'Act fast,' Salazar shrugged. 'Get rid of him, the Ministry's replacement if you're certain she cannot be left in control, then go as soon as you are able.'
'I'll have to,' Harry responded. 'I'm sure that Fudge, the Minister, will jump at the chance to get rid of Albus Dumbledore and try and earn some credibility back, but his days are supposed to be numbered now, so I have little doubt the headmaster will be back if he wants to be.'
'If his martyr is here, he will want to be,' Slytherin replied darkly.
'No doubt,' Harry sneered angrily.
'Your godfather sounded willing to help you,' the painting remarked after a pause.
'It shouldn't be too hard to get in. If Dumbledore and Umbridge are gone nobody will be watching me and the only obstacle will be getting through the door into the Department of Mysteries.'
'You should ask Sirius Black about that,' Slytherin encouraged. 'If the Order of the Phoenix has been guarding the place all this time then they should be able to get in by now.'
'They better,' Harry nodded. 'Or I'll have to try and force my through. I could try the cloak,' he mused, 'but I'd still need to get rid of any physical barriers.'
'Yes,' Salazar agreed. 'Don't lose that cloak, Harry,' he warned seriously. 'That's a very rare and useful artefact, if it truly makes you and your magic undetectable to everything then you have something on a par with the Caduceus in your possession.'
'Really?'
'Oh yes,' Salazar nodded, staring curiously at the silvery cloak. 'It's not a story for now, you have enough on your mind for the moment, but in the near future it might be prudent for you to learn a little more about that cloak.' He adopted a faintly regretful expression. 'You should always know exactly how much something means to you.'
'It's the only thing I have from my father,' Harry said quietly. 'It's going to mean a great deal regardless of how useful it is.'
'Well I'm not advocating sacrificing it for any reason,' Slytherin said quickly, 'in fact I advise against for any reason other than to save your own life. It's likely very valuable.'
'How valuable?'
'Priceless,' Slytherin smiled ruefully. 'It's the sort of thing wizards spend lifetimes looking for.'
'How intriguing,' Harry murmured.
'Just don't lose it,' Salazar warned him sternly.
'I wasn't going to,' Harry grinned. 'I did wonder how good it was if it's capable of crossing age lines, the wards around Rita Skeeter's house and making me all but undetectable. Dumbledore did find me under it once,' he admitted though. 'Really?' Slytherin mused. 'That's quite an impressive feat, quite an impressive feat indeed. He may have outdone death.'
'He what?' Harry asked, perplexed.
'I'll tell you once this plan to do with the prophecy is completed,' Salazar promised. 'You need to keep your focus for now, not go chasing after obscure myths like Godric and I did.'
Considering Harry knew that both Salazar and Godric had been killed or consumed by their quests he was more than happy to listen to the painting. Unlike Dumbledore Salazar genuinely cared for his descendant and would have a good reason for waiting to tell him.
He reached for the time-turner, ducking his head through the thin gold chain. 'Any suggestions for what I should practice for my duelling?' 'Yes,' Salazar smiled. 'Try casting your Shield Charm and your silly butterflies simultaneously. If you can manage that then you'll have a very powerful defence to fall back upon.'
'How can I cast two pieces of magic at the same time?' Harry demanded. It sounded either impossible or useless since the intent behind one would be frail, rendering it fragile and pathetic.
'You can cast the Shield Charm wandlessly and wordlessly, yes?' Slytherin asked.
'More or less,' Harry answered. It wasn't quite as powerful when he cast without a wand, though it was faster.
'Then you have it down to a reflex already, a bit of practice casting both should allow you to combine the two spells into what will be effectively a single piece of defensive magic.' Harry considered it. 'How is it any better than deflecting hexes from within the butterflies?'
'It's safer,' Salazar replied. 'You won't be able to attack, and it's less flexible than duelling while your animated defense protects you, but defensively it is stronger, should you need or want to weather a lot of spells in a short period of time then it may prove the best tactic.'
'I'll practise it,' Harry decided, flipping the turner several times.
'Practise chaining your wand motions too,' Slytherin added, as the room around Harry blurred and time spun backwards around him.
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