Echoes of Time (Harry Potter)

May 10, 1943

Saturday Morning

Hogsmeade was tomorrow, and Harry felt a great degree of wariness towards it. Elaine hadn't let him in on the reason for her eagerness, and what little time he had with Corene or others 'close' to Elaine had provided nothing for him. If anything, it seemed that Elaine's plan was the opposite of that, by which he meant that she had no plan and her words were simply an over-eagerness for the trip.

As much as he wished to believe that, he didn't. There were no accidents with Elaine; She hadn't misspoken.

He thought of it deeply during the week, especially as he lay in bed last night, thoughts regarding the upcoming Hogsmeade trip plaguing his mind. Harry hated being in the dark, and it was that feeling of agitation early in the morning that led him to read the end of Slytherin's journal; Yaxley's had been tempting to mull over again, but he needed to focus more time on Slytherin.

As so often seemed the case with Slytherin's Journal as he progressed through it, the pages were filled with ramblings, personal accounts of events that mattered little so many centuries later and the occasional spell. He had hoped the thing would be a tell-all in regards to Slytherin's Study in addition to containing hundreds of spells… that neither hope had been realised was a bothersome thing.

Still, reading the journal from front to back as he had wasn't entirely useless.

He learned of the Slytherin family tree, tidbits regarding the study and a great history of magical classifications. Slytherin also seemed to believe magic operated in a certain way too, and that each person was inherently different. From his own words, each person was born with a varying magical strength; physical health, mental stability, intent and a few other factors that all summed up your ability to cast.

Squibs - an 'illness' that rarely existed in the past - were thought to be something that came as a result of too intensive of inbreeding. An unknown friend of Slytherin's compared Squibs to Muggle Nobles who interbred so much that they were born malformed, only in the case of the squibs, it was manifest in a lack of magic instead of physical deformities.

Harry didn't know the truth of it, but it was something interesting that he'd not thought of before.

What interested him far more, however, were the final few pages that directly mentioned Slytherin's study. Seldom had the thing been written about earlier on, and even then, it only happened passingly. It almost seemed as if Slytherin himself didn't know the full workings of the room, or how exactly it operated with the wording he'd used.

When those final few pages spoke of the room as a joint project with people unknown, graduated students potentially, it made sense. Slytherin didn't know everything about the room, for he hadn't made its entirety.

He spoke in those final pages how the room was meant to act as an advantage for those loyal to him when their children came to Hogwarts. It was meant to help them rise above their housemates and schoolmates as a whole, yet, somebody had persisted when the project had been deemed complete - no mention was made of who, only that a person had continued bringing knowledge by way of ancient tomes or newer books to the room.

Slytherin did seem to confirm that blood mattered too, for only a descendent of the families who aided in the initial construction were allowed in. None save for them, regardless of the knowledge one possesses of the room, could enter; all too suddenly the painless pricking of the palm as your hand made contact with the door made sense. Harry had guessed something earlier, though the nefariousness, he hadn't been sure of.

Briefly, he wondered why the writing of the book seemed… different, towards the end.

When he read the next sentence, that little passing thought was lost to the gentle flickering of the torches that lined the room and the text that ensnared his interest.

None of the books themselves were enchanted, nor was any object within the room. All the liveliness of the study came from the complex wards and magic that lay within the very stones that made it. Objects could be taken out, protections would stay and blood would still matter, but that would decay with the time spent away.

There, it ended abruptly with blank pages and a sentence half-finished.

Harry closed the journal with eagerness and anger; why had the portrait not been spoken of nor the deal that required a signature? He knew magic was involved in the book… Slytherin had spoken of so much within his journal and yet he left out information that would've helped those who came after him.

In another bout of annoyance, Harry flung off the covers he'd been under and huffed. He felt angry, and that anger only grew.

Stronger and stronger it got, no end in sight nor cause that would make him feel so heated. He thought himself mental when the urge to curse somebody was so strong it made him grip his wand, and when the thought turned towards Abraxas, he nearly swung his feet from the bed. Then, only then, did he try fighting away the urge to cause harm and the anger that fueled it.

Seconds turned to minutes as he fought the intense feeling of anger. His mind began to strain from such an effort too until eventually, it ended.

Just like that, it simply went away; no lingering sense stayed with him, and it was only then that it dawned on him what he'd experienced. Elaine, the link between them that he'd finally put some stock into, had carried her feelings to him as the dreams had done.

He wasn't sure in the months that came to pass what had been the catalyst for the rash decision he would make one hour later; Elaine's link, a dead end on the study, the urge for power or anger at such a prolonged stint of inactivity… all of them together, maybe.

All he knew as the minutes ticked by and he found himself stood in front of the door to Slytherins study, was that he'd made his decision.

Finally.

" The Son of House Peverell has returned, at last. I bid you welcome, my old friend," Slytherin said, a smug look about the younger version of him; Harry still wasn't sure why the study Slytherin seemed younger than his counterpart, nor why he seemed a more advanced type of portrait.

Harry dipped his head enough to show some form of courtesy, but he did no more than that as he made his way very purposefully over to the desk. Slytherin didn't need a verbal response any more than Harry wished to give one, the 'man' would see soon enough that he had finally gotten his way. It was nearly a sure thing that he'd have some very annoying comments to make too.

Ah, well, at least a great many of his questions could be answered once his name was within the book with all his predecessors. Harry only needed to ensure he didn't make any mistakes as they had, for the most recent one to sign their name away had gone missing just as her relative prior had - that Slytherin thought the room too helpful was the only saving grace, that annoyance from the founder seemed to mean the room was a good resource to have. Based on the blood requirement too, confirmed as it was, he wasn't sure why Elaine hadn't entered.

He knew of her Gaunt heritage, the final two who came before him in the room had been her relatives, but she'd not used the secretive little study tucked in the bowels of the school. As he sat down at the desk and reached for a quill, he wondered if she simply didn't care for it. Mayhaps her thought process had been that she held the secrets of the Chamber, what need was there for a dank basement room compared to the grandiose rooms that Slytherin himself had worked in?

If that was the case, he would have to thank her ego or lust for status one day, as that could very well end up the cause for a lessening of their power difference.

" You sign your name willingly after so many visits? Why? " Slytherin's voice held a great imitation of wonder, for Harry knew the portraits couldn't feel - he'd read they were but mock-ups of their real selves at the time of animation.

" I did as you said I should, " Harry answered, his quill dipped in ink and ready to sign his name below the girl before him.

Harry didn't register what was said next, the myriad of feelings that coursed through him in addition to the loudness of his heart distracted him far too much for that. Months had led to this moment, months that he'd found out nearly nothing of the room or what lay within it as he learned magic from the Peverell library and Yaxley's book in addition to other sources.

All of it had been helpful, and without it, he would be worse off. Very much so, he knew, but it hadn't been enough. If he was to close the distance between Elaine and himself in skill, while lengthening the one of their 'bond' to cease the flow of emotions between them, he needed to know more. Risks would have to be taken similar to the ones he'd begun to make socially, and unless he began taking them sooner rather than later, it would be too late.

Again, ironically, Elaine had played a part in making him stronger.

First, she'd helped him form a more dominant personality lest she overpowers him into a figure like that of Malfoy. Once that had happened, a thirst for knowledge unlike any he'd felt before had taken hold, such was the reason for his learning from multiple peers in addition to the books he'd hit at length.

And now, finally, he had taken the step that he'd been too nervous to previously take due to the mental bond that very nearly overpowered him as he lay in bed. He didn't know if she forced the feelings to hit him. Merlin, he wasn't even sure if she knew how strong they were shared, but it was because of that and the sudden realisation as he finished Slytherin's journal that caused him to sign his name.

" It's done," Harry said, a sense of calmness flooding through him as he'd finally made a decision, for better or worse.

When silence greeted him, he looked towards Slytherin to see what the man was doing. He saw a smile, an eerie one that seemed filled with peace as the portrait version of the man looked past him.

Slowly, Harry turned around towards the bookshelf that'd previously been off-limits, and he was struck dumb by what he saw. One by one, book after book, they flashed a brilliant light with the snake eyes about the room glowing brighter than they ever had before. Sounds of sources unknown and more lights greeted him wherever he looked. It was nearly deafening and blinding, so brilliant was the effect.

Then, it ended just as abruptly as Elaine's feelings had earlier that morning.

His attention was drawn back to the book as it flew to a crack in the wall, the stones closing around it and sealing so tightly he doubted he'd ever find it again should he forget the position.

" It's done," Slytherin parroted, and with those words, he left.

Harry very nearly lost his cool when the man left him to his own devices, for what was he to do next?

An answer came to him in the form of a book floating leisurely until it was within arms reach.

Its title? Simply the word Curses, and written on the first page when he opened it - without a zapping sensation as previously he'd experienced - was a note.

'These are those in which are most heinous and horrible, preserve your light, look not into these spells.'

He knew where he needed to start, and that was in one of the oldest looking books the room held; he hoped to Merlin that the spells weren't too outdated.

May 11, 1943

Sunday Morning

Harry had spent nearly the entire day prior to his Hogsmeade trip with Elaine hidden away in Slytherin's Study, and he was paying the price for it as he walked along the chilly pathways of the village. He had slept four hours, if that, so engrossed in books had he been. Elaine had commented on his tired attitude and appearance too, more than that, she seemed distinctly off from the moment he'd seen her; no anger the likes of which he'd felt yesterday seemed present in her, yet, he couldn't help but feel she was not herself.

He knew he wasn't, that was a certainty; magical theory the likes of which he'd never seen nor fathomed existed had been in the first spellbook that'd flown over to him in addition to the copious amount of spells that dotted the pages. Not only were there spells upon spells in that first book, but potions long since lost to time and mentions of rituals too.

Rituals… he'd not seen nor heard anything about them aside from the one he'd witnessed in the graveyard when Voldemort had himself resurrected. Come to think of it, Slytherin's Journal and the books he'd read through at the Peverell Mansion hadn't mentioned anything of them either. Whether that spoke as a testament to their rarity and complexity or some form of taboo on them, he knew not.

What he did know, however, was the books within the study that he now had access to were filled with old magic; spells that were reworked into easier forms, potions that were made better with time and the like. He hadn't thought them helpful until he realised how rare they would be in the current time, for surely nobody would know counter-curses to spells used centuries ago.

"You're lost to your thoughts again, Harry," Elaine commented with a glance at him.

"I'm simply wondering where we're going," He said with a smile, perhaps the warmest since he'd stepped foot back in time - it was for good reason too, with all the tutors he had and the resources at his disposal, Elaine was… beatable, mortal .

Overconfidence was a killer, he knew, but it was prevalent within him nonetheless. Why shouldn't it be? As soon as he'd signed his name in that book, the feelings of worry, nervousness, the social ineptitude he sometimes felt; all was gone, and in its place was the confidence the likes of which he'd felt only when he'd worn Gryffindor robes.

"We're headed to a restaurant, one where I reserved the entire back room for our use," Elaine nodded towards a rooftop in the distance, one that was easily seen thanks to the sheer height of it. "I mean to speak with you, finally, on two matters of which I'd pushed back far too long."

"And those would be?" Harry questioned, his face and voice giving away nothing as to the feelings her ominous words invoked.

"You'll see," Elaine said, a gentle smile on her face as she began swinging their hands between them.

For the next few minutes, as the pair walked towards their destination in silence, Harry doubted he'd ever felt such intense nervousness. Elaine was definitely different today, and based on the looks she constantly sent him when she thought he wasn't aware, h-

"Here, at last," Elaine said abruptly as she pointed towards the back entrance of the building they'd just come upon. "Go on, enter the building, the whole section is ours."

Harry felt a tug of unease and so he opened the door with a step to the side. "After you," He said with his most winning smile.

Should she refuse to enter before him, he wouldn't enter at all. He seldom mistrusted her to such an extent, but out of Hogwarts as they were and mixed with that eagerness she'd shown… no risks would be taken after so much progress the previous few weeks. Auror McMacson had made himself known as a friend, Slughorn Senior was a tentative ally, his works towards stealing a few of Elaine's friends had begun to pay off, the lessons from older students had met with similar progress and with the study now fully accessible…

Harry could practically feel how the balance of power had shifted over the last few weeks, no longer was it so heavily skewed in Elaine's favour with not but a per cent chance for his success. No, to him, it felt as if the chance of victory in some manner was nearly twenty-five per cent - it would only grow too, as he did. Slowly but surely, as Elaine's attitude was tempered by his presence and that trickled down to her followers, his chances of changing the future to something brighter grew closer to realisation.

"Are you coming?" Elaine asked, her voice startling him from his thoughts once more as it came from the entrance this time.

"Yeah, sorry, just a bit tired," He said with a smile and apologetic shrug; he needed to stop daydreaming, he blamed the lack of sleep and the darker descriptions some of the spells had.

"Perhaps you'd be better rested if you slept with me," Elaine commented, her tone lacking any seduction and sounding more thoughtful than anything else. "Still, we've a couple of things to discuss and then good food to eat, won't you join me, boyfriend?" Her tone then sounded more familiar to him, a hint of teasing coming in towards the end.

Harry didn't respond to her first remark, not seeing a reason to. He did respond to the second, and it was as he entered into the large room after the taller girl. "I will, girlfriend," He said, earning himself a small half-smile from Elaine as she led the pair of them over to a seat in the very middle of the room; there were dozens of tables and a small bar with drinks easily visible in the space she'd rented out, a dance section existed too, but all was empty.

"Tell me, Harry," Elaine began from her seat, an enchanted bottle of wine filling the glasses for each of them. "Do you believe in fate?"

He felt his eyes narrow in response to her question. "Not really, no… I can't say that I do, why?"

Elaine cocked her head at him, a look settling on her face that showed she was far from impressed with his answer. "Have I not said we're fated together?" She leaned towards him and brushed a finger lengthwise across his forearm. "You felt the connection we share, I know it. Only in the early hours of yesterday morning did I test out the strength of our bond when an unfortunate circumstance took place, and I could feel your reaction to it."

She shuddered with a look of euphoria across her face and spoke again. "Your anger fed mine, and it was more enjoyable than I could've ever imagined it to be."

Harry shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Get to your point then, you've said this half a dozen times without explaining it."

Elaine laughed and gripped his left hand with hers, the position was awkward, but he didn't pay too much attention to it when the next words exited her mouth. "I don't feel the need to explain it to you when you could do so better for the both of us - isn't that right, my love ?" Elaine's tongue swept across her lips. "You've seen bits of the future, perhaps via divination or a magic I'm as of yet unfamiliar with, but when we first met all those months ago, I too saw those visions when our minds connected. I half thought myself insane or the night made up for days following that encounter, you know," Elaine laughed openly, the sound melodious but the looks that came with it far from the lightness such a laugh would usually hold. "I know now, it was not madness on my part and the nervousness you originally held makes sense too, for you know of the future - how much, I know not. Perhaps in time, you'll tell me all of what you know, but I'm interested in what you'll say now."

Harry felt how constricted his throat was. Now wasn't the time for this confrontation, he wasn't ready to beat her in any regard, nor would he be for some time. If she pushed him, wand against wand or with the utilisation of other resources, he would lose handily. "Why ask now, after so long having gone by?"

Elaine shrugged. "Your inaction for some time was interesting to watch, for I half expected you to begin great works with the knowledge that you have. Imagine my surprise when you simply went through the motions and acted the part of a meek little boy that wandered into the layer of a Basilisk," Elaine pinched his right cheek and smiled toothily at him before flicking his nose with a sharp-nailed finger. "Recently, with how much you've begun working with those in my circle and others outside of it, I began to think you've shrugged off the funk of coming out of seclusion. Cade mentioned passingly how greatly you've improved, Druella spoke highly of you too and with Aster, Reinhard as well as Corene all spending as much time with you as they do with me… the decision to speak with you, finally, was simple. I knew it'd not scare you off as it would've earlier too, for I've felt and seen how precious you are to me."

"What'll you do then? What do you hope to accomplish by bringing this up?" Harry very badly wanted to go for his wand just for the sense of protection he'd feel by holding it, but he didn't. As much of a security blanket as it usually was, the girl before him was beyond him. "What actions that I'm taking are you speaking of?"

Elaine's head returned to its earlier cocked position. "Three questions? You've yet to answer the one I asked so long ago regarding your family history - I've noticed how reluctant you are to speak of them too, though that's something I'm sure we'll learn as time progresses. Oh yes, we'll have plenty of time," Elaine stroked his arm again, and it seemed as if she fought a mental battle to stay seated opposite of him based on the way her eyes flicked to the chair beside his nearly half a dozen times while she spoke. "I'll do as I've currently done too; watch you and intercede where needed. What I hope to accomplish is a furthering of our trust, for I still believe you don't completely trust me despite all that we've spoken of and seen together. Do you think many know of my parseltongue abilities? Perhaps you think I'm a slag who snogs whoever she fancies and invites them to bed in Slytherin's chambers? I want you, Harry James Peverell, to be completely and utterly mine in every meaning of the word - I'll offer that to you too, my equal."

"You didn't say what actions you think I'm taking," He started, his words and mind filled with countless worries regarding just what she knew; could it be everything, or could it be but a few memories of his?

He opted for the latter considering she'd called him 'Harry James Peverell', for if she knew everything, surely she'd use his real last name rather than the one he'd gone with… right? Not for the first, second nor any other single-digit number time did he curse Elaine for being Elaine. She was too scheming, too thought out with her actions, it made any interaction or conversation with her feel as if it was layered like an onion.

Elaine pointed towards his satchel. "I told you previously that I knew of your taking Slytherin's Journal, Harry. Why would you take it lest you knew of a use for the information therein? When we first spoke and had those lessons the following few months, you lacked the drive that now fills you - you mean to work with or against Grindelwald due to his lust for your family treasures, I would work with you to an end of our own making, as I've already shown," Elaine used her hand and a symbol formed in the air, one he'd seen on the Peverell books as well as the family crest numerous times. "Master of Death… should those tales be true, I would reap the reward alongside you, my love. Your wand calls to me and meshes with me, our minds are connected, everything about us was meant for one another. Now, won't you cease your inner turmoil towards me and instead embrace the vast amount of time we'll have with one another?"

Harry blinked at her.

Master of Death, yes that was a term familiar to him and one the more outspoken members of the community would use, but the truth of it wasn't known to him. It was likely the missing book at Peverell Mansion had the information needed. She considered he might work with Grindelwald too, thanks to Yaxley, probably. That was something he could tell her of now, for he held no love for the man - while that was true, he'd begun to view Dumbledore less favourably as of late too, for the man seemed very different in this time than he had in Harry's original one.

Even then, the man's forgiving nature seemed problematic the more Harry understood the realism of the world. Some people, the truly evil or those who refused to repent for their crimes, didn't deserve the mercy those like Dumbledore granted them.

"Grindelwald," Harry began, letting her alarming ramble towards the end of her lengthy speech go without a response, "Is a man I'll not work with, I've seen the crimes he's committed. No, if we're to work together, it'll be to an end of our own making as you said. I may not find myself as convinced as you are in regards to our bond, as existent as I now know it to be, but you're infinitely better than him or those similar to him - there's no need for innocents to suffer as they have, and that's something I'll always stand by."

Harry raised his head and held eye contact with Elaine, for in a way, he just challenged her. Voldemort, the one he'd fought numerous times, showed no concern for the lives lost by his hand or those of his followers. If Elaine thought the same way as he did, then he would have her know now that he'd not stand for it. Should her affection prove stronger than her lust for violence, he would be in a far, far better position.

"Innocents need not be harmed, on that, we agree," Elaine said strangely, her head straightened out and her tone deeper, more serious; it was as if she realised the nature of the moment between them had gone from her affection-ridden sentiments to something that needed care. "Grindelwald wants something completely different than I, and considering the words you've spoken, you'd be more apt to see my vision realised than his - we could make it our vision too, I would not have my equal, my partner for life, suffer by my hand when together we'd prove unbeatable for all," Elaine tentatively grasped his hand with hers and began stroking the back of it with her thumb. "Work with me, throw away your wish to become an Auror for something greater. In time, we could rule together as Co-Ministers of a sort, would that not see the stagnated wizarding world risen to a new high? With your insight to future happenings, we could cease the rise of future Dark Lords such as the one you dreamt of and ensure the survival of wizarding kind."

"What threats do you think exist?" Harry asked, his hand limply in hers. "Tell me your goals right now, say them plainly and without any attempts at confusion. Don't forget that you promised we'd not lie to one another, we'd also agreed to include one another in regards to our plans - I'll speak of mine now, I want Grindelwald stopped and for Magical Britain to remain secure lest another Dark Lord rise. All I care about is ensuring the survival and prospering of witches and wizards."

Harry didn't want any of those he knew to die, least of all the people he'd gotten close to over time; Aster, Sarah, Reinhard, Corene… the list went on and on, but he knew in his future that so many of those family names or branches had gone extinct. If he could stop that, if he had a chance to stop the wars that would come by speaking with her right this moment, he would do it.

For the moment, surprisingly, Elaine seemed amiable to the idea too, power-grabbing ideas aside. Obviously, he knew he couldn't completely trust the words as they came from her mouth either, but he liked to think he'd got a decent read of her after all the time that had passed since they'd known one another.

"What threats?" Elaine took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled as her face took on a contemplative look to it. "Muggles. Muggles are a great threat to us, though I believe not in enslaving or extinguishing them. Magic can answer any problem so long as one knows how to work it, and that is what must be done for our survival thanks to the wars they've caused - we must work towards something that'll see the Muggles off; be it a spell that causes passivity or something that repels them from whole sections of the world so only we inhabit them. Once that issue is dealt with, the Ministry as a whole would need rebuilding thanks to the sheer incompetence and nepotism that lay within its very foundation. I mean no offence to bloodlines as pure and noble as yours, my love, but those like Reinhard have no business ruling sections of the government."

He wanted to argue her point, especially since it targeted his friend, but he knew she wasn't completely wrong. Reinhard would make a good Auror, or so Harry thought, but the boy didn't have a care in the world towards school work. Should he ever rise to an administrative position or something similar, there would likely be an immense lack of work being done.

"We can speak more of this later," Elaine said, shaking him from the thinking he was doing in regards to her words as her eyes darted over his shoulder. "It would seem something's come up, something involving Yaxley - you'll know everything as I know it, I assure you."

Harry looked over his shoulder to the entrance and saw Daphne stood in it with Corene over her shoulder. He hadn't heard either of them nor had he heard the door enter. "You're going?"

Elaine answered as she stood up from her seat across from him, an irritated look on her face. "Unfortunately, it would seem I have to. What would a circle of the most intelligent and purest of blood do without their leader for a day?" Elaine smiled to herself. "We will speak of our plans later, but I believe I've heard from you all that I need. I look so very forward to your graduation, for when our plans of bettering society and working towards mutual goals can begin to come to fruition. Until this evening, my love."

She began to walk away from him, but he very quickly rose to his feet and pulled her back to him by her wrist. Elaine's hand whipped around and settled on his chest faster than the quaffles moved, a quickness like that wasn't lost on him, nor was the amused expression she made with their faces but inches apart.

"Wait," he belatedly said, his other hand resting on her hip.

"I believe I am," Elaine replied snarkily, her eyebrows raising as her eyes bore into his.

"You waited all this time for this moment, to confront me about the few glimpses of the future I've had, and that's it? I half thought you'd keep me locked away in that room of yours, the one that you didn't let me go in," Harry was only half-joking, he truly didn't get why she would so easily leave him after the serious conversation they'd just had.

It didn't make sense to him in the slightest; she knew he'd seen the future, she knew he was working drastically towards something and she knew he avoided speaking of the Peverells regarding, well, anything. Why leave when she could press him on so many fronts, especially since she'd planted thoughts in his mind that they wanted similar things?

Merlin, he would need a nap when he got back to Hogwarts.

"We have time, Harry, you can be sure of that. I see no reason to rush you along your path, though now that I've brought 'paths' up, I would see you shutdown the one involving Walburga. I'd left her as an obstacle - perhaps a test is better wording, to see how you'd overcome the issue she is. I'm unimpressed thus far, but this new you is very alluring," Elaine placed a gentle kiss on his lips and withdrew from his hold with ease, her usual teasing expression back on her face. "Fret not about that room, Harry, for its intended use is already within. Now, Corene will spend time with you and I shall see you this evening. Farewell, my love."

"See you tonight, Elaine," Harry said with a smile as she left; the moment her back was to him, that smile dropped and his mind went to her words.

What was in that room? He very badly wished to know.

"This place is boring," Corene commented suddenly, the pair of them stood at the door where Elaine and Daphne had made their exit nearly a minute ago. "Could we visit somewhere else?"

"I have a feeling I know just the spot," Harry said with a smirk, the girl beside him was very easily pleased when it came to one place and one place only.

La Fudgerie, and it was very close to where they currently found themselves. Harry wouldn't be at all surprised if he later learned that Elaine had planned Daphne's intercession and the closeness of Corene's favourite building either. Should things have taken a bad turn during their conversation, it would've been perfectly timed and easily distracting for him.

Unfortunately for her, he wasn't the fool he'd initially been. He'd learned, and that was mostly thanks to her. All those lessons he'd had with her or her friends, the time in general that he'd spent with them and a myriad of other happenings that were mostly started by her had seen him change from his previous pure Gryffindor self to something more split. Perhaps that hat hadn't been wrong, Slytherin wasn't a horrible place for him to be even if it hadn't been all that good for him at the start.

"You spoil me," Corene said dryly, the smallest of smiles on her face as she looked up at him.

"I try," Harry responded, liking the mood Corene was currently in.

Together, the pair of them made their way over to the shop that was near empty and entered in without any sort of preamble. Corene didn't joke around when it came to chocolates and other sweet delights.

When they made their leave thirty minutes later and with no available hands for either of them, the realisation of how true that was finally dawned on him. Perhaps next time, he'd give her a limitation… or better yet, bring others along with them, though she'd likely see that as an excuse to purchase more foodstuffs.

May 24, 1943

Saturday Evening

"Harry, there you are, I was beginning to wonder if you'd be late to our session," Cade said no sooner than Harry's first step in the room.

"Sorry, I had something come up with Elaine," Harry said in a semi-breathless manner.

Elaine had stopped him on his way to Cade, that much was true, only he hadn't been with her more than five minutes. Rather, what he'd been doing since he'd been able to, was spend every available moment in the study or going over one of the many books he withdrew from it. He wasn't so stupid as to take out the darker books either, no, the ones he took from the room were always heavy on magical theory or quality of life spells.

Ever since that conversation with Elaine, one that she'd let idle since the interruption during their Hogsmeade date, his drive had been unquestionable. Harry needed to get as much knowledge, strength and spell diversity as he could; Elaine's assurances had been far from trustworthy in his mind, and Dumbledore's ability to stand against Grindelwald was the same. Should the time come where Elaine turns against him, or Merlin forbids, the two of them have to work against Grindelwald together, he needed to be nearer to their skill level than he currently was.

Time would be his greatest obstacle, especially since learning old magic that had newer relatives take their place wasn't the greatest way to go about strengthening himself. That was why he went to Cade, Druella and seldomly, Elaine - combined, everything as it was, he'd seen improvement at an incredible rate.

"Elaine comes before all other tasks or leisure activities that need doing, we're both aware of that," Cade said, a shrug the only visual given. "Let us move on, time is wasting and this is one of the final lessons together that we'll have. For that reason, I've prepared a spell the likes of which I'd have preferred to teach you a year into these lessons… it goes without saying that you'll need to keep mention of it to no one save for those within our little circle. I trust that won't be an issue, Peverell?"

Harry shook his head, a touch of eagerness clear in his movement. "No, no that won't be an issue."

Cade nodded once. "Very good. We'll go to our desks then, you'll not use this spell until you've a firm understanding of what it does. We'll not duel again, not with the lack of time that we have, but I'd like for you to know well in advance that this spell is beyond any security measures that we could put in place," Cade caught Harry's eyes and fixed the younger boy with a serious look for the words that followed. "This curse is never one that you'll use in a friendly fight, save it for circumstances where you fear for your life or the end is nigh."

With that warning given, Cade took a seat opposite of Harry's desk and used his wand to flip over a textbook onto an already marked page. From first sight, Harry could see the two pages were heavily used by the previous owners; there were definitely plenty of those based on the aged look of the bo- tome before them.

"Yes, it's a book older than most," Cade confirmed, reading the boys face as Harry took his seat and got out parchment of his own. "Would you believe me if I said there's but three spells in the entirety of it?" Cade snorted and shook his head.

"My love! Do you plan on hurting Harry today, or is my time better spent preparing for our wedding this summer?" Robin's voice, heavy with teasing, called to the two of them from her medical corner. Victoire was with her too, though the snickering she was visibly doing wasn't heard.

Cade rolled his eyes before he turned to face his fiance, a flash of annoyance visible before a faux smile fell in place. "Do as you'd like, I believe Harry and I will only remain here for half an hour at the most. Tell the others should you see them that our final lesson is in two weeks time, at which time one of them will have to take over Peverell's lessons come the new school year."

"Really?" Harry asked, unable to hide the eagerness at lessons from those who'd learned from Cade - Andre and Angelique both seemed talented, he'd seen as much.

"Did you think your lessons would end when I graduated, come the end of next month?" Cade shook his head and tilted his head towards Harry, his fiance forgotten as she made her leave. "Once you joined our little club, you remain in it until not but one member remains, which will happen next year unless more are brought in. I do believe some of your friends such as Aster or Corene would be good fits."

Harry smiled at the older boy. "Thank you."

He hoped those words conveyed the true sense of gratitude he felt, as the lessons had already done so much for him. One example Harry often thought of as a measurement of his change was Abraxas. Should the boy ever wish for a rematch, he would be easily beaten even with the use of darker spells allowed.

Cade didn't give his usual shrug or blank look in response. Instead, the boy gave a faint smile of his own back, one that was no larger than those which Corene would give when she was truly happy with something.

"Do you understand the wand motions as they're shown and written?" Cade asked, his tone deadly serious.

"Yes," Harry said with a nod, his wand in hand and pointed at the dummy Cade had summoned for him to practise on.

Practise on… Harry had felt ill reading the spell, to see it in action against a dummy alone could prove nauseating. He hadn't a clue how Cade could withstand it, or the others if they'd learned spells similar to this - to think that he'd thought the heart-stop spell was horrible, or the maggot spell from Yaxley's book. Either of them seemed far more pleasant than the curse Cade had offered to teach him.

"And you're sure you understand the spell's effects?" Cade questioned. "I'll not have too visceral a reaction from you once you cast it, you know what it does and how it'll look on those hit by it."

"I understand," Harry said with a nod.

Cade had already given him that speech, the one that told him the older boy wouldn't feel at all responsible if Harry felt too sick to continue when a few of the effects were mimicked by the dummy. Not all of them could be shown, obviously, for the spell needed a live victim - no better word existed than victim - for them to be visualised.

Harry hadn't thought any culture or family could think up a spell that had so many horrible effects, all of which would cause horrible pain and ultimately death. Truthfully, he guaranteed the spell would've been known to every criminal or Auror if it were only far simpler to cast. What made the spell challenging, too challenging, was the intricate wand movement required and the six-syllable phrase that telegraphed the casting of it.

Perhaps, if an easier way to cast it had been made, the spell would've been far more prevalent in the world. Harry was thankful no such easier time had been made.

"On your mark then," Cade said, stepping back and motioning towards the unmoving figure that stood across from Harry.

It was similar to the figure he'd used for Dumbledore's Army to practise on, and even then, the thing looked too human for him. He didn't mean to feel so squeamish or guilt-ridden, he wouldn't with any other spell, it was simply the graphic details the final few pages had given that filled him with a sense of hesitance. Even then, it wasn't too strong a sense, for all it took for Harry to cast it at the mannequin was a cough from Cade that he interpreted as 'hurry up'

Harry watched with a sick fascination as the spell he cast raced through the air, that fascination grew when it impacted the chest of the figure across from him, he even heard Cade take in a breath. When nothing happened after nearly five seconds, Harry exhaled and looked over his shoulder.

There was no mention of delay in the effects of the spell. Had he miscast it? Were the motions wrong or the incantation incorrectly said?

"Look again," Cade said, his face hardening as he nodded once to the figure behind Harry.

Harry cocked his head, but he did as his tutor requested and turned his head towards the dummy. What he saw happening to it, well, it made the spells very graphic description feel as if it hadn't been warning enough. That was on a non-living mannequin too… the way its face seemed to melt to the layers of stone beneath it and cracks began giving way across all of it was detail enough for him. He had no doubt in his mind that his first casting of it had been proficient to some degree, and truthfully, that was a fine stopping point in his mind.

Should he ever wish to further his knowledge of the spell, he had the pages needed - Cade had let him copy them, the motions included. Of course, the boy had warned him what would happen if knowledge of the spell was found on his person too. In his own words, not even the incompetent Headmaster, Elaine's influence or that of the Peverell name would see him escape without some sort of punishment.

"It's much worse on a person," Cade said, a small smile on his face as the dummy continued to rot into a liquid form of the stone it'd been made from.

"Have you seen it?" Harry couldn't help but ask based on the boy's words and body language.

Cade didn't answer his question, but he did speak. "If only we had more time. I truly believe under my tutelage, you could've become greater than the others." Cade shrugged and patted Harry on his shoulders in a very unlike himself manner as he moved towards the exit. "Forgive me, I'm simply lamenting at the lack of time life so often gives us. I'll see you again for our final lesson, Harry."

"Yeah, see you then. Thanks again, Cade," Harry waved as the older boy left the room, and once the door was firmly shut behind him, he couldn't help but let the thoughts race through his mind.

Why had Cade watched the spell work with such a look on his face? He seemed a bit unlike himself today, though the lesson had been very helpful despite the dark tones it had.

Harry shook his head before any further suspicion grew, there wasn't any need to cast doubt on everything and everyone. He'd done that enough earlier on, and considering how he'd improved magically as well as being able to stand up against Elaine, the unease towards every little thing needed to end. It did him no good, least of all when it was directed towards those who'd helped him such as Cade or Corene.

Perhaps that would be his next goal after all the time he'd spent learning magic and strengthening himself. He'd begun building connections and taking Elaine's posse, he was magically stronger than ever before, maybe it was time he focused on a deeper understanding of people… Corene would be who he needed to see for that.