August 21st .Malfoy Manor.

Voldemort sat on his throne, contemplating what has been happening in the past 15 hours, trying to fully comprehend and analyze the chaotic shift in fundamental powers of Magical Britain. Under any normal circumstances, the effective elimination and subsequent hunting of the Order of Phoenix, not to mention a metaphorical anathema of Dumbledore would've been a cause for a celebration. It most certainly was more than a good reason for many of his supporters to open up their vine cellars and drink its contents. To them, they've achieved their greatest victory and it was time to reap the reward: all of Magical Britain, ripe for the taking.

Voldemort, on the other hand, wasn't in a celebratory mood. In fact he was in quite the opposite mood, as he had begun to fully realize the precarious threat that Prince Henry Arthur Le Fay posed. Until now, he hadn't considered him worth of his special and fullest attention, despite being publically recognized as Lord Slytherin. The said fact had ignited his fury for some time and was reason for Lucius' punishment, but after his anger was reigned in, Voldemort decided to continue focus on recuperation and rebuilding of his strength. He would've dealt with Prince Le Fay in due time, at his leisure and decision, when Voldemort would decide so. Even the fact that House of Black in its entirety, with Bellatrix and Regulus included in, had sided with this upstart wasn't much of a concern for Voldemort at first.

Now he was sorely regretting not taking the threat of Prince Le Fay seriously. The opinion of the Dark Lord had changed once he had read the Daily Prophet this morning, along with receiving reports from his spies about how Elven troops and forces had supported Aurors in their efforts of capturing members of the Order. He was taken aback with sudden activeness of House Le Fay and their brutal efficiency at eradicating his most troubling enemy, essentially destroying the powerbase of Dumbledore and taking control of the Magical Britain. This had opened his eyes to the frightening truth he should've realized long ago: House Le Fay and it's ruler were a far greater menace than Dumbledore and Ministry.

That was his first realization that had spurred his change of opinion. The second and far more frightening and terrifying realization came to Voldemort when he had tried to mentally reach his Horcruxes. To his shock and absolute terror, he felt only one part of his soul, the one that was always near him in form of Nagini. The only reason to the sudden absence of his other shards was simple: they were all destroyed. And it was clear to Voldemort that it wasn't Dumbledore's work, as the old proud goat hadn't been able to find any of his artifacts in decades, even when he had ample time, limitless resources and more than enough followers for it. Oh no, the old fool wasn't the one responsible for this, it was the work of someone who was determined in destroying him.

Prince Le Fay and his little faction… Now Voldemort had come to realize just what kind of menace and threat they pose to him. They had resources, armies, knowledge and information about him and his weaknesses, and Voldemort no longer had any ability to counter his loss of Horcruxes. After having fractured his soul so many times, it was only after his recent rebirth that Voldemort had realized that he was unable to split his soul any more, and if he did, he risked his utter destruction. Not only that, but he no longer was as powerful as he used to be in his youth, and could only command a fracture of his previous might. Granted it was still more than enough to strike fear into his enemies and inspire obedience in his underlings, but were he to face off against Dorea Potter like he had, she would've wiped him out in a minute.

For the first time in many years Voldemort was forced to admit that he had made a grave mistake in creation of so many Horcruxes, for their creation each time seeped away his total amount of power and weakened him. And now it had come to bite him in the arse…

"Milord, I don't understand why are you so gloomy on a day like this?" Nott Sr. asked of him jovially, sitting at his right. "This is a truly great day for us: the Order is broken, their members are hunted down, Dumbledore along with them, and those damn Potters are no more. James is dead, and his wife and their bastard are in prison. We should be celebrating!"

"Celebrating what, exactly?" Voldemort had suddenly opened his eyes and asked of Nott and others. "We've had nothing to do with any of it, not to mention none of us had been even aware that this was coming for our enemies. If anything, with the recent death of Severus and now the destruction of Dumbledore's pet project, we should all be on our toes and access, just what kind of a danger does Prince Le Fay and his allies pose to us all."

"The pretender had simply played into your hands, nothing more, milord." Draco suddenly spoke up, with some of the older and younger Death Eaters agreeing with him. "He had made it clear that he was no friend to those weaklings and now he had showed it. We'll seize on this opportunity and take what is ours by the right of our blood!"

"It seems your son has inherited the Blacks' infamous attitude, Lucius. You would be wise to rein that ignorant arrogance, before I personally decide to teach him respect and restraint." Voldemort said chillingly, making Narcissa and Draco pale at the thought, while Lucius simply bowed to his lord, while shacking a little. "Unfortunately, it would seem that many of you here also share young Draco's opinion on the current events. How predictably disappointing, and also disheartening, to see so many followers of Salazar Slytherin fall short in their sight of the threat that has finally raised its head."

"Milord, surely you overestimate the threat of that upstart boy." Lord Flint spoke up. "It is clear that he has had such a success thanks to his secret alliance with Amelia Bones and having followed her instructions. Now that the Ministry is without its effective governing head, and will be in a state of interregnum and chaos, we'll easily seize control over it, and once we do, House Le Fay shall be history once more. What can they put up against us? Elves, elementals, vampires and other rabble- all of them not even humans, much less trueborn Wizards and Witches with our pedigree of power."

"Humans they may not be, yet great power and magic many of them wield, enough to warrant caution and respect even from me." Voldemort suddenly stated. "But even if that is not enough for you all to see what I mean, let me remind you, that House Le Fay holds power over the only Devil that is present in this world. And it is no lowly Imp or a mindless Scamp, but a Devil of Noble Rank, a singular entity in this world that could wipe out all of Britain in a day. I do not know about you, but I personally do not feel like celebrating, when realizing, that instead of a well-known and predictable enemy, we now have one that possesses such resources and powers at his disposal and is more cunning than all of you fools put together."

That revelation was more than enough to put down the entire mood for the celebration and caused more than one of the noble born Lords and their children to look down in shame. It wasn't something new for them all, to experience the disappointment and anger of the Dark Lord, as he could often be found in a foul mood, especially in this incarnation of his. However, now the insult cut deeper than usual, as they've finally started to realize that the cause for their celebrations should've been a warning shot from the start.

The Order of the Phoenix may've been effectively shattered and its remains were being hunted down, as was Dumbledore, but in their place now stood someone far more threatening and menacing. The Death Eaters were all Dark Wizards, strongest of their breeds and blood, all of whom had dedicated their lives to the destruction of the Light Wizards and they were more than capable of ruining them, especially when given their weaknesses. However, now against them stood a foe that was far more dangerous to them, someone who played not by the set rules of the Light Side as did the Order, but by the rules of the Dark Side.

They were now up against another Dark Lord, and one with the power, influence and determination to see himself rule without any opposition. And he has already largely squashed possibly the most powerful opposing force to him, all without even officially declaring war on them. Even more impressive and frightening, he had done it through the very people of the Magical Britain and Ministry itself. An enemy that already wielded such a power, the power which Voldemort and Death Eaters had coveted all this time and was now in the hands of the other…

It didn't take Voldemort much time or any effort to see in the eyes of many of his followers that the realization of their position had set in. However this had two effects instead of one, as Voldemort had hoped: the Death Eaters realized that House Le Fay was now a true threat, and that its power was far greater than they had originally perceived, greater than that of Voldemort even at the moment. And this second effect could have catastrophic consequences for him, as Voldemort understood perfectly that the Death Eaters were loyal to him only out of fear for their lives and greed for power.

Were someone to appear, to hold enough might to challenge and destroy Voldemort, and influential enough to give them their hearts desires, these cravens would sell him off without a second thought, with the Mark serving only as a small deterrent. Voldemort had to act quickly now, he needed to show them and everyone else that he was strong and powerful, that he wasn't done for yet and that there was still reason enough to fear him. He needed a decisive victory, something to show to his followers that he was still a force worthy of fear. And he already had something in mind…

"And now that you see just how dangerous our enemy is, there is now no more room for failure or carelessness. I shall expect from each and every one of you to give your all to our cause and if you fail me, then the punishment you receive shall be your last. Do I make myself clear?" His servants and followers nodded. "Excellent, I am glad that you understand. Now, while it is true that our enemy is worthy of my respect and caution, it is not without its weaknesses. Lucius, when you held your meeting with Lord Black, you said that Andromeda and her mudblood of a husband were there as well. Find them out, and find out everything you can about Regulus as well."

"My Lord, if you do not mind me asking, what is it that interests you in a blood traitor and that weakling?" Lucius asked of him.

"My interest is in bringing down Prince Le Fay, and to do so, we need to take away his allies. For centuries, House of Black had been regarded as the most fearsome Dark Family in Britain, one that never submitted to any Dark Lord in its entirety. Them standing with House Le Fay sends a powerful message to all of Magical World, and because of this they must fall. Arcturus may be old, but he is out of our reach, as is Cassiopeia and Bellatrix. But Andromeda and Regulus… They shall serve well as the first targets. Besides simply destroying House of Black, I sense that time has changed our dear Regulus and brought out his full power." Voldemort mused out loud. "We need to know all about our enemies, and Regulus is as much a mystery to us as is Prince Le Fay. Found out everything about him, Lucius, and then we shall be able to strike at him and Prince Le Fay."

"It shall be done, my Lord." Lucius bowed to him.

"Now, we the witch hunt for Dumbledore and his shattered flock of birds on, not to mention removal of Fudge, the Ministry and Aurors have their hands full right now. This actually presents us with a perfect opportunity to swell our ranks with those that hold no fear or doubt for our cause." Voldemort smiled at the thoughts, while his followers were realizing what he planned. "Azkaban has held many of our very best members, those that have not abandoned me even when I had been struck down by Dorea Potter. It is time they had been awarded for their loyalty and suffering."

"My Lord, with all due respect, are you certain that this is the perfect time to strike at Azkaban? For all we know, with all that is happening, Amelia Bones would've certainly taken steps to reinforce Azkaban's garrison." Lord Nott spoke. "Even with Dementors on our side, I doubt that this will be an easy victory. Perhaps, it would be prudent to wait for Rosier and his allies from Europe. His last message clearly stated that he needed just a few more days to ensure the loyalty of French and Spanish Cabals. With their numbers on our side, we'll have little trouble breaching Azkaban's defenses and freeing our comrades."

"Those Cabals respect power and might even more than gold, and if they hadn't signed the treaties with us now, they won't do it, especially when there is a far more powerful Wizard in their eyes to side with." Voldemort practically hissed at Nott. "No, we'll attack Azkaban and free our comrades. This will show the Cabals our might and strength, as well as illustrate to them the weakness of Ministry and Prince Le Fay. And speaking of Prince Le Fay and his own subjects, there is something that can be done about them. As I recall, Lord Parkinson, you have had some dealings with the Elven kind before, am I correct?"

"Yes, my Lord, but my dealings were not with High or Night Elves." Parkinson gulped. "Milord, if you mean to make contact with their kind, I must warn that dealing with the Dark Elves is far too dangerous, even for us."

"I am well aware of the risks involved in asking for help from them, Robert, but if there is one thing that Malekith desires more than just power, then it would be the enslavement of High and Night Elves, as well as their powers." Voldemort noted to him. "Reach out to him and make contact with his kin. Their power is great and combined with ours, it should be enough to grant us all what we desire and satiate his lusts, at least for a moment."

"Milord, I must urge you to reconsider. The Dark Elves are disloyal by nature and devoid of any notion of honor, and Malekith is the most devious and powerful of them all. He is surely to betray us all without a second thought once he sees an opportunity to take far more than what was promised. Need I remind you that it was their kind's betrayal that had begun the end of Grindewald's reign?" Lord Parkinson reminded Voldemort and everyone else. "There are far better options to consider. Perhaps…" Suddenly, a quick green flash illuminated the room and a sound of the slumping on to the floor body was heard after all.

The Death Eaters rose up from their seats and looked at the dead body of Robert Parkinson, his face frozen in shock at the realization of what was happening. Many of his still living compatriots paled a little, as they've turned their heads and looked at their Master, as he rose up casually from his seat and holstered his wand back. Without sparing a second look to his recent victim, he walked to now new Lord Parkinson and motioned him to rise up, which he did. Voldemort flashed him a snaky smile as he spoke up.

"Charles, I presume?" Young man hastily nodded to his Dark Lord in confirmation. "My deepest condolences. Your father's early departure from us all is a terrible tragedy to all of us here, but I am certain that you will be able to uphold your family's name and serve our cause with all your ability and might."

"I-I will do my very best for you, Milord." He bowed, still shaking a little.

"I am certain that you will, my dear boy. And it is my clearest beliefs that much like your late father, you shall carry out my will without any question, as he has done before this day."

"I will make contact with Malekith at the earliest opportunity." Charles Parkinson understood what his Lord wanted of him.

"That is all I needed to hear from you, my dear boy. I can rest easy knowing that my will shall be carried out without delays. Now, you may all go now, leave me to my thoughts." Voldemort commanded them all.

"M-Milord, may I…" Charles shakily wished to ask for his father's body, but Voldemort stopped him.

"No need to trouble yourself, my dear Charles. I shall dispose of this garbage myself. Nagini, the dinner has been served." Voldemort called out his favored snake and pet, letting her slither her way to the dead body of his former follower. "Give my love to your mother and sister, Charles. Now go, you have much to do for us all."

"Y-yes, M-Milord." He bowed again, and as Nagini sunk her teeth in the face of his now dead father, he left with the rest of the Death Eaters.

Voldemort sat down in his chair, as he was once more alone with his thoughts and plans. He knew and understood that his standing was now weaker than ever and he needed to once more regain his might. And to do so he had to go the extremes and nothing was more extreme than making a deal with Dark Elves and their Witch King Malekith. He had avoided involving them in his previous war and even went to great lengths to make it so that Dark Elves stayed on their secluded island.

The last time their involvement in the affairs of the Magical World had spelled disaster for Grindelwald, when they had obtained what they had wanted from him and far more than what was promised. It wasn't an exaggeration when Robert said that they were the beginning of the end of Voldemort predecessor's reign.

And yet, for all their treachery and deviousness, there is no denying the might, power and ruthlessness of the Dark Elves and their Witch King. They alone were enough to keep most of the Magical America and Britain occupied on them, instead of fully committing to war with Grindelwald. The carnival of destruction, chaos and madness that they had brought into the war was unspeakable, with the name of Malekith becoming a synonym to pandemonium of madness and chaos.

Even Dumbledore had feared fighting the Witch King, and the only thing that had stopped Malekith from assaulting Hogwarts, where Dumbledore hid, was an ancient deal he had to make with Salazar Slytherin, and one that even to this day he may not break. None but Malekith know the nature of this deal, but if the Witch King had made dealings with Salazar Slytherin before, then it was very much plausible that he would make deals with Voldemort. The Dark Lord wasn't afraid that Dark Elves would turn to support his enemy in form of Prince Le Fay, as House Le Fay holds sway over two main enemies of Malekith: High Elves and Night Elves.

Should Voldemort make deals with Malekith, it was most definitely possible that he was opening the Pandora's Box and throwing away the key. However, desperate times called for desperate measures, and Voldemort was truly becoming desperate.

Desperate enough to make a deal with a Devil even…

August 22nd. Ministry of Magic.

Much like always, the Ministry of Magic was abuzz with life and activity, today even more than usual, with the sudden shift of power, followed by the temporary vacuum of said power. Said power vacuum happened when Minister of Magic was arrested, along with his Undersecretary and many of his closest friends in the positions of prominence and power. Many of the most important sections of the Ministry were suddenly leaderless and in utter chaos, and it was only through sheer will and focus that Amelia Bones, now acting Minister of Magic, had managed to regain control of the situation that was posed to turn for the worse.

She had quickly managed to reign in the sections that were out of control and institute new leadership in form of her loyal friends and colleagues, as well as efficient administrators, who could take care of the assigned positions. With that out of the way, she had also taken control over Wizengamot in light of Albus Dumbledore being found guilty of many, many terrible crimes and now wanted. She was still to call in the meeting of the noble Houses, but she did intend to do so, once she had taken care of the chaos that was still gripping the Ministry. Current acting Minister was grateful to the fact that Magical Britain hadn't descended into anarchy and to the fact that Henry Le Fay was providing her the necessary manpower and resources needed to maintain her power.

In exchange for all that help, Amelia had to make concessions, most of which were a small price to pay for his support. Territories of Southern Scotland with its noble Houses were a small loss, even with losing Hogwarts as a part of the deal was pretty negligible. The nobility and some members of the Ministry may see this as too much, but when reminded of what has been happening in the past years in Hogwarts and how Dumbledore had used it as his personal playground, their voices were silenced. It was clear that until Hogwarts had been checked and cleared of any unwanted and dangerous elements, Prince Le Fay and Ministry wouldn't open it up to anyone, so for now children would have to settle for homeschooling. And as for those of mundane birth and origin, they would probably be adjusting back to living in the normal world again.

That all was something that Amelia could easily do with, but what was a tough deal to swallow to her was the involvement of Henry and House of Black when dealing with the punishments of those that had participated with the Order of Phoenix. Mainly, it concerned the confiscated items and possessions of the imprisoned, along with land. While normally this would be the job for Ministry to do, she had to concede this one to Prince Le Fay and House of Black and hope that they wouldn't be far too greedy for their own sakes. And so far they weren't, surprisingly, claiming only the items that were either previously owned by either Le Fays or by Blacks, or taking something of notable and special value. As for the land, that particular topic was still left untouched, at least for the moment.

Now, however, Rose Morgana Le Fay, also known as Rose Morgana Potter-Peverell, now official Lady Potter-Peverell, was making her way onto a meeting, which was requested by one of the last persons she had wanted to see or hear from ever again. This meeting wasn't even meant for her, as the request came for her brother to attend, but Harry had ignored it, instead being preoccupied with his current meeting with Lord and Lady Greengrass. Rose knew and understood perfectly the topic of the discussion being held between them, and so she had decided to take the matters into her own hands, when her curiosity got the better of her.

She wasn't travelling alone though, as she had an escort of Carissa and, surprisingly, Rias with her. The redheaded Le Fay was seemingly bored and decided to stretch her legs out and see how the world had changed in the time she was absent. So far, she didn't seem too impressed with the Magical World, but the Mundane World was an entirely different matter. Practically everything had fascinated the half- Devil lady, from new fashions in attire to television and automobiles. She kept asking questions and looking like a small child in a candy shop after being told he could eat all he wanted. For a few seconds there Rose had even thought that she was dealing with a small child instead of a grown woman.

Soon enough, without any mishaps, the trio reached their destination, as they stood just outside of the interrogation room. The Auror guarding the door nodded to Rose, giving her the keys and telling her to take her time, before leaving. Rose took a moment to look at the key, before gripping it. At that moment, Carissa spoke up.

"Milady, may I ask to accompany you there? Given all that has happened between the two of you and the reasons behind this meeting, it would be foolish of me to leave you alone with that person." Carissa urged. "You have no need to even be here. Surely, there are better things to do to spend free time."

"I'll have to agree with the Elf here. Why not simply ditch this meeting and go and this shopping you told me about? Do people accept gold as a payment in this time?" Rias asked all of a sudden, with Carissa shaking her head at that. "Oh, drat. Well, we can always simply exchange it with the Goblins and be on our way to one of those magnificent malls. I wonder what marvels those buildings hold…"

"If you want to go shopping, Rias, then you may do so whenever you wish, but as for me… I have to do this. Not for my brother's sake, but for my own." Rose simply stated, as she began to open the door. "You can come in with me, Carissa, just hide yourself from sight and don't make your presence known to her or me."

"Understood, Mistress." She bowed, before seemingly disappearing from the sight.

"Well, looks like I am left out of the fun. Oh well, might as well catch up on my reading." Rias conjured up for herself a chair and summoned a book, before sitting in it without seemingly a care in the world. "Don't worry. I'll make sure that no one disturbs you while you sort out your past with that woman."

"Thanks." Rias simply gave Rose a reassuring smile, before the latter pushed open the door and stepped in, before closing it behind herself.

The room was featureless and dark, with a single illuminator providing lighting to a dull and dark room. In the middle was a steel table, with two seats, one of which was occupied by Lily Potter, cuffed to her seat. She looked up from her seat with eyes full of hope and a fake smile on her face, only for it all to be distorted by a face that immediately took place next second. Her look took one of shook and scowl after that, as she realized that it wasn't the one she had expected to see.

Rose ignored that look, paying almost no attention to it, as she had expected to see it when she got in here. Instead she took a look at her former mother and progenitor, having finally been able to see one of her main tormentors in a position of weakness and at a loss of power. Even though the conditions in the Ministry's cells were relatively light, it had still taken a toll on Lily, as she looked like she didn't have even a wink of a sleep, not to mention poor condition of her cloths. Rose wasn't exactly surprised that she had broken so quickly after her imprisonment, as she had always suspected Lily of being a craven and a weakling, nothing like what she now was.

Still this very same insect, as Cassiopeia would've called her, held some answers on questions that Rose had wanted answered for many years now. This is the main reason of her being here, to finally get the answers she deserved and she will get them out of Lily, one way or another. She didn't take her seat, instead preferring to look Lily in the eyes, waiting for her to speak first to her. It didn't take that long for Rose to hear her prideful voice.

"I told the guards that I wanted to see Prince Le Fay, not his little plaything." Lily scoffed at her. "I wanted to see my son, not you. If you want to please him, Rose, then go and tell him that his mother wishes to speak with him."

"Had I wanted to please Harry, I wouldn't have come here and listen to you being so full of yourself." Rose retorted in a neutral tone. "Besides, do you really think yourself as important as to warrant a visit from my brother?"

"After all that he has done to me and his family, at least he owes us to look me in the eyes." Lily spoke up to her. "Why isn't he here, girl?"

"Because he doesn't care for you or what you have to say to him." Rose stated to her without any subtext. "In fact, when the owl arrived with the request, he didn't even spare it a second look before tossing it in to the fireplace."

"You are lying." Lily narrowed her eyes at Rose, who didn't even budge. "You've probably took that letter before him and didn't even tell him about it."

"Whatever makes you sleep better at night." Rose brushed off her comment without a care. "If you want to know, then Harry isn't even at the castle at the moment. He has important business that needs to be taken care of."

"More important than finally getting the last laugh at his mother's misery?" Lily asked with venom.

"I believe my brother had outgrown clichéd villainy, or at least moved on. Either way, he just doesn't give a damn about you, or what happens to you and William anymore." Rose simply stated to her, as she finally took a seat in front of Lily. "So, as much as it pains us both, you'll have settle for my company for the time being, because that is all the company you will be getting today, or in the nearest future. Otherwise, aside from the interrogator and a guard, you won't be seeing anyone for quite some time."

"Is that so?" Lily had asked her cockily, with Rose simply rising up from her seat and moving to the door. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Out of here, didn't you ask me to do so?" Rose asked of her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Since you are clearly not in the mood for talking, I guess I'll just have to wait for the trial and then maybe get a chance to talk to you. Oh well…" Rose was already prepared to open up the door when Lily called out to her.

"Wait! Wait!" She practically shouted to Rose, forcing her to stop in her tracks and turn back. "If I indulge you, will you tell Harry to come to see me?"

"That depends on how productive this little talk will be, although I am curious as to why do you even want to see him. As long as I remember, you've always have tried to get rid of him." Rose walked back to the chair and sat in it. "So, what's with the change of the attitude?"

"Maybe I've finally come to appreciate him as my son and wish to make amends." Lily stated with her usual attitude, making Rose cringe a little. "Is it so hard to believe in people changing and trying to get forgiveness?"

"People may change. You? I don't think so." Rose simply stated to her, with Lily scoffing at her. "Because you are a deceitful, prideful and malicious creature. You are possibly the worst possible person to be called a mother, and I very much happy that Morgana had made me in her own daughter."

"Ah, feeling happy finally showing off you ungratefulness to me, after all the trouble I've gone for you?" Lily asked with venom.

"The only good thing you've ever done for me was giving me birth, and even that I am half certain you've done not out of kindness of your heart, but because grandmother had threatened you." Rose simply said to Lily. "Now, are you going to 'indulge' me and my curiosity, or can I go and do something far more productive, because I most certainly can do better things than keep you company."

"Fine, what is that you want to know? Just remember to tell Harry to come and see me afterwards." If Rose hadn't known any better she would've thought that Lily was practically begging her.

"That depends if you answer on just one question, Lily." Rose told her, as she leaned in a little, with Lily looking with her own curiosity at Rose. "You know, I've gotten pretty used to the reality of you hating my and Harry's very existence, like it was just a constant in the world, something that doesn't need to be questioned or asked. You and James hated Harry and he hated you, which are what I had known for most of life, and where I knew why Harry had hated the two of you, there was the either side to this entire constant."

"Oh, so you were curious as to why James and I had never really gotten around to loving you like we loved William?" Lily asked of her.

"Not exactly. It didn't take me that long to figure out why James had loved William and hated the two of us." Rose stated to Lily. "James had always been envious and jealous of his brothers, those that our grandparents have always told him to look up to, to aspire to be. But, much to their disappointment, he saw not examples to aspire to be, but obstacles and people that he could never be or match. After all, Michael was to be Lord Potter, while Gabriel was to be Lord Peverell, both of whom would've been probably the richest and most powerful lords of Magical Britain, and what of him? He would've been a simple Lord Fleamont, head of a long forgotten and an insignificant House that held very little land and too few possessions. It was never enough for James, not when in his mind he had deserved so much more, and so he decided to make his own."

"Well, maybe you are not as stupid as you seem, but how does that correlate to Harry and you, hm?" Harry asked of her.

"Simple: Harry was in the way when grandparents had made him their Heir after Gabriel and Michael was gone. They had seen what James really was and didn't want him to inherit their legacy. They didn't, however, take into the account that James wouldn't hesitate to betray them to the enemy he had fought against. Only it backfired in his face, when Henry and I were left alive and Harry was now officially Lord Potter-Peverell, one thing that James desired above all." Rose answered to Lily. "As for me, he probably saw in me a weak and useless thing, a tool to be used and disposed of. After all, I wasn't a key to being the greatest celebrity of Magical Britain, nor was I a true inheritor of a great fortune, so I wasn't even important enough for him to care or love me. I doubt he was even capable of such things as love and caring for another being."

"Pft, I can't believe that I say this, but I have to agree on this one." Lily surprisingly said to Rose. "James never even knew how to love or care for a woman, much less someone like me. The only thing he was good at was presenting himself like a loving father and a perfect husband, but in reality… He was never even that good in bed."

"So you never even loved him?" Rose asked of her, with Lily looked at Rose with amused eyes.

"Loved him? No, I never did. Lusted for him, maybe once, but love?" Lily asked of Rose. "What good is love without the money, power, influence and recognition? I never loved that ponce, but I did love what being his wife had brought me- status."

"Status? Is this all you've ever even cared for? Just being seen as an important person?" Rose asked of her, with Lily answering her.

"What else is there for me to care for, girl?" Lily asked of Rose. "Did you really think that I could ever stand that self-righteous prick James for more than 10 minutes if he wasn't loaded like he was? Do you think that it was his boyish charms and roguish attitude that had let him bed me? No, it was the bank account and his name that had opened him the way in my bed."

"You… You've spread your legs before him… Because of that?!" Lily smirked at the shocked expression of her daughter.

"Is it such a shock for you, my dear, to find out why all those marriages are arranged for?" Lily asked of Rose. "Of course I let him have his way with me just so that I could get what I wanted. I even made sure that he would be tied up with me for the rest of his life, thanks to a small fertility potion I took beforehand. A mistake that I should've never even done had I known that it would cost me what was rightfully mine."

"Harry… You've conceived Harry, so that James would be forced to marry you, but in the process…"

"I've been ousted and exiled from my rightful place as an Heiress of House Stuart." Lily growled out to Rose. "They called me a whore and a skank, when they had found out what I had done. They were too damn proud and idiotic to realize that I was doing the House a favor by picking up a worthy enough husband. At least one that was available and dumb enough to fall for me, unlike those damn brothers of his. I did try my luck with them, but both were oh so righteous and virtuous to their loves. Did you think that James was even my first choice? Oh no he wasn't, had he only known of that…" Lily continued to speak out her mind as if she was possessed, while Rose seemingly tuned out of it all.

She was finally getting the answers she had wanted, and even though she had suspected that the truth would cut her deep and hurt her more than she would expect, this was still painful enough to listen. She didn't even know what she had wanted to hear, maybe that Lily simply followed her husband's wishes and did those bad things to stay in his good graces, or that she was simply under a bad spell. Anything like that would've convinced Rose that the woman that had tortured her and made her life miserable wasn't doing it because she liked it.

Deep down, much to shock of even herself, she had hoped that there was good in Lily, that she was still redeemable. A notion like this would've made her Black siblings laugh, but to Rose… She didn't even know why, but she craved to believe in it. And to hear, that this woman, this creature, had never even loved anyone, and didn't even know the notion of it. She had conceived Harry only to get what she wanted: power and status of the Potter family. She didn't get it, and instead lost what she could've had, and Harry was instead taken by Dorea and Charlus, two people that would love him and raise him as their own. This much was evident to Rose now, but that still didn't answer the main question she had for Lily.

"Why did you hate so much?!" Rose slammed her hands on the table, as she rose up in fury, cutting off Lily's tirade. "What the hell have I ever done to you, that you've made my life a living hell?! I may've not been born a messiah or a goddess or whatever you wanted to come out of your damn womb, but I was innocent of everything, and yet you've despised my very existence. Why?!"

"Why, you ask me? Because you've taken away from me what I deserved and what I was left with." Lily hissed at her, surprising Rose. "I never even planned on having you, not after I was through carrying those two brats for James, but that idiot's seed took root in me again, even though I had tried to undo it, but that old bitch Dorea found out about it and stopped me. I will tell you, that you were by far the most difficult and painful one to come out of me, and you've came not without taking away from me the one thing I was left with, something that was of value to other noble Houses- my womb."

That's right Rose- your birth had been so bad for me, that it had left me an infertile shell of my former self. You took away from me one thing with which I could've bound some other idiot Lord to me, if and when James no longer suited me." Lily continued. "The moment I had found out about it, my only thought was to get my hands on you and reap what vengeance and justice I could from you, but I couldn't. And if that wasn't enough grief for me, I had soon found out that Charlus and Dorea had even reached out to House Stuart, and were in a process of restoring your status as possible members of it. They were going to give you what I was robbed of, and for that I truly hate you, Rose. You've taken away from me the last value I had and was given on a silver platter what was mine by birthright."

Rose listened to what Lily had to say to her, and the more she listened, the more she wished that she didn't. She had wanted to come here and find out truth, to maybe understand this woman, and now… Now she had wished she listened to her brother and stayed home. Without listening anymore to what Lily had to blab out of her vile mouth, Rose stood up and hastily left the room, ignoring shouts, and soon pleads from Lily. As she had slammed the door behind her, she allowed her composure to drop and began to breath heavily, as the shock and pain at the realization had set in. Carissa once more revealed herself and was at Rose side within a moment's notice, as was Rias with her worried expression.

"She… She…" Was all that Rose could say to them.

"Milady, that woman is clearly mad and doesn't deserve to have her words taken seriously. She knows she is beaten and only wants to make you feel miserable, so as to somehow sweeten the sourness of her defeat." Carissa said to her, with Rias nodding to her.

"Whatever she had told you, Rose, it doesn't matter anymore. She'll never be able to set a foot out of a prison, and she'll never hurt you or Henry or anyone else." Rias told her, as she hugged poor girl closer to her.

"I simply wanted to understand, t-to reach out and, but she is…" Rose didn't even have the strength to finish up what she had to say, as the air became too heavy for her to speak.

Rias and Carissa understood that the young Princess Le Fay was in distress, and did their best to comfort her. And as they did that, Rose had to come to a sad conclusion about herself, a fact that was all too painful to admit: she was an idealistic fool. After everything that had happened to her, all that was done to her and others, she still believed not in the reality, but in the best possible outcome and wished to embrace it. She had allowed her hope to blind her and expose her weakness to Lily, so that she may use it to strike at her.

And strike she did, and it had hurt her far too much. She wasn't like Harry, that Rose had to admit. She wasn't hopeless and it was true about her, and she wasn't without illusions. She had already seen what such illusions could do to even the greatest of people and how they could destroy their lives. She would have to get rid of these delusions, or face the same end as all the fools that had allowed hope to bind and shackle their mind.

She'll have to kill the girl in her and let the woman take its place. A woman of House Le Fay, of Potter blood and of Black heritage.

A month… I must apologize to you, as I had not even anticipated that I would be bringing you this chapter after a bloody month long period, but I did. I am deeply sorry that I have done so, and I hope you can forgive me. To ease your minds, I haven't abandoned this story and I don't plan to, as for the reason as to why I haven't been present all this time is simple: I got sick.

Not in a way of being bored by fanfiction, no. I caught an infection about two and a half weeks ago, when I was returning home by a bus from Ulyanovsk to my hometown. This time of the year, we have a very miserable weather and it's a season when people get sick the most. I have, thanks to my mom, a medical expert, a very strong immune system, so I didn't pay any attention. But it seems I wasn't as lucky as I was in the previous years, as the day after I returned I was running a fever and couldn't even think straight. I was put in an isolated section of our hospital for infectious deceases, where I had spent a week and a half, until I was cleared. While there, I had practically no internet connection and only could read Fanfiction that I loaded in phone, which I did. By now, I have fully recovered and I am back, ready to put out at least three or four more chapters until the end of the year, so I hope you can understand and forgive my absence.

Now, you know the drill, so I won't tell you what to do, but I do have a request to make. I have been making some research into J. R.R. Tolkien and his fantasy, and I would like any of you who are familiar on a deep level with it to contact me via PM. The reason for this is because I may be planning a new story to take place next year, one that is connected with the world of Lord of the Rings, and it may also be my very first full on crossover.

Anyway, thank you for your patience and hope you enjoyed the story.

Next time: A calm before the storms.