Title: Of Eagle and Lion
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: None.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Hermione, or Luna, or Ginny, or Cho, or... I would buy them all but I am broke.
Summary: In an act of desperation, a young Harry Potter's magic goes wild and gives him something that will change everything.
A/N: Robert-19588, This will not be one of those fics where Harry is actually a Lord, everybody is stealing from him, Dumbledore is specifically and intentionally screwing up his life and Hermione's Folks are going to play a huge role (for things along those lines please see my other works such as Code of the Griffin and Trailbreaking). This story is how an Imperial Guardsman and the Imperial Faith would interact with and shift the perceptions of the Wizarding World. As for Hedwig, no. Harry does not have Hedwig at the moment. For several reasons.
Hermione slowly ate her lunch as she watched Harry and Katie talking about their Imperial friends from back in Surry. Alicia and Angelina had joined them at the table mostly because Katie had made a b-line for Harry the instant she had arrived. To Hermione, based on her admittedly limited understanding of him, it seemed as if Harry was in a good mood.
The double potions class had gone as well as could be expected, given Snape's entrance and his reputation. After the question assault on Harry at the beginning of the class, Snape had simply written some instructions on the board and glared at the class the whole time.
What had really perked Harry up, in Hermione's opinion, was the small scrap of parchment that Professor McGonagall had given to Harry at the start of lunch. Harry had read the note with a smile.
Alicia and Angelina had tried to engage Hermione in conversation but, unlike the older girls, she was primarily focused on learning rather that other 'girly' pursuits or Quidditch. While Hermione was probably one of the most scholastic and intelligent girls in the entire school, the argument could be made that she was smarter even than the Headmaster, very few people stopped to wonder why she was sorted into Gryffindor, home of the brave, rather than Ravenclaw, which valued knowledge over all else. The answer was simple. Hermione did not covert knowledge for knowledge's sake. She lived by one very simple motto. 'Knowledge is Power' and she had sworn to herself, when the Hogwarts letter came, that she would never be Powerless again. Not after what happened in her primary school. Not after….
"Where are you going?" Alicia asked, pulling Hermione out of her introspection.
"Transfiguration Class." Harry replied, stacking his books in a pile.
"But class does not start for another twenty minutes." Angelina had added.
"Rule six, always be where you need to when you need to. Rule eight, always plan for delays. Rule two, early is on time, on time is late and late is dead." Harry replied.
"Wait up." Hermione said, stacking her books in a hurry. "I'm coming with you."
Fifteen minutes later Hermione understood why Harry had left so early. They had gotten lost twice and run into Peeves the Poltergeist once forcing them to make a detour. When they entered the Transfiguration Classroom, they noticed a cat sitting on the teacher's desk. Hermione went and sat down near the front of the class while Harry stared at the cat for a second. Then he saluted the cat before taking his seat next to Hermione.
"It's the Professor." He whispered, and then added at her glance. "Just wait and see."
Most of the class arrived with one minute to spare but Ron Weasley was late.
"Made it." He panted as he slipped inside the door. "Imagine the look on old McGonagall's face if she knew I was late."
Hermione saw Harry hide his face in his palm in embarrassment as the cat jumped off the desk and morphed into the Professor, who proceeded to dress down Ron. After Ron sheepishly found his seat, the Professor gave a stern warning about not taking the class seriously, as if Hermione would ever do otherwise, and then set them to turning matchsticks into needles. Hermione had taken notes on the Professors lesson, but when she looked over at Harry's there was quite a bit more. There was a brief summary of what the Professor had spoken about, but there were other notations and reminders. Such as 'matchstick to needle – density manipulation? Where does extra density come from?' and 'cat to human – massive volume differential yet weight seems appropriate to form – not Newtonian, Relativistic doubtful - check Quantum Physics?' and then adjacent to that note but at a different angle 'Two forms - Quantum Entanglement?'
Hermione boggled at the notations. Hermione had of course studied well ahead in the regular sciences before her Hogwarts letter had arrived, so she had heard of Quantum Physics, a new field examining the sub atomic world where, it appeared, the rules of the old Newtonian and Relativistic Physics did not always apply. But even to her these were vague and confusing concepts that were way above her head, and here was Harry Potter comparing their first day's Transfiguration to these strange advanced concepts (a conclusion Hermione herself otherwise would have come to on her own five year later). The conclusion she came to at that moment was, no matter what he did, Harry Potter was intelligent and inquisitive, even if he tried to hide it.
Harry took one last look around the newly stocked armoury, making sure that everything was in its place. There was a variety of weapons and equipment that Marcus Blackstone had accumulated in his military Career. On armour racks against one wall were two sets of Flack Armour, with the armoured chest and back plat with attached shoulder guards and helmets, and a single set of the Carapace Armour, with segmented plates that covered one from head to toe. On the other walls were the weapons. Two Lasguns, several combat knives, a combat Shotgun, a Meltagun, an Astartes issued Flamer, a Chainsword, a Power Sword, a Laspistol, a Bolt pistol, a number of Frag and Krak grenades, two Meltabombs, a Cammocloak and a Long Las.
Every weapon had a story, a milestone in Marcus' career. The Carapace Armour given to him after that first campaign against the Orcs which so decimated the 122nd that the eighteen surviving troopers of the once three thousand strong Regiment got split into two Veteran squads, one commanded by himself, the other by Sergeant Marlina Richter. The Shotgun taken from an abandoned Arbites Headquarters during a civil revolt. The Meltagun pulled from a dead Guardsman's hands and use to kill a rampaging Carnifex. The Power Sword and Bolt Pistol taken from the corpse of a much hated Commissar. The Cammocloak a gift from a much loved Colonel-Commissar and the Long Las a gift from his best marksman. The Flamer granted as a gift from a Librarian when his Veteran Squad had counter-ambushed some Orcs that had pinned down a squad of Space Marines and their Librarian.
An entire lifetime's worth of memories, but the second Lasgun and second set of Flack Armour held the deepest attachment. The two items that had never saw use after they came into Marcus' possession. Harry gently ran his hand down the breastplate of the second set of Flack Armour. A breastplate that had not been made for use by a male.
Hearing a knock at the door, Harry exited the Armoury, making sure to lock it after him.
"It's time." Katie said as he entered the corridor.
Katie, like Harry, was dressed in simple robes, but nothing like the Wizarding Robes of the school uniform. These were much more like simple Kimono's. The Armoury was located at the end of an out of the way corridor on the ground floor of the castle that was still fairly close to both the Great Hall and the new Chapel. When they arrived at the Chapel, Harry was unsurprised to find that the chapel was mostly full, with students of all ages from all houses, although there were less Slytherins there that any of the other houses, and several members of staff. After Filtch's public apology at dinner the previous night and the announcement of the new Chapel there was a great deal of interest in what this new 'Imperial' thing was all about. As Harry took the lectern and everyone quietened down, Harry noticed Snape glaring at him from the back of the room. In all honesty, Harry would be surprised if more than one in twenty of those attending this first service would ever enter the Chapel again.
"The Emperor Protects. That is one of our core beliefs. But what does this mean? What is expected in return for this protection? And what does he protect us from?" Harry began.
He noticed several faces had taken on a keen look of interest. Some had come expecting a fiery sermon with Hell and damnation. Others had come expecting a list of do's and don'ts. No one expected what was to come. Especially not from the Famous Boy-Who-Lived.
"He protects us from Chaos, from the slow corruption of our bodies, minds and Souls. He protects us from things beyond comprehension, outside of space and beyond time. And what does he ask in return? He asks us to serve humanity, to the best of our abilities. To the Emperor it is no less noble for a member of the Administratum to serve by ensuring rules are up held than it is for a member of the Imperial Guard to lay down their life on a battle field. No less honourable for an Apothecary to heal the sick than for an Arbites to uphold the law in the streets."
Harry paused to survey the crowd. He now saw confusion, contemplation and down right hostility. Snape seemed contemplative.
"An individual's virtuous labours, be they a great Hero on the battle field or a simple clerk, should be praised in the moment for their service to the Emperor and Humanity, but once the moment passes, so too must the praise and their next endeavour must be judged the same as all others, based solely on the merits of the act not the history of the person, without fear of favour, pride nor envy. Through these actions we praise him. For these actions he protects us."
Harry then lit some incense and began a Holy Benediction in High Gothic, one that only Katie could understand.
Most of the Slytherins in the audience, particularly the Pureblood Supremacists, now looked at him with either fear, hostility or both. Particularly Draco Malfoy, who had only come to mock Harry. This one speech represented a multi-pronged attack on the very fabric of Wizarding society that the Purebloods relied on.
Firstly it held one accountable for their own actions without the ability to cover things up. Secondly it overturned the notion of the inherent superiority of purebloods and the inferiority of Muggle Borns (or Mudbloods as the Purebloods called them) that was solely based on lineage. And thirdly, and most worryingly to the Purebloods, it was Religious Doctrine and as such could not be openly fought without risking a charge of Religious Persecution.
The service ended and the crowd started to leave. A few students were approaching Katie or Harry to ask questions. These were the most likely first wave converts. Others, Purebloods, were gathering into clusters as they left, one such cluster forming around Draco Malfoy.
Both Harry and most of the Purebloods (some seemed willing to embrace this new view) knew that this meant only one thing. If open warfare was out, then a Guerrilla war was the only option.
Harry and Katie needed to keep the Imperial Cult alive, countering whatever subtle attacks the Purebloods mounted, and grow strong enough to endure and perhaps even alter the Wizarding World.
TBC….