Chapter 264: Courtly Meetings
9th February 2013, Diagon Alley
(Jasmine Sayre POV)
Malfoy nodded, “I can understand our purpose perfectly. But we’re still dealing with an unknown, and one who doesn’t want anything to do with us. Unnecessarily antagonizing her will bring destruction upon us. We have no mage that can stand up to her. You saw what happened in Hogsmeade, do you want to be on the receiving end of that? I was onboard with the previous plan because it was viable. We could have summoned her and trapped her, or even bound her, but this is madness. We are antagonizing her without any assurance that she won’t attack us. We are not her equals, magically speaking.”
Greengrass sighed in resignation, “She will turn her eye to Britain, they always do. It’s better to encounter her on our terms than on hers. Besides, the Court has access to ancient tomes with far more powerful traps for us to use. Jasmine Potter will not know what hit her.”
I let out a terrifying grin and reveal myself, “Won’t I, now? I heard that you wanted my attention, well you have it now. Tell me, members of the Court of Shadows, do you fear Death?”
I have to say that I was amused by the fact that the men and women, who were so fearsome just seconds before, were trembling in fear before me like frightened children. Most of them jumped when I spoke up, and their eyes widened when my features slowly changed to my previous ones.
I raised an eyebrow at their behavior, “Well, I asked you a question. Do you fear Death?”
While speaking, I released a fraction of my presence for them to feel. Magical beings were always sensitive to the balance of energies in the world. It was one of their biggest strengths and their most glaring weakness. Energy sensing allowed them to have an idea of what lies before them, it acts like a warning against traps, especially demonic ones. But the problem was that they felt helpless when they felt someone being far stronger than they are, and they chose to either become terrified prey, or serve them for protection.
It was why Dark Lords and Light Lords had so many followers and very little opposition. People instinctively join their sides, even if they disagree with their ideologies. Because if there was one truth, that is undeniable in the magical world, it was that, might makes right.
It was also a political nightmare since the chance of societal stability is negligible. Every generation, a magical Titan is born, and without even trying, they gain followers. Power attracts, after all. And until they are defeated, they could theoretically mold society to their choosing, be it for good or ill. No one has ever looked at the society they live in and said that they’re satisfied with what is before them. There are always ideas on how to improve it, or how to change it entirely. It was how Light and Dark Lords are born. In the end, their ideas are usually barely thought out, and often cause more suffering than help.
It was one of the main reasons why I never interfered with the Court of Shadows, and their horrible practices to deal with children that have the potential to be magical Titans. I never understood the point of weakening the general raw power of the magical world, but they were already a pale shadow of what they used to be, so it didn’t really matter to me.
The way they went about it was quite merciful if anything. They found a potion that would limit the growth of magical cores during formative years. Magic works like a muscle and grows exponentially with use until it stabilizes during their seventeenth birthday. Being able to limit the magic used, means less growth, which means less of a risk to become troublesome magical Titans in the future.
Truthfully, only taking the potion for a year was enough to turn someone like Dumbledore to the strength of Minerva McGonagall. I let that practice continue because it seemed to bring stability to the entire magical world, which is something that hadn’t happened since the Statute of Secrecy was erected.
Sure, I never liked the Court of Shadows, as it was primarily comprised of hypocritical mages with delusions of power and superiority, but they were effective, and the only downside was the fact that the general raw power that the magical world presented was lowering. And for a society almost entirely separated from the rest of the planet, it didn’t mean much.
I actually respected them, in a way. These were the mages, who with average power, resisted the urge to submit to magical Titans, and decided that they were better off. Sure, their obsession with control was distasteful, but I have seen far worse over the centuries, which is why I just let them off the hook slightly.
But here they were, barely shadows of their predecessors, quivering in fear when they felt a fraction of my power. What a disappointment. I let out a bitter chuckle and continued my speech, “I don’t, fear death, that is. It’s a natural aspect of life, for things that have beginnings must have endings as well, and what is death but life’s ending? The next great adventure one might say. Now, I believe you wished to speak to me. You see, I’m a rather busy woman with a lot of responsibilities, but I have freed a slot in my schedule just to meet with you. Now, I believe you were talking about the trap that you planned to ensnare me with.”
Elphias Doge was the first one to break the silence, “How do you know about the Court? Who betrayed us?”
I snorted, “I’ve known about this club for years, I just don’t generally care about what the hell you’re doing, because it’s very insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The Sayre family, who adopted me, outlawed the Court in America for decades, since MACUSA was already strict as it is. Very few dark wizards have tried to conquer the colonies, and that’s partly because society is just different there, and the ones that chose to emulate Dark Lords were quietly put down. It’s why you hadn’t heard of me when I was at Ilvermorny, and it was also why you didn’t find me when I left. I knew of your existence even before the Tri Wizard tournament, which is why I faked my death while getting Dumbledore’s confession. I also knew that the mess with Ego in Hogsmeade would garner your attention, and that you would be desperate enough to try something foolish.”
I was of course lying about the branch of the Court being outlawed. They kept bothering me during the sixties, and I was so tired that I just wiped them out. I was lucky that none of them were very well known, and their families had no idea about the Court whatsoever. In the end, their disappearances were forgotten, and the Court of Shadows had lost a branch without a word.
The Greengrass woman perked up, “Ego, is that the name of the man you were fighting?”
“Do not concern yourselves with him. He did not survive our fight. He came after me on a day I chose to relax in Hogsmeade, and I did my best to avoid any casualties and moved the fight elsewhere so that no one gets hurt.”
Doge interjected, “You cannot claim that an attack on our land, this close to Hogwarts itself, isn’t any of our business. The Court of Shadows was created to bring stability to our chaotic world, to protect it from threats like that man.”
The ‘from the likes of you’ wasn’t stated in the end, but everyone understood what the man wanted to say, judging by the sudden tension they were exuding. I just gave him a pitying look, “You’re afraid, as you have a right to be. I will admit that I am frightening. People say that I could have been the next Merlin, but I know that I have surpassed him long ago. The truth is that I could conquer the magical world if I wanted to, and the sad thing is that it wouldn’t even be that difficult. But you have to remember why the Court was created in the first place. It was to bring stability, not to kill anyone who remotely presents a threat. Your little thing with the potions that you use to dose potential magical Titans, is a prevention method that doesn’t really hurt anyone, but I knew that my display in Hogsmeade would frighten you. And men do foolish and rash things when they’re afraid.”
Pandemonium ensued at my statement. I could hear cries of blasphemy and me being arrogant by claiming to have surpassed Merlin. I could understand that Merlin is still a Godly figure to these people, no matter how disappointing he ended up being. The womanizing fool was talented in the magical arts, that I will admit, but his arrogance stopped him from learning the deep mysteries of magic that I offered to teach him. A shame, really, he ended up being a shadow of the man he could have been under my tutelage.
Malfoy waved his wand and released a thunderous sound, silencing the yelling members of the Court. He then spoke out, “Disregarding your arrogant comment, you admit to being a danger to our world. So, why shouldn’t we dispose of you, as we have countless others?”
I shrugged, “Because you can’t? Secrecy was always your greatest weapon. You never confronted anyone directly, and since I know of you, of your existence, it’s not an avenue that’s open to you. But mostly, it would be better to leave me alone, because I’m not planning on interfering in your tiny little world. I deal with things like Ego, like Gods and Demons hoping to gain a foothold into our world. I don’t have the time to deal with the politics of magical Britain.”
Greengrass responded to my statement, “We have other ways to enforce our will, but you still haven’t given us a reason to trust you, to believe that your words are true, that you don’t plan to interfere in the magical world. But even if you were truthful, there is no guarantee that your opinions will not change in the future. You are an active threat to our society, whether you like it or not.”
“Then why haven’t I invaded you yet, why have I gone out of my way to hide my existence from the magical world? How do you explain my actions if I chose not to interfere for decades.”
Nott shook his head, “That’s in the past, we are speaking about the future.”
Malfoy glared at me and spoke up, “The threat that you represent has already been decided by the Court, there is no changing that. You are a danger to us all, and you will be dealt with, as our forefathers did before us. As you are a magical Titan, we cannot contain your magic anymore. It was decided that you’ll either serve the Court in its noble purpose of protecting the magical world or die as a traitor to our race.”
I snorted, “Look, I know you’re all impressive and everything, but I don’t think that you can do anything that could force me to obey you, and even less that could actually kill me.”
Roxanne Greengrass gave me a foxy smug grin, “I’m so glad you said that. Didn’t I say that we have other ways to enforce our will? There are always weaknesses for us to exploit and you are no different.”
I didn’t understand what she was talking about until the door opened and a man I did not recognize entered alongside Nathan. I didn’t even have time to process what he was doing here, before I noticed the suitcase that they were levitating behind them.
I watched, transfixed as the case opened and released a bound figure. She was wearing a collar that was connected to chains that went around her arms and feet, which were filled with glowing runes. I recognized the familiar red hair and the frightened hazel eyes that the prisoner had. This was Rose, my sister, my successor. The Court had imprisoned and bound my sister.
Alright, this is it, we're finally caught up to the current events of the story. This means that there will be no more mass uploads. I generally post four chapters a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I tend to be consistent (I have been for more than a year now) but I will let you know if I miss an upload day.
On the other hand, if you want to support me, check out my Patreon. I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 15 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.
Chapter 264: Courtly Meetings
9th February 2013, Diagon Alley
(Jasmine Sayre POV)
Malfoy nodded, “I can understand our purpose perfectly. But we’re still dealing with an unknown, and one who doesn’t want anything to do with us. Unnecessarily antagonizing her will bring destruction upon us. We have no mage that can stand up to her. You saw what happened in Hogsmeade, do you want to be on the receiving end of that? I was onboard with the previous plan because it was viable. We could have summoned her and trapped her, or even bound her, but this is madness. We are antagonizing her without any assurance that she won’t attack us. We are not her equals, magically speaking.”
Greengrass sighed in resignation, “She will turn her eye to Britain, they always do. It’s better to encounter her on our terms than on hers. Besides, the Court has access to ancient tomes with far more powerful traps for us to use. Jasmine Potter will not know what hit her.”
I let out a terrifying grin and reveal myself, “Won’t I, now? I heard that you wanted my attention, well you have it now. Tell me, members of the Court of Shadows, do you fear Death?”
I have to say that I was amused by the fact that the men and women, who were so fearsome just seconds before, were trembling in fear before me like frightened children. Most of them jumped when I spoke up, and their eyes widened when my features slowly changed to my previous ones.
I raised an eyebrow at their behavior, “Well, I asked you a question. Do you fear Death?”
While speaking, I released a fraction of my presence for them to feel. Magical beings were always sensitive to the balance of energies in the world. It was one of their biggest strengths and their most glaring weakness. Energy sensing allowed them to have an idea of what lies before them, it acts like a warning against traps, especially demonic ones. But the problem was that they felt helpless when they felt someone being far stronger than they are, and they chose to either become terrified prey, or serve them for protection.
It was why Dark Lords and Light Lords had so many followers and very little opposition. People instinctively join their sides, even if they disagree with their ideologies. Because if there was one truth, that is undeniable in the magical world, it was that, might makes right.
It was also a political nightmare since the chance of societal stability is negligible. Every generation, a magical Titan is born, and without even trying, they gain followers. Power attracts, after all. And until they are defeated, they could theoretically mold society to their choosing, be it for good or ill. No one has ever looked at the society they live in and said that they’re satisfied with what is before them. There are always ideas on how to improve it, or how to change it entirely. It was how Light and Dark Lords are born. In the end, their ideas are usually barely thought out, and often cause more suffering than help.
It was one of the main reasons why I never interfered with the Court of Shadows, and their horrible practices to deal with children that have the potential to be magical Titans. I never understood the point of weakening the general raw power of the magical world, but they were already a pale shadow of what they used to be, so it didn’t really matter to me.
The way they went about it was quite merciful if anything. They found a potion that would limit the growth of magical cores during formative years. Magic works like a muscle and grows exponentially with use until it stabilizes during their seventeenth birthday. Being able to limit the magic used, means less growth, which means less of a risk to become troublesome magical Titans in the future.
Truthfully, only taking the potion for a year was enough to turn someone like Dumbledore to the strength of Minerva McGonagall. I let that practice continue because it seemed to bring stability to the entire magical world, which is something that hadn’t happened since the Statute of Secrecy was erected.
Sure, I never liked the Court of Shadows, as it was primarily comprised of hypocritical mages with delusions of power and superiority, but they were effective, and the only downside was the fact that the general raw power that the magical world presented was lowering. And for a society almost entirely separated from the rest of the planet, it didn’t mean much.
I actually respected them, in a way. These were the mages, who with average power, resisted the urge to submit to magical Titans, and decided that they were better off. Sure, their obsession with control was distasteful, but I have seen far worse over the centuries, which is why I just let them off the hook slightly.
But here they were, barely shadows of their predecessors, quivering in fear when they felt a fraction of my power. What a disappointment. I let out a bitter chuckle and continued my speech, “I don’t, fear death, that is. It’s a natural aspect of life, for things that have beginnings must have endings as well, and what is death but life’s ending? The next great adventure one might say. Now, I believe you wished to speak to me. You see, I’m a rather busy woman with a lot of responsibilities, but I have freed a slot in my schedule just to meet with you. Now, I believe you were talking about the trap that you planned to ensnare me with.”
Elphias Doge was the first one to break the silence, “How do you know about the Court? Who betrayed us?”
I snorted, “I’ve known about this club for years, I just don’t generally care about what the hell you’re doing, because it’s very insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The Sayre family, who adopted me, outlawed the Court in America for decades, since MACUSA was already strict as it is. Very few dark wizards have tried to conquer the colonies, and that’s partly because society is just different there, and the ones that chose to emulate Dark Lords were quietly put down. It’s why you hadn’t heard of me when I was at Ilvermorny, and it was also why you didn’t find me when I left. I knew of your existence even before the Tri Wizard tournament, which is why I faked my death while getting Dumbledore’s confession. I also knew that the mess with Ego in Hogsmeade would garner your attention, and that you would be desperate enough to try something foolish.”
I was of course lying about the branch of the Court being outlawed. They kept bothering me during the sixties, and I was so tired that I just wiped them out. I was lucky that none of them were very well known, and their families had no idea about the Court whatsoever. In the end, their disappearances were forgotten, and the Court of Shadows had lost a branch without a word.
The Greengrass woman perked up, “Ego, is that the name of the man you were fighting?”
“Do not concern yourselves with him. He did not survive our fight. He came after me on a day I chose to relax in Hogsmeade, and I did my best to avoid any casualties and moved the fight elsewhere so that no one gets hurt.”
Doge interjected, “You cannot claim that an attack on our land, this close to Hogwarts itself, isn’t any of our business. The Court of Shadows was created to bring stability to our chaotic world, to protect it from threats like that man.”
The ‘from the likes of you’ wasn’t stated in the end, but everyone understood what the man wanted to say, judging by the sudden tension they were exuding. I just gave him a pitying look, “You’re afraid, as you have a right to be. I will admit that I am frightening. People say that I could have been the next Merlin, but I know that I have surpassed him long ago. The truth is that I could conquer the magical world if I wanted to, and the sad thing is that it wouldn’t even be that difficult. But you have to remember why the Court was created in the first place. It was to bring stability, not to kill anyone who remotely presents a threat. Your little thing with the potions that you use to dose potential magical Titans, is a prevention method that doesn’t really hurt anyone, but I knew that my display in Hogsmeade would frighten you. And men do foolish and rash things when they’re afraid.”
Pandemonium ensued at my statement. I could hear cries of blasphemy and me being arrogant by claiming to have surpassed Merlin. I could understand that Merlin is still a Godly figure to these people, no matter how disappointing he ended up being. The womanizing fool was talented in the magical arts, that I will admit, but his arrogance stopped him from learning the deep mysteries of magic that I offered to teach him. A shame, really, he ended up being a shadow of the man he could have been under my tutelage.
Malfoy waved his wand and released a thunderous sound, silencing the yelling members of the Court. He then spoke out, “Disregarding your arrogant comment, you admit to being a danger to our world. So, why shouldn’t we dispose of you, as we have countless others?”
I shrugged, “Because you can’t? Secrecy was always your greatest weapon. You never confronted anyone directly, and since I know of you, of your existence, it’s not an avenue that’s open to you. But mostly, it would be better to leave me alone, because I’m not planning on interfering in your tiny little world. I deal with things like Ego, like Gods and Demons hoping to gain a foothold into our world. I don’t have the time to deal with the politics of magical Britain.”
Greengrass responded to my statement, “We have other ways to enforce our will, but you still haven’t given us a reason to trust you, to believe that your words are true, that you don’t plan to interfere in the magical world. But even if you were truthful, there is no guarantee that your opinions will not change in the future. You are an active threat to our society, whether you like it or not.”
“Then why haven’t I invaded you yet, why have I gone out of my way to hide my existence from the magical world? How do you explain my actions if I chose not to interfere for decades.”
Nott shook his head, “That’s in the past, we are speaking about the future.”
Malfoy glared at me and spoke up, “The threat that you represent has already been decided by the Court, there is no changing that. You are a danger to us all, and you will be dealt with, as our forefathers did before us. As you are a magical Titan, we cannot contain your magic anymore. It was decided that you’ll either serve the Court in its noble purpose of protecting the magical world or die as a traitor to our race.”
I snorted, “Look, I know you’re all impressive and everything, but I don’t think that you can do anything that could force me to obey you, and even less that could actually kill me.”
Roxanne Greengrass gave me a foxy smug grin, “I’m so glad you said that. Didn’t I say that we have other ways to enforce our will? There are always weaknesses for us to exploit and you are no different.”
I didn’t understand what she was talking about until the door opened and a man I did not recognize entered alongside Nathan. I didn’t even have time to process what he was doing here, before I noticed the suitcase that they were levitating behind them.
I watched, transfixed as the case opened and released a bound figure. She was wearing a collar that was connected to chains that went around her arms and feet, which were filled with glowing runes. I recognized the familiar red hair and the frightened hazel eyes that the prisoner had. This was Rose, my sister, my successor. The Court had imprisoned and bound my sister.
Alright, this is it, we're finally caught up to the current events of the story. This means that there will be no more mass uploads. I generally post four chapters a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I tend to be consistent (I have been for more than a year now) but I will let you know if I miss an upload day.
On the other hand, if you want to support me, check out my Patreon. I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 15 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.
