A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with it.
ELEVEN
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Near Inverness
Scotland, British Isles, Holy Empire of Britannia
October 23, 1995
Hermione could not remember a time since she had arrived at Hogwarts that the surface of the waters of the Black Lake was as calm as it is right now. No ripples disturbed the tranquil surface as the creatures that lived within the lake seem to avoid coming to the surface, just as no wind howled from any direction, gently stirring waves as it travelled through the air above the calm surface.
Hermione sat at her favorite spot near the shores of the lake, a spot opposite the Forbidden Forest – the lake was between where she was seated right now and the entrance to the forest where entry was not allowed – and just a stone's throw away from where the Imperial Military had set up their outermost sentries – a foxhole with the business edge of a heavy machinegun pointed outward of the castle.
Hermione had found this spot early in her career at the magical school. She had run out here during her first Halloween after Ronald Weasley had insulted her and found a felled log that quickly doubled as a seat for her as she watched the many miniscule disturbances on the surface of the lake, and it reminded her of the life that teemed within that ecosystem hidden from her eyes. The sudden drop in the temperature as afternoon turned to dusk and dusk turned to evening had quickly forced her back into the castle, missing the announcement that a troll had somehow managed to enter the school.
Since that time, Hermione had regularly returned to this place. It was as much as the place where she could be found as much as the library. Despite that, very few people within the halls of the castle that stood but a short distance away from where she was now seated was aware that this is her favorite spot.
Hermione was not alone as she stared at the calm waters of the lake, however. Beside Hermione, a man that wore the utility uniform of the Imperial military was also seated, but unlike Hermione, the attention of Harry was not directed toward the uncommonly still surface of the Black Lake, rather, both of his emerald green eyes were turned toward Hermione as he presented an outward calm despite the fact the deep within him, the cadet was wondering why Hermione had asked for him.
Harry was forced to examine how deeply this beautiful and wonderful girl beside him had ingrained herself in him. He was forced to remember the time when they first met, and as he did so, a wistful smile came across his face – unnoticed even by Harry – as he silently remarked with wonder at how fast and how deep Hermione had became important to him.
What was supposed to be a mission to infiltrate the castle and steal an item of importance to the security of the Holy Empire right from under the nose of the Headmaster turned into something else for Harry, and as he sat beside Hermione, Harry was forced to concede that it turned into something else because of the young woman that now sat beside him.
His further musings, however, was interrupted when Hermione abruptly turned her attention away from the calm lakes of the waters and toward Harry – and he silently remarked to himself, 'she's beautiful'.
Hermione placed her index finger over his lips before he could say anything, silently telling him to let her speak. It was the first time that she had done that since he had known her, and Harry was forced to concede that electricity ran up and down his spine.
When Hermione opened her mouth, he fully expected her to admonish him for the way that he fought the duel, and now that he had some time to think about it, Harry realized that he should not have played with Ron. Already, he had been admonished by Edward for allowing the majority – if not all – of the students and faculty of Hogwarts to watch him bat away the incoming spells using his sword, and Harry fully expected his liege lord to tear him a new one the moment that Lord Alexander heard about it – 'and he has a good reason to,' Harry remarked, 'that sword was supposed to be a secret'.
In his defense, Harry thought that it was a good way to humiliate Ron, but once again, now that he had time to think, he realized that humiliating Ron was not why he was at the dueling platform in the first place.
"What does it mean, Harry?" Hermione asked. Her voice made Harry returned to the present, and for a few moments, he could only stare at her as he tried to make sense of her question. Fortunately, there was no need for Harry to directly ask her, because Hermione – not sensing the confusion that Harry felt – continued, "The protection that you said?"
Harry blinked before he realized what Hermione was talking about. That was one more thing that Harry had to admit – at least to himself – that he made a mistake about. Although granted a wide range of powers by virtue of being the personal representative of Lord Alexander to Hogwarts – not that any member of the Hogwarts student body or faculty and staff was aware of it – and as the first – and only – son of the Viscount of Lisbourne, Harry does not possess the power to place a person – least of all a member of another family – under the umbrella of family protection.
For the announcement that Harry had made just a few moments ago in front of the school to be effective, he had to speak and somehow convince his father. Should Lord James of Lisbourne refuse to ratify the announcement of Harry, then Harry would be the one who would provide protection to Hermione without the support of the Potter family, and this would be true even when Harry becomes Head of the Family.
Harry had no qualms about protecting Hermione, but he realized that he should have waited for an official instruction from his father, an instruction that was not likely to have arrived before his duel, given that Harry had not asked permission from his father in the first place.
"Harry?" Hermione asked, and once more, she forced him back to the present. The questioning look on her face convinced Harry that it would be in his best interest to answer her question.
"It means that the Potter Family would consider you as a protectorate," Harry said, and before Hermione can ask the obvious next question – 'What does that mean?' – Harry continued, "It means that an attack on you would be considered as an attack against the Potter Family, necessitating a response from the family and all allies of the family."
Harry watched as the eyes of Hermione widened as the implications of what Harry had just said sunk in with her. By declaring her a protectorate, Hermione had essentially become untouchable. The Potter Family might not have that many resources, but Hermione was aware that the family was one of the closest allies of the York Family. Fundamentally, an attack on Hermione could be considered as an attack against the Royal Family.
"Does that mean…?" Hermione began.
Harry cut her off by repeating what Hermione had done earlier; he placed his index finger on top of her lips, though he was unsure if Hermione felt the same thing that he had felt when she had done it to him, namely, that lightning ran up his spine. Harry was not aware of it – and Hermione had no intention of telling Harry – but when he placed his index over her lips, lightning also run up the spine of Hermione.
"I have to confirm it first with my father," Harry said, having made the decision to come clean so as not to give Hermione any false hope. Still, he fully expected at least one slap from Hermione, possible even more.
When she did not reply to his words, Harry thought that it was because she was shocked by the duplicity, and Harry quickly moved to reassure her, "I would make the case to my father, Hermione," he tried to assure her
Hermione, however, shook her head, and Harry suddenly became afraid as he realized that she was about to say something that he really does not want to hear. Harry quickly tried to come up with the words that he could use to stall Hermione, but before he could do so, Hermione was already speaking, though the words that came out of the mouth of Hermione were not the words that Harry had thought – and feared – would come out.
"Thank you, Harry," she said, much to the confusion of Harry. The moment that she saw the tell-tale confused look on his face, she burst out laughing, "That you would step out in the limelight and declare that you would protect me, no one had ever done that for me before."
"Just as well, it means that I am the one who is supposed to protect you," Harry replied. Realizing what he had just said, he swallowed audibly before he continued, "In any case, they are all idiots."
"I never told you who 'they' are, Harry," Hermione teased him, the smile on her lips broadening.
"Whoever they are, they are idiots," Harry insisted, unaware that Hermione was teasing him, and the fact that there are no 'they' in the life of Hermione.
Still, like every girl when she was young, Hermione had dreamed of a prince in shining white armor and a majestic white horse – sometimes with a single horn on the forehead, but that would be a unicorn – to gallop into her life, pull her into his arms, and carry her off to his magic castle.
Hermione returned her attention toward Harry just as a small giggle pass through her lips – causing confusion in the face of Harry – as she thought, 'Harry might not be wearing a shining white armor or riding a majestic white horse, but the reality is sometimes far better than the imagination.'.
'Although,' Hermione thought, 'that uniform could certainly be considered as armor.'
Harry fidgeted uncomfortably and Hermione turned toward him with a questioning look, but Harry merely shrugged, "It's nothing," he assured her, but Hermione would not let it go, and she continued to stare at him, until after a few moments later when Harry sighed and said, "I keep on thinking about how I defeated Ronald Weasley," he admitted.
Harry would admit that he would have wanted for Hermione to say something after he had said that, but she merely continued to stare at him. The young cadet also had to admit that the way that Hermione was staring at him at that moment was making her uncomfortable, so after a few moments, he let out a sigh and continued, "I keep thinking that I should not have played with him," he admitted, "That I should have ended the duel even before it began."
For a few moments, Hermione stared at Harry, digesting the words that he had just uttered. That Harry could end the duel even before it began, Hermione had no doubt. The skill that Harry had showcased during the duel was not one that she would have expected from a fifteen year old, she had no doubt that Harry knew far more spells than her, and that Harry could cast them far more effectively than she – or anyone else inside the school with the possible exemption of the staff – could.
Hermione shook her head a few moments later and returned her attention toward both the present and Harry, "I enjoyed the duel," Hermione admitted a few moments later, and at the questioning look that she saw on the face of the young man who had risked a lot to protect her, Hermione continued, "It was amusing to watch Ronald get humiliated, I must admit."
Harry stared at her, then a few moments later a smile came across his face as he nodded, but the words that came out of his mouth was, "I thought he was going to ask you out for the Hogsmeade visit as soon as it is scheduled?" he asked, although there was a light teasing tone in the way that he asked that question.
Her lips thinned to show the fact that she was not amused by his question, but after a few moments, she replied, "He probably would not want to go near me again," she smirked toward Harry and the young cadet could barely make sense of the words of Hermione before she continued, "You humiliated him in front of the school, and now the whole school knows that you have me under your protection, Ron would not dare approach me."
Harry paused for a few moments as he tried to make sense of the words that Hermione had just uttered, but after a few moments – and finding no fault in the logic of Hermione given the few things that Harry had learned about Ron since his arrival at Hogwarts – the young cadet finally nodded his agreement with the assessment of Hermione.
Harry, however, had a few more things to say, and toward Hermione, he said in a serious voice that brokered no argument as to the seriousness of his words, "Just as well, if he tried to lay his hands on you this time, I will cut off his head," he said.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Near Inverness
Scotland, British Isles, Holy Empire of Britannia
October 23, 1995
Professor Severus Snape presented an outward calmness as he watched his fellow professors enter the staff room. On the surface in front of the youngest potions master in the whole world – and no one would doubt his ability, they just doubt his ability to pass on his knowledge to his students – a cup of hot tea rested, smoke billowing from the surface of the nearly crystal clear liquid hinting only at its high temperature.
The resident potions master of Hogwarts was aware that his colleagues are surprised by the meeting that the Headmaster had called, just as he knew that they are surprised by the fact that he had beaten them all to the punch and was already inside the staff room by the time that they arrived. Severus knew very well his reputation of arriving at the last moment – 'at least I do not arrive five minutes after the meeting was supposed to start,' Severus quipped, 'damn Lockhart.'
The potions master of Hogwarts forced himself back to the present by gently taking his cup of tea and sipping on it. As he did so, Severus wondered why the Headmaster had called for this meeting, but even as he silently remarked to himself, there was already a part of him who already knew the reason that Albus Dumbledore had called for an unscheduled faculty meeting.
'And he tells me that I am too petty,' Severus remarked as he replaced his cup of tea on top of the saucer that rested on the surface in front of him. At the same time, he politely inclined his head toward Professor McGonagall as she entered the staff room, a clearly irritated expression written on her face.
Severus knew the reason for that irritated look, but unlike the reason that the Headmaster had called for this unscheduled staff meeting, this time, the potions master was sure what the reason is behind the annoyed look on the face of the transfiguration mistress of the school.
If forced to make an admission, Severus would have no choice but to admit that at that moment, he too was irritated at the meeting, for this meeting was being held at the same time that he and his fellow professors are supposed to be in their classrooms doing what the administrator of the school was paying them to do, teach the students, but no, the Headmaster would not be swayed, he wanted a meeting, and a meeting he got, at the expense of the students that are supposed to be the priority of this school.
Severus watched in silence – he seriously considered taking his tea again – as the Deputy Headmistress took her designated seat at the table. Minerva looked at Severus for a few moments, but then she returned her attention toward the direction of the seat of the Headmaster – who had not yet appeared from wherever it was that he was supposed to come from.
Severus knew that the Deputy Headmistress was surprised that he was here early, and he knew that she clearly wanted to ask him if he knew anything about what was going on, but Minerva was nothing if not disciplined, and the formidable Scot – possibly the second most magically powerful human in the whole of the castle, possible stronger than the number three and the number four in the castle combined – clamped down on her desire to know exactly what was going on with an iron clamp as she focused her attention toward the direction of the seat of the Headmaster.
The resident potions master of Hogwarts knew that the transfiguration mistress of the school took her job seriously and would suffer no interruption from her work. At that moment, Severus silently told himself that he would not want to be the Headmaster right now, given the sure fact that the Headmaster was sure to be a the short end of the legendary temper of the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts.
Seven minutes before the meeting was supposed to start, the Headmaster made his appearance, but unlike his faculty staff that walked into the meeting room, the Headmaster had to keep up appearances and flooed in using the fireplace located just behind where he was supposed to be seated. That was expected, though, given that his office was at the seventh floor of the school while this room was at the second floor.
The Headmaster looked surprise at the fact that his potions master was already inside the room, but unlike the rest of his staff, Albus Dumbledore merely shrugged before he turned his attention toward his assembled staff.
The Headmaster turned his attention toward his Deputy, and there was no need for him to resort to using his powerful Legilimancy ability in order to know what she was thinking. The frown on her face was enough advertisement for the Headmaster to know that Minerva was not amused by this meeting.
Still, Albus knew that he could afford to ignore the look on the face of the resident transfiguration mistress. The Headmaster knew that while Minerva may vocally disagree – sometimes loudly – with some of his decisions, she would follow instructions. For all her personal power, Minerva was not one to resort to action first, and, in any case, even if the Deputy were to act out of her character, Albus was sure that he could take on Minerva – even if she were to include Filius Flitwick and Pomona Sprout with her.
"Thank you for coming here," Albus said at the same time that he took his seat. He conveniently ignored the fact that his staff could not beg off from attending a meeting with him, especially when one considers the fact that the Headmaster had made attendance mandatory.
"Albus, what has happened this time?" Minerva asked, though her tone suggested that whatever it was that had happened, the Scottish witch was of the opinion that it was not that important enough for her classes to be disturbed. Unfortunately, Albus knew his Deputy Headmistress far better than anyone inside the school, and he knew without a doubt that Minerva would consider the topic of this meeting to be irrelevant – at the least.
The Headmaster sighed theatrically, but unfortunately for him, every single person inside the staff room knew that his sigh was just that, theatrical. None of them were convinced by the show, but at the same time, no one said anything, for at that same moment, the Headmaster said, "I had hoped to discuss the behavior of our guests toward our students," he paused for a few moments – and ignored the looks on the faces of his senior staff – before he added, "Specifically, one guest."
Minerva let out a loud sigh, one meant to be noticed by the Headmaster, and that was exactly what the Headmaster did, he noted the actions of his deputy, and he turned his attention toward her, a questioning look on his face, "Albus," the Deputy Headmistress began, "We all know that the guest that you are about to mention is one Harry James Potter."
Albus Dumbeldore nodded and was about to confirm the words that his deputy had uttered, but before he could do so, the diminutive charms master of Hogwarts and the man who had been the referee of the duel that occurred just a few hours ago, said, "I find the actions of Cadet Potter to be proper," and before anyone could say anything, the half-goblin quickly added to the defense of Harry Potter, "If it had been my friend who had been insulted, I would not have held back like he did, and his announcement of pronouncing family protection over Miss Granger is within his rights."
"You do not think that this reeks of favoritism?" Albus asked, and at the look of surprise on the faces of his staff, the Headmaster explained, "Miss Granger is muggle-born, does this not show favoritism in their favor?"
"If it does," Professor Sprout said, entering the conversation with a counter-argument to the admittedly flawed – even the Headmaster would admit that – argument that the Headmaster had used, "Then I for one would say that it's about time."
"Purebloods walk amongst the population of Hogwarts as if they own this place," Pomona added, responding to the unasked query of the Headmaster, "They must be made to understand that Hogwarts is a school, not a breeding ground for the next generation of blood purist," she shook her head and added in a tone that suggested a barely controlled fury, "And the rampant discrimination against our muggle-born students, time and time again, I had protested this underground practice, but nothing had been done," a satisfied smirk crossed the face of the head of Hufflepuff House as she added, "Perhaps this would teach those who would persist in their ways that discrimination would not be tolerated within the walls of this institution."
This was not how the Headmaster had envisioned this meeting happening, but his staff had effectively hijacked the meeting, with three of his four Heads of Houses speaking out against him. The only other Head of House who had not spoken was Severus – and here, the Headmaster turned his attention toward the potions master of Hogwarts – but that was merely because Severus felt that the Headmaster need not know his opinion, having imitated the same to the Headmaster numerous times during their private meetings.
"Are you advertising for another duel, Pomona?" Dumbledore asked.
Professor Sprout shook her head, "Not at all, Headmaster," she replied, "If I may remind you, sir, that it was Ronald Weasley who challenged Harry Potter to a duel, not the other way around," he politely inclined his head toward Minerva before he added, "If it was up to me, the humiliation that he had suffered in the hands of the Potter scion is not enough, I would have suspended him, and if I had the power, I would have expelled him."
The emphasis on the word scion was not lost upon the Headmaster who belatedly realized that Harry Potter is the son of Lord James, Viscount of Lisbourne. It was bad enough that the Potters are considered amongst the elite of the British Magical Society – despite the fact that they had disappeared, that having been offset by the fact that they disappeared after it was widely believed that they had defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort – now, it would appear that they also hold peerage position – and are direct vassals to one of the most powerful Dukes in the Holy Empire – within the muggle aristocracy. The political power of Lord James Potter is considerable, and it would appear that his son was not shy about using it.
Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire, England
British Isles, Holy Empire of Britannia
October 23, 1995
Lily Potter stood at the second floor of the massive house, her arms crossed over her chest as she calmly observed the coming and going of people below her. The Lady Countess of Lisbourne had stood at the exact same spot for twenty minutes now, calmly waiting just a few steps away from the closed doors of a non-descript room – 'and there are so many of them in this house', Lily thought to herself.
She had to admit that she was waiting for that door to open and for the people who are already inside the room – and she knew that there are many of them inside that room, engaged in a discussion that she had decided not to take part in because of the headache that she was feeling at the moment – to leave, pronouncing an end to their meeting.
She fought the urge to raise her left arm so that she may check the time with her timepiece once more. Lily was assured by James – who had attended the meeting because Lord Lisbourne is the official representative of the Prince of Wales and the Prince of Scotland while Lord Alexander is out of the British Isles – that the meeting would end by twelve – 'military officers, especially these high ranking ones, tend to stick with the schedules that they had made for themselves,' James had told her – noon, but the last time that Lily had checked her watch, it was already twelve in the afternoon, and that was more than twenty minutes ago.
The former assistant prosecutor for the City of New York in the Lady Countess of Lisbourne wanted to break open the door and charge into the room, a demand to know why they are taking too long in finishing their meeting already ready to be fired from her lips, but that part of Lily was effectively held in check by the noble lady part of her.
Lily had once accompanied Lady Emma while the latter waited outside a close door for her fiancée. The Countess of Lisbourne could tell that Lady Emma was about to lose her temper because it was taking the military men too long to come up with a decision already so that Lord Alexander could leave the meeting, but the Marchioness kept her cool throughout the long thirty minute overtime. When that meeting finally ended, Lady Emma only had a smile on her face, though Lily was not sure what was discussed between the Marchioness and the then Duke of New York while they laid on the surface of their bed that evening.
Without warning, the door opened, and Lily almost instantly had her attention turned from the direction that she faced a few moments ago and to the direction of the door. She was surprised at the worried and anxious – 'an intriguing combination,' Lily thought – on the faces of the military men as they walked out of the room. Quite a few of them politely bowed in front of her, but Lily was not about to exchange pleasantries with the men, even if most of them had triangles or even diamonds on their shoulders.
The number of officers involved in this meeting meant that Lily had to wait for only a few moments before the room was cleared of everyone who – while members of the Grand Fleet –are not in the Inner Circle of Lord Alexander. Once she was sure that only members of the Inner Circle are inside, Lily stepped into the room.
It was a non-descript room, Lily noted. It was a virtual twin of virtually every room in the second floor of the house, a room with a view on one side, high ceilings, and a smattering of cushioned chairs and sofas plus a few end tables to function as surfaces. Ever since Lord Alexander had taken over the largest privately owned home in the whole of Europe, his staff of caretakers and helpers had been busy turning it into a relatively comfortable house/headquarters for the Prince.
They had mostly succeeded, despite the protests of the original caretakers who had argued that even though the house is technically the headquarters of the Grand Fleet, it is still a private house, never mind the fact that the Golden Throne owns the house.
"Lils," the voice of her husband calling her using his personal nickname for her brought Lily out of her reverie. She turned her attention toward the direction where the sound came from, and she raised one of her eyebrows toward the direction of James when she saw him seated at one of the sofas with his legs propped up against one of the end tables. It was a lousy position, and it was the only thing that Lily needed to see in order to know that her husband had not had a productive day.
Aside from Lily and James, there was only one other person in the room. The sudden summons that Lord Alexander had received from his grandmother had forced the Prince to quit the British Isles for the time being and cross the Atlantic back to the mainland. The Prince brought almost his entire staff and Inner Circle aside from James, Lily, and the other man in the room with them, Rear Admiral Daniel William 'Ash' Ashford, the chief military advisor of Lord Alexander.
"Unproductive I take it?" Lily asked as she took a seat beside her husband. James – who was wearing a three-buttoned suit – the only civilian in a room full of military people during the meeting – straightened up as his wife sat beside him.
"Probably less than that," James was forced to admit, he inclined his head toward the direction of Rear Admiral Ashford. Lily turned her attention toward the man just in time to watch him as he poured himself a shot glass full of Scotch.
Once the Rear Admiral was finished, he offered an empty shot glass to James, but the Viscount of Lisbourne begged off by shaking his head. At that moment, James truly wanted to join Rear Admiral Ashford in getting drunk, but because his wife was in the room, he had to restrain himself.
"I am not my liege lord," Rear Admiral Ashford said after he drowned the contents of his glass. He quickly poured himself another shot but this time, the young Rear Admiral did not drain the contents right away, he turned his attention toward the couple first and admitted, "The officer corps of the Grand Fleet would be with His Grace to the man, but I could not say the same for the officer corps of Fourteen Army," he shook his head before he quickly added, "Without them, we might not be able to hold Scotland."
"With all fairness to the Fourteen Army, Ash," James said a few moments later, "They are not aware of the situation."
Rear Admiral Ashford nodded, "And the situation is not helped by the fact that we could not tell them what the situation is," he acknowledged. He seem to debate whether or not he should say something first before he drained his glass again, but evidently, the latter won as the young Rear Admiral – youngest in the staff of Lord Alexander – quickly drained the shot glass before he said, "We need to begin to plan contingencies just in case something untoward happen while His Grace is out of the British Isles, but to do that, we must have the assistance of Fourteen Army since they are the ones who may have to bear the brunt of any fighting."
"How likely would the separatist threaten us while His Grace is out?" Lily suddenly asked. Both her husband and the Rear Admiral turned their attention toward Lily with a questioning look pasted on their faces, and she took that to mean that both men were requesting for more information from her, so that was what she did, "I mean, the threat of the separatist are there, that is the reason that we have started to reinforce our standing in the area, but what are the chances that the separatist would launch any untoward incident during the time that our liege is not in the islands, surely, they are aware that while the Duke is seeing to personal business back at the mainland, the easily more than ninety percent of the Grand Fleet are still in station, not to mention the ground forces."
"They must know that there would be no hesitation on our part that we are going to make it rain fire on them should that happen," James added, his eyes brightening as he realized what his wife was saying.
Rear Admiral Ashford shook his head, however, and replied, "There is, of course, only a small chance of that happening," he admitted, but before anyone could comment, he quickly added, "But the greatest unknown that has to be taken into consideration, the greatest threat as it were, is Hogwarts."
"Which is why we had an entire brigade there," James pointed out, he leaned back on the chair that he was seated on and commented, almost off-handedly, "In any case, the power of the Oath was already demonstrated to them, they would not think to challenge it again, at least not without a smarter plan."
Rear Admiral Ashford shook his head, "Powerful as the Oath may be, Lord James, it is not foolproof," he reminded the Count of Lisbourne, "And already, I have enough scenarios in my head on how to break the Oath to give me nightmares," he actually fidgeted before he added, "The power that nature had granted to your kind, My Lord, is not to be underestimated and brought only under control of the Golden Throne by exploiting the prejudices of the magical people."
James and Lily nodded at that, aware of the story behind how the Golden Throne was able to make the magicals swear the Oath in the first place. It was not a pretty story.
"In any case," Rear Admiral Ashford continued, "His Grace has tasked us with coming up with a solution to a problem that has not emerged as of yet, but that it would emerge is inevitable."
Lily sparked at that, "Inevitable, Admiral?" she asked, and from her tone, there was an element of hostility in her question. It was obvious that she had taken offense at the statement of the Chief Military Advisor of the General-Admiral of the Grand Fleet.
"My apologies, My Lady," Rear Admiral Ashford replied, and for a few moments, the younger man did truly looked apologetic, but then he said, "The conflict between the magical world and the non-magical world is inevitable, because sooner or later, the Statute of Secrecy would fail," he shrugged but added before anyone could say anything, he continued, "We fear that which we do not understand, and fear breeds conflict, His Grace wanted to avoid that conflict, as does Her Grace, the Marchioness, but both of them acknowledged that they could not stave off that conflict forever."
"And does His Grace see that conflict happening anytime soon?" Lily asked.
Rear Admiral Ashford shook his head, "No, my Lady," he replied, "We could not be certain when this conflict would happen, only that it would happen," he smiled before he added, "It may even happen after His Grace had taken the Golden Throne, or even after His Grace has left it."
James and Lily stared at the chief military advisor for a few moments. Although they both knew that the man could not make an oath – basically because he was not magical, an oath that he would make would not be enforceable by magic – his words were structured much like one. After a while, James and Lily realized that the admiral must have made the oath having taken that into consideration, but before they could say anything, the Rear Admiral continued, "And that His Grace would take the Golden Throne, my Lord, my Lady, is a foregone conclusion as inevitable as the coming conflict."
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Near Inverness
Scotland, British Isles, Holy Empire of Britannia
October 23, 1995
For Harry, the so-called Room of Requirement was a huge garbage pile, and he did not mean that in the figurative sense.
When he and Edward first entered the room after searching for it with their wands out for more than a week, it had been a cozy chamber that both cadets would have mistaken for the office of the cadet corps commander back in Annapolis or the meeting room of the Prime Minister of Britannia, and of course, that meant that they could not conduct their search, so the two cadets just marked the location of the room.
They wasted the next five hours the next day looking for the room and that was when they discovered that the room was magical and would only appear if it was needed and only if the searcher was desperate enough.
'Well,' Harry thought as he pushed deeper into the room, taking care not to even nudge one of the dozens of unstable-looking stockpiles inside the room, 'we are about to get more desperate.'
Intelligence had sent a report from their headquarters that there was some sort of disturbance being generated near – or in – the castle. The report went on to state that it is possible that there is an effort being mounted to sever the Oath. Harry, the naval cadets, and the top brass of 'C' Brigade, 22nd Infantry Division, are all aware that the moment that the Oath was severed, something might happen – even if they do not yet know what that something is – that would require their intervention.
Harry knew that by intervention, that meant using the firepower of the entire brigade against the threat, even if at that moment, no one knew who – or what, for that matter – the threat was.
A sound coming from behind him tore Harry out of his reverie, and the cadet was quickly crouching on his left knee. He had pivoted on his heel in order to turn his attention toward the direction where he came from, and at the same time that he did so, he drew his wand. Harry had to admit that he would have preferred to draw his pistol, but because of the instructions that he had received prior to the deployment, Harry and his cadets had to leave their sidearm behind.
There already was a curse at the tip of his tongue, and Harry was ready to fire when the sound echoed around the room again. This time, because Harry was looking toward the direction of the sound, he saw the noisemaker and he lowered his wand after that.
The sound came from what appears to be a clock, though it was obviously enchanted. What appeared to be miniature fireworks were erupting from behind the no less than a dozen hands of the clock, and for the life of him, Harry could not figure out the reason behind having so many hands.
"You alright, Harry?" a voice came from the direction that Harry had came to regard as the other side of the room.
"Yeah," Harry replied, answering the question of his partner, Cadet Edward Brooke who was doing his own searching at the other side of the room.
Harry grimaced at that. The truth of the matter was, neither he nor his partner – or anyone else from the brigade for that matter – was aware of exactly how big this room was. Harry and Edward had both tried to measure the room but because of the junk in between, they could not do it by sight, necessitating using sound.
The problem with that was no matter how far the two of them were from each other, they could still hear each other as if they were just standing beside each other. Harry and Edward had once walked five minutes around the room in order to locate the other despite the fact that they could still hear each other using their normal volume.
The two young cadets could only surmise that whatever magic was affecting the room was also affecting their hearing, something that actually caused Harry some trepidation given that he could not feel the magic around him, or rather, he could not feel that specific magic around him.
"Have you found anything?" Edward asked.
"None that would register anything with the devices," Harry said, and to make sure of that, he turned his gaze toward a Geiger-counter like device that hang from his breast pocket. The gauge was indicating zero, which meant that there was no source of dark magic anywhere near Harry, "How about you?"
"I have some indications, but none of them are registering off the scale," Edward replied, "I'm guessing the one that we are searching for would be over the scale."
Harry nodded despite the fact that he knew that his partner could not see him. It made sense that the objective that they were sent after would be a dark object of the highest caliber. The devices are not showing anything of that mark, despite the fact that the devices are indicating that there are dark devices inside the room.
That, in itself, is not surprising. After all, Harry and his cadets had concluded that this particular room had been the favorite hiding spot of students since the beginning of the school. It would not be improbable to conclude that some students who had no desire to be caught with a dark object in their possession would throw said dark objects into this room.
Judging from the stockpile, no one had ever found the room twice, or even if there was some who had, there were not that many of them.
"Continue searching till we are relieved," Harry commanded at the same time that he pocketed his wand. At the same time, he thought to use his magical sight, but he had barely turned it on for two seconds before a blinding headache forced him to close it, at the same time that he was once more forced to his knees.
Fortunately, the headache passed on relatively quickly. The speed that it had came and disappeared convinced Harry that it was some sort of magical defense that had caught him by surprised but before he could think about it – and more importantly, before he could think of a way to indentify it – the voice of his partner echoed around the room once more.
"Harry," Edward screamed at the top of his voice, and that caused Harry to panic though before the higher ranking cadet could say anything, Edward continued, "I found something."
"Don't touch it, Edward," Harry commanded at the same time that he started running toward the direction of his friend. Unfortunately, Harry was not sure where his friend was, and could only depend on the sound that was echoing around the room to locate him. That could take anywhere between ten seconds to an hour.
"Talk to me, Edward," Harry commanded.
"It just started to glow, Harry," Edward suddenly said, and Harry had no trouble imagining that despite the panic that was now obvious in the voice of his friend, Edward already had his wand drawn and was ready to do what needs to be done – even if Harry was also sure that his partner had no idea just what that is.
"What is it?" Harry asked as he dodged a pile of garbage that suddenly appeared in front of him the moment that he made a sharp turn. He grazed one of the items as he continued running, not even bothering to slow down to check on the damage to the room as the pile collapsed, shattering some expensive looking decanters and blocking the path where Harry came from.
"It's some kind of a crown," Edward said, "It's still glowing and appears to be levitating as well," there was a pregnant pause before he continued to report, "It does not appear to be levitating, Harry, it is levitating."
"Don't approach it," Harry commanded as he turned once more. He thought that that was the right path to take but a few moments later, he cursed and was forced to turn around as he confronted a seemingly insurmountable wall of garbage.
"Too late," Edward replied dryly, "I'm not approaching it, its approaching me."
'Damn it,' Harry cursed as he turned another direction. This time, the path was clear and he continued to run toward his friend, "Back up, Ed," he commanded.
To Harry's horror and surprise, his partner did not reply. Fortunately, at that moment, Harry burst into the scene. His friend was openly staring at a crown of some sort, and Edward was right, not only was the crown glowing, it was also floating in mid-air, and worst, it was obvious that the whatever it was that was controlling the crown wanted Edward to put the crown over his head, if the altitude of the crown were to be of any indication.
"Edward!" Harry shouted at the same time that he drew his wand. He actually had the business end of his focus aimed at his friend at that moment, but he hesitated, and he turned his attention toward the crown at the same time that Edward's hands reached out for it.
The glowing and floating crown was not something special. Harry had expected the circlet to be engraved with precious stones, but the crown was devoid of such. In fact, if not for the fact that his friend had called it a crown of some sort, Harry would be fine labeling it as a circle of no importance.
Edward had placed his hands on both sides of the trinket and that tore Harry out of his reverie. The cadet leader was, however, still unsure of what to do, until the moment that his friend had the trinket directly over his head. Harry was not sure what that trinket was capable of doing, but judging from the fact that it was glowing and hovering, Harry was sure that it had some hidden capabilities.
'Damn it,' Harry thought. He knew that he could not stun the thing, because it does not have a consciousness, and judging from the way that his counter was squealing, this is the item that they had been sent after, 'it stands to reason that this dark object is capable of possessing anyone it comes across,' Harry thought.
"I have no choice, sorry, buddy," Harry said, and though it was directed toward Edward, the other cadet ignored Harry as he appeared to be so focused on getting that crown over his head.
"Stupefy," Harry screamed, the business end of his wand pointed toward Edward. The other cadet did not appear to notice the fact that a curse was flying toward him, until the last moment when he turned his attention toward Harry.
Harry watched as the eyes of his friend widened in realization of what was about to happen, but the curse was already so near that there was nothing that could be done about it on his part. He could not even jump out of the way, and within a few seconds after Harry fired, the beam of red light connected with the body of Edward,
The cadet slumped at the same time that his eyes rolled upward, and, having lost consciousness and balance, he fell faced first into the floor at the same time that the crown that he held with his hands rolled toward Harry.
Harry turned his attention toward the still glowing crown, and he could feel the power of the object seducing him with images that he knew could not be true but would like to come true. With a disgusted snarl, Harry raised his right foot over the object then slammed it down with all his might.
The object might not have bent in the face of the attack of Harry, but at least it shut up.