In Northern England, Neville Longbottom, Scion of the Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom, was treated to an interesting sight as he exited one of the greenhouses at Longbottom Hall. A beautiful snowy owl was perched on a branch of an oak tree with a letter tied to her leg.
Bemused, the young Scion held out his arm and the owl flew to him and lightly landed, taking care to not squeeze her talons too tightly.
Walking into the house, he went to his room and called for an elf to provide the owl with food and water while he attended to the letter.
Reading the letter, his eyes widened.
Hello Neville,
I apologize for the familiarity in using your first name, but had things been kinder, we would have been friends, or if not for the machinations of a certain old wizard, raised as siblings. My name is Artemis Potter-Prower. Up until three years ago, I was ignorant of the fact that I was a witch, much less the fact I was the last of a Most Ancient and Most Noble House. Through the goblins and through other contacts in both the British and American magical governments, my adoptive mother and I have become aware of the fates of both our parents and the injustices perpetrated against us. In reading my family journals and histories, I have become aware of the fact that our Houses had an alliance of Mutual Support. As I can imagine that our politics, as undesirable as it is to be discussing them at our age, are aligned as they have been in the past, my adoptive mother and I would like to renew the Alliance.
Beyond this, I would like to offer a hand of friendship. Though the circumstances that we lost our respective parents are different, we have suffered the same loss at the hands of Voldemort and his minions. Though in a way, I realize that I am the fortunate one of the two of us. I offer my sincerest condolences for the pain that you continue to experience.
I would also like to extend an invitation to my eleventh birthday party on the thirty first. I would like to have some friendships established before we go to Hogwarts.
Yours in friendship,
Heiress Artemis Potter-Prower
P.S. This is my owl Hedwig, she is right brilliant and she will await your reply should you chose to send one.
Neville sat back in his chair, stunned. Artemis Potter had written him. She knew about his parents and their condition and offered her sympathies. Never had anyone done so.
The offer to renew the alliance between their families was unexpected. The news that she had been kept in the dark about her legacy and magic in general was shocking.
Shaking his head, he turned to the owl.
"Hedwig?" He said, causing the owl to turn her head towards him. "I need to speak to my Gran, if you don't mind waiting." The boy said timidly.
At this, Hedwig bobbed her head as if nodding and went back to eating her fill.
Smiling, Neville left the room and sought out his grandmother, the indomitable Dowager Longbottom.
Finding her in a drawing room reading, he entered with a knock on the door.
"Yes Neville?" She inquired firmly.
Neville gulped lightly. "Gran, I just received a letter from Artemis Potter. She wishes to meet and renew the alliance between our Houses." He replied, trying to keep his nervousness out of his voice as he handed her the letter.
Augusta Longbottom was a woman who had suffered much in her life. Two Dark Lords and the loss of numerous family members to each had hardened her. But as she read the letter from the young heiress, sealed with her heir ring, she became incensed on behalf of the girl. She was impressed at how she sympathised with her grandson without coming across as pitying. It sounded as if the woman that had adopted her had been able to ensure the girl had a level head in dealing with such matters.
"Reply to her that we will be willing to hear her and her mother's position on the alliance. I would much like to hear their stance on many things. Also, extend an invitation to your birthday party as well since she has been kind enough to extend one to you." She said finally.
"Of course Gran. I will do so immediately." He said as he took the letter back and headed to his room, his steps light.
The next day, Artemis was reading over a Charms text on the back patio when Hedwig returned.
"Hello girl. I take it Neville replied." She said as the owl landed on the arm of the chair she was sitting in.
Hedwig barked and held out her leg.
Laughing, Artemis took the letter. "Thank you Hedwig. There is food and water for you inside." She said, the owl taking wing and flying inside as Artemis stood and followed her in.
"Got a reply?" Kerra asked as Artemis entered the living room.
"Indeed. I haven't read it yet, but fingers crossed." Artemis said as she sat and began to read the letter.
Dear Artemis,
No offense is taken in regards to the familiarity and I thank you for your words regarding my parents.
After receiving your letter, I spoke to my grandmother who is the current Regent of the Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom. She said that she would like to meet you and your adoptive mother to discuss the renewal of the alliance between our Houses as well as your stances on various issues.
I thank you for and accept your invitation to your birthday party and would like to extend an invitation to my own.
I do hope that we can be friends, no matter what house we are sorted into at Hogwarts.
Yours in friendship,
Neville Longbottom
Artemis smiled as she finished reading the letter and handed it to Kerra.
Kerra quickly read the letter and smiled as well.
"Go ahead and write them back and ask when and where they would like to meet." Kerra said. "And make sure to include that you would like to exchange letters and with permission to have visits before you go to school. Goddess knows that there are things we both need to learn to build up contacts and alliances to change things."
Artemis smiled. "Well, if worse comes to worse we can always fall back on Jack Sparrow's philosophy." She replied.
Kerra raised an eyebrow.
"Take what you can, and give nothing back." Artemis said with a wicked smile.
Kerra laughed. "We might just have to Kit. But better to have a good crew at your back than go it alone." She said.
Artemis laughed as well. "Very true. By the way did you see the woman in tartan robes go into the Granger's this morning?" She asked.
Kerra nodded. "Looks like John and Sarah's daughter is a witch. Want to go over after you send your letter?" She replied.
Artemis nodded and went to write her letter, which she would send in the morning.
Soon the pair was at the door of the Grangers. Kerra had known John from the SGC when he was assigned to the British team for a time.
Knocking, Kerra smirked.
The door opened to reveal Sarah Granger.
"Kerra, Artemis. What a surprise. Come in." She said as she recognized the pair.
"Hey Sarah. How's everyone doing?" Kerra asked as she gave the woman a gentle hug.
"Good, we had a rather interesting visitor this morning though." Sarah replied.
"We saw when we were on our run. Figured we would come and congratulate you guys." Kerra replied as they moved to the sitting room where John was nursing a whiskey and their daughter Hermione was reading a letter.
Artemis read the letter over her shoulder.
"Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards." She read out loud before turning to her mother. "Talk about an over inflated sense of self."
Kerra laughed. "Sounds like. Meeting him would probably be a bore." She said.
Hermione looked at the pair in fear before Kerra took pity on her and summoned her wand from her subspace pocket with the flick of a wrist.
"Relax Mia, I'm a witch and so is Artemis. Just waiting on her letter. She's a legacy at Hogwarts." Kerra said spinning her wand around her fingers.
John looked at Kerra blandly. "That explains so much about you." He deadpanned.
Kerra chuckled. "Nope. I actually got the ability to use a wand when I adopted Artemis. She got the ability to use my particular brand of magic during the ritual. Hence the bracelets." She said gesturing to the golden bands on Artemis's wrists.
Hermione looked at the bracelets curiously.
"They limit my powers otherwise I would be a bit dangerous to be around. Meditation helps, but the lack of places to practice kind of hinders me." Artemis explained to her friend.
"But Professor McGonagall said that we can't do magic outside of school until we are seventeen." Hermione replied, scandalized her friend would break the rules.
Kerra and Artemis shared a look before laughing.
Calming herself, she looked at Hermione and willed her Heir ring visible.
"That is where the double standards of the wizarding world come into play. In so called 'Pureblood' and all magic households, children can use magic freely. Mostly because they assume that the adults are the ones doing magic, but in some cases, the wards on some of the properties, such as the vast majority of the ones that I own, block the Ministry sensors." Artemis explained. "The old families, particularly the more bigoted ones, can't stomach the thought of a first gen being able to outperform their precious heirs. So consider this an open invitation to come to my house and show off to your folks next summer." She finished with a grin.
"You're a pureblood?" Hermione asked.
Artemis shook her head. "Half-blood. Pureblood father, first gen mother. And I know that it is going to cause me no end of problems." She said as she slumped into a chair.
"How so?" Sarah asked.
Artemis smiled wryly. "Since you are going to find out at Hogwarts, perhaps I should introduce myself properly. I am Heiress Artemis Lilith Potter-Prower of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter. The last living heir to one of the two oldest Houses in the magical world." She said.
"How old is your house?" Hermione asked, curiosity burning in her eyes.
"The Potter line is almost a millennia old." Artemis replied, not finding worth mentioning that the line was actually far older due to the Alteran genes running through her veins.
"That is amazing. Though why would it cause you problems?" Hermione asked.
Artemis sighed. "Do you remember reading about a series of disappearances and unexplainable terrorist attacks that ended almost ten years ago?" She asked.
"I did read something about that. Everything said it was similar to the Troubles in the Eighties and that the Provos were to blame." Hermione replied.
"In actuality, it was a Dark Wizard and his followers. Now, what is not known to most of Magical Britain, is the origins of this man. He did very well in hiding his roots. Unfortunately for him, the mundane intelligence agencies are very good at what they do. Through some of my mum's contacts we were able to get a pretty detailed look at the self styled Voldemort. He was born in the 1940s and went to Hogwarts just after the end of World War II. He was sorted into Slytherin House and that is where most of his powerbase came from. What his contemporaries didn't know was that while he was descended from a Noble house, he was actually a halfblood like myself. There is a high probability of potions being used to snare his father. After graduating Hogwarts, he spent the intervening decades delving into some of the Darkest magics you could think of. Then he went to war for control of Magical Britain. Despite his claims of 'Pureblood Superiority' nearly a dozen family lines ended over the decade before that fateful Halloween night when he came to kill me because of a prophecy. I have heard the prophecy, and while I don't put much stock in Divination, the magic of foretelling the future by the way, Voldemort made it a self fulfilling prophecy when he came after me. Unfortunately, a number of his followers were able to bribe their way out of prison thanks to a highly corrupt government. My mum and I are going to be meeting with a formerly allied House to renew the alliance and start making inroads with other houses that want the Dark faction marginalized or gone completely. Hopefully if Voldemort returns we have robbed him of his power base or at least weakened it so he has less followers and it is harder for him to recruit." Artemis explained, now in full Heiress mode.
"How can he come back?" Sarah asked.
"As for the how, that is classified. But we were able to uncover evidence that he was able to anchor himself to this plane of existence rather than be killed. My mum and a team of battlemages that are in the SAS are going to hunt down the anchors and destroy them. Hopefully we can get them all before he can be brought back. They will also be taking out his supporters, starting with the lowest on the totem pole." Artemis explained.
John nodded. "Go for the small fish a little at a time and the big fish won't realize what is going on until it is too late." He said.
Kerra nodded. "While it is tempting to go to Her Majesty and ask for carte blanche in dealing with them, we can't afford to destabilize the government. However, once Artemis is off to Hogwarts, I will be requesting an audience with the Queen and asking for a Letter of Marque and Reprisal to handle this issue. It will allow me to legally operate and conduct military operations in the UK against enemies of the Crown. Once I have that, I will request some of the mages in the SAS and we will be using mundane means to capture and eliminate the supporters. It will keep the higher ranking members guessing. The attacks will also be random and under the cover of darkness. We will be the boogeymen of the enemy." She said.
"But I thought that the military couldn't conduct operations in the UK unless marshall law were declared." Sarah replied.
"That is the beauty of it. All of them will be leaving active duty. Considering it is the magical world that caused them to go to the mundane, they will probably jump at the chance to strike back at the bigots. I will be outfitting them with some of the gear that I have made over the past few years to assist." Kerra explained.
"It sounds like you have been planning this for a while." Hermione said, looking at Kerra and Artemis in awe.
"For the better part of two years. We know who the major players are and we know how to hurt them. It also doesn't hurt that the gold of the ones we eliminate will be going to a vault that we own under the name of my organization." Kerra said with a smirk.
"Do I want to know?" John asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Overwatch. Stealing it from the game, I know, but it will become a symbol of hope for the common people once we start operating more frequently and something that the enemy will whisper about for fear of bringing us down upon them. We will end the fear and drag the magical world into the Twenty First century kicking and screaming if we have too." Kerra said with a smirk.
After that revelation, the talk turned to lighter subjects and plans for a trip to Diagon Alley the next weekend.