August 31, 1943
Early Morning
One day before Hogwarts
Harry cleaned the plate of his breakfast, not letting even the smallest of bites remain once his brain conveyed just how hungry he felt. It helped that whichever elf was cooking seemed to be the Dumbledore of their craft. Not even the meals at Hogwarts or the restaurant from the day prior could compare; he owed his past self a very heartfelt thanks.
"Laddey, could you show me where the kitchen is please?" Harry gestured towards the dishes and other items left from his meal as soon as the elf appeared from his name being called, his doing so as a means of explanation; one that the elf didn't understand.
"Let Laddey take care of everything Mister Peverell!" Laddey responded, stretching out his hands to take the dishes that Harry already picked up.
"No no, I'll need to learn eventually on account of my having to cook and clea-" Harry couldn't finish the last word before the elf finally snapped out a word - the whole while Harry had been speaking the small creatures expression shifting to horror.
"Laddey does that Mister Peverell! Laddey would be a horrible elf if Mister Peverell be doing his own cooking and cleaning!"
Harry scratched his head awkwardly, completely out of his element in dealing with a house-elf as he currently was; his dealings with Dobby were far different.
"Alright," He relented awkwardly, relenting his grip on the items still in his hands to Laddey, the elf bouncing nervously on his feet with his large ears flopping all about, "Please show me the kitchen sometime, even if I won't be doing the cooking or cleaning - thank you Laddey."
"Yes Mister Peverell sir!"
Harry then left his room, and the elf in it, making his way to the study.
That was yet another thing he was going to need to get accustomed to in the past as he was; having an elf!
Upon entering the room, he stopped to briefly take in the time that no doubt went into its assembly. Artwork that was beautiful even to his untrained eyes, furniture that looked as if it was made centuries ago by hand from those who must've been among the most talented resting upon rugs from animals or creatures that he couldn't place.
It was breathtakingly beautiful all in all, more so than anything he'd ever seen when at Hogwarts, and that was saying something.
Shaking his head at the likely insane cost of the room, Harry settled in the throne-like chair behind the study's desk. It was a bit large for him, but more than likely he still had a bit of growing left to do… or so he told himself. With parchment already placed upon the study's table with quill and ink off to the right, he began writing his plan out. It didn't need to be anything overly fancy, just something good enough to act as a reminder, lest he becomes distracted or forgets his thoughts.
Do NOT trust Riddle.
Do NOT trust any of those in Riddle's company.
Get sorted into Gryffindor again.
Befriend Slughorn.
Befriend Dumbledore.
Take Ancient Runes and Arithmancy as Hermione suggested.
Learn more about House Peverell… and everything else.
It turned out that his plan formed itself more into a list. He would keep this here on the study should he ever wake up and not remember anything prior; something which supposedly happened when he went out to buy all those House Elves.
He truly hoped he could find at least one person to speak with regarding his apparent time travel into another version of the past. In no way was Harry qualified to deal with what he's gone through. Give him a Dark Lord to fight with a few mates at his back, he likes his odds. Send him back in time with nothing but his wand and memories, he wasn't confident at all.
A pop sounded abruptly right from his left, Laddey was back with another rolled parchment in his hands. "Slugglyhorn be giving this to you, Master Peverell!"
Harry took the offered parchment which he assumed had the list of required items included and spoke to Laddey. "Could you find all the books on Ancient Runes meant for starters? I can come with you if need be, I'd love to help around the manor if yo-"
Laddey shook his head, his already wide eyes opened further with a look of uncertainty. When he replied, he did so in a voice that told Harry the house-elf was more than just a little unsure of himself, Laddey's voice sounding timidly as it did "That bes Zabbeys job sir. Laddey doesn't know anything about the sirs books."
Harry stood up from the chair he'd been sitting in. "I see, thank you Laddey. I'd be grateful if you could oversee the requisition of all items on the list of that letter." It would seem Harry needed to meet every elf in his employ rather than go about purchasing everything himself. He would still need to make time to head to Gringotts later, along with whichever clothing shop was responsible for his Hogwarts robes, but surely Laddey could handle the purchasing of his school supplies.
"Yes Master Peverell sir! Does Laddey be needing to do anything else for the sir?"
Harry was just about to call back a negative to the energetic elf before stopping midstep, almost causing himself to fall. "Actually, you know all of the other elves who work here, correct?"
Laddey nodded emphatically, causing his ears to flap around much to Harry's amusement.
"Could you tell me the name of them all then?" Harry hoped he only had a few, he could only imagine how difficult a dozen or more would be. Especially if they proved to be as eager to serve as Laddey seemed to be.
"Yous be having Zabbey, Cadry, Goopy, Momsey, Veely and Rot!" Laddey said the last elf's name a bit differently from the rest, Harry wasn't quite sure why that was but didn't bother to ask, as he'd be meeting with them all soon enough.
"Brilliant, thank you Laddey." Harry then left the room, hearing a pop very shortly after which signified that Laddey had begun picking up his school supplies. Harry didn't quite know where exactly he should head to summon all the house elves, though something in the back of his mind began directing him through the ancient halls until he stood before another set of two ornate French doors; that style seemed to be commonplace in this mansion. With a carefree shrug, he opened both doors and was greeted with a large ballroom with dozens upon dozens of tables, it even had its own stage along with seating on the second floor. Whatever directed him here, it was a good spot to summon the elves to him.
Harry walked to the dance floor in the centre of the room and then called out. "Zabbey, Cadry, Goopy, Momsey, Veely, Rot!" One by one the aforementioned elves appeared, gradually creating a perfect line as they waited for his commands.
He took in the appearance of each elf, starting with Zabbey and working to the right until he ended on Rot.
Zabbey had on a suit which seemed slightly large on the elf's body, his straight posture was most assuredly better than every other elf and he seemed to be the most patient. All the others were bouncing from foot to foot while this one stood stock still.
Cadry and Goopy both were dressed in an apron with relatively dirty clothes beneath them. Evidently, they were the cooks of whom he was so pleased with earlier. He'd make a note to thank them for their excellence later.
Momsey was clothed in a dress with something similar to an apron covering her front as well. Confused, Harry couldn't help but ask what her role was; needless to say, he was most surprised with her answer.
"Momsey be trained as a caretaker for Master Peverell's future babies! Momsey can also look after the sirs guests when hes be having company!"
"Uh… great. Thank you Momsey, though I'm not sure how many guests or babies I'll be having here for quite some time."
Harry moved on to Veely before Momsey could reply. This elf was wearing gloves along with some form of work clothing covered in dirt and green. He supposed his property had a garden or green room that he'd need to take a look at in his free time.
Finally, Rot. This elf had a few visual scars across his body while his facial expressions and demeanour reminded Harry of Kreacher. He'd not heard of a House Elf acting as a guard before but he supposed that was what Rot was for, that or for something along those lines.
Having seen what he needed, Harry nodded to himself and dismissed the elves back to their regular duties, though he did have Cadry and Goopy stay behind so he could offer a personal expression of gratitude along with pleasure at their masterful display of cooking earlier. That proved to delight the two elves who promised even better food for lunch if such a thing could even be possible.
Originally having planned to look for books on Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, Harry decided to scrap that idea, there was no way he could learn nearly enough from just one day of studying. At best he could have Zabbey put aside a few books for him to take over to Hogwarts for personal studying when the time presented itself and if that was the case, he could wait to ask for them.
Heading to Gringotts was now his focus, followed by getting fitted for his robes along with other clothing necessary for his time spent in the past - his earlier searches for any apparel had all been fruitless, the closet and dressers scattered throughout the home coming up empty for anything.
Well, anything for men to wear; there was no shortage of dresses or jewellery in Peverell Manor! Harry wondered why that was, he wondered a lot of things back in time as he was. He had to find the answers, he knew, but he needed to visit the vault first and foremost. Time was limited and knowing his resources was the most important thing he could think of.
Once more he found himself at the floo access for his home, using it and appearing near enough to Gringotts that it was only a short walk up the giant steps.
He then made his way inside the building, where everything looked just as it did when he first entered it fifty years in the future. At least some things were still the same he'd thought, this gave him a modicum of relief followed by a sense of impending doom. If this was the same, what's to say that Riddle's evil wouldn't be? With that terrifying thought in his head, he made his way over to the nearest open teller.
"Excuse me, I'm here for access to my vault," he spoke confidently, looking up at the goblin.
Its gaze fell on him, with eyes sharp as daggers. After looking him over and finding him lacking, it spoke. "Name."
"Harry Po-Peverell." Harry almost found himself slipping up, Goblins were deeply unsettling.
"Ah. Heir Peverell, we wondered when you would make your appearance after hearing of you in Diagon Alley." the Goblin then left his seat and motioned for Harry to follow it. "You'll be speaking with your Account Manager Gringor."
Harry found himself being ushered along quite a few halls with turn after turn, likely to confuse him, until he was left outside a large door with two Goblins guarding it. Whatever the name of the one that brought him was, he called out in their language and then turned to head back the way they'd come - not before giving Harry a predatory smile with his sharp teeth being quite visible.
"Enter." A voice boomed from behind the door after just a few seconds of waiting in the Hall, so quick was he being seen that the Goblin who brought him was still visible.
Pleased with the speed, Harry walked with haste towards the door, which was opened by one of the guards. Once inside, it was slammed shut and Harry looked at the Goblin who must be Gringor behind a desk that rivalled his own in terms of beauty and more than likely price too.
"Harry Peverell, take a seat, we have a rather important matter to discuss." Gringor's voice was cold and calculating.
Before Harry could even greet the Goblin, Gringor spoke viciously. "I must say, we are quite displeased with your sudden appearance after centuries of inactivity, Heir Peverell. We had presumed your family extinct with your assets awaiting distribution, was there no way to alert us of your hiding away wherever it was you did so? Instead, we've had to do much paperwork as you can imagine. Worse yet, we've had to scramble for a complete evaluation of everything within your vaults."
Harry swallowed air, he realized he shouldn't show fear outwardly to the Goblins and hoped that what he'd done had gone unnoticed. "I'm sorry. I assure you I'm just as surprised as you are with everything that's gone on in the last two days. Could I ask for the statement on my vaults if it's ready? I'm sure I could offer you a token of appreciation once I see what I've inherited."
Gringor huffed. "It's ready alright, it may have taken us some time but we're the best for a reason, young Master Peverell." The agitated Goblin then slid something across the desk to the Wizard, which Harry calmly took and read over, noting that his Vault didn't have a number listed. His eyes bugged out when he noticed just how wealthy he was along with how many items were listed.
He was certain he could be placed among the richest Wizards and Witches in Magical Britain, House Peverell was loaded.
Gringor then cleared his throat to draw Harry's attention. "We did notice that a few items were missing along with a sizable portion of Galleons, we can only assume everything missing was given to House Potter upon the marriage of their heir to your family's last member publicly known. Luckily for you, her father had much of House Peverell's possessions kept in the vaults under orders that nothing be touched until the next male member comes around."
"Thank you Gringor, please feel free to take a thousand Galleons as thanks for your hard work." Harry didn't miss the vicious smile the Goblin gave once he finished. A thousand Galleons was a large sum, probably more so now compared to his own time.
"Your kindness is appreciated, Heir Peverell. Do be sure to notify me should you need anything, Gringotts can offer much to its friends." Gringor let that hang in the air for a few seconds joined with a meaningful look before he motioned to the door. "Now, I must meet with another customer. Speak with a teller should you need anything else."
Curious, Harry got out one question that'd been nagging in the back of his mind. "You never confirmed me to be who I say I am, why've you trusted me so readily?"
Gringor barked out a laugh. "You Wizards think you're the only ones with magic, now do be going young Master Peverell. Undoubtedly our paths will cross again, hopefully with more time and a scheduled appointment."
Unsatisfied with the answer but accepting his dismissal, Harry exited the office and was escorted to the lobby by a new duo of Goblin guards where his original teller was waiting quite eagerly for him.
"Heir Peverell, I suspect you wish to inspect your vaults?"
"Yes, that would be great," Harry waited for the Goblin to fill in with his name, which he did.
"Laglok."
"Brilliant. I do only happen to have one Vault key, does Gringotts have a copy of the other?" Harry suspected if they did that it'd require a fee for him to receive a copy of his own.
With only a minor sneer on his face, which must be as good of manners as the Goblins were capable of towards Wizards, Laglok answered. "You only have one key. You shall see when we make it down if you're done asking unnecessary questions."
Harry didn't enjoy being scolded by the Goblin and so he motioned for him to take lead. Not trusting himself to keep a neutral tone or say something which would lead to a heated exchange. As he followed Laglok, he noticed that the pathing was extremely similar to his very first visit to his Potter vault, so similar he wouldn't have been surprised if this cart was the very same one he rode in years later.
Harry enjoyed a mostly quiet ride with the Goblin, not failing to notice the ride was very long and leading them deeper into the ground than he thought possible. He'd attempted to make small talk twice with each attempt being met with a decisive answer that showed Laglok wasn't having any of it. Finally and thankfully, the cart began to slow as it reached what must be close to the very bottom of the vaults.
Laglok was first to depart once they reached their stop, grabbing some item that Harry couldn't make out the usage of as he began walking down a path without looking back at the Wizard. Taking that as his queue, Harry hopped off the cart and stuck closely behind, not wanting to get lost in the deep underground maze. Similar to what they'd done above ground, he felt that a few turns might be for the sake of not letting him get overly familiar with the layout. When Laglok opened another door hidden in the halls, Harry could make out an extremely expansive room at the end of the small path. Upon exiting, he could see giant pillars of load-bearing stone, all of which were surprisingly good standing. At the far end of the giant cave as he would call it, stood a golden door which he assumed was the entrance to his vault. He took a step past the Goblin and began making his way towards the door when Laglok's small clawed hand roughly grabbed his robes.
"Walk no further! There's more at work here than you can imagine!" Laglok's voice was sharp and rich with anger.
Harry took a few steps back and began watching the Goblin hard at work. Laglok traced his palm in intricate patterns across the wall, even using his fingernail in a few positions. He began to suspect that the teller he had gone to was no random event, as he doubted that every Goblin in Gringotts knew the intricacies of the protection his vaults had. Shockingly to Harry, he saw the Goblin slice his hand at a final point where a palm went and mutter something he couldn't make out.
Feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand up as a cold chill ran through his body, Harry assumed whatever the Goblin did worked as Laglok began walking confidently towards the door.
"Get to walking Heir Peverell, time is better spent gaining galleons."
Not bothering with a response, Harry followed Laglok until they stood out front the entrance to his vault. As soon as they made it over, the Goblin held out his hand expectantly in the direction of Harry, non verbally demanding his vault key. Harry acquiesced to the request in the same manner, dropping the key into the diminutive hand of Laglok. He then watched as the Goblin entered the key into the keyhole, followed up by pressing both hands on either side of the vault key. Slowly, the stone moved out of the way and Laglok led the two of them in.
"Galleons, Sickles and Knuts are in the room to your left. Familial artefacts and other collected items, the right. Do you require entrance to both, Heir Peverell?" Laglok finished with a bored, expectant look at Harry.
"Only the left, I'm sure I'll be back another time for the right." Harry had already spent a good deal of time on the path to his vault, a downside of the high security his new family's vault had.
Laglok muttered something in response as he grunted his way over to the left door, doing another number of things to it until it opened. He then motioned for Harry to enter impatiently, clearly equally agitated at the time spent getting to where they were.
With a slightly amused snicker, Harry entered the vault. His eyes widened and his throat constricted at the vast amount of wealth it contained. Contrary to what he was told, it wasn't just Galleons, Sickles and Knuts. It seemed to have other forms of treasure like raw jewels or masterly crafted items that he was sure could sell for a great bit. While he very much wished to take a tour of his incredibly large vault, he knew he couldn't. He still needed to get his Hogwarts robes and as he was thinking about necessities, an owl. None could ever replace Hedwig, regardless of that fact, he'd still need one.
Knowing he'd need to carry on his person a decent number of Galleons, he began pocketing some, quickly filling up his pockets; until Laglok called out to him. "Heir Peverell, for your security may I suggest you receive a banking pouch with access to your vault? Before you ask, only you and members of your house have the ability to use it. Should it be lost, nobody who finds it could steal from you. Its downside being the only items you may grab from it are currencies."
Harry removed the Galleons he'd been pocketing and nodded towards Laglok. "That would be great, is it safe to assume there's a fee for this service?"
With a toothy smile, Laglok replied. "Only a small, one-time fee, Heir Peverell."
Not quite trusting the Goblin for obvious reasons, Harry spoke with a look of distrust on his face. "A small fee for someone of my wealth or a truly small fee?"
Laglok gave him an appraising look followed up with a grunt. "Small enough that you would never notice the loss, Heir Peverell. Now let us get that set up for you back in the main lobby." After a moment of pause, Laglok spoke again. "May I suggest next time instead of wasting both of our time, you tell us the reason you're headed to your vault?"
Harry was of course not completely angry at the remark as Laglok wasn't fully wrong. Being Muggle raised Harry was rather uninformed on a great number of things that his classmates probably knew. He still had much commonplace information to learn, which would have to get in line behind learning about House Peverell and just why exactly he was here.
Instead of firing back a rebuttal, Harry decided to continue his attempt at building a strong working relationship with the Goblins, "I do apologize for the waste of time Laglok. Please help yourself to fifty Galleons as payment for my introduction."
Laglok, having by now led them back to the entrance to the massive room, smiled at the young wizard. "I am glad to see you were taught how to speak with us, Heir Peverell."
Wizard and Goblin both began the journey back up in silence, said journey went by with nothing remarkable having happened on it. When they were both within the lobby, Harry followed Laglok back to a telling booth, where the Goblin took down information from Harry. When asked about Harry's address, he was at a loss, as he didn't know quite where he stayed either. He never even Floo'd back to his home, as Laddey had always brought him back. Eventually, Laglok would find in an old document that Peverell Mansion was located near a small village around Kielder Forest Park. Something which Harry was thankful to finally know.
Finally, Laglok required Harry's signature with a blood quill to finalize whatever magic was needed to set up the pouch, which Harry gave. Finished, Laglok told the young wizard that an official Gringotts owl would be by his estate or Hogwarts with additional paperwork before handing him the bank pouch. Done with his business at Gringotts, Harry bid the Goblin farewell and left the bank with the pouch in hand.
Robes were next on his mental list of things to do and so Harry made his way over to where Madame Malkin's was. Only instead, another wand shop stood in its place. Harry had thought only Ollivander's existed for the purpose of wand purchasing. Confused and lost, Harry began wandering around aimlessly. This continued for fifteen or so minutes until he saw a group of people his age that also seemed to be doing last-minute preparation for school based on the bags one of the girls was showing off to another. His first thought was to approach them for assistance, then he took in their mannerisms and appearance. They very much reminded him of Draco Malfoy, one of which even had the same colour hair and physical features.
That alone was enough to make him hesitant, as he knew Malfoy's quality and he knew it came from his father. What was to say Lucius hadn't learned it from his father? Still, all of the others who passed him by were adults, and Harry had been a Gryffindor for a reason.
So, while biting down on his anxiousness, he approached the small group of five who all quickly stopped talking when they noticed him. Draco's relative, Harry assumed, stepped ahead of the other four students and with undisguised contempt, spoke. "Another Muggleborn lost I imagine? I don't recall seeing you at Hogwarts, more likely you're from one of the holdings. Go on and get your question over with."
With the attitude of the man, Harry was most definitely assured that he was a relative of Draco's. Now would prove a great time to test just how powerful the Peverell name could be. "This will be my first year attending Hogwarts, yes, but I'm not a Muggleborn. As for my question, I was hoping one of you could point me in the right direction towards whichever place is responsible for selling Hogwarts Robes," Harry's voice came off as confident and sure of himself, his nervousness due to the time was momentarily gone when he found himself staring at his newly-found rival.
Another of the group stepped forward with a very confident smile on his face and extended his hand, cutting off whatever Draco's relative was going to say. "Aster Rosier, a pleasure to meet you, Mister…?"
Harry took this as the time to test his last name. "Harry Peverell, only child of House Peverell. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
Four of the five gathered students had varying levels of shock across their faces, one of the girls of the group going so far as to gasp. While the final student, who happened to be Malfoy, remained calm. When Harry better took in the other boy's expression, he could almost see the wheels turning. He was easily the first to recover and his mask changed to that of friendliness. "Heir Peverell, then. We're glad to make your acquaintance. I am Abraxus Malfoy, Heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy. You've already been introduced to Aster Rosier, Heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Rosier, let me introduce you to our other three companions."
Abraxus gestured to the first woman. "Emilene Nott, Scion of the Ancient and Noble House of Nott, her older brother Thyme is the Heir, he's a sixth year Slytherin."
Next, Abraxus gestured to the second woman. "Corene Carrow, Scion of the Ancient and Noble House of Carrow. Her older brother, the Heir to the House, graduated last year."
Finally, the Malfoy heir gestured to the last member of the group who was another boy. "Cliff Yaxley, Heir to the Noble House of Yaxley."
"Always with the outdated titles," Aster snarked before he was shut down by a smack upside the head from Emilene.
Harry was surprised that the group was being so courteous to him, and he knew he desperately needed to find out much more information about House Peverell. With as little knowledge as he had in regards to 'his' family, conversing with them could only lead to trouble. Seeing that the group was looking at him expectantly, he spoke again. "Truly a pleasure to meet you all, I do need to be finding that robes shop though."
Aster Rosier motioned with his head to Harry, signalling the Heir of House Peverell to follow him, which he did. Rosier, not wasting the opportunity began quizzing Harry on their walk to the shop. "Peverell, I do hope that you don't take my question rudely, I'm just ever so curious about you." Rosier then looked over his shoulder and bid Harry to as well, inclining his head in the direction of the other four students following them. "All of us are. Your family was thought to be extinct centuries ago, you can imagine our surprise when the Daily Prophet reported your appearance with Professor Slughorn. May I ask just where you've been?"
Harry interpreted the question that Rosier meant House Peverell as a whole rather than just himself. Before he responded, he took notice of how the hushed conversations of the other students turned completely silent. This would be an important moment he knew, as these information-hungry students were unlikely to forget whatever he told them. With this in mind, he decided to take an easy way out. "I was raised at Peverell Mansion like my father before me."
Rosier nodded his head, knowing that was the best they'd get for now at least while Harry heard one feminine huff from behind them. Smirking to himself, Harry inwardly laughed that they'd have to try much harder than that if they wanted to learn about him.
"What year will you be going into, Heir Peverell?" Abraxus returned the favour from earlier as he cut off Rosier's next question.
Harry responded with what Slughorn had told him previously, not willing to say anything more than necessary in case he said more than he oughta know.
"I'll be heading into Fifth Year."
Before anybody else could cut him off, Rosier got in his next question. "Do you know of the House based system?"
Harry didn't answer the question with a verbal response, instead choosing to nod his head, which led to a follow-up question from the Heir of House Rosier.
"Which do you believe you'll be sorted into?" An innocent enough question to be sure, or at least it would be if anybody else was asking it. Abraxus Malfoy had already shown his true colours earlier on, which was no surprise that he was likely Draco's grandfather. If he answered Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, they'd likely leave his company, as at least from what he saw, the only House those in Slytherin got along well with was Ravenclaw.
"I'm unsure as to where I'll be placed. Each house does seem to have its own set of advantages and disadvantages." He'd thought it was a neutral enough response but from the scoffs and other sounds made from behind him, it wasn't.
Rosier didn't seem to mind and if he did, he hid it well enough behind a mask of friendliness. "Oh, most definitely. Ravenclaw wouldn't be surprising to me, though I admit to not knowing you overly well. I simply imagine that you've had a long time to prepare if your family chooses now to reveal themselves."
For the second time in the presence of these fellow students, Harry found himself inwardly laughing. If only they knew how much studying he'd actually done in his life. He knew he'd be placed in Gryffindor just like he had before, he also knew if he told them such a thing he'd lose his guides to the Robe shop. Outwardly, Harry smirked at the comment and awaited the next question.
This time, one of the two girls in the group asked it. "Do you have a match already, Heir Peverell?"
Confused at the question, or naive enough to misunderstand, Harry asked, "Could you elaborate please, Carrow?"
What he didn't see was the girls' eyes narrow, as she assumed he was playing coy; whether it was his lack of her 'outdated title' as Aster had called it, or his non-answer, was anybody's guess. "Do you already have your future Lady Peverell in a betrothal contract or something similar, Heir Peverell?"
Well then, she certainly hadn't meant a match of wizarding chess with that clarification. Slightly blushing and avoiding looking at any member of the group he'd joined, he got out what he hoped was an understandable answer. "No. I… rather my family, has yet to… begin the process of looking for a match?"
Carrow seemed happy with that answer while the others walking behind him and Rosier laughed. Sensing the embarrassment of the other boy, Rosier gave Harry a slight nudge and mouthed the words 'Careful, she's barmy.' which had the two of them join in on the laughing.
Once the laughter in the group ceased, the other woman in the group, Emilene Nott, spoke up. "Well, since we're all asking questions, have you met anybody else from Hogwarts?"
Not seeing a reason to lie or give a vague answer, Harry responded truthfully. "Just a girl named Sarah Goldhorn."
Harry waited to hear any sign of approval or disapproval from the group but they all seemed uninterested at the given name. He took that as a sign to mean they didn't care overly much one way or the other about the Hufflepuff girl.
Nott took advantage of the silence and asked a follow-up question which seemed to be more like a demand. "If that's the case, you should sit with us."
Without having the chance to reply, Abraxus' head snapped in the direction of the Nott girl. "With no disrespect intended, Heir Peverell, that's not her offer to extend."
Harry chose to play it clueless, though he felt it safe to assume that they were meaning Riddle would have to be the one to make that offer. "That's not a problem, Heir Malfoy. I'm sure I could find another seat, I have heard the train is rather large."
Rosier snorted at Harry's attempt at comedy, nobody else seemed to appreciate it. Maybe the Rosier Heir wasn't too bad after all, even if the company he kept was a little too Malfoy-like for Harry.
"That may not be necessary, I would just rather check with our missing friend." Malfoy then took a pause, appearing thoughtful before he spoke again. "I could Floo over to your home tonight, or if you'd rather, you could Floo over to mine."
Owls would be a wiser decision, likely safer too if this Malfoy was as similar to Draco as he seemingly appeared thus far. Briefly making eye contact with the Malfoy Heir so he could reply, Harry was shocked when he answered his unasked question.
"I'm afraid Owls would make the journey too long in the time that we have, unfortunately." Abraxus was more than likely correct, that did little to quell Harry's uneasiness at being alone in his presence.
Harry knew the choice he had to make and opened his mouth to politely decline the offer when he noticed Carrow none to subtly glare at Malfoy. Her look conveyed a message that Harry had no chance of picking up. Abraxus however, seemed to pick it up easily enough and rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to Harry.
"Normally, you would have to receive an invite in the form of a letter from me many weeks in advance and quite frankly Heir Peverell, you're an unknown to us. I don't like inviting people to my family's home that I'm not intimately familiar with, something I'm sure you can understand. With that said, I could never forgive myself if you ended up with the wrong sort after having met us first. So, instead of meeting with just me in the evening, why don't you come over for the sendoff celebration I'll be hosting?"
Every self-preservation alarm bell was going off in his head as if fate herself was telling him not to accept this. Still, this could prove to be incredibly valuable with the potential information he could gather.
Rosier took advantage of Harry's silence and elbowed him in the shoulder, followed up by a wink when Harry looked at the larger boy. "Who knows, Heir Peverell, our missing friend could be in attendance… and she's also matchless."
Abraxus' eye twitched at Rosier's comment and the Carrow girl hastily spoke up, covering for the former boy. "Come now Aster, what would Riddle say if she heard you trying to set her up?"
Harry looked back at the usually smiling Rosier Heir only to see that said feature was gone from his face, replaced with a mostly empty expression sprinkled with unease. When he spoke, all traces of humour and chipperness were gone. "No doubt she'd be displeased."
Harry then watched as Rosier's eyes turned towards Abraxus who looked strangely happy for once. Seeing such a look on a Malfoy's face felt like a violation of nature, like witnessing a Snape without greasy hair.
Noticing everybody was awaiting his response, Harry gave one that he immediately regretted. "I'd be honoured."
Abraxus smiled and followed it up with the necessary information for Harry's attendance. Malfoy's gathering would begin at eight in the evening, his Floo address was Malfoy Manor and he would leave his Floo open from 7:25 to 7:30 for Harry to enter.
Finally, the group reached their destination and told him they'd be waiting outside the shop so as not to crowd it. Well, the boys in the group at least, as Carrow and Nott both went in with Harry using his robe fitting as an excuse to get in some shopping.
Harry was directed to stand still and on an object, as his measurements were taken. He was then told that it would take a few days for everything to finish. Knowing that he couldn't wait that long, he asked if there was anything he could do to expedite the process as he looked towards his Gringotts pouch. Sleazily smiling, the middle-aged woman held out her palm and waited until Harry deposited two dozen Galleons; he was aware that this was practically robbery but he needed the robes more than something that couldn't even equate to pocket change for someone in his position. Now being told that he'd have his robes in the morning before the Hogwarts train so long as he came by to get them, he left the shop, where he waited with the other boys of the group as the girls made their purchases.
"Not to be a bother, is there anywhere close by where I could purchase an owl?" Seeing the strange looks at his question, Harry went further with a lie that slipped easily from his mouth. "I wish to get my own instead of relying on a family owl which may not always be readily available."
That'd done the trick and the group was off once more, albeit on a much shorter journey as he was told. Instead of Rosier at his side and acting as the guide, this time it was Yaxley. When Harry took in the boy's appearance as he guided them through crowds and streets, several things stood out. For one, Yaxley's jaw was tensed up and he swore the boy was grinding his teeth. Next, he kept clenching his left hand, the one further from Harry, as if he had his wand in it. Lastly, the boy kept none to casually looking over his shoulder at his friends.
Seemingly satisfied at something, Yaxley spoke quietly while looking straight ahead. "Peverell, don't turn to face me, just heed the words I'm about to speak."
Harry kept his face forward, occasionally looking at shops the group was passing as he waited for Yaxley to build his confidence for whatever it was he needed to get off his chest.
Maybe half a minute passed before the tall, gaunt boy spoke. "Agreeing to attend was a mistake. Abraxus will alert her of your attendance and nothing will stop her from meeting you. Once she sees you, senses the power you have, she'll take you. Don't come, make up an excuse or flat out skip the event. You'll lose reputation but you'll come out better for it."
"W-" Harry couldn't ask his question before Rosier called from the back of the group that they'd missed the shop, having just walked by it.
Turned back towards the Owl shop, Harry thanked the group for directing him once more. Rosier laughed at his thanks as he replied to it for the group.
"What else do we have to do? This lot just likes arriving too early!"
With a small smile on his face, Harry nodded at the friendliest member of the group as they once more waited for it outside the shop.
Upon entering the shop the first thing he noticed was the awful stench of it, followed shortly after by the substandard conditions all the animals were kept in. Back in his timeline, these standards wouldn't have been allowed.
Harry began browsing the Owl section of the shop, seeing dozens of the creatures kept in cages a third as large as Hedwig's. Often enough, they were dirty and malnourished. Angry at the conditions, Harry called out for the shopkeeper. Nobody appeared initially, which further angered Harry. After maybe five minutes, with Harry's bad mood steadily getting worse, a middle-aged man appeared from a back room.
"What'd Ya want boy?" Asked the man.
Based on the man's appearance, he took care of himself as well as he did the animals in his shop. "What're you doing to these animals? Many of them look half dead!"
Walking over to the nearest animal from where he stood, which happened to be a rat, the man kicked the cage. This had the effect of startling the caged animal as it rammed itself into the bars on the opposite side of the human.
Chuckling cruelly to himself, the man answered Harry. "Look fine to me boy, now buy what ya want and get going. Don't have time for righteous tykes."
"I would be careful who you show disrespect towards, Mister Pinegrove. For you happen to be speaking with the newly emerged member of House Peverell." Harry made out Carrow standing in the doorway to the shop and watched as she stalked forward, only slightly scrunching her nose at the smell. "You wonder why others have begun ordering from private dealers rather than your no longer prestigious shop. Clean it up and perhaps you'll see some business."
Struggling for words to respond to the teenage girl, the man and Harry both swallowed nervously at her next words.
"Or don't, though I'd hate to explain to your children why their special needs can no longer be met."
Harry looked back at the man, Mister Pinegrove as he now heard him be called, and took in how his face lost its colour. Mister Pinegrove appeared terrified at Carrow's words and Harry felt horrible for causing enough of a scene that she'd intervened. Doubtlessly she was trying to get into his good graces by whatever means necessary, probably to impress her Master.
"Th-that won't be necessary… M-Miss Carrow, I assure you." Pinegrove's eyes then turned to Harry. "Mi-Mister Peverell, please, take whatever animals y-you'd like! Free of charge for y-you! Excuse me!" Pinegrove then tore off back through the door he'd come from, leading Harry to look back towards the Carrow girl who was using a hand to hide her giggles.
At a loss for words, Harry inclined his head politely at the still sneering girl who winked back at him and motioned to the shop. Her meaning wasn't lost on him, she was telling him to take whatever pleased him; which was something he distinctly felt wrong thinking about, much less doing.
Instead, he looked around in the Owl section for one that spoke to him rather than just being visually appealing. Wherever this man got the Owls from, they were almost all beautiful creatures, probably more than his eyes could make out with the layer of grime covering them. When he was reaching close to the midpoint of the aisle, he came across a cage with two Owls that were almost identical inside. Getting closer, he saw the Owl on the left protectively push in front of the one on the right and give him a rather pointed look for being just an animal.
Carrow seemed to have noticed that he'd stopped moving too as she was suddenly right at his shoulder. "Find what you were looking for, I take it?"
"I believe I have." Harry turned to the girl and smiled warmly at her. "Thank you, Carrow."
Looking distinctly uncomfortable at Harry's response the girl looked away from him and shuffled backwards. "Think nothing of it, these animals deserve better. All living creatures do." After a pause, she looked back at him, though still avoiding eye contact. "You can call me Corene too, we'll probably be seeing each other quite a bit over the coming years."
"Then please, call me Harry." He replied, keeping the warm smile on his face which she returned cautiously.
"Hey lovebirds, did you find Heir Peverell an owl yet?" Rosier called out loudly to Harry and Corene, breaking the friendly moment between them.
Harry ignored Rosier's comment, instead choosing to grab the handle of the cage filled with two Owls. As he turned with it safely in his hand to finally answer, he saw Rosier create a shield right before two spells crashed into it.
"That was rude Carrow, I only asked a question!" Rosier called to the girl with a mocking pout on his face.
Turning to look at her, Harry saw that Corene had her wand fully extended and was in a stance he wasn't familiar with. It was impressive, really, and so was her quickness in casting those two spells towards their companion. He hadn't even felt her move, much less say the incantations.
"Rosier, I was hoping you learned restraint in the time leading into our next year. I imagine Elaine will be disappointed that you haven't," Corene's tone was bland, but her words were ominous.
Seeing that Rosier lost his pout and was beginning to look more serious, Harry intervened before a duel broke out. "We found a couple of Owls, beautiful birds, want to take a look?" Rosier shrugged his shoulders and came over while Harry turned to Corene. "Would Elaine happen to be that missing friend of yours?"
Carrow nodded as she put her wand away, none too discreetly sneaking looks at the two Owls Harry had picked now that they were standing in the light from the door. Seeing that she wouldn't ask for a closer look, Harry shifted the cage so she could see more clearly, noticing a smile so brief that he wasn't sure it even happened. Seemingly lost in admiration of the two creatures, Harry and his two companions must've taken longer than they should've. For yet again, a voice called from the entrance, this time it belonged to Abraxus.
"If you're quite done looking at Heir Peverell's most recent purchases, we have a meeting to be getting to, as it stands we may be a few minutes late."
Rosier groaned while Corene straightened herself up before walking to the door. Abraxus dipped his head at Harry and reminded him to drop by his home tonight, this time giving the time of seven-thirty.
Corene being the next to leave the shop, bid her farewell too. "I look forward to speaking with you again tonight, Harry."
With her gone, he felt Rosier elbow him for the second or third time in the short duration of their acquaintanceship.
"Sure you aren't the barmy one mate? You have a voice and a wand yet you continue to elbow me."
"Boring though innit?" Was all he got in return.
Sighing, Harry motioned for him to say whatever it was that he was going to. "Since you're coming over to that pompous git's place tonight I'll finally have some fun! Make sure you ask him loudly so the others can hear why he doesn't sit at the head of the table too. Anyway, best be getting off before they leave me here; word of advice Peverell, just do what she says." Finished, Rosier trotted off with a wave over his shoulder.
Harry walked to the front of the shop after a few seconds passed and peeked out, satisfied that the group wasn't waiting outside or coming back, he entered back into the shop.
"Laddey."
"Master Peverell bes calling for Laddey?" said the Energetic elf once his eyes landed on his Master.
"Bring me home with the two newest additions to House Peverell." Harry motioned at the Owls when he'd finished speaking for the sake of the elf, lest he grabs two random passerbyers in confusion.
Laddey didn't respond but grabbed onto Harry, whisking the two humanoids and two birds away back to Peverell Mansion where they were left in the main entrance of the goliath building.
Satisfied that he was back home and could finally act more like himself instead of being on guard like he'd had to around the group he'd just been with, he slumped into the very old but comfortable couch.
"Does Master Peverell be needing help?" Laddey asked, his large eyes growing even larger in his worry for Harry.
"No, I'm fine, just a bit stressed; nothing different than usual. I imagine you finished the gathering of my school supplies?"
Laddey nodded so fast that his ears flapped back and forth like a dogs would in the wind. Mentally making the comparison Harry couldn't help but laugh lightly, gradually laughing harder and harder until he had tears in his eyes at his own stupid train of thought.
"Great. I'll go and find the librar-," Harry was hit with another headache, one that was just as intense as the first one he'd had. It was so bad he could barely stay standing, much less continue his words until it abated ever so slightly. "I'm going for a nap until six-thirty then. Could you wake me up when that time comes?"
"Yes Master Peverells! I can be waking yous up then!" Laddey answered.
Harry then dismissed the small elf and called out to another. "Momsey."
"Young master be calling?" Momsey answered, looking at Harry until she noticed the small cage with Owls in it.
"I need you to clean, feed and otherwise see to the care of these two new additions to the house. Is that fine?" Harry finished with a question of his own, wanting to make sure the House Elf was up to the task.
"Young master is too kind! Momsey can be taking care of them! Does the young master be needing anything else?" She was very eager to serve which brought a smile to Harry's face, he was very happy with the elves who worked in his home; past him had picked well.
Smiling at the eager expression and attitude, Harry shook his head no and began to stand up off the couch. By the time he was fully to his feet, which took seconds, the elf was gone along with the birds which meant he could now make his way to his bedroom.
Sure, he hadn't done anything rigorous but he was mentally tired and he could swear the sheets in his room were calling his name.
Now back in his bedroom, he changed into pyjamas and flopped down on top of the sheets. Succumbing quickly to the siren-like call of an impossibly comfortable bed.
August 31, 1943
Evening
"Master Peverell sir! Nows be the time you were wanting Laddey to wake you up."
Harry groaned and rolled over, putting the voice behind him.
One pop later and the voice sounded from where he was now facing as it again called out to him.
"Master Peverell sir! Yous be wanting to get up now!"
Harry groaned again and opened one eye. Standing a meter away from him was Dobby who seemed worried, this got his attention and he rolled onto his back while scooching up into a sitting position. While rubbing the sleep from his eyes and reaching for his glasses out of muscle memory, Harry asked a question.
"What time is it Dobby?"
"Whos be Dobby sir? I's Laddey. Its be a bit after that time since you weres wanting to sleep!"
Harry cursed mentally for the mistake, he'd had a dream with Dobby involved which made him feel like he'd been back in his own time. As bad as that was, the headache that'd forced him to sleep still lingered as a dull sensation. He'd had another dream during that nap of his too, though it was no less confusing than the first one in which he'd seen that cloaked figure; he wished whatever had sent him back would tell him why and what purpose he was to serve. It'd certainly make everything a lot easier for him.
"Sorry, Laddey, thought I was still dreaming." Harry then cast a quick Tempus charm and noticed the time was now fifteen minutes past when he had wanted to wake up. Worse yet he was still unsure if he wanted to attend the event, especially if there was a chance Riddle would be in attendance. Sighing to himself while still lounging in bed, he went over the pros and cons of each path he could take.
If he attended, he could continue building relationships with people who would come into a great deal of power down the road. Rosier and Corene didn't seem overly bad either, which meant he may be able to take them from Riddle's court. Finally, he could see what this Riddle was like; even if he initially wanted to avoid her. It would save him from meeting her publicly in school too. For if the Hogwarts rumour mill was anything like it was in his time, everybody would hear about a Gryffindor meeting with Slytherins which would result in exclusion from his housemates.
Now if he didn't attend, any goodwill he'd earned from members of the group would be gone and his reputation would have a black mark on it. This would probably spread in Slytherin House, leading him to become disliked by a majority of them. One bright side clear to see is not spending time with a Malfoy, even if this one wasn't Draco. Another positive would be pushing off his meeting with Riddle; eventually, she would corner him, he was certain of that. But what could she accomplish if he stayed with housemates?
Still yet to make his decision, Harry tasked Laddey with telling the cooks he'd like a meal while he went for a quick rinse, which he did with haste. He then put on an outfit that would be presentable should he attend, and dug into the incredibly delicious food Laddey had left on his bedside table.
When he cleaned his plate and with another Tempus cast, Harry found that it was now ten after seven which pushed him to make his decision.
He would go to the meeting.