RWBY: Foresworn

Chapter X: Meeting the Queen

Harry found himself, in a weird situation. He knew he was alive, but somehow, he'd been punted from his body "Well, this is a fucked situation." As he pondered his predicament a genuinely sweet-sounding voice; spoke from behind him.

"Mr. Branwen, please, I apologise for the…abruptness and timing of my spell." Came the voice; Harry stiffened, it wasn't the impeccable manners or even the voice that caused him to stiffen. It was the pure power and impeccable pronunciation; reminding him slightly of Petunia Dursley's RP style of speech and her mannerisms when trying to entertain the neighbours.

Harry turned, standing there was a woman with fair skin, pale platinum blonde hair and light blue eyes; her hair was done in a half-up bun style with the rest of her hair falling down. However, it was the jet-black garment that she wore that unsettled him. "You have me at a severe disadvantage; my lady. For you know me, yet I know you not."

The woman chuckled "You may call me Salem." Harry froze, he knew the name; he'd never been able to put the name to the face. As a minor affiliate to Ozpin's group; the name had been mentioned.

Salem smirked at Harry's gob-smacked expression "I am not here to harm you, Mr. Branwen…at the moment."

"Now that is distinctively not reassuring but at the same time reassuring, Lady Salem. Is this one of those 'enemy of my enemy…' or is this more of a 'You interest me; thus, I cannot have anyone else break you…'"

"What makes your think that?"

"An ugly noseless little cretin by the name of Tom Riddle; Lord Voldemort summoned a swarm of Grimm…Grimm come from the Land of Darkness; I'm not assuming for I know what that makes of us. So, I'm guessing they're your…familiars or pets? I'm going to say pets."

Salem chuckled, if it wasn't for the fact, she was the Big Bad Evil; it was a beautiful laugh and it suited her. In an abstract sort of view "A pretentious upstart to seek to claim to be a Dark Lord. Mr. Branwen, your Tom Riddle; is no Dark Lord; he's a petty little child having a temper tantrum, no self-respecting practitioner of the Black Arts such as myself would even deign to sunder one's soul. To possess a soul, is to possess true power or magic, using your own soul one can do great things of good and evil. When I mentioned his name, you thought of 'no good, no evil, only power and those too weak to seek it'. He is right and wrong, you can seek power true but power sought is far weaker than power bequeathed willingly, such power bequeathed to someone unknowingly and never willingly, like you…are far more powerful than people could know. If you desired, you could contend with me and my former husband Ozma and our Daughters."

Harry gulped "Is there a point to this my Lady? For I'm currently bleeding out at school."

Salem chuckled "Ozma has made you an offer, one that you have not accepted. I wish to give you the same offer, and also bequeath to you information, a gift and a means to fulfil your destiny. I've lived many millennia, Mr. Branwen."

"Yet, you look not a day past your mid-twenties."

Salem blushed "Such a charmer and so quick-witted. It is a pity that you might become my nemesis."

"I won't be your nemesis, nor will I be your Husband's lackey. You can call me…the neutral. I was going to call myself Bendu; but that's far too pretentious. Salem, I won't get involved in your millennia long marital problems that is potentially wrecking Remnant…but I'm in it to keep as many people alive throughout the ramifications of your…disputes."

Salem's eyes widened "That's…not what I was expecting."

"That's my intention. Anyway, My Lady…Until we meet again."

"Until we meet again."

(Hogwarts)

Dumbledore was the first one to his downed Pupil. For once his intentions were genuine towards Harry Potter. However, Neville had moved to intercept him allowing for Madame Pompfrey to get to Harry and begin medical work.

"He's fine, Headmaster. Just a nasty cut on the head, no concussion, it appears he managed to use his body to shield his head. Cuts, scrapes and what look like some cracked ribs." Then Pompfrey noticed it, it was a bone white and stainless-steel sword, none of the cross-guard or any discernible hand protection in her eyes.

As she examined Harry's eyes, which were currently pitch black; there was flash of light and they became their now normal mixture of green, silver and red. Harry sat bolt upright, hands outstretched and to his surprise Absolution and a beautiful bone white and silver jumped into his hands.

Harry attached Absolution to his back and everyone was surprised at how natural it looked "Harry…where'd you get that?"

"Neville, I am recovering from possibly meeting the scariest woman on in existence…and you're asking me about a sword. First of all, stop thinking with the biological one attached to you. Second of all I need a drink." Dobby appeared on que with a dark green bottle.

"Dobby, you absolute genius. Mind getting me…" Harry tasted it almost spat it out "…green bottle, white label, red lettering its called Stella Artois." Dobby nodded and vanished.

"Potter, that's thirty points…" Began Snape.

"Professor Snape; with all disrespect, shut your mouth before I part your greasy hair covered scalp from your bleeding neck. It's only by Harry's intervention on the bleating of an old man that you're not being turned into a Governmental Rent Boy alongside a Terrorist Rent Boy. So, unless you want a diaper for a prolapsed asshole…sorry a coffin for the human prolapsed asshole that is you shut up. I have a licence to kill and the diplomatic immunity along with a tonne of people willing to look the other way." Neville growled. "Although, I do like the look of your kneecaps."

Snape looked like he'd swallowed a vinegar soaked onion that smelt off. "Harry, who knew silence is golden."

"It certainly is when a certain Potions Professor, knows when to shut his mouth. Now Headmaster, I need to talk to you in private."

Dumbledore nodded "Judging by the way you've said that Mister Potter; that must have been one of the hardest and most civilised things you've had to say to me so far."

Harry nodded "Do me a favour, and don't waste my non-existent good will or even less time."

Everyone watched with baited breath, the students both new and old and those who knew Harry Potter; they knew he had power but was known to be Dumbledore's almost sheep. But for some reason, that had completely changed almost completely overnight; it was one thing to threaten Dumbledore and insult him in the public eye, but to do it here in Hogwarts where even Dumbledore was reputed to being at his strongest…it either took guts or utter fearlessness. The students were waiting to see the result. "You're correct…I've no wish to publically air my mistakes around you anymore than I need to whilst I'm alive."

"You're planning to reveal all the moment your heart stops beating…in a 'reveal all book'."

"Yes, precisely. But first, I have a few announcements to make." With that Dumbledore turned to address the school. (See the books Sixth year or any other fanfiction).

(Ministry)

Rufus Scrimgeour, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Augustus Proudfoot had taken over the Ministers Office. There was a double strength Auror and Hitwizard Security team outside the door. The Flooplace had been locked down, only to be lifted should the Minister need to evacuate; as a failsafe Rufus had prepared a password and immediate evacuation sequence from the Ministers Fireplace, linked to Hogwarts.

Currently, they were reading over files and reports everything that they could glean about Horcruxes; albeit detecting them, typical protections; some of the protections appeared to mess with the senses, typically sight and on occasion taste. Harry and Dumbledore had given them a direction and Rufus, having been recorded taking part in the earlier defence of the Ministry and Diagon Alley had decided to go full force and find the Horcruxes.

The Ministry, he knew was compromised but he was working on it. Rufus had decided to do what he did best, concentrate on the larger villain. The moment Potter and Dumbledore had their information and potential location of Horcruxes, Scrimgeour could turn to cleaning up the Ministry.

However, an alarm was tripped. Rufus clapped his hands and three houselves entered the room "Clean all of this up…Auror Shacklebolt, I Rufus Scrimgeour, as possibly my last act as Minister do promote you to Head Auror. Your orders Head Auror, are to get all of this information to the Headmaster and then execute the Mordred Initiative, as I've hypothetically discussed with you."

Kingsley Shacklebolt nodded, the Mordred Initiative effectively allowed Aurors and Hit Wizards alike to use all spells at their disposal; without reproach providing they were justifiable. Rufus Scrimgeour was all about accountability, he'd seen how Aurors and Hit Wizards acted in the first war, his own actions included and had recorded the events into a journal.

A journal which his wife had hidden and had been spelt to appear before all Wizarding News Outlets. There was very little in the journal that the Wizarding World knew of, but there were quite a few things that could and would throw any regime under intense scrutiny or open defiance.

He heard the incantations of several extremely dark curses and the grunts, thuds and screams of his bodyguard as his attackers headed for his door. Augustus was at his side "Rufus, you should leave."

"Will you, Augustus?"

"No, Rufus. We've been through too much together; we're leaving together or dying together." Augustus rumbled.

Augustus Proudfoot was one of the few decent aurors, Rufus, the Minister had on staff; Proudfoot was also one of the fewer aurors that Rufus could call a friend. Most of them were all dead or retired now, with Amelia Bones being the latest one to die. But Rufus was confident in one thing, he and his auror graduation class had all died with their attackers either next to them or dying shortly after.

They watched as the door disintegrated, Rufus acted. With a casual sweep of his wand he sent the Ministers Desk, a desk that could withstand all but the most abominable spells careering out of the door. Spell fire was returned as Kingsley was whisked away by the floo.

(RNJR)

Qrow slumped, Ruby was at his side "I wasn't so lucky." He indicated to his stomach where a faint line of blood was apparent. It appeared that Tyrian had gotten her father with his stinger; she'd removed said appendage and was named a 'bitch' for doing such a thing.

Now, they were travelling a lot slower. The Grimm weren't following but they'd eventually seen a sign for Kuroyuri. "Let's get to Kuroyuri, we can resupply and treat my father.

"Jaune, Ruby…we're familiar with the roads here, we…can't go to Kuroyuri. I don't think you'll find what you're looking for there." Ren murmured lowly.

(DANK, Blake and Sun)

"We need a plan. We need to communicate with CFVY. Do we even have any idea where Ruby might be; who she might be with?" Adam asked, as they sat with their feet in rockpools drinking a few cocktails made from down on the docks that the perch overlooked.

Nanuuk shrugged, he'd just been to the barber and his shaggy white mane of hair had been cropped short to the point where he looked almost like Adam; minus the horns. "She's like Harry, isn't she? Going where the trouble is…Based on the affairs of the world; she's likely to be heading to Solitas and Mantle or Atlas."

That attracted everyone's attention. Damania, who was resting on a rock arching her spine moaned slightly "Nanuuk, my fuzzy partner…currently everywhere is shut off from Atlas…Harry was right about that."

"I'm surprised you even accepted Harry's quite frankly trollish tendencies. Does he have some sort of precognition quirk? Because what he was saying seemed way to accurate."

"Harry's many things, martyr is one of them Sun. Harry's been martyred enough and been in as he calls 'fan situations' enough to know and read scenarios and the most likely outcomes. He calls it 'reading stupid' and remember when he punched Cardin because Cardin was about 'speak stupid'." Blake murmured thinking about her Team Leaders quite frankly bonkers brother.

"He hit Cardin enough for us to think, he just hit him for the sake of it. Oh and…we've got incoming. Shit." Kobi chimed in.

"What?" This came from Blake.

"I think we just got a reinforcement. Isabella Arctis, Semblance Frost and an affinity for Ice Dust…Here in Faunus Heartland…I need to go make sure she doesn't get killed." Kobi groaned as he finished his cocktail, before jumping off the cliff into the deeper lagoon below.