September 13th, 1943

Monday Morning

3:00 AM

"We're not done yet, Harry - you've yet to repeat back to me the entirety of basic Topology." Riddle huffed at his lack of attention. "Honestly, how can I be sure that you'll excel if you can't even repeat something as simple as that?"

Harry didn't reply to the girl and continued packing up his satchel. He'd had more than enough Arithmancy today and regardless of how much he'd slept the morning before, he was tired. For the life of him, he couldn't understand how Riddle was so energetic when any sane person would be wanting sleep.

Ah, there it is, any sane person - he'd cracked the code after barely a second passed. He blamed the overloading of information from her, how else could he forget the beautiful girl before him was absolutely and unequivocally insane?

"I expect a response, Harry." Her tone was serious, reminding him of how she'd scold the others when they did something she didn't approve of. As if that'd stop him, they all knew she wouldn't do anything to alienate him or push him to another group.

He continued to ignore her and made his way over to the door, waving over his shoulder as a way of farewell. Harry very much wished to look back at her but he knew that'd take away the effect he was going for. Oh well, he'd just have to imagine the angry look rather than see it first hand.

With his hand on the handle, he pulled it open and gave one last victorious wave.

Bye Riddle.

"Forgetting something, aren't you?"

Why did she sound so arrogant if he were the one walking away from her? Quickly racking his brain for whatever it could be she meant, he came to the answer in seconds. Her Restricted Section pass.

Great going Harry, ruddy fool! Raced through his mind at his incompetence; so tired was he that he'd forgotten the whole reason for being here. Studying with Riddle had benefits but no chance would he be caught with her alone in a secluded room in the dead of night, that stank of bad times.

Seeing no other choice at the moment, he turned to face the girl at an agonizingly slow speed. Her face was lit up in victory and arrogance as she held the pass out with a hand. They both knew she could use magic to give it to him across the room, but it wasn't about that.

If he walked over to her to retrieve it, she'd win. If he didn't walk over to her, she'd keep the pass while having taken hours from his sleep - so she'd win that too. His only way to not lose face would be to wait until she wanted to leave, which could be hours. It was tempting but he knew he couldn't do it on a Monday - they were his busiest days after all!

Her expression didn't change while she motioned him to come to her with the hand not holding the pass.

Harry looked her over in case she showed any signs of fatigue or impatience, hoping to find something that showed her reluctance to stand here forever. It came as no surprise that he'd found nothing, not even the slightest tap of a finger or twitch of an eye. Riddle stood stock still with that infuriatingly beautiful smile on her slightly blushing cheeks, all the while looking straight at his face. Not for the first time, Harry cursed the being that sent him back to deal with the girl before him.

"Fine." He spoke aloud one word and that was all it took for her expression to go even more joyous, for that one word had underlying meanings, some of which were shown when he began a slow walk over to her.

"Closer." Riddle said when he stood three feet from her.

"Closer." She'd say again, this time with him standing two feet from her.

His third step forward had him reaching out towards the pass, which she quickly pulled back until it was behind her.

What was she playing at? He looked at her face and saw how red it now was, just before he'd gotten to ask she'd breathed out the word she'd said prior.

" Closer."

As was semi-common for the two of them, they were in full contact, Harry looking slightly up at the taller girl who was still persistent in holding the pass behind her.

"Come on Riddle." His tone was annoyed and embarrassed, the latter being due to the proximity of their faces.

"You'll have to grab it, I find myself rather… tired." Her tone conveyed just how much she enjoyed teasing him, causing him to reach behind the girl to seek out her hands. In doing so, he squished their bodies together even more so than they already were.

Harry located her hands within a few seconds and grabbed the pass from them, his victory was short-lived as her hands flashed forward to grab either side of his face.

"Ri-"

Nothing more could be said before he went into shock from what the girl did.

Riddle had taken advantage of his defenceless self and kissed him!

Her soft lips made contact lightly with his forehead, lasting a split second but he couldn't stop the duality that it caused within him. Half of him was repulsed to the point that he would have thrown up should the feeling increase just a smidgen. His other half was the polar opposite, a beautiful girl showing affection could do quite a bit to a boy still in his youth.

Luckily for him, Riddle had gotten what she wanted and pulled back from him, he could just make out an extreme shade of red on her face. She grabbed ahold of her own satchel and made for the exit of the room while avoiding looking at him, only calling back to him that he better follow her if he wanted to avoid the Prefects and Professors on patrol.

Needless to say, Harry shook himself from the emotions that'd taken hold of him and followed after the already moving girl. As much as he needed to think of what just transpired, not getting caught up past curfew and in a random bit of Hogwarts was a slightly higher priority. The last thing he needed was Dumbledore hearing that he'd been seen sneaking about the castle at night.

Thankfully the entire time of their journey back to the common room had been spent in silence. It gave him much needed time to calm down - or rather, not be as on edge as he'd been after her sudden and random show of affection if it could be called that.

As it turned out, sneaking around Hogwarts with an unknown number of people looking for you while being in the presence of your arch-enemy could truly play tricks on your mind. Three times they'd come across someone on patrol and all three times he was so lost to himself that Riddle had to physically pull him back lest he gets them both in trouble. Why she didn't let him go and provide a distraction for her to slip away, he didn't know. All he did know was that he wouldn't be thanking her - it was her fault they were out this late to begin with and furthermore, it was her fault he was so off-kilter!

When the pair finally made it back to the safety the common room provided, he quizzed her immediately on her knowledge of Patrol routes.

Her tilted head and laugh irked him, there never was a straight answer with Riddle, just like her counterpart in his time she loved drawing it out and being theatrical.

He asked her again and the girl shrugged her shoulders, laughing at his reaction. She had pity on him when he began to storm off to the boy's dorms, telling him that she as a Prefect had access to the schedule for the Prefects. Riddle went a step further than that simple explanation and told him she'd even helped make it with Daphne in advance for the meeting. Should he ever have doubted where Daphne's loyalties were, that was a great affirmation that the girl answered directly to Riddle. What other Head Girl would listen to a Prefect a year beneath her? Especially one without a powerful last name like Malfoy?

Again, he made his way towards the boy's dorms and again, Riddle stopped him. This time with touch rather than words.

"What?"

"You asked your question without letting me ask mine."

Harry had to stop himself from rolling his eyes, Merlin forbid Riddle needed to wait for anything.

"Go on and ask it then, I'd like to get at least a few hours sleep here before my morning class." He must've sounded sharper than he thought when he saw Riddle's gaze change from friendly to disapproving. Perhaps he had been a bit out of order, and so he dipped his head to show he hadn't truly meant the annoyance that'd seeped into his tone. She still wouldn't get a verbal apology, it was partially her fault his attitude was poor!

"Sarah Goldhorn seems very fond of you, more than she should be if you two truly met each other only recently. Forgive me if this comes off prying, but are you, in fact, more… intimately familiar with one another?" Harry wanted to laugh as soon as she'd finished, assuming that like earlier, it was a joke. Smartly, he looked towards her face before doing so and was stopped dead in his tracks. Riddle wasn't looking directly at him for a change, her eyes were finding a green torch more interesting for whatever reason. Could it be… no, no he'd be foolish to think she actually had any feelings for him beyond those that would further her own ambitions.

Whatever reason she'd asked him that question, the likeliness of her asking for her own romantic inclinations towards him were abysmal. Regardless of what her reason was, he'd be honest for three reasons. One, he didn't want Sarah painted as a target in the off chance Riddle was insane enough to develop feelings for him in the little more than a week she'd known him. Two, should he say yes, there was a chance Riddle would ask Goldhorn and he'd come off as less respectable because of it, potentially damaging his relations with the Gryffindors he'd met because of Sarah. Finally, he saw no advantage in implicating himself or Sarah in anything remotely romantic.

"No, Sarah is extraordinarily friendly as I'm sure you've found out earlier." Riddle's gaze went back to him once he started speaking, though she avoided eye contact. Once he was done, she didn't speak and seemed to read there was more he could say - Aster and Reinhard were right that the girl was incredibly intuitive. He continued with the last bit of information he assumed she'd care to hear. "I did meet her first out of all those attending Hogwarts but only by a day. Aster, Corene, and the rest of the lot that I bumped into in Diagon Alley are people I've interacted with just as much if not more than Goldhorn."

Riddle made eye contact with him and Harry just braced the minuscule shields Snape had given him when training Occlumency. He knew they held against the slight tickle from her and he also knew that if she'd wanted to, she could break his shields in a second. Harry didn't make a fuss about the attempted obtrusion since it was unsuccessful.

"Which of those spoken about would you say speak with you the most?"

"Easily Aster, Reinhard too but I hadn't met him that day."

"Not Corene? I would have thought with Aster's remarks that the two of you would be more acquainted."

Harry scoffed and reeled back the answer he'd almost given on impulse. Corene is too busy spending time with you. It would have sounded hostile and accusatory, he knew that.

"Corene is busy with her Prefect duties and helping you with those who follow you."

Riddle cocked her head to the side. "I could tell her to make time for you."

"No, no, it's fine. I wouldn't want to cause any issue, I'm sure I'll be able to visit with her more often eventually."

Riddle observed him and remained silent when he said that. He wasn't sure if she was reading into his comment or if she was just content to stare at him in silence. Either way, he didn't care much for it and decided to get closer to his dorms entrance. His move was tactical as a pillar partially obscured him from her vision, enough to make him confident when he blurted out a question.

"Why'd you kiss me?"

He could see half of her face, which would prove to be enough for him to see her reaction.

Riddle went slightly red, cocked her head and raised the eyebrow that was visible to him.

"Why not?"

"You said you weren't interested in romance in one of our first meetings."

"I had said I was more focused on education rather than pleasure, to be exact - that was also in our very first meeting, not one of the first."

Of course, Riddle of all people would memorize their first meeting and feel the need to point out what he'd forgotten, though technically he wasn't fully incorrect.

"So what? Did you change your 'interests' that quickly?" Harry quoted her when saying the word interests, his look showing the doubt he felt. Whatever her reason was, she wouldn't tell him the truth, not that he needed her to anyway. It was clear enough to him that it was another bid for him to join her.

Her look stayed the same as she laughed lightly, walking towards her dorms entrance without answering him. Right as it looked like she'd enter without replying, she looked over her shoulder and answered him.

" You interest me."

Before he could question her further, she walked into the dorms and disappeared from sight.

What did that mean? He questioned himself. Harry knew she'd told him that before and he didn't doubt she was trying whatever she could to learn everything about him to further her own goals, but to what ends? Was he that important or interesting to the girl that she now felt the need to seduce him to her side? No, Harry stopped that thinking dead in its tracks.

It was thirty minutes after three in the morning and he'd already be dead on his feet when class came tomorrow. Better to get what little sleep he could and think of her words with a fresh mind on the morrow than overwork himself to the point that Monday would be unbearable.

Having made up his mind, Harry walked the remainder of the way to the fifth year dorms and entered in quietly. It came as no surprise when he saw that all of his dormmates were already deep in their sleep with curtains closed and no sound escaping. That fact alone was one of the largest contrasting features he noticed once he'd gotten over the initial shock of the drastically different room.

While in Gryffindor, none of the boys seemed to ward their beds for privacy; in Slytherin, the opposite occurred. All of them, Aster and Reinhard included, making sure privacy spells were up that both prevented sound from entering and exiting. Harry hadn't done it the first few nights out of lack of knowledge but eventually, Aster had shown him how. Harry still remembered his thoughts while the boy was showing him the movement and giving him the incantation.

Aster being serious and helpful with nothing mixed in as a prank or being otherwise suspicious? He hadn't believed it fully at the moment but as the boy opened up to him, it was believable. Riddle had been right when she'd described what he was like.

Harry cursed himself when his mind had somehow ended up on the girl again and busied himself with grabbing the letter Sarah had given him. Her parents had wanted to write to him and after he'd given permission, they seemed to have wasted not a second. He shouldn't be reading it this early in the morning but he'd rather go to sleep after reading the letter from them than let his mind focus on the girl he was sent to this time to deal with. Maybe if he was quick enough too, he'd be able to write his response and hand it over to Sarah in the morning.

At least that would give him the excuse to sit with her for breakfast rather than sit at his table. Riddle watching him was dangerous, Riddle interested in him was more dangerous, Riddle romantically interested in him was devastatingly dangerous and potentially disastrous. Any time away from her prying eye and remarks following her impulsive kiss to his forehead was great for his health.

Again realizing his mind had defaulted back to Riddle, Harry changed into his pyjamas with remarkable speed, desperately wanting to read the letter so he could get the girl out of his head. He followed up his changing by flopping onto his bed, shutting the curtains and casting the spell Aster had shown him. Once all of that was done, he tore open the letter he'd taken from his robes and examined just how much writing Sarah's parents had fit on the piece of parchment.

There was a lot, far more than the few sentences he'd expected from them and from the brief skimming he did, both parents had written individually to him rather than together as a couple.

Maybe sleeping while thinking of Elai-Riddle, wasn't a horrible idea.

Harry sighed and let his head fall into the softness that was the pillows beneath his head. They felt incredible as the coolness of them enveloped his head on all three sides. Sarah's parents' letter lay forgotten in his hand as his eyes fought to close themselves. His mind was split on reading the letter and caving into the comfort that was beneath him.

Their letter wouldn't be gone when he woke up, his brain rationalized. It was true, his reading and responding to them could wait, sleeping couldn't.

Harry let his eyes finally close at the same time he took a deep breath. He would read their letter and write the response tomorrow evening after his strenuous day of classes were over. That didn't mean he couldn't sit with Sarah for breakfast either, he could still do just that - just like her parents' letter, Riddle wouldn't be going anywhere from the Slytherin table.

Sleep was now heavily clouding his mind and Harry began dozing off. That didn't last for more than a minute or two until his eyes were open again, examining the curtains around him briefly before looking straight up at the ceiling. He didn't know fully why, but he sighed in agitation as the feeling of annoyance overcame him.

That feeling stayed along with his inability to sleep for what felt like an hour but more realistically, was ten minutes. Once both feelings finally passed and fatigue caught up to him, he closed his eyes for the second time and not a moment after doing so, woke up again.

This time he thrashed around in anger at his inability to sleep and reached for the letter. He may as well read it if he couldn't bloody well fall asleep.

' Dear Heir Peverell,

I hope this letter finds you well and that the contents of it are not overly intrusive. My eldest still at Hogwarts, Sarah, likely told you a little about us as a family and how interested we are in all aspects of our world. On the off chance she failed to mention anything, allow me to share information on ourselves before asking you the questions racing through my mind.

I was in Ravenclaw during my time at Hogwarts, my wife was in Hufflepuff. Of our six children, five were Hufflepuff while one was Ravenclaw. We're a Noble Pureblood family but keep ourselves firmly out of politics, that isn't to say we're inept in the field should you have questions about it. As for our jobs, I work from my home laboratory as a Potioneer while my wife works as a Mediwitch that makes house calls. Do feel welcome to stop by should you like to avoid the long wait times at Saint Mungo's.

That should give you a general overview into my family and should I have left anything out that you wish to know, simply ask in your reply.

Now, let me get straight to the questions that I'd prepared, none of them should be overly intrusive but you're well within your rights if you'd prefer to avoid some.

What has House Peverell been doing for the centuries of inactivity? Many rumours are floating around upon your resurfacing along with tales about your family but my wife and I aren't interested in stories, we're interested in facts.

Given that you've returned to the general public, is it a safe assumption your family will return to its stances of the past? Should you not understand what I mean by stances of the past, let me be abundantly clear. Will House Peverell return to the Wizengamot and once again use its vast wealth to influence the Wizarding World?

I realize that question may be wildly more in-depth than a first meeting deems appropriate, so I thought I'd follow it up with something far lighter.

My daughter invited you to our Yuletide gathering and in her first letter home relayed your reluctance with the reason being 'imposing'. Let me clear up that you would be an honoured guest rather than somebody who was invited without authority. With that said, are you interested in attending?

Finally, I would like to thank you for the friendship you've made with Sarah. She's always been quick to make friends with people but a majority of those are people who I fear use her for the knowledge she was given by us, her parents. I admit to not knowing you overly well but from the little she's told me, you seem to be a genuinely polite person.

Thank you and I hope to hear from you shortly, Heir Peverell.

Warm regards,

Lord Elliott Goldhorn'

Harry had to rub his eyes after reading the letter to stave off the sleep that was looming overhead. He mumbled an encouragement to himself after doing so.

"Come on Harry, halfway done."

All that had done was demonstrate how tired he sounded to his ears. Still, he buckled down and looked to where Sarah's Mother had written him.

' Dear Harry Peverell,

I hope my use of your first name isn't inappropriate, I'd asked Sarah before she went off to Hogwarts what to refer to you as and in her owl back, she'd told me using your name was fine. If it isn't, do feel free to bug my daughter for me. If that's perfectly alright, in return, you may call me Allie.

Normally in way of introduction and breaking the ice, as they say, I would offer up information about myself. Luckily for the both of us, my husband said he would be taking care of that so as to spare you from the explanation I'd give involving a long list of tasks and useless information that would undoubtedly bore you.

Please do excuse my bluntness as I dive into the two questions that I very much wish to know the answer to before we correspond more regularly - if that interests you.

What is your relationship like with Professor Slughorn? Sarah had told me when she'd come home from work that you'd been having a meal with the man and I'm very curious as to how deep that friendship goes.

I'm unsure of your knowledge on the current political climate and that of the past, but should you have one, would you be willing to share where you stand on the key issues that always face debate? Those being Muggleborn rights, Magical Creature rights and the like.

I do apologize if those are two questions you'd rather not answer and would hold nothing against you should you choose to avoid them. Please feel welcome to visit our family whenever you'd feel comfortable and should you have any questions I can answer, I'm only an owl away.

Sincerely,

Lady Allie Goldhorn'

Done with the letter now, Harry set it down beside him with care as he would likely hold onto it for some time to come. A few of those questions were rather intrusive even if that hadn't been their goal and truthfully, he wasn't sure he wanted to answer them out of concern for a growing web of lies. Should he make something up, it would have to be something he wouldn't regret or forget at a later date.

Not answering was always a possibility and they even seemed to expect that's what he'd do for their questions, but how would that impact their opinions of him? In their writing, they assured him that should he like to remain more private, he could, with no problems arising from it. Assuming that was true was a hard thing to do, considering how often people say one thing and mean another.

He sighed and made the decision to respond tomorrow evening before he went to bed. Writing his response now would be a rash and poor choice - he'd likely come off as immature or incapable due to the lack of sleep. That was something he dearly wished to avoid considering how helpful her parents could be and how close he was getting with Sarah.

Harry rolled over in his bed and kept the curtain that looked out into the lake open. He found the flowing of the plants from the gentle current of water and the leisure pace at which the fish swam to be the perfect material to fall asleep to.

Languidly, he counted the fish as they moved across his line of sight until his eyes closed and remained so, allowing him to drift off into the realm of sleep with no dreams for remembrance in the morning.

September 13th, 1943

Monday Evening

Slytherin Common Room

"Hello, Harry." Corene's voice greeted him upon entrance to the common room.

His first thought was Riddle had said something to the girl, for why else would she randomly approach him after more than a week of only casual conversation that lasted a few sentences at most? He didn't say that aloud of course, whether it was true or not didn't matter considering Corene was still someone he thought fondly of, even if the girl was far more entrenched in Riddle's camp than he'd previously thought.

"Hi Corene, have a good day?"

She nodded her head and before responding pulled him from the doorway he'd been standing in, immediately after doing so another few students from a few years lower entered in. Apparently, he'd forgotten to move while thinking about the girl's sudden conversation that seemed anything but spontaneous.

"Yes, it's been busy as they normally are, educational too." Corene then walked slowly over towards the front-left corner of the room with a look over her shoulder to follow, which he did. Aster and Reinhard were back at another game while Corene had led him over to a set of chairs nearby so they could watch as they conversed.

"Yourself?" She asked as she took a seat with an open one beside it and across from it, giving him an option where to seat himself.

Harry ended up choosing the seat beside her rather than across after a brief deliberation, choosing to appreciate the show his two friends were putting on.

"My day was the same as yours, only slightly less busy I expect. Speaking of that, where's Riddle?"

Very subtle, Harry. He spoke to himself in his mind, mentally slapping himself for the very obvious question if the girl had half as much sense as he suspected - which she of course did.

"Elaine told me to relax for the remainder of the day and that she would do the same. For whatever reason, her mood since this morning has been very… happy. Would you happen to know anything about that?" Corene had answered his question and asked one of her own. It was a distinct possibility that she knew at least part of what happened, considering Riddle seemed to be in her company as often as he tended to be in Ron's back in his time. Then again, Riddle could have told the girl to come here, speak with him and mention that very thing to show twice over that her feelings for him were real rather than manufactured.

Harry decided to test the girl and see if her expressions would give anything away upon his answer. "Not really, we studied late last night and chatted briefly upon our return, but I doubt that's what has her in such a happy mood as you'd said. Maybe she finally achieved a new spell or something of the like?"

Corene looked at him knowingly and hummed in response.

"Bloody hell Rosier, let me have my fun you git!" Reinhard's loud, angry voice cut in, breaking the tension that had just begun to settle over the pair.

"You want it?! Play a rematch then, unless you're too scared!" Aster's reply was equally as loud and an 'ouch' followed it up as Reinhard looked to have kicked the boy before they reset their pieces for yet another game.

"One would think he would learn from his past mistakes, yet he repeats them every other game it would seem." Corene commented while looking over at Reinhard.

He wanted to defend the boy but so far, from what he'd seen, she was exactly right. Reinhard seemed to be beaten not because he was talentless or simple, he was far from either of those traits. What did him in almost every game was a lack of adaptability.

"He'll improve some time, eventually he'll have to."

Corene scoffed and shook her head at him. "Peverell, you've not known them as long as I have. Do believe me when I say this game of theirs has gone on since they were introduced to chess almost seven years ago as children."

"Oh." Harry had given Reinhard the benefit of the doubt and it appeared that this time, he shouldn't have.

"Yes, it's quite embarrassing really. I suppose one could say 'at least he's having fun' but based on how heated those games can get, I'd argue that point." Corene finally turned her gaze from the two chess wizards and back over to him. "I am sorry for the lack of time we've been able to have with one another. Hogwarts can be like an ocean at times and I've never been one for drowning."

Riddle had said something, that all but confirmed that she had, as it'd be far too great a coincidence otherwise.

"Don't worry about it, you've been focused on staying ahead of your work and spending time with friends you've known far longer than me."

Corene smiled as she demurely wrung her hands that'd been folded in her lap. "I appreciate your forgiveness and I won't make that mistake again."

Harry shook his head at the girl. "Really Corene, it's fine."

"Thank you Ha-"

"Damn it all! You're a cruel man Aster!" Reinhard yelled, standing up so suddenly from his seat that a few nearby younger snakes jumped.

Aster for his part looked to be holding back laughter as she reclined in the seat. "You don't want another game? Maybe that'll be the one you beat me."

For the briefest of moments Harry thought Reinhard was about to tackle the boy, instead, he snarled and took the seat again. Watching him go in for yet another round of brutality was almost painful.

"That's entertaining," Corene remarked before picking up where she'd been interrupted. "Thank you, Harry, I swear that we'll speak at least a few times a week as friends should."

He wouldn't complain about that, she was a good person as far as he could tell and if Riddle had enforced her spending time with him as he suspected she may have, it would be too ironic to pass up. She practically gave over one of her most trusted advisors for Harry to spend time with and hopefully learn about her from.

"I hope you don't mind my asking, but I hear word that you'll be going with Elaine, Emilene and Yaxley to Hogsmeade. Would that happen to be true?"

Harry saw a glint in the girl's eyes as she mentioned the village and suspected what she was getting at.

"Yes, I agreed to go with Riddle and the two of them as a means to improve our relations with one another." Riddle had tol- no, she hadn't. Harry had agreed to go with her in return for her telling him what'd happened that day and she had somehow slipped out of doing so. Corene would most definitely be getting a few boxes more than he'd initially planned on getting the girl - he had the money to spare anyhow.

"That sounds like it could be fun - I hope you remember what I'd told you upon our second meeting." The glint in her eyes had changed to a look of impatience as the girl now teetered on the edge of her seat.

"Of course I do. La Fudgerie will most assuredly be making a profit that weekend." Harry laughed as the girl smiled widely at him and was surprised when she leaned over to give him a brief hug. She didn't strike him as one that overly enjoyed physical contact.

"Thank you, Harry." Her look upon saying that told him that was for more than just the chocolates.

After she'd thanked him, Corene and Harry had gone on to enjoy one another's company while making small talk and watching Aster demolish Reinhard repeatedly. It was comedic to be in conversation with the usually serious girl only for the occasional victory yell of Aster or cry of despair from Reinhard to cut them off. Eventually, she'd gotten bored of it and excused herself, promising again that they'd speak to one another more often and that he had her word on that. Harry had given up on telling the girl that she didn't have to stress herself about it.

As tired as he was, he should have headed to the dorms as soon as the girl had left so he could respond to Sarah's parents and catch up on his missing sleep.

He didn't.

Instead, he spent another thirty minutes watching his friends battle one another in a game of wits that Aster was destined to win no matter what Reinhard did. They had gotten so competitive and loud this night that one of the braver second years approached them to ask for silence (all of the older years didn't bother asking considering they used various spells to ensure quiet in their respective groups).

Reinhard hadn't much cared for that and unleashed some of his annoyance at the younger snake who promptly raised his hands while retreating.

That was when Harry decided to call it quits for the night and made his way over to the dorms while laughing to himself. Nobody near him had asked why he was headed in so early and should they have, he would have explained that he simply hadn't slept well the night prior - it wouldn't be lying.

Upon entering the fifth year dorms and finding himself to be alone, Harry went over to his belongings to fish out the letter once more - he'd used it as a reference when writing his response. Once he had it he sat himself down at the desk beside his bed and took out a piece of parchment, quill and ink. His aim was to sound courteous and answer a majority of the five questions in two separate letters - there was one he considered not answering and as such, he'd put that one last on the parchment should he decide that he felt comfortable enough to answer.

' Dear Lord Goldhorn,

Let me start by thanking you for taking the time out of your day to write to me and thanking you a second time for all the information you'd shared with me. I've not known your daughter very long, but even just receiving the letters from you and your wife make it obvious where her kindness comes from. As for your warning on them being overly intrusive, it's perfectly fine. I can imagine how curious people are about me and it's likely unsurprising to you that I feel the same.

I'm unsure how much Sarah knew about me at the time of her letter and discussion following our initial meeting but I'm sure it couldn't have been too much. As such, I'll return the kindness you showed me by giving a brief bit of information on myself.

I was sorted into Slytherin after a long time spent under the hat, where it considered Gryffindor as well. I'm the Heir to House Peverell and an only child, my family is quite small even when compared to families that number only a dozen. We too keep ourselves out of politics and as such, it may be a bit hard for me to fully answer your questions on them. As of now, I currently have no job though I excel in Defense Against the Dark Arts and hope to use that as a means of finding work once out of Hogwarts.

As you did in your letter, I'll get straight into the answering of your questions - I apologize in advance should my answers not be what you were looking for.

House Peverell has been handling familial matters during our time away from the Wizarding world while also furthering its interests. Anything nefarious in nature isn't true while the same could be said about anything overly good. We were simply allowing time to pass while away in our corner of the world.

As I mentioned above, I'm not one for doing anything overly political. That's not to say I won't be in the future, but currently, as it stands, my focus is on Hogwarts. At best, I can tell you that all stances House Peverell once took will be reviewed twice over while we learn about the current political climate before anything is influenced.

Sarah was very kind in inviting me to your home for Yule and I appreciate the offer very much. Having you agree with the invitation she'd verbally given and with the assurance that I wouldn't be imposing myself on your family time, I do think I'll visit for at least a few hours.

No thanks are necessary, Lord Goldhorn. Sarah has been remarkably friendly and all I did was return that, she could very well be the nicest person I've met in my entire life.

I do hope my answers were what you'd hoped them to be and I would like to express my gratitude for your offer along with my excitement in receiving your next reply.

With Respect,

Heir Peverell'

Harry finished with his signature, one that still felt so very odd to him and put away the letter. He hoped all his time spent around his new housemates was put to good use in writing the letter, the last thing he wanted was to come off as immature or incompetent. Then again, he also didn't want to seem like a total git after Sarah made him sound like he was anything but.

It wasn't like he could have anybody read the letter e- Sarah, of course! She wanted to know what her parents had written to him anyway, so having her read his reply shouldn't cause a fuss and with how helpful the girl was, she'd likely tell him how she perceived it in case he'd somehow taken a wrong turn. Harry surprised himself with how well that plan would likely work and wished he'd been able to think this well in advance all the time.

With one letter down and one to go, Harry took in a breath and refocused.

' Dear Lady Allie Goldhorn,

Sarah was completely right in that you're free to use my first name, in fact, I rather prefer it when compared to titles.

Lord Goldhorn did handle the introduction and very well too. I included one on my behalf within my reply to him should that interest you. As for the bluntness, it's no problem, my peers at Hogwarts are much worse.

I met Professor Slughorn the very same day I met Sarah, I'd told him my last name and that was all it took for the man to bring me to the restaurant where she worked. Since then, I've been included in a sort of club the man leads here at Hogwarts and have spoken with him only a handful of times. In terms of friendships since my first outing, Sarah is among the top of that list.

Unfortunately, I know very little about current issues that are key to the world along with those in the past. History was sadly one of the things that I hadn't had much time for. With that said, I feel as if I can still give some sort of answer on the two issues you'd mentioned. Muggleborn should be treated the same as every other Witch and Wizard, in addition, they should be given information on the Magical World at large - I know I'd have enjoyed a simple book to read that could update me on all matters of importance. As for Magical Creatures, if you mean Veela or Werewolves, they're people just the same as you and I.

I hope my answers on those two topics could offer a bit of information on where I stand and where House Peverell stands as a whole. Thank you for the invitation to your home and for offering to help with any questions that arise, Sarah is lucky to have two amazingly kind parents such as you and Lord Goldhorn.

Please feel free to ask any further questions you have for me and I look forward to hearing from you again.

Warmly,

Heir Harry Peverell'

Finally finished with both replies, Harry folded and put the newly finished letter beside the other.

Now that he'd written back to them both and had little else to do today, he could catch up on his missed sleep. In the morning, he could bring both letters down to Sarah along with those from her Parents and let the curious girl read them. Hopefully, it would prove beneficial and even if it didn't, he'd mimicked to the best of his abilities those who knew far more formalities than he did, surely that meant he couldn't have done overly terrible.

As he usually did, Harry, once changed into his pyjamas, rolled over to face the great windows with viewing into the depths of the lake. Such a sight was always successful in lulling him to sleep and this night was no different as the rhythmic motions slowly lured him into the embrace of sleep.

September 14th, 1943

Tuesday Morning

By the time Harry woke up the following morning, he felt more energetic than he had since he arrived at this time. Because of that, he bolted off to the showers, quickly took care of business, followed by dressing exceedingly fast and tore off towards the Great Hall, hoping to catch Sarah as early in the morning as he possibly could. Those letters were pretty long after all, and he didn't want to ruin the girl's breakfast by arriving even slightly late.

Upon his arrival, he noticed how few people seemed to be seated at the four tables and worried that the girl wouldn't be one of them. Such worries were quickly put to rest when he saw Sarah waving at him as soon as his eyes fully raked across the minimal occupants of the table - unusual for her she was seated at the far end of the table closest to the Professors.

"Good morning Harry!" She yelled across the large room to him, ignoring the few glares sent her way from others who didn't care for such loudness so early in the morning.

Rather than return her greeting across the room and draw more attention, he jogged over to where she was seated, sliding in next to her once close enough. No longer far away, he returned the impossibly wide smile on her face with one of his own as he bid her 'Good morning' as she had to him.

"Did you have the chance to read my Parents' letters? What'd they say? I hope they didn't embarrass you, they can be weird at times bu-"

Harry cut off Sarah's rambling with a few waves of his hand as he held out the two letters instead of replying.

She took them from him at such speed he'd almost thought magic was involved, her reading of them happened just as fast and the girl looked at him with glee.

"My parents must really want to know you! Oh, I hope telling my mom to call you Harry was fine too!"

"Of course it is, I'm not much into formalities besides, we're friends." Harry loved how the girl smiled and gave him a side-hug, briefly stopping because of it but picking up once she pulled back. "What makes you think they want to know me too?"

Sarah made a 'pfft' sound and pointed at the letters. "First off, they wouldn't have written them if they didn't want to. Second, if they were doing it just for me, it would have been a paragraph, maybe two and pleasantries wouldn't be wasted. Believe me, they're truly interested in getting to know you."

That was reassuring.

Harry, using the burst of confidence her words provided, held out his two responses. "I wrote these last night, would you mind taking a look at them before sending them off? I'd appreciate a second pair of eyes I can trust."

Sarah seemed to take that as a compliment based on the blushing of her cheeks and delicately plucked the letters from his hand. As soon as she'd done so, that burst of confidence she'd given him evaporated. He really hoped that his answers were adequate and that the letters as a whole would be well received.

Based on the occasional smile, nod or glance at him during her reading, he hadn't performed too badly. When she finally put them both down beside her and away from his reach, he concluded that they were good enough before she even spoke, which followed immediately after his self drawn conclusion.

"I don't see why you were worrying one bit Harry, from what I read everything looked great! Even your answers were phenomenal for someone who's been out of touch with the rest of the world for centuries!" Sarah seemed genuinely impressed and as a result, Harry felt relieved.

"You're not just saying that right?"

"Not at all!" Sarah assured him.

"And I didn't come off like a git?"

Sarah smiled teasingly, holding a finger and thumb apart maybe an inch. "Just a teensy bit."

Harry exaggerated a surprised face which made the girl laugh, him soon following due to how infectious her musical laughter was.

Leave it to Goldhorn to brighten his day before it even properly started. She was amazing and for the first time since he was sent to this reality, Harry thanked the being that threw him here for giving him something to be thankful for.