Random thought: How good is Admiral Richardson's John Wayne impression? Because I get the feeling when Harry actually meets Bill and learns he's from the Wild West, he'll immediately think a cowboy would be the best costume for Uncle John next Halloween.
Random thought: How good is Admiral Richardson's John Wayne impression? Because I get the feeling when Harry actually meets Bill and learns he's from the Wild West, he'll immediately think a cowboy would be the best costume for Uncle John next Halloween.
Keeping in mind that the Winters Network and Jezabel de Breuil/Delilah de Breuil are Lord K's creations, this is how I see the Winters Network:
The History of the Winters Network
The Winters Network dates back to the 1840-50s as an outgrowth of the abolitionist movement in the Northern US that also resulted in the Underground Railroad that sent freed slaves to Canada. Originally it was an ad-hoc group of like-minded individuals drawn predominantly from the 'upper crust' of American wizarding society (especially in the North) who were in the main friends, classmates, or acquaintances of David Potter, Jezebel de Breuil, and others, who gathered to talk about the issues of the day in MACUSA and also discuss the trends that they saw happening in the nomaj USA as the Slavery Issue came to full boil. As part of this and to impress their friends during the meetings, some informal gathering of gossip and intelligence was conducted, alongside 'do-gooder' activities such as raising funds to help escaped slaves, paying privateers such as Jacklyn Fox to raid the slave trade, and funding lobbying efforts in the magical community (and eventually the non-magical community especially in the 'upper crust' in New York and Boston).
The American Civil War was the primary impetus for the change from social club to secret network as MACUSA (which at this point was heavily influenced by some conservative families with covert interests in the slave trade/Southern agriculture similar to the 1830-50s USG) resorted to increasingly heavy-handed attempts to keep the magical population clear of the 'nomaj war'. This resulted in the Winters Network going semi-underground, with some founders such as David Potter taking up Union Blue secretly to fight for what he believed in. Others like Jezabel de Breuil stayed at home and coordinated covert actions to gather intelligence from the Confederacy and pass it along to where it could do the most good, either using wizards in the Union Armies, or leaking it to the more radical 'active action' groups such as Rappaport's Exiles.
In addition, Jezabel gathered evidence of the covert ties between elements of the Planter Aristocracy of the antebellum South and some prominent southern MACUSA families that dominated the government to prepare for the 1866 elections. Eventually, starting in 1864-65 with the war clearly tipping to the Union and victory a matter of time, she acted by leaking the expose to two prominent magical newspapermen of her acquaintance for publication.
Desperate to shore up their crumbling power base, MACUSA ordered a crackdown on the fringe elements visibly supporting the Union, such as Rappaport's Exiles. This backfired when the war ended, Lincoln was assassinated (which sent shockwaves of fear through the magical community who feared witch hunts), and more evidence of MACUSA's actions shielding the South came into light. The worry among Magical America was that if the nomajs found out that MACUSA had supported slavery implicitly, they would be lumped in with the revanchist Confederate elements (that formed the first Ku Klux Klan in the 1860-70s).
This produced a groundswell of support for the more liberal and anti-Slavery wing of MACUSA that led to the downfall of the Southern-dominated conservative government of MACUSA in 1866. The result was a change in MACUSA Presidents and the new elections swept the Liberals into power. Along with that came a mandate to try to avoid being caught unawares by trends in the nomaj world that could result in the magicals being guilty by implication. Along with this, a general pardon was issued to magicals who covertly fought in the ACW.
One of the steps they took was to try to avoid the near-miss of the breaking of the SoS that the Civil War was with the Magical Secrets Act of 1867 which established a sub-unit of the Corps of Aurors called the Magical Intelligence Bureau, later just known by its initials as MIB to handle 'necessary actions to prevent major SoS breaks' and also 'monitor trends in the nomaj government' to prevent another ACW catching magicals by surprise. MIB had as the first Assistant Director one Jezabel de Breuil (not coincidentally) who brought in several of her top agents including Emily Dickenson to help form the new bureau. Later upon their graduation from Ilvermorny in 1872 Delilah de Breuil and Louise Winona were assigned as junior agents under the direction of another member of MIB in Agent Emily Dickenson ('coincidentally').
The period 1866-1908 was in a lot of ways the 'golden age' of MIB. Thanks to more enlightened leadership at the top of MACUSA, some covert actions to arrange support on key votes, and equally strong and far-seeing leadership such as Red Cloud in certain Native American tribes who worked in partnership with MACUSA to keep certain things sealed plus the partial discrediting of the more reactionary and isolationist elements, the settlement of the Wild West was accomplished with a minimum of major trouble and several key sites of power such as the Black Hills, Cahokia, and Superstition Mountains were protected from nomajs Messing With Things That They Should Not. This was a combination of official reservations run and known by MACUSA, some covert actions to get the nomaj US Government to take certain actions such as the formation of the National Parks, and some 'off the books' actions such as Delilah and Louise acquiring a key chunk of the Black Hills and the revolver being sworn to guardianship of same.
Meanwhile the Winters network acted as an informal and secret branch of MIB as Jezabel used them as a trusted secret cadre inside MIB as Assistant Director (1866-1881) and then Director (1881-1896). In addition, being a very farsighted witch, Jezabel buried a clause in an amendment of the Magical Secrets Act (passed in 1885) that allowed a person who had served as director who added assets to open cases 'to assist in their resolution' to also classify said assets under the classification level of the original case. Finally, the case could only 'be declassified by the Director who generated it or their delegated successor'. What this meant minus the legalese was that agents of the Winters network could be sworn to a Unbreakable Oath of secrecy by Jezabel (as Director responsible for the CYAN CLOVER case) even if their actions only helped deal with a jiangshi on the loose in 1884 San Fransisco on paper since that case has never been resolved. Officially.
The combination of Jezabel's strong and principled leadership, plus her towering reputation as one of the titans of early MIB (similar to J. Edgar Hoover in the FBI, Allan Dulles in the CIA, or 'Wild Bill' Donovan for the OSS) resulted in her casting a long shadow over the organization even after she stepped down at the conclusion of her 15 year term. Unfortunately for her, Emily Dickenson (who Jez had hoped to pick as her successor) had died, and neither Delilah nor Louise were senior enough to make a serious run at the top slot.
Instead, the Winters network shifted focus under the next two Directors to act as an independent and more separate group reality checking MIB while also covertly supporting civil rights groups like the NAACP and NRA on the nomaj side of the fence and matching Indian rights and Magical Beasts rights organizations in the US magical world.
This, however, took a blow during the Great Sasquach Rebellion of 1892. While not MIB's fault (rather Irene Kneedander, head of the Body of Protection of Magical Species's heavy-handed crackdown triggered it), this did stall plans to undermine Rappaport's Law and revitalized the more conservative and isolationist elements in MACUSA. It also forced the Winters Network to play the extremely long game. A further personal tragedy for Delilah was that her friend Louise was killed during the revolt by a band of Sasquach as she shielded a refugee camp in Montana.
Meanwhile Delilah acted as an Agent and then Special Agent of MIB, rising through the bureaucratic ranks while serving the Winters Network. The combination of her considerable talents as an Auror, family ties to one of the legendary founders of MIB, and known friendship with President Theodore Roosevelt (who she had met in the 1880s in the Dakota Territory and then stayed in touch with through her membership in Boone and Crockett, presence in upper-crust New York social circles, and common interest in big-game hunting) allowed her to stay on the books as an agent even though she was past the normal age of retirement. Supposedly she had an accident with Temporal Magic which 'froze her' in a classified operation during the Ghost Dance of 1890. Also Delilah was instrumental behind the scenes in getting 'certain locations' added to the National Parks (specifically Wind Cave in South Dakota, Crater Lake in Oregon, and Mesa Verde in Colorado*) thanks to her personally lobbying Theodore Roosevelt to add them for 'cultural reasons' to preserve them.
*Respectively an entrance to the Lakota Underworld, a place where a magical battle involving the spirits Llao and Skell blew up Mount Mazama (located at the junction of several major ley lines), and some of the kivas in Mesa Verde are sealed for very good reasons...
World War I alerted the Winters Network to the dangers of European troubles slopping over and the follies of isolationism. As a result, some efforts were made to at least be aware of events overseas before they landed on American shores, although the bulk of the efforts of MIB were directed internally to the fallout of the magical side of the Zimmermann Telegraph. In 1927, the Winters Network got a major break when Colombe met Delilah and agreed to provide her sister with her observations from Europe in their regular correspondence. The worsening situation in the 1930s and memories of how WWI had directly impacted America resulted in MIB contingency plans being drawn up to assist Magical Great Britain and France when the dimensions of Grindlewald's threat were apparent by 1939.
Likewise, the Winters Network began to beef up recruitment and training of their agents while continuing to play the long game of preparing for the fall of the SoS after the near-misses of the ACW and WWI. For the Winters Network, it was not a matter of 'if' the SoS would fall, but 'when and under what circumstances' since WWI was another near-miss that clearly could have blown the masquerade wide open. To that end plans were drawn to try to arrange a 'soft landing' for the inevitable day and more ties were planned between the Magical and Nomaj worlds.
Events took their own turn on December 7th, 1941 when Kamo's magical Diet struck MACUSA assets in the Pacific alongside Pearl Harbor. This caught MIB and the Winters Network totally by surprise since they had been concentrating on events in Europe. While the contingency plans were immediately activated and MIB joined the effort against Grindlewald immediately, the Pacific was quite a bit more ad-hoc and took time to get organized. MIB took a page from the British magical war effort and arranged to be 'on the books' as a branch of OSS after Delilah and Jezabel had a long and covert talk with Wild Bill Donovan when he was establishing the proto-OSS in the COI. As a result of this action, certain MIB agents got effectively bureaucratically added to the nomaj books as FBI and OSS/CIA agents which allows Delilah to have a covert presence in the nomaj world.
For the Winters Network, their lobbying and intelligence gathering efforts were back-burnered during WWII, although the flood of patriotic magical volunteers looking to 'get Kamo and Grindlewald' allowed them to recruit a new cadre who believed as they did. Furthermore, the abuses of both Grindlewald and then Kamo's governments (alongside the no less sickening actions of the SS and Unit 731) created a new impetus for the survivors of Magical WWII to Do Something about MACUSA's less-than-stellar civil rights issues (parallelizing the Rl Civil Rights Movement). They had stared into the abyss and did not like what they saw. Rumors and reports of similar atrocities behind the Iron Curtain and the dawn of the Cold War in the 1950s further changed the outlook in Magical America alongside the Truman and Eisenhower Administrations.
The result was the dismantling of Rappaport's Law in the 1960s along with additional liberalizing efforts. While full civil rights for non-humans were a bridge too far for MACUSA, the steady erosion of some of the worst laws continued apace, as the Winters Network covertly assisted civil rights groups on both sides of the fence with funding, contact with other like-minded individuals, and information to help persuade key figures to listen and keep chipping away at the infrastructure that would do damage when the SoS fell.
Likewise, inside MIB, the Winters Network acts as a mechanism to try to remove the worst/most abusive agents before they can do too much damage to the organization, leak covert information gathered to where it can do the most good, and generally act as a 'loyal opposition' to immoral policies. It has also taken a few 'off the books' deniable operations to clean up messes if it is absolutely required, such as securing the Sleeper's Tomb in 1942.
Overseas, the Winters Network maintains unofficial ties with like minded individuals such as Dumbledore, Colombe, and (after the Hunt for Norimune) Chisuheri and Norimune. These are one part information gathering/transmission, one part financing (JNHRO will be getting a large donation from the Winters Network after Delilah talks to Chisuheri), one part technical aid (shipments of Owl Boxes, Vanishing Cabinets, and it is likely that one of the drug smuggling submarines DEA confiscated in the 1990s might make its eventual way to JNHRO for use to supply the Reserves, along with 'surplus' MIB gear), and one part networking (if JNHRO needed an expert smuggler, the Winters Network would steer Jacklyn their way).
A smile on her face, Mie looked over at Haruto and shook her head before wagging a finger, "No, Haruto-Kun. Besides which..." Taking a board in one hand, she easily snapped it in half, "You have done far more than enough."
With another sigh, Haruto sat back and watched as the Inugami continued to stoke the small stove which would heat the water in the furo for their bath, "Somehow, it does not feel that way. And while I was hurt, it was not that bad. And I am fine now."
Mie giggled a bit as she looked over her shoulder at him, "Be that as it may be, there is nothing for you to help with right now. Also, you were the one who enlarged the needed wood so that we could burn it to heat the water." Standing up, she walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder while softly smiling, "Let the rest of us take care of this."
Before he could say anything, they were interrupted by another voice, "And what is going on here?"
Still smiling, Mie looked up at Hachimitsu before gesturing at the blushing teen, "Just Haruto-Kun feeling like he has not done enough for us."
Rolling her eyes, the Kitsune shipgirl reached over and flicked his ear, "You've done enough. Now just sit back and relax while letting us pamper you."
Lightly blushing even as he rubbed his ear, Haruto sighed, "Fine, fine. I still feel like I am taking advantage of you all."
That got him more eyerolls, though the expressions were fond on the faces of the two girls. As Mie walked back to the stove and continued to stoke it, Hachimitsu sat down next to their boyfriend and gave him a kiss before pulling back, "Look, Haruto-Kun? We wouldn't even be able to do much for the bath except for you." Sitting down next to him, she leaned into his body, "So just relax..."
With a sigh, the Healer wrapped one arm around the Kitsune, "I suppose so." Looking at the boards, he snorted some, "Who would have thought that tongue depressors would be that useful for bathing."
Hachimitsu shrugged some even as she cuddled more into his side, "Well, you need to get rid of the used ones somehow, might as well make use of them doing so."
Tone dry, Haruto looked at her, "Yes, while using magic to increase the size of the wood to be burned." Giving a shrug, he shook his head, "Though it does work."
With a hum, Mie tossed more wood inside before tossing a small cup of fuel oil and lighting it on fire. Closing the grate, she watched as the fire began to burn, "And it works very well, which I am thankful for. Besides which, everyone is thankful to you for making sure that we have enough wood to burn for what we need to, Haruto-Kun."
A light blush sprang up on his face as she looked at him with a smile on her face. It was not untrue as he often used his magic to help out by increasing the amount of food or fuel that the reserve had access to. However, his blush deepened as Hachimitsu stood up and hauled him to his feet, "Great! Let's get ready for our bath."
Sighing, Haruto gave her a knowing look, "You're just excited because I'm the one that is going to have to brush out your tail and get it all dry afterwards. Same with your Nee-Sans."
Just winking, Hachimitsu snapped her fingers, "Not to mention Mie-Chan and Ichika-Chan's tails. Which they're looking forward to just as much."
Eyebrow raised, the teen looked towards the only one of the two Inugami that were there. Unable to look at him as she blushed, Mie cleared her throat, "I... will not deny that such a thing would be rather nice."
Both Hachimitsu and Haruto smiled at that and lightly chuckled.
Several minutes later found them in the washroom where the bath was located. While not exactly a small bath, it was also not a huge one. Humming, Haruto rubbed the soapy cloth onto Ichika's back. "How's that?"
Glancing over her shoulder, the Inugami nodded and smiled, "Feels nice, Haruto-Kun."
As he nodded, Haruto felt a tap on his shoulders and looked over to see Haruhime there with a smile of her own. The Kitsune held up a soapy cloth of her own, "Want me to wash your back, Haruto-Kun? Then you can do mine."
Lightly laughing, he nodded, "I don't mind that, Haruhime-Onee-Chan."
Blushing as she began, Haruhime snorted though there was a slight smile on her face, "Still calling us Onee-Chan even though we're boyfriend and girlfriends."
Now it was Haruto's turn to lightly blush, "Bad habit due to years of calling you that. Besides..." He gave her a raised eyebrow, "Do you really mind all that much?"
It was not the expected Kitsune who answered him though. Rather, Mikage who brought over a bucket of warm water was the one who did so, "No, we don't mind too much, Haruto-Kun." Smiling softly at him, she giggled a bit, "We don't mind at all." Her attention than went to examining her boyfriend's body, "Hmm... your bruises are mostly gone, that's good." Mikaga then brought up a finger and lightly traced along his ribs, which got a shiver from him, "And it looks like your cracked rib is better. Thank the Kami that we have some potions as well as our own Medi-Wizards and Witches on board."
Slowly nodding, Haruto made a sound of agreement. Moments later though, he blushed as Haruhime spoke up, "Okay, once I'm done with his back, you can do his hair, Mikage-Nee." Once they were all cleaned and washed off, the group entered the tub. As he sank down into the water, Haruto sighed, "Ah, now that feels good."
From where she was in the cramped tub, Hachimitsu nodded, "Hai, hot baths are always nice to just soak in." Turning her attention to him fully, she frowned slightly, "How are you feeling, Haruto-Kun?"
Lips twitching into a smile, he only shook his head, "As I've told you before, I'm fine. Pretty much everything is healed up, so I'm not worried."
However, she only frowned more which made him wonder. Eventually, she spoke up, "Haruto-Kun? Do you ever miss it?" At his look of confusion, Hachimitsu continued, "Your home?"
One eyebrow raising, Haruto gave her a look, "I am home, with all of you."
Needless to say, the flushed cheeks on the five Yokai's faces were not just because of heat. Huffing a little, Hachimitsu looked away, "Saying such things..." With a deep breath, she turned back to him, "You know what I mean."
The Healer did not say anything right away but eventually sighed, "Do I miss home? My soft futon in my bedroom in our family home? Otou-San and Okaa-San? Yeah, I sort of do to some extent. But you know what?"
Voice soft, Mie spoke up, "But what?"
Lips curling into a smile, he chuckled and reached over to pat her shoulder, "I would not trade this, what we have, for anything. And I promise, one day, I'll take you all to my family home."
Chewing her lips, Haruhime gave him an unsure look. "You're positive of that? Considering that according to you, that bastard, Ichiro, is positive that he is going to be family head..."
Only looking out through the window, Haruto chuckled, "What he believes and what happens is two things entirely." Turning back to the Yokai, he just smiled, "So I wouldn't worry about it too much."
With a hum, Ichika nodded as she stretched which, to amusement, caused her boyfriend's eye to trail to her, "Yeah, all that stuff is in the future and isn't something that we should be too worried about yet." Shifting, she moved herself some and captured Haruto's lips with her own for several seconds before pulling back, "Let's just live in the here and now."
Frowning, Mie shook her head, "I'll admit that I am a bit concerned with meeting your parents... if we ever do get the chance to do so."
Mikage laughed some and shook her head before waving her off, "I wouldn't be too concerned. Both of them are good people and have no issue with Yokai. Trust us, we know them."
That got her nods from the other two Kitsune and soon the conversation turned to other matters as they soaked in the furo.
Unnoticed by them, Haruto glanced outside once more at a nearby fencepost where a bird sat, a slight smile on his face.
Hundreds of miles away, his father smiled a bit as his shikigami listened in on the conversation. He could have had it move closer, but that would mean that it would likely be able to see his son's girlfriends in the buff. Despite how beautiful they were, that would be going too far. No, let them keep their privacy as he watched over them with pride. A soft giggle made him turn to where his wife was, "Oh, I'm so happy that they got together, Husband."
Lips curling upwards, he laughed and nodded, "As am I, though I had been wondering when our son would clue in on how they felt and how he felt as well. And Mikage-Chan is right, I do approve of them and I know that you do as well."
With another soft giggle, his wife of many years nodded, "Hai, and just imagine how adorable the children will look." Humming, she tilted her head to the side, "Soft, fuzzy ears and tails is what I am hoping for."
Nodding, her husband only nodded before his smile fell away and he sighed, "I wish that I knew what I could do with Ichiro. That boy is shameful... beating his younger brother like that."
Tears gathering in her eyes, his wife came closer to him and leaned into him, "Where did we go wrong with our son? That he would do such horrible things as he has? And the fact that we are..."
His own eyes closed, her husband kissed the top of her head, "I know, Aoi-Chan. But I cannot see any other way because he refuses to clean up his act and actually become honorable. Perhaps it was because he fell in with a crowd at Mahoutokoro, or maybe it is something that I did. But... I cannot feel like such a man is our son. Not anymore." With a sigh, he looked every bit his decades of life as a single tear dripped down his cheek, "It is only the fact that he has friends in the Diet who would come to his aid and that Haruto would be caught in the crossfire that keeps me from such. As it is... did you do as I asked?"
Slowly, Aoi nodded with her own grief stricken look, "Hai, I spoke with those Kyoto and some of our allies, Hiashi-Kun. I wish that I could think otherwise, but in case we somehow died before we can make our decision openly, they will accept that Haruto-Kun is the Heir and Clan Head. By that time, the Diet will be gone, a dark shadow in the past."
Gently, Hiashi kissed his wife before burying his face in her hair, "I, too, wish that things were different." Pulling away, he gestured at the mirror from which showed what his Shikigami was seeing and from which the sounds that it heard also issued from, "But let's leave such things aside and watch our true son. After all, we can tease him about such things, especially with continuing the clan."
Wiping her eyes, Aoi smiled, "That does sound good. Besides which, I am already planning the wedding."
That got her a laugh from her husband and the two turned back to the display from the Shikigami, smiling softly.
Random thought: How good is Admiral Richardson's John Wayne impression? Because I get the feeling when Harry actually meets Bill and learns he's from the Wild West, he'll immediately think a cowboy would be the best costume for Uncle John next Halloween.
*Three weeks later, in the Admiral's office*
*Nagato reads text she just received*
"EEEEEEEE!!! Mutsu's pregnant again! With QUADRUPLETS this time! I'm going to be an auntie FOUR MORE TIMES OVER! EEEEE!!!"
*Kongo - who is in the office - gives Goto puppy eyes* Admiral Goto: *Can pretty much read her mind* Uh-oh...
*Three weeks later, in the Admiral's office*
*Nagato reads text she just received*
"EEEEEEEE!!! Mutsu's pregnant again! With QUADRUPLETS this time! I'm going to be an auntie FOUR MORE TIMES OVER! EEEEE!!!"
*Kongo - who is in the office - gives Goto puppy eyes* Admiral Goto: *Can pretty much read her mind* Uh-oh...
*Three weeks later, in the Admiral's office*
*Nagato reads text she just received*
"EEEEEEEE!!! Mutsu's pregnant again! With QUADRUPLETS this time! I'm going to be an auntie FOUR MORE TIMES OVER! EEEEE!!!"
*Kongo - who is in the office - gives Goto puppy eyes* Admiral Goto: *Can pretty much read her mind* Uh-oh...
I will note that Jane outright stated that she was going to get "All her Mamas" which would be Mutsu, Hiei, Jintsuu, and Arizona. And Mutsu seems to be edging that way as Hiei has been sleeping in the same bed as her and John, while also smirking thoughtfully towards Arizona and Jintsuu...
When Dreadnought and Kongo don't bring up the fleet ending, who is going to override them? Victory? She is having a grand old time preventing Dumbledore from owning Hawaiian shirts. Mikasa? She'll agree with what her daughter does.
When Dreadnought and Kongo don't bring up the fleet ending, who is going to override them? Victory? She is having a grand old time preventing Dumbledore from owning Hawaiian shirts. Mikasa? She'll agree with what her daughter does.
Yeah, pretty much yeah. The whole thing varies from shipgirl to shipgirl. For example, Yonehara and Ashigara is another example. And not all Admirals get together with shipgirls, such as Shimada (Kure), Williams (Seattle) and the like.
As an aside, I came across an English cover for the Vocaloid song "Senbonzakura". For those wondering, despite the beat the lyrics are somewhat dark due to describing the issues that came with Westernization of Japan in the Meiji Restoration right up to WWII. Oddly, it is also a good fit for the magical side of things as well:
Ah yes, Senbonzakura, the song that I best remember as being the missing track from the Korean version of Project Mirai DX, as well as being one of the two songs from the downloadable demo (which meant that Korea got a alternate demo with World is Mine instead).
Antonio Stradiverius Potter hefted the case of his violin and sang Mozart's Non più andrai from Le Nozze di Figaro in an a capella counterpoint to the birdsongs from the woodlot to his right. The day was not too hot, the walk from the bus station in the village of Ath four kilometers distant had been pleasant enough through the fields, and the added dash of mystery added a little spice to the trip.
He reached into the pockets of his traveling suit and touched the carefully folded receipt that he had found nine days prior when he returned to his temporary lodgings. One of the young ladies who had treated him out to dinner in Paris had slipped it into his coat pocket without him knowing, although he had suspicions as to who had signed it with three eighth notes ABA in D-flat after the directions to her residence.
His happy smile widened a touch as he thought of a young lady with dark hair, pale skin and mahogany eyes behind her glasses as they discussed chordal progression over dinner. She certainly had the interest in music that was his life's blood, although her younger sister the blonde seemed to share that interest, judging from her contributions to their conversation. Certainly when the discussion drifted to Wagner, the blonde contributed several insights in the use of leitmotif.
He smiled at the sight of a street sign and turned off the Rue Lucien Raulier to his right to proceed along the Chemin du Chasteler. As he followed the road into the woods, he felt more than heard a low buzzing that produced an unseen breeze gently pushing him away.
Anti-Muggle Wards? Turned down of course, but....
His smile widened a hair as the pressure built and then eased as he walked down the road past an ornate iron gate set between pillars engraved with heraldic arms. The road, apparently a private driveway, took a turn and he heard the sound of someone speaking in German ahead of him
"Siebenundneunzig, Achtundneunzig, Neunundneunzig..." A female voice counted off time like a metronome as he came into sight of the stable house to his left. A rather battered and dented Volkswagon Golf was parked in front, with a slender girl using it as an exercise aid. Her booted feet were propped on the front of the hood, elevated well above her torso as she did a set of one hundred one-handed pushups on the gravel of the driveway.
Tony paused to admire the lithe, pantherish form of the girl. While he had seen her before at dinner in Paris, her clothing had hidden the whipcord muscles that her black T-shirt and trousers revealed. Sweat-soaked blonde hair concealed her face as she finished the pushups and then slammed both hands to the gravel. She expelled her breath with a huff and thrust her torso up with both hands, her legs kicking the front of the car to cause her to backflip to her feet.
"My apologies. I did not expect you to arrive so soon from the gate." Steel blue eyes examined him clinically as she gathered her wheat-blonde hair into a ponytail. "Tony, Ja?"
Tony nodded. "I am Antonio Potter, yes. I see you remember me from Paris." Tony noticed a black and silver dagger hilt at her waist and mentally nodded as the sense of familiarity she was radiating made a piece of the puzzle fall into place. Just like Vala, Amelie, Big Iron, and his other friends from the Armory and Storehouse, she was the spirit of an item too. Almost certainly the dagger he had noticed was her true body.
The corner of her lip twitched up on the girl's coldly professional face and she extended her hand. "Ehren du Chasteler. I shall escort you the rest of the way to the Castle."
Tony blinked as he shook her hand. "Castle? I was under the impression that your family lived in a normal house." He paused as another piece of the puzzle fitted into place. "Du Chasteler, like the name of the avenue I walked down to get to here?"
Another millimetric lip twitch. "Ja. It is named after our family." With that she picked up a light cream windbreaker from the hood of the car
She gestured to the drive winding into the trees and walked alongside him up it. "The current castle has been the home of the du Chasteler family since 1459 when our branch of the family took up lands under the rulership of our forefather's ancestor, the Duke of Lorraine. The current noble title of Marquess of Chasteler was awarded to Jean-François du Chasteler for services rendered to the Empress Maria Theresia of Austria in 1716 which confirmed our family's landholding. The heart of the current building dates to 1736 on an earlier structure from the sixteenth century, and the final design and refurbishment was completed in the 1880s with monies from," Ehren's cool expression became a touch more frigid, "The then-Marquess' business interests in overseas Belgian colonial possessions. It has changed very little since that day."
Even as used to the Potter family's Schloss as he was, Tony was subtly impressed. He could sense a few illusion charms making the castle look significantly more decrepit than it actually was, and the grounds and building were actually quite well maintained. His lips quirked at the thought of how it would appear under a stormy moonlit night sky, and he could feel his fingers itch for his true body so he could play something suitably Gothic, perhaps by Saint-Saëns, Berlioz, or Mussorgsky.
Yes, Night on Bald Mountain would be perfect. Especially if he could find a pianist to accompany him playing Mussorgsky, which he suspected might be a simpler task than one might think.
Ehren walked up the steps to the door and his eyebrows raised at the Austrian Hapsburg imperial crest set over them above the family crest from the gate. She opened the heavy oak and gestured him inside.
As he stepped into the entrance hall, the sound of faint piano music drifting across the polished marble black and white checkerboard leading up to the grand staircase enchanted him. Instantly his ears identified the music as Lizst's Liebestraum #3 and beside him Ehren's lips quirked up in a brief smile.
"I suppose I should escort you to Claire in the ballroom then." She said coolly as he listened to the rich, warm sounds of pure bliss echoing through the halls, beckoning him onward. Numbly, he nodded and she guided him with a hand on his elbow as the music carried him forward, his heart beating in time with the silvery caress of the unseen pianist's emotions as relayed through the music she was crafting for his hearing pleasure.
She came to a door and guided him through it, and beyond the the breath caught in his throat at the sight within.
Claire sat at the keyboard of a grand piano with her eyes closed and her head thrown back in the throes of passion as she played. Her form was draped in a rich amethyst silk ballroom dress that caressed her curves as her bosom heaved with the emotions of her music. Sunlight flooded through the windows, shining from the rich reddish-brown of the mahogany of the piano, flashed with pure gold from the ornate engraving of the golden du Chasteler heraldic arms engraved on her sides and lid and her Bösendorfer maker's mark, and sparkled from the carved and gilded lions feet that were her three legs.
Even more beautiful was the music that she was making. While her technical skill was amazing, the way she poured her heart into her music was genius. She called to something deep inside his heart of mastercrafted wood and varnish with the message that she was sending with every note brought from her fingers touching her keys of ebony and ivory.
Here, it whispered, here is the soul of a young maiden desperately looking for her true love with all her heart. Will you not make her whole with your music?
With a start he realized that the pianist and the piano were one and the same, and that he had heard her beautiful voice once before. The afternoon a week and a half ago at the Philharmonie de Paris where a pianist that he had been unable to see from where he stood, on this very mastercrafted Bösendorfer piano, with this voice like liquid bliss had played Claire de Lune in the style of Debussy in 1890... and had stolen his heart. He had despaired at the genius of that pianist's playing, seeing a height he might never achieve so he played in the rain that afternoon, pouring his heart into the thought of finding the musician who one day would be worthy to bring music from his true body.
Now he had.
He never noticed Ehren giving a very rare unguarded smile of happiness and mischief at his enthralled expression of delight at the vision in front of him.
The piece came to an end with a soft and lingering major chord as her fingers lingered on her keys. Her red-brown eyes - the same color as the mahogany of her body - opened and focused on him. A pale rose flush colored her ivory cheeks - the same color as the ivory of her keys - as her lips parted in surprise.
Ehren controlled her smile with an effort of her will. "Sister, you have a visitor. A Mr. Antonio Potter. I think that he has plans for an impromptu concert to sing for his supper." Ehren's eyes sparkled as she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms to watch the festivities..
Tony nodded as Claire watched him intently, her modest bosom heaving. He set down his well-worn violin case and centered himself as he began to rosin up his bow. Silently he cast his memories back two centuries to 1829 when at the invitation of Erik Potter, he had been played by Paganini for a demonstration of violin virtuosity.
For her, nothing less than the absolute best performance of his life would suit. But then, he was a Potter looking to claim the greatest treasure that he could possibly imagine.
Challenge accepted.
----------------------------
Claire's eyes widened in shock as Tony carefully pulled out his violin from the case and ran a fast set of scales to check the tuning. The rich, powerful tone and the mellow voice of the instrument left no doubt in her mind as to what it actually was. What he actually was now that he was playing without the noises of Paris interfering with her hearing.
Stradivarius.
With that, he brushed some messy hair from his eyes - the same color eyes as his violin - and gave her a smile and wink as he began Paganini's Caprice #24.
Her lips parted in a happy smile as his bow danced across his strings like lightning, his fingers moving... and then suddenly shifting into long, passionate strokes across his strings as his beautiful voice caressed her ears and her soul with pure delight.
She gasped and her fingers twitched uncontrollably with the need to respond, to play with him as he suddenly shot into a series of fast arpeggios before winking at her as he plucked one of his strings with a 'pop' and launched into a pizzicato with his left hand. She giggled at the musical play and then hushed as the pizzicato began.
Claire's blush deepened as she watched his performance, enthralled as her heart beat in time with his notes, and her heartstrings vibrated inside her soundbox. She could sense his own voice as he finished the pizzicato and gasped at the unspoken words in his music.
For so long I have sought someone worthy of my talents.
Someone who I could make the most beautiful music with.
Someone who loves music as I do, whose life is music.
Someone to make me complete, for what is an instrument without a musician.
A young lady who will treasure my heart as I treasure hers.
Are you the one?
Will you be the one?
Inside her heart of ebony, ivory, mahogany, gold, iron, spruce and steel, her heartstring vibrated in quiet response to his notes as her eyes sparkled in joy. She felt her cheeks warm as her blush deepened.
I shall be the one for you, Antonio Stradivarius Potter. So I, Claire du Chasteler-Bösendorfer, do promise.
He began low, passionate notes that caused her knees to weaken almost as much as that song by Rimsky-Korsakov did. With a start she suddenly realized that 'Flight of the Bumblebee' was written for violin originally and her cheeks turned scarlet at the scandalous implications.
Not before he makes me a honest piano, though. Mother would just die if he and I played that as a duet while unwed.
Claire's eyes glanced to Ehren as she applauded and Tony bowed. Her little sister's eyes were damp, and she gave an unguarded smile at the sight of Claire's happiness. Ehren's eyes flicked to Tony as Mother appeared behind them in the hall and Ehren gave a minute nod of approval before her face assumed its normal cool mask.
Little Sister was really the best, and under all that Teutonic chilliness lurked the heart of a romantic too.
Claire sighed mentally at the overprotective look on Mother's face at the sight. Clearly, Mother would take some work to accept the reality that their family was about to expand by a violin. Time to insure that she did not run Tony off, not that she expected that he would dare leave her now.
She then giggled silently at how much fun she and Tony could have while they wore Mother down.
After all, she enjoyed duets as much as the next piano!
Wearing Mother down becomes much easier when she gets the email from Juuchi and realizes her eldest is being Pottered. She knows how that goes. There is no escape. There is no surrender. And Claire is happy.
Tanith was quiet as she leaned back in her throne, one leg crossed over the other with a sheaf of papers in her lap. When she and her sisters had agreed to take in the hybrid children, Admiral Goto had admitted to them that he expected them to ask for concessions in return. In the heat of the moment, they hadn't really considered to ask for anything… which was a missed opportunity to be honest, if a pragmatic one… but lucky for them, Ooyodo had apparently already had some compensation in mind.
Said compensation had been connections. Gathered in front of the Princess were numerous letters from various outside groups, offering their support to the Fleet of Laughter. For several, this support would come in the way of supplies—crops, livestock, agricultural tools, even building supplies (including the lumber they needed for flipping the O'mega). But the other letters, to Tanith's shock, came from the Yokai. They were willing to come to Avrora, and teach the Fleet of Laughter. Skills like carpentry, blacksmithing, farming and tending livestock… anything they might need, to become independent and start repaying everyone's kindness. They could possibly even teach the children. She really needed to thank Ooyodo for this...
Hearing the familiar soft clack of hooves on tile, Tanith looked up from the letters to see her daughter approaching. "Hello, Regalia," she greeted the Re-class warmly. "Do you need something?"
Regalia shrugged. "Not really, no." She came to a stop at the throne, sitting down beside her mother. She peered at the papers. "What's that?"
Tanith tilted her head slightly. "It is Admiral Goto's and Ooyodo's way of repaying us for taking in the children. They got us in touch with a number of people who can help us in many ways, including teaching us new skills." She glanced to her daughter with a wry smile. "Our farm could finally be brought up to professional standards."
The Re-class puffed up her cheeks, looking upset. "What, my skills weren't good enough before?" She asked defensively.
Her little display earned her a chuckle from Tanith. "Oh, stop. You know I would never belittle your accomplishments." Regalia deflated with a little giggle. "Your crops have been a great benefit to us all this far. It is just that we will now have many more mouths to feed; more than just improving your own skills, we would benefit from having several Abyssals who share those same skills, to help cover more farmland."
Regalia nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, okay. I get that." After a few seconds of silence between the two, just sitting and enjoying one another's company, she spoke up again. "Hey, you know that crate they brought over to Japan from Unalaska? The one Carrie and Sherri tagged along with? What happened to that?"
Tanith blinked. She'd completely forgotten about the items returned to the Fleet.
"I… still have it in my hold, actually," she admitted sheepishly. "Perhaps it is time we open it up, and see what is inside."
Regalia perked up. "Okay!"
Putting away the letters and standing up, Tanith reached into her coat and pulled out the crate, setting it carefully on the floor. Regalia pulled a crowbar from her bag and offered it to Tanith, earning a baffled look from the Princess, but she nonetheless accepted it. She examined the crate for a moment, looking for a good spot to wedge it in, before deftly jamming the flat end beneath the top and prying it open with a single hand.
The first thing Tanith saw as she pulled the top off was a load of styrofoam pellets… immediately causing her expression to sour. "Ugh, I hate this stuff. Makes a mess," She grunted.
Reaching out and grabbing one of the pellets, squishing it between her fingers, Regalia cocked her head. "What's wrong with it?
"Last time one of us tangled with it, they were still finding packing peanuts in their hold for months afterward."
"...ah. Yeah, I can definitely see that being aggravating." Regalia flicked the foam pellet back into the crate. Tippy took a few of the pellets in her jaws, grinding them between her teeth for a couple seconds before spitting them out with a huff of disgust. Regalia glanced to her tail with a raised eyebrow. "What did you expect? They're obviously not REAL peanuts… oh hey, that's another crop we could try growing..."
Tanith rolled her eyes, grinning, but said nothing further. Turning her attention back to the crate, she gripped one of the sides and carefully worked it off as well, letting the packing material spill out onto the floor and exposing what looked like picture frames. "Interesting. I wonder what else is in here…"
Regalia leaned in and started scooping more of the pellets away until she hit something more solid. Reaching in, she hefted out a suitcase. "Must be clothes," Regalia guessed.
Tanith nodded. "I remember several of my sisters getting their own tailored pieces of clothing, either to distinguish themselves from the others or just because it amused them. Some of them even had sports-style jerseys made with their names on them."
Unzipping the suitcase and pulling out a t-shirt, Regalia examined it. "It's not Rookie, it's Rukie..." she read.
The Princess let out a melancholy chuckle. "Ah, Rukie. She always was touchy about her name. She was actually one of our best surface combatants, yet we liked to joke around since her name was so similar to rookie. But it was all in good fun."
"Huh…" putting it back, Regalia pulled out another shirt. This one displayed a detailed drawing of a battleship with words over the bow. She cocked her head again. "'Ship Happens'... oh, I get it, like sh—"
The shirt was quickly snatched from her hands by her mother. "That... would be Sunny's," she groaned, facepalming. "Let's leave the clothes for a bit and check the other belongings."
Regalia shrugged and moved the suitcase aside before returning to sifting through the packing peanuts. After a few seconds, she pulled out a plaque. "Chess Tournament, First Place: Hoppou. Hey, this is an award to Grandma!"
Tanith's eyes lit up in fond remembrance. "Oh, I remember watching that tournament. You never would have known Mother had only studied and practiced the game of chess for a couple of days, from how well she played…"
On the pair went. As mother and daughter uncovered innocuous pieces of the Fleet's past, Regalia got to learn just a bit more about the smaller details of her late family. Game boards and character sheets from a couple of tabletop RPG-playing Abyssals; a bowling trophy won by a Nu-class of all people; Aunt Sunny's 'Weird Al' music CDs (apparently she enjoyed song remixes and parodies); even one of Renita's old paintings had been recovered.
Eventually, all that remained in the crate were the framed pictures, stacked against one side. Tanith carefully picked up one of the frames, turning it around in her grip… and let out a soft gasp. "What is it, Mom?" Regalia asked concerned. Tanith gave no immediate response, simply handing over the picture for the Re-class to see for herself.
The photo in the frame depicted Hoppou standing on tarmac, a big smile on her face, with what had to be a dozen Ta-classes gathered around her. They were all in various cute poses and stages of refit; Regalia could actually point out her mother in the group, just to Hoppou's right, facing forward with a calm smile and her hands clasped in front of her.
"These are… my aunts?" Regalia asked, her eyes wide.
"The Ta-classes among them," Tanith answered, just barely audible in her shock. She turned to the remaining frames. "And all of these…"
She pulled out another frame, the widest in the batch, and laid it out flat between them. Once more, Hoppou was center frame—but this time, a swarm of I-class destroyers surrounded her, so large and numerous as to necessitate the upsized frame.
"I… I remember these, now," Tanith finally whispered. "Just a few months before the Scattering, Mother wanted to make a family picture… but there were just so many of us, we could never fit in one picture feasibly. So she took a bunch of pictures, each with the separate classes." She looked to the other frames. "These must be all of those pictures." A pause, and then a realization. "And if I remember correctly…"
She flipped the picture over and worked on the metal pieces holding the back of the frame on, eventually pulling it away—revealing writing on the back of the picture itself.
Dozens of names, scribbled in somewhat childish lettering… a record of every I-class the Northern Princess had made, at the time of the photo.
"...Mother will want these." Tanith simply said. "All of these."
Regalia shrugged and moved the suitcase aside before returning to sifting through the packing peanuts. After a few seconds, she pulled out a plaque. "Chess Tournament, First Place: Hoppou. Hey, this is an award to Grandma!"
Ah yes, Senbonzakura, the song that I best remember as being the missing track from the Korean version of Project Mirai DX, as well as being one of the two songs from the downloadable demo (which meant that Korea got a alternate demo with World is Mine instead).
Wearing Mother down becomes much easier when she gets the email from Juuchi and realizes her eldest is being Pottered. She knows how that goes. There is no escape. There is no surrender. And Claire is happy.
Heeled shoes clacking against tile as she walked down the hallway, Andromeda Tonks, nee Black, looked around the prison that they were currently in. Not that there was all that much for her to really see and make note of, grant you. Just flat, featureless hallways that both her and her husband were being escorted down by one of the prison guards.
All that said though, she nodded her head internally as they walked and compared the prison to that of Azkaban.
The rough stone hallways of Azkaban were dark and dank. One could almost taste the despair on the damp, moldy air. The cold, too, that which was not generated by the presence of the Dementors anyways, was horrible in and of itself. It was the sort of cold that chilled one to their very bones. That permeated every part of their body, seemingly down to their spirit. Azkaban, in a word, was horrific and a seemingly personification of every nightmare of prisons there was.
In comparison, Ironstone was the exact opposite from what little, admittedly, she had seen. The prison was both clean and well lit, with the scent of disinfectant at worst compared to the moldy, musty smell of Azkaban. It was also warm, though not uncomfortably so. Just enough that one would not be chilled. As well, it was missing that atmosphere of despair, of anger and hate. Of the empty, hungry and devouring darkness that seemed part and parcel of Azkaban.
Needless to say, Andromeda felt it a massive improvement over the infamous prison.
Finally, the three came to a stop before a closed room with a guard waiting outside. The guard who escorted them there gave them nod and opened to door, "He's right inside waiting for you."
Nodding, Andromeda gave him a smile back, "Thank you, we shouldn't be too long."
However, the guard just chuckled as he took up positions , "Don't worry about it, take your time. Neither of us mind after all."
Beside him, the other prison guard nodded in agreement. Only shaking her head, Andromeda took a deep breath and felt her husband gently squeeze her shoulder. Reaching up, she returned it before walking inside. Once inside, she paused as the man at the table smiled at her, "Andy! My favourite cousin! Good to see you."
Eyebrow raised, the female Tonks hummed, "Favourite cousin? Not a high bar to clear, that."
Unrepentant, Sirius had a mock thoughtful look on his face, "True, though I suppose that dear Bella might be the runner up." At their looks, he leaned forward, "I learned quite a few curse words from her as she was just a few cells down and liked to shout them at me. Rather inventive, our Bella."
Grimacing, Andromeda shook her head, "Yes, I can... quite imagine." Rather than spend any more time thinking of her insane murderess of a sister, she instead decided to focus on her cousin sitting there. One of the first things that she noted was that he was on a clean looking prison jumpsuit, a far cry from the nasty, grimy clothes that he wore in the picture from Azkaban that everyone had seen on the front page of the Prophet for weeks. Not only was his clothes clean, but so was the rest of him. Even his hair and beard were neatly trimmed much to her surprise.
If it was not for the darkness in his eyes, Andromeda would have thought him fine.
Clearing her throat as she sat down, she gave him a slight nod even as her husband sat down next to her, "You are looking..." For a moment, Andromeda looked for a word before pressing her lips together thinly, "Well enough, I suppose."
With a bitter, bark like laugh, Sirius shook his head, "That is one way of putting it." Holding up one arm and showing that it was handcuffed to the chair, he let it rest again, "Though I will admit, this place is a lot better than Azkaban. Much better."
Voice low, Ted snorted, "Not that is really that high of a bar to clear."
Simply shrugging, Sirius gave him a smile, "Maybe, but from experience? This place is like a five star resort compared to where I was. Nice, hot meals and showers, a good, comfy bed to lay in and that would be enough." Leaning forward, he grinned, "But they even have an exercise yard where I can go outside under the Sun and in the fresh air when it is somewhat nice out for a time. And they also gave me a tennis ball."
Bemused, the male of the Tonks couple hummed, "A tennis ball? Why would you need one of those?"
A grin appeared on the animagus' face, "I play fetch with myself." He laughed as he made a motion with one of his hands, "Throw the ball as hard as I can and go running after it as Padfoot. Lots of fun and the expressions of the guards are amusing."
Pinching her nose, Andromeda let out a sigh, "Please tell me that is not the only thing that you are doing here..."
Lips curling into a smirk, Sirius waved her off, "Nah, I also read and do odd jobs around the prison to make some money to buy things at the small store they got here." At the surprised looks, he shrugged, "Well, more like a catalogue really of what we can buy that we pick up there. Ain't much to be honest, but it is something. Also get plenty of newspapers and such." Scratching his chin, he frowned, "Been catching up on what's been happening fully since I was... put away."
Now leaning forward, Ted frowned, "And what do you think of things?"
For several moments, the wizard looked far older than he should have as he looked into a darkened corner, "I knew that I fucked up, and every bit that I have read has hammered that in. The only good things is that from what I know, Harry has a good family now and is happy. Also, I met Isley. That balances things out."
Grimacing, his cousin shook her head, "I still do not believe that you are with an Abyssal Princess." Andromeda paused before frowning, "Actually, I can. Oddly enough, it fits you."
Simply shrugging, Sirius smiled, "Yeah, she completes me. No more lothario for me, I know better. Also, I'm going to be a Dad..." His expression softened still further, "I'm going to be a Dad and marry their mother as soon as I am free."
Reaching over, Ted nodded some, "Which we're going to see happen, Sirius. We're working hard at it."
That made Sirius turn to him with a curious look, "I have been wondering how things have been going with that. There's been some in the Prophet, but we all know how well they report at times."
It went without saying that the other two adults snorted at that before Andromeda pulled out a folder and opened it, "Firstly, you are getting your trial. You're not going to be there until the very end though, for security reasons." Looking at him, she frowned, "There are... those that might well try to silence you."
Just humming, the imprisoned wizard's eyes darkened, "The Minister?"
Eyebrow raised, Ted looked at him in surprise, "Not going to assume that Narcissa and her husband would be one of those?"
Waving one hand best he could, Sirius scoffed, "Lucius? No, he is far too good at playing the game to realize what that would mean for him. Besides, it was not Lucius who helped put me away, it was his old man." At the wide eyed looks, he smiled thinly, "Bella was... rather loose lipped. Apparently Abraxas believed that with me out of the way, Draco could inherit. Pretty sure that Lucius knew that Harry would be heir instead because dear old Grandfather did not disown me, and he knows that I would have made my will to give the titles and family head to James or Harry, depending on if Prongs was alive or not. Lucy-Liu would know that."
Ted choked a bit at the last bit, "L-Lucy-Liu!?"
A grin on his face, the dog animagus nodded, "Lily made us watch some old muggle movies one Christmas. The name stuck." Rubbing his chin, he became serious once more, "So the Minister then?"
However, Andromeda shook her head, "No, not the Minister, but his Undersecretary. She's been making... noise about wanting to know where you are. And that you should be shipped back to Azkaban before the trial, possibly hoping for you to attempt to 'escape' once more."
Snorting at how she did quotation marks with her hands, Sirius sneered a bit, "In other words, get the Kiss in my 'Attempt' to do so. No thank you, I like it here."
Leaning back, the witch nodded, "And Amelia agreed with it, especially as she does not trust the Dementors. They have been... active... for some time due to so many being destroyed recently. As for Umbridge, she tried to drag things out as much as possible, until someone leaked some information to one of the papers that sprang up after Blood Week, the Weekly Dragon, and they actually investigated. Found no records of you ever having a trial and printed that, which made Fudge move pretty damn quickly to set up a trial."
With a nod, Ted reached for the folder and turned it around before spreading the papers out, "What we're working on right now is to create enough doubt that people will consider you innocent. Something that is... not quite as hard as we thought. One thing that one of my assistants came up with is re-enacting the incident with Peter with the dummies that Aurors use to train as the 'Victims'. One to show what would have happened if you had done it and one to show Peter doing it. We'll show the pensieve memories of the test as well as pictures." Seeing Sirius open his mouth, he held up a hand, "We're also using a diorama and performing a miniature re-enactment right there in front of them. It will show things like how it would not just be a finger left behind if you had killed him, which him being alive is enough proof that you did not. Also, pictures of said finger showing that it was perfectly cut, compared to something blown off."
Andromeda gave her cousin a long look, "And that is if we take this to trial..."
His eyes narrowing, Sirius gave her a frown, "If? What do you mean by that?"
Slowly, she pushed out a small amount of parchment, "Cornelius offered to give you a full pardon. No trial, just freedom with a sweep of the quill. There are no strings attached beside saying that he was not involved with your incarceration and that is it." Finger tapping on the paper, Andromeda frowned, "It is not a bad deal."
Looking at it, Sirius was silent for several moments before pushing it away, "No. I want this to go to trial." At her raised eyebrow, he explained, "I want it proven beyond a doubt that I did not do this. If I take this pardon, it will be as much as admitting that I did do it. People will never believe that I am innocent if I do not go through with a trial."
Only glancing at his wife, Ted frowned, "Sirius, there is no guarantee that you will get off even if we do go to trial. Also, even then there will be those that will believe that you were guilty no matter what."
Just meeting his eyes, the wizard lawyer could see the fire in Sirius' eyes burn, "Then let the chips fall as they will. And those that still believe that bullshit can sit on my wand and twist for all I care, because I will have proved that I am innocent. The world will know as a whole that I am innocent."
Neither husband and wife said anything for several moments. Finally, Andromeda turned to her now smirking husband and sighed, "Fine, you were right. I'll do as you asked when we get home." Ignoring Ted pumping his fist, she turned back to Sirius, "Now then, if we are going to do this, than we are doing it the right way."
The rest of the time was taken up as they planned and grilled Sirius about what happened, before, during, and after. Once their time was up, and several cups of coffee later, Ted stood up and shook Sirius' hand, "Well, we've done as well as can be expected. And I expect that more will be coming out as the trial goes on... though it will take time."
Grinning, Sirius waved him off, "I don't mind, I've waited more than ten years for my day in court. A few weeks is nothing..." Rotating his shoulders, he shook his head, "Besides, I've got things to do. One of the things that I am learning is how to operate a computer."
Unlike most of the other times, his cousin's surprise was obvious, "You? Learning how to use a computer? Really?"
With a nod, Sirius chuckled, "Seriously." Ignoring the groan, he continued with a slight smile, "I heard that it would be one of the easiest ways for me to communicate with Harry. And I'm looking forward for when I get free of here and can walk away a free man." Lightly smiling, the animagus' expression brightened, "And Harry feels the same. He sent me some pictures of him and his family, I have them on my desk back in my cell."
All Ted and Andromeda did was nod before shaking his hand, though his cousin also gave him a hug. Leaving, the two gave their goodbyes and left.
