Echoes of Time (Harry Potter)

November 14, 1943

Saturday Evening

Harry immediately turned his head towards the door while at the same time putting space between him and Elaine. It wouldn't be remotely close to a good impression with such an important man if he thought they'd been up to inappropriate activities while within the room they'd planned on meeting him in.

"Good evening Chief Advisor Joffre." Elaine greeted, standing from her seat and curtseying with a pleasant smile as she did so.

Following her lead, Harry stood up and bowed to the grey-haired man, "It's nice to meet you, Chief Advisor Joffre."

In response to the formal greeting he'd been given, the man dipped his head once and shook the hands of both students.

"Miss Riddle, I've heard nothing but the highest of praise coming from Horace - Heir Peverell, my joy is immeasurable at the reemergence of such an esteemed bloodline; I look forward to seeing where the two of go within our community once outside the walls of this school." Joffre's words were spoken in a far softer voice than his looks or status would have had one presume, his way of dress didn't match either; a simple black suit with white trim, black shoes and a large bowler hat being what he wore.

"Professor Slughorn is too polite, sir," Elaine said bashfully, looking away when the man chuckled and took his seat.

"Now now lass, I've seen your OWL scores from last year and I dare say he speaks the truth," the man then brought up his arm to look at his wrist, an equally simple watch was on it and having read the time, the Chief Advisor sighed, "My apologies for running a minute late, I'd hoped to have more than three or so minutes to speak with such interesting young folk such as yourselves but duty shan't be left waiting."

Harry felt Elaine squeeze his hand as soon as the older man had finished speaking and taking that to mean he should respond, spoke.

"Not a problem, sir. We understand you're extremely busy." Harry saw Elaine politely nod with his words.

"Ah, I hadn't expected Horace's two favourite students to be together," Joffre chuckled at Elaine's blushing and Harry knew immediately the man had seen their relatively hidden hand-holding, "To be young and romantic again… forgive an old man for getting lost in the past," he said so abruptly and while righting his moustache to remove the hair that'd settled on his lip, "Let me tell the two of you what I'd been hoping to lest I waste our already limited time together - I assume you'll not mind one another hearing something fairly personal?"

Elaine shook her head before the man had even ceased his speaking.

Harry, on the other hand, waited for a few seconds after the final syllable was said and reluctantly agreed.

Giving a nod, Joffre spoke without delay, his attention focused towards Elaine to start.

"Miss Riddle, considering the scores you'd achieved during your OWLs had bested a majority of the former records, we at the Ministry would like to extend an invitation towards whichever branch you'd be most interested in. Let me be extremely clear with this offer too; we don't mean starting an internship, we mean immediately being placed within a position with minimal supervision - Horace has personally vowed that you'd flourish regardless of what you chose."

Elaine covered her mouth with one hand while squeezing Harry's with her other, it took a few seconds for her to speak but when she did, her words were as polite as they'd been earlier.

"Chief Advisor, I… I don't know what I could possibly do to show thanks to the Ministry for such an offer, you have my assurance that I'll not let you or Professor Slughorn down." her voice only wavered once at the start, the pressure she was emitting on his hand getting especially forceful in perfect sync with it. Beyond that one show of extreme shock, her voice hadn't wavered in the slightest, if anything, it grew gradually stronger the longer she spoke.

Joffre smiled, "Such a thought hadn't crossed my mind, dear," he smiled a second time at Elaine before switching his attention over to Harry, his expression turning professional and curious, "Heir Peverell, in addition to the request I had for Miss Riddle by way of the Ministry, I'd also been given express permission to offer the current Lord of your family a position on the Wizengamot. Should that prove unfavourable considering only you've emerged, I'm sure we could come to some sort of mutual understanding," Joffre held up a finger to signify waiting and fished through his suit pocket until he withdrew a letter with the Ministry seal, "Inside are my communication details so we can further discuss this matter as well as a gift of appreciation from the Minister."

As if on queue, a knock sounded at the door while it had already begun being opened. An unfamiliar witch with near-perfectly matching clothes to the Advisor poked her head in to say that Heirs Longbottom and Potter were waiting in the next room over.

Chief Advisor Joffre thanked her and rose from his seat, Elaine doing so in sync with Harry a half-second behind.

"Miss Riddle, Heir Peverell, it was a pleasure to finally meet the two of you," the man kissed the back of Elaine's hand and shook Harry's.

"We appreciate the time, sir," Elaine curtsied and Harry bowed - Joffre smiled a second time with a happy look on his face as he left the two alone.

Not a moment passed after the door to their room had been closed before Riddle reclined in her seat with a satisfied look.

"What's your opinion, Harry? Should I request an appointment to work directly with the Minister as a Secretary? Auror wouldn't be horrible either I'd imagine, they seem to have a quick promotion rate and a high chance of making Minister should you be knowledgeable of the History," Elaine questioned him lazily, her head having rolled to one side and once she'd finished its moving, her chest rose with slow, deep breaths showing just how calm she was so soon after having heard the news.

"I'm sure you'll pick whatever you find most appealing," he briefly debated with himself on whether or not he should call her out on already knowing the offer she'd been given, but decided against it. There was no reason to do so when her body language clearly conveyed as much, and if it truly bugged him at some point in the future, that was when he could ask it.

Elaine continued watching him silence, doing so from the point the man had left the room to the point he'd finally had enough of her heavy-lidded staring.

"When's the next person coming in?" he'd asked her in hopes of starting a conversation.

Her response of a shrug followed by her adjusting to move closer to him didn't allow his hopes to come to fruition, and in response, he questioned her again.

"Surely you could find out, I've seen you do wandless magic more than a few times since my arrival."

Elaine shook her head, for a moment making him think she'd not speak - luckily it was only for a moment, as the girl answered him the same time she ran a hand down his back.

"Not every spell is doable without a focus point, Harry. Some require too much energy withdrawn or are simply too complex to do so."

Harry allowed her to continue rubbing circles on his back, mostly since he'd been more interested in that information, but a small portion also loved the soothing caress she was giving.

"Is Tempus one of the ones that fall under either of those categories?"

"Not in the slightest, I'm simply enjoying your worry at being discovered in an intimate situation with me."

"How d-" he hadn't a chance to finish his sentence before she'd launched herself towards him.

Their contact had been rough, Elaine's arms wrapping around his body with surprising strength as she turned him over and slid atop him; he worried that he'd finally messed up, that she was taking this time to kill him.

In reality, what followed her tackle wasn't nearly so morbid and far more intimate.

Her lips captured his with aggression at the same time her hands found purchase, one in his hair with her nails brushing his scalp while the other dug into the back of his neck. Even the snogging she'd initiated was as rough as the contact, her teeth pulling on his bottom lip until he'd opened his mouth in hopes of extending his lip towards her to lessen the motion - that exact action had been what she'd hoped he would do, as her tongue entered his mouth to caress his own with the same circular motion her hand had been making on his back just seconds earlier.

Harry tried and failed to stand, Elaine's surprising strength joined with her leverage keeping him immobile.

With his movement restricted, he tried speaking, but opening his mouth further only made Elaine moan and double down on her efforts. Part of him wanted to give in to her affections, to use his hands and grope her b- his hands! She'd not bound or otherwise restricted his hands! Coming to that sudden realisation while his mouth was still being plundered by the greedy, lustful girl sitting astride his lap, Harry put his hands around her waist and copied her earlier movement.

Just as she'd done, he flipped their position so that she lay under him; it didn't stop her grip in his hair nor the contact of their lips, if anything, her surprised gasp had made her all the more exhilarated. Thankfully though, his new position above her removed the leverage she'd had as well as weakened her grip enough for him to pull his face from hers.

Breathing heavily and with a slightly swollen lower lip, Harry spoke to the girl beneath him with a heaving chest.

"E-Elaine, you shouldn't… do that when… we're expecting… somebody."

In response to his saying that she wrapped her legs around his waist to keep him firmly in place while taking her hand that'd previously been on the back of his neck on a course all over his body.

"Nobody's coming, I've warded the door and silenced the room prior to the party's starting," she ran her tongue across her lips and lunged her face towards his, whining when he pulled back in time to avoid her attempted contact, "Kiss me and I'll tell you how long until the hag arrives."

"Tell me when Miss Colchester-Woodbury will arrive and I'll think about it."

Elaine met his eyes, hers narrowing as her rapidly moving chest finally slowed itself down at the same time her blush began to recede. Harry met her gaze unflinchingly and without lowering it to take in the sizable… assets, he'd not shy away from her regardless of whatever precautions she'd put up.

That seemed to get through to her too, as finally, she smiled and unwrapped her legs.

"My apologies if that was too sudden for you, Harry, I was expressing my excitement at the Chief Advisor's offer with my far too handsome boyfriend," Elaine released her grip from his hair and stopped tracing his various muscle groups, "We'll still be discussing that once this event is over, but," Elaine cast a Tempus without her wand, but while saying the incantation, "Three minutes left until she's scheduled to arrive."

Harry didn't respond and flopped himself back beside Elaine with a cautious glance in case she randomly launched herself at him again - she didn't.

"Well?" she asked, meeting his eyes as she sat up in her seat and primly folded her hands in her lap.

"Well, what?"

Elaine cocked her head with a single brow raised, "Won't I be getting my kiss now?"

"I think you've had enough for this evening," Harry brought a hand up to touch his still swollen lip, the abuse it took leaving it sore to the touch and off-coloured in comparison to the one above it.

"I haven't."

Harry sighed, "We've barely been dating, most couples I know wouldn't snog like we just had."

Elaine snorted, "Comparing either of us to 'most' couples is poor from you, Harry. You know we're both far from normal or any semblance of it… would saying please make my request more attractive if my body's failed to do so?"

"It's not about saying please, I know you're going to do whatever you'd like regardless of what I say," she'd proven that already in the months he'd gotten to know her and it was assuredly a contributing factor to why she reminded him so much of his universe's Tom.

"I'll do whatever's needed to ensure your continued affection, attention and admiration."

Harry was a second from responding when Elaine scowled, he hadn't a second to wonder why when she told him the 'hag' was earlier than expected; opposite of how the Advisor had been.

He didn't know why he did what followed her warning; be it in hopes of calming her apparent dislike of the older woman or simply because he wanted to, but Harry leaned over and planted one last kiss on Elaine's lips. She tried leaning forwards to maintain the contact upon his withdrawal, but he'd been just quick enough to avoid capture by the siren she seemed to be.

Merlin, kissing her may well be one of the best feelings he'd ever felt; maybe his Patronus would be stronger yet if he used this as his happy memory. That made him think on whether or not Elaine could cast one, but he figured she probably could… happy memories for yourself needn't be happy for others.

Right as he'd readjusted himself in his seat, the door to their room slowly squeaked open, taking five seconds to finally fully allow entrance from the incredibly aged woman behind it.

Harry wasn't one to judge on age or appearance, especially considering Dumbledore had been the closest thing to family alongside the Weasley's. With that said, however, he could certainly understand Elaine's nicknaming of the ancient-looking woman. Her skin was wrinkly and spotted, appearing darker in some areas while red in others, the few strands of hair she still had were limp and grey, most of all her walking and posture were low and slow.

Elaine and Harry stood up in sync after she'd taken one step into the room, both of them doing their respective gesture of curtsying or bowing as the woman edged ever closer to her seat.

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Colchester-Woodbury, we've both been impatient in our waiting to meet such a renowned member of society such as yourself," Elaine greeted for the both of them, her cheeks having gone slightly rosy at the same time a beautiful smile highlighted the dimples she only rarely showed.

"Sit, my lovelies," the woman's rasping voice responded as she did just what she'd said, "Time for pleasantries, we have not, especially for one of my age. Tell me why you requested this meeting and how I can be of," her rasping voice trailed off weakly as the older woman broke off into a bout of coughing, only when she'd finished and had a drink of water brought in did she finish her sentence, "and how I can be of service, to two young, bright minds."

Elaine looked slightly concerned, Harry felt the same when considering the poor health the woman seemed to be in - he wondered why he'd never heard of her in his own time either, surely she'd have been covered in Hogwarts to some degree? While he went off on a train of thought, Elaine made a daring request.

"We were most inquisitive about spellcraft, you see, and we figured who better to speak with than the best in the process still living?"

Miss Colchester-Woodbury shook her head while staring at the pair of them, "No, try again my dear," her rasping voice sounded more stern than before, "Tell me truly and speak without the niceties."

Elaine dipped her head once, her smile dropping to her usual expression of professionalism at the same time her voice sounded slightly deeper, less girlish.

"I wish to obtain a book or books from your private collection that detail further the intricacies in the profession you mastered."

"And you, lovely boy?" the old woman didn't answer Elaine and turned her attention towards Harry looking no less stern.

Not having expected to meet with this woman at all, Harry thought on the fly.

"A book containing spells not finished or unreleased, should you have something like that," Maybe he'd be able to finish them at a later date, better yet, maybe he'd learn something that hadn't been publicly released for whatever reason; odds are, she wouldn't give either of the two teens what they asked for.

"That's all then… yes, yes, you hadn't wanted much… but what could I give you without missing? What could a young lovely such as yourself offer in return?" The woman stood up from her seat and smiled at the two of them, "My owls, keep an eye out for them and do ensure she receives plenty of mashed peas."

Harry felt as if he'd missed something, but again the squeeze came from Elaine signifying he bid the farewell. Her doing so shook him from whatever fog the woman had caused to come over his mind and he stood up after having been seated for what felt like a minute.

"Thank you, Miss Colchester-Woodbury," he kept it short, skipping the 'pleasantries' and 'niceties' as she'd called them.

She didn't look back at the two students and made her exit a dozen seconds after he'd said that, the door closing tightly behind her with a wave of a finger.

Wasting not a moment, Harry moved to the outer corner of the stone-encased room and noticed a small frown at his doing so from the only other person in the room.

"Does my presence frighten you, or my affection?" Elaine casually asked as she took a seat, crossing her legs primly and settling her hands back to her lap; the actions made her seem proper and graceful, even the slight rising of her dress to reveal more of her long, pale legs was something he enjoyed.

Harry shook his head, not wanting to get lost in admiring the beautiful creature laid out before him.

"I've told you a few times already I believe, you don't worry me, neither does your affection - however, the timing could certainly be far, far more appropriate than what you'd exercised."

Elaine waved away his concerns and patted the empty cushion beside her, "Why worry about being caught snogging your girlfriend, Harry? I'd imagine all three with whom we've spoken or will be speaking with have done far more than that considering they have children. Let me preemptively respond to what you're likely to say too; while it may not have looked incredibly well for either of us, we wouldn't have been caught, so why worry about something that isn't going to happen?"

"Isn't going to happen… right," Harry ran a hand through his hair, only now realising how much worse her tugging had made it. He sincerely hoped that the older witch they'd just spoken with hadn't deduced the reasoning behind it as she had with Elaine's words, "When do we speak with the Chief Warlock, and will that conversation be as short as these previous two have been?"

Elaine rolled her eyes and repeated the spell from earlier, telling Harry that he'd be arriving in two or so minutes; she then smirked with heavily-lidded eyes as she motioned towards the cushion beside her again.

"Won't you pass the time seated beside your girlfriend, Harry? I'm sure between the two of us we could find something enjoyable to do in hopes of passing that time faster."

Harry rolled his eyes as she'd done and walked over, making her smirk turn into a closed-mouth smile and finally a teeth-showing one once he'd sat beside her again.

"How in depth of a conversation will we be having because of my referring to you as such?" He questioned her, not liking the eluding she'd been doing earlier on in regards to his slipup with Sarah (his referencing Elaine as his girlfriend in her presence).

"Worried?" was her playful response, one of her hands unwrapping itself from her lap and finding a spot on his upper thigh.

He didn't show any sign that her touching bothered him regardless of the inner battle a portion of his mind was losing and scoffed, "That you'll do something? No. We both know that my saying that word with an audience made you happy, especially considering your sudden stance change from 'not interested in relationships' to all but hunting me since a few weeks after Hogwarts started."

"Hunting you?" Elaine giggled, the sound attractive and unnerving, "If I'd been hunting you, it wouldn't have taken nearly as long as it had for your lips to be upon mine while I sat astride your lap."

"Confident in that, are you?" Harry asked, his smirk settling instinctually on his face as he knew waffling when he'd heard it.

Elaine nodded resolutely, "Yes, I dare say a week at the most; alas, we'll never find out unless we had a time turner or some other means of travelling to the past."

Harry tried his best not to show that her seemingly casual remark had any effect, his response being a simple, "Too bad," before looking towards the door again.

"Answering your question that you'd asked, our conversation in regards to our dating won't be more than five minutes at the longest - I find myself having a few rules I'd like for you to abide by during the duration of our dating; you can give me some of your own so long as we can mutually agree."

He scoffed, "Rules for dating? You make it sound so much more complex than it needs to be."

Elaine moved her hand from his thigh to his navel, the closeness to a specific region leaving him excited but unhappy, the latter emotion being caused by the former.

"Rules and planning should be used in almost every instance, otherwise our society would be far worse than it already is. I'd have figured a Pureblood from a nearly extinct line such as yours would have agreed with that."

Harry knew he could make a number of rebuttals, but he knew a majority would out him while a minority would leave him seemingly ignorant of the culture he ought to know. Rather than pick any number of replies from a bank of horrible ones, he changed the subject entirely, to one that had already come up earlier.

"You're not interested in other positions in the Ministry other than Secretary to the Minister or Auror?"

Elaine cocked her head and smiled at him, "Avoiding politics is wise, though it makes my interest in your stances piqued," she laughed at his sigh, "I'll play your game and respond; in short, no, I'd much prefer one of those two offices. Auror's can get fast-tracked up the chain so long as they're martially better than their fellows, add in the general career length of one not being incredibly long and you'll likely make Senior Auror within a few years - turns out there's a huge amount of deaths or crippling injuries that even magic can't mend when going into the profession of dealing with dangerous witches or wizards," Elaine laughed lightly in pause, "From then on, Head Auror, Deputy-Director and Director aren't too far-fetched so long as you make the right friends. As for being a Secretary to the Minister of Magic? I hope I needn't explain the endless benefits such a position would grant."

Harry shook his head - she didn't need to explain in the slightest, he'd witnessed first hand the power of being a pawn to the Minister provided via Umbridge.

"I'd like to be an Auror too, though not for the Minister's position," he said that aloud without any real reason, but his opening up in saying that made Elaine smile widely at him, her dimples once more on full display.

It was to that scene that the door swung open to reveal an older man

"Ah, Miss Riddle, a pleasure to see you again," the man bowed deeply and with a flourishing movement before turning his attention to Harry, "Mis- pardon me, Heir Peverell; I'm Chief Warlock Lochlann Treasach and I do look forward to working with your family in the coming years, if not months," the man had an unnerving smile about him, one that Harry figured only a politician for quite some time would have - his manner of dress and a similarly done flourishing of his cloak while he took his seat only made Harry more cautious of the… unique, man.

"Chief Warlock," Elaine dipped her head respectfully to the man from her lounging on the couch beside him and in the process of doing so, reminded Harry that she'd not had the two of them stand when greeting someone of such a high station. He wondered why that'd be until her follow up words came, "I hope my request for this brief time with you wasn't too inconvenient, I know we speak often enough by owl but I couldn't pass up the chance to introduce you to Harry directly," she glanced at Harry with a fond smile then moved her attention back to the Chief Warlock, "He's sure to do marvellous works in the future."

Stroking his salt and pepper beard, the man leaned forward in his seat.

"Tell me plainly, Heir Peverell, will any others of your family be making a return to society as you have, or will you be the spokesperson for the foreseeable future?"

Harry knew whatever he'd answer wouldn't be forgotten, there was no chance of that considering who the other occupants of the room were. That knowledge still didn't stop him from debating his answers rather than jumping to the most logical of them; that being 'No, other Peverell's won't be coming'.

He could say he had little to no knowledge of his family's plans, but he'd learned from Slytherin's long enough to realise how that'd make him, or House Peverell as a whole, look. Another option could be using polyjuice in the image of some muggle that he'd have some sort of constant access - while problematic in execution and acting, he also didn't know means of detecting it, of which there could be many considering how bothersome such a potion was.

Thus, with only five or so seconds passing as he rapidly thought of some way to answer this question, he went with the easiest of them all and that had a side effect of making him seem more powerful rather than less as the others would've.

"Officially, Chief Warlock, I'll be the only Peverell returning to Magical Britain for quite some time. What few of my family remain have decided to stay in hiding due to the current world climate, I'm sure you understand given the… deplorable actions being reported on from the continent," Harry sounded respectful and eloquent in his speaking - well, at least to his ears he had.

Suppose being in Slytherin had some benefits, innit?

"Most certainly, my boy, most certainly," Chief Warlock Treasach was quick in showing he understood, his facing going sombre as he did so, "What happens across the channel to our fellow Witch or Wizard is abhorrent and try as I might, we as a society are unable to provide aid on account of truly vile politicking. Rest assured, my boy, and please make my following words abundantly clear to your family members; the climate of the world will return to that of peace, be it a year or ten or one-hundred, and when it does, House Peverell will have the respect required for a house with such a remarkable lineage, - all you'll need to do is speak with myself, as the young lady beside you has, and I'm sure we could raise you to heights yet unseen."

Elaine dipped her head again, "Thank you again, Chief Warlock, for the opportunity to provide genuine proof of my lineage. It's my hope that I'll be able to claim my ancestral holdings in their entirety by my graduation."

"As I've said, Miss Riddle, a friend of Heir Black's is a friend of mine," the man smiled widely, his eyes bugging out and his already then moustache stretching out in the process; the latter going so thin that patches could be made out.

"I'll take that into account, Chief Warlock," Harry responded with a plastered on smile once Elaine had finished her exchange, knowing from the events that he'd just witnessed that his earlier feeling of unease had been right.

"See that you do lad and we'll have a long, mutually beneficial friendship! Perhaps you'll even marry my great-granddaughter!" the man laughed lightly at his musings, not picking up on the brief frown from Elaine or the nervous glance from Harry.

"Wonderful," Elaine bit out, standing from her seat with a tugging motion at Harry's hand, "Thank you again, Chief Warlock, for allowing us to meet with you; please do be watching for my owl in the coming days, I've had a recent breakthrough in finding documentation," saying that as her final remark, Elaine didn't grant Harry the chance to say a goodbye of his own as she dragged him roughly from the room and back down the hallway until they were once again near the main party.

Only once she'd stopped their moving did Harry question her actions, and in a roundabout way.

"Chief Warlock Treasach is… one of a kind, isn't he?"

Elaine snorted and shoved Harry into a smell crevice only feet from the curtains that separated the main party from its other areas, the sound generated being dampened as a result until the noise was like that of multiple rooms over.

"Our Chief Warlock is a lecherous old pig with only selfish intentions - he's as self-serving as that old hag is useless with her current age. I know you'll not listen to everything I tell you - you wouldn't be nearly as interesting if you did - but if you were to listen in only very important circumstances, I would tell you never to sign anything that man gives you when not acting in an official capacity," Elaine's gaze was serious and her tone matched.

"I'll keep that in mind," Harry stepped back to where he'd been previously standing, his chest brushing against Elaine's in the process as she'd very slowly gotten closer during her speaking.

"You'll probably want to make the remainder of the party, hm?" Elaine glanced in the direction of the curtains and then back at him with a bored, almost disdainful expression on her face, "Ones such as these are entirely useless; people like to present themselves as carefree with their drinking and dancing, but it's in circumstances like these where everybody is at their most politically guarded."

Harry couldn't see entirely what she meant but nodded along anyhow.

When she'd finished and stood looking at him, her eyes focusing solely on his, a devious thought crossed his mind. One that, while likely would've repulsed him in the past, did anything but that now.

He closed the remaining distance that'd been between them, pulling Elaine into a kiss with one hand just above her right hip and the other going to the smaller of her back. Harry only let their snogging last all of five seconds before pulling back and out of reach from the now happier looking girl.

"I'll see you after the party ends, yeah?"

Elaine's eyes found his, and from the distance he'd put between them, hers were looking like two dark pools from the lack of light, "I'll meet you ten minutes prior to our leaving."

"Yeah," he responded, slightly mesmerised by the look.

He then made his way back to the table and near two very familiar faces that he wouldn't have expected to see voluntarily sitting together.

Aster and Corene.

Harry desperately hoped the boy wasn't up to something.

He hadn't been.

Upon his approaching, Aster nodded with a relieved expression on his face and left. Harry furrowed his brows at the other boy and tried mouthing 'What?', but the other boy had been long gone before even that simple of a word could be relayed. Confused at his actions and why they'd been seated together in the first place, Harry ended up taking the vacant seat, hoping Corene could shine a lumos on what he'd come across.

Without any prodding and only having seen his confused expression, she informed Harry that a Gryffindor boy kept trying to speak with her this evening for a Hogsmeade date. Corene had repeatedly requested the boy to leave her be, but he wouldn't accept that response, claiming that she couldn't dislike him if she hadn't gone out with him yet. Aster had then walked over and that had been that, or so she thought; for the entirety of his sitting beside her, the Gryffindor was shooting glances her way.

Harry looked around, saw the boy, and mouthed successfully this time, two words.

'Budge off'.

They did the trick and from that point on, both he and Corene were free to enjoy their evenings - Harry doing so almost immediately. From speaking with Marcus, Veronica and the Longbottom boy to speaking with a less belligerent than normal Daphne to ending the last thirty or so minutes trading introductions with various adults that'd come or students he'd not yet spoken with.

Well, he'd also gotten into some firewhiskey Aster had brought along for 'mates only' in his words.

Harry supposed that could've had some sort of influence on the dozens of people he'd darted around to speak with until Elaine had finally stopped him.

"We're leaving early," she told him, turning his attention towards the others from Riddle's circle already loitering in positions near the door.

"I thought you'd meant spending the last ten minutes with me; why leave early?" Harry wanted to speak with Professor Slughorn this evening, in fact, he'd been using Riddle as a means to time when he'd be able to do exactly that.

Considering the girl was pretty openly his favourite and thus, far more likely than himself at securing said private meeting, Harry figured with the three she'd introduced him to already in the evening that one more wouldn't be a stretch.

"To avoid getting caught up in any drunken shenanigans our classmate's attempt - don't think it's only you, Aster and others in our little circle who brought their choice refreshments," Elaine looked pointedly at three different tables who pretty openly had firewhiskey or other similar alcoholic beverages on them.

Harry looked open-mouthed from one example to the next, just about ready to respond when a large, portly figure made its way over while saying a jolly greeting.

"Elaine! I hope you weren't planning on skipping out without saying goodbye to your favourite Professor!" he laughed merrily, one hand going to his overhanging gut until his eyes found themselves on Harry, "And you, Peverell my young lad, surely I could interest you in a small chat once the lingering guests depart?"

Elaine smiled, did a small curtsy and replied, "Not at all, Professor - I'll leave you and Harry to your conversation, I do hope we're still set for tea later this week with the other two?"

Professor Slughorn did a surprisingly elegant bow in return, "Why of course, Miss Riddle; be a dear and remind the other young ladies of that too, will you?"

"Yes, Professor," Elaine's eyes sought out Harry's, "I'll be waiting for you in the common room, Harry," she then made her exit, leaving him wondering why she'd gone so easily with the Professor's words when just earlier she'd wanted them to walk back together.

He shrugged and shook his attention from watching Riddle walk away back to the Professor still standing with him.

"What were you wanting to speak about sir?"

Professor Slughorn gestured over to an unoccupied table and chair set, speaking while walking in the direction of it, "Oh numerous topics lad, numerous topics. Surely impossible for us to speak about them all in this one setting, but I'd much rather catch up with how you've settled in rather than various other topics."

Harry nodded at the Professor's words, doing so for himself instead of the portly Professor just lowering himself into a chair.

"Perhaps we could schedule later discussions throughout the year, sir? Assuming you'll meet privately with a student outside of class responsibilities," Harry didn't want to appear as if he were too interested in meeting with the man, only that he wasn't opposed to such an idea.

Truthfully? Harry was very interested in what he could find out in regards to Elaine, knowing that the degree of help in which the Professor gave her was rarely done for other students; it went without saying that such aid required more private information than most would have of the girl.

"Certainly!" Professor Slughorn nodded happily at the thought, "I'll send a student for you when I think of a time - you there," the Professor had looked past Harry's shoulder when calling out, "Bring us a bottle of Superior Red and two glasses!" he then looked back at Harry with a wide smile, "I hope my assumption that you've not tasted that particular brand is correct!"

"It is, sir, but aren't we disallow-" Harry was certain they shouldn't be drinking, but his remark was disregarded by a deep bellied laugh from the large man.

"Nothing wrong with allowing exemptions from time to time, I'm sure you're only a few months or so south of proper anyhow," Professor Slughorn had the student who'd arrived with the aforementioned alcohol pour two glasses - one larger and one smaller to reflect the experience in their drinking of it - and upon their finishing of that task, he proposed a toast with Harry, "To a strong friendship."

Harry echoed the words and took a hesitant sip, the sweet-tasting wine flowing easily down his throat; Harry knew now why adults were so fond of the stuff.

"You can drink more than that if you'd like my boy, there's no shortage of the stuff. Abraxas' family ensures I have a case whenever I want one," Professor Slughorn lounged in his seat, taking a long sip from the glass, "Do tell me how you've acclimated; I hope it wasn't too rough!"

"Not at all sir, Elaine and other members of your house were very helpful in ensuring my time spent adjusting went without incident," Harry paused to take a sip, using the time to gather his thoughts in the process in the hopes of sounding as good as his companions often did, "I'd hoped to speak with you sooner too, though you'll have to excuse my not doing so; even with all the assistance they'd given I find it can still be a bit jarring, being away from family."

Slughorn looked sympathetically at him, "I'm sure it's been a challenge and I feel as if that lays partially at mine own feet…" the man nodded to himself, "Yes, I should've extended an invitation to you sooner, I think," he then set his free hand on the empty chair beside his and with a chuckle to Harry, said "Hindsight, my boy - a truly horrible thing!"

Harry laughed lightly with the man so as to avoid appearing rude, speaking when they'd wrapped up, "Professor, I know you'd only wished to catch up, but I couldn't help but wonder if you'd allow me to ask you just one question?"

Slughorn smiled and gestured in a grandiose manner, "Of course lad, ask away."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry smiled in an imitation of Riddle's - the one that he'd seen her use so often when charming others or even himself, "You see, being this new to society has rendered almost all but the basics in which I was taught void. While I know it may be inappropriate to ask this of you, I was hoping you'd be willing to assist me politically in further conversations. Not with actual bills on the Wizengamot floor, meetings with Lords or anything of that ilk, more so preparing me for doing those tasks… you'd most assuredly have the appreciation of House Peverell for any assistance provided."

Slughorn's look of interest during the majority of his miniature speech had been replaced with a wide smile upon hearing the last line; Harry could see how excited those words had gotten the hefty man with the way he'd started adjusting the way in which he'd been seated along with the twitching of his upper lip.

"I'm sure I could offer you some advice, Heir Peverell - though it has to be agreed that any word of such assistance won't be made public," the man looked serious, but the effect was marred with the excitement Harry's seen just seconds earlier.

"You have my word, Professor."

"Horace, my boy, Horace," the man raised his glass again, the wide smile back in its place, "Any friend of mine will always call me Horace."

Harry made his exit ten or so minutes later, his walking slightly uneven as a pleasant fog descended upon his mind from the three glasses of Superior Red he'd drank - his mind off-kilter following the request for political assistance, though Harry could recall nothing else of importance had come up other than a weird comment of excitement at his dating of Elaine.

Shrugging it off as the Professor being somebody political-minded, he was shaken from his thoughts when a wave of cold hair hit him.

His exit from the warm temperature and friendly atmosphere of Slughorn's party was once again replaced with the general cold of the castle and the unfriendly appearance that great heaping pieces of stone provided. Harry had to admit, the man had done a wonderful job in setting a tone distinctly different than that of what Hogwarts usually had.

Shaking his head in hopes of clearing the effects of the wine and realising such actions only made it worse, Harry began his not-so-long walk back to the Slytherin Common Room, where Elaine had said she'd be waiting for him.

He wasn't looking forward to what she'd bring up, knowing that he'd opened up a whole new host of potential problems with his accidental referencing of her as his girlfriend. At least she'd told him relationship rules would be almost all of which they'd be discussing - he wasn't fool enough to think she'd not add some teasing to it - but still, he wondered what else she'd bring up if she noticed the slightly altered state he was in.

As it turned out, he needn't wait very long to find out, as he'd only been halfway back to the dungeons when he'd been suddenly grabbed by a pale arm when walking past an 'empty' classroom.

Admittedly, dodging backwards was usually a good idea; though he'd come to realise from this specific instance it'd been the wrong move when he felt the figure that'd grabbed him make the tumble too, landing squarely on him.

He opened his eyes after having closed them on instinct and wasn't surprised in the slightest to see who it was.

Elaine.

Harry smirked a split-second later when he saw a look of annoyance flash across her eyes until her expression descended into the same lecherous one he'd seen in the cabin.

"Hi, Harry," she cooed into his ear, not making any attempt at getting up from him, "If I'm not mistaken this is the third time I've ended up on you tonight, is that a preference of yours?"

He shook his head, "No, I'd think it's one of yours though based on how you've not made any attempt to stand up."

Elaine laughed, the sound more enchanting than usual and he couldn't for the life of him figure out why.

"You raise a fair point," she lowered her head and pressed a soft kiss to the tip of his nose, the gentle nature going completely at odds with her earlier snogging. After doing that, she untwisted her limbs from his and rose up until she'd gone back to standing, "Do hurry up, Harry, we've not got all night for you to be laying on the ground."

Sighing, Harry made his way back to his feet and brushed himself off, "You could've done that to start with, you're the one who wants to discuss 'rules' for dating."

"Yes, I want to set rules," Elaine nodded as her arm found its usual place between his, "Rules that wouldn't need clarifying if you'd asked me out prior to claiming me as your girlfriend - you were incredibly bold to do so too, though the action was very… liberating," she then glanced at him as they'd begun to walk, "Let me be very clear when saying further actions that are similar to that won't be taken nearly as lightly as this one was."

"Why allow it at all?" Harry asked, rolling his eyes at her postering.

Elaine laughed, her grip on his arm getting tighter, "Because you did what I wanted."

He didn't say anything in response to her, knowing that she was correct but annoyed enough that anything he'd say would be childish to some degree.

"Mmm, I'm glad our bickering on such a pointless subject ended so swiftly," her grip loosened again and Elaine took to resting her head on his shoulder, the action being slightly awkward due to the superior height the girl had, "I'd much rather discuss what we'd planned on, starting with my first rule for you; absolutely no consorting alone with any girl I've not approved of."

Harry sighed deeply, "And who exactly, do you approve of?"

"Corene, Daphne, Druella and Emilia."

He shook his head, "You really think I'll allow you to tell me who I can spend my time with?"

Elaine tutted, "Not in the slightest."

"You were seeing what I'd let you get away with," Harry said as a fact rather than a question, not needing any confirmation from the girl to know it'd been just that.

"Yes," Elaine didn't seem bothered by his deduction, her response casual as she continued walking without even the slightest of hitches in her movement, "I'll tell you everything I expect of you in one breath instead of drawing it out, there'll be no repeating it should you fail to pay attention - no dates or singular activities that can be interpreted as such by the general masses, anything I say in privacy to you is meant to stay private unless given explicit permission, you'll not take part in any activity unbefitting of your station, and most importantly, you'll remember something very important during the duration of our dating," Elaine pressed herself fully into his side, "You're not to do anything affectionate with any witch other than myself; from kissing her cheek to more crass activities, all of your romantic gestures are mine alone."

Harry didn't mind the first of her 'rules', knowing that having such a thing could save him from more embarrassment should other witches make moves on him. Her second was something obvious that he'd already practised considering he didn't want her to move from obsessive to aggressive, her third was no less obvious though he suspected it was in part to his time spent with Aster and Reinhard. Elaine's final of the four was just as obvious as two and three, though it came off more creepily than he'd have anticipated words of possessiveness would have.

"Fine."

Elaine kissed right beneath his ear, "Good… what'll you be attempting to set for me?"

He was partway through a shrug, his response almost being 'the same' until he'd realised he was in the stronger position.

Sure, he'd been the one that said they were in a relationship, but Harry was also the one with an ancient familial last name with perceived wealth and good marks in the school. His list of friends across the various houses was an added plus.

"All of what you'd said, with only one addition."

Elaine didn't move her head from his shoulder when she responded with a singular word.

"Well?"

"You'll cease in whatever machinations that have me at their centre - anyone directed by you to participate will stop doing so."

Elaine moved her head from his shoulder, leaning forward while they were walking to look at his face.

"I wonder if complete honesty regarding all of our activities wouldn't be better than simply having me cease whatever 'machinations' you think I'm working towards."