Hi people!^_^

Well, here is chapter 5! Enjoy reading it!^_^

Viktor, the disclaimer please!^_^

Viktor: Lady Avotil does not own the Underworld or Harry Potter series, only the plot of this story and any OC characters.

Lady A: Thank you, Viktor! *smiles* You will see that Harry is now well-versed in the dance of politics.

Viktor: *glares slightly* For your sake, I most sincerely hope so.

Lady A: *whispers worriedly* Yeah, me too *turns to readers* Enjoy reading chapter 5!^_^

HPxUnderworld******************************************

Chapter 5: Presentation and Council

Harry casually leaned on the wall to his left and watched as his father walked down the stairs. He had managed to convince Viktor to leave him there, just before the landing began. This way he was out of sight of the vampires assembled in the entrance hall. Not that it mattered all that much – their attention would be on his father anyway. After all, no one dared show disrespect to the vampire Elder.

As Viktor stopped in front of the manor's front doors, turned around to look at the vampires gathered in the luxurious foyer and prepared to begin his speech, Harry allowed himself to stare in wonder at his ancestor. The way the older vampire carried himself and effortlessly commanded the attention of almost 100 vampires was awe-inspiring. Harry resolved to try his best in achieving that same effect. He had sworn to himself he would not let his father down.

The young heir winced as he remembered a particular training session with his father, where he had slipped up badly enough to anger the vampire Elder.

Flashback

Harry had to blink back the tears that threatened to fall and ignored the stinging sensation on his right cheek. Viktor had just slapped him for his greatest mistake in their training sessions yet – not only had he allowed himself to be disarmed, but also to be cornered and exposed. What was once his black T-shirt now looked like an open vest, a long but shallow gash across his chest, starting from his right shoulder and almost reaching his left hip, leaving no doubt as to the reason for the torn state of the garment. The black-haired teenager fell to his knees, cowering slightly before the other vampire. However, he refused to look away from the eyes the same colour as his.

"You made a most foolish mistake!", the vampire Elder shouted, emphasizing the "foolish" part of his exclamation, his eyes glowing a brighter blue than before. "Had you been placed in such a situation by an enemy vampire or, Elders forbid, a lycan, then you would have been killed without a second thought!", the furious Elder continued.

Harry had never seen his father in such a state of anger before. The young vampire slightly lowered his head in shame, though his face retained its impassive look. He would not show weakness in front of an opponent, even if it was his father. That was one of the rules Viktor had again and again told him to never break when he was dealing with a situation like this. Even so, that did not help keep the feeling of shame away from the teenager's heart. He had let down his father. Weighed down by his emotions, Harry could not get up and go after his father as the older vampire stalked out of the dojo.

Later that evening, after taking a warm, relaxing shower and getting out of the bathroom, Harry stood in front of the full-length mirror on his wardrobe doors, inspecting the light pink scar on his chest. He knew that by the time he woke up tomorrow night there would be no trace left of the injury. Well, he knew that now, at least. The first time he had gotten cut by his father's sword he had thought that there would be a permanent mark on his left upper arm. To his surprise, though, when he had woken up the next evening, there hadn't been even a trace of it.

Sighing, the young vampire took a step towards his bed, intent on donning his pajama bottoms and going to sleep, when suddenly there was a knock on his door. Raising his eyebrows in surprise, the black-haired teen looked at his window. The dark colours of the night were giving way to the bright ones of the day. Most vampires were asleep by now. Who could be looking for me so early in the morning?, he wondered, going over to the door. It had taken him less time than he had thought to get used to the vampire's sleeping regime, although he did find himself occasionally waking up in the middle of the afternoon and falling asleep in the late morning hours. Plastering a tired expression on his face, Harry opened the door…and promptly dropped his most recent mask. Standing on the other side was Viktor.

Once the vampire Elder was inside, the black-haired teen closed the door, his eyes slightly narrowed in suspicion. He could not think of any reason why his father would visit him at such a time. His father was staring at him, or rather at his chest, from across the room, making Harry realize that he only had a towel wrapped around his waist. Still, not letting on the embarrassment he felt at the thought of his father seeing him half-naked, the black-haired teenager raised an eyebrow in question. Viktor's eyes looked back at his son's face.

"I…apologize for my earlier action", Viktor said, reluctance or maybe discomfort clearly apparent in his voice. The second eyebrow joined the first one in surprise. Viktor doesn't seem like the kind of person to apologize, Harry mused. Shrugging mentally, he smiled slightly at his father.

"Apology accepted, though you didn't need to do it in the first place. I will not let you down again, father", the teenage vampire replied. A small smile graced the vampire Elder's face.

"Now, go to bed. You will need your strength, for tomorrow your training intensifies", Viktor declared before going out of his son's room.

A determined look appeared in Harry's eyes. In the hallway, the vampire Elder looked at his son's bedroom door. One day when you're big and strong, you will be a king. I will make sure of that, he thought. With that he turned around and went into his own room.

End of Flashback

Harry shook of the memory and returned his attention to his father, who appeared to be coming to the end of his speech. An amused gleam entered his eyes when he saw the imperceptible nod of the vampire Elder. It was show time.

Amy was very shocked by Lord Viktor's words. He had a new heir? There was a future Elder? It was something that none of the vampire in the coven had thought would happen, especially after Selene's betrayal. Amy still could not understand how Selene of all people – the most avid lycan-hater in the coven – had fallen for a lycan. The brown-haired girl knew that Lord Viktor had had a daughter a few centuries ago and after she had died, Selene had taken her place. She may have not been his flesh and blood, but he had nonetheless treated her as if she really was.

Now there was a new heir to the throne, a new prince. This new heir was also of Lord Viktor's bloodline, which shocked the vampires in the entrance hall even more. It was no secret that the vampire Elder had not chosen a new vampire mate after the death of his wife, Lady Ilona. Amy tried to figure out who could be this mysterious new heir. Yet except for Harry, there hadn't been any other new additions to the coven. Unless…

"Now, I present to you my heir and my son, Hadrian!", Viktor announced, waving his left arm towards the staircase. Amy felt her mouth drop open in surprise at seeing the person who was imperiously descending the stairs. It was Harry.

The other vampires were absolutely astounded. First the news that there was a new heir shocked them and now the appearance of the new heir, this Hadrian, bewildered them. He looked like a younger version of Lord Viktor. Not a single vampire in the entrance hall doubted that he was of their Lord's bloodline, even more so when they saw the neon blue eyes and felt the familiar aura of power that the black-haired vampire exuded. It was only slightly less potent than the one of their Lord, though they were sure that it would grow to match his in time.

There was only one group of 12 vampires who were not as impressed by the new heir as the rest of the coven. They hid their thoughts behind carefully crafted masks of shock and awe. These were the 12 vampires who held the 12 seats of the Vampire Council. Whilst they were most of the time in conflict with each other, they all had currently one and the same thought in mind: We will see, if he is worthy of being the heir.

Meanwhile, Harry had reached his father and was standing beside him. They both held the same posture and both had the same masks of indifference on their faces, though if one were to look closely enough, one pair of eyes held a trace of worry in them and the other one – excitement. Clearing his throat a bit, the vampire Elder subdued the excited murmurs of the vampires in the foyer. Inclining his head in gratitude towards his father, Harry took a step forward. He knew that this was a decisive moment.

"Good evening, my name is Hadrian. I know that some of you have inevitably already formed doubts about my ability to be an Elder of this coven some night. However, until that time comes, all I ask of you is to let me show you that I am more than capable of succeeding Lord Viktor. I will lead this coven into a great future! I will lead this coven to victory! And above all – I will ensure the security and stability of the coven and, in that way, the survival and continuation of the bloodlines! Any who stand in my way of accomplishing these goals shall be dealt with most severely", the young vampire stated, his neon blue eyes looking each and every single vampire in the foyer in the eyes and his resolve to achieve his goals making them glow an even brighter shade of blue.

Amy was impressed by the black-haired teen's speech and silently vowed to stand by her friend's side no matter what. She would make sure that he would one night ascend to the throne…and reprimand him for not telling her about his status as heir to Lord Viktor. As Amy watched the vampires of the coven going one by one towards Harry to greet him, the teenage girl thought about how exactly she would express her displeasure of him keeping as great a secret as this from her.

Harry's indifferent face did not seem to deter the vampires from going to him and paying their respects, as it were. He was unpleasantly reminded of Lockhart's constant autograph sessions. However, his eyes lit up when his best and only friend in the coven, Amy, came towards him. She was accompanied by a man with short, dark brown, almost black hair and dark blue eyes. His face was oval. Overall, with the elegant clothes taken into account, he looked like an aristocrat. Probably Amy's father, Harry thought as he greeted Amy and the unknown man.

"Lord Hadrian, this is my father, Mark Jones", she introduced, watching her friend and her father shaking hands.

"I have heard many things about you, Councilman Jones", Harry politely told him.

It was true that he had heard many things about Amy's father, but not from Amy herself. He would have to be careful with this man when he was at a Council meeting. The sad look in his eyes when Amy went away with her father was not missed by Viktor and the vampire Elder silently prayed that this was a good sign. He wanted his son to be happy and Mark Jones' daughter seemed to be able to bring a smile onto Harry's face. Laying a hand on his son's shoulder, Viktor gave the teenage vampire the second signal for the night – it was time for his first Council meeting.

As Harry entered the Council chamber, which was just after the throne room, and took his seat at the right of his father, he mentally prepared himself for a battle of wits. After all, he was pretty sure that the Councilmen and Councilwomen would try to humiliate him. They probably wanted a shot at being an Elder themselves. Well, if they were anything like the politicians in the Wizarding World, then he would have to make sure that he stopped them before they achieved something like that. He would just hate to see another incompetent leader like Cornelius Fudge.

"Let the Council meeting begin", Viktor said. Almost instantly Mark Jones stepped forward, clasping his hands together. He reminded Harry a bit of Lucius Malfoy with his behaviour. If his attitude was like Malfoy Sr's as well, then this man would most probably cause trouble.

Viktor wanted to sigh but refrained from it. It would not do for an Elder to sigh. Mark Jones had been turned into a vampire by Markus Corvinus in the last decades of the 18th century and, as such, Jones had made it his immortal life's goal to be a constant thorn in Viktor's side. The vampire Elder wondered, if there would always be yet another Coloman to bother him.

"The werewolves are becoming an increasingly greater problem. Kraven's deceit and incompetence allowed Lucian to amass a great horde of those beasts and now there are more of them than there have been in the past century", Jones informed all of the Council members and Viktor had a difficult time deciding whether he wanted to roll his eyes or strangle the vampire noble.

"I am well aware, Jones", the vampire Elder spat out, "that the nearsightedness of the Council has led to this problem. We will simply deal with the wolves as we always have", he finished, a small smirk on his face. Another Councilmember stood up and joined Jones at the center of the chamber.

"Unfortunately, the betrayal of Selene has had a disastrous effect on the Death Dealers and their small number is most definitely not sufficient to terminate all of the lycans prowling out there. Time would expand their ranks, certainly, but we cannot afford that right now", she declared, lifting her head high and her dark brown eyes challenging the vampire Elder to reply. She too was one of Markus' creatures.

"What do you propose we do then, Katrina?", Viktor retorted, raising an eyebrow to indicate that any suggestions she made would be discarded without a single thought.

"We go back to dealing with the lycans the way we did before they took over Castle Corvinus – we enslave them once more", came the answer to his question. Viktor was just about ready to leap out of his seat at her statement.

"Enslave them again? Have you lost your mind? They are born of beasts and the savagery of this fact cannot be ignored! Even giving them the minimum amount of food would take a toll on the coven's funds, not to mention that, above all, the security of the coven would suffer from an act like this", the enraged Elder nearly shouted, reminded of a similar Council meeting argument several centuries ago. Katrina did not back away.

"I believe you fear is misplaced. Modern technology would allow us to control them better and avoid the mistakes of the past", Katrina responded, backed up by murmurs of agreement from some of the still seated Council members.

Just as Viktor was about to continue, Harry stood up from his seat and started slowly walking around the circular chamber, passing in front of each Council member and looking at them almost patronizingly. He had been listening carefully to the debate and had remembered not only what he had read about that period of time, when the lycans were under the yoke of the vampires, in the coven's History books, but also about werewolves from the books at the library of Hogwarts. He was confident he could create a good argument. Besides, this Katrina had just insulted his father, insinuating that he was scared. He could not and would not stand by and do nothing.

"My fellow Council members, milord", the young vampire started, inclining his head towards Viktor, "The problem with werewolves is that they will not behave, modern restricting technology or not. They might behave well enough under scrutiny, in other words, when threatened within the mansion where they could be monitored. However, once they are out and about it is impossible to control them. They are not governable when they are in their transformed, werewolf state. As such, enslaving them and keeping them so close to us would be a most foolish mistake", he finished.

Turning around and walking back towards his seat, Harry managed to catch a glimpse of Viktor and the pride that shone within his father's eyes made the black-haired teenager happy. Another Council member stood up. He, unlike the others, looked old and his graying hair and beard attested to his age. He was maybe in his late 60s or early 70s, Harry concluded.

"Lord Hadrian is right. Getting the lycans under our control would be more of a liability than an asset. Also, the possibility of there being a large number of casualties as a result of attempting to capture the lycans is too great. It would be far easier to just kill them on sight", the old man added.

"Thank you, Tomas. Council, do you agree with Lord Hadrian's argument?", Viktor inquired, clearly marking the debate as finished. As the Council voted, Viktor could not help but be very proud of his son – he had come a long way from the boy he was 2 months ago. When the final member had voted, Viktor was tempted to smile.

"The result of the vote is as follows: 10 Ayes and 2 Nays. Your proposal is not approved, Jones, Katrina. Are there any other matters to be discussed?", Viktor declared and receiving no reply to his question, proceeded: "Then this Council meeting is adjourned. Hadrian, stay behind", Viktor finished.

Once the last of the vampires had left the chamber, the vampire Elder turned towards his son, who was looking at him with a slightly confused expression. Viktor chuckled at this before putting his right hand on his sons left shoulder.

"You did very well on your first Council meeting, my son, and you have made me very proud", the older vampire informed Harry and received a beaming smile from the black-haired teenager.

"Thank you, father. I will try to continue doing my best", he replied, neon blue eyes filled with genuine happiness.

All in all, today wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The best part is that my bad luck didn't pop up, Harry happily thought as he walked down the hallway to his room. He was, however, woefully ignorant of the danger that lurked in front of his room, the most terrifying thing any man could face – an angered woman.

HPxUnderworld******************************************

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading chapter 5, I am really, really sorry about the Flashback, it just seemed the easiest way for me to show that Viktor hasn't turned into a complete softie and that he is the same as ever. He just cares for someone now, nothing else.^_^

Also, a virtual chocolate-chip cookie to anyone who figures out the full and partial movie references/citations I used in this chapter. The ones from the Underworld series, obviously, do not count.^_^

For those of you who are interested, I got Harry's words about werewolves from an interview with Bill Nighy, the actor who portrayed Viktor in the Underworld series. You can see the interview on YouTube under the name "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans – Bill Nighy Interview". ^_^

Lady A: See! I told you he knew how to deal with the situation.

Viktor: *nods* So you did *leaves room*

Lady A: You know, I don't think he would really hurt me. He wouldn't get any air time, so to say, otherwise.

Viktor: *come back into room* Care to repeat that, my dear?

Lady A: *laughs nervously* Um…well…I said that…you were a great character and deserved more air time in this story!

Viktor: Why, thank you, Lady A *leaves*

Lady A: *sighs in relief* That was too close…*turns to readers* Remember: leave nice and long reviews! ^_^