The boys headed to the floo and floo'd to Black Castle. Black Castle had been built over 700 years ago and disappeared from view shortly after. The Black Family did not want to deal with muggles and the poor begging for scraps so they ordered the goblins to cast one of their Fidelius Charms over the entire castle. The secret was placed within the Signet Ring of Lord Black and was passed down through time. Harry, as Lord Black from his past, still had the secret as did Neville, who was given the secret by Harry.
They popped out of the floo in the main reception room; Sirius must have had the house elves busy already because all the coverings were gone and the castle no longer seemed quite as gloomy as Harry once remembered the castle.
Harry expanded his senses and felt where Sirius and the others were. They were in the Lord of the Castle's Study. Harry quickly headed that way with Neville in his wake. When they arrived at the door to the study, Harry and Neville both felt the strong wards that were in place, obviously Dumbledore's handiwork. Dumbledore thought his wards were impenetrable, but he forgot something very basic, which Neville laughed at.
"He warded the door, but not the walls."
"Nor the hinges" Harry said with a smirk. "Would you like to do the honors?"
"Not with Malfoy in there. I do not want to give him too much information." Neville said.
"Good point." Harry said as turned to the door. "Evanesco" Harry pointed his wand at the three sets of hinges which quickly vanished, causing the huge oak door to fall in, taking the wards along with it in a mighty crash.
Inside the room, Sirius, Nicholas and Albus were speaking to Lucius Malfoy about what his involvement with Lord Voldemort during the war and after. They all turned at once with wands drawn as Harry and Neville strolled into the room over the fallen door. "Knock-knock" Harry said with a smirk.
"Harry?" Sirius asked.
"Yep. Dumbledore, you need to ward the walls and the hinges next time." Harry said. "And I believe that you know Neville Longbottom. We have just come from the Wizengamot where we took our family seats on the Wizengamot."
"And what is your purpose here today Lord Longbottom?" Albus asked, noticing that the young Longbottom seemed too grown up for his age. Almost as if…he too had been sent back in time.
"With Duke Gryffindor, myself, Lord Flamel, and yourself as Warlock present, we can convene a tribunal regarding a Lord of the Wizengamot and acts of treason he either has committed or was aware of." Neville said. "Because of his time being wrongfully imprisoned, Duke Gryffindor and I believe that Sirius Black is not well enough to fill the role of the Head of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black at this time."
Sirius nodded his head, knowing that his head was still screwed up from Azkaban, and that they needed everything here to be above reproach. "As Duke Gryffindor is the Heir Apparent to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, he has every right to be concerned. I also agree with him." Sirius stood and held out his Signet Ring to Harry.
"Hold onto the ring Lord Sirius. I am only assuming Lordship of our family for a short while until you have spent time with the mind healers." Harry said before turning to the others in the room.
"As is my duty as Lord Protector of the Magical Realm, I hereby order the convening of a tribunal for Lord Malfoy, Head of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Malfoy. This tribunal shall be governed by myself and the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. Lord Flamel of the Ancient House of Flamel shall serve as member of the tribunal as well as the Longbottom of Longbottom. Sirius Orion Black, Senior Member of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black is also in attendance at the request of the Longbottom of Longbottom and myself." Harry said formally.
"It is to be noted that due to Lord Sirius Black's unlawful incarceration in Azkaban, Lord Sirius, the rightful Lord Black, has declared himself unable to hold the position of the Black of Black and Head of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black temporarily. Thus the Heir Apparent of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, Harry James Potter, has been elevated to Defacto Head of House, and Regent of the family's seat on the Wizengamot." Neville said. "Lord Sirius is requested to remain for the tribunal due to his intimate knowledge of the Malfoy Family and various secrets that must be confirmed. Does any wish to protest any of these facts?"
No one spoke, so Neville continued. "Chief Warlock, as magic has granted our request for a tribunal, and as you are the Chief Warlock, the floor is yours."
"So noted Lord Longbottom" Dumbledore said. "To bring you and Duke Gryffindor up to speed, Lord Malfoy has agreed to share all he knows about the Death Eaters, Lord Voldemort, and anything else we ask. In exchange, he asks that his wife and son be spared. Lord Malfoy understands his life is forfeit no matter what he offers in exchange."
"Very well. Let us proceed." Harry said.
For the next eight hours, every detail Lucius could give about his time with Lord Voldemort and after the fall of his Lord was given. Names of fellow Death Eaters, sympathizers, and others who wished for the Dark Lord to win were given along with detailed notes of different transactions made. Lucius came prepared with ledgers and notes from his father and grandfather that stretched back to their time at Hogwarts where a young Tom Riddle began to draw early supporters. Even with Harry and Neville gently guiding the direction of the questioning to get the most of out of it, they were still amazed with how much the Malfoy family knew about Tom Riddle and later Lord Voldemort.
After pumping Lucius for everything he had, the members of the tribunal excused themselves to determine Lucius fate. After a lengthy debate the members of the tribunal returned to hand down the verdict. Even though Clemency was mentioned by Dumbledore, it fell on deaf ears. It fell to Harry to deliver the verdict. "Lucius Malfoy, having committed crimes to many to list, it is the decision of this tribunal to recommend to the Supreme Court of Great Britain that you be sentenced to death by passing through the Veil of Death in the Death Chamber. All your lands, properties, and monies are hereby confiscated. As the request of Lord Sirius, we also recommend that your marriage to Narcissa Black be dissolved on the grounds of a break of contract between you and the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. Do you wish to challenge these finding and recommendations?"
"No Duke Gryffindor. I knew my time had come. All that I ask is that my son and wife are taken care of." Lucius said dejected. "I would prefer my sentence be carried out with the utmost haste. Once my former associates learn of my betrayal, my life and the life of my wife and son is forfeit."
"Lord Sirius, per your request, I am willing to give Narcissa and Draco sanctuary in one of the Black properties and leave them in your care if you agree." Harry stated.
"I agree." Sirius said.
"So be it. Lord Flamel, Lord Longbottom, Chief Warlock, as Lucius Malfoy has requested sentencing to be carried out most haste, I move that we send a transcript to Madam Flamel, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for their approval. All those in favor?"
Everyone agreed and soon enough Dumbledore sent transcripts with Fawkes. Barely five minutes later Fawkes returned. Both Madam Bones and the Chief Justice approved of the tribunal and the sentence. The Chief Justice's note also came with a certified Death Warrant.
Confirming the signatures with magic, Harry passed the notes to Dumbledore who confirmed them as well before passing them off Nicholas and Neville to view and countersign. Dumbledore turned to Lucius Malfoy once again.
"Lucius Malfoy, sentence is to be carried out immediately. In front of you is a copy of your testimony and the agreement regarding your family. Once you have signed the statement, Lord Flamel, myself, and a team of Aurors will escort you to Death Chamber where you shall be sent through the Veil. May god have mercy on your soul."
"I understand. Will it be possible to see my wife and son one more time?" Lucius asked.
"Madam Bones is arranging that at this time." Albus said.
"I'll go and wait for them to arrive, Dumbledore. I assume that they will arrive by portkey?" Neville said.
"Yes. In order to question Lucius here, Madam Bones requested a way to get in." Sirius said. "They'll arrive in the main entry way."
"Then I shall await for them." And with that, Neville left the room.
"This tribunal is dismissed." Harry said as Neville left the room. With the tribunal over, there was no longer any recording of what was said in the room.
"Lucius, are you sure you want to do this?" Sirius asked.
"What are talking about Black?" Lucius asked. "I knew what I was getting into when I saw Duke Gryffindor last night. I am surprised you did not want to off me yourself."
"I am thinking about your son and wife."
Lucius looked at Sirius, then at the others in the room and sighed. "I am thinking about them. I was marked like my father before me. If I were alive when the Dark Lord tried to return, he would require me to have Draco marked like me. We Malfoys have used our money and our influence since we came to Great Britain to bring down the government. At first it was for the French or any number of other countries that despised England. Then came Grindelwald and Voldemort, but before them there were dozens of other Dark Lords we supported quietly through money and 'influence'. Now, I wish for my son to learn from my mistakes and do something with his life. Play quidditch, become an Auror, hell I don't care, as long as he is happy and safe.
"I am many things Sirius Black. A monster, a thief, a Death Eater, a treasonous bastard to name a few. A good father or husband was never one of them. Then again, I never had any good role models for that. Look at what I have done to my son."
"What do you mean?" Flamel asked.
"Lord Flamel, I love my son, ever since I first held Draco in my arms, but that did not mean that I was not disappointed in him. I could tell that he would not follow the Malfoy way, he had too much of the Renegade Black Blood in him from Narcissa, so I bound him to me. Draco has been poisoned by potions to make him bend to my will for years. He is in essence a clone of me. With my death, Draco will now be free."
"Why? Why would you do that to your child? Albus asked.
"Because I am the product of my father, and he the product of his, Dumbledore; this evilness ends here with me." Lucius stated. "You are right Dumbledore, love is the greatest magic there is. I would do anything to make sure my son and my wife are safe. With me dead and all information I know in the hands of the DMLE, the only safe place for Draco and Narcissa is with the Black Family and free of the potions.
"Sirius Black, I want your word on your magic that you will protect my wife and son, make sure Draco becomes the man that I could never be and that my wife is happy and above all safe."
Sirius withdrew his wand and swore on his life and magic to protect Draco and Narcissa.
Once done, Lucius turned to Harry "Duke Gryffindor, I have no idea how you were able to get the information you have, but I must commend you anyway. Remember this, the man who was once Tom Riddle might have had compassion, but Lord Voldemort does not. Nor does he tolerate mistakes. Whatever happened that night will not happen again."
"I know Lucius, I know." Harry said.
"How?"
Harry stepped up to the convicted man and spoke quietly and quickly, "Because, where I come from, you and I already had this conversation."
Lucius looked shocked before smiling. "Only someone with the cunning of a Slytherin, intelligence of a Ravenclaw, and the insanity of a Gryffindor could pull that off."
"And the compassion of a Badger Lucius; if I let the other bloodlines that are within me rule my actions, you and your family would be dead and I would be pissing on your graves." Harry said before placing his hand on Lucius' head, making sure Lucius would never be able to tell anything about what he learned about Harry.
Harry and Sirius both felt the portkey arrive and informed the others that Madam Bones had arrived. Moments later, Madam Bones entered the study with Narcissa following.
"Where are Lord Longbottom and your son?" Harry asked.
"The Longbottom of Longbottom felt that he needed to teach my son a lesson in manners. I do hope that he hurries." Narcissa said.
"I take it you agree with Lord Longbottom?" Sirius asked.
"I do. Draco needs to learn that he is not the most important person in the world." Narcissa said as Neville entered the room with Draco hanging upside down with his hands and legs bound behind him. "It is one of the issues I had with Lucius trying to raise Draco."
"Lady Malfoy, if I ever hear your son speaking like how he was when you arrived again, I shall be forced to do something…unpleasant." Neville said.
Narcissa rolled her eyes at her son's actions, crossed to Neville and spoke. "Lord Longbottom, please release my son, I shall deal with this problem at once." Neville waved his hand, causing Draco to be fall to the ground. Narcissa did notice the wandless magic and so did everyone else.
"I have been training with Duke Gryffindor since we were eight years old madam." Neville said.
Narcissa nodded, turned to her son and slapped him across the face, very hard. "How many times must I teach you this lesson Draco? You are not the most important person on the planet. You are a small petty little boy who believes everything his father has ever told him."
"SHUT UP YOU WH—!" Draco shouted only to be silenced by Nicholas Flamel.
"Lucius, I had better hope what we have witnessed is the work of your potion?" Flamel stated.
"It is." Lucius said sadly, disappointed again. "This ends now. Draco, come here."
Draco crossed to his father and stood before him. Lucius closed his eyes and drew upon some internal strength before slapping his son as well. "You will never speak to your mother like that again. Do you understand me?"
"Yes father." Draco said flatly.
"You are also to obey your mother and Sirius Black, for he will be the head of your family soon."
"Why?"
"Because I am going away my dragon for crimes so heinous that I should be killed; before I do that, I wish to free you from what I have done to you." Lucius turned to Sirius. "I must call for one of my House Elves to bring the anecdote."
"Go ahead." Sirius said.
"DOBBY!"
"Yes Master, what can Dobby be doing for you?" the small elf said as soon as he arrived.
"Two things Dobby. First, go to my study, open the secret panel and removed the small pouch and bring it here."
Dobby disappeared, only to appear a moment later with the pouch.
"Good, now summon the other elves." Lucius said as he began to mix a potion from the ingredients in his pouch. All the while Nicholas Flamel watched and asked questions about the potion.
Dobby snapped his fingers and six other elves, all rather disheveled, appeared. Lucius finished the potion and handed to Nicholas to confirm then he spoke to his elves.
"I, Lucius Malfoy, Lord of the House of Malfoy, do hereby decree that the House of Malfoy is now subservient to the Ancient & Most Noble House of Black. SO MOTE IT BE!" The rags the elves had been wearing disappeared, and in their places were uniforms designed for their jobs. Along with the new clothing, each elf now bore the seals of the House of Malfoy and Ancient and Most Noble House of Black.
"Elves, I will soon be departing this world for the crimes I have committed. Once I am gone, the House of Malfoy will be no more. When Madam Bones and Lord Sirius come to the Manor, you are to open every door and storage space for them. There are to be no more secrets. Do you understand?"
The elves nodded their heads. "Good. Now return home, except you Dobby." The six other elves left, leaving Dobby alone with the humans.
"Dobby, you are to become the personal elf of Duke Gryffindor, providing his accepts." Lucius said.
"As the Head of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, and as Duke Gryffindor of Gryffindor, I accept." Dobby's uniform changed once again, but this time it changed into formal robes matching Harry's official robes as Duke Gryffindor.
"Dobby, please return to Malfoy Manor and oversee the elves until I call for you." Harry said.
"Of course Duke Gryffindor sir!" And with that Dobby was gone. Harry turned to Nicholas who had been testing the potion Lucius made.
"Is it safe?"
"Yes it is. There is only one potion that this can counteract. Judging by what I am seeing from the young dragon, this is correct. Draco, drink this." Nicholas said.
Lucius turned to his wife and smiled. "I have done it Narcissa. You and Draco are safe. The marriage is dissolved, you are free."
Narcissa crossed to her now ex-husband and hugged him. "Thank you Lucius."
Lucius nodded, and looked over to his son who was now sitting in a chair with Nicholas checking over him. "I must go now Narcissa. Sirius will take good care of the both of you. Remember to do one thing for me."
"What?"
"Smile and laugh more." Lucius said. Narcissa snorted and then began to cry as Lucius held her. He nodded to Sirius who took Narcissa from Lucius' arms.
"Madam Bones, I am ready." Lucius said.
"Chief Warlock, who will be the representative of the tribunal to witness the event?" Madam Bones asked.
"I will. Lord Flamel and Lord Sirius will be handling Draco and Narcissa and Lord Longbottom and Duke Gryffindor have other items that require their attention if I am correct." Dumbledore said.
"Very well. Lord Sirius, I assume that Duke Gryffindor is the Defacto Head of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black?" Madam Bones asked.
"Yes I am." Harry said.
"Very well. I shall need you when we head to Malfoy Manor as you are now head of the Malfoy Family too."
"Sirius and I will be there. How about we meet in your office tomorrow at 0600?" Harry stated.
"That will be fine." Madam Bones said before she pulled out a metal ring out of her pocket, enlarged it, and soon the group heading to the Death Chamber was gone.
Sirius looked to Harry and spoke. "I'll take Narcissa and Draco to Grimmauld Place for a while until I can get the Malfoy Family Portfolio figured out. Albus loaned me a few dozen house elves from Hogwarts this morning. When old Kreacher saw them, I think he realized I was not going to deal with him so he quickly shaped up and took control."
"Take Nicholas with you, he can check on Draco's health. Neville and I need to take care of a few things." Harry said.
"We should go Harry; Mackrack is probably waiting for us." Neville said.
"Agreed" Harry said and followed Neville out of the study, down the stairs and to the floo without saying a word. Where they went was not Gringotts, but rather Ted Tonks office. They had business to take care of.
While Harry and the other men were dealing with Malfoy, Hermione and Perenelle were putting some other plans in motion. For all the years that Harry & Hermione had planned on coming back, and all of the detailed notes that both learned encase one of them did not make it back, Hermione still had more information and certain items that Harry either wouldn't, or couldn't deal with.
After departing Lionfire Hall, Hermione and Perenelle's first stop was Avalon, the ancient resting place of Arthur Pendragon. This was also where Perenelle grew up. Though this was not part of Hermione's plan, as Heir and Apprentice to Perenelle Flamel, Hermione & Perenelle agreed that the knowledge of the ancient magics that were recorded there was too good to pass up. After gathering the ancient scrolls, the memories that were stored there by Merlin and others, and a trip Perenelle's to old home, Perenelle led Hermione on a short pilgrimage to the tomb of Arthur Pendragon, the last Magical King of Britannia.
The tomb was carved into solid limestone by magic itself. The entrance to the tomb was sealed with a rock disc twelve feet in diameter made from solid granite. The disc was etched with many different runes and with words in a language that Hermione did not know. Perenelle stood before the disc and after chanting for minutes she raised her hands and the disc rolled away, revealing the opening.
Perenelle turned to Hermione and spoke. "Child, where we are about to enter is holy ground. It has been blessed by Druid High Priests & Priestesses, and other Holy Men and Women."
"I understand." Hermione said.
"What do you know of Arthur's Legend?"
"That after fighting Mordred, Arthur was mortally wounded. He left Britannia to rest and heal, that is all that is known."
Perenelle nodded, seeing that most of the story was indeed true. "Arthur was mortally wounded, and was slowly dying. My mother transported him here where I treated his wounds the best I could. Merlin placed him in eternal sleep and then we moved him here. Merlin theorized that one day Arthur's magic would heal himself and he would come out of his sleep." Perenelle said as she entered the tomb.
"Hence the legend of when Britannia would need her king, he would return." Hermione said.
"That is correct."
"His magic did not heal him though, did it?" Hermione asked.
"No it did not. The enchanted sleep has preserved his body, but his soul and magic are gone. With his body alive but unreachable, his soul is still anchored to this realm, much like Tom Riddle's Horcruxes. The difference being Arthur's soul was not split, but left his body whole. Arthur's soul roamed this island for many years before madness overtook him."
"What madness?" Hermione asked.
"Souls are a part of a whole, as you know. While on this earth, a soul resides within a body. When the physical form dies, the soul escapes and is supposed to rise into a higher plane of existence where thought and energy intermingle freely. When a soul is freed from its mortal confines, the mortal shell dies. If a soul remains on this plane without it counterpart, then the need for advanced stimulation becomes too much as it is never stimulated enough. Eventually, a soul can return from the higher plane and inhabit a new confine to live here once again. In this case, Arthur's soul was bound to this plane because his body lived, though his soul was gone." Perenelle said.
"What did his soul do when it went mad?"
"I almost destroyed Avalon and threw magic into chaos for many years." A third voice said. Hermione looked up and saw the most solid ghost she had ever seen. "Lady Perenelle, it is a pleasure to see you once again. It has been many years."
Perenelle curtsied and spoke. "It is a pleasure to see you as well Mi Lord. May I present my apprentice and my heir, Hermione Jane Lupin."
"Mi Lord, it is an honor to meet you." Hermione said as she curtsied as well.
"Perenelle, I know who she is and why she is here. Remember what this tomb is designed to do." Arthur said to Perenelle before turning to Hermione. "As the madness took control of me, Merlin felt extreme guilt for what he had done and set off to find a way to help me. He travelled to many other times and places before he discovered one where people were able to bridge to gap between this plane and the higher ones and brought back magic that would aid me."
"Why not lift the spell on your body and let it die?"
"Because Merlin, while great, was an absentminded idiot" Perenelle said. "He created the spell so that only Arthur's awakening would break it. The enchantment also prevented Arthur's soul and spirit from returning to his body."
"When Merlin returned, he began to work on modifying this tomb. When this tomb is sealed, I can tap into the ethosphere and observe everything on this plane of existence. Merlin said this tomb would become an antenna for me. So here I have lived for many years, observing everything. I have travelled beyond this planet and out into the universe. I have seen many things and learned much. But one of the things I have learned is that I cannot intervene from here." Arthur said sadly. "And that I cannot leave this island."
"Why not?" Hermione asked.
"When a soul leaves a body, it takes it's magic with it. The magic, for lack of a better word, bleeds off and must be replaced. Avalon is one of the strongest sources of magic. It is protected by different magics that by the time I reached Britannia or anywhere else, I would not have any magic left and I would simply dissolve and become one with magic."
"Arthur, if we could remove the enchantment on your body and let nature play its course, would you be willing to move on?" Perenelle asked.
"Mrs. Weasley knows the spell that her sister in law used on her brother?" Arthur asked.
"How do you know that?" Hermione asked.
"Time has no meaning to a soul." Arthur said simply.
"What does he mean child?" Perenelle asked.
"The closest that anyone got to killing Harry was someone called the Dark Lady. She said she was the heir of Morgan Le Fey, the Mistress of Black Magic. She was based out of South America and had most of South and Central America under her control. This was after the end of the Statue of Secrecy and World War III. Harry and one of his teams, they were not aurors but 'Dark Magic Experts', were called in at the request of the United States Department of Magic and the United Nations. For three years the team, and others, worked on tracking this bitch down."
"Dark Magic Experts?" Perenelle asked.
"When Harry took command of the Aurors, he and Kingsley created what were basically mercenaries. They received training from the Aurors, the Unspeakables, and many others including mundanes and other metahumans. They were not all magicals. There were Vampires, Werewolves, Veelas, and many different types of people represented. When Dark Magic was detected, they went in. Harry financed them himself. It is one of many things that Harry did that I did not approve of."
"Why would he do this?" Perenelle asked.
"Harry reasoned that there might come a time where governments would fall and hope would rest on the shoulders of a child once again. If that ever happened, he wanted to make sure they had support." Hermione said.
"His hero complex in overdrive I take it?"
"As well as his desire to not fail another child. Losing Colin Creevey, a classmate of ours from Hogwarts, really shook Harry. Then after Albus Severus, who was Harry's youngest son and Harry's godson Teddy, pushed him even more. Losing the boys almost cost Harry and Ginny their marriage, even though there was nothing Harry or Ron could have done. Anyway for three years they tracked the Dark Lady before she began her assault on the United States. Harry knew they had to stay in the fight and so he took command of Team Alpha, who had been there since the beginning, as well as Gamma, and Zulu. They had one mission, to find the Dark Lady and kill her, at any cost. Well they found her alright, right in the middle of the Rain Forest. The three teams were killed by her acolytes, and she battled Harry. This was the first time Harry had really fought since the end of World War III and it cost him. She put him in an enchanted sleep and began her master plan.
"She knew a child from Harry would be magically strong, but Harry had to be willing. She invaded his mind convinced him that she was Ginny and over the course of months, wore him down until he was willing to have her bear his child. This 'child' would actually be a vessel for her to move her soul into that had the combined magics of hers and Harry's. Ginny & I found her base of operations after searching every square inch of the Amazon Rain Forest.
"Ginny and I learned that Harry was missing and began to search days after the battle that killed the three teams. The fight set off dark magic detectors all over the world. Because of the dark magic around Harry & the Dark Lady, Ginny could not phoenix flame to them, but knew that Harry was alive.
"It took us 16 months to find the Dark Lady's base and get inside. My brother-in-law Bill Weasley led a team of curse and ward breakers that stripped the wards down. The wards cost Bill's team their lives. Bill only survived because one of his men actually knocked him unconscious."
"When we finally got to that bitch, she was already with child, but she was dying. The dark rituals she underwent made her unable to bring it to term. She planned on bolstering her magic by ripping Harry's magic from him by using dark runes and rituals. The extra magic she hoped would allow her to survive. Once the vassal was born, she would then sacrifice her current body, and then move into the dark construct that she was carrying.
"I battled the bitch while Ginny used a spell that she discovered to free Harry from the sleep. As soon as he was able, Harry used the same runes that were meant to rip the magic from his body and used them to drain the Dark Lady, killing her just before I beheaded her with a cutting curse. Harry absorbed so much dark magic from her that the only way to purify it was for him to channel it into his phoenix form, which caused him to have a burning day. Harry burned every color imaginable as the magic was purified and absorbed into him.
"Ginny and I were not paying attention to the bitch's body as we were marveling at Harry's transformation. It was only after Harry transformed back into his human form that we turned and realized this fight was not over yet. From her stomach came a creature that could exist in horror stories. It matured within seconds and began to attack. The Dark Lady had sacrificed her own life for this construct to be born; giving it protection like Lily Potter gave Harry. I attacked first and was repelled by magic, knocking me out.
"Harry did not even let Ginny try and fight, he pushed her out of the way and then jumped into the fight. Years later Harry told me that while he was purifying the magic he absorbed, he met with his parents, Sirius, Albus, all those who died in the battles that he knew and his ancestors. He used what they taught him and began to battle his own child, which had always been one of Harry's fears. They fought and fought with magic before that thing moved to attack Ginny, which is when Harry got really pissed off. He summoned the Sword of Gryffindor and channeled every bit of magic he could through the sword and pierced the heart of the monster, killing it."
"Where did Ginny find the spell?" Perenelle asked.
"Ginny designed the spell from Merlin's notes that were not left here. I believe your husband Nicholas had them stored away." Arthur said.
"It would make sense." Perenelle said as she suddenly felt the strain through her bond that Hermione had been going through relieving one of the most difficult times in her life. Perenelle turned to Hermione and saw she wished to be left alone for a few minutes to compose herself.
"I did not know that this would be possible so soon. This I planned to be a long term project for my apprentice and I." Perenelle admitted.
"Lady Perenelle, your apprentice and her brother will remake the entire world. Guide her and be her sounding board, give your opinion and experience when she asks and you will be astounded by the results." Arthur said.
Hermione chose that time come over to the two and speak. "King Arthur, I can remove the enchanted sleep spell now if you would like." Hermione said.
"Lady Hermione, I would be honored to ascend from this plane at long last and meet my Guinevere and my fellow knights." Arthur said.
"What do you need me to do child?"
"Remain here and clear your mind. At some point I will need more magic and it will be easier for me to draw magic from our bond."
"Go ahead Hermione."
"Mi Lord, it might be easier for if you were to rest on top of…your body. Once the spell is lifted, you may get pulled back into your body before it…dies."
"Very well" Arthur said before assuming the position Hermione asked of him.
Once everyone was in place, Hermione then began to chant and using ancient foci that Perenelle had given her, Hermione began to cast the counter-course to forever sleep. It took ten minutes of chanting before Hermione stopped and watched as a shell of red energy dropped away from Arthur's mortal body and into nothingness. The spirit of the king settled into his body for a moment and took one deep breath before his body gave way and died. Hermione and Perenelle watched as the body began to turn into stone and the soul rose from the body.
The soul formed into a human body once again and smiled. "Thank you Child, for freeing me. You have done me a great honor. Tell your bonded that my sword, Excalibur, the brother of Godric Gryffindor's sword, is his to claim as he is of my blood. You must help him find where the Lady of the
Lake placed it. It will not give him any special powers per say, but it will aid you in your quest."
Suddenly from the far side of the tomb, a stone ring began to move before an energy vortex shot out of the middle before retreating, leaving a puddle of energy. A lone figure stepped out of the puddle, laughing.
"Arthur, you are free at last I see."
"Lancelot old man, it is good to see you. Where are the others?"
"Waiting for us" Lancelot said before turning to the two women. "Merlin and the rest of us left through the Astria Porta many years ago, after Merlin returned from his quest. We have been waiting for our brother and king to join us for many years. Guinevere and the others are waiting for you."
"Till we meet again ladies" Arthur nodded to Lancelot before turning to the two women and bowing to them. Then without warning, Arthur Pendragon and Lancelot turned into being of pure energy and shot through the puddle and were gone.
At Lionfire Hall, the eldest two Weasley boys were looking after the next generation of Weasleys who was running around chasing a phoenix. Since leaving Romania, Fawkes had been a constant companion for Alexis Weasley, but Fawkes had not been the only firebird to befriend her. When Alexis and Charlie first arrived in Romania Alexis, who was eight months old, discovered a phoenix egg when digging in her sand box. Charlie cared for the egg and on Alexis' 1st birthday, Orion hatched. Since then, Orion has been Alexis play mate and familiar.
When Fawkes and Charlie arrived to collect Alexis, Fawkes had to speak with a very angry Orion and explain what was going on and why they were leaving. Orion could not leave with them because he was settling a dispute between dragons on the preserve and ordered Fawkes to watch his familiar until he could meet with them again. Phoenixes were one of the few animals that dragons listened to. In fact most all animals looked to phoenixes as leaders of the animal world. In this case three of the dragons were fighting over one female. Afterwards, Orion flamed directly to Lionfire Hall and to Alexis' side where he was currently at.
"Charlie?" Bill asked his brother.
Charlie sighed and spoke in a quiet voice, knowing this conversation was coming. "I'm sorry I did not tell you about Alexis or Maria."
"That's a lame excuse Charlie and you know it." Bill stated.
"It's all I have Bill! When I found out Maria was preggers I flipped out! I loved her and I wanted to spend my life with her, but I was scared shitless!" Charlie admitted. This took Bill by surprise as nothing ever scared his brother, ever.
"What were you scared of?"
"That Maria would be killed. Maria was half vampire, and I knew her clan had refused to join He-Who-Most-Not-Be-Named during the war. You and I had talked about the war before and I knew there were still his supporters out there, and I knew what they would do to us."
"What changed your mind?"
"I met Maria's grandfather." Charlie said simply.
"Which one?"
"Lord Grayson, you idiot!"
"Are you telling me that you married into the one of the oldest Vampire Clans in the United Kingdom and your child is a part of the clan?" Bill asked.
"Exactly. Anyway, two nights after learning about Maria, I received a visitor."
"Lord Grayson?"
"No, the visitor was one of his men. I was asked to meet Lord Grayson at his castle and not attending was not an option. So I went and met him. I will not tell you what we talked about, but as the sun rose the next morning, Maria was my wife."
"Damn." Bill said. "So how is Alexis able to walk in the sun if she is a vampire?"
"Maria was half vampire. Her mother was an American witch, that makes Alexis roughly one quarter. She doesn't drink blood, but has really quick reflexes, heals amazingly fast, and of course has a phoenix as a playmate."
That said, Orion took flight and settled on Charlie's shoulder and began to rub his against Charlie's. "After Maria was killed and I left, Lord Grayson and Gringotts arranged for me to go to Romania. I do not work on the dragon preserves by the way."
"I figured that out Charlie."
"I run the preserves." Charlie said.
"Excuse me?" Bill asked.
"I am the man in charge of the preserves. I report directly to Gringotts." Charlie said smiling.
"Holy shit! Why have I never heard about you then?"
"You have. Have you ever heard of Christian Draconic?"
"Of course I have. I've even met the man twice in Egypt!"
"And the next time you try to drink someone under the table, make sure he is not one of the few people who can go drink for drink with you." Charlie smirked. "One of the guys on the preserve is the 'face' for Christian. Gringotts has a special form of polyjuice that lasts for 12 hours at a time. Whenever I leave the preserve I am under the effects of polyjuice."
"Wow."
"Wow is correct. Gringotts saw my value and after Maria died they and Lord Grayson arranged for the position. Besides Gryffindor, Lord Grayson is the only other non-goblin to own any stock in the bank. I also oversee the other dragon preserves across the globe including a new one that we are building down in Antarctica. When we are done with it, it will be the single largest preserve for animals in the world." Charlie asked.
"How in the hell did you learn how to run that many people? Bill asked.
"I watched Mum deal with us and then Lord Grayson gave my private tutors including himself for the first two years."
"Why do you call him Lord Grayson? Why not dad, or father, or something?"
"Alexis calls him grandpa. I call him grandfather in private. But when I am talking about him, it is Lord Grayson. All members of the family do. That reminds me, I need to contact him about recent events."
"You mean about Duke Gryffindor?" Bill asked.
"Yep. He'll want to know that there is a Lord Protector of the Realm. The clan swore to serve the position of the Lord Protector many years ago. If Lord Grayson is anything, he is a man who lives by his word."
"What do you make of him?"
"Harry? Honestly I have no idea. I mean he seems to be a nice kid, but who knows for sure. All I do know is that our lives will never be the same." Charlie said.
"I agree; I am more worried about Hermione." Bill admitted.
"Lupin's daughter?" Charlie asked. Bill nodded. "She is powerful and seems to have a crush our Ronnie. He and Ginny spoke to two nights ago about falling in love. I've also noticed that Ronnie and Ginny seem to be different since we've met Harry and Hermione as well."
"You're not able to read auras are you?" Bill asked.
"No why."
"Harry is bonded to Ginny and Ronnie is bonded to Hermione." Bill said. "Also last night I noticed both Ginny's and Ron's auras had begun to change. They look like they are older than they are."
"Ok genius, what do you think this means?"
"That we might meet our younger siblings older souls eventually" Bill stated.
Tippy appeared next to the Weasley siblings, scaring them a little "Pardon the intrusion, but Mum Weasley is asking for you and her granddaughter to meet her in the main parlor and Tippy be sent to gets yous."
"We've been summoned." Charlie said, smiling.
"Get your daughter Charlie, we do not want to keep mum waiting."