Chapter Seventeen*~~
Harry woke up with a bit of a hangover. He realized immediately he was lying on a big chair. Ron was on the floor at its bottom. Harry groaned softly. "Hangover?" asked Percy form the kitchen.
"A bit," Harry replied.
"Sirius and Remus have gone to get the potions," Percy said. "They had some for themselves."
"That does sound like them," Harry agreed. He kicked Ron lightly as he walked into the kitchen. Ron stumbled in after Harry. His hangover seemed a bit worse, though not as bad as the ones Charlie and Percy seemed to be sporting.
"Where'd Mum and Dad go last night?" Ron asked, lying his head on the cool table surface.
"Where'd Granamama Weasley go?" asked Harry. "Something tells me they wouldn't have been very fond of strippers here."
"Exotic dancers," was the tart reply from Jen. She stood behind them at the door. Quickly she went to the cabinet and pulled out the things for making tea. As soon as it was finished she left with a wave. Harry noted he had never changed her clothes back form their drinking songs.
"Anyways," Charlie mumbled. Bill looked all right.
"Mum and Dad are spending the night in the honeymoon sweet at a hotel in muggle London," Bill said, rubbing his temples.
"Grandmama?" prompted Ron.
"She went home," Charlie mumbled. "My head!"
"Screaming," Percy said tightly. "Does not help in the slightest." Charlie glared at his brother who glared back.
"You two always had the worst hangovers," Fred said as he and George plunked down next to them.
"Which one of you was it that broke Mum's vase from May?" asked Bill, grinning.
"Me," garbled Charlie. "She thought I was a huge rebel kid. It was before she found out you'd been trashed on numerous occasions."
"And it was Percy that got caught by McGonagall," George said, grinning. "That was the only detention he ever got."
"Thank you, George," Percy said, toasting him with a mug of coffee. Then, Percy downed the whole thing.
"I'll make some tea," Harry said, giving Percy a weird look.
After they had all finished their tea, Sirius and Remus appeared with a potion bottle for each of them and more left over. "For the others," Sirius said, handing one to each.
As soon as they had drunk all of their vials they felt much better. "I wonder how much puke there is?" asked Percy with a shudder.
"Some things never change," Bill said with a laugh.
"Time to get everyone up and out," Remus said. "It's already noon. We only have two hours to clean and get ready for the rehearsal."
"Ah, the joys of marriage," Bill said.
Harry, Ron, and Percy went to awaken everyone and pass out hangover remedies. Fred and George proceeded to direct them to the fireplace to travel home by Floo. Harry thought they sis a good job of acting like muggle runway men at an airport. Bill and Charlie waited with Floo powder and to check and see if they were sober enough to leave.
Once the house had been cleared out, they got to work cleaning. Sirius and Remus had already gone upstairs to see if they'd missed anyone and sent down one of the strippers and Moss. "Nice one," whispered Bill as his friend headed back to the Leaky Cauldron. Moss grinned as he left.
Harry, Ron, George, and Fred went and hunted down all the piles of puke they could find. They quickly made them vanish and then added washing and air freshening charms t the area around it. There was only a total of twelve, which wasn't too bad-only one pile seemed to have been there for a few days..
Bill and Charlie cleaned up all the garbage that was littered everywhere. Sirius and Remus put the furniture back where it had been before the party. This revealed two more piles of puke which they cleaned up. Percy was busying himself by cleaning up all the food and drinks they had had out.
After they had finished, they sat down in the sitting room (gee, I wonder why.).
"Somebody should go to the apartment and make sure the girls are okay," Bill said lazily.
"Thanks for volunteering," Remus replied. Bill glared at the older man.
"No way," he snapped. "Harry, you go."
"Why me?!"
"Because you're the only one who hasn't got a girlfriend," Charlie replied.
"Neither do Sirius or Remus!" cried Harry with exasperation.
"Nor," Remus said inattentively.
"Sirius and Melanie just have to get over themselves and they'll be snogging and getting married and maybe having little babies," Ron pointed out.
"Excuse me," Remus said. "As much as I may agree, would you like me saying that YOUR sister is going to go have sex with your best friend?"
"She probably will," muttered Fred. Harry couldn't help but go an impressive shade of red.
"That's not the point," Ron barked. "And anyways, Remus and Aunt May just have to see each other."
"How'd you know you aunt was May?" asked Sirius. Ron rolled his eyes.
"Telepathy," he said as though Sirius were stupid. Harry snorted and Ron shrugged to him.
~It wasn't a lie,~ Ron said.
"I'll go then," Harry said. "Just to get away from you sex feinds."
"Who says any of us have had sex?" asked Remus with a raised eyebrow.
"You're over thirty," Harry said. "Percy has the 'sex look,' Sirius is Sirius, Charlie is a dragon tamer which is sure to guarantee him sex, Bill is engaged, Fred and George are Fred and George, and Ron and Hermione are pretty close. EW! I didn't need to give myself a mental picture!" Harry covered his eyes and writhed around on the ground.
Harry was soon stepping out of the fireplace at Bill and Fleur's apartment. He smiled softly to see that among the women and girls lying about, Hermione was curled up on the couch with Amethyst in her arms.
Harry sighed and looked at all of the games, people, and drinks strewn across the ground. For a moment he levitated off of the ground. A woman Harry identified as Mayraline Laux stirred a bit before turning over. Harry immediately touched the ground and dodged around everything lying about.
Gently, he shook Hermione. "Mione," he whispered. "Quill, get up." She didn't stir. Harry prodded Ginny's cat form. Sharp nails scratched his hand. "Fine," he muttered. Suddenly a loud music filled the room. Everyone began waking up and moaning, clutching their heads.
Hermione shrieked as ice water was dumped on her. "HARRY JAMES POTTER!" The wet cat hopped off the couch and suddenly became a soaking wet Ginny Weasley.
"Harry! I HATE it when you do that!" she cried, glaring daggers into him. He smiled softly and quickly dried her and Hermione off.
"I was sent as your awakening party. You have to get ready for the rehearsal dinner," Harry said sweetly. A few tired glares were shot at him. "And I come bearing hangover cures." Suddenly the women were all much happier to see him.
Harry had begun helping to pick up when three elves came out of the fire. They were Ricatone, Sala, and Migra.
"Yes?" asked Ginny, looking up.
"Harry! You never told us you were leaving Hogwarts. We went to wake you up and we found no one! Do you have any idea-!" but Harry cut Migra off.
"Look, I am quite capable of taking care of myself," he said icily. "Why do you all worry so? You know I'll be fine!"
"You're very important to us," Sala said. Even with her biting voice that was perfect for threats, she sounded gentle and sincere.
"I get the picture," Harry said, shoving a couch back into its proper place.
"News came from the Elvin Realm (Someone said it was really Elven, my computer says it isn't but even so, I didn't care to begin with. I like spelling it like that, I really thought Elven WAS right..)," Migra commented casually as she went and got on one end of a table. Ricatone moved to the other.
"What of it?" asked Harry. He paused and looked at her oddly. "More problems with Princess Aika (EYE-uh-kay)?"
"Nice guess," Sala said grimly. She began assisting Ginny in whipping down the tables. "She really doesn't want to marry our charming prince."
"I don't think he really wants to marry her either," Ricatone said shrewdly.
"But he will because of ancient royal duties," Migra said softly.
"If you ask me," Ricatone began heatedly.
"We didn't," Harry said sharply.
"Come on! You all agree that those things are so stupid! Let him pick his own damn lover," Ricatone snapped.
"What ARE you talking about?" asked Hermione exasperatedly.
"Nothing," chorused the elves.
"I'll tell you tonight," Harry told Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. They nodded in understanding.
**
Harry happily bit into his sandwich. They had just finished the wedding rehearsal. After that they had traveled to the Burrow. It was just beginning to get dark and they were all eating.
Ron said on Harry's left at the square table, Ginny across from him, and Hermione on his right. "So, where are we staying tonight?" asked Harry.
"Here," Ron said.
"After dinner would you mind, Harry, if we. you know." Hermione trailed off.
"Talked?" asked Harry, smiling slightly at her. She nodded, not meeting his gaze. "Sure. Let's snag some food and go up to Ron's room."
"NO!" cried Hermione. Ginny giggled. Ron and Harry gave her a weird look. "Sorry, that orange is going to drive me insane. We'll use Ginny's room. It's Percy's old one. It's bigger."
"Doesn't make a difference," Harry said with a shrug. They collected a bunch of food and headed into the house.
"What about dancing?!" called Atonics. The elves had come to the rehearsal on invitation. They seemed to be enjoying themselves- though Harry had heard them comment on their weak liquor.
"We'll come back later!" Ginny reassured him.
"Good! You're going to have to share a dance with me!" Ginny laughed at the Head Magician and dashed up to her friends.
Harry stood behind Hermione as she opened the door. It suddenly occurred to him that as long as he had known the Weasleys and the many times he had seen the Burrow, he had never seen Ginny's room. As soon as he was in, he looked around in curiosity.
The walls were pale purple and silver checkered. Black writing spelled out random words. Her walls were covered with magazine pictures and muggle computer pictures of Japanese cartoons such as Inu-Yasha.
Her bedspread was black and there was a purple and silver hand made blanket folded on the end. Silk pillows in black, silver, and purple were thrown on top. She had a desk with a closed silver and black muggle laptop. He noticed a black bag covered in pins and patches lying in the corner. There were many other muggle devices around as well.
Harry sat down in one of the purple and black dish chairs. Ron sat in the other. Ginny seated herself on her bed and Hermione pulled an identical bed out from under the first.
"Okay," Harry said. "What do you want to know?"
"The War of Royal Blood," Ginny said after a few moments of silence. "What was it? What part did you play in it?"
"The first thing you need to understand is that one hundred and ten years ago in our time the royal family of elves lost power. The Head Magician and Fighter were third ranking in the Elvin Realm. First was the royal family- namely the King, Queen, and heir. Then came their advisors- the Lord and Lady.
"The Last Prince was Prince Albahino of the Muritai. He didn't want the throne because he fell in love with a human. He learned to dimension hop and did exactly that to meet her. His parents died very young for elves. While he was in our dimension, they had been struck with an Elvin plague called Sintoria.
"After their death, Albahino returned and declared that the Throne would be placed out of power. He did not want to marry the elf chosen by his parents. All Elvin heirs have their mates chosen for them. Usually they are from a distant stem of royalty. Albahino then returned to our realm nine months after he left. He had declared power would go to the Head Fighter and Magician. They were to agree between the two who would be The Head Elf.
"The Head Magician, Jinkario, was made The Head Elf. The Head Fighter was then struck ill and died. Kilala and Atonics were then made Head Fighter and Magician. Kar- The Head- had a few problems with the Lord and Lady and other distant royals."
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.
"Well, the Lord and Lady were always the closest royals to the thrown after the royal blood line. There are many distant royals among elves but many don't even know it. Five times the royal family has changed," Harry explained.
"It began when the Huntor line died out by war. Then the Yundiri took power. After them it was the Jiroku and the Lindomin. Then there was the Muritai. The last Lord and Lady were the Garino line. They thought they deserved the throne.
"Albahino has said that they didn't deserve it. He said that ruler ship should be given to an elf not because of birth but because of skill and personality. So, The Head ruled the elves. Every once in a while there would be a struggle for power from old royal elves. One of the only peaceful ones were the Arinons. Now, their daughter is betrothed to the prince."
"I thought the royals died out," Ron said, confused. Harry nodded.
"The second thing you must understand is that the Jistone used to be the Throne's greatest warrior. But it became the three Heads of the Realm's most trusted ally."
"They call you Jistone all the time," Hermione said.
"Exactly."
"Does that mean." Ron never finished. They all looked at Harry. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair with stress.
"It means that when the Dimokai- the old Lord and Lady's line- tried to steal the throne after many, many years of peace, I became very involved in the war."
"Was this before or after you killed yourself?" asked Ron dryly. Harry smiled weakly.
"After, thanks."
"So, you were saying?" prompted Hermione.
"The third thing you must understand is that there were not many lost lines. It was originally believed that only three elves had moved among humans. In truth it was ten lines that were carried on unknowingly here. All but Albahino were forced to give up immortality. Albahino left illegally, so they say."
"What does that have to do with the war?" asked Hermione, confused.
"Nothing really, just remember it," Harry advised. "The fourth thing you must understand is that when a goddess appears when an elf child is knowingly carried in her mother's womb, the child must be named after the goddess.
"The fifth is that all elves share a power source. All Elvish lives would end if this power source were destroyed. It is guarded by the goddess Ashizu. When she chooses a keeper, something great lies ahead. The power source is seen as a ring. A small gold band with amethyst stones and diamonds all the way around. The holder is known as the Keeper of the Ring.
"Long before the war, Ashizu appeared at the birth of the elf that would one day marry Atonics and bear Kigali and Mitra. The goddess Ashizu later appeared to tell her a prophecy and give her the ring. But then the Dimokai put their plan into action. This plan would take many years and it began with magically sending Ashizu the Blue Sweating sickness that had killed the King and Queen only years before.
"Ashizu never used the ring."
"What does that mean?" asked Ron.
"No one knows," Harry said heavily. "Now let me finish.
"When the war began, not many elves liked me. Kar didn't at first. But I proved myself many times over. And slowly, I became more involved. I began fighting in battles with elves. I made friends that died only hours later. And then, I saved Kar's life in the first battle of actual war with the Dimokai line."
"So you became the Jistone?" asked Hermione.
"Yes." Harry looked at Ginny. Her hand was at her throat. She had been silent this whole time.
"What happened after that?" asked Ron.
"They found that Albahino had left a line that even he had not known of. Prince Laohan was then officially the heir. The elves against the Dimokai line began fighting in his name. The Dimokai called us all Laohans and we called hem by their leader.
"There were thirty battles of official, recorded war. I'll give you a list later. There are already books on them. Anyways, we won and now Prince Laohan will become King. He can't have that title until he is wed to Princess Aika. She doesn't want to marry him. She wants to marry for love, she says.
"Prince Laohan says he will do it to keep peace. The Lord and Lady are Lord Linto of the Gintorin and Lady Eritin of the Orino. It's well known that Lady Eritin is waiting for her very old mate to die so she can wed Linto."
"Why are the elves so worried about you?" asked Ron.
"Because the Jistone is wanted dead by all loyal to the Dimokai. Also, the Dimokai's leader, Hondaro is still out there. So is Ricu's brother who fought beside Hondaro- Ukigol. Ukigol was the elf you saw with that dementor. That was the Virgin's Battle. He never really killed Migra. She was healed by Prince Laohan's raw healing magic. He said it was his fault."
"So they're afraid that the Dimokai's will come after you," Hermione stated.
"Precisely," Harry said.
"What do you think will happen?" asked Ginny. ~And what aren't you telling us?~ she added through their mind bond. The other two's connection was cut off.
"They wouldn't try without help," Harry said, ignoring her mind message. "Which plays into why I think Voldemort stopped attacking. It's my theory that the Dimokai and Voldemort are working together."
"I agree," Hermione said, nodding. "There's-"
"Virginia!" Ginny groaned softly and opened the door to let her grandmother in.
"Yes, Grandmama?"
"You get back down there! You must learn to be a hostess!" she scolded. Ginny nodded with a falsely sweet smile and left the room, friends on her heels.
**
Harry held a knife with a flashing blade in his hand. Carefully he ran his hands along it, testing its sharpness. Satisfied, he picked up a bottle of ink. Inside was what seemed to be red ink.
When he opened it, he found it was his own blood. Carefully, he dipped the quill into and began writing in Elvish on a piece of parchment in front of him. Darkness made it impossible for him to see what he wrote.
Not long later, he capped the ink and blew the letter dry. Carefully, he rolled it up and hid it in a secret compartment in a drawer of the desk he sat it. As he set the knife in and closed it, he paused, hearing footsteps. Quickly he slipped into the elegant bed and shut his eyes.
No one came. He glanced at the ink and quickly slipped it under a loose floorboard. Back in bed, he gazed at the chart on his wall. Days were Xed off until that day. Two days later, there was a circle. Everything around the chart was dark. The circle grew bolder until he could see nothing but that ring.
Suddenly, Harry sat up, soaked in sweat. He fell onto the bed from his floating position. Harry swallowed hard and whipped his head. He remembered the feel of his silk gown against the silk sheets. Harry shuddered and rubbed his shoulder joint.
**
Harry grinned at Charlie. They were all sitting with Bill while they waited for the ceremony to start. Bill was presently having a spaz attack. Ron was trying to get him to calm down. Percy sat next to Charlie and Harry.
"You're the best man, you calm him down," Percy muttered.
"No way, little dude," Charlie said. "I'm not stupid." Percy pulled a face.
"Really?" Harry snorted.
"Bill," he called. "Calm down."
"CALM DOWN?! I'm getting bloody MARRIED!" screamed Bill.
"Yes, you see, I figured that part out," Harry said unwearyingly. "Here, let me try something on you." Harry moved in front of Bill and crouched at eye level. "Look into my eyes and try to clear your head."
Harry slowly trickled himself into Bill's mind. His body collapsed as he continued. Gently, he began moving thoughts around and wading through them until he came to a wedding bell. He slipped under it to see Fleur standing at the center. Cautiously, Harry unknotted the thoughts all around her. Then, he fell back into his own body.
Harry stood up from the floor and shook his shoulders. "All better?" he asked. Bill looked at him, amazed and startled.
"Uh, yeah, thanks." Harry laughed and sat down.
Soon, Harry watched Bill leave the room with Charlie and Mario. Elle came in to lead them out.
"Harry!" He turned when he heard Ginny's call. Suddenly, Harry froze. Ginny looked like a goddess in her dress. It looked to be made for her. She giggled.
~Like it?~ she asked, spinning.
~You look great.~
~Thank you.~ She took his arm and they took their spots. Harry glanced at Hermione and noted how pretty she looked as well.
They started down the aisle. Harry and Ginny were the last out. They walked slowly. ~Grandmama looks like she's going to cry,~ Ginny said.
~Uh, she is.~
~Just wait for the evil look to me,~ Ginny advised. Harry smiled at her.
The ceremony blurred passed Harry as he spent the whole while gazing at Ginny. Afterwards, they got into their horse and buggy. "Stare at her any more and your eyes will fall out," Atonics whispered as they got in.
"I'm not listening," hissed the Jistone. He climbed in and began a lively conversation with his three best friends.
A/N I know it's short but I wanted to post it and my grandparents just came over. I never even knew they were coming. Gotta go. Ciao.
Harry woke up with a bit of a hangover. He realized immediately he was lying on a big chair. Ron was on the floor at its bottom. Harry groaned softly. "Hangover?" asked Percy form the kitchen.
"A bit," Harry replied.
"Sirius and Remus have gone to get the potions," Percy said. "They had some for themselves."
"That does sound like them," Harry agreed. He kicked Ron lightly as he walked into the kitchen. Ron stumbled in after Harry. His hangover seemed a bit worse, though not as bad as the ones Charlie and Percy seemed to be sporting.
"Where'd Mum and Dad go last night?" Ron asked, lying his head on the cool table surface.
"Where'd Granamama Weasley go?" asked Harry. "Something tells me they wouldn't have been very fond of strippers here."
"Exotic dancers," was the tart reply from Jen. She stood behind them at the door. Quickly she went to the cabinet and pulled out the things for making tea. As soon as it was finished she left with a wave. Harry noted he had never changed her clothes back form their drinking songs.
"Anyways," Charlie mumbled. Bill looked all right.
"Mum and Dad are spending the night in the honeymoon sweet at a hotel in muggle London," Bill said, rubbing his temples.
"Grandmama?" prompted Ron.
"She went home," Charlie mumbled. "My head!"
"Screaming," Percy said tightly. "Does not help in the slightest." Charlie glared at his brother who glared back.
"You two always had the worst hangovers," Fred said as he and George plunked down next to them.
"Which one of you was it that broke Mum's vase from May?" asked Bill, grinning.
"Me," garbled Charlie. "She thought I was a huge rebel kid. It was before she found out you'd been trashed on numerous occasions."
"And it was Percy that got caught by McGonagall," George said, grinning. "That was the only detention he ever got."
"Thank you, George," Percy said, toasting him with a mug of coffee. Then, Percy downed the whole thing.
"I'll make some tea," Harry said, giving Percy a weird look.
After they had all finished their tea, Sirius and Remus appeared with a potion bottle for each of them and more left over. "For the others," Sirius said, handing one to each.
As soon as they had drunk all of their vials they felt much better. "I wonder how much puke there is?" asked Percy with a shudder.
"Some things never change," Bill said with a laugh.
"Time to get everyone up and out," Remus said. "It's already noon. We only have two hours to clean and get ready for the rehearsal."
"Ah, the joys of marriage," Bill said.
Harry, Ron, and Percy went to awaken everyone and pass out hangover remedies. Fred and George proceeded to direct them to the fireplace to travel home by Floo. Harry thought they sis a good job of acting like muggle runway men at an airport. Bill and Charlie waited with Floo powder and to check and see if they were sober enough to leave.
Once the house had been cleared out, they got to work cleaning. Sirius and Remus had already gone upstairs to see if they'd missed anyone and sent down one of the strippers and Moss. "Nice one," whispered Bill as his friend headed back to the Leaky Cauldron. Moss grinned as he left.
Harry, Ron, George, and Fred went and hunted down all the piles of puke they could find. They quickly made them vanish and then added washing and air freshening charms t the area around it. There was only a total of twelve, which wasn't too bad-only one pile seemed to have been there for a few days..
Bill and Charlie cleaned up all the garbage that was littered everywhere. Sirius and Remus put the furniture back where it had been before the party. This revealed two more piles of puke which they cleaned up. Percy was busying himself by cleaning up all the food and drinks they had had out.
After they had finished, they sat down in the sitting room (gee, I wonder why.).
"Somebody should go to the apartment and make sure the girls are okay," Bill said lazily.
"Thanks for volunteering," Remus replied. Bill glared at the older man.
"No way," he snapped. "Harry, you go."
"Why me?!"
"Because you're the only one who hasn't got a girlfriend," Charlie replied.
"Neither do Sirius or Remus!" cried Harry with exasperation.
"Nor," Remus said inattentively.
"Sirius and Melanie just have to get over themselves and they'll be snogging and getting married and maybe having little babies," Ron pointed out.
"Excuse me," Remus said. "As much as I may agree, would you like me saying that YOUR sister is going to go have sex with your best friend?"
"She probably will," muttered Fred. Harry couldn't help but go an impressive shade of red.
"That's not the point," Ron barked. "And anyways, Remus and Aunt May just have to see each other."
"How'd you know you aunt was May?" asked Sirius. Ron rolled his eyes.
"Telepathy," he said as though Sirius were stupid. Harry snorted and Ron shrugged to him.
~It wasn't a lie,~ Ron said.
"I'll go then," Harry said. "Just to get away from you sex feinds."
"Who says any of us have had sex?" asked Remus with a raised eyebrow.
"You're over thirty," Harry said. "Percy has the 'sex look,' Sirius is Sirius, Charlie is a dragon tamer which is sure to guarantee him sex, Bill is engaged, Fred and George are Fred and George, and Ron and Hermione are pretty close. EW! I didn't need to give myself a mental picture!" Harry covered his eyes and writhed around on the ground.
Harry was soon stepping out of the fireplace at Bill and Fleur's apartment. He smiled softly to see that among the women and girls lying about, Hermione was curled up on the couch with Amethyst in her arms.
Harry sighed and looked at all of the games, people, and drinks strewn across the ground. For a moment he levitated off of the ground. A woman Harry identified as Mayraline Laux stirred a bit before turning over. Harry immediately touched the ground and dodged around everything lying about.
Gently, he shook Hermione. "Mione," he whispered. "Quill, get up." She didn't stir. Harry prodded Ginny's cat form. Sharp nails scratched his hand. "Fine," he muttered. Suddenly a loud music filled the room. Everyone began waking up and moaning, clutching their heads.
Hermione shrieked as ice water was dumped on her. "HARRY JAMES POTTER!" The wet cat hopped off the couch and suddenly became a soaking wet Ginny Weasley.
"Harry! I HATE it when you do that!" she cried, glaring daggers into him. He smiled softly and quickly dried her and Hermione off.
"I was sent as your awakening party. You have to get ready for the rehearsal dinner," Harry said sweetly. A few tired glares were shot at him. "And I come bearing hangover cures." Suddenly the women were all much happier to see him.
Harry had begun helping to pick up when three elves came out of the fire. They were Ricatone, Sala, and Migra.
"Yes?" asked Ginny, looking up.
"Harry! You never told us you were leaving Hogwarts. We went to wake you up and we found no one! Do you have any idea-!" but Harry cut Migra off.
"Look, I am quite capable of taking care of myself," he said icily. "Why do you all worry so? You know I'll be fine!"
"You're very important to us," Sala said. Even with her biting voice that was perfect for threats, she sounded gentle and sincere.
"I get the picture," Harry said, shoving a couch back into its proper place.
"News came from the Elvin Realm (Someone said it was really Elven, my computer says it isn't but even so, I didn't care to begin with. I like spelling it like that, I really thought Elven WAS right..)," Migra commented casually as she went and got on one end of a table. Ricatone moved to the other.
"What of it?" asked Harry. He paused and looked at her oddly. "More problems with Princess Aika (EYE-uh-kay)?"
"Nice guess," Sala said grimly. She began assisting Ginny in whipping down the tables. "She really doesn't want to marry our charming prince."
"I don't think he really wants to marry her either," Ricatone said shrewdly.
"But he will because of ancient royal duties," Migra said softly.
"If you ask me," Ricatone began heatedly.
"We didn't," Harry said sharply.
"Come on! You all agree that those things are so stupid! Let him pick his own damn lover," Ricatone snapped.
"What ARE you talking about?" asked Hermione exasperatedly.
"Nothing," chorused the elves.
"I'll tell you tonight," Harry told Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. They nodded in understanding.
**
Harry happily bit into his sandwich. They had just finished the wedding rehearsal. After that they had traveled to the Burrow. It was just beginning to get dark and they were all eating.
Ron said on Harry's left at the square table, Ginny across from him, and Hermione on his right. "So, where are we staying tonight?" asked Harry.
"Here," Ron said.
"After dinner would you mind, Harry, if we. you know." Hermione trailed off.
"Talked?" asked Harry, smiling slightly at her. She nodded, not meeting his gaze. "Sure. Let's snag some food and go up to Ron's room."
"NO!" cried Hermione. Ginny giggled. Ron and Harry gave her a weird look. "Sorry, that orange is going to drive me insane. We'll use Ginny's room. It's Percy's old one. It's bigger."
"Doesn't make a difference," Harry said with a shrug. They collected a bunch of food and headed into the house.
"What about dancing?!" called Atonics. The elves had come to the rehearsal on invitation. They seemed to be enjoying themselves- though Harry had heard them comment on their weak liquor.
"We'll come back later!" Ginny reassured him.
"Good! You're going to have to share a dance with me!" Ginny laughed at the Head Magician and dashed up to her friends.
Harry stood behind Hermione as she opened the door. It suddenly occurred to him that as long as he had known the Weasleys and the many times he had seen the Burrow, he had never seen Ginny's room. As soon as he was in, he looked around in curiosity.
The walls were pale purple and silver checkered. Black writing spelled out random words. Her walls were covered with magazine pictures and muggle computer pictures of Japanese cartoons such as Inu-Yasha.
Her bedspread was black and there was a purple and silver hand made blanket folded on the end. Silk pillows in black, silver, and purple were thrown on top. She had a desk with a closed silver and black muggle laptop. He noticed a black bag covered in pins and patches lying in the corner. There were many other muggle devices around as well.
Harry sat down in one of the purple and black dish chairs. Ron sat in the other. Ginny seated herself on her bed and Hermione pulled an identical bed out from under the first.
"Okay," Harry said. "What do you want to know?"
"The War of Royal Blood," Ginny said after a few moments of silence. "What was it? What part did you play in it?"
"The first thing you need to understand is that one hundred and ten years ago in our time the royal family of elves lost power. The Head Magician and Fighter were third ranking in the Elvin Realm. First was the royal family- namely the King, Queen, and heir. Then came their advisors- the Lord and Lady.
"The Last Prince was Prince Albahino of the Muritai. He didn't want the throne because he fell in love with a human. He learned to dimension hop and did exactly that to meet her. His parents died very young for elves. While he was in our dimension, they had been struck with an Elvin plague called Sintoria.
"After their death, Albahino returned and declared that the Throne would be placed out of power. He did not want to marry the elf chosen by his parents. All Elvin heirs have their mates chosen for them. Usually they are from a distant stem of royalty. Albahino then returned to our realm nine months after he left. He had declared power would go to the Head Fighter and Magician. They were to agree between the two who would be The Head Elf.
"The Head Magician, Jinkario, was made The Head Elf. The Head Fighter was then struck ill and died. Kilala and Atonics were then made Head Fighter and Magician. Kar- The Head- had a few problems with the Lord and Lady and other distant royals."
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.
"Well, the Lord and Lady were always the closest royals to the thrown after the royal blood line. There are many distant royals among elves but many don't even know it. Five times the royal family has changed," Harry explained.
"It began when the Huntor line died out by war. Then the Yundiri took power. After them it was the Jiroku and the Lindomin. Then there was the Muritai. The last Lord and Lady were the Garino line. They thought they deserved the throne.
"Albahino has said that they didn't deserve it. He said that ruler ship should be given to an elf not because of birth but because of skill and personality. So, The Head ruled the elves. Every once in a while there would be a struggle for power from old royal elves. One of the only peaceful ones were the Arinons. Now, their daughter is betrothed to the prince."
"I thought the royals died out," Ron said, confused. Harry nodded.
"The second thing you must understand is that the Jistone used to be the Throne's greatest warrior. But it became the three Heads of the Realm's most trusted ally."
"They call you Jistone all the time," Hermione said.
"Exactly."
"Does that mean." Ron never finished. They all looked at Harry. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair with stress.
"It means that when the Dimokai- the old Lord and Lady's line- tried to steal the throne after many, many years of peace, I became very involved in the war."
"Was this before or after you killed yourself?" asked Ron dryly. Harry smiled weakly.
"After, thanks."
"So, you were saying?" prompted Hermione.
"The third thing you must understand is that there were not many lost lines. It was originally believed that only three elves had moved among humans. In truth it was ten lines that were carried on unknowingly here. All but Albahino were forced to give up immortality. Albahino left illegally, so they say."
"What does that have to do with the war?" asked Hermione, confused.
"Nothing really, just remember it," Harry advised. "The fourth thing you must understand is that when a goddess appears when an elf child is knowingly carried in her mother's womb, the child must be named after the goddess.
"The fifth is that all elves share a power source. All Elvish lives would end if this power source were destroyed. It is guarded by the goddess Ashizu. When she chooses a keeper, something great lies ahead. The power source is seen as a ring. A small gold band with amethyst stones and diamonds all the way around. The holder is known as the Keeper of the Ring.
"Long before the war, Ashizu appeared at the birth of the elf that would one day marry Atonics and bear Kigali and Mitra. The goddess Ashizu later appeared to tell her a prophecy and give her the ring. But then the Dimokai put their plan into action. This plan would take many years and it began with magically sending Ashizu the Blue Sweating sickness that had killed the King and Queen only years before.
"Ashizu never used the ring."
"What does that mean?" asked Ron.
"No one knows," Harry said heavily. "Now let me finish.
"When the war began, not many elves liked me. Kar didn't at first. But I proved myself many times over. And slowly, I became more involved. I began fighting in battles with elves. I made friends that died only hours later. And then, I saved Kar's life in the first battle of actual war with the Dimokai line."
"So you became the Jistone?" asked Hermione.
"Yes." Harry looked at Ginny. Her hand was at her throat. She had been silent this whole time.
"What happened after that?" asked Ron.
"They found that Albahino had left a line that even he had not known of. Prince Laohan was then officially the heir. The elves against the Dimokai line began fighting in his name. The Dimokai called us all Laohans and we called hem by their leader.
"There were thirty battles of official, recorded war. I'll give you a list later. There are already books on them. Anyways, we won and now Prince Laohan will become King. He can't have that title until he is wed to Princess Aika. She doesn't want to marry him. She wants to marry for love, she says.
"Prince Laohan says he will do it to keep peace. The Lord and Lady are Lord Linto of the Gintorin and Lady Eritin of the Orino. It's well known that Lady Eritin is waiting for her very old mate to die so she can wed Linto."
"Why are the elves so worried about you?" asked Ron.
"Because the Jistone is wanted dead by all loyal to the Dimokai. Also, the Dimokai's leader, Hondaro is still out there. So is Ricu's brother who fought beside Hondaro- Ukigol. Ukigol was the elf you saw with that dementor. That was the Virgin's Battle. He never really killed Migra. She was healed by Prince Laohan's raw healing magic. He said it was his fault."
"So they're afraid that the Dimokai's will come after you," Hermione stated.
"Precisely," Harry said.
"What do you think will happen?" asked Ginny. ~And what aren't you telling us?~ she added through their mind bond. The other two's connection was cut off.
"They wouldn't try without help," Harry said, ignoring her mind message. "Which plays into why I think Voldemort stopped attacking. It's my theory that the Dimokai and Voldemort are working together."
"I agree," Hermione said, nodding. "There's-"
"Virginia!" Ginny groaned softly and opened the door to let her grandmother in.
"Yes, Grandmama?"
"You get back down there! You must learn to be a hostess!" she scolded. Ginny nodded with a falsely sweet smile and left the room, friends on her heels.
**
Harry held a knife with a flashing blade in his hand. Carefully he ran his hands along it, testing its sharpness. Satisfied, he picked up a bottle of ink. Inside was what seemed to be red ink.
When he opened it, he found it was his own blood. Carefully, he dipped the quill into and began writing in Elvish on a piece of parchment in front of him. Darkness made it impossible for him to see what he wrote.
Not long later, he capped the ink and blew the letter dry. Carefully, he rolled it up and hid it in a secret compartment in a drawer of the desk he sat it. As he set the knife in and closed it, he paused, hearing footsteps. Quickly he slipped into the elegant bed and shut his eyes.
No one came. He glanced at the ink and quickly slipped it under a loose floorboard. Back in bed, he gazed at the chart on his wall. Days were Xed off until that day. Two days later, there was a circle. Everything around the chart was dark. The circle grew bolder until he could see nothing but that ring.
Suddenly, Harry sat up, soaked in sweat. He fell onto the bed from his floating position. Harry swallowed hard and whipped his head. He remembered the feel of his silk gown against the silk sheets. Harry shuddered and rubbed his shoulder joint.
**
Harry grinned at Charlie. They were all sitting with Bill while they waited for the ceremony to start. Bill was presently having a spaz attack. Ron was trying to get him to calm down. Percy sat next to Charlie and Harry.
"You're the best man, you calm him down," Percy muttered.
"No way, little dude," Charlie said. "I'm not stupid." Percy pulled a face.
"Really?" Harry snorted.
"Bill," he called. "Calm down."
"CALM DOWN?! I'm getting bloody MARRIED!" screamed Bill.
"Yes, you see, I figured that part out," Harry said unwearyingly. "Here, let me try something on you." Harry moved in front of Bill and crouched at eye level. "Look into my eyes and try to clear your head."
Harry slowly trickled himself into Bill's mind. His body collapsed as he continued. Gently, he began moving thoughts around and wading through them until he came to a wedding bell. He slipped under it to see Fleur standing at the center. Cautiously, Harry unknotted the thoughts all around her. Then, he fell back into his own body.
Harry stood up from the floor and shook his shoulders. "All better?" he asked. Bill looked at him, amazed and startled.
"Uh, yeah, thanks." Harry laughed and sat down.
Soon, Harry watched Bill leave the room with Charlie and Mario. Elle came in to lead them out.
"Harry!" He turned when he heard Ginny's call. Suddenly, Harry froze. Ginny looked like a goddess in her dress. It looked to be made for her. She giggled.
~Like it?~ she asked, spinning.
~You look great.~
~Thank you.~ She took his arm and they took their spots. Harry glanced at Hermione and noted how pretty she looked as well.
They started down the aisle. Harry and Ginny were the last out. They walked slowly. ~Grandmama looks like she's going to cry,~ Ginny said.
~Uh, she is.~
~Just wait for the evil look to me,~ Ginny advised. Harry smiled at her.
The ceremony blurred passed Harry as he spent the whole while gazing at Ginny. Afterwards, they got into their horse and buggy. "Stare at her any more and your eyes will fall out," Atonics whispered as they got in.
"I'm not listening," hissed the Jistone. He climbed in and began a lively conversation with his three best friends.
A/N I know it's short but I wanted to post it and my grandparents just came over. I never even knew they were coming. Gotta go. Ciao.