Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Harry Potter and the Witches' Secret
Harry Potter and the Witches' Secret
Chapter 36
23 Oct - 26 Dec 1995
During the next month the bond settled and the Veela Regiment moved in. It was a little comical watching twelve-year-old girls dominating Veela warriors. The Veela whined when first Beatrice, then Eugenie did it to them too. Then they fell in love with the bonded and Harry had to dominate the leadership. It was all very high-school as far as the mates were concerned.
Harry had proved to be a hovering husband. The mates watched in amusement as more and more of them fell pregnant and he didn't know where to hover any more. They took pity on him and made allowances, though, as they could feel his all consuming concern for them, pregnant or not.
Pregnant mates would wake with Harry's head pressed firmly in their bellies and his arms tightly around their waist. It seemed to lead inevitably to sex, as they felt his magic tensed and ready to lash out at the slightest threat or provocation. It simply made them horny, no matter what they had been feeling before.
The NEWT results had come in, as had the Masters packets. All two hundred forty mates had achieved at least an O/O in Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Divination, Magical Transportation, Herbology, History of Magic, Muggle Studies, Potions, and Transfiguration.
They had achieved masteries in all those subjects plus Alchemy.
The guilds were in an uproar when they discovered the Clan now had majorities in guild votes.
That lasted until Harry dropped the guilds a note reminding them that they existed at the pleasure of the ruler of Magical Britain and introduced himself. The uproar died immediately and envoys from the guilds arrived.
The full moon on the seventh of November brought a run through France for the pack in their Warg form. The Warg seemed to overrule the werewolf. The French werewolf packs in magical Briton found themselves dominated, and more than a few of their Alpha males crippled and Alpha females covered and tied when they resisted.
The mates had been deeply involved in wedding planning, and Harry alternated between ignored and used. The mothers had not made it any better. For those girls without mothers, Molly Weasley turned lioness.
Augusta finally cornered Harry just before he was about to explode. "It's a girl thing, Harry. They still love you, though. Make sure to remember as many of the details of the process as you can. It will be important later when they test you."
"There's a test?"
Augusta had to laugh at his horrified face. "Every day is a test of some sort, Your Grace. You'll pass with flying colors as long as you love them."
Harry grinned hugely. "No worries, then."
Augusta shook her head, chuckling.
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Potter Castle
8 Nov 1995
The bonded were in a state of excitement bordering on hysteria. The eggs were hatching. Robin, who was acting as Hedwig's hands that day, had heard noises in the eggs and Hedwig had smugly informed them that the hatchlings were coming.
Harry had immediately started denuding the Hollow of all its small wildlife. He had built a respectable pile of fresh carcasses by the time Hedwig convinced him to stop. He stayed in his owl, hopping from foot to foot on the edge of the nest and snapping viciously at anyone who came too close who wasn't a mate.
After the last fledgling hatched out, he and Hedwig settled in, surrounded by their mates.
After the hatching the mates added owls to their repertoire and the fledglings never lacked for food. The small mammal population of the Hollow was very effectively suppressed before they widened their predations to Scotland, England, Wales, and then Europe.
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Crawley Manor
Lawrence was proud. Finally the type of people he had always wished to associate with were coming to his house-old pureblood families from across Europe; the Master had summoned them. Lawrence had worked hard at playing the perfect host.
He had had to sell off some property and stock to buy two elves. His daughters had apparently been captured or killed with the rest of Greyback's pack. The house was spotless. Nasty little animals did a good job, better than the bitches.
The Master had gone into a rage over the news about Greyback's pack, and Lawrence had learned to keep Cruciatus relief potions on hand.
He had found a brewer and put the man on staff. They had to find a Potions Master, though. The Master wanted things that were beyond the brewer's abilities. He had advertised in the east as the Master directed and received some CVs. Hopefully the Master would make a selection soon.
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Potter Castle
23 Dec 1995
The twentieth of December had been the last day of term at Hogwarts. Minerva had stopped sleeping at Hogwarts, as the bonded were completely linked to Rowena now through Harry. Minerva could also fade, as they had started calling it, as well as any of them.
It was a bracingly cold morning as the pack coursed through the Hollow with the Veela on one flank and the Goblins on the other. The command council, the Queen, Phillip, Andrew, Dan, Tony Inge, and Tim watched as the exercise proceeded.
PT had gone well and these simple exercises were designed to work out kinks in the division's structure and command and control.
As expected, the Veela and Goblins responded more slowly, but they were still very fast. They simply did not have the Clan Brain.
Dan watched and nodded. "You know, if he bonded all the Veela commanders and enough Shield Maidens to put one at company level and higher as liaison, it would improve the command and control."
"We don't control that, though, Dan-his magic does."
"Yes, ma'am. Too bad, really."
Tim chuckled. "There may be a material solution. The American military are working on linking all their soldiers and platforms. Maybe the technomancers could modify the equipment. I'll speak to Amanda."
Phillip had been thinking. "He's stopped bonding them, hasn't he, Andrew?"
"We're not sure, sir. The Veela and Goblins he mates report being able to feel more and more from him every day. He can use their senses from day one, and some of them are becoming more able to use him."
Elizabeth nodded. "The bonds are different, much more toward normal, but they grow stronger with time and increase exponentially after every additional taking."
"Andrew, how do you feel about Sarah, Beatrice, and Eugenie?"
"Conflicted, ma'am, at least about Sarah. I know they won't touch each other in human form and they-errrh-divorce themselves from their Warg when the Wargs are coupling, but it's still damned odd. I'm overjoyed to know that if something happens to me Sarah will be fine, though. As for Beatrice and Eugenie, I couldn't be happier for their Wargs, and again, Harry refuses to touch them in any way that could be considered sexual in human form. To the girls' displeasure, it seems."
He heaved a great sigh. "Am I a bad father and husband?"
Elizabeth smiled, "No, they're so divorced from it they don't even feel guilty, and if Harry doesn't feel guilt, then Mother Teresa wouldn't."
Snickers erupted all around.
Phillip wondered aloud, "Will he ever get over that?"
Tony Inge responded. "One would hope not, sir. I believe without a conscience as strong as he has he would be an unstoppable monster."
"No question. The difference between him and a Dark Lord is the thickness of his conscience."
"Alastor, that was almost poetic."
"But true, ma'am."
They nodded as they went back to watching the exercise.
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Christmas was like a fairy tale for the mates.
Harry unstintingly gave their hearts' desires to them, no matter what it was. Christmas day turned into a pile of squealing, happy mates as they unwrapped their presents.
Books were popular with some, clothes with others, jewelry and perfumes for some. All besides Nym received a ring like hers and a heartfelt proposal.
The court of St James, vassals, and governments withdrew after the last heartfelt "Yes!"
Marcia healed Harry's sore knees, and the bonded attacked.
The Clan finally resurfaced that evening.
Harry and his Goblin and by now Veela Senior NCOs planned and executed four separate themed balls during the season as the mates continued their wedding preparations.
A Divisional Ball on 21 December, a Clan Ball on 22 December, and a Mates' Ball on 23 December were all held at the Royal Academy.
Harry froze the surface of the lake with a layer of ice ten feet thick for the last ball, a public ball on Boxing Day, 26 December.
The Prophet had carried the announcement.
New Magical School to Host Boxing Day Ball
Rita Skeeter
20 December 1995
Headmistress Chu Li Ming (see page 4) of The Royal Academy of Magic (Pictures page 4) announced not only the existence of this new Royal Chartered school open to all today but that it had been decided to host a Boxing Day ball to introduce the public to the facility and faculty.
The Ball is open to all comers starting at 4 p.m. on 26 December and ending at midnight.
Access will be by Floo beginning on 26 December 1995 at 3:45 p.m., and the address is The Royal Academy.
The Headmistress advises that the school is under massive ancient wards and a Goblin and Veela Regiment will be on site; any improper behavior at the ball will land the offending party in the dungeons to be turned over to the proper authorities.
Those unable to utilize the Floo network should request a one-time use Portkey from the Royal Academy admissions office by postage-due owl post.
Magical Britain was launched into a frenzy of preparation and anticipation.
Voldemort immediately detailed all of his Death Eaters to attend and to be on their best behavior. They were to gather information.
Harry and the mates warded the Floo and Portkey landing points with wardstone sets that sank into the ice.
The Floo point was constructed of ice transfigured to marble; there were one hundred grates.
The Command Council and Division Staff went over the plans for defense and crowd control while all the mates assisted Ginny and the senior NCOs with preparations.
It was decided that the mates would attend in Regimental dress and glamors and be announced as the Guards Magical Regiment of Cavalry. Harry, the Principal Staff, and Element Commanders would arrive mounted on the Nightmares.
Harry would, in morphed form, be announced as the Commander.
Harry created gigantic fanciful ice sculptures on the surface of the lake and laid a hundred-acre parquet dance floor and four hundred acres of Transfigured five-millimeter-thick granite pavers. Chairs by the thousands and tables by the hundreds flowed into being from the ice and were covered in conjured upholstery.
He cast a warming charm that excluded ice over the whole thing.
Margaret recruited Celestina Warbeck, the Weird Sisters, and the Hogwarts Choir to perform sets in rotation. She also would perform.
The Hobgoblins agreed to a reunion set and Glenda Chittock would do the WWN simulcast from arrivals to finally. The world-wide wizarding press picked up the story and bombarded the Royal Academy with requests for credentials. They were informed that if their reporters could pass the wards they would be allowed as guests, but they were not to harass the guests or staff of the school.
Harry sent invitations to every family in Britain with magical children for both an open house starting at 9 a.m. on Boxing Day and the ball. The invitations would be one-time, four-way Portkeys.
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The Royal Academy
26 December 1995
08:00
Chu, Minerva, Sinistra, Aurora, Bathsheba, and Marie sighed. The interviews (Legilimency probing) of the applicants was over. They and the hundred mates who had helped them could relax. The human staff of the Royal Academy was selected.
They had ended up with
241 Mates
67 Americans
22 Chinese
4 Japanese
10 French
11 German
43 Eastern European
103 Magical U.K. (99% of the "hedge academy" and Clan school instructors)
209 Asian
200 African
100 Goblin
100 Veela
1103 Females total, all under fifty and all, except the mates, unbonded
The already bonded instructors from the hedge academies had been considered but universally declined. They had really been teaching because there had been no one else; they would rather spend the time with their own families, unless they were needed of course. The Headmistresses of the other schools had declined, citing advancing age and impending retirement.
From touching their minds they knew Harry would end up mating the ones they accepted over the course of their lives. Nym and Sarah felt most of them would go into compulsion.
Hermione started the process of deciding who went when. Really, all she had to do was collect a blood sample and add it to the latest list she and the 'Claws had created. The list then displayed who was most fertile. She and Bakul had already added the Patil women and the mates. GrindaknÃvur was working on the Goblins and Lorelei popped in once a day to add Veela samples.
Falcata and the Veela Matriarchal Council had copies and the parchment projected ahead three weeks so the females involved could be notified to show up on their day. Harry normally dealt with three a week, so adding the instructors was not a stretch. The Patils and the Professors would taper off soon at that rate. Eventually Veela and Goblins would also; unless they bonded they only received one breeding.
The Professors were assigned to their classrooms and led there by the charmed rune-covered pendants they were given, which also linked them to Harry. They met their Veela or Goblin classroom assistant (guard) and waited.
At 8:50 a.m. Portkeys began activating all over Magical Britain; at 9:00 all potential students and at least one parent or guardian, if available, were in their potential classrooms. The parents and children who had failed to pass the wards were in cells.
Chu was overjoyed; the Portkeys had worked beyond all expectation. Harry was crushed-eight children were in cells. That six sets of parents were there too was not significant to him yet.
The parents or relatives (some families had called for help as they had more children than they could escort) looked around, impressed by the sparkling new classrooms and impressed by the at least capable looking Professors (the mates had morphed themselves or used glamors) and assistants.
The professors talked to them, answering their questions until 9:10, and then directed their attention to the large technomancer-modified screens in the front right corners of the classrooms.
Chu appeared on the screens and cleared her throat. "Welcome to The Royal Academy of Magic, established this year by the Duke of Magic of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Defender of Magic and Magical Champion of the Crown and Realm.
"In a few moments I will introduce His Grace, but first I would like to give you an overview of the Royal Academy and its College of Hogwarts.
"The Academy will be a free institution with mandatory attendance for all magical beings until the child reaches the age of eighteen or the Duke's determination of majority for the species involved.
"There will be a grade school for students beginning in the year of their sixth birthdays. The school will be divided into five Houses, the four Hogwarts Houses plus the Duke's House."
Harry's negotiations with the Sorting Hat had almost ended at the Hat's insistence not only on his having a House but its being called Myrddin. He had been forced to compromise on the Ducal House for the first ten years, but the Hat would inform the students of the real name and then lock the information away in their heads until 2006.
Harry had been forced to wear the Hat continuously for a week while it determined his House's traits. The mates had not been pleased, and the Hat had found itself silenced and temporarily blinded.
Harry, unfortunately, still had to put up with its running commentary on his performance. That had stopped when Amelia Fastida bit the Hat, in a fit of pique at it putting Harry off his game during her turn, and started sucking the life force out of it.
"In their fifth year of school the students will be tested, with the top five hundred attending the College of Hogwarts.
"In their eighth year, OWLs will determine those who will be in the more theoretical track and can attend the College of Hogwarts, again limited to the top five hundred students of the year.
"In their twelfth year all will be tested and the top fifty percent will be allowed to attend the undergraduate school.
"Finally, at their sixteenth year they will be tested again, with the top fifty percent of those tested allowed to attend the graduate school.
"The curricula of the Royal Academy and the College of Hogwarts will diverge slightly at the sixth and ninth years, becoming more practical at the Royal Academy and more theoretical at Hogwarts.
"The school will be a day school through the fifth year and a boarding school from sixth year forward.
"Transportation to and from the school for day and boarding students will be by Portkeys provided by the Duke, who it is now my pleasure to introduce."
Harry stood looking into the large screen, broken up into 1103 smaller pictures in the auditorium but focusing on the Professors.
He smiled gently. "Well, that's a lot to take in, especially for the Mundane amongst you. I am the Duke of Magic of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Defender of Magic and Magical Champion of the Crown and Realm.
"Why don't I take some questions and maybe we can answer most of yours. The instructor in your room will call on you when you raise your hand. Please rise, state your name, and ask your question."
Harry sent the call to Ginny first and she indicated a bull of a man. He stood next to his redheaded daughter in her small desk in the first-grade classroom that would be Ginny's.
Angus Alan Douglas-Hamilton, fifteenth Duke of Hamilton and twelfth Duke of Brandon's behavior would set the tone. "Thank you, Your Grace." He knew from Nora's letters and the feel of power rolling off this slip of a gel he was addressing that she was at least a Primary mate. He turned to the screen. "Your Grace is most kind. Her Grace Chu said all of this would be free?"
Harry laughed ruefully. He wanted to kiss His Grace, Alan, the Duke of Hamilton, and then slap him.
"Unfortunately, free is a relative term in our case, Your Grace. A ten percent tax will be levied across my realm to pay for schooling, defense, and law enforcement.
"In your case and mine that will be a large bite; in the case of Mrs. McAllister, on your left, smaller but less than she has had to pay before through all of the use taxes and fees currently in place." Harry had accessed Ginny's ongoing passive Legilimency skimming of the room.
"There is a detailed pamphlet about the school on your student's desk. It is, errh, magical." He smiled. "The Mundane parents will find more information on the magical world in it than magical parents. Some things we think most magical parents already know."
Harry sent Susan a signal and she selected a second year student. The girl dropped a curtsy. "Your Grace, what if I don't want to go to school here?"
Harry smiled and accessed Susan. "Ms. Johnson, remember-name first, then question. Not everyone knows you. Now, why wouldn't you want to go to school here?"
"Sir, all my friends are at my old school now."
"Quite a few of them will be attending here, Ms Johnson-those who are not are Mundane. You will be going home every day until sixth year and will be able to see your Mundane friends then.
"Where we are able, the classrooms include all the magical beings from a geographical area. We do not control the House sorting, the Sorting Hat from Hogwarts will do that during your first week here."
Scarlett Johnson smiled. It was true, after all-her best friend Vicky was right there.
Harry moved to Pamela's ninth grade Transfiguration classroom.
"Mr. Corner."
Michael started slightly, his Ravenclaw intellect kicking in. It had to be some type of magic that let the Duke do that. "Your Grace, what about those already attending Hogwarts?"
"You will be tested and resorted in January when term starts, Mr. Corner. Those seventh years attending other schools outside of Britain will be sorted and tested also. They will be given the option of attending their last term at the school they are attending or transferring."
Harry shifted to Narcissa's seventh year Potions lab. "Easy there, Lord Griffiths."
"Your Grace, some of our families have traditionally attended these other institutions."
Harry smiled. "And you are welcome to continue to do so. The mission of the Royal Academy is to provide the best magical education in the world to all the magical sentients of the Realm. If you desire to make your own arrangements, then that is your prerogative. For those who do not have their own resources, we will provide."
"So I won't have to pay these exorbitant taxes?"
"You, as all magical residents of the realm, will pay the taxes either in money, labor, or finished goods."
"Your Grace, I will not."
"Lord Griffiths, don't force me to a course you will regret. I am your liege, and you will pay."
"I challenge your authority."
Harry sighed; it had to happen. "Fine, how would you resolve the issue?"
"I would see from where your authority devolves."
Harry smiled and called on the Realm.
Every sentient being felt the Realm rise to his call and knew it conferred its authority on him.
Lord Griffiths bowed deeply.
Harry chuckled. "Thank you, Lord Griffiths. I was hoping you wouldn't go for single combat."
Griffiths paled as a rumble of chuckles went round the school.
Harry called on Amelia Fastida and she signaled to the very pretty sixth year Beauxbatons girl in the front row.
"Your Grace, I am Josephine Raslin. I assume you are aware that at least the Professor I have here is a vampire."
Harry waited for the stirring to settle. "Ms Raslin, there are fifty-eight vampire and seventeen werewolf Professors. They are fully bound to me. You do realize that lycanthropy and vampirism are fully controllable and caused by a virus, don't you? One of the things we will be working on in the university is finding a cure. We are close now.
"Part of what Duke Hamilton, Lord Griffiths, their peers, and my incredibly large tax bill will be funding is the free issue of Wolfsbane potion to all who desire it, free of charge."
"You will force them to register?"
"No. We are currently reviewing existing laws with the Wizengamot. I expect many to be struck down. If you want to stay out of trouble, don't kill, rape, or steal, and don't lie to Aurors or the troopers of the Magical Division. Also do not expect your condition to be an excuse if you are a vampire or werewolf. We know from personal experience that it can be controlled.
"From now on persons breaking laws in Magical Britain will be hunted down, captured if possible, killed if they can't be captured safely. Those captured will be questioned under Veritaserum and judged. Murderers, rapists, and pedophiles will be executed and their assets seized to pay reparation. Thieves will be enslaved until they repay the debt to me, as I will pay reparation and ten percent damages."
There was a vast mumbling.
Harry sighed again. "If there are other questions about the Royal Academy?"
Seeing none, he added, "Your Professors will now take you on a tour. I will be circulating, as will Headmistresses Ming and McGonagall. Lunch will be fed in the commons; your instructors will show you where at the appropriate times. And ladies, please don't hate me, but everyone feel free to ask their Professors any questions you might have. If they don't know the answer they'll write down the question and I will answer or find the answer."
The screens went blank.
The Professors had all been provided a linked messenger pad and a fully bonded mate had the Master for every three or so non-bonded.
Harry watched them smoothly answer questions as they gave tours of the spaces their students would use.
Ginny deserved a night of her own for that pad idea.
Elizabeth looked at Harry and smiled. "You handled that very well, Harry. Now, take me on a tour."
Harry blinked. That had not been the plan. He smiled and nodded and escorted her to the primary school section of the pentaflake. They appeared in the first year common and immediately drew a very respectful crowd.
"Hamilton, you and I as well as the other magical Lords will have a discussion on the twenty-seventh here in the auditorium, at 1:00 p.m. if you please. Pass the word to your peers and vassals, also the Magical Dukes, Viscounts, and Marquesses, Baron."
Angus winced, Fellowes scribbled.
Elizabeth chuckled. "Buck up, Angus, it won't be that bad."
"Majesty, most of us have been in correspondence with Lords Black, Weasley, or Lupin, or a member of the Wizengamot. We've heard the rumors."
He turned to Harry. "Duke Potter?"
Harry sighed. "Don't you people have anything better to do than whisper about me?"
Angus smiled. "No, Your Grace. Two hundred forty-four? What else would we ever talk about?"
Harry blinked and mumbled, "Worse than women ever were, sitting around drinking, smoking, and nattering endlessly."
Angus laughed. "Your Grace, I must protest-the women drink, too."
"They don't smoke."
The bonded chuckled at Angus's face.
Harry and the Queen continued to circulate. Lunch was served and was a smashing success-light, nutritious, and very tasty.
The mates and non-mated Professors slew the students and parents or minders. They were polite but strict and fair. They were very knowledgeable and could answer almost any question. The few they had not answered were all related to things other than education. The teenage male students and most of their male relatives or temporary guardians were in love, but it was obvious that the mate Professors were very taken. The wives, sisters, and older relatives with the students admired them and the female students found themselves wanting to be them.
In two instances young males had found themselves restrained by burning green eyes and one by a Goblin knife. The lesson was not lost and circulated like wildfire: get forward with a Professor at your peril.
Finally at 2:00 p.m. the instructors bade their students and parents goodbye and moved to the auditorium.
Harry mounted the stage. "Ladies, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. You have done more to advance our cause than I ever could."
They blushed under his heartfelt thanks and praise.
Chu said "Ten thousand, eight hundred and fifty, Harry. The grade school was an average of twenty per instructor, about what we thought. More College-level students, though. They're easier to handle, and some could be day students."
Ann added, "The undergrad and graduate programs drew a lot of interest from those already graduated, Harry. We'll be fuller than we thought if they can pass the test."
Harry smiled. "Well, too late to back out now. Get some rest, ladies. I'll see you at the ball."
He raised his arms and the bonded faded away along with the Royals, vassals, and the courtiers who had been present.
Harry took the bonded to the master suite and lay down for a nap. He waved and Juliet and Julius appeared in his arms, followed by two very upset nannies. Rose and Tulip sighed in exasperation when they saw the toddlers sleeping in his sleeping arms.
The mates chuckled.
As Harry napped they bathed and prepared. It was amazing how much they could recharge from a resting, contented Harry and just doing simple girl things.
At 3:15 Nym woke Harry, and Rose and Tulip swooped in and took their charges away. Nym pushed a pouting Harry into the shower and then watched as he bounced out drying himself and as he dressed.
Harry looked at Nym's sparkling green eyes. "What?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, my heart."
"Dress and let's go. I want to get there right on time."
Harry nodded; the rest of the mates were getting ready to leave. The Principal Staff and Element Commanders were in the mews working with Clem and Melinda.
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Godric's Hollow
The Lake
3:45 p.m.
"This is Glenda Chittock reporting live from the site of the Boxing Day Royal Ball, the first annual, many of us are hoping.
"The Royal Academy itself is the backdrop for this sure to be star-studded and celebrity-packed event. The Royal Academy is a very imposing structure, an enormous black granite pentagon of six pentagons. Headmistress Chu Li Ming, in a pamphlet this intrepid reporter managed to acquire (she had been given it by Geoffrey), describes it as a Pentaflake.
"But wizards and witches, the truly amazing thing is where the Ball is being held. We are standing on the frozen surface of the five hundred-acre lake that connects to the Royal Academy. I believe there was a view of this lake included in the Prophet when the Ball was announced.
"The surface is covered with amazing statuary lit from below that simply defies description. Onto this frozen lake the Duke of Magic has conjured thousands of chairs and tables and a hundred-acre dance floor. It is a breathtaking site. The lake is paved in polished granite over the ice, and this pavement and the dance floor are warm.
"I must tell you I was afraid of standing for eight hours in the freezing cold but this is wonderful, like a cool spring evening really.
"Elves are just finishing the tables and here comes the first of the Guards; this is something that has not been seen by any wizard alive. A Goblin Regiment in full battle kit has turned out of the Academy, a truly awe-inspiring site.
"Morgana save us, they are followed by a Veela Regiment in battle-ready condition. The beauty and barbarism, simply awe inspiring. I wonder if the human contingent can compare favorably.
"And here are the first arrivals, a group of wizards and witches in full clan regalia. I believe...yes, it is--it's Clan Hamilton first on the lake.
"The arrivals are coming thick and fast now, witches and wizards."
"I'm sorry for that silence, witches and wizards, but the Guards Magical Cavalry has arrived and they are stunning. Wrapped skirts of an unfamiliar tartan design--dark, dark blood-red, almost black, with old gold, a green I know I've seen somewhere before, and black stripes and old gold colored bustier tops. They have tartan shawls of the same pattern as their skirts and are all carrying staffs. They are gorgeous, every one of them.
"And here comes the Divisional Staff and Element Commanders and witches and wizards, it's another surprise. Their mounts are Nightmares. The Magical British Cavalry are mounted on legends, witches and wizards. That's giving 'em what for, up the British I'll say!
"The Duke is a young Apollo, my fellow witches, I can't describe it. He must be seen to be believed. And the Staff and Element Commanders have brought the wizards already here to a complete halt. There will be more than a few occupied couches tonight if the looks of consternation on the civilian witches' faces are to be believed.
"Well, I had thought the human contingent of the Guard would be outshone by the Veela, at least, but the Cavalry have held up our side very nicely.
"Back to the arrivals. Lord and Lady Greengrass looking smashing; ooh, there are Arthur and Molly Weasley looking every inch the Lord and Lady this evening. Augusta Longbottom and--saints and martyrs defend us--Frank and Alice Longbottom followed by Neville Longbottom and Romilda Vane! If those two are not intent-bonded I'll eat my hat. And not just them--there are young couples everywhere."
"Witches and wizards, pardon me again but Her Majesty has just arrived; this, witches and wizards, is now officially the event of the century."
Everyone able that could hear the WWN started looking through their clothes; they were going, by Merlin!
Glenda announced the Hogwarts choir and relaxed from her endless commentary on gowns and dress robes worn by a veritable who's who.
As the Hogwarts choir sang, Harry took the pregnant Nym and led her onto the dance floor. Glenda watched as they danced a slow, predatory, completely sexual waltz.
Glenda wasn't alone in watching and some rather intimate cleaning charms were the order of the day afterward.
The males in the crowd screwed up their nerve and approached mates.
Wilhelm Coote approached a witch he recognized from the tour, and the other wizards in the crowd watched as he asked her to dance. "Professor Lana, may I have this dance?"
Lana looked at him. "Go ahead, Lana. I'll be okay, I think."
"OK Harry, Of course, Mr. Coote, I would be pleased."
Wilhelm was overwhelmed. Dancing with her was like being blessed; she was predatory and very, very alive. She was also giving off an 'I am a fully bonded witch and will brook no nonsense' vibe that kept everything very proper.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands of hearts were broken that night, as no mate was left alone for more than ten seconds if it appeared that she might even possibly be ready for a dance.
Harry went around dancing with as many mates as possible.
The wizarding peerage was desperate to catch him and talk to him, but he was very obviously in a mood to enjoy himself and brushed their attempts aside.
They sent in their reserve; Harry charmed the witches with pleasant conversation and humor. Jocunda Sykes found herself wondering whether there was a broom closet in that school, and if so, how she could get him away from this crowd for a moment. She was dissuaded by the bright green eyes that watched her as he walked her to her table. They were the same green as his, and there were hundreds of pairs of them.
She was no dummy; putting two and two together, she started counting. Thirty minutes later she ran into Miranda Goshawk.
"How many did you count, Jocunda?"
"Over two hundred; they keep moving around, Miranda. When did you notice?"
"When he danced with me, I happened to look into what was probably the Alphas-one of them, anyway-eyes," Miranda said quietly.
"One of them? You mean there's more than one Alpha?"
"Shhhh, Jocunda. Wizards, two Alphas and seven Primaries, I think."
"And over two hundred mates. Morgana, Miranda, it's a mass breeding."
"Yes, Jocunda. He's not through yet, either-did you feel it?"
"Yes. I don't know whether to be glad I'm mostly past it or not."
Miranda sighed. "Me either."
The Weird Sisters played their set after Celestina Warbeck had crooned a couple of numbers.
As the Weird Sisters began their set, the younger males saw an opportunity and moved in on the mates. They were okay until the first one tried to pull a mate into him for some dirty dancing.
It was like trying to move a building and he looked up into a glowing pair of green eyes. None of the young males tried that again.
Harry had seen it coming and suppressed; he had let Elspeth handle it and then congratulated her and gave her a caress.
The mates all smiled little Mona Lisa smiles. They were very proud of him.
They all went back to dancing in the separated style of youth, except for Harry and Parvati who put on such a show that floor space cleared around them. Padma joined them and they left everyone who could see panting.
Including the band.
Margaret took the stage in front of them as they recovered and gave a demonstration of songstress's skills. Her song had illusions and lights dancing in and around the ice sculptures. It made the fantastical beast Harry had carved in a paean to Luna seem alive.
Luna, and the rest of the people there, were completely enthralled.
Margaret finished and the Weird Sisters led the loud applause before launching into another number.
The mates begged off.
James Chambers would pay for that, as the males felt it was his fault for stepping over the line with Elspeth. Nothing physical was done, but he was the target of constant low-level verbal abuse. The word "wanker" was much involved.
The Boxing Day Open House and Ball were a howling success.
At 11:30 p.m. Harry informed everyone that the conjured furnishings and ice would vanish at midnight. The crowd began making their way home. A few young men hadn't believed him or pushed it too far. They got very wet and very cold before Harry faded them to the shore and the Apparation point. The Division laughed at them as they screamed and cursed.
Harry told the Division how much he appreciated their efforts and faded the Regiment, Royals, courtiers and vassals back to the Castle. Melinda had led the Nightmares off for a run after Harry had thanked her and ask her to thank her sisters. She sent her thanks through the bond as she nuzzled him.
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Potter Castle
27 Dec 1995
00:12
When they landed in the entry hall Eugenie asked, fortunately in the bond, "What's a boy Nightmare?"
"A Hell Stallion. Why, Eugenie?"
"'Cause Melinda is ready, Hermione."
Hermione almost asked, "For what?" and then she saw Harry's flaming face.
She swallowed her laughter, barely.
They moved swiftly to the hall they used for the Ducal Court and Harry looked at the tally boards: two hunded ninety prisoners had been added. Harry waved his hands and the thirty remaining Death Eaters appeared before them.
Harry looked at them in disgust; he was getting tired of interrogating and Obliviating these. "Is he ever going to Mark some new ones?"
The assembled chuckled.
"Go ahead, Nym, let's get them done."
Nym waved and the tables appeared. The mates broke up into their teams, and as thirty-two of the two-mate teams questioned the re-apprehended Death Eaters, eighty-nine other teams started on the two hundred fifty-eight newly imprisoned. Harry and Nym listened in their trance. The prisoners ran the gamut from evil to stupid. The eight children, aged eleven to fifteen, were truly evil, soulless and pitiless little creatures. Their twelve parents were, too.
Harry was in a quandary. He didn't believe he could kill these children. But he couldn't stand to be near them. Their parents were dead people walking, though; anyone who would do this to a child didn't deserve to live.
Harry looked toward the gallery. "I would take advice on the sentencing of these children."
Augusta Longbottom smiled. "Bind them to your House, Harry. Then you can modify their behavior. If they rebel or prove resistant, enslave them."
Tony Blair burst out, "I must protest-they are children!"
Before Harry could speak, the Queen turned on Tony. "Mr. Blair, they have been raised completely without morals. They are essentially animals, very intelligent, very powerful, predatory animals."
Harry smiled. "Like the Warg, then?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, from the writings available I would say exactly like the Warg."
Harry smirked. "You might want to close your eyes."
Harry changed the eight children to Wargs and put them in the dueling area. He vanished and the enormous Alpha male Warg appeared in the dueling area.
They tried to avert their eyes, but it was like one of those nature shows you just can't look away from. The two male Wargs, Charles Loftus and Richard Erskine, set upon Harry and were destroyed. Harry stopped just short of killing them and then, when they finally submitted, he mounted them.
The females took every opportunity to attack while he was busy with the males but were met with the slashing or crushing jaws of the fully mature Alpha male. They were not only mounted but covered and tied when they finally submitted. Madison Loftus, Adelaide Erskine, Whitney Medrum, Tatum Wemyss, Page Forester and Neoma Ravensworth fond themselves in the pack.
It was a horrifying, majestic display of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's concept, "Nature red in tooth and claw".
The Queen, through her connection to the Realm, felt Harry divorce himself from the Warg and let it have its way with them.
Antonitus looked at the horrified Tony Blair and chuckled. "And he's not even controlling it; he's let it go its own way and is watching, much as you are."
Tony Blair was truly horrified now. "How can you tell? You mean it could be worse?"
Antonitus shrugged and said, "Watch and see."
Harry finished the last of them and pulled free of her. He gave a shattering howl and Melissa, Marcia, and Jennifer appeared in the dueling area and began treating the Wargs.
Harry the Warg looked at the twelve parents and growled. He stalked over to them, disgusted by the fear rolling off of them. Kill them all-they were useless.
Just as he bunched to leap on them, Susan Carroll said, "Harry, remember your mother's note. Kill the males, dominate the females," across the bond.
Harry stopped. "Praedia Bellica, then?"
"Yes, Harry, but take them both ways-dominate the males and cover the females, and then kill the males in human form."
"Seems like overkill, Nym."
"We'll release some of these prisoners, Harry, let them carry the story to the underworld. I certainly won't print this in the paper."
"Rita, you Slytherin Queen, that is the most devious thing."
"Thank you, Bella. Coming from you, that's high praise indeed."
Elizabeth liked this solution. "Children, the night wears on. Might I suggest we finish the Death Eaters, as we're going to Obliviate them, and then do the rest of these?"
A stunned bond chorused, "Yes, ma'am."
Elizabeth smiled and relaxed. The bond swiftly dealt with the Death Eaters. They were interrogated, had memories planted, and Harry faded them back to their start points. Several old European families would receive visits in the future.
Harry canceled the Animagus transformation he had forced on the children and they were moved to the children's wing directly above the Ducal suite. They could be felt by all the bonded as Harry forced the familial and pack binding on them. They accepted it as their Alpha's desire.
Harry moved through the rest of the now terrified prisoners, sentencing and punishing. One hundred six were bound as slaves until they repaid their debts; for some this would be a life sentence as they had limited skills. Oddly, they were content and became some of the most loyal of servants. Sixty-four were scheduled for later execution.
Harry found himself in another quandary with eighty-eight women. They were minimally evil if the stones were brought near them, but their crimes were-errrh, hmmm, well-they were uncaring in whether or not their partners were bonded to them, and they were not above using potions and enchantments to take what they wanted.
The mates were furious, not at the women but at Harry. Apparently he was not angry enough at the witches.
Harry put his head in his hands. He had a massive headache.
After it was explained to them, the gallery understood the problem as the young magical males suddenly had the same headache when they didn't react violently enough for their mates' liking.
Erin found the solution. "Harry, you don't see the problem, do you?"
Harry, mentally exhausted, answered, "I'm so sorry, but I don't."
Erin nodded. "You don't respond to Veela or vampire compulsion and you're able to throw off the Imperius. I suspect you would be all but impervious to love potions, too."
Neville looked at Romilda. "You didn't!"
A blushing Romilda replied, "He knows, Neville, so they know; he just thought it was a weak potion and I did too, but it was as strong an Amortentia as Snape knew how to brew, aged for ten years. We found that in Snape's memories. Remember, he got his jollies trying to get young witches and wizards not in Slytherin in trouble, so he encouraged the Slytherin to sell it for profit. I bought it from Malfoy. Harry knows how sorry I am; I was young and I didn't know." She had returned to her normal colors and raised her chin as she spoke.
Harry looked at her and smiled, as did Nym. They knew and understood; it had been a youthful mistake that thankfully had ended okay.
Erin continued, "Harry, most wizards cannot throw off compulsions like that. Their bonds would be broken."
Nym rose and sat in Harry's lap, kissed him, and put his hand on her lower belly, distracting him very thoroughly.
The mates cast Flame-Freezing charms and Finited the Incendio he had hit all eighty-eight witches with before they could even scream.
Emma Granger commented dryly, "By Jove, I think he's got it."
Augusta chuckled. "Yes, well, I think a whole category of potions are going on the banned list."
Harry started. "They aren't?"
Augusta smiled ruefully. "No, Harry, sometimes bonds in trouble just need to be refocused."
Griselda cut in. "I've never agreed with that, and we've had this debate over and over. They should be banned."
Miranda Chandler looked at Harry. "A thorny issue at best, it seems, Your Grace."
Harry winced. "Harry, please, Miranda. Okay, everybody, follow me on this. These love potions' true objective is to have sex with a being despite their objections. I feel this is rape in its purest definition.
"Sex potions can also cause a broken bond, which can kill; all witches are taught this. Using a sex potion can break a bond, thereby killing both bonded, amounting to a double murder. So using a sex potion on a bonded wizard or witch by someone other than their bonded or with the intent of causing them to have sex with someone other than their bonded is at least attempted rape and murder."
Heads nodded all round, except for the eighty-eight horrified witches who had watched sixty-four people be bound over for execution for rape and murder. When you changed love to sex it was a whole different Quidditch match.
The interrogators went back to work and soon a list of all wizards upon whom these witches had employed their sex potions were in hand. The witches were returned to cells pending tomorrow's investigation of the outcome of the use of the potions on said wizards.
Witches who had caused the breaking of a bond would be enslaved to pay reparation, amounts to be determined later. Witches who had caused bonds to be broken which led to deaths would be executed.
Elizabeth stood. "Harry, we'll take our leave while you deal with those things." She indicated the parents.
She looked at Augusta and Miranda, who had remained seated. "We thank the Baronesses for remaining to be observers."
Antonitus pushed Tony Blair into his seat. "The Honorable Gentleman needs some more training, ma'am."
"Remember what I said, Antonitus-he is to remain free and human."
"Of course, ma'am."
Harry forced the Animagus change on Lords and Ladies Loftus, Erskine, Meldrum, Wemyss, Forester, and Ravensworth.
The Clan changed and the enormous hall was suddenly crowded with Wargs. Harry thought for a moment and then brought in the children in Warg form.
They, the mates, Augusta and Miranda, and Antonitus and Tony Blair watched as Harry crippled their fathers and mounted them; and then, after Nym stuck the males' heads to the floor and pinned their eyelids and nictitating membranes open, Harry covered and tied their mothers-Melinda Loftus, Morgan Erskine, Rhiannon Meldrum, Beverly Wemyss, Caitlin Forester and Chelsea Ravensworth-while Nym, Sarah, Hestia, Hermione, Ginny, Susan, Daphne, Beatrice, and then Eugenie mounted their fathers contemptuously.
Augusta and Miranda cringed as Amelia Fastida and her vampire mates reverted to full vampire form and made a meal of the fathers.
Tony Blair's mind was near blank in horror.
Harry reverted to human form and cast the Praedia Bellica. After the flare faded he reverted to his Warg again and mounted Lady Ravensworth.
Harry and the bonded, including the newly covered ladies, faded away as he untied from Lady Ravensworth, and the howl mounted. They could be seen running in the Hollow.
The stunned, horrified prisoners in the dock faded away, back to their cells, and the observers left.
Chapter 36
23 Oct - 26 Dec 1995
During the next month the bond settled and the Veela Regiment moved in. It was a little comical watching twelve-year-old girls dominating Veela warriors. The Veela whined when first Beatrice, then Eugenie did it to them too. Then they fell in love with the bonded and Harry had to dominate the leadership. It was all very high-school as far as the mates were concerned.
Harry had proved to be a hovering husband. The mates watched in amusement as more and more of them fell pregnant and he didn't know where to hover any more. They took pity on him and made allowances, though, as they could feel his all consuming concern for them, pregnant or not.
Pregnant mates would wake with Harry's head pressed firmly in their bellies and his arms tightly around their waist. It seemed to lead inevitably to sex, as they felt his magic tensed and ready to lash out at the slightest threat or provocation. It simply made them horny, no matter what they had been feeling before.
The NEWT results had come in, as had the Masters packets. All two hundred forty mates had achieved at least an O/O in Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Divination, Magical Transportation, Herbology, History of Magic, Muggle Studies, Potions, and Transfiguration.
They had achieved masteries in all those subjects plus Alchemy.
The guilds were in an uproar when they discovered the Clan now had majorities in guild votes.
That lasted until Harry dropped the guilds a note reminding them that they existed at the pleasure of the ruler of Magical Britain and introduced himself. The uproar died immediately and envoys from the guilds arrived.
The full moon on the seventh of November brought a run through France for the pack in their Warg form. The Warg seemed to overrule the werewolf. The French werewolf packs in magical Briton found themselves dominated, and more than a few of their Alpha males crippled and Alpha females covered and tied when they resisted.
The mates had been deeply involved in wedding planning, and Harry alternated between ignored and used. The mothers had not made it any better. For those girls without mothers, Molly Weasley turned lioness.
Augusta finally cornered Harry just before he was about to explode. "It's a girl thing, Harry. They still love you, though. Make sure to remember as many of the details of the process as you can. It will be important later when they test you."
"There's a test?"
Augusta had to laugh at his horrified face. "Every day is a test of some sort, Your Grace. You'll pass with flying colors as long as you love them."
Harry grinned hugely. "No worries, then."
Augusta shook her head, chuckling.
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Potter Castle
8 Nov 1995
The bonded were in a state of excitement bordering on hysteria. The eggs were hatching. Robin, who was acting as Hedwig's hands that day, had heard noises in the eggs and Hedwig had smugly informed them that the hatchlings were coming.
Harry had immediately started denuding the Hollow of all its small wildlife. He had built a respectable pile of fresh carcasses by the time Hedwig convinced him to stop. He stayed in his owl, hopping from foot to foot on the edge of the nest and snapping viciously at anyone who came too close who wasn't a mate.
After the last fledgling hatched out, he and Hedwig settled in, surrounded by their mates.
After the hatching the mates added owls to their repertoire and the fledglings never lacked for food. The small mammal population of the Hollow was very effectively suppressed before they widened their predations to Scotland, England, Wales, and then Europe.
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Crawley Manor
Lawrence was proud. Finally the type of people he had always wished to associate with were coming to his house-old pureblood families from across Europe; the Master had summoned them. Lawrence had worked hard at playing the perfect host.
He had had to sell off some property and stock to buy two elves. His daughters had apparently been captured or killed with the rest of Greyback's pack. The house was spotless. Nasty little animals did a good job, better than the bitches.
The Master had gone into a rage over the news about Greyback's pack, and Lawrence had learned to keep Cruciatus relief potions on hand.
He had found a brewer and put the man on staff. They had to find a Potions Master, though. The Master wanted things that were beyond the brewer's abilities. He had advertised in the east as the Master directed and received some CVs. Hopefully the Master would make a selection soon.
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Potter Castle
23 Dec 1995
The twentieth of December had been the last day of term at Hogwarts. Minerva had stopped sleeping at Hogwarts, as the bonded were completely linked to Rowena now through Harry. Minerva could also fade, as they had started calling it, as well as any of them.
It was a bracingly cold morning as the pack coursed through the Hollow with the Veela on one flank and the Goblins on the other. The command council, the Queen, Phillip, Andrew, Dan, Tony Inge, and Tim watched as the exercise proceeded.
PT had gone well and these simple exercises were designed to work out kinks in the division's structure and command and control.
As expected, the Veela and Goblins responded more slowly, but they were still very fast. They simply did not have the Clan Brain.
Dan watched and nodded. "You know, if he bonded all the Veela commanders and enough Shield Maidens to put one at company level and higher as liaison, it would improve the command and control."
"We don't control that, though, Dan-his magic does."
"Yes, ma'am. Too bad, really."
Tim chuckled. "There may be a material solution. The American military are working on linking all their soldiers and platforms. Maybe the technomancers could modify the equipment. I'll speak to Amanda."
Phillip had been thinking. "He's stopped bonding them, hasn't he, Andrew?"
"We're not sure, sir. The Veela and Goblins he mates report being able to feel more and more from him every day. He can use their senses from day one, and some of them are becoming more able to use him."
Elizabeth nodded. "The bonds are different, much more toward normal, but they grow stronger with time and increase exponentially after every additional taking."
"Andrew, how do you feel about Sarah, Beatrice, and Eugenie?"
"Conflicted, ma'am, at least about Sarah. I know they won't touch each other in human form and they-errrh-divorce themselves from their Warg when the Wargs are coupling, but it's still damned odd. I'm overjoyed to know that if something happens to me Sarah will be fine, though. As for Beatrice and Eugenie, I couldn't be happier for their Wargs, and again, Harry refuses to touch them in any way that could be considered sexual in human form. To the girls' displeasure, it seems."
He heaved a great sigh. "Am I a bad father and husband?"
Elizabeth smiled, "No, they're so divorced from it they don't even feel guilty, and if Harry doesn't feel guilt, then Mother Teresa wouldn't."
Snickers erupted all around.
Phillip wondered aloud, "Will he ever get over that?"
Tony Inge responded. "One would hope not, sir. I believe without a conscience as strong as he has he would be an unstoppable monster."
"No question. The difference between him and a Dark Lord is the thickness of his conscience."
"Alastor, that was almost poetic."
"But true, ma'am."
They nodded as they went back to watching the exercise.
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Christmas was like a fairy tale for the mates.
Harry unstintingly gave their hearts' desires to them, no matter what it was. Christmas day turned into a pile of squealing, happy mates as they unwrapped their presents.
Books were popular with some, clothes with others, jewelry and perfumes for some. All besides Nym received a ring like hers and a heartfelt proposal.
The court of St James, vassals, and governments withdrew after the last heartfelt "Yes!"
Marcia healed Harry's sore knees, and the bonded attacked.
The Clan finally resurfaced that evening.
Harry and his Goblin and by now Veela Senior NCOs planned and executed four separate themed balls during the season as the mates continued their wedding preparations.
A Divisional Ball on 21 December, a Clan Ball on 22 December, and a Mates' Ball on 23 December were all held at the Royal Academy.
Harry froze the surface of the lake with a layer of ice ten feet thick for the last ball, a public ball on Boxing Day, 26 December.
The Prophet had carried the announcement.
New Magical School to Host Boxing Day Ball
Rita Skeeter
20 December 1995
Headmistress Chu Li Ming (see page 4) of The Royal Academy of Magic (Pictures page 4) announced not only the existence of this new Royal Chartered school open to all today but that it had been decided to host a Boxing Day ball to introduce the public to the facility and faculty.
The Ball is open to all comers starting at 4 p.m. on 26 December and ending at midnight.
Access will be by Floo beginning on 26 December 1995 at 3:45 p.m., and the address is The Royal Academy.
The Headmistress advises that the school is under massive ancient wards and a Goblin and Veela Regiment will be on site; any improper behavior at the ball will land the offending party in the dungeons to be turned over to the proper authorities.
Those unable to utilize the Floo network should request a one-time use Portkey from the Royal Academy admissions office by postage-due owl post.
Magical Britain was launched into a frenzy of preparation and anticipation.
Voldemort immediately detailed all of his Death Eaters to attend and to be on their best behavior. They were to gather information.
Harry and the mates warded the Floo and Portkey landing points with wardstone sets that sank into the ice.
The Floo point was constructed of ice transfigured to marble; there were one hundred grates.
The Command Council and Division Staff went over the plans for defense and crowd control while all the mates assisted Ginny and the senior NCOs with preparations.
It was decided that the mates would attend in Regimental dress and glamors and be announced as the Guards Magical Regiment of Cavalry. Harry, the Principal Staff, and Element Commanders would arrive mounted on the Nightmares.
Harry would, in morphed form, be announced as the Commander.
Harry created gigantic fanciful ice sculptures on the surface of the lake and laid a hundred-acre parquet dance floor and four hundred acres of Transfigured five-millimeter-thick granite pavers. Chairs by the thousands and tables by the hundreds flowed into being from the ice and were covered in conjured upholstery.
He cast a warming charm that excluded ice over the whole thing.
Margaret recruited Celestina Warbeck, the Weird Sisters, and the Hogwarts Choir to perform sets in rotation. She also would perform.
The Hobgoblins agreed to a reunion set and Glenda Chittock would do the WWN simulcast from arrivals to finally. The world-wide wizarding press picked up the story and bombarded the Royal Academy with requests for credentials. They were informed that if their reporters could pass the wards they would be allowed as guests, but they were not to harass the guests or staff of the school.
Harry sent invitations to every family in Britain with magical children for both an open house starting at 9 a.m. on Boxing Day and the ball. The invitations would be one-time, four-way Portkeys.
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The Royal Academy
26 December 1995
08:00
Chu, Minerva, Sinistra, Aurora, Bathsheba, and Marie sighed. The interviews (Legilimency probing) of the applicants was over. They and the hundred mates who had helped them could relax. The human staff of the Royal Academy was selected.
They had ended up with
241 Mates
67 Americans
22 Chinese
4 Japanese
10 French
11 German
43 Eastern European
103 Magical U.K. (99% of the "hedge academy" and Clan school instructors)
209 Asian
200 African
100 Goblin
100 Veela
1103 Females total, all under fifty and all, except the mates, unbonded
The already bonded instructors from the hedge academies had been considered but universally declined. They had really been teaching because there had been no one else; they would rather spend the time with their own families, unless they were needed of course. The Headmistresses of the other schools had declined, citing advancing age and impending retirement.
From touching their minds they knew Harry would end up mating the ones they accepted over the course of their lives. Nym and Sarah felt most of them would go into compulsion.
Hermione started the process of deciding who went when. Really, all she had to do was collect a blood sample and add it to the latest list she and the 'Claws had created. The list then displayed who was most fertile. She and Bakul had already added the Patil women and the mates. GrindaknÃvur was working on the Goblins and Lorelei popped in once a day to add Veela samples.
Falcata and the Veela Matriarchal Council had copies and the parchment projected ahead three weeks so the females involved could be notified to show up on their day. Harry normally dealt with three a week, so adding the instructors was not a stretch. The Patils and the Professors would taper off soon at that rate. Eventually Veela and Goblins would also; unless they bonded they only received one breeding.
The Professors were assigned to their classrooms and led there by the charmed rune-covered pendants they were given, which also linked them to Harry. They met their Veela or Goblin classroom assistant (guard) and waited.
At 8:50 a.m. Portkeys began activating all over Magical Britain; at 9:00 all potential students and at least one parent or guardian, if available, were in their potential classrooms. The parents and children who had failed to pass the wards were in cells.
Chu was overjoyed; the Portkeys had worked beyond all expectation. Harry was crushed-eight children were in cells. That six sets of parents were there too was not significant to him yet.
The parents or relatives (some families had called for help as they had more children than they could escort) looked around, impressed by the sparkling new classrooms and impressed by the at least capable looking Professors (the mates had morphed themselves or used glamors) and assistants.
The professors talked to them, answering their questions until 9:10, and then directed their attention to the large technomancer-modified screens in the front right corners of the classrooms.
Chu appeared on the screens and cleared her throat. "Welcome to The Royal Academy of Magic, established this year by the Duke of Magic of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Defender of Magic and Magical Champion of the Crown and Realm.
"In a few moments I will introduce His Grace, but first I would like to give you an overview of the Royal Academy and its College of Hogwarts.
"The Academy will be a free institution with mandatory attendance for all magical beings until the child reaches the age of eighteen or the Duke's determination of majority for the species involved.
"There will be a grade school for students beginning in the year of their sixth birthdays. The school will be divided into five Houses, the four Hogwarts Houses plus the Duke's House."
Harry's negotiations with the Sorting Hat had almost ended at the Hat's insistence not only on his having a House but its being called Myrddin. He had been forced to compromise on the Ducal House for the first ten years, but the Hat would inform the students of the real name and then lock the information away in their heads until 2006.
Harry had been forced to wear the Hat continuously for a week while it determined his House's traits. The mates had not been pleased, and the Hat had found itself silenced and temporarily blinded.
Harry, unfortunately, still had to put up with its running commentary on his performance. That had stopped when Amelia Fastida bit the Hat, in a fit of pique at it putting Harry off his game during her turn, and started sucking the life force out of it.
"In their fifth year of school the students will be tested, with the top five hundred attending the College of Hogwarts.
"In their eighth year, OWLs will determine those who will be in the more theoretical track and can attend the College of Hogwarts, again limited to the top five hundred students of the year.
"In their twelfth year all will be tested and the top fifty percent will be allowed to attend the undergraduate school.
"Finally, at their sixteenth year they will be tested again, with the top fifty percent of those tested allowed to attend the graduate school.
"The curricula of the Royal Academy and the College of Hogwarts will diverge slightly at the sixth and ninth years, becoming more practical at the Royal Academy and more theoretical at Hogwarts.
"The school will be a day school through the fifth year and a boarding school from sixth year forward.
"Transportation to and from the school for day and boarding students will be by Portkeys provided by the Duke, who it is now my pleasure to introduce."
Harry stood looking into the large screen, broken up into 1103 smaller pictures in the auditorium but focusing on the Professors.
He smiled gently. "Well, that's a lot to take in, especially for the Mundane amongst you. I am the Duke of Magic of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Defender of Magic and Magical Champion of the Crown and Realm.
"Why don't I take some questions and maybe we can answer most of yours. The instructor in your room will call on you when you raise your hand. Please rise, state your name, and ask your question."
Harry sent the call to Ginny first and she indicated a bull of a man. He stood next to his redheaded daughter in her small desk in the first-grade classroom that would be Ginny's.
Angus Alan Douglas-Hamilton, fifteenth Duke of Hamilton and twelfth Duke of Brandon's behavior would set the tone. "Thank you, Your Grace." He knew from Nora's letters and the feel of power rolling off this slip of a gel he was addressing that she was at least a Primary mate. He turned to the screen. "Your Grace is most kind. Her Grace Chu said all of this would be free?"
Harry laughed ruefully. He wanted to kiss His Grace, Alan, the Duke of Hamilton, and then slap him.
"Unfortunately, free is a relative term in our case, Your Grace. A ten percent tax will be levied across my realm to pay for schooling, defense, and law enforcement.
"In your case and mine that will be a large bite; in the case of Mrs. McAllister, on your left, smaller but less than she has had to pay before through all of the use taxes and fees currently in place." Harry had accessed Ginny's ongoing passive Legilimency skimming of the room.
"There is a detailed pamphlet about the school on your student's desk. It is, errh, magical." He smiled. "The Mundane parents will find more information on the magical world in it than magical parents. Some things we think most magical parents already know."
Harry sent Susan a signal and she selected a second year student. The girl dropped a curtsy. "Your Grace, what if I don't want to go to school here?"
Harry smiled and accessed Susan. "Ms. Johnson, remember-name first, then question. Not everyone knows you. Now, why wouldn't you want to go to school here?"
"Sir, all my friends are at my old school now."
"Quite a few of them will be attending here, Ms Johnson-those who are not are Mundane. You will be going home every day until sixth year and will be able to see your Mundane friends then.
"Where we are able, the classrooms include all the magical beings from a geographical area. We do not control the House sorting, the Sorting Hat from Hogwarts will do that during your first week here."
Scarlett Johnson smiled. It was true, after all-her best friend Vicky was right there.
Harry moved to Pamela's ninth grade Transfiguration classroom.
"Mr. Corner."
Michael started slightly, his Ravenclaw intellect kicking in. It had to be some type of magic that let the Duke do that. "Your Grace, what about those already attending Hogwarts?"
"You will be tested and resorted in January when term starts, Mr. Corner. Those seventh years attending other schools outside of Britain will be sorted and tested also. They will be given the option of attending their last term at the school they are attending or transferring."
Harry shifted to Narcissa's seventh year Potions lab. "Easy there, Lord Griffiths."
"Your Grace, some of our families have traditionally attended these other institutions."
Harry smiled. "And you are welcome to continue to do so. The mission of the Royal Academy is to provide the best magical education in the world to all the magical sentients of the Realm. If you desire to make your own arrangements, then that is your prerogative. For those who do not have their own resources, we will provide."
"So I won't have to pay these exorbitant taxes?"
"You, as all magical residents of the realm, will pay the taxes either in money, labor, or finished goods."
"Your Grace, I will not."
"Lord Griffiths, don't force me to a course you will regret. I am your liege, and you will pay."
"I challenge your authority."
Harry sighed; it had to happen. "Fine, how would you resolve the issue?"
"I would see from where your authority devolves."
Harry smiled and called on the Realm.
Every sentient being felt the Realm rise to his call and knew it conferred its authority on him.
Lord Griffiths bowed deeply.
Harry chuckled. "Thank you, Lord Griffiths. I was hoping you wouldn't go for single combat."
Griffiths paled as a rumble of chuckles went round the school.
Harry called on Amelia Fastida and she signaled to the very pretty sixth year Beauxbatons girl in the front row.
"Your Grace, I am Josephine Raslin. I assume you are aware that at least the Professor I have here is a vampire."
Harry waited for the stirring to settle. "Ms Raslin, there are fifty-eight vampire and seventeen werewolf Professors. They are fully bound to me. You do realize that lycanthropy and vampirism are fully controllable and caused by a virus, don't you? One of the things we will be working on in the university is finding a cure. We are close now.
"Part of what Duke Hamilton, Lord Griffiths, their peers, and my incredibly large tax bill will be funding is the free issue of Wolfsbane potion to all who desire it, free of charge."
"You will force them to register?"
"No. We are currently reviewing existing laws with the Wizengamot. I expect many to be struck down. If you want to stay out of trouble, don't kill, rape, or steal, and don't lie to Aurors or the troopers of the Magical Division. Also do not expect your condition to be an excuse if you are a vampire or werewolf. We know from personal experience that it can be controlled.
"From now on persons breaking laws in Magical Britain will be hunted down, captured if possible, killed if they can't be captured safely. Those captured will be questioned under Veritaserum and judged. Murderers, rapists, and pedophiles will be executed and their assets seized to pay reparation. Thieves will be enslaved until they repay the debt to me, as I will pay reparation and ten percent damages."
There was a vast mumbling.
Harry sighed again. "If there are other questions about the Royal Academy?"
Seeing none, he added, "Your Professors will now take you on a tour. I will be circulating, as will Headmistresses Ming and McGonagall. Lunch will be fed in the commons; your instructors will show you where at the appropriate times. And ladies, please don't hate me, but everyone feel free to ask their Professors any questions you might have. If they don't know the answer they'll write down the question and I will answer or find the answer."
The screens went blank.
The Professors had all been provided a linked messenger pad and a fully bonded mate had the Master for every three or so non-bonded.
Harry watched them smoothly answer questions as they gave tours of the spaces their students would use.
Ginny deserved a night of her own for that pad idea.
Elizabeth looked at Harry and smiled. "You handled that very well, Harry. Now, take me on a tour."
Harry blinked. That had not been the plan. He smiled and nodded and escorted her to the primary school section of the pentaflake. They appeared in the first year common and immediately drew a very respectful crowd.
"Hamilton, you and I as well as the other magical Lords will have a discussion on the twenty-seventh here in the auditorium, at 1:00 p.m. if you please. Pass the word to your peers and vassals, also the Magical Dukes, Viscounts, and Marquesses, Baron."
Angus winced, Fellowes scribbled.
Elizabeth chuckled. "Buck up, Angus, it won't be that bad."
"Majesty, most of us have been in correspondence with Lords Black, Weasley, or Lupin, or a member of the Wizengamot. We've heard the rumors."
He turned to Harry. "Duke Potter?"
Harry sighed. "Don't you people have anything better to do than whisper about me?"
Angus smiled. "No, Your Grace. Two hundred forty-four? What else would we ever talk about?"
Harry blinked and mumbled, "Worse than women ever were, sitting around drinking, smoking, and nattering endlessly."
Angus laughed. "Your Grace, I must protest-the women drink, too."
"They don't smoke."
The bonded chuckled at Angus's face.
Harry and the Queen continued to circulate. Lunch was served and was a smashing success-light, nutritious, and very tasty.
The mates and non-mated Professors slew the students and parents or minders. They were polite but strict and fair. They were very knowledgeable and could answer almost any question. The few they had not answered were all related to things other than education. The teenage male students and most of their male relatives or temporary guardians were in love, but it was obvious that the mate Professors were very taken. The wives, sisters, and older relatives with the students admired them and the female students found themselves wanting to be them.
In two instances young males had found themselves restrained by burning green eyes and one by a Goblin knife. The lesson was not lost and circulated like wildfire: get forward with a Professor at your peril.
Finally at 2:00 p.m. the instructors bade their students and parents goodbye and moved to the auditorium.
Harry mounted the stage. "Ladies, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. You have done more to advance our cause than I ever could."
They blushed under his heartfelt thanks and praise.
Chu said "Ten thousand, eight hundred and fifty, Harry. The grade school was an average of twenty per instructor, about what we thought. More College-level students, though. They're easier to handle, and some could be day students."
Ann added, "The undergrad and graduate programs drew a lot of interest from those already graduated, Harry. We'll be fuller than we thought if they can pass the test."
Harry smiled. "Well, too late to back out now. Get some rest, ladies. I'll see you at the ball."
He raised his arms and the bonded faded away along with the Royals, vassals, and the courtiers who had been present.
Harry took the bonded to the master suite and lay down for a nap. He waved and Juliet and Julius appeared in his arms, followed by two very upset nannies. Rose and Tulip sighed in exasperation when they saw the toddlers sleeping in his sleeping arms.
The mates chuckled.
As Harry napped they bathed and prepared. It was amazing how much they could recharge from a resting, contented Harry and just doing simple girl things.
At 3:15 Nym woke Harry, and Rose and Tulip swooped in and took their charges away. Nym pushed a pouting Harry into the shower and then watched as he bounced out drying himself and as he dressed.
Harry looked at Nym's sparkling green eyes. "What?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, my heart."
"Dress and let's go. I want to get there right on time."
Harry nodded; the rest of the mates were getting ready to leave. The Principal Staff and Element Commanders were in the mews working with Clem and Melinda.
HPATWSHPATWSHPATWSHPATWSHPATWSHPATWSHPATWSHPATWSPATWSHPATWSHPATWSHPATWSHPATWSHPATWS
Godric's Hollow
The Lake
3:45 p.m.
"This is Glenda Chittock reporting live from the site of the Boxing Day Royal Ball, the first annual, many of us are hoping.
"The Royal Academy itself is the backdrop for this sure to be star-studded and celebrity-packed event. The Royal Academy is a very imposing structure, an enormous black granite pentagon of six pentagons. Headmistress Chu Li Ming, in a pamphlet this intrepid reporter managed to acquire (she had been given it by Geoffrey), describes it as a Pentaflake.
"But wizards and witches, the truly amazing thing is where the Ball is being held. We are standing on the frozen surface of the five hundred-acre lake that connects to the Royal Academy. I believe there was a view of this lake included in the Prophet when the Ball was announced.
"The surface is covered with amazing statuary lit from below that simply defies description. Onto this frozen lake the Duke of Magic has conjured thousands of chairs and tables and a hundred-acre dance floor. It is a breathtaking site. The lake is paved in polished granite over the ice, and this pavement and the dance floor are warm.
"I must tell you I was afraid of standing for eight hours in the freezing cold but this is wonderful, like a cool spring evening really.
"Elves are just finishing the tables and here comes the first of the Guards; this is something that has not been seen by any wizard alive. A Goblin Regiment in full battle kit has turned out of the Academy, a truly awe-inspiring site.
"Morgana save us, they are followed by a Veela Regiment in battle-ready condition. The beauty and barbarism, simply awe inspiring. I wonder if the human contingent can compare favorably.
"And here are the first arrivals, a group of wizards and witches in full clan regalia. I believe...yes, it is--it's Clan Hamilton first on the lake.
"The arrivals are coming thick and fast now, witches and wizards."
"I'm sorry for that silence, witches and wizards, but the Guards Magical Cavalry has arrived and they are stunning. Wrapped skirts of an unfamiliar tartan design--dark, dark blood-red, almost black, with old gold, a green I know I've seen somewhere before, and black stripes and old gold colored bustier tops. They have tartan shawls of the same pattern as their skirts and are all carrying staffs. They are gorgeous, every one of them.
"And here comes the Divisional Staff and Element Commanders and witches and wizards, it's another surprise. Their mounts are Nightmares. The Magical British Cavalry are mounted on legends, witches and wizards. That's giving 'em what for, up the British I'll say!
"The Duke is a young Apollo, my fellow witches, I can't describe it. He must be seen to be believed. And the Staff and Element Commanders have brought the wizards already here to a complete halt. There will be more than a few occupied couches tonight if the looks of consternation on the civilian witches' faces are to be believed.
"Well, I had thought the human contingent of the Guard would be outshone by the Veela, at least, but the Cavalry have held up our side very nicely.
"Back to the arrivals. Lord and Lady Greengrass looking smashing; ooh, there are Arthur and Molly Weasley looking every inch the Lord and Lady this evening. Augusta Longbottom and--saints and martyrs defend us--Frank and Alice Longbottom followed by Neville Longbottom and Romilda Vane! If those two are not intent-bonded I'll eat my hat. And not just them--there are young couples everywhere."
"Witches and wizards, pardon me again but Her Majesty has just arrived; this, witches and wizards, is now officially the event of the century."
Everyone able that could hear the WWN started looking through their clothes; they were going, by Merlin!
Glenda announced the Hogwarts choir and relaxed from her endless commentary on gowns and dress robes worn by a veritable who's who.
As the Hogwarts choir sang, Harry took the pregnant Nym and led her onto the dance floor. Glenda watched as they danced a slow, predatory, completely sexual waltz.
Glenda wasn't alone in watching and some rather intimate cleaning charms were the order of the day afterward.
The males in the crowd screwed up their nerve and approached mates.
Wilhelm Coote approached a witch he recognized from the tour, and the other wizards in the crowd watched as he asked her to dance. "Professor Lana, may I have this dance?"
Lana looked at him. "Go ahead, Lana. I'll be okay, I think."
"OK Harry, Of course, Mr. Coote, I would be pleased."
Wilhelm was overwhelmed. Dancing with her was like being blessed; she was predatory and very, very alive. She was also giving off an 'I am a fully bonded witch and will brook no nonsense' vibe that kept everything very proper.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands of hearts were broken that night, as no mate was left alone for more than ten seconds if it appeared that she might even possibly be ready for a dance.
Harry went around dancing with as many mates as possible.
The wizarding peerage was desperate to catch him and talk to him, but he was very obviously in a mood to enjoy himself and brushed their attempts aside.
They sent in their reserve; Harry charmed the witches with pleasant conversation and humor. Jocunda Sykes found herself wondering whether there was a broom closet in that school, and if so, how she could get him away from this crowd for a moment. She was dissuaded by the bright green eyes that watched her as he walked her to her table. They were the same green as his, and there were hundreds of pairs of them.
She was no dummy; putting two and two together, she started counting. Thirty minutes later she ran into Miranda Goshawk.
"How many did you count, Jocunda?"
"Over two hundred; they keep moving around, Miranda. When did you notice?"
"When he danced with me, I happened to look into what was probably the Alphas-one of them, anyway-eyes," Miranda said quietly.
"One of them? You mean there's more than one Alpha?"
"Shhhh, Jocunda. Wizards, two Alphas and seven Primaries, I think."
"And over two hundred mates. Morgana, Miranda, it's a mass breeding."
"Yes, Jocunda. He's not through yet, either-did you feel it?"
"Yes. I don't know whether to be glad I'm mostly past it or not."
Miranda sighed. "Me either."
The Weird Sisters played their set after Celestina Warbeck had crooned a couple of numbers.
As the Weird Sisters began their set, the younger males saw an opportunity and moved in on the mates. They were okay until the first one tried to pull a mate into him for some dirty dancing.
It was like trying to move a building and he looked up into a glowing pair of green eyes. None of the young males tried that again.
Harry had seen it coming and suppressed; he had let Elspeth handle it and then congratulated her and gave her a caress.
The mates all smiled little Mona Lisa smiles. They were very proud of him.
They all went back to dancing in the separated style of youth, except for Harry and Parvati who put on such a show that floor space cleared around them. Padma joined them and they left everyone who could see panting.
Including the band.
Margaret took the stage in front of them as they recovered and gave a demonstration of songstress's skills. Her song had illusions and lights dancing in and around the ice sculptures. It made the fantastical beast Harry had carved in a paean to Luna seem alive.
Luna, and the rest of the people there, were completely enthralled.
Margaret finished and the Weird Sisters led the loud applause before launching into another number.
The mates begged off.
James Chambers would pay for that, as the males felt it was his fault for stepping over the line with Elspeth. Nothing physical was done, but he was the target of constant low-level verbal abuse. The word "wanker" was much involved.
The Boxing Day Open House and Ball were a howling success.
At 11:30 p.m. Harry informed everyone that the conjured furnishings and ice would vanish at midnight. The crowd began making their way home. A few young men hadn't believed him or pushed it too far. They got very wet and very cold before Harry faded them to the shore and the Apparation point. The Division laughed at them as they screamed and cursed.
Harry told the Division how much he appreciated their efforts and faded the Regiment, Royals, courtiers and vassals back to the Castle. Melinda had led the Nightmares off for a run after Harry had thanked her and ask her to thank her sisters. She sent her thanks through the bond as she nuzzled him.
HPATWSHPATWSHPATWSHPATWSHPATWSHPATWSHPATWSHPATWSPATWSHPATWSHPATWSHPATWSHPATWSHPATWS
Potter Castle
27 Dec 1995
00:12
When they landed in the entry hall Eugenie asked, fortunately in the bond, "What's a boy Nightmare?"
"A Hell Stallion. Why, Eugenie?"
"'Cause Melinda is ready, Hermione."
Hermione almost asked, "For what?" and then she saw Harry's flaming face.
She swallowed her laughter, barely.
They moved swiftly to the hall they used for the Ducal Court and Harry looked at the tally boards: two hunded ninety prisoners had been added. Harry waved his hands and the thirty remaining Death Eaters appeared before them.
Harry looked at them in disgust; he was getting tired of interrogating and Obliviating these. "Is he ever going to Mark some new ones?"
The assembled chuckled.
"Go ahead, Nym, let's get them done."
Nym waved and the tables appeared. The mates broke up into their teams, and as thirty-two of the two-mate teams questioned the re-apprehended Death Eaters, eighty-nine other teams started on the two hundred fifty-eight newly imprisoned. Harry and Nym listened in their trance. The prisoners ran the gamut from evil to stupid. The eight children, aged eleven to fifteen, were truly evil, soulless and pitiless little creatures. Their twelve parents were, too.
Harry was in a quandary. He didn't believe he could kill these children. But he couldn't stand to be near them. Their parents were dead people walking, though; anyone who would do this to a child didn't deserve to live.
Harry looked toward the gallery. "I would take advice on the sentencing of these children."
Augusta Longbottom smiled. "Bind them to your House, Harry. Then you can modify their behavior. If they rebel or prove resistant, enslave them."
Tony Blair burst out, "I must protest-they are children!"
Before Harry could speak, the Queen turned on Tony. "Mr. Blair, they have been raised completely without morals. They are essentially animals, very intelligent, very powerful, predatory animals."
Harry smiled. "Like the Warg, then?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, from the writings available I would say exactly like the Warg."
Harry smirked. "You might want to close your eyes."
Harry changed the eight children to Wargs and put them in the dueling area. He vanished and the enormous Alpha male Warg appeared in the dueling area.
They tried to avert their eyes, but it was like one of those nature shows you just can't look away from. The two male Wargs, Charles Loftus and Richard Erskine, set upon Harry and were destroyed. Harry stopped just short of killing them and then, when they finally submitted, he mounted them.
The females took every opportunity to attack while he was busy with the males but were met with the slashing or crushing jaws of the fully mature Alpha male. They were not only mounted but covered and tied when they finally submitted. Madison Loftus, Adelaide Erskine, Whitney Medrum, Tatum Wemyss, Page Forester and Neoma Ravensworth fond themselves in the pack.
It was a horrifying, majestic display of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's concept, "Nature red in tooth and claw".
The Queen, through her connection to the Realm, felt Harry divorce himself from the Warg and let it have its way with them.
Antonitus looked at the horrified Tony Blair and chuckled. "And he's not even controlling it; he's let it go its own way and is watching, much as you are."
Tony Blair was truly horrified now. "How can you tell? You mean it could be worse?"
Antonitus shrugged and said, "Watch and see."
Harry finished the last of them and pulled free of her. He gave a shattering howl and Melissa, Marcia, and Jennifer appeared in the dueling area and began treating the Wargs.
Harry the Warg looked at the twelve parents and growled. He stalked over to them, disgusted by the fear rolling off of them. Kill them all-they were useless.
Just as he bunched to leap on them, Susan Carroll said, "Harry, remember your mother's note. Kill the males, dominate the females," across the bond.
Harry stopped. "Praedia Bellica, then?"
"Yes, Harry, but take them both ways-dominate the males and cover the females, and then kill the males in human form."
"Seems like overkill, Nym."
"We'll release some of these prisoners, Harry, let them carry the story to the underworld. I certainly won't print this in the paper."
"Rita, you Slytherin Queen, that is the most devious thing."
"Thank you, Bella. Coming from you, that's high praise indeed."
Elizabeth liked this solution. "Children, the night wears on. Might I suggest we finish the Death Eaters, as we're going to Obliviate them, and then do the rest of these?"
A stunned bond chorused, "Yes, ma'am."
Elizabeth smiled and relaxed. The bond swiftly dealt with the Death Eaters. They were interrogated, had memories planted, and Harry faded them back to their start points. Several old European families would receive visits in the future.
Harry canceled the Animagus transformation he had forced on the children and they were moved to the children's wing directly above the Ducal suite. They could be felt by all the bonded as Harry forced the familial and pack binding on them. They accepted it as their Alpha's desire.
Harry moved through the rest of the now terrified prisoners, sentencing and punishing. One hundred six were bound as slaves until they repaid their debts; for some this would be a life sentence as they had limited skills. Oddly, they were content and became some of the most loyal of servants. Sixty-four were scheduled for later execution.
Harry found himself in another quandary with eighty-eight women. They were minimally evil if the stones were brought near them, but their crimes were-errrh, hmmm, well-they were uncaring in whether or not their partners were bonded to them, and they were not above using potions and enchantments to take what they wanted.
The mates were furious, not at the women but at Harry. Apparently he was not angry enough at the witches.
Harry put his head in his hands. He had a massive headache.
After it was explained to them, the gallery understood the problem as the young magical males suddenly had the same headache when they didn't react violently enough for their mates' liking.
Erin found the solution. "Harry, you don't see the problem, do you?"
Harry, mentally exhausted, answered, "I'm so sorry, but I don't."
Erin nodded. "You don't respond to Veela or vampire compulsion and you're able to throw off the Imperius. I suspect you would be all but impervious to love potions, too."
Neville looked at Romilda. "You didn't!"
A blushing Romilda replied, "He knows, Neville, so they know; he just thought it was a weak potion and I did too, but it was as strong an Amortentia as Snape knew how to brew, aged for ten years. We found that in Snape's memories. Remember, he got his jollies trying to get young witches and wizards not in Slytherin in trouble, so he encouraged the Slytherin to sell it for profit. I bought it from Malfoy. Harry knows how sorry I am; I was young and I didn't know." She had returned to her normal colors and raised her chin as she spoke.
Harry looked at her and smiled, as did Nym. They knew and understood; it had been a youthful mistake that thankfully had ended okay.
Erin continued, "Harry, most wizards cannot throw off compulsions like that. Their bonds would be broken."
Nym rose and sat in Harry's lap, kissed him, and put his hand on her lower belly, distracting him very thoroughly.
The mates cast Flame-Freezing charms and Finited the Incendio he had hit all eighty-eight witches with before they could even scream.
Emma Granger commented dryly, "By Jove, I think he's got it."
Augusta chuckled. "Yes, well, I think a whole category of potions are going on the banned list."
Harry started. "They aren't?"
Augusta smiled ruefully. "No, Harry, sometimes bonds in trouble just need to be refocused."
Griselda cut in. "I've never agreed with that, and we've had this debate over and over. They should be banned."
Miranda Chandler looked at Harry. "A thorny issue at best, it seems, Your Grace."
Harry winced. "Harry, please, Miranda. Okay, everybody, follow me on this. These love potions' true objective is to have sex with a being despite their objections. I feel this is rape in its purest definition.
"Sex potions can also cause a broken bond, which can kill; all witches are taught this. Using a sex potion can break a bond, thereby killing both bonded, amounting to a double murder. So using a sex potion on a bonded wizard or witch by someone other than their bonded or with the intent of causing them to have sex with someone other than their bonded is at least attempted rape and murder."
Heads nodded all round, except for the eighty-eight horrified witches who had watched sixty-four people be bound over for execution for rape and murder. When you changed love to sex it was a whole different Quidditch match.
The interrogators went back to work and soon a list of all wizards upon whom these witches had employed their sex potions were in hand. The witches were returned to cells pending tomorrow's investigation of the outcome of the use of the potions on said wizards.
Witches who had caused the breaking of a bond would be enslaved to pay reparation, amounts to be determined later. Witches who had caused bonds to be broken which led to deaths would be executed.
Elizabeth stood. "Harry, we'll take our leave while you deal with those things." She indicated the parents.
She looked at Augusta and Miranda, who had remained seated. "We thank the Baronesses for remaining to be observers."
Antonitus pushed Tony Blair into his seat. "The Honorable Gentleman needs some more training, ma'am."
"Remember what I said, Antonitus-he is to remain free and human."
"Of course, ma'am."
Harry forced the Animagus change on Lords and Ladies Loftus, Erskine, Meldrum, Wemyss, Forester, and Ravensworth.
The Clan changed and the enormous hall was suddenly crowded with Wargs. Harry thought for a moment and then brought in the children in Warg form.
They, the mates, Augusta and Miranda, and Antonitus and Tony Blair watched as Harry crippled their fathers and mounted them; and then, after Nym stuck the males' heads to the floor and pinned their eyelids and nictitating membranes open, Harry covered and tied their mothers-Melinda Loftus, Morgan Erskine, Rhiannon Meldrum, Beverly Wemyss, Caitlin Forester and Chelsea Ravensworth-while Nym, Sarah, Hestia, Hermione, Ginny, Susan, Daphne, Beatrice, and then Eugenie mounted their fathers contemptuously.
Augusta and Miranda cringed as Amelia Fastida and her vampire mates reverted to full vampire form and made a meal of the fathers.
Tony Blair's mind was near blank in horror.
Harry reverted to human form and cast the Praedia Bellica. After the flare faded he reverted to his Warg again and mounted Lady Ravensworth.
Harry and the bonded, including the newly covered ladies, faded away as he untied from Lady Ravensworth, and the howl mounted. They could be seen running in the Hollow.
The stunned, horrified prisoners in the dock faded away, back to their cells, and the observers left.
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