A Witch, A Wolf & A Vampire
Chapter 10: Planned Returns & Escapes
Delphine watched the memories of the two Chimera soldiers who returned from their attack on the Native American tribe, noting with interest how the wolves and even Iris' regular spells seemed to only slow them down and not completely incapacitate them or destroy them. She would have been much happier if some of the damned mutts had died but she knew that so long as her beloved was around, then the half-breeds would always be safe if only a little injured. Of course, the attack itself had served its purpose to put fear into the tribe as well as mark a few members of the tribe with dormant shifting genes for collection as well as marking one of the shifters for experimentation. She would send out a covert team to kidnap the marked targets at a later stage.
What did surprise her was the fact the vampire Queen's so readily broke the treaty and that the dark skinned one managed to kill one of the chimeras with brute force and a sword of some kind. That would have to be investigated and some adjustments made, however, vampire venom was one of the most lethal substances to exist so that vulnerability may always remain.
"Were you satisfied with the results, my lady?" Dr. Sarkov asked.
"Indeed, were enough subjects marked for the next stage of Project Chimera?"
"They were, though losing two of out first batch of soldiers after the prototypes was regrettable."
"It matters not, they shall be replaced soon enough and with the added bodies once we retrieve them, we shall be fine. I did not expect any of the four to survive when I knew my beloved would respond to the attack. The fact that two managed to escape even if the fourth water-based one was sacrificed, matters not compared to what we gained," Delphine dismissed.
"Of course, my lady. I also am thrilled to announce that we managed to secure the vital information for your plan through the Black Markets. The tomes are waiting for you in your personal quarters."
"Excellent work Dr. Sarkov, I will take my leave now then. Do let me know when the subjects have been retrieved and phase 2 has begun. And tell that idiot vampire Aro to do something that will distract the Queens from our movements! I will not have those damned vampires interfering with my plans!"
Livid, Iris was completely livid as Luna explained what was found and what they suspected. And furthermore, what the ICW's response was going to be according to what Luna and Captain Mills suspect. Obliviators had been brought in to modify the memories of the tribesmen and victims while restoration units repaired the infrastructure that was destroyed in the attack. What was the worst part was erasing the memories of people who were killed, while the shifters in the pack and councillors were allowed to keep their memories, the rest of the people on the Res weren't and so the rest of the day was spent by the Obliviators completely removing any memories of the ones who died.
Sam and the pack had allowed the Three Queen's to remain on their land along with Rosalie as they were in overprotective mode with all three of them being right next to or touching Iris while the Witch paced back and forth in front of her friend.
"They've known about this kind of thing happening for how long?" Iris growled, Captain Mills looked pale as he stood before her, despite being physically older, Iris' ire and magical presence far outmeasured what he would be capable of.
"While it was not confirmed, Miss Potter, yes, this group has been somewhat known to the ICW for a few months but none of the disappearances had ever been connected to them before. Nor the creation of these Chimera's was known until Miss Lovegood investigated the missing Vampires," he replied.
"And who was in charge of investigating the disappearances?"
"It was given to a few of the local detectives, but none of them reported anything solid."
"Of fucking course," Iris growled, pacing, Rosalie placed a soft hand on her shoulder causing her to stop walking.
"What is the ICW's plan now?"
"Their plan is to continue and investigate as they currently are. They believe that since it was only a shifter pack and not a magical community that was attacked it isn't worth more manpower," Captain Mills winced as the temperature dropped, Iris was visibly trembling, and Rosalie was rubbing circles on her back and murmuring calming words to her.
"The hell does that mean. My tribe isn't worth shit to you?" Leah snarled; the other pack members also made their displeasure known.
"No of course not, but you have to understand your tribe is small and one of thousands of non-human species the ICW governs. They cannot investigate every little incident and while Miss Lovegood has called us in to investigate and we are connecting the dots I am doing everything I can to find the trails and when we find something on the group behind this we will submit a request to mobilise a military force against them," Captain Mills explained.
"So let me get this straight, a vampire coven disappears, a shifter pack is attacked, and your international government will simply… investigate?" Sulpicia asked, a frown on her face.
"That is the best we can do at this given time," he explained.
"Not good enough, when is the next gathering of the ICW?" Iris asked looking at Luna.
"Their next general meeting is this coming Wednesday," Luna replied.
"Alright, I need to go home and pack things up then. Tell Shack I'll be meeting with him tomorrow. I'll drop Teddy off with Molly to look after while we sort this thing out, can you get the paperwork done for Leah and Rosalie?" Iris paused in her rambling before looking at her mate and imprint.
"If you guys want to come that is," she added nervously.
"Of course, we'll come," Rosalie said without missing a beat.
"If its about the protection of my people of course," Leah added.
"Okay, we'll need to get the paperwork done. Add my name to the paperwork to sign off on," Iris said, Luna simply nodded.
"Add Sulpicia, Didyme and Athenodora to the list as well, and if you want to put Jane under my name as well you can," Iris added.
"Got it, I'll let Kingsley know and get everything sorted out," Luna said, taking Jane's hand and apparated away.
Iris let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose as she stopped pacing and waved off the ICW investigation team to continue doing their work. The fact that Leah's tribe was attacked by such creatures was horrifying, and that the ICW hadn't properly investigated the disappearances of other species was troubling. If she hadn't of been here, if she wasn't the Mistress of Death, she doubted any of them would have made it out alive.
"You are a strong fighter, I am proud of you," Athenodora commented as Iris approached them with Rosalie and Leah, she knew that they had heard everything that was talked about and had given Jane permission to go with Luna.
"I'm guessing you heard all that?" A nod from the three women was her reply.
"I think, Didyme and I will have to return to Volterra and make contact with all the other covens to check in on them. Athenodora will accompany you along with Jane, Felix and Demetri when they arrive back," Sulpicia said, clearly not liking what she was saying.
"I will keep our child safe," Athenodora reassured both her mates.
"I want you three to each take one of these and give these to the guards you trust. They're called an emergency portkey, keep them on you at all times. If you need to escape, say 'Sanctuary' and you'll be transported to Potter manor which is protected by wards and untraceable," Iris said handing Sulpicia, Didyme and Athenodora a small pendant and then a closed bag of buttons which had been changed into portkeys as well.
"The guards' portkey's will take them to a secured magical location, I know you trust your guards, but I don't so that's why the locations will be different. Call it a safety precaution," Iris further explained, they nodded their understanding. Iris then turned to Rosalie and Leah and held out their own pendants.
"Have these on you at all times as well, same password," she said.
"I need to go home and start packing up Teddy and our lives, come to the house when you're ready but I think you should check in with your families first," Iris sighed, Rosalie and Leah understood and after a small nod Iris disappeared with a pop.
Victoria had always prided herself on using her gift to know when they were in danger, at first it seemed like a good way to get back at James' killer. However, being here in this place was horrifying, she knew not the horrors of the world, the true horrors and while these people weren't as old as she was, they were much more horrifying. Her instincts were telling her to run, to escape, to get anywhere else but here. Yet somehow, she and Laurant had ended up in with the Egyptian coven, those who survived and were able to be put back together.
They had watched as these people used the same sticks as the girl who killed James used, only on the others, taking them away one at a time, sometimes twice a week, usually once though until there were barely a few of them left. Laurant had been taken the previous day and Victoria had been pacing back and forth trying to figure out how to escape this hell that Aro had conned them into.
She had a plan; it wasn't quite the best of plans, but it was still a plan. She would hide above the door where they would come through, and when they all entered the room to pick their next victim, she would use the open door and her position to escape as quickly as possible. She had a feeling that since they believe themselves to be untouchable and that they as vampires couldn't resist their orders or their magic, that they would let their guard down. It was a foolish plan, to rely solely on the ego and self-righteousness of her captors. Her cell was down to 7 other vampires from its original 24, not including herself and Laurant.
She heard them coming well before they arrived, it had become quite the daunting sound to hear. Executing her plan, she used her strength to dig her hands into the sides of the wall and continue on until she was essentially hanging above the door. She had no idea if this would work or not, the rest of the Egyptian's paid her no mind as they took up defensive stances, hissing and on edge as the steps got closer. Clink. The sound of the magical lock being undone. They came in like they usually did, sticks drawn and surging into the room shouting their words as lights shot out of their sticks and impacted the vampires who attempted to attack.
The shockwave one of them sent through the room almost caused Victoria to lose her grip on the ceiling, which would have been her undoing. She waited until the last robed figure stepped into the room a few steps before she dropped and made a run for it.
Her instincts led her through the maze and avoiding all the trouble she could until she ducked into a room towards what she thought was a less-guarded part of the castle. What she saw on the other side of the door had her frozen, rows and rows of glass tanks held creatures that she could barely recognise, though some of the bodies looked to resemble some of the vampires she had been imprisoned with. Then she froze as she recognised one; Laurant, his body looked like it had been torn apart and put back together with parts that didn't belong to him. One of his arms was covered in spiked scales and a claw, he now sported a sizeable tail with spikes and a pointed tip. The side of his neck held what appeared to be gills, while fin-like appendages were on his side and lastly, he had what appeared to be leathery looking wings, almost bat-like, on his back. Wrong, it was all so wrong, her friend and companion of over a century turned into… this. She hated that they took Aro up on his offer. Footsteps were now running around, she had to find a way out and NOW. Leaving what was once her friend behind, she made a break for the nearest escape, racing up the stairs and through stunned individuals before launching herself out of a window and rolling to pick her feet up and then running off into the woods surrounding the place. She knew she had to get back to someone who could help her, perhaps if she explained to the girl what happened? Would she believe her? She had to try, sure the girl killed James but now that Laurant had been taken as well, she had to do something that would avenge at least one of her coven mates and it seemed that this girl was the lesser evil.
Packing up her life into her trunks was something Iris had done many times before, when she left the Dursley's, when she was on the run from Voldemort, but doing it now because she was forced to return to the Wizarding world because the family and community of someone she cared about was attacked by a creature of magical origin? She and Teddy had just found a home and started building their little family, Rosalie, Bella, Edythe, Didyme, Athenodora, Sulpicia and now Leah. It was… it wasn't fair, why does her Potter luck always have to ruin her happiness? Was she always doomed to face the world's problems and solve them?
Sulpicia and Didyme had left with the royal guards to head back to Volterra the day after the beach incident, they didn't want to go and Iris didn't want them to, she had just gotten used to having them around all the time after the few weeks of getting to know each other. But they were the Queen's and this new problem with the missing Egyptian coven can't be ignored and so they have to put duty over family and make sure the other covens are okay. The only thing that she was thankful for was that her Amazon mother Athenodora was staying with her, the Queen's being more at ease with their warrior Queen staying with their daughter.
Leah had also packed herself a backpack and Rosalie had packed her bag as well, having said goodbye to her family the Cullen's and promised to keep them updated about what was going on and to stay aware of the situation. Sam and the Pack, even the elders had come to a new treaty with Carlisle and now allowed the vampires onto their land if they were to aid in another attack like the one Iris stopped. In return the Cullen's welcomed the wolves onto their land and Esme was thrilled to have more people to cook for, especially hungry shifters, and surprisingly Emily and Esme enjoyed swapping recipes and cooking together.
It had taken Iris the entire weekend for her to put in the paperwork for dropping out of school as well as cancelling Teddy's daycare attendance giving them the excuse that they had an emergency with a close family friend and would be moving back to England for a while. Not to mention Leah and Rosalie sorting out their things as well, it was a mess and Iris was looking forward to being able to sort this shit out as quickly as possible. If she had to get more involved personally, she would be very pissed.
Returning to the Ministry of Magic was… something else, a source of many pitfalls, torments and of course the loss of Sirius. It wasn't something that she particularly enjoyed. Arriving with Rosalie, Leah & Athenodora was something else especially when it came to 'registering' them.
"Lady Potter-Black, a pleasure to have you back on English soil. I have your paperwork and passes right here," the Auror manning the desk said, her bright preppy tone masking the disgruntled looks she gave the others.
"Why… are there collars?" Iris asked, seething.
"As you know, any and all creatures are to be identified and registered accordingly. These will go on your… possessions and will remain on until their time in Magical Britain is done. This way we, as the Ministry, know they are here and you are their registered owner," was the reply.
"They will not be wearing collars, or anything," Iris said, straight out burning the three offending items.
"But! My Lady! It's Ministry policy!" She protested.
"I don't give a damn; they will not be wearing any of those things. I will get them something from Gringotts if need be. I'll deal with Kingsley myself," she growled, stalking past the guards and gesturing for Rosalie, Leah and Athenodora to follow.
"Well, I'm sure Di and Cia will be happy to know our daughter doesn't let anyone tell her what to do," Athenodora murmured as they walked past tense guards, Leah gave them a mocking salute.
"From what I understand, Iris is the Hero of their country and certainly the most powerful individual possibly in their world. Would be hard pressed to willingly go up against that," Rosalie replied.
Iris stalked through the rest of the Ministry with one singular location in mind, Athenodora, Rosalie and Leah following while taking in the sight of the Ministry as best they can, Athenodora and the other Queen's had never been to one of the governmental buildings of any magical country, rather there representatives would visit every now and then, Sanguine mostly dealt with that, mostly it was the ICW announcing a new individual who would be their contact going forward. Hell, even some of their meals came from the ICW, prisoners who were sentenced to death and overcrowding the many prisons they had were given to the Volturi for food once a fortnight.
"Shack! Open the damned door!" Iris shouted banging on a closed door in an empty hallway they had turned into.
The door opened and Kingsley, a year on, didn't look much different than Iris had last seen him before the final battle at Hogwarts. He stood tall, though he had traded his Auror robes for that of more dignified Minister of Magic robes, he looked tired as he looked at Iris.
"Iris, it's good to see you again," he said sincerely.
"Cut the bullshit Shack, you know why I'm here," Iris said, he sighed, giving a nod before gesturing for all of them to enter.
"It's good to have you back on British soil, despite the reason Miss Lovegood informed me of. And I take it these are your guests?" He asked, sitting in a comfortable looking chair behind a desk which was swamped with paperwork.
"Yes, they are, and I've already explained to the department of international travel. That they will not be wearing those horrid collars, despite their status as magical creatures," Iris bristled.
"Ah… I suppose an exception will be made for your guests. But they will need something to identify themselves as being under your protection. I take it you have something in mind at Gringotts that would make it so?" Shack asked, she nodded.
"Very well, then I need not say anything else on that. While I and many of the others will accept them, you'll be hard pressed to convince the public. Given that Voldemort had vampires and werewolves amongst their ranks," he sighed.
"So did we, or are we forgetting Remus?"
"Of course, I wouldn't forget him, he was a friend. But he was more human than beast, unlike Greyback."
"That's neither here, nor there. Aside from being back I'm informing you that I will be attending the next ICW meeting, I have some questions that need to be answered."
"Yes, Miss Lovegood did inform me of that. Of course, you are welcome to attend as is your right as the Hero of Magical Britain."
"I really hate that title."
"And these are made by some of the best weaponsmiths to exist?" Athenodora asked, looking at the wall of weapons in the Potter family vault with keen interest.
"Yes, my lady. The Potter and Black families have existed for thousands of years and had many warriors amongst them. Their magical weapons were kept here over the centuries. We the goblin nation have always had a positive relationship with the Potter family and consider them one of our most important clients and friends," Killmonger, the new Potter Family account manager proudly stated.
"I see, the history of them must be great then. Daughter, you should have told us your mortal family has such ancestors," Athenodora said turning to Iris who was flicking through the various books in the library part of the vault looking for anything about Chimera's.
"I didn't know," she replied honestly.
"Are any of these blades effective against vampires?" Athenodora asked.
"There are a few, yes. Though I believe there is one that will interest you the most given your status in the vampire world," Killmonger waved his claw, and a wall seemed to slide back as another rack of weapons appeared, heavily enchanted and full of magic. He walked over with Athenodora next to him as he gestured to one of the blades in the centre of this collection.
"This blade was crafted for one of the infamous Potter twins of the 8th century, they called her Bellona, the goddess of war. Her name was Belladonna Athena Potter, and her brother was Ares Lucien Potter. This was made through the combined efforts of an Elder Black Dragon, Selene Dracula, daughter of Vladimir Dracula. And the Goblin King Vrask. During this time the humans had been hunting magical creatures and wizards/witches alike. Belladonna and Ares were two of the most powerful warriors the wizards had and along with their group, weapons were forged for the battle against the crusaders. This blade was called Dainsleif, and it spawned many a legend after it left her hands. Due to its magical properties, it is a sword said to cause wounds that can never heal no matter the creature," Killmonger said.
The hilt itself was adorned with various runic languages that have since been lost to time, etched in fine gold on top of black dragon scales. The blade was about 32" long crafted from mithril, tempered in dragon fire by the dwarves, said to be better forgers than goblins. Golden runes were engraved into the blade while in the very centre lay a swirl of black mass that seemed to move freely. And at the top of the hilt was a single onyx gem.
"And just how did this come back to the vault if it left Belladonna's hands?"
"While most goblin made weapons would be considered owned by the ones who crafted it originally after the user passes, Dainsleif was recognised as belonging to the blood and magic of the Potter family and thus once recovered centuries later, remained in the Potter family vault as such." Athenodora hummed and made to reach out for the blade before she was stopped.
"Sorry, my lady. But this particular collection is magically locked. Miss Potter will need to take the sword off to give it to you," Killmonger apologised, Athenodora put her hand down and looked over to Iris.
"Well, daughter?"
"Fine, I'll give it to you. But you also need to wear this at all times when in the magical world," Iris conceded, walking over and holding out a necklace with the Potter family crest on it.
Leah and Rosalie also had their own and were going through different parts of the vault based on their own interests. Rosalie was interested in the muggle-sides of the Potter family and the fact they had shares in many large-scale companies, including car companies and it was discovered they're actually some of the largest shareholders of those companies. She was looking forward to using this to get her hands on more lucrative cars and mechanical gear.
Leah surprisingly was drawn to the history section of the Potter library, or more accurately their history regarding magical creatures and other such interactions especially regarding native American creatures. The wealth of knowledge Iris had in her family was something that surprised everyone present even Iris who had never really gone through the contents of her family vault, and she dreaded when she would and especially seeing as she had to do the same with the Black family vault. Coming back to the magical world was really beginning to be a headache.
Summary of the Pairings:
Fem!Harry (Iris) x Rosalie Hale x Leah Clearwater
Athenodora Volturi x Sulpicia Volturi x Didyme Volturi
Bella Swan x Edythe Cullen
Emmett Cullen x Maggie (Irish Coven)
Edward Cullen x Laura Cullen (OC)
Alice Cullen x Jasper Hale (Cannon)
Esme Cullen x Carlisle Cullen (Cannon)
Ron Weasley x Hermione Granger (Cannon)
Luna Lovegood x Jane Volturi
A/N: As Always, Pat. r30N is a fair few chapters ahead. I will be uploading chapters on fanfiction as I upload a new chapter on Pat. This way I continue to cycle new chapters through and as noted on "This is War" my best writing method is to write multiple stories at the same time so hopefully you enjoy all of them! If you do wish to follow Pat. it's /zyrakenzi
Given Fanfic has recently cleaned out many fics with smut I have decided I will remove all the smut from any FF posted chapters. Smut will remain in the specified chapters along with any smut centered stories on PT. Thus all FF stories will have any explicit parts removed going forwards.