10, April, 2010

Two Queens and Dice

Writer: Hand Steroids

Number of Words: 2,044

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the Firekeeper Saga. (Although it would be amazing if I did.)

A/N:The Firekeeper Saga is an amazing series that everyone who enjoys magic, politics and romance along with intelligent animals should read. You can view the books at janelindskold. com where you should look for the first in the series; Through Wolf's Eyes. If you have any questions about some of the Hawk Haven settings please feel free to send a message, and I will do my best to clarify it to you and make my stories better using what you have pointed out.

Summary:Although Harry Potter was taken to the Dursleys, he did not stay there. In fact, the Dursleys never even saw the boy. When Harry, now Damien, is raised by a society that treats magic with fearful disdain returns to England, how will the wizarding world take to this new adult Harry?


Chapter 3.

"Most gods throw dice, but Fate plays chess, and you don't find out til too late that he's been playing with two queens all along."

-Terry Pratchett


Hogwarts, 1990

Harry Potter Missing!

Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, has been discovered missing! September first came around and the wizarding world waited in reverence for Harry to be sorted into his respective house. Upon the Hogwarts Sorting, it has been discovered that Potter, did not in fact show up for his education. Further searching shows that he received none of his Hogwarts admission letters, nor had he ever been to his relative's house where he was previously believed to be.

The Ministry has procured a full blown missing persons search, but so far has ended up with empty hands. Records show that Potter's magical signal has not been detected (through the use of the underage sorcery department) since the night of You-Know-Who's demise.

Currently, Ministry diplomats are asking our neighboring countries to search for Potter. Our wishes are with the ongoing search for Potter in hopes that the boy who led us to the end of You-Know-Who is alive and healthy.

-Rita Skeeter

Minerva folded her paper softly with a satisfied look. A quick glance over at Albus proved that he was furious and confused about Harry Potter's disappearance. He looked distinctively aged with worry. Minerva's lips curled upward into a smirk.

McGonagall went back to her meal, subconsciously feeling eyes on her. She knew whose gaze it was too. Sitting beside her was Severus Snape, head of Slytherin house and Potions Master of Hogwarts. The man was tall, dark and looming, and a known spy against Voldemort.

Minerva glanced sideways at Snape, catching his gaze. She winked, causing him to narrow his eyes. Snape knew she knows something about Potter.

Gracefully McGonagall rose, motioning slightly to Snape to follow. Of course he did not follow, that would be suspicious, but instead waited until Minerva was out of the hall before rising from his seat.

They met in McGonagall's office, Snape arriving after giving detention to several students along the way. Minerva locked the room and warded it with the strongest of spells before settling behind her desk.

"Severus, please sit." Minerva offered, motioning to the chair on the other side of her desk. He gracefully accepted, muttering a soft 'thank you' as he sat.

"Minerva, you know something about Potter, do you not?" Minerva smiled softly, an eyebrow rising into an arch.

"Yes I do." McGonagall straightened some papers on her desk.

"Where is he?"

"Severus, even if I knew, why should I tell you? Why should I not go straight to the papers or the Ministry with that information?" Minerva smirked as Snape near rolled his eyes at her answer.

"So you know where he is?"

"Yes, I do. I took him there." Minerva was hoping for some kind of emotion from the man, but none.

"Why?"

Minerva sneered. "Why? I shall tell you why. For a whole day I watched Harry Potter's last living relatives. They abhor anything abnormal in their lives, and succumb to physical and verbal violence. While several fine people have managed through abusive situations, I would not allow a child whose parents had just died to be placed within a situation of such magnitude.

"Furthermore, Albus has his own plans for the boy. I have seen what he will do just to achieve his means; you yourself have experienced it, almost at the cost of your life. Would you subject someone else to that kind of treatment?"

Minerva seemed to have struck a nerve with Snape. He seemed to have wilted at the mention of the incident in his 6th year at Hogwarts. Near death by werewolf was not something that could be forgiven.

"I see your point. But Minerva, where did you take him?"

"In four years, you shall be able to see it for yourself. I will need some help managing the magic to transport several beings to England, that is, if you are willing."

Severus sneered, but there was a light in his eye when she mentioned where Potter was. "Very well."


Hawk Haven

Damien was happy for his brother to be traveling west with Earl Kestrel to Bardenville over the Iron Mountains. Earl Kestrel, who had commissioned several pack animals and steady riding mounts, had dropped the hint that he needed someone able to mind the horses during the trip, and Darien was more than willing to oblige.

Earl Kestrel was going over the Iron Mountains to Bardenville to see if Crown Prince Barden was alive. With King Tedric falling weaker with no named heir, the Great Houses were in a rush to provide their best candidates for the crown.

King Tedric's children had passed with no living heirs. Crown Prince Chalmer died at the age of thirty nine, without marrying. Crown Princess Lovella who was married to Newell Shield had died fighting pirates at Lookout Point, a lighthouse that harbored scoundrels and pirates. She was leading the army and Lovella and Newell had decided to wait to have children before she was no longer needed in the military.

Before Lovella died, Crown Prince Barden had taken off over the Iron Mountains against King Tedric's wishes, taking with him his wife and daughter, Blysse, and a group of people who would settle Bardenville. King Tedric disowned him for his actions.

Earl Kestrel was hoping to find Prince Barden, or his daughter, who would be about fifteen or sixteen years old. Damien supposed that by finding direct kin of the king, he would be shown favor for his actions.

Damien had been offered the position but declined; instead he would be delivering Cream Delight, the golden horse they had bought in Good Crossing, to Baron Archer. He would train her upon his arrival and oversee Lady Elise's initial riding with the young mare.

He would also be taking along a pale gray stallion for Sapphire Shield, as her previous mount was becoming stiff with age. A noble lady so engaged with the art of war could not ride a horse that could possibly be faulty during a battle.

That was where he was, in Cream Delight's saddle, holding the reins of the gray stallion as they approached the Archer estates. The two horses were snorting, prancing slightly with the anticipation of a warm stable.

When Damien approached the stable, he was met by a stable groom. He handed the reins of the stallion over to the groom, who carefully unburdened the stallion of his tack. Damien accepted help with Cream Delight, the groom helping to rub the sweat out of her coat until it shone like gold. He saw the horses comfortably into their stalls, before he asked to be allowed to freshen up.

He took his packs with him as he was escorted into the Manse, and given accommodations, that had no doubt been prepared for him upon his being hired. Damien changed his clothes into something more distinctively appropriate, following the servant who had been ordered to bring him to Baron Archer.

Baron Archer was a strong man. He was distinctly built designed for the perfect longbow archer. Unlike Earl Kestrel, who was a part of one of the great houses, House Archer was a lower house. They earned their lordship by the first Baron Archer, who proved himself with many great feats during battle, mainly for his archery skills.

As Damien approached, he bowed to Baron Archer. "My Lord," he stated respectfully. The Baron nodded, before speaking. "Damien Carter, I trust your journey was fair."

Damien nodded agreement, "Indeed sir, the roads are pleasant this year."

Baron Archer handed Damien a pouch of token. "This is for my Daughter's horse, and for your travels. How is the mare?"

"Cream Delight travels quite well. She is spirited enough for a noble lady such as your daughter, without being a calm palfrey for a less able rider."

The Baron was pleased with this. "Thank you Damien Carter. Lady Elise will be down to the stable in the morning to become acquainted with Cream Delight."

Damien bowed, before exiting the room.

The next morning, as Damien finished brushing the golden mare, Lady Elise approached Damien, wearing an everyday riding outfit. It was far beyond what a woman of lower class could afford, but modest for a Lady.

"Are you Damien Carter?" Her voice was light, as she spoke, a light smile on her face at the sight of the mare.

"Indeed, my Lady. This is your mount." He bowed politely towards Lady Elise.

"She is beautiful. What is her name?" Elise ran a hand over the mare's smooth coat. Damien noted that the Lady's hair was almost the same golden color as the horse's coat.

"Her name is Cream Delight. I only have to saddle her, and she will be ready for you."

It had been about a week since Damien delivered Cream Delight to the Archers, and he was preparing to head to the Shield Estates to deliver the gray stallion to Lady Sapphire when Lord Jet visited the Archers. Jet Shield was the only son of Melina Shield, three years younger than Lady Sapphire.

It was how Damien found himself escorting the Lord to the estates of his family.

Lady Melina Shield had named each of her five children after a precious gemstone. It was rumored that she would even wait up to a month before naming her children, just to determine the match of gemstones. Lady Melina was also a reputed sorceress, and believed that she controlled her children through the cornet and embedded, corresponding stone that her children never removed.

Lady Melina even went so far with the gemstones that the clothing, armor, even their mounts, corresponded to color. For example, Jet Shield had black hair and dark eyes, but he always rode a black horse, his armor was black and he wore a Jet stone on his cornet. Rumors always hold some faction of the truth.

Damien soon found that this single trip threw all possible conceptions of Jet Shield away. Damien found he was cruel to those who he found beneath him, and a man of many interests, especially in women. Perhaps it was Jet's looks that the ladies allowed themselves to fall for him, but Damien found it startling revolting.

He was not adverse to a toss in the hay with some pretty girl, but he was not the son of a Lord and Lady of a very influential House. Damien supposed that he would have acted more honorable than Jet were he in a similar position.

Heedless to say, Damien was not impressed by the time they reached to the Shield Estates. Upon his arrival, several grooms took the stallion away and almost instantly began dying the poor horse blue. He almost snatched back the reins of the stallion, not wanting to subject the handsome stallion to such treatment. If he were a noble, perhaps he could, but Damien was just delivering the horse, not the horse's owner.

Almost as fast as he arrived, he found, after he had been paid and accommodated with a healthy meal, he was given Sapphire's old horse and pushed out the door. The poor mount was still blue.

That was how he found himself riding a blue horse, known throughout the kingdom as Lady Sapphire's horse. It attracted many unwanted stares and whispers as he traveled back to Eagle's Nest. But along the way, he heard the opinion of many people on the new battle over the heir of King Tedric.

Many people were hoping for Allister Seagleam, the Pledge Child, was going to become the heir. It was clear that many people thought highly of the man, although a national of Bright Bay. He was the nephew of King Tedric. His sister Caryl Eagle had been married to Tavis Seagleam in hope for potential peace between Bright Bay and Hawk Haven.

Others thought that Sapphire Shield had a good healthy hold on the title. She was young enough that she could provide a potential marriage alliance, and the Shields were a strong line. The first Queen of Hawk Haven had been Zorana Shield, who married Clive Elkwood before creating the House Eagle.

The only thing Damien could decide was that whoever won the title of Heir, there were sure to be people who were not going to like the decision.