Hey everyone, yes I am not dead. I've just been busy and have yet to fix or replace my computer that my cat killed with a water attack. I am still working on the story and as such I decided to post this little chapter. I know it's not so long but I hope it makes up for being gone for so long. And this chapter will answer a question many of you have been asking; who is the Neutral Lord? The last thing is I can't write accents to save my life so Viktor and Fleur won't have one for now on.

I do not own Harry Potter and I am not making a profit off of my fan fiction.

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"Talk"

'Think'

"Parseltongue"

"Nightshade communication"

Chapter 38 – Allies and Lords

The second task was over. Harry left only seconds after Dumbledore finished announcing the points with Luna and Hermione on his arms. He wasn't going to let them out of his sight for the next couple of days. The Twins followed, one on each side flanking Harry and the girls. Neville followed up directly behind them. Ginny and Draco stayed behind.

"Viktor, Harrison wanted to invite you to spend the rest of the day with us in spirit of unity." Draco, ever the pureblood politician, formally invited him in front of all the judges and champions.

"Fleur, Harrison would also like to invite you to spend the rest of the day with us in the spirit of unity." Ginny kept her eyes on the young woman, who kept her sister at her side.

"I accept in the name of unity." Fleur smiled, ignoring her headmistress' muttering.

Viktor nodded. "I will accept as well."

"Excellent. Cedric?" Ginny grinned at the Venator in question.

Cedric shook his head with a smile. "Not right now but if the invitation is open I will join you all later."

"Of course. You know where to find us." Ginny waved for Fleur and Viktor to follow her. Draco turned to walk side by side with her.

The castle was silent as the group of four passed from the grounds into her deserted hallways. Most of the students and teachers had gone to watch the second task and the few that didn't remained in their own common room. Viktor was reviewing everything he had learned about the 'Pack' of Hogwarts and the Pack's Alpha. No one wanted to speak much to him when he had tried to suddenly ask around the student body. His fellow Durmstrang brothers never got much information either. The Pack was protected well by the students. It made him wonder how and why this seemingly random group of students had that protection. What made them so special? A memory of the Ball flashed through his mind, of Harrison's eyes. The stone that settled when he closed off his emotions. But it was the memory of this morning that made him cautious. Harrison had gone head to head with one of the most powerful wizards in the world. The power, the pure magic that glowed within Harrison's eyes sent shivers down his spine and warning bells to ring in his head. There was much more to this Pack and the one they called their Alpha than what met the eye.

Fleur wasn't much better in her thoughts than Viktor was. The Veela part of her, as small as it was compared to her mother and grandmother, was screaming for her to bear her throat every time she saw Harrison. There was something about him that made her feel safe, he was a protector. She had watched the Pack and Harrison since they performed at the welcoming dinner. The power and control he had shown had intrigued her. The care and affection he had for his Pack had left her yearning for the same thing. The cold fury and power he used to protect with had scared her. She watched the Pack and the students as they interacted together. Harrison treated his Pack with respect, as equals. The Pack listened to everything he had to say, he was their leader. The students watched the Pack; some watched in envy, some in yearning, while others in hatred, and even more with respect. For the life of her she couldn't find out why though. She learned very little from the students. They wouldn't talk. Even those who watched the Pack with hatred, as few as they were, only said that Harrison was smart and powerful. She pulled her sister closer to her side as they walked.

'We're almost at the R.O.R. We have your appointments with us.' Ginny reported through the bond. The group was only two hallways from their destination.

'The wards are up. Bring them in.' Harry answered.

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The R.O.R. took the setting of the Silver common room. The twins were lounging on the couch with Hermione between them. Luna was using Harry as a cuddle buddy. Neville was sitting on the floor using the coffee table to look through the contracts that Harry had copied and using George's legs as a backrest. If there was something, even the smallest thing, Neville would find it. Harry was calming his magic and temper. He needed to be level headed if he was going to discuss the possibility of an alliance with his fellow champions.

"Alpha." Draco dipped his head in Harry's direction.

"Milord." Ginny mimicked Draco's nod.

Harry smile amused as he acknowledged their greetings. Ginny took her place beside Hermione on the couch. Draco took his place beside Harry. Neville turned his attention from the papers to the two champions facing them. Fleur looked on at the group before her. They were all facing them, showing strength and trust in each other. They looked relaxed but she could see that they would be ready to defend each other in seconds. Viktor shifted beside her. He could see it too, they were dangerous.

"Welcome to my parlor." Harry flicked his wrist, making a cushioned chair and a couch to appear for them to sit. "Please have a seat so we can get down to business."

Fleur hid her unease with a smile. "Thank you." She let her sister sit, curled up in the couch corner, before she took a seat next to her. "Gabrielle, rest while we speak." The girl nodded tiredly, her eyes already half closed.

"You have questions. Let's get those out of the way." Harry encouraged them. A wave of his hand had a blanket covering Fleur's sister, keeping the still shivering girl warm.

Viktor glanced at Fleur. She nodded, letting him start. "Who are you, really? You are not some simple student."

Harry nodded, a small smirk on his lips. "I am Harrison Evans. Lord of the Noble house of Potter, Lord of the Noble and Ancient House of Black, Lord of the Noble and Ancient of Ravenclaw, Lord of the Noble and Ancient house of Gryffindor, and Lord of the Noble and Ancient House of Peverell. Does that answer your question?"

"Peverell that is a name I haven't heard outside of children's stories in a long time. I was told that house had died out." Viktor muttered. Peverell was a well-known name in all magical communities around the world. It had a lot of history and power.

"I am the last descendant." Harry acknowledged Viktor's mutter. "Potters are direct descendants from the youngest brother. He was the only one to live long enough to father children."

Viktor nodded. His eyes lingered on Hermione. "You follow him freely. You respect him, trust him with your safety and life." It wasn't a question but she nodded in answer anyway. The Pack watched silently. "Why?"

"Harrison… Harry is special. He looks at you and doesn't see the labels or expectations that others placed on you. He doesn't see who you pretend to be, he sees who you are and who you could become. He makes you want to be true to yourself, to achieve your full potential no matter how much others would try to stop you." Hermione paused, her eyes drifting away from Viktor to lock onto Harry's eyes. "He drew our group together. I can't tell you how but I'm glad he did because he cares for us." She turns back to Viktor and Fleur sharply. "He saved us all in one way or another. He does so by caring about us. I trust him with not just my safety or life, but all our safety and lives. We became family, no closer than family."

Silence descended. Harry just rested against his couch, his right hand running through Luna's white blond hair. Fleur watched. He looked so relaxed, so sure of himself. It was like he was didn't truly have a care in the world. While she knew that was wrong, knew and saw him angry and protective. She heard the whispers about how Harrison and Dumbledore were at odds with each other. She knew Dumbledore had his own agenda and didn't care what had to happen to make those plans come to fruit. Her father made sure to teach his children about all the high power players in the political world so Dumbledore was no mystery to her…Harrison on the other hand was. He had plans, she might not know what they were yet, and while her instincts urged her to just submit to him, she knew he had an agenda. She just didn't know how he would achieve those plans.

"What makes you different from Dumbledore?" The Pack tensed in anger at Fleur's question. "What makes what you are doing better than what Dumbledore does?"

Ginny stood, anger clear in her eyes. "You dare-"

"Ginny calm yourself." Harry shot her a sharp look that had her sitting down in a huff. He turned his gaze back to the two champions who sat in front of him. His eyes glowed with power as he looked each in the eye. "I don't play games. That's what makes me different."

"What is it that you are wanting to do then?" Fleur asked cautiously, arm tugging her sister to her side once again.

"Save Mother Magic."

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Dumbledore had made his excuses to leave the platform right after he watched the two foreign champions walk away with Miss Weasley and Mr. Malfoy. He didn't bother following the students, no. What was the point? Let them talk and pretend that they were adults. It won't amount to anything. No, Dumbledore went to his office to plan. Harry Potter was getting out of control. Challenging him in privet or around the Pack is one thing but this year the boy was challenging Dumbledore's authority in front of everyone, including the visiting headmasters. He needed to do something about the situation. Dumbledore felt that he had let Harry have his freedom for long enough. The boy needed to learn his place. A thought hit him and he grabbed a few lemon drops to suck on, a smile firmly on his lips. Yes that would work nicely, after all the boy wasn't that magically powerful. Dumbledore sucked on his candy and hummed a happy tune as he wrote down the magnificent plan to 'encourage friendly educational competitions and teach Harry Potter where his place was.

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"Save Mother Magic?" Viktor muttered, confusion written across his face.

"Magic is dying. The balance that once maintained her is gone." Hermione had researched everything she could get her hands on after Harry told them about magic and the Old Ways. Her conclusion was that when all magic was in balance more magical children were born and less wars were waged. The Old Ways taught the balance that was needed and had the leaders that kept the balance.

Fleur was the one who caught on first. "Balance, you mean the Lords of Old. I thought you Britain's had forgotten all about them."

Draco snorted. "The purebloods of Britain hold their history close."

"What do you know of the Lords?" Ginny asked, this was the true start of the reason for the meeting.

Viktor spoke of how other countries kept as much balance as they could and of how history of the Old Ways were always being taught at schools. Fleur, now with a clearer picture of the meeting's agenda, observed Harrison. He was interested in what Viktor was saying but not in a way that said this was the first time learning of the information. She knew all that Viktor was telling him. Lords. That was what Ginny asked about, not the Old Ways, not politics, or anything else related to maintain as much magical balance as the different governments could. No, she asked how much they knew of the Lords. Her eyes once again drifted to Harrison, not knowing when she turned away to look at the others in the room. The boy was only 14 years old yet he had so many watching his every move and holding onto his every word. Fleur glanced around at the Hogwarts students that made up the infamous Pack. They all trust him. They all follow him. They were drawn to him for some reason. She was drawn to him… The truth hit her so hard that she almost gasped. Fleur's eyes widened and mouth opened in her shock.

"You're a Lord." The room silenced of all sound, all eyes on her though she never turned from the boy she was now truly seeing. "You, yourself, are a Lord. You're the Grey Lord."

Harry chuckled in amusement. Luna smiled snuggling closer so her head was on his chest to better hear and feel the vibrations of his voice. "You figured it out faster than I had thought either of you would. What gave me away?"

"Instincts. I am part Veela. We are creatures and as such we are drawn to the Grey Lord." Fleur was mostly talking to herself. "My father said he felt the same pull when he was introduced to my brother's wife."

Hermione reached for the notebook that Neville had been writing in. She needed to add this all to her research notes. "Your sister in law is a Lord… Lady? She is the Neutral Lord, Lady, yes?"

Viktor chuckled at her enthusiasm. Fleur felt something relax at the sight of her excitement and released the tight girp she held on her sister. "Yes. Kateri Delacour nee Sultan is an American witch my elder brother met and married three years ago. While a female, she is called a Lord."

"How did she know she was a Lord?" Neville asked truly intrigued. Harry didn't know he was a Lord until it was pointed out to him.

Fleur, now truly relaxed, giggled at the memory of her sister-in-law's first time at the council meeting. "American Magicals never truly lost their memories of the Old Ways like many thought. Yes they became independent from their original country and their ministries but they kept in touch with the Old Ways when they started to merge and mingle with the Native American Magicals. American magic is closer to Mother Magic than many of the modern world. She has always known she was a Lord because she was raised by her grandmother's tribe after her parent's death. She told me once that her spirit animal led her to the revelation when she was twenty-three."

"I can understand why, American magic is purer in a way. American mixes so many types of magic from all over the world. The Witches and Wizards learn all of them in their studies at school and find what works best for them. They don't have the same rigged structure of Dark magic and Light magic. I also know that the Native Americans are earth children, be they magical or not." Harry hummed, head tipped back in thought. His fingers twisting Luna's hair around into small even placed braids.

"You know more about them than most." Fleur told him, a question asked in silence.

Harry pulled his head back up, watching the girl who held so much knowledge. "I have looked into many different countries. I wanted to know what worked and what didn't when it comes to the different governments. I also wanted to compare their birth rate to ours." Harry stilled his hands. "It is a relief to know that the Neutral Lord is one of those children of earth."

"Because Mother Magic is dying?" Viktor, for the first time, really looked the boy in front of him. He was a Dark magic user himself so he didn't feel the same pull that Fleur did thanks to her blood. He also wasn't going to take the boy's word at face value, Hermione's trust in him or not. "What makes you so positive?"

"Tell me something Viktor Krum, how sensitive to magic are you?" Harry softly moved Luna off of him to stand. Viktor tensed but he couldn't rise from his seat. He clenched his fist into the arm of the chair he sat in in shock. He looked back to the boy approaching him. Harry gave a humorless smile. "Tell me can you feel my magic restraining you to your chair? Can you feel it wrapped around you? No?" Harry bent over to look Viktor in the eyes. "I can feel your magic fighting to get you free from my own." Harry stepped back and stood straight. Viktor stumbled up from his chair, almost falling down in surprise. He looked at Harry's emotionless face. "I can feel magic. I can feel Mother Magic. She is dying. Her echo is stronger than she is. Does that answer your question?"

Viktor was left standing in astonishment. He was in the top three strongest students at Durmstrang. Harry sat back down, letting Luna curl back up. The air in the room weighed heavy as both groups watched each other. Draco was the one to break the tense silence. "You came here to decide if an alliance was wise. You have facts now to make that decision. What will be your choice?"

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I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please my faithful loves, keep reading my future chapters. Thanks!