Harry Potter and the Blood Prophesies
By Lethe a.k.a. Garner
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters and places included in the Harry Potter books belong to J.K. Rowling and her affiliates. Unfortunately, I am not J.K. Rowling. This story will most likely contain slash by the end. For the uninitiated, this means relationships between two males. If that disgusts you, read on at your own criticism is of course welcome and encouraged.
(Italics indicate parseltongue or telepathic speech)
Chapter Six: Tours and More Questions
By the time that 5 o'clock came around, Harry was most anxious for the sapphire-eyed man to return. He had moved his schoolbooks into the study, and spent some of the calm afternoon working on his summer assignments. Lethe had woken up around mid-afternoon, and apologized for her earlier grumpiness. Apparently, the bespectacled boy learned, she was not a morning-snake, and the events of the last few days had stressed her. He learned that he was especially tired the day after she fed. Luckily she only needed to eat once or twice a week. She curled around his neck, and they spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the multitude of books in the study.
Almost the moment the clock on the wall struck 5 o'clock, there came a knock at the entrance to his suite. Harry lowered the wards and opened a door to reveal a smiling Tullius. "Hello, Harry."
The teen returned the smile tentatively, "Hello, please come in." He stood aside for the man to enter.
"You slept well, I hope?" at Harry's nod he continued, "Excellent, should we have some tea before we go, so we can talk a bit?"
"Sure," replied Harry, and he led the way back into the study to the sitting area before the fireplace. It being the middle of summer, the green-eyed boy felt no need to light it. In fact, he had the office window open to allow the cool breeze to circulate.
As they settled in the large and comfortable armchairs, raven-haired immortal called out quietly, "Tivi!" Harry looked towards him inquiringly, but relaxed when a house-elf popped in. This time it was a male whose name was apparently Tivi. Like Trini he was dressed in fine clothing consisting of brown breeches, an ivory oxford and a forest green waistcoat. Whereas Trini had seemed relatively young, this elf gave the impression that he was closer to late middle age. Harry wondered what the house-elf lifespan was any ways. He would have to remember to ask Hermione the next time he saw her.
"Tivi, could you bring tea for Harry and myself?"
"Of course Lord Tullius." The elf vanished after a small bow.
The man turned to study the Boy-Who-Lived while they waited. "So, have you had a chance to process last night's conversations yet? I must say that I'm very proud of the way you've handled things so far. Do you have any questions that you want to ask me?"
Harry decided to start with some of the easier questions. "So, if I became one of the Senef Mesha', I would basically become immortal?"
Tullius smiled as if he had been expecting that question, "Unless you were killed by an outside force, which is rather difficult to do by the way, then yes. Your body would continually regenerate itself, and you would never look older than twenty-five."
"Do the Senef Mesha' only sire children? What would happen if your turned someone that was older than twenty-five?" Harry wondered.
"Our creators used children so that they could condition them from an early age. Anyone can be turned. Those under twenty-five will age naturally until they reach the peak of their physical prowess, which is at about twenty-five. Anyone older will regress physically until they reach twenty-five."
"Yesterday it seemed that you knew what I was thinking several different times. I know you said that the Senef Mesha' can communicate telepathically amongst each other. Does that extend to non-Senef Mesha' as well?"
"Our telepathy is a passive ability most of the time. It's sort of like a muggle radio, receiving signals when they come in range. Without actively reaching for another persons mind, and yes, that means any human, all we can pick up is strong emotions and some surface thoughts. Believe me, that is a good thing. Can you imagine being constantly bombarded with the open minds of every one around you? You would go mad very quickly. We can partially shield our minds so that we don't pick up as much, but it requires an exhausting amount of preparation and control. We generally only bother with it when it becomes absolutely necessary. I was not actively searching your mind yesterday. I wouldn't invade your privacy like that, but I did pick up some of your surface thoughts. We have learned how to shield our minds, so that even surface thoughts do not leak through. I can teach you that."
"I see. I guess that would take some getting used to. Before you said that the Senef Mesha could only be killed by beheading or getting stabbed through the heart. What about sunlight, holy water, crosses, garlic and such?"
"All myths, but some myths do have a grain of truth in them. Because of our enhanced eyesight, we prefer to avoid bright light. In the present day, however, with advances in muggle eye protection, we can walk amongst regular humans in broad daylight with no discomfort. The myth comes from what people have observed of Deviant behavior. Deviants possess little capability for higher thought processes, and rely completely on animal instinct for survival. They are nocturnal hunters simply because that is when their senses give them the greatest advantage over their prey. Many other predatory species behave the same way.
"At the beginning of the 11th century, the rogue Deviants were at their most numerous. The Roman Catholic Church was the most powerful non-magical organization at the time. The bishops organized groups of slayers to hunt down the Deviants. They believed that the Deviants were humans possessed by demons, and always carried crosses and holy water to use in their exorcisms. It didn't work of course, and in the end they just killed the ones they caught. To the general public, however, crosses and holy water became symbolic of the slayers.
"As for garlic, well, that is the drawback of having an advanced sense of smell. Your sense of smell is directly linked to your sense of taste. That's why food doesn't taste as good when you have a cold. Even though the Senef Mesha' need to drink blood, we still must get our nutrients the same way as anyone else. We do, however, prefer non-spicy foods."
Harry supposed that Tullius' explanations made sense. "What is it like to live for so long? Do you ever get bored?"
The Clan leader smiled again, and then sighed. "It really depends on the person. To me, there is so much to do and see in this world that I don't think that I will ever get bored. I spent the first the first 3000 years of my life as a warring mercenary. That did grow boring. Of course warfare is what we were originally created for, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't get old after a few millennia. In the last thousand of so years, however, my clan had moved away from that lifestyle. Oh, we still keep our skills honed, but now we are free to explore this world. Later I'll take you to the training hall. I think you might find it interesting. Today our Clan numbers one-hundred-and-eighteen members. As of yesterday, only about forty were in residence. I have a feeling there will be many more by the time dinner comes around. Rumor of your presence has spread quickly.
"Pax Castellum is our home, and only members of the Argentum Clan can find it on their own, but we come and go as we please. I sometimes leave for months at a time. Should I be needed while I'm away, all that the ranking Clan member needs to do is use a spell to activate my insignia tattoo. The wonderful thing about apparation is that it allows me to come home at a moment's notice. I have had time to learn languages and cultures, and have become extremely proficient at glamoure charms. Those things combined make it exceptionally east to blend in anywhere in the world."
"What do you mean by insignia tattoo?"
Tullius unbuttoned the top few buttons of his black silk shirt, and pulled the collar away to reveal a mark on his shoulder. It was small, about the size of a walnut, and shown like rivers of molten silver forming the design. It consisted of an Ankh encircled by an Ouroboros. Around the circumference were the words 'ARGENTUM NOVUS – QUAERE SCIENTIA ET PAX'. "The Ankh is the Egyptian symbol for eternal life. The Ouroboros is symbolic of many things, but it mainly represents the infinite cycle of nature and the eternity of time. The Latin translates to 'New Silver – Seek Knowledge And Peace'. Every member of our Clan bears this insignia. It serves several purposes. It allows any member to summon one or all of the others in times of need. It allows the wards surrounding Pax Castellum to recognize and allow entry to those bearing the insignia. Finally it serves as a reminder of what is important."
The young Gryffindor considered this. When the man had mentioned the word 'tattoo' all Harry could think of was the dark mark of Voldemort's followers. When the immortal bared his shoulder, however, he changed his mind. Every time that he saw the dark mark, he was filled with the sense of revulsion. The Ankh and Ouroboros left him with a feeling that he had witnessed a piece of ancient wisdom. The other difference was the equal division of power that the insignia gave the Argentum Clan. Only Voldemort could use the dark mark to summon his Death Eaters. "I see," Harry nodded and Tullius readjusted his shirt.
Just then Tivi popped back in with tea and pastries, "Here you are Lord Tullius, Lord Harry."
Tullius motioned to the table between them, "Thank you Tivi, just put it there."
"Of course sir. Will you require anything else?"
"No, that will be all Tivi, thank you." Tivi bowed and disappeared with a crack. The longhaired man poured for both of them, while Harry helped himself to a blueberry scone.
"The house-elves here are . . . different," the teen stated hesitantly.
This time the man laughed aloud. The gentle lilting tone of his laugh was strangely comforting to Harry. "Yes. I suppose they are at that. I know the type of behavior that you are used to in a house-elf. Have you ever heard the saying 'You catch more flies with honey that you do with vinegar'? House-elves love to work and serve. That is their nature. The way the wizarding world treats them works, but that does not make it right. Take the ones at your school for example. They are treated well by the current headmaster, but the next headmaster may not be so kind. Slavery has been bread into them for so long that they accept it as their rightful place in the world, and do not long for freedom. The Senef Mesha' know what it is to be slaves. It doesn't matter how those slaves are treated. I would not wish it on another. By treating house-elves as the sentient beings that they are, we not only insure their loyalty, but we make every one happy in the process."
Harry was impressed. He had a feeling that Tullius and Hermione would get along smashingly.
They finished their tea and then Tullius stood, "Shall we take that tour now?"
"Sure." Harry stood and reached up to stroke Lethe, "Darling, do you want to come or would you rather stay here?" he hissed.
"Of course I'm coming. You're not going around in some strange place without me!"
The raven-haired boy smiled at her protectiveness, and unwrapped her from his neck to place her in his hand. He held her out slightly towards Tullius. "Tullius, this is Lethe, my familiar. Lethe, meet Tullius Maecenas."
Tullius held his hand out for the snake to flick her tongue against. "Please tell her that I think she is quite lovely, and that it is a pleasure to make her acquaintance."
Harry had decided to keep Lethe's language abilities under wraps for now. It was good to have a few tricks up his sleeve. "I know that you understood him, but I don't want anyone to know that you understand English yet."
"I understand Harry, tell the blood man that I thank him, and that he is also handsome . . . for a human."
Harry rolled his eyes, and grinned mischievously at the sapphire-eyed immortal, "She say's thank you, and that you are handsome for a human."
Tullius returned the grin, his fangs glinting brightly, and mock-bowed to the snake. The bespectacled teen allowed the snake to resume her position around his neck, so she would have the best view. He motioned to the door, "Shall we?"
"Let's." Once they exited Harry's quarters Tullius stopped and turned the doors, which had a silver plaque on it that read 'Harry Potter'. He touched the doorknob for a moment, and then motioned for his young companion to do the same. "Now you and I are the only ones that can open this door."
They returned to facing a long wide corridor of grey stone with sets of doors spaced intermittently along both sides. Harry noticed that each set was adorned with a name plaque similar to his. Halfway down the corridor was a large spiral staircase going both up and down. "The castle is 'L' shaped and made up of two wings, the south and the west. A main corridor runs the length of both wings on each floor. We are standing on the third floor at the far end of the west wing. The castle has a basement level at the bottom. Next comes the ground floor with common areas and exits to the courtyard. The second level has more common areas and is reachable from the ground floor by two large staircases in the main hall. The third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh floors contain living quarters, and are connected to each other, the second floor and the eighth floor battlements by two main spiral staircases. That staircase in front of us is the west stair. The easiest way to access the rest of the castle from here is by that. However, if you want to reach my quarters quickly then follow this corridor around to the south stair, go down one level, continue south and furthest two doors that you will come to are mine. For now, though, let's take this one."
Tullius led the way down to the second level where they stood facing west. Harry noticed five sets of doors, one at the end of the hall and two on each side of him. "This is the training area. The doors on your right lead to private workrooms. Those on your left are warded public spellwork rooms where you can train with new magics without risking the safety of the castles other inhabitants. The set in front of you leads to the physical training room, which is were we are going now. I think you will like this."
Tullius lead the way into a very large room that looked like a combination state of the art muggle health club and traditional Japanese dojo. On the far left side were various weight and cardio machines, and on the far right side were punching bags and other targets. On the far wall were racks with weapons from all over the world. In the center of the room was a large fighting ring, and this is what drew the teen's attention. In the ring were two combatants armed with Japanese katanas. They were moving so fast that Harry couldn't tell whether they were male or female. Harry stood transfixed as they struck, dodged and parried, their blades nothing but streaks of silver. After several minutes, one of the combatants faltered, and the other seized the opportunity. Before the green-eyed boy could blink, the warrior was disarmed and on his or her back with a sword at the throat. Now that they were still he could tell that they were both men. The loser raised his hands in surrender, and the victor lowered his sword and offered him a hand up. Once both were on their feet Tullius began clapping.
"Well done. Harry, may I introduce General Marcellus Fortis and Commander Brutus Iubeo. Gentlemen, Harry Potter." The man on the left that Tullius had indicated was Fortis was the one who had been the victor in the match. He was tall with tan skin, dark brown close-cropped hair and hazel eyes. Even sweating from the match, he had a dignified and powerful aura about him. The other man, Iubeo, though also tall, was fair-skinned, with average length blonde hair and laughing blue eyes. Harry liked him immediately. It was hard to imagine that these to men were old enough to be military leaders unless you looked into their eyes. Their eyes had the same reflective quality that Tullius' had, not unlike those of a cat. That was not what stood out most, however. The-Boy-Who-Lived recognized the same quality that he saw in his own eyes when he looked in the mirror, and in those of Professors Snape and Dumbledore. You could tell that those eyes had seen more than their fair share of pain and destruction.
Both men gave a slight bow, and stepped forward to shake Harry's hand. Brutus spoke up, "Nice to finally meet you Harry. I imagine that we'll be seeing a lot of each other in the near future."
"Likewise," Harry replied with a smile.
Brutus turned to Tullius, "Well we'd better go get cleaned up before dinner. Magi said she drench us in soapy water in the middle of the dining hall if we showed up smelling of the practice courts one more time this month."
The sapphire-eyed man laughed and waved as they left. He turned to the teen with a knowing smile, "What did you think?"
"They were fantastic! Can all of the Senef Mesha move like that?"
"Physically we are all capable of it, though not everyone is as skilled with weapons as Marcellus and Brutus. Shall we move on?"
Harry nodded energetically, and Tullius smiled as they exited the training room. As they moved past the stair that they had come down, Harry could see a railed landing, and beyond that, open space. As they approached the railing, a gigantic two-story open hall came into view. On the rear wall was an amazing round stained-glass window that was at least thirty feet in diameter. From the looks of it the window depicted the history of the Senef Mesha'. The floor was covered in an intricate spiral design made up of marble inlay. There were two grand marble staircases that led down into the hall. One started a few feet from where he was standing, and the other from a landing on the south wing side of the hall.
"Beautiful isn't it? I never get tired of looking at it."
"Yes it is, very."
Tullius lead the way down the stairs, and across the hall towards the south wing. Under the second floor landing was another corridor, which they entered. "The two sets of doors on your right lead to conference and receiving rooms. On your left is our own little treasure. They entered a large set of double-doors, and were faced with a huge library that would set Hermione drooling. There was a spiral staircase in the right corner closest to the central corridor outside that led to a railed landing above. The landing was open to the central corridor of the second floor. The rest of the walls were lined with bookshelves, some of which could be reached only by ladders. In the center of the room were several tables, which were surrounded by even more shelves of books.
Tullius pointed to the second-floor landing above, "The Clan Archives as well as my office and personal quarters are up there."
Harry was about to reply when a low lilting voice sounded directly behind him, "Ah, Tullius, I see you have brought your child to us at last." The startled teen turned, and had to work to keep his jaw from hitting the floor. There stood a man, who although appeared to be no older than Tullius, had long silvery-white hair that hung loose down his back and eerie eyes like solid opal. He wore gray silk robes, and had ink-stained fingers. It was those eyes, which seemed to see through him as if he was just so much vapor that sent chills down Harry's spine.
"Harry, meet Cicero Ennius, Cicero, Harry Potter. Cicero is our seer, Harry. He gave us the Blood Prophesy that I told you of list night."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, sir," Harry said while extending his right hand.
The seer stepped forward and grasped the outstretched hand. The seer's hand felt papery and cool against Harry's palm, and he felt a tingle run through his body before the man released him. "No, Child, the pleasure is entirely mine, I assure you," the man spoke not taking those iridescent eyes off the green-eyed teen as he continued, "Change is coming Tullius. I fear that the fragile peace that we have constructed here in our sanctuary may shatter before the dust settles."
"You may very well be correct, my friend, but that is the way of things. Change is inevitable, and peace can be reconstructed. It is better to risk our peace than let the world crumble around our ivory tower."
Cicero looked appraisingly at the Clan leader, "Just so. Well now, I believe that we are fashionably late for dinner. I believe tonight's dinner shall be quite appetizing," the white-haired immortal smirked.
Tullius snorted, "Probably, would you care to accompany Harry and myself?"
"Of course, I wouldn't miss this for the world," he replied slyly.
Harry could tell something was going on, but he was at a loss to discover it. He shrugged, and followed the men out of the library. They made their way across the main hall once again, and halted at a large set of doors to the right of the west corridor. With a flick of Tullius' wrist the doors swung open silently. Harry had no time to marvel at the display of wandless magic because he was suddenly confronted with a room full of Senef Mesha'. Granted the young Gryffindor sat amongst much larger crowds daily in the Hogwarts Great Hall, but this group of Senef Mesha' was much more intimidating that a room full of children. As almost seventy-five pairs of luminescent eyes turned upon the late arrivals, Harry had to fight the urge to take a step back. He refused to display any weakness however, and followed the other two late arrivals to places at the head of the long wide table. The chatter and clink of cutlery on china died down as those eyes traveled from Tullius, to Cicero, and then landed on him.
Tullius ignored the curious glances, only pausing to request that everyone remain after the meal for an announcement, before beginning to serve himself. The raven-haired teen helped himself to grilled salmon and steamed vegetables. As he reached for one of the flagons in front of him to fill his, however, the clan leader stilled his hand, "You don't want that one, trust me."
It was then that Harry noticed that everyone had two goblets in front of him or her. One contained either water or juice. The other contained a burgundy substance that Harry had mistaken for wine. As the realization hit him, he could not help but blanch a bit. Blood. They were drinking blood. He had known, of course, that they drank blood, but it was an entirely different matter to see it first hand. "I'm sorry, Harry. I should have warned you first. Tullius looked so apologetic that the bespectacled boy couldn't help but smile, while regaining his color. "It's okay, I was just surprised. It's fine, really."
Relief was evident on the man's face as he reached for a different flagon, and filled Harry's goblet. The meal continued uninterrupted after that, and Harry chatted politely with Tullius and Cicero. Soon, most everyone was finished, and looking at them expectantly. Tullius wiped his mouth and set his napkin next to his plate. He stared around the table, and every head swung towards him as one. Harry suppressed another shiver. That was just creepy, but he knew that Tullius must have got their attention telepathically.
"Good evening, my siblings. I'm sure most of you were aware, even before dinner, that we have a visitor among us. One, which I hope will soon be a permanent addition to our family. May I introduce Harry Potter? Even those of you who have not ventured from our sanctuary in fifteen years know his name. I have brought him here because I believe that he is the Child of the Prophecy that we have long awaited. The time has come my siblings, to resurrect our position in the world. Dark times are ahead for all of the Senef Mesha'. The darkness has already begun to consume the outside world, and we would be fools to think that it will not eventually spread to us. As I speak the Serpent's Heir, Tom Riddle, is attempting to sway our allegiance to his side. The Senef Mesha' are standing on a precipice. If we wait too long to act, the soil will erode underneath us. Then, I fear, all will be lost. The Serpent's Heir woos with sweet and bloody promises, but he will not be satisfied with a simple alliance. He is pure evil. He would have us break our feeding covenant. We must not be tempted to do so. He claims that he would give us the blood of the muggles and the muggleborns. Once we helped him vanquish his opposition, however, he would use them to make us his slaves. We have tasted slavery before. The Senef Mesha' serve no one! I propose instead that we establish ourselves as a separate power, and seek an alliance with his enemies. Harry Potter is Tom Riddle's nemesis. He has been prophesied to be the one who can destroy him, both by the wizards and by our own Cicero Ennius. Our secrecy has already been compromised to Riddle. It may be necessary to break our code of secrecy further to repair the damage. I cannot foresee our fate at the end of this war. I am not foolish enough to believe that our aid will gain us the acceptance of the wizards. People always fear those with more power than themselves. I do believe that our fate will be much worse should we ally ourselves with Riddle. That is all I wished to say my siblings. Thank you."
His speech finished, Tullius stood, and motioned for the teen to follow him. He paused to lean down to Cicero's ear, "You will stay, and listen for which way the tide pulls?"
Cicero nodded and replied, "Yes, I will mingle awhile, and stop by your rooms for coffee later."
Tullius nodded his thanks and made his way out of the dining hall followed by Harry. As they traveled through the castle on the way back to Harry's quarters, the teen mulled over the speech that he had just witnessed. He had observed the various reactions around the table, and they had ranged from supportive to skeptical to indifferent. The vast majority, however, had seemed to lean towards supportive. He could not help but think what valuable allies the Senef Mesha' would be to the Order. He had a feeling that Fudge would disagree with that sentiment, however. Yes, the Ministry as it was now, could not be trusted. Harry could envision Fudge welcoming the Senef Mesha' with open arms as long as his ass was on the line. Then when they had outlived their usefulness or proved ungovernable, he would turn on them. It was sad to say that the Gryffindor had more respect for Voldemort than he did for the Minister of Magic. At least Voldemort was upfront about his intentions. Fudge was just a slippery, two-faced, opportunistic coward. Harry was seriously reconsidering his intent to become an Auror. Oh, he would continue his N.E.W.T. level training, that would be necessary for the war, but he would not swear his allegiance to Fudge. The Ministry had turned on The-Boy-Who-Lived too many times for him to put his life in Fudge's grubby hands. Then again it might be a moot point if he joined the Senef Mesha'. The Ministry of Magic would never employ a vampire as an Auror.
"Tullius, if I was to become one of the Senef Mesha' would that make you my legal guardian?" Harry asked.
"That depends on which legal system you are speaking of. According to Senef Mesha' law, you would be legally my child and heir. I would be responsible for your care and education for a hundred years. Now, the Ministry of Magic does not recognize our laws, obviously, but then again, we don't recognize theirs either. You realize that should you choose to return permanently to the wizarding world, you may be forced to become a ward of the Ministry. With no surviving relatives to claim you, Fudge may attempt to gain control of you. As I'm sure you can imagine, that would be very dangerous for you. Your headmaster may be able to pull some strings, but should the worst happen, you would be welcomed here no matter what you decide."
As they reached Harry's rooms, he turned to the smiling man, "Thank you. You have given me a lot to consider."
"You are most welcome, Harry. I will come see you in the morning and we can see the rest of the grounds if you like."
"I'd like that. Good night, Tullius."
"Sleep well, Blood Child."