Ancestry 23 - Piss Off A Dumass Day. Is It A Threat Or A Holiday?
Xander looked at the beings that appeared, shaking his head. The wards he had set up had went up like he had planned, creating a bubble of no magic. "So damn wrong," he called. "You know you can't get off the hellmouth that way, right? That portkeys won't work either? There's a barrier around the town."
He grinned and waved when they glared at him. A few tried to curse him but the hellmouth was blocking it and his spells protecting the area certainly weren't going to let them get off a single spell. "The Globe of Delights is gone. I sent it off yesterday, people."
"You could join us as you appear to be a strong wizard," Voldemort said smoothly.
"Didn't my family tell you to suck him and make it good the last time you offered a Dumass that?" he shot back with an evil smirk. Voldemort glared and pulled his wand but Xander had his in hand and the beings all went down. "Well, look at that. You didn't anticipate how the hellmouth sucks your energy, huh? Pity." He walked over to bind them and started a small fire, calling the aurors. "Could use some help," he told the one that was Harry's guardian, Brad the auror.
"We've got a demonic attack in LA. No can do, Harris."
"I have Voldemort and some of his minions." He looked over. "Tell the purple one I'm sending Buffy down there." The auror shouted that and the demon whined but stomped off. "Thanks," he called with a wave. "We've got a bigger problem." The auror stepped through with a few others. "Be damn careful. He's been a ghoul and has things hanging him there."
"I can do that." He rebound them and they carted them off. "What was that thing?"
"Probably paying off a debt. He had a lawyer he complained he owed for his divorce."
"Shit," the auror muttered. They got Voldemort last. "Thanks for this."
"He wanted a soul capturing device. I've already sent it off."
"Good!" He went back to the station to arrest them and let the Brits know they had them. Voldemort would get free, the others couldn't apparate without a wand.
Xander looked back at Buffy and Willow. "Magical Nazis."
"Ah," Buffy said with a nod. "Was that the purple guy from the Bronze who kept trying to get me to smoke weed?"
"No, the purple one from the poker circuit who had the custody dispute and divorce."
"Oh, him. Okay." She nodded. "So he caused problems to pay off the lawyer?"
"You haven't heard from LA have you," he said. Then he smiled. "Cordy said that they have a law firm that works for the bad demons."
"Why?"
"Everyone needs one sometime," Xander quipped. "But they're soul contract sorts who keep parts of the demons to summon them as part of their fees."
"Wow." She walked off. "Does Giles know?"
"Not sure." He followed. Willow was still making squeaky noises. "Yeah, I'm trained for that, Willow." She huffed. He grinned. "That sort of magic is hampered around here unless you really know what you're doing."
"There's a barrier?" Buffy asked.
"Yup, to keep some of the power here. It's not real firm and you can feel Sunnydale all the way to parts of outer LA but it's there."
"Okay. Any other big shocks?"
"There's a huge problem temple out by the cliffs," he said, staring at her. "But it's to mourning. If it's used, it'll cause *huge* problems."
"Got it, gotta make sure no one hurts that much."
"Exactly. I stopped some that we got free from doing that." She nodded at that, walking on again. Willow was still making huffy noises. Oh well! It was about time she realized a few things.
Not everything but some things.
Xander did send Harry a message so he'd know about that.
***
Harry looked up and sighed in pleasure, making the Weasleys he was eating with stare at him oddly. "Xander just called over the heir's pendant. Some of the death eaters were captured out there trying for a new soul capturing device. The auror that has custody of me got them for him." Arthur got up to call someone about that. "Possibly with that one too," he called after him. "He wasn't sure if he couldn't slither away."
"Nice joke," Ron said with a grin. Harry grinned back then dug into dinner again. "How many soul capturing things are there?"
"Not sure," Harry admitted. "Library?" She appeared. "Do we have a book on how many soul capturing devices there are or what categories we have on them?"
"Not really," she admitted. "Few noted in journals, Harry Potter sir. Library is massive but that's personal work."
"Okay. I wanted to make sure he couldn't get another version to work the same way."
She smiled and patted him on the hand. "Is good idea. Nice boys think about more than artifacts and unicorns." She beamed at him. "Library is being teaching Dobby how to bake muffins because he cannot bake." She disappeared.
"Thanks," Harry called with a grin at the ceiling. He looked at Molly, who looked shocked. "At least we know that there's not a book listing them. So no one else can just look in the book to compare them."
"That is a good idea," Ron admitted. "There's a lot of other things that are categorized in books." He ate a bite and thought. "How many could there be though?"
"Probably at least one per culture?" Harry guessed. "Every culture has someone who wants power."
"Could be," Ron agreed. "Huh. Have to ask Hermione if she knows." He stuffed his mouth again.
Arthur came back. "They called and You-Know-Who did disappear but they captured and kept ten death eaters."
"Go American aurors," Harry cheered with a smile. "Fewer here." He ate another bite.
Ginny looked at him. "What's so different about his town?"
"A hellmouth?" he asked. She nodded. "From what Xander said, there's a rip between the realms there. It leaks power and energy. Apparently it bends all magic greatly on it; I know I couldn't even light a candle while I was there. If I tried it went off target and to the right." She nodded once at that. "But there's a ton of free floating power, and a lot of it's darker power. Apparently that rip goes into some that are considered hell realms, because that's what they were named."
"So hellmouth," Ginny decided with a nod. "Okay, I can get that." She smiled at him. "Is it dangerous?"
"They have a ton of vampires there. They also have a lot of beings from other realms that hide there because no one notices anything weird about them. Not fins, antenna, scales, funny colors, nothing like that. So they hide in plain sight but they're not dangerous and they're not dark and they're not evil.
"Xander said a lot of them emigrated because of civil wars and droughts. So they come here, they get jobs, they help their families. London has a thriving, peaceful community like that too. They're totally peaceful and make sure they stay peaceful." He shrugged. "I guess they're like the humans of their realms."
"That can't happen," Molly said firmly.
He stared at her. "Xander works with a slayer, Mrs. Weasley." She gasped. "He also said that the Council over the slayers is shite and needs to be brought down soon to protect the girls. Apparently his friend Buffy fired them from her life for being so bad to the girls." He shrugged. "But he backs her up and learned a lot of stuff out there. Including from the wizard that's her watcher, Rupert Giles."
"I remember meeting him when he was in school," Arthur admitted. "He was a bit brash."
"Now he's uptight and fatherly, but yeah, Xander said he wasn't that nice when he was younger," Harry said with a grin for him. "The same as they have witches there that don't use wands."
"We consider them inferior," Molly said firmly.
"Then that inferior witch that the slayer works with really has broken something since she's powerful enough to end a town by herself. She's closed the hellmouth and put back a soul curse." Molly gasped, holding her throat. He nodded.
"It got broken so she put it back." He shrugged. "But Xander said she's hopefully going to be okay. She was stealing books for a bit." He ate another bite. "Did you get to see the graduation battle?" he asked Arthur. "It was incredibly bad but not a lot of loss of life. Just a huge demon snake."
"I did see that film so we could worry about some things being imported through muggle means. I had to talk to some contacts in the muggle government about how they could stop them and show off that film with an auror helping. They weren't happy but they agreed they could stop things from coming into the country." He shook his head. "How long did he work for that?"
"Xander said ninety years. Lots of rites and sacrifices but that was the biggest version and took the most time." He grimaced. "He also said they're immortal for their last hundred days as a human. Which probably let them survive the change."
"Probably," Arthur agreed. "We don't usually pay attention to that sort of magic. Most of the magical community considers it inferior and the hellmouth a myth."
"There's one upcountry by Devon," Harry said with a point. "The coven there guards it and works with those Council people."
Arthur considered that. "Well, better them than us probably. They know how to handle that sort of thing."
"True." Harry dug in again, smiling at Ginny. "Willow's a bit weird. Her parents write books about psychology and raising kids but never seem to see their own daughter." Molly moaned. "Buffy's mom is supposed to be nice though. Very supportive. Runs an art gallery."
"That's gotta be neat, even with muggle art that doesn't change," she said. "Huh." She nodded, digging in again. "Can anyone do that sort of magic?"
"I think you still have to have some sort of gift," Arthur told her. "It's just not the same gift as we have that lets us use it, Ginny."
"Oh, that's nice. Do they have schools?"
"No," Harry said, shaking his head. "They have covens."
"I guess that's like a bunch of nagging aunts," Ron decided then stuffed his mouth again.
"Probably," Harry agreed with a nod. He dug in again, eating nicely and politely. He heard Xander yelp and paused while chewing to check on him. He shook his head when he heard it was just Anya. "His girlfriend just pounced him on patrol."
"He's got a girlfriend?" Ginny asked. "Is she nice?"
"She's the vengeance demon over women scorned, formerly. She got fired," Harry said, grinning at her. "She's very...unique and blunt. Very, very blunt." He blushed. "And sharing."
"Oh, one of those." She nodded. "Worse than Lavender when she got drunk?"
"Yeah, a lot. I only met her for a few minutes but she told me all about how good Xander was to her in the bedroom. For most of that time." Ginny giggled, shaking her head. "But it's nice she's good to him and it's a pretty decent relationship apparently." He shrugged. "Better than Draco's mother trying to force him to marry him." He ate another bite.
Ron looked at him. "Why?"
"She wanted to live like a Dumass." He stared at him.
"Ah." Ron nodded once. "Great."
"She can't do it and the house's are all heir locked still." He shrugged. "Have to be a marked heir to get there." He dug in again, scraping his plate gently. "Great dinner, Mrs. Weasley. Can I help clear the table in thanks?"
"No, Harry, I have it. What does your cousin do?"
"He just graduated high school but he's been learning from the family's cursebreaking library. He helps his slayer friend. He's doing some day work until something catches his interest for real. He's thinking about trying construction type work for houses." He grinned. "He's got a good head on his shoulders and he's not just idly lounging around."
"That's nice," she decided, nodding. "Common sense is a good thing in the world."
Harry grinned. "If things had been different I might have been raised by Alexander himself since he was still alive when I was orphaned."
She looked at him. "He was?" Harry nodded. "Then why were you put with the Dursleys?"
"Dumbledore said so."
"Oh. Well, he must have had a good reason for the greater good," she decided, eating again.
Harry looked at Ron. "We can go to Dumass Glen to fly this weekend if you want."
"We can fly out back, Harry."
"I'm supposed to be checking for unicorns to see if any have come back."
"Oh. Sure, we can do that." He nodded, finishing his own dinner. "Are you sure Xander won't mind?"
"He asked me to check. The one time a muggle got near the house he had a fit and brought the government into it since the town tried to claim the house without authority. He had to pull out the old paperwork about the claimed land and how much of the town they could claim but didn't. The suit got settled quietly and they decided to leave it alone. So Xander put back up the discretion wards again."
"Ah." He nodded. "Sure, we can go check for unicorns." He grinned at his mother, who nodded. "Ginny?"
"Sure. I don't mind that. I like unicorns." She finished up and got up to help clear the table. Harry got up to help her with that and so did Ron. Before he got nagged to help. His mother tried to shoo them off to do childish things but Harry had brought in a new book to let Ron go over it. It was on famous quidditch matches and their strategies.
Molly and Arthur shared a look. They knew they had to break Harry of his attachment to that very wrong sounding cousin. And possibly others. He was not the same Harry Potter he had been. He was a very cold one instead. Dumbledore would not have approved.
***
Molly called Harry the next day, finding him reading. "What are you reading, Harry?"
He looked over. "Shielding lessons for a house and bigger area." He smiled, putting the book aside. "What's going on?"
"Why are you reading that?"
"Because we might have to ward somewhere. I'll read it, give it to a few others to study, so if we have to we can ward an area to protect people in."
"Oh, I see. Is that on the battle plan?"
"I don't know but it may come in handy during it. If there's houses nearby and the like."
"Oh, I didn't think about that. I know the school's wards are strong."
"No, they're being redone because they had a huge amount of holes. They're being redone this summer. Hopefully they'll be strong when they're done." He grinned. She looked so confused. "The original ones, from the Founders, were still strong. The others laid on top of it had huge gaps. And some curses built in apparently. They found that out when we came back. A cursebreaker found them and told the bank so they could get someone up to look them over."
"Oh, that's good then. Dumbledore will enjoy that."
"Perhaps, but you know he's not going to be headmaster."
"He will. All that silliness will be stopped."
"Mrs. Weasley, we buried him after the attack on the school," he said. "They feinted at the school to attack him personally in town where he was being held under house arrest."
"No he wasn't."
"Yes he was."
"Fawkes is still around, Harry, so he's still alive."
"She's not bound to him. She's had a burning since then." Molly scowled. "Really. The headmaster announced it. Ask Ron and Ginny." He looked confused at her. "But he had a nice funeral a few months into the spring term."
"We'll see about that," she decided. "You should come over more often. You're all alone up there with just a house elf."
"No, Xander pops in now and then. When he's free for a bit." He grinned. "Plus there's no safer place for me to be and study. No one can get up here."
"Yes but it's holding you hostage."
"No, I can leave whenever I want, Mrs. Weasley. I do about daily to do some shopping or something."
"Still, you're studying things that aren't for students."
"Yes, I'm about to be a seventh year but I've also had to self-study defense all these years. And you forgot about the ghosts up here," he said, spotting Destina's ghost. "Grandma Des, she's worried I'm stuck here."
"No, you're not stuck, Harry. You take the hints well to go do things outside." She floated over, looking at Molly. "He's fine. Really. The boy's doing excellently in his remedial studies. I have no idea how the school got so far behind but it's pathetic his sixth year classes were what we covered in our fourth." She smiled at Harry. "He'll do fine and take as many NEWTs as he wants."
"I'm taking a few early next month. Just to get them out of the way. Probably about four."
"That's a good idea, Harry." She floated over to kiss him on the head. "That book is dreadfully boring."
"Yes but it could be important."
"True. Give it to that nice Neville boy. He should be able to put up shields."
"He can and he's good at them. I'll finish it and send it to him." He grinned. "With a two week permission to be out of the library."
"That's fine, Harry. That's how we often did it when we leant books." She patted him on the head. "What were you working on out in the work cavern?"
"Some sort of charmed horse statue. I think it was used to trap something."
"Could be. We did that with many actual statues but none of the tiny ones. I didn't think we had a fae spirit trapped."
"I'm not sure so I'm looking it over." He grinned. "It kept talking to me so I'll figure it out."
"Good boy. That's what I'd expect you to do."
"He's just a boy," Molly complained.
"With a cursebreaking gift, Mrs. Weasley," Harry reminded her.
"Bill didn't have that problem!"
"Bull," Ron called. "He did. That's why there's no charmed anything in the town nearby, Mum. He broke them all because he was getting headaches from all the chatty statues of things. Including some former wizard's statue garden of intruders he said."
"He did complain a lot about them," Ginny called. "Because they had been stuck for years." She popped her head into the fireplace. "Is yours a pooka?"
"Not sure yet," Harry admitted with a grin. "I was going to talk to it later to see." She nodded. "Otherwise it's not too bad. Can we put back the fish tank, Grandma Des?"
"If you want to upkeep it and feed them, Harry. I doubt Xander would mind. He used to like the fish when he was little."
"Cool." He grinned. "I'll look up what I'd need to do that later." He looked at Molly and Ginny again, who was rolling her eyes. "They're said to be calming to watch."
"They probably are but boring," Ginny agreed. She grinned. "Any other good things going on up there today?"
"No. Not really. Dobby and Library made some great muffins. I sent one for you and Ron both."
"They were good," she agreed happily. "Ron tried to steal mine so I bit him instead." She winked and disappeared.
Harry shrugged. "Ron's like that some mornings. Still. Neville nearly bit him last term." Des laughed at that. He grinned at her. "Did you want me to do anything today?"
"No, dear. Just get some sun please. You haven't been outside for more than a quick bit for two days. Boys need more sun."
"If it'd help me grow taller I'd enjoy that but I doubt it'll work, Grandma Des."
"I know, dear, but you still need it to be healthy. The sun gives you vitamins that help your body work." She stared at him. "Go read outside, Harry."
"Yes, Grandma Des." He grinned at Molly. "I've got to follow that order. I'll call in a few days to check on Ron for our trip Sunday to check for unicorns." He hung up and looked at her, seeing the eye roll. He grinned but took his boring book outside to nap in the sun to it.
Des went to warn the other ghosts about her being so pushy about them. They had known Molly Weasley when they were alive. She was stubborn then about 'proper ways' and was even worse now apparently.
***
Harry leaned on the back door to the Burrow, which was split open. "Hey, Ron, ready?" he asked.
"Nearly. Let me finish my toast."
"Ginny, you could wear a dress," Molly complained.
"No I can't. I'm going to be weeding all day, Mum. I don't feel like giving the garden gnomes a flash of panty." She leaned in and waved Harry to disappear. He winked and got out of view.
Ron finished up and went up to grab his broom. "I'm going to meet Harry at Dumass Glen," he said as he walked past his fussing mother. "And I agree, Ginny doesn't need to put on a dress at home, Mum. She's not going to impress anyone here and we're not going to flirt with our sister."
"Someone could come over," she complained.
"It'll probably be someone who doesn't expect me to wear a dress at home either, Mum," Ginny said, grabbing what she needed to go weed the garden most of the day.
"What if Harry sees you like that," she complained, following her. She caught sight of Harry and smiled.
"Harry will say he's seen her wearing some ugly, stained things to do work in before," Harry said. "And weeding the garden is best done in as little clothes as possible because you get really hot. That's why I have a sunburn. I was weeding yesterday for a few hours." He shrugged but grinned. "I've got cucumbers finally starting to come up."
"For pickles?" Molly asked. "I have a darling recipe."
"No, just to eat cucumbers, like in a salad," he said with a smile. "I like them that way. But if I have enough I may pickle some."
"They'll last longer, Harry."
"That's true but I find vinegar to be a bit strong sometimes. I hardly ever eat pickles unless I'm craving the thick, kosher deli kind." Ron came out. "Ready?"
"Sure. How much land is there?"
"Twenty-five acres and Hermione's joining us."
"That's fine. She can probably take the time from studying."
"Actually she was wanting to avoid going swimming with some of her muggle friends."
"Yeah, girls can't do that when they have their girl things," Ron said then grimaced.
Harry looked at him, shaking his head. "No, that's not true, Ron. The muggle health teacher said that's not true. Said it's actually okay to soak in the tub and it might help their cramps. She said it's messy at the end but it doesn't hurt them at all. One of the girls in my class asked." Ron looked disgusted. "Yeah, things have changed over the years. The national curriculum on that stuff is really strong and very educational but scientifically based."
Ron shook his head. "I'll stick with ours, thanks."
"If you're sure. The teacher who did that at Hogwarts got a look at Hermione's book from their class and said it covered a lot she didn't." He pulled his wand to point it at the appearing person. "Hermione." He grinned.
"Hey, Harry. I appeared there and there's muggles."
He called Xander, who went to handle that again. Xander appeared ten minutes later shaking his head. "Bad?" Harry asked.
"Muggle pagans. Which I don't mind but I told them this was protected lands and they had to use the back forty of the woods if they want to do a fertility rite. They pouted but oh well." He grinned. "Fortunately one knew about the family's history thanks to her sister and understood why it was protected so she's covering up any weird things like the plant based security system."
He looked at them. "Unicorns?" They all nodded with a smile. "Good job! Watch out for the back woods. They won't hurt one but they'll probably try to pet it to death if they see one." He sighed. "Sometimes that type of witch is tiring. Willow certainly is." He disappeared to go back to nagging Willow about something stupid she had done.
Harry put his wand back, looking at Hermione. "Are you flying?"
"No, I'll walk the woods where you two can't fly." She smiled at Molly. "It's a pretty day for a walk in the woods." She waved at Ginny. "Put on some sunscreen. Witches can get skin cancer too!"
"I've got some on," she said with a smirk. "I took the potion."
"Remember to reapply it frequently. You're pale and that stuff is easily sweated off. I got a huge sunburn from it last summer. I suffered for three days after having to get official medicine for the sun poisoning." She sighed. "Such a waste of time and I had to be fully covered for a month so I couldn't go to the beach."
Ron shook his head. "Why would you want to?"
"To swim in the ocean and enjoy being on the beach, Ron. I'll bring back pictures from a few years ago." She waved a hand. "Let's go." They went with her. She had seen Molly about to have a fit.
"Padma had to have a suspicious mole checked last year," Ginny told her mother to calm her down. "They said it was precancerous but they only had to remove it to cure it. So she's under watch to make sure she doesn't get more." She went back to weeding.
Molly huffed into the house to call Arthur to complain about such ideas. Including calling that teacher who had subbed in for the witches' class at Hogwarts to have her talk to Hermione and Harry about such nasty ideas. The teacher told her it was correct, they could and had always been able to, they just had to deal with what the water had kept from coming out for a few minutes afterward and it did help with cramping. Molly was horrified but that was the way the world worked.
Outside Ginny was rolling her eyes and wondering how she'd get to escape this traditional house before she got married off at eighteen. She spotted a foal up the garden and got up. "Mum, we have an escaped foal of some kind," she called, bringing Molly to the door to look. "It's okay, baby. I'm not mean." She walked over carefully, letting it sniff her. "I know I'm kinda bigger than you are but it's okay. Did you escape your house?"
She petted it's neck in that special spot all horses liked scratched. "That's nice huh?" A mare came out of the woods. "Oh, hey, hi, Momma. I was just checking on your foal." She let the mare sniff her. "It's okay. I'm not mean. I like horses and all creatures. Except bugs and mice." She got nosed and petted her. "You're a nice mare and you have a very cute foal, dear." The mare stared at her then took her with her.
Molly shrieked, running to check the clock. Then she called Arthur ranting and raving about Ginny just disappearing from petting an escaped horse. The aurors showed up almost immediately and got Harry and Ron back from Dumass Glen.
Harry looked at the aurors. "She was weeding when we left."
"She was petting some sort of mare," Molly complained.
"Okay. Was it a normal horse? A unicorn? Something like a thestral?"
The aurors shared a look then went to scan for magic. "Magical horse," one agreed with a nod. "What did it look like, Molly?"
"Brown! With a light colored mane."
Ron frowned. He used the outdoor oven to call Charlie. "Ginny was petting a mare and foal and disappeared. Mum said a brown horse, pale mane. Wasn't that in the storybook you used to read to us?"
"That was a special essay topic I ran into in my creatures studies," Charlie said. "Which I read to you guys as a story. Did we see wings?" he asked the obvious auror.
"Wings? Why wings?"
"Because those sound like the ones Valkyries ride." Molly shrieked at that. Charlie winced. The aurors shared a look and one called in to check on that. "Well, it means Ginny's going to be a virgin for a very long time as they have to be to be chosen and have to stay that way to stay a Valkyrie," he said dryly. He waved and hung up, going to talk to his dragon friends. Before his mother screamed at him too.
Ron looked at the auror. "Well...." He looked at his parents. Arthur was soothing Molly. He looked at the auror again, who was nodding when the other came back with a book that had a picture. Molly sobbed but agreed that was what the mare looked like. He and Harry looked then shrugged.
"At least we know she's probably safe," he called more loudly. "Because they wouldn't want to hurt a trainee Valkyrie, Mum. They're not dead, they're alive when they gather the dead from honorable battles." He looked at his father, who was sighing in pleasure. He looked at the auror, who was wincing at the loud sobbing. "Anything against that?"
"No. We have a few who go each decade. Most don't pass and come back about six months later," he said, looking at the parents. "Fully well, didn't lose any weight, a few have had bruises from training but otherwise pretty decently healthy. I'll put that in the report so if someone sees her they'll let you know."
He looked at Ron and Harry, who disappeared back to hunt unicorns. Hermione appeared and pulled an auror aside, hissing in his ear. He winced and called that to his boss, who sent someone to separate the unicorn stallion from the pack of muggle witches. Then she disappeared to go talk to the stallion.
***
Harry called Xander on the mirror in his hand and pointed it at the unicorn. Xander moaned but nodded. "Great," Xander muttered.
"We have a few foals too, Xander. We've only found two mares but five foals."
"They can take in orphaned ones but twins are almost unheard of in any equine species. If they're taking care of them, good for them. Make sure the barn's not as falling in as I think it is?" Harry nodded. "Open that burrow area too. It's a good place to hide them if something happens." He looked at the witches again then at him. "I didn't expect that."
Harry shrugged. "At least he didn't pounce them like the one at the school used to do to some of the kids."
"True. That would be nasty." He nodded at the Species person. "We found a few who wanted to go herd up with the one at the school so he had friends. If they're not harming the unicorns and they'll stay quiet about it, they're fine."
"They'll tell others!"
"Memory charms are failing at a rate of seventy percent these days," Hermione told him. "I have the paper on that at home that I was using as a comparative study." The species person blinked at her. She shrugged. "It was at the spell conference in Italy last year."
"Oh. Sure." He nodded at that. "That's not for me to decide or the owner."
Xander appeared, walking over there. "Ladies." They stared at him. He grinned. One glared. "You're obviously Council related. This is the family's home. They're rather worried that you guys are going to hurt the unicorns or tell people about them."
"No! We'll tell the coven of course, Harris," that one said. She stood up. "Why are you here?"
"It's the family's lands, dear. I'm the one who said you guys could do a rite in the woods for your fertility rite." She slumped, staring at him. He grinned. "But..." He petted the unicorn through his shirt. "I know, I'm not a pure maiden type. Sorry. Go let Harry pet you. Or Ron. He doesn't have a girlfriend. Or Hermione. She's a girl." The young mare walked over to let them pet her instead. He stared at them.
"You may not do anything about the unicorn, especially not tell the Coven because the Council would have it killed and I'd hate to have to kill them for it." They giggled. He stunned them all without using his wand and smiled. "Unicorns are magical creatures." They moaned. "And you cannot harm them without harming magic itself. Clear?" They pouted so he let them go. He looked at the Species person. "Have you called Mysteries?"
"No. They're not over that. They're muggles pretending!" One sneered and flashed a spell at him. "What the hell!"
"Muggles can use other types of magic," Xander said dryly. "And these ones are from the Coven that protects England from their type. Call Mysteries." The guy ran for the fire to call that in. He sighed. "I thought today was just going to be nagging Rosenburg." He rubbed his forehead. "Speaking of, she's coming. Hermione, don't let Willow near the unicorn! The hellmouth taint she's leaking can taint or kill it!"
"Okay, Xander." She stopped the redheaded witch that just appeared. "You're leaking dark energy and it can harm it," she said firmly, staring at her, hand on her arm. "We felt you coming in."
"Oh!" She tested herself. "How do I clear that?" The witches pulled her closer to help her do that. She sighed in pleasure. "Oh, the magic here feels great."
"It's the family lands," Xander quipped. "We've had unicorns who nested here for generations. No hellmouth magic around the unicorn. It can kill it."
She nodded. "I just want to pet."
"Use your hand through your shirt," he instructed. She pouted. "Sorry but you've had the sex, Willow. That's not a myth. And why are you over here?"
"Giles was looking for you so I thought I'd try that neat new demon teleporting spell." The witches groaned and went with her to pet the unicorn mare and talk to her about magic and her problems with it.
Xander looked at the appearing Mysteries person, who was wearing a cloaking mask. He waved him over. "Hi, I'm the Dumass heir. I let the members of the Devon coven do a rite in the woods for someone's fertility. We've had a few unicorns who came back to rest though."
"I can see that. Are the non-wizards all theirs?"
"No, the redhead is Rosenburg, who works with me in Sunnydale. She had to clear her energies because we felt her coming."
"Shyte," he muttered. "So hellmouth taint?" He looked at Xander.
"I learned from the family's cursebreaker library. I've got shields." He grinned. "She's non-wanded though."
"We can handle that. We've run into members of that Coven before." The species person glared at him. "They protect England from the bad of their kind. Saves me work."
"As long as they cannot tell the Coven or the Council about her, because the Council would kill her," Xander said, staring at the witches. "They're fine to do the fertility rite in our woods this once." That got a nod.
The Mysteries person looked at him. "That's really nice."
"The world could use more women with sense. I'm sure some of the coven does." He looked at Willow cooing at the foal. "Do not touch the foal, Willow. At all! Only the most pure who've never had a bad thought can touch the foals."
"Oh." She pouted. "That sucks. Is there a spell for that?"
"No. Even a memory erasing one wouldn't help," the Mysteries person said. He looked at Xander, who grinned and nodded. "She has an addiction?" he asked very quietly.
"Getting there."
"Great."
"The proper witch said that memory spells are failing?" the species person demanded.
"Yeah, about sixty, seventy-five percent of the time," he sighed.
"The spell conference in Italy had a paper I looked at on that to compare it against muggle mind healing methods for a paper," Hermione said.
Willow looked at her. "Why would you?"
"Because I needed it for a class."
"Oh! They have a class on magical healing?" She looked at the witches.
"Not for ones like us," one said. "They use foci to channel. We don't. There's a huge schism there and we argue all the time. They think we're inferior, we think we're more powerful."
"Well, really, power's different for everyone," Xander said. "Willow's got power thanks to the hellmouth but personal knowledge can make up for a lot of that. If you have the ability to use it. Which is why the last heir of the family was considered scary. He was a cursebreaker and book nerd."
The Mysteries person stared at him. "Did you ever talk to him?"
"Not in person but in some ways. His portrait, things like that. Alexander, who I was named after, was one hell of a wizard. Even if he did sleep around more than his fair share." He grinned.
"Oh, that's good. Is he still around?"
"He got cursed by Dumbledore in a tomb for being the last Dumass heir. Just before they had the house burned. He really wanted the family line to end even though we're strong, powerful, and not dark."
The Mysteries person winced. "I saw his trial." Xander grinned at that. "He probably didn't want the competition."
"That and he wanted to steal from us. I still haven't gotten everything back." He shrugged. Library appeared, staring up at him. "Have you looked at the indexes?" She nodded. "What are we still missing?"
"A lot of red in books of things."
"The jewelry one's half full of red," Harry said, coming over. "The furniture one's missing some, about six pages of it. The painting one's missing about a page and a half. The rug one has about sixteen missing somewhere. The book one has one volume full of red outside a few entries and another volume that just smokes when you try to open it. And another that's half red."
"They would've appeared at the castle," he said quietly.
Harry shrugged. "I have no idea. Library, can you get him the one that smokes?" She did that and brought it back then went to check on the unicorn, getting her something to nibble on. "That worried me. Why are they smoking?"
"That's weird." He opened it. "Our forbidden section but yeah, it shouldn't smoke." He fixed that charm and found out why. "Fuck." He muttered more swearing as he walked off and summoned them back from his idiot big brother and others. There were some chaos people who were going to be very sorry. And he got a few extra.
One wouldn't come so he summoned it specifically, making it land at his feet so he could contain it and then put it away. He came back after putting them all at the castle and shrugged at the staring. "Idiot former family members in a few cases," he quipped.
"I wonder if Justinius knows what Melanorma had in her possession." He walked over to pet the unicorn, who snorted at him. "I know but I put it up so it was safely away before Mellie used it on you guys." He petted her through his shirt, making her happier. "Library, I want one of you to guard any unicorns here," he told her, staring at her. "That snake fucker killed some in the Dark Forest."
"Library will talk to Dumass elves about that, Xander sir."
"Thank you. We don't want them hurt." He considered it, looking at Harry.
"We put protections around the ones at the school," Hermione said.
"Good. Excellent in fact." He sighed. "I need to up the wards here too probably." The Mysteries person stared. "If they're coming here to get the unicorns, we have to protect them."
"True," he agreed with a nod. "That is the law." He made a note for his boss and sent it back via charmed parchment. His boss agreed to that and they could layer wards on the outside of the property. "We can lend you some auror based wards. Outside the family ones."
"Please. I don't want them here. The last blood war we told them to suck us and make it good." He grinned. "I told that to the one that got to Sunnydale too."
"We heard from the Yanks," the Species person admitted, looking scared.
"The hellmouth warps your magical abilities," Xander said. "Only wandless sorts can work there safely and even then their magic is often tainted by the power. If you portkey in you can't get back out because of our barrier. Cleveland's doesn't have it though."
"We'll let someone know," the Mysteries person said, coming over to talk to the witches again and make sure they couldn't share this news. They set up for the fertility rite with Willow's help, teaching her some of the proper ways, and the Mysteries people watching over them. When they had it done they went home to help that girl get pregnant. Willow went back to Sunnydale to tell Giles because that spell didn't work on her. Giles had one that did thankfully.
Xander shrugged at the staring people. "Not my doing."
"They're getting stronger," the Mysteries person said.
"Yeah, they outbreed," Xander quipped. "A lot." The Mysteries person blinked a few times. "Inbreeding to keep the magic strong just keeps weakening it. This family never cared about our blood status and we've always been strong. So has Harry. A lot of the muggle born are coming in stronger than some of the purebloods."
"Is there a way to prove that?" Hermione asked. "So it can be proven the next time someone shoves it in my face?"
"Yeah, there's a few ways. Including the Staff. Which is in the school somewhere. It used to be used upon sortings to determine the strength of the student so they could send some toward some types of classes instead of others."
"I thought it got broken," the Mysteries person said. "Dumbledore quit doing that a few decades back."
"I don't know why. It can be done in private." He shrugged. "It's still in there. I could feel it calling out because it was lonely when I visited."
"Okay. That's something we should hear." He went to find it for the Ministry. It was in there in a closet full of artifacts. Mostly stolen as they had family and clan markings.
Harry grinned at him. "Is it truthful?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "And testing it at the end of your studies almost always shows an improvement."
"Is there any way to check on my sister that got taken by a mare?" Ron asked. "My mother's going to be heaving fits soon."
"Valkyrie?" he asked. Ron nodded once. "Ask Professor Armwrench." He grinned and disappeared to giggle about that girl being a Valkyrie.
"We can write to him," Hermione decided. They went back to petting the unicorns and setting up something so they could drink and eat. The species person came to help them with that since it was his area of expertise.
***
Ron appeared back at the Burrow. "We asked someone earlier about checking on Ginny," he told his father since he was in the kitchen. "He said to ask Professor Armwrench to see if he could check on her somehow."
"That's not a bad idea. Your mother's in bed with a headache. What did you do today?"
"We learned some about the Devon coven who were at the house to do a fertility rite so caught a unicorn." Arthur winced. "They made sure they can't talk about it since apparently that coven protects England somehow. We let them do it then set up the stuff so the few unicorns could eat and drink easier."
"Who made that decision?"
"Mysteries."
"That's fine then." He sighed. "I don't like them coming to notice. A lot of us hate their ways."
"Seems that they're powerful enough to warp reality, Dad. We can't do that."
"No, we can't. I'm glad we're trained not to."
"So am I but some of them have scary powers. Rosenburg thought she'd try out a neat new spell to send herself to talk to her buddy instead of walking across town. They had to make her clean off hellmouth taint."
"Oh, dear. Did they see her?"
"Yup." He nodded with a grin. "She was taught by the witches there for a bit."
"That's good news. Try to stay away from that sort."
"I have no idea if I run into one, Dad. They can wear normal clothes too."
"Point." He took his lunch to the living room to sit down. He did write out a message to that very peculiar teacher that he remembered fondly. Hopefully he'd be able to make Molly quit wailing about her only daughter.
***
Professor Armwrench, who was actually Loki, heard his high priest talking about contacting him to check on that one chit he thought might make a good valkyrie. Apparently they had gathered her to test and train. He grinned to himself, waiting on the letter from the upset mother. Or her husband, who was calmer but worried about his only daughter.
He remembered Molly Prewitt very well and how he had nearly rendered her into a permanent creature for annoying him by insisting she had the right answers when she hadn't. Much hadn't apparently changed in their family. He sent a note to the head over the training so she could talk to Molly and Arthur if she wanted to. He did not need screamed at again by that woman.
***
Hermione looked at Xander when he showed up the next time near her. "That staff thing. Will it work on other types of magic users?" she asked quietly, looking around them. They were in a small shopping area that was mixed use.
"No, because that's often a measure of how much you're hoarding or gathering and how you channel it so they can read very differently depending on what they've been doing." He stared at her. "Why?"
"Would that shut some of the problems up?"
He considered it, tipping his head. "It's more likely to make them very mad."
"Is that a bad thing?" she asked with a smile. "Tactically speaking?"
He considered that option. "It might not change things but they'd be aware that some of you are stronger than they are. That doesn't mean that you know as much as they would since they've been studying for decades if they're smart. There's no telling what they've gotten into over the years, anything weird or worrying."
"Hmm, that's what I expected but it could shut up someone in the school?"
"Yes, that would." He nodded. "But then again you can fudge the test. I know at one time they had to remove them being considered for true heirs. A few families mandated their heir had to be so strong or else they were replaced. Judges reminded them that power isn't the same as skill."
"I can see that. But what about the problems in the school that keep picking on kids?" she asked more quietly moving closer to him.
"Actually that'd probably stop some bullying," he agreed, glancing around. He nodded at Malfoy. "Ask. He'll probably be amused."
She smiled at Draco, making him arch up an eyebrow. "There's a staff that can tell relative power levels."
That was an interesting start to a discussion he wasn't sure he wanted to have with her. "I'm aware of that. So?"
"I'm thinking the first years so they leave a few alone in Hufflepuff."
"They don't tend to do well on it."
"Or they could grow as we all do," Xander said. "Though power isn't the same as skill."
Draco stared at him then at her. "As a way to shut up those like Pansy?" he guessed. She smiled and nodded. "Not a huge idea but it may work somewhat. Try it. Do it in lunch or something." He shrugged, looking at Xander. "I was looking for you. I asked Emilia who this person who wrote me was and she burst out swearing?" He handed over the letter.
He looked at the signature then grimaced, handing it back. "He's a collector of unusual lovers. He doesn't mistreat them that I've heard but that would probably set off the curse."
"Can I send back a 'not interested' and leave it there?"
"He should listen to it. Unlike my brother, he won't push himself on you by the rumors about him."
"Good." He smiled. "That's good to know. Though I have been written to by your brother Justinius. He claimed the Dumass name as well. I'm not sure if my mother wrote him or not."
"Justy's into chaos," he said, staring at him. "He's dangerous. He was eleven when he and Mellie tried to sacrifice a unicorn mare who was days away from birthing a foal. Then they killed the foal in the house and stabbed their little brother with the same sword. Which led to months of healing."
Draco winced. "That's disgusting."
"Yes it is," he agreed with a nod, glancing around again. "I was going to get a new book." Hermione smiled and pointed. "Yes, there. They have some ancient books full of shit but some are useful." He looked at Draco again. "Him, you say 'no thank you' and then you make sure he can't gather you at all, Draco. He won't take no for an answer and if he's got a plan with you, he'll try to do it anyway."
"I won't."
"He can use compulsions you can't fight." Xander stared at him. "He's strong and dark as hell. I think hell probably thinks he's too dark."
"I can protect myself from him. Or hide behind Granger."
She shrugged. "He can probably be punched in the face too."
"He'd never expect it," Xander admitted. "I usually use something dangerous and damaging but only illegal in a few countries." He grinned. "He deserves it." He walked around them. "Let me get my artifact book."
"Thank you," Hermione called, looking at Draco. "Are you okay?"
"Bothered by people who think I'd want them." He rolled his eyes and sighed. "I have no idea who's started that off."
"It could be that they're noticing you're outed yourself."
"It could be or my mother. He walked around her. "I'm for good chocolates."
"Oh, the brownie shop," she said with a smile and a point. "They're *fantastic*. I get my mother some every year. Even their sugar free kinds are absolutely wonderful." She smiled. "And their toffees too." She walked off. He had become very tolerable to be around for short times since his father had went away.
Draco looked at her back then went to see if she was right. Their brownies were decadent and did soothe him on some level. He got some of his usual chocolates as well. Then he went home to hide and be safe while writing turn down letters.
***
Harry looked at the court wizard, staring at him oddly. "Why would you even think about that idea?" he demanded. "I'm not into incest."
"It's good for your family."
"I doubt that! And I doubt my cousin would enjoy that either. Especially since he's seeing someone." The man grimaced. "I'm not going to be dating anyone until after the war is done so I don't leave behind a child like I was." The man flinched back. "Personally, I find you really insulting," he said, repeating what Charlus Potter's spirit in the heir's ring was telling him to say.
"Grandfather Charlus thinks that's abominable and horrifying and he's about to have me call insult on your family." The man glared. He stared back. "Those of us who have *some* sense never encourage incest, even between cousins. We don't need weaker children and we certainly don't want the birth defects that inbreeding can give. If it's not good for animals it's not good for humans."
The man huffed off. Harry went to make a formal statement at Charlus' prompting. His ancestor was not pleased that someone was trying that. He sent that with Library since she had tact. He pulled Dobby over. "I want her to be subtle, not just pop in and hit someone," he told him at the pouting going on.
"Dobby could hit them like Miss Grangy."
"They could use it but we'll save that if they don't stop it." He patted him. Library came back shaking her head. "Were there huge idiots?"
"Yes, Harry Potter sir. Many idiots. Many too many idiots." He sighed but nodded. "Dobby can go hit someone soon." She went back to fixing up the house again. It really did need cleaned.
"If they try again, go right ahead," Harry told Dobby. "Just be polite."
"Dobby can do that." He left to spy on those idiots. If they had upset Library that way they were clearly too stupid to be considered adult wizards.
Harry went to lay down to rest his headache, letting Xander hear about that. Before he heard through a newspaper or something. "Dobby, go tell Hermione and Ron please," he called.
"Dobby do," he called back.
"Thank you." He put a hand over his eyes to rest his poor head before his brain exploded.
***
Xander got the note from Library, which was a copy of that statement, staring at it. "What the hell?" he demanded. "No!" He handed it to Giles as he walked off shaking his head. "They're all cranked and stupid."
"Clearly," Rupert said, reading it. "I forgot how bad the UK's magicals could be," he admitted. "Anya," he called, letting her see it. "Harry sent a warning about someone trying to make Xander adopt him as a husband."
She read it and huffed, going to complain to someone.
Xander leaned out of the back of the shop. "I'd say that's mean but I was about to send a poker buddy." He went back to fuming in the back areas.
Giles smiled at that idea. It would definitely shake things up.
***
The demon that appeared in front of the bank and all the wizards in the alley sighed. "I have an owed debt to one of you," he said. "Who has said that he is disgusted by so many trying to get him to marry his cousin. Or another young one. He has said to stop it."
"He's consorting?" the warrior guardian of the bank asked.
"No. We play kitten poker. I owe him ten cats." He smiled at him. "He is quite peeved. It is better he asked me to warn others before he has to use other poker debts for weapons." He looked at one staring auror, who shrank back. "The one who sends you out has ideas that are not good. Not the strong one but the one without sense. The one who said he should breed his cousin plentifully and then take in a harem like some in the past did. He is most upset." He disappeared since his warning was done.
The warrior guard looked at the auror. "That probably came from the Dumass head," he said smugly. "He does play kitten poker as the town he's living in is full of peaceful natives from other realms and dimensions. Which I believe that messenger was."
The auror nodded as he walked off, going to report that. He went to the 'strong one', Madam Bones. "We got a warning from a demon who said that the one he owed ten cats to said to quit trying to force him to breed his cousin and others or take a harem like it was the old days."
She blinked a few times. "Really?"
"Really." He let her see the memory.
"Huh. Wonder who they tried this time."
"Probably Potter as they said a cousin."
She nodded. "Potter's elf did have a statement telling people to leave his panties alone."
"I think it'd be a good idea if we did."
"Go convince others. Please." She smirked at him. "Before Granger has to come hit more people for herself."
"I can report that higher up," he agreed, taking the pensieve up there to show the Minister for Magic. Who was not amused. He was not happy and he was a bit scared of what that very angry wizard could call up if he had a simple poker debt from a demon.
***
Hermione looked at the headmaster when they came back for their last year. "Sir, may I ask a question?" she asked.
"Of course, Miss Granger."
She walked up there. "I was told there's a staff we can use to see how powerful we are. Can we have some who want to use it to see? It may stop some bullying going on," she said at his opening mouth. "I wouldn't want to pick on someone who was stronger."
"It can be manipulated."
She smiled. "Excellent." He groaned but nodded. "That means I can pretend to be weaker so they leave me alone? Some first years can do that to test their beginning potential to stop some bullying?"
"Actually, I'm not against that idea," he admitted. "But it'd have to be voluntary and I'd have to find it."
"Alexander said it's in a closet somewhere."
"We really do have to find all those closets he hid things in," he sighed. "I'll see if others are interested and let you test yourself, Miss Granger."
"Thank you, sir." She went back to her seat, telling Harry about that. Ron gave her an odd look. "They passed a law stating that any muggle born witch who had a powerful enough rating could be encouraged to marry into a good family. I don't want another year of having to bruise my hand by punching people. If it'll stop that I'm all for it."
"It's not something you can hide though."
"I've been told you can manipulate where you end up," Harry said.
"Okay, I guess," Ron said. He walked up to the head table. "My sister will probably be showing up late. Apparently the mare that took her to get her training thinks she's doing just fine so she hasn't come back yet." McGonagall choked at that news. He nodded. "Mum's still very upset and staring at the family clock. Ginny's reading 'safe at home' but she's clearly not at our house."
She wiped her mouth off. "I'll make a note of that so she can start this year when she does return. Do you think she'll turn it down?"
"We have no idea. We've had one letter from her saying she was fine and the training was full of weird things but she was getting pretty good with a bow."
McGonagall sighed, sipping her water. "I'll make note of that for her, Mr. Weasley. At the worst she can start over next year."
He grinned. "Mum wouldn't complain as much about that."
"Thankfully we can't get howlers anymore," Madam Sprout quipped.
Ron looked at her. "Thankfully Professor Armwrench can't get howlers either." She winced but nodded. He went back to his seat. Neville and a few others stared down at him. "Lav." She looked up at him. "Ginny got found by a mare that took her to train her in how to be a valkyrie. She's still off doing that."
She blinked a few times. "I thought that was a myth!" she complained.
"Nope, apparently not. We had a foal show up in the garden to be petted. Then his mum, who Ginny nicely petted. So they took her with them." He smirked. "Mum's really upset but we've heard she's fine."
"Oh, good. We'll watch out for her to reappear, Ron. Maybe we can help her hide from your mother."
"I doubt that'll happen. Mum's staring at the clock."
She winced but nodded. "We'll do what we can." She went to tell Ginny's roommates. That way they were warned things were weird.
Neville shook his head. "So glad your mother can't send howlers, Ron."
"Us too," he agreed with a nod. McGonagall went to get the first years to bring in.
***
Harry looked at the staff that was found. "Is that it?"
"No," the headmaster said. "We just found that one."
"Oh, so it's someone's wand but they overcompensated?" he asked.
"Apparently. I know you've taken some cursebreaker training. Can you tell if anything's on it?"
He tested it and nodded. "It's entailed. I can tell that by what one of the rings is telling me. That's...Abbot's family I think." He looked outside, then opened a window and pointed. "Hannah!" he called with a wave. She looked up so he waved her up. She nodded and headed inside. She came up a minute later. "The Black family ring said that's entailed to your family as far as he can tell."
She took it and it glowed, then made her glow. "It is. It's old." She frowned at it. "That's so weird but they want a brother. There's no sons in this generation," she told it. It bopped her gently on the head but let her handle it. "Can I send it to my parents, Headmaster?"
"Please. I found it in one of the closets around here looking for a different staff."
"There's a staff that tells you how much power you can channel," Harry told her.
"That'll be nice with that new law."
"You can appear weaker," he said.
"That might save Hermione from turning into a Dark Lord to fight the Ministry." She walked off with the staff, going to use her professor's floo to call her mother. She waved it. "It wants a brother and it's entailed to the family, Mother."
"Oh, that's interesting. I'll be up in a few hours, dear."
She smiled and nodded, taking it with her to class. "Someone took it from my family," she told Hagrid.
He nodded. "That figures."
Harry looked at the Sorting Hat. "Any idea where that staff is?"
"In the closet under the stairs."
"Oh, where the wards are," Harry said dryly. "That figures." He found the opening and went in there, finding a few staffs. "Which one is it?" He came to get the hat but the headmaster followed to just remove all the staffs.
"Use the light stunner spell they teach you in your fourth year," the Sorting Hat told him. "On a wall please."
"They didn't teach us that until our sixth year."
The hat slumped but nodded a bit. "Still, use that one against a wall. If you want to appear weaker, use the lightest touch you can."
"I'll let Hermione hear that. Thank you, Hat." He used it on a free wall and the ringing that called out a number made him blink. "What's the scale on that?"
"Over sixty is powerful," the headmaster said. "Usually. We can do that in the Great Hall." Harry grinned, taking it down there. A few other students came in to try it. The headmaster and a few teachers came in to view it for their notes.
Harry did a light stunner. Which gave him a rating of forty. "Huh. You can really manipulate it," he told the kids. "Use the light stunner we learned last year." They nodded. He did a full strength one and it came up eighty. "That's neat."
He let Hermione have it and she calmed herself then cast a light stunner. Fifty. She put her back into it and came up at eighty-one. "Huh." She smiled, handing it over. "That's good to know."
McGonagall stared at her. "We will note the lower number but that may still be too high for that law, Miss Granger."
"Then I'm going to beat someone this year too." She grinned.
"If you turn into the next Dark Lord, spare the school," a third year Hufflepuff quipped.
"I'd never do that." She smirked. "My father said that everyone wants to rule the world but no one wants to do the paperwork."
The headmaster considered it then nodded slowly. "That's why there's minions."
"Yes but I haven't gathered any. And I would definitely up educational standards." She smiled at the teachers.
Harry patted her on the shoulder. "Go have some chocolate, 'Mione." She rolled her eyes but did that.
Draco came in because he had heard the rumors. "Does it work?"
"Yes, and you can manipulate it."
"Hmm." He took it to test himself, nodding at the mild rating he got.
"Now put your back into it," Harry said. "Full force stunner."
"I don't tend to show up as rated on that." He shifted his stance and did that. He got a ringing call of 'illegal' and smiled. "Of course." He handed it back after trying it again. That time he got a respectable seventy-three. "That's good. I like that. It still doesn't show skills or knowledge, just raw power you can channel." He looked at the lower students. "Knowledge is a power all its own." He went back to class pleased. Snape stared at him when he walked past him. "Seventy-three."
"Not bad," he agreed. "Otherwise?"
"I got an illegal rating." He smirked a bit.
"Even better. What did Potter get?"
"I didn't see his."
He went to check on that himself. Potter had left the lower kids to handle it themselves. So had Granger. Weasley was waiting now so he watched his. Not bad, higher middle range. Much like Percy's had been.
***
Xander looked at the wizard the courts had sent over, staring at him oddly. "What?" he demanded.
"The Dumass family really must be carried on," he said again. "We really are trying to insure the proper families are carried on."
"And the fact that I'm possibly infertile right now until I do a hell of a lot of spell cleaning?"
"Well, that's a problem but one such as you could have probably found a way around that. We've heard much about muggle ways around infertility."
"Yeah, there is. So?"
"You could take in someone like Miss Granger. She's powerful, has a strong mind, would make a good Dumass matriarch probably. Much like your grandmother was said to be."
"Yeah and I'm looking forward to her going to medical school. So is she."
"We don't really consider that a good career for a witch."
"I do."
"Then you could go to college with her. You're of about the same age."
"Anya," he called, waving her over. "This is my girlfriend, formerly Anyanka, Vengeance for Women Scorned," he said patiently.
The wizard's eyes went wide. "Oh, I see."
Xander grinned. "Hermione's a nice girl, a very nice girl. Since only the ones who are ...dangerous like me I doubt that'll work. Plus I'd send her to medical school. Immediately. And tell her to not take a single wizarding patient." The man shrank away from him, shaking his head. "Frankly, you guys have tried to get me to gather a harem like I'm one of the Victorian 18. Which, yeah, I could probably beat them all in a fair duel," he said sarcastically.
"But I'll be damned if I'm going to have to deal with a harem. So far you've tried to link me with my cousin Harry, and now two classmates of his. Really?" He stared at him. "I think that the Ministry in the UK has a bad plotline going and it needs to end. Before I have to step in to protest on everyone's behalf. Because if she asks I'll gladly be the big defender for Miss Granger as well."
He pulled his wand. "By the way, how did you expect to get off the hellmouth? It's already stunned your natural magic abilities and you can't portkey off it." He smirked. "You might wanna run for Rupert Giles to protect you from me because I'll feed you to the hellmouth for the insults paid to my family." The man fled. "FUCKING MORONS!" he shouted.
Anya patted him on the arm. "At least you'd have fun with a harem. You do have good stamina. I've helped you grow that."
He looked at her. "With a partial veela mate if they win?"
She hummed, thinking about that. "They're very sexy women."
"Remember the blond boy? Him."
"Oh.
"And Harry is a relative, Anya. A very close relative."
She stroked over his arm. "Let me ease that frustration, Xander. That way you can go plot their demise like you're a Dark Lord in the making." He snorted, shaking his head with a sigh. "You could be. It would benefit a lot of people if you did take them down for that insult to your family. The Dumass clan was always powerful."
He stared at her, letting his true self be shown. "I know that." She shivered, staring at him in horrified awe. He smirked. "They should really quit pissing me off." He walked off. She followed, pulling him into the basement to ease his temper so he could plot instead. And warn the others. The sex did give Xander a few good, slightly evil ideas.
***
Xander ran into his brother on purpose by appearing in front of him, then leaning down with a grin. "Are you going to protest if I deal with the thought that I'm one of the Victorian 18?" he asked quietly. He grinned. "Now they want me with a Malfoy heir, to end their family line and ours, and a few others."
"Should you, I will be amused," Justinius admitted, staring at him. "Why do you feel like power?"
"Well, yeah, I got bound to the damn hellmouth, Justy." He stood up, staring at him. Then he gave out a smug little grin. "It just enhanced what I already had." Justinius shuddered, seeing the rage building. He knew his little brother had a temper. He had seen it a few times. Once even aimed at him.
"Did you talk to Melile about her collecting books to sacrifice you or your wife and take your powers? They're entailed to the family's library so I summoned them." He waved a hand and disappeared from there without using his wand.
"No but I'll be talking to my sister later," he decided, sipping his tea with a shaky hand. "That poor country." He sighed. "Grandmother would never permit him to go fully dark. But perhaps a school of his own?" He considered the implications. "I may be able to pick up some cheap properties." That cheered him up.
Xander walked into the bank and to Blackrock's office directly, knocking before walking in. He smiled at the witch in there. "I need all the family books please. Today. They think I'm one of the 18, Blackrock."
"That's not amusing," he said. "After I help this client." He looked at the witch. "He's sorry. He's lost his manners his grandmother taught him with his temper."
Xander looked at her then at Blackrock. "If it's a loan issue, use my recent auction." The banker blinked at him a few times. He smirked. "What? Anya's just really starting to realize who I am. Though I think she thinks I'm going to keep her as a concubine right now."
"That's...a weird idea."
"Yeah but she's a former vengeance demon who's over a thousand years old." He shrugged. "She's got priorities to make sure she gets hers and is taken care of properly."
"Some women are," the banker said. "I'll get you those books."
"I need *all* the books. Including the hereditary journal."
"That is locked. I'll go find it in a moment. Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm fine with that since I'm inconveniencing her. Go ahead and use that. That was stuff I just wanted out of my way and out of Sunnydale."
"Very well then. I'll arrange that. Go get pretty."
Xander grinned. "I haven't cared about that in years. I wonder if I still look good in my formal dueling robes." He went home to find them. They were in his school trunk. By the time he showered, got redressed as a proper heir, gotten nagged by his grandmother, and gotten back to the bank all three books were there. He grinned. "Is that one still held in trust?"
"Indeed. I checked just in case."
"Excellent. The other two holders?"
"They've died out in the last blood war."
"Even nicer. Does that mean it's all mine?"
"Yes."
Xander grinned. "Thanks, Blackrock. Let me summon Granger and Harry. Before they want me to fuck my grandson again." He raised an eyebrow. "And the Malfoy heir. They all realize by now."
"Have fun storming the Ministry."
"Of course I will. I've faced down hell gods, Blackrock. Which Anya has no idea about." He strolled off, calling them from the public floo. The headmaster answered. "I need my fellow heir, Mr. Malfoy, and Miss Granger to be released so we can go storm the Ministry to stop the stupid."
"Is she going to hit more of them?" the headmaster asked fondly.
"No but I'm going to destroy them. She can plead for mercy for them."
"She may. She does have mercy for those weaker." He got them summoned by a house elf. "The Ministry, children."
Xander waved with a grin. "Their current idea is for me to become one of the Victorian 18. They sent one to Sunnydale to talk to me about it."
"I got one too, that's why I made the statement," Harry quipped, stepping through. Hermione followed. Then Draco, who smoothed himself out so he looked impeccable. Harry and Xander pressed Hermione and Xander did her hair up for her, making her give him an odd look. "It'll keep it out of your face, 'Mione."
"That's fine." She looked at it in a window as they walked past it. "That's a pretty updo. Thank you, boys."
Malfoy looked at her. "Are we going to see you hit someone?"
"If I must?"
"Oh, no, I'm going to ruin their lives and then call someone out," Xander said smugly. "And beat them to death." He looked at her. "If I do somehow end up running a school for you guys, that's fine and I'll expect you to graduate medical school with highest honors."
"Of course I would if it was possible," she said simply.
"Then ignore them unless it's a hopeless case."
"That may be harder but we'll see." She looked at Harry. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm going to stand behind him as his second-in-command in the clan and look like the asshole I'm going to turn into." Xander grinned and nodded. "Is it coming out?"
"Under oath. There's some they never removed from the books." Hermione giggled at that. He paused to get one book to look that up and nodded it was still there, letting them see it. "We're starting there." He got them into the Ministry and walked past the desk where your wand was checked.
The auror tried to get in his way so he floated her out of the way. "Move. They've insulted my family." He stared at her. "Before I remove you from my property." He smirked as he walked past him. "Beyond that, not like I need a wand."
"How hard is wandless magic?" Hermione asked him.
"You have to will things into being," he said, looking at her. "But I've studied many types of magic, Miss Granger. Including house elf magic." He looked smug. "I can do about eight different versions. Including two that are ritual based." She moaned at that, nodding a bit. "How did you rate on the staff?"
"Fifty when I didn't try. Eighty-one when I did."
"Excellent rating," he agreed, looking at Harry.
"Eighty when I tried, forty when not."
"I got seventy-three," Draco said. "Plus an illegal rating."
"Yeah, that staff is tilted against those who have other types of powers." He stared at him. "All that manifesting means you have a second stream of magic."
"I've figured. That's fine with me. Can it be trained to be useful for more than bedroom games?"
"Yes. Not easily. Women do it easier. You got screwed on that part, Draco."
"Ehh. That's fine." They walked into the Wizengamet chamber and Xander pulled out the law book, speaking the words of the spell to activate the wards. Wards went up around the room and an oath of secrecy was automatically laid. Draco nodded once. "It's dumb they didn't remove that law."
"There's a lot of older laws on the books that they never think to remove," Hermione told him. "It's arrogance. Which they prove frequently." She stared at him for a second. "They act like you as a second year."
Draco smirked at that. "I grew up at least."
"Yes, it's very nice of you to do that, Draco. You're tolerable now." He snorted, still looking amused.
Harry shook his head, following behind Xander. "I instruct you to listen to the Head of the Clan Dumass, Alexander Mikal Dumass," he said loudly, earing a few gasps.
Hermione had gasped too. "I thought he had just possessed him!"
"No," Xander said, shooting a grin at her. "That was a deaging curse not a death one." He looked at the council. "So, you've decided to insult my family. Including my grandson Harry." He waved a hand at him. "You've done it knowing that the Clan Dumass has the means to bring down the Ministry without having to do more than call the bank and say to foreclose on a lifetime loan." A few winced but they were older. He smiled at Bones. "And you!"
"I have stuck up against them," she said firmly, standing up. "I stand with the Clan Dumass in their anger at this constant pushing over their members and claimed protectees."
"Thank you." He looked at the others. "In case it has missed your tiny minds, the Clan Dumass owns three-quarters of the land the Ministry is standing on. They couldn't afford the rest of the property because one family didn't want to sell their family home. We traded them for it and let the Ministry have a lifetime lease. It was not a give-away."
He pulled out the books to find it and showed it to the head of the chamber. "The other two families have died off. We have not. And if that's what Dumbledore wanted to accomplish, he failed." He smiled at the rest of them. "As for the rest of you, you've insulted my family to the point where I should call honor debts and duels into place."
"We had no idea!" one complained, standing up.
"Yet, you knew he was my cousin and pushed. You tried to take his ability to choose for his own families as he wears three to four rings by his own right before our clan marking, and then tried to strip others of theirs. You have made a severe enemy of the Clan Dumass with all this messiness that you've caused.
"We appreciate young women with brains. My own sister was much like Hermione but a cursebreaker as well." The old man winced as he sat down. "And yes, I heard that someone tried to mandate she marry. Suck it up. It never would've happened.
"Even if I was dead, Grandma Des would've killed you all as all children in the clan must be made with bedding from the familial bed or else they go dark like my big brother Justinius." He waved a hand in the air. "Do you think she wouldn't have destroyed you?"
"There's compulsions," the old man said.
"That're wrong and evil," Xander shot back. "Talk about dark!" The man flinched at that, shaking his head. "Slavery's been illegal for decades longer than you've been alive. You doing that keeps them in slavery. You're as bad as Voldemort. It's amusing that you're considered Light sided." He looked at the speaker for the chamber again. "I've thoroughly had enough. I've taken over Hermione Granger's protection for the magical community. She's now my magical ward. As is Draco Malfoy should he need one."
"I've passed twelve NEWTs and I'm seventeen," Hermione said.
Xander grinned at her. "Congratulations. That means you're liable for other laws but not the underage ones." She smiled at that. "It's a good indication that we'll expect great things from you." He looked at the speaker again. "I've had enough. You demand that my grandson fight for you while you hide in a corner. You demand he lose his life for all of you while you suck your thumbs or wand tips in the dark hoping no one finds you.
"Well, I'm here to point out that you'd better start to fight for yourself. Harry has backup but that's not enough in a war." He stared at them. "Or else so many families wouldn't have died out last time. If you guys had just pulled together as a cohesive anti-evil force." He made a tongue clicking noise. "That sucks that most of you were in those same seats that I own."
"You know nothing!" the speaker hissed as he stood up.
"Bull shit. I fought then too. I've taken up fighting again on the hellmouth with a slayer." He shrugged. "Hell, I stopped a rampaging hell goddess when I was Harry's age by bedding her to save all of your asses. You gave me a medal for it."
He opened another book to show that off. "It was never rescinded," he said facetiously. "Or the other three I earned and the other six I would've gotten but things were going sideways because you all sat on your fat asses and did nothing."
He put that book down in front of Bones. Who read it and moaned. Xander grinned at her. "It wasn't bad sex, I was desperate anyway. Didn't really realize she was the one taking down all the magical protections around London." He stared at the speaker then at the old man.
"There are laws made after the Victorian 18 to prevent another of them to come forward. I didn't want it when I was younger and I don't want it now. I'll be damned if you're going to turn me into one of them. If I do, I'll just start a school to teach cursebreakers." The old man whined as he sank into his seat again.
"You have fundamentally screwed with the Dumass family in a way that means I should rightfully take it out on you and damn any innocents with you. However I don't like to create collateral damage. So we'll do this. You're evicted from all Dumass clan properties. Including this one." He signed the paper for that, smiling that Blackrock had put in a generous removal clause in case he was forced to change his mind.
"There, it's done." He stared at the speaker, handing it to him. He shrieked but the Ministry was shrank back to what they owned, which was the actual size of the building without any stretching, and everything else was now confiscated if it was on Dumass property. "Anything personal is now in storage and I'll have a house elf get it for someone if they wanted pictures off their desks."
He looked at Bones, then smirked at the others again. "Your actions against my family have consequences. I'd stop before I call in the rest of them. Which would mean the wards around Diagon go down. Knockturn's now an alley between two buildings instead of a full street. The bank's suddenly going to fall into the subway system. Oh, and it's my money propping up a few of the wizard owned businesses like the wood workers guild."
He shrugged but smiled at them. "You've insulted us for the last time. Myself, Harry, Hermione, Malfoy. Never try it again or else I'll start getting punitive. You were supposed to pay us rent for all those years and didn't. You broke the contract about how people were treated on the property.
"Including the bias against certain blood classes." He made another tongue clicking noise. "Pity you didn't follow the contracts. It was written and signed by all the families in power at that time. Of which, sixteen of you still exist. And a few have lesser members that married into theirs. Push on my family some more."
"You can't do that!" the speaker shouted.
"The Clan Dumass calls in an honor debt to all families who signed that lease agreement as they've broken it repeatedly. They've broken nine clauses at least, but that's all I've found so far. They've not paid their rent. They are hereby indebted to the Clan Dumass until their fines are paid off by the members."
Most of the people in the room winced as it hit them. Not the speaker, who was looking at the others then at him being horrified. Xander shrugged. "Yeah, I learned from what they did to the Weasley family for having an accident with his new wand." He clicked his tongue a few times and grinned at Bones. "I noticed that your family's newer."
"It is," she agreed. "Thank you for sparing me. We'll need the aurors to stem the upcoming riots."
"The paper's heard by now. The privacy spells activated all their spy gear in here." He pointed at them. Harry pointed at one. "That's a personal spying portal, Harry. That goes to a specific person." He grinned at him. "I have one of those in the bank so I could hear when they tried to screw me over again. Have for decades." He shrugged a bit. "Do have fun paying off your debts. As you know, the International courts won't hear a case about this."
He strolled off with the three teens behind him. "If they should try any of you again, let me know. I've got another ton of penalties for them to go through thanks to their greedy natures. Including trying to breach international law to make me one of the Victorian 18. Really, my cousin at the time had fun but still." He grinned at Draco, who was blushing. "Especially with your family curse."
"So they can't force me to marry anyone?" Hermione asked.
"Nope. Not in the least." He grinned at her. "Especially not myself or Harry or that one boy."
"Goyle's in a hasty marriage contract," Draco said. "To save him. She's French and pureblooded but about like him, an end of the line of magic in the family."
"Sometimes that just means that the magic changes. If they ended up with another form I wouldn't be surprised. It happens in about a third of the cases instead of becoming a squib."
"I hadn't heard that," Draco admitted. He looked at Hermione then at Harry. "So, how are you going to use that?"
"They're going to have to protect themselves," Harry said. "I'm focused on stopping the war and protecting the school."
Xander clapped him on the shoulder with a grin. "Good. I like that." He gave him a hug. "You three disappear through the floo. I'm going to prove what an asshole I was and am again." He smiled at Hermione. "If my girlfriend Anya writes you, ignore the sex talk. She's just like that."
Harry nodded at that, going to turn on the floo for them so they could escape. Xander summoned the books as he got outside. He smirked at the staring people. "The Ministry's stupid actions and lacking of thoughts have prompted me to call in the debt that they owed my clan for the insults paid to us." He showed that page to a reporter who was staring at him in awe. "I am Xander Harris, the Dumass family primary heir."
"You owned most of the property the Ministry's building was on?" the reporter demanded.
"Yes. They couldn't afford it so they leased it from my family and two others. They've died out. We didn't, no matter how hard some people tried. Now the building is sitting on their own property and what they actually own, and the Ministry is facing a lot of penalties. They haven't paid rent. They haven't kept up the clauses within the contract. I spotted nine but the honor debt acted on eight of the violations." He grinned at her then at the other people.
"You forced me to become one of the Greater Assholes of the Family." He shrugged. "Make me become the enforcer and I will. Including to protect my cousin. Who had better not have to come back here again to protest someone trying to force him to marry. Especially not me."
He showed the reporter that lease contract so she could copy it. "I have others I could have used but..." He shrugged. "At least the building's now easier to protect from Dark Lords." He strolled off up the alley. "I'm going to get a proper jelly quill. Can't get those in California."
The reporter ran back to post all that in the paper's special edition that'd be coming out in an hour. The Ministry people kept staring at their building, trying to find someone in charge.
"Remember to compare how that sort of debt works against others that have been done that way," he called after her with a grin and a wave. "Like another older family." She flinched but nodded, adding that to her notes as she hurried. Xander walked into the candy shop. "Shoot, I forgot the key somewhere," he said, patting himself down. He summoned it and handed it over. "I haven't had a good jelly quill in years."
"They still make 'em. Any other treats today, sir?"
"Oh, I'm Xander, head of the Clan Dumass." He grinned. "I adore chocolate but they'll be freaked out at home since I bounce so much." The man laughed but got him a good selection to go home with, running the key for the fees. The bank gave him a five percent tip on top of it too for some reason. Which he'd hear later. That one had proven it wasn't wise to fuck with the older families.
***
Hermione looked at the boys in the office. "Who were the Victorian 18?"
Draco cleared his throat. "In early Victorian times, when she was about to have her first daughter, the wizarding world ran into a problem that caused a lot of wizards to go limp. Permanently. Which was when spells to counteract that came out and ones to ensure cross-sex pregnancies." Hermione winced at that.
"But eighteen stronger, older family wizards weren't affected. There was a Black, a few others. It was a Potter-Black heir that came up with the cross-gender pregnancy spells. It was a Black heir that married into another family that came up with how we do what you described as IVF I believe."
"Oh, that's interesting."
"But since those took a bit, those eighteen wizards were forced to take multiple spouses to make sure the lines of important, powerful families didn't die off. None of them wanted it. Though a few enjoyed it. They were basically made the head of a harem of lovers that their duty was to breed and prop up the lines."
Hermione grimaced again, nodding once. "Once those spells came out and the cause was fought off, there were laws put into place to make sure it couldn't be forced again by all those eighteen and most of their spouses. Who were allowed out of the marriage bonds that were forced on them and let to marry whoever they wanted.
"The Eighteen still claimed any children they were wanted to claim but most were blood adopted into their new families. It basically pushed back arranged marriages for a decade in there to cover up that problem. The Potter family had two if I remember right that stayed with their name. Both of them cousins to Harry."
"So Xander was enforcing the laws they were trying to ignore they had put in?" Hermione said.
Draco nodded, looking smug. "Yes. So we didn't have to time share his dick with his current girlfriend." He walked off. "How does he date a former vengeance demon?"
"Anya's loud, needy in bed, and pushy to get it," Harry said, following him with Hermione. "She told me all about their sex life, a few times. But did praise how Xander's stamina was really growing thanks to her and him working all day then patrolling before going home to her needs. Apparently my cousin never sleeps." Draco looked at him. "It hurts him," he said quietly.
"I felt. He was emoting a bit." He nodded. "That's fine. I'm not saying a blessed thing, Potter." He waved a hand. "I wonder if Druscila has found my mother yet."
"She's not in Sunnydale right now. Xander warned me they had left last week. Where is she hiding?"
"Paris."
"So maybe." He shrugged. "We'll have to see. I did warn your aunt who has the auror for a daughter."
"That's handy. I'm sure she's been removed from the family lines for marrying a muggle." He grimaced. "It really doesn't follow in the path of Toujours Pur that's the Black family motto."
"I've reinstated them," Harry said. "If she acts against her I'll remove Druscila."
"Have fun talking to the vampire," Draco quipped. "I'm going to go lie down now. That level of energy gave me a headache."
"Have a good rest," Hermione said. She looked at Harry. "The Black family motto?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "They were proud of that." He shrugged. "It's not that way now since I'm not. All the cousins have died off."
"Good point." She walked off. "I'm going to class."
"Have fun. Tell Ron to quit napping." He went to his own class. The professor stared at him. He grinned, undoing his tie slightly. "There's going to be a special edition of the paper. Xander got really mad and enforced a contract's penalties." The teacher shuddered, looking pained at that. "A lot." He sat down to get back to the end of the lesson.
***
Chapter notes:
Thank you to the one of you who noted to me that I had skipped section 22.