Chapters 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 are already on Pa tr eon
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Pat re on. c om(slash)belleveela(delete spaces)
It was an antique table of simple design but polished to mirror smoothness. Narcissa attended to Daphne's wounds while the girl sniffed a bottle. She looked around and caught Harry's eye, shaking her head slightly as if to say, "what the fuck." Then she tossed back the small potion like a shot.
As Harry sat down, he was struck by how solid yet light the chairs were. Andromeda came in with two bottles of red wine and began pouring into small glasses she had pulled from a cabinet. Harry watched as Bellatrix graciously smiled at her sister when she accepted a glass, and after a small sip and a quick glance at him, she set the glass down and began to pace.
"Forgive me," she began, "I haven't had the chance to enlighten you for many centuries." Daphne choked on her wine and coughed, Bellatrix looked at the girl and smiled, "perhaps this is a good place to start."
"At birth, I was named Bellatrix of the House of Black, but I abandoned my family name, as did my sisters, when we joined our souls into one coven. Three parts of one soul, born at the same moment, from three different wombs... such a miracle has only happened once in the history of this world."
Daphne had her mouth open as if to interject or ask a question, but nothing came out. Harry listened intently. Bellatrix's voice was even more seductive than Narcissa's, which he would have said an hour earlier was impossible, and it was hard for him not to let his eyes wander over her perfect body, which swayed and bounced as she walked.
"Three witches and a cauldron protect," Narcissa chimed in, reciting the words like a poem.
"Indeed," said Bellatrix with a smile at her sister, then paused her pacing and looked at Harry, "Your world has stories about witches, werewolves, vampires, and other creatures, both dark and light. I'll tell you something you surely suspect after the last twenty-four hours. Most of them exist, though myths and tales are mostly wrong."
"We are witches, a coven. Our power flows from the earth and is directed by our faith in our goddess. We do not fly on broomsticks or read minds. Our powers are rarely so... direct. We exist to guard this world and humanity from forces that would destroy or enslave it."
"As Narcissa said, we protect the Cauldron. The true purpose of the Cauldron is a secret we have guarded since the dawn of time, encouraging tales of brewing potions and cooking cats that are common in your culture. The truth is, it is a portal to fixed points in the world of Magic, or as we call it, the world of Fae."
"Fae?" Harry interrupted.
"Yes," Bellatrix nodded, "It is an alternate world, a mirror image of ours in many ways, and vastly different in others. The rules there are... strange. Two races rule the world of Fae, the elves, benevolent and magical, and the demons, selfish and voracious, all originating from humans, but over generations, magic has changed them."
"The portals of the Cauldron lie at the center of the elf kingdoms, guarded in the world of Fae by those nations. The demonic hordes would want nothing more than to break through to this world. Because this world is the only one with access to all others, including heaven and hell. By destroying humanity, the demons could bring the war to heaven itself and break the wheel of reality."
"So you guard the portal," Harry said, "Are there others that lead to Fae?"
"No," said Andromeda, "We are all that currently stands guard." Harry was already opening his mouth to ask another question, but Bellatrix raised her hand in a calming gesture. "Peace, Harry Potter, I am almost finished with my explanation, and then you may ask us all the questions you wish." The woman took a long sip of her wine, all too aware of the young man's gaze, which for a moment fell on the dark shadow between her cleavage, then, with a satisfied smile, continued.
"For centuries, we have remained hidden from the forces that would break the gate. I will not name them all now, but there are many factions. Most of them are, in one way or another, twisted offspring of humanity. The living dead who mindlessly follow, vampires who hunt alone, trying to stay alive long enough to gather a small amount of magical power. Beings who destroy part of their soul and bind it to the form of a beast. There are many others, too many to name now."
"Most of them are content with their lives, hunting in their territories. Last night, however, something happened that seems to change everything." Bellatrix's voice was somber as she continued, "The Elven King, who guarded the other side of our portal, met a tragic end, and now their lands are under siege by dark forces. On this side, a beast known as Greyback, something like a king to his kind, seems to be trying to take control of this end. Last night, you fought and killed his brother, a creature none of us could have matched. He caught Narcissa outside the protection of our lair and the sunlight."
"It appears, young Harry Potter, that you came to my sister's rescue, and for that... or perhaps for other reasons, the Goddess has blessed you."
"Blessed me?" Harry asked, confused.
"You bear her blessing at your side," said Narcissa, "a fragment of the Goddess's own soul. No mortal weapon could have defeated a primordial beast like Walden Macnair."
"We call it Ascension when a mortal receives or is granted powers that touch the Fae," Bellatrix explained. "Strength and long life are the most common, granted to most who ascend, along with resistance to poisons and diseases. Witches, goblins, vampires, beasts, all stand out in strength from mortals, but each has its own weaknesses and strengths."
"Why did the Goddess choose me?" Harry asked, "Is it just because I was in the right place at the right time?"
"Well, you certainly were," Narcissa said with a smile, "but that's not the only reason. At least, we don't think so. Did you feel the connection last night? When we touched? There was a fragile hope in the woman, and Harry thought back to the previous night.
So much had happened, but he couldn't forget the feeling inside, like his blood was boiling.
"I felt... something," he finally said, looking troubled.
"And when we kissed?" Andromeda said in a throaty voice, drawing his gaze, "Did you feel... something then?"
Harry stared at the woman, recalling the wild passion and warmth he felt in her arms. It was foreign to him, and he felt almost afraid of what it all might mean.
Daphne watched all of this with fascination. The girl had seen enough today to believe anything. She looked between Harry and the three women, observing how they watched him, her mind spinning with possibilities.
"The mirror, Bellatrix," said Narcissa, looking at her sister. The dark-haired woman nodded and motioned for Harry to stand and follow her down the hallway. Harry followed, looking around with curiosity at the paintings, rugs, and curtains they passed.
"I mentioned that Fae is another world, a strange reflection of our own. Most human souls don't have a reflection, but those with... potential, or those who have already ascended in one way or another, will have this change reflected in the Fae. Come and witness."
She turned into a small room, the walls lined with shelves filled with many different strange devices and works of art. In one corner stood a tall mirror, its ancient wooden frame still bearing a few preserved flakes of gold gilding that once covered it.
Bellatrix stood in front of the mirror, and Harry, surprised, looked at his reflection. Bellatrix stood before him, but instead of her dress, she wore flowing violet robes lifted by an ethereal breeze. Her hair floated around her head as if the same ethereal wind was tugging it in all directions. From the ground, like a drop of dye into water, rose boiling dark power and crackling arcs of black lightning that broke around her in the reflection.
"You see me as my true self, free from the artifices and earthly perceptions," Bellatrix said, turning to look at them.
She extended her hand, inviting her two sisters with a gentle smile. Narcissa and Andromeda approached her, and they all embraced in a circle. Harry saw that Narcissa's reflection was almost identical to Bellatrix's, but the colors were brighter. Instead of dark, intelligent lightning, she had enchanting and soothing mist. Andromeda's reflection was mercurial, shifting and hinting. Fire and sparks of living, green life fell around her.
"Come, Harry Potter, and let the mirror reveal your true self. If there is more to you than meets the eye, we shall witness it." Bellatrix smiled at him, stepping aside with her sisters.
He noticed that the three sisters never made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up when he was near them. It was a large part of why he trusted them now. He approached the mirror, feeling goosebumps spread across his body. A golden light flared, and he turned away, shielding his face.
"Dear Goddess, our Lord has come," Narcissa whispered. "The King is here!" Andromeda exclaimed at the same moment.
Chapters 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 are already on Pa tr eon
If you would like to read the next chapters faster, see exclusive content, or support my work, please visit
Pat re on. c om(slash)belleveela(delete spaces)