CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Monday was not the favourite day of any of the students or staff on account of many going to bed late on Sunday and then having to wake up in time for breakfast, but it had to be noted that the fifth and seventh years were for once actually looking forward to getting through the day until the scheduled Session Zero of the Revision Club. The tutors had spent some time at breakfast preparing a list of questions and a preliminary schedule, comparing free periods mostly. Harry and her friends had spent the first breakfast in a long while at the Slytherin table, with Loreley and their Gryffindor friends in tow, and had been amongst the tutors busy preparing. Rhona Percy had come over especially to discuss her ideas with Altair. Diggory, Gilbert and Langley too had cautiously made their way to the Slytherin table to join the conversation. Orion and Heron were taking a slight break, with Orion going over some of Harry's preliminary designs for the logo of Scythe and Raven.
"Just remember that this is just a first meeting to establish what each person needs in order to revise properly, the topics of concern and the times when each of us are free and are prepared to give up," Harry had reminded the tutors as they worked. "Do not stress too much. It will not be helpful to you, or the people you're tutoring. If your mind is too fogged, it will cause more harm than good."
"We are also establishing our teaching methods right?" Minerva questioned.
"Yes, it will give them an idea of what to expect from you as a teacher," Harry nodded as she nibbled on her toast. "But I would recommend not immediately giving them your stern looks, Minerva, or you'll scare them."
Minerva gave her friend a pointed look, then chuckled slightly. "Fair enough."
"I have a question too, Miss Evans," Edward Diggory piped up, from the other side of Orion.
"Fire away," Harry smiled at him.
"Will you be continuing with teaching the Patronus Charm?"
Harry blinked, completely blind-sighted by that question. A few of the other tutors had stopped working to wait for her answer. "Eeerm … I actually hadn't considered it, to be honest. I think we all have enough on our plate. Don't you think piling the Patronus Charm onto everything else is a little much?"
"Well, I know of at least six people who have conjured shields but they would like to try for corporeals," Diggory informed her. "Plus, it could help boost everyone's grades by a country mile as well as protect us in the future. Surely you also had a feeling that your teaching has been left … unfinished to an extent?"
Harry sighed and bit her lip, pondering Diggory's point. It was true that not everyone had successfully cast a shield or managed to get a corporeal – and that still wounded Harry's teacher pride, though she hated to admit it. She started drumming her fingers on the table; she did so for around a good minute. "Very well," Harry finally spoke up, trying to ignore the sound of a few relieved sighs. "When do you propose it is best to have the lessons?"
"Almost everyone is taking extra Defence lessons," Tom told her with a small smile. "I would not mind sacrificing one or two of my lessons."
Harry nodded. "OK then. As long as you don't mind."
"I would not have made the offer if I did," Tom reassured, the charming grin of his making a comeback. Harry smiled in return.
Internally, the Traveller really hoped that she would not regret the decision. Suddenly, she heard a loud hooting sound of an owl coming into the Great Hall; it seemed there was an owl who had managed to beat the breakfast mail owls, somehow.
"Heads up, Evans! Gringotts owl ahoy!" the Weasley twins chorused.
Harry's head sharply looked up to see that a handsome tawney, clearly belonged to the bank due to the medallion around its neck, was heading straight for her, carrying a large box and what looked like a bright red envelope. The colour caught her eagle-like Seeker eyes in an instant. Harry frowned. Was that a Howler? Why would the goblins send her a Howler?
The owl swooped down and carefully dropped the box it was carrying in its talons next to Harry, landed on top of it and stuck out its leg, hooting urgently at the letter, flapping its wings. Clearly, the bird was very keen for her to open the letter first. The red was making the Cursebreaker more than a little apprehensive. Harry's heart started beating faster as she reached for it, her hand visibly shaking.
It was in that moment that Harry suddenly remembered something she read in the law books she read during the summer. This letter wasn't a Howler; it was something she had hoped not to see so early on in her Cursebreaking career. The red envelope was only ever used in emergencies and, the one Harry had dreaded, missions that were practically top secret.
Harry plucked up the courage to actively untie the letter from the owl and break the golden seal, her breath still caught in her throat. The last time she was this nervous had been for receiving her O.W.L results and just like then, the Lady Regnant was dreading just unfurling the parchment.
Dear Lady Peverell,
I am afraid that I write to you with tidings you probably did not want to receive any time soon, however the situation is completely out of our hands. Every single one of our Cursebreakers have refused to take this assignment and we have no one else to turn to. The clients who came with this request are not the type of people one can easily say no to, especially when they requested an audience with the King. I will not lie to you, my Lady – the thing in the box is as about as dangerous as anything you have faced up until this point, perhaps more so than the portrait. A dossier and some pertinent information have been included inside the box with the item in question. TREAD WITH CAUTION AT ALL TIMES!
There is more bad news that I have to convey: by the laws of the Goblin Nation and by the will of His Grace King Ragnok, you are hereby ordered to work under the conditions stated in Statute 611 D. No room for negotiation.
Please forgive us, my Lady; our hands were tied. I wish you all the luck fortune can bestow on you in this matter.
May your enemies always fall at your feet,
Griphook.
Harry didn't even attempt to hide her shock at what she just read, her hand flying to her mouth in an instant as soon as she had read the crucial line: Statute 611 D – the one she had feared the most out of all the laws the goblins held most dear. It stated categorically that once a Cursebreaker was ordered to work under Statute 611 D, they were not allowed to ask for any outside assistance be it teachers, friends, family or their employers. If the Cursebreaker suffered injuries under the Statute, no one could be legally allowed to bring them to St. Mungo's or any other hospital.
It was the Spy Condition, as Harry had called it for herself.
Her friends had noticed Harry's abject horror and fear as the Lady Regnant immediately sent the letter up into blue flames, her hands quaking even more than they had done before.
"Harry? What is it?" Altair asked gently. "You look set to faint. What happened?"
Harry shook her head. "I … I am not allowed to say."
"What do you mean?" Orion frowned.
"Orion!" Druella snapped.
"I mean, I am literally not allowed to say!" Harry responded a little more coldly than she had meant to, seeing Orion flinch slightly. "If I tell you, I am breaking Goblin Law!"
Ophelia was the first to realise what Harry meant. "Great buggering griffins, they put you under Statute 611 D!"
"Statute 611 D?" Arcturus repeated, a collective confusion going around the group.
"It's a gag order!" Ophelia exclaimed, her hands in her hair, looking appalled. "My cousin Rollo told me about it once. Harry is not allowed to talk, show or even think about this thing in front of us. No help – nothing! Orion and Loreley will not be allowed anywhere near this thing, none of us are. If something happens to Harry, no one is allowed to bring her to hospital."
Eyes gravitated to the box in an instant.
Altair was furious. "What in Avalon have they sent this time that they put you under a bloody gag order?"
Harry laughed mirthlessly. "That is for me to find out." She got to her feet, picked up her bag and the box. "I will see you guys in first period."
Her friends watched her leave, undisguised concern written all over their faces.
"I don't know about you, but those goblins are going too far," Artemis stated, shaking her head. "She barely managed to find a way to de-Curse the damn portrait and now they have given her something that they literally can't have anyone else knowing about."
"I think they forget she's still a student," Minerva agreed.
"Well, I am going to write to Rollo and ask what the hell is going on," Ophelia put in, stabbing her fruit salad with her fork. "He owes me a letter or two anyway. He has been unusually silent as of late."
"He's probably just busy," Avery pointed out with a smile. "He is Head Cursebreaker after all."
Ophelia harrumphed. "He's always bloody busy."
"Ophelia, language," Walburga sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"I don't like this," Altair growled, his hands curling around his cutlery and his dark eyes flashing dangerously.
"None of us do," Tom answered shortly, "but there is very little any of us can do about this, no matter how much we may wish it. We have no choice but to honour the gag order."
"I say there is no use crying over spilt milk," Dolohov commented, finishing his toast. "Pev … Evans has been gagged by goblin law. None of us are stupid enough to pick a fight with the Goblin Nation so I say, drop the matter and let Evans get on with her job."
"As much as I loathe to say it," Ygraine said through gritted teeth, "I agree with Dolohov."
Dolohov blinked in surprise and smiled smugly.
All the while, both Malfoy twins remained conspicuously quiet.
As for Harry, once the box was safely hidden underneath her Invisibility Cloak tucked away in her trunk back in her dorm, she forced herself to focus on her lessons for the rest of the day. She was rather relieved at some of the grades she got back for her essays – two EEs and two Os, and her first O in Ancient Runes – as they were a more than welcome distraction. During lunch, Billy Prewett helped to distract her further by helping to gather some more photographs for her uncles' Yule project. Unfortunately the Charm on Professor Dumbledore had worn off by now so they didn't get another funny picture of the Transfigurations teacher.
Harry spent much of her free periods jumping from studying to sketching to hiding herself away in the archives to escape the agitated and fearful atmosphere that had descended around her friends, Tom and his Knights. Even Abraxas Malfoy had given her looks of sympathy, for crying out loud! The only ones who were at least acting normally were Mulciber and Dolohov.
Speaking of the Malfoy boy, he had given Harry quite a scare when she discovered that he had waited for her outside of the archive just before it was time to head to the Room of Requirement. He bowed his head slightly to her, an apologetic look in those odd eyes of his. "Forgive me for startling you but … Evans, may I speak with you a moment?"
Harry blinked at him as though he said, 'I went to feed the unicorns the other day'. "Sure, what is it?" she managed to eventually throw out, disbelief making an underlayer to her tone.
Abraxas shifted on his feet nervously. "It is rather a … sensitive matter."
Harry frowned. She was half tempted to say no, but she could see that whatever it was, was causing the Heir to House Malfoy to act in a manner that she had only ever seen in Draco only a couple of times. "Well, OK. Can we walk and talk?"
Abraxas looked slightly relieved. "Of course. Lead on."
Harry saw her friends gather their things for the Revision Club meeting as she and Abraxas passed them. Orion, Altair and Arcturus had frowned with undisguised concern when they saw Malfoy with her. "What do you want to talk about?" she inquired coolly.
"Well … there has been something I wanted to ask you," Abraxas had turned uncharacteristically nervous. "It is probably an odd question, most likely quite impertinent but … it's about something you once said at the beginning of the year. About you being put into a cupboard under the stairs."
Harry's heart skipped a beat. "Yes?"
Abraxas cleared his throat. "Was that … the only punishment you received?"
Harry paled. Then she suddenly remembered this was Loreley's twin, one who feared the powers he was born with. Powers that likely allowed him to See into the past. The past … oh no. No, no, no – surely Abraxas had not seen what Harry suspected he had?
However, given the ashen pallor to his face that was precisely what Abraxas had Seen.
Harry swallowed. "No, it wasn't the only punishment," she responded crisply.
"By your Muggle family?"
"Indeed."
Abraxas nodded. "Did … your parents know?" he asked cautiously.
Harry scoffed. Well at least here she could definitely tell the truth as well. "No, they did not."
"You never told them?" Abraxas couldn't believe his ears.
Harry shook her head slowly. "No."
"Why not?"
Harry smiled sadly. "There was nothing they could do about it," she answered truthfully. She then frowned. "Better question is, why in the name of Merlin and Morgana are you so interested in my relationship with my Muggle family? How do you even know it was my Muggle family who put me there? It could have been my parents for all you know."
Abraxas' jaw clenched slightly.
Harry decided to push a little herself at that point. "You said you feared a power you were born with. Now your mother is happy you're no longer taking potions. Plus, you're Loreley's twin brother so it is highly unlikely you have a common gift anyone can be born with. The potions lessened your powers, didn't they?"
Abraxas smiled wryly. "You're too smart for your own good, Evans."
"Well, logically speaking there is only one reason you would be asking some very specific questions on a topic that hardly anyone knows about," Harry shot back. "You Saw what my Muggle family did to me."
"I Saw enough," Abraxas amended.
Harry nodded. "You have told no one else?"
The Malfoy heir snorted. "Evans, you and I may not be friends but I do think I deserve a little more credit than that."
"Do you?" Harry half-sneered, one of her eye brows shooting up quite quickly. She scoffed lightly. "Considering your track record, I think that is rather debatable."
"Touché," Abraxas was forced to agree. "But I can guarantee if I had told Tom Riddle, Nott, Black or anyone else what I saw, there would have been a hunt for your Mud … Muggle family. But you should know for yourself anyone on the outside looking in with a normal, functioning brain would want to avenge what happened to you, whether or not they have issues with Muggles."
"You'd think that," Harry answered quietly. "The issue is … I did tell someone, once. Well, not directly." She exhaled sharply. "I told Ron's mother, with the help of Ron, Fred and George. The cupboard was my room for around eleven years. My aunt and uncle were eventually forced to give me a proper room because of our leader and the Resistance somehow knowing I was sleeping in the cupboard under the stairs, since both of them feared the man." The Howler Dumbledore had sent to Aunt Petunia in 1995 started to ring in Harry's ears faintly. Remember my last. Harry scoffed, shaking her head. "However that room soon became just as much of a prison cell. I ruined an important dinner party of theirs when I was twelve."
Bloody Dobby. Harry had loved that elf but at the same time Dobby had been a genuine menace, trying to save her life in her second year in his own demented way. The cursed Bludger was the one she had struggled to forgive easily; stupid, batty elf, why did he not keep to the promise of not trying to save her life again? Harry would always consider him one of her most loyal friends, no matter which time period she was in.
Harry laughed shortly. "I was blamed for a cake levitating into the air and then landing on the wife of the important guest. It hadn't been me but … they didn't care. Uncle Vernon was apoplectic, to say the least. So much so, he put bars on my window, put a lock on my door and had installed a cat flip to put my food through."
Abraxas' already snowy pallor paled further. "What?"
"Well, Ron, Fred and George knew something was badly wrong when I wasn't answering any of the letters that they were sending me," Harry continued. "I had clued them slightly in on what my home-slash-family situation was like. So, eventually, fearing the possible worst, they stole their father's flying car and came to rescue me, tearing the bars off my window. Naturally it had made so much noise, it woke my Muggle family. My uncle tried to stop me from escaping but – well, he soon ended up falling into the flower beds below my window as Fred hit the gas on the car."
Harry chuckled at that memory. It was still one of her favourites.
Abraxas' face lit up. "He fell out of the window?"
"Yep!" Harry gleefully popped the 'p'. "They took me back to their house, and we were caught by their mother Molly." Harry sighed. "Ron, Fred and George – even I did – tried to tell her everything. We told her about the bars on my window and she answered with, 'you had best hope I don't put bars on your window, Ronald!'"
"That was her reply to being told a twelve-year-old witch was being imprisoned by her Muggle family?" Abraxas could barely believe his ears.
"It was."
Abraxas scoffed. "Unbelievable."
Harry simply shrugged. She was rather happy that her friends, Tom and the other Knights caught up with the two of them; the subject was quickly dropped despite the fact there were lingering questions swimming in Abraxas' eyes. Loreley had openly shot a smile at both her brother and Harry – clearly she already knew what they talked about. The Traveller resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Edward Diggory, Rhona Percy, Ossian Gilbert, Rachel Langley and Tessa Prewett joined them quite quickly just as the grand doors to the Room of Requirement appeared in front of the extensive group of students, which took the five newcomers by surprise.
"Whoa," Diggory breathed.
"What in the name of Merlin's old cloaks have you found, Evans?" Tessa laughed.
Harry chuckled. "I see none of you have ever found the Room of Requirement, or the Come and Go Room as it is also known as. It only ever appears if someone has a real need of it, and is always equipped for the seeker's needs."
"I knew it was somewhere on the seventh floor; I just never found it," Ossian Gilbert commented. "Guess I never had truly dire need of it."
"Well, let's go inside and prepare for the fifth years to join us. No use standing out here looking pretty," Artemis stated.
Harry led the way inside. The Room of Requirement had turned itself almost into a miniature school within the school. The group had stepped onto a high-raised balcony made of beautifully carved wood, held up pillars that were decorated by vegetative patterns. The balcony ran all the way around the room and there were even several upper floors. The ground floor however was decked by a stunning red and gold carpet with a wheel of the Sabbath cycle in the middle. In one section of the ground floor there were several different potting stations for Herbology work. In another corner were several Potions benches with cauldrons and ingredients laid out, ready for use. Right in the middle of the two sections was an odd greenhouse with its door open, flanked by two trees of all things with sunlight somehow streaming into the room from it. On the walls there were diagrams, photographs and explanations of the anatomy of certain plants and magical creatures.
Harry spotted on the first floor the sections that were clearly meant to be used for Muggle Studies, Charms and Transfigurations. In one classroom there were different Muggle items, books written by Muggle authors and some mannequins wearing Muggle fashions. In the 'classrooms' next to it, there were several different objects laid out on tables, all meant for Charming or Transfiguring. Close to those 'classrooms' were the Arithmancy and Ancient Runes sections. Harry could not see the upper floors but guessed that they were meant for Defence, History of Magic and Astronomy. The Room had provided them with a whole lot more than it had during Harry's secret Defence classes, but Harry realised that this time it was definitely needed.
"Bloody hell!" rang the collective chorus.
Harry chuckled. "Awesome, right? It's like Hogwarts herself is on our side in this matter." Harry used her life force sensing to try and see how much time they would have to prepare before the fifth years arrived. War and her friends – coming from the Quidditch pitch. Others, common rooms. A few more were just leaving their extracurricular classes such as Art, Music and choir practise. They would arrive the quickest. The seventh years were coming from all corners of the castle; they'd arrive a little later. Harry reopened her eyes. "OK everyone we have around five to ten minutes before the fifth years arrive so let's get acquainted with the Room a bit."
No one argued. Gilbert, Minerva, Diggory, Loreley, Orion and Lestrange immediately went to acclimatise themselves with their sections; Percy, Altair, Ophelia and Langley did the same while the 'students' amongst the group drifted from one section to the other quite quickly, wanting to try and take everything in. Harry, Tom and Tessa went up towards the upper floors. The first 'classroom' was indeed the Defence room, with diagrams of Dark creatures around the room, bookcases that contained tomes on Curses, Hexes, Jinxes, Counter-Curses and battle strategy. There were even some menacing looking objects in a glass cabinet. Tom looked very pleased with the 'classroom' he had to work with.
"Perfect," was all the usually critical Head Boy had to say about it.
Up next was History of Magic. Harry was ecstatic to see that the Room had provided ample sources – primary and secondary ones – to work with as well as a clear, comprehensive timeline of certain events that ran almost all the way around the room. There were weapons of different sorts mounted on the walls as well as depictions from old duelling manuscripts, showing different moves and stances. It looked certainly more interesting than Binns' own classroom.
"Oh, yes, I can work with this," Harry confirmed to the Room gleefully.
Last but not least, right at the top, with a clear view of the sky, was the Astronomy 'classroom'. This one was possibly one of the best ones, on the account that there was a miniature Solar System being projected right above their heads. The carpet beneath their feet depicted the various different moon cycles. Like the rest of the classrooms, there was a blackboard, several comfy chairs and desks but there were also more than enough telescopes.
Tessa clapped her hands with glee. "This is so cool!"
It was not long after this that the fifth years had arrived, cautiously poking their heads around the door initially but once they saw what they were facing, streamed in, gaping to the point that they could easily start catching flies. They were soon followed by the rest of the seventh years, who were just as astounded as the fifth years were. Harry, Tom and Tessa quickly made their way downstairs once they realised the other 'students' had arrived.
War spotted Harry coming down the ornately carved staircase first. "Evans, what in Avalon's name have you found this time?!" she laughed, shaking her head.
Harry chuckled. "Hogwarts has many secrets, my friend, and apparently this one was one of the best kept ones. Welcome to the Room of Requirement – the room that gives you everything and anything you might need at any given moment."
"How did you find it?" a fifth year Hufflepuff with a sour face, blonde hair and blue eyes demanded, looking rather miffed that the seventh year home-schooled witch had found out a secret room in the castle.
"By accident," Harry answered cheerfully. "I needed a place to train and de-Curse the portrait with no distractions and was looking for one on the seventh floor when suddenly a door that I was pretty sure had not been there before appeared out of nowhere. I have been coming back ever since."
By this point Harry was coming down the short stairs to the ground floor, joined by the other tutors and she spun on her heel dramatically. "Welcome to Session Zero of the Revision Club. Now, I just want to make sure – are we all complete?"
The fifth years started counting amongst themselves before turning back and nodding in the affirmative. The seventh years were all complete as well. A few more sixth years, who had been eager to watch along and learn, slipped in quietly through the door at this point, apologised for their tardiness and had to gather their mouths from the floor when they saw the intricate layout of the Room.
"Good, we can get started," Harry clapped her hands together once as the Room, much to everyone's surprise, brought out some comfy seats for the students to sit in. "Now, in order for us to get to know each other a bit better, I think it is a good idea to start with general introductions of who you all are and what you expect from the Revision Club."
"Why?" the same snarky Hufflepuff demanded, folding his arms. "We are here to revise; what other expectation should we have?"
Harry stared the fifteen-year-old directly in the eyes. "Well, I suspect you expect the help that has been promised. You struggle with one or two subjects and you realised that you may need some outside help, thus why you decided to show up." She eyed him slyly. "There is a reason why you are struggling, correct?"
The scowl on the boy's face deepened. "Yes," he confirmed through gritted teeth.
Harry smirked. "Exactly. Now, I don't know Legilimency all that well, so in order for me or the other tutors to help, we need to know what the problem is from your own mouth I'm afraid. So, since you are so vocal, why don't you start us all off? Who are you and what do you expect from the Club?"
"I am Cassius Smith," the boy answered coldly.
Of course, I should have recognised that obnoxious attitude anywhere, Harry commented to herself. Merlin, she really did not like Zacharias, the slimy little toad. It had been most surprising that it hadn't been the Smith boy who had betrayed Dumbledore's Army to Umbridge. Harry still couldn't believe it had been Marietta Edgecombe who had eventually been the one to betray the DA to the pink demon toad who had tried to take over Hogwarts.
"Watch your tone," Minerva commented coolly, giving Smith the stern look she would one day be famous for giving.
Cassius sighed, unclenching his jaws slightly. "I would like to be able to pass History so I can just drop it for N.E.W.T level, I struggle to memorise Potion ingredients and properties and … I can't duel for toffee. I really can't think on my feet all that well."
"Well that's a start," Harry nodded as a giant blackboard appeared behind her and she began noting down everything Smith said. "Who's next?"
The tutors ran through every single person in the room with Harry taking notes on the subjects and specific issues each student was having. Very soon, she started noticing a pattern emerge between certain topics. Once she had around two or three blackboards full of notes, Harry turned back to the students. "Quick question: how many of you here – and I do want you to raise your hand truthfully – struggle with reading your textbooks? That you see words swim or blend into each other? Or simply have no patience for reading?"
Reluctantly, almost a quarter of the room, including Artemis, Octavius and Smith, raised their hands.
Harry nodded. "I thought as much."
"What is it, Harry?" Minerva asked curiously.
"Well, they appear to have the same problem as my friend Ron did," Harry responded. "He hated revising because the words gave him a literal headache. He was never a studious person by nature but his … frustration at having to read multiple sentences at least three times did get the better of him. So, Hermione, smart as she was, came up with a solution that helped to at least keep his attention for some time. Would one of you be so kind as to lend me one of your textbooks?"
Octavius immediately got up with his Care book and walked to the front of the class, very eager for any help at this point.
"Any particular chapter or topic?" Harry asked simply as she began flicking through the book.
"Take your pick," Octavius answered easily.
Harry nodded. "Close your eyes."
Octavius complied immediately. Harry decided to pick the chapter on hippogriffs. She took out her wand and pointed the tip directly at the text. "Recito!"
The text began to glow orange for a moment. Before long, a fun but calm and gentle voice began to read the information of the text out loud for everyone to hear. A smile spread onto Octavius' face as he listened to the melodic voice speaking the information out loud. "Bloody brilliant."
Harry smiled smally and did a quick non-verbal Finite, silencing the voice in an instant. "You see, people forget that the same study method doesn't work for everyone. Hermione revised by making clean, organised notes with military precision, but Ron couldn't and that was OK. He simply needed a different method and the Text-to-Speech Spell helped with that." She started walking around the classroom almost on autopilot. "But, this method also doesn't work for other people. There are some who need visual aids. Somethingthey can see for themselves. Then there are those who learn by teaching other people or to put it simply – they learn by actually doing the spell, ritual or potting the plant themselves. Others simply need the information to be given in easy-to-digest chunks. The issue is, the current ideas in academia is if you can't study in an orthodox method, you are considered to be stupid. Well, let me tell you – you're not! You are just wired differently."
By now Harry had made a semi-circle around the room and was standing on one of the staircases leading up to the Arithmancy and Ancient Runes 'classrooms'.
"How the hell do you know this?" Smith couldn't believe his ears. "How is it you figured this out, and not the professors?"
"Maybe because I am speaking from personal experience, and the professors likely never once considered there to be an issue in the customary study methods," Harry answered brightly. "I was never a studious person until Hermione showed me different study methods and told me to explore them, to see which worked best for me. Why else do you think I know what a flashcard is? Because I was amongst the people who needed to study information in bite-size chunks. I am also more practical and visual. Simply reading a book does not always work with my brain as it might do for others."
"Surely it has to be the case that we are simply not working hard enough," one of the fifth year Ravenclaws, a Marianne Davies, piped up. "I mean, after enough hours of practise it should be expected something has stuck!"
"Plus, none of us can ever beat Riddle, or McGonagall, and Black is a genius in Runes," a seventh year Gryffindor next to Ignatius and Septimus added. "So what's the point of trying to compete with that?"
Harry suddenly had a flashback to one of the speeches she made to Dumbledore's Army, where a lot of members had struggled with their own self-belief. Neville had been chief amongst them. The Lady Regnant smiled fondly to herself; Neville had really grown during the lessons and she had seen him gain more and more confidence with each lesson. Now it seemed, she had the same cut out for her.
Harry turned her attention onto the waiting students and her legs began moving again. "I am willing to bet some of you put in an enormous amount of effort into your studies, and yet you find yourselves struggling, even after putting half a day into your work, and then having to face the embarrassment of a bad grade despite all your hard work." A lot of faces contorted painfully at this; it seemed Harry had hit the nail on the head. "These exams are not a competition; you need to stop thinking of them as such. As for hard work, it is important, I do not deny it, but there is one thing that matters even more – believing in yourself!" Harry was by now standing on the entrance balcony. "Think of it this way," she continued as she was on the move once again, "every great witch or wizard in history has started as nothing more than what we are now; students! Had possibly the same struggles as each and every one of us do right now. So, if they can do it, why not us?"
No one dared to answer her, even though Smith did seem rather tempted.
"It is time I think we all gained a little bit more self-belief," Harry continued as she walked past the Muggle Studies rooms and stopped in between the Charms and Transfigurations sections. "That is what I think the Revision Club can help with the most. Time to stop letting ourselves be limited by what others tell us we can achieve, whether it be parents, teachers or our own damn bloody heads!"
There were a few overt nods of assent that she could see.
"We are all here to help each other," Harry continued calmly as she leant against the banister of the balcony. "Us tutors get to practise the knowledge we gain and all of you get extra assistance – I really don't see the downside, and apparently neither does the Headmaster. So, with that being said," she drummed the banister a couple of times and grinned, "shall we all get down to business with getting to know further issues and start scheduling?"
The fifth and seventh years were on their feet in an instant, joining the tutors for their subjects and soon the Room was filled with overlapping voices discussing free periods, evening lessons, possible weekend practise and exploring different study methods. Since practically everyone had signed up for History, Harry decided to accommodate her class around the other lessons her students were following; she waited until the schedules for the other classes had been decided before she had decided to host her lessons on Tuesday for the fifth years and double History on Friday for the seventh years.
Which meant her lesson was the first on the Revision Club's list, along with seventh year Ancient Runes and Arithmancy.
Once it was time to leave for dinner, there seemed a much more relaxed atmosphere around the exam-stressed students than there had been before. On the way to dinner, Artemis looped her arm with Harry's, grinning at her Slytherin doppelgänger. "Where did you learn to speak like that?"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked with a frown.
"The speech you gave," Artemis clarified.
Harry scoffed, flushing slightly. "Oh that? Some of it was just something I said to my Defence club as well when we were training. I never had formal speech training."
"Well it worked a treat," Heron commented from Artemis' left side. He studied Harry closely. "You weren't just some common foot soldier in your branch of the Resistance, were you? You were a General."
More like an empty figurehead for people to rally behind, she disagreed internally.
Harry scoffed. "They tried to turn me into one. Some General I turned out to be. I effectively abandoned my friends when Hermione, Ron and I were sent on a mission that we could not talk about – to anyone. It was Neville who picked up the pieces. He was more of a General than I ever was. I left them all without warning or explanation; what kind of General does that?"
None of her friends, Tom or his Knights had a sufficient answer to that question.
"There are times I wish I knew what was going on inside that head of yours," Minerva commented, "but then I remember what kind of life you led, and quickly I am rather thankful I don't know."
"Hear, hear," Arcturus agreed.
Safer topics were discussed at dinner though, much to Harry's relief. She distracted herself further by already planning the first lesson for the fifth years – the witch hunts of the fourteenth century and the Werewolf Code of Conduct would be up first since those were amongst the most complained about. She would cover the International Statute of Secrecy and the Medieval Assembly of European Wizards after Samhain. Now with the seventh years, Harry knew she had her work cut out for her because she had two years' worth of topics to cover; it's a good thing that the other tutors had unanimously agreed History needed a double period.
Planning her lessons was a welcome distraction from the little voice in her head that wanted to get cracking on the artefact for which she had been gagged. It was the first time in months that Harry genuinely did not want to deal with a Dark artefact.
However, as Harry went to bed that night, determined to try and catch as much sleep as possible, she felt a peculiar but familiar power coming from inside the box in her trunk, calling to her like a Siren's song. One she thankfully had managed to resist as she was dragged into the Realm of Hypnos quite quickly.
#######################
Rollo paced up and down his office, still utterly fuming and berating himself for what he had to do. His worst fears had been realised. To make matters worse, Ophelia had written a-nearly-Howler to him, demanding answers as to why her friend had been placed under a gag order and 'what in Merlin's unbaked dumplings did the goblins decide to send this time'? The furious letter from his cousin-practically-sister lay open on his desk, a constant reminder of the sin Rollo had committed. The Head Cursebreaker still could remember the letter she had sent him when apparently the Lady Peverell's identity, which he had been unaware of at the time, had been revealed at Hogwarts. The anger in that letter had nothing on the tone Ophelia used in this one. But, he knew very well he could not answer Ophelia's letter – the King and Griphook expressly forbade Rollo from mentioning his Cursebreaker work in any of his letters just in case anything could slip about Rollo's new double agent status.
Ophelia will never let you live this down, was the most prominent thought swimming in his head. Especially if this all goes wrong.
Rollo tried to shove the thought aside. But, next to the letter from Ophelia, was the telegram Rollo had read multiple times over.
The Hawk is soaring. Ensure that the package is delivered to our mutual friend. Do what you need to do to make sure it happens.
Fortunately the latter part of the orders did not need to be carried out. Once the Cursebreakers of Gringotts discovered what kind of poisoned chalice they were facing, every single person with their sanity still intact outright refused to even contemplate touching the Time Compass. Despite the fact that many of them had faced cursed tombs, fought magical creatures and battled mercenaries for some of their conquests, the Cursebreakers decided the Time Compass was a different kind of danger that none of them were willing to step into.
Rollo could not blame them for their apprehension. He likely would have made the exact same decision. But because of this, as had been decreed by the King, since none of the Cursebreakers had taken the job, it had been de facto given to the seventeen-year-old freelancer, who had no say in the matter.
Rollo had hated to admit it, but he was waiting at any given moment to see the frontline of the Daily Prophet to read: SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD CURSEBREAKER IN ST. MUNGO'S DUE TO DANGEROUS NEW TIME DEVICE.
If the Lady Hera ended up in St. Mungo's with her mind completely scrambled, not only would it mean House Peverell very likely going extinct fully, but it would also give Grindelwald the girl's exact location and with new patient records, her name as well. Leaving her entirely at the Dark Lord's mercy.
If anything happened to the Lady Regnant, Rollo knew that he would never forgive himself. For the first time in a long while, the stress and pressure got to the double agent. As soon as he had sent another telegram back to Nurmengard, the Head Cursebreaker, not caring that his guards could see and hear everything, collapsed into his chair and broke down into floods of tears.
Goldheart, who had later been discreetly informed of Rollo's emotional lapse, was wise and kind enough to make sure the spy had enough Dreamless Sleep that night.
####################
Music was once more playing from Grindelwald's study, the weather around Nurmengard improving ever so slightly – at least there weren't any more thunderstorms since the Dark Lord's last outburst. The new 'guests' in the castle had been shocked to hear Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (with Anyone Else but Me), Rum and Coca-Cola, Pistol Packin' Mama and Sing, Nachtigall, Sing amongst some of the songs the Dark Lord listened to. The man was waging war on Muggles and the Statute of Secrecy, and yet was listening to some popular Muggle tunes and singing along like he was preparing business meetings instead of raids. It was utterly surreal.
His supporters on the other hand were all breathing a sigh of relief; it meant the only thing they had to worry about now was Grindelwald complaining about his tea and dry cookies. As for Credence, it meant he had to worry about the next ridiculously colourful outfit his friend and master would insist he wear next. Merlin, it was like Grindelwald was deliberately trying to make him look like Dumbledore sometimes!
Credence, who was forced to sport a bright yellow, mustard coloured collared shirt over an indigo shirt, a bright jazzy tie with no coherent pattern to them whatsoever, white trousers and a ridiculous red jacket on top that day, joined Queenie and Vida in the parlour of Queenie's chambers. Both women were biting their cheeks, still trying not to laugh at the get-up their friend was forced to endure as part of his punishment.
"Not a bloody word," Credence had advised them for the hundredth time that day as he flopped into the only unoccupied armchair in the room.
"Oh come on, doll, you do make it look rather fetchin'," Queenie teased with a smirk. "I heard a few of our witches giggling at you today."
"They were laughing at me," Credence amended, brow furrowed and arms crossed, looking quite sulky.
"It is certainly better than the cowboy outfit from yesterday," Vida pointed out, attempting – but failing – to try and keep a straight face. She ended up once more splitting her sides laughing. "I never knew a Wild West look would suit you, dear Credence!"
Credence scowled at her. "How are you faring without your weekly shoe shopping, Vida?" he sneered. "How is it to have to wear the same pair more than once?"
Vida quickly recovered and pulled a face in disgust. "Awful. None of my pairs go with my new dress. The ignominy is almost too much to bear! At this rate, I will have gone from the most fashionable in the Alliance to the least!"
Credence scoffed, shaking his head. "Always the drama queen, Vida. So, I hear Gringotts have not only found the Cursebreaker another project, but that they have placed her under a gag order."
"Yes," Queenie confirmed, picking up her tea cup once more and sipping the forest fruit mix. "Begs the question what those creatures have come up with this time. Can't be no good if they order her to work completely alone."
"You think she's in danger?" Vida wanted to know.
"Definitely," Queenie smiled smally. "Doll, she was in danger the moment Gellert found her entertainin' enough to keep an eye on."
"But it means we also have no way of knowing what it is she's working on," Credence pointed out. "Plus, I doubt our spy would be stupid enough to risk leaking anything incriminating just in case everyone is still being watched. I mean, we still have his people locked up."
"True, Rollo Rowle knows better than to test Gellert," Queenie agreed with a small smile. "But at least we now know why he can't say nothin' – it will annoy Gellert, but there ain't nothin' he can do about it. He'll likely just send Rollo less photos than last time out of sheer pettiness."
"Speaking of sheer pettiness, is it true you replaced all of Gellert's chocolate cookies with English Digestives?" Credence wanted to know, smirking slightly.
"He needs to cut down on sugar," was all Vida responded with, her shoulders lifting into a slight shrug, attempting to appear nonchalant. "It's working well enough so far."
"I have reports that state otherwise. He tried to steal cookies from the communicators," Credence informed, completely deadpan. "He threatened to turn them into tea cosies if they did not hand them over."
"Nothin' new there, darlin'," Queenie pointed out with a grin spreading from ear to ear.
Credence sighed. "I still think you should allow him to have a cup of coffee again. His mood this morning was unbearable until Rollo's telegram came through."
"Was that before or after he dressed you?" Vida giggled.
"Shut up!"
"Before," Queenie immediately translated from his head.
Credence flushed red – whether it was due to anger or embarrassment, that was up for debate. "Queenie, stay out of my head!"
"Gellert had put him into three outfits before this one."
"Queenie!"
"What? I am just sayin', doll, that the flower shirt was actually rather good-lookin'. Made you look a little less intimidatin'."
"QUEENIE!"
As the Natural Legilimens and Gellert's first General laughed at the Obscurial's expense some more, the door opened and one of the lower ranked witches came in, bowing her head to the Dark Lord's three favourites. "Forgive the intrusion-"
"Yes, what is it?" Vida demanded coolly.
"Master Grindelwald wants you to go to one of the Dutch islands to make a visitation to an informant," the witch answered dutifully. "Texel, I believe it was."
"Great! Texel – the only things living there are sheep, cows and people who want to be Dutch without living on the mainland," Vida grumbled. "I mean really! It is just hedge, hedge, sheep, farm, more hedges, oh look some civilisation, German bunker, and then, more hedges. Not a single decent shop in sight!"
"What has this informant got to say?" Credence asked, rolling his eyes at Vida's antics.
"It's an update about the Resistance and the Flamels, apparently," the witch responded, swallowing slightly. "According to the message, the Resistance has decided to send the rest of Ambrose and Bradley's team to try and find them."
"Oh yes, task the idiots who lost the Flamels in the first place with getting' them back, that is definitely a bright idea," Queenie chuckled, with a hint of sarcasm embedded in her tone, shaking her head. "I am guessing this informant has an idea of where the incompetents are heading?"
"Yes, ma'am. They also have news about new targets for Resistance raids that we may be interested in."
"OK, then we had better get crackin'," Queenie jumped to her feet, eager to get back into the field to try and escape more of Grindelwald's complaining and his endless karaoke sessions.
"Master Grindelwald also wants you to bring back some appelflappen if you can," the witch added with a sigh. "Whatever those are."
"Of course, we also get a shopping list, the cheek of it!" Vida huffed. "Well, let us hope Texel at least has a bloody bakery that hasn't been bombed to smithereens. Otherwise we have to risk a trip to the mainland and I really don't want to be anywhere near the Netherlands right now."
"Do you think he will know if I change before we leave?" Credence asked as they made their way towards the door.
At that exact moment, as though it had been timed to absolute perfection, the dreaded sound of a Sonorous Charm had been cast. "CAN SOMEONE MAKE SURE CREDENCE DOES NOT CHANGE BEFORE HE LEAVES ON MISSIONS?!"
Steam was practically coming out of the Obscurial's ears.
"There's your answer," Queenie giggled, Vida splitting her sides laughing.
"I think I would take the Cruciatus at this point," Credence grumbled grumpily, unabashedly sulking. "There is no way I can handle two more months of this nonsense!"
"True, Samhain is coming up. He will likely dress you as a pumpkin," Queenie teased with an evil grin.
"Brilliant," Credence deflated, already dreading the coming days ahead. There was no way he would ever be able to live this down. He almost – almost – in that moment regretted ever stepping into Grindelwald's blue-fire circle seven years ago.
#########################
OK, apparently the phrase is now "happy Dark Lord, happy life", unless your name is Credence Barebone. Abraxas seems to have plucked up his courage to ask Harry directly; how will this affect their interactions in the future? As for our Traveller, she is avoiding her duty for now but it seems that it may not last for long… Will her resolve last? Stay tuned and find out!
Orion: I cannot wait to start teaching! This is going to be so much fun.
Grindelwald: You know what isn't fun? Not getting the cookie you want!
Orion: You already have your people going after Dutch pastries!
Grindelwald: I want my chocolate chip cookies though.
Harry *popping in and frowning*: They are still doing this?
Unfortunately.
Harry *grinning evilly*: Right, where are my Nose-biting Teacups?
Oh Merlin! See you in the next chapter guys. Harry, only ONE!
Kingmaker'sUmbreon