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Chapter 12
Things began to fall into a routine as the group got to know each other and settle in. Hermione had quickly joined Jane, Bruce and Tony working in the labs, learning more than her independent studies had taught her. With her previous understanding, and quickly expanding knowledge, along with the knowledge that there were many threats in the wizarding world against not just Cassia and others like her, but Muggleborns as well, she came up with an idea to build something that would detect magical signatures. It would be capable of detecting singular practitioners as well as magical centres. The four theorized that it would be necessary for the machine, when past the planning stage and built, to have ideas and templates of magical signatures, such as human magic and creature magic to be able to pick up on it properly, else it would simply register as another energy. It would be able to be used then to pick up on muggleborns and inform them of their abilities before wizarding governments were able to, and also locate those who had left the wizarding world. Not only that, it would allow them to find and help those on the run, such as other Neko's. It would be better for them to be under protective custody of agencies like S.H.I.E.L.D than to be in a cage- or dead.
The final use, which Tony had come up with, was to locate the areas and ministries of the wizarding world to be able to target them if need be. After all, the slave trade was an officially sanctioned business. Something like that would need to be rooted out at its source. When Hermione had come up with the idea Tony had enthusiastically kissed her before quickly running preliminary ideas through his computer. Laughing at Tony's behaviour, Jane and Bruce had just hugged Hermione, who was still in a sort of shock at the sudden move. They knew not to rush either of the girls, but Tony would act as he saw fit at times.
Cassia, knowing how much trouble she got into, asked the others to begin to teach her how to defend herself without magic. Bucky, Steve, Natasha and Sif all thought it was a great idea. Natasha and Steve began teaching her hand to hand combat, while Bucky and Sif began teaching her with weapons. She even roped Hermione into some of the sessions. She didn't complain, knowing that, eight times out of ten, she'd probably be right beside Cassia when something was happening. Both of them eagerly took up Loki's offer to teach them wandless magic, he even promised, when they knew a bit more, to teach them how to weave it into the moves they were being taught in fighting. Clint and Thor were surprisingly the trouble makers (even if Loki was mostly the one who talked them into doing something, they were the ones to actually do it). While Tony was prone to blowing things up if he got an idea for an experiment in mind, they were the ones to do it for the hell of it. It was three days after The Grangers, Bucky and Cassia had moved to the tower that they met Fury, who had stormed over to yell about several jets on the Hellicarrier needing urgent repairs because of Clint daring Thor to test whether he could hit one of Clint's (exploding) arrows mid-flight with lightning when they had gone over to update Fury. They had left pretty quickly apparently. So, Hermione wasn't surprised when Cassia had quickly fallen in with them and Loki. The others just shuddered with fear at what could potentially happen now. Pepper, probably anticipating the need for Cassia to understand business and finances and definitely wanting to limit her input to pranks, offered to teach her and Hermione about the company. Plus, it would be one less subject they would need to learn from tutors and using homework. In between all that there were movie nights and outings, and Pepper could have sworn that Tony was blocking her access to seeing their statements after she saw him looking at holiday sights. That was enough to tell her he was planning a getaway. Probably for all of them.
It was almost a month later when Cassia received an email from the Queen's secretary inviting her and one other to Buckingham Palace to meet with her and the Prime Minister in a weeks' time. Her first reaction to the email was to show Hermione.
"She actually wants to meet with you. This is actually working!" Hermione said. "Who are you going to take with you?"
"You," Cassia said, her tone indicating the obviousness of the answer to the inquiry.
Hermione smiled. "I'm glad and very happy your first thought was to include me on this one. I would love to go with you, but am I the best person for the job?"
"Of course you are. I wouldn't want anyone else to watch out for me making a mistake, I've known and loved you for years and I trust you with my life."
"Ditto on that, but this isn't a battle, you're going in there with the intention of making a strong set of political allies and thumbing your nose at the Ministry and Dumbledore and their plans. Wouldn't it be better if perhaps the person who went with you knew how to play the game of politics and how to interact and deal with royalty?"
"Who do you have in mind?"
"Well, right upstairs there are two Princes and a member of the Asgardian court. Why don't we start there?"
This statement was followed by a trip up in the lift, Cassia taking her new StarkPad with her. The only people currently in the living room area were Loki, Sif, Bucky, Steve and Bruce. They all looked up when the girls entered.
"What's up?" Bruce asked.
"I got a response asking for me and one other person to meet with the Queen in a weeks' time," Cassia said, holding up the tablet.
"May I?" Loki asked, gesturing to the tablet.
Cassia handed it over to him as she sat down, allowing him to read the email. "It says here a car will arrive to pick you up at nine a.m. sharp from wherever you will be residing at the time of the meeting and for a quick response so the appropriate arrangements can be made. Who will be going with you to the actual meeting? I am sure some reservations at a sufficient hotel can be made soon."
"Well, my first thought was Hermione until she pointed out a rather obvious flaw," Cassia answered.
"I have no experience in politics, so I suggested she take someone who did."
"So, Loki then?" Sif asked.
"Well, either of you or Thor came to mind actually," Hermione said.
Loki nodded. "I can see where you are coming from. I would be glad to come myself if neither Thor nor Sif protests?"
"You will get no arguments from me," Sif said.
"And none from me either," Thor added, entering the living room and sitting down.
"Then we'll just have to book a hotel and you can respond," Steve said.
"You're coming too?" Cassia asked.
"Of course. I'm sure the ministry is bound to realise what happens pretty quickly. Whatever way they retaliate, we'll be ready for them."
Cassia decided she preferred to travel by private jet rather than commercial. It was far comfier and there was more room. And it saved them from the attention they'd get from travelling with the Avengers on a public aircraft. She was rather glad Tony had his own jet now. She hated being stared at.
Tony had booked several interconnecting suites for them at the Ritz Hotel which came with chauffeurs ready to pick them up from the airport. They had booked in for two days prior to the meeting and eleven days after. The full time would give them a chance to respond to whatever reaction the Ministry gave.
Between receiving the response and the day of the meeting itself, Loki had been doing his best to teach Cassia as much as he could about politics- a very difficult subject to learn in the short space of time they had- and the required etiquette for meeting with heads of state.
On the morning of the meeting Cassia woke up early to get ready, getting dressed into a skirt suit and applying a light amount of makeup before pulling half her hair up into a braid and leaving the other half down. She made sure she still had her watch on before feeling ready to leave the room. The watch was actually an image inducer. It told time, but it made her appear to be a normal human, just like her glamour charm, except this would stand up to a magical inspection. If her glamour charm came down, she would have the inducer to appear human, and the wizards wouldn't suspect a thing.
She had dressed without waking Hermione, so she lightly kissed her soul mate on the forehead and went out and headed for the front door of the suite where Loki was waiting for her.
"Breakfast is waiting for us downstairs, and the car will be here at nine," he reminded, opening the door for her.
She smiled weakly. "I remember."
"Are you nervous?"
"Yeah."
"Do not worry. I will be there to help you through all of it. If you are unsure of how to respond, I can help you through the bond," Loki told her, offering her his arm which she accepted and they headed for the lift, which took them down to the restaurant where breakfast was being served. Cassia helped herself to a small amount of food from the buffet selection and a cup of tea.
"Is that all you are going to eat?" his tone was slightly worried.
"I don't normally eat much breakfast," she said, remembering Hermione, Dan, Emma and even, lately, Bucky, trying to encourage her to eat more.
"You should try to eat a bit more if you can," Loki said. "It will be better for you."
"I've just never eaten an awful lot," Cassia shrugged.
He frowned but left it at that, not wanting to push her just yet. She would open up in her own time. Cassia was a bundle of nerves by the time the car arrived for them. He did his best to keep her calm while they headed for Buckingham and could see that she was able to at least keep enough control on things that she wouldn't do something rash.
As they were led through the ornate palace, Cassia gripped his arm tightly, glad she wasn't alone. She was highly worried that the Queen would turn down her request. When they entered the meeting room, they saw Director Ragnok there, as well as the Prime Minister and Cassia was so shocked by it that she had to be mentally reminded by Loki to curtsy. He simply inclined his head to the Queen, who returned the gesture.
"Welcome, Prince Loki, Lady Potter. We wish we could welcome you on business that was of a more pleasant nature," the Queen said. "Please, sit down." She said, sitting and they, the Prime Minister and Director Ragnok took their seats. "Director Ragnok as well as your letter has informed us of the state our wizarding subjects had fallen into. A state which has been kept from us all these years. Tell us, do you still wish to follow your previously stated course of action?"
"I do, your majesty," Cassia nodded.
"I have been told one of the reasons is due to a marriage law that the Wizengamot is trying to pass, but I have not been told why you have an aversion to this as it was your place to tell it?"
'I would assume it is safe to tell her and the Prime Minister. Ragnok would have told them, but it may sound better coming from us.' Loki told her.
"I have found myself in a rather… unique situation," Cassia began, looking to Loki who nodded. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing the list of names on each. "Loki and I, and everyone else on this list, are soul mates, and the bond between us is very much active and it has been since the first time all of us were in the same room as each other at one time. In magic, this registers as a marriage. However, the wizarding world has decreed that unless a pureblood wizarding marriage ceremony takes place, no marriage exists. They are trying to gain control of me through marriage, something I want no part of. This is a strange situation, one I am slowly coming to terms with, but I don't want to be forced into a marriage by people who just want me to end a war for them when they are too lazy to do it themselves," she glanced to Loki who nodded and she turned off the image inducer and dropped her glamour. "There is also the fact that they would enslave me, just because I am not human."
The Queen's face was grave. "You are being persecuted for things you cannot help, and so are many others within the magical world. Prime Minister, have you heard from other world leaders on the matter?"
"Many members of the UN have been informed, Ma'am. Each magical government, though they believe otherwise, is a subdivision of the non-magical government in their respective countries."
"Can I take it then, that something is being planned against the wizarding communities?"
The Prime Minister nodded. "Slavery is abhorrent to us, and the history of these so called Dark Lords prove the magical communities cannot successfully govern themselves without their conflicts spilling out to affect those without magic. Their sense of superiority sees those with non-magical heritage targeted and killed, while those who are magical yet not human are legally enslaved. I like to believe we as a race have evolved enough that slavery is something no government will endorse obviously, in some cases, that is incorrect. So yes, we are planning something."
"As it is, your request has come to be a great advantage. Many in your world will view it simply as you escaping the marriage law the Wizengamot wish to enact and think no more of it. Bear in mind, Lady Potter, we have decided to grant your request and accept the donated lands and funds and then give them back to you as one of our non-magical subjects, and not as a witch. However, we would like you to consider becoming our eyes and ears within the magical world, be that here in Britain or even in America, and report all you know of them to us and our agents. If you could acquire books and research materials from places like Diagon Alley, so we will know exactly the ins and outs of their society and our forces will be able to adequately prepare for any confrontation with the wizards."
"Bear in mind, Lady Potter, the Goblin Nation would also wish to aid you and your bond mates in anything to do with this situation," Ragnok said, leaning forward. "The wizards have much to atone for, and it is high time they started."
Cassia was momentarily at a loss at what they wanted her to do. She had no doubt this would eventually lead to some form of hostile takeover of the ministry. Probably more than one. She felt the twelve others in the bond send a positive response to her, letting her know they would all go along with the idea. Loki physically nodded at her when she looked up at him, letting the others in the room know she had at least one person's support. She looked at them.
"I'll do whatever you need me to do. I hate the idea of what they do to non-humans and non-purebloods too. Tell me what you need me to do, and I'll do it."
"For now, there is nothing that we require of any of you. However, there is one final piece of business to address. While you have a Ladyship, your title has no attachment. You have a large estate, according to the documents Director Ragnok supplied us with, in Gwynedd, which I have been told is your main property- your family's ancestral home? It is customary, in these situations, to transfer those in question to an estate of equal power and prestige as in the wizarding world, therefore, from this day onwards you will be Lady Cassia Lily Potter, Marchioness of Gwynedd."
"Thank you, your majesty, I am very grateful, though if I could impose on you to ask one more slight favour?"
"What would that be, Marchioness?" Her tone indicated a warning for Cassia not to overstep her bounds.
"I have a rather large house with ample grounds in Hereford, as well as a secondary home a little away from the manor in Gwynedd. I was wondering if it would be possible to turn them into some sort of orphanages? I know what it's like having a less than happy child hood and I would like to create somewhere that, even if it takes in only a few children, will give them a safe haven, a home where they can grow up and learn what the world is like in safety."
The Queen smiled and nodded, and tension was released from the air. "That is a very generous offer, and I am sure something will be done. Of course, a committee will be set up with at least one member being a representative of our government's child services to oversee the running of these new homes, but would you be interested in taking a seat on the committee also?"
"Would it be possible? I'm only seventeen myself and I'll be staying in America fairly often."
"We are sure Mr Stark will be more than able to set you up on a video call for any meetings you were out of the country for. Also, as to your young age, we believe your experiences will give you a unique insight to any problems any of the children coming into the homes will experience."
Cassia smiled and nodded. After that, tea and a selection of scones was brought in while Cassia told them what she knew of the structure of the Ministry of Magic and Ragnok supplied what he could too. Loki even informed them of the work Hermione, Tony, Bruce and Jane were doing to build a machine to detect magic. This whole conversation was recorded so the information could be correctly handed down to the right people.
"So, let me get this straight," the Prime Minister said, "Just for a charge of underage magic to defend yourself, they put you in one of the court rooms where the trials of mass murderers and other such criminals are held?"
Cassia nodded. "Pretty much. The Minister, Fudge, was trying to discredit me at the time."
"I never did like the man when I met him," the Prime Minister said.
"He shouldn't be long for office now. He's not much of a war time minister," Cassia said.
"Lady Potter is of course, correct," Ragnok supplied. "I have had reports from my people on the bank floor of mutterings of disquiet from our customers concerning Cornelius Fudge. I can see him being replaced soon enough."
"That may very well see a more competent, battle ready minister take his place, probably a bad thing for any one assaulting the ministry," Loki noted. "Should he be replaced, a full assessment of his successor should be undertaken before any move is made. It would be unwise to underestimate him or her."
"Quite right of course," the Prime Minister nodded. "Before any moves are made, the right planning is required. Research and planning will always be our first move."
"What then? What is the plan to deal with the wizarding community?" Cassia asked.
"We hope to integrate the magical population with the non-magical population. Of course, with the revelation of other worlds, and the rise in the number of mutants, our world is changing. People now will be more willing to accept a hidden society being revealed around this time than they would have say, before the Battle of New York? The Ministry will become a branch of the government, dealing with any magical related problems, of course they would always answer to the larger governmental body and wizards and witches would be subject to the same laws as the rest of the country. If they break any of our laws, they will receive the same sanctions as anyone else would," the Prime Minister supplied.
Cassia was satisfied with that answer. It sounded reasonable to her. "Have you been informed of what the loss of the Potter funds in the wizarding economy will do to their society?"
"I have informed them, Lady Potter, which is another reason to the positive response to your request today," Ragnok grinned. "This move will help destabilise them, make it easier to move against them. Of course, Gringotts was more than happy to help. It is my hope that my nation's alliance with non-magical folk will be far more profitable for both of us in the long run."
"So do we, Director Ragnok. So do we," the Queen agreed.
It was after lunch time when they left the palace. As the car left the grounds, Cassia rubbed her eyes. "I need to go for a walk," she sighed. She was relieved at how well it had all went, but she needed to work through it all in her head.
Loki nodded. "Can you drop us off at the Themes bank, driver? We will make our own way back from there."
"Of course sir," the man replied.
There was silence in the car up until they reached the Themes where the driver dropped them off. They thanked him and got out.
"That went well I thought," Loki said.
"Yes, it did," Cassia nodded.
"Your idea of turning two of your properties into orphanages was also a stroke of genius. I was worried for a moment when you asked for a favour, but that sort of thing was always going to go down well."
"I wasn't really thinking about any positive responses from her except getting a yes."
"So you meant what you said then? About knowing how hard it was?" He frowned.
"Sort of yeah. I wish I didn't, but I do. And nothing'll change that now, but I can do something to help others."
"You are a remarkable young woman, Cassia. We are lucky to have you. Both you and Hermione. And anyone who treated you in a less than proper manor were at the very least fools." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, drawing her into him. "Anyone looking to hurt you will have to go through us."
She smiled up at him, before the moment was interrupted by a hated voice.
A/N: What did you think? Please review!
