Chapter 3
Remus felt the blood drain from of his face. "That's not possible," he whispered.
"Peter Pettigrew had the mark of the Dark Wizard," Mithrael said. "He was the one who held the secret. Sirius Black was—" He frowned. "I do not know the word in your language. He made others believe that he held the secret so that the Dark Wizard would not try to capture Peter Pettigrew."
"Decoy," Remus said, looking at him with hope-filled eyes. "Sirius was a decoy. Then, he killed Peter because—"
"No. Peter is not dead. My people followed him through the forest to the place he hides. He lives as a rat in the crooked house that belongs to the large family with red hair--the Weasley House. They believe him to be a pet. We did not know that Sirius Black had been accused and taken to Azkaban. I know nothing of the 13 people who were killed."
"How do you know all this?"
"We have been waiting and watching for the Child of Prophecy for a very long time. We see and hear things that Wizards do not. We have different magic."
Remus nodded. He knew that elves used mind magic, but he had not studied it in detail. "I have to let Albus know. We've got to get Sirius out of Azkaban."
The elf nodded.
"What about Harry?" Remus asked. "Why is he with the elves?"
"Old Long Beard placed him on a doorstep in a non-magical village. It was the house of his mother's sister. If he had been left there, he would not be prepared to defeat the Dark Wizard or to perform the work that he will do after. He must learn both Elven and Wizard magic to succeed. We will keep him safe, and when the time comes, we will send him to Long Beard's school. Long Beard makes too many mistakes. The people he left him with are hard and jealous and cruel. There is no room in their hearts for Harry. The Witch who is a shape-shifter watched the house the entire day and learned of their temperaments. She advised Long Beard not to leave the child there, but he did not listen."
"I can't believe he would do such a thing," Remus said angrily. "He knew that Lily did not want her son left with those people."
"He made the same mistake when the Dark Wizard was a boy. If he had found a home for Tom Riddle, instead of keeping him in the non-magical world where he was treated badly, the boy would not have become evil."
Remus looked thoughtful. "Your people do not trust Albus?"
"He is a good man. He tries to do what is right, but his priorities are for the Wizarding world, not the individual. He would feel sorrow to see the boy abused, but if he thought it would help him defeat the Dark Wizard, he would allow it. He has made many such mistakes. If he can help you get Sirius Black out of Azkaban, then allow him to do so. But do not trust him with the well being of the child. He must not know where the boy is until time for him to re-enter your world—or that you have seen him."
Remus nodded. "Will I be able to see him again?"
"Yes. There is a tree in the forest behind your house. There is a knot between two branches, which can be removed. You may leave a message inside the knot, and we will come to you whenever you desire. We will also leave messages there for you. I will mark the tree with an arrow when we leave so you will know which one it is."
"Thank you."
"On the winter solstice, there will be a ceremony, which will make Harry an adopted elf and my adopted son. I will also receive a mate at that ceremony. I would like for you and Sirius Black to attend, if it is possible, so that we can make you his guardians so that when Harry goes back to your world, you will be responsible for him instead of Long Beard. If Sirius Black is not yet out of Azkaban, then I would like for you to come on your own."
"Sirius is already his godfather in the Wizarding world, but as a werewolf, the law doesn't allow me to be his guardian."
"Long Beard did not care that Sirius Black was his godfather. He refused to give him the child, and then took the baby to the non-magical world. If you are godfathers by our laws, he will not be able to override our authority without causing a conflict between our races, which he will not want to do. Your Ministry of Magic has written that the laws of wizards must take into account the laws of other magical peoples. If you are his godfather in our world, your Ministry of Magic must accept this law in your world."
Remus grinned. "You're right. That is a ministry law." He laughed heartily, waking up the boy who had been sleeping with his head on his lap. "Well, hello, Harry. Would you two like some lunch?"
At lunch, Harry regaled the other two with stories of the beautiful Princess Elsbeth. Remus teased Mithrael that he might have competition for his future bride, and the elf laughingly agreed.
When the boy finally calmed down enough to eat his lunch, Mithrael asked, "Do all human children communicate so well at this age?"
"Oh, no. Harry is very advanced," he assured him. "He began to walk at 8 months old and talk at 10 months. James used to say that he started talking at 10 months and hasn't stopped since."
The elf laughed. "I am inclined to agree with him. So, do you think it is possible that Sirius Black will be released by the winter solstice?"
"I'm not sure," Remus said thoughtfully. "It's over a month away, so it's possible. I'll contact Albus tonight and we will begin the steps to have him released. I suppose it would help if we caught Pettigrew first."
"I am sure it would. Is there anyone, in addition to Long Beard, who might help you?"
"Yes, there are a couple of aurors that I'm sure would help. In fact, I'll contact them first. It might help keep Albus honest. By the way, why do you call him Long Beard?"
The elf grinned. "It is a story told among my people. Many years ago, an elf saw him standing under a tree with his beard stuck in a branch over his head. He had been sitting on the branch, and when he jumped down, his beard was caught, so he came down, but the end of his beard did not. Fortunately, his beard was very long and the branch was not so high that he could not place his feet on the ground. The half-giant Hagrid was laughing too hard to help. Of course, he was able to use magic to retrieve his beard, but we have called him Old Long Beard ever since."
Remus laughed. "I wish I could have seen that."
"As do I. I am sure it was a sight to remember. The one who told the story said that he was laughing so hard, he was surprised that Old Long Beard did not hear him."
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Over the next month, Harry and Mithrael kept in contact with Remus. Two days after their visit, Aurors Moody and Shacklebolt went to the Burrow and caught Pettigrew. Two days after that, Sirius was released from Azkaban. Harry visited them often throughout the month at Remus's cottage. Everything was explained to Sirius, and he agreed to allow the elves to raise and train Harry to prepare him for his fate, so long as they allowed him to be an important part of his godson's life. No one knew of Harry's whereabouts. Remus and Sirius kept the secret to themselves.
On the night of the winter solstice, the Elven realm was full of activity. Every elf of the realm, save for those who were on guard that night, were present, dressed in finest gossamer silks. At midnight, those assembled quietly moved to either side of the cove, leaving an open pathway to Eldartha.
All ceremonies were held beneath the branches of Eldartha, for it was from her that they received the blessing of her ancient wisdom. When an important decision was to be made, the Queen and Elders sat under her branches and listened for her words of wisdom in their hearts.
Two guards, uniformed in white and gold, walked down the path, each carrying a large spear. They advanced in front of the ancient tree, bowed to her in respect, and then stood on either side. Queen Thespa and Lord Kathair entered, and all those assembled bowed while they made their way to Eldartha.
Elder Kindarth, who would perform the ceremony, followed the Queen and her mate to the tree.
Lord Mithrael, with Princess Elsbeth on his arm, appeared. As the crowed bowed again, they slowly walked up the path and stood before the Queen, facing her. Harry appeared next, dressed in white and gold, like the guards and Mithrael. With a wide grin, he walked slowly up the path, just as they had practiced. Yet, he couldn't avoid the temptation to wave to all the people who were watching. Biting back a smile, the Queen cleared her throat, and Harry stopped waving. He continued up the path in a more sedate manner. His two godfathers, Sirius and Remus, who were also dressed in white and gold, followed Harry. However, instead of tunic and trousers, they wore Wizarding robes, since they were to be his guardians in that world.
Beneath Eldartha, Harry stood between his two godfathers, behind Mithrael and Elsbeth. The marriage ceremony would take place first, then the adoption. He waited patiently, or as patiently as a toddler can wait, for the first part to be over so that he could do his part. He had been nervous all day because Mithrael told him that he would have to give him a small cut on the finger to get some of his blood. Although he had promised that it wouldn't hurt, Harry was still nervous that it might sting just a little, and he didn't want to cry in front of all these people. He wanted to be brave like his new father.
Several times, Remus and Sirius placed their hands on his shoulders, a silent message for him to stop fidgeting. Finally, after 10 minutes, the boy slumped, let out a huge sigh, and lay down on the ground. That act was accompanied by a few snorts and giggles. Sirius bent down, brushed off his clothes, picked the boy up in his arms, and let him rest his head on his godfather's shoulder for the rest of the ceremony. By the time it was finished, Harry was asleep.
They had to wake him for the adoption ceremony. As he blinked his tired eyes, he asked loudly, "We mawwied now?"
The entire assembly, who had been trying to hold in their chuckles for the past half hour, finally released their mirth, laughing at the tired young boy's antics.
"Yes," Mithrael said, taking him from Sirius. "We are married. Now, it is time to have a child."
Since Harry was actually taking part in this portion of the ceremony, he was more attentive. After the blood was taken, he looked down at his finger in surprise, and then whispered up to Mithrael. "Not hurt!" Of course, a little boy's whispers are about as quiet as a hippogriff's screech, so there was more laughter.
Harry's blood was mixed with Mithrael's and Elzbeth's, and then placed on each of their foreheads by Elder Kindarth, where it was absorbed magically. From the mingled blood, each one received the most prominent power possessed by the other two. In Harry's case, he received Mithrael's skill with a sword and his sharp eyesight, avoiding the myopia, which had plagued his father. From Elsbeth, he received her ability to heal and perform mind magic. Both his new parents received, from him, a magical core and his ability to do wandless magic.
And then Harry received a new name.
"From this day forward, in the Elven realm, you will be known as Prince Sethrael dina Mithrael," the Queen told him. "This is your Elven name. Sethrael means 'touched by Light.' In this world, Lord Mithrael dina Lothair and the Princess Elsbeth will be your father and mother. In the Wizarding world, you will be known as Harry James Potter, and your godfathers, Sirius Orion Black and Remus John Lupin, will be your legal guardians. Are there any in this assembly who object to this? If so, speak now."
Fortunately, no one objected, so Harry, also known as Sethrael, was taken to their camp and tucked into his furs.