North West England.
Henry walked through the field, slowly growing into a small hill, on top of which he was currently moving. While most of the wizards and witches had preferred to simply apparate to the Castle, or use a broom, or any other alternative means to get there, other than walking, Henry actually rather enjoyed himself at the moment. Almost every wizard and witch, with a few exceptions, that Henry knew had detested the very notion of on foot walking through the countryside, which current Prince Le Fay found to be quite nice and endearing.
Fresh air, sun shining above, smell of fresh grass and far off fields of wild flowers, not to mention the air of sea coming from the west- after weeks of being cooped up in a mansion without much of an access out, and being a prisoner in Azkaban's bowels, Henry rather rejoiced from the change of scenery. He had always found countryside and walks around it nice and helpful, possibly having been taught of their value and beauty by the fact of how his and Rose's house always seemed ugly, cold, unwelcoming and horrible, though the exterior and interior were quite lovely.
Unfortunately, their parents had completely destroyed the positive points of their house for the two of them. Needless to say, both siblings had found the hills and valleys of Southern Wales far more appealing, amplified by the fact that no Potter had wanted to venture any more further than Quidditch's field outside of the mansion. Rose and Henry never found any appeal to that sport, which only further served to amplify James Potter's belief that his eldest and youngest children weren't even his own, as no true child of his would ever deny the greatness and pleasure of Quidditch. Henry and Rose had wished many times, that it was the actual, but alas.
As Henry moved towards the top of the hill, or a ridge, his mind had wandered back to the events that had taken place right after his return from Gringotts. To say that his sister and Black relatives were shocked to find out that he was now Prince Le Fay, but also a vessel for Dorea's soul and Lord Slytherin, would be an understatement of the decade. Rose and Faye both were utterly shocked and couldn't completely comprehend what they had heard just then, but once they did, Rose simply stated that to her Henry was still her older brother and nothing was still changing that, not even his new looks and blood. Faye, still very new to her nephew, simply accepted it, but decided to maintain some distance between them, considering their relation and the first impressions.
Nymphadora was completely floored when she learned the news from Henry himself. For a moment there, it seemed like she had forgotten how to blink or even breath, until she rebooted back into her usual mode with a storm of questions and demands. Fortunately, Henry had been able to answer them all, even some of the stranger ones, like that one about their blood relation. After having her curiosity satisfied, Nymphadora had decided to leave, but not before making a comment about Henry now looking like, in her own words: "a smocking sexy Devil."
Cassiopeia wasn't as shocked by the status of her great nephew, as she was utterly shocked and flabbergasted to find out that Henry was once a Horcrux for Voldemort and that Dorea's soul was still locked in him. Henry knew that the two sisters had been the closest, out of all their siblings in Black family, and that Cassiopeia had still mourned on some level the passing of her sister. Being a researcher of Dark Arts, as well as many secret and even forbidden ones, like Necromancy and Alchemy, Cassiopeia had immediately jumped at Henry, examining him on every level she could, finding out that Goblins were correct. After that, she informed them that she was now working on some new project. Something that Henry suspected had to do with his grandmother's soul.
Arcturus and Regulus had taken the news with a grain of salt, but after examining everything, had both come to the same conclusion as Henry. This was very good news for them, excellent even, as now their positions could've been strengthened to the extremes, as House Le Fay was the Royal House. Unlike most Noble Houses, who had acres of land, House Le Fay was actually effectively in control of country-sized land, but also could command the loyalty of all that had resided upon it: wizards, witches, magical creatures and beings, and everything in between. Not even Ministry had the power to change that, as the very magic prevented that. And considering that House Le Fay controlled all of Northern England, northern and western Midlands and Northern half of Wales, Henry could call upon a great many subjects, and could count on quite a number of Noble Houses to pledge their allegiance to him. That is, if he could demonstrate them that he really was worthy of name Le Fay.
And with that in mind, Henry had spent the last two and a half weeks, retraining his body and mind, along with learning new tricks, spells and ways to fight. He was very fortunate that Morgana had finalized the healing process on his body and magic, as it allowed Regulus to fully focus on teaching Henry what he knew. While in spells, curses and charms, Henry was roughly in the same league as Regulus, so they skipped that after accessing Henry's reaction and instincts as sufficient enough, he found himself utterly hating the latter, when he decided to teach him the ways of non-magical combat, namely hand-to-hand and gunfire. Turns out, Aurors in the US actively trained in those areas, furthering their expertise and giving them advantages in combat over wizards and witches. And Regulus had showed Henry the advantages of those, when he repeatedly had broken his arms and legs in the spars, as well as showing what guns could do to a body.
Initially, Henry had dismissed those things as unnecessary, but after the first session, having been humiliated and utterly defeated, Henry took to those two subjects like fish to the water. Thanks to am unregistered Time Turner of House Black, in two months' worth time, Henry had learned from Regulus the basics and several forms for Aikido, Krav Maga and Wing Chun, as well as many things about human anatomy and how to properly hold, shot and utilize guns, from simple pistols to sniper rifles. And when it came to the firearms, Henry found himself becoming quite the fan of those, almost to the same level as James Potter with Quidditch. He was even thinking about starting up a collection of those, as a hobby, plus to stockpile on ammunition and weaponry. Whoever had said that Muggles were like helpless babies before Wizards and Witches, clearly hasn't seen what a well-placed shot from FN FAL with a 7,62 caliber round could do to a person's head. And when Henry recalled those nuclear missiles... He was honestly really glad that the Cold War, as Regulus called the period after the WWII, never got hot.
After Regulus and Alastor had examined Henry thoroughly, they gave the green light for the newest Prince Le Fay to go to the Castle and claim the seat there. The decision had long been reached with the others on that matter, but only yesterday did Arcturus tell him why he wanted Henry as ready is he could be for this move. He informed him of the location of Le Fay Castle, which, though hidden, could be found, if one looked carefully enough. But along with the location, he also told him about Castle Le Fay's guardian, a Higher Demon, bound to House Le Fay by Morgana herself.
Though Henry was no expert of Demonology or even magical beings and creatures, he, along with the majority of Wizards and Witches, knew full well that denizens of the Underworld, a parallel dimension that exists in quite close proximity to their own dimension, were extremely powerful beings, capable of living for thousands of years. They were always considered to be a threat of the highest caliber, as Higher Demons, or Devils as more commonly known, especially those of the High position, were not only as intelligent as humans, but were far more cunning, ruthless, and had unmatched powers and control over magic. One Devil, even a weak one, could take on entire platoon of Aurors and come out unscathed, as they possessed a limited immunity to the human charms and even curses, and if the Devil was one with Rank, then it could considered to be a disaster.
There was a common classification of Demons on Low and High. Low Demons were creatures and beasts, much like those in common magical world, but far more volatile, dangerous and quite intelligent. Creatures like Imps, Scamps, Boggarts and even Dementors are considered to be Low Demons. High Demons, or Devils, were the magical beings, like Veelas and Nymphs, being considered arguably even more intelligent than men and far more dangerous.
Devils, according to Merlin, the lead Demonologist of mankind, had a ranking system, which determined the Devil's power, might and status within their society, starting with the lowest Baron, and ending with the Great King and Satan. Henry's Devil had the rank of Duke, the 4th highest rank among Devils, yet enough for Henry to consider it to be deadly and most dangerous, as there were evidences in history of Devil Dukes destroying near entire armies of wizards and witches without much trouble.
It was most fortunate for the humanity and wizard kind that Devils and Low Demons very rarely left their Underworld, as them being in this world for any elongated periods of time was impossible, due to the negative effects it could take on them. Unfortunately for Henry, his Devil seemed to be immune to any and all negative effects of the human world, as it was bound to this world. He knew that in direct combat with it, he was a goner, no doubt about, but he didn't need to fight it. If the Devil was really bound to the House Le Fay, then it should've felt that he had taken the role as the Head of the House Le Fay, and therefore, it would be bound to serve him.
In theory, it was all fairly simple and easy, but in practice… Henry really hopped that the theory would work in practice.
Finally reaching the top of the hill, Henry looked from the top of it forward, and had nearly widened his eyes at the sight before him. Over two miles away from him, settled at the edge of the cliff, stood a mighty citadel, surrounded from the west by sea and cliffs, and two rows of walls from the east. Outer and inner walls were separated into three sections, separated by large round coned towers, giving the impression of a halved hexagon. It was truly a mighty citadel, built to project power and might, as well as to withstand the siege, with towers on the two walls, visible intersection walls connecting the inner and outer battlements, three gates on eastern, southern and northern parts of the walls, elevation of the inner wall and castle itself.
The castle seemed similar to that of Hogwarts, but instead of simple stone, seemed like it was made of white stone marble, with five large coned towers made into a form pentagram around the structure, with the roof being made of the blue material. Overall, the Le Fay Castle looked almost as big as Hogwarts, without its ground, with a great deal of the territory used for the battlements. The citadel looked like it was freshly built, quite possibly kept that way by the magic of House Le Fay. After looking at the construction for quite a while, Henry made his way down the hill, and after an hour of walking, he reached the opened gates of the Citadel. He had clearly underestimated the size of the place, as he seemed almost dwarfed by it.
Stepping through the opened gates, he looked around himself, seeing that intersection between the walls was also segmented by walls with smaller gates that connected outer and inner walls. The place before him was completely desolate, but not even grass grew through the stoned floor. Stepping through the second gates, Henry admired the beauty and power of the Castle before him, and saw that it was actually surrounded by a third, smaller wall, connected to the five towers, and not connected to other walls. A true place for the final stand, as he saw it in his mind.
Stepping through the gates into a courtyard before the gates of the castle proper, he saw a woman standing right in the middle of courtyard. She was dressed in a black robe and dress underneath, which did nothing to hide her more than beautiful and voluptuous figure, with a witch's hat on top of her head and a forked wooden staff in her right hand. Her hair was scarlet red, very long and luscious, made into thick braids on the sides of her stunning beautiful face, whose dark golden eyes looked directly at him. However, while the beauty of the woman was more than enough to stop any man in the tracks, it wasn't what had stopped Henry.
Instead, it was the immense pressure from sheer might and power coming towards him from her. He had felt the power of Dumbledore before and had found it terrifying enough for himself, but this woman…
Her power made Dumbledore look like a Squib.
There was no doubt in Henry's mind: this was the Devil guarding the place.
"Another craven, who has decided to come and defile this place, seeking treasures and secrets of House Le Fay." She stated as a matter of a fact, with Henry gulping at the cold and near emotionless tone of voice. "Your kind doesn't seem to learn from their past mistakes. I should simply burn you alive, but I am in the merciful mood today, so I give you one minute to remove yourself from this place and never to return. Fail to comply, mortal, and I will gladly let you join your dead compatriots, once I am done with you."
"I am neither a craven nor a looter." Henry stated to her with a voice as firm and strong as he could muster, which didn't impress the redhead in the slightest. "And I am not here to take what is already mine, Devil. I am this Castle's master and Lord, for I am Henry Arthur Le Fay, Prince Le Fay, chosen and blessed by Queen Morgana Le Fay herself." For a second there, Henry could've swore that he saw an eye twitch on that Devil from what he had said.
However, before he could fully determine why it twitched, she tapped her staff onto the floor, and steel chains erupted right out of the ground, binding Henry by his arms and forcing him on to his knees. The chains held very tightly, moving his arms to the sides and outstretching them, nearly breaking them and pulling them apart from his body. The second he had tried to apparate from them, the chains suddenly burned his arms, as if they were made of magma. His screams could be heard through the miles away from here, while the crimson haired woman slowly walked to Henry. Once she was in front of his kneeling and half-conscious form, she returned the chains into the normal state, leaving Henry with both his arms burnt to the crisp and cloth on them utterly burned away. She looked at him with a curious eye, before speaking up.
"You may bear resemblance to the late Majesties, and your magic is connected to House Le Fay, but your mortal kind has your own ways of deception, much like I have my ways of revealing them." She put her hand onto his head, and Henry hissed as he felt her reading through his very mind and memories at an incredible speed. "Hm, someone is trying to deny me entry into your mind, someone surprisingly powerful. Tell her that she put a commendable, but Devils aren't as easily denied of what they want." And with that, she increased her efforts many times over, forcing Henry to scream in pain.
His head felt like it was melting, as thousands of memories flashed before his eyes, from his earliest ones to the latest. All of that came through his mind within mere seconds, as the Devil read through it all. After she was done, she pulled her hand away, blinking a couple of times as if processing it all herself, before her face had softened somewhat, as she looked at Henry again. The very next second, she dispelled the chains, and put her free hand onto his shoulder, sending healing magic into his body, returning Henry's limbs back into their top conditions. She was done in almost no time, before she removed her hand and allowed the rejuvenated Prince Le Fay rise from his knees. Once he did so, she gave him a small bow, before speaking up.
"My apologies, Your Highness." Her voice was now a respectable one. "I was under the impression that another false claimant has arrived here, as had happened several times before in the past. I am certain you can understand the hostility, milord."
"Naturally." Henry agreed, fixing his coat's arms with his wand, before looking at the woman. "Although, this quite the turn of an attitude. Are you really that ready to serve the new Prince Le Fay, considering that you've just met him?"
"An interesting question, milord, but you have nothing to worry about, Your Highness." She gave him a small smile. "My loyalty to House Le Fay is my life, in quite literal sense, and even if I were to dislike my Master, I wouldn't be able to betray him or her in any way or capacity, direct or indirect. Your new mother had made quite a thorough job of making sure that I only turn my ire and powers against the enemies of your choosing. And aside from that, I have read your entire life, and I must say that out of most humans, you are at least worthy of some respect from me."
"You make it sound like I am still beneath you." Henry stated to her, with Devil chuckling to that one. "Shouldn't you be flattering, obedient and soft-spoken, like all servants are?"
"If you would prefer me as weak-willed, completely obedient and ready to service you with my body at any moment in time, then I am glad to disappoint you, milord." She said with a bit of amusement in her voice. "I am quite a different kind of servant, Prince Le Fay. If you want yourself what I described, then feel free to summon a Succubus, as they would most surely satisfy you in those parameters and more. I, unlike those low sows and skanks, pride myself as more than just a pleasure tool. In me, you will find your most loyal confidant, wisest advisor, most knowledgeable and intelligent scholar and most vicious warrior. And if you desire for a friend or even a lover in me… Well, you have ways to go before I let you in my bed." She chuckled to him, with Henry shaking his head at that one.
"I'm not looking for a bed warmer or even a wife right now, but what you already offer sounds just about what I was looking for." Henry said to her, with her looking curiously at him.
"That is actually a shame, milord. I would recommend you find yourself someone to share your bed, if at least to get familiar with the process of copulation." She said in a fairly serious tone of voice, with Henry looking surprised at that one. "Why look so surprised, milord? You are the Prince Le Fay, Lord Slytherin, Potter and Peverell, and your foremost duty is the insurance of those Houses' safe and prosperous continuation. And that is achieved through only one way, unless, of course, you decide to achieve immortality or create heirs through alternative means, though I'd highly recommend you stick with the prime way."
"Are you supposed to be my advisor, or my mother? Because I get the feeling that you are trying to the be the latter, and I have a pretty bad experience with that one." Henry said to her, with Devil looking not one bit admonished. "Also, before I forgot to ask, what is your name? I assume that you have a name, even though you are…"
"Obviously I do, since that's the easiest way to differentiate one another. You humans aren't the only ones to come up with this." She said in a lightly sarcastic tone. "My demonic name is Belserion, but my given name is Irene. You may refer to me as Irene Belserion, if you want my full name, but Irene will suffice."
"A given name? Is it some part of your bounding contract, which binds you to House Le Fay, similar to House Elves and clothes?" Henry asked of her, with now named Irene nodding to him.
"Nice to see that you catch on quickly, milord. Keep up the intelligent attitude, and you may just impress me." She said to him in a light manner, before explaining to him. "You are correct, Your Highness. My birth name is Belserion, but after Queen Morgana had defeated me in battle and put me on the verge of death, she offered me to serve House Le Fay. A part of the binding contract is for the Master or Mistress to give a name, which will become the part of the Devil from that part. And as much as I find it insulting that you compare me to House Elves, your assessment is quite on the spot."
"Well, compared to them, you do look far more beautiful and intelligent in my eyes." Henry offered her the compliment, with Irene chuckling a little at this one. "Plus the fact that you nearly turned me into a smoldering heat of ashes also adds up to your overall appeal in my eyes. Always like a woman that knows how to defend herself."
"Mm, a man after my heart, aren't you, milord. Like I said, you still have ways to go, but you may be on the right track." She said to him in a bit of a sultry way. "A word of advice for the future: never tell a bound Devil that she is like a House Elf, or she may find that demeaning of her. Males can be told, as being bound breaks their characters in most cases, but women… We comply, but never break, do remember that."
"I will." Henry nodded to Irene, with her offering him to go inside. "Now, since all the confusion is put behind us, I assume that I have something important to do."
"Aside for siring a few Heirs, it would be prudent that you fully reactivate the magic of House Le Fay and its lands." Irene told him, with Henry giving her a bit of an eye. "Don't look so scandalized, milord. Part of my service includes insuring the survival of House Le Fay, and right now, that survival requires you putting your charisma, man's charm and capabilities of your loins to good use."
"If that is the case, and if I were to fail in finding me a suitable partner for that job, would you take up that duty to the needed level?" Henry asked of her in amused and somewhat flirting manner. "Because from practical views, you, Irene, seem to be the best choice: stunningly beautiful, intelligent, loyal to the fault, immensely powerful. Devils do can mate with humans, no? And if so, wouldn't it make the most logical choice for you to do the duty, so to speak?" He had a bit a sly smirk on his lips, expecting an answer from Irene, who had only an amused smile herself.
"You are quite correct in this regard, milord. And yes, I am most perfectly capable of bearing you children, if you are wondering." Irene didn't hesitate with that answer. "But, as much as I may wish to ensure that strength of House Le Fay is increased through my blood, it would be a poor choice, given that you would do well to forge political alliances with other Houses. And marriages are among the best tools for that, milord, so as much as I may appeal to you, you'd be most wise to find a strong witch from a powerful family and do your duty. But, if you manage to impress me enough though, I may find myself interested in being your mistress, if your wives allow it."
"W-wives?" Henry asked of her, with Irene looking with an amused look at him. "A-as in plural, not singular? Care to explain?"
"Oh dear, I did forget to mention it, didn't I?" Irene made a fake troubled face, clearly enjoying herself. "Considering that you are the Head of several Houses, by magical law, you are entitled to several wives, each of which will be a Lady of one House and bear Heirs and Heiresses to that particular House. While House Gaunt can be integrated into the House Slytherin, seeing as it was the side branch of the latter, you are still left with four Houses to populate, milord, so you are entitled to four wives, and I would advise you to exercise this particular right instead of limiting yourself to one particular lady."
"Do I even want to know why I should heed your advice, Irene?" Henry asked of her.
"If you are unable to reach the conclusions about it on your own, milord, then feel free to ask at any moment." She said to him, as they walked through the gates of castle and into the great hall.
The great hall looked very similar to that of Hogwarts, safe for the predominantly white, blue and golden colors, as well as the banners of House Le Fay hung all around. There were two large tables with seats for several hundred people, as well as an elevated part with a white marble throne, with a dragon folding his wings above the seat. There were doors leading to other parts of the castle, but for now, Henry and Irene were focusing on the throne, to which they came. As they stood near it, Irene spoke up.
"As Prince Le Fay, only you hold the right to sit on this throne, as this is the center of Le Fay Land's magic." Irene spoke up, with Henry listening. "You must take your seat, and proclaim from it through magic, that House Le Fay lives once more and that there is Prince Le Fay at last. This will reactivate the magic of your House in your controlled lands to their fullest, letting Wizards, Witches, Creatures, Beings and other Races to know, that the land they occupy once more has its Master."
"And what will happen after that?" Henry asked of her.
"Races of magic will be the first to react, and will come here in less than three days' time to witness you and access you, milord." Irene spoke. "Elementals, Night and High Elves, Vampires, Werewolves and Centaurs, even the communities of Veelas and Jotanns, that have sprung up in the period of House Le Fay's absence, all will come here to either reaffirm, or pledge, their oaths of loyalty, or, as I believe first will happen, to see if you can truly live up to your title before doing what they see as the right thing, milord. I can assure you, that you will need to prove to them that you can govern them wisely and protect them from harm and enemies. They all have been oppressed, humiliated and disgraced for centuries by the Ministry of Magic, and while you may be above it when governing them, they won't stand a Prince that doesn't care for them. Find a way to show them that you intend to care for them wisely and demonstrate your power to both protect your subjects and destroy your opponents, and they will follow you."
"Become the man that does things, and not speaks of them, and they will be on my side." Irene agreed with that summarization with a nod. "And what of the Wizarding kind on my land and Ministry?"
"Their reaction will come later to you, but I suspect that Ministry will try to reach out to you as fast as possible. Albus Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge will both try get you on their side and also to limit your influence and power as much as they can, by laws, corruption and other methods. As a Prince and Head of Royal House, you have certain special privileges and rights, affording you a measure of autonomy and independence in governance and actions from Ministry." She informed him. "This is what makes you a danger for them, milord: your level of independence, and the fact that once you are in power, the Ministry will lose any and all grip on magical races and creatures on your lands, as they will serve you. And if the Wizards and Witches, both of magical and non-magical descent, decide to pledge their allegiance to you, they will effectively leave the Ministry's control and become your vassals instead, same with Noble Houses. In essence, you will still be a subject to Ministry, but you will still have independence in actions and policies in your lands. You could compare it to the relations between United Kingdom and its Dominions, like Canada, during the war with Grindelwald."
"No offence, but where did you acquire all this knowledge?" He asked of Irene, who looked amusingly at him.
"Milord, I was to simply stand in the courtyard like a statue for another idiot of a wizard to come and robe this Castle, I would've gone made in a matter of days." She simply replied to him. "Naturally, I have outfitted this place with warning charms and spells to inform me about intruders, in case I was away from here. And seeing how House Le Fay has been extinct with now true claimants to come for centuries, I've used my free time to see this world and learn of it, not to mention to simply relief my boredom with the occasional endeavor or two of certain kind." She gave him a sultry smile, with Henry looking amused.
"Care to elaborate on your conquests, Irene?" He folded his arms on his chest, waiting for an answer. "One would think that you would be… chaste in your duties and life?"
"Chastity is a sin for a Devil, milord. Do please stop making such poor jokes with me around. It does you no honor to make yourself a fool in front of others and me." Irene told him in a bit of amused tone. "I am both a Devil and a woman, and hundreds of years of waiting around and doing nothing can leave one with my combination thoroughly famished for pleasures of flesh. In my case, a night of sex with no obligations is like a holiday for a hardworking man- a necessity to relief me of stress. And if it bothers you, I assure you, that there are no attachments involved whatsoever: I merely enjoy myself, with my partners forgetting all about me next thing in the morning, while I leave satisfied and refreshed. But, if you see this as a way to get me in your bed, milord, let me warn you, that I am quite picky with my partners, be they men and women. Especially if it's a prolonged arrangement and attachments involved."
"I'll keep that in mind…" Henry said to her in an equally amused tone, to which Irene simply chuckled. "Well, seeing as we've covered everything let's get this done, since my sister must be worried sick by now about me." Henry said to Irene, taking a seat upon the throne of Le Fay.
"I believe you know the words, milord?" She asked of him, with Henry nodding to him.
"To Magic I call, to powers that are in this land I command, to ancestors of my blood I invoke: the Exalted and Royal House Le Fay lives in flesh and blood once more. Friends- rejoice, enemies- beware, all others- know, for we walk upon the lands of our forefathers and foremothers once again. With the right of magic and blood, with the blessing of Morgana, the Mother of Le Fay, I, Henry Arthur Le Fay, call upon the ancient and dormant powers of my lands to reawaken. Long was your slumber, and now it's over, as is over the era of waiting for those loyal to my blood and name. In the name of Magic and Morgana, we LIVE!" And as Henry had said those words, the dormant and ancient magic of Le Fay reawakened to this world once more.
The citadel shook, as it unleashed the pulse of raw magic into the world, signaling all that House Le Fay was once more. And soon enough, all of Wizarding World knew of it…
Wiltshire. Malfoy Manor.
Lord Voldemort was seated at the head of the table in his servant's house, planning his moves and biding his time. His fiasco at killing William Potter on the day of his resurrection was still fresh in his mind, and while it may've been something of a humiliation in his mind, it was also a good way to cool his temper and resort to his Slytherin side. He knew that now the boy was secured by the Order of Phoenix, making him near untouchable with his current resources, meaning that he would need to strengthen his ranks before he would wage war on Ministry and Dumbledore once again.
That would require of him to use diplomacy, to reaffirm the previous loyalties, as well as fear, to coarse some into his ranks. He would also need to release his most loyal and powerful followers from Azkaban, and he would certainly do so. His only regret was the fact that Henry Potter was no longer among the living, as he would've been delighted to have such a promising and powerful wizard among his Death Eaters. As much as he may've hated to admit his defeats, he always did acknowledge a skillful and powerful Wizard when he met one.
And Henry Potter was certainly one of the most powerful Wizards of this generation, a true inheritor of might of Charlus and Dorea Potter. The fact of him discovering him and his servant Quirrell, along with their plans before Christmas, as well as killing his servant in such an easy manner had made quite an impression on Voldemort. Add to that what Lucius had told him about his loss of his diary, something for which Malfoy will pay dearly once his usefulness expired, only reinforced Voldemort's belief in eldest Potter's abilities and potential. The boy could've easily surpassed him and Dumbledore in power and magical prowess, and was already able to defeat his younger self, from what he had learnt from Severus.
Such potential, such power… With such qualities, it was no wonder that Voldemort had considered him to be his main threat from the prophecy and tried to kill. If only Dorea Potter hadn't overpowered him with her Expecto Patronus, the threat to him would've been removed back then. But, even though he had failed back then, he should be thankful to Dumbledore and the boy's idiots of the parents for sending him to Azkaban. If only those fools had loved and cared for him, they could've had the most powerful Wizard since Grindelwald on the side of Light. But, as Voldemort knew all too well, to Dumbledore it was unacceptable, to be more powerful than him. In his mind, only he was entitled to being the most powerful Wizard on the face of the planet, and anyone who could challenge him, were to be eliminated as the followers of dark.
He did the very thing with Harry Potter, when he could've molded him, instead of that brat William, into a perfect weapon. Dark Lord was still puzzled with why Dumbledore had believed William to be his bane, instead of already proven efficient Harry. While the Boy-Who-Lived certainly held enough power and skills to be considered above average, compared to his brother, he was like a mortal against a demigod. Normally, Voldemort would've considered this attention of Dumbledore to William Potter as a ploy to focus Dark Lord's attention on the wrong Potter, while Harry would have more breathing space to develop and grow stronger. But this plan was scrapped the very moment he learnt of Henry's death, which was confirmed by Andromeda Tonks, an avid opposing Witch to both him and Dumbledore.
Voldemort never liked it when his predictions were wrong, and now he was contemplating, what made William Potter, in the eyes of Dumbledore and everyone else, so special and the only to be able to kill him. Because if he found out the reason for that, he could use it, exploit to his benefit, and find a way circumvent it.
And as he was contemplating his plans, Voldemort, along with the rest of his Death Eaters seated at the table, whom he ignored so far, sensed by their very being something. It took him less than a second to realize that it was an echo of an extremely powerful magical surge. Voldemort could see that his servants had shaken at the feeling of it, with some even having their arms trembling. Hell, even his own left hand tingled from that feeling, the feeling of a magical energy being released…
"Milord, did you feel that?" Lucius asked the Dark Lord, breaking his thought process.
"I did, Lucius, I certainly did." Voldemort nearly hissed at him for interrupting his thought process. "It would seem, that an extremely powerful magic was released from its slumber. It was an echo of a roar… The roar of a very ancient and very powerful magic, awakening in England."
"Could it be that Dumbledore and his cronies have found some kind of weapon against us?" Asked Adrian Nott, with some of the other Death Eaters murmuring about it amongst themselves.
"No, Adrian, I doubt it." Voldemort mused to himself. "But, it is worth checking out. Severus will soon report to us about the today's meeting of the Order and we will have the answer. At the same time… Lucius."
"Y-yes, my Lord?" Lucius nearly jumped when his Lord addressed him again, with Draco and Narcissa stiffening near him.
"If you wish to earn my forgiveness for you blunder, you will do as I say, understood?" Voldemort saw his former second-in-command nodding his head. "Good. You will go to the Ministry and find out everything about this from them. Such a powerful surge would not escape the Department of Mystery and Minister himself, so use your dear old friend Cornelius and learn of what Ministry know."
"I will do so. You have my word, my Lord." Lucius bowed his head.
"Yes you will. And in the meantime, Narcissa?" He turned his attention to another squirming blond, who listened to him with a stilled breath. "You are a witch of Black Family descent. It would be beneficial to rekindle your relations with Arcturus Black. As much as he may disagree and even despise us, he could still be beneficial to us. You and young Draco are to meet with him, impress him and charm him, make him trust you. Through that, we may learn far more about Dumbledore, his pawns, as well as find out about this surge. But, be very careful not to drive him away, or the consequences for the mistake will be severe."
"W-We will, my Lord." Narcissa bowed her head to him.
"My Lord, is it wise to trust Severus?" Evan Rosier asked of his Lord, drawing the attention towards himself. "I merely wish to point out, that he has been working for Dumbledore since our last war, feeding us false information among the truthful one. He was the one who misinformed you about who was with Potter children back then, something that even Pettigrew didn't know about. And that's not to mention his involvement in death of my sister Isabel and her children at the orders of Dumbledore…"
"Evan, I understand that you have your reservations about Severus, and I agree with some of them." Voldemort spoke up, interrupting his servant. "Death of your sister and her children is truly a tragedy, even if she was Michael Potter's wife. A tragedy, for which Severus has paid in full to me, as he has disobeyed my own orders. And as for trusting him… There are always more ways than one through which I may learn from my spies. Ways, of which Severus has no knowledge about, so rest assured that I always get truth out of him. Now, you all have you orders. Leave." With that said, Voldemort was left alone to his own musings and thoughts.
The balance of magic and power has certainly shifted in England, but it was unclear, to which side. Could it be that Dumbledore has gained a new friend in some way, or did Magic bless him with an ally to finally stomp his enemies. Or, something that he wished was not true, was this something disastrous for both of them: a new enemy, one powerful enough to end them both. Voldemort knew that his power was immense and great, but there was one truth that he could never deny himself. Something that Grindewald's defeat had taught him:
No matter how strong and powerful you may be, there will always come someone even stronger.
London. Ministry of Magic. Minister's Cabinet.
Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, was restraining herself from rolling her eyes and cursing the two idiots before herself. Usually, she would've done so without any trouble, but the fact that the idiots in question before her were the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge and his Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge, put a stop to her desires, again. Oh how she wished she could've put those through all circles of Hell for their corruption, utter incompetency and allowing the Ministry to becoming riddled with corruption and utter fools, like body with tumors. But, unfortunately for her, she couldn't do so.
Yet, at least, despite two very thick files for each of them she has been putting together about their crimes and transgressions. She had to wait, wait until she could get a good chance, a suitable pretense to remove them from power, and she hoped that her scheme with Henry Potter would provide her with one. Even though it had been some time since she had let him out of Azkaban and he was yet to provide results, she had hope and faith in him being able to deal with Horcruxes, Voldemort and Dumbledore. The fact that House Black and Regulus Black himself were helping him strengthened her faith in their success.
She had known about Regulus Black for over six years now, ever since she and her American counterpart had organized an operation on liquidation of dark coven. British contingent was led by Kingsley and herself personally, while American Aurors were commanded by her counterpart, Jeffery Longstreet, and Regulus Black himself. Even though she and Kingsley had their reservations about Regulus Black, the fact that Jeff Longstreet, one of the most respected by ICW Aurors, trusted Regulus with his life, assured her enough to work together. The operation was a complete success, with Regulus having even saved her life in the thick of the fighting from a stray curse. After that, she stayed in contact with Regulus on a certain basis, so when Voldemort returned, she decided to enlist his help in her scheme, after learning about him and his family being transferred to England against their will. He had agreed, even getting eager after Arcturus Black agreed with her too.
As much as she had wished to directly support them, she had to reserve herself with passing them information and getting her own department ready for the upcoming scuffle.
"Now, Amelia, I believe there is a certain matter that needs to be discussed." Cornelius spoke up to her, with Dolores listening with her sickening smile. "My Undersecretary here has informed me, that there has been some… unusual activity in your Department. Troubling activity, even."
"What kind of trouble do you refer to, Minister?" Amelia asked of him without any emotions, with Dolores answering for Minister.
"You have been conducting illegal investigations into the personal lives and matters of Ministry's workers, most prominently into those of your own Department." Dolores said in a sickeningly sweet voice, smiling like a toad before catching her dinner. "The number of arrests has already reached the number of 17, if I am not mistaken. Now, Ms. Bones, would care to explain your reasoning and actions, as well as your failure of informing the office of the Minister about your activity?" Bones simply blinked at her, before turning to Cornelius and speaking in a neutral tone.
"Minister, is there something you would like to ask me, sir?" She asked, silently reveling in the outrage that Undersecretary was feeling. "Because if this is all, I would like to return to my duties."
"Um, yes, I would like to know what Ms. Umbridge just asked of you, Amelia." He composed himself somewhat, with Amelia nodding to him.
"Very well, sir." She maintained her composure. "Am I correct to understand that everything said here will not leave this room?"
"Oh, absolutely. Only the three of us here will know, I assure you." Cornelius told her, with Amelia nodding to him again.
"Thank you, sir. As Ms. Undersecretary has pointed out earlier, I have begun investigations and checking of workers of Ministry, or more specifically, my own Department, without the knowledge of you and your office, sir." Amelia admitted, with Dolores beginning to feel elation from being right. "My reasoning for my actions and not informing you was my belief that there were elements in Ministry that could hamper, or even jeopardize, proper functions of our current government, due to their associations with the elements that opposed current government and society."
"What elements do you mean, Amelia?" Cornelius asked of her. "Surely, you don't believe in Dumbledore's nonsense about You-Know-Who being back and all that, right?"
"Sir, with all due respect, my Department and I personally operate with facts and evidences, not with rumors and nonsensical tales." Amelia retorted, with Cornelius nodding to her. "There were no evidences or any other signs of Voldemort being back, and as such, no reason for me and my Department to begin investigation on this case. However, after a long review of the previous actions of Aurors and Hit Wizards, I have discovered a very long streak of irregularities, so called mistakes and more: known criminals allowed to go free, ignored orders of detention, sudden "gifts" for their service, etc. This, along with the alarming number of compromised personnel, has forced me to take immediate actions."
"Yes, yes, that does sound like nothing good for us, but surely you could've informed me about this sudden inspection, right?" Cornelius asked of him.
"Or perhaps, you are secretly dismantling the Ministry of its loyal defenders, in favor of possibly promoting your own interest, hm?" Dolores asked of her, giving her signature smile, with Amelia not even batting an eye again, before she produced a thick file and handed it to the Minister.
"This is just part of my investigation, sir, and as you can see for yourself, people listed in this file have close contact with other branches of the Ministry. And at least four of the suspects are known acquaintances of the highest members of your Ministry, sir. One such member is your Undersecretary here, sir." Amelia informed them, with Dolores looking scandalized. "Should the information about the inspection been leaked to anyone, suspects could've covered their tracks, redirected their blames agaisnt others, like you personally, sir, and caused havoc to our government. The decision to not inform anyone about my investigations and inspection was made from the intentions of safety and security, sir."
"Ah, yes, I can see that." Cornelius flipped through the pages, looking curiously at the arrested, before closing the file. "And, if I may ask, what did the investigations have revealed so far? Anyone… Cooperating with those elements? Like with, perhaps, Dumbledore?" Amelia again nearly rolled her eyes at how obsessed the man was with Dumbledore.
"Currently, it was established that half of the arrested Aurors and Hit Wizards have been taking regular bribes from known criminal bosses and smugglers in Knockturn Alley. They, along with the rest, have also been found in abuse of their power, extortion of protection money and other crimes." Amelia informed Cornelius, who nodded to her eagerly. "And as for the connections to Dumbledore, there are three well known Aurors whom I am confident have been feeding some sort of information about Ministry: James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin."
"They should be arrested immediately and tried for treason, with the werewolf being exterminated on the spot." Dolores spat out without any thinking, with Amelia turning her attention to her. "It is your fault that he has been allowed to work in the Ministry, is it not?"
"Ms. Undersecretary, Auror Lupin has been admitted into my Department by the late Crouch Senior, my predecessor, with current government's permission might I add." Amelia reminded Dolores, shutting her. "As for their arrests, these three have a great number of supporters in the society, seen as heroes of war with Voldemort. To arrest them, I need to show very solid evidences of their crimes against the Ministry. Until then, I have taken precautions, making sure to limit their access to sensitive information and have been closely monitoring their activities. Should they make a mistake, I will exploit it to the fullest, sir. Until then, it would be most beneficial if I were to continue my investigations uninterrupted. I will keep you updated and informed of the progressed, if you wish."
"Oh, certainly, Amelia. And yes, you have the green light to continue your…" In that very moment, everyone in the room felt what the rest of the Wizarding Britain had felt. "Wh-what was that? W-was that some kind of spell? Was this Dumbledore's doing?! Amelia, what are you not telling me?!" Cornelius was practically having a panic attack.
"Minister, I swear upon my magic that I am as confused as you are about what was that, and that I have no idea what caused it." Magic illuminated from Amelia, confirming that she was telling the truth. "From what I understand, it was a magical echo, caused by the surge of a released magical energy. I am no Unspeakable, but from the feeling of it, I can theorize that whatever this was, it was something tremendously powerful, sir. I will dispatch the Aurors to investigate immediately."
"Yes, investigate it, immediately!" Cornelius ordered her, when the door into his office bursted in and an Unspeakable barged in. "What is the meaning of this?! How dare you to barge in unannounced?!"
"My apologies, Minister, Ms. Undersecretary, Ms. Head of the DMLE." The Unspeakable spoke. "Head of the Department of Mysteries Croaker has asks of you to come to the Room of Magical Geography and Ancient Houses at once. It is concerning the magical surge that had just been detected."
"Well, let's head out and find out what was that." Cornelius, along with others, immediately apparated to the needed place.
Once there, Amelia immediately saw that quite a number of the Unspeakables were present and that they were all looking at the map of Magical Britain. This special map was created to show the territories of the Ancient Houses of Britain, areas where their magic was the dominant ones. Showed in the lines with glowing colors, like with usual maps, it was easy to settle any possible disputes with Houses, concerning the lands. And right now, Amelia's eyes widened as she saw an area, encompassing all of Northern England, Northern and Western British Midlands and all of Northern Wales, along with a dozen islands in the Irish Sea. That area was being surrounded by the light blue glowing line, encompassing many Ancient Houses and known enclaves of magical beings and creatures. And where the North West England was, there now glowed a bright sigil of a white dragon on the blue shield, sigil of a Noble House.
"Wh-whose sigil is that?! What damned House is that?!" Cornelius demanded to know. "Was it their fault that this surge had come and gone?!"
"Yes, sir, it was." Croaker stepped forward and spoke, looking at the map himself. "The surge came from Albion's Hearth, an ancient and supposedly cursed Castle in the North West England. The castle has been abandoned for near 900 years, with its magic being put into a slumber. However, that magic has been reawakened, and it has once again filled the territories of that House, informing all inhabitants there, that the Lord of their land has returned."
"But… There is no House with sheer might like that, none that had ever existed." Dolores exclaimed. "Th-this must be a ploy by someone to fool the Ministry."
"I assure you, this is no ploy, and there was one House with such kind of power and authority." Croaker answered her. "The only Exalted and Royal House in England that had commanded this land and forces upon it."
"That sigil… Isn't that the same sigil as House's…" Amelia looked at it.
"Yes, this is the white dragon Albion, symbol of the Exalted and Royal House Le Fay." Croaker saw how everyone's faces turned to look at him in shock. "The House that had been believed and thought to have been destroyed by combined forces of Ten Ancient Founding Houses of Britain has returned, with the new Prince Le Fay taking the White Throne of Albion for his own."
"P-Prince Le Fay? Wh-what does this for me, f-for the Ministry?" Cornelius asked anybody.
'It means that you've just lost near over a quarter of the bloody country to the Heir of Morgana Fucking Le Fay, that's what, you idiot. And if my gut is telling me right, I have a feeling that Potter is involved in this. Time to get in contact with him.' Amelia thought to herself, already drawing up plans in her head.
Her job has just become much more interesting…
Albion's Hearth. Throne Room.
The surge of magic travelled through all of United Kingdom, announcing to all the return of House Le Fay. Henry opened his eyes after sensing out the magic of his House, to be greeted with the bowing Irene, as she spoke to him.
"Albion's Hearth welcomes and greets you, Prince Henry of House Le Fay, Heir of Queen Morgana, Ruler and Lord Protector of Northern Britannia and all its races." She officially greeted him, before raising her head back. "What is your bidding, Prince Le Fay?"
Henry smiled a little when he heard those words. All was going just as he hopped it was: all according to the plan.
I did actually plan to make this chapter with Illvermony, but then I thought I could save it up for later, and instead focus up on more important people: Voldemort and Fudge with Umbridge. I think the change is for the better, and I hope that the chapter is also to your liking. Now onto the explaining part.
1. Irene Belserion. Highly doubt that anyone had expected me to use Fairy Tail's Queen of Dragons and mother of Titania Erza Scarlet as the Higher Demon, or better yet, Devil, for this story. Well, I decided to do this out several reasons, first because I like her character design in general, second, because I find her interesting, and thirdly… Well, I simply picked her, with a bit of change, because I wanted to use her, and since I can, I did. Now, I know that in Fairy Tail she is a Dragon, not a Devil, but I decided to make her one, as Dragons in HP have been pretty much established as pretty different from ones in FT.
As for her powers… Well, let's just say that if you were to put her up against Dumbledore and Grindelwald together, the result would be a one sided victory in favor of Irene. She is currently the strongest person in my story in terms of powers and abilities. As for her character, hope you like her in such incarnation, as she is powerful, wise, loyal, but is not afraid of making fun of her Master and others, as well as reminding others of her status and powers. Oh, and yeah, she is definitely considered for the romance, as are three other candidates.
Yeah, yeah, I am going there, so please don't go ahead and hate me about it all. This is Fanfiction, place where one can write what he wants about what he likes, right? And this is what I like to write.
2. The training of Henry. Seeing as I've shown that Regulus had expertise in hand-to-hand in the last chapter, I've thought that it would be dumb if he didn't teach what he knew to Henry. Now, in terms of his magical prowess as he is now, he and Regulus are relative equals, with Henry having more raw magical power, while Regulus has more experience under his belt. And they are both in the same current league as Bellatrix Lestrange, Alastor Moody, Antonin Dolohov and Severus Snape.
3. The need to prove to others your might and power. Let me ask you this, if you were a vassal under a weak ruler, who couldn't do shit, would you rather stay loyal, or dethrone him? Same as with Prince Le Fay here, as while those beings may honor their pledge and oaths, it needs to be reaffirmed first, as House Le Fay had been gone for so long. Bear in mind, the Ministry has been opressing them for centuries and while they may be relieved that there is now a new boss on the block, they will be skeptical about him and his abilities. Henry needs to prove to them that he can and will protect them. And I already have in mind the good and solid problem that needs to be solved for these communities, and no, it isn't Ministry. It's a bit more... "legged", so to speak, if you catch my meaning.
4. The vassalage for Wizards and Noble Houses. Now, this one is pretty similar to our own real-life Noble and Royal Houses. If a Noble House pledges it's loaylty to House Le Fay and it's ruler, the House, for an example, House Longbottom, can count on their sovereign's support in matters of security and safety, as well as to take care of their Heirs and Heiresses as well, along with being assured that magic of the land also strengthens their House. In exchange, Longbottoms pledge their support in matters of conflicts and politics, as well as follow their sovereign's policies, as well as provide some special services to the sovereign.
Now, I think for now that's enough of explanations, hopefully, but if you have a question, opinion, suggestion, or in some cases, critical message about me and my writing style, feel free to leave in the reviews or in PM. Just do avoid my nationality, okay. Really hate it when people judge on others based on that, just feels… utterly wrong in my mind. Ah, who am I kidding, there is always someone who hates others based just on their nation… Sorry, got a bit overboard there.
Anyway, next chapter is about Prince Le Fay and meeting of his newest subjects, and new trouble for Rose Potter.
See ya all soon!