Disclaimer: The characters and the world in the story belong to J.K. Rowling. I am not earning any profit from it.

Note: I have been a fanfiction reader for quite a lot of years before I gave this fic a shot, so if you see any ideas seeping in that I do not openly acknowledge, just let me know and I will add the credits. I have read too many to keep a track of them but I will try my best.

1) The idea of totems belongs to Catsarecool who is writing A Marauder's plan .

2) The basic idea of dimension travel comes from Hollow Thunder, Vital Lightning by Aariya07. You will see quite a few similarities in the first couple of chapters but it diverges after that.

3) Harry was born a girl as Juniper Anastasia Potter. Everything is as it is in canon except for her romances. This is not because I don't read slash or like it. You will see a lot of them in my favorites but because I don't think that I could do justice to that genre and because I want to do this. If you do not like such fics, do not read. Please do not flame. I will welcome criticisms, I know I am not perfect, just don't meaninglessly bash me for nothing.

4) THE RATING OF THE FIC HAS BEEN CHANGED TO 'M' because of slightly more graphic descriptions of violence. It is mostly a safety measure and does not contain anything triggering yet. Future updates will carry warnings of triggers, if any emerge in the course of the story.


For your references

"Talk"

"Parseltongue"


Chapter 36

Oh Styx! Ladon is here

Tom's POV

Cordelia had been right. Her majority was messy. It made the room of requirement entirely dysfunctional for that period. Things kept appearing and getting splintered, powdered, as Cordelia's magic lashed out.

Tom had held her convulsing body down for some time but afterwards, her body had risen to the center of the room as magic enveloped her in a cocoon.

Tom had sat and waited, heard the thrum of magic, watched out if Cordelia was in the slightest discomfort.

It had dropped her after hours, bringing her down on the floor as if she was on a cradle. The functionality of the room had returned and Tom had quickly wished for a bed, which appeared beneath Cordelia's descending body.

Ceremoniously covering her peacefully sleeping form in a quilt, he merely wrapped his arms around her torso in comfort. It was a relief to not see her in pain.

When Tom woke up a few hours later, Cordelia was using his chest as a pillow. He lightly kissed her hair. She shifted a bit but then went back to sleep right away.

Tom was thirsty. He also realized that he was extremely hungry. Just how did Cordelia stay with him all along?

He tightly wrapped his arms around Cordelia and turned to his side, gently placing her on the pillow and rising up himself. Her lips turned to a frown but as soon as he caressed her brows, the creases on her face disappeared.

It was then that Tom noted the elf waiting for them at the end of the room.

Tom was so confused.

But then the elf came and whispered, "What would Master Slither be liking for food?"

"How did you know we were here or that I needed food?" Tom asked. He was sure that Duncan, the head elf had put them up to tracking them but he had to ask.

"Waves of Ms. Corrie's magic traveled through castle last night," The elf said, her ears drooping, her eyes widening, "Duncan be saying that both of you will be needing loads of food. He personally waited for very long but had to leave. Magic spent a lot of time with Ms. Corrie! So, Polly volunteered to be there when you woke up!" she spoke in wonder, devotion, adoration and to an extent, pride.

"Eh…thank you Polly. That is really kind of you and Duncan. Can I have some water? And could you tell me the time and day? I am wary of doing magic until Lia wakes up because our cores are connected," He gently murmured back.

"Of course, Master Slither. It is 3 on a Sunday morning. I is be coming back with water," Polly told him and popped away.

Nearly two days. They had come to the room on Thursday night. They had missed Friday's classes. Missed the whole Saturday and Bonanza meeting. They could not even travel back in time for more than a few hours…

They will have to cook up something.

Polly was back with water in the meanwhile and Cordelia seemed to be stirring. When she grew restless, Tom placed a hand on her gently, "Hush, you can sleep more…"

She opened her bright orbs slightly, looked at him, almost pouted in sleep, rose herself up and settled her upper body in his lap with a huff and made a contented noise.


Cordelia's POV

She was standing in front of her mirror and testing her metamorphmagus abilities. After the majority, they were completely accessible to her.

She turned a strand burgundy, "What do you think?"

Tom made an approving noise.

"Too dull…" Cordelia murmured.

Next, her hair started growing shorter as if they were going back in her skull until it was only there till her shoulders and a messy, uncombed style quite unlike her silky black tussles.

Cordelia gave him a questioning look.

"You certainly pull the look better than Charlie does," Tom pointed out.

"Don't be mean. I think Charlie still does a fantastic job of taming his hair on a regular basis. I don't think I could actually make them as presentable regularly as he does…" Cordelia wondered aloud, as her hair turned multiple bright, clashing shades; Highlights of turquoise, auburn, purple, bubblegum pink and a pure white strand.

"Eccentric, even for me," She said, lost in thoughts.

Before she could make another switch, Tom had cupped her cheeks and muttered, "You are beautiful not matter the length, style or color of your hair. Why are you so bothered?"

"I am…I am just curious…." She said unconvincingly, her hair turning into Charlie lookalike once again. Her face was in a frown.

"What is this about?"

"Sometimes, I wonder if people only take me seriously because of my looks. What if I was not this 'ethereal beauty' everyone keeps saying I am. Would they listen to me, pay attention to me? Or is it just a facade to scurry my favor, for being able to bask in this frivolous beauty? Will they balk if I don't meet their standard of beauty? If I have a scar or scruffy hair or I…" She trailed off.

"I would love you," Tom said sincerely, "And to be honest, I doubt what you fear is true. You are pretty hard to ignore because of your tenacity and presence. I tried very hard initially…"

"But they keep mentioning my beauty…" She insisted. She was very bothered. Death's visit had squarely reminded her that she had once been Juniper, who was much more real than this façade she insisted on following, the façade Tom loved.

Tom pulled her cheeks closer, touching the wild strands of hair, "They would be remiss to not mention it Lia. This is beautiful regardless of how long, lush they are. Those giant green orbs are beautiful. That smile you greet me with each morning is beautiful. Physically yes, it might be attractive but it is beautiful because you wield it. You as a person, you as this …I don't have words to describe how utterly beautiful you are on the inside. It would not matter… I mean it would. Alluring beauty pulls people in immediately but do you think you could hold the attention of the masses, have them hang on your words, salivate on your wandwork with your beauty alone. It really did not work out well for Greengrass. Some might consider her features exotic and try to garner favor but it is nothing compared to the reverent thoughts they have for you, that I have for you. You think I would have cared for your beauty if you were not so kind and amazing in every possible way… It is not your face Lia, it is who you are that matters, to other people, to me. You want to keep this scruffy hair, keep it. It is kinda adorable on you. People will talk, for a couple of days then stop because those hair do not define you. "

For the first time, Cordelia was sure there was a slight tinge of pink of her cheeks, which Tom noted and kissed lightly.

He gave her a questioning look, "Okay?" to which she deftly nodded.


Tom's POV

Spring Equinox was almost on their head, which meant that Slughorn's party was nearby as well. Tom was honestly not looking forward to it. It was just a nightmare. Heirs could not stop boasting about their family's new feat to topple each other and Slughorn wouldn't stop encouraging it.

He was usually resorted to nodding and agreeing with Slughorn. This time would be different. He was a lord now. Moreover, he doubted that Cordelia would find his simpering attractive.

She was already a bit agitated on it. The only thing she looked forward to was destroying chauvinist and misogynist elements of that whole club.

He had not understood why heirs would actually give weight to Slughorn at all. Sure, he provided an opportunity for networking but heirs had plenty of that on their own.

When he had lightly asked that to Cordelia as they both were readying for the bed, she had cussed so loudly that Nyx and Lux had paused in their play, completely startled.

"We forgot to take your lessons on noble history. I just gave you an abridged version in winter break. I cannot believe I forgot something so crucial..." She looked so disappointed in herself and had her eyes widened in disbelief.

"It is not too late. The party is 2 days later..." Tom shrugged.

"You are not mad at me!" She looked at him incredulously.

"Why would I be angry? We have had a rather eventful time here. It is not like we were wasting any of our time..." Tom gave her a pointed look.

"I suppose that is true. But I cannot believe I forgot..." She was muttering as she picked up her hairbrush and started moving it in her long tassles.

There was a gentle but brisk knock on their window.

"Just who is sending a letter at this time?" Cordelia muttered.

It was Tom who opened the window and let the beastly owl in. It was followed by 2 more owls who carried a rather large casket.

"Gringotts for you," He informed Cordelia swiftly as he untied the letter and handed it to Cordelia.

Cordelia ripped it open impatiently. If Tom suspected rightly, then she was still agitated about forgetting to fill him in complete noble history. She could be very hard on herself at times.

"Heiress Black, greetings...blah blah. Apologies for delay ... protection charm...find it enclosed...oh thank Merlin! I can't believe they were this tardy...Wait, there is more... congratulations to you on your majority... On another note, our Enforcers while recovery property of Gringotts from a smuggling ring found a few key items that would be of interest to you with your ascended status as the magicae. They were set to be used as potion ingredients. We hope you can find or give them a safer home as your prime concern is protection of all magical life... Wow, that is not cryptic at all... Ooh, the signature tells things... In solidarity, Trewqor, on behalf of Gringotts."

"Who is Trewqor?" Tom asked, he was still curious.

"If i am reading the sign correctly, then he is their top negotiator or diplomat," Cordelia sighed.

"So, this casket..."

"Is a parley move. They know that I should respect creatures as the magicae but do I really do that? I have to establish that by reciprocating in kind." Cordelia told him.

"They respect you by sending you something that you value. So, you have to demonstrate respect by having knowledge of what they would appreciate and willing to acquire it for them..." Tom trailed off.

"Bingo." Cordelia pursued her lips thoughtfully.

"What do you think they have sent?" Tom was almost wary.

"I am not sure but your wariness is not misplaced. Goblins have a different sense of risk and danger than we do. Moreover, they love testing possible opponents or allies for worthiness," Cordelia said wryly.

Tom's eyes widened and then he rolled his eyes, "You know I feel like we should test others on their right to be able to test us. That's all we have been doing for the past few months...appearing for tests that every single crappy individual or group has put us through."

"Oh, you just wait, love. Once we are done with world domination, I am going to milk every bit of shit they put us through." Cordelia rolled her eyes.

"World domination..."

"Well, I am the diabolical black heiress. What did you expect me to do? Do good and open a bunny farm?" Cordelia japed.

"You and bunnies? Is that a secret insinuation for a possible present?" Tom's eyes held wonder.

"Oh no, don't even. I shall never forgive you Tom. Bunnies smell wretched. Besides, they will not mix well with an Apophis, the kneazles or the owls." Cordelia muttered as she waved owl treats and water jars to the delivery owls that gratefully ascended to have them.

Tom and she placed the casket on a table in sitting area of the room carefully, removing it from the bed.

Next, both of them together threw a series of complicated diagnostic charms.

"That is strange. The only magic I detect is that of warmth and dryness, apart from the imperturbable and unbreakable charms on the casket." Tom murmured.

"There are several faint cushioning charms inside as well enclosed in a habitat controlling ward," Cordelia murmured gently.

"What..."

"If I think what it is, then..." Cordelia shook her head and simply unclasped the casket using a clasp that appeared at her touch.

"It read your magic," Tom spoke in awe.

"It did," Cordelia spoke in a quiet whisper as she considered the casket. She gave him a questioning look to which Tom gave a hesitant but firm nod.

She opened the lid of the casket swift, yet soft movement.

Two eggs nestled between cotton and silk fibers, along with basil and chamomile leaves and an appropriate warming charm greeted them.

Tom and Cordelia just stared at each other in shock.


Cordelia's POV

"You are skiving history, again?" Dorea glared at the couple.

"Is it really skiving when he does not even know us?" Tom asked delicately.

"Prince, Titania, back me up here!" Dorea said stubbornly.

"What may be the reason for such blatant ignoring of rules?" Prince asked in all seriousness, but the way her lips pursued, Cordelia could tell she had a less than stellar cause for the inquiry.

"I am quizzing him on origin of wizarding politics," Cordelia replied promptly. It was technically the truth; she would quiz him once she was done with her lesson.

"Well, I am afraid my hands are tied." Prince said in a tone of regret. Dorea had triumph in her eyes.

However, Prince was much more dramatic than her regular self so a reprimand was not what would follow, Cordelia was sure.

"You certainly have a better reason for skiving off history than two 6th year prefects who taught canoodling and sharing private time behind an alcove near the Greenhouse one was appropriate justification." Prince continued in a dutiful, serious fashion thought her eyes sparkled in mischief.

Dorea was completely pink from embarrassment.

"What was it that Charles said? Time well spent..." Prince fixed Dorea with a glint and smile as she finished leisurely.

Dorea glared at all three of them. Tom and Cordelia still had straight faces, though smirks could bust any moment.

"You are trouble of the highest order, Prince. And you two are responsible for giving fire to that trouble" Dorea said scathingly and stomped off.

"Well, that went well," Burke looked up from his book with a smirk quite conveniently in the aftermath.

"You are such a coward, Herbert." Cordelia sassed him.

"I would say that I have a high sense of self preservation," He retorted.

"No, self-preservation is what Titania did, prompting Eileen discreetly. She played both sides." Cordelia rolled her eyes.

"Are you accusing me, Cordelia?" Titania asked with a smile.

"No, I am just telling Herbert that he could learn a thing or two from you." Cordelia flipped her hair.

"Now, we must be off," Tom smirked in support of Cordelia.


Tom's POV

They both quickly climbed up the stairs and landed in Cordelia's study.

It was little different than Tom's. Mostly, because it was less used. The furniture was in similar taste. The color scheme was similar too.

But there were quirks that set them apart. For instance, Cordelia's one section was a mini infirmary/apothecary of sorts. All sorts of healing and daily use potions were stacked up in shelves along with some other healing equipment.

Her study also had more scattered books: about dozen were open on her planning desk, another set lay in a hasty pile on her main desk. Her shelves were also overburdened.

"We need to buy you another shelf," Tom murmured.

He rarely came in here. This was her domain. Even though, he rarely required space from her, he respected her need for space.

"We can scrutinize the decor later. We have a task at hand." Cordelia merely had to wave and a large black board placed itself right next to her planning desk.

"Sit down! This is going to take a while," Cordelia requested as she fetched a stick to point things on the board.

Her teaching mode was a little too serious in Tom's opinion but he complied quietly without giving in the urge to tease.

Three phrases appeared in separate squares.

The first read 'The Beginning of Structured Magic in Britain. The second was 'The Wizarding Council. The third was 'Modern Nobility and Wizangomot'.

"How much do you recall of 9th or 10th century AD from muggle history?"

"Not much. They scurry over the details. It was the savage time," Tom shrugged.

"Well, it technically was 'savage' according to current definitions and interpretations of the word. There was no Britain, no organized or specific civilization. People were migrating from all over. Sickness, death was rampant even in magical people. People were intolerant of magic back then, more so than today. Witch hunting was commonplace. But magic was actually not so separate from muggle dealings like it is today. It was common place to find that the source of income of great many people was, in fact, magic. They just used that magic discreetly, like in potions or their crops or weaponry.

"However, magical creatures had been driven into secrecy for the fear of hunting. Goblins, Centaurs, merpeople especially. They were sentient with their societies and clans but abnormal because though humanoid, they were different, aberrations. Werewolves were abominations in certain circles, even magical ones, but not in others who descended from Rome. That is a fascinating piece of history as a standalone. How our social ideas about werewolves evolved… but that is beside the point right now. Other 'lesser' creatures lived in obscure forests and learned the art of concealment. Or magicals like wizards, witches, goblins or centaurs had to take it upon themselves to shield the less aware ones.

"You probably know the specific history of founders better than I do from Salazar's journal. However, I do know some bits through memories from other magicae. One is that Godric lost his family to Black magic. And he was found at last by the other three. They ran away from persecution, muggles were after them in large numbers. And they eventually found Hogwarts. The school was the first haven and the first structural place where human magicals came together. There was already a tiff of sorts with other creatures like Centaurs who viewed all humans, magical or muggle in similar light. They lost their freedom to humans and they did not like it.

"That is the general sense of the time. The larger question for us is 'Did wizarding nobility exist?' Not really. Some of the families, yours and even mine can trace back their lineage to that time. The Blacks were sworn enemies of Black magic, thus, their name and their motto. Always pure in their magic. Slytherin obviously had descendants who later were succeeded by Gaunts. The name changed but the blood remained.

"There were others, magical clans, gentry 'muggle' families who actually had magic and used it clandestinely so that muggles would not realize . Most of them have not survived to modernity or have changed their names. Like Slytherin changed to Gaunt. The name change can be because of persecution, line theft, marriage. We really don't know. Most of the history was oral and if it was scribed then it was in archaic languages under secrecy spells because written proof of magic was deadly.

"Not to say that these nobility had no life. They survived, some well into 15th, 16th century. I suspect Kemp and Etherbert were one of them as they were vaults I inherited as vaults of lines of earlier magicae, but of course, I cannot say for sure. I have not gone through their records minutely but I think I did see some druidic circles that are so old…" Cordelia talked animatedly and Tom drunk in everything.

She liked to tell it like a story. He thought she would make a hundred times better teacher than Binns.

"But yes, Hogwarts became a culmination of things. The Hogwarts Four were brilliant in their magic but what was empowering was the vision and the scale of it. The Castle has been constructed in pieces through their life, but it was home and it gave Magicals a chance to be together and practice magic without persecution. Their students or apprentices also helped. It was like a giant nice family…" She said pausing.

"But something happened?" Tom knew enough of her verbal cues to deduce.

"Yep, they died." Cordelia concluded wryly.

"Wow," Tom said sarcastically.

"No, I am serious. The Hogwarts Four unwittingly had created a position or beacon of power, which they assumed for several decades. They were people who were envious, there were creatures which were envious and there were several interested parties that wanted part in the power. Some wanted the Founders gone and the old ways back…."

"That sounds very familiar," Tom murmured. It was the exact demand of the current purebloods, restoration of the old ways.

"It does, doesn't it? History repeats itself sooner or later." Cordelia nodded ominously, and then gave him a small smile.

"Go on, I did not mean to interrupt," Tom urged her.

"On the contrary, feel free to interrupt. Engaging like this will only bring insights that will help in political maneuvering, " Cordelia assured him.

If only Hogwarts teachers kept her mindset…

"So, there were people who wanted them gone. There were those who wanted their power through various means, ownership of Hogwarts, marriage into families, and apprenticeship to them. There were some who just wanted their gold. Despite the difficulties these groups presented, the four were fairly popular and had saved great many families and villages and what not, resulting in donations and favors and gifts of all sorts. They had eventually won over Centaurs, befriended difficult creatures, supplied herbs, invented potions and what not. It started slowly, the assassination attempts at their families. They thought it was a coincidence at first. Eventually though, they were forced into hiding. Hufflepuff and Gryffindors changed their last names to avoid persecution. Salazar never married again or had children. Helena Ravenclaw died in a forest in Albania, murdered in rage over scorning the love of Baron."

"Bloody baron…"Tom whispered in wonder.

Cordelia merely nodded with a tilt of pride, perhaps at his ability to piece it together, "He still wears his chains as a symbol of penance. Rowena died first, she had already been ill but grief over the loss of her daughter left her even weaker. Helena eventually returned to the castle as the grey lady, the ghost of Ravenclaw tower. The other families dispersed…I am not sure how the blood of Slytherin was passed…"

"I have not come that far in the journals yet," Tom admitted apologetically. He really hated the fact that a gap from his side was interrupting her story.

"It is not particularly of consequence yet anyway," Cordelia waved his apology off, "Rowena left her affairs for Slytherin who thought it prudent to involve an external party to take care of the assets, The Gott clan of Goblins, whose clan leader will eventually establish Gringotts. Anybody who wanted the founders' money would have to go through the goblins. The other two living ones followed. I am not sure who died first out of all three or what but I do know that the story that Slytherin left in anger after fighting with Godric is hogwash. Reliable sources place that the remaining three of the four decided to retreat out of Hogwarts because the castle was being attacked far too often and they did not want to put the students in jeopardy. I suspect they hoped to return after engaging with the threat outside of the school, but they never could. They died in their self-imposed exiles."

"So, it is through the Gott clan that Gringotts got all the assets of the founders. I have been wondering for a long time, you know. How do we have vaults of founders? Considering Gringotts only came in being in 1500s," Tom murmured.

"Yes, the vaults of founders were the first ones to get established in Gringotts even though there were no takers of it. Goblins have a quaint sense of honor. They will not squander or sell away heirlooms even when there were no takers unless the line has done a transgression towards Goblins. Although, I suspect they are particularly altruistic towards the line of founders because they were the first one to entrust them with such responsibility," Cordelia informed and speculated.

"When they left and died, they left a vacuum of power. They had unwittingly created a space for Wizarding elders or leaders that guided and taught others, parleyed with creatures, provided safe haven. And suddenly, there was no one. Normally, the heirs as it happens in noble families take over the position of elders but they were dispersed or dead too."

"Merlin, Morgana?" Tom gave her a questioning look.

"Now that is an interesting angle. Merlin and Morgana were indeed alive, tutored personally by the founders, they could have become the beacon the world needed," Cordelia said, her tone changing.

"They were beacons though, weren't they?" Tom asked in confusion.

"Merlin and Morgana surpassed the idea of beacons, leaders and the legacy of founders. In the tales of Wizarding world, they are more of deities. More divine than human… People concurred that while sound leadership like founders could be replicated, there will not be another Camelot, another Merlin or Morgana. They were beacons of hope and powerful magic but they were not reachable to the common people, not reachable at all. Founders had a foothold, a keep in the form of Hogwarts. Merlin and Morgana were more unpredictable, temperamental, and otherworldly. You could not count on them like you could count on a leader for your regular problems. If you were being attacked by massive black magic, they would sweep down and save the day, but they were no help when there were problems of harvest or a child was sick or a tiff between neighbors. They were above the normal world, so even though people sung their praises, they could not rely on them always," Cordelia mused.

"I wonder what a priest would say to that. I have always found it a bit peculiar how perceptions of divinity have changed over time, at least for muggles. I am sure they respected and catered to the duo but did they like them?" Tom was curious.

"Yes, and no," Cordelia said with much contemplation, "Merlin is generally well liked by today's perceptions but back then, he put his nose too much into muggle business. Most magicals had trouble comprehending that, primarily because he hid the fact that he was attracted to Pendagron heir. Same sex relationships were not taken kindly in the muggle world and it seems that he probably carried that hesitation to his maturity, being a muggleborn. Morgana has always been a cult figure of sorts, very difficult to please. I would say that she was liked amongst some circles a lot, as she is till date. But mostly, she was a distant benefactor. We will come to them when we come to discuss the Order of Merlin and Order of Morgana…"

"There is an an order of Morgana!" Tom exclaimed. See, there was so much that Cordelia knew. Even though, Abraxas sometimes decreed them useless pieces of trivia, it was really incredible that Cordelia knew so much of the history of wizarding world.

"There used to be until they stripped it away," Cordelia murmured gently, as she opened up her journal and looked at what seemed to be the next item on the list.

"You said there was a vacuum of power and people were trying to fill it," Tom promptly supplied.

"Yes, now the headmasters of Hogwarts were an acceptable figure of sorts but they did not quite cut it. A single lone figure was not sufficient especially because the population of wizarding world was growing and the persecution was not ending. Now Statute of secrecy did not come into play well towards the end of 17th century and while people knew the need for secrecy but there was no law or policy or guidelines…."

"There couldn't be any in absence of a governing body," Tom shrugged.

"Precisely. Now the muggles were divided into feudalistic societies back then, at least in Britain. Magicals were ceremoniously part of that system. There was dissatisfaction though and quite a resentment. Their supposed rulers were hunting them off or were afraid of them. Some would argue, as they do till date, muggles were weaker than us. They were not cut out for ruling or governing magical needs. Hence, began the talk of a magical presiding body. Of course, this reasoning was present in only the elite magical circles, those who were literate and understood politics. As such, there were poorer magicals; farmers and cattle herders who hid their magic behind their normal professions, which brings us to the problem of governance. Do you want to speculate why?"

"There was no organized wizarding society to govern." Tom guessed.

Cordelia nodded, "A monarchy was out of question. Too much power in one person and well, there was the question of who was cut out to be a monarch and who would decide it. On top of it, what or who would the monarch rule? There was much lobbying. By then, through Founder's influence, some families had already been magical for a few generations. A few which had been magical but had remained in secrecy had come out to the magical world. Different Houses, all of which had a stake came together in the first meeting of what has come to be known as the Wizarding council. 28 families, colloquially known as the Sacred 28."

"Isn't that the name of the pureblood directory? Are those families…" Tom interjected.

"No, those families have nothing to do with the original sacred 28. The buffoon who wrote it merely appropriated the actual historical legacy to twist it into a nefarious agenda," Cordelia quickly set the record straight.

Tom hmmed as he considered the information. A minute later, his lower lip twitched, "Buffoon, huh?"

Cordelia rolled her eyes, "It was published anonymously but of course, it is popularly attributed to Cantenkerous Nott, great uncle of Pierce Nott. He is..." Cordelia considered for a moment and then completed, "Unhinged."

Tom raised his brow at the descriptor but did not question it.

"The original sacred 28 had notable names like Peverall, Serpens, Gwenyth and the like. Blacks were also a part but they were not called Blacks then. It was something that loosely translated to Black hunters. Thought the house motto still remains preserved through ages, Toujours pur. The Sacred 28 also gave honorary seats to Hogwarts four and their heirs. Perhaps they thought that a larger council might draw them out of hiding." Cordelia told.

"Needless to say, it did not serve the purpose. At least not immediately. It was a few decades later that one Lord Griffith would come out as Gryffindor's heir and would take over the seat with his blood. Unfortunately, the entire Griffith family was slaughtered in the decade after that. So were the Peveralls, at least in the male name." Cordelia narrated more.

"Are these Peverall…" Tom could not even form his question and Cordelia was already answering, "No, you are not directly related to those Peveralls or you would have been eligible for taking the Lordship. So, Peveralls had 3 lines from 3 brothers. I believe the youngest called Ignotus is the one who secured the status of Sacred 28 and all that. The line of Slytherin perhaps intermingled with the lines of the other 2 sometimes. Gaunt only ever married each other to keep the blood pure."

"The slaughter of Griffith family likely discouraged other Founders' heirs to come forward. In the next couple of centuries, while no trace of Founders' blood appeared, several more families joined in the Wizarding Council. Potters, Ollivanders, Shafiqs, Hywels…The Sacred 28 had followed suit of the Hogwarts Four and entrusted their gold and assets to the Gott clan of Goblins. Other families of the Council followed the precedent."

"When did the totems come into picture? Is it something that Sacred 28 concocted or the Founders? The books on family magic were not very clear on that," Tom asked.

"No one is quite knowledgeable on that end. You will not be expected to know it for the Slug Club," Cordelia assured him.

"Does that no one include you?' Tom prodded, raising his brow playfully.

"No, but as I said, it is not essential right now. We will talk about it when we are not pressed for time. I understand your desire to know everything that I know but as I told you when we were on less stellar terms, it is simply not possible to inform you of everything at once," Cordelia gave him a pointed look, then her eyes turned softer, "I am not saying no and we will probably cover it before Spring Equinox, but I would rather finish this before we delve into a topic that is as lengthy as this one, so let's move on, shall we?"

"Of course, my lady," Tom smirked agreeably.

"Somewhere in this time, the council initiated Order of Merlin and Morgana for extraordinary feats of magic, Merlin for Charms and Combat and Morgana for Healing, Potions and Transfiguration. The concept of light and dark did not exactly exist then. When people label them as light and dark respectively, it is in retrospect and frankly, rather ahistorical," Cordelia had a disdain in her voice, "Of course, it is unhelping that we have a dunce of a teacher for history and that our wizarding culture classes were stripped or that buffoons like Grindelwald presume that they are saving the magic by whatever he has been pulling."

"We should lobby for the culture class in the club meeting. Spring Equinox and all that," Tom said thoughtfully.

"Ahh yes, if Slughorn is going to subject us to that travesty, we may as well use it," Cordelia nodded. "Now comes the important part Tom, for you. Because it was nearing 14th century when Gaunts joined the council and they were not parselmouths then. In 15th century, the elderly lord would take an nth number of wife called Pandora who could speak to snakes, allegedly from the line of Slytherin. They never took the Slytherin seat though. They implied that it was a way of honoring Slytherin, but I think they could not take it because the magic would not recognize them.

"To others in the council, it did not matter much. Council was already divided into factions. While none was outwardly very hostile towards muggles, there was a general sense in some members that they were beneath them, especially after black Death or the bubonic plague. It did not affect the magicals like it affected the muggles. In fact, one of the Malfoy ancestors and I am sure other wizards disposed off muggles under the guise of Black Death. And by then, Malfoys were a part of the council and they had to uphold the law which really did not allow for killing."

"Corruption is not really a recent thing, is it?" Tom murmured.

"Well, he did it with earnest moral code in mind. Malfoys were quite friendly with muggles. In fact, one of the recent ancestors even went as far as to try and woo Queen of England. He did not do it because he could do it to the muggles. I believe it was to get rid of a couple of tenants who were a security risk to the children and women there. Of course, he could have just evicted them but there was an issue with that. I don't remember what? It was a secret journal so the council did not know and I should not have read it considering that I am not a Malfoy but you know how terrible I am at following rules," Cordelia shrugged.

Tom merely gave her a fond look.

"But yes, coming back to Gaunts. They were not as openly disliked or anything back then. It was just later when their unhinged side appeared and of course, people realized that they were just marrying each other. Physical features distorted, wealth squandered…. Needless to say, as they never could take Slytherin seats, they never convinced the Gott clan to release Slytherin's funds to them. But bad things happened to people who went against Gaunts, except Goblins. It was suspected but never confirmed that they were behind the death of Griffith family and the end of Gryffindor's blood. They dabbled in Black arts and thought that Slytherin did too. Bought all the rumors, or gave fuels to them, and as such Slytherin became their deity of sorts. Well, they never did manage to get hold of Slytherin's wealth, not when the Gotts were assembled in a clan, not when wizarding world went into war with goblins, not when Wizangomot formed in 1430 and not when Gringotts opened in 1470."

"Pandora Slytherin…I wonder. Didn't Erin said something about her and how Gaunts got the whole thing? We should talk to her about it. She seems recovered enough from her ordeal against Gaunts…" Tom sent her a questioning look.

"We can touch it discreetly. She seemed eager enough to talk last time?" Cordelia nodded.

"But that is for later. Wizangomot is when modern politics begins?' Tom shook his head and asked, bringing them back on track.

"Yes, all the families plus a few new ones joined in. Honorary seats did not just go to Hogwarts four but also to Emrys and Le Fay. They were so …well, they basically did not care if the houses were extinct, dormant or active. Old blood is old blood. Maybe, they thought heirs would return… But there were over more than half a dozen families which were already out of picture…Peveralls, Serpens, Griffith, Aldar, Gwenyth and a few more. But they still had their seats. The Wizangomot officially has 71 seats for families, 4 for the founders, 2 for Emyrs and Le Fay even since. Which makes it 77. Furthermore, they added 7 seats for wizarding world elders for their contribution."

"How are the elders chosen?' Tom was confused.

"It is usually put to vote like the roster of Hogwarts governor. Which brings my attention to Hogwarts. Initially, the Hogwarts' headmasters were chosen on the basis of previous Headmasters' discretion in consultation with Sorting Hat. Wizangomot, when it came into being, introduced the idea of board of governors. Now, it was met with some protest because well, why introduce something new when the old system was perfectly fine. It was also seen as an outside interference, much like people complained about Ministerial interference in Hogwarts before Minister Spencer-Moon. Thankfully, our current minister is neither besotted with, nor envious of Dumbledore and does not seek to pay too much mind trying to garner his favor or discredit him."

Tom chuckled at the last bit to which Cordelia smiled and continued on, "But the world was assured that one human was too biased to make a decision and as powerful sorting hat is, it is still an artifact and could be tampered with. I am pretty sure that there is a solid reason for that worry which is buried under mounds of paperwork and has been kept out of public eye. The assurance was that it was not going to create hegemony of noble families at Hogwarts, which was kept in mind and followed. The only three heads of the school from nobility so far were from one each of Blacks, Aragons and Burkes. Now Elizabeth Burke was a bad decision. Very poor decision. She was a blood purist and called her students mudbloods. Her portrait is in dungeons. And Phineas Nigellus Black was just…he is one of the least popular headmasters for a reason. Aragons have always had good, level heads. But others were varying degrees of wizards and witches. Hogwarts, despite different stances of blood by nobility has remained a haven for all, irrespective."

"We will ensure that it remains so. Even if Grindelwald is staying away right now… it is not a stretch to assume that he will look at Hogwarts. Dumbledore is here…" Tom murmured.

"Yes, yes. Hogwarts must stand through it all, tall and yet warm. I apologize for hurrying but we will sit forever if I tarry. Now, the Board of governors has 12 seats: 8 noble seats and the last 4 are elected by the 8 members. The 8 members are permanent for the century, the other 4 change every 5 years. Now those 8 members are chosen by a vote of Wizangomot. Bones, Blacks and Malfoys have always had a very vested interest and have always gotten the votes in the part 3 centuries. The other members have been varied. I know Gaunts were voted in for the 3 centuries they spent in Wizangomot because of their claim of Slytherin blood. I know Burkes were present in 17th century and they are present now as well. It is a very complicated system, supposedly to check the bias, but it is mostly because you can run interference at several levels of voting. The current permanent members you are already familiar with, courtesy of Greengrass, in no particular order, Blacks, Malfoys, Longbottoms, Potters, Bones, Ogden, Burke and Rowle. Now, the 4 elected members can be anyone but you would find that they are generally purebloods, if not nobility. I want you to hold on to that while we come back to Ministry and finish up that end."

"So, the next thing that happened was that Order of Merlin was appropriated on an award for any contribution to magical world and was divided into classes, first second and third. Ridiculous, I know. Moreover, most of the people who get it are politically connected or wealthy or both. It involves a sum of money and a medal. Now, they tried to strip the Le Fay seat. Maybe because she was a woman who was too powerful so it got easier to pin Black magic or her sly streak as evil. They could not strip it because of how the original charter was written. You cannot strip any original seats. But they did away with the Order of Morgana completely. People like Gaunts did not protest much. They really did not like women. Most of the old families except for mine and a couple more, use Salazar, as an epitome of pureblood supremacy. "

"How is that possible, not being able to strip away the Le Fay seat because of a charter? Did they not throw Gaunts out a couple centuries later?" Tom asked.

"You are keeping up. Good!" Cordelia said in amusement, "You cannot strip away a seat completely. Gaunts still have a seat at Wizangomot. What you can do is apply dormancy to any seat with the vote of 4/5 of the house if there is solid proof that any of the original families went against the charter and befuddled the sanctity of the council and Wizangomot. I believe they found muggleborn slaves in their basement after a raid. A shopkeeper complained about their non-payment. Gaunts apparently thought that being related to Slytherin made them royalty and as such normal citizens owed them everything… Aurors went to investigate, were attacked I had found the minutes of the trial in old records. I believe I added it to the reading list of documents a week ago."

"I am not very good at deciphering those documents because I do not know the families…" Tom admitted.

"I know. It is not very important. No one remembers it in a living memory. It took me weeks to find it when I knew what I was looking for. Most people would not know what to look for." Cordelia shrugged.

"So, the way original charter was written, you could not remove noble seats and you could not add noble seats. You could add others, so order of merlin did not just grant gold and glory and a medal anymore, it also offered a seat on Wizangomot. They set a precedent that allowed a maximum of 7 people, chosen in a 5 year cycle to take it over. And now you know why winning an order of merlin matters in the nobility, it could potentially give one family two seats. The most recent family to have it was the Shafiqs and they ousted Kamaal Shafiq within 5 years, too afraid by the two votes the family wielded. Others like Madam Marchbanks have had been there for years. Even my grandmother Melania was there for a decade. She was not kicked out. She stepped down because of her poor health. But the point is that it was possible to add members outside of nobility into the Wizangomot. They do not get into nobility itself which means nobody gets dynastic permanent seats. Now, the wizarding council still existed and it had no such clauses about new seats except that no family could have more than one. They were still inducting new members as nobility and the old members, well; some of them were affronted at it. Their ancestry, history, so much of their life had gone in shaping the council, shaping the wizarding world and suddenly, newcomers came in and thought they had the same footing as them."

"Morgana forbid that happens, how can we accommodate newcomers? It is not like it is their world too," Tom said sarcastically, though it came out from a far deeper resentment.

He may be old blood now but he was still a newcomer in many senses.

Cordelia had gotten up from her seat and took his hands in her, gently squeezing them.

"I am fine. It just irritates me a lot," He muttered gently.

She gently kissed his head, "Me too. And no, you don't have to be fine. It is unfair."

Tom gave her a small smile.

"Well, the wizarding council did admit new nobilities but that did not mean an automatic induction into Wizangomot. So, even though those families came into fold, they could not affect laws, or actively influence anything. Those families will be eventually called purebloods, not noble, but not quite at par with muggleborns and half-bloods. There was a sudden influx of them in the 1500s and 1600s with more coordinated research into healing and sustenance. Families and names did not die out easily. There was also population increase, which led to new family names and just a general increase in numbers. Muggles had established their own nobility and clergies in parallel. By 1600s, there were some hints of industrialization and just better living quality and more food. We had a population boom. We had better contacts across seas with better muggle ships and the like. Even apparition and portkeys need to know that a location exists before they come into play. Things, places and traditions were discovered. Things went beyond magical survival. And that led to establishment of Department of Mysteries, exactly where Ministry of Magic is currently."

"Wait a minute; the DOM actually precedes the Ministry?" Tom asked in disbelief.

Cordelia nodded indulgently.

"And they wonder why it has so much autonomy! It existed and was needed before the Ministry so naturally it will get away with stuff…" Tom huffed.

"Do not mind the plebeians, Tom." She said in a sing song voice.

"The next big thing was formation of International Confederation of wizards in 1660 and the first task it took up was the International Statute of Secrecy in 1690. Till date, the representative of ICW is from Wizangomot and not Ministry employed diplomat. In 1707, Ministry of Magic was formulated and it took over most of the administrative functions. Wizangomot still served as the executive and the judiciary. Wizarding Council deemed obsolete and basically functionless, was disbanded."

"Giving Nobility a lot of power." Tom pointed out.

"I am pretty sure nobility was planning to disband the council just for that." Cordelia concurred with him and then she asked, "Do you get now why Wizarding nobility is so sought after? It is because unlike the muggle counterparts, they make laws, they interpret those laws and even punish or penalize people according to the law. Officially, Wizangomot is in liaison with the Department of magical law enforcements but the truth is the department does nothing but look after the administrative functions; paperwork, and actual maintenance of the decrees and laws that Wizangomot passes. Nobility is powerful. The people and heirs we study with including both of us will be creating laws, passing judgments; which is why it is not surprising that Slughorn's influential club is dominated by them. But I believe your question was the other way around; why nobles even consider being part of it? Simply, Slughorn is a noble family. Not as rich or powerful or influential but pureblood and with a vote in Wizangomot. He is still the not the lord though. His father is alive but barely. Slughorn is expected to eventually take over as a lord or appoint a proxy. He has also shown no inclinations to marry or procreate which begs the interesting question of his heirs."

"People are hoping that they would be named the heirs, giving them two permanent nobility seats?" Tom did not seem impressed.

"Slytherin might be notoriously ambitious but practically all of nobility floats the same boat in terms of ambition regardless of the houses. But sadly for them, their research into Slughorn family trees is misplaced. The current lord Harduinus had a sister who has a daughter who has children. The title is going to pass to the lord's sister who is not much older than Horace. She is the heir apparent, not Horace. Which makes this whole charade stupid. But the fact is that even people who do not care for the seat will not decline his invitations because they do not have adequate reasons for turning it down. Slughorn is nobility, has magical finesse and has not done anything to besmirch his name."

"I suppose being flamboyant and annoying does not count," Tom said it as a statement.

"Nope, Smiths would have never lasted otherwise." Cordelia merely smiled.

"So, our potions masters is not the heir apparent." Tom found great amusement in that.

"Old Sluggy was never keen on politics. He enjoys a life of comfort and he quite likes his aunt. He willingly gave up the title to her." Cordelia simply supplied.

"Is this one of the tidbits your Aunt Cassiopeia kindly supplied?" Tom asked curiously.

"Yep, this made me value her methods even more." Cordelia smirked.

"I get why you wanted an intelligence department. These little tidbits are game changers…" Tom nodded thoughtfully.

"So 71 noble families…even though some have died out like Peverall." He murmured.

"No really, about 37 families are extinct not just a few. Well, 35 if I discount Gaunts and Slytherin but those seats are still inactive despite being claimed."

"That's a lot of power for 40 families! I had just presumed that a lot of families no longer had heirs in Hogwarts. You know too old or too young…" Tom's eyes were wide.

"It is; which is why Grindelwald is trying hard to solicit them to his cause. The 40 families essentially rule Britain. The Minister has powers but she or he are just figureheads and one person with no potential dynasty behind. They can be set aside or replaced with more compliant people. Moreover, he is trying to insinuate that he can maintain the extant status of the families, prevent the extinction that other families befell."

"He is using the 1771 clause against Dark Magic produced by the Ministry of Magic which incriminates a lot of magic that old families practice. It was Maximillian Crowdy who pushed it through and it remains the one thing that makes me dislike the man. He was a very sound person but his tenure saw a lot of pureblood supremacy attacks on muggles. He routed them all out bit by bit. The attacks made him wary of the nobility who did not do anything in his opinion. He thought the punishments that were handed out were very light. But there was no muggle protection act back then, or using of magic was not restricted. All they could be charged was for breaking the International Statute of Secrecy and each received the maximum imprisonment it could lead to: 2 years.

"While the nobility gathered their wits and proposed a law that did not go against the sanctity of the nobility, Crowdy had whisperers in his years and he proposed legislation that banned dark arts. Now, no Minister can pass legislation without Wizangomot. He had a way around it. To achieve Quorum, you need at least 7 noble families. He planned the presentation and vote such that most nobility was off somewhere. He added it as an emergency agenda and it was called the Protection of magical interests act. No noble blinked an eye or returned to see what the act was about.

"Crowdy is also a noble but staunchly light family. One vote was his. Smiths were there, bribed. The Notts were there, but it was a new lord with not enough footing to sway people. He voted against the bill. Ollivander, voted against and Slughorn and Dupont abstained. The last family to fulfill the quorum was Hywels, notoriously neutral. They always abstained from any legislation that was even slightly controversial. There were 14 other members from Order of merlin and elders bit and Minister of Magic and his Senior undersecretary. 13 voted for the bill. 15 on 20 votes was a good number. Shortly, the bill passed.

"Nobles returned to find that their use of magic was massively restricted. It was a brilliant strategy, almost Slytherin. Nobles thought Crowdy betrayed his own house Hufflepuff by being disloyal to the nobility. He paid the price eventually. Died in his office in mysterious circumstances. The word around was that Notts along with a couple more families decided on an assassination. Of course, the investigation was really sparse though portrayed as thorough.

"It also cost Hywels a lot. They were too wealthy and could wiggle out of any dark magic charges so it made them decide to not care about the rest of the nobility. Now, nobility was tired by the extreme neutrality. The inaction caused unrest but of course, Hywels were untouchable. A rogue dark lord hunted the family to extinction from criminalizing his magic. He did not have family left; he did not care if he got hurt. He killed the last child in cold blood and laughed wildly when the aurors picked him up. He got the veil but he also successfully eliminated a noble family out of spite. The nobles punished the dark lord as befit the law but none of them lifted a finger to help the Hywels when they were being hunted down, mostly because Hywels did not ask for help. I am sure families that value honor, like Potters, or Bones or Odgens or even Weasleys would have helped out even when they considered the inaction bordering on dishonor."

"I would say it is horrible but I feel that they deserved it." Tom scoffed.

"You agree with most of the nobility then," Cordelia informed him and closed her journal, "and that concludes why dark arts is a thing and illegal."

"Laws can be repealed. Why did they not do that? They could have had majority and…" Tom questioned.

"Crowdy foresaw that, so he pushed the law as a statis law, untouchable for the next century. And what happened in the century defined dark arts as so evil that it was a political suicide to even consider it after 1870. The Dark lord that hunted Hywels was one. The other were Gaunts. The nobility had kept it all hushed up. So hushed up. But soon every Black deed of Gaunts was portrayed as dark arts. Suddenly, everything bad was being labeled as dark arts. The Ministry gave a definition in the law that is so vague that it can be interpreted as anything and suddenly every murder, every thief, every old artifact was dark arts.

"They implied that dark arts was destructive. A century worth of information in public and even nobles like Longbottom, Bones, Macmillan, Potter etc. bought it. They did not shun the dark families per say but it caught their imaginations. Magic could be inherently evil, is what they decided and suddenly, dark arts were hated by some 8-9 families. A similar number did away with practicing it. That is almost half of the nobility. And because years had passed with the law, it was almost treasonous to speak against it. The law itself is not too restrictive. It gives room for a lot but it started a wave of propaganda that ostracized the dark. It did not matter that Dering family was hunted by a pureblood with no dark ties. Because the act was destructive, it had to be allegorized as the genocide of Hywels."

"Do we have a Crowdy at Hogwarts?" Tom questioned next.

"No Chadwick is going to be 9 next year. The other two Crowdy's are a baby and a toddler. And while the whole legislation may seem like a scheme worthy of Slytherin, Crowdy's are Hufflepuffs. However, since Minister Crowdy's assassination, the family is subdued and does not engage in very open debates. They are active in philanthropy but they usually follow House of Bones in the voting of legislation," Cordelia dutifully filled him in.

"Are you using Leglimency on me or something? You answer things that I have not even asked you yet…" Tom looked a little irate.

"No, I just know you better than you think I know you." Cordelia threw back at him, "now could you wait for the explanation on totems, I am awfully tired. As much as the history is fascinating, bombarding it or being bombarded at is tiring…I suggest we have some dinner, take a hot cuppa and turn in…"

"I cannot argue with the latter and for the first one, I must up my game if I am becoming so predictable…" Tom teased.

But then Cordelia opened her arms in an invitation, though her look was pleading enough and Tom got up, lifted her into a hug.


Cordelia's POV: scene continued

There was nothing like being buried in Tom's chest, smelling his essence, tangling his soft hair at the end of a long day. This was a strange world and time but when he gave in to her desire to be embraced, looked forward to it much the same, kissing her hair, holding her firmly, it was almost like she was at home.

She did not know who she was but if you asked her where she belonged. She would not take a second to say 'with Tom'.

Then she felt Tom's cool fingers caressing her cheeks, no wiping them…when had she begun crying?

She looked up into his concerned eyes and croaked out a 'Thank you'. His confusion did not dissipate, if anything, his hold got tighter, his eyes more frantic.

"That day, Greengrass…I held my own. I have always held my own, back at beauxabatons. As sharp tongued Colette is, she was never once brave enough to stand up…I was alone in it, Tom. I was prepared to be alone this time. Thank you for not leaving me alone. Thank you for not giving me the looks my parents and Uncles gave me. I needed help and support, not pity and you gave me just that and I know you know how I felt, coz you felt it, but I have been meaning to say it…but I falter each time. There is always something more pressing. Well, nothing is more pressing than you knowing that I needed you and that you were there, so exceptionally and wonderfully there and I can never admit how much I loved you then and how much I love you now…"

Tom's lips were on hers. And Cordelia knew that she would thank Azrael hundred times over for driving sense into her the next time he visited.

A couple hours later when they were sipping hot chocolate and Tom had peppered every inch of her face with kisses and promises to be always there for her the way she needed because there is nothing else that he would do, he could do, loving her as he did.

She had changed into her nightclothes and she had not even pretended to go into her own room tonight. It was foolhardy but she was content near Tom.

Jormy burst into the room with exuberant hissing, "The hatchlings are coming…."

Tom and she all but ran to the nursery settling in front of the nest they had created in front of the small fireplace with a running fire.

The two white eggs cracked, one faster than the other.

The faster one threw off a piece of eggshells hard and Cordelia saw black eyes and dark scales from the gap it left.

She hissed, "Styx, come out little one…"

And Styx listened and a few more eggshells were thrown around much to Tom's amusement.

The other egg finally managed a big enough crack and even though Cordelia knew the coloring of the being inside, it were a relief to see green and yellow slited eyes first, "Look Styx, Ladon is coming out too…"


Ah, it has been far too long. I cannot give enough explanations without sounding repetitive but my health always holds me back.

Thank you for the patience and surprisingly, no flames! I am lucky to have readers like you all.

The chapter was a crucial one to establish nobility's role and the perception of dark arts. I hope it was not too dreary.

And joy, Cordelia will have her own familiars now…more on what they are and everything next time.

Let's place the next update in middle of December or somewhere? I do not want you guys to wait needlessly.

Love and hugs,

Katoptris

P.S. Reviews! Can't wait to hear from you all...