December 21, 1943
Tuesday Morning
Harry tugged at the dress robes he'd put on nearly thirty minutes earlier, the clothes feeling completely unnatural, uncomfortable from the material and his hair feeling the same after Momsey had insisted she could do it - what a house-elf knew about style, he wasn't sure, but the caregiving elf couldn't bollocks it up any worse than he could! Looking in the mirror at the pretentious mug he saw, he had to give credit where credit was due, because he looked every bit the standard 'Pureblood' boy his age did.
How'd he know he looked like them?
He'd seen more than enough of them at Hogsmeade in the first few days he'd arrived in this time while wandering around Diagon Alley. Being friends with a relatively sizable portion of the crowd he was trying to imitate helped too, he'd learned a good portion of their mannerisms from his constant closeness.
"Tempus," Harry cast, checking the time until he was meant to arrive at Corene's home this morning; there was still time until nine in the morning struck, but he wasn't sure exactly when he should floo in. Did he do like the few muggle films he'd seen where lateness meant he was 'cooler'… somehow, or should he arrive earlier? If he did the latter, would that come off as appearing too eager to meet Corene or her family?
Merlin, he couldn't believe he was saying it, but he preferred the studying he'd been doing these past three days than the next four or five that'd be devoted to Yule celebrations with various people.
At least when it came to studying, he wouldn't be constantly appraised for any signs of weakness!
Thinking about the nearly thirty hours he'd logged in his studying made the beginnings of a headache arise, though that was only a portion of what truly caused it. House Peverell as a whole was just as responsible, if not more so, for the stress he'd begun feeling. Whatever reason that'd remain permanently unbeknownst to him, the being that'd sent him back had picked an ancient, storied family with very little self-knowledge.
Zabbey, as well as the current elves when questioned, couldn't recall any of the prior Peverell family members. Harry thought at first reluctance or unwillingness to fully listen had been the driving factor behind their answers, but when he asked Goopy, the one who seemed not entirely present when compared with the rest, even he'd appeared stumped. Such a lack of knowledge made Harry seek out Zabbey a second time, his main goal being 'Zabbeys' book' that contained the only information from previous family members he was aware of.
When he found the elf dusting off the books he'd left open on one of the library tables, he'd put thoughts to words and asked if there was anything within the library that spoke solely of House Peverell history - that answer had been a 'yes', albeit one that left the elf equally stumped considering he couldn't find it for nearly three hours until Harry in a bout of annoyance retreated to his office.
Whether it was fate, the being responsible or the Potter luck coming into play despite his lack of Potterness, he'd found a book in good shape that'd been tucked away under ancient-looking parchment with writing illegible. One call to Zabbey later and the elf confirmed the book as the singular one that held most information on the family; when Harry asked what the elf meant, Zabbey could only recall that there was a book that even the house-elves weren't trusted enough to handle, thus the location of said book remained unknown, just as this one had been thought lost.
Harry figured it'd likely be on the property, but he hadn't cared all that much at the moment, for he had something that would greatly assist him going forward, information. He wasn't sure how much would be mundane happenings or mentioning of grudges kept, but he was sure that there'd be mention of events or property that'd help him and as such, he'd be determined to find them over this Yule break.
"Master Peverell Sir, would you be liking another tea, sir? Laddey knows Master Peverell Sir is tired."
Jarred from his thoughts (and what likely appeared to any onlookers as him being vain by staring at his own reflection) Harry turned his head to look at the widely smiling elf.
Again, before he spoke, he cast another tempus charm to make sure he hadn't wasted more time than he thought he had, and when it showed ten minutes until his official flooing over time, that was when he made his decision to arrive five minutes early… until then he'd spend a bit more time recollecting the information learned.
"Thank you Laddey, but I'll be alright. Think you could have a bath ready when I return though? I would likely be absolutely knackered after spending a whole day on the tips of my toes," Harry had no doubt that's where he'd be. Corene's family, if they were anything like her, would be hyper-aware of his doings.
"Laddey can be doing that for Master Peverell Sir!" Laddey then popped off, the always energetic elf likely dusting some shelf Harry hadn't even seen yet.
Alone again and able to recall what he'd learned from that seemingly endless historic book on House Peverell, he'd learned the family had gone fully extinct centuries ago; no remaining branches of the family had spread roots elsewhere and as such, the name Peverell no longer existed with anyone but him. That wasn't to say there weren't families related distantly to House Peverell though, for as far as he could tell after scouring through the familial section, there were two.
House Gaunt, and House Potter.
It made sense really, what with Daphne claiming her relation on account of the Gaunts and him being a Potter - maybe that was why he'd been plucked from his timeline and tossed over to a family that shouldn't exist, all because he'd been the closest relative still living that could achieve whatever that greater power wanted.
Then again, he could be reading into it way too much, he certainly had no clues ever since that one dream months ago where he'd conversed with something or someone before having been sent here.
Regardless of the truth of things, he'd learned other than those two distantly related families, there wouldn't be anymore Peverells popping up to help him. Such a thought was relieving and worrying at the same time, as it meant he was truly alone no matter how many people he could claim friendship with. It wasn't like the Gaunts were doing any better with their extinction or near enough to and the Potters would call him barmy if he suddenly walked up to Marcus to tell him everything he knew.
Even if he slowly worked with the Potters to build a friendship and foster strong relations across years, how could he know for certain that they'd not throw him under the bus for their own gain? Sure, his parents hadn't been like that according to all accounts, but that didn't mean squat in a world where Voldemort was a very fanciable witch passionately in 'love' with him.
Harry cast one last Tempus charm to check the time, and seeing that he had a minute left until his set arrival of five minutes early, he moved to the floo access.
"Carrow Castle."
"Hello Harry, your early arrival was near perfect in timing," Corene's voice was the first thing he'd heard upon his stumbling into her family's 'Castle', and it'd come almost the instant his body could make sense of the new surroundings. When he looked over to see her, he saw Corene dressed in a way he'd never seen before; she had on a sleeveless black gown connected with a ring to something tied around her throat with a decorative golden bow at the front. In addition to the clothing she had on, there were large earrings in that replaced the typical small studs of diamond or some other material usual to her, as well as more makeup than usual - he could tell as much considering her eyes were framed in black, making him look directly into her amber-coloured ones for more than a few seconds.
"Your staring is incredibly appreciated, Harry," Corene smiled at him, her cheeks getting slightly red when she spoke again rather than hearing a response from him.
"Oh. Right. Sorry! I've never seen you dressed like… this…" He gestured to the clothing that he'd not expected in the slightest and saw that Corene's blush deepened, though she stood still as a statue under his observation. Figuring he'd made it awkward enough, he complimented her in hopes of getting out of the awkward conversation he'd managed to cause, "You look brilliant, really."
Corene smiled softly and said a soft thanks before she gestured to the clothing she was wearing, "My mother has a friend who said this is the absolute newest style, only a few witches in all of Britain will have access to it with current times," she then looked him up and down, her blush finally receding slightly, "You have a sense of style that I'd not expected due to company kept, your hair especially looks wonderful, you should wear it like that more often."
Harry inwardly thanked Momsey near a dozen times, managing the whole while not to show his surprise that the simple trim and styling she'd done was that much better than the usual brushing he'd usually do in the morning.
"Thanks," he returned with a smile near as soft as hers before glancing around the rather huge room with a relatively small floo access in comparison, "Why's it just us?"
Corene gestured fluently around the entirety of the room and then in particular towards a reinforced door nearly twenty meters behind her.
"I had mother and father permit your arrival to be through the private floo usually meant for incredibly important guests - the Minister or a Hogwarts Professor of renown would usually enter through here while being greeted by someone of high standing in my family. Unlike most, all of House Carrow but one branch lives on the grounds here, this place has been in our family for centuries," Corene's blush was finally gone by the time she finished speaking, and in its place was the usual neutral expression he'd come to associate with her more than anyone else.
It certainly beat Daphne's look of boredom or annoyance and Elaine's infatuation.
"Thank you." Harry wasn't sure what else he could offer up in return for such a kind gesture, he could only imagine how much trouble it'd have been if he'd been swamped the instant he'd arrived.
Corene cocked her head to one side, her expression staying neutral all the while and asked him, "What for?"
When he gestured around the empty room not nearly as fluently as she had, her response stayed the same, though she closed the distance between them to link her arm through his.
"We're friends Harry, hopefully Allies come the time of our graduating Hogwarts, I'll assist you whenever I can."
Harry wasn't sure of the limitations she'd put on that sentence, but it was one he'd remember indefinitely for as long as he would know her.
Calling it 'Carrow Castle' hadn't been an embellishment as he'd expected, for it took the two of them nearly ten minutes to find the huge ballroom with nearly three dozen people inside it and a pile of gifts so large it covered maybe a tenth of the ballroom.
No sooner than he and Corene entered into said room did the nearest group of people cease their conversation to take him in, and based on their appearances, the trio of adults that'd been speaking were very closely related to Corene rather than being distant cousins as so many in the room likely were. His thinking would prove itself right when the woman of the group turned fully to face him.
"Daughter, would this be the young Heir Peverell you've told us so very much about?" Corene's Mother as she revealed herself to be, said, her eyes roaming over him slowly while her face held the exact same expression he'd so usually see on Corene.
"Yes, Mother. Hello Father, Uncle Andre," Corene curtsied when she greeted her uncle, and Harry took note of the two men's expressions; her father matched the expression of his wife and daughter, their appearances were nearly identical between the three of them too. As for Uncle Andre, as Corene had called him, the man had a shade lighter hair, making it dark brown, though the rest of his looks matched that of the two other adults - where he differed, however, was his expression. Unlike Corene, her mother, or her father, he openly smiled with fondness easily read.
"Cori! You'll have to cease your growing before your name no longer fits! I fear I'll be going grey by the time of my next visit if you don't!" Andre then turned his eyes to Harry as Corene's father moved close enough to his daughter to say something in an undertone, "Heir Peverell, I can't say I've heard all that much about you on account of living across the channel, but even there the legacy of your name isn't lost! Perhaps when the Muggles and that maniac Grindelwald are finished with their squabbling you'll visit, no?"
Harry had been sure upon first hearing the man's voice that he wasn't from Britain or any other native English speaking country, but his saying so in the latter half of his speaking confirmed it, and who was he to pass up asking if the man had given him such a golden opportunity?
"Where would that be, sir?" Harry made sure to include an honorific out of respect, that was something he'd known before ever interacting with any pureblood.
"Sir? Bah, use that for men like my brother in law or the older wizards here, I prefer Andre on account of still being in my thirties. As for where, Saint Pierre and Miquelon of course, or near enough! Cori could probably tell you all about our little island so long as the former lord of House Carrow doesn't incinerate you this evening!" Andre finished with a chuckle, making Harry join him in doing so lest he appears rude - as he did so, he took one more glance around the room and at the varying groups of people conversing only to see that a vast majority, even when speaking with family, did so with entirely neutral expressions.
It was unnerving really.
"Wonderful Andre," Corene's Mother interjected, stepping between her brother and Harry, "Père is waving for you, best not to keep him waiting lest he choose to incinerate you rather than the handsome young man my Cori brought over."
Andre bowed formally, saying nothing more before he made his way away from the group, leaving Harry with Corene's mother as the girl was still speaking with her father a few steps away in hushed tones; he wasn't overly worried about that either, it'd been very well known who he'd be visiting over the Yule holidays and if his family name was anything to go off of, nobody would risk hurting a Peverell, especially if more existed in hiding.
"Lady Carrow," Harry greeted with a bow once the man was gone and Corene's mother directed them a few feet further from Lord Carrow.
"Heir Peverell, your presence tonight is greatly appreciated, especially with House Carrow being the first you've done so with. It may not be your meaning, but you've earned us no small amount of prestige by doing so," Lady Carrow's lips rose slightly, the very beginnings of a smile taking root, "Based on you being the first guest Cori's requested private entrance for, I'd imagine you and my daughter are relatively close, would that be true?"
It was clear that Lady Carrow was fishing for information, and if Corene - Cori for some reason - hadn't said all that much, neither would he.
"Corene and I are in good relations, she's been exceptional in helping me adjust to the world as it is rather than how I knew it," Harry wasn't lying either, Corene's presence had been just as good as Aster's and Reinhard's in helping him settle down. Yaxley's words may have him questioning just what her intentions are, or Aster's, or Sarah's and so on, but he knew thus far her help had been indispensable.
"Parfait, I'm glad to know my Cori has proven helpful-" Whatever else Lady Carrow was going to say was cut off by a deeply masculine voice, though Harry missed the first word on account of his being confused as to why the woman had started her sentence with a dessert.
"… Peverell, pleased to finally meet you in the flesh rather than hearing second-hand reports through my daughter or those unreliable sections of the Prophet. Before I bother you overly so with questions, will you be staying for the morning only, until the evening or until tomorrow - I ask not to rush you, only to see the time we're working with and if the preparation of guest quarters will be needed," Lord Carrow was straight to the point, neutral in his expression and somehow friendly with his tone; Harry had thought Corene got her personality from her mom, but seeing that, he wondered if she was more like her father.
Harry extended his hand to shake Lord Carrow's once the man got close enough and then he answered.
"Lord Carrow, it's very good to meet you too. I hope I live up to whatever Corene's told you about me and prove whatever the Prophet said wrong. No questions will be all that bothersome either after having been in Hogwarts for so long, but if it's fine with you, I'd like to stay until the evening."
Lord Carrow nodded along with his words, his expression staying neutral all the while until Harry was fully finished with his speaking, only then did it shift to the slightest signs of approval when he glanced at his daughter.
"Evening it is then, and your presence alone proves the Prophet wrong, as usual," Lord Carrow half smiled, half grimaced before making his way beside his wife to loop their arms, saying over his shoulder, "Come, join my wife and I for the early morning festivities, you've arrived just in time for a wonderfully prepared breakfast."
Corene practically danced over to him and imitated her parents' arm looping, pulling him right behind the two adults until they were seated at one of two large tables overlooking the rest of the ballroom/banquet hall - Harry wasn't sure what it was now based on how filled up it was despite having read the words 'Ballroom' in some type of stone over the entrance.
Once the four were seated at their table, food floated over in uniformity from the various platters while Corene took that time to grab his attention, directing it towards the other 'head' table with four older people sitting at it.
"Those are my grandparents, the former Lords and Ladies of the two houses that my brother and I were born to, hence their seating as a sign of respect," Corene answered his next question before he'd even thought to ask it, "My brother is the only one not in attendance this evening, nor will he be for the majority of the Yule break."
She didn't go into any detail about why, and Harry figured he shouldn't press, especially not with her parents only feet away happily conversing with one another. He felt odd that they'd not instantly started talking with him past initial greetings either, surely most in their situations would've… maybe Corene had said something.
Despite not asking about her brother's attendance, there was one other glaringly obvious question he could ask that wouldn't be near as intrusive, that being her family's lineage.
"Corene, could I ask where your mother and Uncle Andre are from? I'll openly say that I'm pants with languages, having not learned anything about them with my family."
Very unlike the usual Corene, a second of laughter escaped her despite the neutral expression remaining mostly in place (mostly on account of her lips doing what her mother had earlier, that being slightly going upwards) before she reigned it in, answering him shortly after.
"My mother, along with seven other family members here that you'll likely speak with are from a small area in North America called Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon," Corene put on a French accent, though it sounded different to the one he'd occasionally heard back in his time and very far from the English pronunciation her uncle had done earlier, "It belongs to France, the magical community on the main island is surprisingly high - I was told a majority of the French magicals fled to it after Canada was taken from them by the English."
Harry wasn't sure where the place was, nor the size of its land or population, but that information was better than nothing and at least now he knew why her family sounded… weird? It was a rude way of putting it, but a better way to say it, he knew not.
"Thanks… What does your family usually do over Yule?"
He came to regret that question almost as soon as he'd said it, for until the evening time struck and he was to speak with her parents in-depth along with getting a general tour of the grounds, his time would be filled with Corene telling him of their traditions. From her French heritage to House Carrow's English roots, she even gave him rundowns on almost every member of her family currently in attendance; the children were skipped, or at least the ones unable to hold a conversation were.
There was one boy who came up to Corene and Harry right after they'd finished their lunch and introduced himself as Gael shortly before asking for a handshake from Harry. When Corene asked the boy why he wanted a handshake from Harry, his response was he wanted to be the first in his year to shake hands with a member of House Peverell, especially since a few of his friends had started recounting all sorts of history about them, like some legends of 'Hallows'.
Corene's blank expression and blinking at her younger relative nearly had the boy running before Harry acquiesced. Once the boy ran off happily after dropping the 'Carrow Face' as Harry would coin the often matching expression the majority of her family would wear, the thought struck him that Elaine had mentioned something about the Hallows too… he'd have to ask Zabbey when he got home that evening.
December 21, 1943
Tuesday Evening
By the time evening came and his long tour of Carrow Castle was over, his legs were killing him as was the gnawing in his stomach. Corene's lithe build and enjoyment for sitting were finally well known to him too after having walked for hours to see the entirety of the land her family-owned as well as the interior of a place that was likely half the size of Hogwarts; Merlin, her claiming that had filled him with a false hope that it'd be easy to traverse too, but he couldn't have been more wrong.
Maybe it didn't help that, during Hogwarts time, you'd not go about walking for hours on end - you'd go from one point to the next. Corene's unusual eagerness and happy expression upon showing him the vast quantities of art, tapestries, busts, sitting rooms etc had simply been too much for him to refuse.
Her pride made sense to him once he was seated back at the high table with her parents, Carrow Castle was larger than his estate and likely twice as old, one interior portion had even been Roman made, or so she claimed.
"Did you enjoy our home, Heir Peverell?" Lady Carrow started the conversation once everyone had food on their plates and wine in their glasses, and as before, it was done in strict uniformity; speak of uniformity, that was something he'd noticed during the entirety of the tour as well as the introductions with a majority of her family. It was almost like they were all the same person only in different bodies, only a scant few seconds-long moments of individuality proved that wrong.
"It was beautiful, Lady Carrow, thank you," Harry replied, earning the smallest of smiles from both Carrow women at the high table and a nod from Lord Carrow, the lattermost being the one to speak next.
"Corene undoubtedly did a wonderful job in her presentation of our ancestral home if your praise is that polite. I do hope she didn't leave out minor historic details such as the Romans who'd once occupied this land or the former Viking raiders who'd tried sacking it - there's much in the way of history here, like Hogwarts," Lord Carrow's words and expression made the joy he had in discussing history plain to see, Harry hoped it wasn't all for show considering the level of intrigue he'd shown towards Corene's telling him exactly what her father mentioned.
"I told him of the Romans, the Vikings and the Iberian settlers who were given refuge here, all in the appropriate places as Mother taught," Corene dipped her head once towards her father before turning to Harry, "Please do tell Father your favourite, Harry, he's more a History buff than anyone you've ever met. I'll say that for certain."
Harry nodded and smiled lightly on account of not wanting to do so too widely considering the reserved nature her family had shown thus far.
"I'd say the Romans are the most intriguing, though I've only ever heard minor bits of information on them at home - you can't imagine the dullness of stories when very few new books are obtained through the years with none of those being anything more than spellbooks or potioneering."
Lord Carrow clapped his hands as soon as Harry finished speaking, and no sooner than the second clap was finished, a house-elf dressed slightly better than Laddey appeared.
"Lord Carrow, how can Weavy be of assistance?" Unlike all of Harry's elves and any other he'd heard before, there were no alliterations or misuse of English. It made him wonder if they'd taken the time to have the elf taught properly, or if the place they'd purchased the poor thing from had done so for them; at least he could see no bandages, bruises or cuts on Weavy. Looking the elf over made him recall Corene's first encounter with him in the shop, the one in which she'd threatened the storekeeper over the state of the animals.
Maybe she had a certain fondness for them, as well as other creatures. If that were the case, Corene earned yet another point towards him wanting her alongside him rather than in opposition with Elaine.
"Have copies of my collection, the third one in the new set, brought to Heir Peverell's manor." Lord Carrow looked over to Harry, "Summon one of your elves if you'd please, you have my permission - Weavy make it so. They'll be able to work with one another in the transfer of this collection rather than having those from my family visit your manor."
Harry was thankful the man hadn't expected him to let the Carrow elves go directly to his home, he hadn't a clue if they could or couldn't considering his lack of knowledge on elf magic, but the gesture on both accounts was greatly appreciated. But, based on Weavy's gesturing and popping away for all of ten seconds, Harry was sure there had to be something at the very least that kept elves from vanquishing one's enemies in the dead of night.
Once Weavy returned and Lord Carrow nodded to him, Harry did as requested, "Laddey," Pop "Follow Weavy and assist with the tasks as needed, bring all texts directly to Zabbey for review."
Laddey nodded in the most reserved way Harry had ever seen and moved closer to Weavy, both elves watching one another as if they were sizing the other up.
"Go, Weavy," Lord Carrow said with finality in his tone, and as soon as the words were out, the two elves were gone, "Now, let me share with you the Roman history of our lands and blood."
A brief, sharp nudge under the table and the slightest of sighs from Corene told him he'd picked the worst piece of their family to be interested in.
Oops.
December 21, 1943
Tuesday Late Evening
Harry's conversation with Lord Carrow on history had dragged on for nearly an hour and a half past their completion of the meal. It'd got to the point where such a tangent had been had that Lady Carrow interrupted her husband with an almost imperceptible French whisper that Harry hadn't a clue to the meaning of, but a quick glance at Corene to see her slightly red cheeks made him wonder if it were something more intimate rather than scolding as he'd assumed.
"My apologies, Heir Peverell, history interests me far too much so I've been told." Lord Carrow said as much with a large - by Carrow standards - look of fondness on his face, Harry assumed it'd taken this long based on the numerous cups of wine the man had drunk rather than any sign of him loosening up around a stranger.
"Father, I've requested numerous times that you replace Professor Binns with either yourself or somebody more qualified than he. No disrespect intended to a Professor who was well respected by you, but his classes are far from educational or interest-holding," Corene finished with a look asking for support towards Harry, and weighing his options carefully, he gave it with a firm nod.
"Professor Binns leaves… a fair bit to desire, Lord Carrow. As Corene said, no disrespect intended, but the conversation we've had is the most in-depth one on history across my entire time outside of the various Peverell homes."
Harry honestly respected Lord Carrow's historical knowledge, even if it had dragged on longer than any conversation he'd held before that wasn't pure waffling with his mates.
"Daughter, you know why I, nor the board can remove Professor Binns from his post; too much an uproar would be caused, as you've seen when a Professor retires rather than dying in their post," Lord Carrow then regarded Harry, "Change is often met with disapproval, regardless of how minute it seems to be. You can blame Grindelwald on one hand, and the new wave of Muggleborn on the other."
"Tabarnak!" Lady Carrow said that singular word in a whisper-yell the moment her husband mentioned Grindelwald, and Harry hadn't a clue as to its meaning. He didn't need to glance at Corene again to guess though, as Lord Carrow's frown was evidence enough that it wasn't anything pleasant, Lady Carrow's follow up words in English backed that up. "Speak of the Muggleborn however you like, his name will not be mentioned in my presence."
"Of course, my love," Lord Carrow was neutral and calming, raising one hand open-palmed in the direction of his angry wife, "We'll not speak any more on those politics, especially not tonight when going over them may very well take a day or more-" Lord Carrow then shifted his attention to Harry, "That isn't to say we won't be getting a baseline of where the other falls, as that's quite important in determining if a friendship is meant to last in formal terms. Perhaps now would be as good a time as any to defer to my office for a more intimate conversation, away from the prying ears of our cousins and other relatives."
Corene tried to speak up, but Lord Carrow waved his hand, silencing the girl in her tracks.
"You'd be invited, Corene, you needn't ask considering who our guest came for," Lord Carrow's words were just as soothing to his daughter as they were to his wife only a moment earlier, and Harry learned a lesson in dealing with both; Corene seemed more invested in him than he'd thought if she was insistent in joining the meeting, and he should under no circumstances bring up Grindelwald within ear range of any French relatives of said girl.
Lord Carrow stood up from his seat upon hearing nothing more and extended his hands towards his wife who followed him up, her expression was back to the norm he'd come to associate with the family, but her eyes still showed the displeasure she was feeling.
"Corene, my daughter, if you'd be so kind to walk Harry to our study considering the lack of distance - your mother and I will be apparating, though I imagine a brief minute or two on the balcony would be pleasant with the constellations bright as they were said to be tonight."
Corene dipped her head again, and standing up, held her arm out for Harry to loop his through as soon as he stood up.
As he was doing so, Corene's parents apparated away, leaving him in Corene's presence alone, though a few stragglers were still milling about in the room, all of whom looked over to them as soon as the two adults were gone.
"What're you waiting for?" Corene asked, cocking her head in the usual way and flicking her eyes down to her waiting arm as he took in the near emptiness of the room.
"Sorry, admiring the be-" Corene looped her arm through his with one step closer and had them walking, making his sentence get scrambled from the sudden contact followed by motion, "-auty of the room. Are we short on time?"
"No, my cousins were starting to walk over, then we'd be short on time," Corene said it neutrally as ever, but he could swear there was some sort of underlying tone in her voice that he couldn't decipher for the life of him… maybe it was the one glass of wine he'd had with lunch.
Or the six with dinner when Lord Carrow brought out something especially good-tasting. It wasn't like he, his wife or Corene had drunk any less though, and Harry could clearly see that Corene's face was well flushed despite her Carrow Face being in place.
He'd let it go though, at least for now. There was always an opportunity to ask about them later, be it at Hogwarts or his home, should he follow through with his invitation.
That was something he'd need to decide on in the next hour or two too, hopefully, he'd be given the chance when Corene walked him back to where he'd Floo'd in from, if she was the one doing it again.
"Not too much longer until we arrive at Father's office, Harry. I'll make sure he doesn't go overly hard on you either, though he'll not be too different from your earlier discussions - if it were Pap-Grandfather Valliere, then you'd be in trouble," Corene's small smile and gentle prod in the side before they came in the view of the twin reinforced doors of her father's office were helpful.
In so much that they made him nervous that she'd needed to say them in the first place.
Corene walked directly to the doors, straightened her posture, and giving a quick once over to Harry, knocked on the brass handle of the left door.
"Enter Cori, your Père and I are ready for the two of you," Lady Carrow's voice, distorted as it was, permitted them to enter, so the two teenagers did.
"Enjoy the walk down, Heir Peverell? I do hope Corene showed you the- ah, apologies, do sit down," Lord Carrow cut himself off before he was once again caught in his love for history and motioned towards two chairs directly across from his desk. Once Harry and Corene seated themselves, Lord Carrow continued. "Let's discuss the simplest of topics to start with; how did you enjoy your visit to Carrow Castle?"
Harry responded honestly.
"It was wonderful, really. It's the first place I've formally visited, been given a tour, and individual meetings within the family - my expectations were surpassed."
"Ah, yes, I think I can vaguely recall Corene telling my wife and I something about a brief visit of yours to Malfoy Manor while the Lord and Lady Malfoy were away. I'm quite glad you've enjoyed your time with us too, perhaps another visit could be in order over the summer break, should Corene wish it," Lord Carrow's eyes sought out his daughter for the briefest of moments before they returned to Harry, "That brings me to another matter, that being the potential visit of Corene to Peverell Manor. She'd written home about it once, but as far as I know and unless she's left out information regarding it, such a visit isn't currently planned. Would you mind shedding some light on that matter?"
Harry nodded, "Of course, Lord Carrow. Corene, as well as Aster Rosier and Reinhard Lestrange, are the three people I'm closest with at Hogwarts and as such, the three I'd feel most comfortable inviting into a home that's been closed off for centuries. I hope you'll not take any offence to this, but it'd just be the three of them and myself, the few remaining relatives I have are currently away in another of House Peverell's homes."
"Aster Rosier and Reinhard Lestrange?" Lord Carrow's expression gave nothing away, nor did his wife's, Corene, as good as she was at hiding her feelings, seemed slightly fidgety. "Rosier's Heir can be impressive at times, if highly lazy. Lestrange more brawn and magical strength than any affinity for finesse despite the situation…"
Lady Carrow spoke up when her husband trailed off, her eyes gazing directly into Harry's, causing that familiar feeling to prick in the back of his mind; he tried as hard as he could to fight it off as he'd learned (or attempted to learn) from Snape.
"It is a good thing you have my Cori, no? She'll do well as an ally if those two are your others, though I imagine you're not wanting any talks of such things from us, not until we've gotten to know one another more than we currently do. Acting like the Bones' or Goldhorns would be far from courteous, wouldn't you say?"
"I'm not overly familiar with the Bones family, but from my limited interactions with the Goldhorns, they're very direct, though that's not something I inherently dislike so long as it doesn't get too personal," Harry would avoid talking bad about Sarah's family, for while they had been very direct in that letter, they nor their daughter had wronged him. He didn't need any problems where they needn't exist either, and he wasn't sure the Carrows could be trusted nearly enough as was needed for his true feelings towards specific groups or families being offered up.
"Well answered, Heir Peverell, I tend to agree on the more personal matters waiting for a year or two… what's the saying? 'Rome wasn't built in a day' I believe?" Corene let out a minor sigh at her father's ability to bring up something historic even during a formal meeting, Lord Carrow noticed his daughter's reacting too, smiling at the two teenagers as his way of response before he continued, "While we'll avoid asking where you stand on the Muggleborn wave or new laws being put forth on the Wizengamot, there are two things I'd like to put forth - please understand, there's no rush towards either of them, and one's more a token of friendship than anything else."
In response to Lord Carrow's words, Harry straightened up further than he'd thought possible in his seat and paid the best attention he could while additionally watching Lady Carrow, or attempting to keep her within his field of vision; his trust towards the woman had fallen slightly when she'd tried peeking into his mind and her hands tucked away under the desk as they were only further set him on edge.
"First, I'll start with the latter point, that of our token of friendship. We're aware that House Peverell is no longer active on the Wizengamot due to the assumed extinction of your family, but considering here you stand as a living show of proof, we'd be willing to sponsor a motion that'd return your seats as well as any former titles once held, honorific as they may be," Harry's eyes couldn't help but widen at that, he'd presumed earning his seat back would take months upon months of working over those like Professor Slughorn or people he'd met alongside Elaine… It made him wonder why the Carrows would go out of their way to help him, though maybe they wanted renown and good relations with him that badly.
"You'd need to find somebody to submit the bill too, Harry," Corene spoke up from beside him, "We wouldn't be in the best position to do so, and pardon my saying this, even if we were, the fact remains we've only known each other for a few months. Our doing this alone will likely make families with seats on the Wizengamot assume that we're working together, especially with it taking place after a formal visit of yours to our estate and the frequency in which we're seen together at Hogwarts."
Far from disliking that, Harry loved the idea. House Carrow could essentially be trapped in friendship with him, earning the first, much-needed ally that would grant him resources unimaginable for somebody with his level of court intrigue.
It desperately made him wonder what their second matter of discussion was for the evening as well as what they truly wanted for him, as he wasn't nearly naive as he'd initially been, even if he'd like to think Corene and her family were this altruistic.
"I can do that, and thank you, Lord Carrow, Lady Carrow. Your assistance in helping House Peverell earn their seat back on the Wizengamot wouldn't be forgotten, nor would the return of our titles, regardless of the power or lack thereof behind them," Harry spoke those words with more 'pureblood' in his tone than he thought he'd yet done in the entirety of his time sent back. Hopefully, he'd not sounded half as stupid to them as he had to his own ears in doing so.
"Your manners and the truth behind your words are as commendable as my Cori claimed, Heir Peverell. Please pass my compliments to Lord and Lady Peverell for such magnifiq-magnificent teachings," Lady Carrow spoke up abruptly, her eyes once again staring into his as she spoke, the prodding feeling stronger this time.
In response to it, he was at a loss of what to say and furthermore, how to act with her second intrusion; eventually, he settled with a 'Thank you, Lady Carrow' and a deliberate breaking of eye contact in favour of looking for the hundredth time that evening at the beautiful sight that was Corene in her new-fashion dress.
Lord Carrow coughed deliberately while Harry wasn't watching and a moment later, the man was speaking again with the same, small smile joined with his calm expression as he'd been doing before.
"It appears the night draws to a close soon, so I'll delay not the second portion of our potential mutually beneficial offer - House Carrow and House Peverell, over the course of a year or two as I'd mentioned earlier, would gradually enter into a formal alliance, sealed with Gringotts as a witness. If you're unfamiliar as to why Gringotts, I'll put it plainly that going back on any agreement with them as the mediator would be most heinous in every possible way. As for what this would entail since times have no doubt changed since your family last entered into something along these lines, we'd start with a pact of non-interference and non-aggression before working our way towards mutual sharing of familial libraries, economic assistance and eventually, a defensive pact as archaic as the word is."
Corene could see how overwhelmed it seemed to make Harry and added onto her father's words with those of her own.
"No time limit is set for the date of signing if you choose to do so, we'd also not spread any word of this agreement unless you'd like us to. Non-interference would mainly be the abstaining or agreeing with all Wizengamot motions the other put forward as well as the lack of disputing any claims the other put forth so long as your party wouldn't be negatively impacted. As for non-aggression, I imagine that's easily understood for somebody of your intelligence. Again, these are taken seriously and not offered lightly, look over a copy with a solicitor if you'd like to."
If they weren't offered lightly, why had they given one to him so readily upon the ending of their first meeting? Should he be expecting that from Sarah's family too? Were the Carrow's incredibly friendly inwardly and only cold outwardly?
Harry calmed his internal thinking and nodded his head a few times, standing up when Lord Carrow did so.
"I'll not overload you any more than I already have this evening, Heir Peverell," He then extended his hand after coming out from behind his desk, shaking Harry's when the boy held out his own, "Pleasure to meet you and see your quality, Corene hadn't embellished your personality - if I could offer a piece of advice, of which you're free to ignore, you're the sum of the five people closest to you, choose them wisely."
Lady Carrow finally stood up from her seat and curtsied to him, no words were exchanged as Corene led him out, her father calling out after him that his final sentence was a quote from one of the books he'd gifted Harry… of course it was.
"Sorry, Harry, for not forewarning you of the intentions my family had towards this meeting with you," Corene apologised to him straight-faced, if slightly confused based on the slight furrowing of her brows.
Harry shrugged in response.
"You said there's no rush, and the help with the Wizengamot seat will definitely be appreciated," He paused and sat in the chair closest to the floo, "Could I ask you something before I take my leave?"
Corene cocked her head, the confusion leaving her face to be replaced with a single raised eyebrow and fire from the torches flickering across a portion of her expression with the new angle she'd taken across from him.
"Always, you may ask of me anything without needing to ask permission to do so first; it's a waste of words, Harry."
"What'll Elaine think if we do this agreement? Do you already have one with her too?" Harry feared the answer, but he needed to ask - at best this could mean a way to keep her family neutral.
Corene shook her head while it was still cocked.
"Elaine's family name lacks the renown to earn such an agreement from us, and unlike Yaxley or those in the lower throngs of her group, House Carrow is not easily pushed around. Her reaction towards us doing this is something I'd be unable to predict too, you know firsthand the inability to predict her in any manner."
"I do."
"Wonderful, should I go get my mother?" Corene cracked a soft smile at him when she'd responded, and embarrassing as it was to say, Harry was left wondering what she meant for a fair few seconds before he blushed in understanding, offering a stammered response.
"I, uh, sorry. I didn't me-"
Corene frowned and straightened her head.
"My humour still needs work, evidently," She then motioned towards the Floo, "Farewell, Harry. I'll be waiting for an Owl one way or the other in regards to my visitation."