statue he'd animated. Elaine hadn't taken him by surprise, and he'd not jolted as he would have so long ago; the more he thought about that the more he wished to laugh at himself… before promptly collapsing inwards at the sheer absurdity of the nervousness in which he'd felt towards her.
In another world, such as one like his own, she could have been one of the most dangerous women to walk the earth — man in his — and yet, in this one, she was 'tamed' though the word didn't exactly fit. Her obsession and love, the dark words that she'd utter were better than wanton murder and destruction. Unlike his world too, she'd achieved the goal which she desired.
Power.
"There's something ahead of us, in the snow. Look at the rock near the door, the one that looks similar to a boot, and you'll see a piece of metal sticking up and out of the ground," Harry pointed at it as best he could and even went so far as to bend over and extend a hand should she wise to climb atop his creation alongside him. "Do you see it?"
Elaine grasped his hand, dainty, soft, and cold, before pulling herself up so that she might join him. "Curious," she said with a rase of one sharp brow. "Do you know what it is that's entrapped before us?"
At that, Harry shrugged. He wished he could have been more helpful. "I think it might be a gun, but I'm not certain. I don't know much about Muggle weaponry… do you think one of the others does? Maybe the Yankees or Frank?"
"You're free to ask," Elaine said in response, her dark eyes focused on the path before them as the wind grew fiercer and the cold, harsher. "I'll ascertain an entrance regardless of the path ahead, though I fear for the others, the wisest choice might be having them return whence we'd come."
Harry didn't completely disagree with that. If they couldn't guarantee the safety of the path ahead, and he knew neither he nor Elaine could, it felt pointless bringing them along. He didn't want more blood on his hands, no, he already had more than enough for somebody his age.
For any age.
"Just don't jump the fence, alright?" he asked, pointing at the ground only meters from where they were standing. "If there's one little bit of metal ahead that we don't know, how much do you think is hidden completely from our view?"
"You needn't worry, my love, though I would be lying if I claimed not to find your worries endearing. Go on, speak with them, and I'll watch you as you do so," Elaine's gaze turned heated, and in a way that betrayed the constant desire she felt towards him.
He'd become used to it by now. Thus, he shook his head at it, and how absurd the thought of growing accustomed to such looks and words was, and went over to Frank before he'd pay either of the Yankee blokes a visit. If the man was old and experienced, there was a chance he knew things about Muggles that neither Harry nor Elaine knew.
"Nothing," Harry said with a huff as he folded his arms, ignoring the look he received from Elaine in the process of doing so. "Not one of them knows much of anything in relation to Muggles or their devices. So I suppose that'll mean it's up to you and me to figure out the path ahead — you didn't make any progress while I was speaking with any of them, did you?"
"I observed the small patch of land ahead and came to the conclusion that there are another two pieces of metal, similar to the first and hidden, by and large, from view," Elaine vaguely gestured ahead of where they were, near the entrance. "I would imagine there's a secondary entrance that we've not found. There oft are when it comes to mountainous strongholds. If we're loathed to go through this obvious entrance, we could search for others."
"Did you take a look at that door? Why would you think it's bursting out in small bubbles?"
Elaine shrugged, her eyes rolling at his question. She must have thought it absurd or pointless. "Does it matter?" she asked. "Mayhaps a troll punched it, or Muggle explosions went off. Whatsoever the reason, there's nothing within this mountain or across this world that would prove itself beyond our combined capabilities. Least of all with those others you brought along."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing," Elaine stressed, and then she patted the behemoth he'd created. "Unless you'd like to waste time, in which case I know a vastly superior way of doing so, why don't we make use of your creation and send it barrelling ahead?"
"No wards? Spells? Magic?"
Elaine shook her head at every word Harry said, and when no more came free of his mouth, she grinned at him, her tongue deftly swiping her bottom lip. "Not one trial by way of the wand, lover."
"I'll tell the others to hunker down behind their rocks. We should transfigure some earthen cover too, just in case there's an explosion… in fact, getting out from under this overhang might be wise too, just in case it comes down on us," Harry looked up, not exactly confident in the stone that was above him.
"If that's what needs to be done for us to move forward," Elaine agreed. She didn't have a hint of nervousness, she seldom if ever did.
Harry looked up one last time, and then he made his way over to Frank. The man could handle passing along his orders. When they were all good and ready, he and Elaine would lead the way into the structure ahead. If this was the resting place of another third or seventh or what have you of Grindelwald's soul, it would soon be destroyed.
All of it.
Harry entered with Elaine by his side, and through the main entrance. It was a risky move, twice over when they knew there was something dangerous ahead of them; the Muggle guns or whatever those things half-buried were. He didn't know if anything bad would come of them, Elaine didn't, but they shouldn't dally as they had.
Spells that keep the cold at bay can only do so much, and the fact that any person that walked through the various woodland paths need only look up to see them, their clothing not at all matching the white of the snow, didn't aid them any in making their choice.
"Are you op—"
He blinked when Elaine lazily waved her wand with her eyes on his. The door, large, metallic, reinforced, and strong, was opened of its own volition. Or at least it'd seemed as if it'd been opened on its own. It hadn't been, obviously. Elaine had simply sent the large, incredibly heavy door inwards with a flick of her wand. Likely as a show of strength for the others, or she'd just wanted to show off for Harry. Neither option was unlikely knowing her.
"Anything?" Harry asked once they were greeted with a long, dark corridor made from cement. He thought he saw metal sticking out from it too, but he couldn't be certain. It wasn't like he was a person that dealt with construction or the like all that often. No, that wasn't what typically interested him.
"Nothing thus far. Remember last time, lover? It was towards the end of our destination when all of our fun was had," Elaine gestured ahead, and before she could do so, Harry raised his wand and a silent Lumos was cast. Her response? A wink. "Ever the gentleman."
Harry couldn't help but allow a small half-smile at her word.
"If you're certain it's safe, ladies first. I'll stay right behind you and keep an eye out for any of those wires like we'd found last time," Harry said, not minding when Elaine went ahead of him. Her rear made for a good view and she was more apt to pick up the subtle hints of wards and the like whilst he was more inclined to see creations of the Muggle variety.
Based on the look she sent him over her shoulder, she'd deduced his reasoning. Last he recalled when they'd been back in those ruins in Belarus, she'd even commented on it. The only reason she likely didn't this go around was the Aurors he'd insisted come along. They'd be useful, he promised himself.
"Wait," Harry said before Elaine took too many steps away from him. "I want to check the back of the door and see what caused those bubbles to form in the metal — you're sure the area ahead is safe, right?"
"Incredibly. Worry not, Harry, I'm a big girl as you well know already," Elaine winked at him, the look be given as much heat as ever, and then she gestured for the others who were still near the entrance, to follow after her. She wouldn't lead them too far in, just enough for the door to close, the cold to vanish and for Harry to examine the back thereof.
One by one the Aurors, with Frank at the end of the group, marched on by. He could hear their teeth chattering despite the clothes and charms they'd cast, and as soon as he closed the door, he could practically hear the collective sigh of relief. It had dropped, the temperature that was, drastically.
Had it not, they'd have been more patient.
Harry sent that thought away and focused on the back of the large door before him. When it was closed and thanks to the light, he finally had the chance to examine it. The 'bubbles' as he'd called them, from this angle, weren't half as perfect as they'd been from the other side. Instead, they looked as if they'd been made through many a repetitive motion that had cost somebody an animated statue much like the one he'd made; the fist marks were evident, though the person's transfiguration magic… no, no that wasn't magic. It could be that perfect, certainly, but as Harry drew closer, he came to the conclusion that magic wouldn't leave behind what the fists of the creature that punched at the door had.
"Elaine. Come here for a moment, will you?" he called quietly to her, and after, he addressed the rest of the group that was with them. "Keep quiet, don't move beyond where you've seen the Minister go, and have your wands at the ready."
He didn't mean to make the younger, fresh Aurors nervous, but he had a feeling he knew what they were dealing with. If he was right… they'd be in for quite the fight. Most definitely.
"You needn't explain, I see it," Elaine said as soon as she'd reached him, here eyes seeking out the back of the door just as he had. "Better that than Muggle weaponry. At least with Inferi, we know what we're dealing with."
"Do you think they do?" Harry asked quietly as he gave a nod at their Auror escort.
"We'll soon find out," Elaine mused. One hand went out, deft, and dainty, as she plucked at a ripped piece of fabric that had been ripped by the metal of the door. "I wonder how many we'll have the pleasure of handling."
Harry huffed, turned away from the door with one last glance directed at it, and pulled Elaine along with him as they ventured back to the front of the group. He hoped there wouldn't be thousands, hundreds, or even dozens. Those creatures were dangerous, and whoever had come before them, had figured that out.