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Chapter Twenty-Three-Visiting the Queen

"This is a ceremonial visit, my lord."

Harry scowls at Gwen, who's arranging a necklace of delicate golden and silver links around his neck. Harry doesn't even know where she got it. "You don't have to call me that. That's a habit you picked up from Theo."

"It's the habit that I like to have."

Harry grunts and gives it up as a bad job. Gwen isn't as stubborn as Theo, but the past few weeks have shown him that she's plenty enough for an ordinary day.

Gwen steps back from him and gives his necklace and his robes a long, critical stare. She finally nods, smiles, and stares to draw Harry after her. "If you'll follow me, my lord? The Mer-Queen is expecting you to be on time."

Harry fights back the temptation to say that he would already have been on time if not for the fussing with his robes. He walks behind Gwen and lets the other guards for this journey—Theo, Fred, George, and Katie—fall into place around him. There's some significance to the merfolk of the number six.

Harry just hopes that Ahalam, who's coiled on his shoulder and looking importantly around, doesn't count as seven.

They reach the shore of the lake. People are breaking off their Saturday morning conversations and walks and lazy Quidditch practice outside to gape at them. Harry can feel his cheeks turning bright red, and does his best to lift his head and walk along as if this is all natural and has happened to him before.

Well, it sort of has.

They reach the very edge of the lake, and find Isidore waiting for them. He smiles and nods to Harry. "Good morning, my lord. My Queen is pleased that you have decided to come. You have the bracelet?"

"Yes."

"And your other guards are capable of performing spells that will allow them to breathe underwater?"

Despite himself and the level of preparation that he and the others tried to put into this, Harry finds himself blinking at Isidore. "I thought—I thought they had to stay on shore? That was—I was sure of that."

But now, embarrassingly, he can't remember if that's the case, or if he just assumed it was. It seems that so many things have happened in the past few weeks, most of them just when Harry sets time aside to study for O.W.L.S.

"Originally, we did discuss how they would wait on the shore, but watching your level of respect for other nations, the Queen believes that they can be trusted underwater. As long as they can keep up with you and cast the spells that would allow them to breathe on their own."

"I have something even better than spells," Theo announces, before Harry can process most of this. "Gillyweed. It'll last an hour, and allow us to grow gills and breathe under the lake." He takes out what looks like a shapeless clump of seaweed, and starts handing it around to the others.

"We didn't discuss this," Harry says under his breath to Theo as the others take their weed.

Theo smiles at Harry. "There are many things that we don't discuss but can assume are true, my lord. For example, the plans that Susan and I have for your scar."

Harry scowls at him, but he has to admit that it's a sign of dedication and perseverance. With a sigh, as he fastens the bracelet with the Stone of Truce around his wrist, he tries to accept it as just that and not a sign that he's also being outmaneuvered.

(Even though it probably is that).

"Ready," Gwen says, and swallows the gillyweed.

She immediately chokes. Harry takes a step forwards in alarm, but Gwen runs over to the lake and plunges her head beneath the water. Then she slips into it. Harry thinks he catches a glimpse of her webbed hands and feet, and blinks.

All right, I didn't know it would do that.

"We are pleased to welcome you to our realm," Isidore says, taking a step forwards and bowing with his hands extended. The motion turns into a smooth dive into the lake. Harry thinks he sees gills opening on the sides of Isidore's neck, too.

The others are swallowing the gillyweed, although Theo holds back, probably to make sure that no one can manifest from thin air and stab Harry in the back. Harry sighs and folds his robe on the shore, then reaches out and lifts Ahalam off his shoulder.

"You have to stay here."

"I am a snake! I can swim!"

"But you can't breathe underwater."

Ahalam is going to argue about this, clearly, but in the meantime, Isidore rises back to the surface with something that looks like a frozen bubble cradled in his hands. The top of it unhinges like a lid, and he holds it out with a little bow.

"My Queen is most anxious to see your non-human companion, and a demonstration of your prowess as Lord Slytherin," he announces. "We have prepared this bubble of air for your familiar to visit our village, my lord."

"They know that I am the prettiest snake," Ahalam says contentedly as he slithers into the bubble and curls up tightly. "You should treat them well for being so sensible."

Harry laughs a little and scoops up the bubble, holding it in front of him. It feels as solid as a pearl. "I'm glad that she'll get to meet you."

"Everyone wants to meet me. I am the prettiest snake."

Harry shakes his head in amusement and wades forwards, ducking into the water. In a few seconds, he's swimming, and Theo is coming behind him, and the others form up around him like a square, following Isidore to the merfolk's village.

It's brighter beneath the water than Harry expected. Then again, he supposes that the merfolk know they're coming, and so they've lit up the lake.

The queen swims up to meet Harry when they're still a fair distance from anything that looks like a village. She's an incredibly tall and strong merwoman, with a tail that gleams green and silver. Harry hopes that pleases some of his followers.

Harry pulls up and inclines his head to her. He can see from the corner of his head that Isidore is bowing deeply, and so are his guards.

He was specifically told that he shouldn't bow deeply. Well, Harry just hopes that Isidore knew he was coming talking about when he said that.

"Lord Slytherin."

It seems the Stone of Truce is functioning fine, since Harry can understand her words. He wonders if his guards can, or if the merfolk cast a translation spell. Or maybe all Mermish sounds like human language under the waves. Harry did see some sort of reference to that in a book.

"Your Majesty." The Stone of Truce helps him speak normally.

The queen considers him in silence for long enough that Harry wonders if he did something to offend her even before he came to the meeting. And then she flips over and starts stroking back towards the village, calling a trilling command over her shoulder. Mermen swim past Harry and the others.

"She wants you to follow," Isidore translates.

Harry nods. The Stone of Truce doesn't take care of everything, then. The trill certainly didn't sound like any words Harry knew.

He speeds after the mer-queen, and his follower are doing the same thing. The mermen that arch between Harry and the queen, probably forming an honor guard, are less tall and strong than she is, but they have powerful tails and tridents in their hands that Harry wouldn't want to go up against, even if the Stone of Truce would protect him.

The village is made of twisted stone in shapes that look like shells, bubbles, twisting tentacles, and other forms that Harry doesn't know if he's seen outside of nightmares. He can see merfolk peering at them from behind the houses and tall clumps of swaying seaweed.

Harry keeps his eyes forwards as much as he can and pretends to ignore them. He thinks that's the polite thing to do.

Ahalam has no such compulsion.

"Look at all the merfolk watching me! They will have heard that the prettiest snake is coming to visit them. They will have fish ready to feed me. Hold my bubble high! We must not let them get upset because they cannot see the prettiest snake!"

Harry bites his lip desperately, hoping that the merfolk won't think a smile is an insult of some kind, and lifts his bubble high. Ahalam coils up and begins arching his neck strangely.

It takes Harry long moments to realize that Ahalam is doing his best imitation of a bow to their audience.

Holding back laughter is a lost cause, after that.

They arrive at a large structure that spirals up like a unicorn's horn and then curves back down towards the sand of the lake bottom. The mer-queen turns and floats in front of it. Harry does the same thing, flapping a hand behind his back to signal Theo to stay where he is. He can already see his friend moving close enough that his presence is distorting the water around Harry.

Harry doesn't think the merfolk will attack. And anyway, if they do, Theo can do as much good from his current position as he can if he comes closer.

Harry meets the queen's large purple-green eyes. "Well, Your Majesty?"

"We heard that you had offered an alliance to the goblins."

"That's right, Your Majesty."

"And that they accepted right away."

Harry blinks. "I think that's a bit of an exaggeration, Your Majesty. They asked me a series of questions, and seemed disappointed with some of my answers. They didn't say anything about an alliance before they dismissed me and my guards from Gringotts."

The queen flips her tail in a negligent gesture, not taking her eyes from Harry. "There is nothing to that. The goblins always test those they wish to ally with, and driving you forth at the end of bloodied spears would mean they thought you too weak to ally with."

"Huh?"

The queen is going serenely on. "Is it true that you support wand rights for all beings?"

"It is."

"Even though wands are useless to us under the water? The flowing currents would degrade their magic."

The mermen shift their tridents as if they're anxious to get close to Harry and stab him on the queen's say-so. Harry bites back his own vexation. "If something else would work for you better than wands, then I would support that. I only know that the lack of wands has been a problem between humans and goblins specifically."

The queen gives another trill, and the mermen turn and present their tridents before them. Harry reaches back with a precise motion, and stops Theo before he can draw his wand.

Not that many of his spells would probably do much good underwater. But Harry isn't going to take a chance that Theo doesn't know some awful curse that would peel the scales off the merfolk's bodies or something. Because it's Theo.

"Then you will support us in using our tridents as we once did."

"The—tridents are like your wands, Your Majesty?"

"They are, Lord Slytherin. Or rather, they were. They were disenchanted long ago, by a wizard that I understand you call the greatest of your kind."

It takes Harry a moment to work that out. "Merlin?"

The merfolk give a huge disgusted grumble that rolls through the water and up from the village of watchers, as well. Ahalam arches his neck. "They are unhappy because they cannot see me! Hold me higher! I must bow harder!" And he curls his neck like he's a swan and bobs it so hard that watching him makes Harry a little sick.

Harry manages to hold in his laughter this time so he can speak to the queen. "I see. Do you think I can somehow restore the tridents' enchantment?"

"I know you can."

"How?"

"One of my followers has seen the medallions that you enchanted for your people. You can use your magic to flow down the web that links them together and reach out to us to enchant our tridents—or you can do so if you trust us enough to count us as part of the web."

Harry blinks. "I don't think you would be willing to swear oaths to me or follow me the way that some of the humans have done, Your Majesty."

A smile flickers at the edges of the queen's mouth. "And I am skilled at seeing webs of power and connection in many different fathoms, Lord Slytherin. I know that the web that binds your followers is not composed of oaths and choices to defend you alone. It is formed of what you think about them."

"So if I think of you as part of the web, then you will be?"

"Exactly."

Harry stares at her and blurts out the first thing that comes to mind. "But that sounds like a fantastic power. Why hasn't anyone else used it before now? Why hasn't Voldemort used it to bind his Death Eaters?"

"I do not know in the specific case of your Dark Lord, since I have not seen him. But I believe that it relies on the emotions one feels about the people who follow them." The queen makes a delicate gesture with one webbed hand. "It cannot be faked or built on a feeling that does not exist. And if your Dark Lord distrusts the people who follow him, or simply does not feel enough loyalty to them…"

"It wouldn't work."

"Yes."

Harry closes his eyes for a long moment, thinking. Luckily, that doesn't seem to be an insult to the queen or her guards the way that Harry sometimes fears random gestures might be. He thinks long and hard enough that he does hear a few murmurs and shuffles from behind him, and maybe there are more than he thinks, given the muffling effect of the water. But he has to think about this.

He opens his eyes at last and asks, "If you were part of the web, would you be willing to give your loyalty to other people who help or follow me or befriend me, as well as me?"

"Of course. Why would we not?"

"Well, some of them are wizards and witches who might not like you at first. Or might not want me to give you enchanted tridents even if they think that you're fine in general. It's going to be a struggle with some of them."

Harry wants to grimace as he thinks about that. He's happy about the parts of the Lord Slytherin power where he can give people things they want or need and protect people. He's much less interested in listening to arguments about why other people are bad or stupid and don't deserve those things.

Sometimes I really wish everyone could just get along.

But that's a childish fantasy and something he won't even bring up because it would make him sound stupid. Instead, he asks, "What kind of arrangement should we make that respect your people's autonomy and yours, Your Majesty, while also bringing you into this—web?"

The queen's smile widens. "I am so glad that you asked, Lord Slytherin."

With a sigh, Harry settles down to something that sounds a lot like diplomacy, even though he suspects that it will have to be cut somewhat short because the Stone of Truce on his wrist won't allow him to breathe underwater for that long.

But his heart is filled with curiosity and hope.

That makes up, somewhat, for the diplomacy.

"Look at me! Look at me! I am bowing! You have the chance to see the prettiest snake!"

And so does Ahalam.