In The Blood by Mutt N Feathers



Summary: *** Winner of Best Historical, 3-way tie, in the Noble and Most Ancient House Challenge ***

A strange owl delivers a summons to Harry on December 1, 1995, telling him he is to be at a meeting on the Isle of Avalon in just 21 days. The parchment sets events in motion which give Harry an unexpected teacher and the knowledge he needs to comfortably assume his title as Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter.
Rating: PG-13 starstarstarstarhalf-star
Categories: The Noble and Most Ancient House Challenge (2012-1), The Noble And Most Ancient House Challenge (2012-1)
Characters: None
Genres: None
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Published: 2012.01.12
Updated: 2012.02.05


In The Blood by Mutt N Feathers
Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Author's Notes:

In the Blood
A Harry Potter Fan-Fiction by Mutt N. Feathers

Prologue:
The Summoning
1 December 1995


It had started out as any other Friday morning for Harry Potter. He’d gotten out of his bed, showered and wrestled with his hair and then admitted defeat. He’d dressed, roused Ron out of his bed and then went to the common room to wait for his roommate and Hermione to be ready for breakfast. He’d had toast, bangers and porridge and listened as Hermione complained about the abysmal reporting in the Daily Prophet and Ron bemoan having History of Magic first thing. It wasn’t until a grey and very regal-looking owl flew in and delivered Harry a letter that things began to change.

Not until after he untied the missive and gave the unknown bird a bit of banger did Harry turn his attention to the parchment. The weight of the paper was very heavy, and it felt odd in his hands, as if it wasn’t made from wood pulp. He broke the iridescent wax seal and slid the long strand of reed which held the cylinder tight and unwound the parchment to see the words it contained.

Harry James, head of the Noble and Most Ancient house of Potter,
Your presence is required at the gathering of the Yn caethiwo Amgarn,
Twenty-one December, Nineteen Ninety-five
On the Isle of Avalon.

Your magic will transport you to the isle two hours past high noon. Please ensure you are in a location in which you are unimpeded from transport.

Merlin,
the Twenty-fourth Seat


“Huh?” Was all Harry could so eloquently respond to the strange letter. “Hermione, can you figure out what this means?” He passed the parchment across the table to his friend, who quickly began reading it over.

“Avalon? Merlin? As in King Arthur? I didn’t know any of it was real.”

“Of course it’s real,” Ron rebuked her, his mouth still filled with slightly chewed toast. He swallowed and then continued. “Muggles got too much of it right, so they had to start a campaign to make them think it was a story. Why are you asking about Avalon and Merlin? Are we studying them in History?”

“No, Ron. My letter referenced them,” Harry explained as Ron moved so he could read over Hermione’s shoulder. “What is the name of that gathering? How do you even pronounce it?”

“It looks like Old English, or maybe Welsh,” Hermione mumbled, still perplexing over the words and the strange golden ink they were written in.

“Blimey, Harry, I didn’t know the Potters were a Noble and Most Ancient House. You’re like royalty!” Ron said rather loudly, attracting the attention of Ginny and Neville who had sat down recently, although they’d been ignoring the trio.

“It doesn’t make him royalty, Ron,” Neville retorted. “It just means his family is really old. The Longbottoms are a Noble and Most Ancient House as well. Gran said there are things I’ll need to learn, and some responsibilities and stuff, but it really doesn’t mean anything.”

“I don’t know,” Ginny said with a pensive look on her face. “That title seems like more than nothing.” Neville shrugged and went back to eating. Ginny looked at Harry with a thoughtful face. “Maybe you should talk with Sirius about it? If it’s some old family thing, he probably knows.”

“That’s a good idea, Ginny. I’ll write to him later,” Harry resolved, taking the letter back from Hermione and curling the parchment before slipping it into his rucksack. He grabbed his goblet, drank down the last of his pumpkin juice before standing to head to class. He didn’t look up at the head table, so he didn’t have a chance to notice that Professor Dumbledore had also received an identical bit of morning post. The headmaster, however, wasn’t excited about this summons. He was deeply fearful of what the meeting in just twenty days might produce.


Chapter 1:
The Strange Portrait


Harry was headed to the library, hoping to find some peace and quiet as the common room was alive with chatter about the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend and the holidays not long after. Harry had wanted to write to Sirius, but then he remembered that his mail was being searched. The last thing Harry would want was to have the Ministry find his godfather. He’d tried contacting him on his mirror, but there was no answer. Desperate for more information about his summons, The Yn caethiwo Amgarn, and what in heavens name the title Noble and Most Ancient really meant, he headed towards Hermione’s favorite place. He wasn’t at all surprised to find her there, a pile of books in front of her, a quill stuck into her hair. She had her pinky nail in her mouth, the end of it hooked over her bottom row of teeth, something Harry had seen his best friend do when in deep concentration for the last five years. He somehow doubted her dentist parents would be happy with her chewing on her finger as a stress reliever.

“Why am I not surprised to see you here?” he asked as he pulled out his chair and sat down.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d get through to Sirius,” Hermione replied in a hushed tone. “I wanted to give you some information if I could. Anyway, Ron wants me to write his Astronomy essay for him and I have no interest in doing so.”

“So have you found anything?”

Hermione shook her head, looking frustrated at her lack of progress on the topic. “I haven’t found anything about the Yn caethiwo Amgarn, although I did sit down with the Welsh dictionary and found out it translates to ‘Binding Circle’. As for the title Noble and Most Ancient House of ‘blank’, it’s an ancient title.”

“How ancient, like the beginning of Hogwarts ancient?”

Hermione shook her head again. “No, the first time it’s referenced in our History of Magic text, is in the context of the Roman invasion of fifty-four, B.C.E.”

“B.C.E?” Harry asked. Hermione sighed.

“Before the Common Era, it’s the correct way to phrase things which happened before the year one,” she explained and Harry still looked confused. “B.C., Harry, like the cavemen.”

“Oh, well, wow that is old. So what did it say about the usage of the title and how your family ends up with it?”

“Nothing, it simply refers to the Noble and Most Ancient house of Careen Berlglor Brenin, if I’m saying that right. The head of the family put up some resistance to the Romans, but that’s all it says. There isn’t another mention of it until 526 C.E., and then it’s in reference to Merlin of the first seat.”

“Okay, so what does this ‘seat’ stuff mean?”

“I don’t know for certain, but I suppose it’s like Muggle peerages, you know, the Fifth Lord Essex or whatever,” Hermione guessed.

Harry considered what she had said before speaking. “Hermione, I don’t like this,” Harry confessed. “What if it’s a trap? What if Voldemort has something to do with this? I could be walking to my capture or death or something.”

“Harry, I don’t know. There must be someone who knows more about this. Maybe Professor Dumbledore?”

“I thought about that, but he’s been avoiding me since my trial. The only time I see him is in the Great Hall for meals or his backside as he’s rapidly walking the other way.”

“Perhaps a portrait? I know Sirius’s great-grandfather was Headmaster. Maybe you can speak with him?” Hermione suggested hopefully.

“The only portrait of him is in Dumbledore’s office. I somehow doubt that Dumbledore’s going to let me into his office since he’s been avoiding me,” Harry stated and Hermione nodded reluctantly. “I’m going to head back to the tower. Maybe Sirius will answer his mirror now.” His tone expressed just how frustrated Harry was with the situation. Hermione felt badly she hadn’t been more useful.

“I’ll keep searching, Harry. Maybe in the Restricted Section?” Harry shrugged and gathered his things. As he was exiting the library, he was surprised to see Professor Trelawney out in the corridors. Since the arrival of Umbridge, the somewhat confused Divination professor was even more on edge and she rarely left her rooms. Harry was even more surprised when she reached out and grabbed his hand.

“Mister Potter, I was just looking for you,” she said, her face quite stern and determined.

“It would appear you’ve found me,” Harry sarcastically replied. “What can I do for you?”

“My grandmother came to me in a vision,” Sybil Trelawney began to explain and Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“Does she say I’m going to die?”

“Well, yes, usually she does, but oddly, not today. Instead, she told me to give you a message. She said it will give you assistance in the questions you need answered. Does this mean anything to you?”

Surprise flitted through Harry’s features, wondering if the woman was going to say something profound about his life for a third time. “It does. What’s her message?”

The professor closed her eyes and began waving her hands in front of her. Since she wouldn’t see, Harry did roll his eyes this time. “Go to the sixth floor. There is a tapestry of a mourning centaur.” She was speaking in her odd undulating timbre, sounding as if she was surging with every fourth syllable. “Next to the tapestry, there is an alcove with an empty frame. Place your hand where the portrait should be and you will meet the one who will provide you answers.”

Harry thought about what she said. The tapestry was near the north end of the sixth floor. There wasn’t much up there beside a broom cupboard and a rarely used loo. He pondered what he should do.

“Yes, well, now that I’ve told you, I think I shall return to my quarters,” the professor abruptly said and turned and started to walk away. Harry was quickly startled back from his thoughts and to the here and now.

“Thank you, professor,” he said. If she heard him, she showed no sign of it. Harry decided he had nothing to lose, so he pulled the Marauder’s Map from his rucksack and looked for the closest route. Unfortunately Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were in his path, two first-year Hufflepuffs were being surrounded by the trio. Luckily, Hermione was leaving the library and he was able to tell her about the ongoing incident. She could deal with it.

Reviewing the map again, Harry picked another path and took off for the sixth floor. He found the tapestry and the alcove without problem. Shrugging, he spoke aloud, though entirely to himself: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Harry laid his palm flat on the empty backer board of the portrait frame and was surprised when it began to glow, and then appeared to disappear. A room appeared, lit by candlelight with a table and two chairs in the center. A figure stepped out of the darkness, and Harry nearly fell over at the sight of the man.

“Lord Potter, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” the man spoke. He dipped his head down in greeting and then extended his right arm.

“How do you know who I am?” Harry hastily asked.

“Lord Potter, you bear a great resemblance to my dear friend, ”engus Gweithiwr chan chlai of the first seat. Please, won’t you come in? You have much to learn before you are to take your place in the Binding Circle.”

Without truly considering the possible consequences, Harry returned the slight nod and reached for the man’s hand. Instead of shaking Harry’s hand, he grasped the middle of Harry’s forearm and pulled him into the space, the wall sealing behind him.

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