READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 12: Chapter 12
Narcissa finished buttoning up one of the robes that she had found hanging in the wardrobe. The room that Mrs. Higgin had led her to was not particularly large, but it reeked of elegance and wealth in an obscure sort of way. It was too bad that the robes, which fit her perfectly, were not quite as fancy as she had come to be accustomed to.
The narrow window near the average-sized bed soon attracted her attention and she stepped over to look out of it. Though it was too narrow to really get a good view, it became apparent that the castle that Harry Potter and her sister resided in was on a bleak island which would be rained on in the near future.
Harry 'The-Boy-Who-Lived" Potter and her sister. Despite her attempt to get it out of her mind by doing various things such as combing her hair, eating lunch, and changing her clothes, she couldn't get the thought out of her mind.
What was going on with Bellatrix? What attracted her to the shorter-than-average boy? Through indirect study, Narcissa had been able to see that Potter seemed to have developed some wiry muscles and looked slightly older than his sixteen years. Not necessarily very attractive though. Maybe it was the green eyes. They made her rather uncomfortable, but maybe Bellatrix found them to be intriguing. Narcissa decided that she would never be able to feel at ease in the presence of Harry Potter.
It would certainly be interesting to find out what was going on between the two. She sighed and decided to lay down on the bed. Not only was Harry Potter her brother-in-law, he was now her guardian. She desperately hoped that it was a good thing. Did he hold grudges? Probably. Would he let her get away with what she wanted? Probably not.
A knock sounded on the door and Narcissa sat up on the bed alarmed. Potter had said that he or his wife would be having a 'discussion' with her sometime after lunch. Narcissa wasn't sure who she preferred it to be. A meeting with Bellatrix would be awkward, one with Potter would be frightening. "Come in." she squeaked.
The door opened and Bellatrix entered alone looking considerably more pleasantly disposed than when they had parted a couple of hours earlier. She shut it behind her and studied Narcissa who was sitting on the bed looking like a startled animal. Both sisters looked different from what they remembered.
Bellatrix observed that Narcissa appeared to have aged a little. She had made every effort to maintain her good looks though. Her blonde hair was still as captivating as it had been at Hogwarts and her figure had not wasted away either, though her curves had never been as good as Bellatrix's.
Narcissa was shocked to see that Bellatrix appeared to be at least ten years younger than she was supposed to be. Her face had lost the signs of aging that came with growing older, her hair which was done in a pony-tail was more vibrant and healthy than it had ever been, and her violet eyes glowed with a happiness that few ever achieved.
"I suppose you're wondering how it is that I'm married to the arch-enemy of Lord Voldemort." Bellatrix said, to start the discussion.
Narcissa nodded carefully. Bellatrix seemed to be perfectly happy and content, but the whole marriage thing could actually be a touchy subject. Bellatrix's attitude back at the bank certainly indicated that this was the case, but such hints had vanished.
"After killing Sirius," Bellatrix explained, "I felt an extreme sense of guilt and resolved to try and make some sort of restitution. I began to send secret information to Harry…" The story continued to detail Azkaban, their impromptu marriage, and covered their actions since. "… and now you're here." she finished.
"So you're no longer a Death Eater then." Narcissa asked doubtfully. The whole story seemed to fantastic to be real, but she couldn't help but feel grudgingly pleased for her sister's good fortune.
Bellatrix nodded, her eyes bright with unshed tears of joy. "I've been given another chance to do good at the side of the best man in the world." She abruptly pulled her sleeves up to reveal a pair of unblemished wrists. "The Dark Mark is gone too."
"When did that happen?"
"After I arrived here."
They continued to discuss various things and caught up on each other's lives. It was a sisterly conversation, but both sisters were subtly trying to dig out important information from the other. After a while, Bellatrix decided that Narcissa didn't know much about the Death Eaters and Narcissa decided that Bellatrix wasn't going to let anything vaguely useful slip.
Finally, Narcissa brought up the all-important topic that had overshadowed their whole conversation, though it wasn't much of a concern for Bellatrix. "What are you and your husband going to do with me?"
"You'll live here for at least three years." Bellatrix responded carefully. "Harry has decided that he'll protect you and help you in any way he can. However, you need to keep an open mind and learn how to respect people."
"What about my wand?" Narcissa frowned.
"Once you earn his trust and respect, he will return your wand to you. Until then, you're not allowed to do magic." Bellatrix answered, not mentioning that Harry probably thought Narcissa to be a spy for Voldemort. If she was in his position, it would be stupid not to.
Narcissa sighed bitterly as rebellious thoughts and impulses shot through her mind.. "He expects a lot."
"If you say so." Bellatrix commented. "When you feel like eating dinner or any other meal, politely ask one of the servants to assist you. Harry and I will not be around for a few days due to prior engagements. When everything is cleared up Harry will probably want to talk to you sometime, so practice your good manners. You may explore the castle, but stay out of Harry's two studies, my study, and the library unless invited." She then left Narcissa to her own devices for the rest of the afternoon.
"Be welcome to Savvire." Queen Xerina IV said formally with a curtsy as soon as Harry and Bellatrix simultaneously Apparated into her private meeting chamber. Harry nodded to her as he gaped at his surroundings. The building they were in seemed to be made entirely of ice or crystal. Maybe both.
"Thank you for your invitation." Harry said, not quite as formally. He had not been raised that way. "We've been looking forward to this visit."
Xerina smiled at him. "The pleasure is ours, my lord. My people are most anxious to see you. However, before we get onto that, I thought that we might take a moment for me to explain some basic social situations that you should be aware of now that you are our overlord." She gestured to several chairs that had been set up.
"I would be delighted to learn more about the Ice People." Harry stated as he and Bellatrix sat down across from where Xerina chose to sit.
"I suppose that I should begin with out history." Xerina mused. "The Ice People have existed since before pre-historic times. We thrived during the Ice Age and even after it died out. However, humans began to populate the planet. This became a serious problem when wizards and witches started practicing a certain brand of magic. Not only were they unpleasantly disposed toward us, but we had a most difficult time standing up to them. The Arctic soon became our home."
"So you're not human at all?" Bellatrix asked in a curious voice.
Xerina shook her head negatively. "Human blood flows through our veins. That is of course the next part of the story. After a great many years of isolation in the Arctic, it became apparent that we would have to… breed with wizards to give our race the magical power to survive."
"Let me guess," Harry said, "the House of Polairix became involved. Am I connected to the Ice People by blood?"
A blush bloomed on Xerina's face. "Yes, but not as closely as you might imagine. The leaders of the Ice People decided to breed just as wizards and witches were trying to establish their own private realms. At that time, two prominent wizards were fighting for dominance in Britain. Duke George and Baron Evane. They were both powerful wizards and both had good character and the Ice People could see that one of them would eventually lose the fight.
"So you picked one of them?" Bellatrix guessed.
Xerina nodded affirmatively. "Yes. Baron Evane had a special affinity for magical creatures, so we approached him with a proposal. The North islands, seas, and Arctic consisted of a large amount of land and contained many magical creatures. An alliance between he and our people would give him enough power to dominate the North completely."
"And what was the price?" Harry asked, already guessing.
Xerina's normally pale composure was scarlet now. "He would mate with women of the Ice People until he had provided us with fifteen of his daughters. Male children, which the Ice women rarely bore when mated with a human, were pure human, so we also bargained that he would be able to keep any boys."
Harry and Bellatrix were now blushing as well. "I take it he accepted the proposal." Harry said.
"Yes, he did." Xerina replied. "He was skeptical until we promised that he would be allowed to marry the Ice woman who bore him a son. He provided us with fifteen daughters. In return we bound ourselves to him and his line. We are like the House-Sprites that reside in Nair'icaix. We serve you, and in return, you make us powerful enough to serve you better."
"I see." Harry said slowly. "Where did Nair'icaix and the Polairix name come from then?"
"The Ice People built the fortress for your family. To signify your connection to us, you were formally made the House of Polairix."
"Did the wizard blood change the Ice People?" Bellatrix asked.
A smile crossed Xerina's lips. "Yes, it did. It made us much more powerful and for that we are eternally grateful to Lord Polairix I."
"Wouldn't the blood get thinner as time wore on?" Harry asked, trying to figure out the whole concept in hid mind.
"The wizard blood does not die out as quickly as would be expected." Xerina responded. "Several Lords of Polairix took Ice women to be their wives and sent their daughters to live with us and every once in a while a wizard comes North and we convince him to stay. Thanks to that, our blood is stable for now, although- If you had not been married when you inherited your birthright, I would have offered all of my daughters to be your wives."
"I'm honored." Harry said as diplomatically as possible. It was just too strange for him to swallow.
Xerina smiled happily at him. "I can see that you are happily married however. Anyway, the point of the story is that now that your line has been restored to its dominion, we will automatically gain power and strength from your presence. The Ice People welcome you back, my lord. Our armies are most anxious to serve you."
"Armies?"
"Yes, we train extensively in the arts of war; it's what we're best at. We wouldn't dare venture from the North unless you led us however. It wouldn't be safe. Our power is only effective against wizards and witches when a wizard is at our head, and you are the only one we would follow."
"I see." Harry said.
Xerina stood up and led them to a pair of pure glass doors that led out onto a balcony. "It's time to meet the Ice People, my lord. We are the most numerous and loyal of the North and we live to serve."
She opened the doors and stepped out onto the balcony with Harry and Bellatrix at her side. Harry quickly observed that they were quite high up over a gigantic city square that was filled to capacity with an overflow going down many main streets. They were all looking at him and the Queen expectantly.
"People of Savvire!" boomed Queen Xerina IV's magically enhanced voice. "All Hail Harry James Potter- the Earl of the North."
Cheers sounded, silver confetti dropped from everywhere, and fireworks were set off. Harry was pleased to see that they accepted him wholeheartedly, although he was worried that he might go deaf.