October 16, 1944
Monday Early Morning
"Merlin's beard, they couldn't have waited until the morning to make an announcement?" Aster grumbled once Slughorn made his exit from the Slytherin common room.
Their Head of House had come in nearly ten minutes after Harry had woken up. Another five or so minutes after that and with the entirety of the house gathered, the man made it clear for all that there would be an announcement within the hour. He would come again before it was time for the students to gather, and thanks to Harry's status as a Prefect along with a good few of his friends, Professor Slughorn had sought his assistance.
Not much had happened during that visit from the man, for the Professor had made it clear in his unique way that all rumours would be put to rest and the truth would be told. Only the truth, for the great deal of falsehoods that had been told or speculated upon had already made themselves very problematic. Well, that was what Slughorn said, but Harry didn't really see it.
"Breakfast might be served early because of it," Reinhard said speculatively.
Harry turned his head to look at the larger boy with a look of dismay on his face. "Really? You're thinking about food right now?"
Aster hushed Harry. "Come on mate, you know we have to eat right when we wake up. That's life - breakfast being the most important meal of the day and that. Besides, they'll probably cancel school today with everybody being awake and anxious… say, think they'll serve four meals?"
"You guys are idiots, I'm going back to bed," Joe said with a shake of his head as he made his way towards the boys' dorm entrance. "Ash, Harry, one of you wake me up please?"
"Yeah mate," Ash said.
Harry nodded too, not that his help was needed after Ash had already announced his.
"Looks like the future wife is calling, best not to keep her waiting," Aster said with a nod at someone or something over Harry's left shoulder after he'd come out of his food conversation with Reinhard. "Congratulations on that, by the way. Can't wait for the party we'll have before the wedding."
"There'll be none of that," Corene said, suddenly behind him with Emilene next to her.
Emilene, the shortest girl of their year and the picture of innocence, grabbed his sleeve. "Elaine requests your presence."
"See you arou-" Reinhard began only to get cut off by Emilene.
"Not just Harry, all of you," She said with Corene already grabbing Harry's other sleeve to lead him away. "Elaine would like those close to Harry and herself to join her at the usual assortment of seats for a conversation pre-announcement. There'll be one post-announcement too, and likely weekly meetings depending on the amount of news we can receive whilst here."
Harry blinked as he found himself led towards his gir- fiancée, his feeling of exhaustion- or near enough to exhaustion- making him stumble. "She wants us to discuss what's happening in the world that frequently?"
Corene nodded once, her actions and voice no more tired sounding than usual. "Yes."
With that as all the answer he'd receive, Harry and his fellow blokes followed after the two girls in silence until they were all at their usual spot by the fireplace.
Elaine looked immaculate as always, the minor amount of makeup she wore already in place and her hair looking like it was freshly done up; he supposed with how quickly the news found its way to her that she'd had plenty of time to prepare for the conversation they were about to have.
"Good morning to you all," Elaine greeted, her hands in her lap and the soft smile on her face despite the early hours making her look like the picture of elegance.
Harry waited until after everybody returned her greeting before doing so himself. "Good morning, Elaine."
She smiled at that, and after said perfect, charming smile, she motioned Emilene away with but one simple look. If he had to wager, it was likely meant to kick the other girl into action regarding the many members of Elaine's group milling about in the common room. None of them were inner-circle members, that much was true, but they'd likely be given some amount of information by her once most of this group was over… Come to think of it, Harry didn't see Abraxas or a couple of the other housemates of theirs that Elaine also spent a good deal of time with.
Perhaps there were three tiers of groups, or possibly Elaine preferred smaller groups even if it meant more work on her behalf.
"I'll not waste our time considering the limited amount that we find ourselves with to tell you about what's happened, for I should think all of you are informed enough to realise we've found ourselves playing host to tens of thousands of outsiders," Elaine started, confirming the news they'd heard easily and without delay. "As far as I've heard, and as far as the Ministry knows - I say this with only partial confidence, mind you - Grindelwald is seeking something in which he believes his victory will be guaranteed. What it is, I'm unsure of, as are all who're currently working against him at this time to the best of my knowledge. Suffice to say that Hogwarts could be a target with Professor Dumbledore gone and our Headmaster currently ill. At this time, I would like to address the multitude of rumours you've heard lest there's any questions you deem fit to ask right this very moment."
Harry looked around and saw the rest of the group, Corene included, indicated no by a shake of the head. There wasn't anything he wanted to ask right that second either, not that he could think of, though his mind wasn't completely awake or functioning thanks to the scant few hours of sleep he'd gotten. Slughorn's additional duties as Prefect and the firsties who'd bug him from time to time because of it were only more of a hindrance, just as his assistant position in some of the lower Potions classes was.
"Wonderful, I do so enjoy a silent, swift answer," Elaine said as she clapped her hands cutely, the loud noise semi-helpful in making him alert. "Many of you may have heard varying pieces of false information thanks to disinformation by Walburga or rampant worrying from our less put-together housemates. I believe a few of the more common ones are Grindelwald and his allies being seen in Liverpool with wizards from Japan present in this invasion. Are there other large and most egregious ones that I'm missing?"
Aster raised his hand and spoke very quickly, his eyes bouncing every which way. "We heard there were wizards and witches from all over the continent or near enough."
Elaine nodded and dipped her head. "Thank you, Aster, for sharing," Her voice wasn't wholly belittling, though Harry definitely heard a lilt of it. "There are, so far as we know from Corene's father and a few of his business associates who just so happened to be visiting this morning, wizards and witches present with Grindelwalds forces from all of the countries whose governments have allied with him. For those who're unaware and uninformed in the matters of our Muggle counterparts, those countries would be: Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, and Italy. Volunteers from France, Belgium, Holland, Czechoslovakia, and a few other nations are also present."
Harry didn't like the sound of that, not with how many languages and cultures would be involved. It wasn't xenophobia on his part either, more so nervousness towards magic and tongues he'd not heard, much less faced off against in all of his two lives.
"Grindelwald?" Harry asked, butting in when Elaine went to take a breath. "Where is he? What about those people that're often spotted with him?"
Elaine's eyes narrowed for a second, if that, before they went back to her calm, loving demeanour. He swore he could see a duality of emotions battling back and forth thanks to her body language alone, but he wasn't completely sure.
"Grindelwald's location is as unknown to us as his target is," Elaine said, her eyes solely on Harry rather than flickering amongst the group as they'd been doing. "It's not unlikely to think that he stayed behind to ensure the continent didn't fall whilst he launched an invasion with what most believe to be his last bit of reserve forces and equipment. Should that be the case, this battle would be led by two of his Lieutenants in all but officiality."
Aster made a noise and looked away, but Harry didn't focus on his friend right that second. There would come a time to ask the boy about why he'd reacted as he had, but right this moment, Harry was far more worried about those Lieutenants as well as the invasion at large. He'd not yet gotten over the fact that none of this had happened in his timeline.
"Vinda and Capris have alleged sightings behind the Muggle lines," Corene said, her house-elf beside her despite Slughorn's earlier request that those with the ability to bring them in not do so. "Hundreds of Magicals are believed to be present at Dover, with their abilities and proficiencies assisting their Muggles to fight harder than the hounds typically would."
Harry glanced towards Aster again at the mention of Muggles, for if there was one thing that would get the boy out of whatever funk he was under, it was the mention of them and their war machines. He was right too, Aster did look vaguely interested, though there was still something distinctly off about him; his face seemed tense, his eyes looked queer and his general demeanour seemed anything but Aster-like.
"I see…" Elaine said with a flash of thought crossing her face before she clapped her hands again, causing herself and all the others gathered around to focus on the two dainty things once more. "Rumours, and quickly. There are no confirmed sightings of Japanese magicals, there are other magicals from the continent present, Grindelwald himself has not been spotted, the Ministry has not fallen, and our Muggles are putting up a wonderful fight in coordination with the Muggles from America, Canada and the rest of the forces aligned with them."
No time was spared for questions, and once Elaine had listed off all that she had, the assembled half dozen or so were sent away save for two of them; Harry and Corene.
Corene would remain at Elaine's side until the latter girl made it explicitly clear that she wasn't to do so. Her elf, or rather the ability she had to call the creature who was also being fed information by her father for the sake of her safety, was a wonderful advantage. Not only that, but with Corene as Elaine's number one advisor and the number two in the group - Harry was his fiance's equal, yes, but their little group's hierarchy was still entirely too complex for his liking - the girl would always be close save for the few days she chose to rest.
Either way, he and Corene both would go on to spend all of their time up until the announcement nearly two hours later, alongside Elaine. He didn't mind it with how bored he'd have been if she hadn't kept him beside her, and it could've been worse.
How many other blokes spent time around their fiancée and one of their best friends who was also a wonderfully beautiful witch?
Merlin… he really did need those bloke friends of his.
"Students, students," Headmaster Dippet began, his voice soft-sounding and lacking the intensity that Dumbledore's tone would often have despite his friendly nature. "Silence, please, for the sake of us all."
It took nearly two minutes of the other Professors at Hogwarts and the Prefects of the four houses working together to silence the hundreds upon hundreds of students from their chattering before silence was finally obtained. Normally, they would listen better, but the events of the day mixed with the Headmaster's illness were horrible for their unity.
Really. Harry meant that too, for there were already minor arguments and skirmishes regarding Grindelwald as well as the attack. Sure, most of the students hated the man for who he was, but there were some who agreed with his stance of enslaving or eradicating the Muggles. Those few Muggleborns in the school didn't like those stances all that much, needless to say.
"Thank you, for your attentiveness and your inquisitiveness," Headmaster Dippet said with a bow of his sickly looking head. "No doubt, many of you have heard that our nation has come under attack by the forces of the Dark Lord, Grindelwald. While I strive to be honest with such young, beautiful minds, I must also be transparent in regards to the truth. By saying that, I would tell you all right this moment, that there is absolutely zero threat to our school thanks to the brave Aurors and Societies who have stepped up to combat this growing threat."
"Load a shite," Aster muttered in Harry's ear, momentarily distracting him from the speech.
When he tuned back in to listen, the Headmaster was in the middle of a sentence. "… Yank and Colonial allies, thank our family members, and thank those of whom warned our government prior to the attack so that our safety could be guaranteed," Headmaster Dippet paused for a breath then, the noise rattling through the silence of the Great Hall. "Finally, in regards to the panicked state in which the majority of you woke up this morning, there will be no classes for the day. Please, enjoy your breakfasts, enjoy your days, and feel free to speak with any Professor should you have a concern regarding the safety of us all. Good morning."
Like that, the speech from Headmaster Dippet was over and the multitude of conversations that Harry had aided in silencing were right back to where they'd all left off. The amount of noise that generated was jarring after such a soft voice from an older man, and if Harry had thought it possible to fall back asleep once this 'announcement' was over, he'd have thought wrong.
"Was that it, then?" Reinhard questioned with a grumpiness in his voice. "I could've said what he did in half as many words."
"Honestly mate, did you think he'd tell us all that we need to panic and the end times are upon us?" Joe quipped from across the table, his face sour thanks to the lack of sleep he'd gotten.
"Headmaster Dippet's not all that smart, don't you remember what Riddle said when we still had to call her Riddle before Pev here won her over?" Aster nudged Harry and then looked forlornly at the table. "Anyhow, who cares what he does or doesn't say? We have Elaine and Corene for the real news - I'm more concerned about why the table's still empty."
Harry wanted so badly to sigh and let his head hit the table, he would've too, had he not needed it for the post-announcement conversation Elaine had spoken about.
If only he could stay and wait with his friends at the table for food… it was only a couple of hours from no-
"Breakfast!" Aster cheered as food began popping up all across the table far, far earlier than expected.
"Merlin, Aster was right," Reinhard said eagerly as he tore a tomahawk steak off the platter in front of him. "No classes today, earlier breakfast with the possibility of four meals… I think I'm still asleep."
"Nah," Ash said, shaking his head. "You're not still asleep, mate, trust me on that."
Harry saw that Elaine was beckoning him and stood up, but he lingered just long enough to hear the end of whatever it was Ash was going to say.
"Yeah? How would you know that?" Reinhard questioned after a hefty bite from his steak, his hand gripping the bone and blood running down his chin and onto the eggs he'd placed on his plate - it was a very Ron-like move, Harry had to admit.
Ash snickered, and then he responded. "You'd be better looking."
With the round of insults, minor pieces of food getting hurled about and other vulgarities that'd started, Harry was off.
He was still thankful he'd gotten to hear it though.
"Well then, what do we need to talk about now, Elaine?" Harry asked with the present company solely himself, Elaine and Corene. "I thought you wanted some of the others here too?"
Elaine had dragged him and Corene both to the Chamber. Corene hadn't acted as if it were her first time present, nor had Elaine made a spectacle of it, but knowing the two girls as well as he did, he still wasn't sure if it were the first time the former witch had been here.
Regardless of that, the three of them had found themselves moving through the various chambers and the single hidden passage until they were on the very familiar new couch in Slytherin's quarters. It was towards the front most portion of the wide open space where the parlour room would be, and he was sitting between the two girls on the large couch with the fireplace acting as a relaxant as they began their discussion.
"Initially, yes, I had wanted the others to be present for a post-announcement conversation," Elaine said, her voice even and slightly more alert-sounding than it'd previously been, though the change was subtle. "When I thought now would be better spent finishing up our preparations in this safehouse should the worse come to pass, I changed my mind. Corene and you, Harry, are the only two I truly need to speak with. Emilene, Daphne and Abraxas will likely be sought after once we're done here too. As for what I brought you here to discuss past the aforementioned reason, it struck me that I should ensure the pair of you have a group to stick by should Grindelwald or his forces attack Hogwarts."
Corene's usual blank visage broke at that moment, and Harry wasn't sure if it was because the three were very secluded or if there were lingering effects of that previous incense Elaine had boiling in the furthest corner of the room. "We discussed Harry and his need for protection thanks to Grindelwald's fascination with the Hallows. I agreed that he needed friends beyond Aster and Reinhard for protection. I fail to see the necessity for me to have a group in addition to him."
Elaine looked across Harry with what looked to be surprise on her face, and while normally her emotions didn't last that long save for if they were meant to, that look didn't pass for nearly five seconds. When Harry thought about it, he couldn't recall Corene challenging Elaine in any meaningful way until that moment.
Maybe he wasn't the greatest influence, or maybe, he was exactly the influence she needed.
"Yaxley betrayed us," Elaine said once she'd recovered, her eyes darting between Corene's and Harry's with an unusual quickness. "He would have told Grindelwald those who could pose a threat to him, and with your connections as well as your own natural abilities, Corene, your safety is paramount. Fret not, the two of you aren't the only ones I'll be singling out."
'What about you, then?" Harry asked, his nose raised and his leg pressed harder against Elaine's. "If Yaxley's truly told him everything, if he isn't a fake or what have you, aren't you at a greater risk than all of us?"
Elaine smiled, though the look wasn't entirely sweet or innocent. "Your concern is appreciated, my love, but I concern myself not with the lame followers of Grindelwald or those of whom he calls Lieutenant or friend. Only the Dark Lord himself would give me reason to worry, and should I have you at my side at that moment in time, my concern would be spent completely on you."
Harry wasn't sure that he liked how arrogant she was with her answer. Sure, he knew she was powerful to terrifying effect, but how much practical experience did she really have? As far as Harry knew, her few fights had been against Cade Avery or others who'd trained with the boy. They were strong and a sight to behold, but even those lacked the true fight to the death element that any contact with Grindelwalds forces would have.
In other words, Harry was weirdly concerned for Elaine; arrogance had been the downfall of many before, and it'd happened fairly recently in her family. That boy and his two friends were proof of that… Merlin, he still wanted to find that missing woman from the Gaunts, she was very likely to be Elaine's grandmother - then again, maybe he shouldn't find the older woman in the event she was stuffed inside a locked room.
"Fine," Harry said with a shrug. "We can talk about our protection later too. Let's just focus on the supplies and what we'll need if, as you said, the worst comes to pass."
I'm not giving up on my argument with her, He promised himself, I'll just wait until it's only the two of us.
Harry was incredibly confident in his abilities to change Elaine's mind. With how often she called him her equal and the recent strength of their relationship, he figured he had a pretty grand chance at ruling out any of the stupidity or horrible thoughts she had; if that failed, he could always do the tried and true kissing technique.
Elaine was romantic, and while that often paved the way for her incredible amount of lust, it wasn't something he'd come to see as horrible. If anything, it gave him the ability to subtly nudge her towards what he wanted whilst the two were intimate.
As weird and wrong as that could be, there were far, far worse things he could do to change her mind.
"Supplies it is, darling," Elaine said as she stood up and moved in front of he and Corene with outstretched hands for the pair of them. "We'll take inventory whilst Corene's house-elf keeps us informed, and so long as the creature is able, we could have it find whatever we're missing for our stash - Corene?"
Corene let a second or two pass in silence, and then she nodded. "That can be done."
"Splendid," Elaine said with a smile as she pulled the two to their feet with a surprising show of strength from her slender - beautiful - form. "I wonder if we've any games to pass the time down here."
"I'm sure we could find something to play," Harry said off-handedly, his eyes widening when Elaine's face turned decidedly aroused and Corene rolled her eyes at the pair of them, the latter girl's visage incredibly unimpressed.
Oops, He thought as he blinked away his embarrassment.
"I find myself in agreement," Elaine said, her hand that'd pulled him up now beginning to stroke his hand in which she still held.
Harry hadn't meant to be suggestive in front of Corene, nor had he meant to tease Elaine, but such was his life, he figured.
At the very least, should they be stuck in these dank chambers with a dozen or two friends, he doubted it'd be very boring. If anything, it'd get very… intimate, for lack of a better word, with how close they'd all be and the lack of more than one bathroom.
Oh yes, he could already picture how well all that would go over.
October 21, 1944
Saturday Evening
"Still nothing, huh?" Aster asked as he plopped down beside Harry on one of the alcoved couches in the sixth year boys' dorm.
"As far as I know, there's been little to no change on the invasion front. Apparently nobody even knows if Grindelwald is here or still on the continent," Harry answered, his assignment finally finished right as his four friends decided to join him.
"How's that? Shouldn't be too hard to spot the bastard," Joe commented before he popped a sweet in his mouth.
Harry shrugged. "There's rumoured sightings of him in Belgium where the Muggles have stalled again; the same could be said in Holland and Western Germany too. Truth is, until he makes himself known, nobody will know where he is. I reckon those two witches of his know though."
"What, plan on catching one of them all on your lonesome?" Ash joked, elbowing Harry before he stole one of Joe's candies.
"Nah mate, just thinking that if either of them were caught, we'd be a whole lot better off. Really, with Headmaster Dippet sick as he is and Dumbledore in the same boat, only worse, what would we do if he just appeared outside the entrance of Hogwarts with a few friends?" Harry looked from one boy to the next, and then he continued. "I think we wouldn't be able to do much of anything if I'm honest, not unless all those stories about him are false or greatly added to."
Aster looked nervous for all of a second, then, he turned back to his usual carefree self. "I don't think we have much cause for concern, not with all the Aurors out there dispatching his forces. Those Muggles he brought are contained too, and those planes of theirs, if what I've heard from home is right, are nearly all destroyed. Looks like the battle's nearly over already."
Harry didn't say anything to that. He shrugged at his friend and let the conversation branch off into two different directions; Aster and Joe in one, Ash and Reinhard in the other.
He listened to the various topics covered, with witches and the size of certain assets being an in common feature until Rosier finally decided he needed a snack run. Surprisingly, Reinhard declined to go with him thanks to the game of Wizarding Chess he'd found himself in against Ash. Joe, being a great friend of Ash, decided to stay with the two battling their wits against one another.
That left Harry and Aster alone to make their snack break, and without a doubt, Harry would bring up the invasion discussion once more. He didn't necessarily want to, not with the number of fallen that'd been reported in the Prophet thus far, but with Aster's predictions coming true… well, Harry figured the boy could potentially offer insight as he'd previously done.
Harry dared to hope that.
"Elaine and you have another scheduled snogging tomorrow, is that right?" Aster snarked as the two stepped out of the common room and into the hallway at large.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Harry fired back with a grin before he nudged the other boy towards the direction of the stairs. "Figure you'd find a witch for you to snog by now too, unless your prank game far exceeds that of your romantic one."
Aster made a playful wounded noise. "Me? Poor in romance?" He chuckled and flung an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Come on mate, I could get any bird of my choice. There's nothing I'm bad at, you know this by now."
"I'll believe that when I see it," Harry laughed.
After a brief few seconds of Aster narrowing his eyes at Harry, the former boy joined the latter in laughing. They each knew bullshit when they heard it, especially since the pair of them would spout it with one another fairly often - their friendship was practically built around immature behaviour.
When their laughter died down and they were a third of the way towards the staircase, Harry picked the conversation up again, and this time, he directed it towards where he'd wanted it initially. "So Aster, I got a question or a dozen for you since you seem to know Grindelwald so well. Mind if I asked you them, oh wise one?"
Aster grinned at Harry and made an exaggerated bow. "After such a respectful title, I'd be Aster the Horrible if I didn't grant thee thy wish. Put them to words, dear boy."
Harry nearly lost it when Aster switched to his Professor Slughorn impression, albeit one that was mixed with a very old way of speaking.
"Where do you think he is, if you had to guess?" Harry asked with a grin still present on his face. "I mean, if his forces, magical and muggle alike aren't doing all that well, why launch them in the first place without making use of them? Surely we'd have heard if he'd done something by now, in fact, I'm sure he would've gloaded about it."
Grindelwald had a degree of arrogance about him that Harry had seldom seen, though that wasn't to say he'd not seen arrogance itself before. No, what Harry meant in his thought was the sheer amount of arrogance Grindelwald seemed to have. So confident was the man in his actions and choices that he would often play up to the world community.
Had he chosen to be a politician rather than a war-monger, scarily enough, Harry thought the man might've made leaps and bounds in his campaign. There were no shortage of people who liked him, as seen by the number of followers he had and those who supported his agenda though not his killings.
Perhaps in a twisted sort of way, Grindelwald's war was better than the alternative of the man rising up to power over time.
Aster, momentarily forgotten thanks to Harry's number of thoughts, brought the latter boy back by a thoughtful noise. When Harry looked at him following said noise, he could see a level of focus and contemplation that Aster rarely wore.
"I would guess he's in Holland or another part of Britain. If it's the latter, he's somewhere he'll not be found unless he means to be… think about it, why would there be extra Aurors scouring the countryside for him when they're all needed to stop his forces from pushing inland? As for why he's sacrificing them as he apparently is and why there's been such a lack of information, I could only imagine whatever he's gone after is tremendously important to him," Aster finished partially out of breath, and then he turned more towards Harry and shrugged. "I don't reckon I'm all that right mate, else I'd have a better divination grade. Come on, let's get a move on to the kitchen already, can't afford to miss out on any of the early morning stuff."
Harry made a noise of affirmation and chased after his friend, the boy's words already settling in his mind to no small amount of interest.
October 22, 1944
Sunday Morning
"You're just in time, Harry," Elaine greeted as he stepped through the door to last year's private, abandoned room he'd cleaned up.
Elaine had made a good deal of changes to it since last he'd stepped foot inside. It seemed larger for one, though that was likely an effect of her removing a majority of the furniture that'd previously been within it. In addition to that, the few pieces of furniture she'd kept had been refurbished and modified to fit her standards of higher quality. All the torches on the wall glowed green like in their common room too, though the fireplace was still orange in colour.
"It was dust-covered and rotten-smelling," Elaine said as she drew closer to him, one arm motioning around the room. "Not to mention the lack of cosmetic changes you'd made had the room feeling half cared about and below you. I should think with the enchantments, wards and beautification I've done, it'll be a wonderful room we'll use when we'd like time away from the common room."
Harry went the rest of the way over to Elaine, kissed her as his greeting, and promptly sat in one of the large, comfortable chairs that looked out of the left-most window. "You did a wonderful job, but what if the school takes the room over with the recent influx of students?"
Elaine smiled at him or his words, possibly both, then she sat down in his lap. "I appreciate your happiness towards my work, easy as this type of magic is. You need not worry about that potential problem either, for they expand in a specific way so as to avoid additional routes and longer schedules for the Prefects. High concentration rather than dispersion, I believe, the opinion is amongst the Professors - besides, if there was a serious risk of our work here being disrupted, I would simply speak with Professor Slughorn."
He grinned a little bit at that.
With how wrapped around her finger said Professor was, Harry hadn't a doubt that this one seemingly insignificant classroom could be 'given' to them so long as they wanted it. Maybe the man would even sponsor some sort of club to make their gatherings official if the need arose.
"You said we were training today?" Harry asked, changing the topic as his arms wrapped around Elaine's waist and her hands came to play with his hair.
Who would've thought I'd be holding her whilst she's in my lap after I voluntarily kissed her only a year after we'd met?
Harry's self-given question nearly made him laugh, nearly.
"I did, yet, I confess to enjoying our current level of intimacy," Elaine said, her pale cheeks colouring just barely - it wasn't one of her forced blushes either, for those were far more immediate and her face would often reflect a bit of effort to do so. "Perhaps we could spend a few minutes like this, I'm sure you don't mind it. The thinking it allows me to do, the calmness it provides and the wonderful sensation of your skin against mine is, in one word, bliss."
"We can stay like this for a little while then… is there any news about, well, anything?" Harry had paused halfway through his speaking when the thought struck him that he could let her rest, but with it being Elaine and his curiosity getting the better of him, he couldn't help but continue on.
Elaine leant against him, her left side pressed directly against his chest as her body came to enfold his. "If you'd like news about anything, then yes, I'm sure I could find something of note to tell you. Should you mean news regarding the Dark Lord, the Muggles, and whatever else relates to the current predicament facing us, then no, nothing of note has happened since last we met - I will tell you as I always do, that those Muggles and their planes of destruction will not last. All of them to a man will be dealt with swiftly, for the destruction and damage they cause is simply too grand for their continued survival."
Her tone had taken on a more sinister edge despite the cute, loveable mannerisms she conveyed from her spot in his lap. Even now, all these months later, he didn't believe how she could be so… different. It was as if Elaine wasn't simply one person, but a myriad of them with different drives, ambitions and feelings; all of them had some sort of infatuation or love of him though, which he supposed was a good thing.
"I see," Harry said, not knowing what else to say as one hand began stroking her back after her latter-half of speaking was more heated. "Oh, right, I was meaning to tell you something too. Aster and Reinhard were sent a letter, one each, by a person who didn't si-"
"It wasn't Yaxley," Elaine said, cutting him off.
"You're sure?" Harry asked.
He didn't want to dime on his friends, but he cared too much for them to let them go to their 'friend' if he'd written to them. Really, he would rather the two be angry with him than kidnapped by Yaxley, Grindelwald and whoever else might do so.
Elaine gave Harry a look, one that had an arched brow and half-smirk. "Do you doubt me?"
Harry shook his head. "No, no I suppose I don't, though the fact that you knew it before I told you is a bit alarming… how did you know?"
"Abraxas," Elaine said easily. "You forget that he lives in your dorms, most all of you do, else you wouldn't be so careless with half of what you say. I don't suppose you've thought that Walburga could have somebody listening in on you and the others just as easily as Abraxas does for me?"
"Not really, but I do find it funny that you still have Malfoy spying on us despite knowing we're all with you," Harry replied readily enough, not bothered with her intensity enough to avoid his semi-barb. "I'm not concerned about Walburga, you should know that by now. She hasn't even come to speak to me once this year, if anything, she's kept her distance more than all of last year from start to finish."
Elaine cocked her head at him in a very Corene-like way, though her smug, borderline-superior expression was still in place. "I love you. You were made for me and nothing will stop that from being anything but the truth, but even then, I would hear of everything that happens regarding you. How else would I know how best to comfort you or offer my support? So long as I know every detail about you, regardless of how minute it is or you may think it to be, I'll always know exactly what to do for you," Elaine cuddled into him again then, their studying now further away than a few minutes and her lips right next to his ear when she picked up again. "Walburga will try her way once more, and when you handle that, so much more will be made known to you, my love."
It wasn't until they separated nearly twenty minutes later, after Elaine had taken a nap whilst resting on him and after she teased him once more regarding something that he didn't know, that the pair began a study session.
One that lasted for barely thirty minutes before it turned into something else, something that he was ill prepared for…
"You can't be serious," Harry said blandly, his eyes blinking at his girlfriend who stood cockily across from him with a deadly serious expression on her face.
"I am," Elaine said shortly, one hand on her hip as the other held her wand limply at her side. "You duelled Cade a half dozen times or so, you went against those other three he'd taught too, but seldom have you gone against me."
"For good reason," Harry said quickly, speaking before she could do so again after catching her breath.
He had faced off against Elaine a few times. They'd all gone well enough, sure, but they both knew she was pulling her punches for the most part during those 'fights' as she'd called them. While all that practise had only increased his work ethic and ambitions towards strength, that still didn't mean he wanted to face her in a real fight. Not when he knew how easily trounced he'd be.
Obviously there was an argument to be made for going against those that were better than you, lest you stagnate by going against those of equal or lesser skill. He knew that just as well as most people who wanted to improve at something did, but Elaine wasn't simply 'better' than him. She was considered the top of her class, a prodigy, and one of the greatest witches of their time for a reason.
"Had I any less willpower, I would look into your mind during the times your thoughts take you as they currently do," Elaine said, rousing him from his thinking and returning his attention to the amused looking girl.
"I can tell you I'm glad you've not entered my mind since our first few meetings," Harry said with a shake of his head. "Had I half a brain, I would've avoided you following those intrusions. I suspect that's why it took us so long to get along, you know."
Elaine shrugged, no remorse in her actions; the cocked head and semi-interested look conveyed a touch of confusion if anything. "I apologised for those actions already, and unless I'm mistaken, I made amends for them. Be that as it may, my love, it doesn't get you out of our bout."
Harry sighed, withdrew his wand and took the few remaining steps towards his starting point. "I still don't understand how you'll gauge where I am just by beating me in an opening barrage of spellfire."
"You lack confidence in your combat prowess," Elaine said with a smile and that head of hers still cocked. "I should tell you that after all of that studying, there's absolutely no reason to be nervous. I'm sure you know more spells than nearly all of our schoolmates, and while that doesn't directly correlate to skill, you seem to have forgotten that I watched you at your home - that target was nearly always hit in short succession, if I remember correctly."
"That's di-"
"Malfoy was thoroughly beaten by you before you even began hitting the books in earnest. I'll hear no more excuses or attempts to dissuade me from this bout, not when it'll tell us just where you are in terms of your skill," Elaine raised her wand then, a sinister and beautiful look on her face as her expression changed like a flipped coin. "On your mark, darling. Don't forget what the winner gets either, I do look very forward to it."
Harry swallowed, slowed his breathing and raised his wand.
He could start it however he'd like, and the only rules were no spells that could do too much harm or cause outright death. That left a lot on the table for him to use against Elaine, and while he had no doubt that he would lose, he'd be a right and proper donut if he didn't make it a tough fight for her.
Fighting isn't fair, He remembered as Cade had told him.
Harry would take those words to heart.
"Are you going to cast a spell eventually, or will you continue to stand idly whilst admiring my beauty?" Elaine asked, a charming smile on her face as she played with her long, black strands of hair.
"I could be waiting until you're off-guard or impatient," Harry replied with a smirk of his own as he twirled his wand in his fingers. "What if that's my plan?"
Elaine's smile grew. "I'll have to warn you, Harry, I'm far more patient than you'll ever know."
Harry nodded a few times, the action slow, until… he moved abruptly.
One spell after the other was cast at Elaine, and he did it so quickly and with such a wonderful degree of procession that he half doubted the girl could have dodged or otherwise blocked them all. He wasn't foolish enough to stop with that few spells, no, Harry continued casting until he had to take a breath, and immediately after doing so, he raised his own cover with a shield following suit whilst he waited for the spectacle he'd created to die out.
Truthfully, he half expected to see Elaine unconscious or standing in the same spot he'd left her; one or the other, he figured. Either she was so far ahead of him that she'd eaten everything he could throw at her or she was too arrogant that he'd caught her by surprise.
"My, my," Elaine's voice came, the source of it a lot more left than he remembered. "I dare say that had I not moved out of the way and cast a hasty shield charm, I may be on the floor at this moment in time. If I wasn't convinced you were working hard and had such a natural strength about you before, I am now. Truly, it was a marvelous thing to see, my darling Harry."
He didn't like how calm she sounded, nor did he like that her breathing was nearly normal as it always was. All he'd managed to do was impress her and force movement from her. It was better than his worst fear, he supposed, but not by all that much.
"Will you be launching another bombardment, or would you prefer to go on the defensive now?" Elaine questioned as one of her hands came up to pick at her hair, the few errant strands from her exertion clearly bothering her.
Harry laughed behind his mixture of shield charm and hardcover. Whether it was the absurdity of her question or how natural she seemed despite the series of impressive spells he'd thrown at her, he didn't know.
Merlin, maybe he was even losing his mind right then; he wouldn't blame himself after seeing how easily she'd handled his best. His only consolation was that thing that happened between their wands when they tried to overpower one another, at least then he knew she couldn't completely defeat him.
"I take that to mea-" Elaine was cut off by a second bombardment from Harry.
He launched every spell he knew at her; from his old signature expelliarmus to one of his favourite newer spells, one that stiffened all joints to the point of immobility. Everything in between was cast too, so long as it was safe. Really, Harry chained spells as quickly and as fervently as he could despite the exhaustion that would settle in as time passed by. It was his only chance, he figured.
In addition to those chained spells and the quickness in which he cast them, since he figured that wouldn't be enough by its lonesome and he only had a small amount of time left, he would attempt to mess with the terrain at her feet. Not only that, but he attempted animated transfiguration, though that didn't end all that well for him.
Still, he pulled out all the stops that he could think of, but by the end of it, when a good few minutes had passed, Elaine was still standing.
That alone was the most annoying fact of all; the fact that not one spell, flung object, malformed animated transfiguration or anything else had caught her were all nowhere near as bothersome. At least he had the pity prize of seeing her sweat, and truly, Harry figured that was the best he'd get until he did far more in terms of his studying.
"You did," Elaine started, her breathing a touch more laboured than he'd first thought despite her flawless appearance. "Quite well, Harry. I do believe it's my turn now and I must admit, I've been wanting to see how long you can last since I first felt interested in you. Mmm, you'll make me quite proud, lover."
If Harry had expected more time or words to be spoken following her fairly romantic - and lusty - remarks, he'd expected wrong. For, following that anticipatory saying from Elaine, she launched her first chain of three spells at him.
They were fast, very fast, and two of the three had been cast silently whilst the third spell was yelled out at him in a way that very much reminded him of her fight with Cade. Harry had all he could do to dodge out of their way, at least the first two, and it was only a conjured piece of debris that saved him from the final one.
Elaine's smile grew when she saw him still standing, and unfortunately for him, so did the predatory look that'd been on her face since first she'd announced the two of them would be fighting.
Funnily enough, that look was the last he remembered clearly, for the sheer volume of spells and work that Elaine did following that had left him stunned, literally. He couldn't recall everything when he came to, though he remembered enough to know that her power and skill still exceeded his regardless of how many spells he'd survived from her before one found its mark.
Whether that number was ten, twenty, fifty or higher, it needed to be zero.