Harry Potter and the Children of the Clan

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Harry was sitting in his office at Hogwarts going through some papers. With all that had been happening he had fallen behind a little on getting ready to send out letters for the next class of first years. He was looking at some information on a group of triplets from Scotland that came from a mixed family but financial assistance was needed since it was three at a once. Triplets? That would prove interesting. He was interrupted by a knocking on his door.

"Harry, are you there?" the voice of Professor Vector called to him.

"Please come in, Professor."

His door swung open and the Professor entered, a sheaf of parchment in her hand. She was smiling.

"Here you are, Harry. The complete translation of that story Merlin had wanted you to read."

"So your friend is done?" Harry asked taking the offered sheets.

"Not everything, Harry. But we knew this was of particular importance so he did this one first. He said he triple checked it to make sure."

"Terrific. I'm assuming that we can trust this old fellow not to reveal this to anyone?" Harry asked, his eyes skimming the first sheet.

"I'm sure of that, Harry. He comes very highly recommended and quite frankly isn't of the mind to do anything but bury himself in his work. He lives in a very secluded villa in the north of Greece and doesn't come out unless someone goes to get him. That's what we had to do to get him here."

"Okay, I'll get right on this," Harry said.

Professor Vector nodded and left the room. Harry sat back and began to read.

***The family of man is young, but the land is old, old beyond imagining. In our short, fleeting lifetimes the land changes little, but in it's lifetime it has changed much, many times, and in ways that would confound the very wisest among us. But our wisest are not the only wise, nor the wisest of those that have lived on the land during its lifetime. In the same way it can be said that the most powerful among us were not the only powerful ones or the most powerful to walk the land. Nor was the power the same. If there is a story that tells us how we came to hold the power we do, it has been lost. But hold it we did, and do, and will through wand or staff, the chant and the potion.  

The other ones required no such aides and could, so we are told, work great works with a thought or gesture. But their power had limits for they could not go far from their high places or their powers would weaken and soon they would be no different than the weakest among us. But their high places commanded much of the land in those times and from those places they could control the land and those who make use of the land. Perhaps a way could have been traveled where those that lived in the shadow of the high places and those who dominated from the high places could have existed in proximity had it not been for the arrogance of the high ones.  

And they were not alone in their power and arrogance in the high reaches for there were also those who sought their places among the heights, for it was there that they found their lairs and rode the air upon their mighty wings. If the other ones and the winged ones strove in conflict with one another for their high places, the stories do not tell. And the winged ones did not impose themselves upon the affairs of the family of man unless times were hard and the great herds of beasts moved elsewhere and the winged ones had to hunt among what was ours. 

But arrogant were the ones who lived in the high places and their demands were many, and their offerings meager and few. And their numbers were few as well and the family of man came to resent these arrogant few and as the family of man grew ever larger and likewise the number who could work power, albeit with aides, also grew, the control of the high ones was threatened and they found the reach of their power was not enough. So they sought allies among the mundane of man, to beguile them with false promise and strange gifts and they deceived them into believing that those among them with power were to be feared and reviled and should be destroyed.