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Harry Potter and the Corvinus Strain
Chapter 7


Potter Castle
Saturday
1 November 2003
10:43

“It’s just not the same, Nym. I want to go to the games.”

Nym rolled her eyes. “You know you can’t, Harry. There could be spies about and you’re supposed to be upset. Oh, stop pouting; you can see more on all these screens anyway.”

Harry had to concede that point. Their private theater had been outfitted with a screen for every camera in the sports ground and they were all on. It was great; those commentators were funny too. Poor Glenda was doing a great job fueling the fear and speculation even if she didn’t know it. Nym snuggled back into Harry where he was lying on one of the long, low cushioned steps.

“How’s the letter-writing going?”

Erika saw an opportunity and snuggled into Harry’s other side. “Very well, Master. Selene has opened up to me and forgiven me. Michael is still being an ass, only wanting her for sex and a trophy to hold the vampire. He spends more and more time with that Roman pack of hybrid Lycan he’s created. They’ll move against the Austrian pack soon.” As she was talking, Erika’s fingers were busy with fastenings.

Harry was getting a little flustered. “He’ll win?”

“Yes, Master, the Austrian pack is fairly weak.”

“Mmm’kay.”

Nym decided to be playful. “Oh look, Harry, a Wronski from Gryffindor!”

Harry’s eyes never left Erika. “Oh good, Nym.”

Nym laughed. Rather be there, indeed!

Amelia Fastida entered the room with several of the new vampire females. They were, once told the whole story, happy to join Harry. After all, the only remaining Elder was with the new Master, so there was no change really. Well, except for the having to fight or work thing. No amount of sexy got you out of that here, but it was good to be busy. Besides, after one try at the sexy method in that strip club of Pansy’s and the Master shagging you stupid it really didn’t matter any more. He liked his women smart, strong, and tough, and if that was what he wanted that’s what he would get.

Nym smiled; in a few minutes she could turn all this twaddle off and they could get down to real business. “Amelia, what have you brought us today?”

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Rome
Catacombs
Saturday
1 November 2003
11:54

Selene awoke and rolled over. Oh, that was nice. She inhaled deeply: Daphne. Ouch! What the hell was that? Selene jumped up and ran to the bathroom and was noisily sick. What the hell? Vampires did not throw up!

She felt the hand on her back and her hair being gathered up off her neck. Daphne gathered the shocked, ill vampire and held her as she was sick.

No one who went to school with Daphne Greengrass would have recognized that girl in this caring woman. They had only ever seen the Ice Queen. “Shhhh, it’s fine, Selene.”

Selene was terrified; vampires never got ill. “It’s not okay, Daphne, and you know it. We don’t get sick.”

Daphne nodded worriedly. “We’ll get a Healer, Selene. Now let’s clean you up and get you to bed.”

“Harry, Nym!”

“We saw, Daphne. Amelia, what’s so funny?”

“Selene is pregnant, Nym. That’s the only time vampires throw up. I was in what you would call the end of my first trimester when it began. Most of the other vampire mates have been the same.”

“But then she would be more than a month pregnant, and she wasn’t....”

Harry paled. “Oh, no!”

“Congratulations, Master”

“Harry? Harry? Oh fine, Amelia, now he’s passed out.”

“Hahahahahahaha hahahaha!”

“Harry!”

“Oh, this is fine, Nym. Selene’s pregnant by me, not, Michael; we’ve lost the bloodline—the whole reason we started this mess. The Weasleys and Longbottoms will kill me, and rightly so. Hahahaha! I can’t wait to hear what Phillip says about this. ‘Oh I say, good show, old bean.’ And Elizabeth: ‘Phillip, really, don’t encourage him.’ Hahahahaha!”

The mates sat stunned as Harry apparently went a little mad for a moment or two.

“Nym, what do I do?”

“Take care of Selene, Daphne. Marcia?”

“Yes, Nym, I have it. Ginny will meet us.”

“Ginny will bring a Healer, Selene. Lie down and I’ll get you some water.”

Daphne moved to leave and Selene grabbed her arm. Daphne sank back down on the bed and just held Selene.

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Michael sat in the front part of the section of catacombs in “his” chair. He was alone. Again. Damn it, why wouldn’t Selene change to using the daylight? What was she afraid of it? It never occurred to him that the vampires she was bringing in were not hybrids so she could only work with them in the night. He was totally focused on himself and his own wants. If he could build a strong enough force to hold off this Duke of Magic, then he could move to defeat this Sire that filled his Selene’s dreams.

How could she be so obstinate? He had helped her with Viktor and Marcus and defeated William on his own. He was the most powerful being on the planet; she had to see that. Besides, they had had some really good sex in that factory in Slovakia or wherever it was. Well, his defeat of this Austrian pack leader followed by the French and then the Russian would prove he was the best man for her, once and for all.

Michael rose and stalked from the room and the catacombs. Selene might be afraid of the day, but he could make use of it.

Qiao Park Potter sighed and followed. He was so different now, well at least from Ginny’s memories of him. What could have happened?

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Potter Castle
Private Theater
Saturday
1 November 2003
14:00

Amelia Fastida watched the bond and thought back over the years. All of them. The Corvini had always been self-centered and arrogant, like all the Romans, and apparently it bred true. Marcus had been worse than Alexander, and Michael was so wrapped up in himself he couldn’t even see Selene as a person. She should have known from the way he treated his watcher mates. It was all an act, his early behavior with Selene. It had been a mistake to habituate him to her. What had Selene been thinking, sleeping with him? If it was just sex then fine, that wasn’t unusual in vampires, they were a very hedonistic race after all. But she had deluded herself into loving him. This was entirely their fault. This must be fixed, and soon. Selene had to be gotten away from Michael and told the truth. This would be ugly.

“Hah, yes; ugly is a good word for it.”

“It will work out, Harry. She’s stubborn, but she loved you and still loves what she thinks is a dream, and will love you again.”

“And the bloodline, Amelia?”

“She carries it now; she shared blood with Alexander. Her strain is even closer to the original Corvinus Strain than Michael’s.”

“Luna?”

“Michael is still important, Harry. The future regarding him is obscured but we at least need a lot of his blood.”

“Fine, we’ll proceed with the new plan. Lycan hybrids first and then the vampires.”

“We’ll need Selene here if she’s pregnant by you, Harry. You know how difficult vampire pregnancies are.”

“Only for the real property and furniture.”

“Zsuzsa, be nice!”

“Fine. Marcia, Daphne, Ginny…after Marcia’s examination of Selene bring her to the Ducal suite. Erika, meet them there. Then you, Amelia, try to ease her back.”

“Bella—you, Allison, the Guard and I will go handle her Coven.”

“Yes, Master”

Harry rolled his eyes as all the mates joined in. “Stop that.”

Nym smirked and the bonded answered again, “Yes, Master.”

Harry was grouchy the rest of the day. The hybrids never had a chance as Harry, Bellatrix, Allison, the Patils and one hundred slave mates suddenly appeared in their midst after Selene was Stunned and transported and Harry released a broad spectrum Stunner. After that it was cleanup only.

“Well, that went well. We’ll have to get the units to practice it. I can load that Stunner in one of the spell carriers for the platoons.”

Allison nodded. “We’ll have to modify it, since the troops can’t fade, but with some stealth skills they should be able to surround a group and then release the Stunner.”

Padma thought for a moment. “We’ll need to add a rune to the troop’s protective sets, but yes, it should work.”

Harry nodded as Hestia informed him she had it. “Okay, let’s go back to the Castle then.”

They landed in the roof garden.

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Potter Castle
Master Bedroom
Saturday
1 November 2003
20:04

Selene’s eyes snapped open and she rolled. Nothing happened so she sat up and looked around. For the first time in a hundred years or more, she thought, remembering her last time at Castle Gorog as a dream, she laughed. She laughed long and loud, until tears came to her eyes. This had to be a dream; this bed simply could not be real.

“Good evening, Selene.”

Selene snapped into motion and was in a corner of the huge room faster than most eyes could follow.

“My my, being a hybrid has made you even faster.”

“Erika! Thank Lilith. Where are we?”

Erika, smiling, retrieved Selene from her corner and pulled her back to the bed. “In my master’s bedroom.”

Selene tried to get up again and Erika pulled her back down. “Erika, let go! I’m not sharing a bed with a male just to have his protection.”

Erika laughed in her face. “What the Master will do with you remains to be seen. However, why not? He’s pleasing to look at, massively skilled, and has protected you for long months now.”

“No one has protected me but me.”

“Selene, don’t be daft. What do you think I’ve been doing for five years? You know, or knew, I hated Kraven. Did you think I’d lost my mind? Why did Amelia start withdrawing but leave her ‘vampires’ around? Where do you think two vampire witches suddenly came from?”

“Amelia is dead, Erika.”

Amelia faded into view and laughed as Selene fled back to her corner. “Selene, should we just sit in that corner?” Amelia waved and a leather-covered hugely over sized sectional group appeared in the corner.

“Amelia, you’re dead!”

“No—well, not any more than I have been for a thousand years or so. The Master has taken most of the female vampires and a few of the males. I have a rather large Coven now. Oh, we picked up your hybrids too.”

“I’m going to be sick!”

Erika smiled gently and led Selene to the toilet. Selene was correct: she was noisily sick, and then Marcia was there.

“Here drink this.”

“Who are you and what is this?”

“Marcia. I’m the Healer Daphne called, and this is a potion to balance your hormones a bit. The imbalance due to your pregnancy is what causes you to be nauseated.”

“Blast!” Marcia came back from the bathroom towing the levitated, unconscious Selene toward the bed.

“Just bring her here, Marcia. She’ll jump up and run over here anyway when she wakes up.”

Marcia laid Selene on the sectional and Amelia took her head into her lap and focused her compulsion. She nodded and Erika cast an Ennervate.

Selene’s eyes snapped open and she tried to move but Amelia held her firmly in place. “Selene, do be quiet, dear. We have many things to tell you and it’s going to make it difficult if you make us chain you to a post. Here, take some blood, you’ll feel better. Oh—speaking of which, don’t bite the Master unless you’re ready to spend the next several days having sex.”

Selene glared and then stared at Amelia. Amelia chuckled. “Oh, you’ll bite him at some point, we all do. Then we spend three days getting fucked to pieces and a couple of days recovering. It’s a lot of fun. Now back to the matter at hand. Yes, you have been betrayed. Not least of all by me. I knew what Viktor had done and I knew what Marcus wanted to do with you. I should have acted sooner, and for that I’m sorry. Yes, you made a mistake with Michael; we all did. But we have to move on from here, so let me start at the beginning….”

Amelia backed up to her turning and told Selene only the things she had witnessed with her own eyes. As she did this the rest of the bonded minus Harry entered the bedroom and got ready for bed. As the story approached Selene’s last time at Castle Gorog, Selene began to recognize faces and put it all together. She slapped Amelia and fled.

Nym came and took Amelia in her arms. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“No worse than I deserved, Mistress. Less, actually. I should have stopped this nonsense years ago.”

“And you would have had to kill Selene, Amelia. She would have fought to protect her sire.”

“I’ve lost her anyway, Nym.”

“I don’t think so, Amelia. She’s mad and scared and a little lost right now. We have lots of experience with powerful lost beings.” Nym smiled as the bonded chuckled. “It will be all right.”

Selene, meanwhile, ran through the Castle looking for a way out. She found herself in the children’s wing. She tried to quietly watch and slip past, but hundreds of knowing green eyes followed her.

Jean and Ewa, putting the younger children to bed, looked at her and chuckled. Selene had had enough. “You! Show me the way out of here.”

Jean was not pleased. “No, Harry wouldn’t like that.”

Selene took a step and then crouched defensively as fully half the children in the room suddenly morphed into gigantic Wargs. The space was suddenly very crowded.

Jean looked at Selene. “Harry wouldn’t like that, either. You need to go back to the master bedroom, Selene.”

“How do you know my name?”

“How could we not? Our father and our mothers have been fighting to protect you and Michael in some way for most of some of our lives.”

Selene looked at the young girl. Tears tracked down her face, tears of rage and frustration and shame.

Ewa glared at her sister. “Sensitive as a stump you are, Jean. Come on, Selene, I’ll show you a nice place to think.”

“Just let me go!”

Ewa raised a brow. “No. Now come along.” She took Selene’s hand and, escorted by a dozen or so of the huge Wargs, led her to the roof garden.

As soon as Ewa stepped off the transport stone she felt Harry and tried to back up. Miriam and her subordinates had other ideas and charged ahead, looking for their father. Ewa stood with Selene and heard the sharp intake of breath. She never did understand what happened after that, exactly, but in milliseconds Harry had been struck and Selene was on the ground with her throat in Miriam’s jaws.

Harry’s ringing “Miriam! Stop!” saved Selene.

Miriam didn’t finish the killing bite she had started, but neither did she release Selene.

“Miriam, honey, let go of Selene.”

Miriam shook her head. Selene’s eyes grew wide; one more shake with those razor-sharp teeth and it would be a moot point.

“Miriam!”

Miriam released her then, and sat back on her haunches. Her brothers and sisters sat with her around Selene, between her and Harry.

Selene rose and looked at Harry. She saw the Sire from her dream but didn’t feel the compulsion. “I hate you.”

Harry nodded sadly. “You should. I stuffed this up horribly. You’ll never know how sorry I am. You’ll be safe here for the duration of your pregnancy and we will care for your progeny. If you need anything, simply ask and it will be provided.” Harry faded from view.

Selene looked around and asked, “Where did he go?”

Ewa unfocussed for a moment. “The Vale of the Guard.”

“You will take me there!”

Ewa shook her head. “We’ll take you back to the bedroom. You will not disturb Father in the Vale.”

“Your father said I could have what I wanted.”

Miriam changed. “Father says lots of things, and we’ll give you whatever you need to make you safe and comfortable and insure your pups are well, but you will not disturb Father in the Vale nor the honored dead of the pack. You may stay here or go to the bedroom: choose.”

Selene glared at the apparent teenager. “Who are you to decide?”

Miriam smiled. “I am the firstborn Warg Daughter.”

Selene appeared to be confused. “Firstborn of who, and why do you follow the Sire?”

“I am Miriam, out of Sarah, Duchess of York, by Harry, Duke of Magic, and he is the Sire—mine, and your pups’ too.”

“Miriam! Now she’s passed out.”

“What, Ewa? She should be proud Father covered her. I thought vampires were strong. This one seems a little weak.”

“She’s had a few shocks lately. Here, we’ll put her in the hammock.”

“Does she have a matestone, Ewa?”

“No.”

“Paul.”

Paul, Miriam’s littermate, faded away and back. He put a neon green diamond around Selene’s neck on a mithril chain and put her in the hammock. No longer needing hands, he morphed back to his preferred form and he and his littermates lounged about the roof garden near the hammock napping and watching. Ewa changed to her Warg and kept them company.

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Godric’s Hollow
Vale of the Guard
Sunday
2 November 2003
00:18

“It’s too cold out here for you, sir. You should go back to the Castle.” Corporal Bill Wesson looked at Marilyn and made a shooing motion toward Harry. He got a glare for his trouble.

“I’m fine, Corporal—warming charm. I won’t bother you long.”

All seven spirits shook their heads. Marilyn sat on the bench by Harry. “You know it’s no bother, Harry.”

Corporal Wesson looked at him. “What’s the problem, sir?”

They were surprised when, with no more prompting, the story poured from Harry. This was a first, and an indicator of how upset he was. After Harry finished Tim Clew couldn’t help himself and began laughing. “Everyone should have your problems, Your Grace. You love her, she loves you, but you’ve had to lie to her and now she’s hurt and pregnant by you. Go find her and bond her and let her into your head—uhh, begging Your Grace’s pardon, sir.”

“She says she hates me. I can’t blame her.”

Bhupta Chudri looked at his comrades and they all nodded. The males withdrew, leaving Marilyn with Harry. Marilyn stood and went to sit in Harry’s lap. She snuggled in and just let him sit.

She felt and saw him turning it over and over in his mind and she sighed. He could be so thick sometimes.

“Harry, does she love Michael?”

“The bonded don’t think so, but she says she hates me.”

“Does she want to be with him? Or does she want to be with him as he was before the hybridization?”

Harry winced. “Well, it wasn’t the hybridization that altered his personality. Not all the way, anyhow. When I gave him that blood to save him in Rovinj, it changed him.”

“And without it he would have died, Harry. As it was he barely recovered. That blood is gone from him now, though. The change is not really a change. He had this in his personality; the change just brought it all to the surface at an—erm—higher level, perhaps.”

“But it gave him my memories, Marilyn. He’ll challenge me for her no matter what she wants, and I’ll have to kill him. I can’t let him win.”

“You don’t know that, Harry. Nothing is written yet, and neither Luna nor Li can see. Stay on your course. Now back to the question. She doesn’t love him but she says she hates you. Why?”

“I don’t know, Marilyn. Maybe because I got her pregnant, maybe because I used her for sex for ten days. I hate me for that.”

Marilyn chuckled. “Yes, you used her; remember, Harry, I see what happens in the bond. Looked like a woman using you more than you using her. I’m not sure you know how to use a woman. Pleasure her, yes, but use her? You’re going to have to learn, though, if you’re going to act out that desire of Hermione’s. Meanwhile, back to Selene. You didn’t ask her why she’s mad at you?”

“Ah, well now, you see, I was…Marilyn!”

Marilyn, having made her decision, was taking advantage of her position in Harry’s lap and her ability to fade through solid objects. She looked innocently at Harry and thrust forward with her hips. “What, Harry?”

“I don’t want to do this now!”

“Liar!”

“Marilyn! Mmmph!”

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“Oh, that reminds me, Nym, Myrtle and the Gray Lady want to talk to you. They say if Marilyn can get a turn they should be allowed too.”

Nym stared at Rowena/Hermione. “Isn’t the Gray Lady Rowena, Rowena?” Nym looked confused and her mates chuckled.

“No one knows. I think so, but she won’t confirm it, Nym. She sent her request through Myrtle.”

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Harry, while aware of this, had a lapful of amused, amorous young female spirit who, having solved the problem, was not interested in taking no for an answer no matter how much Harry wanted to pout about it. How could something be cold and warm like that at the same time? Hey, wait a minute—he was supposed to be being disgruntled. Marilyn’s tinkling laughter lasted a moment and then she got serious.

“Harry, just go talk to Selene. Morgana, you talk to every other woman on the planet enough, usually while you’re either buried in them or about to be. Now stop thinking about her and think about me. Don’t think I won’t guilt you into pleasing me.”

“I am sorry, you know?”

“Hmmph, prove it!”

“Oh my, you are very sorry, aren’t you! Mmmmm-hmmm.”

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Lana Montgomery Potter frowned. “What happens to Harry’s ejaculate, I wonder? I mean, Marilyn is a ghost.”

Every one looked at Lana. “What? Eeeeuuuwww. Hey, what does happen to it?”

“Eeeeuuwww, Hermione? I think that’s the first time you’ve ever said that word.”

No one noticed Lilith’s little smirk. Well, no one besides Winky, and she wasn’t going to be talking about it, ever.

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Harry ignored the raging debate in the bond and concentrated on Marilyn. She rewarded him for his efforts.

Harry cushioned the ground in front of the bench and was amazed to find Marilyn solid enough to feel and support against, at least a little. Marilyn was just as amazed and smiled broadly as she wrapped her legs around her lover’s waist and pulled hard. Harry thrust hard and bent his back to take a hard, pebbly, oddly cold and warm nipple into his mouth as he continued to drive, and the calm of the Vale was split by an unearthly shriek.

An embarrassed Marilyn froze, blushed slightly pink, and then chuckled. Harry first laughed and then got a determined look. “Let’s see if we can scare the neighbors.”

“Harrrriiiieeeee!”

“That ought to be a good start.”

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Potter Castle
Roof Garden
Sunday
2 November 2003
03:43

Harry faded into the roof garden in an exhausted haze and, thinking the mates would have taken Selene to the bedroom, crawled into his hammock. That one of his mates was there waiting made him smile gently. Soon light snores could be heard. Two sets of them.

Selene stretched and snuggled into the warm body beside her. She smiled as the familiar smell launched a dream of the sire.

The bonded watched or rather felt through Harry and giggled as the dream became reality. Nym smiled and faded to the roof garden.

Inside the lumpy, writhing hammock Selene was mounted on the sire in her dream and on Harry in reality. He was huge and bumpy in just the right spots; it was like having a tool custom made just for her hitting all of her sensitive spots. That varying pressure on her G-spot that pushed just to the point of irritation and then backed off was driving her mad. Just as she had in those ten days and as the sun rose she achieved a magnificent release simultaneously with Harry. Selene’s eyes snapped open as her orgasm rocked her and as she fell into the bond, she began to fighting. Harry, who had awoken with her at his own release, rolled her under him and latched onto her neck at the base, just where the graceful curve met her shoulder. A very talented tongue, lips, and teeth thoroughly distracted her and put her back in the moment. The bite and minor feeding launched her into a series of orgasms.

Nym was a little amazed; the cautious prowling among the mates in the bond that Selene was doing had nothing to do with the aggressive, possessive Selene in the hammock who was currently flipping Harry over and, despite his efforts at slow and loving, taking what she wanted, meanwhile screaming at him in the bond like a fishwife over leaving her and letting her go to Michael. Harry was baffled, remorseful, and contrite in the bond, and giving as good as he got in the physical world.

Nym got tired of Selene’s yelling, and with Miriam she went and pulled the sides of the hammock down. The sun hit Selene and she gloried in it. Harry smiled up at her and she slapped him, then leaned forward and kissed him as she sobbed.

Nym smiled and led the bonded to PT after firmly telling Harry to stay with Selene. The bonded did PT but slowly, not at full speed, as Harry and Selene getting to know one another both in the bond and in the physical world was staggering even when they were partially Occluded.

“Nym you aren’t jealous?”

Nym looked at Sarah, confused. “Erm, why would I be?”

Sarah threw her co-Alpha a raised brow. “Nym, he loves her so much!”

Nym walked over and put a hand on Sarah’s forehead. “Nope, not hot. Sarah, he loves us all just as much—where have you been? Morgana, woman, he almost killed us all shagging you silly in all those secret rendezvous you oh-so-subtly arranged.”

Sarah blushed furiously at her mates’ laughter in and out of the bond. “Well, I hadn’t noticed before.”

Na Wen grinned. “Yes, seeing how many inches of Harry you can get in every possible orifice can be very distracting.”

The ensuing duel was staggering. It ended in a draw with both Na Wen and Sarah unconscious in the master bedroom after Nym faded the combatants there when the grappling became sexual. The bonded took the rest of the day off as Harry and Selene’s activities continued and the energy they created poured into the bond, causing a general kind of angry, loving orgy. Many issues that had been building were resolved, leading to many different couplings and groups, all in all a very cathartic day.

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Hogwarts
Sunday
2 November 2003
07:04

Irma looked around and noticed the Potter intent- and full bonded missing and smiled. This coupled with those moans and shrieks early this morning in the Hollow meant His Highness wasn’t so upset as the reporters thought—or wasn’t any more. And no, it wasn’t anyone’s business what she had been doing there, so her mouth was firmly shut about it. Hmmm, a bet against the Harpies today, then, as they would all be exhausted. Now, who else had female players in key positions with limited depth on the bench? This was an opportunity not to be missed; if played right she could parlay her modest expendable capital into a tidy sum. Might have to offer His Highness her gratitude, wrapped in something red and lacy, hehehe. What? A girl can dream, and that thing with Alphonse Diamatto, Royal Slytherin sixth year, was just not it. Nothing there at all besides a little lust; he was a pretty thing though, too bad really.

“So it didn’t work, eh?”

Irma started; she had been alone at their normal table. “I don’t know what you mean.”

James laughed. “I’m Slytherin, dear. Alphonse, that’s what I mean.”

Irma looked around and then sighed. “No, and I was so hopeful too.”

“Don’t sweat it, Irma. It will come, and if it doesn’t you can always petition for a Duke’s baby. Your grades are good and you’re talented magically. Plus you have an in with Jean and Ewa.”

“Thanks, James, but what if I don’t want a power baby?”

“You’re Slytherin too, Irma. Now, should we pool our resources for the betting?”

Irma smiled and leaned forward. James was, after all, a very pretty boy too, and he was no slouch in school either. And a Slytherin. Maybe a power baby and then a good Slytherin boy. Come on, they’re right there, YES! She still could when she wanted to.

James smiled after his peek down her top, acknowledging Irma’s win. “Why, James Winslow, what betting?”

“What are we betting on?” Rosalie asked, walking up to the table and seating herself. “Oh, whether or not James can stand after that look down your blouse? I see.”

Connie Frank appeared and bent over at the waist. From under the table they heard, “Not without a grimace at least. Give him another peek, Irma. Oops, that’s the wrong way, James.”

Herman Cronauer, Ravenclaw, sat down. “You girls are so bad. No wonder poor James is having stage fright. Now back to the betting. What are we betting on?”

Irma looked significantly at the empty seats and the rest of the group caught on. Gerald was always late of a Sunday morning but Jean and Ewa were always here first.

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Rome
Catacombs
Sunday
2 November 2003
09:22

Michael entered the catacombs and found nothing. It was as if Selene and her vampire hybrids had simply vanished. Okay, if that was how the little bitch wanted to play, fine. He would find her later. Meanwhile, back to the pack; there were bitches to be covered and more to be created. First get the Lycan of the world under control and then he would subdue these vampire hybrids and the covens. Then she would be his.

Michael left whistling a little tune, headed back to the Palatine Hill and the ruins under it where the pack was lying with the new Lycans from last night. First a little fucking with those girls from that nightclub—just because Selene was a prude was no reason for him to be—and then a little sparring to get ready for the Austrian pack leader on the ninth. Powerful Sire, hah! He had never faced a hybrid, and he had surely never faced the first hybrid. First he would take all his female vampires and then he would kill the Sire. That would fix her.

SFC Dominic Morelli, Mage LRRC (Long Range Reconnaissance) team leader, followed his assigned target with his partner, SSG May Serano, and wondered why they were bothering. This clown was easy to find and could be put down at any time with one of the new mixed mode UVNS rounds. Ah well, as always, his was not to wonder why.... Hey, May was looking better and better these days. Combat apparently agreed with her. She would probably get promoted off the next board that sat. Ha, that was another indicator; they didn’t even have to Disillusion around this guy so he could actually see May rather than a ripple of bent light. A simple Notice-Me-Not and they were golden.

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Potter Castle
Roof Garden
Monday
3 November 2003
13:33

“Selene, build a bridge and get over it already. We all have been pregnant or will be pregnant or will be pregnant again.”

“Yes, and he didn’t leave you out there, Amelia.”

Amelia Fastida rolled her eyes. “We’ve apologized, Selene, and you know we had to. If he proves how sorry he is one more time he’ll put dents in your babies’ heads. How horny can you be?”

Selene smiled. “I have not yet begun to fuck!”

“Amarydian, woman, you and Erika. One of you two has to work on morphing. That way you can hump each other to death.”

Selene rolled over onto Amelia and pinned her to the ground as she slid down her belly. Amelia struggled weakly.

Nym watched from the hammock where she lay with Harry while Li rested with Nym’s harry still inside her and Luna rested with Harry still inside her. “It’s odd how horny those two are.” The three other members of the foursome looked at Luna after Nym’s comment.

Luna nodded. “Yep, it is.” Her eyes stayed firmly blue.

Harry chuckled and raised his hips gently. Luna sighed and snuggled her bottom down into him.

Hermione spoke from her patch of grass. “As idyllic as this is, we need to go back to work.”

Harry looked over. “Why, Hermione? We’re watching the packs and covens. We take the raiding parties down if they get too near population centers and we’ll cure the turned when we get a cure. Let’s just get back to a routine and let them gain a little more confidence. Besides, Michael has the Lycans very focused right now, and the vampire hybrids are busy fighting among themselves and sending envoys now that they know Amelia is alive. Very few of them will be a problem.”

Hermione grinned. Harry conveniently left out that the vampire hybrid covens had received visits from vampire mates and been compelled to acknowledge Amelia and Harry as dominant, sometimes by very young vampire mates. It had been amusing. Those covens that had decided to try to do something about it later were trying to hide themselves. They were not being successful; the magical forces of the Realm had them all under constant observation.

Harry bellowed as the hammock collapsed when Selene and Erika leapt into it after they had exhausted Amelia.

Hestia shook her head and laughed as she avoided being dragged into the tussle. Hermione’s surprised face as she was dragged in was very amusing. Soon enough Hermione had a mate holding each wrist and ankle and Harry was practicing using a woman. “Hermione, it’s not going to work if you’re directing!”

“Just the first time or two to give you the idea, Harry.”

“Grrrrr.”

“Owww, Harry, no biting! Owwwmmmhhhmmm.”

The bonded winced as Hermione was bitten fairly hard on a labia majoris but then Harry eased up a little and shifted his aim. Her howls as he sucked her clit from its hood and nibbled it fairly fiercely rose a notch when, just as she came, he brought the conjured cat-o’-nine-tails down sharply on her breast. Hermione bucked once and convulsed hard. Harry rose and drove into her clenched sex and gave her another stroke of the cat. The mates holding her almost succumbed to the wash of the massive orgasm Hermione achieved. Bella and Allison appeared and lay with Amelia Fastida.

Bella smirked. “What did she think we were doing with the Master all these years? Give him ideas, indeed!”

They watched as Harry used the rest of the afternoon and took Hermione to complete submission and then exhaustion. She actually glowed afterward.

“She’s going to be unbearably bossy now trying to get Harry to do it again, Nym.”

“Or maybe she’ll be like Daphne and be completely happy and only want to be dominated occasionally, Sarah.”

“Whichever it is, it will be after three or four days. First she’s going to be sore for a while.”

Everyone chuckled at Marcia’s sally. Lilith looked at Harry, lying on the grass with a huge grin. “So you enjoyed that, Harry?”

“Gods yes, not least finding a way to make her hush for a while.”

Harry’s answer brought laughter; he had driven Hermione right to the edge and then made her be silent and still her mind before he would push her over. Hermione had begged for release before she finally summoned her will and was both silent and still for long enough to please Harry. Harry had then Parseltongued her over the edge and nearly to insanity before she collapsed.

Lilith smiled at Harry. “See? You can use us when we need it. Iiieee, not me, beast! Harry! Haaaarrrrriiiiieeee!”

Selene watched the elegant Lilith be taken down and quickly pushed to orgasm. “How does he do that so fast?”

“Practice, Selene, lots of practice.”

“And you cows kept me out there with that idiot.”

Erika rolled her eyes. “Are you ever going to let that go? Besides, you had fun in that factory; we all saw.”

“In a thousand years or so maybe, and that was like masturbation compared to what Harry does. He’s inside your head and it’s…it’s...well, it’s better than other males.”

Erika hugged her. “So, better now?”

Selene leaned back into her friend. “Yes, still mad but better.”

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Hogwarts
Great Hall
Thursday
6 November 2003
12:11

Ewa looked at Irma as she pushed the bag of Galleons toward her and dropped another by Jean. “What’s this?”

Irma smiled. “Your share of our winnings minus ten percent interest to the group fund as we used the money in it to bet last Sunday when you all were gone. Buy something lacy and cheer His Highness up.”

“Ooooh, I’ll help.”

Jean snickered. “With the buying or the cheering, Charlotte?”

“Both?”

The table laughed gently at Charlotte’s hopeful reply.

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Rome
Ruins under the Palatine
Thursday
6 November 2003
16:41

Michael thrust into the blond and shortly emptied in her belly. He pushed her off his lap and sat resting. The girl, nowhere near release from his ten strokes, stood, snorted in disgust, and walked away. This would be her one and only time with Mr. I got mine and you got hands. Michael would neither notice nor care. There were plenty about.

It had been a long day taking on one hybrid after another of the pack and he just wanted to get a little satisfaction and sleep. He would use some more of them in the morning before training again, and then rest on the eighth before the pack traveled to Salzburg and the abandoned salt mine between there and Bad Reichenhall, from which the Austrian pack leader had been running that region. He would dominate him and then move on the French pack leader and then the Russian. Then he would see about this western European pack leader and his Duke of Magic ally.

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Godric’s Hollow
Guards Magical Corps Training Area
Monday
10 November 2003
06:00

The crowd watched as the Potter pack flowed over the hills and coursed through the underbrush. Startled red deer fled; the pack pursued but never closed for the kill. They were just running off the adrenaline from watching the fight in Austria.

The crowd returned to their morning workouts and waited for news.

“Harry, did you intend all the females to be faded with us?”

“Only those who didn’t want to submit to Michael, Nym.”

“We could have waited, Harry. Even with his hybrid abilities he’ll be down for a day.”

“I know, Erika, he just doesn’t learn well. Hopefully this little exercise was instructional for him.”

“Selene, what are you doing?”

“My fur is sideways or something; it feels all wrong.”

The bonded froze momentarily and then chuckled. Selene was spinning around as if chasing her tail. Harry galloped to her, pushed her down, and covered her.

“Well, that will put her fur on straight right enough.”

“Minerva!”

“What, Nym? It always helps me.”

Harry was lying tied with a bemused Selene as her mates chortled.

“That feeling is the Warg or perhaps the lycanthrope version of randy Selene.”

“Thanks, Hestia. Harry, you could warn a girl before you come jabbing three feet of Harry in her.”

“It’s not three feet—besides, you liked it.”

“Near enough, Harry, and Selene’s right, it’s only polite.”

“Yes, Susan.”

“Harry, before we were distracted we were discussing the female lycanthropes you faded with us?”

“Oh yeah. Well, I thought any who didn’t want to be, errrh, with Michael should just come with us and well, here they are, Sarah.”

“Harry, it’s all the females from both packs!”

“That’s nothing to do with me. Na Wen asked them.”

“Speaking of which, as soon as you’re through filling poor Selene to bursting perhaps you would care to lead us to the Castle, o great pack leader. Unless, of course, you want the Realm looking at all of us naked.”

Harry gave a little experimental tug and was rewarded with a displeased growl. Selene was liking being full to bursting, which was keeping Harry that way. Harry sighed and concentrated and the pack disappeared from the Hollow and reappeared in the truly comical master bedroom. They lounged as the sun rose and then greeted and treated the new girls as they turned back to humans. Selene reluctantly released Harry, or rather stopped flexing on him so he would shrink enough to release, and then turned human. She got a giant lick from waist to forehead as a reward and chased Harry into the tub.

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Potter Castle
Briefing Theater
(VTC to the Imperial Palaces)
Monday
10 November 2003
08:00

“No, Sergei, he was badly wounded, not killed.”

“Yes, my Tsar, I saw that, but what is your assessment of his capabilities? I saw a weak fighter fighting another weak fighter. Or two very evenly matched amateurs.”

Harry grinned. “Add powerful to that last and I think you have it. If he learns from this fight he’ll probably be a match for both the French and the Russian hybrid pack leaders, but he is no match for Peter and certainly not a match for me even in my natural form.

“The trainers are studying the memories, however, and assure me they’ll have an uprated PT program in place for us tomorrow.”

Harry paused as the groan went up around the rooms. He smiled. “Oh, come on. You were all getting bored anyway. As a side note, Sergei, the females of both packs returned with us and are being interviewed now. They will be found work and assigned to units as appropriate—perhaps their own, we’ll have to see.”

“Any other questions?” Harry looked at the screens and around the room. “All right then, the orders still stand. All units watch your assigned targets and report. Only take down their members if they appear to be attempting to turn those not already vampire or lycan.”

The Officers and senior NCOs popped to attention and saluted, and Harry smiled at them as he returned a very crisp and correct hand salute.

Harry sat and the watching command trainers started their normal after-Harry-performed conversation. “Not bad, right tone, light but not too light. Got the information across rapidly and clearly.”

“Yes, but now they know we’re not upset, Dad.”

“One can’t keep all secrets, Andrew; some have to be shared. Selene was a big hit though, almost a distracter until they realized she’s bonded.”

Phillip barked a laugh. “What do you mean almost, Dan? I thought a couple of the Veela were going to have to leave.”

“She’s a fine figure of a woman, Phillip.”

“And that catsuit leaves nothing to the imagination.”

“And she is right here!”

Lilith smiled. “Don’t let them bother you, dear. They have nothing better to do. They do have a point, though. Parvati can work with you on some other clothes. Time to give up the leather, at least on the outside.”

“But Lilith, I like my look and it’s easy.”

Parvati grinned. “Don’t be lazy, Selene. Besides, it doesn’t take that much effort to look good in different things, and with you pregnant some changes were going to have to be made anyway.”

Selene struggled in a “Mother Molly” hug and then just gave in. “And so quickly. You have been a busy girl!”

“Mother!”

The room chuckled at Ginny’s outraged bark.

Harry took the opportunity. “Molly, I’m so sorry about the twins and their new bonded.”

Molly looked up from her minute examination of Selene. “It’s fine, Harry. I told them to be more careful, and as always they ignored me. At least this way they only got turned and I don’t have to bury them like I would if they blew up their lab. Besides, they seem happy, so there we are. It was a bit of a shock, but the turning fixed them right up. Besides, Marcia says the cure will come so we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Everyone in the room stared for a moment. Molly had certainly come a long way in the ten years Harry had known her. Surrounded by grandbabies, she was nearly unflappable.

Frank looked at Harry. “Don’t even start. Romilda may send you a thank-you note; she’s very pleased with Neville as a werewolf. Apparently she’s always wanted a dog around the place. Oh, that sounded bad!”

Laughter filled the briefing room at the incredulous stare Alice Longbottom directed at her husband.

Selene sat frowning, though, and Erika couldn’t stand it any more. “Out with it, Selene, don’t sit there eating your liver.”

Selene favored her partner with a glare but answered, “I wonder when Michael will get picked up by a stone? I mean, I scanned him lightly last night and he impressed me as evil.”

Speculation erupted in the bond. Harry shook his head. “Self-centered and uncaring, perhaps, but not distinctly evil. Amanda’s term is ‘user’. I don’t believe he intends to hurt others to get ahead, with perhaps the exception of me, and the fight last night bears that out. He was presented several opportunities for the kill but went for domination instead, even to his detriment.”

Emmeline nodded and added, “I think we’ll see how finely the stones discriminate as he moves in the world and crosses the lines.”

Phillip frowned. “Which brings up an issue, Harry. What will you do with him as he’s not evil, simply bent on your destruction, somewhat unknowingly even?”

Harry opened his mouth but Selene answered first. “If he can’t be turned from his course he must be destroyed. He would forever be a rallying point for the hybrids who think like him.”

Allessandro nodded and added, “We risk creating a martyr for the lycan hybrids, though. The lycan hybrid females who bond our Harry should be put in the public eye soon and often.”

The bonded gave Harry a glare at his great sigh. Edward’s Sophie laughed. “Such a burden. Poor Harry.”

Harry’s fish impersonation broke up the group. After his “Oy, you!” they drifted off to their daily tasks.

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Potter Castle
Master’s Study
Thursday
20 November 2003
14:04

Harry sat at his desk, thinking. He was finally alone for a few minutes. The last month had been a whirlwind, noticeable only if you were in it.

The mates had, to all appearances, gone back to their routines and as far as the general populace was concerned the hybrid problem was under control. It was in fact, too; the only flies in the ointment continued to be outsiders and Michael.

Allessandro, Bellatrix, Rita, and their associate mates were running a masterful campaign of political influence and media manipulation that was nicely navigating the knife-edge of public opinion and keeping the outlaw hybrids marginalized without demonizing them. The first orders of business in the Realm’s Parliament had been several bills reinforcing the fact that the hybrids were to be treated no differently than any other citizen and were subject to the full scope of the law. Several cases had come up at court and they had resulted in exactly the same punishments as any other citizen would have gotten.

The hybrid females had been flocking to Harry and in some cases bringing their males with them. They were accepted, interrogated, found work, and put into training for the magical forces, as were any other citizens.

Universally the unbonded females petitioned for a mating and Hermione added them to the list. Five had already bonded and nine had achieved a mate bond. They publicly wore the Potter tartan at all times, as did the other mates. They also went out of their way to be kind, courteous, and hard working, knowing they were under a microscope.

Glenda was very taken with them and so far extolled their virtues at any opportunity. The rest of the press picked up the mantra.

The unbonded male hybrids were a slightly different story—okay, horse of a totally different color then. They liked to line at up at the dueling list on Sunday and challenge Harry. Harry had started taking them on in groups and defeating them in detail. Occasionally one would present a momentary challenge, but only because of the no-permanent-injury rule. Harry had yet to need to shift from his human.

These very physical duels had added a dimension to the dueling that had not existed before, though, and the magical troops immediately took advantage of it. Their training included what the training cadres referred to as combatives and what was in actuality hand to hand combat training. The dueling association had to scramble to teach the judges what could be considered legal and what should be a foul. The hand to hand trainers, many of them experts in martial artsm had been happy to advise and now helped in the judging.

Romilda had in fact come and thanked Harry for saving Neville and then amused the mates and embarrassed Neville with stories of her big cuddly wolf. The hybrids had found out Neville was not to be trifled with, however. What he lacked in strength over them he easily made up for with magic, and sheer bloody-mindedness as Phillip said.

That brought another thought to Harry’s mind. Most of the lycan and vampires of the world were apparently Squibs. Very, very few were full magic users. It answered part of the riddle of the virus and its origins. Alexander Corvinus had been a Squib or untrained wizard; the virus had killed his people but not him. He passed the virus and the magic gene to his progeny. The virus was lethal to Mundane but used the magic of the Squibs to its and their benefit. That explained the low percentage of bitten who turned. They had to have a certain amount of magic or they died.

With Selene’s blood, great strides were being made and a cure was near, the only problem being that the cure would kill the elder vampire and werewolves as it killed the virus that was sustaining them past their normal span. At least Marcia, Melissa, and Jennifer thought so.

Emmeline, Marietta, Cho, and their crew were running around filling the bond with distributed node analysis and prediction, whatever that was, but they seemed happy so Harry left them to it. To him it was simple. The more powerful the bond got was predicated by the number of mates and their power levels.

Of course Lilith and the other stones threw that off a little, as to Harry they seemed to function like batteries, absorbing all the magic that happened in their sphere of control, so really there was very little waste and additionally, once aware, they seemed to generate their own magic as well as store wild or undirected magic.

Harry didn’t see what the big deal was. They could all do just about anything they conceived of, so what did it matter? In his opinion it wasn’t the power level that mattered but the ability to visualize the end result and then backtrack, breaking it down into steps that made sense. Once you got it clear in your head you just kind of nudged the magic and it flowed through the steps and you ended up with what you wanted. Well, most of the time. Sometimes things took on a life of their own or something. Who knew that statue of Rowena Ravenclaw had had amorous intentions? Harry had barely escaped.

Speaking of which, the Gray Lady was a regular now and seemed to be gaining—errh—corporeality maybe—whatever—as was Myrtle, who was quite the little minx and had a very active imagination when it came to thinking up things that led to a belly full of Harry. One more session of oral sex in public at Hogwarts and he would have to say something; robes only hid so much. Marilyn was still the only bonded spirit but it was okay. Myrtle deserved a little attention after nothing had been done to her killer, and the Gray Lady was very intriguing and very lovely. Harry blushed a little; he still couldn’t believe he was having sex with these women—well, ghosts—and had his bonded too. If it wasn’t for his mental link with them and knowing they approved, he would have never even contemplated this.

Harry continued his review. Michael had healed and had been training hard. He was better but still no match for one of the bonded. He was going to go after the French outlaw hybrid pack leader this weekend. That was good, as it would free up resources to watch the hybrid vampires who had not offered loyalty. They were finally gelling into covens. Depending on his injuries, Michael apparently planned to move immediately on the Russian outlaw pack leader. That worthy had sent out feelers to Harry but had been told he would have to submit unconditionally. He had refused and so now was training to fight Michael. That would be the true test for Michael as the Russian was an elder lycanthrope and had maintained his independence by force.

Michael’s plan, as briefed to his lieutenants, was to move to defeat the Russian pack leader as soon as possible after the French and then move rapidly to England to find and subdue the western European pack leader and then destroy this human Duke of Magic. Then they would isolate and dominate the hybrid vampire covens. Michael would take Selene as his queen to control the hybrid vampires and they would live happily ever after.

Harry chuckled. Yes, never mind governance or the rule of law, schools, medical care, raising food, producing goods, and providing distribution of any of the above. Happily ever after would be the order of the day. Supposedly Michael was educated; he had been studying Mundane medicine before he was turned, after all. How could he be so stupid?

The good thing was that Michael kept crossing intent-based stones in his travels and none had acted against him. So he was not evil, just dangerously shortsighted and naïve. He could perhaps be educated. “Stop laughing. Why do you all do that every time I get my hopes up?”

“Because we don’t see it happening, Harry. He’ll try for Selene, and either you or she will kill him. Probably her.”

“Too bloody right, Chu. Philandering bastard, he just wanted in my pants. He never cared about me and now he just wants to use me to control the vampire hybrids and oh, by the way, relieve his urges in me like he was doing with the lycan hybrid girls. You killed Death Eaters for those same reasons with very little other crime, Harry. Michael is going to go too far and kill someone and then the stones will snatch him up. You will either enslave him or kill him.”

Luce Caponegro Potter, late of Michael’s Italian hybrid pack, concurred. “He is a user at best, Harry. Perhaps not intentionally, but the results are the same.”

Harry was a little unsure, as all the women had been offended by Michael’s treatment of women, and then he had a Eureka! kind of moment. That ill treatment of women was the most telling indicator of all!

Harry was swamped in the flood of warm feelings the mates sent his way and for the first time understood how they felt when he “thanked” them in the bond.

He sat panting for a moment and then leaned his head back in his chair. That was very different. Hmm, have to work on making them all that happy at one time some more. Back to Michael. So let him do his thing, keep them under observation, and keep stopping their attempts on Mundane—meanwhile keep the vampire hybrid work going, not that it was hard between Amelia and himself, they fell right in line normally, and keep heading back to normality. Or rather to normality, as they had never not had someone to fight.

Now back to this magic versus alternating current problem.

“Daddy, you may have to take Charlotte.” Jean flounced into the study and flung herself into a chair. Ewa followed sedately, pushed her partner upright in the chair, and sat gently.

Harry looked up in surprise. “Errrh, aren’t you supposed to be in school?”

“Free period. Daddy, I wanted to talk to you. Charlotte is driving us crazy; all she can do is make moon eyes at you or daydream about you.”

“I’m not going to have sex with some girl just to get her to act like you think she should, Jean. Did you talk to your mother about this?”

Ewa looked at Jean. “Told you. Next time you’ll listen. Let’s go find Nym.”

“You go ahead, Ewa. I want to talk to Daddy a minute.”

“Sure, talk, right. Remember, you talk with your mouth not your bottom.”

“EWA!”

“Hehehe!” Ewa skipped from the study.

“Jean, what are you doing?” Harry watched as Jean stood up and her robes puddled at her feet. He never got to ask a second time, or rather didn’t have to, as it became obvious rather quickly as the chair went over backwards when Jean leapt into his lap. Harry smiled and pulled her forward and into a very nice position. A surprised Jean eeeped and braced herself with her hands in his hair as a very talented tongue found all the right spots.

Hermione sighed and updated her list without interrupting her lecture on the logarythmic function of magical prime numbers. The youngest mates were so unpredictable.

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Potter Castle
Master’s Study
Thursday
20 November 2003
14:55

Jean smiled and finished fastening her robe. She scampered over and kissed Harry and Qiao Park Potter, who had faded in and taken Harry in her mouth just as he came. Qiao had then straddled him and sank onto him. If she was going to help the intent-bonded she was going to get some Harry time out of the deal. Not that what she got already was bad, but a girl had needs. Jean had smiled and dressed hurriedly as she had class to get to.

Nym and the Alphas faded into the study as Jean faded out. They found Qiao braced against the desk and grinding hard. They waited patiently. “Qiao is going to be pregnant again, I bet.”

Na Wen looked at Qiao and smiled. “No bet, Sarah, that’s what she’s after.”

Lilith looked at Qiao and closed her eyes for a moment. “From this time but tomorrow, I think. Harry’s swimmers are going to have a long paddle.”

Nym opened her mouth and Marcia said, “We have it, Nym, we’ll watch her. It’s amazing we haven’t had an ectopic pregnancy yet,” across the bond.

Nym nodded. “Okay, while they’re busy and just to confirm, we believe Charlotte Camp is found and want one of us to go check her.” Her sister Alphas nodded.

Qiao squealed and Harry pulled her back into his chest. Qiao snuggled in and lay with a little contented smile. Harry smiled, kissed the back of her neck, and installed his normal warming charm. “Why are we discussing Charlotte, Nym? Usually you all just go check.”

Sarah answered, “Well, you’re going to take Rose Zeller from Hufflepuff this year already, so that will be two from one house if what we felt from Ewa is true and Charlotte doesn’t want to wait.”

Harry was confused. “I wasn’t aware there was a quota.”

The Alphas chuckled and Lilith answered, “There isn’t, Harry; perceptions, however, are hazardous things. If it appears to be an issue we’ll ‘disappear’ one of them.”

Harry shook his head. “I hate doing that. Let’s talk to Charlotte—well, one of you—and if she’s found we’ll talk to her parents. If someone has a problem they can come talk to me about it. Speaking of Rose, how is she?”

Nym smiled. “Still okay, Harry. Probably an intent-binding over the holidays, though; she’s starting to wear down. Okay, we’ll leave you two to ‘study’ some more.”

The Alphas came over and kissed Harry and Qiao and then faded back to whatever they had been doing. Harry blew off studying and spent some time examining the lovely Qiao on one of the leather sofas. Her palm-sized breasts seemed to be a very interesting portion of her anatomy as they received a lot of attention. Of course Qiao enjoyed his apparent interest in Braille reading with another portion of his anatomy as he never left her and his long, slow strokes seemed designed to read every bump and wrinkle of her birth canal. Eventually they napped in preparation for dinner.

Harry awoke and sent his thanks to Winky for covering him and Qiao with a blanket, as apparently it was children’s time, if the little sea of young faces that stared up at them from the floor were any indicator. Harry applied some skilled conjuration and flipped the blanket back off of himself and Qiao, both fully clothed.

“Sorry, Daddy, we didn’t mean to wake you and Mum Qiao,” Tatum, Janet Carruthers Potter’s eldest daughter announced; she appeared to be the spokeschild.

“You didn’t, sweetie. We were just napping. What can I do for you?”

Tatum smiled brightly. “Hide and seek until dinner?”

Harry smiled and laid out the boundaries.

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Godric’s Hollow
Sports Ground
Saturday
22 November 2003
09:00

“And here we go, ladies and gentlemen, the first games of the day underway. The Calgary Campus Gryffindors versus the Woolabiller Slytherin.”

“And a very full Ducal box today, ladies and gentlemen. Many of His Highness’ hybrid ladies are here to be seen, and what a lovely sight they are. These, my friends, are very fit ladies.”

Bruce smiled and leaned back as his anchors got going. Time to think about adding some color or maybe just another correspondent to the dueling, though. Boxlighter was terrific, no question, but the letters and wemails were full of requests for coverage of other than list one and stage one. Who was that Auror chap? Moody, that’s it—Alastor Moody. Horrible looking fellow, but he knew the dueling. Hmmm, perhaps Krissy could do some of that makeup magic she was famous for.

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Harry sat sunk in the bond but to all outside appearances following the Quidditch. Zsuzsa and Shelly had worked their way into the abandoned theater in Paris and stood on a disused catwalk high in the flyspace looking directly down on the impending fight.

Michael was starting early today. “You attracting all the females might have something to do with that, Harry; he’s had very few distractions lately.”

“It’s not my fault, Zsuzsa.”

“It’s not a fault thing, Harry, just a fact. Now watch, here we go.”

As the bonded watched through Zsuzsa and Shelly, Michael and the French pack leader taunted each other. Gabrielle provided some comic relief. “I vave my bottom in your general directione, filthy Englis knnnnigget!”

The bond paused in shocked disbelief at her over-the-top fake French accented Monty Python rip-off and then roared with laughter. Gabrielle continued in her normal voice. “Why do they always posture so? Just get in there and fight. Pffft, like we have nothing better to do. Harry, if this runs long I am not watching. Beauxbatons is up on pitch three next.”

“Oh, that’s Durmstrang. Someone will have to relieve me; I want to see the game,” Zsuzsa announced.

“Never mind, you two, here they go.”

“Finally! Hmmm, both strong and fast but nothing special.”

“Ouch! Bet that leaves a mark.”

“Hey, that’s not fair, no biting testicles.”

Harry grimaced. “Have to watch out for that.”

“Yes, you will. We like our testicles right where they are, thank you very much!”

“Eugenie!”

“Oh Mum, lighten up. It’s just us in here.”

“Shhhh. Look, that testicle-biting thing pissed Michael off. He has him now. That’s a good choke hold; Claude will be unconscious in a minute.”

“And there we are.”

Harry and the bonded watched as Michael gathered himself and howled the challenge. There were no takers. He then swung slowly around and walked away, leading the rest of the combined pack. Zsuzsa and Shelly followed. They went straight to the Gare de l’Est and boarded a train for Budapest. Zsuzsa and Shelly sighed and followed.

“Feh, we know where he’s going. Come home, Zsuzsa. You too, Shelly.”

“We’ll pick him up when he gets here, Harry.”

“Thank you, Miyoko. You and Ai be careful.”

“Of course, Harry; now watch the game.”

Harry spent the rest of the day in what he considered his Duke mode, watching the games and being seen watching. Of course as the day wore on the Potter children elected a spokeschild and wrangled a trip to the promenade. As usual, they had to pay for their trip by having the older children be horribly embarrassed by Da’s ridiculous smooching with Susan Mum on the promenade in front of the entire realm. Glenda was ecstatic and talking so fast that if it hadn’t been for the MTV cameras hovering around her the audience would not have been able to follow the play by play.

The games wound down and the realm hied off home in good order to prepare for tomorrow, Sunday of course being the big day.

Harry wandered a bit and found Lisa Cole sitting on the Quodpot pitch sidelines. “Lisa, are you all right?”

“Oh, fine, Harry. A little tired, but it was a good day.” Harry stood behind her and gently worked her shoulders. “Mmmm, thank you, lover.”

Harry smiled and continued his firm, gentle massage. “Lisa, are you ever going to publicly acknowledge our bond?”

Lisa stiffened. “Harry, you know I would but if I’m going to continue to work in the Mundane world I really can’t. They don’t know and can’t know about the Clan, and the speculation about you and me draws audience share in the wizarding world.”

“Easy, baby, you know I don’t mind. I was just curious.”

Lisa thought for a moment. “You know I will eventually; the kids are getting to be school age and children are cruel, unintentionally so but still. I think here in the wizarding world, at least, it’s time.”

“So the kids aren’t going to Mundane school?”

“Harry, stop. That was never an option and you know it. The accidental magic alone guarantees they can’t go to Mundane school. I can see it now—a Mundane gradeschool full of frogs because they made Noelle mad.”

Harry smirked. Noelle’s accidental magic was legend and somehow bypassed the Weasley family magic, mainly because it was actually harmless but very, very powerful. Mass Transfiguration of her siblings was not uncommon. “Might do the little blighters some good. It cures the boys of picking on the girls for weeks at a time.”

Lisa chuckled. “Walk me to the booth, you wag. I need to talk to Bruce and then you can take me home and finish what you started.”

“Me? What did I start?”

“Like you don’t know, Mr. I can rub her all over at the same time. How do you do that?”

“It’s entirely your fault. I mean sure, you all look good pregnant, but damn, Lisa!”

Lisa smiled smugly. Sure it was a gift from the Creator, but still a girl could be proud. “Thank you, Harry. Come on, smooth talker.” She held up her hand and Harry lifted her to her feet.

Harry escorted Lisa to the back of the broadcast booth and waited while she talked to a very nervous Bruce Titterhorn. Percy, Daniel, and Glenda were running the pool on when he would wet his pants, all the while smirking at Harry’s frown. Soon enough, Harry led Lisa away and Bruce collapsed in exhaustion without losing control. The media people were crushed.

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Godric’s Hollow
Sports Ground
Sunday
23 November 2003
09:00

“What’s he doing?”

Nym raised a brow at this explosion from her mate. “Who, Harry?”

“Michael! He’s wandering around Yekaterinburg like a lost soul.”

“He’s looking over the area, Harry.”

“His people did that a week ago.”

Sarah smiled. “He’s not bonded, Harry. He doesn’t see what they see.”

“Oh, yeah, okay.”

The mates chuckled. Harry thought for a moment. “His levels will be down, he hasn’t rested much.”

The bonded stopped and concentrated a moment. Finally Nym asked, “Harry, do you really care if he’s killed?”

“Well yes, Nym. I mean, all these injuries and turnings have to have been for something. Errrh, sorry, Selene, that came out wrong. You and our babies of course are worth it, but I was thinking of a higher purpose. I want Michael alive so we can test his blood,; perhaps he holds the key to the virus.”

Selene nodded. “Better, Harry, and yes, I knew what you meant. I was thinking along the same lines. Don’t get me wrong, I won’t give you up, but that could have been accomplished easier than this and I like to believe I was tortured by fate for some reason other than me being an ass. Why did the visions always point to Michael and why do they still? I’ll not have him near me, though, as I’m not sure I’ll be able to restrain myself.”

Na Wen thought for a moment. “Harry, you’re just going to have to dominate him. Either that or we’ll have to cage him like William Corvinus was, and that will drive him mad.”

Feeling Harry’s disquiet in the bond, the mates finally turned and looked. Jean rolled her eyes. “Don’t pout, Daddy, just do it. You know Mum’s right.”

Harry’s burgeoning pout morphed into a look of consternation and the mates laughed and turned back to the games while watching for Michael through Miyoko and Ai.

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Yekaterinburg
Tractor Factory 22 (Abandoned)
Sunday
23 November 2003
14:38

Michael warily approached the group of hybrids leading his pack. A channel opened into the center of the group and there in a cleared circle was an enormous man. Michael recognized him from the photos, and dispensing with everything, charged. He changed as he ran and hit the Russian pack leader as a full hybrid.

The first contact gave desultory results and the combatants circled warily as the packs growled and mock-charged each other. Michael saw what he thought was an opening and darted in, only to be raked heavily along his left side. He got in a crushing blow and a vicious bite and withdrew again. First blood to the Russian, though.

The packs had now squared off, and as their leaders were fully engaged they grappled with each other over the huge final assembly room.

Michael, more cautious now, defended against a charge and got in a solid thrust with a stiffened hand but got raked heavily in return. He was now bleeding freely. He tried to withdraw but the Russian kept pressing his attack home. Soon they were in a swirling maelstrom on the floor and both were being mauled. The packs were in a general melée.

“They’ve lost control, Harry.”

“Yes, Miyoko, we see. Let’s get ready.”

Aksinya, the duty officer, sent, “Alert sent, Harry. The Guards Corps will be ready in five minutes.”

“Okay, Aksinya. You have overall command; secure the perimeter. The mates and I will be fading in on top of the hybrids. Get ready, ladies, and let’s pick targets. I want them down as soon as possible when they’re within reach. Kill if you have to. I’ll fade us all at one time.”

The bonded tensed and watched the fight. The magical corps meanwhile scrambled to get to the transport stones as Clem and the elf logistics unit popped the other halves of the stone pairs into place outside the factory.

Michael and the Russian pack leader finally broke apart momentarily and then closed again. They both appeared to have been hit by a runaway lawnmower.

Harry waited and watched; he wasn’t really sure what he was waiting for, but he felt it was significant.

Soon Michael began to achieve the upper hand in this battle of attrition and he managed a chokehold on the Russian. Just as the Russian went out, Harry faded the mates.

Fifteen seconds later the combined hybrid packs of western, Central, and eastern Europe were unconscious and thirty seconds after that they were in cells. Before Glenda fully registered they were gone the mates were back and settling in their seats.

“Well, a bit anticlimactic, that.”

Nym stared at Harry for a moment. “They’re just in cells, Harry, they aren’t under control.”

“And I don’t think Michael is going to make it.”

“Marcia? Anything I can do?”

“You and Lilith had better come, Harry. Michael and the Russian pack leader are going to die, I think.”

Harry nodded and he and Lilith faded away as the Guards Magical Corps returned to base. In the infirmary they found a cleaned and not bleeding Michael, but he was very obviously not well. Harry stepped close and felt for Michael. He sighed and bit his wrist, holding it to Michael’s and then the Russian pack leader’s lips for a few seconds each.

Lilith watched. “Is he so important, Harry? We could have easily not gone that extra mile.”

Harry shrugged. “Something keeps telling me he is important.”

Marcia had watched the two pack leaders critically and nodded. “Well, they’ll live. Amazing really, only the mates and hybrids can take your blood.” Marcia suddenly smiled. “Only the mates and hybrids.”

The bond exploded as Marcia and her group started speculating. Harry smiled and faded himself and Lilith into the seats on either side of Sarah Ramos Potter.

Sarah turned from Harry and hid her face in Lilith’s breast. Harry smiled and touched her head. “Harry, no!”

“It’s a spot, Sarah. We all got them. It’s not Mount Whitney.”

“But nobody else has one noooowww!” Sarah wailed and shifted from Lilith’s breast to Harry’s lap with a hand covering her cheek.

The mates could only chuckle at Harry’s horrified face. He still didn’t deal with crying witches well. Nym sighed and waved. As the nanny elves brought the infants into the now Occluded box the teenaged mates got some tuition in skin care both magical and Mundane from their sisters.

Harry listened with interest and provided amusement with his wondering why he didn’t get spots now and had never really gotten many. A quick mental survey revealed that very many of the mates didn’t have a problem with acne now but a few had and the newest still did. Those mates suddenly found themselves at the center of the medical- and fashion-conscious mates’ attention.

Harry settled back and watched the games while monitoring Michael and the other captured hybrids through Lilith.

Phillip turned to Andrew and gave him a raised brow. He got an eloquent shrug in return. Harry and the bonded went from combat footing to domestic bliss so fast it was bewildering.

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Godric’s Hollow
Sports Ground
Sunday
23 November 2003
22:18

Harry stood on the pitch with a frown, contemplating the latest convicts. The high spot was that they were not capital cases. The low was that they were a group of children. The kids had been running a criminal enterprise—or rather, trying to. They had some complicated setup going with electronic media and computers that Harry didn’t understand.

The Wizengamot was up in arms about intellectual property rights and making an example, and Harry did understand that concerned people should be compensated for their work. But the kids had come up with a method to share information over the WWWW that included a Gringotts account set up for payment so the copyright holders would be compensated. The problem seemed to be that they didn’t enforce payment and left it to the people downloading the information to pay the fee. They had happily turned over the account when asked.

“Teanni?”

“It is possible to track the downloaders, Harry? Then we could demand payment.”

“Seems to me the downloaders are the real criminals here. These kids just figured out a method to make the material available.”

Harry waved and the twenty-two children found themselves wearing a Warg’s head. “You will work with Duchess Teanni Kai Potter to track down the people who downloaded the material and recover payment for the copyright holders.

“Any who resists paying will be judged and found guilty of theft.”

Harry chuckled at the surprised start from the crowd in the sports ground. He suspected by tomorrow these kids’ marks would fade as the Realm rushed to avoid an embarrassing moment on the pitch. Besides, who knew when Duke Firestarter would show up?

Hestia closed Court and the bonded faded away.

Harry landed in the Dragon’s Den and the afterparty got underway. Harry was also celebrating taking Michael and the lycan hybrids with no losses. It was a grand time as Harry opened the dancing with his own version of a strip show. Andrew rolled on the floor laughing but the mates went wild, first laughing, wolf-whistling, and catcalling; but that soon changed as Harry stopped being campy and got down to work. Soon it was time for Andrew to leave and Angie, Simone, and Katharine, Harry’s mate bonded and Andrews full bonded, were only to happy to lead him away.

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Potter Castle
Dragon’s Den
Monday
24 November 2003
06:34

The bonded returned uptime for the fifth time and this time didn’t spin the Time-Turners again. Harry had completely let his hair down and released all restraints on his compulsion, as had Amelia and Selene. Fifteen days of completely uninhibited hedonism had followed and now even the elves were tired from cleaning the Dragon’s Den.

“Harry, you’re going to have to stop grinning like a simpleton.”

“I can’t, Nym. I relax and my face just goes like this.”

Nym rolled her eyes and looked around, Amelia Fastida, Selene, and quite a few others had the same silly grins. If she relaxed for a moment her face assumed the same expression. Oh well, nothing for it. She opened the door of the Dragon’s Den and stopped short. Agnes took one look, huffed, and stamped away. The bonded collapsed in laughter.

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Potter Castle
Deep Hold
Monday
24 November 2003
09:00

“Griselda, why are we here?” Augusta asked, indicating the entire Wizengamot which was seated in a gallery running around the huge hold.

“Because our Liege summoned us, Augusta. I got the same visit from a Potter Elf as you did. However, as it is now nine and Hestia is on the floor down there, I think we’re going to find out.”

Harry faded into view and the hold shifted to a dark and brooding audience chamber. The Wizengamot gallery was in shadow and Silencioed.

Harry handed Nym up onto the dais and seated her on the right-hand crushed velvet covered, Tyrian purple, mithril legged, curule chair and himself on the leftmost. He nodded and Michael Corvin appeared thirty feet in front of him.

Michael felt himself fade and suddenly he was standing in front of a young man and woman, a very attractive woman, seated on a raised dais and wearing some sort of tartan. Where the hell was he? The young man spoke. “Good morning, Michael. My name is Harry Potter. You are currently in my house in Scotland. We picked you up after your fight with Gregory yesterday. How are you feeling?”

Michael thought about saying “ill” as memories and flashes coursed through his mind, but he kept silent. The young man continued. “I see. Well, let me introduce my wife, the Duchess Nymphadora.”

He indicated the gorgeous creature to his right and a flash crossed Michael’s mind. Duchess Nymphadora, the Duchess of Magic, First among Equals. This was the Duke of Magic. Almost faster than the eye could follow, Michael morphed to his hybrid and charged straight into the right cross from the young man. He never even saw him move before he found himself on the ground with black and green stripes filling his vision.

The young man continued somewhat coldly. “Michael, it’s going to be a long day if you try it that way.”

Michael stood slowly and faced the Duke of Magic. “So you use your magic, then? Why not fight fair?”

“Call me Harry, Michael. And know that I have not yet used magic. I’m faster and stronger than you, aside from better trained and a seasoned warrior. As are my wives, quite a few of my vassals, and some of my children. Please don’t try that again as I might miss and Miriam might kill you next time.”

Michael’s senses became aware of the enormous wolf shapes with the glowing green eyes in the gloom. “So, Harry, you won’t fight like a man and you have your dogs to assist you. Fine. We will see who wins.”

Michael woke up a few minutes later looking at a smiling Harry. “Well, now that’s out of the way, here’s what we’ll do.”

Michael charged and this time Harry left him unconscious after the uppercut that stopped him. “He’s a bit thick, isn’t he? What were you thinking, Selene?”

Selene blushed and snapped, “That you had abandoned me, Harry.”

Harry grimaced. “Uh, sorry. I wasn’t exactly trying to be a lout, it just happens sometimes.”

Even Selene had to chuckle. Griselda harrumphed; every time Michael was unconscious Harry lowered the Silencio. “Harry, stop playing with him and beat him badly but more slowly. He’s too thick to get what’s happening to him.”

“I was hoping to avoid that, actually, Madam Marchbanks.”

“And you might if you weren’t dealing with an idiot, but I think he’s proven beyond any measure that you’re going to have to be cruel to be kind in this case.”

Harry sat grumbling and Augusta announced, “I call the question.”

Griselda smiled at her friend. “Should His Highness dominate the hybrid Michael Corvin?”

The Wizengamot, deprived of their lights, raised their right hands as Griselda did—unanimously.

Griselda turned back to the floor to find Harry silently mocking. “Stop that, young man, and go to work.”

The assembly chuckled as Harry adopted his “who, me?” caught schoolboy face.

Harry descended the dais again and woke Michael with an Ennervate. Michael sprang to his feet and attacked. Harry gave what was, to him, a moderately paced lesson in self defense and waited while Michael exhausted himself. At the end Michael could only bellow in frustration as Harry held him down with a foot and smiled at him as Marcia, Melissa, and Jennifer came forward, scanned him, and offered several potions. They ended up forcing the potions into Michael, another lesson in and of itself.

Harry waved and the gloom was gone from the deep hold. Michael looked around at the thousands in the gallery and Selene sitting above and behind the stool the Duke had been sitting on and knew defeat. There was only contempt in her eyes. Michael’s already sagging shoulders slumped.

Harry nodded at him. “Wise choice, Michael. I can’t let you win and we have miles to go, you and I. There are many, many more important things in the world than a failed romance. Now let’s get started.”

Michael was raised by this young power and a gigantic wolf herded him off to the side. He watched as the entirety of all three consolidated hybrid packs faded into view and the Duke released his compulsion. Michael understood how defeated he really was in that instant as he, like all the others in the hall save four women, knelt. The Duke was the Sire, an apparently ancient and massively powerful immortal, more powerful by miles than Marcus had been.