Hermione stared at the blade. Every sense she had tingled with the strange sensations the blade invoked in her. It was a bastard sword, but designed for a woman. It was three foot long with a handle, wrapped in plain black leather, just wide enough for her just to get two hands on. The blade was unadorned though it bore a rune inscription on each side – 'The gift of the Lady is death and love' and 'The Daughter Blade of Ravenclaw'. In its pommel was set a perfect sphere of Haematite.
She recognised the blade and took a deep breath. "Why wasn't I told?" she asked looking at her mother. She handed her a scabbard for the blade that would lay it across her back.
"Your great-grandmother, the only one of us currently a Freyjasdaughter1 suggested you not be told till you received the blade but then I could tell you of the legends, most of which concern that blade.
It is a witch-blade, made of star-iron with a core of phoenix tears and basilisk venom. It has been passed along with the worship of Freyja and ritual magic from female to female along our line.
Your great-granddame told me the day you were born that you would be the next to wield the blade and you would be truly great if you could accept all the strings attached.
The blade was crafted approximately fifteen hundred years ago in the wilds of Norway, and came to these land in the hands of the Warrior-Priestess of Freyja for whom it was crafted. She took lovers and had two daughters, the elder a Freyjaschild and the younger a Freyjasdaughter. Her younger daughter received the blade when her mother died, and quested through the land, returning twelve years later pregnant with a magic-wielders child. She stayed only long enough to recover from the birth of her daughter, whom she named Lillith. She left Lillith, a Freyjaschild, in the care of her elder sister and when south to fight. She was mortally wounded in battle four years later, but before she died, she wrapped the blade in her cloak, and ordered it returned to her settlement, 'to the fiery haired child who makes the air dance and calls beasts'. Six months later it was given to the three-month old child who played with the air and was surrounded by docile dire wolves.
She was Lupa, a Freyjaslady, child of the older sister and a Pict. She ran and hunted with the Dire Wolves. She led the battles against those who attacked the settlement. She died at the age of eighty-two at the hands of a minor demon. She had no children of her own, and passed the blade to Lillith's grand-daughter Ranna who was also a Freyjaslady, whom she had trained.
Ranna had three daughters. The eldest and youngest were Freyjaschild, the second a Freyjasdaughter. Ranna was beheaded in her Dire Wolf shift and the blade passed to her second daughter who refused to listen to advice and took her solitary revenge on her mother's killers.
The blade passed to Ranna's eldest daughter's newborn, Silver, a Freyjaslady, who called the wildcats and made ice dance. Silver held the blade until like Lupa she fell in battle to a minor demon that surprised her.
Silver passed the daughter to Ranna's great-granddaughter by her youngest. Lynne was a Freyjasdaughter and wielded the blade for eighteen years. Lynne bore a single daughter, Amber, also a Freyjasdaughter whom she passed the blade to. Amber mainly practised Freyja's worship and lived another sixty years, dying of wounds inflicted in a battle to defend the village. She had two daughters, Freyjaschild, whom she named for their shifter forms, Raven and Lupa.
Lupa ran with the wolves and died defending the pack from humans. Raven had two daughters before she died, a Freyjasdaughter and a Freyjaslady, whom she named Luna and Rowena. Rowena received the blade. Luna was a shifter and seer and accompanied her sister when they were driven from the village taking only the clothes they wore, a witch-blade each, a little gold and Freyja's altar things.
They headed north into the highlands of Scotland following Luna's visions. They were taken in by Salazar and his half-sister Helga. They lived with them for four and half-years, devouring all they could tell her about magic practised with wand and familiar, and in return she taught them blade and holy magic as well as how to take an animal form – Helga became a Badger, the loyal guardian of the woods and Salazar a Snake, cunning hunter of the sly.
After four and a half years Rowena left Helga, Salazar and Luna in Scotland and travelled among the great wizarding families seeking new magicks and the man who would father her daughter. She stayed with many of the largest families and learnt many esoteric magicks, but she couldn't find the one she sought. She was staying with the Gryffindors when Luna's raven reached her. The youngest son, Godric was an adventurous lad and infatuated with her. She returned to the Highlands with him in tow, after his parents asked her to find him a master who might be able to 'handle' him.
Salazar was a sight for sore eyes and in him she finally recognised her child's father. Her daughter was born nineteen months later, a Freyjasdaughter, caller and witch. Five years later with Godric now well trained they opened the school.
Rill was the school darling and for her twelfth birthday Salazar's Slytherins gave her a secret apartment that only she could open with her call and a Basilisk. She grew more beautiful as she aged into womanhood, and to her father's dismay she had a constant string of admirers, including Godric, whom she rejected repeatedly.
He couldn't take the rejection and used a forbidden curse, Imperio to control her. After four months during which he abused her repeatedly, she broke the curse and fled to her mother, showing her the memories of what he had done. She chose to keep the baby.
When Rowena confronted Godric about what he had done he said he had never forced anything, but Rill's memories showed otherwise. They fought and she won, but only by the narrowest of margins. She was found by one of her students mortally wounded. The student witnessed her death vision and her binding of the blade.
She spoke softly, blood bubbling audibly in her lungs from the blade Godric had thrust through her chest. 'No daughter birthed from a daughter of my line and my womb shall attend this accursed place again until five things have come to pass: - The concealing, the forgetting, the revolution, the war of two worlds and the rising of a dark lord of Helga's line. She to be a Freyjaslady, at her coming of age2 mother to a daughter of her blood too old to be her child, suckled at her breast but not birthed of her womb.'
Rowena and Godric were burnt, the public story they had died to defeat a demon that threatened to destroy the school. Rill held the blade in trust for her daughter. Six months later Salazar left the school with Luna, Rill and the newborn Freyjasdaughter Ranna.
Salazar created a safe haven, a heavily warded 'unplottable' retreat that above all was sentient and capable of manipulating the time flows within itself. Until the late nineteenth century we lived at Freyja's Retreat venturing out to take lovers or to attend Durmstrang if we could wield a wand. Then the non-magical world became much more interesting and we bought a muggle mansion and married an infertile muggle male and went right on having affairs with pure-blood wizards to conceive our daughters. Only the current wielder of the witch-blade continued to live at Freyja's retreat though we all visit to be trained in some of the more esoteric things."
Hermione's mother smiled at her and shifted into the form of a Dire Wolf before presenting her ears for scratching before she shifted back.
"Now you know a little of why we possess the blade will you accept it?"
"How can you be so casual about having affairs mother?"
"I'm not darling. I married a man I cared for and respected, but above all he knew what I was and that I would love other men but it would be a short hot flame and any child would be his to claim. He accepted me for what I am and loved you as his own."
"Why can't I shift or call or see?"
"I presume your great-granddame bound your powers to keep you safe from Dumbledore when she saw you would fulfil all the death visions requirements. You shift the balance of light some what out of his hands- you can as Freyjaslady draw on some of the alliance debts of the old families in, and genetically, you are the daughter of Tiberius Malfoy, grandchild of Leros Rosier and great-grandchild of Albus Dumbledore as well as the current Freyjaslady, capable of demanding much of them, and maybe you can find the lost child of Luna's descent to complete the alliance." A raven flew in through the open window.
Hermione answered her mother by picking up the blade. "By my blood and my magic I accept Destiny's hand and Freyja's will." The raven shifted into a woman who appeared to be in her early forties, with a witch-blade strapped across her back.
"You accept then. You will be Freyja's Lady, keep her magic and worship alive, never to love only one man, and raise your orphaned goddaughter as blood of your blood. By your blood and magic?"
Hermione faced her great-granddame, daughter blade in her hand. Her great-granddame drew her own blade and scratched Hermione's right arm with her blade. She whispered a few quiet words and a wolf blossomed from the scratch, surrounded by a five pointed star with runes at each point. Her great-granddame touched each and named them.
"I return to you your powers Hermione, and I give you your name. You are Silver, Freyjaslady." Her great-granddame smiled. "You may me call me Lillith. Go change into the leathers and furs. Wear the sword and your wand and carry your book of shadows. Your daughter and your lady need you."
Hermione changed quickly grabbing things as instructed and returned to find Lillith holding out a silver rune on a leather thong, much like she had seen her mother wearing.
"The password is 'Freyja's Retreat on Salazar's Lands' Lillith sheathed her sword and vanished. Hermione followed suit. The retreat was like a giant room of requirements and shifted as required. On one occasion it shifted backwards in time to when a strange red haired witch with luminous green eyes studied there. Strangely drawn to each other, they blood bonded3, and if ever asked promised to look after the others children to the best of their ability. The house quickly returned Hermione to her own time, but she was always curious about the red headed witch.
Her daughter. Lupa, Freyjasdaughter – shifter, witch, caller and seer. Lillith had forced a potion down the child's throat and the house had altered the way time flowed with in it so that for every two days a year passed, although Hermione aged only half that and her great-granddame didn't appear to age at all. She suckled her daughter, taught her to walk, read, write and with Lillith's aid wield a blade as dangerously as any fully trained swordsman twice her age. They learnt more of the histories and skills of the line including who they could claim aid from side by side.
They left the house; twenty four days after Hermione entered it as a fifteen year old, as a twenty one year old mother and twelve year old daughter, well versed in the weapons they openly wore and the traditions of their line. Dressed in full leathers and floor length fur cloak, with knee high fur boots and bare arms, finished with a simple silver torc at their necks and the leather thong disappearing between their breasts. If the outfits didn't give their identities away the tattoos certainly did.
The crowded alley parted forming a clear path for the pair and the Dire Wolves that accompanied them. None dared step in the path, though Lupa was forced to glare at Draco Malfoy when he deliberately moved towards her. It had been a long time since a Freyjasdaughter or even a Freyjaslady had walked openly in the wizarding world but they were still legendary for both their skills and temper.
They entered Gringott's Bank and the goblins ushered them straight into a mine cart and down to their vaults in the most ancient parts of the underground world. Their vaults were much fuller than Lillith had led them to believe. She turned to the goblin and asked where the other money and items had come from.
"The Black Will has been read milady. He left a sixth of his wealth to the daughter he had conceived with a Freyjaschild, a sixth of his wealth to Miss Hermione Granger, and a sixth of his wealth to Lily's blood sister if she would take his godchild from Petunia. We contacted Miss Lillith and she said you would happily take the cursed one from the Dursleys, so we transferred that as well." Hermione in her Silver persona smiled and waved her wand filling her bag with stack after stack of gold coins, while Lupa gathered a handful of uncut gems and found a picture album.
Lupa handed Hermione the photo album open to a page of individual photos with names underneath, and Hermione finally finished joining the dots, bursting out laughing when she realised that Harry really was one of Salazar's heirs and that Tom must be the dark lord of Helga's line.
She grasped her daughter's shoulder and whispered the password sending them back to the Retreat. Lillith smiled when they returned and nodded in response to Hermione's question, and explained as much as she knew. "Before Lily knew she was pregnant with her child she was involved in a Death-Eater battle. She took a hit aimed for a heavily pregnant witch, a curse that normally changed ones sex until broken, and caused a catastrophic miscarriage when reversed, but instead of causing her to lose the child, it changed it from a she to a he and no-one realised it had had that effect, and Lily wasn't about to explain that she was Freyjasdaughter and could only have daughters thank you very much, and when she died Albus hid the child. I could of cheerfully throttled the man when he did that. You should be able to break the curse fairly easily if he's willing, but it would be easier if he consented to a de-aging first. He'll trust you won't he?" Hermione nodded more in hope than surety, as Lillith gave her the necessary potion.
"I can set up a space where the ministry can't detect magic though?"
"Yes but make it small and discreet, and don't get caught."
Hermione smiled and vanished with her daughter and their Dire Wolf escort, reappearing, invisible in Harry's Room at 4 Privet Drive. Casting a spell to nullifier the ministry's magic detectors she took the invisibility spell off and sat cross legged on the floor with her daughter waiting for him to wake.
He woke and grabbed the glasses and his wand putting the first on and pointing the second at the woman who looked like Lucius' sister sitting on his floor. Taking in the girl, obviously her daughter and the Dire Wolves he spoke.
"Who – or what are you?"
"Your other blood relatives4"
Harry fainted and the third Dire Wolf left Silver and Lupa's companions to sit on his chest and lick his face till he cam round. Silver explained about the blood bonds willing formed potentially making the failing wards she could see around the house stronger and how they could offer a family, finally offering to open her mind to his Legilmens. He accepted and saw who she really was, who potentially he was and how she offered more than training and support – she offered family, something he had never truly had.
He took the potion and spoke before he downed it. "Be my mother, but don't let me forget." She answered before he could drink it. "You won't forget. I couldn't make you." The potion reacted in his system quickly, taking him back to a wailing new born baby. She quickly unbound the curse and watched the baby's natural sex reassert itself, and then reversed the de-aging process till she was eighteen months old and 'ported back to the retreat after dispelling the detector nullifier.
The retreat twisted the time-flow so that a day equalled a year, but that Hermione and Lupa aged only another three years. Lillith found a witch-blade in the armoury, a plain blade with an emerald in the pommel and left for her granddaughters for a fortnight
Hari was a haunted baby, retaining the memories of his life. She was a very adept swordswoman, but like Lupa she was no elemental. During the thirteen and a half years she spent in the retreat with Lupa and Silver she replaced painfully memories with happier ones, and on her fifteenth birthday she turned to Hermione, her best friend and substitute mother, and said she wanted to return to the world and with a manipulative expression that looked out of place on that angelic face said.
"Wouldn't you make a great DADA professor5 Mama?" Lupa looked at her cousin and blood sister and snapped her answer back.
"I'm sure the master manipulator would love a Freyjaslady under his control."
"Yes but forced on him by Uncle Lucius6 and the ministry – some waffle about Freyjaslady being useful and if we are at war as he insists, a Freyjaslady with her Freyjasdaughter daughter and ward in tow could teach aspects of practical defence, and we are scrupulously fair, except when revenge for our blood is involved, and we need not announce that Tom's life is forfeit for the death of Lily Potter, Freyjasdaughter and two Frejyaschild by his own hands and a Freyjasdaughter and Freyjaschild by his orders, so if he is forced to justify it to Tom, he can be told we will keep actual innocents safe and leave the combatants to fight." As Hari explained her comment Hermione's Freyjaslady personality slipped from its leash.
"Cry Havoc and let slip the wolves of war! Tell me child what will my brother cost." To see the silver orbs staring at them was unnerving but they knew they need the Freyjaslady now.
"I've been watching bits of Lucius and Draco's life in one of the house mirrors recently and I think that they are being controlled by Narcissa, who impersonates Lucius for summonings. She uses a mixture of Imperious and Rill's potion7 as well as a technique I had to look up. The 'dark' Blacks are amongst the evilest of witches or wizards and it appears that 'Aunt' Narcissa is a Nightmare8 and Tom's assassin, as well as being responsible for the death of a Freyjasdaughter and Freyjaschild at his orders. Her life is forfeit." Lupa looked sharply at her cousin.
"And which Malfoy are you hunting?"
"Lucius with a side order of Draco?" she looked at the room's shrine beseechingly. Silver smirked and Lupa looked put out.
"You are perfectly welcome to hunt as well Lupa, but it will have to wait until after our Nightmare hunt tomorrow. You know the Rituals and requirements." Lupa and Hari nodded, bowed to the shrine and raced off to begin.
1Freyjaschild – bearing one of her gifts
Freyjasdaughter – bearing two to four of her gifts
Freyjaslady – bearing all five of her gifts – shifter, witch, caller/summoner, elemental, priestess/seer
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3Traditional; the lines split a thousand yeas ago but a daughter of one line will often form a blood-sister bond with a daughter of the other to keep the lines close, but Luna's line can attend Hogwarts and often hide in plain sight though some openly embraced the role.
4Lily and Hermione are blood-sisters making her Harry's aunt. Sirius and James formed a blood-brothers bond, making Siruis' child Lupa his cousin. Blood-bonded people are considered closer than actual siblings because the bond is voluntary, so in the case of custody, it should be offered to them first.
5There is actually a curse on the position. The DADA Professor is responsible for the defence of the school, therefore s/he must be capable of defending the school – else Hogwarts 'disposes' of them.
6Lucius is Hermione's half sister. He is not the evil one in the partnership – I'll get Hari to explain in a minute.
7Godric also had devised a potion to control Rill. It made Imperious much harder to break. Without it one of Freyja's could break the curse in a matter of an hour at most, were as with normal wizards it allows much tighter control and longer intervals between reapplication of the curse.
8Nightmare. Dark mind mage. Can induce emotions wandlessly, specializing in fear and terror, as well as wandering a man or woman's mind no matter how good a Legilmens they are. Only female, extremely rare.