February slowly bled away into March. The castle was starting to pick up with stressed students as cram season started to peak up. However, in the stresses and daily activities that came with living in Hogwarts Castle, only one group of people was calm.
Clan Potter was preparing for war.
It was a common fact for those residing in Hogwarts. Once March came they stopped hiding their preparations. They made sure that the children of the Dark families knew just what they were going to be facing if they joined their parents. They saw what was able to be achieved if they all got along and came together.
It was clear that Voldemort stopped hiding his forces as well. Werewolf sightings were reported almost nightly.
Clan Potter could be seen coming and going between the Castle and the Forbidden Forest. He was often seen speaking with young Acromantula and Centaurs. He found out that a Manticore and a Chimera den dwelled deep in the forest. He was seen holding court with all manner of creatures that called the forest and surrounding land home.
Most people would've laughed at him or labeled him crazy if the Minister of Magic and Head of the DMLE weren't seen with him. He was receiving and sending correspondence with the French and Bulgarian Ministries as well.
What did Voldemort have? An army of hundreds of beasts and hundreds of wizards and witches who would use nothing but killers. He has his Inner Circle who each had killed hundreds of times before.
What did Harry Potter-Black-Greengrass have? The friendship of two gods. The rallied support of the Forbidden Forest, and all the creatures within. He was giving financial support to volunteers from two outside countries. He was bridging the cultural gap between muggle-borns, half-bloods, and purebloods. He had set into motion the training of Hogwarts Castle, and had transformed it once more into the mighty fortress of old.
And what did Hogwarts think about it? Well, after sleeping for nearly eight hundred years, wouldn't you be thankful for the wizard who was the cause of your waking up? Albeit the fact that it took her six years to wake up, Hogwarts was thankful.
The ambient magic surrounding Hogwarts thrummed with life. It sang with such life that Harry awoke one day to find something he didn't expect.
Harry and Daphne were curled up in their bed on the morning of Saturday, the twenty-ninth of March. They were only half asleep, laying in for the morning when a vaguely familiar song floated into their minds. Harry knew it from somewhere, but where? Ah, yes, it was the song of Fawkes.
Wait, Fawkes?
Harry opened his eyes to see the brilliant bird perched on his footboard. His song was one of love and trust, a song for Harry and Daphne.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked in a groggy voice as he looked at the Phoenix.
Fawkes leaned his head down, nipping at his feathers. He pulled a wand out of his wing. The wand itself was roughly fifteen inches long. The wood held dark, bulbous knots along the length. It held a single, small band of wide near the base of the wand. The band held black runes etched into it.
Harry knew the wand, his line knew the wand. It was made of Elder wood with a Thestral hair core. He knew that the wide band was made from the ivory of a Nundu horn.
"It seems that Death has deemed it time," Daphne said softly from her place on his chest.
She leaned off him, her hair falling down her naked shoulders. Her breasts were held by her bra, keeping them supported through the night. Harry leaned up with her, his eyes on the wand. "It seems that your right, Mo ghràdh," His voice sighed.
He reached out and wrapped his hand around the wand. As he touched the magical focus, he heard whispering voices. They told him the names of spells and flashed images in his mind. His Peverell ring showed on his hand as he held the wand. He felt his cloak calling to him.
He had been given a task by Death. It was time to return his artifact.
Daphne leaned against him, her head on his shoulder. "We'll do it tonight, Très cher," She told him as she took hold of his hand.
"Together," He told her.
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That night was a new moon, something they needed for that they had to do.
They found themselves deep within the Forbidden Forest at midnight. They were in a clearing surrounded by thickets. Harry was standing beside Daphne who held his invisibility cloak. His ring was securely on his finger, a tome of ages past in his hands.
He let out a sigh into the night as he held the Elder Wand in front of him. It was in the flat of his palm as if he was offering it to someone.
A circle of Gaelic, Germanic, Nordic, Greek, Egyptian, and Chinese runes was drawn in the grass in front of him. They were drawn in his blood, as they were once long ago.
He glanced down at the tome in his hand before chuckling lightly, "I don't need the chant, do I?"
His voice called into the night.
"You're ever-present. You, a being who can't truly interact with this plane but are always collecting from it. You convened with my blood a millennium ago, I ask that you do so again," He spoke out.
The night air thickened with the presence of something. The temperature dropped around them slightly, just enough for their breath to be visible.
A dark chuckle rang through the clearing, "You think you know what happened that night? Are you here to offer your soul to me as well? Or are you here to trick me once again?"
"You can't be tricked," Harry shrugged. "I've called you with an offer."
"And what could you offer me, young Peverell?" The voice echoed but also sounded like a whisper in their ears.
The air around them began to spin around the clearing, collecting in a wild swirl in the middle. The winds settled as they formed into a tall figure. Its body was covered in airy, billowing cloaks of the night sky. His hood covered its face.
"You tested three brothers who called you during a time when war ravaged the lands. They offered their souls but you tested them, knowing you would collect their souls one day," Harry told the cloaked figure simply.
"Antioch was given a wand and was tested if he could handle the power that came with it. The power drove him to hunger and he was murdered. Cadmus was gifted a ring that would allow him to call upon those of your plane if they were willing. His test was to use the ring in a way that bettered the world around him but he failed and only summoned his wife. It drove him mad.
Harry looked at the wand in his hand and then at the ring on his finger. He was silent for a moment as he turned to Daphne, a smile pulling at his lips. He shook his thoughts away lightly before turning back to Death.
"I come from Ignotus, who you gave part of your cloak. He was the only brother to pass his test as he used his gift to assist in bringing peace to our lands. He passed the cloak down through his son, then his granddaughter. Iolanthe married Hardwin and the tradition continued and became what it is today."
"You chose Ignotus and his line. We never knew why, and likely never will. It doesn't matter what our name might become. Our family motto is 'Honor Thy Blood', something that we'll always do. It means we'll always stand up for those who can't stand for themselves. It means that we'll always be here, no matter who or what tries to take over."
Harry held out the Elder Wand to Death, offering it back to him.
"We've been here and will continue to be here, but don't you think this has been around long enough? That it's put too many people in their graves?" Harry asked Death as he held the wand out to it.
The dark, echoing chuckle grew around them. It steadily turned into laughter as Death stared at Harry from under its hood.
"You are interesting, young Peverell. I have held your shoulder several times in your short life, yet you lecture and speak to me as if I'm your friend," It spoke in an echoed whisper.
Harry shrugged again, "Aren't you though? You've breathed on my neck in the past and will do so in the future. At the end of my time you'll collect me, so why should you be anything but my friend? You're feared and revered equally, but some of us do understand that you're only natural."
Death reached out with its skeletal hand, its boney fingers wrapping around the base of the Elder Wand. It became nothing but dust in its hand.
"I shall reward you a gift, Peverell. You have a companion of your own, shouldn't your wife have one?" The words of Death echoed in their ears as a serpent descended from its robes.
It moved down its arm and into his hand before pooling on the ground. Its dark scales looked black but were a deep purple. Its eyes were a piercing yellow as it looked at Daphne. Harry knew those eyes well, for they turned several into stone.
As he studied the snake's eyes he noticed that it had two sets of eyelids. He guessed that the inner lid changed their vision slightly, likely blurring it.
The Basilisk was only roughly four meters long. Harry estimated that it was just over half a meter in diameter. Its mouth opened slightly as it lifted from the ground. Its tongue flicked lightly, tasting the air. It rose higher still before leaning toward Daphne.
Her eyes were closed, had been since she saw the serpent pooled on the ground. She wasn't going to risk it being what it was. However, as she felt the serpent press its nose against her face, her ears heard its serpentine voice.
"Mate of a Speaker," side the soft hissing voice. "They who carry the seed touched by the Royal line, speak now with our ancient tongue. Share in the powers of old with your mate."
"Your companion will need a name, Lady Evanshade," The voice of Death whispered as he vanished.
Daphne looked at her husband, seeing the caring smile on his lips. His voice was a comforting hiss in her ears as he wrapped his arms around her. Her voice was unfamiliar on her tongue as she spoke.
She watched as a shiver ran down Harry's spine. A growl rumbled in his chest as he looked at her with liquid eyes.
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On the morning of Sunday the thirtieth, all of Hogwarts was gathered in the Great Hall.
Clan Potter was gathered at their respective tables for the morning, well, sort of.
Neville and Luna were sitting at the Ravenclaw table. Hermione was sitting with Draco at the Slytherin table. Blaise and Susan were at Hufflepuff. Seamus and his bunnies were at Gryffindor.
They were all glancing around for Harry and Daphne, wondering where they were. They hadn't shown for their morning rounds of training, which was usual.
They didn't have to wander where their friends were for long. The entire Great Hall could feel something coming. It was powerful and magic was gathering.
Every student, Professor, Ghost, and Poltergiest watched as the grand doors of the Hall were thrust open.
Harry and Daphne walked into the Hall, arms linked together. Tussisss was on Harry's right, with his wife on his left arm. However, only Hermione recognized the serpent on Daphne's left.
It was the same kind of serpent that haunted the school during their second year. Yet, there she was now, staring at one with nothing happening. She have Harry a frightened look, but he only gave her a slight shake of his head and assuring smile.
Harry was in his usual armor with his sword, however, the scales of his armor looked more pronounced. Daphne was wrapped in a flowing dress of purple and greens. Her hair was a waterfall of blonde tresses down her back and shoulders. Her face was framed by two strands of her hair, per usual.
Several people stood throughout the Hall, recognizing the power of Lord and Lady Potter-Black-Greengrass.
For as they stood before them all, they were nothing short of royalty.
============================
They joined Hermione and Draco at the table for snakes. It was fitting as their serpents followed them.
Draco, Hermione, and the rest of the Hall watched as the Slytherin students pushed away from the middle of the table. A spot was now cleared opposite the Malfoy-Granger couple.
Hermione was nervous about the Basilisk but her mind was calmed as she watched it blink. The snake seemed to sense her anxiety and showed its double eyelids.
"What's her name?" She asked in a whisper.
Daphne smiled as she sat down, "Her name is Sshasssk."
Harry sat next to her, a smile on his lips. The Selma and Basilisk were coiled slightly as they lay behind their masters. Their heads were raised just above the table.
"Where did you come across a Basilisk?" Draco asked as he sipped his goblet of milk.
"She was a gift from Death," Daphne explained as she excepted a plate of breakfast from Harry.
Hermione stared at her like she had grown two heads, "I'll need an explanation."
Harry shook his head with a shrug of his shoulders as he placed a silencing ward around them. He went on to explain to her the legend of The Three Brothers. Draco thought he was joking until he spoke of the brother with an invisibility cloak. Hermione had a sharp intake of breath and Harry only nodded at her.
He explained the truth of what happened all those many years ago before explaining how they convened with Death the night before. He explained how they were visited by Fawkes and how they were rewarded for returning the Elder Wand.