FicWad

Harry Potter and the Witches' Secret
Chapter 30
18 Sept - 7 Oct 1995 (Sidereal)
16 Sept - 7 Oct 1995 (Off Sidereal)

The next nineteen days sidereal and fifty-seven days off sidereal passed with a stable and contented bond. The Royals, vassals, courtiers, and government officials attended the Turns as they could or as they were summoned.

The new bonded were busy learning Harry and their other mates. They were delighted to find that Harry was a little different for each of them. Harry didn't even realize he did it, but as he subconsciously read each bonded his form would alter slightly toward her ideal or her wants of the moment.

After fourteen days of negotiations Gabrielle had flung herself into her bonding, which like Amelia Fastida and Zsuzsa's was a mother-daughter affair. Lorelei was very pleased to find Harry an attentive, giving, and skillful lover for both Gabrielle and herself.

She was not ashamed when they did not fully bond. She had done her duty as a Veela mother, and she had had some of the best sex of her life. She was glad that it was just the once, though; well, maybe she would ask for another sometime, but she was sure she couldn't tolerate being shagged into unconsciousness five times in one night more than once or twice in her life.

Having felt herself conceive, she knew she would transport Harry's genetic material into the Veela nation; and due to the agreement, if Fleur had not bonded in a year she would be mated to Harry permanently.

The unlimited mating privileges the matriarchs had demanded had been a sticking point, but Nym had settled at one Veela a week for Harry's life. The matriarchs would send the most fertile Veela at the peak of their cycles, starting naturally with themselves. Lorelei knew Harry could easily handle the combative Veela matriarchs-she was one of them, after all.

The bonded naturally sorted themselves into groups by interest and continued to work on all the projects that Clan Potter was pursuing.

Harry gave up so many blood samples in so many forms he wondered if the girls were drinking them.

Amelia Fastida did drink some of his blood and they decided to not do that again for a while unless they were desperate. The marathon session of sex that resulted bled over into the bond and Harry was on bed rest for a whole Turn. The mates missed half a Turn themselves. Poppy was furious and laid into Marcia, Melissa, Jennifer, Nym, and Sarah like a fishwife. The mothers and Queen were completely unsympathetic.

After that Harry threw himself into making his bonded happy and reading the Family Book. He and grandfather Charlus seemed to be kindred spirits and there were many parallels in their lives. Charlus was certainly an unstinting writer. He wrote all of his decisions down and then discussed the consequences of those decisions, good or bad. It was helpful to see how things had worked out for him.

Harry got a journal and began the same habit, much to the Ravenclaws' and Hermione's joy. They passed his journal entries around like copies of the map to the San Graal. They dissected them endlessly and then combined them with footnotes in a master journal that was secured with every spell they could think of. If you were not of Potter blood or bound you were not opening that Journal. Elizabeth, being observed sitting in the library reading it, was the cause of many blushing, whispered conversations out of her range of perception.

The only crisis had been when all the Death Eaters in the dungeons began periodically writhing and screaming.

Kyla, surprising herself, was the one who discovered the cause and devised a way to use their pain as a guide to Riddle's condition.

A few moments of concern occurred until they realized that this was the plan and if it was going to succeed they needed the free Death Eaters to get back to Riddle.

They could not know that without a Dark Mark to use, Riddle could not force his Death Eaters to transport to him. The Death Eaters merely thought he was displeased with them and were staying away lest they become a victim of his rage.

Pettigrew, unfortunately or fortunately, clung to life with all his rat tenacity. Harry had made several trips into his mind, but without totally stripping it he could not sort the rat from the man. Harry refused to turn himself into a rat, at least until there was no other option.

Dumbledore improved steadily, since he was not using his magic and a miniscule portion of Harry and the bonded's overflow was being siphoned off to him. He had figured this out by now and was attempting to devise a way to get Harry to end it. He had spent the fortnight since he understood getting his affairs in order. He had prepared his entreaty to Harry. He could not keep using the boy's magic, he felt. He thought Harry was using a significant portion of it and was afraid it would shorten Harry's life.

Riddle managed to force the body he occupied to respond enough to control a wand and had used all of his magic to heal and repair the body as much as he could. He needed sustenance. Where were the Death Eaters? Waking on the morning of the seventh, he sent the call again; but he received the same answer as the last twenty times: nothing. He passed out from the energy he'd expended in the attempt.

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Little Hangleton
7 Oct 1995

Lawrence Crawley looked up at the Manor and was wracked with pain. This had to stop one way or the other. All of the inner circle Death Eaters were incommunicado, so he was being forced to seek out the Master instead of awaiting his instruction as was normal.

He approached the manor house and was nearly overcome by the smell. Steeling himself-it was, after all, not much worse than having to do cleanup after an inner circle revel-he opened the door and entered.

He searched the ground floor and, ascending the stairs, finally found the Master. He would never forget it: the corpse-like body, the stench, and the decaying, obviously gnawed-on corpse of the large snake.

Lawrence took the Master and activated his Portkey.

He landed in the front hall of Crawley House and immediately took the Master to the spare room. He sent his elf for healing potions and got to work trying to clean and heal the Master.

An hour later he had done the best he could. Now he must simply wait.

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Potter Castle
7 October 1995

Harry awoke early on the uptime morning of the seventh with Rosalind wrapped around him and her bright eyes smiling into his.

"Good morning, Rosalind. Maybe you should slow down a little, my love, you're going to hurt yourself."

Rosalind shook her head vigorously and, as Harry kept himself small enough to not hurt her but large enough to fill her completely, rocked herself to orgasm. Harry went with her.

Pansy pushed Rosalind off of Harry and immediately took him in her mouth.

Harry had no problem accommodating any number of his mates at a time at this point, and they came to him as their needs dictated.

He was, however, was taking Nym at least twice a day, much to her pleasure. Secretly she thought she was pregnant, but she was afraid to say anything and jinx it. She knew she had ovulated and she thought she had felt herself conceive the previous night. She lay watching as Harry satiated the complete Venus de Milo that was Pansy and then two of the vampire girls, Oriana and Renee.

The vampire girls as well as the witches and Mundane from the raid had been identified and it was as Antonitus said-most of their families had been killed or turned. Harry, of course, had intent-bound them, so he finished what he started and the bond now stood at two hundred twenty-two. Tonight he would bond an unknown number of werewolves.

They had discussed it amongst themselves and with the Queen. Eugenie had eventually grown tired of the issue and in her very direct way settled it. "Cover them if they let you, Harry. It's not like you'd turn them down if they want you anyway, or they'd be in cells, or will end up in cells."

Harry, Oriana, and Renee finished and Nym pulled Harry to her and snuggled into him. The bonded lay watching them as they fell back asleep.

The bonded went about preparing for the day and Amelia Fastida, Bellatrix, and Allison got Harry and Nym in the bath and cleaned.

Harry woke in the warm water and smiled at his slaves. "You know you could wake us instead of doing all this work."

Bellatrix pouted. "It's our right to be of service to you and the Mistress, Master."

"Okay, Bella, I love you too."

Bella beamed.

"Harry, we have PT. Come on, baby-you too, sweeties."

Harry kissed them all fiercely and broadcast his love and contentment across the bond.

Allison laughed at Nym calling a fifteen-hundred-year-old vampire elder "sweetie". Amelia pouted and pinched her lightly; Allison laughed harder and kissed Amelia. "You are a sweetie! How have you fooled all these vampires all these years?"

"I don't love them." Amelia actually blushed as Harry and Nym's attention snapped to her and Harry took her in his arms for a long, slow, burning kiss that left both of them weak at the knees.

PT was very satisfying that morning, as it was most of the time now.

Hestia found herself on Harry's to-do list before breakfast and after a very satisfying romp she smiled as Harry carried her into the tub. "You know, you just got on Bella for this this morning."

Harry leaned next to her ear. "Shhhh, it's a secret. I enjoy being a slave to all of you as much as she enjoys being mine."

Hestia almost lost consciousness from the surge of power she got from his completely true statement.

Later Colette, one of the Mundane girls from the raid, slipped into the tub and onto Harry.

Hestia smiled, wondering when the first of them would do magic. There could be no question the bond was changing them.

Harry arrived at breakfast leading the bonded with Nym on his arm.

As it was Saturday, the dining room was packed with the Royals, vassals, courtiers, and selected members of both governments. The males in the room popped to their feet as if on springs when they entered and seated the bonded.

Elizabeth studied Nym a moment and then smiled a little Mona Lisa smile. She got the same smile in return from Nym.

"Angelina, what's going on at Hogwarts? Why is my Minerva so disgruntled?"

"Like you don't know, Harry. It's the love boat."

Minerva snorted, "A ship of fools, more like. I caught Seamus and Danielle running down the hall naked, with Millicent in hot pursuit! Apparently some prank gone horribly wrong involving a broom closet."

Harry snorted at the replay of the image.

Andrew smiled. "So all back to normal, then, without the great suppressor on the grounds?"

Minerva looked, if anything, even more disgruntled. Rowena commented, "As much as my lovely Headmistress likes to pretend otherwise, the answer is yes. Without Harry's magic blanketing theirs, the wizards' seeking is actually able to function and the normal amount of couples are forming."

"I don't remember every witch fourth year and above being intent-bonded at least as being normal, Rowena."

"Some years yes and some no, Minerva. The charms are on the witches' dorms, and there are bonded couples' quarters for a reason, after all."

Aurora nodded. "Yes, some of the couples are very fractious and are going to take years to bond properly."

Septima nodded. "Hermione and the Muggleborn witches of this generation are an interesting influence; the witches in school now are not content to be-errrh-"

"Pretty baubles there to provide entertainment and heirs, Septima?"

"Well, yes, Narcissa."

Harry grinned broadly.

"What are you grinning about, Harry? This is entirely your fault."

At Ron's outburst Harry looked at Lavender's pinched face and broke up laughing. Ron followed his eyes and winced.

Charlie looked at Ron and shook his head. "Obviously an example of a fractious bond."

General laughter followed.

Griselda Marchbanks cleared her throat. "Harry, when do you want to do the OWLs and NEWTs?"

"I think the bonded are ready any time, Lady Marchbanks. We don't have a lot of external pressures right now, so why don't we do the OWLs next Friday the thirteenth and the NEWTs the Friday after that, the twentieth?"

"I'd prefer to back that up to the start of the week for time to give them all, Harry. I mean, we haven't tested this many at one time in years, so Monday the ninth and Monday the sixteenth. It will take a while to get through all the bonded, probably two or three days, especially since all of you are going to sit all of the test."

There was a murmur of assent in the bond and Harry nodded.

Nym prodded Harry through the bond and he nodded. "Since this is an uptime day we'll do whatever interrogations are required and then I want to tour the Royal Academy. I'm sure the bonded will want to run some errands and then we'll prepare to run with the pack on the full moon tomorrow."

"That's the royal We, Harry?"

"Errh, no, ma'am-all of us will be able to achieve a wolf form, we think."

Elizabeth blinked.

"We've made a break-through in Transfiguration, ma'am."

Elizabeth blinked again.

Phillip laughed. "Well, that's another first. You've breached her aplomb, Harry."

Elizabeth snapped, "Besides your inane comments, you mean, Phillip."

Phillip winced, and general laughter followed.

Harry rose and raised Nym by her hand and moved to the hall that had been set aside as a court.

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The Wizengamot assumed seats in their gallery and the Royals, vassals, and courtiers assumed seats in the gallery on the opposite wall.

Luna, who had assumed the duties of Clerk of the Duke's Court, looked around ensuring everything was set up and all were ready. She waved her hand and two prisoners appeared in the warded and caged off dock.

"The Court of the Duke of Magic now being in session, the prisoners will be interrogated." She waved again and the prisoners were transported to seats at interrogation tables and the process began.

Shelia and Sally summoned all magical objects from the prisoners and Emmeline, Hestia, and Bill examined them. They found run of the mill items.

Harry, meanwhile, instead of paying attention as usual, was staring at the tally boards that had been installed.

Imprisoned

Non Death Eater:
Cornelius Fudge
Davy Gudgeon

Death Eater:
Severus Snape
Lucius Malfoy
William Avery
Eric Chambers
Greg Goyle Jr.
Vincent Crabbe Jr.
Christopher Yondel
Gilbert Waffling
Jonathan Oakby
Amycus Carrow
Sian Avery
Ludovic Bagman
Darren Mulciber
Evan Rosier Sr.
Cesar Yaxley

14 others

Executed

Delores Umbridge
Charles Saffire
Theodore Nott Sr.
Greg Goyle Sr
Vincent Crabbe Sr.
Theodore Nott Jr.
Blaise Zabini
Draco Malfoy
Rodolphus Lestrange
Alecto Carrow
William Avery
Antonin Dolohov
Ernest Gibbon
Emile Jugson
22 Wizards
39 Mundane
83 Vampires

"Thirty-one in cells, twenty-eight of those awaiting execution, and one hundred fifty-eight already executed."

Was this even doing any good? Sure, attacks were down to almost nothing, but tomorrow night he would surely end up killing a few werewolves. If they took down Fenir and his crew that would be good, probably ending most of the Dark creature attacks. Could such a small number have been causing all this fear and damage?

Malfoy had named one hundred fifty-six Death Eaters. They had accounted for sixty-five-well, sixty-seven if you count these two. That left a hundred and one out there in the world somewhere. Admittedly some were probably dead.

"Ten are in Azkaban, Harry."

"Thank you, Amelia."

So possibly ninety-one out in the world. Why have they not gone to Riddle?

Sally and Shelia, hearing Harry's thoughts, probed harder for a location. Harry perused their memories of the questioning and sighed.

Two wives, and Bickerstaff had three daughters-oh Morgana, he had been abusing them all sexually.

Harry waved his hand and the women appeared.

Shelia and Sally, through questioning the women's husbands, explained what was going on and the women eagerly accepted the Veritaserum.

Harry sat with tears streaming down his face. Miranda Bickerstaff attempted to kneel at his feet after her questioning, but Harry simply pulled her into his lap. She was a near-Squib and had been unable to protect her daughters or herself from Miles Bickerstaff's drunken predations. They had been trapped in that forsaken magical hollow in Wales.

Harry rocked with her on his lap, tears streaming down his face. Her daughters knelt at Harry and Nym's feet. Harry was in agony, knowing he had to cast the Praedia Bellica after killing Miles and knowing what it would mean to these women. At least he thought he knew.

Miranda was an empath, her one full power. She knew what he was feeling. "Your Grace, please, don't leave us to be preyed upon again. We are already your women; give us your full protection."

"And your daughters, milady? What will they say?" Harry looked down into three eager faces and chuckled ruefully.

"Ah. Never mind. And you, Lady Shingelton?"

"My husband is a Death Eater, Your Grace. He is not his brother and it ate away at him; jealousy took him over and he would have power at any cost. That cost stopped involving me two years into our marriage, in 1965. I miss the loving touch of a man. Not the most noble of sentiments, perhaps, but better than being used in a recruiting revel. I would be at least your vassal, if you allow it."

Harry nodded and Shingelton and Bickerstaff appeared in the dueling arena. Harry never even drew his wands. He stepped into the arena, and despite their best defenses both wizards were burning seconds later, both having reported many instances of child abuse. Harry cast the Praedia Bellica successfully, as always, and the entire group moved to the briefing theater. The tally boards updated automatically to include Bickerstaff and Shingelton as executed.

In the briefing theater they waited as Harry was obviously still deep in thought; they had followed him here automatically.

Harry waved and a map of Britain appeared.

"Riddle's house is under the Fidelius. That's the only reasonable explanation. It's here in Little Hangleton, but under the Fidelius so we can't find it. Can we break a Fidelius?"

Bill answered, "Wicked hard, Harry, and I mean even at your power levels. We've broken them in Egypt but they were early dynastic period, forty-nine hundred years old or thereabouts. If they have charging runes attached, they'll charge from almost anything you cast at them and be nearly impossible to break."

Andrew cut straight to the point. "What's the problem, Harry?"

"A hundred and sixty beings, Andrew. I've killed at least a hundred sixty magical or Mundane beings and will have to kill at least a hundred eighty-eight. I want to see an end to this."

"I think you're close, Harry. You have the majority of the inner circle and you've put a hell of a dent in the child-molester population of the U.K. Word is spreading and soon you'll be down to the truly bad actors, the hardest of the hard-core evil bastards in the world."

Jeremy and Lester Hamlish both nodded. Jeremy spoke. "Your Grace, working from your list you've already taken the majority of the killers, rapists, and child molesters off the streets. I expect your 'mines' will pick up fewer and fewer of them.

"Harry, the stone sets you passed to me have been put to use in the United States along with your interrogation methodology and are having the same effect. Laws are still broken, but the 'baddest' of the bad actors are already incarcerated, executed, or scheduled for execution. The French and Germans have approached us asking for stone sets, and I expect most civilized countries to follow suit and petition for the stones. The rogue states can then be ringed with the stones and we can cut down on the evil in the world in a meaningful way."

"But we can never be rid of them?"

Chu spoke up. "I believe you must take the long view, Harry. Some people are just evil. Nothing can be done to change them. You're doing the very best that can be done by equalizing the playing field between the sentient species and equally educating them. Your efforts to provide for equal employment will be the last piece that can be done for them; then they must provide for themselves. For the Mundane, who knows? For that we have to wait and see."

Harry looked around and saw nodding heads, even the shadow cabinet. He smiled. "Et tu, Tony? No more railing about rights?"

"Not now, Your Grace. I'll wait until you deal harshly with an innocent."

"It's my fervent hope to avoid that, hence the Veritaserum and the Wizengamot handling all but capitol offenses after the crisis is over."

Tony nodded, and Antonitus smiled at him. "A pity, that; I bet you'd have been tasty."

"Note to self: eat more garlic."

Tony's relaxed sally brought laughter; that he and Antonitus had ended up as the closest thing to friends that a vampire and a politician could be was an endless source of amusement for the Clan, its vassals, Royals, and both governments.

"A tour now, I believe."

Harry rose and raised Nym and his slaves, then led the way to the transport coat of arms under the entry hall stairs.

They arrived at the construction site and were awed. They stood in front of the center of an intruding wedge looking up. They barely regained their senses in time to move off the transport stone to make way for the next group. The exterior walls of the Royal Academy pentaflake were erected in mirror-polished black granite and connected across the intruding empty triangles with glass walls and glass floors at all five levels.

Hookknife sauntered up, supremely pleased that he had awed them all into silence. "Five stories above ground, three stories underground, and 2500 feet on a side-1152 acres or 50,181,120 square feet under one roof, if it pleases Your Grace.

"The individual rings inside the pentagons are one hundred feet wide with hallways in the center and back to back; there is a pentagon each for grades one through five, middle school, high school, undergraduate school, and graduate school. Each ring connects to a wall of the central pentagon at both ends. There is a common open space in the center of each pentagon that is reached via corridors at the apexes; in each outlying pentagon this open space is glass-roofed and -floored on floors one through three.

"The central pentagon houses the dormitories in the outer two rings and then administration and teachers' quarters in the central core. There is no central courtyard in this central pentagon.

"As you will see, the intruding wedges facing east, south, and west are given over to greenhouse space; the northern wedge is the entry atrium so it has no floors-it's just one large open space.

"The lake is connected to the south-facing wedges and laps the south-facing pentagon at the surface. Subsurface, that pentagon is open to the lake on the first sub-level for Merperson classroom space.

"The unused spaces are closed to students by blank walls; the Headmistress will be able to make the doors to them visible and usable.

"If you will follow me, Your Grace, I will show you the interior."

Hookknife led the group off and Slasher took up his position to Harry's left.

Phillip, standing with his head craned back, could clearly be heard. "Holy Mary, Mother of God! 'E don' 'alf dream, our little Harry, does he!"

"Phillip!"

"Yes Elizabeth, coming, dear."

Even this exchange barely penetrated the awe that had taken over the crowd at the veritable city that Harry had built.

Inside the structure they were awed by the atrium, and Hannah and Anna along with all of the mates interested in Herbology were salivating over the space for low-light-loving plants. Harry was forced to block them partially to concentrate on what Hookknife was saying.

"Your Grace will note that the left spiraling stairs are in the apexes of the pentagons and the transport points are your crests in the floors. All you have to do is step on one and think of where you want to go."

"Susan, what is it, darling?"

Harry had moved to Susan's side, feeling something was going on with her. Susan was carrying the stone they had acquired as the ward anchor. Harry had spent four Turned days gently coaxing a charging rune onto the stone, and since then the mates had not let it out of their sight. Katie had carried it in the fight with the vampires, and the mates religiously brought it to bed with Harry every night.

"The stone, Harry, she's borrowing? Sharing? Errh, not sure, but she wants to see."

"Are you okay?" an extremely worried Harry asked as he took Susan in a hug with the stone between their bodies.

Susan, smiling, and in one of those odd dual contralto voices that Hermione and Rowena sometimes used, "We are fine, our heart."

Harry gave them a kiss and felt them carefully in the bond. Satisfied that they were in fact fine Harry turned from them and found an entire Goblin construction battalion and Hookknife with their foreheads pressed to the floor, and the rest of the people there looking at him in awe.

"What? Did I miss something?"

Billhook, chuckling, stepped from behind the wall on the left side of the opening at the ground floor that would constitute the lobby of the administration wing.

"I told you, my liege-great fun. They are awed to be in the presence of one who could first find a sentient stone and then was pure enough and strong enough to bind her of her own free will-as am I, by the way." He bowed deeply.

"Errrh...thanks?"

Billhook straightened, still chuckling. "Hookknife, get up and let's continue."

Rowena/Hermione moved up beside Susan/Her and lay their hands on Her. A blinding, coruscating light filled the atrium. This time Billhook and his entourage dropped, forehead on granite, with the rest of the Goblins.

Harry, Nym, and Sarah moved without thought and circled Hermione/Rowena and Susan/Her with their arms and hugged them and each other together tightly. The light flared until none could look at it; the mates joined the group hug until they were all standing touching each other. The light swallowed them all, turned a very contented deep, bright blue, and then shrunk in on itself.

The mates backed away from each other smiling dreamily, at last leaving Harry, Sarah, and Nym holding Hermione/Rowena and Susan/Roxanne. Elizabeth noticed a lingering pink and blue nimbus around Nym and just barely contained the urge to do a little jig. She could not contain the huge smile that Nym looked up into.

Elizabeth managed to get a grip before anyone other than Nym saw her. Nym gave her a little Mona Lisa smile and Roxanne did, too.

Billhook managed to get up, despite his shoulders shaking in mirth.

"Well, now that you've sufficiently cowed the Goblin Nation, my liege, may we continue? Shortest Goblin war on record that will be-Binns will be so unhappy."

"You know, Billhook, you shouldn't joke around with that 'my liege' stuff. Some of these people take all that very seriously."

"Harry, you do realize that Billhook is chief of the clan chiefs of the Goblin Nation, and as such his addressing you as his liege conveys that the Goblins have sworn allegiance to you, don't you?"

Billhook was rolling on the floor howling with laughter at Harry's face, frozen in open-mouthed shock at Elizabeth's question.

Narcissa, Tracey, and Cynthia's triumphant whoops and linked-arm victory dance didn't help Harry.

"I knew we had 'em with that last buy. They just didn't want to cave."

Billhook had recovered enough to stand and smile. "Yes, very well played, Duchess Narcissa, and I finally get to meet your co-conspirators. But what finally put it over the edge and made it impossible for us to recover was His Grace's ability to find what we hold to be deities and the small fact that they love him. Otherwise we would have continued the battle and perhaps won in the end."

Harry was still recovering. "Narcissa, I didn't tell you to-errrh-do whatever you did to the Goblins."

Narcissa was nonplussed because she could feel his pride in her and her team. She swept in and leapt into his arms, kissing him thoroughly.

"Your Grace perhaps misunderstands. You told Lady Narcissa to gain control of the wizarding financial world and the wizarding natural resources. In order to do that she had to wrest that control from the Goblin Nation.

"She and her team very skillfully boxed us into a corner, and in the end your finding another sentient stone and bringing her fully to awareness has put us beyond hope of recovery.

"If we had found the stone we would have been able to contest with you using her power, but now that you have both known fully aware stones with you there is no hope. Even if we found another it would not be able to contend with two linked stones."

Billhook carefully stopped himself from saying the stones were now linked through all the bonded and Nymphadora's progeny. He really had to get the scribes to look into the records for this, probably back to the second age at least. Only high elves were known to link with the living stones. Besides, unless he missed his guess about those little secret smiles, Duchess Nymphadora had yet to inform His Grace of the happy news. That Potter Castle was coming more and more alive all the time was not lost on him, either. The rumors of the motherstone played in his mind; if Harry linked with it as he had these two, it would be the dawn of a new age.

He would increase the "construction" battalion to a full regiment. The instructor selection was going to be crucial, too. Only the top hundred warriors in the nation would be permitted to teach at the Royal Academy.

He actually felt Roxanne and Rowena's approval. His smile as he basked in the warmth of it was completely horrifying to the uninitiated present.

The tour continued into the afternoon. Geoffrey caught them with a lunch in one of the common spaces.

Nym looked at Harry. "Why so pouty, o mighty Alpha?"

"I want Rowena and Roxanne to stay with us, not be buried in some moldy old hole."

The stunned silence was broken by Phillip's grossly overmodulated aside to Elizabeth. "If this is a moldy old hole, he can't ever come stay with us. Buckingham is a pig's wallow by comparison to either of his places."

"PHILLIP! The elves will hear."

What she didn't know was that Geoffrey had heard and gone to check on the Royal elves. There were only fourteen of them; they couldn't possibly keep up with the twenty-five active large residences or palaces and the hundreds of buildings and acres on royal properties, even with the substantial help of the human servants. They were, of course, ecstatic at the work but they simply could not keep up while staying hidden. Geoffrey smiled; the Queen had called the Master a son, as had Lord Black. He could send the ever increasing Potter elves to help in both cases.

Harry was blushing furiously. "Sorry, maybe I said that wrong. I meant in the chambers where they have to stay."

Rowena smiled. "Harry, they're not 'moldy old holes'. The heart chambers are ornately carved ritual spaces-snug, warm, and dry. Besides, we'll be with you always, sharing with Hermione and Susan."

Harry beamed at them, and all four of them suppressed a shudder at the "ritual" images Harry was projecting to them.

Nym poked him and whispered, "Let them eat, Harry. Save that for later."

She chuckled at the eyebrow waggle she got in return.

The tour carried on after lunch and Harry was introduced to the Goblin Rune Mistress that would be in charge of laying out the heart chamber at the Royal Academy, the Princess Royal Grindaknívur.

Grindaknívur prostrated herself in front of Susan, Hermione, and Harry until she was physically raised by Harry. She was the very definition of Goblin beauty, as befitted the Princess Royal of the race. She was also a fierce and fiercely proud warrior.

It had been overwhelming meeting a living stone in both its forms; two of them was completely uncalled for-and then this walking, talking, seething vessel of raw magic. It was simply too much. She was on fire.

Of course, her father would have to be punished for not warning her and for standing over there snickering like a simpleton. She had never been so embarrassed in all her two hundred years. Mother would hear of this.

Billhook could hardly contain his glee when Grindaknívur prostrated herself. His suspicions were correct. Now if the rumors were true and this young power could change forms to a viable Goblin sire, he would go down in history as the Chief of All Clan Chiefs for bringing even a minor portion of the power into the bloodline. No Goblin would be able to oppose Grindaknívur and live once she bonded with Clan Potter.

Susan turned on Billhook and he withered under the knowing glare. He did not prostrate himself, however. He would take what punishment the living stones decided. His race must have new blood. And there was no better, nor was there a better mate for his daughter; she would be loved beyond all by a mate who would live at least as long as her.

Hermione joined Susan and they held hands a moment, then turned to Billhook. "We concur, but you must petition the Alphas."

Billhook bowed deeply.

"Now, Billhook. She has the burning."

"Yes, Goddesses."

Susan and Hermione skillfully separated Nym and Sarah from the group and Billhook approached them. After a hurried conversation, Nym strode purposefully to Grindaknívur and without preamble and while Sarah covered Nym's action with her body, she laid her palm on Grindaknívur's forehead.

Nym struggled a moment and then it all rushed into her-the need, pride, wanting, burning...arrrgh, the burning.

Nym broke contact and as she thought to turn to Harry, he, Grindaknívur, Hermione, and Susan faded away.

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The foursome appeared in the bare Heart Chamber of the Royal Academy and Rowena immediately began stripping Harry while working with him on the transformation to a Goblin and telling him everything she knew about Goblin mating.

Roxanne was helping Grindaknívur strip down to just her weapons harness and weapons.

"I have to what?"

"You have to change to a Goblin and then fight her. She is allowed weapons-you are not. You must overcome her and take her."

"Why me?"

"Stop whining, Harry, she's in pain. Now go."

Rowena slapped Harry on the butt and sent him to the center of the chamber as Roxanne pushed Grindaknívur toward him.

Grindaknívur wasted no time and came out with an evil-looking knife, marking the freshly Goblin Harry on the way past.

Harry howled and spun faster than the eye could see. Grindaknívur was caught, spun, disarmed, and pinned to the floor all in less than a second.

Grindaknívur wasn't done by a long sight and pulled another wicked blade. She jammed it straight into Harry. Fortunately his arm was in the way, and instead of making her perfect thrust into his heart she stabbed him through and through the bicep.

Harry howled again and took that knife away; then he stripped Grindaknívur completely naked. He pinned her again, now letting the Goblin take over a little more, and started trying to read her so he could satiate her.

He forgot the weapons Gaia had given her. Just as he entered her, she chomped down on his shoulder in the crook of his neck.

Harry let her bite down as he buried himself in her. He paused to let her adjust and she chewed on him. He decided he should distract her. He did, several times; finally exhausted, she howled and clenched on him and he released in her. A bright pink flare came from them all, including the stone Roxanne that Susan's body had brought with her.

Afterward, as he lay bleeding from the enzymes Grindaknívur's saliva produced that prevented clotting, she recovered enough to ride him until she peaked again. Instinctively taking their mixed secretions, she smeared them into his wounds and the bleeding stopped. Grindaknívur snuggled down into Harry and purred contentedly.

Rowena and Roxanne chuckled and listened to the bonded tell everyone Harry and they had gone to the Heart Chamber to do their initial ritual, and that strangely pink light that had flared from them all must be part of the ritual.

Harry slowly changed back to Harry and Rowena healed him. Grindaknívur woke fully and looked around, then snuggled back down and returned to purring. He might be human, but he was her human. He even smelled like her now, just as it should be.

Rowena and Roxanne placed one hand each on each of them and funneled energy into them. They knew they had to get back soon; the excuse was wearing a little thin.

Harry and Grindaknívur rose fully awake and smiling. Harry had a new form and he was switching between them all.

As Grindaknívur crawled back into her armor and harness she could only watch and smile. She was mated to an idiot, one with enough power to impose his will on the rest of the world. Her father had been right: this could be fun.

Rowena and Roxanne got the hyperanimated Harry dressed and transported them all to the common space the group was approaching. As they waited Harry amused Grindaknívur by changing to his huge wolf form and letting her ride him as he tore around the common, legs flailing as his claws sparked on the crystal floor.

This was the scene the group returned to.

"Harry, what are you doing? Be careful with Her Highness."

"It is fine, my Alpha, like the shield maidens and the Wargs of the second age," called Grindaknívur.

Nym paled a little until she noticed the comment had apparently passed the humans innocuously.

"Grindaknívur, if we could have your mount back for a moment, please?"

Harry slid to a stop in front of Nym and dropped to his belly. Grindaknívur slid to the ground from her mount and gave his huge ruff a hug. She whispered in his ear, "Thank you, my mate, that was thrilling too."

Harry turned and gave her a huge, sloppy lick and popped back into his human form while she was spluttering.

"Your Grace, it is customary in our Nation for the liege lord to hold hostages. I offer my daughter Grindaknívur as the Goblin Nation's hostage to our liege lord."

A stunned Harry had no need to voice his protest. He was outraged that someone could even think to offer one of his mates as a hostage. It took the combined efforts of Nym, Sarah, the Primaries, Rowena, and Roxanne to calm him down. Grindaknívur finally clinched it.

"It must be this way, my love. Not many must know of your ability to change."

"I will never harm you, nor will I ever give you back."

"Of course not-and you'd better never even try."

"I accept the Goblin Nation's hostage, Billhook."

"Good. Now, how do you like the school?"

"I don't know how to thank you all, Billhook. Hookknife and Slasher with their crews have done excellent work, more than meeting my expectations."

Hookknife and Slasher beamed. Harry was not to know they were the Commander and the Senior Sergeant Major of the battalion. He continued to praise them until the assembled saw their first Goblins blush. They went a bronze hue.

"Harry, I would like to assign a further four battalions under Grindaknívur's command to help with the detail work on the interior. I am working on the Goblin instructors and I will have one hundred of them ready for start of term in January. All Goblin children will be attending here at that time."

While Harry was stunned, Dan and Tim's eyes narrowed in thought.

Harry agreed and made arrangements for the Goblin chief educator to begin coordination with Chu.

Harry invited the Goblins, the battalion included, to dinner.

This time it was the Goblins who were stunned.

Nym gave Harry the "You invited who to dinner?" glare as the trophy-wife mates chortled. They suddenly found themselves dragooned into preparing the party.

The assembled broke up, the Goblins promising to show up at 7 p.m. for the party. And Harry's assembly with Grindaknívur returned to the Castle.

Grindaknívur found herself smothered in kisses and dragooned into party preparations as the Goblin expert. She was already enjoying herself immensely. The bond was settling, with her warmly welcomed in it.

While the older mates planned and prepared, Harry kept himself busy and the younger mates out from under foot (mostly) by giving Warg rides to what had become Beatrice's company.

Beatrice had in her quiet way firmly taken charge of all the mates under fourteen, twenty-four girls all in all, with Eugenie as her unquestioned second. (None of them wanted to risk her acerbic tongue and they all recognized her intelligence and the fact that she was a Primary-in-Waiting.) Victoria and Emma Dobbs filled out the order of succession.

Harry the Warg, having escaped the girls, rounded a corner in the far reaches of the north wing and found himself face to face with another Warg, only this one was female. Harry sniffed her and images of Eugenie appeared in his mind. He delightedly licked her and began playing with her, growling and tussling like puppies.

Soon the temper of the tussling changed and Harry found himself mounted on Eugenie and attempting to enter her, fighting his Warg the whole time, when he was bowled over by a pack of female Wargs.

He was too far gone and couldn't stop himself; he mounted the first one he could catch and sank his considerable length in her. Harmony growled contently and braced herself. Harry mated her vigorously, tying her firmly and flooding her with semen.

Sarah and Nym faded in and consoled the very upset Eugenie and Beatrice, who the other girls had herded into a corner while they took turns with Harry.

"Girls, you're too young."

"Not in that form, mother-we're sexually mature."

"But you are still you, and deep inside he knows it. Right now it would destroy him to take you like that. You don't want that, do you?"

"No, Nym, but...."

"I know, girls. He'll adjust."

Nym and Sarah faded away, leaving Harry still dominating the others. He finally peaked buried in the last, Victoria, and their triumphant howls shook the castle.

Lauren and her Betas, Susan and Shelia, had to sit down. The rest of the mates paused and shuddered gently before continuing what they had been doing.

It was decided to host the party at the Royal Academy in the atrium. As the mates decorated, Geoffrey, Grindaknívur, and the elves settled on a menu palatable to both species, and the elves began to prepare dinner.

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Royal Academy
Sub-Level 3

Slasher, just finished addressing the battalion, made an error. "Questions?"

"Sergeant Major, the Private has a question."

Fucking recruits these days-and Company fucking Sergeant fucking Major Dolorie was entirely too lax. Apparently a little wall-to-wall counseling was required.

"What, Private?"

"How are we to address the Goddesses, Sergeant Major?"

Oops, maybe not. I must be slipping. "the Goddess White has chosen to go by the name of Roxanne; the Goddess Red has selected Rowena. You will address them as Your Grace Rowena or Your Grace Roxanne, and only when spoken to."

"Her Royal Highness Grindaknívur will be addressed as Royal Highness, and only when you're spoken to."

Private Bardiche asked, "If they are mated to the Goddesses, then aren't they all deities?"

"What do I look like, a fucking priest? You show the proper respect, full stop. Or I'll have your skin for parchment, full stop. Am I clear?"

The battalion, knowing a Battalion Sergeant Major with a twist when they saw one, bellowed with one voice, "SIR!"

"Sergeants Major, get these idiots out of my sight and form on me for further instructions. And none of you idiots get mussed in the next twenty minutes or I will personally kill you."

"SIR!"

Billhook grinned. "Come, come, Slasher, relax. Harry intends to honor the battalion and he has, after all, worked with all these Goblins."

"Respectfully, that's easy for you to say, sire. You won't be executing you if one of those dolts does something stupid. Have you seen his bonded? They would start wars, each and every one of them. Helen of Troy, my ass! She was a two-Knut hooker by comparison."

Billhook chuckled. "Showing our age finally, are we, Slasher? I wouldn't worry about the bonded. A third of them are vampires anyway, and the rest-well, I suspect that touching one with intent would be an education in itself, before Harry lit whoever it was on fire. You know he has that habit."

Slasher shuddered. "I've heard, sire. I just don't want it to be me."

The Company Sergeants Major had assembled and were nodding.

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Royal Academy
Atrium
18:57

The Atrium was decorated; Harry's party was assembled in a receiving line. The Regiment was in its formal Regimental dress.

Harry heard the sound of marching feet and the Goblins appeared led by Billhook. He moved to the head of the receiving line and bowed to the Queen. Elizabeth smiled at him and dropped a tiny curtsy.

The watching Goblin Privy Council and soldiers beamed toothily; they had been acknowledged as a separate nation.

As they passed down the line, the Goblins fell deeper and deeper for every personable, powerful, and beautiful mate.

Billhook, having finished the line, stood and watched as he lost a battalion and it came under the thrall of Clan Potter. It was simply amazing.

Grindaknívur was very obviously fully bonded too. The child positively glowed.

Dinner was excellent; and afterward, as the older Goblins and humans talked, the Regiment and the Battalion danced. It was oddly humorous to see a dazed, crusty Goblin warrior being led around the dance floor by a fourteen-year-old mate.

Harry finished playing a round of knife catching (much to the relief of all the mothers-in-law) and ambled over.

"So you've finished cutting up my Goblins, my liege?"

"That was an accident, Billhook. Besides, I healed him so fast he hardly knew he was dead."

Chuckles followed this sally. It had been a major wound but hardly life threatening, and Harry had healed it with a wave as Captain Katzbalger had removed the knife he had missed catching.

Healer Falcata blurted, "How did you do that, by the way, my liege?"

Harry winked at her broadly. "Magic, ma'am."

Falcata blushed to her hairline and Grindaknívur growled at her.

Harry grabbed his upset Goblin mate and dragged her to the dance floor. He morphed himself to a height match for her and they danced under the goggling eyes of the Goblin Battalion.

The Goblins suddenly found themselves with height-matched dance partners as the mates saw how he had done it in the bond and borrowed his technique to do it themselves.

Elizabeth chuckled. "Still a little unsure, then. She'll get over it soon."

Falcata blushed again. "Ma'am, I had no intention...."

"We know, dear, and by the way Harry wasn't actually being cryptic. He has so much power that he can visualize what he wants and the magic makes it happen."

Billhook nodded. "A sorcerer; no wonder. But he uses human magic too."

"Elven and Goblin also. He says he can feel the magic when others use it, and he just does it that way. If he doesn't know a technique, then he just visualizes and releases the magic."

The Goblin mages in the Privy Council were bouncing with excitement at Elizabeth's comments. Their eyes were glued to Harry.

Kopis put two and two together and exclaimed, "His mates can use his power? Maglubiyet protect us!"

Roxanne, who had glided silently up to the group, said, "He cannot. My Master's will will be done."

The Goblins in the group bowed or dropped curtsies immediately and chorused, "As the White wills."

Elizabeth cast an eye at Roxanne as the Goblins rose, "We must talk, I think, Your Grace."

Roxanne beamed at her. "An you will, Majesty."

Elizabeth made a moue. "So very formal, Roxanne?" she asked as she took Roxanne's arm and led her away.

Billhook chuckled. "Well, now that that's all cleared up...."

Dan waded in. "Your Majesty, I wonder about your motives for placing a Regiment here at the Royal Academy?"

Billhook grinned. "Thank the gods, another player. Or maybe curse them." He cast a jaundiced eye at Narcissa, who was dancing with Hookknife.

"You know, after tonight I suspect my own motives. I just lost one of my best battalions to the Clan and if I place a regiment here they'll undoubtedly fall under his thrall also."

Dan nodded. "So why, then?"

Billhook held his hand out to stop Kopis. "Without calling on shaman Kopis, the simple answer is because there are two living stones under his control. We consider the stones to be deities. We will protect them at any cost."

Tim Spicer jumped in. "Not to put too fine a point on it, don't you think the Duke's Own is capable of doing that?"

"They are the Stones."

The humans blinked.

Kopis added, "They are mated, all of them including the stones. Fully bonded. So if you speak to one of them, you speak to all of them. Therefore you speak to the Stones."

Emma had an epiphany. "That's why those hard-bitten Goblin Sergeants Major are dazed-they're literally holding their goddesses in their arms."

Falcata smirked. "Yes, their mates will have some work to do to catch up."

The women winced and then chuckled as they saw the great leveler that was the mates spin by with private soldiers, sergeants, and officers with no regard to rank or station.

Harry swooped in, dropped off Grindaknívur and, still morphed, picked up Falcata and swept back to the dance floor.

Emma giggled as they watched Falcata's face go dazed. Grindaknívur growled, "Shhhh, Grindaknívur, you know he loves you."

Grindaknívur pouted at Emma who gathered her, struggling, into a hug, bringing laughter.

Billhook frowned. "Well, that may be the shortest held state secret in the world. It lasted-what-three hours?"

Dan drove in the wedge. "A loyalty oath would protect it, Your Majesty. Of course we humans are already sworn to the Duke."

Billhook looked at him in horror, realizing he'd been neatly boxed in again.

Dan chuckled evilly.

Rowena smiled as she looked at Billhook. "An excellent idea, Dan."

Billhook groaned as the last nail was pounded home in the gallows the parents had so neatly constructed.

"Buck up, old man; after all, how many can say it took two goddesses and a Queen to out-maneuver them?"

Phillip's comment brought a smile to Billhook's face. He, Rowena, and the parents got down to crafting an ironclad oath.

Harry brought back a blushing, panting Falcata who received a scowl, a growl, and a scathing "Mother!" from Grindaknívur.

This drew gales of laughter from the mothers present and scowls from their daughters, who swooped in and dragged Grindaknívur away to commiserate.

Harry went to drink with the fathers and male Goblins present. After several more dances and drinks and another round of catch, Harry yawned hugely and apologized profusely.

Nym, feeling his fatigue, rose. The room popped to its feet and Hookknife assembled the battalion.

The Goblin Privy Council lined up in front of the battalion and they all knelt and repeated the oath that Billhook, Rowena, and the parents had crafted.

Harry took the oath with tears of gratitude standing in his eyes and when he announced, "So mote it be," the Royal Academy flared with light and the bedrock under it gonged with a deep, clear note.

Harry nodded to the Goblins and suddenly the Regiment was gone. In the school crest a Goblin riding a Warg had appeared in fiery outline.

"Well, that's settled then. Who's for a nightcap?"

Elizabeth sighed as the males headed for the bar.

Falcata grinned. "Not so different after all, then?"

Fortune replied, "They're all little boys."

Falcata sighed dreamily. "Except that one. Oh, to be just four hundred years old right now!"

The mothers goggled for a moment and then giggled naughtily as their own wicked fantasies about their son-in-law replayed in their heads.

Elizabeth eyed up the crowd of giggling women as Geoffrey appeared with four other elves, bearing trays of sherry or brandy.

Comfortable seats appeared and the ladies relaxed and let their hair down.

They finally all returned to the Castle or their homes very early in the morning. A grand time was had by all, but some husbands paid dearly the next day.