CHAPTER FORTY-SIX: SO MUCH FOR 'HOGWARTS: A HISTORY'
THURSDAY, JULY 25th, 1996 – Potter Manor, Charenwell.
Harry was up early his first time through Thursday. This time through would be different than recently. First of all, he was not doing his Duke Day first, although Hermione & Friend Night (this night with Ginny) would go as scheduled as would Luna & Friend Night (with Tabatha) on Thursday Version Two. Version Two Thursday would be Ground School and Flight Training. His Duke Day would be his third time through this day.
More importantly, however, a conversation he had with his ladies last light in between being intimate with some of them and Connie changed how he'd approach this day. Today (his third time through, of course) he was to meet with the Prime Minister and several others. For that meeting, he wanted his ladies to be available, at least for the luncheon, but he also wanted them to be flying as well when the Prime Minister and his people visited the Air Base. He reasoned that he needed to show those people he was serious about what he had set out to do and this was not some summer holiday idea. Seeing the beginnings of their Air Force hard at training should help.
Finally, he wanted to make sure he was ready for the meeting and knew he needed their help. The Harry Potter who woke up that morning with his first Best Friend now both Love Bonded to him and sleeping lightly in his arms was not the same Harry Potter who had spent that wonderful Sunday with his One True Love a month and two days ago. That Harry, the one that had left Hogwarts, was determined to do everything himself and had to be convinced to let others help. This new Harry knew he could not possibly do everything he wanted to himself and welcomed the help of his ladies and others. Many of the ideas that were well underway in his fledgling war effort were at the very least inspired by one or more of his ladies if he did not adopt them outright as a plan. He knew he had accomplished a lot in the past month, but also knew that much of the credit belonged to his growing family. That was why he wanted them with him every step of the way, for his meeting with the Prime Minister might well be the most important thing thus far.
That, of course, presented a problem. Thus far, since he began using the Time Turner it was only he who was reliving the days. To have his ladies with him where he both wanted and needed them, they would have to join him as he turned time. Naturally, Hermione was read up on the specifics of this magic and more importantly the specifics of this Time Turner. For them to join him, they simply needed to be in the same room when he activated the device. As Connie snuggled against him just before he and she had to get up (assuming she wanted a little Harry Time before breakfast – which she would) he recalled the conversation from the night before.
"I see no problem with that idea provided you don't ask us to join you back through time too often," Mallory said.
"Er … why not?" Harry asked. "Surely it would help you all as much as it helps me with our time and schedules. I mean we all have or will have a lot going on real soon."
"It would help," Mallory said, "but have you given any thought to just what you're doing?"
"If you're suggesting he's six days older than we are," Hermione said, "he's not. This device does not cause you to age at any rate faster than the time that really has progressed if you don't abuse it."
"And living seventeen days for ever seven real days is not abusing it?" Harry asked.
"No," Hermione smiled, "it's not. I would never have recommended it's use if it meant we'd lose so much of one day of our lives with you, Harry. A three to one ratio is safe. If under ordinary circumstances you are – er – supposed to die in 2120 after a long life, this won't change it."
"2120?"
"As an example."
"Oh," Harry said. "Good then."
"And it won't take so much as a second off of our lives either," Hermione added. "With that device our aging is tied to the natural forces and not the time we actually experience."
"That's only true while we are magically stable," Mallory said.
"Oh?" Hermione and Harry asked.
"At the beginning and the very end of a witch or wizard's natural life span, they are magically unstable. Just how long this period is and when it will return again varies from person to person. In the elderly, it's usually brief. But for children it can last for up to nine years. While you're unstable, time alterations are also unstable. What that means is that when you're magically stable – as we all are – using the device allows us to gain time without aging at an accelerated rate. But when a person is magically unstable, they do gain age as well as time."
"Okay, so why is it a problem if we are stable?" Harry asked.
"We are stable. The unborn children we carry are not, Harry," Mallory said. "They will grow and develop based upon their internal clocks and not the external one of the universe. Thus, while we will gain three days and only age one, they will age three days and be that much closer to being born. A few days here and there might not be a big deal, but if we joined you all the time? By this time next year our kids would be toddlers. We could even have had a second child by then. Normally, two pregnancies over about a three year period is not a problem for most women, but I have no idea what even a single accelerated pregnancy might do. As we are not aging along with the unborn child, I'm not even sure our bodies would adapt at the rate needed. As I said, a day here or there is not a problem. I can't say the same thing about placing us on Harry's schedule and as a Healer I will not recommend it."
"I'm sorry," Harry said, "I hadn't thought about that."
"Neither had I," Hermione added somewhat surprised at herself.
"Many people might not have," Mallory said. "You'd be surprised how many women don't think about things before they see their Healer about their first pregnancy. Given your ages and everything else, I would have been surprised if you had."
Harry saw Hermione looking very disappointed. "She has a point," he said softly. "Before this summer did either of us think we'd soon – very soon – be parents?"
Hermione shook her head. "I guess it's a good thing we have a Healer in the family."
"It is."
So it was that for at least this day, his ladies would join him when he turned time. He and Connie woke up early and after a nice, private period of "getting ready for the day" joined the rest of Harry's House for breakfast. After breakfast, the entire household (including Cissy) assembled in the Library to prepare. Each of his ladies might well have something to contribute in the preparations for the Prime Minister. As far as Harry was concerned, there were two major topics: the building of his armed forces for use in the coming war and the Muggle Born evacuation, both of which were either beyond his ability to do without help from Britain or would be extremely difficult to pull off. However, if his talk with the Queen was any indication, he would first have to get past the inevitable issue of his "unique" family situation, whatever lies the Ministry of Magic had been leaking to the Muggle government and concerns about manpower and cost.
The night before he had asked for a "current" status from the other families. In addition to assuring the Prime Minister as he had the Queen that this situation is neither bordello, a slave culture nor a teen aged boy's dream come true, he was hoping to be able to show that he and the others were well on their way to fulfilling their promises to their ladies. His own families could be deemed a success, depending upon one's point of view. As of last night, he was bond to sixteen witches, fourteen of whom had taken the Love Bond making their bond all but permanent and eliminating the possibility of abuse. The other two were his Consorts for which abuse was not a concern given the nature of that bond at its inception. Four of his witches were pregnant. Six of his other Concubines had permission, which meant they would be pregnant soon if they were not already (and Luna was trying as well.) Of the five who did not have permission, all had said they would ask in time (which Harry took as not later than May). True, there was no telling how the remaining eight witches would react as they arrived over the next two weeks, but so far his Houses could be deemed a success.
Neville now had nine concubines. Susan and Amber were expecting, but so far Amber was the only concubine. However, six of his other concubines were Love Bonded to him already and three of those had permission. Of the two witches who had not taken either step, Pattie said she would when she turned sixteen and Megan had not even been there a day. (Amanda Kennedy was love bonded but was waiting on the children issue.) Arguably, Neville's family counted as a success.
Aside from his Consort Fleur, Bill now had ten concubines. One was pregnant, four had permission and a total of seven had taken the Love Bond. Two of the three who had not taken either step where younger than Harry. The third, Peggy Nolan, was seventeen and was supposedly considering both steps.
Aside from Fred's Consort Alicia who was hoping she'd test positive on Monday, Fred had ten concubines to date. Six were Love Bonded and all were either pregnant or had permission. Of the four who were not, only Vicki Peters was older than Harry and all four were saying they would when they were ready to "go all the way" as Fred had put it. Aside from the fact that George's Consort was the first of his ladies to become pregnant, all of his statistics were identical to that of his twin brother including the reasons given by the four young ladies who had not taken either step.
Of the ten concubines split between Neville's father Frank and Remus, seven were already Love Bound and had permission. Over all, to date four of seven consorts were pregnant. Of the sixty-three concubines, forty seven were already Love Bonded, eight were already pregnant and thirty-three already had permission. Arguably, this system was working for now, although the thought that forty-five of the seventy women to date would be having children in the spring for certain was a bit of a shock.
If need be, Harry planned to have most of his younger Concubines discuss their lives as such. In particular, he wanted Stacey to be ready as she was the only British Born witch with recent experience as a Pureblood's sex slave. His for Charenwell girls could also tell of their lives and, of course, their return and what had been a very happy reunion with their families. Astoria and Daphne could tell of the coercion that was a significant part of that culture. The others would be useful with different topics.
Connie and Minerva could both tell at least a side of the real Albus Dumbledore who for all practical purposes ran the government. Ginny might as well and as to how he ruined her family, although Harry hoped the specifics of how she became bound to him might be avoided. Hermione would be the one to discuss the bonds in detail and she and the Greengrass sisters could discuss any historical issues, with Minerva of course. Luna would speak as to the articles that would soon appear in both the Charenwell Press and the Quibbler and was now working feverishly with Katie and Tabatha to try and complete the draft before the meeting. Dora would be able to discuss the Ministry from an insider's perspective and Cissy would be useful for that as well as she was all too familiar with the base corruption that drove it. She and others would also be able to discuss the prejudices that paralyzed that society.
Mallory, Minerva and Dora would also be able to discuss aspects of the proposed evacuation. Dora was already planning the logistics of communicating with and moving tens of thousands. They still did not have an accurate figure which was something Kingsley was trying to steal from Ministry records. True, they had lists of all the Muggle Borns under age nineteen, although that probably did not include those girls who became concubines before this summer. They were not sure if the records reflected those numbers or not. What they did not yet have a handle on were the total number of Muggles who would be affected and they were only now going through the records regarding older Muggle Borns. None of this included others who might be inclined to relocate. It was quite possible Harry's initial planning figures for about twenty thousand or so might be on the low end. All of these people needed proper housing, jobs, schools for their children, health care and so on. While the Jamestown project was well underway, Harry knew it might not be enough alone. What he desperately wanted to avoid were refugee camps.
The recent actions he had taken were but a first step and he knew it. The evacuation was, if anything, even more important than his longer range plans. The war would begin when it did. He wanted to be ready for that, but so far as Charenwell was really concerned, they were in no immediate hurry. Far more critical to him were the people who'd be the victims of that war and the possible effects on the Muggles who remained ignorant of his world. For now, getting the Muggle Borns out (and maybe a fair few others) and protecting Muggle Britain from the worst of what was coming was foremost in Harry's mind.
But he was certain that the British Magicals could not solve this crisis on their own, at least in a way that the Prime Minister and his people would like. He was also certain Her Majesty's Government would not sit by this time when the war expanded into their world and affected their people. Still, he remained convinced a "magical" intervention was far more appropriate. He wanted the Prime Minister to be assured that Charenwell was a magical ally and would be prepared to help in time.
Their Air Force was already in the process of building up. As of yesterday, his training section had doubled from a month ago. The elves and magicals in the underground shops hoped to have at least six more in service by Monday. There were now nineteen pilots in training. On Monday, the next class of twenty-one would start. The base could handle ground school for forty at a time and hopefully within two or three weeks it would have its full complement of forty-eight Tiger Moths for basic flight training. They had worked out a four week course for basic flight training and an eight week course for advanced that would qualify a pilot in one of the five primary combat aircraft. Basically, so long as there were "recruits" there would be a new class every two weeks.
Harry used Astoria as his idea for their initial qualifications. Most, if not all combat pilots would be young women and any young woman over age seventeen could join. However, for now, younger women could also join provided they were born before 1982 with their parents or guardians permission. Astoria might well be just about seventeen when the war actually started. Of the seventy witches in the seven houses right now, sixty-two fit the criteria and according to all their Heads had volunteered. Of the slightly more than one hundred who would be here in the next three weeks, an additional fourteen were eligible. Assuming they all volunteered, seventy-eight would be fully qualified to fly their combat plane by December. But Harry knew this was just the beginning. To fully man his Air Force he needed almost two hundred pilots and another one hundred air crew. Even then, without a ground support staff, they might as well do nothing for without mechanics, supply types and the like planes can't fly. Al told, Mr. Jennings recommended a force of at least seven hundred men and women, and that assumed significant elf support on the ground.
But even if they knew how to fly and could keep their planes flying, Harry knew they were a long way from being an Air Force. Flying a plane is not the same thing as fighting one. There were not nearly enough Charenwellians with any air combat experience to teach the new generation combat tactics and such. The handful who had prior RAF experience were all ground support personnel. Even if they learned that – something he hoped the Muggles would help with – an unarmed plane was of little use. They needed weapons! And even then, they were not out of the woods.
While the Lancasters and Dakotas could range over most all of the British Isles from Charenwell, the other planes could not. Unless the Muggles could come up with a way to significantly increase the range, his light bombers, fighters and ground attack aircraft were of very little use. The other option would be to fly out of bases in England itself, which necessitated Muggle cooperation. And even then, Harry could read a map. Most of Ireland was independent from Britain and did not get on with Britain at all. As he saw it, unless his government reached similar yet separate accords with the Republic of Ireland, he could not touch them and it might serve as a fall back point for his enemies.
Assuming the Muggles helped, his Air Force could be more than up for the task. The Pureblood bastards however they were organized had no planes and no defenses against them. Only Muggle resistance could counter this air attack. He knew enough to realize his planes were horribly antiquated and would not stand a chance against what the Muggles had. But he was not fighting Muggles, was he?
As little as he admittedly knew about air warfare, he knew even less about armies. He was not fool enough to think a war against the magicals could be one entirely from the air. He needed a ground force to hunt them down on the ground, cut them off and kill them. This was the area he had not even begun to deal with yet and of all the requests he hoped to put to the Prime Minister, this was the one that was the most important. He needed an Army of magical troops who could fight in the Muggle style. It took years to train magical troops and even then many possible recruits were not talented enough. A magically capable Mugglized force could be raised quickly, provided they could be armed and trained by people who knew what they were doing. This is what he needed most: people who could teach his people how to fight.
THURSDAY, JULY 25th, 1996 – South Coast Road, Charenwell.
Five dark colored and very large cars left South Farm heading west on the coast road. It was the second group of vehicles to leave that morning. Another group of six had left a few hours before heading to someplace called "RAF Pottersport." This convoy contained none other than John Major, Prime Minister for Great Britain and a host of others. Each car had a driver from the Royal Household from the Royal Estate where they had spent the night before after flying in to a private air field the previous evening. The Prime Minister was not alone. With him in the spacious passenger compartment were Sir Stephen Blair, the British Ambassador to this country Mr. Major hand never heard of before last week and the Prince of Wales. The other cars held other senior officials who were on their way to a meeting the Prime Minister knew far too little about for his liking.
The Prime Minister looked at the gentleman seated across from him, a man he had only met that morning. He had been introduced as Sir. Stephen Blair, Her Majesty's Ambassador to Charenwell, a country the Prime Minister had not even known about until a few days ago.
"Sir Stephen," he said, "I must confess this business is bothersome. What is Her Majesty's interest in this unheard of country and why is it of any concern to my government? For that matter, why is it my Foreign Ministry knows nothing about you? You are a part of the diplomatic service, are you not?"
"In a manner of speaking, Prime Minister," Sir Stephen replied. "Might I ask if your staff prepared any briefing materials? I would rather not go over well covered ground if it can be avoided."
"The matter is so hush-hush that there was little," the Prime Minister confessed. "It's all Merlin Club stuff which places severe restrictions not just upon who has access to the information, but even those who might assist in its preparation and presentation. The bloody State Secrets Act is less restrictive in ways. Look, all I know is this has something to do with that magic nonsense and some country called Charenwell."
"Might I ask, Prime Minister, what you know about this magic nonsense?"
"Not much. I didn't know anything at all until Dame Margaret resigned and I was tapped for this job. She was kind enough to mention it and said she had a fairly good relationship with one Millicent Bagnold through much of her tenure as P.M. I take it the lady was their Minister for Magic?"
Sir Stephen nodded.
"Never met her myself. The only one of those I've dealt with at all is that damnable Fudge fellow. He is without a doubt the most arrogant and patronizing bastard I've ever met. He seems to think I have nothing better to do than await his august presence. The bastard was right put out when I took office and could not make time to see him immediately upon my arrival at Number 10. There was a war on, you know. We had troops in the field and were getting ready to liberate Kuwait and I was a bit busy getting up to speed and trying to build a working relationship with our Allies. Even when I finally had the time, the pompous bastard treated me like a child. Magic's real, he says, and oh by the way it's none of my concern. Then he comes practically unannounced in the summer of '93 begging for … no, demanding more like … our assistance in the apprehension of some criminal or some such. I am of the impression he and his government are of questionable competence to manage even the simplest of State affairs. You must understand, Sir Stephen, despite Her Majesty's request, I am not predisposed to help any of that lot."
"Her Majesty is not asking you to, Prime Minister. She probably has less faith in her magical government than you do."
"But this Charenwell is magical and British, is it not?"
"I am Her Majesty's Ambassador, Sir. Surely there would be no need for diplomatic relations if this was truly Britain."
"Explain."
"This is Merlin Club business for a reason, Sir. Charenwell is a magical country and has been for over a thousand years. While it is closely connected to Britain and the Crown, it is also separate and apart from both and has been for centuries. To answer one of your earlier questions, I am Ambassador because I am Merlin Club. You can't be otherwise."
"Family has wizards in it?" the Prime Minister asked.
"That is the case for most Merlin Club in government," Sir Stephen replied, "but some of us are wizards ourselves."
"You're a …."
Sir Stephen nodded. "This position has always been held by a witch or wizard appointed by the Crown. I've held this position since my father retired in 1971."
"It's hereditary?"
"Given the numbers of magicals both within your government and affiliated with the Crown and that we are or could be considered traitors for our service to you, it tends to run in families. I am the fourth generation to serve in this capacity. But no, I did not inherit this post. I was available for it."
"And you can tell me why I'm here?"
"Her Majesty's asked that I leave that to the Duke, Sir. To be honest, while I have spoken with him and have a very good working relationship with the Lord Mayor – he's your counterpart here – I am not privy to everything that is going on."
"I see. And why is this Duke important? What authority does he have?"
"In many ways no more than the Queen. But, unlike the Queen, as the only landowner here, that gives him significant influence. The people here are also all distant relations for the most part. As titular head of their families, that also gives him far more influence. Add to it a substantial personal wealth and should he decide to do something, it can happen without much government support. But, before you ask, he is still subject to the laws of this land as are all who live here. He has done much in his private capacity, all of which is quite legal, but we are here because this is now moving into a more public arena."
"This Duke is also known as Harry Potter?"
Sir Stephen nodded.
"Fudge says he's no more than a boy and a delusional one at that."
"As you intimated, Fudge is an idiot. He's also a bigot and a coward and those are his better qualities," Sir Stephen said. "He is the definition of a corrupt politician and his practices would make our worst political scandals appear tame. Should Duke Harry desire, he has the money to buy the man off and have their Ministry erect temples in his name, not that the lad would ever do that. I'm not sure if Fudge is capable of original thought or decision. What he is capable of is taking bribes and staying bought until someone with a larger purse comes along."
"So what I've been told…"
"Is someone else's agenda and not an accurate description of the Duke, as her Majesty found out a couple weeks ago. Had Her Majesty believed what she had been told by our magical countrymen in regards to the Duke, we would not be here now."
"So what can you tell me," the Prime Minister asked.
"I've been asked to give you an overview of this country, the Ducal House and its relationship to the Crown."
"Very well."
"The Duke is the Heir of House Potter, which is one of the oldest unbroken lines in Europe, if not the world. And, as far back as recorded, House Potter has been magical. We do not know how old it is. The first record of it is from the First Century. House Potter was Briton, but allied itself very early on with the Romans. For its allegiance, it was allowed to retain its 'ancestral' lands which are in the Midlands."
"Are?"
"House Potter has never sold land nor has it ever been dispossessed. Skipping forward several centuries, when the Doomsday Book was compiled, House Potter was the third largest estate in England with only the King and Church holding more lands. Anyway, during the Roman Empire, House Potter served as soldiers and administrators, gaining more lands over time. In particular, it gained significant holdings in and around Londinium and along Hadrian's Wall in the north and in particular at Carlyle and Newcastle. It still retains title to those lands."
"Bloody hell."
"When the Roman Empire lost its grip in England, House Potter was one of the largest landowners around. When Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon began to consolidate power in the Fifth Century, House Potter 'delivered' much of what would become Mercia to the rising King."
"Arthur was real?"
"The story you know is an overly romanticized myth. But just as Troy was real, so was Camelot. For his loyalty and courage, Sir Galahad Potter, Earl of Mercia was…"
"Sir Galahad? Sir Galahad the Chaste?"
"He was indeed called that, but not for the reasons in legend. He refrained from relations with women outside of marriage which was deemed odd at the time. But we do know he had six wives…"
"Women tended to die…"
"At the same time," Sir Stephen continued. "So yes, one of the Duke's ancestors is Sir Galahad. Now, in one respect the Arthurian legend is correct. The small, Briton hegemony he carved out did not survive him. But the Potter lands remained and, while most Britons were dispossessed when the Anglo-Saxons arrived in the Sixth Century, House Potter was shrewd enough to retain its holdings and wealth. They never vied for power and remained noblemen for whatever king ruled the lands. At first their prime estates were in Mercia and it was to that King they offered their primary allegiance.
"It was during the reign of King Aethelred the First of Mercia (665 – 704) that House Potter acquired this land. At the time, Hergred was Head of House and Altherol was his Heir. Dargoth the Lucky was the younger son of the Head and as with younger sons for ages, sought to make his own name for himself. He and twenty warrior wizards and their families built long boats and sailed down the River Avon and out to see seeking new lands. They arrived here on the Isle of Shen, which was uninhabited at the time. Dargoth claimed it for himself and set up a colony.
"Around 695, Altherol and Hergred died in battle. Hergred Potter had no children, so Dargoth returned to Mercia to fill the role has head of House Potter. He and all of his ancestors since have continued this serving in England while ruling – for lack of a better word – here.
"In 716, there was a succession crisis in Mercia, one which was mediated by Harfeld Potter, eldest son of Dargoth. The bloodless transition impressed the nobles of Mercia and upon their election of Aethelbald as King; House Potter was rewarded with exemptions for its overseas holdings. It was not true independence, but it was about as close as one could come at the time.
"From the first records of House Potter through the separation of what was then Chalenwald in 716, empires had risen and fallen and yet House Potter never lost so much of an acre of its holdings. They were then land and people rich, but poor in gold as compared too many of the other nobles about. They were also practically to a man educated and very astute statesmen for one had to be to keep one's holdings while your lands come under the rule of one kingdom or another. This state of affairs continued through the centuries. They also brought the best ideas they found elsewhere for their nominally independent fiefdom here. From the Anglo-Saxons, the Lord Potters established a legislative assembly in Chalenwald. When Mercia fell to the Norse and became part of the Danelaw in Tenth Century, the Lords Potter brought the Norse judicial system, in particular trial by jury before a magistrate. These changes allowed the Lords Potter to free themselves from the day to day affairs of all their lands and deal with the bigger issues, which were keeping their neighbors greed at bay.
"The next major events occurred in 1066."
"Don't tell me Lord Potter was at Hastings."
"Arguably, he had more to do with Hastings than anyone you'll read about in your histories. As you may recall, the events of 1066 followed the death of King Edward the Confessor of the restored Anglo-Saxon rulers of England and, of course, the primary Potter lands in old Mercia. But the role of Harstig Potter begins years earlier.
"He was then an Earl of significant influence in both of our worlds. At the time, he held seats on both the non-magical Witenagamot and the very new Wizengamot. Both were councils of Noblemen who ruled England directly in the name of the King. Anyway, several years before Edward's death, a neighboring nobleman named Tausig, who was a distant relation to the King, was granted lands nearby. This Tausig began causing trouble with his neighboring lords, including Lord Potter. Lord Potter was among a group of Noblemen who convinced the King to give Tausig the sack and banish him from England. Tausig fled to Norway once it was clear that to remain would cost him his head. As was custom, Tausig's former lands were divided amongst his neighbors, to include Lord Potter.
"Then in 1066, King Edward died without children. The Witenagamot happened to be in London and elected Harold Godwinson King. Now, from Lord Potter's perspective as well as that of many magicals, this was a disaster. Godwinson might not have been a witch burning zealot, but he firmly believed that magicals should not be land owners as he felt he could not control them. Events prevented any real direct confrontation. England soon learned that both the King of Norway (with Tausig as an advisor and senior Captain) and William of Normandy also claimed their right to the throne. Harald Hardrada was a distant relation of a former king and William claimed Edward had promised the throne to him and both were preparing to invade.
"Harold Godwinson called up his levies in preparation. Now, it should be noted, the magicals were only required to show up once the enemy had landed and battle was to be joined. But the non-magicals had to show up and wait. This included significant numbers of men-at-arms from Lord Potter's English estates who were soon being promised they could take the lands for themselves should Harold prevail.
"At this time the magicals in England were a divided group. One group (a minority of which Lord Potter was part) were landed with many in the non-magical nobility. As men with landed estates, keeping those estates was important. The other was a scholarly class that was also land poor led by the Dumbledore family."
"I've heard that name," the Prime Minister said.
Sir Stephen nodded. "A distant descendant of that family is a wizard of some – er – concern to this day. This Dumbledore faction believed that magicals should remain aloof from the affairs of Kings and nobles save as advisors. This position meant that it was their belief that land holdings were anathema and those who held land and fought in the wars were not true wizards. One of these Dumbledores was, in fact, a principal advisor to Harold Godwinson.
"Lord Potter knew that with Godwinson as King, the estates his family had held and maintained for a thousand years would be forfeit. He also knew that the Norse King was no better as Tausig clearly coveted his lands. That left him with but one possible ally in this time of crisis."
"William," the Prime Minister nodded.
"Now your histories said that William mustered his soldiers and built his ships but was prevented from invading for months by ill winds. You must remember William was from the land of the Norse men in France, which is what Normandy meant. They built long ships which did not need a favorable wind if the oars were manned with a will. What really held William back were his own magical councilors. The magicals in Britain were better trained with magic than they were thanks to a school founded over one hundred years earlier and they predicted a disaster for William should William invade.
"Lord Potter arrived in Normandy and treated with William. Lord Potter would guarantee little or no resistance from the magicals of Britain provided William agreed to leave the magical nobility in possession of their estates. Lord Potter sweetened the pot by also promising to keep the King's Peace within his lands and ensure the King's taxes were collected and levies met. William agreed and his magicals stopped their grousing and William made final preparations. Lord Potter, meanwhile, returned to England.
"Lord Potter led his men at the Battle of Stamford Bridge against the forces of Harold Hardrada and Tausig and they distinguished themselves. It is said that Lord Potter personally took the life of his nemesis Tausig, although that was never confirmed. Regardless, it appeared to Godwinson and the other Nobles that the Wizard Warriors had chosen their side. This also emboldened the Dumbledore faction who believed the Warriors had, by fighting for the King, chosen their path. It should be noted that the Dumbledore faction, while gifted wizards, were not warriors. Combat force required land, not wisdom and study. This other faction served in the rear of the Army as advisors and Healers for the wounded, not up front at the point of attack and greatest hazard.
"Lord Potter and his force then moved south with Godwinson upon learning that William had landed. William's magical advisors again dithered and rather move inland, the invaders remained at their landing beaches allowing the English time to march some two hundred or more miles from Stamford Bridge to Hastings. They caught the Normans napping, and bottled them up on a narrow strip of high and easily defended ground. It looked like the Normans would suffer a fate similar to the Norse.
"And so it was that on the morning of October 14th, the Normans saw the Saxons in battle array on the high ground astride the only route inland. Many were said to be dismayed, but William took note of the banners. The Banner of Lord Potter was not upon the heights for Lord Potter and the other magical warriors had not left London with the rest of the army. Magic, therefore, would not play a part in the battle and William attacked. Now, one should note the battle was long and brutal and even after Harold lay slain, the Saxons did not give. But there was a miscommunication and a group of Saxons moved when they should have stayed in place or some such and the Normans finally broke through, routing the defenders."
"Why is this necessary?" the Prime Minister asked.
"Lord Potter's betrayal of Godwinson tells much of his family and its philosophy, Sir," Sir Stephen replied. "Godwinson was a direct threat to his lands, but more important to his people who were not the quasi slaves that toiled on the neighboring lands. Their loyalty is to their people and not to any king or idea. They are shrewd politicians and have kept greedier men out of their affairs for nearly two thousand years or so. Magic alone cannot do that and has often failed, as many of the other Wizard Warriors families would learn over the next centuries. House Potter and a handful of others remain, but only House Potter remains with all of its lands intact.
"Following Hastings, the magicals of Britain swore their fealty to William. The specifics of the oath are important. They swore their loyalty to William and his family for so long as they remained upon the throne. The Wizengamot was charged with keeping the King's Peace among the magicals. Oddly, it was not Lord Potter who had kept the magicals out of the fight, but Dumbledore who had advised Godwinson to the end who became William's magical counselor."
"What about the one's from France?"
"It would seem William had little use for the cowards," Sir Stephen said. "They were dismissed from his service. For the land holding wizards, such as Lord Potter, they were required to also see to the collection of taxes and troop levies allocated to their lands. The various Lord Potters were exceptionally good at keeping the subsequent Kings from looking in their direction. Taxes were paid on time and generally with little or no complaint. The levies were met when called. The Kings never cared where the taxes or men came from. By the time of Hastings, what is now Charenwell, being free of war and non-magical interference, had become a major trader certainly within the magical world. The Potter lands in Britain were not as burdened by taxes as their neighbors because the Potter estates paid from their gross profits, from which their lands in England were but a minor contributor. A drought might cause problems for his neighbors, but it never did for him as he had other sources from which to pay his King and keep his King out of his affairs. Likewise, his levies were often met with mercenary soldiers from all over England.
"This brings us to 1215. Even the then Lord Potter took issue with the demands made upon the nobility, and he was still part of the nobility. House Dumbledore was still an advisor to the King and was advising King John not to back down. Lord Potter and others forced the issue and from the resulting councils, King John realized that however right his counselors might be in law; he could not stand against his nobility and hope to live. It was Lord Potter, among others, who recommended compromise."
"The Magna Carta?" the Prime Minister asked.
"I doubt the Lord Potter had a hand in its drafting, but he had a hand in convincing King John it was in the best interests of England and the Crown to sign. John was not a very grateful man, but fate had it he died in 1216. His son Henry was King, but was then but nine years of age. The Regent was a man named William Marshall, who in addition to being well acquainted with Lord Potter, was also quite aware at how near England had come to falling into anarchy and the role Lord Potter had played in avoiding it. In 1217, William Marshall granted House Potter sole authority over the Potter lands not within England itself. Charenwell became a totally independent realm. When Henry III attained his majority, he named Justin Potter Duke and replaced House Dumbledore with House Potter as his magical counsel. The descendants of Justin Potter retain that title to this day. Harry is the Twenty-Seventh Duke of Charenwell."
"How could the ruler of a now foreign country be counselor to the King?" the Prime Minister asked.
"Recall, House Potter still held significant lands in England proper. Only Charenwell had been severed. With respect to his lands in England, Lord Potter (now Duke of Charenwell) remained a nobleman and servant of the Crown. He also retained his seats on the magical Wizengamot. While his Charenwell citizens were now independent of the Crown, his English subjects were not. Basically and probably uniquely, House Potter became part of two countries. House Potter would serve as Magical Counselor to the Crown from that day forward and has so served until 1978, regardless of the dynasty that then held the throne. The current Duke was reinstated to his posting two weeks ago, but it is that posting that originally gave rise to my office in the Thirteenth Century. I am a British subject born upon Potter lands in England and am of magical birth. As such, as my ambassadors before me, I serve as the Crown's representative to the Duke and as liaison between the Duke and the Crown."
As the Prime Minister pondered his next question, he looked out the window of the car. They seemed to have just entered a huge construction site. The road was now much wider and on either side, tall buildings were going up. It was clear that this hive of activity extended further inland as well. "What's this?" he asked.
"It shall be called Jamestown," Sir Stephen said. "It is being built by order of the current Duke. When it's finished, it will be home to twenty thousand or more."
"Housing shortage?"
"On the contrary. He cannot hope to populate this city from the current population."
"I don't understand. Where will he get the people and why build a city for no one?"
"That's one of the things he'll explain."
"I'm sure his citizens are thrilled at footing the bill for this folly!"
"They are upset at the construction as this road does pass by some favored stretches of beach," Sir Stephen said. "But they're not complaining about the cost."
"Why not?"
"This is being built entirely from the private resources of the Duke."
"A money pit if you ask me."
"House Potter traditionally would not see it that way," Sir Stephen said. "They have held their lands and position for two millennia. One does not do that by seeking short term gains. For House Potter, a potential profit or return on investment (with interest) two centuries down the road is sufficient justification for such investment.
"Remember, House Potter has held every acre of land it has ever acquired. Those lands have always been leased to tenants. Over time, the rents – even very low ones – do add up. The current Duke is among the wealthiest men on earth, if not the wealthiest. They have been cautious with their money and have not squandered it as have many others in their position over the centuries. A hundred million quid won't even erase his annual interest income."
"Bloody hell."
"It of course helps that Charenwell has never had to invest in a military."
"Why not?"
"This is an island hidden from the world by ancient and powerful magic for over a thousand years. Not even the Vikings found it. You and the Foreign Minister never heard of it, and you are no different than all but a handful of the billions of non-magical people in the world. In the magical world, this place is legend and myth. This country is populated mostly by witches and wizards and is therefore the most magical land on earth. But to the rest of humanity, it does not exist. No Duke has had designs for power or conquest and as no one else can come here except by leave of the Duke, there's no reason for a force to defend this land against potential invaders because there are no potential invaders. It is therefore an amazing example of how prosperous a people could be if they were freed from the need to provide for their common defense."
It made sense, the Prime Minister thought. Defense was not the budget item it had once been, but it was still huge and was always an item that aroused vigorous debate in the House of Commons. There were times he wished for the American style. As Prime Minister he was a Member of Parliament as were all his Cabinet Secretaries. They could be called to "answer" at any time which while engaging could and often did devolve into shouting matches between the benches. The Americans were far more boring in that regard and had far less authority (as in practically none) to drag the President or his cabinet members before Congress. If Congress didn't like what the President was up to, they'd legislate around it. Parliament would do that too, but only after very public arguments on the floor of the House of Commons between the Prime Minister and Members. And it was much easier for Parliament to give him the boot. His predecessor had only avoided a vote of no confidence by resigning. Oh well.
"Okay, so why is it my contact with this world is through the Ministry of Magic, but Her Majesty has the Ambassador to this country?" the Prime Minister asked.
"Remember when I said that the magicals took an oath of fealty to William of Normandy after the Battle of Hastings?"
The Prime Minister nodded.
"The oath was to be loyal to the Crown for so long as William or his heirs sat upon the throne," Sir Stephen said. "While that may seen clear, it is actually ambiguous and in 1399 the ambiguity came into play."
"How so"
"That was when Henry of Bolingbrook deposed King Richard II. Richard was the direct male descendant of William. His father was the Black Prince, eldest son of Edward III. Bolingbrook was the eldest son of John of Gaunt, third son of Edward III. He was also not the next in line for the throne. That would have been Edmond Mortimer who was the son of Edward III's second son.
"Most of the magicals interpreted the coronation of Henry IV as the end of the direct line from William and they would have been right. They disappeared into their world and communities and as they survived, they were seen as not breaking their family oaths. The Wizengamot ceased being an extension of the King's authority and became the de facto and sole government over magical Britain.
"The Duke of Charenwell, however, arrived at a different conclusion. While Henry IV was not next in line for the throne, he was a descendent of William and his right to rule had been recognized by the nobility even if his rise to the throne was suspect. The Duke concluded that so long as any descendent of William ruled his oath held. The unique relationship between the Crown and Charenwell dates from 1399 when the Duke chose a different path from the rest of magical Britain. There was only the brief time of Oliver Cromwell when the Duke felt freed from his oath and stopped serving Britain in any capacity. But under the Acknowledgement of 1399, he recognized any descendant of William as a valid monarch without regard to how they attained the throne. It should be noted, every king or queen of England since William has been one of William's descendants, even if descended from a daughter line including Her Majesty.
"For almost three hundred years, however, the rest of magical Britain paid no mind nor recognized any obligations towards their non-magical neighbors. This changed in 1692 with their signing of the International Statute of Secrecy. The statute was a treaty enacted to hide our world from yours insofar as possible. However, there was a proviso. Each magical government was required to have contact with whatever non-magical government controlled the lands. That was when magical Britain created its Ministry and that Ministry saw Parliament as the legitimate governing body, not Queen Mary and King William. At the time, it was arguable whether that interpretation was correct. It certainly is correct today as Her Majesty no longer rules Britain. The government is the Parliament, not the Queen."
"Then why hasn't House Potter…?"
"His obligation derives from a magical oath which was reaffirmed in a broader sense upon the coronation of Henry IV; that and the fact that Charenwell is not a magical country hidden within the wider world and amongst unsuspecting non-magicals. That oath recognizes the Crown as his obligation. The Ministry's obligation is by statute, not magical oath. Even if they were mistaken at the time, they were not magically obligated to recognize the Crown. As 1399 proved, the original oath was sufficiently vague that the actions of the Wizengamot and the then Duke of Charenwell were both consistent with the oath. The Duke is obligated to serve the Queen in some capacity and recognize her as his contact with Britain. The Ministry is not so obligated and can choose to liaise, however ineptly, with your office instead."
"That explains England and Charenwell," the Prime Minister said, "what about Scotland, Ireland and Wales?"
"Going back to Hastings," Sir Stephen said, "at that time the only magicals subject to the English Crown were those in England. The others owed their loyalties to their local rulers, at least until England took over. From a magical standpoint, all the British Isles fell under English dominion during the reign of Edward I. How is unimportant, although there was a lot of double dealing going on and arguably Wales was conquered in part through the betrayal of its magicals."
"And today? Does the Ministry also liaise with the Irish Republic?"
"They seemed to have conveniently decided the Irish Republic is of no moment. Their Irish citizens might disagree, but as the Irish have no votes in the Wizengamot…"
"Why not?"
"Because they are considered a conquered people," Sir Stephen said. "The same is true for the Scots and Welsh. You may find members with family ties to those regions, but membership is derived from English wizards. The few others who have seats acquired them through political marriages and maneuvering much later. It is not a body truly representative of the magical people it rules. Then again, as it is derived from a council of nobles and its members seated by inheritance and not popular vote…"
"A House of Lords?"
Sir Stephen nodded. "With no corresponding House of Commons."
"That explains quite a bit," the Prime Minister said. "So, what about this Duke?"
"He was born and raised in Britain," Sir Stephen said. "His parents were murdered when he was an infant and he was sent to be raised – illegally, I might add – by his mother's sister who is not magical."
"Illegally?"
"Albus Dumbledore, who is head of the British Wizengamot, usurped and abused his authority and placed the boy with his non-magical relations in contravention of law, custom and the boy's parents' desires."
"And this Dumbledore…?"
"Is a direct descendant of the others I've mentioned. Being manipulative and unconcerned with the rule of law seems to run in that family," Sir Stephen shrugged. "Anyway, the current Duke is the youngest ever."
"Oh?"
"We wizards tend to live long lives for the most part. This is particularly true if we avoid wars and political intrigues, which House Potter has usually been adept at doing. This past Century has been an aberration."
"Oh?"
"Duke Charlus was married around 1916 in an arranged marriage with a British witch from an old line for political reasons. While such marriages are common even to this day back home in certain circles, it has rarely happened in Charenwell. He was killed in London in 1978 during the last magical war."
"My brief discussed that bit."
"The war or the murder of the Duke?"
"The war. Murder?"
"The insurgents considered Lord Potter a threat," Sir Stephen said. "He was vigorous in trying to get the magical government to deal with them forcibly and had just given a speech recommending open communication with the Crown to bring the bastards to heel. He openly advocated execution for the insurgents for their crimes. They obviously took offense. It didn't help that the magical government looked the other way."
"As they appear to be doing now," the Prime Minister noted.
"Agreed," Sir Stephen said. "That is, in fact, Her Majesty's concern as well as that of the current Duke.
"Anyway, Charlus was succeeded by his son Charles. Charles was sixty-two when he became Duke which is considered young. The average age is over ninety. Charles had been a fighter pilot in our RAF during World War II. He died in 1988 during an epidemic in our world. He should have been succeeded by his son James, but James had been murdered in 1981 during the last wizards' war. What should have happened then was that James's son would have been made Duke. It would have been in name only, as the boy was only eight. That did not happen as Dumbledore had hidden the boy from everyone."
"How?"
"Magic. He was placed with his Aunt. One of the Duke's people knew where at first, but a spell was cast and all but Dumbledore forgot his whereabouts. There are many forms of magic that can do that, by the way. Anyway, the lad was raised non-magical until he was eleven and was sent off to school.
"Now it should be noted that Charenwell, despite being over 90 percent magical and having perhaps two thirds the number of witches and wizards as all the British Isles combined, has no magical schools of its own. Magical school starts at eleven pretty much everywhere. The children from here have attended school in the British Isles. I can't say that there's a good reason for it. Some histories suggest it was purely a question of custom while others suggest some prior Dukes felt a total break from Britain was not proper considering he had magical tenants there as well. The current Duke is set upon changing that.
"Charenwell was unaware of the Duke's status until 1991, when he started at the oldest magical school in Britain. It's called Hogwarts and is in Scotland somewhere and happens to be run by one Albus Dumbledore."
"I get the feeling this Dumbledore is no friend of House Potter," the Prime Minister said.
"That would seem to be the case," Sir Stephen agreed. "The Lord Mayor made significant efforts to see to the orderly return of the lad, but was thwarted at every turn by this Dumbledore. Finally, just weeks ago, a covert operation was carried out that brought Duke Harry home at last."
"And your assessment of him?"
"He's young," Sir Stephen said. "He's not quite fifteen. But he's already seen combat in the magical sense and far more than most adults have. He's smart. More important, he has surrounded himself with smart and capable advisors. In the last four weeks he's done far more damage to the insurgents and their supporters than the British Magicals had managed throughout the entire last war, and all of that was in his private capacity. You will find he listens. You will also find him decisive and one who will act swiftly and forcefully if need be. Moreover, everything he's managed thus far has been on his own accounts, as it were. Thus far his actions are his own. While his government supports his actions to date, he has not asked for their commitment financially. My guess is that's about to change."
"Her Majesty said he's a breath of fresh air in a swamp."
"And interesting comment," Sir Stephen said. "The British magicals are bending over backwards to sweep their problems under the rug, as it were, and ignore it insofar as possible. They either forget that their current problems are affecting our people or they don't care. Her Majesty takes issue with that. Duke Harry will have none of it."
"How so?"
"I'm sure the Duke will tell us." They had just entered the area called the pitch and Sir Stephen could not help but notice the two new Manors under construction. "Goodness," he said, "it would seem the young Duke had been even busier than I thought!"
A/N: RELATIONSHIP SCORECARD:
If you didn't read the Intro, you missed that. This is so you can keep up with who's with who and how.
Key:
Names in Italics = OCGr – Gryffindor, Hu – Hufflepuff, Ra – Ravenclaw, Sl – Slytherin. SG – St. George's School, PE – Prince Edward School, SA – St. Andrew's, SP – St. Patrick's, SD – St. David's.(Number indicates last year completed. No number means they finished all seven years.)
P = pregnant.
Harry James Potter, age 15.*
1. Hermione Jane (Granger) Potter, age 16 (Gr-5); CONSORT (POTTER).*P2. Luna Celeste (Lovegood) Black, age 15 (Ra-4); CONSORT (BLACK).*3. Dora (Tonks) Black-Potter, age 22 (Hu); CONCUBINE (BLACK).*P4. Minerva Grace (McGonagall) Potter-Black, age 68 (Gr); CONCUBINE (POTTER).P - girl.5. Mallory Michelle (Grant) Black-Potter, age 39 (Hu); CONCUBINE (BLACK).P - boy.6. Daphne Renee (Greengrass) Black-Potter, age 16 (Sl-5); CONCUBINE (BLACK).*7. Astoria Lynn (Greengrass) Potter-Black, age 14 (Sl-3); CONCUBINE (POTTER).*8. Ginevra Molly (Weasley) Potter-Black, age 14 (Gr-4); CONCUBINE (POTTER).*9. Stacey Marie (Campbell) Potter-Black, age 17 (SA-5); CONCUBINE (BLACK).*10. Tabatha Simone (Collins) Black-Potter, age 16 (SA-5); CONCUBINE (BLACK).11. Laura Teresa (Oliver) Potter-Black, age 21 (PE-5); CONCUBINE (POTTER).12. Fiona Michelle (Simpson) Black-Potter, age 22 (SD); CONCUBINE (BLACK).13. Rhonda Kaye (Lester) Potter-Black, age 17 (SD-5); CONCUBINE (POTTER).14. Karen Maria (Green) Black-Potter, age 18 (PE-5); CONCUBINE (BLACK).15. Katie Anna (Bell) Potter-Black, age 17 (Gr-6); CONCUBINE (POTTER).16. Constance Maria (Plumber) Black-Potter, age 16 (SG-5); CONCUBINE (BLACK).Bill Weasley, age 25.
1. Fleur Patrice (Delacour) Weasley, age 19; CONSORT (BILL WEASLEY).P2. Mary Ellen (Howard) Weasley, age 18 (Hu-5); CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY).*P3. Samantha Christine (Johnson) Weasley, age 17 (SG-5); CONCUBINE BILL WEASLEY).*4. Peggy Louise Nolan, age 17 (9/6/78) (Hu-6); CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY).5. Elizabeth Olive Nolan, age 14 (Gr-3); CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY).6. Lana Catherine (Powell) Weasley, age 22 (SA); CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY).7. Carla (Masterson) Weasley, age 20 (PE-5); CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY).8. Donna Lynn (Roselle) Weasley, age 19 (SG-5); CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY).9. Christine Celine (Paulson) Weasley, age 17 (PE-5); CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY).10. Mandy (Brocklehurst) Weasley, age 16 (Ra-5); CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY).11. Wendy Seline Hendricks, age 15 (Gr-4); CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY).Neville Algicyrus Longbottom, age 15.*
1. Susan Marie (Bones) Longbottom, age 16 (Hu-5); CONSORT (NEVILLE).*P2. Amber Selma (Harker) Longbottom, age 33 (Sl-5); CONCUBINE (NEVILLE).*P - boy, girl (twins).3. Penelope Ann (Clearwater) Longbottom, age 20 (Ra); CONCUBINE (NEVILLE).4. Annette Lucille (Harper) Longbottom, age 24 (SD); CONCUBINE (NEVILLE).5. Deborah Leigh (McLean) Longbottom, age 20 (SA); CONCUBINE (NEVILLE).6. Miriam Olivia (Riley) Longbottom, age 18 (SG-5); CONCUBINE (NEVILLE).7. Amanda Kennedy, age 16 (SP-5); CONCUBINE (NEVILLE).8. Hannah Suzanne (Abbott) Longbottom, age 16 (Hu-5); CONCUBINE (NEVILLE).9. Patricia Faye Abbott, age 14 (Hu-3); CONCUBINE (NEVILLE).10. Megan Allison Jones, age 16 (Hu-5); CONCUBINE (NEVILLE).Fred Weasley, age 18.
1. Alicia May (Spinet) Weasley, age 18 (Gr); CONSORT (FRED).*2. Verity Nicole (Smith) Weasley, age 21 (SG-5); CONCUBINE (FRED).*P3. Danielle Louise (Carter) Weasley, age 20 (SG-5); CONCUBINE (FRED).*P4. Victoria (Vicki) Peters, age 17 (Ra-6); CONCUBINE (FRED).5. Rachel Francine Peters, age 15 (Ra-4); CONCUBINE (FRED).6. Coleen (Harrington) Weasley, age 23 (SP); CONCUBINE (FRED).7. Elisha Susan (Stout) Weasley, age 21 (SD); CONCUBINE (FRED).8. Helen May (Ivey) Weasley, age 20 (SG-5); CONCUBINE (FRED).9. Caroline (Folsom) Weasley, age 18 (SD-5); CONCUBINE (FRED).10. Annette Maria Barnes, age 15 (Gr-4); CONCUBINE (FRED).11. Simone Fanning, age 15, (Hu-4); CONCUBINE (FRED).George Weasley, age 18.
1. Angelina Olivia (Johnson) Weasley, age 18 (Gr); CONSORT (GEORGE).*P2. Shelly Ann (Parker) Weasley, age 22 (SG); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).*P3. Ellen Suzanne (North) Weasley, age 20 (SG); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).*4. Anna Melissa Jenkins, age 17 (Hu-6); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).5. Roberta Elaine (Larson) Weasley, age 25 (PE); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).6. Georgina Emma (Parker) Weasley, age 22 (SG); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).7. Eileen (O'Malley) Weasley, age 21 (SP-5); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).8. Isabel (Tate) Weasley, age 19 (SA); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).9. Tammy Grey, age 15 (Hu-4); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).10. Pamela Ray Adams, age 15 (Ra-4); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).11. Selene Adams, age 13 (Ra-2); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).
Lord Mayor Remus John Lupin, age 36.
1. Sarah Michelle (Hanson) Lupin, age 21 (SG); CONCUBINE (REMUS).2. Amelia Renee (Carpenter) Lupin, age 21 (SG); CONCUBINE (REMUS).3. Tara Frances (Marks) Lupin, age 20 (SG-5); CONCUBINE (REMUS).4. Christy Matthews, age 19 (SG); CONCUBINE (REMUS).5. Ellie Beth Mitchell, age 18 (PE-5); CONCUBINE (REMUS).Frank Longbottom, age 41.1. Alice Maria (Pierson) Longbottom, age 40 (Ra); CONSORT (FRANK).2. Sandra Ellen (Butler) Longbottom, age 24 (SP); CONCUBINE (FRANK).3. Veronica Helen (Riordan) Longbottom, age 23 (SP); CONCUBINE (FRANK).4. Gretchen Lee (St. James) Longbottom, age 21 (PE); CONCUBINE (FRANK).5. Marie (White) Longbottom, age 19 (SD); CONCUBINE (FRANK).6. Carol Matilda Timmerman, age 17 (SD-5); CONCUBINE (FRANK).