Chapter 10
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Regulus Black stood before the gates of Nuremberg waiting for the staff to answer his call. The ghosts of those tortured and killed in this hell made him wish that this was not important. Questions needed to be answered. He needed answers so he could protect Harry. He needed to look into this prisoner's eyes and see the truth.
The gates opened and he was greeted by an ancient house elf. The elf looked him over for a moment before nodding and leading him onto the grounds. Regulus followed attempting to keep his eyes on the elf as he followed. The further onto the grounds that he followed, the worse the feelings of doom felt. In the four years that he had been with Harry he had almost forgotten how strong his empathy had become. His life since he had rescued Harry and they had begun building their lives in California had been calm and happy along with the others that he interacted with, but here it was almost overwhelming.
"We are here, Herr Black. You must leave your wand here. You will have thirty minutes. I will return then to lead you out," the elf said in a heavy German accent. Regulus placed his wand in the box provided and took a deep breath before entering the cell.
"Herr Grindelwald? I would like to speak to you for a few moments, if possible," Regulus said softly.
"If you have come on behalf of that demon who calls himself Dumbledore, I have nothing to say," the man replied with hatred that made Regulus shutter.
"I have come to ask about the demon who inhabits the body once known as Dumbledore, but definitely not on his behalf."
"You know?" Grindelwald's surprise filled the room.
"Yes. My charge is in danger from him. I need to know whatever you can tell me to help me protect my charge. Will you help me?"
The children of Black Vineyard were piled in the television room. The room was warded so magic could not be used in the room and mundane electronics could. Bella had discovered Nintendo in October and the Vineyard was currently the home of a NES and Duck Hunt, Super Mario Brothers, and Kung Fu. Bella insisted that the games would improve the children's hand eye coordination when she purchased the system and games. She had hidden the other fourteen games that were available in her room for Yule gifts next week.
The children were playing a round robin tournament of sorts on Kung Fu. Dean fought Sam first as they were the oldest and the youngest. The winner of the best of three game would play Draco, and that winner would play against Neville and so on until everyone had a turn. They would start again at that point. They had spent every Friday night since mid-October this way.
Luna cuddled up with Mordred and Harry on one of the loveseats around the television. She knew that she would marry Harry when they were grown and her visions showed her that they would be happy together, but they also showed several children that looked nothing like her. At four and a half, she was unsure what these visions meant, but as long as she and Harry were happy, it did not matter. She closed her eyes when the phone rang and she heard Auntie Bella answer the phone.
Luna slipped into her visions. She saw an older Buffy and a Malfoy that she did not know running hand in hand away from an explosion. She saw the unknown Malfoy throw himself on top of Buffy to shield her from the explosion. The vision changed and the man pulled someone attacking Buffy away from her and ripped his throat out with his teeth. It changed once more the man staked a woman with a dreamy expression when she threatened to kill Buffy. Luna knew that this man would protect Buffy as best as he could. Buffy needed him to survive and Luna needed to tell Bella that he had to be saved.
Soon, people began moving into the room and quickly seating themselves. Introductions were made as the adults entered. John Winchester and his friend Bobby Singer entered with Joyce Summers. Regulus and Sirius Black entered with Bellatrix Black and Lucius Malfoy. Narcissa Malfoy and Marcus White were followed by Lord Dobbyn of the High Elves and Griphook of the Goblin Nation. Last to arrive were Merrick, Rupert Giles, and Diana Dormer carrying boxes of old books and scrolls. Severus Snape, Lord Prince, stood before the group and took a deep breath before he began.
"A family meeting has been called to address an issue that is dear to most of us, but affects the standing of our Houses. It is our solemn duty to protect those that cannot protect themselves. As the Lords and Ladies of the Magical Kingdom of Britain and in some cases Lords and Ladies of the Magical Democracy of the Americas we are all charged with the duty of the destruction of the Order of Aurelius for crimes against the Great Houses. We must listen to the information brought to us by Ms. Kalderash and decide how to act." Severus turned to Janna and continued, "Please, Ms. Kalderash, tell us what you know."
"I was born to the Romani Clan Kalderash after the Disavowal of the clan. I am accepted as Romani because I was born a wand witch and ancient law allows me to be accepted. I was taught as a child the faces of each member of the Order of Aurelius. Tonight, when leaving Los Angeles, I saw Angelus. I followed him to Sunnydale. He did not harm the driver that picked him up, but he is now on the Hellmouth. His soul has been returned, but it is rumored that the one he can find happiness with is near Sunnydale, and he may be searching for her. If he is ever truly happy with her, the curse will be broken and the soul will be expelled."
"What do you know of the one foretold?" Merrick asked.
"She will be the slayer bound to the Hellmouth. Death is her gift, and Death's Master calls her family."
The room went silent as the occupants contemplated the new information. Marcus began to pace while he muttered. Giles, Merrick, Diana, Bobby, and John began to pour through the books and scrolls from the boxes while Bella whispered with Lucius and Cissy. Slowly, the others in the room came back to reality. Sirius comforted his cousin Joyce and muttered assurances that things would be different this time. Lucius stood and put on the aristocratic face that he normally reserved for appearances in the Wizengamot.
"House Malfoy calls for a quorum of the Great Houses," he stated quietly.
There were forty-two houses in Magical Britain that were at least Noble Houses. To create a quorum in Magical Britain, at least twenty-two Heads must be present. The Magical Kingdom of the Americas also acknowledge forty-two houses, but they may not be the same houses. Both kingdoms acknowledged the six Most Noble and Most Ancient Houses but only eight of the Noble and Most Ancient Houses of Britain were recognized as such in the Americas, and four of the Noble Houses. Of the eighteen Great Houses recognized both places, the Heads of ten of them either lived at Black Vineyard or visited frequently. Lucius' request had put them into a bit of a predicament.
If Lucius had requested a quorum of the Most Noble and Most Ancient Houses, all six Heads would be required, but that would be easily done with the presence of Arcturus, Xeno, and Harry. The problem was that the decisions made could be questioned due to Harry's age. The wording of the request did allow some leeway because House Malfoy was acknowledged by both Britain and the Americas, so a quorum of either was possible. It would also be possible to achieve quorum with a mixture of both of the nation's Great Houses. With that option, any Great House not aligned with both kingdoms would need to be represented equally. Six houses from each kingdom in addition to the ten they currently had access to.
"Since the crime to be discussed is pertaining to both Britain and the Americas, I feel that both the kingdoms should be included in the decision process. There are eighteen families acknowledged by both, so if they are all available, we would need two additional families from each nation," Merrick stated quietly.
"I will contact Grandfather and ask him to gather the people that we will need. Marcus, would you be able to help us gather whomever else we need?"
The various occupants of the room broke into groups. Each group was busy making contact with those that would be necessary to create the quorum. Janna knew enough of the Great Houses that she understood that no one would be able to leave until the quorum had been established.
Luna joined Harry the next day when he was summoned to attend the meeting. She needed the adults to understand what she had seen. Regulus had been busy since he returned from his trip yesterday and then even busier since Mr. Malfoy asked for a quorum, so Luna had not told him about the vision yet. She only hoped that they would listen to her. Harry told her not to worry and he would make sure that she was heard. She hoped he was right.
Luna was nervous as she entered the room. She knew this was a formal meeting and very important for Harry to pay attention to the way this would work. In the future, she and Harry may be the only Heads of the six Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses. She should probably pay attention, too.
She and Harry took seats next to Lord Black and her father. Other people were entering the room and taking seats in the chairs that had been arranged to face the four chairs at the head of the room. She recognized several of the people entering. Of course, Lord Malfoy, Lord Winchester, Lord Prince and Lady Longbottom arrived together with Neville with them. Lord MacMillan was just outside the doors, speaking with his sister, Lady Black. Lord Moody arrived with Lady Bones from London and Lord Greengrass arrived with Lord Parkinson. Lord Septimus Weasley arrived with his wife, who joined the Black family waiting outside of the room. The six men that she did not know arrived together and seated themselves on the right side of the room. They all bowed to those at the head of the room, but acknowledged no one else. Lord Black stood, then cleared his throat.
"I would like to take a moment to thank all of you for coming on such short notice. House Malfoy has demanded a quorum of the Great Houses. I have not been given details due to the quorum being demanded, but I do know that this affects both Britain and the Americas. Are there any questions before the quorum is called?"
"Why are there children here?" asked one of the men that Luna did not know.
"Lord Franklin, due to the subject matter of the quorum, it is vital that the six Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses be represented. Lord Potter is in attendance due to this. Heir Lovegood has joined us due to information that she will be providing. Lord Longbottom is in attendance with Lady Longbottom due to his age. Lord Potter's father is seated among you in his role as Lord Prince, but will be advising Lord Potter if necessary after quorum is called," Lord Black stated firmly.
"Thank you, Lord Black. I have no further questions." Lord Franklin returned to his seat.
"Are there any other questions," Lord Black asked and then waited for response. When no one responded, he continued. "I, Lord Black of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House Black, call this quorum into order. I will announce each member of the quorum and then those with business before the quorum. Lord Lovegood, the Most Ancient and Most Noble House Lovegood." Xeno stood and nodded, as each would do as they were introduced. "Lord Malfoy, Most Ancient and Noble House Malfoy. Lord Prince, Most Ancient and Noble House Prince. Lord Winchester, Noble House Winchester. Lord Longbottom and his mother Lady Longbottom, Most Ancient and Noble House Longbottom. Lord MacMillan, Most Ancient and Noble House MacMillan. Lord Greengrass, Most Ancient and Noble House Greengrass. Lord Parkinson, Most Ancient and Noble House Parkinson. Lord Weasley, Most Ancient and Noble House Weasley. Lord Moody, Noble House Moody. Lady Bones, Noble House Bones. Lord Garcia, Most Ancient and Noble House Garcia. Lord Martinez, Most Ancient and Noble House Martinez. Lord Sousa, Most Ancient and Noble House Sousa. Lord Franklin, Noble House Franklin. Lord Adams, Noble House Adams. Lord Santos, Noble House Santos. Lord Potter, Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses Potter, Slytherin, Gryffindor, and Pervell. We have been called to quorum by House Malfoy in the matter of the Order of Aurelius. For those of you who are not aware, House Malfoy issued a blood feud against the Order of Aurelius in 1880 when William Pratt, third in line to become Head of House Malfoy, was turned against his will by Drusilla, a young vampire and a member of the Order. She was turned in 1860 by Angelus. Angelus was sired by Darla in 1753, who was sired by the Master in 1609. Darla and Angelus were turned by choice, as Darla was dying from syphilis and Angelus was a horrible human being even before he was changed. It is unclear if Drusilla was mentally fit to accept being turned, but she became extremely unstable after she was sired. I will pass the floor to Miss Janna Kalderash for the reason that we are here now."
"I am Janna Kalderash and I am Romani. I was born to the disavowed Clan Kalderash, but have been accepted by the Romani as a whole due to my ability with wand magic. My birth clan was disavowed in 1898 when they placed a curse on Angelus after he brutalized and killed the clan's princess. The curse returned his soul to his body along with the demon. The other clans gathered and disavowed the elders who acted against the will of the Romani. There is a happiness clause in the curse. If he achieves true happiness, the soul will be expelled and Angelus will be unleashed again, with no warning. The Romani believed that this clause would create greater danger and it was unfair to the soul. I was raised until eleven with my birth clan and the faces of the members of the Master's line were taught to me from the time I could understand fear. Last night, I saw Angelus as I was leaving Los Angeles, and I followed him to Sunnydale. I contacted the residents of Black Vineyard to warn them of the danger so close to their home. I knew, since I teach many of the children here, that they are a very important part of the magical world and it is very possible that one of the children could be the one foretold to bring happiness to Angelus. She will be the slayer bound to the Hellmouth. Death is her gift, and Death's Master calls her family." Janna finished her tale and moved to leave the room when Harry quietly asked a question.
"Who is Death's Master?"
"I am not sure who it is, Lord Potter. I am not sure that the slayer involved is one of the girls living here, but I thought it would be better safe than sorry," Janna replied.
"Thank you Miss Kalderash. If we have more questions, we will call you back," Lord Black said, then continued. "Lord Malfoy, the floor is now yours."
"Thank you, Lord Black. I seek permission to wipe the Order of Aurelius from the Americas and Britain. The blood feud is still in force, but certain vampires have gained protection in both kingdoms. The threat to those here is real. I requested the quorum to protect a daughter of both House Black and House Malfoy. I ask that you allow Rupert Giles to give testimony to this quorum. He was a member of the world of wanded magic before being banned for being involved in a group who summoned the demon Eyghon the Sleepwalker in 1975. The normal punishment for this crime is ten years of probation with no wand, which has happened. Mr. Giles became a member of the Watcher's Council after the incident and left the Council in October of 1981. He has been in residence here since early November of that year."
"We shall vote," Lord Black interrupted. The vote, by show of hands ended with 19 for and 2 against, with Lord Malfoy abstaining. Giles was asked to enter.
"Please state your name and explain how you came to be in residence of Black Vineyard," Lord Black asked.
"Rupert Giles. My mother and father are members of the Watcher's Council as are many who are born mundane in a magical family. As it is proven in the Americas, many times the children of such marriages are born with magical ability and I was one of these children. I was not invited to attend Hogwarts at eleven, but was instead sent to the Durmstrang Institute. The people in the group I was in were all students there. What was not taken into consideration when I was brought to trial is the seventh member of our group. Myself, Ethan Rayne, Thomas Sutcliffe, Deirdre Page, Philip Henry and Randall Rosier were all products of marriages of first generation mundanes who were born magical and refused entry to Hogwarts. The last member of our group was Ivan Krupin, the demonology teacher at Durmstrang. The summoning was a part of our final project for that class in 1973."
"Excuse me, Mr. Giles. My name is Lord MacMillan. I remember sitting your trial. We were told that you were all muggleborns and that you committed this crime in Britain. Is this not true?"
"No sir. We were arrested when we returned to Britain two years after we summoned the demon. We had been in Britain several times between the summoning and when we were arrested. We were not allowed to testify as part of the 'bargain' our parents reached with Barty Crouch to keep from being imprisoned. We were given the choice of joining the Watcher's Council or being banned from Britain. I joined the Council and the others left. While working in the archives, I found that many slayers had been taken from magical families prior to showing magical ability. Many of these girls had their powers bound and died quickly once they were called. You must understand that normal protocol is that the potential girls are not taken until they are at least three years old. In December of 1980 a girl was born and plans were made to take the girl in October of 1981. Another girl was born in January of 1981, and the same plans were made for her. I contacted both Watchers to see if there was a reason for early removal in either case. Neither Watcher was aware of their new assignments. We researched the girls and found that they were both descended from House Black. We retrieved the older girl and located the younger girl. The older girl was in a horrible situation and showed signs of abuse, even at her young age. The younger girl was in a loving home and very well taken care of. We spoke with the mother and her family and when they were accepted back into the family, we were invited to stay on as trainers and security."
"I am Lord Sousa. Which family is affected by these crimes?"
"Lord Sousa, I will answer that question. Faith and Buffy are both daughters of House Black," Lord Black responded.
"Buffy is also a daughter of House Malfoy," Lucius replied.
"I understand the reason for this quorum. I am sure that we will all protect the privacy of these two young girls," Lord Sousa replied.
"As you can see," Lord Malfoy began, "this is a sensitive matter to all of us that live here at Black Vineyard. There is a possibility that either Buffy or Faith could be the girl Angelus is searching for, not to mention the crimes against House Black and House Malfoy by the Watcher's Council. I beg for permission to end this threat and destroy the entire Order of Aurelius."
Luna took a deep breath and stood. "May I have permission to speak?" she asked quietly. Once permission was granted, she walked to the center of the room.
"My name is Luna Lovegood. I am Heir Lovegood until I am married to Lord Potter once we are both of age. This is known, but what is unknown to most is that I am Heir Ravenclaw as well. I am the third child from her line to inherit her gift in the last thousand years. I will be the first to attend Hogwarts. I have visions. I had a vision of Buffy, but older. She had a protector. He was a vampire, but looked a lot like the Malfoy family. She called him Spike and he killed to protect her. He also through himself in between her and an explosion. I ask that he be spared for Buffy."
"Thank you Heir Lovegood," Lord Black responded. "We will stop here for refreshment. Please discuss this among yourselves and once we continue, we will come to our decision."
The quorum ruled that all of the Order of Aurelius be killed on sight without recourse with the exception of William Pratt, House Malfoy known as the vampire Spike. He would be captured and questioned before a decision was made in his case. That night, Severus, Regulus, Sirius, and Lucius tracked and killed Angelus. They also located and killed Darla and the Master. All three were in Sunnydale. The Master was trapped underground in Sunnydale and had several vampires of his line there as well. The only members of the Order left were Spike and Drusilla. None of those involved in the hunt were harmed except Sirius, who slipped and fell and received a bruise.
The quorum also decided to investigate the accusations against the Watcher's Council and the report of the wrong doing of Rupert Giles. They would meet every three months to discuss the findings.
Yule was amazing in 1985 as it was all the prior years at Black Vineyard. The children celebrated the holiday by handing out baskets in Sunnydale as they normally did and lighting the Yule log. Dudley missed his parents, but was happy that he did not have to spend time with his Aunt Marge. He was slowly catching up to the others in his training with the High Elves and the Goblins. He was fitting in with the strange family he was now a part of and hopefully he would not have to be separated from them when it was time to go to Hogwarts. He was lost in thought on these matters when Mr. White asked to speak to him.
"Dudley, I know that you must be worried that the others will be leaving you behind when they return to Britain for Hogwarts. Stop worrying. I have the ability to sense magical cores, and you do have one. You are a member of House Slytherin after all."
"But I cannot speak to snakes and I thought that all of his relatives could," Dudley responded, trying not to whine.
"No child, they do not. But to be his Heir you must have that ability. That is why Harry is Heir and you are not even though you are older. Just like Luna is Heir Ravenclaw because she is from the family and has Rowena's gift. All of the children who live here now have cores, even Dean, who when I first met him, did not. I imagine that within the next year or so, all of you will start performing accidental magical if not controlled magic. Just be patient."
"Thank you, Mr. White. I feel much better now."