Title: Blood
Author: Artemis Luna Diana
E-Mail: artemislunadiana@yahoo.com
Rating: R (eventual NC-17)
Pairing: HP/SS
Disclaimer: I own not a thing.
Summary: Thrust into the distant past and turned into a vampire against his will, Harry struggles to understand what he has become and tries to fill his one desire: to get home.
WARNING!!!!
THIS STORY CONTAINS ELEMENTS OF SLASH!!!!
IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT OR WITH THIS PARTICULAR PAIRING… LEAVE NOW!!!!
Thanks to: snapeysnapesnape for the excellent beta.
Chapter Four: Blood Enemies
Harry stretched as he walked down to his rooms. He'd just spent the last three hours teaching his Latin class. He hoped that the vampires would benefit from learning to speak various languages. He felt it would help them blend in during their travels and – hopefully soon – on long distance hunts. He was working with Illiona on trying to create a portkey. With portkeys, the vampires wouldn't have to worry about wiping out their food source. Harry was also trying to find another source of food, something to replace blood. Transfigured blood didn't work, but he hoped that maybe if he could find a Potions Master, they might be able to come up with something.
Harry cracked his knuckles as he thought. He'd spent the day teaching, as usual, first training the most advanced of his students, then his beginners had taken up the rest of the day until his Latin class. He was looking forward to going home.
"Papa!"
Harry grinned and scooped up the six-year-old Lily in his arms. He placed a quick kiss on her lips before greeting her. "Hello, little one. How was your day?"
"Great! I spent the morning with Uncle Jason training, then Lucius came and took me to writing class. He spent at least an hour lecturing us on our 'despicable grammar' and that wasn't so great…. Anyway, then Priestess Rachael came and took us all down to the Isle of the Dead and told us about Rector Lamia Quentin. She said that he was your Sire."
"That's right," Harry acknowledged. He nodded to the young vampire that had been watching Lily till he got home, as she walked out of the Rector Lamia's quarters. He walked into the receiving room and sat down, too tired to go in his home further. He reclined on the chaise lounge and Lily settled down beside him, still continuing to inform him of her day.
"I stopped and prayed at Mommy's grave," she said seriously, with only a small smile. Even this young, she knew that mentioning her mother made her father sad.
"That's good," he said softly, "I'm sure she'd be very happy to know you'd visited her."
"After that, I played with Justin and Thomas in the Meeting Hall until Elder Donny chased us out."
Harry paused her narrative. "Why did Donny chase you out?"
"He said we were being 'loud and obnoxious' and that we were 'a disgrace to every vampire.'" Lily giggled. "Justin was kind of sad but I told him that Elder Donny was just having a bad day. Thomas said it was because Elder Donny didn't know how to have any fun."
Harry tried to look stern while fighting back a smile. "You still haven't answered my question. What were you three doing?"
Lily gave him a sunny smile. "Playing tag."
Harry laughed. "You ran across the tables again, didn't you?"
"Yep!"
"Okay, keep going," Harry said smiling.
***
Harry tucked the covers up around Lily while she slept oblivious in her bed. He touched the hovering glowglobe beside her bed, extinguishing the soft light, and left the room. He paused in the doorway and looked back. Whereas he seemed to be almost a carbon copy of his father, Lily was a beautiful blend of Olivia and him. Soft brown hair that must have come from Olivia's side of the family, Olivia's light blue eyes and her nose. She didn't have Olivia's high cheekbones or her pointed chin. She seemed to favor his features instead of her mother's. And she had his scar, a birthmark on her forehead. Considering both of her parents were short, he wondered how tall she would end up growing to be. A slight smile played about his lips; she was so precious to him. He unloosed the tie that held the drapes back, sending her bedroom in total darkness.
He walked into his office and sat down at his desk. He was tired. It was so difficult trying to raise Lily on his own. The other vampires helped, but it wasn't the same as having a partner. And if that wasn't enough, he was trying to lead a people. He was as they say "overworked and underpaid." He sighed and reached for his latest journal. Sometimes he felt like skipping this chore, but knew he'd regret it later. He picked up a quill and opened the journal to a fresh page.
It had been fifty-seven years since the last werewolf battle, and it was nearing time for another one. Harry worried. He was expected to lead the vampires in the next battle, yet he had never been in one. He was afraid that he'd be killed and leave Lily on her own. He had given up on getting home. At least for now, he had Lily to care for, and he'd need to figure out a way of transferring the blood of the Rector Lamia without ending up dead afterwards. He wrote about his students, those he thought showed the most promise, as well as the things Lily had told him. He didn't have a camera so he couldn't take pictures of her. Writing in his journal was the only way he could capture her childhood… after all, he couldn't draw worth a crap.
He smiled slightly in thought. As an immortal, he could do all of those things he'd always wanted to: learn to play an instrument, learn to sing, learn to draw… the possibilities were endless… if he could stay alive. He sighed. The future was so depressing.
After he finished his entry and updated the book of vampires, he stood up and stretched. He was exhausted. He tapped the glowglobe hovering above his desk and walked out of the darkened room. He entered his bedroom. He untied the drapes and let them fall, closing off his room, and stripped. He grabbed a pair of soften linen pants and put them on. He touched the glowglobe floating beside the bed and climbed in. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
***
{11 years later}
Harry sat at his desk scowling over his latest stack of reports. It was all well and good to have a well run government, but the paperwork such a government produced was annoying as hell.
"Dad?"
Harry glanced up. "Hey. I thought you were supposed to go out with Justin and Thomas on the hunt tonight. What are you still doing here?"
She sat down at the table closest to his desk. "I decided not to go. I wanted to talk to you."
Harry pushed his reports aside and put his quill up. He stood and joined her at the table. "Is something wrong?"
"Dad, why won't you age?"
Harry was taken aback. Of all the things he thought could be wrong, this was not anywhere near what he was expecting.
"I mean, I already look almost three years older than you. I'm taller than you."
"Not by much," Harry interrupted.
"I'm more," she blushed. "developed than you."
Harry blinked.
"You still look like a little kid and you're the leader of the vampires!"
"Lily," Harry said, halting her speech. "What brought this on?"
"I heard some of the older vampires talking. They said that you won't be able to lead the vampires into battle because your body is inferior and if you try to lead them as you are, then you will only end up dead. Dad, I don't want you to die."
"Lily, I'm going to do my best to stay alive. I'd love to promise you that I will still be alive after the next battle, but I've always told you that I won't make you a promise that I can't keep. In a battle, there are no guarantees. I won't promise you that I'll come back, when I just don't know what will happen. I can, however, assure you that my body is not inferior. It is in peak physical condition. I have an extremely high level of endurance and am very fast. I am without question one of the best fighters in the coven. I am also able to wield magic. I am perfectly capable of leading the vampires into battle. I am not inferior, and neither is anyone else who chooses to stop aging as young as I have."
Lily remained silent a moment. "Are you ever going to begin aging again?"
"Yes. But not any time soon." He sighed. "Lily, the others are afraid, and they have a good reason. It's true that I've never been in a major battle. They are afraid that I will end up getting them all killed. Everyone fears the unknown. Their fear is what causes them to worry about something that doesn't matter. My body's age doesn't matter. My reflexes, my skills, and my experience is the work of 161 years. When the battle comes, there will be some out there, the vampire-born, who will only have 100 years experience. Many of them will still be alive after the battle is through."
"I'm scared."
"I know."
***
Harry leaned up against the wall outside of Lily's room. What was he supposed to do? He had this body for 146 years. He knew exactly what it did and how to make it do what he wanted it to. Yet, if he began aging again, his people would feel safer. How could he choose? He didn't know if aging would help him or not, and the thought of risking any of his abilities made his blood run cold. He couldn't risk the safety of his people in battle on an unfamiliar body just so they could feel better before the battle began. He could not age.
He glanced at the closed drapes leading to Lily's room. He hoped that his daughter would not be overly affected by his choice. He hoped she could understand his decision. He straightened and left the hall, entering the receiving room, and then leaving his quarters.
He walked to the cavern where the Isle of the Dead slept at the center of the lake. He walked across the crystal bridge and stepped onto the soft grass. Here on the island, the torches had not been replaced by the glowglobes, and the sounds of dancing fire and shifting water mingled. He passed by the shrine to Quentin and walked to Olivia's tomb. He knelt down beside her.
"Olivia? What should I do? I cannot tell her about my past, there is too much at risk. She's so young, and she doesn't understand my choices. She wants to know why, and I can't tell her. I wish you were still here. I need your guidance. Jason cannot help me. I would have gone to you for help. I know, you would have known what to do."
He fell silent for awhile. "You would have been proud of her, Olivia. She's done so well. I look at her and I see you. She is so much stronger than I was at her age. She's so confident."
"You've done a good job raising her."
Harry stood up, whipping around and found High Priestess Rachael watching him. "Priestess. You walk on Death's feet."
She smiled slightly. "I have much respect for the dead and their carrier."
He studied her as she leaned on one of the trees near Olivia's tomb. "It's considered rude by many, to listen to the living's conversations with the dead."
"As a priestess, it is my job to listen to the conversations with the dead."
"Only to those who follow you."
"No, to all those who feel the need to speak with the dead. Why do you feel the need?"
"I don't believe that is any of your business."
"Could it be because of the unrest growing in the coven? The battle with the werewolves is coming closer. Are you prepared?"
"I am as ready as I can be."
"That is not enough."
"What would you have me do? Seek out the werewolves and begin the battle? We have never been the aggressors in this war. I will not start the vampires on that path."
"I didn't say that you should begin the battle. I said that what you are doing is not enough. They don't have faith in you, Rector Lamia."
"They—"
"They do not have faith in someone who has faith in no one. You believe in nothing, therefore they cannot believe in you. Do you believe in anything? You speak to the dead, you must believe in something. What is it?"
"I know that those who have died can hear us. I know that some stay on this plane. They may not be solid; they may not be able to influence anything, but they exist. There is something beyond this life. I believe in that."
"Then why don't you admit to it, to them. They don't know that you come here for guidance. Why do you keep it a secret?"
"I don't want to influence anyone else's beliefs. My beliefs are my own."
"What about your magic? How do you think you got it?"
"I was born with it."
"Why you? What made you so special?"
"My parents came from magic."
"And did their parents come from magic?"
"My father did. My mother was born of humans."
"So what made her different?"
"I don't know."
"She must have done something."
"I don't know."
"Perhaps it was given to her."
"I told you, I don't know."
"Do you know where magic comes from, vampire-wizard?"
"No, I only know that it began here, in this land."
"At one time, there was no magic. There were no wizards, vampires, elves, dragons, nothing. This land had six tribes living in different areas of the island. Then It came, and with It came change. The tribe closest to It was transformed by Its' presence. They are the elves. The tribe that was nearest them was also transformed. They are the vampires. The next three tribes were an equal distance away from the others, but in opposite directions. They are the wizards, werewolves, and the veelas. The last tribe remained untouched by It. They are the humans that are still living in this land. Beasts and birds were also transformed. The closer to Its' presence, the more severe the transformation. Dragons were very close to It."
"What is It?"
"Some say It was a star that fell to earth."
"A meteor?"
Rachael remained silent.
"You're saying that magic came from a meteor that fell to earth? A large hunk of rock fell to the earth and caused magic to come into existence."
"That is what we are taught."
Harry frowned. A thought suddenly hit him. "How long ago? How long ago did they think this happened?"
"Millions upon millions of years ago."
"Perhaps 65 million years ago?"
Rachael frowned. "Why do you want to know?"
"But that can't be right. The meteor that took out the dinosaurs crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. …unless there were two meteors. And the second meteor hit Britain or close to it. Then the changes, the magic, that the second meteor brought, altered everything. The dinosaurs didn't die out, they changed into the different kinds of dragons. And the pre-human mammals became human, except for those that were too close to the meteor. It affected the entire world, but Britain had the most significant changes, so… oh, my God…" Harry stared at Rachael in shock; he was completely speechless. "Fucking hell."
***
Harry had always wanted some sort of pet project that he could occupy his time with. Something to occupy his brain since there just wasn't really much beyond fighting and hunting to do in the coven. However, he almost wished that the thought hadn't occurred to him. It was driving him crazy to not have access to any materials to help him figure out if his theory was possible.
He glanced up when someone cleared their throat behind him. "Lily, anything wrong?"
"No, I just wanted to tell you that I decided something this morning, and I thought you'd like to be the first to know. I've decided to stop aging. I'll continue to look seventeen until you start aging again, then I'll start aging again too."
Harry smiled slightly. "You don't have to stop aging for me."
"I'm comfortable with this body. I think I want to keep it for at least a few hundred years."
Harry laughed softly. "Okay." He stood up and grabbed her, embracing her. He laughed again. "Couldn't you have decided to do this earlier? Your mother was taller than me, and so are you."
Lily giggled.
***
{25 years later}
"Thrust… parry…" Harry called out; his students executed his commands to the best of their abilities.
He had been drilling them for a little over an hour when he felt a tingle of magic touch his mind. It took a moment for him to recognize what caused it. When he did, he paled slightly and called a halt to the lesson.
"Go to your quarters immediately," he ordered.
His students were surprised, but followed his orders without question. He picked up his polearm and left the room. He walked upward towards the surface, sending out a mental message to all the vampires as he went. 'All vampires in the transition and the birthing, return to your quarters immediately. Everyone else, prepare for battle and go to the surface, now.'
He felt the touch of Jason's mental voice, but only acknowledged it with a curt, 'Werewolf attack.' and then ignored his further requests for an audience.
When he reached the surface and was certain that all the Daylight vampires were above ground, he cast a magic barrier on the entrance to the coven, sealing in the younger vampires. He spoke mentally to ensure that everyone heard him. 'The werewolves are half a mile north of the coven.'
Harry led them north. There were four hundred and fifty six vampires above ground, a hundred and fifty more than what Quentin had when he led the vampires in the last battle. However, the werewolves could have just as many more than they did in the previous battle.
His throat felt dry and his polearm seemed heavier than normal. He saw Rachael out of the corner of his eye; her glaive seemed to shimmer in the half-light under the canopy. When they were nearly upon the werewolves' position, he called Rachael over to him.
"High Priestess," he said loudly, so those around could hear him. "We are about to battle our enemies. I ask you to bless our people for victory and for the safety of the children in the coven."
Rachael did a good job hiding her surprise at his request. The vampires were all beginning to relax and look to him with trust and faith. He had managed to show them that he was not above belief and that even he leaned on faith. They saw that Harry believed in something, and while they may never know exactly what that was, they could believe in him. He could lead them to victory.
When Rachael had finished her blessing, Harry lifted his polearm into the air and shouted. "For Quentin!" With a loud cry, the vampires charged forward.
***
Anyone who says that battle is a glorious thing was obviously insane. Never had he been around so much chaos. It was sometimes even difficult to figure out who was the enemy and who was a friend. He was covered in blood. Filthy blood, the blood of werewolves. His polearm was bathed in it. Another slash. Another werewolf's head removed. A loud snapping sound and a glance behind. Another vampire taken out by the teeth of a wolf.
They were massing around him. He couldn't figure out how they knew he was the Rector Lamia. He heard a scream and saw Rachael, her arm encased in the mouth of a werewolf. He charged towards her, bringing his polearm down, impaling the werewolf to the ground. He pressed a foot down on the body and pulled up, ripping the blade free. A bit of magic, and Rachael's arm was free from the werewolf's mouth.
He heard the whistle of a blade coming towards him and Rachael's choked warning. He turned, bringing up his weapon to block the sword trying to his slice his head off. That was perhaps the most disturbing thing about this battle. The werewolves were transforming back and forth between forms. It was difficult to defend against. One moment you were protecting yourself from a sword and the next it was a massive set of teeth.
Another twinge in his chest. Another vampire fallen. Another shout of triumph. Another werewolf fallen. Another howl of victory. Another vampire fallen. Another howl of loss. Another werewolf fallen. Clash of swords. Twang of bows. Screams of pain. All the sounds blended together. His increased senses even brought him the sounds of dying moans and last breaths. And everywhere was the stench of blood.
He didn't know how the battle ended. It seemed like one moment, there were enemies all around, and the next there was only the sound of the dying. The werewolves had fled. They had won, but at what cost? He couldn't count how many vampires he'd seen fall, or how many times his chest had hurt with the passing of one of his people. He stared down at his blood covered weapon. He cast a cleaning charm on it, removing all the blood, and then shrank it and sheathed it. He drew one of his daggers and began looking for survivors.
He saw a werewolf trying to flee with a gut wound and walked over to it. He kicked it over onto its back and plunged the dagger into its throat. It made a choked, gasping sound and died. He pulled up on the dagger, removing it from the werewolf's throat. One less werewolf to breed for the next battle.
"Rector…" a breathy, pain-filled voice called.
Harry quickly went to the side of the fallen vampire. "Shhh," he soothed. "I'm here; I'll help you."
***
{2 months later}
"In an effort to prevent any more wars between those of magic, you have all been called here," Illiona spoke.
Harry leaned up against the back wall. Jason was on his right, and Rachael was on his left. She had become his confessor of sorts. She also kept him appraised of the feelings of the other vampires for him. He trusted her almost as much as he trusted Illiona and Skya.
He glanced around the room. There were five delegations at this little meeting of Illiona's. He was curious what had prompted her to call it. Why had she decided to get involved in the war?
"So the vampires have finally admitted that they are weak and inferior," one of the werewolves taunted. "But are too cowardly to say it themselves. They had to get their pet elves to tell everyone."
"The war is not over," Jason snarled. "Unless you had the elves call this meeting to submit your surrender."
"Jason," Harry snapped.
Jason settled back down, but he was still tense.
"The cowards ran from the last battle. I'm sure that Illiona wants them to stay long enough for her to finish speaking before you chase them off." Jason and Rachael both laughed, and Harry smirked. "Please continue, Illiona."
"Thank you, Rector Lamia." She did not look happy with him. "As I was saying, this meeting is an effort to prevent any more wars from breaking out. Nothing can be done about the vampire/werewolf war; it has been going on for far too long for a simple meeting to end it. However, the wizard battles that have begun in the north can be prevented. As can any other potential problems that are not yet known."
Harry looked over at the wizard delegation, and realized that it was not one delegation. There were three separate groups within it. What had been going on in the wizardng world?
"Why have you called us here?" a woman demanded.
"We called the veelas because they are a part of the magical community as well," Illiona replied.
Harry looked back at the woman. Yes, he could see now that she was a veela. So, the five races were veela, vampire, werewolf, elf, and wizard.
"The wizards do not concern us; they can't use their magic to do harm," one of the werewolves snapped. Soon everyone was bickering. Harry kept Rachael and Jason from jumping in. 'You will behave, even if no one else does,' he told them.
When one of the wizards drew a wand and pointed it at a witch with an owl on her arm, Harry acted. "Expelliarmus!" he shouted, drawing his own wand. The wizard was blasted back and crashed into the wall with a great deal of force. Harry wouldn't be surprised if the man's ribs were broken. The man's wand landed in Harry's hand.
Harry walked forward in the silence, telling Jason and Rachael to stay back. "What did you think you were doing?" he seethed to the fallen wizard.
"You have a wand!" one of the witches managed to finally speak.
"Yes, I do. My question is why don't they?" he asked and pointed to the wizards and witches who were still using familiars. "Why would you keep a breakthrough in magic to yourself? Could it be because using a wand does not limit you to positive spells? If you use a wand, you can inflict harm, as I just did." Harry tossed the wizard's wand on the floor beside him.
"What?" the witch with the owl asked. "Why would you keep that to yourself?"
"It gives them an advantage," Harry replied.
"But, magic should be shared between us all. We inform you of any spells we create. Why? Why wouldn't you tell us? How long have you had them?" she demanded.
"Over one hundred and fifty years," one of them replied. "I'm Rubeus Ollivander, my great grandfather invented them."
"And you didn't think that the rest of the wizarding world should know?" she yelled.
"Wands should be banned," one of the werewolves snarled before the argument could get any farther. "They should be kept from doing harm."
"Well then, let's remove your teeth and claws," Harry snapped. "It'll keep you from doing harm."
The werewolf started for Harry but the veela woman that had spoken tripped him, and he sprawled across the floor. The werewolf started for her, but the veelas around her prevented him from touching her.
"Order!" Illiona yelled. "This meeting is suppose to prevent conflict, not start it!" She took a deep breath before speaking again. "We'll stop until the wizards can come to some sort of agreement and chose a representative. Once they have chosen, only one representative for each race will be allowed to attend the meeting, so chose well. Dismissed."
Harry turned and met the eyes of the veela woman. He inclined his head slightly, thanking her for preventing the werewolf from reaching him. She smirked and walked to him. He felt Jason and Rachael approach him. The three reached him at the same time.
The veela held out a hand. "Fleur, Queen of the Veelas."
Harry's eyes widened slightly. He'd never heard of a Queen of Veelas, granted he didn't know much about veelas though. He shook her hand. "Harry, Rector Lamia." He noticed Fleur showed the same surprise he had. "My second, Jason, and one of my advisors, Rachael, High Priestess of the Earth Goddess."
***
It took over three weeks before the wizards straightened out their mess and chose a representative. All of their secrets were shared and agreements were signed. Harry was grateful that the communities already interacted, otherwise it could have taken much longer.
Illiona was the representative for the elves. Harry was the representative for the vampires. Fleur was the representative for the veelas. Matthew, one of the Royal Werewolves, was their representative. The witch with the owl that Harry had protected that first day was chosen as the representative for the wizards. Her name was Victoria Snape.
For the first time in centuries, Harry was reminded of his old potions professor. He tried to remember what he looked like and could only remember that he had greasy hair and yellowed teeth. He vaguely sort of remembered cracking jokes about how ugly he was. He did remember that he was an excellent potion maker. Perhaps Victoria might be someone to ask about brewing blood. He dismissed thoughts of Severus Snape from his mind as unimportant.
***
Four months later, it was readily evident that everyone was amendable to having a council that could serve as a way to get in touch with each race. Each council member held the same importance as the others. They would meet every fifty years, and emergency meetings were allowed to be called by any member.
Harry found himself liking Fleur very much. He was also learning a lot about veelas that he hadn't known before. Veela Queens lived longer than any other type of veela. A Veela Queen lives about three thousand years, while the average veela lives only three hundred years. At any time, there is only one Veela Queen. When the old one dies, the new one is born. Fleur was still very young. She was only one hundred and twenty-two.
As he recalled, the quarter-veela he'd meet back at Hogwarts was named Fleur. Her parents must have named her after the woman standing in front of him. It was an interesting thought.
Unfortunately, four months of speaking with Victoria Snape allowed him to discover that although she was a Snape, she was a horrible potions maker. It seemed he would have to continue to wait to find someone to help him discover a way to rid the vampires of their need for blood. If it was even possible.
***
With the birth of the magical council, Harry was finally able to do something he'd wanted to do for quite some time. He visited every wizarding village and town and researched the genealogy of every single one. He then gathered the data he collected and combined it with the information he'd gotten from his mentor Newt McGonagall.
Next, with Illiona's help, he devised a spell that would record the birth, death, and marriage of anyone related to the names he'd gathered. He now had a working genealogy of the entire wizarding world. He'd have to add any Muggle-born families, but all the same, it was a very good accomplishment.
***
{249 years later - 30 AD}
Harry was working in his office when he felt a mental touch asking for permission to speak. He sat back in his chair and acknowledged the voice.
'Rector Lamia, this is Claudius, in Jerusalem. The event you asked about… the death of Jesus of Nazareth. It has just happened.'
'Thank you, Claudius. Stay a fortnight and then return to the coven.'
'Yes, Sire.'
Harry stared at his desk pensively. It was now possible to figure out when he had arrived in the past. Jesus Christ was murdered in the year 30AD. He knew that for sure; now he could backdate all of his journal entries to figure out when he had arrived. He grabbed his journal and began backdating.
It took him almost two weeks to go through all of his journals and backdate the entries. When he reached the first entry, the one he made about three months after his arrival… 365BC. It was so far… it hadn't seemed real. Now, he knew exactly how long it would take before he reached his own time: 1,965 years. Fuck.
***
{13 years later – 43 AD}
Harry was clothed all in black. A sword was sheathed at his left hip, and a black cloak helped to hide it. A hood concealed his face from view. He walked quickly and quietly. An emergency meeting had been called. He came upon the clearing and found Illiona cloaked in darkness just as he was. Fleur was dressed as she was to every meeting; the secrecy didn't seem to bother her. Richard, the wizards' envoy was dressed for darkness in black robes, his wand was clutched in a white-knuckled grip in his left hand.
Harry sniffed delicately and recognized the scent of a human. 'One of the humans had come to the council… what the hell for?'
A new scent came to him: werewolf. He had to bite back a snarl. When the werewolf emerged from the woods, Illiona spoke.
"We are all here. Why have you summoned us, Richard?"
"The humans have approached us with a request. I've brought this one to speak for them," he replied.
"Speak, human," the werewolf growled.
"The Celtic people ask that you help defend the land from the invading Romans," the human began.
Harry straightened abruptly. 'Holy hell… the humans came to the council for help and we refused. The Romans conquered Britain because we refused to get involved.'
"Is there something you wish to say, Rector Lamia?" Fleur asked curiously.
Harry glanced over at the human. The man was obviously desperate. The Celts were loosing to the Romans. 'It is not my place to change history,' he told himself. "I do not need to hear any further. The vampires will not interfere with the Romans' conquest."
Illiona stared at him curiously, then nodded. "The elves will not interfere either," she said.
Fleur glanced between the two of them. "The veelas will not interfere," she said.
Richard looked at them, confused. He sighed. "I've been ordered to follow the suggestion of the Rector Lamia. The wizards will not interfere."
The human turned desperate eyes on the werewolf.
"The werewolves do not interfere in the affairs of their food."
Harry spared one more look for the crushed human and turned. He left the clearing and didn't look back. History was still on track. A few months later, the Romans were in control of the British Isles.
***
{199 years later – 242 AD}
Once more his polearm was covered in the blood of werewolves. This was the third battle he had led the vampires in against the werewolves. And hopefully, it would be the last. "They're fleeing!" the cry went up.
"Follow them!" Harry yelled, both aloud and mentally. For the first time, the vampires gave chase.
The vampires chased down the fleeing werewolves, killing all they could catch. They followed them all the way to their Den and invaded, killing all inside. They were sure to kill every royal werewolf. When the last royal wolf was dead, the werewolves still alive began screaming. Harry ordered the vampires to pull out; they had accomplished their task. They didn't need to kill the entire race.
With the death of the royal werewolves, the werewolves could no longer control their transformation. All who were in their wolf form when it happened were destined to stay as a wolf except for the night of the full moon, when they would transform into a human. Their wolfish instincts would rule their lives. Those who were in their human form when it happened were destined to stay as a human except for the night of the full moon, when they would transform into a wolf. Their wolfish instincts would rule them during the nights of the full moon. Both types would have tremendously painful transformations, instead of the painless transformations they had before.
Harry had just sentenced Remus Lupin to a life of hardship that would make him an outsider in the wizarding world. Someone who couldn't be trusted because they couldn't control themselves.
***
{202 years later – 414 AD}
Harry stood leaning against a tree on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He watched as one of the last Roman legions began to leave Britain.
"Do you regret your decision?"
"It was never my decision."
"Almost 400 years of tyranny and oppression. It could have been avoided if the council had interfered."
Harry turned and glared at Illiona. "If you wanted to interfere, you should have done it." He turned back to the legion.
She smiled sadly. "Harry, you know as well as I do that your decisions run that council. The elves follow your decisions because we know that you follow the best path. The veelas follow you because Fleur respects you, and the wizards are told to follow your will because they believe you are the wisest of us. And the werewolves are no longer apart of the council."
"That's my fault too."
"It was necessary for the best possible future."
"Is my future the best one possible?" Harry demanded. "Why shouldn't I change things? Make them for the better!"
"Because you know that all you will do is create a world that is worse than the one you come from. The evils coming are something that you can handle. If you change things, what guarantee do we have that the evils will be vanquished?"
"Go away, Illiona. I don't want to debate with you now." He turned his back towards her again, watching the Romans once more.
"I have faith in you, Harry," she said softly and left him to his thoughts.
***
{53 years later – 467 AD}
"There is a wizard of great strength interfering in one of the human kingdoms in the north," Illiona said.
"Well, do you want to call the council together and forbid him from interfering?" Harry asked, without looking up from his reports.
"I'm hesitating because of his name."
Harry set the reports down on his desk and turned to look at Illiona. "Oh?"
"His name is Merlin."
Harry's mouth dropped open in shock. "No! Let him do what he wants!"
Illiona laughed. "That's what I thought you'd say. You do realize that you use his name as an expletive on occasion. I figured he might be of some importance."
"He is very important. Don't interfere with him at all. He will take care of himself."
"Should we do anything to protect him?"
"No. He's going to sow the seeds for his own destruction."
"Are you going to try and meet him?"
"No. I don't want to do anything that might change what should be. I'm going to keep the vampires away from him, and I don't want the elves to have anything to do with him either."
"Then we won't. We'll allow this Merlin free reign."
"Thanks."
Illiona chuckled. "You should have seen your face. He must have a great impact upon your world."
"He does," Harry replied. "That he does."
***
{256 years later – 723 AD}
"Once more the humans have called upon us. They ask that we prevent the raiders from attacking," the wizard representative informed them.
"The vampires will not interfere. The Vikings will not be stopped by us."
"The elves will not interfere."
"The veelas will not interfere."
"The wizards will follow the will of the council. We will not interfere."
Harry left the meeting, shaking his head slightly. The humans continued to ask for help, and he continually had to deny it. The Viking raids would continue until after 1000AD. He sighed. He wished the humans would forget about them sooner. He was doing his best to keep the vampires hidden from them. He wanted the humans to stop asking for help. He was tired of denying it.
***
{148 years later – 871 AD}
"Well, the humans have finally done it."
"What?" Harry asked.
"Alfred the Great has been declared the first king of all of England," Lily replied.
"Oh. So? Did you honestly think they wouldn't manage it eventually?"
"No, I knew they'd manage it. I just thought you'd like to know for your records."
"Oh. Thanks."
"Welcome, Dad."
***
{129 years later – 1000 AD}
Harry sighed and leaned back. He enjoyed going out and mingling among the humans, especially in the taverns, which is where he was this night. He was nursing his third tankard of ale when a brawl began. He looked at the two who started the fight and was shocked to recognize one of them.
"In Merlin's name," he breathed.
A young Salazar Slytherin was brawling in a Muggle tavern, drunk as can be.
***
TBC…
Well… that's chapter four. I'm not sure I'm happy with it because of how rushed each event has to be. This chapter contains the events of over a thousand years. I hope though that this chapter allows you all to see how little Lily is going to impact the fic. Remember, there will not be any Mary Sues if I have anything to say about it!
So what did you all think of Harry's brief memory of Severus? All he can remember is that he's got greasy hair, yellow teeth, and is a potions maker. *snickering* just wait till you see him again, Harry!
I've finished the pictures of Olivia and Lily as well as a small map of the top most floor of the underground coven. They are posted at my yahoo!group in the Files section in Blood's folder along with the picture of Harry's polearm for those of you who haven't seen it yet. My yahoo!group:
groups.yahoo.com/group/HuntressSmiles/
In chapter five we get to see the birth of Hogwarts as well as the interaction of the founders and some hidden secrets. We'll also see the motivation behind the Chamber of Secrets and the true opinions of Salazar Slytherin. We'll also see the real reason why Gryffindor and Slytherin are enemies.
I nearly forgot to do this… out of those that guessed the new race, only Bryt got it right. veelas was the correct answer. Bryt, you have won a lifetime supply of virtual chocolate frogs. Happy eating!
As always, please feel free to ask me questions. If you're having trouble understanding something, then please let me know. Unfortunately, questions are more likely to be answered if you ask them at my group than if you ask me in an e-mail. I have the very bad habit of forgetting to respond back to e-mails. If you are one of those people who sent me an e-mail and didn't get a response back, I'm sooooo sorry. If you did get a response back… you lucky dogs!
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed or sent me an e-mail. All encouragement is appreciated.
~Artemis Luna Diana~