Kreacher handed him a perfect cup of tea and Harry sipped it gratefully. The familiar motion was comforting and helping him sort through the jumbled mess that was his mind. The biggest thing on his mind was that he was apparently the Imperial Prince of the Seligen Court. The goblins had given him a brief overview of the Court. It was a council of sorts composed of the leaders of every creature clan, kingdom, tribe, and collective. That court was ruled over by Morgana until her return to mother magic, then later Nemu, and now soon to be him. Now that he thought about it why hadn't the goblins said anything to him about it. Maybe they didn't want another ruler, Harry couldn't blame them for that.
Harry was so consumed by his thoughts that he barely noticed the soft knock that came from the door, and it didn't fully register until Remus was already at the door with his hand over the handle.
"Wait!" he stood from the sofa and strode across the room towards the now confused looking werewolf all the while waving his hand around, wildly gesturing over to the… Meditating? Creature. The knock came again a little firmer this time, and Remus turned back towards it.
"It's fine. It's just Sev." Harry couldn't stop the shit eating grin that took over his face as he turned to walk back over to the sofa.
"Well then, if it's just ' Sev ' then it's fine." Lupin started choking on his own breath but had no time to retort as the door was already opening to allow entrance to the potions master, who strode in two paces, slammed the door closed, and spun to look at the werewolf, leaving his back to the rest of the room.
"What did Potter do? I am hearing rumors about him either being attacked or that he is such a 'fearless hero' that not even a boggart knows what to do. It hasn't even been twenty minutes since classes let out and half the school is talking about it. Can the boy not go one day without something happening?" That was a fair question, one Harry himself had had many times.
"Well that's interesting. I'm glad that you care so much for me, professor." Snape spun on his heel and threw a stunner straight at Harry, which he blocked with a reflexive wandless and wordless protego, all while smirking into his teacup. Snape's face went from horror, to intrigued, to anger, to exasperated all within the space of a second. "Also please dont hex my new friend." Harry gestured to the Bowguard who still had its eyes closed. "I don't wish to find out their effectiveness as a royal guard just yet." The potions master looked towards the creature with something closer to curiosity than fear, and once again Harry was left questioning how on earth Snape was sorted to Slytherin. Moony pushed Snape towards the seating area and doctored two cups of tea to their liking.
"So does one of you want to explain what happened?" Lupin looked towards Harry not knowing what really happened either, and everything came crashing back on him. He let out an agitated breath, running his hands through his hair, which did not help calm him. The strands felt wrong, they were too short and damaged, where the thick smooth locks would normally help calm him, the short frayed strands they were currently did not. His hands also caught in the frames of his glasses, irritating him further. Having the glamor on was starting to great on his nerves, he felt too big for his skin, not helping the fact that the material from his robe was rubbing against his skin in a way that set his teeth on edge. Quickly he took off his glasses, dumping them haphazardly on the tea table. The ring for his glamor soon followed. feeling himself grow and shift, he let out a sigh before ruffling out his hair, pulling lightly on the strands. Already he felt slightly better until he felt the rub of the material from his robe on his arm, making him stand abruptly, pulling off the offending garment and throwing it in a bundle onto the sofa.
He had been pushing everything away for a while now, ignoring it and moving on to the most immediate problem but everything was starting to pile up. Right now the Bowguard was connecting to its commander, then its commander will call a Dementor witch harry guesses will do the same thing the Bowguard just did and connect to its commander, all so they can make a vassal bond with him. Making every Bowguard and Dementor eventually his servant. That was the most immediate thing he was dealing with. Expanding from that he is meant to be the imperial King of the Seligen Court, he also owns just under two thirds of magical Britain, and being the head of the Peverell and Emris families, which comes with their own set of problems. Having someone claim the Emris Dukeship literally changes their entire government. The minister of magic position was created to handle the absence of the Emris family when the seat went dormant around five hundred years ago. He is not qualified for this. He doesn't know enough about any of this. He knows basically nothing of the Seligen Court, even less about the old ways and religion that is the backbone of the Peverells, and don't get him started on his lack of noble education.
He hadn't realized he was pacing till he walked right into someone. Looking up he was met with worried honey brown eyes and he took a shuddering breath. His lungs burned, was he not breathing properly? He took a minute to focus on just breathing in and out, in and out. Moony slowly pulled him back toward the sofa and gently pushed him down onto the soft cushions. Kreacher pushed another cup of tea into his hands. He cradled it to his chest letting the warmth bleed through him as he pulled his legs up onto the sofa. He needed to explain to them what was going on but how was he supposed to do that when he himself barely understood. Finding out what they already know would be a good start.
"What do either of you know about the Seligen Court?" Snapes eyebrows shot up at his question but was the first to answer.
"It was a council of creatures that banded together to create a ruling class amongst creatures back in the mid eleven hundreds to early thirteen hundreds. Not much is known about them as they disbanded and there aren't many references to them. From what I understand they were the ones that allowed creatures to become something seen as subhuman. So a lot of creatures don't like them." Well that was interesting. Mixing that information with what he already had, it would seem Nemu wasnt what most would consider a good ruler. He looked to Remus to see if he had anything to add.
"To my knowledge the Council still exists." Snape looked over at that and scowled. "And they still rule over every creature, they're just less hands on than they used to be. They say the problems started because it stopped acting as a council. Somewhere around 1150 to 1310 someone overruled the Court. That person wanted peace, so they allowed wizards to walk all over them, in doing so they created many problems for creatures." Well that was just fanfuckingtastick. By the sounds of it the Court probably wouldn't take kindly to another ruler, though that might work in his favor since he didn't want to rule.
"Cub, why are you asking about the Seligen Court? Or better yet how do you even know about it?" Now how in Broceliande is he supposed to answer that? Fuck it. he didn't have the mental capacity for this right now.
"It's what me and Bowguard were talking about." Remus blinked in confusion, then pointed at the still meditating creature, and Harry nodded.
"His name is Bowguard?" Snape asked curiously.
"It's not a he, it's an it, and the entire species name is Bowguard, but they all identify that as their collective spoken name also." Snape looked kind of baffled but nodded once.
"Why were you two talking about it?"
"Because I'm the Imperial Prince of the Seligen Court, thanks to my creature inheritance, that Bowguard so kindly informed me about." Both the professors sat gaping at him. Snapes jaw opening and closing like he wanted to say something while Remus was still as a statue. He started to pour himself another cup of tea when the cushion dipped next to him. He looked over to the creature and gestured to the pot.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" Does he realize that he's once again pushing everything down and ignoring it all? Yes he does. Does he realize that it's not a good coping mechanism? Yes he does. Does he care? No he doesn't.
Bowguard Poured itself a cup of tea, then proceeded to add eight sugars and no milk. There was something hilarious about seeing a massive humanoid figure that had four arms with biceps the size of his head drink tea out of a dainty floral antique tea cup.
"So you're the commander then? It's a pleasure to meet you."
"It is an honor to meet you, my Imperial Prince. The Deoguard commander will be here momentarily, then we can start the bonding." oh shit. That wasn't good. He turned to his professors who were looking at him with confusion (Remus) and wide shocked eyes (Snape).
"So, don't panic, but there will be a dementor joining us soon." he smiled at them, conveying as much 'everything is fine' energy as he could. Lupin buried his face in his hands, while Snape pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.
"Ok, so that explains exactly nothing while creating an entire book's worth of questions. For now I will prioritize, so, what exactly do you mean by 'there will be a dementor joining us soon'?" Harry could see a twitch forming in the potion master's right eye while Lupin spoke. Harry let out a long controlled breath before speaking.
"Boggarts and dementors both act as the Guards of Avalon. They wish to make a Lord/Vassal Bond with me."
"We need to make a Lord/Vassal bond with you." Harry raised an eyebrow at the creature. "This is the longest period of time we have gone without the bond, and we are beginning to get desperate. The Deoguard more so than us. We are able to feed off of emotions to keep us sustained, but Love is more finite than fear so our cousins are struggling. It's why they obey the wizards and guard the Lost Isle."
"What is the Lost Isle?" The creature tilted its head as its eyes dimmed from their toxic yellow to a muted cloudy yellow and reverted back again a few seconds later.
"You call it Azkaban."
"Um… Cub?" Harry looked back to the two men who were looking between him and the Bowguard. Right he needed to translate.
"Basically, it was saying they need the bond. similarly to house elves, they will die without it. However from what I can tell I am the only one who would be able to sustain the bond." the creature nodded in conformation next to him. Wait, if it understood english could it speak it?
"You understand English, right?" the Bowguard nodded. "Can you speak it?" it tilted its head from side to side.
"I am capable, yes." its voice was like nails down a chalkboard, but it was english, so that was good enough. It didn't look too happy about it though.
"Sorry I wouldn't normally mind but having to translate everything you say would waste a lot of time." It looks somewhat placated but still a little grumpy. "Would you be able to explain to them what you said to me about my creature inheritance and how it links to me being in line to the Seligen throne." the Bowguard nodded and reiterated what he had told Hadrian
"He is the many times great grandson of Morgana, Imperial Queen of the Seligen Court. Only a High Fay can don the title, the last was Nimue, who was crowned in 1143. Our Imperial Queen Morgana ruled the Seligen Court for a millenia with her eight sisters; her sisters decided to return to Mother Magic in the late sixth century. Our Imperial Queen decided to stay and continue ruling over the Court. She fell in love with a wizard and begged Mother Magic to grant her a family. She did with the understanding that Morgana would become mortal and return to her sisters after a full mortal lifespan and with that the Lefay name was born. A High Fay can only be a descendant of Morgana who retains their creature blood. Only one has ever found their way to the throne. To our knowledge only four High Fays have ever existed." Snape and Lupin were avidly listening to everything and took a moment at the end to think it through before Lupin spoke.
"What is a High Fay? Like, I mean, what are the characteristics of one?" The Bowguard tilted its head in confusion. "A werewolf is created by a human being infected by a werewolf through a bite or scratch. That is the equivalent of what you explained to us about a High fay. The characteristics of a werewolf would be that they transform into a wolf the night of every full moon. They have heightened senses and are extremely territorial…" Bowguard raised a hand and Moony cut himself off.
"I understand what you are asking now, however all High fay's are different. A High Fay will experience a deeper connection with one of the races than the others, and its attributes or characteristics will depend heavily on what that race is. Bahram was the first and took after the vampires. Drustan took after the giants, he was the second. Neither Bahram or Drustan made it to the throne. Nemue took after the Dryads. They all took visible features as well as magic and abilities from their Kin race. Kin Race is what we refer to the race they took after." this time Snape had a question.
"So we won't know what attributes he will get until he gets his inheritance at seventeen." The creature shook its head.
"The inheritance is triggered with his bond to Avalon not his age. He will gain his inheritance once the vassal bond is complete and he is connected to Avalon. You can make educated guesses as the Kin Race will normally coincide with the High Fays personality." Before anyone could say anything to that the window opened and a chill swept through the room. It took everything in him not to cast a patronus, instead he sat there watching as the dementor got closer. As it got closer it slowly changed, flesh began to cover its skeletal frame and its floating slowly became steps as its legs carried them the rest of the way. By the time it reached them it looked more like an inferius shrouded in a smoke like cloak. Hadrian swallowed down the bile threatening to rise in his throat and spoke the only thing he could think of.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" He saw Remus and Snape staring at him with open mouths out of the corner of his eye but ignored them as the creature nodded and sat in the armchair next to the two sofas. He watched as the creature pulled the sugar bowl towards itself then proceeded to pour a small amount of tea into it, just enough to dissolve the sugar, then filled the rest with cream and started stirring. Frost creeped up the sides as he continued stirring and Hadrian's jaw dropped open as the creature ate a spoonful of the now frozen cream. Did it just make tea flavored ice cream? He sipped at his own tea not having a single clue how to deal with this. Looking over to his professors he saw that they were in a similar state to him.
"I appreciate a chance for tea. It has been a long time since someone has allowed me the kindness." his head snapped towards the Deoguard who was smiling at him. Hadrian was sure that the smile was from genuine gratitude but he still hoped he never saw it again. Its mouth was far wider than it should be, going from just under where its ear would be all the way around to the other side, showing off a set of teeth that were similar to a sharks, all pointed and with multiple rows, he counted at least three sets while it was talking. He had to once again swallow down his nausea as he smiled back at the creature.
"It was only polite, but if you two don't mind, would you explain the Lord/Vassal Bond to us? like what would I need to do?" The Deoguard ate another spoonful of his ice cream before answering.
"You would only have to accept our pledge to you. It will take very little time and effort, however after that our connection to you and Avalon will be restored, granting you your creature inheritance. Which is the most problematic part of all of this. We have been there all three times the creature inheritance has been granted so we understand that it is not an easy or painless process. Drustans was the worst of all. The more physically different you are from the creature the more uncomfortable it will be." he was taking a moment to take that in when Snape spoke.
"How long will it affect him? And does this mean he might not look human?" The Deoguard stared at him appraisingly for a long moment then glanced at Hadrian and turned back to Snape folding its arms over its chest.
"Is our Prince not looking human, a problem, wizard?" He felt the temperature around them plummet, and decided to answer that before it killed the potions master.
"Yes it is a problem." The creature turned to him in clear confusion, and the icy temperature raised a few degrees. "I am someone who is in the public eye constantly and until I am old enough to handle it, it would be best that all of this is kept secret." its posture relaxed as it turned back to Snape.
"I apologize for misunderstanding the intentions of your question, but there is no need to worry. Drustan had the biggest physical change taking after the giants but even then he grew to be around seven feet. Tall, yes, but not a giant."
"However." Bowguard cut in. "He was also the one with the weakest connection to his Kin Race. Bahram had the strongest connection and basically became a vampire, A very powerful daywalker vampire. Nemue was somewhere between the two, striking a good balance between human and creature." a chime sounded from an old grandfather clock in the corner and everyone looked over to it.
"Bollocks." he turned back to Snape eyebrows raised in shock. "It's time for dinner. With all the rumors circulating, you will be missed if you dont attend." Hadrian looked at the two creatures.
"We will be back. Are you two alright to stay here? I promise as soon as we get back we can perform the oaths." they both nodded. "It's unlikely anyone will come in here but if they do, try and hide as best as you can. No one can know you're here." again they both nodded. He moved forward picking his ring and glasses off the table, not bothering to grab his robe. It wasn't mandatory to wear it at dinner and since Bowguard was sitting on it he didn't feel like trying to get it back.
Once they were out of the classroom Harry pushed Snape towards one of the regular secret passageways that led to the dungeons, They couldn't be seen walking together, and discussed with Moony what the story was. They decided that the cover would be that, Harry was excited and intrigued as to what it would turn into, so there was no fear for the boggart to latch on to, and it got confused. Harry wanted to try again, so stayed after class, where it turned into a dementor and Lupin was now trying to teach him the patronus charm. He would be going back after dinner to try it again.
During dinner he gave that exact story to everyone who asked, putting emphasis on the fact that he was going back after dinner. No one seemed too suspicious, including Ron and Hermione, who seemed nonchalant about the whole thing. He was just glad that none of the Gryffindors saw him cast a patronus on the train, otherwise this wouldn't have worked.
He met back up with Lupin and Snape, who had used the same passage to get back, and entered the classroom. Both creatures stood and bowed as they entered.
"Is it time?" the Deoguard asked, sounding hopeful. He nodded, walking forward.
"What do you need me to do?" Bowgard addressed both him and the two professors as he spoke.
"It is best that you sit." he gestured to one of the sofas that had been moved away from the rest. "Like we said before our bond will not be the problem." It turned to the two professors. "The creature inheritance will be painful. We don't know by how much, but it will happen right after the bond is in place." Both professors looked a little hesitant, glancing at harry. "You can not intervene until it is over. it can take anywhere from one to twenty minutes from what we have observed in the past." Moony walked forward pulling Harry into a hug.
"You sure you want to do this, cub?" He will admit he hadn't really been thinking about it as an optional thing, more that it was just one more thing that was happening. But the Deoguard was dying, starving to death, and Harry knew all too well what that felt like. It had been him not too long ago, locked in his cupboard for weeks at a time. He shook his head.
"It'll be fine, Moony. Like they said it will be done in twenty minutes or less. And I still have the blood glamor so even if my appearance does change it won't matter." He smiled at him and reluctantly the Wolf let go. He then walked over and placed his ring and glasses back on the coffee table that was still there, before going to the sofa, and sitting in the middle as instructed. He felt a hand placed on each of his shoulders, one freezing, the other overly warm.
"We the guards of Avalon do hereby pledge our fidelity to the rightful ruler of the Seligen Court, the Imperial Prince of Avalon, the fourth of his kind. We pledge to watch over him and prevent him from harm. We swear this to mother magic, her children and our creators. So mote it be."
He felt the connection the instant they stopped talking. It was like a string being pulled taut, right above his navel. Only it didn't stop. It kept pulling, and as it pulled heat began to emanate from the same spot, until it felt like he was burning. He clutched at his stomach and just as he thought he might throw up, the string snapped. The heat that had built in his stomach exploded and burned as it made its way through him, circulating and pooling. Pain, so much pain began to form. His lower back felt like someone was welding a red hot poker to the bottom of his spine, and his head hurt, his eyes itched, his teeth ached, and it felt like someone was drilling two holes in the top of his head. This hurt worse than any crucio. He was pretty sure he was screaming, not because he could hear it, he couldn't, not over the blood rushing in his ears, but because his throat felt raw. Eventually it was over and the pain receded. Strangely he felt no aftershocks or aches. It was like the pain was never there, except for the pressure in his lower back and on his head, though that felt different somehow.
Blinking his eyes open he looked up to see his two professors standing close by. Mooney's eyes were a solid gold as he stared at Hadrian. his arms were held out in front of him and hands twitching like he wanted to grab him. He looked over at Snape who had covered his mouth with both hands and had a noticeable flush to his cheeks. He looked down at his hands. His nails were thicker and sharper somewhere between normal nails and claws. Running his tongue across his teeth he felt elongated sharp canines. He looked back at Moony who was still reaching for him so he raised his arms in a silent invitation. That was all he needed as the wolf launched himself at hadrian nuzzling his face into his neck.
Hadrian suddenly felt the strangest sensation as Moonys sent filled his nose, the only way he could describe it was 'pack' and he nuzzled back into the wolf's neck. Moony eventually pulled away and Hadrian felt a whimper leave his throat, but let him go. In that time Snape had moved forward and Hadrian was shocked when he registered a weaker version of the same feeling of 'pack' coming from the dour man. He felt the increasing urge to hug him. But this was Snape and Hadrian was not stupid or suicidal so he pushed the urge away. Movement caught in his periphery and he turned to see fluff. A lot of fluff. He put his hand out to stroke it and startled at the feeling it was attached. He pulled it forward slightly so he could see it better. Was this a tail?
Hadrian didn't wait any longer before conjuring a mirror. Forgetting he really wasnt supposed to do that wandless and wordlessly in front of people. He looked into the mirror and almost groaned. He looked adorable, with big fluffy pointed ears sat on top of his head. They were the same raven black as his hair with tufts of white at the ends. His eyes were the same avada green but with slitted pupils. And his tails were so fluffy, all black with white tips. He had five of the things, all wagging or thumping the floor behind him. The bowguard took that moment to remind them that they were still there.
"Your Kin Race is the Kitsune, known for being mischief makers as well as faithful guardians to their friends and family." Merlin damn it. He couldn't say that wasn't exactly accurate, could he? "They are also shape shifters capable of being a fox, human, or something in between. I believe you are currently in between." Hadrian closed his eyes and felt for his magic. It wasn't hard to find, it had definitely increased in some way after this. He went back to focusing on the thought of being human and slowly he felt himself changing. Opening his eyes, he looked back into the mirror. He looked exactly like he always did without his glamor, except his canines were slightly sharper looking and his human ears had a slight point to them. Hold on. He pulled Mooney's sleeve until the man was standing next to him.
"AM I SHORTER!"