Harry Potter And The Phoenix King

Halloween

The night before Halloween was calm, but Harry found no rest in the stillness. Lying in his bed in the Ravenclaw dormitory, he stared up at the ceiling, his mind swirling with everything he had learned over the past few weeks. The prophecy, his parents' final moments, Voldemort's continued existence-it was all a lot to bear.

But tonight, there was something else occupying his mind. He had been working on constructing his Mind Palace, following the complex steps to ensure it was secure and efficient. It was a mental technique his grandfather had introduced him to and Arcturus continued to check his mental shields, and it had quickly become a vital part of his training-especially after all the new information he had been receiving.

He closed his eyes and mentally accessed the structure he had been building. It felt more tangible than ever now, a sanctuary within his own mind where he could organize and sort through his thoughts, memories, and secrets. He had nearly completed the fourth step: placing defenses around the palace.

The earlier stages had been challenging in their own right. First, emptying the mind-clearing away distractions and unnecessary thoughts-had been a difficult hurdle, especially given the amount of chaos swirling in his life. Then came organizing and sorting the information efficiently, a step that involved categorizing everything he knew, from school lessons to personal memories, making them easier to access.

Next the fifth step, the defenses he was placing around the palace were nearly complete. These mental barriers would protect his most important thoughts from intrusion. He had to set up different layers of protection: simple defenses for trivial memories, but for the deeply guarded ones-such as the prophecy, his knowledge of Merlin and Morgana's lessons, and his parents' death-he was crafting the strongest walls he could. Soon, he would move on to the next steps.

As he concentrated on the process, checking every corner of his mental fortress for weaknesses, he didn't notice that his friends, Eleanor and Valerie, had entered the room.

"Harry?" Eleanor's soft voice brought him out of his thoughts. He opened his eyes to see the two Ravenclaws standing by his bed, their expressions filled with concern.

"You've been distant lately," Valerie added, crossing her arms. "We're worried about you. Is everything okay?"

Harry hesitated for a moment, then sat up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... a lot on my mind," he replied, trying to sound casual. "I'll tell you both about it later. It's not something I can talk about right now."

Eleanor narrowed her eyes slightly. "You've been saying 'later' for days, Harry. If something's bothering you, we can help."

Harry looked between the two of them, feeling a pang of guilt. He appreciated their concern, but how could he explain everything that had happened? How could he tell them about the prophecy, about Voldemort's survival, about his parents' deaths? It was too much-too dangerous, even. They were his closest friends, but there were some things he couldn't share yet.

"I promise I'll explain everything when the time is right," Harry said, hoping they would understand. "I just need to figure things out first."

Valerie sighed but didn't press further, she was usually ignorant and aloof to others, her caring side was only known to her close friends. "Fine, but don't shut us out, okay? We're your friends. We're here for you."

Eleanor nodded in agreement, her eyes softening. "We'll be waiting when you're ready."

Harry gave them both a small smile. "Thanks. I mean it."

They lingered for a moment longer before finally heading back to their own dorms, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts once more. As the door closed behind them, Harry leaned back, closing his eyes again and returning to his Mind Palace. He had to focus-focus on building the defenses, focus on protecting what he had learned.