Angels Light
Chapter 11
AN: Hello all and welcome back. Firstly as always I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. No then as you may or may not be aware this story started off as a loose spin-off of my Immortal Diaries story. Over time this story has grown and taken on a life of its own that even I wasn't truly expecting. This story started off as what was supposed to be a straight crossover between Charmed and Harry Potter. The MCU, DCU and other franchises were always going to play a part but initially it was going to be in a sequel to this story. As I was writing however this story took its own course and rather than try to force what I was initially intended I just let the writing flow and the story guide me.
The story has now taken on a form where I have reached a crossroads. I could end the story here and continue forward in a sequel which I was initially planning to do. The other option is that I continue forward as it is. I have chosen the latter option which is why I've moved this to be under the Avengers/Harry Potter section as not only do I feel it will reach a bigger audience this way but more importantly I've realized these characters will be taking on greater prominence in the story going forward.
Also there is now a poll up in my profile regarding this story so please put in your votes. Anyway thank you for indulging me and here is the new chapter.
Start Now:
For Albus Dumbledore the summer holidays had been quite different from any in recent memory. It had started of course with Hogwarts and the Chamber of Secrets. While things had proceeded as planned for the most part, not everything had gone as he'd have liked. Lucius's little coup with the board to get him out of the castle for inaction during the threat hadn't much bothered him. In fact he had been quite glad for it as it had given him a reasonable excuse for why he had done nothing. Unfortunately his return to the school had been delayed and as such he had lost the opportunity to arrive and claim the credit for the death of the beast. Young Harry had somehow managed to not only survive his confrontation but slay the beast and recover the Sword of Gryffindor as well in the process. Once again young Harry had somehow managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat despite the odds of doing so. It was something that he had mixed feelings about as on one hand the boys death had been part of the plan, yet on the other he was quite pleased at the results of his survival.
That of course led to thoughts on how he survived. He had of course heard of Whitelighters and their Elders but had never had the opportunity of meeting one. Even his position in the ICW had not given him the opportunity to come across one and even there they had been spoken of as a mere myth. Yet Harry, through Lily had been connected to one the entire time. He had never bothered to look into the background of the late Lady Potter having known her as a muggleborn her background was simply unimportant in the grand scheme of things. In fact the woman herself hadn't been important in his eyes other than the fact that she would give birth to the next generation of Potters.
However in hindsight it was obviously her blood that was the important factor in the equation he had been searching for all this time. Born half whitelighter and half witch she had been hidden away from the eyes of the Elders as a mixing of the two was forbidden. Her whitelighter powers had been bound and she was placed into the arms of her adoptive parents by her godmother. Flash forward eleven years and she was on the Hogwarts Express where she would eventually be coined the 'Brightest Witch of the Age' and meet her future husband with no hint of that secret heritage ever showing itself. As such despite her brilliance he had never taken an interest in the girl and as such had disregarded any thought as to her bloodline.
Regardless of this a connection, if a rather weak one, had obviously been passed from the whitelighter to Harry as she'd been able to hear his subconscious plea for help while in the Chamber. She had arrived in time to save the boy whisking him and young Ginerva from the Chamber to the med-bay where she with the help of another whitelighter who would be revealed as Lily's father had managed to heal him and amazingly enough by pure happenstance drive Voldemort's soul shard from the boys head and destroy it. Poppy had been kind enough to supply him with a copy of her memory of the event and it had truly been a sight to behold as the two blasted the thing with lightning conjured from their hands.
The destruction of the soul shard was something he had been quietly looking into ever since he discovered it all those years ago. It had been the reason he had bound Harry's magic so tightly as he had feared what would happen should the thing feed too strongly on the boy's magic. That Fawkes had been there helping the boy the whole time had gotten him some points with various individuals which he accepted even though the phoenix had acted of its own accord. Contrary to popular belief Fawkes was not his familiar as a phoenix would never bind itself to someone in such a way. Fawkes was a friend, a quite dear one but free to make his own decisions which it had in going to young Harry's aid that night.
It was also during this time that he'd lost Severus. Apparently while she had been silent for a while the Whitelighter Elder speaking through Leo had apparently been watching those close to Lily and decided to take action against the man in the presence of the Board of Governors. The result of that had seen Severus pumped full of veritiserum which had forced him to confess to setting up the deaths of several prominent families and the rapes of students under his charge as the Head of Slytherin House. As it was Severus was currently enjoying a stay in the medium security wing of Azkaban and as such he had in effect lost his spy amongst the Death Eaters.
Following that Potter had obviously gone to visits Gringotts and taken up his heir ring. The loss of the Potter votes had been annoying, but he'd accepted it as the proxy had gone over to Madam Longbottom who had been an ally of his in the Wizengamot for years now making the point moot. No it was the Sirius Black incident that had thrown him, he had known that Black was guilty as sin, he'd cast the Fidelius Charm himself. Yet once again those boys had seen an opportunity to prank the world silently switching secret keepers with young Lady Potter doing the charm. Not telling him had been an added layer of security as they had all expected the truth to come out if something had actually happened. Unfortunately Lucius had found an opportunity to get rid of Black and take control of the family votes and working with Fudge then little more than a lackey had gotten him tossed straight into Azkaban with no trial. So sure of his guilt however he himself had not even bothered to visit the boy which would have resulted in the boy being released years earlier.
Of course he would have been able to weather the political storm to follow but he'd received a letter earlier in the day delivered by Fawkes that spoke of other issues that had been pending not the least of which was the threat to the Statute of Secrecy. Normally the letters content would have been easily ignored but the fact that Fawkes had delivered it made him take it seriously as such he had looked into the issues listed therein. Finding each issue listed as an actual fact had found him relinquishing his roles both at Hogwarts and in the Wizengamont as loath as he was to do so. Thankfully he'd been able to pick his own successors for each position and with Minerva and Elphias in those positions he still held a modicum of control especially where Elphias was concerned.
That of course did not mean that he was out of the Wizengamont entirely. No he had inherited his family seat the same as many others which was boosted by his receiving of the Order of Merlin 1st Class award. His political alliance was still intact as well. In truth as far as political power he hadn't really lost much aside from the Potter votes. Contrary to popular opinion the Chief Warlock position only meant that he lead the meetings and was effectively the Head of the Wizengamont. The position however did not grant one a greater political power than what they had prior to obtaining the position, it just came with more responsibilities. In truth it was a position he was quite happy that he was now rid of as it lessened his workload.
Leaving Hogwarts however had been a much more difficult decision and one he had never had any intention of making. Hogwarts had been his home for over a century and with the defenses it had in place and the well of magic it sat on it had made an excellent base of operations. By leaving however he had avoided the rather public and humiliating option of being fired. If it was only the reveal of Severus's actions he had to deal with then he could have handled that. Unfortunately he also had the previous two years the Board now had knowledge of and numerous others that were still unknown to them. However with the knowledge that an inquiry into his actions was to be opened and conducted by the DMLE if he stayed there was no telling what may be discovered and as such he had decided to head off the entire thing before it became an issue and thus retired his position.
Of course it hadn't been a complete loss. As they say when one door closes, another often opens. Not long after retiring his position as Headmaster he had been offered a position with the Wizarding Examination Authority. Despite what many would say about him his knowledge in the subjects of Transfiguration and Potions were highly advanced. He had of course accepted and as it wasn't a full-time position it worked out well. His stint with the WEA wouldn't start in earnest for a few more weeks as no new hire ever came on during exam season.
His focus as of now was with the ICW. Thankfully if there was one issue the group as a whole took seriously it was a threat to the Statute. A major one such as this had required the full attention of the body and after a full and thorough investigation was done it was revealed that the threat was both real and even more importantly imminent. The question then became how exactly would they tackle the issue. The only thing they had agreed on so far was that things could not continue as they were, they'd all be exposed if that happened. This of course led him to where he was currently mulling things over outside of a small café near the current meeting place in Paris. While they used to meet in New York the MACUSA had lost the honor of hosting the assembly some time ago.
"Ambassador Dumbledore, sorry to keep you waiting."
Looking up he was greeted to the sight of a woman who by appearance alone one would guess would be in her forties. He recognized her instantly as Liliane Beaumont, the Ambassador for Magical France. She wore a navy-blue top covered by a white business jacket with light blue pattering giving it a checkered chessboard look which was held closed by a belt along the midriff. She wore a navy-blue skirt that fell down to just past her knees and a pair of heeled shoes. Her long brown hair was in some type of upward style with a braid that looked elegant and got it out of the way. Her hazel brown eyes shown with intelligence and her oval shaped face was one he could tell was used to laughing but was set in a rather neutral expression currently. Standing to greet her he saw her lips tick upwards in a small smile.
"Ambassador Beaumont, the wait was no trouble at all. I dare say these old bones needed some time in the open air." Said Dumbledore
"I like the new look, it suits you." Stated the woman as she took her seat, placing her purse in the free seat beside them.
True enough he had changed his look up, a move made more for the populous than himself. He had cut his hair to a shorter and more manageable look and was now clean shaven. He wore a pair of tan suit with a white shirt, a brown tie and brown shoes. The look made him appear younger than he actually was, such as it did for all those truly powerful with magic. This was actually the main reason he had decided to grow out his hair and his beard so many years ago. His current appearance was similar to what he had worn in his youth when he was a simple transfiguration professor only modernized and with the addition of his glasses.
"Well then shall we begin?" questioned the woman removing a folder from her purse and casually placing it on the table.
"Lets"
For Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts, the summer holidays had gone wonderfully. Thanks to Mr. Wyatt snatching the wool from the eyes of the board in regards to Hogwarts place amongst the worlds top schools she had been given free reign to fix the mess that had been made. The assistance of the Whitelighters had certainly helped to speed things up. The castle itself had been completely renovated and as such now boasted central heating and air conditioning, the latter of which she doubted they'd ever use. They now had a true potions lab with vents over each workstation so that the fumes and smoke didn't linger. The dorms had all been updated and they had new indoor facilities for recreational activities. All of this had been done by the Elders and their contacts at a very discounted price much to the Boards relief.
With the school updated all that had been left to do was staff it. She had been Head of the Pride for decades and as such had started by reaching out to her own cubs. From there she had reached out based on recommendations from her own colleagues. The Elders had provided a few Whitelighters who had been willing to hep as well. From there she had also reached out to places outside of Britain and other institutions. While it seemed like a lot it had actually been much easier than she had first anticipated. She had initially thought that the new Muggle Studies positions would be the hardest to fill but those had actually been some of the easiest. With her staff now full they had started planning lessons based on the ICW standards which lead to much harder courses going forward.
Of course a few problems had been addressed as well. Professor Binns had been sent on to the afterlife after being informed he was actually dead for a start. Her next move had been reaching out to Gringotts for a cursebreaker who'd successfully lifted the curse from the Defense position. They had gone over the room until finally they had located and removed the curse the light fixture hanging overhead. Why Dumbledore had never addressed the damned thing she had never understood, despite the fact they addressed it at the first staff meeting every year since they figured out the position was cursed. Regardless with Albus no longer running things it had been one of the first things she'd wanted to address. Unfortunately she had not been able to toss out Divination as a subject, too many of the board were in favor of keeping it. As such she had been forced to instead hire more teachers for the class so that was a battle lost.
On the plus side the time dilation field was up and running. They had tested it out on a small corridor in the castle and Hagrid had volunteered to be one of the people to test it out. With his innocence for the murder of Myrtle Warren and the opening of the Chamber of Secrets now known he had gotten his wand privileges reinstated. After the first few days under the dilation field Hagrid had emerged with his O.W.L.S passed in all of the core subjects. After a few days to allow the field to reset and food to be restocked they'd gone back in and the second time he'd emerged after having taken and passed his N.E.W.T.S and gotten a mastery in creature studies. Needless to say that those who had been in attendance or were aware of the testing were quite impressed and were now willing to completely back her with the usage of the time magic.
With the increase in students they had also had cause to increase the number of healers on campus. They now had a ward with three healers on staff on a rotating schedule. That would definitely help going forward as the number of students had swelled pretty drastically. While it may not seem like a lot for some her staff along with the members of the Board had realized early on that the increase could prove troublesome if not handled correctly from the beginning. Thankfully the Board was being more of a help than a hindrance which she had actually been worried about when she'd taken over. As it was she along with the rest of the senior core staff had all thought it had something to do with Mr. Potter being revealed as a Founder's Heir. Regardless with the Board taking a more active role in the affairs of the school she knew she wouldn't have the same free reign as Dumbledore had enjoyed.
As the thought came to her it seemed to be almost immediately due to a knocking at the door, an alert from the stone gargoyle that guards the door. Frowning at the interruption it only deepened upon discovering who it was but quickly composed herself as she allowed the door to open. She remained silent as her ears picked up the sound of footsteps nearing her but she kept her attention focused on the document in front of her without shifting her gaze even as the steps stopped in front of her desk. She was silent for nearly two minutes in which time her guest didn't make a sound to disturb her, which raised points with him in her book.
"Well take a seat Mr. Grant." Stated McGonagall without looking up.
"Thank you for seeing me Professor." Stated the man before taking the offered seat.
Following this they were silent for another few minutes until finally she made a few notations with a nearby quill before setting the parchment aside. Placing the quill back within the inkwell she finally turned her attention to young Mr. Grant.
"How can I help you Mr. Grant?" questioned the Headmistress.
"A few decisions were made during the latest board meeting and I was chosen to inform you of the newest changes." Said the man shifting in his seat slightly.
Minerva found herself frowning at the sight as throughout her time in communication with the man she had not seen him looking so shifty before. Hopefully it wasn't anything too bad that was done and it was just that he'd been sitting for too long. Whatever the case she steeled herself for what might be said next and hoped she wouldn't have to fight the board this close to the beginning of the school year.
Harry could be found on the grounds of Potter Manor with a small content smile on his face as he ran a brush down the side of a chestnut brown horse. It would be a pretty normal scene if not for the large wings on this particular breed of horse or rather Pegasus. The creature itself stood just over five and a half feet tall from foot to shoulder and a wingspan of over twenty feet from what he'd been told. The creatures name was Tornado, a name his mother had given him based on a horse from a TV show she used to watch with her father as a child. Ever since he'd come to the Manor and stepped out into the grounds he'd been overly affectionate obviously recognizing him as his creator. According to the elves over the years he'd taken well to his grandparents but not to the same level as himself or his mother. Regardless he'd begun a bit of a ritual where he would come out and spend time with him every morning giving him a good brushing. Tornado however was not the only Pegasus on the property however as apparently his grandmother had fallen in love with Tornado and somehow managed to acquire five more, one of which had become a mate for Tornado and there were now nearly twenty on the property.
"You remind me so much of your mother."
The voice came out of nowhere, sad and wistful yet with an affection that was full of warmth. Looking over Harry was not surprised to find his dad leaning against the door frame of the stable.
"Your mother was never in more of a peaceful state than when she held you or she was with Tornado." Said James moving inside rubbing Tornado along the back of the neck as the Pegasus nuzzled him.
"People always say I'm more like you." Said Harry after a few moments.
"You look like me sure, thankfully though you've got your personality from your mom."
Of this Harry couldn't help but agree. During their time at the clinic Sirius and Remus had told him plenty about his parents and both had admitted that they had all been immature and had often unknowingly wandered into bullying territory. His dad and Sirius had been two of the worst in that respect but had thankfully matured as they aged.
"Come, there are a few things that need to be discussed." Said James causing Harry to sit the brush aside though did nothing to stop Tornado from nuzzling him when his head came down to his level.
Not long later found the two seated on the patio along with Sirius, Remus, his aunts and Leo. Ever since the trial and the revelations that had come out his aunts hadn't really been able to return to work. Phoebe thankfully was able to submit her columns via email and Paige was working on another avenue for work. Piper however had tried to return home and to work at her club P3 only to find a mob of reporters waiting outside of both places.
"What's going on?" questioned Harry taking a seat on a small two person couch with his father quickly sitting beside him.
"Now that summer is nearly over we wanted to inform you what will be happening when you return to Hogwarts." Said Sirius causing Harry to perk up.
"Firstly the lot of us will be seeing you off when you board the Express." Said Leo getting a nod from the boy.
"After that we'll be heading home. While we'd love to stay we all have things to do back home." Said Piper.
Harry nodded at this, he'd already figured it was only a matter of time until they returned to Prescott Street. Piper was in the process of opening a new restaurant and Henry still worked in San Francisco. While Phoebe had the most flexibility the three were stronger together so it made sense that she would head back as well.
"I will be returning to Asgard your survival will need to be announced and we must begin preparations for your arrival." Stated James.
"Preparations?" questioned Paige.
"Harry's existence has always been a closely guarded secret, known only to the royal family and few others. As such the news that I have a son will be leaked and a portion of what his story is as well as his connection to you all." Explained James getting nods all around though Harry was a bit nervous with his.
"From there I will travel to Valhalla. As your mother is not in the portion of the afterlife controlled by the Elders I'm hoping I'll find her there, considering she was my wife and technically died in battle." Said James.
"So that place is real as well, it's the home of the Valkyries, right?" questioned Phoebe.
"Indeed it serves as both the home and training ground of the Valkyries." Said James
"From your tone I'm guessing there is a story being your interest." Said Remus.
"A few years ago Leo found himself trapped on an island called Themyscira." Said Phoebe getting a look of understanding from James.
"You've met the Amazons. Now I can understand your interest." Said James
"Wait Paradise Island is real!" exclaimed Sirius in shock.
"Indeed though the Amazon's themselves are not the happy maids that frolic along the beach as the stories say. They are warrior women all of them blessed with enhanced speed, strength and endurance" said James.
"Have you fought them before?" questioned Harry.
"Unfortunately no, I've never even met one. I was much too young to participate the last time Asgard and Olympus did battle." Said James.
"So do you actually think you'll find Peyton in Valhalla?" questioned Leo bringing the conversation back on topic
"No. I actually have another theory but it wouldn't hurt to look there first." Said James.
"Why go there if you don't think she's there though?" questioned Harry.
"Because I could be wrong. Valhalla is closer than other places as well so it also makes a good starting point." Explained James getting a nod from his son.
"So what will you two be doing while I'm at school?" questioned Harry.
"We've both accepted new jobs. After the rats escape Minnie and Amelia thought it would be best if we found something to keep us busy so we didn't go out and hunt him down." Said Sirius.
Harry could only nod in understanding. During the aftermath of the trials Pettigrew had escaped from Azkaban, all that had been left in his cell was a copy of the Daily Prophet which spoke about the return of James Potter and how it had happened. Sirius had quickly guessed that fear of his father had forced Pettigrew into his animagus form and he'd been able to escape as the Dementors and guards would overlook a rat. Needless to say that none of them had been happy when the news was delivered. Thankfully they'd managed to talk Padfoot and Moony down from going after the rat but they'd put a 100,000 galleon bounty out on Pettigrew. The price was nothing to scoff at and more than enough money to last for a few generations if used wisely.
"What about you aunt Prue back to the clinic?" questioned Harry.
"I'll be staying local. Dr. Nanook was kind enough to provide a reference for me to get jobs here. That said we'll be continuing our sessions even while you're in school." Said Prue getting a nod from Harry.
Meanwhile in the town of Crawley within a two-story house Dr. Norah Granger paused and a smile slid across her lips as the sound of laughter echoed through her house. Peaking into the living room from the kitchen she could see her daughter Hermione laughing heartily alongside Zatanna, Susan, Hannah, Daphne, Tracey, Padma, Parvati, Lavender, Luna and Ginny. At the sight of this a tear found itself falling from her eye which she hastily wiped away. Hermione had gone through such a lonely childhood that seeing her now surrounded by friends had that sort of effect on her. Of course Hermione was her only child though not from lack of trying, however after two miscarriages Hermione was her miracle child. She had been a happy baby always laughing and smiling and of course easily fascinated.
That happiness and the smiles had drained away after she had started school. Her intellect had set her apart early and her teachers hadn't helped with their overabundance of praise causing other children to turn their jealous ire on her. It had broken her heart having to hold her daughter as she bawled her heart out and that feeling had only worsened when she had stopped reaching out to her peers and retreated into her books. The invitation to attend Hogwarts had been something of a godsend, a little ray of hope that around other magical children she would find it easier to make friends. At first it seemed even that had failed and then the letter had come where she spoke all about her new friend Harry, and while he was friends with 'that dreadful Ron Weasley' she would put up with him for Harry. Eventually even that had turned into a friendship in its own right and for a year it was Hermione and her boys.
Her second year Harry and Ron had a bit of a falling out yet Neville had easily slid into Ron's place. Lavender and Parvati despite being Hermione's dorm-mates couldn't really be called friends, Hermione was simply wary with females by that point and didn't have much in common as far as interest with the two girls. Towards the end of the year however Hermione despite her fear that everything would go wrong had reached out to the two girls and a friendship had sprung forth. Ginny was Ron's sister, the youngest of the Weasley children and the only girl and the two of them had formed an easily friendship. Daphne, Susan, Tracy, Hannah and Luna however she knew only because of Harry. The girls were in different houses in the school and despite sharing classes never really interacted, Luna was also a year younger which meant zero interaction.
It had been Harry and Neville's combined birthday celebrations that had caused the interaction as apparently their families along with the Potter's and the Longbottom's had been part of a political alliance and as such the girls families had all received invitations. Outside of the school and with no pressure to avoid each other the girls had all seemed to click and friendships were born. Finally there was Zatanna who was Harry's neighbor in San Francisco and the one Hermione had the most in common with as far as interest went.
"Alright Granger your turn, truth or dare" called Tracy breaking Norah from her thoughts.
"Um, truth." Said Hermione a bit nervously.
"How close are you and Potter?" questioned Tracy causing all of the girls to perk up.
"He's my best friend." Answered Hermione immediately.
"We know that, but are you his witch?" questioned Lavender before bursting into giggles.
"Isn't it a bit too early for that?" questioned Ginny, something that Norah was agreeing with.
"Hermione is thirteen Ginny, almost fourteen I'd say she's running late." Said Hannah.
"What?" questioned Hermione her confusion evident.
"I thought you were tutoring her?" questioned Susan turning to Daphne.
"I am but it hasn't been that long and we haven't gotten that far." Said Daphne with a shrug.
"Okay you'll have to cover that in depth soon." Said Susan getting a nod from Daphne.
"Now as for why it matters for you one of them is because most of the good guys will be married by the time they're twenty. Most established couples get married right out of Hogwarts, especially the bonded couples. Harry is the most eligible bachelor in not just our country but probably the world now." Said Luna seriously getting nods from all but Ginny
"Now I hate to say this but you're a muggleborn Hermione, no matter how smart you are and how good your grades are you can't escape that fact." Said Susan
"What does that have to do with anything?" questioned Hermione something Norah also wanted to know, only the mother had a slowly growing fear that was telling her why.
"Our community is small Hermione and there are only so many jobs available. People have been leveraging their political connections for centuries in order to secure jobs for themselves especially the top positions. You're a muggleborn Hermione so you don't have a house with the proper connections to help you." Said Hannah.
"Your saying being a muggleborn could keep me from getting a job." Said Hermione lowly.
"No. It's your lack of political connections. I suppose given your intellect you could be recruited by the Unspeakables but you don't want to rely on that." Said Tracy.
"I'm in pretty much the same boat Hermione. My house is still new to the Wizarding world so I also don't have those connections." Said Lavender.
"That's where Harry comes in. He is the future head of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter and Heir Presumptive to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. If you were to marry Harry, those political connections would become yours." Said Daphne.
"So that's the only way?" questioned Hermione quietly.
"No, don't you remember the Ministry is paying for inheritance tests now." Said Luna causing the other girls to pause while Hermione looked up confused.
"That could work" said Tracy after a few moments.
"What now?" questioned the muggleborn.
"There's a theory voiced by Lord Black that all muggleborns may descend from squibs. This means you could descend from a magical bloodline thought extinct or still existing. If you are and the line ranks high enough you might not need to marry for connections." Said Hannah.
"Yeah, but she could also end up having to marry with a line continuation contract." Said Susan.
"How can I find out?" questioned Hermione.
"The next time you go to Gringotts tell them you want to take the inheritance test." Said Daphne.
"Still you want to get with Potter soon, preferably sometime in the middle of the year."
"Tracy!" exclaimed the other Hogwarts girls causing both Zatanna and Hermione to blink.
"Oh my gosh! You guys made a betting pool!" exclaimed Zatanna before she burst out laughing
"WHAT!" exclaimed an indignant Hermione
"…and that's the situation."
The mood inside the conference room of Avengers Tower was tense as Thor finished speaking. In attendance for this meeting were his fellow Avengers, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton, Bruce Banner and Tony Stark along with Maria Hill, Nick Fury and Leo. It was a meeting that Thor had called for several days ago but had scheduled so that he could gather the information he would need. As it was he and Leo had just finished informing the group of the older Harry's trip back through time and the reasons behind it.
"Who else is aware of this?" questioned Fury.
"Outside of those initially present only my fellow Elders as of now."
"What about this Sorcerer Supreme, who is he?" questioned Tony.
"The Sorcerer Supreme is the title held by the words greatest practitioner of magic. The current Sorcerer Supreme is Dr. Stephen Strange." Said Fury
"I know that name." said Rogers bringing the rooms attention to himself.
"During Jasper's interrogation that was one of the names he blurted out." Said Cap.
"Well Strange would definitely have been a threat to Hydra. As the Sorcerer Supreme his main duty is to guard our world from threats outside of our dimension. However in times passed the holder of the mantle been known to step in when an existential threat emerges." Said Fury.
"What's your role in all this?" questioned Tony looking at Leo.
"My reasons are multi-fold. As an individual Harry is my nephew and I intend to insure he lives a long and full life the same as my own children." At this the group nodded as it was an understandable reason from a personal perspective.
"As an Elder however I recognize that this is a threat to the Grand Design. Good and Evil battle, it is unavoidable and champions rise up on each side. Evil won last time and the results broke the multiverse, thus destroying the Grand Design. Harry is a champion of Good as are all of you and as such we as Elders will support this endeavor in the ways we can even if we cannot get directly involved." Said Leo.
"Wait you don't fight?" questioned Tony.
"No they don't and for good reason." Said Thor gaining the attention of the entire room.
"The original Angels, the ones your stories were based on were warriors. By the time my father Odin took the throne they were little more than mercenaries and what made it worse was they would take any side in a conflict even double deal. They brokered a deal with Asgard's enemies which banded them together and then tried to blackmail my father into paying them to stop it. Instead Asgard went to war and the Allfather would no longer deal with the Angels. Near the end of the war they kidnapped my sister and nearly killed her. In retaliation the Allfather traveled alone into their realm to retrieve Aldrif and when he returned not a single Angel had survived his wrath. Following this in a show of power he tore their realm Heven from the World Tree and destroyed it for every realm to witness." Stated Thor.
"Jesus talk about sending a message" said Tony.
"Regardless when the Council Elite gathered following his actions my father only agreed to new Angels being created if they were pacifist. Furthermore, they were only allowed to act as guides and would need a new name, one not tainted by the actions of their predecessors, thus the Whitelighters of today." Explained Thor.
"So I take it you have an idea of what we can do going forward." Stated Clint.
"Indeed we do. Doctor Strange is doing his part and looking to develop the heroes of the near future. The Avengers however are the Heroes of the Present and must not be allowed to fracture. While we can't avoid everything that's a big one we must avoid. For that goal the Ultron Program can't be allowed to proceed." Stated Leo staring down Tony.
"The Ultron Program?" questioned Steve.
"It's a peacekeeping program, still in its infancy we haven't even finished the designing stage yet." Said Tony with a frown.
"We understand what your goal was with this program Mr. Stark however in this you were mistaken." Said Leo.
"Anything else?" questioned Natasha.
"The Hulk." Said Thor catching the rooms attention, especially Bruce's.
"From what I was told over the years Hulk seemed to get weaker and weaker, the two of you never learned to work together. I'll introduce you to someone who can show you the path forward."
"As for the rest of you, just keep doing what your doing. Mr. Rogers you need to stop by the Pentagon, there are things you need to know." Said Leo.
"What about the Charmed Ones?" questioned Fury getting Leo to pause.
"So you knew about them?" questioned Leo.
"Of course I did. Remus reached out to me when he found out about Lily's adoption. I've had eyes on them for years, they were prospective members of the Avengers." Said Fury.
"Well officially the Charmed Ones are retired. They may help out magically in the future if they feel they need to step in however don't expect to see them on the front lines again." Said Leo
Harry himself had heading back out onto the grounds after the family meeting and could currently be seen seated in the grass with his back to a tree. His Firebolt sat on his right as he'd taken it on a bit of a spin as he would be leaving it in the Manor when he headed back to Hogwarts. He was not alone however as on his left lying at his side was the large body of a griffin. Its large white feathered eagle head was currently resting in his lap as he ran his hand down the back of its head. Its body was covered in golden brown fur with the exception of its limbs as the bottom of its forelimbs turned white near its talons and its hind-legs which also turned white that were shaped like a lions. Its wings were large and broad two-tone wings with the part connected to the body while the feathers were the same golden brown as its fur.
This was the very same griffin he'd created for his dad as a toddler. Of course at the time he'd had no idea of what the griffin meant to House Potter as a symbol. His father however had and that reflected in the name he had given to it, that being Galahad.
"I thought I'd find you out here." Came a familiar voice catching his attention as Piper came as settled next to him.
Almost as soon as he settled Galahad was nuzzling the side of his head against her own, his version of a hug. Normally griffins were nowhere near this affectionate but Galahad was special even amongst his own species. Having been created magically Galahad was extra sensitive to Harry's magic. Furthermore having bonded to James and known his mother he was sensitive to their magic as well and despite what had happened the griffin had rather easily recognized his father even with the change of appearance. His aunts were special in that their magic was close enough to his mothers that Galahad recognized them as his mothers siblings and thus was perfectly fine with them.
"Are you okay, you've seemed kind of down today." Said Piper after a few moments.
"Sorry, I guess I just realized the summers almost over and I have to go back to Hogwarts soon." Said Harry.
"Well if you don't want to go, we can still get you in a school closer to home." Said Piper getting a small sad smile from Harry.
"The thing is I think I finally understand how everyone else always feels about going. I've always looked forward to going, I've always kind of looked at it as home." Said Harry softly.
"But now you have a home of your own and people to miss." Said Piper in understanding.
"Yeah." Said Harry softly.
At this Piper couldn't help but let a small smile grace her face as she pulled her nephew into a one-armed hug. That Harry had come far enough emotionally that he had actually reached this point. The Dursley's had been horrible with him and Harry had been emotionally stunted. Thankfully the time spent at the clinic had done a lot to help him open up emotionally and recognize different ones in himself. Having Sirius and Remus around had also been good for him as they had helped him immensely in climbing out of his shell and being comfortable with himself.
"We're going to miss you too. Just remember we're only an orb away" said Piper softly.
Harry said nothing to that merely snuggling more into her hold as he continued to run his hand down Galahad's neck.
Within her private apartment within Windsor Castle Queen Elizabeth sighed as she settled down into her chair. As she did she allowed herself to relax the weight of the crown leaving her for the brief bit of respite she was taking. Ever since the trial of the Dursley's and the reveal of young Harry's position she had been dealing with inquiring nobles and badgering press at the gates. Of course she understood the interest as Harry's family tree was staggering from a historical perspective. Even taking away the newly discovered link to Asgard just from a human perspective he had quite the pedigree. On his mother's side he descended from Macbeth and of Richard I or rather Richard the Lionhart, both of whom was thought to have no legitimate children prior to this reveal. On his father's side he counted Sir Galahad, Spartacus, Hannibal Barca even King Arthur and King Leonidas.
Of course she didn't have access to his full family tree, only the most significant of his relatives or most recent were available. His full family tree considering just how far back his bloodline had been around would have to be massive even with just the direct ancestors, not even taking into consideration the various. Between the two sides of his family he descended from no less than four different lines of kings and that's not even bringing in his notable magical ancestors such as the Four Hogwarts Founders and Ignotus Peverell. As such the various nobles, historians and of course the royal/noble watchers were quite excited.
This held only part of her attention and while everyone else was frozen and reeling from this she was already thinking of her next few steps. The future was in motion and now that she knew of the threat she would be doing the utmost to get her family through it. Her thoughts on that matter were interrupted as a beautiful snowy owl chose that moment to land on the windowsill in front of her. Of course the security at the palaces were extremely tight and that included Owl redirection wards. As it stands only a few should have been able to get through to her yet she had no memory of any snowy owls being amongst the exceptions. This particular owl possessed a regality uncommon amongst its fellows and quite the intelligent looking amber eyes. Before accepting the letter she ran a quick detection charm over it finding nothing harmful in the diagnosis. Free of its burden the owl regarded her with what looked suspiciously like gratitude before taking wing landing on a nearby tree branch to wait
Opening the letter she was surprised the letter was from Hadrian. In it he thanked her for freeing him from the Dursley's and for allowing them to hide from the media for the time being. As he knew she would be interested he promised that his owl Hedwig would be returning within a few days with a list of Magical Houses that had titles in the peerage that may have been forgotten, this would be compiled by Ted Tonks. He then mentioned that as he would be back at Hogwarts soon leaving his house basically empty she could make use of Potter Manor if she ever just needed to get away and relax. Apparently his first few months at Hogwarts as the Boy-Who-Lived had been stressful enough that he'd had to find hiding places and couldn't even imagine the stress she was under.
Regardless he stated she would have an open invitation in the Manor and would only need to summon his head elf Hartley to arrange her trips and while he'd added her and Prince Phillips to the wards he would need to know of anyone else she would wish access in order to add them to the list. Finally he included a number of portkeys that apparently Lord Black had helped him to create that in case of emergency would immediately take the possessor to Potter Manor before once again thanking her and signing it off.
"Such a sweet boy, my Duke." Said Elizabeth as she set the letter down.
Picking up her lap table from its place on the table beside her chair she made quick work of making a list of those who may accompany her to Potter Manor both family and a few staffers that they really couldn't do without. This was what she was doing a few minutes later when there was a knock at the door. Granting entrance she was still writing when three figures came in and the door closed once more. Setting her pen down she looked up to be greeted to Phillip, Charles and Andrew.
"What's all this then?" questioned Phillip spotting the rather long list of names she'd jotted down.
"Young Hadrian has written to thank us for handling the Dursley's." stated Elizabeth getting nods from the men.
"Gratefully done, I've never encountered such nasty people." Said Andrew
"Well as he'll be away at Hogwarts he's offered our family the use of Potter Manor should we want to get away from all this for a bit." Said Elizabeth.
"Truly I'd thought the place had been burned down." Said Charles in surprise.
"Apparently not. He's also provided us with emergency portkeys that will take us there in case something happens." Said the woman.
"Now then I have jobs for you two." Said the woman getting her sons to look at her in surprise.
In the depths of the ocean in an area that no man could ever reach sat the realm of Poseidon. Truthfully as the God of the Seas all the oceans and seas were part of his realm however this small part was the one in which he called home. Though unnamed by its master the kingdom would eventually become known to its inhabitants as Hydnia. Surpassing the city of Olympus in terms of size the Palace of Poseidon featured wide courtyards, gardens, and columned pavilions. With buildings that are made of abalone, white but gleaming with rainbow colors. The gardens are full of exotic sea plants and coral colonies, with luminescent jellyfish drifting about like Christmas lights. Fish and octopuses dart in and out of the windows while the paths are lined with glowing pearls. Mermen and mermaids went about their business as they darted about however if one assumed they were far from what people assumed appearance wise. They were humanoid in appearance but instead of legs and feet they have fish-like tails with shark-like teeth, leathery green, blue, coral red or even inky black skin, and bright green or yellow eyes.
In the midst of this was the throne room, a huge cavern-like hall which led to a set of stairs atop of which was the throne of Poseidon. Unlike the one on Olympus this one was much more ornate dark blue in color and high backed with what appeared to by octopus tentacles framing it. Poseidon himself could currently be seen seated upon his throne his head held in his hands as he sorted through the massive amount of knowledge in his mind. Following the meeting on Olympus he had been pulled aside by Thor and Strange and was informed there was additional information he'd needed to know which Strange presented in the form of a metallic case. Before Thor departed he'd wished him well in his coming conflicts and the two had clasped hands. Almost instantly he'd reeled in shock as energy invaded his form, Thor had apologized informing him his power was currently a bit unstable and he'd let it go figuring that's all it was.
It was only while he was sleeping later on that he realized that it was a ruse. In his sleep he'd been assaulted by scenes that he soon realized was of a past he'd had no knowledge of. A history spanning thousands of years had played out for him to see and eventually he'd come to a rather stunning truth. For all his might and power he was but an echo, a fragment composed of part of the essence of a greater god than even the Celestials, a being known as the Nine-Tailed Fox or by his more common name Naruto Uzumaki. As for how he came to be a separate entity apparently upon the creation of this world in its current state Naruto had split off the parts of his essence that formed both himself and Thor before sending them to this world to help in its stabilization.
"I thought I'd find you here."
Looking up at the sound he found himself facing his wife, Amphitrite. She was dressed in a simple white gown with a circlet of red crab claws across her brow. Her hair usually a deep black in color was now dark blue and her mocha eyes had been replaced with a pair pearl-like white he was intimately familiar with. Of course they would be familiar as they were none other than the Byakugan, these in particular belonging to his wife Hinata. He'd expected this however as while she'd been sleeping he'd opened the case he'd been presented inside of which he'd found a small bit of Hinata's essence which had seeped into Amphitrite in her sleep and another for his firstborn Boruto that had been meant for Triton.
"I'm surprised you're having so much trouble." Said the woman moving forward and massaging his temples.
"Sorting the memories aren't a problem. It's doing so while holding back this bodies power."
"So why have we been woken in these forms anyway?" questioned the woman.
"That was my doing. I had Shika deliver memory modules for you and my parents." Said Poseidon
"Your parents don't have Greek forms." Said the woman.
"No I had them woken as Odin and Freyja. I also had him awaken the teme, your aspect as Sif and mine as Thor." Said Poseidon.
"So many of us and why didn't you use a memory module as well." Said the woman in surprise.
"Shika's idea mostly. As for why I didn't use a module for myself, I was initially going to. After the last meeting on Olympus however I realized I couldn't trust the airhead for what's coming. He's still trying to ignore the current situation with our father's movements." Said Poseidon causing her to blink in surprise.
"Sounds like we're going to be quite busy." Said the woman.
"Definitely." Said the man before leaning back and pulling her so that she was seated on his lap.
As the light of the moon shined down over the city Detroit, Michigan a figure could be seen looking out over the city. The figure was none other than Asgard's Goddess of the Hunt Angela who wore armor which consisted of a golden breastplate which covered her torso, black tights that covered her legs which were then further covered by golden armored boots that went up to her knees. Golden gauntlet's covered her forearms and her head was covered by long red almost orange hair that resembled the color of a flame and atop her head was a golden circlet that flowed down the sides of her face forming a face-guard while two pieces rose up from the top and gave the appearance of wings.
At the moment she was simply taking in the city as it had been a few years since she had seen it. The first time she'd come to the city she'd been hunting a rather rare and particular breed of demon. While not her usual prey the demon had caught her attention as it preyed on children. Upon tracking the demon and moving to confront it she had found it was already dead and a figure was standing over it. The figure was also a demon and one that she was more familiar with called a Hellspawn. These were creatures that while once human had died and been tricked into making deals with an upper level demon called Malebolgia. After striking these deals the creature would be sent back to the mortal world usually displaced by several years where they would be trained in the usage of their abilities before being forcibly returned to the Hell dimension in which Malebolgia resided in.
These Hellspawn were of course already on a road to Hell themselves as all of them had were not only killers but took joy in the act. Throughout the last two millennia these Spawns had been rising and all of them had not only been talented in the act of murder but had no remorse for their actions. All that is, except for one the current incarnation who had once been known as Albert Francis Simmons. Unlike his predecessors Simmons was not a blood thirsty murderer. No, Simmons had been a soldier in the U.S. Marine Corps and had risen to the rank of Lt. Colonel and after leaving the military had gone to work for S.H.I.E.L.D where he would work until he was killed.
"Angela, heard you were dead." Came a deep voice as a figure approached her and came to stand at her side.
The figure was that of a male who wore an organic looking black armor that covered him from head to toe with a white stripe shaped as an 'M' on his chest that led down to a metallic skull where a belt buckle would be from whence a chain could be seen emerging from the skulls mouth on each side. His arms were covered with spiked red gauntlets with a trio of matching red bands on his legs. Finally he wore a large red cloak which billowed out over the edge of the building while the collar rose up to frame his masked face.
"Ha, the halls of Valhalla are not ready to welcome me as a resident." Said the woman
"So what's brought you back?" questioned the man.
"To business it is then. I have an offer for you, from the Allfather." Said Angela.
"I'm listening."
AN: That's it, the chapter is done. This marks the end of the long prologue to this story and the next chapter it's back to Hogwarts. I've been thinking of castings for the younger characters since they'll be more of a focus on them so I may reveal my choices in the next chapter. Also as a reminder please place your votes in the poll on my profile. Anyway thanks for reading and please review. Till next time, LATER.
