Heart of Magic

Well I suppose a few of you were wondering how long this story was going to take? With a huge empire against one small island, how long could that take. So it is now time to reveal our true antagonist. Thank you for reading

Apple

It was evening by the time Harry re-entered number twelve Grimmauld place and the order had assembled once more in his dining room. Harry thought they would have learned from the previous night but as he was leaving there wasn't much point. He was intending to get his stuff and head back to Italy and the order, he had done his job and for now he would need to go back and wait until he was reassigned. Most likely he would be sent to be the Judge in a few of the trials the order would set up and Juliana would request him a few times for "consulting" The Empress herself was currently meeting with the muggle prime minister and Queen Elizabeth to inform them of the situation. They would remain largely untouched by the way due each solider being trained in memory charms and minimal force would be used on non magical people as they were not around high profile targets. However The Queen and Juliana were close friends and she was busy with them while he got the stuff, first however he needed to deal with the order.

"What do you lot want?" he asked when he realised they were not meeting but instead were waiting for him, they must have heard about what happened as a special newspaper had been printed just to let people know Great Britain was under attack.

"You were serious," Hermione pointed out looking angry, Harry nodded curtly not expecting her to apologise, he was right as all she wanted to do was make herself look smart which was going to be hard due to the army she had claimed not to be real turning up.

"Well done, is there anything else you would like to add?" Harry wondered sarcastically and the girl went a dark shade of red, Dumbledore however beat them all to it.

"Yes Harry, we would like to apologise well some of us wish to apologise. I abused your trust and for that I am sorry, I allowed a slave owner to be in this order and for that I am eternally sorry." The old man sighed knowing he was in the wrong and Harry suspected he had been trying to say this for a while but there had never been the right moment

"We all want to apologise for thinking badly of you, some us believed you were a coward and while some still do we know you are a brave man, someone your parents would have been proud of," Mad Eye stepped forward and Harry felt a rush of appreciation at the man who had always seemed so icy and unapproachable.

"When you took my magic, I saw you in a different light at first I was angry but then I saw good in your actions, I learned that day you are not like your father but you mother. I want to apologise for all I have done," Snape announced meekly and the entire order turned to him mouth's open, this was one of the most improbable things that had happened and yet the man did not joke or laugh instead he looked sincere. Tonks then stepped forward and Harry wondered what she had to apologise for,

"I want to be the first auror and member of this order to pledge allegiance to you and the Order of Mages, I saw today what evil was and to be honest it was right at the heart of the ministry!" she announced boldly and Harry was taken aback, he had always liked Tonks but this was unexpected. Though she meant it and Harry knew she would make a good battlemage, perhaps she could get into the elite who guarded the Cardinals and the Arch Mage himself.

"Me too!" Mad Eye confirmed,

"And me!" Diggle nodded up and down in his bubbly yet awkward voice

"My loyalties lie with you," Snape informed him curtly,

"Always us," Fred and George said at the same time

"Us!" Bill and Fleur announced with a smile

"Me too," Arthur confirmed,

"Me and any auror who will listen are with you!" Kingsley proclaimed, others said the same and while some said nothing at the end of the line Dumbledore stepped forward.

"I have always allied myself with courage, valour, righteous and honour. You Harry have all of them and perhaps you always did. I just couldn't see it, now I do and I pledge my loyalty to you and the Order of Mages," the old man declared and some of the order looked like they were going to faint,

"Thank you all of you," Harry began slightly overwhelmed but that feeling vanished when Molly decided to speak up

"Traitors! All of you!" she spat nastily "He and that woman of his declared war on us!" Harry did not give her an answer, she did not deserve one but some people thought she did.

"Why? When have you ever supported the ministry or this country?" Tonks demanded fixing them with a cold glare, "the only reason you are doing this is because you can't stand Harry being what he is, a good honest person who has done more good for all of us than the ministry has ever done. He fought for the rights of the people and he stopped Voldemort, he literally turned the man into a crying wreck and you want to call him a traitor!" her hair was suddenly bright red and Harry wondered if she was about to explode. Molly shrunk back and looked at Arthur but even he was cold and unforgiving, their relationship must have been strained by both past events and recent ones had even more of an effect on them.

"Tonks! How dare you! He killed Sirius!" Remus spat nastily and Tonks turned on him next, however before she could speak Mad Eye barged in front of her.

"How Lupin?" the man demanded with his magical eye whirring in its socket, "How? When Sirius joined this order he knew what the risks were, he knew he could die and if you are going to blame him then you have to blame Ginny, Hermione, Ron and all the others who went with him. They all agreed to go and he didn't even want them too, but when things went bad they turned on him with a vengeance and why? Because they had no one else to blame, you use Harry as an excuse and it sickens me. It always did and always will! If I die tomorrow then I die knowing I helped people and fought against evil, do you think I would want you to blame someone over it? The man who killed me is to blame!" he roared the last sentence and Remus paled slightly before shrinking away, Mad Eye was nothing if not intimidating.

"I was haunted by Sirius death for months, I did think I was to blame Lupin but I overcame it when I realised it was not me who cursed him through the veil, it was not me to forced him to come and I do not think I am to blame, whether you like it or not," Harry hissed lowly before turning around

"Those who want to come with me, get your stuff and meet me here in about half an hour, bring only essentials as there is limited luggage space, Dobby is bringing Ron and he will be the first to face trial in front of the Cardinal Mages in a few days. We will decide whether or not to extradite him to the elven nations for sentencing," He explained quickly,

"You are not taking him!" Hermione spat suddenly drawing her wand, she barely had it out of her pocket before twenty wands were aimed at her.

"Make your choice wisely," Harry advised, he saw her realise she could not win this fight and put it away, her face a scowl the entire time.

"In that case let's go," Harry decided turning his back on her once more and he realised the next time he saw her it would be in much different circumstances, very different indeed.

Meanwhile – Antarctica

A woman sat on a throne made of ice; pale skin that had not seen light in years sunk into her body trying to avoid the bitter cold, her ice had been infused with ice creating two black holes giving off nothing but hate. Her long dark hair was like a river of lava snaking down her back and resting atop her jet black dress,

"All hail Empress Elizabeth the tenth of the Great Roman Empire," a man declared and the entire court rose, she was in the throne room and she was about to be addressed by her advisors. She had lived in this ice palace since she was born and she was the last Roman Empress, an empire which fell when the Cardinal Mages untied against her ancestors and broke the empire in half. It was crippled and weak, the Byzantium Empire rose along with another but few remembered it anymore. The Cardinal Mages had purged the once great empire until they were in control and the Romans had sworn revenge on them ever since, they had fled to the wastelands and acted dead. While the magical people united under their greatest enemy and the world turned their backs on the former rulers.

"What do you have to report!" the empress demanded in a cold voice, a man stood in the heart of the court looking pleased, this meant he had good news, or he would be punished.

"The Byzantium Alliance has declared war on magical Great Britain," the man told her and the empress smiled, this was her chance. For the last thousand years she had been building an army, an army that would reclaim her lands and unite both the magical and non magical world under one flag. One name and one ruler, the Order of Mages would fall as would the Byzantines who supported them, she just needed an opportunity, the right moment to reveal her existence and gain a foothold in the world.

"Mobilise the armed forces and send an envoy to minister Fudge offering our support, then write a letter to the Arch-Mage and tell him that the order was wrong, that the Roman Empire lives. Their ancient enemy has returned and this time we will win," she spoke profoundly, slowly knowing it would win the support of her advisors who deemed twenty was too young to rule. They were wrong, she would be known forever as the greatest Empress who ever lived, the one who reunited the Roman Empire and expanded it. Conquered the world with it

"It is time, time to make them pay," she more to herself than anyone else.