Much to Harry's surprise Ivy actually said yes to his impromptu marriage proposal, but insisted on putting off the wedding itself until the fall equinox, which was still a month away. After a day of strategizing they soon began making trips with Kincaid deep into Nevernever, and then to various spots around the globe. Most brides want their weddings to be unique, but even Mrs Tonks thought that Ivy was going a bit overboard.
That September Harry asked the new Minister of Magic to appoint him as Britain's ambassador to the International Confederation of Wizards. After the deaths caused first by Voldemort's war and then by the Dark-elf Massacre, the Boy-Who-Lived was the most famous and respected wizard left alive in the country. Arthur Weasley reluctantly agreed to this idea—mostly to keep his only daughter Ginny from doing something rash to her ex-boyfriend and his new fiancée.
In was during those first few weeks living in Switzerland that Harry began noticing some very odd things about Ivy that he overlooked during their travels together during the summer. As the Archive she had no reason to read anything and she never did: not a single book, newspaper, or even the handbills which people stapled to walls in any major city. The only time she held a piece of paper in her hands is when she was writing a letter to one of her many lawyers. Or when she was working on some random mathematical equation, a hobby which she found very relaxing.
Ivy had no tolerance for films or television either. She explained that by the time any film was released its script had gone through dozens of drafts. Added to this was the endless notes written by the director, the producer, the studio executives, and the actors themselves. Attempting to sort through the highly irrational creative process of the entertainment industry only gave her a massive headache. She had more patience for music, but only if it was performed live with plenty of interesting variations and mistakes by the performers.
This shortage of leisure options led Harry to suggest dancing. The ICW was located in the middle of Switzerland, so the pair hopped through Nevernever to various dance clubs in Zürich, Geneva, Munich, and Milan. Up until this point in her life Ivy had kept up a simple daily routine of grooming, cooking, eating, and exercising. These activities were all physical in nature, and they allowed to her to block out the deafening roar of the Archive itself for short periods of time. The girl quickly came to love dancing for the same reason.
The constant touching on the dance floor had other positive side-effects. The two teenagers quickly progressed to kissing, then to heavy petting, and finally to sex itself. Even with all the information the Archive provided her about the subject of sexual intercourse, the overwhelming sensuality of act itself was still a revelation. Nothing else in Ivy's short life had given her such relief from constant turmoil she was always experiencing inside of her mind.
"I glad we didn't have to wait until our wedding night," a sweaty and exhausted Harry commented one morning. Their new sex life was so intense that they both resorted to magic to deal with skin inflammations and muscle soreness.
"So am I," Ivy admitted as she ran her hands through his messy black hair. "Are you sure you are ready for today's meeting with all the old dinosaurs?"
Even with all the advantages of the Archive, the young couple knew that rising to the position of Supreme Mugwump would some take time, given how much older the other ambassadors were. Right now Harry was focusing on making a good impression with his colleagues. Between the Elder Wand, Ivy's training, and his own natural magical strength he was already one of the most powerful wizards in the world, and as Dumbledore had shown that was a great advantage in magical politics.
"Yes, I'm ready," he replied. "With all the insider information you are providing me everyone is already half-convinced that I'm some sort of political prodigy. They are also convinced that the current Supreme Mugwump is a weakling. That idiot reminds me too much of Cornelius Fudge."
"Good. When the inevitable crisis comes they will turn on the fool just like your fellow countrymen turned on Fudge," Ivy explained. "Then the will be looking for a savior, and who better to serve in that role than the great Boy-Who-Lived-Twice?"
"That sounds good in theory, but I doubt it will be that easy," Harry replied as he stood up and began making his way to the shower. Ivy was just a few steps behind him. Bathing together was another new physical diversion she had quickly come to enjoy.
The happy couple was having a delightful lunch at a bistro in Marseilles when the other Harry finally found them. Ivy had warned her fiancé, but it was still something of a shock for the teenager to meet Harry Dresden in the flesh. First of all the true wizard was freakishly tall and hadn't shaved in days. He sort of smell too. Then there was the matter of his ridiculous black leather trench coat—it look like something the late Severus Snape would have had a wet dream about. To top it all off he was carrying a one and a half meter long wooden staff covered with glowing runes right in the middle of a huge city full of muggles.
"Ivy, what in the world were you thinking getting involved with one of these little clowns?" Dresden said as he planted his fist on the table and loomed over them. "They are notorious for using mind magic on everyone they meet. It's like their day isn't complete unless they have broken both the Third and Forth Laws of Magic."
"It is nice you see you among the living again Mr Dresden," Ivy said calmly. "Please allow me to introduce you to my fiancé, Harry James Potter."
"Ivy has told me so much about you," Harry said as he politely held out his hand.
Dresden ignored him. "I don't know what the hell Kincaid was thinking letting this whole wedding nonsense progress this far, but you have to put it on hold until I have properly checked out this punk. Mab agrees with me that you are too important to be taking unnecessary risks like this."
"So, it was the Queen of Winter who told you where to find us," Ivy reasoned. "I take it that despite your recent death and resurrection you are still the Winter Knight?"
While the Sidhe Queens of Winter and Summer were incredible powerful, neither they nor their Ladies were able to directly kill a mortal. Yes, the Sidhe were free to magically torture anyone who displeased them, but they were not allowed to take a life. To deal with minor weakness the Queens granted one mortal—the Winter or Summer Knight—a portion of their magic. These Knights in turned acted as the Sidhe Queens' personal representatives on Earth if they wanted a troublemaker killed or some other message sent. In order to save his daughter Maggie, Harry Dresden had agreed to serve as the Winter Knight last year.
"Yes, I am still the Winter Knight." Dresden admitted. "My vacation in the afterlife wasn't enough of a reason for Mab to release me from my oath of service."
"And to be perfectly clear, it is both you and Queen Mab who are objecting to my upcoming nuptials?" Ivy asked as she causally raised a perfect veil around their table.
Dresden was no genius, but even he was smart enough to notice the dangerous undertones in that question. "Listen, you are my friend and I care about your happiness. I just don't want to see you get hurt again, especially by some limey loser like him."
"This is ridiculous. I may have only known Ivy for the short time, but I already love her. The last thing in the world I would want to do is hurt her," Harry explained
"Boy, I don't remember asking you a damn thing," Dresden growled.
"You know Mr Dresden, I was having second thoughts about my current course of action. But not anymore," Ivy said as she gestured towards the true wizard's staff. It immediately turned to dust, as did the short wand he had in his coat and odd bracelet he was wearing.
"Hey, what do you think you are doing?" Dresden yelled. "You just destroyed my blasting rod and shield bracelet!"
"We are all going to take a little trip," Ivy said as she reached down to the ground and touched it with her index finger.
All three of them (along with the bistro's table and chairs) immediately fell through a portal which suddenly opened underneath them. They soared through the air for several seconds before crashing violently into a grass field. An odd group of people was waiting for them in this unfamiliar mountain valley. The first one to reach them was as old man wearing denim overalls and a white short-sleeved shirt. He was carrying a staff what was almost identical to the one Ivy had just destroyed, and he used it to magically pin Dresden to the ground.
"Sorry about this Hoss, but it has to be done."
"Where the hell are we Ebenezer, and what has to be done?"
"We are in Norway," another old man who was wearing an eye patch replied. He was even taller than Dresden, and had massive arms and shoulders to boot. "The Archive brought you here so we could stage an intervention, as the mortals are calling it nowadays."
"An intervention? That doesn't sound too bad."
Queen Titania leaned over the trapped wizard and smiled. "I afraid this is going to be very unpleasant for you Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. The pain you will experience will be worse than anything you have ever known, even when your hand was burnt to a crisp by that Black Court vampire. It is a small price to pay, considering the fact that you murdered my daughter Aurora."
"Titania!" the one-eyed giant snapped. "I agreed that this must be done, but I will not stand here and allow you to taunt the man."
"I sorry Hoss, but she is right. This is going to hurt like hell," Ebenezer said as the three powerful figures gathered around the immobilized Dresden.
Ivy led Harry off so that they could talk to his two friends, who had also been waiting for them to arrive. Hermione was dressed in an outfit of dark green leathers, and Harry had to admit she looked good. However seeing the new and improved Luna left him with an uneasy feeling. She was still the odd Ravenclaw he had come to love, but at the same time she was completely different. As a Sidhe her long blonde hair had turned completely white, and she had grown over thirty centimeters in just a few weeks. Her face was still had the same shape and lines as before, yet it was now impossible beautiful. To top it all of her large gray eyes had vertical pupils similar to those of a cat. Of course none of these unnatural alterations stopped Harry from giving her a fierce hug.
"I know who Queen Titania is, but who are the other two?" he asked while hugging Hermione.
"The one in the overalls is Ebenezer McCoy," Ivy told them. "Depending on who you ask he is either the second or third most powerful true wizard on the White Council."
"And the one with the eye patch is Odin." Luna added.
"Odin? As in the All-Father of the Norse Gods?"
"Yes. Isn't it amazing?" Hermione squealed.
"I take it you are adjusting well to your new life in Nevernever?" Ivy asked the no longer bushy-haired witch. Along with her new outfit Hermione was sporting a new hairstyle of elegant braids.
"I use to think that Hogwarts was fascinating, but compared to Nevernever it is laughably humdrum. A scholar could spend a hundred years studying the lands of the Sidhe and never even scratch the surface."
"Are you two ready for what is about to happen to Dresden?" a concerned Harry asked.
"It is a great tragedy, but Titania assures us that it needs to be done for the good of all the Sidhe," Luna told him.
Suddenly they all heard a terrible scream, and turned to watch. Queen Titania and the true wizard Ebenezer McCoy were standing on either side of Dresden, and they were using their magic to hold him upright. At the same time Odin had his entire hand inside of Dresden's chest. There wasn't any blood, but that didn't stop the younger man from screaming. After a minute or two Odin finally withdrew his hand. In it was a strange orb of magical light which was constantly pulsating with a hundred different shades of blue.
"What the hell is that thing?" an amazed Harry asked.
"That is the living Mantle of the Winter Knight," Ivy told them. "This situation is certainly going to attract Mab's attention."
True enough. Only a few seconds later a deafening clap of thunder rocked the entire valley, and two more of the Sidhe appeared along with a blast of frigid air. One of them was actually a redhead, but she looked absolutely nothing like any of the Weasleys. The other could have been Titania's twin expect for her bluish coloring. While the redhead looked calm, the other looked insane with rage. She had to Queen Mab of Winter.
"YOU DARE DEFY THE WILL OF THE QUEEN OF AIR AND DARKNESS?" Mab screamed, and the power of her words alone was enough to send them flying to the ground. Harry noted with horror that their ears were bleeding—even Ivy's.
"I not letting my boy wear the leash of a mad bitch like you," Ebenezer snarled as a second black staff magically appeared in his other hand. "If you want him back, it will be over my dead body."
"AS YOU WISH!" Mab screamed.
Her attack was like will nothing Harry, Hermione, or Luna had ever experienced before. It was as if the power of an entire blizzard was condensed to a meter-wide stream of pure magical energy. The whole valley froze over in a matter of seconds, and they probably would have died from hypothermia if Ivy hadn't raised a shield to protect them.
But as powerful as Mab's attack was, Ebenezer's two staffs were able to counter it with a shield so bright it looked like a rising sun.
"Now Titania!" the old man yelled, and the Queen of Summer responded with a counterattack of her own. As quickly as the ice covering the valley had appeared, it suddenly disappeared as a massive wave of fire stuck the Queen of Winter.
Mab was somehow able to defend herself and continue her attack at the same time. But the strain was obvious as she dropped down on one knee. "Leanansidhe!" she called to the redheaded Sidhe in a more-normal voice. "Defend your Queen!"
This Leanansidhe person hesitated for a moment. "What of the Odin? This place is far too close to his place of power here on Midgard."
"As long as he holds the Mantle of the Winter Knight he can not harm you. Now kill the Blackstaff while I deal with my traitorous sister Titania," Mab said as she continued to simultaneously attack and defend herself against two powerful foes.
Reluctantly Leanansidhe raised her hands and gathered her magic. The moment she struck at Ebenezer Queen Titania smiled and called out: "Loose the arrows!"
All around them three hundred dark-elves rose up from beneath their perfectly camouflaged cloaks, and drew back on their powerful horn bows. Their arrows flew for less than a second before striking the two targets with barbed arrowheads made of cold iron, a substance which was poisonous to all the Sidhe. Harry had seen paintings of the execution of Saint Sebastian, but it was nothing compared to the horrific wounds the dark-elves inflicted on Mab and Leanansidhe.
At some point Dresden had regain consciousness, and he started to run to Leanansidhe's side when he saw her lying on the ground in agony.
"Hoss!" Ebenezer shouted. "Stand down!"
"Sir, Lea is my godmother!"
"Hoss, you may be tough, but you ain't as tough as me," the old man said quietly. "Now you stand down before I put you down."
"I must agree with the Blackstaff, Dresden can be so tiresome at times like this," a new voice said.
Even with a head full of multicolored dreadlocks it was clear she too was a Sidhe, although Harry had never seen one of them wearing a cutoff t-shirt with the words "Get a taste of religion, Lick a witch" written on it. She was standing next to Kincaid in front of a newly opened portal to Nevernever.
"Are any of the Sidhe ugly?" Harry wondered aloud as they watched the spectacle unfold.
"Nope," Luna informed him. "That is Maeve, the Winter Lady."
Queen Titania approached Maeve with a look of disgust on her face. "Are you prepared to go through with this?" she asked.
"We both know Mab is insane, and has been for several years. If the Sidhe are to survive both she and her handmaiden have to be put down just like your late daughter Aurora was," Maeve replied. She then glanced over at Leanansidhe and noticed that redhead was still moving. "Hellhound, if you would be so kind as to take care of her?"
Kincaid walked up to the terribly wounded Sidhe, and took out the shotgun he had strapped to his back. After a slight nod from Ivy he pumped seven shells full of cold iron buckshot into Leanansidhe's body until she stopped twitching. Dresden turned away and vomited.
"You traitor! It will take a thousand years before I am finished with your punishment," Mab hissed through a mouthful of blood.
"Blah-Blah-Blah," Maeve replied as she grabbed Leanansidhe's corpse by the foot and Mab by her long white hair. The young Sidhe then began dragging them through the portal to Nevernever.
Ivy took Harry by the hand, and they followed along with the others. This new valley held an ancient Stone Table at its center. According to Ivy this place was the center of power for both the Sidhe of Summer and Winter.
With her superhuman strength Maeve threw both of her prisoners onto the Table. At the same time Odin sent the strange orb of blue energy flowing into its now-bloody surface. Amazingly Mab was still conscious despite the dozens of arrow piercing her body.
"You pathetic fool. You can not become the Queen of Winter without the consent of Mother Winter."
"Then it is a good thing Maeve has my consent," an old crone said from the other side of the Table. Harry had met her and the equally old hag standing at her side during one of Ivy's recent trips into Nevernever. The two were called Mother Winter and Mother Summer. According to legend they were the oldest and most powerful of all the Sidhe.
"Mab, you can not even control your own emotions, so how do you expect to command the forces of Winter?" Mother Winter asked mournfully. "You have allowed outsiders to strike at the very heart of our lands with impunity. Your magical blood must flow back to the Table so that Winter may have a new Queen."
"A better Queen. One who is free of your crippling madness," Maeve added.
"And a new Lady of Winter must be chosen along with a new Winter Knight," Titania said as she pushed Luna and Hermione forward towards the Stone Table.
"I will choose my own servants Titania," Maeve said with a contemptuous sneer.
"No, you will not," Mother Summer said quietly. "When the Lady Aurora was murdered by Harry Dresden the new Summer Lady Lily and her Knight Fix were chosen without consulting Queen Titania. You too will be denied that privilege, and you will humbly accept those that we have chosen for you."
Seeing that she was outnumbered, Maeve reluctantly nodded her head. She then grabbed Queen Mab by her long white hair and jammed a razor-sharp obsidian blade directly into her brain.