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
- 55
- 56
- 57
[Note: conversation =: “speech” & ‘thoughts’ & *telepathy* & #Parseltongue# & {telephone}]
~~~ DEPOPULATION ~~~
After lunch Dolores was invited to Chantry Cottage and the verbal fencing match continued as they walked there. An inquisitive John joined the group. They sat in the L shaped lounge with Carter serving coffee.
“Are you okay with the idea of the different races, Dolores?” Harry asked.
“Yes! Got that one now, thanks.”
“Okay! How about different talents?” Draco asked
“No problem with that – basic teacher stuff, really.”
“Okay! Now I’m going to stretch your different talents perceptions. Are you ready?”
“Yes! At least I think so.”
“What do you feel about snakes?” asked Harry.
“Not screaming frightened, if that’s what you mean. Cautious is a better description because some of them can be dangerous.”
“Okay! I guarantee this one is not dangerous,” Harry said calmly.
Draco produced a snake using a modified Serpensortia.
“Where did that come from? May I touch it, please?” Dolores was obviously intrigued.
“Go ahead.”
Dolores stroked Draco’s snake for a minute, admiring the colours of its scales. Slowly, in front of her eyes, Draco made it melt away.
“Wow! That was some illusion. Is your academy for conjurers and the like?”
“In a way yes, but in a way well off the mark. Ready for the next step?”
“I like this! This is fun. A bit scary, but fascinating.”
“Carter, please come here?”
Pop: Kreacher appeared in butler form and Dolores jumped. “Yes Master Harry?”
“Would you become Kreacher, please?”
“Are you sure, Master?” Kreacher eyed Dolores; trying to mime muggle-present.
“Quite sure, Kreacher.”
“Oh! Wow! That’s even better. Erm … How old are you Carter?” Dolores was smiling in delight.
“About a hundred-and-twenty, I think. My mother had difficulty counting. Please Mistress, use my proper name when I’m as I should be. It’s Kreacher, spelt with a K and I’m very proud of it.”
“A hundred and twenty? Are you quite sure? Most of us don’t get to be that old.”
“I think I’m well preserved, Mistress.”
“I hope I didn’t offend you?”
“No Mistress. With my two peculiar Masters, I’m used to anything by now.” Kreacher gave Harry and Draco a mischievous wink. “I hope your lesson is fruitful, Mistress.” Pop.
“He just disappeared! Was he real?”
“Yes. Not one of my illusions.” Draco answered.
“Okay! So you can do real neat tricks. I bet you were doing those fireworks at the dance when John blessed this house.”
“It was a couple of friends really. They’re better at that kind of thing; different talents again.” Draco smiled winningly.
“Accio broomstick.” Harry’s came at once to his hand. *Occludo wards*. “Dolores, please come outside?”
“Are you going to make that work for you? Something like the sorcerer’s apprentice story. My children love the Disney film and the wonderful music.”
“No I’m going to ride on it.”
“But you’re a man. Only witches are supposed to ride broomsticks.” Dolores eyes were alight in anticipation.
Harry did a few turns around the lawn and a couple of daring Quidditch moves.
“Where are the wires, Harry?” Dolores was grinning.
“Here, you find them.” Harry handed over his broomstick. “Care for a ride?”
Dolores felt all round Harry’s broomstick. “Erm … you won’t drop me will you?”
“Of course not, though I’ll have to charm you first, and you’d better wear this medallion.” Harry thought through the charms, directing them at Dolores, Draco’s thoughts joined Harry’s to increase their efficacy.
He sat on the broomstick and invited Dolores to ride pillion. They wobbled a bit at first, but once Dolores felt safer they did a few circuits of the house followed by careful aerobatics at Dolores’s behest, before landing.
“Gosh! That was fun. I don’t know how you did it, but it was great. So what has this to do with teaching and your degree?”
Harry led the way back inside: “My degree is in DADA, Defence against the Dark Arts. Draco’s qualification is in potions … Um … Magical medicines. That is what we teach. We use magic – proper magic – for many things. In a way we inhabit a parallel world and yet we have to interact with this one too. That big fireworks display hid an attack by practitioners of the dark way that would probably have wiped out the whole village. Our friends helped to disable the attackers and put them in prison. This cottage is under very special protection. Watch the sky outside for a minute.” Harry thought about removing the occlusion and it grew lighter again.
“Oh dear. How am I going to tell my pupils about this?”
“Probably never! You needed to know because you inadvertently saw the elves. Some of the farmers are aware too, as is Richard, John and probably Samantha. We entrust you with our secret, some of the villagers call it the old ways; we think it’s rather apt. Most of us are likely to live at least two muggle lifetimes. I’m not too sure about elves, but you saw how well Kreacher is, didn’t you?”
“What’s a muggle?” Dolores asked.
“We are, My Dear,” replied John. “Us normal non magical beings. The great majority of people throughout the world.”
“How did you find out John?”
“You know I’m a trained exorcist, don’t you?”
“Yes?”
“Well I have the ability to distinguish magical people. So the first time Harry shook hands with me I knew at once. Then we visited and confirmed our status.”
“So how many are you?” Dolores was looking excited.
“We’re very concentrated here, mainly because of Harry and his parents,” explained Draco. “Not so long back, there were many more magical families living here, but some died out and others moved away. I daresay that we could identify them in the parish records even back beyond the Rosmerta Nigrus of the plaque on the church wall.”
“Are you the good ones then? She must have been to have that commemoration.”
“We like to think we are. Like all people there are shades of light and dark.” Draco looked slightly worried, Harry mentally urged him on. “You see; I am a convert. My father is probably the evillest sorcerer around. He was a henchman of an even worse one that Harry killed in defence of us and the school. Many innocents were murdered by that brute and normal police methods were totally inadequate. He infected the whole Magical Ministry at one time making them to do things against their will. It was very difficult then.”
“You killed someone, Harry?” Both Dolores and John were aghast.
“Yes! And I still have nightmares about it. He sort of killed me first, but I was sent back. He tried again but I reversed his curse, so in a way he killed himself.” Harry looked drawn and mournful.
“Don’t let Harry denigrate himself. I know I shall get into trouble from him, but you’d better know. Harry is the greatest wizard since Merlin, but for him most of Europe would be smoking ruins and you’d all be abject slaves.”
“Bloody hell, Malfoy. Shut up!”
“Truth will out, Potter and we all love you to bits, too.” Draco hugged his lover, fiercely.
Harry could do nothing but stammer and blush.
“All that Draco says is quite true.” Hamish affirmed. “Harry, Hermione and Ronald are champions of racial equality too. That’s why there are us goblins and elves supporting him, plus a few more other sentient beings. Harry and Draco are a specially bonded pair; acting together they could do almost anything, not that they will because they keep each other in check.”
“Do we, Hamish?”
“So Albus’s portrait in Minerva’s office says. You ought to meet her, Dolores; she’s the headmistress of Hogwarts.”
Dolores looked puzzled: “Erm … How can a portrait speak; they’re just oils and canvas aren’t they.”
“Yes we are, but we’re imbued with special magical charms as well,” answered Uncle Travis from the wall. “It is another aspect of our parallel world. However, we are confined to the depictions made of us. I have three, this one here, one at Hogwarts and one in the library at Harry’s house in London. Unlike muggle portraits, where the personification can be duplicated ad infinitum, I can only be present in one portrait at any one time. The others will only show the background against which I was painted. I hope that helps.”
“It astounds me,” said John: “However I thought I saw you move a couple of times when I was here. Another time I thought Draco had installed a particularly nice highland scene. Now I know I was not hallucinating.”
“Gosh, that’s a neat trick. Is it a television?”
“No, My Dear Lady. In a way I’m a sentient being, but confined within the limits of my portraits. That door over there” The Duindhu pointed: “Leads to my library in London. If I go behind that tree on the edge of the frame I am in Harry and Draco’s living room at Hogwarts, they use it for private tuition as well.” Uncle looked at his two nephews: “That’s why I came. Minerva asked if you were available and I said I’d have a look for her. Are you?”
“Yes Uncle, ask her to come through.”
Uncle walked off behind the tree and a couple of minutes later the door opened and Minerva stepped into the room.
John got up from his seat and shook her hand. He returned to his seat shaking his head: “This all takes some getting used to.”
Minerva smiled sympathetically: “Even for me too. My two junior professors seem to have invented a new way of travelling. It’s instantaneous and without the dizzy problems of the other ways of moving around. Perhaps I should be introduced, Professors.”
Draco jumped up: “Sorry Headmistress that was remiss of me. Father John you have already met, however this is Dolores the Headmistress of the local junior school and organist at St Godric’s church. Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts Academy and Professor of Transfiguration.”
The headmistresses shook hands and sat.
“This is all very new to me, Headmistress; I was totally ignorant of your parallel world until this afternoon. Draco’s showed me some illusions; Harry’s had me riding on his broomstick, talking portraits and doors that lead to nowhere. It’s all very confusing.”
“I imagine it is, no doubt my professors had good reason to disclose it to you. In a way I’m pleased, they have pre-empted something I was going to ask them to do. You must call me Minerva when we’re private, like this.”
“Thank you, in return you must call me Dolores.”
Minerva caught her breath: “Err … Dolores?”
“Yes.”
Harry realised why Minerva was so shocked: “We had a teacher called Dolores, Dolores. She was a dark witch and into sexually torturing her students. That included Draco and I. She’s in prison now, thank Merlin.”
“Oh, yes, I see.”
Minerva smiled: Just for a moment I thought she’d escaped and transfigured herself. But your vibes are quite different and very positive.”
“What was that that you wanted, Minerva?” Draco reminded her before the two teachers went off in another direction.
“To warn the people in charge of the church school about possible magical disturbances, and to offer assistance when the youngsters show signs of inadvertent thaums. It seems that an increasing number of magely families are seeking accommodation here. The Griphooks and the Johnsons will be the vanguards, and fairly soon some of Harry’s contemporaries will be getting married.”
“You mean I will have to teach magic to the children, when I know nothing of the subject?” Dolores looked alarmed.
“Far from it! However, we do expect them to be fully literate and numerate and have a grounding in Latin. Harry was at a disadvantage, but the then Headmaster helped him.”
“Literacy and Numeracy are common goals, Minerva, but Latin?”
“Not to worry Dolores, I can help there,” John offered.
“Thanks, yes please. Why did you need to warn me, Minerva?”
“Because the magic matures at different rates in each individual; it starts to manifest when the child approaches puberty and magely children tend to be precocious.”
Dolores looked wary.
Harry chuckled: “My guardians were muggles and against magic. One day, Aunt Petunia cut my hair very short. I didn’t like it, whining and sniffling as young kids do. Nevertheless, off it came. The following day when I woke up my hair was as I wanted it. I was pleased and she was furious. It wasn’t as though I knew I was a mage then, but the emerging magic within me understood my needs. Another time I was being bullied by a group of boys, I was so scared that I wished I was somewhere else. And there I was sitting on the school’s roof. I was relieved and scared to be up there as well, because I didn’t know how it had happened. I have a godson who is a shape changer, even now his hair changes colour inadvertently and he’s not yet one.”
“Teddy is very special, Harry. Dolores will probably only meet one metamorphmagus in all her life. So don’t alarm her. Our aim, Dolores, would be to place someone on the staff in a minor role; someone who was able to deal with the occasional occurrences. They needn’t be a teacher they could be a domestic. However, you would know who to turn to, to sort out anything untoward before the muggle parents became alarmed. Of course we would pay that person’s salary.”
“Mmm … I see … So … Magical children are much the same as ordinary ones, except that, as they get older, the magic leaks out and does peculiar things. The usual teaching methods about numeracy and literacy apply plus all the usual personal development and awareness of their environment inputs; yes?”
“Quite correct, you may have an increase in numbers, because the mages intend buying houses from the present owners and younger families will be replacing older ones”
“So … Nothing to be too anxious about; another challenge but not too alarming. I’m looking forward to my first new pupils.”
“They’ll probably be Gallus’s children if they buy Willow Tree House,” added Hamish.
“Um … Why are you so sure that more families will be moving in here, Minerva? I hope it’s not this Potter admiration thing that’s going around. I get really pissed off by their smarmy attitudes. Even some of the Dumbledorians have caught a mild dose.”
Minerva chuckled: “There is an element of that Harry, it’ll die down. Much the same fuss was made of Albus when he defeated Grindlewald. Let me see … Luna’s article about your village wards was a contributing factor; add to that the Seignior’s raids on a number of isolated mages. More recently, one about the portals and their affinity to cabinets has mages thinking that they can live in a safe environment and port safely to their place of work … Mmm … Then there is rural depopulation to be taken into account.”
“Rural depopulation?”
“Yes, Harry, it started after the last world war,” John informed them, “The younger ones moved away to get better jobs in the cities, leaving aging parents in the countryside. Farming became more mechanised and did not need as many labourers. Now the aging parents are dying off. I take many more funerals than I do marriages and baptisms. There are at least two dozen houses for sale in the village. We have attracted a few people who thought a second holiday house in the dales might be a good idea, but that source seems to be drying up. So your people buying up houses here would be the saving of Godric’s Hollow and the village way of life.”
“Younger families here would boost the children attending the school. That might mean us remaining viable in the education department’s eyes.” Dolores looked pleased.
In the end Winky and Hyacinth served dinner to all of them, and the remaining Dumbledorians. In order to pay for all the food, the cottage’s kitchen was providing them, Draco and Harry’s friends had taken to buying in provisions via Dorothy’s good offices. Each day and night spent at the cottage one galleon per person was willingly donated. Justin looked after the fund quietly, so much so that neither seneschal was aware of the secret input. Not that the pair of them really made any enquiries, having set up a fund for Reeve Kreacher to administer they left him to it.
Said Reeve popped into the room: “The Family Griphook,” he announced.
“Harry, Draco, we got the house,” greeted Gertie, who then introduced Ganymede’s younger sisters to the company. “We move in just before Harvest Home. Isn’t that wonderful? There are apple trees whose fruit we can use for the decorations in church and maybe other stuff too.”
“And the pool has goldfish in it!” squeaked one of the Griphook daughters.
Gallus smiled indulgently at his small daughter. “More importantly Mages; we must thank you for rescuing Ganymede and being seniors for his bonded brothers. That makes you the equivalent of their godfathers, you know.”
The men shook hands, but the wife and daughters hugged and kissed them. Both Harry and Draco were highly flustered by the show of female affection.
Gallus looked at John: “Vicar, thank you for the offer of blessing our new house. The Thursday you mention would be suitable.”
“I had tentatively mentioned it to my servers, so we’re all set up. Welcome to my parish of St. Godric all of you.”
“Thank you,” Gallus looked around the room: “May I invite you all to our house blessing on Thursday next? I’m afraid it won’t be as grand as yours, Harry. I’m quite happy not to have the same kind of fireworks that you had. Minerva’s clerical-elf says you have a group tutorial booked at the same time.”
“We know we would like to come to yours, thank you for the invitation,” Draco answered. “We’ll have a chat to the students concerned in the tutorial and see what they think.”
“If it’s any help, they would be welcome too.”
Harry had looked in his diary. “It’s the Smiling Ones, Our elf-assistants, Tracey and you, Draco. There’ll be no problem with them, I should think.”
Hamish, who had been sitting nearby, smiled. “Those five are a little dismissive of muggles, so it would do them good to see a serious ceremony with humans involved.”
“Three of them have their regular lesson on Monday so I’ll ask them then,” Harry put in. “No doubt Mordant will go along with whatever arrangements his other three friends make.”
~~~ MONDAY ~~~
They ported to their apartment in time for school as usual. That afternoon, at the end of the seventh-years lesson, Harry asked the three Smiling Ones to stay behind. As the other class members left he noticed Mordant waiting outside the door for his friends. Harry beckoned him in.
“It’s about Thursday evening’s group tutorial,” Harry began, watching their eager faces fall into disappointment. “We’ve been asked, that is you four, Tracey, Draco, myself and our two assistant elves, to attend a blessing of a house in Godric’s Hollow. A great friend who works for Gringotts bank has just bought a house and is moving in. There’ll be a mixed congregation of muggles, mages, goblins and elves and our vicar friend John will conduct the short service.”
“Is that the clueful vicar everyone’s talking about, Professor?”
“Knowing the Hogwarts rumour mill, yes; I imagine it is, Septimus.”
“Ooh! Can we use your portal too?”
“Most definitely, Honorius! There’s no point in going through apparition dizziness to get there any longer. Is there?”
“Is it really golden framed and glowing?”
“No, it isn’t, Crassus. Why not come along now to our rooms and see it?”
“Does it hurt to go through?”
“Mordant, there is only the slightest of tingles.”
Draco was already in the Green Ladies Room when Harry and his four followers arrived; Phealey and Pullet were hanging around, too. Harry thought Mordant was a little disappointed at the ordinary looking cupboard, so he took the party for a quick stroll towards the church. As they passed they were intrigued by Bagshot Cottage, remarking about it being the residence of the author of ‘A History of Magic’. As could be expected, John saw them and came out to greet them. As he was introduced, the usual first-time tingle took place and the Smiling Ones jumped as they shook hands.
“What was that, Professor?” Septimus asked, shaking his hand in the air.
“I suggest you go and look in your copy of ‘Rites of Priests and Wizards’ when you get back. I’d like a two-page essay on your conclusions from all of you, on what is necessary when the proponents first enter each other’s houses, plus the correct first drink ceremony. You can also describe the attributes of a priest who would give that tingle. You may collaborate, but I need to see separate essays by Thursday afternoon, before we leave to come here. Okay?”
“YES PROFESSOR.” The Smiling Ones looked slightly subdued; in compensation Harry took them to see the Rosmerta Nigrus commemorative plaque inside Saint Godric’s chapel.
They were not too late back, Harry apologised to the student whose tutorial it should have been, and conducted that and another shorter one in order to be ready for dinner.
~~~ ASSISTANTS ~~~
Late on Tuesday evening, after a squeaky session in bed, Harry remarked to Draco on how well their two assistants were doing.
“Yes, Lover. Both of them attend at least one potions lesson for each year. It’s like a crash course in two subjects, because I know they attend one session or another of all your DADA ones too. On top of that, the increase in their reading abilities astounds me. Maybe we should put them forward as fit to do OWL’s this December coming and NEWT’s in June next year. Just in the two subjects, mind.”
“Good idea, they’ll have tutor qualifications if they get through. It’d be good to have some elves in teaching posts.”
“They do that unofficially in my classes, anyway. They have the kind of mind that understands what the ancient potions writer was intending. Phealey’s helped Neville no end. And then, when I’m starting to grow short tempered, Pullet seems to sense it and goes to help the floundering student before my outburst becomes too vocal.”
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