The Lord of Stone Tower
A/N: Sorry about the wait for this chapter, the computer was being strange. If anyone knows why when I transferred this from my laptop to this computer it went on about encoding please tell me. I had to resort to copying this out on this computer so that I could update.
Chapter 11; Settling In
Settling almost one thousand Muggles was a hard thing to do. The confused and, for the while, sedate Muggles were at the moment content to sit in their small family groups. They were brought warm drinks and hot food as they searched within themselves for their loved one. Many cried for their losses.
Harry stood above them at a second floor window in the Medical Spindle with a few aides around him.
"Have you found out who their representative is yet?" He turned to one of the practitioners.
"Yes Lord." He replied nervously being younger than most and slightly weary of his Lords powers.
Harry smiled reassuringly, "Well done Drale, you are well on top of things."
He wasn't lying; the Elf showed great potential and was one of the rare children of the group, just having moved into his adulthood. Harry had taken him under his wing. "Lead the way, I think we should have a talk with the man."
A short nod was his reply and the five moved down the nearest stairs and by suggestion from Drale moved into the main Tower before exiting into the Arena holding all of the Muggles.
It was easily clear to the Muggles that this man was the leader by the reactions of the strange beings that some recognised from children's stories as Elves due to their appearance. Some of the strange beings began to form a channel through the masses, clearing a path for this man and others just bow quickly before returning to their work around the arena.
Mayor Matthew Porter saw this reaction and knew that this was the man he needed to talk to. He didn't yet know the state of their stay there. For all he knew they were captive. The doors around the arena were guarded by armed beings and the expanse down the slope was cut off by a stretched line of the same guards. But they seemed very courteous and had yet to ask anything in return for their food and drink.
He stood and a man came to his side that he recognised as the local Police Detective. He nodded briefly at the man and the two stepped forward into the path of the small entourage.
Harry saw the two men, one with a hand gun (A/N: I know police don't carry hand guns in England because I live here but since they just came from a siege situation I would have thought the Police would have armed themselves.) the other had an expression of a man that wanted information.
"Is this the man?" Harry glanced to his right at Drale.
"Yes Lord." Was his response and Drale moved forward half a pace in front of Harry as they came to a stop two metres from the two men.
Harry almost sighed to himself, knowing that he hated formalities. He nodded slightly to Drale who started the introductions.
Drale turned to greet the man. "May I introduce Dark Lord Harry Potter, Lord and Governor of the City of Stone Tower, watched by the Lady of Darkness. Conduit of the Stone Power." Harry grimaced and for the first time in almost a month he saw Draco materialise beside him, visible only to him laughing his head off silently. Put that way Harry sounded like the new Voldermort.
Harry was glad that the title seemed to have little effect on the men. But the mention of Dark Lord made a few Muggles around him flinch and take a step back. Two actually looked rather pale that Harry could see. He also noticed that they had only just moved there. Spies maybe?
He turned his head slightly and speaking in Dark Elvish gave orders to the nearest two soldiers. He snapped his hand in a few deliberate and fast movements and they responded to his directions and within seconds had apprehended the two Muggles. Harry refused to take chances. He didn't want to intrude using Ligilimency as it was known to have bad effects of Muggles but he wanted to know why they had that reaction to the words Dark Lord.
He turned back to the slightly shocked man before him who was stuttering with slight anger. "I most protest sir!" He took a step forward and the Police Detective took a step towards the two apprehended people. Both were instantly met with arrows in their faces.
"Lower your weapons!" Harry ordered and the two Elves that had reacted did as ordered but didn't un-notch the arrows and could fire in a split second if needed. The man looked ready to argue again but Harry interrupted him. "Introductions first Sir if you don't mind. You know who I am but I have yet to learn of you." He put a bit of Magic behind his voice and the man was forced to calm slightly.
"Very well," he didn't look at all happy at his situation. "I am the Matthew Porter, Mayor of the town of Calister Bay. This is Alexander Balos, our Chief Detective." He said motioning to the man beside him who also relaxed slightly as Harry met his eyes.
"Good, now that that is over with we can get down to business. Nobody here means you any harm. You will be welcome almost anywhere in this City at a later time but for now you must be confined until we work out some sort of agreement."
"What about those two you just carted off?" Balos asked.
"If you didn't notice they reacted to my titles or specifically a certain part of it that means that they know something of our world. They will not be harmed but we must decide how they know of our world and which faction they have had experience with. Now how about we take this meeting into a nicer environment?"
The Mayor had evidently warmed up to the younger man in front of him. "Of course, we must discuss things. Would you permit me an announcement to my townsfolk first though? They are most curious about what has happened."
"Of course, I hadn't thought of that one. Follow me." They headed towards the main building and the guards snapped to the side as Harry entered followed by his fours people entourage and the two men from the town. Behind them some others tried to follow but two lances clashed together blocking their entrance.
Two minutes later the Mayor was standing on a wide Balcony that ringed the Main tower between each of the Spindles at the third floor. This was a complete walkway. It stopped at the Spindles but a steep stairwell led to the roof of the Spindles and then down again to the bottom of the next.
The speech was made, mainly consisting of telling them that they were friends and not to act out against their host. He explained what Harry had briefly told them about the Elves that were helping them and asked if any citizens who knew of another world alongside their own to come forward to an armed Guard to be escorted to a meeting room so that they could be addressed by their host.
While the Mayor made his speech Draco and Harry talked in the door way behind. So he could be seen by the crowds but not be heard talking to himself by the Mayor.
"Where the hell have you been Draco?" Harry asked, he was slightly upset by his friends random disappearance, Draco had become his grounding factor, something to keep him calm over all the changes. It still amazed Harry how much the two had changed. Neither had really changed into the same type of person as the other. More like they had both changed and met in the middle.
"Around," was Draco's vague answer in his old arrogant sneer.
Harry muttered a brief incantation and whacked Draco on the shoulder. The spell allowing him to interact on both plains for as long as it was applied. It differed depending on the amount of power put in. Most casters could apply it as a ward to walls to stop the movements of ghost. But a few powerful people could apply it to them selves to be able to touch and cast spell that affected both plains. Someone with Harry's or maybe Albus' power could move completely into the other plain by putting in a lot of power. Thereby temporarily becoming a ghost.
Draco chuckled slightly at how easy it was for him to wind up his friend. "Fine! I was in Egypt."
There was a pregnant pause as Harry waited for an explanation. But it seemed that Draco was still in the mood to wind him up, probably from almost a month of barely talking to anybody Harry guessed. Finally Harry gave up waiting patiently and asked why.
"The Dark Lady gave me a tip off on something you might like, think of it as a late birthday present from me for all those years I was an idiot to you. Well actually this present would very well make up for two centauries of birthdays but since you will be around longer than that I suppose I will have to come up with more than that wont I. Maybe you might even give me a good present one of these days! You know my birthday is in a month right. Sixth of December actually!"
Harry rolled his eyes at the tract of the conversation. "Shall we get back to Egypt or shall I just cast hat charm again and tickle it out of you?" As strange as it sounded it was Harry's way of getting things out of Draco, when Harry had first mastered the Plain Manipulation spell he had proved it by tickling Draco till he had admitted that Harry could do it.
"You're getting impatient Potter!"
"Hello Draco, a towns just been devastated and I have a thousand or more homeless people to put up and that isn't taking into account that some are injured and I lost four of my own people in the process."
"Ok, chill or do I have to freeze your core again?" He had done this before when Harry had lost his control over his expanding Power and a mountain had begun to shift towards the Forgotten City. Draco had reached into Harry and using a 'Ghosts Touch' froze Harry's core of Magic. It actually worked to clam him down when his Magic didn't have the power to increase his anger.
"I'm calm. What did you find then?"
"Well, actually it's just a lump of wood in reality. Got a bit of an odd shaped end like a circled star. Didn't look much to me. Couldn't move it anyway, it wouldn't budge. Maybe you might be able to get it. Doesn't really look worth it though."
Both of them knew what it was and that Draco was only kidding saying it was worthless. Harry eyes almost gleamed in their own weird way.
"You found the Phoenix Staff?"
"Obviously you dolt. Like I said it's a present. Kind of easy to find except for the fact it had been buried in the middle of a Pyramid under half a kilometre of sandstone. Shouldn't be a problem for you though. When we leaving?"
Harry almost laughed, Draco wanted to see that Staff in Harry's hands almost as much as Harry did. Then Harry lost some of his gleam as he heard the Mayor finishing up his speech.
"I can't leave now; I have this to sort out."
"You've got more aides then that Minister Idiot and Albus Dumbledore can look after things."
"Fine," he receded when the Mayor turned around to leave, "We'll leave as soon as everything is sorted."
He motioned to the Mayor, "Excellent speech, shall we?"
"After you," he waved for Harry to go through first.
Harry led them back into the main tower and to a Platform which he motioned the Mayor onto with him as well as Drale and the man Balos who hadn't said a word in almost half an hour. The Mayor gave a startled cry as it shot up and they saw the floor passing quickly beside them. The Mayor instantly brought his arms to his side copied by the Detective and clutched his hands together in front of him.
Harry sought a way to reassure him and in response whacked his hand to the side. His fist hit a solid shield around the Platform which glowed blue as contact was made with it. The Mayor and detective relaxed visibly and the detective got the courage to touch the mysterious object around them. It seemed impossible to him that something could exist like this. It went against every law of science that he had studied in his forensics courses as a young man all those years ago.
They came to a halt at almost the top of the Tower, or in effect the 17th floor. The only things above them were the Meeting Floor which was actually two floors combined and above that Harry's personal bedrooms and living space which in total was a space of about two square kilometres. Also the smallest of the floors.
This floor Harry had furnished as a group common area. The only views better were from his own balconies on his floor, but this windowed area was the best place to hold informal meetings like this one.
"Would you like something in particular to eat or drink, Mr Porter?" Harry asked the question to both of his guests but as formality demanded address it to the Mayor. "My loyal aide here tells me that you were too busy to even have your own wounds seen to let alone eat or drink."
The Mayor began to try to come up with a reason why, In truth he was trying to not sound un-modest about putting his people before him. Harry spared him. "Do not worry, I think it is a most honourable trait but you will have to permit one of the Elven nurses a look over you while we talk. Both of you." Harry motioned to an aide and he hurried off to locate one of the nurses. "Now for food and drink, I have a feeling this may take a while."
"Tea would be fine and anything substantial for food would be appreciated." He relented seeing the logic in the young mans wisdom.
Another aide was sent off to find food and tea, and Harry turned to the last aide other than Drale. "Please go and find Albus Dumbledore and Neville Longbottom and ask if they would join me. After that you are free to offer help elsewhere. Thank you."
The aide bowed slightly before taking a pace back and heading to one of the six platforms near the centre of the room. He soon disappeared to begin his search.
"Now that we are less one sided, we can begin." Harry nodded briefly as he said this, he had purposely sent a different aide for a different purpose so that there was only himself on one seat with Drale behind him and of course Draco though he couldn't be seen and the Mayor and Detective seated on a coach on the other. They all had a view of the activity bustling around below.
Harry was delighted to feel the relaxed mind of the Mayor but wasn't surprised that the detective was less easy to relax. A trait common in good detectives.
"As you might have noticed we mean your townspeople no harm at all. We detected an attack on your town and reacted to it in an attempt to save as many people as possible. I am only sorry that so many died before we could get there." Harry spoke and after a sombre moment the Detective spoke up.
"Who and what were those things that attacked us? We were under the impression that no war was being fought and defiantly nowhere near our island."
"Those men call themselves Death Eaters, they are a group of Wizards," he held up his hand to forestall any interruptions at the word, "and we suspect some form of grown attackers from their Lord. They operate under the command of a Fake Dark Lord who calls himself Voldermort."
"A Dark Lord?" The Mayor asked and then remembered something, "like you?" He went slightly pale.
"A Dark Lord is a Lord who of a certain power in Dark Magic, True Dark Lords, like myself are titled only by the Lady of Darkness. Voldermort only fashioned his name as a Dark Lord but due to his actions he is now referred to as one." He moved to reassure them. He did notice the scepticism at the mention of Magic but left it till after this explanation. "Please do not assume that all people who are Dark are Evil however. Voldermort is in fact a tyrant and is evil to the core but I myself am allied solely to the good. I am still part light as well."
"How can we take your word on this?"
"I can not expect you to do such a thing until you want to however remember that the beings down there," with a wave of his hand a square in the window magnified the view of the scene below. Showing many Dark Elves serving food, medical aide and water to the people as well as a throng of Elves taking down peoples details, "are Dark but show your people no hate or threat and were those that saved you."
The two nodded willing to accept this. "What of Magic?" Matthew Porter asked.
"It is real I am afraid. Along side your world there has been another world ever since the start of humanity. It went into complete hiding after the Witch burning days and has remained hidden behind it's cover stories and spells of forgetfulness. It, in my opinion, is not a satisfactory situation and I have a feeling that eventually the story will come out." As he said this he spelled the window to show memories of his own views of the Wizarding World. Hogwarts, the Platform at Kings Cross, Diagon Alley, even small battles with Magic. And then sternly showed a glimpse of his last memories of the town's destruction and the Portal, to relate the images to their own memories.
"You see it is everywhere, but the Wizarding World has been hiding so long that it one of the few things it is truly good at." He paused as several people came up on a platform.
The first one off the platform was a nurse who with permission from her Lord began to check other the two Muggles. While she worked two Elven children bowed sheepishly to Harry before placing a tea set and a plate of cold meat and hot chips on the small coffee table and pouring out five cups of tea and then at Harry's prompting a sixth to join them. They left as the nurse finished her work and left on a platform after a cursory thank you from the three people seated.
"Help your selves please. I believe our two last guests will be arriving momentarily." Just as they were starting to lift food to their mouths Albus and Neville arrived, clean and refreshed. Harry could actually sense most of what happened in his City, like a nagging in his mind. If he knew someone even a little bit he could seek out their whereabouts.
"Here we are, let me introduce you all. He first turned to Neville and Albus and after waving them into a third couch at a right angle to the two facing ones spoke. "These are our esteemed guests, Mayor Matthew Porter and Chief Detective Alexander Balos." He turned to his guests before continuing as Neville and Albus reached out for the tea. "These are my trusted friends, Neville Longbottom and the Leader of the Light side, Lord Albus Dumbledore."
The two groups exchanged pleasantries briefly and then Albus caught Harry's eyes and briefly looked at the sixth mug on the table. Harry was amused that nothing ever missed the man. He stood and turned to his aide.
"Would you care to join us Drale?" He almost laughed as his aide nearly fell over in shock at being asked this, but complied by moving to sit but waited for his Lord to do so first. "Gentlemen, this is my loyal aide, Drale Talon."
The latter nodded and bowed slightly to each before taking his seat beside Harry and lifting his tea to his lips.
"Now," Harry began, "we need to make a few arrangements. As you can see by what is around you and the lack of any cuts on your person, this situation is very real and Magic is in fact not only part of your childhood fantasies. It is both exciting and dangerous. This world will soon be in turmoil, the sides are gathering their power. The Muggle and the Wizarding world are slipping together like they haven't done since the time of Merlin. Your island I am afraid to say has little remaining. Even if I had nothing to do with its ending the final result would have been the same."
He let his words sink in. "I am offering you a place to live. A new start with new opportunities for your people to try. Albeit it is a scary world to enter but soon every Muggle will be involved. I offer you this and I hope that you will offer it to all those who look to you for guidance. I can offer your people protection and a life in these Evil times. I can train your people in the old ways that have long been forgotten." He spent the next two hours discussing things with the men sending out orders through summoned aides.
The people that knew a little of this World already were asked to help people settle in and key members of the Elves took groups of the Muggles into the buildings to get cleaned up slightly and to explain the new world that they had entered.
It wasn't until that evening when under the green lights of the Stone Tower's Crescents and Pool that the Mayor addressed his townspeople again. He explain as much as he could about the people that hosted them and expressed his belief that they wish them only good and he was backed up by Balos who many trusted heartily. He outlined the offer given to them and what it could do for the people. And repeated what Harry had told them about what he thought would soon happen to the World that they knew. He made it clear however that anyone wishing to leave could do so at that point but beyond then they entered a duty to protect the City that would become their home.
Most agreed with him whole heartedly on staying and making a new home for them. Many of the people had been amazed by the kindness and beauty around them. A few chose to leave the City and Harry ordered those who wished to leave to eat and drink before they departed.
There was only about fifty who chose to leave. Many of which were people that had only lived on the island recently or those with serious obligations in other parts of Britain or the World. Harry opened the gate way for them and with a quick spell their clothes again appeared tattered and they walked through the Dark Ring to return to an unaffected area of the island which was now uninhabitable to anyone. They would be rescued quickly as Harry had seen the Scottish Army being mobilised to the area and a few Naval ships heading swiftly to the huge clouds of black smoke.
The remaining Muggles or rather the new dwellers of Stone Tower were moved into the Spindles for the night and tomorrow work would begin on there homes.
Harry's City was soon going to take real shape. Soon it would be teeming with life.
A/N: Longer chapter for you this time! Thanks to all my reviewers. Just one note really, I know that I kind killed a 'few' Death Eaters but I was vague on how many of that army was actually human, as it is many were raised 'things' for a lack of a better name as of yet. Also I would like to point out that so far in my story there has been little mention of Voldermort's movements in the last few years so it is quite possible to have built up a very large army to conquer the world and now with the country turning against its hero's it would be the best time to start to strike.