Title: Truth behind the name and the lies pt.5
Pairing: DracoxHarry, OliverxPercy, twincest?
Fandom: HP
Notes: An abused boy finds out he's a wizard and a hero; his tormented mind rebels. One person sees through the misconceptions to the real Harry and treats him the way he deserves. How does this change them both and those around them?
Chapter 16- A conclave is called and the centaurs speak
November 1
Severus summoned Percy- Head of Magical Child Welfare, Lucius, Andromeda- the current Head of the House of Potter, Amelia- Minister for Magic, Scrimgour- the Head of Magical Law Enforcement and Arthur- Head Auror to Wisteria to discuss the future of one Coraline Dorena Potter, currently known as Luna Persephone Lovegood.
He also summoned Bill and a goblin representative from Gringotts as well as Xenophilius and Lucius.
They arrived and were escorted through the wards by House elves.
They were meeting in the parlour.
Xenophilius Lovegood was a bit surprised, "What an assortment of people. Aurors and ministry heads- does this have to do with the Rotfang Conspiracy?"
Lucius rolled his eyes, "Get a hold of yourself cousin."
Xeno turned, eyes narrowing, "Lucius? What are you doing here?"
"A question I would like to know." Lucius said glaring at Severus.
"We summoned you to inform you clearly about some of the goings on at Hogwarts this year." Remus spoke up.
"And to inform you Xeno about some unfortunately occurrences that involved your daughter. We had to have all the facts in order or we would have informed you sooner."
"My daughter? Luna? What's wrong with her? Has she been hurt? She never tells me anything about school, she is always smiling."
Severus pinched his nose, "Tell me how much of the news about Albus do you believe?"
"Albus? Dumbledore? Not much…"
"To bad, because we have evidence that he has had a hand in instances that put your Luna in danger. This meeting is to find a way to protect her."
"Protect her? Protect my Luna from what?" Xeno looked a bit confused.
"From Dumbledore and those he made to harm her."
"Explain Professor Sn…I mean Lord Prince." Scrimgour sneered.
"Very well, it has come to my knowledge in recent years that the events of October 31, 1981 did not occur as we first believed. I'm sure most of you are aware that it was Pettigrew that betrayed the Potters?"
There were nods all around minus Xeno who pulled out parchment, ink and a quill.
"This is not an interview Lovegood! IF you publish any of this I have no doubt that there will be an attempt on your daughter's life!" Remus snarled, "the Forbidden Forest have informed us that she is in grave danger."
Xeno dropped the ink, the pot shattered on the floor.
Lucius exhaled in annoyance and charmed the mess away.
"I do hope you are not exaggerating Lupin."
"That's Lupin-Prince to you Mr. Scrimgour."
Severus winced, seeing a rumored vampire glaring daggers at his werewolf mate gave him a feeling of unease. "We can't protect the children of Hogwarts much less the rest of the Wizarding World from Dumbledore or the Dark Lord if we're fighting with each other." Grabbing Remus by his robes and pushing him into the sofa with him. "Albus has committed far greater crimes then we knew. He withheld letters from myself, Sirius Black and Remus regarding the immanent birth of the Potter heiress in the Spring of 1982."
Amelia gasped, "A baby? Lily Evans was pregnant when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named killed her?" they had been in some of the same clubs back in their years in Hogwarts, she had been a two years ahead of Lily Evans.
"Yes, miraculously the baby survived." Severus summoned the parchment, "As you can see. She is very much alive but was hiding in the most unlikely place, under a poorly performed Blood-Adoption."
"Not my Luna. She is my daughter," Xeno started to shake, "lies. Lies. My Luna is too old…"
"Wrong. We know she was born early, she was due in the spring but the death of the woman who concieved her and the forced transfer into your wife caused her to be born in February on the ninth." Severus interrupted, "I brewed at the insistence of the wise centaurs the parentus divinus potion. They said that she would be in danger if her true parentage would be discovered."
"This is the girl known as Luna Persephone Lovegood, this is the girl now," he summoned a photo of the girl after her attack before he treated her. "She was attacked by one Gryffindor, three Hufflepuffs and four Ravenclaws because that fool Dumbledore cast a terrible curse on her."
Arthur had never been very good at curses, "What curse?"
"It is a created curse, spelling those that are weak-willed and suggestible to attack her. It started at simple bullying; her clothes, shoes and books would be taken and hidden. It didn't come to our attention until Head Boy Adrian Pucey, Perfects Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom stumbled upon her being bullied on the Hogwarts Express. They were distraught to discover that her tormentors had even taken her shoes, forcing her to walk the corridors and out to the Greenhouse as well as to Care of Magical Creatures barefoot even in winter."
Percy was furious, "Barefoot? In winter? Who could curse a child?" as a father he couldn't imagine such a thing, he was righteously incensed.
Bill interrupted him, "Is the curse still intact? I am a decently skilled curse breaker; I had other duties at the Bank to keep me closer to home since my Bonding, Assumption of the family title and the birth of our children."
Remus held out the letters from Lily, "This letters state the child's blood parents intention to make us godparents to her. Sirius has a letter from both Lily and James confirming this that I am sure if requested Charity would give you. We do not ask to remove Luna from Xeno's custody; she is quite attached to him and would be very unhappy. We do however request a similar arrangement as we had with Andromeda. If she would make the proper arrangements with Gringotts for the Potter inheritance to be split between Harry and Coraline as she was meant to be named that would be sufficient. Her birth was never registered with the Ministry and was altered at Hogwarts allowing her to be admitted a year early as well being informed that if the true date of her birth was discovered she would be expelled."
Xeno was beside himself; Luna wasn't his daughter? Albus had forced his wife to carry a baby that wasn't theirs? Was that why his memories of her birth were hazy? He remembered Albus arriving while his beloved Demeter was in labor having forbid them to call a healer.
"So you want yourselves to retain guardianship of the child Coraline Dorena Potter but you will allow Xenophilius Lovegood to raise her?" Scrimgour sneered, "Really? This crackpot? Are you mad?"
"That man might be a shade different but he was born a Malfoy as I am sure you are aware, my father determined him to be an embarrassment but he is still blood and I do not appreciate him being referred to as a crackpot." Lucius glared.
"Threatening a member of the Magical Law Enforcement Malfoy?"
Lucius gave him an icy smile, "Of course not Scrimgour, just reminding you of the help that my family has been to the Ministry in recent years. Who was it that released those poor Muggles from the mess of spells during the World Cup Riot? Certainly not your Aurors, you were able to rescue them due to the assistance of myself and Severus."
"Probably due to your former association with the ranks of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
"Scrimgour! I do not think your spiting match with Hogwarts instructors is beneficial." Arthur glared.
"So you wish to leave Lu…I mean Coraline Potter in the custody of the man she calls father." Percy clarified.
"Yes, I would like her registered as a member of the House of Potter as Coraline Dorena Potter. I am willing to temporarily place her in Lovegood's custody to not overwhelm her. She maybe a Third Year but she is only twelve, it is quite possible that due to her magical abilities that she may also like her brother take her O.W.L.s early." Severus said with a small smile.
"Indeed, she had been living apart from her house as Severus and Filius studied the curse on her as well as brewed the potion that allowed us to discover her origins." Remus added.
"Can I see your notes regarding the curse Professor Prince? Perhaps, my knowledge of curses might prove of some assistance." Bill said quickly.
Severus remembered Bill had like his brother managed Twelve N.E.W.T.s, "I would welcome the assistance of someone with experience with curses." He summoned the notes and flicked his wand putting them in the former Head Boy's lap.
"You're really going to let me keep my Luna?"
Remus smiled at the strange man, "Yes, as long as you allow us to have a relationship with her as her blood parents wanted. You raised her for twelve years that is a bond that can't be broken even if you don't share blood. She loves you very much, when she saw the parchment last night she was worried about you. She was sure you didn't know she wasn't your true daughter."
"She really still wants me?" Xeno said quietly, "I spend so much time with the Quibbler that she doesn't have much of a father."
"She says that you gave her unicorns." Remus said politely.
Xeno smiled, "Demeter and I met by chance in the Forbidden Forest as students, we were both tracking a unicorn. We were blessed to witness a foaling. To celebrate I gave her a unicorn on our anniversary. We were bonded on the same day as that foaling five years later."
"I see." Scrimgour grumbled, "You did procure the unicorns legally?"
Xeno nodded, "Of course, Demeter worked for Ministry in the Department on Experimental Charms. In those days it was like the Department of Mysteries' Unspeakables, though she worked in the same department as Lily Evans they weren't working together. Their research was different from what I could gather. I was trying to set up the Quibbler at the time."
"How did you reverse the Blood Adoption?" Percy asked curious.
"I did not." Severus said with a smirk, "Harry did."
Scrimgour sneered, "A Fifth year reversed a Blood Adoption? Don't tell untruths."
"Harry is very powerful wizard, he has progressed far beyond what most might have expect having grown up around Muggles who convinced him he was unintelligent. He was born brilliant, considering his mother should have been placed in Ravenclaw like her daughter was." Remus said in his mate's defense.
"Lily was placed in Gryffindor." Scrimgour interrupted.
"At the behest and force of Dumbledore the Sorting Hat placed selected students in House the former Headmaster wanted them in. Those meant for Ravenclaw but placed in Gryffindor were Remus, Lily, Hermione Granger, Bill and Percy Weasley. Fred, Charlie and George Weasley, Sirius Black and Harry were meant for Slytherin. "
"So the Marauders weren't meant to be from the start?" Arthur asked surprised.
"Indeed, Peter should have been in Hufflepuff. Mostly, because there was no other place for him." Severus insulted his mate wasn't being treated fairly. "Same as your Ron, one who wasn't meant for either house yet Housed by Hufflepuff who was taking those who weren't Brave, wise or powerful."
"Ron is no son of mine, I have legally disowned him and his sister yet managed to give some money a month to Molly to care for herself and the two children she is left with." Arthur said clenching his fists.
"My apologies, Arthur." Remus said bowing his head a bit.
"I see." Bill exclaimed.
"You see what?" Arthur asked, genuinely interested.
"I've never really seen a curse like this. It was weaved with runes, dark ones."
Scrimgour sneered, "Your experience with curses is limited those in tombs."
"I made a through study of them before actively entering the field, yes the curses I have the most experience breaking are those cast on tombs. This is a unique curse, from what I can see it has been based on curses used by Grindenwald."
"Grindenwald? The Dark Wizard Dumbledore dueled?" Scrimgour asked in a reluctantly interested voice.
"Yes, he used a similar curse on Muggles to expose them to the same horror and terror he claimed to have experienced as a youth. At least the documentation of the curse by various European Aurors that I gained access to." Bill added.
Severus asked interested, "Do you think you can break it?"
"I don't have the magical strength to do it but I could create a spell that could break it. Though a wizard of Harry's strength might not need it."
"Explain." Scrimgour sneered.
"Harry dueled the Dark Lord back in June. He managed to get away from him. He was fourteen when Barty Crouch Jr trapped him in the Triwizard Tournament in a magical contract. He was beaten, starved and verbally abused by his Muggle relatives; Dumbledore did his best to manipulate him. Harry not only recovered from that abuse he has the second best grades in his year and received all Outstandings in his OWLs. This boy who was convinced he was stupid now is a Prefect, he is only a fifth year but half of his classes are sixth year and some of them are seventh Year he is already studying for his NEWTs. I am not surprised that he can reverse a Blood Adoption."
"If he is capable of such a thing, how did he do it?" Scrimgour stared down his nose at him.
"He placed his hand on her forehead and said, 'Blood of my blood, return to us. Be as thou was meant to be.'
Bill nodded, "That wouldn't have broken the curse, it had a specific function. It merely returned her blood and magical inheritances."
"This is your expert option son?" Arthur asked.
"Yes. So he would need a different spell."
"That wasn't a spell. Not like any spell I've ever heard of." Scrimgour growled.
"His mother created spells, maybe he inherited that." Remus said quickly.
Severus shook his head, "There is something different about his and Draco's magic."
"Draco Malfoy? I don't know why you allow The-Boy-Who-Lived to see such a person. His father is a Death Eater."
"Draco defeated the Dark Lord the first time." Severus thundered.
The room quieted.
"How?" Xeno asked surprised.
"He used a shield spell that reflected the Killing Curse."
"But that's impossible." Scrimgour said incredulously.
"He used it against the Killing Curse and a Memory charm." Severus continued.
"That must be one powerful spell, can anyone use it?" Arthur asked curious.
"I don't know. The only person I know who has used it besides Draco was Harry, I'm not exactly sure how he did that." Remus interjected.
"I do, their connection. The one Blaise mentioned, somehow they must be able to share their magic." Severus chuckled.
"You can't share magic naturally, not without very special and dangerous spells." Scrimgour snorted.
"They are unique, that is all I can or will say." Severus finished.
"So Luna is actually Coraline, she is being allowed to stay in Lovegood's custody. Both her financial and magic inheritance will both have been returned to her eventually." Amelia said as if the decision was final.
Andromeda finally spoke, "I'll take care of the vault and property division with Gringotts."
"If Severus, Remus and Lovegood will come with me to my office we'll make the necessary legal arrangements." Percy said quickly.
"I'll make some notes regarding this curse, hopefully either Harry or Draco can make some sense of them." Bill muttered, taking up a quill and ink.
"Thank you Bill, it will be very helpful." Remus said clasping his shoulder. "I'm sure both Harry and Coraline will want to thank you themselves."
Lucius knew that the revelation of his cousin's daughter being his future daughter-in-law due to her being Harry's blood sister would force him to have an actually relationship with Xenophilius. That he wasn't looking forward too…
XoooooX
There were stares as the procession followed Blaise into the Forbidden Forest…
The Eagle, the Gemini, the Lion, the Dragon, the Maiden, the Snake, the Wolf, the Fox, the Lyre, the Maiden chained…and two new members…
Firenze met Blaise at the edge of the centaurs' territory inside the Forest, "I see. You chose well. I see that the Arrow was left to care for the children?"
Blaise nodded blushing, his mate was looking after their children, Fred and George's babies, as well as Draco's sister and Harry's brothers.
Lucius had never been comfortable with the forest…and he was very uncomfortable to be here.
Bane burst through the trees, "You Veela! You dare to bring Death Eaters into our midst?"
Severus shook bowing, "I joined the Dark Lord's ranks when I was a young foal as you would put it. I had a dark and terrible childhood; it seemed where a person such as myself belonged after I lost the one bit of light in my world. I am not proud of those years."
"The Lion and the Dragon, they brought you out of the Darkness." Firenze said simply.
"Yes, Draco brought Harry into my life and it has seemed so much brighter." Severus nodded.
"You tell us why we should suffer you in our domain Death Eater." Another centaur, a grizzled one spoke from the growing shadows.
"I too choose a dark rode, losing sight of the one bit of happiest I had. I was lucky that I fell in love at first sight with the girl my father arranged for me to be Bonded when she came of age to marry." Lucius began, "I also had an abusive father, it seemed to fit in my family's beliefs to join the ranks of those in school who would become names that terrified many. I never stopped to contemplate my actions; an oversight if you will." He paused, "it was my son who brought me back, he told me about Harry's life amoung his Muggle relatives and told me how the Dark Lord came to be laid low. It was a rude awakening. To see the son I hadn't nurtured as Narcissa and I had spoken as children of having and how we would be different then our fathers. I had to choose between what I thought I believed and the son that I had once upon a time wanted as much as Narcissa."
"The Dragon saved you too from the darkness."
"Why do we suffer a werewolf in our forest?" Bane glared.
"What is a werewolf but a tormented soul? Only amoung our kind does the truth behind the werewolf curse remains not a mystery." Firenze replied sternly. "Tell me Bane, who is this child? This girl?"
Bane stared, "The Daughter of Two Mothers. But, she is not to be."
"The forces of magic disagree, you yourself saw that one day the daughter of two mothers would be born. Tell us what you saw that night in the stars." Firenze said gently reminding the darker centaur.
"Ancient Magic, long lost will return when the Daughter of Two Mothers awakens. A girl of great power, who senses disturbances and changes in magic as one feels a change in the wind." The centaur's voice changed gaining power, "First to rise are the sons of Sparta- warriors and trickster yet loyal until death, wielders of Earth and Water. Then the maiden, a wise and protective a mother bear to all she loves- Love is her power. Then the eagle, a seer, host to a magic far more ancient then any can guess, he is host to Air and sees through Time as one through water. The Daughter carried by two Mothers, she too is double blessed, born attuned to the very Spirit and Nature of Magic and living things. Last a son, born to two who fought bravely whose sacrifice must never be forgotten, the heir of Gryffindor and wielder of Fire."
Blaise listened to the proud centaur; Neville was truly the heir of Gryffindor?
Luna was in awe; she was still coming to grips with the truth of her origins but the centaurs, wisest of all being knew about her?
Firenze fixed the girl in his gaze, "Tell me youngling, who thou art?"
Luna closed her eyes, feeling her magic alive within her. Her brother's reversal of her blood adoption had changed her, "My name? My name is…." She smiled, almost glowing, "Coraline Dorena Potter, daughter of James and Lily who gave their lives so that my brother and I might live. I am, Luna Persephone, the daughter of Demeter Relena and Xenophilius Marius Lovegood, who raised and loved me in place of my blood parents."
"Tell me Coraline, what you sense."
"The Darkness, the darkness is rising. It must be pushed back." Luna's formerly serene countenance darkened with sorrow, "Dark days are coming; very dark days. Days that will make all tremble. From the crone to the babe born yesterday. We must gather our strength,
"Tell me Lion, how do you combat Darkness?"
Harry blushed, his babies kicking inside him. "With light."
"By adding Light to Darkness what do you get Dragon?"
Draco smirked, "Shadow."
"You were the first to use the magic you were born with weren't you?"
Draco nodded, "Fourteen years ago yesterday, Harry pulled me from my nursery to his side in time to save him from the Dark Lord. I somehow returned before any discovered I came to such a place."
"You are soulbonded, born connected through your hearts, your soul and your magic." Firenze said firmly.
That confirmed what Severus suspected, "Does that explain why Harry can use that shield?"
"He used the Dragon's magic? That shouldn't be. He has his own magic. The Lion must trust himself, when they trust their magic they can do many things that most cannot." Bane said a bit surprised.
"Like when Hermione off-handedly created spells that disarmed multiple parties and placed them all in the Full-Body Bind Curse."
"The maiden did that? Was she in the role of protective mother?" Firenze asked.
"Yes." Luna spoke up, "she was protecting me."
"She did the same for both Draco, Blaise and Harry when they were in danger." Severus nodded.
"I see, her magic is strongest when she is protecting those she cares about." Bane said.
"Why did I not see Luna or Neville before? In my prophecy?"
"What have we taught you about the nature of Prophecy Veela?" Firenze asked surprised he'd forgotten.
"That they are subjective? That Prophecy becomes true because one believes in them. That they are also capable of being made invalid because something changes. A seer is not all-knowing, they seen dimly into the future merely catching glimpses." Blaise repeated by rote.
"Exactly, you weren't meant to see these two until they were needed." Firenze chuckled, "You are learning more about your power, you have visions and give some prophecies. The most you learn and accept your abilities the better it will be for all of you."
"So my magic is stronger when they are in grave danger?" Hermione asked curious, for herself, a normally shy girl to stand up to a grown woman and threaten her with magic had surprised her. When she had seen Harry lying in a pool of blood, Blaise cocooned in his wings Draco trapped as a ferret and Luna's mangled tiny body after being hit with those spells, she had had to protect them. Except in the case of Draco's attack she hadn't thought she had the ability to take on a former Auror, so she had gone for help.
"Why weren't you the one to try to save Draco? Why did this one time did you go for help?" Firenze asked curious.
"I didn't think I could stop a former Auror. I thought I should go for help."
"Tell me Lion, why couldn't you save your Dragon that time."
Harry blushed, "I didn't have confidence in my magic."
"Confidence in your magic is imperative, you must trust in it to control it and reach your potential. All of you, danger and darkness are stalking you. You will have to fight, it will be dangerous but you Coraline will be a target because both sides will want your abilities. Because you can sense changes in the flow of magic which will evolve into being able to track and identify certain magical signatures."
"My sister will not be anyone's pawn." Harry snarled. "She is going to be able to protect herself."
"I don't trust the Ministry. Just because Fudge isn't Minister for Magic doesn't change much. He was responsible for assassinating people he didn't like, including many goblins. I would never serve Voldemort, he killed my blood parents." Luna said fiercely.
"How do we help them focus and evolve them magic?" Remus asked curious.
"They have to learn to trust themselves to cast the right magic. This is their natural magic; they should not have to be taught it. Like the Dragon's shield or the Maiden's spell creation to protect the youngest of them."
"Was I not supposed to use Draco's shield?"
"You shouldn't have been able to Lion, you have your own shield. You'll know that it is when the time comes." Firenze chuckled, "You will know what to do when the Darkness strikes."
Draco remembered the Horcruxes and wondered how many there were…they had to be found and destroyed to ensure the Dark Lord's complete defeat.
"Do we all have our own shields?" Hermione asked curious.
"Perhaps it would be better to say that you are immune to different types of magic." Firenze said vaguely, "Remember youngling, the only thing greater then fear is love and you are strong with love."
~AUTHORS NOTE- IMPORTANT~
According to our resident curse expert Harry didn't break Luna's curse yet. Who and how it will break is still in the future.
Remus and Severus want whats best for Luna and right now that is to stay with her foster father.
Scrimgour is a bit of an arrogant prick but Arthur is willing to listen to those who know more then he does.
Percy seems to be acclimating very well to his job.
Xeno though weird has gained his own blood family to a point, he has his sweet moments but he is very eccentric...
The centaurs pronouncements were a bit surprising right? it re-enforced their view of prophecy and seeing across the dark and vague waters of time.
Unlike Voldemort, Harry doesn't have an army and unlike Dumbly he doesn't have any order. Harry has a family, a very powerful, protective one.
Outstanding? Exceeds Expectations? Acceptable? Troll?
Hope you liked...