After providing the American Aurors with a deposition about the mass destruction he had supposedly caused, Harry was given a mild warning and allowed to return to Demonreach. In theory their magical society was governed by the Rule of Law, but in reality certain powerful wizards like Dumbledore and Voldemort were laws unto themselves. Albus had boasted to Minister Fudge that no prison, not even Azkaban, could hold him if he wanted to escape, and Voldemort had fought a guerrilla-style war for over decade before finally being declared an outlaw. Harry now saw that he was another one of these rogue wizards those magical strength place him beyond the jurisdiction of the average Auror.
"How did it go?" Ivy asked as she prepared the catamaran for the trip back to Chicago.
"The pit was mind-boggling huge, and Lara Raith was so furious about the whole situation that she wanted to devour me. Luckily the Winter Knight arrived on the scene, and forced her to back down before I had to kill anyone. Apparently Queen Maeve didn't care for the way the White Court Vampires have treated some of the smaller fairies in the past," Harry explained as he climbed abroad. "You should have seen Hermione—she was actually wearing a suit of Sidhe armor."
"What about Thomas?" Dresden asked.
"I didn't see him around, but I wasn't really looking."
The tall wizard grabbed Harry by the arm. "What do you mean you weren't..."
"Dresden!" Ivy snapped as her magic seized him. "If you ever manhandle my husband like that again you won't live long enough to regret it. And while we are clearing the air let's get something else straight: to us Thomas Raith is nothing more than another vampire who deserves to die."
"He's my brother."
"I am perfectly aware of that fact. Are you aware of how many people Thomas has killed over the years to sustain himself?"
"He can't control himself. His demonic side overwhelms his free will, and forces him to feed on humans," Dresden argued.
"If he truly cared about the welfare of others he would commit suicide," Ivy stated coldly. "Since he is too much of a coward to do that he deserves to die for his crimes, and if he continues to associate the rest of the White Court Vampires he will receive his punishment soon enough."
"If you try to hurt Thomas it will be over my dead body," Dresden snarled as he tried and failed to feed himself from the girl's magical bindings. "You don't want me as an enemy."
The teenager let out a bitter laugh. "You are no longer the Winter Knight, and you just saw what I did to the thirteen of the Denarians. Do you honestly think I am afraid of you?"
"I have other sources of power," Dresden replied.
"I take you are referring to The Word of Kemmler and the Darkhallow ritual?" Ivy asked. The Word of Kemmler is a book you moron, and as the Archive I know everything about it. And Kemmler was far from the most talented necromancer in history. Even with the assistance of Bob and your Tyrannosaurus Rex, I could still crush you on that particular field of battle."
"My wife is a brilliant at making zombies," Harry added. "It only took her about a few seconds to reanimate a group of dead goblin warriors."
"You actively practice necromancy?" a shocked Dresden asked.
"I actively practice all forms of magic, as do many of the foes you will soon be facing. Think about that while you are walking back to Chicago through Nevernever," Ivy replied as she threw him off the catamaran. "If you want to save your brother Thomas that is your affair, but perhaps you should be asking yourself why the monster deserves to be saved at all."
After Mouse had jumped ship Harry took out the Elder Wand and created a magical gust of wind. For a time Ivy was silent as she concentrated on adjusting the sails, and plotting their course. Then she began to do something Harry had never seen her do before: she began to cry.
"What's wrong?" he asked gently.
"How could he side with a vampire over me?"
"Well, Thomas is Dresden's brother.
Ivy's tears suddenly vanished. "No, that thing is a vampire."
"...who is also his brother, and that obviously means a lot to the man," Harry reasoned. "I was never really close to my godfather Sirius Black, but I almost got five of my friends killed trying to rescue him when I thought he was being tortured by Voldemort. Hermione told me it was a trap, but I was too emotional involved to see it. I guess being an orphan kind of screws a person up when it comes to dealing with personal relationships."
"But Dresden is the one who gave me the name Ivy."
"What did everyone call you before that?" Harry asked.
"The Archive."
"You mean for the first six years of your life Kincaid referred to you as the Archive? I find that a little hard to believe."
"Jared Kincaid is not exactly a normal person," Ivy replied as she cracked a smile.
"No, he is definitely not normal," Harry admitted. "What's on our agenda when we reach Chicago?"
"I think we should see Sanya and Neville, and tell them the good news," Ivy said. "After that we will travel to London to tell Minister Weasley that the White Court has kidnapped three of his sons. Finally we head back to Switzerland for the autumn secession of the ICW. You need to make a personal report to the other ambassadors about what happened in Brazil, and here in Chicago."
"You still think I should take credit for everything? It feels wrong to be telling such blatant lies to so many important wizards."
"Why? They are constantly lying to you and to each other. Besides these are the same wizards and witches who forced you to face Lord Voldemort alone, despite the fact that you were an inexperienced teenager. You don't owe them anything."
"Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia both would have had heart attacks if anything like this went on at my old house in Surrey. Aren't you afraid that your neighbors are going to report you to the police?" Harry asked Molly.
The scene in the Carpenter Family backyard was a bit out of the ordinary for Suburban America. Sanya and Neville were stripped to the waist and slashing at each other with wooden practice swords, although the older man was only using one of his hands. Harry had expected the Russian Knight of the Cross to be muscular, but the appearance of his fellow Gryffindor was a shock. Neville's baby fat had melted away, and his lean torso was covered with several vicious scars. Life at Hogwarts under the Carrows last year must have been ghastly for the rebellious members of Dumbledore's Army.
"All our neighbors think my parents are reenactors in the Renaissance Fairs we have here in the United States," Molly explained. "But I have told my mom she should do it for real during the summer. She would be a real crowd-pleaser, and could probably earn a lot of money."
"That's true," Harry muttered.
Charity Carpenter was almost as attractive as her young daughter and looked downright sexy in that medieval armor. She was also nearly as good with a sword as Sanya, and had no trouble beating Neville during their last practice duel. Even with his limited experience Harry knew his friend was totally outclassed, but for some reason Ivy was watching him closely.
"No cheating," she said while raising her left pinkie in the air.
Just as Sanya was about to finish Neville off the wizard screamed, a fact which caused the big Russian to laugh. "Boy, you are only supposed to do that after I've broken your arm."
"I tried to apparate, but something just stopped me. And it hurt like bloody hell!"
"I just created a ward which blocked your ability to apparate," Ivy explained. "Your magic is very useful, but you must learn not to become overly dependent on it during a fight."
"Why not?" he asked. "I am a wizard."
"What would happen if you are facing an experienced warlock who could neutralize your spells and curses? You must accept the fact that Amoracchius is infinitely more powerful than you are. Using that sword will allow you to overcome enemies who could easily defeat a hundred of your fellow wizards."
"The Archive makes an excellent point," Sanya said. "Now we will continue with our duel, but this time with no magic tricks."
"You created a ward in under two seconds with just your pinkie finger?" a stunned Molly asked Ivy as the two Knights began to circle each other again. "Can you please teach me how to do that?"
"You have to be able to walk before I can teach you how to run Miss Carpenter, and in terms of magical development you can barely crawl. What happened to all your tattoos?" Ivy asked when she noticed that the girl's artwork had disappeared from her long and shapely body.
"Neville doesn't like tattoos," Molly replied. Then she leaned over and whispered: "I had to summon a friendly water nymph from Nevernever to remove the damn things, but it has made my parents so happy it was worth all the chanting."
Harry had to stifle a laugh. He could just imagine Ivy's volcanic reaction if he asked her to change her personal appearance like that.
"Where are all your brothers and sisters?"
"The three oldest Jawas are off at university," Molly replied. "Dad loaded the other three in the new Sandcrawler and took them out to the movies. Now that his injuries have force him to retire he loves dragging us out on family outings. Mom and I are a little sick of it, but the others don't mind humoring him."
Half an hour later Michael Carpenter walk through one of the wooden gates leading to the backyard. The former Knight of the Cross walked with a cane, but despite his disabilities he seemed more at peace with himself than anyone Harry had ever met before. "Mrs Potter, Mr Potter. What brings you both to my humble abode today?"
"Yes, what is this big surprise you have for us?" Neville asked. Sanya took advantage this student's lack of concentration, and whacked him across the back with his wooden sword.
Michael winced in sympathy as the teenager fell to the ground in agony. "Son, what have we told you about lowering your guard? A fight is never over until your opponent is dead, and even then you still have to be carefully."
The father of seven winced again when he saw his oldest daughter rushed over to Neville's side to check on his injuries, something which the young Knight didn't seem happy about.
"It looks like someone has a new stalker," Harry whispered to his wife as Neville got to his feet without Molly's help.
"We thought you all might like to see this," Ivy said as she took a box out of her Louis Vuitton handbag. It contained a collection of small metal shards. "This is all that remains of thirteen members of the Order of the Blackened Denarius."
"Dear Lord, what have you done?" a pale Michael asked as he staggered over to the fence for support. His wife Charity quickly rushed to his side and shot Ivy a nasty glare at the same time. The woman had a rare talent for nasty glares.
"I was lead to believe that Denarians were immortal beings. How can you be sure they are dead?" Sanya asked.
"Have you seen the news reports about the sinkhole that swallowed a large house just north of Chicago a few hours ago?"
"You did that?" an amazed Molly asked.
"The death of Denarians released a great deal of energy, and it had to be channeled somewhere," Ivy explained. "Hopefully this will teach Lara Raith how dangerous it can be to disrupt another woman's wedding reception."
"Is Thomas Raith dead?" Molly asked.
"No, unfortunately he is not," Ivy snarled.
"Those coins contained the spirits of Fallen Angels, and you have released them from a prison that the Almighty placed them in nearly two thousand years ago," a shaken Michael said.
"Ivy just told you that she didn't release the evil bastards. She killed them," Harry explained with some irritation. "I was there when it happened, and saw them die with my own eyes."
"You killed thirteen Fallen Angels?" an impressed Sanya asked. "And I thought Karrin Murphy was fierce."
"For a human being to usurp God's authority such a manner could very well be viewed as blasphemy," Michael reasoned.
"Maybe Nicodemus should have thought about that before he kidnapped and tortured me," an unconcerned Ivy replied. "If it makes you feel better there are still seventeen Denarians out there for Murphy, Sanya, and Neville to fight against. Although I will admit facing 5.68-to-1 odds instead of 10-to-1 odds might take some of the fun out of being a Knight of the Cross."
"How can you be so flippant about your actions? You may have just damned your soul to Hell," a concerned Michael said.
"If your Great White God wants to condemn me to eternal suffering for ridding the world of those monsters, then so be it," Ivy replied. "Sanya, if you or Neville capture any more coins you now have a choice. You can either hand them over to the corrupt leadership of the Catholic Church, which will just turn around and sell them back to Nicodemus and his allies. Or you can give them to me and be rid of the Denarians forever."
Minister Weasley didn't take the news about his three sons being kidnapped very well. Ivy didn't help matters when she explained that White Court Vampires wouldn't kill the boys any time soon. Instead they would be kept alive for months or even years so that they could repeatedly be used as a source of food for the ravenous monsters.
"And these feedings takes place in… bed?" the Minister of Magic asked. European wizards were surprising puritanical, which was odd for a group that openly practiced witchcraft.
"The process itself rarely occurs in a bed. When you are dealing with the White Court Vampires a feeding frenzy can happen anywhere at anytime. According to her sisters, Lara Raith is particularly fond of consuming her victims in the kitchen. Perhaps she thinks the knives and running water will come in handy if she needs to clean up any accidentally bloodshed," Ivy mused.
Poor Arthur's face had turn pale during this little speech, but Harry thought he might have seen a hint of jealously there as well. After being married to Molly Weasley for thirty years who could blame him for secretly wanting to be ravished by a beautiful Vampire Queen?
"Will it be possible for you to rescue them?" the Minister asked.
"A rescue mission would be too risky for your sons, but if we can put enough military and economic pressure on the White Court they will probably release Ron, George, and Charlie voluntarily. Most of the vampires we are facing are centuries old, and they hate the idea of risking their precious necks during any kind of prolonged conflict," Harry explained.
"Do you honestly believe that the ICW will approve to your plan?" Arthur asked.
The Minister's concerns were well justified, as Harry found out later in the week. The International Confederation of Wizards had been created to oversee the Statute of Secrecy, but the real enforcement of the law was left in the hands of the individual countries around the world. As a result each magical government fiercely guarded their independence, and many had become strict isolationists over the centuries. Even when faced with a major threat like Lord Voldemort the ICW was loathed to interfere with the internal affairs of any of its member countries.
After Harry delivered his report about the attacks in Brazil and Chicago, he made a passionate speech declaring that this policy of isolationism was no longer an acceptable. "There is clear evidence that powerful supernatural forces are becoming more active, and none of us can be sure of what their ultimate goals are."
"That is exactly why we should remain aloof from the larger world. If these unknown forces of which you speak wish to attack the muggles, than it is none of our concern," the popular Ambassador from India argued.
"With all due respect Sir, you are wrong," Harry replied. "If a major supernatural war breaks out the Statute of Secrecy won't last a week, and without the protection it provides us we are vulnerable to attacks from all sides. We must start preparing for a worst case scenario while we still have the time."
"Each of our countries has its own Aurors," the Persian Ambassador pointed out. "If this hypothetical conflict does occur in future, we already have the means to defend ourselves."
"I can tell you from personal experience that the Aurors are trained to maintain the peace, not fight a war," Harry replied. "What we need is a purely military force which is trained to going on the offensive at a moment's notice. And having a unified chain of command on the international level won't hurt matters either."
"And just who will lead this New Wizard Army?"
"Sit down and shut up Sanjay!" the Brazilian Ambassador roared. "Potter was Albus Dumbledore's personal protégé, and he managed to kill that monster Voldemort. He also stopped a giant and a legion of vampires from destroying half of São Paulo. My Aurors tell me his spells are the strongest they have ever seen, and you're delusional if you think any of us could defeat him in a duel."
The whole room suddenly went quiet as an elderly witch got up to speak. The United States Department of Magic was notorious for being the most isolationist government on Earth, and everyone expected their influential Ambassador to veto the idea of a new army.
"Dumbledore's boy is right, there hasn't been this much upheaval in the magical world since the time of the great Merlin himself. If Potter is willing to personally take command in the field—and if any wizards or witches are foolish enough to volunteer to serve in his little army—then I say we give him our support for the time being," the American witch said to the shock of her colleagues.
Mexico, Brazil, and the other countries of Latin America quickly voiced their support for the idea. The whole region had been infested by the Red Court Vampires for centuries, and the recent war between vampires and the White Council had caused a great deal of collateral damage. Now that the Red Court had finally been exterminated, the leaders of South and Central America had no wish to be colonized by other supernatural monsters.
Since the dark-elves had carried out their "Great Pureblood Massacre" the new European leaders had started to look to Harry Potter for leadership. As Dumbledore's heir he was a symbol of hope for the continent's progressive movement, and had the passionate support of the entire muggleborn population. The Europeans and their close allies in the Antipodes reasoned that if Potter could defeat Voldemort, then he should be able protect them from this mysterious new threat as well.
In opposition were the great civilizations of China and India, neither of whom wanted anything to do with an international army lead by a European teenager. They were backed by all the countries of Asia, and this meant that issue would be decided by the votes of the African delegation. Everyone looked to the Nigerian Ambassador, who had been Magical Africa's unofficial leader for the past twenty years or so.
"Before I vote, I would like to share with you all a piece of news I just received from my homeland," the great wizard Uzochi said. "Yesterday one of our larger magical towns was attacked by a Nundu. Since these terrible beasts are native to Kenya and Tanzania, its presence in Nigeria can only be seen as a deliberate act of aggression against my people."
A deathly silence fell over the room. The poisonous breath of the giant Nundu had been known to wipe-out the entire population of the towns they attacked. "How many wizards and witches were lost during the battle?" someone finally asked.
"None," Uzochi replied.
"That's impossible! It takes at least a hundred highly trained wizards working together to capture a single Nundu."
"The beast was killed by a single muggle woman who was armed with nothing more than an old sword. When our Aurors approached her afterwards the first thing this Karrin Murphy asked them was if they had ever met a wizard named Harry Potter," Uzochi explained. "We all know the boy is powerful, but it seems that he has important allies among the muggles as well. Who is better qualified to lead our young warriors through this storm we all fear is coming?"
During the bedlam that followed Harry went out to the hallway to speak to his wife. "It looks like the Big Guy upstairs still likes us even after what we did to the Denarians. He sent one of his Knights of the Cross to save a Nigerian town right before we needed the vote of the Nigerian Ambassador."
Ivy didn't look pleased with this turn of events. "Yes, it appears He is on our side... for now."