Game X-overs, Harry Potter 1. Chapter 1

**HP Book 1 – Midshipman Potter: Of Stones, Wraiths and Senile Meddlers**

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by JKR and Space 1889 is the property of Frank Chadwick. The only thing that's mine is this story.**_

Prologue: Into the Æther without a Trace…

_4 Privet Drive, Surrey, England; November 2, 2001_

Albus Perceval Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Grand Sorcerer and Order of Merlin First Class) looked down at the tiny bundle he'd just placed on the doorstep of muggle house and half smiled. The bundle – fifteen-month-old Harry James Potter – was being condemned to a childhood of hate and abuse but it was for the Greater Good; at least that was how the aged wizard justified everything he'd done in regards to the child and his late parents. He turned briefly to address his two colleagues and ordered them away before casting one last look at the boy.

Ever since he'd heard the Prophecy made by Hogwarts' newly hired Divination Professor, the Headmaster knew that of the two children that met the criteria of the predictions it was little Harry that was destined to save the Wizarding World from the worst Dark Lord in history at the cost of his young life. That was why he Confounded his former student, James Potter, into leaving the safety of his heavily warded ancestral home with his very pregnant wife to hideout in a modest cottage in Godric's Hollow under a Fidelius Charm. Albus even went as far as to suggest that Sirius Black – James' childhood friend – be used as the Secret Keeper. The old man had known for some time that there was a traitor within his Order of the Phoenix; naturally, the spy was Black because his family was known supported of Lord Voldemort and the Blood Supremacy cause.

In the end, he was proved correct as Voldemort had attacked the Potter's. James died trying to keep the fiend from going upstairs. Lily's body had been found between the door to the nursery and the crib that held her baby son. It was obvious to Dumbledore when he arrived on the scene that she'd been playing with the child when the attack occurred as she held a strange toy that was connected to a box on her belt. He ordered Hagrid to take the child back to Hogwarts to be examined by the schools Matron, Poppy Pomfrey. There was little time to set his plan in motion so he immediately left Godric's Hollow for the Ministry where he requested an emergency session of the Wizengamut. By dawn on November 1st, he'd managed to get the elder Potter's Wills sealed as Official State Secrets, become the child's Magical Guardian and had an arrest on sight order issued for Black.

As he spun on his heel and disappeared with a soft pop, it never occurred to him that he might be wrong or that there was another course of action that could be taken. After all, he was Albus Dumbledore – Leader of the Light and the Defeater of the Dark Lord Grindelwald – and only he knew what had to be done.

Fortunately for the child, Lily Potter nee Evans was more than everyone believed; a muggleborn only by the strictest legal definition, she never drank the Senile Sheep Shagging Meddler's Kool-Aid. That meant she'd figured out what he was up to and arranged to out flank his plans; said arrangement being the group of five men that looked like they'd just stepped out of the pages of a Jules Vern novel. After they made sure nobody was watching, one of them picked up little Harry then the group moved into the dense fog that magically rolled in.

Ch.1: The Return

_HMS Devil's Luck – On Patrol: July 28, 2011_

Captain Jonathan "Black Jack" Morningway sipped his steaming cup of Heaven, Earl Grey with a twist of lemon, as he watched as the Night Watch was relieved and the Day Watch took up their stations with a casual ease that belied the years of military precision of every member of his crew. The now off duty men and women gave him quick salute as the passed on their way to either the mess or their berths. In the few minutes that it took for him to finish his tea, each of the Bridge Station logs had been reviewed by the person that had taken over and a concise assessment was then given to the XO. He turned to face his Second as the man made his way over.

Commander Geoffrey Morgan, Executive Officer of the _Devil's Luck_, snapped off a crisp salute then made his report. "Captain, all stations stand ready. The Logs show that there was a minor power loss at 0300 hours but Engineering that resulted in a 2 Degree deviation from our course. Helm was able to get us back on the proper heading in short order; nothing further to report, sir."

"Thank you, Commander. Those power losses seem to be becoming a regular occurrence and I have a feeling that our Chief Engineer will be giving me an earful about them soon," the commanding officer began but a flash of flames interrupted any further comments he was going to make.

All activity on the Bridge stopped as the crew all turned to gape at the scarlet plumed bird that suddenly appeared. After the initial shock wore off nobody could've missed the wax sealed envelope that it clutched in one of its taloned feet. Even without being able to truly see the seal, the Black Jack knew what it was and gave it a caustic glare.

"Mr. Bilabby, please ask Midshipman Potter to report to the Bridge at once," he ordered his Percer with an irritated tone without taking his eyes off either the bird or letter.

Ten minutes later, Bilabby returned with a not-quite-eleven-year-old boy. The youth's close cropped raven hair was disheveled, his face had grease stains and his emerald eyes had dark circles under them. Grease stains also covered the t-shirt and the top half of the work pants that he wore; even his boots showed scuff marks from where he'd been crawling around. All of which were signs that he'd been in the Engine Room helping track down the cause of the power drop. Despite his obvious tiredness, the lad managed a proper salute before he assumed the Parade Rest position.

"You wished to see me sir," the Midshipman inquired with a barely noticeable slur.

Smiling at his grandson's bullheaded determination to not show how the lack of sleep was affecting him. He soon adopted an all business expression and then nods in the direction of the mysterious bird.

"This here Fiery Pheasant appeared on the Bridge not long ago and looks to be carrying a certain letter for you," the older man commented to the boy while the bird let out an indignant squawk and a hush fell over the room as the crew waited to see what their Young Gentleman would do.

The haze of sleep deprivation fell away from the youth as he stared from the bird – a phoenix – to the letter and back a few times. It wasn't like the letter hadn't been expected his whole life but he'd honestly hoped it would never find him. He already had his future mapped out and going to some Backwater Bastion of Pureblood Ineptitude had been a part of his plans. In fact, he was already slated to attend the Academy come September 1st. The Midshipman was about to tell the phoenix to take the letter and bugger off but a small voice in the back of his mind stopped him. That voice was the very small part of him that wanted to go to the same school his parents went to; to make a connection with them. While most of the crew present wondered why the boy hadn't made any attempt at retrieving the letter, their Captain understood all too well the child's dilemma and decided to take pity on his grandson.

"Harry, m'lad, just before we headed out on patrol I talked with the Commodore about your schooling. We both agree that since you already hold a Midshipman's Commission you're years ahead of the other incoming Cadets and can afford to take two or three years if you want to go to Hogwarts; as long as you keep up your regular studies and test out at the Academy during the Summer Holidays. Personally, your Gran and I think you need to do this; our Lily Blossom wanted you to be raised as a proper Ætherman. Between the two us and this motley bunch we honored that request. Never doubt that you've done her proud. If you think me and Dahlia were proud when you not only sat for the exam but earned your commission, you can damn well believe she and your Da were absolutely beaming in the Hereafter.

"I know that you're happy with the way your life is but anyone looking into your eyes can see the taint of sadness there from carrying your parents' loss. Lily and James wouldn't want you to hold on to that. It's beyond time for you to mourn their loss and the life that never was then lay their ghosts to rest. Go to Hogwarts and walk the halls they walked, breathe the air they breathed. Do your Da proud and raise a little Hell, show those inbred twats what an Ætherman can do – even if both his feet are planted squarely on the ground. Play some Quidditch, make some friends and when you're old enough – bed as many of those Pureblood Princesses as you can if that's what you want to do," Black Jack explained to the now teary eyed boy then continued with a smirk. "None of that now, none of that, you know Morningway's Rule Number 1: No womanish behavior on my Bridge!"

Of course nobody admitted that they were all a tad watery eyed themselves. Then the Bridge was filled with laughter as the Captain was smacked across the back of his head by the woman that had come in while he was talking to their grandchild.

"I agree with your grandfather on everything but that last part and Merlin, Morgan, Edison and Tesla help you if you do bed a girl and not use some form of protection because I'm too young to be a great-grandmother," Dahlia McKeirnan-Morningway added with an Irish lilt and a soft smile for the raven haired boy.

Commander Dahlia McKeirnan, as she was known whenever the _Devil's Luck_ was on assignment, was the ship's Chief Engineer. A witch of Irish-Spanish extraction, she barely stood five foot five inches tall. Her petite frame held generous curves that were currently sheathed in her everyday uniform of heavy cotton pants with matching jacket, a white cotton undershirt and heavy work boots. A thick utility belt hung loosely off her hips to complete the ensample. Her deep red hair was pulled back into a braid that hung down to the middle of her shoulder blades and her emerald eyes – the same eyes she shared with her youngest daughter and grandson – shined with intelligence and a hint of mischief.

"Well, what are you waitin' for, take the envelope from that phoenix and open it already," the older woman gently chided which caused her grandson to blush scarlet.

The almost-eleven-year-old straightened his spine then reached for the letter and opened the envelope with a flourish just because he could. Harry glossed over the first of two sheets of parchment that he pulled out. He simply reached into his back pocket and pulled out a self-inking calligraphy pen then wrote a short acceptance at the bottom of the paged before he absently handed it back to the waiting feathered messenger. The phoenix gave a short trill then disappeared in a burst of flame, not that the boy had noticed as he was muttering about certain pointless items from the Supply List on the second parchment.

Jon Morningway disguised his snort of laughter at his grandson's grumble about robes being bedclothes not a proper uniform as a cough then adopted a professional demeanor. He cleared his throat to get the lad's attention.

"Midshipman Potter, it is indeed fortuitous that that missive found us when it did because we a scheduled for a three day layover at Victoria Station on Luna and should arrive just before midday. We shall catch a fast transport back to our outpost on Earth and have plenty of time to get whatever is on that list in Diagon Alley. In the mean time, I hereby relieve you of duty so that you can use the time to pack your things. I would suggest, however, that you go take a shower, change into a clean uniform as I believe that Commander McKiernan still has another hour before she needs to report for duty. Unless I miss my guess, she is going to want to review your class work," he stated. The Young Gentleman snapped a quick salute before he left the Bridge for his berth.

"Not that I expect it to be anything less than exemplary. That boy is a prodigy at Runes and Arithmancy, not to mention how well he does in the mundane subjects. I'm almost afraid of what's going to happen when he starts learning Charms or, Saint's preserve us, when he puts it all together in Technomancy. The way Harry's mind works, he'd make one hell of an Engineer; too bad he's going to waist all that talent by becoming a Line Officer. Sure'n ya all look fine in yer fancy blue coats standing around the Bridge preening like peacocks but anyone with an ounce of sense knows tha' it's me and my ilk that do the real work," Dahlia commented mirthfully and earned several irate huffs from the crew.

The Captain gazed at his wife of sixty-two years then replied snootily, "As I recall, my Dear, it was this Peacock that won your heart and convinced you to marry him."

"Well I did say that you looked mighty fine in that pretty blue coat, but to honest I was a wee bit drunk and decided to take pity on ya and say yes," she laughed back.

It wasn't often that the married couple bantered in front of the crew but they enjoyed those times because they all remembered that dark time after news of their youngest daughter's murder reached them. The only thing that stopped the couple from using the _Devil's Luck_'s weapons to level either Diagon Alley or the Ministry of Magic was that the goblins managed to confirm that their grandson still lived. While the ship had been docked at Point Freedom, the outpost just outside Cardiff, Wales, a small raiding party _borrowed_ an airship and rescued that toddler from the doorstep of his Aunt's home. Once they returned, it was straight to the Infirmary to have the child checked over. Needless to say, what was found after a thorough examination reignited the anger of the elder Morningway's. That time carnage was diverted because of the need to get the tiny lad as far from a certain Goat Fucking Bastard as possible.

The lighthearted moment passed and the Captain and his Chief Engineer held a brief but terse conversation about the now frequent power losses and what needed to be done to ultimately correct the problem. Due to the rising tension between the Æther States, the Commander's recommendation for a complete refit that would gut the ship then rebuild it from the keel up was quickly rejected. Eventually, the Captain agreed to six months in Dry Dock at the Mars Space Dock to take out the old solar boiler, power plant and engine so that at least the latter two could be replaced with newer models. It was unspoken between the two that it was only a temporary fix or that the engineer was going to squeeze in as many system upgrades as she could in the allotted time.

Dahlia left after that to meet up with her grandson. No matter that she had agreed with him going to Hogwarts, the older witch was going to miss him something fierce. She was also feared for his safety so there was going to be a quick stop to give some special orders to Mapes before sitting down with Harry.

_Diagon Alley, London: August 5, 2011_

Daniel Granger, much like his wife and daughter – Emma and Hermione respectively, was unimpressed with what he'd seen so far of the Wizarding World. While the family of three had been ecstatic to learn the reason behind all the bizarre things that happened around Hermione, a grimy pub that screamed Health Code Violations and a street crowded with people dressed like the bastard lovechildren of a Jane Austen novel and The Lord of the Rings hadn't exactly made a stellar first impression. Even the very brief explanation of the magical monetary system their guide, Professor McGonagall, had given them was more confusing than helpful. As they waited in the Gringott's Bank lobby waiting for next available goblin teller, he was giving serious thought to pulling the plug on the trip then see if they couldn't find another magical community that was more in touch with reality.

He was about to say just that when he noticed Hermione was staring at something on the far side of the room. That something turned out to be three people, a couple which looked to be in their late thirties or early forties and a boy around his daughter's age. What set them apart from the rest of the Renaissance Fair rejects was that all three wore Victorian Era naval uniforms. From the rank insignia on the collars, Dan noted that the man was a Captain, the woman a Commander and the boy a Midshipman. At the site of them, the Granger patriarch's impression of the Wizarding World went up a couple of notches.

What none of their patients and only a few of their friends knew was that Dr.'s Daniel and Emma Granger (DDS) had paid for college then later Dental School by serving active duty in the SAS. Where his wife retired from the service after giving birth, Dan still held a Reserve Captain's Commission. Not that Emma hadn't actively kept up with her skills; she was at the Dojo three times a week and went to the shooting range twice a month. In fact, both spouses had made sure that Hermione got away from her books enough to learn Aikido and to shoot; among other things. The bushy haired girl that would celebrate her twelfth birthday in just over a month often competed in Biathlons during the winter (a mix of cross country skiing and target shooting).

The SAS Reservist became confused after his wife pointed out the uniformed trio to their guide and commented that it was good that there was a magical military as it meant they took their safety seriously and the professor told her that there wasn't any such military. Normally he would've accosted the family because he hated posers as they disrespected everyone that ever wore a uniform and served their country. The only reason he hadn't was because his trained eye noted the subtle body language that only came from military training of the three strangers. Before he had a chance to ask Professor McGonagall to explain further, a little redheaded girl shrieked.

"Look Mummy, that's Harry Potter!"

The young Midshipman turned to the girl with a harsh glare and stated icily, "I am not now, never have been nor ever shall be the Harry Potter you speak of. That Harry Potter never existed outside the fevered imagination of a Sheep Shagging Senile Reprobate of a Headmaster with delusions of being the Second Coming of Merlin that was very loosely based upon my likeness. I am Midshipman Hadrian James Potter-Morningway-Nelson of Æther Britannia and Junior Officer aboard the _HMS Devil's Luck_. If you cannot get that through your skull then, by all means, jump off the nearest cliff like the good little lemming you are so that we can start draining the shallow end of the Gene Pool!"

With those words, he turned sharply on his heel then marched out of the lobby along with the older couple. Two things were obvious to the three Granger's: One, the raven haired Midshipman was some kind of celebrity in the Wizarding World. And two, he not only didn't like that status but went out of his way to verbally cut down an obvious fangirl and point out that whatever story about him that was out there was false. Dan spotted an open teller and used the shock of the crowd to take care of business. With more efficiency than mundane bank employees, the goblin teller very quietly suggested that a Trust Vault be opened for Hermione for the paltry sum of one pound sterling. The diminutive banker had vault paperwork finished, key issued, exchanged their remaining pound for galleons at a better exchange rate than they'd initially been told and slipped the dentist a packet of information full of all the services Gringott's offered its clientele in both worlds in under five minutes.

The family of three looked at one another and shared a brief silent conversation before they nodded at the decision that was made. Emma took point on the plan. She gently patted the still shocked Professor McGonagall on the shoulder and told her that the family was going to finish the shopping trip on its own so that they wouldn't take up any more of the older witch's valuable time. Once the message was delivered, the trio exited the bank and headed straight for the bookstore. Luck was with them because they ran into the uniformed family and they cautiously made their way over to them. They were noticed straight away and had been initially met with wary gazes which soon changed to welcoming expressions.

"Good afternoon, I believe I saw you in the lobby of Gringott's not long ago. I'm Captain Jonathan Morningway and this is Commander Dahlia McKeirnan-Morningway – my wife and Chief Engineer. You already heard our grandson introduce himself in the bank. How may we be of service," Jon greeted the younger family and introduced his own while offering a hand.

The Granger's gaped at the admission that the boy hadn't been their son but their grandson but Daniel quickly recovered; he shook the proffered hand and introduced his own family.

"Dr. Daniel Granger – Reserve Captain SAS; my wife, Dr. Emma Granger – SAS Retired – and our daughter, Hermione; it's a pleasure to meet you, please call us Dan and Emma, although I must admit that the two of you don't look old enough to be grandparents."

"Thank you for the compliment and call us Jon, Dahlia and Harry. Don't let what you've seen so far fool you as far as appearances go. Those with the active ability to manipulate magic start to age slowly between the ages of 18 and 21 which means they remain in their prime much longer than normal. Not that there aren't potions out there to help out the rest of population that achieve the same results," the other man answered then continued after a short pause to gather his thoughts.

"As your family has essentially been thrust Through the Looking Glass without so much as a By Your Leave or any real information by which to make any type of educated choices, might I make a suggestion?"

"Please do," Emma spoke for the first time as her husband and daughter nodded in agreement.

"I noticed that you received a certain packet from Gringott's. My advice would be to grab all of Miss Hermione's school books and Hogwarts: A History, then go to the checkout. While the clerk totals up your purchase, request a self-updating copy of the Hogwarts Charter and Handbook. After everything is paid for, go down to the corner and enjoy some ice cream while you go through the packet you were given. Somewhere among the first five pages you will find an order form for something called a Continual Use Two-Way Portkey. Fill out the form then go back to the bank and tell the teller you are a friend of the Noble House of Morningway and they will deduct the cost for the portkey from that vault (he held up a hand to forestall any questions or protests). You are a Military Family and we always take care of our own, so don't argue.

"Now, a portkey is a form of magical transportation used to move small groups great distances in virtually seconds. Contrary to what you might've been told, there are actually three other magical shopping districts besides Diagon Alley. You weren't lied to intentionally because your guide today is a product of her culture and the Ministry of Magic's heavy handed control of information so she might not even know that the others exist. Two are in Ireland; one is in Belfast in the North and the other is in Dublin in the South. As a general rule, the Ministry tends to forget about them because they are… well, Irish. The last district is Mage Way in Cardiff, Wales. All the shops, whether family owned or large chains are run by either muggleborns or half-bloods and offer their wares at very reasonable prices; it is also the district I highly recommend.

"Take tonight to review the section on Uniform Requirements and the alternate selections and then use the portkey to finish up the remainder of your school shopping."

Dan, Emma and Hermione nodded in appreciation of the advice but they were highly intelligent and understood what hadn't been said as well. From the moment they entered Diagon Alley, they'd caught the occasional dirty looks or muttered slurs that were directed at them and the other muggleborns and their families. Then there was the sly expression on the goblin teller's face and the quite way he helped them. What Jon had told them without words not only confirmed that they were dealing with a bigoted society but they were going to be overcharged on everything if the continued to shop in the Alley. The Granger's also noted the contemptuous looks their new acquaintances cast whenever a witch or wizard eagerly headed in their direction. Those looks caused the Groupies to turn tail and go back the way they came.

The store started to get more crowded so the elder Morningway's decided it would be best to leave before there was an incident. They left the Granger's with a promise from Harry to meet Hermione on Platform 9 ¾'s at ten on September 1st. The muggleborn witch and her family thought the other family had the right idea and quickly collected the books then made for the cashier. The clerk behind the counter sneered as he rang them up but reluctantly added the requested Handbook to the pile after Dan nearly broke one of his fingers when he originally refused.

Professor McGonagall found them as the trio exited the bookstore and apologized for being so out of sorts that she hadn't realized the Granger's had left the bank. Emma waved the apology off and told the elderly witch that they would come back to the Alley at a later date because Hermione wasn't feeling well. The professor finally left after repeated assurances that the family could find its way back home. Once they were positive that she was gone for good, the three made their way over to the ice cream parlor to follow the good advice they'd been given.

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Ten minutes later_

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore sat back in his desk chair with a sigh of relief as he sucked on one of his beloved lemon drops. An enraged Molly Weasley had just left his office with her youngest child, and only daughter, in tow. Harry Potter's appearance in Diagon Alley had been reported to him within moments of the boy was first seen. Not long after that, the irate Weasley matriarch had showed up and demanded that Albus do something because the Boy-Who-Lived had been rude to her little girl and embarrassed the young witch in public. Nothing he suggested calmed the mother of seven until he remembered that Potter was supposed to die in his future confrontation with Voldemort. Using his authority as the boy's Magical Guardian, he pulled out parchment, quill and ink then proceeded to write up a Marriage Contract between Harry Potter and Generva Weasley that gave Molly unrestricted access to the Potter Family Vaults until her daughter was sixteen, when the marriage would take place.

The three then used his floo to go to Gringott's to present the contract the Potter Account Manager. It was only after the goblin laughed in their faces as the document burst into flames that the so-called Leader of the Light learned the frightening truth. Dumbledore had never been Harry's Magical Guardian despite his manipulations because Lily Potter nee Evans had written a separate Will that was to be automatically executed within eight hours of her death or if something happened to the Joint Potter Will. The Account Manager had not been forthcoming with any further information so the group had been forced to return to the Headmaster's Office where Molly ranted at him to fix the situation until she was horse.

The aged wizard looked up when his longtime friend and colleague entered the room's organized chaos. From the expression on her face he had the sinking feeling he was not going to like what he was about to hear. He also had a suspicion that it was also going to involve child that was supposed to be his weapon.


	2. Chapter 2

**HP Book 1; Midshipman Potter: Of Stones, Wraiths and Senile Meddlers**

_Disclaimer: See Previous Chapter. I own nothing but this story._

Ch. 2: Drawing the Inside Straight

_Junior Officer's Billet; Point Freedom – outside Cardiff: September 1, 2011_

Harry Potter, now eleven-years-old, finished drying his hair from his recent shower then proceeded to brush off his dress uniform as it hung off the top of the wardrobe door. Besides knowing how important it was to make a good first impression, he figured that the Start and End of Term Feasts at Hogwarts were at least semi-formal events so it was the proper choice to wear. Once he was certain that it looked its best, he put it on and then inspected his image in the full length mirror next to the wardrobe. Next, he sat upon the end of what had been his bed and put on his recently polished dress shoes. Of the four items on top of the nightstand, Harry first picked up the Signal Ring then slipped it into the left front pocket of his pants; and then he grabbed the rectangular dragon hide wallet that carried (among other things) copies of both his Midshipman's Commission and current orders, which went into the inner breast pocket of his uniform jacket. The other two items, his Officer's Cap and fitted white cotton gloves, were left untouched for the moment so that he could get the rest of his packing done.

Of course, all he really needed to do was call for Mapes and the small creature would've finished it all with a snap of her fingers. The House-elf had been with the Morningway family since being saved during the Exodus and showed remarkable loyalty to the family by placing her own life on the line more than once to protect one of its members. Harry had opted early on to do the packing by himself but had been uncharacteristically lax in getting done before now. In his defense, Harry had been very busy in the last few weeks. For starts, the young Ætherman needed to acclimatize himself to living on Earth.

Whenever _The Devil's Luck_ hadn't been out on assignment, he'd grown up in Sirtis Major on Mars, capital of Æther Britannia, where everything was colored in shades of red or reddish-brown. Earth was so much more colorful and climactically diverse (unlike Mars and Venus which had at most two, and Mercury with only one habitable climate). It was also a planet that was a bit of a mystery wrapped in an enigma and surrounded by a conundrum – at least as far as the Æther States were concerned. All contact, except the occasional muggleborn or squib and their families that found their way to Point Freedom and other such outposts, between them and the various terrestrial magical and mundane governments had stopped in 1918. There were – of course – rumors and theories as to why that happened but so far nothing definitive had been found.

To help with that task, Harry spent a lot of time in Cardiff proper and Mage Way people watching, window shopping and talking with the locals. He was often accompanied by a group of Ensigns, younger Lieutenants, or old teens from Point Freedom. It was unfortunate that many of those teens attended the base's Academy Annex and jealous that they were outranked by an eleven-year-old. Regardless, he managed to enjoy his outings and found things he truly enjoyed about the non-magical culture – at least – that he liked and was even able to finish up his last minute school shopping (he actually broke down and bought a Snowy Owl after receiving two unexpected letters by Owl Post).

Another time consuming activity was what seemed like a never ending flurry of studying. Whether it was working on his list of Academy assignments or reading through his Hogwarts textbooks, parents' journals and other volumes, Harry was often buried in a book. Thankfully, one of the Ensigns made it a point to drag him off to one of the Junior Officer bi-nightly poker games as a way to decompress.

Finally, there was the almost twice daily correspondence with Hermione Granger, who had been the cause of the unexpected Post Owl. What had started out as an exercise by the bushy haired girl to make a friend before school started snowballed into a tsunami of letters about their upcoming classes and rants about Wizarding Culture. At times, Harry felt bad that he hadn't told the excitable muggleborn witch the whole truth about his past beyond a generic _I was raised in a different culture_. The problem was that his gut told him that it wasn't the right time to go into it and that it would be better if the topic were explained in person. Needless to say Hedwig, his new owl, had gotten quite the workout.

It had taken less than ten minutes to store everything in his new three compartment trunk (one for off duty wear, one for his uniforms and gear, and the last to store his school things) then cast one last glance around his temporary quarters. The Midshipman nodded at the now empty space then closed his trunk. With a flick of his right wrist, a wand dropped into his hand and he tapped it on a specific rune carved into the trunk and it shrunk down to the size of a match box. After willing the wand to return to the forearm holster he wore, he placed the miniaturized piece of luggage into his pocket. He proceeded to put on the white gloves and hat from the nightstand and then headed out to find his escort for the morning.

_Platform 9 ¾'s – King's Cross Station, London; 0930 hours_

As the Hogwarts Express wasn't scheduled to leave until 1100 hours, the platform was nearly deserted when the uniformed group of four men and a boy the right age to be a First Year entered through the barrier that separated it from the muggle side of the train station. There were about a dozen people on the platform at the time and they all wore puzzled expressions as the newcomers saluted each other before the four adults turned on their heels and went back through the barrier. Something about the boy being all alone on the platform tugged at the heartstrings of the witnesses and one of them decided to take action.

Head Girl If-You-So-Much-As-Think-About-Using-My-First-Name- I'll-Curse-You Tonks, a Seventh Year student in Hufflepuff House, decided to take the boy under her wing and made her way over to the ickle firstie. As she hadn't changed into her school robes yet, she was still dressed in black hip-hugger jeans, a fitted red Weird Sisters t-shirt with her Head Girl badge pinned to the collar, and a pair of black ankle boots. Her shoulder length hair was a pale shade of lavender. The uniformed boy turned at her approach and waited patiently to see what she was going to do.

"Wotcher, I'm Tonks and I'm the Head Girl this year. Why don't you come with me and I'll introduce you to my folks and the other firsties that came a little early," the teen – Tonks – chirped enthusiastically as she offered her hand.

Harry, who had been stunned at hearing the older witch's name for a second, gave a panty dropping smirk that no eleven-year-old should've been able to pull off and took her extended hand in his gloved one. With a bow, he brought the teen's hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across the knuckles before giving a reply. "Delighted to make your acquaintance Miss Tonks; I'm Midshipman Hadrian James Potter-Morningway-Nelson, but please call me Harry. You wouldn't by chance happen to be related to Madam Andromeda Tonks? I have some family business that I'd like to get her opinion on."

Tonks' mind, at least a large part of it, was working overtime to process the fact that the kid that just kissed her hand was the Boy-Who-Lived and that he wanted to talk with her mum. The rest of her mind was focused on getting rid of the blush that his smirk and kiss caused to appear. Thankfully, not many people saw it so she was going to be safe from any teasing.

"Yeah, my mum's name is Andromeda," the teen managed to get out calmly then guided him to where her parents waited. By the time introductions had been made, the other people on the platform had started to inch their way closer to them.

"Regent Tonks, I was hoping you might be able to suggest somebody to act as the Potter/Morningway/Nelson Proxy in the Wizengamut," the emerald eyed Ætherman asked hopefully. It had been something he'd forgotten to do during the past three weeks and only remembered after the Head Girl introduced herself.

"While I would be more than happy to offer suggestions, Harry, I'm confused why you called me Regent," the older raven haired woman with blue-grey eyes replied.

"You are Andromeda Druella Tonks nee Black, correct (Harry paused just long enough to receive the woman's nod)? Then per the instructions contained in the Living Will of Lord Sirius Orion Black, you are the Regent of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black and have been since the afternoon of November 1, 2001. Gringott's sent confirmation of your status to the Ministry of Magic the moment the Head of House Ring returned to the Black Family Account Manager's Office. Were you never informed," Harry explained – a note of concern entering his voice when he got to the end. The gasps from the Tonks family, as well as those of the people that had slowly gathered around them, gave him the answer to his final question.

MP

While September 1st was always a day that was looked forward to by magical children and their parents alike, this particular day had another reason for it to stand out; at least for the last remaining members of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses. The lost Potter Heir had returned and was going to be starting his first year at Hogwarts. That knowledge brought with it the first stirrings of hope among the last of the Old Families. The war with Grindelwald had drastically thinned out the ranks of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses but to be fallowed so quickly by Voldemort's Blood War without adequate recovery time had done the unthinkable; it had finally broken their power. For approximately the last decade, the one surviving Lord and two Regents rarely spoke up in the Wizengamut Chambers and most often abstained from casting their votes on anything other than truly important issues. Instead, they sat back in the shadows licking their proverbial wounds.

As much as they would like to deny it, it was as if they had been waiting for a sign form the heavens. A sign that came out of the blue – as these things often do – when the last Potter had confronted the youngest member of the Weasley Clan in the lobby of Gringott's. The words he spoke with such vehemence might not have been fully understood but they were like a spell whispered on the wind that tickled around the edges of their conscious thoughts. It was that tickle… that sense that things were about to change for the better that had caused the Old Families to stir after their long lethargy and subconsciously choose to arrive on the platform early to await the young wizard's arrival.

Lord Sebastian Greengrass, his wife – Lady Sabrina, their daughters – Daphne and Astoria, and his niece and ward – Tracey Davis – had been the first to arrive after the families of the Head Boy and Head Girl. The elder Greengrass' had gone to school with James and Lily Potter and wanted to be among the first to welcome back the deceased couple's only child. Sebastian was honest enough with himself to acknowledge that there also two rather self-serving reasons to meet with the boy. The first was that his eldest daughter and niece were both going to be in the same year group and he hoped that he might get to negotiate contract between one or both of them and the Potter Heir. The other was that the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter had several business interests that the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass wanted to get in on.

Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Regent of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Bones, and her _niece_ – Susan, the Bones Heiress – were the next to arrive. Both had been present in Gringott's when young Harry had his verbal altercation with the littlest Weasley but hadn't been able to speak to the raven haired wizard before he left the bank. Unlike the Greengrass patriarch, the reason they wanted… no, needed… to meet with boy were much more personal. For some reason, without consulting either of their children or wives, Lord Charlus Potter and Lord Sigmund Bones had entered into a Marriage Contract for the former's son and the latter's daughter just before the start of the Christmas Holidays during the pair's Seventh Year. There were two major issues with that; one being that James was hopelessly in love with Lily Evans and had proposed a month prior, and the other was that Amelia was a witch's witch – a lesbian. Thankfully, James, Lily, Amelia and the love of her life – Aurora Sinistra – sat down and found a compromise that everyone could live with as well as avoid a lot of heartbreak and scandal.

The contract was rewritten, in the presence of the Lady's Potter and Bones in order to ensure their husbands got it right, so that it an official Alliance between the two Most Ancient and Noble Houses for unspecified services rendered by House Potter. That service occurred during the fall/winter of 1999 and involved a combination of Stamina, Lust and Fertility Potions, and a vacation house in the British Virgin Islands. By the time the wizard and three witches were ready to return home, James was barely able to walk and Lily and Amelia were both pregnant. Susan Amelia Bones was born on August 1, 2000, one day after her half-brother – Hadrian James Potter. To hide her pregnancy, Amelia had taken a year off from DMLE for bereavement and to recover from injuries sustained during an attack that killed a mythical fiancé. While she was away, her older brother – Edgar – started to tell people his wife was pregnant. Ever since, Madam Bones has played the role of doting Aunt in public but in private was a loving mother along with Aurora who Blood Adopted Susan when the girl was just days old. Had the Potter Will not been sealed then she and little Harry would've been raised as the siblings they were. Harry's absence had been a wound that never healed for Susan or either of her mothers.

Dowager Lady Augusta Longbottom nee Croaker had been best friends with the late Lady Dorea Potter nee Black since before the pair had started Hogwarts together. That relationship only grew stronger as they got older and both agreed to be the Godmother of the other's future children. The pair had gain such a reputation as Duelists during their school years that they ended up being the first set of female Hit Witches recruited by the Ministry of Magic during the war against Grindelwald. It was during an assignment to take out a high ranking member of the Magi SS that the duo stumbled onto something they couldn't explain. Dorea had been wounded at the time and wrote the experience off as a fever induced hallucination but Augusta knew better and for some reason kept her mouth shut about it. That one incident would define the rest of her life as it marked the beginning of her true work – being a collector of secrets.

After the fall of the German Dark Lord at the hands of Albus Dumbledore (something that she always felt was suspect), the highly decorated Hit Witch team of Black and Croaker returned to their normal lives. The first things on their agendas were getting married and helping rebuild after the war. But it wasn't long before the newly minted Lady Longbottom's desire to explain what she'd seen drove her to investigate. With the help of her older brother, Algernon, who was an Unspeakable and her own status as a former Hit Witch, she was able to access even the most secure files of the Ministry's Department of Records. It was in a forgotten alcove that she found her first hints of an even greater mystery. Years of collecting secrets and following hidden clues paid off on the night James Potter's wedding. Augusta stumbled upon Lily Potter nee Evans arguing with her sister in the gardens outside Potter Manor. After the sister stormed off in a rage, the older witch comforted the younger and learned the truth about the new Lady Potter as she straightened herself up. A few minutes after Lily returned to the reception, all the pieces fell into place and Augusta realized the awful truth. At first she tried to deny it but nearly a month later she received confirmation while combing through the Archives of the International Confederation of Wizards. Not only had she found evidence of the heinous crime perpetrated by the ICW but also the name of the party ultimately responsible for it.

During the years following the defeat of Voldemort at the hands of the toddler Harry Potter (another story she always felt was suspect), the Dowager Lady Longbottom became disgusted with the Wizarding World in Britain as it continued on as if the last two wars hadn't happened. She only attended the Wizengamut to keep up appearances and voted whenever it could be used to disrupt the agenda of the Pureblood Supremacists. Augusta devoted herself instead to raising her grandson, Neville – who became Heir after what happened to his parents, and making sure her House survived the inevitable storm that was going to destroy the Wizarding World; a storm whose first warning sign was the return of Harry Potter.

The elderly witch and her grandson had arrived at Platform 9 ¾'s just minutes before the Potter Heir and his entourage. In spite of her age, Augusta never let the hard earned skills from her Hit Witch days fade and over the years that proved a wise decision due to the number of kidnapping attempts of Neville that she singlehandedly thwarted. Due to the fact that she never let any of the perpetrators live those attempts soon stopped. She quickly scanned the area for potential threats and noted the other families already there. The formidable woman smiled as she realized the other Old Families had the same idea to welcome Harry back into the fold. As a group they had started to make their individual ways to the young Heir as he spoke with the Head Girl's mother and had all heard his statement about the Black Regency.

MP

Hearing the collective gasps from behind him, Harry turned to assembly of families that had obviously come over to greet him. He was going to politely ask them to step back so that he could finish his private conversation but stopped when his instincts told him that these were important people. While Andromeda was still processing the startling revelation she'd just received, the group introduced themselves to the Young Gentleman; just about everyone frozen in shock when a teary eyed Harry pulled a silently weeping Susan Bones into a hug.

"I've read through my mum and dad's journals and I never actually thought I'd ever get a chance to meet my sister," he said thickly not caring that his hat had been knocked off during the embrace.

"N-neither had I," Susan choked out.

Amelia knew these people would never reveal her secret so she quietly explained the family dynamic. By silent agreement, the adults and the remaining kids took a few steps back to give the separated siblings some privacy. It was a few minutes before the reunited pair broke their embrace.

"I'm keeping this," Susan teased as she picked up the fallen Officer's Hat and placed it on her strawberry blonde head. The young witch was the perfect balance of all three of her parents. The hair was inherited from her birth mum while her facial features were a perfect balance of Amelia and James. Her already developing figure was all Aurora Sinistra that had been passed on as a result of the Blood Adoption.

"Fine by me _Little Sister_, I can always requisition another one," Harry laughed back.

"One day… I was only born one day after you so I'm not that much younger than you," the strawberry blonde retorted then did the mature thing and stuck out her tongue.

"But that still makes you the _Little Sister_ and me the _Big Brother_. Maybe if you're a good girl I'll get you a new dolly for Christmas," the raven haired boy countered and stuck out his own tongue.

Everyone chuckled as that remark earned the young wizard a mock glare and a slap to the shoulder. Time was getting on and it wouldn't be much longer before the platform was crowded so group moved together again to continue their conversation. While the adults made a short mental of review of what Harry had said before the little reunion, the emerald eyed Midshipman cast his gaze over his peers.

"It seems we're shy one card for a Royal Flush; all that's missing is the Black Heir," he observed contemplatively.

Theodore "Ted" Tonks nodded in understanding and then asked, "When did you learn to play Poker?"

"Shipboard life can get pretty boring so one of the Engineer's Mates taught me when I was eight. Turned out that I was a natural and my Gran told the crew they should've known better when they started to grumble about losing a month's pay to a child," was the youth's casual reply. Ted then needed to explain the basics of Poker to the confused Purebloods. Needless to say, the mothers of the group were not amused that an eight-year-old had been taught to gamble.

"Harry, the Black Heir is Draco Malfoy and I can honestly say you wouldn't want him here," Daphne piped up and looked confused when he started to laugh.

A minute later he stopped laughing and his own expression became confused at the incredulous stares. That confusion turned to shock when he realized that they hadn't gotten the joke.

"You mean that you don't know? Even if he were the last person alive with a drop of Black blood he couldn't inherit because of the judgment leveled against the Noble House of Malfoy by the Lords of the Old Families. Besides, after what I learned at Gringott's, even if that wasn't true and there wasn't already a Black Heir there is still two more candidates with higher claim. A Seventh Year named Nymphadora Tonks and me; with the screwed up way your laws are as well as the Black Family Charter, my claim would take precedence. If that happened, I'd step aside for her because I already have three titles coming my way and that's two titles too many. Thank Tesla for Sage," Harry answered matter-of-factly but he started to get a bad feeling that something was off.

Shock appeared to be the dominant theme since the Potter Heir uttered his first words and this latest assertion on his part was no different. After casting furtive glances around to see that they were still reasonably alone only to notice that the Patil family had arrived and were within earshot, Amelia waved them over then locked her eyes on her sort-of nephew.

"I don't know what the goblins told you but – forgetting the part about the Black Regency for the moment – everyone knows that the traitor, Sirius Black, never had a child so the only possible Heirs would be Draco Malfoy or yourself. Being that you're not a Pureblood, Lucius Malfoy has made it known that by the Family Charter his son is the next Lord Black," she stated but even she heard how the words just sounded untrue for some reason.

"Riiiight, and everybody knows that Ministry of Magic isn't rife with corruption and a Malfoy never lies nor does anything illegal. You of all people should remember why the so-called Noble House of Malfoy was permanently banned from holding a seat on the Wizengamut or position within the Ministry; it was Titus Bones that prosecuted then later killed Dorian Malfoy," the Potter Heir shot back sarcastically but was interrupted from going any further by a hand placed on his shoulder.

"They do not know about Sirius or the truth for that matter, dear boy," Augusta spoke soothingly.

"What are the two of you trying to say," Madam Bones demanded in full Head of the DMLE mode.

A silent conversation passed between Harry and Augusta then with a nod the raven haired boy responded.

"I'm not saying anything at all. I'm certainly not saying that if you were to pull the Official Records of Sirius Black then go have a chat with the Head of the Unspeakables it wouldn't be very illuminating. I'm also not saying that the accused traitor never spent a night in Azkaban prison. And I'm most definitely not saying that he's been living in America where he settled down with a nice witch that bore him a daughter named Sage Aquila Black. I might also add that I'm not saying that it sounds like the Noble House of Malfoy is trying to get away with Line Theft."

"What I am not saying is that there is much you do not know because the ICW violated Merlin's 25th Immutable Law and cast the Memoria Obscura Ritual. Something that would best to not be discussed later this evening at Longbottom Manor," the Dowager Lady Longbottom added to horror of Harry and the other adults. The elderly witch turned back to the boy beside her and continued.

"I think it would be best if you not said anything to your peers in a private compartment after the train gets underway. I believe there is still a car reserved for members of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses and Founders' Heirs."

By unspoken agreement, the conversation was dropped until a later time. Harry found himself introduced to Lord Raj and Lady Sarai Patil and their twin daughters – Padma and Parvati. The Patil's were a Most Ancient and Noble House from India that fled their homeland with the help of House Potter in the mid-1800's. The two Houses had been allied ever since according to Raj. As the conversation turned to other topics, Amelia and the elder Tonks' left to go to Ministry and Gringott's respectively to investigate what they'd learned so far but promised to meet later that night with the other adults. Sebastian nearly wet himself from laughing so hard when Harry asked Raj to be his Potter/Morningway/Neslon Proxy. He quickly explained the cause of his outburst was him imagining the faces of the bigoted fools in the Wizengamut when a _foreigner_ showed up as the Proxy for the Boy-Who-Lived.

At 1000 hours exactly, the members of the group witnessed the amusing sight of a brown haired missile collide with a surprised Harry Potter. Harry wasted no time introducing the Granger family to the rest of his companions. The platform was starting to get crowded so the Midshipman suggested that he and his fellow firsties get on board the Express. The young witches were all giving the Young Gentleman appraising looks after he asked Neville to help him move everyone's trunks to their private car after Don't-Call-Me-Nymphadora Tonks pointed it out. Eventually, the kids managed to disentangle themselves from the hugs and goodbye's from the adults and stepped up into the Reserved Car.

"Well we may not have a Royal Flush but with the twins we've got ourselves a nice little inside Straight," Harry commented off-handedly as they all settled into comfortable overstuffed wing backed chairs.

The Reserve Car was the very last car on the Hogwarts Express. It held two private bathrooms, a fully stocked bar but the current occupants were only able to access the pumpkin juice and butter beer. Tonks' lips twisted into a smirk when she found out she could get the good stuff and not-so-subtly nabbed a bottle of firewhiskey for later. The décor was very Victorian Gentlemen's Club. A fireplace with a cheery fire dominated one wall and the nine overstuffed wing backed chairs were arranged into three conversation areas with a small round table in the middle of each grouping. Tonks helped them rearrange eight of the chairs into a circle before she headed back to the Prefect's Car at the front of the train to change before she and the Head Boy had to meet with the Prefects.

"So, Hermione, how do you know my brother," Susan broke the semi-awkward silence that had fallen once the Head Girl left.

The strawberry blonde took pity on the bushy haired muggleborn after the girl shot an angry glare at Harry and explained the situation to her. After several minutes of Hermione coming to terms with that, she answered the question.

"My family was in Gringott's with Professor McGonagall when Harry and his grandparents came out from speaking with his Account Manager. We eventually met back up again in Flourish and Blott's. Captain Morningway gave my parents the advice to just buy my school books then go back to the bank to get a Continual Use Two-Way Portkey to Mage Way in Cardiff. A few days later, I sent a letter by Owl Post to Harry with several questions and he wrote back. That soon turned into an everyday thing and began the foundation of what I hope will be a very good friendship."

"What's a Mage Way in Cardiff," Daphne inquired curiously.

Before an explanation could be made, Tonks returned with Susan's best friend – Hannah Abbot. The newcomer greeted her friend and the others then fell into the empty chair. Hermione, with the occasional input from Harry, gave an account of the other magical shopping districts which became very detailed when she got to Mage Way. The three purebloods (Neville, Susan and Daphne) and three half-bloods (Tracey, Hannah and Tonks – who decided to stay for the explanation) became just as excited as they listed to the muggleborn's descriptions.

"That sounds so much better than Diagon Alley. I think I'll write Uncle to see if he'll get one of those portkeys to Mage Way," Tracey grumbled while the others agreed with her assessment.

Tonks left again but the conversation kept on going. They deliberately ignored the White Elephant in the room – the Potter Heir's past – for the moment and stuck to general topics; differences between the wizarding world and the muggle world, their general likes and dislikes, hobbies then the more academic areas. Harry stayed out of the debate on which classes were going to be better than others and only got involved when the subject of School Houses came up.

"My mum was a Ravenclaw but my dad was a Slytherin so I'll probably be in one of those houses," Daphne offered with a shrug.

"I have a bad feeling I'll end up in Slytherin because I'm ambitious and want more out of life that what tradition dictates," Tracey added.

"Hufflepuff," Susan, Hannah and Neville chimed in but only the Longbottom Heir sounded glum about the prospect.

"I was originally hoping to be in Gryffindor like Dumbledore but some of what I've read over the past few weeks makes me think being like the Headmaster might not be a good thing. Then again, we don't know how we're going to be Sorted so who knows, I'll just make the best of where I get placed," Hermione added then all eyes turned to Harry.

"According to one of my dad's journals, we get Sorted by the Sorting Hat. They put it on your head and it decides which character traits are predominate at that precise moment and then places you into one of the Houses accordingly: Brave and courageous (cough*dimwitted and gullible*cough) – Gryffindor, intelligent and studious (cough*uptight Rules Nazi's*cough) – Ravenclaw, loyal and hardworking (cough*stubborn and single minded*cough) – Hufflepuff, cunning and ambitious (cough*inbred and self-entitled*cough) Slytherin. That's a pretty arbitrary way of doing something that's going to define the next seven years of our lives. To add to that insanity, at some point the Hat grew lazy and started to sort along family lines. The only good thing about the whole mess is that if you request a specific House then the Hat has to put you there.

"One of the biggest problems I have with the House system is that it forces the students to be pigeon holed into prejudiced stereotypes. A Gryffindor is expected to rush in a play the hero whenever the need arises. A Slytherin is obviously a future Dark Lord or Lady simply because a few bad eggs were in that House in the past. Seriously, how in Tesla's name can an eleven-year-old be an evil witch or wizard? A Ravenclaw is supposed to know everything and yet still conform to the status quo but if they did know everything then they'd know that the system is obviously broken and is in desperate need of fixing. That leaves Hufflepuff; I was disappointed when I learned how low that House was thought of when I talked to a former Puff in Mage Way. Hufflepuff is seen as a House of rejects full of idiots and borderline squibs.

"Personally, after learning those stereotypes, I think Hufflepuff is the only House worth being in. (He paused just long enough for them to process that statement then continued.) What self-respecting Slytherin or Ravenclaw would actually be caught dead in those Houses knowing how they are viewed by the other students? In the former, they would not only be seen as evil but would have to worry about being stabbed in the back by their own Housemates. In the latter, they would find themselves forced to compete with their fellow Claws and quite possibly face the same kind of backstabbing – only of an academic nature. Admittedly, these are still just generalizations but they still have merit. As a Puff, nobody is going to expect me to be anything outside of their preconceived notions. I'll be free to become the person I want to be – whether that is a Dark Lord by unleashing my inner Slytherin and secretly plot my path to World Domination, or become a Healer and find the cure for Lycanthropy," the raven haired boy told his new friends.

The others had just started to contemplate his words when the door to the Reserved Car was thrown open and a gangly redheaded boy with blue eyes dressed in threadbare clothing stormed in hotly. Harry had already leapt from his chair and was halfway to the door before the intruder was able to get more than three steps past the door. He noticed Tonks already heading their direction through the open door but she wasn't going to get there before something happened.

"**You insulted my sister, you slimy git**," the ginger screamed then raised his wand and bellowed, "**My wand I point, my spell let flash and stab this evil arse!**"

The idiot stared at his wand incredulously when nothing happened. It was so pathetic that Harry and his companions would've laughed but the moron had come to their car intent on hurting the Midshipman. Before his opponent had a chance to recover, Harry's foot shot out and kicked the ginger with all of his strength between the legs. After the temporarily crippled boy fell to the floor, he snatched up the fallen boy's wand and snapped it in half over his knee. When Tonks finally got there, she took the pieces of wand and then dragged the witless wonder out of the Reserve Car. She returned a few minutes later with a male that looked about her age whom she introduced as Head Boy Thornton McMannis from Slytherin House. The pair thought it would be best if they stayed in the Reserve Car for the remainder of the trip to avoid any more incidents.

Hannah, despite having participated in the conversation earlier was an extremely shy and nervous girl became even more uncomfortable with the addition of the two older students. Seeing her friend's mounting distress, Susan told the others that the two witches needed a little privacy and dragged the now shaking witch out of the car and into a nearby empty compartment in the next car. The strawberry blonde girl returned a couple of minutes later in tears. It took a while to get her to calm down but it happened and she told them what upset her.

Susan had just closed the door to the formerly empty compartment when Hannah's nervousness suddenly gave way to anger. In that anger, she revealed that she'd never been just Susan's friend. That her mum had learned the truth about Amelia Bones during their Sixth Year and her father hoped Susan, being raised by her aunt, was a witch's witch as well. Long story short, Hannah had pretty much been raised to be the Bones Heiress' lover to further Lord Abbot's political career. She felt threatened by the other girls in the Reserve Car and Harry – for some odd reason. Hannah ended her tirade with an ultimatum that it was her or them. Susan chose her brother and the chance to have real friends. At that point, Hannah stormed off.

Harry drew everyone's attention when he pulled a strange match box from his pants pocket which he tapped with his wand and it grew into a mahogany trunk darkly stained with brass fittings. Where the keyhole for the lock should be was a brass plate with three small brass studs in a triangular formation around a larger stud. The raven haired boy first touched the lower right stud of the triangle then the larger one. There was the sound wood sliding upon wood then a click as the lock disengaged. He opened the lid and took out a piece of parchment and one of his self-inking calligraphy pens; both of which he handed to his sister.

"You need to write your mum and let her know what happened because I think Lord Abbot is going to reveal her secret to embarrass her. Give the letter to Hedwig when you're done," he explained and pointed to his owl that had been perched unobtrusively in a corner.

"Where are all your clothes and school books," Hermione asked as she was leaning over to examine the contents of the trunk.

At the same time, Tonks queried, "That's a multi compartment trunk that is; how many does it have?"

"It has three – one for my normal clothes, one for my uniforms and gear, and then one for my school things," Harry chose to answer his cousin first then continued, "My schoolbooks are there, Hermione. I spent a lot of time in Mage Way and picked up a few extra things that could be useful such as the messenger bag that's hanging off that hook. Another one was a Portable Library; it's the thing that looks like a wooden tie box."

The bushy haired muggleborn had already looked excited when she'd learned about the multi compartment trunk. Upon hearing the words portable library that increased a hundredfold, her eyes became huge and her body visibly vibrated. The Midshipman smiled as he put his friend out of her misery and told how to open the device so she could see the books. Daphne, Padma and Susan joined her and everyone could tell they were off in their own world. In the meantime, the Head Boy and Girl were brought up to speed on what the group had been talking about before Tweedle Dumb-arse interrupted them. The pair of seventh years laughed and completely agreed with Harry's assessment of the four Houses, which shocked the younger students because McMannis was a member of the Snake Pit.

Thornton "Thor" McMannis wasn't the stereotypical Slytherin by any stretch of the imagination. In a House that degenerated over the centuries to the point where blood status and wealth were the benchmarks by which a member's social standing among their Housemates was measured, Thor had several strikes against him. The first and second being that not only was he a half-blood, but he had to compound that by being an Irish half-blood. Then there was the fact that his witch mother and muggle father were both from working class families. The only thing that kept the rest of his House from killing him was that he was smarter and more powerful magically. Add to that that he had been competing on the Dueling Circuit since he was fourteen and only the most idiotic Slytherins ever tried to challenge him.

Parvati and Tracey had drifted over to the Portable Library with Tonks to be with the other girls because Harry decided that he and Thor needed to teach Neville the art of playing Poker. The boys rearranged the chairs so that three of them and one of the tables in front of the fireplace. All the witches shook their heads in exasperation when a deck of cards materialized and the three boys soon lost themselves in the game.

"Susan, don't take this the wrong way but your brother looks yummy in that uniform," Tracey whispered but Tonks threw up some privacy wards so they could talk normally without the guys hearing them.

"First let me say ewww! But to be honest, if he wasn't my brother I might think the same thing," the named witch commented with a slight shudder.

"Yeah, he's going to be a real heartbreaker when he gets older but that's not a good thing. My little cousin over there is already going to have witches all over him just because of that whole Boy-Who-Lived thing. Add to that that Warrior Mystique he's got going on and the fact he's a future triple Lord, things are going to get ugly with all the competition for his affections; especially if you consider the Glut. I can pretty much guarantee more than a few will try Love Potions or worse. I'm going to do my best to protect him this year; but what happens once I'm gone? My only hope is that he gets into either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw because Professors Sprout and Flitwick will be able to shield him somewhat. They also have the benefit of not being up the Headmaster's butt like Snape or McGonagall so they will make sure anyone they catch doing anything illegal to Harry get prosecuted," Tonks sighed worriedly. The older witch hadn't failed to notice the calculating looks the younger girls – minus Susan – cast at Harry. There was little doubt in her mind that one or more of these girls would end up with her cousin.

"What did you mean by that triple Lord thing? And what's the Glut because none of the extra books I bought mentioned it," Hermione asked the Head Girl curiously.

Thankfully, Tonks was spared the task of making was had the potential to become a very explosive revelation to the muggleborn girl when Susan stepped in to do it.

"The Glut is the term used for the ongoing disproportionate ratio of witches to wizards. In ancient times, that ratio maintained a steady 2:1. That lasted until the time of the Black Death, several Dragonpox outbreaks and the various Witch Hunts which bumped up that ratio to 3:1. For some reason, the ratio dropped back to 2:1 between 1888 and 1889. After the Dark Lord Grindelwald was defeated to help end the muggle Second World War, that ratio jumped up to 4:1; and then it went up to 5:1 in Europe and 6:1 here in Britain. You wouldn't have found any books about it because the Wizengamut banned the sale of them in Wizarding Britain.

"If that wasn't bad enough, they went on in December of 2001 to pass the Family Restoration and Protection Act. On the surface it seems pretty benign by requiring every witch to bear at least one child. After you wade through the legal mumbo jumbo and all the Riders that were attached to the Act, the truth is much uglier. With that one law, the Pureblood Elite managed to legalize polygamist marriages and the vile Concubine (sex slave) Trade.

"According to the Family Restoration and Protection Act, any wizard with the title of Squire or Lord must have one Lady per Noble House he is Head of (Dame in the case of Squires). He then has the right to take up to five Consorts and own any number of Concubines as he can safely afford. For my brother, that means that as a triple Lord he must have three wives; a Lady Potter, Lady Morningway and Lady Nelson. It also means that there is going to be a mad scramble by the Elite to ensure their daughters are the ones that fill those coveted Consort positions.

"If you haven't figured it out in from your reading, wizards are fundamentally lazy creatures that won't do any more than they absolutely have to. From a government standpoint, after Merlin laid down the 24 – well, 25 apparently – Immutable Laws there have only been more that were added through the centuries; but that's it. The Wizengamut has never once repealed or outright removed a law which means that something that was legal or illegal in say 1100 is still so today. That works out to Harry's advantage – and to a limited extent, our own – because there are more than a few laws still on the books that provide exceptions to the FRPA.

"One of those laws is the Witch's Prerogative that was passed in 1642 which allowed a witch to avoid being forced into a Marriage Contract by agreeing to have a child with the lover of her choice. It remains the most progressive law the Wizengamut ever passed and is the result of a failed lawsuit against Allana Potter and the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter by the Noble House of Bulstrode. It's also how both of my mums will avoid the scandal that Lord Abbot will try to reveal.

"Another of those laws dates back to 1700 and states that the Lady of a Noble House – or the primary House in the case of multiple Lordships – must approve each successive wife their Lord. Although he didn't actually come out and state it, Lord Patil basically admitted that there is an Honour Debt that exists between House Patil and House Potter. To repay that debt, I'm going to guess that the twins here will share the title of Lady Potter as the Betrothal or Marriage Contracts will be written in a way to pay tribute to their Indian heritage. That gives them the final say in who the remaining two wives and any Consorts will be."

"That's not fair, I swore to myself the night I met him that I was going to marry him one day," Hermione sobbed then started to hyperventilate. The other girls just stared in shock when there was a small flash of accidental magic that turned the distraught witch's wish into a Witch's Oath.

Padma and Parvati where the first to recover and each grabbed a hold of one of the bushy haired girl's hands then started to rub soothing circles on the backs of them. The second their hands made contact with each other, Hermione began to calm down. She returned to normal as the twins told her that no matter what, the muggleborn would be one of Harry's wives. At her confused look, Tonks stepped into the conversation and explained what had just happened a couple of minutes prior with the younger girl's heartfelt declaration. A small part of Hermione's mind wanted to panic because she was much too young to even be having such thoughts much less having to eventually explain this to her parents. The larger part of her mind was doing a mental happy dance that in the end she was going to get her man… even if she had to share him.

Susan had smiled at the three girls that she just knew would become great friends then turned to look at the boys playing cards. More to the point, she gazed longingly at Neville and couldn't wait until his next birthday when the Dowager Lady Longbottom would introduce him to his two betrothed. A Consort Contract had existed between them since just after war but her future husband had been kept in the dark about this fact and not even she knew who the future Lady Longbottom was. Tonks noticed her preoccupation and asked about it but nearly went deaf when Susan told everyone about her betrothal and all the younger girls squealed. All of them spent the next twenty minutes discussing their futures and the Head Girl almost felt bad for her cousin and Neville because those two had no clue what was in store for them.

The girls moved on to talking about classes again as they went back to perusing the volumes that made up the Portable Library. It was only a few minutes later that they gave up on the distraction and silently agreed that it was time to head back over to the boys and deal with a certain Elephant, once and for all. Tonks waved her wand and dropped the privacy charms and the laughter from the card game flowed over them. While it looked to the older girl that young Neville was still having a few problems with the rules, he seemed to have picked up the basics quite well.

After the hand was finished and all the chairs rearranged as they were before the group split, the girls settled once more into their chairs – the only difference this time being that the Patil twins and Hermione now sat the closest to Harry – Susan decided to get straight to the point.

"Well, _Big Brother_, don't you think it's high time you let us in on what Madam Longbottom was talking about," the strawberry blonde queried her brother, which caused him to sigh.

Harry looked at the assembled faces that gazed upon him with determined eagerness then with barely a second's pause he gave them the explanation.

"What I'm about to say goes no further than this group simply because it's too dangerous thanks to somebody's stupidity. Before you can hope to understand about my past I need to start off with a history lesson. For Tonks and Thor – who already had six years of History of Magic class – and anyone else that might've at least read the book to prepare for our first year, you need to forget everything you think you know about History of Magic because it's a load of dragon shite. For example, the occasional group of wizards with an over inflated sense of superiority that decide to prove it with an unprovoked attack on the Goblin Nation only to have their collective arses handed to them does not a Goblin Rebellions make. But that is not the topic of our discussion.

"If I had to pinpoint the one event that would eventually lead us to where we find ourselves today, it would be the creation of the Gutenberg Bible – or at least the moveable type printing press used to produce it. It was the first muggle invention ever to be adopted then adapted by the wizarding world. For the first time in our history, standardized magical texts were not only made possible but economically viable as well. Unfortunately, the purebloods went back to business as usual once the initial fervor over the printing press died. Things didn't change until two things happened; one being the first truly significant influx of muggleborns entering the wizarding world, and the second coming fifty years later with the start of the Industrial Revolution. This leads us to the breaking of certain myths that the Pureblood Elite have forcibly perpetrated since the seventeen hundreds.

"Contrary to popular belief, there actually is a direct relationship between Muggle Science and Magic. Astrology gave birth to the science of Astronomy, whereas Alchemy is the parent of both Physics and Chemistry. Some would argue that Potions fits into this category but it more cooking with an attempt at adding some scientific principles as an afterthought. In fact Quantum Mechanics is the name modern physics gives to Magic and, according to one of the instructors at the Academy Annex at Point Freedom at least, Chaos Theory is an attempt by physicists to explain how we manipulate magic. But again, that's something you all can explore later.

"While Alchemists have always pushed the boundaries of what magic can do, it was that increase in first generation magicals and the hopes and dreams for a better world brought on by those early advances in technology that inspired them to new heights. By 1850, the ranks of the Alchemists' Guild were flooded with disillusioned muggleborns along with half-blood and pureblood dreamers. Ironically, the practice of Alchemy was pushed aside for experiments in the newly created discipline of Technomancy – the merging of magic and technology.

"As a sidebar, let's take care of that second pesky myth about electricity and technology not working around magic. If that were actually true then Platform 9 ¾'s, Diagon Alley, the Ministry of Magic, St. Mungo's Hospital and even Gringott's – all in the heart of London – would cause massive dead zones within the nations Power Grid and lead the muggles right to our proverbial doorstep. Hell, during the trip down to my vault I noticed that the tunnels underneath the bank actually would've cut through at least two Tube Lines so some sort of magical weirdness is going on there. Now at one time, prior to World War 2, there was some truth to at least magic disrupting electrical currents. But that was eventually taken care of once the power grid, communications grid and sensitive technological systems started to be shielded from the threat of Electromagnetic pulses. In short, with the proper shielding and certain runic seals it's possible for modern tech to work in areas of highly concentrated magic like Hogwarts.

"That Golden Age of Magical Invention and Discovery only officially lasted for five years. Friday the 13th of April, 1855, started out as just another day but it ended an explosion and the murders of twenty witches and wizards that shocked Wizarding Britain to its core. A little after noon debris rained down on Diagon Alley after the Alchemists' Guild Hall blew up. Aurors soon arrived on the scene and while the majority worked crowd control and assisted the Healers that showed up, a group of five went into the wreckage of the building in search of survivors. Four of them, including the Senior Auror in Charge – Miles Holden, who only got his position because he was a pureblood – quickly exited after only a cursory inspection.

"When the Head of the DMLE and the Minister of Magic showed up, with the press, a half hour later, Holden reported the explosion was an accident; that obviously and experiment had gone terribly wrong. Before anyone had a chance to accept that at face value, the fifth Auror climbed out of the rubble and declared that the blast was the result of a magical bomb that caused the murders of twenty people. Normally such a claim would've been ignored and the Auror in question reprimanded but for three things. The first was that he was an up-and-comer in the DMLE, the second was that he was Titus Bones – son of Hector Bones who himself was the second born of Lord Aristotle Bones, and the last was that he was a member of the Alchemists' Guild.

"Naturally, the Minister asked Titus to defend his claim. The young Auror requested that the Minister, the Head of the DMLE and Holden join him back inside the wreckage. They were joined by a reporter and photographer from The Daily Prophet. Once everyone was inside the remains of the entryway, the Bones Scion cast a very complicated spell of his own creation – the Ectoplasmic Reconstruction Charm. Using the phenomenon of Psychic Resonance, the spell created a three dimensional image of what happened, not unlike a pensieve. It was a shocked group that watched as Dorian Malfoy – Heir of the Noble House of Malfoy – followed a young couple into the Guild Hall. At Titus' directions, they trailed after the apparition of the Malfoy Heir as he snuck down into the basement of the building then over the space of ten minutes constructed for lack of a better term, a runic bomb that he placed near the boiler before he fled the Hall.

"While the others were still processing what they'd just witnessed, Titus left with a couple of Aurors that had been working crowd control and apparated to Malfoy Manor where they proceeded to arrest Dorian over the protests of his father, Lord Abronseus Malfoy. The scandal of a Pureblood Heir being dragged out of his home and into a Ministry holding cell to await trial caused an outrage from the Elite after it was plastered all over the front page of the Prophet. Of course Dorian was released into his father's custody after only a day despite protests from Titus that the younger Malfoy was both a murderer and a flight risk. It was after Dorian made a Magical Oath not to leave the country until after his trial that the Auror was forced to back down.

"He later learned that both the Minister and Head of the DMLE were personal friends of Abronseus Malfoy. Information that he passed on to his grandfather, who forced the pair to recues themselves from taking part in the pending trial. At the request of the Chief Warlock, Titus was given the task of prosecuting the case.

"When the time came, Auror Bones stood on the floor of Courtroom 10 and addressed the full Wizengamut. He explained how he had arrived on the scene and what he witnessed firsthand of the devastation from the explosion. He then walked them through his systematic search of the wreckage and finally how he learned what happened from his spell up to his arrest of Dorian Malfoy. Before Titus was able to start questioning the defendant, the Malfoy Heir stood up and gave a Magical Oath to tell the truth. While the members of the Wizengamut were happy with that, the young Auror was quick on the up take and realized the semantic trap that was the difference between Truth and Fact. Something he was more than happy to point out to the esteemed Lords, Ministry Department Heads and the reporters from various magical papers that filled the Gallery boxes. Titus asked for, and received, the indulgence of the Court to use a new Truth Potion of his own creation – Veritaserum.

"Lord Malfoy tried to object but tree drops of the potion were forced down his son's throat. Once Titus was sure it had taken affect, he asked only three questions. What happened at the Alchemists' Guild Hall of April 13 of that year? How was it done? And, finally, why was it done? For the next two hours, the assembly listened as Dorian Malfoy told of how he lusted after Brigit Weasley and convinced his father he had an understanding with the witch and wanted Lord Malfoy to arrange a contract between the couple in spite of the fact that he'd never actually spoken to her. While his father and Squire Weasley began negotiating a Marriage Contract, Dorian had gone to inform his love only to find her kissing Thomas Flynn, Heir to the Ancient House of Flynn in Ireland. The obsessed wizard allowed his anger to get the better of him and started a fight with Flynn. The Irishman was burly, knew how to throw a punch and soon had Dorian on his arse; he then apparated away along with Brigit.

"Not one to give up and thirsting for revenge, the Malfoy Heir knew that Flynn was a member of the Alchemists' Guild so he played the odds and apparated himself to Diagon Alley. Luck was with him because he saw the couple headed toward the Guild Hall. Dorian then went on to admit that after he followed the pair inside, he gave in to his need for revenge and confirmed everything Auror Bones' Ectoplasmic Reconstruction revealed. Knowing that his son had doomed himself to the Dementor's Kiss, Lord Abronseus Malfoy demanded a recess until he could track down expert witnesses to test the validity of Titus' innovations. It was a desperate act of a desperate father who hoped somebody could throw some doubt on both the spell that proved his son's guilt and the potion that made him condemn himself.

"Two day later, the trial reconvened and the leading Masters in the fields of Potions, Arithmancy and Charms were called to the witness stand. Even Nicholas Flemel showed up to offer his expertise. In the end, all of them agreed that both the spell and potion were without fault and worked the way they were designed to. Titus called for an immediate vote but Abronseus requested a recess due to the emotional drain the trial cost everyone. The Chief Warlock agreed to Lord Malfoy's request and the courtroom cleared with a guilty verdict being guaranteed the next morning. At least that was what would've happened if Lord Malfoy hadn't played one last card by draining the Family Vault to bribe a majority of the Wizengamut and Ministry Department Heads to vote in Dorian's favor.

"When the trial resumed the following morning, a smug Malfoy Patriarch gave a statement complete with fake tears. The older wizard spun quite the yarn that ultimately painted his son and Heir as the victim of a gold digging strumpet that tricked him into falling in love with her so that he would propose. All the while she maintained a relationship with an Irish malcontent. The two planned for the Marriage Contract with House Malfoy to be signed and then on the wedding night, the Irishman would kill the future Lord Malfoy then impregnate the girl himself. After an extended honeymoon in which Dorian would mysteriously die, the strumpet would return home heavy with her bastard child as the new Malfoy Heir.

"Titus Bones was appalled as he listened to the outright lies being told to the Court but realized that the Fix was on when he noticed over half the assembled Lords were smirking as they nodded along. Lord Aristotle Bones had also come to the same conclusion and swiftly discussed his suspicion with his peers, the Lords of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses. They all agreed how they would respond if the vote went against justice. That proved to be prophetic as when the vote was called, not only did the majority vote not guilty they leveled sanctions that broke the Ancient House of Weasley. House Weasley was stripped of Ancient Status for attempted Line Theft and lost all of their wealth as reparations to the Noble House of Malfoy. The Malfoy's would've gotten the Weasley Wizengamut Seat if the Bones Patriarch hadn't interceded.

"Lord Bones and the other Heads of the Old Families rose as one and condemned the Wizengamut and the Ministry for the gross miscarriage of Justice they helped to perpetrate. They then went on to render judgment against the Noble House of Malfoy; that House was forever banned from every holding a Seat in the Wizengamut or its members from finding work within the Ministry of Magic. They further ordered that House Malfoy pay reparations to the families of 100,000 galleons for the wrong deaths of each of the explosion's victims. They also demanded that the Weasley Seat be placed in Trust until that House regained its status and family be allowed to keep the land their ancestral home was built upon.

"The aftermath of the trial set the tone for what would eventually happen. Backed by the Malfoy's newly acquired wealth, the Wizengamut passed a law that made it illegal to make any further innovations of Magic without a special permit from the Ministry. Dorian was removed from his position as the Malfoy Heir in favor of his younger brother then his father snapped his wand then banished him to live among the Muggles with a small monthly remittance. The Weasley home mysteriously burned down just days after the judgment of the Old Families and the bulk of their compensation from House Malfoy went to paying for a modest house to be built. Though it was never proven, it's believed that Abronseus Malfoy insured through his contacts that the building materials used were substandard and at least four times the actual cost. As for the Alchemists' Guild, at Flemel's insistence it closed down all of its Guild Halls after the new law went into effect in Wizarding Britain but that only meant that everything just went underground. That was the start of the first and only counterculture within the wizarding world.

"Things calmed down until 1868, when a muggle inventor from America – Thomas Edison – created the very first Æther Flyer and orbited the Earth. The invention caught the imagination of magical and muggle alike and once more people started to dream of a brighter future. While the American government was interested in the possibility of Flying Ships, they felt Edison's request for funding for a better Æther Flyer was a waste of money. Eventually, the irate inventor was approached by representatives of Her Britannic Majesty's Government and offered the much needed funding and material support.

"In 1870, Edison headed an expedition of discovery in his newest – yet still somewhat crude – Æther Flyer to Mars. The crew was shocked when they landed on the Red Planet and found not only plant and animal life but a civilization already a millennium into its decline. But the greatest discover made was tree whose wood and sap had anti-gravity properties. This liftwood, as Edison rather unimaginatively named it, became an essential component in future Aerial and Æther flyer designs.

"Once the expedition returned with an actual Martian, a healthy supply of liftwood and scientific samples of the flora and various minerals – the first real Space Race was on. The British, Germans and Belgians were quick to jump on the bandwagon and scrambled to get Æther flyers en route to establish colonies on Mars and to a lesser extent explore/exploit the other inner planets of our solar system. Eventually, the Americans, Canadians, Chinese, Japanese and Spanish established minor presences on Mars. With the steady stream of new and exotic resources from Mars, Venus and Mercury, science and technology made ever bolder leaps forward.

"During this time within the Wizarding World, the counterculture that formed from the former members of the Alchemists' Guild hadn't stopped making their own progress either. Somewhere between 1855 and 1870, these magical pioneers stopped seeing themselves as witches and wizards and started to refer to themselves as Technomancers. They were a peaceful yet piecemeal group without any central leadership or standardized ideology, just small cabals gathered together for mutual support. But all of that changed in 1883.

"In early January of that year a charismatic and dynamic Technomancer, Hiram Rosencrutz, began to gather a following that soon spread throughout the counterculture. Hiram eventually published a book, A Light in the Darkness, in started out with a dark prophecy about the fall of the Wizarding World. He believed that because the muggles, whose society was being forced to evolve due to their ever increasing technological advancements, would soon discover their anachronistic and scientifically stagnant magical cousins' war was inevitable because of the purebloods' belief in their superiority. In his opinion, that conflict would wipe out the magical world and leave the non-magical world nothing but a shell that desperately clung to life. The only way to avoid that was the total integration of both halves of our world; Technomancy being the key to making that happen. The rest of the book was taken up with providing Laws to govern the Technomancers and a guide on how they could and should integrate with their muggle counterpart.

"It was only after the Exodus that it was discovered that Hiram Rosencrutz wasn't a single person but fraternal twins, a brother and sister. Their Royal Highnesses, Prince Michael Vincent and Princess Catherine Alexis Hanover; secret grandchildren of Queen Victoria that were hidden away after they had their first bouts of accidental magic when they were only weeks old; but that's just another interesting little sidebar.

"Under Rosencrutz's uncontested leadership the Technomancers moved out of the shadows and started to operate in the open. A growing friction between them and Pureblood Elite sprang up because the Elite were not able to enforce the 1855 Law because the Technomancers were well funded and more than a few of its membership came from Elite families. Things came to a final head in the Fall/Winter of 1888.

"The Ripper murders in the Whitechapel District had the frightened non-magical citizens of London in an uproar that the killer remained at large. The man in charge of the investigation, Inspector Abiline, found something at one of the crime scenes that pointed the case in a whole new direction – a wand. One fact that never made its way into the history books is that the five confirmed victims of Jack the Ripper were all muggleborn witches that were down on their luck and forced to turn tricks just to survive. Abiline, a squib, sent a request for Auror assistance to the DMLE. A request both the Head of that department and the Minister of Magic were adamant about denying. Too bad the first desk the document crossed was that of Titus Bones. Before his superiors had a chance to order him not to, the now older and wiser Bones headed to Abiline's office.

"Going to the most recent crime scene and using the spell that effectively killed his career as a backlash from the Malfoy trial, Titus discovered that Mistress Fate was a lover of irony. The man the papers named Jack the Ripper was the same one that blew up the Alchemists' Guild Hall all those years ago.

"It turns out that after his exile, Dorian Malfoy went on to live a life of debauchery and excess thanks to the fact that exchange rate for galleons was so high that his meager allowance turned out to be a decent sized fortune in pounds sterling. Because his core was never bound, he continued to live the average wizard's lifespan; that meant he still looked as young as he did when he was first thrust into the muggle world. Whispered stories of his exploits and apparent eternal youth were the inspiration for Oscar Wilde's novel – The Portrait of Dorian Grey.

"At some point, he gave into his inner darkness killed the occasional muggle for sport but never went as far as he did with those five women. One night, while out whoring, he stumbled across Mary Kelly. Mary Kelly that bore an uncanny resemblance to Brigit Weasley, the witch Dorian blamed for everything that happened to him. His mind snapped and he decided to _Make the Bitch Pay_. Dorian took great pleasure in killing off Miss Kelly's circle of friends in the most twisted ways possible so that she'd know true fear before he ended her life.

"Titus tracked the bastard down and arrested him. Back at the Ministry, Lord Malfoy's friends made sure he was informed the minute his wayward son was dragged into the building. Another trial was held and once more the former Malfoy Heir was acquitted; only this time he used a long held pureblood belief as his defense – It is impossible for a pureblood to murder muggleborns or muggles. As he stood from the Chair of the Accused, Dorian was stupid enough to gloat. Pissed that justice had once again been circumvented, Titus raised wand that Abiline had recovered to cast a Cutting Curse that beheaded the unrepentant fiend. When Lord Malfoy demanded the Auror be arrested and charged with murder, the Bones Scion smirked then loudly declared that as a pureblood member of a Most Ancient and Noble House, his words and deeds were above reproach. Therefore it was impossible for him to murder those beneath his station, although he wasn't averse to dispensing Justice if necessary. He then snapped the wand before anyone could learn that it wasn't his and tossed it along with his badge on the Scribe's desk with a simple _I Quit._

"He rushed out of the stunned Courtroom and hurriedly packed up his desk and fled the Ministry before anyone could stop him. Titus knew that his life as part of the Wizarding World was over because the elder Malfoy would never let the death of his first born go. That left only one place for him to go, the Technomancers. On his way to the address to one of their secure meeting houses a contact provided, he stopped by Gringott's and filed all the paperwork need to renounce his name so that his family wouldn't face any blame for his actions.

"Jumping back a little bit, Hiram Rosencrutz had spent the five years since his ascension to leadership planning for the final break of the Technomancers from the Wizarding World. Toward that end, he'd had representatives talking with the Prime Minister and other global leaders to transport his people off world to the colonies on Venus and Mars. Seeing the benefit of magicals enhancing the existing colonies, agreements were soon made and a plan was formed for the evacuation of the Technomancers. The timing of that evacuation was pushed up after the Ripper murders and subsequent execution of Dorian Malfoy.

"What we call The Exodus, or Great Exodus, started on Christmas Eve of 1888. Every available Æther flyer was pressed into service and many Aerial flyers were converted to Æther flight. A freelance Hit Wizard out to collect the bounty placed on Titus Bones' head by Abronseus Malfoy managed to come across a rumor that the Technomancers were fleeing the country. He figured his mark was hiding among them and eventually tracked down Titus to the Royal Navy Base that the Crown designated as the departure point for the former witches and wizards. He reported what he'd discovered to the Ministry and they sent a team of Aurors to stop the renegades. That proved to be a bad decision when all the Aurors were gunned down after Titus died when he put himself between one of the Base's sentries and a Killing Curse.

"An emergency session of the Wizengamut was called and there was a call to send in all available Aurors to retrieve the traitorous magicals. Before a vote could be called to approve the actions, the Ministry's Ambassador to Wizarding German rushed in and reported Technomancers fleeing that country as well. Correctly guessing that everyone associated with that group around the world was doing something similar, a request for Intervention was sent to the ICW. Meanwhile, the Exodus continued without interruption.

"A delegation from the International Confederation of Wizards arrived at the Royal Navy Base that had been the scene of the _Misunderstanding_ and asked to parlay with the Technomancer leadership. As it happened, that last ship had been reserved for Hiram and his Inner Circle. Prince Michael – in the guise of Hiram – and two of his most trusted went out to meet with the delegation. Okay, long story short; the Supreme Mugwump ordered the Technomancers to surrender to their respective governments to be punished for their childish act of sedition or face the Wrath of the Whole Wizarding World. Hiram basically told him for Piss Off and then he and his friends went back to the base to board their flyer.

"The addition of magicals to the general population caused the off world colonies to thrive and within five years achieve Hiram's dream of complete integration. Everything was fine until 1918 when they lost all contact with their Earth based governments. Now we know why that happened," Harry explained then paused to get up and get a butter beer from the bar. He'd been talking for a while and needed a break so he suggested they take fifteen minutes to relax so they could process what he'd already told them for a bit.

MP

_King's Cross Station; 1105 hours that morning_

Dan and Emma Granger walked slowly through the train station; neither was in a talkative mood now that their only child was on her way to a hidden magical school. Just because they were a bit maudlin over the situation it hadn't meant that they were unaware of their surroundings. Both of the elder Granger's had marked the dark suited men that started to shadow them the second they stepped away from the barrier of Platform 9 ¾'s. They were professionals and hadn't made any overtly hostile moves. Dan was going to turn on them as soon as the couple was outside. That plan went out the window when they found another dark suited man holding open the back door of a limousine who directed them to get inside. The two SAS soldiers were stunned to find that the Prime Minister and Brigadier General Adam Worthington were waiting for them.

The PM held up a hand to forestall their questions and spoke. "Captain Granger, you recently sent in a request for the records of one Captain St. John-Fawkes and any reference to Æther Britannia. To say you put Her Majesty's Government inadvertently in a spot of bother would be a major understatement. The St. John-Fawkes file was easy enough to find but it was almost completely redacted. A strange notation at the bottom of the last page lead an unsuspecting MOD Records clerk to discover an unknown warehouse full of files we had no idea existed. Needless to say, this whole situation has been declared Eyes Only, Top Secret – M. Before I explain any further, I need you to tell me why you made the requests."

"Our daughter, Hermione, was accepted into an exclusive school up North and while we were out getting her supplies we ran into a couple and their grandson – who was also starting at the same school. It was the lad that mentioned Æther Britannia, and it sounded familiar to me. Only later that night did have the idea that the term had been linked with my great-great-grandfather – Reginald St. John-Fawkes," Dan answered nervously.

"So, you daughter is a witch that's going to Hogwarts up in Scotland. One of her peers mentioned Æther Britannia and you eventually tied it to one of your ancestors," the PM replied.

**AN: I know that was a crappy place to end but the chapter just hit twenty-five pages and was just too information intensive. The next chapter is looking pretty much the same for most of it unless I cop out and jump straight to the sorting then use flashbacks to break up the information into bite sized chunks. Anyway, what did you think of the Susan Bones twist? For Harry's Harem we already have Padma/Pavarti/Hermione, the question is will either Daphne or Tracey be added; suggestions? Who should be the future Lady Longbottom?**


End file.
