The Elden Lion - Of Allies and Foes. (Patreon)

Dalia Potter, Great Hall – Hogwarts.

“So, what do you think, Dalia?” Ginny asked with an expectant smile as she placed the parchment in front of the red-haired Gryffindor, undoubtedly confident in herself.

Dalia simply rolled her eyes at Ginny’s latest scheme, knowing perfectly well what she wanted to hear, but taking extreme pleasure in making the young redhead sweat.

“I don’t know, Gin. Harry didn’t seem particularly interested in Quidditch. I can’t imagine that a league in Leyndell would be very popular,” the young Potter said with complete sincerity, laughing when she saw the look of absolute betrayal on the young Weasley’s face.

“How can you say that, Dalia?” one of her best friends said, staring at the redhead in complete shock and making Dalia laugh softly as she shook her head.

“Come on, Gin. You saw the city. All those beautiful women are more interested in organizing monthly orgies than in a sport where people ride around on broomsticks,” Hermione said without lifting her gaze from the immense book she was reading.

Ginny sighed before answering.

“You may be right. Even so, do you think Lord Harry would let us build a Quidditch field?” the redhead asked hopefully, making Dalia laugh softly.

“I don’t see why not,” she said with a smile as they calmly observed the Great Hall, analyzing every single detail around them.

Once upon a time… to Dalia, this had been a simply magical place. She remembered the first time she had walked through it, completely dazzled by the wonder that was Hogwarts, the enchanted ceiling, and the Sorting Ceremony.

But now… the young Potter’s horizons had expanded considerably. The walls of Hogwarts, warm and ancient, seemed… small to her.

She had already seen Leyndell. She knew what awaited her at the end of this year in her brother’s service. It was inevitable to make the relevant comparisons, and unfortunately for Hogwarts, the school fell considerably short compared to Holy Leyndell.

The capital of the Lands Between, a mystical and mysterious kingdom, practically untouched and completely subject to her brother’s will. Dalia still remembered her wonderful visit, the afternoons in the Palace of Winds, the beautiful walks through the city, and the incredible views of the Golden Tree.

Being honest with herself, she was completely determined to leave England once and for all, a sentiment that was also shared by her mother.

And speaking of Lily Potter…

The increase in the noise was the first indication that something was happening. Every head turned toward the entrance of the Great Hall, where the sight of Lily Potter immediately stole the attention of everyone present.

Men and women alike, Dalia thought, watching as even some of the witches present stared in astonishment at her beloved mother, and she really could not blame them.

Lily Potter… looked simply spectacular, dressed in a conservative robe that did nothing but emphasize her ethereal beauty. Her red and perfectly straight hair fell down her back like a cascade of fire, while her eyes shone like living emeralds, filled with monstrous amounts of contained magical power, the result of her Ascension in Leyndell.

Her figure was simply perfection incarnate, curvaceous yet elegant, with a narrow waist and wide hips, proudly dressed in the colors of House Potter as she walked through the center of the Great Hall directly toward the professors’ table.

Dalia watched with amusement as eyes followed her. She noticed lust and desire in the gazes of the pathetic wizards, as well as envy in those of the witches who did not belong to Harry.

Although, to the young Potter’s amusement, every single one of them immediately looked away, undoubtedly afraid of invoking the wrath of the infamous Lord Potter.

And speaking of her beloved brother…

“Dalia, look at this… Lord Harry was in France,” Hermione said as she hesitantly showed her the front page of the Prophet.

The young Potter simply rolled her eyes. She knew perfectly well that the Prophet had begun a smear campaign against her brother, declaring him an emerging Dark Lord because of his actions against the poor families of supposedly respectable citizens, describing the fate of the Malfoys, Parkinsons, and Greengrasses as simply atrocious.

“And what kind of mischief has my brother been up to in the Land of Wine and Moldy Cheese, Hermione?” Dalia asked with amusement, taking perverse pleasure in watching both Professor Dumbledore and Snape look extremely nervous at even being near her mother as she took a sip of her apple juice.

“Exterminating two supremacist French families, executing Augustus Rookwood, wiping out an entire colony of mountain trolls and a regiment of mercenary wizards… oh, and declaring the Veela official vassals of House Potter.”

At those words, Dalia choked on her drink, immediately beginning to cough as Ginny gently patted her back, all under Hermione’s amused gaze.

“That wasn’t funny,” Dalia said with a frown as she took the newspaper and began reading.

The front page was quite shocking: Harry levitating over what appeared to be a burned field while the French press took photographs and fired questions at him without stopping.

At his feet stood the representatives of the Veela Conclave, all dressed in elegant and beautiful golden gowns, as well as silver chokers bearing the Royal symbol of Leyndell.

The message had been clear, the image was shocking, and the rest of the Wizarding World…

Concerned, Dalia thought with amusement as she observed the worried expression of Professor Dumbledore, who held the newspaper in his trembling hands.

The noise in the hall was deafening, opinions divided. Some openly expressed terror, declaring that the Ministry had to do something about it, while others simply continued with their lives as normal, understanding that House Potter’s vendetta was quite specific, and that the extinction of three Pure-Blood families was not really a loss to the Wizarding World as a whole.

And then, to make things even more interesting, her mother spoke, her voice firm and serene, directly addressing Professor Dumbledore.

“Headmaster, I will be absent this afternoon due to family matters concerning House Potter. Aurora will kindly cover my classes this afternoon. I will return by dinner,” her mother said completely naturally, making the entire Great Hall fall silent, everyone attentive to the exchange of words.

The elderly Headmaster looked at Lady Potter with infinite disappointment in his eyes, opening and closing his mouth several times before finally releasing a heavy sigh and answering.

“You… were you aware of this, Lily?” he asked as he raised the newspaper with a tired expression, everyone around them remaining silent, curious about Lady Potter’s answer.

Her mother’s response?

A soft nod, her firm and challenging gaze directed straight at the Headmaster.

“My son informed me of the outcome of the negotiations, as well as the… pathetic attempt by Armand Malfoy to invade the Conclave. As a good Lord, Harry merely defended our family’s vassals, exterminating the problem at its root. Although, if your question concerns the nature of the attack… I am certain Severus can give you a rather detailed report. Harry informed me that he… sent a very clear message to one particular person,” her mother said with a look of cruel amusement, and Dalia was able to see the Potions professor grow even paler, trembling uncontrollably.

Professor Dumbledore opened his mouth to respond when a golden radiance illuminated the center of the room.

A familiar magic to Dalia and a large group of witches in the Great Hall, the redhead thought with amusement as she watched all the initiates of Leyndell straighten their backs and focus their entire attention on the Golden Gate.

Fleur emerged first, beautiful and radiant Fleur, with her silver mane and snow-white skin, immediately commanding the attention of everyone present. The young Frenchwoman seemed to shine even brighter than usual for some strange reason, to the obvious envy of the vast majority of the witches in the room. She was wearing the rather form-fitting Beauxbatons uniform, along with a beautiful silver choker symbolizing her new vassalage to House Potter.

A none-too-subtle reminder that this witch was off the market, although it was not as though anyone really stood a chance to begin with, Dalia thought with amusement.

At the same time, another figure emerged from the Portal, a familiar, dominant, and powerful presence.

The infamous Lord of the Noble and Ancient House of Potter.

The reactions were instantaneous. All the Slytherin wizards lowered their gazes in submission and absolute terror, while the witches, much to Dalia’s amusement, had the opposite reaction. Every single one of them, without exception, stared at her brother with evident fascination and interest. Dalia even watched with amusement as the Carrow twins provocatively shifted their legs, staring directly at the imposing sight of her brother.

Alas, apparently Harry’s attention was entirely on Fleur. His hand rested on the small of her back, an elegant yet extremely dominant gesture.

“Go to your place, mon amour. We will talk later,” Harry ordered with a charming smile, drawing a dreamy sigh from the Veela before she walked toward the central table, staring directly at where her mother and the Headmaster were standing.

“This will be interesting,” Hermione said cautiously, closing her book and looking toward the two titans staring at one another.

To Dalia’s amusement, the Headmaster was glaring at Harry with a frown, while Harry regarded him with complete indifference.

“Lord Potter,” the elderly professor said, inclining his head with extreme caution, though still politely. Harry responded with the same gesture.

“Headmaster Dumbledore, my mother and I will be absent this afternoon. We have some unfinished business at Potter Manor. Have you already been informed?” he asked politely, making the elderly man nod calmly.

“Lily has just informed me that she will be absent this afternoon, but… I was wondering if I might know the reason, considering the unfortunate recent events,” the elderly man said, reproach and disapproval evident in his voice.

Harry’s response?

A casual shrug.

“I believe we have rather… different concepts of what we consider unfortunate, Headmaster. But as a courtesy, allow me to inform you that it concerns a meeting with members of my father’s former allies. Lord Sirius Black has returned to England and has expressed an insistence on meeting with me, and Lady Dowager Augusta Longbottom has contacted me to discuss a delicate matter, so you may rest easy.”

The amusement in Harry’s voice made Dalia hide a little laugh behind her hand, although the person who did not seem happy or reassured in the slightest was Professor Dumbledore. Quite the opposite.

“Black is back? I… I did not know,” the man confessed before looking at her mother, who simply nodded, validating Harry’s words.

“Black was in Australia, so news of Harry’s return took some time to reach him. As soon as he learned of it, he took a continental Portkey to the Continent, requesting an immediate meeting with his nephew. I imagine it is to reactivate the old Coalition of Lord Charlus and Lord Arcturus, without a doubt,” her mother said with a small, seemingly innocent smile.

Dalia knew perfectly well that her mother was enjoying the situation: watching Professor Dumbledore’s face, completely helpless and incapable of doing anything about it while important decisions were being made all around him.

The same sensation her mother had felt for years, Dalia thought with cruel satisfaction.

Harry extended his arm toward his mother, making Lady Potter take it elegantly, both preparing to leave.

“See you later, Headmaster. A… pleasure seeing you,” her brother said before turning around and crossing the threshold, both of them disappearing without another word and leaving behind a worried Headmaster.

“Our Lord certainly has style,” Ginny whispered, biting her lip with desire, making Dalia nod in agreement.

“What do you think that meeting is about?” Hermione asked curiously, making Dalia shrug.

“I don’t know, but I’m certain my mother will give me a complete report tonight. Hurry up and let’s go. We have classes,” the young Potter said, making both girls nod and prepare to leave.

There was much to do.

Sirius Black, Potter Manor – England.

“I don’t remember this place being so… ostentatious, to be honest,” Augusta said with a frown as she observed the imposing and majestic dancing tree at the center of the place.

“Neither do I. This must be Harry’s doing,” Sirius replied with a smile as he looked around just as stunned as Augusta, who frowned while observing everything around her.

“The young Potter must be just as powerful as that old rag the Prophet keeps mentioning. It is rather refreshing to see a Lord who has the balls to do what is necessary. Without Malfoy, Greengrass, and Parkinson… the Conservative bloc is weaker than ever. It is the perfect time to renew the Coalition and exterminate every last vermin,” the ruthless woman said, much to Sirius’s amusement.

“As lovely as ever, Augusta,” Lord Black said, making the woman in question look at him with one raised eyebrow, challenging him to make another comment.

Sirius simply laughed when a disturbance within the Manor caught both their attention. Turning toward the imposing tree, they watched in disbelief as it began glowing with a golden radiance.

“Merlin…” Augusta whispered as a strange… unknown magical threshold appeared.

It was a sort of… portal, like the ones Sirius had seen in Muggle movies, an intense golden color and radiating a simply monstrous amount of magic, from which two silhouettes emerged elegantly.

One of them was easily recognizable to the Lord: red hair, green eyes, and extremely beautiful. Even years later, Lily’s beauty had not diminished. Quite the opposite. She wore a tailored robe in the colors of House Potter, with what surprisingly appeared to be a… golden tree embroidered upon the chest.

But Sirius’s attention quickly left the beautiful Lady, focusing instead on that sight… the one that had caused him pain for more than fifteen years…

His beloved godson.

Alive, triumphant, and powerful.

“Harry!” Lord Black whispered with longing and a smile on his face, observing every detail of the young Lord’s face with extreme attention.

It was… like seeing James again. High cheekbones and that characteristic jet-black Potter mane. He carried himself with a bearing that exuded only one thing.

Absolute Power.

And his eyes… Merlin, the reports had said that Harry Potter had heterochromatic eyes, but seeing them in person…

It was simply incredible. That golden orb was filled with a simply monstrous amount of magical power. Looking Harry in the eyes was rather difficult, as though magic itself were screaming at you to submit to him immediately.

And then… Lord Potter spoke.

“Lord Black, Lady Longbottom, welcome to Potter Manor… I believe we have much to discuss,” Lord Potter said calmly, quickly taking control of the conversation.

Sirius and Augusta looked at one another, genuinely overwhelmed by the imposing presence before them.

This… would be a very interesting meeting.

Of that, they had no doubt.