Ritual Room
Before they could discuss anything else the three goblins Animus had called arrived. He had specifically requested Chieftain Ragnock, Director Ironclaw, and his personal account manager, Griphook. It would just be easier to take care of the legal paperwork there since he was running out of time.
"I mean no offence to you master goblins, but why are they here?" Melania asked Animus, making sure not to offend the goblins. She, unlike many, was not stupid enough to offend those that looked after her families money.
"They will be able to handle all legal paperwork from here, ensuring nothing can be questioned." Animus told them as they all went into the ritual room that was once again magically neutral so they could conduct the next ritual.
"What ritual are we going to use for this?" Augustus questioned as he and Bellatrix moved forward to help set up.
"We will be using a high level invocation." Animus told them. "There are a few things that need to be done, along with the adoption of Hunter and an invocation will allow us time for that. We won't have to continually stop and let the magic dissipate before doing the next thing. Although… I should warn you all that when I invoke Lady Magic things can become a little different."
"Why?" Bellatrix questioned in confusion.
"Because I am a Grey Lord." Animus said in a bland voice. "I was sent to restore the balance."
Many of the others in the room that hadn't yet figured out the meaning of his name exchanged looks. But it also explained why he was going out of his way to assist the Dark Lord without going all out and submitting to his rule. Many had noticed that although he had always shown respect to their Lord he had never accepted him as his own Lord and it made since given he was a Lord in his own right.
Once everything was in place he had those in attendance formed a circle around the centre pedestal where the child soon to be known as Hunter Black was placed Animus used the simple incantation to invoke both Lady Magic and Death, since they were so much a part of his life, along with a protection ritual. "Mist and air, fire and earth. Cleanse this home, and bless this hearth. Power of the wixen rise, course unseen across the skies. Come to me who calls you near, come to me and settle here. Lady Magic, Lord Death I summon thee, inhabit this space so you may see. We welcome you to this ritual to oversee, as we will, so mote it be."
As Animus had warned things got weird. A warm wind blew through the closed room and they could all feel the hairs on their arms stand on end at the power flowing through with it. Then a silver mist started flowing down from the ceiling as a dark grey started flowing up from the ground. A few looked nervous so Animus motioned for them to be still, he knew what this was and didn't want any of them disturbing the ritual by trying to flee because they didn't understand what was happening.
From the silver mist a woman formed. She was incredibly lovely in her flowing silver and gold Grecian style gown, with long dark hair, golden tan skin, and flashing golden eyes Lady Magic's beauty was both incredible and intimidating.
From the dark grey mist formed a man. He was tall and slim, standing at 6'5'' easy. A dark cloak covered his head, but Animus knew his hair was dark with just a few strands of silver. His skin was bone white and he had high cheekbones and sharp features. And like the woman next to him his eyes were the same gold.
Animus had of course seen them before, the last time when he used the ritual that sent him back. As both a Lord of Magic and the Master of Death he had a strong connection to both of them.
"We are here my child." The woman said in a lyrical voice.
"We shall observe my son." Death said in a deep voice.
Those like Dumbledore believe becoming the 'Master of Death' meant that they could never die and could control death, that was in no way true. Death was an immortal, all powerful, being, they would never submit to the will of a mortal, no matter what accolades they gained in life. Being the Master of Death only meant that Death would aid you in times of great danger.
Animus watched as the two took place on either side of the pedestal and turned their attention to the toddler that was already getting bored. He knew they only had so much time to get everything done so he started his work, he wouldn't need the child for a while yet.
"I, as Count Slytherin, call forth the Slytherin Family Magics." Animus said as he dropped three drops of blood into a pre-prepared ritual bowl. When he felt the flow of the magics in the room and heard the hissing of the Slytherins snake totem he knew it had worked. "As Count Slytherin I disown and disinherit, by blood and by magic, Lily Evette Potter née Evans and Marigold Lily Potter from the Slytherin family. They shall bring nothing but embarrassment and dishonour to this great house. As I will, so mote it be."
Animus felt the family magics judge his words, and then felt their agreement. The family magics couldn't outright defy him, but if they had found his decisions lacking his own access to the family magics would decrease.
In the far north of Scotland, in one of the guest rooms of an old castle, Lily Potter winced in her sleep as her blood and magic lost its connection to her ancestors. In the room next door Marigold Potter let out a grumbling whimper before settling back to sleep just like her mother. Neither had been recognized as members of the Slytherin family, nor had they accepted the families magic, so it wasn't overly painful for them to be removed from the family.
A puff of smoke came from the ritual bowl letting Animus know that the ritual had been completed. Setting it aside he moved another bowl in front of him and repeated the process.
"I, as Lord Peverell, call forth the Peverell Family Magics. I disown by magic and disinherit James Charles Potter and Marigold Lily Potter from the Peverell family. They deserve no benefit from our great house. As I will, so mote it be."
Like before the family magic surged forth with the sound of its totem, in this case a thestrals cry, and judged his decision and approved of it. Not that it really mattered if the family magics didn't agree since he was nearing his end so they couldn't punish or abandon him.
"I, as Count Gryffindor, call forth the Gryffindor Family Magics. I disown by magic and disinherit James Charles Potter and Marigold Lily Potter from the Gryffindor family. They deserve no benefit from our great house. As I will, so mote it be." He added just to be safe, he knew in this life he wasn't likely to claim the Gryffindor title, but he didn't want to risk Dumbledore convincing James or Mari to take the title and pass the power to him, as they no doubt would given how spineless they were. They all heard the roar of the Gryffindor lion as it accepted his decision, something that surprised a few since they had always thought the Potter's were the definition of Gryffindor but apparently the Gryffindor Family Magic didn't agree.
"Bronwen, Regulus, can you both come forward and hold on to your son so he doesn't fall off while I do what I have to do next?" Animus looked to the other two.
"What do you have to do next?" Bronwen asked in a worried voice as she moved forward to the boy she had already fallen so deeply in love with. She didn't want anything to hurt the little boy that had already been through so much in such a short period of time.
"I'm going to disown him from the Potter family."
"What?" Most questioned in shock. Disownment wasn't something to take lightly. None of them had said anything about what he had just done to James, Lily, and their daughter since Animus knew what they would become and knew the damage they could do to the families, although they all would privately admit to being a little leery about the disownment of the girl. Disowning a child for something that hadn't happened yet was not something they were comfortable with, but they also still understood the girl never would have accepted the Slytherin family, especially given who her parents were, and disinheriting her from the Peverell line only made sense since she didn't really need the money.
But to disown the young boy before them was another story all together. He hadn't done anything wrong. His parents abandoning him the way they had would have already damaged his connection to the family magics, but to take it away completely?
"He can not be connected to the Potter family." Animus said calmly, he had been surprised no one had spoken up earlier about his disowning Mari. "If he has any Potter magic James Potter will be able to use it to track him down. The last thing any of you need is to be found with the boy. Once he turns 11 they will go to look for him at the muggles and I have no doubt they will try and claim he was kidnapped to cover up their abandoning him. If I fully disown him there will be nothing of Potter left in him so no one will ever know outside of those in this room, and the wards I have placed around here along with the secrecy spells will ensure it is never released."
"I thought you disowned yourself from the Potter line after those idiots tried to use a marriage contract to force you to be with the Weasley girl." Severus said, unlike most of the others he had plenty of information having seen much of the memories and remembered that part. "You would need to be Lord Potter to disown him, but how can that be possible?"
"I did indeed disown myself after the Weasley tramp incident, but I only disowned myself from the Potter family, not the family line. And, as some may have already realized, the Potter line descends from the Peverell line. I claimed the Peverell Lordship and in doing so gained access to claim the Potter title along with it since the line had ended." Animus explained. He had hated having to take the Potter title before returning since he truly hated what it meant, but he knew it would come in handy. "Once he's disowned you will be able to blood adopt him and magically accept him into your family lines and he will forever be free from the Potter's."
"Ok, let's do this." Regulus said with a slight shake in his voice as he took up a position next to the pedestal.
"I, as Lord Potter, call forth the Potter Family Magics. As Lord Potter I disown and disinherit, by blood and by magic, Harry James Potter from the Potter family. Through no fault of his own the Potter family is not a safe place for him. As I will, so mote it be." Animus felt the Potter Family Magic surge forward, as expected it was much weaker since it was younger and didn't have an animal sound as it wasn't yet old enough to have developed a totem. While it accepted his decision he felt the difference, the Slytherin Family Magics had shown nothing but contempt for Lily, and a clear dislike of Mari, but the Potter Family Magics were much gentler as they removed themselves from the boy.
Even with the Potter Family Magic being as gentle as it could he still cried and tried to wiggle away from the pain. Every single parent in the room had to restrain themselves from trying to help him when they heard the pained cry. The magic itself leaving him wasn't what was causing the pain, instead it was the physical changes taking place as all the distinguishing features that he inherited from his parents was taken away.
Unfortunately he couldn't do anything to remove him from the muggle Evans family since they had no family magic he could direct. But, it wouldn't really matter in the long run since no magical test was set up to even acknowledge muggle blood, the only way they would be able to determine his relation to the Evans family was by using a muggle DNA test, and even then magic blood had a tendency to become corrupted during testing and it hadn't been until 2038 that they had developed a test that would work a majority of the time. So in that regard he knew they wouldn't be able to track him that way.
"Severus, the potion." Animus looked to the potions master who pulled out two infant bottles, each holding a blood adoption potion. Animus smiled at the intelligence of putting the potion in a bottle since Hunter would need to drink it willingly and he couldn't drink a potion normally, a sippy cup may also have worked but given that he was already upset the bottles would work best.
"I'll go first." Regulus said. "It will take longer since there are more Blacks here." He didn't want to upset Bronwen since he knew how much she was looking forward to being a mother again and was pleased when she agreed without any sign of anger or disappointment. Regulus added 7 drops of blood to the bottle and let it mix naturally, agitating it in any way could ruin the potion.
As they waited for the potion to mix Arcturus stepped up. "I, as Lord Black, call forth the Black Family Magics so they may witness." Everyone in the room felt a shiver go down their backs as the Black Family Magics surged forward and filled the room with the howl of the grimm.
Once the potion had blended itself he gently picked up the still whimpering boy and brought the bottle to his lips. He needed to drink it on his own as a blood adoption couldn't be forced, although when it came to the very young they pretty much always willingly took it since they didn't know any better.
"With this potion I welcome my son, Hunter Loki Black. Blood of my blood, bound together as father and son. Magic of my magic, I claim him as mine. May Lady Magic and Lord Death bless our bond." Regulus said formally, adding the final line just for those there. He was relieved that Lady Magic and Lord Death both offered up their blessing by laying their hands over his own on his new son.
Then Arcturus stepped forward once again. "I, Lord Arcturus Phineas Black, accept Hunter Loki Black as a true son of House Black, by blood and by magic."
Once Arcturus retook his place in the ring around the alter his wife stepped forward. "I, Lady Melania Helena Black née Macmillan, Lady of House Black, daughter of House Macmillan, accept Hunter Loki Black as a true son of House Black, by blood and by magic."
From there each of those within two generations of the main Black line stepped forward and accepted Hunter. It wasn't necessarily necessary, but it did make the Black Family Magics more open to accepting Hunter. Although, Animus could feel the magic and knew it had already accepted him, especially given the fact that he already had Black blood and magic from his late grandmother.
"As we will so mote it be." Was said by all those present.
Animus watched as the Black magic flowed around the child now named Hunter. Once again he struggled slightly as his body changed and he began to look like the definition of a Black. And then, all the Blacks stepped back and allowed Bronwen to take her position and add her blood to the potion bottle she was handed. None of them knew which family she actually came from, not even Regulus, as that was a secret she kept to herself until this point.
"I, as Archduchess Emrys, call forth the Emrys Family Magics so they may witness." All those in the room except Bronwen herself and Animus froze in shock at hearing who Bronwen descended from. They all heard the roar of the Emrys dragon.
This was exactly why Animus had chosen her to be his mother. Not only had he grown to care for her as he had known her ghost and wanted to help her find peace, but she would give him more power while denying Dumbledore. The thing was if the bloodline of a Lord or Lady of Magic came to an end the future Lords or Ladies of Magic could claim their title.
It was how he had become High King Pendragon. Arthur Pendragon had been a squib, but Lady magic had still named him her Grey Lord of his time. His line had died out which allowed Animus to claim his title. But that was only if the line ended, another well known Grey was Grey Lady Boudica. Her line still survived in the magical British Iceni tribe which still survived unlike their muggle counter parts, and because of that he couldn't claim her title.
The danger was that Dumbledore, as an acknowledged Light Lord, could claim the Emrys title if Bronwen and her cousin died. Even if it was just Bronwen that did Dumbledore would have control since her cousin was one of his sycophants. He had managed to claim the power without letting anyone know last time after Bronwen's cousin was killed as a result of one of Dumbledore's set ups. He hadn't been let it be made public since he hadn't felt it was the right time, instead he had been planning to announce it after he claimed to have been the one to end the war but had died first.
With her Family Magic present Bronwen took Hunter from her husband and fed him the bottle of blood adoption she had already mixed her blood in while the Blacks welcomed her son. "With this potion I welcome my son, Hunter Loki Black. Blood of my blood, bound together as mother and son. Magic of my magic, I claim him as mine. May Lady Magic and Lord Death bless our bond.
I, Archduchess Bronwen Rivena Black née Alyn, Archduchess of House Emrys, accept Hunter Loki Black as a true son of House Emrys, by blood and by magic."
The Emrys Family Magic was far more powerful than any of the others that had come before. This time the totem didn't just call out, it fully manifested. The large silver dragon wrapped itself around Bronwen and her new son. It then pressed its nose against his forehead and faded away, showing its acceptance.
Animus went to end the ritual but was stopped by Lady Magic.
She and Death stepped forward and both added their blessing. With their magic mixed in Animus knew that what they had done couldn't be overturned or discovered by anyone, he knew they would ensure Hunters protection.
Then they turned to the others in the room.
"Do not close the ritual yet." Death said. "There are still things we need to do."
Death moved over to Animus, who had gone over to stand by the new parents.
"Give me your cloak, your wand, and your ring." Death demanded.
Animus wanted to protest, they had been with him so long they felt like they were a part of him, but he knew better. One thing he hadn't used until much later in life was the fact that the cloak was reversible, when worn the usual way it made the wearer invisible, but when flipped the other way it looked like a regular, if slightly flamboyant, cloak.
Death first took the cloak, stroking his hand across the visible side the pattern of mixed colours he had originally created shifted to shades of grey, extending from nearly black to a silvery white with a patterned design around the trim. He placed it in a box he summoned. Next he took the Peverell ring, also known as the Gaunt ring. The stone floated out and the ring melted down, becoming a fine chain, and the stone reconnected, turning it into a necklace. That too was placed in the box. Last he took the wand. Running his fingers from the tip of the wand down to the handle. As he did so the nodules looked like they almost melted as they moved down the wand to form a twisted handle. Just before he added it to the box Lady Magic walked past and stroked her own fingers down the wand and a smoky silver joined the dark wood of the handle before she walked back to the others. Death then closed the box.
"Give this to Hunter on his 11th birthday." Death said as he passed the box over to Regulus.
Both Regulus and Bronwen exchanged stunned looks as they both understood the significance of the items in the box meant for their son. Although, that information did make it more understandable that Death had been invoked and not just Lady Magic.
"Can two copies exist in the same time?" Animus questioned. "I know I brought mine back with me but that was only because the ritual allowed for it. Won't it risk damaging the fabric of time?"
"If there were going to be two." Death said slowly. "As of now I have withdrawn my magic from the others. Over time they will lose their power until they become what they appear to be. The cloak will start to wear and the magic will fade. The stone will become just a stone. And the wand will become an average wand. None will be able to detect the change in the magical signature, even as they notice the loss of power, and they will not be able to detect Hunters as I have changed them and in doing so changed their magical signature."
"Thank you my friend." Animus bowed to the entity. Over the past century he had been in and out of his life in times of need.
Then he turned his attention to the goblins that were present. He had requested them be there so they could handle the legal paperwork right then. The first thing they had them do was sign the paperwork to recognize Hunter as Animus's chosen heir so that all of his vaults would revert to his younger self once he was old enough. It was the only way they would be able to gain access to the vaults that held the horcruxes after all.
Animus also gave them the directive to keep Avalar up and running, naming Orion the regent of the accounts until Hunter was old enough. He was truly hopeful that Avalar could become quite successful given the time and protection it needed from the likes of a bigoted Ministry and Dumbledore.
He also handed over the goblet and diary horcruxes he had had Bella and Lucius bring with them and the ring he himself had collected. Griphook, as his account manager, with his permission, would be able to place them in the vault he had specifically set up to house the horcruxes until it was time to use them to return Voldemort.
The goblins already had pretty much everything ready since he had stopped by earlier, but this was their chance to get everything signed and sealed since they needed other wixen witnesses to sign a number of the documents. They liked what the Grey Lord Animus was creating as they truly disliked the situation in Diagon Alley and what it was becoming under Ministry and Dumbledore control. While they never outright took sides in wixen wars they did have their favoured sides. In this instance they supported neither dark nor light, but a Grey Lord would always have their support so long as they supported them.
As Death had been changing his hallows and the goblins were dealing with paperwork Lady Magic had chosen to address the others in the room.
"It has come to my attention that a number of those present have received information that muggle-borns take magic from other wixen and that is the reason for the rise of squibs and low fertility rates. I am aware Animus has already corrected you in regards to their ancestry, but I know there will still be resentment." Lady Magic gave those she knew held that belief a severe look for a moment before relaxing her features. "In truth you can not necessarily be held accountable for that misinformation, nor is it completely wrong.
No, muggle-borns are not stealing magic from your children. Every single wixen that has magic has magic because I allow it. And muggle-borns have magic because it serves a purpose. An example is a muggle-born girl who attended Hogwarts in the 1940's, who later moved to Australia. She herself is nothing special, but in 400 years one of her descendants will become a healer that will discover a cure to a new and deadly illness that if she hadn't been magical never would have been born and over 30,000 wixen would die. My actions are on a much larger scale than you can comprehend given your short lives.
As to the part you are not necessarily incorrect about… There is a set amount of magic in each region, and with each wixen that pool of magic decreases. For the most part the amount of pooled magic does not change, but it can. Those I send can alter the flow of my magic, increasing or decreasing the amount of ambient magic and therefore effect the amount available to wixen children. For instance, if Lord Animus had not interceded the levels of magic in Britain would have decreased to an unsustainable level within the next century, you now have a chance to avoid that.
When the wixen world reaches an equilibrium between the three factions the ambient magic is sustained and can be grown based on the actions of my chosen. If they improve your world the magic grows, if they can not find a balance the magic decreases.
But that will not be a major issue for a time. A mad fool many hundreds of years ago tried to figure out how to steal magic and died leaving all the magic he had gathered contained, and his method to gather magic kept working after his death. Lord Animus released that magic back into the environment so the amount of ambient magic has been increasing allowing for the birth of more magical children."
Glancing over Lady Magic saw Death was altering his hallows and she went over and added some of her magic to the wand. Not only would it ensure Dumbledore wouldn't go after her chosen but it would also increase the wands ability to wield different kinds of magic. Once that was done she returned to the others.
Specifically, she went to Orion Black who had the maledictus Nagini wrapped around his shoulders. "Nagini." The snake that had been keeping her gaze downcast raised her head slightly, but wouldn't meet her eyes. "You bare the curse of the serpent for the disloyalty of your ancestor. But you have been, and will continue to be, loyal. In your actions you have earned forgiveness for your bloodline and I rescind the curse."
All the wixen, barring Animus since he already knew of course, watched in stunned shock as the massive snake was floated up off Orion's shoulders. Once she was suspended in the air she began to shift until before them stood a beautiful petite asian woman. Her tanned skin held a shimmer similar to what her scales had had, her long dark hair held a few streaks of grey, and her large dark eyes were filled with tears as she felt the release from the curse she had felt since the day she was born. She would have fallen since she hadn't had legs for decades by that point but Orion was able to grab her and keep her upright.
Nagini just bowed her head and whispered her gratitude in her native language. She couldn't believe that she had repaid the debt from her ancestors crimes and earned her freedom. It had never been something she thought was even possible. But her mind couldn't deal with all that at that moment so she just stroked her hands across the soft cotton dress she had been wearing when she changed, she knew that the dress had to have been created by Lady Magic since it was in a similar style to hers while still being different. She curled ever so slightly into the body holding her up on her unstable legs, she knew she could trust him since he was her Toms soul mate.
"It is time for us to leave." Lady Magic said as she turned to Animus who was moving towards them. "I tire of being in this limited form. I wish to return to my natural state. And your time is running out."
"I agree my Lady." Animus said as he moved to stand between her and Lord Death. He had one last thing he wished to do, glancing at the two all knowing entities at his sides and could tell they knew what he was planning. Turning he looked to those in the room, those that were going to give this version of himself a chance at a good life and smiled. "It has been a pleasure to get to meet you all, and you have my gratitude for assisting me in improving our world. I have once again left a few time delay letters for important dates but they will be few and far between, this is goodbye for me as my time is up."
Lady Magic looked at those who she and Death were going to be trusting with their favoured child, she was sure she had set them on the right path. Then she noticed the present Regulus held that had been given by Death and felt a bit left out, she had added her own magic to the wand, but it wasn't the same. Reaching her magic out she examined all magicals connected to her until she found the perfect one.
Reaching into her pocket Lady Magic pulled out a kitten. It was an 8 week old persephone cat that was already weaned and out on its own. Persephone cats originated in ancient greece and were linked to the demigoddess who was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter who became the Queen of the Underworld. Persephone was linked to spring and new growth as her mother was said to stop making things grow during the months she was in the underworld and once she returned spring would begin. Persephone cats held the same sort of duality she was associated with in life and death which was why they had been named after her. The same sort of duality her new little Grey Lord had.
The thing so many didn't quite grasp was that the legends got all twisted about and interpreted in dozens of different ways by both muggles and magicals. The Olympians were a collection of half elf half wixen beings. That was one of the reasons muggles believed they were immortal, due to their heritage it was no problem for them to live 300 years. It also didn't help that like many wixen families appearances tended to stay nearly the same generation after generation and they also had a habit of reusing the same names. Throughout the time the myths were created there had been over a dozen different Zeus's.
Without all the different interpretations the truth of the matter was much more mundane and less dramatic than it was made out to be. Zeus, Persephone's father, had created a marriage contract with Hades, her mother, Demeter, didn't like it but was too late to stop it from being signed. Persephone herself hadn't been happy with the contract, but had followed through with it for the sake of the family. Over time she did come to love her husband. Demeter too came to accept the relationship her daughter had and had created the first Persephone cat as a gift to show her acceptance since that cat would be able to travel with her no matter where she was, something most other animals couldn't.
In their youth Persephone cats, or seph cats as they were usually called, were relatively unassuming. In the muggle world they would appear to be a clouded leopard with the colouring and fur length of a snow leopard. If they were familiars, as this one was going to be, they aged slowly with their wixen. This little one wouldn't reach full size for at least two decades.
"Never let it be said that Lady Magic doesn't leave a gift when Lord Death does." Lady magic smirked as she handed the kitten over to the very young child that had been watching her with fascination before going goggly eyes at the appearance of the cat.
The little boy now known as Hunter was very confused and very excited. He had been through a lot in the last little while and he was too young to process it all.
What he did know was that a mean person killed the lady that watched him and his sister when mummy and daddy were gone. He then shouted at him and it hurt and he was gone. Then he woke up and mummy and daddy were hugging Mari, leaving him in his crib while he cried alone. Then they gave him to the white haired man that wore clothes that hurt his eyes.
Then he was left in a cold place and woke up to mean people. They wouldn't hug him better no matter how much he tried to get a hug. He felt all weird, it was like his mummy and daddy weren't his mummy and daddy anymore and just wanted some comfort. But they wouldn't and the lady threw a bottle at him and yelled at him. He didn't like those people, they looked at him like old mummy and daddy looked at dirty diapers.
Then he was in another new place, but these people were nice. They talked to him and cuddled him, making him feel better. But he hadn't liked the ouchy he felt while on the cold table, it wasn't nice. Then he had to drink two funny tasting bottles while people said things he didn't understand. The bottles had caused more pain, but not like the cold table. But then he was cuddled again and told he had a new mummy and daddy that loved him and he was happy again. They felt like mummy and daddy in the way old mummy and daddy didn't anymore.
He watched and listened as they moved around and others talked. There were other babies like him in the room, but they were being held close and he couldn't get a good look at them. He didn't want to play anyway, he was sleepy.
Then the shiny lady came over to him and gave him a kitty, his very own kitty. He felt she was his as soon as he held her. He knew to be very gentle with the kitty, he had always wanted one. Old mummy had a grumpy kitty, but he and Mari weren't allowed near Pepper unless old mummy or daddy were with them cause she wasn't well. They had said he couldn't be rough with her the way he was when petting Uncle Padfoot. He was only allowed to touch her a few times but he knew to be very very careful, and since this kitty was much smaller he was even more careful.
Regulus quickly shifted the box Death had given them under one arm and used his other hand to make sure his new son didn't drop the kitten as Bronwen shifted him so he was on his back with the kitten on his belly just to be safe. Once they were relatively sure the kitten and child were safe they turned their attention back to the man their son could have grown up to be if they hadn't been there for him to say their farewells along with the others.
"Wait 22 minutes after I leave and then end the invocation." Animus said. "Then you are all free to return to your lives."
It was a sad moment for many of them as Animus had come to mean a great deal in their lives despite only seeing him a few times.
Country Side
Animus, Lady Magic, and Lord Death appeared in a random field close to the coast of Britain. Death threw up a barrier and the soul of Tom Marvolo Riddle, AKA Lord Voldemort, was stopped in place.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle." Death said in an ominous voice as they approached the stuck wraith.
Animus worked hard not to snort, he knew Death was messing with him. The entity hated the likes of horcruxes and he knew that that would make him torment Tom.
"NO!" The wraith shrieked. "You can't take me. I won't go. I'm safe from you. You can't take me."
"He's not here to take you." Animus rolled his eyes at the dramatics. Honestly, the man acted like he was still a teenager.
"YOU!" Tom snarled as he tried to lunge at the man before him but was held firm.
"That is enough of that." Lady magic snapped.
"Tom. Cleary you recognize Lord Death for who he is, but allow me to introduce you to Lady Magic." Animus indicated the two next to him and that brought the wraith up short. He had indeed recognized Death, all those in his form would, but the idea he was before Lady Magic, without a body no less, was startling, and oddly embarrassing, it was like being underdressed at a ball.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle." Lady Magic said in a booming voice like thunder. "I gave you magic. I blessed you with the powers of a Dark Lord. Yet still you defy me. Still you break my laws. You shall be punished, there is no way around that, but how much is up to my dear Animus."
"You did this to me." Tom demanded as she tried once again to attack the man.
"I did nothing to you." Animus sighed as if exhausted. "I warned you about falling into Dumbledore's trap, yet you did it anyway. You got reckless and overconfident and attacked a child… And failed.
As for the reason I am here." Animus turned to look at Lady magic. "As it has been left up to me… I request leniency. I do know you will not rescind your original punishment."
"What original punishment?" Voldemort demanded. He didn't understand anything beyond that he had been ripped from his body and was being compelled in a certain direction. "What did I even do?"
"You attacked one of my favoured and a member of your own family." Lady Magic informed him.
Seeing the confusion Animus knew he needed to explain. Entities like Lady Magic and Lord Death didn't understand the limited view on the world mortals had. "I was born Harry Potter. Dumbledore manipulated and lied about the prophecy, that was the trap you fell into. I am Lady Magics chosen Grey Lord. And as to the family aspect, my maternal great grandmother was you mothers younger twin sister who was abandoned by their mother as a way to protect her since she was a squib. I am a parselmouth, and since we are both of the Slytherin bloodline I was recognized by Lady Magic as your Heir the moment I was born. Attacking the younger me was a betrayal of both Lady Magic and the family, hence the punishment."
Voldemort was stunned, he had had more family and no one thought to mention it to him? But even he could admit that if he had known the likes of Lily Evans, an annoying sanctimonious little know-it-all from what he had heard, was related to him he would have made sure to kill her. "And just what is my so called punishment?"
"No 'so called' about it." Lady Magic informed him. "You will be exiled from this region. You will only be able to return shortly before 10 years have passed, and no matter what ritual or spell you use you will not be able to regain a body until a full 10 years have passed."
"Arrangements have already been made." Animus reminded Tom before looking back to Lady Magic once again. "As I said, I request leniency. I know that you will not retract the original banishment, but I do not wish him to suffer during that time. I would request that once he reaches a safe place you place him in an enchanted sleep, only waking when it is time for his return. Albus Dumbledore bares a great deal of the blame for his crimes so Tom does not deserve to suffer for them."
Lady Magic pretended to think about it for a few moments even though she knew she was going to approve it. After making sure Tom felt a little nervous she spoke. "I shall accept your request. When Tom reaches a safe location he will fall into an enchanted sleep, feeling no pain or suffering from being disembodied. He shall wake the day he is found and will be able to return to Britain then. Is that acceptable to you?" Lady Magic gave the wraith a severe look.
Voldemort didn't like any of this. This was not how things were supposed to have gone for him. He was supposed to be winning a war. Instead he was being forced out of the country as a result of breaking rules he hadn't even known existed. His mind was more than a little scattered, it had been getting worse for the past few years, but he was coherent enough to understand that the time traveler that had been assisting him was in actual fact the same child he had just tried to kill, which was weird. Even odder was that he was asking for leniency in his punishment.
Interpreting Toms silence to be him thinking about disagreeing Animus knew he had to speak up. The isolation coupled with the horcruxes just drove him madder, without the isolation there was a chance that Tom would be more rational upon his return, and they needed that. "Trust me, take the offer. I have seen what you become after nearly 10 years of pain and suffering in isolation, it is not good. At least this way you don't have to wait, you just go to sleep and when things are ready to move forward you wake. Please, take the deal."
Voldemort looked closely and could actually see desperation in the mans eyes. Clearly whatever the pain and isolation did was not good. But more to the point, he didn't want to hurt. He could admit he was a bit of a sadist, but he had never been a masochist. "I accept."
"Wonderful." Lady Magic shared a smile with Death, they had known this was going to be the outcome, since it was going to happen whether he agreed or not, but it was still good to have his agreement. "Well then, off you go."
With a flick of her wrist the wraith of Tom Riddle was off towards the coast like a shot. "And now… It's your turn." Lady Magic and Death turned to Animus.
Animus smiled. He knew what was coming for him, and that was nothing. He had changed too much, the world he had come from no longer existed, there was nothing for him to go back to even if the ritual had allowed for that which it didn't, and he was ok with that. Instead, he was going to cease to exist.
"I am ready." Animus said calmly. "I thank you for your assistance in allowing me to do all of this."
Lady Magic and Lord Death shared a smile as the final moments of the ritual passed and they watched as their favoured simply dissolved into the magic from whence he came. Lady Magic spread the magic across the land so that is could rejoin the magical cycle, and then, they too, disappeared.