Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Harco Empire	By : Toddy Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 34430 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or films. I do not make any money from the writing of this story, just enjoyment.

Chapter List
- 178
- 179
- 180
[Note: “x-x” = speech & ‘x-x’ = thoughts & *x-x* = telepathy & #x-x# Parseltongue]
~~~ BESIEGED ~~~
In the villa’s quadrangle Harry shut the beacon down. Zacharias, Monach and Probert set up a rudimentary occluded mirror ward with a medallion allowance in it. None too soon, because the next cracks of apparition were accompanied by curses. Some satraps had arrived and were tumbling down the repellent wards.
Harry held hands so Draco could send out his legillimens probe.
*“I thought you said the defences were weak, Hoskins.” * The voice of Lucius was unmistakeable, if slightly shaken.
*“They were, Seignior. There was only a feeble-minded house-elf sitting in a chair.” *
*“Well, he obviously fooled you then. For that you’re in the vanguard … Go! I’ll deal with you two later.”*
Although the inmates couldn’t see through their own hastily raised occlusion, Harry’s closed-eye magic could, being somewhat clouded by the intervening thaumaturgy. Harry watched; silently pointing and using gestures to indicate anyone he saw. Surprisingly, he found he could see new apparition paths appearing as golden footsteps a minute or so prior to the actual landing. He was able to indicate to Pullet the estimated time, so the prof-elf sent to his mate who released the next set of medallion holders via the much quicker traction-beam. The cracks were not simultaneous, but there was enough confusion outside to deter the enemy from being alerted to the arrival of internal assistance. The new helpers were signalled to stay quiet.
*“Here are the wards we sensed, Seignior. As we said, they are very weak.” *
*“Perhaps! Tell me how you didn’t notice the ones round the house.” *
Despite the distance, Draco, who was holding Harry’s hand for mutual boosting purposes, found he was hearing his father as though he were next door.
*“We don’t know! Maybe we were allowed through them because there were only two of us. Maybe we alerted someone, and they put up new ones,” he added desperately. *
*“So, you admit you were fooled and therefore brought me a false report. That is not good enough. You will be dealt with once we have secured the villa. Now start hexing.” *
A combined one-sided Anapneo moved the ward tholus a couple of feet, so the insiders applied an equivalent to replace it where it was. For about an hour a pushing game ensued, rather like a reverse tug-o-war. The satraps grew tired and desisted sitting down for some refreshment. This allowed the defenders the same latitude and Harry was able to open his eyes for a short period.
The first Bombarda Maxima was a general assault pushing small dents all over the tholus but not penetrating.
“He’s going to get them to concentrate in one place,” Draco whispered.
Zacharias, Probert and a couple of dwarves prepared a thickening charm waiting for Harry to indicate where the second Bombarda Maxima would strike.
Harry pointed.
The group cast.
The toughening bent inwards and then flexed.
The Bombarda Maxima rebounded, concussing two satraps who were too slow to avoid it. A number of pine trees behind them bent in the blast and, in springing back, showered the malign army with needles.
There was a respite whilst the baddies shook the irritating spikes out of their clothes. That gave the defenders time to toughen up the whole tholus. At the same time both sides received more reinforcements.
The next attack was anticipated from a different direction by Draco’s sixth sense. Its Confringo made the ward bulge inwards alarmingly and the insiders cast to support it. With an audible ‘DONG’ the bulge righted itself and all the blast blew back at the attackers, taking them off their feet and into a tangle of rose thorns.
Whilst extricating themselves from the tangle of briars there were more cracks of apparition. Medallion holders came through, satraps bounced and slid down. Before the chaos outside had subsided the new arrivals inside had been sworn to silence.
*“These are modern repellent wards. They feel like the ones my be-damned son or the hierophants make. I expect he hopes to trap us … Are you there Draco?” *
Harry saw the ‘Veritatis Respondas’ charm leave Lucius’s wand and start seeking. He knew the mirror wards were not tuned to repel it, so he cast a non-verbal Langlock on his mate; explaining via the mind-meld why he had done so. Draco smiled his acknowledgement at much the same time as the charm hit, not that Harry saw the acknowledgement because his eyes were still closed concentrating on the attackers. Draco moaned slightly and Harry could feel his lover responding silently through the meld. That cleared the compulsion to reply and Harry released the Langlock.
“More help coming,” whispered Harry to Pullet.
The cracks were simultaneous, and Harry sensed Orcas circling high above them.
*Thy reinforced cistern is in place, Harry. I have four thaumaturges enshipped. *
Harry chuckled mentally with his jocular aerial friend, asking her to wait in the clouds. At the same time a number of satraps attempted a Lacarnum Inflamarae. That was a hex the wards were prepared for; so, all that happened was that the sheet of flame returned to its senders who had to cast hasty Aquamenties.
*Nice conflagration! What a pity they doused it fastest. *
*Thou shouldst be skulking in the cumulus. *
*Just peeking, that’s all! Thou knowest how we adore fire. *
Harry doused his own aerial thoughts and paid attention to Lucy’s deployment. He got a Draco induced feeling about the next ploy; indicating Diffindo scissors to the defenders. Michael had Kenneth and Probert erect another hasty toughening ward. A number of points got through but before they started slicing one or other of the defenders fired a Relashio at them, burning a malicious one’s wand fingers; thus, allowing the insider ward-mages to reseal the holes.
There was a pause.
Next time a concentrated Diffindo was tried and, although forewarned, the scissors started cutting through, despite the defenders’ best endeavours.
Harry contacted Orcas and the dragon zoomed dive-bomber-like to strafe the platoon of concentrating malcontents. She was out of sight by the time the satraps had altered their tactics to air-defence. That gave the inmates just enough time to reseal the hole.
Draco advised quietly that his father was calling a conference … then, that the numerous shouted pieces advice were confusing him and angering his father. After a few Seigneurly Crucios his minions quieted down and proceeded to make their suggestions one by one; all of which Draco quietly relayed to the defenders.
Awaiting a lull, Bindweed’s new squad had prepared some delightful dishes for everyone’s delectation. Whilst the external conference was held the insiders ate. As the enjoyment thereof should have distracted the two male seers from their surveillance duties, alternative arrangements were applied. Draco and Harry stayed on the qui-vive; holding hands with their spouses for enhancement purposes. It meant that a small pantomime occurred as each mage had only one hand free. Ginevra and Astoria had already eaten and, using the mind-meld acted as their spouse’s other hand for feeding purposes. As both eavesdroppers had to keep their eyes closed; it resulted in a many missed mouths and a quietly hilarious time when the ladies wash/wiped the remains off their mates’ face and clothes.
Harry first became aware of movement on the other side of the tholus and then Draco’s perceptions warned the mages of the next attack.
“Quickly cast multiple images of people,” Draco whispered.
The external Magicals’ ‘Hominem Revelio’ hit those inside the tholus; it also picked up the multitude of cast likenesses. There seemed to be about a thousand defenders there; far more than could possibly be crammed inside the villa’s temporary defences.
Draco heard Lucy mutter: *“Some of them were shadows, I could feel them failing; curse it! I still don’t know who’s there or how many because all those images were intermixed.”* Although no one else could make out was happening.
Another pushing contest took place, with the same stalemate result.
Harry indicated the satraps grouping together and Draco had the feeling that a diminishing spell might be next; managing to whisper to Michael the gist of the idea. Michael passed some instructions to the troops whilst Harry pointed at the part of the tholus which the satraps were going to target.
“DIMINUENDAMUS DEFENSOR!” from the combined satraps was countered by: “ENGORGIAMUS DEFENSOR!”
The ward shield started to shrink until the defenders’ charm restored it to its original shape.
The next time the defenders managed their expanding charm before the attackers tried to reduce the wards. The result being that a number of satraps became wedged between the tholus and one of the garden walls. The wall, being ancient, gave way explosively showering other malcontents with debris as well as causing four attackers to apparate away with crushed ribs. By the time the fifth set of hexes had been tried the defending charms were cast simultaneously so the status quo remained.
It was now that Draco truly realised that he could hear his father’s thoughts without using Legillimens charms, because he felt him decide on a tactical withdrawal before Lucius actually ordered it.
The seers counselled caution, because Harry said they were not gone from the island. Carlos and his friends snuck out and placed warning beacons so that Harry could relax for a bit. Draco was able to have some rest too, because his father’s thoughts were either out of range or some form of Occlumency ward had been erected.
~~~ ATTACK ~~~
It was well after dark when the besiegers returned and fanned out round the magically visible perimeter. Harry had a great deal of trouble following them all.
“They’re going to make a red tholus, like Hermione and Seamus did,” said Draco, after picking-up his father’s thoughts: “Then they’re going to squeeze our tholus until it bursts. Only, some of them are shaky about the charms, so they’ll make it quite wide of our limits before starting the squeeze. Any ideas?”
The goblins and dwarves went into a huddle with Michael. Meanwhile Rhysiart, the leading Dragon, reported that the cavalry had arrived.
“Harry, if you could sense who was holding the nub; could you focus a low-thaumic beam onto it with your eyes closed?”
“Um … Yes, I think so, Mike … Would it not shatter our wards, though?”
“Probes says he can focus it via a medallion-lens. He’s busy making one now.”
“Okay, Generalissimo, what’s the plan?”
“We all lie down facing outwards with a ‘Lacarnum Inflamarae’ ready. We lift the tholus by no more than six inches, I blast the hub with a slow acting Incendio following your tracer; then we lower our wards before the blowback occurs. At the same time the dragons attack from outside.
Astoria organised the dragons using the mind link to Rhysiart and asked that the ‘Orcas tank’ to be ready.
Draco concentrated on his father’s thoughts.
Harry received his lens from Probert and practiced his low-energy magic beam, reducing its output until it was almost imperceptible.
Ginevra quieted the nervous house-elves and sorted-out a first aid station.
“Lucy’s the nub, and they’re fabricating it now … He’s just given the order to start squeezing … Now he’s cursing because someone’s dropped his end … They have it complete again … It’s still a bit wobbly … The squeeze has begun.”
Harry focussed his beam on Lucius’s wand tip through the lens via his senses.
Michael picked up Harry’s beam and focussed along it through the lens.
#*Attack! *# from Astoria.
“Incendio Maxima Retardere!” from Michael via the lens.
There was a slight whoosh as the inner tholus tilted.
“LACARNUM INFLAMARAE!” from the defenders.
Their tholus thudded down.
Lucy’s wand exploded in his hand and his swearing was vociferous and far ranging as the red tholus collapsed upon him.
The defenders could feel the heat of the inferno outside through their wards.
*We got some of them, * Rhysiart exulted.
*Nice little bonfire, Harry. I think we burnt all the jacket potatoes, though; Sorry! * chuckled Orcas.
*Some escaped, including the big spud. What a shame! * put in Rhysiart with false regret.
The seers burst out cackling and had to explain the laconicism of the dragons to their friends, interrupted by fresh outbursts of relieved laughter when they realised that all the remaining satraps appeared to have disapparated, nursing their burns.
~~~ TUESDAY EVENING ~~~
They left the battered wards up. Carlos’s squad ranged further afield setting up warning cones and dousing the various blazes before they caused a forest fire. Harry thanked the dragons and their riders for their part in the attack. The dragons decided to head for home because none of them had been touched and would not be seen in the dark. Poppy motored in on the reopened traction beam; treating those to whom Ginevra’s team had applied field dressings. Quite a number had facial burns and almost all had had some of their hair singed before the tholus had slammed down.
A number of solicitous house-elves were quietly refilling the assembly’s mugs with fortified chocolate, as they sat under the portico relaxing and taking in the shimmering moonlight path snaking along the charred remains of the quadrangle lawn.
“Zac; why did the tholus move when it was pushed or lifted?”
“We have to set anchors into the earth-thaums for a normal tholus and those take some preparation, Seamus. We had very little time so we made the tholus first and they attacked before we could even think about anchors.”
“Once we’re rested tomorrow, we’ll trace the proper wards, they’ll be properly anchored already,” put in Probert: “Perhaps two of our seers could connect us to the network, as well.”
“It seems to be Blake property so we may as well, but not tonight,” Harry sighed tiredly.
Knox appeared: “Harry, do I take it that you want us to spruce up the garden?”
“Um … Yes … Whatever’s left of it after the firestorm?”
“I’ll say one thing for it; it’s scorched all the entrenched weeds.” Knox indicated the burnt grass: “I daresay that all the established bushes and trees will recover; the ash will probably fertilize them. Various hot forests thrive after a bush fire and at least you didn’t damage the vineyard.”
“I didn’t know we had a vineyard. Is it extensive?”
“Yes, my lord,” put in Bindweed: “We have an abundance of vintages in our cellars too. However, the vines will need some expert dressers, I’m afraid I neglected them after the last Conté’s death.”
“Kreacher told me that we have three gardeners in the corps who used to tend indoor vines until that malcontent’s cronies went on greenhouse smashing sprees,” Draco informed: “Because there were no mages to take over, the Wizengamot eventually sold those houses to muggles.”
~~~ BEDTIME ~~~
Sufficiently unwound; the small army retired to bed; many of them sharing doubles, sofas or temporarily conjoined chairs. The master bed was enormous so, to ease the overcrowding, Seamus and Dean were invited to share Harry’s and Draco’s bed. There was a chaise-longue in the bedroom, which Phealey and Pullet appropriated. Robbie and Bobby inhabited a couple of large conjoined deep armchairs nearby. The elf-steward popped in to see if his master had everything he needed. As the bedroom party were all naked and cuddling, Bindweed looked at them all oddly, but refrained from making any comment; popping out again rapidly.
“We’ll put him straight in the morning, Harry,” offered Phealey.
“Now you’re the true Count of Montecristo, do we all have to call you ‘my lord’ like Bindweed does?” asked Dean, cheekily.
He got a pillow thrown at him; which he kept to supplement the cushions.
After the sniggering had subsided Draco said: “I suppose I’ve realised my special dragon talent now, increased legillimency and extrasensory eavesdropping.”
“We’d better not let him hear us muttering behind his back then,” added Seamus.
Draco went to throw another pillow, but Harry stopped him: “That’s our pillow, they’ve already got one.”
Snuggling in pairs, the room was soon filled with a chorus of exhausted but happy snores.
~~~ WEDNESDAY 8^TH JULY ~~~
In the morning Draco and Harry were woken mentally as the building shuddered. Using one of the pre charmed pairs of cabinets, Ginevra and Astoria had just connected the villa to the nearest Harco dwelling, which being within cabinet range, was the Apartamento Zabini. They had then converted the connection into a portal. Megan and Reagan their personal elves had big mugs of coffee waiting for them.
Elsewhere in the villa: “Come on you lazy louts,” yelled Pullet and Phealey: “All you did was stand around with your eyes closed the whole day yesterday.”
Harry felt Draco beginning to bristle, but then he saw the grins on the two elf-prof’s faces.
“So, what did you little men do yesterday? Hide in the house?” he demanded semi-sarcastically.
That started a long line of banter with all the bedroom’s inmates scoring jocular points off each other, it also led to some horseplay, some of it quite rude; ending up with a mad crush of bodies soaping each other under the shower. Of course, Bindweed had to come in just as creamy forfeits were being paid. Whoever had volunteered to ‘put him straight in the morning’ was saved the effort as he was presented with a multiple race gay porno show. Somewhat taken aback, the antediluvian elf sat on the chaise-longue.
Nudged by Draco, Harry went to talk to his wrinkled elfin steward …
“… But I thought you were married and had two children?”
“We are married and partners, all four of us at the same time. Our preferences are for our same-sex mates, but we needed to enhance the gene pool as well as providing some illustrious families with heirs.”
“Oh … I see … Does that mean I should send the priests away then, my lord?”
“Which priests are those, Bindweed?”
“They’re in the Receiving room; by his accent one appears to be Spanish, the other one says he’s a deacon. I should not want to embarrass you or the church, so I’ll go and make a suitable excuse, my lord.”
“If he is Father Estéban, the Deacon will be Timothy and we call him Tim. I think you’d better ask them up, please, Bindweed.”
“Are you quite sure, my lord?”
“Absolutely positive! There’re another three priests who might appear, now we’re connected. One’s name is Giuseppe he has a slight stoop, another is Heironimo, he is very rotund and bald; the other one’s John and he may bring his wife Isabel with him.”
“A Married priest?” Bindweed looked very shocked and then he looked resigned: “Oh well, if I have a gay master, I suppose a married priest shouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary, either. Shall I show them up, my lord?”
“Yes please!” Harry wondered where his receiving room might be.
Bindweed was replaced by Kreacher: “Harry and all of you are to wear these special robes today.”
“Must we, we were hoping to hang loose after the efforts of yesterday.”
“You can hang loose later, Draco. Everyone is expecting you to be smart to begin with.” Kreacher had that no-nonsense look, so the friends shrugged and resignedly held out their hands for their robes.
“These aren’t normal robes, Kreacher. What are they?”
“They look like roman togas.”
“Yes … Well … They are … You’re in a roman setting, so you dress to suit … Okay?”
After the initial grizzles the bedroom’s inmates had a lot of fun trying to dress roman style. They were allowed a short-sleeved tee-shirt and their boxers beneath, because Kreacher said they resembled what a Roman might have worn underneath his toga. At least the male seers no longer felt as exposed as they had been in the Venetian club.
Harry’s toga was a washed out red, with heavy green borders, Draco’s was a faded green with heavy red borders; so, in a way, they complemented each other. Once secured by an ornate clasp, Harry felt quite chipper about his apparel.
The duo of ecclesiastics arrived just as the bedroom people had finally sorted out their clothes.
“Good morning, gentlemen. Have you eaten yet?”
“No Estéban, Bindweed forgot to bring us breakfast in bed.” Draco smirked.
Bindweed looked at Draco and then at Harry, who shook his head imperceptibly and winked. Bindweed caught on: “I should think not! Four unshriven young men taking food before mass in the morning, it’s unthinkable.” Bindweed almost out-smirked Draco.
“I see your new house elf is as perspicacious as the rest and he seems to have stolen my fire,” remarked Estéban: “However as it is Saints Anthony’s and Philomena’s Day, the Spirit told me to come and celebrate for you.”
“We’re having a discussion about whose day it is Harry,” said Timothy with a smirk at Estéban: “I say that we should celebrate Saints Modwenna and Athanasius. However, we do agree that a thanksgiving mass is appropriate. Therefore, your army awaits your presence in the great hall, before they attack breakfast.”
“Yes, I suppose I should go and thank them. John told me off last time I didn’t.”
“You should also go and thank God for the skills to do so.”
“That’s roughly what John said too. I think you’d better lead the way, Estéban. As yet we’ve had no time to see our new acquisition, so I don’t know where to go.”
“I’ll show you the way, Harry and friends. The fathers need to vest themselves.” Bindweed took them out along the courtyard balcony and then on a tour of the ruined garden.
Harry only realised that it had happened when they arrived back at almost the same spot. Bindweed refused to be drawn when he was tasked with wasting their time. Instead he led them to a door at the end of the other wing. This door was set in the centre of the edifice and looked almost ceremonial, with intricate carving surrounding it. Out of the shadows on the other side came the three godsons, carrying what looked like bundles of sticks with an axe-head sticking out, they were dressed roman-style too.
“Okay, you three; what are you up to?”
“We’re your lictors, Harry. They precede an important roman citizen.”
“So, this is more than just a thank-you mass, is it?”
“Wait and see, my Lord Count.”
“Oh no … Not another public ceremony … I suppose it’s too late to back out?”
“Most definitely, Harry,” Astoria hove too with Ginevra tagging along. Both were wearing very fetching toga outfits with their hair in coifs and ringlets set with sparkling jewels. “Your adoring army expect it of you.”
“Well, I suppose they did come pretty quickly and saved my bacon again. We were heavily outnumbered to begin with.” Harry sighed: “Okay, let’s get this charade over with quickly.”
As the door opened there was a woodwind fanfare, plus Peter tootling his trumpet. The godson/lictors went first, then Harry. Pullet and Phealey were Draco’s lictors, Robbie and Bobby acting one each for the spouses. The hall was enormous and packed to the gunwales, not only with Dumbledorians but with the Latin students, professors and governors whom they had met during the talks about setting up the national school. They all stood as the official party processed in. It took four minutes for them to reach the front, mainly because the godsons were taking an extremely measured pace.
At the front was a dais, not unlike the Hogwarts one, but somewhat higher, in its centre was a richly caparisoned altar and to the right, as they looked at it, were Estéban, John and Timothy, all suitably clad in resplendent robes. Harry’s party was conducted up the steps and on to the left of the altar, where a group of very ornate chairs awaited them. Behind the altar in what appeared to be triangular recess were a small number of choristers with Hamish in front. Harry supposed therefore that Dolores was at the keyboard because there was organ music playing.
The hymn tunes had been carefully chosen to represent the multi-national community present. The mass-setting was one of the antiphonal ones that Saint Godric’s used occasionally. Not decani and cantoris as expected, but between the small altar choir and the larger group sitting with the organ on the balcony at the back. There were readings in Italian, which the seers understood by using their medals. However, after the gospel there was no sermon and the prayers were short and formalised. It took ages to communicate everyone and Harry became increasingly jittery as the service seemed to be drawing to a close. However, the expected final blessing did not take place. Instead Harry and the seers were asked to kneel in front of the altar.
“Institutio Comes Mons Christos,” intoned John.
“Amen!” sang the choir.
“AMEN!” sang the congregation.
To Harry’s astonishment a circlet of golden laurel leaves was placed on his head and his three fellow Seers were adorned with silver ones at the same time by the other celebrants.
Selwyn and Probert came forward, helped the astounded Harry to his feet and turned him to face the people; taking him towards the centre steps, but stopping him before they descended. The crowd were clapping heartily and, overcome with emotion, Harry’s eyes began to leak. Draco slipped a surreptitious handkerchief to his lover and Harry mopped the spare tears from his cheeks. This had given Ganymede a chance to move the ornate chair behind Harry and, as his three partners crowded around the chair, Harry was asked to sit; followed by his three supporters.
As Harry sat, so did the audience. However, six or seven people remained standing and moved into the centre gangway between the chairs. Someone a little younger than Harry climbed the steps and knelt in front of Harry, who blushed bright red.
“I, Alessandro Neronius, offer my fealty to my Lord the Count Montecristo.”
Estéban took Harry’s right hand and placed it squarely on Alessandro’s head.
From Astoria’s inner prompting Harry said: “Benedicto, Alessandro.”
Alessandro took Harry’s hand and kissed the family rings: “Your perpetual servant, my lord.”
Ginevra handed Harry a silver platter on which rested a bunch of grapes, a cruse of olive-oil and a small cut loaf. Harry gave the provender and its plate to his new vassal: “Be fortified for your willing service.” [Again, prompted by Astoria]
Alessandro bowed to Harry and carefully backed down the steps.
A number of other men and women did the same, some young; some old and grizzled. In his bemused daze, Harry accepted fealty from them all and gave out identical gifts. By the end of the ceremony, all he could really remember was that the order of precedence seemed to be alphabetical. Finished, Harry stood, the chair went back to its place, Harry was turned and, kneeling in a line, the four mages received a personal hands-on blessing from John and the others before the more general benediction was pronounced over the congregation.
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