A/N: Hello people and thank you so much for your support! Anotha chapter!
A big thanks to my Betas and Discord Staff - Alec, Fox, Metzger, BaptismByFire and Zevoros!
Special thanks to Discord users: 5Firehawk, Guiding Moonlights, Kovacs, Dr Maou-Senpai, Post Mortem, Denduck, Wumjumba, Ac, R3, Shirokama, TrustTube, Zachary, JDH, Avatar, CJ07, Echoh, Elizabeth Wilbrooke, Jacks_, Kappe, Kryn_Womble, Mr. E, Pat, Plut0, Presno, Shawnjohn120 and Trop C'est Trop for supporting my writing and commissioning works!
Feel free to join my Discord for updates, giveaways (for those who actively chat), early access, information and now, commissions/free one-shot giveaways, link on my profile. Without any more rambling from me, I hope you enjoy the story!
(Sorry if you don't like the work!)
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE KIND REVIEWS. We now get so many that it's impossible to respond to all of them, but each and every one of you taking the time to speak your support mean the world to me. Please, by all means, speak with me in Discord!
Harry woke with a yawn and no small amount of sore muscles. Elaine had put him through his paces the previous evening and well into the morning, and by the time the two were well and truly asleep, the sun had just begun to rise and birds had just begun to sing. It was an entirely inappropriate time to head to bed, but, he supposed they could be decadent from time to time; it was a weekend, after all, and they were but young adults regardless of their positions.
Minister and Deputy Minister, Harry thought as his eyes fell on Elaine's sleeping form. Who would have thought we'd come this far together?
He extended a hand, cool but not cold, and brushed the errant strands of hair from her face. As one could imagine, there was many a strand that was wrapped around her ear or stuck against her skin from when she'd been sweatier. Harry couldn't help himself as he plucked one after the other from its spot and returned it atop her head.
I suppose I'll let her sleep. She'll be awake before too much longer, and then we can talk about those bits of property. I wonder how much she already knows about them, and what'll be a surprise… I suppose if it's her, there'll be very little that'll truly surprise her.
When that thought flashed across his mind, he couldn't help but be drawn back to the time he'd been the one to put her up against a wall and snog her. When he'd done so, she'd gasped and given him all the control he needed to snog her senseless, and it'd worked until she'd decided to give it back twice as aggressively.
He supposed, as he got up from bed and headed to the loo, that such a thing was normal for her.
When he finished his business and took another peek back into the room, he noted that she was still sleeping, and more specifically, that she hadn't shifted despite his having left. It seemed all those late nights and early mornings had caught up to her as they often did; there was hardly a weekend where she didn't catch an extra few hours of rest whilst she could. Even with his assistance, Elaine was still swamped with work.
I suppose I'll have to do more than I already have if I want to ensure she's well-rested… I suppose I could take care of one matter before she's even woken up too.
Harry walked a good ways away and once he reached the room he thought necessary, he summoned forth Laddey.
With a pop that was oh-so-familiar, the house elf appeared, smile and all. "What can Laddey do to help?"
"Could you go and speak with Corene, please? See if she's got anything new to give us, and if she doesn't, tell her I'll be going to speak with her within the next few days — I'd also like for her to send anything of importance regarding the Potters, Weasleys or Goldhorns, as soon as it finds her, should anything do so," Harry paused, thought with an arched brow, and then remembered something, adding the words as quickly as he could. "Breakfast too, please, Laddey. I'd like a nice spread, ensure Elaine's favourites are present too."
Laddey nodded. "Laddey will do as told!" and like that, the little house elf was off with a pop, the same, happy smile on his face when he left as when he'd first arrived. Harry had to wonder if the house elf could ever not smile, but the thought was banished as soon as it'd come. He was happy the house elves — all of them — were pleased in living with him and Elaine.
They were an all-too-often oppressed and underutilised component of the wizarding world, and he'd change that if given the chance.
In the meantime, however, he'd simply treat them as kind as he ever did. Harry nodded to himself, his thoughts lingering for seconds on the visage of Dobby; the funny thing was, he could barely recollect the other house elf's face. In his place, he just saw Laddey. It wasn't quite like that with Ron or Hermione, or anybody else, but he imagined one day, it might be.
The thought had his mood, which had been good at the start of the day, turn decidedly sour. Oh, how Harry wished he could return whence he'd come for nought but a day, just to see his friends, to check on them and tell them that he was alright. If he could do that, he imagined he'd well and truly be at peace.
But he didn't imagine that ever could or would be the case. The one time he'd brought up the topic of travelling through time, Dumbledore, a kind and good man, had warned him away. Harry had learned, in a roundabout way, that there were others that shared his experience.
As he read through various papers, his mind elsewhere, he wondered just where the others like him had gone. Had they failed in their missions and been recalled? Had they succeeded and been whisked away to fight some other battle for some other being? Maybe they'd been killed or taken away, forced into hiding, destroyed completely and utterly.
There really was no telling. It wasn't like he could just ask around or find the answer in a tome. If only it was that easy.
Harry huffed, and shortly thereafter, panicked as he nearly knocked his glass of tea into a stack of paperwork. He got very fortunate that the stack had been too high and he'd been too fast.
I can't be getting too distracted, Harry thought as he sent his cup of tea onto a nearby table, where it'd be all by itself… aside from a few candles or another, old mug of tea that he'd kept there more as a trophy than anything else. It was old, and it belonged to Reinhard. A keepsake was necessary in his opinion, and it helped him remember his old, fallen friend.
Once he ascertained the safety of the old parchments and maps, he set back to reading them. There were a good few trails that had existed at one point, and they'd need to be restored before he restored the other buildings, he reckoned. A cemetery… the cemetery, there were bound to be secrets in it based on what he saw.
Not for the first time since he'd found the thing, he wondered if the old tomes Laddey couldn't or wasn't able to grab, were tucked away there someplace. Soon, very soon, he'd be able to tell for once and all if there was. He could even do so by himself if he wished to, but keeping Elaine involved in the process and doing it with her seemed, well, important. They'd come so far, there wasn't any reason for him not to trust her.
Harry grabbed another parchment, one that he'd only scanned through before Elaine had come home the previous evening. There'd been mention of a stable at one point, but it hadn't mentioned for what and he'd not found anything. Threstals were a possibility, horses were too. But then again, this was a magical world, one that seemed to be more plentiful and powerful than the one he'd gotten used to, so maybe there were other creatures that had once inhabited it as well.
There truly was so much to think about, so much to discover, if only he'd give it the time and resources.
And he would.
Harry pushed aside the parchments and letters he'd just received. There was little from Corene, and when it came to the families he mentioned, the Potters, Weasleys and Goldhorns, there was precious little available, and nothing of importance therein. Of all three, only the Potters seemed to be making any big moves; they were seeking support in the Wizengamot to form a new political block.
He was pleased there was a weekend that, for once, seemed like it'd be peaceful. At the same time, he was more than slightly disappointed that nothing new had come from the Grindelwald front. They didn't have an unlimited amount of time, no, it was very much finite, and they couldn't afford to waste it.
But it seemed like that was what they were doing when every lead, regardless of how reliable the source was, turned out to be fake or a dead-end. Merlin, did he wish he could just find Grindelwald and kill him for good. If that happened, he could finally rest and relax, and everybody else in the world could take a breath.
It wasn't just the Ministry of Great Britain that was worried; the French, the Soviets, the Yanks, the rest of the Commonwealth, just about everybody was nervous that he'd reappear in their country. He couldn't blame them either, not when he'd caused so much wanton destruction for the 'advancement' of the Magical World.
If he truly cared, he wouldn't have committed massacre after massacre of magical populations throughout all of Europe. Few countries had been spared, but even they were angry and terrified of the monster of a man; some even feared the lasting impression he'd leave behind in regard to followers or imitators.
Harry wasn't worried about any of that. Nobody could ever be as dangerous or problematic as Grindelwald could be. It was only Elaine who could prove to be so, and so he imagined, for there wasn't any doubt in his mind that she'd fail to turn into something evil so long as he was present.
And he would be. Now, and for quite some time in the future so long as he could help it.
There was a snap that nearly made him jump, and by his side stood Laddey. Harry looked at the house elf and stood up, speaking as he did so.
"She's up?"
Laddey nodded emphatically, with his little ears going all about. "She's up!"
Harry smiled and patted Laddey on the shoulder as he moved past him. "Thanks, Laddey," he said. "You're a good friend."
Laddey's smile back was all the response Harry needed. As always, the little guy was just happy to be called a friend. Moments like those almost broke Harry's heart as much as they made it; every house elf deserved to be treated with kindness, the same as most Werewolves, Veela or the like.
There would, obviously, be exceptions. Harry could remember the werewolf that had followed Voldemort, and whilst the name eluded him due to the passage of time, it was enough of a warning as he needed.
Harry shook his head to rid such thoughts from their confines and moved through the hall at speed until he found himself in the doorway that led into his and Elaine's bedroom. Upon doing so, he saw that she was leaning up in bed, yawning and stretching, and still somehow as dishevelled as ever despite his efforts to fix her hair whilst she slept.
Her hair's just as stubborn as mine sometimes.
"Morning, love," Harry greeted as he levitated over a cup of tea to her; a cup of tea did wonders for her mood, he'd learned. Even if she insisted she was a morning person and didn't grow cranky. "It's noon before you ask."
Elaine took a long sip from the tea, her eyes partially closing as she did so whilst her hands wrapped firmly around the glass. He imagined the heat of the tea was just as pleasurable as the warmth of the glass it was in.
"As oft they say in Witch Weekly, my lover, I'm so very lucky to have you," Elaine said, her tongue peeking out to catch a single droplet of tea before it could fall down her face. "Won't you join me for another massage? I find them positively divine in the morning when freshly awakened."
He could see the look in her eyes and had to fight from giving in.
Merlin, was it close.
"This early in the morning and you wish to go for a walk?" Elaine inquired, a brow raised as she gazed at him from behind a steaming cup of tea. She wasn't impressed, and likely would much rather spend her morning reading the various newspapers and letters they had in abundance. "I suppose this isn't something that could wait?"
Harry shrugged. "I've scoured the property an—"
"And found the various ruins across them. Yes. I figured they'd come up eventually, but I thought it best to leave them for another time," Elaine interrupted. "Were they anything of importance, I imagine we'd have found out. As it is, whilst I suspect you've already examined them on account of the time you've had here, I take it now you've not done so in fine detail."
"You'd be right, and I agree that they probably aren't anything important… but after Laddey presented me with a few old tomes last night, tomes and maps in which I was given more information, especially regarding the cemetery, I've come to a train of thought — what if there are hints or help scattered all around us? We've got two of the Hallows, and if the stories are true, that alone is already an absurdity… wouldn't you want to look and be certain?"
Elaine huffed and took a long sip of the tea, the heat not doing so much as making her wince. "Very well, lover. I'll humour you," and she got up, dancing past him in the direction of the hall, her hands gliding across him as she moved. "Don't think I won't get something out of it — perhaps a public ceremony to showcase our bond and love. Yes, the tarts that think they could take you from me would be so delightfully angry."
Jealous as ever, and no less possessive. I can't say I'm the least bit surprised even if the rest of her other traits have improved.
"If you think making me snog you at some ball or gala is a form of payment, please, tell me what else I can buy from you. I'd like to cash in daily if we could work out some sort of payment plan."
Elaine, already fleeting as she continued away from him, had her answer echo through the vast, empty halls of the manor.
"Be careful when voicing your desires, lover. You might just see them come to fruition."
The tone, the song-like quality with a sprinkle of temptation… it was more than enough to send Harry right on after Elaine.
And like that, a game was made as the two twenty-year-olds sprinted through the halls and corridors of Peverell Manor. It was an ornate and historic place of great value and significance, a home that had once housed, perhaps, the most powerful family alive for a time, and now, it was home to Harry, Elaine, and the shenanigans they could get up to. As he chased after the pale, dark-haired temptress who was like a ghost in the way she appeared through the home, he couldn't help but wonder what the Peverells were thinking watching them.
Would they be angry with him? Had he stolen their wealth and name? Misused it? Had he done well and earned the Peverell fortune and all that came with it? And finally, should he even care what they thought about him? They hadn't seemed like the greatest sort of people, though, he imagined most weren't all that great when you looked back from modern times to the past.
It was with that thought raddling around in the confines of his head that he struck out with his old Quidditch-like reflexes to grasp the pale, cold, feminine hand that had been reaching for him. Elaine's grin as he pulled her flush against him, their eyes peering into one another, was all he needed for his previous thoughts to be lost altogether.
"It'd appear I've been caught."
Elaine's eyes dipped betwixt their bodies, her gaze lingering on how she was squished up against him, and then those dark eyes of hers sought out his lips; from there, her gaze flicked endlessly between his lips, and his eyes.
He wasn't sure if she was doing it on purpose, or if she was simply that joyous at the thought of kissing him, but it was hard not to snog her senseless and lose another few hours of the day. If he did, if the pair of them let themselves go, well, it wasn't like there was anybody to chastise them. Least of all whilst they were in the positions they were.
Her eyes flashed, and Harry noticed it a moment before she struck.
Elaine's strength soared as she exerted herself, and in an instant, she'd tried to yank free and dance away again, giggling all the while. Unlike was oft the case in such attempts, Harry didn't yield, instead, he pushed them back and back and back, until, Elaine found herself pressed between a wall and his body.
Her face, ever-so-slightly upturned on account of his very slight height advantage, was filled with mirth and her chest was heaving from the exertion, or thrill; of which he couldn't tell. Harry could only take note of how her eyes flickered so quickly between his own, his lips, and the way even now he had hold of her to keep her fixed firmly in place.
"Daring, are we?"
He snorted. "There's not exactly a Professor around to scold us, or reporters to snap a picture. Nobody sans our friends knows where we live, and even then, I think only Corene could figure out how to get here," Harry leaned in, their faces inches apart. "And besides, you started it. Figured I needed to show you that you won't always be winning these little games.
Elaine's tongue peeked out from behind a pair of pouty, blackberry-stained lips as her eyes flashed. "You should show me what happens when I lose, lover. Give me a reason to avoid future infractions, lest I unknowingly commit them again."
Her tone was practically a purr, and by the way that she was rubbing herself against him, it didn't take a genius to guess what she was after. But it wasn't time to play around. Not for the moment, not while his thoughts were aligning and he had a good goal in mind and the time to spend on achieving said goal.
Harry, much to her dismay and his own displeasure, took a step back. Once he righted himself, he reached out to adjust her shirt, then, he spun her around and gave her a swat on that nice arse of hers. The jiggle made him smirk through the words that followed his action.
"Get a move on and we'll do whatever you'd like for the whole evening."
It didn't take a genius to figure out that such words weren't the wisest when spoken to Elaine. Ah well, he'd figure that out in the evening, and it wasn't like the torture she'd be putting him through wouldn't be of a nature he didn't mind in the slightest.
Elaine's fleeting glance as she darted through the door was one of wantonness, desire, and of course, promise. Promise that she'd not forget what he'd said, nor what he'd done.
Harry figured, as he and Elaine were walking across the dirt path — something she insisted upon to take in the land and what he'd done to it with about an hour of work altogether — that things could do with more sprucing up. It was work he wouldn't mind in the slightest, but it was time he didn't possess.
Laddey. Laddey would know where to get more house elves, and Harry would treat them as kindly as he treated all of the others. Momsey would have company too, and that would, hopefully, stop her pestering him and Elaine to have children; that'd be wonderful too, considering Elaine was incredibly for that idea.
Grindelwald wasn't even truly dead and she'd already considered having their first child within the next two years.
Harry nearly tripped and stumbled when Elaine, likely knowing what was going through his head, looked over her shoulder and winked at him. The action was surprisingly coquettish for a girl who'd typically just walk over to him, fist his shirt and snog him until she was satisfied. It wasn't like back in Hogwarts, but even now, it still wasn't that far off.
"You've worked wonders, Harry," Elaine said, the usage of his name rather than a nickname speaking to the level of pride her tone possessed. "I dare say this level of land restoration and transformation would take most days to complete."
He couldn't help but crack a grin at that. "Equals, yeah?"
"I said it from early, none can surpass us, and nobody will ever come close to being the type of match we make," Elaine's tone shifted, the affection and pride shifting to something a bit more manic; he didn't like how close to the surface that was. "We were made for one another as if by magic itself. I loathe to think what I might have done had I found you too late in life, but you've come to me. You've come to me from so very far."
Does she know everything? Harry thought for a moment, a minor splash of panic welling up in him. No. She knows my name, she knows a bit about the being I'm convinced is still partially in my head… but that's it.
"Lucky for the both of us, we found each other early," Harry said with a smile and upbeat tone as he jogged so as to walk alongside her. Naturally, as he spoke again, his hand found hers and took it up in an instant. "We're not too far from the place now. See the tower?"
Harry pointed it out, and in nought but a second, Elaine found it thanks to his guidance.
"At one time, I don't believe any trees would have been surrounding it as they currently are… and to think they're taller than it now. Fascinating," Elaine regarded him for a second. "I would think this must have been decrepit for centuries. Your thoughts?"
After how bad it'd been, not to mention the gravestones he'd restored… Harry agreed. Centuries, it had to be.
"I'd say the same," he answered before he started them off again, down the path that would lead to the mound where the most important bit was, or so he reckoned. "Now that we're here, what do you think about the place? You know more about ancient ruins and the like than me, so I figured if there'd be a store or anything of the like nearby, you'd know where best to look in the chance that we might find it."
Elaine preened at such words, her nose raising and her chest puffing out. "Words of flattery are very welcome, lover, and as a matter of fact, I would know where best to look if we'd like to find something. Come, follow me, We'll start atop the mound and from there, we'll see if there's anything that might be easily identifiable; they'd make for good locations to search."
In an instant, they switched from him leading, to her, with Elaine's wand now in hand with incantations on her lips. Harry watched as she searched for signs of magic with spells new and old, and smiled to himself when she concluded the exact same as he had. Whensoever the two were right together, there'd always be this little burst of happiness that seemed to echo between them.
It might just be a shared smile as a result, but it was a joyous one that left that warm feeling behind.
"Not very many graves, are there?" Elaine remarked, her eyes drifting from one to the next.
"Don't imagine they kept up with their family sizes all that well."
"Most families don't," Elaine's curious look morphed into one of suggestiveness. "We'll not make that mistake, just as we'll not make any other."
Well, he thought. I don't disagree with that. I doubt we'll make any actual mistakes that result in problems for us though. It's us.
Harry didn't mean to sound that arrogant either, but really, he and Elaine combined truly were too much for anybody to handle. If Grindelwald had failed to beat them, what hope did some random wizard or witch have? It was a comforting thought, especially since he knew he could keep the peace and enforce it if need be.
"I would think a hidden passage might exist that could lead us into the mound, perhaps to a true tomb."
Elaine's voice rang out whilst he'd been thinking, her last remark ending the conversation they'd been having, albeit only for a short while.
"What makes you think that?"
She gestured to the graves. "They're atop a mound surrounded by what once might have been quite the structure, but observe them more closely. Would any suffer that the most important of their family be buried in a swamp, especially the most important of them?" Elaine gestured to the side opposite the entrance. "There, perhaps. It'd not be a horrible place to tuck away the entrance to a tomb — to think we've had another we could've gone in howsoever we like."
"Certain it's there, are you?"
"Please," Elaine said with a scoff as she pulled him toward her, the grasp she established being used to pull him in the direction she'd pointed. "There's bound to be something of use nearby, I doubt they'd suffer otherwise."
Harry, in truth, agreed, he was simply trying to peer into her thought process. There really did have to be something here for them. The museum back at Peverell Manor wasn't horrible, 'tis true, but there could be so much more; the Peverells were a family of great renown and, at one time, especially feared.
So where was everything that might establish that fear? Where were the spells, items or records they'd kept in the work they'd completed? Sometimes, Harry wished he could simply summon anything, regardless of where or what the circumstances might be. Life would be so much easier, but no such spell existed, or if it did, it hadn't ever been publicised.
Maybe he could invent it… eventually. There was a chance the hallows combined could hold such power, but he supposed that depended on him going out and getting the last one from the Potters. Even now, he didn't imagine they'd willingly hand over something that was so important, least of all if they knew just what exactly it was that they possessed, and he imagined that to be the case.
Props to Marcus for not using it all throughout Hogwarts, though I imagine I don't necessarily know if that's the case, Harry nearly snorted as he followed Elaine along a path of her own design; there wasn't a quick route to the area she'd indicated earlier. I wonder if Elaine knows anything about it… or if she's aware he could have been listening in on her or watching her back at Hogwarts.
As she paused, her wand out as she examined the surrounding ground, he figured she probably did know at least a portion of what had just gone through his mind. If she hadn't, Marcus' earlier words spoken years ago regarding Elaine and how she always caught him whenever he broke the rules, probably wouldn't have been spoken aloud.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder if she knew just what the cloak was that they possessed. A thought for after they cleared the area, he reckoned.
"Anything?" he asked aloud as Elaine kept up her movement, the girl practically gliding to the right across the marshland.
Actually, upon closer examination of her feet, she was very literally gliding across the ground. Huh. He hadn't so much as seen her use a spell that'd allow her to do so. Merlin, she was quick and efficient when it came to magic. Such a level of mastery was beyond impressive, he'd always readily admit.
"Not so much as a whisper of hidden secrets," Elaine pouted, her arms folding as she lazily rolled her head to look at him. "You should keep out of the muck too, lest you desire a wash upon our return home."
Harry looked down, at the ground. It wasn't as horrible as it'd previously been, but it was still wet and muddy, with the ground visually shining. Ah well, he didn't imagine it was anything that couldn't be dealt with — the bugs, on the other hand, were something he could very much keep warded away with all types of charms and other such spells; spells of this nature, or to repel just about any creature, were oft some of the oldest spells still around.
"I planned on washing when we got back anyway. I'm a bit sweaty already, and I reckoned before the day was over, we'd get up to something together even if we are just staying on the grounds around the home," he paused when a flash of something suggestive flashed across her face but continued before she could cut him off. "I mean trouble, you know."
He was surprised she didn't think along the same lines that he had. Whenever the two of them were together, there'd almost always be some level of mischief. It was like the two when together, attracted all sorts of misfortune.
Elaine arched a brow, opened her mouth, but paused and shook her head with nought but a look sent his way. She needn't say what she was thinking, and the both of them knew that. Harry could easily enough tell what she was thinking.
"You can't blame a w— ah," Elaine interrupted herself, her head snapping to the place before her with her wand still hovering before it; all thoughts and actions regarding what she'd previously been doing were dropped in an instant. "It would appear, my love, that your suspicions weren't baseless. I've found a hollowed-out point of the hill."
Harry couldn't help the grin and surge of adrenaline he felt upon hearing those words. If they'd actually found a hidden vault, one that'd been under their noses all along… he could only imagine the implications. He was an idiot for not checking sooner.
"Trapped?"
Elaine shook her head. "It's without any sign of magic save for the enchantment that keeps it hidden," she turned to look at him again. "I don't believe they were very worried about outsiders."
"In fairness, I don't think it was outsiders that did them in," Harry looked past her, at the area she'd indicated. "Should we go and take a peek then? I have to admit, I've been hoping for something like this for quite some time."
"You seek the same answer I do."
"The Hallows," he said.
Elaine smiled, her thumb swiping possessively over the ring in which she'd gifted him the jewel of, and later, a copy of that very same ring. "Mayhaps the truth will finally be ours."
"Let me go first," he found himself saying as Elaine began to trace her wand on the mound before them. He was walking towards her when he spoke again. "In case there's something that we can't detect or a Peverell spell — I trust you not to let anything happen to me."
"Your faith's very pleasing, but I'd rather you follow me, for I can ensure my safety through various other means that you can't. Not until those rituals you've been collecting tomes of are finally acted upon," Elaine stuck her tongue out, a teasing expression on her face when she continued speaking. "I'd be more than pleased to aid you in enacting them, should you decide to do so. All save for one ritual. I'll not let my source of heat leave."
Of course, that's her reasoning. I'm her basking rock in the morning.
The thought of a scaled Elaine with a forked tongue lying on him in the sun made him laugh. Elaine's expression wasn't offended, if anything, she looked amused whilst he laughed a few seconds to himself. When he was finished, she made sure to look him in the eyes before the entrance was forced wide open and she stepped inwards, not allowing him to do as he'd previously requested.
Harry tried to say something, but she was already walking without a care in the world, into the mound that led to who knew where. He huffed, shook his head, drew out his wand and followed after her; Elaine had gotten so good at listening, but even now, there were times she could drive him mad with her recklessness.
As he followed after her, he couldn't help but snicker. This must be how Hermione always felt whenever he and Ron got involved with something bad.
As soon as he stepped in after her, it was like all of the outside light, was swallowed. It almost reminded Harry of the Inferi and the conditions that surrounded them, but there wasn't fog, just a dark, cold, stone-made hall that wasn't half as large as he'd have thought.
"There's two little corridors, one per side," Elaine remarked from the shadows; Harry nearly cast a spell as soon as she spoke, but she beat him to it.
Light. It was almost blinding was it nought for the fact that all forms of lighting, magical or not, seemed to slowly be devoured by what could only be described as the ravenous darkness of the area. Elaine seemed to take that into account based on the concentration her face bore as the light seemed to stay almost at a constant level of brightness, one that wasn't at all distracting or too dim for them to see.
"Suppose we check again for traps before we continue?"
Elaine blinked at him. "Do you truly believe there'd be traps in a place such as this?"
"We've found traps in weirder places."
"A fair point, but I'm of the opinion that this place was thought to be impregnable," Elaine pulled him, again, by the hand in the direction of one of those caves. "If I've learned something very important about Purebloods, lover, it's that they're very arrogant. If they thought themselves safe, completely and utterly, there'd be no reasons for traps."
I suppose nobody's found us even today. Not even Grindelwald… I suppose they had a reason to feel so arrogant until they were all killed or died off naturally.
Maybe the answer to that question as well as all the others could be found nearby.
"Pick the path, then. If there's a system to it, I know well enough by now that you'd know it."
"Such wisdom, lover~" Elaine sang as she started off, her arm looping through his so that the two could continue down the left path that she'd chosen. "I'll keep you nice and close; the cold and your handsome, rugged face will ensure that — ah, yes, that does remind me, you needn't shave every day. I quite like the roughness."
"Of course, you do," Harry said aloud with a shake of his head as he stood up straighter. "Why do you reckon it's so dark down here? It's a bit weird, isn't it?"
Elaine rolled her eyes, visually waving away his concern. "Purebloods as I know them are creatures of tradition and the utmost habit. If one person decreed something vital nine centuries ago, it means more to those families than the words any hero might utter today."
"Strange, that, isn't it?"
"Perfect," Elaine answered. "Were it nought for the words of long-dead people of importance, I'd have found it far more troublesome to garner support amongst those in which I did so. Mayhaps, I'd not be half as far along as we currently find ourselves."
It was a strange thought, that, but one that he didn't disagree with. He didn't know everything there was about Purebloods, but he knew enough to know that she was speaking the truth.
"Think we could figure out the spell? It'd be pretty useful, fun, even."
Harry didn't get the answer to his question before Elaine huffed, the light of her wand growing brighter right as they neared the end of the path they'd chosen. There were these little statues that lined the wall, and stone tombs only visible by their heads pressed deep into the wall, and in such a manner that it was easy to miss. Harry wasn't quite sure why the graves were so important in comparison to those above, but it was a mystery he intended to unravel.
"The others we've been to had items scattered everywhere," he observed, Elaine's earlier silence giving away just how focused and curious she truly was.
"The others were of a far more primitive, rustic, manner than the Peverells of old," Elaine answered, her eyes finding his own in the darkness; he swore her visage was the most animated he'd seen it be outside of a fight in months. "One can only wonder as to the treasures buried with their fallen owners. Mayhaps there are hundreds of thousands of Galleons around us."
That seemed like it was a bit of a stretch, but altogether, she wasn't wholly incorrect, he figured.
"We should just take a few peeks — you can detect if there's anything magical, but I don't suppose you can check for things of the non-magical sort? It'd be tomes and the like we'd be after most of all."
"Sans checking the tombs the traditional way, no, my love, there's nothing I could do that'd leave the corpses undisturbed. Luckily for us, aside from the usage of the stone, the Peverells weren't heavily into necromancy," Elaine paused, a jesting sort of look on her face when next she spoke. "I suppose that's only when it comes to public knowledge."
"I've never seen much about it. I'll start with the right and you take the left."
Harry didn't want to waste time, least of all on a day off when it wasn't Ministry time; the latter, he considered to be problematic on account of all the useless parchment he'd have to sign or see to.
"We'll go back whence we came when we've finished. I'd suspect the opposite path to be much the same, but maybe there's a secret within a secret."
That'd be brilliant. This place so far, well, cool as it is to look at, the thing's been pretty unhelpful.
It went without saying that Harry had expected far, far more from the Peverell 'crypt' as it were. From the others they'd seen alone, he expected all manner of traps and spells that had been lying in wait for centuries; there was nothing of the like. Quite simply, the young couple were in the dank, stone-carved place of rest for the members of his 'family' that'd been more prestigious than those who rested above.
Harry was completely and utterly disappointed in the discovery, and suddenly, he didn't feel half as bad as he initially had when he'd discovered the graveyard. It would have been horrible if so many potential answers had simply been a few hundred meters away from him for years and years.
He sought out the first of the dozen or so tombs that were near him. With a gesture of his wand, the large, incredibly heavy stone that acted as the final resting place of some ancient Peverell, came toward him. It stopped sharply, the stone inches from his person, and with as easy a wave of his wand as he did previously, the lid was off, and Harry was given a few of the interior.
It wasn't any surprise to see that the corpse was but bones, the cloth nought but remnants, and the items within, by and large, were of symbolic importance. It was the only reason he figured a broken wand, a stone with letters carved into it and other such trinkets were inside; the wand, had it been whole, could have been quite the find.
Harry looked at the corpse for a few seconds, and then, with a flick of his wand, all was undone and the corpse was back to its deserved rest. When he figured there was nothing to take temporarily, the reason for having the body out and in the open air had evaporated; he went through the next ten far more quickly, and like the first, not one had anything that proved worthwhile for the youthful couple.
"How intriguing."
Elaine, at the very least, didn't seem to be in poor spirits. The frustration that was wearing on him was completely absent, instead, Elaine seemed all the more interested when their initial efforts proved fruitless.
It was as they were walking back whence they came when one sentence summed up her thoughts on the matter.
"I'm so very pleased the matter wasn't so cut and dry. It's far more exhilarating, chasing something, and upon retrieval, the joy is nearly indescribable."
After those words, she giggled and rested her head on his shoulder, occasionally swatting his rear when she figured he was moving too slow for her liking. They could have eternity, and Elaine would still be in favour of moving quickly, only pausing when it was absolutely necessary.
"And to the other side we go," Harry said aloud, as they crossed the centre hall once more, this time, headed in the opposite direction.
He hoped it'd be more fruitful, but if he were honest, he doubted it'd prove to be.
Ah well, he thought as he withdrew from the first sarcophagus. We've got three other areas to examine next, and this land, I know it has a secret tucked away. It's just finding it that's the issue. But we will.
Together, with Elaine, they'd find the truth of any secret, defeat the strongest enemy of any type, and in the end, they'd come out all the stronger. It was simply the way of life, and the new time in which the wizarding world found itself in.