Chapter 12
Augusta, Griselda and Rosmerta sat in the Three Broomsticks smallest private room. Augusta sighed "I thought it was all over two years ago when Her Grace started killing people in the Wizengamot."
Griselda looked at her "Thought they would kill her and then himself would show up and kill everyone?"
Augusta snorted "A remote possibility, what worried me is her control would break and she would kill everyone."
Griselda nodded "A more likely outcome. When she gave that swear or die ultimatum though I knew we had struck gold."
Rosmerta snorted "Other than it took two years to get him to agree to swear everyone."
Augusta eyed her "You should get a Beltane night for that." Rosmerta got a faraway look for a moment "Now that we have secured the realm for generations to come what next?"
Griselda grimaced "The Field Marshal. Before I shuffle off."
The other two women paled.
TFS
Walter Krieger looked at the young woman sitting cross legged on his desk with the giant scythe across her lap and the huge boobs, who was lactating and leaking through her shirt. Death looked where Walter was looking, sighed and took the clean handkerchief he held out. "Thanks."
"So my time has come then." Walter nodded.
Death laughed "Oh no Field Marshal. You have miles to go before you sleep, and years of pain and the ghost visiting you in your dreams. Your God is impressed with your efforts to atone however. Good job. I took the rest of your ilk to your Devil. He enjoys them. I just wanted to stop by and warn you. Should you be pulling some vast scheme even I cannot see through your death will take a thousand years and all of it will be legend."
Walter looked at her "You love him."
"More than this world, if it wasn't for my wives and our children I would have taken him and burned this world to a cinder. You people should abase yourselves in their direction every day."
Walter smiled "His vision is better than Gellert's was. Do you think that's why it is coming true?"
Death shrugged and smiled "Couldn't care less, it is what my Master wants. I'll send the handkerchief back."
"Keep it my dear. Please."
"Remember." Suddenly the grim reaper was standing in his office scythe in hand then the office was empty.
Wilhelm walked in "Interesting Father."
"Stroke inducing you mean. Good thing we already plan on treating honestly with the Duchy. I have a feeling she would have known and none of us would have survived the encounter had we been false."
A pale pink silk kerchief with a set of arterial blood flow red lip prints on it floated to his desk. The field Marshall laughed. "You know I have seen her before but only ever as the Reaper. This is the first time I met Death in her true personification. I think I like this one better."
Wilhelm snorted "You did catch when she said her 'wives'."
Walter waved him off "She is a fine young woman. Millions of years old but still married to a fine young man and his fine wives, all powerful presences in magic. Their children are smart, hardworking and by all reports as noble as their father. This was the dream we started with. This was the dream we lost."
"So we should all just swear the vassal oath?" Wilhelm asked.
Walter shrugged "That is for your generation to judge my son."
TFS
Harry rolled Hermione under him on the chaise and Lily gasped and hustled her grinning friends away. Hermione smirked "Having fun embarrassing our oldest Love?"
"Yep." He slipped his hand down her bikini bottom.
"Grrrrrr. Don't start anything-"She felt the cool sand under her back "Yes!"
Harry rolled her up under him and Hermione gasped as he sank home. "Oh hell yes Harry!"
Harry smiled and nibbled a nipple. Hermione squirmed and bit the top of an ear. She growled and tried to roll him over and he pulled her tighter and pounded her hard. Hermione dissolved in it before she could work free and then as they lay panting after she slapped him on the chest. "Brute."
Harry rolled over on her partially and sucked a still hard nipple "You loved it."
Hermione pulled his head up and kissed him "To sensitive. Yes I did."
TFS
Lily burst into the bedroom the next morning and wrinkled her nose as she snuggled her father on top of the sheet and comforter. "I wish you wouldn't do that in front of my friend's dad. I'm fourteen now and well, it's embarrassing."
"I love your mother always Sugar pants. I can't not do that." Harry smiled and hugged her. She huffed. Harry chuckled "Everyone knows we are married honey."
Lily rolled her eyes "So you don't have to be so married in public then! No one else's parents are shagging like bunnies all the time. Nobody else has a thousand and five half brothers and sisters."
Padma snorted "One hundred and twelve from Beltane and twenty seven from us is not a thousand and five, I don't know if ours count as half's either as this house is stuffed to the rafters with all twenty seven of them including you. Plus how would you know what other parents do as all your friends are here at party central all the time. Why don't you have a boyfriend yet anyway-" Hermione looked at Padma after wrapping a hand around and covering her mouth.
Harry sat up "One day, you'll understand baby, now go get ready for exercise." He kissed her on the head.
Daphne sat up as she left and chuckled then wrinkled her nose. "Well she is right about one thing, it smells in here. Harry no! Harry nooooooo!" Harry had dove under the sheets and pulled Daphne to him and burrowed in face first.
The others giggled as Daphne grunted and strained then succumbed and lay panting. Susan shook her head "Smells like girl eh Harry? No!" She leapt out of bed headed for the shower.
Su sighed "We must be the only women in the world who have to have a whole reverse gangbang to be able to get dressed."
Luna nodded "I'm taking advantage while we can, you know as far as I can see into the future."
Padma smiled "We still putting a portal on Mars?"
Luna shrugged "It's red and cold when we start. Maybe its somewhere else, we don't know yet. What's methane hydrate?"
Hermione grunted "I still want to know how there is magic on other planets."
Death sat up and smirked, magic was magic no matter where it was. Just some beings could use it and most could not. Mars was going to completely love being the planet of Gryffindor, as soon as they figured out why it didn't have magnetic fields and how to give it some in a thousand or so years.
TFS
Harry looked at the gathered crowd of shamans and witch doctors. Death nodded at him. "My wife tells me she has dealt with several of you before. You know my history. You know one of my other wives killed members of my government and was prepared to kill them all. Few had died up until them, only those who clearly were my enemies. You people have killed Troopers of my Regiment. Make no mistake you are all going to die in the most horrific manner over the longest period of time I can make it happen. Meanwhile what the fuck is your problem? Two Troopers of African descent home on leave, and you or people who call you their leaders killed them. We hadn't even gotten to know those young men."
"There is no God but God." One of the shamans yelled.
Harry sighed. All of them burst into flames and shuffled away in different directions from the ley line nexus, each along a different line and all on fire and screaming. "General, No quarter. If they are males and over twelve bearing arms kill them."
"Your Grace." General Wilkes nodded and the hunt began.
Death looked at Harry "And the rest?"
"Dobby, Jerry."
"Your Grace?" the elves appeared and spoke in unison.
"You know what to do. If they are under twelve or are female or you think they are innocent take them to the holding area. Captain Jones people will process them. If they fight you or try to hurt anyone stop them." Harry looked at the elves intently and they nodded.
Fleur looked at Harry "I can't make this go away Harry. The magical media is already watching."
"Nor do we want to Fleur. Those two Troopers were so proud, as were their families. I am going to establish the Pax Gryffindor. This is going to be so horrific it will become a racial memory. These magical states will no longer exist and I will hold the width of Africa from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean and from the Caliphate of Egypt's southern border to the northern border of South Africa or at least the magical areas. I begged these people with tears in my eyes to tell me why and they told me there is no god but god. Well… they are all going to meet him.
I know it's distasteful but I need you to ensure the honest truth of this is told."
Fleur nodded "You will be accused of hating Islam."
Harry smiled "Allah can suck my dick until his nose bleeds. I couldn't give a flying fuck about Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism none of it. Their rights end where others noses begin. I will not have Troopers of the Regiment killed!"
Fleur made a face "None of that Harry. You will say something like that in front of a microphone or camera."
Harry smiled "While we are doing this, how do you think Hermione is going with the tax thing?"
Fleur laughed "The corporations are acting like you killed them. The banks especially. I think Ragnoc had a coronary."
"The fuck you say, that bastard doesn't have a heart."
Fleur rolled her eyes "How can you still be mad about the slave thing? Especially as Pansy is your cock puppet. I swear if she doesn't have sex with you once a day she will explode. She walks around three quarters nude with that Katherine Heigl body and nobody dares to look at her too long for fear she will gut them for 'ogling the Dukes toy' You were having sex with her when her water broke every time for Circe's sake. She has no responsibility and loves helping the Exchequer rape and pillage the corporations more than any of us. And she has a gift for it. If she screws up she adopts that innocent face and you have to pay damages and then she finds a way to screw over whoever it was anyway. You should make her the Exchequer after you free her."
Harry blanched "Oh hell no! She pouted and went mental last time I tried it. She ran Death off having that fit too. I might make her the exchequer but I am never taking that freaking collar off her again! If she wants it off she can take it off, nearly killed me, turned right back into mean Pansy from school except now she knows every spell in the world."
Fleur nodded wide eyed "Yes well there is that. Now the reason I will have time to work hard on packaging this instead of having to work hard suppressing it is that five percent flat tax on all income from any source for everyone. The corporations being persons and you making it gross not net really bent them over, well no worse than anyone else but it will be the first time none of them filed for a refund."
"Fucking leaches. They don't want to pay their royalties to the University either, well they didn't until I dangled that GE fuck over that volcano. All these MBA fucks should be tortured for a few days once they get their degrees, put them back in the real world." Harry affirmed.
Fleur sighed "You know half of them left after that."
Harry nodded "I've been thinking if I skin one like that General Dynamics shit for brains then the rest would bugger off too. All we need them for is their manufacturing facilities and most of those belong to the US Government and are leased to those idiots. We got this Democrat coming in office. He was a community organizer. He'll be all anti corporation. He'll want to shut down everything except welfare. I'd be able to pick up those facilities for a song. Hmmm."
Death walked up "Luna is upset. Take her somewhere nice. Leave your mirror on in case she sees something or someone we shouldn't kill."
Harry disappeared with no question. Fleur arched a brow "Master huh?"
Death nodded "Good one too, follows directions. Don't you have some slaughter to document somewhere?"
Fleur looked at her and hoisted a brow "What are you up to."
"Me? Why do I have to be up to something?" Butter wouldn't melt in Deaths mouth. Fleur tapped her foot, Death sighed "I might have dropped a Nundu around here somewhere a few years ago when one of these witch doctors was just getting started, and I uh well kinda forgot where and a lot of killing always wakes them up."
Fleur blinked "So all that Allah crap is a smoke screen?"
Death shrugged "Excuse more like and got the witch doctors more cannon fodder. They have been lining up on Harry for years."
Fleur gaped for a moment "Why?"
Death shrugged "Hard to be top dog when the others learn to read too. Harry's stated goal in life is to make everyone the best they can be so they leave him alone with us and the kids. He wouldn't do Beltane if Flora wasn't addicted to Harry fucking the snot out of her as the horned warrior. She swears he is the best ever. Horny Bint.
People who are capable of doing things for themselves aren't dependent. Education is a great way to give a person independence, real education not liberal arts or philosophy or any of that crap. Hard science, engineering, medicine. Liberal arts gives you over educated baristas, lawyers, actors and shit. Oh and those women's studies professors? What the fuck is that? Innie not outie, what's to study? Talk about navel gazing. The witch doctors and shamans view it as a threat. Jobs are another and where ever Harry goes fresh water and energy follow. Then farms, livestock, extra money, demand for finished goods, Bam! Factories, more jobs more education! Allah the women are working and being independent! Oh the humanities! It wasn't like this in the good old days blah blah blah licked the savanna for breakfast while carrying the witch doctor who trained me on my back through crocodile infested snows of Kilimanjaro in the blazing sun while the girl my father acquired for me was barefoot and pregnant with the twins my manliness gave her, always the same story, always stupid. They want to study something they should study how to end those fucking religions. Talk about keeping women down!
Without the mistress I couldn't really do anything. Then I watched a few try to raise demons and a few try to call a Nundu. It always went wrong, I didn't even have to prompt it. I would have whacked them and then killed another of fates aspects when she whined but I didn't have to. Troopers Omabey and Jalongo's deaths hurt the Master, badly. They hurt the Mistress too. So the Master can end these or I will. Harry's way their meaningless existences may prove of some use in their horrific deaths. I heard one time that some people only understand the ruthless application of brute force. Welcome to the Dark continent Wife."
Fleur fell over laughing. Tonks strolled over "Pretty inappropriate Fleur."
Fleur pointed at Death and managed "Do the good old days thing, do the thing."
TFS
Harry held Luna to his chest and rocked her. "There was only this path and the path where we fought constant endless little battles punishing them a tribe at a time Harry."
Harry shrugged "It doesn't matter and this way is better probably. Killing them a few at a time for a thousand years would serve no purpose other than training the Regiment."
Luna sobbed and Harry patted her back. "We published and broadcast the rules Luna. If they don't have weapons when we show up they will be processed. We'll put a collar on them and put them to work if they have committed no crimes. In a generation or two this place will be unrecognizable. Fields of green, productive land, happy people, I'll make it that way for Jon and Abdul in their memory and for their families." Remember how the land down wind of Mohamed's fields improved because it could actually rain? Well that whole east coast is getting desalinization facilities.
Luna nodded her head against his chest.
TFS
Karl Mann banged the gavel "I will have a reasoned debate or I will have silence! Herr Budyonny the delegate from Russia has the floor."
Vasily Budyonny nodded tightly "Thank you Mr. Mann. Fellow delegates while we stand here discussing this in these comfortable surroundings Africa is dying, murdered by a mad tyrant and his minions of evil half of which are dark creatures. We must act and act now! If you will approve the resolution before the body I will relay your approval to my government and we will apprehend the murderer Gryffindor, all of his harem and children and bring them to trial." Vasiliy sat.
"Wilhelm Krieger the delegate from New Spania is recognized." Karl indicated Wilhelm.
Wilhelm stood and inclined his head to Karl "Herr Mann, fellow delegates. I have nothing but admiration for our Russian brothers. To be so willing to die a horrible lingering death in the pursuit of galleons is brave in the extreme. Or perhaps it is abject stupidity. Gryffindor's Own Household Cavalry is currently in the field under arms and is the single best equipped and trained magical force in the world. They also have combat experience and are gaining more as we speak.
Let us take a look at the motivations of our Russian friends. One billion Galleons a year in sales of military equipment and training, both inferior to the Dukes forces but still it is a source of income. Thousands of students for their universities bringing in more millions. Gold, minerals, diamonds, rubber, coffee, tea, everything needed and enjoyed by modern societies flow north to Russia while the people of the region starve and suffer under the heels of the people who's pockets the Russians are lining. Meanwhile Gryffindor holds the patents on magical technology that cuts into the market for Russian oil and gas.
So I believe what we really have here is a small section of the Russian population in fear of losing the place that they have exploited and murdered their way into and attempting to receive a cloak of international immunity to use to defend themselves.
Please do not construe this as any sort of a protest against your plan Herr Budyonny. I whole heartedly support the Russians going after the Duke. Russia has plagued the planet to long, or rather the corrupt slime that leads Russia. Duke Gryffindor will be only too pleased to finish in Africa and turn north.
No my only concern is that when he is through with Russia he will turn his eyes to the entities that gave her the cloak of immunity and tear us all to shreds."
"Is the delegate from New Spania afraid?" Budyonny sneered from his box.
Wilhelm looked confused "I believe that is exactly what I said. Are you asking why I am afraid?" Wilhelm set a goblin memory crystal on the front of his box and pushed play. It was a sort of highlight reel starting with the action on the Salisbury plain and continuing through the suppression of the radical magical islamist in Afghanistan and then the march across Africa. All in seven minutes of sheer horror. The ICW gaped in terror. The last minute was the conversation Death had had with the Field Marshal.
Budyonny leapt to his feet "It is a trick. That is not Death!"
"I'm not?" Death looked at herself "Pretty sure I am." Death released her full presence and the pregnant teenage Goth girl became a nine foot tall being with black leathery skin, long claws, a mouth full of black fangs and burning flames where eyes should have been. Incongruously she had a baby bump, oh and there could be no question it was a she, all female in the most 'I'll die but oh my gods what a way to go' fashion possible. Beautiful face, large breast well-turned hips and spectacular legs longer than most of the delegates were tall, totally nude and not self-conscious at all. Budyonny shat himself and passed out, the delegates in the nearest boxes screamed and climbed over the walls into their neighbor's boxes. Death shrank back down "Yep Death, still me." She leaned over and waved at the air and wrinkled her nose. She stroked her scythe on the floor and Budyonny was cleaned, in a diaper and placed in a XXL baby cot, the air freshened and the former Russian delegate box draped in rich black bunting with the Gryffindor crest on it over the Lovegood crest in black on black silk embroidery with a throne like chair in bone white upholstered with a black fabric that sucked in the light around it. "Now this is nice."
Death looked around "Proceed Ladies and Gentlemen. I'll just be over here sitting. Standing around with the scythe all day is tough when you're pregnant. My aching dogs are barking." She put her feet up on the desk and sighed.
Wilhelm smiled "Lady Death. We were just discussing the Russians delegates request to have sanction from this body to arrest your husband and yourself along with your other wives and children and present them for trial before this body."
Death nodded like a bobblehead "Oh yes please. Gryffindor votes yes. Is there a button or something I have to push?"
Karl Mann blinked "My Lady I'm afraid you are not a recognized delegate."
"How's the boat commodore?"
Karl blinked "I beg your pardon my Lady?"
"Granted, for today." Death allowed after staring at Karl for a moment.
Dong Jie the Chinese imperial representative to the ICW covered her mouth for a moment and then offered "Supreme Mugwump I believe Lady Death pointed out, with some style, that death is an acknowledged part of everything. She then inferred you are in denial with the sailing reference, as in sailing the river De Nile and told you you would not die today.
I see value in including a representative from the Duchy of Gryffindor in this body."
Wilhelm smiled "I second the motion."
Saigo Algren the Imperial Japanese representative nodded "Call the question."
Karl was running on autopilot and gaveled the delegation quiet "The question is the Duchy of Gryffindor being represented in this body. Delegates cast your votes."
The front of every box showed a green light and the tally board in front of Karl showed one hundred and twenty six yay's. Karl sighed "Lady Death you cannot vote the Russian position. We will record Russia as abstaining and erh provide the Russians with a new box as you seem to be occupying the Gryffindor box now."
A security team came in the back of the box and Death smiled and waved to them. They gave a short bow and levitated Budyonny and all his papers and the rest of the things in the box not belonging to Death away.
Karl waited while this happened and then banged the gavel once "Delegates we still have before us the motion to sanction the arrest of Duke Gryffindor. Is there a second to the motion."
Death smiled "Second!"
Dong Jie smiled behind her hand then composed herself and said "Call the Question."
The front of all the booths bar two lit red. Death pushed her yes button then leaned over the front of her box and smiled at the green light. The front of the Russian box stayed dark. Death looked around and pouted "So it's going to be the hard way then."
Saigo Algren smiled "Lady Death, the Duchy is already applying so much pressure without meaning too that I am sure if the Duchy were to finish in Africa and turn its attention toward Russia they would either provide the excuse you will need or collapse of their own corrupt weight. Perhaps it would be better to play the long game in this case."
Death nodded in his direction "I can do that. Your father was a great man as was your name sake. Your mother was one of the great beauties of all time and an intelligent, patient woman. They raised a fine son. How are your half-brothers?"
Saigo stood and bowed deeply from the waist "You honor my family my Lady. My brothers are doing well."
Death nodded "It was necessary."
Saigo bowed again "My father always said the same thing my Lady. The Emperor regretted it to his dying day."
"I'll come by and visit. It's been a long time since I saw them all. Taka was showing signs of being as powerful as her grandmother."
Siago bowed once more "You honor us and perhaps after the session we could discuss it. Taka has been asking about attending the University at Overlook."
The rest of the delegates sat up; here was an opportunity to get a child in the finest Magical University in the world.
TFS
Pansy sat in the session of the commons fuming. Who were these people to question how the tax money was to be spent? Harry had told them what he wanted and they had made it happen.
John Smith stood "The question for the Exchequer of the Duchy is why the Duke is bearing the complete cost of the Military?"
Dirk stood at the Podium and blinked "I'm sorry but as I had never given it any thought I cannot answer the honorable gentleman's from Gretna Green's question. Perhaps the Exchequer, Madam Parkinson could answer?" He turned to Pansy.
Pansy rose from the bench and adjusted her forest green acromantula silk open front robe over the pinstriped pencil skirt and tailored jacket with no blouse or bra while thinking furiously. Two hours of examining the budgets in minute detail and this was the question? Where was this going? Hades where was it coming from? Perhaps some honesty here. "I'll confess I am a bit at sea with the question. Perhaps the gentleman could elaborate?"
John stood again "Certainly. The taxes we pay and this body apportions give us some modicum of control over the lives of our people and helps us through the Government, to improve the conditions for our constituencies. We however contribute nothing to maintaining the standing military, one of the largest influences in our constituents lives."
A light bulb went on for Pansy. Got you you bastard. You want to influence Harry by influencing his budget for the Dukes own. "I would remind the gentleman that we live in a manorial society. The Duke is under levy from the Queen, we as vassals supply the persons for the Regiment and our Duke bears the responsibility for training equipping and leading the forces he has been levied."
John Smith nodded "We simply wish to ease the Dukes burden, Madam."
Pansy made a moue "I thought that was my job?" She placed a hand on her just showing bump and popped out a hip. Laughter rang through the house. "The Dukes own is self-funded."
John had chuckled but now bored in again "And how is it that an operation with a cost of an estimated billion Galleons a year is self-funded Madam?"
Pansy smiled "The Dukes own holds all the intellectual property of the members of Military in common with the inventor or creator of that property and splits the profits generated from that property with the originators or holders and the University if their facilities and personnel were involved. That is public record and well known as we encourage education and innovation amongst the Troopers.
All lands taken by the Dukes Own are held in common with the beings native to those lands and the Dukes own shares any profits from development or natural resources of those lands with the native peoples and the Troopers policing those lands until some form of functional government can be established. Those governments then pay a tithe, as does yours, of one percent of their collections to the Duke. The Duke is a notorious spendthrift and normally those funds are invested. If the Regiment has needs, our Lord provides.
Your tithe is used to pay the salaries of the Troopers, the equipment is mostly seconded from the mundane governments and then heavily modified by the students at the University and Colleges as projects for their degree programs and the artificers of the Dukes Own and the Dukes farms are paid for their produce used by the Dukes Own. Retirement funds are paid by your taxes as they are for everyone. Of course everyone also contributes five percent of their pay and the taxes are hit for matching funds which are then managed very conservatively. Really just hoping to cover inflation and a small increase of two percent.
With the devices developed early from Overlook the consumables needed by the Dukes Own are supplied. Ammunition was originally supplied by the national governments involved and then the Weasley twins and Seamus Finnegan got to work on it and now The Dukes Own supply their own while doing R+D and selling improved versions back to those governments. That profit is split with the persons involved in production the persons who did the R+D and the Dukes Own."
Rosmerta stood "And the island off of Antarctica used by the Weasley twins and Mr. Finnegan?"
Pansy smiled "Was a Potter Property that was bare rock with a spring, coal mine and a dock used for a watering station and colliery in the days of sail and steam and while a few inches shorter now is still bare rock. The Twins and Seamus promised to put it back like they found it but really it's cheaper and safer to have them there. We have no need for additional funds."
This drew more laughter as John Smith fumed. The Weasley twins were famous as was Seamus. Professor Rosencrantz had been accused of giving their degrees to get them away from his labs. Alicia Angelina and a six foot tall Irish girl named Maude had been nominated for Sainthood for putting up with them and checking their science on the more questionable things. Lee Jordan amused himself by being their keeper and managing to get them through the portal alive every night after work. Lee wrote industrial safety manuals and made amusing industrial safety videos starring the three stooges for a fine living. Seamus's eyebrows had stopped growing back.
TFS
"The fuck you say! It can't be that simple." Hermione looked at the drawings.
"Language mother and why not? The portal runes work so we put one on a big supply of liquid oxygen and one of JP 8 and the other ends on a rocket motor and launch it and see if it works." Lily sat with Emile Lovegood, Luna's son and questioned her mother. They were all sat outside around a fire while the younger kids chased lightning bugs out in the dark somewhere.
Harry scratched his head and then shrugged "We got that land near the equator in Brazil, might as well."
Luna nodded "Plus I have those runes for separating out those greenhouse gases done so if it works we can drop a portal on Mars and move all these greenhouse gases there and warm up the joint."
Padma sighed "Warm up the joint?"
"Oh yeah. I am not having naked sexy time on Mars, its freezing."
"Mother!"
"Yes Emile?"
"Lily doesn't want to hear about sexy time."
"Emile are you still crushing on your sister? You two can shag but you can't have babies."
"Mother! Aunt Luna!" Lily and Emile fled into the dark.
Luna nodded "Now, Hermione, Padma?"
Hermione shook her head "One day they are going to shag and it will be your fault Luna. The equations and runes work. It could work, at least on paper."
Padma nodded "It will be. They love each other, it's so tragic. I concur though the rocket could work."
Harry sighed "They're sixteen they'll get over it. Well as soon as they find someone that can keep up with them. Prem and Parvati's twins are lining up on the both of them anyway. Jane and James are smarter than them I think. It'll work out. We might have to send them to the Goring with Katherine but it will work somehow. Now about this rocket motor, I'll get Cho to work with them and Ron and Millicent can do their metal work."
Hermione arched a brow. "You know if we are going to do this we need to do some design of experiments..."
TFS
Harry watched the rocket lift off and disappear into the clouds. "Well that was exciting. Loud."
Fleur looked at him "You know you aren't going to be able to play the clod kicking farmer forever."
Harry looked at her slyly "When yall stop getting pregnant I'll stop being a farmer then."
Fleur folded her arms and tapped her foot "Death."
"Sexy as fuck about yay tall bound to need shagging. She's over in the control room."
Fleur glared "Five trillion years old, plans on making up for lost time. Has fifteen hellspawn running around here somewhere being geniuses when they aren't finding dead things to be their pets?"
"Hey those dogs they found over by the Roberts place weren't that dead." Harry looked hopefully at her.
"Harry that one's dead puppies fell out and Charlotte kept them! They're still out there in the woods somewhere!"
Harry sighed "But they're all cleaned up and housebroken now."
Fleur sighed "Harry, they're skeletons!"
"Lifeist!"
Fleur growled at him.
TFS
Hermione went over the data again and smiled, she turned to congratulate Lily and Emile and found Lily in James Tran's arms being kissed very thoroughly and Emile in the same state with Jane Tran. She smiled and slipped from the control room. Outside Luna smirked as Hermione did a happy dance.
TFS
Hermione looked at the data and blinked "So in a year we went from a test rocket to being ready for a Mars launch?"
Padma nodded "A little scary. We aren't landing though, just dropping reentry modules with portals in them. All the stuff is commercial or rather recycled, some from NASA some from ballistic missiles. "
Hermione nodded "Still it's impressive. And the portals will work that far away?"
Padma shrugged "No idea but as it's essentially free why not."
TFS
Yurika Haneda looked around and laughed quietly and then moaned as the low grade orgasm never lost its grip on her. Taka Algren was currently howling out a big orgasm on Harry. Jie Dong was waiting patiently, gorgeously. Cho Chang was a fucked out mess and for the first time Yurika noticed it was an all Asian Beltane. The Michelle Yeoh look alike Heather High and two Eurasian twins from the Regiment along with a new émigré who didn't even speak English yet from, hmm, she didn't know where but they sure grew them tiny and hot, rounded out the field. Well of Asian primaries. The Lycans as always had the security and as they had after the first Beltane they were in very close wearing very little and wouldn't mind if they got drug into the circle at all which was good because at least the ones right on the edge of the circle would. Flora was such a randy thing. "Oi"
Yurika shook her head "talk later, shag Jie now Flora."
Jie for her part welcomed this goddess in her then cowered in terror from the horned warrior. He had been so tightly stuffed in Taka that it appeared he was pulling her inside out when he left her. He is huge! As big as her forearm! Oh gods! Oh my, and warm Oh tight oh oh oh what the hell I never come this fast OOOOOOOOOOOOh this hard either. Owww cervix! Mmmm yes cervix. How do you do that Harry?
Flora appeared in Jie's little corner of Jies' mind "Look, do you mind, I'm doing my best to get the hell shagged out of us here?"
Jie blushed "Sorry."
Flora kissed her and nodded "Talk later, enjoy now" then faded away again.
TFS
Astoria Greengrass looked at James Gryffindor and heaved a huge sigh. She was gone, in love and lust with a boy ten years younger than her. She was a Cougar.
Romilda Vane sat on the log near her. "So it's Beltane."
Astoria snorted "And when has that mattered to you Romilda."
Romilda shrugged "Clock went off."
Astoria turned a laser like glare on Romilda "I will be first amongst equals at least. You will stay faithful."
Romilda shook her head "Its Beltane sweetie. If you want to go that way then you need to wait and I'll go down there and see if I can saw his horns off. Sure he might fall for you after but Beltane is for making babies. It's our night to increase the population I'm over twenty five, still single, I'm kinda who it is for. Well Flora to get her ashes hauled but the upside is me having a Beltane child maybe, with no stigma attached."
Astoria looked closely at James "He doesn't have horns?"
Romilda stood and grinned over her shoulder "Yet. Give Flora a minute after I get there. She is a little busy tonight."
Hermione stepped from behind a tree "Vane you, you. Arrrgh." She slapped a sticky note on Romilda and said "Harry." Romilda swirled away with a surprised look.
Astoria laughed "So it's fine for Harry to knock her full?"
Hermione sat on the log "Yes, well the horned warrior, I mean between Flora and the warrior, half the females around here will end up pregnant at least once. James comes out here so he won't be a danger to any of his sisters. The other boys are scattered through the woods with their moms close by, see the fires around? There was an incident when Pierre turned twelve. We never really figured out whether his veela genes helped it along or Flora just decided he was making sperm and females were available but that Platoon of Veela didn't seem to mind. Poor Pierre, I thought he would need counseling but somehow after a month he couldn't even recall the event, He hasn't remembered doing any of the other Veela elements either, well up until a few years ago. Now let's talk about your old self and my fifteen year old son." Hermione grinned.
"Thank you Duchess, as if I didn't feel a complete slag already." Astoria blushed.
Hermione laughed "We approve the match you know." Astoria's mouth dropped open. "You will be good together. Next year we'll sign the betrothal."
Astoria squirmed "Next year?" She hated how she whined.
Hermione hugged her "You've lasted this long. Hang in there sweetie."
"Does he even know I'm alive?" There was that pesky whining again.
Hermione chuckled low in her throat "Oh very much so. He has since he was about twelve that I know of. He called your name in his sleep when I was checking on him one day." Astoria blushed tomato red and smiled. Hermione shook her head and laughed. The two sat and talked until dawn while James sat by his fire and read the book he brought, occasionally looking up and around at his brothers fires. He was after all the oldest Gryffindor.
TFS
Harry looked at the screen and the strings of numbers "We're putting a camera on the next one."
Hermione huffed "Boy's, so visual."
Harry brightened stood up jogged away and the room went quiet for a minute. Neville looked around, sighed and went after Harry. He found him in the secure room with a video camera tied to a string. "Harry you know that-" Harry tossed the camera at the portal. "Won't work."
"Why not?" Harry asked.
Neville thought about it for a while "I don't know."
Harry nodded and pulled the string. The camera came back and the two looked at each other. Harry bent and picked the camera up "Fuck its frozen."
Neville shrugged "Get the tape out and we'll put it in a player. I saw one in the other room." Harry nodded and got the tape out. The two turned and blinked at the wall of wives behind them. "Uh Oh." Neville commented eloquently.
Harry shrugged walked up to Hermione kissed her and slipped past. Neville managed the same trick on Hannah and in the other room watched as Harry put the tape in the player and a red grainy image came up on the screen. The auto focus on the camera worked and the image cleared and showed a sideways image of red sand, rock and sky.
Lily Gryffindor gasped "The fuck you say!" and clapped her hands over her mouth. Harry fell over laughing.
TFS
Neil de Grasse Tyson stood on the surface of Mars and contemplated the impossibility of it all. Sure he was in a suit but still "Hermione what are you doing?" Hermione Potter as he knew her was manhandling a gigantic rock into a position that appeared to be measured in nanometers.
"Setting the planetary ward King. I'll activate it in a moment and it will drop into the ley line nexus and link to all the others in the other nexuses and hold in the atmosphere and keep out the most harmful radiation amongst other things." Hermione poured a bottle of what appeared to be blood on the stone slowly and it soaked the liquid up. When the liquid pooled on the stone she nodded and touched her wand to a rune. The stone glowed and sank into the ground. "We have a few minutes before it reaches the nexus but we should go back. We really don't know all the possible outcomes for sure."
Neil nodded and followed her back through the Portal. They took their suits off and Neil shook his head "So while us mundane have been dreaming you all have been doing?"
Hermione sighed "The Mundane doing is part of what slowed us down. We had to learn what they knew of Mars and then design wards to mimic not only what they knew but what they theorized while at the same time we were working on our own theories of making Mars habitable.
Luna got her separation and transfer system up and running so the worst of the greenhouse gasses are sent to Mars. Harry came up with the wards, Neville is working on crops and general flora for when it gets warm enough and has enough carbon dioxide. Well, and water. That's still a bit of a stumbling block and what we wanted to talk to you about. We think we could harvest ice from the far out asteroids but we are a little stuck on the exact method. We don't want to crack the planet with an orbital bombardment of ice."
Neil had to sit down on the bench "You're going to be our first contact as in that paper you wrote aren't you? You've been planning this since you were fourteen haven't you?"
Hermione blushed "It's the easiest way anyone has thought of to reintegrate magic and mundane."
Neil laughed "Terraforming Mars is the easiest way?"
Hermione sighed "All the other ways lead to massive upheavals and Harry killing most of the population of mundane in our models and the terraforming isn't really costing that much, we charge corporations for disposing of their greenhouse gasses. It's turned into a kind of nested system of hobbies that keeps everyone busy. Idle hands really are the devils workshop and it hurts Harry's feelings when he has to kill people. Oh he doesn't say anything but I can feel it. He still isn't completely over Africa."
Neil shuddered "He shouldn't be. That was ghastly. Those people are better off now but still it was ghastly." Neil thought a moment "What are you going to do about the cold core on Mars?"
Hermione grinned "After the wards stabilize we're going to sink a shaft and find out if it really is cold. If so we we're thinking of starting a nuclear waste disposal business and using the china syndrome."
Neil blinked "Hermione even if every method you have told me about works to perfection and we figure out how to get water to Mars and somehow get the atmosphere to stay put. This would take hundreds of years."
Hermione nodded "Really look at me Neil. I'm going to drop a complicated but subtle charm."
Neil looked at her and gasped "You don't look a day older than when I met you! You look maybe seventeen! I've met all your children, I've known you for nearly twenty years!"
Hermione nodded "Death loves Harry. Harry loves us. At some point the older witches in the Duchy stop aging as far as mother can tell. The mundane slow considerably and the oldest witches improve to as good as they can possibly be and then stop. Minerva appears to be forty without her glamour. Amelia Bones is the hottest ginger in the bunch.
Harry will have to abdicate in favor of James if he is to ever be the Duke. James laughs when we try to talk to him about it. He is happy being Astoria's he says."
Neil smiled "So we have time then. This could work. A few nudges out in the ice fields and we could get some grazes or cause meteorite showers on Mars. We need a super computer and access to the radar telescope data."
TFS
Ann Bonny whistled as she worked at Lawrence Livermoore in the rover control room. She was a squib with some unique talents. She was manipulating the data stream off the probes in real time. Not much, just enough so they never 'saw' the meteorites burning up in the atmosphere in a nearly constant stream. Or saw the atmosphere as the pressure came up and the content changed. How they were going to manipulate the humans if one of these insane 'entrepreneurs' send a bunch of people to Mars commercial efforts worked out wasn't her department. Besides from the list of applicants it would be the island of misfit toys and they would probably all kill each other before they got there. The parameters of people willing to leave everything including family behind nearly guaranteed a trail of tears. Besides which colonies were damn hard work in primitive conditions at best if history was a guide, they really needed more muscle than brains. The idiots should be looking for highly intelligent stable nuclear families and put two or three family groups on each mission. Of course they really didn't have enough confidence in their methodology for that.
TFS
Fred looked at the rune stone "Well it's not broken."
George sighed "Thank Merlin. Luna would castrate us for breaking her array."
"Damn skippy I would you idiots. What in the world could have possessed you to try one of your experiments anywhere near my array anchor?'
"Luna, sweet moon child, we would never." George gave with the puppy dog eyes.
Fred rubbed the back of his head "It was much more energetic than we thought. The girls checked it and Lee looked over the safety protocols. No one saw this result."
Angelina nodded "Not so much more energetic as focused in a flat disk. It's very odd."
None of them even blinked at Luna appearing suddenly five thousand miles from anywhere she normally worked.
TFS
Lily sighed "An ocean over most of the northern hemisphere."
Emile nodded "And this heavy water data."
James Tran pulled Lily down into his lap "We'll worry about it in a thousand years when we build up enough water to make it start raining. Meanwhile we have the Divisional Ball coming up."
Jane Tran sat on Emil's lap "And you two are not weaseling out of it this year. We're eighteen now and it's time to take up a few duties."
Lily rolled her eyes "it will just free mother and dad up to go to Bunny Island." The kids called Harry's island in the Maldives Bunny Island since they found out that basically all that happened there was shagging "I can't remember all my siblings' names now."
Jane giggled "Aunty Hermione is going to beat the Duggars or die trying."
Emile snorted "That whole generation of witches. The mundanes around too. I mean we have Uncles Bill, Geoff and Randolph Granger."
Lily nodded "Aunts Ophelia and Juliette Granger too. House Malfoy is very much no longer in danger."
James looked thoughtful "It must have been hard back then to make them all not want to bring children into the world for so many years."
The other three nodded.
Jane looked at Lily "So James and Astoria, rooowwrrrr."
Lily huffed "I am not discussing my brother and his pet cougar. Felicity Finch Fletchley would be a much better match for him. Or if he has to have an older woman then Princess Eugenie."
James laughed "Eugenie and her hipster twats down here? You know James is never leaving here, you can't tell him and the Duke apart until you talk to them. They look the same act the same, hell they reach the same decisions at the same time, separately. Astoria is perfect for him. She is as smart as your mother was at this age from all reports and just as protective of James as the Duchess is of the Duke."
Emile nodded "Telling Eugenie that that 'Lichtenstein guy could get honest work from Stan Lee' probably permanently set Eugenie's teeth on edge. It was calculated to see if she was interesting or not. Turns out not, at least not to James. And Felicity? Really Lily do you know your brother at all? Felicity would be a match for Eugenie. James is all Duty, Honor, Duchy and how are the cows in this storm?"
All four of them laughed at the image. Lily sighed "It's just Aunt Astoria you know? It feels a bit skeevy."
Jane nodded "You should be more supportive. Imagine how she feels. You could see her holding off and pushing him at girls since he was fourteen."
Lily nodded "I know. I'm such a bitch."
James pulled her in tight to him "Protective. We like our Gryffindor's this way."
TFS
Jie Dong smiled "I brought you here under a bit of a false flag your Grace. The emperor's security service has found several portals that are apparently run by runes and are taking away carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses attached to the smokestacks of several power plants in mundane China. He or rather they believe it is the work of Lady Lovegood."
Harry smiled up at her from his position with his ear on her belly listening to the baby "Why would they think that?"
Jie raised an eyebrow "Perhaps it was the rune set in ancient Han that said 'property of Lady Lovegood do not remove'."
Harry chuckled and turned his head kissing the swollen belly. "More later Baby, going to make out with your mom for a while." He spun and pulled Jie to him. "Luna is rounding up all the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses she can. China has the most coal fired plants, factories and foundries. China still has apartment and government buildings with coal heat. She is putting one of those on every smokestack she can, or rather the elves are. All the gas goes to Mars. Benefit to the Chinese is they have slightly cleaner air. You don't think we could sell the mundane a device to clean stack emissions and talk them into running coal trains do you?"
Jie smiled and wriggled "Oh for a price I can probably arrange something." No need at all to tell him the Chinese basically only had coal so would jump on it like a beetle on a dung ball if they could make the emissions cleaner and keep the world off their back about it.
TFS
Luna looked at the last design and smiled, the runes engraved on the turbine exhaust outlet collar for the new Siemens, GE and Wartsilla gas turbine product lines was complete. She would have Mars so full of carbon dioxide Harry could grow crops with his black thumbs. Now Neville just needed to find crops that grew with no water. Aaaargh! Hmmm why couldn't they drop a ring on say Neptune? Oh yes Neil and his replace the mass with mass blah blah blah. She was making earth millions of tons lighter every day and sure those rings dropping ice and dust were making up for it but really people should be a little more daring. So they drifted a bit farther out. People would thank her in a couple billion years when they didn't get swallowed up in the red giant.
TFS
Elizabeth read the report and looked at her secretary "I understand this is important and I have a grasp of the science involved but I don't think I quite understand why the Russians are quite so upset."
Her secretary nodded "His Grace holds the patents and refuses to sell or license the technology to them. The Chinese really don't care as they are paying him to clean up their mess and are getting healthier as a people because of it. The Japanese are over the moon as they can meet the new tougher US EPA standard for emissions with a part they only have to pay five Galleons more for. The US manufacturers don't realize he has done it to them, they just took it as a price rise and the large power generation manufacturers are all crowing about their ability to meet emission standards. Lady Death apparently has a grudge against the Russians Ma'am."
"Serves the bastards right." The secretary nearly reached for his meds when the Queen nodded rather than correcting Prince Phillip.
"So the government wants us to order the Duke to sell or license the technology to the Russians?" I believe we shall have to have a discussion with our prime minister."
The secretary nodded "Ma'am." He backed to the door.
"Do we really need to talk to an Eton Pothead?" Phillip asked "Why don't we take him through the portal and let Harry talk to him."
"Because I want the Prime minister to live to establish a government of his own? You know what Phillip, I believe we will."
Phillip beamed, there was every chance Harry would turn the old Etonian into a toad or something.
TFS
The Queen Phillip and David Cameron stepped from the portal into Harry's back yard and the Honor Platoon saluted. The Platoon leader, fresh from West Point, nearly wet herself before she got the Queen and her party escorted into the Kitchen. The Queen didn't just show up of a Wednesday unannounced. Thank god her Platoon Sergeant was on the ball and had his mirror. The Regimental TOC needed to know about this.
Ellie Mae dropped a curtsy "Your Majesty."
"Good morning Ellie Mae. Where is everyone?"
Ellie Mae led them to seats at the huge table "Master and the Mistresses are all at the school looking at a project one of the seniors came up with. It apparently summons liquid water from the far asteroid belt. They'll be back in a few minutes Ma'am. Tea?"
"Yes Please Ellie Mae."
David Cameron looked around the gigantic kitchen and watched the strange little being go about its work "Begging your pardon Ma'am but I expected a meeting somewhere erh well, more official than the kitchen table."
The Queen looked at him intently and he realized he had just lost major points. Zara Phillips just coming in the back door in riding togs snorted "The fate of magical England, Afghanistan, a good portion of Brazil and half of Africa was decided at that table Cameron. You'd best get over yourself."
A nanny elf appeared and handed her her daughter. Zara lost all interest in David Cameron.
Harry walked in and straight to Zara and the baby. He wrapped both of them in his arms for a minute as a crowd flowed around them smiling and then dropping curtsies as the table filled. Harry finally turned and bowed just his head "My Liege, an unexpected pleasure, welcome to my humble abode as always."
Elizabeth smiled, it was going to be one of those meetings "Your Grace, may I introduce our Prime Minister Mr. David Cameron. Mr. Cameron, His Grace the Duke of Gryffindor, defender of the Realms."
Harry bowed slightly as he seated Zara and then sat himself "Mr. Cameron. So what brings her Majesty to bring you to table?"
David smiled "Well you see your Grace the Russian government would very much like to license or for you to sell them the carbon dioxide eliminating technology you have. They have made a strong case for it helping them comply with the greenhouse gasses treaty and improving the health of their people."
Harry smiled a deadly looking smile "Pansy I owe you a trip to the island. They know the conditions Mr. Cameron. As soon as they surrender unconditionally we will release all the technologies we are holding back from them after they take the Vassal oaths."
David Cameron blinked "That sounds suspiciously like you are at war with the Russians your Grace."
Harry shrugged "Cold war and an economic war we are winning at the moment. The chances of them going hot are remote. We beam the propaganda films in all the time. Their people are very unhappy. I may have to start moving the ones fleeing to Australia as South America and Africa are reaching their planned populations."
The Queen frowned "So many Harry?"
Harry nodded "About a hundred families or individuals a day Ma'am. Conditions are deteriorating rapidly."
Mr. Cameron was at sea "What? I haven't seen any report of this."
Narcissa glided into the room "You haven't been involved Mr. Cameron. I was just about to call your secretary. With need to open central Australia to immigration we were going to have to have a discussion with the Queen."
David's eyes sharpened "it seems to me we can come to an arrangement then your Grace."
Harry smiled "We can. The Queen knows, I own the ground, I will have broken the Russian magical Ministry in six months and own magical Russia. Questions? More tea? From one of my properties in India. Not an award winner but we like it."
Philip had to walk out on the back porch and Death waved a silencing dome over him "All right there Gramps?"
That set Phillip off again and he sat in one of the rockers.
Inside David Cameron watched as lunch was served and plans for Russia discussed. He left later that day still not quite understanding why he had no sway over this Duke.
Duchess Gryffindor walked him to the Portal "His Grace is a manorial Duke. He literally owns the land and the people on it. When magical Russia falls he will own that too. Oh we'll still run short of money as we don't like to take much, but in the end he owns it. He is also responsible to Magic to be the very best Duke he can for the land and the people or she will raise an opponent to him. It's not hard really as he wants independent people who leave him alone so he runs the best schools with the best facilities and instructors and the best businesses with the best principles he can find to run them. The Division is the best trained and equipped he can make it and is honed to a razors edge. The hospitals and clinics are the very best they can be. He really wishes he could hand it off to someone like a Prime Minister but magic doesn't work that way. Once you are chosen you are chosen forever."
The Queen beamed at her "Very nice Duchess. Come along Mr. Cameron its quite late back at the palace."
TFS
The next day Phillip sat up in his chair. "We never did ask Harry what he was doing with all the gas Liz."
Elizabeth smiled "We can take the dogs for a walk. They like those little demon puppies."
Phillip nodded "That skeletal pig is scary though. Huge boar wandering around, got to be dangerous."
"Nathan likes it and it obeys him." Elizabeth had perfect confidence in her gran, erh, well in Lady Deaths offspring.
