May 25, 1998, 22 Days after the Battle. The Notification
Kingsley's head was in my fireplace. His news was odd, apparently I was invited to Buckingham Palace to be knighted in a private ceremony by the Queen just under two weeks from today. When I told Andy and Cissy, they went into a frenzied excitement. All of a sudden I had to be taken to a special round of clothes shopping. Since I was a landed member of the magical nobility, there was apparently a set uniform to be worn when meeting the Queen. The uniform they had me fitted for consisted of woolen navy trousers, a black with maroon trimmed wool tunic, and a white shirt. Golden epaulettes were on the shoulders, a maroon belt about my waist and knee high black dragon skin boots on my feet.
June 5, 1998, 34 Days after the Battle. The Ceremony
It was finally the day. The two she-devil witches that had moved in with me had spent the nearly two weeks between the notification and today teaching me everything they knew about meeting the Queen.
I was less nervous walking into the forest prepared to die to take down Riddle.
Finally we made it to the Palace after flooing from the Minister's office to 10 Downing St. From the Prime Minister's Office we rode in a car to the palace.
There upon our arrival, the three of us; Kingsley, Andromeda and I surrendered our wands to a guard. We were brought to the chamber where the Queen was seated, along with her husband, Prince Phillip and her heir, The Prince of Wales.
Having been instructed by the Queen's Private Secretary, what to do in this ceremony. When I reached just in front of the Queen I knelt before her as she was handed a sword and tapped my shoulders with the flat of it.
In a regal voice she said:
"Harry James Potter, I grant you and the heirs, male of your body, lawfully begotten, the dignitaries of Baron of Caernarfonshire, Earl of Ross and Marquess of Dumnonia, and Knight Companion of our Most Noble Order of the Thistle."
After she said that a green sash was slung over my left shoulder and a badge hung off it by my waist. On the forearms of my tunic a Marquess coronet appeared embroidered. She then stuck a badge under my left breast. After she said this I began with the response I was told to give to accept the honors:
"I Harry, Marquess of Dumnonia, do become your liege man of life and limb, and of earthly worship; and faith and truth I will bear unto you, to live and die, against all manner of folks. On my magic I swear this, so help me God."
After that the Queen said that there were three other honors she would be presenting to me today. She had heard that I was to be presented with an Order of Merlin First Class and had decided that she would present mine personally rather than delegating to the Chief Warlock.
"Warlock Potter, for your sacrifice to save the magical and mundane worlds, we present you with the Order of Merlin First Class."
With that she hung a green and black ribbon around my neck, which suspended a gold medallion set with a crystal. She continued:
"Marquess Dumnonia, for services to our realm we have already presented you with knighthood in the Order of the Thistle, since your Duel was in Scotland. However, we have decided to revive our magical knighthood's Order of the Roundtable and name you, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Roundtable. Others will be knighted at the next meeting of our Wizengamot but as the first of the reborn Order, you will be named Grandmaster."
With that a smaller sash of maroon, bordered with golden rope was buttoned under the left epaulette. She was handed my wand and slid it into a pocket on the backside of the sash. A second badge was hung under the first. She continued speaking:
"On May 3rd, 1998, Harry James Potter engaged Tom Marvolo Riddle, the self-styled Lord Voldemort in single combat and in a duel over powered the terrorist leader by claiming the dark lord's wand in the duel and turning the criminal's killing curse back on the castor. For the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger, We Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas Queen, Defender of the Faith, Sovereign of the Wizengamot. Award unto you the George Cross."
This award was hung directly over my left breast and it was then that everyone rose and we were led into an adjoining room. I met Prince Charles kids, William and Henry, the latter of which insisted I call him Harry since we shared a name. I also learned an interesting fact, the Royal Family were all squibs. Except for William and Henry, the boys are the first in a hundred generations to be magical.
After the ceremony I inquired with the queen about where my new titles came from. The Barony of Caernarfonshire, was somewhat understandable, since my family was originally from that historic county, however the Earldom of Ross and Marquessate of Dumnonia, confused me.
"The Earldom of Ross actually was last held by your fifteen times great-grandfather, King Charles the First. His Daughter Elizabeth Stuart, was your fourteen times great-grandmother. She is recorded as having died at fourteen however, she simply disappeared into the magical World to eventually marry Warlock James Potter the third.
The Marquessate of Dumnonia, descends from when William the Conqueror, named regions of his new kingdom as protectorates under the magical protection of several of his new Warlocks, Warlock Henry Potter the First.
Anyway, the other matter is that of you being Grandmaster of the Order of the Roundtable, you will be given the position of the Lord Warlock, the Magical Noble Ambassador to the Crown."
The Earl Marshal also presented me with an armorial achievement befitting my new status. The Shield depicted the Potter Griffin quartered in the first quadrant and the Black Dagger and Suns in the second quadrant. In the lower half was a thrice divided region depicting the arms of Caernarfonshire, Ross, and the arms of Dumnonia. The fallen arms of the Slytherin Basilisk were centered and held a broken High Warlock coronet. The shield was supported by a griffin on the left and a grim on the right; each with a Warlock coronet atop their heads. Atop the shield was a Marquess coronet and the potter helm held the potter crest, while the black helm held the black crest, my motto, "Fortune favors the bold" was above the crests. My ancestral familial motto, "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" was below the comportment. Behind the shield and supporters are the heraldic collar of the Order of the Thistle, as well as a heraldic representations of the Collar of the Order of the Roundtable and the Order of Merlin. My Thistle collar was set larger than the other collars, with my George Cross set between the others.
June, 21 1998, 50 days after the Battle. The Legislative Wizenamot
The summer solstice session of 1998 was momentous for several reasons, first and foremost it was the day several vacant seats were filled for the first time in several years, and the sovereign herself visited and reinstated the Order of the Roundtable as well as awarded and revoked several Orders of Merlin which had been handed out like party favors by the Ministry since her grandfather's death in 1936. Some like the Orders given to Newt Scamander, Charlus Potter, my grandfather, and Arcturus Black, my first cousin twice removed, were kept, since they had truly earned them; Scamander for his work with magical creatures, Potter and Black for leading the fight against Grindelwald in the fourties. Dumbeldore's was stripped from him along with, Gilderoy Lockhart's and Cornelius Fudge's.
After she awarded the Orders of Merlin to their recipients, she called on myself, Warlock Potter, Marquess of Dumnonia, to assist her. I stood and went to her expanding the staff I had brought into the chamber. The staff was carved from Gold to look like a wooden pole, and had a jewel set about the tip, a phoenix set atop the jewel and a basilisk encircling the staff below it. Below the jewel and on the serpent were a carved lion, eagle and badger.
"Grandmaster Potter, we are pleased with your continued service as our Lord Warlock, will you summon forth those for whom further honors are required."
"In the year 500 anno dominium," I began "a young druid named, Myrddin Emrys, struck a sword into an anvil and stone, and said that 'he who pulls forth this sword shall be named King of the Britons.' Eventually the sword was pulled out by Arthur, who was the son and heir of the king in Camelot, Uther Pendragon. He would succeed his father as king and carve out a large kingdom for himself. His knights would be called the knights of the roundtable, for he kept court around a round table where status was determined by deeds. Eventually he would be betrayed and murdered, but his memory would endure. Myrddin kept the order alive for centuries before his death in 1050 AD. This order would consist of the Sovereign, their Heir and no more than 21 knights; now 4 Knights Grand Cross, 6 Knight Commanders and 11 Knight Companions. Ladies who were awarded would substitute Dame for Knight. "
"For services to the magical empire, of outstanding courage and valor, I Marquess Dumnovia, Lord Warlock to her majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, name; Warlock Neville Longbottom, Lord Kingsley Shakelbolt and Dowager Sorceress Minerva McGonagal, Knights or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Round Table."
Neville, Kingsley and Minerva all accepted their orders while kneeling to the Queen. I then continued after they had returned to their seats.
"For services to this magical empire, of exemplary courage and valor, I Marquess Dumnovia, Lord Warlock to her majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, name; George Weasley, Heir Bill Weasley, High Sorcerer Horace Slughorn, Heiress Luna Lovegood, Filius Flitwick, and Rubeus Hagrid, Knight or Dame Commander of the Order of the Roundtable."
"For services to this magical empire, of exemplary courage and valor, I Marquess Dumnovia, Lord Warlock to her majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, name; Charlie Weasley, Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas, Lee Jordan, Parvarti Patil, Padma Patil, Ernie Macmillian, Hannah Abbot, Enchantress Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Michael Corner, Knight or Dame Companion of the Order of the Roundtable."
After all the stars and sashes were presented, the Queen's Herald called Neville back down, when he had knelt the queen spoke.
"Neville Harfang Longbottom, I grant you and the heirs, male of your body, lawfully begotten, the dignitaries of Baron of Mercia, Viscount of Hogsmede and Earl of Hampshire."
On the forearms of his robe an Earl coronet appeared embroidered. After she said this he began with the response he was handed to give to accept the honors:
"I Neville, Earl of Hampshire, do become your liege man of life and limb, and of earthly worship; and faith and truth I will bear unto you, to live and die, against all manner of folks. On my magic I swear this, so help me God."
The other witches and wizards were awarded their orders and we continued on with the Wizengamot meeting. At the end of the session, I formally named Andromeda Tonks as my Proxy when I was unable to attend and her Grandson, my Godson as my Heir. Upon his resignation from the post of Minister of Magic, Kingsley would be made an Earl like Neville.
June, 22 1998, 51 Days after the Battle. The Judicial Wizengamot
The day after the legislative session where for the first time in her reign, Queen Elizabeth opened the Wizengamot, the Wizengamot reconvened to hold trials for those captured in the battle of Hogwarts and the aftermath. After hearing about the many so-called upstanding wizards being released for being under the imperious curse, the queen wanted the accused questioned under Veritaserum.
The end result was that many "up-standing" citizen were convicted of terrorism, murder, torture and rape. They were all branded as blood-traitors to the Crown, and their magic was permanently bound. They were then imprisoned in Azkaban, the inner circle however were sent to the tower of London, a heavily warded jail used to dispose of traitors. The inner circle would be hung for their treason, and their bodies would be kept in the pit below the tower where, the treacherous were kept.
Addendum:
Full Title of Harry Potter:
The Most Honorable, The Marquess of Dumnonia, Earl of Ross, and Baron of Caernarfonshire, Harry James Potter. KT, GCRT, GC, OMF, TWC, MW. Warlock Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Warlock Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter. Lord Warlock to the Crown of the Magical British Empire. Grandmaster of the Order of the Round Table.
Full Title of Neville Longbottom
The Most Honorable, The Earl of Hampshire, Viscount of Hogsmede and Baron of Mercia, Neville Harfang Longbottom. GCMG, GCRT, OMF, MW. Warlock Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom.