New Story! YAY! And a Harry Potter one to boot. Now, disclaimer, I own nothing, including the plot, except where it diverges from canon Harry Potter.
DISCLAIMER:
Harry Potter and all associated plot, locations, and characters belong to J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers, and whoever else it belongs to.
Axis Powers Hetalia and all associated characters belong to Himaruya.
All information and research is listed at the bottom and belongs to their respective owners.
I own the writing.
As a rule, England didn't hate his citizens. They might annoy him at times, frustrate him, drive him up a wall, but they were still his. In his history, there had only been a few exceptions. And now, there were five.
Voldemort, the mad, power-hungry Tom Riddle. The orphan boy had had potential, but his crazed thoughts of evil were, though a minority, positively maddening and England hated him. He hated what he had done and what he was. England didn't buy the story about his death, he knew Voldemort was still kicking. He could feel the small shreds of Voldemort's humanity slinking around in the shadows.
Then there was Severus Snape. He wasn't evil, per se, but he was bitter and full of malice. England might have had his moments of evil, but he hated hypocrites and fence-sitters. And Snape was both. It drove England up the wall, so he usually tried to ignore the man's very existence.
Dolores Umbridge, undersecretary to the Minister of Magic. He had had the displeasure of meeting the disgusting woman more than once on his visits to the Ministry, and he despised her. She was foul and cruel, and gave Voldemort a run for his money.
Then there was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. England didn't really hate him, necessarily, he was just an idiotic, yellow-bellied ostrich who wouldn't recognize danger if it broke his nose. England couldn't understand how a man like Fudge was a wizard, let alone the Minister of Magic.
And then there was Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. The man was old, and fancied himself wise and above reproach, but the man was blind and cruel. His wisdom was simply arrogance and his power came from climbing over others. He had not been so different for Tom Riddle, but he claimed to do it for "the greater good" which was almost worse.
So, England had been especially irritable because, even though the coughing up blood had stopped ten years ago, when the Potters died, he was stuck with five bloody idiots.
On the other hand, Harry Potter was a delight. While he was stuck with the distasteful Dursleys (though, England had to admit, they were pretty normal, for his citizens), he remained surprisingly unprejudiced and kindhearted, though he had a sarcastic streak that made England beam.
So when Harry got his first letter to Hogwarts, England resolved to be there for him, especially since he knew that Dumbledore would be there in name only.
His first order of business was fabricating his identity in the Ministry. It wouldn't be terribly difficult, given how dense Fudge was, but it was necessary. Dumbledore was no fool, and if England only existed in classified files, he would get suspicious. He quickly donned his old (and worn) wizard robes to avoid strange stares and grabbed a handful of Flood powder out of the jar on his mantle. He stepped into his too-small fireplace and threw the powder into the ashes, declaring "Ministry of Magic!"
A flash of green smoke later and he was stepping into the Ministry's main hall, polished dark wood under his feet, and green-teal tiles covering the ceiling. He scowled as he noticed the fountain in the middle. Sure, he had had seen it before, but the blatant wizard supremacy propaganda it represented never failed to irritate him.
He marched through the crowds of wizards, all of them parting to let him through. Not consciously, of course, but the respect they gave him was an inherent part of being his citizens. He found an elevator and took it down to the second level where they kept all their records, He hoped he would be ignored by the Aurors, he would hate to have to incapacitate them.
He easily broke into their records room and marched into its depths, finding the deepest part of the classified section. At the bottom of the farthest stack he found his file, exactly where it should be.
He had enchanted it long ago to only be visible to those who had direct permission from him, and they forgot everything the moment they looked away from the paper. He duplicated the folder, then renewed the enchantments. He returned the original to its spot, then carried the duplicate to the front area, changing the information to suit his needs.
Name: Arthur Kirkland
Birthdate: April 23*, 1968
Age: 23 (as of 1991)
FAMILY
Ancestry: Muggleborn (member of the Muggle Noble Kirkland Family)
Mother: Elisabeth Kirkland (dead)
Father: Arthur Kirkland (dead)
Older Brothers†: Allistor Kirkland (1958-present), heir and manager of Kirkland estate; Dylan and Kirkland (twins, 1961-present); Kale Kirkland (1965-present)
Foster Children: Alfred F. Jones (1972-present), American; Matthew Williams (1972-present), Canadian.
Location of childhood home: Kirkland estate in Somerset‡
Location of current home: London apartment (Muggle area)
Relationships: None
APPEARANCE
Eye color: green
Hair color: blonde
Other characteristics: thick, black eyebrows
SCHOOLING
School: Hogwarts
First year: 1979
House: Slytherin§
School awards, etc.: Head Boy, Prefect, Os in OWLS and NEWTS
Career: Upon graduation joined Aurors, left after 2 years for health reasons
Secretary in the Department of International Magical Cooperation‖
OTHER INFORMATION
Wand: 11 inches, Pine, Banshee hair, rigidΔ
Patronus: LionΔΔ
Enjoys: Embroidery, craftsmanship, literature, rock music
Skills:
Transfiguration
Can cast spells without a wand and wordlessly
Can send messages with his Patronus
Speaks many languages – human and otherwise
He put the folders among the Ks and departed, humming lightly. He left the ministry without incident and returned home. He immediately wrote a letter to Dumbledore.
To Albus Dumbledore
If I remember correctly, Professor Binns is still teaching History of Magic. If I could perhaps suggest a change in staffing, I would like to volunteer to replace him.
My credentials are excellent, as are my references. I only recently left Hogwarts myself, but I feel I would be an excellent candidate.
I am also interested in the well-being of a certain boy.
Sincerely,
Arthur Kirkland
He sent it with his horned owl, Excalibur, and leaned back. His response came the next day.
To Arthur Kirkland
I am pleased to hear from you. While I cannot seem to remember you, I must admit that your credentials and references are impeccable, as you said, and we do share a common interest. I'm sure Professor Binns would not mind stepping down.
I expect you to be present on September 1st at the Welcome Feast. If you could send me a list of the book(s) you require, that would be most helpful.
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Headmaster
He frowned, then sighed and quickly sent a reply.
To Albus Dumbledore
The book currently in use, A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot, will be sufficient.
Arthur Kirkland
He received another letter that evening.
To Arthur Kirkland
Very good, thank you. I look forward to welcoming you back to Hogwarts.
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Headmaster
England sighed. He got up and scanned his bookshelves. He finally found the book and pulled it down. He had gotten a copy from the dear old woman, as he had helped her write it. He wasn't mentioned in it, but he had helped, quite a bit.
He sat down and opened it up, beginning to read, though he knew everything in it.
He found it rather dry, and also found that his copy had several chapters that were, more than likely, not ministry approved. He grinned.
He finished reading and divided the chapters into sections. To his dismay, he found that the book fit comfortably into only four sections: Magic's Beginnings, Early Magical Communities across the world, Major Religions and Magic, and British Magical History.** He also pulled down his copy of Hogwarts, A History,†† for teaching his first years. For the sixth and seventh years, he decided to address the history of minorities like half-bloods and other sentient creatures. His sixth and seventh years would also need Modern Magical History.‡‡ He figured the older students could get the supplementary books later. Next year, though, he'd get them on the list. He nodded in satisfaction. He would more than likely have to play catch-up with the older students, but, if he had his way, the first years would be properly educated for the next seven years.
Next came the avoidance of his national duties for the next seven years. He put an enchantment on his desk and his mailbox that would, in a sense, forward all of his paperwork and mail to his location in Hogwarts. He would finish the enchantment when he got there, as it required some tampering with the wards there. Not that it would be hard. He did help put them in place.
He then sighed. His phone might cause problems, but, he'd get there when he got there. Hopefully his ability to stay on top of paperwork would stop people from worrying. He then sent an email to his Prime Minister, informing him that he would be working from home for a while, then decided that he'd deal with everything else when they came up.
He also realized that he needed to go to Diagon Alley. His robes were worn and ancient, and he needed some new parchment and quills. He sighed and resolved to do that in a couple of days, after the initial post-letter madness had worn off. He shook his head and began to work on a pile of paperwork. He might be a Hogwarts professor now, but he was still a nation.
The morning of July 31st, England awoke at midnight to the Dursley's terror, Hagrid's delight, and Harry Potter's confusion and excitement. Due to Harry's importance, England had tuned into his specific thoughts, and, as a result, anyone near him. Unfortunately, it also made Voldemort's thoughts more clear, and England had the terrible feeling that young Harry Potter had become a Horcrux that fateful night ten years ago.
He finally shrugged and returned to sleep. He woke up to the sun and donned his last decent-looking robe (he burned the other ones) and Floo'd to Diagon Alley. He stepped out onto the bustling, sun-lit street and smiled in contentment. He did like wizards, with their pointy hats and old-fashioned robes.
And then, he saw him, or, saw his guardian. Hagrid tromped along the alley, followed by a far-too-skinny, awed Harry Potter.
England's heart warmed. He approached the pair and stopped in front of the gangly lad. "Excuse me, Mr. Potter. I just wanted to say Welcome Back."
The boy started and stared up at him. It was clear he still wasn't used to being famous. England smiled and extended a hand. "Arthur Kirkland," he supplied.
Harry slowly took the proffered hand. England squeezed it gently, looking deep into the boy's green eyes (so much like Lily's), thanking him silently, but sincerely, as the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland.
Harry's eyes widened in wonder and he smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Kirkland."
England smiled and walked away. Harry looked up at Hagrid. "Who was that, Hagrid?"
"Well, blimey, Harry. I don't know."
"He was different from the other people who do that," Harry said thoughtfully.
Hagrid huffed and steered his charge toward their next stop.
England exited Gringotts with a heavy wallet and light heart. Everything was going splendidly. He was especially grateful that the goblins knew to keep their mouths shut about the...ancient nature of his vault. He bought several quills and several reams of parchment before buying several simple, but high quality robes. He returned home content, though his good mood faded when he realized that he still had more paperwork today.
For the next month, that was all he did.
So, hello, here's a story for you. Hope you liked it so far. Please review, I love reviews. Also, you should be grateful. The amount of freaking research I put into this one chapter ALONE is more than I sometimes put into five page papers, so...of course, I had a lot of stuff to look through, too. You will find that not all of my information comes from Pottermore, though I tried to use that as the first resource available, because JKR is the coolest, and the master of all things Harry Potter.
Also, a warning, I am a history major with strong feelings about history and how it should be taught...so...this is going to be real, guys, really real.
Once again, please review, let me know what you think, etc.
*found on sites . google site / axispowershetaria / birthdays - 1
†All these names are my own.
‡Based on the fact that this is one suggested location for Camelot (see Wikipedia page on Camelot)
§Let's be honest, you really think England would be anything but Slytherin?
‖Real thing (found information on it from the hp-lexicon - ministry)
ΔThe amount of freaking research I put into this. Pine (according to Pottermore) wands usually choose "an independent, individual master who may be perceived as a loner, intriguing and perhaps mysterious. Pine wands enjoy being used creatively, and unlike some others, will adapt unprotestingly to new methods and spells. Many wandmakers insist that pine wands are able to detect, and perform best for, owners who are destined for long lives...The pine wand is one of those that is most sensitive to non-verbal magic."
So... "independent, individual...perceived as a loner, intriguing and perhaps mysterious" sounds a bit like our dear Arthur, doesn't it. Also, they "enjoy being used creatively", and, knowing Arthur, he has more than likely experimented quite a lot. He is immortal, can't get more long-lived that that. And, I think he would be quite skilled at non-verbal spells.
Then, the Banshee hair (this research took way too long) is one the hardest wand cores obtain for wandcrafting, due to the Banshee's deadly scream (believed to be deadly, more just unfortunately prophetic - thank you theSardonyx for correcting that). They are incapable of using healing magic and make for deadly dueling wands. (see hogwartsishere library Coleman's Book of Wands)
The length is sort of arbitrary (but sort of average based on his height and the size of his personality (see Pottermore)) and I see England as being quite stubborn, plus pine is described as a "straight-grained" wood.
ΔΔEngland has a long history with lions being a representative symbol (think Aslan, Narnia, C.S. Lewis) and I just think it fits. It also represents strength and power and authority and kingship and family. (universeofsymbolism and shamanicjourney)
**As I do not have access to the real book, I used (and will be using) this one: hogwartsishere library A History of Magic
††As I do not have access to the real book, I will be using this one: hogwartishere library A History of Hogwarts
‡‡As I, again, do not have access to the real book, I will be using this one: hogwartsishere library The Modern Historical Review
