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Harry Potter and the Dark Lady
Chapter 22

Royal Academy
Sports Ground
8 Dec 1996
09:00

Harry returned to the box from the Promenade and sat smiling at the crowds. What was not to smile about?

Chita was coming together nicely. The first campus of the Tsarina’s Royal Academy of Magic would be up and open for the second term. All of its rings would be open and the enormous dorms would be full. Tuningfork had carved the dorms by mining the granite extrusion to the limits of Hermione’s anti-nuclear weapon calculations, plus her own strength and anti-magic calculations for the building of Chita. Operating at maximum capacity, the one pentaflake would handle the 44,460 wizarding and Squib children that had been identified by The Book plus the colts, fillies, and Goblin youth—barely, but it could be done.

The two thousand instructor positions were being filled by both males and females. The Professors were sworn as soon as they were hired and each was provided with a stone that also included an intent rune. SFC Jones and Lyles had commented that the smart man trusted, but verified, during one of their small unit tactics classes. Harry had taken it to heart.

The ratio of executed to enslaved Russians was about 1:100 and the newly created slaves were immediately taken into basic training, and then into the Tsarina‘s Tank Army. Usually there were about ten every Sunday.

The few remaining noble houses of Russia had been identified and their members found. They were now sworn to Anastasia, Harry, and Russia. They were being trained in classes in the Royal Academy whether previously trained or not.

There would be a lot of what Chu and Minerva were calling “adult remedial education” in Russia.

Lilith, through Rowena and Roxanne, had directed Harry to an enormous clear sapphire that was sentient and she—of course, how could it not be a she—was spending a lot of time with Zemfira Berkut (soon to be Duchess Potter). Katharina, she liked that name, would become the Tsarina’s Royal Academy in good time.

The new Russian mates had decided they would be created by the Tsarina and the Queen, legitimizing them completely in their view. This had, of course, led to Russia being parceled out among the mates and all of them being created by a naked Anastasia one fine dawn while kneeling naked on the freezing pitch behind one of those odd one-way obscuration charms.

Harry had laughed himself hoarse as he realized that all of their estates were now Potter, but it seemed important to them so he let it go without pointing out that Russia was now technically his entire. Katharina (the Sapphire) had stopped giving him that odd mental pinch she had learned from Susan and Ginny, when he stopped laughing.

Holyhead had gone on a streak, crushing all opposition, and Harry was having a blast playing Quidditch again. The Media were absolutely gaga over the whole thing. Harry was too; the after-game parties in the Dragon’s Den ruled!

The Regiment and Division had had another great training exercise on the twenty-fifth of November, executing the movements to accomplish all objectives with verve and élan. General Carter Ham had decided that the full speed looked so good it was time for some force on force, and he and his OC (Observer Controller) team were writing the SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) and ROE (Rules Of Engagement) to get it done.

Meanwhile Carter had been given command of the 1st Mage Brigade (Separate) (U.S.) with detached duty to the Realm of Briton’s Magical Division.

That had been an impressive ceremony, after that tome of a treaty had been reviewed by Amanda and the British Government and signed by Harry, the Queen, and John Major.

That MILES (Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System) gear and the “Star Wars” Maneuver Control Center for the maneuver training area centered on Chita had looked to be hugely expensive until the technomancers had figured it out and come up with their own versions. Theirs actually made the weapons on the vehicles and that the Squibs and Mundane Russian troops carried function. The projectiles were non-lethal, though, having an effect similar to getting hit with a low-velocity marshmallow. Apparently the nearly permanent dye left by the disappearing little foam balls was a WWW innovation.

The troopers hated it. The OCs loved it—no doubt who shot who and where. Besides, the rainbow colored troops looked hilarious after a failed attack, especially those pink Spetsnaz guys after the Veela suckered them in with a little wriggling and then dusted them straight off.

A visit by the Potter Dragon Murder to several fine houses in the environs of Moscow had squelched the Mundane Russian government’s objections to the appropriation of vast tracts of Russia by the Potter Clan.

The Tsarina’s Tank Army was evaluating the rune-protected, technomancer-enhanced T90, BMP 2 and BMP 3, and the troops were all smiles over them. The BMPs looked to become a high hard ceramic steel laminate version, covered in energy absorbing and dumping runes with technomancer ME (Magical Energy) shielded electronics and ever full charms on all fluids. Of course the troops loved them. The things were an absolute hazard and had to go at least 160 KPH over almost any type of ground. The permanent Disillusioning charms had not worked out as the troops couldn’t find the things again after they dismounted, but there was enough thermal leakage for thermal sights to pick them up despite the radiation-absorbing magic conversion charging runes. The technomancers were working on it, though.

Fred and George had got one up to speed and skipped it across the lake, never needing the amphibious capabilities. Muriel had not been amused and Harry had given them to her for an hour with the understanding that he needed them back with no permanent damage, and that they were bonded. He had cast Bubble-Head charms on them.

Fred and George were a lot more careful around the lake after that and never talked about what had happened, but Muriel, Angelina, and Alicia could be found in the shallow water at the beach in the summer looking at the twins and laughing.

Harry had had to send the helicopter and aircraft teams of technomancers to Chita as those things were just too noisy and distracting to be around the kids.

George and Fred were being given sets of the oddest problems to solve by the technomancers and coming up with great ideas. It looked like they would be attending Uni for some field other than Technomancy, as they were already very close to Masters in that area. They kept talking about Theoretical High Energy Magic studies, but Hermione kept sending “No, Harry” in the bond every time the twins mentioned it, accompanied by images of mushroom clouds.

Molly was bursting. Bill was intent-bonded to the lovely Fleur. Charlie and Dana were doing well, as were Percy, Penelope, and their baby Peter. Fred and George’s Angelina and Alicia were wonderful and Lavender was a gem without price, what with putting up with Ron. Dinners at the Burrow on the weekend were a joy. Just ask Molly; she would be happy to tell you, over and over and over. “Harry!”

“S’true, Ginny.”

Speaking of Molly, now she never went anywhere with out the long-suffering former Black Dragon of hers, Wang Hu Jin. He seemed to have gotten used to it, though, and was always on the lookout to help the Weasleys or the Clan. He could often be found running the WWW stall on the Promenade and helping the twins with designs. He was also an absolute wizard (hehehe) with math. He had this frame thing with balls on sticks and he could add and subtract faster than one of those technomancer-ed solar powered calculators.

Hey, solar cells and that energy transmuting to magic rune of Hestia’s could charge wards, probably.

Harry grabbed his head as the ’Claws and Hermione came charging into his head. Nym laughed at him.

“It…well, it doesn’t hurt, really, but it is unsettling, Nym.”

Nym chuckled.

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China
Kunming
8 Dec 96
17:35

Quidditch sensation, valiant leader, excellent father, dutiful husband, powerful lord, master of thousands, millions even—AAAAAARRRRR, he was whoring over the planet and stripping her of servants as fast as she could mark them and send them after the whores. What had she done in some past life to deserve this confinement in the hell of no-sex-with-her-mate? Mark! Wait—the Mark, that was how he had killed Riddle’s followers. Xi Shi leapt up and ran to her library, digging through the old issues of the Daily Prophet she had acquired.

Yes, there it was, a picture of Riddle’s Mark on one of his slaves. The marks were the same magic. Hahahahahaha! All she had to do was send the slaves unmarked and they would get through. It was delicious. She would have one of the whores soon, then she could torture it and he would come for it. Hmmm, what should she wear? Something red...yes, he liked red. He had all those red headed whores. Yes. “WENCH!”

Ming Na Wen sighed and rolled her eyes. What did the crazy one want now?

“WENCH!”

“Coming, Mistress!”

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Royal Academy
Lake
Monday
9 Dec 96
07:54 (Dawn)

Harry finished and looked around. “It’s very nice, Harry.”

“Thanks, Nym.”

They surveyed Harry’s work. He had created a fifty-acre square of ice with wards along the outer edges right behind the two one-way-warming-charmed giant steps that served as seats. The whole thing floated in the lake and was connected to the shore by a warded ice bridge four hundred feet long. A semi self-aware, magically cushioned and powered zamboni with an ever-full charm on its water tank tied to the lake rolled slowly around the ice, leaving the surface perfect in its path. Harry’s trademarked fanciful creature ice sculptures adorned the back edge of the top step.

They didn’t know yet that the way Harry had done the runes would make it permanent, as he had used the runestones to draw heat from the ice and force it up and out through the steps and to suck up cold from the surrounding water in a kind of reverse heat-sink effect. They never would figure out why it worked that way; it was just one of those Harryistic pieces of magic. Eventually all the schools would have them, though, and the side benefit was that it kept the rest of the lake from freezing over as the stones sucked the cold from the lake.

Susan conjured herself a pair of skates and swept over the ice gracefully. By the time the students discovered the new feature of the school and the news got all the way around, all the mates had had a go, Pansy had conjured a sound system, Harry had cushioned the ice and Jennifer had healed Harry’s bruised butt—ice skating, like Floo and Portkey travel, being one of the few things Harry did not do well. The Weasley twins spent a pleasant winter evening as large penguins frolicking in the lake for knocking Harry over.

Ron, of course, turned out to be a wizard…hehehe…at it, and he and Lavender would spend many an evening wetting panties as they skated together. Harry would never understand what the attraction was for all those third and fourth year girls. His bonded laughed at him over it. How could he be in their minds so deeply and still be such a boy about things?

Agnes added three events to the list aside from the birthday parties she reminded Hermione of. Two parties Minerva and Chu would never approve of, Harry had put his foot down and let the kids have them and a winter Carnival and ball for the whole Academy. The children—erm, wards, Harry’s kids—were already setting it up. Chu and Minerva did impose some rules on that one and the Regiment (Division) would provide security and chaperone. Agnes acquiesced when Harry stood behind them nodding his head at his oldest daughter. Hermione posted an amended schedule:

Birthday Party 12 December 1996
Wards home Friday and Prison Break Party 13 December 1996
Winter Carnival and School Ball 17 December 1996
Russian Empire Ball 19 December 1996
Birthday Party 18 December 1996
Eastern European Nobility Ball 19 December 1996
1st Mage Regiment Ball 20 December 1996
Swear Eastern Europe 21 December 1996, followed by the Veela Regimental Ball
Goblin Ball 22 December 1996
Divisional Ball 23 December 1996
Christmas Day 25 December 1996
Birthday Party 26 December 1996
Second Annual Boxing Day Ball 26 December 1996
Regimental Party (Cocktail) 28 December 1996
Vassal Ball 29 December 1996
Birthday Party 2 January 1997
Mates Judged and Created 4 January 1997
Handfasting 5 January (?) 1997
Back to School Wake 5 January 1997
Wards back in School 6 January 1997
Birthday Party 9 Jan 97

While the ladies planned, Harry withdrew for his day of writing in the journal, popping around the school and Castle helping where he could, and grabbing mates where he couldn’t, disappearing them for thirty minutes or an hour, and two hours with the command trainers.

Harry and Grindaknívur ended up in the Potter Castle Heart chamber, and after her very satisfying defeat, Grindaknívur studied the runes. “Harry, Lilith is a…virgin?...unbonded stone too. The linking rune is here but the, errr, ceremony has never happened.”

The dark-skinned woman materialized inside the clear walls of the Heart chamber. “Correct, Grindaknívur, I have never linked with a mate.”

“Maglubiyet, woman! Warn somebody before you just pop in.” Grindaknívur was holding her hand over her heart.

Harry laughed. “Hello, Lilith.” He waggled his eyebrows. “We could give it a go now!”

Grindaknívur stared at him and Lilith laughed. “Cheeky thing! What makes you think I’d go with you?”

Harry gave her an over-the-top sultry look and batted his eyelashes “Come on, you know you want to….”

“Harry!”

“Thank you, sister. Harry, stop being fresh. I need to talk to you.”

Harry sobered instantly. “What about, Lilith? You know if it’s in my power I’ll do it for you.”

Lilith grimaced. “You want to be careful about that, Harry. I’m older than your sun. The things I’ve seen and done are not all nice. And this is one of them. I want you to not kill Xi Shi.”

“Beg pardon?”

“You heard me, Harry. Don’t Kill Xi Shi, full stop.”

“Maybe you aren’t as awake as you thought. I could have sworn you told me not to kill a Dark Lady who’s actively attempting to kill my mates.”

Grindaknívur could feel Harry’s anger rising, as could Lilith; this could turn very ugly.

“Harry, my love, you know I wouldn’t ask unless I had to. Remember, I told you to kill her last time I saw her.”

Harry nodded. “It’s her, isn’t it? You’ll share with her.”

Lilith shook her head. “I don’t know, Harry, it’s still unclear. You must not kill her. That’s all I know.”

Grindaknívur, sensing the crisis passing in Harry, had been looking around. “Lilith, where are you? I mean the stone that is you?”

Lilith smiled at her. “All around you. You are in a room inside me. My Heart chamber is literally at my heart.”

Grindaknívur’s head swam as the pieces fell into place. Lilith was the legendary Mother, a diamond so large and so pure it eclipsed all others combined, most of which had come from carving this room in the ages before time.

Lilith smiled at her. “No carving me up for baubles, Grindaknívur.”

Grindaknívur was pressing herself face-down, spread-eagled on the floor. “Oh, get up, Grindaknívur. You are, after all, my mate through our love. You and Harry get back to what you were doing. As soon as the powers align I’ll join you.”

Lilith faded away with a smirk. And Grindaknívur leapt on a surprised Harry with a battle cry on her lips.

Later Harry turned to the west from his position in the roof garden where he had sneaked off with Irma, Susan’s shrunken cow who had originally been meant as a meal to bribe Frieda. It was 18:00 and the sun was long gone. The days were so short now.

“Irma, there you are!” Susan scooped up the lowing Irma and turned to Harry. “Coming to dinner, Harry?”

Harry smiled and grabbed Susan and pulled her down to the grass. Susan smiled and let Irma wander a while longer while she cuddled with her mate.

Finally at 18:30 Harry stood and raised Susan, then helped her catch Irma who was apparently through chewing her cud and was now being playful, and faded them all to dinner in the fifth form common.

After dinner Harry and most of the mates went flying as owls. The cold air and the hunt were exhilarating, as always.

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Potter’s Field
Thursday
12 Dec 96
19:00

Harry stood in the door of the wall between the two huge and magically expanded taprooms. “Welcome, everyone! Now, before we start this party off I’d like to remember all those who have made it possible through their hard work. The Potter bound and elves.”

Harry led the applause. “Now as we know, it’s time for that traditional song; but first, let’s have the birthday witches and wizards stand, please.”

Hestia read the names and then Harry led the crowd in singing ‘For he’s a jolly good fellow’, and then Amanda led ‘Happy birthday to you’; as always, the birthday witches and wizards blushed and laughed. Harry smiled. “Now, without further ado, let’s get the party started.”

Harry stepped away from the roar of the crowd and let the guests of honor be swamped with well wishers.

As was customary by now, they moved the birthday party for the Potter children to the Castle at 21:00 and the party in Potter’s Field got down to the serious drinking, darts, bastard brag, and talking.

At the Castle the children got their de rigueur cool toys from their Da Harry and clothes from their older mothers, and last but not least all the jewelry, scents, Snitches, pens, inks, candies, assorted wheezes, posters, and books from their younger mothers, new siblings, and friends. It was a grand time.

Melinda went into labor at 22:00 and Harry disappeared after becoming his squid or whatever that was and reappeared in Melinda’s stall. Melinda found the tentacles at first chewy and then very comforting after she realized that it was Harry and stopped biting him. The giant pool he faded her to in the hall that Geoffrey had arranged was again very unsettling at first when faded into it by her insane mate, and then very soothing as Harry held Melinda up and massaged her in the body-temperature sterilized water. Blaze and Grace took to the water amazingly well, especially with their sire holding their heads out of the water after Jennifer cut the cords. All in all a very Harryistic entry into the world for a brand-new Hell Stallion and Nightmare.

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Potter Castle
Master Bedroom
Friday
13 Dec 96
05:00

Harry opened his eyes and smiled into Rose Turnbull’s as she sat back on him and sighed in satisfaction. Nym watched, smiling, for a few moments and then introduced Gwenog’s brown skinned, slightly angular but very nice-faced athletic form to her version of Harry. Gwenog resisted a little, trying to see, but Nym pinned her and then pinned her. Lorena Montclair found herself in a very intimate position with Padma, Hermione took on Janet Cartwright, and Minerva took Isabelle Jugson. Robin Vicar got to be Hestia’s first female, well first as a male. The rest of the Harpies contented themselves with a female mate or two, as that having-a-Harry trick was devilish hard and they hadn’t all mastered it yet. Nobody thought it odd that the players, coaches, and trainers of the Harpies had moved right in, as they were now almost completely bonded from all the after-match parties.

Harry was lying with a glowing Rose when Jennifer Goldstone tried to sit up and leave quickly; but it was too late and she found herself in some kind of tub with a creature just as her water broke. She struggled a moment and then gave in. Morgana! Harry was talented. It felt marvelous. The mates came in and offered encouragement as they finished what they had been doing, and Marcus and Claudia arrived into Jennifer and Marcia’s hands as Melissa took care of their mother—well, as much as she could around their eight-armed father.

After that the day was a blur. The kids getting out of school, the wild Prison Break Party—well, as wild as it could get with their all-seeing mothers and father right there, anyway. Seamus Finnegan nearly getting barbecued for having his hand near, not on just near, Carrie Losh Potter’s butt while dancing to a slow romantic ballad performed live by the Weird Sisters kind of put a damper on the hormones.

Seamus thought, “Looking at Duke Firestarter, definitely not your old roommate Harry Potter, definitely Duke Firestarter, was a chilling experience not soon to be forgotten. No matter how much wriggling Carrie did or how much eye rolling she threw at her blast furnace smelting copper eyed, air bending father.

“Harry’s refusal to budge from the room despite the bonded’s protest was a clue that could hardly be missed, wasn’t it. That Duchess Nym couldn’t budge him from his standing position in the corner where he had a clear view of the dance floor and exits—well, that was what the American Sergeants teaching small unit tactics or DADA called a clue by four, and not a wizard in the castle wanted to get hit with it. Not the way the Duke was known to swing.” Seamus nodded to himself.

The female wards third form and above were mortified. And they let it be known. Harry was intractable. And the wizards were very cautious. A grand time was had by all. It was, after all, oddly comforting to be a Potter daughter and have that vicious monster looming over your shoulder if you needed it. Of course you had to protest; that’s the way it was done, after all. Girls were supposed to have overprotective fathers and they were supposed to complain about them.

Sirius and Remus watched these developments with glowing smiles and full eyes. James and Lily would be so proud.

Dan Granger, standing next to them, chuckled. “Ha got what he deserves then.”

Sirius looked at him. “What did he get?”

“A house full of hot teenage daughters, who are also intelligent and ambitious, pays him back for taking mine.”

Sirius weakly defended, “Errrh, I don’t think he meant to, Dan.”

“Still did.”

Sirius smirked. “So you’d rather Hermione went with Ron Weasley, then?”

“Oh, I say, Dan, horrible waste of good whiskey spraying it on them. They have to drink it for it to have any effect, you know.” Phillip shook some spray off his hand.

Remus and Sirius doubled over laughing, as Dan glared at Phillip.

Remus finally straightened up. “Dan, have you finished that book Hestia gave us?”

“Luna’s new visions, Remus? Yes, I have.”

“And your conclusions, Dan?”

“Well, Remus, we know that they’re all apparently possible. Some of them are bad for us, some not so bad for us but bad for someone else. None are...erm…free, perhaps. I’ve distilled them and passed them to General Ham and he’s designing the training scenarios based on them.”

“Well done, Colonel.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Sirius was nodding. “I’ve made my way through them, and we’re investigating all of them—the Order, that is. Moody is over the moon to have something to do. He’s been whinging horribly since last August when Harry ‘up and robbed him of a living, killing those bastards’. We’re coordinating with Daphne.”

They all nodded and turned back to watch the children play.

At the same time, Molly and Elizabeth were watching the children play too, along with most of the mothers-in-law and the vassal wives. Augusta offered, “Harry is very protective.”

“Yes, isn’t he lovely.”

They all chuckled at Emma Granger’s comment.

Molly frowned. “Well, he’s going to have to ease up a little if he wants his daughters married. No one in his right mind would challenge him.”

Elizabeth smiled. “Oh yes, they would. Look at Agnes and that Crumfield boy. Harry hasn’t said a word to them. It’s obvious they’re bonding.”

“Yes, Agnes defends him well.”

“Emma!”

“S’true. She’s waved Harry off successfully twice now.”

Griselda offered, “He’s a nervous boy, though, that Crumfield. He’s shaking in his boots every time Harry looks at him.”

“Well he’s a keeper, then, smart enough to sense his imminent death.”

Emma’s repartee to Griselda’s sally had them all laughing.

Agnes sighed. Reggie was like a cat on a hot tin roof. “Reginald! Look at me—not them.”

“Yes, Agnes.”

“What’s wrong with you,Reginald?”

“Erm...your Dad’s Harry Potter, the Duke of Magic, Agnes. He lights people on fire like we breathe.”

Agnes rolled her eyes. “You aren’t going to be an idiot about this, are you? He won’t do anything to you unless you do something wrong. Even then, since we’re intent-bonded he’d probably just bind you to the House. Hmmm, that might not—”

“Agnes!”

Nym looked at her tightly wound Hell Dragon guarding his hoard in a man’s body. “Harry, smile! You’re going to make Reginald Crumfield wet himself.”

“Grrrr.”

“Harry!”

“Grrrr.”

Nym gave up and rolled her eyes.

Bellatrix smiled mischievously. “Harry, if you scare away Agnes’s bonded you’ll have to enslave her.”

Harry’s startled face and then the hideous grimace he directed at Reginald Crumfield, intended to be a warm smile after Bellatrix’s comment, kept the bonded in stitches every time one of them remembered it for the whole of the Christmas hols.

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Potter Castle
Master Bedroom
Tuesday
17 Dec 96
05:00

Harry entered the master suite and fell into the bed. Maybe mating all the Nightmares in that one night had been a mistake. And why did they all have to have their foals at night? And why had the centaurs decided it was a good time to join in? Merlin! Growing those eight extra arms and then controlling all sixteen, four at a time on each delivering mate, was exhausting.

The mates followed him in pairs and groups. The winter Carnival would open in four hours and they had been up since yesterday at this time. Sleep, sleep now!

At the Royal Academy, the students were stirring. “M’up, Mum.”

Alicia opened one eye. Angelina had told her about Fred’s little “Mum” incident. What was it with these oafs? She rolled over and threw a leg and arm across George. Thirty more minutes were not too much to ask.

All over the Royal Academy students who were staying until after the Carnival and school ball (all of the boarders minus the Potter children) rose and went about their morning routines. They wandered to the commons and were handed their task sheets.

The Head Boys and Girls (Uni Head students, male and female of both the undergraduate and graduate schools included) had divided up the tasks to prepare for the Carnival as agreed upon with the Headmistresses, and this was the final list. As soon as they finished these, the Carnival was on, followed by the ball at 20:00 hours.

The students hadn’t held back; the Carnival was a winter wonderland. They finished setting up the booths and lit the burners under the griddles, pots, and water vessels and stood reviewing their instructions at 08:30. The Duke had given the elves the day off and the students were going to experience their work for today.

Geoffrey had protested vigorously, to no avail. So now the elves hovered, trying to follow the Duke’s orders but occasionally helping anyway. Eventually, as the children and young adults failed to light the stalls afire or kill each other, the elves began to have fun without working. It was a unique experience for them and one they were glad only happened once a year. Especially after that group of younger elves got into the WWW stall and started passing out Canary Creams.

Who knew elves were light enough to fly when they sprouted those wings? They were harder to catch than Lockhart’s Pixies until Hermione simply summoned them by name and told them to stay on the ground.

The ensuing dressing-down that George and Fred received from the blazing-eyed Hermione was soon legend.

Harry wandered the grounds eating himself sick and riding on the rides the technomancer students had come up with. That snowball thing that put you inside a cushioning charm and flung you across the lake was a hoot. Harry rode until he truly was ill.

He sat with a bright-eyed Princess on each knee while he recovered from too much funnel cake.

Ginny’s handful of snow down his neck at 16:00, just as the light faded, started the massive snowball fight that closed the Carnival. Of course it was slightly unfair as the mate’s shields stopped the snowballs before they hit. The mates, however, were deadly accurate, unbelievably fast, and worked in teams, routing the fifteen thousand Royal Academy students with coordinated fire and maneuver.

By 17:30 all the soaking Royal Academy students had been chased into the pentaflake where they collapsed, jubilantly exhausted.

Harry let the elves clean up and everyone was very happy. The female students retreated to dorm rooms while the males played chess, Gobstones, or Exploding Snap.

At 19:00 the last male students cleared off to dress and the elves swept through, cleaning the school.

At 19:55 the female students began exiting the tunnel that led from the Goblin quarters through the locker rooms and out onto the pitch, which had been turned into a Mid-Winter Dreamscape.

The first grade students (helped to dress by their older compatriots) came first; they would only be staying until 21:00. They were photographed and fawned over by both their own and their escorts’ (first grade boys) parents and followed by each grade in succession until Harry and Nym led the mates onto the frozen and charmed warm floor of the bowl.

At 20:30 the first act (Celestina Warbeck) started their first set. The floor of the sports ground was filled with couples dancing and the Division and parents chaperoning. At 21:00 Harry said goodbye to the first thru fifth graders and the Weird Sisters took the stage.

Harry danced every song with a different mate and the mates danced with their old friends and in some cases former students.

Harry finally closed the ball at 01:00 and the mates were in bed by 01:22. Kudos were due to Emmeline for reminding everyone still breast feeding to start pumping three days ago so they could stay ahead of the monster social calendar they had over the hols.

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Chita Oblast
Imperial Palace
Thursday
19 Dec 96
02:00

The ball had been very grand and Harry was unsure he would ever keep all of these people straight in his head. He had danced with his mates and been the absolute cynosure of attention all night.

The nascent Russian wizarding media, under the tutelage of their brother and sister media people from the west, had been respectful and polite after some dire warnings about being changed into animals or burned by Dragons.

Imelda was busily teaching her new colleague, Feodora Chumut, how to be a brash and forward Royal Academy correspondent for Русская Teen Ведьма Weekly—when she wasn’t busy dodging subtle little spells thrown at her by the mates, or Joseph’s attempts to steer her out of the danger zone while he threw apologetic shrugs to Harry.

Dancing with the Russian noblemen and women had been an eye opener. First the orchestra played the interminably slow and ponderous Valse triste followed immediately by Chopin’s Minute Waltz and then Strauss’s Blue Danube. The orchestra followed this with works by Beethoven, Hayden, Sebelius, Ravel, Tchaikovsky (of course), and ended their first set with Debussy’s nearly undanceable Valse Romantique during which Harry and Marie Crouching Cougar Potter’s animalistc interpretation of the waltz cleared the floor and earned a standing ovatation, including from the orchestra.

During the orchestra’s break, a five-piece rock-type band played modern waltzes from Brian Wilson, Suzanne Vega, and a young unknown named Elliot Smith, proving that the waltz was not, in fact, dead, and drawing the young nobles, mates, and Harry back to the floor.

The darker corners of the courtyard were, as usual, a snakepit of intrigue that the Slytherin and vampire mates siezed and dominated completely. After the Empire Ball, magical Russia was no longer a vassal but a joyous thrall. In the Grand Duke, Tsarina, and their mates they found the exact measure of power, intrigue, and brutatility that their so very Russian souls craved. Life after Communism looked to be very good indeed. Thank you, Mr Gorbachev—illiterate, scheming monkey that you were—and Mr Reagan, you beautiful megolomaniac.

Harry watched the mates for the first sign of tiredness. They had a very busy schedule and could not afford to get exhausted by any one event. The mates, however, were very aware and were not averse to taking breaks, including stepping on the transport Arms and going home for a short rest. Several young Russian noblewomen managed to find themselves in the Duke’s bed for a nap when they accompanied their new friends. Nym just smiled. They might as well get used to it...hehehe.

“Nym!”

“What, Harry? Those aren’t sycophants, they’re potentials. You’ll get to them all eventually.”

Harry rolled his eyes and went back to his war stories and sub-zero vodka with Pitior and Marshal (call me Sergei Highness) Plotempkin.

Nym shot a sobering charm at Harry again. He nodded at her as he felt it. It was the only way he was keeping up with these extremely hard-drinking, mostly ex-military Russian nobles. Well, that and dancing with everything female that got within touching distance.

Narcissa and Allison hid a smile. They had watched as the male nobles manuevered for position near Harry and then after but a moment’s conversation, made a little motion with their hands behind them and their wives pushed their blushing daughters into Harry’s range. The scene repeated over and over in a very base form of pure power politics. Russians were so much fun.

Katharina had sat on her crushed velvet covered table judging the nobles as they were all somehow called to come and place a hand on her. A couple of them had life-changing experiences right then and there.

Geoffrey Scourgified them and the puddles and they went to find seats and re-evaluate their positions in light of the Russia’s clear instructions and the horrifying glimpse of the consequences of disobedience she provided.

At 02:00 when the orchestra repeated a waltz for the first time, Harry stood and started making his excuses. The bonded, after all, had another event at 19:00 on the nineteenth GMT at Potter’s Field. Some sleep and children time was in order.

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Potter’s Field
Thursday
19 Dec 96
19:00

The Birthday party roared to life with the now traditional two songs, and the evening was off to a great start.

Harry taught the Regiment knife-catch by playing a round with Cinquedea and then clearing the throwing floor by fading herself and him away for her to pay up on her bet. The troopers present almost burst attempting to stifle their catcalls and wolf whistles.

Harry and Cinquedea were back later to a round of catcalls and wolf whistles that would not be stifled, and to the female Potter children’s further mortification.

Hagrid and his now usual cronies Argus Filch, SSG Lombard, and SSG Woodman laughed and shook their heads. “’Arry’s getting very bold, isn’ ’e?”

Argus eyed Hagrid. “What are you drinking, Hagrid?”

“Ish new. Sally Ann says to try ’t and poursme tankard full.”

Lesley Woodman looked to the bar and caught Sally Ann slyly watching Hagrid. He leaned up and looked into the vast tankard. He could see clear to the bottom. “Merlin’s flaming penis, Hagrid, that’s that vodka the elves are making in Chita. You be careful with that, or—”

“Too late, Lesley.” Charles got his wand out and the floor cushioned just before Hagrid keeled over onto it, stiff as a poker.

“What has happened to my Hagreed?”

The three remaining amigos turned and looked up, and then up, and then up some more until they found Madam Maxine’s face somewhere near the twelve-foot ceiling. Charles answered. “He’s a little under the weather, Madam.”

“Hmmmph, you scoundrels have gotten eem drunk on my birthday. No matter; I know ’ow to cure thees.”

She reached down and hoisted Hagrid up and onto her shoulder and headed for the stairs up to the rooms.

The catcallers and wolf whistlers were petrified in pursed-lipped, frozen terror as she mounted the creaking and groaning staircase.

Nym broke the spell with a sparkling peal of laughter after the footsteps paced down the hall above, shaking sawdust from the new beams of the taprooms; a very solid sounding door banged open and then closed and the muffled, “Oh, my poor Hagreed, your Olympe will take good care of y—” was cut off by a silencing charm.

Then the party really got started. Harry faded his children to the Castle early lest they get a whole new type of education, and the mates hastily followed. Many (all) parents joined him with their children via the transport Arms on the strength of their children being in school with the Potter children, anything to get away really.

Later Harry and the mates arrived in the Castle hall, which had been converted to a cavernous ballroom, precisely at 20:30 after some quick-change artistry on the part of the mates, elves and children. The vassals, minus Sirius and Remus, arrived shortly after. Sirius and Remus, along with their bonded and the other children’s parents, had stayed to assist Eugenie in hosting the continuing birthday celebrations of the younger children who, after the school ball, were quite content to not attend. “All that mushy stuff... blech!” seemed to be the theme.

The Eastern European Nobility Ball seemed to be a repeat of the Russian Nobility Ball: Slytherin and vampires ruling the quiet corners, Harry and the other Mates wowing them on the dance floor, Roxanne lying on her table amidst a pile of golden colored crushed velvet and terrorizing a select few and all, right down to the same waltzes with a few new pieces being thrown in.

The new highlight of the evening had come early when Harry’s magic found Tamara Laura Czartoryska-Borbón and Countess Elonka Dunin, both contenders to the throne of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the dominant, magically recognized entity of Central Europe.

August had been both pleased and chagrined at the powerful display of magic that had been their intent-binding.

But no more so than Harry, who had flinched at the great gonging note from the Castle’s stone walls and the flare of light and had been frustrated at Lilith’s smug attitude about the whole thing.

“You’re as bad as Nym and Sarah, Lilith. I don’t really need to mate everything female on the planet, you know.”

“Perhaps they are as bad as me, Harry. Just a few more, I promise.”

“How many is a few?”

“Don’t go all Daphne on me, Harry, just keep going with it.”

“Hey! I’m right here, Lilith.”

“Why yes, dear, you are. Very good situational awarness. SFC Jones and Alastor will be so proud.”

Harry and Daphne huffed in frustration as their mates laughed.

The other new wrinkle turned out to be the mates and the potentials wandering away having their earthy little conversations and meeting the ongoing birthday party in the public sitting room, game room, and parlor. Soon the ball and birthday parties were hopelesly entwined; Harry gave a little wave and everyone was in stunning evening wear. The birthday party goers would be very pleased to find the Transfiguration was apparently permanent and Aunt Nan or whoever’s huge garnet jewlery was really flawless diamonds in mithril mountings now. That odd luminous green color like the Duke’s eyes at Court—but still!

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Potter Castle
Private Study
Friday
20 Dec 96
17:00

Harry sat in his study with Phillip and Andrew, reading the sixteen-page Guide to ‘Dining In’ he had been given by the Mage Regiment—errr—Brigade G1 and the schedule of events he had been given by the G3.

Speaker: His Highness the Duke Of Magic Harry Potter

Honored Guest: Her Majesty the Queen, His Highness The Duke Of Edinburgh, His Highness the Duke of York, the Duchess of York, the Duchesses Potter, the Potter Intended.

President of the Mess: Brigadier Carter Ham

Mr. Vice: 2Lt Vanessa Rodriguez


Times Events Remarks
1900 Members and guests arrive. Upon arrival, the members
proceed through the receiving
line.
1900 Cocktails. After the members go through
the receiving line, they
proceed to the cocktail area.
1940 Announcement by Mr. Vice The members
take their places in the mess. The members take their places
behind their chairs. The
smoking lamp is out.
1945 The President calls the mess to order. One rap of the gavel.
1946 The President orders the posting of
the colors. Color Guard posts the
colors.
1951 Invocation by the chaplain.
1952 Toasts. * At this time, toasts are
usually presented to the
United States, the President,
the Army, and the unit.
1955 The President announces:
"Take your seats!"
1956 Welcoming remarks by the President.
1958 The President introduces
Applause is held as all the guests at
the head table are introduced.
Appropriate toast will be given. Applause is held as an
appropriate toast is
proposed by Mr. Vice
2000 The President seats the mess and dinner
is served. The members start eating
only when authorized by the
President and after Mr. Vice
has announced that the food
is fit for human consumption.
2045 The President calls for a break with two
raps of the gavel. Members adjourn to the
lounge or bar.
2100 Members return to the mess and remain
standing until seated by the President
with one rap of the gavel. Dessert is served.
2115 Smoking lamp is lit by Mr. Vice. Upon direction of
the President.
2116 The President introduces the
distinguished speaker.
2117 Speech.
2140 After conclusion of the speech, Mr. Vice proposes a toast to the distinguished
speaker: "To our distinguished speaker." Everyone rises and responds:
"Hear! Hear!"
2141 Benediction by the chaplain.
2142 The President calls for the retiring of
the colors. Color Guard retires the
colors.
2146 The President gives the closing remarks.
2147 The President adjourns the mess with
two raps of the gavel. Members of the mess remain
standing behind their chairs
until the guests have left.
2200 After-dinner entertainment commences. Ball.

* Toast will be given to: The Queen as our Host, His Highness the Duke as our Commander, and the Magical Realm of Briton.

Harry sighed loudly. “Awfully formal about this, aren’t they?”

Phillip chuckled. “In my day this would have been a dining out. It’s tradition. Harry, important to the military. Sometimes all you have left, you see?”

Harry nodded. He was no mean student of military history. He devoured it entire from Sun Tzu to Schwarzkopf and everything in between. Examples of units literally having nothing left but one man and tradition were replete. It was horrifyingly comforting.

His speech was rooted in that study and proceeded to an examination of their current condition. He was petrified.

Andrew chuckled. “You’re probably less scared than Mr. Vice, Harry. Relax!”

“Why do they call her that—well, I assume it’s a her…I mean, Vanessa and all.”

Andrew rolled his eyes and went over it all again. Obviously it hadn’t taken the first time he told Harry.

Nym was nearly as panicked and Janet Carruthers Potter had her hands full settling her as they dressed. Krista and Krystal worked in the bonds with the other mates.

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Potter Castle
Entry Hall
Friday
20 Dec 96

At 18:50 the mates and Harry stood behind the Royals and at 18:59 Elizabeth stepped forward onto the Arms and disappeared. Clan Potter followed.

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Royal Academy
Sports Ground
(Weather charms on)
Friday
20 Dec 96
19:00

The 1st Mage Regiment watched, slightly awed, as the officers of their sister Regiment swept down the stairs behind the Queen in full Regimentals. Parvati was glowing; her uniform design slew the Mages dead on the spot, male and female.

The Mages had seen them in armor but never all of them in the Regimentals, and it was breathtaking.

They managed to get through the receiving line in good order and with no mistakes. And then during cocktails Harry commiserated with Vanessa until Nym came and dragged him away to socialize.

Of course SFC Jones and Lyles (reassigned to the training troop and operations center) were right there to offer their opinion of Vanessa’s chances to get him alone again. They would pay dearly in fines and trips to the grog bowl when the smoking lamp was lit.

Harry managed a rousing speech and dinner was excellent. The Duke’s Own relaxed into it all and put the 1st Mage Brigade (U.S.) (Sep) even deeper in their pockets with erudite conversation, witty repartee, and brilliant smiles.

After the President of the Mess adjourned the Mess, the mates and Harry received a pleasant surprise when an American army band opened with a waltz and segued through waltzes and big band music with hardly a pause.

Elizabeth had one of the better evenings of her life. Yanks certainly know how to party.

“Liz!”

“Hush, Phillip, and keep dancing.”

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Royal Academy
Sports Ground
Saturday
21 Dec 96
08:04

Harry groaned. “Why are we out here in the freezing cold, barefoot, and in nightdresses again, Nym?”

“Tradition, Harry. Shhhh, the sun will be up in a minute and you’ll take all their oaths then.”

“Be glad the Patriarch vetoed the nude thing, Harry, or we’d all be out here naked and freezing like when Anastasia created us.”

“Hush, Zemfira, it’s tradition.”

“Ha! Yours, Aksinya. I think we should use the Tartar tradition and all go someplace warm and get stupid drunk.”

The sun showed a sliver and the kneeling nobles of central Europe swore their oaths. Harry accepted them and gave the “So mote it be” and Roxanne provided a coruscating light show as she bound their Houses to herself, Nym, and Harry. They all survived, so the soul searching must have paid off.

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Potter Castle
Ball Hall
Saturday
21 Dec 96
20:00

The Veela Ball was much less formal, and only Veela and mates were allowed to attend. Nym was forced to lock down the hall almost as soon as they entered. While there was dancing it was an…erm…decidedly hedonistic affair.

Harry though he might never walk again. Morgana, though, if that was the only price he had to pay it was worth it. Merlin! Just watching Pansy and the Sergeants Major had been worth the price of admission. Where had she learned to dance like that? Even the Veela were enthralled.

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Potter Castle
Deep Holds
Sunday
22 Dec 96
19:00

Billhook grinned and laughed. Harry was beating up on all comers in the middle of the dance floor while the smart Goblins danced with the goddesses. The new goddess Katharina had caused a huge stir, but nothing on that little trip to the mother that Grindaknívur had taken him, Falcata, and Kopis on. Kopis was still catatonic. Harry and his wives were so much fun.

Falcata was looking at Harry again. Hmmm. Billhook looked down at his lapful of Goblets. Not so soon perhaps. Let everything settle a while. Then see if she wanted another set of Goblets.

“No, Grindaknívur, you can’t kill all the female Goblins here.”

“But Roxanne, they’re just being sluts. I’ll only kill a few and the rest will learn.”

Roxanne rolled her eyes and Grindaknívur pouted.

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Royal Academy
Sports Ground
Monday
23 Dec 96
19:00

The Divisional ball was a blowout of epic proportions, and nothing untoward occurred. Well, aside from Harry getting completely wasted and Nym letting him. Hell, let him? She joined in!

Several of the mates—hell, all of the mates, minus the pregnant ones—let their hair down completely and joined them. Their pregnant sisters watched over them like hawks. Not that it was necessary other than to keep them from making asses of themselves.

Elizabeth watched and smiled. Really, it had to happen some time and they were very upright and proper drunks. Pillars of the inebriated as it were, hehehe.

Phillip cast a jaundiced eye at Elizabeth. Definitely time to switch her to water. Pillars of the inebriated indeed! And was that a giggle? Why, she hadn’t giggled in forty years. “Let me get you some water, dear.”

“Bah. Geoffrey, some more of that excellent Merlot, please.”

Phillip covered his eyes. Oh boy, this would be fun tomorrow.

Later, the still sober members of the bonded pairs and the Clan forced water and several sobering charms on their mates before bed.

The twenty-fourth was still a very nice, slow, relaxed day. Harry spent it on a kind of grand tour of his mates. The Hell Stallion colts and Nightmare fillies as well as the Centaur—errrr—boys and girls and their mothers spent a very nice couple of hours frolicking in the new snow under their massive Hell Stallion herd stallion’s ever watchful gimlet eye.

Melinda couldn’t resist somehow, and flashed Harry. He did manage to resist, just. The Potter children and mates joined the herd and spent a pleasant afternoon sledding and squealing in the snow.

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Potter Castle
Wednesday
25 Dec 96
06:37

Ruth Townsend Potter, fourteen years old and spending her first Christmas since that horrible day five years ago when her parents had died with her family, came around the truly gigantic tree that was standing in the public sitting room, its piles of presents so high it took a ladder to reach the top, and very nearly wet herself as she met Joan Secker Potter, her new sister in the same year. Joan obviously had the same problem and first grabbed herself and then her heart. They finally laughed at, and with, each other.

“Joan, you should be asleep.”

“Me? You too, Ruth!”

Ruth looked back to the presents and shook her head. She backed into a couch and sat. Joan, not knowing what else to do, joined her sister. “Da is nuts, Ruth. I mean, look at all this!”

Ruth nodded. “Agnes says it’s because he was abused. You know, I like all the prezzies but I think what I like the most is when he comes out of nowhere and growls at some boy all fangy with that fire coming out of his nose.”

Joan giggled. “Yeah, I know. He wets pants any way he wants to.”

“JOAN!”

“Shhh, Ruth! You know it’s true, though. I’ll bet it keeps down on the personal grooming, though. I mean, not much need to trim the nose hairs if you can just burn ’em off.”

Ruth collapsed, laughing, and finally managed, “You are so bad. How are you a ’Puff?”

“Skill and cunning. I’ll be the Queen of ’Puff—well, if Hannah lets me.”

Ruth looked at the smirking Joan and gave her a hug. “Marry Christmas, sister.”

Joan hugged her back. “You too, sister. Man, that’s weird. We are so sisters! How does that happen? I mean, I expected to be breaking up catfights all through the hols!”

Their new Ravenclaw sister, Arlene Babcock, chose that moment to fade into view behind them. “It’s Weasley and Prewitt magic.”

“Eeeeeek!”

“Aiiieee!”

Arlene laughed as Ruth and Joan flew off the couch and went back to back, wands out. “My, my, Sgt Lyles and Scythe will be impressed. You might want to work on your battle cries, though; girly screams aren’t quite what they mean by ‘Show me your warrior’.”

“Bint.”

“Silly cow! You scared me out of ten years of my life. How is it that you can sneak up like that?”

“She fades like Da and the moms, Ruth. My, my, didn’t think you were the only one, did you, Arlene?”

“Ana! I almost wet myself.”

Ana Holst Potter, sixteen years old and Slytherin sixth form, chuckled. “Serves you right for scaring Joan and Ruth. What are we all doing up?”

Ruth smirked. “Talking about Da and boys.”

Ana smiled. “Oh, those are good things to talk about while we wait for the others to wake up. What have we covered so far? Wait a minute! The rest of you can just come on out, that way we won’t have to backtrack.

“Well, come on.”

As Ana stood tapping her foot, the female Potter children thirteen and above faded into view from under Disillusionment charms or from wherever it was they went while Harry faded. Ana looked around with narrowed eyes and then sat. “Okay, that’s all of them. I wonder where Agnes is?”

Ashton Rippley Potter and Elena Skinner Potter, both thirteen-year-old former chattel and Myrddin, immediately broke out in, “Agnes and Reggie sitting in a tree, K I S S I N G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then come Reggie with a baby carriage while Agnes cracks the whip!”

The sisters sat stunned for a moment and then the giggles took over. Bettina Holden Potter, seventeen and Ravenclaw, threw in, “Not if Reggie wants to stay alive. Didn’t you see that alleged smile Da gave him at the Prison Break Party? That was worse than the glares and the fire. Poor Agnes.”

“Oh, that’s rich from you, Bettina. We’ve all seen you eyeing up Lyle Porter from the Uni ’Puffs like he was a steak. Why don’t you just go ahead and take him?”

“Oh, very nice, Deborah Valentine Potter! You Warg Bitches are all the same. You all should try subtlety sometime instead of the club to the head, me Jane you Tarzan let’s get busy routine.”

Deborah shrugged. “It ain’t broke, so don’t fix it!”

“Oh, very deep, Deborah. Quoting the Warg philosophers Jones and Lyles, are we?”

Deborah smirked evilly. “Well, who has and who hasn’t got their mate yet?”

The room turned to look at Deborah and she realized too late the kneazle was out of the bag now. She groaned and closed her eyes; when she opened them it was to a sea of faces and a pair of burning green eyes mounted in a tense face on an Adonis-like body wearing boxers. “Erm—morning, Da?”

Harry just stood tapping his foot. “Who?”

Deborah cringed. “Henri Van Der Hoot, Da.”

Harry contemplated a moment and then nodded and faded away. The held breath went out of the room in a rush.

Bettina threw up her hands. “Why is he so prejudiced?

“Bettina! That was beneath you, and I won’t have you saying things like that about your father!”

The room jerked as Daphne faded into view and spoke.

Bettina instantly lowered her head in submission. Daphne’s eyes were blazing. “Sorry, Daphne, it’s just so frustrating.”

Daphne sat and hugged Bettina. “Your beau’s a ’Puff, Bettina. Listen to your sisters; in this case the Warg method might be best. Oh, and do get him to come around and talk to Harry. I promise I won’t let Harry eat him. Besides, Harry knows you’re found. He loves you girls more than his life. You must never think he would hurt you through anything other than ignorance. He will, however, kill wizards who trifle with you—without hesitation and with very little provocation. You must remain conscious of this. Don’t get some poor wizard lit on fire in a fit of pique. Be sure of yourself, and your wizard.

“Now, the younger children are waking up. You girls keep control. We’ll start opening presents at 07:30 or so. Send the first boy who comes in around to wake up the rest of your brothers.”

Daphne smiled at the smiling chorus of “Yes, Mum” and faded back to the huge tub to rest her aching head a little more. That elf-made brandy was deadly even through the sobering charms. Steam seemed to help.

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Potter Castle
Wednesday
25 Dec 96
07:27

Harry and the mates, along with Andrew and Sarah, swept into the public sitting room and the anxious children smiled.

Harry grinned at the 132 high-wattage smiles and moved directly to the pile of presents. No one would ever figure out how, but suddenly a present landed in front of or on the lap of everyone present, reducing the size of the pile considerably.

Harry sat in a wingback off to the side and watched the mayhem as wrapping paper was shredded or folded neatly. He was listening to the chatter all at once. To him it was like a glorious day on the Tower of Babel. He read the feelings more than he actually listened and was pleased that he had surprised and pleased all of his mates and the children. The babies wouldn’t know until later, but they received Mithril spoons all with their names deeply engraved.

The children were all surprised to find that same symbolic mithril spoon in their presents, and as they touched them they shrank to charm bracelets for the girls and necklaces for the boys. An impressive bit of magic that, charming mithril.

Nym smirked and waved after examining the flawless Harry-eye-green diamonds that Lilith had led Harry to and he had made into mithril mounted earrings. All of the mates received the same kind of thing, either studs, clip-on, or necklaces. They would find out later that the stones were even stronger than their wardstones and had to be talked to very firmly to keep them from lashing out at people the mates didn’t like.

At Nym’s wave a package landed in Harry’s lap and he looked at the little card. “To our love, and our Da! Your mates and children. Thank you and we love you.” It was written in as many different hands as there were letters.

Harry very carefully opened the package and gently lifted out the very thick book uncovering the perfect Mclaren F1 GT inside the package. Harry set the manual aside and looked at the small car. He suddenly realized it had been shrunk and leapt to his feet and raced out of the room.

Minerva smirked at Nym. “I told you so.”

Nym rolled her eyes and made to get up when Ann Morley Potter pushed her back into her seat and waved her hand. An image appeared on the wall and refined itself into Harry. The view followed him down the hall and out the front door where he leapt down the stairs and Engorgioed the car.

They all watched as Harry circled the car and then sat on the bottom step and opened the manual. “Well, I’d say that was a hit. Shall we continue, then?”

Hermione nodded. “Yes, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him dive right into an instruction manual before.”

The mates snickered. The children didn’t need to know the scenes of chaos that ensued when Harry went to assemble cool Mundane birthday toys; that Aston Martin salesman Clive still hadn’t recovered completely.

The mates and children chuckled at Nym and Hermione and kept an eye on Harry as he devoured the manual, while inside Nym passed out presents.

While they were all opening very fine silk Weasley sweaters (Hu Jin had hundreds of pairs of knitting needles charmed to work by themselves in Ginny’s old room at the Burrow, which had been massively magically expanded and silenced. All Molly had to do was pick colors and designs and then inspect the final product. Hu Jin had insisted on silk and placed an everfull charm on hundreds of skeins of different types, weights, and colors of silk yarn and thread.), Harry worked his way through the manual and opened the driver’s door to record the body number as suggested. He found it to be body 001. Subsequently he found the motor and chassis to be 001 also. Harry smiled and closed the hood and got in.

Soon the mates watched as he started the car and eased it round the formal garden and out the gate through the barbican to the paved loop around the Hollow. The view followed as he turned left and accelerated. They could hear the mighty BMW 60 degree V12’s shattering roar all the way inside the Castle. Harry wound the car out using all 370 cubic inches and 680 horsepower.

When he shifted through the six gears at the redline of 8500 rpm the screaming howl was, to the boys in the crowd, a siren song of power and control. The girls were not unfazed and the activity in the room drifted to a halt, everyone watching the monitor as Harry sped around the Hollow, hitting all of the car’s 225 mph top speed midway down the ten-mile-long gently curving northern side of the loop and then decelerating at the ninety-degree left hand turn and howling back up through the gears in seconds en route to the barbican before finally decelerating and coasting back into the courtyard, where he parked, went through the suggested cool-down procedure, and leapt from the car.

Minerva grinned as she figured out what was about to happen. Sure enough, Harry raced into the room and leapt on Nym. Her surprised squawk was lost in the shattering full-on snog that her mate delivered, leaving every female in the room above twelve years old panting, daughters and all. Da was seriously hot and all the way on. It was awe inspiring; you could feel how much he loved them all rolling off of him like a tsunami. Hmmmm, their suitors had better be at least that good. Where was the present he’d sent?

The remainder of the day passed with the mates and children indulging Harry’s once an hour trip to visit the Mclaren.

Sarah’s contemplative, “Next year we might not want to purchase them a mistress quite so good looking,” drew first shock and then humor. Harry would settle in with the car and all of them could feel him radiating love and contentment. It was like lying in a warm bed on a clear, freezing winter day after a very good night’s sex and sleep, awake but so comfortable and warm that moving was simply out of the question. Andrew was just as in love with the car as Harry was.

It was telling that the first person besides Harry who got a spin behind the wheel was Andrew. After he had devoured the owner’s manual too, of course.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes above her lapful of grandchildren. “Yes please. Phillip is completely enamored of her too.”

She and Phillip had arrived at 09:00 and Phillip had followed Harry and Andrew out to inspect the car and now made every trip outside with Harry and Andrew and one loop riding with Harry and then one loop driving. Elizabeth had been terrified even knowing the list of charms added to the Mclaren and the improvements the technomancers had made. Phillip drove like a madman!

It never dawned on her that Harry and Andrew drove faster, or if it did she wasn’t quite as concerned; they, after all, were powerful wizards.

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Potter’s Field
Thursday
26 Dec 96
14:00

Harry and Nym screamed up in front of the Potter’s Field after a loop and a half around the Hollow in the Mclaren. Harry seemed physically incapable of using any other transport at this point and had even perfected fading himself and the car.

That had strained the hell out of the anti-collision and braking charms that had been applied to the car and dumped huge jolts of magic into Lilith, Rowena, Roxanne, and Katharina. The stones were positively giddy and Katharina had finished her bonding and sharing with Zemfira.

“What the hell kind of creature does Harry have trapped in that auto?”

“None, Hagrid, that’s the car making that noise.”

“Really, Argus? It sounds as if it’s alive.”

“Eet ees a very special automobile, my Hagreed.”

Charles, Argus, and Lesley flinched. How could that huge woman move so quietly?

“Hello, Olympe my love. Who’s at Beauxbatons with the kiddies?”

“They are all here, my Hagreed. Have you forgotten we talked about this at breakfast after the last birthday party? They all want to be here at the Royal Academy and Harry, he has made a wing in the dorms open to Beauxbatons and one to Durmstrang. Eet is all brothers and sisters toghezer, one beeg happee family under our liege.”

Charles nodded. Yes, and easier for the mates to watch that potential bonded Dark Lord and Lady who were third formers at Durmstrang that the Regiment had been briefed about and told to watch for as they went about their civilian duties. They actually seemed like nice, if somewhat taciturn kids. Well, Duchess Luna would figure it out and they would solve it.

Charles looked at Lesley and got an almost imperceptible nod. “All right, then, the Duke’s gone in. Let’s get to the table, don’t want to be late.”

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Royal Academy
Sports Ground
Thursday
26 Dec 96
19:00

“Glenda Chittock here on stage, gentle beings, with Percival Gribbs in the broadcast booth overhead and Daniel Boxlighter out at the entry point to the Royal Academy sports ground, from which we will be bringing you live simulcast coverage of the Second Annual Royal Academy Boxing Day Ball.

“The ball is due to start in one hour, but let me set the scene for you as we await the first arrivals of what is sure to be the entirety of the Realm of Briton.

“Someone, probably our immensely powerful liege, has cast a temporary expanding charm on the sports ground entire and it is now simply enormous. The pitches appear to be miles across and are mostly given over to a parquet dance floor.

“The stage is under the Royal Academy box, and the orchestras—that’s right, orchestras—are warming up in what are normally the competitors’ locker rooms. Apparently we will be graced by the Tsarina’s Empire of Magical Russia Orchestra, the Hungarian National Magical Orchestra, and the Magical U.S. Army Band.

“The Duke is after our hearts, ladies, as it’s all waltzing or big band swing tonight and apparently into tomorrow as each band is schedule to play four sets of one hour in rotation.

“The Duke of Magic’s Own Guards Infantry are providing security along with the 1st Mage from the Colonies, 1st Veela and 1st Goblin Regiments. They are also augmented by elements of the Tsarina Anastasia’s Guards Tank Army, all of course under our liege, the Duke of Magic.

“Safe as houses and as warm too, the Duke, having repeated and exceeded last year’s performance of magic on ice; a true winter wonderland that must be seen to be believed.”

The ball came off without a hitch and it was in fact a huge success that did empty the Realm and leave everyone except the mates, Harry, and the troops exhausted as Harry and the mates drew on each other and the Realm and took breaks and the troops were on a strict rotation to keep them sharp and alert to any signs of trouble.

After eleven hours of music and dancing with surprisingly no incidents other than a few slapped faces and one long running snowball fight, the wizarding Realm of Briton hied off home and slept most of the next day. One young man from Durmstrang had to be treated when he ran afoul of the Warg Bitches while trying to drag the potential Dark Lady third former into the tunnel. Luna had a fit and told Harry in no uncertain terms to stop trying to punish the girls and give them fifty points for service to the Realm. Harry took one look at her white eyes and complied. Luna was all smiles the rest of the evening and the bonded kept catching snatches of an unraveling possibility. She was ferocious in the master suite after the party, taking on both Nym and Harry in both their male and female forms.

Harry was glad as he was then allowed to spend another day with his mates, children, and the Mclaren.

Several of the ladies were later unsure if this was a good idea after going for a ride in the insanely fast car with its maniacal driver. They discovered that you could only scream for so long before you passed out from lack of oxygen. Molly was not amused to have contributed this fact to the bond’s knowledge.

The dressing-down she handed Harry on their return after the twins pried her from the car was also educational. Who knew those words could be strung together that way? The mates filed it away in case they needed it in later years. Some of the children were already fairly wild, although only Nym’s Lily and James appeared to be completely without fear like Harry.

Molly’s masterful application of stimulus to his guilt reflex was an advanced study in mother-gets-her-way, however.

Molly reduced Harry to a seriously contrite pliable mess and then handed him over to Esmeralda Greengrass, chair of the 1997 daughter-gets-married-so-I-finally-get-to-have-my-wedding committee.

The mates employed the lapful-of-grandbabies distraction plan on their mothers after an hour or so and sneaked off to the roof garden with Harry

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Potter Castle
Deep Hold
Saturday
28 Dec 96
19:00

As compared to the Mage Dining In the Duke of Magic’s Own Regimental Party (Cocktail), 28 December 1996 was an informal affair as the name implied. The Regiment brought their bonded or potentials and Harry and the mates spent a very pleasant evening with their comrades in arms and their significant others. Much more subdued than the birthday parties.

A string quintet provided music and everyone had a nice sedate sort of old married couples time. It was a welcome break in the hectic holiday social schedule.

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Potter Castle
Ballroom
Sunday
29 Dec 96
19:00

The Vassal Ball of 29 December 1996 was, as the Empire and Central European Ball had been, a mixture of the usual political maneuvering and a gala social event.

Alessandro Caetano Kothenborger, 158 year old Supreme Mugwump, monopolized Harry and Nym very effectively. She soon managed to have them in a display of magics that boggled the mind. Then she pulled them into a corner and let them into her mind.

Several very interesting new magics suddenly came to the bond and the suspicion that Xi Shi was attempting something—something involving Harry being away from England.

Harry and Nym informed her of what they knew through Guroku and what they had done, and Alessandro laughed and laughed.

When she recovered Harry took her for a spin on the dance floor.

“Just missed that one, although if she hangs around here who knows?”

“Griselda!”

“What, Augusta? It’s obvious she wants them bad, you can see it from here. I mean, she just let the whole bond into her head. I bet she’s a little in the bond somehow now.”

Emma Granger nodded. “And this Castle seems to make the years fade away. I haven’t felt this good since I was twenty-five, and Dan—well, Dan is, erm…and anyway that’s a very fine figure of a mature witch. I mean really, she doesn’t look a day over a very well-kept fifty-five. Nothing on Minerva, though. Morgana, she just keeps getting hotter. Well, I mean, eerrr, you know…not that I look much—well, I mean—and anyway Alessandro has that auburn hair. Nym will be lucky not to end up with her in the bond if she stays here.”

Augusta and Griselda laughed at the suddenly flustered Emma and turned back to watch the show.

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Potter’s Field
Thursday
2 Jan 07
19:00

Harry opened the party and stepped away from the door to be buttonholed and dragged away to the Mclaren by Esmeralda. She locked them in and proceeded to force wedding decisions from him until she was done and then rewarded him by letting him take her flying around the loop at top speed. He didn’t need to know the screams were not fear but her being thrilled.

William asking where he got the car and how much it cost the next day gave it away, though. At least to Daphne; she took pity on her father and gave him the information. His eyes bugged a little at the 200,000+ Galleon price tag.

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Glastonbury Abbey
Saturday
4 Jan 97
08:05

As they had done the previous year, the uncreated mates knelt in the glade around the Holy Thorn and Elizabeth went from one to the other calling the Realm forth. Or she tried to. The Realm kind of took over and walked her next to the Thorn and then judged all 410 mates, 394 humanoids, and sixteen Centaur mares.

Then it decided to create them all Duchesses and went about its business, finally releasing Elizabeth after instructing the mates to rise created Duchesses of Magic of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Defenders of Magic.

Then they all went home and fell into bed.

Later in the afternoon they all spent some time avoiding Esmeralda and her crew of vassal wives and children. And then they gave in and let themselves be found, and helped where they could.

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Glastonbury Abbey
Sunday
5 Jan 97
08:05

“Harry! Back again so fast, lad?”

“It’s been a year, Arthur.”

“Just one, lad? So how are we going?”

“Don’t play like you don’t know, Arthur. I know she tells and shows you everything.”

“Hahaha. All right then, lad. I do have two questions, though.”

“All right.”

“Do you have to kill them, Harry?”

“You know the answer, Arthur. It’s kill them or let them kill. Remember what happened to you?”

“I do, lad; never should have left Morgause alive after that love potion incident, but I couldn’t kill her and Gwenhwyfar would not. Yes, sadly it is the only way to be sure, and we can’t take chances, can we? Last question for this year: are you happy, lad?”

“Yes, Arthur, I am.”

“On your way then, lad.”

Harry moved on to the altar and the handfastings proceeded under the watchful eyes of Father Jozef (Pope John Paul II), and Bartholomew I, first among the equals of the Church. Lilith, watching through Nym, was unseen by everyone but felt by the bonded and anointed.

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Potter Castle
Sunday
5 Jan 97
20:00

The reception became a public event, for which Elizabeth apologized profusely. The entire Court of St. James was in attendance along with all the Royals.

Of course some paparazzi followed someone’s car and there was soon a media feeding frenzy at the barbican. Strangely, the wards held the paparazzi in better check than the police, and the Royal Academy press secretary and Rita spun a masterful piece of misdirection about Duke Potter being married; and the name suddenly appeared in the List and everyone (non-magical) suddenly knew he was a listed relative of the Queen but a recluse. They got away with it. Hermione made a hobby of trying to figure out who pulled that memory charm off and how.

Harry finally met the Prince and Princess of Wales and the boys, William and Henry. He confirmed Elizabeth’s opinions. Charles was okay—very weak magically, but all right enough.

Diana, however, was not suited to either him or the Monarchy. It was sad really. She was desperately lonely and Charles was just not the type to provide the level of support she needed. The divorce was probably a good thing, still an open wound for them both though. The boys seemed fairly well adjusted to it.

Ann the Princess Royal was a hoot, however. She, the older mates, and the vassal ladies immediately hit it off.

Prince Edward was a bit of a duck out of water—weak magically but erudite, irreligious, and a low level scamp. He found the twins and they wandered away, much to Elizabeth’s displeasure. Harry felt she was being a little hard on the thirty-two-year-old. Seemed a grown man to him.

“Hmmph.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The back-to-school wake got all tangled up with the reception and there were children and adults everywhere all over the Castle. The Potter children acquitted themselves very well, however, and at 23:00 the Queen put the Court of St. James under oath and they wandered away home, very satisfied with this young power.

The Queen took her leave of Harry and a limousine appeared to take her to the closest Mundane field to catch her helicopter. The paparazzi had now been joined by their more respectable cousins and the Queen drew them all off like fleas to her hound.

“We’ll have to thank her, Nym.”

“Yes, we will, Harry. She’s very good at that.”

The children traipsed through Harry’s study in the morning and he wished them all a good term or a good day and then collapsed after the last one had passed out the door. Nym smiled and faded him to bed; it had been an exhausting three days in the Turned world for him as he and the new sister-wives celebrated their vows in the traditional way.

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Potter’s Field
Thursday
9 Jan 97
19:00

Harry, Hestia, and Amanda opened the birthday party in the traditional way and Harry then circulated, talking to the bound men and women.

Later at the Castle, the still recovering Harry settled and lavished his normal gifts on his children and wives. He was in a nearly nirvanic state of contentment.

Nym sighed, watching Harry. “Troubled, Nym?”

“I just wish it would last, Hestia. Hell, even at court things have settled into a kind of steady state.”

Hestia nodded. “Me too, Nym, and it will some day.”