Chapter 6

Harry looked around the room he'd been given by Auberon. It was pretty sparse only containing a bed, a desk, and a large bookshelf. Walking over to the shelf, Harry flipped through the books. Most seemed to be by Shakespeare but there were a few novels by Charles Dickens and Robert Louis Stevenson.

"The Body Snatcher was my personal favorite," Auberon said from the doorway.

Harry turned to face his Great Grandfather. "Don't the fae have authors?"

Auberon shrugged. "We lack a certain creativity. Sure, we can create weapons and devices that run off magic, but most fae can't write a good story. We don't seem to have the imagination for it. Maybe it's because we live in a world of magic where the impossible is possible, but we have to look to the humans for good stories."

"Have you tried TV?"

Auberon made a face. "We tried it, but it never caught on here. I do not know why, but me personally, I preferred the theatre."

"I have a question. When I was attacked by a sylph earlier, it spoke using thee and thou, but you're using modern English. Why is that?"

"Wait," Auberon said, his gaze sharpening. "You were attacked by a sylph?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "Didn't Mum tell you?"

"Your mother did not tell me anything. I think she wanted to wait until you had settled in. What happened?"

Harry quickly explained about the attack and how Lugh had trapped the sylph in a ball of stone.

"Lugh," Auberon muttered. "He is one of the few Tuah De that stayed in the courts. He is your father?"

"Yes, I didn't know he was my dad until today."

"Mmm," Auberon hummed. "What happened to the Sylph after that?"

"I don't know," Harry said. "You'd have to talk to Lugh."

"I will speak to your father shortly. I must make him aware that you are here. So, that is why your mother brought you here?"

"She said she wanted me to meet my extended family in case it became necessary for me to stay with them."

"Under the circumstances, I think it would be best if I came to you. My wife…" he trailed off.

"She's not fond of us."

"No," Auberon said. "She is not. I met Merlin's mother before I married Tatiana." He looked off into space, as if he were seeing images of the past.

"She was a beautiful woman. Kind, humble, noble, and just. I would have made her my queen, but…"

"She was human?"

Auberon shook his head. "Her humanity never mattered to me. Giving birth to a half-fae child is hard on a human, even one that has magic. Back in those days, childbirth was dangerous for both fae and mortality. Arlais survived Merlin's birth, but she was… weakened. She never really recovered. She named him Myrddin Emry's." He stopped and swallowed thickly.

"I… I'd have given her anything. I loved her so much. She… she died when Merlin was two. I wanted Merlin to have a mother, so I sought out a half-fae. I found a daughter of Dagda and took her as my wife. I had hoped she'd have taken pity on my boy and tried to be his mother."

"That didn't happen," Harry said quietly.

"No, it did not. Tatiana wanted a child of her own. She wanted our child to inherit the throne. Autumn…" Auberon broke off. "That is another story. We will just say that I was not the father I should have been to Merlin and leave it at that."

"It's not too late," Harry said.

Auberon shook his head. "No, it is not. I'm going to try my best to repair our relationship. If it cannot be repaired, no one will be able to say I did not try."

"That's the spirit," Harry said with a grin.

"I'm going to go check on your mother." He pointed to a silver bell on the desk. "If you need anything, just ring the bell. I'll see you at supper."

"Don't you mean dinner?"

Auberon smiled. "Dinner is what you eat at midday."

"No," Harry said. "That's lunch. Supper is the American term."

Auberon shrugged. "Different lands, different words for things. Besides, most Americanisms came from England. See you later."

Harry watched Auberon leave. "I guess I'm gonna be learning a lot while I'm here."

**ACC**

There was a knock on the door as Harry sat down at his desk. "Auberon?" Harry asked.

"No," a soft voice said.

Harry blinked. This voice was male, smooth, and soft.

"Come in," Harry said.

The door swung open and a Black man with grey hair and kind grey eyes stood in the doorway. The shadows seemed to writhe around him as if they were a pet greeting their owner. The man wore a long black cloak that covered him from neck to ankle.

"Can I help you?" Harry asked calmly.

The man smiled. "No, but I may be able to help you."

Harry took a deep breath. He could smell old earth and roses. "You're not human."

The man shook his head, his lips twitching "If I were human, I might be offended. No son, I'm not human. I am… was a god."

"A god?"

"Yes," the man said. "Thanatos is my name."

Harry blinked at him. "Your Thanatos, but you… err…"

Thanatos looked amused. "I'm what?"

"Well," Harry scratched the back of his neck. "You look like an old Black man. I didn't think the Greek gods were worshipped in Africa."

Thanatos laughed heartily. "Immortals that were worshipped as gods came from many places. Just because we were worshipped in an area doesn't mean we originated in that area. Don't make the mistake of assuming that the gods correspond to human race. Humans focus to much on the color of skin as it is, even those who claim not to."

"You're right," Harry said. "I do apologize. I meant no offense."

Thanatos shook his head. "You have no reason to apologize boy. I just came to talk to you about my children's artifacts."

"Artifacts?"

"The wand, cloak, and ring."

"Legends say that Death created them."

Thanatos shook his head. "A statement that is both true and false. The Peverell brothers were my only children born of a mortal woman. I met a woman, Arianwen Peverell. I married her and lived out her life with her. Unlike many of my fellow Olympians, I know what loyalty is."

He stared off into the corners of the room. "I was so happy with her. The mortals left us alone. We were able to live in peace. For the time, which was a rarity for wizards, let me tell you."

"Did she know?" Harry asked.

"That I had been worshipped as a god? Oh yes, she knew about that. She didn't care. All that mattered was that I loved her, and she loved me."

"What happened?"

"We had three sons. Cadmus, Ignotus, and Antioch. They were good boys. Arianwen and I trained them to use their magic. Cadmus went out and got married. They were expecting their first child when everything went wrong."

"What happened?"

Thanatos's face twisted. His brown eyes blazed and the shadows in the room writhed and twisted like serpents. "The church happened. I'd left to do some trading when they attacked. By the time I got back it was too late. Arianwen had been burned and Cadmus's wife had been tortured into confessing to being a witch. The bastards didn't even have the courtesy to wait till she gave birth. They burned her at the stake while she was still pregnant."

"How did your sons escape?"

Thanatos smiled bitterly. "I got back in time to save them, but they were never the same. Antioch never wanted to be helpless again, Cadmus wanted to see his wife again, and Ignotus just wanted to be left alone."

"That's where the Deathly Hallows came in?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Thanatos said tiredly. "I wanted to give each of them what I thought they needed to recover. I helped Antioch fashion the elder wand. I made it powerful and truly loyal only to my bloodline. The wand was without doubt the greatest wand ever created.

I created the resurrection stone for Cadmus. I intended it as a way for him to say good-bye to his wife. I wasn't thinking clearly. I was too caught up in my own grief. I never realized that the poor boy would use it to keep her with him. I should've…" he broke off as tears ran down his face.

"It wasn't your fault," Harry said. "You were just doing what you thought was best to help your children."

Thanatos sniffed and wiped his eyes. "I gave Ignotus the cloak as a way for him to feel safe. If the real story was known, I'm sure there'd be those that thought he was a coward, but he was my youngest. He was only ten when he watched his mother and sister-in-law die."

Thanatos wiped his eyes again. "You know the rest of the story. Antioch was killed for the wand, Cadmus committed suicide, and Ignotus hid under the cloak for decades. Cadmus and Ignotus had children of their own, so I left the objects as a kind of family inheritance. After Ignotus died, I came to the Seelie court where king Auberon graciously allowed me to stay. I have been here for centuries, just wiling away the time until I see them again."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"The mother of all fae and my mother were sisters. Old things like me aren't affected by changes in reality."

Harry stared at the old man. "You know?"

"I'm the reason Argante was able to hold on for so long. I watched you use the Deathly Hallows to change history, probably the best use those accursed things have been put to since their creation."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you approve, but why come here and tell me this?"

"In your earlier life, you'd been adopted by the Potters using a blood ritual. Their blood flowed through your veins. James Potter was a descendant of Ignotus. That gave you the ability to use the combined power of the Hallows."

"But I was a soul at the time. I didn't have blood."

"Some magics can even affect the soul. James and Lily loved you enough to share their blood with you. At the time, you were still a Potter. Even if James keyed you into the vaults, he never blood adopted you this time. That means there are only two who can use the artifacts to their greatest potential."

"Holly and the descendant of Cadmus," Harry said. "Do you know who that is?"

"Oh yes," Thanatos said with a sigh. "He never twisted himself like he did in your world, but he is still a stain on our family name."

Harry felt his eyes widen with horror. "No," he whispered.

"Yes," Thanatos said softly. "Holly Potter and Tom Riddle are my last living descendants. They are the only ones who can tap into the true power of the so-called Deathly Hallows."

"Could he cast the curse again?"

Thanatos shook his head. "He wasn't the one that cast it the first time. That particular atrocity can't be blamed on him. He could use the Hallows to take over both the wizarding and mundane world. You have to find the Hallows and destroy them before he returns."

"Would he be immortal?" Harry asked.

Thanatos snorted. "That mess about the master of death was just a legend. Everyone dies, even the immortals, eventually. He would not be immortal in the sense that nothing could kill him, but he would no longer be affected by age or disease, and he would be a lot harder to kill."

"I know where the wand is and I assume the cloak is probably with Holly, but the ring…"

"It is in a museum of magical artifacts."

"Okay," Harry said. "This doesn't sound that hard. I find them and destroy them."

"It's not that simple," Thanatos said.

"How did I know you were gonna say that?"

"The Hallows have become more than I intended. They are not alive as such, but they are aware and will try to keep from being destroyed. They may remember that they were used to break the curse."

"How do I destroy them? If they're aware of me; they may seek out Voldemort."

"I don't know. Remember, it has been centuries since I laid eyes on them. They will have been absorbing power from all those that handled them and they were very powerful to begin with."

"Great," Harry said. "Just bloody fantastic. Why don't we see about giving them to Holly. She's not me and she is your descendant. Maybe she could claim the power of the Hallows and keep them out of Voldemort's hands."

Thanatos ran his fingers through his hair. "The only way that will work is if we transfer the power contained in the Hallows to Holly. She wouldn't be mortal anymore. It's a lot to ask of someone to sacrifice their mortality."

Harry was silent. He watched as Thanatos stood and walked towards the door. With his hand on the knob, he turned to face Harry. "I will leave you alone now. If I can help you in anyway, I will." He left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

Harry flopped back on the bed. "What am I supposed to do now?" He had to destroy the Hallows, stop Voldemort, and stop a curse from being cast that would alter reality itself.

"No rest for the wicked," Harry said as he stood and began to dress for dinner.

**ACC**

Harry entered the large dining room and stared at the long table filled with cakes, haunches of meat, bread, and flagons of wine.

Various fae sat at the long table. Harry could see dryads, sidhe, satyrs, fawns, and pixies just to name a few. "There are so many," Harry murmured.

Merlin appeared beside him. "These are just a fraction of the fae in this realm. The celebrations we have around the Holidays are a lot bigger than this."

Harry walked towards the end of one of the long benches around the table, but Auberon was suddenly there.

"No," the king said. "You are family, so you sit with me."

Auberon led them to the head of the table where six chairs waited. As they approached, Tatiana glared at them. After they were seated, Argante turned to Harry.

"Be careful of the wine. It's stronger than it tastes."

Before Harry could answer, the hall went silent. Every head turned towards the doorway. Harry followed everyone's gaze to see a woman standing there. Harry's first thought was that she was beautiful.

The woman had long black hair that fell to her waist. Her skin was as white as freshly fallen snow and her lips were as red as blood. Her blue eyes were like two blue marbles in her pale face.

Harry shivered. Those eyes showed no emotion. At first, Harry thought the woman had frozen until she moved into the hall. Her movements were sleek and graceful like a well-oiled machine rather than a fae or human.

"Autumn," Auberon said as he leapt to his feet and rushed to embrace the woman. "It has been too long, daughter."

"Father," the woman said. Her voice was like the chiming of silver bells. "It is good to see you." Her eyes drifted to Merlin, Harry, and Argante. "Brother, niece, great nephew, I am happy to meet you as well."

"You know about me and Mum?"

Autumn chuckled. "I have connections in the mortal world. A faint gleam appeared in her cold blue eyes. "Argante was not very subtle. Her work at Gringots has become legend even here."

Argante winced. "I'm never gonna live that down."

"No, you will not," Autumn said. "You have shown the honor and cunning of the fae to those that have forgotten such things."

"Thank you," Argante said slowly.

"Daughter," Tatiana said softly.

"Mother," Autumn said stiffly.

Tatiana rose and wrapped Autumn in her arms. "I missed you," the faery queen choked.

"And I you," Autumn said quietly. "I have been away for far too long."

As Harry watched the mother and daughter reunite, he relaxed. Tatiana may be a real bitch at times, but she was also a mother who loved her child. He sighed.

"People are complicated."

"They always are," Auberon said from beside him.

Harry jumped. "Bloody hell."

Auberon chuckled. "It's good to have my family back together again." He gestured to Harry, Merlin, and Argante before pointing at Tatiana and Autumn. "Maybe this can be a new beginning."

**ACC**

Once everyone was seated at the table, Auberon bowed his head.

"I thank the Great spirit for the food we have been given. May it strengthen and nourish us in the days to come."

Harry blinked at him. "I wasn't aware fae were religious."

"Some aren't some are. Bit like humans in that. Before they worshipped a mother goddess, the fae believed in a creator, a being who spoke all of creation into existence. Some of us still worship him."

"There were records of fae churches in Swedish folklore," Argante said.

Auberon shrugged as he took a bite of bread. "We used to have them, but now adays, most fae worship in their own way."

"What about you?" Harry asked turning to Autumn.

"Me?" Autumn said jumping slightly.

Harry nodded, smiling encouragingly. "What do you believe if you don't mind me asking."

Autumn looked down at the table. "I have a hard time believing everything just happens, and that everything is here by chance. Having said that, I don't believe that a loving God would allow the world to be as it is either."

Tatiana leaned forward. "Argante? What do you worship? I was Catholic when I grew up, but now days I suppose I'm more of an agnostic."

"Morgana was Christian," Argante said slowly. "Since Merlin left me with her most of the time growing up, that's how I was raised."

"A Christian fae," Tatiana snorted. "Aren't many of those around, not with the church claiming we have no soul."

"Whether we have a soul or not is for God to decide, not a mortal who never got to know us."

Auberon nodded. "Well said, Granddaughter. I hate to change the subject, but Harry mentioned something about being attacked by a Sylph?"

"A Sylph?" Tatiana said. "They are Seelie fae and we are on good terms with Avalon. Why would they attack the boy."

Harry glanced at Argante. When she nodded, he leaned forward. "How much do you know about the world that came before?"

Autumn frowned. "Are we back on the subject of our religious beliefs?" she asked.

"No," Harry said. "I mean the world was… reset."

Auberon leaned forward, his golden eyes narrowed. "Reset? What are you talking about?"

Before Harry could say anymore, a vortex of mist appeared in the hall. A tall old man stepped out of the mist. A red cap dripping blood was on his head and he wore iron boots on his feet. Each of his fingers ended with a long curved claw and his eyes glowed like

"Not so fast boy," he said in a thick Scottish accent. "I will kill you before I let you tell them anymore."

"Redcap," Argante said making to stand.

Harry shook his head. "No," he said. "I didn't protect myself before. I need to be able to keep myself safe from hostile fae or I'm always gonna be a liability."

Before Argante could say a word, Harry had rose and stepped to meet the redcap. The redcap raised a pike nearly as tall as himself. The blade of the pike was roughly worked iron and looked as if the blacksmith had just hammered it into shape.

"My queen will be happy that you have been dealt with so our plans can continue."

"Harry," a voice called from the doorway.

Harry didn't take his eyes off the Redcap. "I'm a little busy Dad."

"Catch."

Harry held up his hand and felt something slam into it. Instinctively, He closed his hand around the object. Looking down, he saw that he was holding a spear. The polished steel of the blade glowed with a searing golden light.

"The spear of Lugh," the redcap said nodding at the weapon. "I will enjoy taking it from your corpse."

Harry rolled his eyes. "You sound like a cartoon. If you're gonna kill me, come on and do it, but your threats are pathetic."

The redcap charged at him with a cry of rage. Harry raised his spear and was just able to perry the redcap's first strike. The impact almost knocked the spear from his hand.

Drawing on the magic around him, Harry conjured a ball of ice that he hurled at the redcap. The redcap knocked the ice away with a contemptuous flick of his wrist.

"You will have to do better than that. Is this the best you have got?"

A ball of fire answered him. Harry followed that up with a blade of air that cut a deep gash along the redcap's forehead.

Blood ran down the fae's face, but the pain didn't seem to bother him.

"First blood to you," he said excitedly. "Now the fight can really begin."

Harry just managed to block another lunge with the spear, but he couldn't keep this up for long. He had no formal training with the old weapons. And he couldn't match the redcap in brute strength.

"I'll just have to be smarter," Harry muttered.

"What was that boy?" The redcap said smiling, revealing razor sharp teeth. "Are you begging for mercy already?"

The spear of Lugh was also called the spear of light, so could he use it to channel power?

Raising his left hand, Harry heated the air around him before channeling it into the spear.

A bolt of lightning shot from the spear with a boom and struck the redcap in the chest. The old fae flew backwards and smashed into the stone wall but was up on his feet in a flash.

"Not bad," he said looking down at the smoking hole in his leather tunic, "but these iron boots aren't just for crushing the heads of my enemies."

With a roar, the redcap charged.

Harry focused, spinning his left hand through the air. With his sight, he saw threads of luck tearing away from the redcap's aura. He dodged another lunge with the pike, leaping back to what he hoped was a safe distance. Wrapping the stolen luck around the spear, Harry drew back his arm and threw the spear as hard as he could.

There was a wet thud, a gurgle, and then a scream. Harry watched in wide-eyed horror as the redcap burst into golden flame. Screaming, the fae dropped his pike and clawed at the spear sticking out of his chest. The flesh began dripping off his hands like melting wax. Harry tried to turn away, but he couldn't.

The redcap's eyes exploded, viscous fluid running down to mix with the melting flesh on his skull. The golden flames rose higher, mercifully hiding him from view.

"Well," a soft voice said from beside him. "I'd say he probably regrets coming here."

Harry turned to see Thanatos. "I wish I knew who sent him."

Thanatos's lips twitched. "You probably should've asked that before stabbing him."

"Point," Harry said. He looked back at the place where the redcap had been. All that remained was a charred skeleton wearing a red cap and a pair of iron boots.

"Might want to burn that cap," Thanatos said.

"Why?"

"They say that a redcap dies if the blood on their cap dries. I don't know if he could be revived by putting blood on his hat, but I wouldn't take that chance."

Harry flicked a hand, a ball of fire incinerating the hat along with the redcap's charred skull.

"Well, he's dead now," Thanatos said drily.

"Are you gonna take his soul or something?"

"Taking the souls where they were supposed to go was never my job. I just brought death when it was time, and I haven't fulfilled that role in over one thousand years."

Harry looked at the fae in the hall and sighed. Every eye stared at him in a mixture of shock and horror.

"Well," Auberon said. "I have not seen a child your age defeat a redcap before."

"Yeah," Harry said. "We have some things to talk about."

Auberon nodded. "I thought so. Come, I have a study for these type of discussions."

Harry followed Auberon out of the hall. As he walked, he noticed that Lugh and Argante had joined him.

"Good job," Lugh said. "We'll need to work on your training with melee weapons."

"I never learned how to use them. I just know how to use magic and run."

"Skills that got you out of this situation," Thanatos said as he joined them.

"I hope Auberon believes us," Harry said.

Argante placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll know soon enough."

"That's why I am here," Thanatos said. "I can vouch for you if it becomes necessary."

Lugh stepped back. I can't contribute anything to this conversation. I'll go tell Dumbledore that you'll be back soon." In a flash of golden light, Lugh vanished.

"As they walked down the hallway, Harry wondered who had sent the redcap and why.

"A Redcap," Merlin said. "Can't believe one of them had the balls to show up in the Seelie court."

"Smooth," Argante said. "I take it you're here to help with the explanation?"

Merlin nodded. "Of course, I helped send Harry through time and I saw the curse coming."

"You are a perfect example of humility," Thanatos said drily.

"I know," Merlin said cheerfully.

"I was being sarcastic."

"I know," Merlin said again, his grin widening.

None of them saw the shadow that followed close behind them.