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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
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- 180
- 181
[Note: “x-x” = speech & ‘x-x’ = thoughts & *x-x* = telepathy & #x-x# Parseltongue]
~*~ INSPECTION ~*~
~~~ BREAKFAST ~~~
At Montecristo, morning service over, the seers’ entourage moved outside. They found that the villa was ‘U’ shaped and had contained a lawn. The charred grass had been removed and some sand scattered to make it look presentable. On this, rows of tables had been set, and each guest had been prevailed upon to bring one of the chairs out of the hall and put it to a table. Of course, the ornate chairs had been placed at the top table and, once Harry was in place, Estéban said grace and the multitude set-to for a late breakfast. Instead of the tureens being displayed on a sideboard, as at the cottage, they were passed from hand to hand along the table; if one ran out an attentive member of the elf-corps replenished it immediately.
~~~ CONFERENCE ~~~
After the meal Harry was steered towards one of the ground-floor rooms in the opposite wing to the hall. It was overlarge classroom-sized and had been set with a wide circular table. A number of leading Dumbledorians were there as were all his newly acquired vassals.
As well as being the first one accepted Alessandro seemed to be the new ones’ spokesman: “My lord, exactly what do you expect of your vassals?”
“Firstly, to drop the absurd ‘my lord’ business; I’m Harry, Okay?”
“Yes Harry, everyone calls me Alex. Tell me; what do we do?”
“I have no idea. The ceremony was dropped on me at the last minute by my three partners. Perhaps you know, Draco?”
“Me? How should I know, Tor was the mover behind that piece of theatre.”
“So, Tor, spill the beans?”
“Erm … It was Bindweed and Faustus who said we should induct you properly. In a way I sort of agreed. Do you remember telling us about that conversation with Michael Miller, about keeping old customs alive? Well that’s part of it. And then there’s the political credibility.”
“What political credibility? This small island definitely doesn’t rank among the great powers.”
“No. I agree. But on the continent, having a proper title does count, pardon the pun. Even the muggles know of and respect Count Dracula, plus there was that marvellous peacemaker, Count Bernadotte. Even in France Monsieur le Comte still carries some weight, even if they officially no longer have titles. Besides which, the Dumas story is based on some fact, albeit heavily romanticised. Your long-time-ago ancestor was well-heeled and he did make generous gestures as well as conspiring in the downfall of certain self-righteous malcontents and now you’re continuing his tradition.”
“So what?”
“Harry; don’t tell me you haven’t used your ‘Boy-who-lived-twice’ persona to enable you to right a wrong that was being avoided by those in power,” Draco looked shrewdly at his lover: “If you do deny it; then I will start to publicly list all those times that I know about.”
“And I’ll do the same,” said Ginevra: “Do you want me to start, Draco?”
“Fine, fine! I get the drift. I have to trot out the Count in order to oil the wheels. Now Alex, all I can ask at the moment, is that you and the rest of my new family work towards establishing an Italian national school of wizardry. Faustus seems to be for it, and with some pushing a few more professors will back the move.”
“But where will it be?”
“I think the Spirit is suggesting here. It’s obvious that the big hall is suitable, and this room would make an acceptable classroom or perhaps two if divided, but I know little of the rest of the building.”
“How’s that, Harry?”
By this time the other vassals were crowded round.
“When I arrived with Faustus to look round, we met Bindweed. He was in a very bad way, but we managed to dose him with a pick-me-up potion. He greeted me as the true Count for whom he’d been waiting for ages and then we were attacked. So, using my dragon-given mental link I asked my partners to call in the troops. And you all came, too, some of whom I’ve never met before. We were rather busy afterwards, weren’t we?”
“Yes! It was Faustus who said we had to rally to our new head of family. So, we came.”
“Thanks a lot, you helped greatly. I hope your eyebrows grow back soon. It’s very comforting to know that I have family; I grew up without my parents and in a fairly hostile environment. Enough of that! Let’s go exploring. Are you fit enough to take us on a guided tour, Bindweed?”
“Sort of.”
“Eh?”
“Robbie and Bobby have fitted up this chair with poles and they propose carrying my ancient bones like a sedan chair.”
“It’s all right, Harry; it’s not just us. Kreacher’s worked out a rota so none of us get too tired. Your elf-steward’s very light and his ancient bones do need caring for. Did you know that Bindweed’s three hundred and seventy-three years old?”
"That's pretty old for an elf, isn't it?"
"Yes, but he's up to it."
"Fine! Let's go!"
With a seated Bindweed in the lead, Harry’s party set off to see his new domicile.
“I’d like us to work from the top downwards, please, my lord?”
“I’m happy with that. Where to first, Bindweed?”
“Up the stairs at the end of this west wing. We met in one of the five large ground floor reception rooms, all much the same size. Above them are seven en-suite guest flats; not all of them are clean yet, but we’re working on it. As you probably realised, both storeys of the east wing are taken up by the great hall.”
The party went up the flight of steps. By using an elf at the front and a mage at the back, Bindweed’s chair was not tilted too much during the transit.
They looked in at one of the flatlets.
“Nice sized living room, Harry.” said Alessandro. “I say; what a compact bedroom and loo. Is it possible to make these singles into doubles, Bindweed?”
“Yes Master, by turning the wardrobe and extending the bed.”
“There seems to be another courtyard beyond this? I thought it was just high mountainside, but this window indicates otherwise.”
“It’s an enchanted window, Master; the eye for it is on the balcony front behind you. You are looking into the quadrangle we just left. Many of the rooms are underground but they all have enchanted windows like that.”
“The British Ministry building has them, too,” observed Draco.
~~~ DISCOVERY ~~~
After inspecting the rooms, the party moved along the balcony, bypassing the other, as-yet uncleaned, flatlets. Arriving at the room Harry and his friends had slept in, he realised that it had true windows leading on to another balcony at the far side; the curtains of which had now been drawn back.
Draco went through: then was heard to gasp and chuckle: “We were definitely tired last night, Lover; and too rushed this morning to look properly.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just come here and look.”
Harry crossed the room and went through the french-windows opposite onto a low-walled gallery. Way below them was a sunny seascape stretching for miles. Harry looked immediately down, about a dozen storeys below was a picturesque bay with a dark grey volcanic sandy beach.
“Hey, that’s quite something isn’t it?”
The rest of the party leaned over the guard rails.
“Yes, my lord, the structure is built into a vee cleft in the rock so that its back is vertical. Each storey below juts out parallel with the steep slope of the rock in order that each floor has the same area but a different configuration. Thus, the bottom storey is narrow and deep, but this top one is shallow and wide; that is, if you discount the wings behind us on this level and the next one down.”
They inspected a large ‘L’ shaped living room and beyond that was the private dining room with a polished oak table seating at least a dozen people; from it some stairs led down to the back of the dais in the main hall. Returning to the centre of the villa the party descended one flight of stairs on to what Harry had considered was the ground floor. Here were the kitchens, the library and a small chapel situated in the block joining the two wings. The chapel’s sanctuary was raised to the same height as the dais in the great hall.
“That looks like the same altar and reredos, Bindweed.”
“It is, my lord. The platform has a large revolve divided into three. The altar being here means that the high table is in the great hall. The remaining third is the Count’s High Seat; at the moment it’s situated at the foot of the private stairs. When in the hall, it’s where you sit in judgement, my lord.”
“What?” Harry’s eyebrows lifted in shock.
“As the chief magistrate here, you have to try any cases brought before you. Il Conté previous had a small council to advise him on the difficult decisions.”
“Ah well! It’ll grow very dusty, there aren’t any people living on the island, are there?”
*Next piece of learning coming up soon, my son, but finish your tour first,* said Fawkes snidely.
Harry grimaced and the other three seers giggled nervously.
*That so? You three will be my council and I think I’ll add in Fawkes for good measure, too,* Harry sent back.
They had descended to the next floor by the time Harry paid attention again.
“This has four more en-suite guest rooms on much the same pattern as before; two on each side of the central stairway.”
They looked in; and agreed with Bindweed’s statement continuing down to the next floor.
“These guest rooms are not as elaborate, pairs of beds with a joint washbasin; four rooms share two toilets and two showers. There is an equivalent set of accommodation over the way. As we go down the facilities grow more spartan, ending up with dormitory accommodation and a shared bathroom. Each floor from herein downwards can hold up to sixteen bed spaces”
Sinking further into the underground rooms they inspected the cleaned part at each level, agreeing with Bindweed’s assessments. Each time they party entered a room the corps-members hid their cleaning equipment behind their backs and bowed to Harry. At last they reached the very bottom. It was a boathouse with two side quays terminating in doors leading to the outside; much like the one at the chalet.
~~~ SUNBATHING ~~~
Pushing one of the doors open Draco found himself on a fine beach of grey volcanic sand. It was spotless and the sunlit lapping waves were very inviting. Without thinking, those who were used to the etiquette of the pool at Toppers Wallow stripped off completely and plunged into the briny. There were a number of surprised gasps and a slightly embarrassed chuckle from Bindweed; followed by the rest of the party undressing and joining in the fun.
A bashful Alessandro swam up to Harry: “I say, do you always swim starkers?”
Harry noticed Alessandro’s furtive downwards glance: “Yes, I suppose we do, we have a pool at our cottage, and the School’s annex has one too. We don’t think about it anymore; we just strip off and jump in.”
“Aren’t you afraid the girls might get propositioned?” Alessandro blushed and looked away when Harry caught him ogling.
“Why not the boys?”
“Oh … I say! I was only looking.”
“If you’re a fighter for the light, you learn to respect others and restrain yourself, Alex. Anyway, what’s wrong with showing the whole of our bodies as the Creator originally intended us to do? The ancient Greeks did.”
“Erm … Nothing really … I suppose it’s my cautious upbringing … Even then it’ll take some getting used to.” Alessandro licked his lips and glanced down again.
This time Draco caught Alessandro peeking: “Like what you see, Alex? Should I need to remind you that that’s my personal playground?”
“So, you are? Some of us thought you were. I suppose I’ll just have to get used to that, too.”
“That’s what Greg said at the beginning.”
“Who’s Greg?”
“That well-muscled one over there swimming next to Pansy his wife, she looks like a gorgon, but is quite sweet when you get past her forbidding exterior. He was sexually tortured, that’s what made him shy.”
“Well I haven’t been, so I’ve no excuse, have I? Still, it is comforting to know that some other mages are on the same wavelength, so to speak.” Alessandro smiled winsomely and swam back to his mates; by his gestures quite obviously retelling the gist of the conversation.
###
After a while the bathers started to haul out. There was a pile of towels with an attendant elf handing them out. Opened out togas made for very comfortable sunbathing; so, the remains of the morning were spent on the beach. Quite soon, shade was being conjured, in the form of colourful umbrellas.
Lunchtime arrived and so did an army of house-elves bearing suitable refreshments. Bindweed and his chair were transported into the shadow of the Seers’ overlarge sunshade; where the quartet and friends were beginning to make plans.
“You said that the structure was in the rock, Bindweed; however, what should be stone appears to be covered in foliage.”
“Yes, Lord Draco; when the villa was built, the stone for its structure was carefully quarried from the rock face, leaving behind a series of stepped dished terraces. These were filled with suitable earth and vines planted in them. The climbing tendrils were trained up the vertical rock faces. Until the previous Conté died there was a régime of fertilisation which kept them in fine fettle. Since then all my magic was imprisoned and put into keeping me alive until your arrival, thus I was unable to continue that work. Not that one elf would generate enough fertiliser to keep them fruiting. Luckily the irrigation system operates automatically.”
“Perhaps you would explain the system to us?” asked Dean.
“Of course, Master. The irrigation has two parts. The prevailing wind is caught by our bay, as it rises up the cliff face it takes with it water evaporated from the sea’s surface. In the tops of our mountains are chilly open caves through which the wind blows and the water condenses-out into underground cisterns. This is supplemented by catchment channels when real precipitation covers the land. The second system works when it is hot. Small amounts of saltwater are allowed into shallow basins. Using polished rocks, the sun’s rays are concentrated on the basins, the resultant warm and rising water-vapour is treated by the same condensing system. I suspect this system has failed by now because it required someone to dig out the accumulated salt regularly, which was a very useful culinary by-product.”
“Is this water system enough to supply many people?”
“If maintained properly, yes; although saltwater bathing and careful showering does help. The cisterns have been overflowing continuously for many years now.”
“Ah yes, showers; that leads on to another question … Um … Robbie said we were to use leaves at the bottom of the lavatory pans; and they don’t seem to flush.”
“That is to enhance the fertilisation system; the leaves prevent excrement sticking when the trap opens. It has a twofold outcome, if maintained. Using three enormous enclosed vessels; one receives detritus, another being cleaned for fertiliser and the remaining one sealed and producing methane for the gas flare lamps. After a time, the methane production dies, so that vessel is opened for cleaning whilst the detritus one is closed for fermentation. That system closed down a couple of hundred years ago when only six beings were left here. It should be capable of working again, if sufficient numbers live here.”
“So … If the basins and vessels are cleaned out … we should be able to restart the whole system. All we need are the volunteers.”
“Yes, Master Dean.”
“No doubt we’ll all have ter follow Harry’s example,” Seamus looked saucily at his mate.
“Um … Smelly job … As Count, surely I could order people to do it?”
“You could, but that’s not your way, is it?”
“Um … No … I suppose it isn’t … Oh well … Better make a start …”
There was a disturbance up top.
~~~ JUSTICE ~~~
“Hey, Harry!” Carlos called down: “Put on your golden circlet and come up to play at being the Count for a bit.” Then he spied Harry’s déshabillé: “Oh …! Perhaps your toga as well.”
“Um … Why?”
“We’ve got a couple of prisoners for you to try.”
“Give them to the Aurors.”
“They went, early this morning. Anyway, the British Wizengamot has no jurisdiction in Italy. You do, though, as chief magistrate.”
*Get on with it my son. I want to see how well you do.*
Harry gave the hovering Fawkes a dirty look: “There’s a hell of a lot of steps to climb.”
“Use the levitation tube, my lord.”
“What’s that, Bindweed?”
“If you re-clothe yourself, my lord; I’ll show you,” Bindweed replied primly.
Harry donned his undergarments and struggled into his toga; following the elfin sedan chair. Once inside the boathouse, Bindweed indicated the island structure around which the staircase climbed in a series of semicircles [floor to floor]. The island had a door facing the landing.
“You open the door, my lord. Circle your wand above your head pointing upwards. As you circle it you say the level floor you want, in Latin of course, and you’ll be transported to the equivalent ledge, you then open the door and walk out.”
Harry looked mystified, so Bindweed continued: “You’ll be needing your circlet and orb, they’re on the bed where you left them, so you’ll say ‘Decimus’ for the top floor. A warning, this only works in the upward direction; if there are a lot of people using it, the system chooses the highest destination first.”
Harry opened the door, circled his wand and said: “Decimus!” There was a whoosh and he was airborne up a shiny smooth sided oval shaft. A slight lurch landed him on a ledge. As he landed, he heard Draco’s ‘Decimus’ echoing up the shaft. Before he had fully opened the door, his lover landed behind him.
“That’s definitely an improvement on all those stairs, I wonder if it would work at Hogwarts?”
“If the moving stairs are anything to go by, you’ll probably land in a Gryffindor dorm when you wanted the Hufflepuff common room.”
“Slytherin would be all right though; we’d be coming up to classes.”
“Not really, imagine arriving in Astrology when you wanted History.”
“Not much difference, I slept through quite a few of those classes anyway.”
Someone knocked on the ordinary door. When Harry opened it there was Selwyn in his lictor garb. Resignedly Harry grabbed his regalia, put it on and followed his godson as far as the ceremonial door. This time the procession was fairly brisk and there were fewer onlookers. On the dais was an ornately carved wide wooden desk with the decorated chairs behind it – there was also a baroque perch for Fawkes, with him already ensconced and preening.
Draco got to sit between the phoenix and Harry, with their two spouses on the other side. As they faced down the hall, to their right was a bench on which the lictors sat and to their left was a large barred cage in which two disconsolate mages prowled.
From a seat in front of the cage Carlos stood and started: “My Lord Count, we apprehended these two satraps lurking within your precincts whilst we were carrying out our normal patrols, so we confiscated their wands, warded them and took them into custody.”
One of Carlos’s friends placed two wands on the magisterial desk.
“What proof do you have that they are satraps?” Harry was floundering around, realising he had to be seen as impartial, but sorely tempted to condemn them out of hand.
“They have the death brand incised into their forearms.”
Two of the patrol had grabbed the prisoner’s hands and turned their wrists so that the dark-mark was clearly visible.
“Are those black blots still active?”
“No, my Lord Count. We had your Ward-master cast a disablement charm around the tattoos.”
Probert stood: “I cast two temporary shields around their magical emblems, my Lord Count. Each ward acts as a barrier to any form of outside communication.”
“Thank you, Ward-master. What caused you to arrest the two prisoners, y’Azimbura?”
“They were hiding, but one of them made a slight noise and alerted us, so we went to investigate the sound. We discovered them concealed in a hollow beneath a number of scorched bushes.”
“Did you have any trouble arresting them?”
“No, my Lord Count; not once they realised that we had observed and surrounded them. They reluctantly emerged when requested, even going as far as to give up their wands voluntarily.”
“If they did not resist arrest why are they inside that cage now?”
“By their request, they wanted to feel safe.”
Harry looked at the two prisoners and they returned his glance.
“Is this true?”
“Yes, my Lord Count. We are hoping that you will be just and yet lenient.”
“I think you should tell me your names, don’t you?”
“Yes, my Lord Count; I am Adalbert Hoskins and my companion is Maximilian Scrope; we were really hiding from the Seignior. He promised to deal with us once he had conquered your people and was holder of this villa, because, he said, we had overlooked a very strong set of wards. We knew that his dealing with us was bound to be very painful and quite possibly fatal.”
“I see; please wait … Bindweed?”
“Yes, my Lord Count?”
“Do you recognise these two?”
“Yes, my Lord Count.”
“Please tell the court the circumstances of your meeting.”
“On the same day that you arrived to claim your inheritance, My Lord, they had already called and threatened to kill me if I didn’t give up the property to them. I was saved by their leader making their dark-mark glow green, thus recalling them.”
“Are you sure these are the Magicals concerned?”
“Yes, my Lord Count, absolutely sure.”
“Do you wish to challenge the Elf-steward’s word, either of you?
“We were not really threatening him, only telling him what the Seignior would do if he didn’t give up the villa voluntarily.”
“So, you agree that you were here then?”
“Yes, my Lord Count.”
“Do you also agree that your leader recalled you?”
“Yes, my Lord Count, he wanted our report immediately. Then he started to organise the takeover of the villa because he thought it was the softest option.”
“But it wasn’t a soft option was it?”
“No, my Lord Count; I imagine that you had put up some hasty preventative wards meanwhile. We doubt that that doddery old elf has enough magic left to make wards that strong or hold them open for us to enter, without us noticing something. To do so would have been quite painful”
“So was landing on those wards and tumbling off them into the thorn bushes,” Scrope added: “We decided that time in Azkaban was probably better than anything the Seignior would do to us. We’ve seen him Crucio people until they went mad. That was for lesser demeanours than getting him defeated yet again. He would be doubly angry because he was bald from the flames when he disapparated.”
*I bet that’ll hurt his pride,* Draco sent.
Harry hid his smile by pretending to read a document: “As you are on Italian territory, the British Wizengamot’s jurisdiction is not valid; therefore, Azkaban is not an option. As a mere magistrate I doubt I have the authority to imprison you permanently, but I can remand you in custody whilst I take advice. Do you have any further observations to place before me?”
“We were hoping to change sides; we’ve been becoming less and less enchanted with the Seignior’s promises. We never know when we’ll be paid, or even if we’ll have enough to eat sometimes.” Maximilian looked pleadingly at Harry.
*Don’t give in Harry.’*
*I wasn’t intending to, Tor.* “How do I know that you are genuinely remorseful? And not just saying things to get you off the hook because you have been caught.”
“I told you we should have come in voluntarily, Bert; but you would prevaricate.”
“Shut up, Millie. Think what we can do to prove we really have changed sides.”
The Seers tried hard not to titter at the ugly brute’s nickname – so unlike a female anyone could be.
“I think a little thought must be taken on both sides. Therefore, I shall remand you in custody until tomorrow … Bindweed do we have a suitable cell for them?”
“Yes, my Lord Count, in one of the annexes.”
Harry hid his surprise at more buildings by asking: “Is it warded against apparition and escape?”
“No, my Lord Count, but I’m sure your Ward-master can make it so.”
Probert stood again: “I’m positive that I can make it quite secure, my Lord Count; both from within and without.”
“Right, see to it then, please.” Harry turned to the two prisoners: “When did you last eat?”
“We ate our last biscuits yesterday evening, my Lord Count.”
Kreacher stood: “I will ensure that they have suitable victuals, my Lord Count.”
“Thank you, Reeve … Court adjourned until tomorrow.” Harry brought his gavel down on the desk with a sharp crack.
The seers could feel Fawkes’ approval through their joint acuity.
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