Breaking Point
Chapter XIII
"Normal Speech."
'Normal Thought.'
"Spells/Translations."
Books/Letters
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"Was he right?"
Kurknuss frowned as he looked around the council chambers. Chairs were empty, only a handful of the King's advisors currently gathered. Why they were absent was obvious and what made it worse, was that it had all been avoidable.
When the Goblin War had ended, Kurknuss had known that it was only a matter of time until Ulgrat decided to overthrow the young Prince at the time. He was from a powerful tribe, his actions in the war had made him feared, his name etched into the annuls of history. There was no Goblin that didn't know and fear the name, Ulgrat the Brutal. In Goblin society, infamy and fame meant power, much like they did the Wizarding World.
But in Goblin society, it meant so much more.
Tribes could be formed overnight by a famous Goblin, but they could just as easily disappear at the hands of them. To Goblins, fame was a weapon, one they wielded with deadly precision to strike down their enemies.
Kurknuss had known the moment his friend, the former King had died that his rash decision was perhaps his greatest mistake. During the war, he had done many things, brutal and terrible things. Actions that would have made him arguably more infamous than Ulgrat, but it would have made it impossible for him to assume his position as the princes' caretaker and regent. So, he had tricked the world, believing his cruellest deeds were Ulgrat's.
It was meant to cripple the Goblin he knew desired power more so than anyone and for some time, it had. Ulgrat despite his infamy, had been so feared that all of Goblin society ostracised him. He was isolated, without supporters while he, Kurknuss raised and taught the young prince into becoming the King he was today.
But despite that, Ulgrat had recovered and was now in a position of strength none of them could have imagined he would possess. Kurknuss knew the fault lay with him, if he had simply not given Ulgrat the infamy that day, as the war came to an end, perhaps things would have been different. Yet that was not his only mistake in dealing with Ulgrat, arguably he had made a bigger mistake.
One day, when trails were held to oversee the punishment of those Goblins, who in the eyes of the Wizards, had gone too far, Ulgrat had been called forth. The first name, to be called, one that would set an example and prove to the Wizards that the King was serious in his desire to see the peace last.
On that day, Kurknuss knew they should have killed him.
During the course of the trial, Kurknuss changed many events, making Ulgrat the sole perpetrator of many of his crimes. Washing his hands of the cruelty he had committed and further staining Ulgrat's in the eyes of many. But the King at the time, the young prince had been unable to order a man's execution. He had been weak of mind and will, unable to be responsible for a Goblin's death.
Kurknuss had tried, pushed for the King to call for Ulgrat's execution and had been willing to order it himself, in the place of the King. However, the young Goblin had refused, Ulgrat was punished, stripped of his many titles and power, forced to live at the very bottom of Gobin society.
It was a mistake to let him live.
He should have acted alone and without the King's knowledge, killing Ulgrat when he was weak and vulnerable.
"It is, my King." One of the advisors muttered, frowns shared all around. "We have studied the documents; Lord Potter is the Lord of one of the Nine."
This thought was beyond anything Kurknuss had imagined.
The Nine were ancient houses, Wizarding families who had come to the aid of Goblins during what humanity called the Dark Ages. Perhaps it was out of greed, or for some unknown reason, Kurknuss didn't know. But they had offered aid, they taught Goblins how to read and write, gifted them with intelligence. They helped Goblins build their society as it was today.
But that was only a few of the Houses, those that were held up as almost being divine beings to Goblin Society. Out of the Nine though, a few earned their respect and admiration for their skill with war. In ancient times long since passed, some Wizarding families proved their skill upon the battlefield by fighting alongside the Goblins. Unlikely allies that forged a bond and comradery not seen between Goblins and Wizarding kind for centuries.
Wizarding families that aided Goblin Society at different, but pivotal moments in their history. Each held aloft as being superior to others amongst their kind, respected and admired by Goblins for their kindness and battle prowess.
He didn't fully believe the history they were taught, it was usually fantasised, exaggerated. For people in power, it was so simple to omit parts of the truth, change it to suit their agenda.
Either way, the mere name of one of the Nine provided power.
Kurknuss however was afraid of what this could mean, of what it was already doing. 'Many of the council are already having doubts. With one of the Nine in his grasp, Ulgrat's power has become a rival to the Kings. Now they are wondering who to support.' Only those still here were loyal to the King, tribes who had risen to prominence under the new Kings rule but knew they would not survive under Ulgrat's regime.
They were peaceful Goblins, pacifists, hardly much use in the war that was going to come.
"Then what do we do?" One Goblin questioned, all looking around the table at one another, hoping someone had the answer.
"We must strike now." It was Kurknuss that answered, all looking to him. "Look at you all, young Goblins, those that have bought into the peace and prosperity. You're not warriors." Naturally, his words elected some outrage but he cared little for their wounded pride. "He expects us to wait, thinking over every option that doesn't lead to war. He won't be expecting us to strike out."
"But he has one of the Nine supporting him!"
Kurknuss ignored him, looking to the King who was staring back at him. Those eyes that were once so filled with trust, darkened with distrust after the King had learned the truth of who he was and what he had done. "You still hold power, summon Lord Potter and speak with him, tell him the truth. But in the meantime, you must strike now. Show your strength by targeting those that once held seats here. Remind Goblins that you are King. If you do not, you will have nothing."
This was a test, Kurknuss knew that much.
Those empty seats belonged to old and young Goblins who were warriors. They weren't pacifists but Goblins of war, they had not bought into the King's peaceful ways but followed him because of his position.
This was a test to see how the King would react, would he remain weak and stick to his pacifists' ways. Or would the warrior blood of his father take control? Ulgrat was banking upon the Goblin King doing nothing and then sweeping those Goblins under his regime. Kurknuss would not allow it, even if they would not follow the King, he would make sure that they couldn't support Ulgrat.
It may not be what those on the council wanted, but they were already at war. Much like the Wizards though, they could not imagine nor did they wish to admit the truth. Kurknuss however, he would fight this war for the King, even if it meant his death as penance.
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It had gone as well as was expected, Rufus Scrimgeour had been insistent upon getting answers out of both Harry Potter and Blaise Zabini upon what was happening. He wanted to know what Harry had done, how he had done it and why he had done it. He wanted to know why Theodore Nott and his two goons had attempted to rape Daphne Greengrass.
He pressed for answers and it was only the calming words of Kingsley Shacklebot from making things go beyond the thinly veiled threats to actually following through with them. Blaise Zabini was sharp-tongued and intelligent, he kept his words short, answering the question but only to the bare minimum.
It had driven the irate Rufus Scrimgeour to new heights that Tonks had never seen before.
But it wasn't too difficult to understand why. He wanted to be Minister for Magic. He already had competition in Amelia Bones who was well-liked and respected for her firm but fair stance in many matters. She had much support amongst the Wizengamot, something he didn't have. He needed to be seen doing something, it just so happened the attempted rape and Harry's mauling of her attackers provided him with the perfect opportunity to curry favour with many.
Except it hadn't gone the way he expected.
Blaise's sharp and short responses.
Harry's quiet and nonchalant demeanour.
Her, acting as his representative being vague and misleading.
All the while Garth Greengrass stood over his shoulder, judging him. It was no wonder the interview, though it was more in line with an interrogation, was called to an end early by Kingsley before the irate Rufus could make a decision he would regret. He was desperate, it was easy to see and he came here expecting an easy victory.
Only to face a wall that refused to budge.
Tonks almost felt bad for him, if he hadn't called her a whore. She was a girl who liked to have fun, she flirted, she teased, but she wasn't a whore. It was something Tonks had thought she had overcome, even after the many times she had been referred to as such. Jealous girls in her year and above. Boys whose prides were hurt after she rejected them. Each would spread rumours that led to her being viewed as a cheap whore who would sleep with anyone.
It was something that she thought was long behind her, something she could quite easily ignore and laugh off. But apparently, that was not the case. In a way, Metamorphmagus were just as misunderstood as Veela, both viewed as witches that were nothing more than sluts who would sleep with anyone and anything that took their fancy.
'But it never bothered me to this extent before.' Tonks thought with a frown as she and Harry made their way back towards the Gryffindor dorm room. She had been called a whore before, called a slut, it hurt back when she was a young girl. It had hurt at first when she became an Auror. But after a while, she had grown used to it, as bad as that was.
It was meant to be behind her.
Yet the moment Rufus had muttered under his breath, quiet enough that most didn't hear, that she was nothing more than Potter's whore, it had hurt.
"Tonks, are you alright?" Harry asked from beside her. "You've been quiet for a while now."
Ridding her head of her thoughts, Tonks looked up and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little jittery after that, Rufus is a tough guy and honestly, he scares me a little." Harry laughed.
"Is he always like that?"
"Nope." Tonks shook her head. "He's always serious, I'll give him that, but that's not how he usually is. He's desperate to become Minister, wants to reinstate lethal force for Aurors like back in the First Blood War. He was a big advocator of that back then and still is now. Amelia Bones is not so keen on that though. She thinks Death Eaters deserve the death penalty, but she wants trials. She doesn't want Aurors to be seen to be just as bad as the Death Eaters like they were in the last war. She wants Death Eaters brought in alive and then trailed."
"I'm guessing Amelia's approach is more appealing then?" Harry asked and Tonks nodded her head.
"She's got the support of much of the Wizengamot, including some of the known Death Eaters. They want her to become Minister, at least until they can remove her and put Voldemort in her place."
"Makes sense."
Approaching the entrance to the Gryffindor dorm room, Tonks made sure to revert back to her Niamh White appearance. She didn't know whether Lavender Brown or anyone might be awake, they weren't when she left but they might have awoken in the middle of the night. As she did this, Harry uttered the password, both entering into the dorm room to find it empty.
"Thanks for the help tonight, Tonks." Waving it off, she instead just smiled widely.
"Come on, like I'm going to let you face Scrimgeour on your own. You'd probably say something stupid and dig yourself into a deeper hole." She teased.
"I'm not that bad."
The raised brow she gave elected a roll of his eyes.
"Night, Tonks."
"Night, Harry." As she made her way up the stairs to the girl's dormitory, Tonks paused. 'Do I...?' As quickly as the thought came to her, Tonks dismissed it out of mind. 'No, it was just me not being prepared for him to say that. That's all.'
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Pushing open the door to a nearly empty classroom, Harry looked to see Blaise Zabini sitting in the far corner. The teen in question looked over the top of his book to see who it was who had entered into his private area and groaned aloud.
"What is it, Potter? And how did you find me?"
Walking across the classroom, Harry pulled out the chair from behind the desk that was in front of Blaise, turning it around to face his fellow student. "I came to ask you a few questions."
"No." Blaise snapped.
"Excuse me?" Harry questioned, surprised at how quickly he had been shut down.
Blaise closed his book, resting on the desk. "I said, no." He then indicated to the door. "Now kindly leave me in peace and fuck off."
"...You don't like me very much, do you?" Harry asked.
"What gave it away?" Blaise retorted, reopening his book and trying to ignore Harry's existence. But a few moments passed in which Harry sat silently, Blaise eventually looking to him with a glare. "Why are you still here?"
"Just trying to figure out what I did that made you dislike me so much," Harry answered.
Blaise sighed. "Not everyone has to like you, Potter. Nor do they have to have a reason to dislike you. But, if you want a reason, what you're doing now is making me hate you even more."
"That's a sharp change. From disliking to hate me." The look Blaise gave was one of long-suffering and it made Harry smile.
"Potter, I'm going to curse you if you don't leave." He warned, Harry just smiling in response. For a little while the two remained in silence, Blaise glaring and Harry smiling until eventually, Blaise released a deep sigh. "Fine, if I answer your questions will you leave me alone?"
Harry nodded his head. "If that's what it takes. Oh, and don't be short like you were with Rufus. I'll just keep annoying you until you answer."
"And you wonder why I don't like you," Blaise muttered, before rubbing his brow, a book resting upon the table. "Alright, let's get this over with. Ask away."
"Why did Theodore Nott attempt to rape Daphne?"
"Because he wants to marry her." The look Harry gave told Blaise he wanted more than just that. Rufus had a similar reaction the night before, but unlike Rufus, Harry could and would annoy him persistently. "You really don't know a thing about marriage, do you? Don't answer that, I already know what you're going to say."
Harry shut his mouth, instead choosing to listen attentively.
"Virginity is a sacred thing, has been since medieval times. Not for any magical reasons, more for pride. Wizards, Lords especially like the knowledge that they're the first a Witch has ever had. As a result, the virginity of a witch, especially those from a noble house, is extremely valuable. The more powerful and wealthy the house, the more worth that virginity has." Blaise explained, Harry feeling a little uncomfortable with the crass words.
"So why would Theodore try and rape her if he wants her?"
"Potter, for the first time in your life, try and use your brain. I assume you have something between your ears, yes? Try to use it." Blaise snarked. "Why would Nott rape Daphne and take away her virginity that holds a great deal of worth in the Wizarding world?"
"To lower her worth?" Harry answered unsurely.
Blaise nodded his head. "Congratulations, you're not a complete idiot. You're right, it's to lower Daphne's worth. The Greengrass family is one of the most powerful families in not only Britain but Europe. There are a lot of lords and heirs who want Daphne's hand in marriage for that reason. Even the Malfoys had to settle for Astoria as they couldn't match the worth of Daphne's virginity. If the Malfoys couldn't, the Notts have no chance and so, Nott attempted to force himself on Daphne and immediately lower her worth."
"In order to make it possible for him to gain her hand in marriage." Harry finished off.
"Precisely," Blaise replied. "Now you have your answer, fuck off and leave me alone in peace."
Harry shook his head. "I still have one more question."
There was a moment in which, Blaise rubbed his temples, almost looking on the verge of attacking Harry at that moment. The young man in question actually found it amusing to see. Blaise from his limited interactions with him seemed calm and collected if a little crude and vulgar at times. To see him getting so openly frustrated was actually quite amusing to see.
"One more question, that's it." Blaise pointed out, Harry conceding.
"What's going to happen if Daphne returns, she'll still be in danger, won't she?"
"Why do you care?"
Harry frowned at that. "Because while I may not know her, no one deserves to go through that. If she's in danger, I might be able to do something to help her."
"How noble of you." Blaise mocked, Harry's frown deepening. "Well, you can stop worrying, Potter. I will take care of Slytherin House and look after my friends. I don't need your help to do that."
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Resting his feet up on the desk, Harry rocked back on his chair, as he extended one hand out to the candle on the desk. Not upon the flame that flickered away on the wick, but on the shadow beneath it. His fingers strained, Harry drowning out the sounds of the classroom as he focused on moving the shadow in accordance to his will.
For a few moments, nothing happened and Harry pushed harder.
Slowly, the shadow seemed to darken around the edges, spreading across the entire shadow's length and coming together in the middle. The edges once more became a little lighter as all that darkness became concentrated in the middle. Out from it, a thin sliver of darkness looking like a worm rose up.
But as soon as it became level with the flame, it dissipated, Harry instantly losing control over it. 'Damnit! That's much harder than I thought it was.' He thought, trying not to let his exhaustion show. 'It's nothing like I did before, what am I doing wrong?'
More than two weeks had passed since Nott's attempted rape of Daphne Greengrass and since then, things had changed within Hogwarts. Slytherin was more hated than ever once word got out, Harry didn't know how that happened and neither did the faculty. The number of Hit Wizards within Hogwarts had also grown, the new ones stationed within Hogwarts itself, patrolling the corridors at night and during the day along with the Prefects.
It was a subtle difference at first, but one that became much more keenly felt as time passed by. Harry had ignored it all, instead of focusing a lot of his time and effort into trying to recreate what he did to Nott, Crabbe and Goyle, but he had made little progress. He felt a connection with shadow, greater than anything he had ever with the other elements he experimented with. Yet, there was so much light around him that it made using it extremely taxing. However, Harry knew that he couldn't just wait for night to use this element and he knew for a fact his enemies wouldn't be against using light to weaken him.
It was not impossible to manipulate shadows in the light, but it was incredibly difficult. Yet that was the one thing Harry kept on doing, his theory being that if he could manipulate shadows in the light, he could do so with much greater proficiency during the dark.
"So, still not much progress," Tonks said, sitting down upon the desk, her form that of Niamh White, a relaxed smile on her face.
Harry shook his head, looking to see Dumbledore overlooking the rest of his Defence Club in the exam he was personally conducting. "Not really," Harry admitted with a frown. "I can get the shadow up, but the moment it gets too close to the light, it becomes almost impossible to keep control of it."
Tonks paused, before shrugging. "Well, I've got nothing."
"Thanks." Harry snarked, Tonks lightly jabbing his side with her foot.
"Don't be an asshole." She jested with a smile, both noticing Dumbledore approaching them as the rest of the Defence Club began to leave the room. "So, what'd you think? He's a pretty good teacher like I said, ain't he?"
Dumbledore nodded his head. "I am very impressed with what you've done." He admitted, a prideful glimmer in his eyes. "When you proposed your timeline, I had been sceptical about you being able to go through the sixth- and seventh-year curriculum before Christmas, but you've done it." It wasn't perfect, a lot having just barely scrapped an Acceptable in all subjects, but that was a big achievement considering the short timeframe. "But I am nonetheless impressed with what you have accomplished, keep up the good work."
Harry ignored the compliment, not really bothered to hear Dumbledore's praise, he was just glad it was finally time to go on more exciting opportunities, simulations. He had gone through the sixth- and seventh-year courses purely because they taught important principles of magic, such as Nonverbal Casting that would be important in a duel. Plus, he needed an incentive for people to take part and helping them pass their N.E. was an easy way to do that.
But the real thing Harry wanted to do was simulations, real-life battle simulations that would force not only those he was teaching to be prepared but also help himself. If he was going to be teaching, he was going to get something out of this, even if that meant placing massive restrictions upon himself to do it.
"I am aware that you have a meeting with Garth Greengrass tonight, is that correct?" Harry paused, looking to Tonks to see if she was the one who told him but she just shook her head.
Sighing, Harry nodded his head. "Yeah, I am."
"May I offer some advice?" Instead of giving Harry the chance to turn down his offer, Dumbledore did so anyway. "Use this opportunity to get the Greengrass family upon our side. They are a very influential family not only in Britain but in Europe. They own a very large trading business, one of the largest in Europe and have been connected with numerous smuggling rings across the world. If they should join us, it would help us massively in our fight against the Dark Lord."
"Don't worry, Headmaster." Harry rose to his feet, Tonks hopping off the desk. "I had every intention of doing that anyway." He was not going to remain in Dumbledore's shadow forever, nor would he rely purely on Dumbledore's allies to help him either. No, Harry was going to make his own alliances and build his own faction, one working for him and not Dumbledore.
Someone had already leaked the information about his meeting with Garth Greengrass, who knows what else they might tell Dumbledore in the future? That was not something he could allow to keep happening.
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Stepping out of the fireplace, Harry took a moment to marvel at his surroundings. It was so vastly different to Hogwarts and Grimmauld Place, it was large, extravagant and yet it was also warm and homely. A vast difference to both of those magical places, reminding him almost of the Burrow in that sense of warmth.
He seemed to be in some kind of living room area, larger and much nicer than the Dursley's with a number of comfortable sofas and chairs. A coffee table in the centre with a steaming cup of tea already waiting for him.
Moving forwards, Harry sat upon one of the chairs, the cup upon the table rising off the table and moving towards him. Looking around him, Harry tried to see who was behind it, but upon seeing no one, Harry looked to the cup itself. Reaching out, Harry took the offered drink and slowly sipped upon it presently surprised that despite steaming, it was of a pleasantly comfortable drinking temperature.
It was then that Garth Greengrass opened the door, Harry looking over his shoulder. Upon seeing the Lord of the house, Harry placed the drink down and bowed in greeting, Garth returning the gesture.
"Heir Potter, I do apologise for not being able to greet you as soon as you arrived however, I had an unexpected guest arrive mere moments before you did." There was a wariness to his countenance, something Harry picked up on instantly, trying to see behind the man if there was someone he could see.
"Nothing too worrying I hope?" Garth shook his head.
"No, simply an unexpected guest that caught me by surprise." It was then that Lord Goyle stepped up behind Lord Greengrass, Harry was able to recognise him instantly due to the similarities he shared with his son. "Lord Goyle, you know Heir Potter, don't you?" The tension in Lord Goyle's shoulders, the look of shock and even a little fear made both Harry and Garth smile.
"Lord Potter." Harry corrected, this time making both men look at him in surprise. He moved forwards and extended a hand towards Lord Goyle. "A pleasure to meet you, Lord Goyle. I hope your son is doing well, last time I saw him he seemed a bit under the weather. Nothing too serious I hope?"
Lord Goyle grit his teeth, looking like he wanted nothing more than to attack Harry at that moment, the little smirk the emerald-eyed Wizard was giving him only further fuelling his anger. "No, he will be fine." He gritted out, resisting the urge.
"Oh, that is wonderful news." Harry's cheeriness contrasted with the dangerous smirk upon his face. "I'd hate it for anything bad to happen to your son, he seemed like such a good boy."
Quickly, Lord Goyle pulled his hand away, bowing his head towards Lord Greengrass. "Forgive me once again for dropping by unannounced like this, Lord Greengrass. Rest assured that my payment for my sons' actions will be delivered in full very soon." He then looked to Harry and curtly turned his head up, dismissing the boy entirely as he worked towards the fireplace.
As soon as the figure was gone, Harry turned to Lord Greengrass and bowed slightly. "I do apologise for that showing, I had no intention of insulting a guest in your house." He was so glad that he had read books upon proper etiquette, even getting help from Tonks, however little she provided because he'd probably put his foot in his mouth like he nearly did and not know how to make a proper apology.
Garth just simply shook his head, an amused smile playing upon his lips. "No, it was quite amusing to see. Though please do remember not to do so in the future." Harry nodded his head, Garth then indicating towards the door, the two of them heading out of the waiting room and into the main building. "I was not aware you were Lord Potter, though I suppose considering your age and the lack of family members you were able to gain access to it much sooner than others. The lack of response from the Ministry though is surprising, they usually try to interfere in these matters."
"To stop young lords and ladies from claiming their lordships before the Ministry has had a chance to manipulate them you mean?" Garth chuckled lowly, nodding his head in agreement.
"I suppose that is one way to look at it, yes." Garth agreed, the two making their way past the dining room and up the stairs within the main entrance. "But I would like to make an apology for not appropriately addressing you in neither my letters nor my greeting to you earlier."
Harry waved off his concerns as the two turned down a corridor where a single door lay at the far end. "No need to worry about such a thing. I have purposefully kept it secret because I didn't want people to know."
"But now you do?" Garth questioned, opening the door as they both stepped inside the office.
"I think it's time I stop pretending or relying upon Dumbledore's protection for everything," Harry admitted, taking the seat offered to him. "Besides, I doubt I'll be able to keep it secret forever, I would at least like to control how it comes out. Shocking Lord Goyle in such a way and no doubt the rest of his little cult will be one amusing way to do so."
The dismissive tone and phrase of referring to the Death Eaters as a cult caught Garth off-guard, he paused as he went to sit down in his chair. Raising a brow, he fully sat down and stared across at Harry properly, noting that he sat there with a certain level of confidence and power. A strange thing to feel when looking at a boy the same age as his eldest daughter.
"I suppose if you believe it prudent for you to do so, then no one should be able to stop you from doing so." Garth conceded, Harry, nodding his head in thanks. "But I called you here because I would like to thank you for saving my daughter, and apologise for the way I acted when we first met."
"You were worried about your daughter and wanting answers, I can't fault you for the way you act." Harry quickly dismissed, Garth unsure whether to be displeased or pleased by that.
"Nonetheless, I would like to express my apologies for that. As you are now Lord Potter and have access to those Vaults, money will be of no issue to you. But I have a selection of rare artefacts and can procure others if none suit your fancy." Garth continued, noting that Harry seemed to have little understanding of how politics truly worked. "It would be insulting to both you and me if I did not do this. Putting my character into question if it came to light that I did not do this to make amends for perceived slights against your house."
Harry frowned, not really desiring anything from a man who was simply acting as a concerned father. It felt bad to get something for that, especially considering he was far from offended or slighted by his actions. "I'm sure that whatever you offer will be of suitable value, so please choose what you think is best."
Nodding his head in thanks, Garth then moved on to the next point of the topic. "I would then like to offer my thanks and a show of appreciation for you saving my daughter, not only as Lord Greengrass but as a father. Ask of me anything you wish and if it is within my power, I shall see it done."
"An alliance, between our two houses," Harry replied instantly, having come here precisely for this reason. "I'm sure you're aware of the return of the Lord-"
"Lord Potter, please do not utter his name." Lord Greengrass quickly interjected, warily looking around. "My Wards are powerful, yes, but I do not wish to risk my family by revealing the presence of my home."
Not fully sure why Harry nonetheless conceded. "Of course, my apologies. But with the return of the Dark Lord, I too am a target. I would rather not have the Greengrass family on his side and instead, allied with myself. Not openly, of course, that would place your family at great risk."
"But instead from the shadows." Garth finished off, understanding where Harry was going with this. While Harry would fight Voldemort openly, the Greengrass family would present itself as neutral, not allied with either side. However, in secret would be aiding Harry and his allies against Voldemort. "It is well within my power to do so; Lord Potter and I see no reason why I should not do this."
He had connections in many places, providing artefacts, food, supplies and even soldiers would be very easy for him to do with the assets he possessed. There were many mercenaries that could be hired to aid Harry and information networks that could be established to help him. There was a lot Garth could do from the shadows while Harry openly fought against Voldemort.
"Thank you, Lord Greengrass."
As Harry was about to leave though, Garth stopped him. "Lord Potter," he called. "You did not seem all that keen upon an artefact, so how about I instead share information with you in its place?"
Harry smiled. "I would actually prefer that, thank you."
"As I'm sure you're aware, the Werewolf, Fenrir Greyback has joined the Dark Lords faction. But in a recent action, he has begun to attack concentration camps across the British Isles, only two at this point in time, but hundreds of Werewolves and Werewolf sympathisers have been freed and now join their cause. But during that assault, there were a few killed and a worrying discovery has come to light."
Harry paid attention, but his mind was mostly focused upon one point of Garth's words. Werewolf Concentration Camps, he had never heard of such a thing, but by the looks on Garth's face, it was not a new thing and was in fact, a very real thing. A place in which both Werewolves and those that sympathised with them were sent and from the way it was being described, Harry could tell it was not a good place to end up. 'How come I had never been told of that though? Surely it would be something important to know considering I'm a partial Werewolf.'
To Harry though, it was further proof that Dumbledore couldn't be trusted. "What kind of discovery?" Despite this though, he didn't derail the conversation nor did he want to reveal anything that could link him to being a Werewolf or a sympathiser. He didn't fully know Garth and right now, no contract had been signed that sealed their alliance.
"They're evolving," Garth answered grimly. "We discovered that they have stabilised the passage of the Lycanthropy Virus. It no longer comes with a high mortality rate and instead, from what observations have been made through experimentation, that it is one hundred percent effective. Once you are bitten, you will be a Werewolf, there is no possibility of death from being bitten anymore."
The question to Harry though, was how this came to light and through what means did they test this? However, he never brought any of this up, just storing it within his mind to bring up at a later date, once the alliance had been sealed.
"Not only that, but we found that in a few, they had an increased resistance to silver, nothing major but it is worrying that they may become immune to it in the future." Garth continued, unaware of the internal thoughts Harry was having. "We do not know this for certain nor do we know if there are any more evolutions that we are currently unaware of. We only had a few corpses to study after all, however, one thing that we do know for certain Lord Potter is that this is not a natural evolution."
That made Harry pause, looking to Garth in bemusement. "Are you saying, that someone is experimenting upon Werewolves?"
Garth nodded his head. "It is highly likely, yes. And it is expected that they will make many more evolutions to the Werewolves in the future. Be careful."
-X- Line Break -X-
Coming up to the Gryffindor table within the Great Hall, Harry walked straight past Ron and the others, making his way directly to where Tonks was sat talking with Lavender and Parvati. The latter noticing his approach and leaning over to whisper something to Niamh with a teasing smile, Tonks looking back at him.
There had been rumours for a while that Niamh had a crush on Harry, like many of the girls in Hogwarts, whether it be for his fame or change in appearance, it was usually one of the two. To many, Niamh was no different, the only thing that separated her was the fact that he, Harry talked to her on a consistent basis. Something that made her the envy of many girls, and a source of teasing from both Lavender and Parvati.
"Can we talk?" Harry asked, sparing a glance around the Great Hall, purposefully ignoring eye contact with the table belonging to the teachers, especially Dumbledore. "Privately?"
Caught a little surprised by the request, Tonks nonetheless agreed. "Sure." She said eagerly, leaning into the role that she had assumed as a close friend of his, that also happened to have a crush on him. Harry would admit, that it was kind of amusing how well she played the role, she was a very good actor.
So, another chapter done and with it, we see the Goblin King's faction and more importantly, Kurknuss making a move. Ulgrat isn't going to just steamroll his way to victory, Kurknuss especially will not allow it. But we do see that Ulgrat has a big advantage, the King and his factions are more pacifists than warriors. On top of that, we learn that the Nine helped Goblins gain and build a society, helping them survive where other races have died out. There's still more to it, don't worry so if you feel it's a bit lacklustre, then just know that we only know about the Nine from Kurknuss' perspective. There is much more to the story than what Kurknuss has told us.
I didn't bother with the interrogation scene because really, we'd be covering everything we already know as last chapter we had Harry dishing out some punishment so I felt it was pointless to cover that again. However, Tonks herself is beginning to question what she feels about Harry.
Blaise and Harry have another interaction, Blaise preparing to look after Daphne without Harry's help. Usually in stories like this, Harry would be doing all the work with Blaise being his subordinate almost. Well, that's not the case here, Blaise doesn't need Harry's help as you'll come to see. But also, we get a bit more info on political marriages. Again, unlike most stories a Witches virginity isn't some magical gift, its more for pride.
Harry is also working on his manipulation of shadows while also meeting with Garth Greengrass. It goes quite well, with Harry securing an ally to his cause. Though upon arriving, Lord Goyle is also leaving having just met with Garth moments before to discuss recompense for his sons actions.
Anyway, not let's get on with the questions:
Marksbay: He's pissed at Dumbledore for many reasons, he still hasn't forgiven him for effectively raising him as a pig to slaughter. He's also frustrated with his progress. So, when Dumbledore started coming over and questioning why Harry did stuff, it just made him even more pissed off and he just decided to call him out. You're right, it's an overreaction and that was purposeful.
JackBlaze123: The way I see it and I think it's been confirmed is that Grindelwald and Dumbledore had a Blood Pact, sworn by magic never to fight each other. That's why he couldn't immediately join the war. But as for your other questions, I honestly have no idea, ask Rowling because I'm simply using her world while making some changes here and there. But don't worry, there's a reason why Dumbledore appears a more ruthless war commander in the second war than the first.
And you've raised some good points about the teaching issue. Hard to argue against that, but again, I've already kind of explained why. I'm not an expert level player, but I still coach and my performance during a game has massively improved from that. You don't have to be an expert level to be able to teach and improve your skills from it. That's the only flaw in your argument about the teaching issue as Harry doesn't need to be an expert to learn from teaching. While I haven't outright said it, Harry's basic skills have improved massively from teaching them. A showcase of this will come in a few chapters.
Also, glad you like that, I never liked stories where a faction blindly follows their leader. There is always discontent and division at some point. Yep, the Goblin storyline seems to be one of the most highly liked aspects of this story. The Nine have a bit of info revealed this chapter, but as mention in the AN, there is more history on then to come. As for Blaise, well that's purposeful, there is more to his backstory that is yet to be revealed, but one of the factors to why he acts that way is because Harry's accusation.
highlander348: Because if history has proven anything, people aren't that believing or willing to listen to it. In fact, they would more than likely be even more afraid of Harry because they don't understand why. And like I said, history has proven that people fear what they don't understand.
Wulfkin17: Daphne's story is as of yet, uncertain. If she does, you're right she'll have to get in line, but I'm still not a 100% on whether she and Harry will get together, if they don't, they will be very close friends.
Hope that answers your questions, if not please let me know and I'll answer them as best as I can. Always love to read reviews and questions so please don't be afraid to ask.