Chapter 10
Le Chateau Delacour,
Location Unknown,
Monday, 20th October 2003
"The court is now in session," the oldest Veela Harry had ever seen declared as she swept majestically and forcefully into the room in front of the queen. To say she was so much older she was still very pretty to his eyes, despite looking like she might be close to the age of Neville's grandmother.
"Who is she?" Harry whispered to Gabrielle, who was next to him in the public gallery and looking unusually resplendent in robes of gold, which surprised him as he had never seen her wearing other than the pale blue that most of the non-courtiers wore; the sound of people returning to their seats after rising to greet the duo helped mask his words.
"That is Serene, our elder statesman," she returned in an equally low voice. "Officially it is mostly a ceremonial position, which is why you have not seen her in the discussions, but she presides over serious cases like this and, because she has amassed great experience and wisdom, the Queen often calls on her for advice; you can be certain that she has discussed your mission with her."
"Is that a good thing or not?"
"If she was totally opposed then I'm not sure you would still be here," Gabbi replied.
Harry mulled this over for a moment before asking another question. "How old is she?"
"Ninety-four."
Harry swallowed as he processed this; this Veela was older than Neville's grandmother, and appreciably so, but looked at least a few years younger than Augusta. The queen stood, followed by the rest of the room rising to their feet as well, and she began to speak into total and respectful silence.
"We are here today to hear the case against a group of our own courtiers. They are charged with assaulting a visiting dignitary, a guest of our nation, and with attempting to prevent the signing of a treaty between ourselves and a potentially friendly nation."
Gabrielle let out a long, relieved breath. "She did not charge them with treason," the girl whispered; only Harry was able to hear her.
With the charges having been read out, the facts of the case were revealed. Danielle, who had begun the proceedings sat on Harry's other side (and who seemed surprised to see Gabrielle sat with him), was called upon to give her eye-witness account of the ambush (Gabbi explained to Harry that her word, as a Veela and courtier, would carry more weight in the court than his, a wizard's, would). He looked over at Marie and her fellow defendants; while they looked concerned at the evidence mounting against them, all looked unrepentant about their actions.
Finally her testimony was complete and, as she was the chief witness, this ended the presentation of the case against them; now the Veela on trial had their turn to speak. Marie stood and addressed the court on their behalf.
"Your Majesty, honoured court, my fellow Veela," her eyes then lingered insolently on Harry before she turned back to the monarch without verbally acknowledging the emissary, "what we did, what we attempted," she added perhaps in the hope that pointing out that it failed would help mitigate things, "we did for our society. We are all taught from birth about wizards and the dangers they pose to us, our society, our way of life – our very lives in fact," she stressed. She turned to Harry and continued, "By arriving at this court, this wizard brought with him the risk of our court coming to the attention of the wider magical world and bringing about the pollution of our society. We need only look at how our kind are treated where we live alongside others to see how bad things would become. Therefore, we acted for the greater good of all Veela here, to keep us all safe. He puts us all in danger," she pointed at the British diplomat, "we tried to get rid of that threat."
Harry bit down an inappropriate grin as memories of watching cartoons on TV in his childhood came to mind – and we would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for that meddling wizard and his charmed glasses he imagined her adding bitterly. Instead, she finished by claiming that Harry's presence was already having the effect she foresaw and feared; Veela was being pitted against Veela, she gestured to the gathering before bowing to the monarch and reclaiming her seat to muted congratulations from her co-accused.
The Queen frowned at her for a while. She then rose, as did everyone else, and addressed the prisoners in a cold voice. "The Emissary is here at our invitation; he found us and wished to make contact. His requests have been reasonable and we have slowly built trust and worked towards an agreement that is acceptable to both his country and ours. By attacking him you threatened all of that and could have plunged us into a war with his land. You show no remorse for your acts or the potential consequences of them – indeed you try to blame the consequences of your actions on your intended victim! You are the ones who have set us against one another, not him. Taking all this into account our decision is clear: you are guilty as charged."
Marie held the queen's gaze as she sat again; the others bowed their heads fearfully as they were convicted. "Does anybody wish to comment before sentence is passed?" the monarch asked.
Harry didn't need Gabrielle's nudge; he remained standing while others copied the queen in taking their seats and he spoke into the silence.
"Your Majesty," the Queen turned to him, as did almost everybody else, "as the intended victim of this act I stand here today to appeal to you for them to receive clemency." A low mumble rippled around the room and a few gasps were also heard as he made his request; most had assumed he had stood to demand they be harshly dealt with (given what they "knew" of wizards and their attitude towards Veela; some had also expected him to demand that they become his personal play-things as restitution). "I understand that my presence here and our talks are changing your society and that some people are not ready for that; that would certainly be true if Veela were visiting Britain with the intention of establishing relations, some would oppose with everything they have. As such I ask that their being motivated by concern for their society and their way of life be taken into consideration when you pass sentence upon them."
"Your request is recognised," the Queen told him, "though given the severity of the crimes, and the fact that their actions could have imperilled our nation or even started a war between our nation and yours, their sentence must be severe," she finished sorrowfully; she then turned to the defendants. "And it is. Each of you will spend the next 20 years working in the mines." The women gasped, even Marie swayed as her knees struggled to support her. "At the end of this period you will be exiled to one of our enclaves for the remainder of your lives. So shall it be." She looked to her guards. "Remove them," she ordered before standing and leading the remainder of her entourage from the room. The shocked and, in some cases, weeping Veela were escorted back to the cells to be prepared for transport to the mines.
Harry looked at Gabrielle as the spectators began to dissipate. "It is a very harsh sentence," she confirmed, "despite your appeal the Queen felt she had no choice but to make an example of them."
"Emissary," a courtier Harry had recognised from the talks called; turning to her he recalled that she had seemed rather sceptical of his approach or of any contact between Britain and the Veela. "Your appeal was… unexpected. I had thought you would be like the wizards we are warned about but it seems I may have been wrong. Your admission that not all would be as receptive as you is also to be applauded. With you as an example of the forward-thinking nature of your country, I would now look favourably on a treaty with your people."
The courtiers who had lingered looked surprised to be hearing this; Harry had hoped, of course, that this would happen but was startled to see his appeal bear fruit immediately.
"And with that the deal is done," Danielle declared happily at his side, keeping her voice low. "She is powerful within the court and her opinion would sway many."
"She leads one of the factions?" Harry asked.
"You could say that; there are certainly many who listen to her. With her onside we will be ready to complete the deal in a matter of days, maybe sooner." She glanced over at Gabrielle before hesitantly kissing him on the cheek, grinning as a blush flew up his face (and choosing to ignore the frown on Gabrielle's face). "Congratulations," she told him.
Harry opened his arms a little; Danielle smiled and wrapped him in a hug. "It's been a long road," he told her, "but it will all be worth it if the deal is done." He let her go before turning to Gabrielle, who still hovered awkwardly; he hugged her too. "Thank you," he told her, "for everything you have done. Bust especially for advising me to speak on their behalf; it has proved to be very helpful. And may I say," he added quietly, "you look especially lovely today in those robes."
"My pleasure – and thank you," she mumbled before making her excuses and leaving the room; Danielle watched her go thoughtfully.
"We should celebrate," the Veela told him. "It is lunch time, let us go and eat." Lacing her fingers in his, she led him to the Dining Hall.
Minister's Office,
Ministry of Magic,
London, United Kingdom
"James, the French Minister is here," Lily warned her husband.
The Minister sighed heavily before getting his game face in place. "Show her in, please, Lil."
"Mme Minister," he stood and offered his hand. With a show of reluctance the Frenchwoman took it.
"M Potter, I must protest in the strongest terms your interference in our domestic affairs," she began.
"Madame," James began cautiously, "I understand your concerns but I disagree that they are wholly domestic affairs for France. Werewolves, like anybody else, do not necessarily have to respect national borders. We are taking steps to reduce the danger from werewolves, steps that would wipe out their species in one generation while simultaneously allowing those werewolves who wish to contribute to society to do so." He decided to turn the tables on his guest. "I must say I am very disappointed that a friendly government is not supporting our efforts to bring about an end to the problem once and for all."
The French Minister was taken aback by his counter-attack; she had expected an apology and the opportunity to wrangle some concessions from James, or at least bank some political capital for a future date. Instead she found herself on the ropes; narrowing her eyes she came out swinging.
"I can eradicate the problem far more quickly, by rounding them up and removing their heads! Maybe I should start with the intruder we apprehended, throwing spells around in a muggle area."
James drew upon all his years of political training to keep his cool while one of his closest friends was threatened. "Actions like that, Minister," he spoke slowly as he tried to calm down, "will quickly drive them underground, or across a national border. Sending them further into the margins of society and with more reason to hate and attack that society. Your policies would make the problem worse, ours are demonstrably improving things; there has not been a single werewolf attack in Britain in the last year. Can France claim that?"
She glowered at him for a few moments; James held her gaze before, having decided he'd made his point, trying to ratchet down the hostility a little.
"Minister, I apologise for sending my envoy without informing you. I should have done you that honour at least." She gave a curt nod. "I will not apologise, however, for the actions I took. With the situation in Eastern Europe being as it is, I feel we will need all the allies we can, especially allies who may prove to be an excellent source of intelligence to us."
"Then maybe you should try not to alienate your existing allies while you go on your crusade for new ones," she countered stiffly. She then leaned forward. "First the Veela, now the werewolves. How far do you plan to go with your creature collection, Minister?"
The British Minister bit his tongue for a moment; her tone and attitude were far from helpful. "As far as I have to to ensure the safety of this country, Minister. I hope to have you, and other European countries, on board with this plan so we can have a broad coalition opposed to this fledgling Empire and to stop it from expanding too far. For now I am speaking to the enemy of my enemy, at least potentially. I hope, in time, to be speaking to them as friends."
"I think your hopes will be unfounded, M Potter but I will wish you luck with your endeavours. However, I must ask that you not launch such missions in France without informing us in the future. We would continue to consider them as… unhelpful. We did release your M Lupin, but the next one?" She shrugged. "Who can say?"
"Your objections are noted, Minister." James rose, feeling the meeting had come to an end; he was certain the nothing positive would come from continued talks today anyway. "I remain hopeful, though, that in time France will come to support our measures in regards to werewolves." He opted for one parting shot. "I would be happy to share the information with you showing how good it has been for our society to have them as safe and constructive members of our community."
"That will not be necessary today," she retorted; another tense handshake took place between the two leaders before the Frenchwoman prepared to floo back to her own Ministry. "There is one more thing, Mme Minister," he called as she made to step into the fire; the Frenchwoman looked back at him. "If European societies drive werewolves to the Empire, how long before they are weaponised?" She gave him a questioning look. "What if the Emperor promises to protect them, stations them close to the borders to sneak across at full moon and attack as many people as they can?" Her look turned to one of horror at the prospect. "Now you see why I want these people to not be a threat?" She left with a curt nod; James hoped that she would think about the situation once back in France.
"How did it go?" Lily asked, returning to the room after their guest had left.
"Oh, about as well as you'd expect."
"That badly?" she grinned.
"Pretty much," he agreed.
"Come on," she took his hand and pulled him to her. "Take your wife out for lunch; that will make you feel better."
As she was leading him out of the office he paused for a second. "How does that work then?"
"It makes your wife happy, dear. Do I have to explain how a happy wife makes your life better?"
"We have three kids," he chuckled, "I don't think you need to explain that."
She laughed and slapped his arm playfully.
Bourdeaux, France
"Bonjour, Remus." Jacques greeted his fellow werewolf jovially. "I trust the day finds you well?"
"Not too bad, my friend," Lupin smiled. "I could have done without garnering the interest of your Aurors over the weekend but these things will happen."
"Vraiment? What happened?"
"Some of your neighbours thought I was the sort of person they could rob," he explained. "I didn't want to hurt them so I just stunned them. The Aurors appeared moments later, alerted by my use of magic in a muggle area."
"Your clothing saw you stand out. I'm afraid we cannot afford to live in a better area," Jacques said sorrowfully.
"Neither could I before James became Minister," Remus consoled the man. "He, and his predecessor to a degree, helped me out no end. I have a far better standard of living than many of our peers." He placed a hand on the Frenchman's shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "I tell you, though, that I would give it all up for what you have – a loving, loyal wife and two wonderful children."
"I am blessed, and through them I am richer than others," he agreed. "Now come, I have people for you to meet." He took Remus's arm and they apparated away.
Connemara, 14-18 Cours Albret
"This is Alain," Jacques introduced yet another person to the Englishman.
"Hello," Lupin shook his hand; he glanced over at the landlord, who seemed delighted to see his establishment so full on a Monday evening.
"Has Jacques said anything to you about why I'm here?" Remus asked the assembly once they'd all ordered something.
"He gave us a story we can scarcely believe," Alain answered. "Your country offering for free the potion that means we can safely stay around people at full moon? That we do not have to hide and keep separate for risk of infecting more people?"
"What is in it for him?" another werewolf, Marie-Anne, a woman scarcely older than himself, asked.
Remus explained James's vision of making werewolves accepted and useful members of society and also eradicating the disease through there being no further infections; most there nodded their agreement.
"Everyone in this room will agree with that. We all want nothing more than to live as normal a life as we can with our affliction," Alain said, "however I must warn you that not all of our kind think that way, which is one reason that some are not here."
"We have some like that too," Remus assured him. "Some actually seek out wizards and witches, one even targets children specifically," he added bitterly, thinking on the werewolf who had infected him, "so despite James's efforts the plan is not universally accepted. It has meant that our Aurors have been able to focus their efforts on these 'rogue' werewolves and on securing them during full moon."
"I'm sure our Aurors would just kill any they met on sight," Jacques complained bitterly.
"For some that may be the best option – if all they seek is biting more people and perpetuating that we are uncontrollable beasts," Lupin conceded. While this admission was not a popular thing to say aloud, few gathered there could counter that it may be a "greater good" solution. "In fact, there are some within the Ministry who believe they should do just that to any who do not take Wolfsbane."
"Well you can tell your Minister that most of us would gladly accept his offer," Jacques spoke for them all at the end of the meal.
"Whether your government agrees is another matter," Remus observed morosely. Again, few were able to dispute this but Lupin did, at least, believe he'd accomplished his mission - making some allies among French werewolves.
Malfoy Manor,
Swindon, Wiltshire
"Ah Draco," Lucius Malfoy eyed his son as the latter entered his study. "It's time to speak to the weasel twins again," he told him smoothly but sternly. "I have another meeting with our Eastern friends in the next few days and I need something to give them. You will find the weasels and get me my sample from them."
"I won't let you down, father," he promised.
"Make sure that you don't," the senior Malfoy threatened before dismissing him. As Draco departed he turned to Regulus Black, with whom he was sharing an exquisite bottle of Firewhiskey (Draco was most put out not to have been offered a glass by his father). "How are the numbers?"
"At the moment we don't have enough," Black disclosed. "We obviously have our allies onside but many of the neutrals and moderates, while indifferent to Potter's plans and not overly confident in him, have not committed to voting to oust him."
"We need to persuade them then," Malfoy commented. "What will it take?"
"I suspect that they will come onboard when he signs his treaty with the half-breeds; many are opposed to that and I'm sure they would welcome the opportunity to stop it from happening; depending on the details of it we could easily have our majority, particularly if some of the things Wormtail claimed are in there prove accurate."
"We've waited this long; a little longer is ok. On top of the issues with the French it may well be death by a thousand cutting curses rather than one killing curse that ends Potter's Ministry. I'll make sure we keep the Empire happy until we're ready to take our rightful place in its ranks."
Regulus took a sip of his drink to hide his frown; this last part of the plan was certainly not one that he was completely sold on.
Dungeons,
Le Chateau Delacour,
Location Unknown
"Why did he say what he did?" one of Marie's co-conspirators asked the room. "Why would a wizard want us to live?"
"That is not all he did," the guard assigned to deliver their meal noted in bored tones.
"What do you mean?" the woman demanded; the guard pushed herself away from the wall and approached her.
"You mean you really don't know? The Emissary approached the Queen after your attack and spoke on your behalf privately. But for him you could have faced a charge of treason and this would be your last night alive."
"So we are still alive, because of a wizard?" Marie spat; the guard nodded.
"Do you still think him a threat to your way of life?" she challenged with a smirk. Having checked that everything was fine and the doors were locked, she left the Dungeons, locking the heavy door behind her and leaving the prisoners to their meals – and their thoughts.
After spending a wonderful day getting to know each other outside of the negotiation chamber, Harry and Danielle arranged to meet for dinner. He'd headed back to his room and had a leisurely bath before returning to the Dining Room where he met her. He was a little surprised when they were joined by a number of other courtiers, all of whom thanked him for speaking out on behalf of his assailants.
"It was the right thing to do," he replied modestly, "even if it had not swayed one voice in our favour I would still have had no regrets. I do not believe anybody should be murdered by the state and, from my upbringing, that's what I think execution is."
The Veela looked at one another; this argument was not prevalent in their society (in much the same way that it remained a minority view in Magical Britain and the wider magical world). "That is a laudable view," Danielle scratched her chin thoughtfully, "but surely you would agree that sometimes and for some crimes, the ultimate penalty must be paid."
"We will have to disagree," he shook his head. "I don't think it has any place in a civilised society. That's just who I am," he shrugged.
"Well it is not something I will fight you over so yes, we will disagree privately," she replied, pushing away her empty dessert plate. "Are you finished?" He nodded, copying her action in pushing his plate away; they disappeared from view. "Then let us go," she flashed a knowing smile at the other women as she took Harry's hand and led him ultimately to her room. Once inside, she gently pushed him against the closed door and kissed him passionately.
Danielle felt her Veela allure flare as she kissed the young Briton; she was surprised that he didn't seem to be affected at all by it, expecting him to at least go a little weak at the knees. Instead he began to take charge, pulling at the knot at the back of her neck, loosening the top of her robes before sliding his hands underneath it and beginning to raise the garment. Danielle lifted her arms and he pulled off her top, dropping it by their feet before repeating the actions on her skirt, leaving her naked except for her boots, which she quickly slipped off before pulling Harry over to her bed. She took a seat and began to help Harry out of his clothes.
As he shed his robes the most extraordinary feeling came over him; his knees gave way completely and he had to place the palms of his hands on the bed to support his weight, an action that left him staring at Danielle's nude body with one hand either side of her.
"Are you ok, 'Arry?" she asked in concern.
"Huh?" he asked stupidly; she put a finger under his chin, forcing his eyes to meet hers.
"I asked if you were alright."
"Oh, uh… I don't know. Something just…" he shook his head, "came over me, some sort of super-powerful charm that left me…" he reddened, "left me thinking only of you."
She chuckled. "That would be my allure." She looked thoughtfully at him. "I felt it go when we began to kiss but did not release any more of it since then, so why it should suddenly affect you…"
"My robes," he cried suddenly. "The shield charm woven into them; it must have acted to deflect the allure of any of the Veela in the castle – and I've not really been around anyone without wearing them before now." He closed his eyes and thought back to Gabrielle's massage while he was in the bath; he'd felt nothing then but had been so exhausted that his fatigue must have blocked out her allure. Either that or…
"How old is a Veela when they first develop their allure?" he asked.
"It usually manifests at around twelve," Danielle answered, "though of course with no men around we don't really know these days. Those living in our exclaves say twelve though."
Harry palmed his glasses. "I wonder if…" he removed them; he felt no different in terms of his reaction to Danielle's allure – only now he couldn't see her. "Hmm, my glasses are shielded as well. Maybe the charm on them isn't powerful enough to deflect the allure."
"Or maybe it isn't your head that it affects the most," Danielle suggested mischievously. "Now, are you still in the mood to make love to me?" she purred.
"Most definitely," he smiled, beginning to embrace the allure that he could now feel radiating off her.
"Let's make sure," she grinned wickedly before closing her eyes and bleeding out more of her power. Opening them she saw Harry looking rather slack-jawed at her; she took his hands in hers and guided him onto her bed, lying him down next to her. She slipped a hand between his legs, feeling his hardness before straddling the wizard and guiding him inside of her then swooping down and kissing him.
The spent couple lay on Danielle's bed sharing tender kisses; she had been surprised by his stamina and the fact that she hadn't needed to use any more bursts of her allure to aid his recovery time. For his part, it was something else that surprised Harry.
"I'm impressed," he commented, smiling at his lover, "at how… skilled you are. You know, with no men here it's not like you get a lot of er… practice," he blushed as he got the horrible feeling that he was rapidly digging his own grave; he was relieved when she threw back her head and gave a musical laugh.
"Ah, Emissary, did you not know? Veela are women of pleasure. The act of sex comes extremely naturally to all of us." She reached down and took his hardening member in her hand again. "Extremely naturally," she repeated in a seductive whisper.
Harry groaned; again he wondered if this night would be the death of him, though this time he thought it might at least be a rather pleasant death.
"You know I expect nothing from you," she told him later. "After tonight, as wonderful as it has been to celebrate with you, I do not expect you to make this a habit."
"You don't want to?" he was a little surprised and disappointed.
"Once the deal is signed you will probably not be here much longer. Even if you are? Well, there are many of us here and you owe me nothing."
He cocked his head in thought; she really had given him his dream scenario – no-strings sex and carte blanche to look for another girl whenever he wanted to. "Thank you," he said, kissing her, "though I certainly wouldn't object to a repeat."
No, Danielle thought, and nor would I, though I think there are some who would.
Tuesday, 21st October 2003
"Danielle? Danielle?" The voice and the pounding knock on the door roused the bed's two occupants. The Veela rose and strode nude to the door, opening it a crack to see what the commotion was.
"What has happened?" she asked blearily.
"Marie is dead; she took her own life in the cells overnight."
Danielle gasped and put a hand over her heart; she had known the other Veela quite well from their time in the court together and, while they were never friends, it was still a shock to learn of her suicide.
"The Queen wishes to address the court at nine o'clock; she has made a decision about the treaty with the British."
"Does she wish to see the Emissary?"
"Yes, the court will receive him at ten. I am going to inform him next."
Danielle somehow resisted the urge to look over at her bed. "I will pass the message on to him," she said evenly. "We had made plans to breakfast together this morning," she elaborated in the hope of averting any awkward questions.
"Very well," the other girl departed with a nod and Danielle closed the door, leaning against it.
"Did she say that Marie killed herself?" Harry asked, slightly incredulous and thinking he must still be half-asleep and have misheard; he also rued the fact that the news spoiled his opportunity to appraise the beautiful form of the Veela stood before him.
"So it appears," the shaken blonde nodded. "Come, we should dress and go to breakfast as it looks like we will have a busy morning ahead of us."
AN: Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed it