Bab 45: Chapter 45: Avengers Assemble! Masters of Evil Unite! (Part 1)
Harry heard the chime signaling a visitor and watched his mother get up to collect their guests. Lily met his eyes as she walked out and they shared a small grin and wink. Sirius wasn't the only one in the family who could mess with people. Despite having known about – and actively advocating for – this arrival, Harry couldn't help the way his stomach flipped or his shoulders tensed.
Of course Hermione, sitting next to him, didn't fail to notice his nervousness. While Tonks and Fleur continued to eat their popcorn and watch "It's a Wonderful Life", Hermione twisted in her spot to peer closer at her partner with a curious tilt to her head. Harry gave her a small smile and nodded that he was okay before watching the entrance to the library carefully. His vigilance was rewarded when thirty seconds later Lily walked back in with a couple right behind her. The woman was tall with long wavy black hair and an amused expression dancing in her eyes while the man was toned with a rough cut to his chin and short-cropped hair.
"Who was at the door, Lils?" Shiva asked. "I thought Remus and Katie weren't coming for another hour or so."
"Is that any way greet your parents, Bathsheda?" Mrs. Babbling asked with a huge grin splitting her features. Harry saw Hermione's jaw drop as she switched her gaze between the two newcomers, Lily and Harry. Tonks and Fleur froze with their hands halfway to the popcorn bowl. Shiva's reaction was by far the most pronounced as she literally fell out of her armchair. The crash of his adoptive mother hitting the floor was followed by silence for a long moment before Shiva carefully poked her head over the side of the chair and stared wide-eyed at the couple.
"Mum? Dad? What are-what are you two doing here? You're supposed to be in Brazil!" she squeaked.
"Peru actually," Mr. Babbling commented chuckling and shaking his head. "Did you think we'd miss your first Christmas with a new family?"
"We did miss the first Christmas dear. And the second." His wife was obviously fighting to hold in her own laughter as she teased them.
Shiva stood and glared. "Hey, that's unfair! I didn't have Christmas at home for the past two years! Last year we were stuck at the castle for the Yule Ball and the year before that we still thought Sirius was a dangerous madman! Made it difficult to leave for the winter hols that did!"
"Excuses, excuses," her father said smiling and waving it off. "Now are you going to introduce us to your new son and girlfriend you going to keep standing there arguing?"
Shiva rolled her eyes and waved towards Lily and Harry. "Mum, Dad, that's Lily Potter and Harry Potter. Harry, Lils, my mum and dad, Rebecca and David."
"Bathy, really is that the best you can do?" David sighed. "We didn't even know you had a son until we got their letter the other day."
Harry froze halfway out of his seat. A pin could've dropped on the carpet and sounded like a cannon blast. All the color drained from Shiva's face. She started working her mouth for a few moments before finally managing to squeak out a few words. "What? But…I…I sent you a letter over two years ago…I know I sent it! I gave it to the owl right after I…picked up…the guardian forms…oh bugger…"
Harry groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Shiva, you forgot to tell your parents you basically adopted me?"
"I didn't forget! I didn't! There was that thing with Marge and the dog, you had all those medical issues, all that stuff about the Magical Guardian and Dumbledore, I still thought Sirius was going to try and kill you – " Everyone ignored an indignant "Hey!" from an implicated godfather while Shiva kept babbling. "I didn't forget! They travel like all the time with their work! They're gone for months or years at a time! I wrote a letter and I got distracted…I could've sworn I sent it out…"
Lily finally took pity on her girlfriend and stepped forward, all smiles. "Well, the lack of social skills aside, your daughter has been nothing short of wonderful to Harry and I. She's been extremely supportive every step of the way and is a great reflection on the both of you! Right, Harry?"
"Right!" Harry said noting his cue and walking up to briefly hug Shiva before stepping next to Lily. "Shiva helped me trust people above my age group and probably saved my life a few times. It's an honor to meet you in person, Mr. and Mrs. Babbling."
"Such a polite young man!" Rebecca exclaimed leaning in to wrap Harry into an embrace. "Please dear, call us Rebecca and David."
David held out his hand to Lily and eagerly shook. "We really can't thank you enough for the invite, Lily. We've been cataloging ruins and critters for so long out West that we had no idea just how much we've been missing back home!"
Shiva glared at both Harry and Lily for a long moment. "You two sneaks…" Harry just smiled back at her. From her stance and the way her arms were crossed it was pretty obvious that Shiva wasn't actually angry at them.
Any further potential conversation was interrupted as Daphne walked in with both arms covered in balancing plates and an annoyed expression. "What happened to helping me, people? I volunteered to grab two dishes not seven! Oh – hello." Daphne's eyes widened in horror at her outburst as she caught sight of the new additions to the room. Her cheeks blushed red and she hurriedly tried to set the plates down on the nearby table. "Umm…excuse me."
Hermione rolled her eyes and moved to help while Tonks and Fleur devolved into laughter. Harry just shook his head in amusement and the elder Babblings took their seats on one of the couches. Christmas with family…Harry smiled as he sat down. It had taken over a decade but…he was finally getting to experience the holiday the way he'd always dreamed.
Rebecca and David had eagerly settled in and were in the process of being updated on all the 'interesting' stories of Harry and Company's adventures in Hogwarts. Thoroughly embarrassing versions of the stories that was. Harry had decided against listening in almost an hour ago and had taken to playing chess with Tonks. It was far more likely to prevent his cheeks from turning red – which was really saying something considering this was Tonks.
"Nym, no matter how much you change your face I'm not going to get distracted," Harry said grinning at Tonks' sun-yellow hair and pointed, Tolkien-esque, elven ears.
"But I'm Arwen. Arwen is too beautiful to be ignored!" Tonks protested with a smirk.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Arwen had black hair in the movies."
Tonks frowned. A moment later her smirk returned and her face morphed into a more masculine appearance while she sat up straighter and struck a regal pose. "Then I'm Legolas. He was so hot they had to bring him back for the next trilogy! Beat that!"
Harry raised his eyebrows at Tonks and chuckled. "Unfortunately for you, Nym, unlike the rest of the group, I am not bisexual."
"You're going to break poor little Colin Creevy's heart, Wonder Boy."
"Pretty sure I already did when I started dating Daphne and killed his last hope." Still laughing, Harry stretched out his hand and prodded his rook to march forward. "Checkmate."
Tonks watched her pieces throw down their arms in surrender while Harry's started cheering. She shook her head in defeat and changed back to her normal face and pink hair. "Darn. Well, it's two to two. Want to go best of five?"
"And zat is when he popped up from ze lake wiz my sister and Mione under each arm, flying across ze surface like a human jet ski!" Fleur's voice floated over with appropriate gasps from Shiva's parents. Harry just groaned and looked to Tonks for help.
"Next game coming right up! Come on you lot, back to the starting positions!" Tonks said hurriedly to the pieces. "Harry, you use these same examples yourself. Why do you get so embarrassed about it now?"
Harry shrugged. "I talk about those things when I need to intimidate someone, Nym. These are Shiva's parents. It's completely different."
"Pawn to E4," Tonks said. "They're going to like you Harry. Honestly, they could stay in contact better themselves, two years is a bit long to go off the grid."
Harry just winced. "Knight to F6. True, but Shiva's mentioned they do it a lot. Part of the job apparently."
"Still a bit weird." Anything else that Tonks was going to say was cut off as the door chime rang again. "Ah, Remus and Katie finally made it. Daph, Mione, you had Katie added into the wards so that they can just walk in right?"
"Yes, Tonks, we really should be polite though anyway," Daphne said standing. Remus walked in before she could actually leave the room though so Daphne just sighed and sat back down. "I am surrounded by savages. One day I will teach at least one of you some etiquette…"
Harry rolled his eyes at her melodramatics and turned to flash a welcoming smile to Katie as she entered the room. "Hey, Katie. You…okay…?" He trailed off at the look at wonder and satisfaction on her face.
Katie shook her head and focused on him before nodding emphatically. "I am wonderful! That was awesome!"
"Yes, well, you wouldn't have felt that way prior the contribution of the Fulcanellis," Remus huffed. He claimed a chair and crossed his arms though the small smile fighting to keep from fully manifesting was evidence to his real feelings. "Harry, be a good nephew and tell those two they've succeeded in putting their names back into the history books once that potion hits the open market."
"That good, Moony?" Sirius asked as he leaned forward to peer at his friend. "Wow, you're not pale or shaky and you're practically beaming. What the heck was in that stuff?"
"The closest thing to a cure we're likely to ever find," Remus said finally letting his mouth take the shape it wanted. "The change was fully voluntary for me; the only reason I even shifted at all was to keep Ms. Bell company and run around the cellar with her."
Katie snorted. "Yeah next time Professor, I'm totally going into a field or something and howling at the Moon."
Everyone in the room had stopped what they were doing to stare slack-jawed at the two werewolves. Lily was the first to somewhat recover. She sat back against her seat and whistled low. "Voluntary change? Completely? No compulsion whatsoever?" Her voice was faint, but still had an edge of scientific wonder about it.
"It was like an itch for me. Something that could be scratched by the change or simply ignored for several hours," Remus said nodding. "Ms. Bell's transformation was involuntary though she retained full human intelligence while in her wolf form. The First Moon is part of the magic that seals the lycanthropy curse meaning that it is intrinsic to the disease. It's highly likely that any werewolf ingesting this new potion after their first transformation would have similar voluntary control of the shift that I did!"
Katie smirked and laughed. "If you have any sense whatsoever while a wolf even on regular Wolfsbane, I have no idea why you hate it so much, Professor. Between the senses, the power, the energy…that was just…awesome!"
Sirius laughed and lightly punched Remus' shoulder. "She has a point, Moony. You always did focus on the negative."
"To be fair," Daphne commented her eyebrow arched, "there are quite a few negatives."
"I'm just saying, if you go into it as a defeatist, of course it's going to be the worst thing in the world," Sirius said shrugging. "Think about it like this though, Remus got to explore the grounds with his friends at least once each month and we all got to become cool animagi!"
Shiva nodded. "In a way, if Remus wasn't a werewolf you never would've survived or escaped Azkaban."
"See! Point made." He sat back smiling and nodding. As far as Sirius appeared concerned, the discussion was over and he'd won.
Harry just rolled his eyes at his family. "That was barely even about the good points of lycanthropy."
"Well it's easier to get off for one apparently; wolves are randy. It's too bad Lee wasn't around when the sun came up…" Katie commented. A few of the adults had to change their snickers into coughs while Harry and Hermione groaned and dropped their heads into their hands. Katie's face lit up like a traffic signal as she realized she'd said that aloud.
"And on that note, new topic," Hermione said. "Harry, you said you had things to give out?"
Harry perked up and a grin split his face. "Right! Dobby, can you grab the presents for me?"
"Master Harry wants the war attire?" the House Elf asked as he popped into place in front of the couch. At Harry's nod Dobby disappeared.
"War attire?" Shiva asked looking askance at Harry. "Something you forgot to tell us, kid?"
"Nope," Harry said looking extremely smug. "It's not my fault you forgot the initial plan, Shiva."
Dobby appeared again with several large, lumpy packages in hand laying them at Harry's feet. Harry's smile widened and he started passing the packages out to his family. Hermione, Daphne, Fleur and Tonks all accepted them with minimal fanfare beyond a light kiss while Lily and Shiva settled for amused glances and hugs. Remus took Harry's gift with his typical reserved manner and Sirius was no surprise as he jumped up and wrapped Harry into a bear hug.
"Sirius, let me go!" Harry said laughing. "You don't even know what it is!"
"Unlike these rapscallions, I have a pretty good idea, pup," Sirius said his eyes gleaming.
"Oh good, somebody remembers," Harry said. "Katie, Rebecca, David, I'm sorry, but I had these commissioned ages ago so I don't really have any extra to hand out…"
Katie waved it off. "No worries, Harry. We don't exactly hang out regularly enough for me to expect a super expensive Christmas gift."
"And we weren't exactly around prior to today," Rebecca said smiling. "Now stop holding back everyone! What is it?!"
Paper rattled and crinkled as Harry's family tore off the wrapping followed quickly by gasps and shouts of surprise. Daphne started chuckling and shaking her head as she looked at Harry. "I can't believe I forgot about this. I was the who made sure you rendered the thing!"
Fleur held up her new 'war attire' blatantly admiring the dull green scales. She held up one of the arms on the suit and squeaked in delight when she saw it perfectly matched her arm length and even had small slits on the back for her wings to poke through. " 'Arry! Zis is magnifique! Zis is ze basilisk catsuit yes? Zis is why you ensured Dobby took all of our measurements during ze summer?"
"Sorry they took so long," Harry said running a hand through his hair. "The scales make it highly resistant to spellfire so if we combine it with the Armor Robes we get double protection in a fight. Each one is sized to the individual with spells on the inside that allow it to expand or contract to a small degree. As long as no one gains or loses a ton of weight they should stay fitted. Fleur, yours is basically skintight since you mentioned you like that. Nym, yours is a bit loose so you can shift easier. "
"Wow…" Lily murmured. "These are beautiful…did you have any additional ones made, Harry?"
"Yeah, a few more. Amelia, Tracey, Luna and Neville all have one as well. Dobby delivered them a little while ago." Harry smiled and shrugged. "There's enough left over for Astoria and Gabrielle as well once they finish puberty."
Tonks leaned over the chessboard and pulled Harry's head down proceeding to capture his lips until a light cough from the direction of the parents forced her to release him. Pulling back enough to kiss his cheek, Tonks whispered, "Smart boy. You know Fleur and Daphne are soooo going to repay that foresight later tonight. I will too."
Harry felt his face burn as Tonks shifted back into her seat and the others started to profess their love for the protective outfits as well. Leaning back Harry couldn't stop smiling. With the basilisk skin suits finished, they'd be much safer. Voldemort could try to attack his family, but…the murdering madman would be very surprised at just how hard he'd find such a battle.
Voldemort reclined on his throne as the meeting commenced. He allowed Lucius to conduct the majority of the discussions. It wouldn't do for him to stoop to dealing with his own business. Not with these pathetic creatures at least. He would likely have to speak with the next two groups personally, but for the moment the need to intimidate and display his power was far more important.
The werewolf alpha scowled at Lucius and slammed a hand onto the table. "We will not be bullied Malfoy! With Greyback's death my pack represents nearly every remaining werewolf in the United Kingdom and I speak for them. I recommend you address me as such."
"Of course," Lucius said smiling and cocking his head. Voldemort suppressed a sigh. The man had a silver tongue with those who lived for gold and commiserations. He had never been nearly as accomplished with those who lived for battle. Not for the first time, Voldemort cursed the loss of the Nott. "I merely wished to express the likelihood of disaster. Especially now in the aftermath of a werewolf assault on Hogsmeade…"
"You are not the only power in this country anymore, Death Eater." The alpha growled low before leaning back, smiling and crossing his arms. The urge to separate the beast's head from his shoulders was strong, but Voldemort resisted. Killing this man would certainly remove the remainder of his werewolves from the army.
"I'm sure you don't mean the Ministry." Lucius laughed and clutched his cane tighter. "Those fools just ousted their own Minister for Magic!"
"And installed a competent leader," the werewolf said. Voldemort's rage grew further. Amelia Bones. He should have killed her first while she was still undefended. Now she was constantly surrounded by Potter's personnel or Potter's wards and was she was basically untouchable until the rest of the country had been dealt with. "But no, I don't speak of the Ministry. The packs historically align with the Dark or remains neutral. Our affliction makes it difficult for the majority to accept us. Your administration would let us have free rein but…there are rumors of a potentially more appealing option. I don't like you or your cohorts, Malfoy. That said, if it was best for my pack I would still throw our forces behind you." He paused, narrowed his eyes and stood to glare down at Lucius. "Unfortunately for you, Lucius Malfoy, I don't believe you will win this war. Goodbye."
As the werewolf stalked out of the room Voldemort's wand arm literally began to vibrate as he suppressed the murderous urge welling forth. He could not afford to have bodies of envoys falling at his doorstep until after the army was established. There would be time for revenge and retribution later. "Lucius, what rumors did the beast speak of?"
The blond man flinched and bowed low enough for his hair to brush the floor. "My lord, there is talk that Potter has a new form of Wolfsbane Potion that can curb the destruction of the werewolf form."
"And?" The threat in Voldemort's sibilant voice quickly drew out Lucius' remaining information.
"My sources tell me that Lupin has claimed the potion allows for voluntary transformation…"
Voldemort scowled. "More of his cursed runes no doubt…No matter. We will deal with this situation as we obtain more information. Perhaps we'll be able to corrupt whatever rune scheme he is using to create them."
"My lord, actually he is – " Lucius tried to expound on the failure, but Voldemort quickly cut him off.
"Send in the soldiers."
Lucius winced and nodded. "Yes, my lord."
Voldemort waited patiently as four men in pressed military uniforms strode into the chamber. The leader moved to seat himself at the table facing Voldemort's throne while the others remained standing behind the chair. "Lord Voldemort. I am General Schulz, first of Grindelwald's remaining Wizarding Schutzstaffel. We were surprised to hear your invitation. You were never interested in allying previously."
"Times change my friends. I find myself more open to assisting you in your future endeavors if you would assist me in mine," Voldemort said waving his hand dismissively.
The SS wizard smiled though the expression did not reach his eyes. "You mean that your recruitment efforts are now as ineffective as ours."
Voldemort glared down and fingered his wand. "Careful, General. For half a century your efforts have been barely enough to maintain your own philosophy. My setbacks are merely temporary. Yours are endemic to a new worldview."
"If Harry Potter and his allies have their way, your problems will be the same as ours, Lord Voldemort." The general leaned back and folded his hands on the table. "We did not come to fight however so let us stop this foolish posturing. You seek the assistance of my men so what do you plan to do in return?"
Voldemort stayed silent for several long moments taking stock of the man and the situation as a whole. "I am prepared to seed you the majority of the mainland. I reserve the right to claim France and Belgium. Once Britain is secure under my banner I will allocate my Death Eaters and Aurors to assist you in taking over a single country of your own choosing. From there additional negotiations would be required for anything further."
"That…would be acceptable," General Schulz said. "For that, I could agree to send 40 elite personnel to assist. If you swear an oath to free Grindelwald I will send an additional 60."
Voldemort nearly laughed at the fool. Such a poorly worded request for a huge gain in forces! "Done."
The general smiled and raised his eyebrow. "Free him and ensure he is alive and unharmed upon delivery to my team."
Voldemort seethed inside. Perhaps the man wasn't as shortsighted as he seemed. You never could tell with the WSS. Grindelwald's shock troops had always been too aligned with the Nazis they had supported to be truly predictable. He'd avoided seeking their support originally as they personally disgusted him. Growing up during the war had left lingering hatred for these types of men that his knowledge of magic had done little to dispel. The WSS cared nothing for blood status, they focused on the skin or religion. Voldemort's Death Eaters on the other hand cared nothing for religion or skin color and merely sought to 'purify' the nation.
In truth, Voldemort cared little for either philosophy. He was only interested in power and he could stand to work with his hated rivals for long enough to obtain it. Once his base was secure, he'd be able to stamp them out like the insects they were. "Agreed. Do we have a deal?"
"We do. Assembling my forces and closing down our current operations will take some time. Say we move to attack in May?" General Schulz said standing.
"That was my intention as well. A decisive battle will break them more than small fights. My own forces will be trained for true combat by then and my alliances will be secure."
"Excellent. I'll ask for the oath prior to sending my people. We'll keep you informed, please do the same. Good evening, Lord Voldemort." Nodding his farewell, the general stood and all four walked out of the room in lockstep.
Voldemort scowled at their backs fingering his wand. Nagini slithered her way up his leg and laid her head on his lap. "Ah my pet, if only I had time to take out my frustrations…" He smiled as he saw Lucius flinch. The man deserved to be fearful. After the betrayal and subsequent escape of Narcissa and Draco's utterly pathetic showing in life…Lucius was lucky he was still useful. "Send in the giants, Lucius."
"My lord, they have already proclaimed themselves to your banner," Lucius said bowing. Voldemort looked up in surprise. "A messenger arrived during your conversation with Grindelwald's remnants. The giants ask only for further territory to the North which you had already agreed to. The stupid beasts didn't even think to ask for more. The mountain and river trolls are marching under your banner as well."
"Excellent," Voldemort said smiling. He rubbed his ring wondering at just how much destruction his forces would cause to this country when they moved. Hopefully he wouldn't have to rebuild everything. "Then let us move on to the vampire covens."
"Of course, my lord." Lucius hurried out of the door returning shortly after with two vampire lords following in his wake. "Dark Lord Voldemort, I present Lords Elmont and Shuzen."
Both vampires were tall and stately. The male seemed like he was born to the regal bearing while the brown skinned female appeared to have only learned how to play the part instead of having it ingrained into her since birth. Voldemort frowned at the foreign sounding name of the female. What had a Japanese vampire done to get exiled to this section of the world? "Please, sit. I can provide 'refreshments' if you'd like."
"No thank you. I try not to sate my appetite until the battlefield," Elmont said.
In direct contrast to her counterpart, Shuzen smiled showing off her fangs and nodded. "Someone younger – late teens – tall, with silvery or pink hair and female if possible."
"Detailed. One would think you were substituting her for your actual target," Voldemort mused. Nevertheless he snapped his fingers and Lucius scurried off. As far as he knew, there were no personnel on the grounds that fit that description however Lucius would ensure one of the slaves was properly glamoured before bringing her in.
"My stepdaughter," Shuzen said waving a hand dismissively. "Now, I believe we were about to discuss how your Death Eaters want my coven to assist in killing off the humans?"
Voldemort smiled. He liked this woman. Ruthless and direct, it was a shame she was a vampire; she would have made a good lieutenant. "That is correct. After I gain control of this country the territory allotted to your kind will be greatly expanded."
"We will be allowed to war in the open?" Elmont asked leaning forward with an eager grin on his features.
"Within reason. Until we have secured more of the world population under our control we cannot risk revealing our full existence to the Muggles at large. However should you ensure that any witnesses were permanently silenced, I see no reason to take away all of your fun."
Both vampires smiled. Lucius chose that moment to return with a girl walking ahead of him. Her dull eyes provided the proof of the Imperius curse and she stopped to the side of Shuzen. "Ah, excellent. Dinner." Without further ado, the female lunged and latched onto the girl's neck. In the thirty seconds it took to fully drain the child, the other three occupants watched on with utter indifference. Voldemort stroked Nagini and thought to what he would offer the acromantulas. With their help in addition to these others, Hogwarts was sure to fall…along with Harry Potter and his primary backers.
"Ah, that hit the spot," Shuzen said pulling back and wiping the drops of blood off her mouth. She dropped the corpse to the floor beside her and nodded to Voldemort. "My coven will support you. We return to Japan come summer so I recommend you attack prior to that."
"Mine will come to your aide as well," Elmont said. "I warn you, the other covens will not be open to negotiations. They received visits from your Minister several months ago thanks to leaked intelligence from one of your agents. They are very…unhappy that their nests are known to the British Ministry."
Voldemort scowled. That fool who had allowed himself to be captured at Bella's manor was still causing problems…No matter, when he took the Ministry, the man would suffer greatly for allowing himself to be interrogated. "Then it seems you will be the primary beneficiaries of the new order I bring to this country."
"It seems so. Perhaps I will move my operations here in the future if we are successful. Good luck, Voldemort. I look forward to playing with your targets," Shuzen and Elmont both nodded and left the room.
Voldemort idly waved for Lucius to collect the corpse and clear the table. He returned to stroking Nagini as the Death Eater cleaned. "Soon, my pet. Soon, we will be able to claim our right. Soon."
Harry, Lily and Daphne walked into Gringotts the day after Christmas in their finest cloaks and basilisk skin armor. Shiva had opted out of this conversation in an attempt to present the strongest front they could to the goblins with the people the beings seemed to respect the most. After speaking with the teller they were quickly brought before Snapfist who grinned at them and immediately left to retrieve Ragnok without even having to be asked.
"This seems to be going well so far," Lily commented shifting her suit slightly. "And I can't believe how well this breathes!"
"Women," Harry muttered rolling his eyes. "Here were are about to negotiate an alliance with the Goblin Nation and you're fawning over the new uniform, mum."
"Hush, son. Fashion is important no matter the occasion."
Daphne smirked and patted Harry's knee consolingly. "Get used to it, Harry. You have four women who are all going to be extremely interested in shopping, clothes and playing dress-up at points."
"Should just let Voldemort kill me. It would be less painful," he said shaking his head despondently.
"Ah, but Warrior Potter with the proper mindset even a shopping excursion could be treated as an epic battle for the ages," Ragnok said snickering as he entered the room and sat down behind the desk.
Harry lifted an eyebrow at the goblin. "I like that way of looking at things, Director. Perhaps I should approach those future trips as diving behind enemy lines."
"Men," Daphne and Lily said chuckling. Shaking her head and settling down to business Daphne leaned forward slightly. "Director Ragnok, thank you for agreeing to see us. We have important matters that need to be addressed. Matters that stand to gravely impact both the Nation and the British wizarding population."
Ragnok clasped his hands and tilted his hand. "The Nation agrees with you on the latter Warrior Greengrass, but disputes the former. Tom Riddle has yet to show any overt actions against Gringotts or the goblins."
Lily shook her head and handed over several papers. "Actually, Director Ragnok, that is not true. Tom Riddle has had his trusted lieutenants push for the legislation that has continued to curb the Nation's rights and holdings. Here is the proof that Lucius Malfoy was at the forefront of these laws."
Ragnok took several minutes to read through the offered files before carefully laying them out and turning back to the humans. "Warriors, Lady, this evidence is damning, yet it also lies heavily at former Minister Cornelius Fudge's feet. What assurances would the Nation have that the current Minister Amelia Bones or the next Minister after her would not simply continue this trend?"
"Minister Bones is a close personal friend of the Potters and is a leader in the Inventor Alliance," Daphne said. "This alliance consists of a eleven major British pureblood families. Twelve when I take command of the Greengrass estate. In addition the Alliance includes the Delacours and the Krums, both highly placed and respected in their own countries. The Lis and the Patils both have extensive holdings and status in China and India respectively." She leaned back and spread her arms wide. "Should Minister Bones attempt to invoke any legislature against Warrior Potter's allies she would quickly find the motion blocked by the rest of the Alliance and multiple foreign countries. We have a history of taking care of our own."
Harry nodded. "Warrior Greengrass speaks the truth. You've heard of many of our accomplishments, Director. You know what a gaggle of school kids can do. Imagine how much ground we'll cover in a few years. Even if our families don't respond to our requests at this specific time, we will be leading those families one day. And we can vow that if nothing has been done to increase the rights and privileges of the Goblin Nation, it will be done as soon as we have control." A dark look crossed Harry's face as he scowled thinking about the corruption, stupidity and racism rampant in the wizarding culture. "I will be dragging this world into the 20th Century kicking and screaming if I have to. It's high time, wizards grow up and get off our high horse."
Ragnok started laughing and shaking his head causing the humans to look at each other in confusion. Eventually he settled down and wiped his eyes with a claw. "Warrior Potter, I knew there was a reason I liked you. You would have made an excellent goblin. Warrior Greengrass, I assume you have an alliance agreement already drawn up?"
The only surprise that Daphne allowed to show at the quickness of Ragnok's agreement was a few rapid eye blinks. Harry had been around her long enough to recognize the tell and he had to fight the urge to reach over and squeeze her knee. "I do. It's right here."
When she handed it over Ragnok started to read. Continuing his scan, the old goblin calmly spoke to Lily, "Lady Potter, your opinion of the agreement and the other personnel in the Inventor Alliance?"
"I believe Warrior Greengrass is a far more adept politician than many of the persons currently sitting in the Wizengamot. She and Hermione Granger have drafted a comprehensive and flexible agreement," Lily said. "All families in the Alliance are trustworthy and honorable. Even the Bulstrodes have completely fallen into stride with our group – largely due to the influence of my son and his friends on their daughter. With their backing you can gain ground in the Chinese and Indian markets as well through the contacts that the Lis' and Patils' maintain."
Ragnok nodded and finished the paper laying it down with the others. He slowly regarded each of the three humans before nodding his head. "The Goblin Nation has received your request for a formal alliance. Prior to agreement we require an additional stipulation."
Daphne sighed, but nodded. Harry grimaced. This wasn't unexpected, but it could be painful depending on what Ragnok wanted. "What would the addition be, Director?"
Ragnok's grin was all teeth and very little humor. "We require assurance that Marcus Greengrass will be abdicating his Lordship in favor of Warrior Greengrass. Gringotts is willing to…help this state along." Three pairs of mouths dropped open at that. Ragnok's grin only widened. "I have heard about his attempts to force the hand of respected Warriors. I have also heard of how you easily outmaneuvered him. This is on top of insulting us during his prior meetings. Gringotts collects its debts and Marcus Greengrass has incurred a large one. We do not trust him to act in the Nation's interest. We do however trust Warrior Greengrass to do so. Our only question is whether you wish him to remain alive or not after we are through."
Harry couldn't stop the laugh from bubbling out. He turned to Daphne, grinning widely. "So apparently we can cross your father off our list of people to go after now!"
"Apparently so." Daphne's grin matched Ragnok's. "I would prefer he live. The man may be a bastard, but he is still my father; and it would be ever so sweet to have him watch as I wrest control from him without even lifting a finger."
Ragnok laughed and nodded. "Then on behalf of my people, I accept this alliance request. When the time of battle arrives, the People will march with you."
After leaving the bank Harry dropped Daphne off at Luna's, his mother off at home and picked up Remus. Together man and werewolf left the manor again for the next meeting of the day. This one was being conducted in a neutral location, a pub in downtown Muggle London. Both sides wanted to be sure that the Death Eaters wouldn't be following along and it had been decided that this was the best option available.
Walking into the pub, Remus' nostrils flared and he quickly nodded to a side booth. "Over there, Harry. Remember, just because he will speak as an alpha werewolf he is still human and will have personal motivations that will factor heavily."
"Pot meet kettle. I got this, Remus," Harry said smirking at the older man. "Come on." Harry led the way over to the indicated booth and nodded politely to the sole occupant receiving a similar response in turn.
"Harry Potter, Mr. Lupin, a pleasure. I am Martin Levinson, alpha of the London Pack and representative of the six largest packs in the United Kingdom. Before we begin, perhaps some drinks?" the werewolf said.
Harry nodded. "Sure, though I don't think these places sell pumpkin juice…"
Martin laughed shaking his head. "They don't, but they do have a great black tea here. Soothes the throat after a Full Moon."
"Hopefully that won't be needed for much longer," Remus murmured.
"We had heard rumors about that possibility," Martin acknowledged. "To be perfectly honest, that is why I am here instead of attending You-Know-Who's meetings. I want to tear the man and his personnel limb from limb, yet I can't deny he talks a good game with his promises regarding my people. I hope there is some truth to these rumors as I would hate to crawl back to him."
Harry's lips twitched and it took a great deal of effort to avoid snarling. From the way Martin's eyes shifted to his mouth, Harry knew that the werewolf had noticed and chosen to ignore it. "Mr. Levinson, allow me to make something clear early on. Don't go back to Voldemort." He took not a small amount of pleasure in the flinch that Martin displayed at the name. Levinson may be alpha of several packs, but Harry was the one in charge of this meeting. "Tom Riddle is going to die soon. One way or another, I can assure you he won't survive the coming months. When he falls, the Wizarding World is going to change. No one who supported him is going to get away without consequences. It isn't going to be like the last time. If you or your people support Voldemort, you will all come away far worse off."
Martin smiled a toothy smile. "You have quite a deal of confidence in your abilities, Mr. Potter."
"They are well warranted I assure you," Remus said. "I'm sure you've thoroughly researched his history and accomplishments. When Harry says something will happen, it will."
"It also helps that I am not just talking about my own role in the coming fight, Mr. Levinson. I am talking about the combined skills of all my friends and allies," Harry nodded towards Remus and waved his hand in the general direction of the city. "The Inventor Alliance comprises fourteen Houses, including four foreign Houses. We also have additional non-titled families involved as well as many Muggleborns. On top of this, I am personal friends with the Minister for Magic and have recently secured an alliance with the Goblin Nation."
Martin made a strangled sound at that and reached for his tea gulping down half the mug. "You are allies with the goblins?! Truly?"
"Truly," Harry said smirking. He had the man now. "But I believe we were going to discuss the veracity of the new Moonsbane Potion?"
Remus snorted a bit and muttered, "Moonsbane?"
"They said I could name it," Harry said shrugging.
Martin looked between the two of them and started rubbing his forehead with two fingers. "Would you care to explain just how effective the 'Moonsbane' is when you are done?"
Remus smiled and his eyes widened with glee. "Startlingly effective! I had a First Moon wolf with me who was forced to change as usual, but with none of the normal pain evident even with people welcoming the transformation. In addition she retained her entire human faculty for the duration. Another First Moon wolf had the exact same experience."
Martin narrowed his eyes and sized Remus up. "Her entire reason remained? No degradation at all?"
"None."
"Promising…That wasn't quite what I had heard though…"
Remus' smile widened. "Of course not, because that was not the most amazing thing. The true benefit to the potion is for the wolves who have already transitioned. My change was completely voluntary. And I actually enjoyed it!"
"Well call me a monkey's uncle," Martin said chuckling and leaning back. "Remus Lupin enjoying a Full Moon, now I've seen everything. Alright, how sure are we that this isn't a one-off deal?"
Harry took over at this point. "About 90%. My mother is gifted with potions and she's been going over the formula to ascertain why it works like it does. She's convinced that this should make the transformation voluntary for every werewolf not allergic to the ingredients. We've also spoken with the creators of the new potion at length and they agree with our conclusion. Their only addition was that there is a chance that one in a thousand won't be able to prevent the change however every other aspect should still work the same for them."
Martin whistled and crossed his arms in thought. "I've seen your record, Potter," he said slowly. "I think it's safe to say that you will be distributing this potion whether I agree to ally with you or not."
Harry sighed and leaned back into his chair. Sometimes he really hated being so noble…"As much as I'd like to deny it, that would be a good assumption."
"Understood," Martin breathed out heavily and stared into his tea. "I can't promise more than my own participation. I'll speak with the others and ensure they all understand the stakes, but it will be up to each individual. However, I will say this…if you can deliver on this potion, Harry Potter, you should expect at least 50 werewolves to join in your battle against Voldemort. Possibly as many as 70."
Harry smiled and pulled out six vials. "Excellent. Thank you very much for your assistance, Mr. Levinson. As a symbol of good faith, these six vials are samples of the Moonsbane Potion. You should expect to see the recipe for it appear in the next issue of the Quibbler."
Remus and Harry both stood and bowed their heads towards the alpha werewolf who was staring in wonder at the vials in front of him. "Thank you for your time, Martin Levinson," Remus said. "We hope to hear from you and your people soon."
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