"Form up on me! Fall bac…" The scene that Harry came upon, as he rushed out the house, was that of rapidly escalating mayhem.

Several members of Inquisition Unit Rex were visible, many of them engaged in close quarters with what looked to be some form of Inferni. But, given there were meant to be 15 members in Unit Rex, that left a worryingly high number of them missing.

New Quest: The Rex Requiem has been…

Harry shifted the quest notification to the side hurriedly, he didn't have time to spend reading the contents of the quest, not with people's lives at stake.

One of Unit Rex, who Harry recognised as Strike Leader Carravero Rojas, had his back to the interior ward line whilst fending off three of the Inferni with his shield. Obviously the ambush had been quite successful in gaining the element of surprise, as the rather squat Italian didn't seem to have his sword with him, instead using a gauntleted fist to send one of the corpses staggering into the ward line.

"Fall back to me, and pray that someone in the house is paying attention! Don't let them behind…" Harry reached the ward as Carravero was speaking, doing his best to ignore the now charred corpse of the Inferni that tripped the wards and grabbing the back of the man's cloak.

The area of land belonging to the House of Black stretched all the way from the house to the Ancient Blackthorn Woods, easily several acres of land and large enough for the occasional game of pick up quidditch. Given the size of the land, and the fact that warding materials were less widely available back when the Wards were originally created, there were three different 'levels' of Ward.

All of this land fell under the exterior Ward scheme, which consisted of basic aversion and muggle repelling spells, along with some intent based alert wards. These alert wards were used as the trigger for the second set of wards, which were placed just outside the small outhouse that had been built about five years earlier to serve as a guard station.

Given the Inferni type creatures were attacking the Inquisition soldiers, it was obvious that the second line of wards hadn't activated, which left them with the 3rd line of wards that were the House's personal wards.

"What the?" With his physical connection to Carravero, Harry could 'invite' the Strike Leader into the Central Ward boundary, the sharp tug and lack of resistance from the ward line meant the Strike Leader ended up on his ass rather than on his feet.

Now that Carravero was safe, for the moment at least, Harry was able to cast a quick Observe at the corpses in front of him. Time slowed as the information appeared in front of him, giving Harry more than enough time to quickly glance through the bestiary page.

Unwilling Walker (Poor Binding) (Lvl 4)

Threat Rating- Minoris

Hp-?

Mp-?

"With the right combinations of spells, rituals and potions, Followers of Morrigan can return a soul from the other world and bind it to a corpse under their control. Naturally, with their eternal rest disturbed, the Walkers are more than prepared to take their vengeance out on any of those still amongst the Living..."

Basic information-

The walking dead, a common theme in mythologies around the world, range from the Vodou Zombies of the Caribbean to the Eternal Guardians of Egypt. Some are willingly reanimated, whilst others have to be bound to the will of their 'master'.

Celtic Walkers are primarily created by Followers of the Goddess Morrigan, and given the rise of Christianity the rituals and spells have become something of a Lost Art. A masterfully created Walker, with runes of spell and physical resistance engraved onto its very bones and fortified with spells and balms to increase strength and agility, is an instrument of death itself.

The modern Rituals of binding and awakening are pieced together from scraps of weathered and decaying tomes, and the slightest mistake can release the Walkers upon the caster rather than their intended purpose. Therefore, those that manage to accomplish these spells successfully tend to be quite talented, or very dangerous...

Additional information-

?

Nothing useful in terms of weaknesses or things to be careful of, but Harry couldn't expect to get a list to make his life easier every encounter. With seven 'seconds' left on the Observe clock, as it were, Harry decided to look at the still flashing Quest information screen.

Quest Updated: Rex Requiem:

Inquisition Unit Rex has been ambushed whilst guarding the Chosen One, a swarm of Celtic Walkers have somehow circumvented the Wards and are already overwhelming them.

With their backs to a metaphorical wall, and only half of the team armed and 'on duty', unless something changes this will be Unit Rex's final fight...

Main Objectives:

Save as many of Inquisition Unit Rex as possible (Currently: 1/15 'Safe') (0/1) (+100 XP per member saved/abandoned (dependent on Bonus Objective choice), +100 Relationship with 'Inquisition Unit Rex' per member saved, -200 Relationship with 'Inquisition Unit Rex' per member lost, ?, ?, ?, ?)

Find information about the perpetrator of the attack (0/?) (+250 xp, ?, ?)

Bonus Objectives:

Save more than 5 members of Inquisition Unit Rex (1/5)

Save more than 10 members of Inquisition Unit Rex (1/10)

Deliberately allow the entirety of Inquisition Unit Rex to be killed (1/15) (Failed)

?

?

That, that was a dark quest to offer to an '11' year old, Harry thought even as he closed the screen. Breaking down, in the most basic sense, the lives of living people into experience and Reputation modifiers was the sort of cold and calculating approach that Harry had often seen displayed by Voldemort.

3 seconds of compressed time remaining

But, he could worry about that later, for now he had run out of time for thinking. Palming his two wands, Harry took a deep breath as the last of the time ran out.

"Accio." It was a spell he shouldn't know, given that it was a spell he had only learnt properly in his Fourth year originally.

But it was one of the most useful and versatile spells that Harry had ever learned, so he had made sure to 'accidentally' find it in one of the advanced spell books he had convinced Sirius to buy for him.

-35 MP

The spell 'Accio' has levelled from level 1 to level 2.

-Increased 'pull' distance OR Increased 'pull' force (dependent on item being affected)

Normally not the spell for use against an opponent up close, but given the wards between Harry and the Walkers, he didn't even flinch as the furthest Walker slammed into the other Walker that had been attacking Carravero.

The two Walkers slammed into the barrier and caught fire a moment later, the mental Hermione in Harry's head pointing out that the fire was probably the ignition of whatever magical energy was animating the corpses, rather than the actually flesh of the Walkers themselves.

They flailed for a moment before collapsing like puppets with their strings cut, but Harry was already moving.

"Fall back to the wards! The Target will be able to let you through!" Carraverro's order seemed a little unneeded, given many of the Inquisition Team were far too busy keeping the Walkers from overwhelming them, which was why Harry raised his Battle Wand.

The wand tip glowed for a second, as Harry poured his own magic through the wand to charge the attack, as he reached the closest point to the next member of the Inquisition team.

-5 MP (3% of 146 MP)

+7 Damage

Aiming with a wand was something that had become second nature in Harry's previous life, and whilst he wasn't fully adapted to the different body he now possessed, it was something he had received a lot of practice with since getting his wands.

The ball of light slammed into the neck of a Walker, flesh and bone exploding outwards from the impact point, whilst the Walker's body rocked backwards into another of the attacking Walkers.

13 Damage against Enemy Walker

Disabling two of the Walkers, even temporarily, gave the Inquisition member the space she needed to fell another of the ones attacking her with a swing of her glowing yellow mace.

-5 MP

Casting another attack with his Battle Wand, knocking back a Walker trying to maul a Inquisition member who had been knocked off their feet, Harry completed the quick mental survey of the battlefield.

Quest Updated: Rex Requiem:

Save as many of Inquisition Unit Rex as possible (Currently: 2/15 'Safe') (0/1) (+100 XP per member saved/abandoned (dependent on Bonus Objective choice), +100 Relationship with 'Inquisition Unit Rex' per member saved, -200 Relationship with 'Inquisition Unit Rex' per member lost, ?, ?, ?, ?)

There were at least 30 Walkers still standing, with more shambling out of the trees intermittently. There was at least two members of Unit Rex that had already fallen, their bodies standing out from the Walkers due to their uniforms, though one of them still seemed to be moving as the Walkers moved over and around them.

With Caraverro still getting to his feet, and without a main weapon to use in the first place, that left Harry to try and rescue the 8 Unit Rex members he could see. Not an easy task, with 1/3 of his mana gone and no 'Mysterious Power' to make life easier for him.

Harry only just resisted the urge to smile slightly as he raised his actual wand, when had anything in either of his lives been easy?

"Protego!" The Wall version of his Protego was now level 5 given his constant practicing with it, and on reaching Level 5 had gained a bonus 5% to shield HP. That was something that he knew would come in handy now.

-89 Mana

Wall Shield Health (77/77)

WARNING: You are low on Mana (12/146), further spell casting will lead to magic exhaustion!

The Wall wasn't as large as he would have liked, stretching in a semi-circle shape between the majority of the Walkers and fighting Inquisition members, though it didn't quite reach the ward lines like Harry had originally intended.

What had been 30+ vs 8 was now around 12 vs 7 inside the shield, with the last standing Unit Rex member outside the shield near to the edge of the combat, so not in immediate danger of being overrun.

"Nice work lad. Steady there, are you okay?" Spots appeared in his vision, and his breathing suddenly became ragged and forced, clear signs of magic overuse all Hogwarts students were taught about in their first year at Hogwarts.

But Harry ignored the pain that arced through his body with every breath, something to worry about later, even as Caraverro moved over to him. Instead he focussed on the now shifted battle in front of him, trying through slightly blurred vision to work out what else he could do to tip the favour of the battle.

Spying Caraverro's sword, still in its scabbard and leaning against one of the upturned chairs that now littered the area, Harry regretted using all of his magic. Another Accio would have allowed him to arm the Team Leader, but as he didn't feel like passing out from trying, he would have to do something that would probably get him grounded for the remaining two weeks before the Hogwarts term began.

"Keep them from getting me!" And before Caraverro could object, because if an 11 year old told someone they were going to run out into the middle of combat an objection would be the lightest response, Harry ran through the Wards.

You have entered a combat zone:

Warning: Recommended Level 5 (2)

+1 Brave

"What, come back!" Caraverro's cry went unheeded, Harry using his Battle wand on it's normal setting to attack the Walker that was the main barrier between him and the sword.

5 Damage dealt

Now that Harry was paying attention to one Walker in particular, he noticed the specific features about it that he hadn't taken in before now. It was a body of a woman in her 30's, and despite the slight decay and damage to the body from the combat Harry could see she had probably once been pretty, if not beautiful.

Tattoo's covered her skin, and judging by the way they glowed slightly these tattoos were part of the binding process. A rather worn and ragged vest shirt covered her chest, which surprised Harry slightly as the tattoo's clearly went underneath the shirt, almost as if…

"Magical Observation." It would use mana he didn't really have to spare, but Harry almost laughed as the world shifted into a world of vibrant colours, and the Walker's weakness became child's play to spot..

The colours on the Walker ran throughout the thing's body, no doubt due to the Tattoos and other binding spells that animated it. But in the middle of the Walker's lower stomach was a brightly glowing point that drew magic in from the surroundings and sent it out into the tattoos.

Given that he was now less than 5 metres from the Walker, which had turned and shambled in his direction after the second shot from his Battle Wand hit it in the shoulder, Harry couldn't miss the shot if he tried.

Weak Point Hit- Automatic Critical Hit

The first shot from his battle wand sent the Walker staggering and pierced the vest, but as Harry shifted out of the way of a Unit Rex member dodging backwards, he could tell it clearly didn't pierce through to whatever the magic source was. The second shot was slightly off target as Harry slowed down from his slow run, the Walker swiping at him with both hands, the fingers coated in metal of some sort and clearly sharpened to act as weapons.

-5 HP

He dodged, most of it at least, the Walker's pinky finger catching the edge of his arm as he ducked to the side, slicing through his T-shirt like it wasn't even there and drawing a thin line of blood.

Still, it wasn't like pain was a new thing to him, and with the Walker now off balance Harry was able to point his wand right at the glowing point in it's stomach.

Weak Point Hit- Automatic Critical Hit

Damaged Weak Point Hit- Mortal Damage

There was a cracking sound as his attack dug deeply into the Walker's stomach as it stumbled past, and as Harry skidded to a halt the Walker's magic faded in a small flash of eldritch blue light. The corpse swayed for a moment, before reality seemed to catch up and it collapsed bonelessly to the floor.

Level 4 Unwilling Walker Defeated- 100 xp gained.

Level up- Level 3 reached

22 hp max

18 mp max

4 skill points

HP and MP fully restored

It was nice to finally go up a level, for the extra mana if nothing else. The magic exhaustion lightened even as Harry reached Caraverro's sword, a strange energetic feeling washing over Harry, as if he had just woken from a restful sleep.

The Longsword was heavy, certainly by an 11 year old's standard, so Harry had to store his wands in their holsters in order to pick it up properly.

"Look out boy!" As Harry turned around, determined to get back to the safety of the Ward Line as soon as possible, he saw Caraverro had followed him part of the way through the combat.

Given the warning, Harry gripped the sword to his chest and rolled forward without giving it another thought. When someone shouted a warning, Harry had learned from experience to dodge first, ask questions later.

Wall Shield Health (0/77): Wall Shield Destroyed

*THUNK*

The notification and the noise made it clear to Harry that he had made the right choice in dodging, rolling somewhat awkwardly to his feet given the unwieldy shape of the sword in his hand. Sprinting back to Caraverro, as working out whatever had made that noise could definitely come later, Harry ducked under a Walker's grasping hands and held out the hilt of the sword in the team leader's direction.

"Your mother is going to kill us for this later kid!" The man grabbed the sword and unsheathed it in a flourish, Harry ducking behind him as Caraverro decapitated two Walkers in as many swings.

Back behind the Unit Rex Leader, Harry had a chance to catch his breath, drawing his Cypress Wand with a flourish so that he was armed once more.

"Bastar-Sniper is just beyond the ward line, though that's nothing like any ammunition I have ever seen!" The comment, edited a little too late for Harry's benefit no doubt, came from the Unit Rex member he had assisted before.

Harry's shield, whilst not damaging the attacking Walkers, had provided the breathing room that Unit Rex had needed to regroup. Five of them were stood with weapons at the ready, whilst the other three were carrying or dragging their wounded/dead comrades.

"Get the wounded through the wards! Then we can contact Command for reinforcements!" Caraverro was furious, his tone made that clear if nothing else, but at least the man was thinking logically still.

More Walkers had appeared in the time that Harry's shield had protected them, meaning that they were still as outnumbered as they had been beforehand. And whilst Unit Rex were no longer surprised, there were at least three of them that would be distracted with the wounded or without weapons due to the ambush.

Just as Harry was about to turn back, both to let people into the wards and to get to safety himself, he spotted something on the small hillock outside the wardline. There was someone stood there, little more than a hazy figure to Harry from this distance, what had caught his eye was the dark energy that was gathering around the figure like a cloud.

"Time to go!" Caraverro's call dragged Harry's attention from the figure, and shifting through the remaining fighters of Unit Rex he grabbed one of those carrying a wounded person, his other hand going to grab the bloodied arm of the man she was carrying.

The last thing he wanted was to accidentally kill the wounded man because he hadn't maintained physical contact with them after all, wards were annoyingly uncompromising with things like that.

"Harry!" Even as Harry dragged the two Inquisition members through the wards, he heard the sound of Sirius shouting his name, even as the sounds of combat started up again behind him.

"Over here Dad!" It wouldn't have taken Sirius long to see them, but getting a seasoned fighter who could also help bring people through the wards would be very useful.

The Quest update notification popped up again, but Harry ignored it as he turned and grabbed the next pair of Unit Rex members through the wards, the faster he got people through the better, both in terms of the game 'rewards' and more importantly for his conscience.

"Incoming!" As he reached for the final pair, Harry had glanced over to where he had seen the figure stood on the hillock, just in time to see something dart in their direction.

"Unit 2!"

"Shield of Faith." It seemed that Unit Rex were somewhat prepared for a ranged attack now, as two of them broke off from the melee with the Walkers at Caraverro's shout, slamming their shields together and creating a semi-opaque shield that expanded to cover the entire Team.

A muttered 'Observe', which had almost become reflex when new attacks or spells happened in front of him, let him see the shield that the Inquisition had summoned.

Shield of Faith- Level 7 shield spell

HP 237/?

It was a decent shield, especially as the Inquisition team had no active Magic, but the thing darting towards them looked far more dangerous.

Harry's instincts from his previous life made him react even with this initial shield in place, wand raised in his left hand and casting a shield charm inside the erected shield, as his eyes managed to bring the attacking object into focus.

Protego shield charm successfully cast-

-60 Mana

Protego Shield Health (112/112)

-30 MP/min to maintain

4% of damage transferred to MP

The spear of almost pure darkness, pulsating with an alarming frequency, slammed into the Inquisition shield a moment later.

For a fraction of a second, light and darkness clashed with the sound of a thunderclap, before the shield buckled, bent and then shattered. The two members of Unit Rex that had created the shield were sent flying back into their fellows, one of them screaming as they slammed into the ward line itself.

Harry had no time to worry about that though, as the spear slammed into his shield with the force of a bus. His legs buckled, and he was honestly surprised that the attack hadn't pierced his shield as easily as it seemed to destroy the Inquisition's shield.

The burst of magic from his left hand answered that particular question, the Gauntlet Ollivander had given him emitting a dark nimbus that sparked in time with the shadowy spear. The dark nimbus shifted to his shield a moment later, causing it to turn from it's usual shimmering white to a very dark grey.

The world greyed out for a moment, a large text box appearing in front of him.

Magical Skill Unlocked: Shadow Magic (1/100) (Progression locked until Hogwarts enrollment complete)

Secret Quest Unlocked: The Secrets of Saladin's Shadow

The Secrets of Saladin's Shadow:

Through intense study of the Gauntlet's runic patterns, or through lucky happenstance, The Child has uncovered one of the powers enchanted into the Gauntlet. A connection to Shadow Magic is something that will draw questions to The Child and his continued possession of the Gauntlet, but it's power cannot be ignored.

As the Gauntlet's powers are unlocked, some of the runic symbols dancing across the surface of the gauntlet become fixed in place...

Main Objectives:

-?

-?

-?

-?

-?

-?

-?

Bonus Objectives:

-Study the lore surrounding Saladin and his bodyguard (+1000 XP, +1 Wizarding Knowledge (History), +1 Wizarding Knowledge (Mystical))

-? (?)

?

The Secrets of Saladin's Shadow Main objective discovered:

Use an offensive Shadow magic skill or defend against a Shadow Magic based attack.

Main Objective completed: Only in the Darkest embrace (Use an offensive Shadow magic skill or defend against a Shadow Magic based attack)

New passive ability unlocked on Gauntlet of Saladin's Shadow:

Only in the darkest embrace (LVL4)

+12% attack power with Shadow Magic spells.

+28% shield strength with Shadow Magic spells.

+20% shield strength against Shadow Magic spells.

-4% MP cost for all Shadow Magic spells

New sub-trait unlocked for Gauntlet of Saladin's Shadow item trait, [Stored Magic]:

[Depths of Darkness]: Gauntlets MP used to empower Shadow Magic spells/maintain shield spells against Shadow Magic.

Trait modified for Gauntlet of Saladin's Shadow, [Undiscovered Potential]:

Item will now have traits equal to [Child's Level] +1

Harry read the words, but none of it really sunk in to Harry as the sound returned to his ears with a thundering swell.

"He's slidi.." Strong arms grasped his shoulders as Harry became very much aware of his surroundings once more, the shadow spear screeching against his shield spell with such force it had been forcing him backwards across the grass of the clearing.

-47 Stored MP from [Stored Magic] item trait

Protego shield spell health increased to 17/253

With a final crack, that rather worryingly sounded like a bone cracking whilst still inside the body, the Shadow Magic attack vanished and Harry found himself able to breathe once more.

"By the Saints…" Even as Caraverro and the others started to get over their shock, Harry was brushing off the man's arms and grabbing two of the wounded.

The last thing he wanted was to stand in the open against another attack like that…

[]{}#%^*+=

"How the hell did the Inferni make it past the outer wards? Where were your sentries?" Harry rolled his eyes as an Inquisition Commander Rostron, who a quick Observe informed him had been an armchair commander his entire career, bellowed and blustered to the members of Unit Rex that were combat capable.

With Sirius arriving on the scene moments after Harry's shield defended them against the Shadow Magic attack, they were able to bring the surviving members of Unit Rex inside the Ward Line without much difficulty.

The sniper on the distant hill had taken one more shot at them, but the wards had shrugged off the assault with ease, and the man had fled as reinforcements began to arrive. Given there were at least three Unit Rex members outside the wards, Sirius and Caraverro had lead an assault on the remaining Walkers who were starting to mill around and attack anything they could reach.

The disparity between Harry and Sirius was made clear in the way the Black Lord waged war.

A dozen Walkers fell from a single fire spell cast silently with a simple flick of a wand.

The ground opened up to swallow two more without a single incantation, only a complicated wand gesture.

And as he strode through the ensuing combat, Sirius didn't even break stride as several Walkers tried to attack him, sending them all flying with bursts of power that Harry would have struggled to match even in his previous life.

Despite their best efforts, one of the injured Inquisition soldiers bled out from her wounds before they could heal her. Both sentries that were 'on duty' were found almost torn to pieces on the edges of the small area of Woodland, that traversed the edge of the Black Family Land.

Sirius' best attempt at a 'stern talking to', which mostly covered exactly how Freya was going to kill both of them, was something that happened in between dealing with the cut on Harry's arm before Sirius went to notify the Ministry and his wife.

This meant that Harry had been allowed to wander the area as dozens of Inquisition soldiers began the clean up.

His first point of investigation had been the solidified remnants of the Shadow Magic spear he had dodged whilst getting Caraverro's sword. To his surprise, he had received a new message when he tried to Observe one of the Fragments:

Observe Failed: Observe level not high enough.

Observe Level ? Required to obtain data on ?

It had been the first time Observe had not given him at least some information, even on high level characters it had given him some background information on most of them. Therefore Harry hadn't felt even slightly guilty about ripping a piece of fabric from a dead Walker and wrapping several of the small shards inside it.

There was a cold feeling from the shards, that could be felt even through the cloth he had wrapped around them, something that made Harry very happy he had not been hit by it.

Checking some of the downed Walker corpses, despite the best efforts of several Inquisition soldiers to keep him away from them, Observe was far more useful, even if Harry hadn't been at all keen to take some of the identified [Crafting Item] loot it highlighted.

Unwilling Walker Corpse (Poor Binding)

Lootable items:

Cloth Shirt (Size: Adult Large, Quality: Poor, Design: Simple, Enchantments: None)

Jeans (Size: Adult Large, Quality:Standard, Design: Simple, Enchantments: None)

[Research Item]- Celtic Binding Stone (Poor Quality)

Harvestable Items:

[Crafting Item]- Enchanted Flesh (Good Quality) X 3

[Crafting Item]- Vessel Bone (Average Quality) X2

Research Items:

Some of the items that the Child can obtain are not ancient relics or powerful crafting items, but instead tools that can teach the Child knowledge and skills, ranging from textbooks with knowledge of advanced mathematics to ancient grimoires that teach the darkest of magical power boosting techniques.

In most cases, the study of Research items will unlock part of a bonus, but the success of this research depends on the quality of the item, the time devoted to studying it, and the Child's individual skills.

[Research Item]- Celtic Binding Stone

Inscribed with Celtic Runes of power, sustenance and animation, Binding Stones can be used to animate everything from a cleaning broom to a chariot, depending on the stone used and the quality of the rune carvings.

Given the effort and cost involved in the generation of these stones, most of those produced tend to be used in powerful binding rituals or for complex animations. Only the poorest quality constructed binding stones are sold to others by those that can manufacture them, though even these simple trinkets are capable of devastating potential.

Part of the Basic Magical Celtic Rune Research Set:

Celtic Binding Stone (1 of ? obtained, 0 of ? studied)

?

?

Set Rewards:

2000xp

?

?

Research items, celtic rune sets? Harry could worry about it a little later, as another screen appeared in front of him a moment later.

Quest Completed: Rex Requiem:

Inquisition Unit Rex has been ambushed whilst guarding the Chosen One, a swarm of Celtic Walkers have somehow circumvented the Wards and are already overwhelming them.

With their backs to a metaphorical wall, and only half of the team armed and 'on duty', unless something changes this will be Unit Rex's final fight...

Main Objectives:

Save as many of Inquisition Unit Rex as possible (Currently: 12/15 'Safe') (0/1) +1200 XP, +2000 Relationship with 'Inquisition Unit Rex', -150 Relationship with Sirius Black/Freya Bishop, +500 Relationship with British Inquisition Peacekeeping Force, -1000 Relationship with ?, ?)

Find information about the perpetrator of the attack (2/2) (+250 xp, +1 Shadow Magic, +1 Knowledge (Rituals))

Bonus Objectives:

Save more than 5 members of Inquisition Unit Rex (12/5) +300 xp, +1500 Relationship with 'Inquisition Unit Rex'

Save more than 10 members of Inquisition Unit Rex (12/10) 700 xp, +3000 Relationship with 'Inquisition Unit Rex'

Save all members of Inquisition Unit Rex (12/15) (Failed)

Deliberately allow the entirety of Inquisition Unit Rex to be killed (3/15) (Failed)

Block a Shadow Magic attack whilst wearing the Gauntlet of Saladin's Shadow (Secret Quest: Secret of Saladin's Shadows unlocked)

Relationship with 'Inquisition Unit Rex' improved to "Charge Worth Protecting" (900/3000):

Group Relationship Value Effects-

+3 to Skill rolls related to maintaining or increasing the Relationship values of Individuals in this Group.

+1 to all Skill rolls affecting a member of this Group.

+2 to Group's tests to resist others attempts at lowering the Relationship value related to the Child.

"I have half a mind to stand you on trial for abandoning your posts…" As Harry cleared the last of the status screens in front of him, the words of the Inquisition Commander caught his attention, the man clearly looking for a scapegoat for the whole affair.

Despite the fact he was only 11, and therefore unlikely to be taken seriously, Harry turned in the direction of the man and started walking towards him. Harry had always taken responsibility for the actions of his people, both in the DA and when he had been forced to take command of the remnants of the Order of the Phoenix.

And now that they had fought and bled together, he wasn't going to let Caraverro and the others become the sacrificial lambs this Commander Rostron clearly desired.

"Commander Rostron, as I tried to explain…" More than one member of Inquisition Unit Rex seemed to notice his approach, mixed expressions of surprise and confusion crossing the faces of those watching him as Caraverro once again tried to speak.

"Did I give you permission to talk Squad Leader? I have no time for excuses, I was at a meeting with Magister Roux before I had to come and clean up your mess!" Harry couldn't keep quite any longer, his unfortunately childish chuckle causing the Commander to turn in his direction with his bearded face turning a remarkable shade of scarlet.

"You think you can…" It seemed that the Commander's brain caught up with his indignity a moment to late, as he trailed off and lowered the hand that had been reaching for the rod type weapon at his waist.

"I think I can remark on your 'assistance' in the defence of my home when you arrive almost half an hour after the threat has been dealt with. You are threatening the people who have bled and lost comrades defending me and my family, all because you had to abandon a dinner party or something, and you are doing it on Black family land." His voice was a little louder than it probably needed to be, but Harry didn't mind a little audience for this next part.

"So, either back off, or you can have a fight with me instead…" There was a couple of low whistles from the Inquisition members around them, and the look on Caraverro's face was priceless as he seemed to be internally fighting a smile and a frown at the same time.

Intimidate test (Difficult): 14 needed

Intimidate value- 0

High Strength (4)- + 1

Unfamiliar Person- - 2

Target personality- + 1

Location Bonus- + 3

Action Bonus- + 2

Content bonus- + 3

Luck Bonus (0-4)- +3

Effective Intimidate Skill Value- 11

Random modifier- (-3 to +1)

Intimidate test failed

-300 Relationship (Inquisition Commander Rostron)

+200 Relationship (Inquisition Unit Rex)

+50 Relationship (?)

"You spoiled little brat, you have no authority over what I deem to do with the men under my command! I should have you flogged to teach you some respect!" The Commander's hand twitched towards the rod at his belt, and Harry almost wanted him to draw it, so that he could physically teach him some manners if needed.

His mana hadn't fully recovered, but given where they were Harry wouldn't need to do anything other than shield.

"I suppose it is true that Mr Potter doesn't have any authority over you Commander Rostron, though given what I have just watched I am debating assigning you to serve in the Vatican archives instead. At least then you couldn't continue to embarrass our order in front of our esteemed hosts." If Harry's interruption had stoked Commander Rostron's ire like fresh coal being added to a furnace, the steady but powerful voice from behind Harry was like a freezing charm applied directly to its core.

"M-Magister…" Commander Rostron's face paled to ash, even as Harry turned to see his unexpected ally.

Dressed in fashionable scarlet robes that seemed to glisten in the light of the early afternoon, the relatively short and wiry middle aged blonde man certainly didn't seem physically intimidating, but even as the two Black Cloaks standing behind him moved forwards at a lazy hand gesture, it was clear he certainly seemed to possess the power his tone implied.

"You are to return to Headquarters Commander, I have cleared my afternoon schedule, so I will take over here…" The two Black Cloaks grabbing the Commander's arms made it clear that this wasn't something the Commander could protest.

"But… Magister…" Commander Rostron's stuttering attempts to speak were promptly ignored by the unnamed Magister, who instead strode towards Harry whilst waving dismissively in Caraverro's direction.

"Your men are dismissed Squad Leader, I will get another squad to cover your duties for the next week. Now Mr Potter, my name is Magister Roux and I have wanted to talk to you for quite some time…"

Whilst Harry had some respect for Dumbledore still despite the truths uncovered in the previous life line, this Magister Roux reminded him far too much of the man at his most 'grandfatherly' for him to be too comfortable.

"HARRY!" Even though he had only been in this life for a few months, Harry had learned to fear that particular call quite quickly.

"This way Mr Potter, I just want to…"

"Here Mum!" This once though, Harry didn't mind drawing Freya's attention to himself, despite how much trouble he knew he would probably end up in.

The look of frustration on the Magister's face as the imposing figure of Freya strode through the crowd of Inquisition members, intimidating even in the flowing yellow summer dress that just dropped below her knees.

"Magister Roux. Why am I not surprised to see you here, after repeatedly your 'requests' for Harry to 'visit' you…"

Huh, Harry might actually get off without an admonishment for once, given the tension that was currently between the two adults in front of him…

A/N:Sorry it's taken so long, been a long couple of months with work, house and personal stuff conspiring against me everytime I try and sit down and write for a prolonged period.

So we have a bit more action, an introduction to various members of the Inquisition and my personal Celtic version of inferni/zombies, admittedly very low level ones.

The Inquisition Guards were outnumbered, caught off guard and not used to fighting undead opponents, before anyone questions why they were doing so badly. This incident will be the kick up the ass for the remaining members to start pushing their training, meaning that they will rapidly become more powerful in comparison to their current selves.

To clarify as well, the Inquisition people that are being introduced so far aren't solely being introduced as 'bad guys', despite them seeming that way from Harry's point of view. The Inquisitor's actions are very clearly personal, and Magister Roux's actions should be relatable to a public figure in the later Harry Potter books.

I've cut it there, both to stop this chapter dragging on like the last one did, but also because Harry would be sent into the house a few moments later. As a heads up, there will be a time skip in the next chapter, with Harry visiting Ollivander on the morning of going to Hogwarts and then the Hogwarts Express itself.

Then we can get into the actual 'canon' storyline… Only 65 k words in. XD

Big thanks to Treant Balewood, Eirik, Thomas Smith, Michael Thomas and Druid, for being supporters of my work. If anyone wants to become a Fanling of mine (see previous chapter and/or search 'Defiasstone2' on Google), I would be hugely grateful.

As usual, leave me a review people!

Defias Out