Harry Potter and the Jacobite Elves
Rating: M
Summary: Harry takes possession of the Black family's castle in the Highlands of Scotland. Up to and amidst the celebration of Hogmanay (New Year's), he discovers that there is some very old business to attend to.
Disclaimer:
I have not claim to characters or scenes from the Harry Potter series, which belongs to JK Rowling and associates. I get nothing from this except the enjoyment of imagining and writing the story. I am making no money from this (rats).
Hogmanay
On the morning of December 31st, Harry had received an owl from Kingsley Shacklebolt that the documents had arrived, and that he would be bringing them when he and his wife Susanna arrived that afternoon for the ceilidh.
The people of the castle and the estate were all in formal livery, in the Black clan tartan. Harry and his friends wore their Highland formal dress, and many of the guests, particularly those from the regiment, were also in Highland formal attire.
Hagrid indicated that he would be a bit late, as he had to deal with the new pack of wolfallos which had just come in and weren't 'settled' yet. Luna commented that he was probably checking them for nargle infestations, as everyone knew that wolfallos were forest creatures who were fond of mistletoe, and everyone knows that mistletoe is prone to nargle infestations. Ron walked away shaking his head, muttering "Mental, mental, mental."
Minerva McGonagall arrived with her husband. She introduced him to Harry and Hermione as 'Professor Sean Gorrie'. Harry asked, "Do you teach at another wizarding school, Professor?" Sean replied, "No Harry, I have a much less illustrious post. I hold the chair in chemistry at the University of Edinburgh. From what Minnie has told me about the goings-on at Hogwarts, it is a much less exciting school. Miss Granger, may I have a word? My wife has spoken to me of your potions work and your thirst for knowledge, and I would like to discuss a future path of study with you."
As Hermione and Sean moved over to the side of the entranceway, already deep in conversation (with Hermione's eyes bright, and more than once turning towards the Scottish witch and mouthing "Thank you!"), Harry said "Minerva, you never mentioned that your husband had such a illustrious position." Minerva replied, "Harry, you have to remember that a teacher's stock-in-trade is information. How much to give out, and how much to keep back. Being in the Order for longer than you have been around, in the midst of two wars with old Voldie, surrounded at the school by Death Eaters on the Board of Governors (we knew who they were, but could do nothing about it), and their offspring acting as spies in Slytherin, and I'm sad to say, in the other houses as well, and with families being targeted, certain cats had to be very carefully kept in their bags."
At seven in the evening, the Dinner was called to order. Harry stood up at the head table, and greeted the assembled guests.
"Honoured guests, friends, your Excellency (this addressed to the High Commissioner from Australia), my brothers and sisters of the clan, I bid you welcome to Castle Dubh. To start, I ask you to charge your glasses with this special commemorative liqueur prepared by our brew-mistress Lindsay." He indicated the elf and bowed to her, who curtseyed to the assembly. "The golden flasks contain a version prepared for those who do not wish to partake in strong drink this evening, and the more plentiful silver ones are for those of us who do." Glasses were filled and the gathering looked to Harry for his next comments. "The potion is intended to enhance our memories of those who we wish were still with us."
"I ask you to rise for a moment of silence, and raise your glasses to our fallen brothers and sisters, those who fell in the recent war, and those who fell in previous conflicts, and those who have gone forward into the next great adventure. To all of our fallen!" He drained his glass and bowed his head. The assembled group bowed their heads as well, as the clan piper played 'The Flowers of the Forest', and people remembered loved ones who were no longer with them.
Harry refilled and then raised his glass again for the requisite toast. "The Queen!" He noticed quite a number of people, including many from his own household, passing their liqueur glasses over their waterglasses before they drank this toast.
Harry raised his glass again and declared "Éirich Dubh!", which the clan members echoed, as did Hermione, Ginny, Arthur, and Fleur Weasley (who had been taking Gaelic lessons with Winnie), and Elly and Gil Granger. The clan members noted these inclusions with deep interest.
He continued to stand "Thank you all. Please be seated."
"As you all know, I'm kind of new at this, so please bear with me. I shall try to keep my remarks short, so we can eat, drink and be merry, and then the dancehall awaits."
"Some months ago, when I took on my title as Lord Black and Chief of Clan Dubh, I swore to protect the people of the clan, and to protect those who were innocent. I also stated that those who were guilty of evil acts had forfeited the protection of the clan and their claim to be part of it. I hold to these statements, and I hope that the actions I have undertaken in the last few months will bear this out."
"I have also spoken at length with the people of the castle and the estate. In particular, I have had long discussions with Father Ian" bowing to the elf in the brown cassock, "on the nature of good and evil, as it has been a constant question in my life. He helped me see that most people are not inherently good or evil, but can be guided or misled. The prodigal can return and the repentant can be redeemed. I do not hold to the doctrine that guilt is inherited, except through actions of the younger party – the sins of the father are not necessarily passed to the next generation, but the next generation can commit the same sins under the guidance of the father. The unrepentant shall not be redeemed, and shall be cast out. In light of this understanding, I wish to make the some declarations and attempt to right some long-standing wrongs."
"First, I declare that the protection of the clan will continue to go to the innocent and helpless."
"Second, the disinheriting of my godfather's cousin, the Lady Andromeda Black Tonks is hereby declared to be null and void. It was done because the lady in question refused to follow in a misguided path to evil. As Lord Black, I welcome the Lady Andromeda back into her family." Harry walked over to Andromeda, who was sitting at the head table, and kissed her, formally welcoming her back into the fold.
"Second, I declare that there are members of cadet branches of the clan, and affiliated families who have clan ties, who have committed evil acts through the guidance of evil persons. Some of these acts are 'unforgivable', and shall not be forgiven. Others are not. Those who turn away from evil ways, if their transgressions were minor and they repent of their former acts, shall be welcomed as family, but those who do not will be turned away."
Hermione gasped as she realized that Harry had just declared that, barring him having his own children to succeed him, Teddy Lupin had just been made the presumptive heir to the House of Black, and that Draco Malfoy had just been disinherited from the Black fortune unless he repented his ways. She figured that the devil would be buying thermal underwear before that happened. She also realised that the entire weight of the clan's protection would be guarding Teddy against attacks or death threats from Draco.
Harry then said, "Okay, now the biggie. I cannot turn back the clock as much time is past, and sometimes trying to correct old wrongs can create new ones. That's how vendettas and feuds start, and we have all seen quite enough of that type of behaviour. I call upon the Honourable Minister of Magic, Mr Kingsley Shacklebolt to make the official pronouncement and declarations, and then I will finish off, and then we can eat. Minister?"
Kingsley stood up, and unrolled a large parchment. He said "May I ask the Lady Morag Stuart to stand with me please?" As Morag was sitting next to Kingsley at the head table (a fact that had puzzled some), she stood beside the tall black man. Kingsley continued "Thank you, Lady Morag. I have the honour to hold in my hand a declaration and Royal Warrant from Her Majesty the Queen. It is rather long, and as such, though I mean no disrespect to her majesty, I will summarize. It declares that the proscriptions and outstanding warrants of arrest against the Royal House of Stuart are hereby nullified. The war between the English Crown and the House of Stuart for the rule of England and Scotland is long over, and the punishments laid on the Highlands after the Jacobite Risings of 1715 and 1745 are no longer relevant, if they ever were. Due to the passage of time, the confiscations of property and harm to lives cannot be reversed, but the honour of the people can be restored. The living people of the Royal Clan of Stuart have done no personal wrong against the existing crown which can be attributed to the war between the Stuarts and Hanovers, and so the current people shall not remain under threat from the Crown. All proscriptions and prescribed sentences of members of the Royal Clan of Stuart are hereby declared void. This declaration is signed by Her Majesty." He handed the parchment to Lady Morag.
Kingsley then unrolled a second parchment. "In light of the declaration by Her Majesty, the Wizengamot of The United Kingdom of Great Britain hereby restores the Royal Clan of Stuart to the status of a Great House of the Realm, and recognised the current head of the clan, the Lady Morag Stuart, as the Head of an Ancient and Noble House, as is her right through inheritance. This declaration is to be effective at the stroke of midnight tonight, as the New Year begins, to symbolize this new beginning." Kingsley handed the second parchment to Lady Morag, and presented her with a highland bonnet with three eagle feathers and one owl feather. He then bent over and kissed her hand.
As Kingsley was still bowed over Morag's hand, Harry stood and raised his glass. "To the House of Stuart!" He then turned to the fireplace behind him, and threw his glass into it, smashing the glass. Using the fireplaces which lined the walls of the dining room in all directions, the company followed suit, giving great cheers of "Stuart, Stuart."
Harry then resumed speaking, "Thank you, Minister. As the Head of the Black Family and Chief of Clan Dubh, I welcome this restoration of the honour of a wronged people. Many of these people have sworn fealty to Clan Dubh. I cannot in any good conscience declare them no longer part of the clan, as they have committed no wrong. All of the Royal Clan who wish to remain part of Clan Dubh shall continue to be welcomed as our brothers and sisters."
"In the Clan lands, we follow the old ways, and not those imposed by the act of Union. Therefore, I do not personally own the clan lands, but am the Great Steward of clan property. I do declare that any parcels of land owned directly by members of the restored Clan Stuart shall be deemed by me to be Stuart clan lands, even though they were originally property of the Blacks."
"As you all can imagine, Lady Morag and I are still working out the details. There has never been a clan restored. There has never been a clan which is made up almost entirely of members of a separate clan, and there has never been a royal clan which is effectively a branch of another clan. We'll keep you informed of our progress."
"To finish, I welcome you all to our banquet and ceilidh. I particularly welcome the Lady Morag Stuart in her new restored role and honours."
"For those who wish to stay the night, due to the time or the drink, or any after-ceilidh parties which I am told are inevitable, we have rooms aplenty prepared for you. For those who want a quieter relaxation or whose muscles get sore, the hot pool is available as well."
"One last thing. This last year has seen many changes for me personally, and for us all. Many of us have come out from under a shadow which has been over us for most of our lives. We are starting afresh, and some of us are looking forward to this new life." He raised his glass, raising it slightly to Lady Morag, then to Neville and Hannah, and then to the assembled guests. "To New Beginnings!"
"Now, I can see that my friend Ron is going to kill me if I keep this up, so let's eat!" With that he sat down and dinner was served.
With Hamish as the Master of Ceremonies, Harry led the party into the ballroom in the Grand March. Once all were in the hall, Hamish called for the dancers to form sets for "The White Cockade", in honour of the restored house of Stuart. Harry led Lady Morag to the first couple position in the first set, and the floor filled with dancers.
Between each group of three or four dances, there would be a song from one clan member or another. Most were old and new Scottish songs. When the 'Skye Boat Song' was sung, the entire party joined in – many followed this up with an unscheduled singing of 'Will ye no come back again' which was written when Bonnie Prince Charlie left after Culloden.
When the "Reel of the 51st Division' was announced, soldiers of the regiment formed several sets of men only, and other sets of military couples were formed. Before the music started, the colonel called for a moment, and ordered the regiment to charge their glasses (from the silver flasks, of course.) He raised his glass, and called out "To our fallen comrades!" The company echoed the call, and then heaved their glasses into the ubiquitous fireplaces. The colonel then called for the music to start.
After this, a number of the soldiers demonstrated the Scottish Sword Dance, as it was intended to show the agility of soldiers and their potential for surviving battles. Great claymore swords were taken from the castle walls and laid on the floor, and the soldiers danced over them barefoot. None cut their feet on the swords, which were tested afterwards to see that they were indeed razor sharp.
When 'The Triumph' was danced, Ron partnered with Hermione, and Harry danced with Ginny, so that when Hermione was brought up the set 'in triumph' (with the two men each holding one of her hands which were crossed in front of her, and with their others forming a triumphal arch over her head) it was Ron and Harry forming the arch. Ginny came up the set under the arms of Harry and Neville, Hannah was accompanied by Neville and Seamus, and Luna came up the set under the arms of Seamus and Ron.
The ceilidh continued with singing, dancing, drinking, and breaks for snacks. At a quarter to midnight, there was a break for a more formal light meal, before they returned to the ballroom.
At the stroke of midnight, a shimmer of magic ran through the room. Lady Morag, and many other members of clan Black were now attired in the Royal Stuart tartan, and the clan rose again. Many of the elves, including Hamish and Lindsey, were now wearing the Stuart tartan, and Hamish was smiling at Harry. The elf came over and said "Thank you Harry. It has been a long time since I dared wear the colours of my fathers." The company as one raised their glasses and called out "Stuart!" More glass in more fireplaces. (Harry later learned that the castle had a glass-making shop, so that the glass would not be wasted, but neither could it be said that the same glass was re-used after a heartfelt toast.)
At that moment, there was a crashing sound, as the main door broke from its hinges and fell to the floor, and Hagrid entered the room from the outside. He looked over at Harry, smiled and said "Sorry 'bout that." Harry and his friends (who had heard the story of his first meeting with the large man) burst out laughing. Harry ran up to Hagrid and hugged his old friend. Hagrid looked around and said in a large 'outdoor' kind of voice "I know it's the custom in these parts that the 'first-footer', the first through your door in the New Year, should be a tall man with dark hair. Will I do?" With a wide smile, Harry said "Of course. Come in. You will always be welcome in my house."
Hagrid looked around, asking "Where's Mariah? I promised my big sister a dance." There was an audible thud as Mhairi ran up and hugged her brother.
Harry looked around, and saw Jock McGregor laughing heartily at the two giants embracing. Harry went up to him and asked "What's up, Jock?" Jock looked at Harry and said "That joke was old by the time ye were born, laddie. I was laughing because every time that lad shows up, we have had to replace that door. We finally put break-away hinges on the doors so that we didn't have to replace the doorframe whenever he visits his sister."
The ceilidh went on until near dawn, although many had already drifted off to their rooms. Several smaller parties continued in smaller meeting rooms and larger bedrooms.
Harry went to his room about eight in the morning, to find his bed was already partially occupied, and there was long blonde hair spread over his pillow. Luna looked up at Harry, with her wide-eyed expression of total acceptance of whatever wonders the world had to offer and said simply, "I was told it was my turn."
Author's Note: There is a sequel to this tale, titled 'Myrtle takes a Holiday'. I hope you enjoy it.