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Strangely enough, those figures ahead of them, didn't move. The smokeish quality of the air most certainly grew in nature as the seal that kept much of it back went away altogether, indicating to her that they had to be at-least something Inferi-like, if not the very same creatures outright.
He shared a look with Elaine, one that was totally silent given he didn't want to 'rouse' the creatures should they simply be in some sort of dormant or otherwise inactive state. Mayhaps some semblance of noise was required, or some other manner of trap was tied to them; were it meant for Muggles, perhaps the creatures would 'wake' when people moved past them.
Elaine looked over her shoulder at Corene after the glance given to Harry, and motioned for the girl to move up beside them. Corene did so with nary a delay, but her pace was slow and her steps as measured and graceful as always; so far as Harry could tell, they were silent as the creatures before them as well. The only noises he heard were the occasional dripping of water, and the occasional exhale of breath by way Aster — he wasn't in as good a shape as Harry or Elaine.
Corene peered past them then, and Harry watched her face as she did so, even if it'd not give him much in the way of hints given her lack of expressiveness. Still, he watched as her eyes took in the view before them, calculating as ever they'd been… and then she stood up straighter, the caution seemingly put to test as it gave way to her standing ready and without worry.
Harry's hand tightened around his wand then, for he expected at any moment then, an attack to come. Those creatures that had been dormant for so long, would rouse from whatever had befallen them, turn, and attack. He could already picture it in his mind — but that wasn't what happened. No, there was no sudden surge of undead creatures moving towards them. The things remained as they'd been, catatonic, or inanimate altogether.
Mayhaps they were mummies with charms or runes or some other form of magic placed thereon. Were it all an elaborate show of faux strength, Harry would be quite impressed, given the time it'd bought. Had there been anybody present, had the place defenders or occupants of any kind, such a thing would've been right smart.
But there was nobody here. Not now, at the very least.
"Strange." Corene said aloud the word, still standing tall as she was, and with her eyes on the figures. He noticed her wand was in-hand just the same as his had been at that point; she was ready to use it, the tip was already alight with a spell all but bursting out, but still, nothing happened.
Elaine huffed at that point and stood fully upright beside her cousin. "I was expecting a flurry of them with mayhaps a few traps or the like mixed therein. How disappointing."
"There could be magic on the corpses," Harry felt the need to say aloud. "Wards maybe, or something else."
"There could be," Elaine agreed with a grin. "And so we'll do as we've done before. You three will remain here, cautious and ready, and I'll go forth. Lover," — Elaine all but purred his name as she strutted over to his side and pressed herself thereagainst. — "You'll keep my darling cousin safe, won't you?"
"What about me?" Aster huffed from nearby with folded arms. He'd seemed quite content to stay in the rear. Fighting had never much been his forte.
Elaine batted her eyes up at Harry and used a finger to turn his face so that it looked at hers full-on. "As I said, keep my darling cousin safe. As for Aster, I suppose you can ensure he's fine as well," she kissed his cheek next, and then his other cheek, and right before she kissed him full-on, she stopped with her lips hovering but an inch away from his. "I'll be but a few minutes, and untouchable by anything physical. Don't try anything foolish should they move."
As those words were spoken, the eyes of the air bore into one another. Elaine's gaze was serious and commanding; she was all but ordering him to remain with the other two and ensure they were safe, even if she poked fun at Aster. That'd made him snicker after he'd gotten over the initial surprise.
"You'll be fine then, yeah?" Harry's voice was equally as quiet as he reassured himself via her words that she would, indeed, be completely fine if he did as she requested. "I can keep them safe, but I'll worry about you the whole while."
Elaine scoffed. "You've nothing to fear when it comes to me. I've said it many a time before, but I'll have you by my side in perpetuity," — she pressed her lips to his — "I hope you know I mean such words."
He snickered. "I haven't doubted you. I've seen more than enough to do that, haven't I?"
That seemed to make her exceedingly happy, for her visage grew happier, and she pressed herself more firmly against him. After a few more kisses pepper across his face and neck, she withdrew with as confident a look about her as ever he'd seen, waved to him and the pair nearby, and fell backwards, her own dark smoke filling the air as she morphed into it.
When she was good and gone, Harry heard Aster huff behind him, and so he looked at the other boy, awaiting words which were very quickly given.
"I wish she'd tell us how to do that."
Harry most certainly agreed.
Harry was seated near to the hole they'd made with Corene by his side, each with their wands still in their hands as they looked where Elaine had gone some few minutes earlier. Neither expected her to be back exceedingly quickly, not when she was one to venture forth and ensure everything was as she thought, and if not, why that wasn't the case thereat.
On account of the figures that'd been standing, Harry imagined were she to check each for signs of magic beyond that which had kept them giving off the smoke that they'd been doing, it'd taken a good deal of time. Five or ten minutes was his suspicion, give or take an additional five on account of what lay beyond the figures; if it was something interesting, one could be certain Elaine would venture forth and gleam whatever she could from them.
If it was but a path that went on, or perhaps something of a different nature that seemed as equally uninteresting — initially of course — then she'd make her way back to the others quite quickly.
He looked over his shoulder in the direction of Aster, who was covering the rear, blocked as they'd made it in the time Elaine had gone down. The other boy seemed quite pleased with his spot in the far rear of the group, going so far as to have pulled out a book which Harry couldn't decipher on account of the angle. Something Muggle, maybe, based on the lack of uniformity it had when compared to books the Magical world oft produced.
That could be helpful for other places they'd venture out to, but Harry didn't imagine it'd be very useful at present. Not when what remained seemed magical in nature. It didn't explain the presence of bodies or equipment, but Harry knew first hand how little went as expected in the midst of a war.
To think his original timeline had been troubled… it didn't even compare to that which he'd lived through here.
Harry cast his eyes back to the space before him. Much was hard to make out given the thickness of smoke and the way Elaine's seemed to meld thereinto, but he swore if only for a moment, he saw towards the rear of the many figures the swishing that'd signify motion. He couldn't be certain on account of the lack of light, it could be his eyes playing tricks on him, but he assumed that was where she'd gotten to.
That amount of progress would mean she'd be finished soon.
He shifted where he was seated and stretched, his arms going out wide as a stiffness in his back got worked over. Harry hadn't thought he'd ever think as much, but he was feeling old.
Corene shifted beside him then as well, her eyes watching the little item that'd allow Elaine to communicate with them, if she used it; that was rare and only oft in the case of something excessively important.
As his eyes went back to the space, and after he rubbed the water that'd formed as a result of his stretching therein, he blinked. Harry nearly went so far as to bring his hands back up to his eyes before he realised this wasn't a mistake his vision was having. No, the space before him, littered with figures as it still was, seemed distinctly less smokey.
"Corene?"
She cocked her head at him as her eyes rose from the object, to his face. No words came of her.
"Does it look clearer in here to you too?" Harry gestured around a smidge, especially pointing out the area before them rather than around or behind. "I think she's found something down there."
Corene examined their surroundings leisurely, her head turning slowly as her eyes analysed everything they saw. When she was finished, she nodded once. "Clearer," she agreed. "Wards were likely the culprit."
Well then, that was certainly easier than handling a few dozen Inferi, he reckoned. Not to him, of course, he'd never cared much for wards or how to handle them, but Corene and Elaine loved the subject, and each was beyond simply 'proficient' in handling them.
"Not very useful, were they?"
"Not anymore."
The two went back to silence then, content to sit and watch as much of what hampered their view slowly gave way, making their vision clear and clearer still, until all that remained at ceiling height, was one ball of dark-hued smoke that was moving their way from the far-side of the passage, beyond every figure — corpse — that was set standing.
It was a bit eerie now, knowing the 'figures' he'd presumed were Inferi were not more than dead bodies, propped up and kept semi-preserved so as to not appear skeletal.
He'd almost rathered the undead.
Harry shook his head and made to stand then, offering a hand to Corene once he was set; Elaine was making her way to them faster now. After Corene accepted his offer of help to come to a standing position, she set to work opening her satchel and picking through it for something specific by the look of her.
He watched for a few seconds as she did so, noting how many objects she seemed to shift aside. It was rather impressive for a space one couldn't fully enter… he supposed that was her other little satchel. Her and Elaine did so prefer to be prepared for everything under the sun whilst Aster was more akin to Harry, preferring to wing it as they went along lest there was something absolutely necessary to prepare against.
"Find anything?" Such were the first words Harry said as Elaine turned from smoke, back into her regular self once more. Asking how she was, if all was fine or the like would be greeted with a snicker or teasing remark.
Such was the reason he'd only occasionally ask after she'd gone and done something he would find to be dangerous or reckless. The look she'd give and the words she'd say were as flattering as they were straight to the point.
"Only a few wards of insignificance, and runes that have long since fallen out of use," Elaine tutted as she turned, rested her head on his shoulder and looked back whence she'd just come from. "It was exceedingly disappointing. Let's hope the sole passage towards the rear isn't."
He agreed, but before he could so much as utter a word, Elaine looked at him with a playfulness in his eyes, and with nary a second thereafter to think, he was just as smokeish as she was. From there, with her arms wrapped around him, and yet, wrapped around nothing, she took the pair of them to the far side of the passage with a laughter that echoed, yet sounded distorted all the while.
When they were back on solid ground not more than a few seconds later, her arms still wrapped around his person and a grin still on her face, Harry could but blink. Eventually, his whits returned to him, and so he prodded Elaine in the side.
"You're lucky I love you."
In an instant, light as it now was, her eyes darkened, and she smiled. He swore she even shivered upon hearing the words. "I love you too, lover," she reaffirmed her grip around his person. "Very much."
He jolted when she grabbed his arse for half a second, if even that… and then she was out of his arms and smokey once more, likely intent on going back for the others rather than navigate through the maze-like barricade the bodies made for.
Harry reckoned as she did so, he'd take a little peek at the passage she'd left him in, and so he did.
With his wand in hand, Harry started, slowly, down the path Elaine had taken a peek in. So far as he could tell it was clear of any sort of obstacle, trap or the like. In fact, it looked more put together than most places they'd ventured to — there wasn't so much as a crack in the wall, ceiling or floor, and there was certainly no sign of activity or a fight.
It seemed the place was just abandoned one day, as if the original owners had simply given up what lay in the depths. That, or they had been felled very quickly. Well, he supposed they could have evacuated too, but it'd be strange to do so without grabbing your treasures. Especially when it came to older families. They were the epitome of stubborn when it came to leaving behind anything of value.
Harry upped the Lumos he'd initially cast, curious if he'd missed something. It hadn't seemed the case, but an empty hall, totally empty, didn't make a lick of sense to him. With a huff, he reckoned if there were secrets, they'd only be discoverable via magic; he was more certain than ever this wouldn't house anything of interest, and as if to prove his point, he switched from persisting a Lumos, to something that would detect hollow-points. If that produced nothing, he'd move on to anything that indicated strong signs of magic next. He was certain if it wasn't one, it was the other.
And so he started with the hollow-point search with the area nearest to him, and it was as he did so that the second person was brought to him; Corene.
Elaine winked at him after dropping the slightly smaller girl off, and then, again, went back so as to grab Aster and bring him down so that the four were just that once more. Corene, for her part, immediately joined him in his search with nary a word said aloud. The spell that she cast as she did just that, was that which he'd planned on doing afterwards.
It made her assistance all the more helpful, but he supposed there'd never been a doubt about her. Corene had always been a constant companion worth having.
When they reached the halfway point with still little and less found, he huffed as he began to grow a smidge impatient. He'd have thought if there was something hidden, it'd be closer rather than farther; it's what he'd have done, given others would oft think the other way around.
"Nothing?" He reckoned he'd ask Corene, just in-case something had manifested, but she'd opted to wait until they were finished to bring attention to it.
"Thus far." Corene's response came without pause. "And you?"
Harry shook his head. "Nothing," the word repeated as it was, made him huff again.
Corene didn't seem incredibly surprised by the 'revelation' as she continued a bit past him, not pausing in her work. Harry followed after her, moving a touch quicker until he was right beside her as he'd previously been; he was hoping he'd find something the further they went along, but still, all remained empty with nary a sign of something hidden.
It wasn't until Aster and Elaine arrived, the pair only just manifesting — with Elaine holding Aster by his armpits rather than in a hug made for quite the sight — when Harry discovered something hollow right as Corene alerted him to magic having been found. He nearly paused to seek that space out… until he found a second hollowed out space opposite of the first one.
Again, Corene brought his attention to that area as well, signalling magic was present.
He reckoned they'd finally found something of interest. Harry was right glad. He'd have been annoyed had the place been an empty area with nought more than corpses positioned strangely.
That still struck him as odd even now.
"Two spots," Harry continued to the end, a metre or so away as it was. When that revealed no other hollow-points in the walls, and Corene too seemed to detect nothing, he let the spell drop as he walked back to the spot on the left he'd found — Corene went to that of the right, each doing so for the other pair's sake. "Each has magic behind it. Corene and I are standing right by where they are."
Elaine walked right over to Harry without so much as a second's pause, and with her wand in hand, tore down the stone that blocked their way. As soon as that occurred, she seemed to seek out the source of the magic as Corene had said was present; nothing was immediately visible and obvious to hair in that regard, but something else was.
A door. It was large, made from stone, and seemed to have one of those intricate locks that Gringotts had across the vault doors in their depths. Harry had heard before those locks were incredibly difficult to pick, and few people had ever managed to do so. But this one was smaller, and older too — if he wasn't mistaken either, it was a feat Elaine's self in his time possessed.
"What do you suppose it is?" He asked quietly. "A vault?" Corene's earlier words were still in his mind, and as she'd suggested then that the places beyond might be storage, he reckoned he agreed the further they went along. Why else hide something?
We are being a smidge raider-like… aren't we? The thought struck him after he'd spoken, given they'd taken items from every place they'd gone, sign of Grindelwald or not.
"A vault, ritual room, perhaps even the room in which they'd practise their magic," Elaine shrugged as she listed off a few ideas. "We'll be in all the same and see the secrets they kept hidden away — we'll do the same to the other side, and depart shortly thereafter. This place isn't one of value."
He agreed with that; this had been the worst place they'd sought out thus far. There was always the chance that changed if many items were beyond nought but the door before them, but he wasn't holding his breath.
"Not remotely," he agreed before taking a step back. From there, he offered up a hand to Elaine so that she might climb the few steps necessary up, into the space that she'd opened. The door was only six or seven steps away, but he figured she'd wanted a better view and he was content to hover behind her, wand at the ready should something jump out at that or happen as a result of the door opening.
"What a gentleman," Elaine couldn't help but turn after taking his hand so as to steal a kiss… or two, before she rose and all but climbed into the wall. She winked at him over her shoulder, threw her hair over that same shoulder, and turned to focus on the door, and the door alone.
He did reckon she was teasing him with the little constant swaying motion as she sought answers from the door.
Harry turned away after a few seconds, maybe a smidge longer, and looked back over to the other pair with them; Corene and Aster. The pair were moving slower than he and Elaine, each with their wand out and going over the exterior before they made for the contents therein. He wasn't sure what had made Elaine so confident as to do as she'd done aside from the fact that she was Elaine, but evidently, it'd worked out for them.
With a good, dexterous movement of his fingers, he began flipping his wand errantly about. The action gave him something to do other than stare at Elaine's arse, or Aster and Corene as they worked. Of course, his eyes sought out the maze which they'd come from time to time as well, but it wasn't a might he sought after all that much — he'd been through war, but that didn't mean gore or the dead were something he sought out by choice.
Harry shook his head, and not a moment later, he heard a noise come from Elaine, or rather, the door which she was working on. It sounded odd, similar to the sound that the Gringotts vaults made, but higher-pitched and faster; before he climbed in after her as she took a step forward, he looked one last time back at the other two.
They'd only just gotten the first bit, the exterior, out. Corene had done so from the right side as well, rather than straight on as Elaine had done. With a parchment in hand and a quill noting down what she said aloud, the other girl seemed to be observing the interior as a curse-breaker might do to an object of interest.
That was to say, very, very intently. He imagined that information would be reviewed when they returned back to their temporary domicile.
Harry flicked his wand, making the stone of the path they'd come down rise until it was at waist-level, and then with his free hand clutching the wall, he pulled himself up and after Elaine. That little barrier would hamper anything of subpar intelligence that attempted to climb over it based on how he'd constructed the wall, and it would provide some semblance of cover should anything be smart or possess Muggle weaponry — even magic, it'd be able to take on… so long as it wasn't something meant to destroy the material or counter his raising thereof.
He looked into the room which Elaine had entered after he saw a rather powerful Lumos cast, the light bright enough that it shot out past his person and lit up the space around the pair across from them. With a quick cast, he created a barrier, flimsy as it was, that would shield much of the light from disturbing his vision; it wasn't perfect, but it was a spell wizards had long used to counter the blinding quality of sunlight.
There were even items with such enchantments, but those were quite expensive.
Harry peered into the space as he finally made it therein, and turned. Elaine seemed to be examining, and thoroughly, the area around them. The light she'd cast was a Lumos that'd stuck to the ceiling above, and now, with her wand still in-hand, a faint pulsing emanated therefrom. It looked dark, whatever the colour of the spell was, and it rebounded around the room, seemingly taking in every nook and cranny.
Given that the room was empty, the work it did was over in a scant few seconds, and Elaine stood up, a smile on her face. "What we sought might not be present, but items of a different nature most certainly are. Let's hope they're interesting. I'll be cross if they're not," and with no chance for Harry to respond or further words spoken on her behalf, she leaned back, tapped her wand on the stone and watched smugly as the stone reclined before rising.
This time, in the little space that opened, there were items present. All of them were either made from wood or stone, and as intricate as they might look, they didn't seem to compare to the objects which his house possessed. It was obvious these were relics, magicless as they might be, from another era of the world.
Elaine tapped it again after sneering, the spell she'd cast silently likely one to detect magic; such was the way she placed value over the items they would come across. If they weren't magical and lacked any sign that they might hold knowledge therein, it was an item she didn't care to keep nor would she.
"How boring," Elaine grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the next space a few steps away. She positioned him a few feet back from it, wrapped his arm around herself, leaned back into him… and only then tapped the next bit of stone. As it extracted itself from the wall in which it'd been hiding, she looked up at him with lidded eyes and a happy smile. "Hi, lover."
He tightened his hold around her and brought his other arm to her other side, his wand pointing outwards. Harry had — nearly — always liked how lustful she'd become when the two were pressed up close with one another. It was a power neither knew why he possessed, but one that each was well content with. Elaine swore his touch alone was pleasurable and soothed any ache that she might have; stress, fatigue, all of it.
That might not be the same for Harry, but holding a pretty witch and feeling the affection she held for you did a different sort of magic to him altogether. One a bloke didn't know he needed until said pretty witch was peering up at him with a mischievous look of love.
"Hi."
Elaine's smile grew wide when his response finally came. "Did I stun you? Even covered in dust and dirt I still look far better than all others."
Harry wouldn't deny she was beautiful. At Hogwarts, many had considered her the most beautiful — most of the witches they'd compare her to had come from Slytherin as well. That hadn't really been the case in his era.
"Suppose you did," he said with a nod, and a near squirm himself as her soft breath continued to splash against the base of his neck. The sensation was entirely too pleasant, and their friends, now entirely too here. "Best get back to the room. I'll give you ten minutes."
Elaise rose a brow at that. "Ten minutes? And why's that?"
He turned her around and, with a spank, sent her a step closer to the bit of stone that'd been revealed and pushed out. "I'm apparating us back once that time's up."
Her grin was as predatory as ever it'd been before, and the way which she went about looting the rest of the room, was quick and without wasted movement. Harry grinned when they were done in nought but five.
When next Harry woke the following day covered by strewn about sheets and with Elaine's head resting atop his chest, her warmth and softness pressed against him, he found himself content to have a lay-in and think. There was no sign of birdsong from the outside world, nor light, but each had been enchanted against for security concerns; it was nice, but it meant he'd have to reach for his wand on the nightstand if he so desired to cast a Tempus charm. That was tempting… but Elaine was more so.
He wrapped his arm more firmly around her, kissed the top of her head and allowed his own to recline back into the cloud-like pillow.
As he did so, he thought of the raid they'd gone on the previous night. It'd been one of the places of highest interest, and yet, it'd been little more than a dud. There had been a few old tomes taken, a ritualistic bone-knife with magic therein and a few other items as well, each more useless than the last.
There had been no sign of Grindelwald either, which had been the sole matter of importance to Harry. If the man hadn't been therein, or rather, had he not left anything behind that might prove helpful, it was a trip without purpose; truly, all it became was a name which they'd cross off, now sure it was another deadend.
That would only go on for so long though. He knew they'd find the last piece of Grindelwald eventually, and when that was destroyed, Merlin, the things they'd be able to do — there were so many places to start, not the least of which was building their family and ensuring the Magical World recovered from the horrors of the war.
There had been thousands killed, and already, with the war in a cold state, Elaine was thinking of ways to fix that. She was convinced childbirth should see the witch paid rather than charged, and that Hogwarts should be free of charge for all as well. He wasn't sure how she'd manage it even if they pulled generously from their funds, but she'd have a way.
She always did.
Perhaps it'd start with much of what they'd taken from Grindelwald and many of the items they'd captured. A few vaults of the man or storehouses would do them good; he'd had to equip a force of wizards, after all, and doing so with enchanted clothing and the like was hardly cheap.
Harry knew from first hand experience just how expensive having a force of your own could be, given that he'd not only built one himself, but equipped it as well after the decimation of the Corps earlier on.
Elaine shifted, her eyelids fluttering open a scant few seconds later. When she took him in, tired and freshly awake as she was, she smiled. It was a look he was always pleased to receive, and sans any cosmetics, she was beautiful as ever; he quite liked her wild hair and pink lips most of all, before the former was straightened and the latter turned red.
"Morning."
She wiggled, eventually slithering atop his body before she ascended enough to have her lips match his. From there, she kissed him without thought, the morning quality of the pair not so much as a thought as their lips moulded together and her hair covered the pair. Being encased in that wild hair as they snogged was one of life's greatest pleasures, as was the smoothness and softness of her resting atop him.
When she pulled back, a little pant coming by way of their kiss, she swiped her tongue across her lips before responding. "Good morning, my love," she leaned down and made to kiss him, but when he made to do the same, she pulled back and licked across his lips — she pulled back with a giggle after doing so. "Thanks to you, I find myself in a mood this morning."
"Oh?"
"Yes," Elaine sat up, sitting astride his person as the sheets fell away. He'd lie if he said his eyes didn't wander. "I'd been having the most pleasant dream with you, the centrepoint of it. That was, until I found myself roused by a kiss atop my head, and the pleasure that shot through me is something you'll need repeat before our morning starts."
Harry grinned as his hands came to rest atop her hips. They were soft enough for his hands to press into and fill with her softness. "I think I can do tha—"
He wasn't so much as given the time to finish speaking before she descended once more.
It was near afternoon when the pair emerged from the grand suite together, dressed and ready for the day. There was little to do today aside from that what they'd been doing — go to the German Ministry, see what news, if any, was there awaiting them, and pick out those kept in the cells for interviews on the basis of highest ranking in Grindelwalds group, to lowest.
They'd eventually get through them all, but that'd take time.
No small amount of it.
"I'll go and seek out Corene to see what word she has before our ventures," Elaine pressed a kiss to his cheek after those words were said, and made to spin away.
Naturally, with his seeker-reflexes still present, he caught her hand, intercepted that spin and pressed a kiss to her lips. All their time together had seen him lose his restrictions around kissing her as he'd like — he knew she'd not complain, no, she was more bothered when he didn't kiss her, even if the circumstances to do so weren't appropriate.
After that little impromptu snog, he released his hold of her and grinned as she danced away, a flush about her cheeks. He was the only person in the world that could cause that; it made him feel as powerful as it did desirable towards her.
But he shook his head and continued on his way to Aster. The other guy would most assuredly have more insight when it came to Muggle traps and the like, and so Harry was determined to learn what those might be from him.
It didn't take long to find his friend, who was seated with a few of their personal Aurors sitting around him listening as he spoke of the first battle they'd been a part of — the one that'd taken place at Hogwarts. Harry didn't much care to hear the story told again, but he leaned against the archway of the door and waited for the story to be finished.
As soon as it was, he stole Aster's attention with a wave and motioned the other bloke to come on over. Aster, of course, did as Harry asked, but not before offering up his assurances he'd be back to recollect more tales from history after he was finished speaking with Harry.
Amusing as it was, Harry was happy to see some semblance of Aster's old self in action once more. Reinhard's loss, it'd seemed, was finally healed over… at least mostly; he shook his head lest that be a hole he fell into, and fixed his friend with a smile. "Doing well, yeah?"
"Better than well," Aster gestured around the place. "It's like a little vacation, this, isn't it? No memories, connections or the like."
In a way, Harry understood how Aster felt. In Germany as they were, it was almost like a fresh start.
One they couldn't actually take, but one the lot of them could enjoy while it lasted.
"Yeah, suppose it is a bit like a vacation. I just wish the food was better," Harry reckoned he'd just about kill for a fish and chips, and it'd only been a few days so far; he could only imagine how bad that craving would get as time continued to pass them by. "Glad to hear you're well too. Figured the four of us had earned a bit of a break."
"I'll never complain."
Harry didn't doubt that. He nodded to the hall with a grin and Aster followed after him, until the two were in one of the grandiose halls, and away from anybody else. "Figured I'd ask you for a tome or journal or the like — anything that you could put together to help us against Muggle traps and other weapons they use. We could pass it along to the Aurors as well."
Aster's grin seemed to imply he liked that idea a lot; anything to discuss Muggles, their weapons or anything else regarding the equipment they used.
Nearly an hour later, Harry found himself leaving Aster's side, the two finished with their conversation and the latter, Aster, having gone off to put together a guide. One that Harry could keep with him at all times, and one that could be distributed enmasse to the Aurors and Ministry Guards — Harry had told his friend to keep it simple since most others wouldn't even have a basic understanding, let alone a developed one.
It'd be a challenge, Aster had claimed, but Harry had immediately countered his friend by saying he was certain he could explain it easily enough for all to understand.
At the worst, he supposed he could have Corene go and read it, and if she was able to understand everything, then they'd go and give it to everybody else. That seemed like a good enough idea to him, and so he sought out the Floo. Elaine and Corene had, unsurprisingly, already gone to the Ministry to prep the documents needed — that included transcripts which they'd bring back with them of every interview they'd have for later review.
When Harry reached the Floo, he gave a quick nod to the two Aurors standing thereby before he grabbed up a handful of powder, and threw it at his feet as he muttered the address which he was going to. In a second's time, gone was the rather cosy interior of the manor they'd been temporarily given, and in-place of it, an atrium that was far more well-staffed than when first they'd stumbled upon it.
That'd continue until they were gone. Perhaps one day, when they were better manned themselves, Harry would have a small, token force stationed alongside their German and Yankee compatriots. It'd show the world there remained a united group ready to take action against evil, regardless of the form it took or words it spoke; Dumbledore, Harry thought with a wistful smile as he started towards the cells, would have liked the redemption of those who now stood shoulder to shoulder with them.
If only the man could've lived to see the world in a state of peace. It irked Harry beyond belief how he'd failed the man he'd thought of as a Grandfather.
He could've saved him. But he'd been too slow. They hadn't defeated Grindelwald, and for that, a price had been paid.
As Harry pushed open the door that'd see him soon enough at the cells, he pushed down the thoughts that oft haunted him, and took in the surroundings. If anything grounded him, it was seeing the walls of where he now was — this wasn't Hogwarts, it wasn't even his Ministry. He'd come so far, he'd done his duty as best he could.
It was as good a job as ever he'd do, were his memories — the important ones — kept from him.
He'd already begun to forget faces and names of those he'd known, years as it'd been; that was what struck him as worse than all other errant thoughts or pain-filled memories.
"Nice of you to join us, lover," Elaine immediately sought out a space by his side, rising from the chair she'd occupied beside Corene. There was a glass of tea, steaming and with a bit of unmelted sugar still therein that she brought with her.
"Sorry," he apologised as his hand settled in that familiar spot atop her hip. "Had a few things to speak to Aster about. It's all sorted now. I'll have something for you and Corene both to read soon enough."
Elaine arched a brow whilst Corene turned in her seat, her hands folded in her lap as she stared at, evidently giving her full attention. "Go on then. It's rude to keep ladies waiting." Elaine's voice was teasing as she took a sip of tea, her tongue swiping out for a drop that'd gotten caught by her lower lip.
He took a moment to ground himself, and got it out quick, as one might down a potion. "It'll prepare us for future Muggle traps and weapons — you both won't like it, I'm sure, but it's better if we all know what we're looking for rather than one or two of us. You both already agree too, given you found it necessary for me to take Arithmancy and Ancient Runes."
Harry had found both topics incredibly difficult, especially since he'd had to play catch-up the whole while, but he'd agreed with them, hence why he'd done as he had. It was better for him if he knew just what it was that he was seeing when stumbling across 'scratches' — Runes — carved into places.
Potions had been rather similar too, but Snape had done him in from early.
"I suppose there's a certain merit to your words," Elaine spoke in a tone that one might almost call wounded or pained, as if speaking them caused her harm.
"Is the book long?" Corene's question surprised him, but the downwards tilt to her lips didn't.
"Not very. I've told Aster to keep it to the necessities and not describe every single invention that one might see. I'll read it after he's done, and if I find it fine, I'll pass it along to the two of you before we spread it around in the Ministry," Harry reckoned it was a right good idea. It'd give their forces more preparation should another mad, Dark Wizard lead Muggles and Magicals into violence together once more.
Given this timeline would be quite drastically different once Grindelwald was done away with altogether, Harry could only hope his and Elaine's work would stop future crimes like those he'd committed from occurring once more; if they didn't, the way of the wand was always present.
He only hoped it didn't have to come to that all too often.
"We'll go over it together," Elaine stated, and when he looked her way once more, she shrugged whilst maintaining eye-contact. "You'll be there to explain any questions we might have, like the wondrous Wizard of mine that you are."