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Dreams of Home Chapter 19
🕑 Added 2023-05-02 21:34:17 +0000 UTCChapter 19
As classes came to an end for the day Harry had a morbid feeling resting in his chest. The Death Eaters were out leading attacks on the Muggle population without consequence. There had to be something that could be done to combat them. The thought had not been far from his mind all day. Images of the burning village of Sussex haunted the corners of his mind, and spikes of rage would shoot through him as he saw members of his house exchange excited whispers throughout the day. Praises of the Dark Lord and his followers were said quietly, making Harry want to rip some of the junior Death Eaters to shreds. It had become so unbearable in the common room that evening that he had forced himself to take a walk through the halls to cool himself off.
Thoughts of Harry’s family swam through his mind as he strolled through the dungeons. How was it that Charlus and Dorea sat back and allowed this to happen in his timeline? He understood the grief they held, but when the slaughter started to happen in the streets of their country, how did they sit back and do nothing? Arcturus Black hardly seemed like the type to rest on his laurels either. How was it no one had done anything? Did they not take the threat seriously? Even James did not seem to understand how bad the situation was. Did the death of Muggles just truly mean so little to magical society?
The knowledge of what happened to their family in the future must have truly awakened something inside his surrogate parents. Harry remembered Dorea telling his grandparents that one of the reasons they allowed themselves to wallow in their grief was because they were no longer needed by the family. Perhaps it was simply too late by the time they realized what was happening to their country.
As Harry decided it was time to return to the Slytherin common room he detected a faint magical anomaly coming from an empty classroom towards the end of the hall. His first instinct was to investigate what his senses had picked up on, but another part of him was cautious of what he could be walking into. Originally he had separated himself from the others to give himself some time to think, and he wasn’t really interested in disturbing someone else's evening, but something beckoned him to investigate the magical presence.
He was close enough to the common room at this point that he worried that someone might be getting bullied by the other Slytherins, and when he opened the door to find a powerful notice-me-not charm his suspicion increased as he gently rotated his wrist in tight circles. The charm dispelled before his eyes, and before he could do anything a wand was pointed between his eyes, “What the hell are you doing here, Potter?”
The angry blue and green eyes of Elaina Essex were honed in on him, and Harry quickly raised his wand, “I come in peace. Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I just thought-”
Taking in the room it looked like a bomb had gone off, and he trailed off observing the destruction, “You just thought what? That the little Mudblood might need saving?”
Frowning at her words Harry shook his head, “I meant it when I said I truly do not like that word. I think I have already discovered you don’t need saving, Miss Essex. I just sensed the magical disturbance, and wanted to make sure no one was in trouble. These are dangerous times we live in, and by the looks of this room…”
He really didn’t know what to say about the destruction of the room. It was clear from the magical saturation that the girl had been burning off some frustration, or was doing some type of explosive magical combat training. Whatever it was, it was messy. Noticing the wand still pointed at his face he nodded towards the weapon, “I would appreciate it if you would lower your wand. I won’t attack you. Not after you saved me from that curse last night. I can only imagine the intent behind Avery’s spell was anything but friendly.”
This time Elaina's glare shifted slightly to her own wand, and hesitantly lowered it. Harry observed the small-framed girl for a moment, and nodded in appreciation, “Can I ask what you were doing in here?
“I was just blowing off some steam. Besides, I know what it’s like to be cursed in the back by members of our house.” She said with a tint of aggression remaining in her voice, “Figured that with you being a Potter it would be useful for you to owe me a favor.”
Nodding in understanding Harry accepted her words, “I do owe you one. Any ideas on what I can do for you?”
“I’m still thinking about it.” The girl said without hesitation.
The moment turned awkward, and Harry scratched the back of his head, “Well, I am guessing by your charm you wanted to be left alone, so I will just be on my way.”
“Wait.” Elaina called out as he began to make his way toward the door. She paused clearly searching for words to say, and Harry glanced at her curiously as she seemed to sum up her courage to say what she was thinking, “It’s not easy being a Muggleborn in house Slytherin. I have made a lot of enemies in our house. What you said to the other seventh years last night is something I have dreamed about saying to them for years. They go around insulting people of lesser blood status to them, and there are never any consequences.”
Elaina paused, seemingly to rein in the anger that had been building before she continued, “I never imagined another pureblood would be the one to shut them up. I wish it had been me, but I just never thought I had the strength to take on four of them, and you made it look easy.”
“Believe me, it wasn’t my intention. Words can’t tell you how much I despise that type of attitude.” Harry said, allowing some of his own frustration to seep into his voice.
Elaina nodded her agreement, “A part of me wants to thank you,” and her expression mirrored her words, before turning to a frown, “while another part of me wants to hex you for stupidly turning your back on those trolls that nearly getting cursed in the back.”
Harry nodded, acknowledging her point, “As you say, those trolls are what is going to ruin our society. If these idiots want to believe in superiority then it should be in magical abilities, not blood.”
Snorting the girl shook her head, “A pureblood who doesn’t value what runs in his veins. The world really is coming to an end.”
“I value my family's history, and what we have done for this world.” Harry admitted, “But I don’t think it makes me better. I just think it means I have bigger shoes to fill than most. I have a responsibility to live up to the legacy my ancestors left for me. Part of that responsibility means protecting the magical community at any cost.”
Elaina observed the young man before her with a neutral expression on her face, “I am having a hard time believing you and the other Potter are related at all. He has never given me a hard time about being a Muggleborn, but he has always been a prankster. Now, here you are like the Anti-James Potter. It's a little disorientating.”
“I’ve been telling everyone since arriving here that I haven’t known James very long, but he is family. However, that doesn’t change the fact that we are very different wizards with vastly different upbringings.” Harry explained, “I have been raised to do what is right, no matter the consequences. It is something my mother and father have always expected from me, and I won’t let them down willingly.”
A flash of emotion crossed the girl's eyes for a moment, but Harry could not recognize it. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but seemed to think better of it. Instead, she asked, “This muggleborn friend of yours…who was it?”
“Her name was Hermione.” Harry said softly, “She was the best friend I ever had. Smarter than any of our supremacist housemates. She taught me more about magic than perhaps anyone.”
Elaina looked surprised by his words. Harry waited for her to ask what happened to her, and he was already preparing the words he had told others, but instead, she just said, “I’m sorry for your loss. She must have been an amazing witch to leave such an impact on you.”
The look on Elaina’s face showed admiration in her eyes. She knew nothing about Hermione, but could see the legacy she had left behind, and the effect she had on a supposed pureblood like Harry. That in itself meant more to him than he could ever have said. Not knowing what to say he searched for words, but she beat him to it, “Sussex is where I was born. I haven’t lived there since I was a little girl, but I imagine the cowards that put that symbol in the sky killed some people I may have known as a little girl.”
Harry couldn’t say that he was sorry for her loss. The young woman couldn’t truly know what she lost just yet, and maybe she never would, but still, she had his sympathies. Harry sighed, “The world is becoming more like Slytherin house than people would like to admit. pureblood supremacists are running around out there unchecked, and after being able to do or say whatever they want for so long they now feel invincible.”
“I would’ve fought them.” Elaina said with resolve in her voice, “I would not have let them burn my hometown to the ground without a fight.”
“I believe you.” Harry whispered to the young woman’s surprise, “You wouldn’t have been alone in that either. It angers me too. I wish there was something that could be done, but the time isn’t quite right. Our time to fight will come one day. Maybe sooner than we will be ready for.”
“It just infuriates me that we have people in our house who have been talking about what happened today in reverence.” The girl nearly shouted, “It’s disgusting. I actually heard Parkinson earlier saying he wished he had been there to have fun with a few muggles himself. It took every ounce of my self-control and preservation to not hex the idiot within an inch of his life. His family could make my life very difficult in the Wizarding World. Unfortunately, I don’t have the Potter name behind me like you do.”
“You can scream to the world that you have the protection of House Potter.” Harry said easily, “I will write the letter to my parents as soon as we leave here if you think it would help you. You might’ve saved me from a lengthy stay in the Hospital Wing had you not come to my defense last night. I assure you it will be the last time I turn my back on members of our house without my wand in my hand.”
Harry had hardly even noticed the girl's jaw drop at his words, but when he looked back at her he frowned, “What?”
“You would put me under the protection of House Potter?” She asked quietly.
His frown did not shift even a bit as he looked back at her with confusion. He knew some of the pureblood customs, but maybe there was something more to his protection business than he was aware. If there were huge benefits to it he would’ve done it for Hermione in his previous life in an instant. Shaking his head at that thought he merely responded with, “In a heartbeat.”
“Your family would allow that?” She asked bewildered, “You aren’t even the Heir to the family.”
“My family trusts my judgment implicitly.” Harry said with certainty.
“I think I have underestimated you again, Potter.” Elaina said quietly.
“I really wish you would call me Harry.” He said back to her evenly.
She didn’t respond right away, but sighed, “I’ve made it this far without the protection of a pureblood house, but I don’t think Andromeda could’ve convinced Arcturus Black to protect a Muggleborn. Nor do I think Nate could’ve convinced the Greengrasses to come to my aid if I needed it.”
“As I said, I owe you one.” Harry said, easily determined to speak with Charlus on the matter, “If you are ever up against the wall feel free to use the trump card.”
The appreciation could be seen in Elaina's eyes, but she tried to keep it off her countenance, “I promise I won’t use it unless I absolutely have to. I know this is a big deal in pureblood society.”
“Mum and Dad could care less about pureblood supremacy. They fought in the Great War together where magical blood was spilled by the gallon across Europe’s most famous battlefields. Some of their closest friends are Muggleborns.” Harry explained. He knew this was true as well. Charlus had told Harry a lot about some of the soldiers under his command. Many of them were Muggleborns who just wanted to fight for their country, and Charlus swore they were some of the bravest among them.
Elaina didn’t answer his explanation and Harry nodded in satisfaction, “I still owe you one. You may never have to use my family's name, and I suspect that was the least I could do for you anyways.”
“Duel me.” She said in an instant.
Harry’s eyes raised at her challenge, “After you saved me from getting hexed last night you now want to take your own shot at it?”
“I see us as even with your offer of the protection of House Potter. What I really need to know now is just how valuable that offer is. Other than your duel with Bones and Evans you really have only shown off your speed with a wand. I am much faster than Bones and Evans, or any of the others you have taken down so far. I have also beaten your cousin in every match we have ever faced off in. I could ask you to teach me some fancy spells, but I would rather have the experience of dueling with someone I know is talented. You couldn’t have beaten the people you have without a lot of skill so I need to know what you are truly capable of.” Elaina said with certainty.
Looking around the room Harry shook his head, “Are you sure about this?”
“Scared, Potter?” She asked with a smirk now crossing her lips.
“You wish.” he returned as he flicked his wand into his hand with a grin on his face.
With that, he crossed the room to stand about twenty feet apart from her. With several gentle swishes of his wand a set of wards slowly began to form a dome over them, and the girl looked at them trying to analyze them with interest. A minute passed, and he lowered his wand to his side offering the girl a bow, “Shall we dance then?”
Without hesitation, the girl's features shifted into a very serious expression. Suddenly her wand was a blur of spells. Harry instantly noted that she was right. She was much faster than any of the Slytherins he had quarreled with last night. She was faster than Lily and Amelia certainly, but she was not as fast as Alphard Black. She was, however, quite creative, and very good with conjurations. Unfortunately for her, Harry dismantled, destroyed, and incinerated anything she attempted to throw at him. Her hexes, jinxes, and curses were deflected, shielded, or flat-out dodged with a lazy shift of his body.
A few minutes passed, and he had yet to cast a single spell. He could tell his tactic was beginning to chip at her passive expression. In a surprise move, the girl huffed in frustration, and sent a massive reducto curse that made Harry’s eyes widen as his shield shuddered under the impact. The next spell she sent was a fast shield-breaking charm, followed by a stunning curse, and Harry had to admit it was very fast, but he dodged the stunner with ease, and for the first time returned fire with several mid-level jinxes that could incapacitate her.
With hardly any hesitation however she sent a wall of fire towards him, but Harry decided to show off a bit as he swirled his wand in a huge circle catching the fire, and creating a ring around him, but water doused his plans before he could carry on, and he was forced to shield again.
Ten minutes passed, and Harry knew the girl was getting upset; she had yet to land a single hit as he began deflecting spells into his wards. Elaina was very fast, but it was apparent she was wearing down. He could imagine what the girl could be capable of if they were in an open field like he had been with Alphard that morning. Harry had to tip his hat to the girl. Had they met in his timeline he was almost certain she could’ve beaten him, and that was truly saying something.
Relying on the elements once again, the dark-haired girl conjured a wall of water, but this time he was much faster as he ripped the liquid from her control, spread it across the floor, froze it, and then began pushing her backward with his own influx of spells until she slipped on the ice. In the motion of her fall, she was disarmed, and Harry caught the wand with practiced ease.
Heaving for breath, Harry smiled at the girl as he quickly approached her offering a hand, “You are good. You are certainly much faster than I imagined.”
She stared at him in shock, but took his offered hand as he helped her back to her feet, taking her offered wand back from him without saying a word. The girl was clearly amazed by what she had seen, but she was beginning to make him feel uncomfortable by the fact that she had not moved away from him before she said, “I haven’t been beaten in a one-on-one match in years.”
“I thought Kingsley won the dueling club last year for our year?” Harry asked curiously.
“I’m not in the club.” she admitted, “I couldn’t afford to give the other Slytherin’s a chance to find weaknesses in my abilities. I trained myself to exhaustion nearly every night for years to be able to stand up to those who would harm me. Last year I put a boy named Flint in the hospital wing for a week, and was nearly expelled for it. Our defense professor was really fond of me though and came to my defense. It cost them their job, but I was lucky it didn’t cost me my future.”
In understanding, Harry nodded, “You must still practice a lot on your own. You were tired out, but you held on as long as many experienced duelists.”
“Not phenomenally skilled, just phenomenally willed. It’s what one of our defense professors told me the most important aspect of dueling was a few years ago. I took that to heart.” She said with clarity.
“Well, you are certainly a better fighter than my friend was. She was talented with her wand, but it was her mind that was her most dangerous ability. If it had taken me that long to beat her she might’ve found a way to unhinge me magically.” Harry explained carefully.
“Can you teach me to duel as you do? You made it all seem so easy.” She said still trying to come to terms with what happened.
Frowning Harry shrugged, “It wasn’t. Some of your spells packed a serious punch. More so than anyone else I have encountered outside of my family.”
Harry meant his words. Other than Voldemort or some of the members of his inner circle there were few that could make his shield shudder as she did. She was certainly the most powerful Muggleborn he had ever met. Lily and Hermione together couldn’t have packed the punch that Elaina had, but she lacked the experience, stamina, speed, or magical knowledge to actually beat him. In fact, she fought a lot like Dorea, just without all the experience that came from the war. It was amazing that she had to be mostly self-taught.
“You could still teach me a lot.” She said with a very interested look in her eyes. Harry had a hard time focusing on her. Her eyes were rather distracting being separate colors. The girl was quite the beauty as well with her small frame, soft facial features, and clear skin.
“Maybe we can do some work together this year.” Harry offered, “After all, you never know when our day to fight under that mark comes. After seeing what you are capable of tonight I would be happy to have you beside me on that day.”
It was clear his words had a positive effect on the girl as she stood a little straighter at his compliment, “I would be honored. It is clear you are very well trained in the magical arts. You had some very good teachers. Probably the best money could buy.”
“Not exactly.” Harry said with a grin, “I was only taught the core curriculum by my tutors. When I turned fourteen my dad took an active role in my magical education. It's from him, my mother, and Lord Black that I became what you see now. Throw in a few unpleasant situations, and I was forced to grow faster than I was maybe ready for.”
His words seemed to surprise Elaina, but she sighed, “I’ve been hearing whispers about you. People calling you a magical anomaly. I didn’t believe it until now.”
“I am just another Wizard.” Harry said with a shrug, “Just one that is very determined to live up to my name.”
Elaina stared at him for a long moment before shaking her head, “We should get back to the common room. It has to be past curfew by now.”
Scanning herself up and down with her wand she took a deep breath before tapping the top of her head and started to become invisible right before his eyes, and he grinned, “Impressive.”
Harry could admit Elaina had one of the best disillusionment charms he had ever seen. Perhaps only second to Dumbledore himself. Deciding to copy her trick he followed her toward the door without further words.
The two trudged through the Dungeons in silence until they canceled their spells at the entrance to the Slytherin common room, and found the place deserted upon their return. Elaina made her way towards the female dormitories, but before she made it to the corner she turned towards him with a hesitant expression, “Thank you, Harry. For tonight.”
Smiling at the girl's words he offered her a nod, “Goodnight, Elaina.”
With his farewell, the girl rounded the corner and disappeared from sight allowing Harry to return to his own room. His heart hurt for the girl he was only just beginning to get to know. Her time at Hogwarts could not have been easy if Nate and Andi weren’t willing to stand up for her. This meant the Muggleborn girl must’ve had no one to really watch her back over the years.
He could understand now why Andromeda held such distaste for some of the members of their house. If he had been forced to watch some of his friends get bullied it would make him discontent as well.
A glance at the Daily Prophet on his desk made him clench his fist. Things shouldn’t be the way they were. It was a sobering reminder that his fight against the Death Eaters and Voldemort meant something beyond his desire to see his family survive the war. His victory over the pureblood supremacists would be a win for the Wizarding World, for people like Elaina Essex. For people like Hermione Granger. He swore to himself to picture their faces before going to bed each night. He swore to himself to remember their faces when he pushed himself in his training. He swore to remember that he was fighting this war for reasons that were not completely selfish.
It was well past curfew now, and as Harry prepared to go to sleep a slight glow from his window grabbed his attention. Suddenly a female lioness entered the room, and ran a protective circle around him before sitting before him saying, “Harry, meet us at The Three Broomsticks on Saturday at noon.”
The voice of Dorea Potter entered his room, and as soon as the message was delivered the patronus disappeared in a silver mist.
Comments
Ulrich Christoffer Alexander von Blücher
lovely
Jane_billig
Amazing
Benjamin Cade higgins
Brilliant chapter
