Rise of Nation
Chapter 3
To Rule is to Serve
When Harry next awoke he found himself lying on a soft piece of cloth suspended between two tress. The trees were large and stood proudly.
"Where am I?" Harry mused as he rolled out of the…the thing.
Or rather tried to, he ended up falling flat on his face on the cool dirt. He laid there for a long moment, in chagrin before he shook his head and looked around. A few birds chirped faintly off in the distance and a small but deep fire pit was just a few feet away from him. Harry could practically feel something singing within his soul.
He could almost hear a voice whispering in his ears.
Welcome home at long last…
Harry had never felt more at peace, he sighed and rolled to his knees before he sat crossed legged and leaned against one of the trees.
It was peaceful, and for once Harry was able to smile without a single worry or care.
A few minutes passed and as Harry almost fell asleep to the sound of birds singing he heard the thicket rustle.
Harry blinked and dove into his shirt for his wand. He pointed it at the target nervously.
The figure then broke out of the brush and smiled at Harry. With that Harry relaxed and put his wand away.
"It's good to see you awake." Daphne greeted.
"It's good to be awake." Harry agreed.
Daphne nodded in agreement before she dropped a few logs into the pit.
"Hermione's is cleaning some fish right now. Harry, you really outdid yourself." Daphne smiled brilliantly.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"You made not an island but a sub-continent. Any bigger it'd be the eighth continent. It took a lot of favors but I managed to find out how big this place is. It's huge! Yet…it's mostly immune to attacks." Daphne explained.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
Daphne pulled out a sheet of parchment and set beside Harry.
Harry peered at the parchment curiously where he realized that it was a map of the land.
"Look at this. On every edge save for an easily defendable beach in the south is protected by a mountain range with nearly ninety degree slopes. Almost uniformly created might I add. And at the center of the land is a large mountain with bountiful topsoil. It does have a place to build a fortress that would be terrifying to assault. This land you made is nearly impossible to invade, and if someone did have the 'bright idea' of trying it…well, they'd have to fight some nasty terrain disadvantages."
Harry's eyes widened in surprise. He had made a near invincible fortress land.
"I had to call in all of my ministry and Diagon Alley favors but I managed to blot out the Merlin Index of nine hundred sixty six that you used to create this place, and at the same time I managed to get a series of runic shield stones."
"What are those?" Harry asked.
"They're kind of like the keystones that are used to ward buildings except runic shield stones focus on larger areas such as acres and such. I managed to pick a couple keystones too but they should be for key locations." Daphne explained.
"What about the original idea?" Harry asked.
"What the Fidelius Charm? This place is too big to completely hide. Unless we can make a really, really big keystone." Daphne replied.
"Well, we should at least put up anti travel wards, an anti dark mark ward, and have them tied to us."
"To you actually." Daphne corrected.
"What do you mean?"
"Haven't you noticed? This land is yours. It will not accept us as a part of the ward defense unless you were to…" Daphne blushed.
"What?" Harry asked.
"Marry us." She said with burning cheeks.
"What?" Harry gaped.
"Or at least had us bear your heirs." Daphne's blush grew.
"That…That's…" Harry babbled.
"I know, awkward isn't it?" Daphne agreed.
At this Hermione came over holding a tray of sliced fish.
"You need to start the fire Daph." Hermione smiled.
Her blush intensified but a few moments later a small fire began to kindle.
"Anyhow, what has the ministry found out about this?" Harry asked.
"They don't know a thing." Daphne said smugly, before turning grim.
"That won't last long though. They'll find out about the continent soon enough."
"So we need to get the defenses up right away." Harry added grimly.
"Other nations have already learned that this is your kingdom and will respect that."
"Wait..my KINGDOM?" Harry shrieked.
Daphne winced and Hermione's head snapped to face Daphne too.
"It's ancient magic. They dare not intrude." She said weakly.
"So that's what you meant in old English." Hermione shook her head ruefully.
"What did it mean?" Harry asked.
"Roughly it means 'Arise sire, arise and take hold of thy land, and that thou shalt be as one.'. It's not a hundred percent accurate and I'm not a hundred percent sure if that's exactly right anyway…" Hermione frowned.
"That's the gist of it. As long as you live or one of your line exists this nation will flourish. You are the king of this land and it is one with you. As you weep so will it. As you celebrate so will it. As you die it will wither. If you however bear an heir before you pass on the land will flourish anew." Daphne explained.
"When were you going to tell me you were going to make me a…a…king?" Harry glared.
"Right about now actually." Daphne said smugly.
"What if I say no?" Harry demanded.
"It's too late to turn back now Harry." Daphne said in an all too satisfied tone.
"That's rather-" Hermione began.
"Slytherin?" Daphne asked smugly.
The two Gryffindors looked at each other for a long moment.
Hermione nodded.
"She got us." Harry agreed.
"That's what happens when people mess with us." Daphne grinned.
Harry and Hermione exchanged a single glance before they said a single word in unison.
"Malfoy."
Daphne's shoulders slumped.
"Damn Dray." She hissed.
"Dray?" Harry snickered.
Hermione looked at Daphne.
"You were trying to best him weren't you?"
"I had the blackmail and more than enough evidence to drop him down to the bottom of the totem pole when his father stepped in. Bastard." She muttered.
"It's alright. Dray's a minor inconvenience now." Harry soothed.
"That's true." She admitted.
With that the fish were finished and the three former Hogwarts students began to feast on the bounty of fish that Hermione had caught.
"These are really good." Harry smiled.
Hermione nodded.
"I managed to find some natural seasonings that really brought out their flavor and got rid of the bitter flavor." She said proudly.
"What?"
"It was luck really. Apparently, almost everything is edible here but many things will taste horrid, or even make you sick unless you use the 'counter'. These fish use that bell pepper looking fruit over there." Hermione explained.
"We probably would have gotten sick otherwise." Hermione admitted with a blush.
"Well, it's as if the land itself is helping us." Daphne agreed.
"It wouldn't surprise me." Harry mused.
"Why?" Hermione asked.
"I just have a feeling that it's watching out for us." Harry replied.
She smiled at that.
The next few weeks Hermione, Harry and Daphne made their way laying the runic shield stones in several hidden locations. They noticed that whenever it was almost time to lay one they would find a well hidden alcove hidden by bushes, and sometimes after they left rocks would fall and cover the stones; hiding them.
Finally once they had managed to trek (mostly through Harry's Firebolt.) through the land and lay all the stones they made their way to the central mountain, and in a deep cave Harry laid the central runic shield stone. It was the largest stone they had and only a few minutes after Harry had activated the full defenses he felt a ripple against the anti travel wards and saw in his mind's eye several portkeys be knocked back.
"Nice timing." Harry sighed in relief.
Which led to their questions and more and after Harry briefly explained he thought and realized that this was only the beginning. He would need hefty defenses to protect his new home. His…his Kingdom.
He had been lucky that they managed to get the wards up in time, but now. He knew that they would come in unconventional means. Which meant he needed allies to build up his land. He needed his allies such as Susan and Hannah.
"Harry?" Daphne asked hesitantly.
"Yes?" Harry turned to the witch.
She peered into his eyes and then closed the distance between them.
"Meet myself and Hermione at the top of CenterPeak." She whispered.
Until they had were able to take care of other matters they just called land formations whatever worked until they would be able to properly name them.
Harry blinked bemusedly.
"I was wondering though, is it possible for Susan and the others to pass through?"
"Who all would want to come here?" Harry asked.
"Susan, Hannah, Blaise, and Luna to start."
Harry let out a shrill whistle and only a second passed before a snowy white owl silently landed on his shoulder.
"A true familiar?" Daphne shook her head in only faint surprise.
"Hedwig here will be able to pass them a letter letting them know that they can enter. You'll need to write those letters. I'll add them to the 'safe list'. Can you also write a letter to Padfoot asking him to write me?" Harry asked as he trudged to the cave hiding the closest Rune Shield.
"Okay."
Daphne wasn't sure who this 'Padfoot' was but he must have been important to Harry.
While Harry fiddled with the stone and wards Daphne slowly and deliberately began to write.
Before they realized it Hermione was calling them to dinner. Out of the three of them Harry was the best chief, but he had other responsibilities such as configuring the wards and beginning to learn politics (which Daphne taught him.)
Daphne smiled reminiscently as she sat beside Hermione and took a small serving of fish and some almost potato tasting food that Hermione had baked.
"How did you make bread?" Daphne gasped as Hermione lifted the lid to a pot.
Hermione smiled graciously.
"I found a field of grains and a couple stones. The grain was remarkably easy to grind up." Hermione replied.
Hermione then sliced the bread into generous pieces and took one while Harry and Daphne also took one.
"There's some butter over there."
"How did you get that?" Harry's eyes widened in shock.
"I found some cows of all things, and there was a hallowed out log that I was able to churn it in." Hermione smiled.
Harry smiled and gave a mental 'thank you' to the land.
He could almost hear its gentle and pleased response.
After they ate Daphne stood and pulled on Hermione and Harry's hands.
"We need to go up to the peak tonight."
"But it's getting late...and cold." Hermione protested.
"It'll be okay." Daphne assured and continued to drag them to the peak.
"Why are we doing this right now instead of the morning?" Hermione asked.
"Shh. I'll explain later."
"But..." Hermione let out a sigh of frustration but allowed herself to be led up to the peak.
"It's a lot taller than I thought it'd be." Harry noted once they reached the peak.
Indeed it was. The darkness was fading off in the distance and a few glimmers of grey were shimmering off on the horizon.
"Harry please go to one knee." Daphne whispered hurriedly as she fumbled in her robes.
Harry looked at her in mild concern but did so.
She then whispered several ancient words once more before she kneeled in front of Harry, kissed his forehead and opened the rotting box. Within Harry saw a small vial, which she popped open.
"Long may you rule my king." Daphne whispered and poured the contents on his skull.
It was oil, it wasn't enough to bathe in but it was enough to make his wild hair damp.
A moment more passed before she kissed his hand where a ring might rest, before she stood, and pulled him to his feet.
"Long may you rule sire." Daphne kneeled before him after she had lifted him to his feet.
"You just…anointed me?" Harry said in shock.
"Yes your majesty." Daphne whispered in reverence.
"Please Daphne, rise."
"Yes sire."
"I'm still Harry." Harry whispered.
Daphne shook her head.
"You've always been more than 'just Harry' sire. Please accept the respect that we offer you your majesty." Daphne requested.
"Why did it have to be now?" Hermione asked weakly.
"It was on this day, at sunrise one thousand years ago when the last great king was crowned."
"Arthur." Hermione whispered.
"Symbolism is important to you isn't it?" Harry asked.
"Yes your majesty. I come from a family where we learned how powerful symbols really are." Daphne replied.
"Is this all we need to do here?" Harry asked in resignation.
"No your Majesty."
"Please, call me Harry when we aren't in public Daphne." Harry requested.
"Alright." Daphne agreed at long last.
Harry turned to Hermione.
"Hermione, please don't start calling me by a royal title." Harry begged.
She gave Harry a grin before she hugged him.
"Only in public Harry." She promised.
"Thanks."
"Now, we need to get this country ready for your subjects." Daphne said.
"What did you have in mind?" Harry asked.
"The beach would be a great place to build a port city. If we were to put the first city there and put up a seawall then the country would have to be attacked there. It'd be our front line of defense as well as the commerce center." Daphne suggested.
Hermione smiled in agreement.
"Yes, that would be the best place to build a city."
"So how am I supposed to get a city built there?" Harry asked.
"Simple, we hire muggle construction teams."
"Wait, what? How are we supposed to afford that?" Harry asked in chagrin.
"First the Potter family fortune is large, and more importantly the Greengrass fortune is at your disposal since my parents passed on last year."
"I'm sorry." Harry said quietly.
"Don't be, I'm relieved that they're dead. I'd have married a forty year old that summer if they hadn't died. I might have loved them but there was no way I'd have been happy if I had to marry a man nearly thirty years my senior." Daphne replied bluntly.
"So we have the funds?" Harry asked hesitantly.
Daphne nodded.
"What would it take to have a bank established here as well?"
"We'd need to build a good building first." Daphne replied.
"Hermione, would you be willing to plan the city with Daphne? I don't know a thing about city building."
"We will be operating on a nearly unlimited budget by the way." Daphne added.
"What does that mean?" Harry asked curiously.
"The Greengrass family is one that has a near monopoly on Potion goods and imported goods, and the Potters have several businesses or own parts of businesses. You could spend several million galleons a year and not even touch the principal." Daphne replied.
"That's impressive." Harry admitted.
"Yes it is." Daphne agreed.
So the two witches planned while Harry began to work on the alterations to the runic stones. He really didn't want to return to Magical England, especially if it was because he was being forced to return. No, he really didn't want that.
Plus, he had to create the illusion that his nation didn't really exist. That way muggles didn't think that magic really existed. Thanks to his land whispering words into his ears he was able to create a ward that would make non magical people not really 'notice' the land.
The higher ups would know that his country existed but would pay it no mind. It was a 'permanent' neutral nation. The only wars it had participated in were when others tried to invade it. The world would write it off as an isolationist nation that would eventually even fade from their minds to such a scale as to be invisible.
Over the next week the young king hired a large construction company out of Australia to build the port city.
While construction had been begun (he had given them strict orders not to damage the land, and to build carefully, that their pollutions would need to be contained and taken off land with them. It naturally cost him extra.) Harry received the letter from Sirius and students Hannah, Susan, the Slytherin Zabini, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, and several other students from all age groups that Harry had never met before.
That night Daphne led them to the peak and there they swore their loyalty to Harry.
A week later Sirius made his way into the country.
To say that Harry was overjoyed was an understatement. No one, not even Hermione had seen Harry cry. Until that day. His tears flowed down his face and the young king embraced the man that should have, but wasn't able to raise him.
Needless to say, Sirius Black became the newest citizen of the young country. He was then made an ambassador, thus giving the man diplomatic immunity. (Although he would be unable to act as an ambassador until the fledgling country was respected as its own nation.)
It was almost a year before the city was finished, and while the attempts to enter the country grew more fervent, the barriers held firm, and each time an attack would come Harry would add another layer of defenses, growing more dangerous; even deadly at times.
Hermione mentioned primly that necessity was indeed the mother of innovation.
During the time where the city was being built Harry was taught by Daphne about the inner workings of government, Harry appointed her as his counselor of state, while Hermione became his chancellor, and his godfather became a royal ambassador.
Luna was placed in charge of learning about the wildlife of the land while Neville was put in charge of learning about the various plants that inhabited his land.
Hannah became a vital asset as her skill in defensive warding and structures played an essential role in the founding of the city and Harry eventually placed her in charge (along with Hermione and Daphne) of drawing up the blueprints to what would eventually be his castle.
Meanwhile, Harry placed Susan in charge of the 'police force'. The girl had admitted that she had studied and learned a great deal when it came to making sure the law was followed. She had learned from Amelia Bones after all.
Once the city had been finished, and the construction for the castle was begun Harry decided to meet the ICW for the first time.
It would be an event that he would never; ever forget.
Am I glad I have an extensive backlog :) I haven't been able to write much so Instead of keeping you hanging I figured I might as well give you something to help tide you over. As soon as things settle down I'll be working on HP and the Crystal Song again. Don't worry I'll get it done :)