A/n:
Okay, I am offering prayer again for people. Skip past this to the actual chapter if you don't want to bother with it and may God be with you.
For everyone who stuck around for the prayer here it is:
Lord, we see the pain and suffering around us and it grieves our hearts. You are a just god, a god of victories, and a god of mercy and grace. Lord, we ask you this day to grant healing and understanding and patience and love in whatever form they may take to those affected by these things. From the fires in Australia to the Coronavirus aka Covid-19 currently ravaging China and spreading past its boarders to our brothers and sisters who live under threat of death and torture in the Middle East we seek your grace and blessings.
Thank you for loving us so fiercely and passionately.
Thank you for choosing US to offer a way out and to be accepted as your children.
Thank you for choosing to allow your jealousy to protect us from being taken from you that no man or beast or spirit or angel or demon may snatch us away, not even we ourselves.
Yet in all things may your will and not ours be done.
In your name oh Lord Jesus, the Christ, Son of God.
Amen.
*+ovo+*~*+ovo+*~ Chapter Start ~*+ovo+*~*+ovo+*
Harry slowly rose to consciousness. He could feel two human and two serpentine bodies wrapped protectively around him yet the last thing he remembered was taking the disgusting Skele-grow. Instinctively, he flared out his magic, searching for the threat that had his family wrapped around him as living shields only for his magic to slam into power infused stone. They were trapped in a bubble of power and surrounded by stone. Using his magic in a way that had never occurred to him before Harry checked on his family and breathed easier as the scan came back as asleep but unharmed.
"At least I'm not alone and its bigger than my cupboard," Harry muttered with a sigh of resignation. Since he couldn't get up, being trapped by the still sleeping bodies of his family, he slipped deep into his mind just like he used to do in his cupboard. Calling up a memory of flying just to fly Harry settled into his childhood refuge and waited for something to happen. He left just enough connection with his body that he could react quickly if things went sour. He had been attacked in this state before after all... stupid Dursleys.
It didn't take long for Harry's family to start to wake up around him. Feeling safe yet also unwilling to interact Harry stayed in his mind as both the Dark Lord and his father checked him over before exploring the limited stone room. It was Hedwig's sharp smack of her dragon tail against his forehead that brought him back out of his mind.
"Ow! Hedwig!" Harry protested as he sat up and rubbed at the spot where she had hit him next to his lightning scar.
"~Hatchling was scaring his wizards,~" Hedwig scolded reprovingly. Harry glanced at his two Slytherins, confirming her assessment before muttering a sheepish apology. Severus gave him a disapproving glare but didn't say anything else. They didn't know who was listening or watching them after all.
"Our wands were on the bedside table," Voldemort told them quietly. "Either our captors, presumably the goblins, have no need to disarm us to keep control of us or..."
"Or they wanted us at ease and do not mean us immediate harm," Severus concluded as he and Harry accepted their wands from the Dark Lord.
"There is one more option... we might already be under binds. We were asleep for long enough," Voldemort pointed out carefully. "~I would suggest anything truly private be spoken of in parsel and that Hedwig not shift forms unless absolutely necessary. It can be an ace in the hole as those at the memory viewing would have been discrete with most of what they learned. Its not impossible that our captors already know about her alternate forms but it also isn't yet widely known either and it can still be a surprise in our favor.~"
"~Acceptable,~" Hedwig agreed with a huff that released a small puff of steam and smoke. Her purple scales had dimmed to a dusky purple in the low lighting. It made it far easier for her to blend in with the shadows and Nagini had a similar effect on her naturally darker brown and green patterning. The two proved that very fact expertly as they slid up and under their wizard's outer robes to wrap around their bodies like a living armor.
An hour later the trio were standing and looking over the room more closely when the door opened and a serving cart was pushed into the room by three people. Two of those were actual servers who laid out a meal on the stone table placed across from the bed with two bowls of meat on the floor out of the way for the two familiars. Leaving the rest on the cart to be taken or not as those present wished the two servers left. During the whole operation the door to the chamber stayed wide open, giving the three occupants a look into the busy corridor just outside with the two guards stationed to either side of the doorway.
As the door shut behind the servers the richly dressed goblin that was left behind studied them even as the wizards and familiars studied her right back. The wariness in their eyes spoke volumes to the goblin.
"I am Marchek. The three of you have been granted citizenship among the Nation. This," she gestured at the room around them. "Is a part of that. I have been tasked with checking on you, arranging your lessons for basic understanding of your new people, and handling any special needs you may have. The guards out front are not to keep you in but to help you find your way around and make sure you don't get yourselves killed among our people over something stupid or a misunderstanding. They will not fight personal duels for you but should some idiot decide that you need to be assassinated before getting stronger among our people they will aid you. Formal duels are sacred and you will only be allotted six months to learn what may trigger them in general as well as any other etiquette involved in staying alive. Learning Court Etiquette allots you an additional twelve months as you would also have to know Warrior and Noble Etiquette to a basic degree."
"We can leave?" Harry asked cautiously. It was something they had to know as it, at least partly, defined whether or not they were prisoners and officially kidnapped.
"You may only go so far and it must be under escort until you have passed enough basic schooling in our ways," Marchek corrected. "Your guards will know what you can and can not do until then. The three of you have been classed as a warrior unit. A warrior unit is treated much like a family among the Nation and is also considered a military unit. Sometimes this will overlap with a standard family and some or all of the members of a warrior unit will in fact be family by blood or by choice."
"What, exactly, has changed with this change in status?" Severus asked cautiously. Harry was standing between the two older wizards with the familiars flanking them. Nagini was coiled up off to Severus' right in easy reach. Meanwhile Hedwig was on the opposite side of the grouping to Voldemort's left in a mirror of Nagini's position but hovering slightly in mid-air as her coiled dragon form watched this intruder.
"Very little for yourself Potions Master Snape as you already have passed most of the basic schooling and are accredited among our own Potions Masters since your employment through the bank. Your son's adoption placed him as one of the Nation's young and you would have received an information packet containing what he would need to learn had things happened normally. Dark Lord Voldemort, on the other hand, will be monitored and required to complete his healing. Unless the specialists involved place special conditions or restrictions his end of the healing, such as actions or magics necessary for the healing, must be completed within twelve months if at all possible with sooner being better. This is for everyone's safety," Marchek told them firmly. "I understand that he is currently restricted on what actions can be taken and must consult with further specialists among the Nation before moving forward in his healing. It will be arranged on your Unit's behalf and as a part of your integration into the Nation. For the two familiars... no special restrictions are placed and they are accredited as full warrior members of your unit."
Marchek observed them in silence as they considered her words.
"What exactly will we be learning and why does Voldemort have to be healed so fast?" Harry asked carefully.
"Basic weapons, gear maintenance, our language - written and spoken, basic customs, all things from our warrior class to at least the apprentice level, apprentice level healing as well as battle healing. I am told that the healing courses are in consideration of what has happened to place you under our laws," Marchek offered as a general list of what all three of them would be learning.
"Considering the imp had his own private bed at Hogwarts and landed himself in the infirmary every year that is perhaps for the best," Severus grimaced. He really hated the fact that he hadn't looked into that little detail sooner. It had been horrifying to discover the truth of those incidents through Harry's memories.
"These are your permanent rooms should you wish it. You will each have to pick and train in a weapon other than your wand which includes appropriate armor. Additionally, others have offered to help train you in various fields," Marchek informed them. "The Dwarves have offered not only warrior training of their own for all three of you but also craft training to Journeyman in anything to do with a common craft, stone craft, or metal craft. The Vampires have offered combat, strategy, and tactics training as well as administrative training in case one of you actually winds up in charge of a community or people. The Veela were less defined in their offer of aid but placed an offer in any case. The list of all such things will be provided at a later date and will include any restrictions or offered reasons. The so called marked Death Eaters have been sent a letter informing them that you are indisposed working on something with Gringotts and that any messages may be passed through the bank. Anything that arises from that will also be addressed later. Please enjoy your morning meal."
With that she took her leave and left them to their breakfast.
*+ovo+*
A/n: Yeah, so Musey is being stubborn and odd again...