AN: Blood magic/ritual warning for this chapter.

The New Princess

The Early Years - Part 7

Chapter 8 - The adoption of a princess

Previously:

"You're our Princess now, Aryanna. Our precious child... part of our family and nothing, nothing will ever change that," she said keeping her voice steady and kind, unaffected by the anger she was feeling from her latest vision.

Then she suddenly asked: "In fact, if you'd like it... we'd even love to adopt you. Would you like that?"

It took a moment for the last question to fully register in Aryanna's mind and she looked up at her in shock. But then she regained her composure, closed her eyes again, and leaned back into Pluto's embrace. The Sailor Guardian and Cat waited with bated breath, waiting for Aryanna's response.

"Yes...I think...I think I'd like that"

And now the continuation:

Diagon Alley, one month later.

It was just another ordinary morning in Diagon Alley, the renowned wizarding shopping district hidden away in the heart of London. The alley was already bustling with activity as shopkeepers opened their doors and customers began to arrive. Eager to greet the regulars, those loyal few who came to Diagon Alley for their daily needs or to catch up with friends, sometimes with newspapers in hand, to exchange news and gossip with nods and smiles.

Some might be tourists, who came to marvel at the sights and sounds of the magical world. They would gawk and gasp at the displays and demonstrations, snap pictures with their magical cameras, and ask questions. They would soon wander around the alley, curious and amazed, trying to see and do everything.

Others might be students, buying their supplies for the new term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They would carry their lists and bags, check off items, and compare prices, while chatting and laughing with their friends, excited and nervous about the upcoming year. Some of them might even eagerly pay a visit to Ollivanders, where they might get their first - or a new wand from the old and mysterious wandmaker.

And then there were the everyday shoppers, those who walked along the alley and passed by various shops that caught their attention, hoping to find a favorable deal from the many shops the alley had to offer.

In the very heart of this busy alley stood an impressive white marble building. The first of its kind, created many years ago to serve as the main financial headquarters of the magical world, to safeguard its vast wealth. Incidentally, it was also the only place where you could go to store and retrieve this wealth.

Near this building, this bank, on the other side of the street, two people suddenly appeared with a small pop of displaced air. One was an adult, the other a young child, both wearing cloaks to conceal their identities. They hadn't been there a few seconds before.

Sailor Pluto, currently in her civilian guise as Setsuna, quickly grabbed Aryanna's hand and led her away from the spot where they had just apparated. She was heading for the bank, the only place where they would be safe from the prying eyes and grasping hands of their pursuers.

She knew they had little time to spare. Her visions of the future had shown her that many people were after the young girl, and they had to reach the safety of the Goblin territory before anyone noticed or stopped them.

She was especially wary of Albus Dumbledore, the man who had tried to keep Aryanna with her abusive relatives. Ever since her disappearance from her relatives' home, he had mobilized his old vigilante group, the Order of the Phoenix, to look for her. He had even started using blood magic, a usually illegal form of magic, a powerful and dark art, to track her down with a sample of her blood he had found in her former home. Even now, she was certain that he had already been alerted of their arrival by the magical trace the spell left behind. That was why she was in such a hurry to get to the bank.

She would not let him find her. Not yet. Not until they were ready to face him on their terms. They had something important to do in the bank first. Something that would ensure Aryanna's safety from his meddling and effectively neutralize most of the power he held over her. Meddling that she had sworn to herself she would prevent at all costs.

For a second or two, she thought she saw a glimpse of one of his followers in the street, glancing their way. One of them even started to walk towards them, probably to get a closer look at their cloaks, to see who was underneath.

Luckily, it didn't take too much longer for them to reach the steps of the bank and enter what was effectively Goblin's sovereign territory. Only then did Setsuna allow herself to fully relax again and let out a sigh of relief.

Lowering the hoods of her and Aryanna's cloaks, seeing as they were now safe - no wizard, no matter how powerful, would ever dare to anger the Goblins on their territory - she smiled at the girl and began to lead her towards a nearby teller.

She glanced at the long queue of customers waiting for their turn. She could have easily skipped ahead or walked up to any goblin and demanded to see her account manager. She had that right as the only human shareholder of the bank and even one of its founders. She could have even asked for the King himself if she wanted to. But she decided against it. She did not want to cause a scene.

As such she waited patiently until it was their turn and bent down closer to Aryanna to whisper into her ear.

"Do you remember what I've told you about goblins?" she asked her.

Aryanna nodded and whispered back.

"Yes, I do."

"Let's see how much you remember. Tell me about them," Setsuna ordered, turning the wait into a small mini-lesson.

Aryanna nodded and began to recite what she had been told about the goblin race during her lessons over the past few days.

"They are very proud and easily offended by any slight or insult," she began to say.

Seeing Setuna smile and nod for her to continue, she went on. "They are very loyal to their own kind and will not betray another goblin or those they consider their friends and allies for any reason. They also have a strong sense of honor and will always keep their word once it's been given. In return, they expect the same and will very rarely forgive those who betray them."

"Good, anything else?" Setsuna asked.

"They are known to be very greedy and covet gold and treasure as they believe that only the wealthy and powerful have any right to rule. The more wealth and power a goblin has, the higher their standing in society. They also believe that the maker of an object has the right to reclaim it at any time, regardless of who bought it or inherited it. This has caused a lot of disputes in the past with wizards who have a completely different concept of ownership."

"Yes, this is important, don't forget this as it will aid you in the future. Most goblins tend to get very angry with wizards who forget this and it's one of the reasons why a few rebellions have started in the past." came Setsuna's wise reply.

"They are also very cunning and clever, able to devise complex schemes and enchantments to protect their vaults and secrets. They are very adept at negotiating and bargaining. They will always look for the best deal and have no problems with… shall we say, teaching idiots and those naïve or with weak control over their purse strings, a quick and painful financial lesson."

"Yes, never think you can trick or cheat a goblin, especially not when it's a financial matter, it won't end well."

"They are very independent and do not like to be controlled or oppressed by anyone. They value their freedom and autonomy above all else. This is a large reason why they resent the Ministry of Magic so much and another reason for quite a few rebellions as the Ministry has placed quite a few restrictions, tried regulating their activities, and even created laws to force them to act in certain ways in the past."

"Very good! Well done! Now, mention three ways the goblins have been oppressed by the Ministry."

"Umm… well… they have been denied the right to carry or use wands due to the dark creature wand ban of 1631, which they consider a sign of inferiority and discrimination. Oh, and they were also once considered to be dark creatures… I think "Beasts" is the correct term which was used until only recently…er…when they were given partial "Being" status along with vampires and hags."

"Yes, that was in 1811, go on, that's two, one more."

Aryanna bit her lip and racked her brain for one last point.

"Think of their freedom and autonomy," Setsuna gave her a hint.

"Um…"

"Think of a law that was very important in the past which has directly influenced how we all live," Setsuna tried again.

"Ah yes… of course, there was also the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, which required all magical creatures to remain hidden from Muggles. This law didn't just restrict humans but other magical beings as well, in particular the goblins as the law forced them to hide away from the non-magical people as well, thereby greatly affecting their freedom and autonomy, forcing them to even rely on the Ministry for protection and concealment," Aryanna finally said.

"Indeed, the cursed International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy of 1692, an act which led to the loss of millions of galleons at the time in lost opportunities and continues to cost us galleons even now three hundred years later, an unforgivable act which we have never forgotten, or forgiven them for," came the sudden voice of a goblin, who had been listening to her lesson with interest.

Startled by the sudden interruption Aryanna jumped in surprise when she suddenly realized that they were next in line.

"Next please!" the goblin added with a small grin, pleased with himself for surprising the little girl.

"Well done, we'll discuss this more later," Setsuna said giving Aryanna a small nod and smile before facing the goblin.

"Thank you for waiting until she finished her answer," Setsuna said, giving the goblin a slight bow while handing him a small golden key, which the goblin quickly checked before handing it back to her with a nod of acknowledgment.

"No need to thank me, teaching the young is always important, and should only be interrupted if absolutely necessary," the goblin replied.

"Even when it affects your ability to make money?" Aryanna asked, interested in the goblin's response. From her lessons, she knew how much Goblins hated wasting time. After all, time was money, money was power and power meant a higher standing in goblin society.

"That's debatable. But since she is the one paying my fee…," he smiled, revealing a few of his teeth, but didn't finish his sentence.

She gasped as she realized what he meant, then frowned slightly. "Out of interest, what would have happened if she was someone else, like a stranger, or someone who you know who couldn't pay?"

"Then we would not be having this conversation," came the blunt answer from the goblin his grin widening to show some more teeth, an answer which caused Aryanna's eyes to widen.

"Yes well…" Setsuna interrupted, cleared her throat, and then continued to speak as if nothing had happened. "Like you said, time is money, as such, thank you again senior teller Rockfist, but I believe it's time we proceeded," she said reading the goblin's name from the name tag on his desk.

"We require an audience with Master Managers Moneysack and Sharptooth concerning matters of accounts and inheritance. Additionally, we would also like access to use a ritual chamber for… shall we say an urgent, very sensitive, and private matter concerning myself and the… young lady beside me," Setsuna said, finally getting to the point of her visit.

"I see," the goblin murmured as he peered over his desk and took a closer look at Aryanna with his beady-eyed gaze, which widened slightly during the inspection, but it only took a few seconds before he nodded and turned back towards Setsuna.

"Does the young lady have her key?", the goblin asked.

"Unfortunately, her former guardians never saw fit to give it to her," Setsuna answered, as she placed a comforting hand on Aryanna when she flinched slightly but quickly recovered at his question. She knew what he was referring to when he asked for her key and what it would soon mean for her.

With no key to prove her identity, she would soon be required to perform a goblin security blood check, involving herself, a knife, and a few drops of her blood, where she would have to prick herself and let a few drops of her blood fall on a piece of parchment to magically confirm her identification.

"And does the young lady know the procedure?" the goblin asked next, looking at Aryanna, studying her for any sign of weakness. She nodded and stared back at him, a look of determination in her eyes.

"Very well, I will notify High Master Moneysack and Master Sharptooth of your and…the young lady's impending arrival. Both shall be available to see you in the usual places, at your convenience," came the goblin's reply, before he snapped his fingers to summon another goblin, who promptly arrived and looked at the two 'humans' curiously before he turned to look at the superior goblin.

Rockfist quickly issued a few orders to the new goblin in high Zoblinsk, the harsh goblin's native language. The new arrival's eyes suddenly widened before he nodded and then turned to face the two girls and gave them a low bow.

"If you would follow me, I'll take you to your destination," the new goblin stated as he motioned for them to follow him.

Setsuna simply nodded and then didn't give the new goblin any further consideration. She knew that this goblin was one of the lowest of the low, with little to no wealth. As such she was not required, or even expected, to even look at him, if she didn't feel like it. Harsh, but that was the goblin culture, where only the strongest and wealthiest flourished.

Instead, once again, Setsuna bowed to Rockfist.

"Thank you, you have been very helpful, may your enemies always flee in terror and your gold flow forever," Setsuna said, giving the elder goblin a common goblin phrase of courtesy - a remainder of their races more warlike ways.

She then took Aryanna's hand and led her away from the elder goblin, who also gave a quick bow in return, before they proceeded to follow the new goblin towards a side passage, which was guarded by two security goblins. Both soon stepped aside to allow them through.

As they walked away, Aryanna just caught the previous Goblin's shout of "NEXT", before the door closed with a thud.

It took a few minutes but they finally arrived at a pair of golden double doors, where another two security goblins stood waiting for them.

Seeing the trio arrive, one of the security goblins proceeded to open the doors for them.

Their escort stayed outside as the two girls entered, with the two security goblins entering close behind them to stand guard near the opening, but this time on the inside.

Suddenly they found themselves inside a small but heavily decorated room, with a large table and several high-quality chairs arrayed around it. The room itself was adorned with typical goblin art, some of which depicted brutal goblin warriors killing their foes in battle.

On one side of the table, two goblins who were waiting for them stood up as they entered.

"Greetings, Lady Meioh… and Miss Potter I presume. I am High Master Moneysack, the accounts manager and vault guardian of Her Highness's vault," he said, motioning towards Setsuna.

"And I am Vault Master Sharptooth, accounts manager and vault guardian of the Potter family. Please, take a seat and we will get right down to business." The other of the two goblins said as he bowed slightly before motioning for them to take a seat at the table.

Setsuna and Aryanna both stepped forward and took a seat, with the security goblins standing guard in the background. The second goblin then spoke again, his gaze directed more at Aryanna than Setsuna, as he gestured to a silver knife lying on the table before them.

"Now, if you would be so kind," he said, "let us begin."

Aryanna froze and cringed at the sight of the small blade. She knew it was coming and necessary to prove her identity, but that didn't make it any easier. Looking up and getting a nod of encouragement from Setsuna, she mustered up the courage to hold it firmly. She then braced herself and pressed the blade against her finger, flinching as the sharpness pierced her skin.

Drops of her blood seeped up and onto the parchment below. The pain quickly faded away as the wound on her hand closed up before her eyes. Fascinated, she then watched in silence as words of red ink suddenly began to appear on the parchment:

Name: Aryanna (Arya) Jasmine Potter

Gender: Female

Species: Witch / Astral Embodiment of the Moon

Father: James Fleamont Potter - Deceased

Mother: Lillian (Lilly) Jane Potter Nee Evans - Deceased Limbo - Astral Embodiment of Ruin and Rebirth

Godfather: Sirius Orion Black - Alive

Godmother: Roseanne (Rosie) Bones - By Godmother Ritual- Deceased

Guardians:

Primus - Petunia Mary Dursley nee Evans (Illegal)

Secundus - Setsuna Meiou (By choice and oath)

Magical Primus - Sirius Orion Black (Incarcerated)

Magical Secundus - Albus Brian Dumbledore (By ministry decree)

Heir to:

Ancient and Noble House of Potter - by blood - 1st in Line - Heir Apparent - Available by 17th birthday or emancipation.

Ancient and Noble House of Black - by blood and magic- 2nd in Line - Presumptive.

Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell - by blood and conquest - 1st in Line - Heir Apparent - Available by 14th birthday or emancipation.

Most Ancient and Noble House of Gryffindor - by blood and magic - 2nd in line - Presumptive.

Most Ancient and Noble House of Slytherin - by magic - 1st in Line - Presumptive.

Most Ancient and Royal House D'Luna - by magical adoption - 1st in line - Heir Apparent - Available by royal coronation.

Titles:

Her Royal Highness The Princess Aryanna, Princess of the Royal House D'Luna.

Crown Princess of the Silver Galactic Imperium.

Heiress of House Potter.

Heiress of House Peverell.

Aryanna watched with intense interest as the red text of her blood spread across the pages. Her eyes grew larger by the second as all of her titles started to appear. Up until that moment, she had never been sure of her new family's claims. But the goblin records would never lie. She really was a true princess… and someday a queen.

Beside her, Setsuna sighed in relief as all of her guesses were validated in front of her. Yes, she had indeed found the correct girl. She was indeed the princess they had been looking for. Their princess, while not the same, had indeed been reborn. Hope for the galaxy had been restored.

Just then, something peculiar captured Setsuna's attention: 'Deceased Limbo - Astral Embodiment of Ruin and Rebirth?'

'Ah-hah!' she thought. 'So that's what happened to Aryanna's birth mother! She became Saturn. I wondered what had happened.'

Her curiosity kept rising as the paperwork revealed an additional detail.

'What's this, her former guardian was illegal? Something to look into might be useful if the old man tries to interfere with our plans,' she thought already making plans of how she could use this against him in the future. The more she read, the more mysterious things became.

'Wait… her godmother was sworn in by Godmother Ritual? Too bad she died. With her help, we could have easily overruled the old goat. But with the ritual, it should soon be unnecessary. As blood family, I'll soon have enough authority to force his hand.'

Meanwhile, the goblins were not faring much better. If anything, they were close to fainting.

Moneysack stared at the parchment as if it were a poisonous adder waiting to strike at him. If what they were seeing was true - and they had no reason to doubt their magic - then the little girl in front of them was a legendary figure of myth, of a kingdom thought lost for millennia. A kingdom they had once, a long time ago, been allied with. If so, then the old oaths might still be valid.

"You knew about this?" he asked Setsuna in a serious yet polite voice, looking directly at the sailor guardian and jolting her out of her thoughts by this sudden show of interest.

"I had my doubts, but now I'm sure. The visions told me so and the visions never lie," she answered.

With a glance and nod from his partner, Moneysack motioned for his partner to proceed. Both goblins knew that they would have to report this to their king soon. But for now, business had to be completed first.

Trying to act as if nothing unusual had just occurred, Sharptooth clicked his fingers. Suddenly, three wooden boxes appeared on the table in front of them - two minuscule ones and one bigger casket.

Turning towards the larger of the three caskets, he placed it in front of Aryanna.

"Inside this casket, you will find the Potter will," he said meaningfully, looking directly at Aryanna. "It was created a mere week before your parents' untimely deaths at the hands of the dark lord Voldemort. This will should have been opened a long time ago but it was sealed by Albus Dumbledore, who was the chief wizard of the Wizzengamot and incidentally also a witness when it was made. As such, its instructions have not been fulfilled as we have been unable to get permission to open it. Since you were quite understandably unavailable to give us the permission we needed to bypass the Wizzengamot, it has remained unfulfilled. I would strongly advise you to open it now."

"I wasn't aware they even had one," Aryanna said surprised. "Can it be opened today?"

"With your permission," Sharptooth said.

"I give permission," Aryanna answered.

"I presume it is okay for Lady Meioh to remain?" he asked.

"Yes," came Aryanna's reply. "I trust her completely."

"Very well," Sharptooth said happily. "In that case, I would ask if you could please place one finger on the container. You will feel a slight pinprick as it takes a small amount of your blood, which will open the casket. It is a security feature designed to allow only those with direct permission to view the casket's contents to open it. With the will sealed by Mr. Dumbledore with the help of the Wizzengamot, only you currently have the power to do this."

Aryanna hesitated for only a split second before pressing her finger on the casket and wincing slightly as she felt the expected pinprick.

Almost immediately, the casket opened with a clicking sound, revealing a scroll of parchment inside. Taking the scroll, Sharptooth quickly unraveled it but did not yet read it.

Instead, he looked towards Aryanna and began to speak:

"I, Sharptooth, account manager and vault guardian of the ancient and noble house of Potter, am witness to the reading of the last will and testament of James Fleamont Potter and Lily Jane Potter."

"Your Highness," he said, addressing Aryanna and startling her with the new title. "As the last heir of the ancient and noble house of Potter, I am obligated to ask you whether you wish the reading to be by voice or by your own eyes?"

"I would like you to read it out loud, please," Aryanna said.

Hearing this, Sharptooth took the sealed envelope into his hands and opened it with a slightly audible crack as the seals finally broke when the magic recognized Aryanna's spoken request for him to do so.

He then began to read it out loud. "We, James Fleamont Potter and Lily Jane Potter nee Evans being of sound mind and free will, do hereby declare this to be our joint last will and testament. We…

Several long hours had come and gone since the will had been read and the duo were finally on their way, riding on a goblin cart, towards their last destination of the day; the ritual chambers, hidden deep under the bank, in the goblin capital city of Gringwrex, where they would finally be able to perform the adoption ceremony they had come to do.

In just under an hour, Aryanna hoped that she would never again have to worry about Dumbledore's manipulations or going back to her relatives ever again.

Staring at the three new rings - The Potter, Peverell, and Black heir rings, which currently rested on her pinkie, middle, and index fingers of her left hand, Aryanna could hardly believe what had happened during the past few hours.

Soon after the will reading, where she had received the three rings which now rested on her hand, they were invited for an audience, which had then turned into dinner, with the goblin king. This turned out to be quite the experience. She had assumed that she'd have to bow or curtsy before him, which she did, yet he then told her to rise and bowed to her in turn. She was astounded as he had treated her like an old friend and ally.

Another shock for her; according to the king, the previous queen, while she had only been called a queen, she had in fact been the equivalent of an empress, who had ruled over the known galaxy. Each of the planets of the solar system had at one point been planetary kingdoms of their own, each ruled by its own princess, all of which had been vassals of the former queen of the Moon… now her. Finally, she fully understood why Setsuna and Luna had bowed and knelt to her that fateful day. She truly was their liege now that she had been chosen as the new princess.

Though the goblins had never actually been vassals of the Moon Kingdom themselves, they had been vassals of the Earth's King of the time, who had himself been an ally of the Moon Kingdom. With the former King of the Earth now dead and the golden throne of the Earth empty, she was now the only monarch in the galaxy, especially once she ascended to the imperial throne of the Silver Millennium. While this wouldn't automatically make the goblins her future vassals, it would grant her unparalleled authority over the rest of the galaxy, with only Earth itself being outside of her future domain, as it always had been.

But the greatest surprise of the evening, for her at least, had been when Pluto had told her and an equally surprised king about the survival of the Legendary Silver Crystal which used to belong to the old queen. Supposedly, it was a powerful crystal with immense powers and with the ability to grant any wish.

How it had survived the downfall and death of the former queen, no one knew. But it had. And it now rested inside her. Her friend, her precious moonbeam...was this crystal.

Throughout all of this, Setsuna sat near them, commenting on and confirming the king's stories.

During that meeting, Aryanna had also received limited access to 'the royal' vault, a special vault, not to mention the first vault ever opened when the bank had first been created, which held all of Setsuna's possessions, along with everything else that remained from the old moon kingdom, which was not currently on Pluto. Considering the last queen had ruled over a galaxy, it was a lot.

For now, as a mere princess, she would only have access to a mere 1% of the combined wealth in the vault. However, that would change once she became the queen. After that, the galaxy would literally become the limit.

Incidentally, the second vault ever created was the 'founders vault', which held a sizable portion of the bank's funds which it used to run the everyday activities of the bank.

Setsuna loved telling Aryanna, that she owned a vault even older than the bank itself and that it was she who had given the goblins their start-up fee when the bank was first created over three hundred years ago, much to the goblins ' king's chagrin. It was one of the main reasons why she was so highly respected by the goblins. After all, wealth meant power and to a goblin this power meant everything. Their whole culture was built around it.

Aryanna had no idea what true wealth truly was until they had first opened that vault. She had nearly had a heart attack when she saw the literal small ocean of galleons and jewels which she now had access to, which even now rested inside the deepest parts of the bank.

As it was, Aryanna now knew that, as the princess and future queen, money would never be an issue for her in her long, near-immortal life. Setsuna had made sure of that.

Instead, the real problem would now be keeping her quickly rising ego in check. Luckily, Setsuna had promised her that she would help her with that if it ever became a problem. Ironically, in this case, having recently been an abused child, actually helped. She knew what it was like to be on the bottom of the totem pole, so to speak.

Needless to say, as if learning that she was a princess had not already been enough, the last three hours had completely turned her life upside down even further.

Aryanna came back to reality as they reached their last stop at the hallowed Goblin ritual chambers. A near-sacred place to the goblins, it was only available to her due to Setsuna's - and now also her own - status as a goblin friend and Setsuna's high standing in the goblin hierarchy as one of the bank's founders.

Immediately, Setsuna turned to speak to her.

"Ok, we have arrived," she said. "Now, remember what I told you. Once we go inside the ritual chamber, do not touch anything unless told to do so, don't speak unless spoken to, and always listen to and follow the shaman's orders. You must do exactly what the shaman says. Rituals, especially blood-based rituals, can have disastrous consequences if they are done wrong. A single mistake could result in anything from just ruining the ceremony to setting off an immense explosion or even erasing you from existence. Do you understand me?" she warned her in a very serious tone of voice.

Aryanna nodded seriously; she had never seen Setsuna this serious before. "Yes ma'am," she confirmed with a gulp. "I understand."

"Alright then, let's enter," Setsuna replied and motioned toward the two security goblins stationed at the entrance doors, who promptly opened them for them.

Stepping inside, Aryanna took in her surroundings with wide eyes, her excitement and anxiousness increasing with each step. The chamber was a vast round underground cavern, illuminated by dazzling runes carved into the black stone walls and sparkling symbols on the domed ceiling. A white marble pentagram with a stone altar in its center stood in the middle of this circular room, carrying with it the faint scent of past blood sacrifices.

Already her eyes could make out a silver dagger and a rune-covered basin, both of which she knew she would soon be expected to use.

Aryanna shuddered; soon, from what she had been told, she knew her blood would also be added, as would Setsuna's. It was unfortunately unavoidable and necessary as the ritual would transform Setsuna's blood to match hers more closely. Enough to make both of them family in every sense of the word. It was a highly illegal ritual to perform in the rest of the magical world but very legal to do so in the Goblin domain.

Surrounding the pentagram were five statues: one for fire, one for water, one for earth, one for air, and one for spirit. The statue for spirit stood closer to the main basin in the center, which held some sort of red pulsing gemstone. Thin lines of paint or chalk connected the statues and ran along the floor up to the ceiling where they joined up with the runes overhead.

All of this and more could be seen in the silent chamber - for now. But Aryanna knew that would soon change; the ritual would require a lot of chanting.

Trembling with nerves at what was about to happen, Aryanna thought back to why they were about to do this.

Setsuna had shared with her that she had received a vision of the future in which Dumbledore - the man who had put her with her relatives - was about to take her away and give her to someone else: a more suitable guardian meaning someone loyal to him who would do whatever he told them.

At first, Dumbledore would seemingly gain custody of her and she would then be forced to spend a few nights with a kind family of redheads before being taken in front of the whole Wizengamot - the supreme court of the magical world - where they would spend days debating on who would become her permanent guardian.

Due to the bigoted purebloods in control of the courts, Setsuna's claim would be disregarded. The old man would then initially succeed in rallying the voters to his cause, but on the last day, he would eventually lose her to another powerful family known as the Malfoys. Due to some obscure blood law and connections to her through her link to the Black family, aided by blood prejudice and supported even further by the Minister of Magic himself - the head of the magical ministry - they would then be able to gather enough votes to secure her instead.

The difficulty was this: the Malfoys were said to be loyal backers of Voldemort, her arch-nemesis, the one who had tried to kill her once before. But since they had never been convicted of any crimes, they would succeed and Setsuna (as Sailor Pluto) would arrive too late to save her a second time. Sailor Saturn would then show up to vaporize the world in retribution…and well…long story short, it was all in all a huge mess and obviously a fate that they all wanted to avoid.

This was the reason why Aryanna was currently standing in the ritual hall, shivering from both nerves and the cold, waiting to blood-adopt Setsuna into the Potter family.

Yes, that's right… In a surprising, strange turn of events, it was not Aryanna - the child - who was about to be adopted by Setsuna - the guardian - but Aryanna who was about to adopt Setsuna.

It was paramount for them to make sure Dumbledore or indeed the Ministry could not manipulate her further than necessary.

The idea was to make Setsuna… a Potter. Not just any Potter, but Aryanna's pure-blooded aunt from her father's side. She was about to become an aunt to Aryanna and she... her niece in blood, thereby dramatically increasing her standing in the magical world and making her a suitable guardian candidate for Aryanna. One that even the bigoted pureblood snobs who ruled the magical world could no longer deny. Not unless they wanted to ignore their own laws.

It was ironic. For all of her immense wealth and power, Setsuna was virtually unknown politically in the magical world. Nobody knew of her alternate identities as Artemis the goddess or Sailor Pluto the princess and guardian of Pluto.

In a society where blood status was of paramount importance and even decided upon what job you could have once you finished school, to the pureblood snobs of the magical world Setsuna was an unknown witch with no real blood status. A mud-blood, the lowest of the low, with no real power over the political affairs of the magical world. An unfortunate oversight that Setsuna had never considered important to fix, until now.

As soon as Aryanna and Setsuna stepped into the chamber, an aged goblin approached them. He greeted Setsuna with a toothy grin and a raspy voice. His wrinkled skin and knobby limbs contrasted with his bright red robes and golden necklace. The old creature spoke cordially to Setsuna about the rite, before guiding both girls away to one side of the chamber.

There, he offered them some drinks and snacks and reminded them that this was their last chance to take care of any urgent needs. Once the ritual had started, there would be no stopping until it was complete.

An assistant goblin then bowed reverently to both of them and explained how the ritual was about to work.

Aryanna would need to be the one leading the ritual with Setsuna acting as her assistant, as it was she who was adopting Setsuna into her own family, not the other way around which was usually the norm for these types of blood adoption rituals.

Once in the circle, Setsuna and Aryanna would be instructed to both stand, facing each other, with their feet on each side of the basin. There, the goblin would then hand them a shallow white bowl each. This was known as 'The Preperation'.

Both would then be expected to make a blood offering by drawing some of their blood with a knife and dripping it into the basin they had just been given. The bowls would need to be at least half full before they would be able to continue, but it was advised to fill it all up if possible. This step would symbolize the initial offering of the blood of both parties which both hoped to combine as one.

While this was happening, a few goblins would begin to chant in Zoblinsk which would begin to empower and charge the runes of the ritual. Thankfully, Aryanna and Setsuna would not need to worry about that.

Once their blood had been offered, Setsuna and Aryanna would then need to move, each starting at each element's opposite, along each elemental station in a clockwise fashion, halting at each element along the way and ending together after visiting each of the four primary elements, at the element of spirit in the middle, to take a sip from each other's bowls again, with this time Setsuna's bowl going first and ending with Aryanna's, with Aryanna leading the way. This part would symbolize the initial merging of the blood.

During all of this, the goblins would be continuing their chanting and more runes near one of the elements should light up. Once again, unless told otherwise, they should simply ignore this and continue to the next part of the ritual.

Once both had taken a sip at each station, Setsuna and Aryanna would then be instructed to switch bowls and repeat the process, only this time moving in anticlockwise. This would symbolize that the two bloods have been diluted and the lines are merging but not yet fully merged.

That part would be completed during the final part of the ritual.

This process would be repeated three more times, but each time Setsuna would discard half of her blood from her basin before the process would begin again. This part would symbolize the weakening of Setsuna's bloodline with Aryanna's growing stronger.

Finally, when all of this was completed, both of them would need to place their hands flat on top of the basin and recite a ritual chant for binding, with Aryanna starting the chant and Setsuna following. Luckily neither would be expected to remember the words as a goblin would prompt them during each sentence. So they would only have to repeat whatever the goblin said to them.

Once done with that, both bowls of blood would then be mixed into the main bowl in the center of the pentagram. However, at this point, only a small portion of Setsuna's remaining blood should remain to be added to the bowl. This is to symbolize that Aryana's blood has taken over and 'conquered'...but hopefully not fully defeated Setsunas's blood'. As such Setsuna would still have access to her unique personal type of magic and not lose it all. If however, Setsuna had discarded all of her blood before this point, then she would lose any previous magical abilities of her former bloodline, which she may have had - including her ability to look into the future - completely taking on the magic of the new bloodline instead.

That part nearly frightened the void out of Aryanna, as it was something they really wanted to avoid. They could not afford to lose Sailor Pluto's connection to the time gates. As it was, there was already a high chance that her powers to see visions, while away from the gates, might be lessened.

Equally worrying, if her own blood was all gone at that point, she would also be the one to lose all of her family magic. But it was a necessary gamble both would have to take to protect her. Very high stakes indeed!

From there both girls would then be expected to drink the remaining mixed blood with Aryanna, once again going first and Setsuna following, after which a few more goblin attendants would enter to form a circle around them and sing an ancient song for protection before finally closing off with a few parting words from the shaman in Zoblinsk, which would complete the ritual.

The entire ritual was designed to create an unbreakable bond between Aryanna and Setsuna - transcending any magical law or sorcery that could potentially be used against them in the future to break them apart.

The fact that they were using blood in the ritual made this bond even stronger as only another blood ritual could ever undo a blood ritual.

With these thoughts in mind, Aryanna took one deep breath to steady her nerves.

'You can do this, no pressure,' she thought to herself and listened carefully as the instructions were repeated multiple times until both were happy that they had understood. Both were then told to disrobe completely, any article of clothing or accessory could interfere with the ritual.

Aryanna had been forewarned that this was about to happen, so she didn't resist. Even so, she couldn't help but blush as she removed her final bit of clothing from her body. In the distance, she could see Setsuna doing the same.

Only when she was completely undressed, was she permitted to finally enter the ritual circle, shivering as the cool air gently caressed her now naked body, to approach the basin in the middle and take a first step closer to the ritual circle and the ritual which would now be performed.

She really hoped she didn't mess this up. Her life literally depended upon it.

No pressure!