January 10, 1945
Sunday Afternoon
"You said it takes your blood when your hand comes in contact with the handle?" Corene asked curiously, her hesitation more noticeable than he ever thought he'd witnessed from her before.
He nodded once in return, almost immediately thanks to his shock, and continued. "Yeah. Whenever I've touched the handle, it swipes out with this absolutely tiny razor or needle. I've never felt it, the only reason I noticed it was because it had me nervous and curious in regards to how it worked," Harry looked a bit put out at that point as he rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck. "As helpful as seeing that happen was, it didn't get me any closer to figuring out what happens or why my blood lets me in."
"Not unless you bring up that book," Corene pointed out, hanging onto his words regarding a book one needed to sign for 'full' access to Slytherin's study.
"Not unless I bring up the book he makes you sign, yeah. It had a few other Peverells in it, obviously from a long time ago, and then there were people from House Gaunt or other very old houses. Most of them are extinct at this point, if I recall correctly," Harry was pretty sure that was the case, but they'd see it before too much longer.
Merlin, did he hope that Corene wouldn't tell him the book was evil or similar in nature to Voldemort's journal. That would be the worst-case scenario, especially as it meant there wasn't a Harry to save him - Ginny was lucky that he had lucked his way from harm when that Basilisk was revealed as it stood… the Basilisk answered to Elaine, right.
Ah well, that was another potential aid when Hogwarts was breached as Elaine was so sure it'd be in the next few days. Grindelwald wouldn't be able to handle the pair of them, a Basilisk and the numerous other advantages that being in the Chamber of Secrets gave them. If Harry was certain about one part of dealing with him, it was most definitely the dozens of homeland advantages they could enjoy.
Who does he think he is? Grindelwald made a mistake coming to Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore isn't here, but I'll make sure the school and all the others stay safe; Corene, Aster, Reinhard, all of them together deserve the best I can do.
Harry supposed everybody at Hogwarts deserved to be saved, but there were certain people he would absolutely have to see as a priority. It wasn't right, he knew that, but the future could still very well hang on the heads of one of his friends.
"Unless you have a reason for me to avoid putting my name in it or picking it up in the first place, I would very much like to examine it," Corene finally said, clearing her throat as she stood up and made her way over to him. "The book that you must sign for complete access and a blood test, is there anything else that we'll need to keep an eye out for?"
"The Portrait," Harry blurted out without thinking, his hands immediately jolting upwards an inch or so before he stilled them.
He supposed it was better to be safe than sorry, and while he had nearly forgotten - or purposefully omitted - details regarding the portrait, he had promised himself only moments earlier to tell her the whole truth regarding the room. Corene was intelligent, incredibly so to the point that he figured she was this era's Hermione in a decade of geniuses, and so if he had her mind to help him he would be all the better off for it. Besides, it wasn't like he had to go at it alone, all he really had to do was keep the key points of his very being a secret.
It sounded so easy just to avoid saying; 'Hi, I'm Harry Potter and I don't come from your time'. In reality, it wasn't so much the avoiding of stupid instances such as that but constantly avoiding messing up your last name, one that'd been drilled into your mind for years along with your true birthday or events you remembered that were vital for your own time to form.
"The portrait feels… off," Harry said when he realised he'd gotten distracted again. "I've seen the one in Slytherin's chambers, you have too, and the one in here just looks, well, very different. I'm not sure if it's a type of magic I'm unfamiliar with, if the portrait is him at two different ages or if they're altogether different people. I was hoping you could shed some light on that when you saw him."
Corene's brows furrowed cutely and a few seconds later, she was very clearly pondering something. He didn't have to wonder for very long what that something was before she spoke up. "Is this the last potential defense or piece of noteworthy information in regards to this room?"
Harry nodded once. "Yes, that's all."
"Describe the man, please, and do be sure that you leave absolutely nothing out regardless of how minute or pointless the detail is. Art has a tell and wizarding portraits are no exceptions," Corene finished and moved over to the door so that she could loiter next to it, her attention back to being solely on him despite the occasional shifting of her foot in the direction of the exit.
"He's tall, taller than the both of us at least and he seemed younger. I would wager in his forties or fifties, unlike the one that seems Dumbledore aged in the Chamber. Other than that, he's wearing the typical set of robes you always see Slytherin wearing in any depictions of him and the details seem very accurate," Harry paused and tried his best to further recall the man, snapping his fingers together when he successfully did so. "His voice is deep, rough-sounding too and his patience isn't that good. Whenever I came back, be it days later or weeks later, he would always complain that I wasn't taking this serious enough."
"You would visit him every few days at times, wouldn't you?" Corene asked, her gaze as sharp as her mind.
Harry shifted to his right foot. "Yeah. I would come here late at night, when I needed peace and quiet or when I fancied a bit of extra studying. These spells, all of the ones in this study almost, they're older ones that I've never come across outside of the books I read them in. The few that aren't seem like they were created by people who used the study before I did. It makes me wonder, sometimes."
"What does it make you wonder?" Corene questioned intently. "You've improved vastly in recent times and by this point, it wouldn't be wrong to say that I trust your gut feelings. Share with me what you're thinking about if you'd be so kind, and I could offer up my assistance in the matter. It's why you told me in the first place, I suspect."
Corene wasn't entirely wrong. He hadn't needed to tell her about the room, there was always the choice of playing ignorant should her grandma bring it up but otherwise, he could've continued keeping it a secret. As tempted as he had been to do so, he had seen how he was slowly getting more and more stressed out, Grindelwald's invasion solely for Harry didn't help matters any.
He needed somebody to confide in, go for assistance in all manners and most of all, that somebody couldn't be Elaine for obvious reasons.
"You're right," Harry said, smiling faintly at Corene as his eyes drifted over to the door, half expecting a person to be stood in it based on how long they'd already been talking. When he saw and heard nothing, he turned his gaze back over to her and continued on with his speaking. "There were only two people who recently used this room to study, and one is more than likely dead. The other, she may be pretty surprising to you."
Corene cocked her head and hummed monotonously, a feat that impressed him considering how the sound generally seemed softer. "Would it be my mother, maybe? One of my numerous cousins?"
"Your grandmother that you share with Elaine. She was in here, and that's another part of the reason that I told you," Harry said the second half of his sentence sheepishly, grinning at Corene as he rubbed at his right elbow. "Really, I would have thought she would tell you about this place. It's hidden away nicely, has some good knowledge in it even if it feels lacking at times but most importantly, the findings from those who came before you make everything so much easier in advancing regardless of your curriculum."
Corene cocked her head at his statement, her hair now hanging from the opposite side from where it'd been cocked earlier. "That would be very interesting and incredibly beneficial if that were to be the base. Most of those who come before us look for ways to do things simpler than their predecessors, hence the reason for most spells constantly changing motions and incantations," Corene finally rolled forward using her weight and moved slowly towards the door, tossing a look over her shoulder at him in the process. "We're ready, I presume?"
Harry took in a breath, but he nodded. "If you're ready, I'm ready."
Corene smiled at him, looped her arm through his as was a normal happening by now and led them onwards… until the point came where he had to take over, which wasn't all that much longer after they made their leave from one of Corene's secret rooms.
"This… room is the one that Salazar Slytherin built a study in?" Corene asked, her voice pausing when she'd looked around the dust-covered, small, dank-smelling and thoroughly ancient classroom. "I would have thought the mightiest of the Hogwarts four would have used his renown and gold to build something a bit more desirous if not outright over the top."
"I thought the same thing," Harry said with a grin as he moved between the twin pillars and over to the all too familiar door. "Here it is - I still think the pillars with snakes winding down them is a cool tough too. If only more of Hogwarts had them, especially when their eyes are glowing like they are now."
"You appear to be see- I see," Corene said, correcting herself midsentence when Harry's hand touched the door, thus sparking the eyes of the snakes along the pillars to light up as they'd always done before.
"Come on, get in before anybody else sees or hears. I'm always careful about it," Harry said with urgency, rushing the girl before him into action so that she didn't get the pair of them caught.
"My apologies, the enchantments that went into the light of their eyes alone is beyond anybody in Hogwarts. The visuals were so astonishing, I thought them to be real snakes come to life or animated defenders much like people always claim the suits of armour are," Corene then stopped speaking as her eyes traced from wall to wall the entirety of Slytherin's study.
It's a bit small and only has one chair, but we can fix that easily enough.
"Well, what do you think?" Harry asked eventually, watching Corene very closely as she looked back over to him from the large desk at the foot of his secondary bed.
"I think there's much that could be learned from a library as ancient as this one seems to be. Truly, Harry, the ancient texts at the furthest side of the room could date back to over a millennia ago. Knowledge as pure as that is hard to come by, and magic altered by Slytherin himself or those taught by him is just as likely rare," Corene walked over to the perfectly made bed and pressed the back of her hand cautiously to it.
When nothing seemed to happen that he nor she could see or hear, the girl slowly lowered herself rear-first onto the mattress. Corene was wary, her hands ready to shoot her up and off the bed at a moment's notice, but such an action wasn't needed. There wasn't anything evil or wrong about the comfortable sleeping arrangement, and when she saw that, her small smile that was filled with an innocent, adorable curiosity grew larger.
"This room feels suffocating, the spells practised within the confines of these walls and the new spells created here have left a mark. You feel it too, don't you Harry? It's the reason you've not been coming all that often whether you realise it or not," Corene motioned towards the farthest side of the room, whereupon further examination, there seemed to be a feeling of sadness coming from it.
Harry blinked and then he swallowed, the latter action filled with nothing as he steadily moved closer to the source of those uncomfortable feelings. "What is it?"
"An echo, maybe," Corene said, not moving from her spot on the bed as she watched him move closer to it. "Contrary to what you and Elaine both seem to think, I don't know everything. My knowledge comes from dozens of sources, hence the speed of it, but those sources aren't in every field, especially not one as rare as this phenomenon."
Phenomenon… that doesn't sound great, now does it?
"What do you mean by that? You've made it obvious when I look for it, but just like when Elaine mentions all these feelings or auras nearby, I really have to focus to see them. Is there something I'm missing, something I missed out on in the first few years of Hogwarts?" Harry's question dragged on as he asked it, his annoyance creeping into it in the process.
He couldn't help it, not when Corene had finally lost it and joined Elaine in the 'feeling' something game that the former enjoyed playing with their bond. For once, Harry wanted something that was more easily dealt with - Grindelwald, Elaine's feelings, Corene's contract, all of those had been difficult so he figured he was owed a freebie by now.
Hear that madame higher power? Give me some luck, something, anything, yeah?
"No, Harry. You understand how some people have a natural affinity for certain schools of magic or how some are born to be a seer, yes?" Corene asked, the epitome of patience as she gazed unblinkingly at him.
"Yeah," He said, nodding once as he was halted a good dozen steps from the source of the fleeting emotion. "I'm better off with Defence and Charms, I'm not bad with Transfiguration either. Are you saying that feeling magic is along the lines of a natural affinity or ability, like a m- the people who can change shapes or hair colours?"
"I'm surprised you've heard about a Metamorphamagus all things considered. They're quite rare even if some houses are responsible for many of them. I don't believe your family had any proclivity for them, nor does mine, but that's a workable comparison," Corene tapped her forehead dead centre, her lips ticking back up when she followed that action up with a big stretch. "I was fortunate enough to be born with that gift and as such, I have an easier time with mind magic or other mental affecting abilities, creatures or spells."
Harry exhaled with a minor groan.
He had wanted to learn how Corene and Elaine had done it so easily and in a way, he supposed he had, but it didn't help him any. Those people who had an affinity for something or multiple somethings - people like him - were lucky. Those that had any natural aid were lucky, really, but Harry would have traded in Charms for mental magic in an instant; if only that infernal being had given him the choice.
"If you focus your mind, use your Occlumency as you've been trained and seek out the wisps of memory long since severed from their host, you can feel them," Corene took in a deep, calming breath and closed her eyes, seemingly showing him exactly how it was done as her body went near-perfectly still.
Harry huffed but made to mimic her; he closed his eyes, took in a deep breath despite the staleness of the air and he focused inward. Elaine's presence, the little bit of her that always seemed with him was as receptive as ever, but that piece of her wasn't what he was seeking and so he pushed further.
Nothing.
He pressed on, freeing himself from the presence of Elaine as he forced his mind to focus on the room he was currently in.
Listen to me. See what I want. Know what I want…. bring me to what I want.
Over and over again, Harry repeated those words as he directed them towards magic, the being or anything else that could hear his thinking. It was a long shot, one that probably wouldn't pay off and one that he still felt compelled to do nonetheless. There was nothing to lose in trying, he figured, and with a teacher such as Corene patiently aiding him, the odds of success were high.
It helped that they had all the time that they could want, he supposed.
Nothing.
Harry let loose an annoyed, growl-like noise and clenched his right fight. Annoyance had begun to rise within him, anger too, and it would only grow as Elaine's always had when she let it fester. He didn't want to do just that, but magic itself wasn't giving him much of a choice. Not when it refused to do what he needed it to.
Show me.
Harry felt a tingle then, one that was so fleeting and so illusive that he half thought he hadn't felt it at all. Not until it came a second time, again from the direction he had previously been facing and again with the feelings of deep, lingering sadness as Corene had described.
He swallowed and turned to face it, but before he could, a hand grabbed him by the shirt, shaking him with such a feeling of violence and suddenness that he couldn't help but jolt. When he did so, he felt like he opened his eyes despite them already having been open - what greeted him this time, that being Corene, was entirely different than the vision he had of her laying on the bed only seconds ago when last he risked a glance in her direction.
"How'd you get over here then?" Harry asked with a chuckle as his hands unconsciously sought out his eyes, rubbing incessantly at them as Corene took a couple of steps back and away from him.
"I stood up from the bed and walked over to you while your eyes were closed. My reason for doing so was the uneven nature of your breathing and the lack of any response when I said your name, twice," Corene raised the back of her hand and very gently pressed it again his forehead, cocking her head after a few seconds. "You don't seem to have a temperature and I haven't seen anything else. Let me know if you feel nauseous, uncomfortable or any other form of displeasure."
Harry blinked a few times at her but nodded. "Will do… I'm guessing that was thanks to me reaching out to whatever that was?"
"In a way, yes. Why don't we leave that wisp alone for the time being and focus on that book you were mentioning - I would like to take a look at it if you'd show me where it's hidden," Corene then stepped to his side and went quiet, awaiting his response.
Rather than give one verbally, Harry made his way over to the small desk and opened the top shelf. Sure enough, the book was closed and in the very same spot that he had left it from his last visit. Had it been anywhere else or had the set of runes he'd set up been lightless, he would have known somebody had come since that time.
"This is the book I was talking to you about. When you open that front page, you'll see the name of every person that ever read from this book and gained access to the rest of the room. As I said, most of them were Gaunts, Peverells and I think there was a member of House Black or two," Harry made his way over to the bed once he passed the book off and he sat on it as soon as he could.
Whatever had happened with his mind had taken a great deal of energy and that wouldn't be easily replenished. He was struggling for time to sleep as it was, especially with Grindelwald's forces only barely kept in check thanks to Deputy Director McMacson's hit and run tactics. If it weren't for that man - one Harry was absolutely certain he could trust now - there wasn't a doubt in his mind that Hogwarts would be under siege.
Grindelwald would come eventually, Harry had accepted that days and days ago. When he leaned back, now resting completely on the bed with his eyes looking at Corene who was at the desk, he allowed his mind to go wandering off again. This time, when it settled on a choice, it was one that directly involved the girl seated before his very eyes.
She was trustworthy, friendly, smart, helpful and truthfully, courageous; anybody who could stand up to Elaine or even go against her regardless of the action had to have some manner of boldness. Corene had become Hermione and Luna wrapped in one, the latter on account of her uniqueness and the occasional… joke that sprang up.
"Your name was signed in this book months and months ago," Corene said after some time, the exact amount lost to Harry.
"Yes," He said simply, agreeing as his eyelids began to droop.
"How have you managed to keep it a secret from Elaine? I'm aware that you kept mine, but that isn't quite as… game-changing as this could be," Corene turned to regard him, an eyebrow raised as those dark eyes of hers bore into him. "Would you like for me to join you on the bed? Elaine often mentions that you sleep better when you cuddle with her, and whilst I'm not a substitute for her, it would be very beneficial for you to be caught up on your rest. The Dark Lard grows closer every day, need I remind you."
Harry shook his head, she didn't need to remind him. Corene didn't need to join him on the bed either, he would eventually fall asleep on his lonesome.
"I-" Harry yawned the moment he made to speak and when he finished, he didn't really feel like trying again. His head was throbbing from his earlier attempt at, well, whatever it was that he'd tried to do and worse yet, he finally had gotten tired after nights and nights of little sleep. His fate was sealed, so to speak.
Corene misunderstood his lack of an answer for embarrassment or something similar, however, as the girl gracefully ended up beside him without so much as one noise from the bed, chair or her clothing. "This should be better for you and it has the added benefit of my not having to ask you questions in a louder tone of voice," Corene said, her face roughly a foot from his. "I can't read any other book is what you said, correct?"
Harry nodded once to her. "One, yeah."
His eyes got heavier still and his breathing slower, his body pushing him closer and closer to a good night's rest.
"I'll wake you if I find something pressing or if my elf has news that's equally as important," Corene said when she spoke next, her soft voice and the words that came of it filling him with acceptance towards the ever-beckoning land of dreams and so just like that, Harry allowed himself to rest.
It didn't turn out to be very restful.
"Your first trial, isn't that right?" The voice belonged to the being and unlike in all of their other conversations, Harry couldn't respond; he didn't have a body to speak with, much less move to look for her.
The being made a noise of indecipherable meaning before he heard her voice for the second time.
"You didn't need a body for this very brief meeting, Harry Potter. It wouldn't help you any, not with how focused you seemed to be whenever I'm involved," The being mockingly tutted at him then, the sound so very familiar but her visage and exact manner of speaking impossible for him to recognise. "When you succeed against Grindelwald barring any unforeseen failure, we'll truly have our time to talk. Until then, let it be known that this truly is the first trial you've faced since you were sent here."
Harry wanted to spit back at the being that her words were a total, complete lie. It wasn't the first trial, not when he recognised that his true first test in this time was the woman he slept with over the entirety of his Yule break - or near enough.
He wasn't given the chance to make those words or feelings known as he stewed over them, for the next thing he knew he was seeing vast lands filled with dobby-headed spiders from the Forbidden Forest. It was nightmare-inducing and a sight he doubted he could ever forget.
Until he woke up, at which point it would be lost in the deepest depths of his conscious mind.
January 11, 1945
Monday Morning
"You need to wake up, Harry," Corene said, waking him from his slumber as she carefully, gently shook his shoulder.
He blinked up at her from his sprawled out position on the left side of the bed. That dream of his, rather, that meeting of his with the being was no longer fresh on his mind but the lingering since of anger and the slightest bits of exhaustion were still present. Even if he slept for a whole day, with how much work he'd been doing recently in addition to the practice fights with Elaine. his body would be in a perpetual state of tiredness.
If only that could be easily fixed, but that wasn't the case. Not unless there was some ritual that removed the need for sleep entirely. Merlin, even if there were Harry knew he wouldn't do it despite the certain edge it would give him. Rest was a feeling he valued more than he thought.
"Wh-wh," Harry paused and yawned, then he righted himself whilst rubbing the remaining sleep crust from his eyes. "What happened?" He eventually got out, a second yawn breaking free shortly thereafter.
"Headmaster Dippet requested that all students report to the Great Hall regardless of the time. My father saw fit to send our elf to let me know that this meeting was real despite the suddenness of it - we're aware that Grindelwald is very successful in performing tricks such as this," Corene slowly slithered her way over to the edge of the bed and with a look shot over her shoulder at him, she pulled herself up into a sitting position. "We should go quickly before the others see that we're taking too long. This meeting can't be overly important considering my father didn't seem to think Grindelwald had broken through, so that thought can be immediately put to rest should it cross your mind."
Corene was as spot-on as Elaine could often be. His first guess for the meeting was that the Headmaster wished to share grim news with them, followed shortly by a speech filled with determination and hope. Professor Dumbledore had done that a few times that Harry could remember, especially after Cedrick had died, and it had done its job on a good few people. The real number didn't matter and Harry knew it'd be impossible to find, but even one person being helped by it meant it did its job.
"Raise our spirits, do you think, or is it a policy change that he's going to make because of current circumstances?" Harry found himself asking as he got off the bed and followed after Corene as she moved towards the door.
It was in the process of doing that Harry realised that both portraits in the room were absent of their Slytherin. As he thought about it, from the first step Corene took into the room to the final few she'd be taking out, he hadn't made his appearance, and that was hours upon hours of time.
"I suspect he'll make a policy change or two for additional security. We were already spared four Aurors, which is the most we'll get until the battle comes here and they spring forth everybody they can. Your guess is incredibly likely regardless of what else he fits in," Corene said, the girl finishing with a pointed look at the door as she held her arm out for him.
Harry laughed, took up her arm in one of his and opened the door. It was safe, he knew as much without needing to check, and so just like that the two were off in the direction of the staircase. Their goal was the Great Hall and while they made their way towards their goal, Harry was perfectly content to question Corene about what she'd found out while he'd been sleeping.
Food too, he'd definitely be asking her if she thought they'd be serving food in the Great Hall considering he'd not had lunch or dinner yesterday. Elaine, she had given him much of the day to spend by himself after the previous few evenings of working very closely together; the Chamber needed modifications and he was content enough to leave them to her for one day.
"Are you feeling alright?" Corene asked, breaking the silence that'd begun to linger during their walk and seizing the initiative before Harry had ceased his tired blinking as they walked.
"I think so. Yeah, I feel fine, I'm still just a bit tired," He stretched his arms over his head then, feigning a yawn to add to the effect as he looked over to Corene. "Did you finish the whole book while I was sleeping, or?"
"Unfortunately, we'll have to return so that I could do just that. The information within regarding the reason for signing is very minimalistic and as such, offers me next to no feeling of safety as my mind urges me with baseless reasons into signing my name under yours. In conclusion, should that have been worded poorly on my behalf - I have nearly finished the book but a majority of the writing read as if it were a diary more so than anything else," Corene finished with a shake of her head, one that conveyed easily her feelings of disappointment.
Her final sentence, on the other hand, sent a chill down his spine. The last thing he needed, she needed, or anybody else for that matter was that accursed diary that Voldemort had created. Harry knew it wouldn't be the same one thanks to how different the visuals alone were, but anything of that essence would very likely be incredibly problematic.
"Yeah, I thought the same thing that you did. I changed my mind, obviously, but that was after I read a bit of Slytherin's journal that's in the Chamber," Harry shifted from one foot to the other, feeling a bit put out as he continued looking at Corene. "You can't read it unless you know Parseltongue, that's what Elaine claims. It's not written in the language, that'd be too hard even if a written form existed, but she says it's a charm or something of that nature."
"I would imagine blood relations are permitted access too, else his children and beyond that didn't inherit the trait would have little advantage, which isn't the way he would've wanted things. Slytherin was wicked in nature many claim and some rightly prove, but he wasn't so foolish as to purposefully harm his own line if they weren't able to inherit a very specific ability," Corene paused at the foot of the stairs and looked around, drifting a good ten feet away from him when the faintest echoes of feet finally reached his ears. "Good evening, Harry, it's very nice to see you. Would you allow me to join you in walking to the Great Hall?"
Harry rolled his eyes at the scene she was setting up but he played his part readily and more impressive, easily enough. "It's cool to see you too, Corene, and yeah. I wouldn't mind in the slightest, saves me the trouble of potentially falling asleep on the way."
"And how would you do that?" Came a voice that Harry hadn't heard in a good long while, one that he hadn't missed despite the advantages that could come with it.
Daphne Oleander was walking towards he and Corene both at a quick pace whilst her face conveyed very obvious feelings of displeasure. Harry knew and remembered that she hadn't often woken up early in the morning. If that was the case when she was a student, the year of teaching had done little to change it - if anything, she looked even more bothered than usual.
"I don't know, I'm sure it's possible though. Aster, Reinhard, Ash and Joe would likely all back me up too," Harry finished with a tired grin as he moved the few steps towards Corene that she'd stopped off at. "May I?" He asked, his question directed at the girl he'd been with since yesterday as he held out his arm to her.
"Thank you very much, Harry," Corene said, her voice a bit more monotonous than it had previously been in her openly tired yet still eager for knowledge form.
"Yes yes, it's very sweet of him," Daphne said, rolling her eyes via words if such a thing was possible from one's tone alone. "Now that the pair of you have seen your pleasantries acknowledged, why don't you listen to the words that the only Hogwarts Staff nearby will now say; come to the common room, sit down, and wait for Professor Slughorn. House Slytherin will arrive together in an orderly fashion regardless of the time, trying times demand professionalism and maturity."
Harry looked to Corene and after holding her eyes for a second if that, hers sought out Daphne's. The silent conversation that waged on between the pair of them wasn't nearly as impressive as people often made them sound. Corene and Daphne, neither of them were incredibly expressive save for open disdain from the latter. It wasn't always directed at him and at that moment in time, wasn't remotely present.
"We'll join our Assistant Professor and return to the common room," Corene said, shifting them so that they were in a better position to follow after Daphne. "Daphne, Elaine told you Myrtle's room was clean and ready for use again, yes?"
Daphne paused. She went stock still, her head minorly cocked as she looked Corene dead in the eyes. Seconds began to tick by, seconds in which Harry very lightly felt Corene's hand shift as her wrist flexed, but that silence was ripped before she fully separated their arms.
"You're worried that I'm not me?" Daphne finally asked with a giant grin on her face as she stepped one more foot closer to the pair of them. "Please, Corene, don't underestimate my abilities just because Elaine found it fitting to give us all these little 'codes' for security. I understand the group marking or spell wasn't ideal, especially not thanks to current times, but surely you'd know sooner than this if I were somebody else. If you didn't, that sho-"
Corene spoke up, her accent slightly more pronounced as she raised her nose at Daphne. "I figured it was you, yes, but Elaine preaches caution just as much as she preaches power and merit above all else. Should you have acted too different to what I know of you, I would have instructed Harry to attack you in tandem with myself."
"You don't have that wand trick that Elaine does with Harry. Grindelwald won't lose without it, not with the wand he holds and not with Elaine somewhere else during that fight," Daphne finished with a dismissive scoff as she pulled on Harry's shoulder, then gave a forceful nod to Corene to where Daphne had just come from herself.
The message was clear; move.
"Can you share a bit about what's happening?" Harry asked. There wasn't a great chance that she'd do so, not with their still rocky friendship if you could even call it that, but it was worth a try. "Elaine will probably tell me when we're all together, but I figured it'd save her time. You don't have to tell me, that's for sure."
"I don't, but you're correct and I've already spoken with Elaine regarding sharing information with you. Abraxas was never able to earn himself a position as her favourite amongst the boys, he was never included in the innermost workings of our group, and yet here you are. I'll never see what she does even if you are impressive in a couple of very specific ways, but what I will recognise is your unique form of charm - if it doesn't exist, then a deity of Luck or all of them have banded together to give you an easy life," Daphne finished, took a breath and threw one arm around his shoulders so that it came down to rest on his chest; her sharp nails could prick him even through the clothes he was wearing, if only barely.
"Compliment. That was the first I've heard Daphne give throughout the entirety of this year, you should be happy to receive it, Harry," Corene said, maintaining her serious look even as her hand faintly brushed against his in what felt like a very purposeful action. "Elaine's reasons can often be beyond our manner of thinking as Pureblood Elites, Daphne. It's not our position to attempt to interpret them unless they're obviously harmful or stupid, to which I can say most have never been. With this finished, I request that you share your information as Harry politely asked."
"Her too?" Daphne asked him, jostling his shirt before she sighed, shrugged, and started again. "Headmaster Dippet wants to ensure that all students within the walls of Hogwarts are safe. He'll be proposing a few new rules, which I can say won't be problematic or remotely successful. Once those are done, he'll go over a couple of drills that should see a majority of Hogwarts goers to safety in reinforced classrooms. We won't need to pay attention to that segment, not with the home Elaine has planned for those that work with her."
"Did you help her with the few recent adjustments?" Harry got out, the entrance now in view with a few fellow Slytherins lingering outside of it.
Daphne didn't respond verbally, but she did nod her head once at him before she started barking words at his housemates. "Stop loitering and go in immediately," Daphne said sourly, her voice as rude as it had been when first the pair had met. "Go inside, I need to collect the rest of our House before Professor Slughorn arrives. Elaine has saved your seats towards the centre, as always."
Harry was content when he saw that she had answered an affirmative, but he didn't like that they would be waiting for so long. "Ladies first," He said after a second or so, deciding that either way, he would do as he was told.
Grindelwald wasn't on them yet, there was still time. He could continue studying, fighting Elaine and preparing himself mentally, in addition, to physically for the upcoming conflict. It would be important, equally so, unless he wanted some of his recent changes to take control of him; that first real kill of his, the man at Hogsmeade, the nature of it still hadn't left him even if it was long since dealt with.
"Thank you," Corene said, her lips doing that thing where they went up a half an inch at the most before she entered with him close behind.
Elaine was right next to the fireplace as Daphne had said, his chair next to her and Corene's on the opposite side were open; Aster, Reinhard, Emilene, not even the three of them were here yet. He briefly wondered why that was, especially thanks to the time of night, but he didn't apply too much brainpower to that thought before he was by Elaine's side.
From that point on until the point that the group was entering the Great Hall, his body and mind had gone on automatic mode. It was like a Muggle television left on overnight, that was how he compared it when he sat down at Slytherin's table; Slughorn urged caution, unity and strength while Elaine had gathered those close to her to confirm where they would go.
Neither was anything new or different than was usually said.
"Greetings, greetings students. Your Professors, your Ministry, the Ghosts of Hogwarts and your Family, we all thank you for listening so quickly to your callings," Headmaster Dippet said, the older man appearing tired, cautious and when he glanced towards where Harry was seated, sorrowful; why that emotion wasn't perpetually present was a question that he'd have answered by Elaine. "As you're well aware, the Ministry and our friends across the pond or channel, are fighting Grindelwald. His forces aren't a match for ours and while we face victory at nearly every battle, the occasional loss does slip through. You may hear signs of Battle in the distance come tomorrow or the following evening, but rest assured that all measures for your safety are being handle-"
Loud noises began to ring out from the other three tables. There was disapproval, disbelief, a few cries of anger and fewer true cries filled with tears, but whatever noise was made, nearly every student at those three tables was making them. That lasted up until the point that Headmaster Dippet raised his own voice with an amplification charm, urging quiet as the rest of the staff descended upon the troublesome tables.
When order was eventually restored in large part with the majority of students appeased or warned into silence, Headmaster Dippet continued, albeit even more tired or worn-feeling than he had previously seemed.
"All at Hogwarts will be safe so long as you listen to the new rules instituted for your safety. I can promise every last one of you this, for even whilst we're speaking, rooms are being prepared that will be more secure than any other in Magical Great Britain or all of her colonies," Headmaster Dippet took in a deep, rattling breath, and finally informed Hogwarts about the changes… along with something very shocking at the end. "Slytherin and Ravenclaw boys will share a set of dorms near the current Slytherin dorm rooms while Hufflepuff and Gryffindor boys will do the same on the opposite side of the dungeons - years will continue in their separation the same as witches will be given their own, separate and unified across house dorms. All future classes will be in the dungeons too, which is the reason for your new timetable that'll soon be passed around. But, but, before we get into that, we have to go over our safety drills. They were last written in… well, it seems the date was washed away thanks to time but they'll still prove relevant, I'm sure. Students, if you could please pay attention to these next directions, we can beg…"
Harry finally zoned out, the man's stutter, nervous energy and stupid new rules drawing him completely from any form of attention he could pay.
"Do you know how close he is?" Harry whispered to Elaine, the young woman seated directly to his right while Corene occupied the spot to his left.
"Corene," Elaine said simply, her hand gripping his as she turned her attention completely to the Headmaster.
He wasn't sure why that was, but Corene's answer told him just how real the threat of Grindelwald was.
"Have you ever heard of Doesborough?" Corene didn't wait for him to answer and continued with her hushed speaking. 'If you have not and even if you have, I'll confirm or inform you that the village is the last magical-filled one in the north except for Hogsmeade. Grindelwald was confirmed to be fighting the locals and a minor Auror force, which means he's hours away - the Headmaster is lying or unaware, though which exactly, I'm unsure of at this point in time."
Harry swallowed and nodded, then he shook his head. That was the last thing he wanted to hear even if he had already known Dippet's words weren't true. All of his friends, Sarah, Vee, Marcus especially, wouldn't know what to expect before too much longer. None of them would, not unless they had friends or families who could feed them outside information like Corene did.
I'll have to tell them all, same for the others in Cade's old group. They all deserve an advanced warning even if it's only by those few hours that Corene said it is.
This time, when Harry's darker thoughts came forth and he quashed them in turn, he didn't feel the biting edge of anxiety creeping on him. That tightness of his throat that so often bothered him didn't even make itself known and all of his worry, his feelings of uncertainty, they were gone.
He was calm, he was determined to defend Hogwarts and all inside of her.
Harry was ready for his first challenge.