When the Roses Bloom Again by TheBlack'sResurgence

Chapter 13

The Deepest Shelter in Town

With the festivities of Christmas over, Harry had indeed returned to the castle for the remainder of the holidays. Charlus had once more tried to convince him to return to the home of the Potters, and though he had been sorely tempted, he had politely declined.

With what he had learned about Dumbledore and the subsequent conversation with Nicholas, he needed some time alone to ponder it. He had also taken advantage of Hogwarts being bereft of students to empty out Slytherin's library.

The two trunks he had purchased whilst buying gifts were now full to the brim with the old tomes, many of which he was eager to delve into at his earliest convenience.

Along with this, when the new year had been welcomed, he had paid another visit to his recently acquainted contact in Knockturn Alley who had given him some good news.

He had found some very keen buyers of the venom, and Harry was already working on a consistent, yet trickling supply of the stuff that could be sold for quite the fortune.

The venom alone would see him living a considerably comfortable life for years to come, and though it would eventually run out, money was one less thing he needed to concern himself with.

The same could not be said about his thoughts on Dumbledore.

He had listened to what Nicholas said, but he could not help but blame his former headmaster for his inaction.

For the life of him, he could not comprehend why the man would wait so long to confront Grindelwald.

Thinking about it only served to induce a headache, and for now, he chose to ignore it, even if he could not look at Dumbledore the same way again.

With a sigh, he retrieved his wand from the bedside, his attention caught by the muggle newspapers he had gathered during a trip to buy some trainers.

So caught up he had been in what was happening in the wizarding world, that he had not given much thought to the impending conflict on the continent, something that could not be avoided when venturing into London.

He had simply been passing a newsagent on the high street when he had caught sight of the foreboding headlines.

Relations Between France and Italy Collapse over Stresa Front! (28/12/1935)

Harry didn't know what the Stresa Front was, but any dissolution of treaties and agreements was not a positive sign, and he even heard a group of muggles muttering amongst themselves about an unavoidable war on the horizon.

It had been a sobering moment for the teen, one of realisation that dampened his mood.

Wars didn't just happen overnight, he realised.

Leading up to the outbreak of fighting, there needed to be a complete collapse of diplomacy, one or both sides refusing to see reason.

He couldn't be certain why but learning of this rather bleak turn of events compelled him to look into it further, to understand the mood that was sweeping across Europe and beyond.

What he found held little promise of a peaceful solution, and even though he knew there would be none, he wanted to cling to any hope he could find.