Chapter One – The Committee Of Thinking Beings is Formed
The Montaigne family reunion not requiring as much time as anticipated, we made it back to Hogwarts with plenty of time before dinner. We found Luna and Neville in the common room. Neville immediately gave us the two-thumbs-up gesture highlighted by a broad smile.
"The Light Guardian was correct. My parents are fully recovered. I spoke with them for hours, bringing them up to date on my life and on current, or even decades old, events. This has been the best day of my life. Doctor White said my parents both suddenly started speaking at the same time and asked to see me. This was while I invaded the Sacred Cavern and the Light Guardian spoke to me. That must mean something."
"That's wonderful," I told Neville. "It is truly miraculous."
"Yes, I really believe it is," Neville declared.
Luna said George had gone to the shop, so Harry quickly Apparated there to bring him back. We needed to compare notes on what the Light Guardian had told each of us before we sat down with Professor McGonagall and the Malfoys. We'd have to compare notes with Draco as well, but that could occur in McGonagall's apartment. It was strange that the trauma of the prior day had totally killed our interest in feuding with McGonagall, but it appeared that it had. My sessions with Mrs. Granger had helped - I understood my feelings better and my anger was tempered. That improvement was minor to the changes in my thinking caused by the ten minutes the Light Guardian shared my head. I was calmer and more focused on the big things, like helping to rebuild the Wizarding world, including Hogwarts. Shacklebolt's reference to 'academic tiffs' meant more to me than when he had said that. I was at peace. None of us voiced any concern about sharing what were very deep secrets with her, Trew, and even Narcissa.
I volunteered to begin the discussion and rattled off everything that the Light Guardian had told me, including reporting my increased language skills and knowledge of ancient Wizard history and celestial prophecy. I was now well versed in the history, culture, and myths of the other magical species. I even had the generational knowledge handed down within the major whale pods. More surprisingly, I held lost knowledge of several pods which had been hunted to extinction. That all was vital knowledge for the Mother of the Future. Surprisingly, I also learned a lot about Muggle religion, history, myths, and culture. I felt that I could repair a magical circle and was willing to tackle the Gringotts Circle.
Harry went next, revealing that he received the same skills as I had, except for the knowledge of the priestesses, of which he received just a smattering. He confirmed my message that he, Cissy, and I were accepted as Keepers and that the Montaigne prophecy had been discharged. He said he had been instructed to continue work on the prophecies and to remain in government. Just as I was granted two years to be a Harpy, Harry was given a year to be an auror, if that really was his ambition. He was also told that Professor Trelawney, in addition to Firenze and Cotto, could be of great assistance to him.
Cissy repeated most of what she had previously said to her father, also indicating that she had received the same skills that Harry had, but also had learned the thoughts of an ancient prophetess, named Hildegarde. Apparently, Hildegarde was a very sober and studious prophetess. Despite her presumed immersion in all things Hildegarde, Cissy couldn't help bubbling, "I was just so thrilled that the Light Guardian said that the Montaigne prophecy was over and done with and that I could safely enter the Sacred Chamber without risking the end of magic or the putting off of the next golden age. I really want to be a part of the changes that will occur under the watch of the next Keepers. I regret that my father is totally unable to share my enthusiasm, but that is his loss."
Hermione had been given the biggest splash of education, which the Light Guardian had said was consistent with her future job as Muse and mother of one of the cousins, whom she would need to educate well before he went to Hogwarts. In addition to what the rest of us learned, her brain was crammed with Elf, Goblin, and Centaur philosophy, art and poetry and the more important musings and discoveries of the cetaceans, which passed generation to generation. She had a comprehensive knowledge of healing plants and potions and a boost to her mathematical skills. She was told that she must keep herself safe, keep Harry and me under control, and generally be a source of wisdom, calm, and guidance. The Ravenclaw diadem was officially hers - a gift from the Light Guardian who had originally instilled its power.
It turned out that Luna was the only one of us not to receive training in magical engineering, although she received the language skills, ancient Wizard history, and much of Hermione's muse knowledge. It was suggested to her that her life might well benefit by increased direction and that she should consider becoming a Light Guardian Priestess. She said this thought appealed to her, although she had no desire to become a solitary, unmarried crone. She told us that many of the ancient priestesses has served as healers and midwives and that this form of service appealed to her.
Margaret said, "The Light Guardian said I did every bit as good a job as the original Joan. It said that while I had done my part in the battle, that I should devote myself to making peace and improving the lot of all magical creatures. I know magical engineering and a lot of languages, philosophy, and religion. I don't think I learned any history. I didn't learn about the Goblins, but know a lot about the other magical creatures, even the spiders and Merpeople. I must think hard about what use I must make of my life. My thoughts and new knowledge are still a complete jumble, but so much of the new knowledge seems terribly interesting. I know for certain that I've learned a lot of defensive spells and charms."
Bill and Barb said that they had learned a powerful new protective spell, a disabling curse, and knowledge of Goblin-speak. They had been instructed that they must protect the rest of us and should consider themselves to be sacred warriors. To that end they had been given an ability to detect strong hostile intent and cunning lies. They also received knowledge of magical engineering. They were left with a stern admonition that holy warriors strived to avoid killing any thinking creature. They said that this matched what aurors were taught and what they had always believed. If they had been transformed into super-aurors, they would be protectors of the weak, not super killing machines. They were both remarkably gentle people for how I had formerly thought of aurors before I had met the two of them. Barb thought she could sense the presence of others who were nearby but outside of her sight or hearing. She described this as a most disconcerting extra sense.
Ron and Neville also received the advanced knowledge of spells. While Neville received the same knowledge of useful plants, healing, and potions as Hermione, he also got the full dose of history. In addition to magical engineering, Ron said he now understood a lot of Muggle science, mathematics, and engineering. Inexplicably, he said he knew all that could ever be known about the design and construction of pyramids and stone sculpture. Ron said the Light Guardian had given him an extra precise sense of time, direction, and space. "There is something called 'a space which is not your own time and space', which I am supposed to be able to understand and navigate, but about which I'm unaware of having received any knowledge."
"I'm glad we had this session," Harry concluded. "It is important to know if Draco learned things that we didn't, or if he was left out on some of the information transmitted to us. I'm feeling better about Draco since he joined in trying to rescue us, but exactly what he was told will reveal the Light Guardian's level of trust in him. Baal has made a transcript of each of our memories of what we were told and what we learned. The Minister is very interested in this.
"I think we're now in good position to go off to dinner and our meeting with Professors McGonagall and Trelawney. I didn't want any surprises from our own circle to emerge in the course of that meeting. I was also thinking that, given what the Light Guardian said about Trelawney having something to offer to us and how much it taught us about magical engineering, that perhaps we should drop the magical engineering course and switch to Trelawney's course next term. I think we can be reasonably open when we get to McGonagall's apartment. I should warn the rest of you that I won't bring it up at the start, because I don't want to risk ruining the meeting, but I do plan to ask Professor McGonagall for an apartment, like she gave Draco and Pansy."
Our pre-meeting had left me more relaxed than I had felt in advance of a McGonagall meeting in a long time and I quite enjoyed my supper. I couldn't help noticing how happy Mum looked at the staff table. It dawned on me that she had worried as much as I had about how the meeting with Dad might turn out. I think she also believed that Percy was speaking the truth, rather than just throwing out a smart remark to gain attention. I was hoping that she would join us for the McGonagall meeting. If Narcissa would be there, Mum certainly should be, also. At the end of supper, Mum did indeed join McGonagall, Trelawney, and Narcissa in leading a very large group of us up to the apartment. Barb and Bill traipsed along as participants, rather than as our bodyguards.
I don't know from whence they all came, but as I was stepping over the threshold and into the candle-lit living room of the apartment, I noticed that precisely sixteen padded armchairs were arranged in a circle in the centre of the large room, with five short tables interspersed at an interval of every third chair. One chair was already filled by King Goblanze. Harry seemed to randomly grab a chair and I sat to his left, which put a table and then Mum to my left. Harry was seated next to Draco, to his right. There was even a pile of straw in the corner of the room, upon which Firenze and Bane had been ensconced, waiting for us to come up from dinner. There was a loud pop and Cotto was perched on the little table, between Mum and me. The gang was all here.
"To avoid any potential awkwardness, I thought that I had best start off this meeting by giving the same gift to Harry and Ginny, which I previously presented to Draco and Pansy on the occasion of their wedding". With that, she handed Harry and me very large brass keys to our own personal apartment. I'm sure that I was all smiles.
"I'll show you how to find the apartment at the conclusion of this meeting," Professor McGonagall promised us. "I do request one difference in the arrangement that I reached with Draco and Pansy. Whereas Draco and Pansy were orphans, without a strong attachment to any House, you are both strongly attached to Gryffindor. Your presence there has been hugely comforting to the younger students. I hope that you will be able to make the time to spend some of your evenings in the Gryffindor Common Room and to continue to assist the younger students."
Harry and I both promised that we intended to do that. In truth, we would greatly miss the camaraderie of the Common Room, were we to simply retire to our apartment after dinner. I anticipated nothing changing, except walking off to our own apartment, instead of trudging up the stone steps to our separate dorm rooms at the end of an evening of discussion and study. If nothing else, Ron, Hermione, George, Luna and, perhaps for a little while longer, Neville, were still living in Gryffindor and I wanted to spend as much time as possible with them, before I graduated, and we dispersed to our separate adult lives.
I realised with a jolt that I had been wool gathering and that Professor McGonagall had already shifted into the guts of the meeting, having called upon Harry to present his version of events, including what the Light Guardian had communicated to him. Harry pretty much regurgitated what he had said at our pre-meeting, but did make a point of mentioning, "the confrontation in the Sacred Cavern was entirely consistent with what we saw in Professor Trelawney's globe. Her explanation of the globe darkening and turning blood red was also consistent with what happened. Ron let loose some Weasley blackout bombs and right after that the Light Guardian appeared as an intense ball of white fire. What we saw in the globe definitely was the blackout followed by the overloading of the scene with light."
Trelawney was positively beaming as she heard that explanation from Harry and sat visibly higher in her chair. "I just knew that the globe was showing a true vision," was all that she said.
The others retold the same tales they had told in the common room, with the exception that we said nothing about the Mother of the Future or her Muse. I was simply a Keeper and Hermione an assistant. McGonagall tried to stare me into saying more but seemed to accept that we did not consider the Malfoys to be appropriate recipients of this knowledge. We all awaited what Draco would say. As if she realised that this was the case, Professor McGonagall chose to leave Draco for last.
Draco said, "I don't know anything about the fight with the Goblins in the Reception Hall, before Harry went into the Sacred Chamber. I ran into Mrs. Weasley collecting swords and shields from the Hogwarts corridors and helped her carry some of them down to the Reception Hall. That was just a few minutes before Harry and Cissy left the Reception Hall. I saw a Goblin push Ginny into the tunnel and then saw Hermione trying to pull her back out. I moved forward to try to help, but the door closed again, before I could get there.
"I heard Neville and Ron planning to raid the cavern if they didn't hear from Harry in ten minutes, and I volunteered to join them. Harry has been very helpful to Pansy and me, so I felt that I owed him at least that much. Somebody gave me a sword and a shield and Ron gave me a blackout bomb and a Whiz Bang to throw. Ron stuck his ring into the socket beside the door and we waited a long time for the door to open. Bill and Barb led us down the tunnel and stopped before the mouth of the tunnel, expecting that the Goblins would jump us as soon as we set foot in the cavern. We all threw our bombs and Whiz Bangs. When we heard the explosions, we pushed into the cavern, shields held high, behind Bill and Barb. There were Goblins off to the side and I stabbed one of them with my sword. The Goblin fell back and then I saw this bright ball of light. At first it looked like it wanted to sprout arms and legs and even a huge beard, but then just became a brighter and brighter ball that moved to my right to the end of the cavern. I had to close my eyes; it was so bright.
"Then a voice just flooded into my head, saying it was the Light Guardian and that I shouldn't be afraid, that the danger was past. It told me that it was the true protector of all creatures who think, and that its only wish was that we should stop fighting and killing each other and that every person and species should cooperate for the common good. It said that it had restored the magic for now, but that it was up to all of us to improve the magic and to keep the magic alive after it left. It told me there were some things that I needed to know if I were to lead a useful life and not just steal from the Muggles, as my father does. It told me that it had chosen Harry, Ginny and Cissy to be the Keepers of the Covenant and that Ginny was the Mother of the Future and Hermione was her Muse. It told me that I should help them and assist them in implementing an expanded Covenant.
"It said I must convince the remaining Great Families to join with us, but that there would be a lot of resistance. I promised that I would be strong. You must keep your promises to the Light Guardian. It also told me that the day was not far away, when all Muggles would be able to use magic, and there would be no difference between Wizards and Muggles. I learned ancient Wizard history, Goblin-speak, Elf-speak, and magical engineering. My head felt stuffed to exploding. The Light Guardian told me that from now on I must be a protector and a builder and that I must persuade Pansy to help me - that she was too idle and obsessed with having house Elves to order about. It said I was welcome to visit the Sacred Cavern whenever I want to, and that Harry would give me a ring to open the door. Then the light was gone, and I could see that everyone was telling the truth when they said that the circle had been repaired and Ruppasta was gone. The Goblin King joined us, and we returned to the Reception Hall. That's all that I can remember. I plan to do what the Light Guardian said. I've never seen anything as amazing as that cavern, and the crystal circle, and the Light Guardian. It was like it was right inside my head, reading every thought I had."
Well, so much for not telling the Malfoys about the Mother of the Future. Despite McGonagall's insistence, I told the group that I was still getting used to be the Mother, didn't fully understand what it meant, and would have nothing further to say on that subject.
Draco was not the last to tell his tale. King Goblanze described everything that he had witnessed from "making a routine visit to check on the defences at the Reception Hall and being surprised by close to a hundred of Ruppasta's rebels attacking us. My loyal Goblins fought well, and Bane's Centaurs were a major help. They don't have Centaurs in Europe and Ruppasta didn't realise what excellent warriors they are. He didn't, I confess I didn't either, realize that they could apparate and do magic with the London Circles interfering so badly with the Hogwarts Circle. I owe my life to the Centaurs. Many of the rebels died on the spot, but Ruppasta was able to open the portal to the Sacred Chamber, just as a pair of his rebels Apparated behind me. I was captured and herded into the Sacred Cavern by the rebels. My guard inside the Sacred Cavern fought bravely to protect the Circle and to free me, but they were hindered by trying to prevent harm to me and to avoid killing fellow Goblins. Ruppasta planned to quickly disable the London Circles and did so. His rebels had planned to fight without magic. I hadn't drilled my troops enough on that approach, and my error ultimately led to my side's defeat. I'm lucky to be alive.
"Ruppasta bound me in on a stone bench at the rear of the Sacred Cavern, so that I could witness his elevation to power before I died. When Harry and Cissy entered the Cavern, Ruppasta told me that I might as well witness the deaths of those whose cheating allowed me to hang onto power and was responsible for what Ruppasta described as "all the unnecessary bloodshed of this day and the past week. You should have resigned when your cheating and the illegitimacy of your rule were revealed. If I had assumed power peacefully, there would be more Goblins alive today and we could prevail against the humans. You will soon die, and I will be left to make as bright a Goblin future as possible with what you have left to me."
King Goblanze said the Light Guardian instructed him to remain in office just long enough to clean up the present mess and organise a fair competition to choose a successor. In terms of knowledge, he was given "only an encyclopaedic knowledge of Goblin History and lore 'so that the magnitude of your dishonesty and the depth of the disgrace to Goblin tradition that you represent should be fully apparent to you.' I am charged to do good, be generous to the unfortunate, argue for justice and fairness, and generally try to redeem my life in the time that I have left to me."
Firenze, Cotto, and Bane told McGonagall what they had already told us, although Cotto emphasised, and Firenze backed him up, in interpreting the Covenant as applying to all creatures who think. Cotto said that included Aragog's family, the cetaceans, the more intelligent simians, Giants, and the non-magical humans. We were all instructed to live in peace with all these creatures and to do what we could to protect them. Cotto said the Light Guardian had instructed him and the Mother of the Future to form a council of the representatives of each of these species. He said he would discuss this with Arthur Weasley and Harry Potter.
"This is all as the ancient traditions say," Professor Trelawney assured us. "I am thrilled that this happened in my lifetime. While I'm speaking, I want to also say that I've made some plans regarding my future. Professor Firenze and I will co-teach the Divination courses this year. He's going to teach me the basics of celestial prophecy. I'm then going to take a year's sabbatical and study with the Dalai Lama. Professor Firenze has arranged this for me."
"I thought the two of you really, really, didn't get along," Luna piped up.
"I can't tell you what an honour it is to study with and co-teach a course with the Keeper of the Universe. Mother would be so very proud. Professor Firenze and I have settled our differences and are happily committed to working together. The headmaster has received permission from the Ministry to modify the content of the Divination courses. I won't have to teach those techniques that nobody thinks are valid. Professor Firenze and I will modify the content on the fly, so to speak."
"I look forward to the experience," Professor Firenze seconded from the corner. "It is fitting that we all be gathered here, because we all need to be part of the forces for positive change in the magical world. There has been far too much greed and stubbornness and willingness to follow leaders whose minds are obviously very, very dark. All thinking creatures have a clear choice. We can join to peacefully build a better future for all peoples, or we can let ourselves be ruled by past jealousies and grievances and a sense that our group or even ourselves must lead the others or we will try to tear things down. It shouldn't be a hard choice. The past is dead. We all have only the future to work with. You all now know more of the truth of your history and the source and control of magical power than any Wizards in at least a millennium. You also know the other things that Wizards need to learn in order to get along with the non-magical humans and survive in the modern world. You are the group that must make a successful future for magical creatures happen. I am happy to report that the Unicorns are rapidly returning to health and that their blood is once again silver. It is most important that the Unicorns be protected and that their numbers be increased. With the permission of all of you, I suggest that this group, and the new Goblin King, when he is selected, meet weekly to discuss our joint plans and progress in renewing our world."
"I totally agree," Cotto said. "The Elves will do our duty to make a new Covenant work. I look forward to the day when all of the magical creatures can show themselves to the humans and freely move about this world."
"I think that is quite enough for tonight," Professor McGonagall concluded the meeting. "If there are no objections, we'll meet here next week. Also, if there are no objections, I think we should include Arthur in the next meeting. I've learned that it is highly counterproductive to work at cross-purposes with a Minister who is sympathetic to your own aims."
The meeting broke up quickly and Professor McGonagall showed Harry and me how to enter our new apartment. It turns out that we went through the third-floor corridor wall on the opposite side of the stuffed lizard from the entrance to Professor McGonagall's own apartment. I thanked her sincerely and profusely for the apartment, which was going to make a big improvement in my life. Her parting remarks were "don't worry, the walls are extremely thick."
We found that the corridor wall was tuned to our touch, or perhaps to the touch of someone carrying the proper key. I had merely to touch the wall at the point indicated by Professor McGonagall, and the solid stone seemed to melt away, revealing a narrow archway leading to a steep stone staircase with a polished bronze railing. Like the path to the McGonagall apartment, the stairs became brightly illuminated as we approached them and then ascended. The light always appeared five feet ahead of us, until the stairs terminated at a substantial wooden door, with a large locking mechanism. I inserted my key and found that the key turned easily in the lock, with the door immediately springing loose and requiring only a gentle push to swing into the living room. Our living room was a little smaller, but quite like Professor McGonagall's. The room became alight as we entered, revealing two arm chairs in front of the fireplace, with a small wooden table in between. There was a stack of firewood held by a brass rack to the right of the fireplace. Our windows had no curtains and the only other furniture was two study desks and chairs pushed up against the wall on our right.
Further exploration revealed a bedroom, with a large soft bed and a wardrobe for our clothes. There was a small bathroom off the bedroom. It held a small claw footed tub and a pedestal basin. Both happily had hot water piped to them. There was also a porcelain toilet, with an overhead flush pull.
I loved our apartment. It might be sparsely furnished, but all we really needed was that wonderful plush bed. No more stone landings for this Witch. My arse was sore. After the stone landing, my stone seat in the Sacred Chamber had hurt.
Harry and I stripped off our clothes and got into bed between the very soft, fresh-smelling sheets. We just lay side by side, touching bodies, with my head on Harry's shoulder and his hand cupping my right breast. We didn't utter a sound, but our thoughts flowed back and forth effortlessly.
{[contentment, love] It's great just to be lying here together. When I stepped into the tunnel to the Sacred Cavern, I was very afraid that I would never see you again and relieved that we had taken the time to get married. I was thinking that whatever happened to me, at least you would live for both of us and be able to fulfil your prophecy. I thought if things turned out reasonably well in the Cavern, that even if Ruppasta killed me, that I might well have done enough to hold up my end of the prophecy. You can't imagine how much my heart sank, when I saw the Deputy Chairman herding you into the Cavern.}
{{I understand. I truly intended to keep my promise to you to stay out of the Cavern. I would have disregarded my father's wishes in order to be able to join you in facing what you had to face. I couldn't betray my word to you. I just thought I was seeing you for the last time, so even a last glimpse of your ankles as you walked through the tunnel was precious to me. As Bill would say, my emotion caused me to lose track of situational awareness and the Deputy Chairman was able to sneak up and give me a shove. As I stumbled out of the tunnel, I wasn't afraid, I was just worried that you would be disappointed in me and think I broke my pledge.}}
{[concern] I know you didn't enter of your own free will. I trust you in everything.}
{{That's a great relief. I'm glad our friends joined in the rescue at the end. With the Light Guardian's intervention, their presence wasn't necessary, but having them be able to share much of the experience is going to keep our circle tightly bound together in the future. I love you very much, but just the two of us aren't going to be enough. It is comforting to know that our friends will stay with us.}}
{[happiness] that's a relief to me as well. It would have been easy for this to drive us apart. Now we are all brothers and sisters in that moment. It's also a relief to know that we have a tight little band who won't think we're crazy, religious lunatics, as we tell the stories that we must tell. That is a great comfort. I fear I'm not quite as strong as I would need to be to go ahead as just the two of us.}
{{I don't mind sharing you with our friends. You know that the Light Guardian said I'm allowed to be a Harpy for two years. Are you okay with that?}}
{Who am I to deny you what you've always wanted to do? Your skin is soft, by the way.}
I was thinking that this was a very nice cuddle, although it didn't seem to be leading any place. Then suddenly it was, and when I finally fell asleep, I was a very happy Witch.